Club Shay Shay - Club Shay Shay - Keith Lee Part 1

Episode Date: December 4, 2024

In this candid episode of Club Shay Shay, Shannon Sharpe sits down with Keith Lee, the viral food critic and king of TikTok’s food community. From his roots in Detroit to becoming one of the most tr...usted voices in the food world with 19 million followers, Keith opens up about his incredible journey. Keith revisits his first home in Vegas, where he and his wife, Ronni, had their children and where his food-reviewing career began. He talks about his life before fame—struggling as a delivery driver, battling social anxiety, and how he started posting on TikTok. Keith shares the hardships of his childhood, from being bullied to moving out at 16, and discusses his MMA journey, including training with Dewey Cooper and his respect for legends like Jon 'Bones' Jones and Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. The conversation dives deep into his views on the best and worst food cities, why he's not a fan of the Atlanta food scene, and his thoughts on Detroit’s thriving food scene. Keith explains why he doesn’t want to use his celebrity status when reviewing restaurants and discusses his mission to help small businesses. He recounts his viral review of Mr. Gary’s Seafood food truck, which earned 20 million views, and reflects on how he transitioned from MMA to TikTok stardom. Keith talks about his MMA career, including his fight with Jornel Lugo, the hardest part of being an MMA athlete, and his brother, Kevin Lee, who helped him grow in the sport. He discusses the possibility of returning to the octagon, Tyson vs Jake Paul, and his predictions for Jon 'Bones' Jones vs Tom Aspinall. Keith also shares his review process, and why he doesn’t want restaurants to know he’s there. He challenges Ocho Cinco to a boxing match and reflects on his career and success, attributing it to his connection to God. #volumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers. So that's why we created The Big Take from Bloomberg podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all. Every day in just 15 minutes we dive into one global business story that matters. You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine. A lot of this meme stock stuff is I think embarrassing to the SEC. Follow The Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen. Hey everyone.
Starting point is 00:00:31 I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York. And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packer stan. Anya and I met through hockey and now we're married and moms to two awesome toddlers, ages two and four. And we're married and mom to two awesome toddlers ages two and four. And we're excited about our new podcast, Moms Who Puck, which talks about everything from pro hockey to professional women's athletes to raising children and all the messiness in between.
Starting point is 00:00:57 So listen to Moms Who Puck on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. that catches my attention. I am here to call it as I see it. And there's a whole lot of things catching my eyes these days. Listen to the I Am Rapaport Stereo podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast and wherever you get your podcast. Y'all know who it is. It's your favorite aunt. And I'm riding around here in Vegas with my guy Keith Lee and he's the internet's most popular and famous food critic. He was named one of four 30 under 30 class members for 2024, a viral food and local restaurant reviewer,
Starting point is 00:01:49 charitable influencer and advocate for small businesses. One of the top digital content creators, social media superstar and sensation, King of Tik Tok food community. He has over 19 million followers between Tik Tok and Instagram, a former mixed martial arts fighter the love father, husband, and he's the people champ, Keeblee. God is amazing man. I'm Ah, appreciate it bro. That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life All my life been grinding all my life Sacrificed, thought so paid the price
Starting point is 00:02:28 Want a slice, got the rolling dice That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life I'm excited about this bro. I don't know who you was introing, I said who that? I don't know who that man is. But I appreciate this tour of Vegas and some of the local hot spots. Let's do it, yeah, I'm excited. I'm super excited.
Starting point is 00:02:47 Let's go. ["Dreamin'"] What are the five best cities for food? Top five. In order? You can put them in order if you like, or you can just give me your top five. My order, personally.
Starting point is 00:03:06 Yes. New Orleans is number one. Okay. Houston is number two. Okay. Chicago is number three. Wow. Toronto will be four.
Starting point is 00:03:14 Okay. Right now I would go Miami. Yeah, if I had to think of where I would go back, I would go Miami for sure. Man. But top three is solid. My top three is New Orleans, Houston, and Chicago. Wow.
Starting point is 00:03:24 Solid. No, no Atlanta, no New York. Mm-mm. So, very specific reasons why I say that, right? Yeah. So, for those that don't know, we go on food tour. But we go on food tour for people that look like us and people who come from the background that we come from. Okay.
Starting point is 00:03:40 So we specifically do it for people that can jump on a plane, that are foodies, and just want to go try food So I don't do it in a way where you can go call the biggest influencer in that city or the biggest celebrity I had them chauffeur you around and show you places I do it specifically for people that literally just want to go try food Okay So we go to spots that are more on an unknown Level places that only locals know about if you know know you know kind of places that have great food,
Starting point is 00:04:05 great customer service, but can need the marketing. But we also go to staples of the community to show respect to each city that we go to. So when I'm picking these places that are my top five, is more on accessibility. Like what's the easiest to jump on a plane and just go get some great food? And I feel like New York isn't in that top five for me because the accessibility of to know the spots
Starting point is 00:04:27 is really hard to find great spots unless you're from there. Correct. And if you do meet somebody that's from there, if you're not super close, if you're just meeting the person for the first time, they more than likely not going to give you the spots that they go to. Right.
Starting point is 00:04:39 Because one, they don't want the spots blown up, so they don't want everybody there. Two, they aren't a super welcoming group of people. Right. They want you to be a tourist and that's it. But once you start venturing off of that and you start deepening it, digging into like local spots and spots they've been going to for years and spots they have nostalgia attached to, they don't want no parts of it. What's the best city to get pizza in? New York got that. New York got that. New York got that.
Starting point is 00:05:11 That was one of the best things that we had when we was there was pizza. I'm from Detroit. So I like a deep dish, thick, hearty, full. I tried but I'm a deep dish. Oh I'm a deep dish. I like the bend. See but that's because you from Atlanta. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:05:23 Understood. Yeah. Are you born and raised in understood yeah I'm from south Georgia Georgia understood understood yeah but I see like when I get that deep dish I feel like I'm eating a piece of cake or something that's pretty much yeah yeah see now if you if you don't like a super thick then I would say but personally like I'm from Detroit so I like a deep dish I like I like the dough to be super high quality and to be the main focus what about what's the five most underrated cities? Oh, you put me on us. Bye. Let's go there Shannon top five most most underrated I will go Detroit. I feel like not a lot of people know that Detroit has a food scene Seattle I feel like is one of those places again, if you know, you know, if you were true foodie, you know, Seattle has a great food scene
Starting point is 00:06:04 Baton Rouge Baton Rouge is is a place that it's very specific now like it's all right it's black people black people country food so if you are into country food I'm talking about hogmog neck ball yeah yeah yeah smothered everything smothered and covered then Baton Rouge is definitely a unknown spot. Arizona. Oh, Arizona, that's perfect. Arizona, I feel like Arizona's underrated.
Starting point is 00:06:29 And the reason I say that is because you get a lot of healthy spots, but you also get very authentic, from my knowledge, authentic Southwestern. Southwestern food. Even they have a really big native population, so you get native food.
Starting point is 00:06:43 And I've never been to a place that has native food. Right. Milwaukee got a good food scene that's pretty underrated. Wow. Oh, Dallas. Dallas got a food scene that's definitely underrated. Really? For sure. It's here missed because it's a place that like doesn't have much of a big food culture other than barbecue and southern Texas roots.
Starting point is 00:07:05 But as far as stepping into other cuisines and other ethnicities, they don't really do it that much. But the barbecue alone carries. It's some of the best barbecue I've ever had in my life. What about the worst? Where you go like, man, y'all be, they be hyping this up and it ain't even like that. Food wise.
Starting point is 00:07:25 Yeah. Yeah. So. You know, you gonna start talking about Atlanta. I just want you to know. That's my hope. Just based off of our experience. Absolutely. So for me, Atlanta, and I'm so happy you asking this.
Starting point is 00:07:37 Atlanta had really good food. Atlanta had a good food scene. It's just, you have to be somebody in order to get food. Do you have to name drop when you go to Atlanta and get food? Nah, cause I really don't go, the places that I go to, they kind of know me. So when I like, I call it, they're going to take care of me. But I, I ain't, I, no.
Starting point is 00:07:56 But do you feel like if they didn't know Shana Sharkey? No, hell no, I ain't getting there. And that's exactly why I say we do the food tour for people that really want to jump on a plane and just go get food. If we go to a place specifically because I'm Keith Lee and we go eat at the best restaurant and people want to jump on a plane and go try that spot. They're not going to be able to get the service that you got.
Starting point is 00:08:16 Not only the service, they're not going to be able to get the food. They're going to go in there and they're like, oh, we ain't got no bookings for the rest of the day, just that third. But let Shana Sharp walk in. We got six tables as wide open. We got to clean them right now. You get the fresh food. So that's one of the main categories of why we do our business.
Starting point is 00:08:31 It's not so much the food, it's the service. Absolutely. In order to get the food. Absolutely, yeah, for sure. Are you surprised you got so much blowback when you critiqued Atlanta and you let them know that it's not so much the food, it's the service. If you're not somebody, you're not getting in. They're always crowded, they're always booked, and they only treat people
Starting point is 00:08:49 that are of influence. Was I surprised? No, because it's like ripping a bandaid off of something that people didn't know was a scar, right? If you're from there and you were born and raised in that environment, you don't know no better. You think that that's what the food scene is and you think that's what culture is, right? Because that's part of Atlanta's culture. Right. I just came from a perspective of somebody who wasn't from there and somebody was experiencing it for the first time. The death threats and whatnot, was I surprised about that?
Starting point is 00:09:21 Yeah. That was the first time I ever experienced something like that. People taking food that serious? Oh, it's bad. Even in DC, we got a death threat from a guy who's a rapper out there. And he talking about next time he come, instead of reviewing food, we gonna review his life
Starting point is 00:09:36 or something like that. We just eating food, man. It's like, my opinion isn't the end all be all. I understand that everybody has a different opinion on food. And I always say that that but I get how the internet gets to and I don't blame them because people are prideful on where they come from right and people have a lot of love and nostalgia in the city that they come from and they feel personally attacked and I want to make put it on a record right now that when we go for the food tour is not to
Starting point is 00:10:01 find what the best food is. It's specifically to highlight the restaurants that have great food, great customer service, but can need marketing and don't get the marketing specifically because either they in a food desert to where a lot of people don't have access to the food that they would need or want. Or two, it's a location-based place. Or three, it's a place where the owners have put so much
Starting point is 00:10:22 into the restaurant itself that they don't have the time or the money to market. Cause a lot of people who do food reviews, that's why I don't consider myself a food influencer or a food creator, any of that, cause I don't charge restaurants anything. When I first started, people were telling me I could charge anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 per video
Starting point is 00:10:40 for a restaurant. And I know people that do that, that charge more than, way more than that that but I specifically do it for the restaurants and I don't charge them a dime so that's what the food tour is about it's about it's about marketing these places and it's about going out and trying food that my mom can go in the next day and get the same experience that we got Yeah, Atlanta has good brunch. Yeah, yeah, yeah, Atlanta has good brunch for sure. You call hell getting in there for brunch.
Starting point is 00:11:13 Yeah, and I don't want that to be mistaken at all. Atlanta has really good food. You're not saying they don't have good food. Yeah, Atlanta has really good food. On good brunch, anything. You're just saying the customer service, the weight. I really like the people in Atlanta. I love how many of us is out there. I love the wealth that's out there and the things that those kids that are from there
Starting point is 00:11:32 are exposed to when it comes to black wealth, when it comes to black excellence, when it comes to a community that's built around us for us. I never want that to be lost in translation. When it comes to the mecca of what we do and the highlight of us is Atlanta. But at the same time, if you ain't got a certain status or a certain million followers, you better cook at home.
Starting point is 00:11:55 Or eat before you leave at home because the wait will be a minute. A thousand percent. Yeah. Do you try crazy foods? Have you tried crazy foods? What you consider crazy? I mean I ate as a kid, I ate raccoon, I ate squirrel, I ate rabbit, I ate turtle.
Starting point is 00:12:12 You country country. No, I try anything that I always say, I'll try anything once. Right. So you would try raccoon, possum? Yeah, I'll try it once. Okay. But I like it, I don't know. Right. You eat, but how do you eat it? You eat like, corn soup? No, no, no, I like it. I don't know. Right. You eat, but how do you eat it?
Starting point is 00:12:26 You eat like, kum soup? No, no, no. You bake it. Like bake kum? Yeah, you put it in the oven. You cut it up. Bell peppers, onions, celery. You put it in the oven.
Starting point is 00:12:34 Oh, you're a different kind of country, Shannon. No, wait. I'm not going to lie to you and say I won't because again, I'm a foodie. So I get very interested in stuff. I'm the type to, my family be getting mad at me all the time. I'm the type to walk into a random establishment and be like, oh we was in Seattle and we walked by and we saw ducks hanging out the window Yeah, we walked in got a duck
Starting point is 00:12:53 He cut the head off right in front of us and we went in the car ate it That was my first time ever doing something like that, but I'll do it like that Yeah, it depends on where you get it from a lot of times it can be gamey Yes, it could be a little too overpowering and chewy and texture but the one we just had was super crispy it was flavorful it was fresh and was juicy like I said they took it right off the rack and cut it in front of us you like quail I like quail I like quail yeah yeah we just had a quail egg the scotch from when we is in Seattle it was like a scotch egg it was wrapped and it was
Starting point is 00:13:23 fried but it was a quail egg that was wrapped in bacon and then fried again on the outside. It was good. Yeah, but you need to eat like seven of them to get full. Yeah, that's a fact. They're like, I eat Shannon. Yeah, I'm an eating man. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:13:34 But so. I saw when you ate the sushi worm. I knew that was coming. So when we was in Seattle, we went to a place. It was a sushi spot. Okay. Got a bunch of people recommended. Okay.
Starting point is 00:13:44 It was a stable of the community and it was out the door when we went so we went just to show respect to the city And go to a place that was a staple. Okay. Um, I did the full review did the full video I posted it two days later somebody tagged me in a clip of them slowing it down and on one of the Nagiri's there was A what seemed to be something moving. I can't confirm it or not what it was I'm not gonna say it's a worm, a parasite or anything. It was something that looked like it was moving. And I ate it, I had no idea what it was. I had no idea there was anything moving
Starting point is 00:14:11 into somebody tagging in that video. That whole thing spiraled into something else. Allegedly, I can't confirm or deny that this is specifically from the restaurant, but somebody was hospitalized a day after we left. And again, I can't confirm or deny that this is specifically from the restaurant, but somebody was hospitalized a day after we left. And again, I can't confirm or deny it was from that restaurant. And in my mind, if anybody did go to a restaurant that we did go to and they were sick in any
Starting point is 00:14:37 way, I came and spoke up about it because I wanted to send my heart and my support to that person. Right. You like sushi like I love sushi Yeah, I've never had it. I just I just like my food cook. I just can't you don't like nothing raw Okay, I was about to say something I'm leaving alone I know you go see So I Again, I'm a foodie. I can't have shellfish, but I explore everything else other than show brush
Starting point is 00:15:12 So that restaurant got closed down though, right from allegedly from what I hear They did put a statement out and said it was closed, but I believe it was closed because they are looking internally the owners have reached out to me on a bunch of different occasions and I get the impression that they are looking internally. The owners have reached out to me on a bunch of different occasions, and I get the impression that they are just fine-tuning things and getting things together, because I don't get the impression that they were malicious in any fashion, or that they were neglectful.
Starting point is 00:15:39 I believe it just was a... Isolated incident. I feel like it was just an unfortunate incident that was put on the internet and I feel like anybody could have put on the internet and it would have blew up in the same manner. It just so happened to be that we were the ones that posted it. But I truly believe that not only, in my opinion, I even gave the sushi that had the alleged whatever it was moving on it, I gave it like an 8.5 and that was the highest thing out
Starting point is 00:16:02 of the entire thing, out of the entire what I was eating because in my opinion it was moving on it. I gave it like an 8.5 and that was the highest thing out of the entire thing. The entire what I was eating because in my opinion it was delicious. Right. I just believe that once they take a step back and really like see what it was that could have been an issue that they'll be back better than ever and I'm not opposed to going back and that's where I was going. I was going to ask you would you be open to going back and offering another review? Absolutely, I'm not opposed to going back if I'm welcomed. If it's not a review, if it's just having a conversation, if it's being back on opening day and bringing my family and showing my support and showing that I mean it when I say,
Starting point is 00:16:38 I understand that as a business, it's a lot harder than just food itself. And I have nothing but respect and love for them and what they do. Keith, I went shopping yesterday for you. I know you'd be doing all these reviews and sometimes the food is really, really good
Starting point is 00:16:52 and you wanna take some of it home. So I went shopping for you at Amazon. I got you something. That's fire. Keep the leftovers. That's fire. I appreciate you, man. You're welcome.
Starting point is 00:17:04 Just being here with you was more than a gift. Appreciate you. Thank you man. Hard times I was broke, member Santo, five on four. These days when it only didn't I know. All right, Shannon, this is where everything started. And we was in here two years ago. We've been living here for like three or four years.
Starting point is 00:17:21 This is where I have my babies at. This is where everything started for me as far as contracts, as far as fighting, food reviews starting at Paw Patrol Chair. Yeah, this is the Mecca for real. This is the beginning of Keith Lee as we know it. Absolutely, and then some. Yeah.
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Starting point is 00:18:47 Being back here, what kind of memories come rushing back? Everything, man. This is insane to me. So literally, we moved here in 2019 when me and my wife had no money coming in for real. When I say no money, we were trying to figure out how to even survive down there. The rent was $1,000. We moved in, we had both our babies here. The pandemic happened here. All of the videos that you see online happened here. Me even starting on TikTok because I always had bad social anxiety. So I never posted. I never man, four years ago, you could never get me on camera. Right. So like this is where everything me even getting comfortable to be on camera started. I don't know if you can feel it,
Starting point is 00:19:23 but it's like I'm getting goosebumps, bro. Like I ain't been here so long. I was like, look, you can see it. Yeah, so I see you're standing up. But yeah, this mean everything to me. You mentioned that you started posting the TikTok videos to help with your stuttering, just help with your social anxiety,
Starting point is 00:19:37 and also to help you because in MMA, you're gonna have to do interviews and so you could be more fluid in your conversation. How how did the tick-tock what made you think say? You know what? Let me get behind the camera Let me just talk build up some courage to do this and then once I get in front of people I should be able To do it sit right here doing interviews I was sitting right I had like a little table and I was sitting in her MMA interviews and I would be so bad
Starting point is 00:20:00 It would literally mess up my entire week right from the point where like the second I had to think about doing the interview to three or four days before the interview to the actual interview to a week after the interview, it literally would just like ruin me. I'd be sweating, I'd be nervous, I'd be clammy. So during the pandemic, we ain't really had enough to do. Like we, like I said, she was pregnant. So my brother fought in Brazil and the second he fought in Brazil, the pandemic started while I was out there.
Starting point is 00:20:24 So she called me and so they don't really, they didn't really have the same newsfeed that they have out here. So when my wife called me, she like everybody taking stuff off the shelves, they panicking, they grabbing stuff and they weren't masking. That's when it first started. So, you know, people were wearing hazmat suits and all that stuff. So she called me and she was panicking. And I'm like, okay, as long as I can get back, then I'll be safe.
Starting point is 00:20:45 But I was worried about getting back. So by the time I got back, I was like, whatever we need to do to get this issue under wraps even a little bit, I'm gonna start doing. And TikTok at that point, it was either like you was made fun of for having it, or people was like, bro, you missing out because this is where everybody,
Starting point is 00:21:02 we in the house, so this is where everybody at. So I think it's one of those things where God don't make no mistakes. And my wife was telling me to do it. So I was like, I might as well try seeing where you are now, seeing where you were then. What's going through your mind? Uh, emotions, bro, like I'm trying not to cry. Yeah, it's it's surreal because I remember vividly having
Starting point is 00:21:27 conversations about the exact moment that we in right now. Coming back and rejoicing and having that I made it moment. And the fact that it's here, I don't even think it's impossible. I think it's impossible to put into words. I just can't wait for my kids to be able to watch this. Because I got a four-year-old and a two-year-old. And both of them were born in this house. So I just can't wait for my kids to be able to watch this because I got a four year old and a two year old and both of them are born in his house.
Starting point is 00:21:47 So I just can't wait for them to watch this and let them know that daddy made it. You mentioned the MMA aspect of it. So how did sports help you get over your anxiety? Because you're around people all the time. I mean, it's kind of hard to play sports and not have a conversation, not be having interaction. So did it help or hurt you playing sports?
Starting point is 00:22:06 I would say it kind of hurt me because the sports that I was playing, so I wrestled all from middle school to high school to my first year in college. And even my first year in college, only reason I didn't wrestle all the way through is because I couldn't afford it, so I got kicked out. But I feel like the reason it hurt
Starting point is 00:22:20 is because wrestling and MMA guys are very awkward anyway. And a lot of them go through a lot of eating disorders, they go through a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression, but it's not a thing that's spoke of in the sport. It's not a lot of people that come in a forefront and say it because we MMA fighters, we like the modern day gladiators, we supposed to be the tough guys. So I think a lot of it is hidden. So for me, once I got into the real world and I got into a space where I wasn't around nothing But fighters or wrestlers it made me feel like the outcast I always kind of felt like I'll cast even in wrestling but even more so when I was a normal society because
Starting point is 00:22:56 You have it's a different level. You got to turn off when you fighting. Yeah, absolutely Yeah, it's a different level. You got to turn you really fight you locked in So it's something that that I feel like a lot of people don't have to be able to switch on and switch off So for me it was hard to switch that off once I got into like a space where people looked at me more for Doing cooking videos or more for doing food critic videos and they looked at me for fighting Because as you know as a professional athlete you think that's all you want to do for the rest of your life So it was such a drastic change for me that I feel like fighting hurt it hurt a little bit Because the guy didn't have that social interaction with people all the social interaction with people I had was people that got kicked in
Starting point is 00:23:35 The head for a living so it was like they talked different. They act different. They have a different mindset So once I got into this space and I'm like you don't worry about getting punched in the face but did it Because like as you mentioned other fighters, they're kind of socially awkward kind of like yourself. They have anxiety They don't really care to be speaking on camera Did it give you a certain level of comfort hanging around people that were kind of just like you you guys had something in common? Subconsciously. Yeah, cuz like see you don't really know what you don't know, right? I didn't know cuz I don't really consider myself socially awkward. I consider myself a person who willfully
Starting point is 00:24:10 Exit from conversations exit from social interactions So again, it's something you don't even realize until you get around other people and you like wait You ought to be sitting here talking to people like you be mingling, right? I never did that like are you networking? I don't do that. Are you naturally an introverted person? Absolutely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A thousand percent. I think a lot of it is trauma-based.
Starting point is 00:24:30 I had a very traumatic childhood. Okay. My parents did the best that they could because my mom and dad were always super involved. I've just always been kind of like a quiet, state of myself kind of person. And then when I didn't and I tried to step out of that and tried to be like the life of the party and like the extrovert that will go out party, drink, smoke. I always ended up in like, I was always the one that was targeted for some reason. And I genuinely believe now retrospect, it was because God was telling me that that's not for you. And you're trying to fit into
Starting point is 00:24:57 something that don't belong for you. So I'm gonna make you an example and I'm gonna stick you on the forefront. And I felt like that was always the example for me. Being socially awkward as a child having the speech impediment I had one of the I still have a list by talking with other people. Why you think I got a speech impediment? Where did that come from? It seemed like you had a stuttering problem correct? Uh, kind of yeah. Okay, we can go speech impediment. I mean you do realize stuttering is a speech impediment.
Starting point is 00:25:20 It wasn't necessarily stuttering it was more or less of like trying to I guess it's better The kids the kids make fun of you and make you go deeper deeper Into being into yourself and deeper deeper introverted. Mm-hmm. No, I was if anything I was a bully I need to go a lot of you. Okay, I was a I can guess. Oh, I was a bully. I didn't even go lie to you. Okay. I was a, I can guess, oh, I was an asshole, bro. Like, growing up, as a kid, it wasn't no, me getting bullied. It was more the opposite, because I was always real small. So when I graduated high school, I was like 4'11", maybe like a hundred and...
Starting point is 00:25:55 Who you bullying at 4'11"? Exactly. It was one of those things, it was, I got a, I had a little man got, complect, a little man syndrome. So it was like, the last thing you was about to do was mess with me again. And again, I wrestled off to high school,
Starting point is 00:26:08 so I had that edge over a lot of people. But for the most part, I always was fighting, I was always arguing, I always had a problem with authority. So for me, again, I never really realized that I was this introvert or this super quiet person until I got into spaces where I would be around other extroverts or I got into spaces where like I said it was networking events or like people looked at me something other than a fighter.
Starting point is 00:26:32 So my older brother fought, he was in the UFC by the time I graduated high school. So I always was in his shadow. So for me, it was easy to be like, I'm just Kevin Lee's brother, like I don't really have to step out of that so when all of this started taking off and like I was Keith Lee that's when everything like opened up for me and I really saw like oh you really got an issue like you really can't do interviews you really can't talk to another human being for more than five minutes without you sweating bullets and like literally like want to shut off and just running your room for
Starting point is 00:27:03 the rest of the day if that didn't really start until like I said like 2019-2020 but as a kid yeah you couldn't tell me nothing. So how was it at family time because you said I mean did you realize that how is your family are they very talkative that you know you guys sit around the television and carry on conversation to watch a program together so how was it growing up with your brother and well you said he was already in the UFC. So he's probably what, five, six years old? Four years.
Starting point is 00:27:28 So I got a brother that's four years older than me, brother that's four years younger than me. And then I got a sister that's seven years older than me. Okay. So how was your childhood? How was your, you know, you and your brothers, did y'all get along? Did you fight?
Starting point is 00:27:40 No. So we definitely didn't get along. Okay. But for me, Alex, I was always, I feel like the black sheep, but I feel like me and my sister argue about that a lot because she feel like she was a black sheep. But so my sister, she had godparents. So growing up, she was always with her godparents. And then it was me, my older brother, my younger brother, my older brother was a very smart
Starting point is 00:27:59 kid, the kid who everybody like modeled after and everybody was like praising at all times. He had always had like a 4.0 great point average. He was in sports. He was light-skinned curly hair Pretty boy do like way lighter than me. Okay. Yeah. Yeah, right typical b2k Okay, like super curly When I was younger, I was always the darkest out of everybody in my family So and I like I was small the darkest out of everybody in my family. And I was small. The main thing about me as a kid, I always either hurt myself or I always ended up in a situation to where I was the center of attention but for the wrong reasons.
Starting point is 00:28:35 Self-hurt yourself or? I was clumsy. So my head was the same size it is now. I was just 4'11". So it was like my neck wasn't strong enough to carry. I got scars all back here. I got a scar on my forehead, you see here. I got scars all in here. When I say that was a normal thing for us to have a family function and us to end up in an emergency room because Kieftain bust his head open. I had staples. That's happened to me at least,
Starting point is 00:29:02 I would say six, seven different times, seven different occasions. And for me, like I said, childhood wise, it was more or less of like, I was always trying to figure out where I belonged and why I belonged where I belonged and I never could really like figure it out so I was always longing for attention. So I always had a problem with authority
Starting point is 00:29:21 and I would make it known that I had a problem with authority. So I was always the one getting suspended. I was always the one getting kicked out of school. I got kicked out of five or six different schools. I got expelled, when I say kicked out, I mean expelled from the whole school district. So yeah, it was like that.
Starting point is 00:29:35 Did you have a problem with, you know, parents are authoritative figures. Did you have a problem with your parents? Absolutely, yeah, me and my dad used to get into it all the time, to the point where I moved out when I was 16 and with your parents? Absolutely. Me and my dad used to get into it all the time. To the point where I moved out when I was 16 and with my godbrother. And then when I moved back in, we ended up moving here.
Starting point is 00:29:51 And then when I met my wife, I met my wife when I was 18. I was homeless at the time. Let me tell it. I ran away from home and was sleeping in my car. You had a place, but you didn't give me one. Yeah, I had a place. I just wasn't staying. Should tell you, I literally was sleeping in my car.
Starting point is 00:30:04 And I never told her this until maybe like last year. I would like, so I was working as a lifeguard. I would drive to work, and I had like a 2000 Nissan Maximum Superbucket. I used to drive to work in it, and then as soon as I would get off work, I would text her and be like, hey, I'm on my way over to you.
Starting point is 00:30:21 Little did she know, I'm already sitting in a parking lot, and I've been sleeping there for three days. And I'm literally like on the phone with my cousin, with my sister and telling them like what's going on. And she think I'm getting off of work, but the whole time I've been sleeping in the parking lot. I walk upstairs, take a shower, get some food, be like, oh, I'm headed back to work
Starting point is 00:30:38 just cause I didn't want to be embarrassed. Walk back downstairs and sleep back in my car. Yeah, so that was happening for maybe like, what, a month maybe? Yeah, maybe like a month. So my relationship with my parents, I've always been very rocky, but I take a lot of credit for it because my dad always tried the best that he possibly could. When he would come home, it would be like, either you're going to do what I say or that's
Starting point is 00:30:56 it, no other ifs, ands, or buts. I grew up in an old school household. It was different for me because I've always been a big communicator. So you either got to explain to me why I'm doing what I'm doing or I'm not doing it. No, no, no, no. Old school don't explain nothing. Exactly. Don't explain nothing. That's a fact. I'm the king of the household. She the queen and you listen to everything we say.
Starting point is 00:31:16 And that always was a problem for me. The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers. So that's why we created The Big Take from Bloomberg podcasts, to give you the context you need to make sense of it all. Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters. You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine. A lot of this BIM stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the SEC.
Starting point is 00:31:41 Amanda Moll, who writes our Business Week Buying Power column. Very few companies who go viral are totally prepared for what that means. Amanda Moll, who writes our Business Week buying power column. Very few companies who go viral are like totally prepared for what that means. And Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter. Courts are not supposed to decide elections. Courts are not really supposed to play a big role in choosing our elected leaders. It's for the voters to decide.
Starting point is 00:32:04 Follow The Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen. Hey everyone, I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York. And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packer stan. Anya and I met through hockey and now we're married and moms to two awesome toddlers.
Starting point is 00:32:25 And on our new podcast, Moms Who Puck, we're opening up about the chaos of our daily lives between the juggle of being athletes, raising children, and all the messiness in between. We're also turning to fellow athletes and beyond to learn about their parenthood journeys and collect valuable advice, like FIFA World Cup winner, Ashlyn Harris.
Starting point is 00:32:44 I wish my village would have prepared me for how hard motherhood was going to be. And Peloton instructor and Ratchet Mom Club founder, Kirsten Ferguson. And I remember going in there, hot mess. So listen to Moms Who Puck, a production of iHeart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:33:05 Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Hey, I'm Myles Gray. And I'm Jack O'Brien. We're the hosts of The Daily Zeitgeist, and we wanna tell you about Myles and Jack got mad boosties an NBA podcast from iHeartRadio.
Starting point is 00:33:24 We nailed that. This is a weekly podcast about all the amazing moments that keep all of us NBA fans coming back for more. Basically, if you love basketball and you like to laugh, listen to Miles and Jack Got Mad Boosties, an NBA podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Brought to you by Hypnotic.
Starting point is 00:33:44 Did your brother and sister have those same problems with your father, orought to you by Hypnotic. Did your brother and sister have those same problems with your father or they just like, okay? No. It just so. No, it was me. Yeah, but it was, so it trickled down for me to my younger brother, so my younger brother
Starting point is 00:33:54 and I was in prison. And I believe a lot of it, no, it's okay. He, he, horrible. He was bad. For you to say it, considering that you said you were bad. Yeah, it was real bad. He was bad. Like it trickled down from me to him.
Starting point is 00:34:06 But I think a lot of times it was more or less of, like I said, just a communication issue. So my sister, like I said, she was with my godparents. So by time a lot of the traumatic stuff happened for me, she was already in Chicago where she went to school at, and then my older brother, he was already in college. So quick story, when I was in 11th grade, my brother had, like I said, he was four years older than me, so he had graduated already, he was in college. So quick story, when I was in 11th grade, my brother had like he's four years
Starting point is 00:34:26 older than me. So he had graduated already. He was in college. We were living in some originally from Detroit. So we were living in Detroit on seven mile out of drive. And we had my dad bought us a topper bike. We bought my little brother topper bike. You know what a topper bike is? So I want to buy sad the real big tire on the front and then the real fat tire on the back. Yeah, he bought my little brother one of those and he was riding around neighborhood acting like he was a shit. And it was a group of kids across the street. Obviously they didn't like it. Again, we still in the inner city of Detroit. So one day they stole his bike. We end up going to get it back and we put
Starting point is 00:34:58 it back in the garage. One of the little boys from across the street came while we were asleep. It was just me, my mom, me, my mom, and my little brother. My dad was at work. He came in the garage while we were asleep and I saw him, nobody else saw him, so I walked outside and confronted him. He went to go take the bike anyway.
Starting point is 00:35:13 I punched him in the face. He ran out stairs, told his brothers, told all of his cousins and whatnot. I go back in the house not thinking nothing of it. Maybe five minutes later, all you hear is like, it sound like a war, war is starting outside. All you hear is like people screaming and yelling. I go peek through the window, no exaggeration,
Starting point is 00:35:29 it's probably 30 people and they all running down the street and they taking their shirts off, you already know what that mean, they taking their shirts off, screaming. It's over with. It ain't even nothing you can say at this point. So they full blown coming down the street. I go to close the window, acting like if they don't see me,
Starting point is 00:35:45 then they go the opposite direction. Before you know it, there's a brick that comes through the front window and it shattered all the glass. We had a glass that was in the, so the front door was here and then the glass was here. It literally shattered through the living room. So now it's a big brick in my living room.
Starting point is 00:36:00 My mom come downstairs and she panicking. She go to open the door. They rushed the door. They completely like try and take me outside. I end up getting jumped They end up hitting my mama and they hit my little brother But when this happened, of course, you know my dad get a call. I handle my own I like to think I still got jumped. So I go in the house. I call my dad tell him My brother ends up driving down because he went to school in Grand Valley
Starting point is 00:36:22 Okay, was maybe like an hour hour and a half. He ended up driving down, because he went to school in Grand Valley, was maybe like an hour, hour and a half. He ended up driving down, well I'm a kid, so I don't know how far it felt, but it felt like an hour. But he drive back, he pull up, my dad get a gun, long story short, he go down, do whatever he was supposed to do at the house, according to court documents.
Starting point is 00:36:40 He went down and did whatever they said he did. And the next morning, my dad. Your older brother or your dad. Okay. Mm-hmm So the next morning My dad's in jail I'm at we still stand at the house. Maybe a week later. We getting eviction notice They come my brother went back to school by this point. So literally to me my mom my little brother We hear my dad gone. We getting eviction notice
Starting point is 00:37:01 They come and tell us like hey you got two or three days to get out and we throw everything on the curb. My mom's best friend used to live like on the opposite side of the block but she had a house that she had just moved out of and it was one of those situations like how I was telling you here how when we moved out we just didn't tell the landlord that we moved out so the landlord still thinking we there but at this point we squatting basically so we get evicted we move over to that house, we squatting, and it was one of the darkest times of my life. And I'm telling you, I'm at this point of like, not understanding really, but like, fully like, what am I doing? My mom, she has no money at this point. We
Starting point is 00:37:37 eaten checkers, shout out to checkers, because at this point, I want to sponsor you. We eaten checkers box and they had a popcorn chicken box and it was like popcorn chicken and fries and you get it for like $2 and we all get one a day and that's all we've eaten. So that again, my older brother wasn't there, my older sister wasn't there. It was just me and my younger brother that had to go through that. And it was one of those things where I feel like that really molded me as a person of who I am.
Starting point is 00:38:02 So that's probably why I act probably why I act a little bit. Now as an adult, I feel like I've learned from a lot of it and being in this house has really like reminded me of why I'm exactly where I'm at and where I'm supposed to be at. Did that experience- Damn bro, you about to choke me up. Come on man.
Starting point is 00:38:23 That experience that you went through, did that have anything that you say, you know what, I'm going to the MMA. I got junk, I'm gonna be able to, because you say you're handling your own, but I mean you can only do so much when it's 10, five, 10, 15 people. Yeah, yeah.
Starting point is 00:38:37 Not necessarily. I feel like the main reason why I ended up fighting is because I got kicked out of school, I got kicked out of college, well I couldn't afford it, and they basically was like, either you give us $25,000 by tomorrow or the next day after that,
Starting point is 00:38:50 or you gotta leave. So I came back home to Vegas, and my brother, he saw me on the couch, and he saw I was depressed, and I didn't know what I was about to do, and he was like, bro, come to the gym with me. And he took me to the gym, and I never turned back.
Starting point is 00:39:00 Wow. So what did MMA give you? What does MMA do for Keith Lee? Hard work. It gave me a lot of like resilience and I feel like that's exactly what I take into this profession that I'm in now. I feel like my work ethic is bar none.
Starting point is 00:39:18 I honestly don't, that's why I don't compare myself to nobody and I don't consider myself an influencer. I just consider myself Keith and I feel like the reason I do that is because, not to sound cocky or sound like an asshole, but I'm him, Shannon. I'm one of them, I ain't gonna lie to you. I take a lot of credit and I give it to my wife and I give it to my kids and I give it to my sister and the people in our family. We eat some dogs, bro.
Starting point is 00:39:42 When I tell you, it might look like we just eat food, but even this last week, we've been in four different states, thugging it out with the Sprinter Van, and a lot of this we do with our own money, we do it our own time. And before you know it, we look up and we on a food tour and we've been outside in the Sprinter Van for nine hours a day.
Starting point is 00:40:00 And I feel like a lot of that is attested to my MMA background. Because again, it's a different switch you gotta to turn on in order to to really like lock everything out and just Do what you feel like you call it to do And that's what I feel like I take into food and anything You got an eight and five record in the MMA you won three by knockout one by submission four by decision. Uh-huh What's what's the hardest part about MMA? I mean, you know, look, there is everything. I mean, the backfist and kick you and hitch elbow you and choke you out, man.
Starting point is 00:40:31 Absolutely. Because really, people ain't really trying to go to the cards. No. If you're trying to be in the UFC, Dana won't action. That's a fact. He won't action. So you go get a couple of decisions, Dana go like, nah, you're not for the UFC. So what is the hardest part about MMA? I can't speak for nobody else, but I feel like the reason
Starting point is 00:40:47 why my record looked the way it did is because, again, I had a brother that was already in it, so I didn't have a slow roll. If you go back and watch and see who I fought, I would jump in into the deep end immediately. Like, my first three fights was in Canada. Most people don't fight internationally until they get to their 10th, 15th pro fight.
Starting point is 00:41:06 I was outside immediately. So the hardest part for me was fighting guys that were out of my experience level and not really having anybody to be like, relax bro, you ain't gotta rush it. I was 18 fighting guys that had kids and wives and real life struggles. So for me I felt like that was the hardest part.
Starting point is 00:41:25 But physically the hardest part, I feel like if you were to beat me, it was pressure. It was guys that was coming forward nonstop, had nothing to lose, was willing to get knocked out. I always was a person who valued my footwork. So I'm moving. I don't want to get hit. I don't like getting punched. I got a pretty face, Shannon. I want to keep this.
Starting point is 00:41:46 It was guys who didn't care, bro. Yeah, it was guys who didn't give a damn. But yeah, once I, I didn't even really officially retire. My wife wanted me to officially retire, but everything kind of just took off in like the end of 2022. And in like December, I fought in September 2022. So right after that last fight, everything kind of took off. But I feel like, yeah, the hardest part was just like, and it's relinquishing. It's like you have no control over what's about to happen. You just gotta let it happen. And that's the hardest part for me. It's like just getting into that mindset of like,
Starting point is 00:42:17 God, I trust you and I know whatever's about to happen is about to happen and it ain't nothing that I'm about to do. I can train for eight weeks straight, the hardest training camp, be the most prepared, train with the world champions, train with everybody who they claim is the best. You go out there and get finished in 20 seconds. So it ain't really nothing you can do about it other than just let it be what it is. You said you had a wrestling background, so clearly you're good at grappling. You can try to take people down, get them off their feet. Like you said, you don't want to get
Starting point is 00:42:44 punched in the face, so the best way not to get punched in the face is get them on the mat and do what you need to do. So that was what you tried to do? I was a hybrid, so I mix it up really well in my opinion. I came in an era where people was doing everything. So there was no more just grapplers or just strikers. There's very rare cases of it, and somebody like Khabib, where he's a straight grappler,
Starting point is 00:43:09 I came in on the tail of the net. So like I said, I turned professional in 2015 when I was 18, or 2014. So that was when literally you had to do everything. People on the grassroots level, or the amateur ranks, they was literally switching stances already. Stuff that most people don't do
Starting point is 00:43:24 until like I said, 20, 25 pro fights. They was fighting at 1918. grappling and striking. So I like to consider myself part of that generation. What does it feel like to knock someone out? And what does it feel like to get knocked out? So I've never been knocked out. I've been finished once in my entire career. And that was me being choked out. Rear naked triangle? Rear naked. Okay. So that was probably in that and I feel like I love the dream and rock it up. That fight right there was literally what made my life
Starting point is 00:43:57 begin to where it's at right now. So I was in his house when it happened too by the way. That's crazy. I was here when it happened So I just had a contract with Bellator Which is the second biggest promotion in the world when it comes to MMA. I was two and one in the promotion I had just beat they number seventh ranked guy and a number eighth ranked guy And I was I had just lost to a number one ranked guy. So I'm thinking in my head like oh, it's just a bounce back fight I'm fighting this guy. So I'm thinking in my head, like, oh, it's just a bounce back fight. I'm fighting this guy that's like seven and oh.
Starting point is 00:44:27 I'm like, oh, this is gonna put me right back into top contention, because they had a tournament coming up at 135 to where the top eight guys fought for a million dollars. So the winner between me and the guy I fought that was seven and oh went into the tournament. So I'm thinking like, mind you, I just fought number seven, number eight. This guy was, I think he was ranked number 12 went into the tournament. Okay, so I'm thinking like mind you I just bought I just fought number seven number eight. This guy was I think he was ranked number 12th at the time
Starting point is 00:44:48 I'm real cocky Shana. I'm like, oh, it's over with like I'm telling it would spot in the tournament. I got I'm telling exactly what we about to do with the money I'm taking a camp serious, but I already I'm going into it with that mindset of like oh, it's over with I Get smoked. I'm talking about whooped on first time my entire career so at 85 only had my four losses were by split decision and split decisions to where like It could literally go like this like razor there. That was the only time where I got shut out and I got finished in the first round
Starting point is 00:45:28 He was when I say jab everything was landing. I was looking up by how many people in here I'm looking at his coaches like why are you gonna let him jump over the top? They come punch me in the face. Yeah, it's bad, bro I look up before you know it He got my back and it's maybe like 10 seconds left for the clock and I could hear so they do a smacker But it last 10 seconds So I could hear the 10 second smacker and you can see on my face in the video that I'm here I'm still there. He got the choke, but I'm like, I'm alright. I'm still scrambling before you know it
Starting point is 00:45:57 I go to lift up. I get up and I run to the cage I don't know I've been out for like three seconds. Wow. And he looking at me, out. You can go watch the video. I'm completely bloodied up. And my head, I didn't go out at all. In my head, I'm like, oh, this choke not even in. Oh, let me get up. Oh, I hear the time's over.
Starting point is 00:46:15 Let me get up and run to my corner. Literally, you know, I'm out. I wake up, my head snapped back. I stand up and I stumble all the way over to the corner. And the ref, he picked me up and he like, it's over with. You can see in the video, I'm like, why, what happened? I was out, gone. It felt like a movie.
Starting point is 00:46:32 Like, it felt like, it's such a weird feeling because you still hear everything, you still feel everything. Like, you feel like you're watching somebody else. Like, I felt like I was standing over myself and being like, oh, the joke not even in. But the whole time I'm like, calm. So for me, that felt like a movie. But putting somebody else to sleep, that's one of the most amazing feelings.
Starting point is 00:46:56 That's why I say it's a switch. You got to be a little crazy. You got to be a little off to say you feel good to put somebody to sleep. But when you end a heat of the moment, I feel like it's one of those vindicate moments because the second, for anybody who's never fought before, the second that you know you won,
Starting point is 00:47:11 everything from, so it's usually like an eight week process that goes into fighting, and that's from cutting weight, that's from eating right, that's from making sure that you're running in the morning. Yeah, no sex, none of that. None of that, I'm talking about like full blown militant. So the second that the fight is over, it could be from you finishing, putting a guy to sleep,
Starting point is 00:47:30 everything comes crashing. And you just feel like, oh, I can breathe now. So it's literally like when people say, like, it's a monkey on your back, that's no joke. You know, winning like Super Bowl, that's exactly what it feels like every fight, is like somebody lifting somebody off your shoulders. So it's like literally the second the fight is over,
Starting point is 00:47:46 you just go, oh. And then it shows that all that hard work, all the eight weeks paid off. Absolutely, absolutely. It's one of the best feelings in the world. What about a return? Are you interested in returning to the octagon? It gotta be a lot of money involved, Shayna.
Starting point is 00:48:01 A lot of money. I got kids, man. And the main reason I even stopped training, like I said, there was never an official retirement. The main reason I even stopped is because you either gotta do it or you not gonna do it at all. Oh yeah, it's all in. It ain't no plan, it ain't no like,
Starting point is 00:48:18 oh, I'm about to go on a food tour, I'm about to go drive around the city and I'm about to go eat and then I'ma train. Ain't none of that. No. I trained with one of the best guys in the world, his name is Dewey Cooper. He trained Francis Ngannou. He's got like four or five different championships
Starting point is 00:48:32 in UFC alone. He a bad man. So playing with him, it wasn't no like, oh, I'm about to come in, I'm a celebrity. Ain't none of that, man, go get on the bag. So for me, it was either you gonna do it You're not gonna do it at all. So that's probably the main decision when I come back I'm looking at my wife right now and that's a no
Starting point is 00:48:56 So Have you ever met Dana? I've met him like in passion, right? Because my brother fought for ten years I get them like in passing. Right. Because my brother fought for 10 years. But I never had like a full-blown conversation. So do you still train? Like, no, sir.
Starting point is 00:49:10 You see me in this chair? I'm spread it out in this chair. So there's, I mean, do you still work out? Yeah, I play basketball. Right. So that's it. No training, no math, no glove work, no? I'm blessed enough to say I got a lot of contracts right now,
Starting point is 00:49:25 and all of those contracts says that I can't have any blemishes on my face. Right. So if I go train from just scar tissue from doing it for so long, my face is automatically either gonna swell up or it's gonna open up or it's gonna get cut real easy, and that messes up the money. I can't mess with the money. It doesn't mess with the money. We just saw the fight this weekend.
Starting point is 00:49:47 John Jones took out Stipe. Now he's the heavyweight champ. He also took the belt from Cyril Ghosn. I hate that whole conversation. We can talk about it. I hate that whole conversation. Do you hate the conversation to go? I hate the conversation of him ducking from time. Oh, no, I'm gonna be. I hate it, bro.
Starting point is 00:50:01 Now we talking, because I like to consider myself an MMA, what's the, nerd, geek. Officionado cuz I like to consider myself an MMA What's the nerd? Yeah, official not fishing not all of that Like about bones I've I only think it's a conversation or is a question that he's the best that we've ever seen do it by far I hate the the conversation of like he ducking time We did this maybe like a year ago with Sergey Pavlovsh, that's how you say his last name.
Starting point is 00:50:27 Excuse me if I pronounce it wrong. But when he was coming through the ranks and he was killing people, everybody was like, oh he gotta fight Jones and Jones scared of him. And then he got finished by Tom and don't nobody talk about him no more. It's like don't nobody pay him no attention. But it's like, it's very annoying to see somebody,
Starting point is 00:50:44 especially somebody that look like us, be in a space but it's like, it's very annoying to see somebody, especially somebody that look like us, be in a space where it's like, every single time you do something, it's something else that gotta be done in order for you to sit and make your legacy. It's like, he's been doing this since I was a kid. Yes. He's been doing it for...
Starting point is 00:50:56 We've been the champ since 2011. That's insane. Yeah, that's insane. And he hasn't lost to anybody. No. If he was anybody else, it wouldn't even be a question. It wouldn't even be a conversation. Because when can B beat, that was Gachie, his last fight.
Starting point is 00:51:15 When can B beat Gachie, there wasn't a question of, oh, he got to come back and he got to fight Ilya to submit his legacy. Or he got to come back, he got to fight Volk to submit his legacy. Or he got to come back, he got to fight Volk to submit his legacy or he got to come back, he got to fight Holloway. It wasn't none of that. It wasn't even a, like even, there's no conversation as we speak revolving around his legacy, his
Starting point is 00:51:35 greatness, but with Jones, he got to beat everybody in a moment in order to get any kind of recognition. And then when he beats Aspenall, they're going to come up with some- He's going to smoke Aspenall. They will come up with somebody else, but he's got to wait until he's 40. There's always going to be something else. Yeah, they're gonna come up with somebody else. But he's gotta wait till he's 40. There's always gonna be something else. Yeah, there's always gonna be something else. And even if he don't beat Aspenall because it's the fight world, anything that happens,
Starting point is 00:51:51 I don't think that takes away from the greatness that is John Jones and that always will be John Jones. To have that type of reign for a decade and a half? I don't think Tom doing that. I ain't gonna lie. He might. Again, everything happens the way it's supposed to but It I feel like it's a little a little too late because again don't what time is 27 31 I think I
Starting point is 00:52:12 Think he's seven years younger than that. I think that I think that I think the conversation is over with that alone Alone even just as age. Are you a boxing fan? Every now and again, I watch yeah, I predicted tank and Are you a boxing fan? Every now and again, I watch. Yeah, I predicted Tank and Garcia in front of Tank. Literally, the punch, the round, and exactly how I was about to go. Right. Because again, I'm him, Shayna. So who do you want to see Tank fight?
Starting point is 00:52:37 People say they want to see a rematch, they want to see Tank fight Shakur, they want to see him fight Boops. So who would you like to see Tank fight? That's a great question. I feel like there's so many options, but at the same time, I think a lot of people feel like he hasn't been tested yet Because we are in his era of protect the oh But just from seeing him up close and watching him. So I trained at Mayweathers for years. So just seeing him up close. I Feel like I'm about to sound like a us for years. So just seeing him up close, I feel like I'm about to sound like a tape recorder with anybody that's in his camp. Tank him, bro. Take one of them. So I don't
Starting point is 00:53:10 care who you fight. I feel like he is our generation's best. And I feel like at the end of the day, when the smoke is clear, he's going to come out of like really being one of them. Where are you on this celebrity boxing? We just saw Jake Paul fight Tyson, we saw McGregor. I hated that fight. I hated everything about that fight. What did you hate about it? Do you think it was staged? What happened? First to the lead up, I told my wife that I can't be there because I was going to drop the ring. I was wanting... It's Tyson, bro. He's a legend of the sport. He's a legend of our community.
Starting point is 00:53:45 He is somebody who should be held to the highest regard. I don't like that there was this conversation of competitiveness. He's 60, bro. Right. If we bring up any legend of any other race or demographic, there's no way that you touch in one of their legends. But we allow our legends to get in there and know he allowed that Mockery I agree with you
Starting point is 00:54:07 I agree with you but us as fans still was convert having conversations around the fight itself like it was about to be a competitive or Back and forth fight. I mean Keith if what they're saying is true to man made 20 mil I mean, I hear you I hear you but is it money jump for it now You have to realize here's a guy that's made what five six seven Hundred million dollars and I'm not so sure he has half of that I'm not so sure he has a third of that here in so twenty million dollars at the age of 58 But you you might Tyson the money gonna come and go right? Yeah
Starting point is 00:54:36 He's had way more than 20 million before for sure So in my mind is I know he I watched Tyson very religiously and I know he don't believe in legacy. But for me, it's not necessarily him, it's the kids that's below him, it's my kids, it's me. It's somebody who's watched him literally from the beginning. So to stand on integrity, this is one thing that I always preach to my kids, to stand on something that would last forever
Starting point is 00:55:06 and that you can pass on to another generation. And that's as far as integrity and that's as far as something that you, a code that you stand behind. To stand on that is way more valuable than any amount of money. Yeah, for me. So would you do a celebrity boxing match?
Starting point is 00:55:21 Maybe. Maybe. See? Maybe. You said money have to be right. So they got five million. For me, so money-wise, it would specifically be professional fighting. That's where I say the money gotta be right. Because again, my life is in- Yeah. No, there's celebrity. But celebrity, the money don't necessarily gotta be right. It gotta be the right- It's gotta be the right fight. For me, I wouldn't fight necessarily
Starting point is 00:55:44 celebrity because I feel like it would erase what I've done for 10 years in the space. It would really just be to go out there and have fun but still be competitive. So it would have to be that middle ground of being competitive and still not getting cut off by my wife because I'm getting cut and stuff. What is there any way we could do a celebrity MMA fight? Maybe we can be the first of the kind.
Starting point is 00:56:01 celebrity MMA fight? Maybe, we can be the first of the kind. Who you wanna see me fight, Shannon? I don't know who, like, you say you fought at 135. Oh, I'm not that at all right now. 155? I'm a big boy, no, I'm solid. 160, you're not more than 160 though. Way more than 160.
Starting point is 00:56:17 No, come on, Key. Way more. Come on, Key. I'm solid, bro, I'm built like a brick house. Okay, 163, 163. No, not even close what you're trying to say you you know 190 keeps I'm like 180 183 solid I'm making 68 do that Shannon yeah what's every game what's every day so one thing I know when you kept asking Shannon who he wanted who would he want
Starting point is 00:56:43 to see you fight if he threw out Jake Paul was what would you be your response? Make that money man Don't make that money man Come on, Steve. Come on, Steve. Yeah. Did you say, you know what? Yeah, yeah, come on, Steve. We want Ocho. OK. Come on, Steve. I completely, I didn't even, yeah, go ahead.
Starting point is 00:57:11 Talk that talk. Let me do it like this. Last year, my co-host, we were talking about you was critiquing a wrestler. And Ocho said something. You responded. And we were talking earlier about Celebrity boxing match we asked would you fight Jake Paul and you said you would like a celebrity boxing match
Starting point is 00:57:32 If I'm gonna do anybody let's go Chad. Come on Ocho One Ocho was talking hot Ocho was talking on a different level, but we've had a conversation since Yeah, I come from a place of love man, I come from a place that transparency we had a conversation Chad didn't mean no harm, but If you want to put the gloves on we put the gloves on. I ain't gonna lie. I whoop chat ass Take Ocho down through there and again, I'm coming from a place to love I'll take Ocho down through there. And again, that's coming from a place of love. I'll take Ocho down through there.
Starting point is 00:58:05 Oh, he say he got the size of one. I'll take Ocho down through there. All right. And I feel like we'd sell out a big one for that. Ocho. Down through there. We can make this happen. Ocho what?
Starting point is 00:58:17 He 190? Yeah. 185? Yeah. 185, 190. How tall is he? Six, one? Yeah, he about six, one 190? Yeah. 185?
Starting point is 00:58:25 Yeah, 185, 190. How tall is he? 6'1"? Yeah, he about 6'1", 6 and 1. You got to be two something to do something around here. What? Yeah, you got it. I ain't going to lie.
Starting point is 00:58:36 Non-professional, it's different, because again, I was fighting at one of the highest levels that you could fight at. But non-professional, anything under 200 can't do nothing with me. Ooh. Oh, Joe, now you say you want this more you've been calling out Andre Ward and all these Keith Lee say he got the hand for you he said he updated you too it'd be crazy too and registered in ten different states and we gonna hug each
Starting point is 00:58:58 other and pray afterwards you mentioned you were in velator when they didn't renew you or they released you what was going through your mind then? Oh my life was over with my mind. I came back in his very house and had no when I say no idea my My wife was pregnant with our second child I had a two-year-old The rent here was a thousand dollars. I had no idea how I was about to pay that. I literally vividly remember sitting in this very chair in this very spot. I swear to you, I went to it. This is when Food Reviews actually started for me because before then I was just cooking
Starting point is 00:59:35 in this kitchen and I would cook four times a day for her when she was pregnant and I would just record myself every time I was cooking. And when after that fight, I was curled up in a ball in that bed God damn I was crying. I was curled up in a ball and I remember her coming over top of me and being like everything It's gonna be okay It was so hard for me to see because I'm staring at my two-year-old. I'm staring at her belly. I Know sense of what's about to happen. I I had no sense of what's about to happen.
Starting point is 01:00:08 I thought that Food Reviews could do something, or I thought, I wouldn't even say, I'm lying to myself. I had no idea what Food Reviews was gonna do. You definitely didn't think it would take off like this. Never in a million years. I just vividly remember having a conversation with her, and she telling me I was gonna be okay, and she was rubbing my back. I stood up and I was like,
Starting point is 01:00:23 I'm about to make something happen. I'm about to go do something. I don't know what it is, but whatever is calling me, whatever that voice is telling me to do, I'm about to do it. And I've listened to it before, and I'm in a position where I'm losing contracts.
Starting point is 01:00:35 And when I say lost contract channel, that contract was worth, I think I had like $100,000 up on contract. That's money. I'm like, oh, bro, wait. I was like, just, all right, I ain't even gotta fight. Just give me $100,000 up on contract. That's money. I was like, oh, bro, wait. I was like, just, all right, I ain't even gotta fight. Just give me $100,000. In my mind.
Starting point is 01:00:50 But, like God willingly, maybe six months after all that had happened, and like I was sitting in the chair, I started doing food reviews, Wingstop reached out to me and they gave me a contract that was worth the exact same amount that that contract was worth for Bellator. The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Starting point is 01:01:07 So that's why we created The Big Take from Bloomberg podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all. Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters. You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine. A lot of this Boomstock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the SEC. Amanda Moll, who writes our Business Week buying power column. Very few companies who go viral are like totally prepared for what that means. And Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter.
Starting point is 01:01:37 Courts are not supposed to decide elections. Courts are not really supposed to play a big role in choosing our elected leaders. That's for the voters to decide. Follow The Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen. Hey, everyone. I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York. And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packer stan. Anya and I met through hockey
Starting point is 01:02:07 and now we're married and moms to two awesome toddlers. And on our new podcast, Moms Who Puck, we're opening up about the chaos of our daily lives between the juggle of being athletes, raising children and all the messiness in between. We're also turning to fellow athletes and beyond to learn about their parenthood journeys and collect valuable advice. like FIFA World Cup winner
Starting point is 01:02:28 Ashlyn Harris. I wish my village would have prepared me for how hard motherhood was gonna be. And Peloton instructor and Ratchet Mom Club founder Kirsten Ferguson. And I remember going in there hot mess. So listen to Moms Who Puck, a production of iHeart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Hey, I'm Miles Gray.
Starting point is 01:02:57 And I'm Jack O'Brien. We're the hosts of The Daily Zeitgeist. And we want to tell you about Miles and Jack got mad boosties an NBA podcast from I Heart Radio we nailed that this is a weekly podcast about all the amazing moments that keep all of us NBA fans coming back for more basically if you love basketball and you like to laugh listen to miles and Jack got mad boosties an NBA podcast on the I heart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast brought to you by hypnotic You had jobs you did a delivery for Postmates door dash. Were you good delivery guy? You get good tips
Starting point is 01:03:36 You invite up them people food is no No, my little brother was. That's my little brother. That's why I say he in prison. But no, for me, I feel like I was, but I had so much going on at the time. I was sharing a car with my wife. So my daily schedule was I would wake up, I would go drop her off in the morning. She had to be at work at what, nine o'clock? She had to be at work at nine. I would drop her off. I would go do three or four deliveries that took maybe like an hour.
Starting point is 01:04:12 I would go straight to the gym after that. I would train for maybe two hours, leave the gym. I'm talking about sweating, smelling like everything. Smell like get back home. All of that. Get in the car, go do more deliveries. That's why I can't really say I'm a good delivery driver because of a delivery driver pull up and he smelled like a high He's a man. He probably not gonna tip down He won't fool now But I was grinding bro. I literally would leave there do four five deliveries go to the next gym session After that do two or three go pick her up from work take her with me to do a few more to get money for dinner, and then after dinner, I would try and recover
Starting point is 01:04:51 the best I could and do it again tomorrow. So was I a good delivery driver? I was a delivery driver that did what he had to do. Right. Did you get good tips? Uh-uh. Maybe, a little bit, but uh-uh. Uh-uh.
Starting point is 01:05:03 So you mentioned that when things were transpiring you were cooking for your wife. Are you a good cook? I thought I was. How did you learn from watching your mom, how did you learn how to cook or was it out of necessity? I've always been a study of the game. So again, I've always been a professional in the sense of no matter what I do, I take it extremely serious. So when I was cutting weight, you can ask my coach this, when I was cutting weight, I would be watching a Food Network.
Starting point is 01:05:31 And that's me not eating no solid meals for two or three days and me watching people cook and me watching people make desserts and full blown food porn damn near. And he'd be like, how are you watching this? Like you're not even eating food. My stomach caved in, I'm sitting on the floor and like wrapped up like a mummy because I'm trying to sweat. And I'm full blown, in my mind,
Starting point is 01:05:53 I'm not realizing I'm studying. But now in retrospect, I'm studying for what God had in store for me. But yeah, I was full blown like watching Food Network all day every day. A lot of people that I used to watch on YouTube was like People Vs Food. I used to watch Cocoa Butter,
Starting point is 01:06:07 which is like a YouTube channel of like us trying different cuisines that we never tried before. Guy Fieri, of course, Gordon Ramsay. Bobby Flay, you like Bobby Flay? Bobby Flay, like I was a huge studier when it comes to that. That's pretty much how I taught myself how to cook, is just watching other people and Watching other videos and tutorials and just coming here and experiencing and like experimenting with stuff So that's what you do. You watch them doing like, okay, I can that yeah again
Starting point is 01:06:33 I've always been cocky in a sense as a kid. So I was like, why can't I make a beef Wellington? It's a video right now with me in that kitchen making a beef Wellington and it was horrible I was so caught as one of the hardest dishes to make in literally in a culinary field. Right. And I'm me, I was what like 22? I was like why not? I had like a little burnt pan. I had some puff pastry. I'm cutting mushrooms like I'm really doing something full blown. The pastry dough was this thick. It was raw in the middle. The steak was overcooked. I cut the puff pastry out and ate the steak anyway Did when you were you a foodie when you were growing up? Did you critique your mom your grandmother's cooking?
Starting point is 01:07:11 And you like this was good. I don't know about this one mom. I've been this way They used to get so mad at me even Thanksgiving I used to full-blown be like, um, am I being this is like a Yeah, full-blown. Yeah, they didn't take kindly to that. Uh Yes, and no, right. So like my dad was always the one who cooked my dad was a very meat eater Okay, so he used to cook steaks I'm talking about full-blown like we used to walk in I was my wife used to hate it at first because she come from
Starting point is 01:07:43 My house where they make full meals. My dad just made meat So you had no veggies, no nothing. You might have a little piece of asparagus like this But it's really just steak and I'm talking about on a cutting board just laid out, right? So like that's the kind of house that I grew up in, right? So what made you change from cooking videos to doing reviews? When did that? Switch go off to says, you know what, the cooking video's okay, but let me review food that's already been cooked. Before we continue, I just wanna say,
Starting point is 01:08:10 you are amazing at what you do. It's different seeing it in person and seeing how you handle the conversation and take it to different spots that I already was thinking in my mind. No, this is about to be crazy. But what was the question you wanted to ask? How did you determine to stop doing,
Starting point is 01:08:27 you were doing cooking videos on YouTube and then you said, you know what, switch goes off. You're like, okay, let me do reviews and start placing those on TikTok. It was right after that last fight. Like I said, I was having conversations and I didn't know what I was about to do and I just started listening to that inner voice
Starting point is 01:08:41 and I literally was just doing whatever felt right at the time. So again, we in this kitchen, we standing in there and I was at this point, I was making cooking videos, but I also was like dibbling, dabbling with food reviews and People Vs Food who I just said I used to watch a lot, I made a video saying I used to watch them and they reached out and was like, we would love to have you on the show. And back then that's the equivalent of Shannon Sharp calling me, like, we want to sit down and do an interview at the house that you grew up in.
Starting point is 01:09:08 So I'm freaking out, and I'm, like, panicking. I'm like, what am I about to do? But again, I'm at the point of trusting God and trusting the plan that he put in for me. So I'm like, whatever we, at this point, I'm in my mind, I'm like, what they want to talk to me for? What they want to bring me on their phone? But I'm just trusting God,
Starting point is 01:09:25 and I'm letting it happen the way it's supposed to. And I'm standing in the kitchen, and my wife comes over, and she says, okay, if you about to go on People Vs Food, what are you gonna post on your page that's gonna make people come and actually follow you and not just come and look at your page and keep scrolling? And I was like, I already do food reviews every now and again,
Starting point is 01:09:44 what if I just post one food review a day until I get on the show? This was in November of 2022. And my sister, she's always been a battery pack in my back. She was living with us at the time and she living on the couch right here. And she like, yeah, why don't you? I'm like, okay, let me just try it. Right? I start posting once a day in November by December. So I started at 1.4 million followers. By December, I had like seven million followers. Wow. I had like seven million.
Starting point is 01:10:13 That's when the Ween Stop deal came in. That's when the money started rolling in a little bit. And it just was like, what? What's happening? I vividly remember being in here and like, what is going on? I got a call from Kevin Hart while I'm sitting right here in the same spot and he like,
Starting point is 01:10:30 yeah, I want you to come try my restaurant. And I'm like, what are you doing? Kevin, I literally had the video on my phone of me looking at him like, what are you talking about? Why would I come try food for you? And he like, bro, you the biggest thing, you this, that, and the third. I don't see myself when other people see me.
Starting point is 01:10:45 And I think that stems from my anxiety. So I see myself as a normal person and genuinely to my core, I'm just Keith. So when things like that happen, it's like, you lying. Stop lying. Right. Do you shoot and edit all your own videos? Everyday. So I shoot on my phone.
Starting point is 01:11:03 I literally take my phone and I sit on the steering wheel and I record. I sit with my family, we eat food. The second the camera go off, I go to the back of the Sprinter, I edit the videos, I post it, and then we go about our day. But you never, when you-
Starting point is 01:11:18 That just messed you up, huh? Yeah, yeah. So you never really have any interaction with the people that actually own the restaurant. You go in there and buy food just like a normal person. You're in your Sprinter, you eat, you like. I mean, obviously you're not eating that much, that's the thing, because.
Starting point is 01:11:37 I would be huge if I ate everything. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But so, I'll give you the full rundown of how it works. So when we go to a restaurant, it's specifically either based off a recommendation or it's based off the restaurant itself reaching out. So that way, nobody can say I was picking on them and I just randomly went to a restaurant
Starting point is 01:11:55 and gave my unsolicited opinion. The opinion is always asked for. So, once we go to the restaurant, I'll have my sister or I'll have somebody that nobody's ever seen me with in my family go and order the food. They might be knowing your sister now, you might have to go disguise. It depends on where we at.
Starting point is 01:12:10 So if it's a spot where, cause the threshold is 100 to 150 recommendations and like I said, somebody reaching out. So if it's a place where it's like barely over the threshold is like 100 recommendations, then I'll send my sister in cause a lot of the times those people have no idea, right? But if it's a place where we got 2,500 recommendations, or we got 3,000 recommendations,
Starting point is 01:12:32 or the restaurant owner and his mama and his grandmama and his cousin had reached out, then that's when I send the family member that nobody's ever seen me with. So it's levels of, like, ninja that we call it. It's like levels of, like, incognito. So if it's at the highest level, it's someone that you ninja that we call it. It's like levels of like incognito So if it's at the highest level is someone that you literally never see me with Somebody that don't even look like they're related to us that you would never and we even get like we get real creative
Starting point is 01:12:55 Like they go to DD's and grab like random shopping bags just so they can look like they've been shopping in the neighborhood They throw a full of disguises. So it's a full blown mission basically. So they go in and get the food, they record the experience. When they come back in the car, they give us all the information of how the customer service was, how fast it took, how many people was in there. They get videos of the inside and everything. I do the review, full blown, unbiased, just given my personal opinion. The second that the video turns off, if there's if it's an eight or higher of like the overall rating for the car, because we ask everybody,
Starting point is 01:13:32 like, how did you think about it? They experienced the food. If it's over eight, we go and then we have a conversation with the owner. And a lot of times if I feel like it's over eight, we blessed enough to where we'll have people jump on a plane and literally try to place the same day. So I, as again, with a great power, great responsibility. So I feel like it's in our duty to go in and have a conversation with the owner and tell them like,
Starting point is 01:13:54 hey, there's no promises, but it might get crazy in here. And a lot of times that's why we leave really large tips so they can afford to go grab the food that they need for the next day. Because a lot of these places, they are either like behind a rent or they just like meat. So it's like, they can't afford to foot a surge. Like they can't afford to keep up with the demand. Because a lot of times they have to hire people that same day where they got to
Starting point is 01:14:18 call their cousins and be like, Hey, we need 10 yard to come and help us to put tomorrow. So we pay up up for that. So we pay for the food the the help that you may need and everything that comes involved in it So that's when we talk to the owners. Do you remember the first video you uploaded that went viral? Full review Mr. Gary Mr. Gary, it was a Food truck that was around the corner from here. So I used to ride my bike just to stay in shape. And the trip is maybe like 10 minutes from here, but it's a straight shot up Flamingo.
Starting point is 01:14:51 So I used to come out here, I used to ride my bike and I used to ride real late, so maybe like 11 o'clock. So this is maybe two weeks into, remember I told you I was posting every day. This is maybe two weeks into that. And I was riding my bike back from the trip. This is maybe at like 12 o'clock at night, it was real late, and I'm driving past a random street that like literally nobody usually walks on
Starting point is 01:15:12 because I don't know if you know, we in a hood, Shannon. No, for sure, we are. Okay, okay, at 12 o'clock it don't be nobody down the street normally, so I'm driving down the street and it's a random like LED lit box, and I can't tell what it is, and I'm like, why is there, again, we in a hood, I'm driving down the street and it's a random like LED lit box and I can't tell what it is. And I'm like, why is there, again, we in a hood. I'm like, why is there lights in the middle of the street? So I turned my bike around, I ride down
Starting point is 01:15:33 and lo and behold, it's a food truck. I walk up to it, I asked the man like, hey, can I try some food? And he like, yeah, we sell, it was called Mr. Gary's, I think it was like lobster and something, Mr. Gary's seafood. So he had, I'm allergic to shellfish, but he had lobster, shrimp, he had crab,
Starting point is 01:15:53 he had everything, but he also had a burger. So I was like, can I try the burger? And he was like, I'ma be honest with you, everything is cooked on the same grill. So I was, okay, nevermind. And I went to leave and he was like, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'ma clean the grill off, come back tomorrow. I'll literally disinfect everything. I'll clean everything I'll break everything down mind you he has no idea who I am right and in my mind
Starting point is 01:16:11 I'm like why would he do all of this for a stranger or just a regular customer if we do all that for a burger for a Burger the burger was go down the street. They got burgers It's 12 o'clock. Yes. He like bro. I'm about to leave for the night, but come back in the morning I'm gonna come here early just for you specifically and I'm gonna clean this really. $8 is 12 o'clock at night. Yes. He like, bro, I'm about to leave for the night, but come back in the morning. I'm gonna come here early just for you specifically, and I'm gonna clean everything. So in my mind, I'm like, why is this place slow? Why is this not a loyal fan base that's coming here and supporting this man that's really like putting his whole into this restaurant? Yes.
Starting point is 01:16:40 So I go back the next morning, again, he still has no idea who I am. Go back the next morning, I try the burger, the burger is amazing. I make a video to that effect and say, hey, in my opinion this burger is great. I tell the whole story. The video gets like 20 million, I would say like in the first 12 hours, or like 15 to 20 million. He calls me and he panicking. He in a full blown like sweat. He run around the house.
Starting point is 01:17:06 I'm like, what's going on? He like, people got my phone number. Why do people have my phone number? Lo and behold, I recorded the outside of the truck and it had his phone number across the top and that was connected to his cash app. People sent him $40,000 in less than 12 hours. And he had no idea what to do.
Starting point is 01:17:20 He was calling me. He like, do I pay these people their money back? He's like, do I go see these people fool? Like, what do I do with this money? And I'm sitting there again, all of this is taken off for the first time. And I'm like, I don't know either Mr. Garrett. I'm like, all this is just a dude to me. But it was like that reassurance or that knowingness of like, knowing I had a community behind me that was willing and more than willing to go out and support these restaurants.
Starting point is 01:17:47 And I told him that day, good people wanna see good people win. And people literally was like flocking to his restaurant. Before you know it, the news was there. The video had over like 30 million, 40 million views. And he had raised over I think like $60,000. Wow. Yeah. Why do you think people connect with your videos?
Starting point is 01:18:07 I don't know, Shannon. I ain't gonna lie to you. It baffles me every day. I think for me it's because I pray a lot. Again, I don't see myself, but other people see me. So it makes me question internally. But I always fall back to the fact that I feel like I'm supposed to be here,
Starting point is 01:18:24 and God put me here for a reason. And I think a lot of it, giving myself a little credit, is that I really take this serious. I don't play around. I know these are people's lives that are being affected, whether that be deemed good or bad. I know there's a lot of power that's been bestowed on me right now and bestowed on my family. We have no idea how long this is going to last. We don't know if we're going to be here tomorrow. I know there's a lot of power that's been bestowed on me right now and bestowed on my family We have no idea how long this is gonna last. We don't know if we gonna be here tomorrow We don't know if we're gonna be here in three years
Starting point is 01:18:50 I just know as long as I can stay myself and I can be me I'm gonna be everywhere I supposed to be so I feel like that's why people connect if If that's why I'll connect. I don't know why I'll connect me. I'm thankful for it though The food that you critique I'm thankful for it though. The food that you critique, are they all foods that you've had before and you're basing it on a previous test? Or you're like, man, no, I just like this.
Starting point is 01:19:12 I've never had this dish before, but I really, really like it. That's a great question. I like to think I step outside of the box a lot. But again, we go on recommendations and a lot of my audience look like me. Now we're being blessed enough to where we stepped outside of that and we really hit like a worldwide audience. But for a long time, it was just us. So the recommendations I would get would be from restaurants that were specifically
Starting point is 01:19:35 for us. Mac and cheese, collard greens, rills, Oxtails, McMorning. But now, like I said, we I the thing that we step outside the box. And again, I'm a true foodie. So even if I'm not recording, when we go into cities, I'm trying stuff that I've never traveled before. I'm the type to literally book a flight to somewhere, get off the plane, and just walk to the nearest restaurant
Starting point is 01:19:56 and just try it and have no idea what I'm eating. When he was in Japan, he was in Japan for a week straight. And when I say I ate everything under the sun, stuff I didn't even know how to pronounce. Stuff I had. I'm talking about we walking into random buildings, eating everything that people was recommending. I think that's just the foodie in me.
Starting point is 01:20:12 But for the most part, it, like I say, it's coming from recommendations, so it can sometimes be like monotonous. But it's deeper than the food for me, Shannon. It's like I say, it's the people behind the restaurants. It's people that look like us. Right. And a lot of times they got a story to tell, don't they?
Starting point is 01:20:29 How they started and... They got kids, they feed off of this. Like they got, they're kids' kids that they feed off of this. I'm blessed enough to say that in the past year alone, we've been a part of changing 150 families' lives that look like us. Wow. You grade on a scale of changing 150 families lives that look like us. Wow. You grade on a scale of one to 10.
Starting point is 01:20:49 How do you come to the, have you ever given a 10? A few, I would say maybe 15, maybe max. We've been to over 300, 400 restaurants. I would say maybe 20, max. How does someone get a 10? What does it have to be? Obviously, you want the customer service, you want the food hot, but what's the ABCDE that gets to that 10?
Starting point is 01:21:15 So I don't really do interviews as you can tell. So I'm giving you stuff that I don't ever give to nobody. Good, good. We like that, we like that, we like that. So, I'm just gonna give you my full scale. For me, anywhere from a one to a four is something that I wouldn't eat again. You wouldn't eat again or you? Wouldn't. Okay, one to a three, I wouldn't eat again.
Starting point is 01:21:36 Okay. Four is like, I can see there's things that I personally would change, but if I needed to eat it, I would eat it. Five is right in the middle. Five is like, it's not bad, but it's not good. Six is like, okay, we fix a few things, this can be really, really good.
Starting point is 01:21:55 Seven is like, this isn't the worst thing I had, but again, you fix maybe two or three items or two or three ingredients in a dish and we talked about something superior. Eight is like even if I'm not recording I'll eat this. I would probably eat the whole thing but I'll eat it if if I'm coming back to the city. Nine is like I'm about to finish this and whoever wants some y'all better hurry up and get it because it's about to be gone. Ten is nothing that I personally can of, can be changed about this dish to make it better.
Starting point is 01:22:27 It ain't a piece of salt that can be added. It ain't no level of sweetness, no level of savory-ness. It's nothing in this dish, no added ingredient that I can think of that can make this any better. So that's why I give it a tint. Because in my mind, that's a perfect dish. Have you ever made recommendations like, man, you need to add a little bit more of this,
Starting point is 01:22:44 a little bit more of a little bit more that take Do they take your just people take your advice? I would like to think so so we went to a place in New Orleans And it was called What was the name of it? You know it was called something it was like a sweet by you or by you Effect or something like that and it was supposed to be Mexican inspired tacos okay in Mexican inspired food or something like that. And it was supposed to be Mexican-inspired tacos and Mexican-inspired food. It was Black people food.
Starting point is 01:23:09 Yeah. Full blown. And I went in, I had a conversation with them, and I was like, let's just call it Black people food. Right. When I say it was, so they had nachos. The nachos were like, With oxtail over top.
Starting point is 01:23:20 The nachos was like ground beef. It was ground beef, nacho cheese. It was like, I think they even, was they using Doritos? They was using some kind of like bagged Dorito shit. Right. That ain't, that's us. Yes, yes. And I felt like once you identify your demographic
Starting point is 01:23:37 and identify your target audience, and you make it known exactly who you making food for, it makes it easier for people in the area to be like, oh, I eat that kind of food. Oh, I wanna try that. So, and after we had the conversation, they changed a lot of the meal items to reflect exactly what it was.
Starting point is 01:23:54 It was like a rotel dip, and they called it like Mexican nacho. I was like, this is rotel. I know, it's Belvita. So, you started like, I'm reading that you and you watched a lot of videos with your daughter The pump patrol and things like that and you like well, you know Hey, is that did that really give you the idea that you with the chair? Yeah. No, I didn't have furniture
Starting point is 01:24:18 So you never getting rid of this huh? No That's going in the case somewhere Your wife ain't gonna let you get rid of this. No, that ain't going nowhere. That's going in the case somewhere in a few years. Yeah, so how that happened was I literally didn't have furniture. We bought my daughter a playset and it was a little small white table and it was this Paw Patrol chair. Or this is like the third one because I didn't broke so many of them.
Starting point is 01:24:42 But it was a Paw Patrol chair and and it was sitting in this corner. And she had like a little kitchen set up. So one thing about us as parents, I like to tip our hats off. No matter what we got, our kids will have everything. So I can be down to my last pair of shoes. I can be down to not eating. My kids are going to have whatever they think about.
Starting point is 01:25:00 So my daughter can walk into the store and grab whatever she want. And this is when we was making $100 a week. Wow. And I'm talking about full blown. My two of you are walking down the aisles grabbing stuff, throwing it in the cart. And however we about to make it happen, we gonna make it happen. So she had every toy that you can think of. And we didn't have a kitchen table.
Starting point is 01:25:16 And one day I was doing a food review and I didn't have anywhere to set up at. I didn't have no fancy lights. I ain't had no fancy setup. I literally was setting my phone up on like either a bottle or like whatever I can get close to me at one point It was a bowl of sugar, and I would just set my phone up on it and her chair was sitting right there And at this point I was probably like a hundred and fifty pounds. I was shredded. I was lean ripped And I was like, I don't fit in it. No, you just hungry. You ain't hungry.
Starting point is 01:25:42 I was like, I was a superhero. But I remember vividly sitting in that chair. And I was like, if I can fit in, I'm about to make the video right here. And I made the video. And somebody commented, like, what is he sitting on? And I was like, oh, this is to have people talk. Like, he's making people talk.
Starting point is 01:26:00 So I was like, I'm about to just sit in from now on. And that just became a thing, especially with the internet. You don't know what's gonna stay don't especially when you not even trying right like how you didn't try to swipe on Instagram live You don't even know See that's why I got somebody to handle that See that's why I got somebody to handle that. Come on, Machia, I have to keep going. But see, the best part about that had it would have been a lot longer had he not turned it on because he has access to my account. So had he not turned it on, it might have been four hours.
Starting point is 01:26:36 You ain't going for four hours, bro. I'm just saying. You ain't going for four hours. You know, they got me driving home, going to the jail. All that to be in there. Yeah, for me it was one of the situations where it was like, I didn't even know it was about to be a thing,
Starting point is 01:26:52 and it just so happened to be a thing. Took off. Mm-hmm. The Chipotle review. You reviewed that state case a deal. And, ugh, I don't, they liked it I guess. Because they got a key. What was the guess because they got a key for deal because at one point time I think you interviewed is like man they don't give you enough with all the portions I don't know they've been about to keep that up
Starting point is 01:27:22 for a week cuz it'll go back to the small portion size, Keith. I'm just saying, I'm just saying. So for me, even the way that happened, so there was a video that a lady named Lexis, she put out and she, so she goes around and she tries recommendations that employees make. So like, you know, if you work at a restaurant, you do things that other people don't do because you've been there all day. You just start messing with concoctions and whatnot. So her thing is that she goes around
Starting point is 01:27:50 and she tries employee recommended. So she tried a place, I mean, she tried Chipotle and an employee recommended a steak quesadilla with fajitas and sour cream, right? So I just tried it and I'm like, oh, this is amazing. Right. In my mind, this is when Chipotle was like at the top of the top of the game. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:28:10 This one, everything was fresh and like I said, it was the my KCD was spilling how big it was. I tried it. I never in a million years thought that it was going to take off the way it was going to take off. And I know that's a cliche thing to say. But a week after I post that video, I'm on the phone with the CEO of Chipotle. And you know they be having a real long table. They set the Zoom call up where the table was like, I was sitting on the edge of the table and it was just a long director, CEO, COO,
Starting point is 01:28:39 and I'm sitting there in my car. I'm in a 2013 Hyundai Sonata, was it, or? Accent, Hyundai Accent. Hubcap falling off, the tip peeling, you gotta make sure you put it in gear the right way because it's syrup and all kind of stuff in, the gear shift.
Starting point is 01:28:58 I'm talking about full blown, on the phone with the CEO, the CEO of Chipotle, and he like, yeah, we wanna bring the quesadilla and make it a full meal item. We wanna name a Chipotle and he like, yeah, we wanna bring the quesadilla and make it a full meal item. We wanna name a Chipotle after you. They literally changed the entire Chipotle from Chipotle to Chipotle. Again, Shannon, I'm like, what are we doing?
Starting point is 01:29:16 Right. Like, it was just stemmed from me sitting in this chair, eating a fucking quesadilla. This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to Club Shae Shae profile and I'll see you there.
Starting point is 01:29:35 The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers. So that's why we created the Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all. Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters. You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine. A lot of this meme stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the SEC. Follow The Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Starting point is 01:30:05 Hey everyone. I'm Madison Packer, a pro hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York. And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packer stan. Anya and I met through hockey and now we're married and mom to two awesome toddlers, ages two and four. And we're excited about our new podcast, Moms Who Puck, which talks about everything from pro hockey to professional women's athletes to raising children and all the messiness in between.
Starting point is 01:30:32 So listen to Moms Who Puck on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Happy holidays from me, Michael Rappaport, and my gift to you is a free subscription to the I Am Rappaport Stereo Podcast, where I discuss entertainment, sports, politics, and anything and everything that catches my attention. I am here to call it as I see it, and there's a whole lot of things catching my eyes these days. Listen to the I Am Rapaport Stereo Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, and wherever you get your podcast.

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