Drink Champs - Episode 383 w/ Method Man

Episode Date: October 6, 2023

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode the Champs chop it up with the legend himself, Method Man!M-E-T-H-O-D MAN joins us as he shares his journey! Johnny Blaze shares stories about being part of the iconic group Wu-Tang Clan and more.Method Man shares stories about his career, working with legends like Redman, 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., DMX and many more!Method Man talks about his cannabis company Tical, his career as an actor and much much more!Listen as we continue to celebrate 50 Years of Hip-Hop!!Make some noise for Method Man!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 *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. legendary queens rapper hey hey segre this your boy n-o-r-e he's a miami hip-hop pioneer one of his dj efn together they drink it up with some of the biggest players in the most professional unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk it's time for drink champs. Drink up, motherfucker. What it good be hoping it's with us, Jimmy. This your boy, N-O-R-E. What up, it's DJ EFN. And this motherfucker

Drink Champs Crazy War Hour makes some noise! When me and EFN started this show, we said we wanted to base it on legends. This man that we have today, he's not only a legend, he's an icon. He can do anything. I witnessed it.

From acting, to rapping, to walking on your hands on stage. To fighting crime at night like Batman. Y'all slept sick last night, right? To fighting crime at night like Batman. You're welcome. He can do it all I literally synced it we lit we went through his whole discography and literally we didn't have to we could we the records just kept going kept going we didn't we didn't have to play a record over and over because this guy really has

classics this guy's really a legend he's really a icon he's really with the and one of the most humblest people I know. But he is a goddamn king. And in case you don't know who the fuck we talking about, we talking about the one the only fucking man in the world! So, you on tour? Did you go

to the whole tour? Yeah, I'm on this whole tour this time. The writer's strike helped. Okay. You know? The screen actors, you know, the actor's strike helped.

I just want everybody to get their money. I would never block anybody from a check, you know what I'm saying? But it always feels good to be able to work. And we got grips,

lighting guys. I mean, everybody's going to come out on the other end, I hope, better than they were left off. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Because I went to the show in Paris, and I was telling the ESPN— Minor floss, minor floss. I didn't know.

But I went to the show in Paris, and one thing that I was amazed about it was it wasn't like Nas was coming out and then Wu-Tang was coming out. It was like almost sharing the stage. Like a mixtape. It almost felt like a mixtape. I was sitting there, and I could not hold myself. Like, I sat there, and I sweated like I'm sweating right now. I fucking yelled to the top of my lungs. I was in there, and this is a real put-together tour.

So this is... You wasn't on that first leg of the tour. I wasn't on the first leg of the tour, which is why I can't even give away how the show goes, but I'm not as upfront as the other guys are because the way the show was patterned, RZA put the show together, by the way, the way it was patterned was like a play. Okay.

So you have act one, act two, act three, act four, and so on and so forth. That's dope. We added De La Soul. That's a major bump right there, you know what I mean? I think dudes added De La Soul just in case the crowd gets soggy, because De La, man, I mean. Oh, yeah.

You talking about performance. Yeah. Like, shout out to True Goy Dove, you know what I mean? Rest in Paradise, brother, you know what mean rest in paradise brother you know i mean um but cheers i'm happy to have them there talib is with us too as well um and you know it's always good to be around the fellas let's work hell yeah we got more people there hell yeah man i ain't gonna lie like i i know you said you can't blow it up but i was there i went to the show and i was so impressed like it's so dope to see our groups uh yeah uh seasoned you understand what i'm saying like like i i'll go to a um

every now and then i'll go to go check out a new artist and i'll see their they they developing but once you have an artist like woo and naz there's experience there's experience and it's like and and it's crazy because of course every time I see you on stage, man, it feels like you just belong there. I'd be happy to be there, man. I love performing. You still love performing? Yeah. Yeah?

Look at your face. It's as fun as you make it, you know what I mean? And especially with my guys, Wu-Tang, I just love being on stage with them because I remember where we started at. And every now and then, I got to shake it off because I'm looking at us as teenagers. Right. And I'm looking at it. Like time traveling. Yeah, and it brings joy to my heart to see where we came from, to see where we at right now and stuff. Like, man, I used to see you walk around in the same dirty ass sneakers all the time.

You know? Now you pulling up in the Maybach. That's dope. That is so dope. Yeah. So we saved this for a quick time with Slime, but I want to ask you off the top. So what do you like more, performing or making a record? Damn, they both like the same to me because it's being creative.

And that's what I am. You know, I go beyond artists. I like to call us creatives because that's what we do. We start with a blank slate and whatever it is, that's what it's going to be, right? I don't know. I mean, just being in the studio, the studio atmosphere, I don't really like it. You don't like being in the studio? No, I like to write in the comforts of my own home or, believe it or not, the front seat of a vehicle, moving vehicle.

I like to write there as well. And it's got to be moving. Yeah. Oh, wow. A lot of my writing was done like that because I think the fact that my album, my first album, was literally destroyed in a flood. A lot of the writing and stuff I had to do while Wu-Tang was promoting the first album. So we was down south, west coast, all Latin. While these guys were going to the after party,

I was in the studio recording. Wait, so your first solo album... He just said that. Got destroyed in that flood. Yeah, the whole, everything. Well, the majority of it. So RZA had to remake a lot of the tracks and I had to re-record. Did you change anything about

the album? How different was it from the original? Only one that changed somewhat. It sounded better when I originally done it was Stimulation. The night that I did it, we had performed. Like I said, I was coming right off the stage, going right into the studio. And I remember this studio in particular when I did it because one of the dudes from Troop was there. Troop. The R&B group.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Matter of fact, the lead singer dude, a little short one. Right. And, you know, I remember the popper stopper had like the... That's the mic for people that don't know the popper stopper. It had the hanger with the stocking wrapped around it. Yep. You know what I mean?

We used to court and shit like that. That kind of shit. You know what I mean? These youngins don't know. That's the original know what I mean? These youngins don't know. That's the original pop star. These youngins don't know. The booth was the size of a small closet in the projects. Period.

But I got it done. I got it done. If people knew what I went through to get that four mic album, they gave me four mics in the store, so I wasn't mad at it. I felt like something. Felt like something. So I always wanted to ask you Cause we was playing this record earlier

And they said you hate this record What record was it? Was it M.E.T.H.? Yeah I saw an old interview Where you had said You didn't really like the record You had to be convinced of it

Yeah But over the years I learned to love it That's what I told you I said I was gonna say You probably love it I understand Like when I wrote Method Man I was like 15, 16 years the years, I learned to love it. Oh, I see. That's what I told you. I said, I'm going to say you probably love it. I understand.

Like, when I wrote Method Man, I was like 15, 16 years old. Right. 16, 17, yeah. You young niggas got no excuse. For real. You out here making faux-folleries. He made it at 15 years old. I mean, back then, we wasn't writing verses.

We was writing songs. We had verses with hooks. You know what I mean? We had routines, all that shit, but we was doing it for nothing. Right. You know, just to impress the people around our way so yeah man like it was it was real back then b you know so you you you didn't like it at first um i just it was the rhymes oh it was the rhymes i thought they were a bit dated but the the date the updated part of it was the hook now my mind works crazy i don't know where i heard these records before but it was the hook. Now, my mind works crazy. I don't know where I heard these records before, but it was etched in my head.

Hey, you, get off my cloud. You don't know me. You don't know myself. Hey, you, get off my cloud. Who is that? Hey, you, get off of my cloud. Right. Now, see, I think that's Boosie Boosie Collins

But it was stuck in my head Right Yeah Okay So He just fucked me up He just fucked me up So when I got

By the time I got to the M-E-T-H-O-D Man That was already Etched in my head From You know M-E-T-H-O-D-O-S-L-O-V-E

Big Hall and O's Yeah yeah yeah Right Holy shit The man part Came from Master H One of my favorite records was Music Man. The music, man.

So it was M-E-T-H-O-D, man. So you put like three songs together and made your own shit? A bunch of shit. Wait, wait. And you're 15 years old? You did that at 15 years old? Yeah, yeah. And no, no.

I was like 16, 17. I mean, that's close enough. The other hook part, I got Fat bags of, that's the Beatles. She's got, yo. Obama, he got. How are you not able to hear that? We got to take our hip hop card. Fat bags of skulls.

He did a mashup. He did a mashup. Yo, holy shit. Because I've lived in areas. Remember, like, we didn't have, back in the day when we were shorties, we didn't have, like, video music box. Right. You know, video jukebox.

And the closest thing that we could get to seeing hip hop videos was never, really, if you think about it. So the videos that we did see was top 40 countdowns. Right. Wow. A lot of rock and roll. Wow. A lot of rock and roll. A lot of rock and roll.

I remember I was a big Bon Jovi fan. You give love a bad name. Then they came out with the Wanted Dead Alive. I was like, John Bon Jovi is a bad motherfucker. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I found out we born on the same day. It was over. Oh, my God.

Over. Yeah, no. That was a great record. The young guy's joint. Come on. Holy shit. And you said you wanted to ask about the songs coming out. You know what's crazy?

I had never knew. Like, I had always debated what had dropped first. Was it Patek in that? Patek. Method Man was already done, though. I sat there and watched RZA make the beat. I sat there and watched RZA make the beat for Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' to Fuck With. Like, I was sitting there while he was going through the joints.

I don't want to give away what they know who the samples are now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know? He had a fucking record of cartoon classics. Right.

And that's where the underdog sample came from. Right? And the Method Man sample was, I don't know if there's a woman who tell that either. Yeah, yeah. You know,

Thelonious Monk. And the sample's so small, you won't be able to find it. Right. Wow. For Method Man. You won't be able to find it. Right. Wow. For Method, man. You won't be able to find that motherfucker. So, you know,

I was around for some shit, nigga. I was around for some shit. Because I always, go ahead. But Protect Your Neck, contrary to, I had read somewhere that people misconscrued my words

and thought that I paid $100 to get into the Wu-Tang. Yeah. Wait, what? Now, the story goes like this. Okay. RZA was putting together this song called Protect Your Neck. Well, it wasn't called Protect Your Neck then. RZA was putting together this song, Corporate Tech Connect. Well, it wasn't Corporate Tech Connect then, but he was putting together this song and he said, bring $100 to the studio. They had already paid for the studio, but they were trying to get some of their money back. So they tried to get every man to bring $100 to the studio. And I said, honestly, I think me and you are the only niggas that brought $100. They didn't even say shit. They just kept the money and shit. But, you know, out of it came a dope-ass motherfucking record and shit.

You know what I'm saying? And contrary to what people think, no, we did not pay to get into the group. We all grew up around each other from teenagers, like pre-teenagers to adults. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah. So let me ask you, because you was the first one with a solo record I was the first one to sign I mean you got the solo song You was the first one to sign

And you was the last one to lay The last verse On What was it And the show says That Richard told you you was the first one to sign the contract To start it off And you was the last one to start the first of the second album, Moonsan Forever, to end the contract.

Oh, I didn't know that. That was dope. He said that's dope. That's dope. Honestly, I didn't know we had a contract and shit. That could end, honestly. Let me finish this thing. I didn't know we had a contract and shit. That could end, honestly. Let me finish this thing. I know we had a contract that could end and shit.

You know, brotherhood forever and shit. And it's like, RZA has given us way more than we ever could have dreamed of. Right. And we've given him the same. Right. As a collective, you'll never see anything like this again. And I'm not, it's not a brag it's just, I'm just letting you know what the facts are

I'm bragging for you, yes there will never be another Wu-Tang the cohesion and just the I would like to call it clutch genius because we had no idea what we were doing when we were, you know, just freestyling for fun going to Ritz house making tapes just on the fly

you know what i mean some dudes had just started rhyming for like two years and got nice just being around that atmosphere kind of thing you know um and to have him to have a vision to put all of that i mean this is like frantic shit nobody like when you heard only people that i can think that came close and they came before us was nwa right when you. When you heard the N.W.A. album, you expected to hear all of them on each record, but you didn't. Sometimes you just got Eazy. Sometimes you got Ice Cube and Ren, you know, or just Dre and Cube. You know what I mean?

And RZA did that same shit, but it was more Clutch Genius than anything because we had these records for years before anybody even heard these shits. So he put them all together and made them sound like it was a complete fucking album this is why method man is a solo record on a fucking on a protect your neck on the flip side of it and shit because that's my question yeah my question was how am i the leader of the wu-tang but you know what it launched you in that way i am the fuck but you know what's crazy on that on that record The first thing you say, you could tell that you wanted to shout out your crew. The first thing you do is shout out your crew. Like off top.

It might have said Method Man, but one thing I noticed is off top. Rizzo orchestrated that part of it, but I probably would have did that shit anyway. And JZA's the one who actually said it. He did the breakdown of it and shit. Word. That's JZA? That's JZA. That's the JZA Mac.

I thought that was you. Nah, that was just us that was just a holy because you've been there way too many shows so you got a chance to work with Tupac and big yeah yeah how crazy that piece, it would have been crazy if Pac would have actually been there. Now, with Big, I remember Tracy Waples came and picked me up, scooped me up, and the word was amongst the crew,

because we was getting hot. We had some traction. And RZA's a smart motherfucker. I mean, people don't give him enough credit, honestly. Because RZA didn't want you to do the record, right? He did not want us to do any records with anybody outside of the clan.

Keep the money in the pocket. That makes it noise from Wizzy being a foul nigga. You know what I mean? I mean, he obviously had a plan for that. It's genius to it because when you got,

when your name is hot, why would you want to spread your money? Why would you want to spread it? It's absolutely right. So you bring it, but in my defense, I'm thinking,

well, if I kill this record, their fans is now our fans. Yes. So Tracy Waple comes, scoops me up, I'm thinking, well, if I kill this record, their fans is now our fans. Yes. So Tracy Waple comes, scoops me up. I go do the record. Biggie is mad funny. This is like my second time. The first time I met him was outside the Muse.

