The Breakfast Club - Alicia Keys Interview and more

Episode Date: December 17, 2021

Today on the show we are not even going to pretend we were fully live on the airwaves, but we do have some new interviews for our listeners to gain some knowledge from. First up we have singer/ song writer Alicia Keys stop by where she spoke about her new double album, past business decisions and growing as an artist. Also, Judge Faith Jenkins stopped by where she spoke about divorce court, relationship triggers and embracing her journey. We also flash back to hysterical topics and the time when Charlamagne gave "Donkey of the Day" to a wheelchair bank robber. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They not mean to hold you in their arms PJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne Tha God Wake that ass up, The Breakfast Club is on Right here I am Phillip Blass, I'm talking to The Breakfast Club this morning Okay, okay, okay I love coming here, I'm never not gonna come here You guys are good to me, in return I'm always gonna be good to y'all

For a lot of people in the hip-hop generation, The Breakfast Club is where people get their information On the topics, on the artists, and everything like that In that aspect, radio is still important The Breakfast Club When my name come up, respect it information on the topics, on the artists, and everything like that. In that aspect, radio is still important. The Breakfast Club. With my name. Come on, respect it. Good morning, USA!

Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, Good morning, Angela Yee. Good morning, DJ MB. Charlamagne Tha God. Peace to the planet. Happy Friday. Now, this is one of those times where we're pretending like we're here, but we're really not.

But we got new content for you. Like, we got Alicia Keys coming up next hour. Judge Faith Jenkins later on in the show. But I want to tell y'all that tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, 10 p.m., Comedy Central, my late-night talk show, The God's Honest Truth. This is the last episode of this year. We'll be back next year with fresh new episodes. But tonight we have Kamala Harris. Vice President Kamala Harris will be on The God's Honest Truth

tonight at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central. Make sure you scream The God's Honest Truth on Paramount Plus to catch up on all the episodes. But make sure you tune in tonight at 10pm On Comedy Central Vice President Kamala Harris will be joining me On the God's Honest Truth And we're going to be having a healthy discussion

Not me and Kamala, but me and Chico Bean And Amanda Seals will be having a healthy discussion About who really runs Christmas Is it Jesus or Santa? Huh? Find out tonight, 10pm, the God's Honest Truth on Comedy Central. Alright, we got more coming up next. We're The Breakfast Club.

This is your time to get it off your chest, whether you're mad or blessed. So you better have the same energy. We want to hear from you on The Breakfast Club. Hello, who's this? This Shazna. Hey, get it off your chest. No, I just wanted to say I love listening to y'all. Y'all help me

every morning. And what up, though, from Detroit? What up, though? What up, though? And Angela, when you need a new guest for lip service? I'm trying to get on this show. Where are you going? You in Detroit still? Yes, I live here. What's your qualifications? Tell me

what you do so that I can know what you want to talk about. I do want to learn for radio and broadcasting, so I do have experience with that. I recently had my own podcast, but I'm trying to rebrand everything and start fresh with my own show. All right, it's Freaky Friday. Give me a topic. Let's say it's Freaky Friday.

What's your dark fantasy? All right, what is it? Mine is doing something in a car and somewhere real dark in a park where nobody can see you. Sounds like a horror movie waiting to happen. Yeah. Thank you for calling with your freaky ass. All right, DM me, girl. Hello, who's this?

Hey, this is Siobhan. Good morning to everyone. Good good morning get it off your chest okay so in our community i'm gonna say the black community we should normalize raising our kids without abusing it's just something that shouldn't be done like why are we beating our kids and like and then people are quick to go to the bible and say oh you know you know they say spare the rod for the child but don't we all remember in school that the rod means the rod of correction and not like necessarily disciplining with pain you know you but you know you know that's something we learn from our oppressor you know you know and that's and that's what i'm

saying like we need to stop it like there's so many people like that you know you know and that's and that's what i'm saying like we need to stop it like there's so many people like that you know i whooped her butt or i did this what about sitting down and speaking with your child that's right like my oldest daughter is um 13 and you know i spanked her when she was like young like you know two years old and i felt so stupid and i always say to myself like how could my parents beat me with extension cords and everything else and be okay? How did that not bother them? And that's what I'm saying.

And you're so right. It is coming from our oppressors, but I think we need to be more conscious of where it's coming from. Spread the word. Talk to each other because this is so sickening. So sickening. Yeah, it's awful. I used to get my ass beat.

Thank you, Mama. Oh, of course. You guys have a great one. You too now. Hello, who's this? This is L-Dub. L-Dub, what up? Get it off your chest, brother. Hey, man, one thing, God, I'm living the day going to work, man. Tell your body to stop the vaccine mandate, yes, man. One thing, God. I'm living the day. Going to work, man. Tell Joe Biden to stop the vaccine mandate, man. I feel you.

All right, bro. That's all I got. Y'all have a good day, man. Yes, sir. I have a blessed one, too, bro. Hello. Who's this? What's up, man?

It's Block 80 from Virginia. What's up, 757? Get it off your chest. Man, I just want to get it off my chest. I'm feeling blessed. I'm about to drop an album this month called Block Man. Block Man. Okay. What part of VA you from?

My little brother. You say what? What part of Virginia you from? From Chesapeake. Okay. Alright, so you rap? Yeah. Alright, spit some real quick this morning. I say I'm motivated. On the greatest day underrated. Pockets overweighted. Know you hate it.

Won't believe the lies I told you, lady. Just to hold my babies. You see the wings. This here ain't no Mercedes. Walking to the room, they going crazy. Because I ain't got no shirt on. They rubbing on my six-pack. Some shit you need to work on.

Killing me. Might as well try to hurt some. Smell like the nurse home. I got the wave you can surf on. And a whole lot of dough. That's a biscuit number two. How old are you, brother? How old are you, sir?

31 Oh, okay Do you really have a six-pack? Yeah Okay But you want to see a picture? No, I'm just asking I just want to make sure

I just want to make sure His rap's real Just follow my ID Block80 B-L-O-K dot 80, man I got some hot music On YouTube Videos

40,000 K views All that All right Well, congrats Do your 40,000 K-views, all that. Alright, well, congrats. Hello, who's this? Dorian. Hey, Dorian, get it off your chest, sir. I just wanted to send out a positive message to everybody and also ask about therapy. Yes, sir. Hey, I just

wanted to tell everybody out there struggling, if you're going through anything, it's all a part of your story. Don't give up. Keep on pushing and just keep on believing in yourself, trusting yourself, and visualize the best version of yourself. You got to trust your life. You got to trust God and you got to trust your life. That's it. That's it.

Now, what's your question for therapy? It's time for me to start working on myself because there's a lot of stuff that I've been holding in. And it's time for me to really start to grow more. Hey, best decision I ever made in my life back in 2016, man. Started going to 2016 once a week, every Friday. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, you can go in person. You know, it's a lot of teletherapy that you can do nowadays. You just got to do some research and find the best therapist for you.

What do you think you need to go for? I went for my anxiety and bout to depression and ended up peeling back all kind of layers of trauma. But what do you think you need to go for? I just need to go for, like, just for my health. Well, for my mental health because I'm real bad with my emotions. And it affects everyone else around me. True indeed.

You can always just put things off and say, okay, it'll be all right. Well, I will tell you, man. I don't know how to support people. Just find somebody that's, you know, in your area that you think is best suited to fit your needs. That's what I would tell you. And you can go to my website. Go to the mentalwealthalliance.org. And, you know, we have a list of providers.

You probably can find somebody in your area. Okay. I appreciate it. Yeah, mentalwealthalliance.org. All right, brother. Thank you, man. Get it off your chest. 800- I appreciate it. Yeah, mentalwealthalliance.org. All right, brother. Thank you, man. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051.

If you need to vent, hit us up now. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. I'm telling. I'm telling. Hey, what you doing, man?

I'm telling. I'm calling you. This is your time to get it off your chest. Whether you're mad or blessed. 800-585-1051. We want to hear from you on The Breakfast Club. Hello, who's this?

Yes, good morning. I just want to bring it to the attention of these gas station attendants. Why would you tell them to put one amount in your car and put another amount? I told the gas station attendant to put $20 in my car, keep it for $40. What? That's what you see. Nah, ma. That's what you got to say. Look, all I got is $20.

This is all I have. This is what I asked you for. They got to give it to you. Oh. Oh. Right. Look, all I got is $20. This is all I have. This is what I asked you for. They got to give it to you. It's on your card, though. Oh. It's on your card. So they already have your card. Oh.

Right. So something has to be done. And I don't know if it's... Usually, a lot of them don't speak the language. You're doing other things when that's happening. You're not paying no attention. Because you expect them to do what you ask them to do. Correct? Well, I think since this has been happening to you a lot,

just make sure that you extra pay attention now when you get gas. You don't ever want to act like Trump to people who don't speak the language. Yeah, if it happened a bunch of times, you gotta start watching. Yeah, but if you don't speak the language... That's never happened to me. You've always said stop, bro. They get stopped. Stop! Everybody

knows stop. Clearly not. Hello, who's this? Hello? Hi. Oh my God, I can't believe i got through good morning thank you all for everything that you do um oh my god i just want to shout out all the u.s army veterans out there i am a u.s army veteran um a part of mental health um i got out of the army and after two years of fear and doubt, I launched my boutique fashion house. The house is spelled H-A-U-S in German because that was my first duty station and I launched it on Veterans Day last year. It hasn't been easy, but I'm finding joy through

the process. And, you know, basically my sister and I, we just made the choice to live consciously and to face our goals and live intentionally. That's right. And so she also has a podcast. It's called Incommensurable Podcast. It's pushing the idea that we all are unique and we have to think for ourselves always. And I just want to share with you.

I'm so nervous, guys. You have no reason to be. I love your mission statement. And by the way, that's not an idea that we all are unique. We definitely all are unique. None of our DNAs are the same. Absolutely, absolutely. I want to share with you the next.

Oh, your phone is breaking up. Hold on a second, Mama. Hello, who's this? Morning, this, mama. Hello, who's this? Morning, this is Jerome. Jerome, what's up? Good morning, man. Get off your chest. Good morning, Charlamagne.

Peace, King. Good morning. I don't know. I just remember a couple months back, DJ Envy said, you don't know no brothers with no cats, man. With no what? Cats.

Cats. Cats. Oh. Animals. Cats. Cats. Oh. Animals. Cats. Cats. But yeah, I just wanted to let y'all know

I have two cats and a dog and the names Ike, Dina, and Turner. And you can follow them on Instagram right now. I love cats.

