The 85 South Show with Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and Chico Bean - The Donnell Rawlings Episode | Ep. 17

Episode Date: April 8, 2016

The legendary writer, comedian, producer & actor Donnell Rawlings stopped by the 85 South Show while headlining a weekend in Atlanta. Of course we asked him about what happened in Philly, what it was like working with Dave Chappelle & the Def Jam days. This episode is a classic! Download, leave a comment, subscribe - then let your cousin's sister listen! #85SouthShow Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. I always had to be so good, no one could ignore me. Carve my path with data and drive. But some people only see who I am on paper. The paper ceiling. The limitations from degree screens to stereotypes that are holding back over 70 million stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time for skills to speak for themselves.

Find resources for breaking through barriers. at tailorpapersilling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network.

Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories.

Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the show. the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 85. 85. 85, hi, hi. Welcome back to the 85 South Show. It is your man, Carlos Miller. I'm in the studio today, and I have a real treat for you guys.

I had to call everybody that I know and then call my auntie. Sister, the girl she used to work with, who called her brother, who had to call this nigger manager and got voicemail in the studio today with my man, Donnell Rollins. And you already know it's going down on the 85 South show. Donnell, I heard you recently changed your name. You are no longer Ashy Larry. Yeah, I mean, after 10 years of then, Ashyi, after time it was trying to set my game up.

I'm the artist formerly known as Ashy Larry, and I have a little bit of with that title, it's Ashford Lawrence now. Ashford Lawrence. Yeah, he has a different laugh, too. Ashy Larry laugh, get her like, ha ha! Ashford Lawrence laughed like, oh, ha, ha, it's a new thing. So, you know, upgraded, the whole style. I've upgraded, and the lotion that I used, now,

I used to use, my favorite lotion was like Vaseline, but now I have imported lotion from France. That's how I know you from the hood. You said your favorite lotion was Vaseline. Vaseline ain't lotion. Only black people use Vaseline is lotion. Yeah, Vaseline's the cure to everything. You run out of motor oil, Vaseline.

Vaseline. You got some bolts or some nuts or something you need to loosen up. Vaseline. Vaseline is the key to everything. Vaseline. If you do a mixture of Vaseline and Crisco, you win it. Burn yourself in the kitchen. What you're using?

If you get, Chrisco. Chrisco, Vaseline, and butter. That's all you need. Man, it's so good to see you, my nigga. Thanks for having you, bro. Shit, thank you for doing this. That's all good. And I thank you for, they called me every 15 minutes.

Man, that's what. Hell no. They did to confirm, they confirmed last night. Confirmed on camera. My nigger was calling leaving voicemails like he got a number from a chick. Hey, shit, hey. You know they nervous if you're going to shove like, could you just give us a text when you're on your way out?

Give us a text when you're on 85. Give us a text when you're outside the building. But I'm here. I told him my word was my bond, so I'm here. That's what's up, man. Man, that's what's up, though. Before we even get into this shit, man, how are you doing? I'm doing great.

I'm in this business. You're in the business? I mean, you've been in, this is how far back. This is how long I've been a fan, man. People might not eat. This is my Donnell Rawlins. This one you made me a fan. When you let Fat Tyrone ride your bike?

That's history, son. That was probably maybe like 19 years ago. Man, that's how long I've been down. That's a true story, too. The funny thing about it when I first started off, I had like two jokes. I had this joke about working the Safeway where people used to come in and I used to catch them.

Yeah. And I had Fat Tyrone. The first time I did, the Fat Tyrone joke, it was only a premise. And I started up, I was like, you remember when you had your first bike and the last thing your mother said was don't let anybody ride your bike.

That was the be. beginning of the joke. Right. And it was a comedian out of D.C. named Royale Wackens. He saw the potential of that joke and he bought the joke

the premise from me. I was broke. He said, you want to sell that? I sold to him for $25, right? But I didn't tell him I was going to try it again. So like a week later,

I tried the joke again. It worked. And I called him, I said, he'll you're $25 back. That's what it is. And I was like one of my signature business. That's the joke I did on death down too. Man, that joke is funny as hell

because that's really the last instructions that you get before you take your bike out. Don't let nobody ride your bike. I think I was scared he was going to wop my ass. I tried to act like I was being friendly, but I was like, it's either I'm going to give it to him. Or he's going to take it.

And I don't get an ass with him or he's going to take it. I was like, here you go. I talk about you later, sir. Have you seen Fat Tyrone since then? Haven't seen him. Shout out to Fat Tyrone. Probably be dead. You can't have a life with stealing bikes and live there.

Man, you probably. He might be skinny as fuck now. No, Fat Tyrone. If I see you out there, I'm smacking in your face. Man, hell yeah. So run us down to history, man. You've been our favorite comedian for the fucking longest. What was your first TV spot?

The first TV spot I did was Deaf Comedy Jam. Dev Comedy Jam. And it was interesting because I did it. I was only doing comedy for five months. Tell me your Dev Comedy Jam story. The story was the same guy was telling you about Royale Watkins. Royale Watkins is a beast to the people who don't know Royale Walkers, one of the funniest niggas, best writers in the game.

Well, Royal Yorker Watkins, he was already signed with Rush Communication. That was Russell Simmons. That was his company, like, years ago. And Royale gave me a card with the name Bob Sumner. because I told him I wanted to do a show. How could I get you? He's supposed to be my boy. He said, you got to talk to my people.

I'm like, Nick, I ain't even know you had people. Right. So one day I was like, I'm going to try something. I'm going to try to see if I can get Bob Sumner on the line to talk to him. But I was like, it's not going to be a good idea if I go up there and act like I'm looking for, I mean, call it, act like I'm looking for an audition. Right. So I called the office and Christian, she answered the phone. I acted like I already knew Bob.

I was like, yo, this Donnell, where Bob there? Put Bob on the phone. Right, right. And she was a little nervous. She thought I was somebody, right? She said, okay, hold on. Cut to, the next thing I hear was like, this is Bob Summer. I was like, look, I tricked your secretary into getting you on the line.

I'm a funny comic. I work with some of the people who represent. Can I come up there and get a shot on death jam or an audition? He was like, can you come Thursday? At the time, I already had a regular job, so I couldn't get off. I said, I'm not a velo day. He said, well, let me know when you're serious. I was like, the following week, I can go up.

Went up there at a peppermint lounge. If you know, the peppment lounge was the place where you audition. Jersey. If you could work, the peppment lounge was harder than the actual show. If you could work the peppermint lounge And rip it, there's a chance to you get on death jam So I went on stage, they give you a seven minute set I'm on stage for five minutes

Royale Walker's come to the side of stage He said, Bob loves it, you got the show The minute he said that I ain't take no more chances Get out of there The minute, the minute he said you got to show I was like, thank you, good night, I'm out of here And that's how I got on Jeff Jam That's what it is, man

But funny thing, the first experience To be quite honest, I wasn't even supposed to be on that episode Because when you do Def Jam, they record four comedians Right One comedian gets cut. All the time. At the time, I was funny, but my set wasn't explosive.

The person that was explosive on that show was Michael Blackson. Michael Blackson destroyed the show. What happened was Michael Blackson did nine minutes. He ripped, people going crazy. And at the end of his set, he said, I'm African. And you know what that means? I have a big deek, right? And he said, anybody wants to see my dick?

They said, yeah. And he pulled out this big-ass prosthetic dick. Shit was about two feet long, right? Damn. He pulled it out wave. to the camera, the crowd went crazy, but there was no way the Def Jam could air. Like, the show was wrong.

Right. But to go up there and just see somebody pull out a fake dick. So basically, Wow. Michael Blackson pulling his dick out got me the show. Shout out to Michael Blackson. So Michael Blackson, anytime you want to pull your dick out

and give me another show, I'm ready for that. Pause, no more. All right, Donnell. So now we got to catch up on some comedy hype news, man. This is where we track the comedians down and see what comedians pop up in the news, man. So we always got some news. Bill Bellamy is going to play an ex-N-Fel linebacker

in an inter-reational relationship on a new Fox comedy show. That sounds like a true story, man. That sounds like a true story. The minute you go in the league, it's like your taste for white chicks go up like 100%. Damn. Okay. No Small Talk Comedy Series series premieres on title April 1st, man. They shot this at New York.

