Drink Champs - Episode 299 w/ Dres (of Black Sheep) & Chi-Ali

Episode Date: January 28, 2022

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with Dres of Black Sheep and Chi-Ali.Dres of the legendary group Black Sheep gives insight on his journey, origins of Black Sheep and much, much more. Drink Champs alumni Chi-Ali also joins the conversation!Lots of great stories that you don't want to miss!Make some noise!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆Listen and subscribe at http://www.drinkchamps.com Follow Drink Champs:http://www.instagram.com/drinkchampshttp://www.twitter.com/drinkchampshttp://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps DJ EFNhttp://www.crazyhood.comhttp://www.instagram.com/whoscrazyhttp://www.twitter.com/djefnhttp://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions N.O.R.E.http://www.instagram.com/therealnoreagahttp://www.twitter.com/noreaga Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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,

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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.

This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators, shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming.

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Drink Champs, a production of the Black Effect and iHeartRadio. Drink Champs! Drink Champs! Drink Champs! Effect and iHeartRadio. He's a Miami hip-hop pioneer What up, it's DJ EFN Together, they drink it up with some of the biggest players

You know what I mean? In the most professional, unprofessional podcast And your number one source for drunk facts It's Drink Champs motherfucking podcast Where every day is New Year's Eve It's time for Drink Champs Drink up, motherfuckers What it good be, hope it is what it should be it's your boy N.O.R.E.

What up, it's DJ E.F.N. And this is Drake Chance, motherfucking Yappy Hour. Make some noise! Like we always say, man, when we started this show, we knew and we realized that there's other shows for the young people and the new young hot dudes. And we said we wanted to cater to our legends. The people that's been down.

The people that's put in the work. The people that's been loyal to the game. The people that's never turned their back on the game. That inspired us. That inspired us. And not only that, you know what I'm saying? People who stay true to the game. People who is, you know, amongst the culture. And these two brothers right here, right now, is that.

You know what I mean? Is real hip-hop. Real culture. Real men. You know what I'm saying? Not to be confused with you. You know. I don't know. I mean, you know

That's what Deja Bell did You know I fuck with all of that You know what I mean But KC, you don't know What we talking about Talking about Dress Room Black Sheep And T.I. Motherfucker

So what's going on? Your brothers is on tour What are your brothers doing? A couple of spot dates. Really, since the COVID kind of came back on the other side where we can get back outside a little bit. We had a spot date down here in Miami. Everybody's really kind of, we all like one person away from being cousins. Ain't y'all cousins though?

Like one person away. One person away. I, right. You know what I'm saying? Ain't y'all cousins, though? Like, one person away. One person away. I like that. That's what they were about. One person away. But continue. So, you know what I'm saying? So, you know what, Spock,

they, so, um... So, yeah, so we're gonna be down here, and one of the brothers that works here is a very, very good friend of mine for a lot of years, you know what I'm saying? Like, I literally seen him kind of grow up as a person and man and executive now.

Right. You know what i'm saying he was like you know like yo you're gonna be down there like let me reach out to the fellas and i'll see if we could put it together and i was very grateful because i really really like the platform so let me let me get straight into it right one of the most um a group of world groups before wu-tang uh one of the most, you know, famous groups was Native Tongue. A collection. A collection, yeah, a collection, you know. And both of you brothers

was in Native Tongue. How was that to see it transition from, just you tell me just how y'all even got down with Native Tongue, because we know we recently had Red Alert on here, and we recently had Mooney Love on here. Yeah.

But I was picking their brains about the native tongue. I want to hear you guys' perspective. How did you get down with it, and what was it like once you got down with it? I guess I'll go first because I was... Yeah. Well, for me, it was really this really organic, dope experience because I met Long in North Carolina. Well, for me, it was really this really organic, dope experience.

Because I met Long in North Carolina. And, you know, I went to high school in North Carolina. I'm from Story Projects. And I grew up in the Bland Projects as well, where both my parents are from. Oh, wow, wow. Yeah, that's for real. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's royal flush. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's family. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my heart. That's a family. That's for yeah. That's your family. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my heart. That's your family. That's your real family. That's your real family. That's good people. Right.

Just to say, like, you know, so I'm, you know, that's where I'm from. Grew up, everybody knows me as Tiki. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, we all got nicknames coming up. Of course. So everybody knows me as Tiki. You know what I'm saying? So my mom's got remarried.

I went to high school in North Carolina. Right. So, you know, we moved to North Carolina. When I get my senior year in high school, we moved to another little spot. And I mean, Long, we had a mutual friend, this cat named Stan. Stan was from the Bronx. Okay. He was my man. Like he was both from New York and Carolina. Right. So we was really holding it down. And we had a little man by the name of Shorty Duwop. Shorty Duwop was Long. Long was so small, he had to stand on milk crates. but he was the nicest DJ any of us ever seen he was beyond nice you know saying but and and so like that was our little crew you know saying my cousin F was

down there big shout to big F for Boobash um you know saying just to say like so we was running around down there kind of doing the New York thing in Carolina really holding it down and um long story short, Red Alert had a show down there with Sparky D and Real Roxanne. And Red was the host. So we had a little juice at the arena in Raleigh. My man Craze from the Bronx

was one of the promoters. We was able to get long on stage. And he knew Red Alert? They knew Red Alert? Or no, this is just all you're saying? We had a little juice, so we were able to get long on stage. Locally, you had juice. Right, right, right, right, right. But my man is one of the promoters, this is just all you saying? We had a little juice, so we're gonna get Long on stage. Okay, cool, cool. Locally you had juice, so you had to get

Right, right, right, right, right, right. But a man's one of the promoters, you know what I'm saying? So we got Long on stage in front of everybody, the entire arena, and he's so little, everybody's bugging out, but he's dumb nice. So Red approaches him like, yo, you know, like, yo, who are you, you know, like, this, that, and the other. He's like, yo, shorty doo-wop, I'm from Brooklyn,

but I live down here, but I come up every summer. So Red gives him a number, like, yo, when you come up, get up with me. So that summer, Long goes up. Red has him in the studio. You know how Red is. Red grabs him, starts running him around. And Red has him in the studio for the Jungle Brothers' first album, the making of their first album.

You know what I'm saying? So that's when Long gets introduced to the clip. You know what I'm saying? So every summer, he's coming back and forth. Unknownst to me because i don't i don't finish school i'm you know i'm doing a hundred different things bumping my head doing some things right doing some things wrong you know i'll go but just to say you know i'm trying to figure it out so um so you know every summer he's coming back and forth so eventually after i don't bump my head you know enough times where i'm not trying to bump it anymore I'm trying to do something else

I think God blesses me that I'm literally walking down the street in my hand I just got my first apartment in the Bronx I'm from Queens but I get my first apartment

in the Bronx because it's the only place I could afford and you know when you're young you don't even care if you're walking over crackheads it don't even matter

what part of the Bronx Valentine Avenue okay okay it's a fishy tissue alright cool cool I'm listening keep going alright cool cool fishy tissue for real and that All right, cool, cool. I'm listening. I'm listening. Keep going.

You know what I'm saying? All right, cool, cool. Fishy tissue, for real. And that's why a lot of cats think I'm from the Bronx. Right, right. Because, you know what I'm saying? That's where I got my first apartment. Right.

And that's where we kind of blew from. So I'm literally walking down the street in Manhattan, coming from work, going back to the office, and I pass along on the street in Manhattan. All right. And I'm like, wow, wow. You know what I'm saying? Y'all hadn't seen each other in a while? Hadn't seen each other since the room Manhattan and I'm like wow wow like you know saying like y'all hadn't seen each other hadn't seen each other since the room in North Carolina you know

saying so I'm like yo what you doing up here he's like you know like yo I'm trying to do this music thing I'm like where like yo you know like where you at he's like I'm in Brooklyn I'm staying with my aunt her man and their kid in a studio but you was already writing rhymes you was already making music or no I was writing rhymes but like like it was more like a studio. But you was already writing rhymes. You was already making music or no? I was writing rhymes, but it was more... Like a hobby? Catch and wreck. You know what I'm saying? Like on the block hustling, you changing the lyrics.

But I had it in me because I was doing it all these years down south. Every day when I was down south, just because there was nothing else to do. My man had equipment, had mics, and his mom was cool. We could smoke, we'd drink our little 40s.

So every day, we just, I could cut, you know what I'm saying? Every day, that's what we did. Right. You know what I'm saying? But I didn't realize it would be the training ground for later, you know what I'm saying? So I bump it along. He don't really have a stable situation.

I just got an apartment. Okay. I'm like, yo, you my little man. I'm like, yo, give me one week to live in it. You can come crash with me until you get on your feet. So the next week he comes stay with me. He got records. He got turntables.

I'm like, oh, shit, you still doing this shit? Like, yo, I'm bugging out. Like, yo, that's what's up. You know what I'm saying? So he comes in, and I don't really feel like it's for me to start taking him where I just came from. So I start kind of piggybackbacking what you got going on. You know what I'm saying? So he starts

introducing me to the cats, taking me to the Clive P. I saw me in De La Jungle, Tribe. Tribe when they're working on their first album.

Okay, but hold on. All right, there you go. You just answered my question before. I was about to say, where was Tribe at? You just said it. Tribe ain't even

have a record out yet. Right, right. It's just been probably featured on the Jungle Brothers album. That's the only thing. The promo. Before the first album. Tribe ain't even have a record out yet. Right, right. You know what I'm saying? It's just been probably featured on the Jungle Brothers. That's the only thing. The promo.

Right, the promo. Right. That's really them getting their first look. Uh-huh. And so, you know, it's kind of cool because it's like

at a time when like I already know who cats are other than Tribe. Like I done hustled. I remember hustling on Prince of Roosevelt and Flushing and the box is on the corner and I remember hustled. I remember hustling on Prince of Roosevelt in Flushing.

And the box is on the corner. And I remember potholes in my lawn coming on. Wow. And just how I felt to hear it. You know what I'm saying? So now I'm in a room with these cats. And I'm, like, looking at them, like, oh, you know, like, I don't even think they realize how powerful they are. At least in my eyes.

You know what I'm saying? Like, they really stand for something. And the coming together of the natives is really powerful. You know what I'm saying? Like, they really stand for something, and the coming together of the natives is really powerful, you know what I'm saying? Like, but at the same time, it's like, I'm a project kid from Queens, though you might not see it when you look at me, but

like, I'm literally just coming from Rikers and coming from a halfway house. You know what I'm saying? I did 10 months on Rikers because I jumped bail on a direct sale, and then get caught up, get extradited from North Carolina, Wow. I did 10 months on Rikers because I jumped bail on a direct sale. Oh, wow. And then get caught up, get extradited from North Carolina, don't get no bail, have to do the whole case from Rikers, and then get probated to a halfway house. From there, I get in school, I get a job, and that's when I bump into Long, I get department.

I start doing the rate, that's when I bump into Long. So, even bumping into Long, like, you know, like, I'm like, oh, you still doing this shit?

He's pulling out records, and like, and this power might be four records, this power might be six records, this power might be five records. He ain't got no equipment. He's got turntables and records. And I'm like,

you know, what's these powers for? And he put, you know, put one beat on, he's like, yo, I hear this beat,

play a beat. I hear this bass line, play bass line. said I hate his horns but it's all in his head we got no quick samples out that was making the beat without in his head that was counting sheet yeah I was on the album like that's how how how this is great me so this is just regular records? Regular records Like he kind of Like he kind of felt like And which was real Like you know

Like he's in the room With the natives for a few years He kind of felt like It was for us to Not necessarily hone on break beats But to discover new break beats Right So that's what a lot of our project was

A lot of our project was So when did y'all record that record? How did y'all How did he remember that? He wrote it down or something like? Like because you said he was making the record like playing different records And that's how I recall so how do you remember like because you know I? Right now if I play a record I could stop a record and say two minutes and ten seconds This is the part I like right back then we didn't have iPhones. Yeah, but he probably remembered. It wasn't that many records to start with, but he probably knew.

It stood out to him. Like, number one, yeah, the loop's going to stand out to him because he's already got something else that he thinks goes with it. So he's going to kind of remember it. But number two, Long don't drink, smoke, none of the above. He has a ability.

Impeccable memory. He don't have any. Understandable. Understandable. Whatever, he got straighter bills. We ain't got no more. So that led up to you actually getting down

with Native Tongue? Yeah. You know, so, you know, like, it's kind of cool because it's like, you know, like I said, like, I'm kind of like this hustling kid that's not talking about hustling.

Right. You know what I'm saying? And so I think that's rubbing them the right way. I don't need nothing from nobody. I'm kind of self-sufficient. Whatever. So we really friends. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like need nothing from nobody. I'm kind of self-sufficient, what have you. So we're really friends.

You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, you know, I should be, you know, like, what's the angle? What's no angle? You're cool. This is my man.

You know what I'm saying? If anything, I'm a little protective of him. You know what I'm saying? So we all start getting cool and, you know, I'm peeping Long's ability in the room.

Long actually did the cuts on Buddy. You know what I'm saying? Like, little known fact, Long contributed beats to Tip's first album. Like, you I'm saying? Like, little known fact, Long contributed beats to Tip's first album. Like, you know, he was there with them, walking it. And so when he's introducing

me, they're looking at me like I'm an extension of Long. Which was Love. You know what I'm saying? Which was Love. You know what I'm saying? Which... Because the group hadn't been officially formed between then. Yeah, right, right, right. They had never heard me rhyme anything. You know what I'm saying? We've just been hanging out for a few months though now. few months though now you know saying so they don't hurt me freestyle a little bit here to there But you know nothing official

My first record was de la soul is dead jumping on fanatic of the B word that they put me on a joint that was The first joint that people heard me on so what happens is this like I'm really peeping the temperature like they were long like you know like We need to pick make a demo. You know what I'm saying? We really in the room with some of the dopest cats in hip hop. If we can impress them, especially Red. Red is pop and pop.

That was your goal to make a demo? It wasn't to make a real full-fledged record? It was just a demo? A demo. That's all, I keep going. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because you know. Because you wanted them to champion you guys.

Right, right. We wanted to be in the room with them. You know what I'm saying? We didn't want to just put a record out and they hear it. We wanted it to be an extension. And that's how it felt, too, because literally every day that's who I hung out with. It got to the point where I didn't even go to the hood. I'm hanging out in the village with them, watching Squid Park.

Later for what's in the backpack, I got the backpack. I'm making moves. It's all real. You know what I'm hanging out, you know what I'm saying, in the village with them, watching Square Park, this, that, and the other. Later, for what's in the backpack, I got the backpack, you know what I'm saying? I'm making moves. It's all real. You know what I'm saying? Right, right, right. So eventually, this is my word, back then, a studio session cost paper. You know what I'm saying?

You're going to spend easily, a studio session, you're easily going to spend $500 to $700. Right. Easily. That was a filter for people who wasn't really into it to not get into it. Right. Real talk. Real talk. They definitely were buffers. You know what I'm saying? Because now you got a computer.

Anybody can be an artist. You really wanted somebody to get there. You really had to want it. You know what I'm saying? And like I said, you spend $500 to $700 to do a song, maybe two. You know what I'm saying? So if you're trying to do three to five songs, you spend a couple to seven hundred to do a song, maybe two. You know what I'm saying? So if you're trying to do three to five songs, you spend a couple of Gs. So me and Long, I'm like, yo, we need to do a demo, Long.

You know, like, we got Red, we got the Natives, this and the other. Because Red is also an asset within himself. You know what I'm saying? So we know, I'm like, yo, Long, like, we just as nice. Like, you just as talented as these kids. Like, I think I'm just, yo, Long, we just as nice. You just as talented as these kids. I think I'm just as nice. I think, you know what I'm saying? We've been writing rhymes just as long.

I literally sell porn, all my jewelry. Take them along to the porn shop. Porn all my jewelry right in the porn shop. Give them half the paper. I'm like, yo, let's go book some sessions. We partners now. You know what I'm saying? Because I kind of got to justify, like, he bought me in a room. You know what I'm saying Because I kind of got to justify Like he brought me in the room

Right You know what I'm saying Like you know like If this works out You know you just changed my life Right You know what I'm saying And I felt real loyal to him

For a lot of years behind that You know what I'm saying Maybe even Overly so sometimes But just to say So So we go and we do this demo We do it on 23rd street

Those is A studio in The Astor Hotel. Okay, wow. They had a studio in there. Okay. We do a demo in there, like three or five songs. We hit the natives with it. We hit Red with it.

Everybody's digging it. You know what I'm saying? They put us, well, Red sets up a bunch of meetings with us with Funkin' Clown, God bless the dead. Wasn't y'all on Jive at one point or no? No, no, nah. That was Tribe. Okay, okay. So Red sets up

a bunch of calls. We wanted to get on Def Jam, but Leo was kind of a character that I was like, yo, I can't fuck with you. He's always a character. Yo, this one works. That dude is wild.

Hopefully, I've heard he's grown a blue. I know I've grown a blue. But just to say, so we didn't do the Def Jam thing. We wound up going with Polygram, Mercury.

Okay. And, you know, so once we get the deal, well, as we're about to start shopping the deal, Red puts us with a great man by the name of Chris Lighty. And so Chris winds up being our first manager. And we wind up being the first deal that gets a deal withris in an executive position now is this chris rush management or this is chris violator this is chris this is before chris

violator this is chris this baby yeah this is baby sounds okay wow this baby this is the very first of everything okay cool before everything got rolling this is the very first thing wow yep because something happened i was real dope, you know what I'm saying? And I hope, you know what I'm saying, it speaks to, I think, how we start looking at each other. Like, you know, like, when Chris started just his company, like I said, he's managing us. He's our first manager. He comes to me, he's like, yo, you know, like, you know, all right, the deal is done. We done negotiated.

Everything's done. He's like, they're ready to write y'all a check. You know, like, like it's not, it's not going with, it's not a middleman situation. It's not like going through Chris, it's, you know, like it's our deal directly. Right. So, but he comes to me and he's straight up and he's like, you know, like, look, you know, like this is the first thing my company's ever done. He's like, yo, would it be I, if they wrote the check to my company and my company wrote the check to y'all? So it showed the work. Right, exactly. So, you know, like, yeah, yeah, you know,

it shows that exactly he's established company, LLC is working, what have you. And I'm like, you know, like, I wouldn't have it any other way, man. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, we came this far, like, you know, like, but, you know, I look at it sometimes and a lot of cats just don't have that simple

together you know like like like like it's called loyalty yeah yeah exactly and transparency yeah yeah

right right right you know what I'm saying loyalty and transparency I mean that's how it happens to this day to this day right now like um most of the time

the checks go to the lawyer then the lawyer um you know sends it out alright yeah but you better believe the lawyer's gonna take his piece off the top

for it, you know? For sure. You know what I'm saying? I'm sure Chris did, too. Let's be clear. Oh, I'm saying his situation didn't happen. But it didn't have to be like that. It could have been me cutting the check to him. You know what I'm saying? But us being brothers was

me believing in him just as much as he believed in me. And what happened eventually was, like, you know, like, I really wound up looking at Rush as something that could be detrimental just because of the interactions that we had. So when Chris went to Rush, I had to be straight up with him. Like, yo, Chris, I love you, man, but I don't want to go over there. You know what I'm saying? Like, this is my word Like

My interaction with Lior To me was downright disrespectful But I think I'm not cutting you off But Lior didn't have anything to do with Rush Did he? I thought it was just He's a part of that whole thing Yeah

But I thought That's what I took the meeting with What'd you say? That's what I took the meeting with When you was going to Rush When we was going to Rush The label I took the meeting with. What'd you say? That's what I took the meeting with when we was going to... When you was going to Rush. When we was going to Rush, the label, I took the meeting with Leo. When Chris was going to do his management thing, he was working with Leo. This is early, early.

This is like, what, late 80s? Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is 90, 90. Oh, it's 90 already? Yeah. Yeah. Like, yeah, like 90, 91. You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, like Leo's all over the block. You know what I'm saying? And this is my word. what I'm saying? Yeah, like Leo's all over the block. You know what I'm saying? And this is my word, like, and I'm not trying to... I'm sorry if I cut you off because I thought that's how they was always cornering the market,

meaning they were... One of them was Def Jam and then one of them was the management. So this is where they could... They started 360 before they knew they was doing 360

because just think about it. If I'm signed to Chi and then Chi is my manager, that's technically illegal. But I'm signed to Chi, and then Chi is my manager, that's technically illegal. But I got signed to Chi, and then signed to Chi as... I got signed to you as the label, and then signed to you as management.

As long as y'all names in on the company, that's perfectly fine. Y'all can hang out every day, be best friends. That's not illegal. But if y'all names are on the same company, that's how I can get out the contract. So I always thought that. So you just schooled me to do some shit.

All right, go ahead. Get to you. And that says a lot. This is how I'm looking at it. There's too much power in that structure for somebody that I don't even really feel like that. I didn't feel comfortable giving that kind of power. But I love Chris. But they got Chris in, you know, like they're mentoring Chris.

So Chris was not a partner. Chris was coming in as a little homie. He's just coming in and, you know, like, and they're grooming him. Okay. You know what I'm saying? So he's a little homie. It's okay to say that. Right, at this point.

