Drink Champs - Episode 331 w/ Black Star featuring Dave Chappelle

Episode Date: September 9, 2022

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with the one and only Black Star! The legendary group Black Star (Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli) join us for an incredible episode! Black Star talks about their new album “No Fear of Time” their hip-hop journey and much more! Comedy icon, Dave Chappelle also joins the conversation! Lots of great stories that you don’t want to miss!! Make some noise!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 Listen and subscribe at https://www.drinkchamps.com  Follow Drink Champs: https://www.instagram.com/drinkchamps https://www.twitter.com/drinkchamps https://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps https://www.youtube.com/drinkchamps  DJ EFN https://www.crazyhood.com https://www.instagram.com/whoscrazy https://www.twitter.com/djefn https://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions  N.O.R.E. https://www.instagram.com/therealnoreaga https://www.twitter.com/noreaga   Check out our Culture Cards NFT project by Joining The Culture Cards Discord Link below 👇 https://discord.gg/theculturecardsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. down that day. On Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage, you'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of times big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding. But the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastain. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to everybody's business on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I 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. Are we off the grid? Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Oh yeah But she don't want my love I guess I gotta move on Oh yeah Oh no Drink Champs Welcome to Drink Champs, a production of the Black Effect and iHeartRadio.

Drink Champs! Drink Champs! Drink Champs! and it's drink chest motherfucking podcast he's a legendary queens rapper hey hey segre this your boy n-o-r-e 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, motherfucker. What it good be? Hope it is what it should be. This your boy, NAOLAA.O-N-A-A. What up? It's DJ E-F-N. And it's Drink Chance Military Crazy Raw. Hi-ya-pee-ya-wa.

Make some noise! And right now, I'm going to be honest, man. When we looking at these two brothers here, as at one point, I never thought I would see them back together. One brother was in Africa lighting incense. The other brother was in Utica having

eating yuca. They were gonna say selling incense. Selling incense. That incense factory. Then we got another brother that's going to pop in here and there, the most legendary, but we'll talk about that later. But let's just get...

They had just dropped an album that is just for the fans. And they could have put it on Spotify. They could have put it on iTunes. They could have put it on your local jewelry. No. They wanted to put it for their fans, their fans only.

These guys are monkey foot and they're still the most lyrical motherfuckers in the game. And I'm listening to this album and they not slipping up even a little bit. And they got a lot of money.

In case you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. We talking about the one, the only, motherfucking Blackstone! Make some noise! Now, Yassine Bey, I'm going to start with you.

I don't have a lot of money. I live on a stipend. Yeah, me too. You created for yourself. Yes. Do we have that clip? Now, let me just tell you something, Yassine Bey.

This is real talk. Whenever I'm down and I feel like life is fucked up and I don't want to keep moving on, or I feel like music is not where I want it to be. Okay. I always go to this clip, and I watch this, and this shit saves my life. This is real talk. Can you play it, please?

Oh, wow. Oh, wow. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Don't stop me, stop me, stop me. All right, don't stop me. That's the old me. No, like, that's the old me. No, it's not even the old me, it's just I'm noticing a lot of things.

It's all favorable, it's beautiful. That blazer was gorgeous. Don't forget the fedora. Oh, oh, yeah. The fedora's amazing. Don't forget the fedora. The whole thing is a good moment. I'm gonna tell you why I love that clip.

The do-rag under the fedora was a good day. The success of your solo, the success of Blackstar, the success of Deja Pel's show. Your bars are not supposed to be like that. Yes, they are. That's right. Explain. Yes, they are. Explain Explain because We're not

This is what I'm here to do This is Allah's gift to me Right So You must you know put your crown on You must

You always knew that? I was great at rhyming you must, you know, put your crown on. You must. You always knew that? I was great at rhyming from the moment I started. I was nine years old. I was never not good. Gee, I think we should make some noise for that. We don't need that confidence. I'm going to be honest.

I swear to God, I really wasn't. Because had we just did this interview, it would just be just us and not at the shack. I swear to God, this is something that really motivates me, because I fall out of love with music a lot. Like, I fall out of love with the business. Did I say business? No, no, no. What you yelling with us, man? I mean, it's nothing, it's not, you know, you should fall out of love, but that means you're a human being, you know what I mean? Right, right. It's not worthy of your love. a human being. You know what I mean? Right.

