Xposure Podcast
More than a Podcast, it's a Movement! Xposure is the latest platform to shed light on all things “South Florida” and beyond. What started as an outlet for local musical talent, has grown into a universal stage for musicians, producers, marketing executives, small businesses and entrepreneurs from various industries. Each episode provides its listeners with a behind the scenes glimpse into the lives of average people making exceptional contributions to their communities, or significant advancements within their trade. Watch as guests, field experts and artists expose the reality of their experiences; While revealing the contributions to their successes, failures and current life status.
Xposure Podcast
Episode 20: Harmony and Discord: Dissecting Hip-Hop’s Grammy Paradox and the Echoes of Industry Evolution
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© 2024 Raw Material Entertainment
Hosted by: The Global Zoe, Eric Biddines & Drego Mill
Celebrate with us as we unpack the emotional gravity of Killer Mike's landmark Grammy wins and the sobering reality of his subsequent arrest, a stark illustration of success's double-edged sword. We navigate the complexities of hip-hop's relationship with the Grammys, question the politics at play behind award selections, and highlight the surprising low Grammy counts for icons like Drake and Lil Wayne. Alongside these deeper discussions, we also throw jabs into the rap game's battles, breaking down the artful diss tracks exchanged between Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion and contemplating the legal controversies surrounding artists like Tory Lanez.
The laughter rolls as we venture behind the comedy curtains with Katt Williams' revealing interview and upcoming tour—a glimpse into the backstage dramas and strategic moves that shape the world of stand-up. Transitioning from chuckles to nostalgia, we swap tales of Valentine's Day triumphs and tribulations, walking you through our journey from teenage mixtape hustles to the mature expressions of love we know today. We don't shy away from the raw, as we share our personal tales of resilience and the drive to succeed against all odds, proving that the path to growth is often paved with unexpected turns.
Wrapping up with a profound conversation on mentorship, masculinity, and the guiding beacons in our lives, we honor the 'OGs' who illuminate the path for the younger generation. We also dissect Jay Z's powerful Grammy speech advocating for recognition and transparency in the music industry, before jumping into the turbulent waters of music licensing on platforms like TikTok. Join us for this episode of Xposure, where we aim to keep our fingers on the pulse of the culture and invite you to gain a deeper understanding of the forces shaping our community and the entertainment world.
⏰ Chapter Markers ⏰
0:00 - Grammy Wins and Rap's Impact
10:27 - Drake, Megan, Nicki
25:14 - Katt Williams' Interview and Comedy Tour
37:55 - Rapper Interviews and New Song Release
46:45 - Valentine's Day Memories and Celebrations
56:27 - Personal Growth and Financial Hustle
1:08:30 - Definition of a Man and Relationships
1:18:54 - Defining Masculinity & Responsibility
1:27:11 - Respect, Guidance, and the Lack Thereof
1:33:12 - Jay Z on Grammys and Representation
1:47:40 - Issues With TikTok and Music Licensing
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Grammy Wins and Rap's Impact
Speaker 1What's going on? Y'all tuned in to another episode of Exposure and I be aboard the Global Zoo and I'm with the game Eric Biddens, draco Mill and today's show is brought to you by the one and only Sovereign Brands, exposure's official drink of choice. Talk about exposure. You need the exposure. You gotta touch the streets, need that street credibility need that promotion.
Speaker 2And that's where exposure.
Speaker 1Provides for the peace. Welcome to the main enemy team side out here in my a corner, like I always do Watch the exposure in the head with that exposed. No, what it is? Them down dollars relo number one, dj's number one, promoter for show from Palm Beach it's exposed us wide open now Y'all check it out, you know saying keep it locked all over the floor and you are watching exposure.
Speaker 1I, let's get right into it, though, man. We fun to get right into it. We in front of whole back, fresh off the press, big killer Mike, man. Killer Mike did something very phenomenal over the weekend. One in three Grammys. You know, I'm saying shout out to hip hop, shout out to killer Mike. I saw the speech, man, and I literally had tears of joy. If I could, I ain't crying a hot little minute, but that would have been the reason, like I was really close to it and seeing killer Mike with the album.
Speaker 1Three Grammys, three Grammys at that. You know what I'm saying. So it was best rap performance, right, best album and best Song right. There you go. So that is engineers and scientists dope album. If you haven't heard it, I think he was bringing back bars and real hip hop back. But also, I don't know, when I see them getting arrested, I'm like, wait a minute. We had an all-time high and now we're leaving in cuffs. I'm like, man, I hope that didn't ruin the moment, but what a great win for hip hop, man, great win for hip hop, yeah, that's definitely ain't Ruin.
Speaker 3Ruin the moment and I want to interject and add our investment as a hip hop community in the culture I'm surrounding hip hop, our investment in the Grammys Awards, like what was given to killer Mike, shows that our investment is paying off and.
Speaker 3I'm pay our patience and Waiting and still showing up as we which we will get into, like Jay-Z said, still showing up and being there for it and appreciating the platforms that allow and recognize the things that we're doing right. So Shout out to the Grammys for doing that. For killer Mike, it definitely, and this is my opinion, I'm speaking on behalf of those who thinking like me All right, um, the killer Mike Awards is, isn't it? Don't pay off for the ones that was missed in the past, for those who we feel like should have gotten awards? Absolutely. But it definitely shows that they are trying to get it right with authenticity and not just metrics and data and what went viral. They are looking at things that have substance, activism, personality. He's a family man, he's been consistent, he, he.
Speaker 3Yeah unapologetic Him, ceo, businessman, barber shops, like it shows the growth and the maturity in that the Infrastructure and the organization, the organization or the administration behind the Grammys is also Expanding to really get a grasp on what the culture is about and who the culture actually Cosines to be represented on our behalf. Gotcha, absolutely, it was beautiful.
Speaker 1No, absolutely so, as we on that topic. So most Grammys wins by a rapper. We got Jay Z at 24, we got Kanye at 24, kendrick at 17. Wow, eminem with 15. Hmm, pharrell with 13. Okay, lauren Hill.
Speaker 2Hey oh.
Speaker 1Andre 177. Dr Dre at 7, outcasts at 6 and we got tired. At 5 we got Drake, wayne and Gambino.
Speaker 3Um, how I'm surprised to see Drake and Wayne so low.
Speaker 1Kind of I said the same thing. Well, don't forget.
Speaker 2Where did Drake get like five at one time, I think he was in one setting was. I don't know, I'm surprised at one, yeah, just that one setting memory.
Speaker 3He has so much you couldn't hold him in his hand. But that ain't got nothing to do with this list. He read off If this is, if this list is, um, legit, yep, the. I'm surprised because Drake and Wayne is so low on there on on the on volume.
Speaker 1That's interesting. Drake is probably one of the I mean as a relevant and current artist probably the hottest as we look right now. That's interesting, but do Drake? I think some of these records that get the Grammys is like, I don't know. I feel like Drake can he ain't no excuse.
Speaker 3No, no way you miss you.
Speaker 1No, I'm thinking longevity, I'm thinking the records, like Drake, can adapt to the current times. I feel like the records would be good for now. But, like, do you always go back in the archive and bumper Drake record or does he know how to keep up with whatever the current trend? Is he just always hot at that? Moment we don't have a rapper with the stats that Drake have outside of like in the history of the planet, of Planet of Raps.
Speaker 3We don't have the planet of rap, whatever rhythm and poetry is, we don't have nobody with the volume that Drake was able to produce, the fuck, and and I'm not saying taking nothing from everybody else on this list, but it's I'm surprised that he's so far away. Okay, okay, other people are in the teens and he had he in single digits, gotcha. So somebody, um, somebody, I won't say drop the ball. You can see where the politics may may play out, where he went in too much over here.
Speaker 1Mm-hmm.
Speaker 3We can't Give him everything here Absolutely, cuz some people can Devour everything. If you're gonna go with this, with the metrics and the numbers and sometimes the metrics and the numbers do make it hard to Dismiss what a person deserve like Kendrick, is really high.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3So I like the Kendrick, he deserve it. He's really high, so you get it. You get it right there, but then you miss it with.
Speaker 1Drake and what not that you said. That is hitting me different, because I would say Drake, body of work has to be triple time, right the amount of Kendrick right Right. Yeah, come and then he go. That's Kendrick. What, how many albums can you?
Speaker 243. But but Kendrick been hitting ever since the intro, like ever since the beginning.
Speaker 3Drake man. No, no, no, no.
Speaker 2He's been getting the Grammy since he started the game Okay. Drake wasn't in. Get wasn't getting him. He did a mixtape. Did he get it Grammy for a mixtape? I think he did.
Speaker 3I think it was nominated. I was nominated, okay, the best side of the head, the best of right, so I was a mixtape and I was a mixtape so.
Speaker 2But again, kendrick came was getting it at the very start of his career.
Speaker 3Drake didn't, wasn't getting it like that but you still ain't gonna find nobody have more singles. I agree, chart the way Drake is the amount of singles he have in relationship to his album. It's he having four plus singles per album. He doing the equivalent what Lauren Hill was was doing. He doing equivalent what DMX was doing. He doing the equipment like with ease. So the part where I see is unfair. If I'm justifying why that he ain't getting the Grammys, it's because you're dominating too much over here. If we give you, you for doing good, yeah, because you're doing so good, it's gonna show the favoritism that in. It's gonna show how you swallowing the game. That's the LeBron effect.
Speaker 3Yeah, the LeBron, exactly the LeBron. It is a real thing because you want to, you want to, you want to be fair and your sportsman sportsmen like Conduct. But what I'm saying is and going back to what Jay Z say, which we may get into later yeah, sometimes they get it wrong. What you should get it close to right, it ain't no way. Jay Drake is at five while other people are at 15 17 and things like that he should.
Speaker 3His numbers should be when along the lines in the teens, with where Kendrick numbers are, because Kendrick probably got the shortest catalog of everybody almost of everybody you mentioned on there, that's, his Grammys are much higher. Yeah, which which Now I'm getting into a formula, formula that may on favor in these situations where less Is more in the nominations and where more it more can do more for you in charting in the other needle, movers, movers but it may not necessarily Really impact the uh, the grammy, um, um. What's the people that's on the grammy?
Speaker 3the board the yeah committee, yeah, the grammy committee. It may not. It may not necessarily impact the grammy community. I could see where you like. Like you ain't. You ain't surprised that LeBron can do a 360 through on windmill? Dump between his leg, you like?
Speaker 1uh, that's LeBron, Even though he, he's doing some amazing stuff. Yeah, you like uh. Uh a.