Shot this in New York, got the comedy cellar. Got new comedians, veteran comedians, hosted by Chris DeStefano, Grip Barnes. Tony Woods is on there. Tony Woods be every fucking way, man. Tony Woods is like a legend in D.C. Anybody that ever went through the comedy scene, D.C., probably Tony Woods was their mentor.

He pretty much started me. When I first moved from D.C. to New York, and I had just been working a Chitling Circle, like the Black Circuit. And whenever I would go in front of an audience of all white folks, all I kept saying was like, I'm Black, I'm Black. And Tony came to me and he said

You know nobody care about what color you are Shorty they care about if you're funny So the minute he told me that I always thought like they wouldn't laugh Because they couldn't relate to like my background Yeah But at the end of the day Funny wins

And all the time That was some guidance that got me started Started doing mainstream Started doing crossovers stuff And he worked out for him Hell yeah Tony was one of the funniest Niggas I have ever seen in my life Bill Bellamy don't need to get no more jobs man

Man Bill Bellamy been working for Ever since he was a little boy Bill Bellamy he hosted this show called Ask America right yeah and it was up it came down i tested for that show it came down to like four people bill was one of them i was another one and it was one of those gifts that was going to get you like a half million dollars like in a month right so i had already counted the money right but i didn't know it is when you come and test for it they was going to pull them teleprompters out on you right

right man they pulled four teleprompters on me i felt like i was floyd mayweather on that you couldn't read them it wasn't i couldn't read them it was just too much you had to read this one you had to read that one then you had to interact right here i got to be i start off anytime you start were like um um it ain't happening they was like okay donnell nice nice to see but bill got the job but bill is one of those people that a really good good brother bill bellamy in fact when i did death jam um bill bellamy gave me a good recommendation to bob summing he's one of those dudes that don't matter how successful is he always is willing to a given hoke hogan just got awarded a hundred and fifteen million dollars for his sex tape that's taking sex tape i'm gonna

I hire somebody to record my sex tape to sell that junk. Anytime I have sex is on tape from here on now. Shit. I wonder if he did it. Did he fucking like a wrestler, though? He was fucking his homeboy's wife. Disrespectful, but you know, they get to that certain level. They don't call it freaky.

They call it eccentric. It was being real freaky. I wouldn't let Ho-Kogan fuck my wife. Well, maybe for $115 million, brother. I don't know. I don't know. Shit, that's a lot of fucking money. That is a lot of money.

But you got to deal with that videotape's going to be, well, whatever, he got paid. I mean, it's Hulk Hogan. He likes 71 now. He don't give a fuck. Yeah. But he still got the, he got the same mustache from, like, 30 years ago. Well, actually, that's the funny part, because the whole sex tape was just the mustache.

Hulk Hogan wasn't really even in the sex tape. It was his mustache. You know you'd take this to the next level. You can make a chick have an orgasm with a mustache. With a mustache. Only people can do that is Hawk Hogan and Chef Boyardee. They got the elongated mustache. The elongated mustache, man.

That's crazy. as hell man so you've been in some shit lately I don't know what that means you know what that shit this is a real last podcast man you've been in some shit I don't know what you're talking about if you're talking about the incident that happened in Philadelphia by the instructions of my lawyer they told me to explain it as this it wasn't a fight it was a verbal confrontation a verbal confrontation which ended in a light of fray of punches okay okay that's how you that's how you explain for the white people that's it it was a verbal confrontation which ended in a light

of fraya punches because I thought I was in imminent danger. Thank you. You know what imminent danger is? That mean danger right now. Right next to you. I didn't know what imminent danger was. I had an incident in Jersey years ago.

In Jersey years ago when I got an altercation. It was like a road rage situation. Who had the road rage? You or them? It was a white dude. I was a white dude. I was double parked. He was behind me, right?

He started beating his horn. He started getting racist. Hey, buddy! No, he said, get out of the way, nigger. Oh, right? And somebody asked me. Straight to niggas. He didn't give you no pre-warner?

I thought I was on an HBO documentary right and then I got out of cause of what are he talking about he caught me like the N word like 15 times I was like one more these I'm gonna set it off right so 16 niggas is your limit 16 no it was 17 it was a two nigger limit oh okay he went past that by about 15 damn so we we got it popping on the street right and as black person it don't matter what situation you think that you're gonna be guilty or something right so you might as well go all out so they had a videotape of it but on a video tape they didn't have audio right so all you saw was me and

him arguing, the next thing you know, I set it off. So I talked to a lawyer. I was like, you think they're going to try to, you know, like, charge me with a assault or something? He was like, no, Donnell, all you got to do is say you felt you were in imminent danger. I didn't know what imminent danger was. I didn't know that you could fuck somebody up because you thought they was about to fuck you up.

Right. That's why they need to write the law like that, so niggots can understand. If somebody about to fuck you up, you can fuck them up. But the thing about it was, I got addicted to imminent danger after that. Everywhere I went, I'd be a McDonald's. Let me get a large fried with ketchup. We don't have no ketchup. Baa!

I thought I was an imminent danger. Hold on, man. Those french fries was gonna put me in imminent danger, right? Who the fucking eat McDonald's fries with no ketchup? Nobody, sir. That is child abuse. That's when you feel imminent danger.

Imminent danger, set it off. Man, you one of the funniest niggas just naturally. Like, I follow you on Instagram, right? And I remember one day you were just riding around and you saw this black Cadillac, and you bought this black Cadillac and named it Charlie Murphy? I did. I named the Darkness, Charlie Murphy.

I was, and the reason I got that cat, like, years ago, my dad, he was in the game. He was out there. It's what I say he was illegal, he was into illegal pharmaceutical distribution. Okay. He sold heroin. Exactly. But he had a lot of cars, right? Was he like a real heroin dealer?

Yeah, he was big time. Okay, cool. And I respected that because nothing like in the black community, you get proud about different things. Oh, yeah. Your dad, a drug dealer? No, you was a son of a drug dealer. Not just, I mean, he was a king's pen. That's what I'm saying.

But you had bikes and gold chains and all type of TVs and shit at the house. He wasn't, he wasn't, like, he wasn't a street soldier. He was that dude. Right. You know, I was just proud. I was like, yeah, he's selling drugs, but he's getting money. But he offered to give me this, on my 16th birthday, he wanted to give me this Cadillac. He had it.

He didn't want to use it. Right. And my mom was, I don't think that's a good idea because, you know, the neighborhood who would be looking, it just wouldn't look right, 16-year-old kid for this Cadillac. So I was in Virginia Beach. I was doing some shows on here. Travel, like you said, driving down the street. And I saw this Cadillac on the grass.

It was like the same one and my dad was gonna get it. I pulled over, I didn't care how much it's gonna cost, but I decided I was gonna buy it. And me and Charlie Murphy, we got an ongoing war. It's all fun. Yeah, it should be funny as hell, man. But it's Charlie versus Donnell,

but I said, I'm gonna tribute to this Cadillac. It's a black El Dorado. So I named the Cadillac Darkness. I'm gonna get personalized tags that say darkness, and name the car is Charlie Murphy's Darkness, and that's how I got to call. That's what's up.

And you tried to buy it from you. You didn't even- As soon as you posted that shit, I was like, what you want for? I want that. Because I did, I bought me a Cadillade, too. I bought an 87 Fleawood. Oh yeah?

Hell yeah, that shit pretty. This car's sweet, man. You could just like, it just, you know, back in the days, those were the type of cars where you could get it popping. Right then. That's before they had middle console. Yeah. Right then with the bench seat. And you get, you get a chick, and then they had the electric drink to go back.

