The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Memphis Bleek Turned Down $75K To Sign With Jay-Z, Talks Roc-A-Fella History, New Podcast + More

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

Today on The Breakfast Club, Memphis Bleek Talks Turning Down $75K To Sign With Jay-Z, Talks Roc-A-Fella History, New Podcast. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. Most of all, his wife, Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me. How far would he go to cover up what he'd done? The fact that you lied is absolutely horrific.

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Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. DNA test proves he is not the father. Now I'm taking the inheritance. Wait a minute, John, who's not the father? Well, Sam, luckily it's your Not the Father Week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon.

This author writes, my father-in-law is trying to steal the family fortune worth millions from my son, even though it was promised to us. He's trying to give it to his irresponsible son, but I have DNA proof that could get the money back. Hold up, they could lose their family and millions of dollars? Yep. Find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

Yep, this is the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne the God, DJ Envy, Just Hilarious. Envy had the bounce, but Lauren LaRosa is in, and we got a special guest in the building, man. He's got a new podcast called The Rock Solid Podcast on the Drink Champs, Black Effect Podcast Network. Memphis Bleak is here!

You know what I'm saying, Blizzu in the building. What's up, ladies? Hey. See, God, that's my guy right here. I never met y'all ladies before, so I gotta say. That's not that nice the building. What's up, ladies? What's up? Seagull, that's my guy right here. I never met y'all ladies before. That's not that nice to show. You never met Justin Lauren?

No, man. I just met her on IG. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? I seen you show some love. I show love back. You know what I mean? Man, listen, your ass don't age.

When I say you look good, you look good when I was younger. You look good now. Let's go. Oh, thank you. I'm trying to win. I'm trying. You hear that, wife? You better watch out.

You better watch out, girl. I know you're getting into this. I know you're getting into this. I know you're getting into this. I know you you look good now. Thank you I'm trying to win I'm trying to hear that wife you better watch out. Personality bloggers face now you might age it's just I know right it's straight I'm not I'm not trying to get into the controversy of the blogger space I'm trying to bring some jokes I want to be like I feel like my podcast I want to be like the sitcom when we was younger. You know, you had your smack DVDs, your wild moments, but then you could go in the crib and watch some Martin. You go in the crib and watch some Fresh Prince and you know, get back to your sense of humor. I feel like that's what my space I wanna be.

Just enjoying, I don't want no click bait. It's interesting though, most people who actually have gotten active in the street don't want problems. No, no, no, I love this life I live. I don't gotta watch my back. I don't need no strap. I'm good. I love it.

I even seen people say things about you on social media and you just laugh it off. Yeah. Hell yeah. Because it's like, I'm from the era. You know in the hood, the more anger you show, the more laughter comes to follow. So I really learned that young.

It's like, you can't show people that they even penetrate the armor you wear or anything. So I'ma always laugh it off, even though I might be pissed, but you'll never see that. You know, most people start a podcast, I guess to build some credibility. You already got credibility, so what do you wanna say on the podcast that you haven't said on records

or in interviews? I feel like people don't know my personality. Back in our day, you could be whatever you wanted, because all they know was a source magazine picture, they see you on BET or MTV, your video, buy your album, and that's all they knew of you. Now on Instagram, people get to see your everyday life. So if you're a corn boy, you're a corn boy for real.

So it's like now on the podcast, what I want to let people know is the personality and just some of the stories behind the things that we've done that you might have been questioning. How did that happen? Why did this happen? Why wasn't Bleak involved in this? Or why wasn't Beans or this person involved? So we had to answer those questions.

You know, you've been in rooms with some of the biggest names in music, right? But on Rock Solid, are there stories you finally feel comfortable telling now that you couldn't back then? No, I don't think I ever played that role in a game. Like, we never came in the game as a crew with images to upheld.

We always were just who we were. Believed in integrity was gonna take you as far as you needed to go. So, it was never no rap image I portrayed or something, but it's just things I can't talk about now because the big homie, Mary, we married. So, you know those hard-knock life talk things. Oh my God.

I can't, you know I gotta PG it. I can't X-ray it, like, so. Yo, have you ever, have you and your wife ever watched Backstage together? No, I can never watch that one, no way. I have to tell you, that wasn't me. The guy she know today, that's not him on Backstage. Yo, there's a part in Backstage where one of y'all,

I think it's you whole you'd be like I Don't fuck that. I don't fuck all the Texas or something. It is a half the country Reversed it. Yeah, I was on some shit. We was battling and not records We have verses for real So any upcoming guests that you want any any is out yet? Yeah, we just got the first episode with Ja Rule yesterday. Okay. So that did really good. A lot of people didn't know me and Ja had that relationship. So that's the things like I want people to understand like behind the scenes, behind the

music, we real regular people. Like my first friend in the music business was Ja Rule. Oh wow. You know, people from the outside would think it was Beans or Freeway or somebody from Rockefeller. The first person I met hanging out, riding around with was Jairo. Like, people don't know, even Nick Cannon. Nick Cannon used to be in Marcy with us. Like, we're gone.

We're gone. Why you never help him write? Why you laugh us off? It's crazy, you said that. Because my friend, this kid from our projects named Clep, rest in peace, he actually used to write for Nick. We all was managed by the same producer. He don't want that credit.

I mean, same manager, B-Hot, J Cousin, was managed, all three of us, Nick, me, and Clep. So he used to spit right away. B-Hot used to manage Nick Cannon? Yeah. He never told me that. Yeah, Nick Cannon must not have been a priority. Nah, he was, he was.

He was always talking about going in the showbiz back then too. Like music was never his thing. So to see where he took it and what he do is like, you lit. Like I've just seen him at the Super Bowl February, you know, and I'm like, I need to get on that show cause y'all out there freestyling, battling, dishing.

That's my area. So, you know, I'm gonna go do that. He because you out there freestyling, battling, this and that's my area. So I'm gonna go do that. He definitely gotta pull up to the podcast. So what was Nick doing in Marcy? Just chilling. No, Nick can fight though. I don't know if y'all know this. Just regular stuff.

Like, you know he was a regular dude. This before the fame, before any of this. The kids and all of that crazy crap. This was just regular Nick on the block hanging out. He just wanted to be in the hood. Like a lot of people that met us back then was on some, yo, you from Marcy, I wanna go. Cause you couldn't go to Marcy back in the day.

If you didn't know somebody or go with somebody certified, wasn't no walking through Marcy. So a lot of people, they wanna experience it now. Well, y'all made it sound fun. Y'all did make Marcy sound like Cancun a little bit. A little bit. You know, a little bit for us, it was, because we the guys. But anybody couldn't do that.

So your man used to ghost write for Nick Cannon? Yeah, yeah, man. Did he get royalties off Jiggalo? Like, what record was it? I don't know. I don't know if it was those records. But it was like his demos to help him get a deal. Like, when he first was rapping, first doing this thing,

like, yeah, Nick was in the studio with us and all of that. You thought Nick was nice? I always thought he was talented. I ain't say that I said you thought he was nice as a rapper. Yo I always thought he was talented. Yo damn. And then a couple times you give the guys yo that ain't Nick. Yo he got a classic with my band. And they'll be like, that ain't Nick. I think that's the fear of every artist.