It's not worthy of your love. Right, right. You know what I'm saying? And the business is not the music, so you can fall in love. I mean, the art is another thing altogether. Right. I mean, the fence around it called the industry

is just, you know, it's just an industrial fence, you know? Right. So, we had Todd Lib on the show, and we actually asked him about your whereabouts and what time. Earth. Yeah, because we had,

you was like a no man at one point, right? I'm alive on planet Earth. My country is Earth. I'm from a country called Earth like everybody else. So, that's my perspective on life and living in places. I've never heard of this country, Ernie.

They got an old passport. Yeah, the war passport. Yeah, right. Because that was the rumor. The rumor was you went to Africa. I did. And you lost your passport. And then you became a citizen of whatever country you was in i'll tell the full

story at another time because you know that's a whole other thing i was i was living in south africa and uh during my stay there i obtained the secondary travel document which is well documented, the history of it and the provenance of it and the like, and I obtained one. And there was some disagreement between myself and the South African government as it relates to what they

qualify as a valid travel document. Oh, shit. And that was the old apartheid, remember? No, you weren't married in apartheid. This is post- old apartheid, remember? No, you weren't there in apartheid. This is post-apartheid, but you know,

apartheid has many different outfits these days. So I wouldn't classify so much as that, but it was an experience. I often invite people to look up the world passport for themselves

and just take it from there because I'm not here to make up anybody's mind about anything But uh that was a part of my experience. Okay, so let me not get my hopes up You said the world's passport the world pass if I'm a felon be. You can't be a citizen in the U.K.? Look at my home, sir. There's information out about it. Anyone is invited to check it out for themselves. Sounds like a community of people needs to be a part of this. I don't want to, you know. What's that shit?

Global citizens, they shut me down. Me. Global citizens. I said, no, man, you fell it. You came a long way. You came a long way. When I did your show the first time, I said, we going to Africa. You said you said do they got W's in Africa you know why they used to lie to me they said tell me I had to get vaccines I had to get shots

it depends on the country you're going over there Yeah, because you know why? They used to lie to me. They used to tell me I had to get vaccines. I had to get shots. It depends on the country you're going over there. South Africa. I went South Africa. This was Africa in totality at this time until I met Akon. And then Akon said, nigga, you come out there, no vaccine, nothing. I was like, I don't know if I believe you anymore, Akon. He just sold everything to me. He was like, come on, let's just go.

I was just like, I'll get you in Jersey City. Y'all think this is different. I'll get you in Jersey City. Wow, shout out to Akos. Let's just get back to this album, right? You guys, these fans have been begging for this album for so long.

So on, this is like a two part question Because on one part You gave the fans everything they wanted But And then some And then some But To this generation

This might be the most laziest generation I've ever seen Like they have Google no fear of time yeah they have google and they'll still be like well how do i get it right so i remember a friend of mine's had he threw out a movie and this movie was so hard to download like it wasn't in the so and he was like yo how was people not supporting us we can't find the, so, and he was like, yo, how was people not supporting us? We can't find this shit. Right.

You understand what I'm saying? Because, so how do y'all navigate through this system of, you know, these fans that, because. Luminary. Luminary. Everyone doesn't know this is a subscription based. Everyone doesn't know this. How do y'all navigate through that? Is is this the first album like music project on there yeah it is

because we know you do the podcast through there there you go you knew we did a podcast through there that's right make some noise

for me make some noise for me yeah come on man come on man I like it you gotta get the fuck up

come on cause I mean and listen I'm not gonna differentiate between real and fake fans cause who knows what station people are in life or what's going on or what they are in their life to even know that we have. But we have made a choice for a lot of valid reasons to be in control of where and how we distribute our art. And I think every artist should have that choice, just like every human being should have a choice where to sell their wares at,

if they got wares to sell. And so because of that choice to have our podcast on Luminary, People's Parties on Luminary, people who have been following us, and I'm not saying real fans, but people who have come on a journey with us, have been following what Yassin Bey has done

with art installations, who understand about the albums that he's worked on, who understand, who follow me and Styles P. Al, me and Diamond D album, the ones who go to Netflix to see all Dave Chappelle's specials. These people was already on Luminary. They were already listening to Midnight Miracle.

And again, I want to stress, that's not even a judgment or nothing. But at this point in our careers, and because of the way the music business, and I'm speaking for myself, we have to, as men and as artists, focus on not trying to cast a wide net and get everybody. Because even me, as a fan, as a fan of Blackstar, I want to hear Blackstar wherever I feel like hearing it. But me, as a fan of Blackstar, I also want to trust wherever i feel like hearing it right but me as as a fan of black star i also want to trust black star and i also want to follow black star lead and it and for us it makes sense not to cast a wide net try to get everybody but for the people who are following us and people who are rocking with us let's get them first and you know what we may have vinyl come out we may do other things oh no this is just the beginning. And also, I mean, you know, it's a principled choice.