Drake, Megan, Nicki
Speaker 3Drake dropped us a song, chris Brown, it's a banger. Huh, of course it's Chris Brown and Drake. You look at it, not keep in mind. That is very difficult to do. Yeah, because if I was gonna get a Chris Brown feature, I would be scrambling to find what beat, what song, I'm gonna be like. Oh, we gotta get this right. Da da, da, da da. So the things some artists are doing Easy, we still ain't giving them credit of how complicated it still is to outdo yourself, and that is something Drake have managed to do. He have managed to outdo himself Even with some of his lower performing records. They still outdid what was done before and it shows this geniusness. And I don't like how I'm. I'm riding the Scorpio wagon right now.
Speaker 1Yeah, you slapped him over your.
Speaker 3I had the Slow down. I saw like one of them, uh sports announced where they're getting in.
Speaker 1Hey man, it's all good, it's all good, it's all good. But shout out to killer mic, man, I hope everything's all right. I heard he was released already. So from, from, from jail. So, killer mic, shout out to you, man, big accomplishment, and we salute you from exposure Also. Uh, we speaking on that, on the, on the on hot topic, we also have the Nicki Minaj and make the style in the beefs the beefs right. We had the, the the big foot record Release. Uh, megan came out with the song. His has out. Y'all boys had a chance to listen to his by any chance.
Speaker 3No, I heard, I've seen a few Drake.
Speaker 1It seems like nah, that ain't it? Yeah, jiggle.
Speaker 2I heard it is drago. You might know, drago, I can't say too much, you know. Call me a hater. Nah, I'm not a meg fan. Regardless, I'm going, I'm a go, whoever going against the period, regardless of the record, listen, listen.
Speaker 3Wait, why you don't like me?
Speaker 2Hold on, let me say it real quick Team Tory man. That's all I had to say. I'm on a team tour. Anybody against megan? I'm I'm against. I'm not a megan fan, I just know he, he.
Speaker 3Oh, did he confirm he shot her in the foot, Allegedly man.
Speaker 1This story still don't make no sense. Yeah, still doesn't. It still got some how you on the, so how you on the foot shoot this time they saying Tory don't want to be labeled a snitch. So he ain't really saying everything that happened, because he would look like a snitch but you I rather look like a snitch than look like I shot a one eye foot and you and I would be on the same team, but our mindset, the way everybody don't look at it like that.
Speaker 1I guess, especially when you are so called a rapper to when you got that rapper title, you don't want to lose your credibility in his mind, like in his mind he's gonna.
Speaker 2He rather, he rather takes that L, so when he's released he can still be able to get a win. He not out.
Speaker 1No they gave him 10 years Tory and jail.
Speaker 3Almost a year now.
Speaker 1I mean, I'm sure some one of his dad's can get me chickens in jail. I don't see some kind of meats, I don't even know where it comes from. In jail, you like how the hell y'all making burritos and steak and how does? How do you transport the meat from the kitchen to the never man.
Speaker 3I seen Gucci man on microphones. I seen Xboxes. I seen all type of stuff in the microwaves. I'm like I don't. I don't know if jail is made up in that set like the concept of what we are sold on jail being. Yeah, they be looking happy.
Speaker 2Don't forget, you got that kind of money you can get At that kind of caliber man, you probably can get what you want in there, as long as you ain't you know you know Hurting or you know helping everybody else to do nothing stupid, and I think they got their own space man. I don't think it's like that man.
Speaker 1Okay, I think the term they use is sometimes it's called a white collar prison. There you go where it ain't is crazy.
Speaker 2You know, there's a celebrity, the circumstances ain't as hectic.
Speaker 1There's celebrities, the other prisons and in in jails that exist.
Speaker 3So I'm still lost on the, the megan and nicky thing. We got to go and go back.
Speaker 1So yeah, I just I mean, I heard both records. Um so mag, the beat was more current, she was flowing.
Speaker 1She said what she had to say. She's coming for anybody who's coming for her. She defended herself and she talked about her ex. She talked about what's current. She talked about her, her body's, her body. She popped the shit. To me personally, she popped the shit. I was more of a fan of the mag record than the nicky record, the nicky delivery. I don't know, maybe she was trying to think outside the box with the float, but it kind of seemed like she was playing with it, right, but trying to be serious at the same time. And I don't see how you could do that when it comes to a diss record. Like, if that makes sense, I see what you're saying. So that's what threw me off her tone, her voice. She's trying to say is she saying some stuff? But if you come in with a hard beat and she's gonna talk that talk, I think she should have came with more of a delivery and a better beat.
Speaker 2From me personally, right, nicky was definitely playing with. Uh, we make, but the big foot thing was kind of funny Like she had the whole theme and talked about the big foot.
Speaker 1Like you can laugh, you're gonna chuckle. I feel like she used more of a 50 cent tactic. When it comes to the, the comical side, right, but for the bars and the, what I, what I? Wanted to hear the major got big feet or something you I guess for a woman you can.
Speaker 2She can say so yeah, she called herself a stallion, bro, so she's like it's supposed to be a bigger size.
Speaker 1Y'all saw her feet. What size, huh? Y'all saw her feet. Um, I, I saw her feet, but what considered? Now I'm actually something most women what? What you would consider big feet for a woman, or considered big Because most women typically have small. We usually will say, oh, you size eight, right, seven and kids when you think about it. So what is, megan? I think when you start going past the 10 to some I'm not saying everybody to some that will be kind of a big is she tall.
Speaker 1I don't know how tall megan is. We have to, we have to fact check, uh, megan's height, let's find out. I can fact check megan's height Because she, she looked.
Speaker 3She looked proportional, like any any. So now, what do?
Speaker 2you can see all seara got big five, ten that's we would consider that Big girl, that's a big girl.
Speaker 3We would consider that to Nicki.
Speaker 1Minaj is five two.
Speaker 3Yeah, okay, so we would. So if we're saying, even if megan is, stallion was 11. That's not, that's not big for a five.
Speaker 2No, that's big, that's big girl for five ten. Average size. Average height girls five, five bro, that's the average size. She was 11.
Speaker 3Uh-huh, and she five, ten, that's not no, that's not for female.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 3Yeah that's not a that's not a fair bigfoot and if we saying this in woman, a woman shoe bigfoot.
Speaker 2Yeah, she's wearing men shoes, man.
Speaker 3Yeah, you can wear men shoes. She's wearing men shoes. You can wear a woman shoes, no no, no, she's wearing men size. You can wear a woman, you can wear a woman's 13, according to studies.
Speaker 1If we're gonna go to cap the current average sizes between eight to eight and a half, that's what averages. So if you were in a 10, like I know, 13, I don't know if y'all especially if you go shopping in person, like I know, for men, like anything over 13, you probably gonna have to special order that thing. You're gonna have to have the one pair for the what you call that the show display.
Speaker 1Right and they're gonna be like when you want that, you want to come pick it up here or sent to your house. She go to rack room and probably, but god knows, I ain't been to rack rooms inside school, or you go on you go on, uh, um the far right side of the wall at marshals, or else. So size 15 is up.
Speaker 3Hey, marshals, be having 17s. And you see cleats that you was like, definitely get them shacks. Yeah, hey, marshals, marshals and ross, they take any shoe. That that um the outlet distributors again, you know. They get some of the things that don't sell. That be Good stuff, some name, some high-end popular things, but they go to marshals and be like, hey, we can't get rid of these, these size 18.
Speaker 2I got my first I recends at marshals man. What's it, marshals ross?
Speaker 1man, I got my irises, the three box, yeah, okay and now and now they sell it for 90 dollars.
Speaker 3Listen, you will find some gems In the rock rosses and marshals, because the people, when they can't get rid of something, is just sitting there Randomly in a warehouse, they'll send it out to all of these outlets. The tj max is the ross is the marsh. I got lucky at burlington, if you burlington yeah, nice Things, uh, nice kicks. At burlington it's people that are go to these places and they'll resell and they'll make a 50 dollar profit. Mm-hmm air max is being in all types of things for 60 dollars.
Speaker 3Yes, I done seen some gems and I was like what they got these? He got the irises in there. If he could have held on.
Speaker 2Now they're not 90 dollars, they're brung them back.
Speaker 3They probably 200 and you go to the right spot.
Speaker 1Yeah, a lot of things is coming back to a lot of kicks. I see, like they, they have their periods and the right person you just the time, the season bringing them back. That's pretty dope when it comes to the kicks.
Speaker 3Can I say our generation Is still holding it down for sneakers because even even in my sons, all of their most popular shoes the little boy, high schoolers and now the most popular shoes are shoes that came from my era. No, yeah.
Speaker 3Like the, like the jorgens, the, the air max, um, a lot of the dunks, like I just got the shoes. Our air is still got the best, the most popular design shoes. Okay, even when they making new versions with modifications for certain athletes, it's still Coming from our era, era. I don't see too many outside of adidas and NMDs and NSM. I'm not a sneaker here, so I wish, I wish I knew Well what I was talking about. There is sneakers that have innovated like, uh, everything that Kanye did, obviously they, they're newer designs.
Speaker 3But a lot of these shoes, that these sneaker heads and these kids, and see the stuff my son wearing as a high school, high schooler it's, it's our shoes. They still rocking the Air Force one oh.
Speaker 1Air Force ones ain't going nowhere, they ain't going nowhere.
Speaker 3All the all the jorgens from our era.
Speaker 2They still rocking the ones that's still popular the vans still rocking the the classic still some of those go before our era.
Speaker 3I'm taking credit for shoes that ain't ours, but like some of the vans and the chuck tailors, I'm saying the shoe game ain't really Evolving like as fast as like technology and all the other stuff. We still like liking a lot of the things from the past when it comes to feetwear. Footwear, hmm, I said feet.
Speaker 1I wonder what. I wonder what's causing that, though.
Speaker 2Hmm, like you just said the design man we're talking about high school.
Speaker 1Now the design the design.
Speaker 3The designs are the designs on the gate the gatekeepers is stopping it, because you ever see these replicas, um, um. You ever see the uh Fakes, the, the, yeah, the fakes and the ai generated shoes and all these designs. You see some concepts. Well, people, that's modifying shoes. Mm-hmm, it's some fire stuff.
Speaker 1Yeah, I ain't gonna let the forces.
Speaker 3Listen, there's some stuff out there and you'd be like I don't know why this ain't in the store. They got technologies that's coming out, that innovate 3d printing shoes, like all. They got all this other stuff, just like when cunye did that technology, that that phone technology with the um adidas. That technology was sitting around for a long time.
Speaker 3Mm-hmm and when he went there, they showed him stuff that they had that wasn't necessarily taken off of being utilized and he was like, oh, I want this technology, we're gonna design this like this. Then fast forward. That technology took off, um, and it just moved. Now they still got all these applications with new designs that people ain't necessarily People ain't necessarily rocking with like you, and you got a lot of shoes. You got some shoes. I won't, I won't necessarily say is the 400 dollar shoe brackets, but I see features on some of your sneakers that I'm like this is a dope feature. I ain't see this feature on nothing. Why ain't this taken off Then?
