On Purpose with Jay Shetty - Wiz Khalifa: How to Build Your Schedule to Make You Happy & Strategize Your Life 5 Years in Advance

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

What in your day makes you happiest? Where do you see yourself in five years? Today, Jay sits down with the iconic rapper, multi-platinum artist, and entrepreneur Wiz Khalifa. The episode explores Wiz’s journey from navigating the challenges of his youth in Pittsburgh to becoming one of the most recognizable names in the music industry. Throughout their conversation, Wiz shares profound insights into his personal growth, family values, and the discipline behind his success. Wiz reflects on his early days, including the loss of a record deal and the resilience it took to rebuild his career. He discusses his evolution as an artist and individual, emphasizing the importance of gratitude, patience, and staying true to oneself. The conversation also dives into the balance between his professional life and personal responsibilities, particularly as a father. Wiz talks about raising his 11-year-old son, Sebastian, and his new daughter, Cadence, shedding light on how fatherhood has deepened his perspective on life and masculinity. Jay and Wiz also explore deeper topics like handling grief, cultivating self-discipline, and the nuanced concept of masculinity in today’s world. Wiz’s candid anecdotes, whether about quitting alcohol, building financial literacy, or practicing MMA for mental clarity, inspire listeners to live authentically, embrace personal growth, and focus on what truly matters. In this interview, you'll learn: How to Rebuild Confidence After a Setback How to Balance Personal Life and Career Successfully How to Find Gratitude in Everyday Moments How to Stay Calm Under Pressure How to Teach Discipline and Politeness to Kids How to Manage Money as a Creative Professional How to Stay Authentic in the Spotlight Every setback is an opportunity to rebuild stronger, and every triumph is a chance to inspire others. Prioritize what matters, whether it’s your personal growth, the relationships you cherish, or the values you stand for.  With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty 100% of Proceeds are donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Visit https://jayshettyshop.com  re(NEW) You Free Workshop Do you feel like you’re tolerating a mediocre life? I’ve created a workshop that shares 5 keys for creating a life you truly love. Access at no charge at www.renewyouworkshop.com What We Discuss: 00:00 Intro 04:15 Navigating Fame As A Star 09:18 The Craziest Fan Interactions  10:07 Family Matters The Most 11:49 Dealing With Grief 13:04 Seeking Family Support  13:54 Finding Balance In Grief 14:50 Life Before Fame And Success 16:47 What's It Like To Lose A Record Deal? 17:15 Confidence In The Face Adversity  18:37 Advice To Younger Self 19:22  Driven Goals And Compulsion 20:50 Being Contented With What You Have  21:30 What's The Hardest Conversation You Have Ever Had? 24:40 Building Connections With Your Audience  25:50 Ever Caught Anything Crazy On Camera? 26:45 Then VS Now Journey With Other Stars 29:13 Advice For Up And Coming Artists 32:11 How Far Do You Plan Your Goals? 32:49 Best Moves In Money Management  35:58 Dumbest Thing I Have Ever Bought 36:35 Best Investment I Have Ever Made 38:20 Relationship With God 40:30 Moving Around In My Childhood  41:58 How My Childhood Experiences Has Impacted Me 44:48 How My Views On Fatherhood Has Changed 50:17 How I Take Control Of My Career As An Artist 54:17 What I Learnt From My Mom 55:31 Something People Should Know About Me 1:00 How Working Out Helped Me 1:02 My Advice For Men Who Want To Get Into Health And Fitness 1:03 My Perspective On Masculinity  1:08 My Take On MMA And Martial Arts 1:12:09 How I View My New Album And Most Viewed Video 1:16:22 My Motivation To Go Sober From Alcohol  1:18:01 First Thing I Do Before I Go To Bed 1:18:32 Wiz on Final Five  Episode Resources: Wiz Khalifa | Website Wiz Khalifa | Instagram Wiz Khalifa | TikTok Wiz Khalifa | YouTube Wiz Khalifa | Facebook See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey, I'm Gianna Predenti. And I'm Jemay Jackson-Gadston. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career. That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahary-Pore.

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Listen to Black Lit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Want to know how to leverage culture to build a successful business? Then Butternomics is the podcast for you. get your podcast. in their business. Butternomics will give you what you need to take your game to the next level. Listen to Butternomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The craziest part of my life, I can go from performing in front of 40,000 people to either be in a dress room, being in a plane, or being back in a bed all by myself. He is a multi-platinum selling recording artist, mini mogul, and an actor.

Which among the ones, the only, Wins Khalifa! Did you feel like a big break was coming? I didn't know what that big break looked or felt like, but I knew that what I was doing was working. The gang banging and the drug selling, that's not really for me. But the looking cool, the having girls,

and making music, I'm like, I like that part of it. What's it like to get a record deal and then lose a record deal? Oh, there's no bouncing back from that. How unsafe was it where you were in Pittsburgh? The streets is crazy out there. I remember one of my first friends getting shot and killed in seventh grade.

Wow. When was your sibling who passed away? She passed away, I think maybe seven years ago. How was that experience for you? Losing someone so close to you that you love? I am grateful that I was able to have the last moments that I had and to be able to prepare for it. It was something that I'm still dealing with. What's a misconception you think people have about you? It's something that I'm still dealing with. What's a misconception you think people have about you?

The number one health and wellness podcast. Jay Shetty. Jay Shetty. The one, the only Jay Shetty. Hey everyone, welcome back to On Purpose. The number one health and wellness podcast in the world. Thanks to each and every one of you that come back every week to listen, learn and grow. Today's guest is the one and only Wiz Khalifa,

multi-platinum artist and Grammy nominee who rose to fame with his 2011 debut album Rolling Papers featuring the hit Black and Yellow. Wiz won best new artist at the 2011 BET Awards and top new artist at the 2011 BET Awards and Top New Artist at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. His song See You Again from the Furious 7 Top Charts in 95 countries and earned a Golden Globe nomination

for Best Original Song. Today we're talking about Wiz's newest album, Kersh Plus Orange Juice 2. Please welcome to the show Wiz Khalifa. Hey. What's up man? What's up Wiz? I'm chillin' how are you?

I'm good, I'm good. It's great to have you here. Yeah, good to be here. You walked in with this real chill energy today. I was like, it was very calming. Yeah, I'm a super chill dude. I love that man. Yeah, yeah.

What's the first thing you do in the morning? Smoke weed. Every day? Yeah, yeah. First thing? Well, I take my dog outside. I have a Doberman. What's the first thing you do in the morning? Smoke weed. Every day? Yeah, yeah. First thing? Well, I take my dog outside. I have a Doberman. He's a puppy.

But he's a big puppy. He's like, he's 10 months now. And he wakes up pretty early. So I take him out. And then I smoke weed. Do you ever remember a day before that was the case? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember the days before that was the case.

What were those days like? I was in school. So I would just get up and iron my clothes and, you know, go off to school. Yeah. Was there ever a time in your life where you tried to stop smoking? Or has that ever been a goal? Nah. I never really fell back off of it. I never had a reason to. Yeah. What does it do for you that you feel it needs to be

your first habit of the day? For me, it just kind of gets me in a relaxing mood. I have a lot of things on my mind, like as soon as I wake up. So it's like, I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere. But if I smoke, I kind of chill, relax, put everything into its place. I write my goals down. I start to, you know, make some text messages or phone calls or whatever, depending on what

the situation is. So everything just starts to come into place. You write your goals down regularly. Is that like a regular habit, a consistent habit? Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Walk us through what that looks like. It's really like me kind of like just spitballing stuff, whatever it is, like short-term goals of mine,

whether it be about clothing, music, family, visuals, content, just kind of like just writing the first ideas, like really short, really just to the point, nothing really crazy. I have a blackboard, so I sit in front of the blackboard and physically write it. first idea is like really short, really just to the point, nothing really crazy. I have a blackboard, so I sit in front of the blackboard and physically write it. Or if I'm in my car or something like that, I'll write it down in my notes. You know what I'm saying? Just to like little reminders and things like that. Yeah, I love that.

How long have you had that habit for? It goes on and off just due to like necessity, like how crazy my life is. So I just, I feel like I don't know how long it's been because I do it like so regularly and then I look back and I see how much I've done it and I'm like, wow, I've been doing this for a long ass freaking time. So I think it's kind of like, um, like a second nature type of thing for me. What do you find is the craziest part of your life? The craziest part of my life?

I think the entertainment part is the craziest part. And I think it's because I can go from performing in front of 30,000, 40,000 people to either being in a dressing room, being in a plane or being back in a bed all by myself. And it's like to go from that much energy to just be all by like back by yourself. I think that's pretty crazy. Walk us through what that feels like mentally. Like you just described two polar opposites

and the majority of people on the planet will never really experience those extremes. They might experience the loneliness in a room, but they won't experience the 30,000 people screaming your name, wearing your merch, you know, whatever it may be, singing along to your music. What are you feeling in the in-betweens and the transition of that to that? You have to have this thing where you kind of wind down

and you know what is for where. Like you can't bring the stage home because eventually you have to wind down and go to sleep and wake up and do it again. And you can't be too turned off when you're on the stage because you have to bring enough energy to where somebody is way in the back and they can feel you. So it's really just like a projection of like,

you know, your energy and how you feel. And the majority of the times I'm in a great mood. I have great interactions with my fans and the people around stage and things like that. So it goes good. I'm in a great mood, but it's just a lot of this goes from really, really intense. And then it could just all just be shut off at one second. And I think that that's like the craziest part to me.