At this point. Right, you know what I'm saying? So what Chris does, he respects it, you know what I'm saying? And he's like, yo, you know, I'm going to put you with somebody that I trust and I think you can trust. He calls Shaquem Latifah. Before Flavor Unit. This is the beginning of Flavor Unit. Okay, all right, cool.

This is the beginning of Flavor Unit. And so we had the deal. Flavor of the Month was out already. And Flavor Unit became our management. Oh, it makes sense. Right, right, right. It makes sense, okay. And Chris went to Rush. Wow. You know, right, right. It makes sense. Okay. And Chris went to Russia.

Wow. And that's where we parted. But I was in his office the week before he passed. You know what I'm saying? So that stayed my brother. Right. You know what I'm saying? God bless him.

Yeah, God bless. Sincerely, just a good man, a good brother, man. I definitely missed. You know what I'm saying? Definitely missed. I wanted to switch to Chi real quick, but before we do that, I'll be remiss if I don't ask you this.

Do you think Chris killed himself? It doesn't seem like the brother I knew, but one thing happened when I went to go see Chris. We had a conversation that we had never had before where he was talking about inside the house. You know what I'm saying? Like, me and Chris have known each other a lot of years and seen each other through a lot of situations,

but we generally didn't have the in the house about what's going on in the house. Yeah, I know what you're saying. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, so that kind of struck me. Like, I'll never forget that. You know what I'm saying? And I do know for me to have a conversation like that with him, he was... Not in the right space?

Not to say in the right space, because I don't know what the right space not to say in the right space because I don't know what the right space is you know what I'm saying but but he was in a space that I didn't really know him

for being in you know what I'm saying like like like you know like he was he was sharing a few things that you know like like like

like that he just never shared before and I've been around him for a lot of years and I'm sure you know there's ups and downs you know in all of our lives you know what I'm saying and you know to the degree that he just never shared before. And I've been around him for a lot of years. And I'm sure, you know, there's ups and downs, you know, in all of our lives. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, to the degree that he shared a couple of things that I, you know, like it really kind of stuck with me.

You know, so, you know, so when everything happened, I've never known what to think, but it didn't seem like the type of characteristics that I knew him to have. You know, like Chris was a fighter. You know what I'm saying? Like even, yeah, you know, I was with Chris when he got cut. Was you with us that night? You know, when Chris got cut, you know what I'm saying? You know, like we twir, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like... That's the whole house, man. You know, like, we'd swore, what was the club? Latin Core, U.S. Square.

No, no, it was... What was it? It was right by U.S. Square. Like, yeah, I mean, you know, like, Chris was a fighter. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, and we were all New Yorkers. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's something about being a New Yorker.

Like, you know, like, all the odds can be against you. And you still come outside every day. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right, exactly. Like, you know, like, we just don't quit, you know what I'm saying? So it hurt, it hurt me that there's so much doubt around me. That's what hurts me.

Yeah. That's what hurts me is that I, like, I definitively was like, nope, he didn't do that. This is a setup. And then I started to hang with certain people. And certain people were revealing things. And mind you, I'm young, young. So I don't think he ever revealed certain shit to me.

He always acted like he was this strong guy, even at times when I knew he was vulnerable. So I say that before I say that. I want to ask you the same question. Do you think, because you had the same relationship with Chris pretty much, right? Do you think he killed his son? I mean, of course the immediate answer is to say nah, because Chris, I know,

would never take his own life. But at the same time, I was gone. I was away for 12 years. And, you know, I got released. Chris passed away while you was... I got released, like, on a Tuesday. And Chris passed, like, a Thursday.

Like, a day or two after I got released. You didn't even get to see him. And the crazy shit, Drez had hit me, like, yo, Chris want to see you. Word. Like, the day I came home, he was like, yo, Chris, want to see you?

And I was like, all right, you know, maybe you got some bread or something. And he was still trying to help, you know what I'm saying? Like Chris, you know, this is my word. Chris, I was releasing an independent project. You know what I'm saying? Like I've been releasing independent projects over the years, you know, just on my own little label and kind of just, you know, staying, you know, with my feet, with my feet in the culture to how I feel. So I was releasing this project called

From the Black Pool of Genius, and I stopped by Chris's office and let him hear it and talk to him about possibilities of how to push it forward. Chris jumped on the phone, made about three phone calls on behalf of it, right there. He wasn't officially managing you anymore? No, Chris hadn't managed me

since he handed me to Chuck Kim. And he still was looking out for you. That was my brother. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was my dude. Like, you know, like, that was my... That's right, because you went to Flavor Unit, so...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, but that was my... I could call Chris about anything. Like, you know, and like I said, we didn't really reach out to each other like that, but it was always there, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I could literally just jump in his car and, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I could literally just jump in his car

and, you know, like, yo, where you going? Well, you know, drop me off here. Like, it was like my brother. We were like brothers. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, we negotiated

his first deal, my first deal. You know what I'm saying? So we knew each other before that. You know what I'm saying? Like, it wasn't something that was,

he didn't look at me and see Dress Up Black Sheep. I didn't look at him and see Baby Chris when we was rocking. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, we was already rocking. And Red really was like, oh, and really, he's the one that put me and She together.

Wow. Word. Really? I used to, like, when they had sessions, I guess Chris would have Dress and Long, and Long, like, probably writing for me with I guess Chris would have Dreds along there, like, probably writing for me, because the Beat Notes was producing my first album.

Because I was probably, like, 13. Shout-out to the Beat Notes. Yeah, big shout-out to Juju. Shout-out to the Beat Notes. I think, like, I feel like, yo, like, Chris just, like, left me there. Like, y'all niggas, I'll be back. Like, him, Dred Messages, he was just, like, babysitting. Wake around, like,'ll be back. Like, him, Greg Messinger, he was just, like, babysitting.

Like, yeah, like, and... But to his credit, he wasn't an average kid. Of course not. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, this kid had more sneakers than Tyson, you know what I'm saying? And an alphanumeric beeper when Katz, you know what I'm saying, was trying to send hello to their girls. You know what I'm saying?

Seven, whatever the hell. You know what I'm saying? Seven, whatever the hell. You know what I'm saying? Like, she was way ahead of grown men on a certain level. I don't even think he realized how fly he was to a degree. You know what I'm saying?

Like, she was a fly cat. Fly, you know, young dude. So even in him getting dropped off, it was like, all right. You know, like, I don't mind off, it was like, all right. You know, like, I don't mind. You know, like, he's not going to bother me. You know what I'm saying?

I used to get me in spots, too. You know, Red. Dres and Red Alert. They used to get me in everywhere. And it wasn't that I was young. I was little. I was wild little. So, you know, they used to make it happen.

Red is the uncle that's in everybody's family, that, you know, like, he's the one that gives you your first beer. He's there, man. We had him here and he just had him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, like, Red, you ever smoke? You ever smoke? I guess me and Drez kind of clicked more because, I guess because the familiarity and how we look.

Everybody was like, damn, y'all brothers, y'all brothers. Yeah, he definitely looked like brothers. And we just started running around. And that's my word. When y'all was doing y'all album, I remember I used to be in the car with Chris, like, yo, you're giving, from the present, them all a good beat.

And he'd be like, you gon' be aight. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Word to mother, yeah. Yo, and I remember, here's my word, back in those days, too, like, you know, because you was still around Mice then. I remember Mice feet could barely touch the floor in the backseat of my car. Oh, shit.

Like, y'all been running them since then. Like, you know, like, those was— You want Mice on? Yeah. Get out of here. That's my word. Like, those was, you know, like, this is my word. Him and Mice was, you know, was around me.

And I used to love to see them because they were like just official young cats you know what I'm saying like just really official cats I mean you know what I'm saying like I I love seeing them later on I felt a little guilty because I felt like maybe you know like you know you wouldn't know it just to look at me but maybe I felt like you know maybe on the undercurrent there's things that people don't know about me. Maybe I was doing a little too much around you. You know what I'm saying? So, I feel... And y'all both had good hair. Beautiful.

This is true. He said beautiful. So that means y'all were smashing a lot. There's a lot of finger popping a lot. I mean, you know. It was going down. Let's make some noise for the hip hop. When we lived, Drez had an apartment in the Bronx on Theriot. And it was crazy. It was like a two-family house.

I believe Showbiz lived downstairs. Show lived downstairs. I had to upstairs. Drez had to upstairs. So I think I was in VA, and I was, you know, bugging out, you know, getting bullshit, getting into bullshit. Drez was like, yo, come on. So he brought me.

His son from North Carolina wasn't there. You know, he came for the summers. So he had the car bed, the racing car bed, yo. And it's funny that you say the finger popping. Like, so much shit went down on the racing car bed. That shit was amazing. Like, that was an L bed. The racing car bed got it.

He'd be bringing all cars. You know, like, she was, you know, like, his testosterone level was out the, you know, beyond normal. And he be, yo, man, this dude. I thought I was nice with it. Right. But, yeah, yeah, she's exceptional. So let me ask you the same. Okay.

You saying something? My bad. No, go ahead. But let me ask you the same question earlier. Like, so how did you get down with Native Tongue? Because it's like all of y'all had your own careers, but then this was like y'all family, outside of y'all family, so how did it even start?

For me, I got down, I'm from Co-op City in the Bronx, so I guess, you know, just hanging out outside, I was around 11, 12, you know, after school, on weekends. Allison and Kika, the Safari Sisters, they used to dance for Latifah. It was like one summer, they had their own apartment. And they all knew my older brothers, you know, from high school, from Truman and all that.

So I was like, I was Lil' G, Ray's little brother. You know, Ray and Troy's little brother. So it was one summer, La used to always, that summer she used to be there. And everybody, like Nori, everybody used to be there. Like from Special Ed. And when you say La, you're talking about Latifah, right? Because our fans are kind of bozos. Latifah used to be there Like from Special Ed When you say a lot You talking about Latifah Right Because you know Our fans are kind of bozos

Latifah used to be there Queen Latifah You know She was staying with her dancers And it was just like That was like the party house Like And you gotta remember

This is like the late 80s So Latifah's Latifah MC Lyte's there Everybody Special Ed EPMD Jungle Brothers You know what I'm saying

For niggas in co-op We was like Yo This shit is lit over here You know what I mean And I was niggas in co-op, we was like, yo, this shit is lit over here. You know what I mean? And I was just Lil' Chi and I used to, I guess I just knew

Allison and Kika. How little were you? How old were you? I was little. I was probably like 12, like 11, 12 years old. You know what I'm saying? I used to be,

the little niggas, the older niggas used to have me holding their cracks. Like, just, you there. You know what I'm saying?

That started coming through and this before, I had a record out. You know what I'm saying Like they Allison and Kika's house It was like the It was like the hip hop hangout

So I used to just be hanging out If they needed something From the store You know if they going To smoke weed They be like Cheat go in the room

You know what I mean That type of thing But And so Chris was always there And being that There was so many chicks Chris or Sha Kim Was like the only dudes

That was always there So I always was cool with Chris and Sha. And I guess because Chris was from the Bronx, we just clicked more. And then I had asked Locke, they had a big show at the Apollo. I asked her, could I come? Because she gave me tickets.

And she was like, why don't you just come with us? And I was like, cool. So when we get to the Apollo, I went with Chris and the Jungle Brothers because you know they was girls. They had to change and shit. You know what I mean? So I went with the fellas. Jungle Brothers, because you know they was girls, they had to change and shit, you know what I mean? So I went with the fellas.

And then I think Africa missed the flight from London, so Sammy B and Mike G was trying to figure out how was they going to do the show, and I just was like, let me rhyme. And they was like, what? I didn't even know where the shit came from. You know what I'm saying? Because you had never rhymed in front of anybody yet.

I had never wrote a rap. Like, I think I had, my pop sent me to, like, African man classes in Queens. Like, I think it was on Jamaica Ave or Hillside Ave back in the day, and they used to make us

write poetry. So I had, like, three or four poems, but, you know, to me, I guess poetry wasn't cool, so to me, they was my little rap, so that's how I composed it.

So Chris was like, what you gonna say? So I said the rhyme, and Chris was like, word? Him and Mike G, Mike G was like, you not gonna be scared? I was like, nah. It was like, aight. Mike G called me out, and that was my first time performing, I rocked the Apollo thing. Oh, this is the Apollo, you skipped over that part.

Apollo, come on. He skipped a lot of steps during that. Your first performance ever was at the Vala. He said, that's it. So, no, I'm still on. And the crowd was just like, go, shorty. Like, the shit was crazy. It was at a comedy club, and no one cared.

It was an experience. I mean, like, I swear to God, like, I never thought about rapping. I never. It just, it was meant to be, I guess. And when I got off the stage, the Jungle Brothers was still performing and Chris was like, yo, I just started a label. I'm gonna sign you, yo. You're gonna be the first person I sign.

But let me ask you, so when you hit that stage, what was it, was it the adrenaline or was it the people's reaction? Was it just the performance or was it? I remember, like I was nervous as fuck. Okay, that's adrenaline, that's what I'm trying to say. So the adrenaline definitely was flowing, but I don't know. There's probably that youthful confidence.

Yeah, I just went for mine. Like, I can't tell you what it was. I just was like, fuck it. That's what it be, though. When Mike G called me, I just was like, yo, I went for mine. But the crowd had to react. The crowd had to react. Go, shorty.

You know what I'm saying? And that's what really, you know what I'm saying, made it pop. Because the crowd, like, really took to me And that's what really, you know what I'm saying, made it pop. Because the crowd really took to me. Let me ask you, Norio. So your first show was in a comedy club. Nobody gave a fuck, right? Mm-mm. And I was dating two girls at the time.

I didn't think either one of them would come. And they both came. And I was like, oh, shit. I didn't think I was that. I was licking the hood. But that's nowhere else. Nowhere else. No one else giving a fuck about me.

So was it discouraging to you? No, it was and it wasn't. It was discouraging because it was only people from my hood who kind of knew me and knew my words, but everyone who wasn't from the hood just was looking at us like we was bozos and looking at us like, who the fuck are they?

And they had not heard this new Queen sound at the time. You know what I'm saying? Y'all can't listen to. So we was actually advanced. So did it discourage me? A lot. Did I act like it would discourage me? No.

But it did discourage me. When you going like this and the motherfucker ain't moving, that fucks you up. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You like, wait a minute. I seen the act that came on before me. And it's always, look at you like this. It's always a hardcore dude.

Word. And it's just standing there. Because he made it. You in his slot. Yeah. I just used to be like, what is going on? It's always that one nigga, though.

But now it's all artists. There's no fans. Now there's really no fans. I know they got only fans. They should make an app. No fans. Yeah, right, right, right. Because there's no fans now.

Everyone is an artist. Everyone's a star. That's what we were talking about the filters. Like, there's no filter for it. I wish that, you know, like when they post new music, I wish they didn't have likes. Likes. Like, you know, so that way, you know what I'm saying,

you're not liking something because it's got a million views. Right. I wish it didn't have views. Right. You know what I'm saying? So that way, you know, like, you keep the stats, but just don have views. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, so that way, you know, like, you keep the stats,

but just don't make them public. You know what I'm saying? Because there's so many casts that just like things because it's got a billion views. You know what I'm saying? You're absolutely right.

Because, like, Netflix don't give out their numbers, but what Netflix do do is they'll put one, two, three,

four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. So you're drawn to that.

Even though they ain't putting numbers, you're like, if this shit is number one on Netflix, let me check it out. Yeah, so you're right. Same in theory. You know what I'm saying? If something's got a billion views, a billion people don't see this? I ain't seen this?

You know what I'm saying? You're automatically drawn to it and everybody that sees it is. But if there's no views, if there's no likes, then when I hear something, I like it because I like it. Right. You know what I'm saying? I like it because it resonates. I like it because it speaks to me.

Right. You know what I'm saying? It's not that it's popular. It's not that, you know, this is the end thing and this is the next. This is the prototype. This is the blueprint. Nah. It's organic.

Right. You know what I'm saying? And that's where our music comes from. I miss that aspect of our music because all of the records that exist today, they existed back then. You know what I'm saying? All of the ridiculous, whatever, over the top,

all of that, you know, wearing, whatever the hell. It just didn't rise. No, the difference is that it was juxtaposed next to equality. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Like, there was, you got, it wasn't french fries every day. You know what I'm saying?

You had a choice. French fries, steak, potatoes. You could be a vegan. You could be, you know, you could be a meat lover's plat. It didn't matter. But you got a chance to make your own plate. Nowadays, it's all french fries. It's just all french fries.

It's a little bit of a twist. Some is chili french fries. Some got cayenne pepper on them. Some got pieces of shit in it. But it's all fries. But I take it further. I take away the views, too, because you can manipulate

that. Yeah. You know, because before, it was word of mouth. It was people telling you this is dope, and then you listened to it, and it was dope. It was dope, and you pass it on to your friend, to your homie. You copied the tape. Now an algorithm can dictate that, and that can be manipulated. And also, I give the power back to DJs. I hate that music right now is, what's the word, when it's played everywhere, syndicated.

It's programmed. Syndicated. The syndication fucks up hip-hop. It takes away our creativity. It takes the power out of DJ's hands. A DJ in Baltimore ought to be able to introduce the people of Baltimore to what's popping in Baltimore.

It should be local sounds. Yeah, yeah, yeah. People in Virginia need to know, yo, this is, you know, what's going on here. Absolutely. This is the new cat from our hood. Right.

And each place gets a chance to champion what's coming to the surface. Right. But right now, everybody's playing the same record so much to the degree that cats don't even feel like they're

a new york cat don't sound like a new york cat he sounds like a syndicated cat right it ain't even about it ain't even about where it ain't even about north southeast what he sounds syndicated i think a lot of that is everybody tory lane's folks everybody said the other day he was saying how the music today doesn't last. And I think that's why. He said some, yeah, well, he said it was dope. I think that's what Dredge just said. I think that's why the music doesn't last. We live in a disposable time.

We live in the McDonald's world. The hamburgers are the same everywhere. And McDonald's fries ain't good, Cole. We also got some real hip-hop shit here, too. Right, right, right. You know what I'm saying? And I want to bring my man Molecuse from the Legion. Absolutely. Right, right, right. You know what I'm saying? And I want to bring my man, Moly Q's from the Legion.

Absolutely. Drez is popping. He had his label, One Love, through Mercury, through Polygram. And the Legion was the first group. They were friends of mine who I introduced to Drez. And Q's was with me from the beginning. Q's actually was... We used to be walking the shows from Valentine's.

Q's was on the road. Q's was where you at, bro. Q's was actually a roadie. I got you, bro! I understand him 100%. I know he was like, I just got a game plan. I know you can't put an order on me. You defense, this is offense right here. You know what I'm saying? So I got to stay on point.

You know what I mean? I got you. I got you, buddy. I got you. Let me just finish up a couple of more. Then we'll bring them in. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Where the fuck was I before that? T trying to take over my shoulders now. We gotta get into the Black Sheep's first album. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Where the fuck was I before that? T trying to take over my shoulders now. Okay? We gotta get into the Black Sheep's first album and the choice is yours.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Like, I feel like, would you say that that's where- First off, you drinking? Let's do it. Yeah, someone drink, we taking shots? Let me, I want some Syrah. We gotta take shots for this record. I'll take Syrah.

I like you keeping it black on, baby. Keep it black on, baby. Keep it black on. I'm a fucking joint, you want a shot or you want a drink? I want a shot. All right, let's do a shot, huh? It kind of hurt me to say that you say syndicated is her hip hop, because I feel like your record was one of like...

No, but that's a one record. You're talking about sound overall and people... Okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. But... I say, like, just real quickly before I go there. The syndication I'm talking about is the same playlist That right that every radio station is playing It's the cookie cutter shit. I just had a popular record right saying that that radio station is chosen play

You know saying but the syndication is Everyone that falls under the umbrella of what's their heart radio? I heart rate is the same they all they all get the same list. What kind of show off you want? Coconut. Coconut? Okay, go ahead. You're saying like all of these DJs, all of the power stations,

they all get the same list. All of the whatever stations, they all get the same list. That's what I'm talking about. Like they taking the power out of DJ's hands. And what more, these playlists, like I really believe there's an agenda, you know what I'm saying,

because the playlists Aren't healthy Like why aren't Our playlists healthy And when you say playlists You talking about Spotify playlists Yeah Like period

Like the things That have the largest platform Right Every radio station That has that Every power radio station Right Like what are we

Feeding these kids You know what I'm saying Because at the end of the day Like the prison system is really big business. Yeah. And whose kids are they going to put into prison? What do these kids listen to? Well, we don't want them to listen to things that are going to put them on the path that a Chuck D might put them on.

Right, how do we go back from that? Or KRS might put them on, or even a native tongue might put them on. You know what I'm saying? Like, how can we, you know what I'm saying, basically keep the agenda as is? Well, basically, we can make sure all the radio stations are playing this sheet of paper. You know what I'm saying? And what's on that sheet of paper ain't healthy. See, I agree and disagree.

I feel like... Let me just say one thing. Listen, our show is about bigging up our legends while they alive. We want to let you know this is about y'all. We're bringing in a homie after we do Quick Time with Slam. And I want to say y'all legends. And we appreciate y'all. Salud.

