Drink Champs - Episode 512 w/ Bubba Sparxxx

Episode Date: August 21, 2026

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this episode we chop it up with the legendary, Bubba Sparxxx!Pulling up to Drink Champs for an unforgettable conversation, Bubba takes fans deep into the story behind one of the most unique careers in Southern hip-hop.Coming out of rural Georgia, Bubba broke through with his distinctive blend of Southern rap, country influence, and undeniable personality. The Champs revisit his early grind, his breakout record “Ugly,” and the impact of working with legendary producer Timbaland. From his debut Dark Days, Bright Nights to his evolution as an artist, Bubba reflects on the moments that helped put him on the map and made him a standout voice in hip-hop.The conversation goes beyond the music, with Bubba getting candid about the highs, lows, industry experiences, and personal battles that shaped his journey. He also speaks on the Southern hip-hop movement and the country-rap sound that he helped push into the mainstream.As always, the drinks are flowing, the stories are unfiltered, and nobody is holding back. Get ready for laughs, memories, behind-the-scenes gems, and plenty of Drink Champs energy as Bubba Sparxxx tells his story in his own words.Make some noise for Bubba Sparxxx!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆Listen and subscribe at https://www.drinkchamps.comFollow:Drink Champshttps://www.drinkchamps.comhttps://www.instagram.com/drinkchampshttps://www.twitter.com/drinkchampshttps://www.facebook.com/drinkchampsDJ EFNhttps://www.crazyhood.comhttps://www.instagram.com/whoscrazyhttps://www.twitter.com/djefnhttps://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductionsN.O.R.E.https://www.instagram.com/therealnoreagahttps://www.twitter.com/noreagaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced.

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What are you doing, my belt? To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tuturo. It's called happiness. Delivering happiness. And many, many more. Open your free High Heart Radio app. Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Totoro. And listen now. Our hometown is not a test tube. 90 miles northeast of Nashville, a battle for the future of America plays out in one small town. Developers with right-wing ties have purchased hundreds of acres of land. We need cities on a

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My girl is DJ EFN. Together, they drink it up with some of the biggest players. You know what I mean? In the most professional, unprofessional podcast. and your number one source for drunk facts This dreamtaps, motherfucking park where every day is New Year's Eve. It's time for drink champs.

Drink up. Woody Goopie, homie, homie to be. This is your boy, N-A-O-N-A. What up is DJ EFN? And this military TV World, Drink Chaps, Park. Make some knows! This brother right here,

I'm going to just tell you something, man. He has one of the illest stories in hip-hop. He is a king. He has triumphed at the world. Man, I was dead, man. I was dead, man. I can really tell you. And I know it's like certain people that's probably because like it wasn't a lot of pictures taken back then.

It was just just this brother is a legend of a legend. He's an icon. He's not a white icon. He is a icon. He's not a white rap icon. He is a hip-hop icon. Amen. He is.

He is not a country icon. He is a icon. The first time I ever seen country and hip-hop mixed. together and it makes sense. And it makes sense. Everyone, I was dear. I want to get this man his flowers. I want to tell him how important he is

to this game, to hip-hop, and to our life. And in case you don't know who we talk about, we talked about the one, literally the one and only. Bubba! Motherfucking sport! That's quite the fucking intro, brother. Listen, man, you know, you know, I didn't realize how much we had in common.

You came out in 1998. No, I came out 2001. You came out in 1990. Okay, okay, okay. No, the highs and, what was the year? What was the first album that Jimmy came and took? The highs? Oh, Dark Days Bright Nights.

Okay, yeah. Yeah, the independent version of that came out in 99, yeah. Okay, okay, okay, that's why I'm big. But yeah, like the Ugly and all that, that dropped in 2001. You know what's crazy? I never knew when I heard it, I didn't know that that version that I heard was independent. I always thought that you was on Intersco. Because it was probably floating around.

You know how we got deals and stuff back then? Like, it was probably floating around up there around, you know, in labels and stuff. Yeah. So, okay. What I didn't know, going through with everything, I didn't know that Jimmy tried to put you with Swiss first. He most certainly did. Oh, that's crazy.

Yeah, you didn't know. He realized he found a little honeyhole with him. Right. You take the white rapper. You put him with the credible black producer, you know what I'm saying? there's a maid man in hip hop, you know what I'm saying? And then it's just, you get them white consumers, you know what I'm saying? And then you also get the credibility.

He found a formula that he thought was, right? He loved it. But yeah, he tried me with Swiss, you know, and then I... Now, that was full surface or was it rough riders? At the time, it was just... Rough right. We didn't get that far. Okay, okay.

I think he was tinkering with giving Swiss a deal for full surface. Okay, okay. Doing it DreamWorks, I think. Okay, yeah, dream version. Yeah. But how did Jimmy discover, like, how do you come across your indie album? I got to give credit to there was a photographer. Well, the first person that tried to sign me was Fred Durs from Limbiscuit.

Get down out of here. It's a crazy story. And I've never told it. Hey, it's going to tell it right now on Dr. Champs. Yes. So Fred Dirst, and he was really playing with it. You know what I'm saying? Like, he wasn't really, really, he was just really wanted to keep me.

And Fred Dess was also on Interscope as well, right? He was the vice president of Interscope. Get the fuck out of here. And he was an artist on Intersco. Oh, I never knew that. And here's what happened. So he was doing, it was when Napster was popping. Right.

And he was doing like a. MTV commercial live from West was it Westlake Studios I did like the whole first album there on Beverly Westlake on Beverly that's what it was called and it was live from Westlake on Beverly he Napster gave him a bunch of money and he's trying to sell the world on Napster or whatever

and the guy Doug Kay I'll give him a shout out the guy that was partners with Fat Shan in the production company that I was signed to at the time 11th hour saw where it said Westlake on Beverly and he sent him a copy of the independent release and he called it's like He left a message, like,

he was back in the answering machine days. He left the message, like, probably a month later. And my boy Shane called me. He was like, is this really Fred Durson? I didn't even, he was like, he was like, this is some pretty dope shit. You know what I'm saying? He was all rock and roll out, you know what I'm saying?

And he didn't really do anything. He heard the independent album? Yeah, he heard the independent album. And then what happened was, so he ended up, he was going to sign me. He was at Warner Brothers Records, and some dude, I want to say this guy's, name, but I'll say the big dog's name in a second.

So this guy basically was representing that he had me signed, and Fred was mad about that. He's like, no, I got Bubba Sparks sign. You know, that type of thing that happened back then because it actually meant something, you know, who signs you and all that stuff. And he's like, he's like, well, he calls me. He's like, this guy so-and-so, I won't say his name, is claiming to have you sign. You know what I'm saying? Like, he's claiming it. And I said, man, I ain't signed up with nobody, you know what I'm saying?

Okay. And then, so the guy that he was arguing with, unbeknownst, a Fred at the time, was a representative of a guy named Mike Conception. Yeah. Oh, from L.A., the big crib. Legendary Crip. And so Mike Conception says, basically, Craig Noble, Mike Conception calls Fred Durson, and basically says whatever he said and whatever.

Not the way he said it. And then Fred Ders called me the next day. He's like, hey, man, I got to respect these guys. You know what I'm saying? And I'm like pissed because the only connection, I had to my conception at the time was that the guy Shannon Houtchins, who I signed the production deal with,

who produced the first half of the first album, had done a production deal with this guy in which three other artists were in the contract. They sent him a check, whatever. It didn't work out, but they basically, he was just trying to stand on what he was trying to stand on and say, oh, this is popping now, so I'm going to claim this from that situation

so I get something out of it. But, you know, I ended up, the person that brought me, in at Interscope and ended up signing me was Gerardo Mahea, Rico Swaping. Yeah, really. Okay. Because he was a head A&R. What was his role? He was head A&R.

He was head A&R. Well, he did Latin music. Right. But he was a big proponent of mine, a fan of mine, him and a guy named Eric Williams, who was originally from Atlanta, who was in Manir Boucher, who was his the A&R ad man up under Gerardo. He had, Enrique Iglesias was his art. Wow. Yeah, but he

took a real liking in my stuff or whatever. And Gerardo's the one who got the deal done over there, and then he got with Jimmy. and somehow whatever they figured out unbeknownst to me behind the scenes with my conception got worked out, you know what I'm trying? So, yeah, that was crazy. That was my very early introduction to how this game could be. Never would put bubble sparks with Ricoz.

Wow. I can't even see that meeting. Maybe forever lived in Rico Wave, not Rico Swamp. And you got Rico Wave. So, boom. Jimmy, I believe Jimmy, you had a dinner. one night, and Jimmy said, oh, Jimmy said he's going to meet Timmerlin for dinner the next day.

And he said, what did you think? And you said, that would be a perfect mess, Jimmy. Yeah, so he was, you know, he was looking for my co-signer. He was like for somebody to stamp me. Coach Swiss didn't work out. This is the time. Well, you know, to be honest with you, man. And me and Swiss have laughed about this many times, man.

It was dope. Like, we did a cool record, but I don't think Swiss, probably I was scared to death to it at the time. You know what I was like, damn, that's the real Swiss beats. And so I was probably a little freaked out Because I'm, you know, I'm early in the process But that definitely prepared me for when I got with Tim

But anyway, I don't think Swiss necessarily got it culturally Right Being from New York You know, I don't think I think maybe what we was doing was a little too Because I'm thinking, stop Drop, shut them, definitely You know, I'm thinking like that's how we're coming

Okay, okay, okay I'm thinking that's how we should come You know, he had a little slightly different vision I think we did a couple songs And they were cool Right I'm saying but I don't think we just connected at that time culturally and just as people at that time.

You know what I'm saying? And we've talked about that many times. Right. Right. Do you realize how ahead of your time you was? I didn't realize at the time, but as time had up told it, I was just being me and doing me, but as time has gone by, and I've just seen how things have, it's kind of trippy, man.

You know what I'm saying? It really is because, you know, all I ever wanted to be was a bridge between urban culture and country culture. Well, God damn, that's what you did. Yeah, McGa. I was, because, you know, me and you had some quite times together. We have fun together. Like, we're going to get into it.

And now you're both over today. But what I'm trying to say is I didn't realize it because I was, like, I didn't realize how, how, how pause, for lack of a better term, how huge it was. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't really realize because, for me, right, this is me speaking from myself. At the time, we had heard, uh, um, Everlast, right? We had heard Vanilla Ice, which was Beast's. But we, MC Surge. There was quite a few.

We had Eminem. Yeah. But what we didn't have. But Eminem's a different. But M&M. Never forget milk bone, man. Milk Boat. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Milk. Milk crazy. Yeah. Yeah. But we never seen. He was like the white big L trying to be like that. For lack of a better term, for us.

Yeah. We were comparing you, although you were in a group, people were saying, that's the white, outcast. Yeah. Like, and. And that's like something dope to be compared to. It's not like, you know what I'm saying? You're the black Hulk Hogan.

You know what I'm saying? If you listen to my... I mean, that was a bad. Real talk. Yeah, that was bad. That was bad. But if you listen to, like, the independent version we were talking about, yeah. But there was definitely outcast vibes.

Right. Because that's what I do. The Dungeon family, Outcast, Good Mom, not just them, cool breeze, which doctor. Right. Society of Soul, organized noise. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was, they were the first to really, not saying, I don't take away from Chris Cross and another bad creation and stuff like that.

But as far as reping Georgia and Atlanta specifically, but, you know, me being a Georgia boy, I was from a little outside Atlanta, but I still, you felt like... 65 miles outside of Atlanta, right? You felt like we were... Hey, he must have read out recently on him. You got to touch up on his bubble. But, yeah, man, so it was like, you know,

they rep for Georgia for the first one. Like, the black dudes, it was my friends, and I knew that's what they was like. You know what I'm saying? Like, and that's just what it was. And so, and then Andre became my favorite MC, even though Big Boy is heavily, heavily, heavily slept on. Right. Ciloh's, you know, deserves being a lot of them conversations as well.

But as a rapper, you know what I'm saying? But, yeah, man, I was definitely, man, when the first album was something playlilistic, I was like, this is incredible. I feel like there might be ears for my voice at some point because there was ears for this voice. And then, you know, when the second album came, when AT aliens came, man, I was like, that was like, God is present. Yeah, that was incredible. Okay, okay, but we're going to switch it, right?

Right, come on. Because I remember firsthand. I say all that to say clearly, they had a huge thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I say that, I say, like, when I first heard ugly, I didn't see the video. Yeah. Right? And it was, it's, it's something that I love the encounter that, I believe you told a Jimmy meeting,

Tim, him playing Tim your music. Okay, yeah, to get back to that. So the Swift thing didn't work out. And then I asked him, I was like, put me with Organized Noise. Oh, wow. But here's the deal. There was some moving parts to that thing in a sense that organized noise had just had the biggest deal with Interscope that interscope that ever given. It's like a $30 million label deal.

And it didn't necessarily go well for, you know, just a variety of reasons. But so Jimmy was a little reluctant to really just throw me in back behind them at that time. You know what I'm saying? Because they kind of just concluded a chapter of business. You know what I'm saying? And so then we were just. sitting there and he's talking some old other shit. I think Farrell's name came up.

He's just trying to figure it out. But he really believed, I mean, me and Jimmy at this time, and it's something you take for granted at the time, because I'm just this young, green-ass country motherfucker, and I don't really know too much about too much. And so I'm talking to Jimmy I've been on the phone three days a week. And I think, it's like, this is how it's wrong. You're playing the role, right?

I'm just, yeah, I mean, but we'll get into how that set me up for disappointment and failure later, but thinking of that, it was sweet like that. But so, and he's like, man, he's playing me this record, this other record he sends to me. He's like, I was I had this record on you. And then he's like, he calls me one fateful evening. And he's like, so I'm going to dinner tonight with this guy named Timberland.

And I was like, I ain't know who he was or something. And he's like, and I want to play your music. And I was like, Jimmy. Now we're cooking with hot motherfucking grief. Right, right, right, right. I said, do that, please. I said, that's perfect, Jimmy. And, man, I guess it was a.

couple hours like, Timberland didn't believe I was, Timberland didn't believe I was white. Because he played, from what I heard you say, he played the music, and then afterwards he said, what if I told you he was white? And then he was like, I wouldn't believe that. I had to see him. Tim said, that's what I need. I need a N-word like that.

Yeah, yeah. Because he was playing Petey's music. Petit Pae Pallos, shout out Peter, just seen Pete. And, you know, he was playing his music. They were kind of playing it back and forth, and he was like, man, I would like to have a guy like that, you know, Jimmy was like, what if I told you that?

It's not us. Right, yeah, yeah. He's white. And so I think it was like a day or two later, man, I was on a plane going out there and that basically brought the whole deal together for beat club. Right, goddamn. You know what I love about you? Like, like from when I've seen the video, right?

And then I got to meet you afterwards, right? But do you remember exactly where we met? Not the Park of Meridian, right? Yep. Okay, all. I got there. I'm on Frank. Come on.

Come on. Go on that, man. But I got to see the video, and I'm going to be honest with you. That was a cultural shock for me. Like, seeing that because, like, again, like, even seeing Cyprus Hill, Cypress Hill's first video was in New York, so it threw us off. But to see, like, pigs in the video, like, whose idea was that? Because at the time, now, this is the time New York is really running the hip-hop.

So you really got to ask. That's important to say, too. Yeah, yeah. Like, you really were supposed to have more. car hearts or Timberlands or some type of thing and you flipped it on us. Yeah. I wasn't a car heart. I wasn't a car heart.

It was different weird. And I remember seeing the video and I'm like, this is going to go because I had just came off a tour and I had realized how big the South was. Like the East Coast, we stop at Virginia. Yeah. Literally we stop at Virginia. You can say you can argue parts of North Carolina like the Riley Durham area. It's kind of he's.

No, no, no. They came to South. They do now because the South's grew, but back in those days, you know what I'm saying? And I started to realize, like, even New Orleans is considered the South. And I thought how big it was. And I was like, holy shit. Like, a lot of people say when Andre 3000 got on stage and said the South got something to say was when the South kind of like took over. But I credited it to you.

I'm very flattered by that. I credited to you because you showed us the other side of the South. Because that South was still city South. They were still showing what's that mall, Lennox Mall and shit like that. But then when we seen Jew and we said, oh, shit, these motherfuckers really got pigs and chickens? Yeah. Like, they really out there before us. And they go back to whose idea that was.

Who's idea was that, yeah. So I grew up on a legitimate farm. It looked just like that. You know what I'm saying? That's what I could. But, you know, at that time, because the South was slept on, you know what I'm saying? And people kind of just took the South as like a little hokey or slow or some shit like that. I was very reluctant to go in that direction.

Mark Classfeld, the director of Ugly. You know, he did all the epic videos that time. Juvenile, ha, young country grammar. He did that dirty boys. I never got a Mark Classfeld video. Like, let's keep going to go out. I never got him. You probably got a Dave Myers, though.

I never got a Dave Meyer. Do another person, okay. But so, and, and so I was like, I wanted to present, like, I wanted to be like the Southern Country House of Pain video. I wanted to seem hard. I could see that. I'm saying. Mixed with hard, though.

I feel like it was that mixed for a hard. Yeah, I wanted to be a little less funny comical. You know what I'm saying? Thankfully, I'm open-minded, and Timberland was like, no, I'm telling you, that's it! And so Mark Classfeld wanted to, you know, go, like, overly entertaining. And I really struggled with that for a while, because I knew how it was going to be represented

and some people were going to think it was a joke. And I knew it wasn't a joke, you know what I'm saying? And so, but it worked, man. And it was so shocking to the... I remember the first time I ever actually saw the video, because, you know, you had to wait like two weeks back in. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then you had to go to the label.

And so we get out of the Interscope. Me and Timberland walk in and my manager, Bobby, shout out Bobby at the time. And so we walk in there and Doug Morris, the whole head. Universal, yeah. Yes, like the big dog, big dog. Jimmy I haven't eaten the big dog at this time, but Doug Morris was the big dog, big dog. And so they're sitting in here, and Doug Morris is just sitting there with his face. Watching ugly?

Well, they have been watching it over and over and over unannounced to me. Okay. But I haven't seen it yet. Timberland was in there with him. And so I walked in, Timberland, I was like, he looks at me like that, and I'm like, is that bad or good? Yeah, I'm not. So hold on a little of this. You walk in the first thing, you make eye contact with Timberland with all the big dogs in the room.

And he gives you. And I'm like, we fucked up. All right, good. And then Jimmy's like, congratulations. I'm saying. Doug's like, what the fuck have you guys been doing? Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, he's like, this is the guy.

Oh, my God. He's acting like it's some big deal to meet me, man. And that type of shit was just crazy to me because I really didn't get it at the time. But, and I watched it and I was like, I looked fat. That was the first thing I thought. What I think came across purely was authenticity. Yeah, that's, yeah. Like, it didn't seem gimmicky.

It seemed like that was really. you in your environment. For a lot of my, you know, I've struggled with addiction and we'll get into all that later, but feeling like I had like imposter syndrome to some degree because of my journey with hip hop. Dude, I loved hip hop so much. I cherished it. For the first time I ever heard, you know, I really came into listening to hip hop like on the West Coast, NWA, you know what I'm saying? But I got into everything East Coast.

If it was hip-hop, you know, back in them days, wouldn't be with 20 CDs out. Yeah, for sure. Whatever. Whatever was new. BET rap CET, that's what you was listening to. And so, man, I was like, and then not to, I got a lot of respect for generalize actually, but, you know, the way things, certain things went with his thing, some people may be saying there were some discrepancies in his background and this and that.

And so he represented authentically. The Miami thing to happen. It taught me a lesson. You know what I'm saying? I was like, bro, whatever I am. It ain't even did I'm just that fucking thrilled to be a country boy, but that's what I am. At that time, I'm thinking, because I love hip-hop. And so I was like, but fuck it, that's what I am.

So I got to rep that shit. I got to go the long way with it. You know what I'm saying? And so that's what I did. And I started, and then Eminem came out and that reinforced it. Right. Because he clearly got that too. You know what I'm saying?

That whatever you are, man, you've got to just rep that shit and then hope that there's people that identify with it and can get with it. You know what I'm saying? And so that's what I did, man. I just was like, and as I got, as I started matriculating through the industry, you know what I'm saying, going to New York and doing songs with Jada. and stuff like that. Like, it was like, man, I kind of just felt like, because it was so, and ultimately, I hope part of what my legacy is

is having paved away for motherfuckers to really truly be who they are, being one of the first people, you know, along with like three stacks. And there's other people, too, they really just embrace who the fuck they are and represent that through hip hop. Right.

You know what I'm saying? And so I feel like I was one of the early people to really do that, especially once the MTV generation came around. And it was just like, man, And, like, I still felt like a little bit of an imposter because it was such a New York heavy game at the time. You know what I'm saying? The game was very New York-centric.

I tell them that all the time. Yeah. But a lot of people from the South really be on some bullshit. Add it, like, that's still some kind of issue or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, it's the older ones. No, what I want to correct, because, you know, our audience will give it to you. You said that the South hadn't done anything before that, but we can't forget the pioneers, like, true live crew.

No, no, no, no, I did not say that. I did not say it. I did not say it. No, no. Eight ball on MJG. Like, there's so many. We could go even deeper. We thought it was only that.

What I said, like, when he came out, it was like, because we saw it as the South, we didn't see as country, right? Because we, like, I guess at the time, the record labels didn't want to show country. You understand what I'm saying? Because they used his word badmower. They didn't want to show that they were badmas or whatever. But when his video came out, it was like, they embraced it. Yeah, boy was spitting on that.

And then you start seeing people with suspending it. You start seeing people were suspended. The fact of bad. With straw in their mouth. And it's like, okay, and then you start to realize, holy shit. If you look at the map, the South is almost the biggest part of the fucking map. They outnumber us regardless. You know what I mean?

And the South and Midwest were always kind of aligned in that, you know, because it was a very East Coast, then West Coast-centric game. So the South and the Midwest kind of felt like the slept-on parts of the country, you know what I'm saying? People that struggled to get appreciated. And but, yeah, so. Oh, I would never forget myself. I'd never get any of my press. That's what's missing from the game right now.

Right. These kids that are able to blow up from their mama's basement, go on social media, make a post, and blow up. They never had to take a walk through nothing to, you know what I'm saying? In our day, it didn't matter where you was from. If he was going to get in the hip-hop, you had to take a certain walk, and that was a street walk. So some of these kids now had to take that walk.

You know what I'm saying? Like, they probably have a lot more respect for where this thing comes from and for their predecessors with this shit, you know? And I definitely had to take that walk, you know? So, but man, it, I forget what the point was we were going at when we get, when you, you took us down the predecessor street. No, we had just, we had finished what we were talking about, right. Which is about the authenticity of the video. Yeah.

So, yeah. And then, but when I got around like the New York cast and stuff, I was just a little like, man, this is a real hip hop right here. Right. You know what I had done everything in line with what is, you know, authentically representing who I was and making that fit inside the hip hop medium. I'm saying, and the way we expressed this thing. And so I had done nothing wrong, but I, you know, I had done everything by the book, basically, you know what I'm saying? But probably I still felt a little like I didn't fit in, maybe, is what it was, nor, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, I understand.

So I heard you say that nobody thinks as highly and as lowly of you as yourself. That's the damn truth. So that means you're your own biggest man and you're also your own. When I heard that, I was like, wait a minute, I was like, that's not a normal line. I just kept listening to that. I kept rewined. Sometimes I was looking at myself in the mirror, boy, they can't see you, boy, they can't see you, boy. And then sometimes I look at around, you're going, shit, you know.

And it probably depends on how I'm living at the time, you know what I'm saying? But, yeah, man, it's been cool, man. I'm feeling better than ever right now, though. I can tell you that. Let me ask you, right? Ask me some shit, Nora. Because they say when you become a hip-hop star, right? You automatically become a rock star, right?

If you become a hip-hop star and you're leaning towards that MTV, when you're not just on BET, somehow that... I say MTV, yeah. Somehow your belt gets glittery and you become like a rock star, right? Now, you, unbeknownst to you or not knowing, that's a rock star label Enoscope, you catch a motherfucker hit on Endoscope

you are being played on KTU You're being played on Top 40, you got yes Australia on smack So for those Anybody that's coming up in that catches a huge hit How is that because

I want to describe people This scene of me Enoscope was the top top, top lady. No doubt. Limp biscuit, Eminem, Snoop, Dr. Dre. Um,

dude, no, uh, it goes on and on. So they got, they got the powers not only take you, but take you

and make you that, not overnight, you got to put in that work because if you can't be sleeping over there. There was never a machine like that and there would never again be machine like that. That's what I heard you say

that if you had to do it all over, you go back with Jimmy I mean, I love that so much. But, you don't realize that you think you that's expensive. Yeah, you don't get back to that.

Hold on, let me just say for this new up-and-coming artist, let's say the good times. Okay. What was the first time that you felt like, holy shit, this worked? Like, and you on top of the world? I can tell you the exact story. Okay. Me and the guy that was like my road dog slash assistant or whatever we want to call at the time.

Big tall-ass Jeremiah. I ain't talked to him in 20 years, but much love wherever you at. And we were watching the, you know, I'm a big Georgia football fan, University of Georgia football. And we were playing. It was the hobnail boot game to all my college football fans out there. You know what I'm talking about. Georgia hadn't beat Tennessee in a long time,

and they beat them that day in New England Stadium and Tennessee Stadium. And we were watching the game at TGL Fridays in Times Square. And we hype. The game is over. It ends. And the video had come out. Like, it wasn't peaked yet, but it is ugly. Okay.

Yeah. And so, and we're walking probably about two blocks back to the hotel. I only remember which hotel it was. We're walking back to the hotel. me and him, we're just completely in our own world. We're not thinking about nothing. And all of a sudden, I hear somebody say, that's him. And literally, that's Bubba Sparks.

And people start chasing us. And I, at first I was like, what the, what's going on? You know what I was like, no, it's because you're a fucking rapper, dude. And I was like, what the hell? You don't even realize it. Yeah, I mean, it just wasn't, that wasn't reality at the time. You know what I'm saying? But it became reality fast.

and we just started sprinting back to the hotel and we get back to the room like, boy, they saw the video. That's why they're going crazy. He's like, yes, dumb ass. I was like, fuck. But yeah, that was crazy, man. That was crazy. And it happened, it was a long journey in my life through my eyes

from my perspective, but I could see where it's seen because it did happen. And that's very much a reflection of that interscope machine we're talking about. Yeah, you have no choice over that. With Cameron Wickham. Live at the Rhyman. Ask me how I'll be to say I'm great.

You and a pal with flights and two nights in Nashville. To see Cameron Wickham at the legendary Rhyman Auditorium. Plus a thousand dollar spending caps. Just listen to Pure Country for 10 minutes a day on the free IHart Radio app and you're in to win. Cameron Wickham. Stream the new single Kingdom of Fear. Available now. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held.

captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the survivor files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying shut up, don't say anything. Every week I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up without a doubt he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman. Can you help me shape this?

How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this script? What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it.

I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is.

You know what I mean? They're like, they're so stupid. Everyone's so dumb. And fake. Right, fake and also not interested. or just like, oh, I've got my life, I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show

and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Totoro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Least Black Plansman. But I'm also from Queens, which means I know pizza. And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Totoro, I deliver pizza from Prince Street pizza to a new guest. Are you delivering pizza now?

Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing my belt? To Alex Rodriguez. Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great guests coming up,

including the great John Tutu. This gold happiness. Delivering happiness. Mariano Rivera. Oh, my God. And many, many more. Open your free high, hard radio app. Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Detourouro.

And listen now. Because the rap game is a harsh game. It is. It's a harsh game. You got to, I heard you say one time that your label makes. How many old podcasts you don't watch. No, I didn't want to depend on our friendship. I wanted to actually know.

But I heard you say that, like, when you were on the record labels, you were being cool with the record label like the executives, and you thought that they were your friends. Boy, did I fall for that too? Yo, when I heard you say that because you don't realize that these guys

can wake up tomorrow, and they'll be in Nebraska working for fucking mercury records. But he is. That's the name about shit. What the priority changes at the label. Yeah, like when you first come in, you actually think these employees are your friends.

I really did, bro, especially how it went out of the game. You know what I'm saying? Like when you come in that being, I'm like, boy, these are my friends for life. Like, these are some of them are. In very rare instances, but they still go on turn if they have to. If you become not that thing or you do something to put yourself at odds with that label, and that could be a lot of different things on a lot of different levels.

And basically, like, if you become at odds, they will not answer your call to. But when you get to a certain level of executive now that you Steve Stout, you know, and you develop a relationship with him, and then things take a couple of the notch of the level of the success you have and comes down a couple of notches and then you know them phone calls get a little fewer and further in between you know what I'm saying and that ain't no distance the steed that's just the way the shit goes right yeah that's the industry I see yeah go ahead no no no I was just to reiterate on one time it's odd no like it does matter though like because like I was on death jam at one point and one dude would do something and they would drop them and DMM to do everything and they act like nothing happened. That's the difference of being the priority. I miss them, like, at my, at the peak of ugly,

I miss them very, very important. It was like some ex-game shit in Las Vegas, you know, because when my, I was projected to sell us, like, a lot. 400. I was supposed to, damn, Norie. Which is frightening. Which is more than Eminem and they was kind of like hating on you. I know the inside.

I know the inside. I got the good one. And when I'm glad you said that. When I said that on Vlad and shit, They were like I was crazy. I was around, bro. Of course you wanted to compare to him and them. Of course you ain't Eminem.

I'm like, motherfucker, I'm just telling you how it was in that building at that time. You know what I'm saying? You didn't know what all you know now. And so basically I shipped 700,000 units based on that, that was the big thing back then. How much you shipped? Really, really you sell what you shipped if they don't sell it, bring it back in 30 days. I know, but go ahead and continue. And so, um.

We're talking old language here. I don't think of that's what it was. That's what it was. And they still care about first week numbers now, but it's different because it's more about all that other shit, the streaming shit and all that. But it was about CDs being sold at this time. And I shipped 700,000

because I know the people that, like, talk to the distributors and shit, the Intersco was hyping it, you know what I'm saying? And so they had me projected to do $350,000. I call them the day, like two days after the album come out, because, you know, you started getting them numbers back. And my boy, it was co-managed me at the time. Shout out of Todd Moskowitz.

He was out of the time, yeah. Yeah, he was like, um, he was like, yeah. He was like, um, it's looking like, you know, it's going to be like 180 to 200 the first week. Oh, fucker, uh, give you left nut for 180 to 200 to be done. Can you keep you hope for one second? We were hating on y'all.

Like, they did 200. It was complaining. You were like, what the fuck? But you just said it earlier. That was the standard over there. That's fucked up, though. It was a different status. That means that you was like of the own success.

Like you're like, because anywhere else, 200 is. Oh, bro, I've been running the building. Yeah, you're popping bottles everywhere. Like, let them motherfuck and sell 200 right now. And the, like, I think you just didn't. You know what's really about it? Dude, I am the fucking maker of all my problems. I don't blame nobody for shit.

I create all my problems. You know what I'm saying? Like, so this ain't me trying to play the blame game or nothing. Right. But the whole, when the numbers came back, and we can get into a lot of different reasons. Why it was that way? We got time, so.

Yeah, well, I think it was that way because there wasn't enough evidence out on me at the time. If you think about Eminem story, he had the outsiders, the Lyrics is loud. From the audience perspective? Yeah, so all they had seen at that time was ugly. There just wasn't enough evidence to make people, all of them people want to go buy an hour.

No lead up, no lead up. Yeah, whereas like there was a lot more evidence out there on him. And I don't like to even get into the comparison of me and M. I see what you're saying. I agree and disagree at the same time. I agree because I understand what you say. saying that story, but I believe that that story was laid out and it was so unique that we never saw it, it was enough.

You know what I mean? For me, like I said, like I didn't know, because me, I'm living in real time. So when I'm watching your interviews and you say, yeah, I was supposed to sell 400, but when I sold 200, it was like, and I was like, did he just say 200 was disappointing? Like, like, that's nowhere in, on Demp Jam, Tommy Boy. Like that, they would have been popping bottles. We would have been fucking a San Jose. had the label deal that day, four or five artists, something, and everything.

Right, but that's how, that's how tough it is to be on Interscope record. But you feel like you didn't have that foundational fan base, like, because what you're saying about Eminem is real, because he has, that thing we did with the outsiders, that tour he did, was huge for him. The Rapp Olympics, all this stuff. He had that foundation. Yeah, but you got that, you got that fan base, too. Let me just tell you something.

I went on Twitter. I went on Twitter, I was like, you got questions for above sports, man, they haven't stopped since. No, he's good now. They haven't stopped since. I'll let you know just in case you don't know. No, no, bro. You know, I'm blessed. I'm blessed.

I'm too blessed to be finesse, but not too blessed to be caressed, baby. But anyway, so it was like, I just, in anyhow, so, yeah, I come out, I do what I do. 200, correct? Yeah. Which is big, huge. I mean, and honestly, I forget who the other artist was, but it was like the second week of one of them Jaru albums, you know what I'm saying, when he was popping, popping. and I almost was in first, had the number one album. Oh, R&B?

Yeah, just on the Billboard 200. Okay, okay, yeah. But, you know, they was doing big numbers back then. I think I either had two or three. But anyway, and that album ended up going platinum, it's cool. But the energy changed in that building at that time. That's crazy. You know, but look, they went from like, because, you know, I had, I was,

I couldn't have been any less prepared for the moment of being that. I just kind of showed up like I was, but that was the beauty of it. You know what I'm saying? And so in the buildup, everybody in their scope, and once again, I love all them people that was in that building.

They all worked very hard for me. Much love to them. But I'm just, this is the reality situation, and y'all know it. All right, so in the buildup, it was, man, you just don't give a shit, man.

You wear a new balance, polo shirts. You just don't give a shit. It's fucking awesome. And then, like, instantly, instantly, it turns to them. What are you thinking?

just wear the fucking same bear shoes every day and shit like that you know what I'm saying like instantly yeah and I tell you another component of it too I was not that guy at the time and what I mean by that is and this goes back to once again I think they took certain interscove took certain things for granted with me because of where M&M strong areas were he was a live performer right he had been performing live forever guess who hadn't guess whose third and fourth ever shows ever being on a fucking stage with a microphone was MTV TRL and BET 624.

Fuck that. That's all. He had no experience with he saying on stage. Fuck that, man. Like, you know, that shit is dope, man. That's dope.

I'm saying that was dope. I'm saying that was also, yeah, if I'm going to be completely honest, I was fucking terrified. Right. And that's just what it was. But of course, I got in the groove with it, but I'm saying so, I don't know.

I don't know how people might have felt. I got really inside of it. other people's heads. But I'm just telling you the narratives that started floating around that building and shit. You know what I mean? You know what's messed up about that? Like, um, and black acting, right? They always say there's only could be one black actor, right?

And then they're kind of like, there could be others. I know where you're going on. But one that dominate. And I don't know the answer. I'm just going to ask you. Do you think it's like that with what, right, right? Not now. Not now. But back then it was. Because it was inevitable.

I heard you say one time, it's like, yo man, on Vlad, I believe it was Vlad. You said, like, I looked like, because I knew what you meant. Yeah. And how it was worded, it was different. But it's like the failed version of Eminem and Tim was the fell version of Drake.

But I actually watched that clip and you didn't say that, right? You said that other people who said that, right? But do you think that was unfair to be compared? I mean, both of y'all, you and Tim and Dre and M? I think. You and Tim and Dre and M. I still got a rhyme, right? What is wrong with me?

He just came from a student. But, you know, I think that Tim was more deserving of that type of computer. I mean, it was just natural. It was going to happen. You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, the way we looked at it as white rappers, because if you think about it, pre-M&M, there was a lull. You know, even Everlasts had to go do guitar music, you know, like...

Can't forget third base. We didn't mention that as well. I mentioned the circuit. And so it'd been in the early 90s when House of Pain, you know, vanilla ice, third base came out. But then, you know, the vanilla ice thing happened, whatever. Like I said, I don't know about all that. But, and then it's like a lull, like a period of about five or six years where there just wasn't a lot of credibility about the idea of a white rapper.

You know what I'm saying? So at that time during that period, white boys kind of was doing this shit kind of looked at it like, they ain't going to let but one more in. Right, right, right. And then when M&M came, it was like, they just did it perfect. Well, fuck it. Give me a beer. You know what I'm saying? Right, right, right.

Like, it was like, there's just no way. Check so many boxes off of that. He got Dr. Dre. And you don't see the, you don't see the formula in it at that time. You're just thinking, damn, Dre just saw this dude and just went, you know, like, and it's like, man, what the fuck? I remember I was very depressed that day. My best friend, Big Steve, who you met.

And we got more to play the NFL. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And he came in my room. And he's like, get your punk ass up. He was like, he's like, oh, you upset about this? He was like, well, he still ain't coming. like you, he ain't Southern like you. He's a bad motherfucker, but he, y'all different.

You know, and I was like, okay, all right, you right, you right, you right. And so that was it. But I think, you know, and I said it best, I said, from the jump, I said this. Because I ain't never had this thing. A lot of white rappers kind of want to be the only white dude at the all black party or something shit like that. And I just never had that. The barbecue, too?

