Million Dollaz Worth Of Game - WHERE'S WALLO: D SMOKE

Episode Date: October 6, 2025

From Inglewood to inspiration, D Smoke sat down with me and shared a story that’s rooted in family, faith, and perseverance. We talked about what it was like growing up in Inglewood, watching his father go to prison and later come home to be active in his life and his brothers’ lives. We spoke about his mother, the late and legendary Jackie Gouché Farris, may she rest in peace, a woman who poured everything into her sons, pushing them to be great, to be grounded, and to never lose sight of who they are. D Smoke is a reflection of that love, that structure, and that discipline. He learned the game, mastered his craft, and built the world he wanted for himself through hard work, consistency, and creativity. His neighborhood didn’t break him, it sharpened him. It taught him resilience, focus, and how to turn obstacles into opportunities. This conversation was bigger than music. It was about legacy, leadership, and the power of showing up for yourself and your people. D Smoke represents what it looks like when talent meets purpose and faith meets discipline. Salute to a man who’s walking in his calling and proving that greatness starts at home. RIP to his incredible mother, Jackie Gouché Farris, her spirit clearly lives on through everything he does.You can find every episode of this show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube. Prime Members can listen ad-free on Amazon Music. For more, visit barstool.link/mworthofgame

Hey, million dollars worth of game listeners. You can find every episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Right. Welcome to another episode of Where It's Wilder. I'm right here with the Grammy-nominated, extraordinary individual. I'm talking about this brother, I'm talking about this dude don't just do things for the community. He makes sure, you know, his intentions is just to add value to our people.

This guy, I'm not going to say he's a boxer. He probably think he knows out of boxes because he got a boxing academy for young brothers. He got the book coming out next year, Vivid Isaiah. I'm talking about this dude is just doing anything. And right now, I don't know where you at. Listen, I'm going to tell you this. Listen to chin up. Listen, the biscuits, but you've got to listen to something important.

And this is where it all started. Jackie's Triumph is very important. And it's important because me and him got a connection about that. But what I'm going to do is tell you right now, Wake Up Soup is everywhere, go check it out. But before we get into that, I need to know you six years old. your mom she's doing all she can she's educating y'all the best way she can she's putting everything in y'all um dad was in prison how was that how was that man um i remember vividly uh the calls

first is the calls like you would get the call from pops you know you're receiving a collect call from you know you know mill creek prison you know and so with pops locked up you know everything because became that much more important, right? You getting instructions at six years old, like you're the man of the house, like take care of your mom. Like, what six year old gets told to take care of that mother? It's not telling, they're supposed to take care of us.

But what pops locked up, I remember my idea of what manhood was was what I would try to, you know, pursue or achieve, right? Not knowing that my pops, although he's sending us pictures, he checks out here, jail, swole, upper body only, You know what I'm saying? Leg, skinny to the other. But Pops is swollen, so I'm thinking Pops is a goon, you know, not knowing that he turns out to be, you know, one of the most intelligent, you know, most affectionate present fathers once he came home.

But before that, I'm like, well, what he looks like in there, I'm going to try to be that out here. So before Pops was locked up, you know, me, Sir, Davion, and my oldest brother, Ron Ron, we was active, you know. And too young to really be, like, active in the streets, but on the yard, you know, in the apartments and, you know, on our block, it was, we was fighting all the time, you know. And me more than Serendavian, and you could ask them that when you talk to him, but that was me trying to be what I thought Pops was, you feel me? And then, you know, a couple years go by, you know, my mom is super concerned, like my son is, you know, getting in a lot of trouble. But what she does, it's two sides, right? You got outside and in the home. In the home, Mom is like super intentional about, you know,

sitting us down and teaching us everything she knows. So from six years old, you know, she sat us around the piano and taught us music theory, you know, me, sir, and Davion, and all our lives, we were like a singing group, so to speak, you know. And what is that duality? It's like being black, you know. we know when the code switch we know when to be like okay we put in our professional hat on but if we're around a different element we know to put on our you know our armor our guard

you know so the same thing applied to us in in the house it's love it's gospel music yes it's um it's it's a structure but you know it doesn't change the fact that when we stepped outside we had to do with that element so um but we were raised you know to be excellent at what we did. You know, we were raised to represent the family. My uncle, Andrew, my mom's oldest brother, was, you know, Prince's last bass player. He played with Shaka Khan for years. He played with everybody in gospel from, you know, from the Winans to Fred Hammond, anybody you could think of to Destiny's child, just random, you know. And so we had big shoes to fill from Jump. But Englewood was our real training grounds to figure out who we were

and what it was going to mean when we did put that music out. You know, so... But I couldn't pay enough respect to my mother, rest in peace, my father who did come home and was super present and all the examples we had in the city and Inglewood, you know. So even though we're on the East Coast right now, you know, paying love to the city. What come to mind and how? How do you think Mom Jackie will come to mine?

Oh, incredible, big shoes, just big shoes. Like my mother, just to put it in perspective, she wrote a song called My Help, one of the biggest gospel songs in the 90s. And the main line is, all of my hell coming from the Lord. And it was recorded by her first, then C.C. Winans in Brooklyn Tabernacle, then some major choirs in Africa. And, but that happened after she turned down a tour with Stevie Wonder because she had to stay home and take care of us.

And Stevie Wonder is her favorite artists of all time. She taught us Stevie Wonder all our lives. But in the name of being the mother that she felt like we need it, she turned it down. You know, so to witness somebody be that great in the home, you know, because, you know, so many times you hear stories of people like, you know, oh, yeah, they was a star, but they don't, they don't get their family at all. They don't got no respect where they actually from. She was every bit of great in the home and as a human being. And then, once that was intact, then took it to the world, whether it be writing gospel songs, whether it be, you know, writing books, you know, mentor. And she was a mentor to us and everybody else.

