Drink Champs - Episode 380 w/ Special Ed

Episode Date: September 15, 2023

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode the Champs chop it up with the legend, Special Ed!Special Ed stops by to share his journey in hip hop, from creating his debut album Youngest in Charge and selling over a half million copies, creating his hit single “I Got It Made” to much much more!Lots of great stories that you don’t want to miss!Listen as we continue to celebrate 50 Years of Hip-Hop!!Make some noise for Special Ed !!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 *Subscribe to Patreon NOW for exclusive content, discount codes, M&G’s + more:  🏆* https://www.patreon.com/drinkchamps *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/noreagaSee 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. We'll be right back. players in the most professional unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk fat it's drink champs where every day is new year's eve it's time for drink champs drink up what it good be hope it is what it should be this is your boy n-o-R-E. What up, it's DJ E-F-N. And this is motherfucking classic drink chance.

Make some noise! And right now, when I tell you, man, this man basically raised me with his music, man. Legend. This man has been out here, you know what I mean, a monkey foot in the game for years. We've been working out to it all week, listening to his music just to brush up on what's going on.

Man to man is a legend, a legend. He's an icon. His word play, the shit that he was doing back then, holy moly guacamole, is still doing now. Still got festivals, still got shit going on. In case you don't know the fuck we're talking about, we're talking about what? Only Spectrum!

Now, this is a song Where I was going through your catalog This is a song Immediately And Never Go Back Yeah Man Is that Can I Live?

Sample? Nah Can I Live? Sample Never Go Back That's what I'm saying That's what I mean That's what I meant

Well I came out first with it That was produced by Hitman Howie T And first let me just say Hitman Howie T out first with it That was produced by Hitman Howie T And first let me just say Hitman Howie T Send my love and respect In regards to Hitman Howie T man

He changed my life Wow He changed a lot of People's lives man But mine especially man Since I was 15 years old Wow

Let's make some noise For Hitman Howie T Hitman Howie T He also produced For Chub Rock too right Absolutely Chub Rock Lil Sean

Puma Wh Whistle, UTF-O, The Real Rock, Sand, and the list goes on and on. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So let's get back to what we was talking about before that. Oh, we can't start.

Never go back. The sample, the sample. Yeah, the sample. The sample because I'm listening to it and I'm like, wow, did Jay get that on for you? Absolutely. At least I did

because I put it out first. I mean, the way it goes in hip hop is when you hear something and then you do it, you did it based on what you heard. Who's that sample? Isaac Hayes? Who is it? Howie did that. I don't know. We could look on.

I feel like that's an Isaac Hayes. You can look on who's sample or whatever. But yeah, Howie, I just come in the studio and Howie got it playing. I actually wrote that joint in probably about 30 minutes, the whole song. Man, really? Because that's how charged I was off the beat. I was like, oh, this shit is hard. And it's the kind of vibe and level you could really kind of freestyle.

But there was factors involved. He was at the time, he was working with Lil Vicious. Wow, Lil Govich. Yeah, so I threw them in there.. Wow, Lil Govich. Yeah, so I threw them in there. Donovan, shout outs to the hustler. You know what I'm saying?

I see you got the St. Noria host. All praises to St. Noria. We saint you. We saint you, Chancellor. Oh, yes, you do. Oh,

no. I need one, man. I need a St. Ed candle. Burn that shit all day. Yeah. Yeah. And you're Trinidadian? No, I'm Jamaican.

Jamaican. Oh, okay. And that's one of the reasons why on my first record I said I'm not a Puerto Rican because coming from Brooklyn and so much cultural diversity in New York, everybody thought I was everything. Dominican. Yeah. Puerto Rican, Trinidad, Guyanese,

everything. So I had to kind of dispel that one time, but I never got the answer Jamaican from anybody. No, because I always, I mean, listening to your music, we always hear when you pick up the flatbush and all that. I always thought that you were Guyanese.

I always thought that. To me, Guyanese is like Jamaica's cousins, right? Well, it's all from the Caribbean. Okay. It's all the Caribbean, same areas, you know what I mean? It's Puerto Rico and Cuba. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It's just the colonizers. What language the colonizers spoke. Right, right, right. Yeah, yeah. I believe the first time I met you, I said, are you a Puerto Rican? And I was like,

this motherfucker said that shit. He's not a Puerto Rican. And I said, I'm a so-called high degree. Motherfucker, make some noise. So listen. All right, let's,

do you know you have arguably one of the best beats ever made in hip hop? Howie T, once again. I got it made? Howie T made it. Howie T. Yo.

Howie T changed my life, man. How you didn't know that? He actually produced the entire first album. Young and In Charge. Youngest In Charge. Youngest In Charge. At the time, I was 15 years old, so I was just really rhyming, rhyming, rhyming,

but I was actually going through the crates with him and I was doing some producing myself. And he actually wanted to give me producer credit, and I refused. I was like, nah, man. I was like... Well, back then. Yeah, back then,

because I was just honored to have him as my producer. So you would have been the first Puff Daddy. The first, like... I am the first Puff Daddy. I am. Undoubtedly, unequivocally, and all that. You ain't had to trust nobody. You had the ideas. Indubitably. Yes, yes, yes. Nah, and unequivocally, and all that. You had the ideas.

Indubitably. Yes, yes. And in terms of that now, let's talk about that. We invented all that remix shit. Woo! Period. So they could claim whatever they want, but Howie T was the one. Howie remixed everything, and not just for me, for every other artist as well.

Wow. So when they talk about remix this and we the remix that, me, for every other artist as well. Wow. So when they talk about remix this and we the remix that, no, y'all not, man. Wow. It's Howie T. Brooklyn, New York. Wow, let's go. Let's make the thing Howie T. Period.

Yeah. I can't even put it on blast, son. I ain't got no- So last night, because I got the worst phone in the world, so I'm going to send this to Haz, because you got the better phone, right? I mean- Track? Yes.

This was last night we T to remake my kid got it hooked up so you can play it your little Bobby little how did you guys connect you and how we see how we T how we T lived across the street from my first cousins flat so yeah so we grew up right across the street from each other and they they were friends, family friends. So I seen and knew them all my life. Like, when they first came out with, like, Get Tough in, like, 82, 83, like, we was there. I was there when they was making mixtapes.

Was he Chub Rock DJ? He's Chub Rock's cousin. Oh, okay, he's Chub Rock's cousin. Okay, okay, okay. And I believe, actually, Lil Sean had to bring him to Howie. Wow. He, you know, he was bashful, I guess. I'm saying, but I wasn't. So I went to my cousin and I was like, yo, take me across the street. When I was little, they used to hold my hand to walk across the street. That's how bad Brooklyn was. No, I was that little. Oh, that was that little.

But Brooklyn was always what it was. But that's how long I've been around Howie T and production and all that stuff. So they used to take me across the street to watch them

make mixtapes. They used to have the set outside and DJ and have the crew. When the tape came on the tape. Yeah, cassette. Yes, cassette. They used to have the crew

out there with the mics and to me as a little dude, a tape. Yeah. Cause I used to have a crew out there with the mics. And to me as a little dude, it was like incredible. I was like, Oh shit. They up here performing in the driveway, in the backyard type shit, but they making mixtapes. You know what I mean? And that was my first real hands-on exposure. And then one time he made a mixtape and he remade the bubble bunch beat shout out to jimmy spicer man because that's my other biggest influence because he was from flatbush too he was from brooklyn and um super rhymes bubble bunch dollar bill y'all right yeah that was jimmy spicer man i used to listen to that religiously so you said you said you just did a concert in Coney Island. Oh yeah, I curate, I do concerts.

I did Coney Island Hip Hop 50th with Summer Stage with City Parks Foundation. Yeah, and I got another one coming up on Sunday. I'm doing a Native Tongues tribute with Red Alert, Jungle Brothers, Chi Ali,

Black Sheep Dress, Moni Love. Yeah. Oh, hell, you speak too long today. Sunday was incredible. I had an incredible lineup, man. And it was a bunch of CL Smooth, Nice and Smooth. Right.

It was a, man, I got a flyer, but my memory. But it was like 12 acts on there. Even Joe Ski Love. Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah. Who I had on there? Sparky D came out. Wow.

Yeah, Sweet T. What's up with CL Smooth and P-Rock, man? They can't get along? Well, I don't know, man. You know, that's between them, but I do know that I'm family with both of them, and I always encourage them to give the people what they want because that's what it's about.

Anytime I see Discord, I know what that's about. We done been through it, I done been through it. I've been in this game over 30 years, so I know how I go. And the most important thing, though, is not to destroy the brand. The legacy. The legacy, because that's what the people want. Sure, they'll enjoy you separately, but at the end of the day, it's really about that original energy.

You know what I'm saying? Do you recognize Flatbush anymore? Do who? Me? Do you recognize it? Oh, I recognize it, but I'm in awe of all the buildings they put up. They got Whole Foods now, right? I don't know if they got Whole Foods, but they got a Whole Foods lookalike on Flatbush and Parkside.

Food holes. Yeah, yeah. And they got a whole bunch of little eateries and shit. There's so many other ethnicities out there. Sometimes I think it's police, man. I be like,

what the fuck going on? Is this an operation, an investigation? Because I used to go to Brooklyn around the 80s and things like that. And I would never sense that there's a place called Dumbo in Brooklyn. Have you been to Dumbo?

Yeah, Dumbo is under the Brooklyn Bridge. Yeah, under the Brooklyn Bridge. It's mad white people. Back in the days, that was abandoned. Really? It was warehouses. We actually shot Crooklyn down there. Get the fuck out of here.

Yeah, man. Crooklyn was shot in Dumbo. It was all warehouses. Was Buckshot? Buckshot and Ape shot. Yeah, man. Crooklyn was shot in Dumbo. It was all with Buckshot. With Buckshot. Oh, yeah. Oh, man. Master Ace. Oh, Buckshot and Master Ace

was on the show in Coney Island and we did Crooklyn. Absolutely. Shout out to Buckshot and Ace. See, my memory, I'm getting old, but I know what we doing.

Oh, yeah. Turn St. Noria. St. Noria, man. So, because I'm not going to lie, but Brooklyn is still Brooklyn, though. Absolutely. Oh, you still get it. You still get it. Because there's a place in Dumbo, and I enjoy going to Dumbo. See, all that is on the other side of Brooklyn.

That's on the other side, yes. They still haven't given the proper attention to the rest of Flatbush, Brownsville, East New York, Red Hook, even Coney Island. Like, even though they fix up the park and the beach and the boardwalk. Stephon, I'm already doing a couple of things for Coney Island as well. Well, absolutely. I mean, everybody's trying to do what they can for the town. It's just a matter of the city actually putting those dollars into our communities and not just where they gentrifying.

Right. You know what I'm saying? Right. That's what's happening. putting those dollars into our communities and not just where they gentrifying right you know i'm saying right that that's what's happening and uh we gotta as a people understand how this works we have to go to the city planning meetings and see what's happening right that's how they come in and move and buy everybody out because they know what's going to happen that's how they gentrify the gentrification exactly that's how it's going down. Yeah. That's crazy. And the thing about that is you have to sample our record because if you try to get the original, it ain't going to sound like the sample because of how we processed it. Wow. It's an OG production secret behind that.

So no matter what, if they try to go to the original, they still have to go to the original that y'all made. Right, because the original, when you sample it, it ain't going to have that pitch or that tone to it. It's going to sound totally different. So look, I just want you to read the message. He just sends me this record out the blue.

It is no, just out the blue. That's the record right there. And I say, crazy, crazy, crazy. And I interview Special Ed tomorrow. God is good. And he goes, wow, wow, wow, wow. Love, love, love, love, love. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We dealing with natural and supernatural forces right now. Yes, yes. That was like, I was like, yo. And you know, usually I put out, when I interview an artist, I'll say, yo, you know, I put out um uh when I interview artists I'll say yo you know you got questions for him but I didn't do that till this morning so there's no way that he could understand that I was like yo this kinetic energy is working man so so how many people have sampled that record man I can't start to count a bunch like dozens from R&B to hip-hop to hip-hop to reggaeton yeah and and a lot of them is uh you know unreleased and new artists that you might not hear but you know they've had some that

have gone a little bit and got a little airplay a little buzz but me personally I feel like I don't touch that record because it's a classic right and I don't want to even you know tarnish the the reputation You know what? You know what's the killer though? The killer is, the killer part to that is, I recorded this song at 15 years old. Get the fuck, hold on, hold on.

So I wrote it. So you motherfucking between your orders, you all stupid. Before, I wrote it prior to recording. So when I wrote that, I was probably between 13, 14 years old. Okay. So describe this session. You go to Howie T's, and he's already got the beat playing? I got it made, yes.

I believe we went through the digging and the sampling because I heard the process. I heard how he truncated it and chopped it. S950. I'm going to give you all a little jewels. You know, S-950 got some tools on it. Okay. So, yeah, he went through that and chopped it up, and I was like, oh, yeah, that's hard. Oh. And then what I started doing was piecing together my braggadocious rhymes.

Right. You know what I'm saying? Because that was the style back then. Right, right, right. Well, see, it was either going to be a story, or I'm going to diss you, or I'm going to talk shit. Right, right, right. So I said, I'm going to talk shit.

Yeah. And I got it made. That's it. Yeah. That's it. Yeah. But that record has outlived the test of time. Amen.

Like, I don't think there's no party in the world. I was going to say America. But I don't think there's no party in the world. I was going to say America, but I don't think there's no party in the world that you can't put that on and everyone knows that record. Well, you know what it is? It's about programming.

So the same way they program in negativity, I was programming positivity and empowerment. I'm your idol. Your highest idol. Right, so when you say those words, you're empowering yourself. You'm your idol. Your highest idol. Right. So when you say those words, you're empowering yourself.

You're manifesting greatness, godliness. You feel me? So that's what that was really about and that's why it resonates in my opinion. That's why I still resonate the way it do.

And then in addition, I wasn't talking brand names and dating myself. Why? I don't free advertising. No free advertising. Right. Why? I don't free advertising. There ain't no free advertising. Right. Y'all ain't free advertising.

Right. Okay, then. No, we outside. I was never. Starbucks ain't paying. Never. I was never into that. You feel me?

And I was ghostwriting, too, at that age. Like, when I was 15 years old, I ghost, so I wrote a record for the Real Roxanne. Oh, wow. Right. And they never paid me. So I like, fuck Ghost Rock. Yeah.

I'm like, y'all robbing kids? Fuck out of here, man. Fuck Select Records. You know what I'm saying? Robbing kids, man. That's disrespectful. Wait, who was Select Records? Wasn't that Gangsta?

Fred Mineo. Yeah. Fred Mineo owned it. But Chuck was on Select. OK, Chuck was on it. I remember that. And I think, was UTF-4 on Select? I'm not sure. But there was some hip hop groups. There was a but Chuck was on Select. Okay, Chuck was on, I remember that. Roxanne, I think, was UTF-4 on Select? I'm not sure, but there was some hip-hop groups.

