Locked In with Ian Bick - How I Survived Texas State Jails & Prisons | Corey Simek

Episode Date: January 29, 2026

Cory Simek grew up in Texas surrounded by crime and addiction, with both of his parents involved in drug dealing and his father eventually sentenced to prison. Following in his family’s footsteps, C...ory found himself in and out of Texas jails before ultimately receiving a state prison sentence. In this episode, Cory shares what it was really like surviving Texas state jails and prisons, including running with an independent prison group, navigating constant violence, and learning the unspoken rules of life behind bars. He opens up about how his upbringing shaped his choices, the realities of incarceration in Texas, and the moments that forced him to confront where his life was headed. _____________________________________________ #TexasPrison #PrisonSurvival #PrisonLife #StatePrison #TrueCrime #LifeInPrison #PrisonStories #incarceration _____________________________________________ Thank you to WARBY PARKER and LUCY for sponsoring this episode: WARBY PARKER: Our listeners get 15% off plus free shipping when they buy two or more pairs of prescription glasses at https://warbyparker.com/LOCKEDIN — using our link helps support the show. #WarbyParker #addictionrecovery _____________________________________________ LUCY: Go to HTTP://LUCY.CO/IANBICK and use promo code IANBICK to get 20% off your first order. _____________________________________________ Connect with Corey Simek: https://linktr.ee/corywiththekeys _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Jail Respect, Survival Rules, and the Inmate Code 00:58 Meet Cory: A Life Shaped by the Streets 01:16 Growing Up in Texas: Family, Environment, and Early Influence 03:33 A Double Life, Childhood Trauma, and Loss 05:39 Early Exposure and a Parent’s Relapse 06:09 Childhood Anxiety, Pressure, and Coping Mechanisms 06:12 Teenage Years: Hustling, and Fast Money 08:22 Escalation to Street Dealing 10:31 Proving Himself, Reputation, and Street Mentality 11:08 When Street Life Turns Dangerous 12:19 Living Alone at 16 and Losing Stability 13:44 School Struggles, Chaos, and Loss of Control 14:52 First Arrest and Learning Jail Survival 15:55 Racial Politics and Jail Dynamics 17:15 State Jail Life: Gangs, Woods, and Staying Alive 22:07 Lockdowns, Group Tensions, and Constant Pressure 24:41 Standing Alone and the Cost of Independence 27:02 Culture Shock Inside State Jail 28:22 The Revolving Door: Getting Out, Getting Locked Up Again 32:31 Pregnancy, DNA Results, and Emotional Breakdown 37:00 Probation, Trap Life, and Getting Caught Again 41:35 Facing a Five-Year Prison Sentence 44:31 Inside State Prison: Daily Life and Harsh Realities 53:15 Hitting Rock Bottom: Isolation and Mental Reinvention 57:21 Unit Transfers, Prison Politics, and Power Shifts 01:05:18 Gang Politics, Violent Fights, and Survival Challenges 01:15:11 Release Day and Reentering Society 01:20:32 Rebuilding Life After Prison Against the Odds 01:23:01 Success After Prison: Real Estate, Music, and Purpose 01:25:04 Final Reflections: Change, Redemption, and Prison Reform Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:27 Own the dream. When he gets up, he was like, any of you other whole white boys got a problem? And I'm standing over here. I'm like, man, please don't look at me. And he looks around. What about you, whole boy, you got a problem? Because I'd already been told by my dad, you know, he'd been in prison. So he's like, you know, when you go in there, if you let anybody punk you, it's over with.
Starting point is 00:01:47 No matter what, you got to be ready to fight. Win, loser, draw. You can't get punks. I'm like, come on. So we start going. And I start getting them. I actually get him in the head like I'm just banging him up. And you know, I'm kind of excited.
Starting point is 00:02:00 I'm like, I'm doing good. And then the same black dudes that I'm cool with, they come and push me off. I'm like, hell not home boy, you can't do that. I'm like, what? He called me out one-on-one. Yeah, but we can't let you do that, bro. He's one of us. And I didn't understand because in the street dynamic, it's like, he just beat the
Starting point is 00:02:14 shit of this dude one-on-one. Nobody said anything. He called me out and we're fighting one-on-one. But that's when I learned, like, the racial dynamic is a little bit different when it goes to jail or prison. Corey Simek grew up in Texas surrounded by drugs, crime, and prison, becoming normal in his family. In this episode, he breaks down how that life pulled him into Texas jails and state prison, what it took to survive inside, and the violence and rules no one explains until you're living it.
Starting point is 00:02:45 Corey with the Keys, welcome to Lockton. Thanks so much for coming out here today. Hey, man, it's an honor to be here with Ian Big, baby. You're here. You know, looking at you, you wouldn't think it's, you know, 15 degrees outside right now. Yeah, no. I had a sweater coming in. This is the first time I saw real snow in some years coming from Texas.
Starting point is 00:03:02 Yeah. What's the weather in Texas right now? You know, it's actually just barely gotten cold. It's been like 70, 80 degrees all winter. We just now are supposed to have a big snowstorm coming. Oh, you're getting that too? Yes. So we'll see if I get to make it back or not or if I got to stay and hang out with you for a couple days.
Starting point is 00:03:20 But it'll be all right. Didn't Texas shut down the last time that had a snowstorm like a few years ago? Dude, that was like an inch of snow. Yeah, that was like. like Armageddon. It was insane. Like all the power was out. Everything's frozen and we don't have like salt trucks and stuff like that. So it was like complete anarchy during that time. That is so funny. Yeah, they seemed like 15 to 20 inches this weekend. I know. I'm worried about it. Did you grow up in Texas? I did. Born and raised in Central Texas.
Starting point is 00:03:49 Okay. What was your upbringing like? So I have a pretty interesting dynamic in my childhood. And I think you got to go back to my mom and dad. My mom was the life of the party, very beautiful, well-spoken, you know, turned heads everywhere she went. She also had got involved with the meth trade back then, and she was one of the biggest queen pins in central Texas. And my dad, he's just this big six three, three hundred pound monster known for knocking people out. You know, he was like a redneck being the bars fighting all the time. Growing up, they were always telling me like, man, your dad with one punch sign, but he hits. somebody one time and knock him out. And as the story goes, you know, in that type of world,
Starting point is 00:04:35 my mom, you know, you deal with a lot of fake people, a lot of drama. And she wanted to have a baby. She wanted to change. So the story goes that she walked into the beer joint, saw him, knew his reputation, and brought 10 grand cash and threw it down on the pool table and said, you look like good breeding stock. You're going to give me a baby. And he was just like, what? But apparently she got her way because soon after they got together and I was born. And I feel kind of bad for my dad. I don't know if she just used them to get what she wanted her. I'm sure they were in love, but I was three months old when they separated. And my dad, I think that really crushed him because he was in love with my mom. So he went the complete wrong route. You know,
Starting point is 00:05:19 he was more of a redneck drink, beer, fight, that type of stuff. Well, she introduced him to the meth game and him being the big strong guy that he was now he has the connections now nothing can stop him she had the baby like she wanted so now she's sober she's wanting to change and she splits up with him so he just goes off the rails goes crazy uh ends up going to prison and for the first eight years of my life it was picture perfect you know besides the fact that i'm growing up without a father figure you know i'm an only child my mom lived two life so she's a registered nerds She could file your taxes. She could network with anybody. And then behind the scene, she was a queen pin. Well, after she had me, she ended up, you know, living a straight and narrow, just a nurse.
Starting point is 00:06:07 I had everything I wanted. I was spoiled. Everything was good. Well, one of the things my mom's always battled with was depression and addiction. So for that eight years, she was completely sober. When my grandma passed away, she went into a depression. And we had our next-door neighbors that knew she was the plug, and they would beg her, Crystal, man, go get some of the good shit like you used to. Come on, come on. And she would never do it. But finally, in her depression, she decided to go ahead and do it. And then she got sucked right back into that lifestyle. So me as an eight-year-old boy, I'm very intelligent. I'm the man of the house. She was very good at living a double life. So she wouldn't be doing the drugs in front of me. But I'm not stupid. I would be seeing the people coming in and out. I would see the mood swings. And I was kind of like her confidant, the one that she talked to about her problem. So I'm this eight-year-old, nine-year-old kid trying to be the man of the house and, you know, solve my mom's issues, which I had no business doing. And, you know, when you're dealing with that type of substance, you go through phases.
Starting point is 00:07:15 So, you know, she might be high and everything good. I'm getting anything I want, you know, for two or three days. And then she comes down and she's just angry, mad at the world. And if I make a wrong move, make a sound while she's trying to sleep, I'm getting my ass beat. So it was very a lot of anxiety walking on eggshells. I never know which side that I'm going to end up meeting. And so by the time I turned 13, I was always anti-drug, you know, sports player, very smart in school. I always had a problem with authority.
Starting point is 00:07:48 But I didn't do drugs. And then I had a cousin that he smoked weed, and he would always try to get. me to smoke. And I would tell him, no, I'm not, you know, I'm good. I'm good. Then I had another cousin from Houston that I looked up to. He came down one day. And he was like, come on, bro. We want to make sure you're not going to snitch on it. Just hit it one time, bro. And so I smoked. And, you know, the first time it really didn't do anything. So I'm like, this is nothing. Then I had a buddy of mine come down. He wanted to smoke one time. So we got to hold us more. And then I smoked and I got high for the first time. And I realized like, wow, you know, everything's funny. Food tastes better.
Starting point is 00:08:23 everything's great. And I got the type of personality which served me well in the future, but I got the type of personality. If I enjoy something, I'm going all in. So at that point in time, I started smoking marijuana. And the point in my life where things really changed, I remember I would save up my lunch money. Back then we got like two or three dollars a day for lunch. And I wouldn't eat lunch so I could save up five bucks and I'd buy me my blunt and I'd go home and smoke my blunt. And I'll never forget.
Starting point is 00:08:53 He ended up being my buddy later, but it was a guy, Jaquin Williams, and he would come and he would have all the nice new clothes, the jewelry, all the stuff. And I'm like, damn, bro, how do you do that? How do you come with all this nice stuff every day? And I'll never forget. He said, dumb asses like you, saving up your lunch money and giving it to me. I'm like, wow. I'm like, I'm over here going hungry. So this dude, hell no, never again.
Starting point is 00:09:18 So at that point, I was determined, like, I'm going to be that guy. So I saved up my money for a week or two, and I bought a half ounce of weed. I broke it down into blunts, and I started selling those blunts on the schoolyard, went from a half ounce to an ounce, and now I'm in the game. Now I'm off-running. And my mom, about this time, probably because of the lifestyle she lived, she ended up getting something called primary pulmonary hypertension. It's like a heart disease.
Starting point is 00:09:46 She had a catheter that went in her heart. You know, obviously she had to change her ways. She was sick. They had given her six months to live, but because she was a nurse, she knew how to mix her own medicine and do all that kind of stuff. So she ended up living a lot longer. But now she had to change. And she saw the route that I was going down. And she desperately didn't want me to live that life because she knew where it would end up leading. But at that point, I'm 13 years old. I'm like, you can't tell me nothing. You lived that life. You were my example. And, you know, I'm a big guy. So what is she going to do? She would try to whip my ass. I would just laugh. I would just keep doing it anyway. And so I got into the game with selling drugs. And as I got going, you know, my mom would constantly be finding my stuff and getting mad. And I started realizing that same guy, Jaquin, he started moving into the bigger stuff, the cocaine, the meth. And I started realizing I've got these bulky pounds of weed that I'm making a couple hundred bucks off of. He's got this little bitty baggy that he's making thousands.
Starting point is 00:10:47 Maybe I need to switch it up. And whenever I got in that game, it just was natural for me because the type of crowd I grew up around. You know, my mom was the plug. So a lot of my family members and people in the circle do those type of drugs. And so, you know, my home boy is like this black gangster guy. He doesn't know all these type of people. But as soon as I got in the game, it's like, boom, I took off. And I was going crazy.
Starting point is 00:11:09 And I remember my mom when I was like 15, just turned 16, she kicked me out the house. and she was like, you know what, I've been trying to get you right. You don't want to listen. Get out of my house and you're going to be out on your own. You're going to see how hard it is. And I came back two months later. I'm in a new car. I'm in an old school 84 Delta 88.
Starting point is 00:11:33 I pull up bumping my music. My mom's like, son, where you been? I missed you. Why haven't you came home? I said, well, you kicked me out. And she was like, well, I wanted you to see how hard it was so you would come back and follow the rules. I'm like, no, I'm going to find it.
Starting point is 00:11:46 I'm going to find a way by any means. I'm good. And she's like, where'd you get this car where you think I got it? So now, mind you, I'm on my own. I'm selling all the hardcore drugs. Part of my story is too, you know, I grew up around a lot of blacks and Hispanics. And I always felt like, you know, as a white guy, we had this stigma where we're the weak ones, the one that get taken advantage of. Wishing you could be there live for the big game? soaking up the atmosphere in the crowd, but too often, life gets busy,
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Starting point is 00:13:55 So I felt the need to prove myself by always being, you know, the first one to fight if somebody said something, the first one to go try to find a plug or just do the craziest stuff. And this would serve me well later on in life, but I had the personality that I just wanted to show that I could accomplish anything. So when I saw some guys that were pimping out females, I was like, I can do that too. So I went and found a female and started pimping out a couple of girls. Even though in my heart, I didn't feel like it was right. I felt like I had something to prove. And then, you know, it came to where people were kicking indoors and robbery or whatever. I'm like, man, I'm going to show that I can do that too. And it was just a lot trying to show that I could be successful,
Starting point is 00:14:37 but success in a world that I shouldn't have been in, if that makes sense. So fast forward, I end up selling the meth and everything like that. And I end up, I'm 16, just turning 17. And now I have my own house. I'm going to school because I really wanted to be successful. I was smart in school. So I would be out in the hotels, partying, chilling with women, doing my thing until three, four in the morning.
Starting point is 00:15:09 Then I would wake up at 6.30, go to school. school every day and still, you know, living two lives like my mom used to live. And by the time I was 16, I had my principal that would, she would always, when she was my ninth grade principal, I got in a bunch of trouble. Tenth grade, she became my 10th grade principal. Every year she followed me. And by 12th grade, she said, I'm going to get you out of this school. I'm going to find a way. and I would do just enough to where I wouldn't get in trouble, and they would try to search me. I'm selling drugs in school.
Starting point is 00:15:46 They would search me. They would find money. They never could catch me. They knew what I was doing. But as a senior, they ended up. I would miss just enough days of school where I wouldn't get truancy. And I had popped some Xanax bars one day and wrecked my car, and I didn't make it to school the next day.
Starting point is 00:16:05 So they end up getting me for truancy and sending me to court. And I remember begging the judge. I'm like, I was three months away from graduating. I had done all my classes, aced, all my tests. I've been putting in all this work while I'm living this double life. And the judge ended up giving me court order GED. And so now I'm pissed. I'm like, man, I did all this work.
Starting point is 00:16:28 Now I don't care. I'm all the way off the rails at that point. I'm living in this house. I'm selling. And whether you want to call it the universe, God, whatever you want to call it, I feel like something was looking out for me, trying to tell me that I had something better in store. And I would always have close calls, like really close calls with large amounts of guns and meth and I wouldn't get caught. And I was 17 at the time.
Starting point is 00:16:58 I was messing with this 30-year-old chick, and she had came to get some stuff. And when she left, she was like, hey, they told me if I call you that I'm going to go to prison. But I just left your house and they said that their wife. watching it for drugs. They're about to come get you. You got to get out of there. So I'm like, shit. So it just so happened the day before I had a pistol. Well, let me say this part of the story first. So there's this guy. I had a feeling he was a snitch. He was a white guy. He would come in a band. He was just real weird. But the thing is, he always wanted to smoke the dope in front of me before he left. And I know, you know, if I'm just chilling, it's cool. But sometimes I got
Starting point is 00:17:37 shit to do. So I'm like, man, I ain't got time. Like, please, let me smoke. And I always thought it was weird. And I got so paranoid one time he came in and I actually pulled a pistol on him. And I'm like, look, I know you're the police. You're going to admit to me you're the police right now where it's over with. And he's like, bro, you're tripping, bro. Are you high? You need some rest. Like, I smoke it in front of you every time. How could, how could I be the police? Which is crazy that they, I found out later on that the reason why he was smoking in front of me is because he's got to go turn the product in to the cops so he could only smoke what he could smoke. And, you know, the cops know that they're doing that. But I had pulled that pistol on him. It just so happens by the grace of the universe that somebody had
Starting point is 00:18:18 got in my house and stole my gun. And she tipped me off. So I hid the dope outside in the electricity box. I had a pound of weed that I couldn't, you know, I put that in the oven and I leave and the cops pulled me over. And I'm smart. I'm already a hard and criminal by this time. So they're telling me, you know, we know you live at this house. We're going to go back over there. You're going to show us where the stuff is at. I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about, sir. I'm 17.
Starting point is 00:18:44 I'm not even old enough to have a lease. How could I have a house? And not knowing that they had been watching me for six months. So they knew everything that was going on. I'm like, that's not my house. They actually ended up pulling an illegal move because they took me over there. I'm like, I'm not going in that house. That's not my house.
Starting point is 00:19:01 I don't have a lease. They actually picked me up and drag me kicking and screaming inside the house. Because, you know, if they would have found this stuff in there while I'm outside, they couldn't have charged me with it. So by the grace of God, they're like, where's the gun? Where's the dope? I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm thinking, how do they know about this? I find out later.
Starting point is 00:19:18 So they get me for the pound of weed and I go for my first time to county. And I'm wondering, like, how do they know about this stuff? Well, come to find out, the guy wasn't informant. So he told him, like, he put this gun in my face. He, you know, so they knew everything. But all they could get me with was the weed. So I'm in there, and this is when I realized that the dynamics are a little bit different. Like I said, I grew up with black folks, Mexican folks.
Starting point is 00:19:49 I'm in the mix with everybody. I'm respected by everybody. When I get in there, I'm thinking it's going to be similar. Well, I remember, you know, my first few days in there, there was this guy that came in. He was kind of a crash dummy, a gangster disciple, black dude. And I'm in there cool with everybody. And he comes and he's just like trying to start shit with all the people. And there's a few white guys in there.
Starting point is 00:20:11 Everybody else is like, you know, little scrawny, you know, cracked out type people. And there's this one guy who was actually like a homeless guy. He wasn't harming nobody. He's watching TV. And this black guy comes and he grabs, we had the plastic buckets. And he grabs this plastic bucket just hits this dude over the head with him, starts beating his ass. And this dude's screaming. bloody, you know, it's terrible.
Starting point is 00:20:36 I'm watching it. I got a heart. I'm like, man, this is terrible. But I'm knowing it's like, well, I can't jump in because then, you know, definitely out number going to get jumped. At the end of this day, I don't know this guy. I feel bad for him, but I don't know him. And so he does that.
Starting point is 00:20:52 And then when he gets up, he was like, any of you other ho-ass white boys got a problem? And I'm standing over here. I'm like, man, please don't look at me. And he looks around. What about you, ho-ass white boy, you got a problem? I'm like, fuck, because I'd already been told by my dad, you know, he'd been in prison. So he's like, you know, when you go in there, if you let anybody punk you, it's over with. No matter what, you got to be ready to fight, win, lose, or draw, you can't get punks.
Starting point is 00:21:18 I'm like, shit. I'm like, come on. So we start going, and I start getting them. I actually get him in the head like I'm just banging them up. And, you know, I'm kind of excited. I'm like, shit, I'm doing good. And then the same black dudes that I'm cool with, they come and push me off. I'm like, hell not homeboy, you can't do that.
Starting point is 00:21:35 I'm like, what? He called me out one-on-one. Yeah, but we can't let you do that, bro. He's one of us. And I didn't understand, because in the street dynamic, it's like, he just beat the shit out of this dude, one-on-one. Nobody said anything. He called me out, and we're fighting one-on-one.
Starting point is 00:21:49 But that's when I learned, like, the racial dynamic is a little bit different when it goes to jail or prison. Let me ask you something. When did buying glasses get so ridiculous? Every year I tell myself, I've got insurance. This won't be bad. and every year I still walk out of an eyeglasses store spending $500 or more. By the time they had lenses, coatings, and all the extras, you're locked in.
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Starting point is 00:23:59 But me with my twisted mind frame, then, I'm like, I've already been in here two and a half months. I can either get out on five years probation where I can't smoke weed. I had no goals or ambitions back then. I was going to go straight back to selling drugs. Or I could do stay jail and I could go serve my little three and a half months and I could get out, you know, smoke my weed. And my mom's like, baby, please.
Starting point is 00:24:24 Like, you can take this probation and get out and not have a felony. You don't understand with that felony on your record how hard it's going to be to live. And I'm hardheaded. I didn't realize, you know, how hard it is to get a job or to do anything in life with the felony. So I'm 17 years old. Like, no, I'm going to stay jail. Fuck that. So I do.
Starting point is 00:24:44 And that was a shock. Imagine me. And I wasn't as big as I am now. I'm a scrawny little 17-year-old white kid in state jail. And Ian, the thing about state jail, so there's prison and then there's state jail. State jail is like two years and under sentence. I had a six-month sentence then. And in there, there is no parole.
Starting point is 00:25:03 You do day for day. So if you want to fight every single day, then you can fight every single day and you're going home on that release date. It don't matter. So I get in there and that's where I learn more of the racial dynamics. My dad had always told me, if you ever go to prison, be a solo wood. A solo wood means you're not affiliated with any gang, but that you're a white boy that's not scared to fight. And if shit goes down, you're not going to be hiding under your bunk. You know, if it's a race right, you're going to stand up.
Starting point is 00:25:33 And I'm like, okay, you know, that makes sense. Because I definitely didn't want to be in any kind of, you know, Aryan brotherhoods or any kind of thing like that. So I get there. And, of course, like, man, what's up? Who do you run with? Whatever. I'm like, I'm a solo wood.
Starting point is 00:25:47 And they're, like, doing handshakes and shit. And I don't really know, like, am I supposed to do that? Like, I'm not affiliated with anybody. But I'm not, you know, what my dad told me, you're not scared of fight. So I'm kind of kicking it with them. And in state jail, we went on lockdown. And I think a big problem in prison and jail, people just get bored. So they just start trying to do shit, politicking. And, you know, the woods are not supposed to be a gang. And while we were on lockdown, everybody else has speakers for their different, you know, the tango blasts, the cribs, the
Starting point is 00:26:26 bluds. So the woods got bored and they said, well, I think we need to have a speaker. We need to have somebody to kind of represent because we got to get off this lockdown. So they took a vote. And I'm feeling weird. Like we're taking a vote. And then they start trying to like, I think we should hang out more together and not really associate. And the thing about me, I'm authentic. I'm going to be me no matter where I go. I've always rapped. I play ball. I talk to who I want to talk to. I don't try to be something I'm not. And I've noticed a lot of white. And I've noticed a lot of white. guys go to prison. And in the free world, they might date black chicks. They might listen to rap. But when they get into prison, they're like super white, you know, Thai, you look at here, motherfucker.
Starting point is 00:27:08 You know, they change their accent and everything. And they portray something that they're not. And that's never me. So I had a buddy who was similar. You know, we'd be playing slapboxing with people who was just having fun. And they wanted to start doing a vote. And they call us one day and they said, hey, we have a vote. We need to talk about something. And they're like, we all took a vote and whether or not we need to discipline you. And his name is David Stone.
Starting point is 00:27:34 He'll probably watch this. What's up, David? But we took a vote on whether or not we should discipline y'all because y'all been slapboxing and we're on lockdown. And if y'all get seen, you know, they could extend the lockdown.
Starting point is 00:27:46 But the blacks, the Mexicans, they're all slapboxing. So what is the problem? Y'all are not saying anything to them, but they vote. And they vote they're going to discipline a little David to do, two on one. And then with me, I feel like, because I'm a little bigger, they're like, well,
Starting point is 00:27:59 you haven't been acting too crazy. So we're going to give you a warning this time. And I'm like, so what's the problem? Why are these other people doing it? They're like, man, the Tongo Blast, they said they were going to smash all out if we didn't get these things in line. So me, I'm always the type to speak for myself. It just so happens. The leader of the Tongo Blast is one of my cellies. And me and him stay up late at night, drinking coffee, talking shit. So I'm like, man, I can't imagine him saying he was going to smash me out. Like, he would probably tell me or give me a hint or something. So I end up asking him.
Starting point is 00:28:34 I'm like, hey, bro, if I offended you or so, let me know. He's like, what are you talking about? I'm like, well, they're saying you're talking about smashing us out for slapboxing. And he's like, man, I never said that whole ass shit. They're just trying to get some unity in their people and they're trying to make an example out of y'all because y'all and I like country white dudes. I'm like, what? So when they do the meeting to try to disqualify.
Starting point is 00:28:54 I said, hold up. I have something that I want to bring up. And I said, you know, I talked to the Tango Blas. It's my buddy. And he said, he never said anything about smashing us out. What are you doing? You're not the speaker. You're not supposed to be speaking. Only the speaker can speak. I'm like, I'm a man. Like, if you're talking about me and something I'm doing wrong, I'm going to ask about it. Oh, you could get us all in the wreck because you're talking to them. Now I think we need to discipline him, too. And, you know, I'm from central Texas. And state jail is more of your area. So there's a There's a lot of people from Temple, Colleen area where I'm from. And some of the black dudes that I'm cool with from over there, they overheard it. And they were like, man, that's some whole ass shit. Y'all don't say nothing to none of us doing it. Y'all trying to make an example out of him. He's cool people. Matter of fact, why don't you discipline me?
Starting point is 00:29:41 You a bitch. And these same dudes that are all, you know, gung-ho. They didn't do nothing. And I'm like, that's when I realized, like, wow, y'all are more likely to want to beat up your own people then actually stand up to another race, but the whole point of coming together is to protect from the other races. So I'm like, this doesn't make sense.
Starting point is 00:30:00 And they didn't do anything. So I said, you know what? As far as the wood goes, like me not being scared of fight, that's what I am. But as far as whatever y'all got going, you know, doing votes and eating with whoever, I'm not a part of that.
Starting point is 00:30:14 And they're like, all right, all right. When a racial riot pops off and you're by yourself and you'll need us, you'll see then. I'm like, y'all just showed that it's something. was going to pop off. Y'all are going to beat my ass before any of these other people do anyway. And don't get me wrong. So this is in a state jail experience.
Starting point is 00:30:31 You know, I only had six months. Got into some shit there, too. It was a crazy experience. That's when I first realized how wild it is to see the homosexual population there. I'll never forget coming into state jail. There was this guy that was openly feminine. And I would see that he was like sitting down. I'm like taking a shit every few minutes.
Starting point is 00:30:52 And I'm like, why does this dude shitting so much? And I'm like, what's wrong? This dude? He got AIDS? What is going on? Why is he shitting all the time? He's like, bro, he busted out loud. And he's like, bro, he sits down to pee.
Starting point is 00:31:02 He's supposed to be a girl. I'm like, what the fuck? Because I've never seen anything like this. Dudes with tits and all this. I've never seen anything. So it's just like a culture shock. But so I make it out of state jail. Go right back to the same old lifestyle.
Starting point is 00:31:18 And this is where it gets a little deeper. So while I'm out, I hook up with this girl. I'll never forget this story either. Hook up with this girl. I'm 18 at the time. And she's my first love. And I'm still hustling.
Starting point is 00:31:34 Me and her had been fighting, getting into it. And we had this plan. We had got some ecstasy. And we're like, you know what? This weekend, you're going to turn your phone off. You're not going to hit no legs. We're just going to pop these and have a good time and whatever. So I had this brick of weed.
Starting point is 00:31:48 and I had this guy that would buy a half brick from me, and he would pay like super top dollar. I'm like, all right, baby, I just got to drop off this one half, and then I'm turning, God damn, you never turn your phone. I was like, man, just this one thing I'll be back. So I have my scales at her house, and she lived in the little ghetto apartment complex, and it's next to this little ghetto elementary school.
Starting point is 00:32:09 This will come into play later. So I break it to where it's bigger than a half, so I know I don't short him, and then I'm going to go grab my scales and make it right. So I pop my pills. So I'm like, by the time I get there, you know, and get back, it'll kick in.
Starting point is 00:32:24 I'll be feeling good. So I go. I get my scales. I'm coming out of these little ghetto apartments. Woo-whoop. Cops pull me up. I'm like, fuck, man. And it's like they instantly knew.
Starting point is 00:32:36 I got this weed sitting right here. I didn't even try to hide it. As soon as I was going to get out and run. As soon as he opened the door, he instantly, hands behind your back. I'm like, fuck. I'll never forget, bro. In the back of that cop car,
Starting point is 00:32:47 The red and blue started looking crazy because the pills kicking in. I'm like, golly. And I'm sitting in county jail. Now I'm rolling and just thinking like I'm supposed to be at home of my girl. I'm in here. So I got charged with the weed again. Now this time, now I'm with this girl. While I'm in there, she tells me that she's pregnant and that I need to get my shit together because I'm about to have a son.
Starting point is 00:33:14 So now for the first time I'm thinking about maybe one to actually make a chance. I got this crooked-ass lawyer. He'll probably see this to Mike McGahnia that he was telling me that I'll get out on probation. You know, it's not a big deal. It's just eight ounces of weed. And they charged me with the drug-free zone, had no idea what that was at the time in a repeat offender. I'm supposed to go home. I'm already telling everybody I'm giving away all my stuff.
Starting point is 00:33:40 I'm going home. Before I go in to the courtroom to get my sentencing, they tell me I got a visit. I got a visit. I'm about to go to court. You got a visit. It's my lawyer. And he was like, hey, man, after talking to the DA and everything, he was like, the best I can get you, they want to send you to TDC boot camp. And if you make it through boot camp, then you can get probation. I'm like, boot camp, I'm supposed to be going home today. And he was like, well, that's not going to happen. And so this boot camp, it's the craziest shit, Ian. I don't even know if they still have them because they were so terrible. This boot camp, you go for three to six months. If you make it through, then you get out on, you know, five to 10 years probation. But the boot camp, they actually treat it like a military boot camp. They're waking you up at 4 in the morning. You're doing push-ups, running, scrubbing with toothbrushes. I mean, like a real boot camp, but imagine in the military, the drill sergeants are people that have been through it as well.
Starting point is 00:34:35 And they're trying to break you so they can make you into a man. These are just fat, sloppy guards that have no discipline. And shut up, boy. And, you know, before I get to that part, though, So he tells me either you can take this, sign for the drug free zone, which is not that bad, or they're going to hit you with the repeat offender. I'll get the repeat offender to drop. Just sign for the drug free zone and take this boot camp.
Starting point is 00:34:59 And if you don't, I'm going to drop you from my caseload. You're going to sit in here for another three or four months. You're not going to get a better offer. So you're wasting time. By the time you do that, you could already be out. So I'm like, fuck. So I take this boot camp. And I get there and it's fucking terrible, bro.
Starting point is 00:35:15 You can't sit on the bunk at all. You have to sit two feet in front of the bunk at all times, stand at attention all the time. You might get 30 minutes to look through your photo album or something. You'll be looking at your photo album. Oh, let me see that. Who's that? That's your girl.
Starting point is 00:35:30 I bet she's taking big black cock right now, huh? Like, talk crazy because if you say anything to them, then if you don't make it through the boot camp, you automatically get 10 in prison. So they hold you out, man. I remember one time somebody got caught stealing an extra chicken paddy. they brought the tray out, took a whole thing of salt and pepper. He's like, oh, you like to steal, boy, you like to eat food?
Starting point is 00:35:53 Well, here, you like salt? Here, let's put some salts on that. What about pepper? You like a little pepper, don't you? Put some pepper. I mean, like a whole thing, and they made him, he's gagging, choking. They made him eat that whole tray. And this is the type of shit they would do.
Starting point is 00:36:06 They would torture you, and you have to take it. It's a blessing and a curse that this happened. but I get word and this is one of those mean super bulldyke type guards that just hates men and she calls me to the office and usually if you get called to the office you're in trouble so I'm like damn what do I do and she said oh I just uh I just want to tell you we got to call your mom's dead and I'm like what yeah your mom's dead we'll give you a couple days just sitting the gates out of the program I'm like no emotion no like I'm sorry to hear this and I'm like and I'm like And I know my mom's been sick, but like I wasn't expecting it.
Starting point is 00:36:47 And I look back at it now. It's probably a blessing because for three days, all I could think about is, man, I just want to numb the pain. Like, I want some kind of drugs. I want some kind of alcohol or something. But in there, you can't even have coffee. Like, you have no substances in there. So I just had to sit there with the pain and get it out. And they wouldn't even let me go to her funeral, even though this is like a little boot camp.
Starting point is 00:37:11 didn't get to go to her funeral or anything. And in my mind, I'm thinking, you know, okay, God took my mom, but I've got a son on the way. So, you know, he probably just didn't want me to crash out out there. I'm going to get out. I'm going to have my son. Everything's good, right? So boom, I get out. Now I'm on this probation.
Starting point is 00:37:30 And got my girl. She's like seven months pregnant at the time. And I'm waking up five in the morning. I'm actually doing right, Ian. I'm waking up five in the morning. I'm laying concrete. We're about to get married. I bought her a ring.
Starting point is 00:37:43 We got this trailer home that we're looking at buying. And she's a Hispanic girl, and I'm white, obviously. So she ends up having the baby. I named the baby, do all that. I'm all excited. My son's coming. While bullshit, you not, the baby came out with a full mustache, a sombrero and like Maracas.
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Starting point is 00:39:04 grab it today. And here comes the fine print. Lucy products are only for adults of legal age, and every order is age verified. Warning, this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical. Now, let's get back into this episode. Yeah, definitely look more on the Hispanic side. And I had asked her, I'm like, I know I was in jail.
Starting point is 00:39:25 If there's any percent chance, like, if you mess with one dude, one time with two condoms on, like, tell me so I can mentally be prepared. No, I swear on the baby's life, I would never, blah, blah, blah. and we're about to get married. Like our families are close, but I got this nagging feeling like, man, this just don't feel right. Something ain't right. And so I say, I know her family's going to get mad, whatever. I'm like, fucking, I'm getting a DNA test.
Starting point is 00:39:48 I would rather know for sure and feel good about it. Y'all can be mad all you want than me go to the next 18 years with this nagging feeling in the back of my mind. So I end up getting the test. I actually worked with her dad. I'm in the car and I'm thinking I'm probably tripping, you know. And I get a call and it's from the people and I'm in the car with her dad. And they're like, yeah, we're just calling. And, you know, they don't know if you want the baby to be yours or not.
Starting point is 00:40:14 So they don't have any emotion when they say it. They're like, yeah, we just want to inform you that there's a 0% possibility that you're the father. I'm like, what you mean like I'm not the father? And they're like, oh, they like heard my tone. They're like, oh, yeah, sorry, but you're not the father. I'm like, what the fuck? Man, let me out of this in truck right now. He's like, what's going on me?
Starting point is 00:40:33 man, let me out this mother. And so that one, now I'm like, now I'm mad at the world because I'm like, man, you took my mom. I thought I'm getting a son. It's not my son. This is my first little puppy love. I named the kid.
Starting point is 00:40:46 I cared about the kid. Luckily, I didn't catch a worst charge there because I damn near beat her up at that point. But I ended up leaving her. And at that point, that's when I went all the way left. I'm like, you know, I ain't got my mom. My dad's been gone. You know, the son I thought I had, you know, that's out the window. So mind you, I'm still on probation.
Starting point is 00:41:15 I ended up, now I have like a bunch of my homie. We have like a trap house. We're acting crazy. Just quick part of this story. They end up kicking in my door. And by the grace of God, once again, I had just sold out of everything. And there was nothing there. And they were so mad because they thought they had something.
Starting point is 00:41:33 that they said that they scraped my countertop, which I didn't even do cocaine on the countertop, but they said that they found a 0.01 of cocaine on my countertop, and they took me in. And I was going to fight it, but they did find like some little blunt residue or something. And they're like, look, you're on probation. They said, if you don't fight the charge,
Starting point is 00:41:55 if you take this 0.01 cocaine charge, we'll give you nine-month state jail and will continue rolling your stuff. you'll keep your probation going. It'll keep running while you're in there. If you try to fight it, whether we can get you on the Coke or not, we're getting you on the weed, you revoke your probation, you'll go to TDC. So I'm like, fuck.
Starting point is 00:42:14 So I take the state jail. So now I go do nine-month state jail. And this time, I go to the same state jail. While I'm in there, I happen to be in the kitchen, and I run into one of the guys. So my dad, he had did six years when I was young. He got out. and then he was out for a little while and in my life for a little bit.
Starting point is 00:42:36 And then he got back in the game and he got back to cooking meth and stuff like that. They had this big operation, this big sting, took him down. He was the only one out of all the people
Starting point is 00:42:45 that didn't snitch because he was, you know, trying to live by the code and do the right thing. I remember going and visiting him. I'm like, Dad, what are you going to do? He's like, man,
Starting point is 00:42:54 everybody's telling on me. And he said, if I don't tell that they're going to make an example out of me. And I'm like, well, what are you going to do?
Starting point is 00:43:01 And he was like, I live by the sword, die by the sword. I'm like, well, what about the ones that are actively telling on you? Like, you can't say nothing about them. I mean, I know not to say anything about the other people that, you know, didn't get caught. He was like, man, I'm just, I'm not doing it. And that's how the justice system worked. All those people that were actually got caught cooking the meth, they kicked in his house.
Starting point is 00:43:21 They found like an empty pipe. The people that were actually cooking the meth and in the process of it, they got like six years, eight years. My dad got 25 years in the feds. Yeah, so he's in the feds. While I'm in state jail, I happen to go in the kitchen, and I see one of the guys that's on the paperwork that snitched on my dad. So I'm like, it's my duty. Like, you know, you got about 25 years.
Starting point is 00:43:46 That's his life, you know. So I never forget this dude's name was Stephen. And we're in the scullery. And I walk in. And I'm like, hey, he turns around. I'm like, hey, you remember Gary Simon? He's like, what? BOW, drilled him in the nose and just shattered this shit.
Starting point is 00:44:02 hit him a couple times. He drops. I turn thinking I'm going to get out of there and they got the bear mace in my face. My first time ever getting really mace. Like, oh shit, cuff me. And, you know, they want you to suffer. So I'm like got my hands behind my back. I can't wash my face. Nothing. And, you know, you can get into fights and stay jail and it's not a big deal. But when you, like, really hurt somebody, like I shattered his nose. I was thinking I was going to get free world charges. That was my first taste of SEG, you know, being. locked in a little cell for 23 hours a day, no human conscience. People are full of surprises, especially when you travel together.
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Starting point is 00:45:20 Tag, no one to talk to. Then they ship me to a place called Dominguez Unit. And over there, it's all Hispanics. Like, it's Hispanic. It's by San Antonio. So it's all Hispanic. And they had me like in the closed custody. So I saw a different side of jail in there as well, you know,
Starting point is 00:45:40 different places to run by different, you know, minorities or whoever. And they operate different. So there was like very, very structured. You know, you had a certain set that went to child first or that went to commissary. And where I was at, you know, it's closed custody. So you had a big dorm in each side. was caged off. So you got like 15, 20 people that you're just locked in here. Y'all don't go to wreck. Y'all don't go do none of that stuff. I saw some crazy stuff there. Probably say one of the
Starting point is 00:46:13 crazier things I saw is there was a Chomo that came in and he was on the top bunk and he was a white dude. So they called out like, hey, one of the white dudes over there, I got to handle this guy. And I ended up running into this guy later on. We got out. He was kind of a crash dummy just like, do whatever. So he's telling his dude, get off the bunk. You know what time and he's like, no, come on, man. He's like, no, get off the bunk. No, no. So he starts trying to grab him, the dude's trying to kick him. He pulls him off the bunk and fucking slams his head on the concrete, stomping the shit out of him. I'm like, man, where am I at? But I did nine months state jail there. I did nine months stay jail there and ended up getting out. And,
Starting point is 00:47:01 after that, I'm still on probation and I'm not really wanting to continue the lifestyle, but still haven't quite learned my lesson. And once again, the same type of scenario at school, I would walk a fine line. So it's like, I'm still doing drugs. I'm still hustling. I'm still doing things. But I would still find a way to pass my test, you know, my piss test. I would still do what I needed to do and wouldn't get in trouble.
Starting point is 00:47:31 I did four and a half years on a five-year probation and ended up, got pulled over for driving with a suspended license. They revoked my probation. This is where it gets crazy. So they revoked my probation. Had another crooked attorney that I had, he's telling me, man, you're just on probation for weed. It's just a driving with spending license.
Starting point is 00:47:53 You know, we'll tell them that, you know, you had to get to work to pay your probation. So, you know, they're not going to send you to prison. While I'm in there, I'm kicking it with the. people and I'm telling them, yeah, you know, my charge, you know, I'm possession of marijuana in a drug free zone. Remember, I signed for it back when I got the boot camp. I had already signed, which means I admitted to it. I'm on this probation. Didn't know what a drug free zone was. Well, when I go in front of the judge, he says, you know what, I'm getting tired of playing with you. I'm sending you to six years TDC. Once again, I'm thinking I'm going home.
Starting point is 00:48:27 I'm sending you six years TDC. So I'm like, fuck. My lawyer's He was like, man, don't worry. It's not a big deal. It's just a weed charge. You'll go down there, you know, you'll do nine months a year. You'll be back before Super Bowl. You'll be good. I'm like, fuck.
Starting point is 00:48:40 So I really don't want to do it, but I've already done the six. I've done the nine. Fuck, I can fade a year. You know, I made it through state jail where they fight every day. I can make it. So I go back to the dorm and I'll never forget this. There was a dude from Colleen, Texas, name Killa. And he was like, man, what's up, bro?
Starting point is 00:48:58 What happened? You going home? I'm like, no, man. gave me six. He said, they gave you six. I'm like, yeah, but it's all good, man. He said, I'll go, you know, by Super Bowl, I'll be home. He's like, bro, you got a drug free zone. You ain't going home. I'm like, what do you mean? He said, bro, a drug free zone? If you got a drug free zone, which for the people that don't know, drug free zone is if you're within a thousand feet of a school, playground, anywhere where kids can congregate, they can classify it as a drug free zone.
Starting point is 00:49:27 And so, mind you, I had got pulled over at 12 o'clock at night, summertime. There's no kids anywhere around. It's not like I'm serving little Johnny on the playground. But there was that little ghetto school next to the apartments. And so they had charged me with that. And I didn't even realize. And my lawyer was like, oh, you sign for the drug free zone and we'll drop the other one and you'll be good. So I'm like, man, ain't no way.
Starting point is 00:49:51 He was like, yeah, bro, I had a home girl did the same thing that she had to serve five. Anything less than five, you serve day for day. Anything over five, you do the whole five until you see for all. And I said, not for weed. He said, yes, for a pound of weed, she did five years. I'm like, hell no. So I got a girl at the time that I'm with. And I call her, I'm like, man, baby, you know, this dude's tripping.
Starting point is 00:50:12 He's saying I'm going to have to do five. Man, call it different lawyer besides mine just to see, you know, because my lawyer said I'm good. And I'll never forget calling her that next night. And she answers the phone and she's like, hey, baby. And I could just tell in her voice, my heart dropped. I'm like, why do you sound like that? What's going on? She was like, he's right.
Starting point is 00:50:33 You're going to have to do a whole five years. And I'm like, man, ain't no fucking way. Ain't no call a parole attorney. Like, there's no way for marijuana. I'm going to be doing five years of prison. And so the next day, she's like, I called a parole. Like, there's nothing. They said it'd be a waste of money to even hire them with the drug-free zone
Starting point is 00:50:53 because you don't see parole, so they can't even fight for you. And, man, I was at the lowest, sickest point in my life. Like, my heart just dropped. Like now I'm looking around. And to make it worse, I'm in county and I'm going to sell and they close it in at night. And you got four people. I'm the only white guy. There's three black guys.
Starting point is 00:51:13 Nobody has commissary. One of the guys who's my celly is an open Satanist. And he would like cut his head and take the blood and put like pinagrams on his pillow and pray to Satan right there. And everybody's hungry looking at me. And I'm like, oh my God. Like this is going to be my life for the next five years. This is terrible. So, yeah, so, and I remember, you know, you're looking for something that can hype you up to make it okay.
Starting point is 00:51:45 So there's this guy who had done 10 years. And I'm like, man, tell me a story about when you went, man. What's a good time you had, like something that was cool in there? And he was like, man, it really wasn't much cool. I'm like, there got to be something good about it. He was like, oh, well, yeah, you know what? There was this one time where my homeboy smuggled in a pack of cigarettes. And we had so many cigarettes.
Starting point is 00:52:06 We smoked like 20 until we just got sick. And I'm like, what the fuck? I don't even like cigarettes, bro. That does not sound fun at all. Like, that's the best you had. Shit. So this was the hardest time of my life in. I end up, so in Texas, they have something called a transfer unit where you do up to two years.
Starting point is 00:52:24 And then they have the ID unit for when you're doing big time. So you usually start off in a transfer. So I was at Buster Coal unit. And super high. You're in 10 buildings, metal 10 to 100 degree heat. In transfers, you can't have radios and you can't have your own personal fans. So, I mean, when I say it was hot, like, it would be so hot. I'm trying to do something positive.
Starting point is 00:52:48 So I take this HVAC class where I got to be at classes in 7 in the morning. So it's so hot. Sweets literally dripping off of you feeling like spiders are crawling while you're trying to sleep because I'm in a far. They got like one fan in the ceiling way over here, a big metal fan and one over here. in the middle, so I'm not getting no air. And it's so hot that you don't stop sweating until like two in the morning. And then when you finally stop sweating enough to actually sleep, then they call Child Hall at 4 a.m. At this time, oh, I got to tell you about that part too, but I'm not getting no commissary. I'm not getting nothing. And so I have to wake up and go to child hall. And so by the time
Starting point is 00:53:27 I go there, stand in line, wait on all that, then I come back and try to sleep for an hour. then it's time to go to school. So it was just like miserable. I was like a zombie. But the reason I say I didn't have any money, so this is crazy. So, a girl, when I found out I was doing this five, I'm like, look, I know there's no way you're going to hold me down for five years. Let's go ahead and break up now. You know, if you want to shoot me some letters, come visit me, cool. And she's like, are you fucking crazy? I'm in this with you. I'm riding this out. And I didn't believe it, but you want to believe it. You want to believe that maybe you're not going to be in here because I already don't have my mom. My dad's gone. I don't have anybody. You know, your friends in the streets,
Starting point is 00:54:04 they forget about you as soon as you go. So, you know, I didn't believe it, but I wanted to believe that maybe it was true. So I'm like, man, if you're for real about this, marry me. Marry me right now while I'm in county. She's like, okay, let's get married. So against our odds, I'm like, maybe, maybe I got somebody that's going to ride out this time with me, which five years seems like a lifetime. So, you know, she's writing me, putting money on my books. I left her with $6,000 cash, all my guns, all my jewelry, every. Now, I do have a stepdad. Probably could have left it with him, but I'm thinking this is my wife.
Starting point is 00:54:35 You know, she's going to hold me down. So while you're in county, you're right down the street. It's easy. As soon as I hit that chain, all of a sudden, the phone calls. She's starting not to pick up. Let her start not to come in. And it wasn't a month. And she just cut me off completely.
Starting point is 00:54:50 And she did me dirty, bro. I'm thinking, you know, I know you're going to get some dick while you're out there, whatever. But, like, put $50 on my books here and there. Come visit me once every couple months. months and she just took my money, took all my shit. I'm in there with nothing, bro. And you know, what's the little things in there that are important? You know, getting your name called at mail, getting a visit, getting some commissary. I'm in there with literally nothing. I don't have any of
Starting point is 00:55:18 that, no letters, no business, no commissary. And that's actually a very powerful point in my life because I got so low and so depressed. I have all this time, all this. And, and you know, And I finally got to a breaking point where I'm like, you know what, nothing else can hurt me. Like, I'm at the bottom of the barrel. It can't get any worse than this. Like, I don't have anybody. I don't have no money. And I'm like, you know what?
Starting point is 00:55:41 I'm going to figure out a way to still survive and to thrive. So I've always been good with the pen and doing music. So I started writing customized poems. Like people would tell me about, you know, I got into an argument with my old lady, but I want her to know that I love her. It's Christmas time. It's my daughter's birthday. And I would listen to their stories and I would write customized poems that fit their scenario so well that it was like they wrote them. And some of them would pretend they did.
Starting point is 00:56:07 Some would say, hey, I had this made for you. But I started getting paid for that. And then I'm a musician as well. So I'd be in there writing music. And people, you know, we get bored in there. So they'd be like, hey, hit one of them songs. Here's a few suits, man. Hit one of them songs again.
Starting point is 00:56:20 So I started making money like that. And then I would get little jobs where I would steal some bleach or get some, you know, nice whites that I would sell. and I'm like, you know what, nothing can hurt me. Like, I'm going to be okay. And it was at that point I had a realization. I'm like, you know what? I'm here. I'm not seeing parole.
Starting point is 00:56:39 There's no way out. So I've got one or two choices. Either I can accept this as my life and I can sit here and play dominoes and fight and talking bullshit or I can be determined to use this time as a boot camp, a training ground to elevate myself mentally, physically, spiritually. and it seems like forever, but one of these days, these doors are going to open, and I'm going to get out, and I'm going to take everything back that they took from me. And that was my mind frame. I use it as a boot camp. I'm in the gym working out.
Starting point is 00:57:08 I'm reading every book that I can get my head. Save now at Whole Foods Market. It's the summer splash event, with great everyday prices on 365 brand ground beef for the grill and ice cream for dessert. They have yellow sales signs on ready-to-cook beef or chicken kebabs, too. Level up with savory marinate, spices and rubs, and complete your cookout with a crowd-pleasing cherry pie and their balsamic chicken salad. Available at the prepared foods counter. Get Summer Splash Savings Now at Whole Foods Market. This summer agey jeans looks to California Wine Country for inspiration, where style feels effortless and time naturally slows down.
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Starting point is 00:58:31 everywhere. AG's summer 2026 collection is available now at AGG jeans.com. Use code summer 15 for 15% off, even if you've shopped with us before. Hands on. I'm taking every class, and I feel like we're magnets. Our mentalities are magnetic. So once I got in that type of mind frame, a mind frame of abundance, all of a sudden this chick that I used to talk to back in the day, she finds out I'm in there. So she starts
Starting point is 00:58:56 shooting me some letters, starts shooting me some money. One of my cousins, Jane Bone, we call him, he reached out. He started sending me some stuff. And so now I'm going. And now I'm in the mix. And I always learned, I learned from the SEG experience that you can do jail one of two ways. You do it the easy way or you can do it the hard way. If you want to fight and act a fool, they got a place for you. You can go sit in that SEG. So I realized that I, would rather get in good with the guards get a good job. And my thing has always been the ladies. I like the ladies. And as you probably know, you kind of lose your ability to communicate in there. Because as I said, I'm not getting business. I'm getting no free world contact. And it gets to the
Starting point is 00:59:41 point where you're intimidated, like to even speak to a woman. And I didn't want that to be me. So I made it a mission that I was still going to communicate with ladies. And I would get certain jobs that would allow me to do so. So I would get like the hallway porter job or a job in the office. And I'm going to tell you, if you ever really want to test your game, that is how you do it because it is the hardest competition when it comes to talking to a guard. Because you got a thing out here, you got status symbols. Like, hey, I'm fucking Ian Bick, you know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:00:13 Or you got jewelry or you got cars or you got whatever. You got something to differentiate you from the crowd. And there we all got the same shaved head. We all got the same white suits. The most you can flex is $75 on commissary. We're all the same. We're all competing hundreds of people competing over the same one or two women guards that are in there. Then you add in the elements that everybody's going to hate on you if they see you getting some attention that they're not.
Starting point is 01:00:39 They'll tell on you. You know what I mean? Then you got the added element of if she doesn't respond well, she could write you a case and you could fuck off your parole. So it's just a diabolical game. But it's something that I got really good at. I would get these jobs. And, you know, I would actually study. I would read, like, pick up artists books and have little ideas for Icebreaker
Starting point is 01:01:02 Conversation starters. I would have songs. I would, like, get on the button and be like, hey, I wrote the song for a female. Let me hit it for you real quick. Tell me what you think. And just do shit outside the box that was bold. And they respected it. And I ended up, I had a few different girlfriends in there that they would bring me
Starting point is 01:01:21 stuff in. They would look out for them. You know, in there, if they bring you a freaking free world cheeseburger, you're fucking winning, you know. And I didn't want to do, you know, I was already in the mind frame of wanting to be successful. So I didn't want to bring in, like, drugs and cell phones and stuff like that. My thing was, like, bring me some creatine for my workout, you know, bring me some food or make this phone call from a three-way from my home boy and shit. But it helped past the time and had a couple of girls that, you know, I made out with, on them, you know, a little shit. Just a hug. When you get a hug in prison, I was telling, I think your buddy about this, it's like, people don't realize that human nature is we need
Starting point is 01:02:01 physical touch. Like a man, even, we need so many hugs a day or physical touch in general. And to not have that for years at a time, it really messes with you psychologically. And I think that's why in prison a lot of guys, you know, play around and what's up, bro, you know, just because they don't have any kind of physical touch. And so when you get a kiss or just to hold the hand of a woman is something amazing in there. But it came with a lot of heat. A lot of guys always trying to hate on me. I always trying to start shit. The most I got, I had a, well, let me tell you about this program first. So had a couple other instances of some crazy stuff in there. Before I get into that, to the part I was going to when I get to I get off of that unit and I end up going to my
Starting point is 01:02:53 ID unit which was Dolph Briscoe unit and there is a whole different element of the game you know I've been to stay jail I've been to the transfer now I'm in the big leagues now I get there and it's all gang unit ran as soon as you get in you know who do you run with what do you do this is where people are actually getting stabbed and killed it's just a way different environment And I remember it trip me out there when you're in county and you're in these different places. They're trying to get you hyped up about prison. And so, man, you never say the B word. If you say that, you're getting smashed automatically.
Starting point is 01:03:29 So I remember getting there. And I don't know if it's every unit or just this particular unit that they did this. But I remember I'm kind of looking around trying to see what's going on. You're like, what's up, bitch? Yeah, bitch. I'm like, oh, shit, it's fixing to go down. He's like, man, what's up, bitch? And I'm like, what?
Starting point is 01:03:45 That's not how it's supposed to be. It was more laid back. You know, than what they had said, but there are strict rules. So the thing that probably tripped me out the most, so I get in, I'm not knowing what to expect. My first Selly, sure enough, would be a super gangster crib out of Cali. And me and him had absolutely nothing in common. Like me, I'm on this mind frame. I want to better my life and learn and grow.
Starting point is 01:04:11 He has nothing but stories about gang banging. And when I get in, I remember. I remember I go to take a piss. He's like, what are you doing? I'm like, uh, taking a piss? He was like, no, we piss on our knees in here. The piss on our knee, what the fuck? And I'm like, I'm like, I'm already getting ready. Like, man, this dude's fixing to try me. I'm like, man, what are you talking about, bro? He's like, no, I'm serious. I'm not fucking with you. He's like, everybody does it. I'm like, piss on your knees. He was like, yeah, you take a knee and you piss that way it doesn't splash up and get all over the cell. And I'm like, man, he was like,
Starting point is 01:04:42 man, he was like, man, I swear I do it. Everybody does it. So I'm like, all right, bro, I don't though. So I didn't, I just didn't piss it all. And I'm like, you ain't fin of home me out, you know? And I go out and I talk to somebody I knew one of my boys. I know, seriously, everybody. The hardest dude's in here. I'm like, what the fuck? And I just felt weird to me.
Starting point is 01:04:59 Like, I get the concept behind it because if you're standing up, the peeve splash and all in the cell. But yeah, they peed on their knee in the Dolph Briscoe unit. But then we went on lockdown. And he was like a very, I'm a clean person. I like to have a clean cell. but he didn't know how to read or have anything going. So his way to do his time would just be to scrub the cell 24-7.
Starting point is 01:05:24 And then he would expect me to be like that. And I'm like, bro, I'm going to keep a clean cell, but I'm not just going to be scrubbing the fucking toilet all day. And yeah, me and him didn't have much in common, didn't get along. I ended up, that's one of the good things about having good jobs and being in cool because I was able to talk to one of the sergeants and get moved to one of my homeboys cells. And he's somebody that new from the world. Shout out Robbie Furstall.
Starting point is 01:05:47 And that was my bro, man. We had a good time. We would spread. We would live it up. But I saw more of the politics there as well. And at this time, I stand by what I stand on now. What I told you I learned in the first age of? Like, what as far as am I going to fight?
Starting point is 01:06:05 Yes. I'm not, you're not going to tell me who I can eat with. You're not going to tell me what kind of music I can listen to. You're not doing none of that. And that would always cause problems. because the white guys, you know, like I said, a lot of them are super trooper woods, you know, when they get in there and they would look down upon me and usually test me. So I usually have to fight one of them. And then with the black guys still, unfortunately, everything is
Starting point is 01:06:29 racially segregated. So some of the people I'd probably be real cool friends with in the world do look at you differently in there and they want to test you. So it's like anytime I would go to a different unit, I would end up having to probably fight a black, probably fight a white wherever I went. But then, you know, people, nobody wants to lose parole. So once they see that you're going to stand up for yourself and fight, typically they're like, all right, let's just let him make it. But I thought it was weird too because, you know, they have like certain benches where people can sit. You know, you got the Tongue blasts, you got the cribs, the bloods. But like white people, as you know, it's harder for us in there, bro. We don't get much love. We're the minority.
Starting point is 01:07:09 And I feel like a lot of people already have a chip on their shoulder because they feel like the white man sent me to prison or, you know, that we have our way out in the world. So in there, it's like, this is our world. And they make it hard. And it's really hard for a lot of people to survive. You know, they got six showers. We got one shower that we can use. And it's like, you know, what are you going to do? Are you going to fight, you know, 30, 40 people or, you know, whatever.
Starting point is 01:07:36 So, um, so with me. it's like it's already hard being a white guy in there. And then when some of the white guys look at you a certain way, I'm all the way in there by myself. You know what I mean? So that was a challenge. But I'll tell you, I had a few fights in there. But I'm going to tell you the hardest fight I ever had, the craziest fight I ever had. Don't laugh at me, Ian. But this was the craziest this fight I ever had with the dude named Coco. Now, Coco was a 6'3, 250-pound black punk, straight up flamboyantly gay, but big and fought like a motherfucker.
Starting point is 01:08:19 And what he or whatever you want to say would do is, it was really fucked up. He would try to get food from people, like, handle people like, hey, man, give me some chips, give me that, give me this. And you don't want to, if you tell him no, he's going to start. some shit and I want to fight you and it kind of sucks because if you get beat up by him, you got beat up by a punk. If you beat him up, you're not getting any like real super cool points because he's a punk. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:08:45 So it's really a lose-lose situation. And Coco had some hands. He already did this and whooped like three people. And I would just try to avoid, you know, when he would come to the table, I'd find a reason to go somewhere else just trying to avoid him. But, you know, of course, he would try to start conversation and be cool with people just to get in the door. And he started that shit with me.
Starting point is 01:09:04 Hey, let me get some chips. Let me get this and that. And I'm like, man, I ain't going to keep going down this road, bro. So he had asked me, man, let me get some chips. And I'm like, man, I got to make this last till a store day. Man, come on, man. You know you could give me a few shifts. I'm like, man, I told you I got to make it last.
Starting point is 01:09:20 He's like, man, you a bitch. And it was like, you know, like in the club when the music stopped. And everybody looks. And I'm like, fuck, everybody's looking at me. So if I don't do anything, you just got punk by a punk. I don't want to fight him because it's like. Like if he whoops me, that's going to be bad. And if I will up him, I'm not getting no great points.
Starting point is 01:09:39 But I'm like, fuck it. All right, Coco, come on. So we go to the corner. And he just rushes me, wow, about starts throwing him. And we start trading licks. And we're in this little bitty corner. So there's not much room to, like, maneuver and move around. So we get to the point where we're just trade licks.
Starting point is 01:09:55 He's hitting me. I'm hitting him. And I feel it like start to go black. Like, he's rocking me. And I had like just this primal, like survival instinct. like, man, I can't let this dude knock me out because I don't know what might happen. So I just like went super saying, my little, I started hitting him. And boom, I start dropping him and dropping.
Starting point is 01:10:12 And then all of a sudden I get surrounded by like 10 black dudes. They run up on me. I'm like, man, what's going on? They're like, no, fuck that white boy. I'm like, man, he called me a bitch. He charged me up. And the thing is, there's a lot of people that act gangster that are secretly undercover that be doing shit.
Starting point is 01:10:27 So this dude, he was a black dude from Chicago. I don't know if he was a GD or something like that. But he was a tattoo guy. And he would always be, Coco didn't have no money. He would always be doing tattoos with a little cover up in his cell. I think there might have been some more stuff going on.
Starting point is 01:10:45 And there's some people you would never think that are like hardcore gangster fighting motherfuckers that you hear doing some stuff behind the scenes. And these people charge me up. And there's only a couple white guys. And once again, a lot of times the white guys aren't going to stand with you anyway. You know what I mean?
Starting point is 01:11:00 Don't get me wrong because I've been to some units where there's some stand-up, hardcore white guys that'll get out there and do their shit. But a lot of times, that's not the case. So they're surrounding me, and I'm like, shit, now I'm fixing to get jumped. And luckily, one person was a voice of reason. He was like, man, he ran up on him. He called him a bitch. Why are you trying to fight for that punk anyway, man? Whatcha? And so I narrowly escaped that. It was almost the whole race riot behind Coco. But yeah, yeah, that was a crazy situation because there was no winning in that situation, but I made it out.
Starting point is 01:11:36 But yeah, so I was living in that, in the ID unit was pretty crazy with all the gang organizations and everything like that. But I was smart. I ended up getting a good job. Ended up getting a really good job, you know, working with the warden. And then I could get in free world food and I could smuggle stuff in and everybody wanted to be cool with me because I had access to get stuff in. so that made it a lot easier.
Starting point is 01:12:02 And there was this program that is called PEP, Prisoner Entrepreneurship Program. Awesome program. You should check into it. But they actually give inmates. You have to pass this test. And it's like a huge packet. Only 1% of people qualified to get in the program. They'll give you this packet.
Starting point is 01:12:23 You study, you got to make like a 99% on the test. And if you make it, they ship you off to this unit. And the unit's got like, Eric, and we don't got it. no air conditioning in the state. This unit's got air conditioning and they got like softball and stuff. And so I'm like, man, I want to do that. Plus, I want to better myself. So I get this packet and imagine I'm trying to study for this test while all around me people are yelling, screaming, fighting, smoking, whatever. And I don't even know if I'm going to be able to get into this thing. So you got to ask yourself like, man, do I want to go play ball and play cards and
Starting point is 01:12:56 bullshit around or do I really want to study for this test? But, I don't even know if I'm going to be able to get into this thing. But I ended up studying for the test. I passed the test. I get into this program. So they send me to this unit where I go on this program. The program is actually a really awesome thing. You do a business plan where you make up a mock business, and they have actual executives and businessmen from the free world that come in and meet
Starting point is 01:13:22 with us and critique our businesses, give us ideas, and they treat us with a little more humanity than indignity than typical prisoners get treated with. And that was when I first realized for the first time that there's possibly other things I can do. I got to meet people that were strung out on meth, that were robbing, that were doing all these things that did five, 10 years in prison that got out and started businesses and were multi-millionaires. And I got to see that it's possible. And I knew I wanted that. So I'm in this class. I'm excelling in that. And that's a crazy dynamic too, because this class is only one part of the prison.
Starting point is 01:14:03 The rest of the prison is regular people. And if you get in any trouble, you get any fights, any cases, anything, you get kicked out this program. So we're having to study, like college courses, study for tests, come up with pitches, business ideas, all this stuff, while the dude in the cell next to us is smoking some K2 or trying to start some shit. So you're having to navigate through prison without getting in trouble as hard as that already. is without getting punked out too. And it's like a crazy tight rope that you had to walk. But the one thing that I wasn't giving up is the women. So I make it, I make it all the way through this program. And I'm like, I'm very, when I apply myself, I'm very intelligent. And I'm
Starting point is 01:14:46 a ace in this program. I'm pitched like, so whoever wins the business plan, you make up like a mock business and whoever wins when you get out, you know, they have halfway houses and they help you find jobs and get your driver's license and all that. And they'll actually invest $10,000 into whoever's business plan wins. And I was pitched to win it. And I had this guard. Shout out Miss Wilkie. That was like my best girlfriend that I had.
Starting point is 01:15:11 Like she was into me. She would bring me stuff. I would be out in the hallway, you know, kicking it with her. And she's the first time when she did her around. She like snuck in the cell one time, gave me a blow job. And, you know, it was the best time I had. I love me some Miss Wilkie. And, but that program, they had a lot of people that would, I don't know if you ever saw
Starting point is 01:15:35 this where they had like the Chomos, the horrible people, they'd get into Christian tank. And all of a sudden, they're all high and mighty and super religious and stuff. They had those type of people. And then they had people in the program that were the same way. They're like super program. They'll tell on you and try to get you kicked out. And so everybody knew that I was getting this action from this female. And somebody snitched on us.
Starting point is 01:15:57 And she had like, went in my cell and just came out and they ran in. They didn't actually catch her or me to where they could give me a new charge, but they knew what was going on. So they separated this, moved me, did all that. And they went and told the program what happened. And so the program kicked me out, like, right? Once again, I got kicked out of school right before graduation. I kicked out of this program, like, days before graduation.
Starting point is 01:16:20 And then I talked to them into letting me go through it again, which ended up benefiting me in the long run. So I talk him into letting me go through the whole thing, started from day one. It's a lot of shit. It's a whole college course. I had to redo it all, which really just gave me double the information,
Starting point is 01:16:36 double the connections with all the executives and stuff like that. And then I make it a couple days away from graduating again. And freaking, I had a guard that I was cool with that gave me a permission slip to go to commissary when it wasn't my day. And the fucking commissary lady was a, she was a hateful bitch. But yeah,
Starting point is 01:16:54 she told on me got me kicked out again bro so i didn't get to finish the program um after that they because they knew i was messing with that guard they shipped me off the unit i went to a couple other units um but eventually you know uh the time did come when i was able to get out and at that point i think that's what a lot of people don't realize is it's hard in prison it's a struggle in texas prison especially you got no AC shift around like cattle i don't know how they did you on the chain bus but like on the chain bus they got us out here in the wet uh cold in plastic suits your handcuffed to a 300 pound guy that stinks and when you pee you're on a little bus jammed up like sardines and whenever you got to pee your handcuffed to his hands so you got to like be holding hands with him while you
Starting point is 01:17:47 stand up to pee and you know it's just a terrible very dehumanizing experience to be in prison and to go. And at any moments, you know, you're getting stripped butt naked, have to bend over, spread and cough. And just, it's a very dehumanizing experience. And then they lock you in a cage and treat you like an animal for all this time. And then when they finally release you, you know, they're like, okay, we've been, you've been in this cage, treated like animal. Now here's a hundred bucks in Texas in, in TDC. They give you $100 and some mismatched clothes and they put you out on the streets. And, you know, so at that point, it's like, what do you do?
Starting point is 01:18:29 Like, a lot of people end up committing crimes again because they have nowhere to go. They have nothing to do. They don't know how to succeed. So do you want me to talk about the post experience of after that? Yeah, of course, man. Okay, cool. You got to tell people how, you know, turned it off around. I got a couple more crazy prison stories, but you get the gist of it.
Starting point is 01:18:49 We have some crazy fights. and they probably watch your show and know how it goes. But I think the important part is of the aftermath. So I get out and I've been reading all these books. Mindset is powerful. You know, I've been reading Think and Grow Rich, 48 laws of power, anything I can to expand my mind. And I get out.
Starting point is 01:19:09 Luckily, I did have my stepdad. Me and him weren't super close, but I feel like he kind of felt bad that my mom had passed away. So he's like, I'm going to give you a place to go. And I get out. And the only job I've ever, legitimate job I've ever done was wait tables. And so I'm like, man, I guess I could do that. And going through that program, I will say that PEP program taught me a lot of things.
Starting point is 01:19:31 People don't know a lot of things, just basics about like how to dress properly for an interview, how to look somebody and I, shake their hand and tell them your skills, you know, basic stuff. We're never taught. And I realized that there's so much untapped potential in prison, bro. some of the most creative, ingenuative people you can imagine. Like we're in here, you know, turning hot pots into, you know, boilers and building stuff out of nothing. There's some very smart people in there.
Starting point is 01:19:59 And, you know, we just were never taught to put those into the right form. So, like, if you're a gang leader, you have managerial skills. If you were, you know, a kingpin selling tons of drugs, you've got sales ability. You just got to know how to put that in the right. direction. So when I got out, I remember I had my little Walmart suit and tie that I went to Chili's in. I'm like, what the fuck is he had a suit and tie for? Like, you're hired, bro. And, you know, I would go and I remember, you know, I'm working double shifts. I'm excelling. I'm out of prison.
Starting point is 01:20:32 I'm all gunhole. Just happy to be back in the world. And I did that for a couple months. And I remember looking in the mirror one day. And it was a day we didn't have a dishwasher, hot, tired. And I'm looking in the mirror holding this tray. And I'm looking in the mirror holding this and I just visualize myself being 50, 60 years old, like still doing the same shit. And I'm like, man, do I really want to, you know, be serving tables for the rest of my life? And I'm like, man, I can't do that. So when I was in prison, there was a guy in prison that he was like, man, you should look into car sales, bro. You'd be a badass car sales, man.
Starting point is 01:21:06 I'm like, car sales. Why? I didn't even know shit about cars. He was like, man, just the way you talk and you interact with people, you'd be good at it. And you can make dope boy money. you can make like 10, 15 grand a month if you're good at it. So I'm like, really.
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Starting point is 01:22:37 but I'm going to go try my hand at being a car salesman. So I have my same little Walmart suit and tie, And I was working doubles at Chili's and Temple. And I would go to the lunch ship, work smelling like food and shit. I would go in the bathroom, change into my little suit. And I would go hit different car dealerships. And I would try to do it the right way. Look, yes, I've been to prison, but I took all these business courses.
Starting point is 01:23:02 I'm great with customers. I'm a hard worker. Every single one of them, fuck no. With your record, no experience, we don't want you. And I would just every day, I would do it. finally so i'm from central texas belton temple calene area and i had hit all the places in belton all the places in temple i went to caline hit all the places there and you know it's a long process filling out all the paperwork doing all that and i'm thinking i'm not going to get anywhere i was ready to
Starting point is 01:23:30 give up the last place that i saw as i was leaving calene it said freedom jeep chrysler i'm like maybe that's a sign freedom like i just got out of prison maybe this is a sign So while I was in prison, I would always watch the movie, Catch Me If You Can, by Leonardo DiCaprio. Do you seen that movie? I haven't seen it, but it's a, I know it's a classic. Yeah, so it's like he'll pretend to be a pilot. Off of Frank Aberworth or something like that. Yeah, that guy.
Starting point is 01:23:59 And I watched that where he would just to pretend like he had the skills and he became like a lawyer and all this crazy shit, right? And I used to always watch that movie in prison. I say, you know what? I've tried to do it the right way. I'm going to do it like that. So I went in there and I lied my ass off. I said, do you have any experience?
Starting point is 01:24:16 I said, yeah, I've been selling cars for the last six years when I was actually in prison. And I'm like, man, I was at this place up in Dallas. Auto Nation. It was just a little mom and pop spot. And, man, I'm going to be the best salesman. I'm going to make you more money than anybody here is going to make you first one in, last to leave. And I'm like, oh, really? Okay.
Starting point is 01:24:35 And the dude, I'll never forget that was interviewing me. He was like, man, what part of Dallas were you at? I'm like, what do you mean? He was like, well, there's Arlington, there's this. I'm like, oh, yeah, Arlington. Like, man, what street? What's, I'm like, man, what's going on? Like, is he know I'm lying?
Starting point is 01:24:50 And he's like, man, I'm not trying to drill you, but I'm from Dallas. Like, I was out there 25 years selling cars. I know all the spots. I'm like, fuck. I should have said Houston or something. But I just keep going with it, keep freestyling and end up getting the job. And the dude in prison that said I'd be good at car sales. I had put him down as a reference.
Starting point is 01:25:10 And I had the final boss that I had to see that was going to tell me if I got the job. And I remember getting a call from him. He was like, bro, did you put me down as a reference? I'm like, yeah, just go along with this. Say you were my manager at this little spot called Auto Nation. He was like, first of all, dumbass, Otto Nation is a huge franchise. It's not no mom-and-pop spot. He was like, but the lady that called that left the message, her name was Shea Lee.
Starting point is 01:25:34 And he was like, man, it's crazy. I grew up in this little small town. I went to prom with a girl named Shea Lee. There's no way it could be the same girl. How crazy this is, they end up telling, they tell me to come in, but don't come dress for work. Shea Lee tells me, she said, man, we looked at your record. HR said, there is no way that we should hire you. And if we did, and something went wrong, it's my ass on the chopping block.
Starting point is 01:25:59 But I happened to go to prom with your reference and you got a nice smile. I'm going to give you a shot, don't fuck it up. And I'm like, what? She was like, yeah, since you got the six years training already, you're not getting training you're going straight to the floor so i'm like yeah i don't know anything about cars car sales i'm in this big franchise dealership with hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory i'm like man what the fuck um but you know that's the thing all the information is out there anything that you want to do i got right on youtube started watching videos started doing training if you put your mind to it you can do it so
Starting point is 01:26:33 within my first month there i was the top salesman in the used car division second month i was the top in the whole three companies. And I started doing that. And then, you know, I started having some money coming in. And I'm like, man, I'm making these people a lot of money. Like on the top salesman every month. How can I do this for myself? And a lot of people, I think we hold ourselves back because we feel like we have
Starting point is 01:26:56 limitations because of our record. Because a lot of people are like, man, you can't get a dealer's license. You're a feeling. Like, it's not even worth trying. But I'm the type, I'm not going to tell myself no. Y'all got to tell me no. You got to tell me no multiple times until I know. that it's a note. So I apply for my dealer's license. And with the dealer's license, you have to have
Starting point is 01:27:14 the property, a two-year lease. You have to have electric water. You already have to have your area for the cars. You're already paying money before you even get the license. Well, they did try to block me. So usually it takes about a month. You're not making money and you're paying money. They block me for like six months. And then they told me, so I'm having to pay these bills and everything for six months and then they tell me that uh that they denied me and i'm like man this is not how i'm supposed to end like i did all this work and they said i can give up there and they give me my two thousand back that i had put in um to apply or if i wanted to fight it it could take a year or two i'd have to maintain the property and you're not going to beat the state anyway and there was one most of it's online
Starting point is 01:28:00 there was one woman that i would talk to on the phone that i kind of told my story and how i changed and everything like that. And she gave me a call right when I was ready to give up again. And she was like, I want you to know that they denied it. And every single person on the board said no. But I told them that I had talked to you. You seemed like a good guy and that you did all the stuff you were supposed to do and that we should give you a chance.
Starting point is 01:28:22 And, you know, I worked for them. So I was going to go with what they said. But I thought it was wrong. And I am going to be putting a complaint up with the president. And we had another boat. And I just want to congratulate you. You have your dealer's license. I'm like, what?
Starting point is 01:28:35 no way bro so now once again i've got no um i got a ged that i got in prison i don't got no family backing i don't have any experience in business you know kind of like your story just jumping out there and taking some hard lessons and figuring shit out you know um but i get my dealership and i think that's one of the things about people that have been incarcerated it's like we've lived in the worst conditions we've had to work for free waving away. Like, if you can make it in there, if you apply yourself out here, you can definitely be successful. So with the dealership, I started doing that and I started having some money rolling in. I asked myself, well, what do people do with businesses that make money? Well, they invest in
Starting point is 01:29:23 real estate. I should invest in real estate. So then I started buying properties, buying rental properties, accumulating that. And it's funny. So in my prison journals, I actually brought my prison journals here, too. Oh, those are what those journals were out there? That's so cool. I got all mine, too. Do you really? Yeah, I got the notes and stuff from when I was in solitary. Dude, it's awesome. So in that prison journal, I said, and mind you, I don't know how I'm going to do this. My old lady had left me. I don't even have a home. I didn't know I was going to go to my stepdad's house when I get out. I have no idea how, what, where. But I said, I'm going to be a business owner. I'm going to be a real estate investor.
Starting point is 01:30:01 I didn't even own the fucking trailer house. And I'm going to be a real estate investor. And I do music. And that was one of my things in there too, right? I always remember I'd have like all these big swole dudes be circled around the table. Like, man, Corey, hit another one, man. I'm beating on the table, you know, singing and rapping. And I'm like, man, do another one, do another.
Starting point is 01:30:21 I'm like, bro, chill, man. I'm tired. But, and I've had people reach out. People are going to see this podcast that remember. I told them, look, when I get out, I'm going to make it with my music, too. I'm going to get signed to a label. I'm going to do my music. And so in those journals, I said, I'm going to be a business owner.
Starting point is 01:30:37 I'm going to be a real estate investor. And I'm going to get signed to a label, and I'm going to share my music with the world. And I'm going to be a success. And got out. I got the dealership invested in real estate. I've got six properties right now. I included a six-plex apartment complex. And I actually got signed to a record label.
Starting point is 01:30:56 I ended up running into a guy, a Houston legend platinum artist, Little Flip. He heard my music, loved it. We became brothers, started touring all over the country with him. I got some new music on the way with R&B Fo Mob and some major people who got music coming. So it's like, it's a trip to sit back. When I'm in the 100 degree heat sweating, my old lady that left me, I'm in there sick to my stomach. But I'm like, I'm going to figure it out. And I did.
Starting point is 01:31:25 And I think it's important for people to know stories like mine and like yours that it's like you don't have to be defined by your past. Sometimes that's the greatest thing that can happen to you is because we get some time for some silence. You don't got a, you don't got the TV and radio coming at you. You don't got bills to pay. You don't got the kids. You can just sit with yourself and figure out who you want to be and what you want to become. And you can get out here and do it. You know, so as a four-time felon,
Starting point is 01:31:55 with nothing but a GED, you know, I was able to achieve those goals. And I've still got greater goals coming. And I watch your story and I see you're doing the same thing, bro. Like a lot of people are ashamed. I've had, you know, some of my multimillionaire friends like, bro, you shouldn't tell people that you've been to prison. Don't talk about that. I'm like, no, it's important because somebody else is going through the same
Starting point is 01:32:17 struggle that I went through. They need to hear this. They need to know that it's possible, you know. Well, Cor, Cor, I appreciate you coming out here today. I think this is the first podcast ever. I asked one question. You took it from there. I already had it thought out, man.
Starting point is 01:32:32 That's good, man. You watched the content. You knew what to expect, man. That's what the audience loves, you know. They love when the guest carries it, not only talks, but goes through it in chronological order. So for that, I thank you. I appreciate you, man. I'm a big fan.
Starting point is 01:32:47 I've been watching and I love what you're doing. And like I told you out there, I love the vulnerability. You know, a lot of people fake it so they make it. But people need to know all sides of it. Like, you told your story of what it was really like in there. And I think that's a big thing, too. When people think of prison, they think, oh, it's just rapists and murderers. They need to throw them away and lock the key.
Starting point is 01:33:10 They don't understand. It's good people in there. People like you, you know, you were running a club. You weren't out trying to hurt anybody. And we're really in there risking our lives. And, you know, I know the feds is a little different than state. but we're really in there being treated like animals and living hard for, you know, somebody having a plant. You know, I did six years for, you know, obviously I got away with some other stuff that could have got me some time,
Starting point is 01:33:33 but I did that much time, you know, for a plant that's legal across the state. And I think that's something that needs to be looked into as well is we need some prison reform. We need some actual rehabilitation, you know, for these people. Yeah, especially in Texas too. rough state. Oh, it's rough, man. You know, one of the fights I didn't tell you about, I'll just tell you real quick, a guy, they put him in the dorm and they said that, watch out for him. Like, he's going around, like, just jacking off on people. And I'm like, what? Sure enough, they put him in myself. And I'm like, oh, God. And the dude would just pace around looking
Starting point is 01:34:09 all crazy all day. And I was sleep one day, and I felt something like, touched my leg. I'm like, what the fuck is that? And I look up, I swear I felt, because you're half asleep, so you're not sure. And I felt something rubbed my life. What the fuck? Hey, dude, did you touch me? He was like, man, what the fuck are you talking about? Come on then. And like, I'm like, fucking, I got to fight this crazy dude.
Starting point is 01:34:28 So, of course, they were like, man, old scoping to whoop his ass. We're going to whoop his ass. And I actually, a little bit quicker than him. So I'm weaving him and I'm catching him and stuff. And we end up getting sent to say. But come to find out, they had the FBI had came in later and talked to him. Some of the guards told me that he was, like, wanted it in connection with like two murders. But the thing is, you could tell he was genuinely thrown off.
Starting point is 01:34:55 Like he was a psych patient. He probably shouldn't have been in there. And there's a lot of people that have mental health problems that really need help, but it's so much cheaper just to throw them in the prison system and figure it out. So, yeah, definitely another one of the goals is to see some prison reform where they actually try to rehabilitate and help people. And I think that PEP program is something to look into. It's a great program that actually helps to do that.
Starting point is 01:35:20 That's awesome. Well, I appreciate you coming out here and see it travels back to the warm. Hey, man. Thank you so much for having me, bro. It's been an honor. Yeah, thank you.

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