The Breakfast Club - Best of full interview: 2 Chainz Opens Up About Purpose, His Father & The Voice In His Head + more

Episode Date: April 9, 2026

Best of 2026 - 2 Chainz Opens Up About Purpose, His Father & The Voice In His Head YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. How could this have happened in City Hall building? Somebody tell me that. A shocking public murder. This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics. I scream. Get down. Get down. Those are shots. A tragedy that's now forgotten.

End of mystery. That may or may not have been political. That may have been about sex. Listen to Roershack. Murder at City Hall. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series.

Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F-1, including the story of the woman who last participated in a Formula One race weekend, the recent uptick in F-1 romance novels, and plenty of mishap scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Lori Siegel, and this is Mostly Human, a tech podcast through a human lens. This week, an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to the products we put out in the world. An in-depth conversation with a man who's shaping our future. My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI. Listen to Mostly Human on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global hit stick season

and one of the biggest voices in music today. Talking about the mental illness stuff, it used to be this thing that I was ashamed of. Getting to talk about this is not common for me. Right now I need it more than ever. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the I-Heart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You're all finished or y'all done?

Morning, everybody is DJ NV. Just hilarious. Charlemagne de Guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lawn LaRose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, indeed. Two Chains.

What's up? What's up, what are you? How are you doing? Good morning. Good morning. You and the family came ready to be cold. Listen. I love me.

You were just waiting on your little. No, no. I'm just saying I could help. Because I watched the other interview. You couldn't get one in, right? He was so serious, though. time. So, you know, I rock with your foolishness. Thank you. Thank you. I mean, yeah, we were, we just left an AAU circuit with my son.

And we was in Cincinnati and they said it was going to be cold there, but it wasn't freezing. But when we came to New York, it was cold. Today is the only day, too, because the rest of the week we're getting like 60, 70 degrees. So today is the only day you can wear that. God bless you. Because it's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. It's cold. New book, The Voice in My Head is God. I want to ask, what was the intention behind the outfit this morning? Because then to bury me inside the Louis store chapter, you say every outfit has an intention. So what's the energy other than it was cold? That's the energy today. And it's like, where can you wear like the hat and, you know, I can't get this off in Atlanta.

So this would be the place. And I don't live in Canada. So this would be the place. The voice in your head said, get that off. It's like going to rock this shit. Yeah. What's happening? The voice in my head is God.

New book that's out today. Make sure you go get it if you haven't got it yet. why was it the time to write this book? I just think that success without reflection is just noise. You know what I'm saying? Success without giving back is noise, so I'm feeling successful. I think when you live long enough to experience scars,

when you've won enough to have the wisdom, you know, then it's time to write a book, in my personal opinion. So growth, maturation, me, you know, talking about, or you talking about God in this book through my personal experiences, you know. So I just felt like after you do, for me, I've done the albums. I've shot my short film and I'm just ready to take more creative risk. And so this doesn't feel like a risk because I feel like this could, this could motivate someone, this could help someone.

it's not generic, it's not cliche. I hadn't seen any other artists talk about you know, intuition in the book space. So just some... You know, I want to see one thing. The biggest thing, everybody takes a different part of what they feel that they get out of the book, right?

For myself, is your relationship with your dad. And the reason I say that is I have six kids and I'm always very intention to what I'm always very intentional, I say to my kids, right? Because there's a line between being a dad and it is a line with being a human being, right? And I'll explain.

So with that relationship with your dad, was there, I know your dad moved in with you, was those tough conversations to have from the start him being incarcerated to even at one time when, you know, when you got into that incident in Alabama and your dad said, well, go get a gun and go handle it yourself? You know, how would those conversations have? because I'm sure you wouldn't tell your kids that same thing, or would you? That's a good question.

You know, I think everybody in here have lived through different eras. And, you know, I'm from the boys don't cry era. You know what I'm saying? I'm from that that's weak, that's soft. My dad would say numerous amount of times that he don't think a woman could raise a man, but he wouldn't be there.

You know what I'm saying? And I turned out to be, I mean, I can't change oil, change tires and stuff like that. You know what I'm saying? Like somebody might consider some man stuff. But I've cut the grass and done stuff like that, as y'all know recently. So, I mean, when I think about it's like he wasn't there to teach me certain things that a man should know. And I learned a lot of things on my own. And, you know, he was my first hero.

He's my first somebody you look up to whether he was incarcerated or just, me hearing stories about him and me just realizing that that DNA is inside of me. So what I passed that on, I think I broke that way of thinking. I think it stopped with me, you know. I'm very, you know, I'm not lenient to why I'm like, man, you can cry anytime you won't, but if my son needs to cry about something that's bother him or hurting, I'm not like getting all over him about it. So I think it's just timing and where we're going to.

are in life right now. I don't know how you are with your kids, but I'm a little bit more sensitive to my kids than my father was to me because he wanted me to be tough. I hear stories, my aunts tell me like, if I would cry, he didn't want nobody to pick me up. I don't have, like, it's some baby pictures, but like, all my baby pictures, I'm

sitting somewhere and my mom beside me. She's not, like, holding me. Like, you know what I'm saying? One of the pictures I remember is, like, at a beach, I'm sitting on the hood of a car. I'm like, not even one. And my mom got on a bait, suit she right beside me but it's not really like a picture someone coddling or anything but i mean i'm okay with that what did you learn about your own feelings throughout the whole experience with your dad so being able to spend time with him and and moving in with you to his passing because you talk about it

very stoically at first and then you talk up and then you we actually get to hear you talk about finally being able to cry and being able to like kind of get in tune with yourself a bit yeah well his last few years like I talk about it in the book excuse me he's getting out of prison and you know he's in his late 60s you know what I'm saying like I don't know he might have been 70 something so when I go get him you know that's when I had a conversation about man you ought to move with me like this is just crazy at this point you know what I'm saying and the last time he did time he was probably

two or three years but I just felt like it was time I had my first child and I had a house and so you know I remember stopping and getting him he wanted a suit and then I remember stopping at Verizon he wanted the phone and uh he had some money

he had a little money put up you know somewhere and we just talked and he he said that he would you know he would you know think about it and he ended up eventually just you know staying with me which was really cool it was like we we started building that relationship you know I was so fond of him from a distance because I you know

when I was young, we got separated. So just being in the same house, me learning his little crazy ways and his sarcasm and everything. And so, you know, after he started getting sick, I was going, I was starting it like, this was like 2012. My dad died in 2012.

