Drink Champs - #Flashback Episode - w/ Dave Chapelle & Black Star | (Ep. 331)

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN are the Drink Champs. In this classic flashback episode we chop it up with the legendary Black Star (Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli) and comedy icon, Dave Chappel...le! This extended version of our episode includes more stories, more laughs and more shots from everyone! Lots of great stories that you don’t want to miss!! Make some noise for Black Star and Dave Chappelle!!! 💐💐💐🏆🏆🏆 *This episode was originally released on September 9th, 2022 * *Subscribe to Patreon NOW for exclusive content, discount codes, M&G’s + more: 🏆* https://www.patreon.com/drinkchamps *Listen and subscribe at https://www.drinkchamps.com Follow Drink Champs: https://www.instagram.com/drinkchamps https://www.twitter.com/drinkchamps https://www.facebook.com/drinkchamps https://www.youtube.com/drinkchamps DJ EFN https://www.crazyhood.com https://www.instagram.com/whoscrazy https://www.twitter.com/djefn https://www.facebook.com/crazyhoodproductions N.O.R.E. https://www.instagram.com/therealnoreaga https://www.twitter.com/noreagaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time,
Starting point is 00:00:38 have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war.
Starting point is 00:01:12 This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios. Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real.
Starting point is 00:01:27 Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast season two on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild-haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell-bent effort to sabotage a war.
Starting point is 00:01:49 J. Edgar Hoover was furious. He was out of his mind, and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. You can now binge all 10 episodes of Divine Intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next.
Starting point is 00:02:14 In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I love being one of my teachers.
Starting point is 00:02:56 That's me killer. You can call me Private Yala Gumbo today, baby. Get up, get up, get up, get up, get up, get up. I don't know your pronouns. I'm a pacifist. I stabbed a nigga once when I was listening to the Superstar. Who's laughing? I'm laughing. What's your last name? I can't believe I just watched Drink Champs live. What it good be? Hope it is good to see you. This your boy, NAO-NAA.
Starting point is 00:03:56 What up? It's DJ EFN. And this is Drink Champs. We're the Tape It Crazy Raw. Hi-ya, P-Yah. Make some noise! And right now I'm going to be honest man
Starting point is 00:04:06 When we looking at these two brothers here As at one point I never thought I would see them back together One brother was in Africa Lighting incense The other brother was in Utica Eating yucca You can say selling incense Selling incense and Utica and Yucca.
Starting point is 00:04:26 You can say selling incense. Selling incense. At an incense factory. Then we got another brother that's going to pop in here and there. The most legendary, but we'll talk about that later.
Starting point is 00:04:39 But let's just get to it. They had just dropped an album that is just for the fans. And they could have put it on Spotify. They could have put it on iTunes. They could have put it on your local jewelry. No.
Starting point is 00:04:53 They wanted to put it for their fans, their fans only. These guys are monkey footin', and they still the most lyrical motherfuckers in the game. And I'm listening to this album, and they not slipping up even a little bit. And they got a lot of money. In case you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. We're talking about the one, the only, motherfucking Blackstone! Blackstone makes it work!
Starting point is 00:05:23 Now, y'all seem bad. I'm going to start with you. I don't have a lot of money. I live on a stipend. Yeah, me too. You created for yourself. Yes. Do we have that clip?
Starting point is 00:05:33 Now, let me just tell you something, Yaseen Bey. This is real talk. Whenever I'm down and I feel like life is fucked up and I don't want to keep moving on, or I feel like music is not where I want it to be. Okay. I always go to this clip, and I watch this, and this shit saves my life.
Starting point is 00:06:00 This is real talk. Can you play it, please? Oh, wow. Shout out to all of these cats that got on. Hello. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Don't stop this, y'all. Don't stop this. All right, don't stop this.
Starting point is 00:06:12 He's like, that's the old me. No, it's not even the old me. It's just I'm, you know, I'm noticing a lot of things. It's all favorable. It's beautiful. That blazer was gorgeous. Don't forget the fedora. Oh, oh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:06:20 The fedora's amazing. Don't forget the fedora. The whole thing is a good moment. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something. I'm going to tell you something. beautiful. That blazer was gorgeous. Don't forget the fedora. The fedora's amazing. The whole thing is a good moment. I'm going to tell you why I love that clip. The do-rag under the fedora was a good
Starting point is 00:06:36 day. The success the success of your solo, the success of Blackstar, the success of Deja Pel's show. Your bars are not supposed to be like that. Yes, they are. That's right. Explain.
Starting point is 00:06:54 Yes, they are. Explain, because we're not there. This is what I'm here to do. This is Allah's gift to me. Right. Right. So you must, you know, put your crown on. You must.
Starting point is 00:07:15 You always knew that? I was great at rhyming from the moment I started. I was nine years old. I was never not good. Gee, I think we should make some noise for that. We don't need that confidence. I'ma be honest, I swear to God, I really wasn't, because had we just did this interview,
Starting point is 00:07:36 it would just be just us and not at the shack. I swear to God, this is something that really motivates me, because I fall out of love of music a lot Like I fall out of love with the business That's a business It's not you know you should fall out of love that means you're a human being well, I mean right it's not worthy of your love All right, I'm saying the game is not the music so I The art is another thing all together. I mean the the fence around they call the industry is just you know it's just a industrial fence
Starting point is 00:08:11 you know right so we had top level on the show and we actually asked him um about your whereabouts and what time yeah because had, you was like a no man at one point, right? I'm alive on planet Earth. My country is Earth. I'm from a country called Earth like everybody else. So that's my perspective on life and living in places. I've never heard of this country, Earth. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:08:41 They got an old passport. Yeah, they wore a passport. Yeah, right. Because that'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country.
Starting point is 00:08:50 I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country.
Starting point is 00:08:56 I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country.
Starting point is 00:09:03 I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm a country. I'm other thing. I was living in South Africa and during my stay there I obtained the secondary travel document which is well documented the history of it and the provenance of it and and the like and I obtained one and there was some disagreement between myself and the South African government as it relates to what they qualify as a valid travel document. Oh, shit. And that was the old apartheid, remember? No, I mean, this is post-apartheid, but, you know.
Starting point is 00:09:37 But it's still the remnants. Apartheid has many different outfits these days. So I wouldn't classify it so much as that, but it was an experience. I often invite people to look up the world passport for themselves and just take it from there because I'm not here to make up anybody's mind about anything, but that was a part of my experience.
Starting point is 00:10:01 Okay, so let me not get my hopes up. You said the world's passport? The world passport. If I'm a felon, I cannot fill out for that, right? Let's just be up. You said the world's passport? The world passport. If I'm a felon, I cannot fill out for that, right? Let's just be clear. You have to look it up,
Starting point is 00:10:09 but I'm sure that there's some exemptions. I just feel like I'm not going to be an exempt. You can't be a citizen and then you're free? Look at my hopes up.
Starting point is 00:10:16 There's information out about it. Anyone is invited to check it out for themselves. Sounds like a community of people need to be a part of this.
Starting point is 00:10:23 I don't want to, you know... What's that shit? Global citizens, they shut me down. Me. Global citizens. I don't want to. Sounds like a community of people needs to be a part of this. I don't want to, you know. What's that say? Global Citizens? They shut me down. Me. Global Citizens? They said, no, nigga, you fell in.
Starting point is 00:10:31 No, but you came on the road. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry.
Starting point is 00:10:39 No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. No entry. I was out of line I was out of line I was out of line In fact They do No they got
Starting point is 00:10:46 Real life No but you're like Y'all go Stay at the W Yeah cause you know why They used to lie to me They used to tell me I had to get vaccines
Starting point is 00:10:53 I had to get shots It depends on the country You're going over there But this was South Africa I went South Africa I didn't know that This was African totality
Starting point is 00:11:01 At this time Until I met Akon And then Akon said Nigga you come come out there, no vaccine, nothing. I don't know if I believe you anymore, Akon. He just sold everything to me. He was like, come on, let's just go. I was just like, I forget you were in Jersey City. Your thing is different.
Starting point is 00:11:19 I forget you were in Jersey City. Wow, shout out to Akon. So let's just get back to this album, right? You guys, these fans have been begging for this album for so long. So on, this is like a two-part question
Starting point is 00:11:39 because on one part, you gave the fans everything they wanted. And then some. And then some. And then some. But to this generation, this might be the most laziest generation I've ever seen. Like, they have Google. No fear of time. Yeah, they have Google and they'll still be like, well, how do I get it, right?
Starting point is 00:12:02 So, I remember a friend of mine's had he threw out a movie and this movie was so hard to download like it wasn't in the so and he was like yo how was people not supporting us we can't find the shit right you understand i'm saying because so how do y'all y'all y'all navigate through this the system of you know these fans that because Luminary Luminary everyone doesn't know this is a
Starting point is 00:12:29 subscription based everyone doesn't know this how do y'all navigate is this the first album like music project on there yeah it is because we know
Starting point is 00:12:37 you do the podcast through there there you go right you knew we did a podcast through there that's right make some noise for me
Starting point is 00:12:43 make some noise for me yeah Make some noise for me. Yes, yes. Yeah, come on, man. Come on, man. I like it. I like it. You got to get the fuck up, man. Come on. Because, I mean, and listen,
Starting point is 00:12:51 I'm not going to differentiate between real and fake fans because who knows what station people are in life or what's going on or what they are in their life to even know that we have. But we have made a choice for a lot of valid reasons
Starting point is 00:13:07 to be in control of where and how we distribute our art. And I think every artist should have that choice, just like every human being should have a choice where to sell their wares at if they got wares to sell.
Starting point is 00:13:20 And so because of that choice to have our podcast on Luminary, people's parties on Luminary, people who have been following us, and I'm not saying real fans, but people who have come on a journey with us, have been following what Yassine Bey has done with art installations, who understand about the albums that he's worked on, who understand, who follow me and Styles P. Al, me and Diamond D album, the ones who go to Netflix to see all Dave Chappelle's specials. These people was already on Luminary. They were already listening to Midnight Miracle. And again, I want to stress, that's not even a judgment or nothing. But at this point in our careers, and because of the way the music business, and I'm speaking for myself, we have to, as men and as artists, focus on not trying to cast a wide net and get everybody right because
Starting point is 00:14:09 even me as a fan as a fan of black star i want to hear black star wherever i feel like hearing it right but me as as a fan of black star i also want to trust black star and i also want to follow black star lead and it and for us it makes sense not to cast a wide net try to get everybody but for the people who are following us and people who are rocking with us, let's get them first. And you know what? We may have vinyl come out. We may do other things.
Starting point is 00:14:31 Oh, no, this is just the beginning. And also, I mean, you know, it's a principled choice. It's not like there's an effort to make it unnecessarily inconvenient for people. I mean, from my point of view, I mean, it seems fairly accessible and like a reasonable distance for any listener to cover. You know, we're consolidating the experience. We're saying you don't have to go
Starting point is 00:14:54 to all of these different places. You can just come right here. And, you know, it's a question of value. If you value what we're doing and we've explained to you, I mean, quite clearly in various formats the reasons why we've chosen to do this
Starting point is 00:15:11 and the principles behind it and what we're trying to establish and what we're trying to reform in many ways that exist in the system then it's a no brainer supporting a historical project with a historical approach. So if that's too cumbersome for you, well, then, like, just stay where you are, to be
Starting point is 00:15:32 quite candid, because, you know, we're not here to just bow to make things, like, convenient for people, per se. We're not complicating the process in this way. If the machine as it exists now was more amenable and fair, well then no problem. But when they like in a legalized criminal enterprise in essence, in my observation, well then, I mean. Like back in the days if you wanted good,
Starting point is 00:15:57 you know, gold fronts, you had to go to Albee Square Mall. You might have gotten robbed in the process. No, no, it's not even that. I mean, it's not even that. I mean, it's not even that. It's like, you know, again, there's a prevailing metric that exists that does not take the artist into consideration at all. It really doesn't take humanity into consideration at all, to be perfectly candid. And what we're doing is a very human thing. So we're not going to let the machine set the pace for us.
Starting point is 00:16:29 When we built the machine, in essence. The machine can't do what we do. Can I ask you, because there's going to be people that listen, artists that don't know there's creative ways to release their music and maintain ownership. And without getting into the details of your business, it seems like what you did here is to maintain ownership, you know, you're going to get something out of putting it out.
Starting point is 00:16:50 Oh, we've already. And you could do something else with it down the line. This is the life of it. I mean, it came out two weeks ago, you know, barely. You know, this is just the beginning. It's not like something that just came out this week and it's going to go away. You know, it's historically preserved. And that's the difference.
Starting point is 00:17:09 And you have to have the confidence of knowing that you're in a position to do that. And knowing that your album, like we called it, No Fear of Time, will stand the test of time. If you're chasing the moment, you're chasing clout, and you're chasing something that's not actually real. It's not a promo run for first quarter, fourth quarter numbers and shit like that, right.
Starting point is 00:17:26 I just want to do a shot with you for no reason. I'm just, you know. I'm just going to, I'm just going to. I think this is the worst. Go, go, go, go. Come on, you want to take a shot, Dave? Come on. Take a shot, Dave.
Starting point is 00:17:36 Take a shot, Dave. Come on, Dave. Take a shot, Dave. I'm just hosting this. Everyone in red cups. Okay. Red cups. Okay, all. Everybody in red cups. Red cups. The red cups are like... This is usually alcoholic cups.
