Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard - Wiz Khalifa

Episode Date: November 20, 2023

Wiz Khalifa (Khali Sober, Khalifa Kush) is a multi-platinum selling rapper and singer. Wiz joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his life growing up as a military kid, why it was tough to grow up scrawny, and what drove him to start writing at a young age. Wiz explains to Dax the difference between a mixtape and an album, how he and Snoop Dogg became friends, and the importance of putting in the work. Wiz discusses how weed changed his creative process, the cultural differences in talking about other people’s business, and his jail selfie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome, welcome, welcome to Armchair Expert. I'm Dan Shepard. I'm joined by Lily Padman. Hi. Hi-er. Guess what? What? At a restaurant near us, Little Dom's.

Little D's. There is a drink on the menu called Lily Pad. What? I haven't got it yet. What is in it? Meat. Is there an Indian liquor? There's beer that's Indian pale uh pale ale sure and then also

kingfisher yeah that's the big boy that's what my dad likes but they're not like they didn't invent gin or anything do we know i don't think so okay not that i know of okay because i would like it if lily pad had some indian liquor in it. So we really know it's a nod to you. Yeah. Oh boy, spices. No, we don't want a curry cocktail. It doesn't have to be curry. It could be cardamom or chai.

Okay, you want a cardamom? Yeah, I want it. Oh, okay. I stand corrected. What a wild guess we had. Yeah. Yes, out of the blue, he walks in. What a vision.

He's six foot four. He is a vision. He's six foot four. He is a vision. And he's so cute. He's very stunning. Is that the word? Yeah, he's stunning. Yeah.

Absolutely. Great adjective. He's stunning. Wiz Khalifa. My God, this was so fun and interesting. He is a multi-platinum selling rapper and singer. His albums include Multiverse, Rolling Papers, Deal or No Deal, ONIFC, Black Hollywood. And he has a new mixtape out. Boy, you're going to hear me learn about the difference or not learn about the difference

between a mixtape and an album on this one called Cali Sober, which is fucking great. Yes. Be it a mixtape or an album, I love it. And you know Wiz. You know Wiz. You already know him. He and Snoop were just on tour together for a year. What could be more fun than that? And he also has his own cannabis line called Khalifa Kush.

Yeah. And even had a piece that said KK. Did you see it on it? Oh, I didn't. Yeah, yeah. For his Khalifa Kush. It's very cool. So cool.

I hope you guys enjoy this. We'll just say up front, I really embarrassed myself in this episode. It'll be fun to listen to, I think. It's big, big swings and misfires. And you know, we're here to laugh about it. We're still here. Just know we're in on it when you're here. Please enjoy Wiz Khalifa.

Trip Planner by Expedia. You were made to have strong opinions about sand. We were made to help you and your friends find a place on a beach with a pool and a marina and a waterfall and a soaking tub. Expedia. Made to travel. He's an altruistic He's an interesting Are you gonna smoke? Because I'll open the window before we start. I like. Might as well.

We let Seth Rogen smoke. You'll be maybe the second or third. Can you make that work for an asterisk? For sure. Let me see. No. Money. No.

You don't have any. Don't talk to me. Look at her face. No, don't. God, dad. Look at her face. Okay. Okay, I went to a facialist.

There's nothing there. That's why I feel so confident to tell them to look. I went to a facialist and she did a peel so it's starting to peel. Oh. She's very nervous.

Nah, you're good. Don't be worried about it. You're good. Don't be worried about it. You're fine. Don't even worry about it. You look good. Do I call you Cameron or Wiz? What's your preference? For now, Wiz.

Let's go Wiz. Okay, so most importantly, on the day you were born, how old do you think Monica was? Take a wild stab. I don't even think Monica was born when I was born. Oh, that's flattering. It is flattering. She was 15 days old. Oh, wow. Okay, so we're close. Very. And I'm older. Almost, yeah.

You beat me. I almost got you, though. Yeah, you were a little late. You were a little late. Just a little bit. I was getting high, that's why. In the womb? Well, actually, that's possible, because you did say mom smoked grass in the house. Yeah, she didn't smoke when she was pregnant with me. My mom did.

Oh, for real? Oh, for sure. Hell yeah. My mom was in the military when she was pregnant with me. So throughout that period of life, she wasn't smoking pot at all. She wasn't? Nah, nope. Because they would test or she was just afraid?

Because they couldn't have been testing, were they? Yeah, they were testing back then. They were. They would do like randoms. Just frayed. Because they couldn't have been testing, were they? Yeah, they were testing back then. They were. They would do like randoms.

And it just wasn't the thing to do to like sneak and get caught smoking pot in the military in the 90s and shit like that. Because you could get dishonorably discharged and then you're fucked. Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, no retirement and no plan for family and all of that stuff. So it was like really important for her to hold it down throughout that period of time and then do whatever the hell she wanted to do afterwards. Mom and dad were both in the military? Yeah. Because you were born in North Dakota, but you're immediately on the road, right? You're in Japan, Germany, the UK. Yeah, my parents met in the military. It was crazy. My mom is from Pittsburgh and my dad is from New York and they met in basic training in Colorado. And if you know anything

about basic training, it's just a few months of people thrown into the mixture. And then after that, they go their separate ways. They probably only knew each other for like two months. And then they were about to get stationed to other areas. Deployed. Deployed. Exactly. And my dad was going somewhere. My mom was going to Guam and they got married. After two months. Deployed, exactly. And my dad was going somewhere. My mom was going to Guam. And they got married. After two months. Yeah, they didn't want to leave each other, man.

They fell in love, bro. Okay. Fucking young love. And how quickly did you arrive after that? I'm the second child. Oh, you are? Yeah, yeah. They had my brother first. How much older is he?

He's three years older than me. But he passed away, so he was three years older than me. He passed away, not in childhood. No, not in childhood. In adulthood. From what kind of stuff? Cancer. Oh, my God.

Yeah, yeah. Fuck. Yeah. How old? I think it was like seven years ago. Wow. Yeah, yeah. Okay.

So he was like 32-ish or something? Yeah, like 30, 31 maybe. What kind of cancer? Lymphoma. Oh, my God. Uh-huh. Does that freak you out about your own disposition that you could be susceptible? No, not really. My brother was transgender.

So throughout her life, she took a lot of hormones that kind of, you know, mixed it up and made it way more difficult. I got you. I got you. Well, my dad died of cancer and I'm certainly like, fuck me. I don't like having that in my bloodline. Yeah. It doesn't make me too optimistic. Some people, they just live their life perfectly normal and still get that shit. Oh, totally. There's like marathon runners who die of heart disease, and Keith Richards going hard.

He's healthy as a horse, Keith Richards. Exactly. He's been slamming dope for 55 years. Fucking chilling, right? Yes. He's just slammed up yes nah hell nah

smoke weed drink water smoke weed and drink water were you old enough to remember these pit stops in Japan Germany UK and all that you get to Pittsburgh at nine nah my first time going to Pittsburgh

I was about two years old but I mean to live there for the duration shit when I was there at two I lived there for like a year and a half oh you did? Okay. Yeah, I stayed with my auntie, my Aunt Tickles. How did Aunt Tickles get the nickname Aunt Tickles?

There was a doll at the time when she was a kid that she wanted. It was the Tickles doll. Instead of having a doll, she was born and they named her Tickles. Oh, that's pretty cute. Yeah, it's kind of crazy right okay so aunt tickles took you in it's really sweet my auntie tickles it was me my brother my cousin julian little cousin bebe my little cousin poppy wow michael used to be over there my aunt rachel so enough to play a pickup game of basketball. Totally. Black families, man. We all crammed into an apartment about this big right here.

Uh-huh. But so fun. Yeah, hella fun, bro. Yeah, yeah. Super duper fun. Yeah, I have fond memories from Pittsburgh as a baby, living in Europe, Germany, or England. We were in Upper Hayford. That was the area that we lived in.

In England? Uh-huh. What's Upper Hayward like? It was super chill from what I remember. I was literally like two, three years old. So I have pictures and videos and shit from like birthday parties. And then I remember what my dad's house looked like. It was really cool.

Kind of not like this, not as player. Yeah. But it was big. It had like stones and like a little pond in the front. Like a mini castle. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It was cool, man.

They got divorced when you were three? Yeah, yep. Same age for me. And man. They got divorced when you were three? Yeah, yep. Same age for me. And I live with mom. You live with mom? I live with both, back and forth. How long would the durations be? Probably like two years.

Oh, so you did two years with dad? Yeah, yep. And why was he living in such a great house in England? Yeah, yeah. How'd he find himself in a castle if he was in the army? I was too young to know, man. Oh, okay. Some things are made for you not to know what's going on.

Don't look a gift castle in the mouth. Just keep it moving. Yeah, just feed the goldfish and keep it moving, bro. How about Japan? How old were you when you were in Japan? I was about 11 to 13 in Japan. Oh, that's significant. Two years in Japan.

And were you going to like a military school? It was a school on base. It wasn't necessarily a military school because military school is more structured as like disciplinary type of thing. Yeah, I fucked that up. I just meant a school on a military base. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. I meant a school for all the military kids.

Yeah, I went to school on base 100%. Like everything was Americanized and shit because it was such a big difference between off base and on base. And the other kids, here's what I'd imagine. You're moving nonstop. You have to meet kids every year and a half or whatever. That's stressful. But maybe the other kids are also in that pattern, so they're a little more forgiving. Is that possible?

Was it hard? It's always difficult being the new kid all the time because you have to like re acclimate yourself to everybody's customs, no matter where you are. You're picking up on different lingo. You go to different schools. You never really get to get used to having friends for any long amount of time. So it's definitely an issue as a child. You don't want to leave your friends and shit like that. And you don't want to have to get used to anything not being permanent. So yeah, it was a little difficult. What effect do you think it had on you?

Did it make you good at making friends or did it make you lonely? It made me really good at making friends. It did. It's not enjoyable. It's not like I want to be the freaking unknown person all the time. But it definitely toughened you up and makes you to the point where you can assert yourself and you can carry your own personality, your character, whoever you want to be, wherever you want to go.

Did you ever reinvent when you landed somewhere new? You'd be like, this next go around, I'm going to try this. I think I always just reinvent just naturally. I think the biggest reinvention was me having a growth spurt. Yeah. What age did we get this tall? Bro, I was like normal size. And then just overnight, I just stretched out and nobody in my family is this tall. Really? Yeah, it was crazy. Like middle school? What age?

Eighth grade going into ninth grade. Same year. I've said this so many times. I have my basketball physical i had to take for eighth grade and i was 5 11 160 that's golden next year ninth grade physical 6 3 149 yeah i lost 11 pounds yeah he came like four inches and i was like oh this is a bad look for me nah skinny boys we on top, that's rough, isn't it? Well, now you're not skinny boy anymore. Well, now I'm a medium-sized boy. He's definitely lean.

Lean and mean. Oh, you were on the cover of Men's Health, by the way. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, so I got into your workout routine. We're hitting it early, right? Yeah. Hour in the gym and then doing some jujitsu? Yeah, well, Muay Thai and mixed martial arts.

When did Muay Thai become part of the program it kind of just mixed in like naturally that's a better workout probably as well no i think it's more like a modern thing everybody's doing more active shit to go along with lifting weights so the program that i was on you know they kind of just have you messing around with it but i was actually like kicking the shit out of people and They were like, let's step you up some. You know what I mean? And I figured out I was kind of really good at it. And they put me in there with some of the guys that really, really do that shit.

And they were like, man, he could do this. So they just started training me on a different level. You were supposed to have a match in April or something. Uh-uh, nope. You weren't. Uh-uh. There's lies about you out there, Wiz, on the internet. Really? Yes. Can you believe this? I hope I'm not the first to tell you this, but there's lies about you out there whiz on the internet yes can you

believe this i hope i'm not the first to tell you this but there's some lies damn you at least i would imagine had because i'm 12 years older than you so there wasn't one cool tall skinny guy in movies tv music you already had snoop yeah we had snoop that had to be encouraging snoop is super tight but at that time there's only one snoop so you can't be snoop i just think coming up scrawny is just tough for everybody i think even snoop might have had it bad he just made it look good for all of us he just broke the mold man he did but i think if you're tall if you're a fucking stretch limo like us yeah and you got at least one example of a guy who's killing it i mean that's helpful shit i don't know now you're that

for other tall skinny dudes in high school for sure yeah and so i'm wondering when you got to pittsburgh were you nervous to commit like this is home now now i can actually get comfortable here are you just always waiting to be moving somewhere else? Nah, hell nah. I got a big ass family there. So that was always my connection to Pittsburgh was my family, my cousins, my aunts, my nanny, who's my grandma, my granddad who just passed away recently. But they all were really and still are really instrumental in raising me and housing me. And that's your mom's family? Yeah, it's my mom's family.

We use my Nene's address to make sure I could go to certain schools. And Nene is Tickle's mom? Yeah, yep. What a pair. If they walk into the bowling alley. Nene's Tickle's and my mom's name is Peachy. Oh, this is fantastic. That's like a TV show.

I know. I love it. It's like the cast of Golden Girls or something. That's my connection to Pittsburgh. It's always been home. My mom did a really good job of enforcing that and making sure that me and my brother grew up with our roots and knowing our peoples and having a really strong connection with them. Is there anyone younger than you in the family? Hell yeah.

Oh, you have other siblings, I mean. My little sister is with my dad. She got a different mom. I don't consider her half anything. Same. My little sister is with my dad. She got a different mom. I don't consider her half anything. Same. My little sister has a different dad, but we don't. In fact, when I was a kid and someone would say, that's your half sister, I would want to fight. Yeah.

That was like a diss back in the day for sure. That's right. I was like, she's not my half sister. Yeah. All right. Well, yes, she is. No, she's fucking not. Yeah, exactly.

I think it's time to go over this. Yeah, people try to bring this this shit up you guys got different parents yeah yeah yeah yeah nah but i got my little sister and i got little cousins too like i was the baby for a minute but i was just the baby of my generation we started getting older and into our teens that's when my little cousins were like eight nine and ten so when i'm leaving my teens they're getting into their teens so them is all my little homies and shit when you're with your dad was there the same amount of people around or did you meet the New York family yeah yeah yeah I'm really close with my New York family

growing up I would see them on and off I seen them at like family reunions and we would get together to the point where I do have memories of my New York family when I was a kid. But the majority of it started happening when I was a teen. When my grandma on my dad's side passed, there was a funeral and we all met up in New York at my grandma's apartment. And that's when we all kind of rekindled everything. And then from then, I was like 14, I started making music and I would come to New York to do my promo runs or things like that. And I would just stay in my grandma's old apartment and chill and kick it with my cousins and meet up with my aunties. So throughout my teens and 20s and things like that, that's when my relationship really built with that side of my family. But it's been strong for a while.

