The Questlove Show - QLS Classic: Chris Rock

Episode Date: March 23, 2020

Comedy legend Chris Rock talks about his early days in Brooklyn, how he got into comedy and just who he thinks is the funniest person in any room. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Questlove Supreme is a production of IHeart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Questlove, and you're checking out another QLS Class We're digging in the vault for all of your favorites of past episodes. This one, one of the funnier ones we've ever done, Chris Rock. Keeps you in stitches. Always keeps you educated.

Hope you enjoy. Suprema, sub, sub, subprima roll call. Supremma, sub. Of course, love don't stop. Yeah. And I am shocked. Yeah. I'm with Chris Rock.

Yeah. The place where they shot two bucks. Suprema, Subra, Suprema, Roll Call. Quest Love Supreme. Yeah. Y'all know we balling G. Yeah. Because I am Fonte.

Yeah. And it just be calling me. Oh, yeah. Suprima, Supremma roll call. Supremma, sub, sub, suprema roll call. Chris Rock's so funny. Yeah. So what's next?

Yeah. Bring back that talk show. Yeah. Nat X. No, no. Supremea, sub, sub, sub, suprema roll call. Suprema, sub, sub, sub, supremer, roll call. I'm on pay bill.

Yeah. Ain't that legit? Yeah. Back with Questlove Supreme. Yeah. Ain't that some shit. Roe con. Suprema, sub, sub, supremer role call.

Supraima, sub, sub, subprima role call. Boss Bill is here. Yeah. In Radio Land. Yeah. Don't please conf-ah. Man. It's our salad, man.

Oh, God. Supremia, So, Supremia Rocawl, Supreme. Yeah. Happy and nappy. Yeah. And I'm so happy.

Damn, I miss that up. Chris Rock's here. Damn. We all messing up. Supremia Role call. Supriva, Suprema Role call. Chris Rock's my name.

Yeah. And I got hot. Yeah. And I don't want to fart. Yeah. And I'm not Kevin Hawke. And I'll low cash. Ladies and...

Look, y'all, Chris Rock is on the show. And I don't want to waste a second on any of this. Who else has been on this show? Any other celebrities or my... No, you're not the first. Am I? I'm the... We have the Revolution.

Who else has been on the show? Without Prince, though, right? Without Prince. Okay. You got to say that, motherfucker. You can't just... Well, yeah. I mean, you know, we moved on.

That would have been amazing if we had him on the show. Okay. That would have been something. Spout the name is. Was Prince part of the Revolution or is it Prince and the Revolution? It's and the Revolution. So the Revolution's a separate entity. Yes.

So he was never in the Revolution. No. Okay. Except in the movie Purple Ring. Then it was the kid in the Revolution. Okay. Yes. Please welcome the Revolution.

Exactly. Does Alan Lee say that? No. No. He was on the show. Alan Lee's has done the show. Down Leeds has done the show. Chef Gordon's done the show.

Ray Parker Jr.'s done the show. Maya Rudolph's done the show. About power. Q-tip. Solange. Yeah. Okay. So, yeah, we roll large up.

Okay. Yes. In this very room. In that very seat. Wow. And I'm on every week. And Sugarstief is on every week. All right.

Yeah, because you are so opinionated. Really? Unsolicited. Full wisdom. I got nothing. You saved you. I don't want to waste a second about any part of your life. Really?

So, wait, I just recently, I didn't know you were born in South Carolina. Yeah, I was born in a little town called Andrews. Andrews, right next to Georgetown. When you drive in, it says the home of Chubby Checker. So Chubby's not even from Philly? No, Chubby Checkers from Andrews, South Carolina. And one of my goals in life is before my mother dies. is to get them to change that sign to home with Chris Rock.

You know you can make that happen, right? I mean, it hasn't happened yet. I mean, I've done great work or good work. I haven't made the twist, motherfucker. So you're saying that it would be tacky if you were to solicit them and ask them to? I mean, you would think by now they, you know, come on. Should I call the township and be like, yo, y'all should really put Chris Rock on that sign? I mean, you would think.

I mean, I don't know. You know what you have to do? No, but when you go on tour, are you able to play a place in that town? I'm able to play Charleston. So, yeah, it's like 50 miles away. Yeah, but is that really, okay, have you given back to that hometown? Not really. I mean, hey, I bought my mother house.