My first album came out of 2012. I was just so hot at the time. And so Keisha would tell me like, man, you know, your dad didn't eat the day or you need to do something. She'd just tell me, you know what I mean. And he was somebody that didn't want nobody and know he was sick.

He's like such a man. He don't want you to know he's going through that thing, which is ridiculous. And he went to the hospital one night, you know what I'm saying? I end up going up there with him. I end up staying with him. I got to like, I just stay with him for like a week or two. You know what I mean? And I have shows that I end up counseling, but I had this one particular show in Savannah,

which is like, I don't know, a couple hours from Atlanta. And I'm talking to him. And I'm like, I got this show in Atlanta. You're going to be cool tonight. Yeah, yeah, I'm going to be cool. And then he says, you know, dope man, my role model. I had a song called Dope Man, My Rolemore. I had a song called Dope Man,

roll-em-out on my mixtape so he's so sarcastic I'm like bro you straight you know what I'm saying he gives me a fist bump and says do it big Epps that's our last name I said okay cool I go to savannah I don't even get the room I come back when I come back here on this breathing thing I see him like boom but I see him he like looking at me I feel like he's looking at me you know I mean why he on his breathing thing and he keep trying to take the two by his throat and they keep saying like if he takes that out he could he could he's he could die. That part was crazy. You know what I'm saying? So if he take that out, he can die. Now, rewind this, I just got my part from prison. So they're saying the only way that he cannot

take it out is if they handcuff him to the bed. You know what I'm saying? So I say, okay, handcuff him. And then I get to thinking, like, something is telling me like, he don't want to be handcuffed no more, you know what I'm saying? So he handcuffed to the bed. He's looking at me in his, you know, he's breathing. And I say, all right, man, take the handcuffs off. Take it out. He don't want to been handcuffed. But as soon as the handker come out, he come to try to take the and they tell him, if he take it out, it could scratch his,

and so, I swear to you, I do that four times. Okay, put the handcuffs back on. Take the handcuffs back off. Put the handcuffs back on. And it's like, he's just, he's not looking straight home looking to the side like this, you know what I mean? So, I try

to hold his hands myself personally. Like, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Just chill, just chill, he keep, you know, and then, you know, a couple days after that or not even a day after that, you know what I'm saying,

the beep started going off, you know what I'm saying, and by me standing with them, and the nurses, I'm able to run, go get the nurse, you know what I'm saying, check it out,

and they, same thing, four times. Boom, boom, boom, they hit them, bring them back. Thank y'all nurse. They walk out of the room.

Man, look, man, don't you be doing it? Run out again, boom, boom, do that. The fourth time. time. Now, they put me out the room, so I'm looking through the little window. And so the fourth time, the lady come out, and she says, you know, I lost my father to. If he come back now, he'll be brain dead. We already broke two ribs. You just got to let it go. And I was like, that's easier

said than done because he just told me, not only did he tell me do it big, he told me before I went to Savannah, I'm not going to die no time soon. It came out of his mouth, and he never told him a lot. So I'm like, what happened from the time I went to Savannah and came back? But anyway, That's something that I want to say haunted or traumatize me. I know you're big on therapy or whatever. And like this book is my therapy. Like certain things I do is my therapy. I hadn't actually sat down with someone.

And I'm not against people who do or who have. But is it traumatic seeing your father pass? It could be, yeah. But then like a few years later I had a son who reminds me so much of like how he moves and his sarcasm as well. So I don't know. I got two questions based on what you just said. Did reliving that for the book make you cry again?

Because you said that was the first time you remember crying. Man, I cried so hard when that happened. I was listening. I think I even, I'm trying to think what song I might listen to. It was a song. But not when I was doing it in the book. Because I'm just, I didn't cry while writing the book. I think because I've relived that so many times.

It wasn't like I buried it. and just brought it back up. Like, I relive my part's passing in front of me. You know, I've done that a few times. I think we, and then also I see now me talking about it just becomes easier to talk about, you know what I mean. When you keep stuff bottled and whatever. And when you said when Halo was born,

in the book, I got to see the picture. I just got to see the picture. You said there was a, you got it. You got the picture. Yeah, but I don't be showing it. I show you, though. I want to see the picture. You said it was a picture of your father.

The alarm went off in the house. All right, so don't even tell the story. Don't just show you the picture. It's hard to discuss this book because there's so much that you want people to read and see for themselves. Oh, he just gave away a whole chapter, but it was worth it. Yeah. But it was worth it. So this picture, all right.

Well, explain what's what's, what's, what's, he's talking about. All right, so let's talk about it. So my son, HALO was born, 10, 14, 15, right? Me and Keisha was in the hospital. and my mom and my two daughters was at home and they were in our room in the master bedroom. The alarm went off at home

while Halo was coming. The alarm went off. Same time. While Keisha having Halo, the alarm going off. And my mom is asking me, what's the past word to tell the alarm people? Because it's saying motion in the house or whatever. Now, my mom was on the phone saying,

I swear, and I'm looking at the cameras and I don't see anything coming into I don't see the doors. I'm looking at all the doors. Mom said, I hadn't left the room. So I don't know why the motion is going off. I tell her the cold, it goes off. We have Halo.

We come home. All right. We're getting our alarm updated. And then Keisha looks at her email. And when you have motion, it takes pictures. It takes snapshots of what the motion is. Okay. When we looked at the motion, you can see somebody.