Salud, goddamn it. That's a butt trick. That's a butt trick. That's a butt grind. That's hard. I don't see nobody sitting with that. That's hard. I'm a marijuana. Yeah, but I think what that's hard. I've never seen nobody sing with that. That's hard. I'm a marijuana.

Yeah, but I think what Drez is really saying is, like, back in the days, if we went to Clue or Red with a record, he would play it if he liked it, or if he didn't like it, maybe he wouldn't. Yeah, I agree. But it's like, you go to a DJ now, and it's like, well, yo, it's, you know,

it's program directors, and it's like, yo, what the fuck? You, this one, you know, you're supposed to be the biggest nigga In this state Like how the fuck You can't play A record you like Yeah

And And it's a record Lost their powers Right You know what I'm saying They didn't lose their powers The DJ at radio Lost their powers

There's still DJs There's still DJs The DJs are Glorified But you gotta understand There's still DJs In New York That have a certified crew

They don't got no No ties to radio station, no ties to nothing. And they have their own following. Like, I remember, what was it? Spinbad, he was on this. If I made them, if I made. There's still DJs who got that. Yeah, now, there are. Right.

But if I made. Kicker Pre is one of those. Right, right, right. But if I made, the ones that mattered when the sound was being developed. Right, right, right. But if I made the ones that mattered when the sound was being developed, was on the radio at night on weekends, and it was the biggest platform our music had. You know what I'm saying? So at the end of the day, let them other niggas be the lesser niggas. You know what I'm saying? Our music needs to be creative.

We need to be able to do the things that got us here. We need to be able to do the things That got us here We're not even able to do the things that got us here You know what I'm saying Let them other niggas be the niggas Oh yeah yeah well there's some other niggas that's doing some syndicated shit They are and whatever They need to be the lesser niggas not us

We the ones that put it in the middle America's home We the reason niggas is getting the paper they getting You know what I'm saying? And I don't dig the ageism that cats try to play in hip hop, especially when, you know what I'm saying, this is my word,

like, if you've been a mechanic for 20 years, you're a master mechanic. You've been taking taekwondo for 30 years, 20 years, you're a master at taekwondo, a third dan teacher. If you've been 20 years, you're a master at taekwondo, a third dan teacher.

If you've been a chef, you're a master chef, yo, these kids cannot compete. These kids cannot... These kids can't compete. How you going to wash us when we at our nicest? Right. You know what I'm saying?

Like, I got... I like that. You know what I'm saying? Hold on. As a DJ, I got, I got, I got. I like that. You know what I'm saying? Now, hold on. And as a DJ, I got to say, going back to the DJ conversation. Right. There was the era that, and wrong or right, the era that I'm coming from DJing, we dictated to the audience what was dope, what was hot. Right.

That's what I'm saying. No, no. It's different now. The audience is telling the DJ, you better play this or we not going to follow you. Let me just tell you something. You're right to a certain extent. It's like me. One of my favorite DJs is DJ Camillo, right? DJ Camillo on the radio

is playing a record for 5 to 15 seconds. You watch him in the club, he going to tear that same record down. What I'm saying is, to me, that's still a DJ to me because he knows how to play it. He knows how to sneak it in between these other top 40 records that are accepted.

But not everybody's a DJ, Camilo. But this is not what I said. I said they still exist, though. But you know what? They do exist. You know what I want to know? I wonder how many DJs would be playing this shit, though. How many DJs would be playing the shit that they playing

if it wasn't on that list? Yeah. On the real. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? How many DJs would be playing? Money. Fuck money. You can't give me money to the real. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? How many DJs we fuck? Money, money,

fuck money. You can't give me money to pay that. Right. You know what I'm saying? There's still real DJs out there. Flex won't take no money, man. Flex won't take no money.

You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, at the end of the day, I'm not going to speak on that at all. I know that for a fact. But just to say, you know what I'm saying?

Nah, Flex won't take no bread. Flex ain't taking no bread. I don't know. Like, this is my word. What are these criteria? And I'm not shouting Flex. You ain't going to taking no bread. I don't know. Like, this is my word. Like, like, like, and I'm not shouting flex. You ain't gonna take a shot? I'm not taking,

this is not no shouting flex. You're talking about a shot of liquor. But I'm telling, I'm telling everybody I just said. You're getting hyped right now. I don't know.

No, no, no, no. There's no shouting flex. Okay. Because, you know what I'm saying? I don't know what flex is doing. I'm not saying that. But I do know this for a fact.

Okay. That anything could be circumvented to be whatever it needs to be. You know what I'm saying? It might not be paper the way you get paid. You know what I'm saying? But don't think that somebody's not getting paid because you don't see the transaction. Yeah, no, I agree with you as well. But I'm telling you, I've seen people come with bags.

Yeah, yeah, no, no, I get it. I get it. If he don't like the record, he will not do business with it. Doesn't he have a marketing company? I know exactly where you're going with it. He has a car company. Doesn't he have a marketing company? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

He doesn't have a marketing company no more. He has a rim shop now. If at one point he had a marketing company. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He doesn't have a marketing company no more. Well, I'm just saying... He has a rim shop now. If at one point he had a marketing... Go get some rims, you said? If at one point he had... If at one point he had a marketing company... Okay, okay. I think I get what you're saying.

No, yeah, don't talk to me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You need your shit marketed. Yeah. Don't talk to them. I say that that could be true. But that's building a relationship. It's not even there no more,

so that's hypothetical. I'm telling you, I had a great relationship. I had a great relationship with him. Yeah? We were like this at one point when I was platinum. It's not even there no more So that's hypothetical I'm telling you But I'm just saying I know for a fact How shit work I had a great relationship with him Yeah We were like this at one point When I was plated on

And I hand that man a record And we good He said Dory I ain't fucking with this shit There was nothing I could offer him I couldn't offer him A free performance at the tunnel He wasn't fucking with that record

Then I came back Two months later G offer him a free performance at the tunnel. He wasn't fucking with that record. Then I came back two months later, gave him a record after this shootout in front of Hot 97 that I don't know nothing about. I couldn't even give him the record. I couldn't even physically make eye contact with him because I wasn't allowed in the building. So I had to give him the record through, I can't even say a window. It was a door. So we didn't physically make eye contact. Like I just seen his hand and he seen my brown skinned hand and we just had to guess that we was each other. It was like we was in jail.

Like, you know what I'm saying? It was in the Hot 97. And you could tell he played, you could tell his confidence in me wasn't it. You know what I mean? I wasn't sure if Flex was a big fan of me or not. I know he respected me and I respected him.

But then he played the record and he played it for two seconds. Homeboy, I came to party. And then he single-handedly stopped that motherfucker and was like, I'm sorry, Nori.

Because he knew he had fun in me. He knew he treated me like the guy asking for change. You know, downstairs. And he gave me the change like this. You know what I mean?

Like this. So I would say that to say in his defense, you know, downstairs, and he gave me the change like this, like, you know what I mean? Like, like this, so I would say that to say, in his defense, when he likes something, you ain't got to give him nothing. He going to get behind it, he going, he going,

because he going to put hip hop first. And I know from, from my personal experience, as far as bread, no. Right, right. Yo,

this is my word. Okay. Flex, I know Flex, I remember, I gave this chick some party. Pick up this Sally. Sally was mad cool. I gave Sally.

Sally from the Valley? Gave Sally some paper. She had an all-girl crew. Gave her some paper. They had Original Flavor perform there at the party. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't have nothing to do with it. I just fronted her some paper.

You know what I'm saying? But I came by the party. you know what I'm saying? It was dope. The original flavor performance, sitting at a table, just young Jay-Z and you ski and all of them. They sit at a table rocking, you know what I'm saying? And I probably was a little high because I probably should have rocked with them,

but I was just taking it all in high, you know what I'm saying? Until she comes up to me and she's like, yo, they fronting on me downstairs. They won't pay me. Wow. And I'm like, what? Like, you know, like, I had nothing to do with it. I gave her paper.

She got the spot herself. But the record is blazing hot at this at this moment so i'm like yo come on come on downstairs show me downstairs so i go downstairs with sally you know saying some italian cats or but they look young you know saying um in the office and a bunch of paper on the table i walk in i just grabbed the tape i just grabbed the paper like yo this this your paper right And she was like yeah So I just grab the paper I was like yo What's up with y'all

You know what I'm saying They just looking at me Like you know like What are you doing I was like yo She rented a spot from y'all Right You got a spot from

Right So they like yeah So I'm like okay I take my paper out And just as I'm counting My paper out Flex comes down She hired flex this is probably one of flex's probably one of his first gigs literally in the city flex come down and he's

loud like yo who who will pay me though who will pay me oh same time so so i'm like yeah yeah same flip so i'm like yo how much you get paid 300 300 that's how that's how early it was in his career. 300, a $300 gig. You know what I'm saying? I count $300 out of the paper I gave it to him. He doing gigs for an ounce of weed this time. Let's make some noise for ounce of weed. An ounce of weed might have been more that time.

It might have been more that time. It was more that time. It was more that time. I got my little paper out and I gave the rest to Sally. I asked the gentleman, would we be good? They ain't say nothing. I ain't say nothing.

I love it. That's how I play that. All right. All right. Now, we got to go back to what I was asking you. The choice is yours. Talk about that record, the making of it,

and did you know it was going to be as big as it was? The making of it was kind of cool because, you know, we had just came off Flavor of the Month

Which I thought was really creative I thought Flavor of the Month Should have been one of the biggest singles In hip hop Just because I really thought It was just this really creatively done joint And it was just bright It was a bright record

But Naughty by Nature gave it a real kick in the ass It was an OPP You know what I'm saying? Like we're going head to head And I feel like they kind of got us with that right record um but naughty by nature gave it a real kick in the ass it was an opp you know what i'm saying like like like we're going head and head and i feel like they kind of got us with that so our next single we was like you know like like we really gotta we really gotta put something that just is undeniable you know saying like like because i thought flavor of the month was undeniable and a little bit too i think the way long intro did kind of And a little bit too, I think the way Long introed it kind of left a little bit of funniness in my mouth and a few other

people's mouths, so that was kind of, it was a little bit understandable why everything just wasn't aligned. So now let's get everything aligned with this next single. So we choose to do The Choice Is Yours. I write three whole new verses. Long's going to do a remix.

When Long comes with this track that has the do a remix When Long comes with this track That has the bass line When Long comes with this track That we now know as Trish Yo, this is my word Like I had never heard anything like this in my life Like

I looked at him like Like Almost like he was a Martian Like a freak Like yo How the fuck did you do What is it You know what I'm saying

And then, you know, listening to it again, listening to it again, and, alright, so I got three new verses, I laid three new verses on it, and I'm feeling like, yo, this shit is crazy. You know what I'm saying? When we give it to Mercury, Mercury's

like, you know what, it's alright. But, you know, this bass line is cool, but the real remix should be keep the first two verses from the original and this engine, engine number nine. Like, make that the remix. Let's just make that the remix.

They told you to take that out? They told me to take out the first two verses. I wrote three new verses. They told me to leave the first two, put them on the side, and just add this third verse Just add that And you know When you're young

And somebody tells you This is what y'all do Yeah that's what y'all do Alright Y'all tell me This is what we're gonna do Let's do it I ain't argue

Alright cool Let's do it And it clicked You know It literally clicked And I remember Us being in the studio And I remember

Turning along We mixing it We mixing it And playing it loud In the speaker And I remember turning along, we mixing it. We're mixing it and playing it loud in the speaker, and I just turned along and I'm like, yo, man,

I don't know what we just did, but I know we just did something. You know what I'm saying? Meaning, in nowadays words, the hit is in. All right? That's what you meant.

Yo. It's a hit. Honestly, I was hoping it was You know what I'm saying Cause you know like In hip hop Hip hop can be kind of funny sometimes

You know what I'm saying Like you could You could know something That's just amazing And Somebody could be like Yeah Yeah yeah yeah

What else you got You know what I mean Yeah You know so You know like so You know But I think at this particular point I was

I hadn't really gotten That humbled yet Right You know what I'm at this Particular point I was I hadn't really gotten That humbled yet You know what I'm saying Whereas I was like yo I knew I knew this shit I knew we did something

You know what I'm saying But did I know that 30 years later You know Shit would be in Spider-Verse Yeah records You know

Yeah you know It's like every Three to five years This record gets a rebirth Of a major magnitude. Right. And it introduces it to a younger generation. And, you know, it's now like, you know, I literally have, you know, grandkids singing

this song. That's crazy. Not just kids. Right. Not just, you know. Right. You know, like it's become multi-erational, you know what I'm saying? And I already see where it's being played for infants type shit. And I'm like, wow, like, you know, it amazes me.

And one of the dopest things about this, to me, is that I get to be a part of my children's lives when I'm not here. That's right. You know what I'm saying? It's a legacy. It means so much to me. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, I don't come from that.

I don't come from anybody giving me anything. Right. You know what I'm saying? Regardless of who, what, when, how. Okay, hold on. You're going to drink right now. You're not giving anybody

a chance to be you. Hold on, hold on. Before we end this, for artists listening and the business side of it, how was that set up for you? Do you still eat off that record? You don't got to go into specifics. I was going to go back to that. I was going to go back.

I went through a quick time of slapping. No, no, hold on, hold on. We're talking about it. Just stay with it. Yeah. Was everything, you were young and doing that record. Did you guys do everything right so that record that lives today and will live on forever does benefit your children and your children's children? Thank God we did.

We didn't maximize the situation to the degree that the deal wasn't a fair deal. Right. Whereas monetarily, we didn't take a number. The number we took, they got paid in full the very first check. Very first sale or the very first check?

The very first publishing check that came in. Like the three months later that comes? We was recouped from what they gave us. From the label. They recouped what the label put into it anybody the very first check so they've had nothing but props

30 years we was recouped very he was never in the red he was always in the green because that's what they say oh um well they tried they tried to they you know like you know they're gonna try that's it's the game We went gold Like immediately And they To this day If you look up my record They would probably still

Try to say it's just gold Right You know what I'm saying But not with a record like that I'm saying like You know like But that's The album went gold

Is what you're saying The album But that record But even the album We went We went The album went gold the first uh six seven months oh it's platinum multi-platinum already yeah i'm saying but it's still listed

as the gold record right you know i'm saying it's like a nine hundred seven thousand sales right right right and that's where they stopped it at nine hundred something you're saying so moving forward now that shit is right Right right right They did that on purpose So moving forward Right So moving forward Anything that has to be done They throw that out

Hoping that that's The gauge You're cool with Right You know Any other gauge Requires you sending Someone in there

Right You know what I'm saying But you know I'm from the Yo Like if anybody Learned I learned from y'all Right Let's send somebody in there You know what I'm saying know I'm from the yo like like if anybody learned I learned from

y'all all right that's somebody in there I'm quick like I got it like huh who was the commercial oh that's the choice the choice mm-hmm nah nah oh no the mics are just just for you. Yeah, no. Chee-cheese. So check it. We're going to get back to that because I got a lot more questions of that. But this is a game we play, QuickTime and Slam. Being that you're not drinking, we're going to put it all on Chee.

Is that okay, Chee? It's all on you. Come on. You're here to have fun, goddammit. Let's go. All right, cool. But we're going to drink with you. We're going to drink with you. You're a professional. We're going to drink.

I'm going to do it. Grab another watermelon, please. Come on, Ross. You're half a grab it. All right, cool. All right. So this is how the game go. I'm going to give you two choices.

You're going to pick one or the other. That's cool. But if you pick both, then us and Chi got to drink. Yeah, we're all drinking. If you pick neither, then we got to drink as well. If it's politically correct, we're drinking. Yeah, but if you get politically correct, a drink. Yeah, we're all drinking. If you pick neither, then we got a drink as well. If it's politically correct, we're drinking.

Yeah, if you get politically correct, we drink. Or genuinely, you mean both. Yeah, genuinely, you mean both. All right, so you ready? You ready? Here, Chee, keep that over there. Chee letting me know he might be driving. He's like, yo, don't do too much right now.

Cool, you ready? Yeah, let's do it. All right, Biggie or Jay-Z? Right off the gate. That's easy, man. I'm going to take a shot. Oh. You ain't going to take that big of a shot.

I'm going to, um. Yeah, you can take a shot, a regular shot. Can I just, oh. Oh, he wants to take shots. For this part, you're going to take the shots. Yeah, yeah, it's better that way. It's kind of court. Okay, what you about to say?

You know, go ahead. I think, I think. It's going to be a long one right there. I think both It's kind of cool. Okay, what did you want to say? You know, go ahead. I think... It's going to be a long one. I think both of them are mad cool. I like... I know them both, but I don't know neither of them well. You know what I'm saying?

But I've had the pleasure of being, you know, someone that bumps into them for years and years. And, like, I used to bump into... I used to bump into Big, and he bumps into them for years and years. And, like, I used to bump into, I used to bump into Big, and he'd be with C's and Kim, and I'd be with Chi.

And it might be Times Square, like, 3, 4 in the morning. You know what I'm saying? Like, and we'd stop, you know what I'm saying? And we'd talk for, like, a half an hour. You know what I'm saying?

I ain't going to blow you up. I ain't going to blow you up. I mean, you guys are kind of blowing each other up. Might as well just go all the way. No, I mean, you know, like, you know, like, because they were like kids, you know, so him, C's, and Kim, you know, like, you know, like, y'all might have had a little puppy ice for each other.

I don't remember. But, you know, just to say, like, you know. Really? But me and, but me and Big, you know what I'm saying? Like, we were trying to figure it out. You know what I'm saying? I remember the first time I met Big. Big came up to me on a show in Virginia.

And he walks up to me. This big dude comes. I had just finished rocking. He comes up. And I'm standing in the club. And he walks up to me, stands next to me. And he's like, I don't know who he is or nothing. And he's like, yo, I know who he is or nothing. And he's like,

yo, I'm just going to stand because I know, I know the bitch is about to be right here. I just started dying laughing. Like, yo, you know,

like, and, you know, like, like Big was funny. Like, he was genuine. So it sounds like

you're going big. Um, ooh, see how you just did that? I was going to say the little things I knew About Jade too Okay got it

You know what I'm saying But you know But Jade's a different Kind of character But I'm I guess I have to go With Jade Just because

Of Of the opportunity That life afforded him Okay You know what I'm saying Alright Queen Latifah Or Moni Love

Ooh I'm saying? All right. Queen Latifah or Moni Love? Ooh. I'm going to go with... I'm going to go with Love. Queen Love? Yeah. Okay. Dang it.

I love them both. But, you know... Yeah. Okay, big L or big pun? Ooh. That's a good one. You got a drink? Yeah. Okay, big L or big pun? Ooh. That's a good one. You got a drink? That's a good one.

We don't mind. You can punish us. You can punish us. Let me keep it a buck. Pun by the hair on my tooth. Okay. Pun was beyond special. pun by the hair by the hair on my tooth okay pun was was beyond special um

and this is my word like like cats know pun was special but cats don't really speak to the depth

of how special pun was L was special L was a wordsmith L was dead nice with his but the depth of how special pun was. L was special. L was a wordsmith. L was dead nice with his, but the depth of pun. Okay. L was nowhere near. Okay. And that's the difference for me.

Okay. The Bronx or Queens? Queens all day. Okay, good looking, brother. Hold up. Gonna take that win. I'm saying. You know I took your win, man. Yeah, no, no, no. I took your win.

I'm saying, we relocated. Let me keep it up. The role's reversed. I got a lot of love for the Bronx, and the Bronx embraced me. And, you know what I'm saying, but this is my word. Like, Queens raised me. You know what I'm saying? But this is my word, like, Queens raised me. You know what I'm saying?

When I was on the island, they thought I was from Brooklyn. You know what I'm saying? That's the result of Queens. When I was down south, they, you know, like, everything that anybody ever thought, you know what I'm saying,

for better or worse, was the result of Queens. Okay, Q-tip or Pharrell? Tip, easily. Okay, yeah, I knew that. But I know you, I know Pharrell? Tip, easily Okay, yeah I knew that But I know you I know Pharrell holds It'd be hard for me though too Okay, but this one

I don't know What we gonna go with Jungle Brothers Or De La Soul? Yeah, that one I can't Alright, alright So we gotta drink

Are we drinking on that? We gotta drink Alright then Cheers You've been feeling good Though, quick in one Like Mostly So we got a drink? Are we drinking on that? We got a drink. All right then. Cheers. I got a drink on that one. Yeah. I think all y'all motherfuckers. You've been feeling good though,

picking one. Like mostly, Tom, everybody be wanting to be politically correct and pick both. I mean, honestly, cause to me it's like, it's like picking your favorite kid or picking your favorite parent. That's what this game is for. It's meant for us.

Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's like, he's like. Molly kills dreams to drink for you. Huh? Is he drinking? Molly kills and drinks. Kill his drink for you. Huh, is he drinking? This, this. Molecule's drinking. No, we're going to get Q, too.

But we're going, it's T. Ali right now. All right, come on. All right, the tunnel or Latin quarters? Woo. I'm going to go with Latin quarters because. Nah, nah, no, no. They were both. They were in both.

Yo, can I tell y'all a Latin Quarters story? Please, let's get into it. Let's get into it. Let's go. And this is my word. I'm not sure. So, so, so, so. I'm going to put a cursor on this.

I'm not sure. One night, I leave the Blandam Project You know what I'm saying I'm hustling in the Blam In Queens Normally I'm hanging out With my dudes Like we'd all go to a spot You know what I'm saying

Together Like literally keep OJ on hold Literally like We all young hustling kids So we got a little For those that don't know OJ is a cab service y'all Right right right

Alright cool Cause everyone else is like He just called OJ OJ was his driver Yo but you know like We young hustling New York kids I was like, he just called? Yeah. OJ was his driver? Yo, but, you know, like, we young hustling New York kids, so, you know, like. We're incredible, yeah. We in a range of seeing maybe a G a day as young hustlers, which in the 80s is a lot of money.

Yes. You know what I'm saying? Like, Bentleys is my spot. Oh, Bentleys. I remember Bentleys. Yeah, the Red Parrot. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, Bentleys is my spot. Oh, Bentleys. I remember Bentleys. Yeah, the Red Parrot. Like, you know what I'm saying? I'm with strip clubs.

Yeah, I'm all over. You know what I'm saying? And I'm coming right out of the Bland Project. You know what I'm saying? But I run with a real cool crew and, you know, like, we hitting up spots together

and it's nothing for us to spend five to seven, eight hundred dollars hanging out. So, so, this particular story to spend five to seven, $800 hanging out. So, so, this particular story is,

I'm almost. Land quarters. Yeah, no, no, no. I was about to tell you. I'm like. He ain't drinking. He remembers. This particular story,

nobody wants to hang out with me this night. Right. And I want to go to land quarters. You know what I'm saying? So I take a cab by myself. I take OJ by myself. And the way I'm dressed, you know,

I got a little jewelry on. I got, you know, I might have had maybe a little makeup. Whatever it was, I didn't have to wait. You know what I'm saying? I walk by the front, and I kind of nod at security. They open up the shit and let me in. Alright, cool.

So now I'm in, you know what I'm saying? Like, paying was an issue, you know what I'm saying? I'm in. So now I'm standing by myself just taking it in, you know, and I do this from time to time. I'll leave the projects and just go to different clubs. I go to Roseland and catch Tricky T and, you know, things, you know, just by myself. You know what I'm saying? Because hip-hop is young and, you know,

I just love it like that. So I'm in a spot and this dude walks up on me and he's like yo true and i'm like oh shit this nigga has no idea who i am but he's adamant true true yo i ain't seen you since da da da and i'm like yo i'm not true he's like what he's looking at me he's like like, yo, this is my word. I thought you, yo, you look just like my man. You know what I'm saying? You look just, I ain't seen him since blah, blah, blah. Yo, yo, you bugging me out.

You look so much like him. And I could see he's getting crazy paper. This dude's getting, you know, like he's beyond heavy. Crazy, you know, minked out. He's getting crazy paper. I'm like, oh, shit. You know, like, nah, I'm not a dude. So he wants to sit.

He's like, yo, get some champagne from not a dude. So he wants to sit, he's like, yo, get some champagne from one of his dudes. He wants to sit down, he wants to talk. He's like, yo, it's too loud in here. Yo, take a ride with me, man.

I'm like, what? He's like, yo, take a ride with me. So I'm like, all right. We walk out the club, he got a Benz park right in the front.

We get in the Benz, we ride around. He starts driving up East Hall. It's not Alpo, is it? Yo, this is my word. I honestly think it was. He starts showing me blocks. And he's like, you know, like, yeah, this is da-da-da-da-da. You know, we do this here, we do this here.

My mom's holds down this and that. Like, I don't know if that was in his story or not, but this cat tells me, my mom's holds down this and what kind of gun you like? Your mom's going to get the guns. And I'm like, you know, I'm hustling at the time, but he's talking about shit that's, you know, like, I'm from Queens. You know what I'm saying? Like, he's talking about big Harlem shit right there.

And I'm like, we don't make a club. He's like, I just wanted to show you, you know, like, yo, we going back to the club? Like, yeah, yeah, he's like, I just wanted to show you, you know, like, yo, I'm going to put you on.

Like, you know, you about to be right. And so, you know, we drive back down to the club and we, he parks right back,

same spot, same, hell, same spot, right there in the front. We walk back in, they open it up as soon as they see him.

Now, he starts walking me to his crew. He's got niggas in there We left his people About maybe Six, seven dudes One thing I noticed

About everybody Is that Everybody's cut Everybody's got a cut You know what I'm saying And I'm like Wait a haircut Or

No no Everybody got a buck Okay Everybody got a buck In change You know what I'm saying And everyone Every single one

And so now I'm looking at him Like, you know, I'm young and pretty. I'm like, I don't know if I want to be your friend. You know what I'm saying? I'm looking at your friends and I'm like, you know, like, you know, and this is my word, you know, like, he gave me his number and all that shit. And I never called him or nothing like that. Like, I was content with what I was, the little bit that I was able to do, a G a day was plenty in my world. You know what I'm saying?

Right. And, you know, like, but to this day, the energy, I remember the dude's face, this and the other. Really, that was helpful. Oh, wow. You know. So, I'm going to say Lion Court. Okay. Brand Nubian

or Trapcore Quest? Wow, that's... We got our shots ready. We got our shots ready. Let me give you some real thoughts. Genies, I guess. Sorry.

Ready. We ain't got to overthink it now. You can just say both, man. We'll get on our merry way. But you got to mean both. If you mean both. I'm going to say Tribe. Okay.

Closer. And the reason I'm going to say Tribe is this. I can look at their debut albums. On their debut albums, I would give it to Brand Newbie. But if I look at their bodies of work, you know what I'm saying?

That's your criteria. If I'm looking at their body of work, then at some point, Tribe steps ahead of Brand Newbian. You know what I'm saying? And it's pretty clear. Brand Newbian's debut

was definitely a superior one to Tribe's. But ultimately, Tribe went on to sonically just become a monster. Can I ask a question? What's Tribe's biggest record? I've never looked at it like that. You talking about numbers or

culturally? No, record, song. Song? I think World Tour. No, World Tour. Can I kick it any bigger? I've seen commercials. Propaganda Scenario?

I don't know. Google that. I actually think it's something that's newer in their catalog. Okay, but until we get that answer, let's move on. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else.

Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and bestselling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened

when a 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. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'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 star-studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner. It's just a compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves. Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne. We have this misunderstanding of what this

quote-unquote drug thing is. Benny the Butcher. Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corvette. MMA fighter Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working and we need to change things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company,

the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there 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. Okay, this one, I don't know where you're going to go. DMX or Tupac? That's actually easy for me. DMX. I got to ask why.

Oh, God. You know what? Don't make me fall. All right. And look, DMX right there. Yeah, yeah. He's ready for you to tell the story. No, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, Q's might need to be here.

Like, see, it's like this. Like, and certain people are gonna understand exactly what I'm saying. A lot of people are not gonna understand exactly what I'm saying. A lot of people are not going to understand exactly what I'm saying. Okay. Like, I was around Pac. You know what I'm saying? Right.

You got to talk about that. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, she was with me when we met. It was at Festival on the Lake in Oakland. You know what I'm saying? We wound up hanging out an extra day. And what Pac is this? Is it the Pac where he wore the hat?

Is it underground Pac? Is it death row Pac? Holler the park where he Run a half It's a digital underground park It's a death row park Holla if you hear me It's before death row park He got us some weed It's definitely Digital underground park Okay

But he definitely Got us some weed But I feel like at the time He was kind of Transitioning to solo It was holla if you hear me He was about to transition Brenda got a baby park

That's where he was Definitely Definitely so That's where he was He was Brenda's Got a baby park Okay That's where he was. Definitely. Definitely so. That's where he was. He was Brenda's got a baby pop. Okay. That's where he was.

Right. He wasn't... He was no longer a backup dancer for Dishonored. Right, right. Yeah, nah, because he...

He was Tupac. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He wasn't... Backup dancers aren't going, you know, having somebody grab your ounce a week.

Right. Brenda's got a baby, yo, go grab my ounce a week. That's the part that we met. Because it was loud. Right.

You know what I'm saying? And, you know, like, I got love for park, you know what I'm saying? Like, I got a lot of love for a lot of brothers. You know what I'm saying? But if I may,

sometimes time bolsters the myth. Sometimes time bolsters what is good. And sometimes time diminishes. Everything else. Pac was, he was multifaceted. But he was far from intimidating. He was far from what people paint him as on a daily. That's interesting to say. Pop was very diverse.

Some days he was an asshole. Some days he was a brother to look up to. Some days he was a kid to slap in the back of his head he was all of them things right you know saying and all depending on who you were would be what brought it out of them how no really how you viewed them right got it you know saying like this is my word like everybody think they real to the real step in the room You know what I'm saying Like he knew Who to go at in my opinion

He in my opinion And it's not a shot at him in no way Or his gangster or his lack of You know what I'm saying But cats Cats have an understanding of Of what they're doing When they do it

He was calculated during those very very calculated very calculated um and and and and a bit of a opportunist on a certain degree i had love for him and and and i think we respected each other for the most part you know saying but we've we had a couple of run-ins a couple of times. You know what I'm saying? Like, one time at Trafalgar Square, we performed in Queens. Trafalgar Square holds about maybe 3,000, 4,000 people. Now, it's in the heart of Jamaica.

So the lineup is The Legion, Biggie, and Tupac. That's the lineup. Wow. Right? So there's about, so Tupac That's the lineup Right so there's about So Tupac is headlining And um The Legion is opening And no wait wait who's

Yo how did it go Y'all was open Yeah uh No Biggie was opening Then y'all Then there was supposed to be Pop Now because it holds 4,000 people it's about maybe No, Biggie was open. Biggie was open. Then y'all, then there was supposed to be Pop. Now, because if it holds 4,000 people,

there's about maybe 3,900 dudes in here. Straight grimy. Straight hood. You know what I'm saying? Pop is mad nervous. And when I say nervous, he mad nervous, like, yo, like, something's going to happen here.

There's too many niggas in here. Yo, I'm going to jump on with Big so I can get out of here. And I'm like, yo, hold up, man. Wait a minute.

Wait a minute. Like, yo, the Legion is a new group, man. Like, if you jump on with Big, everybody going to think that's it, and they're going to be

heading to the door. Like, at least, you know what I'm saying, let my dudes rock, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, I said, if anything, if we need to switch or whatever we need to do, I said, but don't jump on with Big and then just be out. Like, it's almost like he's almost playing a little bit, but at the end of the day, I don't want to go there, you know what I'm saying? But he's like, yo, no, I don't want to catch there You know what I'm saying But he's like yo I don't want to catch any flack for anything I'm like yo my dude If you act cool niggas is going to act cool

If you act nervous niggas is going to be acting nervous If you act like there's an issue Your energy is going to let there be an issue But if you act like we a bunch of brothers That came together to hang out with you Then that's what it's going to be. You know what I'm saying? I don't know, man.

He's just mad nervous, right? So we're all getting ready for the show. Now, mind you, he's being held down by Stretch, E-Money Bags, Young Guns. Live Squad. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, Live Squad, Young Guns. But just say, like, this is family.

This is my family. More than his. He doesn't realize this. You know what I'm saying? And I've never spoken to him. You know what I'm saying? But I've been in the room with Stretch when he's sleeping until the sun came up. You know what I'm saying?

Like, this is, I don't hustle. Like, I don't been around cats eons. You know what I'm saying? I'm a real New York cat. But cats wouldn't know it because, you know, all they heard was Carolina. It's all good. So, he's going to jump on. The promoter's like, yo, Pac is going to jump on with Big Man, and it's going to fuck up the set for y'all.

I hope the cat hope everybody stays. So now I'm a little disappointed, and I'm like, yo, dude, like, you really acting kind of bitchy right here. Like, yo, so I go back in the dressing room, and whereas had it probably been anybody else, they probably couldn't have got by niggas. But these is all niggas I grew up with. You know what I'm saying? Like, yo, what up? What up, Stretch?

What up, niggas? You know what I'm saying? So I walk right up to them. Ain't nobody going to say nothing to me. And I'm Like, yo, what up? E, what up? Stretch, what up, niggas? You know what I'm saying? So I walk right up to him. Ain't nobody going to say nothing to me. And I'm like, yo, what the fuck is wrong with you? Like, yo, we already talked this and the other,

like, you know, like, and he's just acting like, like he's turning his head, like, you know, like, he doesn't want to, like, just be accountable for what it is. Like, yo, we together.

Why you always got to fucking, you know what I'm saying? Like, in my head, it is like yo we together why you always got a fucking you know say like in my head is like certain cats allowed sometimes when they don't need to be and and I've probably been guilty of it in this moment I felt like he was guilty of it you know saying I felt like you know like yo my dude like you know like you spoke a lot of shit that you know, that you don't necessarily walk all the time. You know what I'm saying? And I kind of press him a little bit in front of niggas, you know what I'm saying?

And everybody's kind of stopping, looking. And he still jumps on with Big. And he's ready to get out of there. That's not that night of the legendary freestyle with Big. Nah. Nah, nah, nah. This is a little different. He jumps on with Big.

And before, as he's getting off the stage, as him and Big are getting off the stage, before they can get off the stage, I run up on the stage. Before people start turning around. Because like I said, no one even knows who the Legion is. No one even knows I'm there. You know what I'm saying? Bringing them out. So I run up and I grab the mic.

And I was like, yo, that was cute. That was real cute. I was like, but y'all ready for the real show? You know what I'm saying? And I wasn't the shit on Big. And I wasn't even the shit on him. yo, that was cute. That was real cute. I was like, but y'all ready for the real show? You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, and I wasn't the shit on Big. And I wasn't even the shit on him. But that was just to say,

like, yo, don't be leaving the energy all fucked up. Like, it's us. Like, you know what I'm saying? Ain't nobody in here going to get hurt but us. If you not controlling this shit,

if you not on, but I get mad at the natives for the same shit. But if you not controlling this shit, if you're not on, but I get mad at the natives for the same shit. But if you're not controlling this shit you're talking about controlling, then what the fuck is you doing? Don't leave shit fucked up for us. So I jump up on stage. I'm like, yo, y'all ready for a real show now? Yo, y'all heard of the league?

So I got cats turning around and Q's on testy. Q's was there when I went in the dressing room. You know, niggas was like, oh shit, did that just happen? That's crazy. And, but you gotta understand this too. Pac is my size, he's smaller than me. D, you left out my attention, J. I don't know where you're going with it.

Just come in, brother, fuck it. Now, yeah, sit, sit. Let's break the rules, man. Sit right there, come on, come on. You got to, let's just do it, come on. I wanted to finish with, you drink too now, nigga. You volunteered to drink too, man. Told you. Yeah, yeah, yeah come on, come on. You got to do it, come on. I wanted to finish with, you drink too now, nigga. You volunteered to drink too, man. Told you.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's do it. Fuck it up, man, don't wait. All right, I don't, because I don't want it, you bring up Tupac's name, it's like, it's like, it's like a bad thing. It's kind of hard to tell something if it's not. So, what happened in that night, like I understand what Drez is saying.

Drez, he had this image, this aura and how he moved. It was fights. Right. That's the part you left out. Yeah,

maybe he felt a vibe that he was like. Queens niggas was getting it in. Right. This corner, that fight would break up. This dude over here,

he got cut in the face. Right. And Big is deep. His Brooklyn dudes. Right. We Big is deep. His Brooklyn dudes. Right. We deep without, you know, Bronx dudes. So we like, this is normal. Right, yeah.

By the fifth fight, Tupac was like, I'm ready to get out of here. Right. And that's when Drez went to say, you know, Drez was like, yo, you, you know, put this energy out. Like, you tough and you ain't scared. Like, why are you leaving? What's going on? This is normal. And that's what I wanted to put in there

because Drez left that part out while they was fighting and all. Yeah, yeah, I mean, yeah, but I mean, you know, just to say, like, No, say it, say it, say it, say it, say it, say it. Get your drink ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Because Q's was, you know,

Q's was privy to a lot as well, like, to our walks. And, you know, He's around, he was around some real dudes. Right, right. Moneybags is our people. Moneybags from Left Rack. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He came out and told us before, by the third fight, he was like, yo, he's ready to get out of here.

And that's when Drez went back there like, yo, I'm going to go talk to him. Because we was cool with Big, and Big was like, this is normal. Right, right, right. He was like, this is normal. Niggas is fighting. This is what niggas do. By this point, you know, like this is normal. He was like, this is normal. Niggas is fighting. By this point, this is well after me meeting Big. I done seen Big around him. Like I said, we not cool, but we respect each other. You know what I'm saying?

We don't have each other number, but ain't no time that we see each other that we don't stop and talk for a few minutes. You know how it is. Especially when we young, we got a lot of testosterone. We wasn't really interming know how it is, you know what I'm saying? Especially when we young, we got a lot of testosterone, so, you know, like we wasn't really intermingling crews a lot,

you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, everybody kind of stood on their own. I wouldn't, yeah, I know, I know, you know, I don't know,

because, because, because y'all standoffish too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, it is what it was. I think as we got older in the industry,

we became more understanding of we share space with strangers. We really not strangers. We might not. We might not. Me and you have never spoke on a phone. Me and you met one time very briefly. But me and you aren't strangers. very briefly. But me and you are strangers. Right, exactly. You know what I'm saying?

Exactly. Why do we look at each other like that? Like, why is our energy like that when we young? You know what I'm saying? And that was one of the problems in hip-hop. You know what I'm saying? Like, don't get twisted. It still is, though. Still sharp as steel. Still sharp as steel. But at the end of the day, don't get twisted. Yeah, we should be able to

verbally joust without question. As a matter of fact, we should be able to verbally joust without question. As a matter of fact, it should be mandatory to get some of this dead weight out here. But just to say, at the end of the day, at the end of the day, we taking a TV break? What are we doing? What the fuck was that? Boris? Bro, Boris got...

He just started playing shine. I was like... Boris! That's like shine time. That's a British Paul Thomas. I was like, Boris! I was like, shine, shine, call Thomas. I was walking

through the door and I was like, Boris! You know what I'm saying? But I wish, I wish, I wish, one of the things

that's really, you know, that we grow up and we start really seeing is how they systemically divide us. Let me say one thing because I want to get through this real fast.

You and Pac, how did your relationship end prior to his death? Because that was one Pac, right? A lot of people would say that it's like 10 different Pacs, right? There's some people who would be like, what? That's the most positive brother I've ever seen.

And there's some people who would be like, that's the most negative brother I've ever seen. And there's some people who'd be like, that's the most negative brother I've ever seen. And there's some people that'd be like, that's the most wildest brother I've ever seen. I mean, he kind of explained that. That's the softest brother I've ever seen. So how, did you ever link with him again after he went on death row? Like after he got on death row? Because it seemed like he was a different dude when he got on death row. Did you see him after that?

Yeah. Yeah? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, pop was multifac Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, yeah, Pac was multifaceted. Okay. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, like, sometimes I adored him sometimes in conversation. Right.

You know what I'm saying? Sometimes I'd have a conversation with him. It was very dope. It was very cool. Right. Even after Death Row, Pac? After Death Row, Pac, I think he had an agenda. You know what I'm saying?

And let's remember, that was a short time. It seems like a long, but his time at Def Roe was very short. And there was a lot going on around that, too, that cats, I think, sometimes don't put into the equation. Because he had a vendetta against New York. For me, he was always solid with me. But I think a lot of that, I was a lot younger. So I was like a kid.

You know what I'm saying? No, you wasn't a kid when Pac was on Death Row. But why do you say he had a vendetta against New York when he was trying to do Death Row East? Because he had fuck New York records. What do you mean? But he said fuck New York. It's well documented. Wait, did he say fuck New York?

What? I mean, and Cali, said fuck New York. It's well documented. Wait, did he say fuck New York? What? I mean... And Cali, we wear tux and not ballets. That's right. What do you mean? That's fuck New York. That's fuck New York. We wear tux and not ballets?

That's right. What do you think that meant? Hey, guys, we're cool? No, it didn't. I mean, he was champion Death Row East. With Eric B. He was the same with me. I don't know.

I don't think he was champion Death Row East. I think there was people that he was against. Death Row East, is that even a thing? No, it was a thing. Really? It's a weed. I mean, it was a thing. No, it was a thing.

It was a thing. I mean, how many records did it do? No, no, they didn't do anything. It never got off the ground. It never got off the ground. That's where Pocket Nine supposedly met in Battery Park in New York City. That's what supposedly the picket signs were saying because I believe they hired

a lot of West Coast people that was with them, but they also hired people that was in town. And he was down with Duck Down as well? They was insourcing. So they had people that was actually from the East Coast holding up different Eastside. Yeah, they were trying to do an album. One Nation album with Duck Down with Buckshot and Black Moon and all those guys.

I mean, I don't see it as clear cut as, fuck New York from him, absolutely. I don't see it. Yeah, I did. I mean, yeah, I mean, you know what I'm saying? I mean, yeah. That's because he attacked Queens, man. No, he didn't attack Queens. He attacked New York.

He definitely did. He attacked New York. Listen, at the end of the day, if I got beef, if I got beef... Listen, because I'm not dissing Paco, but I'm actually a fan of Paco, but I can't deteriorate history. I can't change history. At the end of the day, if I got beef with this cup, right? I got beef with this cup.

The minute I say the cup and Sagrac and Aguayente and Ace of Spades. Everything that goes in the cup. That's bad because at the end of the day, these guys could be talking to them and say, yo, chill. Chill, cup.

Y'all can work this out. They can work this out, cup. But now, when you say fuck him, fuck him, fuck him, fuck him, these guys' conversation with the cup now is different. They're saying, forgive him, but I don't really, if you don't, I don't really care. You know what I'm saying? Because he already got at me. I know a bigger cup.

Smash that nigga. Because you know what the crazy shit is? I was just listening to Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg said he had the newfound respect for Fat Joe when Fat Joe actually stepped to Ice Cube in Farrakhan's house.

They're all in a place of peace. They're all in a place of... No one's doing nothing in Farrakhan's house. Just to be clear. For a while, he's going to break you up, put you in the pretzel and the full Nelson, like you've never been in before, trust me. I've seen them do that. But Fat Joe stepped to who? He stepped to Ice Cube.

Because this is when Ice Cube was in the West Side Connection. So, this is Snoop's story, by the way. Snoop just describes it as, like, Fat Joe stepped to him and was like, yo, I was disappointed. Like, we held you down when the West Coast homies shitted on you and you came to Like fat Joe stepped to him was like yo, I was disappointed like we held you down when When the West Coast homie shit it on you and you came to New York

And you let Chuck D and the people who's gone squad, you know How the fuck could you do this like how could you do that? So Snoop said wow like he had a whole new Respect kind of respect for that So that's that's what I'm trying to say is, like, Pop ran with y'all in New York. Like, he literally hung out. I mean, we was in the same sectors. How did it feel? I'll bump into him, though,

but I would see him slipping a little something, though. What I'm saying is, how did it feel? Because he got a record called, this was crazy the other day, I was just walking, and I listened to a record called, he got, oh, ain't that like the old school? And he breaks down New York with Skelly and how the parties, and I'm like, record called he got, ain't nothing like the old school. And he breaks down New York

with Skelly and How to Parties. And I'm like, this is really a New York nigga. Then the very next record come on. California love. And I believed him in both records. I said, holy shit. This is a West Coast nigga too. I started trying to do my West Coast dance.

Did you just crip walk it? I crip walk it, but it was like something like it. You know what I'm saying? He obviously believed him in juice, too. You don't want to go there. A lot of people say he changed after juice. He took on Bishop as that character. So when you've seen the Death Row park,

it was a different type of energy? Yeah. You said it was the same energy even in Death Row. I mean, me and his relationship, always the same with me and him. You know it was the same energy even in death row. I mean, me and his relationship are always the same with me and him. You know what I'm saying? One of the last times I see him caught,

he's in the Diamond District. I'm by myself. He's like with about 15 dudes. Some of the dudes he's with, I don't think he realized that he knows who he's with. Brooklyn people? Brooklyn-ish.

Okay. But a couple, you know, a couple heads that definitely... I understand. If he wasn't shopping for... If everybody wasn't shopping, he was out of pocket. Right.

You know what I'm saying? Right. And if, you know, and those that know, know why. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, like, you don't, you don't, you don't, wolves aren't, you know what I'm saying, show dogs. Right. You know what I'm saying?

You don't run with wolves acting like, you know, like you taking a walk in Central Park. That's not what wolves are for. Well, Central Park is a little rough now, too. Yeah, it's not that rough. Right, right. You know what I'm saying? Right. Like, he's running around the Diamond District and, you know, I'm sure he's getting whatever he's getting for his new walk.

Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? from Canal Street that, like, like that you really couldn't even really get in the room that the cats I knew was in. You know what I'm saying? Right. And I'm not trying to shit on you, it's just the truth. Right.

You know what I'm saying? Right. So, you know, like, and that's not to shit on him, to say like, you know, like,

he, we all start where we start from and we all grow to become become we all grow to become who we're gonna be you know saying but but that's the but that's the type of things that i'm trying to say like pock didn't understand certain things just about new york culture that a record wasn't really gonna facilitate okay you know, you know, like you in a diamond district with cats that come to the diamond district to sell what they just took.

What they just stole. You know what I'm saying? And you come in there spending a ridiculous number, you know, in front of them. You know what I'm saying? And like, those are the things that, like, those are the little things that aren't little. Right.

That he would do regularly. You know what I'm saying? And, like I said, like, I've seen Pac do many things like that. Right. Many. Like, and that's not to shit on him. Right. And that's not to say that he wasn't, that he wasn't solid. Right. You know, Pac,

Pac, he was a lot of things, you know what I'm saying? But sometimes, you know, like, sometimes your little man needs to get checked. Sometimes your little man needs to get punched in the chest. Not all the time. Sometimes your little man puts you on point. Sometimes your little man checks you. You know, like, he was all of that you know what I'm saying

I just hope people can understand that because people only look at him as one thing and you know it

you know when you put somebody on a pedestal, it's almost like when you found out Martin Luther King was getting some side ass. I was happy. Yeah, you know, like, yeah. He deserves some side ass. He definitely does.

I was happy. I was happy. He deserved it. He deserved it, man. He said he was turning the cheek. Real quick, this is all perspective. You ain't know what cheek he was talking about, y'all. Come on, y'all. He was in front. And He said he was turning the cheek. Real quick, this is all perspective. You ain't know what cheek he was talking about, y'all.

He was talking about everybody's perspective. Come on, y'all. He was in front. And unfortunately, he's not here to speak for himself. Right, right, right. I'm talking about Pac. I'm talking about Pac because this is a young Pac. This is a young Pac that didn't mature like the rest of us are lucky to mature right here.

Same with Big. Yeah, same with Big. Absolutely. And that's why I don't say anything out of respect. Right. When people revere him, I don't tell them some of the things that I know that might be in contrast. I don't really share those things because he's not here to have had the opportunity to become everything that they think he is. You know what I'm saying?

You know, like, thank God we got the opportunity to go forward. Mm-hmm. You know what I'm saying? Like, to be better. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was for Pac and Big, too. Right.

That was for them, too. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, like, the bullshit that took place. You know what I'm saying? Like... All right, so we're going to See what we gonna move we gonna move on LL LL more KRS one His shot glass to give him a shot glass know what

Jules I'm gonna I'm going to go with LL. These things is queen shit. No, no. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I didn't even realize that's queen shit. I didn't even realize that.

No, no, no. I can tell you why. Let me tell you why. Okay. LL. LL. LL is you. LL is you.

LL. Got all the bitches you saying? No, no.. LL is you. LL is you. LL. Got all the bitches, you saying? No, no. Nah. No, nah. Oh, I'm blushing. What the fuck? I'm not even going to piggyback on that one.

Just to say, LL is cheap. LL was what, 16, 17 years old? Right. Oh, okay. Carried Def Jam on their back, on his back. Did you see him In Crush Groove Yeah

Just Is that when he had the radio Just his Just his appearance In Crush Groove Alone Alone Set the tone

For the culture Like Like just the little Snippet of LL And Crush Groove Was hard In the

Some cats careers Wow Like Like He set the tone For hip hop L and Crush Groove was harder than some cats' careers. Wow. Like, he set the tone for hip-hop. That was a B-boy that came into the picture. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, if you ain't never seen it, that was a B-boy that came in.

Yeah, don't shoot him, Jay. Right. That's just a B-boy. Right. You know what I'm saying? Right. Like, you know what I'm saying? That's wild. Like, yeah, L, man.

Like, you know, and I got love for Chris. Chris is a beast. But LL, yo, yeah, like, LL, Allen Iverson, like, you know, as a kid, like, you know, he came in when Cats was looking like, you know, like Flash and everything, and L just came in, you know, and crossed Cats over. Like, nigga, move over. Okay. You know what I'm saying?

Kane or Rockhead? Ooh. That's... Um... I gotta go with the God. Rob? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You know, quick story. Quick story.

When I first get back to New York, when I first get back to New York from Carolina. From North Carolina, okay. From Carolina. First week I get back to New York, I'm not sure why I started hustling yet, but I have been doing the music shit down south, you know what I'm saying?

So I do want to be around hip hop. Right. So I'm looking in the paper looking for a job. It's a job, Powerplay Studios. Queens. Queens, you know, right by Queensbridge the paper, looking for a job. It's a job Powerplay Studios. Queens. Long Island City. Right by Queensbridge. Yep, Long Island City. Right, right. So I go in there. They hire me.

I made my first record I ever made in Powerplay. Right where Ivan Doc Rodriguez used to work out of. He's a beast. Butcher, right? No, not Dr. Butcher, right? No, no, no. I haven't.

Dr. Butcher, right? No, no, not Dr. Butcher. DJ Doc. But just to say, so they hired me. First day, I've never worked in a studio, nothing. I ain't got no nothing. So I'm in a studio, Powerplay studio, Long Island City. I'm sitting there.

I ain't been sitting at this desk for 20 minutes. When the door opens up from Studio A, Rakim walks up to the desk, asks me for a light. I give him my lighter. I go in my pocket. I give him my lighter. He takes it, walks in the back, and I'm sitting there. I'm like,

Where's my lighter? No, no,'m sitting there, and I'm like, where my lighter? No, no, no, no, just keep this, keep this. Quit it. But you wasn't ready? I was like, yo,

I gotta quit this fucking job. I was first and last day I worked there. I was like, yo, I'm gonna know Rakim, but I ain't gonna know him from sitting behind

no fucking desk out of the fucking studio. Wow. And I quit the job. Let's make some noise for that. And I was like, yo, I'm going to be honest. It just felt wrong. It just felt like he just walked up, shorty me,

and took my lighter, and took it. Word. He took my lighter. You know what I'm saying? And I was like, yo, I can't do this. I can't. You know, like, I'm going to meet him, yo, I can't do this. I can't. You know, like, I'm going to meet him, but like-

You sure you think it's going to take dress lighter right now? Nobody take a dress lighter. No, no, no, no, no, no. It wasn't nothing to do with the lighter at all. I know what you mean. I know what you mean. I'm just playing. It was the presence of somebody that, you know what I'm saying, like that I respected

and I was like, he, he ain't gonna respect me for having a lighter. Right. You know what I'm saying? You wanted the respect from someone you respected. Right, right, right, right, right. And I was like, yo,

like, this ain't it. This ain't it. And I didn't even know if it was gonna be on some music shit or on some street shit. Right. You know what I'm saying?

But you knew he was gonna know that. Not even say on some rough shit, but on some, he getting paper. You know what I'm saying? Like, like, not even say on some, some, some rough shit, but on some, he getting paper. You know what I'm saying? Like, like I knew he'd respect that. You know what I'm saying?

Like, you know, but I knew he wasn't respecting the nigga he just took later. I was like, that's Rakim. Like, like,

like, you know, like that's Rakim. You know what I'm saying? And even then, that's Rakim. You know what I'm saying? It's never quick time anymore.

Kid Capri or Red Alert? Red. Okay. And, and Kid Capri or Red Alert? Red. Okay. And Kid Capri would say Red. Okay. Lox or Mobb D? Ooh. Damn, Chi, I hate the dude to see, bro.

Yeah, you get your body shot. Can I get a water? Yeah, yeah. I ain't open this. I ain't open this. I ain't open this. And I'm going to tell you why once again. Okay. I'm going to tell you why once again.

Well, don't get it twisted. Don't get it twisted. Pour your shots up, brother. I'm just throwing yours over there. The locks are special, special, special, special as they come. Solid. Queens. The locks are special as they come.

Wait, so what? He said both? I'm gonna roll with it. I make sense of it. Shots for shots sake. I make sense of it. Yo, this is my word. Debut album.

Well, damn, that's not true. That's not real. Because my mom, they had the infamous hell. No, no, no. They had the juvenile hell. They had juvenile hell. Juvenile hell. Juvenile hell.

Yeah. So that's not really the real deal. They had the juvenile hell. Juvenile hell. Juvenile hell. Juvenile hell. Juvenile, no, no. They had Juvenile Hell. DJ Premier. They had Juvenile Hell. Juvenile Hell. Yeah.

So that's not really their real name. Project Hotways. Because I'm looking at, you know what I'm saying, the Infamous album. You're looking at the Infamous. Yeah, as they did. It's a classic. A lot of people think that's the first, but that's not the first. Yeah, but it's not.

You know what I'm saying? The other one is dope, too, believe it or not, for the time frame. Yeah, yeah. No, no, no. You know saying that the other one is dope to believe it or not for the time frame But the infamous album the infamous album is equivalent is equivalent to Illmatic Now infamous is up if you know saying the infamous a masterpiece We got a little crazy. No, we didn't. No, we didn't. I think it's different versus a solo. No, we didn't. Let me tell you why. Let me tell you why, Dress.

No, we didn't. Let me tell you why, Dress. If you look at Juvenile Hell, Illmatic had to come out for them to make the Infamous. So you mean to step their game up? Yeah, they had to see how Nas changed the trajectory of the game for Infamous to be made. So Infamous came out clearly after?

It doesn't matter. They wasn't working on it at the same time? No, I don't think so. Nas changed us all. The way we rhymed, the way we looked like Nas, I got to give that to Nas, not taking anything away from R.D. But I'm from Left Break.

No, but I don't think so. I think that came out after. It might have been working around the same time. Yeah, because I'm like, I don't see where... Yeah, no. I don't see... Influence came out a year later. Yeah.

A full year later. I didn't have to Google that. That's in my heart right there. You know what I'm saying? No, no, no. I respect change. I respect it. I respect it, but it felt like them records were so close.

You know what I'm saying? I agree with you. I'm not disagreeing with you, but what I'm trying to tell you is Infamous wouldn't have been me without Illmatic. You know what I'm saying? I can agree with that. Because, like, I'm just being honest. Like, me growing up in Queens, being from Left Rock City,

but a lot of my, you know, I'm born and raised Left Rock, but a lot of my cousins and friends and people that I associate with people i play basketball with it was from queensbridge and i remember like there was a time where people thought like queensbridge was corny or queensbridge because of what care and i was like these things will kill y'all yeah yeah keep playing that's so crazy the fact that people think that shit like that is crazy. And then when L-Matic dropped, I remember I was in jail. I was in jail with L-Matic dropped, and I remember being so proud. I remember walking the yard that day. I just walked different.

Yo, I feel that. I was like, do y'all finally understand? I feel that. It was like, all right, cool. I feel that. Queen, queen shit. That shit went out the window. Right, right, right.

You see what I'm saying? Because he really painted Queens in a way Queens needed to be painted, especially after the bridge is over. Even though KRS was just talking about the bridge, he did take slight shots at Queens. So I feel like he rebuilt all of Queens. The image.

All of it. You know what I'm saying? Not just Queens Bridge. But great. We took a shot for that anyway. We don't even know who you picked. The locks are more up deep, but we... No, no, no. You went with more up deep. No, but great. We took a shot for that anyway. We don't even know who you picked, the locks or Mobb Deep, but we... No, no, no.

You picked Mobb Deep. No, you went with both. You went with both. No, he picked Mobb Deep. He picked Mobb Deep, okay. He's under duress. All right. His whole city's been under duress.

I feel like right now, I feel like right now, y'all both kind of playing me a little bit. I could see the locks picking Mobb Deep too, though. So, which one? I'm not even going to speak. Yeah, yeah. I'm see the locks picking on you, too, though. So, which one? I'm not even going to speak. Yeah, yeah. I'm going to let y'all play me right now.

No, no, no. Y'all done told me what I did. Come on, Dre. All right, so how about this one? I'm going to look at the reviews and find out what I did. It could have been easily both, though. MTV, raps, or video music box? Oh, you got to switch it from... I got to say,

even though Ralph is God, like he raised New York. Ralph raised New York, you know what I'm saying? And was the perfect gatekeeper. Ralph was the perfect gatekeeper. Like if Viacom doesn't hire that man and make him a big,

big executive, because he's the type of person that keeps the gate correctly. Please, whoever's in charge of anything up there, hire Ralphie Daniels. And we need him here in that chair right there. He uncleed all of us properly. But I'm going to take your MTV raps, because your MTV raps did something that Ralph couldn't do. And that was introduce us to Nebraska.

Right. They introduced us to Wisconsin. Wyoming. Homes. Yeah. Denver. Utah. Right, right, right.

Places that the block and that Ralph wasn't going to be able to bring us. Right. You know what I'm saying? Wait, hold on. I didn't know that. I was so young at the time. Ralph never syndicated? No, right, right, right.

Ralph was just New York. It was just New York. I never saw that. Really? I never saw that. I know. Ralph was so part of my childhood. I thought it was part of everybody's childhood.

As a student of culture, I know what it meant, but I never saw it. Yo, Ralph just raised us. Wow. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, right, right, right, right, right, right. Wow.

He just raised a trustee. You just fucked me up just now. He just raised a trustee. But he's the blueprint for an MTV rap, for a rap city. He is the blueprint for that.

I mean, to the degree, but he, they're the beginning of big business. They did the best they could. Right. You know what I'm saying? This is deep. This is deep, right?

You know what I'm saying? But they're the beginning, they're the beginning of, of syndication, to be honest, because they're the beginning of us losing power. You know what I'm saying? They being who? Word. They being the check cutters. But I'm saying, Who are we talking about?

We're talking about Yom TV. Though they did this, though they brought us to middle America, they're the beginning of us saying it's all about the money. It's the beginning of the end. The beginning of the mind. Turn that around.

They're the beginning of everything. Don't get it twisted. It kind of had to go there for us to... If a person understands what he's saying, turn that around. At the beginning, of everything, don't get it twisted, it kind of had to go there for us to... If a person understands what he's saying, this is mad deep right here. You know what I'm saying?

This is very deep. For it to go global, that's the beginning. For this to be here. Right. That had to happen. Almost like a sacrifice. You know what I'm saying?

Right, right, right. But in this moment, it's for us to learn our power You know what I'm saying In this moment we didn't recognize our power As we should The younger generation is recognizing it Much more as they've learned

How to monetize Every movement We had no idea That type of shit existed And it existed then It wasn't the internet But the relationships existed to be brokered.

Like, you know, like I did say that, you know, like, because Hammer wasn't us, maybe, that we kind of treated him wrong. But he was ahead of his time.

He was brokering the deal. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, we just wanted it to be official. Like, we didn't view it as official. But he was official where he was from.

Right. Which is the difference. Which was New York's problem. Which is important. Which was New York's. Which was why New York had to eat a little humble pie. If it wasn't on Hammer, they wouldn't have Pipey. I don't know.

I wouldn't do Paul. I mean, that's a different story. You didn't do Paul. You didn't do Paul. There was a fork in the road and you went that way. Weren't you out the window? You were out the window. No, but just to say,

like, yo, but just to say that, but that was the beginnings of, you know, of corporate. You know what I'm saying? And thank God. Like, these kids,

they figured it out. Like, these kids could take, if The Choice is Yours came out now, you know, it'd be worth $20 million. Right. I understand exactly what he's saying.

I never saw a tenth of what cats get. Yeah, it's true. These cats get $100,000. They don't go outside for less than $100,000. Right. I never made $100,000 for what? That's fire. You know what I'm saying?

That's just the truth. I'm proud of you young boys out there. I'm proud of you. But I know, but I know. We're on the backs of everything that's been happening by the people that came to this table. But I know, but I know

I'm responsible for bringing shit into middle America. I know they wouldn't get that money if I didn't do what I did. Right. You know what I'm saying? I like that attitude. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

No, no, it's all good because I'm still here. That's real shit. And I'm not do what I did. You know what I'm saying? I like that attitude. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's all good because I'm still here. That's real shit. And I'm not even finished. You know what I'm saying? I still got the energy. I'm good with it. But at the end of the day, my whole shit is this. I'm learning from them too. I'm learning how to monetize.

I'm learning how to take the jewels of the egg. And you're learning them too. What your page is really worth. As opposed to it being on everybody else's page what it's worth on your page little things like that moving forward You know say making sure all of your songs are Asked captain and registered and even even the little things, you know saying making sure because because that's your legacy You're saying the kid gets that and And even the independent albums that I've done

that people might not have heard of AWM from the Black Pool of Genius. I did an album with Jerobe from the Tropical Quest under the moniker Evertan. Three albums you might not have heard of. But eventually, I might not be here. People are going to go look, and they're going to be like, yo, this cat was crazy with it.

You know what I'm saying? And all that's registered, and who's going to get those listens on my monetized situation? My kids. You know what I'm saying? So we playing for real out here. You know what I'm saying? We playing for real out here.

Perfect question to the next question. Fab, Fab, or Ed Lover? Ed Lover. You know what? No disrespect to Fab But Fab's done a couple of sucker things That I ain't really dig You know what I'm saying You like to hear it

Here it go It's what it is You know me man I'm never getting out the basement I fuck with him But you know Sometimes cats do stuff that, you know, like... Fab Five you're talking about?

Yeah. Okay, what happened? This is what it is. I got reached out to by VH1, right? VH1 hits me, and they're like, yo, your song, you know, this is maybe, this is some years ago when they had the top 100, whatever. You know, their top 100. Like in the year? The year they doing it. Okay. They had it. And they, you know, like, yo, they're top 100. But like in the year or the year? The year they doing it.

Okay. They had it. And they, you know, like, yo, you made this list. You know, we want you to come down, you know,

top 100 hip hop records. Yo, this is my word. They told me it was number nine. Wow. Word up. That's fire. They told me that shit was number nine.

You know what I'm saying? And I was like, wow. Like, you know, like that shit meant a lot to me. Like, yo, that's so fucking number nine You know what I'm saying And I was like wow Like you know Like that shit meant a lot to me Like yo That's so fucking dope You know what I'm saying So I go

I do the interview The other y'all y'all y'all When the shit came out Shit was number 79 And executive producers Fab Five, Freddie The niggas that I met Around it

Like everybody around it Told me what it was He the only nigga That could've touched it And even when I saw him after I was like, yo You know, I owe you one right and he couldn't say nothing. I left it at that You know saying anything like I like I want to fight him and then but just to say like, you know, like yeah, whatever I take it alone Okay, you got deep I know It's what it is like and it's another thing like cats don't realize like yo

This is hip-hop, man. Right. Like, cats be quick to, you know, it's not about being politically correct all the time. Right.

It's always about being real. Right. You know what I'm saying? For real, for real. And I'm not coming at him. Like, at the end of the day, like, he did that. I ain't do the shit.

You know what I'm saying? Like, it ain't, it ain't, and I gotta be accountable for the shit I do, too. Like, you know, when I do something stupid, you know, like, like, you know, we come from the place where cats get punched in the chest for doing something stupid. You don't get killed. You don't get stabbed. You know, you get to go home and think about doing some dumb shit.

You know what I'm saying? And when you come back out, you do better. Right. Like, like, that's the object. The object is to be better. He's not beyond somebody punching him in his chest for doing some dumb shit. That's what it is.

80s or 90s hip-hop? Oh, come on. 90s. It was us. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, and if I may, yo, let me clear something up. When I said Mobb Deep, that album was equivalent to Illmatic.

And I said, yours is too. Kind of in a way, mine's is too. What I meant by that is, that's the bar. You know what I'm saying? And we spend the rest of our careers trying to at least meet the bar or supersede the bar. And we spend the rest of our careers trying to at least meet the bar or supersede the bar. But that's the bar. So when somebody looks at you,

that's what they think. They're thinking of you at your best. That's you at your best. You know what I'm saying? To the world. It might not be that to you, but to everybody else. When you look at Mobb Deep, when you look at Nas,

that's their best, and that's his best. And they spend, same with me, and so they spend the rest of their career trying to equate to that. And that's what I meant

when I said that that record is equivalent to that record. You know what I'm saying? To say that, at the end of the day, it's dope to hear what you said about Nas. Because I felt similar.

I'm from a story of projects. You know what I'm saying? I spent time in Ravenswood. I got friends. I've been in the community center in Queensbridge. You know, Sham Guard? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sham Guard, that's my man.

We was in elementary school together. That's my man Jeff. You know, like, you know, Russ and, you know, yeah. Shamgar, that's my man. We was in elementary school together. That's my man Jeff. You know, like, you know, Russ. You know, like those are cats I grew up with, you know what I'm saying? Like, they run through all of these projects that we both know. Right, right, right. You know what I'm saying? Russ is from Astoria, too.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And we was on the alley. But we was cats together. Wow. But just to say, and I can tell you Astoria off camera, but don't blow your mind. But just to say, but these are the things that we didn't see when we saw each other. When we first saw each other, you didn't see that in me.

Had no idea. And that's when I say, when we see each other, we don't see brothers. But we more brothers than we ever fucking realized. I'll make some noise for that. Yeah. Okay. Carl Canard or Cross Colors?

Yo, I hate... No, maybe stop. Yo, let me tell y'all something funny. That's hard. Let me tell y'all something funny. Let me tell y'all something funny. So I'm doing Arsenio, right? So I'm doing Arsenio.

This is the longest quick time we've spent. I'm doing Arsenio. Longer than the longest one we had. I'm doing Arsenio, right? And, you know, I'm about us as a community doing some shit that's dope, and I'm always going to support this, but it's got to be right. Right. You know what I'm about us as a community doing some shit that's dope, and I'm always going to support this, that, and the other, but it's got to be right.

Right. You know what I'm saying? So some cat I don't know, you know, I'm getting ready to go rock on Cineo. I'm dressed. I got, like, the Missoni shit. Like, cat's, yo, this is my word. I was, yo, Kanye, man, stop it.

You know what I'm saying? Like, yo, this is my word. I'm rocking the Missoni shit. I'm rocking the Missoni shit back then. You know what I'm saying? I'm yo, it's my world. I'm rocking the Missoni shit. I'm rocking the Missoni shit back then. You know what I'm saying? I'm going, yo, come on, man. Yo, it ain't for my Louis Vuitton. Yo, nigga, stop.

Yo, bitch, this is insane. Yo, listen. So I got the Missoni shit. I'm going on. So that's where my head is at. Like, I'm already there at that age. You know what I'm saying? Carl Canine somehow gets backstage at the thing.

At SUNY Hall. I think maybe he knew Shah, somebody. Yo, this dude comes up to me, he's like, yo, I bought you something, you know, The Rock's name.

I'm like, huh? I don't even know. What? And he pulls out this vest and that shit like goes all the way down to like, like, like,

to like, three quarter vest. N shit like goes all the way down to like, like, like, like to, to like three quarter of it. Like it was rocking the vest that goes almost just over your knees. Like, I'm like, you know, like this is my where I want to support this brother so badly. But like I said, I'm rocking. I'm a Sony sweater. And, you know, like, like, like I'm so beyond, you know, what he's presenting. And as he blew up and made millions of dollars, you know, I was happy for him. And God bless him.

But you never wore a vest. I'm from a different league of cats. Like, we rock, not even sheepskins, we rocking lambskins. Like, you know, I'm a different caliber of cat. Did you rock the vest? I think it's a no. No. No.

No. To this day, I've never owned, you know what I'm saying? And I hate that I didn't. But I would have been a sheep if I did. Not a black sheep. Like, that shit ain't my style. You know what I'm saying? And I've been doing me, like I said, I've been doing me from the door. I learned early that I'm good enough.

The choices yours taught me. Flavor of the Month taught me that. I'm good enough. I hope your record taught you that, the Month taught me that. I'm good enough. I hope your record taught you that too. You good enough. I hope this shit shows. We good enough. Don't ever feel like you got to conform to some shit. Nah, I'm good enough.

I already don't want to be in me. You know what I'm saying? I get it. It's black on. You're a designer, but this shit looks crazy. You know what I'm saying? In my opinion. So everybody that had it on, I'm not saying you look crazy,

you look fucking crazy. You know what I'm saying? Yo, this is my word. Niggas was running around with Fat Albert on their ass. Nigga, I've been rocking the same shit since... Yo, Kanye... Nigga. Yo, come on, man shit since, yo, Kanye's nigga. Yo, come on, man. Y'all already know what it is.

Yo, I'm saying, like, come on, man. Like, are we really? Like, I'm looking at cats like, y'all serious? Y'all like a Trinidad James freestyle right now. This shit crazy. This shit is just crazy. Yo, and that's just what I said.

Okay. Word is crazy. And that's not the shit on him, but have you ever heard of Freestyle? Good. Come on, man.

Okay, let's keep it a buck. Shot Kim or Chris Light? Oh, that's hard. Y'all got to drink for that. That's hard.

Jesus. I forgot I got a drink. I forgot we were drinking anymore. Like I said, I ain't trying to start no shit. I know the internet is very sensationalized and all that. But it is what it is. It's all over. No, no, no.

You got to take a shot. You ain't taking the ace of spades and a shot. Yeah, I saw that. But I'm trying to start. I'm trying to start. But let me say this, though. Just to counter some of the vibrato. Yo, like, your vocabulary is very good. That's that classic era hip-hop.

It's growing. Yeah, mine is growing. I've been Googling. I've been Googling some shit. But you know what? But you're devoted. I'm devoted. I'm trying.

Yo, this is my word from, like I said, man, I don't know you, but I know you. And I'm proud of you, man. That's my word. And I'm proud of you, man. That is my word from, like I said, man, I don't know you, but I know you. And I'm proud of you, man. That's my word. And I'm proud of you, man. That's my word. Because I see you. But you said both, right? Chris Lighty and Parker. We're trying to get through this.

And then we're going to get right back to the interview. This is actually not the interview, but it's an interview. Yeah, because we just asked a question. It's a quick time, but not quick. Quick time, yeah. Okay. All right. He said both.

Okay. B Street or Crush Groove? Oh, yo, I got to go. I got to go with Crush Groove. All right, yeah, nobody drinks. Nobody drink even with Crush Groove. Okay. Yeah, yeah, I mean.

Remo! I mean, because you know what? Yeah, I mean, like, run DMC. Like, the Queens aspect of it, like, I can see myself in it, man. Right. Okay. Norm, he's from Queens, actually. Yeah, so you're crazy, yo. Swipe, we from Queens.

Certainly. I knew you was this mine. But, look, I said, you don't listen to my lyrics. You don't listen to my lyrics. What I said, I said, I'm a strength to be the solo representative on the scene. I be the booming, bashing, clocking, crazy cash get come from Queens.

Woo! The solo represent... Strip... I said, Strip to be the solo representative on the scene in the Bronx, I'd be the booming, bashing, boom bashing, clocking, crazy cash get come from Queens.

Woo! Back then. Tell them. So, NWA or Public Enemy? He said Beach Beach. Ooh. He said Crush Enemy. Crazy cash can come from Queens. Back then. Tell them. NWA or Public Enemy? Ooh. Ooh. You know what?

That's going to lead to some weird dope, but y'all got to drink on that one. Okay. Okay, let's drink, man. You know why? But that's going to lead to some weird dope. And let me tell you the verses I want. No, no, no. I'll ask you the verses later, please. Oh, let's drink. You know why? But that's going to lead to some weird dope. And let me tell you the verses I want. No, no, no, come back to the verses later, please.

Oh, yeah? Okay. Come on up now. You're the most soberest, drunkest person I've ever had in my life. You know why you don't see much of me? This is why you don't see much of me. You know what much of me? This is why you don't see much of me. I love it. I love it. This is why you don't see much of me. You know, because you have to be like, man, I don't know about him.

So, Ice-T or Ice Cube? Ooh. That's another one. I got to go with Cube because the very first tour I ever went on was Ice Cube taking Black Sheep on tour. Whoa, that's an L bill. Yo, the very first tour, we got to go around the country.

Which version of Ice Cube is this? America's Most Wanted, Death Certificate? Which one? Which one is this? This is with the Lynch Mall. Woo! It was already popping, my dude. Yo, we had so much fun. Wow.

It started off. Black Sheep and the Lynch Mall. Yo, it was us, WC and the Man's Circle. We was the only New York group. And that's why they brought us to be the East Coast rep. It was us, WC and the Man's Circle, which was Coolio, Dub, you know what I'm saying? Delta Funky Homeless, who's Cube's cousin. And then Cube and the Lynch Mom.

And this small world, yo, like, we started off, and I bought a show in AG. I bought a show for Cube. Wow, that's an incredible. Like, yo, we had so much fun. I bought Show and A.G. I bought Show and A.G. I bought Show, bought Q. Wow, that's an incredible Like, yo, we had so much time. I was trying out kind of school. I couldn't. We drove, we drove, and this is the first time, like, this is the first time I have

my own tour bus, and, like, this is the first time it's happening. That was a national tour? Yeah, yeah, yeah, like, the t-shirt got, like, probably about 50 dates on it, you know what I'm saying? And, like, this is my work. We drove on the tour bus from New York. Me, Sho, QZ was on the bus with us.

We was on the bus. We started off in Phoenix. First day was in Phoenix. And just riding from New York to Phoenix for the first show. Like, we didn't fly there. We were on the bus with the driver. It's like 37 hours. Yeah.

It's an eternity. It was just like... You had bathrooms in the tour bus back then? Yeah. Justin Bennett? We just pee out the window. I thought it was a hole in the bus. It was an outhouse in the bus. But He thought there was a hole in the bus. It was an outhouse

in the bus. Yo, but the trip there was like the yellow brick road. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was like, yo,

this is about to happen. You know what I'm saying? Like, it was dope. Like, you know, and Showbiz is like one of my very best friends,

especially in the industry. Probably, probably my very, you know what I'm saying? Like, like we used to have a house together. So,

you know, I brought him out and Show would be like, you know, like that was his first tour. And this was when they, you remember when I'm saying? Like, we used to have a house together, so, you know, I brought him out, and Show would be like, you know, like, that was his first tour, and this was when they, you remember when Show had the red cassette tape that had Party Groove, the very first version?

Just clap your hands. Yeah, the Party Groove. It was during that? That was, they would just, Let's pick up Show business. Let's make some noise. Show business. I said, I hear you.

I'm staring. I'm staring right there. They would just, did Show drop that out? They hadn't the noise. Showbiz and A. That's Sam. That's Sam. They were just, the show dropped that out. They hadn't dropped yet. It was just coming up. It was just about to come out. Soul Clap. The album was just about to come out.

Party Groove. Those were records. In fact, yeah, I don't think it was out yet because I know we probably would have been like, yo, come rock. You know what I'm saying?

Like, yo, yeah. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and bestselling author and meat eater founder Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here.

And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

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

Brent Smith from Shinedown. We got B-Real from Cypress Hill. NHL enforcer Riley Cote. Marine Corps vet. MMA fighter. Liz Karamush. What we're doing now isn't working, and we need to change things. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them.

It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad-free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good Plus

on Apple Podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core.

It's this idea that there 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. Okay, so this one, I don't know where you're going to go with this one. Scarface or G-Rap? Wow! Oh, that hurts!

That literally hurts! Like, I play golf with Scarface. Like, I'm going to have a golf... I respect the floss. I respect the floss. I respect the floss. That was some rich nigga shit right there, you know what I mean? He's nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, yeah, I'm going to know what I mean? He's nice. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, yeah, I'm going to have a golfer. Oh, okay. And, yeah, yeah, me and Face get it in. Like, yo, he's nice, too. He can play a little game. But we talking about G-Rap. Damn. And G-Rap's from where?

Oh, damn. Yeah, let me see. You know what? This is This is a hard one Because I can look at it Like G-Rap's personal influence Is Greater than Scarface's personal influence

On me, but I'm able to Kind of step back from it and look at Both of their personal influence On hip-hop You. But I'm able to kind of step back from it and look at both of their personal influence on hip-hop. You know what I'm saying? And to that regard, I'm really, really going to have to give

it by a millimeter to... It's actually very close. It's very close. Right, right. But by that give it by a millimeter to face. It's actually very close. It's very close. Right, right. But by that regard, by a millimeter, I'm going to have to give it to face only, only, only because, only because of this. Every head,

every head knows both of them and loves both of them. The only place where one is really greater than the other is females that don't necessarily mess with hip-hop. Like a little rap, but don't necessarily mess with hip-hop. Like a little rap,

but don't necessarily mess with hip-hop. You lost me on that one a little bit. A little bit. And I'm going to bring full circle. Scarface has made songs that get in rooms that G-Rap's songs haven't. Okay. Talk Like Sex is not going to get

in the same room that, you know, that G-Rap songs haven't. Okay. Talk Like Sex is not going to get in the same room that, you know, the some of... Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary. What's the Hood record that's... Oh, My Block. Right, right, right, right, right, right. Like...

You talking about the Ghetto Boys record? Yeah, right, right, right, right. Not My Plain Tricks, but... Scarface Solo. Oh, My Block,? Yeah, right, right, right. Not Mind Playing Tricks, but Scarface Solo. Right, right, right. That's a record that G-Rap really doesn't have. You know what I'm saying?

And they both got heads, but my block is going to get the person that doesn't really fuck with us. G-Rap doesn't have that song. If you don't fuck with hip-hop, if you don't fuck with rap, G-Rap doesn't really have the song that's going to pull you in.

But Face has a few records that if you don't fuck with us, but I like that record. Right. You know what I'm saying? You see G-Rap didn't come out for the face, for the verses. A lot of people were spreading rumors and saying like,

he's kind of hard to work with. I've worked with G-Rap and it's always been a blessing for me. He didn't come out for who though? For Kane.

For Kane? Yeah. So, I mean, was he invited? Yeah. I'm sure he was. Well, Karis One said he declined.

That was Karis One's exact words. Well, he said that kind of in the midst of the battle. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, but, you know. In the midst.

It wasn't a condom. Yeah. But, you know, like, I hear you, but I wouldn't be too deep into it to say that G's a real one. You know, he might have been busy. Right. Okay. You know, like, he's. That would have been hell.

If it would have came out, that would have been busy. All right. Okay. You know, like, he's... That would have been hell. If it would have came out, that would have been crazy. It would have been, but, you know, but... He was too busy for that. He wasn't too busy. No, no, no. He wasn't too busy for that. But he might have been.

Life is real, man. Oh, well... This is what I'm saying. If you're talking about his general life, yeah, yeah. Life is real. Like I'm saying, he really might have been busy. Right. You know what I'm saying?

Like, you know, trust me. Like,'m saying, he really might have been busy. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, trust me, like, you know, it's, like sometimes we get so caught up in our perception of what we think something should be.

I'm not saying, certain shit too, it's like, I might be busy, but like drink champs is like, But the reason why this is why I say that.

Yeah, but I'm probably, maybe hip hop isn't his priority right now. Obviously, obviously Kane isn't the one to make the call because it's Kane's record

and Kane doesn't want to benefit from it. But when KRS once said, um, we invited G-Rap and he declined, like, Kane was supposed to immediately come out on that next record

and be like, he didn't decline, but Kane didn't address it at all. So it just makes you just say, that's the truth. KRS said it. Well, maybe the truth is he declined.

That's what I'm saying. But he declined for his own reasons. Maybe he's with his kids. Maybe he's with his family. Maybe someone's in the hospital. Who cares? I was trying to lead up to it earlier. We've become, and I say this

about everybody, us included, we've become fragile a little bit. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Society has become fragile. Yeah, like, you know what I'm saying? To the degree that, you know, like, right now, the word, and it's not poking holes, I'm just, because it's there.

Decline. He declined. Right. There's nothing negative about that. Right. There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing negative about it. You have to put decline and say

word. Take a word and say it's a positive and negative. I don't think decline would fall into positive. I don't think it's falling into positive neither. That's right. I think it'd be a neutral word. Are y'all bugging? It all depends on where you put the word. For lack of a better term.

It all depends on where you put the word. It depends who you decline into. Are you going to jump off the roof? Yeah, he declined. Like, for lack of a better term. G-Rap's been invited to drink champs from day one. You know what I'm saying? Yo, yo, you going to jump off the roof?

I decline. All right, yeah. Like, it all depends on where you put the word. Right. Like, every time. But it's negative to the jumping off part. Yeah. All right, let me ask this one last time. But it's negative to the jumping off part. Yeah. All right, let me ask you one last one,

and I'm going to jump back into that. Yo, y'all been freaking for a minute. If I'm your dad, that's negative for me. I just want to know. There's one last one, and then we're going to jump back into that. Okay. Jumping.

Preem or Lars Bro? Preem or Lars Bro? Ooh. Do you know my Lars Bro story? This is where your queen is tested. He got to go against Queen. Do you know my Lars Bro story? This is where your queen is tested He gotta go against queen Do you know my large pro story? I got another one

Do you know my large pro story? I don't know if y'all know my large pro story We obviously don't know your large pro story It's a good place for it I guess This is the place for the stories Before I choose I'm going to tell y'all this story Yeah, this is the place for the stories. Yes, please. Why stop now? All right, why stop now? All right, all right. Before I choose, I'm going to tell y'all this story. Okay.

It's a real story. I'm sorry. It's a real story, and it's one that was right under your noses. Okay. But a lot of my shit is kind of like that, though. Right under his nose, for real. Come on, let's go. Pete this.

Pete this. When I first get back from Carolina, when I first get up here, my pops used to be A heroin dealer Pretty Fair sized heroin dealer Right there in the bland In Flushing

You know what I'm saying And Big family The Vargas family So when I first get back I'm I have an inclination You know

Towards music You know what I'm saying But I'm not sure What I want to do But I'm like Yo pop I really like this hip hop stuff This that and the other

You know like I would love to kind of Find my way into it. My pop is like, yo, you got to go find this kid. Go find this kid. I'm cool with his father. His father's like a family friend. Go find him.

Tell him that I sent you to find him. He's going to help you. Right. Right? Wait, this is your father telling you? This is my father telling me. I'm telling my father. It's like some golden child shit. Like, go find the person. Go find his dude This is my father telling me. I'm telling my father. You sound like some golden child shit. Like, go find the person.

Go find his dude. And then everything will happen. I'm cool. I'm cool with his father. His father knows who I am. You know what I'm saying? I've been around him and his father. His father knows our family.

Go find him. He's in this stuff. He'll help you. This is before I'm in the studio with Native, all this, this is for Long's ear, all this. So when I find a large professor, who my father told me to go find, I'm trying to explain to him.

You say he wasn't a large professor, though, right? He was a professor. I mean, you know, but he was a professor then. You know, like, yeah. You know, yeah. So, I mean, before, yeah, yeah. You know. But, um...

So you find him? I find him. And... On Jamaica Avenue? No, no, where do I..., but, um. So you find him? I find him. And. On Jamaica Avenue? No, no, it was in the city. Okay. I see him in the city. And, um, and because he, because he was cool with tipping him, you know what I'm saying?

Like, this is when I'm just, just starting to meet some guys. I think, I think I'm, no, no, no, this is before, this is before tipping him. Okay. I bump into him in the city. What was the situation? I forgot what the situation was, but somebody puts me on to him. And I'm like, oh, shit, my pops been sending me to look for you. I just came from North Carolina, this, that, and the other.

And all he heard was, I just came from North Carolina. And everything else must have sounded like, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah. You know what I'm saying? Because when I said, you know, my pops sent me to find you, I just came, rah, rah, rah, rah, rah. You know what I'm saying? Because when I said, you know, my pops told me to find you, I just came from Carolina, just said, yo, I'm trying to do this music shit. Like, he was like, yo, like, for real, like, he really played me like, listen.

You just made his face like it was. Like, yeah, like, yo. Like, country, like, country, hold up, hold up. He said country. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was country, like country. Hold up, hold up. He said country. You know what I'm saying? Like that was the whole demeanor. And I kind of got it because we did it to country cats later. And, you know, like New York really, really was awesome shit.

Yeah, y'all fucked with us, man. Yeah, we did. And we was wrong. We appreciate that shit. I've been defending us for years. Don't come on here. We already get so great. We got to be accountable. I respect that. We on. We're going to get so great. We got to be accountable.

I respect that. We did. We did. And I did too. And I was wrong. You know what I'm saying? But just say like nonetheless. So he plays me like that.

You know what I'm saying? And so I have no idea how I should move forward. So I just bounce off it. Like, all right, cool. You know, all right. Well, I ain't mean to bother you, man. I go back to my father. I'm like, yo, he is not going to help me. There's no way in the world he's gonna help me like he played me like

like i was just some sucker so my father was like what and then i'm keeping it a buck my father said you know what his father could be funny sometimes too don't even worry about it so this is my father's words the ag you know it's what it is. So, I bounce off of it. You know, all right, cool. I go on to, you know, I want to get in trouble. This, that, and the other. You know, beat long later.

This, that, and the other. All the native tongue stuff happens. This, that, and the other. So, fast forward. I got the record out. Flavor, choice. Faking the funk comes out. Now, I know who he is because my father, this is the guy my father sent me.

I don't know if he knows that I'm the dude that ran up on him all that time back. But I know who he is. You know what I'm saying? My father sent me. I'm proud of him. Like, you know, like, and I'm cool that, like that. My father, like, yo. So you faking the funk came out?

Faking the funk. Isn't that on the white man can't jump sound track? It's main source. It's for people that don't know we gotta talk yeah no doubt i don't know large professor i mean meet the exotic you know what i'm saying that's fam um you know like comes out and i i buy the record like like that's how much that's a crazy record by the way phenomenal record now that's why the shit i'm to say, hurts even more. You know what I'm saying? Like, yo. So, yeah, right, right? I don't know where you're going, by the way.

You know, I was crushed. You know what I'm saying? So, I buy the record. You know what I'm saying? Literally, supporting it to that degree. When the record gets on two minutes and 50 seconds, if you go on YouTube right now, two minutes and 50 seconds faking a funk,

your hair, just turn it up. Now, listen. listen, right under it, now listen, now listen. And I kept putting that shit back, and I'm like, that sounds so much like it's me from Hose We Knows. This nigga put my voice under faking the funk. Even the line, now ring the bell, that's some shit I used to rhyme on Prince and Roosevelt when we called a four bagger, if you called a four bagger, you hit the stops I ring the bell, some more cornball war story, ring the bell, I'm like, I'm going

to kill this nigga, you know what I'm saying, like because what happened was this I hustle where you live and I've never seen you ever. Because he's on Flushing too, y'all.

He's from walking distance from where I hustled for years. Yeah. Got felonies there. Yeah. Never seen this nigga in my life. Now, unbeknownst to me, so crush me. I'm fat. Now, nobody else in my life. Now, unbeknownst to me, so crush me,

I'm fat. Now, nobody else knows my war, including him, but faking the funk is far from my war. You know what I'm saying? Like, how dare you? I'm disgusted. Disgusted to the degree that, to me,

it's beyond a record because I hustle where you're from. You know what I'm disgusted. Disgusted to the degree that, to me, it's beyond a record because I hustle where you're from. You know what I'm saying? You've got to be out of your fucking mind. It's beyond a record. So eventually, oh, my man's here. So eventually, I got it out for you.

I'm pissed at this dude. So eventually, I'm going to bump into him. Eventually. So eventually, I'm on 145th and 8th. You know what I'm saying? So eventually, I'm like, I'm going to bump into him eventually. So eventually, I'm on 145th and 8th. You know what I'm saying? Harlem. Harlem.

Right next to Willie Burke. It's like 2, 3 in the morning. It's like 2, 3 in the morning. I'm with my man Q's sitting right next to me. We're in a 7 Series BM. You know what I'm saying? I look to my left.

Who do I see? It's a large professor. At the light. We had a red light. It's a large professor at the light. We had a red light. It's a large professor in Aconela. Ah. So, yo, so before the light changes, I'm like,

Q, this nigga. You know what I'm saying? Before the light changes, I pull my car out and I cut his car off at the light. Right at the light. He can't even move forward. 145th and 8th in the middle of the street, I got his car cut at the light. Right at the light. He can't even move forward. 145th and 8th in the middle of the street, I got his car cut off like I'm a cop.

I get out of the car. Huge show. Get out of the car, walk around to his window. I'm like, his eyes are as big as saucers, like, you know, like, what the fuck is happening? I'm like, what up yo what up op yo um listen professor did you did you sample my voice on faking the funk he's like huh i'm like wait a minute did you sample my voice on faking the funk

and he's looking at you you know, he looks around, he looks at the scenario. And he looks at me like, I'm sure he never imagined this day. You know what I'm saying? And he's like, no. He looks at me like, no. And, like, in that moment,

in that moment, I'm glad he said that Glad he denied it. I'm glad he denied it. Okay, because Had he said yeah, this is my word. I was so mad at him. I Was gonna pull him out the window like that's there's no ifs ands or buts about it I'm gonna let you finish but this is a sample of like a Like a problem? Yeah, you was mad because he sampled it on that song. I love how she jumped in. The intervention. He's the intervention.

He's the intervention. This nigga's crazy. So you felt like he was trying to... Because he... From the little kid shit, I'm telling you, this shit got... He like fucked that nigga.

That's what it is. But what I'm saying, did you feel like he just shouldn't have sampled you, or because how he used it? I wasn't mad at him about the It wasn't homage to sample you? It wasn't, like, dope for you to be sampled? At one point, I thought that was homage.

Actually, I'm asking you. You could have been like, yo, that was dope. I don't know. Yo, let me tell y'all, right now, I'm a little disappointed in y'all. I'm a little disappointed in y'all right now. I didn't think you were mad at me. I'm a little disappointed in y'all right now. I'm a little disappointed in y'all right now. That's my word. I didn't think you meant it.

I'm going to get a little bit right. That's my word. Because y'all know goddamn well what hip-hop is and what hip-hop's not. And y'all know the shots niggas were taking. What? So you felt he was taking shots at you? You felt he was taking shots at you? Just the temperature of the climate of hip-hop.

Oh, at that time. At that time, at least. Okay. Faking the funk. Oh, you meant... He felt like he was saying you was faking the funk? Oh. Talking that gang...

But you felt that by saying that he was dissing you? I just said I had a rhyme when I was hustling where I say ring the bell. This nigga said sex on the wall, war story, ring the bell. This nigga got my voice under it. It's my voice. It's my faking

a funk. I don't know, man. This is crazy. Are you not reading too much into it? On top of it, I hustle. On top of it, I hustle. I hustle where this nigga is saying that he's from.

He's claiming flushing. Right. All right? And, you know, and claim flushing. Right. It's all love. Y'all are going to like where it goes. Right.

But I'm telling you all where it was. Okay. All right? So, you know, claim flushing is all good. But at the end of the day, like, brother, I rep flushing. You know what I'm saying? It's a difference. Right. You know what I'm saying? It's a difference claiming something than re flushing. You know what I'm saying? It's a difference. Right.

You know what I'm saying? It's a difference between claiming something and repping something. Right. You know what I'm saying? I rep flushing. You know what I'm saying? And so, you know, so I was letting them know, like, yo, you must be out of your mind. And the fact that you denied it said everything.

Because if it was any of what y'all talking about, ain't nothing wrong with saying, yeah, I did that. Yeah, I did that. Yeah, okay. I get what you're saying now. Or did I do something wrong? Yeah. Right. You know, but no.

Maybe it was you pulling up in front, out the street. Maybe it's not the time to say, yeah, I did that. Maybe, maybe, maybe. Maybe I'll call you later and say, oh, no. Maybe it was the red in your eyes. You better have red in your eyes. I just told you I think he did the right no. Maybe it was the red in your eyes. You better have red in your eyes. I just told you I think he did the right thing. No, he absolutely did the right thing.

I just told you I think he did the right thing. But later he told you. But I didn't do the wrong thing. It was what I thought it was. Right, right, right. You know what I'm saying? So when you listen to it, you know, you're going to hear, now listen, now listen.

So I asked him, yo, did you sample my voice? And he's like, nah. And in that moment, I was like, yo, if you didn't sample my voice, then you ain't nobody. Right. Because somebody sampled my voice. Right. Word.

Word. But if it wasn't you, then you ain't nobody. I'm talking to whoever did that. Word. They would be able to stand by that. Word. And I got back in my car.

You know what I'm saying? But every time I seen him after that, that nigga couldn't get a pound from me. If he swore at my niggas, I'd be like, fuck that nigga. Yo, anyway, this, that, and the other. And that'd be the things that cats thought that they could do

to me on the low. On the low, cats thought that that would be my walk, and it'd be funny when a cat that thinks that they don't fuck with you realize that they can't fuck with you. Woo! You know what I'm saying? And that's a little more my walk than cats ever

realize. But I don't talk a lot. You know what I'm saying? Unless I's a little more my walk than cats ever realize. Right. But I don't talk a lot. Right. You know what I'm saying? Unless I'm on drink champs. That's what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying? But this is my work. He's sober drunk right now.

No, no, no. I'm going to bring this full circle. I'm telling you. This ain't nothing but the truth. If I tell you the story a hundred times,

I'm going to tell you exactly the same thing. Ain't nothing but the truth. So now I'm mad at him, you know what I'm saying, because I feel like he disrespected me. And I'm not speaking on it because I don't want it to become something that everybody's like, yo, because now I got to do something to you. Be it record or as mad as I was, you know what I'm saying. And I know niggas that got him under pressure where he lives. Like, it's that deep.

Like, you know what I'm saying? But anyway, I'm like, yo, I don't want to be, I was mad at him for a while. I wound up leaving New York, going to Carolina and coming back. And when I came back, Professor was one of the first people I saw when I got back. And this is my word in my heart. I didn't want to be mad at him. In my heart, I was like, yo, my father sent me to find him like in my heart

even though I felt like he tried to play me you know what I'm saying he didn't know me he didn't know he didn't know himself to do that shit you know what I'm saying because if he didn't know himself he would have never done that shit you know what I'm saying because Because if he didn't know it himself, he would have never done that shit.

You know what I'm saying? Because at the end of the day, like, you ain't getting props off of, off of that shit. In my eyes, the person that you

focus that shit at. Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, nigga, I'll walk through that shit. You know what I'm saying? And, and,

and I'll prove who was faking the funk if anybody was. But I don't want to do that. I don't want to be mad at you no more. So I see him at a DJ, at a gig in Manhattan, and I walk up to him in the DJ booth. Uptown.

Yeah, yeah. This is literally a year or two later. Okay. You know what I'm saying? I don't want down south, came back, but I don't want to be mad. Every time I saw him, I would just be on some bullshit with him.

And I'm the type of cat, I wanted to make him mad enough to want to fight me, so I could bust his ass. Like, that's literally the type of shit I'd be on. Definitely a crazy thing. You know what I'm saying? But he did that. I didn't do that.

Right, right. You know what I'm saying? Like, that'd be my shit. I'm one of those dudes, like, once you break the, I didn't do that. You know what I'm saying? That be my shit. I'm one of those dudes, like, once you break the... I'm the wrong person. And Drexler had the nerve to talk about Tupac, bro. I'm one of those people who wants you to break the rules. Like, you know how people break the rules,

but then want you to play by the rules? I'm one of those people, like, I make it blatantly obvious, once you break the rules, there ain't no fucking rules now. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's me. And that's why I don't like to get put in fucked up positions. But nonetheless,

so I walk up to him and I'm like, yo, my dude, I don't want to be mad at you no more, man. Like, yo, this is my world. Like, we was kids. I don't think you meant that.

And honestly, I don't want to be looking at you like I want to do something to you. I don't. You know what I'm saying? So I want to apologize for the energy that I was coming at you and you could see the relief in him you know saying this and the other he was like yo yo that's cool man this and the other like you know like it's almost

like he wanted to apologize but in apologizing he didn't have to admit it yeah so he didn't but it's cool but just to say um but he gave me his number and I appreciate it I was like yo that's so dope like like I'm definitely reach out like like I appreciated it I was like yo That's so dope Like I'm definitely Reach out Like I thought it was cool That he trusted My energy In doing that

You know he gave me His number Like now I can get up With him Like my dad Wanted me to Type shit I feel good about

Having his number So I call him You know And we talking This and the other And he invites me Over to his crib And when I go to his crib,

I didn't know where he lived, but he lives in the car lot. No, no, no. I didn't know where he lived, but this is where he lives. No, no, no. Drinking. Yo. I found out he lived in the car lot.

At what? At this time or still? Now you're living. Okay, all right. He doesn't live anywhere. He doesn't live anywhere. All right. All right.

Yo. This is dope, right? Go ahead. This is dope. No, nigga, you crazy. He like, yo. So I found out, you know, like he reminds me of the car lot at the time. Right. So I go over there and, you know, like, he reminds me to call out at the time. So I go over there and, you know,

we sit and we're talking. And I tell him how my father sent me to find him. And, you know, like, he's like, oh, shit. Like, it's almost like, you know, like, it's almost like when I came, you know, like, like, like,

like, he literally played like I was from Carolina. Like, that shit came in and out. You know what I'm saying? So, like, it's almost like when I came, you know, like, he literally played like I was from Carolina. Like, that shit came in and out. You know what I'm saying? So, like, he had no idea. And then I started talking to him about, you know, about me being in the bland and, you know, growing up in the bland. You know what I'm saying? And this and the other. He starts telling me about him growing up in the bland and this and the other.

Then he goes in the back. His father had just died. God bless him. You know what I'm saying? Yeah he goes in the back, his father had just died. God bless him, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, God bless his pop. His father had just died, and he goes in the back, and he's packing up a bunch of stuff, and he goes in the back, and he's playing me beats, which I was amazed that I'm listening to beats

that Professor's playing for me, you know, like, after all this time. He goes in the back and he comes back with a picture. And he says to me, he sends me a picture, he said, yo, this is my pop he's like with his best friend you know who this is i said yeah that's my uncle raymond my father's younger brother he's like that was my dad's best friend you know what i'm saying and uncle raymond was passed away as well no oh okay no no no my uncle ray Raymond's still alive. Okay, okay. But my Uncle Raymond was his father's best friend.

Right. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's how we were kids together in the fucking big park in Flushing. Wow. There's pictures, there's literally pictures of us as kids. Flushing Meadow Park? No, Flushing in Bland. Okay, okay. The park in the project. Okay, yeah. You know what I'm saying?

Like, there's literally pictures of us as kids. Wow. You know what I'm saying like there's literally pictures of us as kids so again when I say when we look at each other what we see and what we don't see we family man we much more family than

than systemically induced realities. You know what I'm saying? We family, and we got to stop the bullshit. Every time we look at each other, that's what we got to see. We got to start moving together. We got to start pooling our resources.

We family, man. And it's like life is taking me on so many missions for me to come full circle and be face to face with myself. Right. Right. I'm sitting with fucking large professors. We done went on this whole shit. And we was there from the beginning. Crazy.

Would you ever do a versus against Dice Effects? Yeah. Me and Dice Effects is my favorite show. I love rocking shows with Daz FX. Right. Yeah, hell yeah. Yeah? Yeah.

I'd do a versus against anybody. I could care less. Really? I would do a versus versus the whole Wu-Tang by myself. You know what I'm saying? I'd lose. No, no, no, no. I'd lose.

I'd lose, but I'm just saying, like, I'm, you know, like, yeah, yeah. I'd go against, like, the biggest, you know, like, battle rapper. I'm not a battle rapper. But, like, I find putting myself in situations as an emcee, like, exhilarating. Like, every time I've been on a record with a bunch of MCs, like, that shit is a test of your mettle. You know what I'm saying? And I take it as such. Like, this is my word.

And not to sound like that, but I think every MC needs this in them. Like, you can't. There's not a record that I've ever been on with other MCs that I'm not dominant on. At least to you, in your opinion. No, it doesn't exist. Right. That's work. Like, period.

And if it does, point it out. And not to say that I dominated it, but that I'm not dominant. You know what I'm saying? I'm not saying that I'm the one, but on any record I'm on with other cats, I'm dominant. You know what I'm saying?

You'll look at me and you'll be like, that's one of the standout verses on that record. Bar none. Bar no record that I'm on with other people. Earlier, I stopped you for a second. I think you said the ultimate verses that you will want to see. And who was that? Who were the ultimate verses that you will want to see?

Besides you battling anybody, you said. Native tongue versus death row. And for the reason being, the diversity that's missing. How about can I give a better one? Still native tongue. You ready? Native tongue versus dungeon family. That would be cool. Native Tongue versus Dungeon Family.

That would be cool. Because Death Row's really not here no more. Like, Suge, everything deteriorated. They probably wouldn't come together as Death Row. But the Dungeon Family,

Outkast, Goody Mob, who else am I missing? Who else is in the Dungeons family? Come on. Sleepy Brown. Yeah. That would be dope.

Organized noise. Yeah, it would be dope. And it would definitely be... And it's kind of like, I feel like Native Tongue passed the torch to the Dungeons family. Because I feel like

Outkast is kind of like the new tribe. Kind of like a different version of tribe. Yeah, you know what? They did something that I wish we had done. Meaning? Meaning that I wish we had been a microcosm of the records we made.

Like we made these records about black empowerment. We made these records about unity, about pooling our resources, about education, about educating our seeds, about being parents, about pooling our resources, about education, about educating our seeds, about being parents, about being a family unit, about staying together and moving the culture forward. And then we didn't set the example that we asked the people to do. There's supposed to be a native tongue tour in which there's supposed to be native tongue distribution. You're supposed to have,

the native tongue tour is supposed to have native tongue water to motherfucking, to the seat covers. It's supposed to be something so prolific. Native tongue is supposed

to be something so prolific. It's not too late, man. It's not too late. But I've been saying this for a long time and the parties that need to step up need to step up, man. Like, you know, like, it is what it is. But ultimately, like, it's like, yo, like...

What, what, what? Say what you got to say. Nah, like... Like, yeah, I mean, you know, some of us are, and some of us, you know, need to get with it. But nonetheless, like, it's like, yo, like, we made records about exactly what we're talking about right and the dungeon family kind of has kind of step like like they did what they were supposed to they got on they positioned themselves on our shoulders and took it a little higher

that's what you're supposed to do that's what we're all supposed to do inspire each other right no doubt and you know so for that aspect i think think it's dope. It's a celebration of our community. I think it's dope on the verses. But the reason I went to verses with something so in contrast is because it's verses. You know what I'm saying? And to say this, that, like, cats, it's a little bit like the Tupac that I just spoke to a little earlier. I'm not trying to take away from them. But cats have brought into an analysis or air quotes definitely a reality that could never be reality.

And literally to the degree that they were afraid of it. Like, what? Like, I'm a little disappointed in how we've been moving as a community. Like, the gang culture and all that stuff. Like, you know, like a lot of my thought process, I don't say a lot. And the reason I don't say a lot, because my answer to it is I'm a fucking grown up. You know what I'm saying? if you 40 plus it's time for you to be an example of something other than than other than

you know what I'm saying and if you didn't grow up in something don't go seeking something you know what I'm saying like be strong enough to lead everyone Don't go seeking something. You know what I'm saying? Like, be strong enough to lead everyone.

Everyone. You know what I'm saying? And I'm going to say something else. And I don't know what it's worth because this is a question. Yo, what's going on in Chicago is crazy. It's crazy. And what's even crazier to me, and like I said, this is not a shot. This is something I sincerely wonder.

Like, is that the home of Farrakhan? Is that the home of the nation? That's where he's from right I'm asking Because in my opinion The two are correlated And I'm not seeing the correlation And I say that to say That I'm just as accountable

For what's going on here Like we gotta step up in front of cats. We got to start being willing to stand for something. You know what I'm saying? If the person you respect, you respect because

of their salary, then you're a fucking idiot. You know what I'm saying and somebody needs to be telling you that and if ain't nobody telling you that allow me for real like yo like we need to

stop some of the stuff that we doing myself included like I'm trying to be a better person a better father a better all the above and it don't come where we from it don't come easy I was 40 years old when I found out what a nuclear family meant. You know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't even know

what it meant. And I'm not a stupid person, but I was 40 years old when I found out what a nuclear family meant. The most important thing in our community is our families. And they've broken that down. They've taken that away from us that's what we need to be fighting for we don't need to be fighting for nothing else but our families and the broken ones need to be fighting to fix themselves like it's worth it it's us as a father today i make sacrifices that I wish my father had made for me. That I wish, you know what I'm saying? And that's not a shot in him.

He's a result of what all our fathers are a result of. You know what I'm saying? Playing the hands that they got dealt. But at the end of the day, as I've been playing my hand, I've learned that there was some sacrifices that was worth taking. There was some shit

that was worth not doing or not being to stay put. Or if you know better act better. Period. Yo, this my word.

Sometimes you don't know better. But some people know better and don't act better. Know better, act better. But sometimes you don't know better but you know right from wrong you know saying like like i didn't always have a a moral compass that's why i missed fife fife had a moral compass fife made me better by just being around him fife was the kind of cat if we all jumped the turnstile fife wouldn't jump it.

And I was stupid enough to think that the first time it happened that he was scared. But that was me being stupid. He just had a moral compass. Some people do the right thing when nobody's looking. That was Fife.

You know what I'm saying? But that shit don't really exist, you know, when you're young and you're rambunctious and you willing to roll the dice you know saying so you roll the dice every chance you get you look forward to getting the dice you know saying and so like as you get older and you start seeing cats that

got a little bit of fiber to them that stand for something you know saying that that are loyal to a fault because that's who they are you know like that means something to you and it means something in life you know and i'm talking a lot you know like i said you know but at the end of the day i'll ask you one question right because why did you guys name the group black sheep you know know great question because you know I forget I bring up fight I think fight said this line is like bad guys we're black bad cats is bad luck bad black magic then you name it black sheep and black sheep is the one that stands out right now what their base third race okay I'll go that was the white guy um no. No, it wasn't search. It was the other one.

Pete, be nice. No, it was search. It was search. Okay, all right. I don't know why. Yeah, okay. What were you the black sheep of when you thought of that? The natives.

Like, when we did the demo, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, we realized the power of the clique we was in. Like, this is my word, man. Those cats are was in. Like, this is my word, man. Those cats are so powerful. Yo, this is my word. Like, couldn't have better big brothers, right? Like, I've learned so much artistically from them. Just to say, so we coming out with an album.

We working on music. We in this clique. Like, these are some dope cats. We have to find a way To by We're doing the same process We all produce In the same kind of way But we have to find a way

To be as dope as them But not sound like them Like stand out You know what I'm saying Like you know like And so at the end of the day Like you know like If you looked at

And this was just being true To what we saw If you looked at Dayla Dayla was just being true to what we saw. If you looked at De La, De La was kind of hippie-ish, even though they didn't want you to call them hippie-ish, but, you know, they're kind of really free-flowing. Tribe was kind of the same, you know what I'm saying? A little bit more kente cloth, but, you know, at the same time, all of that, you know, jungle was much more fatigues and even before there was fashion, you know what I'm saying? Like they definitely was, you know, heavy, heavy on the fatigues and whatnot. So, you know, at the time, this is my word, like I had like before I sold it, like I had jewelry and, you know, like I'm, you know, fucking little Gumby and Curly and all of this shit, you know what I'm saying? And, you know, I'm much more of a, you see more of a current street.

Not to say hard, but to say, the clique I came up with in New York, our goal was to be able to fit in. Lord, you know, big shout out to Lord C. Shaw, you know what I'm saying, Shorty Black, you know what I'm saying, Steve-O, God bless, you know what I'm saying, Ross, you know,

JR, Pop. Yo, just to say, all of the cats I just said, we all dressed to get in. Now, we all dress to get in. Now, when I say to get in, it didn't matter what the function was. But I know what Carl Canale offered me, I wasn't getting in, though.

You know what I'm saying? If you notice me throughout my entire career, I was dressed to attend. Right. It didn't matter what it was. I was good. You know what I'm saying't matter what it was. I was good. You know what I'm saying? And that's the clique I came from.

We was getting in that room. You know what I'm saying? Oh, that's how you got to get, that looked to get in that room? And that's from the door. That's where I came from. I never made, I never put clothes in rhymes.

That shit's my given. You know what I'm saying? Like, I ain't got to talk about that. You're going to see that That shit's my given. You know what I'm saying? Like, I ain't got to talk about that. You're going to see that. That's my given. I ain't got, that's a waste of words for me. You know what I'm saying?

Like, you're going to see that. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's just who I, it's like, it's like a cat that, a lion ain't got to tell you

it's a lion. You know what I'm saying? Nigga that smack the shit out of you, he normally don't have to tell you. He could really look at you and be like, nigga, you know all my bad. You know what I'm saying? Like, he ain't have to tell you He could really look at you and be like nigga You know all my bad He ain't got to tell you shit

You know what it is So that's where I'm from Again Kanye stop But just say But just say I come from some real stuff Where you know like Honestly I couldn't tell my story. You saw Kanye in Puerto Saguaro, right?

I saw him here. Yeah, I know, Puerto Saguaro. That's the Spanish restaurant. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm into him. Continue. That's cool. No, no, no, no.

I'm not trying to, you know, because I actually wrote to him and said, I actually said, yo, what's up, guy? He said, yeah, I'm fine. But he said, I ain't going gonna tell you what he was wearing. Because it'll make my shit sound even more grounded. But just to say, like, yo, like, man, as time is going on, man, like, you know, we all just trying to figure shit out still. God damn it.

Let's make some noise for your Cartier Panther glasses. You think I ain't seeing those? Those are exclusive right there. Let's give them their roses. Let's give them their roses. Oh, yeah. I totally forgot. Yo, where's the roses at?

Go ahead, Boris or somebody. Q, we would have had the regular size roses for you. They told us at the last minute you was coming in here today. It was very bad communication. It was Vinny, not them. Vinny was very bad, but we want to literally give you y'all roses, y'all flowers, and we got one for you too, Q. God damn it.

And if I could clean up a little bit too, man, like the Kalkanais and the Fubuls and all of that. Like, yo. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Sorry, sorry, sorry. We just, we, we just wanted to, we got, we, we. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know, and T.I. Lee, he, hold on, hold on. Sorry, sorry, sorry. We just, we, we just wanted to, we got, we, Oh, that's so dope. And you know, and Chia Lee, he, you know, he alumni.

Right, right, right. This is amazing, man. And QSAR, man. I appreciate it, man. I thought, you know, we didn't want you to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have to go in back there. Thank you, yeah, yeah.

All y'all legends, man. Thank you very much. Yeah. This is a flyer. I appreciate it. Shout out to What The Flowers. Shout out to Organic Food Kings. Yeah, yeah.

And What The Flowers and Organic Food Kings. But let me ask you this one more, because they not so recently finally negotiated getting their masters back. Is that a journey that you're on? Is that something that you're going to pursue? Yeah, like definitely. One of the things that,

I definitely want to drop a jewel or two for Cats, especially for all the artists. One of the things that I've been able to learn is that we've got, especially if you have a contract from the 90s,

you have a window at 30 years. You know what I'm saying? Camon told us something about that, right? That was a different thing. Cam on said, after 10 years, you can recreate your thing.

This is something different. Same category, different. Yeah. I hope that's the case. That's fly if that is, but I hadn't necessarily heard that particular thing and I'm kind of like

really jumping in it, but Cam is definitely sharp. I wouldn't put it past that situation existing. What I know that exists is at 30 years, there's a window where

as long as it's addressed in writing, at 35 years, between 32 and 35 years, everything can be reversed. If the paperwork's not done and not put in, it just rolls over.

You know what I'm saying? And a lot of times, once that's happened, you know, that's where, you know, that's the lifetime of that artist. So, you know, like... Who would know those terms, though? That's the crazy shit. These are the things that we find out as we move forward. These are things that

are kind of common knowledge that they just don't share with you. Well, it's not common because it's not being shared at all. Yeah, I digress. But in their community. Right. You know what I'm saying? In the community that's taken. Trust me,

it's common amongst thieves. You know what I'm saying? Corporate thieves. Trust me It's common Amongst thieves You know what I'm saying Corporate thieves Yeah You know They know And they know not to tell

They know not to tell Like you know Once you found The first time you found out What points really was You know what I'm saying Like you know like Oh you got 8, 9 points

10 points They don't tell you That that's percentage 8, 9, 10 percentage That they don't tell you that that's percentage. Eight, nine, ten percentage. That means there's 90% that exists that's not yours. Right. You get nine of what you did. And God forbid you're splitting it or there's more than two of y'all,

but there's 90% out there in existence. So when I say they made their money back first check, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's great. Like, you know, I should be a multimillionaire if they just gave me half. Right.

You know what I'm saying? You're playing the game right. Yeah, right, right. But that's not what they do. But, you know, at the end of the day... Well, I think you should look into it because...

Well, no, no. I'm already signed. I'm already signed. I'm already in. I'm already... I'm speaking from what I know now. Yeah. Like I'm already situated to get my shit back.

Right. It was a lot easier when I started my... I'm starting my journey. I'm continuing my journey. It was a lot easier than what I thought and it was a lot easier

than when I tried back in the days because a lot of them be giving up their rights. The people that we actually signed to sold it to someone else and they gave away their rights. The people that we actually signed to, sold it to someone else and they gave away

their rights too. So it's like, but De La was a little different because they knew who it was. They knew Tom Silverman. Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? And I'm so happy

they got these shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm so fucking happy. Yeah, of course. And it's fucked up especially because De La is like one of the foundation bricks of the fucking label.

You know, it says so much to the people that... How you treat your home team says everything. You know what I'm saying? It says everything. That company literally stands... Why would you want to do that that company literally

So Tom Silverman give back all the groups they masters That Tom didn't do the shit no it's him Yeah, Tom Tom sold it And then he brought it back. This is what I'm saying. That's why I say he did do it. Because he brought it back. I'm talking about Tom Silverman. Yeah, yeah.

He brought it back. You talking about now? Right now? I'm talking about not brought it back from them right now. I'm talking about for them to negotiate. Like, whenever he put his label on the market, whatever it did, then he went back and bought certain albums, like, individually.

And that's how Daylight got caught up. Yeah, that's a fact. Trust me, I'm in it. Okay. Trust me, I'm in it. I know. But as far as now, though, like, he just sold everything

and, like, he didn't let them off when he sold it, when he sold everything who he sold it to let them off. I believe so. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah. I know what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know what you're saying. What I'm saying is that was the second time. This is one time he sold it and then whatever, whatever

and then came back. And that's the discrepancy when they came here is because he had bought it back. And we got into it and then I guess... And he was playing dirty like he can play dirty.

So you... Wait a minute. So you just put me on to something. Hold on. So you're saying that when Daylock got their masters back, they didn't negotiate with Tom. This is someone else they negotiated with. Holy moly, that's great information. Right, right, right.

That's great information. Holy shit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Holy shit. Because if y'all under the same umbrella, you should have a conversation. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're definitely under the same umbrella. I didn't know that, though.

Yeah, yeah. I didn't know that, though. I thought it was with him. That's great information. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Yo, yeah, yeah, yeah. You're definitely on the same level. I didn't know that, though. Yeah, yeah. I didn't know that, though. I thought it was with him. That's great information. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Yo, so listen, man. Yo, Q, you got to take a shot, man.

You got to take a shot. Let's take a shot with him. You got to take a shot, Q. Let's take a motherfucking shot with him. And then we're going... What you got going on, Q? What's new in 2021? Is the Legion still doing things?

What's the Legion doing? Yeah, man. We got some projects getting ready to drop. We working on an album right now. And then I'm doing a project with Showbiz. Fire. And yeah, you know, working with my family. Me and Chi just banged out a joint.

Fire. And of course, you know this shit. Salute. Yeah, yeah. Where your cups at? I'm on. This is to y'all, man. Salute to y'all this shit. Salute, yeah, yeah. Where your cups at? This is to y'all, man. Salute to y'all, bro. Salute to y'all. Salute, fellas. Oh, hell yeah.

Salute, salute. Salute, salute. I like that. Yo, Nori, I don't smoke, but he hit it with me. I hit the smoke chance. Yeah, trust me. People smoke bad, they smoke champs. I know. I hit the smoke champs. He hit it with me once. Yeah.

Yeah, trust me. People smoke that. They go a little crazy. They go a little crazy. It's been a couple of people, man. So what you got going on, Chi? You know me. You know me.

We smoking all day. We all day with it. Chi went to the smoke champs already? No, we got to go to the smoke champs. We got you. Come on. Yeah, you're good. You're good.

You got to go to the smoke champs, man. Yeah, yeah. Come on, Chi. You family. Come on. Yeah, you're good. You got to go to Smokechance, man. Come on, T. You family. I got my book, Another Kind of Freedom, chialibx.com or Amazon, whichever you feel safer with. That's fire.

I also got a documentary that AMC just picked up. It's supposed to be dropping. Congratulations, man. March or April, but at the top of first quarter. It's amazing. And I'm doing the score. Ooh.

Right. Documentary about your whole life? Yeah. That's fire. My whole life. It's amazing. And I'm doing the score. Ooh. Right. Documentary about your whole life? Yeah. That's right. My whole life. My whole life. Went to the Cali premiere. That's amazing.

Oh, it's already done. Yeah, it's done. It's all done. AMC just picked it up. Okay. Nice. It was a lot of handicapping us with the license and a lot of the music. Okay.

Of the documentary. Okay. But, you know, I guess they got it ironed out. Right. And so early next quarter, with the book, you know. Oh yeah, man. Congratulations to you, baby. Come on.

And Drez, what's going on for you? Oh man, I got some really, some really amazing stuff happening right now. I have this really cool project that's under the moniker D&D. D&D stands for Dilla and Drez. Jay Dilla? Jay Dilla. I met Dilla's mom pre-COVID and I was doing a charity

event in Puerto Rico. She just so happened to have a house there. I meet her and her husband and they invite me back to the house. They got some DJs. She's cooking. She's telling me all about her son out of her mouth. Wow, that's crazy. It was just blowing my mind, you know, because I was kind of the one native that really didn't have the relationship. Didn't interact with him.

Yeah, you know, I kind of just met him in passing. I didn't really know him like that. That's crazy. So it was kind of, yeah, it was kind of awesome, you know, to be getting this. Wow. And at the end of the night, her husband and herself, Mar Dukes, offered me the opportunity. They had just gotten back a lot of his music under the estate, under the catalog, under the umbrella of the estate.

They offered me the opportunity to go through all of this personal stuff and create a project. So I was overwhelmed, like, oh, my God. Like, you know, I would have been crazy with a track. But they let me do this. And so it became like this mission, I started listening to every interview, just doing all, every beat I could find, everything I could find about him, and it became like this organic thing that I did, where he became like a best friend of mine that I never hung out with,

like, I kicked it with his best friends, and, you know, like, yeah, but I started meeting people around him, and, and them And Well what happened was The album took place And there's a documentary About the making of the album That's coming So that's coming Together

Sometimes next year But the album has The likes of Bun B Chuck D Cee Lo Green Corey Gunn Source Money

Chiali My Son Del the Funky Homo Sapien. It's a smorgasbord. Freeway's on there. Yo, I said Source Money. It's heavy. It's heavy. You know what I'm saying?

It's a real heavy piece. My man, Alexander Simone, who's the grandson Of Nina Simone Jaleel Shaw Crazy Centuria A new upcoming artist That's going to blow Everybody's mind This is a collaboration

Or No it's my album But all of these I pull all of these Featured artists Wow You know what I'm saying All of these cats

Some of them I never got a chance To do one with Bun I got to do one with Bun B And you know Off of Dilla B Off of Dilla B Everybody I just named Is rocking with me Over at Dilla B. That's why I'm saying so so that's coming sometime next year

I don't know the date because we're still doing a documentary so you can't really put a date on that one But it's coming then I got this a couple of I'm doing a series of EPS of what I'm doing to stay busy So I'm just reaching out to dope producers I think think of dope like whether they are well-known or not well-known, and I'm going to do like five songs with them. So the first one coming out is me and my dude Stu Bangers. I don't know if you're familiar with Stu Bangers. I heard of him.

Out of Massachusetts. Yo, Sunday's like just straight kryptonite hard. You know, he's like, he gets it in. So me and Stu Bangers got this project called Sheep Stew. I also got another EP that's going to be coming out with a, it's almost like a Lucy Pearl. You know what I'm saying?

And I'll just tell you the vibe. Two guys and one girl? Well, just really one guy, one girl. Okay. I don't know why that sounded terrible to me. Yeah, I know.

It sounded very wrong. That's what Lucy Pearl is. You sounded like you was talking about some porn shit. Two guys and one girl. You said it's Lucy Pearl. It did sound kind of

pornhubbish. It was very pornhubbish of you. But no, no, you're shit. It's two guys and one girl. You said it's Lucy Pearl. It did sound kind of pornhubbish. It was very pornhubbish of you. But no, no, you're right. It is two guys and one girl, but one is the producer. And I'm just going to give the way to producer. The producer is a producer by the name of Vitamin D. You familiar with Vitamin D? A little bit.

Yo, Vitamin D is one of the dopest producers. Every dope producer in the game knows exactly who Vitamin D is one of the dopest producers. Every dope producer in the game knows exactly who Vitamin D is. I'm taking it upon myself to make sure everybody knows who Vitamin D is. Every dope producer in the game knows who he is, and he's that dope. I'm doing this amazing project with him, and there is a Lucy up in there. I'm not going to give away who she is yet. Okay. I think it's time to take a picture and do some drops. Take a picture to give away who she is yet. Okay. All right.

I think it's time to take a picture and do some drops. Take a picture and take a drop. Come on, let's do it. We're not going to do one more shot, though? Let's do one more shot. He's trying to get you twisted, man. Let's go. That's how you know he's a Drink Tap alumni.

Yo, yo, yo. Listen, he knows how this go. Yo, thanks a lot, though. This is my word, man. And the work y'all are doing, man. Nah, not a dress. Y'all are doing some amazing work. Nah, thank you, bro.

And to say that, that don't mean that knocks don't come with it and all that shit. It always comes with it. Nah, nah, but y'all are bouncing off shit like men. Y'all are good for our community. Yes, thank you. And y'all are setting a dope example of how capable we are. Thank you. Yo, sweet to y'all, man.

Let me say this before we leave. But our whole purpose is to keep the true generation alive. And that means, you know, people who... You know, to be famous, to be in hip-hop, is this... I apologize to anybody who ever been to war or been to the army

and you take this the wrong way. But it's the same thing. It's fighting a war. It's a different kind of veteran. It's a different type of veteran, but we're veterans. Right, right, right. Veterans of our own thing. Right, right. We're not comparing the pain and the struggle,

but that shit is that shit is... I mean, not yet. It's real. There's a mental fatigue. It's a mental, yes. There's some real shit to what you're saying. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, it's really...

A lot of people don't understand that. Like, you know, you got other friends that, you know, have a job, and when they take off their uniform, that's it. Like, our uniform is on 24-7. Right. And it's my work.

When a cat comes home from war, the people around him can't really relate to what he's been through. Right. And it's the same kind of with us in the land. Like, you know, like, people can see it, and they can form an assumption. Right. But they have no idea to the degree, you know,

like, the undercurrent and the shit that's over your head. That shit under your feet and over your head, and you gotta navigate that shit, you know, and it's real, you know what I'm saying? But that's life, y'all. That is life. That's life, y'all. But we wanna say to you, you know, GQ, this is y'all platform, this is

y'all format, when y'all wanna come on here and promote, I don't even know what pink shit you got over there. What's that? You want to promote that? You want to promote the book? You want to promote the documentary? We got that gold leaf. You got the gold leaf? Gold leaf. What's that over there? Gold leaf. You got the hat on. Speak to the mic so we

get to hear. Okay, cool. Yes, yes. That's Bud, right? I'm assuming. Alright, cool. Yeah, that's something I'm going to get into. Golden leaf. Alright. I definitely going to get into. Golden leaf. Golden leaf. All right. I definitely want to get a black sheep strain or two.

You got to do that. You got to do that. Black sheep. And you should put a white sheep on the cover. All right. And the commercial needs to be The Choice is Yours. The Choice is Yours. Take advantage of it.

Oh, I didn't take a shot. Hold on. Get away from me. Jesus, Salo. Oh, yeah., I didn't take a shot. Hold on, get away from me. Jesus, Salo. Oh, yeah. Let's take a shot. Love, y'all. Take a couple pictures. We're draining that.

Drain first, right? No, no, drain's not here. 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. 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. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 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, 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. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast.

Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real.

It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of 2B. We dive into the

competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.