You got to do something there. And then, you know, the mayor proclaim it, Chris Rock Day. You're jokingly like, hey, you know it be funny. Yeah, when you drive in, it's my name. Right. I think. You know what? You're right.

You can, that's easy. Fix a park. I'll even, I'll even DJ the... A couple of basketball rims. Exactly. Chris Rock Park. No net. That's easy.

No nets. So how long did, you were just technically born there? I was just technically born there and then literally like the next weekend my parents came back to Brooklyn. There you go. That is so New York. Everybody originates from Carolina. Yeah, I think my mother just wanted her first child around her parents, pretty much. So she was visiting South Carolina.

Yeah, pretty. I mean, my parents, both of my parents are from South Carolina. They're both from South Carolina. But they lived in Brooklyn when I was, you know. So my whole, I was born, I was raised in Brooklyn. So what was, assuming that you were, yeah, you were born in early 60s, right? I'm born in 65. When I was born, Dr. King was a lot. You know Yes, I'm 51 years old

Yeah You still strike me in as 20-something Money is the best lotion in the world Say that shit I got to marinate on that one You ever watch Rock and Roll Everyone was like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one year I don't know

I think I was putting in the peppers or somebody Anyway Smokey Robinson was in inducting the miracle. So this is a group he was in. He was in the group. Right. He looked versus how they look.

He looked. It was like he was inducting his parents. Like his grandparents. It was unbelievable. Is there a secret moisturizer? I was just like, oh yeah. Smokey wrote the song. It's called Less Stress.

Really? Okay. Smokey, yeah. I feel like y'all are more shiny, so I didn't know if it was like a moisture. I was noticing that. Anyway, I picked up on it that night. Rod Stewart looks better than the guys In the faces

Yes It's like whoa Use actual moisturizers Yeah I mean I don't I don't know what the other Commodores look like But I don't think they look as good as Lila I'm gonna bet

Oh god So wait where in Brooklyn We're okay Until I was seven from time I was born to seven we're in Crown Heights and then from seven to you know whatever 20

until God do it until I had my kids until 30 something I was in a bedstye you don't strike me as Brooklyn because whenever I think of Brooklyn especially like when I first started coming to New York like 94 Brooklyn

every person had like the same intonation like yo what happened like everything was up here yo what's up here like I've never seen you in camouflage You never had like one leg rolled up in... No, no, I'm not bad cat. But I was there.

I'm there. I'm Marcy's not too far. I'm Decatur. Howard and Saratoga, right, you know, Brevoitz, where we played ball. And, you know... So why is it that, assuming that... I mean, you had two carrots and, you know, that shit. I was that guy.

He was corny. Oh, I was corny as a motherfucker. Couldn't get much cornyer than me. So why did you have to lose... Why'd you have to go to school with Vincent Hearst? Because that was what was going on back then. That's what, that's what a progressive parents did. That's what...

So the education was good, but just the social aspect was bad. It was busing. Bustin was a thing. So I went to school out in this place called Garrison Beach with poor white people. And where I was in school, you know, it's 72. So I was in second grade. 71 is first. So, yeah, I got off a bus and I saw niggers go home, sign.

in Brooklyn. Literally. In Brooklyn. Everybody was, you know, I got called nigger every day. And I had teachers say shit to me and whatever. I don't even... You were the only black kid there?

I was the only black boy. And there were three black girls. And we were the first black kids at that school. Were your friends at least? Or like, did you stick together? We were okay. I mean, I was fucking nerdy motherfucker. So, you know, I was bullies.

pretty bad, but if I went to a black school, I'd probably got bullied too. What was your nerdy look? I was just a little, you know, it's not even that you're nerdy. It's just when you're a kid, when you're a boy, especially, your size determines so much shit.

You know what I mean? Like, how fast are... Nobody fucked with me. How tall are you? How tall are you? How fast are you? How far can you throw a ball? Like, your physicality just determines where you're going to be. So my physical, I was a tiny motherfucker.

So I just determined that I was never going to be a cool kid. Like the only way I was going to be a cool kid, I would have to be bat shit crazy. You know what I mean? Really? And I wasn't bat shit crazy. The only little cool kids were bat shit crazy. So you didn't fall on TV? Oh, maybe you can play ball and be art.