Speaker 3you would see yeah, you would say. Oh, it must be politics. Like what a I don't know what none is over there.
Speaker 2Are we claiming crocs because crocs was always the thing back in the day?
Speaker 3Crocs dope, I love, I ain't. I can't say.
Speaker 1Yeah, I rock with the crops they comfortable. Oh you gotta make a song. I can see I can get more of them.
Speaker 3I rock the crocs, rock, rock, rock with the crocs, rock, rock, rock the crocs.
Speaker 2You gotta be featured on it.
Speaker 1You gotta be featured on it. If you don't do it, let me check.
Speaker 3You gonna make the beat. Check crocs.
Speaker 1Drago on the beat. Drago on the beat.
Speaker 1Rock with the crocs, no, and I also uh. So I mean, guys, it's been uh, you know it's, it was 2024 very excited to see. You know, I mean we, we, we, we strong, we, we dropping and we doing our thing. And you know, it was kind of interesting because you know, when you're in the podcast world. So, seeing what happened with cat Williams and Shannon sharp, that interview, I mean that was the last interview.
Speaker 1If you were to ask me if you woulda gave me 50 names and said which one would do these numbers, I sure enough didn't think a Cat Williams interview would've broke the internet for two weeks in a row, a hot topic. I mean 50 million views in almost two days. It was crazy Numbers and I mean great conversation. He spoke his truth and shout out to Club Shay, shay. So I guess what I'm trying to say is do y'all think that interview and do you think that interview helps Shannon Sharp platform? Put them on the map now, cause I noticed every interview is getting a million views, right, and you've got some. Some of these people been on the Breakfast Club.
Cat Williams' Interview and Comedy Tour
Speaker 1They been on big platforms and they not even doing those kind of numbers, only like six, nine was doing them kind of numbers. And Birdman was the last one that went viral and did Birdman. You had, like Takashi, six, nine and you actually had Usher not Usher, what's his name, soldier boy, soldier boy With the whole drag. Yeah, that episode was like internet breaking numbers. And now Cat Williams come out the gate talking breaking the internet. Man, I thought that was pretty insane. I watched the whole three hours, whatever it was, two hours and plus minutes, cause it was. I was in, I was in tune to the conversation, the gyms, his story, he went in depth and now they're saying that of course Club Shea Shea is like a safe space. So now you see the country wanes. You just saw Usher recently, man and a 21 Savage, so I guess he's doing this thing, man. So I just wanted to say shout out to Club Shea Shea man on breaking the internet and did y'all, you got a chance to watch it.
Speaker 3Yeah, I think I watched like 75% of it, 75% of it. It was a long ass episode.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3It was long but I couldn't. I can't lie, I couldn't stop once I started when I seen how long I was like I ain't gonna watch the whole thing. I got further into it than I even imagined and I had this stop a few times and I went in and did a group chat. I looked at the numbers. I was like man they doing numbers. It didn't feel like what was happening. Average.
Speaker 2He was talking about some greats man.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2It's crazy cause some of the facts is already out there and people was able to pull them up. You know, it was just crazy, especially about Bernie, so that's why I was wild man.
Speaker 3Yeah, I didn't know none of this stuff was going on. I didn't even know like the comedy game had beef. I guess it ain't as funny as we think. So I didn't know a lot of that stuff. So it was interesting to hear just the tension and kind of resonate with that part. But overall the performance, the performance was entertaining.
Speaker 3I gotta say the performance was entertaining. Shani Sharp did a good job of keeping it going and acting sharp and staying neutral too, which was hard. You gotta let a person talk how they wanna talk but then, you know, not necessarily take sides. It was beautiful and I was happy for the numbers to go out how they did. From an entertaining perspective, absolutely.
Speaker 1Absolutely. That just was amazing man. I'm like dang. I didn't think it was possible. Then he put out the clips them clips was doing numbers as well from the interview, but he said you're a natural allegiance to losers.
Speaker 3It's unlikely. Ha ha, ha ha. And so alone I was like everybody knew that was going viral. Yeah, everybody knew it was when he stood up and said hold on, hold on what's sadrick in his stomach.
Speaker 2Y'all didn't really, y'all didn't really, y'all didn't really capture, show all the viral moments that he did. He did the meme faces on purpose, he did the position. He did all of that on purpose cause he know it can be a gif, it can be a meme, it can be a clip that people can use. He played it really really smart man, he did a great job. Gotta give it to him.
Speaker 3I think half of it was. I think half of it he had. He had definitely had an agenda. I don't wanna say definitely Half of it. He had an agenda. He had something he wanted to say, he needed to say, but then there was entertainment. There was entertainment.
Speaker 1Oh, a lot of it, A lot of it.
Speaker 3So the performance he let you know I'm a comedian first. Then he labeled everything else that was going down the line, but he definitely was. I feel like he was saying something that was important in that if you go past all, if you just get left at the entertainment, you'll miss the other things that he might be trying to say His agenda and his well, his motive behind the things he was saying and why he chose this time to speak on them. And a lot of those things was like it was years ago, some of the stuff that was ongoing and the time was perfect.
Speaker 1So I don't think you get enough credit, kat Williams, and I think, like you said, the time was perfect. Why I said this is so interesting? Because after that interview, why did like pretty much everything he fact checked, showing your timeline Right. I swear it's like you talked about Steve Harvey. You start seeing. The other joke was said, I don't know when he did the joke then you see, when said just the entertainer did the joke similar.
Speaker 1He talked about Steve Harvey. You see the jokes very similar. He talked about this person. It was like holy smoke, you ain't see it while it was happening. But boy, that's the algorithm, lord.
Speaker 3Yeah, man, and they're like oh, here we go, we got y'all, we see what y'all are doing.
Speaker 1Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. That was the craziest part to me. I'm like, damn Kat ain't too crazy. Then you notice he got a tour coming up and you know, and Tory Hart is part of the tour. Like what Tory Hart is, kevin Hart's ex-wife? Yeah, bro, is she a comedian. So, believe it or not, she used to help Kevin with a lot of his material. Yeah, I did not know that.
Speaker 2If you think about it and go back to his own stuff, he would never have thought he would have talked about his family like that. He talked about his kids, his ex-wife, all of it, man, oh, I didn't know. And if you see, her stand up.
Speaker 1You almost see the early Kevin. Yeah, it's kind of scary, like it's very believable that she wrote and helped with a lot of her material. It's what I'm saying. It's almost like shit, I don't know. It's like, I'm trying to think. It's almost like when you, you know, when you a rapper, do a reference and you could believe, oh no, that rapper wrote like you can see, hear that flow of the rapper, for example. Very similar.
Speaker 2I'm glad you kept that in. Yeah, we got respect for them boys.
Speaker 3Respect Was he ever accused of her, like giving him material.
Speaker 1So I want to say that she felt like she. She's part of that success that he has Like she and of course the relationship didn't work out. But I think D down, when you, when he's, you know, on his role doing this thing, she feel like then as part of me. I'm sure he looked that. I think that's why their relationship is where it's at, like it's good, it's on good terms. I'm sure he looked out, she's well taken care of. But you know she was part of that success when it comes to writing the materials or whether it's how I was delivered, etc. When I seen her stand up because I was curious now and when I seen it I'm like, damn, who she remind me of Kevin Hart, like the animation, the whole, the whole body language, all Kevin bro, hmm, all Kevin. So that was very interesting to see.
Speaker 1She's pretty good, she's pretty good she got delivery to. She's pretty good. I'm actually going to see TI this. Hey, cat Williams, petty for that man, low. Yeah, that's why I was going at with it. I was like I thought that was interesting but good roll out for for Cat Williams man, and he gave a lot of gyms in it too, though there was a lot of gyms in that episode, so I was, I was thrilled to be a part of it and to watch it. Man, good stuff there. Good stuff there. What was the other thing?
Speaker 3You said you're going to see TI. Yeah, you do. On the stand up set.
Speaker 1They're coming to the Amrant Theater in Fort Lauderdale.
Speaker 2Yeah, D.
Speaker 1Ray Davis DC Young Fly.
Speaker 2Oh, they got a. What's this called again Is that that's a whole name for that.
Speaker 3We the ones? Yeah, I heard his. His stand up is pretty good.
Speaker 1TI. Yeah, I'm kind of excited to see it. I heard makes you?
Speaker 2I heard makes reviews, but yeah, I would down to give him a try, definitely.
Speaker 1And I don't mind if he get out of the mic and just put on a show. He could do that too, Because the Duval do his stand up and then he go. He bust out the records on the back end. What you know about that?
Speaker 2Come on what I know about that. I'm like, I'm with it. That's a TI song, that's the song.
Speaker 1That's the song, yeah no, no, I'm with you.
Speaker 3I'm with you, he most deaf, do stand up as well. He got a few things where he did stand up. He went overseas, he did some sets. So a lot of I would say a lot of artists can do, can do stand up Speaking of most deaf.
Speaker 2You heard what he said recently. No, About Drake, Uh oh. Drake's not, he says not a rapper. He said he's not like hip hop. He's not, he's a rapper, but not.
Speaker 3He's pop, there you go. He said he's pop.
Speaker 2Which he would put him in that category. That's what he said. We would.
Speaker 3We would agree that he got popular music If you go on by the definition of pop. Did you?
Speaker 1just you flip to the popular music when you said pop.
Speaker 3Pop is popular music. Yeah, we'll, we'll say black eyed peas and sink and things like that, but those, they, those that music transcends like geographic margins. So there may be a large group that's consuming in sync, a large group when Michael Jackson's was the king, was the king of pop, a large group consuming and loving Michael Jackson. It's not how like country is in this margin. This is in this sub margin. So Drake transcends to a point to where he becomes bigger than hip hop. I got you Like you not going in saying he better than like a most of the stuff that embodies hip hop. It's just you ain't gonna dominate this person in the hip hop category, but you are bigger than this vessel where everything else extends from. So I ain't, he ain't, and he said it.
Speaker 3Some people was looking at it like a disc. I don't think Drake would take it as a disc. I don't think he even meant it meant it as a disc. He was just speaking the best and honest, honest as he could he could, given the what we see these fabrics of music being, and hip hop have to obtain and protect its integrity. That is somewhat marginalized. That's not necessarily for everybody to understand.
Speaker 2Most of gave us most of gave a great example. Like you walk into a store, who you gonna hear? You're not gonna hear most death, you're not gonna hear really a Jay Z, you're not gonna hear who you gonna hear who you most like you're gonna hear when you walk into a store, a public or a Marshalls or a mall.