No, I don't mess with cats. I'd rather have a cat than have a dog. They're a lot more low maintenance. Nah, a lot more low maintenance. Nah, a dog protects the crib. Yeah, and cats make sure you don't have bugs or rodents. And another thing, I had called her a couple weeks ago,

and I was talking about the little girl and the period or whatever, and I wanted to apologize to DJ Envy because I told him that I wasn't, because he didn't understand what I was saying, but that was it. And I just want to wish y'all a happy holidays and everything else. All right, King. Same to you, brother. Yeah, we grew up with cats in our house, though. We had three cats and a dog.

No, we never had no cats. We always had dogs. My wife had a cat growing up. Yeah, there's nothing wrong with people who like cats. My wife's parents. I just said I don't know anybody. I just don't know any men with cats. That's all I said.

Yeah, I don't know no men with cats. What's wrong with being a man with cats? Because honestly, they are low maintenance. You could leave a cat in the house for like three days and they'll be okay. Mike Tyson had a white tiger. That's the closest person I know to have a cat. I don't know. Let's shout out to all the guys with cats out there.

There you go. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need to vent, hit us up now. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Good morning.

Show The Breakfast Club. Charlemagne Tha God, Angela Yee, DJ Envy had to step out. But, man, we have the author of one of the best books I read this year. Resmaa McKim. How about? Minikim. Minikim. Definitely took Envy's place.

Resmaa Minikim, author of My Grandmother's Hands, Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. First of all, it is a pleasure to sit down and talk to you. Thank you, brother. How are you? I'm doing well, man. I'm doing well. Busy, but doing well. Absolutely, absolutely. Now

tell folks what this book is about. So brother, the book is really about racialized trauma and how more often than not, when we think about racism and white body supremacy, we think about it from an intellectual place like, you know, you know, dates and times and stuff like that. But my whole work is really around how trauma lives in the body. And gets passed down. And how it gets passed down through generations. What ends up happening is that we don't just learn from our caregivers in terms of instruction. We also learn from what their bodies recoil from and lean into. Trauma in a person over time can look like personality. Trauma in a family over time can look like family traits. But trauma in a people can look like personality. Trauma in a family over time can look like family traits,

but trauma in a people can look like culture. And we miss those pieces. And so the whole book was about my journey, my own personal journey, you know, in Afghanistan, born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and my journey in terms of my people and my grandmother. Can you talk about what white body supremacy is? Yes. So so when we say the word white supremacy, a lot of times what happens is that people

move to the head. They start trying to say, well, I'm not racist or I'm not this or I'm not that. I'm not the person that did that. I'm not the person. Yeah. I don't think like that. Absolutely. Absolutely. And so what ends up happening is, is that we end up having an intellectual conversation and not how this stuff actually impacts the body. And so white body supremacy is my attempt to get us to begin to think about what shows up when we're having these types of interactions, what shows up when we see a black body being murdered on the streets. Right.

And that actually may not just be your own personal piece it might be historical it might be intergenerational it might be persistent institutional and then your own personal stuff gets combined with you know is this god bought this book in my life at the right time you know angela rod kept telling me to get it but it came in my life at a point where i started doing healing exercises i started actually doing things that help this this this trauma move to my body explain how why that's so necessary so so i so if you notice in the book brother i don't call them exercises i call them practices practices why is because whenever we think about trauma and specifically racialized trauma, we think about something we need to just purge,

right? But in actuality, race, the concept of race has a 400 to 500 year old charge to it. So when we start to begin to deal with it, that charge can overwhelm us. And with your experience, and I've listened to you quite a bit. And so some of the experience when you have, when you yourself have been traumatized, right? In addition to the historical trauma that gets passed down, in addition to the intergenerational trauma, you don't really know how to articulate. So the practices are designed to go slow. One of the things about the practice is that it forces you to work with, to learn discernment. Oh, this is more resource or this really scares me or this is more constricted in my body. When we're traumatized, that's all blended together.

We don't know how to discern one sensation from an image. You have to condition and temper your body to be able to withstand the trauma and the stuff that has happened so you can metabolize it over time and not just be overwhelmed when it shows up. And this practice is for white people as well. Oh, hell yeah. What happens with white folks, right? We live in a structure by which the white body deems and has deemed itself the supreme standard of humanness, philosophically and structurally right that's it

so what ends up happening is that in that process the acceptance of whiteness right made made white people have to give up part of their humanity in order to be white they they had to you can't participate in brutalizing people, right, without disrupting part of your own humanity. And so the practices in the book are really designed to help white people begin to confront that thing that had that the ways that they've been standardized as human and me and you've been standardized as deviant from human. They're the normal. They're the normal and we're deviant, right? And so it is standardized so they don't even feel like they need to even do nothing about

it. That's why I have the practices in there for white bodies. Okay, we got more with the great Resmaa Minikin when we come back discussing his book, My Grandmother's Hands, Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies on The Breakfast Club. Hey, I want to make sure to tell y'all to tune in to The God's Honest Truth tonight at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central. That's my late night talk show. And tonight we have Vice President Kamala Harris on the show. So tune in 10 p.m. tonight on Comedy Central, my late night talk show, The God's Honest Truth.

The Vice President Kamala Harris will be joining us tonight. And you know I got questions. Alright, we got more. Don't move. It's the best of The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. Yes, it's the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, DJ Envy is off today

and we're talking to Resmaa Minikim. He's the author of My Grandmother's Hands, Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies. Now, can we talk about the title of the book to My Grandmother's Hands and what that does represent? Yeah. As far as the work that you've been doing. So so my grandmother was a small woman. But when we were young, like seven, eight years old, we would go over there and stay with my grandmother.

And my grandmother, number one, she would be in the kitchen and she would hum and you notice in the book i talk about the hum and the vagal nerve and all that it's a very important piece um one time i was rubbing her hands and i was comparing her hands to my hands like my hands are very thin and angular my grandmother had these thick digits like thick and then a thickness inside of her her palm and the thickness on the back of her palm and so i was i was rubbing and i said grandma why your hand so fat why your hands fat like that and without missing a beat she goes oh boy that's from picking cotton i'm seven eight right and i'm like okay and she must have heard the space divide so she turned and this and her cadence picked up right i knew i didn't know

what it was but i knew i needed pages she goes well you ever seen the cotton plant i got no ma'am she goes complaint got these birds this is where she's talking and i said okay and she said when you reach your hands in there and at four years old i started walking up and down on roads where i was for my daddy was a sharecropper so when you reach your hands in that stuff your hands bleed and i i did not remember that story again till i started reading the book so i started writing the book that's amazing because then the calluses protect her hands from bleeding that's right and it just gets used to that's exactly right and then i took that and said well that's how trauma works you know i wanted to ask you

about something because uh me and my homegirl dad was talking about this yesterday it was a instagram post somebody posted and they said not everything is a trauma response and uh they say the point here is we can't just slap a label of trauma onto everything we can't understand all behavior as trauma responses we have to think more about the roles culture plays in creating and sustaining trauma responses and trauma responses aren't necessarily all bad yeah absolutely okay so trauma is personal and particular me and you may be homeboys and something happens in front of us right a necessary component of trauma is stuck right no matter what i do is stuck something is stuck that's a necessary component something bad can happen to both of us

at the same time and you get stuck and i don't right so so when it comes to trauma right but but but there's a higher propensity to get stuck right when this when the thing that happens happens to a mass of people right and i believe that you will more likely get stuck in trauma when children are involved, right? What I would say is some people get stuck with that and some people don't. It doesn't, but I also don't want to take the culture off the hook, right? And say, well, not everybody is traumatized, so it's not really a big deal. It is a huge deal because the trauma that we're talking about has compounded over time and has been decontextualized. So now we take it out on each other. Right. And so I say we have to you have to do both. You have to keep

the vertical and the horizontal. When you're viewing this stuff around race, you have to keep both of them on the table. You know, you say that healing racism begins with the body. Do you think that takes precedent over legislation? No, no. Here's what I, here's what I believe. I believe that legislation is fine and it is inadequate. It is unsustainable. It can't just be policy changes. It can't be policy changes. Look, look, we had the, we had the, uh, the voting rights act, right? Look at what we're doing right. Just yesterday, trying to uh the voting rights act right look at what's right look at what we're doing right just yesterday trying to implement the voting rights from 65 you see what i mean what i believe is that as we create a what i call a living embodied anti-racist culture as we begin to do that the emergence will will will open up so much room and so much fuel and so much power that our politicians will either have to comply or get the hell out of the way. But because we haven't done that, because we haven't

worked our own pieces, they can keep skirting around what they should be doing for us as a people. One of the things I appreciate about what y'all do here is that y'all pub people and do things for people without expecting something back. And what that does is creates a cultural glue. Right. And so those pieces matter. The more you do that. Right. The more you develop these structures of trust, not not transactional.

Right. And at the same time, when stuff happens between us. Right. I can hold it with you and help you move communally through that trauma. If it's a trauma response, help you move through it and not just cast you off. That's the pieces. So, yes, legislation is fine. Anybody that's on a journey of healing, you gotta get my grandmother's hands. You have to. Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies is available everywhere you get books now. Resmaa, thank you my brother. It was an absolute pleasure, man. I appreciate you. Thank you. Thank you. It's The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. Your mornings

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Nightmare Alley, only in theaters today. Hey guys, I'm Cate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys,

and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha.

And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice to politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace and social circle. Exactly. Whether you're black, Asian, white, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, you name it.

If you stand with us, then we stand with you. Let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic, accountable, and equitable America. You are all our brothers and sisters, and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday. With myself, Ramses Jha, Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America. Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey there, my little creeps. It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously We'll be right back. spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend.

So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board, just don't call me unless it's urgent, and tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's topic time.

Call 800-585-1051 to join in to the discussion with The Breakfast Club. Talk about it. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Now, if you just joined us, we're asking, have you ever fell in love with a stripper? A gentleman out in H-Town lent a stripper $2,000, a laptop, and some Harry Potter DVDs.

And he sued her because he said they broke up so we're asking have you ever fell in love with a stripper now i uh frequently dj strip clubs all the time and i remember one particular time our camera guy up here uh he was feeling sad so i took him out for his birthday which one nick no no steve camera guy oh steve steve though okay now i did my set i was out of the club at about three o'clock. I said, yo, Steve, ready to go? He was like, nah, I'll stay for a little bit. I was like, Steve, you know, nobody here.

He was like, no, but you know, the stripper's feeling me. I said, no, she's not feeling you, sir. She's feeling the money that you're throwing. He's like, no, no, no. I think we have a connection. I said, well, hit me when you get home. So I know you made it home safe. Steve waited there

until about 4 20 till she got out of work that's how much in love he was with that stripper now what happened after that i don't know but he was definitely in love it's the stripper's job to give you attention guys it's a completely transactional relationship yes you're throwing your ones she's dancing that's what the strip club is for it's like literally going into a barbershop paying the barber to cut your hair and saying yo i think i think he's feeling me yo he's he's playing on my neck no he's cutting your hair okay it's the same thing with a stripper but but i will say this and for the strippers out there when the strippers don't dance and they have conversations with their uh mark i'll call them

that's when it gets a little they're having conversations to see if you got some goddamn money but the conversation they should be wasting their time with you conversation makes the mark feel special because he's like wow you dance for everybody but you're sitting down talking to me i think she's like that's why script was a great host drop on the clues bonds for all the out there that's why they're amazing at what they do because they make you feel special they make you feel wanted and that's how you have to make you feel special. They make you feel wanted. And that's how you have to make somebody feel if you want them to throw their money. Salute to all the Scribblers, man.

Yeah, you ever fell in love with a Scribbler? Uh, no, I absolutely haven't. I have a lot of friends who are Scribblers, or former Scribblers. I mean, I never fell in love with a Scribbler. I mean, you know, I've been fond of one in my day, okay, but never fell in love. And the first time you got a, was that a strip club? Yeah, that was, I've been I've been fond of one in my day. OK, but never fell in love. The first time you got was at a strip club.

Yeah, that was I was a kid. That wasn't I wasn't even old enough to be in the strip club. I'll tell you this, too. We need to be asking this question about the bottle girls, the bartenders, the bars. This generation might have definitely fell in love with a couple of bartenders, a couple of bottle girls before the Scribbles. Well, hello, who's this? Yes, hello, this is Sean. Oh, Sean, it sounds like you fell in love with a Scribble or a bottle girl.

Oh, don't do me like that. Yes, I fell in love with a Hooters girl. Back in the day, me and my friends, we used to go up there up in Connecticut, and she was a beautiful brown-skinned woman, and I would tip her a lot. And I ended up, she ended up finessing me into paying for her car payment. Damn. And then I remember I would come in the Hooters, and at one point in time, she wouldn't give me the energy and the love that I thought I deserved.

But, f***. You hear your goddamn fragile ego? She didn't give me the love I deserve. What the hell you mean? Well, you know, I was tipping her nicely, man. Nicely. Ego, bro. You leading with ego, bro.

Oh, boy. Poor you. That's all ego. Hello, who's this? Hey, can you hear me? We can hear you. What's up, bro? You fell in love with a stripper?

Hey, what's up, Charlamagne? Peace, K. Yeah, man. How y'all doing, man? I definitely appreciate what y'all do, what y'all got going on, man, what's up, Charlamagne? Peace, King. Yeah, man. How y'all doing, man? I definitely appreciate what y'all do, what y'all got going on, man. What's up, brother?

Man, I fell in love with a stripper, man, back in my high school days. Can you hear me? Yes, sir. Tell us all about it. Yeah, yeah. Her name was Essence, man.

I'm still in love with her. How long has it been, sir? Y'all still together? It's been about a good five, six years, man. The girl, she is fat booty, man. Body shape is just tattoos. I mean, she look good.

She look hella good, man. I just, I ain't been to the strip club since. Every time I go, honestly, I fall in love with strippers every time I go. So I just got to stay away from them for real. Hello, who's this? This is Nick. Nick, you fell in love with a stripper, bro? Yeah, man.

I think I'm in love with one right now. What's her name? This is Nick. Nick, you fell in love with a stripper, bro? Yeah, man. I think I'm in love with one right now. What's her name? Asia, baby. This is Mary Flawless, man. You got to stop playing with me. Oh, Lord. Have you tried to highlight her outside of office hours, sir, when she's not working? Yeah, I mean, she's cool, people.

You know, I got the Instagram or whatever. I'll talk to her. You know, we talk a little bit, but it's hard to get her out the club, man. Do you spend a lot of money in the club on her? Um, I've spent a decent amount, but I think where the connection came at is when she came on the podcast.

She came on your podcast? Yeah, yeah. You know, the In Your Face podcast. She came on two different episodes. We call them strip episodes. So we had her and a couple other people, but, you know, just getting to sit there and interview her and talk to her, I don't think I would let a girl. So why don't you tell her? Why don't you be like, yo, I'm going to be honest with you,

I really like you. You know what I'm saying? I feel like he just did. Maybe you can offset her lifestyle. You got enough money to offset her lifestyle? I'll make a decent amount, but I think, you know, she get a lot of money already, so the money ain't gonna hit her.

You know, she's used to it. So, like, show her love. Show her real love. Like, court her. You know what I'm saying? Like, treat her the way you would want, like, somebody to treat your daughter. You would want your father to treat your mom. Like, show her some real love. Good luck, man. Yeah.

Why not? Why not? Hello, who's this? What up? This Chris out of Baton Like, you show her some real love. Good luck, man. Why not? Why not? Hello, who's this? What up? This is Chris out of Baton Rouge. You hear me? Chris, what up, man? You fell in love with a stripper, bro?

Oh, yeah, dog. Her name is Miss Memphis, man. Oh, my God. She blew my mind. She gave you a lap dance, blew your mind, and you were in love. What's her name? Miss Memphis, man. I got the lap dance, and I got a number and all that, and I hooked up with her again.

And that second time I hooked up with her, when I went to the gas station, I got all kinds of pills and stuff. Man, I couldn't even finish. I got my money's worth, I'll tell you that. Damn. You got my money's worth. All right, man. Stay with me on gas station pills, man.

Lord have mercy on my poor soul, man. What's that, man? what's the what's the moral of the story i mean there is no moral of the story y'all brothers just gotta stop letting y'all ego lead man because some of y'all ego be making y'all believe things that don't exist like y'all relationships with these strippers all right all a stripper owes you is a dance that's it and that's only because the relationship is transactional you You paid for the service. She provided that service. That's that. Y'all get to know each other outside of that and you know something happens.

Great. Other than that, goddamn tipping, keep it moving. Lord have mercy. My goodness. We got more to move. It's the best of The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs,

the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward.

And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice

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And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously unsettling stories. Well, wonder no more, because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you. Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year.

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The Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. Her first time on the show in 11 years. She's never been up here. What?

She be busy. Seriously? Yes, Alicia Keys. Yay. Alicia Keys. What's happening? Everything is everything. Just trying to feel like I've never been in this room with y'all. I don't think so. There we go. It's pretty disgusting in here if you look around. Is it?

You prefer not to be in here? Look at it. It's all dirty. Come on. It's beautiful. This is your space. That's right. It's the essence to it.

You know what I mean? And it's also your first time doing a double album. It is my first time. That's a lot of music. You put out a lot of music. It's a lot. Not so much. Do you just have so much music?

Or during the pandemic, you were like, I just feel like working? It's originals and unlocks. Yeah, it's definitely, you know, really is a lot of the songs are the same. Because the one side is original. So that's like more stripped down piano vibe. The other side, Mike Will and I sampled the original. So it's really two perspectives of the same song. So if you really break it down, it's probably like 14 joints two times.

Oh, that's why it says unlock. Someone attracts it. Exactly. Got you, got you, got you. And usually you don't work with just one producer like you did with Mike Will on the unlocked version. How was that process? No, it was great. I mean, you know, to just kind of bring it back down to the basics.

I think at the beginning, I always, it was just mostly me and at the time I had my partner crucial that we always work together but after that I started to explore more different collaborations so coming back to the basics of just like being just me on the originals and then just me and Mike on unlock it's just it's it's fluid just feels kind of easy and it flows. Especially for now. Obviously, we're not all getting with a thousand people right now. It's about keeping the circle tight. First of all, how are you?

I don't think we said that. How are you? You know what? How are you? How's your energy? Thank you. My energy is amazing. I was actually going to ask y'all, how the hell are y'all? We good.

I'm good. I appreciate you asking me that question. It's a good time of the year. It's the holidays. I feel upbeat. I know it's a weird time still, though. Last year was really weird. This year is still a little weird,

but you got new music out, and this is always the best time, I feel like, to drop music. It's Kismis. That's what I'm calling it, Kismis. That chain is nuts. Thank you. Where's my diamond tester? Come on.

Don't touch it. That is crazy. That's beautiful. Thank you. It's so hip-hop. That's beautiful. Thank you. It's so hip-hop. That's dope. I figure everybody else bring out their chains. Actually, Swizzy, he gave me this for his birthday.

So on his birthday, he gave me this. I thought that was kind of fire. We've been seeing you now doing more and more interviews. More and more people are starting to know who Alicia Keys really is. ah for years we really didn't know like you did do what what what what and then it just keys took off and then we really didn't see you know what type of keys this part of keys i think you right and i guess i didn't ever realize it because i live with myself so i know who i am and i know how i feel and I know what I do and I know how I vibe and all of my friends and people that rock with me they know me so I guess I didn't and every time I come to an interview I come to a thing I'm always the same person you can't say

like I'm acting differently but I guess I just never realized that you people didn't actually get to connect with me I think because of maybe the type of interviews they were so it didn't allow us to like get into the zone the way that maybe some of these ones more recently have felt who is Alicia Keys in 2021 we're going into 2022 who are you now who I 2022 it's crazy man you know I'm a lot of the same person that I've always been. I'm definitely that same kind of empathetic, relatable, boots on the ground type of girl, woman. But I definitely have a lot more wisdom.

I have a lot more confidence. I have a lot more understanding of just what's real and what's fake. I think sometimes this world, this game, this industry can really be confusing. You get confused about what's actual and what's fake. I think sometimes this world, this game, this industry can really be confusing. You get confused about what's actual and what's not. So anyway, but just having an amazing time. I'm on my music fully. I'm better than ever on that side. And I just feel like I'm just a person who is really clear about who I am and what I want and where I'm going.

Do your kids understand they have famous parents? They're so mad. They'll be like, you got to go again. You have to go again. And they always try to guilt trip me extra. I'm like, but I'm going to be right back. Every time I go, I come back. And you can perform with me.

They're starting to like that. I'm noticing my youngest, Genesis, he's very, very shy. He is the boss. And he don't play no games. He don't like you. He's like, no, he don't care what he's not trying to do it. Be like nice to anybody. But he's starting to like being on the stage a little bit, which is a shocker because he's super shy. The other day he was like, Mommy, why you didn't call me on stage? I was like, huh? He tried to play you. I was like, huh? You want to go off that? Yes. So anyway, yeah, they do like that. Now, I remember back in the day, there were some things about management, right,

that people were talking about and speculating on when you had first signed a deal because you got signed at an early, early age. Right, 14. And then I remember hearing that they were charging you some crazy percentage and then you had to get rid of management. What was the real story behind that? Really? You know, I

was really with the same management for really a long time and I don't think that it was some crazy percentage. To be honest, the commissions in the business is just f***ed. They're too high. And then you have a management commission, you have a business management just, you know, it's like they're too high. And then you have a management commission. You have a business management commission. You have a lawyer commission and you add all those commissions up and you end up with less than all of them.

You know what I mean? So I think that it's not that they were doing something that wasn't standard. The problem is that industry standard is incorrect. And so as a young person, you don't really know those things. And so you just do what you you don't really know those things. And so you just do what you think you're supposed to do. And then finally, five years down the line, when I was looking at my bottom line and my, you know, management, business managers and lawyers were coming back with more money and I was on the road for two years straight, I was like, oh,

what's happening? So again, it's just an education process. I don't think it was like some major drama or thing that they were like stealing from me. It was more that this is what it usually is. And did you manage to, how do you adjust that? You just got to tell you, I'm not paying you that. Yeah. Like I'm not like, that's not happening. I get it that that's not what the standard is, but what has to happen for me is I need to have a long-term, you know, I need to be able to, this needs to be a long-term thing for me, not a short-term thing. So you, you re-approach them and you say, I'm comfortable doing this. I won't do, I want to do hourly. I don't want to do percentages. I want to monitor it. I want to see, and you just got to get on top of your shit. So once I figured out what to do, I could actually execute it. But at first

you're in there like, what am I doing? You know? So once I got past that, that's all, I think it was just that to clear it up. never seemed it never seemed like you had trouble gaining creative control and freedom throughout your whole career even in the early days they let you just do you I have to say they definitely always I always had control of my music for sure and I do think my first management was really instrumental on that they were really about like me being at the head of my table so they they knew that I was playing. They knew I was producing. They knew I was writing. They knew this was my sonic, my sound. And it was really about

how to get the best out of it. And we tried. At the beginning, we tried to do all of the things where all the other producers do the thing. It just didn't work because it didn't sound like me. It wasn't New York enough. It wasn't the vibe enough. So I think it definitely I've always had control of my sound. That's thing I really appreciate but it was the marketing and promotions

that in your first deal they couldn't get a grasp on you think because clearly you blew up after that first deal so right you think was oh the very first one very first deal they just was corny but you know I think it just wasn't the right place for me you know now that I know and I believe in divine timing you know you realize that it just wasn't right so I was I had to move out of there so that I could move on to the next thing so I'm actually grateful

that they were corny and didn't understand what I was doing because then I can move on. Alright we got more with Alicia Keys when we come back. Don't move. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee,

Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with Alicia Keys. It's crazy. This is the Alicia Keys that I don't think everybody ever seen in their life. When I'm hearing you on Drink Champs, I'm like, she's a f***ing New Yorker. Just the cockiness, just how you feel, just the authentic.

But we never got a chance to hear you speak. It's crazy. And I think it's a different side. You know what I mean? Because we love the music, but we didn't know A-Keys. Right. You know what I mean?

But now it's like, I just want a f***ing New Yorker. She will punch you in your face. Like, this is that vibe, which I love. I was going to ask at 12, what got you into singing and playing the piano and being a musician at 12, coming from New York City, Hell's Kitchen, everybody's running around outside. what got you into singing and playing the piano and being a musician at 12 coming from New York City, Hell's Kitchen, everybody's running around outside. What got you say,

nah, this is what I want to do. I don't know what always attracted me to the piano. It was almost like a calling kind of, I think I just, I don't even know. Nobody I really, nobody I know played my grandmother played, but I barely saw her cause she lived in like a whole other place. So I didn't there wasn't somebody that was around me that kind of led me there so i think it was a calling on the piano side and then once i got a chance to have a have access to one because like who has a piano like that's like the world we don't usually play pianos because we don't have them correct you know what i mean so so i think you know oh that's what it was i got um there was like a a strange

gift that was a person kind of was moving and they didn't know what to do with this kind of piano they had in their family or whatever. And they said, like, could you use it? So it was one of those weird things that would never happen ever and did. And so I think that was kind of the door that opened it up right there. And how did you get into the industry? Because they said your mother was a paralegal. So how did mom know about the music industry? She didn't.

How did the family know about getting you a deal? How? She didn't. I wasn't raised by my father. So my mother definitely was both for me. And she didn't know. She didn't know. We happened to stumble.

We were at the PAL doing all of these kind of, we were putting together a group and rehearsing at PAL on the 137th, like every day after school. And so she didn't know anything. These guys kind of were like, hey, we, you know, we think your daughter can do some stuff and this is what we could do. And I remember they'd be in our little apartment and our apartment was like tiny and they were kind of big. They'd just be sitting there taking up all the space. And I think she just, I think she probably felt really distrustful.

I think she just had to, she decided to kind of go with it but I don't think she knew anything. Now you had Pusha T on the first record on the album. Yes. You sampled Beanie Sigel, The Truth.

Yes. Why Pusha T? Of all people, why Pusha T? Pusha did my guy but why Pusha? I love Push, man. I just feel like he has

such an energy, his own. You know, I love how he flows. It feels like he just zooms right into the truth and paints you a picture. That voice is so like, you just feel like you right there with him everywhere. It's a movie to me every time that he rhymes. So I can't believe I never worked with him before.

I've always admired him. And that tempo of the truth and the song that I wrote is called Plentiful. It feels like his lane right there. So it was perfect. Why that sample? Because that sample is just so gutted. I don't feel like anybody used that. I don't know how that one went under the radar.

And I didn't even realize that Ye produced it. I didn't really realize that. So obviously Ye and I have history in regards that that yay producing I didn't really realize that so obviously yay and I have history in regards to the music we've made so it was kind of fresh to come back there not only with yay but obviously with the truth beanie big love the beanie and then push it but it felt you know it's all about keys this record is all about keys and those that organ and the way that I put the keys on top of it it felt like like it had this urgency and this darkness. And I like how the vocals I chose were like a jazzy zone. So I like this mixture of worlds.

It felt like it was a nice way to lure you into the world. I didn't know he did You Don't Know My Name. What? I don't know why I never thought of it. Ain't that crazy? No. No, but I feel you. Like, I didn't know he did The Truth.

Yeah, yeah. Did you know he did The Truth? I did when I tried to sample it. I tried to sample it to use for a commercial for my tv show right right right right with kanye i'm like oh yeah right yeah now that's fire also they said you would do another versus you're open to it another versus another versus yes i don't know who i'm trying to figure out new york when i'm listening to you on on Champs, it was like, yeah, the John Legend was cool. That was like, you know,

woosah, woosah, woosah, but I'm ready for that war. I'm ready for that action. I love that. Who would be the one? Do you know? I agree with them. Beyonce, Rihanna. Maybe you and Esra, and then y'all could do my boo at the end. Nah.

Classic record. One of my favorite records. I need the Beyonce, the Rihanna that's a record. One of my favorite records. I know. I need the Beyonce, the Rihanna, the Mariah. One of those three. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Do you feel like you don't get mentioned in that sphere enough?

No, I don't feel like that. I feel like I'm in my own lane anyway. Definitely are. Yeah, so I can see why people wouldn't because I don't really belong there. And sometimes I feel like Alicia Keys was born in the wrong era musically Yeah, what you mean you don't belong there? I just feel like I belong in my own space. You know, I've just like I

Occupy my own space that really doesn't Fit actually and even that when he said you but you know, my name won't get mentioned within that group I don't even feel like it fits quite in that group. But I do feel like I was born in the wrong era, too. I really do. I was probably missed it by a decade or two. Even when you're listening to the album now, you're like, all right, wait a minute, where we at?

You know what I mean? It's like you feel Billie Holiday-ish. You see those movies where it's like the bars and the lights are low and everybody's smoking cigars, cigarettes. That's how it feels. I know what you mean. That's why I fit perfect here right now. It's meant to be like that and it's meant to have that

mixture. I disagree. You spank ass. You're a 15-time Grammy award-winning artist. I don't think people know. For her though. For her lane. She do R&B. She do the pop. She do like that there you go it's kind of like that yeah I feel like that's I think what you thought I was saying was as if I don't fit in that Lane as if I'm somehow not

belonging there I'm more meant it as if it's, maybe it's unlaneable. It's not a comparison. Got you. You can't put this song against this song because there are no, they're not, they just don't, they're not in the same space or whatever, but she got me.

She got you and she got me. Yeah, that's how they vibe. I see that. I like that. Now on Drink Champs, you told the story about Prince, right?

Now, has anybody else ever not cleared a sample for you besides Prince? Because I can't imagine Alicia Keys comes, right? And she's like, when you told that story, though, it was respectful. Right, you understood. Yeah, I understand that. Because that's Prince and he's very into ownership and making sure the right people get the money.

But I can't see somebody saying, yeah, we're not going to sign off on this Alicia Keys record you know I mean I guess I don't have any that come to my head that was like super super disappointing you know when I was like no um so yeah and I don't remember another one that was my best that's my best one I feel like Prince would love you though no he loved me which is why he said no he loved me which is why he said no and i actually appreciate he said no in a way that it wasn't no for me it was no who owned what would come of it got you got so it wasn't no to me you know i mean yeah and i learned a lot of things about ownership like did you and prince have those type of conversations? So I understand now. And he was very, obviously, super vocal.

He didn't over-preach when we were, if I was with him. I feel like he was more concerned about me cursing. Prince? He hated it. Because he was Jehovah's Witness. You know what I mean? So at that point, you know, that was the most important thing to him. And he knew I was going to slip up.

You know, when I met Prince, that's the first thing I said, because I couldn't think of nothing else to say. That's the only thing he said. What did he say? No, I'm a Jehovah's Witness, too. It's Prince. I didn't think I would be. You know, certain people you get around, you don't realize you're a star scrubber.

It was embarrassing. Like, hey, you know, I was a Jehovah's Witness, too. That's all I could think to say. I'm a Jehovah's Witness, too. And then he asked for a picture, and Prince said no. And then he tried to sneak one anyway. Wait, wait, wait. First we see Prince.

We go high. I go high. He says hi. He goes, uh. I'm your witness. Prince is like, yeah, we'll talk about that one day. We're connected. Talk to me.

We'll talk about that one day. And he goes, can I get a picture? Prince says no. He said, no, I don't want to take pictures right now. I'm like, all right. OK. All right. But he tried to sneak a picture while Prince was walking off.

I did. He took a picture. And it was there. It was Prince floating away. Right. Literally. Which is just it. That represents him perfectly.

And guess what? Ten seconds later, that's in my phone. That was just black. True story. Dead ass. No, true. That was true. Dead ass.

It was just black. He looked at the picture, and then it was gone. Oh, that hurts so bad, though, right? No. That's when I let me know Prince is an otherworldly being. Nah, that's for sure. Without question. Nah, I get it.

All right, well, don't move. We got more with Alicia Keys when we come back. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with Alicia Keys.

Yee. When you recorded this album, Keys, and you were writing because were you home during a pandemic during doing this? Very much in love, it feels like. Definitely. I feel like a lot of people

pick up on the love and it's I am in love. And so that is actually right. And I also feel like I've also become able to express my love for myself. So I think a lot of the love that you feel is also me

loving on myself and expressing like that love too so it's both it's obviously the love i have for my family the love i have for swiss and the love that i have for myself so i think that's what's coming out so how was it letting him hear these songs while you were writing them and recording them oh man you know he he definitely he always kind of stays out my way because he you know, lets me have my space and he really likes that. But I love to play him songs after I'm finished, especially when I love them. And when he loves them, it's fresh. You know, he's extra overdramatic about everything.

So I love that energy. But have I always been in love with myself? Have you always had that self-love? Not the way that I thought I did. I thought that I thought that I was very much clear about what self-love meant. But I realized that I didn't have that confidence and I didn't have that actual love. If I did, I would have probably made different choices or I would probably have demanded more for myself in a lot of ways, which is what I understand now. So what about worthiness? How long did it take you to get to a feeling of ways, which is what I understand now. What about worthiness? How long did it take you to get to a feeling of worth? Yeah, the worthiness, that's a deep one because I always, you know, I was raised by a feminist for sure.

I always felt very much like I was talked about, I'm worth it, and I'm a superwoman and all these things, which I actually knew when I was writing them that I didn't feel that way. I didn't quite feel the ways I was writing, which is why I needed to write them. But I didn't realize that it was actually a self-worth issue that I had. So it took a minute, longer than I wish. I wish I got it earlier. But I would say within the past three to five years.

Same. Why is that? What is that about? December 2019, I got to a place of worthiness. Whoa. Absolutely. And do you know what it was? Or it just like kind of accumulated everything? It was a seed somebody planted in me when they told me that even if you don't feel worthy,

just know God knows you're worthy. And it was like, you're just going to feel it. And literally, I remember sitting in the house around this time, 2019, and it just hit me like, you know what? I'm worthy. You know? That's a hard one. I really feel like we don't feel like that a lot. Do you remember when you got to that point?

Do you remember the moment? I remember the moment I realized that I was, you know, I realized by being almost so accommodating that expressed that I didn't feel worthy to fight for myself. You're trying to please everybody else. But I also realize it's something to fighting for yourself. You have to be like, guess what? I want this. What are you going to do about it? Accommodate me as opposed to me always accommodating you.

And so I started to recognize that that's what I was doing. And I thought it was humility. I thought it was, you know, fluidity. I thought it was kindness. I thought it was whatever. But I realized it was actually I felt some type of way about I didn't have the self-worth that I should have had. Is it because of guilt, too? Because when you come from a certain environment, you have all this success and you're the breadwinner and all this other stuff.

Is it, is it that too? Yup. Yup. I think that there was definitely a lot of, uh, a lot of unneeded guilt about my success and feeling like I had to fit in and wanting to,

um, you know, I just didn't want to, I want to be with the same people I always been with. I didn't want to feel like I wasn't able to, they weren't able to relate to me, I wasn't able to relate to them. So I think in a lot of ways,

I would kind of just act that way. So yeah, I do think, but that was my own thing. They didn't even feel like that. That's the thing we do. We project for other people. They didn't even feel like that. So that's, you know how that goes. Now you said at first you and Swiss,

you didn't see Swiss as that type of person. Like y'all didn't have a connection at first. How come y'all didn't even feel like that. Right. So that's, you know how that goes. Now you said at first you and Swiss, you didn't see Swiss as that type of person. Like y'all didn't have a connection at first. How come y'all didn't have that connection? What didn't you see in Swiss at first that was like knobby? Come on. It's like we literally day and night. And at least I thought. They're not day and night.

That's what I'm saying. We actually, we're exactly the same, but I didn't realize that at the time. One thing I guess that we are a bit different is that he is one million times more flashy than I am. I am definitely. Look at that chain. You see? But I'm exercising. You see? I'm practicing.

And I love it. I'm with it. But I think that's probably the biggest one you know he he would the first car he probably got you know with some probably ferrari maserati enzo something lamborghini you know i mean the first car i got was like a mazda 626 like i was just like you know what i want this to me that was fresh as hell i was like i was excited but i didn't even think that i could have more you know it was always just kind of about like just doing the basics type of thing. Again, which goes back to where we were.

And also I want to actually drive in the street and actually like be able to go places. But it's art too though. I realized that now. I didn't understand that then. And so for me, that would probably be what I felt was so day and night. He was like super over the top. Everything, everything. But I realized that was just him exercising what he deserved.

And that's the thing. That's the thing, difference between him and I. And I think we actually have balanced each other in a beautiful way with that. It's like you get to express what you deserve. I think we're taught that we're not supposed to have nice things because it's somehow unholy or not right. And I think what happened, where that comes from, I think, is just because people can take that

and get confused about it and get very selfish about it as opposed to being given. But one thing that Swiss is, is super giving. He never does anything for himself before he makes sure that everybody is straight. That's a fact.

I made my first big check ever in this business because it's swiss hey he didn't have to do that for me at all he's that guy he's always that guy so i think that's what happens you get might get misconstrued and then you start only thinking about yourself as opposed to making sure that everybody is good so as long as that's happening and there's a balance then there's nothing wrong with having i heard the first piano that you got he tried to get you to get rid of it and get something way nice and he was like no first piano she ever received when I guess when you signed the deal they gave you a piano right and you wouldn't get

rid of he was like this way better pianos more expensive piano and he was like nah be you know he want everything to be live arachi so you know but the um I don't think he knew he didn't realize so in our house is my first piano and that's the piano that i was given by columbia when i was 16 and and so it's like a memory he could put it in another room because you guys got plenty of rooms we like this one we like this one now when did you come up with the idea to do unlocked and originals what made you say this is how it's going to happen i really wanted to We like this one. Now, when did you come up with the idea to do Unlocked and Originals? What made you say, this is how it's going to happen?

I really wanted to, well, first of all, the Originals, the concept of Keys definitely was always about the piano, and I really did want it to have that, just that stripped-back feel. There's songs in A minor type of feeling. And so I think Keys was really like coming back home, and so that just really wanting to be about the piano and writing it and making it all about that. And as I did that, I loved it. And it was fire.

But there's also this other side of me to what you're saying that I think it's hard to show all of you. For all of us. I mean, for all of us. It's hard to really display that, you know, or have an opportunity to display that. And it felt like doing this Unlocked piece, not only was it exciting

because it allowed us to reinterpret these originals, but it allowed it to be the other side of me that I wouldn't have wanted just a whole album of Unlocked,

and I didn't, maybe I would have wanted a whole original, but I loved them together because it's full spectrum. All right, well, don't move. We got more with Alicia Keys when we come back. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. original but i love them together because it's full spectrum all right well don't move we got more with alicia keys when we come back it's the breakfast club good morning morning everybody it's

dj envy angela yee charlamagne the guy we are the breakfast club we're still kicking it with alicia keys charlamagne you got a song called a nat king cole on the project yes he's clearly a musical hero of yours right definitely you know i think it was just the theme that we started to write i wrote that with a woman named natalie hemby who's super fresh and um and the theme that we wanted to write was about because the theme of keys and the theme of my life right now is really about completely never holding back ever again and to you you actually are allowed to be on your bullshit who said you have to tune down tone down like where did that come from so that was a part of my life for a long time I reject it I don't want to no more

and so and so that song really describes that like tear down the chandeliers and be like your most majestic and to me Nat King Cole represents that there's like an elegance and a prowess and like a legacy and some really a power that he represents and that's why that's why we wanted to call it that ill though because a lot of people actually don't even know Nat King Cole believe it or not I think there's a whole generation of people that don't you know and that's fresh though I think because you know he's because I think it turns people on to like but who was that and what is that I think you know like a song or two because you ever the holidays you hear like exactly but but so that that wordplay it was more about beyond unforgettable, like Nat King Cole. By the way, the Wayne verse on that to me is so masterful.

I love that verse. For somebody who doesn't fit into an era musically, what is your inspiration? What do you tap into? Everything. Everything. I love to listen to everything. I love to listen to things. I love new discoveries. I love to listen to everything. I love to listen to things that, I love new discoveries.

I love listening to new artists. I love, you know, taking it back to like the eras of the 30s and the 50s and the 60s and the 70s. Going through the eras that are ill. So I just think listening to everything and then just allowing it to kind of be in there and then go wherever it goes is part of what creates the timeless. I think it's because I actually love all the eras that it sounds special. I was listening to Drink Champs. You were talking about the Empire State record.

And you said when you first did it, you did it in L.A. And Jay called you and was like, can you change the vocals? What was your mind frame at that point? Like, you know who you're talking to? Was it at that at any point? I feel like he probably had a really hard time making that call. I don't feel like he wanted to make that call. And he had to make it personal.

You can't have it relayed to somebody else. You can't have the engineer be like, yo, Jason. You know, so I feel like it was a... How did that call start? Was it like, hey, how you doing? How's the kids? How's moms? Yeah.

Can you change the verse? Yeah, no, he was just like, what's up? And I was like, hey. You know, I was excited because I was like, hey, you know, I was excited because I was like, okay, we got the record and I knew I was really trying hard to meet his deadline. And so I worked hard to get it. And so I was like, yeah, you got it, you heard it.

And I feel like right when I asked him, you got it, you heard it, was right where he was like, yeah. And then he was just like, you know, I was thinking. I was thinking. I was just thinking that know i was thinking i was thinking i was just thinking that i was wondering you do you think you could do one more time could you do it one more time and i definitely remember i was like what in my head i was like what one more time i did this um but he was like because i just i just feel like maybe one more time really gonna get the vibe and i had

to respect it because you know you do it's true there's an energy on a record and you can feel it right away and it was his record he knew what he was looking for so i had the respect that i possibly could have gave him one more time and i did realize that i was sick because i sang it sick because i was trying to hit the deadline and so you know it's just you could tell but i think what he really wanted was me to talk more on it because he was like, could you do more of the you know, you go. Yeah, you do all of that. Can I can I get a little more of that? So he just had the direction.

It gave me I can. And I took it. If you could do a collab album with somebody, who would it be? Oh, damn. I would want it to be something crazy like three or four people from like whole different universes. I think that would be so ill. Who would it be? Got it.

Who do you think? It's going to be Kendrick. Ooh. Sade. Mm. And that's it. Me, Kendrick, and Sade. That's what it is.

Let's put it in the atmosphere. I feel like that would be almost impossible to get done between Kendrick and Sade, that's what it is. Let's put it in the atmosphere. I feel like that would be almost impossible to get done, between Kendrick and Sade. Honestly, it's going to be a tricky one, but I think it is sound outrageous. Let's hope for at least a record. Yeah, let's go for it. I feel like we could get an EP, maybe four songs or something.

Let's see. I'm going to push for it. I feel like you might be just planting a seed. I think that might be already done. Maybe a record or something. I wanted to ask, what would this version of Alicia Keys tell Alicia in 2001? I think she would tell her to, like, don't back down. Don't back down.

Like, what you see, what you feel, what you need, there's nothing wrong with that. And that you deserve it. So ask for it. Before you think you got to pivot or change or fix or accommodate, ask for what you want first. And definitely like to know that you, you know what you're doing. Nobody knows what to do better than you because I think that that happens to a lot of us.

We start to listen to a bunch of people that we think know more, or they've been in the game longer, or they've done more, or we think they could take us somewhere we can't take ourselves. But that's actually fake. It's not real. Did you ever back down? Because I don't see you as somebody that would back down. It was more in little ways. Not like in, I'm definitely strong minded, strong headed for sure.

But I do feel like I could over compromise. I remember you told a story about a photographer who made you feel uncomfortable. And had you like, I'm butting your pants a little, now do this. The worst. Yeah. And for women out there, you don't have to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable you feel like this is art I'm just

I don't want to be difficult I'm just yeah or you feel like again man this is a really this is a major photographer they shoot all the time they shoot the biggest this and the biggest that

and if he says that I should probably unbutton the top part of my pants maybe that's okay that's probably good cause he no it's f***ing good

it don't feel good don't ask me to unbutton my pants are you crazy you creep like you maybe that's okay, that's probably good. No, it's f***ing good. Don't feel good. Don't ask me to unbutton my pants or you crazy, you creep. It's okay. It's okay to s***. I can haul them just now. It's okay to guard. Protect yourself, man. Protect yourself. Nobody's going to protect you, so protect yourself. And that's what I would tell her.

Alright. Absolutely. The album is out right now, Keys, and we appreciate you for joining us. Hopefully it won't have to be another 11 years before you, so protect yourself. And that's what I would tell her. All right. Absolutely. The album is out right now, Keys. And we appreciate you for joining us. Hopefully it won't have to be another 11 years before you come back up here. No, no. It's Alicia Keys. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning.

The Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same. It's here. The most star-studded black western ever made. The Heart of Day Fall, directed by James Samuel. Alongside a killer soundtrack that features original songs by Jay-Z, Kid Cudi, and more. Watch now on Netflix and stream the soundtrack now on all platforms. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular

online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. you know, that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout. Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real inspiring stories from the people, you know,

follow and admire, join me every week for post run high. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcasts. Hey, what's up? This is Ramses Jha. And I go by the name Q Ward. And we'd like you to join us each week for our show Civic Cipher. That's right. We're going to discuss social issues, especially those that affect black and brown people, but in a way that informs and empowers all people to hopefully create better allies. Think of it as a black show for non-black people. We discuss everything from prejudice to

politics to police violence, and we try to give you the tools to create positive change in your home, workplace, and social circle. Exactly. Whether you're black, Asian, white, Latinx, indigenous, LGBTQIA+, you name it. If you stand with us, then we stand with you. Let's discuss the stories and conduct the interviews that will help us create a more empathetic, accountable, and equitable America. You are all our brothers and sisters, and we're inviting you to join us for Civic Cipher each and every Saturday with myself, Ramses Jha, Q Ward, and some of the greatest minds in America. Listen to Civic Cipher every Saturday on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, my little creeps. It's your favorite ghost host, Teresa. And guess what? Haunting is back, dropping just in time for spooky season. Now I know you've probably been wandering the mortal plane, wondering when I'd be back to fill your ears with deliciously unsettling stories.

Well, wonder no more, because we've got a ghoulishly good lineup ready for you. Let's just say things get a bit extra. We're talking spirits, demons, and the kind of supernatural chaos that'll make your spooky season complete. You know how much I love this time of year. It's the one time I'm actually on trend. So grab your pumpkin spice, dust off that Ouija board. Just don't call me unless it's urgent.

And tune in for new episodes every week. Remember, the veils are thin, the stories are spooky, and your favorite ghost host is back and badder than ever. Listen to Haunting on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure you tell them to watch out for Florida Man. The craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida. Yes, you are a donkey.

A Florida man attacked an ATM for a very strange reason. It gave him too much money. Florida man is arrested after deputies say he rigged the door to his home in an attempt to electrocute his pregnant wife. Police arrested an Orlando man for attacking a flamingo. The Breakfast Club, bitches. Donkey of the day with Charlemagne the guy. I don't know why y'all keep letting him get y'all like this. Well, little Duval, okay, not only am I getting them like this,

I got to get Jacksonville today, okay? Donkey of the Day goes to a Jacksonville woman named Kenita Gordon. Salute to everyone who listens to The Breakfast Club on 93.3 The Beat in Jacksonville. Salute to the young man Quail P. Okay, that record he got out titled Charlemagne. When the world officially opens back up, you know, not like Florida open. I mean, you know, like open, open.

I don't give an F open back up, but opens back up so the rest of us who don't take risks like you Floridians can move around. When I come to the 904, I want everybody to sing my name like Quail P or I'm not responding. Let's practice. Envy, say my name. Charlemagne. Charlemagne. Hey, yo, Quail P or I'm not responding. Let's practice. Envy, say my name. Charlamagne. Charlamagne. Hey, yo, Quail P, what's happening, my brother?

How are you, young king? What's happening, nephew? See how I ignored Envy because he didn't sing my name the way I wanted him to? Okay. But Quail P did it right. Now, what does your Uncle Charla always say about Florida? The craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida. And today, once again, proves all of us who know this to be true, correct. See, Kenita Gordon

was arrested and charged with strong arm robbery and possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. I personally don't think anyone who gets arrested on an intent to use charge should be sent to jail. They should be sent to a rehab facility, but that's just my opinion. It has nothing to do with this story really. But what did can you do to get arrested for strong armed robbery well according to police she robbed the bank look man times is hard in the slums we from i tell y'all all the time people are starving your stomach don't stop growling because the check is on the way your stomach stops growling when you get that check cash it and now you got some bread to buy some bread to feed yourself okay not making excuses for this woman at all because we all make choices in

life and have to be held accountable for the consequences of our actions and when you rob a bank nine times out of ten you go into jail i'm just simply trying to get you all in the mindset of this woman okay now whenever i think about bank robberies first thing i think about is how much did they get all right second thing i think about is how did they get away? What was the getaway vehicle? There's literally nothing you can't find online because I Googled top 10 getaway cars for robbing banks. Let's run them down real quick. Number 10 is a 1932 Ford V8. That's the old black cars you see in all the old black and white movies. Number nine is a Toyota Corolla. Number eight is an ambulance.

See, it's all about something that is fast. It's something that blends in. Nothing blends in like an ambulance. Number seven is a Cadillac CTSV wagon. Number six is a taxi. Yet again, another vehicle that blends right in. Number five is the General Lee. You know, the bright orange Dodge Charger, the Duke boys. Used to driving Dukes to Hazard.

You know that one. Number four is the Alpine armored Cadillac Escalade. Don't know where you just find one of those. Number three is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. Number two is the Dodge Charger SRT 392. That's for speed. And the number one getaway car for bank robberies is the Incas Huron APC. That's the big armored truck that the SWAT team drives.

No regular civilian is going to have that, so I don't even know why that's on there. But the point of all these vehicles is either for speed or to blend in. Well, Kenyatta must have been going for the blend in part because she damn sure wasn't going for the speed. Would you like to know what her getaway vehicle of choice was? Would you? What is it? Let's go to

WJAX CBS 47 for the report. Please. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is releasing the identity of a woman accused of robbing a bank from her wheelchair. This is a new mugshot of Kenyetta Gordon. Action News Jax broke the news yesterday when police say that a woman became angry

while discussing her account at the Regents Bank in downtown Jacksonville. She's accused of telling a worker that she was going to kill everyone inside and that this was a robbery. She left, they say, in a motorized wheelchair after getting the cash. She was arrested just a few blocks away. They see me rolling. Hey, stop. I don't like when you go rogue drop. All right. Jesus, what the Florida is going on here?

All right. There's only three people who could have truly gotten away with this crime. One, Roland Ray. Okay? Two, Snoop Dogg's character in Training Day. Three, Professor Charles Xavier. Those are the only three individuals who could have gotten away with robbing a bank in a wheelchair. Now, let me tell you something. This is why Florida is full of brilliant idiots.

Because robbing a bank in a wheelchair truly is the best way to blend in even if you don't really need a wheelchair if you roll in the bank rob the bank then roll out okay roll a block or two all right once you get up and walk ditch the wheelchair now you don't even fit the description of what the bank teller saw that's more it's genius yes all right the sad part is this woman didn't have a plan i'm not encouraging people to rob banks no i'm just saying can you picture a plan before you picture yourself rolling into a bank asking for a big bank roll and listen just because i have understanding of this woman's situation meaning i understand why she would be in the mind frame to rob a bank simply because i understand the current economic condition a lot of people are facing it's easy to say kenyatta should have just rolled with the

punches life was throwing at her but no folks is broke and you can't tell people to just roll with it okay in life we all have a role to play but sometimes what you're casted as is out of your control remember when kodak black said he can't even roll in peace remember that i can't even roll in peace well neither can kenyetta because she's starving waiting on this damn government to roll out these damn stimulus checks by the way she's only 39 only 39 i'm inspired by people who keep rolling no matter their age but she's just 39 and and she's at the point where even though she's disabled in a wheelchair, she has to rob a bank at 39? Think about that.

Kenita, I feel your pain. But even though I feel your pain, I still have to give this story the credit it deserves for being stupid. But Kenita, I'm praying for you. I want you to get the help you need for your drug problem because they found a crack pipe on you. Yes, she was riding dirty for real. But I'm telling you, Kenita, I want you to get clean.

Put the BS behind you. And one day, I promise you, the good times will roll. Please give Kenita Gordon the sweet sounds of the Hamilton's. Oh, now you are the donkey of the day. You are the donkey of the day. Yeehaw! Oh, we're not gonna

play a game? Oh, y'all don't wanna play a game today? We're not gonna do that. We're not gonna play a game? I don't wanna play. Well, I have no problem rolling out a game of Guess What Race It Is! All right. All right.

Here are the context clues. All right. Let me guess. I don't even know if these are context clues. I don't even know if I used that correctly. But Kenyetta Gordon. Okay. Jacksonville, Florida.

Uh-huh. Robbed a bank in a motorized wheelchair. Oh, you want a description? Did I give you a description? No, I don't need a description. You sure you don't need a description? Yeah, give me a description. You want a little quick description? Let me give you a description? No, I don't need a description. You sure you don't need a description? Yeah, give me a description. You want a little quick description?

Let me give you a description that the police were using. Hold on. This is the description. Hold on. Let me see if I can find it. Hold on. Officers are looking for an adult, blank female, 39 years of age, with short blonde hair. Ooh, I got you now.