And you really got to say nothing to you, girl. Once you hit that little switch, like, oh, it's over. It's over. Your mouth is about to be in an imminent danger. That's right then. What's about that mouth? dude, your mouth was in imminent danger, bitch. Give it to me.

Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday, I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all. childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles, and more, and found the shrimp to make it to the other side. My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant, but he wasn't shot on the street corner.

He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed. Pretty private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines and to, lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness, the way it

has echoed and reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy. Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths,

and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The OGs of Uncensored Motherhood are back and badder than ever. I'm Erica. And I'm Mila. And we're the host of the Good Mom's Bad Choices podcast, brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Historically, men talk too much.

And women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your tribes. With guests like Corinne Steffens. I've never seen so many women protect predatory men. And then me too happened. And then everybody else wanted to get pissed off because the white said it was okay.

Problem. My oldest daughter, her first day in ninth grade, and I called to ask how I was going. She was like, oh dad, all they were doing was talking about your thing in class. I ruined my baby's first day of high school. And slumflower. What turns me on is when a man sends me money. Like, I feel the moisture between my legs when a man sends me money.

There's me money. I'm like, oh my God, it's go time. You actually sent it? Listen to the Good Mom's Bad Choices podcast every Wednesday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you go to find your podcast. We got some fan questions in here for you, Donnell. It says, how did Ashie Larry come about? Ashley Larry, if you look at the Chappelle show, if you take an editor and they edit every time I spoke on that show, out of two and a half years, I probably need spoke a total on the timeline. It would be like, five minutes. So any time that they gave me a character, I knew that if I wasn't able to be vocal, I had to physically, I had to be funny. Right. So when a breakdown came for, it wasn't

Ashley Larry, it was just Larry, right? It was a dude. The description was a dude with boxers in, like, some dress shoes. But when I was younger, I used to shoot dice all the time. The way I would get caught, my mother would look at my knees. She was like, were you shooting dice? I was like, no, she was like, why your knees so ashy? You were shooting dice. So when I saw the guy as a dice player from the hood. I say, you know what? I want to be ashy. I want to be so ashy that I could write how much money people owe me on the side of my legs. So I pitched that to Dave. Dave fell in love with it. The character just was Larry, and I put the ash to it. He went from, he went from Larry to Ashley Larry. And for some reason, America

loves ashy people. That's like one of the most. Who would they ever thought that? I don't know. I don't know what it is, but it's just something about an ashy person. you want to root for him. And after that, that character became, and I'm not being cocky by it probably became one of the most iconic characters in sketch Harry. Hell yeah. History.

People love, actually. Hell yeah. Y'all made a lot of history with that. Yeah, we made a lot of history. But, like, everywhere, and it's so funny because that character has haunted me. Like, I was dating this girl, and she never thought I was cheating on her.

But any time I would put lotion on, she thought something was going on. She was like, just, what do you think you're going with all that lotion on? Your skin is about it to be in imminent danger, boy. Yeah, but it was just one of those things. And even when I was, that sketch, it wasn't designed for me to blow up. It was the first sketch where we had somebody outside of our core group.

Like that sketch was for Eddie Griffith and Dave's Pell. They had the most lines. When I was doing it, you know, I got in the zone. And when we were doing it, Charlie Murphy was standing on the side of the cameras, he came up to him and he was like, this, nigga, do you know what you're doing this character? I was like, I had no idea. I'm into it. You know how sometimes you get into something?

You don't know until you see the results of it with the delis. But that sketch is That sketching that character is the one That I'm still eating off of Ashley Larry Hell yeah People like do you ever get tired of people calling you Ashie? I'm like Ashie is an LLC

You can let a check to Donna Rallens Or you can write a check to Ashley Larry So send a check to Ashley Larry Right now Ashie Larry LLC and I'm catching that by my bucket You know I got to do it Because I see it all the time Just randomly you and Charlie Murphy

back and forth with the Ashley Laird Donner Rollins versus Charlie Murphy Give me one of your favorite Charlie Murphy's stories. Because I've been with Charlie Telling stories all damn day. Charlie Murphy never stopped talking.

You got a Charlie Murphy story you want to share with the 85th shop show. Charlie Murphy's stories are all lies. I'm here to tell everybody. They be lying. They're lying. Okay, you heard it here first. Everything about Charlie Murphy is a lie.

His teeth is a lie. His teeth is a lie. His teeth are porcelain. Charlie Murphy teeth. I'm telling you, Charlie Murphy is nothing but a liar. All right. I don't have no darkness, Charlie Murphy.

It's a funny story. I got, it's a Charlie Murphy and the Bill Burr store. When we were, a story, when we were doing a rich bitch tour years ago, this was more reflection of who Bill Burr is and how the white man can trick you. Like me and Charlie Murphy, the white man's tricks. We would go out and like we were party. We would turn up the night before. And Bill Burr, we were getting in the car.

And Bill Burr wanted to get us to go to sleep because he didn't want us to hassle him. And Bill Burr, this is so racist. He would show up like a 12-piece Popeye's chicken. every, every day. And he knew if he gave me and Charlie Murphy, Popeye's chicken we'd fall asleep.

So, 12-piece chicken, two bites into it, we would fall asleep. It's probably my most interest in Charlie Murphy's story. But Charlie Murphy is nothing, nothing but a lie. Nothing but a lie.

So what was it like being, this is another fan question, what was it like being at the writer's table for the Chappelle show? I was like more of a, if you want to say, contributing writer.

We would pitch ideas to them and then for the most part, Dave and Neil would write it out. But it was one of those, man, working on that show is one of those shows where I didn't even feel like I was ever at work. You know what I'm saying? We were working 16 to 17 hour days,

never felt like we were working. And I used to be on that show. I would go, like if we had a seven-day week schedule, if I was all four days, I would go to work every day. For one, I was broke as hell when we first started doing the show. So it was an easy way for me

to get free food, craft services. All that. Shout out to craft services. Craft services on point there. You ever go to craft service and make your own sandwich? I made peanut butter jelly sandwiches, all that toast to bread out. They have that white people lettuce with the vein in the middle. Yeah, not that iceberg.

That fly letters, the dark rim. Yeah, that should be pretty on the sandwich. Rocket. They call it rockling and arugula and shit like that. All that. But I knew. Swiss cheese on a nigga? That's when you know you go to the next level.

This is the one. Dejan mustard and Swiss cheese. You don't know anything about that. Shit, I've been there. Black people know two cheese is American and that black cheese. Yeah. That yellow cheese. In fact, in the black community, if you switch your cheeses up,

niggins think you changed. Right. Come outside with some white cheese on your sandwich. Talk about I want a blue cheese burger. They'd be like, oh no, no. The first thing you brother said, pause, no homo, you eat blue cheese now? Like, hold up, nigger, where you get this shit from? Well, going back to, you know, I was saying about working on that show,

like I knew, because it was so loose on the, on the, on the, on the, on the set, that I knew if I went to work, again, I got free food, but it was always a chance of me, just, Dave would just throw me in the, Like when we did the Black Bush sketch, I was just hanging out. You know, the outfit I had was like just my regular day-to-day clothes. And there was an extra or U5 that had lines, but he kept blowing it. So Dave was like, it's down in here, you want to give him a chance at it? I went in there and I rocked it.

You know what I'm saying? Like every, I think 80% of the sketches I was in, I wasn't supposed to be there. It was just me hanging out. And that was one thing dope about the show Dave would trust your comedic sensibility. And if you was bringing something to the table, table he would let you continue and you know that's a tribute to what type of person is and once you let trust people to do their thing and don't just make them stuck to the words yeah i'm saying you have to have some discipline because people will go crazy but if people if they

trust you and they know you can bring it you know you create a great show like spelt show and that's what we did with like trust out community we did hell yeah so tell me the difference like when you first started you say he broke his hell with the show right right then you got rich bitch oh you know that phrase got me into a lot of trouble because a lot of times I go on my friends. When the check comes, the niggas don't even look at their wallet. First thing they say,

I thought you said you was rich, bitch. I'm stuck with the check. But that show was like, people always say, Donnell, well, if it wasn't for the Chappelle show, blah, blah, blah, this and that. But I look at it like this.