You know what I'm saying? And it was my father. Now, my father left in 2012. This was 2015. You can see an image. So, people that I'm close to, a couple of my friends, I'm close to, I show on a picture. I'm like, who are they? Like, that's part right there.

I'm like, look at the date. And, like, my friends began big old chill goosebumps or whatever. You know what I'm saying? My father used to walk around the house, like, with his shirt off, he was in good shape to be 70. Like, he wasn't, like, fat and sloppy. He was in the arm, and so he had something. But I'm going to find, and so another thing about this, and, This is my personal opinion.

He's so sarcastic that when I used to try to show people, I could not find a picture. So I gave a picture to Keisha. I said, Keisha, when I try to show people, it makes me sound like I'm crazy. I don't have a picture of Kiper from the boat on. So we go to Florida one time. I'm not even looking back there.

I know she knows. I go to Florida one time. I only got the picture of them. I can't find it. What happened in Florida? Kisha, you remember? she said whatever she said you see her

whatever anyway her phone fell in we was she probably don't remember this but she does remember this when I said this

but we was on a boat we got off a boat and then her phone down there fell in the water and when her phone fell in the water I said damn I don't think about the contact I'm like

this is my proof this is my proof that goes surreal or whatever You know what I mean? Boom, okay? So I get the looking, because I know exactly when the date was, because I know when Halo was born. I pull up the picture again.

So now I got it, so I give it to my cousin. I'm always with the outside. I gave it a cat. I'm like, can't you keep this picture, boom. So this is, this is, I go over the, back into the day, I go over the Yee House, right? And I'm telling him the same story. I'm like, bro, this has happened to me.

I'm trying to tell him what happened. And this is, man, you know I'm the coolest player in the world, man. It's like food around. It's like lemonade, you know what I'm saying? So I can't find a picture. So I say, cat, cat with my tongue. Come in, man, give me the picture of Pops, man, so I could show. Why, he giving me the picture, bro, I would knock over a big thing of lemonade everywhere on everybody.

Like, you know what I'm saying? I'm such a player. I ain't never done nothing like that. You know what I'm saying? So in my mind, I'm like, this is how my dad is. He's like, be on some joking. So you got me looking crazy here. I don't waste lemonade on everybody at the table.

This ain't even nothing I do. You know what I mean? But anyway. That's another of the story. Let me find a picture. All right here. Let me see. I email myself.

So at one loop, okay, this is not. What cat at? Why he's looking at the picture? Why he's looking up the picture? If you order the book on two chains.com, you have a chance to win courtside. Twochainsbook. Twochainsbook.com.

Go to two chainsbook. com. I do got a sweepstakes for people. They can sit next to me at a horse game. Oh, don't. Yeah, you know, I'm courtside. I'm very close. I come in through the owner's lounge. It's a whole experience.

I do have this little side note, this disclaimer. Women. I'm going to be smelling good. I'm going to be looking good. If you have a crazy man at home, articulate that to him. Men, I'm not going to be talking through the whole game. Right.

We can talk, but I'm going to really be watching the game. I hope a rapper win. I hope somebody trying to make it. Listen. and trying to like You got a picture With somebody that sit next to you Sing all your songs the whole time See can you get that picture

Because you know I'm trying to show them And you know what's going on Ha Pop up If you see anything Hell yeah See something in the picture Can I see?

Oh wait only he got to see No, he got it Probably Yeah he got it No question for you Right See Charlemaine believe you by the way Because that's all

You can see Charlemagne face You know I ain't happen But the reason that Because that happened to him in Prince He took a pick This guy doesn't do with no God damn, this is a spirit I know but he saw a friend

He took a picture He took a picture Disilled Are you okay with him seen it? Okay Oh wow That's a whole person Yes

I thought it was gonna be like It's so clear That's how he used to walk around His shirt up Wow That's him walking Through the kitchen Wow

So I know you're saying The book too That you feel like Until you had your son Your dad Had it like Crossed over To the other side

That's my assumption Right My mom is Super Super Super Spiritual right So she was probably like you know her like he probably coming to fuck with me before you know what I mean probably coming over to the fuck with me just you know what I mean that's how she kicked the

like before he left but so the voices that you were hearing then because I know you have been hearing voices in your head and hearing God for a long time do you do you know which ones might have been your dad because he was there with you or it was the God connection that you have you hearing God during that time so this experience right here when this happened this would have been 2015 I'm not even sure if I was fully committed to just giving the voice it's credit for my success.

Now, that's why I say, when you ask me when it's time to write the book, it's like I've lived and had enough experience and trial and error with listening, not listening, moving through fear, moving through ego to let you know, like, this voice, they've got to be God. The reason I

call it the voice of God, because the voice would be like my intuition. It'll be my alignment. You know what I'm saying? That's what the voice is. I'm saying. That's what the voice but when I say God, I know everybody's not into God, but I had to give the credit to somebody higher than myself. You know what I'm saying? For this superpower, whatever the hell. Like, for me, I got a real picture of my dad three years after he passed. Like, this is not something. And it's my first time ever, ever talking about it, feeling comfortable, talking about it,

showing somebody that I feel like is understands, like, a deeper meaning of, like, spirits and everything. because I don't fully understand. My father, you know, you see they'd be like people come to you in dreams, people, you know, do stuff like that. I can't say that he did that, you know what I'm saying? But I can tell you that I do have a divine guidance in me that helps me make decisions, whether it's business decisions, relationship decisions, whatever it is.

And it's a voice that could probably be too noisy to certain people. but I welcome that voice. So this book is, I put this book together to help somebody and to motivate somebody to shut down the outside noise. And this is also for anybody who's ever said, like something told me, like something told me to get this job or where this hat or whatever it is. It's like, is that something told me thing.

You know what I'm saying? Is that, or something told me don't go to this place and this happen. Or something told me don't, whatever it is. You know, and we've all said when we missed the flight, like, well, that's God trying to. Yeah. Maybe I wasn't supposed to get on it, you know what I mean? So why can't that inner dialogue be that?