You thought it was easy. I thought it was easy. You thought it was easy. I thought it was easy. I said short blonde hair. Kenyatta. I said Kenyatta. Kenyatta. I don't even know if that's how you pronounce hair. Kenyatta. I said Kenyatta. Kenyatta.

I don't even know if that's how you pronounce it. Kenyatta Gordon Ramirez. All right. Who said Ramirez? Who said Ramirez? No. I'm down for the profile. I'm going to go.

Okay. Puerto Rican. Angelio. Angelio, you sure you don't want to play? I think it is a white man. A white man. A white man? A white man. Okay.

Okay. All right. All right. I see where we're taking it. Envy. I ain't telling y'all whether y'all right or wrong. We're just going to leave it like this. Why didn't you ask me to sing your name?

Why you only ask Envy? When I asked Envy to say my name. I thought you wanted him to sing it. No, he said say it. You want to say his name? thought you wanted him to sing it no he said say it you want to say his name go ahead go ahead Quail P I'm not telling y'all it's Black History Month

I'm not telling y'all what can you eat a go at me I'm leaving it up to interpretation y'all guess figure it out on your own go do your own research I'm not telling y'all I agree with you the gang. Y'all guess. Figure it out on your own. Go do your own research. I'm not telling y'all. White man. I agree with you.

That's what I saw. Alright, we got more. Don't move. It's the best of The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. The Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy,

Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, everybody. It's DJ Envy Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. We have Judge Faith Jenkins. Welcome back. Hello. Thank you. I'm doing great. It's been a while. You've been talking to us for three years, right? It's been three years since I've been here. Time flies. Yes. Wow.

Wow. I know. What has changed for you in three years? A lot changed in three years. I got a puppy. A puppy? Cooper. He is a Cavalier Yorkie Poodle mix. Very energetic little guy. But a lot of responsibility there.

Wasn't expecting that. Is the dog allowed on the bed? No. Okay, good. He's not allowed on the bed. He sleeps in his own room. He has his own room? Yeah, because I wanted him to learn very early on to be independent. So we crate trained him early on with two things we were able to do. Crate train him and potty train him.

Okay. If you don't do that from the beginning, then they hate it. Yes. So if you don't train them to get used to that and they'll go in there, like my dog would look all sad every time because in the beginning, I would let her just like roam around. But then I was like, okay, sometimes we have to put her up if she's been bad. Yeah.

And she'll look all sad and then I feel bad. Yeah, but what the trainer said from the very beginning, the biggest mistake people make is they give the dogs too much freedom. Absolutely. And so you have to rein that in early on. But yeah, a lot of other things changed. What else?

I got married. Got married. Congratulations. But yeah, a lot of other things changed. I got married. Got married. Congratulations. Thank you. And that I'm sure Catapulted you to write this book. Same rules apply with the puppy. Same rules apply with the puppy. You got a whole new responsibility. Early on, you're going to betray them.

Same stuff. So everything applies. So I got married, started divorce court switch judge shows you always a judge faith and now i'm on divorce court and then of course i wrote sis don't settle the book right well how's the divorce court it's interesting is the show real like when you say when you go to divorce court after are you divorced or is it more after that really they changed the premise of the show several years ago where you can be on the show and don't have to be married so there's a there's a there's a different premise of the show several years ago where you can be on the show and don't have to

be married so there's a there's a there's a different aspect of the show before your vows where people come in they've been in their relationship for a while and they're just they're trying to decide to get whether to get married or not so that's a part of the show where we address the do's and don'ts and if if they actually should proceed and move forward to the next level in their relationship so it's really opened up to where it's not just married couples and then legally do we give divorces on the show no okay we give advice on what to do when you're at this breaking point and people sometimes bring their papers and we will refer them to other attorneys. So friends could come on the show and...

Friends? Well, I guess relationship friends. Divorce your friend? No. No. We haven't gone that far. It's real people in relationships with real issues. I didn't know that.

I didn't know that. I thought that when they go to the divorce court, they get divorced after they leave. Legally, we cannot grant a divorce per se but we can give them advice on how to proceed and going to the next level what's the crazy story you heard on divorce court so far i had someone come in and she'd been married for 11 years and they have two children together and he has three other kids. And it was really crazy because this this man would take her kids and go to the see the other women and the other kids.

They all knew each other, but she remained uninvolved. But just knowing about the other relationship. And I thought, how do you get to that level in your life where this is such a painful experience for you, but you're accepting it under some kind of premise in your mind that it's better to stay in this marriage because you think having him around will be better than nothing at all. Staying in a toxic relationship, a relationship that's not good for you, doesn't help your children. All you're doing is normalizing really inappropriate behavior in front of them. And in turn, they see it all.

And it affects what their relationships will be like later on in life. Some people feel like once they take a vow, then they can't break that vow because it's no matter what. Or for better or worse. Yeah, for better or for worse. And I've heard some people feel like, you know, they're reliant on that. Some people treat women, if they leave a relationship or leave a man for doing something, like they're wrong because they didn't stick through it because you got to be ride or die. Yeah, that's a mistake that people make because, you know, at all times in your life,

there are a lot of people that you love in your life and one of the tough things about life is a lot of times you have to walk away from people that you love in order to protect your peace that's kind of like the chapter in your book dealing with rejection when life life sets you free yeah i mean when one of the big chapters in the book one of my favorite chapters is the chapter on rejection because we all go through rejection and for a long time i didn't know how to handle it so and I moved to New York right after I got out of school so I was uh in the city trying to figure all of this stuff out and I'll never forget one of the first times I got rejected I was I was actually in college there was an annual event

called casino night at my school and I wasn't dating anyone I didn't date much in college at all I was really about the books and all the organizations and cheering and all that stuff and I asked a guy to go to casino night with me just innocent not a really a date but just go to this event and he hesitated he paused and then he told me no and I remember we were friends and he was a good looking guy he was cute i knew he was single so i thought well you can't just go to casino night but he told me no and i remember being embarrassed at the time and avoiding him for the rest of the semester not wanting to see him well five years later i was walking down the street in my college town and i ran into him

and he pulled me to the side i was into him and he pulled me to the side. I was with some friends. He pulled me to the side. He was like, hey, can I talk to you for a second? I said, OK. He said, do you remember several years ago when you asked me to casino night? He said, well, I wanted to tell you that I really liked you, but I didn't have a suit. I didn't have anything to wear. And I was too embarrassed to tell you that I didn't have a suit or anything to wear. But I thought it was really interesting because how many times do we take rejection or someone telling us no, and then we go down a rabbit hole and we make it about us? That's right.

Wow, am I not good enough? Am I not smart enough? Am I not pretty enough? And it could absolutely have nothing to do with you and everything to do with them is something that they're going through or their perspective or some guy who just doesn't have a suit.

So I learned from that experience and then going through other experiences dealing with rejection in my life, how not to internalize it and take it so personal all the time, whether it's with a love interest, a job, whatever it is that you're dealing with rejection, most often it's just not about you. Salute to Judge Faith Jenkins. We're talking to her right now. Her new book, Sis, Don't Settle, How to Stay Smart and Matters of the Heart, is out right now.

And I want to tell y'all too, man, make sure y'all tune in tonight to my late-night talk show, The God's Honest Truth. It comes on at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central. Okay, you need to get in tune if you're not in tune, and you need to tune in tonight because we got Vice President Kamala Harris joining us on the God's Honest Truth on Comedy Central tonight at 10

p.m. Join me, why don't you? And while you're watching, use the hashtag TGHT. We'll be back with more Judge Faith Jenkins. We're still kicking it with Judge Faith Jenkins. Show me. If you weren't Judge Faith Jenkins would he have came up to you five years ago and apologized and all that?

No, it was five years later. I wasn't on the occasion. I was just running into him at the school. I'm going to try to ask you that again, but I got money for a suit now. No, I think he just wanted to tell me. It was like he wanted to get that off of his chest. He really wanted me to know

because he gave me no explanation at the time. A lot of times, and we have to release ourselves from wanting to know why because i you know i talk about this in the book too how i um would call people and try to find out well i just want closure and i want to know why this didn't happen you know what's going on here and you have to release this need to want to know why closure does not come from other people it comes from you because I always say don't give anybody else that kind of power over your life no one should have the power when I got married to my husband Kenny I always say that's him sitting out here yeah he um when I got married to Kenny I remember remember at being and this was just a year and eight months ago, by the way.

So I spent a long time out in these dating streets, living, learning, growing and really having an appreciation for what I knew would work for me in a relationship. And what wouldn't what I was willing to compromise on what I wasn't willing to compromise on all my likes and dislikes. This is what you should be doing when you're single, figuring out who you are. You're, you know, you got married and everybody's path is different. You got married at an early age. So you grew up together with your wife. Whereas for me, I was single for so long and very independent. I was wondering how am I going to mesh with somebody else when I haven't lived with anybody

even since college. So all of those things you're thinking about but I remember at the time when I got to the place where I knew I was at a point in my life I wanted to get married I was so happy with where I was in my life and I thought I want to bring somebody in my life who's going to add to this happiness not make me happy and like you said sometimes people get married and they think once we get married he'll turn into the person or she'll turn into the person that I want them to be. And that does not happen like that. Marriage doesn't change anything about anybody. It may change your last name, but that's it. So people come in, they want, they're dating their reality, but they want to marry potential. And, and that is a, a big mistake because you have to learn radical acceptance

accept this person for who they are and if their core values aren't lined up with your core values what about a wedding do you think is going to change that because all it does when you get married is really revealing more about who people are it's revealing what's already there and so if you don't like what's there nothing about getting married is going to change that. It's only going to exacerbate any problems that you already see on the surface. What did you meet Kenny and how did you know he was the one? I met him through a blind date. Really?

Yeah. I had just gone through a breakup six months prior to meeting him. And I had a conversation with God. I had a real honest conversation. I said, I've learned all of these lessons in my life at this point. What else is there for me to learn in the relationship space? I really believe it's time. And I wrote, I took a sheet of paper down and I said, within this next year, this is what I want to see happen in my life. And one of those things is I want to be my husband. And I took that sheet of paper down and I wrote that. And I go through this stage, all this,

this process in the book of what I did to manifest what I wanted to happen in my life and uh six months later I met him and I was not just out there like every day okay is that is that him is that my husband like with everyone I was just living my life so I decided I was going to go and take some uh some some singing lessons again I was going to put out a Christmas album. Boy, you got bored during the pandemic, huh? You got bored during the pandemic, huh? I was going to put out a hit. A hit single. And so I started taking

some voice lessons. I met up with this super producer, Aaron Lindsay, and the moment I sat down with him, he said, for him, it clicked. She should meet Kenny. He said they would be perfect for each other. And so he set us up and we met and the rest is history. What was the first date? We just went to lunch.

No pressure. We sat and talked for two hours. What was the pressure like for you with people asking all the time? When are you going to get married? When are you going to have kids? Because you discussed that also. Yeah. It's hard because being single in my 20s and in my 30s and being from Louisiana.

So I would go home for the holidays and I had this one Aunt Frida who would show up with her watery mac and cheese, but always, you know, questioning me and my relationship status. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. But she would show up. But then I started getting it from strangers. Right. And if you're not careful, you can really internalize that and can make you feel like somehow you're lacking. Because no one asked me, do you want to get married? They would just say, why aren't you?

As if there were no other option for me. Or like something's wrong. And so if you're not careful, though, that pressure can get to you. And you can start to feel like, is me being single something I need to explain to other people? Is this something I need to defend? No, there are almost 8 billion people on this planet. We can't all be doing the same things at the same time. We all have a different life path, a different life journey.

Please stop asking people when they're going to get married, when they're going to have kids and let people live their lives. So I talk about that in my book. How do you navigate when the questioning comes for you? I will tell you this. I was never unhappily single. I lived my life. If I had waited, I would have lived half my life just existing because I just got married last year. So I just made a determination that I was going to live my life just existing because I just got married last year. So I just made a determination that I was going to live my best life. And guess how I met my husband? Going to do something that I just loved doing, going to pursue a different hobby, something that I was interested in singing again. And that's how I ended up meeting my husband. And I hear so many other women talk about that, how they were doing something that they love in their own lives.

And that's how they met the person that they ended up having this authentic love experience with. So in my book, it's really a practical guide because I did not have these huge examples of love, like I said, and this is the book that I would have wanted to have when I moved to New York at 25 years old. I wish somebody would have given me something like this to read. And you were whole and happy when you met Kenny also. And I think that's important, too, because sometimes people feel like they need the other person to complete them when really you both should be complete people when you come together to have a great relationship.

Yes. And that happiness and wholeness, as you know, it's a journey because as you get older, it's actually harder to fall in love as you get older, especially, you know, being single in my 20s and 30s because you've been through heartbreak. And if you're not careful over time, you can become very cynical about love and you cannot be a cynic about love and expected to attract it in your life at the same time. Break that down. You talk about that in the book. I think I think that's very important. Well, you can't be a cynic about love and expect to attract it in your life at the same time. Break that down because you talk about that in the book. I think that's very important. Well, you can't be a cynic about love and expect to attract it in your life at the same time. At some point, you have to be able to work on releasing the past.

You can't say all men cheat, all men are dogs, but I want one. Exactly. Marriage don't work. Because I went through that time where all of those things were really about fear of opening myself up to love again. And I realized that that fear wasn't serving me. All it was was poisoning my perspective. And so if you really want love, you can't have this poisonous mindset about what you really

think about it based on your past. But I also don't believe that you can just at the drop of a hat say, OK, I'm gonna free myself from my past nothing about my past is going to bother me anymore i'm not going to bring this into my next relationship that's not realistic what is realistic though is recognizing what your triggers are and working on it it is a process so that you don't make somebody new come in your life and pay for what something they had nothing to do with in your past all right, we're going to move. We've got more with Judge Faith Jenkins when we come back. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club.

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with Judge Faith Jenkins. How did he propose? Here in Central Park. Central Park. Yeah, in Central Park. I proposed to my wife in Central Park. Yeah. So, who sings better? Then who?

You took singing lessons. You took singing lessons. Well, come on down there. I'm dealing with a professional here who's been doing this a long time, 25 years. But I don't sing in front of Kenny. Was therapy a requirement? Because all my sister friends said they refuse to date a man right now or even take a man serious if they're not doing the work on himself? We took things a step further.

We went to pre engagement counseling. Wow. What is that? Before we got engaged, we did counseling sessions with a pastor, because for me, I think after you get engaged and you've announced and you've told people, and then when you go to counseling or therapy sessions, it's harder for people to say, well, hold up, wait a minute. Is this what I really want to do? Because everybody knows there's that extra pressure there. So for us, things were going, things had gone so well. And a lot of people think, by the way, what's going on are you having problems is that is

that where you're going to counseling it was the opposite we weren't having these issues and we were we were so in sync on what our core values were i thought okay i haven't been married before are there questions i'm not asking is or is there is there something else that that i need to delve into that i'm not so what's the best way to find that out? Go to a professional. Whose idea was that? It was my idea. It was my idea. I said, so... Was he nervous when you said that? Not at all. Things are great and you want to go to a professional? Not at all.

And I thought... That's a good way to be proactive. So proactive. Because I do feel like in a relationship, because you won't always get along, you have to know how to handle each other when issues come up. Absolutely. How to deal with conflict in an emotionally mature way.

How to deal with anger in an emotionally mature way. Because that's really the key. The quickest way to ruin a romance in any relationship in marriage is unkindness. I think you gotta hang 1 Corinthians 13 4-8 up in your house as a constant

reminder for real reminder yeah because that's when you talk about therapy you talk about counseling that's what you're talking about you're talking about getting out in front of something you don't wait till the wheels fall off and then try to go and salvage the relationship and go to therapy then wait till your house gets robbed to get an alarm system exactly exactly so you're out in front of it and you're doing the work in advance and so that's what we did when we went to our pre-engagement counseling before we ever got engaged we were talking about getting married and then when we did get engaged we did it with so much peace because we've been through these counseling sessions I remember at the end and by the way Kenny was like if he weren't a singer he would be I think he would be a preacher I think

he would be I think he would be a counselor there's think he would be I think he would be a counselor. There's the wisdom that came out in those sessions. I remember my counselor turning because he's you know, he's been through. I didn't marry somebody who's who hasn't been tested. Right. Like I have. We both had relationships that didn't work out for one reason or another. And we've both been tested in those areas. And so when we went through those counseling sessions to hear the wisdom that came out of him, I remember the pastor turning around at one point. He was looking like, OK, what do you have to say? I heard what he said. What's your response to that?

And I was like, you know, but at the end, I remember him saying, I have no reservations whatsoever in blessing the two of you and moving forward in marriage. I got an A plus in counseling. We got an A plus. Now, what are some of your triggers? I know you talk about triggers and red flags also in the book. So for you, what were some of those? For me, I would not date someone who had a history of infidelity. I'm not saying that people don't change.

But for me, patterns in people's lives reveal a lot most guys aren't going to admit to you that they have a history of infidelity no you have to do your due diligence that's a section that's a section in the book you do your due diligence you do the best you can i mean you sometimes i'm not saying turn your house into a csi lab in the back and pluck a hair while he's sleeping but i'm just saying do your due into a CSI lab in the back and pluck a hair while he's sleeping. But I'm just saying do your due diligence. But if you know, see, a lot of people know, though, Angela, and they still choose to look the other way. It's like, okay, there's a red flag, but how red is this red flag?

Is it pink? Exactly. How far back have you gone on Instagram, Judge Faith Jenkins? For what? In your snooping. In my snooping? Yeah. I perused in a couple of years.

What's another red flag? So no history of infidelity. Yeah, a history of infidelity is a red flag to me. Honesty. If you tell me you're a vegan, but I see you on Snapchat with wings. What if they're vegan wings? You know, it's like, just be honest. Don't try to present yourself as somebody that you're not.

Because to me, those little things really do add up. If you're not really being honest, then you are. Thank you. I got you. Anything else? Also, work ethic. A good work ethic. Because I'm very ambitious.

Right. And so when you know, though, when you just know what your red flags are, what things are important to you. If you know you don't want to date long distance, don't complain to me about your boyfriend not calling you from Dubai, if he lives in Dubai. So just knowing what they are and identifying them and recognizing them. You know, red means stop. People will not change for you. They change for themselves.

And no one wants to change because you put a gun to their head. It has to come from within. Do you think your love journey is part of your healing journey in a way i don't project on my husband or on people in my life a responsibility that they have to help me heal in every aspect i think when people come in your life, they are a part of your journey. But that responsibility really has to come from you. And when I have women in divorce court and they're very broken and they've been through a lot

and I tell them, I say, you know, the trauma that you experienced in your past was not your responsibility. It was not your fault, but your healing really is. So I never wanted to project any hurt from my past onto somebody else for them to take the responsibility to heal me. Because, again, that power had to come from me. You know, in closing, I do want to say, sis, don't settle. Some people have told me that settling down means you settle, right? They're like, oh, it's in the word settling down.

So you can't have everything. And sometimes you have to just compromise and say, okay, I'm willing to settle. But to see how you've managed to wait to find the right person and not settle and get exceed the expectations that you had, I think is a testament to making sure that you can know that you can have it all right. Your career, your relationship and in your own timing and not have to worry about what anybody else has to say. Right. Your life's journey is your journey. And I think that especially as women, we have to embrace and love what our journey is. No comparison is the thief of joy and stop comparing our lives to somebody else.

And, you know, have these milestones and your happiness can't be tied to getting married. Your happiness can't be tied to having children. Your happiness can't be tied to your next TV show, your next job, because then you'll always be chasing a carrot on a moving stick. So what this really is about is learning to be happy right where you are. Look at everything that's happened in the past year and a half and what we've learned about life. If you don't love today where you are today, then you've just missed out on a day of living your life. There are a lot of people who wish they could be in your shoes right now, just living.

So when I talk about not settling, it really is about embracing your journey and being at peace where you are and not allowing somebody else to pressure you to be somewhere

where you're not supposed to be. Because this is your journey. This is what you're doing. All right. Well, sis, don't settle. Judge Faith Jenkins, I had given Steve Harvey a run for his money.

Steve Harvey wrote the quote in the front of the book, too. Yes, yes, yes. He's a good friend and supported my book Harvey wrote the quote in the front of the book, too. Yes, yes, yes. He's a good friend and supported my book, and I really appreciate that. And all of you, too. Well, thank you for joining us this morning. Thank you.

No, this is not your first Christmas together. Second. This is our second. You guys have an amazing Christmas. Thank you. Are you all going to do a duet or something for us? Your Christmas song duet? Oh, you know,

Angela, don't put me on the spot like that. Maybe one day. All right. It's Judge Faye Jenkins. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Your mornings will never be the same.

What up, y'all? It's DJ Envy. You can save over $500 on car insurance with The General Insurance. You heard that right. Take a closer look at The General and call 800-GENERAL or visit thegeneral.com today. The General Auto Insurance Services, Inc. An insurance agency Nashville, Tennessee. Some restrictions apply.

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne the guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Now, Charlamagne, you got a positive note? Yes, the positive note of the day is simply this. Never blame anyone in life. The good people give you happiness. The worst people give anyone in life. The good people give you happiness. The worst people give you a lesson.

The best people give you memories. Remember that, especially during the holiday season. Breakfast Club, bitches! Y'all finished or y'all done?