If you compare it to like, you're on a basketball team, you know, you'll get a shot, but it's what you do when you get in the game. Like, we didn't have us, we didn't have, like, it wasn't a cast. It was like,

you were as good as your last sketch. So if you rocked one sketch, you had an opportunity to get, to be in another sketch. But I will say that show gave me the platform for people to see what I've been doing for years. You know what I'm saying? They didn't make me funny.

As much as Dave gave me an opportunity, I contributed to the show, and I made the show funny. So at the end of the day, it was like a win-win for everybody concerned. What are some of your favorite sketches on the show? Maybe some that didn't hear on just... My favorite sketch was the Wayne Brady sketch.

And the reason why it was funny because the way it came about, Like Dave did, I think it was like It was a sketch with Paul Mooney And Paul Mooney did a disc on Wayne Brady And Wayne Brady saw Dave At a club somewhere in New York And he was a little offended by it

Because Wayne Brady's a good guy man And he was a fan of the show And Dave felt, you know, some type of way about it. So he invited Wayne Brady to do the sketch. And for me that sketch was deep because it took Wayne Brady out of the character that everybody knew him for. Everybody know Wayne Brady

is a straight-laid's guy but they don't know how great of an actor it is. So for But for Wayne Brady to go from the guy from whose line is it anyway, to a guy like Wayne Brady. Is Wayne Brady going to have to slap a bitch? The funny thing about that part, it took us probably 35 minutes to get Wayne Brady to say that. Damn. Because that's not his style. Wayne Brady is, you know, like straight-lays dude.

So he was given every option. Wayne Brady was like this. Can I say, is Wayne Brady going to have to harm a young lady? So he was trying to fan all the ways. Yeah, he was trying to clean that joint up, right? He's like, can I say I feel more comfortable? And we was like, no, is Wayne Brady going to have to choke a bitch? and when it hit, it hit.

But I'll tell you another thing about Chappelle's show. I consider myself to be like the second casting on that show because every time they needed somebody for a scene at last minute, I would call my friends. Anytime you saw a scene on Chappelle's show where it was real niggas in the background, it was really real niggas in the background. It was like my boys, because a lot of my boys weren't working.

So I was like, yo, I got an opportunity. It was like, I'm going to put you all in this show. They was like, we don't want to do that. I was like, it pays $75. You get to get craft services. But more importantly, I wanted to get my dude's opportunity to see another thing. So anytime you saw a real nigga, it was really a real nigga. Damn.

You know what I'm saying? So that was the show was just awesome. It was an opportunity for people that weren't experienced in this business to get involved with it. You know what I'm saying? I did everything I could do to try to make the show hot. And, you know, like I will say 12 years later, the show hasn't been on for 12 years, but people make me feel like the show's on like every week. That's a testament when you put something solid down, people to follow.

Hell yeah, man. Another fan question. People say, you talk about being in the Air Force, you know, what, like a lot in your set, what do you get, like, your inspiration and how do you mix all that together? You know, just going from that world to the comedy world. Some people like to have systems where they try to write the perfect joke.

I don't really like to try to write the perfect joke. I like to be able to, you know, just share my life. You know, every day, you're a comic. You know what I'm saying? You're a natural comic. So we get, as long as you can put yourself, yourself around people and be engaged like in life you'll find some funny stuff so opposed to type like this joke about me being a rocket scientist if it's not real to me

I'm not going to do it so what I try to do is just recreate scenes and things that my life if you get up there storyteller if you can get up there and share that story that I think that's some of the best comments you know everybody got the distile you got different style some people got that the joke to set up the punch the callback I just like to tell you about my life and try to put a comedic twist on that make it real funny shit yes sir funny as shit man um shit that's the same question where you draw your inspiration from what who are some of your favorite comedians to watch um niggas you think are funny there's a lot of funny motherfuckers out here um i like Tony robbers is

one of my favorite Tony Robbins is fucking amazing because he's one of them dudes just like he's like he's animated he's over the top and you never you can see a person's act but you always know it's going to be something that's off the cuff. When I first started, Martin Lawrence kind of like got me excited about comedy because the first time I saw Martin Lawrence perform, I was like, his, his comedy was so just regular around the way shit. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like every joke, every story, Martin said, it was like, oh man, I remember that. I did the same thing. Martin Lawrence reminds you somebody when you go to the barbershop. There's always one dude in there that's funny as hell. I enjoy watching

him. Rob the late, great Robin Harris. Robin Harris is one of those dudes that had every style. He You could do a stock joke. He could go in the audience and mess with you, or he could tell a true life story to himself. And, of course, like, I never saw Richard Pryor at Perform Live, but Richard Pryor was, like, one of my favorite comments to watch. Because when Richard Pryor was out, he was one of those, you could test, you could tell that he was testing the industry

and everything that he did was, like, not so much shock, but he was going where no other comic would go. You know, he was one of my favorites to watch. Yeah. So you got any more movies coming out? I'm not really seeing you all around the place and I know you ain't doing no movies right now no now I don't really have anything in terms of like any like theatrical releases like the last couple of years I've really been going heavy with stand-up yeah but see you'd be sneaking in on

shit though like yeah you'll be just doing regular shit doing a whole bunch of stand-up shows and then your ass just pop up in a movie you got you know like to be quite honest I don't make money with film and television like stand-up is my thing you know what I'm saying so I think that the way my career going is going to be similar to like the route Chris Rock took Chris Rock was a regular on a certain lot but it didn't really pop them off so Chris Rock when he left as now he went on the road for like a year he was like you know what I'm going to I'm going to do an hour special that's going to blow everybody away I think that if I can get people to continue to support me on a stand-up I can make myself enough of a brand that people

want to put me in more movies but at the end of the day if I can make money doing stand-up I'll do that. You know, I'm not thirsty for TV rolls or anything. I'm thirsty to make money. And, you know, after 20 years, I position myself to be able to do at least six figures a year, cracking jokes. For a good dude that only has a military background, high school education,

you know, at the end of the day, I'm winning, doing something I love and making people laugh. Can't beat that shit. Yeah, how you feel about the new online comedy? I think that it's one of those things like old school dudes to tell you, when I was coming up, but at the end of the day, everything evolves. You know,

I'm from the flyer, flyer era. You know what I'm saying? We actually had to do this shit. Yeah, hand-to-hand, 5,000 flyers. Right. The motherfucker's personality was dictated by that flyer. You know, you had some dudes wouldn't he talk to a girl unless they had a flyer in their hand. But I think that, I think that, it's the truth.

I think the beauty of social media and everything is that you don't have to wait for a network to blow you up. You know, you can, you can blow yourself up in front of a laptop. The only thing is you still got to, you've got to marry that with some type of talent. You know what I'm saying? You don't want to just be the comedian. That only thing you know is like that moment you know when that's what I call it. Those type of comments.

They're just like everything, the facial expressions in the same way. You know, you will get a shot and you can build the network off that. But when people start coming to see you perform, they want to see more than that. So if you can find a nice way to combine what you can do with social media and having some talent, I think that the sky's the limit and you don't have to wait. for networks to pass you can do it yourself and you know like i know now the the networks they come into you they're looking at your social presence yeah that's the first thing they want to i've i've known that i've been uh certain jobs i should have got but i know when they look at the stats

okay this guy has this many followers this guy has that many follows a network has to make decision on how they make money off of yeah so for all the guys out there the six-second dudes the 15-second dudes there's nothing wrong with that but at least has some talented back up and then you could kill the game the game need to be killed like have you had that moment in your career where you're like okay this is some success that i could be proud of like that moment where you're like okay all the work is paying off i will i won't know if there's one specific moment that would let you uh would lead you believe that for me that that was the one that set me up but there was i think one of the greatest shows i ever had it was like a year ago i had to do a show

at Magubi's comedy joke house in Maryland, right? So it's a small comedy theater like 300 people. So I'm on stage for three minutes. My intro was killing. I'm ripping the room. First three minutes and all of a sudden the lights went out in the venue. Not only the venue, but the lights went out in the entire time. Yeah.