Speaker 1I mean which artist between Drake and most that you're gonna?
Speaker 2hear Drake. He said that's what he said. You walk into a store you're gonna hear Drake.
Speaker 3That's why he called it pop yeah.
Speaker 1Everything. I mean, I don't think I got some, because he got some and he also got some hoes. Yes, hip hop song.
Speaker 2Right.
Speaker 1I don't think he I don't know if that's gonna change that though. Like I don't think it's fair if I have the ability to do both for me to not be considered a hip hop artist. Like I just don't.
Speaker 3Yeah, it's like you, you, you are. You transcend the hip hop category, the global zoos catalog, his music, music, his tape taste, his production, his bodies of work, transcends of marginalized category to the point where you basically had to make up your own genre, right. So it's not a bad thing. But will you be offended if somebody say a, your bars ain't you if you ain't, if we was to measure you and Eric's bars over a hip hop J Dilla?
Speaker 1beat. Would you know what that is? I wouldn't even know what to say. That is yeah. That ain't that, ain't. Yeah. I don't know what that is.
Rapper Interviews and New Song Release
Speaker 3That's why. That's why I'm saying I don't think it was a disc. A disc, oh. But I feel like this, me on my scorpion wagon again.
Speaker 1We know, he can rap, yes.
Speaker 3He got some songs where there's bars and most of them know that, but what he's saying is that's not where he's positioned. No matter what he capable of, that's just not where he's positioned. Was he asked how does?
Speaker 2somebody ask listen, listen. So they ask him, but if you've seen it, it's not bad. Oh, but the thumbnails sold the interview, or, yes, the thumbnail one, and worked the clickbait. That's exactly what it is.
Speaker 1This is why it's hard for us to get rappers on to do interviews, or artists I ain't gonna say rappers. This is why artists are very hesitant to do interviews, because you just don't know how your words can be misinscrued or used. Because clickbait is a real thing, right, and I get it. I wouldn't want someone to take what I said out of context or don't put the whole clip. They just take a certain part and it sounds like you're talking about a certain individual saying something crazy.
Speaker 3I can say rap, rap, because I don't think it don't seem that R&B and country music and pop and gospel like they not. I don't see them in the controversy that rappers get into when they say something on an interview and it ended up going viral or it had its domino effect with impacting so many other people lives Rappers be wanting to smoke.
Speaker 2I had hard, I got one. I'm gonna go way left field. So Kurt Franklin, what is he? A hype man.
Speaker 3Oh no, he more than he, I would say he's a producer, yeah.
Speaker 2Yeah, but he started out a hype man.
Speaker 3Right, he's a orchestrator. Yeah, I like that, I just like that, that's safe.
Speaker 2Okay, yeah, I just do it out there.
Speaker 1Yeah, he puts it all together. Okay, yeah, he's a maestro, he's definitely a producer.
Speaker 3Yeah, whatever the guy who was holding the things. He's that for gospel. Yeah, because I believe he's very hands on in the making of the music, but he's smart enough to sit back and say all right, your vocals is. Obviously you're a better vocalist than me, so I'm gonna have you do this. I respect people who do that, but he definitely bring the hype.
Speaker 2Yeah, I was just thinking I never see nothing. I was just I just went back to his early music. Just if you didn't know who he is and you saw him in the early music in the videos, I'm like, all right, we got a gospel hype man here, so that's, you know that's how.
Speaker 3That's what it sound like early on right. Because I didn't know. First, you didn't know how long he was gonna be around, but then you also never heard nothing like this. So it appears to be like this the guy that's hyping everything up, but you're not knowing, he the guy Right, he the maestro. Yeah, you're not knowing. You didn't know that in the beginning.
Speaker 1And I know he just found out who his real father was Plyes. No, it was not deep enough to input his thoughts or my purpose.
Speaker 1He still claims Ply's still. He still claims Ply's. But his real biological dad lived close to him his whole life when he was growing up and to this day his mom's still denied it. So they're not on the best of terms. But he finally found out who his real dad was, and I think it was after a funeral, a conversation and certain people talking you know what you call it. It used to be what. And then, sure enough, he did the test twice. Mom's still denied it. That's his father. There's no way that could be his dad. But he did the test with the man twice and then, yeah, he said he had no idea. He said he knew they messed around. But he said if he even had idea or even questioned that he was the father, he would have pursued and try to figure it out. But because he said he just never thought of it like that, he never pursued it and he definitely said he was a fan.
Speaker 3Respect to Kurt Franklin. His story is incredible to keep his faith, to stay within his religion, to make music, to be as vulnerable as he has with all that he have to carry openly. That is not easy to do at all. So I never say nothing against Kurt Franklin and his story and process. The exposure is happy that you got to meet your father.
Speaker 1Hey man, that was a beautiful moment. Yeah, I saw that. I saw his documentary. He did a documentary of this release and the tour. It was really great to see. Great to see we also have Valentines coming up.
Speaker 3Oh, oh, oh oh, oh, fresh about the show. Hey, these dudes made. These dudes made. I'm not even in a podcast format right now, I'm just talking to y'all right now. These dudes made a nasty, freaky song. I'm advocating that they have it released by Valentines. It's nasty. Fresh about the shower. Y'all already know what they're talking about. It's probably one of the globozo hardest verses, and I don't mean to say hard. First of all, Balls right Balls right, yeah big balls, big balls.
Speaker 3But this is one of his. I don't know the other word in hard.
Speaker 1You gotta send me the record again. I gotta make sure I save it, yeah they did.
Speaker 3Who produced it? Drago, oh, you produced it. All right, drago produced it. I don't even know what the name of the song is. Eat that, okay.
Speaker 2Haha Yo okay. Hey, why are you?
Speaker 3standing like that Eat that.
Speaker 1What did you just say? We for the promoting record did hey, you might as well.
Speaker 3It's one of the global's oldest verses.
Speaker 2Yes, sir.
Speaker 3The production was already dope Drago playing in the background. It was running about three times before I even knew what I was hearing. Oh, okay, he do the hook. I don't know if he did verses. I don't know if I heard verses. I don't know if I heard verses. Yeah, I don't know if he's gonna do it, but it's a dope song, Valentine's Day coming up. Hopefully y'all get it.
Speaker 1If you get someone else on the record, don't play my verse, you better let me know if you didn't. Oh no, I didn't, I didn't I just sent it to him like that.
Speaker 2I hit him up, I got you, but I never got the track back.
Speaker 3But the background on it basically. First about the shower. They like to be able to get, be in the kuchi and booty hole everything. They don't want nothing outside of the shower that's gonna limit them for performing their manly duties upon the lower faces of the woman.
Speaker 2So you know we grown now we eat that and we got kids. You know what I'm saying. And half the time you have a partner that works maybe during the day and the other one works during the night. So you know you just want to be able to spend time and you know you just want to get that nice quickie in. So they're just trying to make it in, you know, a nice form to.
Speaker 3You know, to that ain't sounding like it's quickie. First about the shower ain't sounding like no quickie. It's sounding like a.
Speaker 2It's grown full.
Speaker 3Now you is ready. Grown full, you say eat that.
Speaker 2Grown full.
Speaker 1Be on the lookout for that. Dreg O Mill featuring Global Zoan who else, I don't even know. Eric.
Speaker 2He gonna put some verses on that. Oh, you know what Eric might have to jump on that. Let's stop playing.
Speaker 1Eric got records. Now he got bad bras. I'll loan me.
Speaker 3But now I'm not loan me, I fell off.
Speaker 1I fell off. No, it's dead. It's always dead. Eat that I don't know.
Speaker 2You gotta get triple J to call Eric.
Speaker 3And.
Speaker 1Tripp called Eric. We can get the Eric verse out of this.
Speaker 3You gotta put it in here. I don't know what to say because y'all said it's nasty stuff. Especially it's already two dudes. So if we were to shoot a video and all of us gotta be, who said we shoot a video?
Speaker 1No, we're gonna leave that one alone, hey why can't it be a girl?
Speaker 3We can't get a Snapper, we can't get a Dunn.
Speaker 1I'm sure, I'm sure A show Dreg O Mill can work. That's an age.
Speaker 2You don't want to triple dude it up. I see you throw some good names out there.
Speaker 1But we'll see.
Speaker 2Okay To be continued.
Valentine's Day Memories and Celebrations
Speaker 1Y'all be on the lookout for it. But I wanted to talk about when it was Valentine's Day. I used to get the girls chocolate. I used to make these mixed CDs, call them the wet sensation, and I would put like 18 slow bangers, like the 112s, the H-Town, anything that was KC and JoJo, and I used to just give it to the girls and be like boy hoping one of them pull up. You know, I was just back to my game, still Still Ding in my bag, okay, but I'm just laughing because I'm starting to think of those times. I'm just laughing because I'm starting to think of those times that deli ain't hunting, that deli ain't hunting.
Speaker 2Rose Rose.
Speaker 1Rose.
Speaker 2Hey.
Speaker 1Hey go ahead. And the boys still get busy. You go to one of them shows. Now they be performing their hearts out dawg, when I was. And who was that? Wait a minute, I went to the.
Speaker 3James Hill.
Speaker 1No no, this one was at the Miami Theater, miami Arena, miami Arena yeah, they brought a show. They doing a good show now.
Speaker 3They was better than 112.
Speaker 1112. I only noticed Slim, and it was four background dancers Could have fooled me.
Speaker 3I mean he ain't gonna come through. Yes, sir, but that was my little.
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying. That was my way to try to get some play, get the girls to notice me. So now we in adulthood, like, what did you? You had a girlfriend in high school.
Speaker 2Yeah, I came to try to beat everybody with the biggest bear, okay, you brought it to school though.
Speaker 1Did you bring it to school or you celebrated Valentine's outside of? I brought it to school to make sure.
Speaker 2Because the women used to like, they liked to show off.
Speaker 3Okay.
Speaker 2I was the flower, the big bear. I tried to write some bars in the In the car. Oh, you wrote bars in the car. Yeah, and then I got into the mix game outside of school so we were in the middle of the night Outside of school. So if I would hit someone outside of school I'll do a little mix tape.
Speaker 1Okay, but I used to put a little cover on there too. Man, I ain't go that far. Put the lips in like a candy. Yes, sir.
Speaker 2Man, I used to put usher interludes to confession in between other songs that connect with other songs. I used to really give it some thought, man Look.
Speaker 3Alright, copyright infringement man some.
Speaker 1I should go to K-Mingot, you boy, yeah. So what do Now? What do we do today? That's what I was about to say. That's a good one, man.
Speaker 3I mean, it's usually dinner flowers.