You know, so it's just the epitome of greatness. And as much as we're sad, we got to be grateful, you know, because I couldn't, I couldn't, I don't get to choose my mom. Like nobody does, but I couldn't choose a better one, you feel me? I would have never chosen to lose her that way, you know, in the accident and not knowing that our time was limited in that way, you know. But I still got to be grateful in the grand scheme of things. And spiritually, I don't believe we lose them in the way that, you know, we tend to make it seem. It's been time since she passed where I could not just feel her because that's something that people would say, oh, well, you might have made that. up at your head like no like I might look at a picture ever on a piano and be

trying to figure something out and then literally say to the picture of mom's like what's that next chord yeah and then just play something and it's perfect you know what I'm saying the next thing I play after being like mom what's the next and I play it and I just start and I just break down because it's like this is like it's not a it's not a guess you know what I'm saying it's not an assumption that maybe they're here. No. You know, so I just feel, I feel grateful, you know what I'm saying? When I'm not feeling sad, when I, you know, because I still think the caller was something funny, you know what I'm saying? But I still feel grateful that, you know, that she pours so much into me

because I'm a huge piece of her when they see me like, and she was a gangster. When we turned 14, we stopped getting weapons. Moms were just fire on us. Like, like, what, bick, you know, take off, you know. And she was like that. And some of it was out of love. She wouldn't really do it to hurt us mad. It would be in the chest, but it was just like, you know, y'all going to know who I am and y'all going to respect me. And she commanded

that respect. And once she got that, she gave out so much love. And that's why you see me move how I move or sir move how he moves, you know, because that's the example we had. Well, Russ and peace to mom, Jackie, and you know was so deep as

that, that's my mom, Jackie. Wow. Her name was Jackie. Yeah, Jacqueline people's Jackie. Wow. You know what I mean? So it's just deep, you know, understanding that. And everybody, you know, if your mom named Jacqueline, they call it Jackie, you know, whatever way you go.

But it's like rest and peace of your mom and she did a great job. But I want to know, like, growing up in Englewood, you know me, anytime I heard Englewood, I heard some banging stuff. It came out like, you know, Mac 10 was a hardcore step for Schengelwood. But, you know, it's like how, because I want to know this because I'm going to just be honest with you. I wasn't strong enough to fight off the temptation for me growing up to not be involved in the street culture because it seemed like in the hood, we take on it, not just in the hood, a lot of times us as black people take ownership, but street culture.

For sure. So it's hard for, when your parents or your parent telling you not to be a part of this type of idea, but every time you lead a house to go to school, go to the store, go, that's all you see. It's immediate. Like, what made you so, so strong, strong to fight off the temptation that all of us that's available to all of us to say you know what I want to embrace my individualism and I want to be me because I got my brothers and I think it's more important to be me to be smart how was you able to do that um well first and foremost we we take on the parts of the street culture that that benefit us it's like you know they say don't throw

the baby out with the bath water yes you know what I'm saying the street culture isn't all bad We just get this black and white version of you know what I'm saying any community you look at everybody organizes everybody bands together and has a name for their group yeah you know what I'm saying like if it's not if it's not bloods it could be the chess club it could be you know you have a t-shirt it's going to be a logo yeah we have humans have a natural a natural inclination or instinct to band together so the pieces of it that serve us we take it like and our ability to do that comes from, you know, older brothers being like, okay, well, one, we're not going to let y'all be no punks, like, period, period.

So it was never just like, y'all stay completely out of this. Nah, we walk with them too. Yeah. These are guys too. But because you raised in a way, like, especially going up fighting, where it's like, they know you ain't scared. because I don't believe in being a coward by any sense of the word

as long as they know they can't inflict they will impose they will on you then you don't got to get peer pressured into doing the dumb the parts that don't serve us you know what I'm saying? It's parts where it's like no I'm me rolling with you or me throwing away my life

and I got more to live for it. But it's also big shout out to the people that just didn't let me like if I took credit for it I'd be lying to you. You know what I'm? It's people that's like nah bro. That ain't your role You know, and so, you know, big shout out to the Sean Chisholms, big shout out to the Miko Marx, the Ron Rons, you know. And people like me come from, we're, we tend to be the second generation.

The first generation actually did that, like because, like, for example, my father was locked up when I was six. His first son, who has a different mother, my brother, Ron Ron, he was 16, you know what I'm saying? And so from 14 to 18, my pops was gone. Those are the real years when it's like, okay, you're stepping off the porch. Yeah. You know, so you can only get the de-smokes if you have the Ron Rons. If you have the big Chis, the people that did it, that see to it that you have options. Because ultimately, we did get tested.

Yeah. Cars did pull up. People did say, oh, we, you know, we own y'all. Who y'all think you are? But, like, we did have to, like, scrap or make the phone call, like, hey, they said, whoop-de-whoop is coming up to the school, you know, looking for somebody after school. And they're like, oh, we'd be there, too. You know, they're going to get what they're looking for, you know what I'm saying?

So, I can't, one, I came front, like, it was just me. It was sometimes it was people that was like, nah, we're sending you home. Even though you tough enough to stay around, no, go home. Or, and it's people that did it when they didn't have an option. And it gave us the option. So I can't take all the credit like, yeah, I was just smart enough to, you know, no. But my parents, you know, strategically had us involved in a lot of stuff. So some of it is, you know, idle time is the, what does they say?

Idle time is the mother of all, the devil's playground, something, you know, mother of all mischief or something. So we was in, my parents put us in everything, baseball, basketball, karate, you know, chess club, You know, Bible study. My mother was a minister of music, so we was at church three evenings after week, you know, and Sunday, you know, so that was a big part of it, too. You know, we didn't have time to do that. We was, you know, martial arts champions. So all the fighting before Pop's got home, when he got home, he was like,

all right, y'all got to get in karate, boxing, all that stuff. But, yeah, shout out to, I can't take credit. It's the environment. It's the people that care. Yeah, shout out to, you know, I personally know a few brothers from the family out there in Englewood. Shout out to y'all, man. And shout out to everybody, you know, all from all the different sets in California just trying to figure it out. A lot of people was born and they wasn't sworn in based off of geographical locations.

I know sometimes, you know, a lot of people was waking up to understanding. And some people, some people didn't know. They was led to deviate from the foundation of what it was supposed to be about. But just, I'm not here to judge nobody. all my brothers. I just hope that we find different ways. We find ways to agree to disagree and find solutions and create a better environment for our community. Now, this is what it's like, because knowing that you had so many different options and I ain't going to knock your boxing skills again, but I'm just saying, hey, man, I'm 3 and 0. That's why I'm

undefeited. See, I'm going to say this, though. I don't know if you was fighting cab drivers. We don't We don't know. We don't really know. Man, them boys were strong. I don't know. I had to beat them boys off. Sometimes it'd be older dudes that be strong, but they'd be washed up. They just know they can't, oh, they was young. They was a youngster. Well, I'm not going to hate on this boxing game. I usually hate on people boxing games. But I'm going to say this. But no, three and old, that ain't nothing to be compared to these guys. Yeah, that did. These legends. But it's still, it's something to start off when you keep going. And I mean, and any time you step in the ring, that guy is not there to be nice. So if you win, anybody that does it, any win you've taken, it counts. I've seen it, you know, so. So as I look at it, I say you had all these playing all the sports, you playing all that.

