The Breakfast Club - Laurieann Gibson Interview and Breakfast Club Best moments

Episode Date: February 15, 2021

New Laurieann Gibson Interview and Breakfast Club funniest and best moments with a flash back of Charlamagne giving Donkey of the Day to PETA and we flash back to when Michael Rubin and Robert Rooks called in Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey y'all, Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Executive produced by Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman, Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history.

Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was Claudette Colvin. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records.

Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, 1974. George Foreman was champion of the world. Ali was smart and he was handsome. The story behind The Rumble in the Jungle is like a Hollywood movie. But that is only half the story. There's also James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Miriam Akiba.

All the biggest black artists on the planet together in Africa. It was a big deal. Listen to Rumble, Ali, Foreman and the Soul of 74 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get to hate. From the east to the west coast. DJ Envy. Angela Yee. Charlamagne Tha Go. The realest show on the planet. This is why I respect this show because this is a voice to society. Changing the game. You guys are the coveted morning show, but y'all earning it. Impacting the culture.

They wake up in the morning and they want to hear that breakfast call. The world's most dangerous morning show. Dangerous Morning Show. We in the mother, we in the house. Good morning, yo. Good morning, Angelie. Good morning, DJ Amby. Charlamagne Tha God. Peace to the planet. It's Monday. It's President's Day. We not here.

We just acting like we here. You know what I'm saying? Because if we tell y'all that we're not here, ratings drop from what we've been told. Correct. So we are here, but we're not here. But we have an interview today. Laurie Ann Gibson, she'll be joining us this morning. Yes.

She has a new book called Dance Your Dance, Eight Steps to Unleash Your Passion and Live Your Dream. That is a fact. Yes, so we'll be kicking it with Laurie Gibson. And also, Michael Rubin checked in. You know, Michael Rubin is doing so much with the prison reform, so we're going to kick it with Michael Rubin. So we'll get the show cracking, so don't move. A lot going on this morning. It's The Breakfast Club.

Good morning. I'm darling. I'm darling. Hey, what you doing, man? I'm darling. So don't move. A lot going on this morning. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. I'm dialing. I'm dialing. Hey, what you doing, man? I'm dialing. I'm calling. I'm calling, yo. This is your time to get it off your chest.

Whether you're mad or blessed. 800-585-1051. We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club. Hello, who's this? Yo, yo. It's Sean. What's up, man? What's up, DJ Envy?

Angela Yee. Sean, I'm being a guy. Sean, what's up, King? Get it off your chest, bro. Man, listen, so Angela Yee, everybody, like, right now, I got a few questions. Like, I always say the thing that goes, like, okay, don't go looking for love. Love finds you. Is that true?

Like, Angela Yee has love found. Like, is that statement really true? Because I'm 23. Like, I be on these little online dating apps. And, like, I meet females all the time. But all they be wanting to do is just f***. Like, they don't be wanting no real relationship. Like, I don't know, yo.

Like, it's just weird. Like, you said it yourself. You're only 23. You got to give yourself some time, man. Have patience, man. You'll find that one. Or that one will find you will find you but i mean like i want a long lasting like i want to be in the streets anymore like it's kind of boring to me like i've been i've been doing this since i was like 18 i think when people say that what they mean is you can't force

it right you can't force somebody to want to be in a relationship and sometimes you might want something at a specific time but if you don't have it you can't just somebody to want to be in a relationship. And sometimes you might want something at a specific time. But if you don't have it, you can't just be with somebody because it's convenient. Okay, for instance, right? People like Romeo, he just found him a little girl. And he was like, oh yeah, I've been single for four years. He said, I've been single for four years, but he didn't say he wasn't for four years. And I'm sure he was doing whatever he was doing.

But for whatever reason, he wasn't feeling like he should settle down with any of the people that he was dating. And so there's nothing wrong with dating until you make sure you feel like that person is the one. Yeah. And Romeo's 31. I tell you something else, too, man. Set your table now. You don't have to do what everybody else is doing. If you feel like you don't want to have sex till you find that one, do that. Be celibate. Yeah, be the man that you, be the good man that you want to be to a woman now. Don't wait.

It'll happen for you. I believe in you, sir. Good luck, brother. She's out there. Your Juliet is out there, Romeo. Hello, who's this? It's Mike. Mike, what up? Get it off your chest, Mike. Romeo. Hello, who's this? It's Mike. Mike, what up? Get it off your chest, Mike. What's up, what's up?

I just want to holler at my boy, Charlamagne. Mike, what's up, King? You're doing a good thing, man. What'd you say? I said stay up, King. You're doing a good thing. You're doing your thing, man. Oh, I appreciate you, black man. Thank you, brother.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Hey, can I give a little rap real quick? Go ahead. If you want to embarrass yourself, who am I to stop you? You said I'm going to embarrass myself. No. If y'all can, go follow me at Young and Prodigy.

Y-O-U-N-G-I-N. Prodigy. At Young and Prodigy. But they wanted my song called Dirty Dan. Go like this. I'm on they neck like a mother can. We sure done ate like a tan. Had to get out the mud

Used to run through the train You caught me dirty damn Had to see through my vision And see through my pain I don't think they understand They know that I'm working They know that I'm certain My nigga might run up them bands

Hey, I'ma let y'all get out Y'all go get the rest of it Go follow me You get the rest of it On our platform Yeah, brother Okay It was alright

I wasn't mad at it Hello, who's this? It's King J the Bluntman out of St. Augustine, Florida. What's going on? Why you still smoking Blunts, bro? Blunts ain't good for you. You smoke good joint. Or do an edible.

So check me out, Charlamagne. Listen, it's been a while since I've been on here. Y'all know I used to be on here all the time, but I got to give a shout out to Frank La Rosa for M.E.T. Records out of South Carolina. I'm Charlamagne. And what's it called? M.E.G. Records.

The CEO is Frank LaRosa. We're doing big things right now. We just had somebody get signed to Sony the day before yesterday. Wow. What part of South Carolina? Around, I want to say Charlotte. That's North Carolina. Okay, then we got a couple people in South Carolina that signed to MEG Records, too.

Okay. I just wanted to give a big shout-out to, like I say, Frank LaRosa, because he changing people's lives right now. And shout-out to Lil Westside. I'm King J the Blunt, man, by the way, and we got a new song out called Move. It's hot and it's moving. Y'all don't want to miss it.

Salute to you, King. King Jada Blunt, man. Yes, sir. Check it out, man. It's hot. Charlamagne, check it out. God, Envy love hanging out with people. He said it was hot five times.

Jesus Christ. The man's about to give out his website and stuff and tell people how to get to the music. Let these black people prosper. I am. Jesus Christ. The man's about to give out his website and stuff and tell people how to get to the music. Let these black people prosper. I am. Jesus Christ. I did. There's mad people on the line.

Want to go to another rapper? I don't know if we got more on the line. I don't know. I'm just clicking people. Hello, who's this? Hi. Hello. Hello.

Wow. Hey, this is Isaiah from Maryland. Hi, Isaiah from Maryland. How are you? What's up, Charlamagne? I wanted to get off my chest. I love y'all show. I listen to y'all every day, like before class and like when I'm studying. And Yee, I listen to your other podcast. Lip Service.

Yes, Lip Service. Yeah service My mind went all blank But yeah, I love your podcast And Charlamagne, I watch Girlfriends You said it was good It actually is really good Everybody go out and watch Girlfriends How old are you? 21

21 years old That's what I'm talking about Wow, it's so crazy Hey Charlamagne, can I get, like, your book? I got you, but y'all have to stay on hold. Y'all got to stay on hold so our producer can get y'all address, and I'll send you a copy of my latest book, Shook One, Anxiety Playing Tricks on Me.

I say latest, but it came out two years ago. But I got you. Awesome, thank you. Well, yeah, I love you guys. I love you, too. Hold on, hold on. Don't hang up, because we're going to get your info, all right? All right, I'll see you.

All right. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need to vent, hit us up now. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. This is your time to get it off your chest, whether you're mad or blessed.

You better have the same energy. We want to hear from you on The Breakfast Club. Hello, who's this? Hey, this is Sherez from Columbus, Ohio. Sherez, what up? Get it off your chest. Man, I'm just calling to spread some positivity to all the black people here in Ohio, around the world, everything. What's up, Charlamagne, Angelique? Peace, King.

What's going on? How you doing, brother? I just want to let everybody know I'm a, my day job, I'm a union electrician, but I'm getting my hustle on as a realtor out here in Columbus, Ohio. So follow me on IG at Shiraz underscore Robinson, S-H-I-R-A-Z underscore Robinson. MV, man, I would like to link up with you, man, and talk about investing in real estate out there in New York and New Jersey. Okay.

Well, just hit me in my DMs, brother. All right, man. Y'all be easy, man. You too, brother. All right. Hello, who's this? Man, good morning, Salamander guy. Peace, King.

What's happening? What's up, brother? Get it off your chest, man. Man, I'm just, I'm in good spirits, you know? Me and my wife was getting into it, but now everything back going copacetic, so I'm feeling blessed to have this family, you understand? Hey, you must have did that thing to her. Hey, man, look.

You know how it go. I admit it, you. I admit it. Have a good one, brother. You too. Hello, who's this? It's Erica. Hey, good morning. Get it off your chest, mama. Yeah, um, I listen to y'all every morning, and I'll be damn. I'll be tripping out on you and Charlamagne.

I mean, I'll be laughing like crazy every morning at y'all. Well, thank you. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I don't know if you're laughing with us or at us. I don't know, but thank you. I love y'all so much, man. I listen to y'all every single morning, like every morning. Thank you very much.

We appreciate your support. Well, thank you so much. You have a great and blessed day, mama. That's all. Where you from? Okay, you too. That's all? That's all I want to say, sweetie.

I love y'all. We love you back. I love your twang, too. That's a stubborn twang. Hello, who's this? Hello. Hey, what's your name? Kayla.

Hey, Kayla. Good morning. Get it off your chest, mama. Well, I really didn't have much to say. I just wanted to congratulate y'all. Y'all doing good. And I thought it was so sweet how y'all gave away money because there's really some broke bitches out there.

Stop calling people the N-word. How do you guys stop calling them broke? It's some unfortunate people when it comes to their pockets in america there you go that's right everything it's a financial struggle out here for some folks you got it you want you want to let you want to give some money to some people yeah hey no i just lent somebody ten dollars yesterday no i'm with you budget that's right budget that money thank you mama ah there's something about that something about them two words together. Just do something to me.

Broke Nick? Broke. God damn. Lord have mercy. It felt like back in the day when you heard Scrubs for the first time. Like, I gotta get on my mama. Hello, who's this? Yo, what's up?

This is Corey. Corey, what up? Get it off your chest. Yeah, I wanted to call to thank, well, good morning to you, Envy, Angel, E, and Charlemagne. Peace, King. Good morning. Good morning. I wanted to thank you for keeping you guys in check and being very beautiful every morning,

making my mornings better. I wanted to thank Envy and Charlemagne for all the work that y'all do, especially in the mental health area. I haven't read books since high school, and since you've been doing the Audible stuff, I actually downloaded a book, and I've been reading for like the last two months now. It's really got me excited. I love Audible.

Audible, I mean, I loved Audible before I was in business with them, but they're great. Yeah, I downloaded Malcolm X's autobiography. I just finished Think Like a Monk, and now I'm looking for some more books. I wanted to ask if you could probably send me a book of yours, if you don't mind. I got you. Y'all got to actually stay on

hold, though. People be calling up here saying that, and then they don't stay on hold, so we can't get your address to send it to them. But I'll send you that. I'll send you a copy of my book and a copy of Dr. Rita Walker's book, The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health. I really appreciate that. And lastly, I just wanted to say, man, y'all got to stop that fruity stuff up there, man. What fruity stuff? Y'all be doing too much. You and Evie, man, y'all got to cut it out.

FYI, I don't know if you know, but we haven't flirted with each other all week. Well, let's keep it that way. I appreciate that. Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. We got excited. If you need to vent into something,

that was The Breakfast Club. Good51. We got excited. If you need to vent into something now, it's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. The Breakfast Club. Wake that ass up early in the morning. Check out this Breakfast Club Rewind. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club.

We got a special guest in the building, Stephen A. Smith. Welcome, brother. What's going on, man? Good morning. Good morning. Hey, Ange. How you doing? Charlamagne, what's up? What's going on, man? Good morning, good morning. Hey, Ange, how you doing? Charlemagne, what's up? What's up, my brother? It's good to see y'all. Man, you got a new show coming on ESPN, another one?

You know, listen, you know, it's going to be called Stephen A.'s World, and you know, it's just a half-hour show on streaming. ESPN Plus is obviously a big priority for them. First year, Disney Plus had 86 and a half hour show on streaming. ESPN Plus is obviously a big priority for them. First year, Disney Plus had 86 and a half million subscribers. ESPN Plus had 11 and a half.

So obviously they want to buffer those numbers and they came to me and asked me to do this. And I've known about this since last year, which is why I gave up my radio show because this was forthcoming. What makes me excited about this is a couple of things. Number one, I'm looking to bring a bit more lightheartedness and levity to certain situations and just, you know, show the lighter side of me to some degree and really celebrate what other people are doing. But the other thing that I'm excited about is that I'm not only the host of this, I'm the executive producer.

And I started my own production company a few months a few months ago Mr. SAS Productions and it will be co-producing this in concert with ESPN so essentially not only a host but I'm the boss and um just trying to set that example and and do what I can to shine so I put other people in position to shine as well when we first started the interview you stopped you didn't sound like the normal Stephen A Smith from Queens you sounded a littleber. And I know it's because what we've seen that happened on Capitol Hill. So what were your thoughts of seeing that? Well, well, first of all, you know, as a black man, let's just call it what it is. If those were black people marching up on Capitol Hill, they'd have got shot.

But also what jumped to my mind, I turned and watched Trump's entire speech. And if he didn't dog whisper, it was even stronger than that. He told them to go to the state capitol. He told them to stop this. He told them to essentially engage in insurrection. And so for me to have a sitting president of the United States be so flagrantly divisive and willing to harm congressional and Senate figures, I don't know how much more egregious it gets. And I think it's a blight on our country for years to come. And it's just really, really bad. But but if we're honest about it, it's unfortunate. It's sad, but we ain't surprised. How hard is it to go on air today and not talk about what happened yesterday at the Capitol?

Or do y'all plan to talk about it? I wouldn't know, Charlamagne, because there ain't no way in hell I'm going on the air and not talking about it. Is there ever a pushback at ESPN when it comes to sports and politics? Because I know it has been in the past. Well, let me tell you this. This is the part and people in the past, I'm not going to mention any names, but here's where they mess up. Obviously, me being in the position that I'm in, it's not like I'm just speaking to the supervisor. I mean, the president and I talk every week. You know, the executive VPs of ESPN and I talk every week. I kind of know them. And they have never never said don't talk politics definitively. What they said is leave the political expertise to the political experts and more importantly, give the audience what they expect to see.

If we're ESPN, we're a sports network. Don't avoid sports to talk about these other things. Find a way to interweave sports within the political and social conversation. And because people had a problem with the mandate to not just go directly into politics, you've had some people that have expressed dismay over that. But I've never had a problem with it because anytime something developed and I felt the need to talk about it, I simply let them know. The other thing that the mandate was is that you work for us. We pay you. Why the hell are you expressing yourself on Twitter for free when we giving you this platform and we paying you to use it? Use it here. I don't see a problem with that. You're talking about Jemele Hill.

No, no, no. Not just her. I can't think of too many people at ESPN who even had, you know, that type of energy other than Jamel in the past. There was a bunch of them, believe it or not. And believe it or not, I'll shock you with this, Charlamagne. There's a whole bunch of white folks at ESPN that have very, very passionate feelings and obviously some on the other side. And they want to express it even more because they see us expressing it. What I'm saying is, is that what I get and I'll and I'll address this directly because I love Jamel. She's a friend, Kerry Champion. I know she's a friend, Michael Smith.

You know, all of these what they did great. I miss them. I wish they were still at the network. I don't apologize about that. But what I'm saying to you is that I would say the same thing to you now that I've gotten to know you. If I saw you doing something that I said, I said, yo, man, this could ultimately squash you and get in the way of the bigger picture. You too important. I would sit up there and say to you,

do you really want to mess that up because of a tweet? Why not use your airwaves? Think about the marathon, not the sprint. That's right. The Breakfast Club. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired? Depressed?

A little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy. There's 55 gallons of water for 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it.

I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson the First, King of Kaperburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I trade my own country? My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. Well, why can't I trade my own country? My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong?

No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullets. We need help! We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go.

Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-A-Stan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know,

follow, and admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, y'all? This is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about

it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap is another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama

who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. Nine months before Rosa, it was called a moment. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records.

Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you miss the Breakfast Club, you don't come from my world. It's dangerous. Check out this rewind. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee,

Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with Stephen A. Smith. I know you got to get up out of here. I have my final question. Do you have a desire

for people to see who you are beyond the sports? Yeah, to some degree. Only from the standpoint that, you know, again, I don't want to pigeonhole myself. I don't want to be somebody that's just about sports. You know, when people, I remember when, and I told, you know, my white bosses this a lot of times.

I've said this to them a lot of times. White folks come to work with a job to do every day. We come with a responsibility. What I mean by that is I remember when Trayvon Martin got shot, I'm walking down the streets and black folks walking up to me, Stephen A, you got to touch on this. Stephen A, you got to say that wasn't a sports story, but they said it was necessary. And then when the Miami Heat put on their hoodies, they really say, you got to touch on this. Now I was going to anyway, but they were telling me that white folks don't hear that. You don't see white folks going up to other white folks saying that you got

to do it. So understanding that black folks feel that way, why do they feel that way? It's not because of me. It's because of the position that I'm in. I have a platform that most of us don't have. And so what they're doing is calling upon me to bring light and to bring attention to things just the same way you might ask an athlete to, if not more so. Now with the athlete, you're asking them to say something and be active in that regard. With me, you're not only asking me to say something, you're asking me to be that conduit for others to speak as well, to make sure that I provide the platform for others that need to be heard to be heard. And I take that role very, very seriously. I don't feel compelled to agree with any damn body and say what I don't feel. But I do feel compelled to make sure that

even if you disagree with me, if you speak for a vast majority of us, you need to be heard. And so what I try to do is make sure that I do that. And in that regard, that's where I look at myself beyond the world of sports, using sports to extend myself beyond it, to address more deeper issues, enlightening myself, educating myself, either by reading more, watching more, learning more, but more importantly, connecting myself with people I know know stuff, so they will educate me as well. And I had one question too, I wanted to ask about LeBron purchasing, putting together a team to purchase the Atlanta team. What do you think that could do for the WNBA? And how do we

uplift the WNBA more so that they can make more money, get more endorsements, more people watch? I love it because I think that LeBron is pretty brilliant with a lot of the things that he does. And obviously he's conscientious. And I think him owning the WNBA team is more about getting it away from Lefler, the Senate figure that just lost in Georgia to Warnock. So I think that's what it's about for him more so than anything else. And I applaud his position on that. What I would say is this though, and I'll say this respectfully to all of those females out there, you know, the fellas, we got NBA, we got NFL, we got Major League Baseball, we got the boxing, we got the UFC, we got all of that.

These women have been out there busting their tail for years trying to make the WNBA into something. Last time I checked, when you are successful in terms of ingratiating yourself with the average consumer out there, you usually are successful because you found a way to ingratiate yourself with that female audience. For some reason, females are not supporting the WNBA enough because if they were, the WNBA would be far more successful than it is. So rather than folks talking about what the WNBA needs, how about the WNBA highlighting in the eyes of women out there, excuse me, we need all the support we can get from y'all. Because when females step up and support you, you win. I agree.

Steven, we appreciate you for checking in. Steven A. Smith, thank you for checking in, brother. Thank you. When does the show start to win? Steven A.'s World debuts Monday, this Monday, January 11th. Congratulations. Thank you. So when does the show start? Start the Stephen A's World debuts Monday, this Monday, January 11th. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Appreciate y'all.

Y'all take care. All right. It's the Breakfast Club. Stephen A. Smith. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Now, if you just join us, we're talking about a white man, a white gentleman that posted this on Instagram. If you see my account, you'll know the stuff I like to talk about. A lot

of sociology. In my experience, I have better conversations about that with black women. Also, black women don't have an issue with my friends. I've had multiple white girls be like, why do you hang out with so many black people? That's because black people don't ask me dumb questions like that. Also, I was a criminal for a long time. I think a lot of white girls like drug dealers because it's cool. White women will let yourself destruct. Black women seem to genuinely care and want me to do better. So I don't feel that comfortable around white people.

I feel like black people laugh with me and white people laugh at me. I love it. I think that is great. I think that improves race relations in America. You have that white man professing his love for black women, and I think anytime we can bring each other together, it is a beautiful thing. Beautiful thing. Alright, well let's go to the phone line

and see if we can get some... Well, we're looking for white men who feel that same way. Or white women. And also white women who feel that way about black men are black women, right? Yep. Yeah. Alright, let's see david hello good morning hey what's your name bro you're david right hey yeah this is david hi david how are you sir you like your coffee black huh don't worry everyone oh yeah definitely why why well um

black women take care of their men better my current current wife, I've been married for three years. When I first met her, I didn't think I had a chance with her, but she saw potential in me, and she inspired me to do better. And I've done better. Yes, we will clean you up. Did she clean me up? I mean, improved my credit score. We bought a house together.

Wow. A black woman improving a white man's credit score. Drop one of Clues Bomb's for God. You hear me? Only God in the form of a black woman has proven a white man's credit score. Drop one of Clues Bomb for God. You hear me? Only God in the form of a black woman can do that. She's showing the path to a better life. My brother. All right.

Well, thank you, man. I'm with you, David. My brother, I'll stop you when you stop telling the truth. You ain't told a lie yet, David. All right. Thank you, brother. You know, we love a good fixer. Hello, who's this?

Hi, my name's Angie. I'm from Queens. Hey, Angie from Queens. Now, Angie, you black? I'm white. Oh. That's that crowd. All I hear is Queens.

Can't tell. What part of Queens are you from? I'm from East Elmhurst, New York. Okay, I thought you were going to say Howard Beach. All right, now, you like black men only? Yeah, I do. I feel like because I grew up in a predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhood, I had all black friends growing up. I just never thought twice

about it. That's what I'm attracted to. I've actually never even dated a white man before. This is beautiful. We are bringing people together this morning. And I really feel like time, especially in these difficult times that we're in when it comes to race, we can bring people together. This is a beautiful thing. I am happy to hear this. These white people professing their love for their black booze. I actually, my son is black. He's half black. Well, I mean, that's how it works if you got a black baby daddy. Exactly. Yeah, yeah. What's his name?

Well, thank you. Thank you, Mama. Thank you. What's his name? Well, thank you, mama. Thank you. What's his name? Shout out your baby daddy and your son. My son's name is Zayden. My baby daddy's name is Lamar. There you go. And his name is Lamar.

Yeah, Lamar's a black name. What? Lamar, Jamal, Tyrone. That's the blackest you're going to get. Hello, who's this? Aaron. Aaron, what's up, Aaron? What's up, fellas? Aaron. All right, now, come on now. Slow it down. You've been around black people too this? Aaron. Aaron, what's up, Aaron? What's up, fellas?

Aaron. All right, now, come on now. Slow it down. You've been around black people too long, Aaron. What's up, son? What's up, fellas? No, he said fellas, because you can't think of fellas. Where are you from?

I think it's a generational thing. I'm originally from the West Coast, so we mix a little bit more over there. I know on the East Coast, you guys are a little bit more separate. But the thing is, is that my generation, I graduated in 90, I'm 48. I think my generation, it was taboo for so long that in my generation, the white girls were looking for black guys and the white boys were looking for black girls. And that's just how it was where I grew up. Okay. So you got a black boo now?

I had. I was married to a black woman for a little bit, for a minute. And what happened? What happened? Where'd it go wrong? What happened? We just weren't compatible, but she was a good woman. I ain't got nothing negative to say about her. So your next B, you want her to be black, too?

So the last girl I was with was Afro-Peruvian. So she was like a unicorn. She was Latina and black. That's not a unicorn. A unicorn is a lot. Afro-Latinos out here.

Hello? Oh man, I'm losing you guys. Nah, we good. Yeah, right. So you want a black woman And that's beautiful Nah, I don't discriminate It's all pink in the middle, you know what I'm saying But

It's like Women for women Why y'all hang up on the man The man ain't tell a lie It is all pink in the middle Hello, who's this? Hey, this is Shannon. Shannon, what are you, sir, race-wise?

I'm a white male from London. Oh, a white male from London. I live in Orlando, Florida. Okay. Okay. All right. Interesting. Do you prefer black women or black men?

No, no. Women, women, women. Let's not go there. I got to ask. I got to ask. I'll get it soon. But why? There's no reason, really.

I met my wife in college probably 10 years ago. Yeah, coming up to 10 years. What HBCU did you go to, bloke? No, no. I went to a small college in Kansas. It's the most country, redneck town I've ever been to in my life. And you met a beautiful black queen on that campus. What's her name?

Her name is Amber. Tell me how y'all first grew in love, man. Tell to in my life. And you met a beautiful black queen on that campus. What's her name? Her name is Amber. Tell me how y'all first grew in love, man. Tell me, my brother. She turned around to me one day and said, hey, can you say, hey, baby? Because obviously the accent. And then it just went from there. Hey, baby.

Hey, baby. Yeah. And you've been with baby ever since? Yeah, she's turned me into a better man now. I think the thing with black women that I've experienced, they put you in line, and men need a strong woman to put you in line. I appreciate it for that because she definitely made my life better. That is very true.

I appreciate you, my brother. I appreciate you for appreciating the queens. No, no, I appreciate you guys for having me on here. All right, thank you, brother. All right, take it easy. Say bye, baby. Bye, baby. What? Turned here. Alright, thank you, brother. Say bye, baby. Alright, bye, baby. Turned on. Oh, God.

And he turned you on? You don't like that? I mean, he is a white guy. He's interested in a black guy. Bye, baby. Bye, baby. What's wrong with you? You kinky this morning, man. What's the moral of the story? The moral of the story is anytime you can improve race relations in America, you should.

Especially because race relations are trash right now in America. I mean, they always have been, but, you know, they're really bad right now. And I love to hear white people professing their love for black folks. All right. We got more coming up next. We're The Breakfast Club. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired, depressed, a little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag. I just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly easy.

There are 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Ladonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. Why can't I create my own country?

My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warheads. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullet holes.

We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series,

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

admire, join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all. It's lighthearted, pretty crazy, and very fun. Listen to Post Run High on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So y'all, this is Questlove, and I'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right.

A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th. I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Niminy here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast

for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap is another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. And it began with me. Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat.

Nine months before Rosa, it was called a moment. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yep, it's the world's most dangerous morning show, The Breakfast Club. Charlemagne Tha God, Angela Yee, DJ Envy. We got a special guest in the building. You know, every time he pulls up, he's telling us something good.

Michael Rubin is here! Yes. What's up, Michael? What's happening, guys? Glad to be here. You have a big announcement for us. We do. We're really excited. Today we're announcing that Robert Rooks is going to be the new CEO of the Reform Alliance. It's really exciting for us.

We're two years into this. We've had huge accomplishments so far. Ben Jones, who started this with us, done an incredible job. He's moving to the co-chair of the Reform Action Fund. But Robert's going to take over. He was most recently the CEO of the Alliance for Safety and Justice, which has done incredible work in the space. And we're really excited to have him. And this has been a it's been a great start and journey so far, but we're just getting started and we're really pumped up about it. Why did it change? You know, for us, you know,

from the day we started this really goes back to when Meek was in prison, we talked about we had to do something really significant. We had to go out and, you know, change these probation fraud laws that are keeping so many people stuck in the system. And, you know, from the start, we asked Van to come in and help start this and help build this. And he did everything we asked him to do. We've had some giant wins, which we should get into, big wins in California, Michigan. But it was always the plan for him to start this and build this and then kind of go to the board position and also kind of be the co-chair of the Reform Action Fund.

So it's really exactly as we planned it. And for Robert, you know, this is a guy that has spent his entire life changing laws, doing this work, and he's as good as you get in this field. The same way we build a business, we just got to keep growing and pushing. I want you to talk about some of those wins, Michael, because people see organizations like Reform Alliance and they ask questions like,

well, what do they do? We always see these announcements like, oh, we're giving money here, we're doing it. What has Reform Alliance done? What are some of those wins over the last few months? We've had some really big wins so far. First, in California, going into the holidays, they put in a one-year cap on misdemeanor probation and a two-year cap on felony probation. That was really the most transformative probation laws really in the country. And as you guys know, the problem is so many people, you know, four and a half million people on probation and parole in this country.

It's basically a trap door. It keeps you in the system. And so to put hard limits on how long you can be in the system, like California did in a really big state, was a breakthrough for us. I think we're going to bring the population down by 33 percent of people on probation and parole in California, of course, while keeping communities safe. So that was a giant win for us. And I think a lot of states looked and said, like, holy s**t, like, this is like one or two-year hard caps on probation for misdemeanors and felonies. We should do something similar to that.

And then Michigan came right over the holidays. It was a great holiday gift for all of us. And they reduced how long you'd be on felony probation from five years to three years. So from the first time I came on your guys' show, we said we had a couple goals. We wanted to reduce and cap how long you could be on probation for all four

and not have what happened to me be able to happen to the everyday me where people were just on probation continuously. The second thing we wanted to do was limit how long you, you know, that you couldn't have these technical violations where you didn't break a law, but you ended back in prison. And that's what we've been focused on over the past two years. And having giant wins in California, Michigan is, you know, a big validation of our strategy. Now, Robert, I know you're just joining us. Did you want to chime in on your new position

in Reform Alliance and some of the strides that you plan to make? And I also want to talk about the new administration and what your thoughts are and if you feel hopeful and what you hope to get done. Well, thank you for the question and thank you for the space to be able to talk about this important issue of probation and parole reform. I'm honored to lead reform into the next phase of growth. You know, I have a tremendous

amount of respect for Michael, for Van, and the founding partners of reform and their commitment to this issue of probation and parole. And I've been in this work in this field for over 20 years. I am a community organizer. I have been knocking on doors for 24 years, talking to people about public safety. And I have been hearing on the ground that this issue of probation and parole reform was an issue, was a problem, was a trap for many people. And to have folks like Michael and other founding

board members come in and say, hey, this is going to be a priority. This is going to be something we're going to focus on. We're going to stay in our lane regarding how we're going to end mass incarceration. We're going to elevate this issue to a really high level. It's truly an honor for me to come in and help guide the ship. In terms of what I hope to bring into this space and into reform is basically me being a community organizer, knowing what people on the ground really think, and also me being in positions where I've ran campaigns and won campaigns in states like California, Ohio, Michigan, Texas,

Florida. Our work in California, we've reduced the prison population there by upwards of 30%. When I moved to California in 2012, we had about 170 or so thousand people in our prison system. Today, we're right at 96,000. That's big change. That's big reform. And so reform is possible, impact is possible, and now I'm even more excited to join these titans in their own field, in their own respect, to come together

and bring reform alliance to a whole new level. Now, Robert, you kind of look like Van with hair, just a little bit. Maybe it's the Zoom, I don't know, but you kind of look like Van with hair, just a little bit. Maybe it's the Zoom. I don't know. But you kind of look like Van with hair, just a little tatty bit. Oh. Now, I appreciate that. You know, as I said, I believe.

Bobby, you're way better looking than Van. Don't take it to that, Michael. I'll take that. I wanted to ask you. Oh, go ahead, Rob. I'm sorry. No, I was just going to say, you know, Van is going to go down as one of the great, you know, thinkers and communication minds of this generation for sure. He's a true genius.

And so just coming in to a space where he's built a highly competent team and move an organization from upstart to high performing, It's a true honor. So yeah, I look forward to continuing to work with Van. He's being elevated to the board as well as the team that he already has. That's all I want to say. You spoke on it a little bit, Robert, but what do you hope to specifically accomplish with your new leadership role?

So specifically, our goal is to move a million people off of probation and parole and create real pathways to work, to wealth and well-being. This is critical. When we talk about how we're going to end mass incarceration, we're going to do it by changing laws to keep people from going in. We're going to do it by shrinking the length people stay, and we're going to do it by making sure people have real pathways when they come out, so they can fully reenter into society in ways that will help them succeed. We have to do it at all fronts. And so reform's role, and what I'm going to continue to work on based on what was already there, is to hone in on how people on probation and parole are in this trap,

are in this trap where they have these stipulations that really are nearly impossible to hold, and also have a family and a job. And so we're going to change how people on probation and parole are treated. We're going to stop the pipeline that people on probation and parole are in because basically probation and parole today is prison preparedness. And we need to stop that pipeline that's resulting in people on resulting in people going into prison. We got more with Michael Rubin and Robert Rooks when we come back is the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We have Michael Rub administration needs to do right now in order to improve conditions and also to make sure less people are going to prison and not getting these lengthy terms?

Yeah, first of all, I'm excited about the incoming administration. I am thrilled by some of the decisions and moves that they've made to set up this conversation. Some of my closest colleagues are going in. So, you know, I text them to, hey, you know, we're coming, you know, we're going to be having a direct conversation about this issue. One of the things I love to see the administration do is incentivize good behavior, good practices at the state level. You know, when we got into mass incarceration, one of the ways was that in the 94 Crime Act, they incentivize states to pass truth and sentencing laws.

And so states, a handful of states, followed that lead, received additional resources from the federal government and grew their prison systems. We can doize states to say, hey, if you're coming up with true alternatives to incarceration, if you're coming up with programs that's going to build out health and support for people on probation and parole, we can incentivize you. We can give you resources to build those things out. That's one of the key things I would love for this administration to do is incentivize states to do the right thing. You know, it's interesting, right? Because Donald Trump might go down in history as the worst president of all time. But in terms of reform, you can't act like he didn't take a first step with the First Step Act.

So do you think President Biden and his administration will take a second step and a third one and a fourth one? Like, how do you think they'll help to cause a reform? Yeah, I think I think they have a mandate to, you know, black folks showed up in key places like Michigan and Georgia. And black folks want to see the criminal justice system change. It's clear, it's unapologetic and it's right. And so there's certainly a mandate to do the right thing here. I expect Biden is going to do everything he can in his administration to do the right thing here. I expect Biden's going to do everything he can

in his administration to do the right thing. How the politics line up, we'll see. But here's what's important about this conversation too. You know, we can't wait for Superman. Like we can't show up in the polls and then wait and see what the administration is going to do. We have to engage. We have to, just like we organized during the election,

we have to organize like that now to get what we want. That's how democracy works. That's how politics work. And so I would message to your folks. It's like, hey, let's get together. Let's talk about the things we want to see the administration do. And let's put the appropriate pressure on them to get them to do it. And with all the new marijuana laws and people who are still in jail because of marijuana, how do we make sure that they get out? Yeah, no, that's an excellent point. I mean, there are a number of ways we can do it.

I would just first like to see an executive order that basically, you know, pardons everyone that's in on marijuana. Yes, man. That's what makes the most sense. You have, on one end, people and businesses that are making money off of marijuana, which they should, and we need to make sure that there's proper race representation in those businesses. But at the same time, we can't have people serving out time

or people are now making money on it money on just doesn't make sense. I'm actually upset with the Biden-Harris administration about that only because that's something they ran on. Even when it was the Senate race in Georgia, they were saying, if you want weed to be decriminalized, vote for John Ossoff and Ralph Warnock. Like that should have been something that they handled literally in the first few days. Decriminalize marijuana, free all of the people that are in jail with nonviolent drug offenses for weed. Imagine you're sitting in jail for a marijuana offense and weed has been decriminalized and companies are making millions of dollars off of it and you're still in jail. You know, I would have said that was impossible before four years ago, before I got to understand the system.

Now I'd say that's a normal day and that's why we all need to be there to fix these laws, go state by state, put pressure on everyone that matters, and get to a better place. Unfortunately, the country is not effective. We've got a completely broken criminal justice system. It's not logical, and that's why we've got to bring out every resource and get people really working together to fix these problems. Logic does not prevail until you force it to prevail.

Now, you're right, Michael. Now, Michael, I'm wondering, right, you and Robert, Meek has been the face of this for a while. Are you bringing on other individuals? Yeah, I'd say the way I really look at this is Meek was really the inspiration of this. And you got to kind of go back to what really happened. You know, I had no understanding of that. This really happened. I lived through it with me. You know, we talked every day about how when he got out of prison, we had to do something about this. And that is that will always be the inspiration for why we started this. And we'll never kind of forget that. But I think what Meek says all the time, and I agree with this, is this is about getting the everyday Meeks where there's millions of people that are unfairly stuck within the system. I think one of the things that was so exciting to me, Robert, he's built so many different campaigns about taking people that have been adversely affected in a state and using the everyday people to really help shed a light on these issues. So this is what Robert's done in his entire career.

This is why Robert's the perfect person to take reform, you know, kind of forward. And that's why we're so excited about some Robert. I'd love for you to jump in and say, you know, talk about what you've done already and kind of what a normal, you know, campaign is like in your life, because we're going to do the same thing here

with the everyday people affected by this. Every iteration, it's exactly what Michael said. It's about bringing everyday people to the table to let their voices be heard about what they want out of the justice system. My most recent iteration of that at Alliance for Safety and Justice was to hear from and elevate the voices of victims of crime. Historically, people may think victims want to throw people in prison and throw away the key. What we found is that when you talk to victims in communities hit hard by crime and violence, when you talk to black folk that's been victimized by crime, they don't want to throw people in prison and throw away the key. They want to stop what happened from happening again. They want real investments in their community. They want treatment instead of incarceration.

They want investments in mental health. And what we saw was that there was a missing voice in the criminal justice debate that these folks who've been impacted by crime and violence didn't have a say. and at the same time, their name was being used to justify mass incarceration. And so part of our work was to elevate the voices of victims to say not in my name. We do not want to see prisons and jails built. We want investments in our communities

to stop crime from happening. So now we're at the Alliance for Safety and Justice, have over 100,000 members victims of crime. We weighed in on the election. We had a whole campaign called Heal the Vote, which was bringing these stories to light as to what we want the justice system to say. And so, yeah, I have a background experience

of bringing people together, elevating their voices, and moving in a direction of making real change happen. You know, the reason I asked about that is because, you know, I think about Michael in Philly and, you know, there's a brother in Philly, man, who who did 20 years in prison, you know, who speaks out about the injustices that happened in prison. And that's Wallow. I would love to see Wallow down with the Reform Alliance in some way, shape, or form. Do you know Wallow, Michael? I think I've met Wallow. I'm pretty sure I have.

And I gotta tell you something. One of the great things by having a Meek Mill, a Jay-Z, a Robert Crack as founding members of this is they bring so much more attention to it and it gets so many more people to want to help. One thing is to get everyone who's affected to work together. But if we get the people that aren't affected to care about this issue

and work together, that's bigger than anything. And the great thing is with our board members, they're always saying like, what else can we do? Who do you want me to call? How can I help? And you know, we got to do that on a massive scale. And so we need your guy and we need millions of people and we need them of all backgrounds

because that's the only way we're going to fix this. If not, it's going to be the same s*** that's happened, you know, for the past 20 years. Meek, I'm telling you, Meek got to holler at Wallo. I got to tell Meek how to holler at Wallo then. All right, we got more with Michael Rubin and Robert Rooks when we come back.

It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. We'll be right back. doing too much. Haven't done my taxes. I'm too turned up. Virgil got a paddock on my wrist going nuts. Call me slipping once. Okay, so what? Someone hit your block up. I tell you if it was us. Man, a house in Rosewood. It too plush. Say my days a number, but I keep waking up. No, you see my text, baby. Please say something. Wine by the glass, man, I'm cheapskate, huh? Gotta move on my release day, huh? This is fame, not clout I don't even know what that's about, watch your mouth Baby, got an ego twice the size of the crib

I can never tell a s*** it is what it is, but Said what I had to and did what I did Never turned my back on FBG, God forbid. Virgil got a paddock on my wrist, doing front flips. Giving you my number, but don't hit me on no gun. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha God. We are The Breakfast Club.

We have Michael Rubin and Robert Rooks in the building. Charlamagne? You know, when I look at, you know, Robert Kraft and I look at Jay-Z and I look at Michael Rubin buying 50 million dollar houses in the Hamptons, I have to ask, what is the pay like for the CEO reform, Robert? Hey, listen, you know, this is a generational problem. probation parole is an issue that undermines individuals, undermines families, undermines community, undermines the economic net possibilities for everyday people. And so we're going to be weighing in and changing that. And we have generational actors, Jay-Z and Meek Mill and Michael Rubin, Laura Arnold and others. These are people that have made significant impact in their own space coming together.

And we're going to make a generational change. I was talking about generational wealth and the generational wealth they have. And how much of that are they giving to you to be CEO? Yeah, no, no, I'm getting there. And I appreciate it. But I just wanted to highlight. He just he comes out with the hard charging questions I mean

and I'm sure hey what's up Robert how much you making man I know right I'm sure the biggest payoff is though when you see the effect that it has on families and on people who are you know because imagine how much that affects people's families not even just the person who goes to jail

or is on probation that affects people's families, not even just the person who goes to jail or is on probation. That affects the whole family. And the whole community. You have entire communities where like 50% of the folks are in the system somehow. 50% of black men, let me say, are in the system. What do you think that does to the tax base? What do you think that does to the household, to the community, to parks, to like activities, sports, like it undermines all of that. And so we need to just get the weight of the system off of everyday people's backs.

And that's what that's what we want. Hey, Charlamagne, I will add to the, because the question you ask is actually an important question. And the reason is the way we want to build the reform alliance is like an entrepreneur-based venture company go out and get the best talent that's a win one of the problems when you're looking at a lot of you know i'm just being blunt a lot of charitable work just across the world is they have a bunch of people who care deeply about the issue but they're not beasts we need beasts to feel like you know robert's a beast okay van was a beast on this robert's going to build a team like robert's got

an incredible team that van built that he's you know kind of work with and he's going to continue to build that team i got to tell you something in my company in my day job but it's no different with the reform alliance we will never stop to get the best talent available to win what we want to do. And I'll tell you, it comes back to when we started the Reform Alliance, I don't want to say who it was, but I had a really close friend of mine, really successful person. And he said, you know, kind of what's your goal? And I said, you know, what do you think my goal should be? He says, I think you should have a goal to get 10,000 people off of probation and parole. I thought about it for a minute. I said, we're going to do a million.

He said, huh? I said, we want to get a million people out of the system. He said, how'd you come up with that? I said, well, there's four and a half million people on probation and parole. That means there's probably two or three million too many. So a million is a nothing goal. It's only like a half or a third of the people that we should be getting out of this. So it's an easy goal.

He said, well, I think 10,000 is the right number. And the reason I tell you this story is because you have to think big. You have to build big. It's no different than a business. What you guys do, you guys probably all have dreams. You just keep pushing and pushing. So for me, coming up with a goal of getting a million people out of the system, which we just kind of picked.

And by the way, we've got hundreds of thousands of people already coming out of probation and parole based on what we've done in California, Michigan, the other states. So we're tracking toward our goal, getting a million people out of the system. It's the same thing when you build an organization. We wanted to get Robert to be our next CEO. We want Robert to have any of the tools he needs to have the most successful organization so that we win at what we do. Because if not, how are we actually going to accomplish this really bold call? No, y'all have really, really, really elevated the conversation

about prison reform with the Reform Alliance. And it is very inspiring. I've had conversations with dads about this. I want to build something like this for mental health as well. Just because what y'all have done with the Reform Alliance, it's created this big, large conversation that transcends hip-hop pop culture and just you know everyday society and i think that's dope that's how you get things done yeah that i love hearing that that makes me so happy because to me you know we got to find inspiration to inspire ourselves in the same way that meek inspired you know all of us collectively to start the reform

alliance you know if in any small way we help you to go out and do something great, that's incredible. I can tell you, it's funny. Mental health is an issue that I never understood. And, you know, I like I was always just kind of, you know, by the way, my mom was a psychiatrist. Wow. I grew up in an environment where it was just like kind of you set your mind to something, you know, you had blinders on. And and then i realized like in the last five or ten years wow this is a much bigger issue than i understood and you know it's somebody and and by the way you know think about people that are stuck within like by the way the people that i think have so many you know been so adversely affected by mental health is when you grow up in an environment a ruthless environment how are you not going to have you know significant mental health issues prevalent in your community so somebody like you that puts this on their

shoulders can make a huge difference and it's about by the way it's about thinking differently just being unrelenting that's like that's what makes you know i know what we do in business what i you know what we're doing the reform is we just don't quit it's like you just you're saying i got this big goal i'm going to go after i'm not going to fucking quit till i accomplish it and it's the same thing if you do that so i you know i'd love to help you in any way possible because it is a really big issue that i understand better now than i did in the past still not well enough but you know you can make a huge difference and you know what that's that would be more impactful than anything else you do because i can tell you um you know for me i've had a fair

amount of success in business and I love it and I'm completely driven by it, but I'm so excited about, like, you know, I'm more excited to be talking about Reform Alliance than I am about anything else because it's the millions of people's lives that we can affect and that's, you know, when I'm not here one day, you know, that'll be probably,

you know, the thing that I'll be, you know, most proud about looking up, so. Yeah, and I mean, it goes hand-in-hand with what y'all doing. Cause I mean, if you go to prison for 10, 15 years, you think you're not going to come home and have to adjust. You don't think you're dealing with no mental health issues. I think you're right. Oh yeah. No, I just want to jump in trouble, man. It's so good to hear you say this and it is directly connected to what we're

going to do over former lions. We're going to shrink the system. That like, that's what we're going to, we're going to do at Reform Alliance. We're going to shrink the system. That's what we're going to do. We're going to shrink the system. It's an $80 billion budget right now for prisons and jails and to keep people in the carceral state. We're going to shrink that. We're going to take the money out of that and invest it in real programs and opportunities for people at the local level.

And that's mental health. That's mental health. That's substance abuse treatment. Those are things that allow us to get at the, what's the root cause of some of these crimes? We're only putting a Band-Aid on issues and it's not helping anyone. And so as we are successful moving those resources to mental health program, it'll be great to have a partner like you, man, to elevate the issue, talking about it state by state and ensuring that these programs get off the ground so they can help everyday people.

I don't want to butcher this number, but I believe, and Robert, keep me honest here, in California, once we implemented the one-year cap on misdemeanors and two-year cap on felony probation, I think they projected they're going to have a $2 billion savings over the next five years. And the number one thing they talk about is investing that in mental illness and mental health. Now, how beautiful is that? We have a screwed up system that we're fixing. We're then taking cost savings and investing in an area that needs incredible investment.

So to me, that's like actually, you know, you got to give it to Gavin Newsom, the governor of California. I mean, this guy has had a lot of courage. He's taken my life. He's taken a lot of shit for being out there and doing the right thing. And, you know, he's done a lot for criminal justice reform. And I got to tell you, you know, I only met him in the last year during this process. But he's a guy who's put this stuff on his shoulders and said, I'm going to do the right thing. And I'm going to take the savings and invest in other areas with a lot of backlash, a lot of people fighting against him. But he's the guy who he's had courage to make big, big changes and really set a standard, a new standard for other

states to look at and say, this is the way we should operate. If we could have the laws in California in every state in the country, we'd be a wrap on probation and parole law changes. There'd still be so much more work to do, but we'd have the laws right, and we'd have the framework right to go do so much other work as an output of getting those changes made. That's right.

ReformAlliance.com, Michael Rubin, Robert Rooks, thank y'all. Appreciate everything y'all are doing, my brothers. Appreciate you guys. Thanks so much. After Breakfast Club. Thank you. Take care. Who's going to be on the donkey of the day they chose you it's a breakfast club bitches who's donkey of the day today donkey of the day goes to peter the people for ethical treatment of animals now i respect peter and what they stand for uh won't stop me from enjoying the flesh of delicious creatures like cows, chickens,

turkeys, lambs, goats, and various fish. What about ox? Is oxtails real ox? Yes. Okay. I enjoy those too. Listen, I'm from Moncks Corner, South Carolina all day. I eat deer meat. Alright, don't think for one second Bambi won't get eaten if it's cooked right. Squirrel

dumplings. I've eaten bear shoulder in West Virginia. Look, man, I'm an omnivore. Okay, meat and plants. That's what I like. But I respect PETA. Okay, some things I agree with when it comes to them. Okay, one thing I agree with is I don't like seeing animals caged. Okay, I think zoos are animal prisons.

And it's something about knowing people went to kidnap animals to enslave them that feels all too familiar to my ancestors okay i also don't like to see animals tortured when they boil them alive or hang them up in those meat markets just stick hooks through them listening to them scream i hate it okay i want you to make it to my dinner plate as peacefully as possible now we have had ingrid newark the ceo of peter on breakfast club by the way Let me refresh your memory. Play some clips from that. We ate everybody else. Like what? And I say everybody.

Like who? Well, we ate veal, for example. Tasty. Now, you know, hey, Charmin, you know veal? It's the baby cow. And the mother loves that cow. I've heard a lot of people say you should always eat the mother if you're going to eat the child, too. Well, it actually would be a courtesy if you shot the

mother first in the head when she wasn't looking but no i still ate shellfish until one day in a restaurant they brought a plate of live lobsters to the table i can't stand when i see that when you walk into a restaurant and you can see the lobster i'm like oh man how could you i love it no you don't you're just pretending no i know you're actually not sad when you see the things all tied up and you know what's happening out in the west colorado and those places they um people are getting creutzfeldt jacob disease it's just like mad cow disease only it's mad elk disease elk is really tasty you stopped when i was in wyoming i'm not you stopped that and that was the last game but it's really tasty. You stopped that. I had it when I was in Wyoming. I'm not going to lie. You stopped that, and that was the last time.

It's a little gamey, but it's really tasty. Last time that you ate that. Good morning, Ingrid. You're welcome back at any time, but I'm telling you right now, when you come back, we are debating this foolishness that PETA released here. According to various news sources, PETA is calling on humans to denounce animal insults like chicken or pig or rat. I repeat PETA is calling on humans to denounce animal insults like chicken or pig or rat. Let me think of a good animal insult for this um bullshit. Okay let's go to OAN for the report please. PETA otherwise known as people for the ethical treatment of animals is back and more woke than ever. The organization posted a thread of tweets explaining what they call speciesism,

which, according to them, is when humans use animals as an insult. For example, calling someone a chicken when they're scared or a rat when they snitch. PETA says that these are anti-animal slurs that perpetuate oppression and that we must reject this supremacist language and opt for what they call inclusive words like coward or snitch. Very unifying. PETA says that by using animal species as adjectives, we're degrading animals and reinforcing the idea that humans are superior to other animals and therefore justified in violating

them. What dodo bird at PETA came up with this idea? Okay, how dare you say calling someone an animal is an insult. Okay, you said you said calling someone an animal is an insult that reinforces the myth that humans are superior To other animals and justified in violating them First of all, you are discrediting all the times we use animals as terms of endearment if I say that's my dog Okay, that's my dog. That's love if I say man. He's one cool cat dog that's love if i say man he's one cool cat that's love if i say and that's on mary had a little lamb i am putting respect on lamb chops name so peter don't act like we don't use

animals as terms of endearment but the reason you folks at peter are really getting donkey of the day is for one simple reason y'all worried about the myth that humans are superior to animals i don't believe we are superior to animals. I believe we are one with animals. I believe in unity consciousness. And when it's true unity, you don't tell me what my name is. I repeat, when it's true unity, you don't tell me what my name is. Peter, you upset at us for calling someone an animal is an insult.

The real insult is you didn't even let those animals name themselves. Who named a pig a pig? Envy, do you know? Angela, do you know? I don't. Who named a chicken a chicken? Who named a snake a snake? Who named a sloth a sloth? Who amongst us has ever had

a conversation with any of those animals and they introduced themselves as any of the aforementioned names names okay i have watched roots enough times to know that when the colonizer wants your name to be something he doesn't care what your name actually is god okay the creator put those creatures here and according to the bible adam gave the creatures their names look it up pull out your lebronron James version of the Bible. It says Adam named the animals.

Now, when you do some more digging, and I'm sure there's folks out there who really do this for a living and have way more information than me. But when you do some real digging, you realize that a lot of times folks were just winging it. Penguins. Nobody knows how they got their name. But once upon a time, they were called arse feet. Hippopotamuses, okay, means river horse in Greek. Raccoons used to be called wash bears. My point is that damn colonizer wants to call animals whatever they choose,

but wants us to respect the fact that we shouldn't call each other something they made up, when the reality is all those animals were named those things without their consent oh peter you're playing a dangerous game who amongst you has had a conversation with a giraffe to know that that is indeed what they want to be called at least toys r us actually called their giraffe jeffrey they gave that creature that animal a real name peter you said it yourself words can create a more inclusive world or perpetuate oppression. By not allowing animals to name themselves, we as humans are oppressing them. What if Sasquatch, Bigfoot, what if his name really was Harry and the Hendersons were correct?

What if that mouse name really is Minnie? And the only reason Disney got it right is because they spoke to her and asked her what her name was and didn't just tell her what she was. Now, when Ingrid Newark was here, she broke down speciesism. Let's listen. What is speciesism? I read something about that and I was like, it was it was a language, right? Like, don't say things like doggone. No, almost.

But it's just against supremacism. And speciesism says, don't think you're a god just because you belong to one species. Just because you're in control doesn't mean that you shouldn't be decent to the other species. So it's against human supremacism, discrimination, prejudice against others because they're not exactly like you. Ingrid, you're right for the most part. OK, depending where we are, humans are in control. You in that water? No. Sharks, whales, they have control.

OK, but it's nothing decent about labeling someone or some animal something they never told you they were. Until Ingrid or someone at PETA sits down and has a conversation with one of these animals and one of these animals tells us, yes, I am indeed a kangaroo. Or yes, I am indeed a llama. Then PETA will have to continue to hear these animal insults and I am about to play a sound from one of the animals used to insult people for the past 10 years on this radio by simply saying, Dramos, please give Peter the biggest hee-haw. All right, Charlemagne, thank you for that donkey of the day.

Yes, ma'am. All right, we got more coming up next with The Breakfast Club. Is your country falling apart? Feeling tired, depressed, a little bit revolutionary? Consider this. Start your own country. I planted the flag and just kind of looked out of like, this is mine. I own this. It's surprisingly

easy. 55 gallons of water, 500 pounds of concrete. Everybody's doing it. I am King Ernest Emmanuel. I am the Queen of Laudonia. I'm Jackson I, King of Capraburg. I am the Supreme Leader of the Grand Republic of Mentonia. Be part of a great colonial tradition. The Waikana tribe own country.

My forefathers did that themselves. What could go wrong? No country willingly gives up their territory. I was making a rocket with a black powder, you know, with explosive warhead. Oh my God. What is that? Bullets. Bullets.

We need help! We need help! We still have the off-road portion to go. Listen to Escape from Zakistan. And we're losing daylight fast. That's Escape from Z-A-Q-istan on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show, where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast, Post Run High, is all about. It's a

chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. You know that rush of endorphins you feel after a great workout? Well, that's when the real magic happens. So if you love hearing real, inspiring stories from the people you know, follow, and admire,

join me every week for Post Run High. It's where we take the conversation beyond the run and get into the heart of it all it's light-hearted pretty crazy and very fun listen to post run high on the iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts so y'all this is quest love and i'm here to tell you about a new podcast I've been working on with the Story Pirates and John Glickman called Historical Records. It's a family-friendly podcast. Yeah, you heard that right. A podcast for all ages. One you can listen to and enjoy with your kids starting on September 27th.

I'm going to toss it over to the host of Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out. Hey, y'all. Nimany here. I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called Historical Records. Historical Records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone.

The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap is another one gone. Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The world's most dangerous morning show. It's dangerous.

The Breakfast Club. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We got a special guest with us this morning, Laurian Gibson. Good morning, Laurianne Gibson! Good morning, Laurianne. Dance your dance, eight steps to unleash your passion

and live your dream. Welcome! Hey, guys. Oh, my God, you guys got my book. How emotionally amazing is that? Oh, my gosh! Laurianne, good morning. You've been around for a long time. You were OG.

How stupid do Zoom interviews feel? Stupid. I was really upset that I couldn't be there. I'm like, this just doesn't feel right. Just to be 100. Oh, you could have came. We're starting to have guests finally. So if you would have been in New York area,

we would have rather you be in person. Yeah, me too. This feels very foreign because we're all family. And I love you guys so much. It feels really weird but at the end of the day very happy to have this moment to promote something that is so incredibly amazing and it look I can't even express how grateful I am to get this book out this messaging it's breadcrumbs to never giving up that's what I'm calling it so why did it take

you so long to write this this book it feels like this book should have been in people's hands a long time ago. I think because ultimately it took a while to understand how to communicate my methodology and I wanted it to go beyond the artists that I built. You know, you build superstars, you build big stars and you hope that their narrative matches your narrative. And sometimes when it doesn't, then you feel frustrated and then you want to be able to communicate all of you, not just some of you through the art that you make. So this book is the beginning of me touching every single dream warrior, every single visionary, every entrepreneur, every person who doesn't want to have to feel like they have to be like someone else in order to succeed, the understanding of your passion, driving your choices, driving your

dream. And it's supported by situations that I have been through where I have received the revelation in order to help you understand that these eight steps are something that you can go back to in your fight, you know, against situations that are oppressive or less than perfect for your well-being. So it's really awesome. It took a while to become all that I needed to be. Yeah, there were so many things about you that I did not know. And you do start off the book just basically talking about your childhood. And you had one teacher who made you feel what wanted to make you feel like you could never be a ballerina. And thank God you didn't

listen to that. And you stress the importance of early education and how teachers really do make such a big difference in your lives, as well as your parents just supporting your dreams. Can you talk about that? Yeah, I really believe that seeds that are planted early. You know, I had a natural ability to fight off something that didn't align itself with my truth and my dream. At a very young age, I was born to dance. I tell people I had a passion for dance that was not normal. And because of this passion, because of this love, when I met Mr. Christopher, who said my feet were too flat and my back wasn't arched because I was black. And he said that I would never be a ballerina.

There was something inside of me that was warring against that seed taking route inside of me. So I use that so that these kids can really understand when they dare to dream and they come up against something somebody that hasn't experienced their gift or you may be the person to change the narrative to be the new version you know everyone's meant for a certain time so when you carry an original gift you have to understand how to um really repel a seed that could build insecurity versus empower your individualism or your uniqueness. So I was like, Mr. Chris. Oh, no, go ahead. No, I was just like, Mr. Christopher, white man,

I don't know what you're talking about, because in my head and in my heart, I'm not only a ballerina, but I'm every type of dance, and I see myself soaring and leaping. And so I held on to that. And then when I saw Alvin Ailey at 12 years old at the O'Keeffe center, I was able to visually connect the feeling of my dream to seeing those powerful black ballerinas soar on stage. I want to unpack that a little more because the subtitle is eight steps to

unleash your passion and live your dream, right? How does one really live their dream? Because sometimes folks will see a you or they'll see a Diddy or anybody who's successful and they say, that's my dream. That's what I want to do. I want to do what they're doing. But that's not really their dream is they just see it working for someone else. So how do you help someone really live their dream and find their dream?

Well, that's why it's eight steps, obviously, like choreography, eight counts, but it's eight steps. So once you dare to dream and you define your passion, you know, it can never be compared. So I talk about staying in your yes by step four, because the comparing is what is causing the confusion. Once everyone has their own dream their own dna their own passion we're all uniquely built and that's part of why we have to change the narrative especially in the music industry especially in the culture they're always trying to remake something that's already out and so yes you can use what i've done as inspiration but that's why you got to dance your own dance. No two people are going to take the same road.

Those are just the facts. So, you know, the eight cells help you identify your passion, identify your uniqueness. And then I help you understand it and secure the confidence to stay in it, inspired by others but define yourself by yourself you know as a choreographer you know um sometimes you have to teach people how to dance can can you teach anybody how to dance and who probably was the toughest person to teach how to move and dance i absolutely think everybody can dance everybody is a dance is pedestrian dance is just your just your own understanding, your own body, your own rhythm, how your spirit moves, understanding how to be fearless with the physicality of your body. Yes, I can teach anyone to dance.

Everybody was a challenge. Puff Daddy, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry. Everybody has their own challenges. But just like that, everyone has their own unique dance. So I don't really see the challenges. I see what's not there. I see what you can do that no one can do. And then I dig into that and I understand your rhythm.

I listen to the record. I understand where you breathe, how you take that breath, when you should move. And that's why I've probably built some of the biggest superstars in the world because I built them based off of their own magic. So yeah, I can teach anybody's dance. Last time you promised you were going to teach me and Charlamagne a routine.

We ain't forget about that. This is our 10-year anniversary, so I want next time we see you... Nah. I'm too old, Laurianne. My knees ain't what they were six, seven years ago. Well, you ain't got to bust it. You ain't got to drop on your knees, bro. First of all, I want to talk to you about that little old obsession you've been having lately.

I need you to change that narrative. Timeless. You keep speaking this, and I'm just not accepting it because you look great. I look amazing. I'm just getting ready to rumble. I just want you to lose that narrative. Listen, I can put some ice on the knees like there's a million different choices to make. The problem is

when we don't understand our season and we're making choices like we're not in this very, very good season where we don't have to touch our toes and get down as low as we used to. I like being an OG though. I'm embracing it. I'm 42. I

actually love it. I think people have this negative connotation on the word old. I love it. No, I didn't say it. Listen, well, okay. Tomato, tomato, right? OG is about wisdom and that's what's lacking. So I do agree with you. You know, like, you know, you can have all the talent in the world, all of what's going on. I got you, but you don't have the wisdom to make me feel nothing. That's right. You know what I'm saying? You can digitally download a record.

You can do it all, but you can't create an experience. When we open back up, if you are not understanding that people will pay a good, good price to go to a good, good show, and you haven't taken the time to dance your dance get artists develop understand your why really be be connected to creating an experience then you're over right so wisdom teaches you the how and brings in your why so yeah i will never apologize for being this right this you know what i mean right now so i'm with you but when you tell me your knees are hurting me and you're old, I can't really relate. Alright, we have more with Laurieann Gibson. You know Laurieann

Gibson, choreographer and more. Dance Your Dance is her new book. We'll kick it with her some more when we come back. It's The Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. We're still kicking it with Laurieann Gibson. Charlamagne? Laurieann, you're a person that found a purpose at an early age.

It seems like you knew who you were or wanted to be at an early age. Do you think people who never knew who they were, people who aren't securing themselves, do you think they can ever get to the point, especially in this era, where they can really be their authentic, original selves? A hundred percent. I have to believe, and that's why I wrote the book,

because everyone has the opportunity to arrive at their best life. Step eight and live their dreams. Yes. 100. It is never over. It is never too late. You're designed to arrive at that place where you have a fulfilled life. I think that a lot of the times it's about understanding people around you and I talk about in step three you know building your team unfortunately sometimes a lot of young kids get like like told that they can't that what's unique about them is not valid you know my father I had a box in the basement that I would dance in and out of and And it was in his man cave. You know, he had like his records and his JBL speakers. And my father's Jamaican.

So you already know how his music and his after work sessions meant to him. And there was a huge box in the corner. And I was always like dancing in and out of it. And one day my father was like, listen, man, you have to dash out that box. Like this box can't stay in my cave, you know? So my mother was like, no, but you don't need to pick me. Leave her with her box. So apparently one day my father asked me,

because my older sister told me recently, Laurieann, what are you doing in that box? And I said, Daddy, I'm bursting myself into the world. And it was later that I understood when Gaga was in was in europe and i was in la and she played me born born this way and i was like as soon as i heard the record you know i have a certain creative process and i was like i got it we're gonna birth a race we're gonna birth a race within a race that cannot hate and i was obsessed with prosthetics and i said and we will use prosthetics to identify this race and then it went on and grew. And that's why I put her in the egg and that big

Grammy performance. She was incubating. She was changing her DNA. You know, we didn't want to break the fourth wall, but I'm saying all that to say that little girl dancing in and out of that box. That was the beginning of me understanding that I was a creative visionary. And if my parents had shut that down, I would have felt not as confident about having that childlike imagination and understanding how to tap into it. And today, it's about Instagram. It's about a Google. It's hard for young kids to work their imagination, work that part of the creativity. And adults and entrepreneurs entrepreneurs it takes that imagination to create a new perspective so super passionate about not oppressing that which could

be potentially something new that the world needs yes and it clouds your discernment too 100 you also say there's no me Too movement back then when you were getting started and you referenced that there were people who definitely and fortunately for you, you trusted your instincts, right? You even describe auditioning for Bobby Brown and you didn't like the way he was even looking at you. And that would have been a great gig, but you turned it down. So how prevalent was that? Because we see right now there is a Me Too movement. People are getting called out for things that they've done and their bad behavior.

But how many times, like percentage-wise, were those things happening to you where you felt like, okay, this is a really bad situation? And was it ever escalated more than just somebody leering at you? Was it ever something that felt dangerous? You know what? I mean, the climate, the culture, it was very that. I just obviously, one, I didn't have like big p***s and a big butt back then.

So I wasn't really, you know, it was kind of like I was the awkward bird out. But when I was put in those situations, it was incredibly pressuring. And it was all in the culture. You know, backup dancers were supposed to be backup whatever. What? What's whatever? Backup bed bunnies, backup pretend girlfriends. Got you.

Backup snuggle bunnies on the tour bus, whatever. Instinctually, like, no, I'm just not understanding my spirit, my passion, the dance. I was like, I thought that was enough. You know, it was a constant fight. But again, and there was no judgment to the ones that did. There was just, for me, a flag, an indicator that made me feel a certain way.

And at the end of the day day it affects the purity in the gift it affects the passion when you're a young girl with a dream those proclivities attach themselves to the way you perform to the way that you blossom to the way that you grow to the way that you become your dream so ultimately the fact that I thought it off and the fact that you become your dream. So ultimately, the fact that I thought it off and the fact that it wasn't the popular decision, and so I got less opportunity, less checks. I got called so many things. She's crazy. She's this. She's that.

Nah, just because I didn't want to do what you wanted me to do, I had to fight through those narratives and overcome the insecurities that we're trying to take root but because i did i'm able to have the revelation to inspire young girls now if you feel a certain way if something goes off in you internally that is an indicator to walk away in In chapter four, staying here, yes, you tell the story of auditioning for the Fly Girls and J-Lo getting the part and then Keenan Irving wins and a year later that he didn't find you

sexy enough. How did that make you feel? Not good. Not good. It's a fight that young women face every day. That's why there's such a need to run to the plastic surgeon and all of these elements to help recreate this image that is constantly being

catered to or lifted up. And I just took a long time to understand the sexuality in my dance, right? Because I was a trained dancer. So it never came from a place of seducing the male or understanding what's internally about a sexual experience rather than a dance or something that intentionally wants to move a different part of you rather than just arouse you so as a dancer there are different elements to the way you move you know uh and so i wasn't in touch with that particular element at that time so it was crushing because i was definitely one of the best dancers amongst the crew.

And so for me, I couldn't understand why am I not booking this job? I'm still in this shit. But there was something about the way I was dancing that wasn't as sexually arousing as I needed to be for that particular job at the time. I love that answer because when someone says you aren't sexy enough, you automatically probably would assume it was physical. But you didn't feel like it was physical. You felt like it was just something you weren't doing aesthetically as you were dancing. Yes. I wasn't in touch with that part of me. I was dancing.

I was, like, making sure my arms were right. You know, I was hitting the move, but I wasn't necessarily allowing that, you know, inner Venus energy, you know, the internal conversation, the intention to seduce was not on me. I was I didn't understand how to work that conversation. Right. right so unfortunately sometimes when you're young if you are experienced or exposed to something that is driven by that type of narrative sometimes you arrive at that conversation prematurely i was okay when i was ready to understand it because then it gave me a better sense of self-respect all right we got more with Laurieann Gibson. When we come back, it's The Breakfast Club.

Good morning. The Breakfast Club. It's The Breakfast Club, bitches! Power 105.1. Checking out the world's most dangerous morning show. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club.

We're still kicking it with Laurieann Gibson. Charlamagne? Why do you think the style of dancing that, you know, you do, Diddy used to do, the choreography, why do you think that's not in hip-hop? Like, the way stuff Big Daddy Kane used to do, Kid N Play. Why do you feel like that went away? Rappers don't do that anymore. I think because it defines mediocrity with greatness.

I'll never forget bringing Big down from his cage on the Soul Train Awards and telling him he had to get down to the top of the stage by first things first. I, Papa,

freak all the honeys, bunnies, playboy bunnies. And I was like, Big, you gotta get here by here because the girls gotta come around you

and my lighting gotta hit you. And let me tell you something big rehearse that one walk stage to downstage he was on the soul trainer awards they all of them nods when i brought him out with lauren hill like a respect fat joe big pun diddy snoop a respect for the stage we call it the x call it the arena. We call it the shoulders of hip hop. Like you had to be prepared to deliver the lifestyle, the record, the experience. I think that that's work.

These kids don't know how to work. And that's why it's over so quick. But we're coming back because there's so many of them now. It's like water that you have to find the ones that understand how to do the work to deliver an experience. You know, when I first met Young Thug and I was like, oh, my God, you're so genius. And we started working together in the beginning. And I told him everything, boom, boom, boom. And he put the work in for his show and it popped off.

But then it was too much discipline. And they got to find that narrative because we won't find greatness. I think the baby, for me, he's onto it. I hope he holds onto it. I'm smelling him a little bit. I love that he has a process that reflects a bad boy artist, the 90s, you know what I mean? His ability

to entertain. But, you know, you gotta live a different life. You gotta make different choices. Do you remember when Offset was on stage and he did the choreography with the dances and how dope that looked and everybody got excited. And I remember him saying, I'm going to lean into dancing more. But he didn't. And Big Sean and A$AP Ferg did that too.

Remember that? Exactly. And the reaction they got was great. But guess what? They had to go to rehearsal. They had to remember it. They had to put in work. they don't want to do i mean uh i remember one time nikki was like more oh my god you make me work so hard i was like yeah but that's why you were and are and did what you did

uh way and you impacted that much and i think that that that's a real conversation. They just don't want to do the work. And, and what you put in is what you get out. And don't tell me you're the best. If you don't want to spend time in the gym before you get in the ring, the two just don't go together. You know what I'm saying? And they don't spend as much money on videos either. People just shoot videos and throw them out. Yeah. It's definitely all about the numbers. But again, if you are designed to impact, then you have to take a different narrative. You have to understand that the music industry was built on artist development. And so therefore, you can't reach those heights without the knowledge

of that. And yes, the music industry has changed. But there's still people like myself and companies like myself that believe in developing an artist so they can sustain their dreams and have multiple albums and have a healthy career. I think that this generation really has to understand that, no, they're not putting money into the black artists. And they never did, but we fought for our integrity. We dominated what we needed to have people enjoy our shows and our experience. Now they're fooling you. They're giving you two seconds and you're drinking that Kool-Aid. But what they're saying is there's no value in you as a black artist

because they're definitely still putting the development money into the white artists, right? But you just want to go back and forth and bump into each other on stage instead of having a real process. It's so wild to me that that's the mindset when people like Andre Harrell, Diddy, Jermaine Dupri, all of these people have laid a blueprint to what it looks like to develop an artist.

Like, why would people just let that blueprint go to the wayside? Because you said it, and obviously, Andre, you said it, you said Andre Harrell, you said Did Haral you said Diddy you said Jermaine Dupri you didn't say Laurieann Gibson you didn't say that the black creatives that are actually part of the artist development system Andre was very uh in my career in allowing me at Uptown Records to understand my passion for artist development. Charlie Atkins used to do what I did at Motown Records. Charlie Atkins curated The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Supremes. It was from the studio to the studio. You know, for me,

it's about the visual albums. It's about a whole different narrative now that we're in the future. But Andre understood the importance of giving the record, the lifestyle, the culture, the ability to create the platform that would be competitive. Yeah. You mentioned Big, and I'm always intrigued by people who met somebody like Big, because Big seems just like a mythical figure to me, right? It's like talking about a Greek god or an Egyptian god something like like what kind of impact did he have on you uh he he sometimes he always has it still has an impact on me but uh he was jamaican and his impact was

just that a phenomenal incredible artist lyricist but the heart of a champion and wouldn't and and understood like you understand your tribe and he was someone that respected the gift in me i remember the night i sat on his lap when he passed and he and he still went back and reflected and he was like oh my god did you see that naz tried to copy our performance l and uh that night i didn't have the heart to tell him my choreographed Nas and Lauryn Hill. So it's not that it wasn't saved, but I was the beginning of my brand big, you know. But the fact that he did that performance, it still lived with him weeks later is who he is, you know. He was full of greatness.

His work ethic, he was a master. And he understood opportunity. And he understood how to elevate based on that opportunity. One more thing, you know, Laurieann, you talk about the pain of letting go is a good pain. Find comfort in knowing

that the pain of shedding what doesn't serve your dream is a part of the process of becoming the true you. Explain how the process the process of becoming the true you. Explain how the process was for you becoming the true you. Well, through the disappointment, through the pain, you know, there are so many opportunities, I think, that people had to speak into what I did. I had the opportunity to help with the idea to recognize my contributions and things like that.

And when that didn't happen, you know, it would create a pain of disappointment. And so through that pain, you have to persevere. And there's purpose in the pain. So what it does is it burns up what doesn't serve you, meaning as you continue to press, then the pain produces what you need to carry the dream to carry the capacity charlemagne to stand alone against what the world says is successful and continue to inspire to stand alone as a female against certain situations where men are still oppressive and in denial about the power

of your gift it creates the capacity to continue to press it allows me to not be afraid to be singular with my message and with my call and with the ability to understand my greatness and to not be intimidated in any room um so you must persevere through the pain because what you don't need falls off and what you need rises up. Go get that book Dance Your Dance, Eight Steps to Unleash Your Passion and Live Your Dream by the beautiful Laurieann Gibson.

Always a pleasure to see you, talk to you. Yes. The book was very inspiring, so thank you so much, Laurieann Gibson. Always a pleasure. And come see us when you're in the city. Next time you're in town, you owe me and Charlamagne some dance lessons. Guys, 100%. Listen, it's just free.

It's free because I love you guys. We're family. But listen. I can't afford you no way. I know. It's okay. I think it's something like the Breakfast Club bop. The Breakfast Club bop. Yeah, we need it. The Breakfast Club bop. Okay. We'll figure Yeah, we need to do that. The Breakfast Club Bop.

Okay. We'll figure it out. You the creative. That's your lane. Follow your lead. Got it. Got it. Okay, well done.

I'll see you guys in rehearsal. All right. Laurianne Gibson. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Peace. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy.

We are the Breakfast Club. That's Black History Month. Charlamagne, who we repping today? Yes, today is It's DJ Envy, Angela Yee, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are The Breakfast Club. Now it's Black History Month. Charlamagne, who are we repping today? Yes, today is President's Day, and we will acknowledge the only black president we have ever had, President Barack Hussein Obama. People love President Obama. He has been celebrated for years, but you know this generation calls celebrating someone D-riding. So let's keep the D-riding going this morning by flashing back to Will.i.am and Thugnificent from the Boondocks. D-riding Obama.

The Breakfast Club presents a new Black History Month legend. Got up this morning things weren't working right I said I wanna make a change I said I wanna fight Obama walked up and said yes we can

I said I wanna ride your nut***a cause I think you're the man Now I'm riding for tomorrow, riding for today, riding for the straight And that was another new Black History Month legend, courtesy of The Breakfast Club. Nothing like D-riding. I mean, celebrating the first black president, right? Breakfast Club, bitches! Y'all finished or y'all done? Hey guys, I'm Kate Max. You might know me from my popular online series, The Running Interview Show,

where I run with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and more. After those runs, the conversations keep going. That's what my podcast Post Run High is all about. It's a chance to sit down with my guests and dive even deeper into their stories, their journeys, and the thoughts that arise once we've hit the pavement together. Listen to post run high on the I heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey y'all. Niminy here.

I'm the host of a brand new history podcast for kids and families called historical records. Executive produced by quest love the story pirates and John Glickman historical records brings history to life through hip-hop. Flash, slam, another one gone. Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's another one gone.

Each episode is about a different inspiring figure from history. Like this one about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl in Alabama who refused to give up her seat on the city bus nine whole months before Rosa Parks did the same thing. Check it. Get the kids in your life excited about history by tuning in to Historical Records. Because in order to make history, you have to make some noise. Listen to Historical Records on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, 1974.

George Foreman was champion of the world. Ali was smart and he was handsome. The story behind The Rumble in the Jungle is like a Hollywood movie. But that is only half the story. There's also James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Miriam Akiba. All the biggest black artists on the planet. Together in Africa. It was a big deal.

Listen to Rumble, Ali, Foreman, and the Soul of 74 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.