Speaker 1You saying it's so boring. No, no, no. Now it's like a gift for, and you come up with a gift for choice. You always try to switch it up, but you got to think about it. I started going on. Traditional Sometimes. Valentine's that day I'm like the point.
Speaker 1Sometimes I'm like the day before or the day after I would just choose to go to a spot, so I've been breaking away from that. The dinner's always nice, but I feel like flowers and chocolate is standard In a car. That's like the package, bare minimum package, you still. That's like, still your thing. I always try to do an experience.
Speaker 1So that's part of it, but there's always going to be an experience. We're going to go somewhere, so I try to think about something that you ain't never done before, or experience, and then go do it.
Speaker 3That's nice.
Speaker 2I did a, I went all out. One time. I did a connecting thing when she I sent her hair and then, once it was done, they already had another location for her to go To get her hair and her nails done.
Speaker 1That's what's up.
Speaker 2You dropped the bag on the hill, my dog said the hair done and then she said that to go get a wax and all that.
Speaker 3Okay, fresh about this hour, Fresh about this hour.
Speaker 1And then so the wax do you have to know her preference and the things she's into? Before she used to go. She already had an account.
Speaker 2But she didn't know. I used to drop off but I didn't go up. I never went up. So I told them once she gets that done, but with her address and location they go to the next location. This time she didn't know where she was going, but she followed the location, met me there and we got a whole full body couple of massages for like an hour and a half. So that's where we ended it, because the full thing was always there. We did it, but not on the Valentine's. You know what I'm saying. So I just tried that. That was the biggest one I've ever did Really spent some money on that one.
Speaker 3So yeah, that one's really good.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's good yeah.
Speaker 3Y'all embarrassed me. Yeah, I would embarrass it, because I don't have scores.
Speaker 1You had to go out on some Valentine's. You got a store. You ain't just been living on.
Speaker 2No Build-A-Bear or nothing like that. I never did a Build-A-Bear.
Speaker 1I see you drawing some shit, I see you putting something together.
Speaker 3No, I did, but not like what he just mentioned. Not like I know. Not like Because you're a good planner too. You are far more organized than I am.
Speaker 1I try to be.
Speaker 3Yeah, you planned, hey, the global Zoby a couple of months before it even happened. I try to be, but I was rebellious in all things I want to say structure in like traditions for a while, and so I was that weird person that you know how people be weird People like you don't know what Christmas is, they just want to get into it. I wasn't that person, but I was kind of like using it. I would use it as a reason to not get involved in something I didn't really understand. So then, when it came to actually just enjoying, you know, the culture that we're a part of, you kind of miss out, trying to overthink, or be so true to yourself in knowing what you're doing, that you ain't, you ain't properly celebrating the themes. That's creating these memories. And I ain't really even understand that until I had kids and you're forced to do it for your kids.
Speaker 3But when it comes to people, you're involved with a person. You're involved with not pressuring you to follow the traditions of Christmas, thanksgiving or whatever the case may be, because they respect them. So I say all that to say I probably sucked as a Valentine year for a long time because I never had it within me and maybe this could be from my Jehovah Witness background. I never had it within me to really set up the foundations to participate in celebratory seasons and holidays. I never had that within me. It was always in planning to me stay away from it. So then it also gave me a reason to be cheap too. So I could kind of I'm already not conditioned to really follow through.
Speaker 3So I'm like alright, we could do something. Look cool, man, what you want to do Go to movies or go and hunch a little bit better than we hunched.
Speaker 1Do us a month. Go for some effort. We're going to get ready A little bit.
Speaker 3It's going to be a little bit more maybe. Maybe about an outfit. Maybe go light candles this time and whatever the case may be, there wasn't no Uber Eats.
Speaker 1So did you acknowledge it, though, when you knew Valentine's Day was coming? Does it make you, do you see and hear other people doing activities and say, damn, maybe it didn't even really bother you that everyone else is trying to do something. I?
Speaker 3was the Scrooge in some ways. I never expressed it, but in my mind I'm like I see everybody doing this because, because it's the season to do it. I don't know if, like in my head, if this was how you wanted to perform with your partner, you could do this throughout the year, and that's so.
Speaker 1I was.
Speaker 3There was a hater in me that was just hating. Like we can do this anytime, while we gotta stop now, especially when you coming up in relationships and you ain't got y'all don't have the money, like that February getting ready to come around there's all this pressure around that to meet up that expectation when that pressure is on you like, we can do this anytime we don't have to meet this date for everybody else.
Personal Growth and Financial Hustle
Speaker 3I don't care about nothing that everybody else got going on. We can do this today if we want to we can do this tomorrow.
Speaker 2My valentine wasn't always my girl, it was just someone. I asked and it was some guaranteed nookie at the end of that you said nookie, you went Jackie on us that was a say I'm just trying to keep it clean a little bit but no real talk.
Speaker 2You know what I'm saying. So it wasn't always my girl. And then it was somebody I had my eye on and I asked, and then it kind of grew and I was like I'm going to be in two relationship or past. That got straight into what I really wanted. You know what I'm saying. But let me tell you a story real quick. Real quick.
Speaker 2I had a valentine and she didn't show up and I walked around with a big ass bear and a big ass bouquet of flowers. The car I got rid of because it was for her man, the person I always have. Y'all know who she is too. We grew up with her, especially you, eric. She definitely was around your folks with elementary, with the middle and high school, with a long story short. Again, she didn't show up and I had it in class and I was like you know what? I made it look like it was for her and I went ahead and just gave it to her and she just went crazy over it because she didn't have a valentine. But I just went ahead and gave it to her and she was like, can you beam a valentine. That was the end of it. I never went for more or nothing like that, but I just wanted to see her reaction because I always had an eye on her but yeah, that was weird.
Speaker 3Yeah, my valentine didn't show up the person it was meant for that's still weird, your valentine she didn't show up.
Speaker 2Long story short, she was in the streets. That person was in the streets. High school we used to do it back in the day. There's cut school to be with the older guy back in the day. So long story short the person.
Speaker 1I had an eye on.
Speaker 2We never seen that I know right.
Speaker 1We never really given down back in the day the brother that I was able to pull up after school in the car when we could it dry. We never say I used to be a little jealous like that made me get my car earned bad one and he could dry. I used to be like, damn, I never think like how old is this? How old is this? Dude it's weird, but fast forward.
Speaker 3I look at who we would consider older. I look at them as young now too, because they might have been 24 years old. Messing with an 18 year old, I wasn't 16 years old both of them. I was a freshman both of them baby, the 24 year old and 18 year old back in the day.
Speaker 1Guys was driving like that at that age cause I'm sure it was that easy.
Speaker 3I don't know, I don't know who that was. I can't even imagine. I do look at a 24 year old as a baby, as I would look at an 18 year old at my age now and I ain't 100 but, it's just everybody all of them are. The mind state is still very young and youthful. Go to your mind state at 24 no, no, no, when we was in school that at 24?
Speaker 2I was grinding at 24 my mom was even on that but you think you was a man.
Speaker 1Well, I think I was a man, I had to be. When I say that and I only say this because I guess my upbringing was so different, like when I say this, not like it's like we did OK, but like my house was so small, like I remember every Saturday if I had somebody coming over, a friend of mine, like it was just so small, like I try to clean it to make it feel like it was more to offer.
Speaker 1Like I don't know if that's what that makes sense, but in my mind I'm like I ain't got much to show. The zonetality so if the room is only this big, let me vacuum. I took the back in the day. Haitians, we had those plastic mats covering as much carpet, like the pathway from the door to wherever you go. You had that piece of plastic that laid on the carpet Spikes at the bottom of it. You killed it.
Speaker 3It was really white, but it turned like gold.
Speaker 2Turn yellow so.
Speaker 1I used to take that, put soapy water in it and hit it with the broom and try to clean that up. But it was only so big. It was a two room apartment, so it was only so big. So you had the living room, kitchen and that area, patio in the center and then you had the two bedrooms in the back. So if you came to the crib most people didn't make it to the back. So that front presentation, I had to stay up on it. But I just kept saying and what I'm saying that is, I felt like I had to hustle.
Speaker 1So like mix CDs, I felt like to make money and to buy the things I wanted. I had to figure out a way to do that, because my parents didn't always have it to say here you go, you know what I mean. So the hustle culture for me I think it started at 15. When I had a computer, downloaded music and making CDs, I used to come to school with the whole spender and I'm trying to sell that because I'm like this is going to be my five Back in the day. Five teas was for 20. X studio was $30 an hour. I could buy school lunch. So back then you were on the frutopia cookie.
Speaker 3Ooh, you was balling if you was getting a frutopia. You know what I'm saying Cowzones.
Speaker 1So can you imagine? This is how I did all this, bro, with the spindle of CD. You feel me. But what I'm saying is I felt like. And then I left the house at 19 because me and my dad had a big argument. But since that same day I've never had to look back and ask my parents for nothing at the same time. So I just felt like when I left the house at 19, I didn't know where I was going to go. I just had to. I said you know what? I'm gone, I got to figure it out.
Speaker 1So I started hustling even more, figuring out what's the way to make money. So, giving you an example, like back in the day, once I learned how to print business work for graphics, I actually started doing design. I learned Photoshop on the side. I started doing small business cars, small party flyers, because I was broke and I said if I could design, that's some money. Then I learned certain people needed their graphics printed. So somebody's hitting me. Yo, hey, man, I'm trying to get my things printed. I was able to get the wholesale price from the distributor and add on $40. And they still winning. I add on $40. All I did was for the flyer for a print job and I just made $40 by hitting the forward one on my email.
Speaker 1So what I'm saying is I started learning all these little traits and that's what kept me afloat, because I don't know if y'all remember, but back in the day, z had a van rat. Yeah, they had me on there. Full pound was on there on Dirty Boy. It was that red rat and I had to pay to get my face on that on the van. I had to pay for my spot. But at the same time I'm living in this 2-2 apartment and, listen, my check was only $400 a week.
Speaker 1I'm trying to live, put food in the fridge, be a rapper. It was just so many things juggling so.
Speaker 3I learned you was balling at that time, at that age.
Speaker 1What? $400 a week.
Speaker 3No, I think $800. Think about what rent was.
Speaker 1Rent was like $900. But you still had the internet. You had like a little ticket.
Speaker 3Today. Look at, you can't even do that with double.
Speaker 2No, it wasn't five. It would buy, like if you're doing like six, seven, yeah. If you're doing like eight.
Speaker 3What a 2-2 cost today 19.
Speaker 22 bands 2 bands it's about 2.
Speaker 3So it's over double that and people still ain't, everybody ain't make the cost of living to increase drastically from what it was back then I was living. To check, to check.