We all performed there that night. We performed, Big performed, Yo-Yo performed that night as well. And that was the first time I seen Big do party and bullshit. Now, the reason why I knew it was Big was because he had on the big shirt. The yellow one? The yellow one shirt? Okay. Now, back then, if you wore a fucking shirt in the video and it was your first video and you were a new artist,

you was seen in that shit everywhere you went for the next few weeks. No lie. No lie. I wore a lot of my shit like that. The fucking All I Need shit. The fucking Bring the Pain leather. That shit went everywhere with you, nigga. Think about it. Okay, think about it. There's live footage at the Roxy.

Puffy's birthday party. I got the leather on. Live footage. Right? Wu-Tang performing in Long Island. I got the leather on. Bring the Pain video. Leather on. Tell me. It's like, yeah, it's me. Oh, yeah, that gotta be him. He got the leather on.

But let me ask you, because you said something. You said Pac wasn't there? No, he wasn't there. Pac was in jail. That was for the Dog Pound album. That was for Dad. That's right. That's right.

And Death Row was so tight that when Pac came home. They gave him the record. Yeah, because they, you know, it was like, come home, Pac. And when he came home, they was like, here it is. Whatever you want, we got it. Now, was the East Coast mad at you at this time? No. I never got any flack.

Nobody says shit to me about that shit. Nothing. Let me tell you something about Wu-Tang and shit. For one, all right, you know it's non-Ten members. Ten members. Okay, Ten members. All y'all. But they don't know that Ten members got family members.

Right, right. And we from everywhere. It's 900 of y'all. Yeah, it's true. members got family members right right and we from everywhere yeah bro we from everywhere we got family we didn't even know we had shit but we from everywhere so it's like if somebody did feel a certain kind of way it was rectified really fast okay really fucking fast but i've never gotten any beef whatever me and big was still cool big never looked at in any weird kind of motherfucking way and shit. And, you know, when I finally did run into Pac, the record wasn't even mentioned. Go ahead, man.

Okay. All right, so this shit going on with the East Coast, West Coast shit. Okay. I fly out to Cali that day for Soul Train, like everybody did. Okay. Soul Train Awards happening.

I get on the plane. I'm in first class. Shook gets on. He leaving from New York. That's wild. And I'm like the plane. I'm in first class. Shug gets on. He leaving from New York. That's wild. I'm like, well, wow, that's interesting. You and Shug in first class? Yes.

From New York to LA? From New York to LA, yes. Okay. He didn't say shit to me either. He didn't say shit to me. Anyway, no, he did when he got off the plane, though. He did the head nod, that Shug shit. He was like, walked off the plane. You know what I mean? I didn't even say shit back, though. He did the head nod, that Shug shit. He was like, walked off the plane.

You know what I mean? I ain't even say shit back, though. It was like, whatever, nigga. But long story short, and that means it's going to be longer, I'm in House of Blues. This is where they used to do the Soul Train party every year. Yeah, right there on the strip. They do the Soul Train party. I'm up in here right now.

I'm on mushrooms like a motherfucker. That's what they was doing out there. Hit me with the shroom. I'm in here like this. And I mean, it didn't hit me, hit me. Like, cause you know, we got a force field. We got a force field around us, but I'm by myself. It didn't hit me while I'm in the club, in the House of Blues,

until I saw Puff. And this ain't a slight against Puff, but it was like, I see Puffy. Right. And I see Puffy with like six bodyguards. Then it hit me. It was like, wait a minute. The truth you talking about. Yeah.

The whole, the whole, no, the whole everything. The whole everything. The situation, everything. Everything that's going on. Yo, when I tell you. The truth is nasty., no, the whole everything. The whole everything. The situation, everything. Everything that's going on. Yo, when I tell you, right, ignorance is bliss like a motherfucker.

But I see Puffy come in and mind you, Puff don't speak to me. No, he speaks to me, but he never speaks to me like this. Embrace Matt for something. Did he have a shiny suit on?

No, he didn't have a shiny suit on. Puff had on all black. But he was on point. You can tell he was on point. He ain't had nothing to drink, none of that shit. But he had all these niggas

with him, bodyguard niggas. So now it's like, oh, shit. I slide my ass. Now I'm looking around to see if anybody saw me speak to this motherfucker and saw

that shit, right? And don't ask me why. I'm thinking it. It's just, I don't want to be on anybody's fucking radar at this point, right? The shrooms.

The shrooms. The shrooms. So I'm up in, you know, remember how they had the food booths and, you know, you could sit up in the booth. So I'm sitting up on top of the booth sitting like this, right? And I'm in my head like crazy. And I was like, did that just happen? Because Puff's never that nice to me. I mean, he's nice, but he's never that nice to me. After you got off the plane with Shug.

No, that's everything. I'm in the club now. I done seen P with Shug. No, it's after everything. I'm in the club now. I done seen Puffy come through and now it's like, oh shit, East Coast. Okay. Damn. Puffy, like I said, I slid up in the booth like this.

Now I'm just sitting there. I'm fucked up off these shrooms. Now I'm at the utmost point. Yeah, the peak of shroom high. And I'm sitting there and shitting this light. And I hear meth. Meth. And I look and it's Latifah.

She's like, what the fuck you doing up in that corner? Come here. And I snapped out of that shit. I was good the rest of the night after that. Shout out to you, Dana. I love you. I love you. After that, I was like, shit, we good.

We good, nigga. So, end of the night happens. All the lights come on. I'm leaving. Turn around. Tupac. In the same club? Yeah, the whole night.

I had no idea, though. Boom, boom, boom. Turn around. It's Pac and shit. Now, he's telling me about some incident that happened with RZA in Vegas, and if he was there, it definitely wouldn't have happened.

Blah, blah, blah. I spoke to the pals at B. Basically, he was saying if there's anybody we would fuck with on the East Coast, it'd be Wu-Tang. You know what I mean? This is letting us know, and anybody that was in the know, know that it wasn't an East Coast, West Coast thing. It was a bad boy, death row thing.

Okay? Right. He started saying something else, but I'm not really listening because I'm looking at the death row piece on his chain. And this is my first time meeting Pac, so I'm like, oh, shit, that's fucking Tupac. Look at that fucking chain. And I remember looking up and he had finished what he was saying. I was like, yeah, all right, you know, men come to the table, we talk. All right, peace. And I remember looking at

Suge and he got the cigar like this and he's like, nothing. Nothing. No express. You know what I mean? Stoic, because cameras is on, nigga. He in Suge mode and shit, so I'm like, yeah. Walk out, we get out mode and shit so I'm like yeah walk out we get out front

and shit no lie man I remember being in the back of Pink Dot in that alleyway you know where Pink Dot is right up the block and we sat there

and was discussing that whole night of how that shit was so fucking weird you and Pac? no me and the people I was with

how that shit was just so fucking weird. That was in a party with Puffy and... All that shit happened like that. Latif was like, nigga, what are you doing, motherfucker? It sure was the mushrooms, right? It was definitely the mushrooms. Definitely the mushrooms.

Shout out to Pink Dog. You know, that's my Pac story and shit. I didn't see him after that. So you never discussed the record? Never. He never said, thank Thank you You're looking for Nah never Cause you had to clear that

Honestly Yeah but I had cleared it For Dog Power You cleared it Already cleared it For Dog Power Dazz and Corrupt Those my niggas

So the way that shit Ended up on the record They were playing it In New York I didn't feel any kind of way About it cause I killed my verse So I didn't give a fuck What anybody thought

Any fucking way But they were playing it In New York And that was the first time I heard it I had no idea Pac was on mixtapes. And that was the first time I heard it. I had no idea Pac was on this shit. Really? Right.

Because in the part that Pac rhymed in, that was Rage's verse. And then I did it. Lady of Rage. Lady of Rage. Because it was a Dog Pound record. And Dex's verse wasn't on there. So I was like, wow, that's interesting. So originally, it was a Wu-Tang collab with Dog Pound.

No, it was just... Dog Pound featured. Let's put it this way. Anytime I went to Cali, them niggas would come scoop me. When they came to the East Coast, I would come scoop them. Okay, cool. That kind of thing and shit. I had niggas in Harlem and shit in the back of the 4Runner. These niggas in the back of the 4Runner like this.

Multi-million dollar niggas. Scrunched up in the back of my motherfucking whip. Anyway, yeah, they would always come get me and Dec just happened to be there that day. Right. Me, him, and Doc slid over to Daz's crib, fed us,

played some motherfucking NBA 2K, smoked, and started writing. Whoa. And you said you spoke to Big after that too? I mean, not NBA 2K. It was EA Sports. It was NBA Live.

Sorry, NBA Live. but go ahead i'm sorry and you said you saw a big after you the pop record got recorded and nothing was never no never anything you really don't know but you're saying two speeches let me explain something even when ghost and ray uh or rather ray for instance said something about the album cover and all that stuff i had already me and Big had already had a rapport. You know what I mean? The way they felt wasn't the way I felt at all. Plus,

it didn't have any merit to it because we've never discussed that as a clan. That's just something Ray came off with as Ray. That's how he felt. I had already had a rapport. No, that was on Ray's album. No, it was on had a report. It was on Ghost's album though, right? That skit? No, that was on Ray's. That was Ray's album?

No, it was on Ghost's album. It was on Ghost's album because he was like, Clyde Smith, nigga. I am an athlete. Clyde Smith. Really? Yeah. Who you saw? Yeah.

The skit? Nah, it was on... The skit is on Ghost's album. Wasn't on Cuban Links? No, it wasn't on Cuban Links. No, it was on Cuban Links. Cuban Links. Yeah, that was Cuban Links.

Matter of fact, it was Ghost that said that shit. Why we sit here like we don't got Google? You right, you right're right, you're right. Why we say that we don't got Google? You're right, my brain's fucked up. It was Ghost that said it on Ray's album. So they're right. They're absolutely right. But like I said, even when we used to do shows with them niggas. Right.

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

Cops believed everything that Taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month. And on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J,

the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting to our childhood in some sort. You said I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs.

I still play like a kid. I laugh, you know, I love jokes. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

AT&T. Connecting changes everything. network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T, connecting changes everything. Some dudes will just keep walking, you know what I mean? When you say that. But I would always stop and say what's up to him and C's, and we used to kick it, regardless to who was there, whatever, whatever and shit. Big was a great dude, man. Like, really, really fucking, anybody that knew him, I tell you, he's the funniest motherfucker on the planet and shit, but cool as hell.

Do you understand how hard it was to rhyme with Big? No, I didn't. Ignorance is bliss, bro. And I'm telling you, at that point, Wu-Tang was hotter than fish grease, nigga. They've been lucky. Let me tell you something. Ain't no slight against bad boy, but maybe it is.

But y'all niggas lucky we didn't have our shit together the way we should have had our shit together back then. They know it too. We let a lot of y'all niggas live. Listen, I listen to the record and I listen to a lot of Big features. And Big really murders everybody that he's on the record with. I'm so sorry to certain people that be mad at me when I say this. I apologize. I don't mean no disrespect. But Big,

other than you and Jay, I don't see... Jay murdered that fucking man. Yeah, I don't see... But Jay was ready. I think Jay had that verse for like eight years and shit. He was just waiting. He was just waiting. He was just like, shit, I got like one in the chamber right here. Yeah. But did

you realize that Big was one of the goats at that time? He wasn't. Nobody knew who we were. Nobody. It was like the way we felt about ourselves. Because, you know, New York was the mecca of fucking hip hop. So that tri-state, if you lit there, that's the world for you. You go down south.

I say shit like that to people like that. Yeah. You go down south. Can't say shit like that to people like that. Yeah. You go down south. They hate the New York. You go down south, this is where change is at. Yes. This is where

bad boys at. Pew. Right. One More Chance, they was loving that shit in the cell. Yes. Right?

Yeah. Big Papa, that shit in the cell. We didn't have those records, but we did have All I Need, which was my shit, but killing that shit. And them niggas

took the fuck off, man. Bless all of them, man. For real. You know, that's an iconic fucking label, iconic fucking crew, and Puff's still doing it.

Salute to Puff. So let's describe this session. Yeah. Tracy Rapos, you said. Hey, Wap. She picks you up.

Yeah, go to this session. And is this beat Already playing Or Easy Mo B made the beat Yeah it was playing It was already playing It was already playing

And you walked in and said Nah I walked in and Big was snapping on Puff first And you know I'm just laughing And shit Shit was hilarious

Cause Puff was like Y'all say my name He was like Nigga I said your name Like 15 times On this motherfucking album Puff know I'm telling the truth too You know I'm telling the truth Puff Um like, you got to say my name. He was like, nigga, I said your name like 15 times on this motherfucking album. Puff, you know I'm telling the truth, too. You know I'm telling the truth, Puff.

But then we sat there and wrote our verses. We both sat there and wrote them. And I'm an artist, so I know. Are you sitting there trying to take his head off? Or are you just saying, I'm just going? No, when I heard the beat, sometimes you hear a beat and your pen just starts flowing. So once your pen starts flowing, nothing else exists and you can't hear shit but the beat and your pen wrong your pen going so it was no communication at that point in time i didn't hear his shit he didn't hear my shit so

it's even at that point now i wasn't even taking each other's head off me i was just trying to stay in the pocket like i always do i'm gonna stay in the pocket like I always do. I'm going to stay in the pocket. I'm going to ride this rhythm. And I'm going to do like a little Nas cadence if I can and shit. Well, what I thought was a Nas cadence. It was close. It was kind of close. But it wasn't exactly it because it ran off into some other shit. But I've always had cadence.

So who came up with the idea of y'all going back and forth? Yeah, that was big. Big? He wanted to end it. You can't mess with M-E, and I was supposed to come with T-H-O-D, man, but it didn't fall on beat, so I overlapped him to do it. That's why I came in T-H-O-D, man,

and now I got more glocks and text than you. I make it hot. He wrote that. Niggas won't even stand next to you. He said, you say this part right here. I was like, I'll say that part right here. You know what I mean? Yo, I ain't gonna lie.

