The Breakfast Club - Out Of Context: Kevin Hart and Charlamagne Tha God

Episode Date: September 16, 2024

In This Episode of "Out of Context" Kevin Hart sits down for an interview with Charlamagne Tha God.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

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Starting point is 00:00:00 As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're going to figure out the rhythm of this thing.
Starting point is 00:00:20 Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio 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 Questlove, The Story Pirates, and John Glickman,
Starting point is 00:00:43 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
Starting point is 00:01:04 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.
Starting point is 00:01:47 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,
Starting point is 00:02:07 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On Thanksgiving Day 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was, should the boy go back to his father in Cuba?
Starting point is 00:02:24 Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, I talk to people about navigating these moments. Their stories are full of candor and hard-won wisdom. And you'll hear from scientists who teach us how we can be more resilient in the face of change. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We got to do a countdown. Check the mic. Everything good? Kevin, can you say something? One, six, five, ten, nine.
Starting point is 00:03:31 Kevin Hart, how are you, sir? How are you, sir? Listen, before I do these out-of-context conversations, I like to set my intention. So my intention for this convo is to properly shine the light on the historic career of Kevin Hart, the entertainer, the mogul. I want to put who you are and what you have done in its proper context for people. I love it. Okay.
Starting point is 00:03:53 Now, you once said in an interview, you said life is a book and you determine how it ends. What would you title this chapter of your life? Understanding. I would say understanding. of your life? Understanding. I would say understanding. 45 years old and I understand the purpose, I understand the value, I understand the real reward. So I think, yeah, this is about clarity.
Starting point is 00:04:32 This is about having a bigger and better vision based off my now understanding. 20 years ago when you was 25, how would you define success? What did it look like to you? Success at 25? Well, no, when you were 25, what did success look like to you? Success at 25 was no free weekends because you were booked, whether it was comedy clubs or colleges. The standup calendar was full. The only thought was comedy right and i think um you know the opportunities for acting that came and
Starting point is 00:05:08 sprinkled in here and there it was cool moments but the the stand-up and being a headliner in stand-up nothing was bigger and better than that so how do i get a full calendar how has achieving the success you've achieved reshaped your definition of what you thought success was 20 years ago? It's completely different. You know, the success success is like. It's layered because you think it's financial. And then after that, you think it's material once you get financial. And then it makes a weird shift where it turns into like happy.
Starting point is 00:05:51 Right. And what level of success do you have to reach for you to understand that happy is always and should always be the first thing? And how do you get that? How do you get to that? The success is like, it's a journey. It's a journey that you embark on and go through all this stuff to get there and go, I was this then. I was happy and I was vibrant and I was fun. And as you obtain more, your workload, your stress, your want, your need, like everything starts to come into play a little differently.
Starting point is 00:06:32 So it boils down to how do you get to the role of happy and understanding the value of a circle, your friends, your family, et cetera. Like that's that's where your thought process starts to drive more towards as you get older. So, um, the biggest thing is happiness, man. At the end of the day, like, are you doing what you love? Do you, do you absolutely find joy in that thing that you're dedicating yourself to on a day-to-day basis? And does it make you better? Does it bring the best out of you? Does it bring the worst out of you? Like you got a you got to start to do that. So my joy now comes in Helping and creating opportunities to see other people get to the place or to help position other people Correctly to do the thing that they want to do or to find the
Starting point is 00:07:27 happiness in the thing that they are thriving towards. That's my new happy. Have you always been happy? Through every stage of this business and this career of yours, have you always been happy? Because you always present very happy. Yeah. I'm not an unhappy person. I. Right? Like, I'm a good person. Good energy behind me. But my patience isn't, you know, my patience isn't as long as it should be. My patience is extremely thin because, you know, the more work you take on, the more you're dealing with it on a day-to-day.
Starting point is 00:08:03 So I think I've definitely been spread thin. And in being spread thin, you, because of your training, you got one track that you're on and the only thing is this, this, this, this, this, everything else in the way of that kind of has to be pushed to the side.
Starting point is 00:08:23 So my happiness at one point was coming on just trying to achieve the goals. And I think during that time, I probably overlooked a lot of things that were real definitions of true joy, true happiness. But because I had the tunnel vision, I was focused on this thing. So I don't think I've never not been happy. I think that I've, I think I've definitely been absent-minded at times.
Starting point is 00:08:49 I don't think people realize that you always haven't had success, right? Like when you think about 20 years ago, you got a shot in the industry. You had a sitcom on ABC, The Big House.
Starting point is 00:09:00 Made your motion picture, Soul Plane. And it was once said that you already had those deals when you came to LA and no one Had ever heard of a comedian who came to LA and in his first year in LA had all of that people never heard Of that before you are since you so my question is how did you achieve all of that? can
Starting point is 00:09:18 I Mean as nuts, that's nuts. It's just, it's insane to assume that somebody came and was given anything. Like, I think for those people that really follow my career and that know, like, I don't think there's bigger definitions of hardship and work and success and takeaway. Right? So early stages of my career during the comedy festival, just for last comedy festival, oh my God, went there, killed it. Holy shit. This is, this is it. This is where everything's going to come.
Starting point is 00:09:59 Getting a deal at that point in time was a big deal. I think the deal was like $200,000. I got a deal. For winning the festival? Well, I got a deal coming out point in time was a big deal. I think the deal was like $200,000. I got a deal. For winning the festival? Well, I got a deal coming out of the festival because basically I met with studios, networks, et cetera, and they said, we're going to do a development deal with you. People forgot about those. Development deals don't really exist no more. It was talent development deals. This is when
Starting point is 00:10:19 comedians in the prime of their career got opportunities coming out of these comedy festivals. And the Just for Laughs festival was like the biggest. New Faces. It's like a showcase basically. Yes. So agents, studios, etc. were all there. I get this deal, I believe it might have been with NBC, NBC or ABC at the time. And this is it.
Starting point is 00:10:43 I got the money. Life changed. I can do some stuff for my family, whatever. Money goes. Nothing comes out of the deal. Nothing. Well, that was short-lived. Later, I get the opportunity to develop a series, create a series. This is the big house.
Starting point is 00:11:06 And the opportunity came from me learning how people were developing, writing pitching so i was like i can go back and the same people i met with with my deal i can start pitching to i'm going to pitch shows or pitch ideas um and doing that we pitched a big house big house gets picked up finally i got a sitcom this is going to be great. We shoot the big house. We shoot the pilot. Pilot gets picked up. Time for me to go to New York, do the upfronts, announce it. Before I take the stage to announce my show is going to be on ABC, and this is the biggest thing ever, they pulled me back.
Starting point is 00:11:43 And they said they're deciding not to pick up your show. Wow. Yeah, right there. Are you serious? I'm here. I flew the cast in. We all, this is an exciting time.
Starting point is 00:11:53 Yeah, no, they're not going to do it. Can you stand over there? That fast. It's over. I got to go home. I'm on a plane, no show. I get a call, probably six months later, we're going to pick it up mid-season. Oh my God, the joy, finally.