Like, y'all, they gonna rock with me or somebody gonna be like, dang, Nick. I mean, especially being around y'all, though. Like, that's a different... Y'all are very different rappers than in the canyons. No, but it was rough. Like, growing up, like, just even being in the Rockefeller camp, baseline studios

Remember, we only had two rooms with 14 artists. So it's like you couldn't be in there playing with bars You had to get out if you was laying something that wasn't rockin. They it's time to go We got six people waiting for that space. Yeah Sleutin Nick though, we got a little kid. Definitely. Not his rap though, we gotta love him. Yeah, Lil Kev from San Diego. Definitely, not his rap, but we gotta love him. Yo, G.L. You speak about bass line, you were the first artist to be called the head to Jay-Z's throne. Like, Jay called you the head to the throne.

What's something you learned about pressure and expectation that took some time for you to understand? It's not reality. Like, people will put limits and expectations on you that you don't have for yourself or even see like when Jay said that I was like I'm the new improved what? Since when? Who told you? They ain't tell me that. So it was like oh word? So it's like you know you gotta do your thing and write and try to better yourself, learn the game, learn perfect your role, but the dominoes don't always fall

the way you hope, you know what I'm saying? Of course I wanted to be the biggest, wanted to be this, but unfortunately I grew up with the sun, and it's like any fire I put out, he burnt out. So it was nothing I could do, I just accept my spot, but he was capping. He might have saw something in you that you didn't see in yourself.

That's what I, he definitely did it to this day. Like, you know, Jay pushed me to do, I send him music. It's so weird, cause I got a new project coming out right on the 20th called Apartment 3D. It's probably like my third album I recorded since my last studio album. The first two, he done shut down. So when I started sending him records from this one

and he like, this is it, you doing your thing. I'm like, what changed? I'm still trying to figure out what changed, cause now it's like, you rocking with all the joints, what happened? I think, you know, it's just where you at in your life and what you talking about. So you was apartment 3D and they were apartment?

Fosse. Fosse, and see that's what I, people always know you from the music with Jay, right? They like, oh, that's Jay's pro to Jay, but yo, y'all grew up together in the trenches. But that's the thing, we grew up not together. People think that like, they gotta remember, Jay is like the big brother, like the uncle. Like I was the kid, like one of his nephews on the block,

he didn't hang with me, he came and got me. Like seen me was the kid, like, one of his nephews on the block. He didn't hang with me. He came and got me. Like, seen me doing reckless stuff. He would, you know, put me on the right track, correct me, give me gang, but it wasn't no hanging out. It was like, all right, I see you. That's Jay. What up, fam? I see you. So the day when I seen him with Clark Kent, rest in peace, it was like, man,

he always pulling up with the illest cars, the baddest joints, man. I got to get on this boat. I got to find out how to be a passenger on that boat. So I just shot my shot and it worked. What was something he taught you during that era that fans wouldn't know, that we might hear on the Rockstarly podcast?

Man. Everything you see, man, just the life I lived, the man I am, like, Jay taught me. I learned everything from him, Biggs, Dane, my manager, the man I am. Like Jay taught me, I'd learn everything from him, Biggs, Dane, my manager, B-Hi. I could say it was a collective thing because without them, who knows where I'd be in life right now, but one of the main things I learned from Jay

is stay on top of your business, man. Don't like, you got managers, lawyers, all of that, but nobody know what you want but you and what you gonna get with you. So stay on top of your business. That's why I just had a talk with him this morning because you know with the Rock Solid podcast we had the rock logo on the podcast, but of course, you know, people wait till the last day to try to get you to handle business.

So I'm like, yo, I can't put that pressure on Jay right now. He on tour with his wife. He doing, you know, I don't wanna be talking business. But I did send a message, so we talked about it today. And he like, bro, I don't just be licensing my logo and my likeness out to anybody. And I'm like, I've been in this game forever. What makes you think I don't own my show?

Like, this ain't going to nobody else. And he like, I'm like, I learned from the best. Nobody owns anything you do. And now why would I give away anything I do? Right. So it was just. Do you think as an artist, right? Because I know you said you learned a lot from Jay

business-wise, right? Do you think as an artist, if you would have signed as somebody else, you would have been a bigger artist? No, I probably wouldn't be here. Because you get your one and done, your two albums, you done. That's what made me, it's so weird, all right. That's what made me signed with Jay.

I remember my manager, B-Haw, he ain't gonna like that I'm telling this story. We had an offer from Capitol Records, right? They wanted to give me 350 with a $75,000 signing bonus. And I was like, nah, they don't want it. And he like, yo, you know what $75,000 could do for you? It'd change everything in your household. These was Marcy's struggling days, and I'm like, I feel you.

But that $75,000 come from somebody I don't know. So the day my train slipped, they not gonna invest back in the train to get me back on track. So I'd rather roll with Hov, and this before Jay, it was no Rockefeller. He was still, this was reasonable doubt on priority, Jay. And he was like, yo, but what if, you know Rockefeller is a dream of Jay.

What if it never manifests? And I'm like, then it'll never be no bleak. I'm cool with that, you know? But my dice is with somebody that I know rather than roll on somebody I don't. You so. Was this after Reasonable Doubt, or? This was during Reasonable Doubt.

Because man, Reasonable Doubt came out on priority. Yep. Lot of people think it came out on Def Jam, but it didn't. I was literally gonna say, people talk so much about your loyalty and that story, and he speaks to it, right? How has your loyalty had to change as y'all grew?

Cause you've known him for so, you've known Jay-Z for so long. Like it's been so long at this point. Excuse me, it's weird seeing what people, what I always saw in him, because to me, he was always larger than life. Some kids grow up looking at sports players, movie stars. My next door neighbor was my inspiration.

I'd go outside, he had the cars nobody had. I'd look at his neck, he wearing jewelry, no one in the projects can afford. You know, he flying, traveling places. Remember, Jay got a picture in London in a BMW. It was like 1993. It was like 92. Like, nobody wasn't traveling like that back then. So, he was my inspiration to get money. So to watch the world see him as the billionaire, he always been that to me. So I don't think anything changed. Because the day I decided to be like,

yo, I wanna get money, I knew I wanna get money like them. Him, Ty Ty and all, oh my God. It's funny even, not the Lawrence question, sort of, kind of, but you see people online say things like, Bleak too loyal to Jay. How is there something to being too loyal to somebody? I don't know. Especially if it's reciprocated.

Yeah, like how can you be too, I don't know no other way. I don't know no other person, like what I'm supposed to do, what they wanted me to do. I don't know who I was gonna get a deal with. What artist, I'm gonna go sign with another artist and be like, yo, I'm this crew now? That'll never happen.

So it's just like when Rockefeller died. That's why I didn't ever chase music. Cause it's like, what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna be G unit. I'm gonna go be this guy over here. Never. If it ain't Rockefeller, it ain't nothing. You know, it's funny, right?

You are one of the few artists from that era who seems like you never chased clout when things slowed down. Oh, no. Was that a conscious decision or just your character? We always been lit. All right. Like, since a kid, we always been lit. Like, you know, like, growing up, man, in Brooklyn, Brooklyn was, you gotta remember,

Brooklyn is as big as the city. We big in it, actually bigger than Manhattan, if you think it's a borough. So in Brooklyn, once you was known in the star, Crown Heights, Coney Island, you ain't, you didn't need nothing else. Like, so this industry fame, a lot of these people, I feel like become who they always wanted to be with rap fame. I been who I was to be with rap fame. I've been who I was and just got rap fame.

You know what I'm saying? Like I didn't have to portray any type of, that's what I mean, we didn't portray, this guy's always been me. Like anybody that know me know, yo, Bleak been the same guy since day one. Where you can look at a lot of these rappers and you can see, man, he acting.