Biggie Smalls. That's a piece of Biggie Smalls, man. Holy shit. But I ain't gonna lie, man. You like, I could listen to it, that record, to this day. And like I said, it's like y'all even. And I just didn't hear anybody hanging with Big at that time. That was my mans right there. If you ask me, I'll say we both killed it. But other people like to say even like, and I just didn't hear anybody hanging with Big at that time. That was my mans right there.

If you ask me, I'll say we both killed it. But other people like to say shit like, you know, I edged them, stuff like that. But we're talking about two, first of all, kids. Right. Doing something they loved and trying to make something from nothing. Being creatives, that's all, having fun. It wasn't, I bet you Big wasn't trying to take my head off. I wasn't trying to take, we was just having fun

in that bitch. Soon as I walked in, I told you what it was. The atmosphere was light. Niggas was snapping. Felt like being around Wu-Tang. For real, that was my man. And you on Nas' new album. Am I on Nas' new album? You don't know, man.

From what? How? Nas ain't sent me no record. I would love to get on the Nas record. We just saw it. My Brother. Oh, I get it. Yes. Okay.

I get it. No, no, no, no, no. See, you fell for the okie doke. They do these remixes with old verses and they splice all of them together and people think those are real records i've been having real complaints about this shit right because rizzo did a record called built for this dj scanless i'm looking at you brother um and a guy did a remake to it not a marcus scott screlly no no no no no this This shit was for RZA's soundtrack, The Man With The Iron Fist. And we did a song with Freddie Gibbs called Built For This, Myself In Street.

He remakes it. He puts a different beat up underneath it, puts Ice Cube, Eazy-E, a bunch of just features on there of old verses from these dudes and just spliced it all together now people think it's the real joint now this is where i have the problem at go ahead and do that but when i go on built for this the original it's barely got a million views that one has over 300

million views people think it's a real record now i'm not saying that they're stealing right right right but they're stealing and no seriously they're stealing because that revenue should be going to the artist that took the time out to make it yes like i sat my ass down and wrote for that fucking record rizzo sat his ass down and put that whole composition together. That's time consuming. As well as you start to put in studio time and video costs. And then you have somebody splice a whole bunch of old video footage together, throw a bunch of art.

I mean, people should know that it's not a real easy ease on it. They should know it's not a real song. And this shit got over 300 million fucking views. That's wild. Now, someone can have the argument and say, well, maybe it sounds better. I don't give a shit. I don't care. All right.

The fuck? There's an original out there and shit that artists made to be consumed by the masses to bring the money back to their families to feed their fucking families. Not these motherfuckers over here, man. That's real. That shit crazy. And that South Central channel on YouTube,

y'all niggas is bogus as fuck. Y'all got, that's where all of it be at. Now I done gave them a fucking life. I done gave them a fucking, see that? Oh, damn it.

All right. Yeah, holy shit. Trash for that shit, man. That shit is like, that shit ain't robbing niggas. I done seen your shit. You was on the fucking record with, it was you,

fucking, what's that nigga name? Sting from the police, nigga. Michael Jackson? Fucking, yeah, nigga. Burt Bacharach was on the track, nigga. That was y'all. Nigga.

Yo, that's crazy. They like, Norrie murdered that shit. That's crazy. That's crazy, yo. So you see some shit like that, and they're like, oh, this shit shit. That's crazy. That's crazy, yo. So, you see some shit like that, and they're like, oh, this shit better than Super Thug. Matter of fact, this is better than anything Nori did. You're going to look at that shit like, wait a minute. Right, damn.

Let me call this motherfucker. Hey, yo, so you remade my shit and shit, right? So, where the revenue at? I see your shit at 300 million views and shit, and I know how YouTube pay. I'm saying, though, did you get a plaque? Right. If so, I mean, where's mine? but the Nas is a new joint though, right? Oh no, cuz we know I Only check I've done with Nas and we was on the studio was um Fuck belly and fuck

Dog dogs for life For a belly soundtrack Yeah, Dogs for Life Yeah Yeah And he killed that shit Right So there's I mean

I'm dying to get on another track with Nas Because he murdered us on that I got to get my dick back Now I got to get my dick back You do be trying to take No, no, no I just want to I just want to keep up

I ain't be trying to take no hands I would never, ever, ever Ever come at an MC I'm on a track with. But where you say you saw it? Magic 3? Oh. No, but that's not on the official album.

Nah, I ain't going to lie. I say this a lot. Can't be. One time I did a song with Styles B, and he did the verse after me, and I always wanted to rematch. I always wanted to rematch. And it's not like you're trying to go at him I'm trying to tell you I'm just as nice yeah yeah so um give us flowers man that's right

our show was about giving flowers we want to give you your flowers face to face man See, this shit is rad. My God. We got the Grammy. You too. That shit is hot. Yeah, yeah, it's good. See, we talking in English for a little while. Snoop said it's better than the Grammy because it's coming from your people. Yeah. They got the Method Man logo. Yeah, yeah.

They got it. We showing off. Yo, man. Snoop always know what to say. That motherfucker, Snoop ain't even a star. Snoop is like a fucking enterprise. Yeah. Man, he's just an establishment, you know? Right. Snoop, I even a star. Snoop is like a fucking enterprise. Yeah.

Man, he's just an establishment, you know? Right. Snoop, I got your cereal, too. My grandbaby love that shit. Yeah. He like them Snoop Loops. We know what's up. Snoop Loops.

What kind of butt is that, man? That shit look good. Let me get a piece. I ain't asking a nigga for a piece of butt. He ain't putting no name on it. You know what, though? Speaking of butt, though. Speaking of butt and you saying you want a piece.

Yo, fellas, bring that shit over here real fast. Okay, okay. We get flowers, too. Norley, EFN, here is your flowers, bro. Holy shit. Damn right. normally damn right so this is the decKalb safe box right here, right? This is awesome. And it's basically a nice dressing for what's inside. Oh, this is gorgeous. And right now, those boxes are getting very popular. And as the laws lighten in different states, we're going to be able to get them to more people with the flower inside.

But these are the kind of flowers I give. I love y'all flowers, though. These is dope. I've been seeing this. This is dope. This is dope. Appreciate you. Holy shit. I'm definitely going to try to steal your shit. Nah, nah, nah.

Pause. Holy moly. We got more shit for y'all. That's dope. Holy shit, man. That's dope. Bring it on this side, guys. Holy shit, that's wild. This is some shit y'all can put in that room where y'all got all the free shit people give y'all that y'all

don't. Yes, hell yeah. Y'all just store it in one room. Put that right next to it. That is lovely. I see y'all thieves looking at our shit. Especially Garcia, for some reason, I'm just Garcia looking at your shit. I ain't gonna lie.

Yo, listen, your face said it all just now. Your face was like, I'm taking EFN shit. Nah, don't cover it. Nah, don't cover it. Yeah, yeah. Just, yeah.

Right there. That's cool. So, Meth. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I believe you in every acting role you ever did. Like, I seriously...

Thank you, brother. One time, I kid you not. One time, I got serious about acting a little bit, right? Built that state property. That was normally being known. I'm going to be honest with you. So, I got offered a role. And I turned it down immediately.

Why? Because I was scared to play a doctor. I was scared to try. You were scared of that long-ass dialogue. I was probably scared of that, yeah. But what I'm saying is I can see you as a gangster on film. I can see you as a doctor on film. And I believe every fucking lawyer, every fucking role you take, you like the Denzel of this shit.

Motherfucking despion Out here I appreciate you brother You know what though Um I made a decision A while ago That I was gonna

Um I just got tired Of doing shows Overseas Cause you know There was a time where The new shit was hitting These kids was

Tanned it up I mean They was getting Way more than us For shows And they were getting All more than us for shows and they were getting all of the shows nobody wanted to see any 90s so we were doing overseas shows appreciate it though over there yeah loved them over there but it was too much it was like my fourth time overseas that year oh now it's tired you can block it and i said you know i'm gonna try

to act and well not try it i said you know what get home, I'm going to make a decision to take this acting shit way more serious than I did before. And I went, bought a ticket to L.A., did not get a hotel room, did not get a car, no suites, no nothing. I went to my manager's house and slept on her couch in the Hollywood Hills. And I did that for about a month and a half. But when you're doing this, you're auditioning? I'm auditioning, yes, but there's no plan. There's no real plan. And prior to that, you'd only done two or three movies, maybe.

No, no, I'd done a bunch of shit. Before this? Yes, but I had took a long hiatus to focus on the music. At this point in time, me and Def Jam were not on the same page. Right. They were ahead of the curve. They were trying to stay above water because you had cash money breathing down their necks. You know, Puffy Ben was kicking Def Jam's ass and shit.

But Def Jam had, what Def Jam did have that the other people didn't have, they had the Yankees. DMX, Ludacris, Ja Rule, Red and Meth. Fab was over there at this point. Jadakiss, I think, was over here at this point. We were just, you know, big-ass fucking roster and shit. Damn, I lost my train of thought. That's exactly what they told me when I signed with Def Jam. Welcome to the Yankees.

Welcome to the Yankees, right? They actually used that reference. Wow. Like, basically, you was playing in the minor leagues. Yeah. I was like, well, damn, that was some cocky shit to say. So they got me on my way out the door. At least that's what it felt like.

I wasn't being included in a lot of things. And you know what? I got to take the blame for some of that because I was a really rotten person because I saw it coming. And not, I don't know I just I would be angry all the time because it was hard for me to accept that I don't know not to sound vain but I wasn't that nigga anymore or at least that's what it felt like or I wasn't know, not to sound vain, but I wasn't that nigga anymore. Or at least that's what it felt like. Or I wasn't in what, honestly, what it was. Your ego was damaged, saying that to you? No, the label wasn't saying, I was saying this to myself, but the label was showing me.

Okay, I understand what you're saying. Your time is basically coming to an end, buddy. Right. And, you know, I made the decision that I can contribute way more. Right. And I can show all these motherfuckers that it's not the end for me. Right. This is just the beginning.

But I didn't apply myself the way I should have, and I didn't voice my frustrations in an articulate manner like I can now. Right. So a lot of doors were starting to close, not because of the career thing, but because of the vitriol that I was spitting out of my mouth. The anger and the misery that I was spreading to the point where you don't want to answer that person's call. If I was at that point in time, had to listen to myself, I wouldn't fucking have taken my call at that point. So I made a decision. I'm going to fucking take this acting shit and I'm going to run with it.

If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. There's no plan. But this is what I want to do. Started getting on my physical fitness shit. Started going to classes. When you say classes, acting classes? Acting classes.

Actually sitting in a class. Right. And you method man. Yeah. How would you be able to do that? It's easy. Those kids in there are already stars, if you ask me. A lot of those kids that go to those classes are so advanced already, it's just that we haven't heard of them.

Right. You know? Yeah, shout out to the classes. It helps. It actually helps. But I would rather be coached by myself. The classes help you with the exercises and technique. And it's always great to have the tools.

And Ivana Chubik has a book called The 12 Tools of Acting, or putting power back, giving power to the actor. And once you learn these 12 tools, there's no way that you can walk on a set and feel out of place and not understand what's going on because of these tools here. So I'm going on these, sometimes I'm getting three, four auditions, right, that week.

So I'm constantly studying. Three, four auditions you said? Yeah, that week. But they're different characters. Okay. So I'm learning the dialogue first. Right. And the day of, I have to transition into this character.

So how do you do that? Right. It could be a song. I could listen to a certain kind of music and it's like, okay, now I'm there. Or it'll be a memory, something that jars that, something that brings that out. You know what I mean? Or you go to your tools and you say, what do I want in this scene? What's my scene objective right here?

Then you got to say, okay, what is my overall objective? Now, for me, in real life, my overall objective is just to win. I think everybody in this room can relate to that shit. Right. So why not fight for that every day? That's what we do in these scenes. We're fighting to win whether we're a villain

or the good guy. Right? You stabbed Samuel L. Jackson. I did. That was hard. I did. I definitely did. But whether you're the villain

or the hero, you're fighting for something. You're fighting to fucking win. Who's saying the villain isn't right? Because in his heart, he's doing the right fucking thing. He thinks he's the hero. Right.

And the hero is doing what he feels is right. He could be the fucking villain and not know it. You know what I mean? And that's the beauty of when you approach these fucking scenes or even these scripts when you're reading them and shit. First off, when you read a fucking scene, Nori. Huh.

I don't like to read, but let's go. No, but fuck that. When you see this scene and shit, first thing that should be going through your head is, okay, what's going on here?

And if you understand what's going on here, the next thing you should say is, okay, I see these words, but how would I fucking say it? I'm going to the school of method. I'm going to your school. Fuck that.

I'm coming to see you wherever you at. Once a week. He could rebrand. The way this thing is breaking this down. I'm dead serious. It would be like, how would you say it? Yeah. And for me, it takes me back

to just being on the block and dudes telling stories from a third person about something that happened. Right. And really, if you got a good storyteller, y'all know this shit.

He doing other people voices and shit. He be acting like certain niggas and y'all all know that this nigga act a certain way and shit, you laughing. Same fucking thing. Because, you know, I'm going to be honest with you,

I think I took the sucker route. How? I would read scripts when they gave it to me and I would just change all the words to my words. So I think I should have did what you used.

I should have, because like, for instance, state property character, it came to me and it was named Pedro and I didn't want to be named Pedro. I was like, no, I'm not a Pedro. I was like, I'm a Pollo Loco.

You know what I mean? So I changed it and then all of the... Because they actually wrote it for Petey Crack. This is what a lot of people don't know. Petey Crack got locked up. When Petey Crack got locked up, the only other black and Puerto Rican in the game was me. Petey Crack black and Puerto

Rican? Yeah, Petey Crack black and Puerto Rican. He nigger ricky like me. So what I did was I just basically changed all of the words and in retrospect, I should have tried to be Pedro. I should have tried to. No, no, no, no. See, that's.