Why, why, if they say God is inside of you and, and why can't your blessings come from within on how you are on the surface? You're a positive person on the surface and your blessings come from within. This is my experience. This is my opinion. When do you trust that voice, though? Because you talk about in the book many times when you didn't trust that voice. You heard it and you were like, nah. You got to be, you got to go through the experience, right?

to see like... What was that moment for you that said, I need to start trust in this voice? I don't want to use like a tragic experience. But like the voice comes before something happens, right? So it's hard to like pay attention

because you don't know what's about to happen. Alabama. You know what I'm saying? Alabama, my Calais experience, these different experiences that I had, I felt something. I did. I put this on everything. I felt something. something told me, you know what I'm saying?

But you don't have a crystal ball in order to see it. So that's why I'm using all of these experiences in the book to tell you like how I listen and maybe then fully, you know what I mean, digest what was going on, or when I did and that positive outcomes that came from them. You know, I woke up sometimes to be like, something told I need to do this today, you know what I mean? I do that a lot, actually, you know what I mean?

And it's just a message I'm just trying to bring to people. The book is about God and you first recognized in that voice, but to me it's also a love letter to your mom and your pop. So when did you first recognize God and them? Mom, church going and still go. Just went yesterday. Mom went yesterday. I checked on her.

My pop, when he was in prison, he wrote, which helped me come up with the title two. He used to write God is love on the back of his prison letters. And one day I took the ears out and I put an equal sign like God is love. So I was like, it just made so much sense to me because if it's love there, then it's God there. That's what I think. You know what I'm saying? And if it's hate there, then I can't be God.

And that's how I decipher what that voice was. So, yeah, I've had that kind of spiritual upbringing. Like, I'm from a praying family, you know what I'm saying? I encourage my kids to pray. So it's something I believe in. And I talk, I pray before my show. I pray before I rap at night, bro. I just, you know what I'm saying?

I just be praying sometimes. I be praying on stage when I'm killing. and I look up, man, thank you know, thank you, man, you know, I ain't nobody, you know what I mean, because it's just certain oral you get when you tap in, you know what I mean, for real. Now, you said you always wanted to write a book, did you think that it would be this? No, but, you know, most artists, they do an autobiography, and then they talk about how they have nothing to eat, you know what I'm saying? Artists are the poorest, you know what I'm saying?

You know what I'm saying? Nothing. no education no nothing no I finish high school I have a college degree I don't be on none of that you know what I'm saying

and I still have my struggles that I deal with and so when it was time for me to do the book I wanted to be in my own lane like I do with anything else if y'all notice I don't fall in over really no trends

I'm so comfortable in my skin it's scary sometimes I know you said you don't need therapy but you've been in some real life traumatic situation. Like you just named two of Alabama. The Cali one, I didn't even know it went to that. Yeah.

Where he was standing over you and all of that. I don't know why I never heard that part of the story. But does any, how did that impact the way you move like now? Well, you know, now I'm going to say something cliche. That means I'm here for a reason. You know what I'm saying? That's something cliche. But it really does, though.

Like, I'm in my 40s. Just got my physical a couple weeks ago. No cholesterol, diabetes, hot blood pressure. I'll work out three times a week. I'm at age. So this is a podcast about video games. Kind of. It's also about friendship.

Definitely. And chaos? Unavoidably. Welcome to It's Dangerous to Go Alone. A podcast where we talk games, culture, and nostalgia, and immediately go off topic. There is no gatekeeping. There is no skill check. If you win a game on Easy Mode, we support you.

If you've never touched a controller, honestly, same energy for some of us. It's fun. It's chaotic. It's friendship with a loose gaming thing. And somehow we keep getting away with it. You should listen. Stream it's dangerous to go alone on the free I Heart Radio app. Or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Nora Jones, and I love playing music with people so much that my podcast called Playing Along is back. I sit down with musicians from all musical styles to play songs together in an intimate setting. Every episode's a little different, but it all involves music and conversation with some of my favorite musicians. Over the past two seasons,

I've had special guests like Dave Grohl, Lavei, Mavis Staples, Remy Wolf, Jeff Tweedy, really too many to name. And this season, I've sat down with Alessia Cara, Sarah McLaughlin, John Legend, and more. Check out my new episode with Josh Grobin. You related to the Phantom at that point. Yeah, I was definitely the Phantom in that.

That's so funny. Share each day with me each night, each morning. Say you love me. So come hang out with us in the studio and listen to Playing Along on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Why hasn't a woman formally participated in a Formula One race weekend in over a decade? Think about how many skills they have to develop at such a young age. What can we learn from all of the new F1 romance novels suddenly popping up every year?

He still smelled of podium champagne and expensive friction. And how did a 2023, event called Wag Ageddon, Change the Paddock Forever. That day is just seared into my memory. I'm culture writer and F1 expert Lily Herman, and these are just a few of the questions I'm tackling on no grip, a Formula One culture podcast that dives into the under-explored pockets of the sport. In each episode, a different guest and I will go deeper into the wacky mishaps, scandals and sagas, both on the track and far away from it, that have made F1 a delightful,

decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A silver 40-caliber handgun was recovered at the scene. From IHeart podcasts and Best Case Studios. This is Worshack, murder at City Hall. How could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that. July 2003, Councilman James E. Davis arrives at New York City Hall with a guest.

Both men are carrying concealed weapons. And in less than 30 minutes, both of them will be dead. Now, everybody in the chambers ducked. A shocking public murder. I scream, get down, get down. Those are shots. Those are shots, get down. A charismatic politician.

You know, he just bent the rules all the time. I still have a weapon, and I could shoot you. And an outsider with a secret. He alleged he was a victim of flat down. That may or may not have been political. That may have been about sex. Listen to Roershack, murder at City Hall on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. You games, I rap at night, I eat healthy, drink a lot of water, don't get enough sleep, but that's like something I can work on. But, you know, I'm just, you know, I'm in a, I'm in a good place. You happy? Yeah, I'm happy, man. No PTSD, no stress, no, no, no.