Yeah, I can relate. You know, I'd heard that before and I can relate in a small, very small way comparatively, but I remember doing my first ever live show in 2019. It was at the Ace Theater, or maybe 2018, something like that, in the Ace Hotel. And it was like, I don't know, 1500 people, 2000 people maybe. It was my first ever show, and I remember walking off stage,

jumping into the car to get driven back home, and it was just the strangest feeling. Like it's so hard to explain it. And I wasn't, you know, it wasn't like, I don't do music. So I haven't got even that experience, but I'm feeling connected with my audience. Then you get into the back of a black, you know, a black car. You barely know it. I didn't know anyone in the car with me.

I was alone and I'm driving home and I just felt, I was like, wow, I don't even know how to describe the juxtaposition. And then I went on my world tour last year. We did roughly 40 cities around the world. And that was like, you're in a new place every day. And now you're feeling that same thing every day. And so I know it's much smaller compared to what you've done.

But to me, just getting that experience. And I remember that night, I was lucky. I came home and my wife had planned a surprise party. So all my closest friends were back in my house. And that kind of night, I was lucky. I came home and my wife had planned a surprise party. So all my closest friends were back in my house. Yeah. And that kind of like, it was a relief. Yeah. But it is a really weird feeling.

Yeah. I don't think the feeling is smaller due to the crowd or whatever. I think the feeling is the feeling. Yeah. It's like when you're on a roller coaster and like you get back and like you're in your bed and you still feel like you're on the roller coaster. It's like, you know what I mean? So I feel like we still have that in common, even though it might be at different levels. And it's not even always 30,000 people.

Sometimes it could be a private event or sometimes it could be an event with some kids or something like that to where it's like, you just get really two totally different parts of life. And they're both great. I love my normal life and I love my work life too. It's just the difference between them is crazy. Yeah, what's helped you continue to love them and deal with that paradox, with that ease and comfort?

What's really soothed your relationship with those challenging or crazy experiences that you mentioned? I think it has a lot to do with my relationship with my fans, because I love the people that I do music for, and they give me a really, really great response and reaction, not only to my performance, but to my music and just the appreciation that they have for it. So I appreciate them as well. And it makes it easier because I enjoy it and I love to create, I love to be on stage,

I love to be in front of people. Yeah, so it doesn't feel like I'm doing anything out of, oh I just want the money, or this is just for this certain reason, is really, really enjoyable for me. So yeah. That's beautiful. Yeah, it's a great experience.

That's such a beautiful place to be. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah. That gratitude to your community for being there for you, for being present with you. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. What's been like your craziest fan experience or fan interaction?

A memory that you have with one of the audience members that stays with you? I think the craziest stuff is when people like, come up and give me like, sign my name on them so they can get a tatted. Wow. Or they show me like, tattoos of my face on them. I think those are the craziest interactions. Because I have tattoos, I'm covered in them. So I know how important that is and to be, you know, just me as an artist and doing what I'm doing and to want to have people to

want to like tattoo me on them. It's pretty tight. Yeah, have people ever done a lyric as well? Yeah, they do lyrics. They do song titles. They do pictures, they do autographs, they do all types of stuff. Wow. Yeah, yeah. What's your most meaningful tattoo or one that really speaks to you? Probably, I got a couple. I got, you know, my mom's name, I got my brother's name, my sibling who passed away. I got my little sister. Yeah, probably like my family tattoos mean the most to me.

The rest of them are just like stuff about life that I've learned throughout the way, or things that I've called myself throughout life. Yeah. When was your sibling who passed away? She passed away, I think maybe seven years ago. I don't remember exactly how many years ago. It could be like, could be more or less. Yeah. And how old was she then? I think maybe seven years ago. I don't remember exactly how many years ago. It could be like, could be more or less.

Yeah. And how old was she then? She would have been 40 now. So she was probably 33 when she passed away. So you had some life together. Oh yeah, hell yeah. We grew up together. Yeah. Same mom, same dad. Yeah.

How was that experience for you? Losing someone so close to you that you love. I wouldn't say like rough, because you know, you get through that type of stuff, you learn how to deal with it. But it's definitely a situation that I never would have expected. Like, we weren't sick growing up or anything like that.

We were always the same. So it's like when you get to a certain age, you don't plan on losing a sibling. And it was just something that we had to deal with. And as her health declined, it was something that we knew was gonna happen. So it was like, all right, cool, let's get ready for it. You know what I mean?

And I am grateful that I was able to have the last moments that I had and to be able to prepare for it. And my son has memories of my sibling and things like that. And her birthday was actually on Halloween. So we celebrate every year, annually we throw a party. So yeah, it was definitely an experience, but it's something that I'm still dealing with. A lot of the times I'm doing really, really well,

and then sometimes it might hit me to a point where it's like, all right, let me just slow down and kind of deal with this or just think about it or talk about it or just whatever it is that gets me through it. But it's just like a continuous thing. For sure.

How did you prepare for it at the time? You said you kind of knew it was, you know, health was diminishing over time. How did you prepare at the time? Like were there specific rituals or things you did or memories you made together that stayed with you? No, I wasn't really too many did or memories you made together that stayed with you? No, I wasn't really too many rituals or memories or anything like that. I was traveling a lot at the time, so I did make sure that I went home and spent some time with her before she passed away.

And then my mom was really the one who was like right by her side the whole time. So she was giving me kind of like blow by blow of everything and just how the situation was going to go. And I just did my best to try to make her as comfortable as possible, you know, for those last couple moments. And yeah. Yeah. I mean, it sounds like you said you're still dealing with it, even though it sounds like you made the most of that time.

Yeah. And now you're saying you reach out to people and talk about it. Who would you reach out to when you wanna talk about something like that? I would talk to like my aunt, Rachel. We had like, you know, we all just laughed and joked and just had a real good time together. Talked to my mom, talked to my dad,

talked to my baby sister about it. I most recently talked to like just one of my other aunties about it just randomly. Cause I feel like we all feel the same and we all have losses and you know, can relate in certain ways even though it's not the best thing to be relatable about. But you know, we feel similar about it. So it's cool to have those conversations and you know, feel good about it afterwards. Yeah, I love that you still celebrate her birthday. Yeah, yeah, for sure. That's a beautiful way feel good about it afterwards. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I love that you still celebrate her birthday.

Yeah, yeah, for sure. That's a beautiful way to think about it. Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah, it's such a hard balance I find in terms of mourning or grieving someone's death and then celebrating the life you had with them. Yeah. And it's such a fine line. And often you're pulled in either direction, but I think it's so important that we do celebrate life and memories we had with someone and celebrate their life as well.

Yeah, absolutely. I just look, I look at it as like, if she was still here, we'd be partying. So let's not stop the party. Yeah, that's beautiful. I was diving into your career with, and I feel like when someone like you becomes as successful as you've become and, you know, is dropping successful hits here and there, you almost forget the journey that they've been on and the graph that they've been on. And I was really fascinated by that because it hasn't just been like a smooth, easy, linear journey. I think people think of success as like, you tried something out, it worked, and now you're this, you know, this big phenomenon. And yours had lots of twists and turns. When, like, what was your life like before Black and Yellow? Compared to what it is now. What was it like before that? I would say it was pretty normal.

Like, it was pretty regular. I was just, you know, like any other 20-something year old. I think just the way that we were working and traveling and like going on the road and kind of the money that we were dealing with, a lot of it was getting reinvested back into the business. So I was making money, but I was spending money on myself. And like, not even in a big way, but it would just be,

hotels, travel, things like that. So I was putting myself through courses and business and how to make money, spend money, reinvest, blah, blah, blah. I was doing all of this stuff naturally, but it wasn't on that level yet because we hadn't met anybody who was in the game. We hadn't had business managers or anything like that. So it was just, you know, me and my friends, we were kind of just really, really hustling and making the best out of out of what we knew how to do. Yeah.

I mean, did you feel like a big break was coming or did it feel like, God, we don't know how this is going to go? Well, being that I already had a record deal and then essentially lost that record deal, I didn't feel like a big break was coming. I didn't know what that big break looked or felt like, but I knew that what I was doing was working. And I knew that the people who were into me and the movement that I had created,

I knew that that was more popular than, you know, the mainstream and like what was really, really popular at the time. So I was really confident in that. Yeah. But I didn't know like a big moment was coming or anything. What's it like to get a record deal and then lose a record deal? It sucked for me like just because in those days, like if you had a record deal, like that was it. And then if you didn't have a record deal, like you were done.

So to have one and then lose it is like, oh, there's no bouncing back from that. Like I never knew anybody who bounced back from that. But in my mind, it was never over. I never counted myself out. I just never knew what the next situation was going to look like or how long or what that timeframe was going to be like. Where did that confidence come from? I love how self-assured you were that like what you were doing

in the community you were building was resonating with what you were doing. Yeah. Where does that come from? Because I think, like you said, so many people today who might be listening and they, maybe they just, you know, got kicked out of a job. Maybe they got rejected from their record deal. I remember when I was first coming up with the idea for this podcast six years ago,

I had a production company and a partner that was going to launch the show with me. I went away for the holidays, Christmas holidays, came back, and then I was told that it wasn't on anymore. So I remember that feeling, and having to launch the show on my own. If someone's going through that right now, how did you maintain that composure and that confidence? Like, no, we're doing something here,

and we may not know when that break's coming, but we're going to keep moving. Yeah, I think it was just by like standing on the things that I believed in and the stuff that made me most comfortable. And if I wanted to show it, I was going to show it. If I wanted to talk about it, I was going to talk about it. It might not have been what everybody else would have considered was going to take somebody to the top, but it made me feel free. And I enjoyed myself by doing it.