Okay. No, you should try to be you. Yeah, that's what I did. Interpret Pedro the way you would fucking be. But you did it. Yeah, I did do it. Because it was you. Make some noise for me.

It was you. Make some noise for me. Make some noise for me. It was you. Make some noise for me. Yeah. And can't nobody over here say that shit wasn't believable. Y'all was looking at Noria. Yeah, yeah. Like, that's him.

That's what he do, right? 100% believable. Let me just, you've been on Oz. Right. How did you get that role? Audition for that motherfucker. You auditioned that role? I auditioned for that motherfucker. You auditioned?

Yeah, I auditioned. There's this lady, Alexa Fogle, who's a casting person for a lot of major networks. She did a lot of stuff for HBO. She's a beautiful lady. Beautiful lady, man. But she raw. And she let your ass know. Right.

I got a story about her. So when I auditioned for Oz, I'm still green, whatever, whatever. And honestly, I think I really got the part because she pushed for me. Love her for that. Same shit with Wee Bay. Clock. Hassan? Yeah.

He knows about her as well. We always audition for her. We are her guys. She calls us in for all kinds of shit. If you get the Alexa seal of approval, you good. So I'm on the set of Oz now and I'm ready. I ain't been to jail, but I know what jail is, nigga. I'm about to show these niggas what it is. Get on that set, man. See dudes resting, knocked out. Ain't nothing

like the show. Nothing like the show and shit. But as soon as that shit said action and I seen the actors doing their thing, I was like, okay, this shit serious. I got to step my shit up and shit. Why am I here? Okay, gotcha. Now, my first scene that I had was with Lord Jamar. Jamar was already on the show. Shout out to Lord Jamar. Greatness. Brand newbie. So the scene called for me to be in the visiting room with Mums,

Rest in Paradise Mums. That's the poet noob. Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot. And there was supposed to be a hit on Lord Jamal who ain't fucking with nobody

in there. Now you had the black Muslims, you had the gangsters, you had the white Aryans, then you had the Christian dudes. Lord Jamal was for the 5% nation.

Right. The gods. He was by himself in there. So everybody trying to kill his ass. You're talking about the show. The show. All right. The way he described it, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. The way he described it, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, because Jamal was killing that shit, nigga. He was killing that shit, and I felt bad I had to do him dirty. Right, right. But I'm in the visiting room.

The scene is me in the visiting room with mums. I'm visiting mums. He's in the visiting room at the same time visiting with his chick. I'm supposed to do a hit. I'm a visitor. I'm supposed to pull a shank from under the table, walk over to Lord Jamal, stick him. Bop, bop. Give him the poke action, right?

I do it. Now, here's another thing Fun fact Steve Buscemi Who plays Nucky Thompson on Boardwalk He directed the episode Love this motherfucker right This is what every time I do something with acting And I learn something new shit make me want to do it more

He says That was good But you're moving too fast Slow it down. Got it. He don't know I'm green. Right. So slow it down to me means.

You know what I'm saying? That kind of shit. You know? So action. So me and Mom's talking. I grab this shit, but I'm not animated with the slowness, but I'm moving a little slow. Do it. Sit me down.

Steve doesn't say shit to me. Nothing. He goes to the prop guy. See, the problem was this. The shank under the table, I was grabbing it too fast. I'm not even looking. I'm grabbing it too fast. Instead of him having to keep telling me to do it or to stay on my ass about it

and maybe fuck with my confidence, he goes to the grip and tells the grip, move it. Doesn't tell me though. At all. Doesn't tell me shit. Okay. Action.

Oh, I know. He forced the slowdown. He got what he wanted He got what he wanted Got what he wanted And me Mind was blown Mind was blown bro And that makes me think

Like when they do these horror movies With these kids Right Are they really scaring them Are they really scaring them Yeah Cause I know they really scare The actors and actresses I know that for a fact you know that tension and shit you know

some of those screens are you know but sometimes they scare the shit out they ask yeah i know they do so i'm wondering how they do that with the kids that's the last thing i let my child do act all pun intended are you a method actor no no not a method hell no that's this man when I leave the set Davis McLean has still be there in that suit yo I worked with a method actor one time who did you say it was you said who it was before the motherfucker did not break character it don't he was like they go to the set huh it takes longer to shoot with them because them and the director always have been back and forth between. It's just a lot.

Yeah, he stayed in character. DMX had called me and DMX was like, yo, come to the crib. So when I'm around him, his Matt Schwartz or something like that. So he plays in Fast and Furious and shit. So he's like, was that DMX that just called you? I was like, yeah. So he was like, all right, cool.

So I want to break character tomorrow. Can I come hang out with you in DMX? And like, he had to tell me that you won't be meeting the other guy. You don't know me personally right now, Nori. All you're meeting is this guy. And he would come on character. I mean, he would come on set

And he would be the jail guy Because this is Treasure of the Seven Monies Not the greatest movie I ever did But That's when I learned method acting Bro You can't put a price on what those method actors do They just become that character and that's it right

But actors Even theater actors I believe They can't stand the motherfuckers. The process just takes so much longer, but it's great. When it works, it definitely works. Okay. When it doesn't work, it's like, see, I told you. Y'all motherfuckers want to sit around and discuss this shit all day.

We should have just been shooting the whole fucking time. But that has to take a toll on their mental. To be in that role. It does, but if I'm playing a homeless man, I'm not going down to sleep out and scream. No. You know, I'll just revert back to my childhood. We was always damn near homeless anyway every month. Right.

It's like, shit, got to scrape them dimes together. So first, you own Oz. Oz is classic. Oz is dope. But then you get the opportunity to do The Wire. Yeah. You want to know the fucked up part? I got a story for that shit.

Let's go. I'm ready. We here. So I go do a movie called Brown Sugar. Brown Sugar, baby. Right. And they like, Brown Sugar, Meph, you ain't in Brown Sugar. Exactly.

Because I made the cutting room floor. I just got to put this shit in the context. Went and shot the movie, but wasn't in the movie. This is the movie with Mos Def, Taye Diggs, and I lay for him. I was about to say, I didn't see you. Wee Bay. You're right, exactly.

My nigga, Hassan, Wee Bay. I call him Wee Bay too, that's fucked up. I'm glad I'm not the only nigga. I'm glad I'm not the only nigga. I call him Clock and shit, because of Clockers. I called him Wee Bay too. That's fucked up. I'm glad I'm not the only nigga. Right, right. I'm glad I'm not the only nigga. Okay. I called him Clock and shit because of Clockers. Okay. Oh, yeah.

I remember Clockers. So he was there too. He was supposed to play like my assistant. He put Chow in too, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. He's supposed to play my sidekick assistant in the scene and shit. Now, if anybody know Clock, Clock ain't nobody fucking assistant.

Nah. At all. At all. Nah, if anybody know Clock, Clock ain't nobody fucking assistant. Nah. At all. At all. Nah, nah, that's just not in his character. It's not in his DNA. He ain't nobody fucking assistant. So he didn't like the shit. He didn't like the scene.

He didn't like the words and all that shit. So he left. When he left, I stayed. Did the motherfucking thing. One, two, one, two, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Now, I was supposed to audition for the fucking Wire that day, but I did the fucking movie. Brown Sugar. Right.

Clock went and auditioned. For the Wire. And got. And got it. Wee Bay. Wee Bay. I'm not saying I would have got Wee Bay, but I would have been on the fucking show from the ground up. Shit.

Right. I think so. I ain't gonna lie, man. If you was a foul nigga on the wire, too. I ain't going to lie. But the thing about Cheese was what people couldn't understand is Cheese was a survivor. He was just trying to survive,

man. You got to understand the backstory. But you got to understand the backstory behind a person. What would make a person do something like that? If you think about it, what would make a person do something like that? He liked the about it, what would make a person do something like that? He'd like the cheese. He didn't have a choice.

Because if he wouldn't have gave his uncle up, who was they going to kill first? Thank you very much. Damn, I didn't look at it like that. You got to see the nuances of what's going on here and shit. Cheese is a fucking survivor.

It's like, yeah, kill that nigga. I ain't going to lie. I still see Marlo. I see I call him Marlo. I don't trust him. You don't trust him, right? Jamie got that face, though. He got that face, though. Nigga like, I don't play. I ain't bout no

games. I don't know if he was ever acting. I'm not sure. Even when he's smiling. And he prolific with them hands and feet. Don't play with that, man. He prolific. But now you on power. How the fuck you keep just getting these roles? This is a run. Black people love me, man.

I'm telling you. They love me. Honestly, it's just a testament to the work ethic and shit and luck of the draw. Because, I mean, you look at someone like LL Cool J. I just spoke to him today. That's crazy. And if you bring his name up

in certain circles, a lot of people don't know. That he was a rapper. Exactly, right? They don't know these facts about him and shit. Or that he's been consistently working nonstop since he

was 16 fucking years old. He's on a show. NCIS that has been on now for how long? Him and Ice-T doing numbers. Straight fucking numbers and shit, right? But people, at least our community, some of us do, especially our age range. We know

because, you know, LL, nigga's like fucking golf ball. But people came up after that. They don't know that. They don't watch NCIS. Let's do, especially our age range. We know because, you know, LL, nigga, nigga's like fucking golf ball. Right. But people came up after that. They don't know that. Right. They don't watch NCIS. I mean, I don't watch the shit.

You know what I mean? Not saying it ain't a good show or a great show. It's just not my kind of shit. Mm-hmm. I was lucky enough to have a so-called hiatus where people didn't see me, but I was the same as LL, consistently working. It's just that just because you didn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't. And when I got the call for Power Book 2, that came out. I don't know where that shit came from, man, but I was ecstatic until I wasn't.

Because I was like, okay, do we know what the part is? They was like, no, we don't know what the part is yet, but we're going to get it soon. I get it, and I'm like, I'm about to murder some shit. I'm about to kill shit. Watch, I'm going to be worse than fucking Ghost and Tommy put together.

What? Who's Kanan? Watch this shit. I get the script. It's the lawyer. And it's just dialogue, dialogue. Now, I like monologues. You know, I fucks with monologues and shit, but it's a lawyer, nigga. Right, yeah.

And there's certain, you know, inflections, dialogue that you have to have. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the MeatEater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder Stephen 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

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changes everything. And that nuance that I was talking about with why people thought Cheese was a foul nigga, but Cheese was saving his own ass in the midst of giving up his uncle. No, I'm not letting you get away with that. Cheese was still a foul nigga. He definitely was. We ain't gonna lie. We ain't gonna lie about that. I. He definitely was. We ain't gonna lie about that.

We ain't gonna lie about that. Damn, I lost my face. The lawyer, the lawyer. Yeah, okay, so yeah, I was like, damn, so now I'm a little deflated. I'm like, they want me to play a lawyer? I'm nervous as shit. No, I was like, yeah, fuck that. Wait a minute.

I just did my acting classes, and we did a scene where what they do is in the acting class, they'll give you a scene partner. And you guys will have a week to work on a scene from an actual movie. The actual movie that I worked on with my scene partner was Philadelphia. Oh, shit. I played the Denzel part, and he played the Tom Hanks part. And it's their first meeting when Tom Hanks comes into his office. Funny shit, though, because he's very, if you look at, Denzel's a master. If you look at his body language in the beginning, it's money.

Money just walked in the door, so he's reengaging. Tom Hanks says, I have AIDS. It's like, he catches him at first, but then it's like, stay composed. Yeah, yeah, start wiping your hands and shit. Because people didn't know. Yeah, back then. But he's doing these nuances that you won't pick up on

unless you actually, and he makes you feel that shit. That's where I want to be. Where I make a person actually feel that shit. Those details. Like, you ever watch a fucking horror movie and somebody get their arm chopped? We know this shit is fake, but you still go. Come on. Like Scarface.

Yeah. We knew Scarface wasn't real. You get to that level. So, this is me thinking that level when they throw me this lawyer part. Genius. Genius. I go to the audition, and first person I see when I'm in the audition is Banga. This is the dude that plays Chris Parlow on The Wire. I'm like, oh, this motherfucker got it because he act, act.

He do theater and all that. This nigga act, act. I didn't know he was there to be the teacher. I thought he was there to be the lawyer. I go in. I got on a red sweater. I got on a fucking collared shirt under the red sweater. This is my lawyer look and shit.

I don't even know the suit. Really, I don't own a suit that fit. Anyway. Get through the audition. Mark is there, Mark Canton. Anthony Hemingway, who directed it. That's my guy right there, Anthony. And when I walked out, I was like, that shit sucked. I didn't get the part. I called Sean. I was like, hey, I fucked up, Sean. I didn't even fucking get the part. I was

messing up in there. And I sweat a lot. I had big ass sweat stains under my underarms and shit. And two days later, I got the call back like, yeah, he got it. I was like, get the fuck out of here. Now I'm shitting in my pants because I'm like, God, Jay's a lawyer every week. Ugh, ugh. But that first day I showed up because I was shooting another TV show at the time with Kadeem Hardison called Teenage

Bounty Hunters. Check that shit out on Netflix. Shit's hilarious. And Kadeem still got it. He still got it. He shit. I had to fly Well I shot with them The first day I got there Everybody was just

Welcome to do With open arms Now this is the same Crew from Power Michael grew up With all these people So they know him Notorians

Grew up with these people They know her They don't know me though And like I said Embraced me with open arms Made me feel comfortable and shit to the point where there was

no nervous energy. And we just got through that first day. Once I got through that first day, I was still nervous, but it started to wane or wean off a bit.

Is that the right word? Wean? Yeah. Wean? Wean off a bit. And by the time I got to like the fourth episode,

I was there. Now, this is the funny correlation between that and the Twitterverse. We got a big ass Twitter following. And those first four episodes where I felt like I was nervous, people were like, look at Method Man. Cringe. Look at Method Man. Cringe.

Method Man is a lawyer. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Method Man a lawyer. By the fourth episode, who this Davis McLean motherfucker? ha. Method man and lawyer. By the fourth episode, who this Davis McLean motherfucker? Wasn't Method man no more. By the second season, I'm in the street they calling me that shit.

So let me ask you, how do you study for this role? Do you go hang out with a lawyer? I had a coach. Coach is the way to go? Yeah. In fact, my coach is Larry. You have to go yeah so I'm back my coach is Larry Larry B right now now Larry was the only black person only black star in revenge of the nerds think about it oh boy Homeboy. Yeah. Wow, wow. Lamar. Lamar. And Contre to the point, he love pussy.

Okay. You know what I'm saying? I wasn't ready, man. I wasn't ready, man. Fuck that. Anyway. So he's your coach? Yeah, that's my coach.

That's dope. Dude has a way of doing things that, you know, he speaks the language. And I'm not taking away from any other coaches, but he kind he speaks the language. And I'm not taking away from any other coaches, but he kind of speaks my language. He talks in a way that simplifies things for me that I can understand it. Oh, wow. You know what I mean? Wow.

Does he coach you for each scene? Or is it just like general coaching? Every episode that I was doing, I would call him for a session and we would go over it. Oh. Yeah. He's a good guy, man. A lot of love for that guy, man.

He took good care of me and shit. I mean, I got an NAACP Image Award for that shit, you know what I mean? So he knows his shit. He knows his shit. Now, if you had a chance to pick, would it be rapping or acting? I can't pick. Can't pick? Because, like I said, being a creative, that doesn't limit me to just rapping or even just acting.

You know, I mean, think about it. Redman is definitely a creative, right? Right. And it didn't just limit him. I mean, he doesn't have to if he doesn't want to. And I agree with him 110%. That's my guy right there. If you don't want to take that shit, fuck that.

Anybody try and stick him, I'm going to kill him. Period. But you would probably say that hip-hop brought you to here to that. Yeah, absolutely. Yes, yes, absolutely. But it doesn't tell the whole story of who I am and shit. Right, right. I mean, look at Redman, for instance.

It's like he rap, he DJ, right? And he jump out of airplanes. Yeah. Yeah, he's crazy. He's creative, though. This guy diving like a motherfucker, man. That shit is crazy. He's a creative, though,

because he's painting whole fucking landscapes while he's floating in the air like this. He's becoming one with himself, except the painting now, the animation and the inspiration is drawn inside now. He doesn't have to inspire anybody else. Now he just inspires himself. And when you're there, can't nobody stop you, man. For real. We got a quick time with Slime or no?

Yeah, of course. We ready? I ain't drinking shit. Who's your designated drinker? You can pick somebody to drink for you. Oh, boy. Yeah, he'll drink for you. Sonny, take me. Okay, I'll take you.

Alright, let's go. All right, we ready? Damn. Oh, shit. The cannon called us, too. It's funny, too, because your list come and go. I got one, too, and shit. I got a little one.

Your shit. Look, let me tell you, because they taught me this shit. No, no. Through here. Not here. Not here. Stop. All right.

Stop. Listen, you my acting coach here. Stop. All right. Stop. Listen, you my acting coach now. I still can't say certain words. Look, son, I still can't say certain words. Like what? They got to come up, and then I can tell you. Like, I can't. People laugh at me every time I say coffee.

Why? You said it's fine. What? I said it's fine. It's coffee. Yeah, you said it's fine. Sometimes I say coffee. Yeah, yeah. But that's some. Coffee? Okay. Yeah, he said it's fine. Sometimes I say coffee. Yeah, yeah.

But that's some Italian shit right there. That's my idea. People be telling me I'm Italian. Yeah, but you got that. Yeah, that's not a list. See, I do that with Davis McLean. Okay. And instead of saying that's ours, I say that's ours.

That's ours. Yeah. Instead of saying I want a glass of water, say I want a glass of water. Right? And that's not my daughter. That's my daughter. That sounds like a Boston accent there. Sounds like I'm never going to get this.

Yeah, that's easy shit. That's easy shit. All I did was copy Cali niggas. Okay, okay, okay. And gangsters. They talk like that. You know what the crazy thing I just seen the other day that Dub C was like the... Yeah, for Dempsey.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, I thought that was amazing, man. That was dope. Dub C, I haven't spoke to him in so long, man. Wherever you at out there, man, we need you on Dream Team. Dope, dope, dope. Let's go. He got some stories, nigga.

There's a rumor with you on Soul Plane that you kind of like flipped on people for not taking their acting gig serious? Nah, that wasn't me. Nah, hell no. No? Jesse Torero wasn't having it. Jesse runs a tight ship, man. Oh, okay. You know, I didn't do anything of the sort, you know?

Okay. If anything, that was Kevin's vehicle. But Snoop stole that movie. Snoop stole that movie. That fucking Captain Mac. He was killing that shit. I think a lot of that shit was covered off the top of his head. Shout out to Snoop Dogg. Yeah, man.

He an amazing motherfucker, man. Do you think we need a soul plane in real life? No. But I tell you what, I do have a suggestion, though. I want one. They should have designated flights for people with children and animals. You killed that, man. Because, you know, I love kids.

So you say all children is on one flight? Like, it should be a designated flight for people with children. Just children. Okay. People with children. Just dog. You know what I mean? Yeah. My friend Diego, he wants the biggest dog ever. He got. Okay. People with children. Just dog. You know what I mean? Yeah.

My friend Diego, he wants the biggest dog ever. He got to relax. And I have nothing against the animals. Right. The animal loving community. I have nothing against the children. But it can be an inconvenience sometimes. Sometimes it be that big ass dog.

They be like, it's a puppy. No, it ain't a puppy, motherfucker. Exactly. This nigga's 16 years old. I have a fear of big dogs. I've been bitten before. And I've been chased a lot. So I have like this little fear of big dogs and shit.

So if I have to sit next to your big dog, and I'm not going to be afraid. I'm pretty sure the dog is well behaved, but it's making my experience uncomfortable. Yes. You know, and I pay just as much or if not more for my seat than you did. And if the dog has an accident, we have to ride with that. And I heard that the person that has the dog is responsible for it. Now, I've seen people have their dogs in the airport. Oh, when you say accident, you're talking about taking the, not me.

Yeah, not me. Yeah, one of those. Taking a shit. Taking a sismet. Taking a sismet and a bomb of schism. Now, the thing with the kids, now, it's One of those. One of those. Now, the thing with the kids now, it's not so much with the kids because sometimes kids, their ears pop and, you know, drives them freaking crazy. But if your child. Is constantly screaming, no, I want it.

Let me, you know, jumping out and I got that. And or I got toddlers. I flown with toddlers recently, so I know. Or just, you know, just the kicking the seat thing, and you're sitting there on your phone. I can't say anything to this child. No, you can't. You don't say anything to the child. And honestly, real men don't say anything to women, especially not in a confrontational manner. So now I'm stuck with this badass kid, and I'm saying all kinds of foul shit in my head. Like, if you was mine, I'd beat the shit out of you.

I would take you in the bathroom, pants down. I would throw the tan on that little ass. Close. And, you know, I think that they should have their own flights Period So we're making a Drink Champs airline Bro I don't think the Drink Champs airline

Is going to have it The kids The kids To New York? No not to New York Damn No bro Just flying out of Orlando

Period Oh yeah Because of Disney World Kids Kids All up in Just being in that terminal Right

I think you just got traumatized recently. That carpet and that little round area when you get off them trains, that carpet is so worn the fuck out. Them babies be in there tearing that place the fuck down. And this is what they do. Tell me

if I'm lying. This is what they do. All the colorful shit be right. Soon as you get off that plane, all the colorful shit be right. That candy, toys. It's like, we spent like $1,500 already in the park over two days getting your kids all kind of shit that broke the second day. Now they got this shit in the fucking, and it's for double. You ain't even in the park. It's for double in the motherfucking airport. So fuck them.

It's for the hands reach, too. It's like, grab it. No, you should see the kids falling out. Parents dragging their kids away from the fucking, you know what I mean? The little Minnie Mouse toy. The little girl like this.

Like she dead. The parents just dragging her. You know them leashes? Got the leash like this. The arm just like this. Ah! Then you get that cool mom. That's cool white mom?

Yeah, yeah. Cool as hell. She just left the baby there. Left the baby there. Like, okay, Kara, I'm going. That's what you're going to do. Okay, mom's gone. Bye, Kara.

Walk the fuck off. That baby girl stood there crying for a second. She was watching her, though. Soon as she got too far She got up like Ah Started running right behind her Yeah

Yes Alright I'm ready I'm ready I'm ready Alright I think You want to explain the rules I think you know the rules

We're going to give you two choices If you pick one We good But if you say both or neither We drinking Okay But we drinking for you. We all drinking.

All right. Nice. It's as well. You drinking your juice. By the way, I'm not going to lie. At the video set, you came to my hood. You held me down. You asked me for two bottles of Ace of Spades. I gave it to you, but then you forgot them, so I want to make sure. I was going to put them in my... Oh, nice. I'm going to make sure, because I think you asked for your wifey. Yes.

And by the way, I had to make sure you're going to leave with these two bottles this time. Okay, so how do I get it on the plane? You put it on the plane. All you got to do. Give it to Carol. Yeah. The Carol. Oh, yeah.

Because I've seen them, if it's not duty free, because they'll take the duty free. No, no, no. If you got the, what is that shit called? Oh, if you're checking in a bag. If you're checking in a bag, if you're air, then yeah. So then we've got to send it to him take the duty. No, no, no. Or if you got the, what is that shit called? Oh, if you check it in a bag. If you check it in a bag, if you're air, then yeah. So then we've got to send it to him in the mail. Yeah, I'll mail it to you. We'll send it to you in the mail.

I ain't forget. I want you to know I'm a real nigga. Yeah, because I was going to take that shit. You won't ask me for nothing. So that one thing you asked me for, I never forgot. And I remember you putting the bottles back because the director wanted to film it, and then you forgot.

Yeah. And by the way, I want to- Who I came there with, though. By your goddamn self. By my goddamn self. Let me tell you something, man. You my friend, but that never downgrades my fan-ness of you. It never downgrades.

It never takes away from how great you are. I appreciate you, bro. I'm just letting you know, bro, you are one of the greats. You are a GOAT. You are a real one. Thank you. You ain't a liar. You are real.

I keep my word. Every motherfucking encounter I've ever had with you has always been pleasant, has always been real, and I really appreciate you face to face, man. Thank you, Norbert.

Thank you, man. I love you. And let me say something real quick. Yeah. One of the few people that since the day, he doesn't remember the One of the few people That since the day He doesn't remember the day I met him

But since the day I met him He said my name right Yeah I got a drop At 94 And how can I be down From him And he said it

Immaculately Cause you been effing For a long time Effing They been saying effing For a long time Effing guy He said like

E-E-F-F-N-N We're gonna play the drop I'm gonna play the drop I I'm going to play the drop. I said it in the car and I was like, Raz, how you say his name, Raz? I was like, he don't like when you call him F-ing. Do you got the skit? Do you got...

Do we got it set up? And do you got... Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's that shit. You got to use your job application voice. By the way, I ain't going to lie. Diego, what are you doing? What's up?

That's my boy, Diego. Yeah. He might have been the most hypest we've had seven years. He know all your lyrics. Hello. Yeah, play with it. Torture. Oh, shit.

Oh, shit. With your ass cheeks spread out Oh shit. Oh shit. Dave did that shit. This is you and Ray, right? Yeah. Aw nigga. I'm gonna lay you next to a fucking dresser. And bang him just with a fucking bat. Y'all were freestyling this. Yeah.

I'm gonna lay you next to a fucking bat. I'll fucking pull your fucking tongue out your fucking mouth and stab the shit with a rusty screwdriver. You ain't babies. I'm gonna lay you next to a fucking dresser. I'm gonna lay you next to a fucking bat. Yeah, he was losing it. This is classic.

So your asshole gonna be feeding competing competing competing competing That shit go further. That shit went further than that.

We started mother jokes and all that shit. One thing dudes don't know, Ray is hilarious, nigga. Hilarious, son. Yes. Funny as fuck. Yes.

You know what? I went to Ray's wedding recently. I had work. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I heard. Wedding, reception, everything. I want to send love to him and his queen. Real talk.

Thank you for inviting me, me being part of that. That was Hip Hop Royalty. I knew Chef was going to turn up like that, man. That motherfucker always been a little gone.

You know what I mean? Yeah, man. Yeah. Hitchcock mixed with Capone. And I believe his wife is Italian, too. Yeah. It was destiny.

That shit was destiny. I'm telling you, man, this was so beautiful. Me, yeah, yeah. It was destiny. That shit was destiny. I'm telling you, Mef, this was so beautiful. Yeah. Me, nobody had security. Everybody that was there, and we just showed out for the brother, man. Let's make some noise for Ray Kwan. Yeah. I love that for my brother.

I want that for all my brothers. Okay, let's get to Quick Time of Slime. Let's go. You ready? Yes. Okay, go first. Alright, Biggie or Big L? Why y'all doing that? Well, check this, right? Big L used to sell me my wet. You know what I mean?

Did you say Big L used to sell you wet? Big L used to sell me dust, nigga. He used to sell us our 18. None of us. Big get that shit from Big L up there. With that being said, both. Okay, motherfucker.

We drinking. Take a shot. Salud. Salud. My Mahuana's back. By the way, I'm not going to lie to you. I think it's the first time I've ever been shot like that on Drink Chance.