What part of New York did they live in? Harlem. You start writing and performing really young, like 11, 12, you start writing? Yeah, yeah. What drove you to that? I was in about third grade and I first seen my uncle. He had wrote a rap and he rapped it to me. And it was so cool, the concept of him making a rap. I always listened to rap and enjoyed it. He wrote a rap and I was like, wow, that's crazy. It sounds just like what I hear on the radio. Right.

He was like, you can do it too. I'm like, how? He was like, wow, that's crazy. It sounds just like what I hear on the radio. He was like, you can do it too. I'm like, how? He was like, well, you just start a little, you do this, you do that. Yeah, he taught me how to rap. And then we would go and look up song lyrics for other songs and learn all of the words for them. And I had a book where I kept all of my song lyrics where I would learn the words. And that's what I think really taught me timing and how to ride a beat and stay on beat. And through that, I just developed it. Who of the people you were studying, did you most feel like you clicked with,

or that was something you could do a version of? It was the majority of the fast rappers, yo. Like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Busta Rhymes. Anybody who was just out there, those are my favorite. I like Mystical back okay. Busta Rhymes. Anybody who was just out there. Those are my favorite. I like Mystical back then. No Limit was popular. The more wilder the style, the better. Crucial Conflict.

DMX? DMX was one of my favorites too, for sure. He's wild as hell. Crazy. I remember when his first single dropped. I walked to the store and bought it. His first single was Get At Me, Dog. And that was before he was even popular but for

some reason as a third grader his music connected with me well also he's riding wheelies on four wheelers and riding with the rough riders like the whole package for me i was like sign me up for yeah music videos were crazy back then yeah as a kid you sitting around watching music videos that's like what the fuck eve was in them yeah yeah eve was the shit swiss beats shout out to swiss did you see this doc that was on dmx that came out like a few months ago yeah so good so heartbreaking yeah he's an interesting guy and he's really passionate and soulful man when i met him and we chilled and we kicked it some people are surprised when they meet people and i hear what music they listen to.

But that shit really surprised me. He like Patti LaBelle and like disco and shit that you sing and vibe to. And he sings all the words like with his heart and soul. He's not rapping like hard ass lyrics. He's singing. That shit was crazy. It was tight. What's funny is I was listening to you talk about your mom that you'd be around the house listen to erica badu and i was like oh yeah this is this age gap

like me and your mom probably have all the same favorite music but yeah fucking badu i would have loved to talk to dmx about all that 70s r&b i'm sure bruh his playlist is crazy yeah i wouldn't have been surprised if you had said metallica and megadeth. And then also, I'm not surprised now that you say Patti LaBelle. It's like the complete opposite. It is the opposite, but you knew it would be something not from what you expected. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you're my age. Did you guys have The Box?

Yeah. Oh, my God. What's The Box? The Box was a channel. It's a video channel. You call in and you request shit. And it was just music videos. All music videos. you just have it on

did you ever call monica no i was too scared to call but i just watched music videos all day long and they played more underground shit too that they didn't play on mtv or they would play it on the box first exactly and then it will cross over to like mainstream shit so i'm glad to know you liked the box oh hell yeah the box was yeah that was the shit you guys should bring it back i was up in detroit i know i don't know what you guys they probably had it in detroit we're hella like pittsburgh and detroit almost identical if there's any two cities i think both of them, post-industrial. Yeah. For sure. Heavy drinkers, blue collar, a lot of fights. Sounds like Pittsburgh.

And anytime I go to Detroit, I get so much love because they're like, bro, we're the same. Yes, I'm sure. I'm sure. So you start early, and then you meet a guy, E. Dan. Yeah. Does he own the studio? Yeah, he owns Idyllac. He built it.

And he took a shine to you, and he said, you want to intern, and then you can have some recording time. Absolutely. How did you endear yourself to him? How did he even come to find out who you were? I was paying for studio time. I will go down there and record my mixtapes and get out of there. Okay, great. We need to do this right now.

Explain the difference between a mixtape to everyone and an album. Because you have so many mixtapes I've read about. Mixtapes are projects used to prepare you for an album. So they're not fully fleshed out? You kind of just get the scraps of what could or would be on the album. But it doesn't necessarily make the album. Okay, but the music itself is new. You're not using old stuff, per se.

Nah, it's fresh. Okay, so you make some mixtapes there, and then ultimately you get a recording contract really young. Oh, yeah, another thing about mixtapes. Oh, tell me. They're free. Oh, they're free. Yes, explain that.

That's a huge difference. Here's all I know about mixtapes. I'm in New York City, and any dude who might think I know somebody because I'm on TV gives me a mixtape. And then I think, how am I going to proceed with this? I got to go buy a device to play this on. Yeah. People used to give out mixtapes, right? That was a big thing.

They usually give it out. You got the bootleggers who sell them when they're popular. But the culture of a mixtape, there's a documentary on this as well. Okay. Oh, there is. What's it called? It's called Hulu. The history of the mixtape. I don't know. History of a mixtape there's a documentary on this as well okay oh there is what's it called hulu the history of the mixtape i don't know history is missing but mixtapes started of course in new york with djs they would take beats they do mashups right yeah yeah mashups blends uh-huh but they were like specific to each dj and each dj style so

that's why you would get different mixtapes from different DJs, different sides of town. They were exclusive. So some people were like, hey, I want you to shout me out and say my name. I'll pay you 50 extra bucks. So it was like a way to get money, get popular and have status. And that's how the mixtape culture started.

Then DJs started finding artists and being like, hey, here's this break loop. Freestyle over it for eight minutes. and then you would get a dude saying, hey, ho, my name is, uh, what's up, what's up, what's up, go. And then the whole hood would, you know, repeat that. He'd be famous in the neighborhood. Exactly, exactly. So that's where you get the mixture between the DJ and the rapper.

And then as time went on, labels started seeing that as profitable as okay let's not release a full project but let's do like a little mixtape not big corporations but independent labels they'd be like let's just do a little mixtape and see how the streets like it right like a little try exactly exactly soft launch exactly and then people started getting really popular off of that. Like 50 Cent blew up off of entering the mixtape scene and just doing free music and not really focusing on the label structure, but just being like, I'm going to feed the streets. Right. Just be prolific.

Don't wait. Just make it. Yeah. So 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Diplomats. diplomats a lot of people like really came in and changed the mixtape game and then that's where it elevated to where more me and drake and currency did you guys revive it we just took it to the next level and made it where it was like complete projects as a mixtape not like freestyling over instrumentals and shit like right grandmaster flash go ahead hey ho we stopped the hey ho and we kind of. We stopped the hey-ho and we kind of, and shout out to the hey-ho, though.

You know what I mean? And put your hands up, too. Yeah, for sure. Put your hands up. For sure. If you're out there, put your hands up. We took it to the,

because we came up in the internet era, the blog era. Napster. Well, it was after Napster, after LimeWire. Oh. He's 15 days young.

You're 15 days older. I forgot. It's that 15-day gap. It's that 15 day gap. It's that 15 day. Actually, we came up, when I started being popular, I was probably already 10 to 15 mixtapes deep. Were you optimistic throughout that whole time? Or you were probably just delighted if 10 people hear you at that stage? No, not really.

No, okay. So were you, did you stay optimistic or were you getting pessimistic? The type of artist I am, every time I do something, I think it's the one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's how you're supposed to feel about your art. And later on, you grow to detach from that and be like, okay, this is just a piece. When you're young and you're fiery and you're connected to it, you're like, this is it. The world is going to know me.

They're going to believe it. They're going to sing every word. And you're like yeah yeah that didn't happen i was gonna say do you think you can predict really well when something's gonna hit i believed in everything that i did what i learned is when you're predicting some shit you just don't know how long it's gonna take but you can make that shit happen yeah okay see you again this is your biggest song at least for downloads on spotify yeah for sure and you wrote it for fast seven i've always thought there couldn't be more pressure on a musician than to

get hired for a blockbuster movie they're like write us our fucking anthemic song it's got to be a hit i feel like the pressure of that would be insane it's not like you're writing a whole album and you're like yeah three of these are gonna hit and i don't know why but i love all of them and we'll see but this one they're like go make a fucking hit right now do you feel the pressure of that nah and boy did you deliver it's kind of nuts that you got your biggest song out of that opportunity for sure i appreciate it and i don't feel pressure at that point because i prepared for all of that. The stuff that I was wrong about, it all led me up to that point. And the shit that didn't work and the shit that I learned in between and the shit that I thought that I would never do and that I ended up realizing like, okay, this is important and this is how you

finesse it and work it. It all led me up to that point. So at that time I was the perfect man for the job. Yeah. What shortcomings do you think you had overcome by that point? What were some of your bad habits you recognized? Being too stubborn as an artist. With outside feedback? Just playing a game that I wasn't willing to play. What made you so allergic to that? What happened to me before when I played that game. I didn't trust the people that I was playing the game with. Okay, because you got burned or that's your disposition? I just didn't trust their taste in what was good or what wasn't.

I felt like my taste was superior. Uh-huh. And it still is, but there's also good taste along with that. And that's what I had to learn. Did you have stepdads? Maybe for a few months i had one okay uh-huh was did it go the way most stepdads go uh they get beat up by your real dad yo i kept waiting for my dad to show up to beat up these fucking guys i don't know where he was

at i'm like when are we getting over to the house to beat some of these guys up? He never showed up. Actually, did your dad know that your stepdads were being so abusive? Yeah, one that blows my mind, because my dad loved to fight, so I don't understand, but the second stepdad fought my brother

and threw him into a file cabinet. File cabinet knocked my brother unconscious. And then we immediately moved into my dad's the next day. i was like well my dad catches wind of this that this dude knocked david out this guy's dead yeah i don't know if it was out of respect for my mom he didn't want to come in yeah i was shocked i'm so delighted that are you the younger brother yeah yeah five years younger i'm three years younger so my stepdad hit my brother as well and my dad never put his hands on me and my brother. So my brother, he was chilling.

He didn't really want to say anything about it. You told your dad? Yeah, I said something about it. I was like, yo. You tell him Mike beat the shit out of you. My dad spun a car around super duper fast, and he handled business. As a grown-up now, I understand how difficult that can be in a relationship and shit. So it was a lot on my mom and the guy that she was with.

So he didn't want to continue being family. So it's all good. I don't know if I'm just genetically this way or it was the step-ins, but I cannot stand authority. I think I'm just like that anyway. My parents kind of raised me just like do whatever the fuck I want to do. Okay. Authority or people telling you what to do it takes me a long not a long time but i have to have my own reasons to respect you and i think

that's human that's how babies are like if you approach a baby and you're like hey could you go he's not gonna fuck with you just because he's like bro you never gave me no candy you never you never showed me that you're gonna protect me me. Like, why should I fuck with you? Yeah. And that's kind of how I'm at. Because you can make that noise. Where's my candy at, bro? Like, yeah. You're going to need to come with more than just the Gucci Goos.

Yeah. Where's the toys? Yeah, people have to earn it. Yeah. So there definitely was a lot of that, trying to develop that trust and just learn who I can believe when it comes to certain shit. How would you get in your own way? Did you ever get in your own way?

Yeah. I think for me, it was a lot of when you're young and you're first starting out and you don't know a lot of the opportunities that you're blowing because it's not that important to you at the time. You're hot, you're in the moment. So you're just doing shit

and you're just like, fuck it, whatever. And then four years later, you're like, hey, we're just doing shit and you're just like fuck it whatever and then four years later you're like hey we should go talk to this person and they're like nah they never want to talk to you again because you blew them off like way back then right there's some stuff that i did that i didn't think it was gonna be permanent you don't think of the long game right you're like i'm hot right now and this is never gonna cool off and i can be however i want to be yeah exactly i definitely did some shit like that have you ever made any apologies like after the fact yeah i definitely apologize in the music industry it's kind of rough sometimes you'll have to side with other people

over other people and later on down the road you'll be like i don't even know why we had to come to that decision it's like i'm sorry, like out of your loyalty to a partner, you acquired their enemies. Right, right, right, right, right. That's young stuff. Yeah, it's crazy. I know. I always say like anyone that their test of friendship is that you have to hate someone they hate,

you should be out. You learn that shit though, because when you're young, you think you're being cool by like- Loyal, it's number one. Hating whoever that person hates. It just puts a little ugly little thing on it. Shit that shouldn't be there.

Have you ever had a real job? I haven't. You haven't? Nah, nope. Wow. I've never had a job. Do you feel great about that? I do feel amazing about that.

Not Dairy Queen, not nothing. Wow. Nothing. Yeah, no. I'm jealous. I couldn't do it. I sold weed in high school. I was like, I'm not doing this shit.

Well, that's another Snoop parallel. Yeah. Like Cameron Diaz says she bought weed off of Snoop in my god that's amazing i was the tall skinny weed man that is a good job for a tall skinny dude in high school yeah yeah were they trying to get you on the basketball team yeah they were but you weren't having that i was you were in the music yeah you had to write some songs hell yeah i was doing my mixtapes getting my studio time up when did you start making a living at it i graduated in 2006 and my mom stopped working in 2008 god damn your mom being able to stop working what was that feeling shit it's another one of

things like i was just in a moment now looking I'm like, that shit is pretty fucking cool. Yes. But I was just really in the moment, like, this is what I need to do. This is what I'm doing. And let's get it. That's such a special thing for a kid to be able to do for their parent. Yeah, so you were only 20. That's good.

Yeah. That's all you want to do. It was pretty cool. Still is pretty cool. Yeah. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert if you dare.

Sasha hated sand. The way it stuck to things for weeks. So when Maddie shared a surf trip on Expedia Trip Planner, he hesitated. Then he added a hotel

with a cliffside pool to the plan. And they both spent the week in the water. You were made to follow your whims. We were made to help find a place on the beach with a pool and a waterfall and a soaking tub and, of course, a great shower. Expedia. Made to travel. travel okay so just to go through the timeline a little bit at 20 this is probably when you start helping mom you sign with warner brothers say yeah comes out that hits 25 yep this is mind-blowing no the say yeah period was kind of weird because the music industry was changing.

