The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - Lakers Title Recap; Hip Hop Legend Lil' Wayne Talks, Kobe, MJ/LeBron G.O.A.T. Debate, Childhood, Lambos

Episode Date: October 12, 2020

In this episode, Doug sits down with hip hop icon and sports super fan Lil' Wayne to discuss his relationship with Kobe, the Lakers 2020 title, if LeBron's latest title moves the G.O.A.T. debate, growing up in New Orleans, rising to rap fame at 12, going platinum at 17, his creative process, how the rap game has changed in the digital age, and the time he got a Lambo as an apology from a prince in Riyadh. Make sure you download, rate and subscribe here to get the latest All Ball Podcasts! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Remember all those big dreams used to have? And then life made other plans. With a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, it's time to bring those dreams back. Start your own business or commit to van life with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. Now, you could win the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter mode four by four that we have. enter the Dan Patrick show Ultimate Camping Rigs Sweepstakes. To enter, get official rules. Visit Danpatrick.com or Fox SportsRadio.com. Have to do it by February 2nd for your chance to win. Did you know Amazon provides ways of working that fit your lifestyle?

They know you value your time outside of work, juggling family, school, friends, or other activities. That's why they offer a variety of shifts that work for you. There are full-time, part-time, and even temporary opportunities that can work with your schedule with great starting pay and sign-on bonuses. If you want a career that fits and adapts to your lifestyle, head to Amazon.com slash apply. Amazon is a proud equal opportunity employer. Hey, what up? Welcome in. I'm Doug Gottliebend. This, well, this is the all-new all. We have a great guest for you on this version of the All Ball podcast. Lil Wayne's going to join us. We'll talk about his feelings on the Lakers winning a championship. Wait to hear his thoughts on Jordan versus

LeBron now and of course we'll hear about his story some really really fun stuff including wait to hear about his trip to Riyadh which i believe was his last live performance before quarantine you're going to love it it's a i just told my son the story and he was dying he's amazing story um we're we're joining you here the morning after the NBA championship right this is i'm recording this right after the NBA championship was decided the bronze the MVP the Lakers completely and utterly eviscerated the mine. The heat, they just ran out of gas, ran out of magic. And I do think it's fair to point out that the Lakers didn't play the Clippers,

the Bucks, the Celtics, the 76ers, you know, viewed as the Raptors, the elite teams. Obviously, the Warriors shut it down for the year. And the Brooklyn Nets really chose not to compete with their elite level players. That said, we don't go back. historically through most other championships and point out that magic was hurt when the Pistons won their second back-to-back title, that Magic was hurt during the back-to-back NBA title run for the Detroit Pistons or that Larry Bird never played against Isaiah and the Celtics

in either the two years that they won the championship. Like, we don't go back and do that. So let's not go back and totally do that and take away from what LeBron was able to do. In the moment, though, and in painting pure context is fair, right? Like, they were supposed to play the Clippers. The Clippers choked against the Denver Nuggets. And so they didn't play the elite teams of the NBA. That said, there were still challenges. They didn't have Adrian Rondo to somehow conjure up this playoff Rondo thing that most people thought, no way.

And myself included. And yet he did kind of conjure it up. they found a way to collo together a back court and make it work. This without Kyle Kuzma being anywhere near what they hoped he would be, I think Anthony Davis was better than anyone could have hoped he could be because he competed at both ends and there were times in which he carried the team offensively, which was a big question for Anthony Davis coming out of this run with the Pelicans, which is basically, you know, did he have the ability to carry a basketball team?

And obviously, without LeBron, the answer is no, but with LeBron, the answer was resounding yes. It was a fascinating year. But the Lakers won the championship. They weren't always super cohesive, even in the bubble. There were moments in which they were ready to go. There was frustrations that Avery Bradley didn't make the trip. Their frustrations in just kind of the fact that they're sitting in a hotel for months on end. And I think the couple of things that helped them were one. They had a couple extra days off when people, when they, when they were, the entire league was protesting what happened in Kenosha. That really helped them.

They were tired. They were fried. Shortly thereafter, their families arrived, which really rejuvenated a lot of the older players who were just things had grown very, very stale. And then, remember, they played the Houston Rockets who were coming off a seven-game series, so they were a little bit gassed. And the Rockets winning the first game kind of woke them up, and they decided to kind of squish them, just squash them like a bug, right?

Then they got the Denver Nuggets. Again, coming off a seven-game series, doesn't hurt that they're exhausted and doesn't hurt that they're not nearly as good as the clippers. They're very young, and they didn't have a good match-up, especially with LeBron, but slightly with Anthony Davis as well. But I think when the clippers lost, combined with the other families and how well they played against the Rockets, there was the, all right, well, we're here. What the hell?

Let's just go win the whole thing. We all need is eight more games. So the clippers lose. They get an upset and really didn't match up as well with the, Boston Celtics, they get the Miami Heat, and for the most part, they take care of business. The heat, it should be recognized. You're very well coached, your great organization. And I do think Jimmy Butler's kind of warrior status took on kind of mythical proportions there in the NBA finals, but it was worth it.

He was really, really good. Does it feel the same as other NBA championships? Of course not. But we don't go back, or at least I don't go back and say, well, hey, the Spurs won two lockout, post-lockout championships, do we? and we kind of do it against the Golden State Warriors because the first year they won the NBA championship. Everybody was without their point card, including the Cavs who lost Kyrie after game one

or in the overtime of game one. So we do paint a true context of things, and it's fair in the true context of it. Nonetheless, it's title number 17 for the Lakers, title number four for LeBron. He was fantastic. Was he as good at 35 as Jordan was at 35? Probably not, but he's also different.

But like, let's, Let's see what happens next year. Let's see what the Warriors look like next year. Let's see what the Clippers look like next year. Let's see what the Lakers look like next year. Do they trade Kuzma? Do they move some pieces around? Do they find a starting caliber point guard? Do they go out and acquire another star as the Braun ages? I don't know the answer to it. But in the short term, I do think we can celebrate just how cohesive they were, how well coached they were. Frank Vogel and his staff deserves a shot out and how good their defense was. The NBA pulled off the bubble. Did it hurt their ratings? Of course. You know, every game kind of looked the same. I just did. And when the Lakers win an NBA championship,

instead of doing a staples, and the vision of Kobe Bryant's jersey and all those other jerseys and the rafters aren't there, it's a different feeling. But considering all the other things going on in the world, I think Adam Silver deserves a bit of a tip of the cap, don't you? All right, we got some other basketball stuff to talk about. Interesting stuff going on in college basketball.

I think later on this week I'll drop another pod. We'll talk about Greg Marshall and the mess that is Wichita State, as well as this upcoming basketball season, which is going to be playing these many bubbles. I know, yeah, by the way, won't be overshadowed for a good portion of time by the NBA, because the NBA is probably not going to start until January. But let's get to our discussion with the great little way. All right, let's welcome him in.

I think you see him every morning when you see undisputed. He is a legend in the rap business, but he's a legend in the sports television business as well. He's a little Wayne. Okay, so look, we're recording. in this, the Lakers just won their 17th title. I see wearing purple and gold. Like, when did you be, are you, are you just LeBron Laker fan?

Are you Kobe Laker fan? Are you back in the day, Magic Laker fan? Kobe. Going from being the Michael Jordan fan, straight to the Kobe fan. It's been Lakers ever since. Did you meet Kobe? Yes, I met him a bunch, a whole lot of times.

I've actually had photos shoots with him. There's a real big photo shoot we had with the Larry O'Brien trophy. When was that, do you know? I don't remember the year, but man, I met at, we, we spoke a lot. And we also had some things going together that we was working on, actually, before he passed. Yeah, it's interesting before he passed. I got a chance to have drinks with him one night. And I had met him a couple of times, but like getting down and sitting down with him,

completely different than anything. I mean, I think any sort of predetermined thought on what he would be, like a brilliant dude. All right. So go, but there's like different Kobe's, right? because when Kobe first got in the league, he tried to talk like Mike, right? Then he was, then he kind of tried, then he tried to kind of try to be hood a little bit.

He was, he was like hip hop Kobe. With the, uh, with the Bush. Yes. Yes. And then, and then he just kind of started matured, like, I'm just going to be me, like super smart. Mamba Kobe. I think that point came after.

I think that, that, that, that, that, that, that Kobe mentality, Kobe came after what? I think about what four after, after the third or fourth ring. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

He kind of changed and he evolved. So when you first met him, what, what Kobe was it? When I first met him, he was more of the, when I first met him, he was more of the hip hop Kobe. Yeah. He just wanted to hang and you're like, ooh. I don't want to kick it, what was popping tonight. Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. Okay. So when they signed LeBron, were like, some guys were like, man. I don't like because LeBron and Kobe, they never played in the playoffs, never played in the finals, right? And I talked to Kobe a little bit before he died about it. And he was like, openly, he's to everybody else. He totally embraced him. Privately, it wasn't he to embrace him.

He was just like, look, we're not wired the same. Like, we're okay. We're good. But we're not, we're different kinds of dudes. For you personally, as friends with Kobe, Laker fan, and as a mogul in your own right, what did you think when LeBron came over? First thing I thought was pressure. That's the first thing I thought I was like pressure, man. I was like, Brian loves pressure.

I was like, he loves pressure. And I was like, you know, it's kind of like watching, you know, you hate bringing up names because you don't want to people to be like, are you comparing this? But it's kind of like when you watch Tom Brady, you just see all the pressure just keep piling up on me. Like, are you really going to break through this too? And he breaks through that and wins.

So it's kind of like that's how one of the first thing, the first thing that popped to go in mind was pressure. I was like, wow, man, he's going to L.A. with this. Like, and then the way the team was looking at the time, I was, you know, I was like, man, but then you start at the time, you started hearing things about who's going to be that with him, who's coming with him, who's going there with him. And then you start saying all those people they were saying that was going there with him going other places, you know?

Yeah, yeah. That's when I was started really, like, pressure, man. I was wondering if he was going to be able to push through all this pressure that was going on. Just the thing. I feel like he used the first year to like figure out who I'm down with. Exactly. I thought the painting, the painting that they had the mural. Remember they had a meeting and then they defaced the mural.

I thought that right there was a big, I thought to me, if I put myself, tried to put myself in his shoes and I said, man, I would have had to have a sit down with my wife that night and figure out, you know, like, do we, do we stay here or do we continue doing this? you also have to think like look when he went to Miami they had like a rock star concert

for him right that's when they're not one not two not right when he goes back to Cleveland it's like a homecoming it's a celebration now he comes to LA and they're like let me know when you win a championship like just a nut

right so that had to that had to be super weird to him I mean it had to be super super weird to him I think I think it wasn't so weird because of because of that that Cleveland, because of that time when he went back to Cleveland, so much was expected of him. And he came through.

He came through. And so I think, I think that that may have taken some of the pressure that you and I probably, and the weirdness that you're thinking and the pressure that I'm thinking, that probably took some of that away from it because he probably felt that he'd been through such a thing before. Okay, so now they win it. Like, are you, you were a Mike guy, I was a Mike guy. I'm still a Mike guy as the goat. Does this change your argument at all?

What'd you say? I was laughing at what you say? What you said? Does it change it? Like are you now, now LeBron's the greatest of all time. Does it change because they just won a championship? Doug, I can't lie to you.

I literally was just talking to my girl. She's a heat fan and we was like, that's why I had this on it. Just all in her favorite. I honestly told her, I was like, you know, to see him do it with his, third team, you know, like to see him do it with the third team, like that, that being a, because I'm, I'm with you, I'm jarreding all the way. I'm jarreding all the way. I live through

those days and it was just, it's impossible to anybody to do that again. But man, to see him do with his third team, that was, it's very, I had to think about it. I had to think. It's, it's different. It's different. He's a different kind of player. He's a different kind of dude. We even reached like, we reached like peak craziness on Friday night when people were telling saying he should have shot the ball instead of pass to Danny green like Danny green is on the court for one reason to make that shot now he didn't do his job but i mean that's that's that's that's basketball right you get help three four dudes on you pass off wide open dude he just missed it but we we reach just like peak craziness and we forget that like jordan actually had to learn to

pass you know to win championships whereas lebron kind of had to learn to take over in northern championship that's kind of the difference that's a big difference a huge difference um let's talk about two, all right. Lakers one, we can get back to that. You've been doing this a long time. You signed your first deal when you're 12 years old. Okay, so you grew up outside New Orleans, right? When did, when did you start rapping? Like, huh? I grew up in New Orleans. I grew up in New Orleans. Well, I mean, like, okay, so I don't know, I don't know how it breaks down in terms of what's like, where in New Orleans specifically? I'm from Cowarton. Cowarton. Yeah. It's kind of So what was like, pick, paint me a picture of your childhood.

Like, I know, I know your biological dad left when you're, you're, they got divorced and you're two. Yeah. I know some of that stuff. But pay me a picture of what you were like growing up. I was a great kid. I was, uh, I was a great kid. I was the only child for a long time.

So I was a great kid. Mom had no problems with me. Gave my mom no problems until I hit a certain age like everybody does. Like every kid does. And then, but I was real good with work, you know, with the words and with performing in front of people. And so moms obviously wanted me. I was an A student, straight A student.

So moms honestly wanted me to be a lawyer, a doctor, like no less. You're like, no less. It's not going to be anything less than a lawyer or doctor. You're too smart. So the whole rap thing to her was just like you'll never, I'll never let you be a rabbi. You're too smart to do that. And so it had to be, it took someone else to, you know, to get into,

it took my stepfather to get step into her ear and let I know that. Yeah, you know, combined with this smart and him being smart and him doing rap, it's almost like it's not going to be him just being a rapper. It's going to be him mastering it. And so he had to work that over to her. And once he did, she went with it and here we are. That's pretty awesome. I mean, it's interesting.

So my son's 11 years old. He loves your work. He loves rap. And he's always asking like, dad, how do they know, how do they have the ability to put these words together? So, like, did you read a lot? Did you just have great natural depth to your vocabulary? Like, where does it come from? So the performance part comes from just New Orleans.

In New Orleans, we have, I know you already know we have a migraine. We celebrate for anything in New Orleans. Yeah. In New Orleans, we have, everybody's heard of a block party before. Everybody heard of that. We have them every week in New Orleans when I was growing up. So the mic, the mic, anyone can come up and grab the mic. the DJ will let anyone grab the mic.

But, you know, obviously we're not about to let anyone say anything. Got a whole crowd of people out there. So that's what a performance comes from for me, me grabbing that mic and making sure I have something to say when I grabbed it. Now, the words, the words, the way I used, the words was school, plain and simple. I was still, I was 11 years old, so I was literally still doing homework. You know, and so I would listen to the rappers that's rapping. You guys are growing, you know, I'm like, these are adults.

They're not being told these things. I'm being told every day. So I applied it. I applied it. I took what I was hearing the adults say, what my teacher was saying, and I applied it and put it together and start noticing that I was different and unique.

And once I figured that out, I ran with it. You know, so it's interesting. So I'm going to college into like late 90s, right? And I view that as one of the dark ages of rap. I'm just to be honest with you. And some of it was because some of that down south stuff, like, I was like, ah, right?

And you had, like, mystical, and there was like a little anger to it, but it wasn't body, bad, boady, bolly, ronty, was big, but it just, it may be lacked, it may be lacked the imagination that we see. You know, at the time, we was literally their rivals. Everybody named, every name you just said, so I was, you know, at the time, we was literally like, what are you talking about?

I didn't get it. I didn't get it. I was like, I don't, this is not. this doesn't, this is not interesting to me, right? Like, I want to be taken to a different place. It's just, there's just an anger to it. Although I will, I like X a little bit, like DMX, he, he. I just done a little feature for X recently, man.

X about to come back out. Is it? Yeah. Okay, so, so, so, so you're 12 years, what is it like your, like your first album was when you're 12? What's that process like? Uh, as far as the recording process, It was funny because Baby, the Birdman,

but he would have to make sure that I would have to do all my recording before a certain hour because I had to be home because I had school the next day. Yeah, so that part right there was just always funny. And when the album came out, the best part of it for me was that I was still a kid. I was still in school. So it was awesome for me to prove to my friends

that this is actually me on this CD. Because we didn't have our faces on the album. Right. So because of that, I had to let them hear it and all, just that whole process of people understanding that that's the little kid that wraps. That was the greatest thing ever for me. Would your mom say? She still needed proof. She still needed more proof.

She probably was like some of the, like you said, the Laker fans when Brian came in. That's cool, but we need to win this championship. She needed a Grammy. Yeah, well, when you went platinum on your first summer, That was pretty good proof. Now, she was a cook growing up, right? Yes, yeah, yeah. Okay, so, I mean, do I have to go, like, was all cliche, like, was it, like, what was she, what was she, what was she, what was her go-to meal?

You come home, you're like, mom, just make me my favorite meal. What is it? My favorite meal. My favorite meal was simply potatoes and smoke sausage. That was my favorite meal. It's just the way she makes it. I don't know, just the way she makes it, she put two, you know, she seasoned it up. And she would always say, though, you know, obviously I'm not the biggest guy in the world.

So she would always say I would, she loved me because I'd come home and I'd be, she cook all day at work and come home to me. And I wouldn't want nothing to eat but probably some, you know, some craft macaroni and cheese or probably some cereal. And I was super full and I'm full after that. Now I have a little brother now. I have a little brother now. He's about 18. He's a, boom, he's about 6 to 28. he played football. So she's like, she's like, wow, what a difference. I used to come home to you

and you'd be full off of cereal. And every night in the kitchen for me, for him, it's Thanksgiving. Yeah, so he's like completely different, completely different kid growing up, completely different life. And for her, a completely different job. Okay, so you dropped the first Avenue part of is 12 years old. Yeah. You keep going to school or are you like, I'm out. I kept going to school. I had to keep going to school. She needed more pool. And what happened was, Then at 14, I dropped a solo album. And that solo album went platinum. That was her proof.

Her proof was my first paycheck. Yeah, my first check. I got two checks in the same week. And the first one I was a kid, she let me spill like $4,500. I went and bought a pass-fine Nissan Pat-Find. All right. And so because of the movie, New Jersey, running because of Biggie.

And it was taking all those forerunners. So yeah, I was on stuff. But then when we signed a major deal for Universal, there was one week. And I told, I was like, hey, I think my first check is coming from my album. And she was like, okay, that's fine. And so when I gave it, so it was about $80,000, then the next check came within that same week,

it was like $116,000. And none of them was for the, none of them was the actual check. I was telling her that's coming. I was like, this is just some. So she thought she came to my room one day, and she was like, she's like, is this the type of money you're going to be making normally? And I was like, I don't plan on stopping. And I'm the youngest out of them all. And she was like, she went back in her room and I could hear her talking on the phone with her friend or something.

And so she really started considering taking me out of school. And within probably that month, I was pulled out of school. Do you remember where you were when you were told him in platinum? In school. Did somebody like elbow you, somebody come into school, somebody getting a class? Like, how'd you find out? Yeah, friends that, friends that was into things like that,

friends that checked my album sales and things, friends that's gonna always check the bill, but you know, you got those friends, and I'm gonna always let you know, man, such a mystical soul more than you, just things like that. Once they saw that, you know what, by my name, they was, yo, in flat a lot.

And so also, but baby and them, they, just to sell 100,000 copies in the first week, That used to be a goal for us that cash money. And so that was a personal goal that we always had. You must sell 100,000 copies in the first week. So I'll top that in that first week. So that was already, baby and them had already told me, you probably about to go platinum.

Because I had sold way more than I was supposed to the first, way more than 100,000 in the first week. So that right there was all, they already had congratulated me and I already had that feeling. You mentioned cash money, all right? So that's when you got your star with cash money. What was that like, though, back then? Like was it, I mean, I don't know what my imagination tells me, but what was it like when you guys are all kind of up and coming together?

First of all, cash money, they were, they were huge in New Orleans. Right. They were before me, period. They were just huge in New Orleans. They were the hugest record label. The radio stations played nothing but cash money records. And Master P in no limit, they came up after cash money. And so, but cash money was the local gods.

So what that said, once I got with him, I was still in awe that I am even being able to be around these guys. So everything for me was still just, I was just extra happy to do it. And so coming up with him, I never felt that we was, you know, that we, we were struggling to come up. And I kind of looked at it like we saw the door in front of us and we ran through it. When was the time to which you felt like outside of Nola that you felt, oh, okay, this is like, I know when you go? platinum people obviously take notice. It's a ridiculous number of albums being sold. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's

unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clivert Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or we're you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said

that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode, with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid?

Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast

Learn the Hardway. Open your free I Heart Radio app Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. When was the time which you're outside of your hometown and everywhere that you go, people recognize you, you know, you hear your music on the radio, you see people bumping your music

when you guys are right around? When was that time? You're like, oh, this is big. Like you said, again, like I told you earlier, I was so used to performing and so used to getting a crowd reaction. So that was, so when I would go places in the south and get that reaction,

it was always, I'm always happy to get any kind of reaction. I love, like I said, that's my goal, my drive, the reaction. But when I went to New York, Doug,

and I went to New York for the first time and walk through, you know, like I would see on the movies and see all the people walk in. And man, I expected to be one of the people, you know, just walking about, walking about.

And once I noticed that I couldn't walk about because everybody, That's when it hit me. Yeah. Yeah, that's got to be, I can't imagine. Can't imagine. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination.

1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive, offers and great values. To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What grows in the forest? Trees?

Sure. Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think.

Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure.

And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. This is more of a producer question, but again, this is like, I'm like reliving my childhood through my son. And he asked me some really good questions. He's like, how do they, how do they put, how do they collaborate, how do they put the beats together, how do they figure everything else?

So like, do you wait, a track is laid out, and then you wrap? to the track or do you write out what you want, like what you're gonna say, and then somebody finds a track to match to it? Like, how does it all come together? Every single way you just said, there's no one way. Every single way you said, there's producers that already have a name. You know, there's great producers that you know them put in

for their name, Timberl and Swiss beats, people like that. You know what I mean? So with those people, you know, they send you a batch of beats. I mean, like 10 to 12 beats. And, you know, you make the most, you pick one, you pick whatever you like out of them and you make the most of you, you make a song to it, like you just said.

But then you can get, there's a time when you have your own people. And so what I mean by that is, your producer is in the studio with you. And he or she is watching you come up, they're with you coming up with your ideas, and they're listening to what you come up with, and they start working with,

and they start making something to it. So if you tell them, I'm coming up with something for love, I'm coming up with something dark, they already know what to do it. But for me, the way I usually do it, Give me the beat. Yeah.

Okay. So, so, and do you know, like, I feel like as a listener, I can tell you, like, when the first bar, like, oh, that's a hit, right? I got that. That's it. Can you listen to a beat? You're like, oh, I got this. Or do you listen to it all the way, all the way through?

Definitely. Definitely. As soon as the intro, come on it, if I don't like something, I'd just have me, but cut that one off. Yeah. Why does so many guys try and sound like Drake right now? Like, I get it. but it does feel like there's like, wait, he's doing Drake. Like, that's like, that would be like me doing a cowherd impression all the time like that.

You know, or doing skip or whatever. But like, it does feel like everybody's decided, you know, I used to have my own style, but now I'm just going to do Drake because the Drake thing works. So what it is is the way I can answer that, I would say, obviously the obvious reason would be because it's working. It works. Yeah. As I do, everybody going to try to do it work.

But for some reason, I think, you know, when you do something, when people, I think when people start doing exactly what you're doing and things like that, they start thinking they could do it better than you, you know. And so some people probably, again, is either those two things. Either you think I could do it better than you're thinking, shoot, it's what's working. Let's keep the move. I won't do exactly what's working. And I guess that's how they, actually, I don't, you know, I can't ask you because I do me. I know you do. That's one of things I respect most about you. It's interesting. You've been in the game a long time now, right? Like, you're not old. Like, we're not retiring. But you've been, but it has, how much has it changed now with people downloading things and in terms of the finances to it, in terms of the performances, I want to get to that what it's like to not perform for like a year now.

But just in terms of the game itself, recording and how you see things downloaded and how you're paid, how much does that change here in the last five years? There's a colossal change. a colossal change. The new artist today, I try my heart is to tell them or show them some kind of way to tell them that the question

you asked me before about what that feeling feels like when someone comes to tell you that hey, you just went platinum or hey, you know, I just checked the charts and to remember what they have to consider and what I always consider is that that meant at those times,

that meant someone physically went out and bought my stuff. It's totally different and you can get it, you know, with a swipe of a finger and things like that. So obviously that changes it hugely financially, you know, hugely fine. Everyone can make, everyone can lose, anyone can make, anyone can lose. When I was, when I started it, you had, you know, it was like the league, you know, when they tell you any league, NBA, NFL, when they tell you those, when they give you that percentage, you know, They tell you there's a zillion kids that went to college that plays this sport. Only one percent. Yeah.

Yeah, that thing. So that's how it was when I stepped in it. You know, like I knew a billion people rapping. Only one or two of them made it, you know. And now if I know a billion people rapping, I'm probably about to see a billion videos. Yeah, that's, well, the video thing has changed, though, too, right? I mean, like, I was talking about this on my show, like last week, we were talking, who was like Van Halen, right?

Like, I remember Hop for Teacher. Like, that was a video I remember. I remember, you know, Dyer Strakes. I remember Christmas in Hollis with Run DMC. But I also remember what used to suck was you would have to buy, like, the full cassette. You'd have the dual cassette players. I remember when the dual cassette came out. You had to buy the full cassette and then you dub it on your mixtape.

Yeah. Your mixtape. Yeah. And then the CDs came out and you stopped, people stop knowing the names of songs. Like, oh, you got to get number two. Number two. I'm that guy. I'm that guy.

Yeah. Now you have to know the names, or you kind of have to know who at least the artist is. But that's even hard because you got a little baby and you got duh baby. And I get confused as the witch's witch. And then my daddy called himself baby, so you know, it's not going on out here yet.

Yeah. Okay, what about the performing? Like you are somebody who, when you're in a room, it energizes you, right? And when was the last time you were on the stage in front of people? Man, I want to say, I think Super Bowl? I think so, that party, yeah.

I think so, Doug. I think that might have been the last time I was on, if not, I can't really recall nothing other than, other than Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, other than that, other than that, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don't, don't, you guys something in that story. So how does that, how does an appearance in Riyadh come to be? Like your boy, your, your agent calls you or like, you get a call, like,

you want to go to Riyadh, and you're like, how much? Like, you know, is, how does it work? You just hit it on the head, job. Yeah, guys. Steve, Steve Harvey said, Steve Harvey said, I don't go anywhere for $100,000, $250, out of it, that's what he said, right? So, okay, so give me the, give me the, give me the Riyadh phone call. What was that?

But it like, does Steve Harvey is nicer than me. It's much nicer than me. Yeah, because once. Okay, so you did, like, do they, they fly you private or did you go, like, Air Amrich? Doug, I haven't, thank God, I'm not going to wood. I haven't seen. the commercial airline about 17 years.

Okay, so you get on. You fly to Riyadh. Fly to Rio. So, open the door and then what? Man, it's a funny story. So what happens is I get there. So when you fly private, if you're going to land at a weird time, like four in the morning type of thing, they usually just have, because you got to go through customs, they usually just have about five or six people set up to just to be there for you, you know, for you guys to get there, put you through the whole situation so they could go home as well.

And so that's how it was set up, had about 10 people staff members there. Everything was going well. I put my backpack on a little thing that you, I guess that goes through to whatever. And so the lady stops it. She says, she can't look at you because it's, you know, it's Saudi rare. She came to look at you in the eyes. So she's like, you, you got too much, you have over $25,000 worth of jewelry. I think she was saying, so I have to declare it.

I don't know. So me, I have no patience, Doug. I was just like, also my pilot was like, same guy, I've been flying me for 17 years. He was like, you know what, Wayne? I'm tired. But he was like, Dubai is about two hours away. He was like, I can make it to Dubai.

We could spend a night in Dubai if you feel it. That's what you're going to do. If you don't want to do it. I was like, man, that's no awesome. So I was like, you know what I was like, well, I'm not doing this. I went and got back on my plane. I was like, forget it. I don't know what she trying to say.

I don't know, like, 25. I'm like, whatever. I'm not trying to even hear how. goes, I'm not going. I'm not doing the show. I'm going to Dubai. I already got paid. You know, I'm not going to step on the plane for you. And so I already got paid. I'm like, I'm not doing the show. Let the promoter know they don't want to let me in the country. So I'm going. And so while I'm sitting on the plane waiting to take out to leave, they come on the plane and say, hey, his, his excellency require, sincerely apologizes and said that you

won't have not a problem walking through here. I said, I told my bro, Matt, I say, listen, I'm not getting off this plane. If I have, if they tell me one thing, everybody around his body. And so they're like, bro, listen. He said, you're walking straight through. So Doug, these same people, the staff who was in there, who was telling us, you got too much jewelry. When we walked back in there, everybody had their heads down.

They wouldn't like, when I, listen, Doug, they were so, it was so weird. we literally walked up to them doing this to their faces. Like, you know, you walk up to a statue. We was literally doing this. You know, like, it's something like, who is his excellency? He was like, his excellency. They was like, his excellently told him that you must walk straight through and everybody with you, they better not tell you all nothing.

They didn't tell us nothing. I'm not finished, Doug. So as I'm in my room, I get another text that said, His excellency wants to come to your room and apologize personally. He'll be, I was like, okay, it's all good. He comes up there. I meet him, whatever. He takes me to another room in my own hotel room.

He takes me away from the crowd to talk to me personally. And he said, so what happened? I said, well, she said, I couldn't get in because of my jury, $25,000. He goes bananas. He said, what? $25,000. He called this guy here with him. I think it was his son.

He was like, hey, come. He bring a box. And he was like, $25,000. I bring you gift more than $25,000. I opened the box is a Frank Mueller watch. That watch costs over $100,000. I know which watch. I know the watch.

So I was like, he was like, this is my apologizing gift for you. And so I don't know what you're talking about. I say, he said, she will be punished. I said, no, it's okay. It's okay.

He grabbed my hand, Doug. He grabbed my hand. He grabbed my hand. He said, she will be punished. I said, but listen, I'm not finished, Doug. This man, he said, I wish I could come to,

to your show tonight, but thank you for doing whatever. He gave me to watch at the front door. Before I closed my door, he looked at me, he said, hmm, Ferrari a Lamborghini. I thought it was a general question, Doug. I said, Lamborghini, everybody knows Lamborghini. He was like, favorite color. I said, black, said, in front of your house in three weeks.

I am so sorry for this. This will never happen again. I need you back. I said, okay, I understand. We think he's joking. So he got down. We literally still standing in. We literally still standing in the door and having closed the door.

He's been walked off. He's about to make the left to go to the elevators. I yelled out because I said, my girl, she's like, wow, I'm like, man, he didn't even ask me what kind of Lamborghini I wanted. That's how, you know, he's just stunting. So I said, Lamborghini truck, Lamborghini truck. Doug, that truck was in front of my house in the month with that. I'm not joking, bro.

And so, listen, I had a problem leaving the country, though. The same little staff tried to give me another problem. So I got mad. I left the watch there. What? Listen, I was that, I told you, Doug. If you need me to go pick it up for you, let me know. I will go, I'm your man.

I will go pick it up for you. I have no patience. Listen, I left the watch because I was like, I don't even want this, man. I got him like, I don't want to tell his excellent saying. I ain't never coming back. Y'all got me going through this. When the truck showed up, the watch was on the passenger seat.

Okay, now you got to tell me what that truck's like to drive, because there's one in the parking garage at work. What? Super Bowl weekend. So, but what is it? Like, because I always thought like, okay, it kind of defeats the purpose of a Lamborghini to get a truck, but I do like the truck better than Lamborghini,

better than the coup, right? What's it like to drive? It's awesome. It's awesome. It's fast. It's very fast. Very fast. Very, very, very fast.

Best car you've ever driven? No, I just got a McLaren for my birthday. Oh, color, black? Yeah. Like, when you pick out of McLaren, now it's for your birthday. Did somebody get it for you? You got it for me.

Mac got it from me. Mac got it from me. That was his gift to me for my birthday. I'm McLaren. But did he know like, I mean, everybody knows your favorite color is black. Did he know like interior? Do you get all that stuff picked out or how'd that work? Oh, him.

He know I love it. You know, I like, actually it's black, but it's, he got it. He went a little, he went a little more over. He went a little over. He went black on opal black. So when the sun hits it, it shines purple. But, and normal out is black. And normal, yeah, see, he went a little.

That's my brother, Mac. I love them. That's amazing. That's a happy birthday, obviously. I didn't bring you anything. That's, none of my friends get me in the Lamborghinis or McLaren's for my birthday. That just doesn't happen to me. Like, hey, happy birthday.

Exactly. Everybody hit me up and told me when he showed everybody, everybody hit me up, it was like, tell Mac, thank you. I won't be getting your gift this year. It's funny. When I was at CBS, it was like a test I had every year. to see if anybody knew my birthday there, right? Like literally, no one knew my birthday.

And it was like kind of a running joke with, like, me and like one of my friends, like, let's see this year if they know it's my birthday. And I worked and like a couple days later, somebody would hit me up like, oh, hey, it saw it, like it was your birthday, my bad. Like, no one, literally no one knew. Like, this is not the place. This is not the place. Okay, so you go from 12, then you'll drop an album, you're 14 is platinum.

here's the biggest question. And I did the NBA draft for 10 years. And I would ask guys all the time, like, okay, because when you interview a guy right after he's drafted in the NBA draft, they're always the nicest, most humble kids ever, right? They think God, they think their parents. I think they're a you, coach. They're just, they're so happy to be. There's always one or two kids that are already kind of too far gone or whatever. For the most part, they're unbelievable.

Exactly. And then, and then there's like a percentage of them that just, you know, know they're feeling themselves after a while and they they they lose track of that person you have you're not you i mean like look obviously you live a different lifestyle than you did growing up and imagine an olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me.

Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now, I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me

or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and

conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different. bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust i want you to just really be a good person join me keer gains is we have real conversations about healing growth fatherhood pressure and purpose on my new podcast learn the hard way open your free iHeart radio app search learn the hard way and listen now forlinks right but i don't know if you remember this we actually met at esPN

you popped your head in you're like you're like golly what's how bad i love you i was like did little Wayne just say, well, it's up to me, right? And when I've seen you now, you're the exact same person. How do you, how do you have stardom when you're 12 and 14 and you get these six-figure checks to your mom to where you're not freaking out, but she is, right? And not change as a human being. How do you do that? I credited, I credited all that to my mom. So what I was going to say, I actually, she didn't freak out when she got that. What she actually did was, I gave her a check. and being her, how I am being, how the reason why I mean, she was like, when she did ask me that question, she was like, so this is the type of money you're going to be getting? I was like,

yeah, I was like, and this is all, this is all you. She's like, okay, I don't want it. You could, she like, take it back. So I was like, no, so we literally had a one of those, no, you have it. No, you haven't. No, you haven't. No, you haven't. So we had one of those. And so what she went there and built her own house right around the corner from my house. I didn't get why she did that. And so like I said, just the humbleness of her is the reason why I'm who I am and how I am. And also, also me starting off as so young at 12 has a lot to do with it, have a lot to do it. I wasn't, I wasn't even old enough to perceive the seriousness or the realness of the money I was, you know, of the money I was getting. So that's that, that, that, that also had a lot to do with,

you know, with me not caring about if it's the right amount. And, you know, if, if I'm being, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, if, sharded and that type of thing. That also had a lot to do it at me being young and understand my mom just not even expecting her 14-year-old to be coming, to be paying the bills, let alone buying houses and, you know what I mean? So that right there, let alone, the age had a lot to do with it. Yeah, but yeah, but childhood actors, they don't. I mean, like, look, how many childhood actors, they fall off the deep end? Acting. You go to acting is a different, you know, you go to school and stuff for that. And so you got, you get prepped and stuff for that.

type of thing. And this is more of a talent. And, you know, like, my mom was so, remember, my mom was scared. Like, no, my mom, you're going to go to school. I understand, I understand you can shoot three-pointers with your eyes closed, but you're going to go, you know, you're going to go to school. So I have to show her that, no, that, that, that, that, that, that, close three-point shot is going to get us to, you know, and so, like, you,

you have to go with what you know. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow. valentines with 1800 flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmetters, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like Dad has the bag's daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Diapers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler.

And now the eldest daughter who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. brought to you by Mnitsa and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure. Know what else grows in the forest?

Our imagination, our sense of wonder, and our family bonds grow too, because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org.

Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. So. All right. Here's something I've always wondered. When you're performing in front of people. Yeah. How do you decide whether or not you keep it with what it sounds like on the album or you

just you freestyle and you do a little something different? Like how do you decide is it always like is it the same no matter what or is it just different based upon the performance, what you're feeling at night? How do you decide? Well, if it's my show, my, if it's my show, I mean, I control the way I'm going to, the way everything goes. I never perform with words. I mean, and so you're going to get, you know, you're going to get something.

Something is going to always be something new, something new that night because I never perform. I'm always doing the show. I do the songs with just the beat and just the, just the band. So as long as it's live, nothing better than the live performance. So that's the way I do mine. Now, when you do TV shows and performances for shows and things like the television shows and things like that, they may require the words.

You know, they may require, we want the words in there. We want the chorus in there, things like that. And so for those performances, those more, for me, those are more like a, I have to practice, I have to make sure I got my words together because I work so much. So the only words that be on my mind is whatever I just finished recording that night before. You know, so I have to go back and I have to literally study my song and all that. And so I like the challenge, though. What do you not do that you want to do?

Like, because now you're powerful enough that if you want to be on one of the debate shows for sports, you can. Right? If you want to tour, you can. You want to drop albums, you can. You want to chill and count your money, you can't. What do you not do enough that you want to do more up? That's a good question. I guess I don't want to sound cliche in answer with a cliche answer.

Like, say, you know, obviously, be around my family, more, be with my kids, more because I do that as much as I can as well. And that's beautiful. Obviously, Doug, I'm blessed. There isn't anything that I don't want it. There isn't anything out there. I'm very blessed. Okay. So if you, so like obviously you start touring doing shows and you fly private.

What's your day of like? Like, do you, like, do you hoop the day of? Do you work out? Are you like, I got to get, I got to get into a mental kind of mental place of Zen? Like, what are you the day of a, there's a big performance? Say you're going back home, okay? You're performing Nola. Big show. You're the headliner.

What do you do that day? Everything's always the same with me. I'm proceeded like, dude, I'm not going to make nothing big, nothing out the way. I'm not going to make my mom and try to cook something special. I'm not, none of that. So is I get to give me the time I need to be on stage. Give me the time I need to be at the venue.

Let me get some clothes and looks. Let me see what I want to wear. That's the most important part. That's probably the hardest thing for me. Do you pick it out yourself? Shout out to Marissa. That's been my stylist forever. It's me and Marissa.

We go back and forward, but that's the, that's the funnest part of a show for me. What am I going to wear? That's the, that's the coolest part. Other than that, nothing out the way when you said,

Nola, so the only thing would be different about that would be me making show everybody. That's been hitting me up. That's trying to make it to the show. Getting a ticket. Everybody wants, every wants a free ticket.

Favorite kicks to wear when you're performing. Favorite sneakers? I don't have a favorite sneaker because Marissa is going to always have a thousand options and she has a backstory, but every option is kind of like those Peyton Manning commercials and he got the back story. Yeah, that's Marissa about her shoes. Yeah, so it's whatever she says goes. Do they have to be certain, like, those shoes aren't comfortable?

Like, I can't, I don't care how much you like them. They got to be comfortable. Depends on how dope they are. That's a good point. If they too dope, I got to go out there and rack them. It's funny because I had, like when my son was younger, I got him some Jordans, some of those 13s, and I got him, he had some Air Force ones,

and he didn't like him. And so he was like, the other day, when I texted you there when I was coached him in a basketball term, he's like, Dad, do you see those Air Force ones that guy had on those are nice? I was like, hey, I got you some Air Force ones. I got some Jordan's like, you didn't like him. He's like, yeah, I was an idiot. I didn't know anything about shoes then.

were great. Can you give me some more? He never wore him. He never wore him. He's like, I don't even like these shoes. I was like, do you, do you know how cool those shoes are? You know, here's the thing about basketball sneakers. And you can appreciate this because you know Kobe. So Kobe changed the game, right, when he had the low tops because forever, hoop sneakers were high or mid. So this is my biggest takeaway from my Kobe dinner. So he's telling me about all the different things he's doing. And I was like, look, man, here's what I want to know, who convinced you to wear low tops? And in like his typical Kobe fashion, I don't if you ever broke this down for it. He was like, well, I had somebody, there's a study out there

that like people don't actually get hurt because of their high tops. I was like, yeah, of course. Like if you have a bad ankle or if you're worried, you wear an ankle brace or you get taped, he's like, exactly. He's like, high tops don't prevent anybody. He's like, actually that was a myth perpetuated by, really by Nike because when they were trying to sell high tops, they were, everybody's trying to sell the most stable ankle. This is going back to the 80s when it was really competitive with Adidas had what's called the Ybar. He went down the whole breakdown of the whole shoe industry, which I happen to know a bunch of

just because of playing. But he was like, yeah, that's just the myth of sneakers shoes trying to sell you high tops, trying to sell you basketball shoes. So I came out in low tops. I was like, yeah, then you tore your Achilles tendon. And then you have those, remember I'm of those ones that come up to like your calf? He's like, yeah, those were terrible. I hate those shoes.

But like Kobe literally changed the game of sneakers. They did. And then you got, you got people like, you like, you got the curry, you got curries and everybody put, then what it is about the sneakers, basketball sneakers, though, there's a certain, there's certain people, certain players whose shoe is only a basketball shoe. And people wouldn't rock them casually. Right. There's a lot of shoes like that. So LeBron's shoe falls under that category a lot. Yes.

Well, that's because he's a job. gigantic man. And so he needs gigantic man shoes. They do. They sell some low-tops there, but nobody rocks. Nobody goes out to the club where and some, oh, you got some LeBron's on? Oh, those are nice. Like, no, they are boats. Like, that's the problem with him being 6-8-2-60s. Like, his shoes are just too big? Yeah, they are huge? Okay, so are you going, like, what's your, do you, are you going to go hang? Like, what is your post-Laker championship plan? Just hang at the house? Are you like, let me know if there's a party. I'm on my way. What is the plan? I have a studio session.

You have a studio session? Yeah, I got a studio session, yeah. So do you only record at night? I usually go at, I usually start the session. I'm usually leave the house after dinner. So yeah, yeah, usually leave that. But I'm not going to probably, I usually, I'm probably not going to come back

till next dinner time. So yeah, I'm in there forever. The whole night? The whole day? Doug, listen. Doug, I just learned how to cut my sessions down from 28 hours. I had to learn how to cut them from 28 hours down to 18. I just learned this year how to finally chop them down to 12 hours.

So if I go in there at 10 p.m., I make sure that I be aware that when I see 10 a.m. to tell myself, your engineer has been here 12 hours. because it ain't about me. I got to be in that thousand out. I just have to remind myself that your engine has been in here. And I don't want him to get too tired and start messing up. Because then I start getting mad and I have to remind myself, he's not a robot. You are.

You got like this really cool kind of gravelly voice, right? But you go back to when you're like 12? Like, when did you feel like you got to this kind of like perfect pitch to where your voice is now? Like that's your most recognizable piece. Because I've heard you on some other collabs recently, and I can pick you out right away, like right away. But I feel like your voice has gotten to this distinct that's been the same last 10 year, five, five, seven years or so.

When has it gotten to this spot? I'd say 19, 19, or 1920, I probably locked into that tone and didn't let it go. Yeah. And then you can just, you can kind of be your, but what's great is that's your actual speaking voice, right? Like that voice. Yeah, some actual voice. And I had to be told that by the late great, Miss Betty Wright. Ms. Betty Wright was one of the main people that told me that, you know,

she's like, the way you, she's like, baby, the way you talk. She's like, you know, singing. She's like, don't you understand that singing is about being unique. It's not, like, you know, the one of the people that know how to go, huh, she's like, that's them. She said, those are the people that's actually trying. She's like, baby, she's like, singing is about being, you were born with a voice that everybody is not used to hearing. And she's like, And now you learn, she said, now it's on you to learn how to stretch it and make it sound listenable, hear of him and beautiful to everyone's ears. And she was like, you do that by just by just talking.

So like, so now it's up to you to stretch it. Shout out, Ms. Better, right? That's awesome. That's like, that's an amazing thing. Like to, and to be able to have, also have confidence in your own voice and not have to, not have to change it, not have to figure out because then it's, we have this a little bit in my business where some guys are in character, right? And they're in character on TV.

And then they come off a TV and it's totally different. Like, wait, you're completely different. Yeah. And I do think that, you know, once you can find kind of your authentic voice, authentic style, everything becomes a lot easier. Then you don't have to change. Wait, who am I now? What am I doing now?

Exactly. Which one am I not? Which one am I right now? Exactly. All right. All right. Last thing. You've been more than gracious, more than gracious with your time.

Okay. So you mentioned you're going studio session. Yeah. Right? Who's in there? Who is allowed into your studio session? Like, is it just, I want me, my engineer, and my producer, and that's it, or what? The product, you went too far with a producer.

It's just me and my engineer. And so you're just, are you, now, do you, are you writing everything? Or are you just recording tracks and going back over it? I don't write nothing. I've been starting writing when I was about 17. I just go, I, it's from here. You got to feel it. So how do you, but how do you, but how do you,

Like you say you go 12 hours, then you come home, you come back, you pick it up right where you were. You have it still kind of in your brain as to where you were and where you want to go with it? I have so much to do. You know, I always have a feature too to do a night. Trust me. I mean, and I always have somebody's song

that requires a feature verse on. Thank God is always that way. So I'm always do that first, take care of the person's feature. I'm going to do that first. But as far as my stuff, I'm again, I thank God that I always say the same prayer that I think I that I'm doing what I love and get to do what I love and love what I'm doing that still love to still love what I'm doing. You mentioned the feature because, okay, so I hear you feature on all kinds of stuff, right? Do you ever get one? Do you agree to it before hearing it or do you go like, I got to hear it first and like, okay, I'll do something on this.

We never have to hear it first. I'm always going to agree to do the feature. I love to collaborate. I love to collaborate. But what if it's a terrible song? That's the challenge. I like to make it not a terrible song because I'm on it. That's amazing. Actually, you never like, okay, yeah, I'll do it. With anybody? Like, you've never said, I ain't doing that one.

If I have said that, I have. And it's probably because the song may have been sent, or the song may have said something in it that I didn't agree with. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah. That's happened before plenty of time. But you love doing those features thing? What? Yeah, I love it, man. I love to hear myself with someone else because I'm always a fan of music.

So I'm always a fan of whoever was giving me the song. And so I've probably, and if it's my first time doing something together, I'm really excited. All right, you got to sell somebody out for me. Okay, so I'll give you a quick, I'll give you a quick story. I'm not going to name the name, but it's a friend. I think you actually, I could tell you off air, you might know who it is. But a friend of mine, it's a country artist. And I never forget, he's, he's a friend of He was, I was like, and when he first got into, got big in it, he was an opening act for a lot of people. And I went to see him and I was like, man, you were kind of a little off tonight. Like, what happened? He's like, catwalk was closed. It's like, what are you talking about? He's like, well, I was doing my sound check and I started like to go down to catwalk.

And the guy from the main act band was like, hey, catwalk's for our lead singer. Now, I'll tell you, the act was was Rascal Flats. right this guy wasn't with rascal flats he was touring with rascal flats and he was like wait what he's like yeah and catwalks closed to anybody else

so he was cool with everybody but like the catwalk being closed was just the weirdest he didn't ask anything and he was just a couple of shows and that was it has there ever been a guy or somebody who you perform with

who were like man like that was not as enjoyable as I thought it would be because we didn't know each other before him Not at all. Thank God. I told you I love to perform. So I don't care if you told me to go out here and save my ABCs, I'm going to say it better than anybody you ever heard saying.

I don't care who I got to be up there with. We're going to have a time of our lives up there. You know what's interesting? You mentioned the cash money guys. Cash money guys, still very big. Okay, no limit guys, not so big. So you guys were there before and you guys are after. Is there any rivalry or is rival?

not exist because they're really not existent now. Oh, no. Him and P and my dad, baby, they, they're cool as hell. They're cool everybody. You know, everybody's trying to make the most of every day now these days, truthfully. Yeah. No, and Pee could hoop a little bit.

Not as much as he thought he could hoop, but he could definitely hope. Oh, Pekin. Who? Beaker who. Peek of who. Well, I mean, but he was like preseason with the, he was like preseason with the Hornets. Like, he's not, he would be easy, easy, right? Like, hey, hey.

I got a preseason NBA game and P's playing preseasoning. Like, whoa, what? Brian McKnight, I think, did that too. You're like, wait. I can see that. I don't know about, I don't remember Brian McIgrey. I think Brian McKnight got a little run.

Wow. I know if you got some run. I know for a fact, people. Hey, let's chop it up in person at some point in time. I know you got a studio session to get to. Congrats in the Lakers. It was amazing for you to spend this much time with us. And thank you so much for joining me.

We're in love, man. I appreciate it, that. For real, for it. Thanks, man. How much fun was that, huh? That was fun. It was fun. Make sure you tell your friends,

subscribe, download, rate, listen, tell a friend, pass it on, forward it on social media, put it on Facebook, whatever you want. It's a, it's a, the guy's a great dude. I've met him three times in person. Every time I walk away going like,

that's a great guy. Are we actually friends now? I feel like the answer is yes. Once you share like an hour long Zoom with somebody, post, championship, the answer is yes, right? The answer is absolutely yes. Anyway, my thanks to little Wayne, my thanks to our production crew for making this thing happen. And congratulations to the Liggers, to all of L.A. If you thought L.A. people were obnoxious. Wait to the Dodgers. And then if SC wins as

well, oh my God, everybody just don't come to L.A. People are going to be obnoxious. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to listen to the radio show daily, 3 to 6 Eastern, 12 to 3 Pacific on Foxport Trader, the IHeart Radio app, or wherever you download. If you can download this, you can download that show. In the meantime, thanks so much. I'm Doug Goutlin. This is awful. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800 flowers.com.

From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39-99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1 800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving. for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple

podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast.

In 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important. important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.