Speaker 1I remember going to the places where you could borrow money.
Speaker 2The loans, the loans, there you go. Payday loans.
Speaker 1That's all I was doing. I did that every other week.
Speaker 2Payday loan, yeah so.
Speaker 1I don't know, maybe I was in doing I swear I was doing it right. I could barely do anything and I was just trying to do music, playing for my little studio time and whatever I could pay for at that time. That's when we was on the run with 4 Pound.
Speaker 3So is that what made you feel like a man?
Speaker 1Absolutely, because I had nobody else to lean on, like I wasn't going to go back to the parents' crib. I had to figure it all out and I did it respectfully, though I didn't have to do nothing, I hadn't robbed nobody, I hadn't had to harm nobody. I did it legit, figured it out, bost up, became an assistant, moved up and managed me. I did all that during the darkest and hardest times, like trying to figure it out. You know what I'm saying. I'm like shoot. But when I say a man yeah, because I think it comes with maturity, responsibility it's a man Like that's what I would want for my son, if anything else. Because you can't, you ain't guaranteed them going to college, you ain't guaranteed what route they're going to take, but when they that responsibility treating people with dignity and respect and knowing how to survive that's important to any black child in today's world. With the stuff we got to deal with from police to just maneuvering out here you know yours got to be five steps ahead. So I think that's the most important attributes when it comes to a man and a provider, because I survived, I survived. So, yeah, I had to figure that out from 19. And I never looked back, but at 19, a lot of that started happening Because I wasn't ready for bills.
Speaker 1But I look at people and they older than me like it's like they. I hear their situation. You know how you be. Like you just try to analyze, ok, but like, I hear you. But if I had to figure it out at 19, how can I say it? It's not, you don't feel bad. But I don't feel as bad Because I'm like you got more resources and you should be able to. You have more of an advantage that there was no internet. There was a lot of side hustles. Now you can do a lot more hustling today than we had back then. At least I feel that way when it comes to that. No, that's facts.
Speaker 1Yeah like it was just hard, bro. It was hard, but that's what I tell people. But when they see you today, they just think you just had it made. I got people on the outside. They just think, oh, you just got it like that, you had this and that, and it's like. No, there was sometimes why I didn't know how it was going to go. Or there's sometimes I had to watch people perform on plenty platforms on plenty stages before I got a chance to go on that stage. I had to work, I had to figure it out.
Speaker 1I remember chasing Z to be when your boys was a slab and when I was doing shows. I remember chasing Z for three months to get on the show and at first he never gave me the time of day, like, for example. But if I would have just said, ah, he a hater, if I had that attitude, where would I be today? But I kept chasing him, chasing him, chasing him. And I remember this this is what I mean by hustling right.
Definition of a Man and Relationships
Speaker 1He gave me a call one time and I even wasn't ready. He said, hey, I got a show, send me a picture. I ain't got no picture, but I had a little digital. At least I had a digital camera. So me and my dog went by his crib. He took some pictures of me. I took pictures of him and thank God for Photoshop, I ain't do that. That was my photo shoot. I'm like, yes, best I could see him. I ain't know how to book a shoot yet or none of that, and I had to send him a picture. We made the flyer and it was game time, but that was a win in my book. I'm like man. We on our first flyer Met up with Z. He gave me a good amount and I made sure everybody I knew had a copy.
Speaker 2He's nice. Those are the days, those are the days dawg.
Speaker 1Yeah, you just brought me back. I'm going to take it like damn. That's a story for you, but it was grind and I think that's one thing Z really liked. It was like he going to see you work. He's like I could work with this. I'm going to put you on a lot of flies, but yes, sir, yes sir.
Speaker 3That's nice. I like your definition Of a man.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 3I ask that sometimes, often Because it get cloudy. It get cloudy because and I ask my mom, my mom and this like if she was to give a definition of a man, like somebody, like a person who is like the ultimate definition of a man, she couldn't even think of nobody, like in pop culture or people she knew or anything, because she could find something she didn't like that I guess she could find something she didn't like about what made that man not be a man. But then for me, I've seen a lot of good men being talked down upon when they were good men. But if they, I want to say that certain choices didn't make sense. Example it was a dude. He was involved with a lot of women. Ok, you would call him a hoe, but he was a father to all of these women that didn't have daddies around. So when he passed away, it was like three different women and their families and their kids who felt for him and considered him a father figure Because their daddies wasn't there.
Speaker 3Now me, I'm going back. I'm like that's a man. He stepped up yeah, he got koochie, but he stepped up and he filled a void when these other men was absent. But everybody called him a hoe, but the kids was just happy to see the presence of a man in their life. He be mine, he probably a hunch in a few On single moms around the county or the city or whatever the case may be, but he left a very great impression when there was no other impression. So I'm like that was a good dude.
Speaker 3I can't say nothing about him, and even all the children of the people that would talk bad about him appreciate him being that, even if it was just for one conversation. So that's an example. I would say he's still a man, he was a good dude. I would say even he even stepped up and did something that others would say is frowned upon, correct, but those people wouldn't have had that presence that was there to make them know that, hey, it's man that care and I was one of those children, by the way, that he was around and just let you know it's man that care, even if it's just a few times, it's man that care. My mom wasn't the only one, we all knew that, but everybody felt his presence because he was a good dude. When he showed up and he got kuchi Is that bad?
Speaker 2Played his role. I guess Some role.
Speaker 1Some people be impacted by him getting kuchi absolutely All right, because you know there's some women that's gonna be hurt, because they, you know, rightfully so, they feel like you know if we together, we gotta have that trust in you, you don't wanna lose that trust right, but that's still a man to me, although he may have some flaws that don't take away from your own.
Speaker 3Or are they enhancements or are?
Speaker 1they enhancements. I guess it depends what you got, what kind of agreement you got right, because there's some relationships where that works.
Speaker 2That's it.
Speaker 1Right, there's some relationship where that works, where it's like we already know what it is and it's in what you call it, the comedian D-Ray Davis.
Speaker 2Yeah, he's in a three way relationship.
Speaker 1Exactly. It works for him, it works for them. You know what I'm saying, so I really think it's how you present the situation. It sound like Kevin Gates talk about it too. I guess, when you upfront and we honest about it. And we understand what this is.
Speaker 2If they're with it now. If they're with it now, yeah, then that's the thing. It's always a killer when it comes later and they find out for themselves. If you can say it upfront, it's a different story.
Speaker 1I'm about to say I guess that's what you gotta do. If that's what that person wants to pursue and they find the right person to receive and understand it, then I'm with it. All right, what's your?
Speaker 2I think it's a lot more too. I think it's probably maybe two, three different parts of growing into a man. Of course, the hustling part is definitely a big part of it. I say that because my experiences, I think when my son was announced that she was pregnant, something just clicked in me, it just went straight to hustle mode and I never would have thought the way I, you've been doing these things, yeah.
Speaker 2So I did so many things that I said I would never do and I did them. And then from that, from that, I think, with more time going by not including my son or nobody it's just becoming the man becoming that man. You know what I'm saying. Like finding myself and knowing it still writes from wrongs, and knowing how to move and all of that, just that completes you, like when you find yourself. I think that's when you become that man. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3Yes, sir.
Speaker 2You can claim and say you that man. But when you really find yourself and you know what you stand for, I think you become a man. When other people can be like yeah, that's a man, right there. That's when I can, you can verify it like, okay, yeah.
Speaker 3You found yourself.
Speaker 2Oh yeah, I'm gonna say I'm 29, bro, I'm 29, 30. And I didn't realize it until like maybe three years, four years later, because I wasn't. I want to say with everything, like my kid girls, all of it, with life period, Like I was done with, it was easy to say no, okay, hard no to All right. So okay, here's what it is. I stopped being a people pleaser, I think, when I stopped becoming a people pleaser, when I stopped that, as in, I was doing things to please people and it wasn't helping me, I was just doing it to.
Speaker 1Put another's first.
Speaker 2That too, but please another people not really taking care of myself Not put myself first.
Speaker 3How about that?
Speaker 2Okay. So when I found that, when I realized that and I became and that was just a part of it, but when that part clicked in, that's when I knew I became that man, you know what I'm saying. So I just think it's part, it's rosin, you know what I'm saying? You gotta grow into that.
Speaker 1Man, how do we get you?
Speaker 3I don't know you a people pleaser.
Speaker 2I think I used to be a people pleaser.
Speaker 3I like people pleaser.
Speaker 2I used to no, no, no, I probably okay, I hate to say it, I probably was that. Yes, man, at back in the day, I wouldn't tell you no.
Speaker 3I like that.
Speaker 2No, no, it wasn't healthy. Now, yes, man's a little different.
Speaker 1It wasn't healthy this man like goes with everything, like yeah yeah, I'm down with it.
Speaker 2Oh, it's whatever, let's do it, let's do it. And I know it wasn't healthy, it wasn't healthy.
Speaker 1Oh, so things that were being done. You know it wasn't right.
Speaker 2Right, but I was down for it.
Speaker 3So was you, then you wasn't doing it out of the kindness of your heart.
Speaker 2I used to, yes, but I used to get them both confused. You know what I'm saying Because I was a people pleaser. I used to love to help people. I still kinda do now, but now it's a whole different.
Speaker 1But you feel like you got it when you say it like that. So you kinda how did it make you feel good too though?
Speaker 2Oh yeah, man. Yeah of course, it made me proud that I hold a heart. No, no, I'm good, I'm good. You know what I'm saying. I know what. I knew how to move. You know what I'm saying. I knew how to become Drago. You know what I'm saying. I wasn't fully me. I wasn't there for me. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1Because I was only asking in a sense, like you know how some people like building people that's broken like trying to fix Correct, in a sense. Correct and like I've experienced this a few like in my younger days, where you meet somebody and you feel like I really can help you, like I really got this, and I kinda caught myself a few times like oh shit, you broke like this, ain't that? Like what am I doing? I'm wasting my time like this, ain't that? That person's gotta want to be better and do better.
Speaker 1There you go, and I'm with you.
Speaker 2Let's just say. Let's just say and I have to, I take accountability. I knew where my flaws were and I fixed them. That's what I meant. That's another part of it Becoming a man when you know where you fuck up and you own to it and you fix it. You know what I'm saying. So it definitely makes you a better person.
Speaker 1So that's part of becoming a man With yourself Without nobody involved in that situation.
Speaker 3So it was a time you thought you were a man. You was a man and you wasn't.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, like Global said, like at 23, bro, I'm flying across seas.
Defining Masculinity & Responsibility
Speaker 1Yeah, you did some shit. Yeah, yeah, you did some shit. I left I left, bro.