I got caught up in the mix. The change of power, there was a change of sound, production was changing. Everything was real gray right there. The best thing that happened was I learned a lot about radio and promo and the importance of relationships with DJs and just how to start on the ground level and really get a good base like a good core I learned that from that time over on Warner and that what included like going to radio stations all the time yeah tons of radio stations man like traveling all over and staying in shitty hotels and doing a lot of dinners and talking with program directors and 300 400 pages it drops and they're like yeah we got to sit here and do these and just learning the importance of that

and what that does for a record and what that does for your career so 09 it's over from 09 till now yeah it was on a cracker after that yeah so, so you're only 22 in 09, and Black and Yellow comes out, starts at 100, and climbs to number one. Okay, yeah. Is that not right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here's two things. So, yeah, you're only 22, but you've been at it for seven years. Aren't you delighted it took you at least a minute that you already had an album out, that it just got to 25, and now you have this experience in 09

where it's like you get a number one song. It's not like your first thing you ever did was that. That's the thing. It's like I wish my first thing I did was that. You don't think you picked anything up in that period? I think the people I've met who first movie's an enormous hit and then they're off to the races, something gets tweaked. I think you need a little.

It's not reality. Yeah, well, that's what I learned nine years, 10 years in. But it's like, if you're chilling on the bench for 10 years, you're still waiting to start every game. But it's a little sweeter, don't you think,

that it takes a minute? Because that's what I'm curious about. When it comes out and it's at 100 and you're watching it climb, there's got to be these periods where like, my God, it's in the top 10. Is it going to get two? Or are you thinking the whole time

it's going to number one? Even for that, my situation was real unique because when I put Black and Yellow out and when I signed with Atlantic, I was already doing shows independently that were bigger than what they could do for me. I was making more money than they could do for me. And they weren't used to seeing that from an artist in that era. So they were really trying to figure out how to bottle what I had already done.

So Black and Yellow was just the byproduct of all the work that I had put in. I had done so much promo. I had done so much touring. I had done so much touring. I made so much merch. I went to jail for weed. I did interviews saying that I- Before already. Yeah. I did all of that shit before Black and Yellow. And I went on an interview and told somebody I spent $10,000 a month on weed and like the Steelers were going to the Superbowl that year. So it was all like a whole culmination of shit that it was just my time. Makes me think of the Beatles, you know,

this whole story how they played at a strip club in Germany for like these six hour sets. And they did that for years before they were the Beatles. Yeah, when you put in that work and you're really in control of your work and your fan base and things like that, you're watching your business grow. Of course, I would have loved for my first

project to go number one or for me to be the biggest thing because of my ego. As a kid, I'm like, yeah, I want to be the biggest, greatest. But through time, I just started to figure out what that actually was. Being the biggest, greatest version of myself is being on tour, always being in the studio, directing my own videos, having a direct connection with my fan base, showing my personality and being funny and not trying to be like everybody else, just really tapping into who I am and letting that be the best parts of my brand. That's when everything started to take off and move in a direction. Well, what's cool about doing it that way is I think a lot of times people are young, they get a hit song and they actually have to go discover who they are

publicly and go discover who they are on stage. And now all of a sudden they've got some crazy huge tour book, but they've never done that. So you're turnkey, like you're ready for a hit because you know how to exploit it and go run with it. Yeah. I'm definitely thankful for the time that I have in the shadows because labels don't really do that artist development. They don't make sure that your show is up to par. They don't make sure that you can perform in the studio with big producers or big artists. They just throw you in there and you have no practice or concept of what that is or how to even be yourself there. You find your way to get your stuff in there. Right. And then

that time, it just let me build that confidence and those techniques to where when I was in those situations, I knew exactly what to do. Yeah. I didn't realize you had already been arrested, but also, so in 2010, you are about to do a tour or you're on a tour, the Wake and Bake tour, and you get arrested leaving East Carolina University. Yeah, yeah.

And charged with possession and trafficking. Why did they think you were trafficking? Just the amount of weed you have? No, I didn't even have a lot of weed, bro. Oh, you didn't?

I got more weed in the car than I did on that bus. More weed on your person yeah for real it's because i'm black yeah yeah yeah no i've said that a million times when people first said white privilege i'm like i don't know i'm white trash i didn't feel too privileged but then i'm also an ex-drug addict and i used to fucking roll around with coke on me all the time i used to get pulled over and i didn't get searched i'm like oh i get it i'd be in prison right now a thousand percent if i weren't white it's true but it is what it is i

don't hold it against anybody you should be mad at me i'm giving you permission it was actually a black cop who did it oh really yeah were you in a tour bus yeah i was on a tour bus i was on a college campus and they looked at my twitter and I was talking about smoking weed on there. Who cares? But again, are they on the Twitter of the white? Exactly. No. Musicians coming through town?

That's what I'm saying. What I always think about is like Willie Nelson. That bus has got to have a fucking kilo on it. I don't ever hear about him getting arrested. Nah, it's very select. I'm not here to like fucking change the world it is what it is but you've been arrested for weed several times yeah hell yeah so i think an explanation is warranted plenty of times so yeah we had a tour bus we were on campus

they had quote unquote been tipped off and that was their reason for being able to search that was their probable cause yeah are you stressed in that situation or you're fine? Shit. Be honest. Honestly, I was kind of like just being a rock star about it. Okay, I can imagine clicking into that gear. Get the cameras, like everybody film this shit. Yeah, channel it.

I had all my fans outside. I'm like, yeah, y'all gonna start a riot out this bitch, blah, blah, blah. You fucking with the wrong dude. All that fun stuff. 300,000 bail you going to start a riot out this bitch. Blah, blah, blah. You fucking with the wrong dude. All that fun stuff. 300,000 bail you had to post to get out of that. It was 3 million. What?

Oh, what? It was 300,000, but it was 10 of us. Oh, my God. Yeah, yeah. We just did an episode about bail bonds. Yeah, it was interesting. So who comes up with that money? You or the label?

Who gets a call? There was no label, bro. I told you I was independent at the time. Oh, I'm sorry. I who comes up with that money, you or the label? Who gets a call? There was no label, bro. I told you I was independent at the time. Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were already on Atlantic. No, I wasn't on Atlantic. I was independent at that time. But this is what I was telling you about how big my brand and my business was.

They arrested us and they gave us $3 million bail. Me and my manager, his name is Will. Shout out to Will. We posted our bail, which is 10%, $30,000, $60,000 for us. And then we had to pay the bail bondsman, his percentage was $20,000. So we had to pay $80,000 to get out. And then we paid a lawyer another $20,000 to get all the charges dropped down. And he knocked all the charges down and we had to pay another $20,000 for everybody to get out. So 40 for everybody to get out. So it was like 110 grand. We had the 110,000 on the bus in cash from merch money.

Oh, baby. We were slashing them. We were killing them. When you drop the bag of money, you just got to be a little bit of pride in that. Yeah. Oh, yeah. No, we're good.

Go ahead and set the bail, whatever you want. Yeah. I looked at my guys when we were in jail. I said, because, you know, they call your name when you're getting released. So they said, Cameron're good. Go ahead and set the bail, whatever you want. Yeah. I looked at my guys when we were in jail. I said, because you know they call your name when you're getting released. So they said, Cameron Tomas. I was like, I'm getting all y'all out. Don't worry about nothing. And they was out before the sun was down.

Oh, wonderful. Yeah, you have a $3 million bail, independent. Yes. That must feel so powerful. Yeah, yeah. Four years later, you got arrested in El Paso. Yeah, I went about nothing. That was just possession as well, right?

But you did a jail selfie, which I kind of like. It made me curious how you had your phone in jail. Yeah, because I just, you know, I'm slick. Okay, so maybe they got one off you and you had another? No. No. No, no. Okay.

I just. Go ahead. Is this stressing you out, this question? No, it's a jail selfie, so it was legendary. Yeah. You know what I mean? I've never's a jail selfie, so it was legendary. Yeah. You know what I mean? I never seen a jail selfie. It's a legendary jail selfie.

Yeah. It's iconic. Yeah, hell yeah. How do you have your phone, though? How did I have my phone? How do you have a phone in there? It's big business, baby. Okay.

Okay. We're not learning that secret. Yeah, I'm dying to know. Maybe out there I'll find out what happened. Okay, things start taking off 2012 you have onifc see you again comes out as we talked about it's enormous does that change anything for you for sure in what way does it give you access were there people you wanted to work with like what were the things you desired before that song that became very obtainable after that song? It was more just that song opened me up to like Oscar shit. Cause I was nominated for an Oscar that year. So I got invited to some cool ass parties and some cool ass events

that I wouldn't have been associated with just with music. How do you do at those events? I'm cool. You feel comfortable? Yeah. I like those because nobody's security is with them. It's like everybody's guard is down. You're kind of forced to mingle. Like I said, I'm really good in those situations. Yeah, yeah. So you might end up being cool with somebody who you never even thought that you would have anything in common with. Who's someone that you connected with?

I'm cool with everybody, but somebody who was super chill. What's the guy's name from catfish the document uh nev nev nev is cool as fuck yo okay that's my boy there we go i love that i didn't think nev was gonna be that cool but i never knew i never knew i was gonna be cool with nev right that's my partner oh lovely that's great how could you expect that? How cool. I'm jealous of Nev right now, aren't you? Yeah, he's a cool dude, bro. Oh, wait, I have a question.

Yeah, please. When you were young and making the mixtapes, you're in your driven mode. What was, for you, the goal? Is it, I want everyone to respect me? I want everyone to like me, get approval. Was it, I want money. Yeah. What's the driving force? Yeah.

When I was hustling and making my come up, being that it was the blog era, that was mainly the audience that I was trying to impress. It was the blogs that I had consumed at the time. I wanted to be on those front pages. I wanted to be at the time, I wanted to be on those front pages. I wanted to be at the top. I wanted to be getting the clicks. I wanted to be getting the comments. I wanted to be getting good comments. And I wanted to be making great art that people respected and knew what my point of view was.

That was my main goal, to make classics just based off of that criteria like what's going to make the blogs go crazy you're reluctant to say anyone that you were aiming at but was there anybody whose career you were like yeah that's kind of the one i want nah because everybody at that time really had super duper mainstream careers young jeezy or or Lil Wayne or Rick Ross, those were the dudes who were really on when I was coming up. So for me in my class, in my era, it was always Drake. Drake was the bar of what we could do. Even in the mixtape era, his mixtape So Far Gone was like one of the best. I think my Cushion Orange Juice and Drake's So Far Gone is probably the most classic mixtape, So Far Gone, was like one of the best. I think mine, Kush and Orange Juice, and Drake's So Far Gone is probably the most classic mixtapes out of that era. And then people will put it in order between one or two.

But Drake's at the bar and everybody had to kind of keep up with that shit. Well, that tour you were on was kind of based on Kush and Orange Juice, no? It was based on everything that I was doing at that time. I had Kush and Orange Juice. no? It was based on everything that I was doing at that time. I had Kush and Orange Juice. I had Burn After Rolling. I was dropping the mixtapes simultaneously with the tourers. Once you were on the label, did they mind the mixtapes? Nah.

Since they were free and they didn't see it as competition with themselves? They knew that that was part of my formula of keeping my fans entertained because the main thing with me was not changing how I did things. They didn't want to keep it organic and they wanted to keep me in charge of my fan base, but just multiply it. It's very business-y. I don't know if anyone hates this, but it's a very Taylor Swift model where she's running the whole business. It feels like you're in that position too. It's your business and you're very aware of it. When you know your fan base and your brand and if your label is smart and they know that

you're better at it than them. Right. You get it better than they do. Everybody eats when the project is successful. So let's just do it the best way possible. And a lot of my career was based off of the trust that I knew what my taste in fans was. When you toured with Fall Out Boy, how'd that come about? We're friends with Pete.

Yeah, we love Pete. Pete's the man. It was really fun to go on tour with him, too. I had always been a headliner up to that point. I wanted to go on a tour with a group who had done it before and was bigger than me in a different genre so we could connect fan bases. Some of my favorite tours were a mixture where it was like Metallica and Snoop or Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang. Yes, yes, yes.

So I wanted to create an experience like that. And when you would look out in the audience, could you differentiate who was there for you and who was there for Fall Out Boy? Or you'd have no idea? Only the face paint would let me know who was there for Fall Out Boy. No one comes in face paint for you. But other than that, it was really blended. Yeah. And you were playing what, arenas and stuff with them?

We were doing amphitheaters. Okay. You just were on tour and I'm a little bit resentful at you because of it because we had Snoop scheduled and then he left for this tour. So you guys were just on this high school tour together. How many shows did you guys play together? How long did you know him before this? together how long did you know him before this we did 47 shows and we've been cool since 2011 where did you meet i met snoop at his original compound i don't remember what side of town it

was i think it was in tarzana yeah it was at the original the lakers court yeah yeah and you click with him immediately yeah yeah you guys have a similar vibe, I gotta say. That's my bro. I learned a lot from Snoop because I never really hung around too many celebrities. The ones that I did hang around

that weren't like my immediate circle, they kind of gave off the vibe that they were like threatened a little bit, not really comfortable being themselves around me. And Snoop was the first one that was like giving me the game and telling me how to do stuff and making sure I was good and really being a big homie out here. A mentor.

Yeah. Somebody who wanted me to win. And did he offer that to you or did you pursue it or was it completely equal? It was mutual. He came up on my music from his son. Oh, really? Yeah, his son was listening to my mixtape. And Snoop heard it and he was like, what the fuck? This sounds like some of my old shit.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The shit that he's talking about. He's like, people don't talk about that shit no more. What the fuck is this? And he's like, this Wiz Khalifa, that's a young nigga, damn. I didn't know no young nigga could talk like that. He called me while I was on tour. And he was just like, yeah, man, you know, I really fuck with your music.

I want to do a song with you. Oh, my God. And I want to meet you when you come to L.A. And then I came to L.A. and we shot a video for the song that we had. But I was so cool. He was like, man, we got to we gotta shoot a movie we gotta do a soundtrack he was like you need to move out here you need to move right around the corner from my house I want you to move right around the corner from my house oh that's really beautiful yeah and you

did you guys did a movie together in 2012 that's what happened as soon as he told me to do it I did it I was like I'm moving to, I'm moving to L.A. I'm moving around the corner from Snoop's house. We're going to shoot a movie. We did all of that shit. We did the soundtrack. And Young, Wild, and Free ended up being on that soundtrack. We recorded that in his closet in his apartment.

Oh, my God. Yeah. We shot the movie. The movie ended up doing pretty well. We went on a fun promo tour for that. Do you ever take a step back or bird's eye view the whole thing and think like, whoa, I'm best friends with Snoop. That's crazy. There's times when I'm on stage where I'm like, man, that's crazy.