First of all, we didn't understand at first. And the explanation made it look crazy. This was like the first time. First time you didn't understand the slang of it. I'll tell you, I didn't know Big L even knew who I was. And when Big L passed away,

this drop came out of him saying, I follow him with Nori and Cam was doing something. He said something like that. And I was blown away that he even knew who I was. But did not know he sold us. And y'all just thought those was rhymes he was saying? Hell was living that shit. Hell was living that shit.

Hell was in the streets, boy. Recipes to both of them. Okay, come on, next one. You got to do this. All right. Pac or DMX? Man, I'm kidding. He polarizing right now, man.

It's like East Coast, West Coast. It's like they're the same nigga. Sounds like a shot to me. Shot. Rest in peace to both. All right, you got to do the next four. It's all on you, E. Yeah, I'm going to skip this E. I'm going to skip this.

I'm this ex, nigga. Miss that nigga. ODB or Biz Markie? ODB. Stop playing me. Dirty. Dirt dog. Dang, y'all.

Y'all really putting up. Fourth disciple or true master? Well, fourth disciple, that's one of Riz's pupils and shit, and he took it pretty far. But I got to go with True Master because True Master's still doing it. Okay. Yeah. And he, you know, yeah, he's smart with that shit. He's a master with that music.

Illmatic or Ready to Die? No, you skipped. Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. BMF. Go ahead. I wanted to do Illmatic. I already did it.

Jesus, pal, dude. Illmatic or Ready? And I said that they was Going to ask that question too Now who was with me I said yo They going to ask me They probably asked me some shit Like Illmatic or Ready to Die

And I'm going to say Some funny shit Like I don't own Either one of them Fucking albums Or something Like I never heard Either one of them shits

Right Some dumb shit like that Right Both them shits Is fucking classic Hell yeah Right Take both them shots

I'm taking a shot for that. Here we go. Both. Okay. Go ahead. Both. You gotta do it. Wait, wait, wait. We got late bloomin'. Come on now. Oh, you took it early? Come on, you gotta have your shot already. If you're gonna represent him, represent him correctly.

You represent meth right now. Don't make us look bad. Ice Cube or Scarface? Cube, you my man, but I got to go with Face. Face has never done a bad album yet, man. I have never heard a bad Scarface album. Ever. Face is that dude.

But it's almost like applying like you heard a bad. No, no, I'm not implying that I heard a bad Cube album. I'm just saying Scarface has been Consistent over the years Ice Cube has a lot More hats that he wears And shit You know so while Ice Cube might have been

You know Conquering Hollywood Face was You know Smile for me Cause you know EFN wants to argue You down right now

Nah they're both On my top five I can get it You keep running with that Yo like You keep running with that Ice like You keep running with that Ice Cube Look let me tell you

I love Ice Cube I just love your love Ice Cube I'ma tell you like this Ice Cube Was the only person That I know That when we went On the west coast

And did a show with him The stadium was full Of Mexicans Full of them They loved that nigga like the Dodgers. For real. That was hard. Because they love the Dodgers.

RZA or Premier? Prebo, you cool as shit, but RZA. Love you, Prebo, but RZA. You got to have a home team. I like this one. You want to take that one? I'll do that. J. Cole or Kendrick?

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I'm just taking a shot. I don't even know. We just taking a shot. I'm just taking a shot. I'm taking a shot. I don't even know yet.

Made me choke on that shit. Oh, pause. Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane. Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane Damn, I should have said Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, man You know what I'm saying? I'll say Big Daddy Kane and Rakim Let's say that one

Alright Yo I gave Kane a Ticale box I saw that Yo, I gave Kane a cacao box and you know, giving him his flowers and he seemed too enthusiastic about that shit. Because he don't smoke weed, that's why. That's probably why, I get it. But Kane a good nigga.

You know, him and my partner, they knew each other so they was chopping it up. He got a bit distracted, but you ain't even thanking me For that shit, K Shit I'm thanking you We thanking you for it We thanking you for it Nah, I love Big Daddy, man I'ma say both Yeah, okay Mary J or Mariah Carey?

Mary The Wire or Oz? Gotta be The Wire The Wire is the greatest show Greatest crime show ever made I agree Yeah Yeah

We just can't skip over that though Hold on The Wire And All of Power Is probably One of the best Classic TV hood shows ever

Which one? I'm saying all three of them I'm saying how Like You know what When I think a lot of it has to do Now with The Wire hood shows ever. Which one? I'm saying all three of them. I'm saying how, like... You know what? When... I think a lot of it

has to do... Now, with The Wire, I can speak for The Wire, those guys are from the community. Right. All of the actors. Shot on location.

Not the actors, the fucking writers. Oh, the writers. I thought it was the police. I thought it was the police. Yeah, it was. That was the main guy. One of them,

Ed Byrne is the cop. He was one of the writers. So he's not an avid boxer. David Simon worked at the newspaper. Yeah. Okay, okay. I like that. Fucking him and Melvin, fucking people. They fucking buddies.

Melvin was one of the biggest fucking drug dealers in fucking Baltimore and shit. That's Avon? No, the nigga that played the fucking deacon, the preacher. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He the real deal. That's him? That's him? What, Avon? The deacon? The dude yeah yeah yeah he the real deal that's him that's him what the dude the black one with the bald head yeah you know you know up underneath all that clothes he like this right that's an og og like super og right there and fucking um

the nigga that played omar or rather the real omar he was in the show too. He was fucking in the RIP, right? Well, the actor. No, I'm not talking about Mike. He was in the scene with Mike. He was in the scene with Mike. When Mike was in, they brought him the fucking phone books and shit.

The dude with the glasses, the big nigga, that's Omar. In jail. That's Omar. That, in the jail. Yeah, that's Omar. Get the fuck out of that damn man if you teach me too much. And he ain't gay. Just, you know, FYI and shit. But, yo, like, and

the corner, that show, the corner, they did that too. Corner, yeah. Right. That was based in Baltimore? Yeah. As well. Now, Miss Fran, Franny, like Like played by Candy Alexander Uh huh She played Fran That

Omar and her married In real life The real The real The real Fran and the real Omar Wow Holy moly Or at least at that time they was

I don't know about now But yeah Yeah And I met the real DeAndre The The Fran's son that was selling the drugs Then got strung out on it Right He was the He was the other Muslim cat.

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

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

comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th.

Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting to our childhood in some sort. You said I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs. I still play like a kid. I laugh.

You know, I love jokes. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

AT&T, connecting changes everything. You have Brother Muzone, the nigga that was with him carrying the book. That's DeAndre. Get the fuck. That's him. So, and this is me asking this out of pure. Fun facts, y'all. Out of pure innocence.

Yeah. Did you know The Wire was that shit when you got hired to do it? Mm-hmm. Or you knew it? You knew it? The first season blew everybody the fuck away. Yeah, you knew it. You knew it. The first season blew everybody the fuck away. It was a,

blew everybody the fuck away. I got on on the second season. Yeah, I was late. With Pablo Shriver, my dude Pablo, what's up boy? He's dope.

And then, that third season is what solidified it. What people didn't understand about the second season was you cannot tell the story of Baltimore and not include the docs. What is the second, the second season is the cannot tell the story of Baltimore and not include the docs.

What is the second? The second season is the construction. Yeah, on the docs and the docs and the docs and the unions and all that. With the Greeks. Right. That's what was going on with the war. The pattern that they followed was you saw it from the drug dealer's perspective and the cop's perspective, first season. Right.

Second season, it was, no, that came later. Second season was the docs, the gangsters, the cops. And the Greeks. Because you cannot tell a story of Baltimore without including them fucking docs, or else they would not have been true to form. That third season was the education system. When they brought them kids in. Kids, yeah.

Michael B. Jordan. Michael B. Jordan was season one. Oh, he was season one? That was season one. The fourth season was the newspapers. The newspapers. And all that shit. And then everything just came to a head.

And the political side of it. The politics. Captain started getting into politics. How many seasons did Wyatt have? Seven? Five. Five. Five seasons.

It's arguably The Sopranos, The Wire, Oz. All HBO, too. Crazy. Yeah. But this is Alexa Fogle. Sopranos, The Wire, Oz, all HBO too, crazy. Yeah. But this is Alexa Fogel. All of them? Yeah, The Wire, Oz. Yes, that's Alexa.

Yep. You know, I never seen Breaking Bad. Band of Brothers, all of these shows. Wow. Alexa, she cast all of these. Oh, she killing the game. Oh, she killing the game. Yeah, she killing the game, man. And I mean, you know, at the end of the day, like I was saying,

when these stories are told by the people who are from the communities, I don't think you can lose, man. You can't. You cannot. Okay. Yeah. What's the next one? New Jack City or King of New York?

The acting is way better in King of New York. Way, way better. In King of New York. In King of New York, the acting. And that's not taken away from New Jack City because they was killing that shit. Everybody was really. But if you. It's apples and oranges, really, but if you,

it's apples and oranges really because King of New York is just low budget goodness. Whereas New Jack City had a little bit more of a budget. And I mean, Ernest, they had Ernest. He could, I mean, that motherfucker take lemons and make lemonade. He's a brilliant fucking director. You know what I'm talking about so I'm gonna go with damn shit King of New York the underdog

fuck it I like the way that shit ended Conway or Benny the Butcher you ain't getting me to do that both wake up brother I ain't fucking with that one. Wake up, brother. That one hit me. All right. Only built for Cuban links? Or Ironman? Neither. Both, niggas.

Both. Jesus. I got to go to dinner. Oh, man. Doo-doo. How many shots we in right now? I think we're at five. Yeah.

You drinking shoe polish. Go ahead, my nigga. Dude, what the hell? We're in a home made room. It's not my water, but there's a portable bottle. I'm calling shoe bottles a nail home, man. I'm a silly as shit. I'm going to see your pubic injections, though, every month.

But I'm going to call that shit shoe bottles a nail on. That was hard. All right, you want to go to the next one? Oh, shit. Oh, but he changed it on the other one, so hold on. He changed it. Karis 1 or Mass Days Ace Can't do that It gotta be Chris

It has to be Even though Ace was a big inspiration Behind my rhymes back in the day I was biting his shit too But you gotta go with Chris man Knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everyone That ain't even fair Go next one

Okay This is movies everyone. That ain't even fair. Great answer. Go ahead. Go to the next one. This is movies. Master Killer or Five Deadly Venoms? I'm going to go with Gordon Lewis. Gordon Lewis, that dude, man. But the Five Deadly Venoms is like... That's like the fucking...

If I tell anybody to start their fucking journey with those movies, it would be that one. But that, Master Killer got to be into the 36 Chambers. It has to be. Shout out to Ghostface just because he told me to do that shit yesterday. He's like, just say my name and shit on there. Shout out to Ghostface. Shout out to Ghostface.

Ghostface. Shout out Ghost, Ghosty Ghost. But I remember my first experience with Wu-Tang and y'all incorporating the Kung Fu flicks, the movies in there. And I remember that being like the most genius shit ever. That RZA motherfucker again. So that was RZA's idea? That's RZA.

That's RZA all day. I mean, we sitting around watching them shits. And that's all he used to do. He had them shits in, like, he had shits that wasn't even in English. What? With subtitles up underneath that motherfucker. Man, RZA's an ill motherfucker. So, I mean, the vision was already there.

He knew exactly how he wanted to do it. He implemented it. And, I mean, like, I don't know if y'all familiar with a team but when hannibal used to say i love it when the plan comes together that's exactly what that shit feel like nigga you want to take a little don't go that's a guy shit like job well done man murdoch was my dude and i'll be honest reza out drunk the shit out of me in Paris He came straight up to me He was like what's up I was like oh shit I didn't know what to do He had Grey Goose and some Japanese shit

And I was just like oh RZA knows how to focus his chi Yo I ain't gonna lie to you He'll drink a whole bottle Be drunk and be like And disappear And be straight. I don't know if he knew

I was going to be there. I was like, and I got it on film. It's the first five seconds of it. I see it. I go, yo, where's the man? He's like, what? Of course, I got you.

I got you, Nori. But as soon as those cameras went off, he was like, let's go. And it was like, and in my mind, he was saying, I'm going to beat Nori and drink it tonight.

And he's such a smart, fly motherfucker. Yo, oh my God. I ain't gonna lie. Oh, man. I know all of you niggas. That's what's crazy. I got,

we got a great life here, man. We know who take that. Every one of them motherfuckers. I ain't gonna lie, man. The funniest shit about the whole shit is like, Queens, yes. Synonymous with hip hop. You know what I mean? MC Shan, the whole shit is like Queens. Yes. It's synonymous with hip hop.

You know what I mean? MC Shan, the whole Juice crew up to you guys. I mean, even with Nicki Minaj now and shit, it's lit. Queens has always been lit. Brooklyn, same shit. Big, Jay, Fab. The list goes on and on. You know, the Bronx, where it started at.

You got Joe, Pun, L and them niggas. You know what I mean? Harlem. Harlem do they number. People still, you know, to be from Staten Island and not just be from Staten Island, but to be respected. And this genre is a beautiful fucking thing and shit. Because for real, even to this day, I be on the Instagram and shit. And they was like different shoes for

different boroughs. Right? They put the shit up for Brooklyn, Black Air Force One. Right? Queens? I think Queens had like, y'all had an Air Jordan or something like that, maybe the Four or something like that. I don't know. I can't quite.

I know Harlem was like that. That boot them niggas used to wear. The Balenciaga. The fuck? No, not the boot. The old dingo boot. Remember them shit? The pony skin shit?

No. With the Shaolin hat. Shaolin hat. Nigga, I think it was either a croc or an ugg boot. Damn. One of those. Who pulled that shit? They pulled the dad shit on you? They be trying to shit on us, man,

like real bad as shit. But then, you know, ask anybody that came to Staten Island and missed that ferry. Not a good look. Very true. I recorded at Mystic Studios at one point. Mm, Mystic.