Not that I know of. Like, I don't have any. Like, I did take psychology in college, so. And I loved it. Like, when I got in psychology, I, it wasn't even my major. I remember changing to the major. Like, maybe, like, I remember finding out something about myself studying the actual course. You know what I'm saying?

And so with me, the therapy aspect, you know, I do have, like, some little triggers. I do have triggers. but I want to say I'm kind of conscious of them and I'll probably be, I'm probably doing some self-evaluation, you know what I mean? I hadn't sat down and really like kicked it off. I don't know, I'm not against therapy though. I'm not against therapy,

but I have went through things and I've gotten over them and I've moved on and I went through some dramatic stuff too. But I just feel like God, when you, I feel, I believe so much in God that I just didn't then let that hold me back. I didn't let it bring me PTSD. I ain't like, man, you know what happened to me? I'm crazy.

Like, I ain't want to be able to be on. People be needing excuses to be thrown, you know what I'm there? Man, you don't even know, man. You know, and I ain't on that, you know. I know that you see that you deeply grounded in family, came here with your family. How did you know that your wife, Keisha, was the person that God intended for you?

Something told me. Something told me she was the one. Keisha used to write, she still does, but she's, you know, I said this all the time. She used to go to church and she used to write notes. And I was like, okay. And like, real, like, they're in the PowerPoints type of stuff

of what they was talking about in the church. So I like that she was God fear and I like that she was just a natural, beautiful woman inside and out. And, you know, having somebody like that in the industry is like, or being in the industry and having, you know, somebody that you care about is like not the easiest thing to navigate.

So you got to just, you know, for me, just keep on the pedestal and let her know that she is mine. She's the one for me. How do you separate divine? guidance from just wanting something really bad. That's a good one. My question is easier

than that, yeah? Yeah, you ain't. You're working, though. You get it. But they're good. The divine guidance. Keep going, keep working. You know what people do?

You like, they just keep on. Keep trying. Keep trying. Look at your paper. Just keep going. You almost finished. The divine guidance, I expect. or if you just want something.

So if you just want something really bad, is that, are you saying, like, manifesting something? You know, you have something in your mind that you want, right? Like, I want this goal. I want to accomplish it. But that don't mean that's what God wants you to be doing. Hmm. I believe in speaking things that to exist too.

I believe in manifestation. Now, if you want to do something that don't got love in, I believe, like, he don't got nothing to do it. I say God is love. God equals love. So you might want to be on something that ain't, got nothing to do with love, and he's not going to answer the phone for that. But if you want something and they got love attached to it too, I think he'll answer,

and listen, I mean, you already know what's going on. So that's my personal. Because I had one or something, but then. Another thing is we have to teach some of the youth the difference between needs and wants. I think they got it like some of it confused. You know what I'm saying? And it's a difference. So how have you always, because every interview I watch with you, and I know we talked to Culturecom before too. I feel like that was good. Thank you. Thank you. I feel like every time I listened to you speak even when you were younger. It seems like you always understood the difference between your needs and your wants

and separated the two. How did you have that so young, like doing so many different things from college to being in the street to rap? So I'm going to tell you another pop story. So pop, my pop used to go in the store and he used to steal. And then he used to get mad at me because he would just stop abruptly. And then I would hit him in the back of the Achilles with like the buggy. when I hit him in the back of the leg with a buggy, he'd get mad as hell.

And so then I get like 30 feet away from him. And then we'll get in the car and he'll start taking stuff like out of his sock. You know, the long sock and he put stuff on his gym. And then he told me, he said, he told me, kids don't listen to me or my pops on this because now that don't make, when I listen to it don't make sense. But he said, still what you need, not what you want. and so he was going to store and steal

like things that he felt like we need for the house whether it was toilet trees or whatever it was you know what I'm saying? It wouldn't be like snacks or or gum or nothing like that and that makes perfect sense to me yeah but you don't want people to think

man I need this watch you know what I'm saying because that's why I say they don't know what needs and wants are but my pop so for a long time I used to steal stuff you know But I was standing in line with a pack of gum on everything I love. I'd just be like, I'd just be waiting the paper of the gum. You know what I'm saying? But if it was something I needed, I already had a home.

Like, I really needed. I'd take that. And it couldn't afford it. I would take it. You think reading the book, right? Do you think God gave you the plugs? Yeah. Honestly, not God blessing.

You bet. You bet you thought God was blessing the trap. You think God gave you. I read it. He was like, it was a blessing that got the plug. God gave me. me this plug. I'm like, because a plug could be,

have you got this job, whatever, you know. I ain't talking about that plug. I'm talking about the plug. I got opening up so many doors for me, but yes, I got it. And so many people that do what I do never had a plug, and they'll tell you how miserable their hustling experience was. Once you get somebody that you can call, and this

is just, once again, this is my, these are my theories. Right. Okay. You know what I'm saying? But I'm not looking for a plug. I find this guy that essentially helped changed the way I was moving and living up to now. Well, it was a little finesse in one of your plugs now. Yeah, it was a little finesse.

A little finesse when you took home home home. Yeah, that was finesse. Yeah. That was finesse, but it was, it was a sign of intelligence, too. It was a sign of intelligence, right? Because I'm able to, I'm hearing what's going on. And I know how important it is to have one, because at this point I already had a plug.

So I'm hearing like, so I'm like, so. I didn't even take buddy plug. That's just kind of like what come in the street. I never was like a person that robbed anybody. I ain't robbed, so, yeah. I won't say this, though. The reason I do agree with him when he said for him, for him, because you was the weed man.