But a lot of people see you now, right? I need you to share with the viewer what the journey was looked like. Because a lot of people, I love your glory, but they don't know how to study your story. What was the story that's like? Because for you to be Grammy 9-Aid, for you to be on all these different people albums, for you to be just making moves, you and just making moves, what about them times when nobody's seeing you? How did the dedication look like, like, to get right here? Yeah.

Man, I lost the homie cheese. Like, one, I didn't want to be a rapper first, like, to keep it a buck. Like, I've been playing piano. I've been producing since I was 10 years old. I've been, you know, write music since I was eight years old or so. And rapping more so in high school. But my homie cheese was. was a rapper, rapper.

Like, the n'n-k could spit in eighth grade, like one talent show spitting. He won second place. I'm on first just because I'm playing classical music. You know what I'm saying? But, so Chis, he used to write my, no, he used to write his raps, our produce, then, you know, we got signed to publishing deals. I wrote and produced a song called Never for Jaheim.

And it was like number one on adult R&B. charts and we saw a little bit of money and they didn't call us back to write his next single or somebody else's next single and you know something else happened to where you know we wrote a song for Mary J. Blige and whoever was on the management at the time and no shout out to no no slight to Mary Jay because you know we've since met and she's a sweetheart but the song that we wrote the title of the song ended up being you know and they had heard the song and they said she liked it It ended up being the name of her album and the title song, but they had got somebody else to write it, you know.

And so it's moments like that when you like, oh, this industry, if as long as I'm not the artist and I'm not determining how I get outside and push my own music, I'm subject to somebody being like politicking me out of situation. So that happened and then that's when I looked at the hummy cheers and I was like, bro, we're going to make, we're going to put out our own music. He's like, let's run it. And so then we was brainstorming like names for the group and Park Circle was the block that we lived on in Inglewood where my parents owned a home and let us build a studio

in their garage. So right on the block, it was the name of the street, Park Circle. And that was our group and you know, we did music with Glasses Malone, Mack 10 tried to sign us, you know. And but at the same time, the year we put out the first project, you know, we put out the first project Chis got diagnosed with lymphoma, phoma cancer. And we had a second project that was on the way,

and he got real sick, and then ultimately passed. So then, you know, this is in my mid-20s, I'm left with a choice, like, okay, it's rap something I do without the homie. You know what I'm saying? Because I would write my verses, and sometimes he'll be like, that's dope.

Other times he'll be like, that's trash. That's trash. He was like, n-smoke, that ain't it, bro. You know? And I had to respect it because that's what he did. In the same way that moms taught me how to play, he was like, nah, this is, rap comes from

somewhere. It's about something. You know, and of course he let me put my own style on it. It wasn't like he was trying to make me rap like him, but he knew what was good and what was. And so when he passed, I had to reflect, like, do I do this by myself? Do I rap without cheers? Or do I go back to just be like, I'm going to be a producer and put another artist on?

And the next song I did was called Here We Go Again. And that shit got so much love. That's when I started understanding the importance of visuals. So the video to that, people started taking me seriously. It was, you know, it was a buzz around the city. Did you direct it? No. My home girl named Erica E.

The Treatment. Yeah. Shout out to Erica. Shout out to Erica In. And that was the start of it all. And since then, it's been years where, you know, we see other people go. When I did it, here we go again. I was putting on events at my, I had a storefront in Englewood.

So I modeled my whole movement after Nip. Okay. Rest and peace. Yeah, rest in peace. He was on Slawson and Crenshaw, and I was on LaBreya and Manchester, you know. And our cities are technically complete rivals, you know what I'm saying? Especially the section of Inglewood I grew up in. grew up in the families. And then, you know, he's from neighborhood. He grew up in the six

old. We're technically like, our areas are rivals. He pushed the whole gangbanging line. I'm more so, more so positive, but unapologetic about being like, I'm positive, but I'm from this section. And in LA, being from this section is enough for people to be like, yeah, no, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. So, but I'm, all that said, I modeled my movement after his. Like, oh, he got a storefront. We opening up, you know, had our merch. had our things going. We did events out of a barbershop-sized space

and we had the whole block sold up, you know, on Manchester and Market, in between Market and LaBreya, and out of that space, you know, Terrace Martin then came through there. Sir came through there. We was working out of there when TDE picked him up,

you know, Alex Isley then been through there, Kenyon Dix and Davion Faire. So people who are now touring the world, you know, came through this small space and my uncle was like man y'all doing the motown thing you know yeah yeah y'all you very gorty smell i'm like all right whatever but um but so that was that was the goal and and during that time in our movement we um you know i saw so many people go but it had it had to change i ended up losing that space you know and we had to you know how god to take away stuff

just so you could be light enough to fly. You know what I'm saying? So I got stripped of that space. We had a van, a 15-passenger van that we used to go to South by Southwest, go up to the bay, do our own little tours. And, you know, I had three cars. I had a van. I had a 65, a 65 Mustang, springtime yellow Mustang,

and I had a Honda. still living either at my studio space or at mom's space. But studio space is a classic space. I know dudes always lived in these studios. Oh, yeah, yeah. No, it's cool. Now, mind you, I was a single man at the time. It was all purpose.

That was a flex, you know what I'm saying? So I wasn't, I'm not knocking it, but imagine L.A. street sweeping and having three cars and no driveway. So literally, I collected so many parking tickets by the time it came time. It was killing you. It was even alive. Can he pay the rent? The registration, it's paid off.

But the registration was so crazy that I'm riding dirty in the van. And the van was wrapped, had our advertisement on there, the faces on there. We was hood famous and shit. But the homie was driving at one time, and it was a time where funds was just low. We was doing all the coolest in music, but we weren't making no bread. And the homie was driving and he got pulled over. He's like, they're about to impound his smoke. He's like, I'm sorry.

I said, it's all good. Hummy flex. I said, it's all good, bro. Don't even trip. And then I looked up how much I owed. And I was like, bro. I ain't paying for this to go out. No.

And we lost that, you know. And so it was just at a point where my mindset, I was like, all right, trying to hold everything together. Let me get my mindset right. Yeah. And I'm still teaching. Mind you, through all this, I'm teaching Spanish.