Yeah, that's what they say. Now that then it was the party. Back then it was the house party. Cool. But yeah, the barbecue. You know, I just never had that perception of it. You know what I'm saying? I'm just like, man, it's just a bunch of them open-minded, cool motherfuckers that love this shit, get together and kick it, you know.

But, yeah, I was like, the comparisons between me and M beginning and the fact that our skin is a certain color. That's it. And I didn't know it at the time. But when I finally met M&M a couple years later... That's when he had the Presidential Security? Yes, y'all. You got to get Beehive shout out. That's all that one.

I'm going to be a high show. ATL. Yeah, so when I finally met him, he was like, yeah, he resonated with him. You know what I'm saying? He paid me probably down. Because he has to know how hard it is to be the white rapper and the man as the white rapper. You know, and I would just say, you know, if there's any questions about, you know, my standing in this, in the rankings of white rappers or this thing like that,

ask him and then what he thinks. I can tell you. Exactly what he said to you. Because I did my research just because you're my friend. I had to do it with that. He said to you, I think you got on because of me, but you would have got on if I was air or not. He said, he said, something like that. He said, paraphrasing.

You may have gotten basically like, damn, man, you got me fucked up. You got me down. I can't even remember. But it was, to this day is one of the best compliments I ever received. And it took me like a week to even realize what the fuck he was saying. But he was like, I don't know if there had never been a me. if there would have ever been a you, he said, but whether there was

an ever of me or not, you deserve the opportunity to be you. That's fucking fine, man. That's what you got to think that. And at first, I'm like, what the fuck? I'm Rico Wade, God bless the dead. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was like, man, Rick, what do he mean?

He's like, I don't know. We're going to figure it out, though. No, no, I know exactly what he mean, yeah. And then after a little while, we're talking it out, you know what I'm saying? He was like, oh, shit, this is what he's like. You got D-Bron. I was like, wow.

Because, like, when you, when you look at corporate America, right? You look at like black folks that's in corporate America, right? It's kind of like predominantly by white white people, right? So y'all are like the opposites in here. So it's like y'all understand each other's struggles, you know what I mean? So for him to say

that, that was like a real, real, real, real deep compliment because and I also heard you say, you said, yes, being white is good sometimes but sometimes it closes doors. There are certain doors and look, it's a different world we live in now. You know what I'm saying? And I'm

And I called that too. You know, you throw a rock out of this door, then you're going to hit seven white rappers in the parking lot. You know what I'm saying? And that's just the way it went. You know what I'm saying? But the fact is, speaking about that era, I'd say like pre-2010, 2012,

you know, as a white rapper, there's certain doors that just being white are going to automatically get you through that perhaps very few, if any, black guys could get through. Black rappers could get through. But there's also a certain. doors you ain't never going to be able to get through as a white boy, you know what I'm saying? And that's, and that's, hey,

all is fair and loving war, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's like that was... But it feels like that's more of a representation of the industry doing that, because at least from my POV down here in Miami, hip hop heads were multicultural, multiracial,

if you were dope, you were dope. If you weren't, you weren't. I think I'm just speaking in terms of like generalities in the world. You know what I'm saying? And rightfully so. I can say rightfully so. There's some black folks that say never going to vote with a white rapper. Right, right.

That's just the way it is. You know, but at that time, especially, there were so many more the people that actually bought rap music at that time. You know, where I think they told us one time in Interscope, there was like 78% of all rap music consumers at that time were white. Yeah, I remember that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. And so basically what that's saying is. there's a certain amount of those people

that are going to always just be like, it's a white boy, yeah, you know what I'm saying? And you know what I'm saying? And then it started changing. I think 50 cent was a big part of that where it was just like, fuck, that's 50. And he's with him. You know what I'm saying?

And that's what I'm saying. You know, I'm not saying that it ain't no fucking injustice. There's no white dude had to go through, no white rapper had to go through. It's just the reality of the situation at that time. I remember when it all shifted, I remember I was assigned to Def Jam and DeF Jam, Leo

Coles, who's my favorite CEO. Like how about you feel about Jeff? I felt like that. I felt about Leo like that. Hey, you aren't no fucking slouts now. Nah, no, so he said to me, this is the first time I ever got on a private play and very embarrassed. He said to me,

we're going to leave here at four. I'm going to be going to be before. No, no, no, no, that's before. No, no, I don't remember where it was. Okay. But I was, um, he said, yo, we're going to leave at four. So I thought he meant the flight was at four. So I showed up to the shit.

I didn't even know we were. He's going on a private plane. I was sold up, no, I started up to the death jam like, one o'clock. Like, I'm like, yo, he's like, yo, what are you doing here? I said, the flight is at floor. It's going to take us like an hour to get to JFK. He's like, no, we don't do no JFK.

I was like, I don't know what we're doing. So anyway, he's like, yeah, we're going to see the Great White Hope. And I'm like, I don't know who the fuck he's talking about at the time, right? He's like, yo, so this is Eminem's first show as a, not his first show, but his first show. like after my name is like his first tour. So me and Leor, so we go to see him. And first of all, because we-

Why did Leior want to be at that show though? Let me explain. Yeah, let me explain. Yes. So he's sitting there and we go to the west side highway. Why are we at the west side highway, Leo? Are we going to New Jersey or no, no, no. We take a helicopter to Teterboro.

Boom. I'm like, oh, shit is some flotcher. He's flossing on me, but I got to act like this is normal, right? Boom. You don't want to be like, ah! You don't want to sound like this. I know that moment. Yeah, so I'm looking, and then Leo Coles, like, I don't know if he was trying to,

now I don't want to say get him and him. I don't think he was, but he was trying to get something. He wanted to see if it was real. Yeah. So we went back there, and it was crazy because as powerful as Leo Coles is, he couldn't get backstage. They had to look at me, and I was like, yeah, he's with me. You know what I mean?

I had to pay him back, like, you know what I mean? They recognized me, and we went back there. This was early M. We got to be out in Detroit? This is Rochester. Rochester. This was Rochester. If I'm not mistaken,

it was upstate New York, wherever it is that. Yes, Syracuse, and we went to it, and I remember Leol was like, the game will change. And I didn't know if he meant it like, absolutely.

Like, you know what I mean? Like, he was just like, and then that's why, that's why it was so, dope to see when you came out, right? Like I said, it was unapologetic. That's hip hop itself.

You know what I mean? Absolutely. Like the fact that, you know, the forearms and all that, that shit resonated to me because it's the rebelliousness. It's not what we're used to seeing. You know what I mean?

And New York. Love it. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say. So, okay, you get the success. Yeah. Did you ever feel like you got big-headed? Because I remember I got big-headed. I mean, you know, I was always a pre.

I just got on drugs, bro. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Like, that's, and that goes hand in hand. Okay. After the success, you got on. I mean, I partied before. You know what I'm saying? Like, I partied, you know,

and I ain't never turned my nose up and experimenting with nothing, you know what I'm saying? And I got a funny story to involve this motherfucker. Okay, all, cool. I'm in. I'm in, let's go. Let's go. But anyway, yeah, so I started having the money,

you know what I'm saying, to finance the motherfucking chemical romance, you know what I'm saying? And so, man, it just wasn't no boundaries on it, you know, and it just started, it was just a slow up until, and really when I, you know, I got to dig the,

opiates. And that's really when it started, like, really, like, before that, it was just partying too much. You know, I had experienced some consequences, though, because what I was talking about is when the $200,000 came out and all that, I had, like, a show for jamming in Boston. You remember how big, them radio shows? Wait, wait, you said $200, because I thought you got signed for $65,000. No, I'm talking about for the first week no more. Okay, okay, okay, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm on point, I'm sorry, my bad, my bad, get your new job, bro. My back, my back, my back, go ahead. Two of the time, let's go.

Go ahead. Yeah, so, and I had, like, the big shit for, I tell you, I big this MTV X game shit that I just bailed on was. They replaced me with ludicrous. Wow. You know what I'm saying? It was a jamming in Boston show, radio show, like jingle jam type shit. One in Philly, whatever.

I forget the Philly station. One in, like, Dallas. You know, at the time, I was the big new artist, so I was a radio station got their big Hollywood shows. The new guy on the block on there. I just, at the height of my shit, I blank out, disappeared for a whole week. Wow.

Just disappeared. Jimmy, Ivan, couldn't get in touch with me. Timberland couldn't get in touch. Because I'm like, fuck all y'all motherfuckers. And, you know, there was some, there was some extracurricular activities involved with that. I was doing some drugs, but it was really about me just being fearful and, like,

dang, these motherfuckers really don't like me now. Like, they, you know what it was like? They spotted my baggage. They what? They spotted my, you know, in Scarface he says, I spotted your associate's baggage at lunch. But it's like they spotted my flaw.

You know what I'm saying? They see that I'm an imposter. Right. You know what I'm saying? They see I ain't shit. Like I always deep down feel like, like I said, I got a very high opinion of myself, but also a very low opinion of myself.

And it was just like, I just ran. You know what I'm saying? And, yeah, that was a tough time. You know what I'm saying? Because I damn near blew the whole thing. Right. You know, and I remember, I finally blink back in, and Jimmy was like, you need to get out here right now.

And he flew me out on Sunday. I never forget. And Tim was there, but Tim, I don't mean no disrespect when I say this. I'm just telling the story the way it happened. So we get out there, and I remember we walked in Jimmy's house at like 12 o'clock on a Sunday night. And Tim's sitting in the kitchen with him. And Jimmy says, Tim, going there. Like, you know what I'm saying?

Like, he made Tim get out of the room. So it was a one-on-one between you and Jim? one-on-one, and the first question he asked me was how much did, how big of a part of the drugs playing this? And what, though? Like, in me disappearing. And me saying, and me just going

because they couldn't, Steve Steystow, him, they couldn't fathom it at the time. Oh, that's like if Steve Stout was the president at that time? Yeah, he was a black music. He was in New York. Okay, okay, okay, I didn't realize that. But they couldn't fathom it, did I would, because I don't know how big, important all this, this shit important to y'all. Right. This shit ain't important to me.

It's a big investment for them, too. I mean, it's cool. And plus you got to think, I'm spoiled. I think, shit, fuck it. You know what I'm saying? They got to come up with me. You know what I'm saying? I thought I was in DMX.

I want to black DMX. Please remember what you're saying. You know what's so fucked up? It's because I was with DMX when he missed the MTV Awards. He was at a wee spot. And they're calling me. They're like, yo, can you fill it?

Like two years in a row? I think I was worth two years, both years. But the first time I felt fucked up because they called me. And they're like, yo, can you fill it in a spot for DMX and I'm looking at DMX as they're calling me and I'm like, wait a minute, aren't you supposed to be at the MTV Awards? And you're like, aren't you going to be in the New York?

And I'm like, thinking, I'm going to feel it. Dude, I'll tell you a funny story along the same line. So I'm in Atlanta the whole time. I'm running with like Polo to Don Jim Crow. Yeah, yeah, of course. Jazz and Faye, Youngbloods. T.I. was there. And we all kicking it around Noontime Studios.

And I'll never forget. Because even the production company I was signed to couldn't get in touch with me. because I'm like, fuck, if you, if you got some paperwork that I signed at some point, if you got me caught up in this bullshit, fuck you, you know what I'm doing? And so basically, I'm partying. We're going to Magic City. We just kick it.

God damn. Let's be this noise with the Mexican wings. I'm sorry. No doubt. And so we're kicking it, you know what I'm saying? But it's known amongst all these people that he's not supposed to be here. They don't know what's going on, but they're just trying to keep it a buck with me. You know what I'm saying? And so, and then one of the guys from the production company,

Doug calls Jazzy Faye. And Jazzy, for whatever reason, wasn't in on it. You know what I'm saying? He didn't know all the details. He didn't know that he wasn't supposed to say nothing. And he's like, yeah, I was just with Bubba last night. But listen. So my manager Barrier at the time was, I brought him into the shit.

He was going to ride or die with me. So he's with me the whole time. We don't know what we're doing, but, you know, he's with me. me to all. He should have been telling my ass to get, you know, re-engage with his mother. But, and so they called Bobby on three minutes. They're like, Jazzy says he was with him just last night. Bobby's like, Jazzy, he was with me. You didn't see me. He's like, no, I didn't. I didn't. I was confused. So shout out of Jazzy's in favor. Holding you down. He's situation. He definitely was like, he just changed mid-sentence.

He's like, actually, you know what? I think that was last week. But yeah, man. So, and after that, you know, it took me a while to, it was just a, it was all, it was different after that, to be honest. And then plus, when we tried the whole different sound with the second album, which ended up planting seeds that was sprouted and become this whole.

Country, country, you know what I'm saying? I think they even called it, uh, neck hop, what was it? Heck hop. Hick hop. That was a, that was a, that was a derogatory term. That's a derogatory. You know, I don't like when they try to do add these things. Well, that was P.M. Magazine, basically, trying to come up with a term. They was kind of trying to throw a little jab at me.

Right. Back in the day where they just called it hip hop, you know, there's Bubba Sparks. That's a good way to describe this, you know, and kind of throw him a jab, but also we got to write this article because he's popping. And but, you know, and then we went full on with that sound, which, you know, that was, that was Tim. You know what I'm saying? I didn't have a vision to do an album like deliverance. Right. Because I was so popping in an urban sense at the time.

You know what I'm saying? And I put, rest in peace, Archie Ever So, but I got on the We Ready remix. And that shit blew up in Atlanta. Like, you know, growing up on the outskirts of Atlanta, I always wanted to be popping in Atlanta. You know what I'm saying? And without We Ready, I was popping in Atlanta. Rubble, baby, Trouble, baby.

Get my thing. Man, they love that shit. And I'd had the KISS record come out. Like, if I had We Ready and the Kits record before the album dropped, I'd have done $700. I was sold $700. But, yeah, so I wanted to go, Tim, you produce half of it. Let's get tuned.

Let's get. Little John was starting to, you know, that was when he was starting to break in a broader sense. And I was like, bro, let's, but then Tim, it started with one record. It's a record, see you coming round the band. It's like a yonder mountain string band sample. And the way he freaked that beat, I remember when I first heard it, I was like, I was thinking it's just going to be one song. But then it was so dope that he was like, that's how we got to do the whole project. I was like The deliverance you're talking about, right?

Yeah, and I'm talking to Tim. And I'm like, that's the way we need to go with it. I mean, it's what he's saying. And I'm like, bro, you sure, man? We just had a fucking club banger. And even Jimmy felt the same way. He was like, where are the club records when we played him, Deliver's? He was like, there ain't one.

You know what I'm like? He said, ain't one? There ain't one. Oh, there ain't one. Oh, okay. Yeah, we're going in a different way. We're going to try to take this swing for the fences. Because what I did like about it is that the people that thought that this shit was a joke based on the way the ugly video looked, it delved into a more, you know, I went in depth to really let people know in actual songs, like in damn near chronological order, what this shit was really about.

Hey, I'm Ruby Carr, the host of the podcast, Encore. Check out our brand new episodes featuring music from the show that everyone is reheating as we speak. Heated rivalry. Join me as I go behind the songs that brought Shane and Elia together. I'll tell you the stories of Fice, My Moon, My Man, Wolf forades, I'll Believe in Anything, and tattoos all the things she said, and how they all became a part of this global phenomenon. Stream encore on IHeart Radio, Crave, or wherever you get your podcasts. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive, should have destroyed them.

I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show.

We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip the script? What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect.

I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope.

It's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? They're like, oh, what's just a state. Everyone's so dumb. And fake. Right, fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life.

I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally, He loves the show, and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Totoro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Lease Black Klansman. But I'm also from Queens, which means I know pizza.

And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Totoro, I deliver pizza from Prince Street pizza to a new guest. Are you delivering pizza now? Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone. From Seth Rollins. What are you doing, my belt? To Alex Rodriguez.

Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tuturo. It's called Happiness, Delivering Happiness. Mariano Rivera. Oh, my God. And many, many more.

Open your free High Heart Radio app. Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Tutro. And listen now. I would love to see these people who thought it was a joke for seeing that video because I was on the opposite side. I was like, this is serious. I didn't take it as a joke. I was on the total opposite side. Like, I'm seeing that video, that shit made me, and I'm not trying to gash you up.

It took it as you could laugh at yourself, but this is dead serious. Listen, I got the same, I got the same feeling when I first saw ugly. But I was surprised me meeting you. When I first saw it, is the same feeling as I saw when I saw it shook once, Marb D. The same exact feeling. Wow. Because I looked and I was like something's changed. right here. When I saw it shookwans, I was like,

I knew that door was opening for me. I was in jail. And I knew, I was like, when I saw shook ones, I was like, wait a minute, that's prodig. I mean, that's Albert. Albert's from Lefrak. He's saying Queensbridge, but I know this guy. And I'm like, but I'm scared of him, though. Like, the way he's looking on the thing, like, I'm like, he can't be that same guy. It's totally different dude. And then I'm looking. And then I'm looking,

and I'm like, wait a minute, this is Green's Bridge. I'm like, and then I'm like, holy shit. And I'm like, that's the same exact feeling because I was looking. And then I got to meet you, and then you did the coolest thing to me at one time. We got to go into that story. We were sitting down, and I think we was getting burgers and beers or something, right? I was there. We were just talking.

And he was like, you know there's the number one burger spot in the world? Anthony Bourdain named that the number one burgers. He was even back then? I did not know that. We were doing classic shit and you didn't even know. So anyway, we were sitting there. And he did the coolest thing. He was like, hey, man, at the time, TRL is the number one show.

When I say number one I mean you know 106 and Park is based off of the black version of TRL right Let's just be clear everyone knows that right You said it now yeah no everyone knows that Because that's how much it was an engagement It's one of the first engagement shows Like you gotta remember basement

All that prior to that is all pre-recorded That was like the streaming of that house That was live and then you did the cool and she was like Hey man um is it cool I have Carson's early come over And I was just like I was like What the fuck What did he just say? And I was playing it real cool.

Like, of course, man. You know. Like, I knew Carson Daily, but on some corporate shit. Like, like, I've only seen them in the MTV building. Hey, how you doing, sir? This how you doing, sir. Yeah. And then you were the first person, period.

This is real shit. This is real shit. I probably never said this publicly. You probably never even said it to you. You was the first person to let me know that these industry people that are big in the industry are just as human. They are just as human. Like, you had them there drinking bins. I'm looking like.

Plus, because he's like, this is nor. Yeah, but you're like, but you like, I have never met him in a non-corporate society. And like, that was the thing about you. Like, let me just give you your flowers and we're going to get your flowers for sure. But you had the ability to make people just be who they are. Yeah. Like, I kid you not.