There was a lot of artists on Select. Yeah, he had a good catalog, you know what I'm saying? He was just a fucked-up businessman. You know what I'm saying? Now, thank you for going to there. Now, it seems like from the Melly Mel days, right? Yeah. Up until the 89s and then the 90s, I would say past 95, the record contracts got better.

What was these record contracts like when you guys... Well, they was trying to take everything. Publishing? Yeah, they was trying to take the publishing and I was like, nah. You knew who the publisher was? Oh give up. Yeah, they was trying to take the publishing. And I was like, nah. You knew what publishing was? Oh, yeah. Oh, okay. I was explained by my lawyer because what happened is I read it for myself. And then the lawyer.

At that young age? Hell, yeah. That's dope. And look, I read it for myself. And what I did was I questioned certain things because it was assigning rights to people. I'm like, they ain't writing my shit. So why is they getting this? And then what I was told was that for the record deal, that's their interest is the publishing.

So I had to give up half of it. At least they didn't take all though. Well, this is the thing now. The management I had at the time was trying to take the other half. And I was like, hold the fuck up. They ain't write my shit. And why are they interested in my publishing? I was like, nah, what do I get?

If they get 50 and they get 50, what the fuck I'm left with? So I was like, nah, they dead on that. So I got my 50. And then the label got 50. But as far as points, they was only giving out. Hold on, did they pay you for that 50% that they far as points, they was only giving out... Hold on, did they pay you for that 50% that they took?

Nah, they ain't paying me. It was part of the deal. From whatever's coming in from the record. It was part of the contract. Fuck, this was fucked up.

Yeah, it was fucked up. It was like Motown for hip hop. Right. You feel me? Right. And then,

you know, that was the terms and the points was like 12 points or some shit like that. Over 100 points. Out of 100. You only got 12. So a point is a percent for those of y'all that trying to figure it out.

So when they say point, they just fancy talk for percent. And I heard you say earlier, my bad for jumping around. But I heard you say earlier, you said you've been in the game 30 years. Now, is these albums reverting back to you? Because we heard that. They about to right now. I done filed all my paperwork for the reversion. Is it 30 years?

It's 35, I believe. Damn, why would you just told us? I've been hearing some different shit too. I always heard it was 30. Yeah. So it changed to 30? You just got to read the laws. Okay.

Read the copyright. At 30, you can begin the process. Oh, okay. All right. Yeah, you can begin the process and start filing your paperwork and sending your letters out. So I did that like three, four, five times. I'm making sure I get my shit back. Wow.

So what happens if you get yours back? Oh, I get all my shit back. And then you take these albums and then you essentially put them out? How does that work? Yeah, you own all the rights to it. All the publishing rights, all the mechanical rights,

and you are able to now have ownership of your material. So now if Entourage wants to do a deal with you, then you would be the licensor. Right. Oh, that's dope. And right now I still get paid 50%, but they do the admin.

They do that. So then I got to shake them up for my shit. Yeah. Like I just finished shaking them up for my shit. For real. Wait, what do you mean? Like what they had? They had money for me.

They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me.

They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. They had money for me. No, they holding this money.

I mean, a lot of people sample, but the money come from different places. Right. So I get my money from Sony, but then Profile still got an interest in it. Oh. And I got to go be like, yo, where my bread, bro? Right. You know what I'm saying? And then they send me some bread. Right. Yeah. God damn it, man. God damn it. That's something I got to go be like, yo, where my bread, bro? Right. You know what I'm saying? And then they send me some bread.

Right. Yeah. God damn it, man. God damn it. I had to learn patience, though, because I wasn't that patient back in the days, man. It was really about to go down.

De La Soul got theirs back as well. Yeah, amen. Right. Yeah, well, time. Time heals all things. Okay, shit, shit. You said time. Yeah.

I thought you said Tom. Well, no, time. My bad, time. Time heals all things. Okay, shit, shit. You said time. Yeah. I thought you said Tom. Well, no, time. My bad, time. Time heals all things. They are up to their 30-something years as well. They had to fight for it. The time wasn't...

Yeah, but I believe their deal was messed up. I believe they explained it to... Everybody set that time. Because I believe they split that 25% that was left that they published in.

I believe I might be misquoting them. And they split that 25% amongst themselves. Well, publishing. I believe I might be misquoting them. And they split that 25 amongst themselves. Well, that's what happened. Yeah. The label's interest is your publishing. So they try to take as much as they can. And then whatever's left, you have to split as a group.

You know what I'm saying? And I was a solo artist. So you know what I'm saying? Right. Yeah. 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 Business

Week. 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 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. He has the producer portion. Right, the 50%. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, hell yeah. Goddamn, see, you artists got to listen to this shit. Yeah, shit is real, man. And they've been taking advantage of artists for years because there were no standardizations. There were no rules. Whatever you sign for is what the deal is. Right, right.

Then, but as time progresses, we start knowing our worth right just like with the shows before we getting whatever the performer now they getting a million dollars to perform right yeah feel me yeah half a million dollars a million dollars 250 150 right they getting real numbers to perform right yeah no it's definitely yeah they get out um so. So let me ask you, how did it feel, man? I was a kid. I'm 45 years old. I'll be 46 in September.

But me watching this and me seeing these records, how did it feel back then to be the man back then? Would hip-hop really matter? It felt good, but I was always grounded because I knew what entertainment was and what it consisted of, man. And I never let that shit get to me in that way. You know what I'm saying? And I was never one of them, you know, one of the bandwagon type people.

I never followed other entities and other racial identities down those roads. Like, I ain't let nobody lead me in, you know, because I was already being abused since the beginning, so I was watching everybody like, get the fuck away from me. You know what I'm saying? It was that situation, so I kept a real perspective on everything.

I knew what media and marketing and all that was, and I knew what it made you. I knew how the people reacted to you, but I was still on the ground looking at everything from a ground view. But it had to be

because right now a person can take a record and they throw it out and it's in Japan tomorrow. Right. But back then you had to actually go market to market

to market. And you have been one of the most powerful records in the universe. How did it feel going to your first time to Philly or your first time to Delaware? Because at the time, it was just New York. If you hide in New York, you hide in the world.

But then you had to travel to these places. How did it feel going to these places and they know who you are? Well, it felt great, man, especially when you're on stage and they're singing the songs with you. That's a feeling you can't, you know what I mean? You're like, damn, you know, I'm about to give y'all the mic. You feel me? So it's one of those feelings. It's just still knowing the other end, knowing the back end.

You know, you can't abuse your power. You know what I'm saying? And that's what a lot of people go too far. They abuse their power and, you know, they don't respect the game. They just run. I mean, until they fall and break their fucking game. They just run. You know what I mean? Until they fall and break their fucking ankle. Right, right, right.

So let me, now, it's admission, not a small-time thing. That video was like the first time I seen a theatrical in videography cinema. You know what I mean? In black cinema. It was like a movie to me Watching that Yeah well

And I see that video to me Like the Biggie Smalls videos Where he's like You know what I mean Like the movie style videos Was that something you planned on doing? Well I think that stemmed from Think About It

Because Think About It Had the hovercraft and the chases and the helicopters. And then it went into the mission where that was another story. It was chases and all kind of stuff going on. Karate fight. Right, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I think it just went into that direction. But Chica Bruce, a female director, is the one that birth and and came up with the whole treatments and the video for think about it oh wow and that's the one where you know we went on a

whole chase and it was actually the whole theme of it was uh bud mcmillman uh he probably dead now rest in peace but the old man the the old dude he was like the symbolism of the hierarchy of the industry. Oh, wow. And he was kind of trying to destroy my career in the video. This is what it was about. Right. And so he sent these henchmen, which was two black dudes, to chase me and ruin my career. You feel me?

Wow. So that's what it was about. It was about the white man hiring two black men to go ruin my career. Oh, shit. You feel me wow so that's what it was about it's about the white man hiring two black men to go ruin my career you feel me and they started chasing me through the streets on boats on hovercrafts on helicopters all to ruin me all right so that was the storyline wow but it birthed that type of dramatic scenery and the whole theatrical elements right and um yeah i you know everybody started getting real theatrical with their videos yeah i feel like you birthed that i feel like um those two videos like you said think about it um and um mission um and the fact

that those budgets were open and in fact i forgot it was like to be continued wasn't it like to be continued i feel like you created that. Well, Chica Bruce, man, I got to give it up because at that time, once again, I didn't come up with the treatment. Right. I was 16 by then. That's crazy. You know what I'm saying? Wow. I never shot a video or directed or produced a video in my life, so all the praises due to Chica Bruce, a female director.

You feel me? How come him, Nas, when they were 16, they were so bright, and these 16-year-olds is fucking high as on Percocet? Well, what happened is because back then we was actually going through a struggle, and it was actually real economic hardships that we had to overcome. I could see him being from Queensbridge. Queensbridge still fucked up. You feel me? And me coming from Brooklyn, we're trying to find a way out of the depths. You know what I'm saying? We're trying to find a way out of poverty and not jumping into poverty and then having to resort to doing what everybody else in the street doing, robbing people, selling drugs, going to jail, you know what I'm saying,

dying, you feel me? So it was, for me, just trying to find a reasonable solution where I ain't got to watch my back, you know what I'm saying? Well, I still got to watch my back, but not in a negative way where I've done somebody some wrong, you feel me? I'm not out there doing crime, selling drugs, looking for the police. I don't give two fucks about the police. There ain't nothing on me. But what examples did you have at that age? At that age, the examples were everybody dying and going to jail. So you just didn't want to do that.

Exactly. I was not going in that direction. You know what I'm saying? And it was easy. It was easy to do. I mean, there was access to everything. We had opportunity, but me knowing better and having four older brothers to learn from as well, because they all went through those pitfalls.

You know what I'm saying? And I was like, nah, I'm not doing that. I'm not going to jail. I'm not going to die. And I'm not standing out here on the street selling drugs. You know what I'm saying? And to me, that wasn't enough money. Because once you re-up, you left with a couple dollars. You going to buy sneakers? I wasn't with that. I need real money. You know what I'm saying? And I ain't working for nobody.

I ain't working for them. I ain't working for nobody think they going to work me or rule me. Ain't nobody ruling me. You know what I'm feeling? Ain't no man above me on this earth. Period. And that's how I feel about it all. You know what I'm feeling? Ain't no man above me on this earth Period And that's how I feel About it all

You know what I'm saying? So I found my own way And my own path To do it intelligently I felt like I'm smart enough And intelligent enough To get it like anybody else God damn

Make some noise for that Now how did you get the name Special Ed? Was you in Special Ed? Nah man Cause I was in Special Ed? Nah, man. I was in Special Ed and Resource Room. Amen. Special Ed.

How that go is, obviously, my name is Ed, but my man E-Dot came to me, E-Dot from Flatbush, and he was like, yo, you should call yourself Special Ed. I had a personality You feel me I wasn't in special ed

But I had a personality Like a motherfucker Right And at the end of the day After he said that I thought about it And I could have

Took it two ways Right But I was like Nah this is my bro He ain't gonna be Right And at the time Special education

Was frowned upon Right It was frowned upon But I thought about that and I was like, you know what? Fuck that because for one,

I can change the dynamics of how it's perceived. Yeah. Right. And for two, I'm going to teach y'all a motherfucking something. Right.

And for three, my name Ed and I'm special. So it was way too many reasons why I should as opposed to why I shouldn't. I don't give a fuck what class y'all think I'm in or whatever, whatever. Y'all going to know how intelligent I am when y'all hear this shit or when I speak. So I wasn't really worried about that. And I think that whole special ed thing is just, you know, their way of saying we don't know how to deal with this.

That's all. We don't know how to deal with this. That's all. We don't know how to deal with this because ain't nothing wrong with you. It's just a matter of not being the common everyday motherfucker that they can deal with. They just tell me it's behavior, but I know they was lying to me.

And sometimes it's what you say. Sometimes they want to railroad you because you got a brain and you got a voice and you have an opinion. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's how they set you back. When I won the BET award, we won the BET award,

I grabbed my thing up and I was like, to everyone that was in special education, my DMs lit up from all the special education teachers. Amen. They was like, can I use your speech? I was like, go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah, I think it's just part

of that, you know, it's part of that school-to-prison pipeline. Right, right, right, for real. That's basically what it is. It's part of the school-to-prison pipeline, other than there are some kids with special needs and don't have, you know, don't have it together where they need that

extra attention, but half of the kids is just, they don't give a fuck. They're like have it together where they need that extra attention. But half of the kids is just, they don't give a fuck. They're like, y'all talking to me crazy. Right. Shit like that. Yeah. You know, you ain't dealing with that. I feel you. Right.

And that's why I took the name. I was like, you know what? Fuck that. Right. I'm special ed. So what? That's right. God damn it.

I'm taking resource room. Right. I'm taking resource room. My new name. So look, you're still really young coming out the gate. Lyrically, something is inspiring you, or is it really just coming out of your own ether? Well, I was inspired by, yeah, I was inspired by the OGs.

Like I said, Jimmy Spicer for one. Because Jimmy Spicer put out a 15-minute record with like 10 stories in it and because you definitely come from the special ed of storytelling storytelling so he inspired me on the storytelling I mean I said special ed I said Rick my bad because he uh told stories about Dracula about different shit and it was right creative it wasn't just like some, you know, it wasn't boring. It was humorous. It was creative. And that inspired me.

And then I listened to shit like, you know, Melly Mel, Furious 5 and The Message. That inspired me. Howie T, CD3, Get Tough. That inspired me. So it was the content that inspired me more so. And I was like, well, damn, I got to be saying something. I got to amuse, you know what I'm saying, confuse, and all that. I got to tell a story, you know what I'm saying?

Like even the mission, that wasn't the original story. That wasn't. Nah, I had an original story that I submitted, but it was too hardcore. So they made me do it over. Wow, we write it. And then I had to do the song over and that's where the mission that we all know came from you know that's a very interesting question because a lot of people should say back then that the record labels had more of a control over the music was

it like that back then like well it was they there wasn't a bunch of explicit records like there's now you could say anything because there's no label control at all and then the labels uh you know came up with their agenda later but back then in the early 80s they definitely didn't want they wanted songs that could play on the radio they wanted songs that they could sell openly they didn't want a bunch of hardcore shit so really until nwa came So really Until N.W.A. came out They had a certain level of discretion But what Because you came out in 89, correct? Yeah

89 So then what year did N.W.A. come out? Oh, 89 And I think the single The single was 88 The album was 89 Okay And was the single

Fuck the Police? No, no No, I got it made It was my single Oh, I told my people It was my N.W.A. My bad Yeah, but then N. but then nwa came out

and they was hardcore and i was like see they could say what they want right but the label didn't want to market me in that way right and i had i had hard like i was a battle rapper from the street so that's what i did and um they didn't want that. They wanted commercial. Did you have the Jamaican belt? Yeah. Okay. I had the Jamaican belt. I had a few. I had a few Jamaican belts. You got to have the Jamaican belt. Hell yeah, yeah.