It was a shithole. Damn. No, I'm playing. Mystic is dope. Mystic is dope. My bad. My badic is dope My bad My bad this shit My bad

My bad Nah it's nice in there It's nice in there They were like I got in there And it was like Yo you know Wu-Tang Do they shit here

I was like Word I thought I was It lit I was like They lied to me man They lied to me Oh shit The meth lab Open for business They lied to me, man. They lied to me.

Oh, shit. The meth lab open for business. The toilet fixed. Okay. You got the toilet fixed, nigga. Y'all come in there, use the bathroom now, baby. This is going to be a funny one. Red Man or Busta Rhymes?

You don't do that to me and shit. Busta, my brother from another mother, but Redman all day again do that shit and that ain't taking shit away from Busta because Busta just got a lifetime achievement in what we do. But Redman,

shit. And I know you battle Redman in verses but if they was to offer you to battle Busta, I don't even like going on stage

after Busta. Kid me. Serious shit. Busta take all the air out the room, as he should. As he should. He ain't come in the game like that. He consistent as fuck, right? Yo, Busta, there's nothing that I don't think.

He having fun out there. Like, whatever Busta put his mind to, he could do that shit. But when he in front of that crowd, that's his. Yeah. I don't care who performing that night. That crowd is fucking his. He says he doesn't rehearse. I's his Yeah I don't care who performing that night That crowd is fucking his He says he doesn't rehearse I told him

He don't have to Him and You know the beautiful thing about it right Him and Splitter No no for real Cause me and Doc do the same shit right So Y'all don't rehearse

No But you perform with somebody I'm serious You perform with somebody for so long Yes That you learn the nuances of what they do. Doc do this move he used to do all the time on The Goodness, right? So after a while, I started doing this shit with him.

This shit like, it became part of the routine. No, this is real shit. Even that Superman level shit we did on The Versus, we never done that shit before. That shit was made up on the spot. Made up on the spot. What happened in the rehearsal for the verses, because we wanted to get our songs right, was I said, you know what?

You should get a cape for Superman Lover. That's it. We didn't say what it was going to be, how it was going to be, but when I put the cape on him and I flung it back like that, I was like, wait a minute. That's kind of fly. That's kind of fly, right. All right. Yay! That's kind of fly. That's kind of fly, right.

That's true, brother. And regardless, you know, whoever had the best verses and all that, and I think the locks and the dip set one was the best by far. By far. I like the Beanie Man one too and shit, but for a whole different fucking reason, bro. That was entertaining. No, when Beanie Man took over and he started

doing homies verse on his own song, I went crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Beanie Man. Yeah,

yeah. Showmanship wise, again, locks, you can tell that they, I mean, when you come up under the bad,

no, but when you come up under that bad boy umbrella, that's a requirement. You know, remember, they was with Puff first. And Puff did tour tours. These ain't fucking, you know, clubs. These was arenas.

You got to have your shit together. Bird control, all that shit. So them niggas is veterans. Period. But when you get two guys like myself and Doc and, you know, you never know what you're going to get. Does this motherfucker do comedy while you're up there? I might do some fucking magic. You never know what the fuck you're going to get and shit, and we don't sometimes.

And sometimes we get backstage and be like, good show, my nigga, and we get that look. That's it. That's it. You have never heard. That's fucking it right there. Now, to get back to Busta, him and Spliffstar have that same rapport. He told me that And Spliff is so in tune with this nigga

You see it You can tell sometimes that Busta do some new shit And Spliff will catch it out the side of his eye And catch it Sometimes Busta end the shit too soon And Spliff will still be doing it But it blend well It blend well as fuck

to this day 25 years i've been telling buster i don't i think you rehearsed sir he ain't rehearsing shit and he's been telling me nori i've never rehearsed no that's experience yeah it's experience the thing i loved about buster was the leaders of the new school reune i never thought i'd see that no no they got a whole album leaders of new school They got a whole album Leaders of the New School They got a whole album Oh that's dope Recorded? Yeah

He got a Flipmo album He got a Leaders of the New School I speak to Busta Like almost Two times a week And that's why We going to see Busta And 50 Cent

In Nice, France Drink Champs We'll be on the way In October In October Look at Kareem Look at this nigga Putting in for your flight in October. Look at Kareem. Putting in for your flight right now?

I see you, Kareem. We will be in Nice, France. You're going to be out there in them streets? We went to see Woo and Nas in Paris. Y'all going to Nice? Yeah, we're going to Nice. The beach is all rocks. Yeah, we're going to October. We ain't going to the beach., we going to Nice. Yo, that beach, the beach is all rocks.

Yeah, we going to not go, but we ain't going to the beach. It's beautiful, though. It's beautiful, yeah. Beautiful. Okay. Beautiful. Holy moly guacamole. Yeah. Okay, so let's go to the next one.

How high or belly? Two separate. Damn, I would have said how high or half-baked or some shit like that. You got to talk to hazardous sound. How high or half-baked? How high or half-baked? some shit like that. You got to talk to Hazardous Sound. How High or Half-Baked? How High or Half-Baked? Oh, I got you.

Y'all said Correlation. Well, I got more screen time in How High, so I'll say How High. Okay. Okay. Hey. Video music. How did you feel about How High 2?

I think that you can't blame DC or Lil Y yachty for um the premise okay um mtv was very smart for doing what they did because the product was just sitting there they got the rights and you know it keeps the name alive so i'm not mad at mtv or paramount it was mtv mtv i'm not mad at it and shit but i think that um i don't think it was fair to those two guys. I think that, especially DC, his first vehicle should have been something original because he's funny as fuck. Did you watch it? No, I haven't seen it.

Huh? I haven't seen it. Okay. I know what the script was. Okay. Privy. All right. I'm moving on because I don't know how to deal with this.

Video music box or UMTV raps I'm going with Uncle Ralph I gotta go with Uncle Ralph I gotta go with Uncle Ralph But see Ed would do the same shit I think I think Ed Lover would do the same shit I think so

Okay Shout out to Ed Lover Head Lover Head Lover He out here EFN Ed's like He got Yeah full Full pop of smoke Everybody's really me Not the head lover. Head lover. Head lover. He out here. E-F-N. He got, yeah, full pop of smoke. Everybody's really me, but they Beijing.

Full pop of smoke. No, no, no, no, no. It's just for men. It's just for men. Beijing break you out. It's just for men. It's just for men. I ain't going to lie.

Let's pick up the Fat Joe and DJ Khaled. I don't know what they got going on. Tank's a part of that, too, I think. Tank's a part of it. No, no. Why you got low-end niggas. Tank's a part of it. No, no, they think. Why you got low-end niggas up like that? That's terrible. No, they posted it.

They posted it. They got a product. They got a product. You know what they call that? The male BBL. I think I got to let this one go. My brother, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled. Holy shit.

That was Pep who said that. I'm fucking with you. I'm fucking around. I'm fucking around. I'm fucking around. No, but they can't hold us accountable for that. I mean, women been doing it for years, dying their hair and shit. That's real.

It's just a look. That's all. Raekwon or Ghostface? Raekwon or Ghostface. Both. Drink, motherfucker! Drink! I like he does not hesitate on me.

Ow! Nah. My family, my family. I ain't gonna lie. The one thing that you know about meth is you are a loyal lawyer. Yes, I am, sir. Yes, I am.

Let me say something, because I know, like I said, I know everybody from Wu-Tang. Individually, I have relationships with every single artist. And thing that I could I could see is there was one point where like kind of like everybody was kind of like mad at RZA a little bit yeah but I never seen you publicly ever say anything I wouldn't dare that's my nigga right there man where's it like i said i understand nuance and i don't always get how things work but when they explain to me or when

i have the epiphany and i get it i can admit when i'm wrong so i think i'm gonna live longer that way but be honest you said that at one point you didn't really, well not that you didn't understand nuance, but that you were more angry when it came to Def Jam. Did that take time for you to get to that nuance or maturity? Yeah, yeah, and it started when I started doing my fitness journey, because before you can start on the outside, you got to start with the inside and shit.

And I wasn't well, man. You know, I wasn't well. I had to let a lot of things go and stop blaming people and shit. Take accountability for myself and take control. That's a beautiful thing. When you do that, when you take control

and you fully know that you're in full control, bruh, I'll punch a hole in the fucking wall right now. Shit. You look like you could do it. You definitely look like a superhero right now. Now, another thing that I've seen is you were the only one that had a job during the come up. You worked at Staten Island?

I worked the majority of my time, yeah, but when I lost my job, I had to hustle myself. You didn't, you lost the job, I've seen you. Yeah,

I lost my job at the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty, right? Yeah. They fired you? No, they didn't fire me. I'm going to tell you what happened.

Look, look, look. I didn't see that. The statue fired you? Nah, this is the funny shit right here. 19 years old,

and I got into an accident on the island, driving one of the heister trucks, a cart, taking big dumpsters of garbage to the other side of Liberty Island. Crashed my foot up, went to the hospital, and just never went back to work. I just didn't go back. I didn't collect unemployment. You didn't lose your job. You left your job.

I just left. You left your job I just left Yeah I was on crutches Right The fuck I'm supposed to do I was on crutches

For like the whole fucking summer Right Miserable as fuck Miserable as hell But I see the documentary When you came back But you know The thing

This is the crazy shit Because all my friends hustle And the whole time They was out there hustling I'm there with them Because we smoking Right So I'm seeing them

How they hustle How they do it How how they get away, all that shit, you know? And when I started, I just followed that pattern and shit. And honestly, I've been locked up one time for possession of a controlled substance. Is weed a controlled substance? No, they don't consider it. They don't say that, right? They just say marijuana. They don't say controlled substance. Is weed a controlled substance? No, they don't say that, right? They just say marijuana, they don't say controlled substance. Unless it was dust.

Well, no, I wasn't locked up with dust. All the rest of my arrest was mostly for smoking in public and having weed on me. But that was possession of a controlled substance. I only got caught once. The whole time I was i hate this is why when i when i be rhyming i don't say too much about my drug career because i hated that shit i wasn't no kingpin didn't have any aspirations to be a kingpin i was just trying to get money enough to pay the rent or to buy a hotel room for the night

i was back to sleep in this shit, at the end of the day, when... You was drinking Absolute Straight, it burned. Yeah, that type shit. I was doing all kinds of debauchery and shit. At the end of the day, I still had this talent. And when... Like I said, luck of the draw. Niggas got

lucky because I didn't... I'm going to tell you like this, bro. Staten Island, you know how, you grew up in New York. You know, like nobody go to Staten Island, so they say. Yeah, but. So they say. I'm going to be honest. Let me just give you your flowers again. What y'all did is phenomenal.

What y'all did is unforeseen. It's never going to be duplicated. I remember just hearing, I remember just, I remember being scared of you. Like me literally, I was scared of you because you had an eye. I was like, what's wrong with these eyes? I had an eye. We was like, wait a minute. What the fuck is in Staten Island? Maybe that's why we didn't know. This shit is crazy.

Like, holy shit. Now, mind you, Paul, not to cut you off, remember what I said about Big with the shirt? Uh-huh. And, you know, after he seen the video, everywhere with that fucking eye, nigga. One day, girl around my way, a driller, love you, mother.

She was like, take that stupid shit out your fucking eye. You're going to fuck your eye up and I ain't wearing that after I took that bitch out. I ain't wearing shit. I'm going to be honest. Ghost face too.

I was scared of ghost face as well. Because of the murder. The nigga didn't show his face. Well, you niggas knew what that was. Nuance. Come on, Nori Nuance. What? But I'm a fan.

I'm not in the industry at all. So a guy is doing a verse, hiding his face? Who the fuck does this? Yo, bro. Holy moly. Called himself Ghostface Killer. And they called himself Ghostface Killer. I always had to tell this.

I always say it to Ghost and Ghost be looking at me like, no, you relax. We've been at shows. We've been at shows and Bounty Hunter showed up looking for this nigga. I heard these stories. I heard these stories. I like this nigga. And then, you know, so it was major when he came out

with his Dolo album, and the first thing he did in the video was what? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian 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. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future

where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that tasaser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary

mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J,

the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey. So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting to our childhood in some sort. You said I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs.

I still play like a kid. I laugh. You know, I love jokes. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T. Connecting changes everything. On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T. Connecting changes everything. The game got real. Come on now. Ghost is that nigga, man. Ghost, ghost, ghost. Make him a ghost race killer, man. And I think that's the mystique of the Wu-Tang right there.

Because people constantly learn shit about us. The constant thing that I get is, I didn't understand a word you motherfuckers was talking about back in the day. But the beats sound good. But as I got older, it was like, wow. And people explained shit to me, and it was like, wow. Because Staten Island was its own barrel. And this is the beauty of it. It's like anybody

that came to Staten Island, they found out real quick, like, these niggas is fucking crazy out here. Crazy. I ain't gonna lie, y'all changed the game, man. So let me ask you about the beginning, right? Y'all white boys to beat y'all white boys up. Okay.

Y'all white boys different. Bingo. Y'all got it. Y'all ain't different. Oh, shit. We almost done. Yeah, go ahead. Nas or Jada Kiss?

Nas or Jada? I'm on tour with Nas right now. That's a great story. Both. Take a shot. All right, go story. Both. Take a shot. All right, yeah, the next one,

E. You don't want to do none of these, huh? Nah, see her, baby. Capadonna or Street Life? We don't do that.

The fuck? Nah, both. Yo, let me pick up the cap, man. You know, because-

He taught me how to rhyme. I kept saying to you all night, I know everybody, but I didn't meet Cat till later. After he came out of jail. Crazy shit is you might have been in there with him. That's my nigga. That's all I was about to get

to. He's like, and he's on the low one of the funniest niggas in the world. Hilarious. Like, don't let Cap start baking. Hilarious. He will cut you the fuck up. Hilarious. And lyrically one of the illest.

And lyrically one of the illest. You throw on the instrumental, Cap can give you a 10-minute freestyle. I'll put money on it, 10-minute strip. How long was Winter Wars, his verse on that? And he might have freestyled that. Don't play with cats. I don't know if you remember when we had Wu-Tang on. Yeah.