Like, I've never seen him like that. I've never seen him. And it just made me like take a straight liking to you. And me and you were just, I don't know if my house was getting paid. I was there for like a month at the parking room. Yeah. So you were there because you were and we just like, that shit was so dope but I just want you to know that. That's what you have.

That's a very, like, people gravitate to you and they love you, bro. Like, you know what I'm saying? I got to witness that shit, four from straight and I got to witness that shit seeing like who you are. You're a very, very people's person. Well, because, you know, I'm going to be the same me no matter who I'm around. Right. And I always had that gift, you know what I'm saying?

That's why I always felt like I wanted to be a bridge between people because I'm not the dude that gets over here with the hood dudes and starts acting a certain way. Right. And then it gets over here with the rednecks and starts acting a certain way. If anything, I act a little more a redneck around the hood dude because I want them to respect the that side of me. And then I get around the rednecks and I'm trying to be hood around them

because I want to make them uncomfortable to let them know that I ain't going for that shit. You know what I'm right. And so, but you know, it was, I was the kind of person that might roll up with my dog, true life. Yeah, yeah, that's my man. That's my man. You know, me and you don't hung out with true. Everybody roll up with Carson Dayland. Either way, I'm going to keep it the same with both of them, you know.

But, yeah, that was cool. Well, we actually, when we met, I was walking, you were talking with a writer from double XL. Okay, okay. And me and my boys just, you know, at the time, I don't really know how to do New York yet. Like, like, I don't know you got to get the van

and around and all that shit. So we're just taking cabs and shit. We just walking, places and stuff, but I'm popping at the time. And so, basically, I'm walking and it's dark, and I don't see Norrie and this guy, but Norie goes, the way they said it was like, he was like, that guy looks like Bubba Sparks. And then the guy was like, whoever the writer was, he said, that here's fucking lover's Marksman. I think it's Rob Marksman, yeah.

And so y'all run up on me or whatever, and I'm like, fucking Norris. I'm like, what's up, my dog? And you said, I just told this guy, he's like, what did I just say to you, like, five, ten years ago. This is how crazy. That's how I know everything about you. This is how crazy the universe is. He said, and you actually said this in the article because I remember when it came out, I read it. Said if I was white and from the south, I'd be bubble sports.

Yeah, I related to you immediately. I told you that, yep. Yeah, that's dope, man. I know I asked you, I know I asked you this earlier, right? Because, you know, I read up on everything. When you was in Nashville, that's when you started to come up, a songwriter, right? Yeah. Like, well, I was always a songwriter, but it's just when I

I kind of, I had a little point to prove that I wanted to write like a country number one record just to do it basically. Straight country. Yeah, because I mean, I grew up on country music too. My daddy loves, like, my dad's favorite singer George Jones. Like, I come from

that shit, you know what I'm saying? It's just that the first music that ever spoke to me personally was hip-hop. Okay. You know what I'm saying? But my father had one brother that loved heavy metal, like Iron Maidens' his favorite band. Another brother that loved like P-Funk, Parliament Fonk, like, cameo, George Clinton, that kind of stuff.

You know, my daddy loved outlaw old school country. And so music was all around the house, but I just never really gave a fuck until I heard, somebody say, hey, we want some pussy. And I was like, sign me up for that shit. Yeah, for sure.

Because I want to compare these four states or cities, Nashville, Tampa, Georgia, and Utah. So. Totally different. You're getting some credit from the preparation.

Yeah, damn. So, Nashville, for me, White Atlanta. That's White Atlanta. I never heard of that. I'm still in that. I'm going to get your publishing, though.

Okay, too. Okay. Damn, I've been to Nashville. I've never thought of that. That's White Atlanta. And look, and I don't say that to discount the hood element. You know what I'm saying?

It's some hood. I'm talking about the, like, the Buckhead part of Atlanta. You know what I'm saying? That's Black Hollywood. Right. You know, and I spend extensive in both places.

But, you know, like the Broadway and all that stuff in Nashville. That's the White Atlanta, you know what I'm saying? But it's definitely, like, Nashville ain't no hoe. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's a huge misconception about Nashville. Maybe it ain't quite as, it's out there as Memphis, but it can still happen to you. Trust me. You know what I'm saying?

But, you know, in a downtown Disneyland sense, that's the White Atlanta. Right. Okay. Now, Tampa, you said something that's very, very... I got something for Tampa, too. Funny to me, right? You said that you left Atlanta and went to Tampa. And you said, you realize there's more strip clubs than Tampa.

I went for the black strip club to the right. Because I ain't going to lie. Before Miami, like, I mean, Miami's always been popping. I mean, I say that. But when I used to go to Miami, strip clubs wasn't on my artinerary. Yeah, no. Every time I went to Tampa, my it was full of strip clubs. Not the same kind of strip clothes, though.

I'm from New York at the time. I don't know the difference in strip clubs. If they're after showing, I'm from New York. New York. New York is striped clothes for the most poor. I like suits for all the goods, but, you know, they compare it to Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Houston. Like, it's not a little different. So you moved from Atlanta.

Yeah, I went to, the first time I ever went to rehab in 2006 after Miss New Booty. I was digged to the opiates, strung out on opias, and I was like, thinking, you know, like, just some shit happened in life. And I'm realizing I'm squandering this opportunity. and I'm like, I'm going to go to rehab in town. So I go to rehab. I really didn't even want to stop. At that time, I had no intention to getting completely sober. I just wanted to stop.

I didn't even want to stop doing pain pills. I just wanted to get them under control. But I still definitely wanted to drink. Still, I was in denial, basically. I just didn't understand it meant stopping everything if I was going to stop. Right. One thing, you know what I'm saying? And so I go down there and I kind of buy into the premise.

And when I'm down there, they're like, you need to move down here, to change playmates, playgrounds, and play things get away from Atlanta. And I'm like, hell yeah, I got some money, let's move to the beach. So I get down there, and two things were working against me in my sobriety journey at that time. One, the pill mill era

in Florida was at its peak. And this is basically where people would come to Florida, because it was easiest to get, like, the roxies and all that stuff, like they were oxy-contins and all that shit. So they would doctor shop. I knew people in Tennessee, they'd bring a van with 10-12 people, down here each with an MRI and they send them to like three or four doctors and they each get

like 90 pills a month from each doctor and they take them back up there and give them a little bit of you know a little bit of money and then take the pills and sell them because back then it was prescription they was actually yeah but you could get them so much easier in florida and so that's what i'm moving into you know what i'm saying and i'm thinking it's going to be i'm going to be on the water i'm just going to be peaceful shit i was in the strip club in three months you know tap of wilds the temples in a while and then it didn't take me long to get back to the pills except I had pretty much just been on like vikinns and Lord tabs and shit like that. And I graduated to the rocks and the oxies when I got down there.

So that's the way that went. But yeah, man, I had a good time in Tampa. Right. Shout out to all my folks down in Tampa. I lived down there three years. Those are the other cities you mentioned Utah. Georgia. And I know, let's go to Georgia first.

Okay. Well, we said Atlanta. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, I'm straight. Thank you. Because Utah, the Mormons. Now, let me tell you something. I'm going to be honest with you.

Yeah. Impact convention. I'm old school. I'm sorry, y'all. I remember impact. Impact invention. What year was that? This is, I'm up. This is 97.

This is 97. I was in community college. Because my solo album's not out. I just got the firm. The firm. The firm. I'm leaving. I like the firm.

I had a 9 o'clock flight. Laird is in Utah. My shit got pushed to 9 o'clock at night. So you're there for 12 hours? I'm in for 12 hours. I'm in the air. airport, I go out, I hit the town. Yeah, this is near, no, no, no, no.

I go, I hit the town. I had one of the best times of Bob Lightning in Utah. You're thinking, like, you said Mormons? Yeah, I mean, it's Mormon town. You think that shit. No, it is that shit. No, Salt Lake City is the least Mormon. I guess it's a fairly cosmopolitan. Right, right.

But, you know, I ain't fucked up with the Mormons. I met some great Mormon people, but I'm saying, Salt Lake City is really pretty, it's just. No, no, yeah, no. It's not, you go a little south of there. Like, even where I live, like, it's a little more Mormon. It's beautiful out there. Yeah, but I had a great time out there.

Yeah. So just describe to the people, because now you had already lived in Tampa at this time, right? Yeah, I went from Utah. So I went from Atlanta. Well, actually, it started the beginning. Went from LaGrange, Georgia, Athens, Georgia, to Atlanta, to Tampa, to back to Georgia, to my hometown. Like, after I had a rather unpleasant incident at a hooters in Tampa in Clearwater, Florida,

I got arrested. It was very public and embarrassing. Oh, yeah, you try to get drugs from the, just, man I was kidding off man He was shut up man What happened one Oh and I was in a sober living at the time too God damn

God damn Yeah man It's not one of my final moments Anyway So I go back to Georgia or whatever And then I end up going out to L.A. for like a year and a half two years with my brother Polo to Don Who's mad at me, I owe him a little bit of money

I got you Polo, don't worry about it Okay, okay And so Yeah I have fun in L.A., man, and kicked it out there. I would stay sober a little bit, and get fucked up. That's actually why Matt, my now manager, along with Dusty.

But, and so then I end up coming back to Georgia after L.A., and then I had a little period where I got my act together, and I moved to Nashville. That's when I got the plan to move to Nashville and met my now ex-wife. Shout out to her. Miss Iowa? God damn, Lord.

This is getting eerie, brother. What I was just saying? I want to do my job. I'm like, where's the telephone? La, la, la, la, la. It's that, I consider you, my friend, a family. You watch that passion. And I was like, the one thing I did not want to do is to do that.

You know, like, just based on. You were like, I better not walking this one. Yeah, yeah, like, I can't bullshit you. Like, you know what I mean? You got too much history. And you know what's crazy? This is something that I realized a lot of my peers at the time, I knew how dope they were, but I didn't know how dope they were

because we were out together. Like I had to recently, like I say that and people get mad at me. I was like, yeah, I just realized how dope Mar Deep is. And people are like, people are like, and I was like, you're rediscovering these people. It's like I'm rediscovering them because I was so busy

trying to make a record value. You know who I went through that with? Yeah. T.I. Wow. Our first albums came out on the same day, and I always knew, I connected with Tia very early on.

Like, I recognized he was dope. But I didn't realize he was, like, they call it what, the JZ of the South. Right. You know what I'm a good. It took me a little more time to realize that. I was thinking he was more like he going to be like a Southern legend like UGKK, like Aibod and MJG.

Like, but he actually, you know, part of it was just the error that he came out. So I'm not saying he transcended any of those legends like in a literal sense. But in terms of just the way the South was more accepted in a way like, you know, media worked at that time. He was like, he took it to a different level, you know, especially, you know, from the South period, but especially from Atlanta. So yeah, that's where I expect. I was like, this motherfucker was like literally a fucking one of the absolute greats. And that's what I'm saying, even

with you, like, when we connected, and I'm like, now, you know, we, like, I'm visiting the history. I'm like, yo, this shit was so crazy. And it's like, I didn't realize how ahead of your time you was. And now, like, and one of the things that I googled it, I really, really love

because they gave you your flowers. Google be bullshit. Yeah, yeah. No, no, no, I don't know. I know which one is bullshit, which is not. But they gave you your flowers. because right now, I don't know what they call a country rap or, and they were like

I do country hip hop. Country hip hop, okay. But it's country rap. I think they called a country rap. Yeah. But they were saying that you're the king. Like before we've never saw that. We've never saw it perfected that way.

It might have been, but, and I love that. I don't know if I'm the king right now, but I know there wasn't no kingdom until I was the first king. God damn it makes me look back. Let me ask you, what, what's your take on the criticism that they say that a lot of white artists will come in and then they'll use hip hop to get in and then they'll go the country route. You mean like the move that Jack Harlow just did the reverse move of that? I would say, because some people kind of try to say that I did that just because I went to Nashville for a little while and just wrote some songs.

But I really didn't do anything. The music, the rap, hip hop music I made wasn't any less urban rooted than deliverance was. You know what I'm saying? It's just that when you have Timberland producing that shit, it's going to have a certain soul and a certain bounce to it. And, you know, I didn't have a luxury of Timberland production at that particular time. And so I was just kind of doing the best I could. So it might have just had a little less of a bounce, a less of a swing to it.

But I do hip-hop music, man. Like, I am so indebted to this music and culture, you know, like, like I always say I have to call my shit hip-hop country because the hip-hop comes first. The country just happens to be. Right. I'm country by, like I said in the song with kids, I'm country just by, I'm white just by chance, but I'm country by God's graces.

Right. Yeah, whatever I said. Yeah, I just happen to be white, but I'm hip hop, you know what I'm saying? Man, so our show is about giving people their flowers. We want to give you your flowers, man, to your face. Man, and we understand what you did to this game. You understand that you still hear.

Your fans are still with you, man. Your fan. I got to see it. I got to see it when a person does that. So you want to give it to give it. Yes, yeah, yeah. Yes, yeah. Thank you very much, man.

It means a lot. No, hell yeah, man. You are truly one of a kind, man, and you truly birthed the whole nation. You know what I mean? Like, you know, I didn't understand what I was doing when I did reggae thrown, but now I can get to see it.

You probably didn't understand what she was doing, and now it's a way to look at it. We were just being us. I mean, that's a part of your culture. And one thing for sure, two things are certain. And I know we probably just touch on it later, but I've always seen you happy. So when I was like, like, you know what I mean? Like, I don't know if you're a great actor.

Nah, I am a good actor. Okay. But even beyond that, it's just like, you know, you know, especially back then. Like, now it's constant access. Right. You know, like you're constantly talking to your fucking phone. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's constant access.

Back then we could kind of more, you probably go back to the hood at some point. And then you get it together and you come back to the industry. Like, our meat. I first with me, you on Carson Daly would have been on camera back in a day. Yes. Like, live streams back in the day.

Dude. By not us. Somebody else would have, no, y'all might as if don't like this. Other than, this is a legendary meetup. We didn't take pictures. Back then,

somebody would have been like this. I called a dude the other day. Like, I'm in, I'm like, yo, buddy, do you not see I see you? Like, I can see you filming me, asshole.

But, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, like. No, yeah. I mean, just, like, so now the motherfuckers got their phones in their face all the time. Back then it was more like a clock in, clock out. Like, I'm about to go back to the country and be a person, you know what I'm saying?

And my life has gotten back to that, you know what I'm saying, where it's just less integrated. I prefer it that way, especially as you get older. Right, for sure. But, yeah, man. And so when I would come, when it'd be time to cut the light on, you know what I'm saying, cut it on and go to the industry thing, I always showed up like Bubba. You know what I'm saying? And Nelly calls me Bubba, but. Yeah.

Now you made me not ski fish one time. But we're going to get back to that. We're going to get back to that. So we go, let's wait on Quicktime of slime. Great time. We're bringing in. Sunny D. Sonny D.

Sonny D. Sonny D. His pitch hitter. Who, Boris? Who are? We need two. Who else is going to drink? Yeah, let's get.

Let's bring it poor. Come on, Paul. Come on. You look like a bubble. Come on. I'm going to take a piss when we bring up. Come on. We're going to give you two choices.

All right. I don't have you seen this on the show before. I have not. Quick time with slime. Mm-hmm. It's supposed to be a rap. It's like the trivia. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And they're going to do the drinking. Yeah, they got to drink. There's all pictures. Hey, I appreciate that, bro. Us three are going to drink. I was like, what the fun of. All right. You can not answer no questions.

And I'm not doing no drinking. Yeah, yeah, no problem. Two choices. You pick one we don't drink. If you pick one of the choices. If you say both or neither, you really don't want to answer it. Come on with that. Come on, man.

We're drinking. Any stories with anybody. It's not about pinning people against each other. No, I get it. All right. First one, Alcast or UGK. Okay. And that's not a slight GK in it.

I just did a song with Bun, you know what I'm saying? Shout out to Bun, man. Hold on, you ever tasted the Trail burgers? Yes. It's fine. Man, cocaine is in them, motherfuckers. You know, I was prepared to just cap a little bit with him and just go, man, it's great, man, I'm so proud. You know, you're doing great.

But it's really like one of them moments where you're like, hold on now. Yeah, yeah. It's the best burger in the world. I even eat the veggie burger. Dude, I ain't tried. Go ahead, Ma. Go ahead. T.I. or Luda.

T.I. Okay. Remember, if you say both, they drink. Okay, okay. Okay, both. Just a case, okay. Nah, nah, nah. I like the witness.

You ain't heard of that. Yeah, shit. I'm not. But, wait, it really was both. All these are both. Yeah, no, no, no. All these are both. You know what I'm saying?

You know, like, all these are, all these are fucking both. No, no, no, no, come on, come, come, come, come, come, go. He said TI. Andre or Lil Wayne? Andre. Yeah. Kiss or Nas? Kiss.

Juvia, BG. Mm. God damn, boy. Mm, BG. We're talking about his rappers, right? Yeah. Whatever, whatever it is for you. Two chains or Juicy J?

Two chains. Tied it, boy. Scarface or Bumby? They could drink if you say both. Yeah, yeah. And there was one that needed to be most as that one. You didn't show with that. Okay.

If you're not drinking, you can't do that. I'm sorry. I'm going to get you a drink right now. All right. Eminem or Buster? Eminem. Pimpsey, rest in peace, or soldier slim? Oh, fuck.

Soldier Slim, for me personally. Goody mob or bone thugs? Goody Mob. Everlast or MGK? Everlast No limit or cash money That tank, baby No limit

Missy or my ex That's a family affair Missy Is the ugly beep freak it out Yeah Flip backwards He remember he just sampled Get Your Freak on

He brought Get Your Freak on then Oh he set me up with that one That was a genuine shit He made two beats out of one Go ahead ahead ahead Trick Daddy or Rick Ross Trick Daddy. Paul Wall or Post Malone?

Paul Wall. Beastie boys or run DMC? Run DMC. Organized noise or beats by the pound? Organized noise over anybody. I love the noise, goddamn. I love. Timberlin or Swiss?

Timberland. Well, that'd be fucked up if I said Swiss. You'd be surprised, though. Be surprised. Yeah NWA or two life crew Remember they could drink I ain't you

Both on that one Let's go let's go I mean I'm sorry I keep forgetting that I don't forget about it Yeah they don't do a fuck Let them get drunk Yeah

I'm gonna throw How many we got love? A couple more All right so I'm gonna throw y'all We need honesty man Don't listen to this guy man He didn't the witness man

You think I mean anything That's an honest All right Yeah. Biggie or Bigel? Biggie. I mean, that's not really a good comparison to me, but. All right. Action Bronson or LP?

LP. Didn't expect that one. Dre or Riza? Dre 3,000 or Dre? Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre. Much love, Derizzo, love. Wu-Tang or ghetto boys? Both.