Yeah, I was a weed man. The weed man different than like the other guys that's telling the hardship. The weed man, the weed brings you love. Yes, you know what I mean? Yeah, weed man, man. And you know how it is? I mean, you get a feature. I was smoking weed with the artists

when you're coming up and you smoke like man it's pretty good let's rap you know things can happen man you know so it helped me out tremendously man I got some of my stuff may sound really really off but if you just if I have Charlemagne with me

he'll help you down with him I'm ready I'm like God gave me the plug I'm like when he was the weed man though that's the different me like he man different man when you got that I think everybody has those experiences though where you're like, yo, if I had to talk about this again, nobody would be, but I think

that's favor too. Like, I was watching a sermon yesterday and Pastor Mike, Mike Jr., he was saying your yes to God breaks cycles, and then that comes with a whole level of divine favor that, like, you couldn't even explain it to people in the feeling of it if you tried to. And a lot of your story is that, it's like, you have this personal one-on-one that, like, we would never really get. It's funny to hear, but. The story about my dad crossing over is something I never knew how to even tell

nobody. You had to be like, I probably told eight people my whole life, and this happened in 2015. I just showed my kids recently, because I thought that they would be, you know, ready. So, yeah. Yeah. But you even named all your kids something spiritual. Well, Keisha started off. She named our first baby, Heaven. She named

the first two. Heaven, Harmony, and then I came with the Halo. I sprinkled that south-south. That's fine. How was the most? emotional maturity changed the way you hear that inner voice. That emotional maturity changed how I hear it. Oh yeah. I can answer that.

So my emotional maturity changed how I hear the inner voice because I'm able to want one disciple, if it's love or hate, because we all got a fuck it voice too. We all got a voice that we've all said fucking and done and done some things. And sometimes it came back to bite us in the button. something to happen. But right now, I think

with the emotional, intelligent, it comes with growth. It comes with age and it comes with experience, right? And it just comes with life, it comes with life situations. It comes with life choices. And so, for some of the things that I touch on in this book, you literally have to live long enough. Like, this book can't be written by

a teenager or somebody in their 20s. This is my personal opinion. This book is like experience based at the same time. I'm just not running off some ideas and stuff like this. This is this is stuff that you know I've been through

or someone that's been through or you know something and there was a voice there there was a voice there during all of these situations has ever been a time where that voice led you somewhere painful but you realize

it was necessary and I don't mean by not listening to it like you actually listen to it and it still led you somewhere and you was like this not what I thought was going to happen when I listen to my voice I have

Listen, bro, this is how insane it is. I listen to it. They'll tell me what time to go to the gym. Tell me what time to lead to go get my son. They'll tell me what route to take him. It'll tell me what we need to eat. What he needs to eat. It'll tell me what route to go home.

I can go home three or four different ways. It tells me, man, don't go that way, man. Go this way, man. And this has been happening for a long time, but I used to pay no attention until I ran into a roadblock. And you'd be like, oh, man, I know I shouldn't have came this way. You know what I'm saying? But this was early on when I was maneuvering.

But the voice is something that I hear a lot, that it was hard for me to really articulate without saying I had an imaginary friend or something like that when I'm sitting in the corner and I'm going back and forth, and I'm ideating between me and my voice. But I think it was very important at this time for me to write this literature because I feel like it's going to help. If it helps one person, which I've already received multiple text messages from people who got advanced copies

on the voice in their head and something told me and them listening more closely. So that's what this is for. That's why the timing is for, you know, I've been in front of you guys many of times talking about many of different projects, but I just keep going into my creative bag coming up with something that I think can help my community.

This is like a community outreach project. This is for my community, bro. It's like, this for my community. People give away turkeys. People do all kinds of stuff. This book is for my community. I feel like I've been just holding on hoarding, like, this secret sauce, this secret. Like, man, Tony, how you keep?

Man, how you keep, man? I'm telling you, man, try it. Enlightenment. Try it. Enlightenment. I'll try it. Just try it. Just try it.

Just try it. Just try it. Just try it. Just try it. Did you really think you with Michael Jackson? I was just messing with my mama My mama got She's been with my daddy this whole time

So she knows sarcasm right So I had You know I broke my elbow And my knee But they had just put me to sleep To pop my elbow back in place Boom

And it's on her birthday She didn't let her birthday part To be in the hospital with me So I'm coming up out of the anesthesia And they're like Mr. Epps, you okay Mr. Eust? You okay? I'm like yeah

Mr. Epp And I kind of look over I look over there, I see you my mom, I see you my mom. Like, you're okay? And like, yeah, like, what's your name? Say your whole name. I said, uh, Michael Jackson. She said, oh, man, I'm getting the fuck about it.

She got up and left, man. I don't know. I don't know, man. I'm an optimistic person, man. I'm just optimistic. If something bad happened to me, I just, I turn it over. I just try to find the good. And it's some good in here somewhere.

It got to be, you know what I mean? You talk about rebroad. branding and reinvention a lot in the book. Do you ever worry that when you, that constantly evolving can disconnect you from your core? No, you have to do that. You have to, I'm showing people, but I'm not like being preachy when I'm showing people how to move and how businesses move. If you look up McDonald's, Sprites, everybody rebranded.

They don't exactly change their name, but they rebrand. They change the arts. They do something. You know what I mean? And so for me, I'm a business, two changes as a brand. And I have a new logo. I got a new logo. I'm about to launch, you know, this week or next week.

So for me, you know, I've been two-changed titty boy, beat Tony and James son. I'm a hell weave killer. But, I mean, I'm looking at other successful people that have pulled this stuff before me. I know Jay has a couple names. A couple people I know have a couple names. And it's just like a part of me.

I'm also giving that knowledge. I was like, man, I got some game. And sometimes this book is a way to spread it to the masses instead of just talking to one individual. So I think it's important that, you know, a lot of people be like, man, you know, I've had artists ask me, change their name you know what I'm saying I changed my name like I know you did it

bro you know I mean and stuff like that so it's whatever works for you but I think it's important that you you revisit your brand every three to five years three to five years that's mine I go in there and I see what I can tweak turn do whatever I love the book man because you make you you make ambition you look at it as something spiritual like I think sometimes people have this this hunger and they dress it up as faith but like to me you actually approach ambition as something spiritual. Can we, can't, you can't buy ambition? You can't go to Amazon, you lazy, you need some,

take something to give you, you, you take it something to give you energy, but that ain't the ambition. You know what I'm saying? I got that. I got the self-motivation, you know what I'm saying? The boy starts there. Anybody get your ass up. You ain't got no big home.