Starting point is 00:12:07 It came around. They air one episode, maybe two episodes, not even that many. Maybe three, I don't know, maybe two or three. Pulled it, canceled it. No sitcom. Okay, shit. I'm back on the grid, back on the grind. I'm in the world of auditioning. Nothing's coming out of it
Starting point is 00:12:27 Soul playing came. Holy shit got another opportunity booked the audition tons of people audition for soul play Just to where I was like, that's my guy. I want him Soul playing his bootleg biggest bootleg ever my success came from the bootlegging of soul plane because people started to remember me and my success came from paper soldiers and that underground movie and In the bootleg circuit of that's right. So the memorable
Starting point is 00:13:02 the memorable side of understanding oh, that's the guy from, oh, shit, that's the comedian from, I just started doing comedy clubs. So I said, all right, fuck the acting stuff. I'm just going to go focus on the comedy. So I went, I just did a comedy grind like nobody's business. It was a Lil Wayne mixtape level comedy grind. I went. I went. I remember. Wayne mixtape level comedy grind. I went so, when I tell you, I was so adamant about the comedy clubs, stand up, any stage, any room, New York, get the people, get the fans, go get the emails, go back, tell them I'm coming back to the city again.
Starting point is 00:13:40 Cities, Chicago, Cleveland,innati you name it i did that shit for about i want to say i probably put in like five years of non-stop comedy club work and over that five years gathered the audience gathered a nice amount of emails this is when um speak to that the whole no speed by that because you were in these comedy clubs yeah and i remember this you were you were getting everybody's email and you had a newsletter that you used to send out yeah i would i would i literally got dan cook is one of the first people to like really embrace his fans and in the development of the relationship with the fans.
Starting point is 00:14:26 Right. Dan Cook was one of the early, early people that I heard talk about this. And at this time, Dan Cook was like, oh, I mean, huge. So I'm like, I got to get emails. I got to talk to the people. So I would do these newsletters for the cities and I would send them out as a blast. Like MySpace had a feature at the time where you could basically like geotag. I'm coming to Cincinnati and on your MySpace, you can look for the people in Cincinnati and I would personally send out messages. I'm coming to Cincinnati. I'm performing.
Starting point is 00:15:04 Come see me perform. I mean, you're copying and pasting the same messages over and over again. Some people came, some people didn't. But at the end of the shows, I would know who came and I would know the result of me individually telling people to come out because I would be able to match the email addresses up with things that I saw on the MySpace page. So I was like, between these things, if I stay true to it, it'll work. So me and my guys, the Plastic Cup Boys, we would go to the city, land, go to a mall, pass out flyers, tell people about the show,
Starting point is 00:15:36 get emails then. We would go to the show, perform. As people were walking out, getting emails. I used to have cards and I would have cards on a table people will fill out the cards I would take them so then at the end of the weekend everybody that came Hey guys, when I come back, I'm gonna make sure you all know thanks for coming out. I built the rapport For five years maybe more. I was very consistent with that rapport colleges. I was performing at showcases for colleges and and
Starting point is 00:16:08 Gathering that person now. I don't give a fuck where people were if it was people there I was going to go and I was going to personally make sure you knew who I was and that I knew who you were so When I did shacks all-star comedy Jam that that dropped after I did Grown Little Man and I was about to do Seriously Funny. I forgot the order of it, but I was doing these comedy specials and it was for Comedy Central. It was going to be my specials. All right. It was like a little bit of knowledge,
Starting point is 00:16:43 a little bit of steam off of them. The comedy club was getting a little bit of knowledge, a little bit of, a little bit of steam off of them. The comedy club was getting a little full. After the Shaq's All-Star Comedy Jam, I don't know what happened, but that shit, that shit hit harder than anything. And then I did Seriously Funny. So people were like, whoa, Shaq's All-Star Comedy Jam. And then I did different material. Seriously Funny. Okay. After Seriously Funny, funny well that's when it was okay shit this guy's like the real deal so it went from comedy clubs to theaters real fast i mean right now you're witnessing it with uh with matt rife like i i i remember that like matt Rife, it's a weird thing that happened where Matt was in comedy clubs and he was doing his little things and the TikTok thing hit for him.
Starting point is 00:17:32 And all of a sudden, Matt Rife is doing shows at arenas. Matt Rife sold out the Hollywood Bowl. Andrew showed, too. Andrew showed, too. It happened so fucking fast. So when that happened, I said, well, I don't want to run away from the thing that I was doing. I got to tell people I'm now going to the theaters, right? The theaters.
Starting point is 00:17:56 I'm going to be at the theater, not the comedy club. Well, theater's selling out so fucking fast. So now I don't have to do the email shit no more. I don't have to. But that turned to social media to this one social media Just started right this one all of the shit look out of the time was getting past Oh, man, the tickets are selling so we're good. I don't I don't have to do this like I once did Twitter Twitter is now
Starting point is 00:18:19 So now Twitter I learned what that is and I'm like, oh wait, I can talk directly To my bike to the people that follow me? Go back to the world of emails. I'm on Twitter. Here's my at name. Make sure y'all follow me. I remember all of this. So all the people that I gathered from all of these cities, name a city during that time. Detroit.
Starting point is 00:18:43 Name a fucking city. Chicago. Columbia, South Carolina. Every city. I don't care if it's an A market, B market, C market. I went everywhere. Once I said, follow me on Twitter.
Starting point is 00:18:55 All right, well, I'm out the gate. I had like 300-something thousand followers. I'm like... You was the first person we knew with a million followers. I was like, oh, shit. Me and Duvall was person we knew with a million followers. Rob Markman I was like, oh shit! Rob Markman Me and Duvall was like, you got a million followers? Rob Markman I said, I gotta talk to him.
Starting point is 00:19:09 So now, the emails that I was sending that people weren't privy to are now person-to-person conversation. Now, the shows are getting bigger, the theaters are getting bigger, we're adding shows. We're going from 2,000 seaters to 5,000 seaters. And just like that, as a headliner, I changed the way I looked at how I develop comedy. I said, I need to have a system in place that allows me to stay on the road and come off the road. I shot two specials. I did Grown Little Man. I did Seriously Funny. The Shaq's All-Star thing was like a favor. I was like, Shaq said, Kev, you want to do this thing?
Starting point is 00:19:49 Jeff Clannigan was my partner. That shit was a favor. All these things hit. I was like, alright, well, I can't fuck this up. So now, I said, I'm going to go and I'll do a tour. My tour should always last a year and a half. And I'll end my tour with My tour should always last a year and a half. And I'll end my tour
Starting point is 00:20:05 with the filming of a comedy special. And then I'll develop another set through the course of a year and a half to maybe close to two. So I had an on-season,
Starting point is 00:20:17 off-season. But it always gave a two-year gap in between stand-up. So I never oversaturated myself in the market. So until this date, there's always
Starting point is 00:20:24 a two-year window in between my specials But during that off year, I'm developing the new material So when I come back and announce a tour while coming back with new material and a new road and by time I film the Next special it'll be two years past Before the last one step repeats that repeat. So I built the process based off of hard work, understanding, and commitment. And that commitment came from the failed opportunities in Hollywood. They threw my TV show back at me. The movies that I had the opportunities to star in did not work in a successful template of working in the business.
Starting point is 00:21:03 Paper Soldiers wasn't a box office success. It wasn't a theater release. It was a straight-to-DVD. Soul Plane was supposed to be a box office success. Got bootleg. Basically, another straight-to-DVD if you ask me. So because of that... Don't sleep on the Russ Parfum either. The Russ Parfum, you're talking about...
Starting point is 00:21:20 Well, you got two. You got something like a business, and you got 35 and 10. Right? So these are all of my, these are my big opportunities at that time. None of this shit was huge successes. These were all culture, like cultural fucking pieces of IP that we grabbed onto and supported and loved. So because of that, the fan base got better with stand-up. But I went back to stand-up.
Starting point is 00:21:51 I was like, I'm out. This L.A. shit, I'm sitting here waiting by the phone. I'm out. I went back and hustled stand-up and was just in the grind of stand-up specials until Will Packer came to me. This was after my parents. I want to say, I don't know, maybe my third or fourth special.
Starting point is 00:22:15 Will came to me, Think Like a Man. We're talking 2009, 2008. I don't know, maybe third or fourth. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions. but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection. It was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going.
Starting point is 00:22:53 This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like, grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 00:23:18 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 Historical Records, Nimany, to tell you all about it. Make sure you check it out.
Starting point is 00:23:46 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, 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
Starting point is 00:24:15 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.
Starting point is 00:24:37 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. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez.
Starting point is 00:25:10 Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. Elian, Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Cuba. Mr. González wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami.
Starting point is 00:25:27 Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Feast, the Elian González story, as part of the My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richmond, host of the Broken Record podcast. Every week, I or my co-host, Lilia Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight. Now we have a special series where we speak with the artists behind one of the
Starting point is 00:26:06 most influential jazz labels of the 20th century, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like nine-time Grammy award-winning Noah Jones, John Mellencamp and Madonna collaborator, Michelle Indegiocello, and from the legendary Ron Carter, former member of the Miles Davis Quintet, who's also played with Herbie Hancock and on Gil Scott Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Join us over at Broken Record to hear stories behind the legendary label. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Starting point is 00:26:40 Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, James Brown, B.B. King, Miriam Akiba. I shook up the world. James Brown said, say it loud. And the kid said, I'm black and I'm proud. Black boxing stars and black music royalty together in the heart of Zaire, Africa. Three days of music and then the boxing event. What was going on in the world at the time made this fight as important that anything else is going on on the planet. My grandfather laid on the ropes and let George
Starting point is 00:27:11 Foreman basically just punch himself out. Welcome to Rumble, the story of a world in transformation. The 60s and prior to that, you couldn't call a person black. And how we arrived at this peak moment. I don't have to be what you want me to be. We all came from the continent of Africa. Listen to Rumble, Ali, Foreman, and the soul of 74 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The reason I'm glad you're having this conversation is when you think about all of these opportunities you had, I see you doing that for other black creatives now.
Starting point is 00:27:51 So when Russ Paul had the opportunity, he put you in something. When Dame Dash had the opportunity, he put you in something. Will Packer, he put you in something. Shaq, he put you in something. You're doing the same exact thing for people now. You know the realization though, man, is like the people are putting you in something because they have something to put you in. That's right. Right?
Starting point is 00:28:11 We're in a time now where it changes because the expectation of what you're supposed to do doesn't match the energy of what you're actually doing. And I think, you know, that line is blurred a little bit. Like Shaq called me, Jeff called me. I'm like, yeah, of course. It just so happened that that was the
Starting point is 00:28:34 thing, but they were doing a thing at the same time. It matched up. I'm trying to create more things that can hopefully be the thing for someone else. Now, you don't know. I don't have a strong grasp on the business to go, this is going to launch you. You're going to be a star. Get ready. Here it comes. I just know, hey, man, I got some dope IP I want to create.
Starting point is 00:28:58 Some movies are mine. Some aren't. But, hey, here's opportunities. Here's a blender of opportunities that I can put people in and continue it and grow within it. I mean, when you when you look at just what we're doing at Heartbeat and the script in an unscripted space, it's all based off of the new version of our generation, acting, comedians, writers, directors, etc. I'm saying if I can do three to four projects a year and we got new faces in them, I'm doing my part.
Starting point is 00:29:32 If I can say, hey man, we're going to shoot 40 comedy specials and we're going to have those comedy specials on our Fast Channel and on this distribution platform, I'm not only giving them a stage, but I'm also giving them visibility. I'm doing my part, right?
Starting point is 00:29:47 Like at this point, what is my part? Where is my value best served? And I feel like it's best served in creating the opportunities for others. And, you know, if somebody pops off of something that I put to the table, man, I think that's the dopest story ever. To just be a part of the the early stages of the next
Starting point is 00:30:06 person's the next person's journey i would be fucking beyond blessed how does it feel knowing that you have achieved so much success that people think you're an industry plant i mean it's the biggest compliment ever right you you when you hear things like that, you just, you got to give a nod to common sense versus lack thereof. You know, I had a conversation with my daughter one day and she was asking a question and like debating over the hypothetical of if something was real versus not. And I said said you know everything is researchable if you really want to know it if people really care and you really want to know things it's very easy to go do some research and actually beyond easy it's like it's dumb proof today like google has it so dumb proof that you can actually type in the dumbest version of a
Starting point is 00:31:07 question and google will correct your question and give you the right side of your question with the options for you to go find the thing that you're looking for that's right so if you really give a shit you can go and see i mean the industry plant conversation is what? What does that mean? When you really break that down... It means, that's why I want you to tell your story. Like you said, the story is out there. People want to know. It means that somebody put you in this position
Starting point is 00:31:39 and pressed the button and that's the guy. When I say, what does that mean? What are we talking about like so if if that's the case of success is that easy how many different versions of that would you see to date and by the way wouldn't those be the stories that we're highlighting because they're all false? If that's the case, I mean, some things get so ridiculous that catch on. It's just, it's astronomically insane to process. Does it bother you? No, I could give two shits.
Starting point is 00:32:25 I mean, that's why you don't hear me address shit or fire baggy shit. It's like You got time to address and talk and come back at people when you have time I don't I don't have the time my God And that's because yeah, not because I'm an asshole, but I'm actually I don't I don't have the time I don't have the time to give a rebuttal that or the energy to give that any type of outside thought. And like I said, if it's, if it's something that people are really curious about, or people really wanted to know, great research. I got I got a list of things that are taking up your time. Correct me if any of these things have changed. One that
Starting point is 00:33:01 people think you're in the Illuminati because you're not just a comedian, you're a businessman yeah let's just list some of these things heartbeat productions yeah lol network we're serious uh grand car amino tequila sph productions which is our audio company fabletics activewear heavenly heart which is a health and wellness brand named after your daughter heart house your plant-based food chain You've partnered with brands like chase bank, Nike. I was told you invested in draft Kings and you're invested in hydro, which is a rowing machine company.
Starting point is 00:33:32 There are plenty of comedians who are just comedians. You are a businessman. Who are, what contributed to that business acumen? Uh, early stages of growth. Jeff Clannigan, Jeff Clannigan.
Starting point is 00:33:44 Uh, Early stages of growth, Jeff Clannigan. Jeff Clannigan, I want to say, is an asset that sparked my entrepreneurial side of thinking. And just from him saying or suggesting, hey, man, instead of us going this way, why don't we do this ourselves? So taking the money from TOR, using that money to fund our stand-up special, and then taking our stand-up special and then taking our stand-up special and distributing it through AMC. And when we did that, the big win, it just made me understand investment and return, right? R.O.I., the return on your investment.
Starting point is 00:34:20 We took 750 grand, shot our comedy special, released it theatrically, did like 9 million theatrically. Theaters take their cut. After the theaters take their cut, we get back our pie. I walked away with like close to two and a half, three million dollars, right? Oh shit, my 750 turned into three. That's investing. So how does that work? How do you grow businesses in a manner where you can invest and then ultimately see a return? Well, you got to have businesses.
Starting point is 00:34:57 You have to have ideas. More importantly, you got to own shit. I started to understand the importance of owning shit by realizing how many people that do the same thing that I do that don't own shit. I started to understand the importance of owning shit. I realized that how many people that do the same thing that I do that don't own shit. There's no shot to any of them. But once we're done, right, once we say goodnight and we're done doing the job that we've chosen to do forever, you got to look back. And when you look back, what do you see? Early on, I saw that studios had these amazing catalogs. And these catalogs are so dope.
Starting point is 00:35:35 They're great. And the value of these catalogs for studios is significant because of the talent attached to them. And it allows the studios to leverage that talent, that IP, to go out, get more money so that they can go out, shoot, develop more IP of the same, ultimately to build that catalog so that that catalog is a definition and representation of their value. Their value continues to grow and jump based off of star power and works for hires that are fine with receiving the dollar at the early stage but not being a part of it at the back all right so how do i fix that or be different in that regard well i'm going to own the one thing that i can at the early stage that i control control. I own, I own my live entertainment business for myself. If I decide to do comedy,
Starting point is 00:36:29 I own this entity of comedy. That entity shoots a comedy special. I'm going to own it. And then I'm going to license it. Step repeat. Okay. Well, I can do this with other IP. I got to create the company's heartbeat. Laugh out loud. Okay. The studios are partners, but make sure that we own a piece of the company with the studio. Well, we can't do that. Why not? Have we ever asked?
Starting point is 00:36:55 That's right. Have we ever asked for an unconventional deal? If we do ask for that unconventional deal, let's see what the return is. Let's see if they jump up and say, okay, because you're a good partner. We actually had some good partnerships in the early stages that weren't afraid to take those jumps. Lionsgate was a great partner with Laugh Out Loud. We did great business. Lionsgate then allowed me to buy Laugh Out Loud back in full when they didn't want it. I took Laugh Out Loud, merged it with Heartbeat. All right, I got one big entity now. So now let me start to push things under the machine. I want to push and shovel anything I do under the machine.
Starting point is 00:37:33 It all has to come through Heartbeat. And through that, let's see how much I can own versus what I can't. So now any deal, any unconventional deal has to come through my pipeline. And the relationships of others now respect the pipeline. So let me hire the people. Let me get the right team, right execs, right presidents, right COOs, CFOs, heads of SVPs, EPs. Well, now I got the money to pay them because I'm taking the money from all this live entertainment and I'm just going to bring it over here. So until I get a return, I'm a funding machine because that's an investment.
Starting point is 00:38:07 I'm investing in this personnel, I'm investing in these works for hire, I'm investing in the idea of this company. When you was in these comedy clubs, did you ever think standup comedy would lead you to these opportunities that have created all these other companies and got you at a net worth of $450 million? No, but that's the that's the fucked up part, right?
Starting point is 00:38:27 Like you. Stand up comedy is the gateway into everything and entertainment, entertainment in general is the gateway into everything. And you don't have to do it right. You don't have to knock it out the park and fucking walk away with the biggest bang with the biggest win. The closer you get is best and better for the people that are going to come and do the same things behind you. So there were a lot of people that didn't necessarily do it right, but they cracked
Starting point is 00:39:00 the door enough for me to go through that door and get a little further than what they did. Understand that the likeness that I had can bring the value of private equity partners or investors or companies or bandwidth. I bring value to different operations. So in return, you're giving me something for my value. So stand-up comedy was the asset and still is the asset that acts as the gold nugget to fucking greatness because the meetings that you're able to obtain the rooms that you're now able to be in it's all based off of man that guy's so funny and so cool so don't downplay the fucking early thing. The early thing is the most valuable thing.
Starting point is 00:39:46 Oh, man, I want to go see that guy. He was funny as shit. Then after the show, it was nice. You got to meet Doug. Doug works over at Amazon. He does X, Y, and Z. I don't know if there's a partnership here, man, but you should meet him. A lot of people don't have time.
Starting point is 00:40:02 I ain't meeting no fucking weird ass dude named Doug. I'm good. Well, why not? Doug just so happens to be in front of content and creative. That's right. So meeting Doug, you done put yourself in a situation to get some knowledge and information, and you tell Doug I'm going to come back. We should meet again. Speak to that more. Does your humility
Starting point is 00:40:20 play a role in how far you've been able to go? Absolutely. I do not put myself on this crazy pedestal of expectation of how you should perceive me. I think really having an even keel and an understanding of level set at all times. Business is business. Partnerships are times. Like business is business, partnerships are partnerships, opportunity is opportunity.
Starting point is 00:40:52 And if you shake a hand, it's two sides to a handshake. So if you shake my hand and I'm shaking yours back, that means that we should both get something from whatever we're deciding to do together. It shouldn't just be about me. So it shouldn't just be about you. And I think to date, my relationships with my studio partners are representations of that. I've never tried to kill them. I've never came in and front loaded any of my deals.
Starting point is 00:41:13 This is my partners at Universal, to Netflix, to Apple, to Amazon. I can go to Warner's. I can go down the list of them all. What do you need for this to be a win for you? Alright, so I'm going do you need for this to be a win for you? All right. So I'm going to do this on my side. I'll take this and I'll play with you on the back half. So in success, we all have success. And as a partner throughout the years.
Starting point is 00:41:35 Well, my work has been consistent because they value me as a guy that's coming to the table at all times with the best interest of them and myself. I've never been a gimme all mine now. And y'all figure it out. If you lose, I should lose too. And that's a real thought that I have in any aspect, right? And the best partnerships that I have, like in Fabletics. Fabletics and I decided to do business because I was with Nike Nike were great partners we developed the sneakers together we were doing great activations um I mean some of the best relationships uh came out of Nike of just personnel and understanding that business
Starting point is 00:42:18 I had an opportunity at fabletics to help grow a brand and be responsible for men's they said Kevin we don, we don't want you to come in and just do it and just be the face. We want you to develop it with us. We want you to be a real partner. We want you to be creative. So I had an opportunity to go and create a men's line with a brand that didn't have it yet, be responsible for elevating, amplifying the business now that didn't exist that does. Well, I'm going to do that because if I do it right, all of my partnerships that I do afterwards, I now got a resume with a receipt. A receipt says Kevin Hart can do this for a company, for a brand,
Starting point is 00:43:00 for a entity. Kevin Hart did this. So I took that took that ran with that and now when you talk about the other partnerships that have come to the table well here's what i am as an incubator here's what i am as an amplifier and the words that i'm able to use now i didn't know these fucking words you know how much the sales shoot up when you put Drewski and Kaisa Knott in the Fabletics, the outfits? You know what's crazy? Like, that was such a genuine, authentic moment. So they had just sent me, like, we have new product, and I always get stuff first. And Kai was joking around, like, the sleepover, man, you know, we're going to be here late.
Starting point is 00:43:42 I didn't know what to expect. So I still had the box. I had the box with me with the fat lettuce stuff. So just in Genuine authentic moment during that live stream. I'm like I got you a gift guy And I didn't have a gift. I just gave him one of my sweatsuits be the same size You want me to believe that you had drew ski sighs just not juice key. That's the second Okay, me and Kai got first one. I just gave Kai the gift like as a sweatsuit. So Kai, we put it on. We just playing around.
Starting point is 00:44:11 It's my sweatsuit. Coming back, I go, oh shit. That's dope as fuck, man. It's dope because it's just good energy and it's a real reaction. I'm going to come back. I'm going to do the same thing, because the Kai and the Juice give it all. Well, it's really about me empowering them.
Starting point is 00:44:31 I went to their world. Word, word. I didn't change their world to fit me. I want nothing to do with your world. I want to fucking be a part of your world by showing how dope you are. So I didn't come there as Kevin Hart to start and let's talk about all my shit I got going on.
Starting point is 00:44:46 I came in and said, well, what does it mean when you do all this shit? What we do now? What? What I got to do? Money train? Hype train? What, what, what? The business has ignored the fact that these guys are the new business.
Starting point is 00:44:59 But it fits you, though, because your brand is fun. His brand is fun. It's easy. It's an easy, seamless fit. But what I'm trying my best to do is show the business, the studio business, that the opportunities for them that we should be thinking about exist where they're already succeeding. You don't try to break and create a new model. Try to figure out what it is they want to do and say, okay, well, how can I help you? How can I be accessible
Starting point is 00:45:27 for you and to you? So for Kai Andruski, just because of the love, the sweatsuits, and all this stuff's funny, well, I didn't ask Kai what you make from this and how you get your money. I want none of it. Dude, I like that I came and fucked with you. I like that you got some success and more people came.
Starting point is 00:45:44 It grew your shit, Andruski. I love that people know how funny you are. Man, you you had some success and more people came. It grew your shit, Drewski. I love that people know how funny you are. Man, you two, I'm going to fuck with y'all more. We're going to figure it out. You was EPing a show for Drewski before this, though. Yeah, I was trying to develop a show for Drewski for a minute. Yeah. Still are.
Starting point is 00:45:57 We still are. Like, Drewski, I think Drewski's a star. I think Kai's a star. I think, you know, when you look at Mr. Beast and what he's doing, like you're looking at people that are creative minds and have figured out another route to economic success. They have they have found a way to say, I'm going here and I'm going here. Mr. Beast's whole business is not just content, but product up. Commerce. Are you fucking kidding me? You're talking about a talent that has figured out how to bring commerce to his audience through a platform.
Starting point is 00:46:33 That guy's doing it right. Guess what I'm going to do? Guess what I'm going to do? Hey, Jimmy. I need to talk to you. I don't want to control. I want to know and I want to learn, but more importantly, I want to partner. How do we sit? How do we talk? Hey, Kai. Hey, Drewski. How do we sit? How do we talk? Collaboration is the best form of success. You can't collaborate. It's a real lonely world, man. That whole Fabletics thing and just me doing it started off as
Starting point is 00:47:00 just a fucking real easy, genuine thing because I had it drew skin kai Came back. Hey, man, we're gonna throw these on again. Got you Kev is love It's nothing forced It was a it was a thing at work because of the authenticity and the brand of course was happy But as a guy that controls the brand and operates on this we had people associate me with the product Seamlessly was never forced. Yeah, I want to talk to you about fatherhood. As a father, I'm sure your family motivates you to keep working and do more, but you also want to prioritize
Starting point is 00:47:31 being present. How often do you face the conflict of choosing between work and family, and how do you maintain the balance? I've gotten a lot better. I've gotten a lot better, man. I think the engine in the early stages is a engine dedicated to i'm doing all this so that they don't have to right like i'm a thousand miles per hour because i want to have this so they can have this so that we can do this um but then you
Starting point is 00:48:01 start to realize that that time can't get that time back and you start to realize that that time, can't get that time back. And you start to miss real shit. Real shit that matters. Kids get older, they drop some shit on you about what they wish you were at that you wasn't, but it's okay. And you want to make those changes. So I think because I've had such an open relationship with my kids, a comfortable one where we can talk and be transparent, I've been
Starting point is 00:48:26 able to adjust in real time and make things better. So I think today I'm way more present than what I was in 2009, 2008, 2012. I'm a good dad. I'm there and I make sure I'm a good dad. I'm there. And I make sure I'm there. Because I'm breaking the ground in what fatherhood looks like for my family. Me and my brother is the best asset that I have outside of my wife. Hey, man, I got to go on a road trip. I'm going to be going for a set time. Go and make sure the kids are good. Pop in with them for four days. Give them some activities, some stuff to do. I know they got classes, blah, blah, blah.
Starting point is 00:49:21 We have a very nice rapport of how we operate and the kids love it they see the efforts, they respect it I think they also see how I kill myself to get back to them you know what I mean I'm not on tour buses I'm back and forth
Starting point is 00:49:39 back and forth, land, two days alright, I'll leave one day, come back the next it's a lot, but it's worth it. What is what is Losing both your parents taught you about parenthood It's very important to to understand like this shit is a gift this this is game of life is a luxury and you You don't have to be a part of that luxury long scary thing about death is the next day life still goes on right like you lose people that you love
Starting point is 00:50:16 but the next day you start to operate you still have to figure out this thing you still have to pay the bill you still have to do the work you still have to figure out you still have to figure out this thing. You still have to pay the bill. You still have to do the work. You still have to figure out, you still have to raise the kids. You still have to, like, it doesn't stop because of your moment of mourning. So what I definitely have been an example of is strength. You know, when my mom and my dad passed, I think my kids seeing how I handled both of it from a realistic standpoint is something that was of value to them. Because rather than feeling the death at the saddest level, I celebrated the life at the highest.
Starting point is 00:51:09 And that was a, I think that was a thing that, that they both kind of, my two older kids, my younger ones were a little, my dad passed away, was sad. But my two older ones kind of like understood my way of thinking and my reason for why. And I was like, it's okay to be sad, but I'm making a conscious choice in this moment to just think about the celebration, the life that they lived, what they did, the great things.
Starting point is 00:51:34 And it was more about the storytelling on that side of it than it was about the crying. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia Keys opens up about conquering doubt, learning to trust herself and leaning into her dreams. I think a lot of times we are built to doubt the possibilities for ourselves. For self-preservation and protection. It was literally that step by step. And so I discovered that that is how we get where we're going.
Starting point is 00:52:16 This increment of small, determined moments. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best and you're going to figure out the rhythm of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Like, Grace. Have grace with yourself. You're trying your best. And you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing.
Starting point is 00:52:32 Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty 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.
Starting point is 00:52:49 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.
Starting point is 00:53:21 Bash, bam, another one gone. The crack of the bat and another one gone. The tip of the cap, there's 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.
Starting point is 00:53:44 Did you know, did you know? I wouldn't give up my seat. 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.
Starting point is 00:54:10 On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, a five-year-old boy floated alone in the ocean. He had lost his mother trying to reach Florida from Cuba. He looked like a little angel. I mean, he looked so fresh. And his name, Elian Gonzalez, will make headlines everywhere. Elian Gonzalez. Elian Gonzalez.
Starting point is 00:54:30 Elian. Elian. Elian Gonzalez. At the heart of the story is a young boy and the question of who he belongs with. His father in Cuba. Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Cuba. Mr. Gonzales wanted to go home, and he wanted to take his son with him. Or his relatives in Miami. Imagine that your
Starting point is 00:54:48 mother died trying to get you to freedom. At the heart of it all is still this painful family separation. Something that as a Cuban, I know all too well. Listen to Chess Peace, the Elian Gonzales story, as part of the
Starting point is 00:55:03 My Cultura podcast network, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Justin Richmond, host of the Broken Record podcast. Every week, I or my co-host, Lilia Rose, sit down with the artists you love to get unparalleled creative insight.
Starting point is 00:55:23 Now we have a special series where we speak with the artists behind one of the most influential jazz labels of the 20th century, Blue Note Records. You'll hear from artists like nine-time Grammy award-winning Norah Jones, John Mellencamp and Madonna collaborator Michelle Indegiocello, and from the legendary Ron Carter, former member of the Miles Davis Quintet, who's also played with Herbie Hancock and on Gil Scott Heron's The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Join us over at Broken Record to hear stories behind the legendary label. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Starting point is 00:55:59 Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, James Brown, B.B. King, Miriam Akiba. I shook up the world. James Brown said, say it loud. And the kid said, I'm black and I'm proud. Black boxing stars and black music royalty together in the heart of Zaire, Africa. Three days of music and then the boxing event. What was going on in the world at the time made this fight as important that anything else is going on on the planet. My grandfather laid on the ropes and let George Foreman basically
Starting point is 00:56:32 just punch himself out. Welcome to Rumble, the story of a world in transformation. The 60s and prior to that, you couldn't call a person black. And how we arrived at this peak moment. I don't have to be what you want me to be. We all came from the continent of Africa. Listen to rumble Ali Foreman and the soul of 74 on the I heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. How did you have to adjust your last stand-up? Because I told you, I saw you at the Garden. It was what became Reality Check.
Starting point is 00:57:10 And I told you, I feel like that was your best set, right? And you had a lot of material in there about your father being sick. But by the time the special came out, he had passed. So how did you have to adjust? I mean, you put it in the past tense, right? Like, you know, when my dad was, I think one of the biggest memories
Starting point is 00:57:30 was when my dad would. Or, you know, I mean, it's crazy that my dad's not here because these thoughts that I'm having are all based from when my dad, like everything, I kind of just put it in a past moment. And the set became more of a dedication
Starting point is 00:57:44 to my father than what it was in the beginning stages. But my dad passed away in the middle of that tour. Middle of that tour, so I had to finish that set. Actually, you know what was crazy? Where were we at? He had just passed away. He had just passed away. He had just passed away. We were doing the...
Starting point is 00:58:07 I was doing the set. Without thinking about it. I'm like, yeah, my dad... And it hit me on stage. Damn. That's the first time I felt that. Okay. It's in there. At some some point it's going to come
Starting point is 00:58:25 out. I just told you my way of handling it was celebrating the life or whatever. During that set, that's where I felt like a little, I felt the thing, that emotional thing and talking about him as if he was still here and knowing that he wasn't. At the end of that show, I told the audience my dad passed away. Wow. And that's where it hit me. I had to get off stage.
Starting point is 00:58:53 Got a little water. It's called grief, Kev. It's okay. I mean, grief is okay, and I'm not saying you don't have it or you shouldn't have it. I'm saying it hit me in that moment and to date I don't think that I've I probably I still probably haven't grieved correctly over my mom like I think I accepted it I knew it was because I knew it was coming but I've never had like a thing like a spiral fallout thing. You know they say staying busy is a response to trauma. So you stay busy so you don't have to
Starting point is 00:59:29 avoid dealing with what you probably should be dealing with. In that case, I'm probably dealing with a lot. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know that. Yeah. I'm not going to fight that because I don't know that. But if there was something to deal with,
Starting point is 00:59:43 it could stem from that that but I'm also addicted to work Like that's a work as a drug for me Yeah, I remember you tweeting back in 2013. You said if you are afraid of failure, you don't deserve to be successful I think he was he was quoting Charles Barkley or somebody Mm-hmm, and when I hear you say you're addicted to work and we watch you, we watch you. Are you afraid to fail? No. No, because I fail all the time. But at this point?
Starting point is 01:00:12 I mean, what is failure? Like right now, I can go belly up. The money could go away, whatever. I'm never not going to be okay. I know how to get to the money. My confidence on my ability to get to the money is 1,000%. I'm going to be okay.
Starting point is 01:00:33 In the beginning stages of life, the hood, et cetera, there's a real fear of, I don't know where, I ain't going to be able to fucking. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know. Like, there's a real fear there because you're at the bottom, right? When you've been to the top, is it really a fear at that point? Like, okay, you're saying I had it all and I lost it, so now my journey is getting some of it back. Like, it's not a fear.
Starting point is 01:01:10 It's a moment. And in business, in entrepreneurship, things don't always go the way you want. So if an investment didn't work and I overcommitted or if this went belly up and I didn't have, like, that stuff is very much possible. I think for me, the lack of success or moment where unsuccess like presents itself,
Starting point is 01:01:36 that's dope because there's so much information in that. There's so much information you gain from the thing that didn't work, the thing that flopped, the thing that fucking't work the thing that flop the thing that Fucking was supposed to like there's information value in that so it's about how you It's about how you take it. I don't I don't take it. I Don't take it with it like a negative grain of salt. I'm I'm pretty well. We're receiving that I just think I need to be committed to something for me to make my life feel like it has a driving source of energy that won't die.
Starting point is 01:02:13 I like this because it keeps you from being petty. But you're still a cancer, Kev. Yeah. I'm a cancer. 50 Cent is a cancer. We're all busy people. But we still find. 50 is different.
Starting point is 01:02:23 He's different. He finds a little time to be petty. The people that throw shots at we still find- 50 Cent is different. 50 Cent is different. He's different. He finds a little time to be petty. The people that throw shots at you, Kev- 50 Cent is different. You don't never... What's the most pettiest thing you thought about doing? I've done it. Just people would never know.
Starting point is 01:02:37 People would never know. It's like people would... The public, okay, this is something I said. I was talking to somebody, man, and, you know, it's really not hard. If you have real problems with people and your problems are, like, serious, it's not hard to ever get to a person and really like address the problem correctly. The problems that people have with me, they aren't my problems. So the idea of being petty or going back and forth, it's so beneath me because I don't have the problem. And I feel like if I engage, it makes it look like I got a problem. And I don't. Well, things get taken out of context, too, though, because even when you think about
Starting point is 01:03:29 Cat Williams on Club Shady Shady, a lot of people thought you threw shots at him first and he was replying back. I think there's probably one moment where I've actually talked about cat publicly and this was when I think it was on Breakfast Club. It was the Tiffany hat. Yeah. And this was like we were we were promoting night school and Tiffany was affected by some of the things you said. And I'm it was more of a like support for her in that moment and Like some shots at him. Do you regret that? Yeah, I shouldn't even
Starting point is 01:04:14 Talk about it. She never addressed him. Mm-hmm at all. I Don't have to but like why what what will it do for me? what What will I get? There's no gain. So I look at everything from a business and economic standpoint. Like if I'm investing in something, well, what is my return? What's the return on my investment? What's the return on my time?
Starting point is 01:04:38 What's the return on my energy? What's the return on my investment? So that investment of self, words, dialogue brings me what? What? And if I can't answer that question, or if people around me can't answer that question, then it doesn't get an inklet,
Starting point is 01:05:00 an inklet of energy. So it has nothing to do with people feeling like they're above, people feeling like they're better. No no it has to do with a strong understanding of you and like yourself level of awareness like i'm i can check all these boxes but to some they want to take it or misconstrue it or twist it as it's not my it's not my problem it doesn't become my problem is that a part of acting my age yeah acting my age is so dope and you and you can have i know he said 15 you can have more if you want you can do give him like 23 i will make sure you get your shit oh
Starting point is 01:05:36 great um i'll say the the better side of acting my age and the understanding of what this special is, it's like, it's so dope to understand what the idea of old age is and should be. Older, older should mean wiser. It should mean like fucking wisdom. It's life lived. The older you get, you're a representation of life lived. And if you're lucky enough to make it to 50, 60, 70, that means you were one of the few fortunate people that not only made it to the other side of life, but got to see other lives make it there as well.
Starting point is 01:06:27 Grandkids, kids have kids, homes, families, whatever it is, neighborhoods change. Fucking the the inclusion of the the merge between. If you're a person that got to witness and was around, and I remember when, man, what's better? I just worked with Samuel L. Jackson. The dopest thing about Samuel L. Jackson when we were doing Fight Night is every day Sam had a story about the shit that happened during that time. Because he was there. He was there. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:07:01 Oh, man, right here. Y'all see this right here? This wasn't this spot. This used to be raised. And what they would do here, you just sit and listen. The joy that Sam found in telling us the moments of life that he lived that none of us could fucking relate to because none of us were around. Sam was the one lucky individual from this time that can still talk about it some other people might not be here his other friends from that time may be there may
Starting point is 01:07:33 not but he was so happy at telling the stories that's joy word that's fucking great so the age 45 i'm embracing the concept of getting older and being the thing that you're becoming instead of running away from it everybody's running this way everybody's trying to get younger pulling the skin back and taking this off and doing it like i'm but but what does aging look like in a realm where the goal is to remain relevant that's why everybody's doing the skin stuff and the tux and whatever else the olympic like i don't i don't know what other people are going through so i would never speak on um another person's behalf. I would say that if if more if we saw more people celebrate the cool shit about ages, ages. Yeah, I think that. Aging would be highlighted differently. Right. I think the conversations attached to it are one sided that you hear you we only hear one side of it and when you're talking about saying
Starting point is 01:08:46 relevant it's it's it's all subjective like you just said you had l l here right l's dropping the album 40 years right yeah been doing for 40 years he dropping the album to be relevant or is he dropping the album because he's like hey man I miss rap I'm about to just rap I want to rap and just rap show my fuckers I still can rap LeBron 21 years in
Starting point is 01:09:15 is he playing because he's trying to be still relevant or does he just love the game of basketball yeah it's subjective as to how you want to view it. You know what I mean? There was a time where, before all the shit had happened, when I was in Montreal and Bill Cosby was performing, sitting on the stool performing. You's like, you still love comedy. Granted, like I said, it's before all the shit.
Starting point is 01:09:48 But it's like, if you love something and you just want to be old and do the thing you love, cool. I think it's subjective as to how you view it. And I think you can find so much joy and happy in being what you are, doing what you love and getting older while doing it and embracing the younger environment of people that are doing it well absolutely embracing the younger generation like i have nothing but love for this dope ass new wave of comedic talent that we're witnessing today.
Starting point is 01:10:25 Like there's no competition. You home already. Like there's no competition. Like when I see the Drewskis, the Kyes, the Desi Banks, the B Simone, the Jess Hilarious, the Pretty V, fuck man. Carlos, Chico, DC. The 85 South, DC, all these guys. And there's so many to name.
Starting point is 01:10:49 Matt Rife, who I just talked about as well. I mean, I can go down a crazy list. Mulaney, who's doing fucking great. Ryan Davis, another funny one. There's so many funny people out there, and the world of stand-up comedy has gotten so big. Andrew Schultz. Andrew Schultz, yeah. Quit crushing. It's dope as fuck to watch people crush. It's dope as fuck to watch people
Starting point is 01:11:17 find success, and guess what? It does nothing to mine. It doesn't hinder my level of success in any way, shape, or form. And I think, like, people have a hard time realizing that, right? You don't ever see me, Chris, and Dave fight. You don't see us argue. That's right. Me and Chris and Dave are actually so fucking close. Chris will call me and go, Kev, are you going on tour? And I'll go, ah, not yet.
Starting point is 01:11:50 He's like, don't lie, bitch, because I'm about to put these dates up. And don't you announce. And then we, no, Chris, I would never. OK, I got you. I see what you're saying, Chris. We'll always make sure it's this. Dave, what you doing? I'm working on some shit.
Starting point is 01:12:02 I ain't got nothing yet. But I will. All right, well, I'm going to go up around this time. We make sure we communicate. We coexist because we're not against one another. We want to see each other flourish. That's how it should be. People at the top are collaborating.
Starting point is 01:12:15 People at the bottom are competing. And by the way, when we go and we're down here with the younger generation, it should be nothing but embracing. You said you wanted Kai to play you in a movie. Yeah. Were any of your sons pissed off about that? No, no. Although my son is in this next Fabletics spot that he did. He's showing his acting chops.
Starting point is 01:12:37 I'm putting him in a Fabletics spot. I told Kai that because everybody says Kai and I have the same energy. Kai wants to act. He's saying at some point he wants to get into it. I love that. I love that he's already looking at bigger pictures. I love that he's making his money. I love that he has his thing.
Starting point is 01:12:56 I'm going to figure out ways to do that thing with him. Even when I talk about comics, the Plastic Cup Boys, when I talk about Spank, when I talk about Naeem, when I talk about Joey. These guys have been headlining for a long time. And being established in comedy, that's a very hard thing. It's a very hard thing to be established in stand-up comedy. You're talking about a contractoror like mentality at work. It's you know, you gotta eat what you kill so without audiences You got no Got no revenues. You gotta figure out where to go and where to hustle up to get the money
Starting point is 01:13:38 We're talking about a bunch of people who have figured it out. I Applaud that at the highest level. Speaking of eating, right? It's fight night. Was it strange doing that sex scene with Taraji P. Henson? And was Baby Boy any inspiration behind it? No. It was... Did you study Tyrese and Baby Boy when he
Starting point is 01:13:57 did that? No, they really did a sex scene. They really... Tyrese and T really did a sex scene. They had a lot of shit to do in that scene. The story of that scene told so much. You had flashbacks that she had to go through. It was a lot. There was a lot that went into that.
Starting point is 01:14:14 I mean, T's my sister, so I minimalized it to where, you know, we don't have to get that active, and we don't have to do that much. And I think, you know, in any project project it's all about the story that you're trying to tell and if me and taraji had to tell a different side of a story for the purpose of the the ip and and to set up the future thing that's going to happen okay yeah
Starting point is 01:14:40 you can go there but the relationship between viv and Chicken Man is one of her being this down-ass chick and has rolled with him and will ride with him for anything. Our sexual relationship isn't the highlight. It isn't stronger than you saying, I got him, and I know he got me. So how do we make sure we toe that line? And that's also within the creative. I haven't had to do anything crazy like that in any project that I've done to date. And if you don't have to, you don't need to. Once again, I'm the creator. I'm on the side with the
Starting point is 01:15:20 writers and the stuff. And if they do have something in there. If they're seeing Kev, this is when you got to eat ass. I'm like, well, why? You don't have to in all ways. I love the Chicken Man character. Is it fair to label the Chicken Man character a bad guy, or is he just a product of his environment? He's not only a product of his environment. He's a definition of a real entrepreneur.
Starting point is 01:15:44 And sometimes as an entrepreneur, your vision as a visionary can't be seen by everybody. Because everybody doesn't do what you do. So Chicken Man can be seen as a guy that makes bad decisions. But the people that are a part of all of his decisions know his heart. They know his want. They know his real, his real initiative and what he's willing to do to get there. And why some can be a part of it and some can't.
Starting point is 01:16:11 And why some can know this and some can't. Like, if you know him, you're gonna love him. If you don't know him and you hear about him, you're intrigued to know what it is and why he's been. Like, I found a lot of similarities with Chicken Man, which is why I wanted to do it. The road to greatness is a road that everybody can't be on. A lot of people got left behind on Chicken Man's road.
Starting point is 01:16:36 And those that fucking stayed and made it through the storm, they all saw the value at the end of it. Did Terrence Howard try to explain any of his math to you on set? Terrence Howard Yes, he did. Rob Markman And how did you handle that? Terrence Howard I told Terrence, I love him, but I'm not your customer.
Starting point is 01:16:52 That's it. I love him. I do. I love Terrence. I think Terrence is one of the most talented people to ever goddamn touch that acting stage. He is a bad motherfucker. When it comes to action and cut, Terrence will do whatever it is that you needed
Starting point is 01:17:11 to be done. Now we know why he was wearing the wig. Everybody knows. When he starts to talk about the mask stuff, he's really into that shit. That's his shit. But you just got to be honest with people right out the gate.
Starting point is 01:17:28 And I just told Terry, I'm not your customer, Terry. I'm not going to retain this. So what did he say? I'm not trying to sell you nothing. I'm just trying to explain it. No, he said, Kevin, you're still going to listen? I just had to sit there. And then when he got done, I was like, yeah, see what I'm saying?
Starting point is 01:17:42 Last question. Okay. Do you think you were born already destined to be who you are today or was this version of you molded and crafted along this amazing journey you've been molded crafted i would love to to sit the fairy tale and do the traditional lie absolutely this is god's plan no i think i think i'm beyond blessed to have the support and family that i had in coming up uh the mother that i had and the support came from like me not knowing a lot of people a lot of people come down on that younger child that don't know. I don't know, man.
Starting point is 01:18:30 School ain't for me. What you going to do? I don't know. A lot of people call that guy or that girl a loser or, you know, you ain't doing it right. You ain't taking life serious. You ain't doing it right. You ain't taking life serious. You ain't thinking. Everybody has a different agenda when it comes to time and when things click versus when they don't. If you take my mom's level of support away from me not knowing, I would have never discovered the thing that I fell in love with. Like, I didn't go to school and purposely say I'm stopping
Starting point is 01:19:06 because I'm about to start comedy. I discovered it. It was an accident. It wasn't on purpose. In conversation, you should do it, you should try to amortize. Okay, the discovery, I fell in love with the new idea
Starting point is 01:19:19 of the thing that I could do. I love this thing. I love this feeling. Now that I'm excited, all of the energy and effort that I could do. I love this thing. I love this feeling. Now that I'm excited, all of the energy and effort that I have, it can go into something that I actually am excited about. Without that excitement, without that light bulb, a lot of people struggle with the first step. It wasn't until I got my light bulb, I hit the ground running. And then after that and seeing your result of hard work pay off,
Starting point is 01:19:45 well, you attach that same effort and energy because you know what it feels like to put 100% into something and then see it work. So what I am and who I am today and where I'm at, absolutely not. But now that I am here, I do feel like it's my job to be as best of an example as i can be for the next generation to do more and surpass right like this shouldn't be it for who's to come and what's to come next i'm just a version of new that was able to do like here's what I was able to do Mm-hmm, but when I'm fucking 55 God willing a 60. I would love to see the next version in position to do more or
Starting point is 01:20:36 Prepare to do more. Well, you're making it easier for the next generation care. I appreciate you man. Keep growing my brother great talk Great great dialogue. As a kid, I really do remember having these dreams and visions, but you just don't know what is going to come for you. Alicia shares her wisdom on growth, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace, gratitude, and the power of love. I forgive myself. It's okay. Have grace for yourself. You're trying your best and you're gonna figure out the rhythm of this thing. Alicia Keys, like you've never heard her before. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 01:21:22 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?
Starting point is 01:22:06 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.
Starting point is 01:22:30 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.
Starting point is 01:22:48 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. On Thanksgiving Day, 1999, five-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez was found off the coast of Florida. And the question was,
Starting point is 01:23:12 should the boy go back to his father in Cuba? Mr. Gonzalez wanted to go home and he wanted to take his son with him. Or stay with his relatives in Miami? Imagine that your mother died trying to get you to freedom. Listen to Chess Peace, the Eliane Gonzalez story, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Starting point is 01:23:32 or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Maya Shankar, and I'm a scientist who studies human behavior. Many of us have experienced a moment in our lives that changes everything, that instantly divides our life into a before and an after. On my podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, I talk to people about navigating these moments. Their stories are full of candor and hard-won wisdom. And you'll hear from scientists who teach us how we can be more resilient in the face of change. Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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