Starting point is 00:17:52 You're watching this. I am. I'm a plastic cup fella. Now, Dave, why are you over here for a second, right? I just want to say, I studied you three nights in a row. All right, you know I'm not allowed to talk.
Starting point is 00:18:08 Please. Okay, no, no, no. You don't have to talk. You don't have to talk. Can you hand me that bottle of nonsense back there? You don't have to talk, but I'm going to be honest. This is the first time I want to tell this to y'all. I have the mic ready, nigga.
Starting point is 00:18:23 I want to tell this to y'all. What? This is probably the first time I was seriously jealous of a comedian because I'm used to, if I have three shows three nights in a row, there's a stabbing.
Starting point is 00:18:42 There's a shootout. I'm almost there Wishing something happens Like I'm there With the first night Friday Everything's perfect I'm like
Starting point is 00:18:52 This can't be The way this works The second night Perfect again And then the third night And I was like And I really thought about it I was like
Starting point is 00:19:01 Yo I'm traumatized Being a hip-hop artist that I don't even feel that going backstage when it's calm is actually normal. I don't know if you remember.
Starting point is 00:19:13 I think it was the third night that we came. I was once backstage at a Wu-Tang show. Complete chaos. Yes, yes. Tell them the difference. Tell them the difference.
Starting point is 00:19:24 Yes, yes. Wait, what story? You was about to get into the story. No, yes. Tell them the difference. Tell them the difference. Yes, yes. Wait, what story? You was about to get into the story. No, no, because. You talking about that night when you was at Dave's show. At Dave's show. I was relaxed.
Starting point is 00:19:34 Where's Darnell? Because Darnell is here. Don't get him started. Darnell. Let me just tell you something. Because I really, you know, the same show that was controversy
Starting point is 00:19:44 that everyone spoke about. I got to see it. I got to see. Like, I felt like he practiced on me. Like, you know, the same show that was controversy that everyone spoke about, I got to see it. I got to see, like, I felt like he practiced on me. Like, you know what I'm saying? I mean, in front of 30,000 other motherfuckers. Right, right, right. But I just took it like this for me, right? So I was like, holy shit.
Starting point is 00:19:59 But then I would go every night and I would see Donnell. And Donnell don't give a fuck. Like, for real. He'snell don't give a fuck. Like for real. He's filthy. I fucking love, damn I like to pick you up. I like to pick you up when you're not around. Come on man, I like to pick you up when you're not around.
Starting point is 00:20:14 Listen, I can't wait for your Netflix special. Alright, thank you. I just want to say. When is your Netflix special? First off, I just want to say this. I know I'm not going to be in here long, right? But the level of disrespect in this motherfucking room right here I swear I saw y'all niggas talking about Allah, all type of shit
Starting point is 00:20:33 Hip-hop and shit You disrespectful, you disrespectful And you disrespectful, and you getting more disrespectful That's all I'm saying And you know why. You know why. Because you dress different. Because you dress different now. Yo, Donna, let me just say something.
Starting point is 00:20:51 Apologize. Apologize. Apologize. The Haylor time machine, when y'all went back. Right. And you was beautiful, right? Nigga, you about to set up a joke. Nigga, I can tell.
Starting point is 00:21:02 I was beautiful. Go ahead. Go ahead. Are you talking about the character? The character. Yes. Okay. Because everybody go with Ashley Larry right now now was that activator it was wiggler Vader no it was to put in a champagne bottle they was like that shit gonna get too messy, right? So I said, do the aerosol joint, right? And that's where the motherfucker was born. But I got,
Starting point is 00:21:28 this is what a lot of people don't know. We did that show 16, 17 hours a day, right? It was times where niggas ain't had no more gas. We did it all at last. We were these niggas, Charlie Murphy,
Starting point is 00:21:38 we were everybody. You cannot think of no funnier shit. And Dave will always figure out this shit to go to the next level. I don't know if y' And Dave will always figure out this shit to go to the next level. I don't know if y'all remember, if you know this show, it was a scene where we was looking at the actors and whatever, they flip a card,
Starting point is 00:21:54 you'd be like, supposed to improv off of it. It was Patrice O'Neal, it was Charlie Murphy, and we was gassed out. We had no more laughs left. I was like, there's no more laughs left. And this nigga said, it looked like she wear boxers. Oh, with dick holes in it. Dick holes in her back. In her back.
Starting point is 00:22:12 In her back, nigga. This was before cancer culture, nigga. In the back, nigga. We was like this. Night, night, it's over. Yeah, but y'all are disrespectful. I am looking forward to coming on the show. No, it's more.
Starting point is 00:22:24 It makes me look like my daughter. It's not time to go. Listen, it's over. Yeah, but y'all are disrespectful. I am looking forward to coming on the show. No, come on. Give me a time to talk about that. Give me a time to talk about that. I'm going to talk. I'm going to talk. I'm going to talk. Nothing happened. All right.
Starting point is 00:22:35 I leave? Nothing happened. You're a bodyguard. I'm going to see you on the keyboard. No, I'm in the back. So describe to this area that we're at right now. This is called The Shack. Describe to us this.
Starting point is 00:22:48 The Shack is an old car garage probably from the 1950s. I didn't change the outside at all, but inside we tricked it out. Right. I would drive by here, and I told my wife one day I was going to buy it. She said, what are you going to do with that shack? I said, what are you going to worry about? What I'm going to do with that shack. I said, what are you going to worry about? What I'm going to do with that shack. What I did was I made this clubhouse.
Starting point is 00:23:09 Nothing fancy. But man, this is like a home for our culture. Yes. It means a lot, Norrie, that you came here. Yes. The last time I saw DMX, we had a great night here. Quality brought them by. Wow.
Starting point is 00:23:24 We've had parties here with Common, with Rhyme, and Freestyle, or Chance the Rapper, all kinds of people just fall through, and we make memories. The walls in here splattered with just random night memories. Photographer Matchy Baton, I think, took all these photos with the exception
Starting point is 00:23:43 of the block party poster. Right. That's me and Mos at a comedy club in London. God damn it. We had a great time that night. We ended up watching the Super Bowl and then in halftime called Colin Kaepernick because we could. Because your life is dope and you do dope shit.
Starting point is 00:24:00 Right. My life is dope and I do dope shit. You know, like, this is a strange place, Ohio, but it's a good place. But the memories we made here are legendary. Things have happened in this room, in this town, people wouldn't even believe. And Kweli's a regular, Yassine's a regular. We recorded some of the Blackstar album here in this room.
Starting point is 00:24:26 So can I say something? Yes, sir. Because a lot of times people move to Miami and say, I'm never coming home. I'm going to stay here. A lot of times
Starting point is 00:24:33 people go to Japan and say, I'm never coming home. I'm staying here. They go to LA. This is probably the first time a person says,
Starting point is 00:24:39 I'm staying in Ohio. I'm never coming back. How did you discover this? Well, you don't know. That needs its own episode. It's real. It's like, look, when LeBron James left Ohio,
Starting point is 00:24:59 I understood. Right. This is not the kind of place that you should stay your whole life. You should leave and then come back not the kind of place that you should stay your whole life. You should leave and then come back. It's a value that you appreciate once you have something to contrast it with.
Starting point is 00:25:11 Leaving New York City was like kicking a drug habit. New York is an addictive motherfucker. There's no place quite like it. Thank God. It's real shit. I know, and I know you feel that way. I'm just saying that. We only need one.
Starting point is 00:25:24 We couldn't deal with another one. Are we supposed to make some noise for I know you feel that way. I'm just saying that. We only need one, we couldn't do it with another one. Are we supposed to make some noise for that? Definitely we're supposed to make some noise for that. We're supposed to make some noise for that. Continue, continue, continue. I mean look, you guys are fucking, like quantum physicists or some shit in the culture. You know, you guys, all of you guys have made albums
Starting point is 00:25:41 I love, like you've scored my life. Right. You know, and you're all made albums I love. Like, you've scored my life. Right. You know, and you're all from New York City. Right. What a fucking amazing phenomenon that the genre of music was created in New York City, and now it's a global phenomenon. Realty. It's no small thing that the boys from New York put together.
Starting point is 00:26:05 You know, any of you niggas I see, Jay or... I once saw Suge Knight across the room. This nigga was eating a salad in a restaurant. I was like, there he goes. After all that shit, then he was eating a salad. Iceberg, you remember? It looked like Caesar from a crazy movie. You know, that nigga never looks right after he eats a Caesar salad,
Starting point is 00:26:29 because it's that like, that ring and shit around his mouth. Yeah, niggas wild like. Yeah, man, but it means a lot. You know, that night DMX came over. Khalia called him. He was five hours late. Who, DMX? Yeah. Oh, yeah, that night DMX came over. Khalid called him. He was five hours late. Who, DMX? Yeah.
Starting point is 00:26:47 Oh, yeah, that's normal. No. No, it was remarkable. He was late because he didn't want to come to my home empty-handed, he said. Oh, no, he does that. He brings games. He went to his trunk, and I mean, we're in the middle of nowhere. This nigga had crab legs. Oh, he did that tomorrow.
Starting point is 00:27:04 He did that tomorrow. That's good. We sat here, we watched a game, we had a great conversation, we was karaoke-ing songs, and then we went to my house, and DMX cooked a crab dinner for me and all my friends. My wife woke up in the middle of the night and saw DMX in the kitchen tasting sauces and soups he made. It blews he made. Right.
Starting point is 00:27:25 It blew a fucking mind. Right. Yeah, we're in the middle of nowhere, but it's wherever we put it. Right. Right. Me and Blackstar
Starting point is 00:27:33 do our podcast right here at this bar. Right. This is a very safe place for me. Right. You have to come here We're coming up with our private
Starting point is 00:27:40 luminary show for here. We're going to come out here every week. You got to come fuck with us. Yeah. I mean, we fuck with us. Yeah. I mean, we do the thing. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:27:47 I respect that. This is a home for our culture. I'm honored you're here, man. Cheers to Drake Chance. Cheers to Drake Chance. Cheers to Drake Chance. Whatever Donnell's complaining about. Cheers to that, too.
Starting point is 00:28:01 But let me tell you something, Dave. Our show is about giving people their flowers and giving people their praises now. And I'm going to just tell you something. I've seen the likes of, I was too young for Richard Pryor, so I came Eddie Murphy. I remember when people went to go see Eddie Murphy movies and they got dipped. Like they was taking pictures for the movie. Like they were in the movie. And I've seen these comedians run.
Starting point is 00:28:26 And I've always seen people go Hollywood and, you know, leave certain people. The thing that stress you about Dave is you always have hip hop with you. Man, let me tell you something. My parents were split up, so I grew up in D.C. I grew up out here in Ohio. My father lived here. I've always associated this place with relaxing, and I went to middle school here.
Starting point is 00:28:53 Middle school, there was a guy, must have been 12 years old, that was a homie. This nigga had, remember them niggas used to wear high socks and had boom boxes? He was one of them niggas. Like Radio Raheem a little bit. Like that, but his socks were high.
Starting point is 00:29:10 This motherfucker played Eric B. as president. One day when we were playing basketball in my driveway, I couldn't fucking believe it. Make him, make him, make him clap to this. Thank you, DJs. And that beat drop, boy, I get emotional thinking about it. Make them, make them, make them clap to this. Thank you, DJs. And that beat drop, boy, I get emotional thinking about it. There was a guy, Frank Ski, he does the radio in Atlanta now, but he was in Baltimore.
Starting point is 00:29:34 That nigga had a hip-hop show. And I'd go home to D.C. to see my mother, and I could barely get his station, but I recorded with the tape recorder off the radio. I loved hip-hop music. Being in New York was my destiny. And it's weird, I met Talib Kweli at a De La Soul show in Kenyon College in Ohio. Whoa. Stay live, it was Kweli, it was a guy named Truth Be No Lie, they killed that show.
Starting point is 00:30:07 It's not Potholes, it's Potholes. No, no, they did all the stuff. I need someone to show me. And that night me and Kweli hit it off. Kweli's mean when you first meet him. Everyone says that about you. He's mean. I said, what are you about to make me mean?
Starting point is 00:30:26 I swear to God. He said, I'm going to make the baseball hat the biggest hat this world has ever seen. What is he talking about? Drink champs and baseball hats. I don't understand. I don't understand. He's talking about drink champs. I don't understand.
Starting point is 00:30:37 But, anyway, I met Kweli that night. Months, not many months later. One or two months later. Weeks. Right. I was in New York City. I met Kweli that night, not many months later, one or two months later, weeks. I was in New York City, I was driving down the street, and I was caught in a red light. Tyler Kweli ran up to my car and goes, yo, Dave, we just met.
Starting point is 00:30:55 This is the second time I ever met him. I go, hey, hey, how are you? He goes, I'm great, man. I'm recording with my friends at Electric Lady Lane. He goes, pull up. Electric Lady, Jimmy Hendrix Studio. Jimmy Hendrix Studio, right on 8th Street. The white cat.
Starting point is 00:31:07 That white cat is very scary. West 8th Street, Manhattan. He's very scared. I pulled up. Man, these niggas had the whole building. D'Angelo was in the basement, and the Roots was on one floor, and Badu was head of session on another floor. All the way up to the top, on the top floor, was quality session.