This is wild. I love that. I love making space for both. We were just talking about this because one of my friends is Robert Downey Jr. and I've known him for now I don't know 15 years

and he's both a normal dude I'm friends with but then also I hold at the same time how fucking special he is to me both things can work

at the same time bro I got Snoop Dogg tatted on me bro oh you do before you met him nah like since I've I've known him

probably like two years ago i got his face tatted on me just randomly i was like i love this dude so much oh my god that's great that's really my guy when you're in a town what we guys do we just hang out backstage really okay you're at the hotel or you're at the venue you're not yeah i'm getting yeah yeah the best burger in denver no no no no because he's he's super noticeable. Yeah, he's too. And I'm pretty noticeable. And he taught me that it's cool to be like this to where we're super friendly.

Love to be around people. Love to interact. And, you know, it's just based off of people's temperature. And if it gets a little bit too rowdy, we always have somebody in the cut who can kind of mediate it and get us up out of there. A little buffer. So so we always the nice person and everybody's happy and that's all you're going to remember yeah what a great mentor to have okay so i'm old and i was an adult when his music came out what he was at the beginning how tipper gore all these people are like protesting him on the news all the time. Is this guy bad for society?

Now he's on Sesame Street. My kids in the school down the street, they have a hip hop month where they study hip hop. They came home and they have Outlaw and Snoop Dogg. They got to fucking color him in. I'm like, look at this life story. From where he was in 95 to being taught at this elementary school and to be in the halftime show at the Super Bowl

and own the whole city as his fucking city. It's such an incredible story. What makes it so great is I'm obsessed with him. He has always seemed so comfortable in his own skin. So if he's standing up backstage to Shug, which is a crazy side of him that no one can relate to, and then playing with little kids, they're all real.

There's space for all of it. He can be the sweetest guy in the world. He can also sing his truth about what he saw and what he was involved in. And it all can happen in one package. And I find it incredible. Do you think he's been encouraging about showing the softer, playful, funnier side? Because I think people shied away from that in the 90s. Snoop's all about transition

so the old snoop dog he doesn't want people to think of him now as that and i think a lot of people get too caught up with trying to be who they were when he's perfectly happy with his legacy that he left and he's doing what Snoop Dogg right now would do he's on top of his game at everything that he's doing and it's not repeating he could visit it for you because he's been through a lot of different stages and to know him is to know that those are real points in his life so he's going to keep developing and keep getting more advanced as his life gets more advanced. Yeah.

You take your kid on tour with you, right? Your son? Then we have the same age. I got to take a piss real quick. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Real fast. I just wanted to start before. No.

Take a little bit. Take your time. I'll pee too. Ah, cool. Oh, yeah, there's my door. Can we come in? Okay, yeah. Yeah, we're good to go.

Stop hitting me. Good. You're talking about abuse, and then here you are. You're going to be named in a trial. When this goes to trial, you witness the whole thing. I didn't see shit. That's what I was taking in thing. I didn't see shit. I didn't see shit. I ain't getting stitches.

I ain't getting jumped when I go to Detroit. Yeah, yeah. Watch out. Hey, Atlanta might come for you, too. Let's be careful. That's true for not turning on me and becoming the key witness to put me behind bars. Is that what you mean? Yeah, protect me. And you have a place in Pittsburgh as well? I do got a crib in Pittsburgh. How often are you there?

A couple times a year, because like I said, I got family there. You do Christmas? Thanksgiving. I try to do one holiday there. I celebrate my sibling who passed away. I usually celebrate his birthday. So either I do it there or out here, and then I'll do a holiday there. I usually go back home just to go kick it, like go to a game or something like that. So then I'll go see my little cousins. So I'm home pretty often. You have to be like Rocky going to Philadelphia. I mean, the fact that you got black and yellow as a song, it's gotta be the anthem of Pittsburgh. It's crazy, dog. I actually thought it was corny

to have on black and yellow today. I was like, is this weird? But then I didn't think it was corny. I thought it would look gimmicky. Like I meant to put on black and yellow. Too self-conscious. No, no, no. I don't give a fuck. No, no. I'm saying the look might appear self-conscious like you thought too much about it. Yeah.

Like what if Wiz Khalifa just really walks around in black and yellow all the time? That would be crazy, right? I think it would be crazy. No, they'd be like, this motherfucker walks the walk. This fool loves his brand. Yeah, exactly. He walks the walk. That would be crazy, right? I think it would be fun. This motherfucker walks the walk. This fool loves his brand. Dude, I was somewhere at a camping trip and McConaughey was driving around the parking

lot in circles in a goddamn Lincoln Navigator. I said, look at this motherfucker. He is doing it just like he's in the commercial. It's real. I'm a little hurt that I walked you over to my Lincoln, which is the most black and gold car you're ever going to fucking see. And you didn't really, you didn't grab onto that.

Those rims are gold. They're gold. Not yellow. I mean, OG Pittsburgh is black and gold, but it was always yellow though. Like that's why I said black and yellow. And when I switched it, you know. These are going to be expensive rims to replace to make them yellow. You got to get yellow.

Yellow 4G autos, man. You can do it. You got bread. I got paper. Yeah, yeah. Kids is where you were. Yes. Is he 10, your son, Sebastian?

Yeah, he's 10 years old. Okay, so I have a 10-year-old, too. Oh, cool. What's his reaction to it all? I think there's a mixture. There is those times where you're like oh man i hope they're really loving this and just soaking this in and they're just worried about being a kid and they're just like nodding off on the side of the stage it's late yeah i love those times too because i'm like oh he's being a kid yeah and then there's times where he's locked in and i can tell he's paying attention

and seeing different shit seeing it in a different way and i'm like wow this is cool too because i'm not pushing him into it he's naturally vibing with it i don't think it's terrible that we want our kids i want my kids to think i'm cool yeah yeah yeah when you're on tour with them i heard you talking about this on Kimmel. There's the kid version of tour, and then there's the adult version of tour. Just walk me through, like when he's with you, how many dates will he go out with you? He could ride for the whole tour if he wants to. He usually goes back like a week or two early.

This year, he went back two weeks early to start school and shit. Was he at Red Rock? Did you do Red Rock? That was a 420 show. Who smokes more weed, you or Snoop? Me now. I had a question about weed. Well, first of all, let's talk about, you have your own weed. You have your own strain. Khalifa Kush.

Best weed in the world. What does Snoop say? Because he's got his own strain, right? Best weed in the world. He'd be like, man, don't give me that KK, man. Give me something else. We call it KK. And is it sativa or indica heavy? Indica.

You're very prolific on it. You're energized by it. You're creative on it. Yep. When do we start? Soon as we wake up? Hell yeah. Now,

do you not want like an hour without it? So you have something to compare it to? Does that make sense? Yeah. Like, how do you even know if you're stoned if you're stoned when you wake up?

If you're me. Yeah, tell me. Which nobody is. Yeah. Who could be? There's four guys in the whole world that could pull those boots off

and you're one of them. Yeah. And then I follow the other four on Instagram. I got other shit to do other than smoking weed. The weed is a part of it. So I gotta wake up. I got four dogs. I gotta feed those dogs. I got other shit to do other than smoking weed. The weed is a part of it. So I got to wake up.

I got four dogs. I got to feed those dogs. I got my son. I got to make sure he's up brushing his teeth, getting his outfit together, making sure he's fresh as hell for school. That's your hour right there. I got you. Without smoking weed. Okay.

And then you drive your kid to school. Yeah. Me too. But I get stoned before I drive. Okay. I hit the weed before we leave. Right. So you don't have a road rage incident.

I mean, you know, it just makes everything better. Life is better when you're high. Wait, can we talk about that? To your point, there's sometimes where I wake up and it's the very first thing that I do. Sure. Yeah. If you don't have your responsibilities. It's not mandatory to be the very first thing, but we wake and bake over here every day right what's the name of a two or ten years ago you declared this long ago it's just there's levels to it a lot of people

look at being constantly stoned as never having a sober moment in life and that's not what is going on over here i'm just more high than i'm not and oh go ahead did you want one before i was just curious when did you start smoking? I don't really tell people when I start smoking. Because you don't want to encourage others. Yeah, I see. Got it. Okay. It's like actors not admitting they're on testosterone. That makes sense.

I don't want kids taking testosterone. But when you started smoking, did you immediately feel more productive or energized or I feel less angry or anxious or what did it do? I started smoking for music purposes. Oh, God. Because I didn't smoke weed all the time, but coming up. In Japan. Yeah. I was a normal kid and shit. And then I got exposed to it and I was around a bunch of musicians who were smoking a shit ton of pot. Yeah. And they were

like, man, you're hard, but like, you know, that's how we talk. You can rap. Like, your music is hard. You're good at what you do, but as soon as you start smoking weed, it's going to take it to the next level. I was like, nah, whatever. I'm good. I'm good.

I'm good. And then one day I was like, fuck it. I'm going to just try it. And then I heard music totally differently. Whoa. It was a completely different experience with music that I had ever had. And it was something that I could physically grasp. So I started smoking weed and playing with music. I was already recording before, but that was the thing that drew me to it.

And then just life experiences based around pot meeting people. I'm the weed guy. You know, you guys do whatever you want to do. I'm the guy who's going to get stoned. And then being in the neighborhoods that I grew up in, too, there's a lot of other shit to be getting into that's way worse. I got into all that. You weren't drawn to that at all? Nah, nah. No.

No, weed was just the way to be down but not be fully, not even like with using hard drugs because I'm on the other side of it being black. It's like selling that shit. You know what I'm saying? I never wanted to sell hard drugs because I'm on the other side of it being black. It's like selling that shit. You know what I'm saying? I never wanted to sell hard drugs because it gets way more violent. You got way more people trying to rob you. The vibe is totally different.

So I was always cool selling weed in high school as opposed to different things. Yeah, so it just made me more comfortable. And this business you have is now enormous, no? It's like national. Yeah, we're all over the place, man. Is it insanely profitable? Yeah. It's another poker in the fire, right?

It's another opportunity. Yeah, for sure. As all this stuff ebbs and flows as it does, right? This is maybe more predictable and stable? Nah, I wouldn't say predictable and stable because the laws change all the time. But they're only getting more lenient, no? It looks like the trend is that i don't know how many states are right now like 24 it's still new where we're at right now we weren't here five

years ago so as profitable as it is and looking right now i wouldn't have been able to say this five years ago so five years from now we're planning on that but you never fucking know right because what is it in right now 24 states or something yeah now also you're at the front of the shrooms business yeah yep tell me about this i just started a company called mr caps and with mushrooms the psychedelic kind of mushrooms aren't necessarily legal yet but you can grow your own mushrooms that still have medicinal properties, calming, and just connecting. There's a lot of research being done with mushrooms and their connectivity to the human DNA. Well, if they're not psilocybin, what are they? Like lion's mane and stuff?

There's so many different ones that you can grow. So we got the whole menu. And will you get into psilocybin if those get me? Absolutely. That's the crossover. So we got the regular brand already, grassroots, five, 10 years, however long it takes for the psilocybin to become legal. Then we just add that to the menu. And how do you deal with the, this is probably too personal, but I know when it was started in the early days, because the banks are federal and it's still federally illegal. How do you deal with all the money? The main thing is how you have your crops grown. That's where we're the best and the most safe at. And that's how the money is able to flow the way that it does. The seeds are able

to flow the way it does. The product is able to flow the way it does. Is it mostly grown in California? It's grown all over the place, but it's by one company. And it's the same seed everywhere. Yeah. Stay tuned for more Armchair Expert, if you dare. Okay, now, Cali Sober. That's your newest album. Yeah.

Listen to it all morning over and over again. Okay. It's so fucking good. Thanks, bro. Oh, my God. Sexy Bath is incredible. Thank you, man. Sexy Bath.

The first song on the album, Cali Sober, is you and Mike Tyson smoking weed. Oh, wow. Yeah, yep. How incredible is that? Fun. Yeah, tell me about that. You invite him to the studio? How does this get arranged?

I did Mike's podcast, and they took some, well, I did the mixtape with DJ Who Kid. And like I was telling you about mixtape culture. Yeah. Artist DJ. So I'm the artist, Who Kid's the DJ. And I was like, yo, chop up some shit and just make it fun. And he took a clip from the podcast that me and Mike Tyson, when we were smoking on his podcast,

because he smokes a lot of weed. Yeah. Yeah. This is a potentially dicey question, but do you feel like your hands are tied talking about other people? Let's just say culturally that I think there's a different dynamic about talking about other people's business. You mean like between black people and white people?

Yeah. Don't you think? No. No? Nah. No, okay. I don't think so. Okay.

I think I know what you're talking about, though. I think you're saying like, if you say something about a black dude, he'd be like, what the fuck you talking about, man? Let me say my name, bro. Well, yeah. I don't know if I would do that character,

but I definitely think minding each other's privacy is part of the. Well, to me, I think that's just like obvious reasons. I think it's general, like common respect. Yeah. Yeah. But I think you're saying because there's more of a vulnerability. That's just the reality.

Like you said, the cops are arresting you for things are not arresting other people for. So there's a sense of like, don't get me in trouble type of thing. Well, hold on. Even the expression putting you on blast, that didn't come out of the white world. We took it. We loved it. That shit might've came from Alabama.

There's some country shit that's pretty close. No, I feel you. I feel you. Some of the country stuff is pretty indistinguishable. It just you know it just travels you know yeah and a lot of country slang is hood slang i know 100 west coast got their own slang east coast got their own slang east coast slang is crazy my new york family oh man i love talking to them really yeah but back to the putting you on blast. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's the context of that?

Because I want to know. Well, like, I asked you about Tyson. I just felt like this slight little apprehension to like indulge. Yeah. Oh. All right. You want a Mike Tyson story? Yeah.

It's cool as fuck. Yeah, yeah. I met Mike Tyson at the Grammys. And he gave me like a big ass hug and like that's how i thought he was gonna be like anybody who doesn't meet mike tyson they're gonna think like oh this dude's scary or he's gonna punch you in the face but i'm like i'm a fan of mike tyson and he's standing right next to me i was like what's up mike he was like oh he gave me a hug like what's up and then that's what our relationships always been based off of just being cool and shit like

that so that's why i was able to do this podcast and like smoke hella weed with him. Okay. I love him. He's one of my favorite people. I have more of his quotes memorized than almost anybody. He's always my favorite on Stern. He's so fucking good. Yeah, he's a good dude.