It's not like there's an effort to make it unnecessarily inconvenient for people. I mean, from my point of view, I mean,

it seems fairly accessible and like a reasonable distance for any listener to cover. You know, we're consolidating the experience with saying, you don't have to go

to all of these different places. You can just come right here. And, you know, we're consolidating the experience, we're saying you don't have to go to all of these different places, you can just come right here, and you know it's a question of value if you value what we're doing and we've explained to you, I mean quite clearly in various formats the reasons why we've

chosen to do this, and the principles behind it, and what we're trying to establish, and what we're trying to establish, and what we're trying to reform in many ways that exists in the system, then it's like it's a no-brainer. You're supporting a historical project with a historical approach. So if that's too cumbersome for you, well, then just stay where you are, to be quite candid, because we're not here to just bow

to make things convenient for people, per se. We're not complicating the process in this way. If the machine as it exists now was more amenable and fair, well, then no problem. But when they're in a legalized criminal enterprise, in essence,

in my observation, well, then, I mean... Like back in the days if you want a good you know gold fronts you have to go to Albee Square Mall no no it's not even that I mean it's not even that it's like you know again there's a prevailing metric that exists that does not take the artist into consideration at all. It really doesn't take humanity into consideration at all, to be perfectly candid. And what we're doing is a very human thing. So we're not going to let the machine set the pace for us.

When we built the machine, in essence. The machine can't do what we do. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it. I'm J.R. Martinez. I'm a U.S.

Army veteran myself, and I'm honored to tell you the stories of these heroes on the new season of Medal of Honor Stories of Courage from Pushkin Industries and iHeart Podcast. From Robert Blake, the first Black sailor to be awarded the medal, to Daniel Daly, one of only 19 people to have received the Medal of Honor twice. These are stories about people who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor, going above and beyond the call of duty. You'll hear about what they did,

what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of times the big economic forces we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has

gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives. But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and

consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is that they're doing. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. There's going to be people that listen. Artists that don't know there's creative ways to release their music and maintain ownership. And without getting into the details of your business, it seems like what you did here is to maintain ownership, you know, you're going to get something out of putting it out.

Oh, we've already. And you could do something else with it down the line. This is the life of it. I mean, it came out two weeks ago, you know, barely. You know, this is just the beginning. It's not like something that just came out this week and it's going to go away. You know, it's historically preserved. And that's the difference.

And you have to have the confidence of knowing that you're in a position to do that. And knowing that your album, like we called it, No Fear of Time, will stand the test of time. If you're chasing the moment, you're chasing clout, and you're chasing something that's not actually real. It's not a promo run for first quarter, fourth quarter numbers and shit like that, right? I just want to do a shot with you for no reason. I'm just, you know.

I'm just going to make this the worst. Let's go! Come on, you want to take a shot, Dave? Come on! Take a shot, Dave! Take a shot, Dave! Come on! Take a shot, Dave. Take a shot, Dave. Come on, you.

Take a shot, Dave. I'm his host in this room. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Take a shot. Hey, we want a red cup. Okay. Red cup. Okay, all right.

The red cup's something. This does. This thing is usually alcoholic cups. So, like, describe to this area that we at right now. This is called The Shack. Describe to us this. The Shack is ancribe to us this. The Shack is an old car garage probably from the 1950s.

I didn't change the outside at all, but inside we tricked it out. Right. I would drive by here and I told my wife one day I was going to buy it. She said, what are you going to do with that shack? I said, what you going to worry about? What I'm going to do with that shack.

What I did was I made this clubhouse. Nothing fancy. But man, this is like a home for our culture. Yes. It means a lot, Norrie, that you came here. Yes. The last time I saw DMX, we had a great night here. Quality brought them by.

Wow. We've had parties here with Common, with Rhyme, and Freestyle, or Chance the Rapper, all kinds of people just fall through, and we make memories. The walls in here splattered with just random night

memories. Yes. Photographer Matthew Baton, I think, took all these photos with the exception of the block party poster. Right. It's me and Mos at a comedy club in London. God damn it. We had a great time that night. We ended up watching the Super Bowl

and then in halftime called Colin Kaepernick because we could. Because your life is dope and you do dope shit. Right, my life is dope and I do dope shit. You know, like, this is a strange place, Ohio, but it's a good place. But the memories we made here are legendary.