You know, at one point I'm at Westchester High. My first Spanish gig was at Inglewood High, you know, and I didn't have a full credential. That's why they did these emergency credentials. And which lasted for a year and some change. Then they look up and be like, did you get your credential yet? No, I'm still waiting on it. They're like, you're like, you still waiting.

Then they like, oh, well, we can't keep you. So ultimately, I got my sub permit, like, and so they could bring me on as a long-term sub and that that's what got me in the classroom for a long period of time and while doing all this stuff and then it wasn't until I was like look I'm stepping away from the classroom I might sub here and there but I'm stepping away from the classroom to give myself enough time to be more consistent than I've ever been like I'm at Battlecat and Battle I showed him these two videos that I shot off of a off of a teacher's salary like I will find out who on the red camera, I'll be like, look, I give you $1,000 cash on your off day to shoot my video

with the red camera and all your lenses. And they like, I take it. You know what I'm saying? Shoot the day rate. And I had two film quality, film festival quality music videos. And that was my calling card to be like, look, I'm not just one of these. Well, you say film festival would not mean to cut you off. Could you elaborate on that sort of view of understanding? I'm talking about the cinematography was brilliant. the lighting was right. You know, we waking up at 5 a.m. so we could start shooting that magic hour at six, something like cameras up and ready, you know.

Like all the, I just learned about film so that you can capture that shot at all of the variables we're getting it right, you know. And to, like Erica In again, she did another one of my videos, but her treatments were so detailed down to, during what lyric, what's going to happen on that shot, you know? And so I did that. I played that for Battlecat. Battlecat was like, oh, nephew, you're different. You know what I'm saying? So Battlecat literally was like, I got you. Whatever I'm on, I'm going to put you on it.

I'm going to connect you in. And then, then, you know, rhythm and flow came along because of him. Sure. Because of him. Like, what happened was after I had those two videos, I was like, all right, look, I can't do that every week. You know what I'm saying? And that cost me, I got to save up for like two months to even be able to afford them videos on a teacher's salary. But I had a Canon 7D and a tripod.

So I could do one-minute videos that's higher quality than an iPhone picture, but not quite that cinematic look. But on the internet as content, putting the lyrics up and rapping in English and Spanish, that distinguished me as an artist. So it went from having those two videos that's perfect To having one every single week And the goal was to do it for two years straight Without looking up How long did you do every single week? 17 weeks

You dropped the new video Every single week By week 14 Rhythm and Flow hit me up Like we're seeing something that's going crazy And by week two And you was putting this on YouTube or just social media It was on YouTube

The song was on Spotify And the week one-minute version. The extended version would be on YouTube. The one-minute version was on Instagram and the song was on Spotify. I mean, not Spotify. The song was on, uh, what's the other one? SoundCloud. SoundCloud. SoundCloud. And so, um, BattleCat got wind of those two videos. He sent me the original beat to We Can Freak it. You know. Do you know how legendary that is? What? I knew at the time. I knew then. Do you understand how legendary. that BattleCat is just like, he invented that slap.

Bro, I ran up on BattleCat. That boy was a legend. And Marina Del Rey, we was having a family brunch, and he was with his wife. And I ran up on him like, hey, man, I'm sorry for interrupting you, but I'm a rapper and I'm from Inglewood. And I know who you are, and I love what you do. He's like, take my number. I say, what? And I sent him those two videos, and he hit me that night, like, oh.

A beat from Battle of him. you the original beat to weak and freaking kid. You want to boom. Did it? And what he told you to do? Whatever I wanted to do. But I told him what I was doing, like rapping in English and Spanish. When I put that out, mind you, before he shared that one, the early episodes Jill Scott shared, Tyree shared, just a couple famous people.

The early episodes of all your videos, 17 weeks. Yes. That series is called Run the Sub. It's called Run the Subtitles. It was subtitles in English when I'm rapping in Spanish. And then when I switched to Spanish, I mean, when I'm switched to English, the subtitles was in Spanish. It was reversed. And the world picked up on it.

But when I did the Battle Cat episode, a lady named DJ Moon Baby, she was like, I'm one of the producers. Or her friend was one of the producers on his show that's coming up. She said, I can't tell you what network is on. I can't tell you who's going to be the judges. I got you. But it's going to be big. Submit. So I was like, all right, whatever.

I'm used to hearing stuff. I'm just fighting against being jaded. You know what I'm saying? From Hollywood. Yeah, because I'm ready to build it at this point. I don't believe no promises. Like, let's build it. Brick by brick.

I'm going to get there because I've seen people do that too. And that's what I believe. And I still feel like when you build it, all the opportunities come. Right. So I'm ready to do big brick by brick, but my manager, Greg, you know, who's here, he was like, this might be the one. You know what I'm saying? Keep, just keep submitting. Let them be the reason it don't work, not you. So I stay with the little application process. I'm still dropping the episodes. And all through all through the whole audition process prior to being on a big screen and auditioning for Snoop. Because it was several. stages that was not on camera, I was ready to be like, man, I'm not messing with this. Because there was no, there was no season out before. We didn't know what it was going to look like. It could have been some super corny stuff. Now you got this from Englewood as part of that weird shit. You know what I'm saying? Like, we couldn't have that, you know, but I kept giving

myself a shot. And the day of, man, it was like each step. You ever read the book The Alchemist? No, I ain't read it. Oh, man. You'd enjoy it. I read like. I read, I read, I read like, A little bit of it, and my home boy had it, and he took him to the hole, and he had to send to get his book. Got you. Not the whole thing. Got you. But there's a quote where it's like, follow the omens, right? And each time I was ready to walk away, it was something that somebody would say, or someone I would see this, like, okay, I'm supposed to be here.

Like, it was literally people backstage. And the day that I performed for Snoop, when he pressed me, they had us in the back room for like eight hours. And we'll literally come in and give us a basket full of Subway sandwiches, not even the six-inch ones, the like four-inch ones, the baby joints. Oh, right. And people, some of the contestants was like, I'm out. Man, I got too much self-respect for this.

And I feel like that, too. Like, I respect myself too much for this. I'm already teaching. So, bare minimum, I know how to get outside and make $50,000 a year. You know what I'm saying? Like, and so I'm ready to walk out. But when we did sound check, I walked up there. And DJ Head was a DJ.

And that was my own man like, all right, it's a familiar face. It's a familiar face. Because I didn't been to, they, I didn't been to homegrown when they was in the apartment and Watts. You know what I'm saying? And then when I went to Manchester and Market, they was on Market Street, too.

You know, so still building. And watch the homies grow up, you know. But when I saw him, I was like, all right, I'm going to stay around. And mind you, they gave us beats. that we didn't necessarily care for. It wasn't in line with my style and gave us instructions. But one of the producers said, yeah, go out there.

When you perform for the judges, go out there, hype up the crowd. You know, give them a lot of energy, ask the judges some questions, and then do your song. I said, hell no. Hell no. And what made me, what distinguished me is I was breaking rules the whole time. I went out there as like, I'm not going to be no class. I'm going to go up there, say my name, and start rapping. So I did exactly that.

I was like, what's up? My name D. Smoke, I'm from Englewood. Hey, DJ, hey, play it. And beyond that, the beats were like a minute and some change. 95% of the rap, 99% of the rappers used the first eight bars as an intro. So meanwhile, in this competition setting, you got people that's like, yo, uh, okay? Y'all ready for this? That's a lot of time, though.

First eight bars for intro. Y'all ready? Yeah, I got this. I'm for what's the name? It's a judgmental space. Don't give them no, man. I wrote my verse so that when the beat hit, my shit come off on the upbeat.

So it's like, uh, if your throat clearing your lungs open and it's smoke that you need, one, two. He got hopes, fears, and a young focus. If you pull the thing, boy, I'm going to shoot. Went from broke years with the trunk open selling tape. He's like, what we're going to do. Ain't no rest.

Four years, he graduated with his BA. Now whatever he said. translate. Nada me para wa'a. This carawa, Panko, Anno. And they said, it was a rap.

It was over. Four bars of English. Switch to Spanish, and the key word was now whatever he say, translate, gone. As soon as I switched, Cardi's like, oh, the f*** just happened.

Snoop is like, hold on, Snoop, you know, and T.I, he gonna keep his cool, but you could just see it on his face. This dude different. And, and Moms was in the room. You know? You know what I'm saying?

Moms was in the room. Every time they let anybody in the room, she was in the room. And, yeah, so I just remember the feeling of being like, if I could get these lyrics off, if I could get them off without forgetting, you know, because they was fresh. You know, I couldn't use stuff I already had because it was set up. to where you got to use their beats, it's got to have a specific structure. So I was like, if I could get these lyrics off without forgetting it, when the lights come on and all that, I'm going to be all right.

So I finished that rap. I had minor stumbles, but I got through them. You know, they said all that they was going to say, and, you know, Cardi was like, oh, my God, you know, I speak Spanish, you really know what you're saying, it's positive. She was funny and showed me a lot of love. You know, Chance was like, man, you got like a mentorship kind of vibe. And he was like, you come off like a teacher. I told him, yeah, I'm in the classroom.

Then he got to Snoop. And then Snoop was like, hey, where are you from, homie? You know, and I was like, I'm from Englewood. He said, no, where you from, honey? I said, I'm from Englewood. And then he paused, dropped his little glasses. smiled at me like, nigga,

like, you know, he got the, he got the big, his name of Englewood. You know, it's another answer to that. And the funny thing is,

it is. But in those kind of moments, it's like, it's more so what do you stand for? I could tell you where I'm from, but, you know, what does that matter? It's homies that

they don't even need me to be like, I'm from west side, this, that, and the other, and they like, nah, we got you either way. And so the whole city

was proud because of the way I chose to approach that because it lets the youngsters know it's a difference between being like I'm from Englewood and I don't get a shit sir. You know what I'm saying? It's not a tail tuck. It's not a tail tuck.

It's not a tail tuck but it's also like look bro it's you know we don't even have if you're giving them options so all that said Snoop gave me the biggest nod I could ever have like somebody from the West Coast being like respect how you handle it. I

respect how you handle that. You know what I'm saying? You didn't let me pull you into nothing negative and you got my vote, honey. I want to see you go far. Boom. And after that, I was like, hey, look, if they vote me off, shit, we already had this moment. I'd be all right. But I want to know what did Mom Jackie say? Mom said, she said, she said, baby, you was head and shoulders above everybody that went. She said that wasn't even in your league. And it was because of her. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I'm up there doing what I've seen her do. Mind you, my mom was a minister of music. But to say that, like she's a worship leader, but to say that doesn't even do it justice. Like she's like Kobe musically. Like she's playing keys,

directing the choir and singing lead. And my mom had a voice like Whitney Houston. Like, and brilliant. She toured before she had us. Even after she had us, we stayed with our grandma sometimes, toured, you know, had deals, all that stuff. Like, and my whole life, I wonder, like, dang, why ain't she as famous as CC Yiners or, you know what I'm saying? Like, or, or, you know, or, you know, and so when we up there, it's already like, it's something about somebody in your family being that great that lets you know like oh that's in my bloodstream it gives you a different confidence so when i step up there it's like i'm not like them i'm not going to do no clown stuff and i told the producers because i what i didn't say is the day before i performed for snoop i called

the producer that was kind of courting me through the application process and um i was like and her name is uh uh well i ain't going to say her name i told her i'm not going to do it and she was like why smoke like you you gonna stand out i said i don't know what this is and i don't want to be made to look like no fool it's i'm not no reality tv star and um and she was like look look the only thing we're gonna show of you is what you give us if you give us clown you're gonna look like a clown see no more if you give us real you're gonna look like a real one and she was like and to be honest the show needs real ones And I was like, all right, all you are getting is these real moments.

Yeah. I hid from the cameras. People was arguing backstage. I walk around the camera and look with the producers like, look at them being. Like, I'm not messing with. Yeah, you was hot, yeah. You know, so, but it's always, every point of my journey, it's always somebody who's, like, guiding me through that.

Like, I could have, I could have easily, Greg. Greg is the one that told me, like, go for it. Even when I was like, man, I'm going to call them, I'm going to call off. And when I said I was going to do it, he supported. He said, I think otherwise, but if that's what you want to do, you know, we rocking with the long play. And he's like, but I think he should do it. When she said that, and then he reaffirmed, like, you can do this, bro.

And we didn't know if it was going to win, but we knew it was going to be a hundred million people watching it. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So, and the rest is history, niggas, the round and won. Now, when you sit back, it just, it was really important. for me to have you break down your journey for the people because everybody think overnight. Hell no.

And it's like you've been through so much to get here and it's just for the person homeless. Yeah, homeless. Yeah. It's for the person need to hear that. Like, yo, the only reason did he did not give up. Right. It wasn't no special.

It wasn't no lookouts. It wasn't no plugs. It wasn't no cool stuff. It was just that he didn't give up now. When you talk about the new album, right, Big Up Suva, you got the tour coming. got the tour coming. You know what I mean? Shout out to Subi who's partnering up on you for the tour. Big shout out to Suho. If you don't know, listen, stop by. They got some of the illus. I'm talking about they got some of the illus drip up. You see him, you see him all. He already

dripped out. So we, so you know that he's going to be on this tour. Big shout out to Suu. He's going to have him on this tour. Every city fresh to death. You know what I mean? But if you ever in New York, Soho come and check him out. Now, when you was making this album, Before you went into it, what was on your mind? To be honest, well, part of the album was made, my mom was mad at me that so good when me and PJ Morton didn't make Warren Wonders. Warren Wonders, I had 30 songs that I loved, you know what I'm saying? So that one was from the previous album, but the rest came afterwards. and I like to create music prior to

and maybe I'll do it differently the next go-round, right? I don't like to be like, all right, this is the name of the album. Now let's start making music. Like, no, let's start making music. And as it starts to develop an identity, naturally, what is it that we have and what's going to be this? It's like when I'm going into the last 40% of the album, that's when I'm like,

Here's the title, and these are the pieces that I need to bring it all the way together. But one of the songs that let me know the album is on its way to being ready was when I did Biscuits. And the thing about this album that's super special is it got me back to my roots in that I produced, I think, six songs on there. You know, I produced, I produced biscuits. I produced count your blessings. I produced energized, I mean, not energized, frequency. I produced Jackie's triumph. I produced Stomp, you know, and then co-produced something else.

But, yeah, I co-produced fire, you know. And that was super important because my, I come from a family of composers. You listen to Serge music and the elaborate nature of the vocal arrangements and we're actually engineering ourselves. So like I got one of my Grammy nominations. I know for engineering. Yeah, because I engineer my own parts on Robert Glasper's album, man. It got best engineer, you know, so I don't have to call nobody to keep it a butt.

That's like, yo, not to cut you off, bro, to be able to sit there on a MacBook with some earphones and a mic. and a mic anywhere you can be in a hotel so you could be here and to be ever to engineer your own like you know how much of a cheat code that is it's the cheat really to keep it a buck i i will venture to say it's the way of the future if you are artists i'm looking the camera if you're a artist and you can't record yourself take a step back and go to school whether that's youtube whether that's your engineer friend, learn how to record yourself

and learn some things about mixing. Like, you get in with the top artists, they can tell you what very plug-in is on their vocal chain. They could tell you what mic they're using. Like, they know. And so that's part of their process. You know, I started off on a Neumann,

TLM-103 mic, and an inbox. Now we're on the, you know, the duo, you know. So, but those things. Let's do it, is that the Sony? No, that's the Apollo. Apollo Twin, not to do it. Apollo Twin interface. But, you know, we're going through the UA Universal Audio, you know, pre-amps.

A little box. Yeah, yeah, you know. And so, but these things make your sound warm, your voice sound, how it's supposed to be. You should know what plug-ins to put on there to bring your volume up and keep it crispy, you know. And that's stuff that, you know, me and sir and even my. brother Davion, to keep it a buck, Davion started this gangster. You know what I'm saying? And, you know, this the mother thinks he gets, you know, he was the first one to learn engineering and mixing and show us what's up. And he was the first one to get us publishing deals that got

a song's place and stuff. So, and that's my older brother. So it's always been a team sport, but got to be able to, I can't wait for somebody every time I want to record. I do get in a big studios. And I love working with the engineers because it would be like, ooh, this sounds sweet from jump. You know what I'm saying? Sometimes my mixes have been dirty. You know what I'm saying? You could tell I was in the room because you can hear the cars driving by in the vocals. But it's part of the process of learning how to make your clean, you know. How much do a studio cost? Now a studio is far less expensive than it's ever been. But how much like if you had a studio from from scratch. Right here on the joint It's just in your back Like Laptop

Let's say two grand Right Mike You got to get any Plugins in the laptop What do you got to get From Apple to put in there You have to

When you get the laptop You want to get RAM You want to get Max out the RAM So you probably spend An extra 700 So let's say $2,700

You know Then you got to get an interface That's going to be $1,000, 3,700 That's the Apollo twin If you get it used you could get it for $500, so let's say $3,500, right? Take it down some, or $33.

Then you need a mic. Let's say you spend $500 on the mic. You could spend $3 on a mic, but I would spend $1,000 on the mic, right? Let's say $4,300. Your cables is going to be a good $200, and then your programs, let's say you spend $2,000 of programs. So you got $4,500 plus $6,000, $7,000. And if you're resourceful, you find all of that for less expensive than that.

You get a used. Use, yeah. Get everything used. That's seven grand. It cuts and a half. $3,500. Get everything used because it's there. People are coming off studio equipment all the time.

I had to. We didn't have to sell stuff, you know. And so you get a use, you get on, you know, get on, not eBay, but eBay will have some stuff or Craigslist. You get that stuff used. And I think anybody who's getting a, anybody who's getting a studio, might as well get a camera when they get in it, a cannon something. How important is the camera? Extremely important. Why?

Because if you're not putting visuals with your music, you're doing half the art. Like, we're in a world where everything is visual. You know, so, and that's what's going to take, that's what's going to create an energy around your movement where they feel like, the audience should feel like you're already headed there. Okay. They shouldn't feel like the artist is asking for their support. They should feel like this artist is taking them on a journey. So visuals are a major tool, you know, in making that happening.

Or just be super dope with the iPhone. Maybe you don't get a camera. Maybe you get the newest iPhone because nowadays they be having crazy lenses on that. You know, and how do you accessories to where you got smooth iPhone footage? It's people shooting feature films on iPhone. So, but as long as you have a mind to do consistent visuals, then you're on your way. So, but free game, I don't know how that came up. Yeah, I had to, because I love to give the audience the information necessary.

Now, you know, the album out, the tour coming. Yeah. How do you feel, album and out, been out for a week, how do you feel, knowing that you created something and you shared it with the world? I feel good. I feel good. It's an interesting place to be in because I had to, after losing mom, I had to recalibrate. Like, so what do we do this for now? You know what I'm saying?

A big part of it is like, oh, man, my mom, like, water, so she got to have a house on a lake with the boat. You know? Because selfishly, I actually, it's funny, like, when you master one stage in your life, that's when you get promoted to next stage. When I learned how to live well as a teacher and balance and be in my right mind and stay grinding but not not up everything at the expense of this grind. When I found that balance and I proved that I learned everything at that stage in my life had to offer me, that's when I elevated. Right. And so where I am now is like I had to recalibrate so that I can sure that I'm taking everything that this phase learning everything that this phase

of life has to offer me you know losing mom was was huge you know watching sir blow up time and time again you know what I'm saying and we're supportively competitive as brothers you know what I'm saying we're like hey my yes sir but you know I'm coming for you know what I'm with your top sir I own you though you know but but hell it supportively first you know and so um but but but I feel I feel good and I had to realize that like when I'm in the mindset of when I reconnect with what I do it for and what effect I want my music to have, you know. This album is special in that I ain't going to lie, Black Habits and War and Wonders, I love

them. But once I put them out, I felt like they belong to the people. It's not mine. Not at all. at all. This one is still mine. You know what I'm saying? And so I can listen to this one selfishly and feel like, for lack of a better word, it's ministering to me. You know what I'm saying? It's healing some things in me. And so, um, so I don't even know where I was going with that, but, but this album, um, this album is special for that reason. And so

as we're going into tour, I can sit with it for myself or it helps me to reconnect with. When I listen to it, I realize that all the messages that I want people to get are in there. I'm reminded like, okay, if it's not for buying mom a house, it is for inspiring and affecting people positively. It is the same things that I would want my students to have when I was in the classroom. And, you know, remembering that fuels me. You know, because otherwise, you know, I'm not, I'm competitive with my brothers, but I don't feel like I'm competing with the world. I feel like we got all the intangibles that people who might have more streams or might have bigger audiences, I feel like some of them look at us like, but what y'all doing is special.

You know what I'm saying? So I don't, I'm not, I'm not the same type of competitive. You know, you know, Jay said men why, men lie, women lie, numbers don't. And I understand the truth to it, but I also disagree. You know what I'm saying? Numbers can be misleading. Numbers lie a lot of these days because they can be manipulated. Exactly.

So it's like I'm not, I say that just to say I don't envy people because of what their numbers are. I know the value of what I'm doing. But it's a catch 22 because I got to find motivation. If I did, some people are successful for like weird assesances. Yeah. They're competitive. They ain't healed the stuff. themselves so they need they need to flash i don't need none of that yeah like i'm content

with life so so when i search for what's my reason what's my why i got to reconnect with this music does for other people what outcast music did for me at 10 years old you know what i'm saying it was like outcast music told me you could be you could be a hood kid a ghetto kid and a brilliant kid you could be spiritual you'd be whatever gangster you could be a player at the At a player, you can have them, you know, that you could be on some fascinated by the way your nipple peek at me through your, you know. You could be a hippie, you could be whatever. Exactly, you know. And so, in a Cadillac, you know, so that's why I keep going because the music is doing, it's serving its purpose.

It reflects what I wanted to represent. And I believe it's positive, ultimately. You make, like, before we get out of here, I got to touch on this. because you out here making intentional community investments. You got the boxing, Broadway. How did that come about? I mean, I know you're three and no. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You ain't got to explain that no more. It is where I fought. It's where I trained. But no, Broadway is where I trained. And when I told you, Chairs Pass, that's one of the first places I went to be like, I need, I got a lot to process. You know, I lost my best friend.

And, you know, and it was, it wasn't, Immediately that I put that next song out, it was like I had to figure out where I was at, you know, and so I just dove in the box and then I started off sparring people that was way better than me getting whooped. Be down. Getting whipped. But hanging, though, to where they were like, oh, this nigga got hard, you know. And then I developed a skill set and I became that dude in that gym to where people come from other gyms and the owner would be like, they'll come from other gyms like he got a fight coming up. He's looking for some real sparring. And she would be like, fight Daniel.

And I'm like, I would hear her say it before she asked me, like, fight him. Why you set me up like that? Yeah, what? But, you know, and all they buffness, all they angry face, I punch him right in it, you know, like. You go crazy. But it was, but beyond that, what it meant to me, it meant that to everybody. Like, it was a developmental space. It was a safe space.

It was gangsters from every hood in there, slapping fire, sparring, doing their stuff, laughing. And so it's just something to the community that's worth preserving. So when she passed and then her son passed, it was just up for grabs and was about to be something different. And, you know, we just took the opportunity, me, David Gross and G. Perico to acquire the property. And our, you know, we've done a soft opening but are looking to continue to build for the grand opening where it's, you know, day and day out. So, but beyond that, me and Sir have property abroad that we're looking to build on, build a whole, you know, retreat center type of space. That's major.

AKA the family drug dealer getaway. So, but just doing things so that when we done, whenever we done rapping, if we ever decide to hang it out, maybe I'm just going to be like 60 talking about, you know, in West Side, Englewood, born and braids, you know. but whenever we decide that we need to take some time for ourselves we have that space you know what I'm saying because self-care is key I'm saying I got to do something selfishly for our lead is the game that's major shout out the uh je Perigo and day gross to my brothers right there good people they're good people now you got to tell me about your role in mayor

kingstown like like like but like how did it come about how did you get dear as you read your lines or as you like you as you just freest it like give me the game so So, Mary Kingston, I have to shout out another mentor of mine, Tasha Smith. Okay, shout out to Tasha Smith. Incredible actress. Oh, Tasha Smith, the actresses. Yes, incredible director. Okay.

Yeah, like, Tasha's just, and a gangster too. Okay. Like, she, she always was a gangster in all her roles, too. Oh, for sure, for sure, from snatching the daughter's up in ATL to everything she did, you know. But again, she's one of those people that when it came. cameras cut off, she'll pull you to the side looking in your eyes. And in one breath, she'll just be like, you are great and this and that and trust yourself. And then in another breath, she'd be like, but don't slip up, don't think these people are watching, go get it.

You know, like. But Tasha, she called me, matter of fact, she was one of the first people that I called when I won Rhythm and Flow. But, and she said, and we're going to get you back into acting. Because she got me in the acting when I was 15 years old. Oh, shout out to her. So, yeah, I was, I was, no, 13. I didn't book nothing until I was 15. And I was auditioning three times a week for two years.

Both my brothers was like, Dang! Both my brothers was like, we give up. Like, this ain't for us. And I stuck with it and started booking. In high school, I was on Judge and Amy, CSI, the district, Boston Public. Yeah, I was working. And then took off for college.

My manager was trying to send me on all these, like, Nickelodeon-esque auditions. and we just had differences and I was like, look, I gotta read three books a week. So if you ain't sending me on stuff that I could book, like, stop sending me out. And she was like, look, either you serious about this or not.

I was like, you're talking to me like, you're asking, like, and I'm basically like, hey, look, how about we take this break? She was like, well, I can't promise you that when you come back, I'm gonna be there. I said, that's okay too. You know, so, and that was then 20 years ago. You know what I'm saying?

I graduated. I went to UCLA, graduated, did my stuff, went into teaching, and hadn't been acting. Other than what I'm doing in my own music videos and stuff. But Tasha, she was directing episodes of Mary Kingstown, and she read the script and was like, call me and was like, little bro, I think it's a role in here for you. He's the cousin of one of the main characters, Bunny. His name is Raphael. He's a gangster.

He's a crip. I said, I said, Tasha Way, hold on. Tash away, I'm from Inglewood. Like, hey, Tash, hey, oh, you know. But this is real acting. And she's like, he's a crib, but he's involved in this, but he's also shows leadership qualities, and there's room for his role to grow, right?

So I basically, I was like, I told the director's like, look, he can be, in the name of authenticity, he can be Bunny's cousin, this major Crip in the city. without necessarily lean in the Crip direction. It actually limits his character because it makes him look like just one of the minions.

Whereas I got family, I got cousins from Long Beach where three of them, three of the brothers are Crips and one is a blood because when they went to foster care, they was in different hoods. So I'm like, and not that I need to be a blood or a Crip, but if we leave my character ambiguous, then it gives him his own arc and y'all can take it wherever it goes.

So that's the approach I took. I was like, as long as I'm not on there, like, super leaning into that, then it won't feel on the nose. They trusted me with that. They was like, cool. So you won't catch my character being like, cuck, cuck, cuck, like a lot of the other ones are. But it's more, it allows the audience to focus on the love between me and my cousin, which lends to gang. Which turns into gangster shit anyway. So Raphael locked up.

We don't know what he's locked up for. but you just know he's just got this heart, which makes him a major target in the prison because to everybody that's on the opposite side of the, you know, the train tracks, so to speak, I'm a threat, you know, so they just have, they just trusted me with so much content. They allow me to lean into the gangster shit while adding some truth to the, the nuances of any human being like okay he loves to cook he loves his family he talks about his memories in the home he he ends up sharing a cell with without saying too much with his cousin to where you can see that camaraderie and you care about him more so then when he when the fight

breaks out you're like oh no now you know hoping that he makes it you know but um but everything that i want to do in acting i've done a little bit of that in mayor kingstown From the drama to the fun laughing it off to leaning into music, you know, to like I played live music on the show. I ain't going to say when. But that character on several occasions was like, you know, they showed his difference, his other size to action. You know, I'm doing my own stunts instead. Elbow pads, chest packed back, scrapping. So even all the martial arts, you know, you know.

Shout out to the stunt team and, you know, teaching me the chamber high, you know, exaggerating those movements. If you kick it, don't just pull that high, you know. And so, but the show, the writing on the show is something worth mentioning because it's just what they're able to do with the characters and what they trusted me to do with something super special. So make sure y'all look out for season four of Mary Kingstown. October 26. Check it out. Before we get out of here, I just want to know one last question. How is it working with Snoop D-O-G? Hey, working with Snoop. And then being on death row. Yes, sir. Working with Snoop Dogg, it's one of the most rewarding aspects of my career right now. Like Snoop, Snoop is as epic behind closed doors as he is in the public.

What's most impressive about Snoop is that at any one point in time, it's a million people trying to reach him. It's a hundred million dollars on the table at any point in time that he could either accept or decline if he wants to. But when he's with a person, he's extremely present and genuine. Like when he came to Englewood, you know, he got one security guard, but they're not circling him. He's out in front. and we shot Gaspar Younga on, you know, on Queen Street in Eaglewood, and the Bloods was out deep, and he's like, what's up, y'all come say what up?

I got the food truck. He brought the food truck to my video shoot to feed the block. The cast and crew was taken care of. We had craft services. He said, no, we pay for, and it's a black-owned truck. He's like, we pay for Trap Kitchen. Shout out of the Trap Kitchen. Shout out of the Trap Kitchen.

That was over there. Something I never asked him to do. He brought Trap Kitchen out. Fed the block, you know, took pictures with everybody when we wasn't filming, showed up, pulled me into the sprinter van and was like, look, nephew, I'm going to show you how to secure your legacy. You know what I'm saying? Like, beyond this music stuff, like, just watch. This is long before we ever decided to go death row. So we had done business, business, business. I wrote his Spanish verses on Bandai Mesa. You know, it's six times platinum now. You know what I'm saying? So he's like, And I don't get, I'm like the funniest studio session I've ever been in by far was coaching Snoop on rapping Spanish verses. Like he's has no filter, has no shame. But that's a lesson too. Like he'll butcher a Spanish line, laugh it off and be like, let's go again.

Let's go again. Let's go again. So he has a way of showing up for the work day in, day out. And to him, he don't take it too seriously, but he takes it the perfect amount. It's like serious enough to get it right, not too serious to beat himself up when he make a mistake. He just in stride. So it's just like, it's like watching Kobe play basketball. You know what I'm saying?

And basketball in this case is not just rapping. It's rapping, being an executive, being a brand, like a global. He's one of the most, like, top five famous people in the world. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's, like, and Beyonce is crazy, famous and a huge star, but globally, it's, like, there's no place where they don't know a snoop dog. In every language, they're going to be like, Snoop Dog. You know what I'm saying?

Like, and so, just an incredible example of, and at the same time, a father, you know what I'm saying, a father, husband, you know. So it's just, it's dope to be in his presence and see that he and I have similarities. That's a reward, you know what I'm saying? You're like, okay, cool. I'm doing all right. Like my uncle, just like you said, I didn't quit. The best advice I ever got was keep going. But listen, man, I just want to salute you, man.

Thank you for sharing all your good energy. Thank you for sharing your story to the world. And just seeing that passion that your mom gave you. everybody else to see it. And your artist's amazing. You're a great brother. Thank you. Thank you for what you do for the community. I want you to go on this tour and kill it. Stay out

the gym. Possible. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah, not during tour. I don't know black eyes. Stay out of the gym. But we appreciate you, man. Thank you. Thank you for being. I appreciate it. Yes, sir. This is another episode of Where's Wildo, man. We're signing off, man. We out here, man. Subi.

Soho. DeSmoke. The new album. The tour. coming, the book coming next year. Tap in. Vivid Isaiah. Tap in. Where's Waila? Thank you.