And I think just in turn, a lot of people have fun enjoying watching me do it. Yeah, yeah. If you could give your younger self any advice before Black and Yellow came out, what would it be? I was good. Keep doing what you're doing. You got it figured out, fool. Is there anything you would have liked to have known for how to deal with it afterwards?

Nah, nah. Everything that I've, that I learned and that I figured out along my way, I think, happened in its time and how it was supposed to and it's positioning me for even greater points in my life as well. Yeah. Where does that come from? Because that's such a peaceful thing. And like I said, from the moment you walked in, there's such a peace and ease about you. In an industry where people can get jaded, people can get ruffled, they get flustered. Yeah.

How have you kept that peace and composure for yourself? Like, where's that coming from? Really like just my goals in this shit. I have my own personal goals and I've reached a lot of my old goals that I was trying to do and I reached them by being myself and doing exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. So you know, knowing that that's possible and seeing that it doesn't make me want to rush to the next

point or the next situation. I'm comfortable waiting for what's mine and just seeing how everything plays out as opposed to trying to make it be somebody else's story. I feel like my whole story and everything as far as my life, if I see it, I wanted it, it's just a matter of time until I get it. So I'll just wait that amount of time and just stay down and just be very, very like have a lot of gratitude for where I'm at and what I've done so far. And even when I was coming up, I was really, really happy with what I had.

So the more and more that I started to get, it wasn't because I wasn't happy where I was at and I had to get more. It was just because I was so happy. It just, you know, just kept turning into more and more. So I just keep it like that. Yeah. There's a, there's a beautiful quote that says, when you're grateful for what you have, you'll receive more to be grateful for. And I think it's true that gratitude expands, but it's beautiful hearing

you say that. Did you learn that from anyone? Did anyone teach you, mentor you, guide you, or is this an internal thing that's kind of evolved over time? This is definitely some internal that's evolved over time. And it's like gotten me really, really far dealing with people in business or dealing with the law or dealing with just different personalities in general as far as like just getting what I want creatively and not, you know, freaking losing my mind and, you know, just being able to talk to people and have clear conversations with an understanding of, you know, what works, what's real and what's not

and what we can make real. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty and I wanted to invite you to a brand new interactive, no charge workshop, Renew You, that I'm eager to share with you. Over the years, I've worked with thousands of people across the globe and I've noticed a common theme. Many of us are feeling stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected. We're going through the motions of life,

but not really living. Does that sound familiar? You feeling burnt out, uninspired or like life is just passing by without meaning? Maybe you're struggling to make the impact you know you're capable of, or perhaps you're craving deeper connections with

others. If any of this resonates, then I want you to know that change is possible. And it starts with the choices you make today. In this workshop, I'm going to share five simple yet powerful steps that can help you reignite your passion, purpose and joy. These are the same principles that have helped me and countless others reshape our lives from the inside out, and I know they can do the same for you. You'll walk away with actionable strategies to revamp your daily routine, find your true purpose and create meaningful connections. And the best part, this workshop is completely free.

These changes don't require massive overhauls. It's about making small intentional shifts that can lead to big results. This workshop is more than just learning. It's about doing. I'll be guiding you through reflections and exercises that will help you start creating the life you've always dreamed of right here, right now. Go to www.renewYouWorkshop.com to access this at no charge and start building a life that's not just lived but truly loved. See you there. What's been the hardest conversation you've ever had to have with someone? The hardest conversation I've ever had to have with someone.

I think the toughest conversations that I have to have are when I have to explain my ideas. Yeah. Yeah. Because? Because I'm so hyped up about it. Like before it start, before I verbalize it. And then as soon as I start to say it,

I just feel like the level of intensity of it just comes down. I rather just do shit sometimes and just show you. But I learned by working with so many other people how valuable it is to have a team. So I learned how to be able to express what I'm thinking and have that go through a whole process. And then we make it real. That's so true, man. Yeah.

I feel like that sometimes. You can see it in your head, but then you're like, you can't press play on the projector and then it comes out. And so when you're explaining it, everyone's looking at you like, you're crazy. Yeah, exactly. And you are right. Sometimes I do feel we live in a time in an industry

where people have heard so many ideas that until you see something, you don't even understand it. And I feel like when you look at music or you look at movies or film or TV or whatever it is, that until you see something, you don't even understand it. And I feel like when you look at music or you look at movies or film or TV or whatever it is, when you watch something, you're like, oh, that was amazing. But like someone, when they talked about it, no one wanted to buy it. Did you find that record labels and people that you've worked with,

the music always understood you immediately or no, you kind of had to go prove and show? Oh, man, they didn't know what to do with me. There was no clue what to do with me early on. That's why I lost my first record deal because when I came in, the song was really good and it was a sample from a popular song that people was really recognizable.

But after that, it was like, well, what do you do? Do you make like five more of these songs? Or like what are we going to do? And they really didn't understand like me being from Pittsburgh, me smoking weed, me being lyrical, me, you know, being across between like, you know, really, really hard hip hop culture, but then like really cool trippy hippies skating, you know what I'm saying?

Earthy muf- What's up y'all, this hippies skating, you know what I'm saying? Earthy muf- What's up y'all, this is Questlove and you know, at QLS I get to hang out with my friends, Sugar Steve, Laia, Von Tigolo, Unpaid Bill, and we at Questlove Supreme like to nerd out and do deep dives with musicians and actors and politicians and journalists. We give you the stories behind all your favorite artists and creatives that you have never heard. I'm talking about stories behind their life journeys and their works of art. I love QLS because of the QLS team Supreme.

They're like a second family to me. If you're a fan of deep diving into music, everything, almanac-ing your musical history, and learning things about hip hop artists and things you never thought, then you're a lot like me. But you're also a fan of Questlove Supremo. One of the things I love the most about this show is that we get to learn from the masters.

I look at being on this show as my graduate program in music. Listen to Questlove Supremo on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Supremo! Want to know how to leverage culture to build a successful business? Then Butternomics is the podcast for you. I'm your host, Brandon Butler, founder and CEO of Butter ATL. Over my career, I've built and helped run multiple seven-figure businesses that leverage culture and built successful brands. Now I want to share what I've learned with you. And on Butternomics, we go deep with today's most influential entrepreneurs, innovators, and business leaders to peel

back the layers on how they use culture as a driving force in their business. On every episode, we get the inside scoop on how these leaders tap into culture to build something amazing. From exclusive interviews to business breakdowns, we get the inside scoop on how these leaders tap into culture to build something amazing. From exclusive interviews to business breakdowns, we'll explore the journey of turning passion for culture into business. Whether you're just getting started or an established business owner, Butternomics will give you what you need to take your game to the next level. This is Butternomics.

Listen to Butternomics on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Essie Cupp and I've spent the last 20 plus years knee deep in politics in the news. I've covered some really tough subjects from war to genocide to six presidential elections, way too much Trump. And you know what? I need a break, like a mental health break, from the news, from the triggering headlines. And I kind of suspect some of you listening out there might need a break too. So my new podcast is gonna be just that,

a fun and loose space where I talk to my famous friends and people I admire about all the stuff that consumes us when we're not consumed by politics. I did not really rebel in the 60s. I had no sex in the 70s. I made no money in the 80s. So when true crime came along, I missed that trend too. So many great guests are joining me from Josh Mankiewicz to Larry Wilmore, to Molly John Fass, to Josh Gad. I'm so excited that you have this platform and I am just like hoping that I don't destroy the platform in its earliest stages. Listen to Off the Cup on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your

favorite shows. There was no cross between that at the time. You really had to be big white tee, chain, you know what I'm saying? So a lot of labels didn't understand what to do with me and it wasn't until I built my fan base of people who believe the same thing that I believe in and I was able to travel and do shows, and then they would come and see the show,

and they'd be like, these motherfuckers are going crazy over this dude. It doesn't matter what we say or what we think is dope. It's obviously there. And I feel like that whole format has been done a lot, especially in rock and roll and pop music, where the act will be bigger in real life than they are, you know what I mean?

To other people, like they're bigger in real life than they are like to hype, like as far as the hype goes. Once they started to see that, that was my situation and that's when people started to pick up on me. Was that the way you built this audience that understood you? Was it performing live? Do you feel like that was the significant part for you in creating this amazing connection

you have with your audience? Yeah, absolutely. Performing live, going to a lot of different colleges and festivals before they were as big as they are now. Like stuff like South by Southwest and the really like grassroots underground stuff is like what built us. And we packed into a van and just went on our own tours just up and down and just drove

ourselves. And then on top of that, YouTube had just came around. So I was recording myself and putting my vlogs on YouTube. I call it a day to day and I still do these to this day. They're like a compilation vlog of like a week in my life. And I just started doing it because I was like, my life is so crazy, nobody sees it. And it's so much fun and there's so much like stuff

that goes on. I was like, so I might as well turn it into like, you know what I mean, a little 10 minutes short. And it worked, it worked a lot. It helped sell a lot of merch, it helped sell a lot of tickets, it helped build a really consistent fan base of people who are still here to this day. Yeah. Do you remember any of those trips, certain places you went to, where something crazy happened that you caught on camera?

Man, it's all on camera so you can see it. Anyone that stands out to you? Yeah. I mean, I think like there's really classic episodes. There's like an Australian tour with me and ASAP Rocky. You see like me and J Cole and his early days. You see me and Currency in our early days. You see a lot of artists. You see me and Kendrick in his early days.

You see me with Nipsey Hussle. Yeah, you see like the whole community of people who we really came up with, who are like OGs in the game now. But this really classic footage of us when we all just started out. Mac Miller, a lot of people, everybody, man. Everybody who you listen to now

was in those day-to-days, like originally. How did you guys all meet each other back then? Like, how did you connect? Yeah, we would... Because I guess there was no Instagram DM. Maybe there was, maybe there was. No, we would connect through Twitter. Right.

Yeah, Twitter was the vibe back then. There was no IG. We weren't like DMing each other on there. But we would connect through Twitter and clothing. If anybody needed clothes or a weed, like we would connect through Twitter and clothing. If anybody needed clothes or a weed, we would all hit up the same peoples for clothes, weed, and just vibes and stuff like that.

And we just all clicked and as we started to take off on different levels, we would just bring each other with us based off of who we not really like the most, but who we were closest knit with at the time or who it made the most sense with. Yeah. What's it like watching Kendrick then and Kendrick now? It's really dope watching Kendrick then and then now because we all came up together, so we were all doing the same things.

We were all speaking to the same crowd, and we were at different levels in our career. And I just remember performance wise, Kendrick will kind of like scream on stage, like he didn't sound like he did on the record, but now he's like one of the best performers and he's like one of the, you know what I'm saying, the guys really carrying it for our generation. So to see him like just jump up levels and levels and levels through like hard work and branding and you know, just being around the right people

at the right times, bringing people along with him like Baby Kim and all of them, like, you know what I'm saying? He's just really doing every move to the T of how you're supposed to do it. And how's J Cole evolved as well? Cole is the same thing. It's like, you know, we all started out just the homies, like trying to get a verse on each other's tapes.

And now dudes are like elite rappers up there. You know what I'm saying? And it's like, it's cool to see him have his own festival. It's cool to see like he doesn't have to do as much work throughout the year, but when he does drop, people pay attention how they're supposed to. He does great tours. And like, as a performance artist and as a substance artist, I feel like he has a type of career, like, that's all you can ask for.

Yeah. That's powerful. What does it feel like he has a type of career, like that's all you can ask for. Yeah. That's powerful. What does it feel like? You were saying there, like, in some ways things have changed. Like, what's changed for up and coming artists today? Like, what are they doing right? What are they doing wrong? How would you advise someone? If you were starting out from scratch today again, how would you approach your career differently or in the same way?

I think that there's levels to it. I think that a lot of people aim for like the surface level where it's like you get one or two things and you're good and that's what takes you to the top. But usually that works against you because you'll have that spike, but then you'll go back down and you'll have to go back up again. It's really difficult to have that spike and to have that spike, but then you'll go back down and you'll have to go back up again. It's really difficult to have that spike and to have that feeling of validation

and like, oh yeah, everybody's going with me, blah, blah, blah. And then boom, they're not with you. And then you got to try to do something to get them back on your team. So, you know, a lot of people are going to want to go that route, but it has a lot of negatives that come with it on the back end.

And it's a really good time for artists to cultivate a real fan base, whether it be in front of people's eyes or whether it be behind the scenes. It's a really great time to cultivate a fan base of people that understand you, understand your slang and how you dress and what your lifestyle is about and really push that to the forefront. Let that slowly build and eventually whether it's a year, two years, three years or five years, you know, you're always making a little bit of progress here, here, there. And wherever you land at, you're going to permanently be there.

Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of people today who get told you've only got 12 months, you had your hit. You've got 12 months to make as much money off of you as possible. Like a lot of people hear that like, hey look, your career is not going to be that long. Let's make the most we can. What would you say to someone who feels that fear themselves or gets told that like, hey look, you had one hit, let's just, you know, crush this peak.

If somebody tells you that, you better get some drugs and start selling them. Use that money, flip it. Nah, get some real estate. Because if I mean like somebody who only has a year plan in you and they're like, yo, you're only going to be here for this amount of time. They're going to move on, they're going to find other artists or, you know, different people to represent, and you're going to be asked out.

So any artist or any personality who somebody is already talking about, like the limit of the lifespan of their career, they should definitely be worried and not try to race to, you know, do the most in that amount of time, but to try to figure out how to extend that lifespan. So let's take what that person just told you and let's try to figure out, you know, what the next five years looks like

instead of the, you know, next 12 months. Yeah, that's good advice. Yeah, definitely. How far into the future do you look when you're planning music, work, life? I always try to look at least five or 10 years in advance. Wow. Yeah. How different is where you are today

from where you looked at where you'd be five to 10 years in events. Wow. How different is where you are today from where you looked at where you'd be five to 10 years ago? I'm doing way better business-wise than I've ever done. Not just making money, but managing money. And I feel like I'm getting better and better at that. And you know, that's what's going to take me, you know, into the future as well. It's not only just, you know, the making of the money, but the money management. What have been your best moves in money management or business that you think people could learn from?

My best moves in business is just being accountable for everything. I think in rap music, we get so caught up on the lifestyle and we're like, I have to have this or if it's a new truck, I'm buying that. But me, I'm more like, I'm only going to spend this much on clothes this month. If I want a new car, I'm going to wait a year and a half until I get it. You know what I mean? Or I'm going to move money from this account to spend on this, so this is here and that's there.

And we can still pay for tour, and how much are we spending on tour? How much are we making off a tour? How much comes in off of merch on top of the other businesses and things like that? But really the money management, like the everyday type of spending where it's like, you can get carried away buying too many clothes or getting too many nice rooms or... You know what I mean?

And I have a lot of luxuries that come with my life, but I could also do without a lot of that stuff too. So the unnecessary stuff and knowing what the stuff that is not really needed, paying attention to that, not letting just those things just slip through the cracks because they all add up and shit. So I think just being way more conscious of that type of stuff. Yeah, did you learn that the hard way because you were overspending or did you learn that because you saw other people before you were overspending?

Luckily, I didn't get to a point where I overspent or overspent. I just received large amounts of money. And with that comes advice. And, you know, so it's like yearly or quarterly, you know, we need to have these conversations where it's like, this is what the money looks like, we had to spend for this because of that, or, you know, you had a little bit of fun spending this. So let's just bring it back on this, this, that,

and the other thing. And just throughout time of having those conversations, you start to figure out where the unnecessary spending and the problems come from. Or even if you start to create little different issues, you'd be like, okay, this isn't really working in our favor, so we need to wiggle out of this. And even if it's spinning this big chunk over here,

that's gonna take away from the continuous spending that's kind of like bleeding and taking away. So just to learn that and have that visual in my head, you know, while I'm making decisions. A lot of people, they feel like they're being controlled if somebody's telling them that. But for me, it's a choice.

It's like, do you want to be broke 20 years from now? Or do you want to be having more money 20 years from now? Alright, well this is how you do it. So... Yeah, it's good advice, man. It makes sense. And it's hard to do in the moment because you just... You want to get that thing or you want to buy that thing.

And it applies across the board. What's the dumbest thing you ever bought? And now you look back and go, oh, God, that was dumb. What's the dumbest thing you ever bought and now you look back and go, oh god, that was dumb. Man, I don't think it was ever like one dumb thing. I just used to be dumb how I bought stuff. Like, I would see anything and just like it and buy it. It didn't matter how much it cost. If it was a car, I wanted it, I would buy it like right then and there.

Sometimes it'd be a watch or something like that. And like a lot of these watches I don't even have no more. So it's like... You gave them away or sold them? Sold, gave away, lost. Yeah. And what was the best investment you've ever made? It'd probably be like some stocks or it's like some, you know, like a percentage of a business that I've invested in.

Yeah. Yeah, I've had multiple, but there's some really good ones that, you know, I put some money into that is going to come back in some really good ways. Yeah. I hope people get inspired by hearing you talk about how sometimes you got to put off those big purchases, wait a year for that car. Because I think when we're young, especially, and you come into even a little bit of money, which feels like a lot of money, it's so easy to spend and just get carried away. And especially now, I feel like with all of us just ordering things off of Amazon and everything else, you have no idea how much money you spend.

Oh, for sure. It's like, you have no idea how much money you spend. Oh, for sure. It's so easy. It's super easy to look up and, you know, however much just be gone. And when it's gone, it's gone. Yeah. And to me, I feel like you have to go through that. You have to really feel that and understand it and whatever, you know, you believe in. I believe in God, so it's like,

that's God telling me like, okay, you spent this much, it's gone, you're gonna get more, but you need to deal with the feeling of you having it and it being gone. And then now we'll see what getting more feels like. But some people, when they have it and it's over with, they don't even know what that bounce back feels like or looks like. So, you know, unfortunately, the best way to learn is to go through it.

Yeah, you're right. Yeah, yeah, but afterwards, like, you know, it's on you after that. Like, you're going to keep doing the same thing over and over or you're going to learn from, you know, what happened. What is your relationship with God look like? My relationship with God is the shit. I pray all the time. I thank God all the time. Yeah, a lot of people, there's certain people

who don't feel like God is like a higher power or anything like that, but I like to just imagine that my God is just like chilling up in the sky, like with a big deep voice. The sun could be going down and I could be driving and the hotel California could be on. I'd be like, thank you God. Like, you know what I mean?

Cause like the situation just feels right. Yeah. Yeah. And what does God say to you in God's deep voice? You're welcome. You're supposed to have this. That's awesome. Has that always been there since you were young or is that it's come with time as well?

Yeah, definitely since I was a teenager. Definitely since I was like, I could remember, you know, being in like ninth, tenth, no, probably even like eighth grade. Just praying every night, thanking God for a wonderful day, asking Him to bless everybody that I care for. Yeah, just like really cool stuff, like just normal, normal ass shit that I want the world to feel. What would you pray for? What else apart from other people?