Things have happened in this room, in this town, people wouldn't even believe. And Kweli's a regular, Yassine's a regular. We recorded some of the Blackstar album here in this room.

So can I say something? Yes, sir. Because a lot of times people move to Miami and say, I'm never coming home. I'm going to stay here. A lot of times people go to Japan and say, I'm never coming home. I'm staying here. They go to LA. This is probably the first time a person says, I'm staying in Ohio.

I'm never coming back. How did you discover this? Well, you don't know. That needs its own episode. I mean, we do the thing. Yeah, I respect that. This is a home for our culture. And I'm honored you're here, man.

Cheers to Drink Chance. Cheers to Drink Chance. Cheers to Drink Chance. And whatever Donnell's complaining about. But let me tell you something, Dave. Off Show was about giving people their flowers and giving people their praises now. And I'm going to just tell you something.

I've seen the likes of, I was too young for Richard Pryor, so I came Eddie Murphy. I remember when people went to go see Eddie Murphy movies and they got dipped. Like they was taking pictures for the movie, like they were in the movie.

And I've seen these comedians run, and I've always seen people go Hollywood and leave certain people. The thing that's special about Dave is you always have hip hop with you. When I did Chappelle's show, and I wanted to do music, I couldn't get people to come on. I would reach out to artists and they'd be like.

Like, who could you remember that you tried to get? I'm not going to say any names. Nor is the, he's a dirty motherfucker for doing that. I definitely wouldn't say, like, take another shot. Niggas, niggas, niggas, niggas, niggas, niggas, niggas, you know what love, and I know what love take another shot. You want to take another shot? Niggas, you know and love, and I know and love, said no. But in their defense, no one ever heard of this show, anything.

So, Donnell, come over here, too. Everyone come over here for one second, because this is the funny part. This is all funny. We know. Yeah, yeah, go over there. We know. You keep directing, nigga. Listen, most. know yeah yeah go over there we know we and Dave yeah me and Tyler has always

been great I felt like after I had a certain person on my show we even got tighter which is not heard of because when certain things like that happen, most people, you just, you separate. I was with Talib.

Okay. When that drink champs came out. Okay, so I had to warn him. The EFN called each other, or I called you, or you called me, or whatever, we called each other,

and we said, we can't let this come out without us telling. Yeah, they're going to get my food. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Stay right there. Stay right there. Without telling Talib first. Without telling Talib first. So I would like to ask y'all, where was y'all at when y'all first heard Kanye say.

This was not the Kennedy assassination first moment. Where were you? I'll never forget. I was eating mashed potatoes when it came across the wire. Across the tube. Shots fired. But we weren't together. We were in Denver.

Yeah, we were in Denver. And what happened in Denver? Because y'all getting high. Look, look. No, no, no, Nori. The only reason we're even smoking and drinking

and entertaining this tomfoolery is because we're on a show called Drink Champs. That's right. It's all my fault. That's right, that's right.

What do you mean Drink Champs? Nigga, I'm standing next to the Drink Champs. Nobody's fucking with him. So y'all in Denver and what happens? I don't remember.

Listen, no, no, no, listen. Pop culture is a desert right now. And your show is an anomaly. And that Kanye West interview you did was one of my favorite things that I've seen in all of pop culture in recent history. Sincerely. Thank you, Gabe.

I fuck with Kanye, but man, I ain't seen him like that in a minute. It was funny. It was engaging. And then this nigga had to go in on Kweli's hat. On his hat, you said? He went on Kweli's hat. I forgot about his hat.

I forgot about his hat. He said something about Kweli making baseball hats pop. Ain't no disrespect, nigga. I laughed. I would like to beat you up, Talib, because honestly, I could tell the first two days we spoke, you were hot. Okay.

I can tell, but you trusted me as a friend. Uh-huh. And I really respect that because you knew I said, yo, Talib, I couldn't stop anything. You know, like once a person starts to go

and a person of that caliber is just like, damn, what do I do? I can't throw a muzzle on them. But could have you could have took this the wrong wrong way you could have you could have called hat comment. Nobody makes fun of my hats. Nobody. This nigga was not hot at all. I was with him when he saw the nigga was laughing immediately. Yeah, he was not.