I've got a few insane Mike Tyson stories. I think you'll enjoy this one. I had been on, you're already snickering like you're nervous. I had been on TV for five minutes. Okay. I go to Vegas with a friend to go see a fight and a few people recognized me and I was so excited. So the friend I'm with, we're sitting at the fight and fucking Mike Tyson's like six rows ahead of us. And he teasing me, he's like, why don't you go see if Mike Tyson's a fan? Seem to think everyone here knows who you are. I'm like, oh yeah, funny, funny, funny. We're leaving the fight. We're walking down the hallway of the MGM. I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn

around. There's this enormous dude, like six, eight. And he goes, Mike wants to talk to you. I look beyond him and Mike Tyson's there. I'm like, oh my God, Mike Tyson knows who I am. He wants to talk to me. I go up to Mike Tyson. I'm like, hey, I'm Dax. He goes, yeah, I know who you are. I saw the punk. You're so funny. I can't believe you can do that on the spot. I'd love to be on the show. I'm like, oh my God, we would fucking love to have you on the show. You name the day, you know. I swear to God was seven days later, I'm in LA at the Staples Center for the NBA All-Star Game. later i'm in la at the staples center for the nba all-star game walk outside waiting for valet look over mike tyson's 10 feet away i'm with a new friend now i'm gonna show off i go check this out mike tyson loves me go up to mike tyson let's just start by putting my hand right on his shoulder

hey mike way too much he turns around he looks at me and he goes get your fucking hand off my shoulder and i take my hand off but i think it's me oh he's showing me that he can punk me and i go oh my god that's great now i tap him now i'm like oh yeah that's great yeah and he's like touch me i'm me break your fucking head open damn and then i realized oh he's not joking somehow in seven days he knew who i was seven days ago and now at the staples center he has no clue who i am and it was quite a moment he didn't see that week's episode of punk exactly my theory is he must have seen punked in the elevator on the way down to the fight it was fresh in his mind.

And then he just erased his hard drive that week. I've seen him since, though. And then he's been very, very sweet. Maybe he thought he was getting Punk'd, so he was playing along. Whatever the case was. That's a good one. I had not had that feeling looking at another man

since I was a kid, where I was like, oh, you're in deep shit right now this goes sideways like you were in deep shit damn bro mike's pretty scary he can be and that's what it is it's 50 50 man it can go both ways but he's also like so sweet i've seen the sweet side of him too and uh yeah i'm delighted to see he's doing well and he's got the it's the weed man yeah it works for him. Yep. My favorite thing he said on Stern was, if someone tells me that having a lot of money

will make you happy, what I know about them immediately is they've never had a lot of money. That's pretty true. Okay. Well, the new album's incredible. Everyone should be buying Khalifa Kush. Smoke it. And Cali Sober, that's pretty funny because that's a saying, obviously.

Yeah, yep. I just learned it. You did? Yeah. I quit drinking recently. Oh, you did? Yeah. So I'm actually Cali Sober. How's that going? Really good. Monica just did it for a month. Yeah, I did it for a month. A month? Ish. Yeah, I didn't

like it. I'm back on it. Drinking's fun as fuck. fuck i know tell me about it sauce is awesome what made you get off you just wanted to be healthier i just got too much shit to do they don't balance him with all of that shit getting fucked up you can't do both you get to an age where hangovers you're out for a fucking day like okay just erased a day out of my life if there's one that i'd rather commit to, it's this one. Yeah. Mary Jane. Okay, well, listen, it's been a blast meeting you.

I hope everybody immediately goes and listens to Cali Sober. Yeah, listen to Cali Sober, man. It's so good. Fuck, is it good. And I got new music on the way, too. I'm going to be dropping another mixtape at the end of this month. Where does one go to get the mixtape? Because I even went on Spotify to listen to some of your mixtape at the end of this month. Where does one go to get the mixtape? Because I even went on Spotify to listen to some of your mixtapes.

It'll come up, but I can't play it. Are mixtapes as available as your normal releases or no? Yeah, they are. What one did I just look at? I bet if I pull up Spotify right now, it can tell you the one that I know I got. Jazza Mataz Guru, because Guru died. You might have to upgrade your subscription, playa. We should be, yeah. We Player, we're on Spotify.

We should be, yeah. We have an exclusive podcast with Spotify. It should be available to us. Yeah, yeah. 28 Grams, I can't listen to on Spotify. Oh, that's not on Spotify. It looks like it's there, and it's got all the songs. But when I push play, they're like, no, you can't.

Yeah. That seems like something. So where would I listen to 28 Grams? That was a free mixtape so when i dropped that that was at a time where this website called dat piff was really popular dat piff isn't even up anymore so just even the format of that is not updated in streaming form 28 grams is a package of files that if you had it before, you can listen to it. But to go on streaming service right now, it doesn't exist because the free music hasn't been cleared. The producers

haven't been put through the system. I think it's on SoundCloud. SoundCloud? Is that where I should go to get all your mixtapes? No, not all of them. Some of the mixtapes have crossed over into streaming services, but I have so many mixtapes that some slip through the cracks. Yeah. Just Google it. You're so prolific,

it's crazy. I am. I know, you are. Like a motherfucker. Yeah, I really am. Like how many mixtapes have you made, do you know? In the 20s, man.

What album is Cali Sober? What number is that? 20-something. Wow. Fuck. Wow. And. Wow. And do you feel it's slowing down at all or no? No, I just said I'm releasing another mixtape

at the end of this month. And is it just as easy for you to be creative now that you're comfortable? That can get in your way. It's easy for me to be creative. I don't really feel comfortable. My goal and just drive comes from being inspired and like getting better musically. So I feel like I could write songs better this week than I've been able to write

in my whole life. Knowing that and just applying those techniques and for the world to be able to hear it and coming up with different business models and plans and just being excited about the job and getting to work and having a goal and accomplishing that shit. Like that's what my music really is to me. How many hours in a given week will you be in a studio? I usually start at like seven o'clock and I usually get done at two in the morning. 7 p.m. Yeah. And you go to two in the morning. Yeah. And how many days a week do you do that? Five. Get out. You're working at like a job.

Might as well. And people come by? Are you by yourself? People come by. Sometimes I'm by myself. Sometimes I work at home. Do you like collaborating? I love to collaborate.

And do you have a dream collaboration you haven't done yet? I'm down to work with anybody who wants to work with me. Okay, I'll do it. I'll do it. Say no more. Say no more. Let's get it, bro. Let's do it. Detroit and Pittsburgh. Everyone's been waiting for this. There's a couple people I want to work with anybody who wants to work with me. Say no more. Let's get it, bro. Let's do it.

Detroit and Pittsburgh. Everyone's been waiting for this. There's a couple people I want to work with. Jay-Z would be fun to work with. Okay, that was... Eminem would be fun to work with. Oh, you're just hitting all the... You're singing to the choir now.

Rafael Sadiq, I want to work with him. Swiss Beats is a producer that I want to work with. Not just a producer, but that's my partner, and I've been wanting to work with him for a long time. There's a couple people that I want to do some music with can we talk about jay-z for one second sure oh my god i love him so much jay-z's tight right fuck dax wants to be him i would say jay i was about to say jd that's jermaine dupri we can't do that but yeah Jay-Z's the shit there's so many things we could

focus on there's the music yeah there's just him yeah one of my best embarrassing stories of all time my wife had invited me to the Met Gala like four times and I said I don't want to go to that I don't want to wear a tuxedo blah blah blah that was one of those times you were getting in the way of yourself absolutely because you should have been at the Met Gala for sure well she said you're gonna come this year because we'll be at Jay-Z's table and I said we will absolutely be there I cannot wait go to the Met Gala and at the table there's a bunch of exciting people Sasha Baron Cohen's there Kanye's there Jay-Z and Beyonce I think it's fair to say everyone liked me Jay Jay-Z, I gave my A game to, and I promise you if he'd seen me in the bathroom in the middle of the meal, he wouldn't have known

who I was. It was the biggest misfire of my life. Hove's like a tough crowd. He is. He doesn't have any people pleaser in him, or maybe at this point he doesn't. I don't think that has anything to do with it, but sure. He don't come from that era. People pleasing? Yeah. Do you feel that need? Just naturally, I came up kind of people pleasing.

It didn't have anything to do with my career. It's just more of my surroundings. Well, you're the younger brother like me. Yeah. And all the moving around. Yeah, the moving. A lot of my environment was doing shit so I could just kind of blend in, you know what I mean? And just get by.

I'm not going to really blame it on not being like everybody else, but I never fit in. You were always playing a role a little bit? Not really playing a role, but it's like you got to find some type of normal to be normal. I didn't want to be on my own island just anywhere. That's why I'm able to be an entertainer because I can connect with people on some level. And that's a passion of mine too, is connecting with people. So being weird, you got to figure out a way to connect with people. And sometimes that's just understanding them. And early on, you don't really know when you're doing more for a crowd

or if you're really doing it for yourself because you're good at it. Right, yeah, yeah. So it's like, who is this really for? They can start leading you a little bit instead of you leading them. Right, right. And you just have to get back

to what your original reason for being there is. So I think in life, I learned the difference between people loving me for who i am and putting on that show i think i walked away from the jay-z experience going i get it this dude's attention and time he knows the value of it he don't gotta put on no show he's not squandering it and he don't need and some people don't like small talk and shit like that like that's cool there's nothing wrong with that. I respect that hella.

I envy it. I'm a people pleaser. If we get in an elevator together, man, I'll fucking break the silence. I'll make sure it's not awkward. Like, let's go. I'll tell some jokes. There's no way I can just sit in there and be awkward with you. You're going to get a show.

Because you don't want to be uncomfortable. It's about your own comfort level. That's true. Yeah. Because uncomfortable silence is not uncomfortable to everybody. Yeah. If you're the one saying, like, I got to break it,

that means you're uncomfortable. To me, it's insufferable. You're right. Silence? Yeah. It's terrifying. What's going to happen? I like to be quiet sometimes.

You do? Yeah. All right. Well, this has been a blast. You're one of only a handful of guests that have been taller than me, so you're in an elite group. And younger than me.

Yeah, younger than Monica and taller than that. Still, it counts. 15 days. A lot happened in those 15 days. So much happened. Your mom was in labor, that was it. Well, my mom was in labor, that was it. That's true.

Yeah, your mom was like, it's time. I was early, so maybe we were supposed to be the same age. To be birthday buddies. We were supposed to be birthday buddies, but I can't remember. We would still be birthday buddies, technically. We can be. We can be. Are you the same sign?

We were celebrating birthday parties, yeah. Right. If we were celebrating birthday parties, it would have to be at the same time. That's right. So we could consolidate. You'd have to split the diff. You'd have to go like September 2nd. Yep.

So we are birthday buddies. Okay. I like that. This is perfect. We worked it all up. We all are people pleasers at the end split the diff. You'd have to go like September 2nd. Yeah. So we are birthday buddies. Okay. I like that. This is perfect. We worked it all up. We all are people pleasers at the end of the day. Yeah. I'm a team player.

Yeah. I like that. I want to win. Great meeting you. I hope we can come see you perform. Yes. I would love that. Yeah.

It would be sick. When are you touring next? That's the thing. I'm about to start working on my album now. And based off of when I put the album out it's going to determine the tour. When have you played Cali Sober? Were you playing that on the Snoop tour?

Nah, I dropped Cali Sober in October. Right, so why aren't we out touring with that? Why do we have to wait for another album? This is confusing how this works with the mixtapes and all this. That's what I'm saying. If I'm going to sit here and explain the whole reason for a mixtape is to feed the streets yeah and to set up the album yeah and you're not gonna understand it then what else do i gotta say so wait hold on callie sober

is a mixtape yeah but i got to get it on spot oh i also told you that me and drake started the full projects as mixtapes i got so it might sound like a full project it certainly does i can't imagine it sounding better yeah because that's just from the era that we come from so i'm putting you onto a culture you're learning i'm trying my hardest i'm a little old is the problem that's the thing see i got a 10 year old so i'm still learning shit too at 36 you gotta be willing to learn i'm trying i'm trying my you gotta be willing you gotta really open your mind you can't just be walking around out here like oh is this a mixtape because i'm playing on spotify you gotta be like yeah whiz just dropped a mixtape on Because I'm playing it on Spotify. You got to be like, Wiz just dropped a mixtape on Spotify. Let's get it.

Because that's how you stay connected to the world, man. I knew I would expose my nerdiness. It's very rare. I got to be honest with you. I'm just saying, like, don't let yourself get old and oblivious, bro. I'm trying. I'm trying. You got to stay tapped in because your kids, you're going to have to experience their experiences with them.

they tapped in because your kids you're gonna have to experience their experiences with them or they're gonna do it with some crazy ass kids who's fucking popping pills and not gonna fucking have their best interests in mind so you gotta know what they're into you gotta know what they're up to you gotta know what they're digesting you gotta know what their words mean you gotta know what their technology is you gotta know all of that shit you can't let me let that shit fly over your head whiz i went and saw the fucking eros movie you think i'm not doing that i'm just saying i was at the taylor swift movie i'm just telling you i'm doing it did you do something this shit's important i came out for see you again she brought me out yes a few years ago that's awesome to sing see you again yeah taylor's a boss man she's a g my son's a taylor swift fan how could he not be she makes

really good music, and she's like super duper in control of her career. But don't just be into Taylor Swift. Absorb everything that is going on out here. Do not get lost in the sauce, Dax. We love you. We need you out here. Last one.

We need Dax in the field. Other than my Jay-Z obsession. I support Dax in the field. You know who is in a two-way tie now with Jay-Z for me? Who? Is Pac. Who's Pac? Anderson Pac.

Oh, okay. I never heard him called Pac before. Okay. Now you put me up on game. Do you love Anderson Pac? Yeah. Okay, just a yeah or like- We can cut it.

Come on. Yeah, you can be honest. We cut stuff. We cut so much stuff. See, that's y'all not thinking that I want to talk about somebody again. Yeah, that was. Yeah, it was. But what happened with me is- You have like a weird, weird yeah i just answered your question you said do i like him i

say i know but like i want to bond with you like do you fucking love when they panned over at the fucking halftime show and you're like this motherfucker's been playing drums this whole time are you kidding me yeah oh my god was i happy with that smile that motherfucker can play the drums too it was was hard, bro. Yes. You listen to his albums? Every one. I fucking know every single word.