Sonny got a Jamaican belt. The switchblade, everything. The ratchet too. The ratchet and the switchblade and the belt. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Because Flatbush was a wild thing back then. Hell yeah.

What did they say? Flatbush Massive. Yeah, Flatbush Massive. Yeah, for real. And E. Hall was, I'm going to tell the truth, E. Hall was like one of the worst schools

in the city. Wow. Especially when I got in there. Like, they had big ass gaping holes in the walls, in the hallway, in the boards. It was like,

y'all motherfuckers, what y'all doing here? Right. Yeah, serious. So, we had to deal with that. And it was all right, but when you in it and you that young and you fearless, it ain't nothing. But thinking back as an adult now, I'm like, come on, y'all had a budget.

What y'all doing? Clean this shit up, man. Did you know Busta Rhymes back then? Yeah, me and Busta Rhymes went to elementary school together. Get the fuck out of here. These schools in Brooklyn, man. They're like hip-hop academy. Yo, like this is crazy.

And Walt Whitman, junior high school especially as well. These schools in Brooklyn, man. They're like hip-hop academy. This is crazy. Walt Whitman, junior high school especially as well. But yeah, we definitely went to school together, came up together. That's crazy, yo. And Rampage lived across the street from the school too. Wow. He was a little younger. He's like a year or two younger than us, but Rampage too too, came up in the neighborhood. Did that help their native tongue affiliation?

Because Buster was considered native tongue, right? Yeah, probably so. I don't know, though. I mean, you know, they had their own vibe with the leaders of the new school. I think Chuck bred them. Yes, yes, yes. Chuck D. Shout out to Chuck D.

He bred the leaders of the new school. I think came up with the whole group. He named Buster Rhymes, and he named the group. told us he named Busta and the group so uh yeah and um but Busta's from around my way what happened is he moved to Long Island yeah and then that's when he started rapping and came back and you know came back to the hood right yeah right um you ever thought hip-hop would be this far? Man, not this far, but this is billions of dollars later. Yeah. I knew it was something, though, because of the energy that it had and the way it brought everybody together.

Right. Because even in, just to be honest, hip-hop brought everybody together, black people, Hispanic people, white people, all people. Yeah. Through hip-hop. Yeah. And that was the one thing that could do that. black people, Hispanic people, white people, all people through hip hop. And that was the one thing that could do that. Like not many things was bringing people together that way aside for money. But hip hop, just the music and the vibration. You know what I'm saying?

United people. So I knew it was very strong. But until I saw, when I saw Run DMC, I knew there was a plan. I knew something was going to pop because it had a frenzy. It just like, it took it to TV. They was in helicopters. They had the big chains. They was doing Madison Square Garden.

I wanted to be on the Fresh Fest. I was rapping then. Right. I guess I was too. I mean, I appreciate. You was a little younger. Yeah, yeah. I appreciate Run DMC, but I couldn't really like. I mean, they kind of ushered in that global.. Yeah, yeah. I appreciate Run DMC, but I couldn't really, like...

I mean, they kind of ushered in that global... The global, yeah. You know, movement of hip-hop. Yes. Of course, Bambaataa and them were doing it before, but I feel like Run DMC took it to another level. They took it to the next level commercially. Right.

Yeah, and that's one of the reasons why I was eager to sign with Profile Records because that was the label that they were signed to. We were on the same label. And when I was like, Profile, I was like, oh with Profile Records because that was the label that they were signed to. We were on the same label. And when I was like Profile, I was like, oh shit, they could do for me what they did for Run DMC. So that's why I jumped on it. I was like, hell yeah. But you know, me going

through your music and me listening, you sound like absolutely nobody. How come you was a hot MC back then and still is, but right now I can listen to 15 people that's out. That's right now though. That's right now. That's what I'm saying.

If you blindfold me, I'll be like, that's him. Oh, that's him. That's him. That's him. Right now I can listen to your voice. I can listen to Slick Rick's voice. I can listen to EPMD. I will not say that they sound like anybody.

How come it was like that back then and how come it's not like that now because we all wanted to be original we wanted our own identities now it's a bandwagon effect it's like oh this sold a million records let me make a copycat yes so it's really about cloning right yeah and making it a commodity that makes money the industry doesn't care about the culture they just like this works okay keep going right and they keep pushing out the same shit back to back right yeah what happens to this artist because um i remember um la reed i remember me going to see la reed right and me picking a single off of my album me saying yo i wanted to go with this album and la reed saying i think you should go with this album. And L.A. Reid said, I think you should go with this. Automatically, I'm like, all right, cool.

Let me go with him because if I make a mistake, then it's my mistake. And he make the mistake. Where's the artist that stand up to that? Well, the independent artists now, they put out whatever the fuck they want. However, with a trained ear

and an understanding of the way, you the way radio plays and marketing goes, you got to have something that is listenable, that is digestible to the audience and something that you could play. You want something you could play on a soul train or you could play on television and it's not risky and it. You know, and it's not destructive. But now, destructive is selling all day. That's what they're selling. Are you listening to any new music? Be honest.

Be honest. I barely listen to music, bro. Okay. I listen to Bobby Smurda. Okay. He's kind of new. I mean, I don't listen to any particular artist. I'm going to keep it real. I don't have nobody album.

I don't Google nobody name. What I might do is put on my R&B shit. If I could listen to something that calms me down, that's what I listen to. You taking your girl to Usher's show? My wife, nah, I ain't taking her to no Usher's show. I don't go to concerts unless I'm in them. No, Usher, you a bear for everybody.

Usher's marinating niggas wives, getting niggas broke up. Marinating niggas. You see what I mean? Serenade. I don't even know what happened, but I don't go to concerts. I'm not saying that. I'm sorry. I don't go to concerts.

I don't go nowhere. I'm not getting paid. You see what Usher's doing? Usher is going. He's performing. Whoever's like girlsher is going, he's performing, and whoever's like girls in the crowd, he's going to them

and singing to them. You got it, you got it bad. And these bitches like. See, well, he's an R&B crooner. I know Usher

since he was a child. God damn it. His mama introduced me to him when he was a child. God damn it. So, you know, I wish him all the success in the world.

Whatever tactics he feel he need to use to make money and stay famous. Oh, he doing it. More power to him. More power to him. Go ahead, Usher. I just meant for me, I don't go to any concert that I'm not a part of or getting paid. Sometimes, however, I may have good friends that are performing. Okay.

And I might go. Like, I went to a New Edition concert just to see them. I fucks with them. That's my people. You know what I'm saying? New Edition, we need you up here. But you ain't going to the Drake concert? Oh, you know what?

When I was in New Orleans one time, I went to a Drake concert with some friends just on the random. Really? But it was just me falling in because that's what they was doing. Okay. But like I said, I don't really go to concerts like that too often at all, man. I don't look for it. It ain't got nothing to do with me. You know what I'm saying?

I go where I'm picking up that back end. You know what I'm saying? That's realistic. Or if I'm throwing the concert, as in the case with the City Parks and my concert. I got one coming up Sunday. You know what I'm saying? Shout-outs to the Violators. Rest in peace, baby Chris.

I'm doing this for y'all, man. I'm doing this for Red Alert, and that's pretty much it, man. But as a concert, let me do recommend two concerts for you, if you would like to attend. I didn't see the 50 and Busta, and I believe Jeremiah was on that tour. I didn't see the 50 and Busta and I believe Jeremiah was on that tour. I didn't see it. I wasn't physically there, but I live stream it every fucking night.

It's fucking awesome. But I went to the Nas and the Wu-Tang joint, and I kid you not. Oh, I went to one of those when they came to Charlotte. Where you going to the conference, motherfucker? What happened is my man Devon called me And he was like

Yo we in Charlotte He just hit me today Talking about they in Charlotte Devon from Wu-Tang Yeah yeah Okay okay okay Yeah yeah So basically that's it man

They got to invite me Right If they don't invite me I don't know Yeah yeah yeah I don't know Cause I'm not paying attention Sometimes I invite myself though

I pull it up I pulled up one of them. And it was so dope because, you know, when you get to see these groups like that, like Nas and Wu-Tang, you would think that Nas would come out and perform, and then Wu-Tang would come out and perform, and then Wu-Tang would come out. No, they actually did it as like Nas does five songs, and then they come out. And it's like a mixtape on stage. And I was like, oh, L. um that looks pretty it's pretty dope too yeah yeah yeah yeah well they got that from us oh the alumni we've been doing that for 10 years

myself Chub Rock Dana Dane Kwame Moni Love and Greg Nice we've been performing together like one group for 10 years get the fuck so he never told us about this? So that's where they got that shit from. And who's the people again to say it again? Special Ed, Chubb Rock, Dana Dane, Moni Love, Fahme,

Greg Nice. That's amazing collective of people. That's what I'm saying. We all classic, iconic hip hop artists and we've been doing that shit over 10 years. So when they say,

yeah, we doing this and doing that, yeah, we did that shit already. All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Yeah, you're welcome, yeah.

Thank you and you're welcome. It's an honor to be honored. What do you think about Hip Hop 50? Hip Hop 50 is, first of all, how do you think about the concert? It's appropriation. It's appropriation because what they're doing now is they're putting together these great lineups

and then they're going to overcharge the public. See the concerts I'm doing for the 50? It's free to the public. It's free for the people. I'm doing it with the city. I'm doing it where the people can pull up for free. I ain't overcharging for a ticket. How do you get paid then?

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I think K.R.S. did that too. K.R.S. did that. And I pay the artists. No, but see, I pay the artists. Let's get that straight. Are you saying K.R.S. don't pay the artists? I ain't saying that. I pay the artists. All ain't saying nothing. I'm saying I pay the artists. All my artists get paid, period.

That's how I operate. I've been a booking agent for like 20 years now. Oh, wow. I provide income opportunities for all artists. Let me stop you for one second. You know what I always said? Mims, what's his name? Mims.

No, not Mims. Mims? Mims, your boy his name? Mims. No, not Mims. Mims? Mims, your boy. With the dreads. Mims, he booked us one time. Oh, Murs. Murs. Murs, man.

Murs. Totally didn't repeat. Goddamn, my bad. My bad. Them damn hip hop names. Artists. Artists. When he booked me, he did everything. No, he's on point, man. He did everything as an artist would do. Usher, when When he booked me, he did everything. No, he's on point, man. He did everything as an artist would do.

Usher, when Usher booked me, he did everything. Like, I didn't ask for nothing. Artists know how to book other artists. Right. We know how to treat other artists. And you know where I got that from? Prince booked me before. Rest in peace.

Yeah, you got to tell us this. Yeah. He had a club. You ain't going to just say that. It's just like, go ball. We love Prince Story. Okay, so hold on. Hold on.

Time out. Time out. Time out. You chilling in the crib and somebody say, Prince, want to book you for a show? How does that happen? Well, I didn't even know until the gig was going on and they said, oh, you know that's Prince's club. Glam Slam?

It was in that. Glam. Prince's club. Glam Slam? Glam, yeah, yeah, Glam Slam. Where was that at? In L.A., back in the days. He had a couple. He had it in Miami, L.A., and his own. Yeah, we did the one in L.A., I believe it was. And yo, I respected that. I was like, oh shit, Prince got a club?

Right. And then he booked me. And then the other person is Uncle Luke. Okay, yeah. So Luther Campbell, what up, OG? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So, back in the days, they had, like, the Goomba Festival and all that.

Yeah. Goombay. Yeah, yeah. I'm Jamaican. Fuck it. Yeah. So, Luke booked me for that. Uh-huh.

And it was like, I was like man you were artists yourself so when I saw Luke do that and then Prince did that it put me in the mind frame of oh I could provide opportunities for other artists right so that's how that came to be and I just started booking all I booked everybody I booked Nas before wow yeah I booked everybody Lil Kim, Rakim, every Kim. What made you start doing that? Well, just like I said, Luke booked me, Prince booked me, and I respected that. And I thought that that was cool that an artist had a mindset to provide opportunities for other artists. So that's what I do. I provide income opportunities for other artists.

I've been booking. That's what I do. Did you get opportunities for other artists. I've been booking. That's what I do. Did you get to meet Prince? Yeah, I got to meet him that night. You shook his hand? Yeah. Did it feel like velvet? This thing said taste?

What you talking about? Not taste. Did it feel like velvet? Nah, it was a long time ago. She was marinating people. Serenade, my bad. You know what I mean. It was a long time ago. but yeah, we greeted each other,

and I was honored just to be able to get booked by him in his club because I was a fan, period. You know what I'm saying? He's an icon to me. You know what I'm saying? He's not even in the rap game, but he booked me as a young rap artist. So I was like, yo, that like enlighten me and just just show me that oh you could do other things you could provide yeah I provided income

opportunity for everybody man trust me you know it was ill about Prince like he was so ahead of his time that I heard that so many artists used to come up to him and try to sample his music and he would tell him go on your masters first at the time the artist was like we were so happy of getting our events. We were so happy to travel into Japan. And they said, oh, we're holding a long time. Like, y'all really say that? OK, all right.

Really? And meanwhile, yeah, for real. But meanwhile, he was really the first person that was owning his master. He was advocating for ownership. Even when he changed his thing to the slave thing, like that was because they owned his name. I didn't even realize that, so I had to change my name from Noriega to Norie at one point.

I had to change it because they had invested in Capone and Noriega, so they had owned that. Right. So it was like, it was crazy. A lesson learned. Yeah, yeah. A lesson learned in business. He taught a lot of business lessons

and advanced a lot of artists' understanding of ownership in the music business, man. Shout out to Prince, man. Rest in peace. Did you get a chance to talk to him and think of something like that? Or no, it was just like... Nah, just meeting him through that event.

That's all. You know, I hadn't come across him too many times other than that. Did you meet Madonna before? Donna? Madonna. Madonna? Nah, I hadn Donna? Madonna. Madonna? Nah, I hadn't met Madonna.

I just feel like Madonna was around. I can feel like Madonna. Yeah, I feel like Madonna was around too. She probably was around but you know, I wasn't a chaser.

I ain't fuck with people just because they did this or did that. There had to be situations where we were together organically. We met organically, shit like that. Because I see you got

a ring On your finger How long I just got married last year Okay so this is way before this Yeah yeah yeah You was knocking down A lot of things back then

Man man Go on man Hey You was knocking down a lot Hey It's been It's been From 15

I'm 51 now So it's been a while man I've been You know And it's a thing in our community When you got good hair You get some good pussy. Well, see, yeah, that's absolutely correct.

Just feel your hair. Yeah. You out here looking like Lil' Papika. Yeah. Yeah, but we got to also understand, though, even though we as a culture glorify that, we have to understand who we are as as men and as spiritual beings and learn how to control ourselves period and master that because a lot of times i look back from the

age of 16 when the record came out until now wild yeah it was very wild but I feel like a lot of that was also abuse, not just from them, but me on my end abusing myself. Like a lot of them, I ain't had to be with a lot of them people. A lot of them didn't deserve to be with me. The girls you took them off? Absolutely. The finger poppers? You have to understand your value and your worth, and you can't just be giving yourself out to any and everybody, man. You're draining your energy.

You're draining your spirit. You got to stop. No, seriously, though, man. We just got to be more serious about ourselves and our self-worth. You feel me? Because I look back and a lot of people, I'll be like, damn, the fuck was I doing? You feel me? So it's just about realizing that and not just

glorifying slutty ratchet behavior. Where was your favorite place to perform? My favorite place? Man, anywhere they paying me. That's my favorite place to perform where there's money at. Yeah.

Was there a lot of promo going on Back then Let me tell you Let me tell you what I mean by that I remember for years Yeah I would have to drop an album And I would have to go state to state

Go to the morning shows That's what I mean by promo Go to the morning shows Go to the The retail You go to the marketing stores Go to the retail You go to the marketing stores Go to the Wiz The Sam Goody's

I know I'm old school Saying the Wiz and Sam Goody's I know they're not open no more But I'm just saying To give people a chance We did some of that Yeah But I remember

For the first five years Of my career I would They would call it promo I would not get paid But what I would notice was Like the street team People were getting paid

Everyone else was getting paid But besides the artists. Well, they say it was to sell your record. I ain't really do too much of that free shit. I'm going to be honest. I went to a few retail spots.

I did some in stores. But as far as performances, very few free performances. Wow. Fuck that. Even back then? Even back then. You knew it. You don't pay me. Damn. Because y'all getting paid. Everybody getting paid. Pay me too. I did some radio station shows

that were favorable and less than I would normally get. But that was for the stations. For the spins. Yes. Okay. For the relationship. For the relationship, really, because it ain't directly for no certain amount of spins, but you gain that rapport and that favorable, you know, that favoritism from the station. You know, I was fucked up when I would do, I would do free radio shows, and then I would see like an artist just a little bit bigger than me going and collecting a check, and I'm like, what the fuck am I doing here? Yeah. Like, you know what I mean?

Like, I went on a whole time for you. Well, see, you might have needed to do that at that time. Right, right. You know what I'm like what the fuck am I doing here yeah like you know what I mean like I went to do that at that time right right you know I'm saying hopefully especially starting out right they expect that of you but see my record flew off the shelf it was all over the country all over the world right so that was the promo right so when I pop up now yeah I did some radio station shows but they still had to cover my expenses compensate me somewhat right now i'm saying it wasn't just like all free they wasn't dragging me around like no puppy or some shit you feel me right yeah no we don't even do that nah man oh man yeah yeah yo man holy shit i'm just thinking of that times because like you got to go you got to sell records where

a person had to pick up your cassette person had to pick up your cassette. A person had to pick up your CD. I don't believe these streams. I'm sorry. There's kids out there with 40 million streams. And I don't know not one person that know one of their words. Right. And they got 40 million streams.

Well, it's automated. It's automated. They buy a lot of that shit. And at the end of the day, they made up, besides the bots, they made up a whole pay structure out of fucking thin air. Like, we ain't got nothing to do with that. We didn't agree to that. We didn't sign off on nothing saying that we're okay with that. You feel me?

They just decided that this is what we're going to pay. And it's like a fraction of a penny. Like Snoop came out. Snoop killed that. You feel me? They just decided that this is what we're going to pay and it's like a fraction of a penny. Snoop came out. Everybody. I know even Drez is on one about that. We all on one really but they're actually taking action. And I would love to be a part of any

action because I ain't agreed to none of that shit neither. You know Chuck D sued the whole Universal on behalf of us. And he won. Good. He won, right? I believe so. Yeah, he won.

I don't know. I believe he only took his portion of what he felt he was owed. It was like a class action suit. Yeah, it's a class action lawsuit. I just can't believe like how bad it was. I don't want to say bad because it did save our lives. It's bad right now because they're getting ripped off of this streaming shit. It's terrible.

Yeah, no, you're right. It's terrible. If you made your own platform and collected your own earnings off of your intellectual property, it would be much more than you getting from these Spotify and all this shit going on right now. And I don't even like name dropping. Fuck that. You know what I'm saying? But any of these services, they're not paying you

what you weigh. They're paying you what they feel like you weigh. You feel me? So that's still unfair practice. So even though these new artists feel like, yeah, 80 million streams and shit, yeah, 80 million streams and shit. Yeah. But you getting peanuts for it.

Yeah. You should be getting $80 million for your shit. You feel me? Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, equity in those platforms. Yeah.

Something. Um, but you know, it's all really based around advertising and marketing and merch at this time. You know, that's where the money at all the data mining. Yep. So really what it is man they get money in other ways it's not necessarily for somebody just listening to the money in other ways you talk about the artists you talk about the labels both okay some artists are doing it independent artists are doing it and

understand it and they understand how it is it. It's an opportunity to other avenues, to sell your merch, your shirts, your hats, your sneakers, your whatever you sell. Because Leo Combs made up the 360 deal, right? He made up this deal. Did he make it up? I believe so. I believe maybe he didn't make it up like how Rico,

but the people that use Rico applied it. I believe it's something like that. And the thing about it is, for me, Leo has always been a great CEO to me, right? I'm not saying he didn't have unfair practices with other people. I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is for me.

But how did he have the foresight to see that records won't sell as much as they will in the future so they have to start marketing? Because no one asked, no one, you had people in on your shows. I tell you how he knew when that MP3 shit started. Because that was the beginning of the end.

Napster? Napster. That was the beginning of the end of conventional record labels and record sales. Right. Because now you could share peer-to-peer online without paying nobody no mind. You feel me? So even though they regulated that at a certain point, then it was understood like, oh, damn, you ain't no going back now.

Ain't nobody buying nothing now. You understand? And now it's even worse because if it ain't on their phone, they ain't going to hear it. You ain't going to hear nothing unless you hear it on your phone. How else you going to hear it. You ain't going to hear nothing unless you hear it on your phone. How else you going to hear it? Ain't nobody really up there on the laptop all day everywhere they go,

but they got that phone everywhere they go. Yeah. So it's all mobile. It's all online. It's all technology now. Right. And the only way

to really make some money is, oh, shit, I want that shirt he got on. Right. Oh, shit, them kicks is hard. Let me get that. Oh, that hat is fire. You know what I'm saying? And you sell shit or drinks or whatever it might be. It might be a bottle of this. You know what I'm saying? That Deleon, goddammit. That Deleon. That's exactly what it is. It's marketing and selling

other products, and that's how they doing it, because records ain't selling. You know what I'm saying? So let me ask you, like how we spoke earlier, you said like me and you both agreed that artists, you know, booking artists is probably one of the best things, right? Because we know how to treat each other artists.

Why isn't it more artist-based record labels? Like I respect what Rick Ross does. I really think that he takes care of his artists, and I respect what Yo Gotti does, right? I really think he takes care of his artists, and I respect what Yo Gotti does, right? I really think he takes care of his artists. And that's like, it's like one in so many. Why doesn't you own your own record label?

Why can't you own your own record label? You know, so on and so forth. Care is one. To try to like nurture these new artists. Well, I do. I have an artist, City Da Great, but what I did more so was empower him and he has his own label and I show him how to move independently and how to be an entrepreneur

instead of me trying to you know own them or diddy him or some shit you feel me right I teach him how to be his own boss right and how to make his own move shout Shout out to City the Great, man. He's come from some adversities, let's say. Now he's flying high, man. He was just on the show in Coney Island with me. I give him a platform, give him opportunities, and it changed his lives, man. The education is the most important part, man. If you can give somebody the information

and help them to succeed, empowerment, that's what I do. I have a nonprofit organization, and that's my whole life mission right now is because of my life's experience as a young child artist, I go out there and teach children how to perceive this and operate in this landscape. It's called Special Ed Arts and Literacy. We call it SEAL It's called Special Ed Arts and Literacy. We call it SEAL. Yeah. Arts and Literacy. Special Ed Arts and Literacy, SEAL. So that's sealartsandliteracy.org.

You know what I'm saying? And I mentor. I go do motivational speaking, keynote speaking. I go to schools. I go to the worst schools, too. I don't care where they at. You know what I'm saying? I go talk to them kids and get their mind right.

God damn it. So they don't come out here and end up like a lot of people ending up. The mortality rate in hip hop is through the roof. Crazy. Yeah, dangerous job now. And that's because they're approaching it with the wrong mindset. They going out here flashing money, flashing guns, behaving reckless because there's no direction.

But, all right, that was so dope, what you just said, right? Because what we're saying, we're saying that the kids nowadays, they hold the money to their ear. But I'm looking at the old school videos. I'm looking at them cell phones, the ones that didn't fold. Yeah, I have one. It was bad. It was expensive back then.

Yeah, yeah. So I'm looking, and that was a form of flossing as well back then. Flossing and communication because now you have the ability to communicate mobile wherever you at and go get that money. Right. You can be out traveling and answer your phone and do business at the same time. I was doing business. I was actually the youngest in charge. I was really in charge of my shit.

Yeah, absolutely. So I was making moves, making calls, making decisions. I wasn't just running along behind what people say. I never did that, you know what I'm saying? Because I learned. No, but what I'm saying is, I'm talking about the lifestyle. Like the lifestyle, like if for some reason, and I'm not trying to diss the new generation. Let me reiterate what I'm trying about the lifestyle. The lifestyle. For some reason, and I'm not trying to diss the new generation.

Let me reiterate what I'm trying to say. It felt like when they was flossing back then, it was like a responsible floss as opposed to what it looks like. And I'm not saying they're not responsible. I'm saying it looks like it's just people just throwing money. I just see kids throwing money in the mall

and it's like, that's not really like that. Yeah, that's not even real life. That's actually content driven. For the gram. That's for the gram. That's for any social media. That's what it is.

But they don't have any social responsibility. Nobody is guiding them or teaching them properly. So that's what I do. I go and talk to the kids that may have an interest in becoming artists or entrepreneurs or media creators. And I give them some perspective, some insight on how to think, how to behave, how to present yourself, how to be professional so that you just not out here while they're not willing, then you're not there. You feel me? You need to be able to survive

this game. You know what I'm saying? This is a long-term thing. You feel me? You need to be able to survive this game. You know what I'm saying? This is a long-term thing. This is not, you don't want to do this for two years and then disappear. Yeah. You understand? And that's what's happening because. They've been doing it for six months now, disappearance.

Crazy, man. At least back then they had two years. You had a hip record. You could go on tour. You could feed your family. Now, and what's fucked up about it is no one's schooling these kids. That's what I'm saying. They're not telling them, hold that money.

Don't buy that car. Right. Don't buy that. They're just letting them go, and then that money is gone. Special ed arts and literacy. Right. That's what we do. We teach them better.

Right. We teach you better, and so you know better, and you do better, and you succeed. Right. That's what I'm on That's all I'm on right now I don't compete with nobody Right I ain't out here putting out A new single

This, that, and the third No I'm out here talking to these kids I'm going to the hoods I'm on my way to Chicago Wow I'm in Philly I'm in New York

I'm everywhere I need to be Right I'm in North Carolina Like just Wherever it's at I go I'm national Where you stationed at now? You it's at, I go. I'm national. Where you stationed at now?

You still live in New York or not? Nah, I'm between the South. I'm all over, man. I got a few cribs. I just chill, man. I don't even disclose that no more. That's a part of flossing. That's a part of,

yeah, I'm right here. Come get me. You feel me? It's there. Too much information. Yeah, but yeah, you know, I invest wisely and that's a part of it. Invest in things that appreciate.

Go buy some houses. Yes. You know what I'm saying? You can get a nice car, but make sure you got a nice house first. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Something that's going to appreciate and make you money year after year. Real estate.

Absolutely. What are you telling the youth and how to navigate social media? How to navigate social media? How to navigate social media? To me, that's like one of the biggest issues right now. It's not to be reckless, not to be offensive. Be mindful of how you direct your energy and to whom you direct your energy. Don't start problems. There's kids right now that's actually using social media to beef.

Yeah. Yeah, no. Dying over it. Right, and to take lives. Right. And that's misuse of it, first of all. But then if you think about it, that sounds like an agenda to me. That sounds like they designing this shit.

Big brother. They designing this shit just for such that purpose. And we're willingly giving into it. Where before we already were like, nah, nah, nah. Nah, we need to do better and teach our children better. And there's a lot of kids out here that may not have one or both parents, but you still have a community. You know what I'm saying? And a lot of them get caught up in what they would call a gang, but it's up to the gang to direct them correctly

and not to destroy themselves and others. You know what I'm saying? It's a responsibility that come with all of that. You could be an OG, but what kind of OG are you? You know what I'm saying? Are you teaching them how to make money, how to get it out there and not die and go to jail, or are you just sending them off to the wall?

You sending them out the door with the ratchet. Go. You feel me? You can't do that, man. No training. You got to be a real OG. You can't just be using children. You know what I'm saying?

You can't use and abuse children, man. That's not looked upon. That's not good. Real talk. Karma. Karma real. Yeah. And you're going to get all that back.

You feel me? Right. Yeah. What's your... We talked a little bit before, but is there an affiliation with Low Lives with my boy Thurston? Oh, Low Lives here. When you're talking about turning... The way he leads, the way from showing that whole community that he was a part of a different way.

Yeah, absolutely. It's turning what was, I wouldn't say negative because they was trying to survive, you know, and they found a lane hustling gear, selling clothes. And you said you never boosted, you never shoplifted, but they did. They did. Absolutely. You know, and I grew up with them, you know, I grew up with, with them in Brooklyn. And, um, when I came out, you know, they was everywhere. They was around. I went to school. My man, Guess, actually.

Shout outs to my man, Guess. I used to cut out of school with him. And he used to have moms. We'd go to the crib. He lived on Rockaway. I assume Guess used to be a lot of guests. Yeah. And then he lived next door to Fee.

And Fee wore the Fee life. You know what I mean? Right. And they was all surrounded by everybody else, all alone. They was low life. There was fee low, guest low, everybody. Right? Yeah. They wore more than just polo now. It was brands, but that

was the lucrative brand that they could sell and monetize in the streets. I like that Ralph Lauren actually included them in his book. Yeah, man. He put them in his book. They partially responsible for the success of his brand. Just in the streets. I like that Ralph Lauren actually included them in his book. Yeah, man. He put them in his book. They partially responsible for the success of his brand.

Right. Just in the fact that they was criminalized stealing it and selling it. They stole millions of dollars worth of that shit. But they was also wearing it. They was from Fly Niggas.

Oh, yeah. That's what we do. I was like, damn. Yeah, absolutely. You remember Albie Square Mall? Oh, yeah. Albie Square Mall. Hell, yeah. Albee Square Mall. Hell, yeah.