My first two calls, I was nervous. Okay. But then the third and fourth and every one, you kind of like just brushed it off. But you said something to me that was very very probably the most popular uh probably most illest things i've ever heard in my life you said to me the thing about kanye is even when he disses you he helps you

and you said the problem with him is he knows that i i do remember saying that I agree with that so I didn't hear this I heard I heard a diss I did have fun with it but you know are you getting phone calls how is this how does this I mean obviously me and EFN called you but the episode drops are you getting phone calls how is this how does this I mean obviously me and EFN called you but the episode drops are you getting phone calls how does this work for you oh yeah that was good times um it was good times it felt like you know what it felt like it felt like having a hit record out wow that's how it felt the way that I I remember, like, when Get By was out. Wow, that's how it felt. That's how it felt. Yeah.

It just, so it just, you know, it reminded me of what Kanye meant to the culture. And, you know, the hat shit was funny to me. Right. It was hilarious. I laughed. I didn't even realize you wear hats like that. No, but it's funny. I was like, it's funny because Nora, you helped me because y'all put it in two parts, right?

So it was a cliffhanger. Right. Right. And the first part, he just dissed me and I didn't see the second part. So the first part, I was like, oh, that was weird. But the second part, you was like, yo, but didn't you just see him? And what you was talking about was pictures at my Dave Chappelle comedy show, which was on my birthday. I DJ'd.

I'm DJing. Dave says, Kanye's going gonna show up kanye shows up no security nothing i'm like okay i'm gonna play all kanye said he sat next to me we had a great time that was like a month before i saw him on drink chairs where was this at this at the stand i brought it up but nah you know it was my birthday so i had all my people with me okay a lot of flatbush niggas and a lot of baseball hats so when Kanye said it's gonna be 12 niggas with baseball hats I knew exactly which niggas he was talking about you know what I'm saying and there's we were on a group chat we you know we we you know

you're a certain age you on the group chat with your friends from back in the day we on a group chat just laughing about this shit right um but But, you know, it was a moment that I had to, I had to have fun with it. Right. Because I got a lot of love for Kanye. And he seemed,

there was, there was underlying context behind that. You know, it really had nothing to do with bars or common or baseball hats or none of that.

Had nothing to do with that. And so for me, there was a part of it. Go ahead. Let me say it in a way. Okay, go ahead. Kanye got a huge platform. And I care. And I'm like Marlo from The Wire, my name is my name. Right. You don't speak my name in no disrespectful way, that's how I feel. Right.

And he got a huge platform and I love him. And he my friend, he my brother. So this was all very- I love that about you. Very conflicting and difficult. Right. Which you've expressed on Drink Champs before Right And to be real Me expressing that on Drink Champs

Is what he was responding to Yes it was When he said what he had to say Yes it was When I saw the documentary A shout out to Cootie Because I think he did a great job No it was amazing

But when I saw the documentary There's moments in the documentary Where me and Yacine Bay together With Kanye And I'll be honest with you My life was moving so fast at the time, a lot of shows, a lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of just rap.

Hey, hey, hey, don't confess. Hey, you just know how to reveal, bro. That's a lot of shit. You gotta catch it, Kweli. Okay, okay, okay, okay. I'm watching this documentary and I don't remember those moments. And so me not remembering those moments,

I had to realize, well, if I don't even remember those moments until I me not remembering those moments i had to realize well if i don't even remember those moments until i had to see my film the people who wasn't there they definitely don't know about that so they don't have no context so i have to stop even be considering the context of people who wasn't there right you know i'm saying like for the people who was there they know you know i'm saying and that's that's that's what that documentary reminded me of. Okay, very briefly I spoke to Consequence. Right?

This is when the first episode dropped. By the way, this has nothing to do with it. With this nigga Consequence, perfect teeth. Side note. Side note. So when I spoke of the consequence... I'm sure that's going to be trending. It's going to be trending a lot. So, yeah, see, when I spoke of the consequence, at first it seemed like he was, you know, a little disgruntled because people were using footage of him that was from from from early on and

then later on it seemed like it was a I it was cool but what one of the the foot is the photo Kanye documentary which you just broke up is you kept saying this guy is gonna be the guy yeah yeah I did like very confidently too yeah I mean... I think people say Jeff's going to do a whole album together. That's fairly obvious to me. Right. I mean, from the get-go, where that was headed,

where it already was when we met him, I mean, he was an amazing producer. He had all the star quality. He was different. He challenged, in my opinion, a lot of the macho notion that's associated with hip hop specifically. Like he even just said recently, he said, you won't do four years in college, but you'll do 25 to life. That's disrespect to every gangster nigga in the world. No one even caught that. Wait, he said what?