But maybe not, I don't know. He doesn't drop mixtapes. He does drop mixtapes. Oh God. Come on. So much to learn. Yeah, he's got like group projects with people and they change their name

and it's him and two other dudes as DJs. That's the fun part about being in the underground. You're not just getting force-fed what everybody else is eating out here. You're discovering your own plate, and your palate is way, way more experienced. Yeah, eclectic. You might need to just email us some stuff. But Pac is a good friend of mine. He is?

He's a really cool dude. We came up together kind of in the same era. Yeah, I was going to say, is he roughly your age or is he a little older? Yeah, he's older than me. Okay. Is he older than you and younger than me or is he older than both of us? He's older than both of us. What if he was born in those 15 days?

He's like right in the middle. Yeah, he's been in the studio with Dre for freaking a long time. Dr. Dre. Yeah. Yeah, he's been in the studio with Dre for freaking a long time. Dr. Dre. Yeah. So he learned really, really, really good shit and has been able to apply it not only to his career, musically, writing.

He's DJ. And now I don't know if you know, he's like DJ Pee Wee. I did not know that. He dresses up in a whole thing and he does vinyl only DJ sets. Really? It's funny. This is just me being me like thinking we went from you saying pack and me being like yeah and you being like we can cut it to me being like you don't know about his dj sets bro like and we're friends but that's what he wants that's why when you give it to you but it it's like, I got to earn it, I guess, a little bit. I'm Jay-Z-ing you right now.

I'm telling you. You told us at the beginning, everyone's got to earn your trust and affection. But yeah, Anderson Paak, he does really, really dope DJ sets. Where can I see them? He just does them live. He does them live. They're at a lot of corporate parties and intimate events and shit like that. You probably don't go shit like that you probably

don't go out like that no more i got two little kids but if you ever step out though i told you man we getting in the field bro i would go anywhere with you if you call me and just gave me an address and i don't drink so it's like it's just gonna be a real good time bro hell yeah we're both so tall yeah we're all sober well your wife will be pissed when you come home. She is going to be so mad. I will definitely wear boots. You're going to be saying different words. Did you ever watch- Fucking have a little doobie rolled up in your ear.

That's not allowed for this. You're probably too young, but did you ever watch Hits from the Street on BET? Yeah. Okay, do you know Al? He was Hits. Yeah. So he was on the first season of Punk'd with me. Yeah.

And he and I were best friends. We got on so good. And that year of my life was the most fun because it was that. It was meeting him at 1 a.m. on Sunday in Culver City at a warehouse. Then we were at this other club. You had a black best friend, I was about to say. Yes, it was so much fucking fun. Yeah, you need a black best friend.

Yeah. My black best friends are female mostly. You need a homeboy who's tall and you need a black best friend. Yeah. My black best friends are female, mostly. You need a homeboy who's tall. And you need a black version of you. I always keep the white version of me. A tall, skinny, white dude with me. Because you need a black you. That's my partner, Will.

Will. Okay. So he's the white you. Yeah. White whiz. All right. This is perfect. White whiz.

Fuck. I'll go black. Black Dax. I'll go black. Ha! Oh, my God. You're not allowed to say that. You can say it. You can say it as much as you want. We got to find you a black Dax. I'll go black. Ha! Oh my God, you're not allowed to say that. You can say it as much as you want.

We got to find you a black Dax. Yeah. I'll be black Dax. Let's go. Let's do it. Let's get it. We can overcome this age gap, right? I was about to say it's pretty age appropriate.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I know how to chill, but I'll get you on some rowdy shit. Black Dax all day. Okay, listen. And you know why? Because we both have 10-year-olds, we're trapped in the same mindset anyways. That makes us the same age because we're both dealing with 10-year-olds. Yeah, hell yeah.

Oh, I can't wait for this. I got a whole new chapter in my life coming, Monica. Yeah, you're going to be showing up to the school events. You're going to be the man. You already are. I am going to get that low rider. What year? We got to ride together because you have low riders.

People don't know this. We talked in the driveway. I really want a 94 Fleetwood. Yeah. Oh, yeah. We did talk about that lowrider. What year? We got to ride together. Because you have lowriders. People don't know this. We talked in the driveway. I really want a 94 Fleetwood. Yeah. Oh, yeah. We did talk about that. Yeah, yeah. What lowriders do you have?

My joint's from the 60s. 62 Impala. Yeah. I had a 64 Impala. And I got a 57 Bel Air. And that's on hydraulics. No, I didn't cut that one, actually. Oh, you didn't?

Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's just a straight hot rod. Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's lovely a straight hot rod. Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's lovely. I want a 55. It's actually a 56 Bel Air. That's better. That's better.

Yeah, it's a 56. I don't like the huge fins. The 56 and the 55, those are the cars. Yeah, I got a 56, yep. We're made for each other. Come on, Black Decks in the building, bro. I guess I'm White Wiz. That works, White Wiz.

Let's go. Okay, that, yeah. All right, we'll go out on that. Monica's getting more and more scared. Oh, y'all are scared. You're talking about, y'all, don't cut this. No, no, no, I know. But she's waiting for me to say the thing that will have to get cut.

Exactly. We just got to wrap it up. All right, all right, all right, all right. All right, boy, this has been a party. But this was very fun. Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me. I appreciate y'all. Take right, boy, this has been a party. But this was very fun. Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me. I appreciate y'all.

Take me to that Anderson pack fucking DJ set. DJ set. I'm going to get your number. Wait, I want to go to that. Oh, now you're in. I want to come to some of the things. You need white Monica. Yeah, but I'm pretty white.

Well, no, you're Indian. You're not white. Not by color standards, but I'm not cool. I'm like white in that that way i'm not you just need some seasoning do you want some real talk we're here let's do some real talk i'm gonna be honest with you so i lived in downtown detroit for me poor white people and the black people i knew in detroit we have more in common than i had with the rich white people hell yeah like we had the same government block of cheese right we know what know what's up. Yeah. So I've always felt

so comfortable. The only two times I've felt so fucking white, it's kind of happened here today a little bit. I felt it. Have you felt that? Yeah, you can feel it.

I felt that you, yeah. But what's crazy is the only other time, and you've heard me say this on here, was Snoop. And he was giving me so much love.

It could have been so great. And as I was talking to him, I'm like, God damn it i'm white this is fucking it's just because we got a little swag so much swagger we got hell and i've got like hillbilly swagger it works in a different in a different round you good take the compliment okay i'll take it i'll take it but i think it's funny that the only other person i felt super white in front of was your best friend snoop me and snoop we love white people i was just at a show the other day

this lady walked up to me and she was like you know snoop my mom produced this show for blah blah blah which he called you yeah and i was like hold on go back a little bit she was like my mom produced the show i was like no go back and she was like hold on and i was like, no, go back. And she was like, hold on. And I was like, no, right there in the middle. Would you just call me? She was like, Snoop. I was like, I'm not Snoop. And she was like, oh my gosh. What did I just say?

What did I just do? I'm canceled. Yeah. She was like, do a lot of people say that to you? I was like, yeah, sure. A lot of white people. Yeah, that's great. I was like, but I sure. A lot of white people. Yeah, that's great. I was like, but I get it.

I'm tall. I got long hair and I'm standing here smoking a fat ass joint. Yeah, you're checking a lot of the boxes. So, to a white person, that's Snoop Dogg for sure.

I get it. There's no harm done. But no, I'm not him. I get Zach Braff. Okay. Do you know who that is from Scrubs? Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah.

You see it, right? Wow. But that's not you, though. It's not me. That's crazy, because that's not you. Right, but it feels like it, right? A little bit? All right, well, this has been a party.

And I'm going to give you my number. Oh, this sounds racist now, but here we go. Do you play spades? Do I play spades? Yes. I don't play spades. That could have been the foundation of it. We play five days a week.

We love spades. For real? Yeah, we should teach you. That's like the least black I am. Spades and watermelon. I don't eat watermelon. I don't fuck with watermelon. That's supposed to be like the universal black thing. Yeah, it's not for you. I don't eat watermelon. I don't fuck a watermelon. That's supposed to be like the universal black thing.

Yeah, it's not for you. I don't do watermelon and spades. I never learned how to play. You can stay off of that, but get with spades. Spades is... Look at you telling me how to be black. Yes, listen. You gotta eat watermelon, though.

You gotta learn how to play spades, bro. You know Metal World Peace? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay, so he's super into spades. I've had him over to play spades. And he plays in Wade Spades Tournament, which is Dwayne Wade's tournament. Besides being best friends with Jay-Z, which is top of the list,

playing in Wade Spades is really up there. Wade Spades. Wade Spades. He has a whole thing. It's really cool. I like to bow. Oh, you do? Yeah.

All right, I'm terrible at it, but I'll do it with you. All right. All right. Okay. We're tall, so we look good when we can bow. Elegant. That good, tall, elegant posture. Yeah.

The long arm just cascading out. I think you should definitely come over and we'll teach you spades. Yeah. Do you have a girlfriend? Yeah. How long have you been together? Four years. Oh, perfect.

She's invited. So it's spades night. We'll have to teach you, I guess, which would be ironic. You got to teach me. But then we got to be on teams because I'll feel bad if I whoop y'all ass. Okay, fair. Fair, fair, fair. I doubt you'll feel bad, but we'll see.

No, because I will because I'm going to be wanting to talk shit and I ain't going to be able to talk shit the way I want to. But if we on the same squad, then I can talk shit. Boys versus girls. This is a very common fight yeah we'll figure it out but I gotta learn first

and then we'll beat somebody's ass and talk shit alright can't wait Detroit and Pittsburgh finally let's go

Wiz so much fun good luck on everything can't wait for your album to come out so that you'll go on tour so that we can see you next year

next year yep but we'll link up before that alright perfect thanks be well yes sir stay tuned for the fact check so you can hear all the facts Next year. Next year. Yep, but we'll link up before that. All right, perfect. Thanks. Be well. Yes, sir.

Stay tuned for the fact check so you can hear all the facts that were wrong. Well, well, well. Another day. Another day in paradise. Okay. All right. This is BTS. Behind the scenes. Mm-hmm. We recorded this yesterday. This is BTS. Behind the scenes.

We recorded this yesterday. We sure did. We normally don't do a turnaround like this. And it was a very late one for us. It was. It started at three. And yeah, it was late for us. It was pitch black dark by the time we left because of climate change.

Have dinner with our guests afterwards. Like it was evening. Yeah. I don't like leaving almost have dinner with our guests afterwards. Like it was evening. Yeah, I don't like leaving here in the dark. No, it's not for you. So I only have edited half the show. Okay. So I don't have all the facts, but I think I have the most of the facts.

You think there were not many facts in the second half? Yeah. Okay. Okay, so we had Wiz yesterday. Yeah, yeah. So we had Wiz and you guys are the same age. Yeah. Okay. Okay, so we had Wiz yesterday. Yeah, yeah. So we had Wiz and you guys are the same age. Well, I'm old.

15 days apart. Yeah. I know. It's starting to get more common. Well, not with Common. Not with Common. Common is- He's still older than you.

I know. I know it is. Does it bother you? I hated- Not really. older than you i know i know it is does it bother you i hated for whatever reason my issue is was athletes do you have this rob like yeah when there's like 18 year old hockey players that are leading the league yeah you just like you grow up looking at sports stars basketball players hockey players whatever and then you get to an age where you're like oh i'm the same age as all these people that's weird and then you're dramatically older, whatever. And then you get to an age where you're like, oh, I'm the same age as all these people. That's weird. And then you're dramatically older. That's rough.

And then you still have the coaches. The coaches are older than you. But I am now at the age where at least half the coaches in the NFL are younger than me. It's just interesting the different road markers we use to evaluate our own age. Yeah. And I would imagine it couldn't go without you recognizing that over these last six years, it went from virtually 100% of the guests

were older than you to now like five, 6% are younger than you. I guess actors is one thing. Like we're going to have young actors on. We have. I guess. It's the experts. When the experts are younger,

it feels a little that's interesting rare though yeah we've had only i think a handful of that yeah but that feels a little scary yeah but to me i just i'm like oh they're it's also weird wonder i'm used to experts and professors being older than me so it sounds like wisdom coming from them. But increasingly, we're interviewing experts in a field, and they're younger than me. So that's its own weird. I'm listening to someone that's been around less time than me explain something to me that I don't understand. It's just a curious thing. For some reason, that's a lot more palatable coming from someone older than you.

That's interesting. Yeah. that's interesting yeah even spiritually when we had rami yusef on and i'm like oh this dude's kind of a couple steps ahead of me like spiritually and wisdom wise that's weird yeah i don't you don't think of things in this way i don't i don't know because everyone's just different. Like, Rami is specific. That's his view on the world. I don't think that has anything to do with his age. Like, there are plenty of people who are much older than you or I who don't have that kind of wisdom or thought. It's just different people.

Different strokes for different folks. Yeah, maybe it's just evidence of my own arrogance in that I think, like, I was going as quickly as you could assemble this, especially with the AA and the therapy and all the stuff I'm thinking like, how could someone like, I've been working hard at it for 20 years and to meet a kid that's 30. Yeah. Well, it might be deeper into it all. It's really wild. It might be because of your history of not feeling smart. Sure. Because I don't care if someone's smarter than me. And there are so many people who are smarter than me.

I don't, it doesn't make me not smart. Right. It's not an original wound. It's not. Yeah. I have so many OWs, but that is not one. OWs. Which that is not one. O-dubs. Which is kind of funny.

I wonder why I don't have that because I would get in so many fights with my dad about school when I was young. But I never processed it as stupidity. It's great. You got away with one. Well, he was mainly like, you just make tons of careless mistakes. Right. So he was always sort of saying, you're so smart. And so why are you making-

But you're not conscientious enough. Yeah. Do you have- Is that a trigger if people don't think you're being conscientious? Like the woman saying you didn't wipe the baby's butt good enough? That is not- Stop. That is not true.

Great. But it can be not true and it wouldn't bother you of course it would bother me that i like fucked up being accused of something you didn't do no no yes that i hate that's a big trigger but also know that i would have fucked up something for Delta caring for her. Right. That is not acceptable. That's like you with the baby carriage turning over. And she's wrong. Surely. But because I'm beyond reproach in the situation, I'm not being evaluated.

I'm not there working in any capacity. So I know I love Delta as much as a human can love Delta. So if I, in cleaning her ass one time, missed some poop and someone else discovered it, I would go, like, I'd go, wow, I guess I missed it. But it's through no lack of conscientiousness.

Like, I love her so much. I just made a human mistake. Yeah. But maybe this is a trigger only here with you. I am extremely meticulous about my work. Yeah. That was my work at the time. Right. So there's absolutely, I just, I know there's absolutely no way I wasn't over cleaning her

butt every time and using like so many wipes and making sure it was but she had a lot of folds no I got in there you're okay so for you there's no possibility not even one percent that you missed a little tiny piece of pootie correct okay well then yeah I'm open to the notion that I was doing that like Like she said it was something I did multiple times. No, it was just she had noticed that there was some pootie on the bed. She wanted me to tell whoever's cleaning Delta's butt to do a more thorough job. Right. So that must have been a-

It was probably originally just trying to shame me. But I was like, oh, well, I didn't even- I just wish we could call her. Yeah. Because I just know, and I know myself in that situation specifically with you guys. And it was early, early days. You know there was no way. I know there's no way. Yeah.

I really do. It's a fun thing to revisit occasionally. I hate it. Because it means so much to you and it doesn't mean anything to me. So it's just one of those funny things, you know. She was so small. I know, but so much folds you and it doesn't mean anything to me. So it's just one of those funny things, you know? She was so small. I know, but so much folds. I know.

Yeah. Reminds me, but does remind me of my favorite Delta story, which is. Yeah. She had diarrhea. Yeah. That came up recently. Did it? Yeah.

Should I retell it? No, because you just told it. Oh, I did. Should I do it again? I could tell that story once a day. I know. Should I do it again? I could tell that story once a day. I know. Daddy, I fought it. Okay.

The way she said, I fought it. I fought it. His diary is so happy. It was everywhere. Oh, my God. Anyway. I'm asking, I can imagine you feeling many different ways about it, but are you going to be talking about dating or no? Cause it puts the other person in an awkward situation. I don't think so. Yeah. I think that's fair. I think I'd feel weird if when I went on a

date with someone, I knew that they were going to report it to the world. Yeah. I don't know that it's fair to. Which is tricky because it's going to be a big part of your life and stuff we need to talk about. Look, things will come up and I will say without giving detail, I think. We've talked about it a little bit on sync this upcoming week. I think I give an update. And then I'm just going to see. Yeah. I'll report if I want to report.

When you're married. Yeah, I'll report when I'm married. Just to update, I got married on Wednesday. You guys should know I've been dating someone for two years, and I was married. Now I'm comfortable telling you. Well, that's kind of what happened with Alison Roman. Yeah, she kept it on the- All of a sudden, she's married.

QT. Oh, I know. She's married. I'd love to be her. Oh, congratulations, Alison Roman. Yeah. I love her life. I love my life, too, but.

You really wouldn't want anyone else's life, right? We're past that. No, no. When you're a kid, you do this, right? Like, when I was a kid, there was a bunch of people's life I wanted. Sure. I don't want anyone else's life now. That was a joke.

Oh, God. I don't want your life. Can you identify where that's from? Wait, that's from, yes. I don't want your life. Yeah, that's Forrest Gump. No, R-City Blues. Oh, wow.

Tommy Lee Jones? No. James Van Der Beek? The Beak. I don't want your life. He said that? Yeah, it's a very interesting delivery. It's kind of famous.

I thought for sure you'd get that. I thought it was Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump. No, he talks like this. Sorry for ruining your Black Panther party. Monica. Monica. Stop. Stop.

Monica. Ew. Ew. Monicaica stop saying it well you opened the door does he say that no i'm now i'm just now i'm trying to improv with you yeah i'm going wrong um what people don't know is you are now shielding your face with your hands while you do accents and impressions. That's right. Yes. You can't see my face. To minimize how vomitous it is for you. I almost just brought us into a bad game. I was going to say, okay, why don't we play that game, Heads Up, and it's accents and impressions. Oh, I love that.

I know, but you'll probably get in trouble. I will? I probably. Why? Because like if there's- You think I'll do a Chinese accent or something? If that's on, you want to try it? I'll do another one. Say skip it if if there. You think I'll do a Chinese accent or something? If that's on.

Well, I won't. You want to try it? I'll do another. Say skip it if it's going to get you in trouble. Okay. Okay. Ready? Right. This is fun.

We love games. Okay. Ready? Get ready. Here we go. Two. One. Like gag me with a spoon. Valley. Yes. One. Like, gag me with a spoon.

Valley. Yes. Okay. Oui, oui, oui, oui. French. Como se dice? Oh, Spanish. I think I'm scared.

San Clemenza down in the... Oh, Godfather or Mob. Mafia, Godfather. Al Pacino. Uh-oh. Sonny, come here. Send Clemenza down. So Johnny wants to direct a movie.

It's not Godfather? It is. Martin Brando. Oh, shit. Yeah, I didn't get it. Okay. Elvis! Welcome.

This is a cheat. Welcome to Cape Town Boston No South Africa Oh Okay I'm Scrooge Duck

Scrooge McDuck Donald Duck Donald Duck Donald D Charmant Yeah Time's up Oh wow

Yeah I'm sorry about that, South African. That's okay. I'm sorry for the audience, I mean, not for you. Oh, that they had to hear my South African accent? And then I said Boston. Oh, so really sorry to Bostonians. No, to South Africans, I didn't put Cape Town together. Oh, right.

You were thinking of the Cape. I was. Yeah. That's fair. Oh, that. You were thinking of the Cape. I was. Yeah. That's fair. Oh, that was great. That was really fun. Oh, by the way, I have an update for you. New game?

So as our duties have increased with the many different shows, I have found that reading all the ads has become a little laborious and a lot of work. So I have been auditioning people to read some of the spots. And I think I have found somebody I want to start reading spots with your approval. And his name is Joe Gillette. And I had him do some spots. And I think he probably could just pick up right where I've left off. But of course, I need your blessing. So I had him record some, and then I just want to hear if you think they're up to par, okay? We have Jojolette here. Take one, McDonald's.

Jojolette, take one, McDonald's. Hey, hey, everyone knows that when you're out there, hey, everyone knows when you're out there on, when you need to somewhere, it's something quick and nice and everything. And when you have to have what you want, everyone knows McDonald's is that. McChickens, McNuggets, McFlurries, everything. When you see those golden arches, you know one thing, you know one things are sure.

Yeah. You know one thing's for sure,. You know one things are sure. McDonald's. It's pretty good. Do you think that's pretty good? Yeah. I did. You want to hear another couple reads?

Sure. Let's hear more. Yeah. Okay. We have Georgia Lett in. This is his first take for Squarespace. This is his first take for Squarespace. Hey, have you ever known, has anyone ever said to you,

I have a question for you, are you online? And you say, well, yeah, maybe, hey, have you ever heard of a, hey, have you ever even seen a website before? Squarespace. Where everything that you, if you need something that says, hey, come to this website. Everyone is visiting this website at Squarespace. Everything you need for your job, for your life, for everyone to visit.

Make sure that when they visit you, it's at squarespace.com. I think that they would be really happy with this. I think so. I'm going to play one more for you, okay? Got Jojalette here doing a take one of Athletic Greens. I'd like to start my day like pretty much everyone else, eating an entire bowl of macaroni and cheese and drinking three Cokes. My doctor said, that's not going to be okay for me anymore.

Have you ever heard of taking any vitamins? Yeah. I said, yeah. I said, yeah, if they're gummies. He said, no. Would you ever want to have every single vegetable in two gulps? Athletic greens. That's a good spot.

I think that's a great spot. So sure. Let's have him read the ads. So Joe is Jackie's boyfriend. Jackie's boyfriend. Yeah, yeah. He's a comedian. He's a comedian he's comedian and somehow this all started with him reading a mercedes-benz spot like i think on instagram or something no i think jackie was reading one and she read it for kristen and then he read it as a joke of him auditioning for it and then it became this kind of skill that we discovered

he has of doing really bad reads. Okay. So occasionally I'll get a really fun read from Joe. That's fun. Yeah. So, okay. Couple facts. Yes. Yes. Couple facts. By the way, I did finish the first set of Couples Therapy from season three last night. You did night and started to meet new people yep and um i just delighted that they are allowed within their arsenal of tools to recommend they split up yeah i was very relieved to see that because because part of me is like spoiler but well i'm not saying who right yeah it really could be anybody yeah because part of me i guess whatever skeptical side of me or cynical side of me is like if they can't advise people that they shouldn't be together is it really a service is it yeah truly a service if they can't make that call now i understand it's very dicey to make that call to tell people they shouldn't be together because who are you to know but some

people need to be told that for sure i guess i, I think she does it in a great way where she's just like laying out some options at the end. Yes. And so she's not saying, I don't think you guys should be together. But she had been in a session with her own advisor saying she wants them to break up. Yeah. And wanting to lay out how they could do that, which was a big relief to me. Like these people needed to be spared each other. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So have you met, everyone knew like one episode of that? Yeah, there's the teaser where she's saying to somebody, I am not the therapist for you. I can't wait to see that moment. You're not there yet? No. Have you gone back and tried to figure out how you're seeing what you're seeing on couples therapy?

I'm seeing what I'm seeing. They're shooting both directions. They're shooting the therapist and then they're also shooting the patients. And there's raking shots. There's a tracking shot from behind that goes to our therapist. And then they're shooting obviously over the therapist's shoulders onto them.

Yeah. Where are all the cameras? Right. So I think I figured out that those panels that are in all of the bookshelves there's bookshelves everywhere and the bottom one's always empty and there's two balls that sit on all of them and i think well then i looked up that they have one-way mirror that they're filming behind but then i think digitally they put this fabric over the one-way mirror.

Cool. Yeah. So I got really kind of distracted by figuring out how they're actually shooting this. Because they're not making them redo it. It's real. Yeah. But they have like seven camera angles. And they're 360 around the room. So you should see cameras in everyone else's shot.

But you don't. And so I think they designed the set to have these bookshelves everywhere. That's cool. And those all have mirrors in them. And then I think in post they cover the mirrors with. Yeah, it's interesting. I'm amazed that people do the show.

And I'm so happy they do. Me too. I kinda wanna thank everybody that's participated in that show. Me too. Yeah, it's so fucking brave. It's so brave and it's hard to come across well yeah everyone sort of comes across poorly because you're it's you're it's the real you

yeah and in crisis yeah and the real relationship so oh it's great it's i love it too it's all i can talk about me too i was gonna i was to say I wasn't going to talk about my dates. Yeah. But? But I have a date coming up and I asked this person if they watched Couples Therapy. Right. So you'd have something to talk about. Yeah.

Yeah. And did they? No. But they'll start. They heard it's great. Okay. Maybe they'll have started before tonight. Yeah.

I kind of wanted to say that. Yeah. You were looking for that. Yeah. Before. Yeah. Okay. Wiz's aunt, Auntie Tickles. tonight yeah i kind of wanted to say that yeah you're looking for that yeah yeah okay whiz is aunt auntie tickles auntie tickles i looked up the doll it's hard to know what's gonna be oh you looked up the doll yeah all right kathy b tickles doll by kathy berry hip and steel oh um you can Doll by Kathy Berry Hippenstiel. Oh. You can get it on. I wonder if I'll recognize Tickles. It's a baby.

It looks scary from here. It does. And Tickles is white. Tickles is white porcelain. Yeah. And has an odd face. Not to be saccharine, but listen, the fact that black little girls had to play with white

babies. I know. They just didn't make any. I know. It's such a bummer. Yeah, it is. She's holding some sort of. Is she tickling somebody? Maybe.

Maybe she uses that to tickle. Is she ticklish or does she tickle everyone? I think she tickles. Oh, my God. What a rascal. But she does have a face that she's laughing. So maybe she is getting tickled. Is very tickly. But what's in her hand? It looks what a rascal. Oh, but she does have a face that she's laughing. So maybe she is getting tickled. Is very tickling.

But what's in her hand? It looks like a fluffy fluff. That's the feather she uses to tickle your feet. Exactly. Baby tickles. It might be. I love that her name was Auntie Tickles. Okay, but that makes me think of one of the first moments it started.

What started? Me admitting that I felt so white around Snoop. And I don't generally feel that way, but I also felt that way around Wiz. Yeah. This is one of the first places it started. So he says, auntie tickles. Yeah. And now I've got to ask him, but I don't say aunt.

So now I'm like, do I say it how he said it? Yeah. I'm glad he didn't. Which is mimicking it. Right. I got to say it how I say it. But in those little micro moments where I'm like, see, now this sounds white because I'm going to say anti-tickles. Yeah, because guess what?

Because that's what I say. You're white. I know. I know. Do you know? I know that. Well, that's a fair question. Oh, it's great.

It's so embarrassing in the best way. Like when it was all over, I was like, oh, my God, I'm so embarrassing. I got, there's great. It's so embarrassing in the best way. Like when it was all over, I was like, oh my God, I'm so embarrassed. I got, there's one moment. I'm so embarrassed. I got so embarrassed. But then it's kind of like the popcorn and me falling in the movie theater. Like by the time I was going to bed, I was like, yeah, that's what happened. It's who you are.

It's who I, we can't be people we aren't. And also you can't be because then you look bad. Like, you look like you're trying to put on some appropriate, I don't know. It's just all you can do is cover the table as you. Yeah. Apparently, Tickles is a rare find. Oh, my gosh. Another collectible.

So, I might have to buy it. Yeah. See if you can get a shit-stained one, so it'll match your. Oh my gosh. Another collectible. So I might have to buy it. Yeah. See if you can get a shit stained one so it'll match your. Liberty. Liberty. Okay. Okay. We talked about the box.

I just figured out that's Liberty. Liberty. You did not just figure that out. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Just figured that out. Yes.

That's the whole funny thing. Uh-huh. Leberti. Yeah. But I was thinking like French T-shirt, Leberti. Oh. Right? That could also be a thing, but obviously it's Liberty. No, because he's a small bear.

Leberti. Okay. Doesn't wear French T-shirts. Okay, we talked about the box, which was really exciting. Yeah, you guys had that in common. I loved the box. I was outside in the cold watching you guys by the warm fire giggle and sip your hot cocoa. Neither of you are white.

That really upset you. Bonding in a way I'll never be able to bond. Yeah, right. All of my white friends watch the box. Okay. Now, it made me wonder what are the top music videos of all time. Oh, okay. I have a list.

Oh, great. Okay. It's from the AV Club. There's like 50. Okay. Let's read the top 10 maybe. Yeah. Number one.

You want to guess? Yeah. It'll be hard. This is hard. I feel like it's Thriller or Beat It. Mm-mm. Wow. You're going to disagree. Yep, I'm going to guess? Yeah. It'll be hard. This is hard. I feel like it's Thriller or Beat It. Mm-mm. Wow. You're going to disagree.

Yep, I'm going to probably not believe. Yeah, shocker. What's number one? Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, 1986. Can I just ask without ruffling any feathers? Did they say what the metrics they're using are? How are they determining this? I don't know. It's just what they think is the most important're using are? How are they determining this? I don't know.

It's just what they think is the most important? The AV Club is a big, no, it's a big entertainment magazine. They're tech nerds. They know stuff. But wouldn't it be reassuring to go like, the most viewed video of all time, and they had some data. Let me just read something. Okay, great. Like the song itself, the video for Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer makes no attempt to disguise its sexual metaphor.

The clip opens with an extreme close-up of sperm. Although that is the last time Sledgehammer gets explicitly biological, the video riffs upon Gabriel's lyrical imagery of trains and cars all through a series of stop-motion animation. No single team of animators are responsible for the finished product. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Okay. All right, wait. You're natural.

You look down. You're dancing down. And you're right. You're natural. Oh, you got the things that you're immune to. Stop. Oh, yeah.'re immune to the stuff. Oh, yeah. Closer to the...

Addicted to love. You think that's on the list? Yeah. Okay. Go on ahead and face it. You're addicted to love. Okay, number... Do you want me to make the sperm noise again?

No. Say sperm. No. Number... No! We heard... Did you say all of them? No. Okay. No. We heard. Will you say all of them? No.

Okay. That's even worse. Number two, Madonna, Vogue. Oh. God. What is wrong with you? Number three is Michael Jackson, Thriller. Oh.

I just reached out to a teacher. Okay. I saw on an internet, on an internet, nine-month pregnant teacher leading the thriller dance in the hallway with like 30 students. And she rips it. She's so fucking good. Really? Yes. I went to her page and had to tell her how much I enjoyed it.

I watched it like six times. I was welled up a bit. Do cry. Yep. You got it. Bingo. Really? Yes, I went to her page and had to tell her how much I enjoyed it. I watched it like six times. I was welled up a bit. Do you cry? Yep. You got it. Bingo. Well, for a lot of reasons. Pregnant, about to bring life into the world, being so comfortable in her own skin.

Yeah, a model of like how to live out loud in front of these kids. And she's just slaying it. Yeah. Four is Beastie Boys Sabotage. Oh, sure. Directed by the great. Spike Jones. Spikey Jones.

Five, Take On Me. Take on me. By A-Ha. Take it on me. I know that one. I'll that one. Okay, number six, Duran Duran, Hungry Like the Wolf. Hungry Like the Wolf.

Total wolf. Oh, you're going to like this one. Okay. Seven is Sinead O'Connor, Nothing Compares to You. Sure. Yeah, that's classic. I know that one. Oh, God.

I can't believe this one isn't higher up. A? See, because part of this is like age, right? Age appropriate. Yes, of course. And adjusting for inflation and all of that. Worldwide box office versus domestic. When there was MTV versus the box versus like when you had access to these videos. Yeah.

What was the name of the second format for watching videos? The box. Oh. Okay. Eight is single ladies. Oh, the single ladies. Oh, the single ladies. In my gen, that's number one.

That's number one. Yeah. Okay. Nine, addicted to love. Might as well face it. And then 10, Common People by Pulp. No. Never even heard of.

Just because you haven't heard of it. You know what I'm surprised? Oh, 11 is Baby One More Time. That's huge. That was huge for my gen. What was 10? You want to hear Pulp? Okay. It's right here was 10? You want to hear pole? Okay.

It's right here. Oh, you want to play it on the piano? Play. No, I stand by my objection. I think that was something. One got in there on accident. Just because you don't know the song doesn't mean the video wasn't big for its time. It's just hard to imagine how that would have escaped.

It doesn't matter. Continue. It was from 95. That's when I moved here. Maybe that's why I missed it. You were busy. I was busy moving and reestablishing myself in Santa Barbara, California, and very confused about it. It wasn't big in the Santa Barbara scene.

No. That's why. Probably not. It was much more gin and juice and doggy style. Anyway, okay, that's top 10. But I'm scrolling through, and these are good. These are good. These are really good.

Okay, back to my self-consciousness about my whiteness. I even told him a few stories that I've told 2,000 times. And in the middle of them, I was like, I've lost all confidence in this story. Like well-worn stories. I was like reading his face.

He also had sunglasses on the whole time. So that made it, that was double hard for me to read him. Yeah, it was really hard. Yeah, it was an extra challenge. Yeah. And I was like, oh my God, you're not going to be able to pull this story off. He didn't want to hear you. Go ahead.

Don't even choose your words gently. No, he didn't. He didn't. He didn't want to hear you trying to prove yourself. Uh-huh. And so when stories were starting to happen like that, I could feel that. Right. He doesn't want this.

You know, it's interesting because I was the butt of all the jokes in the story. It's not about that. Yeah. He doesn't want to hear any of my stories. He didn't want you to tell stories about JC. He didn't want you to tell stories about Jay-Z. He didn't come here to- That's like not what he wanted to hear. Yeah, yeah.

That was one in particular. It was a big lead to the wound. I know. I really felt it. I know. I tried to tell you with my eyes, don't do this. Don't do any more of this. Yeah.

Yeah. It was kind of the same reaction Jay-Z had for me too. I just couldn't find purchase. I was like, I got to figure out, somehow I got to get in. Okay, doc on the Mixtape documentary. Oh, yes. It's just called Mixtape. Oh, okay.

And you can watch it on Paramount+. 2022 came out last year. Oh, it's new. Yeah. Oh, gosh. I want to watch it. It has two chains. What's that mean?

Two chains is a rapper. Oh, I thought you were saying, like, somehow the score. It has two chains. What's that mean? Two chains is a rapper. Oh, I thought you were saying like somehow the score was out of five chains and it only has two out of five chains. I'm like, what website is using chains instead of stars? This is why. This is why. We don't know stuff. Yes, and I was very honest about that. I came right in.

I'm like, what's the difference between a mixtape and an album? You know, he was mad at us for... Yeah, not knowing at the end. Yeah, for not understanding. I still didn't understand. When he yelled at me, I got it in a way that I hadn't previously. So, maybe I did learn. But I did

not understand how... What made sense to me is I went to the one mixtape and you couldn't listen to it. And then I go to this, which was an album, and I could listen to it. So I'm like, oh, I see the difference. I know. Mixtapes are on. It is confusing.

Yes. And it sounds identical to an album. It's like fully produced and sounds great. Yes. I'm still a little bit confused. Okay, good. Can I play one song on here? Because that was the one I told them that I love.

Yeah. Yeah, do you just want to hear it? It's a good vibe. It was the one I told him that I love. Yeah. Yeah, do you just want to hear it? It's a good vibe. Like, this doesn't sound like a mixed tape, right? The fucking symphony orchestra.

That's nice. Two joints, they overlapping each other. Heard a Taylor gang found out there's plenty of us. Closed session holding the smoke. I'm with my brothers. Stand outside, decide to play us play. I like this. How could I have not thought I was listening to an album? I agree.

It sounds like an album. You got the game on autopilot like a Tesla. Waiting for someone else to tell you when to make moves. No wonder you stressed out. My cars pull the best out. I thought he was so sexy. Did you think he was sexy? He is a quality.

Very sexy. Yeah. That's the confidence, the comfort level. Yes, the mysteriousness, the total unwillingness to get anyone's approval. He didn't care. Yeah. It was cool. Yeah.

Yeah. In the cool clothes. Great Balenciaga boots. Those were Balenciagos. Balenciagos. Balenciagos with my agi-agis. That's Elizo. Sing the lyric?

No. With my azi-agis, with my Balenciagis. She does a fun wordplay with Balenciagos. She says like Balessi-essies or something like that. Yeah, she's got a cute thing she says about it. She does. But yeah, they were really cool, his boots. Yes.

One other thing I was thinking about as I fell asleep is I really wish he didn't have those boots on, though, because I really want to know if we're the same height. What his feet looked like? No, what his actual height was. Oh. Because they were monstrous boots. They are, but I don't think the sole, like they're just big boots. The sole looked like it was like three inches thick. I don't think so.

You don't. You are not on my side. No, I am. I'm just being it was like three inches thick. I don't think so. You don't. You are not on my side in this one. No, I am. I'm just being truthful. Yeah, I know. I really think they were like three inches of rubber. Hey. Hey, you.

I'm always on your side. Okay. Okay? Okay. You had a lot of sole. we need to give the rascal a name that in like declares him as the pun but we got to come up with a name yeah like the pun something the pun the pundit oh the pundit our in-house pundit punny name yeah punny honey that's that's I know. I'm just saying the name needs to be pun. I think a resident pundit.

Pundit's good. Yeah, pundit. Pundit. That's a nice noise out there. Well, I think on that note, with the horrible noise, we shall say. One other interesting thing I think behind the scenes Which is interesting When we walked outside

It was a love fest And we exchanged numbers And we've texted You've texted? Yes Isn't that interesting? Yeah It is interesting

It is It is Yeah Yeah What do you You have a Yeah You're a rascally. But not a pundit, not a pundit thing. What is your take on that?

I think, I think it's really sweet. You are choosing your words so carefully. No, I'm just saying, well, yeah, because you're already feeling a little, you're already feeling a little. Exposed, tender. You're feeling tender. Okay. And you're feeling like I am coming for you and I'm not.

And that's like, then it's scary for me when I think you're feeling that. No, no, no, no, no, no. You're teasing me lighthearted and I'm making fun of myself. So we're on the same page. Because I am always, I really am always on your team. I think it's really sweet and cute. You often get people's numbers and who come in. But really quick.

Not always, not always. Definitely not always. No. Like one in a hundred people, I get their phone number. And I didn't even get his. He gave me his and asked me to call his phone, which I did. And then he sent me a text. I know.

Okay. I'm saying, but it was set up, we'll hang out, right? Like the spades, it's like set up in our thing. Right, right, right, right. And I think, you know, I've been thinking a lot about, well, Taylor Swift. Always, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, if you're thinking, we know you're thinking about Taylor. And there is a connection here.

Okay. At her Argentina show, which is her first show back after this little break. Okay. She changed a lyric to her song that included him. And it's everywhere. It is. Oh, wow. People are.

Are they positive or negative about it? Well, I think both. I think both. You see her kiss him. She runs to him, and he's outside the tent, and everyone sees him, and it's freaking out. Oh, my God. Wow. But I was thinking, why is she choosing to include the whole world in? Such a new relationship.

Such a new relationship. Such a new relationship. Such a new relationship. She's making the choice to bring everyone in, which I think is a hard thing to do in a new relationship is to invite the whole world to come along with you. I don't think it's a PR stunt, and I think they're probably very happy. I really hope they are. I think they are but there is a small part of me that watches all of this and feels like oh my god she is still the girl who thinks she's on the bleachers yeah and she got the football star and that's a that feeling has not gone away for her, and she's a god.

Right. And she's still- It just proves- I know. That becoming objectively a god won't even make you feel that way. It won't. If you don't feel that way about yourself. You still feel like you felt when you were 11.

Yes, and you always will. And here's the good news. You always will. It's actually profound to see it in this extreme of a case yeah that she feels like she got the guy and it is very to me upsetting because he got the girl that's the narrative that is what it should be that's the reality and the truth this football player got the biggest entity in the world. I'm also glad I guess she can't see that. That's probably not good either. I want her to know she's so special. I just, she can't see herself the way the world is seeing her. Right. And that bums me out. We're all stuck. Right. But

what I would say about you, which which is true is like you too wanted the football star the boys you liked in high school were the football stars i know you that and i knew the football stars that would not be a good relationship for you that's not actually who you like well now i don't know about then well then you did like that person but i think you like the idea of that person sure and but it's also not so black and white yeah it's not so black and white I mean you're right like I needed the validation so bad yes and what interests you in life isn't the things that give people status in high school I'm only pointing out the paradox of what you liked and actually who you would have liked

liked in a relationship and those two things are not the same in my opinion that's true except no because like teddy was not that okay he was he was like he was a charlie day type oh i like that i know and then he rejected me yeah here we are anyway okay the reason I brought that up is because I'm just really thinking about how we're still just older versions of our little selves. A thousand percent. And I do think you like getting approval from some people that you wanted. I'm a little brother. Yeah, you are a little brother.

I'm a little brother. And it's really so sweet and so cute and hilarious. Yes. Embarrassing. It's not embarrassing. No, sometimes it's embarrassing. That's okay. If it is, I'm just saying, I think it's, it's hilarious being on this side and seeing how so not a little brother you are yes in your life but you are in your brain well let's be specific about it because it happens it's very predictable when it's going to happen the person has to have big brother something energy yes it's like i don't have it with everybody but if like like Kimmel triggers it, he's the same age as my brother. And there's a similar thing. And then black dudes have always

done it. Cause I grew up in Detroit and I'm looking at these guys that are, I think personally are so much cooler than us white dudes. I know the same way. I looked at my brother going like this person's so much cooler than me. I elevate immediately to like, I just can't achieve that level of cool. People who you think are cool. Yes. Then I go into little brother mode. You do. It's just very cute. It's just so funny that we can't see ourselves. I mean, we can. You know that about yourself and I know things about myself, but you don't know when you're in it.

And also maybe we shouldn't. Yeah. I mean, depends on what it is, I guess. myself but you don't know when you're in it and also maybe we shouldn't yeah i mean depends on what it is i guess like there's all these roles you can play in life one of them's little brother yeah okay that's my role if it weren't that role it'd be some other role i don't know that i would pick one of the other ones you know so it's like whatever we are no one's i'm definitely not insinuating that you shouldn't do that it's I just think it's a funny pattern it is yes and we're all just doing the same thing um all right so that was really fun that was that was really funny we both left going like we have the luckiest weirdest world yeah we're sitting here watching whiz smoke smoke a

doobie and tell us about all this stuff. I know. I was like, how did we get here? Wiz Khalifa. How in the world? It's really cool. Very lucky. Yeah, I had a tremendous amount of giddiness over the whole experience.

And Thanksgiving's coming up this week. Ah, yes. We're grateful. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving. We have an episode coming out on Thanksgiving. Yeah, so we'll do a gratitude list there. While you're cooking. We we'll do a gratitude list there. While you're cooking.

Yeah. We'll think of a gratitude list. Also reminder that a yearbook is out. The first episode came out on Friday. Oh, right. Three days ago. Three days ago. Friday.

First two episodes, really. The one with me, you, and him. And then the first real episode. Yeah. And then new episodes every Friday. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out.

All right. Love you. Love you.