Once the act stops, the career stops. And that's how, so for me, I ain't chasing no clout. Clout is fake. It don't really, it's a made up, it don't mean anything. What was your first thoughts, like when things were dissembling, right? Like what's your first thought go-to-wise, like career-wise, like what do you,

cause now you all there, you all established, people know y'all, you been who you been. Oh, I had no clue. I had no clue. That's why I give all my wife all the credit, because she really put the pieces together and helped me see the vision again. Because to me, it was over.

I didn't know what to do, what direction to go, and when I met her, she was just like, you trippin'. This is what we need to do. Boom, boom, boom, boom, and we put it, the guy, here we are. And that's interesting, because it's not like you didn't have people. Yeah. No. And I had peoples, but it's still like,

when you do something and that's all you know, like remember, I never had a job. Like, never had to fill out a resume. I got a deal, I was 15 years old. Like, I never had to work ever. My work was rap. So when it was over, it was like, what I had to work ever. My work was rap. So when it was over, it was like, what I'ma do? I don't do construction.

Like that. I don't sweep, I never sweat, like. So it was like, what I'ma do? And then my wife was like, you bugging. Your homie own 90 businesses, go figure out a way in one. And that's how Doucet came apart. And it's like, okay, I'm the liquor man now, I sell drugs again. Listen, I want to ask you like if you could go back to one session from the early rock

days, not to change it, but just to relive it, what would it be and why? See, I'm gonna tell you another story people don't know. On the clue tape, I remember it was Jay-Z and Sauce Money, my first time me and Clue, they invite us to the studio, Jay and Sauce Money, they murder the verse. Now, mind you, I'm 15 years old sitting there like, and y'all want me to rhyme after these two guys? I don't think it's gonna happen.

And Clue like, yo, go ahead. So Jay like, yo, you gonna give up an opportunity? You got a shot right now, you better write something. I'm looking at him like, I ain't got it. After what y'all said, I don't think there's nothing I can say. So I missed that opportunity. And when that tape came out,

it was like one of the biggest freestyles in Marcy, everybody playing and going crazy through Brooklyn. And I'm like, I was right there. I could have been a part of it. So if anything would be that. And on the JR Kelly album, Best of Both Worlds, if you listen to it, he was like, if one of the songs, I think it was somebody girl

is at this party song, if you listen to the beginning, he say my name, M, extra, money, let's go. And I never wrote my verse. Why? Why? He a little scared ass, man. No, no, no, no. See, we had a thing in Rockefeller. Extra money let's go and I never wrote my verse. Why why? Rockefeller wasn't scared. It's called bullshit with bars when you think you too late You are you doing too much that you ain't got time for the bars. It wasn't just clue tape was shookness The R. Kelly was I was late. I'm outside the thott's on me, I'm lit. I ain't got time to be in the studio. That's how I got clipped on Volume One too.

By thinking I was too lit. And they left me. Went on a tour with Bad Boy Biggie and them. I missed it, missed the old tour. What, in my lifetime, Volume One? What you was doing, though? I was lit in Brooklyn. I just bought a truck from Skane.

I got TVs, 26s on it. I'm 16 in Brooklyn. I just bought a truck from Skain. I got TVs, 26s on it. I'm 16 years old. I'm at every high school in Brooklyn blasting music. That's what I'm doing. I thought I made it. I didn't know it was the rest of this. I just thought being known to, all right, I'm lit, this is it.

And then got left off Bad Muzi. God damn. J-Z-N-O-L-E-C-H-E-L. J-Z-N-O-L-E-C-H-E-L. Yeah, that's the word. And that's the time Jay came to the crib and gave me a tour. I spoke about this on Drink Champs And then got left off bad moosie That's the time Jake came to the crib and gave me a tour I spoke about this on drink champs He was like yo dog. I'm rich. I'm trying to make you like put your family on like I don't need you You need me and that was the last time I missed anything I was actually cuz I watched drink Chims and I saw that, but you also have crazy amounts of Jay-Z features.

It's like 24, 25 of them. How many? I think we got about 30. 30? Okay. So in the accumulation of all those 30, your go-to, what's your favorite one of them? Hypnotic.

Hypnotic. Cause I can say the way that song came about, Jay wasn't supposed to be a part of it. He thugged his way on that one. You know, Beenz was the one who came up with the whole concept. We were supposed to do the Beenz and Bleak album in Miami. But we was bullshitting with bars, like I said, going to the club. So I come to the studio, Guru and Beenz in the studio, Doc, these things got incense

playing and blasting, all type of shit. And I hear this song and I'm like, what the hell is the Beenz in here, the studio, Dark, these things got incense playing, a blast and all type of shit, and I hear this song and I'm like, what the hell is the Beenz? Like, yo, I just caught this vibe and I'm making this record. And I'm like, he like, yo, you should put a verse on it. I'm like, all right. And then we get back home,

we playing the joint for Jay in the office. He like, where my verse go? Yo, go extend that beat. And then the record came out, nobody and then we ain't know what album to put it on cause nobody album was coming out at That time so that's how it ended up on my album So I could say that's one of my favorite go-to records because it's a least expected record from all three of us like

Somewhere we Elaine none of us ever touched before we won't get a Jay-Z bleak sit down on the podcast People want to but not right now. Because Jay, he, like what people don't understand is, no matter how old I get, Jay ain't gonna let me be the businessman sitting there. Like I could really conduct the conversation with him. Like yo, so you know, we did, it's never like, this will be the hardest interview to do.

Like, because he's gonna diss me the whole interview. Yeah, he's gonna diss you. You gotta prepare for that. You gotta prepare for that. You gotta prepare for that. It's like, do I want people to know he talked to me this way? Do we say certain things?

Do we talk to each other? Like he might not even want people to know how I talk to him all the time. Like, you know, like even with the Ja Rule, Jay funny, because the Ja Rule interview come out, he hit me, yo that wasn't me who said no. Ja Rule. Who was it?

Did you ever find out who was it? No man, I think, I don't know man. You know, I don't think nobody said no. I think it was just two camps moving too fast. Like I told Ja, Ja blew up his astronomically man. When we before we talked about doing an album together we were both nobodies. We were both features on the Jay-Z tour. I was there. My first concert ever was the Hard Knock Life Tour. That was 2000 in Charlton, South

Carolina. We come on. He bought you and Ja out just to freestyle. Yep, no, Beenz and Jai. Beenz and Jai, yeah. And then I came out on this all right, that's what the single I had out at the time. But after that tour, it's like Jai was four million sold, everything he dropped. I seen him in the mall, 100 crips and bloods with him, like, oh, he ain't the same, my guy, he out there, man.

So that's what I think it was, man. Two crews that, two superstars, man, no time. You know what I'm saying? It ain't like it was Malice involved, it's just we getting to this money. I'm glad that you got a podcast though, because I feel like there's a core of Rockefeller, all that crew that gets talked about,

but they don't ever respond. Like Jay gets talked about all the time. You get talked about all the time. Emory gets talked about time. And it's a whole gang of y'all old friends and stuff that's always talking about y'all, but we don't ever hear the other side. It's too much, the cover.