Him and you, God. I was in heaven. Like, I don't know why, because I looked, and that was brother love. Like, me and you go on and on sometimes. Them niggas, see, I only go junior high school with niggas. They go back grade school, man. You can tell. Deck, too.

Deck go back grade school with them niggas, man. You can tell. For real. Okay, I'm going to ask this one. Yeah. M.O.P. or Marv D. Get my drink ready. Yeah, I might as well, man.

Yeah. Because y'all know fame, fame, fame is fame and Billy. Like, them niggas could have transcended and been, but they did not compromise for shit. And that's why we love them niggas, man. Big up to them. They match our posse for life. They match, yeah. Also, let me big up Havoc. I seen him the other day at Nas' party.

Big Hav, yes. He gave birthday and Havoc and Q-Tip and everybody that I got to see people at Nas' birthday party. It was a real pleasure, man. And also, y'all, send Hav blessings, man. I mean, it may be over for a lot of people out there, but trust me, he still miss his brother. And that shit's still fresh for him. Just send him a kind word, anything. Y'all know his Instagram I always say that

I miss Prodigy Nah Prodigy really really really really really From Hempstead like me Damn that's right Long Island That's the first thing when you Google you They first thing I kept it a buck

They say Hempstead I kept it a buck And anybody that live in Hempstead, right, from Rock Marciano, fucking Stove Guard from Long Island too, right? Stove Guard, I believe, is from Long Island. And Rock Kim. You know, shout out to all my wine dance niggas, man. Man, Raheem Booker. Word, word.

Everybody in wine dance could fight back in the day when I was- I went to wine dance one time. They had three bodies on the floor floor and they kept barbecuing. I said, wait a minute. Yeah, there you go. We good. This is not the wrap-up time? We good.

They just kept partying. I was just like, wait a minute. Yeah, but you were saying about Pete. You were saying about... So, Pete, I really love Pete, man.

I miss Pete. I miss everything. And I was thinking about it the other day and you're right. You know, people should reach out to Havoc. Yeah.

Well, let me tell you something about Pete. Bum B. Bum B You know, people should reach out to Havoc. Yeah, yeah. Well, let me tell you something about Pete. Bum B, Bum B too. Yeah, you reach out for him with Pimp. Yeah, yeah. And also, Dayla, man, because, yo, Dave's birthday was recent. And, you know, we on tour with them, and they still feeling it. You know what I mean? So, yeah, yeah, yeah.

How about this? We should reach out to the Wu-Tang Clan because ODB loss is never going to be forgiven. Nah, nah, nah. It will never be forgotten. Some of our mantra come directly from O'Dirty. Killer bees came from dirty. Killer bees on a swarm came from dirty. Wu-Tang is from the children came from dirty.

All of that shit. Most of our motherfucking bravado came from dirty, man. He told us from day one. Even if we didn't believe it, he believed it. We the best. We the fucking best. Period. And not to take away from those lists or nothing, you know, I seen them, the crew lists and all that.

And I don't pay attention to those. But the fans are speaking louder than the list nowadays. And Death Row, yeah, you know, salute to them. But the people have spoken and said yeah you know salute to them but the people have spoken and said that Wu Tang Clan is number one crew and outcasts again shout out to them love them but the people have spoken again and said Wu Tang is the number one group Wu Tang against outcasts on versus or Wu Tang against Dungeon Family well Wu Tang ain't gonna do no versus we got too many songs man it wouldn't fit.

It would not fit. I don't think you can get us all in the room anyway. For real. I'm keeping it a buck. I think Swizz and Timbaland will get that back. They will make it happen. I'm sure they can. I'm absolutely sure.

I believe in Swizz and Timbaland. I'm sorry. I know they've been quiet out there. I hit Swizz yesterday morning, and he hit me here. I mean, Swizz and Timbaland. I'm sorry. I know they've been quiet out there. I hit Swizz yesterday morning, and he hit me here. I mean, Swizz's been talking. Not about verses, but Wu-Tang against, what would you prefer? Wu-Tang against OutKast or Wu-Tang against Dungeon Family? Wu-Tang against OutKast or Wu-Tang against Dungeon Family.

That Dungeon Family, they strong, man. And OutKast is strong by themselves, too. But I'm just speaking to the people that, you know, take these lists and speak validity. And Outkast is fucking dope as far as albums and consistency and Andre being the monster that he is and Big Boi just being as dope as he is and shit, I can see why a lot of people like, yeah, give the South they just do. And it's kind of monumental. Yes. It's kind of monumental that they're number one because at the Source Awards,

Dre said that shit. South got something to say. South got something to say. And there it is. There it is. EFM been happy ever since. And I mean, mean yo from that day forward

it was like he was on a mission to show people and the South came up man big time well they been up but we just didn't know it I just seen a

interview with Baby and Baby said that nobody would never have it back he said the West Coast would never have it back the East Coast would never have it back

he said it's in the South it's staying in the South. And that's it. I disagree. It's worldwide, right? Yeah, I don't think even a region will have it back. Nah, because, I mean, they got a whole fucking movement in the UK that's these motherfuckers. I like that drill.

Nice. These motherfuckers is nice. Not just the drill, but, you know, other shit. Shout out to Ocean Wisdom Shout out to my man Young Meth Welcome home Brody Man they got Shout out to Lil Sims

Is the nigga they talking about? Yeah yeah yeah And he earned that shit He nice This boy nice I did a record with him I did a record with him Smoke him?

Nah Nah nah nah Who is this guy man? I'ma take a shot Who is this guy? Y'all can check it out afterwards It's called Winnebago

Okay Also Lil Sims She got this joint called Gorilla Check that shit out She real dope She real dope Yes sir And also check out my man

PK Patrick Carnegie Ooh Carnay What is it Carnay? I'm a big dog And also check out my man PK, Patrick Carnegie. Carnay. What is it, Carnay? I'm a big dog. I'm a big dog. Stephan with a big, what? He sounds rich to me.

He said, with a big, he said, what that motherfucker say? He said, uh. Where's Drain at? He should have the accent down. He said, fuck you and your fat mother. Damn. She can use a tree for a back scrubber. I can make a raft out of back blubber.

Settle to the long lost aisles on her back, brother. That sounds Scottish. And you're a virgin. You never had sex with a person. You only had sex with your right hand. We both know that ain't right, man. Right. And them hot shits. You only had sex with your right hand. We both know that ain't right, man. Right.

And I'm hot shit. Flying in the pilot in the cockpit. Your nana's got a neck like an ostrich. Tell her come nibble on this PK cock, bitch. Let's make noise for PK. Word. Mugs or Pete Rock? Pete I love mugs but Pete

Goodfellas or Casino? Oh fuck Goodfellas cause it's shorter That Casino get long in the tooth Like a motherfucker man I get tired of hearing Sharon Stone Crying, whining and shit It's true

That's a good point man I think we've been waiting for this question all night. Mm-hmm. Sugar or puff? Sugar puff. Sugar puff. Sugar puff.

That's if you say both. We good? I'm not saying both. What do you mean? Sugar and puff or what? What do you mean? Sugar and puff or what? What do you mean? Whatever you want. Yeah, your preference.

I don't know, Shug. Puff. Okay. All right. So we don't take a shot then? Yeah. We pick. Okay.

NWAL, Public Enemy. Hmm. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories

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

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

This is Absolute Season One. Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Add free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. And it's going to take us to heal us. It's Mental Health Awareness Month, and on a recent episode of Just Heal with Dr. J, the incomparable Taraji P. Henson stopped by to discuss how she's discovered peace on her journey.

So what I'm hearing you saying is healing is a part of us also reconnecting to our childhood in some sort. You said I look how youthful I look because I never let that little girl inside of me die. I go outside and run outside with the dogs. I still play like a kid. I laugh. You know, I love jokes. I love funny. I love laughing. I laugh at myself. I don't take myself too seriously. That's the stuff that keeps you young and stops you from being so hard. To hear this and more things on the journey of healing, you can listen to Just Heal with Dr. J from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. AT&T., connecting changes everything.

They both stood up. Damn. Shut up. You feel like you want to take a shot, man. Yeah, yeah, okay, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot, shot. Salud. Okay, Rock Riders or Rockefeller? Y'all better take that shot.

All right, let's take that shot. Damn. I thought you were going to say leave that shit alone. I was going, yeah, take the shot. And this last one, and then we'll finish up. Loyalty or respect?

I'm goinga say loyalty, because a lot of times people don't respect it, but after a while it gains your respect. So I'ma go with loyalty and shit. So let's make some noise for that. I'ma take a piss. No, I'm done. Take a piss real quick.

All right, cool. I'll hold it down. Okay. This famous tour. You, Method Man, DMX, Ja Rule, Jay-Z. Yeah. It's rumored that you and Method. Me and Red, yeah.

You and Red. Yeah. Came out first. Yeah, we did. But y'all destroyed it so much that it made people want to come to the show early. After a while, yeah. That's the story. And then I was there.

I know that shit happened. All right, so DJ Clue was the house DJ. And he would be out there, lights be on. You know, people are still getting in their seats. And no lie, sometimes we would go out on that stage, the lights would still be on, and people are still getting in their seats and no lie sometimes we would go out on that stage the lights would still be on and people were still getting in their seats but by the time we finished the show our set rather it would always be packed and they would be amped up for the rest of the show and this is when you start flying yeah yeah so then after like the third one the reviews come in and people was like get to to the show early. Early. Method Man and Red Man do their thing.

Yeah, man. What's early? I would say before the first act come on. Shit, what, seven? Seven? Because there was an act that came on before y'all? Nah, it was just Clue. He was the house DJ.

Oh, it was Clue. Yeah, yeah. And then we would come on after that and shit. But, I mean, it says a lot because we got the Source Award that year for Performers of the Year. Yeah, that was dope. Even though we didn't get to perform at the Source Awards because that's when that fight happened. That was when the fight happened at the Source Awards. Yeah, that's when we won.

Yeah, dudes was in the crowd scrapping. They was like, This is not the source of awards where Sugar was on the stage. No, not that one. Nah, that one. I had my wife at that one too, man. That shit was weird that night. That shit was real weird. I didn't like that night.

It showed a big divide in hip-hop. You know what I mean? In hip-hop or East and West? No, in hip-hop. You know what I mean? In hip-hop or east and west? No, in hip-hop, period. And the thing about it was the way it turned in the east coast, west coast was because of media attention. And they steered it into that because it sold more articles. I know this is a cliche type of question. Yep.

I know this is a cliche type of question, but did you ever think that hip hop would make it this far? Hey, I knew it. You knew it? I knew it. It's like the same reason why I love being black. Oh, I love being black. Because it's like I think I got an advantage because of being black. I think I have an advantage because of the way I came up in this world and shit.

You know what I mean? It's like my disadvantages are my advantages in this world. Because I'm always going to be underestimated from the door, but I'm always ready. So I don't have to get ready. God damn it. God damn it. That makes a noise for Matt. You know you got to go. Yeah, I got to catch this flight.

But did you ever, because I don't think you accept this terminology. You're going to talk that sex symbol shit. I knew you were going to say that shit. Look, let me clear this up. I'm going to clear this up for the last time. Of course, the admiration is a great thing. It makes me feel great.

Does it tend to be uncomfortable at times? Absolutely. Right. For me, it's being put on a pedestal that people create in their own minds. And then when you fall short of that, there's no coming back from it. And there's no forgiveness or what's the word? Redemption in their eyes. So for me, just put me on the ground level with all you guys.

We can all commute together and shit and see the beauty in each and every last one of us because all of us got sexy in us. Let's just keep it that. That's real. That's real. But I'll be sexy why not well uh there shout out to the men's health yo yeah 50 and bust that's dope 50 was very gracious cuz I'm pretty sure that was his cover and this dude is such a marketing genius that yeah 50 is 50 is, he definitely chess.

He not checkers at all, man. And he definitely knows what he's doing and shit. Shout out to Fit. Shout out to Fit. Shout out to Fit. Come here. Let me just tell you, you my role model. Salute.

Salute. You my brother. I know you know that But I'm going to tell you In front of the people You know If I need advice I'll call you

I'll reach out to you Salute, yeah You always pick up the phone You always talk to me And I just want you to know How appreciated you are in life As As totality

Thank you brother Not just Not just Who you are as an artist Who you are as a man Because our relationship is man relationship You know what I'm saying I remember I had one

Because Meph came out one time Let me just tell you I was on Keith Murray I was finally I finally had my one headlining tour And Meph came out on Keith Murray's shit He started walking on people's heads Yeah I got that shit from my daughter tour and Mav came out on Keith Murray's shit, he started walking on people's hands. Yeah.

Wait a minute, my brother. Wait a minute, my brother. I got that shit from my daughter, dog. But, Mav, we want to tell you we love you. We want to tell you how honored we are to have you on this show. Thank you, brother. Thank you. Thank you for doing this.

And we'll tell you how much you mean to hip hop. Appreciate it. Because you really, really are a GOAT. Appreciate that. You really are a GOAT. And it's transcending hip-hop at this point, for sure. And, nigga, you on everything. Thank you, brother.

If I see you selling Apple Jacks waffles tomorrow, I won't be surprised. Because I'm like, I'm going to buy those Apple Jacks. Waffles. Waffles. Come on. Because you can do everything, bro. Thank you, bro.

And do no wrong. Thank you, bro. And as a man, it don't take nothing away from me to tell you how great you are. It don't take nothing away from anything. And I just want to say thank you, my brother. Big up James Ellis. Yes, sir. Salute to this platform, too, man.

Y'all killing it. Thank you. I love the fucking platform. And you guys are always going to have an audience in my house thank you so much everybody to get up and make some noise motherfuckers

Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production in association with Interval Presents hosts and executive producers NORE and DJEFN Thank you. 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.

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