He said you won't do four years in college, but you'll do 25 to life. What he's trying to say is. Pardon me, this is very hood what I'm doing. It's all good. OK, but you have any dental? No, he's saying that's where we place our value. Yeah, where you place our value. He said that.

And then he also said, millionaires wear chains. It's also like, you dissing a millionaire? I've never heard this before. Who is this millionaire? Kanye. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which millionaire he diss? All of us.

He said millionaires wear chains. You ever hear of Chuck Mines shit? I'm talking about him. Well, now you look ridiculous, dog. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him.

I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him. I'm talking about him? I'm talking about my ass. Well, now you look ridiculous, man. I'm going to bring all that up. Look at this. We're hot, river fishing boots.

Made out of nitro rubber. Right. Plus, it's a pocket Right I see what you're saying On the documentary And I see what even Dave said When Dave said Like you know He was watching these clips

With Kanye And Kanye was saying I'm dope when I'm doing dope shit But what I'm trying to get from you is What was the actual thing That you knew that this guy was great You listen to the beast He did the truth for Beanie Siegel.

So you're talking about just the beats you're talking about? The music, just the music. I said listen, if this guy is 50% as good rhyming as he is with them beats, well this is gonna run away. I mean Diamond D is another MC producer. Stunt Smokin' Hip Hop is a classic. Pete Rock, who even just kind of like flirted with Rhyme sometimes. Whatever he would do, it was a pure thing.

High Tech is the same way. Dylan's the same way. Pharrell. Pharrell. Yeah. Kanye just took it to the fullest extension where he was like, no, I'm, and people weren't trying to accept Kanye because he didn't

fit into the archetype of what has been sold as a solo rapper image. At that time. At that time. He changed the

paradigm for what was possible in terms of an audience connecting with, um, with not just the music,

but also an approach. I mean the whole thing with the college drop out with the mascot, all that, it's art. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't about him, I'm on the block doing this and this and that, but he made songs that appealed to everybody no matter where you were.

You know, it was just good music. I mean, you know, good life is not about some sort of macho posture. music. I mean, you know, good life is not about some sort of macho pasta. It's just dope, you know. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. This medal is for the men who went down that day.

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we hear about on the news show up in our lives in small ways. Three or four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up. So now I only buy one. The demand curve in action. And that's just one of the things we'll be covering on Everybody's Business from Bloomberg Businessweek. I'm Max Chavkin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. Every Friday, we will be diving into the biggest stories in business, taking a look at what's going on, why it matters, and how it shows up in our everyday lives.

But guests like Businessweek editor Brad Stone, sports reporter Randall Williams, and consumer spending expert Amanda Mull will take you inside the boardrooms, the backrooms, even the signal chats that make our economy tick. Hey, I want to learn about VeChain. I want to buy some blockchain or whatever it is. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the MeatEater Podcast Network,

hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian, Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat eater founder Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity 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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I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st

and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. So that's what I appreciate about him. And I saw what Puff was doing with No Way Out. I was like, if that's working, I know just Puff, but Puff is not rhyming like, Coney, Puff is not even rhyming like Dr. Dre.

Dr. Dre is going in on those bars, whether he wrote them or not. Right, right. He sounds fantastic. They not say that Pop doesn't, but it's just, you know, it's another hemisphere. Kanye was like, he said it, ain't nobody, don't kill you, go and get it, ain't nobody cold as this, do the rap and the track, triple, double, no assists. It's like he's telling you.

And when you have that type of talent musically, well naturally you have something interesting to say man through the wires It's the most rock and roll shit ever who does a verse with a jaw wire after they You know like and this is their response to like flying out of the window of a moving car that they're driving Like you know, like, you know, in a barely 30, or like in his early 30s or some shit, it's like, that's a serious thing, so. Yeah, it was just always evident to me he had the vision.

After he came out with Graduation, let me tell you a story. So Graduation, I hope I don't have nothing under my teeth, because I was hungry. No, you good. What kind of food was you eating, though? It was very simple. It was like a chicken wing and some rice. Oh, OK.

But thanks for asking. And a Reese's Pieces. Yeah, that was ill. It was an aperitif. I'll have another one now. All right. So Kanye, this was before graduation. And this was around the time that it was that whole thing

between him and 50, like who's gonna have the better first week, who's gonna be the king of hip hop, boom boom boom. And this is 50 post Get Rich is Die Trying, so 50's like up, you know, his presence is up, it's like Get Rich is Die Trying is like, I don't care what you feel about gangster rap or even 50 himself, but that shit is classic. I mean, that is a classic record.