Have you worked with Resolulu? I have not. We've been speaking it to existence. I had a good conversation with him once, though. I love Wu-Tang. All right. Come on, man. Come on with there, come on.

Rough riders or Rockefeller? Rough riders. They showed me a lot of love, man. Shout to DNY. Goop. A ball, MJG, or Poison Klan? Once again, that's a little like the Biggie and Bigel comparison to me. I cannot, just because I'm on this platform,

I cannot not take this opportunity to recognize Poison Clan. Poison Clan and JT Money. And they, that was a big part of my influences coming up. Good. Yeah, for real. Who'd you pick? Poison Clan. Okay, okay, okay, okay.

All right. Shout out to Madball and Uzi, too. Yep. Death Row or bad boy? Death Row And then last one Loyity or respect Respect

Because I think with respect comes loyalty Okay I can respect that Take a shot I didn't need to hear fellas Take a shot anywhere Somebody could carry them off Listen

Ugly Yeah How long have you been out of alcohol Norris I thought I'll just do months at a time Yeah Yeah He just abandons me a couple weeks

Yeah yeah So you started rapping at age 15? That's when I wrote my first rap. Okay. What made you do that? This girl that I was, my little puppy love that I was in love with, man. Oh, you rap to her? You try to serenade her?

No, basically, like, there was a local rap group. Shout out to the power that later became Plan B in LaGrange, George's Plan B before the other Plan B. Right. And so they was like some white boys. At the time, Yeek dancing in Atlanta was like the, you know, what the... What's it called? Yeek. Yeah, I don't know, Y E, E, K, like, Yeek.

And it was, like, where, like, you'd be tapping these other heads and, like, you know, like, it was just some flash shit, some Atlanta shit. Like, the crowd pleasers that was signed outcast, TCP, they did that kind of dance. Like, still on stage with Big Boy, I'm pretty sure that, like, there's some Yeek dancing going on. But anyhow, so they was doing that. All the girls love these guys, man. They loved them, you know what I'm saying? And she was the only person that knew I could rap, you know, like, the new I would. I would rap the herd, but nobody else.

But, like, I'd be stealing lyrics from, like, other people. El and shit like that? Yeah, more like Ice Q. I need little. Okay. Ice Q got some problem. He didn't know what I was seen in her ear. Ice Q was my first favorite rapper.

Oh, wow. My favorite rapper, too, yeah. And so basically, but then one of the dudes came stole my little girlfriend, you know what I'm saying? Does he had a better rap? Just because he was popping. Oh, okay. You know what I'm saying? I ain't going to get into the age thing.

He might be by 24 and she might be about 15. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's what I was cheating. It's been a lot back then. I was called the police by the way. But anyway, so, and I was like, I'll show her, you know, I'm going to become a rapper. Right. And I started writing, you know what I'm saying?

But I was very with John. Because, I mean, do you got to think where I grew up in the 90s in rural Georgia? Me saying I was going to be a rapper, it had been more believable with me saying I'm going to be a fucking astronaut. Oh, football player. Yeah, yeah. I played football. Yeah. I was more known for that.

And my best friend of Big Steve, who we're going to get to, telling him to Hard the story in a little bit, was like one of the best high school football players in the country. Right. But anyway, so I started writing. And actually, Big Steve was in a group with me at one time. My name was MC Smooth. We were smoothing company, and his name was QT.

And I had wrote him this rap. And he didn't really care. He didn't want to, he played football. He didn't really want to be doing it. But I've made him come along with me and be my little sidekick. You know what I'm saying? And we actually got an audition for that group one time. The way to do ended up stealing my girl.

We got to audition with him. And I said my rap, flawlessly. And then he choked on a Chick-fil-A French fry when he was saying his rap. So we didn't get our fake whatever we thought we were going to get out of the situation, a record deal or whatever. And so, yeah, so that was when it started. You know what I'm saying? But when I first started writing raps, I was writing about, like, like I said,

it was like peak NW. easy E too short times. So I was pimping holes and shooting people with Mac Tens and shit like that. In my wraps, you know what I'm saying? At 15 years old. Yeah, 14, 15 years old, yeah. Yeah, but I started slowly coming out of my shell. But I still play football, you know what I'm saying?

Try to play college football. Didn't work out. Came back and started for the first time of my life. Like, I actually grew up around a lot, a good bit of illegal and street type shit, but in a country since, moonshine, shit. like that. People selling weed, growing weed, stuff like that. But...

Was moonshai going on? Yeah. Yeah. People still make liquor. Yeah. And it's like a fucking... It's like a... Not a delicacy. That's what you call it if it was food, a delicacy. It's like a... Like a forbidden fruit type of thing. Yeah, it's special. You know what I find

somebody to make some good moot-sha? But I get it outside of the system. It's hell of illegal, right? Yeah, I ain't nobody really tripping on it right now. They got legal moonshine now, too. No, no, but Moonshine really... It's very different, right? The legal one is, I, uh-uh. The one that's psychedelic almost like... Illegal moonshine is like 200 proof.

That's the way to go? It's like two... I mean, it ain't none of it the way to go for me. I lost my drinking proofs. But, you know, it's like... It's just a difference than the moonshine is like 80-100 proof that you can buy in stores. But anyway, and so... But I really started to get, you know, go down the wrong path.

You know what I'm saying? And my boy, Steve was like, come up here to Athens. He was up there at the University of Georgia playing football. And he was like, man, just get out from down there, bro. I caught like a little charge or something. And he was like, come up here. And so I went up there because they had an apartment that the scholarship paid for and one of the dudes left. You know, and so I moved into that room, I think.

Maybe I moved in with my manager first and then moved over there. But anyway, I was over there kicking it. And that's when I started because Athens is a lot more close proximity to Atlanta. And like a lot, it's more of a desire, like people from Atlanta come to Athens. for the, for the football games, basketball games, stuff like that. So a lot of people started coming out there, and that's when I started making some connections through my manager, Bobby, who introduced me to Shannon,

who I ended up signing his production company, and he worked for Jermaine Dupree at one time, the staff producer or so, so, yeah. So that's really when I started plugging up with people and started really working on developing, like, like, because Outcast don't come out by the end. And I'm like, oh, and remember I said this shit about, like, this is pre-M&M.

I was like, oh, you got to be authentic with this shit. Right. You know what I'm saying? So I got to figure out a way. I don't know how I'm going to do it necessarily at this time, but I got to make this country shit sound like the coolest shit in the world. Right. You know what I'm saying?

And I just started, you know, tinkering with it and it just became, I gradually just learned how to embrace who I really was more and more and more and make that shit fly, you know what I'm man? So, yeah, so that's how that went. Now, you said so, so deaf. Now, I also read, hopefully I got this right. Uh-oh. I also read that you was going signs of Social Death

for One Devil and Car. Oh, no. So shout out to Col Ford. Okay, you know who Col Ford is? No. He's a legendary country rap figure. One Cart Shy? But we was doing it at that time, you can Google Code Ford. Like, shout out to my brother, Colt. But anyhow, so at that time, we was in a group called One Car Shy, and we did Miami

Bass Music. Wow. That was like the first time I ever got to go to the studio. So you did Miami-Base because Atlanta, Miami. They were rivals in the base scene. I just said mine in the base because I'm in Miami. We're all the booty shaking. Because it was that thing, you know. But it was like, it was, you know, strip club, anthems type shit.

And I don't know that we ever, you know how them publicists, them record labels are. I don't know that we ever were close to getting signed or so-so-deb. But Colt and Shannon both had a great relationship with Germain. I think we were still a little too early in the development process for anybody to seriously want to sign. even though I did get my first ever rap check during that period. You know, I got a feature from some dude in Tampa, and we got $2,500, and I thought I spent it in one night, of course. Right.

True club? Now, I went to the Braves game and bought a bunch of fucking shit for a bunch of dumb-ass women and, you know, a bunch of shots and merchandise and shit. Was there glissies involved? There might have been a couple of hot dogs? Maybe so. One way or the other. Okay, so now you get signed, 65 grand.

Oh, yeah. And I heard you say, man, I'm never going to be able to spend this money. I thought that was all the money in the world, bro. $65,000. How old were you at that time? 22. Yeah, that's a lot of money at that. And, uh, ever in that age.

Yeah, and, like, coming from, like, selling mid-grade weed and fucking, you know, failing out of junior college prior to that. At least still selling mid-gray weed. Yeah, you know, I might know a few people to still devil, but not with no media, though. Experience with Cameron Wickcombe live at the Rhyman. Flights and two nights in Nashville. To see Cameron Wickcombe at the legendary Rhyman Auditorium. Plus, a thousand dollar spending cast.

Just listen to Pure Country for 10 minutes a day on the free IHard Radio app, And you're in to win. Cameron Wickham. Stream the new single, Kingdom of Fear. Available now. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files.

I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up. Don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth. Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us.

Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this grip? Okay. What is the surprise woman?

Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity exuding.

I could smell it walking on the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed? Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? Like, you're like, oh, what's a state? Everyone's so dumb except for you.

And fake. Right. Fake and also not interested or just like, oh, I've got my life. I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Tutero. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Lee's,

Black Klansman. But I'm also from Queens, which means I know pizza. And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Toto, I deliver pizza from Prince Street Pizza to a new guest. Are you delivering pizza now? Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing my belt? To Alex Rodriguez. Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great. guests coming up, including the great John Tuturo. It's called happiness.

Delivering happiness. Mariano Rivera. Oh, my God. And many, many more. Open your free high, hard radio app. Search delivering happiness with Nick Totoro. And listen now. But anyway, so it was, yeah, and so all of a sudden

I get this money and I'm like, I'm rich. Right, right. How much did you get for your first? $5,000. Yeah, I was, well, very you signed a real beat down here. Listen, I bought an Abrex jacket, a cowboy hat, and some Timberlens. My son was gone.

Was that like, did you in Capone split 10? No, no, no, five and five. Oh, yeah. But we both did the same thing. We both put the same Averyx jacket and went out to the tunnel. And we thought we were bald. So I imagine, I got five. You got 65.

But that's Interscope and that's Tommy. God damn. Tell me how you really feel. Oh, damn. That's a big difference. I'm right here. Hello. No, but I still got hammered because the deal was for like $650,000.

Wow. The production company took. No, you got hammered, but I'm just saying he... Yeah, I bet you have probably $200,000 a budget, like, to make the album. I'm not sure. So that's $65,000. Yeah, so, you know, I bought me an expedition. You really just for about three months, you couldn't tell me a whole lot.

You could tell me, I just wasn't listening. You was hood rich. I was country rich, yeah. But, yeah, that was bad, though, because then I, like, because I had caught me and my former manager had called a pretty serious. discharged a little before that. I ended up, you know, going down for a little bit, and so did he. And it was like, I thought I was about to lose the deal.

And I had already spent the money. But I didn't realize that record labels kind of like that kind of shit, like, at the time. It's a tax write off of that. Yeah, exactly. And so, but, you know, they stayed down, and it was cool because, I don't know. I would say that I became better with money, but I really haven't. That's something I've never, because I don't really give a fuck about money. The only time I worry about money is when I want to do something and I don't have enough money to do it.

That's the only time I care about money, you know. And so that was just the beginnings of that whole way of life, you know. Fuck it. It's just money. Yeah, that shit sounds good. So let me transition a little bit, right? Because for me, I went through the same thing that you kind of went through, like, you know, sometimes when you have, like, one of the best CEOs with you, you sometimes think the grass is greener somewhere else, right? And it might not even be that mind state,

but it's that the path that you followed it and makes it look like that, right? Because from us for the outside looking in, you know, the albums with Timberlin and Jimmy, and then all of a sudden you go to, I believe, it's purple ribbon, and I believe that the guy he just bought his planes and shit, like, you know what I mean? Matt Sterlittic.

Yeah, yeah, like here. And I remember, Because that was your biggest record, right? Miss New Booty. Yeah. On paper. On paper. Numbers wise.

Okay. Ugly to me was a bigger cultural. It was a bigger impact. It was the impact. And I felt bigger. I'm like, like, what do you say? As in Colossal. I felt like that were ugly.

With New Booty, it was just a big record. Right. If you had a chance to do it all over, would you have stayed with Jimmy and had Big Boy executive produce on Jimmy's label? Man. Several months. moving parts of that question. First of all,

from the time that 50 cent came out, anybody that wasn't shady, and this ain't no negative talk on them at all. This is just, once again, the reality at that time. When 50 Cent came out, anything that wasn't shady after Math G unit was

somewhat working against the system over there. And Timberland, you know, the other Beat Club releases, I love Ms. Jay. Shout out to Miss Jay. Okay, I'm going to. You know what I'm saying? Super hard.

And, you know, her album didn't perform like they wanted it to or whatever. Missy was never on. Missy was never on. She was on Elektra. Electra, yeah. We, yeah. And so, and the other, the Callie Dean. Callie Dean was dope, but I think they made a mistake of trying to make her like the White Alia,

and people just were not going for that. But she had a great voice, great singer. Sebastian Timmerlin's little brother. Anyway, the B-Club as a label in its entirety underperformed based on the amount of money that Jimmy had given him. And, you know, Timberlin kind of just was seeing the way the direction of the building was going, you know, where it was getting harder and harder for us to get a portion of the priority pie.

You know what I'm saying? The backing that you need it. Yeah. And so, you know, he started spazzing a little bit. You know, this was before he got super healthy, too. Right. And so, you know, he probably was just going through it or whatever, just in general. But, yeah, Jimmy just got tired of, you know, because if I underperforming the first time, you know, selling $200,000 a first week and go on platinum, the second time, we try this whole boutique-ass sound.

And, hell, that shit, the album just went gold, you know, recently, you know what I'm saying? That definitely didn't meet expectations. So, but Jimmy still fucked with me and still believed in me, but it was like, Jimmy gave me the opportunity to stay, but I looked around, because originally Tim was talking about we were going to go over to Def Jam. That was, we were going to go to Def Jam. And I looked around and my boy Polo Don two years later would have had the muscle in the Interscope building for me to stay and have, you know, have some leverage pieces, you know. But at that time, it just, it just, it just, I would have been on an island by myself. myself and I'm even looking, this is pre-black-eyed peas blowing up, and they was about to get dropped.

You know, he loved Will I Am. Jimmy Love Will I Am, but their first two albums when they was like still hip-hop. Oh, yeah, before they added Fergie. Yes, before they added Fergie. And so, so yeah, I just was like, well, I'm just going to roll with Tim, you know what I'm saying? But then Tim goes to Miami. He goes through a period of self-discovery. And after talking, you know, like of trying to figure his life out, you know, and he started

getting in shape. And then that was the prelude to Timbo, Peak Timbo, Mosley music, Nellie Fittato, Justin Timberlay, yeah. But we go like six months without talking at a time when I'm

trying to see what we're doing, you know what I'm saying? And I'll never forget I had went to London with Big Boy, because I was always Dungeon family, you know what I'm saying? Like from even before I signed, like I had relationship with Rico Wade. And so, you know, I had just, I was on the Dungeon family album.

Like, them of my, when I'm in Atlanta, that's who I hung out with, Sleepy and, you know, all those guys. To be brown. Sleepy Brown. Yeah. I owe you, brother. Legend. And, me and Sleepy lived together for a while, you know what I'm saying?

Wow. And Dungeon White. Platonic, y'all, I know how the internet get that. Oh, hell, no. I'm like, what? I mean, Sleepy's a sleepie together. Nah. You know what he said?

Dungeon White. Yeah. I was thinking of a dungeon white. Because they had Dungeon East was Ray Murray's house, and then the dungeon was Reek's house, and then we just, we just geeked up. I was geeked up one night and he was like, this is a Dungeon White.

Me and my boy, I got to say, Dr. Dax, my boy T-Raw, the other white boy in the Dungeon family. And so, yeah. And me and Big went to London. Either I went over there, because that was right at the speakerbox a little below, and Dre wasn't torn.

And so I think I was, just in London promo and then Drake Big came over there performing with like a band stuff and he would bring me out to do a couple songs. Right. And we just was kicking it and just having a ball and we just

came up with the idea for me to because him and Dre were slowly, you know, he was about to do a, because they had Equimeline records, but then Big was like you know, Dre was just kind of he was just losing interest in the whole music game at that time. So Big was going to do Purple Ribbon on his own.

We just came, you know, and we just had to... I remember that era. We just had to find a home for it, and then Virgin came with a big old satchel of money, baby. Man, so we got paid good for that one, but, yeah, that was kind of the split from Tim. It was kind of unceremonious, and it wasn't... And he still worked on the next album, on The Charm. Who Tim?

Yeah, Tim did. Yeah, but you know what it was? It's like, it's like Kobe... Phil Jackson, Dr. Bus. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Correct. Like, somehow, like, if I had, like, contact with you, like, you know what I mean?

Like, I would have said, man, whatever you could do. Back before people were they were in there. Yeah, yeah, because, like, you could have had your cake and eat it too because I'm going to be honest with you. You, Timerlin and Jimmy, I'm going to include Jimmy in that because he had to approve these records. You know what I'm saying? So I'm going to include Jim, even though, like, he might have not been in the studio, but he had to approve these records. Like, that sounds. and which I was doing was so dope.

I felt like you should have brought that. Even though I felt like you had so much respect from them that if you would have been like, yo, listen, man, I got a bigger bag over here, but I'm going to let these points override. And can you still, let's bring that over here? Like, I learned that later on in life, you know what I mean? I didn't know how to shoot no mood like that.

Yeah. I didn't have that expertise. Yeah. I mean, I made the same mistake. Like, you know, being on these different record labels. But let's just move on for a second, right? But, you know, I didn't know what chemistry even was at that time. I just knew that, like, I grew up loving Outcast.

I'm about to go, you know what I'm saying? Right, right, yeah. And plus, the difference in working with being signed to a producer and being signed to an artist. Right. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? The producer lives, he lives to, and Biggs,

they ain't taking nothing away from Big as a producer too, but, you know, being just a core producer, you know what I'm saying? Like Tim. That's how you came into the game as a producer, right? You know, you think more about how do I break artists, how do I do this? You know what I'm saying? How do I make other people's music sound good? Whereas an artist's first priority is always going to be their own artistic vision.

Right. And that ain't, like I said, that's just natural. That's just human nature, you know. And I'd be the same way. But, but yeah, man, I didn't understand how chemistry worked really at that time. I just thought I could, you know, I mean, because me and Mr. Collin Park had great chemistry. Yep. You know what I'm saying?