Starting point is 00:31:26 Right. And that day, I don't know if you remember this, you laid a verse for a Common song, Common was in there too, called The Questions. It was me, you, it was your session, Dilla, motherfucking James, that's the first time I met Dilla, James Poison was there. It was when I was bragging, killing him softly. And from them sessions,
Starting point is 00:31:51 we all became good friends. I'd never seen music recorded. I'd never met niggas my age who had stamps in their passport. Like I did. No, we were young. We were young. Right.
Starting point is 00:32:06 The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and bestselling author and meat eater founder, Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
Starting point is 00:32:47 So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun?
Starting point is 00:33:14 Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multibillion-dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission.
Starting point is 00:33:42 This is Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:34:03 Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st, and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No.
Starting point is 00:34:29 It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story,
Starting point is 00:35:11 listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild-haired priests
Starting point is 00:35:24 trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell-bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. Somebody violated the FBI, and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. The FBI went around to all their neighbors and said to them, do you think these people are good Americans? It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of the century, and the goddamnedest love story you've ever heard. I picked up the phone, and my thought was,
Starting point is 00:35:57 this is the most important phone call I'll ever make in my life. I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. You can now binge all 10 episodes of Divine Intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel
Starting point is 00:36:42 seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide and hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:37:34 When I did Chappelle's show, it was not long after that, I said I want to do music on the show. The thing with Mos and the car was because we was driving with Mos in a motherfucking Sprinter van, and he would make the driver play beats and would just be like rhyming over beats Like the footage I just played Like the footage I just played
Starting point is 00:37:48 It was just like that I mean but I wasn't driving It was all just in a whip And y'all singing Would be rhyming And we was like Yo people would Want to see this
Starting point is 00:37:56 Like Like It was an alchemy With culture These motherfuckers Was doing something It was like An exciting time I remember I took
Starting point is 00:38:06 Common, you know that singer Bilal? Me, Common Bilal, bunch of niggas from Electric Ladyland went to the Comedy Cellar in New York. They'd never seen live comedy before. I like that. It's 120 seats. That room, the Comedy Cellar in New York is very special.
Starting point is 00:38:21 That was the first place where Richard Pryor saw Bill Cosby perform. It's very special. That was the first place where Richard Pryor saw Bill Cosby perform. It's that kind of room. Wow. It's one of those New York rooms. Only in New York. It makes history
Starting point is 00:38:37 like that. When I showed up there I was 17. John Stewart was 27. I remember Ray Romano used to sell mattresses. But hip-hop's like that. Wait, did you say mattresses? Ray Romano used to sell, like, mattresses. I don't remember.
Starting point is 00:38:53 I mean, you know what I mean? Niggas was comedians, but they had... That wasn't their main... They had a whole other life. I remember one night, it was me and a bunch of comedians. All these niggas said, what'd you do before you did comedy? One nigga was like,
Starting point is 00:39:07 I was gonna play professional baseball. I was in the farm, that's Greer. Another guy was a Wall Street trader, walked off the floor, said, he's just like, I can't do this anymore, and just started doing stand-up full-time. I mean, all kinds of stories like that. And then they get to me, they go,
Starting point is 00:39:22 Dave, what'd you do before you did comedy? I said, I was of stories like that. And then they get to me. They go, Dave, what did you do before you did comedy? I said, I was an eighth grader. Anyway, when I did Chappelle's show, and I wanted to do music, I couldn't get people to come on. I would reach out to artists, and they'd be like... Like, who could you remember that you tried to get? I'm not going to say any names. No worries. He's a dirty motherfucker for doing that.
Starting point is 00:39:49 I definitely want to take another shot. You want to take another shot? Niggas you know and love and I know and love said no. But in their defense, no one ever heard of this show, anything. No, but Half-Baked was such a culture move. Yeah, but Half-Baked was like a terrible movie until I made it. No! Do you know I made a song called Half-Baked and everything?
Starting point is 00:40:12 Do you know I made a video? Don't make me be the first nigga to cry on Drink Train. We gonna give Half-Baked his flowers, man. Make going to get half-baked and flourished, man. You're half-baked. You're going to take your half-baked, man. Make some noise for half-baked. By the way, let me not only say, hold on, hold on. Not only that, but when I went to Maui for my first time,
Starting point is 00:40:38 and the guy gave me Maui Wowie, I said, are you serious? I said, motherfucker, I didn't think that was real. I was like I'm doing this for a Dave Chappelle movie Oh bro Don't get me talking about that But
Starting point is 00:40:49 To finish the story Okay Sorry No No worries I have I have a big Got his flowers
Starting point is 00:40:56 Yes Okay What I was going to say is Okay When we did Chappelle's show, these were the cats that pulled up. Yaseen Most was the first nigga that, I mean, fella, excuse me.
Starting point is 00:41:12 No, it's fine. Ever performed on Chappelle's show. Kweli, the second person, ever performed on Chappelle's show. First time I heard Kanye West, this nigga played a Get By remix that everybody, I think he was on it, nigga. I think everybody, this nigga might a Get By remix that everybody, I think he was on it. I think everybody, this nigga might have done a verse. The whole New York did
Starting point is 00:41:30 the fucking Get By remix. But Kanye's verse at first, when he said the thing about Miracle Whips, I remember I rewinded it. What was that boy, who is that guy? What happened? Who wants me over there? Oh, my bad.
Starting point is 00:41:49 You snigger, this snigger was texting me. Move that nigger five feet to the left. So, Donnell, come over here too. Everyone come over here for one second, because this is the funny part. This is all funny. We know, yeah, yeah yeah go over there we know we and and and dave yeah me and ty live has always been great i felt like after i had a certain
Starting point is 00:42:22 person on my show we even got tighter which is not heard of because when certain things like that happen, most people, you separate. I was with Talib when that drink champs came out. Okay, so I had to warn him. The EFN called each other Or I called you Or you called me Or whatever we called each other And we said We can't let this come out Without us telling
Starting point is 00:42:48 Hold on hold on Stay right there Stay right there Without telling Talib first Without telling Talib first So I would like to ask y'all Where was y'all at When y'all first heard
Starting point is 00:42:58 Kanye say This was not the Kennedy assassination First of all Where were you I'll never forget it. I was eating mashed potatoes when it came across the wire. Across the tube.
Starting point is 00:43:12 Shots fired. But we were together. We were in Denver. Yeah, we were in Denver. And what happened in Denver? Because y'all getting high, obviously. Look, look. No, no, no, Norrie.
Starting point is 00:43:26 The only reason we're even smoking and drinking and entertaining this tomfoolery is because we're on a show called Drink Champs. That's right. It's all my fault. That's right. That's right. What do you mean, Drink Champs? I'm standing next to the Drink Champ.
Starting point is 00:43:42 Nobody's fucking with him. So y'all in Denver, and what happens? I don't remember. Listen, no, no, no, listen. Pop culture is a desert right now. And your show is an anomaly. And that Kanye West interview you did was one of my favorite things that I've seen in all of pop culture in recent history. Sincerely.
Starting point is 00:44:15 I fuck with Kanye. But man, I ain't seen him like that in a minute. It was funny. It was engaging. And then this nigga had to go in on Kweli's hat. On his hat, you said? He went on Kweli's hat. I forgot about his hat.
Starting point is 00:44:35 He said something about Kweli making baseball hats pop out of the hat. Ain't no disrespect, nigga. I laughed. I laughed. Because I would like to beat you up, Talib, because honestly, I could tell the first two days we spoke, you were hot.
Starting point is 00:44:51 I could tell, but you trusted me as a friend. And I really respect that. Because you knew I said, yo, Talib, I couldn't stop anything. You know, like once a person starts to go and a person of that caliber is just like, damn, what do I do?
Starting point is 00:45:07 I can't throw a muzzle on them. But you could have took this the wrong, wrong way. You could have called... What are you talking about? No, Kyle, what are you talking about? No, because... Kill that motherfucker. Put that baseball hat comment.
Starting point is 00:45:25 Nobody makes fun of my hats. This nigga was not hot at all. I was with him when he saw it. He was laughing immediately. Yeah, he was not. But my first two calls, I was nervous. Okay. But then the third and fourth and every one,
Starting point is 00:45:43 you kind of like just brushed it off and was just like but you said something to me that was very very probably the most popular uh probably most illest things i've ever heard in my life you said to me the thing about kanye is even when he disses you he helps you and you said the problem with him is he knows that i i do remember saying that oh boy nailed it i agree with that so i didn't hear this i heard a diss i'm because you be wearing them heads i heard an alley-oop i did have fun with it, but, you know. No, you're not allergic to smoke, are you?
Starting point is 00:46:29 No, I ain't gonna lie. I think it's the American spirit. But it's okay. I'm good. My bad, bro. Get in there. It's okay. So, Tyler.
Starting point is 00:46:38 I know this is good, but I have to do it. No, no, no. Smoke, smoke, smoke. So, Tyler. Eat chips. Do your thing. Are you getting phone calls? How is this?
Starting point is 00:46:47 How is this? I mean, obviously, me and EFN called you. But the episode drops. Are you getting phone calls? How does this work for you? Oh, yeah, that was good times. It was good times. It felt like, you know what it felt like?
Starting point is 00:47:02 It felt like having a hit record out. Wow. That's what it felt like? It felt like having a hit record out. Wow. Yes. That's how it felt. The way that I remember, like, when Get By was out. Wow, that's how it felt. Just to get by. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:47:11 It just, so it just, you know, it reminded me of what Kanye meant to the culture. And, you know, the hat shit was funny to me. Right. It was hilarious. I laughed. I didn't even realize you wear hats like that. No, but it's funny. I was like that No but it's funny Until then I was like
Starting point is 00:47:26 It's funny because Nora you helped me Because y'all put it In two parts right So it was a cliffhanger Right And the first part He just dissed me
Starting point is 00:47:33 And I didn't see The second part So the first part I was like Oh that was weird But the second part You was like Yo but didn't you
Starting point is 00:47:39 Just see him And what you was Talking about was Pictures at my Dave Chappelle Comedy show Which was on my birthday I DJ'd I'm DJing see him and what you was talking about was pictures at my dave chapelle comedy show which was on my birthday i dj'd i'm djing dave says kanye gonna show up kanye shows up no security nothing i'm like okay i'm gonna play all kanye set he sat next to me we had a great time
Starting point is 00:47:57 that was like a month before i saw him on drink chairs where was this at this At the stand. I broke it up. Oh, that was a swell night. Yeah. And Busta was there, too. Busta was there that night, too. Busta Rhymes, by the way, for the public, is the kind of nigga, you forget how much you love him until you see him. That's right. The more you see him, you want to just... He'll remind you with his hug.
Starting point is 00:48:19 No, man. Because his hug is serious. It is. But even if you didn't know, just seeing his face makes you want to tear the club up. That's right. You get. But even if you didn't know, it's just seeing his face makes you want to tear the club up. That's right. You get the eyebrow going up real quick. But nah, you know, it was my birthday, so I had all my people with me.
Starting point is 00:48:33 Okay. A lot of Flatbush niggas. A lot of baseball hats. So when Kanye said, it's going to be 12 niggas with baseball hats, I knew exactly which niggas he was talking about. You know what I'm saying? And we were on a group chat.
Starting point is 00:48:47 You know, you're a certain age, you're on a group chat with your friends from back in the day. We were on a group chat just laughing about this shit. But you know, it was a moment that I had to, I had to have fun with it. Because I got a lot of love for Kanye. And he seemed, there was underlying context behind that.
Starting point is 00:49:07 You know, it really had nothing to do with bars or common or baseball hats or none of that. It had nothing to do with that. And so for me, there was a part of it. Go ahead. Let me say it in a way. Okay, go ahead. Kanye got a huge platform. Uh-huh.
Starting point is 00:49:21 And I care. And I, you know, I'm like Marlo from The Wire. My name is my name. Right. You don't speak my name is my name right you know I speak my name in no disrespectful way that's how I feel right
Starting point is 00:49:27 and he got a huge platform and I love him and he my friend and he my brother so this was all very I love that about you very conflicting and difficult right
Starting point is 00:49:35 which you've expressed on Drink Champs before right which is why me and to be real right me expressing that on Drink Champs
Starting point is 00:49:41 is what he was responding to yes it was when he said what he had to say yes it was when I saw the documentary and had to say. Yes, it was. When I saw the documentary, and shout out to Cootie because I think he did a great job. No, it was amazing. But when I saw the documentary, there's moments in the documentary of me and Yacine Bay together with Kanye.
Starting point is 00:49:54 And I'll be honest with you, my life was moving so fast at the time. A lot of shows, a lot of drinking, a lot of smoking, a lot of just rap. Hey, hey, hey, don't confess. Hey, this is why there was no broadcast. It's a lot of shit. You got to catch it, Kweli. Hey, hey, hey, don't confess. Hey, it's a lot of shit. You got to catch it, Kweli. Okay, okay, okay. I'm watching this documentary and I don't remember those moments.
Starting point is 00:50:13 And so me not remembering those moments, I had to realize, well, if I don't even remember those moments until I had to see them on film, the people who wasn't there, they definitely don't know about that. So they don't have no context. So I have to stop even considering the context of people who wasn't there. they definitely don't know about that. So they don't have no context. So I have to stop even considering the context of people who wasn't there.
Starting point is 00:50:29 You know what I'm saying? Like, for the people who was there, they know. You know what I'm saying? And that's what that documentary reminded me of. Okay, very briefly, I spoke to consequence. Right? This is when the first episode dropped. By the way, and this has nothing to do with it, but this nigga Consequence, perfect teeth.