So 50's up. Right. And he's loaded up with another one. And nobody really knows where this is going to be because people forget power of the dollar 50. Like, when 50 was like spitting. I was on that album, sir. Yeah.

Yes. So you know like 50 was like I never got paid as cool. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not disgruntled. I feel you. Damn, the label, that label never paid you?

Yeah. He still owes me a favor. Right. Right on. I hear that. The favorite bank. Deposited. That would be the label, bro.

It wasn't him. Hey, man. Right. Hey, man. Deposit it in the field. That would be label, bro. It wasn't him. Hey, man. Right. Hey, man. Let me ask you in French. So, it was that whole battle that they, you know, they were very happy to have.

But, man, Connie had a listening session that was in a movie theater. I'll never forget it. It was right over there by... Chelsea? No. It no it's like in the back of the old Def Jam building like in the 40s and 50s like just off there like by where cats the cats did is you work that block over it's like 40 by the Winter Garden it's not Sony Studios but it's like it's like 49th and and not is I think it's no it's before 10 so it's, no, it's before 10th, so it's like ninth, it's right there on the corner where that old, yeah, that old Def Jam,

the Universal used to, so anyway, it was a local movie theater that was there. And what Kanye did is that you came into the movie theater, he had programs for like all of the songs and some of the lyrics and all of that, so Caramel Popcorn, and edited visuals programs for like all of the songs and some of the lyrics and all that so so caramel popcorn and edited visuals from anime movies that he liked and played that in sync to the music the moment that he did that and the moment that I

left there that did I was like Kanye wins I don't care what 50 Cent got in the tank. He is not beating this album at this time. It's just no way. It was so creative. It was, I mean, good morning. Graduation is like, it's like a thriller moment that people actually appropriately appreciate. I mean, and they try to,

I always feel like they try to hate on it because he really sold a million records in a day. I don't care what they say. I don't know shit about the space program. This is the battle between him and 50. They say he sold 900. His first day release. It's not the first week.

It's the first day. If I'm not mistaken, it's either the first week or first day. I believe it's the first day. 50 sold 700 000 copies this is before spotify and all of this yeah yeah we know we know we all physical sales physical yeah we dinosaurs sold 900 000 pieces which means he sold the main pieces and he don't want to say that round it off let's just like let's. Yeah, let's stop playing. It kept the record industry

floating for at least the next five years and it helped them transition into this whole streamer model. Because they were just sitting on cash. I mean, who performs like that? It wasn't Coldplay.

It wasn't U2. It wasn't any other genre. It was Kanye West with a beautifully, cleanly produced album there was pure hip hop I mean Barry Barnes like what are we even talking about this shit was out of control and um yeah I was like 50s he don't have nothing in response to that he I mean he's you know he's he was riding in the tide that Kanye created in my opinion and from an observer's point of view, for me,

it felt like a referendum on the... You be using words, I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. They clapping back, they clapping back. I've been, this whole time, I've been like, yep. I haven't been knowing nothing. A referendum is like, you know, it's like a vote. It's almost like a public petition. Okay.

Really? Yeah. It's not exactly a vote, but it's like something that happens before a vote. Okay. But they have signed a cultural referendum. It's like this side or this side is going to determine the cultural direction for this group for at least the next five years, if not the full generation. And in my opinion,

that's what Kanye West's graduation album did. It opened up the paradigm creatively for what could be viewed as groundbreaking and inventive and also having big scale. And there was no one at that type of pop culture scale who was being that creative, you know, particularly in hip hop. So it's a big moment for the culture. I mean, and, you you know this kid from chicago

that everybody stepped on because he was wearing hard bottom shoes and you know you know fucking cardigans with button-down shirts but now everybody dresses like that well at least wants to you know like you know you know corny just stayed true to himself i think this was the real parable it's not about following a style that somebody introduced you it's about being you you know and you so know technically let me ask you there was a cover right I believe it was you black thought and Farrah Morris found that's the magazine. Source magazine. Source magazine cover. This is Backpack. No, I mean, I mean that. Okay, let me tell you what the outsiders looking in are saying. Backpack hip-hop is at the forefront now.

I guess, but you know, I mean, even that, um. You remember the cover. But even the Backpack never accepted the that terminology either it was like something that people came up with the try to like You know, I give it people coming from whatever it was like I did never stop because it doesn't have any gravity to it It's like we back You know what it is it's like okay, so I grew up in Flatbush, Flatlands area. It's a two-fair zone.

And so when we went to, at that time, Greenwich Village, Lower East Side, or go to parties in the city, we hopped into Turnstile, and we had backpacks on. And it was a very practical New York City thing. We also had Columbia. The backpack was also like to be like a sign of danger. I used to pack a deuce Deuce in a tray Deuce in my bubble goose

Then I'd pack a gat In my lap sack Them kids walk in with a bag But then you started seeing Then you started seeing In hip hop videos You start seeing Grand Puba

With the backpack on Then you have kids From the suburbs Coming to the city Let me tell you Empty backpacks At the shows Let me tell you

Where backpacks at the show let me tell you where backpacks that's where we came frowned upon backpacks and gangster culture was simultaneously at one time we ran in this thing it was one video what they do the roots The Roots is separated backpack and gangster. That sounds personal. Because it dissed? It did. No, because you know what it did? Everything that represented gangster, the Roots had dissed at that moment. Damn, I feel mad hip-hop right now.

I feel mad hip-hop. No, no worries. Let me play some outside baseball. Yes. This is some outside baseball. I am not a rapper. No, no, no. No, no, no.

I'm just guessing. Because I need to hear y'all face after this. Yeah, OK. Here I go. OK. Whoever got the most bitches win. OK. Gangsta nigg the most bitches win Yes, and it was clever right but there was more business at the Biggie show then it was at the roots one more more more particularly there's more bitches at the

night show okay with it but they didn't come yet well what they do was before they said no what they do is no I remember me and Nas having a meeting and him saying, that is about me. Y'all have a meeting about this? I'm saying, you're fucking, son. This is not about you at all. But remember, when they're chasing the rapper through, where they chasing the rapper through at? Queensbridge? No, in the projects.

Not Queensbridge. Okay. Any projects in America. What? Every project looks the same so I remember that that that was the time this is a long rush they got heavily I can't believe you still have trauma over there what they do video no but he sounded you know you sound like Memphis Bleak talking about the Nassau.

No, because you know what was crazy to me? Was when Kanye said that. He said, I was faking being a backpack rapper. Yeah, that was crazy. Boot Camp. People from Boot Camp came at us and said, yo, we want to respond to Kanye. And I was like, I don't think they were talking about you at all. Yeah, I don't think he was talking about me.

He was talking about Buckshot. Buckshot's people who hit us. And me and Ian's video was both fun. We were both fun. Remember the Who Got the Prize video? The music box. Buckshot five foot with the backpacks jumping around listen that was the first that considered no no that's why they felt

that way that's cause they had the backpack and who got the props when Buckshot Buckshot performs he wears a backpack I just did the Apollo with KRS-One Buckshot came out

with the backpack and you know what now I get it now I get what he was doing he came out with the backpack he took he put the backpack on the ground

and he turned around like this that's what he did now I understand what he was doing He put the backpack on the ground and he turned around like this. That's what he did. Now I understand what he was doing. Who, Buckshot? Yeah. He was making a statement. Right.

About backpacks. But Kanye definitely wasn't talking about that. He was talking about the underground scene, which I was saying, because that was a scene that was supporting him. Hey, man, it's better than Puerto Rican beers. here. It's true, it's a Puerto Rican beer. It's a Puerto Rican beer. That's a Puerto Rican beer. Police never die, brother. Man, what a moment.

I'm doing the Dread Champs in Yellow Springs, Ohio. With Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Nigga, we all need extra pages in our passports because we are those kinds of niggas. Yes, we are. We travel this world. You see how everyone does it. And here we all are in the middle of nowhere

being us. Feels good, man. Listen, the fact that they did this Alamo Luminary is a bar. The fact that I get to touch this process like this is an honor. The fact that you are here doing Drink Champs, this is for the culture. Yes, sir! Yes, sir! Yes, sir! Yes, sir!

Yes, sir! 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 Noriega on Twitter. Mine is at Who's Crazy on IG, at DJEFN 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. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, the unexpected, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves. This medal is for the men who went down that day. On Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage, you'll hear about these heroes and what their stories tell us about the nature of bravery. Listen to Medal of Honor on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A lot of times, big economic forces show up in our lives in small ways. Four days a week, I would buy two cups of banana pudding, but the price has gone up, so now I only buy one.

Small but important ways. From tech billionaires to the bond market to, yeah, banana pudding. If it's happening in business, our new podcast is on it. I'm Max Chastin. And I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith. So listen to Everybody's Business on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful?

The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. 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. This is an iHeart Podcast.