You ain't got nobody that's going to do this, but you ain't got no friend you can call on. You don't got nobody. So, like, it all falls on me. So, yeah, I'm operating indefinitely in that space. The one thing I wanted you to talk about in the book is why you chose Alabama over South Carolina State. He talks about it in the book. No, not he don't talk about it.

No, so I got recruited by South Carolina, South Carolina State. I was going to Memphis. I was going to Memphis. That's what I was going to commit to. I like Memphis because Penny Hardaway had went there. I was like this little skinny, scrawny point guard, two guard. and I just wanted to just follow those steps. So when I got locked up in high school, Alabama State was the first school.

They called me. They got in touch with me. They called me. They were very, like, you know, compassionate about what I went through, and they offered me a full-ride scholarship. I already had the grades. They offered me a full-ride scholarship. And they also, I had peers that went down there from my school.

So I knew some kids down there. It was two hours from the house. and, you know, in the book, first chapter, I took it. I went down there playing. I went down to playing when I first went down to them, you know, the Alabama boy, they show you, they see her business. And I end up going down there, and then I lost my love for basketball the same year I went down there

because the coaches that called me and they were so excited about having the opportunity to work with me. They got fired. New coaches came in. New coaches came in. They brought players in. And then I just remember my passion for hooping. and starting to diminish.

Because at this point, I still wasn't like rapping or anything. I was just like trapping the hoopling. Yeah, because in the book, I thought he said that in the book because you said it was somebody you knew down there and it was close to the career. Yeah. And he said you started playing ball and then what really turned you on,

you said it was when the flood happened. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My darn, well, my dorm flooded, but that just made me get a spot off campus. You know, I still was dealing in the parameters of a student athlete. I still was, I was going to class. You know, I was going to class.

I was doing everything. I just, I'm already living a certain lifestyle. I'm already got a little hustle going. I go down there, I got three cars already. I'm literally driving a different car Monday, Wednesday, and Friday just because I can. I'm on that type of time. And so, but I'm a learning junkie, too. I love to learn.

Even now, I love, I mean, learning is so fast right now, it's insane. You know what I'm saying? Like, trying to learn what's going on in the world. But, you know, originally, man, I enjoyed learning new. information. I just, you know what I mean? I loved it. So it was never a situation where I, if I wasn't on campus, I wasn't going to go to school. I still was going to handle my responsibility. So I just talk about that in the book as one. And that's, that's one of the things that pushed me into being independent too. You go to college. You know, you stay on campus. Then when you

get your crib off, this is your first home, this is your crib. You know, you start becoming like, you know, a grown-up. So, yeah. You wouldn't have met your queen either if you didn't go to Alabama. Yeah, yeah, yeah, true. My last question, if that voice in your head told you to walk away from rap tomorrow. Would you listen? That's a great question because I love rap music so much. And I figure, like, if you know I love it, he wouldn't do, he wouldn't do that. You know what I'm saying?

I love it. And one of the things I love about it is that I still have good ideas, whether for me or anybody else, when I say ideas, not just in rap, but after the rap, the marketing, the title, the fonts, shades, like, I'm into all, like, even this right here. Here, this is a black artist named DeRice. He's dope, man. He's just like, he's not with a gallery, anything. DeRice Walker, I found him online.

He does this little, like, pastel, dope. This is art. It's like, he drew this of me. This isn't not a picture. He drew this whole thing. And I just like, I don't know, curating dope stuff. But you can still do that without rap. If God said two genes, I want you to put them out.

If I heard him as clear as you saying it, yeah, I probably would because I feel like he got something bigger for me. And so he wants me to probably start going to sleep a night, getting up early or something like that, which I haven't done since my father passed. I sleep in the daytime. I only would sleep at night. You're writing books now.

You got the podcast. You know, Halo on. Me and Halo podcast. Make you y'all check that out. What do you do my miracle? What do you do at night then? If you, like, what are you doing? You just music.

I said, like, what are you doing? If you're not sleeping, you know, you just up. Do I sleep in night, y'all? No. Damn. What time I go to sleep? six seven hmm

I go to Halo like what is it Col ball hey look at is he he oh he was

annoyed just connect I got kids I got kids when they say it's yelling out it is what it is well

Halo told me we was retiring it this year I think he said on a podcast like we had to let it go or something

for something he moved on man yeah yeah yeah yeah but I go to sleep around six six or seven

and then I get up around what time I get up 12-1. Is that because of your music artist's life? Because a lot of artists are like that, too, where they're up on. I've been doing that ever since the kids known me.

Harmony 13. What are you doing, though? Are you thinking? Like, are you writing? I'm in a studio space. And I'm doing something ambitious to help my career go further. And that is the time when all the noise

is shut off for me. All the people that I love should be in the bed, sleep. I don't receive phone calls that late. Nobody called me saying they need. I can actually concentrate on the task at hand, whatever that is, and those are my hours that I can just lock in

from probably 12 to 6 or something like that. I started working at night around 11 to 12. From 12 to 6 is really just really, really my time, really need time. I don't have to worry about it. You know what I'm saying? I mean, of course I worry about people, but it's just really my time.

I don't have anything else on my mind but me and the task at hand. And that's therapeutic for you? That's so therapeutic. I wouldn't know what to do. Like, Keisha hates when I'm at home that in those times. Because she's trying to sleep. Yeah.

And I'm moving around up. Man, just the other day I was just doing the most craziest stuff, man, because I had to be up at seven. So I'm like, man, do I go to sleep or do I just stay up to seven? So I'm trying to figure it out. She's like, what you doing at home? Next thing, no. She looked at me.

I'm staying out the one like Malcolm X. I'm just looking out the one. And I'm saying stuff like this. I really need some asphalt so I can, I'm just looking at stuff at the house. I'm just looking at the driveway. I need to do this roundabout over. I'm looking at the tennis court. We've got the light out there on the court.

I'm looking. I'm like, man, we should use this more often. We just, but my mind and my, like, I'm not sleepy. I'm not tired. I'm not yawning because my body trained. I'm almost like a newborn. I'm trained to sleep from like 70. to five. I mean, I'm sorry, five hours, seven to twelve. I'm trying to sleep like that long.

But the longest, like, literally since 20 or my pop died, I hadn't really slept in night. Well, the book is out today. Make sure you get out. Two Chains. The voice in my head is God. Are you looking at this? This is dope. There's a hampson picture on the back as well. And then look, if you open this up, this is something told me. Something told me. So I'm going to challenge y'all. Go to Two Chains, Book.com. come, enter the sweepstakes to sit next to me at the horse game. You have to March 11th to do that. But this right here, tell me, what does something tell you who I guess? Something told you, give me an example. Something told you, give me an example.

To wear that hat. Something told me the way to hat, you know. So what I'm saying? So you was putting your stuff, tell me how that went. So I woke up. Under this is crazy, though. So that, yeah, because I was going to wake up early and do my little, you know, my little curling joint, but I ain't have enough time.

because I was going over questions for my book. You know what I'm saying? Because I started purse this week. So I got up, I ain't have enough time for that. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to wear my hat to go with my mom with a jumpsuit. I mean, you got other hats, though. Hell yeah.

Like, I'm a head corner store. What made you get put that one on? I don't know, like the bunny is. I want to go with the Lord's suit. You know, the body suit. I just got these new nighties. I know they call you and got to. You cordoned.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. I just like this. My dog. My dog. Yes, sir. Give me an example of something told you.

I told him that today. I'm going to learn how to ski today. Something told you, like, you're just sitting there like, man, I do so. You know what it is? My son snowboards, and I took him to on the mountain the other day. And I felt bad because I couldn't go with him on the mountain because I don't know how to go snowboard a ski. So I was like, you know what?

I'm going to learn how to ski, so next time we go, I can get on that mountain. Some good father, son, time again. Absolutely. Yeah? Something told me I need to go back home this weekend, spend more time with my family. I love that. Something told me that Two Chains had an amazing book that he needed to, get published.

And that's why you're in on. That's right. So wait. Black effect. Hold on. You knew you wanted to write a book, but did you go to him and say, Hey, it's time or did,

how did that happen? No, he just knew I'm a successful black dude, so he tried to cap in on my success because he knew I'm a winner. Why else would you do? No, because he'd be having his little thing going on his mind to. Two Chains is the plug. I wouldn't have Crystal franchises if it wasn't for Tuchel.

Oh, yeah. We'll talk about that up here. And people don't talk enough about you and your involvement in the Crystal Franchises. Man, my involvement in the culture. Yeah. culture is crazy you know what I am the Pinterest I am the mood boy for a lot of stuff going on I'm humble and quiet at sometimes a lot of the times but I can see how what my influence is done for

even my whole city like man listen escrow and the escrow franchise 10 years I owned the dirt five years before I started running the business on the vertical candy land there's no other person my age my demographic that owns my demographic that owns a adult entertainment you to get a permit to be nude and have alcohol, they stopped issuing those in 1993. You have to buy those for an extremely high price from somebody who sets it. A lot of the, even the G-League team being connected

to the Atlanta Hawks, you know what I'm saying? Even having an association with that, it's just a lot of things that I see that I try to open up, like in this book, and let my peers know, like, this is what's going on and this is how I'm even making these business decisions based off like, of course I have a lawyer, I have management, but I got this voice going on with me too. But I do have, you know, the crystal situation shot to Jonathan.

Just shy to everybody that I became partners with. I think collaborating is a good thing, not only in music but in business too. And my secret to that is finding someone that's passionate in whatever you're trying to do and collaborate with and then you can have success in the future. feel. So I said to say that the person I'm collaborating with at Esco they're passionate about the hospitality space. They don't have a special

seasoning or sauce. It's bigger than that. You've got to know this space. The person that I'm in the strip club business is passionate about that business. So it's just and Jonathan is passionate about crystals and this man is passionate about giving back to our community.

So that's how a lot of things lines up. There you have it. It's two chains, ladies Gentlemen, get the book today. Thank you. And it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. True. Oh, no.

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. You're all finished or y'all's done? 10, 10 shots fired in City Hall building. How could this have happened in City Hall? Somebody tell me that. A shocking public murder.

This is one of the most dramatic events that really ever happened in New York City politics. I scream. Get down. Get down. Those are shots. A tragedy that's now forgotten and a mystery that may or may not have been political, that may have been about sex. Listen to Rorschach, murder at City Hall, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ready for a different take on Formula One? Look no further than No Grip, a new podcast tackling the culture of motor racing's most coveted series.

Join me, Lily Herman, as we dive into the under-explored pockets of F1, including the story of the woman who last participated in a Formula One race weekend, recent uptick in F1 romance novels and plenty of mishap scandals and sagas that have made Formula One a delightful, decadent dumpster fire for more than 75 years. Listen to No Grip on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Lori Siegel, and this is mostly human, a tech podcast through a human lens. This week, an interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. I think society is going to decide that creators of AI products bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to the products we put out in the world. An in-depth conversation with a man who's shaping our future. My highest order bit is to not destroy the world with AI.

Listen to mostly human on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Noah Kahn, the singer-songwriter behind the multi-platinum global hit stick season and one of the biggest voices in music today. Talking about the mental illness stuff, it used to be this thing that I was ashamed of.

Getting to talk about this is not common for me. Right now I need it more than ever. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.