Starting point is 00:50:49 Side note. Side note. So, when I spoke of Consequence... I'm sure that's going to be trending. It's going to be trending. So, yeah, see, when I spoke of Consequence,, at first it seemed like he was, you know, a little disgruntled because people was using footage of him that was from early on.
Starting point is 00:51:20 And then later on it seemed like it was like, all right, it was cool. But one of the footage from the Kanye documentary, which you just brought broke up is you kept saying this guy is gonna be the guy yeah Yeah, I did like Yeah, I mean It's fairly obvious to me right I'm in From the from the get-go, where that was headed,
Starting point is 00:51:47 where it already was when we met him. I mean, he was an amazing producer. Um, he had all the star quality.
Starting point is 00:51:59 He was different. He challenged, in my opinion, a lot of the macho notion that's associated with, Different he challenged in my opinion a lot of the Macho notion this associated with What hip-hop specifically like he even just said it recently he said you won't do Four years in college, but you 25 of life. That's the respect to every gangster nigga in the world. No one
Starting point is 00:52:26 Wait he said what he said he won't he said you won't do four years in college, but you do 25 to life. What he's trying to say is. I mean, this is very hood what I'm doing. Yeah. It's all good. Do you have any dental? No, he's saying that's where we place our values. Yeah, where you place our values.
Starting point is 00:52:38 And then he also said, millionaires wear chains. It's also like, you dissing a millionaire? I've never heard this before. But I mean. Who is dissing a millionaire? Kanye. Which millionaire he diss? All of us. He said millions of times.
Starting point is 00:52:50 You ever had to tuck my shit in? I'm talking about me. Well now you look ridiculous. Bring on the head up. Look at this We're hot River fishing boots Made out of nitro rubber
Starting point is 00:53:13 Right I see what you're saying On the documentary And I see what even Dave said When Dave said Like you know He was watching these clips With Kanye
Starting point is 00:53:24 And Kanye was saying I'm dope when I'm doing dope shit But what I'm trying to get from you is When Dave said, when Dave said, like, you know, he was watching these clips with Kanye. And Kanye said, I'm dope when I'm doing dope shit. But what I'm trying to get from you is, what was the actual thing that you knew that this guy was great? You listen to the beats. He did the truth for Beanie Siegel. So you're talking about just the beats? The music. I said, listen, if this guy is 50% as good rhyming as he is with them beats, well, he's going to run away. I mean, Diamond D is another MC producer.
Starting point is 00:53:54 Stunt Smokes and Hip Hop is a classic. Pete Rock, who even just kind of flirted with rhyming sometimes, whatever he would do, it was a pure thing. High Tech is the same way. Dylan's the same way. Pharrell. Pharrell. Kanye just took it to the fullest extension where he was like, no, and people weren't trying
Starting point is 00:54:16 to accept Kanye because he didn't fit into the archetype of what has been sold as a solo rapper image. At that time. At that time, He changed the paradigm for what was possible in terms of an audience connecting with not just the music,
Starting point is 00:54:35 but also an approach. I mean, the whole thing with the college dropout, with the mascot, all that, it's like, it's art. You know what I'm saying? It wasn't about him,
Starting point is 00:54:44 you know, I'm on the block doing this and this and that. But he made songs that appealed to everybody, no matter where you were. You know, it was just good music. I mean, you know, good life is not about some sort of macho posture. It's just dope, you know? So that's what I appreciate about him. And I saw what Puff was doing with No Way Out.
Starting point is 00:55:05 I was like, if that's working, I know just Puff, but Puff is not rhyming like Kanye. Puff is not even rhyming like Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre is going in on those bars, whether he wrote them or not. He sounds fantastic. They not say that Puff doesn't, but it's just, you know, it's another hemisphere.
Starting point is 00:55:25 Kanye was like, he said it, ain't nobody, don't kill you, go and get it, ain't nobody cold as this, do the rap and the track, triple, double, no assists. It's like he's telling you. And when you have that type of talent musically, well then naturally you have something interesting to say, man. Through the wires, it's the most rock and roll shit ever. Who does a verse with a jaw wire shot after they, you know, like, and this is their response to, like, flying out of the window of a moving car that they're driving,
Starting point is 00:55:54 like, you know, in their barely 30 or, like, in their early 30s or some shit. It's like, that's a serious thing. So, yeah, it was just always evidence to me he had the vision after he came out with graduation let me tell you a story so graduation i hope i don't have nothing on my teeth because i was no you're good um what kind of food was you eating those i was very simple like a chicken wing and some rice okay um But thanks for asking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And a Reese's Pieces. Yeah, that was ill. It's an aperitif.
Starting point is 00:56:27 I'll have another one now. All right. So Kanye, this is before graduation, and this is around the time that it was that whole thing between him and 50, like who's going to have
Starting point is 00:56:40 the better first week of Barack, who's going to be the king of hip hop. Yeah. And, you know, this is 50 post Get Rich Is That Trying.
Starting point is 00:56:50 So 50's like up. You know, his presence is up. It's like Get Rich Is That Trying is like, I don't care what you feel about, you know, gangster rap or even 50 himself, but that shit is classic.
Starting point is 00:57:04 I mean, that is a classic record. Right. So, 50's up. Right. And he's loaded up with another one and nobody really knows
Starting point is 00:57:12 who this is going to be because people forget the power of the dollar 50, like when 50 was like spitting. I was on that album, sir. Yeah. Yes.
Starting point is 00:57:19 So you know, like 50 was like... I never got paid, it's cool. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not disgruntled. I feel you. That label never paid you?
Starting point is 00:57:29 Yeah, uh-uh. He still owes me a favor. Right, right on. I hear that. A favor, baby. I deposited in the field. That would be a label, bro. It wasn't him.
Starting point is 00:57:37 Hey, man. Right. Hey, man. Slightly, I seem finished. So, it was that whole battle that they, you know, they were very happy to have a man. Connie had a listening session that was in a movie theater. I'll never forget it, it was right over there by um...
Starting point is 00:57:57 Chelsea? No, it was like in the back of the old death chamber, like in the 40s and 50s, like just off there, like by where Cats, the Cats Theater is. You walk that Jam building, like in the 40s and 50s, like just off there, like by where Cats, the Cats Theater is. You walk that block over, it's like 40. Oh, by Broadway.
Starting point is 00:58:09 By the Winter Garden. By the Winter Garden. It's not Sony Studios, but it's like 49th and not, I think it's, no, it's before 10th, so it's like 9th. It's right there on the corner
Starting point is 00:58:21 where that old, yeah, that old Def Jam, the Universal used to, so anyway, it was a local movie theater that was there. And what Kanye did is that It's right there on the corner where the old yeah, the old Def Jam the universities to say anyway It was a local movie theater that was there and what Kanye did is that you came into the movie theater He had programs For like all of the songs and some of the lyrics and all that so so caramel popcorn and edited visuals from anime movies that he liked and played that in sync to the music
Starting point is 00:58:49 the moment that he did that and the moment that i left there that did i was like kanye wins i don't care what 50 cent got in in the tank he is not beating this album at this time it's just no way it was so creative it was farming good morning this graduation is like it's like a thriller moment that people actually know a proper properly appropriately appreciate for this I mean and they shot it I've always felt like they try to hate on it because he really sold a million records in a day I don't care what they say I don't know shit about the space program this is the balance between the two he they say he sold 900 his first day release not the first week it's the first day if I'm not mistaken it's either the first week or first day or I believe it's the first day 50 sold
Starting point is 00:59:38 700,000 copies this is before Spotify and all of this Kanye sold 900,000 pieces which means he saw the millions and he don't want to get off right it off Let's just say let's quit playing games. I can't Get the record industry Like floating for at least the next five years with that and it helped them transition into this whole streamer model because they were just sitting on cash i mean who who performs like that it wasn't coldplay it wasn't youtube it wasn't any it wasn't any other genre it was kanye west with a beautifully cleanly produced album there was pure hip-hop Barnes Like what are we even Talking about This shit was Out of control And um
Starting point is 01:00:27 Yeah I was like 50s He don't have nothing In response to that I mean he's You know he's He was riding in the tide That Kanye created
Starting point is 01:00:36 In my opinion And From an observer's Point of view For me It felt like a referendum On the On the
Starting point is 01:00:43 You be using words I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, but I'm just... They clapping back, they clapping back. I'm just, I've been, this whole time, I've been like, yep. I haven't been knowing nothing. A referendum is like, you know the referendum,
Starting point is 01:00:56 it's like a vote. It's almost like a public petition. Okay. Right. Yeah. It's not exactly a vote, but it's like, but something that happens before a vote. Okay.
Starting point is 01:01:06 But they have sign of cultural referendums, like, this side or this side is going to determine the cultural direction for this group for at least
Starting point is 01:01:19 the next five years, if not the full generation. And, in my opinion, that's what Kanye West's graduation album did it opened up the paradigm creatively for what could be viewed as groundbreaking and inventive and also having big scale. And there was no one at that type of pop culture scale who was being that creative. You know, particularly in hip-hop.
Starting point is 01:01:53 So it's a big moment for the culture. I mean, and, you know, this kid from Chicago that everybody stepped on because he was wearing hard-bottom shoes and, you know, fucking cardigans with button down shirts, but not everybody dresses like that. Or at least wants to. Kanye just stayed true to himself.
Starting point is 01:02:13 I think this was the real parable. It's not about following a style that somebody introduced to you. It's about being you. And this whole notion. So let me ask you. There was a cover, right? I believe it was you,
Starting point is 01:02:29 Black Thought... And Farrow Mars? And Farrow Mars. That's Source Magazine. Source Magazine. Source Magazine cover. This is Backpack. No, I mean...
Starting point is 01:02:42 Okay, let me tell you what the outsiders looking in were saying. Backpack hip-hop is at the forefront now. I guess, but you know what I mean? Even that... You remember the cover.
Starting point is 01:02:57 But even the backpack culture never accepted that terminology either. It was like it's something that people came up with to try to like... You know, I get what people coming from with it, but it was like, it's something that people came up with to try to like, you know, I get what people coming from with it, but it was like, it never stuck
Starting point is 01:03:09 because it doesn't have any gravity to it. It's like, what do you mean? Wait, backpack? So, so, so, is that a good cycle term? No, it's not.
Starting point is 01:03:15 You know what it is? It's like, okay, so I grew up in Flatbush, Flatlands area. It's a two-fair zone. And so when we went to, at that time, Greenwich Village,
Starting point is 01:03:28 Lower East Side, to go to parties in the city, we hopped into Turnstile. We had backpacks on. And it was a very practical New York City thing. Shit, the backpack was also to be like a sign of danger. I used to be like a deuce, deuce, and a trade deuce in my bubble goose. Then I'd pack a gat in my lap and say, who cares about what it was? But then you started seeing then you start seeing
Starting point is 01:03:48 in hip hop videos you start seeing Grand Puba with the backpack on then you have kids from the suburbs coming to the city let me tell you
Starting point is 01:03:54 wearing empty backpacks at the shows let me tell you where backpacks became frowned upon backpacks and gangster culture Was simultaneously
Starting point is 01:04:06 At one time We ran And the same It was one video What they do The Roots It separated Backpack
Starting point is 01:04:18 And gangster That sounds personal Cause it did It did No because you know What it did Everything that Represented gangster The Roots had dissed At that moment personal Cuz it does it did no because you know what it did Everything that represented gangsta the roots had dissed at that moment
Starting point is 01:04:32 Damn I'm full man hip-hop right now No Norris Let me play some outside baseball some outside baseball Okay, here I go okay, well we got the most bitches win Okay had bitches. Yes. But you remember what they do? Who do? The Roots. What they do? Oh, yeah. I remember the video. You remember the video?
Starting point is 01:05:08 And this is what happened. Yes. And I love that video. Yes. And it was clever. Right. But there was more bitches at the Biggie show
Starting point is 01:05:16 than there was at the Roots one. More, more, more particularly there's more bitches at the Nas show. Okay, but that didn't come yet. What they do was before Nas.
Starting point is 01:05:28 Nas, let me tell you something. What they do is before your man. No, let me tell you something. I don't know if it was before your man. No, no, no. It was. I remember me and Nas having a meeting and him saying, that is about me. Y'all have a meeting about this?
Starting point is 01:05:41 I'm saying you're bunking, son. This is not about you at all. But remember, when they're chasing the rapper through, where they chasing the rapper through at? Queensbridge? No, in the projects. Not Queensbridge. Any projects in America, what every project
Starting point is 01:05:57 looks the same. So I remember that. That was the time. This is a long grudge, nigga. I can't believe you still have trauma over there. What they do, Remember that. That was the time. This is a long grudge, nigga. I can't believe. I can't believe that you still have trauma over there. That What They Do video. Fuck them backpack niggas.
Starting point is 01:06:15 Cut that out, Noreen. No, I can't believe it. But he sounded like, you know, he sounded like Memphis Bleak talking about the Nassau. No, because you know what was crazy to me? Was when Kanye said that. He said, I was faking being a backpack rapper. Yeah, that was crazy. Boot Camp. People from Boot Camp came at us and said,
Starting point is 01:06:34 yo, we want to respond to Kanye. And I was like, I don't think they were talking about you at all. Yeah, I don't think he was talking about me. He was talking about Buckshot. Buckshot's people hit us And me and his video was more funny We were more funny
Starting point is 01:06:50 We were like the biggest Remember the Who Got the Prize video Buckshot 5 foot with the backpacks jumping around And that was the first Is that considered taste that rap? That's why they felt that way They felt they brought in... By the way, big up Luke Hamcliffe, big up Buckshot.
Starting point is 01:07:08 No, no, no. That's my family. That's my family. But I didn't understand that when Buck... It's because they had the backpack. No, he took it. They took it personal. When Buckshot performs, he wears a backpack.
Starting point is 01:07:23 I just did the Apollo with KRS-One. Buckshot came with the backpack and you know what now I get now I get it Now I get what he was doing He put the backpack on the ground and he turned around like this That's what he did now I understand what he was doing right who bucks yeah, yeah, yeah, he was making a statement About backpacks but Kanye definitely was talking about the underground scene which I was saying because that was a scene that was supporting him It's true, guys. It's a Puerto Rican beer. It's a Puerto Rican beer. Feliz Navidad, nigga. Latin Santa Claus ass nigga. You're not approved, man.
Starting point is 01:08:15 He's approved. Boy, you got to slow down. Let's go. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the MeatEater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser-known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests
Starting point is 01:08:45 such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best-selling author and meat-eater founder Stephen Rinella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say, it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve
Starting point is 01:09:05 into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.
Starting point is 01:09:37 Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them. From Lava for Good But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1. Taser Incorporated.
Starting point is 01:10:02 I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Starting point is 01:10:30 In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask... I'm Leon Nafak, co-creator of Slow Burn.
Starting point is 01:10:58 In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention.
Starting point is 01:11:35 This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild-haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell-bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. Somebody violated the FBI, and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. The FBI went around to all their neighbors and said to them, do you think these people are good Americans? It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of the century, and the goddamnedest love story you've ever heard. I picked up the phone, and my thought was, this is the most important phone call I'll ever make in my life.
Starting point is 01:12:13 I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. You can now binge all 10 episodes of Divine Intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company. The podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there's so many stories out there. And if you can
Starting point is 01:13:05 find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good Company on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hold on, hold on. Let's take a shot. You guys want a shot? Let's take a shot.
Starting point is 01:13:47 Let's take a shot, man. Because listen, our show is about giving people their flowers. We want to give all three of y'all flowers. Your show is about getting fucked up, and this is not a good one. It's also about getting fucked up. You know what I'm saying? And Kanye said on your show that the Blackstar album, it's the best album since Dark Fantasy.
Starting point is 01:14:02 So let's talk more about that. Yes, yes, yes. Wait, wait, wait. He did say that. Now, I visited Kanye once. Let's take a shot. Let's take a shot. Cheers to him.
Starting point is 01:14:12 You visited Kanye. The only reason we're talking about him is because he's our friend and he's a superstar. Yes, he's a great guy. Yes. Look, I went and went visiting once in Wyoming. He played for me, what at the time he called Donda. Man, you might have to cut this out, but boy, I got to say it. It was incredible.
Starting point is 01:14:36 First bar on the record, I guess you had just played on the Black Star album. In the first bar on his album, he said, I just heard the new Black Star. Feels good to be new Black Star. Feels good to be a Black Star. Man, it was the old Kanye. It wasn't the old Kanye. It was the forever Kanye. Like, that was Kanye, man. He was just in the pocket. Now, he played this album. He raved about the Black Star album. And when Donda came out, not a single song he played for me that day was on it. But whatever that shit was that he played was incredible. Right.
Starting point is 01:15:10 Yeah. I got to tell you, from the outside looking in, and this includes you, Nori. Holy shit, I'm in. Listen. I remember wanting to tear the fucking cushions apart in a club when Super Thug came on. Holy shit. I'm not joking. Tear the cush on. Oh shit. I'm not joking. Tear the cushions in the club?
Starting point is 01:15:27 I'm not joking. I remember. Okay. When the first Black Star album came out, I bought a Lexus at the time that was, it's quite the car. And I would bump that Black Star out all around Manhattan.
Starting point is 01:15:41 Is this 1998, the first album? It was, as soon as it came out. And I met this nigga while it was happening. Man, you're Talib Kweli. I met him. I didn't recognize him. And he was so mean. Everyone says you mean. Everyone says you mean. I'm the only one that can't believe. No, I'm fucking around. I'm fucking around. No, no. Everyone says this about him. Not everybody says this. No. I mean, watch it.
Starting point is 01:16:07 Tierra Wax said it. That's okay. Tierra Wax said it. Quali is not mean, but he's quali. His eyes make you feel like he's judging you because he's so smart. Stop looking at me that way. Smarty pants. That's what a stranger would say.
Starting point is 01:16:28 It was a wild serendipitous time. They were scoring a moment in my life, and I met them in the moment they were scoring. I've heard their music before I met them. Oh, you're that guy from Bump in the Car. Hip-hop was still like that back then. Wow. Beautiful. Right.
Starting point is 01:16:47 Everybody's trapping now. Yeah. No, not everybody. We're not trapping. No, you know what I mean. You heard that new Kendrick? No, I heard the new video. The video's crazy.
Starting point is 01:16:58 It's beautiful. Yeah, we love it. By the way, but there's real hip-hop left, you're saying? Of course. Well, I mean, there's real everything left. Uh-huh. There's real people alive all the time
Starting point is 01:17:09 doing things. Yeah, you just got to curate your own thing. You got to be a conscious consumer. You have to, you don't have to, but it would be wise
Starting point is 01:17:18 to be in charge of what you take in. Or not, you know. We'll be fine. But it's not like we're like, whatever we have, whatever we need,
Starting point is 01:17:28 we've always had. Everything that we need, we have now. That doesn't mean we don't want or even need more. Things can't be better, but I'm very grateful to be alive today
Starting point is 01:17:40 and to be who I am and doing what I'm doing. That shit was mad smart. Let's just make some noise for that. Yeah! Nigga, that's the simplest, smartest way ever. Well, it's just being, you know, just natural. I mean, I'm not a genius about everything.
Starting point is 01:17:57 What's your favorite country you visit? My favorite country to visit? Yeah. Switzerland? How many people would be ready to say, question? Never. You never ask just a seriously I know but I want to say but then I don't want everybody to come to that country Angola no where North Africa Africa where yeah East Africa keep going you might as well keep going. Yeah. My favorite place that I've visited so far in my life is Zanzibar.
Starting point is 01:18:32 Zanzibar. Yeah. I'm eight at a restaurant in 34th Street. All right. For Zanzibar. All right. All right. How's music at all?
Starting point is 01:18:43 Not related. Not related. Who's on Zanzibar? I went to Howard University for a party. Down the block from Def Jam. Are you taking a shot? We're taking a shot. This is what we do in our show. This is called Quick Time. Let me take a baby, man.
Starting point is 01:19:04 You always do this. Are you taking a shot? Okay. You taking a shot? What are we doing? This is what we do. In our show, this is called Quick Time Slime. Hold on, let me take a baby, man. You always do this. It's okay, I got you. I'm holding you down. I just want to say this is my fourth time with Dre Chips.
Starting point is 01:19:16 This is my first. This is his first. And I'm going to eat in like a half an hour. We need to eat for the five times next time I come. I need a jacket. You got 3,400 calories on this. You can sign that on a chain. You can get like five times.
Starting point is 01:19:24 You need to sign that on a chain's next time I come. I need a jacket. You got thirty-four hundred guys on this. Or a chain. Or a chain. Like you get like five Tom's, you need a five Tom's club. Or a chain. So who else is in the club? Jay Da Kiss would be in it?
Starting point is 01:19:35 Yes. Fat Joe. Fat Joe and Ja Rule. Yeah. So Jay Da Kiss, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, they all four? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. They all four?
Starting point is 01:19:44 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I ain't gonna lie. Yes, yes. Yeah, by the way, K-Sauce. I'll save you some later. Thank you, Tyler. Thank you, Kyle. Always convenient for me. And it's been a couple of times I thought I fucked up your money because I got you drunk and then you had to go to the show. You did fuck up my money.
Starting point is 01:19:56 Yeah, and I was listening. That's on me. That's on me. I was calling you. That was my first time with Drink Champs. I know better now. Pace myself. Oh, pace yourself.
Starting point is 01:20:04 I took a nap and fell asleep. It was a problem. I was on Drink Champs in a tank top, bro. I thought I was Dave. Pace myself. Oh, pace yourself. I took a nap and fell asleep a little. I was on Drink Champs in a tank top, bro. I thought I was Dave. It was 2014. I told Noid today, I said, we didn't dress up for you, but we kind of did. Let's make some noise for me. I dressed like this all the time, though. I was ready to dance.
Starting point is 01:20:29 No, no, definitely. What does the E and the F and the N stand for? My full name, Eric Fernando Naciendi. What's your name? What's your name? I am Eric Fernando Naciendi. Because before, it was DJ Funky. DJ Funky.
Starting point is 01:20:44 DJ Funky. DJ Funky. Yo, one of my favorite songs I ever did was with DJ EFN. Me and DJ EFN. And Redman. And Recognize. It's a great song. Paradise.
Starting point is 01:20:56 Dope record, dope video. Okay, Dave. We don't have one together. We getting one together because we doing a dream chant. This is Quick Time with Slime. Dave, you don't have to. This is just an answer.
Starting point is 01:21:07 You don't have to say nothing. This is a multiple choice question. You played this game before, right? I played this before, yes. Let me get you some Japanese whiskey. All right, before we play this game. You want some Dominican Mama Juan? Fill up your shot glasses.
Starting point is 01:21:22 Damn. So if y'all pick double. It's like hanging out with the devil. Everybody throw your shot glass. I love that, by the way. No, no, I'm fucking with you. No, Nori, you're far from the devil. I fuck with you.
Starting point is 01:21:37 You remember that night we met in Atlanta? Yes, yes. And I ain't going to lie, Dave. Let me just tell you something. I told this story on a drink chance, but I want to tell this to your face. This is what happened. I land in Atlanta. I have no time to go to see the real weed man.
Starting point is 01:21:53 The real weed man. My driver sees me. My people call me from the hood. His name is Merv. He's a great guy. Merv is a good dude. Merv tells me, I'm not sure about this bar so I got a choice either that goes to the hotel drop my bags off and miss this money I said fuck it go
Starting point is 01:22:14 straight to the show be chillin unbeknownst to me my favorite comedian in the world just walks through and says, What's up, nigga? I'm like, Dave can't be this cool. I'm like, what's up, nigga? And then he just walks away. And I'm like, holy shit. I said, yo, whenever he comes back, I got to give him a drink. And they're like, I don't think Dave drinks.
Starting point is 01:22:41 I'm like, I don't really give a fuck. I just got to give him a drink because that's just really what the fuck is to really give a fuck. I just got to give him a drink. Because that's just really what the fuck is overdue. So he walked back over. I give him a drink. And then I hand him a blunt. I drink. Yes, I didn't know that. And then I hand him a blunt.
Starting point is 01:22:53 And this was like the most unsecure. You ever wore, you ever not put on enough deodorant? And then you smelled yourself. I'm like, this is not right. I hand him the blunt. And I was like, I is not right. I had the blood and I was like, I'm not sure. I hope he's drunk. Because I didn't know if the weed was good or not. I had just lit it.
Starting point is 01:23:16 I shot three people after I smoked that drink. Let's give a quick time slide real quick. Can you fill up your drink? Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. You two, Dave, just fill up your drink. If you want a drink, you drink it. Give the rules. If not, yeah. Hey, Fatty.
Starting point is 01:23:33 All right. Look, move that sign. We got a DJ Fatty. This is a drink. This is a drink. Okay. You want to drink it? Come on, get in here, get in here.
Starting point is 01:23:42 I ain't got to be right there. All right, all right. Jesus. All right, all right. You don't wanna do it? Come on, get in here, get in here. I ain't gotta be right there. Alright, alright. You ready? I'm ready, yeah. This is so hard, I'm sorry. You know I'm not gonna answer a lot of these questions. Yeah, but then you're gonna drink the other two and it's the game.
Starting point is 01:23:56 You know. Kendrick or Kost? Oh, this is, this is rotten niggas. Let me tell you something. I knew this was gonna happen.. That's why I was like... I met them both at the same time in Australia. I would never pick. So take a drink for that. If you don't pick, you take a drink.
Starting point is 01:24:13 Is that how this shit works? Yeah, that's how it works. Both were in the same cup. We didn't drink with you. I'm going to drink from my same cup. Cheers. Uno, dos, spray. Cheers, cheers. Salud. Uno, dos, tres. All right, Dale.
Starting point is 01:24:27 Dale, good play. Dale. Here we go. Pass this out to the homies. And Donnell, keep the homies. I got some. Okay, Donnell, this is for you. Enjoy your shot, man. I got mine.
Starting point is 01:24:39 He's dope. All right, this is for y'all. This is for y'all. This is for y'all. Cool G rap? Or big pun? G-Rap, man. You gotta give it to G-Rap.
Starting point is 01:24:51 That's what I said. Godfather, Godfather 2. I love pun too. But G-Rap. Absolutely. You know we love to say G-Rap. And you know what? I'm glad you brought that up
Starting point is 01:24:58 because I gotta clear something up on Drink Champs. A long time ago, I had a bar and I said, you just a fat joke thinking you a big pun And me personally
Starting point is 01:25:08 I think that's a great bar Me too But there was no rap genius And no internet back then So I just now realized That for years A lot of people thought I was saying
Starting point is 01:25:15 You just a fat joke This is a fat joke right Thinking you a big pun Which I would never say Because I got a lot of respect For Crafts You know what I'm saying So fat joke With a K I want to clear that up Which I would never say. Because I got a lot of respect for Krass, and his end. So, fat joke, with a K.
Starting point is 01:25:28 I want to clear that up, because I've been seeing a lot of chatter about that. Where people are like, it's just Fat Joe. And I'm like, nah, nah, nah. Fat joke. Jesus. Joke, pun, get in. That's a terrible phone call to get. Fat Joe's trying to kill you, nigga. You what? I said, Fat Joe.
Starting point is 01:25:47 You big one. Jesus Christ. Terrifying quality, you like this. Terrifying. Stay off of Twitter. Stay off of Twitter. Yo, this daughter can't be. Talib stay off of Twitter.
Starting point is 01:26:04 They kicked me off two years ago. Everybody, we're gonna kick Talib off with two years. All right, Jay or Biggie? Aw, man. Take a shot? Yeah, man. Let's take a shot. All right.
Starting point is 01:26:16 Let's take a shot. Cheers. Or? Or cheers. That's not fair. Because everyone's a fan. The game's not fair. The game is not supposed to be fair. The game is not supposed to be fair.
Starting point is 01:26:28 It's supposed to make you drink. This is hard to compare them though. You said that on some Brooklyn shit. I see how fair it is. Yeah, this is made for Brooklyn niggas. In case y'all remember it. First time I heard Big, was on the Who's the Man soundtrack for Party and Bullshit.
Starting point is 01:26:44 That was party and bullshit Routine since 13 I sure be they go on the scene. I used to pack a deuce deuce Backpack rap. That's backpack rap. That's backpack rap. So that was the first time I ever heard Biggie. Try to remember the first time I heard Jay. For me, it was Reasonable Doubt.
Starting point is 01:27:19 It was Dead Presidents. No, excuse me, it was Why Sophie. Original Flavor. That Foxy record was big. Jay, you could get away past Why. I was so crazy.
Starting point is 01:27:29 The reason about that album was going around heavy in Brooklyn at that time. So it was like, you, I think the thing
Starting point is 01:27:37 that made Jay stand out to me was Friend or Foe. Ooh. Yeah. And a lot of, it was like a lot of,
Starting point is 01:27:49 you know, the singles and stuff, I was like, oh, this Friend of Foe shit is, this dude is, different. Approaching from a different angle.
Starting point is 01:27:54 See, for me, it was a little bit to regrets. Ooh. It's regrets that made me be like, this is a problem. When I really became a Jay fan, not that I was always respected,
Starting point is 01:28:04 but when Volume 3 would come and get me, I was like, this is it. You know, my shit for Volume 3, Volume 3 was Dope Man. Modern Day, the soul of Mumia in modern day times. When he said that, I said, that's when it's converging.
Starting point is 01:28:21 That's when Jay was in it. Big didn't live long enough. Jay's a whole other thing, but Big creatively, I mean, Gimme the Loop, I mean, Who Shot You? Big was a, I mean, I remember where I was when I heard Unbelievable. I was working with NBC on the Piers, with Chelsea Piers, and they had offices on the Piers, and that shit NBC on the peers of Chelsea peers their offices on the That's Martin. That's acting. That's something Martin did. I wanted to go see you. That's a guy. I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you. I was in Sirius' ball.
Starting point is 01:29:09 They told me Yassine Bain was in the movie, and I didn't even recognize him until 45 minutes in. Because you is a real actor, actor. Man, I'm just a guy having a vegan burger right now. So, is you not going to open a Yassine school of acting? No, probably not. Like the dude from Zoolander? I like it.
Starting point is 01:29:29 You know what I'm talking about? He opened a school of Zoolander? What is this? A school for ants? You gotta open a Yassim-based school for people. Listen, niggas know how to play niggas. Niggas don't know how to play doctors. You gotta show niggas how to play doctors.
Starting point is 01:29:47 They're like, Kane, a school for MCing. For those who want to be in my field of thought. Then again, a second thought. The half MCs coming out selling those similar. It's quite confusing for you to remember the original. And boy, do I hate her. Perfect traitor. But I'm a traitor.
Starting point is 01:30:01 Come on. Come on. What y'all doing? I'm not going to react. What y'all doing? I'm not hip-hop. No, but I'm a Serena. Come on! Come on, you. What you all doing? I'm not going to react. What you all doing? I'm not hip hop. No, but I'm dead serious.
Starting point is 01:30:08 Because you really know how to act. No, no, dead serious. Like, because if they call me to play Shamik. You play Nori. This is Shamik. From 40 projects. I got that. You talking about state property movies?
Starting point is 01:30:22 Yeah, I got that. Hey, he was good in that show. Well, if they tell me. Shamik just state property movie? Yeah, I got that. Hey, he was good in that shit. Well, if they tell me... Sean Lee just got busted here three times. I'm not telling you. It's a YouTube reference.
Starting point is 01:30:31 I got nothing to do with it. But if you tell me to play Nori-cha from Japan, I might not be able to play it. Nori-cha from Japan. But I feel like I'd be able to play Noddy Chopper, Noddy Chopper. But I feel like I feel like Noddy will come out there. I feel like you have the charisma and the desire. You want to be in movies, it feels like. Like you want to make something.
Starting point is 01:30:54 Right now I'm good. I'm just going to praise you because you've been killing this shit. Well, Marshal, that's very kind. I mean, I try to do the best work I can. I've enjoyed it all the time. I don't know if I'll do it again, but we'll see. Oh, damn. You don't know if you're active? Because you haven't done it for a while, right?
Starting point is 01:31:13 Yeah. Wow. He quit. I can do other things. He retired. He made a whole statement. I appreciate it, and I'm grateful for the work that I've been able to do. Right.
Starting point is 01:31:25 There are things and projects that I would like to do, but they take time to develop. They're more of a personal nature preference. So if they happen, great. If they don't, if something comes up interesting that I'm available for and works out, wasn't sure. You know what's your greatest acting debut, besides when you was playing a doctor, you know what your other greatest acting debut is? I mean, not debut, the greatest acting period.
Starting point is 01:31:55 Ask me what. What? What's that? Be Kind, We Want It. Oh, wow! Oh, that's just a little, that, you and Jack Black, we creating the movies? I almost tried to do that.
Starting point is 01:32:06 I almost tried to do that. I almost tried to do that. I almost tried to do that. And with the shit, because y'all got to say, you know Michelle Gondry who did that movie, he directed the blockbuster. He did the blockbuster. See, I didn't even know that. See?
Starting point is 01:32:18 That's my guy, Michelle. He's great. He's amazing. Oh, there's a guy named Michelle. Michelle Gondry, he was the director. Beautiful dude. I did not know that. I thought it was Chris Pratt. I really enjoyed it. Oh, Michelle. He's great. He's amazing. Oh, there's a guy named Michelle. Michelle Gonja. He was the director. Beautiful dude.
Starting point is 01:32:26 I did not know that. I really, really enjoyed having a wonderful story from working on the set with him where we'd be setting up this long, continuous shot. It was like a continuous shot that was open. It was at least like two minutes long. And it was, you know, it was outdoor. It was coming. It was, you know, the camera was moving some distance in the continuous shot. And it had the, you know, the certain outdoor, it was coming, and the camera was moving some distance in the continuous shot,
Starting point is 01:32:45 and it had the, you know, the certain activity that needed to be choreographed and, you know, staged. And we started walking the trail, you know, where the camera track would be. And it was very timed. It was like, if you see, it's a film called Touch of Evil that has like an opening shot a continuous shot
Starting point is 01:33:07 it's like several minutes long it's brilliant it's like you know ballet because all of these different pieces of activity are choreographed as the camera's moving so timing is key
Starting point is 01:33:17 so this was something similar that that Michelle was doing and we started working the camera track and he was with, you know, a few of the other cinematography and associate director and stuff like this.
Starting point is 01:33:34 And not the associate director, but one of the production officials. So he's playing it out the side, he's talking, you know, with the camera to go here and, you know, the camera go here and you know this and this will happen and then um one of the assistant directors said oh you know that's not gonna work then why because this is not and michelle did something that i'll never forget he stopped he said take french accent he goes please it is early in the morning.
Starting point is 01:34:07 Do not tell me what I cannot do. He was like, we just started the day. You got the rest of the day to figure out. Let me figure it out on my own before you pour some cold water on my vision. And I'll never forget that he said please it is the beginning of the day Do not tell me what I cannot do somebody give me a big burger to go Yeah, but I enjoy making movies I'm glad that people have enjoyed seeing them If I get an opportunity to do it in the future then great
Starting point is 01:34:45 My favorite film that I've done? It's hard to say. I would say my two favorite films that I've worked on have been Be Kind, Rewind. The Aussie. And Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's a good one. That was amazing, actually. Thank you for all the Galaxy. That was a lot. That was amazing, actually. Thank you for all the fish.
Starting point is 01:35:07 That was an amazing experience because it was all shot on stage. It was like very little green screen. So all those huge, the Vogons, like they're actual people inside of them operating. It was like,
Starting point is 01:35:22 yeah, that was like, that was, yeah, I really was a yeah that was like that was yeah i really enjoyed that and i like the relationships that i've developed on the italian job italian job was fun italian job um bamboozle was was historic too that was a yeah i really enjoyed working with spike and charlie baltimore was in that with you know Charlie Baltimore Yeah MC search Some strange And it was the first major film that had been shot on um on digital cameras right at that time it was like new
Starting point is 01:35:59 That's right. Oh man This is shot on digital. Crazy. So he broke them all. Yeah. It's amazing. You guys don't think about merging the two worlds, the music and the cinema, because of your background and bringing that together?
Starting point is 01:36:16 Like Black Star movie? I mean, like to do something. Like how OutKast got the movie that comes with it. If it's something organic, I mean, but, you know, I mean, for me, I don't really, I, of course, I think in those terms,
Starting point is 01:36:30 in terms of like, you know, awareness of, you know, capabilities, but I don't really create entertainment products, per se.
Starting point is 01:36:39 As products? No, I just don't have that type of, and I'm not downing it, but some people who do it, and they're like, they're really good at that, but that's never been my approach. So when you create, you're not thinking this thing is a commodity that's sold and traded?
Starting point is 01:36:54 I mean, I'm aware of that, but I'm not focused on that. That's not the thing. It is what it is at that moment. Because you worked with Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro on Showtime. Yeah, I did. And they shopped your crib O'Neal too. They did shoot Shaquille O'Neal. Be clear on what that means.
Starting point is 01:37:09 Huh? That's an underrated movie. That's an underrated movie. Eddie Murphy was very, like, super cool to me. Like, it was crazy.
Starting point is 01:37:16 Like, I mean, it came up as a last minute kind of casting and I had met him briefly before
Starting point is 01:37:23 and it was the only time that I met somebody you before and it was the only time that I met somebody you know it was the first time that I met somebody second time was Prince that I was like really aware
Starting point is 01:37:36 that like you need to hold it down and like not fucking fan out like you totally are capable of doing in this moment, you know what I'm saying? Why? I mean, bro, it's Eddie.
Starting point is 01:37:53 I mean, first of all, it was Eddie. It was crazy the way I met him. It was crazy. Somebody was saying I was in L.A. at the time, staying at the Chateau Marmont. Somebody said Prince is having an after party for his show at one of these
Starting point is 01:38:11 little cafes on Sunset I was like where and the place was directly across the street from the hotel I was like you gotta be joking
Starting point is 01:38:18 I gotta ask was Prince ass out was Prince ass out he wasn't even there. His ass was there. I didn't see him at that place, but I walked in
Starting point is 01:38:30 and they took me to a room and they said, just wait here, you know, I'll let you know when the show's about to start, whatever, like that.
Starting point is 01:38:38 And then I walked into like another smaller room that was behind that, like through like a saloon type door. It wasn't like where the bottom and the top and stuff, but it was like, you know, like a swing door. And I pushed the door open and I see a woman,
Starting point is 01:38:53 very attractive, Eddie Murphy, and another woman, attractive woman. And it was just them sitting there, like in this small room, like a bench seating on both sides. And I was like, oh. And the moment that I poked my head through the door, because I saw Eddie Murphy sitting there just with two other people,
Starting point is 01:39:13 I immediately assumed that I walked in the wrong room. Because Eddie Murphy's in there. Don't tell me Eddie was like, come here, let's go. And maybe I shouldn't be here. I walked into the Super VIP area. I'm sorry, please don't call the police. There's a tiny room inside of the tiny room. I was like, please don't have me thrown out of here.
Starting point is 01:39:33 And I'm thinking to my mom. But then I was like, I don't know if I should go back to this room. I was talking to the people who had let us in. They were like, no, no, you can go back there. So I'm by myself. And I go back there. And I'm like, but Eddie Murphy's. She's like, no, no, you can go back there. So I'm by myself. And I go back there, and I'm like, but Eddie Murphy's, she's like, no, no, it's fine, you can go. So it's nobody else.
Starting point is 01:39:52 Eddie Murphy has people with him. It's just me. So now I got to, like, pull myself together and make, like, the proper human person in control of themselves introduction. Like, good evening everyone how are you lo lo all funny for us and I said I know I'm I'm Dante almost and then and then they very polite Eddie shook my hand everything
Starting point is 01:40:19 sat down and you know and then I really saying anything to each other just back there just kind of chill, listening to music. It's very like what rich people do when it's, you know, just chilling, serene. It's like when I went to Dave Chappelle's show. And then, that's what I like. That's what I like. Serene.
Starting point is 01:40:37 And then, a few moments later after that, Eddie turns to his wife at the time and goes, you be chilling with Mos Def? I was like, what? I was like, I'm chilling with Eddie Murphy? Like, I'm here with you. You don't understand. I could have had a Michael Jackson screaming, crying moment because that individual right there, when I was growing up, just seeing him on SNL, just the way he was, he was my career path. And then all of this hip-hop shit happened, but that's where I was going. I was like, I'm going to be 18, I'm going to be on SNL, and that's my job.
Starting point is 01:41:23 So when I met him, I was like, what? And then it was time after that did I did I got showtime and Robert De Niro do you mean Robert De Niro yeah I was no I had it Robert De Niro super cool very serious guy so don't go on important Japanese whiskey sir no, just Puerto Rican beer. That's all I'm about. Listen, by the way, I'm making a Shakira. That is the name of our Black Star record on Drake's hands combination.
Starting point is 01:41:55 It's called Puerto Rican beer. Shakira, Shakira. That's hilarious. But yeah, Robert De Niro was cool. Super cool. Serious, you know. But I mean,
Starting point is 01:42:07 it's, you know, you feel the gravity of his presence. It's like, it's fucking De Niro. Don't think that
Starting point is 01:42:13 about yourself. A nigga might feel the gravity of your presence. I like this phrase, gravity of your presence. That's what Eddie Murphy felt.
Starting point is 01:42:21 You feel that weight, bitch? That's me. That's my presence. That's not my gift. My gift is my presence. It is. It's heavy.
Starting point is 01:42:31 It is heavy. Do I feel that way about myself? Sometimes. I mean, to be honest. Tell the truth. Tell the truth. Yes, to be honest. Tell the truth.
Starting point is 01:42:41 Yes, you do. I can see how people might respond to that. But to be honest, I don't want to know how people feel about to that, but to be honest, I don't want to know how people feel about me either way. It's not your business. It's not my business. Say what you be saying. Sometimes I wear X-Body spray
Starting point is 01:42:54 and drive bitches nuts. What? Bitch, you feel that? That's the gravity of my presence. What the fuck y'all talking about? I'm going to put a ring of beer for you there. Did I go too far? that's the gravity of my presence the American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network
Starting point is 01:43:24 hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network, hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores, and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode, I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and bestselling author and Meat Eeater founder Stephen Ranella. I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.
Starting point is 01:43:58 So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to The American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops, and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes, but there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. Across the country, cops called this taser the revolution. But not everyone was convinced it was that simple. Cops believed everything that taser told them.
Starting point is 01:44:43 From Lava for Good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi-billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad. Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2, and 3 on May 21st
Starting point is 01:45:17 and episodes 4, 5, and 6 on June 4th. Ad-free at Lava for Good Plus on Apple Podcasts. In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending arms to Tehran, sir? No. It became known as the Iran-Contra affair. And I'm not taking any more questions in just a second. I'm going to ask...
Starting point is 01:45:48 I'm Leon Nafok, co-creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco, Iran-Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story, listen to Fiasco, Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app,
Starting point is 01:46:24 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Brendan Patrick Hughes, host of Divine Intervention. This is a story about radical nuns in combat boots and wild-haired priests trading blows with J. Edgar Hoover in a hell-bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. Somebody violated the FBI and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees. The FBI went around to all their neighbors and said to them, do you think these people are good Americans?
Starting point is 01:46:56 It's got heists, tragedy, a trial of the century, and the goddamnedest love story you've ever heard. I picked up the phone and my thought was, this is the most important phone call I'll ever make in my life. I couldn't believe it. I mean, Brendan, it was divine intervention. You can now binge all 10 episodes of Divine Intervention
Starting point is 01:47:19 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming, how she's turning so-called niche into mainstream gold, connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there are so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content, the term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and sports collide. And hear how leaders like Anjali are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets.
Starting point is 01:48:26 Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Say what you'd be saying to me about praise. Seriously, did I go too far? No, no, no. We haven't gone too far. Praise can be as detrimental as harsh criticism. Right. Because if you fall into being praised too much
Starting point is 01:49:03 and you get accustomed or even develop an appetite for that, you could possibly be easily manipulated and very often may not have a proper perspective on where you really are, you know? And criticism. I get praised a lot. I tell you, like, when you say this, I'm like,
Starting point is 01:49:31 oh, now you ain't talking about me? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm talking as a warning to myself, but it's just, you know, it's not a judgment on anybody. It's just like, for me, like, for instance, like, you know, now that we have the record out i don't really read the reviews but so much you know i'm saying i've seen certain comments or whatever but i try not to pay attention to them either way positive or otherwise because ultimately the the thing is how i feel
Starting point is 01:50:01 about it before i do it as i'm'm doing it, and after it's done. So I have to live with my relationship with what I do longer than anybody anyway. So it's important for me to feel good about what it is I'm doing. And I mean, of course, there's room for improvement with human beings. I'm not perfect, but, you know. But the album's damn near next to perfect, man. This new album? Yeah, it's incredible. And did you always feel that way?
Starting point is 01:50:29 Hold on, let me give you a break. Yeah! Everybody, everybody, I don't have one break, man. That means a lot. That means a lot. Did you always feel that way, about creating? I was always amazed by people who were able
Starting point is 01:50:43 to do it professionally and not have to do anything else. And to me, that was the entire victory. If you could get to do this, to be an artist, to be a creator professionally without having to have a secondary gig that you may or may not like. And it's you're only doing, you know, to like keep the lights on, so to speak. To me, that was the whole, the whole magic trick, so to speak, you know, and not even a trick, but like that was the like, That was the trick.
Starting point is 01:51:14 The measure of success, because it means that it's something that you are good at doing, that you enjoy doing, that you can get to do on a like earned daily bread level. That's like no short fee. I remember when Drake said that rappers don't have to pay their bills shit. No, this is not even a little bit.
Starting point is 01:51:33 And I thought about that. I was like, if anybody can rap good enough to get one bill paid, like if somebody said, oh, what's your phone bill? Or what's your cable bill or whatever? It'd be like, no, don't worry about it. I put in 16 bars a month, and they just cover my cable.
Starting point is 01:51:49 They made it. That's pretty good. They made it. I mean, they may not have made it, but you run good enough to get a bill paid, where somebody will accept your creative work as currency. It's fucking incredible to me. You know what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:52:04 We have our narrator. I was gonna know what I'm saying? We have our great- I was going to say, I'm a pacifist. I stabbed a nigga once when I was listening to Superthug. That's a really good record. Let's make some noise for that guy. Allegedly. Allegedly. Allegedly. Allegedly. Let? Allegedly.
Starting point is 01:52:26 Let's finish this. I've got to be real quick, Thomas Lyon. We back to that? High tech or pre-mo? Oh, come on, man. Premier or high tech? No, no, no. I'm going to take a shot. I'm not taking a shot. I'm answering this question.
Starting point is 01:52:42 I'm answering this question. Man, they's drunk. Listen. DJ Premier is... That's my twin. That's my twin. First of all, that's my twin. Primo.
Starting point is 01:52:54 That's my twin. That was fire. You know what I'm saying? You took a shot anyway. That's my twin. But High Tech is my favorite producer. Ooh. High Tech from Cincinnati, Ohio, right down the road.
Starting point is 01:53:04 Not Madlib. Madlib is very good. I love High Tech. Tech is my favorite producer who high-tech for Cincinnati, Ohio right down the road not madly Madlib is very good. I love I said I check is my text my favorite Dog frame on taking a job. No, we're not taking a shot He said primo, let's drink. Yes, give me a shot This is the L.E.A.C. level talk. I won't say this. There is no Hot Tech without Primo. Without Primo. That's true. Absolutely. But I just gotta say, I gotta say, because Hot Tech, we did this Black Star album. Hot Tech is incredible. We did this Black Star album with Madlib, and Madlib is, we did this whole album with Madlib.
Starting point is 01:53:40 Nobody has done a whole Black Star album except for Madlib. But Hot Tech did 80% of that first Blackstar. And Hitek did the whole Reflection Eternal album. And people didn't hear my voice until I rapped on those Hitek beats. Let's make some noise. Hitek is a master. I mean that's a really hard one. It's Primo, it's Gangstar, it's just another level.
Starting point is 01:54:03 But they're definitely in the, in the echelon together. My answer for bias. No, I was a personal bias. It doesn't matter. However you want to answer that. Personal bias. Let me ask you this one.
Starting point is 01:54:12 I think you've met them both and I think you met them both. And I'm not sure if you met them both. MJ or Prince? I met them both. Especially when it's your Prince. MJ or Prince? I met them both. Let's play some notes for Prince. Let's play some notes. Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Starting point is 01:54:28 But these are hard days. But you know that he worked with Michael Jackson? Yeah, and Prince and Michael Jackson might not be apples to apples. Wait, wait, what? Ask him about that. Ask him about that. Prince and Michael Jackson might not be apples to apples. You worked with Michael Jackson?
Starting point is 01:54:42 Yeah, it was on a video called Ghost. It was like his, it was like, thriller like 10 or 15 years later. And he was playing, it's like one of these epic videos for one of his songs. And I played one of the cast members in it. And yeah, I got to see him do his choreography like, yeah, live. I was like 19.
Starting point is 01:55:06 Jeez. And I shot it in L.A. What kind of life? When you say Prince and Michael Jackson, I'll tell you this story. Tell us about it. I was on tour in 2009. It was the ecstatic. My last album that I put out first came out.
Starting point is 01:55:23 And I was on tour. And the first date was in Minneapolis. And Jay Electronica was on that tour with me. And the album had come out in June. We were on tour in August. It was our first date on the tour. We do the show. The show is good.
Starting point is 01:55:45 People are with us. But it was also like the record was new. It was our first date on the tour. We do the show. The show is good. People are with us. But it was also like the record was new. It was our first date on tour. You know how you get just kind of like still working out the kinks, so to speak, you know? So the show ends. We backstage. Dude comes back. He's a little, you know, like toasty.
Starting point is 01:56:00 And he's like, yo, I'll DJ for Prince. And man, Prince would really meet you. And we was like, okay. All right DJ for Prince and man, Prince won't really meet you. And we was like, okay, all right, local winos, drive safely. But he just kept lingering around
Starting point is 01:56:13 like, you know, he was there for like an hour more after the show just kind of kicking in and every 10, 15 minutes
Starting point is 01:56:19 this dude would come back and say, Prince really want to meet you, man, Prince really want to meet you. He was like, okay, crazy guy, we're leaving now, you is going to meet you, man. Prince is going to meet you. He's like, okay, crazy guy.
Starting point is 01:56:25 We're leaving now. You're the job safe. So, go to the hotel. It's like maybe 2.30 in the morning. All I want to do is go to the hotel and sleep, right? After the show, I get on the bus in the morning. You know the joke. Prince comes out.
Starting point is 01:56:43 No. Okay. So, I'm laying. I'm laying. We in the W or someplace like this. And I'm laying know, the joke. Prince comes out. No. Okay. So I'm laying, I'm laying, we in the W or someplace like this and I'm laying out on the bed. I haven't taken off,
Starting point is 01:56:50 I haven't pulled the sheets back, only took off my shoes. Right. Like, I'm laid out, like Little Rascal style on the bed. And I get a call from my tour manager at the time and he's like,
Starting point is 01:57:01 yo, you want to meet Prince tonight? And I was like, look, man, everybody needs to stop playing these reindeer games. like, yo, you wanna meet Prince tonight? And I was like, look man, everybody needs to stop playing these reindeer games. It's 2.30 in the morning, I'm going to bed. If this doesn't happen in the next five to 10 minutes, I'm not gonna be conscious, so it's not gonna happen. So, goodnight and tell Prince to say hello. Late out, radio silence, five minutes later,
Starting point is 01:57:34 straight up five minutes later, and I'm like, what are you talking about? Pick up the phone, my guy goes, you ready? I'm like, yeah, yeah, I bet, I'm ready, because I'm going to see you make us see Prince at a quarter to three in the morning, because right now, you got to show me. Right.
Starting point is 01:57:54 So I walk downstairs, so it's three o'clock in the morning, I'm walking in the corridor to the side exit of the hotel, and I see a man standing outside with the black suits perfectly pressed white shirt black tie he's standing with his hands folded in front of a perfectly gleamingly polished Ford Focus. This shit is shining like it's a fucking double-awed Bentley coupe
Starting point is 01:58:33 with the fucking black, I'll never forget this, black with the white leather seats. And when I stood on my leather seats on that fucking brilliantly polished black Ford Focus, like a company corporate car, I was like, I think we're either going to see the biggest drug dealer in Minnesota, or we're going to see Prince. Well, 20 minutes later,
Starting point is 01:59:07 I'm looking at the motorcycle from Purple Rain. Does he have a blouse on? A blouse? No. He doesn't have a blouse on. Trying to describe his situation. A blouse? Yeah, like a...
Starting point is 01:59:20 He had a tunic. He had a tunic all around? Yeah, he had some custom made. He had on Prince clothes. Respect the Prince accent. We walked in, there was a dude with a giant chef hat. He was like, I want some cookies. I was like, it's 3 o'clock in the morning. Who even has a chef on? Dad got cookies at that.
Starting point is 01:59:30 Dad was like, would you want some cookies? We were like, yeah, we'll take some cookies. And brought out a tray of perfectly baked warm chocolate cookies. They were just incredible. Just context and a story. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left.
Starting point is 01:59:38 You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left. You left, you left, you left And we're like, yeah, we'll take some cookies. And brought out a tray of perfectly baked, warm chocolate cookies that were just incredible.
Starting point is 01:59:48 Just context and story. Because you love cookies. This is the new Chappelle show. This is the new Chappelle show right here. So we walk in. It's like an airplane hangar. And it's 3 in the morning. He's got a full band on stage.
Starting point is 02:00:00 They're playing. There's nobody in the hangar. It's like maybe a half a dozen people. I had a great party. stage he plays a whole set it's great incredible. We're stunned. He says, you can clap. You got in for free. You can clap. Right.
Starting point is 02:00:29 This makes sense to us. And then, he ends the set and this was like no more than 40 days after Michael Jackson had died. Right?
Starting point is 02:00:39 Oh, shit. He plays I Wanna Be Where You Are. Instrumental. No vocals, the band plays it. Prince on guitar. Gonna be here staying away too long. Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun, I got some pee pee in my ass. No, no, no. We can't drink hands to that door. We recently see you get back at Netflix. Oh, excuse me, not the Netflix.
Starting point is 02:01:13 Well, it was through Netflix. The, um, The Chappelle Show. I'm right now trying to buy my first two albums. And they're actually complying with me. Daylight just did it too. I'm on the same label. That's right. Yes, I'm on the same label with Daylight.
Starting point is 02:01:34 It's Tommy Boy, ultimately. Tommy Boy, yes. How was that day for people that are artists, you know, whether it's a comedian, whether it's, you know, come in and not know the deals that they sign and retracting those deals. How was it for you?
Starting point is 02:01:50 Man, look, Laurie, in all honesty, this is a complicated discussion. Right. But you know what I know. Yeah, we should say much more than that. Right. Right now. Right.
Starting point is 02:02:06 But I know you know. Right. And you know I know. Yes. That says a lot. That's from Ben and G. That says a lot there, y'all. That's right.
Starting point is 02:02:14 Blackstar releases albums away that nobody released an album before. Yes. Yes. Because they know, too. Yes. What do we know? We need to own our own. We need to own our own.
Starting point is 02:02:22 We need to own our own. We need to own our own. We need to own our own. We need to own our own. We need to own our own. We need to own our own. We need to own our own. Nobody released an album before us. Yes. Because they know too. Yes. What do we know? We need to own our own. Well, whatever we know, man, we know.
Starting point is 02:02:33 Don't let it be known. This is what I call expensive knowledge. What you had to go through to know what you know. In this regard, that's a tough one. Right. So what we all undertake. Right. We know.
Starting point is 02:02:53 And we know. Yes. And you know. And there's confidence in knowing. Right. And listen. This is the only career we got. I think we're all protecting something.
Starting point is 02:03:09 There's a certain artistic truth that we have to be true to, true to our muse. This is why I love this Blackstar record. 24 years and they dropped like it's nothing. It still sound as young as they did when they started. As sharp as they did, excuse me. And the ill bars, the album's called No Fear of Time. What's young?
Starting point is 02:03:34 Right. I was me the whole time. I can remember, if I think back, how eight-year-old me felt at this time or that time. You close your eyes, you can see it. I was time or that time. You close your eyes you can see it. I was me the whole time in high school. I was me the whole time. Hey, listen. Whatever.
Starting point is 02:03:56 Whatever will happen will happen, whatever will happen will happen. But man, what a moment. I'm doing the drink champs in Yellow Springs, Ohio. With Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Man, what a moment. I'm doing the drink champs in Yellow Springs, Ohio. With Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Nigga, we all need extra pages in our passports. Because we are those kinds of niggas. We travel this world.
Starting point is 02:04:18 You see how everyone does it. And here we all are in the middle of nowhere. Being us. Feels good, man. Listen, the fact that they did this album on Luminary is a bar. The fact that I get to touch this process like this is an honor. The fact that you are here doing Drink Champs, This is for the culture. It means something. This is right now it's just a day of our lives.
Starting point is 02:04:58 You'll see as days go on. We've made a good memory. This one, this one should be on the wall. It's a good one The first of many times Welcome to Ohio and welcome back. Yeah after 24 years Yes, yes. Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Let's go. Let's go. Let's push this culture forward. Yes, because Yassine Bey and Taleb, the same way I'm going to talk to Dave and I'm going to talk to Donnell. I'm not talking to them all.
Starting point is 02:05:40 I'm talking to them. I'm talking to Donnell. Dave, they are. No, no, no, but let me just tell you something. The combination, the camaraderie of y'all together. The chemistry. This is your home too. No, no, no, I'm talking about them, you know.
Starting point is 02:05:56 The chemistry for Brooklyn. Oh, Brooklyn. Because this is New York City, and then it's Brooklyn. No, stop other than Brooklyn they could as the other is the planet no Bears the birth of the population of New York City. Yes. That's just the facts. Now, if that's changed in recent years, unbeknownst to me,
Starting point is 02:06:30 if there's a more populous city in New York City in the boroughs right now, then I stand to be corrected. But as far as I know, as far as I'm aware, the majority of people live in New York City, live in Brooklyn, New York. It's a historic borough of historic events, of people of prestige and great achievement. Yes. From all areas, legal and illicit. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 02:07:02 And you make quiet damn sleep. And home to some of the greatest MCs that have ever breathed air. And it's not for ego's sake. We're doing what we've been allowed to do. We have the facility, capacity to do it, and that's truly a gift. We want to avoid treating the gift like an achievement
Starting point is 02:07:27 because it's not. What you do with your gift is the real achievement, and, you know, without sounding too whatever, I mean, that's just the way that I really feel about it. We try to help as many as we can help, do good for ourselves so we can do good for others. Say what we mean mean mean what we say don't be mean
Starting point is 02:07:48 don't take shit from nobody under any circumstance just remain humble and do beautiful things with the time that we've been given here on earth with the capabilities and facilities that we have.
Starting point is 02:08:07 So we express that in what we do. It's been the better part of my adult life. And I can say the same for Dave and for Taleb and for many of us in this room. And it's an honor to be here and chop it up with you. It's about the culture, too. And I wanted to say one thing, too chop it up with you. It's about the culture too. And I wanted to say one thing to the series you guys have Pusha T on
Starting point is 02:08:30 recently and you asked him a question about the crime narrative or the drug narrative that appears in so much of his work. And you know, I've spoken with Pusha directly about my very...
Starting point is 02:08:53 Perspective? My perspective on that directly, you know. And I want to say that as many talented writers are here, many people with strong powers of observation, particularly as people who call themselves MCs talented writers out here, many people with strong powers of observation, particularly as people who call themselves MCs are part of this thing that we're doing. What we put our talent towards promoting or speaking about or addressing is important as far as I can see.
Starting point is 02:09:25 And particularly coming from our communities where so many people were negatively affected by that presence and still are. And with that being said, there's no judgment on anybody who's done that or is doing that at this point. You know, I have no judgment on that. That's not what I'm saying.
Starting point is 02:09:48 They're like, oh, you, you know, because trust me, you know, we all got friends and family and somebody that was in that and there's no judgment on that. Their humanity, that's not what I'm saying. But when it comes to what we promote as lifestyles or ideas, well, you know, that has impactestyles or ideas well you know that has impact that has weight you know and i don't think we need any more crack commercials for our community or for
Starting point is 02:10:14 our humanity at this point particularly given the space the time that we are in as members of the human race you know what i'm saying? Try to do as much good as you can, you know? Do no harm where it is possible, you know, especially if it's unnecessary. And I like to see writers that are talented that actually have something to say. I'll be curious about what they have to say about what's going on with all of us,
Starting point is 02:10:41 not just going on one niche of the world. And when I see you put towards that, I'm like, damn, I think those powers could be put to better use. With that being said, also, I feel like what we've done, and what I've been contributing up until this point and with this current project is without parallel. You know, what we're doing is at the top of the register in terms of quality, consistency, theme, aim, creativity.
Starting point is 02:11:20 I don't think we sacrifice any of the raw elements that people want to hear, you know, from MCs or from black men in particular. I think our approach is courageous. I think it's noble. I think it's elegant. It's a classic. Yeah, for sure. Stop avoiding that word. No, no, but it's a classic because it embodies all of those elements.
Starting point is 02:11:43 Yes. You know what I'm saying? And it's well-crafted, as well as any well-crafted classic material. So some people may be in doubt of that. Some people may not recognize that right now. Not real hip-hop. Yeah. It's real hip-hop. You're not talking to the y in doubt of that some people may not recognize that right now yeah it's real hip-hop you're not talking to the y'all's y'all's but look let me just tell you something man because like i told you our show was we the y'allers and the y'all days we the y'allers and the y'all days but look
Starting point is 02:12:26 let me just tell y'all something man because like I told you our show is about giving people their flowers showing people their love thank y'all so much oh thank you
Starting point is 02:12:36 three of you brothers because you know what it is the thing about it is now it's cool to give people their flowers but we invented it
Starting point is 02:12:44 we the ones that say you know what it's cool to give people their flowers, but we invented it. Right. We the ones that say, you know what? It's cool to make sure everyone knows that this hoodie's a super cape. Mm-hmm. This hoodie's a cape. Oh, let me shout out my man Earl Sweatshirt. Shout out my man Navy Blue.
Starting point is 02:13:00 Shout out to Wiki. Shout out to anybody hanging out with Earl right now. That's Action Bronson. That's Alchemist. Don't let me leave on a shout out to Kendrick. Yeah. A shout out to Amani Fela and Diani Ashe to my favorite artists out right now. And my children.
Starting point is 02:13:22 And shout out to Arm and Hammer. Arm and Hammer? Shout out to Arm and Hammer. And Amani Fela, my son, is on Arm and Hammer. Arm and Hammer? Shout out to Arm & Hammer. Man, nobody feel like my son is on that Arm & Hammer. Arm & Hammer cooking coke? No, no, no. That's cocaine. Arm & Hammer is a group out of New York. Oh, I know cocaine when I hear it.
Starting point is 02:13:36 No, Arm & Hammer is a group. He knows to talk. Oh, that's big. Yeah, I'm aware. I'm aware. Arm & Hammer. So, look. Let me just thank y'all once again, man,
Starting point is 02:13:57 because we really, our culture limits the way of how we big each other up. Oh, shout out to Car. Shout out to Brownsville Car and Preservation. Shout out to Brownsville Car. Not only, but shout out to Brown but shot the bronze will car that steps Wow Yeah, yeah, it's most that we will take last shot. I'll do a shot with you. Let's take a look. Hey, look, Dave, you gotta do this. Just do it for the culture, come on.
Starting point is 02:14:30 Let's do this. Let's do it for the culture. I'm gonna be honest, that's voodoo. What is that? That's voodoo. That's voodoo. That's voodoo. That's voodoo.
Starting point is 02:14:38 Yo, yo, go up and mess with the camera. Mess with the camera. Yo, get the video. I'm dancing on the floor. Hey, hey, hey, hey, listen. hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. We ain't got it. We ain't got it. Yeah, but you can have some of that Japanese deli on.
Starting point is 02:14:52 Japanese deli on. Japanese deli on. Japanese deli on. No, I can't believe I just... I just watched the drink champs lie. I just watched the drink champs like We both take over the rate of this chat because we come in here every once in a moment Marlin Manson or somebody somebody yeah yeah yeah so those are some we are listening is like this It's true. Let's take this down. We get some drops and we great.
Starting point is 02:15:46 We did. Let's make some fucking noise. Drink Champs. Drink Champs is a Drink Champs LLC production, hosts and executive producers, NORE and DJEFN. Listen to Drink Champs on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Drink Champs, hosted by yours truly, DJ EFN and NORE. Please make sure to follow us on all our socials. That's at Drink Champs across all platforms.
Starting point is 02:16:19 At TheRealNoriega on IG. At Noriega on Twitter. Mine is at Who's Crazy on IG, at DJ EFN on Twitter. And most importantly, stay up to date with the latest releases, news, and merch by going to drinkchamps.com. Why is a soap opera Western like Yellowstone so wildly successful. The American West with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th, where we'll delve into stories of the West and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today. Listen to the American West with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
Starting point is 02:17:06 you get your podcasts. I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season One, Taser Incorporated. I get right back there and it's bad. Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 02:17:37 I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Glott. And this is Season 2 of the War on Drugs podcast. Yes, sir. Last year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the problems of the drug war. This year, a lot of the biggest names in music and sports. This kind of starts that a little bit, man. We met them at their homes. We met them at their recording studios.
Starting point is 02:17:55 Stories matter, and it brings a face to them. It makes it real. It really does. It makes it real. Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. hell-bent effort to sabotage a war. J. Edgar Hoover was furious. He was out of his mind, and he wanted to bring the Catholic left to its knees.
Starting point is 02:18:30 You can now binge all 10 episodes of Divine Intervention on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, and your guide on good company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sood, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There are so many stories out there. And if you can find a way to curate and help the right person
Starting point is 02:19:03 discover the right content, The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen. Listen to Good Company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.