And it's an entire town. It's pitch black in there. Only lights in there are like the emergency lights. You know how you have the exit sign, the emergency lights? And I knew that if I wouldn't continue my show, the club was going to lose money. They wasn't going to be able to run credit cards or anything. So I did, I never stopped my show, dropped the mic.

I went on the audience, and I told them, I was like, look, we don't have no lights. What I need everybody to do is like, anybody with a cell phone, I need you to take your cell phone out and turn light on the cell phone. So I went into the audience. Everybody had the cell phone out. It illuminated the audience. And I did an hour with no microphone, with no, lights, no nothing.

And the funny thing about it, at the end of the show, I was going down, coming to the closer end of the show, and I saw this girl in there I knew. I was like, yo, what's up? I said, I'm not going to talk shit to you because I know, you know me personally. And if you start sharing some of my stories with you years ago, the lights had come back on in this

motherfucker. And the minute I said that, an hour later, the lights came right back on. I was like, look, I'm God up in this bitch. That's crazy. And that's like, comics, you've got moments, you know, you're seeing people perform where the room is ripping. it's not a chance to have a defining moment because everybody rip it. But for me to be able to go and do an hour, complete dark with just lights from the camera,

for me personally, that was like a defining moment in my career. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women of color who faced it all. Childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles, and more. And found the shrimp to make it to the other side. My dad was shot and killed in his house.

Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant, but he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house unarmed. Pretty Private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness, the way it has echoed and revered. reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy. Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories.

I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The OGs of Uncensored Motherhood are back and badder than ever.

I'm Erica. And I'm Mila. And we're the host of the Good Mom's Bad Choices Podcast, Brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network every Wednesday. Historically, men talk too much. And women have quietly listened. And all that stops here. If you like witty women, then this is your tribes.

With guests like Corinne Steffens. I've never seen so many women protect predatory men. And then me too happened. And then everybody else wanted to get pissed off because the white said it was okay. Problem. My oldest daughter, her first day in ninth grade, and I called to ask how I was going. She was like, oh, dad, all they were doing was talking about your thing in class.

I ruined my baby's first. their high school and slumflower what turns me on is when a man sends me money like i feel the moisture between my legs when the man sends me money i'm like oh my god it's go time you actually sent it listen to the good mom's bad choices podcast every wednesday on the black effect podcast network the i heart radio app apple podcast or wherever you go to find your podcast so yeah so what are some of your favorite cities to go perform the ones with the biggest check suck hell yeah i know i'm not a big fan of philly after they try to fuck me up and that got their pancake.

Now, anybody, people always say, what's your favorite city? I think that every city has something. Different vibes. It has a different vibe.

And the end of the day, it's our job, you know, to make ourselves comfortable in that city. And go find that vibe. And go find that vibe. Don't have a favorite city.

It's certain places that you feel more because the one, you get the biggest check, and you're like, hopefully I'll come back to that. But there's always some weird-ass place they got the big-ass check. Kalamazoo,

Mitch Kalamazoo. Yeah. You're like, what the fuck is in Cali's Kaliman too. I think my life is an imminent danger fucking with this city. Not the imminent danger. Yeah, you got to use that shit.

Hell no, man. So what's next for Donnell Rawlins, man? Where are you going with it? I want to do another special. I think another special I've been, you know, been touring hard for a while. The last special I did was like five years ago. And I got so much material that I got it

I got a down, I got to just drop it somewhere. You know, after a while, your new shit started getting old. You get to travel a lot and move around. and, you know, hit a whole bunch of different cities. Do you get to see the cultural impact that the Chappelle show had? You know what I mean? Yeah, I definitely notice it.

When I go, my audience, like, I don't, my audience is not just specific to, like, to a black audience. Right. When I go to my shows, it's like old people, it's white people, it's Indian, it's Asian, and everybody. And I know that's definitely, you know, contribute to being on Chappelle's show. That's Chappelle's show broke all type of growth. You know what I'm saying? I'll have a show where it's like, yo, what up, my nigga, you funny?

And then I have some, another person like, man, when y'all did that sketch about reparations, I really love that, man. But that show definitely, like, crossed the lines and everything and it helped me out, because when you go to my shows now, it's like, everybody. And I offend everybody, not just one race,

one person, offend everybody. If you're gonna be offensive, offend everybody. That's what's dope as hell though, like as a comedian, you know, when you were at your show and your headlining, and you just look out in the audience and you see that all these different people came to see you like people you would never think would even be fucking with you the funny thing about it's nice and it's funny so

when you first start com you know you don't have an audience you know what I'm saying normally the promoter have audiences you know like you're here like you know like like dining might Tuesdays or more better Mondays and everything he can't fuck with my crowd yeah you can't fuck with my crowd but the thing is they provide that audience they provide the audience but it's your job to be a great comic in that audience but you know sometimes you know it's overwhelming me because I'll go and I'll sell out shows different cities not everywhere but I do well and then when you go out there and you realize

that people are actually there to see you not just an audience that the promoters provided but see that's when you're like you know what you're doing something because it's hard people can be funny but it's hard to get to that point where you're actually a draw and you make money for an establishment yourself and that's when you can pet something back you say

your hard work is paying off hell this is dope hell to have you right here on the 85 South show. You're in Atlanta tonight. You're performing. Do you have a history with the city of Atlanta? Because you know, Atlanta always been like a dope-ass comedy market, like in the beginning.

So how long you've been coming to Atlanta? I've been coming here since Jamie Foxton used to do the left. Lafaloose. Hell yeah. Yeah, that was a shout-out to Jamie Fox, Marcus King, and everybody involved with that. That was one of those showcases where like when I first started on the black comedy scene, we didn't have a lot

of showcases. You know what I'm saying? Like, there wasn't a lot of us getting invited to the Montreal Comedy Festival so Marcus King and Jamie Fox said you know what you know this in a black community you know we got strength people support we do so we need that shit back right now it would be good to have it back but I remember I think that was maybe like 12 or 12 maybe like 14 years ago the last one they did was maybe like oh eight or oh nine yeah and I was like that was like that was like my first introduction to Atlanta I thought Atlanta was like Montreal I was like I'm about to blow up now I'm doing the lap of a loser I think Cedrigan had something special there but yeah

Atlanta is always good. Atlanta is one of those markets, especially for black artists. It's like people consider it to black Hollywood. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? If you don't go to California, you go to New York,

you got a good chance of doing something good for yourself in Atlanta. It's one of those places I always come and perform. Tell, like a lot of young comedians watch the 85 South show and shit. So tell them about that New York run. Like a lot of comedians, you know, when you do your first New York run

and you come back, everything changed. So give them some of that advice. Especially when I was coming, the comedy market was hot as shit in it. One thing about New York, I advise anybody, if you think about, especially on a stand-up side, everybody's like, I want to go to Hollywood. That's good if you have acting chops, if you took some acting classes. But the place that you want to get your weight up is New York. You can do, like, three or four shows at night.

You know what I'm saying? Everybody has a room. You can do, like, you can do, like, you know, the Black Comedy Circuit. You can do the mainstream. But I really believe that if you can come up and you can do it in New York and rip audience in New York, it prepares you to be able to perform anywhere. It's just something. New York is a gritty town, man. And in the day, they will let you know if you're funny, if you're not.

Right then, it ain't no waiting. They're going to let you know right then. So as you come and say, come and you and say, tell a joke, motherfucker. I'm going to tell you, like, the biggest thing I noticed when I moved from New York to L.A. is that in New York, again, if you're not funny, you know, in three minutes, you know, quick. In L.A., like, if you're a lot in you, like, 12 minutes do your set, if you're not funny, they will let you keep going and do your entire 12 minutes. Right. And I never understood that.

In New York, three minutes, you get in that motherfucking wrap-up sign and another person is getting that time. But New York, for all the young comments out there, if you want to be like a top-notch stand-up and you want to be able to work out every night and get your skills set up, definitely start in New York and then go to L.A.

can showcase and you'll kill it. Most people, you notice, like Mike Epps, me and Mike Eves moved to New York about the same time. Most people, when they build that network and get strong in New York, When they go to LA, they take it by storm because it's like we never see anything like that. The energy is different.

Can people respect that? Hell yeah. Oh shit, this is my favorite part of the show, man. On the 85 South Show, we got this shit called the Nigger Please Award. That's where we just give out awards for people who've been showing their ass lately, man. Anybody you want to give a Nigger Please award to?

Cat Williams. You know what? Cat Williams. You know what? Come on, man. This is no disrespect. I love you, son. But how do you start a beef with Kevin Hart, man?

Kevin Hart is the nicest nigga in entertainment. Talk about it. Starting beef with Kevin Hart is like trying to fight Snoopy, nigga. Who the fuck want to fight Snoopy? Come on. Cat, we love you, son. We don't want to see in prison. We want to see you on TV.

You want to see you doing live performances, son. Cat Williams, stop it. And you're getting arrested in weird places. Who the fuck get locked up in the pool? supply shop. Exactly. Who the fuck does that? What nigger buy chlorine in a wintertime? We love you, Captain. When the fuck is Cat Williams swimming at this time?

I don't know. You know something to not right. When you go at you go at Kevin Hart, then you go to his hometown. You get in a fight at a club, at a Benny Siegel concert, and then as a reward for the fight, you give Benny Siegel a $200,000 Lambo as a birthday gift. Come on, man. You know that Benny Siegel is

happy. Benny Sigel probably he sold that bitch. He was excited about it until that goddamn red engine like, come on. That's what he's like, I don't know if this was a good gift, sir. I can't afford the oil trains and a Lambo's, sir. The nigger, please, award goes to Cat Williams. I have to do that. Cat, we love you, but, nigger, please.

What you think he need to do to get his shit back right, man? Nothing, Cat Williams is Cat Williams. Certain people are eccentric. Certain people you know that that's the thing that drives them. You know, Cat Williams is the type of person that he's an outspoken person. He got his views on a certain thing. that's okay, but just don't get arrested in that process. You know what I'm saying?

Like keep it cool, man. Like everybody, the black community love cat whims. At the end of the day, he can do no wrong. But at the same time, we don't want to have to continue to defend your character when that goes. Yeah, I'm tired of explaining this shit. We don't want to have to say, oh, nah, it was just, we love you, we love you. We love you like your mother love you. You know what I'm saying?

Like, you know, if you get locked up, well, he didn't really kill all those people. They'd say it something to him. Right. That's motherly love, but I'm just saying, man, we don't want to give people an opportunity to shit on your name, whatever. You're a talented brother. Been in the game for a long time.

And Cat Williams, and what I know of Cat Williams and what I've heard of story, Cat Williams, you know, helps a lot of people in his family and the community. So I'm just saying, you know, when I give you the nigger pleads of word, I'm not there in disrespect, I'm saying that out of love. And we want to be able to see you perform live and do your thing. Fuck all this bullshit. Let's get this money.

Like you said years ago, funny money. Let's get this funny money. Let's get this. I want to go get some funny money, man. Yeah, shout out to Benny Siegel. I know that, I know that motherfuck Lambo is on eBay right now, sir. Man, it's probably like four niggas right into the stove to get some duchess in there. You know it's fucked up when you can't afford maintenance on a car.

I remember when I was younger at the beginning of my career, you go to mechanic, nigga, you'll be nervous and shit. Anything he'd say, you repeat back to him. That niggas say carbure. He said, I need a carburetor. He said, I need a carburetor. You like, water pump, water pump. I'm going to kill myself, sir. I'm gonna tell you, the worst thing you want to hear,

you think you can afford all that shit, but the minute somebody say you blow an head gasket, you know, like, oh, I might be trying. I might as well, strap this shit, nigga. You don't even want to take your car. It makes it sound like your car got eight, and it ain't going to make it out the door. And it's always that, digger,

it's always a greasy mechanic, motherfucker. He always got some oil up on his fingernail. Like, oh, man, I'm going to tell you what you need right there. I need you to get out of my face and wash your hands. That's what I need you to do. Yeah. That's what it is, man. You got any family in the cell?

No, you're from New York. One of my sisters live here. My sister, one of my sisters on my father's side because black people, the only people, would have a father's side. That's why I was asking, because everybody in their mama got some family down. You got any brothers and sisters away on my mother's side.

I got three on my father's side. We stopped counting. When you got to count your mama and daddy kids separate. Yeah. But yeah, I got a sister that lives here. But for most part, most of my family's in a D.C. Maryland area. This is always interesting to ask questions people ask comedians.

If it wasn't comedy, what would it be the weird thing I would have been a cop what and the reason why I said that because I was in the Air Force for four years I was a police officer in the Air Force right so when you're in the military whatever you're whatever you're trained on that's usually what you have the skill set for to do so when I first when I when I got out of the military I was waiting to be a D.C. police officer and I used to work security for Safeway you know the grocery store yeah I was like head of security I think like that makes a big I was like I was say that shit again I was head of security.

I wasn't just a rent-a-court, nigga. I was in charge of all the other renter cops. When security started, it was you first. Yeah. Okay. I was, I was, and I made myself a colonel, nigger. I just went down to the uniform shop, said, give me one of them colonel joints.

You bullshit. This is not a lot. I was waiting to be a, I was waiting to be a D.C. Police officer. I was working for Safeway, and at the time, it was a comedian out of D.C. named Mike Washington. He used to work for hostess.

Like the, like the cake. Hostess cake. And he used to come to our store. and he was stocked his shells and didn't get niggas flyers for the show at the same time and try to, you know, so we would go at my job,

we would go to open mic just as some fun camaraderie shit to do. And I would go and I just started heckling the comedians. So you started as a heckler. I started as a heckler. I would heckle comedians. I was nice, though.

Who you get? Like out of all the niggas, who's the one that you got? Damn, I used to hit Chris Thomas. All the old school. The mayor. Listen, I used to go in. I was so nice

heckler they used to come into me like yo man don't fuck with me today I'm trying to work on some new shit this is not a lot this is a true story they'll tell you in DC and I I got so good at being a heckler I started drawing the audience people used to come to the club to see the heckler nigger in the front row and I was so cocky about it I went to the club owner and I tried to get a door deal get the as a heckler as a hecklers get the fuck out of you know I was like look I've increased your business about 30% I need this time for y'all to come up off that cash right So any club on, they're like, who the hell are you, right?

I was like, I'm the heckler nigger. Who you think I am, right? So they want you to shut up. And this is the case with most club owners. They will challenge, because just because you're heckler, I don't mean you could be a stand-up. So they would challenge you, and he was like, you think you're funny once you're going on stage.

So I was a little nervous. I didn't go up that time. And, like, I went home, and I started writing jokes. And I thought I had a half-hour show. I was like, I'm hitting this. I'm into this. And the first time I went on stage, all the jokes that I wrote, I forget everything.

I drew a blank. But what happened was I went in the audience. I went in on the audience. I destroyed the audience, right? And like the first time I ever went on stage, I ripped, right? And I didn't even know what the light was. I didn't know what the light meant. They gave me the light.

Soon as I got the light, I was like, oh, they gave me the light. I can't believe that. You know how it is when you say they gave you the light when they love you. Like, oh, nigger, don't even do that way. Fuck this club. I'll pay you. I pay you. It's always there one nigger who act like he's going to pay you.