Like, he did miss new booty, right? He did miss new booty. and heated up, which was a top 10 radio record that would have went number one if Virgin hadn't closed their doors right after Miss New Booty came out. Anyway, and, yeah, so, but me and Timberland had a chemistry, man, that, you know, Tim and I aren't particularly close today. Right. I'll accept responsibility for playing, for contributing the most to that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

Just because that's the kind of man, I am. but I will never rule out a relationship with Tim. First of all, because I owe him too much. But second, and I do have a deep love for him, an appreciation for him. But secondly, because our chemistry is off the fucking chart. I'll say this, outside of God bless the dead, Alia, Missy, Justin, maybe Nelly Fittato, I'm definitely top five. in terms of artists that T.M. has had the best.

Because I'm going to compare it to Nisko Sma a little crazy, right? I don't know if you've ever seen when Old Dirty Bastic came home. And Rizick went to see him, and Old Dirty Bastert told him like, yo, I'm going with Dame Dash. And Rizzo, you could tell Rizzo did not like that. You can tell it was steaming. So, like, I compared Rizzo to Timberlin. And then when you see Rizzo going to studio with him,

he goes in the studio with him, ODB, but with the purpose of this album dropping on Dame Dash, this is not going to be on Rockafeller. This is on who, I believe it was Dave Dash. It was Rockefeller. It was Rockefeller.

It was Rockefeller. It was, I know it did. It hurt wisdom, but and I know you said Timberlin worked on, on, the, uh, the version. It was, it was half-hearted.

It was, that's how I'm, that's like what you're saying. He got a check. It was just about a check. The record was cool, but he, he knew he, that love wasn't there. It was different.

It wasn't his project anymore. But you know what it is? And being the devil's advocate for a little bit, it's like you were the new artist. He wanted, like he probably wanted you to follow his guidance no matter what. I would do things differently if I could go back. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So look, right now.

I'm mad enough to say that. Like, people say, oh, I wouldn't change a thing. I fucking would. There's lots of shit. I'd change if I could go back. But that would be one of them. You know what I'm saying? And I, because I just, you know, when you talk about addiction and then combine with the fact that I just didn't know shit, you know what I'm saying?

Like most people in the early 20s don't know shit. But you think you know everything, especially if you have a little acclaim and a little money. You know, people, as you get more and more popping, you've got more and more people around you that laugh at every fucking joke. Yeah, fame makes you think that you're smart, but that doesn't equate. I never, at this point in life, want to be the smartest person in the room. That's a very dangerous room. I don't want to be the dumbest either. Right, right, right.

Yeah, those are two dangerous spots. Yeah, two dangerous spots. Them people end up, this one gets killed because everybody is plotting on him, and this one gets killed because he's the weakest link. Well, I hope that you intend to find your path together. And the words of George Stanza. You never want to be the first or the last? You know what I'm going to be the dumbest or the smartest?

Right. There you go. Okay, now Timberlin calls you right now. Bo. He says, Bubba, I want to throw you a check for Versus. I want you to do Versus. You pick any other.

Oh, God. You can pick any other, because Versus has turned into a celebration. I love with game and YG just did. I care a lot. Them niggas made me blood without even getting jumped. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm talking about blood. You're paranoid.

I was throwing them. So I didn't mean, what I were doing? But watch the next thing, I turn. I got dressed, undressed, put on red. I don't know what was happening to me, but they celebrated each other, right? So, Timberlin says to you, I want you to battle. It's two choices.

You can't say we're celebrating, and then it's a battle. Okay, no, it's still a battle, it's still a battle, but it's a celebration, right? So one. I like how they changed that, too. Yeah, I like that too. They got a little tens of the couple of them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, a couple of them didn't like each other.

They were actually picking people. But they were always supposed to be celebrations. They were always supposed to. They were intended. it to me. Yeah, they were. You know what happened? You know, I fucked it up. This was both my people.

We had a both on this show with Bulldogs and 3-6. They fucked that up. And Gucci and G. No, Gucci and Gigi. But they squashed this shit. They made it. Yeah, you're right. At first, oh my God.

Yeah, at first, I was watching this like, wait a minute. The fans were the ones. This is right. Well, okay. So Timela says to you, you can battle any other white rapper. This is, this isn't, you already know the answer to this. Okay. Well, I do not know that.

And that's weak as fuck. But it got to be a white guy. I don't know. I mean, well, you know what they want to see, me and Paul. Oh, I didn't think of that. But that's not. I did not think of that. I didn't think of war, God.

Shit. I mean, that makes all the sense in the world. Hell yeah, though. We're the former fat dudes that were that era in between him and him. Holy shit. But here's the thing. That's not what I want, like, that's not like a battle. Who would you want?

Yeah, who would you want? Um, not, it doesn't have to be white. Yeah, they don't have to be white. Shit, man. I just don't fucking know. I mean, they don't have to be white. No, no, that's ridiculous. No, juvenile's not in my generation.

I don't look at... I don't think I could compete with juvenile in a versus, like... Damn. I'm trying to think of these people I'd be doing any shows with, you know what I'm saying? Like, I mean, I'll just stick with Paul for now, but... Yeah, that's perfect. Yeah, I mean, if it's a celebration... Hell yeah.

Damn, I'm saying, who else is from my era? I was just with Chingi. It's just hard to find somebody for me. It's not a good matchup because, okay, based on Miss New Booty, me and Cheney would be a good one. But I got so much other different type of shit. You know what I'm saying? Like, also when you talk about deliverance, me and fucking, you know, I don't know, nobody ever made music like that. So there's no comparison for that.

But when you talk about ugly coming into the game, me and somebody for, from New York to have a club banger like Joe Budden before, you know what I'm saying? You want Joe Budden? No, I don't want Joe. Hey, man. I'm saying, I'm saying it's a different fit for each lane. You know what I'm saying? You're an asshole, I know.

So we sing with Paul Wall. We're going to wipeers fight. No, no, that's a great match. That's a great match. Even the record's similar. By the way, Paul was a great guy, man. No, Paul was amazing doing it. Paul just did a record together, man.

And, you know, we knew each other very early on and kicked it, but then we went a lot of years where we didn't talk, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's just the way the game goes. And, yeah, man, I got a lot of love and respect for Paul. Yeah, me too. He's another authentic person, man. Like, it shows in the music. God damn, okay.

Oh, shit. But tell Timberland, just call with the check first and we'll figure the rest out. No, no, we do it in the business. We do it in the business. I think you intend me to get together, man, again, and make magic. Yeah. I would like it. I don't even know if he's...

I think he's more like... Like, setting other people up to make... I don't know. Has he produced a lot of songs that came out, like, lately? Or is he more like signing producers? I mean, that whole thing that was going on with the AI, the controversy. He's like, I mean, he's producing. I'm going to be honest with you.

I'm going to be honest with you. I thought rappers are bad when we say we retire and we're not doing that and we secretly... No, producing. are the same. Producers are way worse than us. Creators cannot retire from being creative. A producer would say they retire,

you go and just look. And they play in beats on their fucking phone. Like, they are liars, man. If me and Timberland did, never retire. With the way country rap is involved and the way country court, if me and Timberland did deliverance to right now.

With jelly roll on it? I mean, he can be on it if he wants to. Do you hear jelly roll and be like, that's me? Go on, go on. Let me back you on the back. When I heard Jelly Roll as a rapper, like it used to be, I used to feel like that. But where Jelly Roll has taken it is somewhere, like, that's not really.

You remember Jelly Roll used to mess with strange music and tagging all that? Yeah, like Jelly Roll is a rapper. Yeah, that was the little homie. But, you know, this is a whole different animal right here that, you know. And you consider his music country music or is that? Yeah, I think it's country rock, country pop. Country rock and pop. And then he's praising the Lord in there too.

So is it Christians? The way you said. I'm asking. I'm asking. You know what I'm like? This is queer ignorance as me because I don't. I don't see it that way. I just see there's a spiritual element to it.

Right. Right. So I met like three different versions of Jelly Roll. Early on, I believe, the hip-hop version. Yeah. He used to rap about selling crap. Really? Jelly Roe.

He used to sell the rolls. Yeah. Yeah. Crack rocks. Craig Rocks. Coal and he. Do we make it a movie for that out? I can't.

I wasn't with him in. In the streets, I can't verify. Talk about the music. I can't confirm or deny what he was actually doing, but I can say he was making music. He's from Nashville, right? Yeah, he's from Nashville. Nashville's telling him.

Yeah, I mean, he was, you know, I used to rock with Haystack back in the day. Shout out of the stack, man. And he came up on the haystack as a rapper. Right. You know what I'm saying? And then I met Jellyroll the jogger, the runner. Oh, that's the new one?

To help you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's serious. He's been out there. Good, nah. I'm glad he got help. Yeah. Um,

do you think you get the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the,

the, I mean, I don't think anybody ever thinks they get the prop, the props they deserve in the exact way they want them

in this, yeah, nobody ever gets at that. But, unfortunately, we don't get to decide what other people, it's no,

it's not of my business what another person thinks about me. You know what I'm saying? So I just say, him, like, man, don't, don't, won't y'all look at it

from this narrative. You know, I can, I just don't have that much power control. So how a motherfucker sees it is just how they see it. Do I think people get it fucked up?

Yeah, I really do. But a lot of that's because I didn't, because of certain turns I took in life, I didn't stay consistent, you know what I'm saying? Like, I didn't ever lose the ability to make dope music. You know what I'm saying? Like, actually, I kept sharpening my sword

as the years went on. But it's just the fact that the access also gradually diminished. You know what I'm like to where we're a long way from Interscope at this point. I remember one time Buster told me, right? He told this to me, right? He's like, man, sometimes I don't like when you're so humble, man.

Like, you, you like... You told me some shit very similar to that, too. Yeah, do you think, because I feel like me and you kind of like suffer from the same thing? When's your birthday? I'm September 6. You seven months older than me because you're March something. Yeah. Yeah.

So, yeah. And so you're a Virgo? Virgo, yes. Yeah. Virgos and Pisces. That's like the opposite, the yin and the yang. Yeah, yeah. So do you think at one point?

Because I didn't agree with him when he told me I was too humble. But I understood what he's right. But you know you a lot like me. You got to be very high. I think way more of myself than any of y'all motherfuckers think of y'all. But I also take a lot lower of myself than any of y'all motherfuckers. Do you think that was a flaw for you being so humble? Yeah, but part of that was coming in on the white boy shit at the time, you know, I just wanted.

feeling like I guess would say the white way? I never wanted to look like I was no ass kiss or dick sucker motherfucker, you know what I'm saying? Like to hip hop culture, but I also wanted people to know that I was approaching my love for hip hop

and what I wanted to contribute to hip hop was coming from a place of love and humility. You know what I'm saying? And so if I ever appeared humble it was that. You know, it was like me saying like I love this. I understand them, I understand. I understand, especially

at that time, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's something I never lose sight of. You know what I'm saying? And this is black music. You know what I'm saying? It's black music and culture. You know what I'm saying? And Brown.

It started in the Bronx, New York. Correct me if I'm wrong. And so, you know, I've always been mindful of the fact that, and I think, like I said, a lot of the younger generation just isn't, I think maybe they're not even aware at this point because hip hop's grown and aged to a certain point. You know what I'm saying? Where, you know, you got 60-year-old. people now that the only music they've ever gave a fuck about their whole life is hip-hop.

And that wasn't when me and you were 22, 23, it wasn't like that. And so, yeah, so I just always wanted to come at it from, and I am a humble guy, but see, I've learned that, like, I used to think that, like, humility was, like, acting inferior when I really thought I was superior. That's false humility. Right. You know, like, not being able to take compliments well and shit like that. Like, oh, this whole thing, you know, being sheepish about shit, that's just bitch shit.

You know what I'm saying? It's like I've learned that what true humility is, it's understanding that I got some good shit about me. And I got some shit I need to work on. I got some weaker areas. And I'm where I'm at in the process of all that. And I'm cool with that. That's what true humility is.

You know what I'm saying? I understand that, hey, I'm plenty. But, you know what I'm saying? It ain't that I'm not enough. It's just that there's always room to grow. Right. Understanding your humanity, but you should be humble, but demand respect as well. Absolutely.

Be assertive. You know, it's like I stand up for my right. without violating yours. I think we got to be careful with saying you shouldn't be humble because I think humility is important. Yeah, I mean... But true humility.

True humility, like you're saying, but respect, you have to demand respect. Because some people think when you're too humble, they could disrespect you. And that's a whole... That's what I mean about being assertive. It's like, you know, it's me standing up for my rights,

for the air I breathe and the food I eat and the shelter over my head is not a violation. It's not saying you don't deserve it. You know what I'm saying? that you shouldn't have a roof over your head to eat and air to breathe, you know? So that's where I quantify that.

What do you feel about the term culture culture? Hmm. I think there's some validity to it, you know. I think that based on what the, man, I don't call me a damn contact weed high. Oh, my God.

It's a good ass weed, though. Got that, man. Good job, Morris. So I got to get a little, I got a, I got a pause. I'm going to be a more about that. My dad.

It's not. Oh, no, I'm drinking. Monster energy. Monster energy. Shout out to the monster. Shout out to the culture. Culture vulture. So, like,

first of all, just so I'm clear, give me an example of somebody they say is a cultural bunch of. You brought it up. Y'all are both scary. You brought it up.

Glad. Adam 22? They said it of Vlad, Adam, even Leor. Yeah, Leor is really the one that I believe. Why don't I ever say that about Jimmy? I never heard him say that about you. Yeah, because I'm not. Right.

So that's why I ask you. Yeah, I get it. But I'm just trying to, you know, like... I've never heard about Eminem neither. No, he's not. Or poor wall. No. I mean, I guarantee you someone that said it out there,

but not in loud voice. But, yeah, I'm, I don't think of, I don't even, that never even crosses my mind. Somebody might consider me a culture culture. I love this shit so much. Right. You know, and I stay down with it too. You know, I've taken a long walk with this shit, you know. It's not, it's not a season for me.

See that movie, the long walk? No, but it sounds good. Oh, yeah. It's about a movie. If you stop walking, it's shooting your face. Oh, yeah, I see it. It's like kids walking. Yeah.

This fuck is phenomenal. That's why I want to do my album, release party for my run champs. If you, if you get shot. I'm sorry. With a paint ball. Damn, you know,

here I was this whole time touring with the notion that Norie had gone on Hollywood. No, no, no. So, Coach of all you,

you're not offended by that because you feel like there is... No, if you call, somebody call me... If someone's called you. That's fighting words, if you call me that.

Okay, you know what I'm saying? Like, not on the internet. You come up in my face, like, then we probably... That's what's loud in the internet, but no. Yeah, I don't give a fuck with nobody on the Internet,

you know, I don't give a fuck about no opinions of anybody on the Internet because, you know, this whole social media thing, and we'll get back to what you're saying. You know, what's interesting about it to me is, like, we come from an era where before anybody gave a fuck what your opinion was on any issue, you had to have done something credible and verifiable in the real world. Like, earn a platform to where anybody,

now you just have a voice just for the sake of having a fucking voice. And you don't have a... have any real life experience to be the backbone of this voice that you're trying to have. So you just basically saying shit to get a reaction. You're trying to be polarizing. Right. That's what it comes down to. And so that's why I just don't give any credence to, you know, if I don't know something that you did verifiable in life,

I really don't give a fuck what your opinion is on anything, you know, that you can type in 140, 160 characters or whatever. Right. But to go back to what you're saying. Yeah. I don't even, I won't even entertain that discussion of me being a culture vulture. Yeah. And I feel that way for Paul and the M too. Yeah.

But not just them, you know, there's other. Gary Owen, we just had Gary Owen on it. Dude, I actually got a line on my new album. I call myself the country rap Gary Owen. Yeah. I fuck with you. That's what I fuck it. But when you start getting into like the Leors and, you know, that's a little more subjective.

Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, because he gave a lot of black folks opportunities from the hood. You know what I'm saying? But he dance show made a lot of money doing it, too. You know what I'm saying? But I just wonder why they all, I think it's just because certain people have been more vocal.

Jimmy ain't really fell out with a lot of people that he rocked with. Because he never, he didn't, Jimmy didn't try to get in the clubs hanging out with motherfuckers. You know what I'm saying? But I think that, I think Jimmy, and the way Jimmy rocked with Dre, the way he's just, you know what I'm saying? Like, to me, that's like, that's like, that's like the rich old white dude

and the, and the, and the black dude out of the hood getting together, like normally it turns into like somebody taking advantage of somebody. Like somebody's exploited, right? Yeah, somebody gets exploited, you know, and then that's how the culture, virtual term, comes into existence. But Jimmy and Dre each kept it so solid with each other, his whole fucking time and look at the fruit that bear.

You know what I'm saying? I think it's a beautiful thing. Because I heard you compare Interscope to the Yankees, but I like the- I like it better than the Lakers because Jerry Bus. Jerry Bus and Magic and Magic.

Did you watch the show? Of course I did. Of course I did. Jerry Bus and Magic reminds me of Jimmy I being and Dre. Yeah. Like, so I would,

I would say Def Jam is the Yankees and Inescope is the Lakers franchise. Like I, I, I, I, I, I, because you know, you know, when I signed the Debram that's what they called me and said, welcome to the Yankees. I was like, what the fuck does that mean? Yeah, they are a little more like the Yankees. Yeah, so.

You know, maybe even the Bulls in the 90s, but the Lakers have just done it over so many generations. And it's not Celtics. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? The Celtics is a different energy. I believe the Inters is the Lakers. Yeah, it's the Lakers.

I like that too. They've walked up right now. They lost LeBron. Just the L.A. element. Yeah. at the Rhyman. I see how I'll be to say I'm great. You and a pal with flights and two nights in Nashville.

To see Cameron Wickham at the legendary Rhyman Auditorium. Plus a thousand dollar spending cash. Just listen to Pure Country for 10 minutes a day on the free IHart Radio app and you're in to win. Cameron Wickham. Stream the new single Kingdom of Fear. Available now. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them.

I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week we talk to someone in show business, aka the biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us.

Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman. Not that great. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this around? Okay. Like, what is the surprise woman?

Who actually you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect. I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride. fine. Yeah. It's all this fragile masculinity.

Exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, I was like, is that weed? Nope. It's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? Like, you're like, oh, what's a state? Everyone's so dumb. And fake. Right. Fake and also not interested. or just like, oh, I've got my life, I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us.

Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Totoro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Lease Black Landsman. But I'm also from Queens, which means I know pizza. And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Totoro, I deliver pizza from Prince Street pizza to a new guest.

Are you delivering pizza now? Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing, my belt? To Alex Rodriguez. Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here. To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am.

And now, we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tutu. It's called happiness. delivering happiness. Mariano Rivera. Oh, my God. And many, many more. Open your free high, hard radio app.

Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Duturo. And listen now. They got all white rappers over that right now. Nobody moved from Philly and Wallo. Yo, I text them. I don't know why I did that. I text them like, still Knicks and five. They text me with crying emojis.