Speaker 2I left the US. I never traveled. I said I would never travel. And when I went I loved it. I started doing things I never outdo bro. Take care of family, bro. I put my family first. My life was on the line I said I would never do some stuff like that, and I did it when I did it, bro.
Speaker 2Left my wife home Cause we bro. We were I'm be honest, we was broke. You know what I'm saying had a baby, I was making money at home, but I was working Walmart she's prego, she's working and it just wasn't enough. It just wasn't enough.
Speaker 1What was her Walmart paying back then?
Speaker 2Shit, what was I getting? 825?. No no, no, I was overnight. Maybe like 11 and some change.
Speaker 3Okay, you was up there. Say you was up there.
Speaker 1You was up there If we went back and they say you were up there.
Speaker 3Yeah, this is 2009, 2009, 2010.
Speaker 2Okay, but yeah, I just I was like no, I forget that and I'm not gonna lie to you, bro, I went and when I came back on vacation, you got there, right, I went back to fucking flaws and then motherfuckers faces, bro Cause motherfuckers was disrespecting me when I was in that bitch. But yeah, so I came back, it just felt good to be able to take care of family man and get us out of situations. You know what I'm saying. So that did make me feel different, but I was still young. You know what I'm saying. I was still young minded at that age. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, Damn Awesome good stuff. That's a good conversation. Slap what the whole. What makes a man. I like it.
Speaker 3I like it you gotta put my perspective.
Speaker 1Y'all put a lot of things in it.
Speaker 2I would love to hear what the ladies have to say about that.
Speaker 1Man, I think they'll make it more about see if it's gonna be beyond being a father. I think it's a difference. The way Slap was the way we was just talking. We ain't really fatherhood is important, but we didn't make it all about fatherhood Cause you know, that's just. I feel like that's different category. You know what I'm talking about. But that's a. It was good. It was really good. It made me just think a little bit. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3I will and I question my mannerism if I guess you use that word that kind of flow, nice, yeah, I do, because I try to take into consideration the reference of what others would consider a man to be and how a man would carry yourself, and then I kind of I'm at conflict with some of those, I want to say traditional references, cause there's things that men had to do to make things happen that I probably would never do. Like you might respect the man that do whatever it is necessary, by any means necessary to provide for his family, you might. You, it's fair to respect the man that do that? Yes, sir, you ain't no question about that. But then I say, is it also respectful, is it also fair to respect a person that ain't just going to do anything, what's?
Speaker 1anything.
Speaker 3I think that's a like to do anything to survive, like there's things we can all probably do to live a better life, but we chose not to. We chose not to take that route, opposed to some of our peers. So are you not going? Would you not respect that man? Like when you said you did everything legit, getting them $400 a week cash advance, you did whatever you had to, even though you knew you probably could have did some other things to make some moves, but you chose not to do that. So we'll, we'll respect the man that will do all them other things to take it to the next level, so they don't have to do that cash advance and what you struggle doing. But should we not respect you for allowing yourself to struggle just to do it the right way, just to do it the way that you chose, without some of the risks that may come with other options?
Speaker 1And I guess it could be illegally, then that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, that's what we're saying.
Speaker 1It sucks, I get it, man. So I had a friend, you know, and he he did things good to me, but also he would share certain things he did. And I'm like, damn, why are you doing that? Cause I don't even see this character in them. And I would talk to him from time to time when I did bump into him, I would talk to him, I talked to him. I'm like, bro, man, you could just. And one time he's like all right, so what you suggest I do, and I'm like I'll do some suggestions.
Speaker 1And he couldn't do it because of his background and et cetera. And he was like dog, you know, like, for example, I remember one time he was like dog, if I like, even if my auntie like, if he's so drugged to his auntie, like if I don't do it, somebody else will. It's what I was told. And it was also like, if you can't give me something to replace this with, you ain't saying nothing at all, Mm-hmm, and some people mentality, that's right. And I kind of caught myself like, damn, I am trying to preach the right word, but I don't got a solution for what you're doing Ain't nothing. And I kind of caught myself that day, like so usually when I hear somebody's circumstance, if I can involve or help if I know I got a solution.
Speaker 1I feel like that's when I'm more vocal. But I can't go preaching to somebody about how they provided and how they feeding, because I don't know their circumstances or what all they got going on, right? So sometimes I'd rather just not know. You know what I'm saying, what somebody is doing. But that did wake me up. When he talked to me that way, I was like damn, you're right, I've got something that's working for me and I understand it. But your circumstances and backgrounds and your priors won't allow you to do what I'm doing or for me to even help you. So how can I tell you to stop feeding your family if that's the way you do it? I was stuck, I just left that alone.
Speaker 3So that's where my crossroads with what a man is, because you got men that will make it happen that way, and they making it happen and you respect it. But then you have a man that say I'm not taking those risks to make it happen.
Speaker 2OK.
Speaker 3Maybe it got to work out another way.
Speaker 2Here's the thing If you're a man, you got to know how to crush your ego at times to be able to hustle to get what you need to get done. I'm talking about the right way If you can crush your ego. And I'm going to give you an example. I said this to someone and they were doing the bad thing. I told them I was like, bro, that ego you got, you got to get rid of it. Because he rather do that than to go work at McDonald's. I said, bro, if I have to start over, I will, Because that's what I told them. And at that time I had money in my pocket. But I told them I don't care. I started real talk. I started over three times, but if I have to do it again, I will do it again. Then I know where I'm going to end up if I don't do it.
Speaker 1Absolutely.
Respect, Guidance, and the Lack Thereof
Speaker 2You get what I'm saying His ego. He rather do something bad than to go fucking flip a burger. It makes some change and you got no record or nothing. I'm over there making bread. I'm telling you to come. You heard about the goons that we have out here. That's 10 times worse than what we got at home, you feel me. So these boys, when they go kill, they go try to kill thousands. One person trying to get thousands, but you got this one guy in his homie that's driving to do a drive by and trying to get away with it. These guys ain't caring about their life. When they come and they get you, their life is going with you, but with 15, 20, 50,000 people go with one person. So you heard about them. Then these guys over here, there's one, two guys in the car that's trying to get away after throwing bullets at you. How that makes sense. So I've said that before. I'm like I will start over. I will go to McDonnells and start over again.
Speaker 3So will we.
Speaker 2You got to break that ego, bro. Is he a man for what he does Right now? Right now, I'm going to say to you In that situation, not now, but in that situation. Nah, man, he coward. You scared what you scared of. If you were real, break that ego. Break that ego, man, who you showing.
Speaker 1I guess people's opinion, People saying oh son such and such. I'm not connecting to McDonald's.
Speaker 2Bro break it.
Speaker 1You don't want to be picked on.
Speaker 2Break it.
Speaker 1People talk bad about you.
Speaker 2That's what I mean by that. That's what I mean by that. So what's going to happen?
Speaker 3So, you see where this dynamic of a man starts to get fuzzy, because you got the situation where you respect the man doing what he need to do just legal or illegal but then you also don't respect the man Doing what he doing legal or illegal.
Speaker 1But you see, I think that's the difference, that's the key. You said respect. He's still a man. We still acknowledge he's a man, but we don't respect it. I think maybe that's the difference.
Speaker 3So not it, that's a good question. Respect a man, we respect the grind.
Speaker 2We respect the grind.
Speaker 3He brought up something that I didn't take into consideration. Are you a man if you don't have respect?
Speaker 2Oh, I think that's it right there, Because then I feel like yeah that's it.
Speaker 3I don't even got to answer to that. I said it, but I don't.
Speaker 2No no, but I'll be honest If I'm not respected as a man, then I'm going the other way, bro, Because to me that's a big on that Right Respect, because I feel like I won't affiliate with you.
Speaker 1That's it If I feel that way.
Speaker 2Easy.
Speaker 1Anybody I felt that way about, because if you cross the line or I don't think you stand for the things I stand on, then definitely to me that's that's, that's not that that leads to other things that can lead into worst case scenarios or bad outcomes.
Speaker 1I've seen like that gut feeling when you see somebody do some flaw or a shady stuff and then later down the line I hear a story. I'm be like, oh, I'm not, when you not shocked because you like, damn, you were moving like that. That's what I think sometimes that could lead into. Bro, if you don't, I don't think you should be rocking with it.
Speaker 1Folks that you feel like you can't respect them, I don't want to be around it, I don't associate myself with that because I feel like I don't know, I can't keep it a hundred. I got to be myself around you to your point, like, and as a man I don't know. Like, let's say, you are out with somebody, I want to know if I respect you. I feel like if a situation were to occur worst case scenario we would have each other's best interests at heart. Yep, when you don't have respect for, like, if that person got flaws in, bad habits or things, that's just not right.
Speaker 1Here I feel like dawg, that, depending on where you are, you wouldn't want certain shit to pop off because I feel like you on your own, yeah, and I wouldn't want to want. I wouldn't want to be in that position. If you see what I'm saying, like that's why when people, and that's why I respected the OGs, like back in the day when I was old, when I was around certain crazy stuff, though, do you know the OGs always telling you you know all young, but we doing this over here, you got to go down that way. Go play sports, go do like. They always wanted to see you go the opposite way, although they about to get in some shit right over here. Look at you like what you going Like you know you, you like. I think that's what's missing.
Speaker 2That's where you belong, yeah.
Speaker 1And today, like we don't got the OGs looking out for the younger or saying, no, this ain't it, bro, you we'll do this, go, go, try to get an NFL. Like try to make it to the NFL, bro, we rooting for you, we want to see you on the screen. You know what I'm saying. Like go out there, go hit the weight room. Like I don't see that guidance, like the kids today, unfortunately, because that's a lot of single family homes too Like, but that was that's what's missing, cause I remember my coach was like a dad. Like when you play football, for example, whatever coach said, you respected it. You thought it was everything.
Speaker 1You know what I'm saying? And we need more figures like that. We need more old Gs to stand on principle. That's all right, cause I had all my friends, at least when I was coming up with older and they they guided me always right. They always gave me a gyms and told me go that way. No, do this like this. I don't see enough of that. I don't mind giving game to somebody who's up and coming and younger on a bro. You might want to go that way, cause this way, this is what that leads to. We need more of that, especially in our culture. You know what I'm saying. We need way more of that, you know who was that for me?
Jay Z on Grammys and Representation
Speaker 2Rest in peace, Mr Officer Pun. I don't know if you remember Officer Pun. I remember Officer Pun. It was a zoo yeah, it was a zoo. Down on the motorcycle accident yeah, he was a zoo, officer Pun, I don't know. When I grew up he was across the tracks. The cops fucked with us. They showed us love. But we grew up as kids. They played ball with us, they played football with us. They played basketball Like they even helped us get a basketball goal.
Speaker 1So let me say a name and you probably going to agree with me. So there was okay, like even you know, even as faith.
Speaker 2Yeah, he cut hair. He advanced with another. He was older, he advanced with another.
Speaker 1But always guiding you to do Like. You see what I'm saying? I'm just giving you an ever name. You said the part I'm thinking about, og I knew that area OG was like he'll cut my hair, what you doing with the music? He was always trying to guide and, like yo, I want to see you do this, do that. Hey, look out for this. Like there was always an OG around all guided.
Speaker 2He definitely. Yeah, he definitely.
Speaker 1He was one of me, he was always solid, bro, From day one that was you know I had to switch the topic, but that was therapy.
Speaker 2Barber shot for me. One on one right there. Okay, One on one for me, man.
Speaker 1Because I know he was across the track.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1I used to just go for football Like we used to play football out there all day drinking water after water hole.
Speaker 2I remember Chris.
Speaker 1House we used to go to Chris.
Speaker 2House. Yeah, I was two houses down from him, okay, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1Like that's where I was at, what was out there all day, all the whole year.
Speaker 2Yeah, we don't have it, no more bro.
Speaker 1Now that park be dry. Playground nice and pretty, but dry I don't know what the kids at. No more bro.
Speaker 2So what Jay Z say?
Speaker 3Oh. So Jay Z gave a speech. He got the Dr Dre. It was a Dr Dre award, um impressed award. I forgot, I don't know the exact name for it Um, they gave it to Jay Z and he appreciated it. He gave thanks to Dr Dre and many others around him. He knew his facts, he knew his history. He definitely prepared to um, uh, accept the war and um and honor to those before him.
Speaker 3But then he also went on to say he spoke about the Grammys and was like you know, we want to get things right, at least close to right. And he let them know how there were situations where it was obviously wrong and where artists went to boycott, boycott as Dr Dre boycott, as many other artists boycott and as Jay Z himself boycott it before. And he brought up that there's an artist Everybody's assuming he's talking about Beyonce. He didn't say her name, he didn't say the artist's name at all, but he said they got the most Grammys and never got album of the year and so it don't. It don't even make sense when you're doing the math, when you're just doing the basic math, just as we see what Drake did and he got so little little a Grammy awards.
Speaker 3So he brought that up to say at this point it's a huge flaw. We want to keep supporting this. We do appreciate it, we do like it. We still got to keep showing up and I definitely like that part because he showed that you know people can come across bitter and that they don't care to you but like so why say anything? Just stop showing up, stop supporting it. You know, especially the urban community be about things.
Speaker 3Yeah, the culture, how the culture can be about things like that. He let it be known Honestly. No, we do appreciate this. Don't think we don't want a Grammy, like it's a goal. We appreciate it. It is what it is, but we want y'all to get it right and we have the right to speak on it. So people have certain asteroids, have to step out there and catch those comments for us to be able to say this is something we want to get right. We ain't complaining, but those who are in position to speak and throw their self out there to speak, it's very brave for them to do so, even if the person we assume it is about is his wife. So I really appreciate it because it was real honest. He showed his nervousness. He shows his humility, his bravery, his honesty and that he appreciated. But he also checked them. He said some people don't even belong in the category.
Speaker 1That was probably the boldest thing he was on his cat Williams energy.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah that, cat William. Energy is cosmic, so it's something that's floating around. Don't be surprised if we don't see more of it, where people speaking in mind oh it's totally yeah that you like what? Is going on in the atmosphere Because people saying something to this exposure oh, that's the podcast. Yeah, hey, we own, we own. Point with the astronomical alignment yes, we are.
Speaker 3Yeah. So, as Cat Williams said, hey, this is the season of exposure. We exposing things. As Kanye West said, it's up. As Cardi B said, it's up, it's up, it's up. As Jay Z said, we got to get things right. As many others are saying, we have to get things right. This, that just might be the theme of the season to where we ain't gonna be able to suppress certain. Yeah, we just ain't gonna be able to suppress.
Speaker 1Shout out to Jay Z. I think that was a that was dope, well needed. I think Jay Z gets a lot of flack for not speaking enough, especially on certain topics. I know the NFL thing was a big thing, what with Jay Z. They wanted to know what he was going to do. But shout out to Jay for speaking up. Like you said, I think it's the best of both worlds. He acknowledged the Grammys and the importance of it and, at the same time, things that need to be addressed. And when it comes to a certain artists maybe not being nominated or winning, he talked about it and I think we can only respect that and that's dope. So shout out to Jay for speaking up and standing on on business.
Speaker 1What they say today standing on business. Hold on what you got, drake on it.
Speaker 2I was just gonna say where applause said about it. I guess he said white folks don't care about not being accepted by the black folkship, in parentheses the the BT awards. So why black folks care so much about being accepted by the white folkship in parentheses the Grammys.
Speaker 1I want to say, because I feel like BT is so yeah.
Speaker 2I don't know. It's come on, it's BET black entertainment. It's only black entertainment.
Speaker 1I just feel like the Grammys is broadcast right global different, skin correct and presented different, where you mean people actually dress up and right. Right, and I ain't saying I know everybody got different tastes, we can accept that. But sometimes you go to the B you watch a BT showing people barely got clothes on. So the club, I think it's going to give you a different kind of attention. I think if BT changed some of the standards, if they a, this is optional, but I think if we actually change some of the standards and because they do great I know the Humanitarian Award, they got different awards out there Lifetime Achievement Awards, they got some dope awards. But I think sometimes the other bikinis, the two pieces, like people, come to these BT awards barely dressed.
Speaker 1Now it starts. That's this image. I'm thinking Brandon, I think it starts with that. What kind of attention or how far do we want to go if people make it? Pretty much?
Speaker 1When you think of the award show, you know I think it just has to be presented better. If you ask me, I do look forward to some of the performances, but when I think Grammy's in BT, to your point, that's what it is Like. Why do people want to see some? If they want to use the words now, ratchet or ghetto they might that that I could see how others on the outside will look at that, like what the hell is that? We? Y'all want me to take this serious. I could see that, so we. I just think whoever is in charge of that, they'll just have to present it better, and I think the I think more people will be willing to participate, sponsor and appreciate it more. So that's just how I feel. On on Ply's take I get what he's saying, but I don't know when the last time Ply's been to a BT awards though. So I mean, our people got to continue to support what we have, because that is ours, right, right.
Speaker 3I like that. I like that question Ply's asked because he left it as a question right Right. Yeah, he questioned market. He didn't know. Make it seem like he he knew, no, what the answer was. He didn't. So I'll respond and say who is saying that. What makes us think white people don't care about the BT awards or black people don't care about the Grammys? I see people care. I only know about it because I know many people that care about it. No platform can survive without the other demographic also embracing it At least these two.
Speaker 1I think it's coming from from someone who's you know some of. So. When the Grammys come, more black artists complain about not winning Correct and it being rigged. They're more vocal on that.
Speaker 2And.
Speaker 1I think that's what Ply's is coming from. That's when he says the whites in the blacks, whatever that. That's what that's coming from, because more black artists have been vocal about not winning the Grammys. And didn't somebody piss on the Grammy?
Speaker 2Can't. Yeah, that's what it has to make an example.
Speaker 3But we, so we, we put black entertainment into a margin. Right, yeah, that's what. So it's marginalized. This is a limited. That's why I put my scope.
Speaker 3Yes, so you can't expect a limited, a limited scope to have the expensive reach as an expanded scope as the Grammys that also cater to the Latin demographic, that also cater to the European demographic, the international demographic and the black African demographic and the subgenres around it. The Grammys is bigger than any one color. Whether we see lighter skins being represented, the reality may be. This person is European, this person is Irish, this person is Italian, this person is from Germany, these producers are from Asia. This they take an order in consideration and we still see in tone.
Speaker 1Yeah. So would a white rapper participate in a black entertainment Like so, with Eminem performing? That BTO was before yeah, happy, yeah. I want to say yeah. I probably want to damn sure say yeah. So, to your point. I get you. That's a good point. I get so, with that being said, because I'm like so what do we do with white rappers? We're not going to ever acknowledge him on a BTO World Show because it's black entertainment, is what you're saying.
Speaker 3Have we? That's a good question. I don't know the stats on there, but I feel like Machine Gun Kelly Mack Miller, mc Hammer.
Speaker 2So we had hip hop awards, right, we got hip hop.
Speaker 3Vanilla Ice. What's MC Hammer? Vanilla Ice? Oh okay, I call Vanilla Ice MC Hammer. No.
Speaker 1Oh, I'm saying hey, forgive me 1980s, forgive me 19.
Speaker 2The turtle's gonna hunt you yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean I get. I'm just saying like I get what you and that's a good one, that's a good one with plot, like I guess what other awards show, and I'm assuming it can only be the BTO Awards right, because there's no award show and we ain't got no source, no more.
Speaker 2Yeah, you know what I'm saying. I can be broad and not be locked in like a hip hop or BTO or we don't got nothing.
Speaker 3Yeah, we. It's fair to accept that some, some people might not want award just because they black. They might not want award just because it's from a black organization that they only getting this award, because it's from black entertainment television, it might feel like an upgrade to get an award from a general organization.
Speaker 1The.
Speaker 3Grammys don't if there's no color zone or anything but doesn't doesn't Spotify or Pandora?
Speaker 2don't they give awards? Now? I think they do now, don't they? I don't know. You know, I've heard, yeah, they got categories, but I don't know if they get they do they just name it. They just name no award. That's what they do. They don't it? You know, present it.
Speaker 3Okay.
Issues With TikTok and Music Licensing
Speaker 2Just name it on the shows. I think TikTok actually has one now too, but with the news with TikTok they took a couple of them. They took record labels, took their music off of TikTok. So, yeah, oh, I know that. Yeah, that's universal universal, and that's, it's a lot, it's, it's a big accommodated what they want. Yeah.
Speaker 1So you know I guess I don't and I don't know how much TikTok is paying because they're not paying the labels what it would make sense for us to use the music in the videos. So that's one platform I know that universal and I'm sure others will follow to remove and TikTok going to have to figure it out or eventually have to negotiate so we can keep those music on those platforms.
Speaker 1Because don't you, when you use the video, the song in a video don't accumulate extremes now, because I know when you upload on, like this show or you get the tune, you get the TikTok logo. So I know it might not be a whole lot, but it's going to be some work to be done to generate that. So I'm all for it. I think the artist should be getting accommodated for their work.
Speaker 3Yeah, yes.
Speaker 2Yes.
Speaker 3If they make some money and move the needle.
Speaker 1More money in my pocket. I'm for it.
Speaker 2Right now is no money but problems.
Speaker 1I'm all for it. So, with that being said, y'all tuned into another episode of exposure and we are home.