To be safe. I was in a crazy ass place when I lived in Pittsburgh, so I definitely asked for like that, that safety. The older I get, you know, I ask for like patience and understanding and things like that. You know what I'm saying? So just regular shit. Wow. That's not regular. That's pretty deep. Yeah. Yeah. How unsafe was it where you were in Pittsburgh? Like what was that like? It's super unsafe in Pittsburgh, man. Like the streets is crazy out there. Friends of mine started getting murdered when I was in like seventh grade. Like I remember like one of my first friends getting shot and killed in seventh grade.

Wow. And then when did you leave Pittsburgh? I came to Pittsburgh permanently when I was in middle school and I stayed throughout high school. And I probably didn't dip until I was like 23 years old. Right. Because you moved around a lot growing up, right? At least as far as I saw. Yeah, probably like every- You spent two years in Japan. Yeah, every two years I would bounce around.

And my mom was always in Pittsburgh, so I would go live with my dad for two years and then I would come back to Pittsburgh. Then I would go live with my dad and then I would come back to Pittsburgh. So I was in Pittsburgh in third grade and I was also there for middle school and then I came back for high school. And then other than that, I live like in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Japan. Yeah, those were a couple of other places. What was your favorite place? I think Japan was my favorite place.

How old were you when you were in Japan? I was in like fifth or sixth grade. Okay. What was that like? I mean, Japan at that time, but now I feel like everyone's like, Japan's the place to go. Yeah. It's cool when you're like exploring Japanese culture, but I just realized like as an adult that that shit was kind of fucked up because it was like, I'm living on an American base in Japan.

Right. And like just the concept of like Americans occupying Japan was like, you never find a Japanese base in America. But we have the audacity to go over there and just be like, here's our base, we're going to operate as Americans, we're going to send our kids to school here, don't teach them your language, nothing.

It's just going to act like America in Japan. So that's, yeah. You never learned Japanese. I learned a little bit of Japanese, but it was like basic. It wasn't like really any like diving into the culture or anything like that. Like it's just, you live on post and you travel from one base to another base. And that's pretty much what it was. How do you think that experience impacted you now?

Like how is that childhood experience of moving around, darting around every two years defined who you are today? It was cool because I was able to just be a regular kid and I was able to meet friends and different groups of friends and run around and play and knock on doors and ride bikes and climb hills and stuff like that. It was super chill, man. It was fun just being normal and not really worried about too much. I think the older that I got and the more settled that I got in, in

Pittsburgh, that's when I started to like figure out, you know, who I wanted to be later in life. But in those early years, it was just all about like being a kid and just playing with my friends. When you saw all of that around you, how did you have, what gave you that feeling to dream and to want something more? When you're seeing the violence around you, you're saying it's a rough neighborhood. What's given you the ability to go, there's more to life than this?

I think it was just knowing that I had talent with music. I always did music since I was younger. My uncles and my cousins were older than me. They were like 15, 16, all the way up to almost 20 years old. I was like the baby. I'm 13 years old. So I'm really trying to do what they're doing, but I'm picking the parts that make the most sense for me. So it's like the gang banging and the drug selling and the guns and all that shit. I'm like, that's not really for me. But the looking cool, the having girls, the getting money, the making music. I'm like, I like that part of it.

So that's what I always really stuck to. Just even as a kid, I was just like, I'm going to just do what I know is cool for me, which is just making music. And that's kind of what led me on my path. How did you stay away from all of the other things? Because sometimes those can look cool when you're young, they can be attractive when you're young and powerful. I didn't really stay away from it.

I had definitely like, the older that I got and the more fun I started to have, I kind of was in and out of that stuff, but it wasn't for me, you know? Like just, it's a lifestyle for some people and for a lot of those people, like they're still doing it now. And for me, it was just kind of like, you know, being a kid or like a rite of passage type thing, or it's like product of my being a kid or like a rite of passage type thing, or it's like product of my environment type stuff. You know, like the little stuff that I would get into

is like, I'm here, so I'm getting down. Like I'm not gonna be the only one who's not down. You know, you grow out of that stuff too. And you learn from that stuff as well. So I learned from the things that I did do and I learned from the things I didn that stuff as well. So I learned from the things that I did do and I learned from the things I didn't do as well. Yeah, I mean, now you're a father yourself. Yeah.

How do you feel looking now from the perspective of being a dad? You've been a father to Sebastian for a while now. Right. And then you just had a daughter, Cadence, I believe. Congratulations. Thank you. And like, what's it been like to be a father to Sebastian? And then how is your views of fatherhood changing

now that you've had a daughter? Yeah, it's been really good having Sebastian and having a boy, especially at his age. He's 11 now. And there's just certain instincts that are starting to kick in, you know, where it's like, he was a young boy, now he's a young man, and he's growing into more of a young man every day, really.

And just that programming of life and discipline and being polite and on top of just everyday stuff of handling his emotions with his friends and things like that. It's a really fun experience going through all of that with him because I'm able to remember what it was like for me as a kid. So instead of just telling him the rules and what you should and shouldn't do, it's more like guiding him of how to navigate through these situations, which is really, really fun. And I had that

with my dad as well. He was always there for me and talked to me about a lot. And he was way more disciplinary than lenient. And I'm a super lenient parent with my son, but I'm also really real with him. And he's able to be real with me and he's able to talk to me about real life things. And when I think about the stuff that I did when I was coming up, by the time I was his age I was doing a lot more stuff because like I said, my uncles and my cousins were older and I'm just thankful that I was able to have those experiences and know what's appropriate and what's right and what's not. So I'm able to monitor what goes on with him and what will affect his behavior later.

And then just having a baby girl, I think it just adds to it now because I'm able to just give all types of love. Like I got the tough love with my boy and then I got like just the sweetness of having a daughter, which helps know helps out a lot. Yeah. How do you think you're going to shift your strategy as she grows up? I think I'm going to do it pretty much the same. Just like cater to her needs, like whatever she needs.

If she's like super girly girl, then we doing you know ballet and we doing dance and we doing drama and we doing all the girly stuff. And if she's a tough girl, then we doing kickboxing and we doing whatever else to rough her up. We do horseback riding, we do whatever we want to do. Like, you know what I'm saying? There's no, the sky's the limit, but you know, keep her active, keep her entertained and just cater to her needs.

Yeah, what's Sebastian into right now, like 11 year old? What's like his obsession? He loves basketball. Okay. Yeah, he loves to play basketball. He's really just now learning like the fundamentals of it, but he's good at it. He's an athletic kid and he's like, it's good to see him like roughing around with the boys, like being one of the boys. He's like, it's good to see him like roughing around with the boys, like being one of the boys. They talk shit to each other.

They get in each other's faces and like they really get after it. So he's like gravitating towards basketball more than anything. Just that and just being with his friends, like just being a kid. Will you have any good basketball with him? Yeah, hell yeah I could.

I never had like official training, like what he's going through. But if I did bro, I'd be so much better than I actually am. And I'm really, really good. So I would be like, I'll be deadly if I knew how to do it. What he's learning right now. So you could give him some pointers along the way. Just like naturally, you know what I'm saying? Hell yeah.

Yeah, I love that. And you never did ballet or anything or anything? Nah, nah, I never did that. I did like acting classes and shit like that. I was in like speech and drama and all of that shit, but never know dance though. Did that help, speech and drama classes? How did that?

I think that helped. Yeah, I think it helped a lot because it was like, you know, you learn how to project your voice and all of that stuff, and you learn how to like hit cues on stage and you know just kind of like get outside of yourself in front of people where you're still yourself but then you're like outside of yourself. I definitely think that helped for my performance.

If Sebastian came up to you and was like I want to be a rapper too. Yeah. What would you say to him? I'd be like let's go. Studio's downstairs. What advice would you have for him to find his voice? Studio's downstairs. Just get in there. Get in there, start rapping.

Yeah. Yep. Hell yeah. Would you want that or you're kind of open to whatever? Yeah, I wouldn't mind. Especially the way that I'm implemented in the game. Like, I do what I want to do. I'm not like, nobody controls me. Nobody tells, nobody's like working me harder than I need to be worked or anything.

So I see the same vision for him, especially in the age that we're in. So it's like, if you're going to be an artist, you're going to be in complete control of everything. So it starts now. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The team was saying that you control of everything. So it starts now. Yeah. Yeah. The team was saying that you plan a lot of your life around him. Yeah.

They were saying that like sports games and things like that. Yeah. You've really taken that idea of an artist should be in control of their own life. Yeah. Walk us through that mentality, that mindset. A lot of people focus so much on their work and they think that the work is gonna come to an end at some point or they have to sacrifice things that are important for work.

And I believe the opposite. I think I should sacrifice work for my family and it should just be the other way around because of how much that work and how fortunate I am to be in the situation where I put in a lot of work, I've done a lot of things. So I don't have to, you know, feel this sense of urgency

that things aren't gonna go my way if I miss out on something or if I, you know, speak up and just try to make sure that everything works out how I would rather it work. And I had the point in my life where I would be in a studio every day, or I would be a different country every day,

or I would be a show fitting, a signing, TV appearance, blah, blah, blah. I would do all of these things back to back to back to back to back. So I've done that already, but now it's more important for me to just wake up, work out, spend time with my family, make sure that he is at his best

because he needs to go to practice. He needs to train every day for him to be successful later on in life. And if I'm not there to like motivate that, either he's going to get it from somebody else, I don't know who, or it's just not going to happen at all. And that's my job right now is to make sure that he's successful. So if I miss this or if that doesn't go the way that it's supposed to, I'm cool with that because in the end, he's going to get to be as successful as he needs to be.

Yeah, that's beautiful, man. Because I feel like there's such a... It's wonderful to hear because I feel like we're living at a time where there's such a pressure to constantly be relevant, to constantly like keep up with, you know, what everyone's doing. And now, you've got a million platforms to stay relevant on and everyone's doing this and that. And so it sounds like you've created like a healthy detachment

between who you are at your work and who you are at home. Yeah. And that's quite a beautiful thing. Yeah, I see that better working out long term. Like I said, I look like five, ten years into the future. And me chilling and me with my family seems way more realistic than me like ripping and running around still. So I might as well get used to it. Did you feel your dad was super involved in that way as well? You were saying that.

Hey, I'm Gianna Prenti. And I'm Jeme Jackson-Gadston. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline, a new podcast from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. When you're just starting out in your career, you have a lot of questions. Like, how do I speak up when I'm feeling overwhelmed? Or can I negotiate a higher salary if this is my first real job? Girl, yes. Each week we answer your unfiltered work questions.

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Together, we'll share what it really takes to thrive in the early years of your career without sacrificing your sanity or sleep. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jack Pease Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black Lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of Black literature. I'm Jack Pease Thomas, and I'm inviting you to join me and a vibrant community of literary enthusiasts dedicated to protecting and celebrating

our stories. Black Lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while commuting or running errands, for those who find themselves seeking solace, wisdom, and refuge between the chapters. From thought-provoking novels to powerful poetry, we'll explore the stories that shape our culture. Together, we'll dissect classics and contemporary works while uncovering the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Black Lit is here to amplify the stories of the brilliant writers behind them. Black Lit is here to amplify the voices of Black writers and to bring their words to life. Listen to Black Lit on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. When you find that bright spot to help you get through your day, it's powerful.

That's where the bright side comes in. A new daily podcast from Hello Sunshine that's bringing you a daily dose of joy. I'm Danielle Robay. And I'm Simone Boyce. Listen, both Danielle and I are reporters. We've covered the news and we know the world can feel heavy. But The Bright Side podcast is a space to have a little fun, to learn something new, and get into some friendly debates. That's right! Join us five days a week to see how life can look from the Bright Side.

We'll hear from celebrities, authors, experts, and listeners like you. Whether it's relationships, friend advice, or figuring out how to navigate life's transitions, we'll talk through it all together. Listen to the Bright Side from Hello Sunshine every weekday on the I heart radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely My dad was super involved with with me, especially like through my teenage years Um, a lot of my time that I spent like early in the studio was with my dad Because he built a studio and was running it

He didn't know about music and he didn't know about any of that stuff, but I told him I was into it and he built a studio and was like, all right, learn how to use the equipment, start writing songs, put an album out, do this, do that. And I did it all. And he was like, damn, I didn't know he was really going to do it. I'm like, yeah, this is what I want to do. So just through seeing how important

him being involved with what I was passionate about took me to the level that I'm at. It lets me know like whatever my son and my daughter are passionate about, I have to experience those things with them. I can't just give them money and provide it for them. I have to actually do it with them. And that's going to make a hell of a difference. Yeah, how does your dad feel about seeing you now? I can't just give them money and provide it for them. I have to actually do it with them.

And that's going to make a hell of a difference. Yeah, how does your dad feel about seeing you now? My dad loves it, man. He's like in awe, like all the time. And I think out of everything, he understands like how hard I work too. And he's really proud of it. Sometimes he gets a little bit worried.

Like he's like, is this too much? Like, you know what I mean? Like, I know you do a lot. I'm like, nah, it's cool. I'm built for this. Like, this is what I do. So he sees how much I work and he sees how much effort I put in like constantly, but he's really proud of me. And what's something you learned from your mom?

The value of family. Yeah, my mom taught me the value of family. She always kept me around my family members. She kept me around my cousins, my mom taught me the value of family. She always kept me around my family members. She kept me around my cousins, my aunts, my granddad. She even keeps me around my dad's side of the family. And they got divorced when I was two years old, but she still hangs out with my dad's sisters, my aunts, my cousins and all that on their side. So she keeps me in touch with them.

She keeps my kids in touch with them. She does the whole genealogy of the whole family. Like my mother is so family oriented and that like rubbed off on me as well. That's beautiful. What's a misconception you think people have about you if they have one at all? I don't think at this point there is any misconceptions. I think there's just like learning more about me I think that the more people learn about me the more they see like how chill

how educated how well spoken and like Thought out a lot of things that I do are and they start to really understand Why the people who love me, you know, whether it's my music or I changed your life in whatever way, they start to understand like where that comes from. Yeah. What's something about you that people may not know that you'd like them to understand along those lines?

I think right now I just want people to know, like how you said, like how detached I am from the whole success world. I'm cool with it, but that's not the goal. And it's not, and a lot of people say like, oh, well you have money, so it's easy for you to say that. But I think you just reach certain points in your life where different things are important, no matter how much money you have.

And some people, I'm 37 years old, some people reach my age age and this is the time that they start their business and they're like, I'm going to go hard and I'm going to build my empire now. I was just lucky to have got a head start in my twenties, build my empire. And now I really understand like, you know, how to sustain it and maintain it and keep it going for the next 10, 20 years. And those are the things that I'm really, really working on along with the music, you know,

which is super duper important, but it's really just about like making this thing last. Yeah, and I think you're right. I don't think it's about how much money you do or don't have. I think anything can become a drug and you can get addicted to it. Yeah. And I remember, you know, Kevin Hart was sitting in that chair and he was talking about how success became a drug for him.

He was just addicted to more and more of it. And so it's easy for you to get addicted and obsessed and just, and you're actually saying, well, actually I'm, I don't want to get addicted to it. Nah, yeah, no, it's my work. It's my job. It's what I'm really, really good at. Nah, yeah, no, it's my work, it's my job. It's what I'm really, really good at. And I don't never want to give that up

for a normal life or anything like that. But I do value my normal life as much as I value, you know, I value the 30,000 people on stage, but I also value being in my bed alone at night when the lights are off, but I love it. Yeah, I appreciate that. And I think we need more of that healthy thinking because I think if you only like one or the other,

or if you start to detest one or the other, that's when it starts to get scary. Like a lot of people love being in the audience, they don't like being alone. Or a lot of people are like, oh God, I hate being with the fans now, I love being alone. And I think both of those can lead to a lot of people like, oh god, I hate being with the fans now and I love being alone. And I think both of those can lead to a lot of like pain internally.

Yeah, you have to work on both. And when you know what you're here for, you know which time is to do which one. I spent a lot of time working on the other side of it, to where I love my job and I love what I do. And I'm very grateful to be able to make the amounts of money doing what I do. But that's not everything to me. I work as hard on my personal life as I do on that side of it.

If I'm in the studio 12 hours or if I'm on a plane 16 hours and I barely get any sleep and I don't eat and I do promo and I do a great show and I do a meet and greet and I smile and I take everybody's picture. That's all part of the game. That's me going hard to make sure that that part of it lasts. When I'm by myself, I'm waking up at a decent time. I'm going to sleep at a decent time. I'm working out.

I'm spending these certain hours. I do yoga. There's just certain things that go with the process. And then like you said, planning things around my kids. So it's like, I'm making sure that I'm spending this family time where it's not there getting the short end

of the stick off of anything. So I'm working passionately and hard on my normal life the same way that I do in my professional life. And sometimes it takes more energy in the normal life than it does in the professional life. I agree with you. Yeah, sometimes it's easy to be disciplined at work. Right.

But to actually show up for your family and be a discipliner at home. Right, right. It requires a whole nother thing. And a lot of people, they run from that because it's easier to just put all the guilt and responsibility, oh, I got to work, it's my job. It's easy for you know, just put all the guilt and responsibility. Oh I got to work, it's my job. It's just...

It's easy for you to do that. Take some time, you know what I'm saying? You know, be a little bit nervous, be a little bit uncomfortable, be a little bit bored. But you're not going to be bored if you're around people you love. Like I'm never bored around my kids. But you know, take... Be passionate about your normal life as well. Yeah, it sounds like you have so much order and discipline in your life.

Like when I'm hearing that, I'm like, it sounds like everything's very structured and organized and intentional. Yeah. It's not like this random like... Yeah, it's not random at all. Every day is very regimented. Yeah, it's definitely regimented. You know, I look at my schedule regularly, I'm updating the schedule regularly.

And it just really built to make me happy. Like I'm cool with everything that I have to do as long as I'm happy. Like, you know what I'm saying? And if we talk about it and we arrange it and we put it in all the times that it's supposed to be, I'll be really, really happy and I'll love to do it. But when things start coming out of left field

and you have your idea of what an appropriate time is and we didn't run that by each other, like, that's not going to make me happy to do this and I'm doing this because I love it. Yeah, I saw your men's health video with the MMA, which has become your fascination and I guess workout routine for a couple of years now, I feel. Where did that start and how did that come about? A lot of my big homies were getting, and when I say big homies, I mean security. They were getting into MMA and doing jujitsu

and just martial arts and just meeting all types of people. And this was like almost 10 years ago and they were just telling me like, bro, this is the next wave. Like everybody's about to be doing this, blah, blah, blah. It's that other thing. You got to get into it. You got to get into it. I'm like, yeah, it's cool, but I'd rather smoke weed and be in the studio. You know what I'm saying? But as soon as I started working out, I just developed a passion for it out of nowhere. And it didn't make me slow down smoking any. Like I was able to like still get stoned,

but I love training and I love working out and I love like learning new things. So it just kept building on top of each other and just building and building. And then I just, you know, started to develop some skills that, you know, we're still sharpening to this day. Do you go to watch as well or you just like train? Oh yeah, I watch the shows as well.

Yeah, I got a company called PFL that I'm involved with. I go to their shows all the, I mean, I go to their fights all the time. I go to boxing matches, there's wrestling matches, there's jujitsu matches. There's all types of stuff. Combat sports is like, as you've seen, it's grown so much and so many influencers want to do it. And it's just a really good lifelong thing too. Like it's gotten popular for how much money it makes people and things like that. But as a lifelong practice, like I would suggest that for any and everybody.

Yeah. If there are men who are watching who want to get into health and fitness, what would be your best advice for them to motivate them, inspire them, let them know how important it's been for you and it could be for them? I would just try to paint the scenario of you being about late 30s, out with your kid, somebody like is just in your face and your kid is standing right there and you only got 30 seconds to prove to your child that you're the protector or somebody who's finna get whooped. Start working out now.

That's hilarious. Start working out now. It's funny because my next question was going to be about like, you know, I feel like masculinity is such a big talking point right now. And, you know, a lot of men feeling like they've inherited the mistakes made by men in the past. And so men carrying around a lot of judgment, men feeling left behind in the conversation, the different things you've talked about today and the way you're carrying around a lot of judgment, men feeling left behind in the conversation. The different things you've talked about today and the way you're organizing your life,

like masculinity is a very broad spectrum. It's not just one way. And so have you ever thought about that? Raising a son for yourself, the message you put out, I feel like rap and hip hop had a version of masculinity before and that's right. What are your thoughts on that? I think I've always approached masculinity

just off of my vision of it. And the most masculine people that I respect and just the situations that I look at as what a man should model themselves as are usually the most moderate and mild tempered and just chill and kind of observant and just guiding the situation. And any way that you can position yourself

to be that type of person, I've always felt like that was the more respectable thing. And we all have feelings and we all have emotions. And that's where training in combat sports, it helps you to put all of that stuff in the right place. Because when you get a chance to get that stuff out, you realize where it has a place at, where it doesn't. And a lot of people, they don't have a place

to get that stuff out. So they think that they're being masculine by like, showering or yelling or being rude to somebody. But really, that should be like the last case scenario. You know what I'm saying? Like, that's why I say protecting your child because I would never use what I know to hurt anybody use what I know to hurt anybody unless it was to protect my family or myself. It wouldn't be in any other situation

because to me that's not cool, that's not tough, that's not even what it's for. So I think the idea of masculinity, it just comes from whoever is putting it out at the moment and what they've learned from it. And you know, the world judges the way that it does based off of their experiences because they think, you know, the most mean or the most scary or this, that, and the other thing, but they haven't, they show that, but there's not a lot of real situations that people are in that prove that that's the right thing.

And from my experience, what's proven the most is the most mild, chilled, moderate people are the ones that you should probably be like the most worried about. So the more that you can position yourself in life to have an understanding of your own emotions and be in control of your reactions to things, I think that just makes you more looked at as what people would consider masculine

or a leader or a provider or something like that rather than like an emotional person. Yeah, that's a really powerful answer, man. I feel like you kind of feel the world going through two extremes where it's like masculinity used to be this bravado, chauvinistic, arrogant, you know, alpha male type. And then it swung to like being vulnerable and soft and this. And now I kind of feel like it's kind of swinging back the other way.

Yeah. And it's almost like I like how you described it because it's not really swinging back the other way. Yeah. And it's almost like, I like how you described it because it's not really hard or soft. It's kind of like the person who can calm it down, guide it, move it along, knows what to do with everything. Exactly, exactly. Because I've seen both, you know, and I've been around like growing up in Pittsburgh,

you see a lot of dudes where it's like the street nigga type is like the hyper masculine. But a lot of those dudes end up like going to jail, getting shot, or when they come home from their jail, they're not who they used to be. And all of that masculinity kind of goes away when you see like the perception of this person go away, you see who they really are. So it's like deep down, who really are you inside without this whole thing that you're putting off on people. And men have a lot of pressure,

especially growing up, because we're really competitive. So it's like, I could see it with my son, being in sports with him and his friends. You know what I mean? They just off rip, just go to this certain type of personality. And I'm like, bro, you know you're like a better teammate if you tell dudes like, yo, good shot.

Like, you know what I'm saying? Good job. I see you, blah, blah, blah. But they don't understand that now as kids. They're so competitive and they're so at each other's throats. Welcome to the Overcome for podcast with Jenica Lopez. Yup. That's me. You may know my late mom, Jenni Rivera, my queen.

She's been my guiding light as I bring you a new season of Overcomfort Podcast. This season, I'll continue to discover and encourage you and me to get out of our comfort zones and choose our calling. Join me as I dive into conversations that will inspire you, challenge you, and bring you healing. We're on this journey together. I'm opening up about my life and telling my story in my own words. Yes, you'll hear it

from me first before the cheeseman lands on your social media feed. If you thought you knew everything, guess again. So I took another test with Ancestry and it told me a lot about who I am and it led me to my biological father and everyone here, my friends laugh, but I'm Puerto Rican. Listen to the Overcomfort podcast with Jenica Lopez as part of my Kultura podcast network available on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Get emotional with me, Radhita Vlukya, in my new podcast, A Really Good Cry. We're going to talk about and go through all the things that are sometimes difficult to process alone. We're going to go over how to regulate your emotions, diving deep into holistic personal

development and just building your mindset to have a happier, healthier life. We're going to be talking with some of my best friends. I didn't know we were gonna go there, Amir! I'm gonna go there, because this is... People that I admire. When we say listen to your body, really tune in to what's going on. Authors of books that have changed my life. Now you're talking about sympathy, which is different than empathy, right?

And basically have conversations that can help us get through this crazy thing we call life. I already believe in myself. I already see myself. And so when people give me an opportunity, I'm just like, oh great, you see me too. We'll laugh together, we'll cry together, and find a way through all of our emotions. Never forget, it's okay to cry as long as you make it a really good one.

Listen to A Really Good Cry with Rady Devlukia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everybody, welcome to Across Generations, where the voices of Black women unite in powerful conversations. I'm your host, Tiffany Cross. Tiffany Cross. I want you all to join me and be a part of sisterhood, friendship, wisdom, and laughter. In every episode, we gather a seasoned elder. But even with a child, there's no such thing as the wrong thing if you love them.

Myself as the middle generation. I don't feel like I have to get married at this big age in life, but it is a desire I have and something that I've navigated in dating. And a vibrant young soul for engaging intergenerational conversations. I'm very jealous of your generation that didn't have to deal with Instagram and Tinder. This is Across Generations, where black women's voices unite,

and together, you know how we do, we create magic. Listen to Across Generations podcast on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And sometimes that carries on in life, but I think you just have to have an example of somebody to like let you know like, yo, it's cool to just be like chill and you know what I mean? Like the homie, it's cool to talk shit sometimes too, because that shit is fun.

But like at the root of it, y'all still got to be friends and care about each other and take care of each other. And that's the more, you know what I mean, brotherly, dope part about it. Other than going at each other's necks. Yeah, and we need to see that modeled more. It's hard because you don't see it that much. So it's hard to know as a man how to do that. But you're right, if you look at the best athletes in the world, they're the ones who kept their calm when things were tough.

They weren't the ones spewing anger. And it's interesting because MMA, I think people who haven't been trained in martial arts or don't know people who have, often can think of it as like combat sports are like angry. But have you learned any practices from MMA that you feel apply really well to what we're talking about right now? I think just getting punched in the face. You learn how to be calm and like not get emotional when somebody hits you in the face and you still got three rounds to do work

or you still got three minutes in a round or five minutes in a round to do work. Like you can't let your emotions, you have to be calm. You have to think, you have to remember your footwork. You have to remember your breathing. You have to remember defense so you don't get hit again. There's way more to the story than just I got punched in the face.

And a lot of people will never really get that lesson or get that feeling of I got hit and I got to keep it moving. Most people want something to happen as soon as they get hit. But I think just through martial arts, and it sounds extreme and it sounds crazy, but I think everybody should get punched in the face. I know what you're saying though, I get what you're saying.

It's like, it's only at that point do you know how tolerant and still you are. Because up until then, you can be like, I'm super chill and I'm calm, but it's responding to that. Yeah, and there's a lot Because up until then, you can be like, I'm super chill and I'm calm, but it's responding to that. Yeah, and there's a lot of dudes who's like, if somebody punches me in the face, I'll kill them. But like, no, you won't. You got to fight back. You got three minutes or you're going to keep getting punched in the face.

So it's like, it's fun when you just remove everything and hit somebody in the face. How often do you get punched in the face when you're in the face? We do sparring off and on, especially because I got to do like appearances and shows and shit like that. Because anything can happen like my nose rings could come out, I could get black eye, like my forehead could get split. You got to protect the face. Yeah, for sure. So when I know I'm not having to do too much, that's when we usually do some sparring.

Yeah. Or we'll do light sparring where it's not like, you know, nobody's in too much danger. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense. I was trying to figure out how you're doing that. Yeah, no, I'm really glad we dove into the masculinity thing because I just feel like it's such a need right now.

And I want, you know, men and women to both feel like, that we're kind of having these conversations that I think sometimes on the biggest screens, you don't see them. Yeah. Yeah, and I think it's like, the word masculinity has gotten so abused. Oh, interesting, yeah.

To where people think it's a bad thing. And it's like, there are good examples of masculinity. Like I have a daughter, so she has to see what a masculine man is like. She has to see what a provider is like. She has to see with somebody who is going to make her feel protected as well as cared for. And you know, all of the things that describe what real masculinity is beyond what you can do physically to somebody

or even financially, you know what I'm saying? Emotionally being there for her. There's a lot of things that me having the right types of masculinity are gonna be positive for her to see. Yeah, 100%. 100%, man. And with this new album, what was the energy that you put into it? Like, it's a sequel, so there's that. Was there something you were trying to revisit and bring back?

Yeah, I think I'm just revisiting, like... When I did Cushion Orange Juice, the style of it was like, you know, stoner kid, everybody just smoke weed, be cool, be chill, and this is the soundtrack to the lifestyle. And I've done a lot with my music to where I've, you know, had my take on what I think music should sound like at certain points. I've had, you know, my take on what I think are like really big, huge records and what those should sound like. And then I've also just experimented with, you know, what street culture is at the time

and just what's popular to the kids. And I think with Cushion Orange Juice, it really resonated with people because of the lifestyle that it created and the things that I talked about in that lifestyle and the way that the music sounded and grooved with that lifestyle. So just being aware of that and knowing what type of chaotic state that we're in right now, I just felt like it was the perfect time to just reintroduce people to a more laid back, chill, just smoke some weed and vibe out, you know, and create a whole crowd of people

who want to do the same thing. Yeah. And it's interesting, right? It's like you're chilled out, but then you're super productive. Yeah. How do you hope that your audience kind of feels both of those as well? Man, it's been good because I think just through experience, I've learned that the majority of people who listen to my music end up bossing up.

Yeah, I love that. Yeah, like there's a lot of artists now, you know, who were in like middle school, high school when Cushion Orange Juice came out, or they watched my day-to-days, and they're like, man, this is what really, you know, let me know this is what I needed to do to be an artist, or I studied you every day, blah blah blah, or I dropped out of college, and I got my friends, and you know, we started our label, and now we're Big Sean, and you know what I'm saying? So, like, I've seen a lot of people who have taken my blueprint and turned it into, you know what I'm saying? So like I've seen a lot of people who have taken my blueprint and turned it into exactly what I've done with it.

So I think the message gets across really, really well that you'd be a pothead, but you'd be productive and you boss up and put all the homies on. I think they get that message really well. I love that. Yeah, thank you. How does it feel that See You Again is the second most viewed video on YouTube,

music video of all time? I mean, that's insane. Yeah, it's pretty cool. How does that feel? It feels good. I think it feels better that I'm able to like walk around because most people, they would think that if your video is that popular

or if you have that much success that you're just like not even real. But like to me, I can still go to my son's games. I could still, you know, go pick records out. I could still go to the gym without a fleet of security with me. So like I didn't sacrifice my sanity to be the second most viewed person in the world.

So I'm happy about that. Yeah. And it's such a great song too to be known for, I feel like. It's a really good song. And shout out to Charlie too, man. Like Charlie did his thing and the whole process of like making that song was like a dream come true because it was for a soundtrack. So you never know how that's going to go.

There was like 10 other people who were supposed to be on the song. didn't come true because it was for a soundtrack, so you never know how that's going to go. There was like 10 other people who were supposed to be on the song. So, you know, me writing a verse, I was just like writing a verse. I wasn't like, this song's going to change my life. I need to sit down. I was just like, yo, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yo.

Like, it's dope verse. Like, I love the verse and shit, but they were like, you know, it really connected with the people who were doing the movie at the time. And, you know, shout out to Weave and Constance and Will and everybody, but we just kind of like, just shaved it down and it just ended up making sense with it just being me and Charlie on there.

And that song has taken us like super duper far. Yeah, it's dope, man. It's amazing. What was your motivation to go sober from alcohol? My motivation to be sober from alcohol was just, I had drank for so long, since I was able to drink, I had been drinking and I'd never seen a reason to really stop, because I just love partying,

I love being around people, I love just being a vibe. After one, I think it was one show, I just got like completely wasted, which was normal. I was like, man, I don't really have too many like memories of places. Like, I was like, I mean, I love doing these shows and shit was like, I don't be remembering like, you know what I mean, anything.

I was like, I want to kind of like experience this stuff, remember where I'm at, remember the people who I'm dealing with, actually enjoy it and not just be like turned up, you know? So yeah, it was just a time of like, just gathering information and I'm real happy for that. Yeah, was it hard to break away? No, no, it wasn't difficult at all.

I think when I want to do something, I'm good at it. Like if it means something to me, I have my own reasons for doing it. Nobody's making me do it. Or I feel like even if somebody made me do it, if it was like a challenge or something like that, or if like I had to for legal reasons or something like that, I wouldn't have a problem doing a lot of things. But, you know, for me, it's just my lifestyle is so free and it's so fun. So half of the time it's like, why would I stop?

Yeah. But if I make up a reason for myself, I usually end up sticking to it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wiz, at the start of the interview, I asked you, what's the first thing you do when you wake up? Yeah.

What's the last thing you do before you go to bed? Last thing I do before I go to bed, kiss my son and my daughter. Nice. Yeah. I love that. Yeah. Beautiful. Wiz, I end every episode.

You've been amazing. So generous with your time. Great. Just great energy. I've really enjoyed spending this time with you, man. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate you. I feel like I've learned so much about you today that I didn't know for sure.

Thank you. We end every episode with a final five. These have to be answered in one word to one sentence maximum. Okay. And so Wiz Khalifa, these are your fast five, final five. The first question is, what's the best advice you've ever heard or received? Just be you. That's from Snoop Dogg.

Nice. Question number two, what's the worst advice you've ever heard or received? Change your name from Wiz Khalifa. To? I don't know. They just told me that that name wasn't going to work. Why didn't they like the name? Because it's just too different.

You know what I'm saying? Like it didn't sound like nothing. It didn't give off. You didn't get any visual from that back in the day when I told you that that was my name. Yeah. So a lot of people, close people to me, was like, I like you. You can rap. You're really cool. But you need that was my name. So a lot of people, close people to me was like, I like you, you can rap, you're really cool,

but you need to change your name. And it ended up working out for me because in the years that I was being discovered, it's a brand new name, so when you Google that name, I'm the only thing that comes up. So it was like one of the most Googled names, like, you know, for that year. So the thing that people told me wasn't going to work,

ended up working. Where did it come from? Wiz is short for wisdom and Khalifa is leader and successor. Yeah, yeah. How did you come across the word Khalifa? Khalifa, my parents are, well, my grandparents, my granddad is Muslim. Right, right, yeah, that's wonderful. Very cool, man. That is a dope name. Thank you, man.

Yeah, it's cool. I love this hat too. Yeah, good look. I saw this on your merch just now. Yeah, new merch, new merch. I think it's a dope name. Thank you man. Yeah it's cool. It's cool. I love this hat too. Yeah good look. I saw this on your merch just during K-Mart. New merch, new merch. I'm a walking billboard baby. I like this hat. All I wear is me. Yeah I love it.

Question number three. What's something that you used to value that you no longer value? I used to really enjoy going to night clubs. I don't enjoy it anymore. Because? I feel like the music isn't the same. I feel like people don't really dance anymore. Like they I feel like the music isn't the same. I feel like people don't really dance anymore. Like they're just in like sections, just kind of chilling.

And it just kind of defeats the purpose of going out. Like I never went out just to look cool. I would go out to get girls and I really don't like chase women all like that no more. And I think it's just the polite thing to do. Like normally, like I say anymore, because like normally even being in a relationship, I would just be like, yo, this is a part of my life.

Like, you know what I'm saying? I'm going to be around hella chicks. Get used to it. You know what I'm saying? That's what I would do before. Like, but now I don't really like, I don't really care for that shit no more. Question number four.

How would you define your current purpose? I would define my current purpose as a leader and as a provider and as somebody who a lot of people look up to. So it doesn't matter what I get personally. It's more about what I do for, for others. And fifth and final question, we asked this to every guest who's ever been on the show. If you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be? Smoke weed every day.

I love it. Wiz Khalifa, Christian Orange is too. Yep. Thank you so much, man. Thank you too. This is so much fun. I had a great time. I like your jeans too.

If this is the year that you're trying to get creative, you're trying to build more, I need you to listen to this episode with Rick Rubin on how to break into your most creative self, how to use unconventional methods that lead to success, and the secret to genuinely loving what you do. If you're trying to find your passion and your lane, Rick Rubin's episode is the one for you. Just because I like it, that doesn't give it any value. Like, as an artist, if you like it, that's all of the value.

That's the success comes when you say, I like this enough for other people to see it. Hi, I'm Se Cup, and I've spent my career interviewing people about politics, presidential elections, and some really tough breaking news. But now I need a break. I think you do too. So on my new podcast, Off the Cup, I'll still be interviewing people, usually famous and most likely my friends, but about life. You know, the stuff that consumes us when we're not consumed by politics. So come join me every Wednesday for some conversational self care. Listen to Off the Cup on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. What's up y'all this is Questlove and you know at QLS I get to hang out with my friends Sugar Steve, Laia, Von Tigolo, Unpaid Bill and we at Questlove Supreme like to nerd out

and do deep dives with musicians and actors and politicians and creatives and people that we feel really deserve that attention. We learn, we laugh, we fall down rabbit holes. Listen to Questlove Supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Supremo! Bring a little optimism into your life with The Bright Side, a new kind of daily podcast from Hello Sunshine,

hosted by me, Danielle Robay. And me, Simone Boyce. Every weekday, we're bringing you conversations about culture, the latest trends, inspiration, and so much more. I am so excited about this podcast, The Bright Side. You guys are giving people a chance to shine a light on their lives,

shine a light on a little advice that they wanna share. Listen to The Bright Side on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search The Bright Side.