They said, you got one championship. I was like, fuck y'all. I was so mad. Yeah, my boy, Dustin thought it. Nigs weren't going to win, too. He was looking for the Spurs. Yeah, yeah. They don't do that.

So, Claremont Lounge. Then to meet this bitch, a bit the Claremont Lounge. The ClareMine Lounge. Tell us about ClareMont Lounge. All right, so I was dating this girl at the time. Shout out to Janna. Oh, you'd be shouting them out.

I know all that. I respect that. Because I ain't got no girl right now. You remember the name today? Yeah, but, you know, it's like five, six women. I had, like, a real thing with in my life. You know what I'm saying? And so, and I'm not going to name them all.

Okay, yeah. So I was dating her, and I was getting ready to go up. I was supposed to meet her brother for the first time at the Claire My Lounge. And I'm in the studio. I'm at the dungeon. Me, shout out to G Rock. My boy G. Rock from Shambon, second generation dungeon family. Traveled the world with me.

It was my hype man back in the day. He was there with me. And, and Reed just had this beat playing. And I was like, and I think I might have been waiting on, I think I was waiting on like a publishing check, the clear or something. And so I was right in the pocket, but I wasn't right, right, right in the pocket.

Like I was waiting on like six figures, you know what I'm saying? And I was like, fin to meet this bitch up at Declare my lounge, declare my liars, declare my liars, declare my loud. And once you get her with it, just believe it's going down. It's going down. But the thing was, in the verse, I was like, the money's low, but I dare not scroounce.

Nobody ever round scrounge? Right, yeah. I don't even know what that means, but I'm in. Scrowns up some money, you know what? Okay, okay, okay, okay. So I'm going to go ahead, even though I'm waiting on this check, I'm going to go ahead and spend this, like, like, it's plenty more there, you know what I'm saying?

Right. It's what that means. And, yeah, so, and then everybody heard, and we really did it just fucking, Like, it was just a, you know, that was the Purple Ribbon era. But every era for me was an organized noise era. And so the next day, Big heard it because we did it at the dungeon. They sent it the stank on you or Rico played it for Big or something.

And he was like, wow. He was going to get on it first, but then Killer Mike heard it. Killer Mike hollered at me, motherfucker, man. Hell yeah. That's a boy, man. Yeah, you got that seafood spot. Yeah, man. Man, me and Killer used to be thick as thieves, man.

A lot of people I need to get reconnected with. But, yeah, man, and Killer put that verse on there. And then I was like, you know, I wanted to pay. Big was originally going to get on the third verse, but I was like, no, I was like, it'd be dover if I go get somebody from first generation dungeon family that people act like they don't forgot about. So we got Cool Breeze on there. So shout out to Fred of Count Hum, Mr. Cool Breeze.

Yeah, so that was a, it's crazy too Because they got like a At Claremont Lowns, they got like a historical marker for that song. Oh, that's dope. Yeah. Oh, yeah. What about Yellow Wolf your connection with Yellow Wolf?

Well, Yellow Wolf is probably, I don't know. I put Wolf on like, as far as how talented he is, I put him on a level of like Timberland. Wow. Yeah, I mean, like he's a very, very talented guy. He's a volatile guy also, you know what I'm saying? And, man, we made some great music. I actually want to finish that album.

I mean, because we were supposed to do an album. We did an EP, the Bubba Matthews' EP. The shit was crazy. And I would like to do... You on Yellow Wolf? Yeah, he was on his label. Yeah, I did a project. He produced it.

Oh. Yeah, well, he executive produced it and produced a lot of it. But, yeah, man. I mean, Wolf had a pretty fire chemistry, too. You know, we just, we, I wasn't living the right way at that time. That was, you know, during a definite period of peak time for my addiction. I was going through a divorce, so I probably wasn't the most dependable person at that time, you know, or focused as the way I was living. But, yeah, I got a lot of love for yellow, so.

Yeah, he kind of just dissolved the whole Slamerican, like, label, you know, as far as, like, having a label. Yeah, so, but shout out to all the people that was over there with me, cookup boss out of Nashville, Struggle Jennings, he does his thing. Man, we had a little team over there. We actually went on tour. Listen to this tour. It was Yellow Wolf, me, Jelly Roll, Struggle Jennings, and Doobie.

You know, Duby from Columbus, Ohio? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, man, that was a crazy tour. Doing like 1,500 cedars. That shit was, like, 80% sellouts. It was crazy, man. That was a good time. But, yeah, man.

It's like a great tour right now. Yeah, it does. Well, Jellerole Row kind of... Oh, Jelleyroll coming back to the hood. I believe that. I've been saying for a while he's going to start back rapping. Right. You know.

I love Jettie Roll's very humble as well. Yeah, man. I know Jellerole a long time, man. You know, I know Jellellell since 2010 or 11. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Congratulations, Jelly Roll. Like, I'm proud of all his success. Hell yeah, congratulations. Jimmy Yovine comes to you. Yes. And says... He says, yes. Automatic.

I want you... Nah, but let me back up because it's all right. I want you to record a record a record with M. But I want M's part to be on a timbulin beat and your part to be on a Dr. Drabe. I'm going to eat that motherfucking Dr. Drake beat up. And I know what he's going, man, you know, man, I would love to do a record with him and now.

I always wanted to say. With M? Yeah. Because I see an interview you said there's a challenge. It's 365 days. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I missed that one. You missed that window.

But, yeah, man, him always fought. He's shouted me out. Even the time he diss me, I thought it was a very complimentary diss. Wait, he dissed you? The song's called Goat. Okay. And he basically, I don't know where he, he's getting his erroneous information.

Like, I mean, I've definitely done coke in my life, but that wasn't my kryptonite. My kryptonite at that time, it later in life became meth. But at this time, it was opiates. Right. You know what I'm saying? But the way he, you ain't never heard that song, Goat? No.

When he disses me and Paul Wall, around the same time, he put out a song called, Hey Darling or some shit like that, where he said, Paul Wall's dope and so is Bubba. And that's the one most people know of. But a leak. Oh, so he dissed y'all on one, and then he big job.

Well, that's the one that actually came out, right? He's a genius. He's a genius. That was his, that was his. He might have felt that way. No, that was after Paul talked to him. Paul Rosenberg was like, hey, man, we're not doing this right now. And there, he might have been having a better day to day.

He said, you know, but on this goat song it leaked, you know, he said some pretty unflattering things about both of us. But I took, I took what he said about me. You know, he was like, and Bubba Sparks just won't write. Because he's so gone in that snow white. Timberlin can't even get him to go to the studio, right? And it's sad because he's dope, right? America's next great white hope, right?

And I was like... He was like, bigging you up antecedo? Yes, I was like, man, just me some more, baby. And you had no teachers to go back at him? Man, I wasn't... Shit, I was back in LaGrain's, Georgia, at the time. I was one of them time when I was thinking of real low of myself. You know what I'm saying?

And I reached out to Paul. I was like, dude, what the fuck? man, after all these years, he's like, bro, I'm sorry, that leaked, you know. Paul Rosenberg. Paul Rosenberg. Yeah, yeah, he actually made that distinction. I'm not talking about Paul Wall. And I never actually even talked to Paul Wall about that.

I don't think he gives a fuck. No, no, he don't give up. He's making people front, old fronts and big damn jury. Paul is eternally rich. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, um, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, God. What did he say?

I felt like he was on the Truman show right there. I felt like I already asked that. I felt like I asked that with, well, uh... I'm gonna take a peepies. Well, uh... Yeah, I got to pee, too. I can't, get, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's too bad. We can take a break. Yep. Like, two more questions. It'd be good. You ever, you ever, um, try those, um, um, um, uh, the non-aholic drinks? Well, I don't drink.

Bro. What are you talking? First of all, I'm not a pussy. Right. I wasn't ready for that. If I'm going to drink, I'm going to drink. I'm going to drink. I ain't trying to get.

You know, I drink for the effect produced by the shit. I ain't drinking just because I like the taste. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I fucking smoke crack for the effect for these guys. You know what I mean? I don't want to just go in and crack out with the smell of it.

No, it's funny because I did a Lola Childers in Puerto Rico, which I'm doing this year again, as long as my fucking calf held all up. And every, after every race, it's a three-day race. So after every race, we would go and because I wanted to, like, keep it together. but I would go to the non-alcoholic Hydecan stand, but no one knew it because it doesn't say you got to actually look and say Zill-Hirniquin.

So I had my brother-in-law drinking with me for three days straight and he didn't realize he wasn't getting drunk at all on the third day. I was like, that's all you do you, you're done. I told him, I was like,

you know that's not alcoholic. He was like, why the fuck am I doing this? On the third day, like three days he did. So he just sitting there like acting drunk because he didn't really want to run. He just ran because I ran.

You know what I'm saying? So like... Was he acting drunk, though? Nah, no, no, no. I don't think so. No, no, no, I don't think so. The placebo effect. Yeah, dude, that would be fucked up.

You're acting drunk as hell. Like, you like, kiss a fat with super fat girl or something. You know what I'm saying? Like, I love fat. So me, right? Like, when I go through these spurts of me, like, you know, just not fucking around. And the thing is, I, like, changed my environments, right? Like, so I don't go to every.

thing, but then it's certain times I have to, right? Yeah. And I went to a Bolandality the other day, and I had drank a mocktail, right? Yeah. I felt like I should have drank a fucking alcohol. Yeah. Because the sugar in that shit just fucked me up more. Like, I was sitting there, and I started sweating.

It was like, it was all the effects of a real drink. Do you have that type of problem? Like, when you go out... You know what, I drink? Uh-huh. Well, as my boy, Polo the Don affectionately, like, gave him a secondary name. We call it Man Sprites.

But really what the world calls it is Shirley Temple. Shirley Temple, okay. I love Shirley Temple. Okay. And I drink a lot of those. Like, when I go to nice restaurants and shit, like we went last night to this spot down on the beach, and I had like, you know, it's a very nice dinner, you know what I'm saying,

where you might want to feel like you was going to have a drink. I got me to Shirley Temple, you know what I'm saying? And there's a lot of sugar in that shit. Yeah. You know, but yeah, mostly, I don't. I drink, I just drink water and shit, man. You know, but, you know, the only time I really miss drinking is, like, in 30 minutes right before you perform. Oh, for the nervousness?

Yeah, like, when you're, like, at maximum that. You're about to fight. Because once you get out there, it's over, you know what I'm saying? But I'd be like, damn, man, I like dream about three or four vodka, a rebel sometimes, you know what I'm saying? But I know it wouldn't stop there. Right. Yeah. No, because I read somewhere that you were saying that you couldn't even, like, function unless you had, like, four pills and three shots of fucking tequila.

Back in the day, yep. Yeah, buddy, I said, pop me three green, Lord's half. And that's that you use that to wake up. Motherfocus used that to go to sleep. Oh, no, no, yeah. We're going to get into the Coke and all that once we get out of the house. Oh, shit. I wasn't ready.

Once we get to the venue, you know what I? That's just today. I'll get it where I might answer the phone or something, you know what I mean? Take me about three green Lord's half. Man, you went in. Tell me about three, four shots of patrol. Right. But I'll never forget.

I was on tour with Blink 182. Blink 182. Yeah, first time. Yeah. He got a run club. He got a run club. But, yeah, man, I was, they was good enough to take me on this tour one time. And, you know, Travis was a big, big supporter, man, of mine.

And great dudes, man. And anyway, and, dude, I ran out of pills. Because what happened was I fucked around with pills, but I went on, I was in a automobile accident in Canada, me and Big Steve we got to get around to the Big Steve story. We're in a hill with you and the boy gave us a certain thing. Okay, okay, okay. All right, and anyway.

We're fishing in Canada. We're ice fishing. Ice fishing, okay. And so I got to, you know, we grew up in the south. You know, we ain't know shit about rides. You know, up there and, like, that part of Canada, like, you go through the McDonald's drive-thru on a showmobile. And, like, these lakes are frozen for, like, months on in. So you go way back

into the woods to a cabin on a certain lake. And we, you know, you go through the trails, and you open up onto this big frozen lake. And so you let it, you know, you open it up. And I was doing about 70, lost control of it. I was trying to show out for the new friend that we brought up, brought that year. You know what I'm saying? Lost control of the motherfucker and went to the hospital.

And when they prescribed me a bunch of pain pills. That's how that's how good. Yeah, I mean, you know, I was already taking some. I was already doing drugs. And if you had some pain pills, I would do them. But, but, yeah, at that time, that's when I just, that's when I got, yeah, because they was writing the scripts and stuff. That's the first time, like, you know, crack cocaine brewing black and brown.

I believe opiates was the first time we got to see the other side. Like, you know what I mean? Like, you guys having just as much. Well, meth came a little later. And I heard you say you sniffed meth. I didn't even know you could do that. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, it's powder. Why, you sniffed meth for? Oh, bro. How do you know? Come on, yeah, Fee. Come on, right, brother. Hey, man, M-E-T-H. But yeah, man, I snorted, man.

I smoked it before, too. I never did no drugs intravenously. Okay. I was always scared, you know, and then once I got to a certain age, I'd be like, I ain't picking up no new addictions at this at 30 plus, you know what I'm? Right. And, yeah, but meth burns bad, but it's, like, it ain't like, I know you ain't probably never snorted nothing.

And if you have, you're not going to admit it right here. No, no, no, I haven't. But, um. It's not having it. I haven't done. No, no, I was going to have it. But, so yeah, but I got to the point with that shit where I love the burn. I'm talking about it burns, like, you think you're going to die, like, but you get used to.

Because, I mean, you're snoring. You know what's coming after it. It's fucking Drano, ultimately. Like, it's fucking pure chemicals, like, fucking pseudofid and Drano and a whole bunch of other shit. And I do think it kept me from getting COVID, perhaps. That is the key to not get cold? Relax, relax. We just discovered it right now.

Damn, I never got COVID neither. And then you just went like this, like, oh, man. What was you doing? But, yeah, so, yeah, I began to identify that burn with the here comes the fucking numbness. You know, but mess a fucked up drug, man. It's like the way it isolates you, you know, I went two years without talking to anybody in my family. Yeah. My best friend, Big Steve, the one we keep referencing with.

I haven't told the fucking story. I want to tell. You know, yeah, man, I just was completely isolated. Like, if something wasn't directly serving my addiction, you know, I'll go do a show because I need to get money to keep this fucking,

you know, I'm staying in hotels for two years. Most of them were nice hotels, but I was still living in fucking hotels. I didn't have a place of fucking residence. You know what I'm saying? And I had no communication, gradually less and less communication with anybody that ever really cared

anything about me in a genuine way. Let me ask you because this is something that I learned from dealing with DMX. They told me that nobody in hip-hop never seen DMX high. Now, hear me out, because I know what everyone is saying. Like, man, I've seen DMX.

If you've got to see him out, he was drunk. Yeah, no. He wasn't high. Because when he's high, he's going to be by himself. They said he went and when he got high. He might be with his dog or something. Yeah, like, he isolated himself.

So they said, as much as you probably see him DMX out, And whether you've seen him, like, in a mess-up situation or not, it might have been just alcohol. It might have been bud. It might have been whatever. But when he actually got high, was that something you were doing? Like, when you got high, you isolated yourself?

Because that was the thing, like, me and you brought it up earlier with the MTV thing. That was the thing that was kind of rumored about you, too. It was like, at times you would just disappear. And, like you said, your managers couldn't find you. Was that cost of getting high? It was a factor in it. Okay. But, you know, I wasn't, back in those days, the major label days, I didn't do no meth or nothing like that.

Okay. But I was doing coke and pain pills. And drinking, you know what I'm doing? Drinking was always, you know, the constant. That was always the foundation, you know. But when I, basically I went through a divorce. Well, I had a long period where I was just drinking. Like, I was married, you know, my ex-wife was from Iowa. God bless her.

Miss Iowa. Miss Iowa, USA, yeah. She was very green, you know, and she was a very... I won't say she's pure because she's crazy as hell. Like, look, Katie, but she crazy as hell. But she was just... She hadn't been exposed to certain things that by that time and life I had been exposed to. And so it just wasn't no way for me.

You know, I'm just drinking, but I'm a horrible drunk when I'm just drinking. I can, you know, I'm sleeping under the fucking steps at the bar, waking up at 8 in the morning, you know what I'm saying? It's a fun drunk around me. I'm just throwing it up there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was fun, yeah. Man, I don't know what it was about that period of life.

I think I just, you know, sometimes you just reached a point I was a little pickled. You know what I'm saying? I just had too much, you know. And Nashville, that's a big part of it. Like, like, I said, all my problems are my own making and thank God for it. Because if it's your fault, I can't do nothing about it. That's real. But fucking Nashville, they call it a music town.

No, it's a drinking town with a music. music problem. Oh, shit. You know what I'm saying? It ain't a music town with a drinking problem. It's a drinking town with a music problem. God damn it. They got the moonshine out there, for sure.

But it's in day drinking. It's like the, drink champs out there. Day drinking is like the culture. Like, that's just the norm there. Motherfuckers go write songs until like 1 or 2 p.m. and then fucking go straight to the bar and fucking be there till 2 in the morning, you know, or at least to 8 or 9. And you know what I'm saying?

That's what I was doing. I was like on that shift. You know what I'm saying? start drinking 2 o'clock in afternoon by 10 or 11 o'clock that night, if you sit in a bar drinking liquor drinks, you're going to be fucked up as a-ah. Absolutely, yeah. As a football bat by fucking, about midnight.

I was going to say something else, by that I did. Because you said, when you was living in Nashville, you basically would write music. You said you will come home and drink a beer, and that would be it. Yeah, maybe once I started doing drugs. Okay, all right. Liquors took the back seat.

That's true. So I went from being a horrible husband in one way, like being, like, drunk and jealous and, you know, just not a, just as horrible a husband as you can possibly be to then I got an Adderall script. All right. But me being an addict than I am, the two or three they prescribe me per day, that's insufficient. You know, at some point, I go from taking the two pills that I'm prescribed per day and I'm going through my whole script in like six days. and snorting like 12 to 15 fucking Adderall 30s per day. And now not even, but, you know, the human body is a marvelous mechanism because your tolerance goes up.

So it's not like, it's hard for somebody like that could take one and be all tracked out at this point to understand it after a year and your tolerance builds up how you, I was doing 12 or 15 a day and still not getting as high as one or two used to make me in the beginning. You know, and then it got to the point where I graduated to what I thought was Molly. I was doing Molly maintenance for a little while. That's what I... I'm going to get back to the DMX comparison, you know, that we were talking about. But the Molly maintenance was like...

