Drink Champs - Episode 230 (Pt. 2) w/ James Cruz, Eric Nicks, Maricarmen Lopez, Shabazz The OG & Hakim Green

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. 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 know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,

Starting point is 00:00:38 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 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your gut microbiome and those healthy bacteria can actually have positive effects. Your mental health, your immunity, your risk of cancer, almost any disease under the sun. This week on Dope Labs, Titi and I dive into the world of probiotics, the hype, the science, and what your gut bacteria are really doing behind the scenes. From drinks and gummies to probiotic pillows.

Starting point is 00:01:28 Yes, really, probiotic pillows. We're breaking down what's legit and what's just brilliant marketing. With expert insight from gastroenterologist Dr. Roshi Raj. Listen to Dope Labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. I never let that little girl inside of me die.

Starting point is 00:02:01 To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. We love you, Jeff! We love you, Jeff! We love you, Jeff! And it's Drink Chats motherfucking podcast. hip-hop pioneer. One of us DJ EFN. Together, they drink it up with some of the biggest players in the most professional, unprofessional podcast and your number one source

Starting point is 00:02:51 for drunk facts. This is Drink Champs motherfucking podcast where every day is New Year's Eve. It's time for Drink Champs. Drink up, motherfuckers.

Starting point is 00:03:06 It's diversification. That's what we learned from the beginning. Let me also bring it to my brother, Two-Tone, in the house. Two-Tone. Okay. Shout out to Bob Roy. Shout out to A-Kong. And so diversification, let's... Yo, that's block road.

Starting point is 00:03:20 Hey, listen, man. Listen, listen, listen, listen. Let it go. Diversification. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to... Diversification. Yeah, let's go roll. Hey, listen, man. Listen, listen, listen, listen. Let it go. Diversification. You know what I'm saying? Shout out. Shout out to... Diversification.

Starting point is 00:03:27 Yeah, let's go there. Continue. When you diversify your equity splits, when you diversify your portfolio, when you diversify your focus and attention, then you diversify your zip code. You diversify your bank statement. You diversify everything.

Starting point is 00:03:42 You can diversify the way that you portray and look at yourself in the mirror, because now you're growing in all these different areas. No doubt. A lot of people stay stuck in this one lane because it's a good lane. Can't keep going to that well, that well won't run dry. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:03:57 So now you look at, let's be clear, you got cats in the street owning teams at the Rucker. Those same cats now own teams in NBA. Yeah. They diversify. You have cats that invested in their waters. You have cats that invested in buildings. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:04:12 I think one of my favorite lines in the world from Jay on some humble shit, not on a great verse, when he said, how do I feel? Dumbo. Dumbo. You know what I'm saying? I could have bought a house of Dumbo for like two million. Like that was worth 20. Dumbo. Dumbo. You know what I'm saying? Like diversifying everything Hey, let's be clear. Everybody likes a race. Everybody likes a fan. I'm like that's a ghost Rather drive down the Cadillac. Why he's gonna get me to the same place. No James. You have a rave stop

Starting point is 00:04:39 Okay, okay. You definitely pulled up in a new range of... Well, no, shout out to Two Tone. That's Two Tone's joint. Diversification. Diversification. Two Tone, one nigga's the only one who's getting money, because he's getting a lot of money. And I was wrong. I called it Orca. The car's name is Shamu. The car has its own name, okay?

Starting point is 00:04:54 It's a Shamu. What's Orca, though? What is Orca? It's a black and white car. He calls it Shamu. Like the Orca wheel. And I call it Orca. The Orca wheel.

Starting point is 00:05:04 Shamu the wheel. Yes. All right, here we go orca. The orca whale. The orca whale. Shamu the whale. Yeah. Yes. All right, there we go. All right. Bust that. That's what makes it do it. Yeah. But no, but back to diversification. It's so important that we do that. And it's so important that we teach others to do that.

Starting point is 00:05:14 You know what I'm saying? Because everybody gets their $100,000 advance. What do they do? They go buy a watch and a chain. After you paid your taxes, what you got left? Nothing. Uh-huh. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:05:22 So how many times do we have to go tell these young ones, these independent artists, don't go buy that chain. Don't go buy that watch. Invest in something. Put your money in a mutual fund. Put your money in something that's going to make money for you while you're sleeping. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:05:32 Because we didn't have that type of direction when we were coming up. No, we did. Eric was in Isaac Jewelry, buying that chain, trying to get that cross because that's what we presented ourselves as, that that showed how much money we had.

Starting point is 00:05:44 You don't need to anymore. No doubt. It's about doing the things that will give you generational wealth. Do things that will give wealth to your children and your children's children. Because we're living in an environment where financially, what is our future? Because let's be real to everybody listening. Y'all ain't going to feel the pain of this pandemic for another two years. When the stock market

Starting point is 00:06:06 after this election... But you must agree. It seems like you don't have any broke friends anymore. Yes, I do. You got broke friends? You know what? I have friends that are broke. I have friends that are rich. But you know what I have? I have friends that are happy. I know billionaires that are miserable. I know people that are happy with a piece of money.

Starting point is 00:06:23 I haven't met a broke friend in a minute right now. Like, listen, everybody knows. What's your criteria? Money? Is money being broke? Yeah. Is spirituality being broke?

Starting point is 00:06:33 No, no. I'm not talking about that. Let's not get deep. Let's just keep it simplistic. No, no, no. Let's keep it simplistic. I'm just saying. When I go out, like, usually people, when the bill come, people be like.

Starting point is 00:06:44 Like, the bill coming right now. Yo, y'all, let me get that. I'm like, yo, you my friend. Is that the same person you lent the $500 to? No. There's more. Yeah. But it's the same type. Changing your environment.

Starting point is 00:06:59 You definitely acquired different friends. No, no, no. No, definitely. I'm saying the economy right now. Oh, you mean the economy right now stimulus packages? I don't know I'm asking. That actually $600 a month for some people was good. I don't know if they bought cocaine. You been talking about cocaine since we started this show. I went to dinner like in the last eight nights. I went to dinner. I only paid for one But who you surrounding yourself physically doesn't pay for dinner, I don't know why mr. Lee I'm putting on a

Starting point is 00:07:42 put more glass on the text, right? You pay Sardelli? We barely speak Dominican from you, especially with the mask on right now. Yeah, you can't speak Dominican with the mask. I think this pandemic is allowing a lot of people to realize that they need to invest in themselves. And they're spending less. Absolutely. I think this pandemic is helping a lot of us realize that we can't depend on these corporations, these motherfuckers that will cut you when they need to keep their bottom dollar intact. Because right now, I don't see love in hip-hop.

Starting point is 00:08:18 What is going on? After Atlanta. There's a shooting height. After Atlanta. What a segue. I know. I mean, damn, we just got to go back to that. Me personally, I want you to I want to risk your life, right Atlanta's wide the fuck open I went to Atlanta Georgia Georgia listen no, no, it's George Clubbing they are

Starting point is 00:08:49 Yo, what the pandemic, you know the loving pop crews are big we have big crews We deal with a lot of people that are on set and we have Safety and and vh1 wanted to maintain that first You know, he knows my friend Do I like? Not my friend. I never met her. My friend, I don't know. In my mind, my friend. In Love & Hip Hop Miami.

Starting point is 00:09:13 What's her name? Mama Suka? Amara? No, no. I know Amara. The one, she's like crazy. She's like mad. Not the one that was on our show.

Starting point is 00:09:23 No, she's not on our show. She's... Sukiana. Sukiana, yeah. Suk our show. No, she's a trick show. She's CC she ratcheted as fuck You like the train wreck I don't know. I like this guy. There's always a story and a struggle, right? That's at the end of the day. All these people have been able to live past what people thought they could be. That's what Love & Hip Hop has done. Sukiyana was just on the WAP video.

Starting point is 00:10:00 Nobody probably believed in her prior to her coming on the show and seeing her struggle. Her story and followed that. Nobody probably believed in her prior to her coming on the show and seeing her struggle. Now you follow us. Hit that fast. And her story and follow that. Like, at the end of the day, you have to understand, like, artists back in the days when you guys were at your peak. People go to the back in the days. But it is at the end of the day. I'm not trying to say anything bad. Listen, I embrace it, too, at the end of the day.

Starting point is 00:10:17 But I believe when I got into it, I was born in the wrong generation. I went back, mind you. That's what I felt when you guys went to peak. I mean, also, I started working with Slick Rick in my early 20s. I went back in music times, you know, and I've worked with the Houdinis, the DJ Scratches, the Slick Ricks, all those guys that worked at White. You're 100%! I don't know why you're an Italian agent.

Starting point is 00:10:39 That's real. You should have been an Italian agent a long time ago. Be careful what you say and what you wish for. I got you. I just... Be careful what you say and what you wish for. I got you. Oh my God, I lost my train of thought. No, you were sling rigged. No, so at the end of the day, you have to understand like a lot of these people labels, management may not have ever looked at them.

Starting point is 00:10:58 But love and hip hop and these reality shows allowed people's stories to triumph. Like back when you, back the artist was considered a mystery that was okay that was okay to not know much except what they say but like you're able to now connect with these artists and say okay i can make it if they made it past their struggles and their stories the girls they went to homestead and they started performing a lot of people went to homestead yeah they went to homestead yeah they went to homestead? Yeah, Homestead. Yeah. They did a show in Homestead? When? You don't see the episodes, girl? I went back to the... They went to the Sonny and Ted? Listen, they went to Homestead.

Starting point is 00:11:29 They was about to perform. And then there was white people that was looking. And it was like, oh shit. And they went on stage and they did... They destroyed it. I liked it there. Like I was... Because you know why?

Starting point is 00:11:38 My first show was in Uptown Comedy Club. Now, it wasn't cowboys that was watching me. But there was people from Harlem. And at that time, people from Queens, we were like taboo. So we came up to our comedy club and I'm like, you know, I'm saying what I'm saying. And I got a 22 on me, but I'm just trying to let, you know, let them feel me. They wouldn't feel me. But I kept going.

Starting point is 00:12:05 And then at the end of the day, oh, I was like, oh god and when they did that at homestead I felt the same way okay that's the new beginning of those artists so now a lot of people they say about all this other shit no one that says that that's like the beginning of our artists where you go and no one knows you know one page around no you like this watch I cool I get it I get what you said I give get what everyone said about loving hip hop, but let's not forget the parts where it does. There is that hip hop element in there where like, they had, they went from everyone was white in there, looking at them in the homestead, to as they was leaving, there was people twerking

Starting point is 00:12:38 with them. Like, oh, I was like, oh that was hard to me. Alright, no one's feeling me, I respect that. We all know all of those, that was hard to me. All right, no one's feeling me. I respect that. Yeah, no one's feeling me. But you just said that. I don't know where the hell you're from. Love & Hip Hop is a great show. But here's the thing. The core of the DNA of Love & Hip Hop comes from a manager, a talent manager.

Starting point is 00:12:56 Identifying talent before it knows it's talented. So that's the core of the DNA of the brand. Love & Hip Hop was a beautiful thing because it was a bunch of people that didn't have the film schooling with people that did do that and it was a perfect formula to make that show. Everyone just walked up in there and just pay attention to his whole swag right here. I'm like, oh, he playing. I don't know why he playing. I feel comfortable.

Starting point is 00:13:17 I feel comfortable. I just know it's a couple. I'm with my brothers. It's like high school reunion. It's like the vitamin check. It's a high school reunion. You know you played the meanest game of golf. All right. It was a high school reunion, man.

Starting point is 00:13:32 You know what I'm saying? She was, see, drink chairs, love drink chairs. Have another shot. I'm going to have another shot. I'm going to have another shot. I'm going to have another shot with James Cruz. You know what I'm saying? Have another shot with James Cruz.

Starting point is 00:13:42 You know, no judgment, but you know what time to enjoy. We've come. We're still here. So we're still here, but you know what the time to enjoy. We've come. We're still here. So, everybody's still here. We're still here, bro. So, during the shiny suit era. Yes, what about shiny suit? Was you there when the locks wanted to go?

Starting point is 00:13:51 No, I was gone already. We had that discussion. He was gone already? I have another shot. You remember. Jedi mind trick. Jedi mind trick. Jedi mind trick.

Starting point is 00:13:59 You know when I was there? I was there when we was at the Rucker Park and Allen Iverson was at the two guard and Stephon Marbury was at the point guard. I was there with Flavor Unit, shout to OG Juan, three chips in a row, shout to Fat Joe and the Terrace Quarantine. I was there when that was going down, when Puff was rolling up in a cabriolet. All right? And Half Mad, Half Amazing and Metal World Peace and Black Widow. It was a rite of passage. You know what I'm saying? Like this is when hip- hop was at its height,

Starting point is 00:14:25 when money was being gotten by everybody. He's flossing. Let me get another one. No, he's not flossing. That's just a tune. Keep it going, Gabe. Talk that joke, James. I'm going to talk that joke, James.

Starting point is 00:14:34 You know what? I got banged in the head the other night because Cash was like, yo, this dude be name dropping all the time. This dude be name dropping. It ain't name dropping. It's our lives. It's definitely like't name dropping. It's our lives. You're definitely like a game verse.

Starting point is 00:14:46 It's our lives. Yeah, but that's beautiful. That's true. It's our lives. He hangs with LL Cool J. She deals with Mona Scott and Cardi B. We around billionaires, broke niggas,

Starting point is 00:14:57 artists, ballplayers. It's our lives. And we don't have to apologize for it. No, absolutely not. I'm not apologizing because I know N.O.R.E. Some people who don't live your life won't understand you. That's true. However, but for it. I'm not apologizing because I know people are even some people who don't live your life Well understand you say how right however, but that's what I'm saying

Starting point is 00:15:09 That doesn't pay me. I know I know re I know why I know the real north. That's right. I know Nori's family That's right That's right man beautiful day. God damn. It's the Lord to me me definitely a good person and now yeah you always have a prime 112 tonight so I wasn't anticipating that cuz you know everything yeah every mix and I was a bad life without hotels I was wondering if the drinks have tied a I know. Because you know, Eric Nixon had booked out flights, booked out hotels. You know, you know. I was wondering if the drink chefs had a budget, but I didn't.

Starting point is 00:15:49 No, we ain't got a budget, bro. I ain't gonna lie. There's no makeup budget. There's no life budget. You know, Marty came in looking fresh, hair done, all that. Let's make sure that his stylist check got to get cut. That's why I'm trying to get him to be the talent agent right now. Let's see how the upgrade is.

Starting point is 00:16:03 Because we out here. Cheers. Cheers. We out here. We got that salary. We want minimum wage. But you know what? Back to, we're still here. Stop moving on water, man. We're still relevant.

Starting point is 00:16:17 So although we are the generation past. I salute you guys. I salute you guys. And I appreciate that. Because I ain't going to tell you, there's nothing doper than seeing a strong female doing her thing in a game. Thank you. And I'm not saying that.

Starting point is 00:16:30 I appreciate that. Yes, I agree with that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that.

Starting point is 00:16:32 I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that.

Starting point is 00:16:33 I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that.

Starting point is 00:16:33 I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that. doing their thing. But it's great to see somebody that you had early on do their thing now. When I talk about the Holly Rices, when I talk about the individuals

Starting point is 00:16:48 that we spawned them from road managers, from... I would tell you something. I think it's the next... I would tell you something. Dream girl. Dream girl.

Starting point is 00:16:56 What's the dope makeup artist shit? Not like, you know... Joanna Simpkins. She made the craziest shout out on Facebook, and I love that. That shit was fly. Joanna Simpkins. She's a dope makeup artist Don't make up people that understand what the culture is and really know the history

Starting point is 00:17:10 Know the impact you guys have had and all of you guys have had in this community But we've come to DNA where you pay it forward We can't do that. If there was no Leora. There was no Julie There was no Kaiser and That's part of the game that I think that I'm afraid that the kids like no that thing was no Kaiser and that's and that's part of the game that I think that I'm afraid that the kids like no that thing was broken man yeah I have no idea what type of executive I would have turned out to be if I couldn't look at Chris Lighty Steve Stout and Kevin L Kevin Louse. Right. Like, I don't know. Like, I had those guys.

Starting point is 00:17:45 Like, Steve Stout wasn't my direct mentor, but I was able to watch that dude move and pattern myself. Like, I was able... People think he's an asshole. He's an asshole, it's true. No, but Dane Dash was... He's also an asshole.

Starting point is 00:18:02 Dane Dash was... He's my brother, though. Yo, I fucked with Dane. I love and respect for Dane, man. I fucked with Dang. I love and respect for Dang, man. I fucked with Dang. I got Dang. I was able to watch. Subscribe again this year.

Starting point is 00:18:10 Right. I was able to watch those dudes do their thing, run these multimillion dollar companies. And I'm sitting there in a little A&R position going, yeah, like, I want to be those guys. Beautiful. Yeah, like, I want to be those guys. So I'm afraid that this generation, like, because right now we live in a generation where you open up your laptop and just find the numbers. We don't actually demand them to know and have the quality to be able to hear a record.

Starting point is 00:18:38 The game is a little fucked up. It's not even this, it's the journey from right before them as well. That chain's been broken for a minute. But the biggest part of it that's changed is you can't know where you're going unless you remember where you came from. And never forget who put you on. There are so many individuals who do not admit who gave them an opportunity.

Starting point is 00:18:55 You've got to pay that forward. Steve Stout said it right on this thing. I want to do three here. I'm giving you value. It's not giving me value. It's I want you guys to do three here. I'm giving you value. So, no, it's not giving me value. It's I want you guys to talk about it. Like, I actually would love for you guys to talk about it. Just to piggyback what you said.

Starting point is 00:19:13 Like, anybody. Steve Stout said on this podcast, he said, yo, I don't give a fuck what happens. You always supposed to give respect to the person who put you on. Yeah, absolutely. It's about can't play. Yes, yes. I, oh, yo, that is one of my favorite things he's ever said. He said that shit on Drink Champs.

Starting point is 00:19:30 He said, one thing you got to always do is give respect to the dude who put you on. So many people miss that. They forget. When you get where you're going, you forget. Like, I can never forget Chris. Right. Like, you don't.

Starting point is 00:19:44 Yo, Foxy Brown and Chris Lighty are two of the right like you know yo Foxy Brown and Chris lady you know it's like you know when you've been blessed by so many individuals James I'm just cuz I want to just elaborate I'm coming right back to you Foxy this is probably a foxy experience I know it's got to be up down in between the middle, but overall Phenomenal, you know, so as it was crazy overall phenomenon foxy brown was aka signed to Capitol Records getting dropped No stop no, you know that

Starting point is 00:20:22 She got signed to county no prior to Jay-Z, prior to any record you've ever known Foxy to be on, she was signed, I think Tracy Waples was her A&R. Tracy Waples. And Nas Baby Moms was Tracy Waples' assistant at Capitol Records.

Starting point is 00:20:41 Carmen. Carmen was Tracy's assistant at Capitol Records Inga Marshawn stage name was aka right Foxy's name was aka her name was aka that was her stage name when she was signing Capitol Records she got released from Capitol Records and we was walking up six. Me and Anton went to Bishop Lachlan Memorial. Her brother went to Bishop Lachlan Memorial High School together. You played ball?

Starting point is 00:21:10 Great basketball team in Lachlan. You were my bussiness. Great basketball team. You were my bussiness at Ray Track. I don't know. You were my bussiness at Ray Track. All right. We went to Bishop Lachlan.

Starting point is 00:21:19 You probably know who it is. Very true. So. That's a good school. So, Foxy was released from Capitol. We walking up 6th Avenue one day. Now, at the time, Capitol Records was in 1290 Avenue Americans, where Atlantic Records was eventually moving into. So, when she got dropped, we had to revamp her whole shit.

Starting point is 00:21:43 Because at the time, she was rapping about robbing niggas and shooting guns and that wasn't really her she's from the hood but that's not what she did so walking down the street me, Anton and this is prior to Don Poo getting involved

Starting point is 00:21:59 Don Poo had a major role this was prior to Don Poo getting involved. We had to revamp her whole thing. And so we all came up with, like, yo, you got to rap about hood shit that girls do, but not so much shooting the Uzi, because that's not what you do, and it's not believable.

Starting point is 00:22:21 And at the time, it was like bossing, like all these hard chicks, the brat was going, you know, she was, everybody, all the female rappers was trying to rap like dudes. And I was like, there needs to be a female rapper that raps like a female. And so we had to change her name.

Starting point is 00:22:36 And we was like, you know, like that girl that, you know, like Pam Grant, Foxy Brown. That's her name. That's how we got her name. Wow. Right? This is very deep right now. It is, it is her name. Wow. This is very deep right now. This is deep.

Starting point is 00:22:47 Listen, there's going to be many different versions of the story. I'm on Dream Champs. I'm keeping it 100% real. You always do. You always do. So, we changed her name to Foxy Brown, right? From Pam Grier.

Starting point is 00:23:03 Based on Pam Grier. Based on Pam Grier. Pam Grier is Foxy Brown. foxy brown right from pan gray based on which is from a king with pam gray is far so and so me and anton running around the city like we didn't know shit from shit we was trying to get into music it wasn't in the music business we was trying to get into the music business right anton had a job i had a job but we was trying to get into the music business i had one of those steel briefcase with nothing in it. It had a lot of shit. I didn't keep it real with you. I was trying to get in the game.

Starting point is 00:23:28 When we went, we got meetings with Harv Pierre, Puff. We got meetings at Electric Records. Everybody passed. Nobody wanted nothing. On Foxy. We took them on Foxy. Nobody gave a fuck about none of that shit. So we also, who went to Bishop Lachlan with us

Starting point is 00:23:46 was Tone from Track Masters. And he always allowed us to come to their studio session. It was producing for Soul For Real and all these fucking crazy artists. And they had all these hit records. And Tone was a rapper as well. Red Hot Love. Red Hot Love was on.

Starting point is 00:24:00 And he always would let us come to the studio. They used to basically own the old Chung King an old chunk team and in Little Italy They used to basically own that shit. So we used to own Chinatown So you bring me back bro, I forgot chills He used to hate us being it like why the why the fuck these motherfuckers get these things? Every time he came to the studio, we got kicked out. He used to kick us out.

Starting point is 00:24:30 So one day, it was me and Ant in the studio. Nobody else was with us, right? And at the time, Ant thought that Foxy needed bigger management. So he went and took her to Don Poole, and Don Poole became her manager. But we was in the studio with Tone, Trackmaster Tone, and they had this, they had

Starting point is 00:24:54 I Shot Ya on the boards. Keith Murray laid his verse, Prodigy laid his verse, Fat Joe had laid his verse, LL didn't lay his verse yet, because LL was in Hollywood on set of In the House, the TV show. Nobody knows who Foxy Brown is.

Starting point is 00:25:08 Nobody knows who Foxy Brown is. So I say the tone. This is God honest truth. Many different versions of the story. This is on my daughter. This is God honest truth. I said, yo, Fox will murder this shit. And I'm going to tell you how this is the fact.

Starting point is 00:25:21 And nobody else knows. Nobody else will tell you this story. Fox will kill this shit. I had a nasty box maxima, right? Like it was an 88, it was like 97, I had a nasty, he told us, all right, fuck it, go get her. We ran to Brooklyn, came back to the studio, she wrote the verse.

Starting point is 00:25:39 Foxy, and this is how you know this is a true story, you can go back and check it, Foxy did not know how to count bars. She was just ill with writing rhymes. And she wrote the rhyme herself. On that record currently, right now, if you listen, she's the only one with 18 bars on the record. Everybody else got a 16.

Starting point is 00:25:59 Nobody else knows this story. I'm the only one that was in the studio with her. And she's writing it back to me and Rich Trevally was the engineer who sliced it because her verse was a bar longer, two bars longer than everybody else's bars. She's only won 18

Starting point is 00:26:16 bars on his verse currently that was released. So when the record came out and it started popping, then Jay-Z wanted her on Ain't No. Ain't No Nigga. And then Diddy got involved. Andre Harrell wanted to sign her.

Starting point is 00:26:31 Steve Stout wanted her to go to Jimmy Iovine. Rest in peace to Andre Harrell. Rest in peace to Andre Harrell. Everybody wanted to sign her. And it was a bidding war. Foxy didn't care about nothing else but going to Bad Boy. She didn't want to be on no other record label other than she's about nothing else but going to Bad Boy. She didn't want to be on no other record label other than

Starting point is 00:26:47 she's like, if it ain't Bad Boy, I ain't rapping. Her words. Right? Diddy was, I mean, Pooh was mad close with Puff, right? And Chris used to run... It was through Mary, right? Yes. That was his

Starting point is 00:27:03 relationship. I seen the pictures the other day. See Don, Pooh, Mary, and Bad Boy. That was his relationship. I've seen the pictures the other day. I've seen Don Poole, Mary, and Fabulous. That was his whole team. Mark Pitts, everybody, because he was down with Biggie and all of them. So I said to... And Chris, we were really, really cool with Chris Lighty because he used to run the tunnel, and he used to always let us in the line

Starting point is 00:27:22 because the line used to be around the corner. Oh, we got tunnel stories. We got tunnel stories. So Chris would let us in the line because the line used to be around the corner. Oh, we got to tell them the story. We got to tell them the story. So Chris would let us skip the lines, and one day I was like, Chris thought it was over. Like, Chris was, yeah, I put her on this record, and y'all niggas going to sign a bad boy? He thought it was dead.

Starting point is 00:27:38 I said, yo, Chris, it's not over, but don't talk to me, don't talk to Anton, don't talk to Pooh. Go talk to the moms. Chris woke to Pooh. Go talk to the moms Chris woke up the next morning went to the mother's house. That's how Chris signed Foxy the Violator What made you say, you know skip the man is being skipped up and talk to the moms what what made you even because that was the one who was ultimately had the ultimate influence because and that's what you were you wanted i i thought that chris deserves it because he put it on first do you understand because he

Starting point is 00:28:15 allowed the record because the record was on it was a l i shot you was ll record through def jam and if chris don't it, then the record don't happen and we don't, and then Jay-Z don't even want it for Ain't No. Right. Eric Nicks, the premier strategist,

Starting point is 00:28:31 he knows exactly what he's doing. And then Kegs, Total, and Case, and all those other records. But wait, wait, wait,

Starting point is 00:28:38 shout, shout to Jessica Rosenblum and the tunnel. Yes, sir. You know what I'm saying? Shout to Jessica Rosenblum and what the tunnel did because not only, on a personal note'm saying? Shout to Jessica Rosenblum and what the tunnel did because not only,

Starting point is 00:28:46 on a personal note, Jessica introduced me to the two most important people in my life in the business, Chris Leidy and Puff Dad. So, Jessica Rosenblum and the tunnel and that movement

Starting point is 00:28:54 during those times, go. That shit was never duplicated. That shit was never duplicated. You know what I'm saying? That Sunday night at the tunnel, that block.

Starting point is 00:29:04 You know, it was the greatest moment Sunday night at the tunnel, that block. You know, it was the greatest moment, one of the greatest moments of my life was I went to L.A. This is when everyone that got robbed in L.A.

Starting point is 00:29:14 and we was the only niggas out there with AK-47s. We was going to give it to any L.A. nigga. I'm sorry, L.A. niggas. I didn't care, but I brought the toughest niggas

Starting point is 00:29:22 from the Bronx, Brooklyn, and motherfucking Queens that I knew because I understood what happened in the impact adventure in Reno, Nevada. In Reno, Nevada, I said, oh, they pulling up. So I said, you know what? I pulled up, and if you already know, three tour buses, a lot of people know these stories,

Starting point is 00:29:43 but we did it in LA. And when we pulled up in L.A., we wasn't playing with nobody. And I don't even know why I brung this up. What the fuck I was talking about? We were talking about the tunnel. We was at the tunnel.

Starting point is 00:29:54 The tunnel. Why the fuck did I go to the tunnel? But let's go back to L.A., the Nico Hotel. Okay, the Nico Hotel, yes. You want to go there? That's weird. Now that's SLS.

Starting point is 00:30:03 That's SLS. How about having an 18-wheeler truck park in front of the Nico Hotel blasting Busta Rhy which one? That's weird. Now that's an SLS. That's an SLS. How about having an 18-wheeler truck parked in front of the Nico Hotel blasting Busta Rhymes music? Busta Rhymes shit. Remember that? Let's talk about how we promoted these albums. Let's talk about the cartoon for Violator 2.0

Starting point is 00:30:14 and the comic books drawings that we had. The characters. Let's talk about Mix Your Power Summit. Let's talk about the Violator boat ride at the Mix Your Power Summit. That's where Superhead was. Let me tell you a story. Let me tell you a story. Let me tell you a story. Yeah? Let me tell you a story. Let's talk about the finally the whole ride at the make sure power something that's what super So James comes up with this idea for a boat ride

Starting point is 00:30:39 But he had an idea for a boat ride during the day. I was like we said remember We had a sat in a meeting I was like that's the corniest shit ever in the world a fucking boat ride during the day that shit gotta be at night He was like nah be bugger and we was literally in the meeting like we was arguing We was in a meeting arguing about a day and night boat ride. I ain't gonna lie he won The first time I ever saw him in my life and you would dick that day You deal with the pressure of buster rides. You were trying to organize it. I was like, this guy's an asshole, man.

Starting point is 00:31:13 Then your right hand man that's hating on you, so now you gotta go, actually, you couldn't go back to the hall. That was a lot of shit going on. Wait, but hold up. Let's keep it 100. That was, Khaled was begging me to play that boat ride. Khaled was begging, let me play, let me play. Because remember, in the first floor,

Starting point is 00:31:30 you had the chill section. Khaled talks about second floor, you had the gambling. Third floor, you had the dancers. That shit was dope. Top floor, it was history.

Starting point is 00:31:38 The only thing that topped that was Luke's. He had his own boat ride. I don't know if it was that same year, but he had his own and that shit was crazy. So, I'll be honest,

Starting point is 00:31:44 shout out to Luke because I stole his idea. I just made it a it was that same year, but he had his own, and that shit was crazy. So, I'll be honest. Shout out to Luke, because I stole his idea. I just made it a little better. And, you know, we did it to a whole other level. Yeah. Because... I love the honesty.

Starting point is 00:31:51 Because, no, but because we had an opportunity to do things nobody else, nobody else would let us. Right. We had the record label money. We didn't spend our money crazy. Right.

Starting point is 00:32:01 We didn't spend our money. We spent the record label's money because they needed us. Yeah. They needed us. We was in those rooms in this special travel summit like you know it was those are the times we all got together and we were a family you were tribe you know I'm saying you don't feel that no more no I don't see a convention so my impact impact you don't say how can I be?

Starting point is 00:32:45 Little way nine years old spitting that jack the rapper look at South by Southwest. I'm not impressed. I'm down, so sorry. Listen, I don't know. You just hate South by Southwest, but it's different. It's different thing. I hate South by Southwest. I was saying good people. Fuck them. It's not about me. Listen, I've been good for a long time. Listen, what I'm trying to say is I like my sneakers sometimes. When I got to walk through and all this shit. No, but the biggest problem with South by Southwest.

Starting point is 00:33:04 I'm never going. Yeah, but the biggest part about South by Southwest. I'm never gone Yeah But the biggest part about South by Southwest Coachella or any of those festivals now is that they don't have us in a room playing in That shit right? I like the true listen. They don't have We were hungry we didn't know what we were doing we were learning by trial and error. Yeah. And we were doing it for the love. Okay, and when I say, and when I say, hold on, but let me just correct this so people don't think, when I say us,

Starting point is 00:33:28 I don't mean specifically me and James. The culture. When I say they didn't have, they don't have the, that's how come so many brands make so many mistakes when they try to do,

Starting point is 00:33:36 you know, Gucci with the fucking, because they don't have us in a room. So they're going to continuously make those mistakes and you're never going to find, it's never going to be duplicated

Starting point is 00:33:46 because how can I be down was the epitome of urban culture. Jack the Rapper was the epitome of urban, yo. Impact. Impact. Yo, Mixed Show Power Summit in Puerto Rico was the fucking epitome of urban. Remember, the point of Puerto Rico was the getting control of Miami.

Starting point is 00:34:01 Exactly. And everybody kept driving down. Everybody kept, you had badges and then you had another thousand people. You know what I'm saying? But then when we took it to Puerto Rico was the king controller in Miami. Yeah, and everybody kept driving down. And you had badges, and then you had a thousand people. You know what I'm saying? But then when we took it to Puerto Rico, then it really became, it was the DJ. Let me explain something to you. Had it not been for the DJ, we wouldn't be who we are.

Starting point is 00:34:15 I'll be honest. At Bat Boy and at Vyme. DJ Enough got married about two years ago, and it felt like the Mix Show Power. I love it a lot. I said, how did he turn his wedding into the Mix Show Power or something? He's a legend. But you have to shout to DJ.

Starting point is 00:34:28 Love you, DJ. Love you. I never seen a wedding with so many logos. They had a logo from every company. I said, holy moly, guacamole. Remember, the Mix Show DJ was the key for us getting our records. Remember, we wasn't on the key for us getting our records

Starting point is 00:34:50 No more mix By the way, you should make sure you should I ain't lose it. I still got some shit. You should make records It's no reason why you think you guys are here right now? No, I've been calling him two years. He thinks I want to be on Drink Champs. I'm like, yo, let's put it back together. No, no, he just came back to work. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He needs you two. He's going out and loving hip hop to put it out. Dory's taking care of him.

Starting point is 00:35:14 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Dory's taking care of him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When Dory was making what, what, what, he just didn't want to live in Liff Rack no more. He was getting, he was driving new whips, living in Jersey. You know, he was buddy-buddy with John. He didn't want to go back to left rack. So he was forced to.

Starting point is 00:35:28 V&N is one of my favorite groups. Kapone. One of my favorite. Kapone. Shout out, Kapone. Shout out to Kapone, man. One of the realest I've ever seen. Listen, we got left rack day.

Starting point is 00:35:39 This is not coming out before. I don't know why I'm saying this. But we got left rack day on Saturday. I'm going to left rack day. Nice. I haven't been to left rack day in a couple years. Aw. You know what I'm saying this, but we got Left Back Day on Saturday. I'm going to Left Back Day. I haven't been to Left Back Day in a couple years. I'm going to flip the host

Starting point is 00:35:50 again. I always wanted to know the impact that you working with Pharrell had on your life. I'm going to tell you something. I appreciate this question. As you wear your Pharrell sneakers. I am wearing the Pharrell friends and family.

Starting point is 00:36:08 I'm not going to lie, that's all I want. I'll be telling them, I don't need no free beats no more. Get the beat, Norris. Get the beat. Get the beat. Nah, listen. I'm going to be honest. I'm blessed. We've been working hard, so hard

Starting point is 00:36:23 to live a hip-hop history that I haven't been been needing to do music it doesn't mean I don't want to do music I just haven't needed to do it which is a great feeling I've worked hard to have this feeling please salute me for that. Absolutely. That's his question. I don't even remember that. That's my question. Okay, all right. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater

Starting point is 00:36:54 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

Starting point is 00:37:18 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.

Starting point is 00:38:06 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 multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad.

Starting point is 00:38:34 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.

Starting point is 00:39:00 I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way. In a very big way. Real'm Greg Glod. 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

Starting point is 00:39:10 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.

Starting point is 00:39:20 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 Be Real

Starting point is 00:39:33 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.

Starting point is 00:39:47 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.

Starting point is 00:40:33 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. 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.

Starting point is 00:41:22 I don't know if I'm going to answer this question correctly. I'm going to tell you. You want me to tell you the impact? The thing about it is this. Was I was the dude from New York that went to Virginia and went to the strip club. I was the dude from New York that went to Atlanta and went to the strip club. At that time in New York, you were the corniest dude in the world if you walked in scores.

Starting point is 00:41:50 Mm-hmm. Unless you had a mafia connection. Mm-hmm. If you had a mafia connection, you could be in scores and be cool. Because the only strip club that was popping in New York at the time... Was Scores.

Starting point is 00:42:02 It was Scores. 61st Street. And these were skinny white girls, and, you know. God bless, God bless anybody. Don't hate on scores, I was there every week. I'm just saying. I was there all the time. I was there all the time.

Starting point is 00:42:16 I used to go to Howard Stern. Stick to Pharrell. Pharrell. Yeah, let's stick there, let's stick to Pharrell. So, so, This is a Jedi mind trick. This is what I'm trying to say. So, I was just...

Starting point is 00:42:26 So I did a record called N.O.R.E., Trackmaster Tone. N.O.R.E., N.O.R.E., stands for niggas on the right hand. And for you guys that don't know, at one point, New York ran the world. So I had the number one record in New York ran the world. So I had the number one record in New York. And it was called N-R-E. N-R-E. Stands for N-R-E. And it was the number one record on Hot 97.

Starting point is 00:42:52 There was no Power 105. So Hot 97 ran the world at this time. No doubt. So I'm talking about every show. I didn't care. Nowhere was in the world. Dude calls me and says, you got to meet this producer.

Starting point is 00:43:09 So I'm on the way to Miami, ironically. Who called? You said dude. Rob Walker. Rob Walker. His manager. Rob Walker called Martin Moore. Martin Moore called me.

Starting point is 00:43:19 Shout out to Martin Moore. There you go. Shout out to Martin Moore. Shout out to Martin Moore. Martin Moore. He deserves it. My God. The Wu-Tang skits, by the way.

Starting point is 00:43:28 Marmora, the Wu-Tang skits. So they say, yo, you got to meet the producer. The producer says, you cannot close your album without him. The time, you know, I got the number one record in New York. To me, you're done. What the fuck are you talking about? I'm Justin Bieber. Where Justin Bieber is, that's who I think I am.

Starting point is 00:43:52 Justin Niebuhr. I'm Justin Niebuhr. But you know what I'm saying. So they're like, yo, you got to meet this guy. So I'm like, all right. At this time, this is the time, you know, when I'm coming to Miami. I'm coming. So they're like, yo, you got to meet this guy. So I'm like, all right. At this time, this is the time, you know, when I'm coming to Miami, I'm coming to Miami. I'm coming with 28 people. I don't know how to travel. No doubt.

Starting point is 00:44:13 Like, I just don't get it. Like, fuck it. Why go to a neighborhood when I can bring my own neighborhood, right? This is who I am, right? So, you feel me? So, I'm like, boom. I go to the studio. This is where, and this is a lot of people, I'm going to hurt a lot of people's feelings. A lot of people think Big recorded in bad boy, what is it called? Daddy's house.

Starting point is 00:44:43 Well, Daddy's house was on 44th Street. Sound on Sound was on 45th Street. Big used to lay his vocals on 45th Street and then let people mix it in Daddy's, no doubt. So... Oh, wow. This is real shit. Y'all ever heard of some shit?

Starting point is 00:44:58 Y'all ever heard of some shit? Remember when strip club was next to that? Scores, right? Right next to that? It was a little score. It was a little scores, a little tiny scores. It's still there. It actually is still there, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? It's like, it's still some white strip club right there.

Starting point is 00:45:14 So, I had it and Big had it upstairs. So, Branson would be like, I love you motherfuckers. Because Branson would come and sell Big and then sell me. But if you thought everyone was like that, brother, let me move on. So I walk in the studio.

Starting point is 00:45:33 Pharrell. He was like this from the beginning. Choker. He had a choker from the beginning. He had some tight shit on from the beginning. Always. Like when tight shit wasn't nice. Yeah had some tight shit on from the beginning. Always. When tight shit wasn't nice.

Starting point is 00:45:46 Yeah. I got on 44 pants. Yeah. Yeah, we was headbands. I wore headbands. I wore headbands. My shit is 17X. No doubt.

Starting point is 00:45:56 17X Army jacket. Super white. Walking in there with my Timbs out. My Timbs. My leather of my Timbs is up to my ears. Slime. Slime. Slime.

Starting point is 00:46:04 Slime. Slime. Slime. Slime. Slime. Walking in there with my Timbs, my Timbs, my Timbs, my leather of my Timbs up to my ears. Slide, slide, slide. Come on, come on. I'm walking in the lab. Because mind you, they stopped my flight. I'm going to Miami. It's the first time I'm going to Miami. So I'm like, yo, what's up? What I got to do with me? I got to go on break in New York. Where I going to be with them? I look and this guy goes like this.

Starting point is 00:46:27 Plays me a beat. Beat is phenomenal. But I'm the man. I don't want to be like. I'm like, I'll give him a regular nod, even though inside. Inside nod. Plays me a second beat and sign up

Starting point is 00:46:49 his third beat he goes don't listen to this until you get to Miami I remember when I'm going to Miami I remember where I stayed it's the Kent Hotel I'm not very proud of where I stayed at now. But back then I didn't know.

Starting point is 00:47:09 The Kent sound crazy to me. We all have to go. Now this is back in the days you got the CD player. So I'm listening to the first joint, I'm like... And me, Haz know me, this is my engineers. He know I'm writing off top top then I'm listening to the second joint I'm writing off top then the third one I remember he told me he said don't listen to the third one it takes me everything in the world not to listen to the third but but I don't. I respect them.

Starting point is 00:47:45 Now, remember, we land, and you know, this is New York Tuesday, first time in Miami. They are on the strip going crazy. Remember, we don't even discover where Willie's at. It's the first night. Willie's is behind the kids. We don't even discover that yet. My dudes is

Starting point is 00:48:01 all around, left back on Bronx, Brooklyn dudes. So I'm still focused. I'm sitting, I check in, I get my turn. And then a female come up to me and she's like, hey, I'm talking. I'm like, oh, shit. And then she's like, but you don't want to party?

Starting point is 00:48:20 I was like, oh, shit. I thought I was way too cute. Hold on, let me relax. You a hooker, huh? She's like, oh, look at the fuck out of here. I'm not fucking with no hooker. I go upstairs. I listen to the beat.

Starting point is 00:48:32 This is the first time I ever heard a producer make a beat for me. But he literally couldn't sell this to no one else. Right. That's just it. I married, well, Noriega. Da da da da. Da da da da.

Starting point is 00:48:49 Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the only thing the beat said. Yeah, yeah. The chick's singing. And I wrote the whole shit. See, a lot of people doubt me. They're like, you wrote the whole shit. Like, if you were from the new generation,

Starting point is 00:49:07 you'd think I'm a bozo for writing the whole song. I wrote the whole song in 13 minutes, and I laid the whole song in five to seven minutes. I didn't know how to punch in. We didn't know how to punch in. That was that. That was not cool. You know what you had to do to punch in?

Starting point is 00:49:23 Two inches. Two inches. Two inches. Come on. I said, come on. I said, that's. But you see what I did? We had three hours. That was bad Listen if you're the punch in you had to take shit. Yeah, I wrote that whole song straight up and I'm gonna tell you something What what what what what what what what what what what what what what One, what, what, what, what, what, what, what, what? Two, what, what, that's how I counted bars. That was never a hook. I wrote the whole, Right Track Studios, you said Right Track earlier. Right Track Studios, so when I flew in,

Starting point is 00:49:55 I flew in from Miami, because I, like I said, I called Pharrell and I said, only thing I want to change is, he's saying, it's saying, yeah want to change is, he said, yeah. The girl was saying, yeah, yeah. I was like, what? I was going to change the what, what?

Starting point is 00:50:11 I said, I have a hitter tomorrow. She's going to do it. And I was like, all right, cool. She was going to write a track for recording studios. And I laid the whole shit all the way through. Wow. I didn't know how to.

Starting point is 00:50:20 Shout out to Pharrell. What a fantastic story. Shout out to Pharrell. Wait, shout out to Ted Snoop on there. Come on, Pharrell. I didn't know how to rap. Shout out to Pharrell. Wait, shout out to Ted Smoove on there. Pharrell, Pharrell. Wait, hold on. Let me just finish. Because I went upstairs and I did the ad-libs on my verse.

Starting point is 00:50:33 Listen to my verse. I have ad-libs on my verse. I have ad-libs. I have doubles on my verse. I have nothing on the hook. Because that was how I counted my verse. So I went upstairs and I said all we need is the hook and we good he came upstairs and I don't know see he had

Starting point is 00:50:50 Chinese food in my mind I don't know why just leave it alone just like just roll my story like he just had Chinese food like chopsticks we got this and I went downstairs and then he mastered it. He said, this is it. I said, well where's the hook? He said, that is the hook. And I said, they're gonna laugh at me. The hook is what, what, what, what. And he said, you're gonna laugh all the way to the bank.

Starting point is 00:51:32 We back with the people that make the people that's the people behind the scenes now I need to ask y'all and I don't want y'all I don't want you to hold back I really want you to tell the truth what is the most difficult artist you ever worked with? So I Brown. So, so, so, so, I want to say Foxy Brown. I got crazy Foxy Brown stories, but, um,

Starting point is 00:51:50 I had the pleasure of working with both Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim. When I, when I left, when I, when I left Violator and I left Motown

Starting point is 00:51:59 and I left all that stuff. Cheers. I ended up, um, doing an independent situation with Lil' Kim. That ended up in court. E1? No.

Starting point is 00:52:10 I had raised three million dollars and signed Lil' Kim independently. So if you remember the record that she put out with T-Pain called Download. Okay. Right? That was on a record company that me and Tone from Trackmasters, Tone and Polk from Trackmasters created together called Brookland. And we signed Lil' Kim independently and we was trying to do the whole- They had a studio in Jersey, right?

Starting point is 00:52:34 Yeah, we had a studio in Jersey. And we ended up in court because Lil' Kim decided to fall in love, she started hanging out with Akon and Wyclef and she wanted to make more worldly music and she wanted to start like we we we spend like 500,000 and in in the middle of it she decides she wants to start using the voice box oh like autotune yeah autotune and and we weren't feeling the creativity of it. And so it was a deadlock in recording, but this wasn't like record company money. This was out-of-pocket money. And so we had to figure that out. So that actually ended up in court.

Starting point is 00:53:18 Kim is still my dog to this day, and I love her to death. And I hate to do this to females like because that's not the case because I've had good females like I work with

Starting point is 00:53:30 Justine Skye and I work with so many different dope females but the two most difficult artists that I've ever worked with in my life

Starting point is 00:53:37 were between a combination of yo there was a time you ain't finished Foxy and who Foxy and Lil' Kim

Starting point is 00:53:43 there was a time when L ain't finished Foxy and who? Foxy and Lil' Kim. There was a time when Lior, we brought Lior to Brooklyn to do a Thelma and Louise album with Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown. Always wanted the album to happen. I always wanted the album to happen. You remember the cover? The source? It was crazy. Did it say Thelma and Louise? Yes, it did.

Starting point is 00:54:01 Always wanted the album to happen. And Lior offered Foxy a million dollars advance in their pocket and Lil' Kim a million dollars advance in their pocket. This is when a million dollars was a million. This is when a million dollars

Starting point is 00:54:12 was like a hundred million. Yeah, a hundred million. And Foxy, we were in a nail salon, an Asian nail salon in Brooklyn where Lior convinced Foxy to do it

Starting point is 00:54:24 and Foxy was like, the only way I'm going to do it, we got to get on the phone and hash out our differences. They get on the phone and it became, but yeah, but you said this. But yeah, you said this. But yeah, no, fuck you, bitch. Yeah, fuck you. I ain't never doing a record with you. Done.

Starting point is 00:54:40 All of that shit out the window. And that stops so much. Flatbush. Flatbush. Yes. Chinese? all of that shit out the window and That Flat voice Chinese. Yes Stop everything When I tell you it was so many people who was in the circle cuz remember that sauce cover was that prior to that sauce cover? Or that was that was prior to that that was prior to that? That was prior to that. Was that prior to the record? Sauce cover happened, so now people are actually thinking that they're going to get a project. And let me just rewind.

Starting point is 00:55:09 I went to a nightclub before Foxy and Lil' Kim got popular. All three of us one night went out, and we couldn't get into a nightclub because nobody knew either one of them. Wait, you, Foxy, and Kim went out? Me, Foxy, and Lil' Kim went out one night to the city to try and get like a party they were cool they were they were really good friends prior to them getting hot and we couldn't get into a nightclub because nobody knew either one of them at that time like imagine cuz Kim wasn't already with junior mom she wasn't hot yet this was probably this was when we were all trying to get in on right and you got to

Starting point is 00:55:50 remember he's right because biggie and naz was so hot that time that that that that little kim and foxy was just just by association they were rapping and it was but it was like nobody knew them publicly exactly right and so this was before j-Z came in, Foxy's life, and you know, Kim was down with Big, but she didn't get on the records yet. So nobody knew

Starting point is 00:56:10 who they were. And they were tight. but when the money came, and the competition came, and it was like, Big was like, nah, let me do this

Starting point is 00:56:21 because you got to murder. But both of you guys are from Brooklyn. Yeah. Was it a territorial thing that made them? It was a female competition thing where Big was not letting Fox, I mean, was not letting Lil' Kim get bodied by Fox. And we was damn sure not letting Fox get bodied by Kim.

Starting point is 00:56:41 Like, that shit wasn't happening. And keep it G with you, Fox was inking her own shit. Fox wrote her own verse on- 22 Keys, 22 Keys. On I Shot Ya. She wrote her own verse on Ain't No with Jay-Z. She wrote Keep It G With You, that wrote, I'm going to take you back. she dropped that verse on a smooth the hustler record and took it off and dropped it on what that 32 oh ain't no nigga she took it from us but did that record come out never came out she called smooth the hustlers like yo I gotta give you

Starting point is 00:57:16 another shout out to smooth the hustler and trigger the gambling wow and alias christ as well, DV Alias Christ. And Alias Christ. Look crazy. Nigga, the stories is crazy. Wow. But, and that verse went on Ain't No. And the animosity, the competition between them just wouldn't allow them to be cool no more.

Starting point is 00:57:43 Because it was always conditioned that it could only be one female did they know each other before making records at all way before they they knew each other we all grew up in downtown brooklyn all of us that's crazy like me and little kim and big went to queen of all saints together in third grade but that's not dumbo right let's be no that's for that's like Clint Hill Can we talk about though how the female rap shit is now so does we're so body Is that the new record she got out with? With Fanny and I. No, let me just say something. Who's the girl that's down with DJ Self? Chill, chill, chill. That's Dream Dog.

Starting point is 00:58:29 Let me be clear. Let me be clear. Dream Dog has been body and shit since Tory Lanez called her. I don't know what the fuck Tory Lanez did to her. But ever since then, she's been tearing down everything that she's been on. And I want to big up. I want to big up because that shit is remarkable what she's doing.

Starting point is 00:58:53 And the thing is it's crazy because when I say that or post it people are like, yo, no, what are you trying to fuck up? Like that's whack, like I'm in love. I love my wife like why can't I love a female... I love Foxy Brown, I love fucking Lil' Kim. I love fucking Nicki Minaj, I love... Like when I love my wife. Why can't I love a female? I love Foxy Brown. I love fucking Luke Kim. I love fucking Nicki Minaj.

Starting point is 00:59:08 When I say that, people are thinking that's whack. I don't like that. I don't like that. I'm very worried about that. Is this that awesome you have to associate? I love AZ right now. People wouldn't be like, oh, he's slime. People can associate men and women

Starting point is 00:59:23 can have platonic relationships. That's what I'm saying. I got super platonic. I can associate men and women can have platonic relationships. That's what I'm saying, I got super platonic. I have no, I don't want her to do a record with me. I mean, maybe eventually, but that's not my intent. Right now, I'm just looking at, I'm just looking at her growth. I'm looking at her, like how I look at Foxy. I look at Kim.

Starting point is 00:59:40 I look at Nicki. I look at Cardi. Dream Doll, she came on Love & Hip Hop. I know what I'm before that. She did bad girls club You know sometimes depending on the reality show sometimes people have a Introduction that they're not always happy with um, you know, and that was something for her. She wanted to love in hip-hop. I didn't work that season. She was on there. I was already in Miami.

Starting point is 01:00:09 But she, you know, she, again, she had a plan. She came in. She did what she needed to do. And now, I mean, she signed to RCA through Brooklyn Johnny. Shout out to Brooklyn Johnny. Brooklyn Johnny. Yes. I mean, you talk about the young execs.

Starting point is 01:00:22 I didn't even know that. There are some young execs that are... Steve-O, Youngstaff, Barreline. All my people. Yes. I didn't even know. Barreline is amazing. I didn't know you said Dream Dolls, Sondra.

Starting point is 01:00:34 With RC A. I'm saying... This is what I'm saying. Yes. I'm seeing what Dream Dolls is doing on her own. Right. Like, when I see her on her own... She took 2019 off to focus on her flow. But I'm like, that's the next female. That's the next one. Oh right like when I see her on the

Starting point is 01:01:06 But I'm like that's the next female that know, we know. When she say, I say, yo, we on my black body. And she did it right. She did it a New York. From A to O, the way she vocal did, she vocal did it right. Shout out to DJ Self. Shout out to Amber Ravenel. Shout out to those people behind it.

Starting point is 01:01:22 She signed herself. But shout out to those people that are really doing it. Let's not forget MCs like Rhapsody, Ciroc out there. Absolutely. I'm not forgetting, though. I'm just saying, right now, Dream Doll is my favorite. I'm just saying there's so many layers of it. It's not just one style.

Starting point is 01:01:36 Ah, I'll tell you all about it. That was everything to me. Listen, listen. That was everything to me. An average person that's not from New York, you don't understand what she said. But that's the point because you know what? I'm going to tell you what.

Starting point is 01:01:47 Ah! But that's the point. Because that record is going to go. I understand everything. No, but that's the point because that record is going to go. And then everybody's going to be like, but wait. And everybody's going to realize that that's a New York saying. And it's going to bring some energy back to New York.

Starting point is 01:02:01 I love that. And I love that a female's doing it. I love that. You know what? God damn it. I love that a female's doing that. I love that. You know what? God damn it. I love that a female's doing that too. God damn it. But I didn't know her from Bad Girls Club.

Starting point is 01:02:14 I didn't know her from, I knew, I met her from Loving Hip Hop. Loving Hip Hop. Is that, is that? Because you work for them, bro.

Starting point is 01:02:20 This is, keep it 100. I ain't gonna lie, you should give me a check. I'm gonna be honest. I'm gonna be honest. I'm gonna be honest. I agree with you. Nori, I'm gonna say,

Starting point is 01:02:27 Nori, no matter, I've always called him and he's done New York for me on the special stuff. He's done Miami for me. I'm like, can we come up and produce these segments together?

Starting point is 01:02:36 And both of you have always supported, so. And let me just say something. You don't gotta give me no cheat notes because I know everything. I know. I'm aware.

Starting point is 01:02:43 I watch everything. I really think, and you know what, James? I agree with what you said. I agree with what you said. I agree with what you said. But I also know you guys ain't watching as many episodes as I am. I watched the first two seasons in New York, and then I ain't got a lot of... And only because I grew up with Nico, so I watched Atlanta.

Starting point is 01:03:06 Okay, Nico. You know, the guy that did the sex scene. Atlanta. He was on True Channel. I think what happened is that the men were mad that the stories were finally being told. I think the men that have been in the industry for all this time

Starting point is 01:03:18 were mad that it was finally getting... No, no, no. You got to understand. What Nori misses is, like you said, you're the generation behind us. We have a generation of daughters and children that are engaged with the platform of Love

Starting point is 01:03:31 and Hip Hop. So I'm there watching it with my daughters. I mean, but this show is specific to a certain audience. I understand. Hold on. Let me just cut it. You got to understand, he's different now. He's like, his whole swag is, yeah, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:03:39 He's different. He has a different character. He's different. He's different. He's different. He's different. He's different. He's different. he's different Instagram is CJ. Whoopi what they saying that's my nephew what they saying. Well, they don't matter what's happened what they saying what they saying? What they saying? What they saying? Get the mic. You talking about you said it out loud. I'm not here to promote that. Girl,

Starting point is 01:04:07 without getting swallowing my kids and the whoopee whatever that thing is called it's still But nobody's saying anything against that. What I'm saying is

Starting point is 01:04:15 This is my thing is that people talk all this stuff about reality television. I'm not sitting here talking anything about that. I fuck with that rap. I'm that

Starting point is 01:04:21 I'm a hood bitch. I love that shit. But don't sit here executives and managers that come and talk to me about downgrading love and hip-hop what the fuck are you doing because you guys finally are talking about a reality of the visual is don't say you guys don't say you know talking about the music but I'm with you on love and hip-hop I I personally am not somebody who watches reality TV like that. I personally am.

Starting point is 01:04:47 It doesn't mean you're great. It doesn't mean we're against you. Just so you know. Just so you know. I'm not saying you're great. This thing is all. This is directed at me. This is directed at me.

Starting point is 01:04:55 This is directed at me. Let me take this. This is directed at me. No, it's not. That is directed at me. Let me be clear. Let me be clear. Let me be clear.

Starting point is 01:05:03 Mona Scott is an incredibly talented, super smart, and dedicated woman. Forget executive. Your tastes change. I don't like Tag Heuer. I like Rolex. I don't like Phillies. I smoke Avo. Right.

Starting point is 01:05:23 Okay? Your tastes change. It's not money, it's taste. I don't like aqua hydrate, I like Avion. All right, let's just, your taste changed. I love what Mona's doing, I love what hip hop is doing, I love what the team, I love how they're growing their brands and creating their verticals.

Starting point is 01:05:43 What I don't like is having to not answer, but have to rebut certain assumptions that are made for the people that don't come from where we come from and block our progress as a community because of their perception of what they see on TV. That's what I don't like. I mean, it's not that I don't like love and hip hop. It's I don't like walking into a room

Starting point is 01:06:03 and having people assume a certain way of action, a certain way of being, and a certain way of upbringing that positions us and lessens our value as human beings, not as executives, human beings. That's what I don't like. You know what, I will champion loving hip hop, I'll champion you, I'll champion Mona, I'll champion everybody, because ain't nobody

Starting point is 01:06:23 going to talk about this thing that I love nobody's gonna talk about this thing I love core hip-hop We built this shit And nobody's gonna like great that but but you can't say certain These are stories that are segmented in a certain culture community that we we understand that we've all witnessed. We understand that we What they think though, I thought we give too much validity not so what they think though. I think we give too much validity to what they think, though. No, somebody comes in here and says, somebody comes in my face and says,

Starting point is 01:06:49 Eric Nix is full of shit. Okay. Okay, you know what I'm going to say? That's my man. Number one, you're going to talk about him in front of me. Number two, he's not full of shit because I know the real Eric Nix. I don't care who it is. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:06:59 Because that's what's called loyalty. You ain't going to talk about me, my people, my friends, or my community in my face and not get rebutted. I know what you, but what I'm saying to you is that Eric Nix don't give a fuck about that person. I know you don't gonna talk about me my people my friends on my community and I'm not facing I get everybody I know with you But what I'm saying to you is that Eric Nicks don't give a fuck about that I know you don't but I do that's the bad that because that person is gonna get everything that movie he wants and So but listen to me that person is gonna that person is gonna give me that movie If I have the movie that he wants No, you gotta get in the door first that That person's going to let you in the door,

Starting point is 01:07:25 and then you're going to deliver that movie. That's what I'm talking about. When you get to the door and not, but you get to the door and not, you don't get in. Yes. But when you knock on that door, it's C.B.S. door. We have kicked in doors. You're not only kicking in Viacom doors,

Starting point is 01:07:39 you're kicking in C.B.S. doors. I mean, just to show, just in general, the culture, the community, we have knocked in doors. I was super with Eric when he said that people come to you when they want something from you. They understand what our value. Now it's our turn to understand business. And our turn to sit in those tables and understand what equity means and understand what ownership means. And educate ourselves.

Starting point is 01:07:58 Because what happens is that a lot of times we come into a room and what happens is that we automatically want to be given to it. But we don't understand the business behind it. Marty, all due respect, it's our turn now. It's our turn now. But wait a minute. But wait a minute. I don't want you to be giving to me that I can't prove it first. But we're just getting in that door now.

Starting point is 01:08:16 You got to understand, I've been knocking on that door since 1994. Wait, wait, wait. Time out. Let me finish. And thank you. I've been knocking on that door since 1994. Chris Lighty and I were knocking on that door in 1999. Puff Daddy and I were knocking on that door in 1996

Starting point is 01:08:30 when nobody wanted to let us in. No doubt. So you know what? You're damn right I got a chip on my shoulder and I wear my heart on my sleeve because ain't nobody going to shit on me. Nobody going to shit on my people. Ain't nobody going to shit on me.

Starting point is 01:08:39 No, no, no. What are you doing now? What are you doing now? It's not about shitting. It's about understanding and paying it forward and sitting in those rooms and now helping build up your people. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I have a chip on my shoulder at this table because you wouldn't even know I had a problem in that room Don't get it twisted first off first off For what you do and and and for you to keep that whole shit together and doing what you're doing How much I love you and I love this show he loves the show 100% like but when I when I see like the behind the scenes shit if she comes and

Starting point is 01:09:38 she fixes it I feel like you'll make sure the fixer fixer like screaming at the screen like yo and see me like come yo, and she'd be like, no, no, no, you got to come back in. And I'd be seeing you because it's the only time you're on camera. But it's not just. That's where you fix the situation. But look, look, look, I think this is maybe a layman's way of explaining what I think we're trying to say. Okay. There's the micro and there's the macro.

Starting point is 01:10:00 On the micro level, nothing's wrong. We're doing business. We're making money. On a macro level, what is it doing for the culture? I think that's what we're kind of talking about. You're right on point, but here's the thing. But the culture never dictated the situation. It was always the environment that came from the hood that dictated the culture.

Starting point is 01:10:19 This is not the hood. Remember. With no disrespect, but let's think about it. It's always been the real and it's always been the fake. Yeah, but let's think about it. In the industry, and the way you found revenue and finance and monetize things is what always fucked up the culture. Right.

Starting point is 01:10:35 But to your point, the macro level. The macro level. It's not just love and hip hop. No. It's not. It didn't start with that. It's not just narcos. Everybody at this table is responsible for a lot of shit

Starting point is 01:10:44 we don't like. They're not just hustlers. My only this table is responsible for a lot of shit we don't like. That's what I'm going to say. My only thing is... Your mic? Make sure your mic's on. Oh. It is. It's not on hip-hop.

Starting point is 01:10:52 It's not on hip-hop. No, and I'm not... Again, my reaction is just a matter of talking to my brothers in this table. Absolutely. There's no matter of... It's a debate. It's a conversation. But my thing is that I have conversations a lot with the executives and the music people.

Starting point is 01:11:07 And they're sitting here talking and bringing down reality television. But you guys are promoting crazier shit than what the fuck the show does. And these shows are only there because of the history with these relationships and this business. So if you want to see better, you do better. So if you want to see better on television, you want to see better in certain better So if you want to see better on television you want to see better in certain communities Then you be then you're a part of that change. Yes, don't talk about it without being a part of it That's all I'm saying But you cannot expect to

Starting point is 01:11:36 Have this diet that you eat and vomit something else. This is what this this is what these people live From the WAP video to love and hip-hop. This is a lot. It is what these people live. From the WAP video to Love & Hip Hop. This is what we live. So if this is the diet that's fed, what do you think is going to come out when the cameras come on? Well, it depends. What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

Starting point is 01:11:57 What do you mean? You don't know. No one knows. What started this? No, I don't believe that. What I'm saying to you is that regardless to what happened, if I live in the hood, I see hood shit all day. I see Mercedes in the projects. I see people getting stuck up.

Starting point is 01:12:17 I see drug deals. I see girls twerking and stripping and all that. When I get to the recording studio, what am I rapping about? Absolutely. Okay? So this is the diet that I'm fed. But what was the diet then? In the early to mid-90s,

Starting point is 01:12:32 late 80s, the diet that we were trying to get on. We were all trying to become vegan. We were all trying to become, we were all trying to be revolutionary. We were all trying to become more intelligent. And then that shit just went somewhere else. No, we were creating the system back then. The industry just went money and then the money the industry that's not a part of the culture took control of it hijacked the

Starting point is 01:12:53 culture culture and I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry that's not true what happens in the hood has always spilled over into the recording studio from slate From from the slaying from from from what we wear from from from what they from from the south to the Midwest from you listen to nipsy's music you listen to the games music you go down south you listen to Nipsey's music, you listen to The Game's music, you go down south, you listen to T.I., it's always been what they got from the hood. So you're going to tell me there wasn't a different trajectory at one point? Even if you had certain... There was like a movement.

Starting point is 01:13:38 No, if you catch... Okay, let's take a public enemy for a moment. You take a public enemy who's red hot, but they're more political than anything. Then what you end up doing is you have the record companies who want more public enemy. Because again, some of the people who are running the record companies or inside the record companies don't really live inside the culture.

Starting point is 01:14:03 So until they started to hire the people who lived in the culture and understand the culture but it can also sit at the boardroom then you understood so a record like with dream dog makes is like that's hood sling you listen to the music you listen to her lyrics it all derives from what the hood is doing. Right. Right? And the music has never dictated what the hood does. The hood always dictated what the music does.

Starting point is 01:14:33 Right. And then it infiltrates out across the nation. And that's the system. So we always have to allow for Cardi B and for Megan Thee Stallion to make the music that they want to make. We always have to allow. It goes back to the Megan Thee Stallion to make the music that they want to make. We always have to allow... It goes back to the balance thing I was saying though. Hold on. That's what you sign.

Starting point is 01:14:50 But then you also have to allow the people who are loving hip hop to tell their true stories. You can't make them... I've never ever signed an artist and said, I want you to be this. I always said, listen, tell me your story and I will help articulate and I will help you make it bigger. But I never changed the story. My job is not to change the story. Her job is not to go and live in hip hop and tell the girl to do something

Starting point is 01:15:18 different or to be different because we're trying. No, her job is to turn the cameras on find the stars that that will garner the attention turn the cameras on and make it bigger right that's all our jobs are right but the story the story changes for this that's the part we're missing right the story's not going to change i'm glad hakeem is at the table. Because we have this discussion consistently over the phone. We build with each other

Starting point is 01:15:53 on a regular basis. The story is never going to change until you change the diet that is fed. You're not going to get these kids to miraculously start talking about great things that's going to represent you in the boardroom because they are living in poverty-stricken neighborhoods that come from a place where they don't have. No, time out, time out. I don't think that's a plan. I got one thing to say. Listen, I got one thing to say. This is my one thing to say right now. This is a beautiful conversation.

Starting point is 01:16:25 No doubt. By the way. 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

Starting point is 01:16:51 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 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. Add free at Lava for Good Plus

Starting point is 01:17:32 on Apple Podcasts. 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 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

Starting point is 01:18:16 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'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. We are back. In a big way.

Starting point is 01:18:43 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 man Benny the Butcher

Starting point is 01:19:09 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

Starting point is 01:19:20 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. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. sued 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.

Starting point is 01:20:18 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. 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. Well, you know, the one thing I got to say is this is a brother that I respect right here. A brother I appreciate right here. And I just feel like he has a view on this conversation.

Starting point is 01:21:18 I just really want to just give it to you at this point. At this point. And we're going to follow your lead at this point. It's not even about my lead, but I appreciate that Thank everybody on here. Appreciate y'all for having me on I'm all the way into more what DJ I finish saying not that I'm disagreeing with nobody else But I think it's just one element that I'm not hearing that I want to hear and then just reiterate what you have been said That's basically what he's saying is about you know what happened to the days of old when there was a balance.

Starting point is 01:21:48 When we had poor righteous teachers over here and NWA over there. Right? So what happened now, in my opinion, just my opinion, what happened is the game changed to this is what you got to do in order to make money. The poor righteous teachers, the door got closed make money the poor righteous teachers the door got closed on that public enemy the door got closed on that conscious rap door got closed on that right it exists somehow somehow the story got paint or the picture got painted that all rappers that come from the hood only know about hood shit. And that's false. That's a false narrative. We got kids in the hood that don't know about that shit,

Starting point is 01:22:29 that don't want to talk about it, that don't live it, don't believe in it. They want to look at the kid who, the little kid that I want to live. He don't want to talk about no dope. But kids like that, they get a little break. People clap for them. The door get closed. Where the dude that's talking about little break people platform the door get closed What a dude that's talking about the dope what he's got a lot of bitches. He's got to be a star You understand what I'm saying still got to be a star What happened is it's just it's just

Starting point is 01:23:13 It's just people I think personally I just think a lot of the narrative changed to This is the only way you can get money So even if somebody didn't want to go in there rapping about guns and bitches and hoes They feel like this what I gotta talk about in order to get paid because I'm trying to get my mom a new house so I think how you gonna get paid narrative was changed answer I follow the mark answer up and Kendrick Lamar two of the biggest rappers out right now I'm not searching for the exact is researching it for the industry search of the stars the energy searches for money industry searching for I'm gonna push is searching for money. Industry is searching for who's going to push the narrative. Hold on for one second.

Starting point is 01:23:48 Hold on. History is the best teacher. Let me ask you a question, E. And I want you to be a thousand percent honest. Every artist that's getting money, you going to tell me they all stars? No. Yes. No.

Starting point is 01:23:57 No, they're not. No, they're not, bro. That's not real. They got good marketing. Can I say two things? They got good marketing. It's a lot of trash rappers. Can I say two things? They got good marketing. Can I say two things? It's a lot of trash rappers. Can I say two things? One thing is

Starting point is 01:24:12 there is a such thing called cool music. Like cool music is an actual genre of music that was created in the late 1800s put out first by Columbia Records, which is where we get the ice cream truck jingle.

Starting point is 01:24:31 Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know that. We know that. There's a lot of watermelon music. There's a genre of music that was charted. You look in Billboard and it was called coon music. It's a whole genre. So Terry Crews, this is where Terry Crews come from? No, I know that. Billboard and it was called Coon. Coon music. Coon music. It's a whole show.

Starting point is 01:24:47 So Terry Crews, this is where Terry Crews come from? Jesus. Well, Carnegie Whitson. No, excuse me. Not Carnegie. No, I'm being honest. Terry Crews out here. No, I'm being honest.

Starting point is 01:24:56 Terry Crews out here. Carnegie Whitson in the business. Terry Crews, you didn't see he made a whole Coon. Yeah, he's- You didn't see the scene? Yeah, he's confused. He's confused. He's confused.

Starting point is 01:25:04 It's the OG though. Channel OG, listen. He made an acronym to make coon cool. Cool. I've been seeing him on so much- But you didn't see that he made an actual acronym. I didn't see that. I just seen him getting chewed up on so many different facets. No, he made an actual acronym. Fuck coon.

Starting point is 01:25:18 Cools or whatever. Yeah. And he's not bringing something- Yeah, fuck Terry Crews. But fuck Terry Crews. Let's keep on- As he puts in the book, Miseducation of Negroes said that we've effectively created whatever. And he's making something. Yeah, fuck Terry. Let's keep on talking.

Starting point is 01:25:25 What's in the book Miseducation of Negroes said that when you effectively create a slave, you don't have to tell him to go to the back door.

Starting point is 01:25:33 He'll go to the back door without you telling him to. And if there is no back door, he'll create one for himself. That's what we

Starting point is 01:25:40 find ourselves in entertainment right now. Is that we've created the back door. If you want to get in the house, you got to go around the back door and that

Starting point is 01:25:47 means you have to devalue yourself you have to you know you have to you have to shame yourself you have to tear down your self-image so us as a people can get access to the house by these individuals that get allowed in. I just so disagree with that man I just so disagree with that. It's a survival mechanism. We sold drugs. You just said it. You just said it. It is so wrong. We sold drugs. The girls stripped. The girls stripped. We robbed. We've done everything. That's supposed to be everybody?

Starting point is 01:26:18 But now you think you can only do that to get- No, that's not only what I'm trying to explain to you is that if a dope MC comes to me rapping If you find let's let's say we find Brooklyn Johnny, right? We find Brooklyn Johnny. It's another guy. If a dope MC, if a dope MC that comes to Brooklyn Johnny, dope now. Now, there's a difference in the narrative being different and dope, right? If that dope MC finds Brooklyn Johnny and Brooklyn Johnny goes, damn, this is just different. He's going to sign that artist as well.

Starting point is 01:27:07 There's not a system that says in the music industry that if you're not rapping about degrading the urban culture or degrading women or being fucked up, we're not signing you. That's this. I've told you a story. He's making a super great point. There's never been a narrative. I'm going you his story. He's making a super great point. There's nothing in that narrative.

Starting point is 01:27:26 I'm going to make this perception. Hold on, hold on, hold on. One second. I want you to listen to what he just said. Yeah. Because a lot of people can't answer that directly. I will. Okay.

Starting point is 01:27:43 Okay. So I took a meeting at Dev Jam 1997. Me and Tuffy are channel live, right? And we had this nice demo. It was after Capital, after Madism, on the downside of Madism. We're trying to find our place. We take a meeting with,

Starting point is 01:27:56 I'm not going to name the person, but we take a meeting with this person. Why not? We name persons here. Todd Moskowitz. All right, take a meeting. Todd is lit, y'all. He's here, man.

Starting point is 01:28:05 Todd Moskowitz. He's around, him in. Todd is lit, y'all. He's lit up. He's lit up. Todd Moskowitz. He's lit up, man. Todd. I play him the demo. At death here? Why? He's a lawyer. Why you meet him?

Starting point is 01:28:13 Okay. Forget it. Go ahead. Because I left your office and you made this the demo. You made this the demo, man. Sir, we're playing for Todd. We're playing for Todd. We're playing for Todd.

Starting point is 01:28:21 Todd's like, yo, this shit is hot. I like this. I didn't... But y'all not locking down the block. Y'all not... We're playing for Todd. We're playing for Todd. Todd's like, yo, this shit is hot. I like this. But y'all not locking down the block. Y'all not, it's not street enough. And I understand that. Wait, let me put this, let me put this. Okay, right.

Starting point is 01:28:35 So that's like, okay, what does that mean? And then we take the same project. Well, not the same project, but we took Carl Thomas, who's on this project, to Bad Boy, not the same project, but we took call Thomas who's on this project It's a bad boy and for some reason It could get hurt there. Okay, I'm gonna tell you why but not I'm gonna tell you why not you heard I'm gonna tell you why no disrespect to time my schools, but time Moscow which don't represent our culture Whereas Diddy the ultimate decision- maker, does. So he can acknowledge, this kid is a star,

Starting point is 01:29:07 and I can make this with this music and this subject matter. Whereas Todd only believes that it has to be one way. And he's trying to duplicate what's already out there, whereas Diddy's trying to move the culture forward. And that's how come you have a whole thing of moving the culture forward. So if you come to me or anybody else go to any

Starting point is 01:29:28 artist that understands our culture that understands the culture with a conscious rapper or a political rapper that's dope and is a star, that kid is going to get signed and going to get put. And if he has a hit record, because at the end of the day

Starting point is 01:29:43 it's music, business. No, no. And that that's the I just sent you a text are we talking about hip-hop culture or are we talking about the culture. Let's talk about when Todd was a gatekeeper at that time. Hold on, hold on, hold on. No, no, no. And I'm not mad at that. And I'm not mad at that either. So is Steve Rifkin. I am mad. I am mad. Because Todd was a gatekeeper.

Starting point is 01:30:12 What did Eric say? Why are you meeting with Tom Osborne? Because he was a lawyer. He was a lawyer. There were a lot of people that were in the game that were perpetrating their position

Starting point is 01:30:17 was more important than it really was. And the real gatekeepers that were there, the Puffs, the Visionaries, the Steve Rifkins, they wanted to push the culture forward they didn't have number

Starting point is 01:30:28 one time a lot of time today when a lot of things but they also were allowing other people to be a gatekeeper to get to that you gotta go through levels and those levels were wrong And I understand that. But I think he just nailed it. I want the years on the top. No. What's your opinion? I mean, once he, like, broke it all the way down, I see where he's coming from. But, like, he went exactly where we thought he was going.

Starting point is 01:30:57 It's the music business. And when you're doing business, no feelings are involved. No emotions are involved. Whereas this side of the room is more connected to the culture. James is connected to the culture. It's the morality of it. We go back to, okay, all the narratives we live by, all money ain't good money. What's understood don't need to be explained. So when you say nobody's in the office going to say, we're not going to sign you if you're not talking about this, they don't have to say it. They just going to close the door on your face if you come with the wrong shit.

Starting point is 01:31:26 But that's the rationale for why they didn't sign you. But in all reality, they didn't sign you. No, not a signing. Not a signing. I'm not even talking about an individual signing, per se. I'm talking about how the game has, like, we don't have what we once had. We used to be artists. We used to be artists. We don't have the broad spectrum. There used to be artist development.

Starting point is 01:31:45 We don't have. There is. So you can hear raw talent. But you know what? I'm going to tweet the talent. We don't have the broad spectrum. I know, but we're in 2020. And things are moving so fast.

Starting point is 01:31:58 That hasn't existed in 20 years. Listen, it doesn't matter what I'm trying to explain. The reason why it doesn't exist in 20 years, since 2000, is because there's already an artist that's walking in through the door that's ready to go. So whereas you need 18 months, and for me to shake the dice, and I don't know if I'm getting my return,

Starting point is 01:32:16 but I know that he's ready to go, I'm going with what's ready to go. That's business. Ready to go based on what? No, no, and we're not, that's what we want. We're not that, but we keep hearing people who are talking about business, and you're not wrong. I'm not disagreeing what you're saying But when you look into culture conversation you confuse what you're actually talking about You're not talking about the culture

Starting point is 01:32:37 I am talking about if you go to the you go to Def Jam Arista and you play hip-hop culture, in those buildings, you're gonna lose. They have a culture that is specifically corporate culture. Yeah, they sell you hip-hop dress merchandise, but the culture in the Def Jam building is not hip-hop. And it's trending to say culture. I'm gonna call it culture, Jeff. I'm gonna jump out, but this is Drink Champs, right?

Starting point is 01:33:04 I'm gonna jump out. We lost. I'm going to jump out. This is Drink Champs, right? We lost three very important things in the music game. You said one, artist development. Artist development. You said another one, integrity. And I'm going to say a third, morals. Morality, of course. Let's see how many followers you have.

Starting point is 01:33:20 Let's see how many views you have. No, I don't need to see that. When I look in your eyes and feel your energy, I know you're going to fucking go. No doubt. And I'm going to put myself behind you. So we lost that in this game. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:33:31 Because Nori didn't have X amount of million followers. Nori didn't have X amount of million followers. You know what I mean? Nori had raw fucking talent that was molded. But you got to ask yourself why though. Because all the major companies,

Starting point is 01:33:41 all the major companies are what? Publicly held companies. So they have to answer to the bean counters everybody business they don't have 18 months to develop an artist but it's not there you understand that when death there was a company we could take we could take a warranty and develop it over 18 months let me say this but I gotta say it it's not just the decision makers it's also the viewer because the greatest meme that I saw over the last two years that hit me in my gut. Did

Starting point is 01:34:25 Tekashi stick to the code? The re-14 year old white kid saying, what? No, to me, to me, it said to me, what code do they mean? Did Tekashi stick to the code? And these kids that are listening and consuming said, what code

Starting point is 01:34:42 are they talking about? Because we have not instilled that code into our listener and to about? Because we have not instilled that code into our listener, into our viewer. We have not instilled that code into the next generation. And the one thing about survival, that's, that's a good thing. I don't know, I don't know. We'll just get into that in a little second.

Starting point is 01:34:54 That goes forward. We had this conversation. And the question I just wanted to ask, if the dispute is about the raw talent, right, and we talking about how it used to be versus what it is now. If we go to the charts, out of the top 20 rap songs,

Starting point is 01:35:10 how many of them are not talking about shit that people consider negative? No, everybody is. Everybody is. That's a problem. No, but the problem is that the conscious rap

Starting point is 01:35:21 is not where the kids are at right now. But why is that? They're not getting that whole stuff right now. Please, let that? They're not getting close to that right now. Please. Let me have this. Let me have this.

Starting point is 01:35:29 I don't believe that, man. You can't say that. That's what's happening. Because that's what's happening. No. That's what's being programmed. That's what's being programmed. That's what's being programmed.

Starting point is 01:35:43 It's no such thing as that's all the kids are doing. That's what the fuck they're being told. They're being told to do this. That's why this shit is programming. Radio programming, television programming. The algorithm. Why do you call TV programming? That's why it's called radio programming.

Starting point is 01:36:00 Why do everybody go from wearing jerseys to button ups? Because Jay-Z said it and Jay-Z told it. Because Jay-Z said it and Jay-Z told it. Because Jay-Z said it and Jay-Z told it. That's radio programming. Yeah, that's legit. Why do everybody go from wearing jerseys to button-ups? Right. Because Jay-Z said it. Because the TV told him. Exactly. Jay-Z said it.

Starting point is 01:36:11 Who is always the biggest artist? If I come to your block. Now I'm going to take a piss. Okay. If I come to your block, right, and I have ten artists, and nine of them are the same, and one is different, who stands out? Hold on. But one is different.

Starting point is 01:36:26 Who stands out? I do 24 hours a piece every year. Right? Most of the folks up there that get up to perform got a dress date because it's negative. They're cursing all through.

Starting point is 01:36:36 They got dressed up. The one who shines is the one who comes out positive, straight, conscious. Right. And it sounds good. Labels aren't checking for her. No. Lab positive, straight, conscious. Right, right. And it sounds good. Labels aren't checking for her. No.

Starting point is 01:36:48 Labels are. And I'm going to tell you some real shit. No. Labels aren't a certain thing. I guarantee you, if that artist has the same criteria that they assign any other artists on, which are the numbers, right? So if you find a positive rap artist or a conscious rap artist that has the numbers and has the numbers, right? So if you find a positive rap artist

Starting point is 01:37:05 or a conscious rap artist that has the numbers and has the following, that kid gets the same shot. My only point is that kid gets the same shot as the other one. Right, but the shock is what's getting the numbers. The shock value, the violence, whatever the fuck. But really quick, sorry, sorry, really quick. I said this before on Drink Champs before,

Starting point is 01:37:23 and this is why I say it's our fault, not your fault. Our fault. Our generation's fault. Because when hip-hop started making real money, we stopped being OGs. We stopped passing down the information. They don't give a fuck about how we feel. Who doesn't give a fuck? The younger.

Starting point is 01:37:39 We stopped caring. I just said myself, OG. Do you? Right. Absolutely. Okay. How many younger kids, younger kids, I'm talking about 19, 18, 16-year-old kids, running around the hood, don't respect the work you put in?

Starting point is 01:37:55 Keep it, G. I'm going to keep it at 100,000 with you. That's why my platform pops like it does. Because I got 19-year-olds. Okay. I got 20-year-olds. No, no, no, no. I got 19-year-olds.

Starting point is 01:38:04 It's because of what you're saying to me, bro. Even in the hood. I want you to answer the question. Like it does because I got 19 year olds, okay But but you understand my question my question is that the younger kid you're proving my point I'm gonna tell you kids today, but you're proving my point. I know just hit me out for a second She may be the younger kids today. Don't give a fuck about the old. Because we didn't pass the bus. I didn't grow up on Cool Herc or Grandmaster Flash. Right. I didn't know about them. Right. The guys that I was listening to told me, this is the guy.

Starting point is 01:38:35 These are the pioneers. These are the architects. And then they were the guys. Let me tell you why they don't respect the older niggas. Okay. Because the older niggas didn't keep up with the times. The older niggas that Okay. Because the older niggas didn't keep up with the times. The older niggas that was in jail,

Starting point is 01:38:47 wait, hold on. When hustling changed, when it went from cocaine to digital hustling, now you got a 45-year-old nigga coming home from jail. Right. And his 26-year-old young boy

Starting point is 01:38:57 is driving Phantoms and shit. Right. So now a 25-year-old, 46 years old, now this nigga don't got no money, he don't know how to hustle. He don't know how to go get to a dollar. So now this little

Starting point is 01:39:08 nigga that's 20 years younger than him is big homie. What's up, big homie? Because he got money. I think we're on the same page. But along the lines of what you're saying, though. Now watch this. If other people had the same narrative that you had

Starting point is 01:39:24 about raw talent right and recognize talent They will be able to recognize these kids. That's not built for some of the shit. They talking about that's why niggas is going to jail That's why they carrying guns just because they said it in a lyrics. That's why they doing don't They doing this shit because they it's not in them it's on them So what they doing is essentially they frontin and they putting themselves in bad situations Whereas if somebody would have said if a motherfucker come around me talking that fly shit I'm gonna see straight through them and tell them fall back young boy you buggin that ain't even you and they gonna respect that Nobody's doing that

Starting point is 01:40:04 And that's why the youngins fuck with me You bugging that ain't even you and they gonna know about that Hello, but you gotta have a certain pretty greedy to say fall back young boy But there's not so many of you You got it too And I do it But here's what I'm trying to explain to you What I'm trying to explain to you Is that when you try to give these young kids Game today And I know because my son

Starting point is 01:40:38 Runs with these young kids There's a whole slew of young kids And I'm like yo this is what you need to do Don't sound like Akon right now. Right, but no. Fuck no. Hell no. But some of these young kids are sitting there going, yo, OG is hating on me.

Starting point is 01:40:57 OG don't understand. OG want us to do it his way. We don't do it that way no more. He's right, though. But that's because that's when you stop talking to him because you're talking Adam. No. And it's a former school teacher, right?

Starting point is 01:41:12 No, no, no. I would like you to... I'm so sorry. No, it's okay. It's okay. But you're right because sometimes when they come talking to him, they talk about it. Take it from there. No, I mean because that's a large part of the problem. Older dudes don't know how to communicate.

Starting point is 01:41:29 So when you're talking to young dudes, and this goes to having young dudes under you, this goes to parenting, this goes to teach. Like, you have to talk to people. Kids are not fucking walls and you just talk to them how you want to. You have to communicate. You have to talk to him

Starting point is 01:41:45 I never said not Adam because that's when all of that rebellion start That's when it that's when it turns into man you owe you don't know what the fuck you talking about versus listen I know what you doing. You know me and what holds that one of the illest shit I bet I know you going I see what you're going. I read your minds navigational I read your minds navigational system. I see what you're going I read your minds navigationals I read your minds navigational system I see what you going I did this shit but it's a way to say it that it don't sound like you when your mom said it I've been there and I done that that's not gonna get it but when you have a conversation I do this shit every day on this Instagram live I've been on this shit every single day

Starting point is 01:42:21 since May I. Every day. I'm about to miss my live because I'm here right now. But it's cool. I'll catch up later. What I'm saying is that consistency, that dedication,

Starting point is 01:42:33 that talking the same shit every day and talking to them in their language is why a woman can get on my live and say, I want you to meet my 11-year-old son because every time I'm on your live, he's listening and he wanted to meet you because he respects you. 11! Because I talk

Starting point is 01:42:50 to these people, man. When you get to talking that old shit and you broke, they're not listening to that shit that you're talking at them. You got to talk to them. And you keep saying today these kids, I feel personally that it goes beyond this generation right now and that there's a domino effect, right?

Starting point is 01:43:07 And the dominoes goes back a little bit. Yes. And that's what we need to understand. You keep saying right now. Of course, right now, what you're saying makes total sense, but it goes beyond right now. We have to identify the source is what I'm saying. But you also have to identify the motivational factors because that's what a lot of people don't even get into. What's the motivational factor for this girl to do what she's doing, or this kid to say what he's saying,

Starting point is 01:43:29 or this one to join this environment, this one to get into this? I got a 22-year-old nephew, my blood, he's got a record popping right now called Whoopty in New York City. It's my nephew. Get away from that, take that red off. Stop doing this, stop doing that.

Starting point is 01:43:44 Put your money into this, put your money money into that and they're starting to listen so there is change that's great they're starting to you know why that's great because they saw the last generation and they saw how that fell apart these kids don't own anything they're using ubers they take they use airbnbs they don't understand ownership the independent artists are starting to understand ownership right so it is changing but there's more change that needs to be done because that's cultural exclusion that's happening because that Todd Moskowitz has been moved out of the way because there's a streaming service that takes

Starting point is 01:44:16 away all of that how I could be me and it makes the artist actually the boss and it makes the artist responsible. Talking about accountability and talking about vulnerability because vulnerability is if you do this shit the wrong way you're going to mess up. And accountability because you have to get your URL, you have to get your swipe up, you have to get everything done. So it becomes accountable. But you know what? We were the ones that had to tell you guys how to be accountable. You said you didn't know about investments and stuff. It was our job to do that. It's still our job, we're still here.

Starting point is 01:44:47 So who brought Reebok to Violator? You want to know the truth about that? You want to go there? You want to go there? Reebok didn't come to Violator. Violator went to Reebok and said you're missing it. Missing the wave, like Max B? Allen Iverson was signed to Reebok and said you're missing it. Missing the wave, like Max B? Allen Iverson was signed to Reebok.

Starting point is 01:45:08 Why? Allen Iverson was going to be a Jordan ball player. Allen Iverson said, why should I sign to your company? Ain't nobody that look like me, walk like me, talk like me, or comes where I come from in this company. Reebok created a team called the Drop Squad. Drop Squad was run by Q Gaskins, James Cruz, Rob Purvey, and a few other individuals, and Dawn Marie Gray. I like how you threw yourself in there very lightly.

Starting point is 01:45:27 That's what it was. That's what it was. So now, we have the Drop Squad. Allen Iverson signs a lifetime deal to Reebok, which was never thought of before. Q Gaskins becomes his head of marketing on his hip like an A&R would to an artist. You said lifetime, though? Lifetime deal. He gets paid- This is the first lifetime deal? For his first said lifetime though lifetime deal he gets paid first lifetime

Starting point is 01:45:46 Oh his first ever lifetime to us. Jordan had the first lifetime the lifetime deal is the ownership deal a different bargain There's a lifetime deal with me by the play from different. All right. Remember I went from a blood to a crib I was Reebok. I still do Jordan to this day for 17 years doing So let's be clear Steve Stout's a genius. Signs Jay-Z to a deal with Rebound. Jay-Z puts out the Gucci sneaker. Remember that?

Starting point is 01:46:10 Yeah, of course. S.com. S.com. Sold out in one weekend. Three days sold out all the shoes. Rebound saw an opportunity. Paul Fireman, the president of Rebound, says, wait, we got to do this more in the urban space. Q Gaskins calls James Cruz and says, hey.

Starting point is 01:46:25 Hold on. Tell me. do you see this name? Don't lie to me, bro. I told you, it sounded like I'm lying. That's your color. No, Versace's brother's name's out. You like my life? 12 minutes. You like my life?

Starting point is 01:46:42 I love your life. That's it, James. Just want to word it out. So now, James Cruz is at Violator. Q Gaston's calling James Cruz. Hey, can you help me with this shoot? What shoot? As Doc Carter.

Starting point is 01:46:54 I want to help you with this shoot called the G-Unit. The G6. G6 is inexistent. We go up to rebound. Did you make that up yourself? Nope. I didn't make it up. The G6 was a copy of a shoot go up to Reebok. Did you make that up yourself? Nope, I didn't make it up. The G6 was a copy of a shoe we already did.

Starting point is 01:47:09 People don't know, Allen Iverson's first shoe was already for sale. Nobody bought it until we slid his foot in it. Then it went crazy. So it wasn't about design, it was about endorsement. It was about association. It was about putting the hottest ball player with braids in his hair in front of that.

Starting point is 01:47:23 So now we go up there, lighties locked up, go to Boston. He keeps saying lighties locked up. I don't even know why he's getting jailed for it. You know, they were just tied tickets, speeding, dumb stuff. You know what I'm saying? So he got locked up like that because of Ireland. You want the truth? Yes.

Starting point is 01:47:39 Eric knows this to be true, and we can do the research. Somebody went through TSA with something in their bag that shouldn't have been in their bag by mistake did you know the story Chris had a registered weapon in his backpack and walked through TSA with it and then had to go answer for it. It was legal. It wasn't illegal. Who? Want the truth. I want the truth.

Starting point is 01:48:09 You got it. I don't know who. What artist was he with? Chris went through TSA by himself. All right. I don't believe you. You don't believe me? No, I feel like it's something else.

Starting point is 01:48:21 That's true. Do me a favor. Did you hear that? Yeah. You want a dollar number and confirm it? No, that's true. Do you want a dollar number and confirm it? It was a mistake. It was something else. That's true. Do me a favor. Did you hear that? Uh. You want me to dial a number and confirm it? That's true. Do you want a dollar number to confirm it? It was a mistake. It was a mistake.

Starting point is 01:48:29 He grabbed the wrong bag out the car. What if they did the same thing? It sounds like Jewel Santana. Blue Wings. Blue Wings. Blue Wings. Blue Wings. Mighty will make that.

Starting point is 01:48:36 He actually, his girl actually talked about the mistake. Because Jewel Santana's in jail right now. No, he got out. He got out. He got out. He's home. Relax. I was going to finish my story.

Starting point is 01:48:47 He was in jail right now for that same crime and now he's just been released. And I don't think Chris would make the same mistake as Chris Mance. It was even over the line. Yo, would I lie

Starting point is 01:48:57 to a dead man's soul? Would I lie to a dead man's soul? No, what I'm trying to say is we should just praise you all Santana as well, because he made the same mistake. That's Chris Lyons. Who did that to?

Starting point is 01:49:11 Bo Williams? Blue Williams. You know the manager? Oh, yeah. From OutKast? Yeah, from OutKast, yeah. I heard this story. I did not hear this story.

Starting point is 01:49:18 I think, I don't know the 100% facts, but I think his girl put his gun in a bag, and when he went to pack me I didn't know Let me just be clear What the fuck is blue? Doing what a guy Chris fucking lighty Do on what a fucking gun? Hey, man. Did you hear somebody just grab the wrong bag off the car? I think that said that so the wrong bag is that not the don't believe you being honest word is bond

Starting point is 01:49:48 This is like word is bound back. That's why so many hip-hop artists are private waste any money So we get up to Reebok we have the conversation we do the deal the g6 like Chris. You take the table We want all the marketing we want the commercials. We want the videos Secret to the success of the G-Unit sneaker, we had $1 million. They said $1 million to try you out. We did the sneaker. We called Jesse Torero.

Starting point is 01:50:13 We wrote the treatment. Treatment was eye of the tiger. 50 Cent was Mr. T working on a dirty-ass gym. At the end of the thing, the kids run up the stairs. He has the vitamin water thing. He's sitting in the mirror like this. G6. Boom. There's only $6 seventy five thousand left after it's

Starting point is 01:50:27 all said and done that's all we have to advertise on television oh where do you advertise take the number one urban TV show and we own the BET Awards every other commercial was the g6 and we sold and we sold a hundred and twenty six thousand pairs of sneakers in one week. Pop another bottle. And we sold 3.4 million. I don't kiss you no more at this point. I'm just going to pop my own bottle at this point. But the relevance of them trusting us,

Starting point is 01:50:56 a publicly traded company that didn't understand anything about hip-hop culture, needed us, like Eric says, and we delivered. That's the difference. A lot of people take the money and don't deliver no doubt So you don't get a second chance no doubt we delivered and we delivered multiplied That's the G6 and actually and I hope to see six over delivers on that we multiply the delivery and believe multiply and believe it or not Most of the consumers who was buying the g6 When they see other flavors, they didn't determine that that wasn't 50 cent shit.

Starting point is 01:51:26 So, there was just, it was all for the G6. It was all for the G6. But wait, but what did we do? We took the G6 and we went on tour, called the Rock the Mic Tour with Jay-Z. What did Reebok own? The NFL and the NBA.

Starting point is 01:51:39 So in every market we wore the jersey. Reebok owned the NFL, man. Yeah, they owned the license. They did the jerseys. I think we got to talk about Busta Rhymes past the Cavassier. Oh, no, we're talking

Starting point is 01:51:48 about Mountain Dew before you get to past the Cavassier. And Mountain Dew giving... Well, I'm just here to listen. Mountain Dew giving

Starting point is 01:51:55 Busta Rhymes a bunch of money to do a commercial in the screaming parking 18-wheeler truck in front of the Nico Hotel during a convention playing Blaston's music

Starting point is 01:52:03 and putting the commercial out. And on top of that, delivering Mountain Dew refrigerators and sodas to all the program directors across the country. Sounds like something we know called vitamin water, huh? Yup. I don't know who made that noise, but I am. When he made Pass the Kavassier,

Starting point is 01:52:25 he single-handedly saved the company. damn. When he passed the Kavassier, he single-handedly saved the company. That one record. I got to correct you on that. He independently saved a whole town. The town of Cognac, France. Where the Chinese embargo placed them.

Starting point is 01:52:43 The whole town itself, China had placed an embargo on fresh products. Don't mind me, I'm going to lie to the blood. Right? No, you don't. Capasta, the Capassi came out like six months after this thing happened.

Starting point is 01:52:58 Sold so much alcohol that year, it literally saved the entire town of Cognac, France. Now, I learned that from ozzy davis and ruby d but do the math the entire liquor business was down 28 yes sir look it up kovace yes sir so it was actually i thought it was like 26 it was up it was up 12 and then we we peaked out at like 23 25 something like that but it was up 12% so the business You know you yeah, it's some time I'm being honest with you as a beyond like you will mommy I like a young girl chap or right now

Starting point is 01:53:42 Your numbers get numbers get outside. I know you know why I said saying? Your numbers, your numbers, I'm sorry. You know why? I should have said Bill Gates. You know why? Because those numbers were you getting those checks. Alright, alright, I'm so sorry. I ain't talking about the numbers, but you getting those checks. Because we playing the numbers. Alright, alright, come on, sorry. I meant that in the most respectful way ever.

Starting point is 01:54:00 But the moral of the story is that Busta, that Kavassi-e, just like Kristal, didn't want to really be associated with the hip-hop culture. Kavassi-e didn't want to be associated? No. They didn't even want to support, they didn't want to give tour support. Did you see a bottle of Kavassi-e? So that wasn't pre-negotiated.

Starting point is 01:54:17 No, no. This is what I'm trying to explain. This is all I'm trying to explain is that the culture fucking my little thing But my business and then and then it just happens organically That's when that's when the biggest moves happen when they aren't playing I saw I'm so sorry Because you talking You telling me all right I Said this is a two part of a story. You don't need to do all that bro. One part is Busta wanted to do it because he wanted to do it.

Starting point is 01:54:52 Busta did the record. No, he made the record. He made the record. He liked Kavassius. He liked Kavassius. No, this is what I'm trying to say. At some point somebody told him, yo y'all, they ain't a part of us. So, you said at one point Buster

Starting point is 01:55:06 wanted to do it no they made the record the record came out couldn't even read first of all first of all first of the album version of the record isn't the single that for a listen to our version of the version is all bust yeah right I heard the single is Pharrell Busterusta, and Diddy. The one that saved the town. The one that 12% was up. The problem is that

Starting point is 01:55:33 just like Kristal, they didn't want to be associated with hip-hop culture. I'm trying to avoid this story. This is why I reiterated it last time. He's going there. Let's go there. Let's continue. They didn't want to be involved with it

Starting point is 01:55:46 they didn't even want to give they didn't even want to give tour support no no tour support at all fuck giving him the rightful 100 million dollars

Starting point is 01:55:57 which would have been a fraction of what they made just to secure the rest of his life because that's a good boss for one record Buster deserved a hundred million to two hundred million dollars minimum just for the impact of

Starting point is 01:56:13 what that record did. Made me want to drink Garbassiere. You know what came after that? Who had the next deal? Who was the first person that had a deal with Patron? Paul Mitchell came to us and handed Missy Elliott at the MTV Awards a gallon Patron. She was supposed to be the next face but then her numbers because her fan base was skewed too young

Starting point is 01:56:33 couldn't do the deal. So all these Ciroc deals that Diddy and everybody has, they should salute Busta. I'm keeping it G with you. Salute Busta. Salute Busta. Wait a minute, time out.

Starting point is 01:56:48 Let's go before that. We got a San Jose Nights. As much as I don't like to, from a marketing perspective. Ice Cube. Ice Cube is smooth. Yeah. Came before that. The first ever sneaker deal in

Starting point is 01:57:04 all of hip hop? Adidas. They didn't do a deal with MBC. They just had a... The first ever corporate deal structure. Again, it was fast. Method Man. Method Man, Reebok Classics. But what happened with your sneaker deal with G-Unit?

Starting point is 01:57:16 Did you hook that up too? It was really, honestly it was a team of people that really put that whole thing together and Paul Fireman saw the opportunity, but Paul Fireman took the opportunity and then sold Reebok to Adidas. Mm-hmm. So he rebounds. Oh my dude Reebok is all my ideas purely because of congenital not rich purely because of Kanye You had Jay over here you have 50 over here and then you had this Allen Iverson lifetime dinner Remember Allen Iverson was the bad boy NBA, you know 50 the bad boy at hip-hop, and Jay-Z is Jay.

Starting point is 01:57:47 And they had the whole culture within this whole rebound thing, and he sold it for $786 million. I didn't get my life together, bro. I don't even know why I'm still hanging out. I didn't get my life together. The fact of the matter is that corporate America was able to deal with us because you had people bridging the gap and explaining to them that we could deal in a professional level. That's why I always look up to Steve Stout because of what he's doing from Madison Avenue to hip-hop and bridging the gap.

Starting point is 01:58:15 Steve is one of the greatest ever did it. His translation company is phenomenal. What he's did with Hewlett Packard and even the Chris Paul commercial with State Farm. What do you think if Chris was still here? I'm so sorry. Chris was still here? I apologize. Because I didn't like, you know, I had to see him on the show.

Starting point is 01:58:32 I had to see him on the show. And I asked him, I said, if Chris was still here. And he kind of gave Chris a little shade. We could go to the footage. There's a lot of history in that relationship. It's a friendly competition. There's a lot of history in that relationship. No, no, no, no, there's not. There's a lot of history in that relationship it's a friendly competition there's a lot of history in that relationship

Starting point is 01:58:46 no no no there's a lot of history in that relationship but I want to say I want to say from people that knew Chris cause I disagree with him but he was on my show

Starting point is 01:58:57 so I let him say what he had to say cause I've never seen nobody be money like Chris Light I never no one has ever made me money like Chris Light. That's me.

Starting point is 01:59:09 I can't quote for you, I can't quote for you, but I'm saying it. Chris Light had the biggest impact. Chris Light and Foxy Brown had the biggest impact on my life, 100%. If Chris was still here, on everything that I believe in my heart, Chris could have been the president of Apple Music, Chris could have been the president of Apple Music.

Starting point is 01:59:27 Chris could have been the president of Def Jam. Chris could have been the president of Google. That's how great Chris Lighty was. Because he had a vision. But not only a vision, that man had the drive. That poker face. And he knew how to get the check. There's a couple of executives in the music business

Starting point is 01:59:48 that know how to get the check. Stout, Lighty, Jay Brown, Charles J. Brown from Rock Nation. Like they know how to get the check. Chris was one of those guys that knew how to get the check. So Chris is like so many different, Chris is like James, right? Chris is like Diddy, Chris is like Jay. No, no, no, I'm like Chris. Okay. I'm like Chris, gotta James, right? Chris is like Diddy. Chris is like Jay. No, no, no, I'm like Chris.

Starting point is 02:00:07 Okay. I'm like Chris. I'm just comparing you. Thank you for that. What I'm saying to you is that when you get to a certain level, you're going to be in this game for as long as you want.

Starting point is 02:00:17 Like, you're going to determine your exit. If Chris was here right now, and he was sitting on this, hold on, if Chris was sitting on this, you will determine your exit. You determine was here right now, if Chris was here, you will determine your exit. You determine when you want to stop because you know so much about the business and there's always a sea of new talent and there's always a sea of new

Starting point is 02:00:35 business. And once you understand how to get to the money, back the brink truck up, not the bag, back the brink truck up, which Chris did. So it's no doubt that he would still be here and survive and be Chris was still here a lot of these on it's like asking because it's a day. But it's like, no wait, it's like if asking Bigger Pop was still here. It's a day that you hit me. You're just like, yo,

Starting point is 02:01:08 I want to do a Chris tribute. And I was like, James, you know, we can't do a drink chance because I would like everyone to be here. But you still, you know, you was passionate.

Starting point is 02:01:29 So you hit fat Joe Joe you guys did it like a the Instagram thing on Instagram thing and everybody called me the next day it's like you're gnarly Chris deserve better yes more mobile and call me call everybody call me the girls only and there was only three people that stood up you know who stood up Eric Nix Tiffany lighting fat joke I don't know I don't know I don't know you know what's the fun but you know I spent that day on the phone with Tiffany lady because I don't I'm gonna sound like a real asshole, but fuck it. Chris Lighty not only changed my life.

Starting point is 02:02:09 Chris Lighty not only taught me everything I know. Chris Lighty also changed my soul. Because at one time I loved him so much, at another time I hated him so much that I didn't know why. And when you dive into that soul and find out why you're dealing with these start dealing with self yeah so Chris Lighty taught me about myself Chris Lighty taught me not about just how to make money how to do the deal the

Starting point is 02:02:36 order to deal Chris Lighty to Chris Lighty and accept me who I am Chris went with me to my to buy my first crib, this is a guy I worked for. He was like, yo, hold on. Before you go buy this crib, I got to hold your hand through this process. Like, this is who he was.

Starting point is 02:02:51 Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, he made all of us straight. Mona Scott, I don't know where she lives at now, but Mona Scott, when Chris left his crib,

Starting point is 02:02:59 she lived in his crib. Yeah, in West Orange. Yeah, in West Orange. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is who this guy was. Like, this guy was responsible for so many different people. And that was across the street. But to your point, I don't want to leave it alone.

Starting point is 02:03:15 Please don't leave it alone. I don't want to leave it alone because Chris never got his roses when he was here. That's why I'm here. And I'm going to keep that alive. And you know what? But not only that And I'm going to keep that alive. And you know what? But not only that, I'm going to give you your roses. I'm going to give you Eric's roses.

Starting point is 02:03:30 My God. I'm going to give you Sebastian's roses. I'm going to give Marty his roses. I'm going to give Hakeem his roses. Because you know why?

Starting point is 02:03:36 The thing about it is I love to give somebody else their roses. You feel me? But anyway. It doesn't take anything away from me because you know why if I look at all of you five people right here this is what

Starting point is 02:03:51 makes hip hop no doubt it's everybody's different though anybody I'm gonna relate to everybody I'm looking at the same story but you know what we all love the motherfuckers who make this shit happen. Happen. Yeah. And that's it. Yeah. That's it. But you know what? We got to honor Chris. No, let's honor Chris.

Starting point is 02:04:10 No, no, no. Not just here. Okay. We got to honor Chris. Okay. You know what I'm saying? Because, and I'm not going to get emotional. No, get emotional.

Starting point is 02:04:20 We all right. Yeah, it's fine. Chris deserved. Chris deserved a lot more. Yeah. And. He deserved to be. You know, it's fine. Chris deserved. Chris deserved a lot more. Yeah. And he deserved to me. You know, we can all perceive, think of scenarios. We should have been there for Chris.

Starting point is 02:04:37 Because at that moment when he left us, he needed us more than ever. All right. So hold on, James. I didn't want to go there. I just didn't know. Hold on. Tell me. I didn't know you were struggling. I didn't want to go there. I just didn't know I didn't want to go you went there you went there. I didn't want to go there, but I don't think Chris killed this

Starting point is 02:04:51 I know he didn't I Don't think Chris killed himself It don't make sense. No doesn't that doesn't make sense We walked around with the bulletproof vests and hammers for three years. I ain't no street cat Yeah, a lot of them. But we were different. And you know what? Mistakes happen.

Starting point is 02:05:16 And I'm not going to blame anybody. This is heavy. I'm not going to blame anybody, but my brother wasn't good with guns. And sometimes when you argue, I'm not going to blame anybody, but my brother wasn't good with guns. And sometimes when you argue and you don't know, when you argue with somebody that you think loves you and they really don't, when you argue to fight for what's right, when you argue to do what's right,

Starting point is 02:05:45 when you argue to survive, you're in a bad frame of mind because you're making moves based on desperation and not based on strategic thought process. And if Chris, for whatever reason, raised that gun and there was one in the chamber and he didn't know, or whether that was something that happened that somebody else did it, at the end of the day, Chris should have never been alone.

Starting point is 02:06:08 He should have never been alone. My brother... I want to keep it real with you. My brother left us... I wasn't invited to a wedding because I didn't think that he should have married her. I did a... When Chris married that day,

Starting point is 02:06:19 I had an old school... I went to scores. I had an old school Italian dude there. The day I got married, he gave me a poker chip. He said, marrying somebody is like betting on a horse. Make sure you bet on the right horse and hand me that poker chip.

Starting point is 02:06:36 Can you imagine me not at Chris' lady's wedding? Just think about that. I was there. Yeah, we were there, we all sat there. We were in, we were shooting a Violator compilation video. And not too far from it, it was like an hour up 95, right? I forget the name of the song it was, right?

Starting point is 02:07:00 And Chris told me that he was going to marry her. And I looked at Chris and I said, yo, dogg I don't think that's a good move I told him Me and Chris had a relationship where I could tell him How I felt And I said yo bro I'm telling you I understand how you feel You're having fun, you're enjoying yourself A lot of fun

Starting point is 02:07:18 She's a beautiful woman It's not a good move Why'd you say it's not a good move? Because she's just not, she just, I mean, I think that, Can I say it right to you?

Starting point is 02:07:30 No. I don't think that, I don't think that, I say it. Nah. That bitch was evil, man. Okay. That bitch was evil.

Starting point is 02:07:37 I'm going to say it, Nori. That woman was evil, man. Come on, Nori. Stop. Let's stop beating around the bush. We're going to have a little conversation. Okay, let's tell a story. Let's tell a story.

Starting point is 02:07:44 Let's tell a story. So, we making, we down inanta with jermaine dupree and we're making a record with jermaine dupree for the violated compilation album jermaine dupree's producing a record that night we go to the gold club in atlanta right and she was she was on the trip with us in Atlanta. So we go to the gold club. Chris peels off for a few minutes, comes back. She starts beefing with Chris, right? And then she goes and she grabs one of the stripper girl's hair

Starting point is 02:08:15 and starts fighting one of the stripper girl's, right? Security grabs her. Chris grabs security. I grab security. We're all tumbling down the stairs in the fucking gold club. We up in the VIP area now. It's CeeLo Green, Jermaine Dupri, it was so many different artists there, right?

Starting point is 02:08:35 Busta came, but Busta left, it's crazy. Homegirl has always been the problem. And I'm like, yo, Chris, have fun with her. Just don't make it permanent. Don't build a life with her. That was my opinion. I said it on... Cactus Jack.

Starting point is 02:09:00 Yeah. Not Cactus Jack. I'm sorry. Combat Jack. Combat Jack. I said it on the Combat Jack show, and I'm saying it now. I just didn't think that he should marry her. He did.

Starting point is 02:09:09 I think that I was right about it. I didn't get invited to the wedding because it was very obvious about how I felt, and I couldn't sit there and celebrate my man knowing that he was making a mistake. And he made the mistake, And I ultimately believe that whatever, whoever pulled that trigger, whether it was Chris or whether it was somebody else, she's the culprit. Okay, so basically, you don't think Chris killed herself? No. You can't convince me of that. Do you think Chris killed herself?

Starting point is 02:09:43 I think Chris made a very bad mistake. I don't think he- I need you to answer that one. No, I think it was a mistake. I don't think he meant to kill himself. But I need you to say yes or no. I think he was fighting with her and said, yo, you want me to die, bitch, this is what you pay.

Starting point is 02:09:56 He didn't know there was one in the chamber. So he's saying yes. I think it was a mistake, yeah. I only got this story from a street perspective. I didn't get it firsthand. You know, I wasn't, you know, James was family, obviously, at the time. I was called up there when it happened to deal with everything. Yeah, so by the time it was circulating and it, you know what I'm saying, it hit the homies.

Starting point is 02:10:21 I think I was a matter of fact, I was with, me and Prime was together, rest in peace. I was in trouble. Me and Prime was together. God bless. God bless. Good dude, man. And yeah, you see, I keep him with me. You know what I'm saying? Me and Prime was together when we was 10. He was like, Prime was actually mad. Prime was like, man, I don't believe you, man. I ain't feeling that. We don't do that. know I'm saying so like that's what the initial sentiment was like that's it's just not what we do we don't take ourselves out but you know but those stories then it turned into was it really and what really happened so is I backed up off of it because I'm too close to too many people that's close to him story was they found them

Starting point is 02:11:04 in the river and that it was somebody that you mentioned earlier. That was the first street story. Hold on, Molly, what did you think? I don't, I don't have, I wasn't really around. I was only around when that happened. I was on a plane with Missy heading to Miami to do a Tim Higgins show. The fuck, then you know everything. The fuck, it's me. And I just know. You just said you didn't know what happened.

Starting point is 02:11:31 Missy used to fucking follow you. I remember when, you know, Mona got the call. Jeez. And I was on a plane with Missy and Mona was supposed to come meet us because we were doing, um, Tim was, uh, releasing his liquor. And they were doing a show at the Fountain Blue. I mean, Mona was destroyed. Missy, I mean, all of us. I didn't work closely to Chris,

Starting point is 02:11:53 but I told you we wanted to do Violator of the South at Slip and Slide because of the impact the culture had. I mean, his company had. I mean, just the type of person that he was man he just always accepted responsibility for everybody for his personal family for his brothers for his sisters for his mother for his father for the staff that work with him from me and James and Mona and Akina and Yvette to Lori and everybody Gail everybody that was like he he he always just assumed responsibility for everybody.

Starting point is 02:12:28 And sometimes, and this is a meme that goes around Facebook, sometimes the strong dude needs to be checked on too. And I don't think that we were smart enough to do that because it was Chris, right? Like, you know, like, you know, let me just stop you for one minute. Hakeem, I just want to get your perspective too. I didn't know Chris very well. You know, I knew him.

Starting point is 02:12:53 Always had an open door for me. Chris was just, never took me as the person that would take his life. Very self-secure, strong person who didn't seem to take things too deeply like that. So, but... Well, thank you, brother. You got anything, EFN? No, I'm too on the outside to speak on that. All right, all right.

Starting point is 02:13:15 That's cool. Let's go back to E and then go right back to you. Yeah, no, I mean, that was it for me. I just, you know, he just had a lot of stuff on his shoulders. And then, you know, losing the level of money that he lost. With Madoff? With Madoff. Five million dollars.

Starting point is 02:13:37 Was, you know, that shit was. I'm going to be honest. This is a conversation I never wanted to have. Right. I've never heard about this. This Madoff conversation. The Bernie Madoff thing? Yeah.

Starting point is 02:13:50 I thought this was like some crazy shit that I read in the New York Times. Yeah. Like, I don't know why. Like, because this investments that Chris involved me in. It's like, yo, Michael Olmstead was involved. I was like, oh, Michael Olmstead's involved. I was like, oh, Michael Olmstead's what?

Starting point is 02:14:06 That's Disney? I'm in. I did shit. The other shit y'all just said. I mean, let's let, you know, if we're going to, I don't know if you're going to use this. Let's go through the timeline. Chris was living in the Bronx.

Starting point is 02:14:24 In the townhouse. Living in a townhouse yeah he moves he y'all did like y'all I didn't know it was basically on we didn't nobody was one yeah the violator was doing a deal with primary wave finally crystal always this is no this is after viol. Chris was doing a deal. He said Primary Wave. Primary Wave is a management company based out of London, based out of the UK. And Chris was doing a couple things, and he got some really bad news consecutive days.

Starting point is 02:14:59 And I don't want to speak on details of certain deals that I wasn't involved in, but I know there was bad news. And when the call came in, I was sitting in the barber chair, and I called Buss, and Buss was crying. Y'all know, dog. I knew what it was. And then the streets rumors started,

Starting point is 02:15:20 and then Ebro calls me. Ebro said, you got to get up here right now. We need you. Remember Doja? Doja Cat. Doja from the Hip Hop Police. The dude with the curly hair? So Doja at one time had some medical things that we helped him deal with.

Starting point is 02:15:36 And Chris was involved. So Chris is a great dude. And we need you to deal with this. And then I got up there. And there are a couple of artists now. I won't say names. But it was more like you got to deal with this. We need somebody who could deal with this. And then I got up there, and there were a couple of artists there. I won't say names. But it was more like, you got to deal with this. We need somebody who could deal with this on a different level,

Starting point is 02:15:50 could talk to these dudes. And I was there, and there was a lot of emotion. There was a lot of anger. There was a lot of finger pointing. There was a lot of confusion. But most of all, there was a lot of hurt and pain. Because he meant so much to us. And when we went to the funeral, certain people didn't speak, certain people didn't talk.

Starting point is 02:16:14 Some people didn't talk, and then there were people that spoke at the funeral that had no reason to speak at the funeral. No question. There were certain people that spoke that had nothing to do with this mansion. No question. There was a lot of acting, there was a lot of fainting, there was a lot of bullshit. Yeah, it was crazy.

Starting point is 02:16:36 There was a lot of distraction that was going on. And I'm going to share a very personal story. No question. Because when the funeral was over, and if anybody was there, they know he was in a mausoleum and he was in a wall. And like I remember I told you, we were best friends and we were arch nemesis at the time. And a month and a half before he passed,

Starting point is 02:16:58 he came to my birthday party and Batman and Robin were getting back together. So I was heartbroken that Batman and Robin wasn't getting back together. Because Batman was gone. As much as I wanted to act like I was Batman, I wasn't. He was always Batman. And nobody wanted to walk after it was all over. You know how when it was over, everybody says goodbye to the casket

Starting point is 02:17:17 and walks. And I'm standing there with my wife and my sister Danielle and my wife gives me the nudge. I'm broken up. Now I'm not doing it. She says, you need to do it. So I'm the first one that walks over to the casket. I'll never forget this to the day I pass.

Starting point is 02:17:35 He had a Pittsburgh Steelers sign on his casket because he was the biggest Lynn Swann fan on Earth. And there was a Pittsburgh Steelers sign sitting there. And I said, yo B, it's all over with. I love you man I'm going to miss you and I turned and

Starting point is 02:17:48 your son was there and I said to your son your father's a great man we're going to miss him don't ever forget your father's a great man and I looked in that person's eyes and I saw evil

Starting point is 02:17:59 I saw evil in that woman's eyes so I knew and my wife grabbed me, because she knew I was about to say the wrong thing at that moment, because I couldn't hold it in. You saw evil in a woman's eyes? I saw evil in a woman's eyes. And Lee Marie grabbed me and said, let's go.

Starting point is 02:18:16 So we walked downstairs, and if anybody goes to visit Chris, like I do, I do go visit him. He talks to me. I walked down the stairs, and my wife and my sister made a right and I made a left. And when I made a left, Chris's spirit came to me and smacked the shit out of me like he always did. He had a black suit on and he had a tie.

Starting point is 02:18:38 Skinny ass tie. He said, it's your turn. It's your turn, B. And a black shirt. A white shirt with a black skinny tie. He said, it's your turn. It's your turn, B. Yo, B, don't fuck this up like I did don't fuck this up like I did You the last one left be

Starting point is 02:18:58 You know when he said that I looked Chris like it never cried Chris lady had the best poker face you'll ever see in business and in personal. And his spirit left. And I turned and I walked back to my wife. And I'm a little shaken up. My sister says, who were you talking to? And my wife says, yeah, who was the guy in the black suit? I said, that was Chris.

Starting point is 02:19:29 I'm going to cry now, I'm sorry. Well, we lost. Good man, great man, a great father, a great leader, a great manager. But we lost, just like all the other people in hip hop, we lost. But we lost a key link to what holds us together. His anniversary's coming up. And to say that I'm sitting here with Eric Nix

Starting point is 02:20:02 and sitting here with you, is to say that his spirit's still alive. Been alive. Because without Chris, we wouldn't be where we are. But again, Chris doesn't get the credit, the love that he deserves. Fuck the artist shit. Fuck the executive shit. As a man.

Starting point is 02:20:22 Yeah. As a man. Yeah. Man. Yeah. As a man. Yeah. Man. Yeah. And, you know, in my sobriety, in my sobriety, Chris told me to get clean. If you want to know the truth, why I left Violator was because I got screwed in the Vitamin Water deal.

Starting point is 02:20:41 But I was so messed up mentally Chris told me you get straight there'll be no stopping you I wasn't ready to listen up to the father so now if I could say one thing Chris I'm sorry and I love you you know yeah and I'm sorry to change the tone no. No, fuck that. You're good. That's my brother. We here with you, bro. That's my brother.

Starting point is 02:21:10 We here with you, bro. If it wasn't for him, there'd be no Nori, there'd be no Bust, there'd be no Missy, there'd be no 50, there'd be... You know, and you got to give him credit where credit's due. Because we're not going to let his spirit die or his message die. I'm sorry about that. We want to make some noise for that. Should we make some noise for that? James, we really appreciate it.

Starting point is 02:21:34 Because, you know, that's not what a dream champion... A dream champion has to promise just being real, man. That's just all it is. You know what I'm saying? Hakeem, I feel like you had to say something. No, no. I feel blessed to had to say something no no I'm Feel blessed to be a part of this. Thank you for having me Eric to invite me so down right here James I'm known for forever in a day. Just met the Queen for the first time today. You don't know body. No listen

Starting point is 02:21:57 You want to be a lover Give each other our roses. And I want to keep that spirit of life that Nori talked about. It's important for us to celebrate each other. Acknowledge each other. That's what drink is about. Absolutely what it's about. We give you our roses now. And I'm honored to sit in this table with my brothers.

Starting point is 02:22:18 Even if I'm a generation younger. And learning from you guys. And absorbing you guys. No, because I love it. And absorbing you guys. No, because I love it and absorbing you guys and learning and being honored to hear these stories

Starting point is 02:22:30 and work with the people that I at one point looked up to. And when Nori gave me that call, it was appreciated, brother. You know what? Because you know what? I'll be honest.

Starting point is 02:22:42 I really do love hip hop. And the thing is, I might be that one only punch that loves love and hip hop from the perspective that they don't see. I love that ball and Papoose shit. I love that. You don't understand. Black love, I've been trying to make. That's a beautiful thing. I do envy the fact that I didn't create that shit. I love that. You don't understand. Like, black love, I've been trying. Thank you, Lottie. I don't get the fact that I didn't create that shit. Like, I'm going to be honest.

Starting point is 02:23:10 Like, I don't think Joe Buttons plays himself. I don't think Tahereh plays himself. I think it's a lot of people that just do who they are. And to me, that is kind of dope.

Starting point is 02:23:24 Because it's like listen listen your version of hip hop is whatever it's whatever so if there's a version for you to look at that but then there's another version that look and say why not just don't throw an orange at me man

Starting point is 02:23:40 it was an apple it was an apple in Maris Bootcamp. And I think just to change, go to something else. I'm so sorry. All of us have the next 10, 20, 30 years left in this business.

Starting point is 02:23:54 So what we do, how we impact people, how we carry the next person forward, how we continue diversifying, changing the spectrum, being in those boardrooms, understanding equity, understanding business, and being partners because that's what these past 12 years of being in the business has taught me because I didn't go to school for this shit.

Starting point is 02:24:11 Because that's what James was talking about earlier. Absolutely. James was like, yo, you know sometimes I'm embarrassed when I come in the room. And you was absolutely right. Nothing of what you said was wrong. What? That's my truth. No, no, no.

Starting point is 02:24:22 Hold your thing. Hold your thing. So when you said, yo, when I go in these rooms and they truth. No, no, no. Hold on. Hold on a second. Hold on a second. So when you're saying, yo, I want to go in these rooms and they ask about that, you're right. Like sometimes it's not the thing to talk about. Like when Tahereh and Youngberg is throwing hot dogs at each other, we don't really want

Starting point is 02:24:40 to talk about that in the pool meeting. Like that's not, that's not. Oye, ya lo lo, Steven. We don't want that. Ya lo lo, ya lo lo. The reggaeton is the M.S. America's es un proyecto, es una morena. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs, hosted by yours truly, DJ EFN and NORE. Please make sure to follow us on all our socials.

Starting point is 02:25:20 That's at Drink Champs across all platforms. At TheRealNoriega on IG. At Noriega on Twitter. Mine is at Who's Crazy on IG, at DJ EFN on Twitter. And most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news, and merch by going to drinkchamps.com. 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

Starting point is 02:26:12 app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your gut microbiome and those healthy bacteria can actually have positive effects. Your mental health, your immunity, your risk of cancer, almost any disease under the sun. This week on Dope Labs, Titi and I dive into the world of probiotics, the hype, the science,

Starting point is 02:27:03 and what your gut bacteria are really doing behind the scenes. From drinks and gummies to probiotic pillows. Yes, really, probiotic pillows. We're breaking down what's legit and what's just brilliant marketing. With expert insight from gastroenterologist Dr. Roshi Raj. Listen to Dope Labs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey.

Starting point is 02:27:40 I never let that little girl inside of me die. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. This is an iHeart Podcast.

Your Ad Here

Drink Champs - Episode 230 (Pt. 2) w/ James Cruz, Eric Nicks, Maricarmen Lopez, Shabazz The OG & Hakim Green

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.