Brooklyn, New York. That was a landmark. Dad and King's Plaza. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Anywhere up in now Fulton Street. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

Downtown Brooklyn. Yes. Well, you know, especially at our show, it's about giving people all their flowers while they alive. And we wanted to give you your flowers. Yeah. I appreciate that. Yeah.

I appreciate that, man. You are an icon, my brother. I appreciate that. I can't wait. And the concert is this Sunday and she said, come on out.

Yeah, this Sunday. No, no, we did Coney Island last Sunday. This Sunday coming up is going to be in Marcus Garvey Park Uptown in Harlem. Oh, okay.

Yeah, and I'm doing a native tongue tribute for Red Alert and rest in peace, baby Harlem. Oh, okay. Yeah, and I'm doing a native tongue tribute for Red Alert and rest in peace, baby Chris. Wow. Chris Lighty. Yeah.

And it's going to feature Red Alert, the Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Drez, Chi Ali, Moni Love, and yeah,

we doing it like that. And you assigned Chris Lighty? It was Violator? No, it was just my boy, man. Like, we was friends. How did y'all connect? We connected through the industry, through him being a Violator? Nah, that was just my boy, man. Like, we was friends. How did y'all connect? We connected through the industry,

through him being a violator and a native tongue. I fucked with them. They was all my people. I toured with them. You know, I toured with Tribe Called Quest a lot. You know what I'm saying? They was native tongue, too. They are.

You feel me? And just being family, man. We treated each other with respect, man. Like, he done took me, I done spent the night by the crib just chilling. Right. You know what I'm saying? Up in the Bronx. I used to be up in the Bronx all the time, man.

I went anywhere I pleased. Right. On this planet. You look like Jesus. That's it. Jesus. Hey, I was going to say, I'm basically like Jesus in the street. Yeah, I feel it.

I feel it. I feel ordained right now. Amen. It's raining on me. You want to heal. Oh, yeah. How much Beijing do you use? I don't use none.

You don't use none. I don't use none at all. I'm going to tell you, I had one longer gray hair right here and I got upset when it broke. My shit broke. You had one. I had one in my beard and my shit broke.

He got one black hair. I got a few little hair in there out there, but this is genetic, man. You know what I'm saying? You know, I'm blessed. Thanks to my moms and pops who gave the drops of life. That's fruits and berries.

Just regular eating fruits and berries. I don't put the shit in my hair now. You know, coming to America, and he was like, this is fruits and berries. He said, hey,

name us some S-Girls. Yeah, yeah. Now, it's the mother and father gift that they gave me, man. They blessed me,

and I'm glad. But back in the days, that was like the shit to have an S-Girl, and you got good hair. Did anybody ever accuse you of having ask her um well nothing they could tell they could see from you know the grade or whatever you know the greater here you know just my complexion they would think I was you know like Dominican Puerto Rican Trinidad Guyanese and those are all people with more curly or straight hair. So you ain't never act like you was one of them

to get some pussies up? Nah, I ain't never had to act. I ain't never had to act to do that. You see, I ain't even had to say it. I just flew back and let it happen, you feel me? Yeah, I ain't never had to do nothing for it, you feel me? Okay, well, we got a game on our show

it's called Quick Time and Slime. You're not drinking, so you can pick any one of these brothers that drink for you. I suggest you pick the Haitian because he used to rock the Jamaican belt. And he had no permission for no Yachtman. He had no permission. I suggest you pick the Haitian because he had no permission to rock the Yachtman belt. I could do it with the coconut water.

All right. No, no, no. You have him. You can have him take the shot. Yes, sir. All right. Cool. And you good? You going to do a shot of beer? Yes, sir. All right, cool. And you good?

You going to do a shot of beer? Okay, cool. All right. Primo or Pete Rock? Oh, explain the rules. All right, explain the rules. Yeah, explain the rules is if you pick both, then he drinks. If you be politically correct and you say neither, then he drinks. But if you pick one, then no one drinks.

Okay, you ready? All right. Primo or Pete Rock? Both. Drink. Drink. Yeah. He understands the science. Yeah.

He understands the science. But these is my people. These is my family, so I can't, you know. Okay, DMX or Biggie? DMX or Biggie? Yeah. Biggie.X or Biggie yeah Biggie okay Brooklyn Brooklyn guru or big out that's a good one guru guru cuz he done gave me a haircut that's what that was my mom my man like my man my man like I'm out of been to his crib now he was a

good dude yeah yeah guru was about I was low weed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Guru was a barber. I was too. I used to cut hair before I started rapping. Yeah, yeah. I cut my whole hood. I cut all that hair. But one time we was at the new music seminar up in the city. And Guru was like, yo, I got to run to my crib real quick.

I was like, yo, I'll come with you. Fuck it. Let's go. So we went to his crib. I got a little shape up and shit. And then we went back to the new music seminar. Hell yeah. Guru shaped you up.

Yeah, yeah. God damn it. Make some noise back there. Yeah, rest in peace. Rest in peace. And my man Holly Rock, rest in peace, introduced me to him from East New York because they was down with the East New York crew. And we kind of came out at the same time and did a lot of things together.

You know, little side shows and side hustles. We did a lot of shit together, man. He was also a youth counselor. Wow. Yeah, he was a counselor, man. Guru was a real dude. Rest in peace, Guru. I ain't going to lie.

I got drunk with Guru a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Before drink tabs. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He, yo, the word. Yeah. Okay, I like this one. You want to take this one?

Okay. Kane or LL? Kane. Brooklyn. Damn. Straight up. Straight up. Brooklyn Dugan would never stop you from Brooklyn.

No hesitation on that. And it ain't, I'm going to tell you, well, I ain't going to tell you, man. And we got Kane coming up, too. Yeah, Kane. Shout out to Big Daddy Kane. That's the OG. Matter of fact, he was like a big brother to me, too. Like, he done come to church after the hood to pick me up.

We go to Apollo, hang out, chill. Go watch one of them little blaxploitation flicks at the crib. Chill. We laugh and get gigging it up. He was a big brother, man. Like, I respect the shit out of Big Daddy Kane, man. Was his eyebrows cut at the time? Probably.

Yeah. Probably so. I ain't going to. I got to tell Kane. Was his eyebrows cut at the time? Probably. Yeah. Probably so. I ain't going to... I got to tell Kane. Drink! My skin is fucked up under you, Kane. Drink for the eyebrows. Fuck that.

No, you pick Kane. You pick Kane. Yeah, I pick Kane. I pick Kane. I know what you're going to pick for this one. Howie T or Eric Sherman? Howie T, man. Brooklyn.

Okay. Chubb Rock or Heavy D? Chubb Rock. Brooklyn. I like his loyalty his loyalty I like it New Jack City or juice juice I forgot that well I wasn't really really supposed to be in the movie at all Yeah, what happened was I read for the part because I wanted to be in the movie at the time So I read for the part of the curly-haired kid. Of course you did So when I went to the set I went to the set to go fuck with pot That was my man like we was tight. So I produced records for Pac. We got to talk about this. Yeah, yeah. You going to just keep holding it? So, yeah. So I went to the set to go chill with Pac.

And when I saw who they casted for the part I read for, I was like, how the fuck y'all get a lookalike? Why y'all ain't get the real nigga, right? So Pac was like, yo, you ready for this move? I was like, yeah. Suddenly they gave it to the other curly head dude. What the fuck? Who is this other curly head dude? Right, right.

Who is this other curly head? Okay. So that was Raheem, right? Yeah. Oh, they gave it to the other curly head dude. What the fuck? Who is this other curly head dude? Right, right. Who is this other curly head? Okay. That was Raheem, right? Yeah. Oh, Raheem. And I end up taking this girl, right? So, hold up. So, Pac was like, he acted like he had to do something.

So, he was like, yo, I'm going to be right back. I'll be right back. So, he left. And when he came back, he was like, yo, Ed, I got you a little part in the movie, man. It ain't a big part, but it's a little cameo. I didn't even know he was doing that. So I was like, come on, son. You ain't had to do that.

Give thanks, though. And then I went out there, and they had this drop top Jeep. You know them Wranglers with no top? And it had like a fuzzy steering wheel And I was like oh hell no. I'm not driving that shit. Thanks for the part, but I'm gonna drive my shit Right so they looked at my sitting was like I had to read Passat with the fools with the foon sir rims the chrome shit Yeah Yeah, only only me only me and the shop owner had them rims. Right, right. Yeah, so I spent a little paper on them, but they saw my whip, and they was like, all right, we use your car. So we found a little crackhead that was washing cars and was like, all right, clean my shit up.

We're going to do this. Wow. And we did the scene. In Harlem. In Harlem. Right. Yeah, we did the scene. But talk to us about Pac, because me and, I don't think you ever met Pac either, right?

No, that's what I'm here for. I've never had a chance to meet Pac. Pick up to Outlaws and everyone. You know what I mean? So I always have a lot of questions about Pac. Yeah, no worries. And it's not because I just never, I'll never get that back. What it is is I met Pac through

a mutual friend and through Latifah's crew. I used to date one of the dancers, right? Feel me? Latifah's dancers? Yeah. So they were on tour with Digital Underground at the time. And I had spot dates that I used to do with them. I toured with all of them. But they introduced me to Tupac.

He was the roadie for Digital Underground at the time. And I met all of the Money B, Shock G. We all tight. I still fuck with Money B now. Rest in peace, Shock G. Rest in peace. Rest in peace. And we met know, we met Dan it was organic and we was all just cool We all fucked with each other when I went to LA I called him up one time too

And he was like damn I'm in the bay But I come fuck with you and he drove all the way to LA to come Maybe you know we went out. We went hanging out and shit, but then when he came to New York all the time, he would call me and act too, and then he would come by the studio, and that's how we ended up producing for him because

he said they had put him on and he had a record deal now. So he was like, if you got any beats, you know what I'm saying? So he came through and we put him on beats, you know what I'm saying, whoop, whoop, whoop. So he came through and we put him on some beats and did some production for him. So, you know,

that was a blessing. But that was organic too. Like, I didn't try to jump on a record because he had a deal. I just, Purdue, I did what he asked. But it's funny you say that

because we could clearly see the relationship that Pac had with you. We could clearly see the relationship that Pac had with Buck we clearly see the relationship that park had with uh buck down um or buck shorty yeah um he was a great dude man he was a good dude even with biggie early on yeah he had like a brooklyn connection yeah i mean he was just a a real dude period he was stretching a lot of score too in queens too yeah um but what i'm saying is was there a difference that you could noticely recognize um from the park that you knew from digital underground days to the park that did you meet the pocket from on death row park

well at that time well meet i already knew him but i didn't see him when he came home and got on death row and all that and actually i was in la in L.A. one time, and that's when I used to smoke, man. Matter of fact, let me just say, man, I stopped smoking weed after 40 years. I'm Jamaican, so that shit come with the family. But I stopped smoking weed this year. Yeah. I just stopped a few months ago, man. Don't get excited.

Don't get excited. Don't get excited. It's all fresh. But it's just control. It's just self-control. You know what I'm saying? I control myself. So what I was saying again. We were talking about pop.

But hold on. We're going to get back to pop. Make sure we go back to pop. But hold on. What made you stop smoking? I want to know that part. Well, I've been doing it so long. I'm like, when am I going to stop?

Oh, OK. Am I going to destroy myself in the process? I stopped smoking cigarettes. Am I going to kill? Yeah, I had been doing this so long, I'm like, when am I going to stop? Oh, okay. Am I going to destroy myself in the process? I stopped smoking cigarettes. Am I going to kill? Yeah, I had to do that, too. When I was a teen, I used to smoke Newports. Really? At one point, I smoked Black and Miles.

I had to stop, like, step by step. When I moved to the South, I moved to the South. Yeah, that's what Dallas does. Black and Miles. I moved to the South. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that's what down south did. I moved to the south. Yeah. I'm telling you, black and miles, I went and just stopped smoking both.

Okay. I stopped. Now, long years ago, years ago, years ago, I stopped smoking Newport probably over 10, 15 years ago. And then I stopped smoking black and miles a few years ago because I was in the south. And that's like a, I picked that shit up from like Mark Sparks and shit like North Carolina they all they all doing some shit with them and take it out and put it back in I just loosen it up like this and smoke it you know what I'm saying but they used to take it apart and peel shit off I'm like this ain't weird but yeah shout out to Mark Sparks and the whole team out there Charlotte man for real so let real. So let me ask you, because Tupac, right? I mean, this is a totally different person.

Yeah, so what happened was I was in L.A. one time, and I was smoking some high grade, and I passed out. My boys went to the party and seen Pac. Right, right. And I woke up tight. I woke up, and I'm in there by myself. I'm like What the fuck going on

Where everybody at They at the party Right I'm like I was so pissed At these motherfuckers boy And then they come back And yo yeah

They were high And drunk Yeah son that shit was up I'm like Y'all motherfuckers man They was like Yo son we seen Pac I was like

Get the fuck away from me Did you have a relationship With Big Yeah Yeah I had a relationship with Big? Yeah. Yeah. I had a relationship with Big through, and it started through my man Klepto. And actually, that's another person I went to elementary. Yeah, I went to elementary with him.

Okay, wow. I got a picture online of me and him like this tall. With our little slacks and button ups like this, you know, stunting. But we was in elementary. We grew up together. So anyway, he came by. I had a studio in Brooklyn called the Dollar Cab Lab.

Dollar Cab Lab. I used to take the dollar van and go to church. Exactly. Dollar van. Dollar van. That's why we call it Dollar Cab Lab. 1,500 people in that van. Hell yeah, for a dollar.

Yeah, for a dollar. Can't beat that. That's a jitney down there. Austin's Boulevard. Yeah. Austin's Boulevard. So the Dollar Cab Lab, what am I saying again? for a dollar. Yeah, for a dollar. Can't beat that. We got the jitney down. Boston's Boulevard. Yeah. Boston's Boulevard. So, the Dollar Cab Lab,

what am I saying again? We done went in a tangent. The studio going to the big, right? Yeah, okay, so Clep came by the studio and everybody used to come by the studio

but he came by and was like, yo, Big putting us on and we going to do an album. Once again, you got some beats? Oh, come on,

hell yeah, I got a whole team. By that time, I had probably like five, six producers with me in the Dollar Cab Lab. What I did was I had all the equipment in the studio, and then I called all my homies, and I said, look, I'm going to show y'all how to use this shit. So I taught all of them how to use the machines, how to sample, how to loop up, how to sequence, all that shit. And so we always had beats. We had a gang of beats. Dollar Cab A-Raps.

You gave Biggie a beat, you saying? Yeah. We did like two or three. We did like, I think it was two joints on the Junior Mafia album. Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah. Wow. Well, that's the only album they did, but we did two joints on there, Murder Ones and Oh My Lord. Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah. Wow. Well, that's the only album they did, but we did two joints on there, Murder Ones and Oh My Lord.

Oh, wow. Yeah, yeah. Did you ever think because of who Biggie was and who Pac was that they would ever cross paths and it get this bad? Nah, actually, you know, I think that was all third party and entourage shit. And that's really the problem is just sometimes the people you're around and what they add to the mix. They add either negativity or positivity. You feel me? So that's what happened, man.

I think between them two as individuals, they was never in a problem. You know, I think it's more so of the things that happen and Pac blaming Big for not warning him, forewarning him, or informing him. You know what I'm saying? And I think that's where it got tumultuous. But as men, as individuals, man, we all had love for each other, period. We had Warren G. sit here the other day, and Warren G. said that he actually met with Big, and he had a message to relate to Pac. He never had got it to Pac.

And he said that he thinks single-handedly one of those messages might have changed the whole trajectory of this whole situation. You think because of that lack of communication? Because, you know, if they would have probably got on the phone with each other, they probably would have said, yo, bro, I'm not beefing with you. I'm not doing that. You think that was a big part? Yeah, I think that was a big part,

but also I think there was a lot of fire in Pac at the time. I mean, he got shot up. You know what I mean? Regardless of how it happened or what happened, the fact is that it happened in our home.

You feel me? That's like if we go to L.A. and something happened in the studio where they at. Right. It's going to feel like, yo, bro. It's going to automatically feel weird. Yeah, it's going to feel weird. So I think that energy just ran off

and took a life of its own without men getting to speak man to man and heal the situation. You know what I mean? I agree. Yeah? I agree. Yeah. I agree. You want to go to the next one?

We lost some icons there. Rest in peace to both of them, man. Yes, yes. All right. M.O.P. or Black Moon? Oh, man. Drink, man. Yeah.

Because they both from Brooklyn. That's right. And I fucks with both of them. They all, you know, Lil Fame. That's my little deal. Come on, man. Yeah, and then Buckshot and Boot Camp actually came up in the Dollar Cab Lab in my studio. Yeah, so when they started recording.

Who you saying? Boot Camp Click. Okay, wow. When they started the Boot Camp Click deal and started recording all their albums, OGC, Helter Skelter, et cetera, rock and rock and all that, they started in my studio. Wow. In Brooklyn, the Dollar Cab. It used to be like 10, 15 of them just laid out everywhere. Because, you know, we had a, it was like a, it was an apartment, but we turned it into a studio.

And it was different rooms all over. We had video game rooms, TV rooms. We're supposed to have Kool Brothers next week, too. Yeah. So, yeah, shout them out. Yeah. Yeah, they know. Just ask them about the Dollar Cab Lab.

Yeah, I wish I would have been there. Dollar Cab Lab. Hell, yeah, you'd have been welcomed. We welcomed everybody. Everybody's been there. And when they came through Brooklyn, they came and stopped off and chilled. Even if they didn't record, they came by to chill.

You feel me? It was a family. It was a vibe. Okay. Fab or Jadakiss? Jadakiss. I know Fab is from Brooklyn. I was about to say.

But me and Jada have always had a relationship, like me and the Lox. Like, see, certain groups, you know, certain groups we gravitate to just on the strength of realness. And I spent a lot of time out in Yonkers, too. I used to go fuck with them down the road and all that. And, you know, they show love. So, and I fuck with them down the road and all that. They show love. I done seen them all over the country. See, if Jada was having

a show or some shit, I might go pull up. Yo, what up, son? Like that. He's been out to Charlotte. I ran up on him in LA, this, that, and the third. That's the type of relationship we got. I would just say Jada, man. And I don't know if this is

for skill or for the relationship. Oh, copy, copy. Like this pic right now. This is all your criteria. Jay-Z or Nas? Jay-Z or Nas. I'm going to give it to Brooklyn. I'm going to give it to Brooklyn Okay

I'm going to give it to Brooklyn Just because I'm from Brooklyn But I love them both Okay You know and to be real To be really real They both show me love I probably spent a lot more time around Nas

And just fucking with Nas But um And I booked Nas before You know We brought him to Charlotte But um You know Shout out to both Man you should drink for that Yeah drink for that I'm going to spit Nas, but, and I booked Nas before, you know, we brought him to Charlotte, but, you know, shout out to Bo, man, you should drink for that, but I'm going to spit, well, fuck it, drink.

Drink for that one, man, Bo, drink. Okay, OC or Lord Finesse? OC or Lord Finesse? You can go ahead and just drink again, man. Okay. OD? No, you have a problem. You have a drinking problem. You're like, I don't have a problem.

ODB or Bismarcky? Oh, man. Okay, I'm going to just have to say Bismarcky. They both Brooklyn, but Biz Markie, I've had a big bro relationship with Biz Markie for 30-something years. Right. Since the beginning of my career. See his documentary just coming out? It's dope.

It's out already? It's out. I have to watch it then. Rest in peace to Biz Marky. He has always been the most loving, the most genuine, the most real of people, period. I wanted to play him in a movie.

If a movie come out of Juice Crew, I'm going to go. Let me tell you a little story. When you watch it, you're going to start. Let me tell you a little story about Biz, man. Back in the days, and he changed my perspective on some things one of them was we had a show in puerto rico and biz comes to the show with no luggage nothing he just had a walkman on i'm like yo son and the whole time it's just biz and the Walkman ain't no bag nowhere no nothing I'm like oh

this thing is real meantime I got all kinds of bag I got a robe in my shit I got Fendi luggage I'm like and it's only a one-night show right right the lesson I learned is man fuck all this if you in and out you in and out well I might carry a little bag here and there now, but I learned from Biz like, man, fuck this. It ain't really all about all that. Just go in, get your money, do what you got to do, and go. Get the fuck out of here.

Yeah, man. Shout out to Biz, man. Rest in peace, man. He was connected to so many people. Oh, yeah, yeah. Biz was a real big bro. Yeah, his connections was ill, and I don't want to ruin it, but people need to watch that documentary. It's dope.

All right, next one. Havoc or Large Pro? I would say, yeah, I would say Large Pro because of my relationship with Large Pro. I done been to his crib in Queensbridge in the apartment. And matter of fact, that's where I first met Nas at, was in Large Pro Crib, you feel me? Because Nas lived in Queensbridge at the time, and I went to Large Pro Crib to get some tracks. Right.

And hear some beats. And Nas popped in, and we actually had a little cypher. You know what I'm saying, just me and him, in Large Pro. So shout out to Large Pro, and like I said, shout out to Nas, that know what I'm saying? Just me and him and Large Pro. So shout out to Large Pro. And like I said, shout out to Nas. That's why I say, man, you got to drink because, you know what I'm saying? That's the little homie there. That's the little bro. All right. The next one, Karis1 or Chuck D? Chuck D. Chuck D. Salute Chuck D. Now, you know why Chuck D has always been stand up? Yeah, yeah. And we used to tour.

And one thing I learned from Chuck touring is that to take this business seriously, because while we was wiling out, smoking sitting at the table with the whole team around the table. And they had some deep ass conversation doing the knowledge. You feel me? And I always looked at that like, man, I'm out here to have fun. But I had to take and learn from what I saw from Chuck. Right. And that was to take this business serious and to treat it serious. You feel me?

So I would say Chuck D unequivocably. You met Nas at Large Pro House? Yeah. I met Nas at Large Pro House in Queensbridge. And I remember, yeah, we had a little cypher. We was playing beats. Me and Nas started spitting. We had to get down low because of speakers and the mic feedback. So we were down low, crouching, spitting

and shit. But one of the neighbors must have been complaining because this shit was banging. Large Pro was getting all irate. We had the ratchet. I'm like, yo, just easy, son. I'm like, yo, son, you got to live here, son. Chill out. What you going to do? Shoot out the yo, just easy, son. I'm like, yo, son. I'm like, you got to live here, son. Chill out.

What you going to do? Shoot out the window? Come on, son. Shout out to Large Pro, man. That's the homie. Illmatic or ready to die? Illmatic or ready to die. He could drink for that.

Okay, yeah. Drink for that. He ain't got no problems, but a drinking problem. AZ or Cormega? Um, AZ or Cormega. 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 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. They in the same team, ain't they? Yeah, but you still got to pick I thought they was like partners, eh? They was on the same records and shit, right?

Somewhat Okay All right, you can drink for that, man Yeah, cool They cool MC Lyte or Queen Latifah? Oh, man I'm going to say MC Light.

And I've had a great relationship with Latifah, but I think throughout the years, I've seen and been around and had more communication with Light. But, you know, we used to tour together. I've shared my tour bus with Latifah and them, man. We've been...

Flavor unit? Yeah, flavor unit. Shout out Shaquem. Shout out the whole team. You know what I'm saying? Rest in peace, Miss Owens. You know what I mean? But matter of fact, there's drink to that, man.

Fuck that. Drink to that. But light is Brooklyn. Right. Light is Brooklyn, but you're going to still drink. Okay. Tupac or Eazy-E? Tupac. Tupac Okay Tupac or Eazy-E? Tupac Have you ever met Eazy-E?

I didn't meet him I seen him He was with Dre at a party In the What was that? Mars or some shit Back in the days On the West Side Highway

And him and Dre came to the party We were standing outside At the door waiting to get in That's the only time I ever seen Eazy. I seen Dre plenty of times. I done been to Dre's studio. Shout outs to Dre, man. One love.

But yeah, definitely. Who I picked? Tupac. Tupac. Come on, son. The tracks you said you produced for Pac were on the albums? Absolutely. One was on the album Strictly For My Niggas.

That was a Doug Life album, right? No, the album was called Strictly For My Niggas. And then the other one was post his passing. They put out a project and they asked for the record because it was never released. It was called Open Fire Okay And shout out to DJ Action too Video Music Box

Or Yo! MTV Raps Video Music Box Uncle Ralph Brooklyn Yes Once again Ralph is from Queens Well I always see Ralph in Brooklyn

Fuck that Ralph from Brooklyn to me. Ralph, you from Brooklyn. But Uncle Ralph, because he's still at it. He's still going. Matter of fact, I had Ralph host the Coney Island show, and Ralph is hosting in Harlem with me. I always incorporate Ralph.

He always show me love. He show me more love than most. You feel me? Throughout my entire career, like period. So Uncle Ralph all day. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you know, Ed Lovin, Dr. Dre, I love y'all too, but Ralph is my OG, man.

That's, that's, yeah. Bigger fat five already as well. Yeah. NWA or Wu-Tang Clan? Oh. Wu-Tang. Okay. Wu-Tang is for the kids. Wu-Tang Clan. Oh. Wu-Tang. Okay. Wu-Tang is for the kids.

Wu-Tang for the children. Now, you know what? Besides that, man, Wu-Tang was dropping knowledge and positivity. Right. You know, NWA brought the age of destruction. Damn. Jesus Christ. NWA brought the age of destruction to our children and our culture.

Wow. Period. Wow. Period. A, I respect all of them as men, but as the art form, and you want me to speak on the art form, I'm going to tell you what it is. That's where it started. Wow. That's where the agenda started, and that's where the destruction began. Of Gangsta Rap, you would give that to them? Or was it Ice-T? Well, Ice-T did that.

I ain't say they started Gangsta Rap. But what happened was when the president sent them that letter, they went ham with that shit. Right. Like, you know. And they had more of a presence. You know, Ice-T did his numbers back. You know, he did his thing. That's my OG too, Ice-T did his numbers back, he did his thing, that's my OG too, Ice-T, but,

and WA ran away with it in such a way where it was like, for real? That's all we gonna do? You know, it was genius for them and they made millions of dollars off of it, but look at what it caused, you feel me? They said fuck the police early. Yeah, we all were saying fuck the police,

but they said it on record. On record. Absolutely. For the record. And I respect them for that too. Good. Shabba Ranks or Buju Banta? Shabba Ranks or Buju.

Hmm. Shabba the OG. Shabba. Bo, you going to drink for that. They both from yard. Both from yard. Big up our yard man. Drink for the yard man then.

Belly or Shattas? Belly or Shattas. Movie. We're talking about movie. Yeah, I know, I know. Hmm. I would say Shottas. You took the one, you tucked the one.

You're going too far now. Shottas. That's the Shottas. You took the one, you tucked the one. I remember there was filming right around the corner. Yeah, I went to the set one time. So you went with Shottas. Yeah, I went to the set one time. Let's make up the Skinny College. Skinny College. So you went to a shot test.

Okay, Master Ace or J. Rue the Damager? I would go with Ace because of our longstanding relationship. And I do have a longstanding relationship with J. Rue as well. But I think I've had more interaction and then sharing the Crooklyn soundtrack Crooklyn right I'm going back to Crooklyn hold on Super Cat or Bounty Killer I don't know why Jamaican accent keep coming out of me well see one is the OG and Bounty is actually now an OG. I actually did- And Super Cat your cousin, I could tell. I did actually, I'ma tell you though,

I did the first hip hop collab with Bounty Killer. Wow. On my album. Wow. It was called Just a Killer. Wow. Yeah, it was on my album Revelations. I actually flew down to Jamaica

to King Jammie's studio with the cash, with the cash, and paid the man when, you know, before he had all the hip-hop fame. 94, I believe. Yeah. You flew to the yard with cash. Yeah. Very dangerous thing, that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm a dangerous guy man

Don't get twisted I'm Jesus on the street But you know I'm also you know I'm a many things Okay Yeah Respect respect

But hey Hey My family My family is from Kingston Jamaica All of them You know my favorite place In Kingston Jamaica Is Tivoli Gardens

Oh okay I love it okay. I love it. Enjoy that. I love it. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself for me. You know what? All right, that's the last one. You want to take it? Loyalty or respect? Loyalty. Because you're going to get respect.

But loyalty, loyalty. You know what I'm saying? Because then're going to get respect. But loyalty, loyalty. You know what I'm saying? Because then you know who you can trust and you know who you can fuck with. You know what I'm saying? Anybody can respect you. You can scare a motherfucker into respecting you, but that don't mean they're going to be loyal. You know what I'm saying?

They're going to run and go tell the police. You know what I'm saying? I take that loyalty. I know I can trust you with whatever. We good. Yeah. I respect that. I respect that.

That makes no sense. Yeah. Hey, hey, I'm going to take my respect. I take my respect, period. But loyalty is rare. Loyalty, you got to really really Be loyal And not everybody's loyal You feel me You can always take your respect

Because that's what I've been doing Like fuck that I'm going to take my respect But loyalty you can't You know By the time you turn your back You don't know It might be a knife in it

You feel me Yep Yeah Did you I know you said you don't go to concerts But did you get to see Clips of the Hip Hop 50 concert At Yankee Stadium might be a knife in it. You feel me? Yep. Yeah. I know you said you don't go to concerts, but did you get to see clips of the Hip Hop 50 concert at Yankee Stadium? No.

It'd been on my timeline, but I just keep scrolling. I don't fuck with appropriation. Okay. Appropriation. What do you mean by that? I mean motherfuckers trying to come up off of the people. That wasn't done by nobody I could respect

in this industry. That was done by the man that was put together by the man that was exploited by the man and they, I don't know what the ticket prices was, but I could imagine. Right.

But you don't think that was a good thing? I think that was a good thing overall. No, overall it was a good thing, but for them to do it wasn't. I would have rather seen Red Alert do that. I would have rather seen Ralph McDaniels do that. I would rather see somebody in the culture win from that. Rather than these entities, the vampires, come in and do that.

And then not really respect the actual culture and not value the culture. They came to me, I'm going to say this. Both Rock the Bells and the Yankee Stadium shit, both came to me and lowball me and I felt disrespected like nah, y'all got to pay. Y'all can't come to me and offer

me half of what I want. Get the fuck out of here. Y'all not doing that to the other groups. Y'all ain't doing that to Run DMC. I know that for a fact. Period. But you all come to these other artists and think you can determine what they're worth.

And that's not how this works. Okay, you was finished? Yeah. But what I'm asking is sometimes, sometimes I feel like the culture does deserve a pay cut sometimes when it comes from the culture. Like the fact that it's coming from LL.

It ain't come from now, man. Look, he got his own brand and his thing going, and that's wonderful. But he don't speak for me, and he don't speak for my genre or my timeline. He don't even speak for half the artists

that I fuck with. You understand? I see he's speaking for Queens. That's cool. But I'm from Brooklyn. No, no, no. I'm from BK. No, no, no.

Brooklyn. I can't allow that. This is a lot. Look, man. Do you understand all the money I done took, man? But listen. But I can't say that because I've been on one rock and roll. Well, see, you're from Queens, too.

No, no, no. I've been on one rock and roll. Well, see, he came to you. Right. And he treated you properly. Yeah. no. I've been on one rock and bells. Well, see, he came to you. Right. And he treated you properly. Yeah. Okay, well, see. I took a pay cut, though.

I took a pay cut. I did, I did, I did. But what I'm trying to say is I think that sometimes it's unfair to like... But hold on. How you going to take a pay cut but he charging the shit

out the audience? I just couldn't tell LL, no. Well, see, I can. I could tell anybody no. Yeah, see, I can. I could tell anybody no. Nobody don't run. There ain't no man on this earth above me. I'm your idol. The highest title. Numero uno.

Nigga, please. So when you come to me, step to me correctly. That's it. That's all I ask. You a grown man. You already know. I've toured with LL before. I mean, when I was coming out and my shit was hot on the street, he put me on spot dates to sell tickets. Right.

I'm familiar with the process. Right. You know what I'm saying? And I'm also familiar with the fact that, you know what I'm saying, there was a lot of people that wasn't around for a very long time. Right. But now they want to come back and take everything. Come on, bro. Right.

In Yankee Stadium, Nas was involved, Mass Appeal. Well, that was Nas' whole stance with MC Shan was to say that he's involved, meaning that he took the money. But he didn't necessarily have everything to do with the actual bookings. Nah, this is what I'm trying to tell you. It's not. Hey, listen. what I'm trying to tell you. It's not, hey, listen, even with, I'm going to just say this, even with a Rock the Bells, even with a Mass Appeal, these are other entities involved

that are pulling the strings, period. Prove me wrong. But Mass Appeal got a hip hop museum. I feel like they're, Hey, museum, hey, all of that shit is appropriation, bro. There's museums everywhere. Museums popping up everywhere. Museums overseas.

Museums every fucking where, bro. That ain't nothing but another person doing what they got to do to make money off of hip hop. Wow. That is not the participants of the art. Call me when Red Alert got a museum. What would you have done different? If they came to you, like you said, you curated these,

so if they came to you, if Yankee Stadium, let's take out Mass Appeal, let's take out Rock the Bells at LL, let's say just Yankee Stadium, they themselves said, yo, Ed, we love what you've been doing. Can, this is in your hands. What would you have done?

I would have contacted all the artists that deserve to be recognized. And I would have gave them recognition and participation in the event. Okay. At what they asked. Can you name 10 artists you would have booked? Yeah, I can, but that's a whole,

that's a fucking assignment right there. I got to dig into my, I got to open my phone and shit. But yeah, I mean, just in general, I don't even know who was there, who was not. You feel me? I saw some flyers, you know, dissing that in the third. Yeah, Kool herc is everywhere right

respect shout outs to cool herc and i'ma just say man cool herc um you know he's he's jamaican he brought his set outside he had a party right you know i'm saying he did what jamaicans do right you know i'm saying yeah and i'm glad that um they appreciated that in the bronx and i'm i'm glad that they attribute that to hip-hop. Are you trying to say that's normal? That's what we do. That's what Jamaicans been doing. Come outside the big speakers?

If you look at all the speakers, even in the historical photographs and shit, you'll see the Jamaican flags on them. And the horns. Yeah, they sound system. They sets. Yeah. Yeah, man.

That's a part of the culture. Right. You know what I'm saying? Right. I think Crazy Legs said something like that. He just said, yeah, that there was a lot of parties around that time. Well, what I want to say, yeah, parties are party. I'm not going to blame anything on one party.

But what I do want to say is I hear a lot of people talking about, oh, well, I invented this and I invented that and I invented that. Come on, bro. Y'all need to ease up. Talk to DJ Hollywood, man. Yeah, man. Have him up here, man. I mean, it's good. We can all have a credit for our contributions, but when you start talking about you inventing shit, like, go patent something. And when you say DJ Hollywood, was that technically the first MC? Well, technically,

he can break shit down as an OG and let you know what was happening during that time. Because a lot of people claiming a lot of shit. You feel me? And I respect everybody. I respect all my OGs. According to the hip-hop lessons,

they say Coch Coca Rock was. The first MC they sent in. The first MC. But then I'm hearing, as far as rocking the party, DJ Hollywood was the first person to rock the party. Well, see, that's between them. I wasn't even there. You feel me?

I wasn't even there. But I do know a party is a motherfucking party. And unless y'all started a whole concept of having a party, I meanucking party. Right. And unless y'all started a part, like, a whole concept of having a party. Right. I mean, talk to me. Because essentially

that's what they say hip-hop was born, out of a party, a girl. I don't think it was just the party. I think the fact that he was bringing the breaks

back and forth at that party. At that party, yes. What is being said? What do you believe? What does Special Ed believe? What do I believe? If aliens came down right now. If aliens came down right now. And said, Special Ed, believe? What does Special Ed believe? What do I believe? If aliens came down right now.

If aliens came down right now. And said, Special Ed, how did hip-hop get started? What would you say? Okay, there was a whole lot of crooners and people making records rapping. Right? As far as having parties. Yeah, Kool Herc is from Jamaica. And in Jamaica, they bring the sound set outside because you have a lot of oppressed people.

The South Bronx was an oppressed people at that time. But Jamaica has been an oppressed people in a third world country. And how they find peace within themselves or a little happiness out of life is through the tunes and through bringing the sound system outside and playing. And that's what's been going on. So K so cool hurt brought the same thing to the bronx that's amazing wonderful thank you cool hurt we we love you and we appreciate you i love and appreciate everybody but i just want to get the notion and the concept that you know this is not one action started this. Not one, I don't think one party specifically started this. It's the whole concept of bringing some sort of happiness to a desolate environment.

Right. Bringing people together to unify. You feel me? I mean, you go to a third world country. You've been to Jamaica. Yeah, I've been to Jamaica. You've seen what it's like. It's very true.

Well, how did they bring peace? They bloods and crips as diplomats and Republicans. There we are. I said diplomats? Democrats. Same way. Same gangs. They talk about gangs, this and that, and the third.

Where gangs started and this and that and the third. Shit is very political and historical. Why, what do you think gangs started? You know what I'm saying? Politics, definitely. Oh, wow, yeah, like Jamaica. Politics. But wait, I think something important

that Grandmaster Kaz told us and MC Shyrock, they said hip hop didn't invent anything. It reinvented everything. Right. Okay, well, there you go. And I think that makes the most sense. That's my point. What?

I don't think it was a specific or particular invention. I think that they reinvented everything. And then the art form of sampling and reinventing music and reinventing the rap and the way we rap on records. Because people have been rapping. And poetry is timeless. Rhiots. Come on now. We talking about ancient shit.

You know what I'm saying? We not talking about some shit that's 50 years old. We talking about some shit that's thousands of years old. You understand? Yeah. You know,

symbolism's all of that. I think that made the most sense when they were saying that. Yeah, but I love them all. I want them all to get props. I think that made the most sense when they were saying that. Yeah, but I love them all. I want them all to get props. I want them to get paid. How about that?

How about we fucking make sure Kool Herc gets paid? How about DJ Hollywood gets paid? How about everybody that did not get paid gets paid? Right. Period. Give them something. Give them royalties. You got sponsors.

You got these people doing these big ass concerts, making millions of dollars. Pay the OGs. I saw it. It said fundraiser. I guess we got to look into what the fundraising was. Oh, I ain't looking at this shit. No, I'm going to look into it. I don't want to go into that investigation.

But my thing is the people should the people have to pay more for us to celebrate our anniversary? Right. I don't think so. I think it should be free. Right. Billions of dollars later, 50 years later, you made billions of dollars.

You can't throw a free fucking concert for the people Pay the artists And let the people in free What the fuck What are you celebrating It's true but a free concert in Yankee Stadium might be a little loose Nah Same staff

And limited tickets They sell the hot dogs and beer right Niggas love them glizzies You only got so many tickets You talking about a billion dollar industry They sell the hot dogs and beer, right? Niggas love them glizzies. You only got so many tickets. You talking about a billion dollar industry. Yeah. First come, first serve. Sign up, whatever.

Have two concerts. Three. I don't care. You know? Great story, Lee. He said, I'm just saying, man, that's how you show your appreciation

by, you know... And the government needs to treat, I mean, whether it needs to or not, the fact is, hip-hop is really the number one cultural export of the United States. Traveled the world ten times over. Exactly. Traveled the world 10 times over. Exactly.

So why not celebrate for real? That's not a celebration. That's an exploitation. That's an opportunist. Come on, bro. I mean, I want to agree with you. I agree with you to a certain extent, but I also want to see the good.

No, I see the good. I see the good that we're here 50 years later and we're doing it. Right. But I also see where they ain't doing it for everybody. Right, yeah. Period.

I put in work. But isn't that like with everything? Somebody's always going to get left behind. Yeah, someone's like, yeah. Someone's always going to feel like I'm not being spoken for Recently No but it's come to the point

Hold on It's come to the point Where they're appropriating And certain OGs And legends Can't even get Into the events That's true

They can't even Go to the events That's disrespectful Okay but How the fuck You going to talk about hip hop Let me just be An advocate for a second

Because the other day they had Queensbridge Day, right? And on Queensbridge Day they hired Big Daddy Kane and they hired somebody else. So they actually didn't hire no one from Queensbridge.

That's crazy. That's why. That's crazy. But I had to listen to their complaints and I'm listening and Tragedy's a close friend of mine and Tragedy was like,

yo, he kind of didn't want to, he said that Kane invited him but he said that when he got, he kind of didn't want to. He said that Kane invited him. But he said that when he got there, he kind of didn't even want to hit the stage. He was just like, yo, he wanted to be there and support a Kane. Right. But. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable.

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Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say, when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people

that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today listen to the american west with dan flores on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts not in support of the hood but but what i was trying to explain to him which which i had nothing to do with, what I was saying, and then you can take it from there.

What I said to him was like, yo, a lot of the times it's the outside promoter, how you was just saying. And it's like people from Queensbridge are going to them like a curator. They don't know who to go to to curate. They're just saying whoever can get in contact with these artists. And then that's how it's happening. That's the problem. The problem is the organizers. Uh-huh.

The organizers are whoever it gets hired to do the task. And sometimes they're putting the wrong organizers in place and they're not respecting the culture or where they at. Like it took Kane from Brooklyn to know to invite. Right. A Queensbridge guy. Tradge. Right. Yes to know to invite. Right. A Queensbridge guy. Right. Trag.

Right. Yes. To the event. Right. Instead of the organizer saying, Trag, you're a community leader. Yes. You are OG from the community. We need you.

Very true. Extra P, we need you. Yes. Whoever. Yeah. We need you. Havoc we need

you feel me? right but instead y'all just go with whatever and that's been happening since basically since

people figured out they could make money off of hip hop they dissected it and outside entities came in yeah and that's exactly

what appropriation is that's why I said it like 10 times right now because I mean And that's exactly what appropriation is. That's why I said it like 10 times. Right. Now, because, I mean, obviously, like, I see the effects of hip-hop. Like, I'll tell you the truth. One of my favorite places to go is to go out of the country is to perform. It's because I feel like the black man is gone everywhere else but America, right?

Like, it's. Well, and that's the, that's the whole reverse psychology because the black man in America is God too. Right. Original. Yes. It just don't feel like it. Right. Well, because they came here and took our shit and then made us think that this wasn't

our shit. Right. But we, yeah, over, over time and manipulation and media. But when I go to places like Europe and shit like that, I can go to a club and this will be all blank, right? And by the time I come in and I come out, they have Capone and Noriega all over. They be doing graffiti and they break dancing.

They honor us. And I'm sitting back and I'm like, what the fuck? And I sat there one time. Promoter gave me my money and just disappeared. And I'm just like, where the fuck is he at? And then coming right out the end of the night, he had all type of paint on his hand. This motherfucker was actually sitting there. Spray painting our shit.

Spray painting our shit. And then motherfucking. And then set it up for as soon as us to walk out. It was to be a breakdance concert as soon as we walked out. So me and Cabone walked out, and these guys were just breakdancing and just battling like it's B Street,

but in Europe. And I'm like, hip-hop is living out there, boy. So let me speak to that. Yeah. In the Vatican, in European countries, they worship melanated people. Melanated me, that's skin.

Yes, but here in this country is the opposite because they mind fucking us and took our land and took our country. So they can't educate you and worship you at the same time they're oppressing you.

But all around the world, and theyressing you. But all around the world, and they've done it already all around the world, but the history is known. They're educated. They know who the melanated are. You understand? Right.

But they can't tell you that here. Can they tell you that here and you figure out who and what you are, it's over for them. Right. You feel me? I remember going overseas when Obama was in office. That was like the first time I kind of didn't feel racism.

They was like, Obama! I was like, oh shit. They didn't really know. That was kind of racist too. Every time they see the black person, it's like America. I was like, America. They're like, Obama! I was like, oh shit.

They secretly worship you. They kiss your statues. They pray to your images. You understand me? You been to Japan? No. Okay. Japan is like that for the black man, I'm telling you.

That's why you look at Step on Marbury. I'm telling you, the world is like that for the black man, the melanated. Okay? Very true. The whole world is like that. But here in America, they cannot do that. It's the opposite. Right.

Right? Because we still under the mind control. Well, most are. I ain't under shit. I know why. I'm Jesus on the tree. Right. Amen.

Listen, if you had anything to do over, what would you do over? What would I do over? What would I do over? Yeah Just maybe some Of the business Some of the business moves that I've made And Some of the deals that I

Agreed to or the deals that I made I would change You know what I'm saying Yeah that's about it. Otherwise, life's experiences make you who you are, right? And if I changed anything other, you know, I might not be or have the same perspective or mindset. You feel me? Because I think a lot of people come in the game with a strong mind, but then they get del they get you know delusioned by whatever you know i'm saying drugs fantasies of you know delusions of grandeur yeah shit like that and then they turn into something else they save themselves you feel me it's about how can i win how can i save myself

how can i become rich how can I get the mansion and the yacht? You feel me? And they forget about the plight of the people. They forget about their families, their children, et cetera. You feel me? Yeah. If aliens came down, I know I'm touching this. I love aliens.

Come on down. If aliens came down and they asked you, I want to learn hip hop, and you have one album to give them, just one album for the aliens to go back into their spaceship or whatever,

a Martian, whatever the fuck. I give them my shit, Youngest in Charge. Goddamn, make some money back, shit. Youngest in Charge.

The first thing they go here is I'm your idol, the highest title. Do her own. I'm here for a reason and I'm speaking so that you know. Yeah. Bill Horodo. I'm here for Regan and I'm speaking so did you though. Yeah.

Yes, man. I mean, you know, because honestly, I know we've been playing around, but you're looking so good. You're like, tell these young brothers how you can maintain this type of regimen because like you said, I think you said you're 51 and you're looking like you're fucking fucking 21, bro.

I'm trying to look for the beijing it's not coming out it's no it's not it's no it's not coming out shit is all real well one thing is um genetics one thing is genetics that's for one for two is exactly what you put into your body what you consume you're vegans no not yet okay I'm kind of more pescatarian-ish. Okay. But I'm more conscious than anything. You know what I'm saying? When we're younger, we tend

to eat anything and we eat anything they sell. But when I was younger, I was conscious and I stopped eating pork at a very young age. How about oxtail? I stopped eating beef. I stopped eating pork. I stopped eating pork at a very young age. How about oxtail? I stopped eating beef. I stopped eating pork. I stopped eating chicken for the most part.

I eat chicken sparingly. Okay. Yeah. So not that much vegetarian. Yeah, not that much. But the fact is, the fact is, I'm drinking the proper liquid. I don't fuck with sodas and all that. Fruits, fruits and vegetables, fruits and berries, right?

Fruits and vegetables is what you eat. You are what you eat. Right. The energy you get when you eat fruits on a salad is way different than you eat a plate of steak and you go to sleep. Right. Very true. You understand? So you have to deal with reality.

Right. You have to deal with what's going to sustain you and keep you alive and keep you in good physical condition. As a Jamaican, what was the hardest food to cut off? Probably just the beef. Yeah. Oxtail. I love pepper steak. I used to love pepper steak. Yeah, man.

Oxtail, curry goat. Come on, man. Curry goat? Yeah. I stop all of that. I might, once a year, I might eatxtail, curry goat. Come on, man. Curry goat? Yeah, I stop all of that. I might, once a year, I might eat my mom's curry goat. She'll make some, and I'll eat some curry goat once a year. But even when I do that, it's different. I feel different.

Smell different. You look at that goat's different, you be like, nigga. Once a year, nigga, I use all your body. You have to know what these things do inside your body. They stay in your body and they rot. They rot and they cannot be

good for you or your digestive system. I tell you, I was vegan for like eight months to a year and the favorite foods I ever ate when I had that vegan experience had always came from the island and uh came from vegetarian delight it's a place out here yeah they would coconuts well it's all it's all all Jamaican it's all seasoning right seasoning determines everything like I love salads and you can just put whatever dressing you like but I love like

when I say I love salad, I love salad, man. Right. And fruits, fruits is the best shit on the earth. What are you, a kale guy? Nah, kale is cool. I put everything. I like spinach, lettuce, romaine, spring mix. And I do a little bit of food science, so I don't do too much iceberg lettuce and shit that has no nutritional value.

Oh, iceberg don't got no nutritional value? No, zero. Now y'all tell me. That shit is water nutritional value. Oh, iceberg don't got no nutritional value? No, zero. Now y'all tell me. That shit is water. Jesus. Okay, yeah, yeah. But for the most part, you just have to understand what you're eating and how it helps you. Okay.

And do that, man. I'm into the ginger, turmeric, all kind of shit, lemon. Yeah. I deal with natural substances, man. That's what we have to get back to is shit with one ingredient, what it is. You eat an orange, you know it's a fucking orange. You know what I'm saying? But you eat some other shit, it got a whole list of shit on you.

Yeah, way too much. There you go. Big up Moni Love, too. She's like on that, too. She's Jamaican, too. It's y'all Jamaicans with the good genes. Don't get it twisted. There's some Jamaicans with some fucked up genes out there now.

Oh, yeah, nah, nah. It's the individual. It's how much you care for yourself, your temple, and your consciousness of what you are doing to yourself. It's just like me, I stopped drinking. Yeah, I used to drink. I stopped smoking. Yeah, I used to smoke. So not all the time was I who I am now. Do you take edibles or none of that? Nah, I don't even do edibles. Or not to take that. Because I stopped drinking because alcohol causes poor behavior. Right.

Alcohol is poison. Right. And would you drink a whole bottle of cough medicine at once? Yeah. That has a percent of alcohol. See? You also got to be mobile. You got to...

A body in motion stays in motion. So you got to do shit too. I walk. I ride bikes. I swim. I do whatever. You feel me? I love the ocean. Love the ocean. So who are you battling versus?

First of all, I got to call you right now. Say if Swiss call me, he got to tell me a dollar amount. Damn. Period. I want to hear about the money. I need to hear about what it's worth. I'm not doing this for TV. I don't need to be on TV like that.

I've been on TV for 30 years. I'm not doing this just to have an episode of some shit on TV. I'm doing this show because I respect what y'all doing. Thank you, my brother. And you have to tell

your story or else somebody else going to try to tell your story. So I'm here to inform. I'm here to educate and let it be known. But again, let me just ask. Let's suppose Swiss call you and say on special ed, I want you to pick your opponent.

Who would, in your mind, you say, all right, let's suppose the dollar amount is great, right? Dollar amount is great. I'd pick anybody. I don't give a fuck, Swiss. You pick them. You pick them, Swiss. Do a poll. Vote. Y'all niggas do whatever y'all want.

Put whoever you want on that stage. Okay. It don't matter to me. Can I throw some names at you? Yeah. I'm going to get them all. Buckshot Shorty? Hell yeah.

Okay. I versus with anybody. That's the point. Okay. I versus with anybody. Y'all pay me. I'm going to be there. I'm going to versus anybody. Who else the point. I'm versus with anybody. Y'all pay me. I'm going to be there. I'm going to versus anybody.

Who else do you think has? Shit, I'm versus in anybody now. Big Daddy Kane? Nah, I'm Kane win already though. No, I'm just saying for him. I just want to hear. Granddaddy,

you would have been a good one. Rest in peace, Granddaddy. Yeah. Ooh. That's a bunch of people. Man, listen, I'm versus anybody. I ain't turning down any challenges. I ain't turning down's a, that's just what man. Listen, I've heard any challenge.

I ain't turning down no challenge. That's the whole point. That's how I got where I am today. Cause I ain't turned down. No, I used to walk down the streets of Brooklyn and just run up on ciphers. but like me skinny, I used to be like a buck 30,

like skinny little nigga. Like I run up on anybody and battle anybody. A matter of fact, when I first got to Erasmusus you said that earlier he was a battle mc at first yeah when i first got to erasmus hall high school my first week in high school i looked for the nicest mc and i battled him for his name wow damn straight for the name i'm going for the gusto, jail style mentality. Right, right, exactly. We going, we're the hardest, we're sad. Okay, come on. So that's what I did, man.

I challenged anybody. Right. You know what I'm saying? I walked down the street. I don't give a fuck how tough anybody look. I'm taking titles out here. Right. Yeah.

Well, man, you a motherfucking legend, man. Amen. I'm so glad you got to sit down with us, man. Just let you know this is your platform. If you want to come in here and promote pink toenails, we don't care.

No, we ain't doing this. I'll promote this lady with the pink toenails. We want you to know, man, because in our genre, our music, so many people want to say that you got 10 years or more that you're old school

and you're washed up. And I hate that because they don't have that in jazz. They don't have that in rock and roll. They don't have that in any other genre. They don't even have it in dancehall. You know what I'm saying? So the fact that they have it in hip hop,

this is something that me and my partner wanted to change from the beginning. We was just like, you know what? If we got a platform, we want to salute the people who's been there before us and give them their flowers and tell them to their face.

You understand what I'm saying? So now everyone wants to give people flowers. Me and him, we didn't invent the phrase, but we made it popular. Reinvented it. We reinvented it.

We reinvented it. Like hip hop did. And you are one of the people that I definitely want to give the flowers to because you deserve it. You are a legend. You are an icon.

You continue to do it. You're out here monkey footing the games because you're out here still throwing shows doing what you got to do man i want to show you love and i forgot to ask what you got going coming up besides the shows um you got anything else coming up uh well more shows i'm doing we going out to chicago what i've been doing is to stop the violence movement. You feel me? Shortly after PNB Rock got killed, Corrupt called me and he was like, yo, man, we need to, you know, do something about this. We need to unify because he always called me for enlightenment. You know what I'm saying, as a big bro. That's dope. And I agreed, and I said, you know what? Let me see what we can do to make all of this happen. And we started bringing everybody together on these calls for the Stop the Violence movement. And that's a part of my mission, what I'm out here to do,

is just utilize all of our resources and our influence to help these youth redirect their energies because their energies, it's up in the air, man. It's getting very negative and very, very, very hectic out there for kids. These are our children, man. These are like teenagers. We can't let them destroy themselves. So that's my mission. So I'm going around everywhere and I'm talking to all the kids I can,

all ages, and just letting them know. And based on giving them my life's experience, what I had to go through from a child till now, and showing them as an example of you can be successful. You don't have to compromise your integrity. You don't have to go follow the crowd. You don't have to follow the gang mentality if it's not positive. Because there are organizations that are positive and have changed how they approach

that whole gang gang quote-unquote mentality so we turning uh we turning everything into a positive right now that's my whole goal i ain't in no competition i don't care about the record industry it's done enough when did you get to that level where you were just like you know um, a few years ago? It's been some years now. I just see everybody like it's like a rat race. I see what they do for money. I see how they use and abuse artists and how they just undermine people's value and and the the the work that they put in. You know what I'm saying? It's like shit going back and forth with OG artists pitting them against newer artists and doing all kinds of dumb shit.

This is not a competition in that sense. I think we need to bring it back to something more pure, man. More organic and stop trying to create rivalry all the time. I remember me looking up to artists that came before me.

Do you think these new artists, they lost that? Yeah, I think they lost it because we're not going back out there and speaking to them and engaging and teaching them. But I do. That's my whole point and my purpose is what I'm doing with my organization, Special Ed Arts and Literacy, SEAL. And that's my whole mission right now. I don't care about the music game and the industry because I know what it comprises,

what it consists of. It's a road to destruction for most. So I ain't even worried about that no more. I'm worried about how do I change the minds of these children so that they don't destroy themselves. You don't have to die to be famous. You understand? You don't have to die to be famous. Or get hurt.

Or get hurt. Because that's what a lot of people are doing now, too. They're getting hurt, and then it's like They survived the stabbing or something like that Right And it's the mentality It's like They're going out here They've taken stunting to a whole nother level

Right And then they're endangering themselves And then they have to arm themselves Which is causing more gun violence You feel me? And then they get their feelings hurt And then they want to pull the gun out because their feelings is hurt. You understand?

Right. That's not what this is based on. You use a firearm to protect yourself. Right. To protect your life. Right. Not to go and threaten or endanger or take someone else's life or rob somebody. That's not what you use a firearm for.

You know what I'm saying? That's called crime. That's criminal. You feel me? And we don't want them to believe that that's what they need to be out there doing. No. I mean, shit, I've had a firearm my entire life. I never accosted or threatened anybody with it. You know what I'm saying? It's for me to defend myself and my family and what i have my possessions i'm not out here flashing i've had a firearm since i was a teen before i made records you understand me before i before the age of 15 i had a firearm right and i never had to pull it out and floss it not legally nah but now Nah. But now it's legal. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Ever since I became of legal age and got into a legal situation where I could do it legally, we good.

Right. You feel me? Right. And that's a right. That's our rights as what they call us. Law-abiding citizens. There we go. This is my right as a citizen.

I'm just exercising my right. Right. As you should. as a citizen. I'm just exercising my right. That's all. Yeah, and responsibly, not to intimidate or harm anybody. And that's the thing. They out here trying to intimidate and harm people. And broadcasting it. And broadcast, yeah.

And that's not what we want. That's not what we on. You know what I'm saying? We want to just teach the kids better from a young age so that they don't grow into, because once they become a teenager and they mindset and they ready to go, they ready to go. They ready to go. So I try to get them a little earlier. And even with the teens, I talk to them too. But once they gone and they, you know, clap that thing a few times, they get that energy.

Power, yeah. Yeah, they go to their heads. So we got to stop that. We got to prevent that. And the one thing I can say and the one thing I would love to say, and I would say to all the youth out there, all you thugs,

have you ever pointed your gun at someone else other than your own brother or sister? Have you ever, ever? No, I don't see you pointing at anyone else except yourselves. You might as well point it in the mirror. You feel me? Because you're only killing yourselves. You're not standing up for yourselves against the real oppressors, against the real people that are really oppressing you and taking from you and causing you to be in poverty and in these conditions. You're not pointing a gun at them. You pointed at your own

family. Don't point your gun at no melanated people. That's all I'm saying. Stop pointing your guns at melanated people. That's like killing yourself. And I don't want you killing yourself. Like. Damn, man, that was hard. I don't even know what to do.

Take a picture. Yeah, come on. Let's take a picture. Yo, man, once again, we appreciate you, man, coming through, man. Like I said, this is your house, man. Anytime you want to come

and promote anything. Yeah, man, I appreciate it. We appreciate you showing the OGs that you can actually still maintain into this environment. And I really want to respect your company because that's what artists should be taking care of, artists from the beginning.

I knew that. I didn't know that you actually had a company that was catering towards that. So I knew that from Murs. Murs was the first person. I was like, yo, he kind of did everything I asked for. He already did it. I love that, man. I just want to continue to support you.

G-Dawg, bless this, man. Like I said. I appreciate that. Come on, brother. Give you your flowers, my brother. Amen. I appreciate it. Got the flowers. Wow. Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production in association with Interval Presents.

Hosts and executive producers, NORE and DJ EFN. From Interval Presents, executive producers, Alan Coy and Jake Kleinberg. Listen to Drink Champs on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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. 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. 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. This is an iHeart Podcast.