Get them back up there. But fuck that. That was my transition. if it wasn't, and then, like, the minute that I was on stage and I ripped, I was like, I stopped the process. I was at the process where they was doing, like, the background check to be a cop, and I stopped that process, and I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

So I would have probably, I'm quite sure, I would have been a cop. I'd have been a corrupt cop. I was just about, would you be a cop right now with the shit going on? I would have probably retired by now, but I wouldn't have, I would have been a cop, but I would have been one of the cops, like, what happened to that shit in the evidence locker, It was two pounds of weed.

Now there's two ounces, well, I'm missing the weed. But that's definitely, I probably, that would have been, it was a, it was a, when you talk about a career shift, definitely a career shift from a cop to being a stand-up comment. Never would expect it is, but this is what it is, and I embrace it. I thought you was going to say a chef. You'd be chefing up some shit. The only reason I'd love to cook now because when I first started a gun cop, I was so broke that I couldn't afford to take a chick on a nice date.

You know how you, you know, when the motherfucker is the most romantic when they broke. When you broke, you're like a lot of, you're like a guy. candle in a minute. Don't even tell it at the lights off. And it won't be a good candle. It'd be one of them RIP candles. Yeah, one of the memorial one of the religious joints. You're like, you know, you got to when you don't have the money, you have to be creative. And like, that was one of the things that got me sad about cooking. Like, women's like,

we don't even need to go out. I'll take your food. Like, I could take, you got to learn how to work on a budget. Another advice I would tell new comments coming up. You, they was like, what do I need to do to make? I was like, learn how to be happy broke. If you can't be happy broke, you're going to be fucked up because 80% of your career, you're not gonna make much. Shit, that apply to everybody. Yeah, you gotta learn how to be happy, bro,

because then when you, if you're learning to be happy, broke, once you start getting things, you appreciate it more, it means more, too. Hell, yeah, be happy, bro. What was some of the shit you used to do to stay happy while you was broke? You don't never miss them day? Just go on stage. That's how I always wanted to get on stage. When I first moved in New York, like, I always wanted to get on stage.

I remember there was one particular one of them little small clubs. It paid, like, $25 spots. I would go, like, it was every Thursday. I would go every Thursday. I was like, can I get on? It was like, it was Brooklyn Mike. He was like, I can't get you on. You was just here last week.

I was like, Nick, I got new jokes. You know what I'm saying? That was the one thing. When I didn't have anything, the thing that made me happy was performing. So as long as I could get on stage, I thought I was like creatively I was eating. I didn't have shit.

But, you know, I've always felt good if I could do a brand new bit. I'm like, yeah, yo, I just killed this shit. I can't wait because I knew that I was going to get a shot eventually. The whole thing is like, in this business, if you have work ethics and you're talented you will get a shot

but it's you got to be prepared you got to be prepared because you don't want to be hitting the back of the rim of the backboard when you get a shot you got to hit all nets and you continue to do that then you'll make you. What was some of your brokeest comedy moment? One of my brokest comedy

moment I remember I remember I had a show I was living in Brooklyn and I had a show in Long Island. I had to do a college I didn't have no money. In fact my roommate I robbed a nigga change bucket. You robbed

your roommate for his chain. And he knew I was robbed him because you know how when you hit the change bucket you hit all the quarters first, right? Yo, I took a week of quarters, right? That little was like, yo, I'm down to, that you go from quarters to the dimes to the nickels, right? And I had

a show in Long Island, and I had just slaughter his change joint. And I had to get a ticket for the Long Island Railroad, and it was $13. And I had $13 in nickels and dimes. When I was walking through the subway I can hear this shit like and then the worst thing

is like I had the pocket I had the $13 counted in one pocket so I didn't have to I wasn't going to do this right I just was empty shit throw it in the thing right and that lady counted shit and I was short like about 82 cents so I had to go into the backup pocket with the pennies

$13 in like 85 cent I had to do that but I was like you know what I don't give a fuck because I had a $300 gig on the end of this right right so the school was so Patty, they were supposed to pick me up at the train station. They was like, we can't get picked. Nobody can come pick you up.

So I had to go in the pocket again. The cab driver, I was like, look, man, I don't have enough money. Damn. I said, I think I'm going to be big time one year, man. I mean, sooner or later. You can remember my name, man. I got a pocket full of nickels, man, could you take it? And dude was like, you know what?

Don't even worry about it. He took the change. And that was like one of my brokest moments right there. But it had stuff that I was like this. As long as I get there, I'm good. Another broke moment. This dude, Todd Lynn, RIP. Rest of peace, Todd Lynn.

Todd Lynn, got this girl that he was dating the time. She sold him. She gave him this booty, this fucking hoopty Saturn, right? It was, I don't know, it was like a 1989 Saturn. Todd didn't want it because in New York, you got more chance to get tickets than driving a car. So he sold that shit to me for $300. This shit was so bootled. It had flip lights that flip up, right?

One of the lights was broke. So it looked like Forrest Whitaker Eye, right? And when I used to drive down the highway, it looked like the helicopters was following me, right? Because all you said is like going on the trees. But the day I bought that car, I bought it for him for $3. I had a gig in Long Island for $500. So I made a $200 profit off that hooty car.

That was one of them in New York. You don't have to have a fly car. Right. You can just have a car in the wintertime. And I had four-wheel drive, bitch. I mean, young ladies, Queens. Yeah. Nice respectable.

Sorry about that. He was like, oh shit, we ain't got to the train. I was living that car. I had AMF and radio. I had heat and I had a hatchback in the back And in the summertime I would blast and ready on my shit And I was picking chicks up from the train station I was winning

I kept it for like a year This shit was so moon If you buy a car for $300 and you have it for a year You fucking won But this shit was so bad I lost the key in it so we had to We had the jimmy it With the screwdriver

The funny thing is like I was in Brownsville Everybody knew that it was rigged right So niggas you should just take my car and go to the store Didn't he ask? Yo, I look outside, he said, Oh, don't we took your car. We'd be right back. Right back, niggas.

But those, to be quite honest, there's more success you get. You remember those stories of when you was people. You appreciate those stories more than it's successful when you get successful. You know what I'm saying? Like those are stories that drive you and put things in perspective and know what you're doing it for.

Damn, man. Man, I really appreciate you coming through and kicking it with us. Appreciate having me, son. And just laying that game on us. We got, we got. got any um we got hold up before we do that we got any questions from anybody in the room what was your favorite sepail sketch that never aired i don't i don't really have a particular particular sketch that never aired like i wish that some of uh the stuff that we did that didn't

make it because of um standards and practices but it made on because as much stuff as uh that made it to air like the stuff that they cut out like that that that shit how did you end up on the wire the wire yeah I wasn't gonna be to answer that question I smoked too much weed I forgot like what you're gonna none of that shit there's nice transition I wasn't the wire I saw you like no but the way I got on the wire I was on a show called the corner yeah now I remember that one the corner was a six-part a miniseries and the wire was a a spinoff of um of the corner in fact when i when i audition for the corner i didn't even think

that i was supposed to be on that show because the character i audition for it was uh it's his name was bred and he was a dope fiend right like when you know when you get your um when your size you don't necessarily get the whole script just get a part of it i didn't know black male 30's drug fiend that's all they get you and then you try to look 30 you're like yeah i look 30 but i didn't know the dude was a heroin addict so i when i auditioned I didn't go into the stereotypical characteristics of a dope thing. I'd act like it was just a guy on the street. So when I got the role, when I was in the audition,

I didn't think I was doing well. Jackie Brown Carmen, she was like a big casting director back then. I'm in the audition. I'm fucking up. I was like, I don't know. I'm nervous. She was like, Donnell, just relax. God is in the room.

He's going to help you. And then, you know, I made peace with that. And I calmed myself down and I did it. So when I got on the set, I asked David Simon, who wrote it. I was like, how did I get this role? I said, I thought I sucked in the audition. He said, we like the fact that you didn't feed into the stereotype of a heroin at it. You played it as just a regular dude, and that's what got.

At the time, Tasha Smith, I didn't know. That was the biggest thing I was, like, acting coach, if you want to say, she helped me out with that. And then David Simon, he's one of those producers and creators that he likes to work with the same people. So because of what I did on the corner He gave me an opportunity to be on the wire I was on the first season on the wire And I was on the second season of wire My character got lost after the first season

It came back The last season And I was excited about being on the wire again But I know like on HBO Anytime it's the last season Anything the writers get vindictive And they write crazy stuff Like the last season of Oz

It was guys that was getting raped on Oz It wasn't even on Oz That's crazy They was like yo I'm on Nickelodeon nigga I'm just trying to go to the bathroom Yeah when you're getting rape next yeah yeah what the fuck man you're like go take the other bathroom but that was um to be able to say i was on two of like the greatest television shows and like the last 20 years of wire

and chapelle if anything else from nothing else happened in my career you know that'll go down there's some fly shit because not too many people can say they did that hell yeah that's flat shit maybe it's you maybe all the shit you do just fucking historic never take never i think the best thing the best thing you do in this business always stay humble stay humble and always realize it's not just you it's people that support you it's the man above and just stay focused have work others and then a little talent because work ethic is going to take you a lot further than your talent will work your nuts off man on the 85 South show we have a very i guess you can say eclectic audience eclectic that's a new word niggas love when they get a new word

you got a new word you use that for anything let me get let me get a five chicken wings with an eclectic group of ketchup exactly So that's what we is. So 85 South Show, this podcast is for the people, man. Yes, sir. This podcast right here is for all the motherfucking truck drivers who want to quit their job, but they can't because they already advanced their next two checks.

Right, you can't do that. This podcast right here is for all the strippers who can't dance. That's hard. But most strippers can't dance. All you got to do is be able to get that ass to pop. That's not dancing. Exactly. This podcast is for all the Asian people who,

work in black communities and don't like black people. You're all the motherfucker son of bitch, shut the fucking mouse. That's what it's for. God damn, you pay a four and the 9-9! This podcast... Shut the mouse. Shut the mouse. Goddamn, O.J. Simpson,

nigger, fuck a mouse. Shut the mouth. That's who this podcast is for. Why are you every day come inside store and the no-buy, son of bitch, shut the mouse. It's for you, Mr. Kim. No disrespect. podcast is for all the lesbians who don't eat pusset.

Slick of the lips. You can't be a lesbian that don't eat pussy. Yes, you care. What are those called, son? Studs. Okay. Are those the strap on your? I heard they be in the clubs with their straps.

They do. You know that those, they do. You know you gangster when you're in this club with your strap. It's about that light plastic is in the building. You ever smell some lesbian pussy? No, I see. Smell like a new car. God damn.

Hell yeah. What do old Cadillac? lesbian and pussy smell like... Black ice. Old lesbian and pussy smell like... No disrespect to the lesbians out there. No, we never disrespect the lesbians on this show. Ever.

We love the same things. That for JJ. That for JJ. This podcast is for niggas who sleep with du rags on and don't even have no waves. You're talking about me, son? No, I'm just saying. I do that just so...

That's why we made this podcast. My gangst up everyone. I try to put that on Instagram. It's like, nigga, if you don't take that shit off... So when you wear your duwack, do you lead a flag? Or do you tuck the flap? I flap that shit back, son.

Flap that shit back like a boss. Your eye just, for some reason, when your eyes get lower when you put a doo rat, you just do like this for no reason. Just be mean, mother-in' mess. I'm not doing. This podcast is for everybody who work out three days a week, but still got a regular-ass body.

Disrespectful-ass mother fuckers. This podcast right here is for niggas who live with their mama and get attitude every time she asks you to pay a bill or something. And then you'd be telling all your friends, nah, I just bought this house for her. Exactly. No, you did, nigga. Yeah, I'm gonna be at my motherfucker

board it for her, you know, get off her feet. You are lying, your motherfucker. Go get your own shit. This podcast right here is for people who have a job, but they don't never know how to fuck they're gonna get home. Nigger, that bus is no good, son. I'm talking about the motherfuckers who live where ain't no bus. They just have to find them right.

That's fucked up. Hitchhiking in Atlanta is horrible, son. Exactly. It's fucked up. But that's what we do this podcast for. And this is for the motherfucker's skins that is moisturely challenged. There's a campaign out here.

Fuck the water in Flint. I'm trying to get lotion in Flint because ash is a terrible thing to lose. This podcast. Everything around me. Cream, get the lotion. $1.99, y'all. Speaking of Flint,

this podcast is for all the bad bitches in Flint who moved to Detroit. Don't trust them because them bitches ain't took showers in a year, son. That's fucked up. I wasn't going to say it. But since you said it. Okay.

Let me go. I don't know if I wasn't no flip pussy, son. I don't know if I could do this. I don't know. Do me a favor. Fuck that. I just lost some fans. No disrespect.

That shit crazy, man. You ain't never going to lose no fans. I appreciate you coming through. You're a real-ass nigger. You're always welcome to come through the 85 South show. Anytime you're in the city. Any promo you want to drop. What should we be looking out for?

What's your social media? Donnell Rallens. I would say Google me, but it's some weird shit to pop up. What come up when you Google, Donnell, brother? TMZ, be fucking with you, man. You know how long it took me to get that DUI off my TMZ? My search engine, you know what I'm saying?

Like two years ago, caught a DUI, right? It took me two years for when you put my name of it, it goes on my Wikipedia and my website. Soon as that motherfucker, Philly shit went happen. As soon as you put my name in, this shit happens. But at the end of the day, I will not be disrespected. If you try to assault me and you try to assault me, You try to fucking come at me.

I'm coming back at you. I don't want to fight. Niggas, too old a fight. What kind of liquor you'd be drinking, man? I wasn't driving, nigga. That's all I'm just saying. What you were drinking? I wasn't driving.

I know I wasn't driving, sir. I'm not fighting. Turning to Mr. Turner on the niggas. Yo, idiot. You must be trying to get this nigga so puts it in. I know I wasn't driving. The bitch jumped in my lap. I pushed the bitch off.

That's all I know. Mr. Turner. Fucking take me to jail then. God damn you know you get into an old fight when you throw it right and you fuck your left shoulder up but I will not be disrespect to shout out of people that beared with me through all that shout out of it Tim Z was fair to me Tim Z called me the night before I didn't even remember what happened she said we got to take me fighting I'm like fight the who man I was like fight the who's right now TMZ is fair to me I'm fair to my people you know but I just want to

say really thank you for having me on this podcast you know anything time you know you caught me a couple times you didn't think I was gonna be here but my word they didn't think I was being like nah you didn't my fucking blame up people it ain't me to keep asking it's nothing I was that nigga right now he's like this they on my back son I was like whatever man yeah because we was like nigga did you call hang up right now call that nigga right now no this thing it told me to drop a pin nigga give me your location right now you're your way's location right now what's your ETA but you know I'm a man of my where I always support people that's

doing this shit and Everything that followed you guys doing, it's all professional. It's some good shit. Y'all employ some good motherfuckers and y'all in the future, so I appreciate that. Man, thank you. Thank you very much. This is the 85 South Show. I'm your man Carlos Miller.

This is my man, Ashford Lawrence. Ashford Lawrence, aka Donnell Rawlins. We're in here, 85 South Show. We out. First, I'm my brother. Go ahead of my brother. 85. 80.

Five. Eighty-five, hide, hi! When your car is making a strange noise, no matter what it is, you can't just, you can't just pretend it's not. not happening. That's an interesting sound. It's like your mental health. If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed, it's important to do something about it. It can be as simple as talking to someone or just taking a deep, calming breath to ground yourself.

Because once you start to address the problem, you can go so much further. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have resources available for you at loveyourmind today.org. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where Silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network.

Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of Family Secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast.