The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - MOCO - SEASON 3 PREMIERE: What is Hip-Hop? Feat. Rhymefest

Episode Date: February 22, 2024

On the season 3 premiere of Montgomery & Co., we have the iconic 2x Grammy Award winner Rhymefest, here to talk to us about his newly released album, James & Nikki: A Conversation. Plus, the crew is back together to talk about NBA All Star & more on MoCo Newsroom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hip hop is a living, breathing, diasporic culture. You're listening to people trade germs across diasporas. Hip hop is the fastest spreading language in the history of mankind. Before they get in your business, Be in charge of your business, Only cause is your business, your business, business. Handle all in your business, Value all in your business, your business, business. Handle all in your business. Value all in your business.

You say you're mine in your business, my business. What's up, what's up, good peoples? Welcome into Montgomery Inc. We back in this day! Alright, so listen, we're back for season three and we're getting this started off right. We have the rapper, songwriter, rhymefest. You know what, it doesn't even feel right

just saying that we have the lyricist legend, rhymefest, on with us. I'm gonna talk to him real quick about a little bit of everything, but man, unreal conversation. And then of course we got the crew pulling up for the mo-co newsroom. We're gonna talk a little bit of All-Star. How do we fix this thing? Is it broken? What's happening at WBA All-Star? We're gonna get all into it coming up next.

Let's go! Welcome back everybody. We back up in this thing season three Montgomery and co and It's been a minute. Miss you guys I'm happy to be back and we're coming right off the heels of NBA all-star if you follow me on Twitter I already tweeted about this, but I said is mercury in retrograde because there's little fires everywhere that I'm looking on here People are at me and stuff and I'm like, hi, you didn't, it's like, I'm not even in it. And it brings me to the idea of one, agreeing to disagree. First of all, some people hate this.

Like my wife doesn't even like agreeing to disagree. We'll be in an argument and I'll be like, I see your point, let's agree to disagree. Is you like, no, I want you to understand what I'm saying. I don't necessarily want to agree to disagree. So I do understand that side of it. And then there's people like me that it's like, listen, I feel the way I feel, you feel the way you feel, why can't we both feel the way we feel and go on about our business? Then there's also just the concept of comprehending and breaking

down what people say sometimes. Like, I don't think everything is a fight, you know, but I'm kind of like one of those people that you're going to have to really cuss me out for me to even take it offensive because I'm just going to take it the right way every time. Like, you know, but I'm kind of like one of those people that you're gonna have to really cuss me out for me to even take it offensive because I'm just gonna take it the right way every time, like, you know, because I don't care enough to take it wrong. But I just see a lot of times where it's almost like people will say something and you have to be able to take it the right way. Like even as I'm covering things, please give me grace. As I'm talking about any topic, if I make a mistake or if I say something you don't agree with, please give me grace because I'm going to be at home at every game at home. But I think I'm going to try to make it to every single road game this season. We're already starting to plan that.

And what I tell fans when I pull up and I'm sitting, hey, listen, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the game,

I come to the game, I come to the game, I come to the think I'm going to try to make it to every single road game this season. We're already starting to plan that. And what I tell fans when I pull up and I'm sitting, hey, listen, I come in peace with passion. So I may be loud, I may be cheering, I may be passionate, but I come in peace. So all season with moco, if you don't know nothing else, I come in peace with passion. So whatever I'm talking about, I'm never trying to be spicy or start no stuff I'm just saying my opinion and the reason I say that is because sometimes it's tough I see guys like trying to say their opinion and it might get taken wrong and even sometimes a Compliment to someone is not a diss to someone else So if I'm ever talking about someone and I'm complimenting them, I'm telling you right now from me you hearing it straight from my mouth

Probably not meaning it in any other type of way than exactly what I said it because I'm complimenting them. I'm telling you right now from me, you hearing it straight from my mouth, probably not meaning it in any other type of way than exactly what I said it because I'm just not that. That's just not my vibes. Like my vibes is Trevor Noah style. You ain't gon' out compliment me. You give me a compliment, I'm giving you a compliment right back. What you mean?

What you mean? I'm killing it, you're killing it. Have you just seen what you've been doing? Like that's my vibe. My vibe is I don't even really want to hear the compliment because I'm gonna it, you're killing it. Have you just seen what you've been doing? Like that's my vibe. My vibe is I don't even really want to hear the compliment because I'm gonna start getting uncomfortable and cutting you off and that's just, you know, that's my vibes.

I just like Hakuna Matata. Side note, women's basketball, pop it out here. I've been saying this, this is the third season of Moco. I've been saying this for three seasons and I think it's kind of been falling on deaf fears because it's like, oh yeah, you're a former Hooper. Oh yeah, you're a team owner. Oh yeah, oh yeah.

When this basketball, I know you see it when the All-Star game peaked. I know you know what time it peaked at. Told us it was gonna start at eight o'clock. JJ Reddick said, be on time. Dane Tom won the All-Star MVP. He also won the three point competition. Uh-uh-uh, be on time. Daytime won the All Star MVP. He also won the three point competition.

Be on day time then because they said the game was going to the shooting competition was going to start at eight. Everything started with 842. What? That's when the game started at 842. The game was supposed to start at eight. Let's go be on time with East Coasters. This is a struggle, but I digress. Let me just get back focused, but we're coming off of NBA All-Star Weekend. And I thought it was beautiful.

Hennessy did a 2v2 game. We need that right back every year. People said, you know, we could do a little bit better with the production. So I love that Hennessy took a shot and was like, let's see if this works. It worked. It's a success. Hennessy took a shot and was like, let's see if this works. It worked. It's a success Hennessy, bring that bike. Like we'd love to see that again, a WNBA 2 vs 2 game. So let's bring that back. And then I mean like let's activate in the WNBA All-Star.

I've been trying to get active at the WNBA All-Star for about three seasons now with MoCo. Maybe this is the year we'll get active, but NBA All-Star is getting active. Hennessy, like get four NBA players, let them pull up the little 2V2 at all-star. I don't know, I can't call it. I'm just saying, let's get active.

Let's have some parties. Like Roy in the chat talking about some Henny, I'll take some. Roy, okay, send Roy some Henny. He gonna get active, all right? But I just love what's happening. Like, I feel like this has been on its way. You know, I feel like anybody that's been a part

of women's basketball, we kind of knew it. It was like, uh-oh, it's happening. You start to see, you know, just a little catch on here. You start to see a tweet from somebody you ain't even know watching women's sports to be like, hold up, he watching the same game I'm watching? You start to see, I mean, KD, he watches so much women's sports.

Shout out to KD for real. KD really watching games, supporting. He really be, he's just a hooper. So he likes hoops. You could just tell. So shout out to KD, cause he's really about that. And then there's the all-star game criticism, right? So as we're growing for the women's game

and we hear all the criticism that comes along, you know NFL Pro Bowl they say is not as exciting as they would like it NBA All-Star is not as exciting as they would like it Well, W8 All-Star I'm not gonna lie The games they get fun. There's a certain level of defenses that's played That's definitely not our problem in a sense of the actual game That's one of the main criticisms of the men's game is that it's not competitive and how can you make it competitive. I saw some suggestions about like MLB, the winning side gets home

court in the finals. Is that true? I'm not sure, but I think I rest a tweet like that. There's going to be a lot of different suggestions. Like I would be shocked if something new doesn't come about for NBA All-Star next year. So while all that's going on in WNBA, we don't necessarily have a problem when it comes to the actual game, but I think we should activate more. Like I think that there's a lot of people already activating, so shout to them,

a lot of brands, a lot of companies, play a society they out there already know. I just wanted to shout them out because last year WNBA All-Star, I ran into her and she was like doing her job, shipping out stuff, doing her thug-thizzle. And I know that it's hard for small businesses, but shouts to play a society. They out there. But yeah, let's activate. Like, I love spades. I want to do a spades tournament. So I'm just throwing it out there right now. Like, is there a way to do a spades tournament?? I don't know but WNBA All-Star,

let's start activating more around it. It's popping. We know the audience is there. We see, come on now, we saw NBA All-Star and we saw what time peaked. So you know, I just think that during that Steph and Sabrina shooting competition, there were 5.4 million viewers. That was the peak. That was the highest viewers. And was it a competition stuff and Sabrina So I just think that there's an audience there people want to see stuff and you know shooting games are the crim de la crème of All-Star Games, so yeah, I just think it's time I'm almost kind of not even mad about all the little fires everywhere on the timeline because it's like hey everybody Really talk about women's hoops.

It's like, I'm almost like just loving that the competition is just straight up women's hoops. A lot of women's hoops stuff. It's like, I ain't touching nothing with a 10 foot pole. I ain't got a dog in the fight itself for the Atlanta dream. Y'all know where I stand. I'm 10 toes down, everything Atlanta dream,

everybody Atlanta dream, that's my squad. I'm 10 toes down, it is what it is. And that's where I'm atentos down, everything Atlanta dream, everybody Atlanta dream, that's my squad. I'm Tentos down, it is what it is. And that's where I'm at with it. But I love that everybody's talking about women's sports. It's side note, Beyonce, hello, I need to get me a little cowgirl hat, hello. It's a ho down. Act two, we in here, we're gonna have some fun.

I have an interview coming up right now. I might not call it an interview because he told me to choose my words wisely So I have a conversation coming up with Ron Fest the legend if you don't know you about but I want to make sure people know you started out battle rapping, have had credits on songs like Jesus Walked, helped co-write Glory with John Legend, Common, written. I mean, I want people to understand the singer, the songwriter and rapper that we have with helped co-write Glory with John Legend, Common, written it. I mean, I want people to understand the singer, the songwriter and rapper that we have with us right now, Rhyme Fest.

Welcome to Montgomery and Co. Y'all, I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited for you to be here. First of all, you was at NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis recently. You were doing a panel. How was it?

And how are we going to fix the NBA All-Star? Oh snap You know, I didn't know what was wrong with it until I showed up You know what I'm saying because when you see things on TV, it gives another kind of magic It gives you the the curated part But when you see things in person you start seeing the spirit that's missing and So when you talk about how do we fix anything? Anything it starts with the spirit, you know what we have what I believe that we have today in everything that we're dealing with is that the

Machine has been feeding off of spirit and it's been eating negativity, and then it got so big that it ate us. And we believe that that's who we, when we look at things and we look around, we believe that that's what it really is cause the machine fed it back to us after we fed it our spirit.

And so we need a replenishing of spirit. Okay, so I like that. That's what. Okay so I like that that's what we got it listed so that's how you fix all star simply put okay by Rhyme Fest I love that but to your point though it is different when you go to events live or when you're actually you know watching it on TV but you have a new album coming out it's titled James and Nikki a conversation it's inspired and built around a conversation between writers, poets, and Black Thought leaders, James Baldwin and Nikki Giovanni.

So just take me there, like how did you choose those two figures? Like it's a composition I heard you say before in an interview. Take me through how'd you get here? Yeah, so, you know, when we talk about composition, the reason I call it that instead of an album, is because we cheapen our art, we cheapen our gift

by just putting raindrops in the ocean. I'm gonna drop my new single. Well, why are you gonna drop it? Why not release it? The words we use have power. Maya Angelou said, words seeping to walls, they get into the floor in a postory, they get into you. Be careful what you let people say around you to you.

Be careful what you say. Words are living things. And all of the greatest writers believe that. So when we get to James and Nikki, 52 years ago, a gay black man, a black woman, a man who lived in Paris that came through the Civil Rights Movement, a woman that was living in the that came through the civil rights movement, a woman

that was living in the 70s through the Black Power Movement. One was saying nonviolent. The other was saying fight back. They had a conversation together. One, the man, James Baldwin, 52 years old, Nikki Giovanni, 25 years old, intergenerational conversation that has been going through our zeitgeist for 53 years now and you see clips where Nikki is talking to James and she says you go to work every day you lie to him you smile at him smile at me lie to me I

come home you come home I get the worst of it you giving him the best of it he said I can't lie to you she She said, you must lie to me. Cause the lies you tell everybody else is the best of yourself. The truth that you give me is the worst. When I heard that on the internet, I was like, yo, this needs to be revised and made accessible for today's young people, for today's relationships.

Let's put beats and rhymes to it. Let's have co-authors of the women on these songs that represent the spirit of Nikki. Or if I'm rapping as a guy who raps, you know, women are the hottest thing in hip hop right now. Where's the perspective to see my blind spots on whatever it is I'm saying in these rhymes? And how can we get that 52 year old conversation

to last for another 100 years? We revised the Bible. That is, man, I felt like you was flowing right now. I almost was like, wait a minute, is this a freestyle? I was just like, it's crazy too, because this is your first release project in over a decade. There's been a lot of talk and discussion about how music has changed over time

and questions like what is hip hop has came up? And I was recently watching Brown Sugar, I was about to ask you when you fell in love with hip hop, but I'm gonna stick on the topic of discussion. What is hip hop then to you? Cause you said women are the hottest thing in hip hop and I feel you, oh, like, so what is hip hop? Hip hop is the fastest language spread

throughout the history of mankind. And what I mean by that is, look, Renee, when I go to Dubai, when I go to Qatar, when I am in the Middle East, they love poetry. They know 18th century hafiz, so they know roomy poetry. I don't know none of that, but guess what else they know? They know yay, they know Jay-Z, they know 50 Cent, they know NBA Youngboy. You know what I'm saying? When I go to Cartagena, Columbia, and the guys walk up on me with the radio and they freestyle in Spanish. I don't know

Spanish, but I know what they're saying. I know the spirit of what they're saying. When I go to Brazil and I see the graffiti on the wall that reminds you of the Egyptian, what do you call it, the Egyptian writing? The ancient. Hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics. Graffiti is hieroglyphics of the modern day. When you see dance, when you see fashion, this shirt right here is from the Chicago Black Museum called the D'Ussabo Museum. But it looks hip hop because they know to have people interested in black history,

they got to make it current and present. So when you're asking me what is hip hop to me, it is a global language that we speak through the way we dress, through the way we talk, through the way we interact with one another. And no matter what language you speak, hip hop can be a translator. That's what it is to me. It's not just the commercial mechanical entity. Hip hop is a living, breathing, diasporic culture.

When you're listening to Afrobeat, you're listening to hip hop. When you're listening to reggaeton, you're listening to hip hop. You're listening to people trade drums across diasporas hip hop is is the fastest spreading language in the history of mankind listen drop the mic we could finish there I'm gonna keep going but we could have stopped there because you're talking about hip hop and you can see your passion for it and You chose several women rappers for the project to help bring Nikki's voice to life. And so who did you choose? Why did you choose them then? I don't even just call them rappers.

They're co-authors. You know what I'm saying? They co-authored this project. We gotta use words that hold women into highest thing and hold our gifts into the highest thing. So these co-authors, the way that they were chose was, I'm looking for not who's the most popular person that's gonna bring me like the clicks, cash, and prizes. Like I'm looking for like people who embody

the spirit of Nicky Giovanni. They're not even competing with me on the track. Like the first piece that we released called Creator, there's a video out right now. It's about divine forgiveness in a relationship if there's infidelity you know basically my verse is talking about infidelity and things that I've been through with my wife where We've had more great times than bad, but the bad times were heavy Britain Carter who's featured on this

Creator she heard it and her first rhyme was you're talking about trust How can you say you love me when you giving in the lust? I said no, that's not it sis She said what you mean? That's not it like I said we're not gonna argue about this I need you to love me do it and she was like, but but you cheated on me see and now we're talking like man and wife Work wife and man. She said but you cheated on me. See, and now we're talking like man and wife, work wife and man. She said, but you cheated on me. And we had a conversation. I said, yes, but do you want to leave me?

I'm working past my own traumas, you know, and being in the industry and what the industry taught me and what hip hop taught me, you know, to a certain extent. We talk about women being the hottest rappers today, but women are also making the same mistakes that me and May in the late 90s and early 2000s. I'm watching it. I'm watching it happen all over again. And what mistakes are those? Clicks, cash and prizes, anything, whoring ourselves. And I'm not even talking about ourselves in the physical sense. I'm talking about our spirits

I'm talking about what we think everybody want to hear and we just give me everybody what we think they want to hear Instead of giving people who we are instead of telling our authentic stories instead of like We have the oppressors mindset We think like the enemy, you know, and so it's hard to take that out of ourselves and still see our identity. Oh, that's a rhyme. If you think like the enemy, then what's your identity? Yeah, James Baldwin said on this project, he said, we begin to do it to ourselves. We are the co-conspirators of our murderers. Dang, yeah, he talking deep.

And you know, it made me think about when you said, we're telling people what they wanna hear. You talk about how music has changed over time and there's artists like Jay-Z that said, people want my old music by my old album. And then you even had a 3K who came out with a flute album. And he was like, you know, I didn't know what to really say. So I know this is over-simplifying it, but why not make music for people your age? Like as was like, you know, I didn't know what to really say. So I know this is oversimplifying it,

but why not make music for people your age? Like as you age, you know, like, is that oversimplifying it? And why is it such a struggle to make music once you kind of get mature and more mature in life? Well, I think when we say that, we're also deepening the generational split. There is no music for people your age, there's music.

So on this project, you know, like I said, I'm working with Brittany Carter. She's younger than me, James Baldwin, 52 years old is having a conversation with Nikki Giovanni, 25 years old. We have to have intergenerational bridges so that we can become one consciousness, so that we can have one message as a community,

not of black people, but a community of value systems, because value systems go deeper than color. You know what I'm saying? And so I think we keep creating these silos for us to be like, this for them, this for that, but that's how the machine separates us and turns us against one another. So, you know, I just look at it like, why don't we just teach healing?

Why don't we just teach spirit, authenticity? At that point, we'll become telepathic. Because we're like-minded, so we know what you think. Because we're like-minded. I feel it. I've been dealing with young people. I mentor, teach, love young people. And I notice the more I learn from young people

and apply, the younger I come across. The more they learn from me and apply, the more experience they come across. And so like if we continue doing that, we'll be whole again. I love that. Okay, so we have again, this is called James and Nikki, a conversation golden state. Now, what's the connection here with golden state warriors?

Because, you know, I always like to get a little sports in there. What's the connection here with golden state and how did that happen? When you're looking at a basketball franchise, as you know, you're not just looking at sports, you're looking at an entertainment conglomerate. When Steph Curry can hurl a ball from way across court and they hit a three, that was more than a three bro, that was a knock. You know what I'm saying? It's so like, when you see that there in entertainment, when you see two pocket and poetic justice with a white socks hat, now white socks is selling a billion hats.

Because NWA and two pockets wearing it. When you see basketball players like Shaq that can go multi-platinum and still play basketball and you know ball players that want to have labels but rappers that want to be ball players like Master P or you know a J Cole playing ball over in Wanda. You're seeing that coming togetherness but when you see the franchises get in on it, when you see Golden State saying, we're gonna do GSC, Golden State Entertainment, we're gonna do documentaries, we're gonna push out books,

we're gonna push out music. Now as an artist, all I gotta worry about is making impact. It's not like, did I get a million clicks? Not the reach, but the impact. Now the art goes deeper. Now I'm freer to do it without having to sell myself. You know what I'm saying? a million clicks, not the reach, but the impact. Now the art goes deeper. Now I'm freer to do it without having to sell myself.

You know what I'm saying? Or no, no, or sell my gift or pimp my gift. You asked me about female rappers and like what are the mistakes they're making that we made? It's pimping the gift. We gotta stop pimping our gifts. And that's basically being so worried about the rollout

that we're almost producing the product for the rollout and not necessarily producing the product for what we would just wanna say. That's your business, but look at you, oh my goodness. I'm just, I'm listening to you. We gotta let the trends release, y'all. We having a conversation, right? We just hit here, having a conversation, I'm listening.

You just hit it. We so worried about the rollout, we cheapen the thing. And then now we giving everybody cheap products. And what does that do to everybody? It makes the whole culture cheap. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, the opportunity with GSE is to bring back impact.

The opportunity with GSE is that Golden State Entertainment asks me, what's your definition of success for this project? I've never been asked that. And what was it? The first word I came out with was impact. How can we make impact? And reach is great, but how can we make impact?

And they already have a built-in audience. So now you see, I mean, I see it going further. The the bulls in Chicago Hired Don C as a community Shouts to Don C. That's my guy. Shouts to Don Shouts to Don C and he's he's going around giving out community gardens. You know what I'm saying? Like big lit Come on. Like so the more that these franchises get in on community, the deeper the impact in community, the more they become the champions of community, not just in the game that's being played, but in the role that they're playing in our community.

And I think GSC Golden State is doing a wonderful job by saying, we don't just want artists that could get clicks, we want artists that can reach people and dig inside and make community impact. That's so dope. Listen, we're kind of doing some of that on our end over with the dream. I gotta get your information

because you gotta work with the Atlanta Dream. We have a big message of story to tell. I know you already know about our story and I feel like where your head's at. Incredible story, your story. Just let me say something real quick. I get chilled. You what you just said about your story you just kind of glazed over it because it's you and then because it's you you may not see you from the outside in. You only see what you're doing from the inside out. But let me tell you during why I'm so proud to be here with you because what I'm seeing from the outside in is

You're changing. It's alchemy what you did. It's magic You're changing the trajectory of culture of sports You what you what you guys have done with this with the dream is like what I saw when LeBron and them was like, okay, it's COVID, y'all not shutting down voting in democracy, we gonna open up voting booths in the stadium. Like, and they change like American culture right there. You showed that we have power. So many times as a people, we feel powerless.

We like to complain about what can't be done or what's being done to us. You gave us agency through your example. Your example is the example of agency. Don't nobody got to be your activist. You your own activist. And you showed us how to be our own activist. Wow, thank you for that.

You're so beautiful. Wow, thank you for that. You're so beautiful. Wow, thank you for that. Listen, this is the end. That's a wrap. This is the end. Have your people really send my info because I feel like, you see what I'm saying? We gotta talk.

I feel like we gotta talk and do something with the dream. We have a lot going on down our way, but man, check it out. Listen, it's called James and Nikki, a conversation that's already out. Check out my guy, Rhyme fest. I'm so happy and we got the crew coming on. A little moco newsroom up next. Okay, so we got the crew. We're back for season three. We have the usual suspects. Y'all already know the drill.

Snoop called Serena, Ju Ju on that beat and Roy, let's go. So we're going to talk a little All-Star. What up crew though, by the way? Missed you guys? What's up everybody? Hey, hey, good to be back. Oh yeah, and happy birthday to my sister Cole. Today's her birthday. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Happy birthday. Thank you, thank you everyone. All right. So listen, we're coming off an NBA All-Star and it had, like, it was Star Studded. Juju was in there. So, Juju, first of all, how was NBA All-Star in person?

Like, how was it there? It was pretty fire, you know what I mean? It was, I'm one of the people who be blessed everywhere. Like, I, it was my first time in Indianapolis, So I was looking at, even it was snowing, it was terrible weather, but I was walking around it like, dang, I'm an Indianapolis. If, if, if, if. I had a good time the whole time.

That's what's up. I think it was fantastic. Were you starstruck by anybody? You know what? This is hilarious. I seen everybody, you know, you see everybody at these places, but I'm such a W fan.

You did. I was in a, it was like a little hallway, like just coming in and it was coming from the snow cold as hell. Like, you know what I mean? I first walked in and the first person right here was like, oh, I like your shoes. And I looked over and there were Eweezy herself, Erica Willard. And so me personally being a W fan at this NBA event, I'm like, oh, my shoe, but I gave it up to her.

I'm like, I don't know if I'm gonna have a chance to see you again, Eweezy, but you a legend. You did. So I was looking at the Eweezy man. I had a great time. I feel that. To that point though, the W showed up at NBA All-Star. Like, I mean, he talking about Erica Weller with Shasta.

She's a former dream player. Ryan Howard was there. Asia Wilson was sitting there. Court side, Kelsey Plum. There was a 2v2 game with Hennessy, where I heard that joint was turned up. It was Eric. Natasha Cloud.

Yes, Natasha Cloud, Erikay Agumbawale, Jackie Young. Who was the fourth one? I'm not sure, but it was just so many W play. Like for a guy like me, it was just so many. I seen Diamond Miller just walking around. I seen like. Royal Lloyd was that fourth one. Yep, thank you, B.B.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Hell yeah, but it was love. W love everywhere. I love it. So I'm gonna just say right now, I love the infusion of meshing the leagues together during All Stars. Like WNBA All Stars coming up this summer.

I hope I see some of a lot of our brothers pull up. Like I hope that they, like I said in the monologue, I hope Hennessy get a little two verse two game has some NBA players playing it during our All Star. I feel like let's just keep that same energy because it was dope. Like you can see that the NBA players was vibing and it was just a whole with the WNBA players and vice versa. So I thought that was lit.

But then there was also another side of it that I want to ask y'all put y'all's creative capsule in. A lot of people are trying to figure out how to make all-Star more enjoyable, you know, because the competition, there was 200 points scored this game. Some people might be like, whoa, that's a lot of points. That's amazing. Some other people might be like, come on, man, you got to play a little better defense.

200 points is too much. It had 397 points total. Shausage, you know, thank you for that. What was the highest ever. The highest ever. 211 to 186. And a lot of people thought the West was going to really turn up on the East when you just look at the roster. But the West was really like, you know, we, I'm here for, I'm just here so I don't get fine type energy.

So the question is, how do we fix all star events? It's not just the NBA problem. People have NFL. They said that the pro ball ain't all that either. How do we fix NBA events? They had the pro bowl this year? Yes. We're seriously, they did?

Nah, I understand that. I understand that because see, I know my sister, happy birthday, my sister first and foremost. Thank you, thank you, Juju. See, that was the week, that was the week right after Baltimore had their debacle. So my sister wouldn't give a damn about no football if I was pumping

me a frame. And to be honest with you, let me tell you something. Vance was so in his feelings. Yeah, we didn't even talk about football for the whole week. Because he was so understandable that she missed it. Gino said something. He said there was the flag football game and it was kind of awesome. So to that point on flag football, Shasta, my best friend Lisa Lee, flag football ain't no joke. Like that's starting to be like a real thing thing. Back to the question, how do we fix NBA All-Star? Any suggestions that y'all have in y'all's minds

that could make it more enjoyable, snook it look like you was nibbling on something? Well, no, I was just going to comment on the WNBA players being at the game. They needed that spice this year. They needed that. But I think sometimes we lose sight of the focus of what the event was supposed to be. And it's been so much dibbling and dabbling and changing. And I know what is an all star. You really don't even know what an all star really is. To your point though, it is almost a community event.

When you think about all star, you ask the players, like I was an all star. And so my all star experience, the first thing that comes to mind is exhausting. Like that was the very first time because it's like, from the moment you wake up to the moment you lay down, you're doing appearances, whether it's for the league

or whether it's to get your paper, you're doing meet and greets, you're at community events, you're doing camps, you're doing clinics, you're, oh, and by the way, you're playing in the game. You know, like, because that's the thing too, it's like, you're doing all these things because when you're a brand, especially now, Dame Lillard, let's take him for example.

He won the three point competition and he won MVP, but he also is releasing a song and he also just drops a new merch. He also had all three of his kids and his family there. He also flitted up with Glorilla. Oh, hey, Glorilla also shot her shot. Yes, she shot her shot. Who misses this?

Whoever has worked this, she can't beat me up anyway, so I want him. All right, calm down. Glo, don't do that. Don't put him in that spot, Glo. We feed. That's why. Don't put us in that spot, big Glo.

That's why I always say, you got to be careful. I don't trust nobody. She's saying she's aggressive. What she got, serious? That was very aggressive, because what if his girl would have gotten mad at that? But you know, it was like for himself. But you know, like, even if it ain't this girl, his ex-girl, don't put him in that position and where he got to defend somebody he loved, like, or once loved, like, come on, big glow. Just, just shoot your shot. You

ain't got to involve nobody. This really happened. So just in case y'all don't know, the recap is, Glow Rilla must have taken a, she took a photo with Dame. He's holding his trophy MVP. She brings it to social media. She said, who's man is this? I want him. This is the actual thing she wrote.

And she said, and then she followed up with a tweet on the thread and said, whoever's man it is, I know she can't beat me up anyway. So it's like that. If I would have seen that, I would have been like, oh, what? Shots fired, shots fired. Fry. Fry. The damn can't even like to tweet enough.

What would you do if you saw somebody post your man on the internet like that? Like, say that you can't beat them up. I would like challenge. Let's see it. Challenge the Saturday. DM me your location. Pull up. Let's roll. How would you accept the challenge? What's you gonna put a sword down? Like, I feel the way I roll, you just need to be checking over your shoulder the rest of your location. Pull up. Let's roll. How would you accept the challenge? What's you gonna put a sore down?

Like, I feel the way I roll. You just need to be checking over your shoulder the rest of your life. Are you accepting the challenge or not? She said what them hands like. You can't threaten folks on air. Snug, you're gonna be recording this. For the rest of their life. That's why you gotta be careful with the older generation. Like Snug already told me a long time, she don't fight up close, she fights long distance. And I had to think about what that meant. You know, she don't say she going straight risotto. Right, this is what I'm trying to say, but real talk, he is going through a divorce

and side note, this is a side note. How is he? Right, that's what I'm saying. I know, but this is a side note. He talked about how hard it is, but then there's the other side of going through a divorce where I'm sure that, you know, as soon as people hear that name is going through a divorce, they go have glow, real energy.

I mean, this is. This definitely don't help at all. Right. This don't help at all. I just don't know we should have done it like that. I think there was another. A more discrete way. Ask and you shall receive. Call St. Challenge accepted.

Send me your location name. Drop the pen. Drop the pen. Must not implicate herself more. Let's get back to it. I think we can fix the NBA game. Anybody else got any other suggestions? Juju, how would you fix it if you could fix

the NBA All-Star game? I think what you said earlier is fine. I don't know if you've given that the Hennessy or not, but I think it could be Renee Montgomery's two-on-two competition where a guy from the NBA, a woman from the WNBA team up and the best two win the trophy, the inaugural, the Black Mamba, to call it the Mamba Mentality Trophy, where $50 million, a good amount of money, goes to your charity. Not this, not the game, like over the next couple of years, we're gonna do the name.

$10 million for the next couple of years, to your charity. And man, come on, bro. I think, I would love to see Katie, Natasha Cloud versus, you know what I mean, Brittany Griner, there I say, LeBron, come on, bro. I think I would love to see Katie Natasha Cloud versus, you know what I mean, Brittany Griner, dare I say LeBron or somebody like you never know, like that's interesting. That would be actually, you know what I mean? And we're on the line. No, I love that because I just think that like shooting games

and competitions are the creme de la creme. Like the three point contest, nothing needs to change about it. It's perfect. It's good as is. And even they did the one on one with Stefan Sabrina lit. Let's go more into that type of competition style of things. And I'm only just the part that people watch the most. Didn't you say that was the peak of the viewership?

5.4 million viewers happen. They can't fish. They try to tell us it was going to start. Boom, Juju. They tried to tell us it was going to start at eight. So everybody started tuning in thinking they was going to watch Steph and Sabrina, and then we had to watch about 50, 11 events. And then we got to Steph and Sabrina.

But when that Steph and Sabrina shooting competition happened, that was the peak of that day. 5.4 million viewers was tuned in during that 10 to 10, 15 PM Eastern time frame of when that competition was going on. Snoop. Well, I think when you talk about changing that all-star game, I think it's been so politicized. It's been made, you know, for this person to be challenging that person, for this game to occur here, for this, you know, for this, you know, matchup or whatever. And I think because it's been so politicized

that even the players don't have value when they're selected as an all star, like they used to admit something. And so now that meaning has kind of been drawn out of it because of all of these little side shows and everything. And so, you know. So you think it's the side shows that make the players less interested

or is it the players just look at it as a break? I mean, I think about. I think it's fine. I think it's, I don that make the players less interested or is it the players just look at it as a break? I mean, I think it's fine. I think it's think about the wrong he had even his 20th all-star game What about the wrong all-star game? It's just that they've done so much to it You know like what about looking at the best players, you know like they used to do sometimes the best players don't even get to Go to all-star because it's No, we only said, we only said, it's so arranged anymore. It's not, but.

Don't you hear your suggestion to make it better. So what is the actual, what's your suggestion to fix All-Star? She's, I guess she was saying that they need to bring back some of the players that are the top players instead of having to. They are. They want to just show up.

Oh, wait, I realize you said in the competitions, bring the players that are the top players instead of having to show up. I realize you said in the competitions, bring the players back in the competitions because they declined those. Well, I think something needs to be done about that because that's taken away from the game kind of, you know, and that's why I'm like, I'll play defense or whatever because there's not a value anymore. And to really, you know, being an all star like value anymore into really, you know, being an all-star like it used to be, you know, my game was so good this season.

I was selected, you know, as an all-star, you know, and so now your game could be good. It just, you know, the fans, are they still voting? I'm sure they are. It's several different, different arenas that your votes come from. It's got to be where it can be manipulated and you know, that kind of thing. Okay, Roy, did you have anything? Yeah, I read online that somebody gave the idea

of having the whoever wins the All-Star Game, whatever conference that is, whoever wins the conference championship has home court advantage, which is stupid because Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball did the same thing. And there was a tail by idea. So they reverted back to that.

But my suggestion is you pay the players. Not charity, but you actually pay the players out of a purse. However, much money is gonna end up being what, $20 million. Yeah, do you think that'll matter? Because I did see that, I think Jamelle Hill had said that she didn't think that paying the players would matter. It matters in the end tournament season game because it benefits the last player on the bench

who might actually, $500,000 might actually change there something for them. But usually the people in All-Star, they said are averaging like $20 million contracts per year. I mean, tell them if they're gonna do it. That could be there spending money while they're on a trip. Cause I mean, who would like- It goes from the pocket change. You know what I'm saying? Who wouldn't like, a trip. Because I mean who would like to get a kitty full of money just to go and

fill the tables. It ain't yours. So it's nice spending, you know, or, you know, I don't know if they pay for their own hotels or I don't know how that all works. But give them like not so much a big incentive, but I mean everybody likes spending money. It don't even have to, you know, that's the point is that they were in Vegas. I'm sure if all the all star players had walked through the door, checked into the hotel and had their money say, Cha-ching, they'd be like, oh, I got spending money. Do y'all think that money would change how they played or do you change that during the season? That's the whole thing.

For all star, what do y'all think? Do y'all think adding a money incentive would change the all star game and help fix it? Money makes the world go round. I think that's the whole thing. For All-Star, what do y'all think? Do y'all think adding a money incentive would change the All-Star game and help fix it? Why don't you mix the royal go round? I think that's the whole problem. I think that's the whole, that's everybody's point in one right there. But I feel like what Snook is trying to touch on is the players don't, they're not in throes as they used to be because they're making so much money now per year that it just doesn't mean the same thing to certain

folks. In the end, dare I say, a lot of people in the league these days, more concerned with fashion, more concerned with their side hustles and stuff like that, than actual being, because like hoopers. I remember the days where, dawg, bro, you cared about because you was the best point guard in the league for real, for real. So let me show you, I'm a dribble. I'm going to do all the things and they making so much money

now that that sense of entitlement just come along with it. So if you want them to actually move, you're gonna have to put big money into this all-star game. You're gonna have to say, hey, whoever win, get this big pot. Like you get a piece of this big pot, right? For real for real. Or something, because if not, you know what I mean, it's going to be more of a sign and making some

money. Who gives a damn? I mean, to your point, though, I think that that is a point because it's almost like the Olympics. You know, like there, there was something about the Olympics where there was the honor to it. But now when player contracts are so big, it's almost to them the risk reward is almost not worth it sometimes.

Like a lot of players, as you guys guys know people might not know a lot of Men on the NBA side off that of the Olympics. They don't even try out. They don't want to be on the Olympic team There's not really an incentive for there to be there because for us or some people on the women's side You like I tried every year to be on the Olympic team, you know, like I was like, I was one in the process, the whole time trying to make the Olympic team. I went to the Olympic camps. I was trying to be on that 12 roster Olympic team. But in the WNBA, just like in the WNBA, it's the hardest roster to make because the best of our best players try out for our Olympics. And on the NBA side, though, you got coaches trying to recruit NBA players and you got Grant Hill and all of them, you know, trying to wrangle them in. So to that point, let's just say that process is well. I have to say it. I've

watched it a number of years even prior to you being there. We know it was still politicized. Oh, so what I say is if that's the case, if that's the case that they're having a hard time with NBA, I say, let these people in the NBA fight for their jobs. Let's get some kids from the G League, get some kids from high school, take them over there, let them beat up on these other countries. And that's what happened though, but it doesn't, we are gonna lose, that's the point. Like that's, we're not, there's no,

there's not that separation anymore. The top players in the NBA are foreign players, Joel Mb, Luca Doncic, the Joker. The top players in the NBA that went MVP these past couple years are foreign players. We don't have the luxury of just sending our C team. We used to do that in the NBA and then we had to do the redeem team whenever we were thinking that we could just send our C team.

Do you feel like you have anything else you want to add? What I was just trying to get a point across is that a lot of times the pure thing that we're trying to do You have all these little side shows these little side things that come in that actually change What you're at what the purity of the choice of the all-star game has been so twisted and turned and added and Because of this reason and that reason that it's not even really really is not an all star game anymore. Yeah. The Krim De La Krim is the other things in the all star game has now become almost a back burner. Honestly, this is this is a point to where like the all star game being

on Sunday at 8 p.m. What was even supposed to start at 8 p.m. but started at 842. You could almost tell that it's the afterthought. You what I mean like because if you was really doing a Sunday event or you really wanted it to be the crim to the crim wouldn't you put it earlier in the day and make that the main Jane like this like that's usually on Sundays or weekends games usually start earlier That's the day that but you could tell that the reason that it's eight o'clock was probably because they had so many events Like they wanted to be able to get in and I'm talking NBA, this is not just for the players, this is a very big event for the NBA. They've released their new AI tech.

They released a lot of new things at All-Star. And so to that point, I think Snook's saying, we need to get back to focusing on the actual All-Stars and the All-Star game. But we're gonna wrap real quick, we're gonna be right back because we're gonna play a little game, y'all. It's gonna be Who Said It? Who Said It?

Y'all are gonna have to guess Who Said It. We'll be right back. I want to play a low who said it and that just means that there was a lot of people that said a lot of different things and I to, I want you guys to guess which NBA All-Star or person involved or actually just who said it. I'm going to give you four options of each one. I'm going to give you a quote and you guys got to guess who said it. Okay. Okay. You're not, I mean, and listen, you might not have a guess, but somebody might because I knew I'm going to read these, but I knew most of them when I saw them because I saw the people say them. The question is, who said it NBA All-Star Edition?

All right, so the quote is, for me, it's an All-Star game. So I don't think I will ever look at it as being super competitive. It's always fun. I don't know what they can do to make it more competitive. It's a break. I don't think nobody wants to come here and compete.

Who said it? LeBron James, Anthony Edwards or Jaylen Brown? LeBron James. I'll say LeBron too. I'm gonna stick with that too. LeBron. Go ahead. This is why you don't need to be a follower. The answer is Anthony Edwards. Oh man, come on. It was a first time star. First of all, how can you be a first year old star and then say it like you've been here for years? I thought it was LeBron because I felt like he had been there for years and it was like, oh okay, well, you know, we've been doing this every year. It's not, how can it be a break if it's your first one? Oh my gosh, hilarious. I was just asking. That's why I didn't get it. Listen, because he's probably like, you know, like, you're

not going to get, he could be speaking you know, like you're not going to get he could be speaking for his teammates. You're not going to get the 20 year vet to play hard. We know that. So that's true. I mean, I don't know. But next one, who said it? NBA All-Star Weekend Edition, the shot making from the east was incredible. It's hard to play defense when somebody is shooting 30 to 40 footers over you. Who said it? Kevin Durant, LeBron James, or Damien Lillard?

Damien Lillard. Damien Lillard. Kevin Durant. That has to be a Western Conference player, right? So I'm going with LeBron in this situation. LeBron James! Okay, so we're around the horn, and the answer is Kevin Durant.

I didn't see anybody shooting over DeRant. Yeah, that's why I went with LeBron. Listen, it was Damien Lillard that was shooting the 40 footers. He was pulling up from half court. Oh, he did. Yeah, he did. MVP. Next question. Who said it? NBA All-Star Weekend Edition. You're going to see a sway toward higher scoring,

but I think the cycle of the league, it will reset itself at this point. I don't know how quickly that will happen or what rules will change this summer and the following summer, but I personally like the brand of basketball that's being played because it's highlights. It highlights the amount of talent that we have around the league. Who said that about the NBA All-Star? Paul George, Trey Young, or Steph Curry. He thinks it's a good thing. It highlights the amount of talent that they have around the league. George, I was about to say Paul George too. I will say Steph Curry.

I'm not gonna say Steph Curry. He's the one over here making these shots. So I'm gonna go with Paul George. And the answer is, Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr He likes it, baby. If it don't apply, let it fly. How do you know what? It's biased. It's biased. It's biased. Kill this. Kill this.

Love Curry said everybody relax. It just seems like something nice. Like, and Steph Curry is a nice guy. It seems like something nice to say. Last one, who said it? NBA All-Star Weekend Edition. This person said, there's so many people that came at me before this, like, oh man, you should be mad.

You wanna be in the NBA, you deserve to be in the NBA. And I do believe I do, but I also think this is my human experience. Who said it? Imani Bates, Ron Holland or Mack McClung? Ah! Mack McClung. Ha ha ha! I'ma go with Ron.

Oh my God, I feel so bad because I don't know any of these players. Mack won the Slam Dunk Contest. The first one, Imani. It was Mack McClung. It was one-hundred percent Mack McClung because everybody, it was going around that Mack McClung, he's the two-time dunk champion now, two years in a row, back-to-back, creativity off the

charts, and everybody's talking about the fact that of course he wants to be in the NBA. He's in the G League right now for their Orlando Magic's G League team. Oseola Magic. There you are, just that team. And so, you know, a lot of people were pretty much almost saying like, man, aren't you mad that you're doing all this and you're not in the NBA? And he's like, bruh, listen, this is my human experience.

I'm living my best life. I'm winning the dunk contest. And honestly, I would love to be in the NBA, but right now I'll take the G League as I'm trying to grow. That was Mack McClung. I like that attitude. Yeah, as you can see though,

the NBA players have a very different view of the All-Star weekend, All-Star game than we the fans do. They don't see no problem with it. They said they come for it. They just having fun, yeah. Exactly. They said I'm here for a good time, not a long time.

So, you know what I mean? It's gonna be something changed because the NBA definitely pays attention to their audience. So whether they add another fun game, the same way they added picking the players freestyle, you know, like at the players freestyle, you know, like at the playground pickup style, they added that in there to add a little bit of the lore. There's going to be something that's added and Snook's point is,

maybe you might need to get a little bit back to the basics. There's a lot that's been added on top of things, on top of things, maybe get back to how to make the game more interesting. You know, some people like the style of going to a certain score and whoever gets to that score first wins. It's kind of like how the big three does where they play to a certain amount. And when you hit that amount, you win and it makes it a little bit more competition within the competition. But I can't call it, you know, like it's a big moneymaker. It's an event. It's a convention at this point. There's a lot that happens and I don't know if it's going to change any time soon in the sense of the general sense of the thing, but I'll probably be at the next one I ain't gonna lie and I probably gonna watch the next one. I ain't gonna lie

So I'll see y'all next year at the NBA All-Star weekend Continuing who said it. Oh, there's a tornado In my city. Oh, listen Beyonce y, y'all know her from West Virginia, 304 to 404, and Beyonce is coming out with a country album. I feel like that's my intersection. I already have a country playlist. It's called Country Bumpkin. Okay, I'm ready for you, Beyonce.

This has nothing to do with nothing, but I just felt like I wanted to say that because I see the line dances going all across my timeline. You know what I'm saying? It's diverse line dances. It's got a little flavor in these line dances. This is my intersection. I'm ready for act two.

I was a part of club Renaissance and I'm gonna be a part of club Renaissance act two, two. Okay. And come back next week. We have moco. It's a generational thing, baby. Let's go.