It's too much. Like I go on Twitter, Roc Nation is blank for everything. We the reason why people in jail, we the reason why you just get guns. I don't know why did Roc, since when, Roc Nation have all this influence. We could influence people in other countries

to lock people up when they land. If we had that much power, they need to clear some of this red tape for me and my Gs, because I got to do still on parole. Why can't get them off there? If we could still on parole why why can't get them off that if we can put you in why I can't get somebody off no y'all definitely has definitely become the evil empire yo crazy it's crazy I don't know why but you know it's the thing in our community

when you make so much money it gotta be some type of evilness to it but my thing is why didn't I get the evil spell or potion there? They just left me out the whip. When they went and did the ritual, I just wasn't invited. Like. Now you asked if you was lit. You said you was lit in Brooklyn and you got lit. No, that's true though.

Cause it like, did it ever bother you that it was like, you had the head to the throne, then it was like, it's like that narrative got passed to Kanye, then Cole. It's like they skipped over Bleak and went straight to the next chapter. Yeah, I love it though, man. When it came down to Kanye West, man, even on Kanye documentary, I told him, yo dog, you nice. You gonna be one of those guys. But as you can see, man, this fame, it's like the illest drug, man. It really is, man. Some people get this high and they can never come down. They're gonna chase it for the rest of their lives

and it's sad to see, man. But Kanye is a musical genius. The person he is today, I don't get into that. I leave that, that's him. He gonna have to find some healing with that. You know what I mean? Are you somewhat, sometimes when you look at Kanye, what he's going through, happy that your career

is where it's at, where you have a little bit more solitude and peace versus him. I'm never happy to see one of my friends going through anything. So it never makes me happy or compare myself to them. It's just, I don't wanna see it. I turn it off. I hear about it more than I see it,

because I can't watch my friends spiral out of control. You know what I mean? It's just whack to me. Another thing that was going around, Dame started it, he said, you don't I mean? Like, it's just wack to me. Another thing that was going around, Dame started it, he said you don't write your own rhymes. He said Jay used to write for you, and then I heard Beanie say that too. I wanna know why I never went triple platinum then.

Why I ain't follow up them Jay sells? If Jay wrote these records, why the publisher checks come to me? I should have asked Capstone, these people, my record breakdown, they could see that 475 records in all the splits, and I understand like on title, it actually shows credit. If somebody, if I wrote something for somebody,

even if you my man, nah, dawg, I need my PC. Jay wrote coming to age one, coming to age two. I had no input at all on those records. When I showed up, it was a piece of paper, remember this, do your thing. It's like, okay, cool. You go through them records, you're not gonna see my name. You go through any other record that I'm,

Malik Cox is on, the real MC is involved. So I don't know where that narrative came from. Beans is the main one that got me like, fam, you doing that much drugs, you don't remember being in the studio with me? Are you set? You bugging. Dane was never in the studio with us,

so he wouldn't have a clue. Beans, come on. You was in the studio with us every single day. We spent about 20 years in Baseline. And Jay wrote my rhymes, but you never saw it. That's coming. I saw a ghost once too then. You say he wrote coming to age one and two? Yeah. Okay, so did you ever want him to write for you? Right now. Give me a verse right now. Put me back on baby. Let's get lit. Kidding me man? Like

when you want somebody to do something for you or ask for that you're given away It's the same thing as giving away your money like you're publishing That's the only way we really made money a lot of us rappers never recoup the budgets we spent on these albums So your publishing is the only way you make money and John taught me about publishing So if Jay wrote my rhymes like I said I wouldn't be receiving no publishing checks it don't make no sense the rhymes he write I get paid for how well when things like this happen right cuz I shot him he said people just gotta go I do real quick but I know are you

gonna have bangs on as a guess I know you're crazy ass story hell yeah I need to have beings up there cuz we gotta, cause we gotta get this settled, then talk about the life we live. It's like, we- Oh, so y'all haven't even spoken since he said that? No. That's exactly where I was going. At all.

Okay, yeah. And that was my question. Cause love you, yo. Love you too, good luck on the, you know what I mean? The audition. Make it happen on the audition. You know, and I guess that's the thing I love, man. Like we always hear about these studio moments,

but like what's a non-music moment with anybody from Rockefeller that really just sticks with you through the years? Man, like you know what one thing that always bugged me out? Busta rhymes, I love Busta. Split Stardom, my bros, I love him. But I remember one time, I think it was Jay called Busta to the studio to do a song with him.

And Bustah showed up to baseline with a bulletproof vest on. It blew my mind, like, Bustah. Who would've shoot Bustah around? Yeah, like Bustah got beat. I guess we were out here trying to kill Bustah rhymes. We gotta go get them, man. Y'all bugger, this is a New York staple.

And that really had me like, I don't find out what Bustah into. What the hell are you walking around with a vest for? And you know, just one of those moments I never forget. And now I ain't gonna put nobody on the bus. You know, a lot of people marry. So I ain't gonna say, yo, I saw this guy with this girl. I could, yeah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, now we wanna know. Did you ever feel like behind the scenes? Well? Well, I say this at any one point Did you feel like Jay was drifting too far from the crew? And if so, how do you even address that when he's not just you know, you're big homie, but also like the boss I knew he had to for Jay to be where he at. He couldn't be around us every day We couldn't be I'm a liability He couldn't be around us every day. We couldn't be, I'm a liability.

Like, you know, me now, being married, being a businessman, of course things has changed, but the reckless bleak, you couldn't be around us. Anything can happen and then it spills right back to you. So once Jay started doing these billionaire deals, basketball teams, moving teams from here to Brooklyn, you automatically knew the distance was warranted. It's not that he don't rock with you or don't rock with us.

He said, hey dog, I'm over here getting to these millions. Y'all still in the club hopping bottles. I don't need that look. How did you? I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast, Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. Most of all, his wife, Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives.

You're going to want to divorce me. Caroline's husband was living another life behind the scenes. He betrayed his oath to his family and to his community. She said you left bruises, pulled her hair, that type of thing. No. How far would Joel go to cover up what he'd done? You're unable to keep track of all your lies, and quite frankly, I question how many other women may bring forward allegations in the future. This season of Betrayal investigates one officer's decades of deception.

Lies that left those closest to him questioning everything they thought they knew. Listen to Betrayal on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Made for This Mountain is a podcast that exists to empower listeners to rise above their struggles, break free from the chains of trauma, and silence the negative voices that have kept them small. Through raw conversations, real stories,

and actionable guidance, you can learn to face the mountain that is in front of you. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify. The thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain, this is the struggle, this is the thing that's in front of me. You can't make that mountain move

without actually diving into it. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to conquer the things that once felt impossible and step boldly into the best version of yourself to awaken the unstoppable strength that's inside of us all. So tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being, and climb your personal mountain. Because it's impossible for you to be the most authentic you. It's impossible for you to love you fully if all you're doing is living to please people. Your mountain is that. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Camp Shane, one of America's longest running weight loss camps for kids, promised extraordinary results. Campers who began the summer in heavy bodies were often unrecognizable when they left. In a society obsessed with being thin, it seemed like a miracle solution. But behind Camp Shane's facade of happy, transformed children was a dark underworld of sinister secrets.

Kids were being pushed to their physical and emotional limits as the family that owned Shane turned a blind eye. Nothing about that camp was right. It was really actually like a horror movie. In this eight episode series, we're unpacking and investigating stories of mistreatment and re-examining the culture of fat phobia

that enabled a flawed system to continue for so long. You can listen to all episodes of Camp Shame one week early and totally ad free on iHeart True Crime Plus. So don't wait, head to Apple Podcasts and subscribe today. DNA test proves he is not the father. Now I'm taking the inheritance. Wait a minute, John, who's not the father?

Well, Sam, luckily it's your not the father week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This author writes, my father-in-law is trying to steal the family fortune worth millions from my son. Even though it was promised to us, now I find out he's trying to give it to his irresponsible son instead. But I have DNA proof that could get the money back. Hold up. So what are they going to do to get those millions back? That's so unfair. Well, the author writes that her husband found out the truth from a DNA test they were gifted two years ago.

Scandalous! But the kids kept their mom's secret that whole time. Oh my god. And the real kicker, the author wants to reveal this terrible secret, even if that means destroying her husband's family in the process. So, do they get the millions of dollars back, or does she keep the family's terrible secret? Well, to hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the iHeartRadiowap, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm this guy, I can't let nobody, but if they really, really sit down and have a real, real conversation with the reality pills on the table, not the other drugs, the reality pills,

they'll tell you, I told these guys this was coming. Because I used to get the word from big homie, yo, niggas don't ship up, they don't act right, we gonna do this, we gonna, and I used to be telling these guys, yo, it's only a matter of time before it's over, we gotta get this right. And they used to look at me like, em, whatever. Like, I remember a time, right, Beans had his clothing line, state property. We used to get clothes, boxes of state property, so I'd look in state property and say, manufactured by Rockaway.

So I'm telling him as a brother, yo bro, check your contracts and all that, make sure everything right. Like, cause I see it's manufactured by Rockaway. I don't think Rockaway was making their own clothes. So how they making your clothes? Like just as a businessman, this was like, then Steve Wright, and this was at the time

when he was saying, yo, I'm going to jail. I'ma sign freeway and the young guns, the Rockefeller when I come home, they gonna give them back the state property. And I'm just sitting there like, oh, you think business work like this? So I'm trying to tell him these things like, he looked at me. This is when I knew me and Beenz wasn't,

it wasn't the relationship wasn't the same, because he was like, yo, it sound like you hating on me, fam. And I'm like, what you mean? He like, yo, if J your man, like you say, why you ain't got no record label? Why you ain't got no clothing line dang my man? He taking care of me all this and I'm like I feel you but you know why I don't have those things

Cuz my bro would never exploit my ideas for him to make a bag That's what you need to realize they're taking your ideas and then when he he came home from jail, what he said, dang, what we two million? Should have listened to Blizzu. But like I said, J not my man though. What was getting to the bottom of the manufacturing? What ended up being behind that? What was the story? That was his business.

I never got into it. It just was a red flag to me. Like if I'm gonna do a deal with you and you're gonna make my clothes I need to know who the manufacturer is. It's just like I did a deal with drink champs, right? I know drink champs. Yeah, I had a deal with somebody. Yeah, I started your network I need to know who the plug is Black effects like I can't just be we need to know what's going on here You know what I'm saying? Like I can't just rely on you

when you relying on somebody else. I need to know all the moving parts. And that's as any businessman should. You wanna know the moving parts. You don't just wanna receive the checks because one day they gonna stop and you don't know how to pick them back up is insane. That's real.

You know, I named it Black Effect because of Jay-Z's song, Black Effect. Wow, that's crazy. I reached out to him to get the blessing. Wow. To call it Black Effect because of Jay-Z's song, Black Effect. Wow, that's crazy. I reached out to him to get the blessing to call it Black Effect. That's crazy. And the logo was Emory's guy, that design. I said, y'all want something like the Paper Planes logo.

And Emory plugged me in with this people. Yo, God bless, because when I found out, I've been hearing it forever. And when they said, yo, Charlamagne on Black Effect, I'm like, yo, he is destroying the game, yo. God is good. That's right, bro. That's all you can do, man, is pray and keep killing.

That's it, man. They only get one shot at this thing. A lot of these guys think it's all about the glitz, man. You can keep the glamor in the glitz. Give me the check. I got to tell people, credit don't spend, money do. I don't want the credit. How do you define success now?

And is it different from 15 year old me, how he would have defined it? Yeah, 15 year old me was the Porsche on the wall, Stadman house, you know what I'm saying? Rich girl like Oprah just letting me be Stadman out here. That was me as a kid, you know? But me now, success to me is what I have. Love in the household, healthy family, your health,

so you can be, you know, you be thankful for the things you have and the things you don't is like, don't matter no more. Like my goals now are to leave a legacy for my children. Like before it was, y'all gotta go to the tunnel in the Bentley. Now it's nah, I gotta make sure my daughter don't ever, ever turn her head when the horn honk. When somebody honk the horn, she don't ever.

Not even off instinct? No, better be watching traffic. That's it. What was it that moment for you where that bleak entered the world? I think it was right before I got married, man, because it was at a time when, you know, like he said, I was the, I don't know how it happened, but I became like the brunt of Rockefeller.

Like out of nowhere, I'm the wackest rapper on Rockefeller. Like, oh word? So the three gold albums and one platinum didn't matter. Like, okay, I'll take it. I'm the wackest rapper or Rockefeller. Like, oh word? So the three Go albums and one platinum didn't matter. Like, okay, I'll take it, I'm the wackest one. So it was like, at a time when you feel like you just all alone, man, and it's like, you have nothing, all you have is family. Like, money don't buy happiness.

Money buy you things that make people envious more of you. So if you think about it, money is the root of all evil. But I feel like love is all you need, man. If you got the right people around you with no negative intentions, everybody just pulling the same strings and wanna see everybody do good, that's the success right there.

I don't think there was ever a conversation that bleak as whack. It was just that Jay set the bar too high. Yeah. When he said just the new improved Jay-Z, everybody waiting for that. So you don't appreciate Bleak for what Bleak is. But I'm better than Hov.

He know that, he don't wanna battle. Yo, I tried to battle Sauce one time. I thought I was better than Sauce. Like Sauce Money don't want no smoke. This my hood, I'm the new young sheriff in town. I seen them come, we was in the project, seen them coming through, yo sauce what up? This battle.

That's when he spit that line to me, man. They think they Chinese the way they duck sauce. Damn. That's it, I'm done. You got it, I don't want no more smoke. Damn. What about, I know you were signing artists at one point too. Oh, yeah, I'm done.

Are you done with that? I'm done. Artists, these guys- Cash was the last one that you had, right? Yeah, cash, shout out cash, free cash, man, but I'm done. Manolo rolls too, right? Manolo, these artists don't listen. All I can do is tell them. And I feel like me getting out the game and trying to be behind the scenes and tell the artists,

they more looked at it as, man, I'm more lit than you, what you talking about? You don't know nothing, if you do all this, you would be lit, and it's like fam, I'm not rapping because I chose not to. My last album went gold, don't forget, they didn't exit me out the game off a 50,000 pack. I left with a gold record, which is cool, I'll take that.

And they just, I just felt like the artists just thought man You don't really know what's up, man. Let me holla at Jay and it's like you're never gonna get that He's never so, you know and they they want it too much too fast Like they don't understand it takes time you have to work work and work more Mm-hmm. I watched an interview with Casano know where he talked about you actually took him to the office, I sit down, I think it was with Tata, to tell him to kind of relax and chill out, and it still didn't work.

That was him. Oh, that was here, okay. Yeah. That's when Cas, you know, it came a time when Cas was, you know, the scrutal employee, and he wanted direct access to the nation. And me, I'm not a gatekeeper. I'm never gonna hold nobody from their goals, their dreams or whatever.

If you believe the grass is green over there, I'ma put you over there. But then when we get to that Roc Nation brunch, and you ain't got them tickets, you know why. You over there now, fam. They only got one in the pack. If you was over here, I got that faux pack. Yeah.

It don't ever get on your nerves though that people kind of underestimate your contributions to like music and you're so humble with it, but. What can I do? I can't argue against the masses. I'm one small voice. So it's like, how mad can I be? I could be mad internally, but no one cares.

They don't care, man. Like people love turmoil. They want to see you do bad or see you angry or see you upset. And it's like, to see a smile on your face, it hurts the haters' heart. It hurt them bad. They don't want to see you smile.

You said something earlier that let me know you really a real friend, though, because even if you and your homie ain't talking, you know that's your man. Yes. You ain't got to talk to him for a couple of months or whatever, even a year. But you know that's your man. You see him, what they're doing. That's my guy. I know when we see each other, it's. Even though you hit him, but you know that's your man.

You see him over there doing, that's my guy. I know when we see each other, it's gonna pick up right where it left off. That's a fact. That's what I tell people, man. If you and somebody got a real genuine relationship, not based off some type of business intriguing or whatever y'all doing, it's just genuine friendship. It can never die unless somebody break the bond. Like I even say it in one of my songs, man.

I say I'm a friend for life. Once you link with me, I'm a friend for life. Once you link with me, we tight until you break the bond. Then it's long kiss goodnight. Like, and that's true. I'm 100% that. I don't care. I got friends like my dog, Rob Kelly in Dublin.

I don't speak to him every day, but when I pop out in Ireland, he right there at the airport to get me. my friends any country I touch down whether I'm in London with my guy clue Grease and sniper my guys is there and he's been my friends for the last 20 years You know what I mean? I'm off them am I in London? I was my ex was sure our relationship with Dean Dash It's cool. I spoke to Dame like we agreed upon you know to keep things respectful because I felt like things was going a little bit too far Especially you know what I mean when when the legal

Acquisitions was going around and people leaning on that like you really don't know people integrity. That's what rubbed me wrong It's like you was there with us fam you gonna act like you don't know the integrity We went outside with man like people was playing that game. We don't play that kid game, and that rubbed me wrong. So I had to reach out to Dane, and it was a respectful conversation. The wildest thing about that is when all of that shit went away, and everybody, first of all,

you just knew it was bullshit from the beginning, but when everybody realized it was bullshit, it was crickets. Crickets. Nobody said nothing. No, they wanted, it's like people want Jay to be guilty of some bull and it's like, yo fam, we were who we were before we got here.

We didn't become who we are in this industry. So the things you see that a lot of these people took advantage of their stardom, their fame, that's not us, we been lit. Like, I don't know why people think the rap game made Jay-Z who he is. He came in this game up. Trust me. How did the passing of Clark impact you? I was real devastating, man. Like, Clark played a major, major role in my, you know, my upbringing, my first album. Like, even putting together the record,

we recorded Coming of Age in his basement. Wow. At his house. Wow. Like he made the beat on the spot and we recorded it on the spot. So just knowing the contribution he put into music, what he did into my life, the game, the goals, he always told me, I just cherish him, man.

And it's just so sad to see him go that young over something that was preventable. Like us as young black men, man, please go get tested. All health, physical, colon, all that, man, do it. People say 45, do it at 35 if you can. It's never too early, but it can be too late. I went and got mine at 44. I went and got mine 40 and then did it again,

like a year ago, and they told me I don't gotta come back for another seven. I'm like, oh, I'm late. They told me, because you got a history of it in your family. Yes. They tell you to go early. Yep.

We both got birthdays coming up. That's right. You're 6'23", right? Yep, 6'29". 6'29". You know what I mean? Cancer gang in the building. Wow, two way different personalities.

You're so sweet and humble. He is too, cancer gang in the building. Wow, two way different personalities. You're so sweet and humble. He is too. He cool. He all right. He just got that, yo, he know how to throw that whip out real quick. Hit you with that. Yes.

My friends are always my friends and he is hell. You ain't heard the bleak running down on people's stories. I've heard those stories. I watched Drink Chimps. I've heard some of their stories. Yeah, but that's what my friends say. They always be like, yo, you me and Bleeq right now. You still ain't met Malik.

Malik the businessman. That's when it's serious. Hat, gloves off, no playing. Talk about your relationship with Norrie, because for me, sitting and watching you on Drink Champs, when I saw the podcast, I was like, this makes so much sense, because when he's interviewing,

it's just so good, you're so into it. Norrie gassed me up to do this, just FYI. I did not want to do the podcast. Norrie gassed me. I ain't going to say he bagged me, because he don't bag nobody, but me and Norrie's relationship started, this started before I even knew him, man.

When I bought the, what would you say, first album, Capone and Norrie, the War Report album, I knew right there, what was his first album, Karpone & Norriega, the War Report album, I knew right there, when I get my album, when I get my deal and my chance to make my album, I need this guy on my album, because he talked that life that I talk. So when I met him and we did the record. What you niggas wanna hate for?

Yeah, and I'm like, wait up, he really like me. And he from left rack, that's right there over the bridge. I be in left rack playing ball, the Kenny Anderson tournaments, that's my guy. From there, the relationship just grew. And when we did the Drink Champs interview, he called me again like, Bliq, I'm telling you, people rock with you, they fuck with you.

They like, you need to do something. And I'm like, yo bro, I'm not a journalist. I don't care less what a person my state was working on their project, I don't care. I don't want to find that out. And he's like, yo, you don't have to interview people. People want to know about what you think, and your history, Rockefeller stories.

He's like, you literally could just talk Rockefeller in it. I'm like, all right, let's see. So after I did the first couple of interviews, like you know, I got Guru, Just Blaze, Freeway, Young Chris. I had a couple heavier, there's Lenny S. And after I got a few and started realizing where it was going, I'm like, this is needed. People did need to hear, they need to hear this man.

Cause I think a lot of these young guys, they think it's one way. If you're not a killer, you can't be a rapper. Like, they really got to kill on YouTube and drop the video that next minute. Then they go platinum, and it's like, yo, fam, where's the cool people? Where's the regular guys?

That's what we represented. Nobody in Rockefeller was the ultimate killer. We just was hustlers who got money. And I feel like that has died, that image died in music. So to bring that back through the podcast, I think people listen more than watch. That's why I think y'all need a platform, man, because I say it all the time,

the rock nation, that core of people, they're the most normal people I've ever met in this business in my life. Like we know the weirdos and they're the most normal people. Nah, that's a fact man. Like it's no, if you was a weirdo on Rockefeller, we got you out of there early. The strainer was out early and we shook the loose ends

out of there so when it come down to the Emery's man, like Emery is the OG. I tell him he's the definition of an OG to me. Like when people talk about an original gangster, not just an old guy, original gangster, his picture need to be there. Because that's what he is. He's the epitome of that. Just if you know his story, his history, how he laid down on the sword for the team, and then you come home to reap the benefits of it. I don't think no man walking right now would ever try to even repeat that.

I don't think we'll ever see it done again. Nah, and then his vision. I remember being in the office with B-Haw when Emory had just came home, and he literally had folded up a piece of stationery and was throwing it around the paper plane. He was like, that's gonna be the next shit. Like, I remember that.

So it's like when you see somebody have a vision like that and see what it's become now, it's like, come on, man. Yeah, no, Emory always been, and been the super flyest dude I know coming from, you know what I mean, Baltimore DMV. I respect Emory. I would love to have him on a podcast. Like a person like Tata. But I know Tata never come.

Never. I thought Emory was a given though. I got to kidnap Tata to give him on a podcast. But don't you feel like they got to tell this story at some point? I feel like it's a given. It has to happen with you. I would hope they would want to tell it with me. But knowing Tata, they can't talk to me.

They not going to do. Tata cannot, him, Jay, Emory might not be want to tell it with me, but knowing Tata, no, they can't talk to me. They not gonna do, Tata cannot, him, Jay, Emory might. Cause I feel like Emory and Juan, they give me that, all right, Bleeqa OG, he one of us. Tata and Jay is like, nope, you still a little dirty kid from bossy. I can't get out of here. I'm wearing nothing.

But I think even seeing that would be good for people too because we don't get to, like I'm sitting here listening to y'all talk right now and I'm like, man I can't imagine what it was like being around during, these people are so great to us but they're normal people to y'all. People might need to see the personality of it. They definitely do man, like Tata is funny man.

He run from the camera, so that's how I know. If I did an interview with Tata, I'd have to be over the phone, like he locked we act like he phoned in it, but he not gonna get on I know him man. It's been years. He's not gonna do it But that's what make y'all so solid though cuz nobody wanted to be anybody like ho ho was that guy You know how you know how hard that is for a bunch of men Especially to get behind one guy say that's the guy he's gonna help change all our lives. Because you knew it, man.

Like you knew it. Yo, you knew it, see? From back then, you knew. You could see the ray of light in the clouds with J-Walk. Like I tell people, I was there from the beginning. I could tell you the cars they drove, the clothes they wore, the malls they shop in, the kind of women, the liquor they drunk, the food they ate.

And your results won't be the same. I could put you on the same path, tell you everything they did. I remember us sittin' in the house makin' gift baskets to send the power and hot, just to get the DJs to play his record. Power wasn't even around back then. It was hot.

No, it was really hot. But sendin' gift But sending gift baskets with Kristal and all these different trinkets in there just to get DJs to play Jay's record. I remember us grinding and then when it clicked, it was like, it's over. And he said, I'm never gonna stop. Angie was the first person to play it, I think. Yup, Angie was the first person to show love. That's why Angie down with the team to this day.

Angie, I feel like back then it was Miss Jones. Wendy was really popping. Flex always been there. Enough. Man, the radio stage, that's when it was impactful then, man. Like now today, I heard the homie right before me talking about artists, they lost love for the radio. They just believe in streaming.

Me, I love radio. I feel like this is the way to reach the masses. Like on the internet, you have to really sit there, click it, watch it, watch an ad, watch this. It's like, nah, I'd rather just get it one time and I'm done. That's why I love watching Lauren and Jess, because you know, they 33, right?

33 years old. They came up in the internet era, but now they're on the radio every day and they see the difference. Oh my God. It's so crazy. I'm like, I never want to hear somebody say the radio don't matter.

Like this, I've been on television in different markets, big markets. This changed my life, like honestly, like radio. And I can't believe it when I say it, but yes. And people get to know you personally. A lot differently than it is when you just post something on Instagram or whatever the case may be, but. Because you can edit that.

This is straight like it is. Yes. There's no filter, no editing, no nothing. Like this is what it is. And like, this as a fan, I listen to y'all every morning. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's nothing else to listen to. I wake up, even my daughter, she like,

who done give the day today, daddy? I don't know, we gonna find out though. I was gonna say, when I was watching the first episode with June Ja Rule, y'all talking about the Hard Knock Life Tour, it seemed like there was like college for him and for a lot of y'all. Like the learning lessons, what was the biggest lesson you took away from the tour?

The biggest lesson I took being a good performer. Because DMX used to go out there and destroy. Then you have Rap Man and Method Man. Remember they used to do Howl High and fly through the crowd. And everybody on that show held their own. Remember I was the newcomer and it was like damn when I get my shot this is how it's going to be. So that right there and then I remember Jay they didn't let me smoke before the shows.

Like every day before the show like two hours be high he would come take all my weed and my duchess and everything like you can't smoke till after the show. Just to be a professional, like just to be ready and on time, like, and that tour taught me if you ain't 15 minutes early, you're 15 minutes late. Wow. What's one Rockefeller artist you think

never reached their full potential? Signed or unsigned? Both, I don't know. I gotta get my guy Haas the Ripper them flowers. A lot of people probably don't even know who Haas the Ripper is. He's from New Jersey. I'm telling you, him and Beanie Seagull are the only two people I ever seen touch the stage with no beat

and spit a verse that no one ever heard and have the crowd go crazy. Now I mean, Hostel Ripper was shutting venues down opening up for Jay. He was down? Yes, he was down with us but he just, it never manufactured into an album or a single or anything and now he changed his life. Like you know he's a big preacher, he got a church out in Jersey and all that. And I was telling my homie, yo, I got to bring him on the show, man,

because I want to know his story, and I want people to appreciate and know what his contribution was to Rockefeller, because without him, I probably wouldn't be the artist I am, because I remember being so jealous. Jay bought him out on the tour with Biggie and them, and he shut it down, spittin', and I'm like,

I don't like this guy. That's supposed to be me up there. And it's like, but then I knew I wouldn't be able to do that. Look what he's doing. You kidding me? No way. He was the opening artist on the Reasonable Doubt Tour. Why don't people talk about him?

Yeah, I never heard of him. Yeah, Hustle Ripper, man. I'm telling you, it was ill. You can look him up. He got YouTube videos where he's shutting cards. reasonable doctor why don't people talk about him? Yeah I never heard him. Yeah, Hustler Ripper man I'm telling you was ill. You can look him up, he got YouTube videos. I'm looking him up now. Where he's shutting cards. He did the tunnel with us one time.

He did a couple venues with us and he is, his pin game to me back then was like, yo it's the nicest kid I ever seen. What about somebody we know? Alright like who them, Petey Crack. Oh yeah yeah I can see that. I'm from Delaware so we a lot of Petey Crack.'t Petey Crack? Oh yeah, yeah I can see that. I'm from Delaware so we a lot of Petey Crack. Yeah, Petey Crack, I feel like Petey had a lot of gems.

He just was in his own way. You know what I mean? A lot of our artists that happened too. Like I feel like at Rockefeller, when you came in, whether you had a record or not, you got a chain, you was in Baseline every day, we all travel in the world. We are tour buses We fly so a lot of these guys felt successful before actually being successful

So they forgot to put the work in I felt like with Petey crack or ski No, like it was like hot so fast and it just stopped because that's what I'm saying They was out there running around with the thotty bodies They forgot about the work the body of work like you got to you gotta go to the studio. Like, I think Chris said something on one of these interviews where he said they had an opportunity to go to the studio after a show, but they wanted to go party with Rihanna. So they didn't go to the studio with Jay.

I heard that. Jay was mad. I heard that. I was young Chris. I don't know who he was talking to, but I can see that happening, because it's been times with Jay, like, yo, hey, they do this and whatever and nobody show up.

We'd be sitting there like, what happened? Who said what? Oh, you, yeah, I'm saying that was y'all talking. Oh, that was me. Yeah. Oh, look at me, see? That was y'all talking. I'm like, I never heard that conversation.

Do you feel like too, at that point, cause it was, now it's like, once you get to like Chris and Neve andkino and Petey Crack there's so many different people involved versus when you're there right Jay-Z's like right there with you like no put the blunt down no. I was only at the shows okay he was never there in the studio that's why I don't understand where the narrative came from that Jay wrote for me that's why I can't wait to the guru interview drop,

Lenny S. interview, because then they gonna really hear the stories on the work and how hard it was for us to even get them to acknowledge us. Because when Beans got his deal at Rockefeller, man, I was the first artist. Everything was Memphis Bleak. When Beans came, it was ice cold for me.

Everything was Beans, even in my eyes, like, they put us in the studio to even, like, try to test to see who we gonna rock with. And that's when we did Crew Love. You hear Beans rhyme on there? I knew, like, this guy's for not... What I'm gonna do? I gotta step it up. So while the parade was running that way, Lenny was the only one who locked in with me,

and we went and made Coming of Age album. We did the whole album by ourselves, nobody even heard it. That's why if you listen to What You Think of That, Jay Verse don't even go with the song because he wasn't there with us. He was like, yo, what song am I going to rhyme on? And I'm like, put a verse on this one. And he just put whatever he wanted on that, on that particular song.

That's why he ain't even getting the video with me. So he didn't rap on the song? It was like a verse you already had sitting around? Yeah, he spit it on what you think of that. Yeah. Wow. But yeah, Jay wasn't like, we did that whole album by ourselves. Like no input, no nothing.

Now on the second album, I can see why you might think that because I got an Alley-oop with a record. Is that your shit? Yeah, like that was on his London record, but it's still like, yo bro, I got a hook, I got a beat, write a verse. We gonna shoot a video. Cool.

That's not you writing for me. You just gave me an idea. You know what I'm saying? But, uh, Beanie Seagull said that it was because it was a three, how you just said it was a three, y'all? Yeah. That basically Jay-Z had to cheat for you because it was a three, y'all, and that's where the writing came from.

He just don't want to admit I smoked him. That's it. He must have felt I had the best verse. And he's like, only way that could happen. Jay had to give him some bars. So I don't know, if we all in the studio writing, how fast is Jay writing that you didn't see him write for me? It's impossible.

Because you don't even write. Exactly. You didn't see him tell me yo, some bars you ain't never hear reference track. Like, where's the reference tracks? Like, go leak those. Now there's a lot of history, man. I would like to see you talk to Jim Jones, you and Cam.

Yo, Cam ain't gonna come. Cam too lit now. The podcast, you know they lit. Him and May stay up there suited and booted baby, getting to that chick gone. So, I don't think Cam will sit down maybe you go to is it is what it is to promote rock silent yeah I go up there I go up there I definitely pull up or can we had a relationship that's what I that's why I want my podcast to

showcase that I have a lot of relationships with a lot of people in this business that people don't know like the world didn't know Sean Price was related to me people don't know. Like the world didn't know Sean Price was related to me. People don't know Steele from Smith and Wesson is my cousin. Like they don't know I grew up in the ducked down household. Like I was supposed to, I could have been ducked down. You know what I mean? Before Rockefeller. Like people don't know I went to Staten Island,

know Shaheem and Ghost and all of them from Stapleton. Before the rap gang, like Joel Ort.R.T.'s from Cooper was in the rap group with my artist, Living Proof, as a kid. I knew him since he was probably like 10. Like, a lot of people don't know these things, so I feel like my podcast is gonna showcase that. Yeah, you couldn't be on Duck Down.

You grimy, but not Duck Down grimy. Sleuthe the Duck Down. I love Duck Down. What? What you're saying? Like, that's it? No, no, no. I couldn't see that. I tried. I tried back in the day.

They was like, nah, you gotta come up. And ironically, I made a song called Coming to Age. Yeah. Listen, Bleak, man, do you ever wake up sometimes and just be like, yo, we changed the world, man. Nah, man. I wake up sometimes and hope I did enough. I say that, that I hope I made my mark,

I did my thing, that I hope I made my mark, I did my thing that I didn't disappoint my friends, my family, or my fans or people that you know rock with me. And sometimes I wake up and don't feel I did enough. Like that's why you know I feel like like my partner Cheech, he made it make sense to me. Like you know I stopped rapping, I didn't care. Like I said I left with a gold album so rap I didn't care like I didn't feel like I with a gold album. So rap, I didn't care. Like, I didn't feel like I left anything on the table. And when me and him started working with the warehouse movement and doing everything we doing with the mind right

and all of that, he like, yo, bro, I was a real fan. And you left me hanging. You didn't give me no closure. You just left when I didn't left. Like, how did, what'd you think the people who really, really rock and was rooting for you feel? You didn't give us no explanation, no exit, no nothing. And I'm like, damn, he right. And those guys are like me, we're grown now. I'm pretty sure it's hard for them to find a playlist or something to really get into. Cause me, I find myself listening to Shaday now. Ain't really too much I could get into that's talking about what I live.

So that's what made me make this album and trust me, it's for us man. It's Adele. I don't have one gun on me on this project because I don't live that life. It's literally for us and I told them if I'm going to make music, I want to give these guys some type of game, some type of hope, because as a teenager today, to look at a guy 50 years old still doing the same thing you're doing today, what hope does that give?

Right? You gotta see somebody that, you'll be like, yo, okay, it is light at the end of the tunnel, a person who came up like me. Right. And that's what I wanna be, man. And when now I'm driving?

June 20th, 620. We outside with it again. In the podcast. Apartment 3D. Just a closure from 534. That's the address, 534 Apartment 3D. And the Rock Solid podcast is available everywhere you listen to podcasts on the Drink Chance, Black Effect, I Heart Radio podcast network.

Bleak, always a pleasure, man. Always, man. Glad to see you in this space. Glad to hear these stories being told. My brother, appreciate you. Laura, nice meeting you, too. Nice meeting you, too. Always, man. Glad to see you in this space. Glad to hear these stories being told. My brother. Appreciate you. Laura, nice meeting you too. Nice meeting you too.

Wake that ass up. Early in the morning. The Breakfast Club. I'm Andrea Gunning, host of the podcast, Betrayal. Police Lieutenant Joel Kern used his badge to fool everyone. Most of all, his wife, Caroline. He texted, I've ruined our lives. You're going to want to divorce me.

How far would he go to cover up what he'd done? The fact that you lied is absolutely horrific. And quite frankly, I question how many other women are out there that may bring forward allegations in the future. Listen to Betrayal on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Camp Shane, one of America's longest running weight loss camps for kids, promised extraordinary results. But there were some dark truths behind Camp Shane's facade of

happy, transformed children. Nothing about that camp was right. It was really actually like a horror movie. Enter Camp Shame, an eight-part series examining the rise and fall of Camp Shane and the culture that fueled its decades-long success. You can listen to all episodes of Camp Shame one week early and totally ad free on iHeart True Crime Plus. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts and subscribe today.

The Made for This Mountain podcast exists to empower listeners to rise above their inner struggles and face the mountain in front of them. So during Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast, focus on your emotional well-being and then climb that mountain. You will never be able to change or grow through the thing that you refuse to identify. The thing that you refuse to say, hey, this is my mountain. This is the struggle. Listen to Made for This Mountain on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. DNA test proves he is not the father. Now I'm taking the inheritance. Wait a minute, John, who's not the father? Well, Sam, luckily it's you get your podcasts. DNA proof that could get the money back. Hold up, they could lose their family and millions of dollars?

Yup. Find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast.