Drink Champs - Episode 137 w/ Akon

Episode Date: September 7, 2018

N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode the guys drink it up with music icon Akon! The guys talk Akon’s beginnings, involvement in Africa, Lady Gaga, and a lot more. Follow us Http://www.drinkchamps.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/drinkchamps/support Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English.

I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators,

shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's Dream Chats motherfucking podcast.

Make some noise. He's a legendary Queens rapper. Hey, hey, it's your boy N.O.R.E. He's a Miami hip-hop pioneer. One of his DJ EFN. Together, they drink it up with some of the biggest players. You know what I mean? In the most professional, unprofessional podcast

And your number one source for drunk facts It's Drink Champs motherfucking podcast Where every day is New Year's Eve It's time for Drink Champs Drink up motherfuckers Yo, what it good be? Hopefully you're doing well This is your boy N.O-R-E.

What up? It's DJ E-F-N. And it's Drink Chats. Motherfucking happy hour. Make some noise! Yeah! And right now, when we started this podcast, when we started this podcast,

we said we wanted to interview legends. We said we wanted to interview groundbreakers and people who's doing groundbreaking things. And we speak about the man that we got in front of us right now. You're talking about a person who came from overseas, came to America, lived the American dream, got locked up and still came home and lived the American dream. He did what he had to do consistently. And one thing that I love about him, he still keeps his crew with him. He still got Black Warrior with him. He's out here consistently doing what he had to do consistently and one thing that I love about him. He still keep his crew with him He still got Brock warrior with him. He's out here consistently doing what he got to do He got he got all types of currency in different fucking formats

Crystal currency though currency shit this motherfucker gotten 1900 wives He got houses houses in seven continents. More wives in houses? He's wearing a pink shirt tonight. Let's make some noise for Akon Goddammit. Now Akon, yo. Oh no, I got to correct you. This shirt is salmon.

It's salmon. It's salmon. That's the difference bro. She got flavor. It got Obey on it. It got Obey on it. Listen, listen. I'm going to be honest Akon. You have some spec on that. You It got obey on it. It got obey on it. Listen, listen.

I'm going to be honest. You had such a like a vanglorious career, right? But a lot of people don't know that you actually started from the bottom. Like because because once you had your one like single locked up

like your career just kept going, kept going, kept going. So no one actually pays attention to the struggle prior to that. So that's what I want to get into right now. So you was born in Senegal? No, actually, I was born in St. Louis. St. Louis, Missouri. I Googled that. I thought they were wrong.

I was in Wikipedia. I thought Wikipedia was fucking up. No, it's fucking up on everything else. But you were actually. I was in Wikipedia. I thought Wikipedia was fucking up. Nah. Okay. It's fucking up on everything else, man. But you were actually born in St. Louis. My pops was a forward thinker. He made sure that we was all born in the States and we wouldn't have no immigration problems in the future. Wow.

That's what's going to go to you. And right now, that makes the most sense ever. That's what I was about to say. I'm telling you. Everything. So shortly after birth, he just shipped us all back. We didn't even spend 30 days in the States after birth. born and sent right back your passport is blue or you got dual passports no i got dual pass okay but it's still blue yeah because automatically you're a citizen

when you're born here yeah as of right now at that time well not even right now no right now right now i don't know what's going on right now so you'm saying is you and Nelly was going to school. Yeah, me and Nelly was actually raised in the same neighborhood. Oh shit! Me and Nelly went to the same high school. I'm playing around! He was the same number 10! We all went to

U City High. We all went to the same school. I heard that. Now, I didn't hear this from you, but I heard this from Nelly. That was like a big gang banging high school. Oh, no. 1,000%. Wow. And you went to that high school?

Yeah. Why? That was one of the reasons why I moved to Jersey. Because I was getting too much trouble in St. Louis. But you can't move from St. Louis to Jersey City trying to get out of trouble. I'm just throwing it out there. Yeah, but my parents didn't know that. They didn't know that.

They didn't know they was putting me from one bad area to a worse area. Right, right, right. And that's something that is very key to you, I can see. Because all the goals, all the accomplishments you have done, you still keep your jersey ties. Like, always. Oh, yeah. Nah, man.

That impresses me, by the way. Jersey was a special turning always. Oh yeah, nah man. That impresses me by the way. Jersey was a special turning point in my life for sure. That's where a boy became a man really. You know what I'm saying? And around that time, there was a lot of segregation and racism. And me being African in Jersey City, the Puerto Ricans embraced me.

And when you say segregation, you saying between blacks and whites or you saying between blacks and Puerto Ricans? General, but to see the difference, what I learned, because where I was coming from was just different. And when you say segregation, you're saying between blacks and whites, or you're saying between blacks and Puerto Ricans? General, but to see the difference, what I learned, because where I was coming from, it was just different. Like in Missouri, it's a different kind of racial. Yeah, it's definitely, yeah. You follow what I'm saying? Like it's different.

Missouri is only blacks and whites, right? I didn't see the difference between. They don't like Latinos in Missouri. There's not that much diversity in Missouri. Yeah, it was either black or white. You don't got too many Jose's in Missouri. Nah. It's not too many Broncos and Chico's maybe now

so me it was either black or white so if you was a fair color it didn't matter what nationality was to me you was white right like you would have been considered white to me and you would have been considered black wow tell them so you white guy got the jersey It was Try that in Spanish Yeah try that You know So it was just It was just different So when I went to Jersey And I heard Puerto Ricans

Call the niggas niggas And I was like Y'all let this nigga Call y'all niggas He was appalled I was like Yo They was like

Nigga Them niggas like me They more niggas than we are Right And as I started Kind of fucking As I started to realize I was like Yeah Puerto Ricans Are a little bit more Niggas than niggas Like on are. And as I started to kind of fucking, as I started to realize, I was like,

yeah, Puerto Ricans are a little bit more niggas than niggas. Like on everything. That's a fact. So, y'all earned the right to say the word nigga

like y'all are niggas. Yeah, no, that's right. And actually, a lot of people don't even know that y'all like Portuguese. Y'all fucking Africans.

Right. I mean, most Latinos are a mix of everything. No, y'all Africans. No, Africans,

that's probably the conversation with Fat Joe. I'm telling you, this is why Latinos are a mix of everything. No, y'all. Africans. No, no, Africans. That's probably the only... We had this conversation with Fat Joe. I'm telling you. This is why the connection is so tight. Like, when I took a lot of my couple of black royal family members to Africa, they didn't even know that 35% of Africans speak fluent Spanish. Like, they was looking like niggas. From colonialism?

And French, too, right? Uh-uh. And French, too, right? Yeah, French is like most of West Africa. But they speak Spanish because of colonialism? Yeah, every language in Africa spoke because of some kind of takeover and colonialism for sure. Okay, so let's just... That was so beautiful.

But I don't understand what cryptocurrency is. Nobody does. Okay, can you break it down for us, brother? I'm trying to figure it out. Because I'm trying to make an investment. Did I make an investment? I don't know what to do I'm just give you some money and just help me help me flip it all right fuck it okay but that's that that's that's the thing it's no different from the stock market like okay people buy shares right what are shares yeah think about

it like the worth is by how many people buy into it it's really about yeah it's all popularity it's all marketing it's all promoting it's's all marketing. It's all promoting. It's like whatever was trusted the most. Right. Like in companies, you buy shares in companies that's more trusted. You know they're going

to make a profit. They're going to yield an investment, right? So you go there with your money because you know these guys in the next four, five, ten years,

their projections say they're going to make triple what they're making now. So you're like, okay, that's some place I want to invest in. When you look at cryptocurrency, it's a little bit different, but it's almost the same concept the way I understand it.

Now, I'm still learning a lot about it myself because the more I get into it, the more I start to understand it. And yours is called Acoin? Yeah, mine is Acoin. Acoin. Which is a genius name, by the way. That's hard. I'm invested. I don't know what I'm invested in, but I'm invested. So what you're investing in is the future of Africa when you invest in Acorn.

And I heard you also say invest in Africa, but we're getting into that later. Continue about Acorn. So Acorn now is set up to empower the entrepreneurs. Is it backed? Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know about it completely. IPOs are backing this stuff? What was that? IPAs? The bear? I don't know. I was told that there's a certain kind of company structure that backs up

a cryptocurrency. Well, that's the thing. Crypto ain't really backed by nothing. Bitcoin ain't backed by anything. It's the network that keeps it secure. It's backed by the popularity and the trust factor. You can trust and know that if you buy Bitcoin, it's worth a certain amount of money. That's any currency.

It's whatever the people say it's worth. Like right now, these bottles could be worth more than money if we all come out and say this bottle's worth more than this money. But in this case, the bottle is worth money. So in layman's, like sneakers.

Like sneakers. When sneakers, everybody says, this is worth, this door, this is worth so much. Same thing. So what even made you even interested in something like that? Well, man,

because I realized that this crypto is going to be the future in currency. I just watch how things change drastically in time to digital. And I always compare everything to music. Like you went from, you know, two inch rails to eight track tapes to vinyl to cassettes to CDs to mp3s and now streaming oh right so now when you look at currency you went from you know stagecoaches you know to like literally trading whatever you're old and how they want from trading cattle to trading right you know gold what I'm saying? To actually creating something that gold can be

compared to, which is the actual dollar it is today. And dollar eventually is going to turn into something digital too. So what makes you think that dollar itself ain't going to turn into a digital currency? So you're saying dollar's analog. Dollar's analog. Your credit card is digital. But

crypto is money. That was liquid. Dollars analog. Your credit card is digital. But crypto is money. That was far. Make some noise for that, my friend. That was liquid. That was liquid. You say liquid. That was liquid.

Yeah. So, I mean, now, crypto is going to become the next digital prince. So, if you don't invest in that now, it's like,

if you don't see that coming, you're a fool. Okay, now I'm blind, right? So, now, Akon,

I know Akon is rich. I know he, I know he got fucking everything. He got sandwich shirts on. He got sandwich shirts on. So now I want to invest. How do I invest? How does one go about someone who doesn't have your phone number?

You know what I'm saying? Who can't actually get this explanation? So just for these lamest terms out there, how do they invest in Akon? Well, Akon is going to be up for sale in October. Will it be on Coinbase? You know Coinbase, that app? It's going to be everywhere. Okay. I mean, Akon is actually going to be in for sale in October. It'll be on Coinbase? You know Coinbase, that app? It's going to be everywhere. Okay.

I mean, Acoin is actually going to be in more places in certain places than even Bitcoin itself. Because Africa, we have an open platform to do whatever. And Africa's been ahead of the curve using currency exchange through the phone. Yeah, there was Bitcoin before Bitcoin. Right, right. They've been ahead of that, yeah. Yeah, they've been way ahead of it. So eventually, you know, eventually,

you'll be able to go to your local ATM and be able to trade money in for A-coins. So, I'll give you $10,000. I'll give, like, just an example. I'll give $10,000. Now, what happens in return? Well, you buy, you invest $10,000 in A-coin. Uh-huh.

You just sit on it until the value goes up. Wow. And then you trade it in? And then you trade it. When you feel you need to trade it. You know what I'm saying? Or you take your dividends. It's like,

yeah, it's like Bitcoin. I mean, you got to learn the game, understand how, you know, the currency fluctuate up and down and figure out when to go.

We're like a 10 bands right now. It's yours. Yeah. It's yours. I don't know what I'm doing, but I trust you because I know you're rich. That's what you mean. You don't want to trust

nobody rich. Trust? Don't trust nobody rich. Don't trust nobody rich? Oh, shit. Hey, take trust and rich out of your equipment. Yeah, because that's

what I learned. I don't trust rich people. That's how they got rich. Wow. You know what I'm saying? By being untrustworthy. Yeah, but I do respect them and I do listen

because now they're going to give you information that you can utilize in your own life hmm but the word trust on it that's that don't like it don't exist in business I realize damn that's yeah you know make some noise for that guy in the dance about negotiation right and if you want to have the upper on a negotiation they're gonna be things you're not gonna tell me so you can have

advantage over the over the negotiation so they are going to be things you're not going to tell me so you can have advantage over the negotiation. So, already ain't no trust because I'm negotiating to get a better position and you're negotiating to get a better position. So,

according to what you know and according to what I know, you're going to hold off a little bit to get in that position because it's not a good business deal if I'm not in a better position

than you. Damn. Damn. You follow what I'm saying? Yes, I do. So, trust is out the window. It's poker. It's basically poker. It's basically poker. That's exactly what it is. Damn. You follow what I'm saying? Yes, I do. So trust is out the window. It's poker.

It's basically poker. It's basically, that's exactly what it is. Yeah. Okay, so also, you have also brung electricity to Africa.

A certain part of Africa? Lots of parts of Africa. So what happened and why did you even like fill this need? Now, first of all, it was a need. Okay.

And I always looked at, when I first did it, it was just really now first of all it was a need okay and i always looked at what i first did it was just really to kind of give back more philanthropy but let me let me ask you so were you going to these certain towns and seeing that there was no electricity no how did this come about it actually started triggered how it triggered was we was trying to do concerts in certain parts of africa but we couldn't do it because there was no electricity and i was like wait a minute you mean tell but we couldn't do it because there was no electricity. And I was like, wait a minute, you mean to tell me

we don't have enough electricity to do a concert? And then there was an area where there was electricity, but then when we went to go do the concert, before the second song even came on, all the lights went out.

And that's when I was like, man, something got to give here. You know what I'm saying? And that was just what triggered it. That happened to me in the Dominican Republic I was getting a haircut and half of my haircut came off I think there's the fucking lights went out and it's like you gotta wait two hours, Papa

I'm so sorry I changed the subject Resort system, I'm so sorry, man, it's real. I felt like Dominica Yenny to fix your power system a long time ago. You just staying on out there, your resort system, I'm so sorry. I'm good. It makes sense though, but it's the same kind of shock. You know, that will trigger. You got the haircut and you fucked your hair cut? Oh, okay.

Yeah, the trauma. Good, good, good. So that triggered it, but then when I went to, you know, wanting to go visit your grandparents, and where they live and there's no electricity, then you really want to do something. Your grandparents you're saying live and there's no electricity, then you want to, you really want to do something. Your grandparents,

you're saying? Yeah, my grandmother didn't have electricity. Oh, wow. She was living. Was she complaining like when you went to her house?

No, she was good. That affects everything. She's kind of used to it. Yeah, but that's what they, they live that. This is every day. So they didn't even notice that there was a luxury

that they never even experienced. That the rest of the world is experiencing. Me leaving out of there, experiencing what I experienced coming back. So you were feeling guilty so what do you do you visit my grandma but you want you know cuz something you like you gotta think about you don't really know

what's good to you yeah you know I'm saying and that wasn't a money play for you correct nah because you actually gave actually gave your money up, right? Yeah, I put up my own money to get it started. And what was it, like 10,000 homes? At the time, it was 10,000 homes. Wow. And what's the infrastructure you're setting up? Like, what is it that it takes to start to give electricity to a town?

It depends on what kind of electricity you're giving. Like, it gets really complicated. Y'all doing dams? I don't do a dam? I don't know about- What are you guys doing? I mean right now I'm putting out solar mini grids. That's from the sun?

Yes, from the sun. You know Africa is never going to run out of sun. Never. It was the perfect, perfect- That's why we dark like this. Goddamn, make some noise for us. Because in my mind I'm a dark skinned nigga. In my mind, in my mind I'm dark skinned.

I've been trying since 1998 to get dark. Yeah man. My melaninicity's upgraded. I'm upgraded. Go ahead, continue. You know, yeah but I mean that's just tan though bro. You don't do that. Nah listen I'm not gonna lie. I'm still tan bro.

You know I'm Drake color. But you do not tan though. Huh? I tan my nigga. You tan? I'll just let you know, I was Drake color before I moved out here. Like yeah, me and Drake was the same color. I don't see it.

I don't see it. You don't see it? Me and you was the same color. No, no, no. No, no, no. I was a little darker than Drake, but I want to be, because big up to Sammy Sosa. Big up to, what's the Jamaican guy that they super soaked? What's his name?

Miles Cartel. Is that nigga? What's that? Oh, the Vibes Cartel. Vibes Cartel. Is he locked up, man? Yeah, he locked up. But I'm just saying, he used the soap to come white.

And I'm like, that's cool. Is that real? He's white, yeah. No, the soap shit is real. The soap is white. It's called, yeah, the soap is real. What is that? It makes you lighter.

Like a Clorox soap? Yeah, it's called bleach soap. Yeah, it's called bleach soap. Yeah, it's called bleach soap. So that's why they say, she don't bleach, she don't bleach, she don't bleach. So they big up the girls, they don't bleach. But when I see that, I say, oh shit, I'm the exact opposite. I want to be blacker.

I want to use the black soap to get blacker. You know what I'm saying? Because you know what? Melanin is a great thing. I don't blame you. I don't blame you. You know what I'm saying? Because you know why? Melanin is a great thing. I've studied melanin. I've understand it. And I understand that all of us having melanin

is a blessing. It's not a curse. No, it is. It's not a curse. That's the reason why they try to promote it as a curse is because, you know, they don't want you to feel

like a king that you actually are. Yeah, I tan regularly, bro. Right. Even out here? Man, whenever it's hot, I'm going to catch at least 30 minutes out of that sun. Oh, you go out and tan. Oh, bro. Even out here? Man, whenever it's hot, I'm going to catch at least 30 minutes out of that sun. Oh, you go out and tan straight up? I just can't let nobody get darker than me.

Michael Blackson, Tyrese, they already know I'm king number one. Kedar, what's up, Kedar? That's what I do. Kedar's in the building. Goddamn, he's so rich, I smell money. Oh, shit. Come on, shit. Kadar's in the building. Kadar. Goddamn it. He's so rich, I smell money. Oh, shit. Come on, man.

Come on, come on, brother. Give me some love. Yo, I'm not going to lie, Akon. I'm going to rush to the question real quick because I had this question for later on in the show. But you got like a real family. This is my son right here. No, no, no. Listen, listen.

Listen, listen. You got a real, real family. Like, your family ain't playing. And now, are y'all all from Senegal? Everybody. Everybody from Senegal. Now, let me just tell you something. I toured Europe a lot.

There's a lot of Senegal people that migrated to Europe. France, yeah. France. Italy. London. Senegalese like Jamaica. Every nigga I looked at in they eyes From Senegal

I could tell they killed somebody I'm not saying y'all I'm just saying Like it's been promoted From Senegal What part of Africa is Senegal? Let me explain what's going on. Central?

Westside. What Nori experienced was no fear. That's what you experienced. No, he saw it. He saw it because of his eyes. When you look at a Senegalese and his eyes, bro. You're saying that they had no fear. None.

Okay, yeah, I had fear. That's definitely. I'm a real nigga, but I'm throwing it out there. We don't know for nothing. Yeah, they sit there like it was this guy right I swear to God this is with CNN

we're getting like 25,000 so 25,000 is still good money right so we go to the club he pays us 25,000 but he gives us nothing else this is in Senegal no this is in France

oh this is in France this is your homie that you've been telling me about no this is in Marseille my hom is in France, right? This is your homie that you've been telling me about? No, this is in Marseille. My homie's in Paris. Okay. So this is Marseille.

Marseille, actually in soccer, they got beat. You can't even mention Paris in Marseille and vice versa. So we walk in the club and the guy gives us our money and that's it, right? And that's it, right? And he did no bottles, vip no nothing so i looked at the dude and you know our road manager at the time like you're about to flip on this motherfucker i said let it go you knew Get our money. He's like, yeah. I said, ah! Then fuck everything else. This nigga's eyes told me something different.

He looked at me and said, Nori, I'm having a bad night. You're lucky I paid you. He didn't say that. But his eyes said that. His eyes was like, Nori, I respect you. And that's it. That's it. He's stupid.

Take it and run with it. It was $25,000. and then we had to leave. Now mind you, we were formed man. We do what we got to do. Now we got to walk to the car. I was glad I didn't get mad at this guy. I was so glad. And then I remember, Senegal.

No fear. It's Akon's people. Let's leave him alone. No, but Senegal honestly is probably the moston's people let's leave them alone Senegal honestly is probably the most peaceful place in all of Africa

never had a conflict it's very religious based how about the Congo that's wise Congo now Congo DJ now have a DJ

that's from Congo now the Congo those niggas kill gorillas with they bare hands those niggas ain't nothing to play with that was another promoter i had i had a dj i forget his name he's from switzerland forgot your name um totally forgot so sorry but another promoter he came he booked us same price same thing did that

and then the dj said leave him alone we was about to go beat with him he, leave him alone. And we was about to go beep with him. He said, leave him alone. And he said, I was like, you're what? He said, he's from the Congo. I said, that sound real. Let me let this one go. Let me let this one go. Let me let this one go. There's some real soldiers over there.

There's some soldiers. Congo is serious. They're raised in the military over there. They what? They're raised in the military. Rais they what? they're raised in the military raised in the military and you gotta say they've been in civil war

since I don't know how long between the east and the west I mean the Congo they're some fighters and the kids grew up child warriors wow

that's central Africa right? the Congo? Congo? no that's west west too? where's the blood diamond stuff at? Sierra Leone Sierra Leone

you've been now I used to wear a lot of diamonds now you you light with it cause you so rich nah that's not why I hate that

he traded the salmon no no the more rich you get the less he's like nah I'm fine cause you know the thing in the beginning

it was just you never had it so you just go hard on everything like I overdid it like literally overdid it. Like literally overdid everything. But then you start to realize how much money you're wasting.

It just, then you realize, yeah, it's not even important. You don't even, you're like, why do I, why? I used to wear

convict chains this big. I know. I got the pictures, nigga. We Googled it. Let me just tell you something. I'm going to tell you one of the craziest stories.

Let me get this off of my, my, my, my list. I'm going to tell you one of the craziest stories. Let me get this off of my list. I'm in Atlanta one day. It snows. Light snows, but it snows. The whole fucking city shuts down, right? Niggas is like, yo, it snow. I'm like, I'm from New York City

nigga so I'm like what the fuck right so there's no gas none in like a

seven block radius so we like fuck it we at the what's that shit next to the Lenox Mall Hotel the Swiss Hotel

what was it prior to that it was the Western I believe now it's the Western now it's the Western so it was the Swiss so it was when I was at the Swiss Hotel, I believe. Now it's the Western. Now it's the Western. Now it's the Western. So it was in Swiss. So it was when I was a Swiss hotel. So I'm like, all right, cool.

So I get my driver, and they say to me, oh, OK, no sweat. If no one else have gas, don't worry. Akon has a gas station in his crib. That's true. Is that true? In Jersey? In Atlanta. In Atlanta.

Yo, hold on a second. Make some noise for Jersey? In Jersey? In Atlanta. In Atlanta. Yo, hold on a second. Make some noise for me. Yo, hold on a second. Listen. Nigga said- We're just gassing you up too here. Yo, nigga said to me, nigga said, yo listen, you know Akon?

I said, that's my nigga. Nigga said, that's my nigga. Nigga said, you know Akon? I said, that's my nigga. Nigga said, you know Akon got a gas station? I said, where he got a gas station? He said, like, is it on Peachtree? Nigga said, no.

I said, you know Akon got a gas station? I said, where he got a gas station? He said, like, is it on Peachtree? Nigga said, no. I said, you know Akon got a gas station? said where he's it kind of gas they like is it on Peachtree you said no in his crib I go la I didn't even answer the question because I was like I did I don't know type of rich that is like you got a texaco yeah that's some forward thinking at the beginning of the block but he got a chevron pump in the crib okay the parking lot is a chevron pump because I'm gonna get a gas station at the crib Yo, high five. You gave me a low five. Give me a high five. High five. High five. Yo, what the fuck made you say yo? Because I ain't going to lie.

It was so rich that when a person said that to me, I was like, I said, yo, I don't think I got a car number. I definitely didn't have it then. So I said, let's just go to the gas. Oh, let's just chill. Let's go to the bar for a second. And then this shit hit me for six hours. Nigga got a gas station in this house.

I got to reevaluate my life. So what made you, when you was building the crib and said, fuck it, I want a pump number nine right here. Like, how did this happen? How did this happen? How did this happen? I told you, I overdid everything back then. That was that phase of your life? That was that phase when I just overdid everything.

I wanted to outdo everybody. I wanted to overdo everything. That was actually a really good idea. Was there another nigga off the block with a gas station or something? No, I had 32 cars. Damn, nigga. I had six. You know, so before I left, I would just, you know, fill up.

32? Nigga done. He done doubled. And I got to peep about my gas tank being a half tank. I never let it get under the half, below the half mark. Damn, Akon, I still fill up my Maybach for $20. This nigga done made me feel fucked up just right now. Gay, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry to cut you off. I'm sorry. I'm a hood nigga. I'm sorry. So you said, so you're building the crib, and you said, fuck it. I never want to go out to get gas. No, I was too popular then. It was just a headache.

That was the flyer. And it's practical to have your own gas station. I think it's mad practical. And then, but- Wait, time out. What did this nigga just say? It's practical. It makes sense. that was your own gas station I think it's mad practice and then but wait Tom I'm practical it makes sense like it doesn't make sense something you can utilize at that time I was thinking Street too because every time we used to jack cars we did from the gas and I'm gonna land at that time that's crazy let's go jacking at the gas station crazy yeah I didn't think of that I

never thought of that I never thought of it but that's still some fly I had too many cars and I'm all that have been too many gas station stops That's crazy. I didn't think of that. I never thought of that. I never thought of that. But that's still some fly shit. I had too many cars and that would have been too many gas station stops. I'm not taking that chance. So when you say 32 cars, right, I want to think of this. Now, when you say 32 cars, are we saying Maybachs, Phantoms? No, like, oh yeah. Because you pulled up in the Ghosts, right? I've seen you pull up in the Ghosts. All Highline cars, yeah.

Okay, all Highline. So you don't got like Chevrolet 63s? No, I don't do those. None of those. I don't do old school. You know, I mean, those ares? No, I don't do old school. None of those. I don't do old school. I mean, those are classics. Yeah, I don't do old school. I can't do that.

You don't do old school? I'm going to get one old school. I'm going to buy it from Frontmaster Flex. I'm going to be honest. Yeah, I always thought old school was junk cars. You don't fuck with those? Did you just call them junk cars? They're junk cars, bro.

I like old school. I like old school. 69 County. Yeah, I'll take one or two. You know how the yellow F430? Huh? A yellow F430. Yeah.

I saw you on the highway when I was a kid in 2008 and the yellow F430 was 95. Wow. You lit. I remember that. I sure did. I was in the red.

You're tweeting my man, though. That's right. I tell my spy every day. It's my brother right here. Y'all just can never do the old school thing. Oh, man. All right.

So the song, Sorry, one of my favorite songs. Also, one of the times I kind of disagree with you. I didn't feel like you should have said sorry at that time. Like, at that time, I think you jumped in a crowd or something like that. No, what happened was I was in Trinidad and we was having a dirty whining contest. And the girl came up, she was only 14.

Okay, alright, now I understand that. Her father was a preacher. No, he was a preacher. He was a preacher in one of the most respected churches over there. And the concert was a huge success. Even the concert was a huge success. Right.

Even the contest was a huge success. Right. But she won the contest. So she ended up on the front page of the newspaper along with me

saying how successful the show was. Dad wakes up to read the paper the next Sunday morning and sees his daughter in the front page sitting on top of me

on the newspaper and he flipped out. So it became this huge story that, yeah, you know, I was sexually, you know, on the newspaper and he flipped out so okay it became now that story makes sense to me that yeah you know i was sexually you know whatever dancing with this minor right in trinidad in trinidad not realizing that's the culture in trinidad how i read the story was you had jumped in the crowd or some shit like that um that makes total sense. Because when you actually apologized, I was like, I didn't want you.

Because sometimes as artists. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams, and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

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This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug man. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote.

Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

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And then, you know, of course, once CNN and everybody took on the story, all the sponsors start pulling out, start doing all this, right? So this became where, actually, the song came after Poughkeepsie. I was in jail on Poughkeepsie. Yeah, that's when I threw this kid off the stage for throwing something on the stage for me. So that's more so what I was apologizing

for. So that's what I thought it was. I mean, sincerely, that's what made me say, you know what? I need to grow up on that part of it. Now, the Trinidad's play, I didn't think that was my fault at all because I'm just doing my job. I got paid for service.

It's not my job to secure security in that club. Or card her. Yeah, yeah. You didn't know she was. I mean, it has nothing to do with me. I should dance with the fat girl and then. Yeah. A little different, but all right. But naturally, when you're a celebrity, clearly the blame has to be on somebody.

Right, right. Clearly the blame has to be on somebody. So the approach that I took was if the club owners, the security, whoever was responsible for that protocol is not willing to be a man and take the blame, I'll take it for you. Oh, man. Look at Akon, man. You know what I'm saying? And that's what that was. Look at that man. Righteous fucking man. God damn it.

Now, here's the funny shit about you, right? I knew you for years. Always a peaceful, always respectful, 100%. But when I Google you, right? Because I have to Google everybody that's on here. The first seven things is Akon fights. Akon. Are you serious?

Am I lying, Diego? No. Wow. I kid you not. I didn't even know that about you. That's crazy. The first seven things, right? What was the first seven?

It was like four or five. Yeah, something like that. So are you appalled by that image? Because I know the real Akon. I know regardless if there's violence involved or not, I know that you ain't started. I know you sat there. I don't know. You held your ground.

I never got in trouble. Your ground. But if a person violated, then your people had to do what they had to do. But does that ever affect business in any which way? Oh, no. It affects business in a big way. Oh, wow. You know, I think anything negative like that that involves violence, it's going to stop

your money. That's just period. But I think at the same time, when you get to a certain level and there seems to be a bigger influence towards real money, the protocols that be is going to actually try to keep you in a place where they can still control you. And I think now that you do it through the internet and they do it through certain links

and searches and so on and so forth, because most people don't go past that first page when they do searches. You know what I'm saying? To see what you're really doing. That's the first impression. That's what I'm saying? To see what you're really doing. Like, that's the first impression. Yeah. And that's why you got to be careful what you do because everything and every decision you make today

is going to affect you tomorrow. And it always affects you when you're not even on that wave. That's not a reason why you... I heard that you did a big deal with China in terms of credit to help Africa. In terms of getting a credit line. Is that true? I didn't deal with China yet.

That has nothing to do with that, though. Saying, like, the U.S. credit line versus getting a credit line. Is that true? I didn't deal with China yet. That has nothing to do with that, though. Saying like the U.S. credit line versus the Chinese credit line. That gets really deeper into politics. But I would probably say that there's a reason why that's happening. Because politically, there's a lot of moves that's being made. And I'll probably announce them in a few months to come. But it all makes sense once we start giving some information out. Also, Puerto Rico, you tried to help Puerto Rico.

You said they shut you down, right? Yeah. And as far as Puerto Rico, we tried to submit a proposal to be able to provide electricity for Puerto Rico at the time. I heard about Puerto Rico, yeah. And our proposal was shut down. Wow. By the U.S. government? I mean, they're the only ones that can make that decision.

Right. I mean, fuck the Republicans. Politically in Puerto Rico. And they're all the same. Right, right. Okay. The top guys say this ain't going to look no good. You're right.

Fuck the Republicans. But listen. But listen. Now, I had a big debate, right? Because a couple of the homies, they said that Lady Gaga, right? They said that Lady Gaga, you discovered Lady Gaga because she was writing for you, right? But that's not what I heard. What I heard was you discovered Lady Gaga because you was writing for her.

I don't know what is which or if you want to answer or whatever but how did how did how did that happen you discovered well Lady Gaga was the first artist signed to well first pop artist signed to the Con Live brand when I went to Interscope

Con I Con Live Con Live yeah this is your label yeah okay cool so

to be very clear I didn't discover her wow she was already signed at Interscope when my deal was closed and jimmy gave you her and oh boy i went to jimmy and said i need that because at the time they weren't moving on that because she wasn't the priority so jimmy played you her music no no i just

went through all the demos so you saw the talent and you yeah i mean i just closed my deal there so you're saying you closed your deal and you went and said, I'm going to listen to all your demos? I want to see what y'all got in this building. What type of fucking?

Like, whoops. Because think about it. What type of nigga is this nigga? Go ahead. Think about it. Let's say right now you go to Universal.

Uh-huh. They've signed hundreds of artists that you don't even know is in that building. I ain't listening to not one of them niggas' demos.

I'm going to be honest. You're a different nigga. You're a Tommy Boy. I'm going to be like, fuck them niggas. I'm going to cover my own shit. Damn, you're a real nigga. You're a real nigga for that car.

I'm a foul nigga. I'm sorry. And this is how I looked at it. The labels have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into these signs, these signees. Some of them come, sit there two, three years and get dropped. Because that's what Eminem was. Yeah. Sit there two, three years and get dropped and never had no energy put into them. So I said, before I go out discovering new artists out there that no one cares about, never seen,

let me go into the box of all the artists sitting in this building that they already put jam money into. You follow what I'm saying? Which makes all the sense in the world. But going through it, at the time, I didn't hear her. Because she was doing blues- typos you know music it just didn't look and everything didn't fit and at the time I was writing for the pussycat dolls and I had just signed a producer named red one at the time so I was like yo I had a brightest block cuz I was right one he's not from Kansas from Canada. He's from Morocco. Okay, move on. He's from Morocco. Africa. Yeah. Okay.

He's from Africa. North Africa. Yeah. So, ultimately, man was writing. I mean, I just couldn't come up. I had a writer's block that day. I couldn't come up with nothing. No, I'm trying.

So, I needed some inspiration. I was like, yo, get some girls here. Get something crazy. You know, give me something that can spark some ideas. He said, well, I know somebody that you can come rock with. It's Red One. Red One. Okay. And, you know, he called Lady Gaga down. rock with. It's Red One. Red One. Okay.

And he called Lady Gaga down. And her name was Lady Gaga? At that time, yeah. Okay, cool. So she walks into the studio. She walks in the studio. You are Akon. This is already locked up.

You're already lit. Yeah, I mean, at this point, I'm beyond that. You got Sierra Leone diamonds everywhere. Yeah, that was the era. That was the era. That era. That was the era. All right. You know, so ultimately, you know, that was the era. That was the era. That era. That was the era.

All right. So ultimately, we do the song. She goes in the booth, and she's demoing the song out. And I'm like, yo, this bitch is a star. Now, when you say you do the song, she's demoing it out, you're saying you lay the vocals, and then she said your vocals over? No, no. We wrote the song, and she went in to demo it out for the Pussycat Dolls.

To see how it would sound I was writing for the Pussycat Dolls Wow, so she came out the booth. I was like, you know, what's your situation like are you signed? Hmm? And she's like, yeah, I said Where like what building? I'm in the school. I said, are you serious? She said yeah, I said how long you been there? She said about a year and a half two years I was like oh shit well let's you know let's work something out she's like hell yeah let's do it

so I called Jimmy I said yo Jimmy I know exactly who I want to sign off the label ASAP and I was like he said who

I said Lady Gaga he was like really I said yeah I know in his mind he's trying to figure out like what like what is that

you know what I'm saying what kind of deal is that though she's already signed to the label that's distributing your label yeah what kind of deal is that it's a joint venture so it changes for her now her numbers don't change okay just now jimmy jimmy is like the numbers don't change the only difference is jimmy was split he has to give something to you because now you're investing in it exactly whether it's time but you're not investing money you're investing whatever it is you're not investing money, you're investing time. Whatever it is.

You're not investing money. Or time. I'm taking over the project. At that point, I'm doing all the music. Just him adding yourself to the project is investing in it. No. Jimmy knows what I do. Right.

Right. So Jimmy had no problem with saying, okay, take that and put it under your umbrella and let's make this thing big you know what i'm saying now in any other system they probably would have been like do it as well because they're either going to do that or they're going to end up dropping it right because it's one of the list of things that there's no attention put on yet and if she was the kind of artist that was so creative it was hard to really figure out what that is. Because she had been through four or five labels before she even landed at Interscope. So, okay, you have this conversation with Jimmy.

Jimmy gives you the green light. Is that correct? Oh, yeah. Now what's the next step after that? Next step, we spent 30 days in the studio and finished the album. We're here on Red One. What studio? Where at?

It was in Atlanta. Yeah, we did that whole album in Atlanta. Doppler. At Doppler, yep. We did her album and Tammy Chin's album all in the same month. Separate rooms. Same room. Because after we finished Gaga's album, then we ended up doing Tammy Chin's album.

You kept it going. I respect you. High five. You know me. High five. High five. You know me. High five. High five. Yeah. All right. So, now when we get into the writing process, how did the writing process go? The writing process for me is really simple because after the beat is made, I go in there and lay the melody, and then I listen to the melody and then I put the words to it.

Now, is that with her as well yeah with her she's she does pretty much the same thing um I think that the melody uh way was like we she kind of adopted it from us because I think you know but she you know she was she was already classical classically you know because the piano and everything like that in my opinion sorry to that. In my opinion, sorry to cut you off, in my opinion, it feels like what you gave to her

is the same exact thing what Usher kind of gave to Justin Bieber. Like, they got soul, but you know. Like the cosign? No,

I'm asking, I'm asking from the outside looking. No, what Usher gave to Justin I mean what Usher gave to Justin Bieber was cosign

as far as credibility and a mentorship right cause someone could say that about Dre with Eminem yeah like me when I get

involved with artists when I sign an artist on a label it's it's cosign is the last thing that I see as a as a you can

say is a an advantage for them because we don't we do beyond that we actually develop artists like we artistly develop them you know I mean and then after all that's done I go on a roll with them from radio station to radio station to me to DJ DJ like I put them through the same process I went through. We jump in and... But you go with them. Yeah, I'm there. Wow. I'm there. And everybody out there in the business know when I sign an artist, I don't just sign them.

I just heard you say Tory Lanez. You had Tory Lanez with you too? No, no, no. What does that turn into? You know, I'm lit. Tory Lanez lit though. Like now when someone, because we all know someone gets involved in someone's career and then it works. What is that now? What does that look like now?

The business situation between y'all, the relationship. What is that now? You mean just with the artist? Oh, no, it's good. Like it's still the same business situation. No, it's not. It's not at all. Once she goes on, then you give her her space? Once she goes on then you yeah once she goes on she's her

own boss she's her own person you know she makes her own decisions so how far along does that take to happen that normally depends on the person depends on the person you know some artists is after the first hit record and some artists is after five six albums and some stay together forever it all depends and is it ever like bittersweet in a sense? Is there a bad business? I don't think it's never really bittersweet for me, you know Because I I do it to actually empower them to do it on their own. So you want that for your art? Absolutely I mean, absolutely Not every situation. Yeah, I mean a big artists for them to leave them

I've developed them to be free you know what I'm saying because if you're looking at it from a monetary gain standpoint or a financial gain, you gain no matter what because you're always going to be attached to the product I felt like when you was

you said you went to the radio station me as a DJ at the time it didn't seem like you were attached to the project I felt like when you was I mean in this you said you went to the radio station Me as a DJ at the time it didn't seem like you were attached to the project like I felt like you was right I'm the Lady Gaga. Okay getting even like it felt like you felt back You were letting her just be her and do her and not see much That's you that's me, but the part you're talking about is letting the world know I was attached. Mm-hmm Because I didn't want her to be Painted no kind of way urban. You just wanted her to be her.

Yeah, because as a business person, I was like, the moment people know that she's with me, then I'm going to give her the same shot. And she's not going to get that audience that I need her to get. Because otherwise, a whole bunch of niggas would be following her, and she'd be like Pink, selling a million records and trying to get out of that to do something different. So what happened,

I'm sorry, and I was in the bathroom real quick. So what happened for the separation? Oh, no, just the terms. No, we talked about that.

Yeah, the terms just expired. Yeah, we talked about that. Yeah, the terms expired. You know what I'm saying? And then I was offered a buyout of my share of my part. They did change the sound department. Oh, so there is a buyout though. See, we didn't talk about that. Oh, yeah, they changed the sound. out to just uh you know if my share of the product you know my part it changed

the sound of pop also there is a buyout though so we didn't tell you say the violence on a businessman level I want to know like how does that look yeah when the artist goes on you know I mean well it's if I didn't you know agree to the buyout I'll still be attached business-wise. But as an artist, you kind of feel obligated to make an artist feel happy. As a businessman, I raise the value so I can sell it. Goddamn it. It starts. Goddamn it.

That's all it was. Goddamn it. Make some money for that, goddammit. Try to hit him with some artist shit, that nigga say, uh-uh, nigga. Business man, nigga. It's not artist shit right now. I respect that. I respect that.

So you guys made history. It's still cool shit right now. I respect that. I respect that. So, you guys made history. It's still cool. Oh, yeah. No, she's like my little sister. Okay. Will she be on your Spanish album? Because you have a Spanish album. Yeah, I'm working on it.

Negrito. El Negrito. El Negrito. Yeah, yeah. El Negrito. Let me just say something. I'm going to throw this out there. Yeah, I did.

El Negrito. Listen, man. The dog's so rich, man. Every time I look over there going to throw this out there. Listen, man. Kadar is so rich, man. I just look. Every time I look over there, man, I just look at richness, man. You know what I'm saying? This is Kadar Entertainment, Kadar? That's Kadar.

Yeah, man. Would you like to come and have a seat? You can come and have a seat, please. Please, you can have a seat. No, no. Leave him in the background. Listen, that's one guy right there I got to tell you I have so much respect for him. Kadar. He signed you? He's not like, he's one guy right there I got to tell you. I have so much respect for him. Kadar.

He signed you? He's not like, he's not. No. When I was at Universal, he was the president at Universal. He ain't signed. Of all the Urban. I was under him. What do you mean?

Okay, all right. I was at Universal. All right, let's talk about it. So. He got that money. As much as he's accomplished. I see him at Soul House all the time. Worldwide Soul House. Look, he just showed me the Soul House all the time. Worldwide Soul House.

Look, he just showed me the Soul House membership. Oh, I'm at Worldwide. I'm at Worldwide too. But he was there first. He was there first. I'm not going to lie. Soul House. Go ahead.

Go ahead. You know, he was one of those guys, like, he understood how the corporate side worked, and he also understood how the street side worked. That's why he was the perfect median between the two sides and he was able to create on an urban level impacts that most people could never impact and most time you know people know the name but never seen his face yeah that's why we can't put him on camera and then they got like he like Al Heyman yeah exactly you know Al Heyman but you don't know how you know the name. You know the name, but you don't know him. Yeah, yeah. Niggas be like, that's Al Heyman. I be like, nigga, that ain't Al Heyman.

Because I got an Al Heyman check once. Once. I got one. That's it. Nigga ain't booked me again. I don't know what I did. You know, one time you tried to embarrass me. It was that Chris Lighting wedding, right?

No, I didn't try. That was not you. Okay. Damn, that too? He was there. It was that Chris Lighting wedding, right? No, I didn't try. That was not you. Damn, that too? He was there. So it was that Chris Lighting wedding, right? Coming late, just talking loud, right?

So he says to me, you know, that's when Jacob Watch was real popular, right? And he says to me, he's sitting in the row in front of me, so he's cracking jokes and shit. He took his mask and said,

yo, Q-Dawg, where's your Jacob Watch? No, no, I said, motherfucker, I brought Jacob with me. Translation for the audience, he started on me. He won. He won. He won.

No, Kedar is a good guy, man. And you know what? Puff said something the other day. I would like to reiterate what he said. Because when I look at Kadar, I think of this. And I think of Irv Gotti. I think of Dame Dash's. I think of Bigg's.

I think of Hove. And Puff said there's so much limited Mark Pitts, Charles Suit. There's so much limited black Pitts, Charles Hsu, there's so much limited black CEOs out there right now. And Puff's complaint was that corporate America, white America,

whatever part of America you want to call it, is not even investing or even trying to make more black CEOs happen. We got no ID. We got these certain people out there. That should be funded.

It should be funded, whether it's their own independent company or whether heading Sony or heading a Def Jam. What do you think about that? I think it's happening because we ain't making it happen yet. Who do you think making them billions? We doing it. So you expect them to invest in us? us like why we can't invest on our own like think about it why we can't do it i 100 understand what you're saying but what puff is

saying is this is our industry exactly so so so the companies should be invested into our people in this particular industry so he's he's not saying everybody start our own companies which we can no that's what I'm saying you know Def Jam should have Irv Gotti running it Kadar should still be running Universal uh you know but Sylvia Rome okay and so on and so forth it's their company yeah okay That they built. Okay? You want that, Diddy?

How about we start our company that we build, and we become the CEOs. That's why we on Revolt right now. God damn it. Make some noise. Because think about it, bro. The problem is nobody thinks tomorrow long term. Universal ain't a company that was built last week. This company damn near almost 100 years old, bro. So we got to think 100 years tomorrow.

And they funded by Vivendi, right? But even them, that's all European companies. And them niggas own all the water in France. What? How the fuck you own all the water in France? That's hard. That's hard. That's hard. I don't even know what that means.

Nigga said, yo, one day I'm in Def Jam, I used to smoke in Def Jam all the time, right? So they said, you're the owner of Vendee's coming today. I said, where? That nigga's ill. What the fuck is Vendee? Nigga said, nigga own all the water in France. I said, all right, I'm going to put out my weed. They didn't even ask me to put the weed out.

I was just like, fuck it. Nigga own all the water in France. I don't think he used to smell weed when he walked in here. I went too far. Go ahead. He's one of the shareholders of Avendi. He's actually, he own majority of the ports. You know the ports on the water? Yes.

All the shipping and all that come in. And majority of his money come from Africa. And you know that. I know him. You know him. I know him. You know him. That's his man. I'm talking about that. I got to stop.

I got to remember who I'm talking to. Yeah. Nigga done bring electricity. He done did everything the fuck he had to do. Okay, so hold on, Akon. I got some questions, god damn it. I got some questions. I was ready for this.

Long time, brother. If we got the Lady Gaga shit out of here. Okay, so now, here's where we got to go. I would like to say, rest in peace to Screw. 1,000%. I had never met Screw, me personally. But I've been affected by Screw's death. Because Capone and you guys somehow was whatever.

I don't know the story, right? Me and Capone was actually not in good terms at that time. But I remember how much in the beginning when this first happened, a poem was actually not in good terms at that time. But I remember how much in the beginning when this first happened, how much Black Warrior, wherever I was at, people from Black Warrior, they'd come up to me, and I'm looking, and there'd always be somebody like, no, no, no, it's not him. Really? No, for real.

It's real shit. And they'd be like, no, it's not him. And I would just stand there, and they'd be like, I'd be like, no, it's not him. And I would just stand there. And they would be like, I'd be like, but I understood. Because I had never met Screw. But I understood how important he was. And then, so me as a person who uses my intelligence, I went and studied. So I went.

And that was probably one of the most genuine. No, 1,000%. I've never met him. Yeah. But I'm just saying, from what I've researched, he's probably one of the most straight up I'm down, one of the most realist people. So how did you even meet Screw?

Yeah, they don't make him like him no more. I met him when I moved to Jersey. Okay. He was actually the one that kind of mentored me because he was like a big brother to me. And then he introduced me to the whole crew at Baldwin and the Baldwin Posse at the time before block war had even existed. And that's how that whole concept came about because we was like royalty on our own block. We were all royalties on our own. Okay, royalties. That was the mind state.

Okay. And that's how the whole concept came about. But he was clearly a leader, though. Right. That's for sure. Right. You know what I'm saying? And everybody looked up to him in a big way because he was the person,

if there was a problem, they would call him to put both sides together and piece it together. That's why they called him Scoot because he would screw them. He would bend everything together. Scoot was the Puerto Rican that can go squash the beef and black project. Exactly. He fucked with blacks, he fucked with Puerto Ricans. Everybody loved him and knew him.

So when there was a problem, they'd call Scoot and out of respect for him, they'd be like, all right, cool, we'll talk, we'll chop it up. And he always put people together. That was his thing. So do you know the actual story of? Yeah, so. Which you know, because I don't know. All right, so it was me, Screw, and Capone.

We were all hanging out that day. Because y'all was actually together. That whole week we was together. That whole week, right? You know? And then, so, but I was leaving, me and Skru was leaving out to go to the Bahamas that day that it happened. Wow.

So, me, you know, we was coming from New York, me, Skru, Capone, we went up on the This is after Locked Up. This is A-Con is A-Con. Yeah. A-Con is not like, you're not coming up. You're on your way. Yeah, I'm on my way. Okay, good.

Right? So, you know, we was like, yo, we went to the Bahamas. Everything was going good. We used to do this thing every weekend at Ringside. Ringside. You still do. I just seen a recent picture with you and Snoop Dogg at Ringside. Is that true?

Yep. With Mario? Is the guy named Mario? He's our godfather down there. Okay. Right? You see, I'm going to point that. I'm going to point that. I'm Mario. I do my research, nigga. I'm good at myide. Is that true? Mario? Is the guy named Mario? He's our godfather down there. I'm going to point that. I'm good at my job.

Ultimately, we invited Capone. He was like, yo, man, you got to come out and fuck with us. You're going to have a great time. Was Capone eventually supposed to sign to Rock Royal? We was thinking about it. It was my brother. Everything we was doing, because me and Screw was actually, you know, he was my brother.

So everything we was doing together. So the whole idea was, you know, the Block Royal would be the arm. Or convict music? Well, it was convict was already in place. Okay. But Block Royal was something we wanted to do for the community. Wow. You know what I'm saying?

Wow. And more so anything, we wanted to make it more, keep it Latin. Wow. You know, convict music would be the black side. Block Royal is the Latin side. Because it was different music, different genre, different, you know what I'm saying? So ultimately we went up and had the comedy show, everybody had a great time. Now I had to go back to my hotel to grab my bags and everything because we leaving out that morning. So as I'm saying, okay, I'm going to pull out. We get in the car.

We start pulling in. They're still in the comedy center. Everything lets out. Capone and everybody's downstairs chilling. Night's about to close out, but not quite. Everybody's out front. Capone was about to pull out, so Scoo's like, all right, well, cool. Let me just make sure,

walk into the car, make sure everything's all good. All right. As Capone was moving out, he went a little ahead of Skool because there was a conversation happening, and as Capone was coming out, somebody jammed him against the door with a gun,

trying to rob him for his chain. All right. Skool noticed that dude was trying to get at him. All right. So he rushed out to the front and caught dude dead in the act as he was robbing Capone. Now, you're not dead, but this is what you hear.

Yeah, you know, as robbing Capone. So Screw stepped in front, grabbed the dude, you know, with the gun and snuffed him. As he snuffed him, everything was going on, moving around and going on. Everybody came out, realized, okay, there's a fight. They all go jumping and everything else. And Screw was on top of him just punching him. Punching him, punching him. Next thing you know, he just fell on him.

And he was like, why everybody jumping? They ain't got anything going on. So you find out, because of all the commotion that was going, when Screw grabbed him and punched him, the gun went off. Wait, so the guy on the floor shot him? Well, the gun went off. Wait, so the guy on the floor shot him? Well, the gun went off. As he was snatching the gun to hit him, in the midst of the commotion,

the gun went off. I understand what you're saying now. You follow what I'm saying? Okay, now I understand. So the guy's... Pardon me, because I don't want to point at you. So the guy's pointing at him. Screw grabs him and...

Grabs the gun. Punches him. In the midst of all that happening Okay Screw's on top of him Punching him now So they're not thinking Nobody got shot He's not even knowing

He got hit You follow When it went on and off So when he fell on him That's when they realized Oh shit he's actually hit You follow what I'm saying So as they was rushing him

To the hospital He got there safely But then by the time He got there By the time I got to the hospital He had already been Convinced dead God bless God bless And um Cause he got there safely, but then by the time he got there, by the time I got to the hospital, he had already been pronounced dead. God bless.

God bless. And, um, because the reason how I heard about it was a paper in Jersey had wrote about it. And when they wrote about it, they said Noriega. And I was like, what the fuck?

Yeah, because they couldn't tell y'all two apart at the time. So I was like, what the fuck? Yeah, because they couldn't tell y'all two apart at the time. So I was like, what the fuck? Because I kept calling him Nori. And they're like, yo, I ain't Nori. I'm like, what the shit? You just remember Noriega. What, what, what, what? That's all nigga you remember.

But first off, everybody, please, right now, I would like to have a moment of silence. Screw. So everybody, give us three, four seconds. God bless. Man, like I said, I never met the homie. Every Puerto Rican nigga I ever met that knows him, they sit up to him like, you're tired of the fact that y'all niggas are over.

And I'm like, ah. So, I appreciate, I appreciate you keeping this memory alive and I appreciate you keeping the Black Warrior people around you.

Because it's an honorable thing to do. Because the level you're at, you don't have to keep ties with anybody. I mean, you don't have to. You should,, you don't have to keep ties with anybody. I mean, you don't have to. You should, but you don't have to.

But the fact that you do shows how honorable you are. And I have to respect that. I got a couple more questions. You got one, E? Oh, you were, okay. What you got? I got, where I'm going is. You got one E? Oh, you were... Okay. What you got? I got...

Well, I'm going as... I got a whole list. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I'm going as different. All right. So, you are married. You imagine. I can't go there just yet.

But you got like nine, though, right? That's hard. That number's inflated. It's inflated? That's four? Yeah, I got more than one. I can go that far. Okay. But I can't go deep into it just yet. Okay. So you

multiple wives. Polygamy, yeah. That's hard. Now, in order for me to do that, I gotta be Muslim? No. I gotta take my shahada? You could be Mormon. Huh? You could be Mormon.

Mormon? No, I can't be Mormon. The niggas don't watch TV. I need my TV, Akon. Come on. Mormon niggas, them niggas be rocking Crocs. You could be Mormon or Muslim. Believe it or not, you could actually be Christian, too.

It's in the Bible. Get out of here. It's in the Bible. Get out of here. It's in the Bible. It's a lot of religions. Wait, wait. Tell me the Bible shit because I don't... They just all scared.

I'm definitely scared. Definitely. But you can do it. All right. So explain to the normal nigga that's scared that you can have

you can have Keisha and Aisha if you wanted to I need you to explain it he's like nah I'm good it's not that like in Africa

it's a tradition so it's just a different so all your wives are African no they're all American that's what I'm trying to say I gotta be a student right now. I'm in

therapy class. How do you pull this off, sir? It's not really nothing you pull off. Like think about it. Look at the average person today, right? You got your main girl, you got your side piece. I don't got none of that. I don't got none of that either. I got white. Listen, listen. Listen. I can't do all this. You got a Dominican girl. You better relax. Dominican white. Right. You better relax. Listen.

Okay. I hear all that talking. I'm just saying. I don't know how y'all title them, how y'all say it. If I go down, we all going down. That's New Jack City. I don't want to go down with you. I'm just joking.

No, no. Real talk. Real talk. Okay. This may not apply to you or my brother O or whoever else that it may not apply to. But the average guy has his main chick, his side piece or mistress, his jump off, and whatever else new that come about it could be a one-night stand it could be somebody meet the club whatever the case may be

now at the end of the day we can say that that your girl don't know what you're doing or don't know what's happening but she knows you better than you know yourself you know what the hell you out there doing, bro. She just don't call you out on it. And women have this tendency of, well, it's actually natural. If you tell her that this is what it is, she builds and starts to structure her life around what you tell her. You niggas coughing back there going on so that's one right going so that's how women do because they're very emotional creatures so they're gonna build their life around you and what makes you happy not only that but what makes you

comfortable so if you tell look baby this is what it is in my life this is how it is she builds her life around that now. So now, imagine being a person that caters their whole way of existence around the way you live. And then one day finds out that everything you've been telling her is a lie. So now she done structured her whole life around a lie. And then, niggas, I mean, every woman is different. How they react to it,

it depends on the woman. But they gonna react. My approach is just totally different. I keep it all the way 100. So you tell them from the beginning, I'm married, I got nine other motherfuckers. Straight up.

And we gonna fuck and you might be my 10th. Sounds like credit cards and shit. No, I mean it. You might be my temp. No, I'm not going to lie. I said it in a Nori way.

I said it in a Nori way. But in an Akon way, is it similar? Listen, baby, you can be the prize winner, and you're getting it. It's not like you can do this. No, but see, Nori, you're approaching it from a pimp. No, I don't want to be the prize winner. And you're getting it. It's not like... No, but see, you're approaching it from a pimp. No, I don't want to be... I tried to be a pimp for a week. It didn't work out for me.

This is how pimps talk to women. Yeah, it didn't work out for me. I don't want to be a pimp. Yeah, so... It's not good for me. Okay, let's put it this way. It's as simple as this. Let's say you're married.

I am. Oh, we're not trying to... He's trying to look good in front of his wife and phone. Me too, nigga. I want you. We're together, nigga. What I'm saying is

that makes you look guilty. You don't have to try hard. If you're a good husband, can I tell you something? If you're a good husband, you ain't got to wave the white flag. That's very true. I don't got to do that shit.

That's very true. That's very true. All this trouble look good. What are you hiding, bro? I know I'm a good husband. Goddamn, God. I'm with you on this one. Damn.

I ain't with you on this one, brother. I'm a good husband, too. You better be. You better be claiming that, too. I'm claiming that. Let's say the average guy is taken, right? And he meets a girl. And the girl that he's with now, that he's taken with, he's already had a conversation saying, listen, this is my way of life.

This is the tradition. Yes, I'm planning on marrying you, but I'm entitled to having one, two, three, or four wives. Right. All right? Now, you explain that to number one. Okay. From day one, if she's cool with that,

then, alhamdulillah, that's you. If she ain't cool with that, then she's not the wife for you. If that's what you plan to do. Now, on a woman's standpoint, this is what happens. Two things happen. First of all, you keep it real with her so she keeps that respect for you because you didn't lie to do. Now, on a woman's standpoint, this is what happens. Two things happen. First of all, you keep it real with her so she keeps

that respect for you because you didn't lie to her. You told her exactly what you feel and what she's getting into. And number two, now she can prepare herself mentally to say, okay, you know what? If I deal with Nori and this is what he wants, is this something that I want in my life? You follow

what I'm saying? Now she can make that decision. Because you gave her the option to make that decision. Okay, but have you ever met a bad bitch where you're like, yo, yo, what's up, baby? Yo, I'm trying to get with you and shit like, and then you're like, I don't want no nigga with a wife, and you just lied for that moment.

You was like, I ain't got no vibes, bitch. Never. Come on. Never, bro. bitch? Never. Come on. Never, bro. Never? Never. You wasn't in Mexico on one night?

No, listen. And he said, never. Omar, you know this before I was who I was. You know this. My father got too wild. So what I'm saying is

at the end of the day... I've seen a fish in your pops, too. He look like he's taking bitches down still. Still to this day. I've seen a fish in your pops, too. He look like he's taking bitches down still. Still to this day. I've seen things. If that happens, I tell her straight up, look, right now, I don't even try to hide it. I let them know straight up, I'm married.

And I got this amount of kids, and they come first. How many kids you got? Enough. I got six. And a possible. I don't know where the other one niggas at. Possible. That's not for the possible, man.

Screw me up. I got a possible running around there. I got a space here, my nigga. She's real. I'm sorry. And once they know, I mean, at that point, shit, if it all fails, y'all can always just be friends. But if a woman know what she's getting into, bro, she ain't got no problem. We was just in the club just the other day, me and my little brother.

And me knowing what everybody already know, the chicks came to me asking to be a wife. She introduced herself to me as his next wife. Like, hi, I'm your brother's next wife. I'm like, he ain't even met you yet. Yeah. That's hard, man. That's hard. And then she went to him like, hello, I'm your new wife.

And letting her know. She let him know that she is. Well, that happened to the regular dude. It won't happen to the regular man. No, because the regular dude ain't communicate that. Right. You follow? Like, if I already communicated that, the woman comes to me already knowing what it is.

Now, you haven't communicated that. So she's coming to you knowing what it is to her. And you know his girl was in Big Pimpin' Video. Not my girl, bro. Relax. My ex-girlfriend from fucking high school. This guy brings it up like it was yesterday. Listen, his girl

was in Big Pimpin' Video. His girl was in Made You Look. First of all, you're making a video you know the grapevine story this motherfucker takes it to another level I'm trying to think of the major look video I wasn't a gentleman you are a car there's only

do to that would you I would you I would you I listen this is a car I want you to answer this is a lot of the and bro bro this is a whole I want you to let me know listen you can hear on horse Uchiwale. She was up on, listen, listen. You can hear his story, but then there's a real story. All right, listen.

I want you to tell me if my friend is petty or not. His name is DJ EFN. He's my brother. He's my partner. This is the fake story. Make some noise for him, God damn it. But his girl went to Big Pimpin' Video. My real girl hates that you bring this story up all the fucking time.

And then she went to Uchiwadi Video, and then he never dealt with her again. No, that's not the way it went down. She in both videos? She was in both videos. In a song song. No, no, this is my story. I'll let you tell your story in there. Now, if your girl went to Big Pimpin' and Uchiwadi Video.

Who girl? Your girl. Don't go to it. She didn't go to it. No, I'm just saying. If your girl, she's aspiring to be a model. No, she's in the video a model oh she's would you come off a girl aspiring to be a mom she's fired to be a mom and goes to a I'm not gonna lie I want you don't listen to his version inspired to be a model I work for the casting company so what you was doing in the video making them to be aspiring model

the way you just business model together right now shout out the casting by Karen they're gonna look like a hobby was the but I y'all both know but alright cool especially in that era of hip hop yes models don't exist in casting like you say you knocked down a lot of models no

what I'm saying is I was trying to go there I know you I know you you know he's what bro he's going down what I'm trying to say is music videos

were never made for models so if you're trying to be an inspiring model the video scene is not where you're trying to be an inspiring model, the video scene is not where you're going to be at. Because first of all, if you've been in a video, agencies ain't even going to accept you. Because they just, they never, at that time especially, they didn't look at hip hop videos as something classy.

They looked at it as something ratchet. So he pleaded my case for me. You know what I'm saying? But the video models was popping. Yeah. In the 2000s. I mean, it all depends. I'm good. I'm going to try. He said he's good at like smoking.

He almost reached out. I was like, oh! Look at my mom. And my mom. So, you said the video model. Okay, so now. But he was wrong for cutting her off for being an Uchiwale b****. I didn't cut her off.

No, he did it right there. No, I didn't cut her off though. We went separate ways. But he decided to cut her off. I didn't cut her off. I didn't cut her off. I didn't cut her off. I didn't cut her off. I didn't cut her off. I didn't cut off for being an Uchiwale video. I didn't cut her off.

No, he did the right thing. No, I didn't cut her off, though. We went separate ways, but he decided to go that way. She was on a horse. Wait, hold on. What was the first video she was in? The thong song.

At that time? Thong song. Bro, no, no, no. A-Ka, stop, stop. At that time? No, no, no. A-Ka, A-Ka, A-Ka. You did the right thing, bro.

The thong song. If she was a thong song. Just the thong song. Did he do the right thing about cutting her off? Bro, he did the right thing, bro. The thong song. If she was a thong song. Just a thong song. Did he do the right thing about Cardi? Bro, he did the right thing about Uchiwara. Bro, that's Uchiwara. There's a laundry list of videos we could talk about right now. Well, a thong song, that ain't really no threat.

Why it's not no threat? Because Sisqo ain't trying to knock her down. Running on top of their heads and all. Sisqo ain't trying to knock her down. Sisqo was a good guy. Sisqo was fucking trying to knock her down. Cisco was a good guy. Cisco was fucking everything back then. Cisco was a good guy. I told you she was in one of your videos.

Cisco was a good guy. The joint that never came out. The Ja Rule joint. I'm going to live my life. She was there. Cisco was a good guy. But y'all niggas, man. If my woman talk about she coming to you, one of y'all mad.

Nah, I ain't going to lie. Right now, if your woman tell you she's coming to my video right now, she's safe. You mad? Yeah, I mean. I'm mad. Bro, listen. But I ain't going to lie. Listen, your ring is the biggest moment.

Oh, shit, yeah, yeah. So we in the same boat. But you got eight of them, though, my nigga. Let me just. That's so honest. I got one, my nigga. Yeah. I ain't going to lie.

I know you doing something good. Because I can't do it, man. Eight or whatever you got. It doesn't matter how many you got. That shit is, you got more than one. And you don't got gray hairs. Why you don't got gray hairs? I don't know, bro.

I don't know. No, that's just communication, man. That's dope. That's communication. But the hardest part is the time. Spending time. That's the communication, man. That's dope. That's communication. But the hardest part is the time. Spending time. That's the hardest part. The hardest part, honestly, is putting the time in.

So what does Akon do on a date? Do you go to roller skating rinks? Oh, you mean for fun? Yeah. I go to the movies. Movies? Yeah. What's the last movie you saw?

I ain't been to the movies in a minute. Damn. He had no fun lately. The ladies is listening like, what the fuck? He working, he working. Hey, man, I've been working so hard, man. I don't even. So what do you do for fun?

What is a fun day for? The studio, honestly. Nah, man, you can't do that. Yeah, I promise you. Nah, nah, nah. No, no, no. Fuck the studio. Come on.

I promise you. You answer it like me. That's exactly how I do that. Nah, nah, nah. I promise you. No, no, no. Fuck the studio. Come on. I promise you. You answer it like me. That's exactly how I... No, but on everything. Yeah, but I only got one woman, so that's cool. But what do you... You got to satisfy other people. All right, so now, one of your wives.

We don't know how many wives we got. We don't care. We just know you got a lot. One of your wives come to you and say, baby, I would like to spend a day with you what is your plan take it from there I would tell to make the plan you would tell them to make the plan okay so now she said they won't be it they got more time to think about they do great I mean we do things ain't really much we could do right we don't do much because you can't really walk through the park

yeah because they can't walk they know the park. Yeah. Because Akon can't walk through Flushy Metal Park. They know all the activities. They know all the fun stuff to do. Right. You can't go to Noble by yourself. Noble? Yeah. Everybody in Noble. You could go to Noble by yourself?

Which Noble though? New York? I ain't never been to Noble. You ain't never been to... Well, come on. But I can go. You never been to Noble? What is Noble, man?

I don't know what the fuck. What the fuck? The only Noble I've ever been to Noble? What is Noble, man? I don't know what the fuck. What the fuck, bro? The only Noble I've ever been to was the one in the UK, but not in the States. You got to go to the one in Malibu, brother. There ain't been one. You know what? I take that back. I did go to the one in Malibu.

It's fantastic. That's the new one. The one near the... Soho House? The new Soho House, yeah. Oh, god damn it. High five. High five.

No, high five. High five. High five. Yo, listen. That's fantastic. I got to get used to the high five. That no high five high five high five yo listen you got that's fantastic I gotta get used to the high five that's a white boy shit I've definitely been

hanging around white boys a long time man yeah high five yeah I'm a little crazy so but you have Aiden Noble that's a good thing

Noble is Noble is one of the but I was never really like a industry restaurant type of dude that's why you never see me an industry restaurant type of dude. That's why you never see me in a restaurant. Wow.

The food is bland. The service is mad little. I like the hole in the wall gutter, like soul food, West Indian. You'll find me in the hood for food. So let's describe one of your favorite hood foods, because you know I got a food show as well. Let's describe one of your favorite hood food shops. Oh, man. Island Cafe in Atlanta on Memorial Drive.

Island Cafe. Bro listen to me. I don't care what where you ever ate West Indian food you ain't going to find no place bigger better than this one.

Island Cafe. Island Cafe. Have you ever ate famous fish on 145th Street and St. Nicholas in Harlem? No I don't think so.

I might have though. That's the spot you took us to I might have though. What kind of spot is it? It's fried fish. Oh yeah if it's fried fish I ain't been in there. Oh you don't think so. I might have though. That's the spot you took us to after that. I might have though. What kind of spot is it? It's Fry Fish. Oh yeah, if it's Fry Fish, I ain't been in there. Oh, you don't fuck with Fry Fish?

Not since high school. Why? What happened? Your girlfriend gave you crabs? You didn't even fry fish. It's just high school, too. Every black nigga in the world love Fry Fish. The Acorn.

Now you white now. No, no, no. It's not even. It's not even. It's fine. No, when you start experiencing other types of fishes. Yeah, it's not even it's not even

it's not when you start experiencing other types of fishes yeah it's true like it's just different cause fried fish

is where you start at yeah and they ain't really no flavor ain't flavor in fried fish until you put some hot sauce on it whereas when you

start eating like grilled with a certain seasoning on it it's a different taste that is St. Louis coming out of him like hell. That is St. Louis. That's some St. Louis shit right there.

Nigga said, you ain't even tasting it until you put hot sauce on it. Jesus. You are a dirty mole right now. Yo, but okay, boom. So locked up. We already covered that? No, um, okay. Boom. So locked up. We already covered that? No, we did not. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network,

hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform

the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops call this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team

that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way.

Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill.

NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear

episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there's so many stories out there, And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience

is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is your introduction to the industry. I thought they won't let me out.

I know I can't sing. I apologize. But you understand my passion. Locked up comes out. Now, you say you was born in St. Louis. So you're actually not the immigrants that's going through this immigration shit right now. But you could have easily been born in Senegal. But you went back to Senegal, right?

You were just born and then went back. So coming back, you are like immigrants going through. So locked up. If you would have been born in Senegal two days before, came to St. Louis, and then went and got locked up, you wouldn't even be here. Possibly not. So how do you, one, how do you feel about the immigration shit?

It's horrible. That's horrible. Honestly, I don't even know what to say the best. That's shit. Rob Markman, the man that's the best. That's shit. Rob Markman, the man that's the best. That's horrible. Honestly, I don't even know what to say about it. It's just inhuman to me. Rob Markman, the man that's the best.

That's shit. Rob Markman, the man that's the best. I was never the kind of person that liked anything like gates, barriers, or borders anyway. Rob Markman, the man that's the best. You know what I'm saying? Rob Markman, the man that's the best. I just feel like the earth was built for us to roam through it.

There never should be a borderline where you can go on earth. Rob Markman, the man that's the best. You reside in the States right now? Rob Markman, the man that's the best. Yeah, I'm based in the States. Rob Mark about you reside in the states right now yeah do you ever feel like with everything going on right now to like live somewhere else another country um i mean i got places in other countries but i prefer to be in the states yeah now if i had to make a choice between living in africa and living in the states i would would choose Africa. Rob Markman, Get the fuck out of here. What part of Africa? In Senegal. Rob Markman, Senegal? Shit real like that?

Yeah, it's amazing. Rob Markman, It got like a Miami type of place? Yeah. Rob Markman, I'm in. Where at? What's the shit name? Dakar. Rob Markman, Dakar? I'm in.

I'm in. Rob Markman, I'm in. Let's go. Take my money and get the fuck out of here. Yeah, you go to Dakar, Cape Verde, all this right next door to each other. And I come in beautiful. It's like Hawaii. Oh, Cape Verde?

Oh, that's where Cape Verdeans come from? Yeah. Oh, wow. That's where all Boston is from. Yeah. Majority of Boston is like that. Half of Boston and Rhode Island is from there. Eritrea is over there too.

And what? Eritrea. Eritrea? Oh. God. And what? Eritrea. Eritrea. Oh. God damn, it sounds very exotic. So now, Locked Up. So this song comes out. Now, it's inspired from you being locked up where, at what time? What you mean, like when?

Yeah. I got locked up in around, I think, 98. Got locked up in 98. I had an 98 I had an RE album I was shining at that time I'm so sorry I'm so sorry was she listening to my album in jail because I want she was lit after I got out okay so so locked up you come home you come home SRC correct yeah this is Steve Rifkin which is my boy is Steve Rifkin, which is my boy. Steve Rifkin. Formerly Loud Music.

Former Loud Music. Formerly Loud Music. So how does this connection come up for Locked Up to even come up? Well, when I got out, I was at the crib, kind of just in the studio. Derry City? No, I was in Atlanta. Okay. At that time. And then-

No gas station at the time. No, no gas station. Okay, continue. Pre-gas station. Yeah, it is. So, Divine was shopping five songs that I had just recorded. Who? Divine.

Okay. Yeah. So, ultimately what happened was we had got offers from like four or five labels. And Steve Rifkin was brought to our attention through a friend of ours named Bernard Alexander. I know Bernard Alexander. But at the time, Steve Rifkin never had anything R&B. Is that correct? No, he did. He had some.

I wasn't quite sure what is. I didn't even know who Steve Rifkin was at that time. No, but he was coming off. Moontain, Mobb Deep. Mobb Deep, Fat Joe, all those guys. Big pun. Big pun, rather. Yeah.

So at the time, we was literally in the middle of the hood. We lived in Atlanta where I was staying at the time. We was literally in the center of the hood, but we had a huge mansion right in the middle of the hood, but we had like a huge mansion right in the middle of the hood. Right. And I was upstairs. And Devon was like, yo, man, you know, we got an exec that's going to come by and meet you.

He want to meet you. So I wasn't sure for what label or who. And then I look outside and I see, you know, these two white guys come into the door with T-shirts and jeans and one had a suit on. Steve Rifkin and who? Steve Rifkin and who? I don't know who the other two guys were. Was it Richie Isakson?

No. You know what? Richie Isakson, I think, was one of them at the time. Okay. I think he was one of them. The other one was some Russian security dude. But I thought he was the fed, so I ran through the back door. Way worse. That meeting ended quick. some Russian security dude. But I thought he was the fed, so I ran through the back door. Wait, what?

That meeting ended quick. Wait, nigga pulled up and you ran? I ran out the back door. Nigga coming to sign you. Damn. What kind of life is you living in, Carl? Jesus.

Okay, okay. Right, so now they're in the living room waiting to find out, what the hell's con? Come back, come find out. I done dipped out the back door, so he go find me. I'm at the park like'm like, what the hell's Con? Come back. Come find out. I done dipped out the back door. So he go find me. I'm at the park.

Like, nigga, what the fuck? He said, nigga, get over here, man. That's the exact guy I was telling you about. I was like, oh, shit. So I come back through front door, and I see Steve Rifkin. And you don't know who Steve Rifkin is? I have no idea. Down to earth, though.

You know, mad cool. He comes. He said, listen, I know you got other offers on the table. He said, I don't have any money. I'm going to tell you right now, I don't have the kind of money. He said, but what I can tell you is that if you sign with me, I'm going to hold you down. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I make you a star no matter what. Whatever sacrifice I need to make, I'm going to make.

And what drew me to Steve was the fact, first of all, he came to my house in the hood where nobody would show up in that area. That was 4-4. So for him to come that far and take the first flight out after hearing the records and come to me, that was worth more than any kind of money anybody would have. How did you guys even get him the records? I'm sorry. It was sent to him.

Okay. It was, you know, the records were sent to him. But y'all met him somewhere or something or? Uh-uh. We had never met until... Were y'all sending records out to labels? No, Bernard. Bernard came and took my records.

Oh. You know, Bernard came and took my records and he went around, you know, shopping them. And he got, I think he connected with a guy named, at the time, it was Kenny Burns. Wow. Yeah, we had Kenny on the show. Rob Markman, And Kenny Burns was the one that took the record to Steve Rifkin. You know what I'm saying? Matter of fact, I'll take that back. It was Isaacson.

And then when he was on 3-Way, Kenny was on the other side. Like, nigga, I told you nigga. I'm telling you nigga, I told you, nigga. I'm telling you, nigga. I told you, nigga. You know, he was one of the... But yeah, Kenny definitely was the one that passed it over to Steve before Steve came out there. But it was more about, you know, I knew at that moment that I can build something with this guy. You know what I'm saying? With Steve.

That's when I knew I could build something big with him. Because it was about his passion for what I did and his willingness to be down no matter what. And that meant more to me than anything, especially with that mentality, street mentality at that time. So when you think about the word lonely, what's the first thing that comes to your mind? Oh, shit. DeKalb County. I saw that at jail.

Is that a jail? That's where I wrote the song I did not know that Smoke some more of it I had no idea But I had locked up and lonely Next to each other Had no idea

So lonely You was locked up in a jail Yeah That's where I wrote it. That whole first album, majority of it, every song in there was wrote in jail except Trouble Nobody. Wow.

Because I wrote, and the reason why, like Ghetto was written in there, I mean all the songs except Trouble Nobody. Trouble Nobody was the only song off that album that I didn't write while I was locked up. And I wrote that after I left court. I got out of court and I wrote that one

because the judge told me not to trouble nobody. Wow. So you come home. What makes you want to keep these songs? Not write all new material. I wouldn't know how to write new material because all my songs are based on my experiences so i didn't know how to not talk about what i was already going through

first of all because i was surrounded by it and like i was being drowned by everything that i'm going through anyway so i couldn't even think outside of what i was dealing with to even make up a story or make up a song, for that matter. You know what I'm saying? So that experience actually became the content in which I wrote about. Before you were in, were you already an aspiring artist? Before I was in, I kind of platform for me. Because I never really talked to too many people about my problems.

So whenever I was going through something, I just wrote about it. Like a release. Yeah, so music was more like a hobby for me at that time. I didn't think it would be something I'd utilize as a career. Okay, now, Invest in Africa. I know't think it would be something I'd utilize as a career. Okay. Now, invest in Africa. I know we touched on it a little bit earlier.

I'd like to go a little bit more deeper than that. Why should we invest in Africa? I know why we should invest in Africa, but I would like for us to tell the masses,

the whole world. Well, this is what I can tell you. I know a lot of times we have the tendency to blame the white man for everything that's going wrong, right? White man is fucked up. Fuck it. I'm just playing. I'm just playing.

Maybe not. That's the majority of African Americans in America feel. You're not saying nothing that everybody don't feel. That don't necessarily mean it's true. But with the circumstances that surround us, that's why we believe that way. So at the end of the day, it was like, if you are in a position in life

where you feel like you don't own your own content, you don't own anything, and they should be investing in us, this is the opportunity now to be able to own that in which we're complaining about. Because in Africa, it's a clean slate. You can build that empire there. You can build

that infrastructure there. And you already got the information. You're already educated on how to do it because we've done it here and made billions of dollars for corporations all day. Africa's the only place in the world where black people can go and build Fortune 500 companies from scratch

within five years. You'd be like China, easily. No, seriously. And this took them hundreds of years to build. You can build now within five years. China took that same, you know, mind state 25 years ago. China was no different from Africa 25 years ago.

Go to China now. Look at Dubai, the Middle East. They just started 25 years ago China was no different from Africa 25 years ago go to China now look at Dubai the Middle East they just started 15 years ago and started I'm kind of me me we just want to be

100% I understand what you exactly mean so you're saying that Africa right now so how can Africa be the new China how can we say that

so we're saying for all our black people, yes. Go back to Africa. Okay. Whatever you're doing here, do it there. So real estate, entertainment, education. Record label, sneaker company. Whatever.

Clothing line. Whatever. Start it there. Do it there. Don't even start it. Do it there. It's going to grow out of there anyway. But Africa's big enough you won't ever have to need no other country anyway wow think about it everything you

do is hot in africa no you don't well it depends on you africa's the second biggest country in the world it's over a billion people who's the biggest continent europe who's the biggest continent well it's continent and Asia is the biggest continent Asia that's China Korea it? Well, it's continent and country. Asia is the biggest continent. Asia, and that's China, Korea, Russia, India. India, all of them put together, though, that makes Asia. Right. And it's not that much bigger than Africa. And Africa is the second biggest continent. Wow.

With more natural resources as well. With all the natural resources. That's the difference. So we literally got a pot of gold and nobody even going for it. Exploded by outside. So how did we start this? How did we start to say, you know what, let's invest back in the motherland.

I think the key is, first of all, you got to release the fear. Because a lot of African-Americans are afraid to go to Africa. No, because I'm not going to lie. I was offering so many shows to Africa, I'm going to be honest. And then they told me I was going to get shots. And I was like, I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to lie. I was offered so many shows to Africa, I'm going to be honest. And then they told me I was going to get shots.

And I was like, I'm good. And I'd never actually been to Africa because I didn't want to get the shots. I didn't know they were injecting shit in me. But I was scared. This is back in the day. That's what I said. You got to release the fear. You got to release the fear.

You have to. Because first of all only white people need shots to go to Africa black people don't need no shots to go to Africa but why is that even a rumor

that you need shots to go to Africa I mean it's fear the same way they told you AIDS started in Africa you can die from malaria they telling you all this stuff and all that stuff

wow wow you know they tell you you go to Africa you gotta take shots you gotta take like Five or six different You know types of shots

To save you from this Save you from that Save you from this But why does that rumor Even exist though I mean Cause they know the value Of black people

Going back home Can you just imagine If African Americans In America Decided you know what man Fuck America We going back home And then

All the value That we bring here We took over there America wouldn't exist no club live and zoom on the hot none that will work think about it just imagine man oh all the major ballplayers left started their own team back home all the major recording artists left started their own labels back home. Just imagine, just those two sectors. We're not talking about all the inventors that never got the credit for all the shit that they inventing, like cell phones and all that, that black people invented. Black excellence.

You would never even know. All these software companies that's taking, you know, all, you have no idea. Like, we don't even know how much value we even have. Damn. We have no idea. Like, we don't even know how much value we even have. Damn. We have no idea. Damn. Just imagine if we just woke up one day. I got to wake up with you, Akon.

Pause. Pause. That's real, man. That's real. That's real. That's real. That's real. That's real, man. No, that's real, man. That's real. That's real. That's real, man. That's real, man.

Because collectively we got enough to do it. We don't have to buy or borrow from nobody. We can do it ourselves if we just came together to do it. That's such a beautiful thing. I really would like to be involved in something like that. I want to invest in Africa. I want to invest in the left-back city of Africa. Just start with land.

Oh. You start with land. Think about it. Lamb? Land. Okay. I thought I had to buy animals. Just think about it.

Lamb? I don't really like the niggas like that. Agriculture too, bro. You have no idea. No, I don't like lamb like that. I like land. That's cool. Just think about it, right?

What's the average cost of an acre in New York City? I don't know. You can't. But if you could buy it, you're going to spend at least, no, five, six million. An acre? Yeah. Easy. So now imagine you had that six million in Africa.

You know how many acres you can buy for six million in Africa? I do not know because I'm ready to move. A thousand acres. We're going out there. You can buy a thousand acres for six million dollars in Africa. I could live like the King of Zamunda. Would they wash my royal penis? I just need them to understand that. Because I'm going to be honest, I think even my wife

would let that go down. My wife would be like, all right, cool. That's it. They're just going to wash my penis. That's it. Nothing else going down, baby. Sorry. Let me look around and make sure my wife's not here. She just might just pop up. But that's how we can live in Africa. Man, you can live it up, man. Have you been to Zamunda where Eddie Murphy was from? You mean today's Wakanda? Today's Wakanda business. That was the original Wakanda.

That was the original Wakanda. It was Zamunda, right? Yeah, coming to America was the original Wakanda. Zamunda, right? Yeah, Zamunda. The nigga got his own money. Yeah. You got your own money.

You got your own money. That's me. The nigga got his own money. Oh my God. That's real. I'm trying to have my own money too. I don't want to have, I'll have your money. I'm going to spend your money.

Fuck that. All right. So now, soul survivor. Young Jeezy. I seen y'all 20 years later looking young. Just recently performed it. Both of y'all with suits on. Jeezy had on no socks.

It was crazy. You see Jeezy. Jeezy wears different shorts now. I went to his crib. His shorts is different. He's getting a lot of money. I went to his crib. His shorts is different. He's getting a lot of money. I'm getting a lot of money shorts. When that first, the first initial phone call happened,

Jeezy, a new artist, because he's predominantly a new artist. Yeah. And then you guys recreated Paid in Fall. So where were you at and what position? He was in Atlanta doing this stuff. So he was already buzzing in Atlanta. Yeah. Oh, yeah, that's right.

You did establish that. So they get that call. So what do you think from there? What call? Which one are you talking about? one you talk about Jeezy Jeezy cuz now I'm so survivor mm-hmm so you get the call to say that you that they want you also survivor no no that was actually the one that called me told me to help you know be a part of turning them up you know that DJ Nando wanted to

be at that time of course at this time, this is already locked up, it's already out? Lil Jon, Oh yeah, all that was already out. Everybody had huge influences at the time. BMF was one of the biggest influences on the street side in Atlanta. Rob Markman, In Atlanta, okay. Lil Jon, My little brother Boo, I mean Omar, was running around with them heavily. Rob Markman, Because Boo the nigga that knocked out Suge, Omar's the nigga here. My bad. I just tried to establish out Sugar Omar I was a nigga my bad

I just tried to establish that so Sugar's my nigga too yeah and me I couldn't be around any of that

at that moment in time where I was going and all this other craziness but ultimately music was what I was known for in Atlanta so

Mishree Stout was like man I got this all I need you to hear this one I first heard and I went to Patchwork and met Jeezy personally and played me

that mixtape. That was just fucking ridiculous. So me and Jeezy just clicked instantly from that connection. And then I thought about it the whole time I was in Vegas and I had this record that I had wrote and I was trying to figure out when I was going to release it.

But after hearing Jeezy Souls Survive. Listen, after hearing Jeezy on that record, I said, yo, this record right now, especially what's happening with that buzz and what's going on with him, this record going to change the game. Are you telling me you gave Jeezy Soul Survive? Yeah, I gave it to him. But it did what it was supposed to do.

It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It did exactly what it was supposed to do. I love this quietness of the room. Yeah. Now everybody, make some fucking noise. So the guy wants to do a record with you. You've never really heard of him. But you know of the fam, BMF, Lit. And you say, BMF, lit.

And you say, this is the record. I'm a soul survivor. Was your vocals already on there? Yeah, the vocals was already on there. No, like literally, I called him. I said, nigga, I got the record for you. Jeezy or? Jeezy.

Did he instantly love the record? The moment I sent it, five minutes ain't go by. After the chorus came, he called me and said, nigga, nigga, this shit right here. I said, I'm telling you, bro. This shit right here, nigga? Can you say this shit right here, nigga? I knew it, too. I was like, I knew it. I knew it, too.

I would have knew it, too. I knew it. But he was the perfect. I felt like he was the perfect, perfect. At that time, I thought he was more perfect for that record than me. And you made it. Your producer. Yep.

That's when I was in full production mode. I just felt like it was a stronger record, it being his, than mine as an artist at that time. You know what I'm saying? Uh-huh. Yeah. So you gave it to him. He lays it. And he bodied it to him. And that's when I was more confirmed. When he sent me some verses back, I was like, oh my God, this is it.

So he sent you the record back prior to it releasing. Yeah. And you heard it. Where was you at? Oh, I was still in Vegas when he sent it back. He sent it back the next day. Damn, I feel like he was in Tootsies for some reason. But then again, when I was in Miami, that's my spot. See, the only thing about Tootsies, their music sucks.

Let's throw it out there. Yeah, music is horrible. The music is horrible in Tootsies. Food is fantastic. Women, fantastic. Food, ah, I'm a fat guy like I like to eat I like a little bit of

lemon pepper I gotta relax what's up my man how you doing man you look like you're very artistic I'm just throwing it out there just throwing it out there you know what's funny

when I first met him I told him the exact same thing I said the exact same thing I ain't gonna lie you look like somebody Pharrell would hire so so I'm fucking with you

nigga I don't know your name but you my friend you my friend so Akon alright you've basically done like if the industry was a girl, you fucked her in the ear, fucked her in the nose, you fucked her in the ass.

You started out with that. That was the first. That was the second thing you did after you manned with the pussy. What is the next thing? Did I go too far? I felt like I went too far. A little bit. Alright. You might have went just a little bit too far.

So what's the next thing for A-Con? Because now you've got the cryptocurrency. You've got you've discovered the biggest white girl. You've discovered the new Britney Spears in our day and time. Lady Gaga. I think she's beyond that. I think she's beyond that I'm just saying in our day and time

Is the mic still So what the fuck could be left Else for you to do That's it just build a legacy Build a legacy Keep the platform available for everybody else to be able to get up And have the opportunity to do the same thing That was so corporate I don't even know how to answer that form available for everybody else to be able to get up and have the opportunity to do the same thing.

That was so corporate, I don't even know how to answer that. That was real. Say that again? I'm sorry. Fuck it. That was real. I wasn't ready for it. I wasn't ready for it. We don't put each other on enough. We don't put each other on enough.

We just don't, man. I built my career off making other people's careers. If we all did that, we'd be good. Now, also, French Montana was your artist first. Yeah. How did that transpire? Oh, man. Actually, Gabi brought him to me. Gabi from Loud SRC.

Yes. Gabi brought him to me. Myi from Loud SRC. Yes. Gabi brought them to me. My man, Gabi, this nigga, yo, this nigga, his phone, it just sticks to his shit. It just sticks to his cheek. Yeah, no, don't give me that one. He hold it with that one finger. He be like this.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So Gabi brung you friends. Bad face. Now, what happened? Now, is this the DVD era? Yeah, this is around the time when he was, he just did the DVD, he was doing the DVDs. Uh-huh.

Then I signed him. And then we rolled together for about a good year. You know, flew him to Atlanta. That's when he met Gucci Man and these other niggas? Yeah, he got inspired on that side. Because French was a, he was a chameleon. Like, he can adapt any style. And the good thing about him, he was one of the artists that didn't want to be putting

one specific box in to try different things. You know what I'm saying? That's why I liked him a lot. You know, so he definitely engulfed in that. And then we was working some records in New York, and he called me. He was like, yo man, I got a call from Diddy. Diddy really want to be a part of the project I said well shit let's talk to him and see what going

out and you know we met with Diddy did you know at the time Diddy and French would spend a lot of time together you know cuz I'll be wanting everybody to get around and just make sure they understand the game who they dealing with and Diddy was always one of those dudes when it comes to artists from New York I always felt like he a good part of the half especially running around in in the game, who they're dealing with. And Diddy was always one of those dudes, when it comes to artists from New York, always felt like he was a good part of the half, especially running around in New York. So he called, he's like, yo, man,

you know, puff on the sign, what do you think? I said, well, shit, nigga, you should do it. He said, what you mean, you ain't gonna feel some kind of way? I said, nigga, you are a New York-based artist. Why? Y'all niggas knew New York shit. I'm international. I can't do shit from you until you break in New York anyway. Ain't nothing I can do for you.

You know? And that nigga believe in you. I'm not going to tell you no lie. That nigga believe in you. So I reached out to Diddy, and Diddy was like, because I had just did the joint venture with Diddy and Red Cafe right shortly before. You know? And he was like, yo, nigga, I'm telling you, we got another one. We got another one.

What's up with this nigga French? I said, Diddy, man, listen, please, if that nigga want to be with you and you feel like this is something that you could take to the next level, let's work these things out. Let them go. Make it happen.

Because I think, I always felt like collaboration is going to be the key to your advancement anyway. But you got to just make sure you got the right partner. You know what I'm saying? And the things that Diddy could do for French at that time, I didn't have the time to do it for him.

French was like my little brother, and I wanted to make sure he got the best of the best for what it is he was trying to do. And at that time, I thought Diddy was that guy. You know what I'm saying? So we made sure that deal happened over for him at Bad Boy. So now the deal did happen. Are you in that deal, like, secretly? You know me,'m saying? So we made sure that deal happened over for him at Bad Boy. So now the deal did happen. Are you in that deal, like, secretly?

You know me like I told you. I build them to fly. You so rich, you ain't even here for it. I don't stick with it. I mean, for what? You got gas stations in your crib. You niggas say, okay, nigga. Hey, nigga, I don't expect that.

Yeah, I don't like that. I did that a couple of times. I don't know if I'm as smooth as you with it. Yeah, I don't do that. I don't lock them down to where they can't move. I don't can't do that. Damn, A-Kong. These niggas are honorable, nigga.

Nigga, you don't let the nigga go. Why not? Like, why not? Look where he at today, though. Look at him. And it ain't nothing for me to pick up the phone and say yo French I need this I need that and I don't get it I mean it's only empowering me but is there ever

any move that you actually made that you regretted you know what I mean like you mean as far as artists anything just like you did it

as artists oh the one the one thing that I do regret though and I think I would've probably handled it different with the mindset obviously with the mindset I had now, but if I could still have that

mindset I had then and make a better decision was that Poughkeepsie situation. That's the one thing that I did. When you grinded on the girl? Yeah. No, no, no, not that. All right. When the kid, yeah. Don't toss another kid off the stage.

Well, that man, that nigga wasn't no kid. He was a grown man. Wait, I forgot. What happened with the situation? Rob Markman, Jr.: It was a big concert in Poughkeepsie, New York, and I was performing, headlining, and as I'm in the middle of performance, somebody threw something on stage at me. I caught it right before it hit me in the eye and I looked. At that time, I just felt disrespected. I was always... When it comes to disrespect, I just don disrespected. I was always,

when it comes to disrespect, I just don't know how to handle that. I just can't let nobody disrespect me, especially in front of 20,000 people. So I was like, yo, who threw that?

And the whole crowd was like this. They just literally pointed him out. I was like, yo, get him up here. And as he's coming up to the stage,

I'm trying to think, okay, what could I possibly do to this nigga to let everybody know the disrespect for him is not allowed. And he actually volunteered to come on stage?

No, he didn't volunteer. They actually brought him to me. They brought him to me. And in my mind, I said, okay, cool. I'm just going to knock him out and call it a day. But then when he came...

But if you would have knocked him out, you would have just kept performing. Oh, no. I would have just knocked him out and just kept performing. That would have been just as bad. Yeah, but I wouldn't have cared because at least I got it out. Right.

But then when he came, because they brought him to the side of the stage, he came, I just saw the look on his face like the nigga was happy to be up here. He was like, ah! So I'm looking, I'm like, damn. This nigga's actually a real fan. And he's happy to be here. So in my mind, maybe he was just doing that to get my attention. Don't roundhouse kick him.

No, no, no. So that made me not knock him out. But I said, he's still got a, you know, he's still got a son. Because even if it ain't for him, it's for everybody out there that think they can do the same thing. Right, right. So I was like. Kick him in his balls. Yeah. Some of them, yeah. Because even if it ain't for him, it's for everybody out there that think they can do the same thing. Right, right. So I was like. Kick him in his balls. Yeah. He's your assistant.

So I had to find a punishment that wouldn't kill him or hurt him. But at the same time would give the word out that I ain't the one to be fucking with out there. So I said, I got it. I said, so you want to throw shit on a nigga? Stay. So at that moment moment I feel like eye for an eye you throw something at me

I throw you right I just picked him up saw a soft spot and tossed him over there you know and that's how that's what happened

and them niggas said A-Kong did it they was like Cardi B's little baby picture A, Akon did it. They was like Cardi B's little baby picture. Akon did it. That's exactly what happened, right? You were like Cardi B a little bit.

Akon did it. That's exactly what happened. And what was this at? This was in New York. Poughkeepsie. It was in New York. Poughkeepsie. What would you have done different, though?

You said that you would have done that differently. What would you have done? A security handle. Yeah. Honestly, after that happened, I would have just kept going on with the show like I ain't even see it. Right. Knowing that, you know.

But then I stopped the music. I got mad dramatic. Hold on. Stop the music. Stop the music. What the heck? Oh, after you threw the nigga. No, before.

No, when he threw it The shit Oh Cause in my mind In my mind Everybody saw it Right right Like in my mind

Cause I saw it Everybody saw it It's a pride thing And it's a mind My mind stayed then It was just different Right You know what I'm saying

It was just different It was ignorant That's the only thing We take back in life That's it That's it We're not gonna throw that nigga's the only thing we take back in life that's it that's it we're not going to throw that nigga

in the fucking crowd again that's it everything else I'm glad it happened everything else even the I'm sorry record we sorry for being sorry

that's all we're being sorry for that's motherfucking motherfucking Akon high five high five I was talking to you that's a hook that's a hook listen man yo listen Akon That's motherfucking A. Motherfucking A-Khan. High five. High five. I was talking to you.

That's a hook. That's a hook. Listen, man. Yo, listen, A-Khan, I can't thank you so much for coming down, sitting down with us, Drink Champs. Like I said in the beginning of the interview, me and EFM, we started this. We wanted to interview legends. And it's not that we don't got love for the new generation, but when you got 10 years

or more in this game, we want to salute the people. We want to let the people know that you are appreciated. No, thank you, brother. I appreciate that. And you're appreciated for standing there, standing relevant, and you're appreciated for doing what the fuck you got to do. And we need to represent that. And every other genre in music, when you have 10 years or more, these people salute you.

In hip-hop, they say, nigga, you got gray hair now. So I'm glad you told my partner his beard looked good. Because no one else has ever told him that. He do look younger, bro. That gray man look good. Him and who else? Busta. Busta.

Him and Busta. It's some super dark skin niggas, man. Busta keep it real. I respect y'all. I respect y'all I respect y'all Cause normally When you tell somebody Yo your gray hairs

Make you look young You would think They trying to son you Or something You know what I'm saying You take it differently And Busta's man aggressive With his shit

Busta's aggressive Yo Your shit look young Nigga My nigga Busta Yo Akon Thank you so much For coming down

Because you know why The thing about much for coming down because you know why? The thing about media is going on and me and my partner, we live modern day, Eric B. and Rakim, meaning this is a hip MC and a DJ. And we want to honor our artists. You know, there's so many platforms where you can sit down and you can talk to them and as soon as you leave them, you go fuck, fucking, you know, Zariah from Amazon.com

and then, now the gossip, that's not what we do here. We're here, we want to salute your career, we want to salute your thing because we want to promote that. That the gossip

and everything else a part of anybody else's life is not a part of our life. Our life is just the music. Every person that does hip-hop, R&B, whatever, we're superheroes. Let's salute them as such. Black Panther is so dope. But guess what?

Every one of us is a Black Panther. We just got to put on a fucking suit. That's hard. Please record that. That was hard. That's another soundbite. I don't know what album I'm going to use that on, but we're going to use it. But yo, Akon, thank you for coming through.

We're going to take a couple of pictures, get some drops. Man, and I really, really, really appreciate you doing what you got to do man. Let's make some noise I cannot in this interview without big enough black motherfucking Wherever I'm at like we They know who I am now wherever I'm at I'm tomorrow I'll be anywhere these like you're black for you in the building Nori I'm over here I'm over here anything happened I'm like oh I mean like I mean I be in fucking took them all Missouri now we be do we though. These niggas be out there

like this, but you know, anyway, anything happen. And I'm like, yo, my nigga, I'm in church. These niggas is in church

like I'm fast. And you know, I'm Latino too, so it's a little deeper with me. It's deep, it's deep. So they're like, yo B, we understand what happened,

but we know and I appreciate you holding that, So it's a little deeper with me. So they're like, yo, B, we understand what happened. But we know. And I appreciate you holding those people down, man. Make some motherfucking noise for A-Kong. So do the thing. And then let me take a picture. Yeah, let me take a picture. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,

have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott.

And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core.

There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. you