And people think they're doing Molly. Molly is only one molecule different than meth, even in its purity. Like, it's literally one molecule difference. But meth is so much cheaper. Most people think they're doing Molly. They're really doing meth. That's a fact. Go like this.

Go like this. Ow. Oh. Shit, I brought in the meth thing. It's going to do it. That means teenage. M.E.C. Damn.

It's like what he said in blow. If you did Coke in America between 2019. If you did Molly between fucking 2012 and now, you did it. Yeah. It's probably a meth. Holy shit, man. Oh, if you did that pig molly, you definitely did, man. I did a couple of pig moths.

I love that pink malle. You definitely did pink moths. But you sold it to me, fowl. You're sold it to me, foul. I'm going to. Y'all's going crazy. Y'all have no interdimensional, like, interdemention of fucking cutting battle going on. No.

I'm Ruby Carr, the host of the podcast, Oncourt. Check out our brand new episodes featuring music from the show that everyone is reheating as we speak. Heated rivalry. Join me as I go behind the songs that brought Shane and Elia together. I'll tell you the stories of Fice, My Moon, My Man, wolf parades, I'll believe in anything, and tattoos, all the things she said, and how they all became a part of this global phenomenon. Stream encore on IHeartRadio, Crave, or wherever you get your podcasts. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them.

I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive.

Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast Hollywood Handbook on the Big Money Players Network. Our show is extremely accessible to first-time listeners. Each week, we talk to someone in show business, aka The Biz, and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show.

We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman. Actually, can you help me shape this? How about we flip it on his head, right? How about we flip this around? What is the surprise woman? Actually, you think is the straight man is actually the one who's acting weird. Adam Scott, this entire time you've been expecting Adam Sandler to come to visit the show. I would never expect.

I would never set expectations for something like that to happen. If the universe allows for something like that to happen, I'm open to it. I'm always going to accept. You know, Danny McBride, fine. Yeah, it's all this fragile masculinity. Exuding. I could smell it walking down the hallway, to be honest with you. I was like, is that weed?

Nope, it's fragile masculinity. Ben Stiller, no. Because a lot of times, out of context, people don't get it or even know what a circle is. You know what I mean? They're like, oh, what's just a state. Everyone's so dumb. And fake. Right, fake and also not interested.

or just like, oh, I've got my life, I don't care about your life. And a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Oh, and by the way, Will Ferrell told us personally he loves the show and he wants to be a guest on every episode, but he's just so busy. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Totoro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Lease Black Landsman. But I'm also from Queens, which means I know pizza.

And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Totoro, I deliver pizza from Prince Street pizza to a new guest. Are you delivering pizza now? Then we sit down for a real conversation. I've shared a slice with everyone from Seth Rollins. What are you doing, my belt? To Alex Rodriguez. Just to let you people know, we're talking to one of the goats here.

To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tutu. It's called Happiness. Delivering happiness. Mariano Rivera. Oh, my God.

And many, many more. Open your free high-heart radio app. Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Duturo. And listen now. But anyway, and then eventually the guy was getting the Molly from one night, one faithful evening. I go into place, and he's like, I ain't got none of that. But you know how they do?

I got some of that other. Some of that other. He's like, I'll have some more next week. I'll say, all right, I'll just get that this time. And I always say I tried a mess one time for five years. Just the other time that you got, they made you wait for six hours? Oh, no, that's back in the open. That's the circle.

Because that's when I knew I would have had a problem. If I stayed for six hours. No, that was at the height. What kind of selfies are you taking? That was at the height of Miss New Booty, too. Okay, that's what I'm saying? And this motherfucker, dude, no, it was, yeah, I was lit. Dude, number one's hard in the world.

You know what I'm saying? New Booty was huge at this time. And this motherfucker, I'm sitting there, but I was strong out on them opiates, bro. You know what I'm saying? Like I, the motherfuckers had the hook in me. And so, and the way opiate addiction works, like, I ain't shit going on this morning

until we get this shit straight. You know what I'm saying? Because you're physically sick. You know what I'm saying? Whereas meth is, the mental anguish associated with meth withdrawals, like the depression because it skyrockets your serotonin and dopamine so much that where when,

When you come down off that shit, it's like, I want to die. Like, literally, I want to die. So it's a mental battle. And opium is essentially like heroin. Yeah, it's like heroin. So you're really physically, yeah, your bones ache, you fucking diarrhea, fucking, you know, you're throwing up sometimes. And this motherfucker, he dope boy in me. You know what I'm saying?

Like, he got me sitting in a bowling alley parking lot on a Saturday afternoon. I was supposed to be like in the studio with Big Boy or some shit. The number one record in the world. And I'm just sitting in this parking lot for like, it may have been longer than six hours. It may have been like eight hours. And I'm sitting there and he's, I'm right up the street. No, I'm right up the street for like eight hours. And I just looked up at myself in the rearview.

We call that a in 12 steps. In the 12 step program, we call that a step zero moment. It's before step one. It's where you just look at yourself in the fucking mirror. And you're just like, I felt like such a bitch. You know what I'm saying? felt like I'm allowing this motherfucker to own me. And the hardest

part about it is, I ain't got no choice but to just sit here and fucking take it and just wait as long as this motherfucker has it's like another motherfucker you're scared of another motherfucker killing you. It's like what Biggie say, my life in that man hands while he just decided. On a different level, that's what

was going on there. I'm just sitting there like I have no choice other than just, I'm dope sick. I keep having to go in the fucking bowling alley and shit. And I just got to sit here. You know, and take it. And then finally about 9 o'clock that night or whatever, he rolled up. And I really want to just be, but I'm like, thank you.

You know what I'm saying? Because I had no choice, but to just be a bitch. And I looked in the mirror, and I was in rehab for the first time, probably about two weeks after that because I was just like, this ain't me, brother. Right. That was the end of all, that's the final straw. That was, no. For that time.

That's what I ended up in Tampa after that. You know what I ended up in Tampa after that. Okay. You know what I went to Tampa? after that. And you relapsed in Tampa? Yeah, when I went down

at the pill mill air in the strip clothes, man. Yeah, yeah. I got to stay sober about eight months that time. But like I said,

I didn't really, I just wanted to get the pill situation under control. I didn't, I had no, I was, I was like 27, 28 at the time. Damn, you mad you at that time.

I didn't want to fucking get sober and not be able to party anymore. I just wanted to not be a fucking, not have a master no more. You know what I'm saying? And that's, that was what was going on.

You know, Drugs and Alcohol were my master, you know, in random, you know, intervals throughout the past 20 years, 25 years, really, since you've known me, you know what I'm saying? Like, I was easing in that direction when we first met, but by, like, the new booty era, like, I was, you know, I'm doing Jay Leno. I finally got my crew right. All my crew just with me is like my real brothers, Big Speed, Dax, Dirty Kean, fucking, you know, Chad, Bobby, you know, we're just out there kicking it. And it's good, I got my crew right. You know what I'm saying? And I'm not able to enjoy it because I'm dope sick every other day. You know, I'm doing David Letterman and Jay Leno and having to just soldier my way through it

rather than being able to just enjoy the fact. And I got this big, huge record. We're doing Girls Gone Wild DVDs with Joe Francis. And I'm like, you know, fuck, this is a fun party, but I got to find some fucking pills. And see, back then the perks and all that shit wasn't as socially acceptable. Americana? Americana? I'll take one too.

And the perks and all that shit, that shit became socially acceptable, especially in hip-hop circles later. But at that time, you might as well have been asking for crack if you're just asking a random motherfucker for some viking. You know what I'm saying? And I remember lying to fucking Virgin when New Booty was out, like telling Virgin labels, like radio rips. You know how you going to town?

Yeah, of course. I'd be like, I actually got a tooth pool at one time. It wasn't nothing even wrong with just so I could get some fucking pain. Man. Oh, shit. I don't even talk about that. That's genius.

Come on. I mean, I'm sorry. It's genius. It's genius. I mean, it really is. Right. But, yeah, so, so I would tell him, I'd be like, man, oh.

He'd be like, I'd be like, man, you know, because they want you to, really, they want you to do what the fuck you got to do. And so I'm not putting nobody in particular on blast with this because he really just thought he was, doing me a service and doing his job. But yeah, if you say, I ain't going to be able to make it to this radio station for this appearance unless I get right, they're going to try to make it happen.

And I remember I would be taking at the time like 10 or 15 a day, and he would come back with like four, and that would be like one dose, you know what I'm saying? So I'd be like, let's go now because I'm going to be dope sick again in 8, 10 hours, you know? You know what's fucked up about those days? And I'm sorry, just sound like the old person saying those days. our day. You know, you know, we actually had a drug budget. Like, I don't know if you did. That might be that Tommy boy shit right now. No, I'm not going to say his name because he, he, he, he, he, he, he hates this because I guess he's still outside. One time, Def Jam was filming the real world. Remember when the real world first came out? If you look, it's a commercial where all of us, it's me, meth, red, Foxy, I believe, called

Mega, everybody that was on Dev Jam, and we all went to the real world. This is the first season of it, and we had this. Man, they flew in the drug guy. Damn. Private plane, bro. No way. Yeah. I mean, he was in L.A.

I can't say his name. He hates it. But he's still around. He's still moving. I bet I know it. Yeah. Yeah. Shout out of my photo.

You know what I fuck with you, dog. First of all. Hey, that dude right there, don't. I thought he only sold Bud. Man! Hey, he actually got him up on his opiate game, though. You put him on the world to be?

I just showed him. He didn't know what. So I don't need to give nobody this much. You know what I would. You know what I mean? You can ask him. He definitely still out. Yeah.

Hell yeah. I'm telling you, that's how crazy. A lot of people don't flew him in. A lot of people don't flew him in. Like, he had, he, I was about to say something, but if I say it's, going to give it up. Everything. Literally.

Literally. Like, you know, I had to go, you for the e-pills. Hey, man. I had to go to Jason for the weed. But including the house. And I was just like, but that's crazy that the record labels.

You know we love you, though. Yeah, that the record labels did it like that. But now, but now it's to what you're saying, right? The drugs have. graduated, right? And now... Very different.

Like, I can't say this because I don't know this. But it seems like the record labels now they have that same task. But they're drugging them with drug drugs. Man, I don't know.

You know, if I ever found out if I could ever confirm that any record label was given fucking artist, meth, fentanyl, fucking, you know what and shit like that, we need to go up there right now. The fuck-up part about it is,

and I'm gonna protect the record labels to a certain extent. Yeah, because I don't think they're doing that. It's what you said. It's what you said. Yo, I need this. Like, they wind up in Vegas. I forget this movie.

They wind up in Vegas and the guy needed heroin, and he goes to the front desk. And, um, wasn't it, get him to the Greek? Yeah. Get him to the Greek.

Yeah. No, that's what they were doing with me too. He told the record label. He's like, yo, bro, I need these drugs. You don't know what I remember? Yeah. He stuck it up his ass

And then he got on the plane One time for the lady man This shit right here Fire, bro I'm trying to keep that up with it Yeah That movie has a different perspective now What, get him to the Greek?

Yeah, what are you talking about? Yeah, yeah He dug in his ass And who's in the movie To get the hair around Think about who's in the movie too Which is crazier Just think about it

He was going to dig in his ass Another man's ass Take the heroin out And then sniff it He saw nothing wrong with that Bubb ain't never been that this deep, that deep, boy, you're all. You're digging in it all.

Nah. God damn. God damn. So, hold up. Tell us the story that you've been wanting to tell us. All right. Okay, yeah. Big up to Steve, man.

You said you, y'all have his story. No, we didn't, we went, did my addiction. Like, you know what I'm saying? We lost, I mean, we didn't ever lose contact. Right. You know, he's been sober for 20 years. Oh, wow. Yeah, he got sober.

Yeah, man. Yeah. Basically, as soon as he was done playing in the league, he got, he got sober. After when he came out on the road with me for a year. because he was supposed to come out on the road to get me right, you know what I'm saying, to keep me in line. We both ended up in rehab. But he got so, the first time I went to rehab, he went to.

No, he went, I went in Tampa, he went in Atlanta. But he went like two weeks after me. Okay. And he stayed sober the whole time. Okay. And whereas my ass killed having to do research and experiment. I'm saying this out of ignorance. Remember what you're saying?

I'm saying this out of ignorance. Rehab seems like it's fun. I'm bugging? It's fun when you're young. You know, you got to have your rehab romance. Oh, you're making me the chick? Yeah, that never ends well, you know what I'm saying? But motherfuckers, you take that the drugs and alcohol away.

That's, it's like, give me anything, you know what I'm saying? Give me anything, you know, like give me affection. Yeah, right. A lot of people have, you know, sex in broom closets and shit like that, you know, kicking it. Sounds good to me. Yeah, but you also are withdrawing, you got to think that you had to be fucked up about a drug to get in there, you know, They're on multiple drugs. She's not a nice girl.

She's not there for nice reasons. She, well, she may be a good person in her heart, you know what I'm saying? But she's probably gone pretty far down the trough. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, she might be, she might have, she wasn't on a winning street when she got there, you know what I'm? So Steve. All right.

Okay. So this is around, because I remember this song had Pastor Troy on it, too. Oh, we ready? No, the song. of yours that me and Troy did a feature on. Yeah, I think Oh, I think it was a be ready. You came to get me.

The remix of town. We was at Kaiz house, right? My friend Koss passed away. Yeah. I'm Hackersack, New Jersey. Yeah, wherever we were at. Okay. Wherever we was at. And you had this other friend who gave us about a hundred

of a certain type of pill that is similar to Molly. Before Molly powder came to be a thing, This is what we did. You know what I'm saying? And this motherfucker So he gives us,

and we are just twacked for like, we get ready to go to L.A. to shoot a video after we, we kick it over there, we wild out, you know, we just having fun. We all having fun. And the dude gives us like 100 eggs pills.

Whoever this person is, I don't, hey, God be with them, wherever they're at. God's beat. But they give us 100 X pills. And, we leave like two days later to go to LA to shoot this video. And I'm thinking at the time, I'm like, bro, it sucks that we can't take these pills on this flight.

You know what I'm going to have to lead these pills here. This really fucking sucks. He's like, dang, we do, don't we? We have to leave them. And I was like, yeah, bro, we really do. I'm not flying with 100 fucking ex pills. That's probably trafficking. You know what I?

That sounds like trafficking to me. And so I don't think nothing else of it. we get on the plane going to L.A. And we get up in the middle of the flight and we're like talking to each other. I was like, yeah, man, it sucks that we had to fucking, and we had to leave them fucking pills, man. That would have been fired at the motherfuckers in L.A. He's like, oh, no, we got him.

And I was like, we do? He's like, yeah, I put them in your bag. Oh, damn. And I was like, dude, what the fuck you put them in my bag? I was like, bro. He was like, man, I can't. But he was just coming to terms with the fact that I had shit to lose finally in life, too. You know, he'd been, I'd always kind of protected his, you know what I'm saying, if anything

happened. What do they call that? Like, the person that takes the charge and all that shit, the fall man. I was that guy always for him. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, I'm like, bro, I got some shit to lose too now. But then when we got to LA, I was happy as hell that we had. Because we made it.

I actually talked to him today. I was like, man, I'm going to tell that story, man. That's crazy. me and got a big, we had a huge fallout for about two hours until we took some more pills and we was kicking it again. Right, right, man. Well, Bubba, man, I just want you to know, man.

I really didn't want to focus on the drugs part because when I kept Googling, I kept seeing it. And you have so much of a beautiful career. You have so much of things for people to look forward to and to look. But you know, but I feel you, bro, and I really appreciate that. But at the same time, man, like... You like to do.

tell that. What I've learned is that my experience, you know what I'm saying? Like, man, I fucked up and squandered so much in my life, man, so many opportunities, so much money, you know, to the point where I had a lot of shame and guilt at one time. You shouldn't do. But you know what I know now, man, is that no matter how much I've fucked off, like the fact that I'm here, because, dude, if I'm in the right frame of mind, body, and spirit, money literally appears. I have no fear of economic insecurity, you know, shit like that. Like, it's cool. Right.

So, and I should be dead. There's a lot of people that did a lot less drugs and alcohol to me. It's in the fucking ground right now. Right. You know, so, you know, I'm grateful to be here. I'm grateful to look, you know, pretty damn good for my age. Oh, yeah. I'm grateful to have my mental faculties about me.

Oh, yeah. And what I feel like I owe is just to, you know, share my experience when and where it's needed. because that's ultimately, you know, wisdom is something that has to be earned. You know, an experience is something that has to be earned. You know, you can have a, it's like the difference between knowing something and the difference between, like, it's like if you have an orgasm, the day before you had an orgasm, you knew what an orgasm was, you know what I'm saying? So that's kind of like all my experiences that I've been through. that's that's that's that's kind of how I feel about it man and then there's somebody out there that they can benefit from hearing the fact that I feel way down the fucking you know the scale right

no it's gonna be a lot of people man yeah but but hey it ain't over till it's over baby and you did you did a lot more good you do you did a lot more good in this industry and and and it means a lot to us man you know what I mean um you showed us you showed us you showed us you showed us that there's all parts of this world and like including like the south like just us just knowing that okay cool like you know like i said we saw the south but we didn't see that part of the south and you made it you not only showed it to us you made it look cool and you made it feel unapologetic and you was hip-hop as hip-hop you are as hip-hop as hip-hop can be it does not matter your skin it matters your soul and your soul is with us brother

you know you love you know you respect you thank you for you bring it to the game continue to do this, man, and, you know, the fact that the industry has never broken you, you know what I mean? You might have took it. I see, I think, in the world, in the world, they say, we rest, we don't rust. That's right.

You might have rested. I like that one. You didn't rust. You know what I mean? So I want you to continue to do what you got to do. I want you, Jimmy, and Timberland. Yeah, we're going to hear that record again. Maybe when Timmy sees this is maybe here.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I believe so, man. Yeah, we're speaking into existence. Drink Champs is a Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production hosts and executive producers, N-O-R-E and DJEF-FN. Listen to Drink Champs on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs, hosted by yours truly DJ EFN and N-O-R-E. Please make sure to follow us on all our socials. That's at DrinkChamps across all platforms.

At the real Noriega on IG. At Noriega on Twitter. Mine is at Who's Crazy on IG. At DJEFN on Twitter. And most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news, and merch by going to drinkchamps.com. I survived nine months in captivity. And I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart.

And these are the Survivor File. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer.

offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, Danny McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Totoro. You probably know me from NYPD Blue, the longest yard, or Spike Lee's Black Klansman. And on my new podcast delivering happiness with Nick Totoro, I deliver pizza to a new guest. I've shared a slice with everyone, from Seth Rollins. What are you doing my belt?

To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now, we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tuturo. It's called Happiness. Delivering Happiness. And many, many more.

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