I mean, I played everything, but I wasn't great at nothing. You know what I mean? So I ended up like that. that guy. Wow. I was that guy, but it's cool. How many years did you go there? To, I mean, I dropped out of school in the 10th grade, I believe. I'm talking to my dad, that. You went to the same school? I went to, I mean, we just talk about grade school. Then I went to junior high. But I meant at that same school in Benziner's. I went to different, you know, so grade school's PS27. Then you go to Marine Park, junior high. Then I went to

James Madison for a year and a half, went to Boys High for a half a year, went to a black school for a minute. And then I quit. And then you were just like, fuck it. Well, you get to a point where you're like, okay, I'm in a shitty school. I have shitty grades. Is this diploma worth any more than a GED? No. Why am I wasting my time?

So what did you do? I quit school, got a GED, like, two months. She did get a GD. Yeah, yeah, like two months later. It was just like, what the fuck? What am I doing? Right. And, you know, working dumb jobs, you know, stock boy.

I worked with mentally handicapped adults at like halfway houses, like these houses that. Yeah, yeah. Well, you just get out of jail. Well, sometimes they're in jail or whatever. So you're kind of like, you know, like you go to the mall and you see somebody like people taking autistic adults to a movie or whatever. Like I was one of those people. You wore a white suit or a white outfit. Yeah, or not or not, you know, just wrangling.

Oh, okay. How was that for you? Like, did you have, well, you were a nice companion? Oh, yeah, I was cool. I was cool. I was cool. It's a good job. It's a job.

You know, my family, I'm from a working family. Like rocks work Rocks have jobs And rocks have decent jobs So like doing that was one of those jobs Like one of those rare jobs Always hiring Because no who

You know It takes a special motherfucker To clean shit off a grown man Always hiring And does not pay minimum wage You can like So you mean like 14 an hour I made

I mean back then I probably made like seven or eight an hour Remember Minim wage was like five 3 35. Right. So he was making like nine an hour. You was a bad motherfucker.

Right. You know what I mean? Like you's... And everybody in my family always figured out, like, what shitty job that doesn't pay minimum wage that, you know? So my mother worked there. My aunt worked there. Like... What did your parents do?

My mother, she taught the mentally handicapped for a while for a lot. for a lot, you know, in between pregnancies. And my father drove a truck for the New York Daily News and Rangel Brewery. My father was this guy when I was a kid, you know, they didn't have any black guys in the unions. So my father was always like the first guy they would bring into the union. My father was like the Jackie Robinson of that shit. Not because he was like this great driver, which he was in no accidents. but they knew he could take it.

They knew he could like get called nigger all day and get like a bag of piss thrown at him and like... It was that bad. Naga, what do you... What... We're talking to the 70s. We're talking 60s and 70s.

We weren't legally free, legally until 68. Right. Okay? So when you change a law, the shit doesn't really go into effect the next day Oh Juneteen. You know what I mean?

Like, hey Apple chains the fucking charger. Well, still motherfuckers four years later with the old ass chargers. Still motherfuckers are iPods right now. You know, you take the tri-barrel bridge

to the airport. It hasn't been the tri-borrow bridge in almost 20, 30 years. Right. It's the fucking RFK bridge. Like that's how. how long it takes shit to get implemented. Right, right.

From the time it's passed. So just because it was illegal to do certain shit to black people doesn't mean that shit. Black people literally haven't been like relax free. Ever. To like 88. You're right. Like 88. Like you could like generally assume you're going to go.

some place today and no one's going to spit at you or say some fucked up shit to you. Even this shit still happens. It still happens. Okay, so if you're preparing for life for like blue-collared livelihood, where in the world does comedy

come in? Like, I mean, I grew up in a weird block. Everybody was funny on my block, Decatur Street in Brooklyn. I don't know. It's just a weird weird block. Everybody was hysterical. My uncles were hysterical too. I just I don't know. I just gravitated

to comedy. I loved music more but I wasn't that good. So I wasn't like a gifted rapper. I was a pretty decent DJ because I was from that era. Like we all

everybody on my block. We would go see Flash and we would like basically do whatever Flash did the next day. So wait, you would go venture, because I'd never heard of other boroughs like going to places where they didn't belong. Like, was that a risk?

Yeah, but who do you think they robbed? It wasn't robbing Bronx, niggas. They was robin Brooklyn and Queens. No, I know that, but if you're coming from, if you're not from around here. No, that was dangerous, I guess, but. You didn't care. Naga, Flash, nigga.

So it was worth that. Grand Wizard Theodore. I'm sorry, V. I live in the era of YouTube where I can just look at it in my bedroom. Flash, motherfucker. You don't understand that Flash, Theodore, DJ Flowers, these were superheroes. And it was worth risking your life to go see. This was like literally going to see the Hulk or Iron Man.

They were doing fucking superhuman feats. Okay? Okay, this was like, what? This shit spoke to us. This was the fucking North Star, motherfucker. Okay, the beginning of the hip hop with a gangster tapes and fucking busy bee fucking battles

and all that shit. Nega. So you didn't, I mean, you just... But how did that trickle to you? Because you just had cousins that have the tapes and stuff. This guy's on the block or whatever, or you hear them at,

Not really my white school, but when I got to a black school, yeah. It was, yo, that just was in the air. I always hung around guys older than me, too. That was a weird thing about me. So my crew was like all five years older than me. Yes, odd, right? Can't even go where they go. But you had a crew, though.

You couldn't really go. I mean, it wasn't like, you know, one of my secrets of show business is I've mastered the art of, like, just blending in a room. with motherfuckers and not making a sound and just let it, like the art of having people be at ease around you. So when you're around powerful motherfuckers and they just like, oh, he's okay. Oh, okay, you won't rock the boat. He doesn't rock the boat.

Like, oh, yeah, yeah. Forgotty was here. I forgot he was here. Like, oh, I'm the master of that shit. But I'm just saying. And I started at a young age. And it's a skill that eventually got better so I could be around Eddie Murphy or I could be around.

Prince or I could be around, I know how to be around motherfuckers without rocking the boat. So, but I mean, how did you avoid the trappings of gang activity? I mean, because you were a prime target to be. I don't know. I mean, I guess I was in a gang for a minute. I remember, I remember. Oh, wait a minute. I need.

No, no, I remember like a bullshit. Exclusive. The bullshit. I mean, you got to realize. We lived in fucking brownstones near the projects. Okay? So we were those guys. So they're looking at your beautiful house from the project?

Yeah, I mean, we had, you know. Are you in the brownstone? I lived in a brownstone. So here's a fucked up thing. When my dad died in, my dad died in 88. Mm-hmm. Okay. So my dad died.

We were in debt. We lost a house, whatever. That house was probably worth 40. grand. And that same house is like a million dollars now. So, yeah, it's crazy. Damn. It's crazy.

If we had any money, if we could have just held out for fucking five years. You and the rest of the black people in major cities. But what was the question? Well, avoiding the trappings of gangs. I don't know if it's avoiding. I mean, it was just where was my? Like, I didn't go outside. Where was my follow-up?

So, yeah, I was in a gang. I walked through the gauntlet and got beat up and whatever, and you're in the gang, right? But my follow-up wasn't, you know, I wasn't a gang follow-up guy. Like, a gang's like anything else. You got to follow-up. You got to read the meetings. You got to read the pamphlet, motherfucker. You got to watch all the episodes, whatever, whatever the following.

My follow-up wasn't there. My follow-up was comedy. My follow-up was music. That was my follow-up. You never went back after the beat down? That's some ill-shed. You know, so I was just wasn't with the follow-up. I wasn't with the, you know, it's like, oh, we're going to go downtown.

We're going to go downtown Brooklyn to snatch chains. I'm late to that meeting. I'm like, I'm not fast enough to be outrunning these motherfugglers. So at what point did you just, at what point did you just? You have really an option. When people get into this, I don't know, I'm just not, I refuse to be one of these. Comedy saved my life kind of people. Yeah, I refuse to be one of these fucking black guys.

If it wasn't for comedy, I'd be deader in jail. Get my fuck out of it. It wasn't for comedy I work for UPS, motherfucker. That's what I mean. Okay, you least knowledge that comedy did change the outcome of your life. I mean, comedy, yeah, it's giving me. Hey, it's 12 o'clock on a fucking Wednesday, and I'm talking shit with you. That's rich.

Yeah. Nah, dead ass. You know, I don't have a boss, whatever. You know, that's rich. But comedy, but here's the thing. I got two kids. I'm divorced. I live in a okay place.

I live in a great place. Guess what? If I worked at UPS, I probably have two kids. I'd probably be divorced You know My house wouldn't be this nice But it'd be something I thought was nice Right

What you knew? You know what I mean? I'd pretty much have the same record collection You know, I'd be Probably a little cheaper on what I'd download And whatever I wouldn't, you know I'd be more conscious of that 999 for an album or whatever

But I'd still have a ton of music and have a ton of comedy. So this is Questlove Supreme. I wouldn't know the President of the United States, but, you know. This is Quest Love Supreme on Ventura, and we're joined by the one and only Chris Rock. And we're talking about being satisfied in life. And comedy not saving, this is not,

he's not going to make this an unsung moment. Yeah, and then comedy came. You know, UPS is always hiring, so if you ever feel like you... UPS is always hiring. I mean, you know, I got a bad girl now. I don't have a bad motherfucker if I was a GPS. She is. Maybe not that bad.

Pronounce the last name right now. Huh? Pronounce the last name right now. Megalind Etriquake. The fact that you had to look up to the right corner and think about them. I want to get it right. Is that like some part? Is that a country in, I'm assuming she's Nigeria.

She's Nigerian? Get out. That ain't no Igbo. That's like Europe or something. Well, you know, they're tribe. No, she's Igbo. She's Igbo? Yeah.

So, anyway. I wouldn't have. That one. But I'd have one. One Nigerian, another. There's always a fine chick at Banana Republic. So, I mean, at what point did you go from, like, at what point did you go from being the funny guy to, like, oh, I'm going to go to Catch a, was Catch a Rising Star like the goal back then? Or was it just like?

You know what? I didn't. Put this way. Okay. I've told this story before, but I'll tell it to you. I don't know the story, Chris. I was online. Yes.

I was literally online at Radio City. It was February. 11th, 1984, 85, I forget. I think of 84. And I was online to get tickets for Eddie Murphy at Radio City. This is, you know, people forget there was a world before ticket, you know, whatever.

People used to stand online. Ticketmaster. Blocks. I used to do that. Fascinating. I did that for a Rhythm Nation, 1814 tickets. Slept outside. Yeah. Purple Rade tour. Victory tour. Same thing. Anyway, so I'm on block four.

Like Eddie Murphy tickets were ridiculous. And I'm just sitting there reading the paper because I'm assuming I got a

whatever, a four hour wait. Wait. Easily. And while I'm reading the paper because I was

that nerdy motherfucker, I saw an ad for comedy clubs. And it's one said, Catch Rise and Star and I was like,

okay, let me go there. And I walked from Radio City to catch, I don't know, 40 blocks or whatever the fuck. You got your tickets, though, right? No, I never got the tickets. Oh, shit.

And they were having an audition night. So I went from one line to another. So I went there and said there were 30 wannabe comedians outside. Right. Today's audition night. So first I went to comic strip. It wasn't audition night. I went to Catch, which is around the corner.

And it was audition night. So I asked some guy like, what do you do? So, well, a guy comes out. We pick a number at 6 o'clock. And then you come back around 10 o'clock or whatever. And you get to do five minutes if you're one of the seven. So you come back at 8, right? And I got lucky number 7.

And I came back called my boy Hammy and Kev. and me, Hammy, Kevin, and Darren, I believe. And I auditioned that night. And I'd never been in a comedy club. You freest out? I basically freest out because I'd never been in a comedy club.

So I'm in this club. They sat us like in the back of the side. And I was literally watching my first non-famous comedians. This first time I'd seen like a comedian not on a tonight show. Just like, wow, there's a lot of comedians here. So I watched these guys.

for about two hours and then, you know, two, three hours. And like late in the night, it was my turn. And I went up and I did, I would say it was three minutes. And I killed. You did? Yeah. And the guy told me I passed audition. And this guy named Mike Egan told me I passed the audition.

He was like the creative director of Catcherizing Star. And I've been doing it ever since. If he didn't tell me, he said, you passed audition, you can work here any night you want. If he doesn't say that to me, I probably don't go back. It's probably like this thing I did. It was fun. It was a one-off. Yeah, it was probably a one-off.

Do you know what you talked about? Just some dumb jokes. I remember I had one stupid joke. Miles Davis is so black, lighten the bugs follow him in the daytime. That was like, that was one of the jokes. A Miles Davis joke. Yeah, like, Miles Davis was alive. Right, yeah, that was the...

I saw you say one of your home was name was Hammy. Is that where Hammy the beer came from? Yeah. Hammy might be 10 years older than me. But he's like the old guy on the block. He would give you work. He owned a brownstone. His parents' dad, he had the brownstone.

He'd have me and my boy Darren like, okay, you're going to strip the wood, you know, underpay us to do fucking horrible jobs. But he always had like comedy albums and shit. He was like that guy. He was like the black guy that had a rush album. album. It's like playing Russian.

So he must have been really influential in you. Yeah, there's a lot of drugs. A lot of drugs around. A lot of music. A lot of DJs on my blog. A lot of want to be comics, but really want to be DJ. Who famous was in your proximity? Maybe you didn't know at the time.

Was Lilo Thomas across the street? Nah, you know who lived right around the corner? We used to play football against. What's my man? Jam on it. Nuclear? Nuclius, yeah, yeah, yeah, Cosmo. Cosmo D.

Cosmo D lived literally like. I was on Decatur. Cosmo D was on Bainbridge. My first, you know, I went, you know, before I dropped out, I was in a black school for a minute, right? Boys and Girls High. Fresh Gordon, you know, fresh. Oh, yeah. Fresh Gordon was in there.

Fresh Gordon who allegedly, you know, he made, oh, yeah, but allegedly he made the beat for Larry Love. Of course, yes. He did, because it's the same goddamn beat. And I refuse to believe that Gavin Christopher, do you know Gravin Christopher? The R-B, yeah, yeah. He, like, it's his production. He and I argue about this on Facebook.

I'm like, there's no way that. And allegedly, he did a couple of those Herbie Love Bug beats for Salt and Pepper. For Salt and Pepper. It sounds about right. Allegedly. No, I believe that Fresh Gorton made, especially Larry Love. I believe that. Yeah, so.

Same drums. He was there. There was a group called the Dynamite 2 made a record called Can't Stop till I reached the top And what the fuck is that other record? I forget the other record. I used to load crates for them

And carry crates for them They played to Roxy a couple of times Freddy B and the Mighty Mike Masters We just talked about that with Q-Tip Oh you know Freddy B and a mighty mic masters? Yeah Like right across the street One of my oldest friends

Literally I lived at 619 Freddie B lived at 610 Okay. Okay. So Freddie being a mighty mic masters are there. Dwayne Pearl Washington's in my homeroom class, one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. Okay. Just died.

Prince Marky Ds around there. Oh, wow. A lot of cats, man. Like, you know, lots of lots. I'm trying to think, who am I forgetting? I don't know I mean but I hung out too I mean you know I went to the fever

A little bit I was at the Latin quote I'm a big Latin quarter guy Yeah that's where I was going to go next Because I was in Latin quarter No interview is complete without Latin Quarter Latin Quarter fucking everyone

Funhouse What the fuck is the one on 57th Street Not not Bentley's Bentley's are some other shit I've never heard of Bentley Oh my God Bentley's a nigga Bentley's was the ultimate R&B spot of all time.

Did you have to dress R&B? Were they like, you had to wear a suit? Your Sunday clothes. Not allowed. So would you have ballets? It was like one of those places that's like, fuck hip hop. It's like, fuck hip hop. This is Lilo Thomasville.

So why would you want to go to Bentley's? Because all the bad girls are at Bittlies. You know, like, fine girls. Like Eddie Murphy hung out at Bintleys. Eddie Murphy and Rick James Like after they left Studio 54 They go to Bentley's So was Studio 54 still a thing in the 80s

Nah, not really But it was open Was it technically open? It was like technically open sometimes I'm trying to think Listen to the Red Parrot Was the one on 57th Street Which is...

I've heard of the Red Parrot But Red Parrot was like The Cross between Bentley's And the Latin Quarter So it was like It was R&B So you weren't like

A Paradise Garage Garage guy like no no no that was too gay for me that was like I mean I was young like you know when you're young it was not that I was homophobic I was just like what is that what is that what is that I see yeah you're just like okay

you guys plus I hated house music there's some bad girls the girls my god the girls that were at the Paradise Garage were just ridiculous so I was a big figuring out when a club let out and being outside motherfucker he was a let out dude

You're the let out motherfucker. Parking lapinnell. They have to pay for drinks. Yeah. And kind of act like you was there. You're all right. Yeah, we're going to the thing. We're going to get some pancakes and so and so.

Like you was there all night. I'm tired. Y'all is all night. Oh, man. I hate the fact that in 2017, I'm finally understanding what parking lot pimping. Oh, this is straight up. Let's put a let out.

Big parking. parking lot pimp, man. Parking lot, it's the only real pimping. Wait, were you driving back then? You know, I had a Toyota Corolla. My father had a 76

light blue El Dorado that he occasionally that he let you dress. Then I would steal from them occasionally. You know, it wasn't that, you know, it wasn't, you know,

once crack came out, motherfuckers was driving benzes and shit. You were just done. Oh, okay. But for a minute there, any car worked. Having a car in New York just seemed like a privilege. I don't know. I mean, what? I was a black kid.

Right. I was never getting a cab. And, you know, the train was like, you know, it was before Giuliani. This shit was crazy. So, you know, that shit. Plus, I was just weird. I wanted to go to all the shit. I wasn't getting high, so I got out a lot. Like, my boy,

boys would, you know, every Friday, everybody come from their shitty job or whatever the fuck. And we would talk about going somewhere. And, of course, no one would ever make it anywhere because they've been basing cocaine by... I thought you meant weed. I'm sorry. You said hi. I was like, oh, weed. No.

Yeah, I was like, well, I was just... You get off work. You're like, everybody's, hey, yeah, we're going to go to the city. We're going to go to the deuce. And, you know, and six becomes seven. Okay, we're going to leave at seven, and seven becomes nine. And nine becomes... I'm fucked up.

Okay. and we're going to smoke for just a little while. And basically, you know, whatever. We became Coke, which became crack. So that role you played in New Jack City was not, it didn't require a research. No, I didn't think you did. I wasn't saying you did. I was just meaning that you didn't have to go and do some research.

No, no, no, no, no. Everybody I was with was, you know, doing something. So because I didn't really, you know, I drank. And I had a high tolerance. So weird. I had a much higher tolerance than I do now. The father drove for Rangel Brewery. So, like, one of his first jobs before the Daily News.

So, you know, it was a lot of giving here, drink this, drink this. When I was a kid, I would go to his job. This is how, there wasn't even a thing called drunk driving back then. It was just acceptable. So they just had a water fountain and a beer fountain that looked exactly like the water fountain. Wait, what? At the brewery. Like, who is like.

I'm sorry. That's worth it. Simpson's drink. Yeah, it was like Homer Simpson's drink. I do that shit and I don't even drink. Yeah, like. And they would lift you up and you could try. Just got a picture and lifting you up.

Yeah, I remember my Uncle John. My Uncle John was kind of alcoholic. And I just remember being cars with him going to South Carolina, him drinking the whole way. As he's driving. Never thinking twice about it. Never feeling in danger at all. Wow.

Sometimes we'd have to, this is a story. Like whenever like my grandfather died or my old uncle died, this happens. It still happens today. So an old black person dies, a guy. And what happens is you, the good part of the family, your job is to go get the guns before the bad part of the family comes. It's like a Carolina trick. What? That sounds like something passed down. Wait, what?

Sometimes it's down south. No. So it's like... Everyone does this. It's like, oh shit. Granddaddy died. We got to get down there and get them guns before junior and Ronald get there. Before your bad cousins get there.

We got to get these guns and throw them away. We can't let the guns get into the wrong hands. Yeah, that's real, though. Wait, side note, do you know... No one here has done that? No. No, it's not personally, but I don't have done it. Not with guns.

Shut up, Steve. I mean, sometimes. Did you guys talk to the story? Latoya Jackson with Michael? Latoya Jackson with Michael. You didn't hear the story? Uh-uh. Oh, God.

Okay, so. Did he have a porn? Apparently. Somebody to go get all the porn out of his house? Apparently. Steve's my porn guy, by the way. If I die first. What?

If you die, if you die would clear my Google search bar? Oh, Steve knows where all the bodies are hidden. Literally. No, apparently. Apparently, so when Michael Jackson passed and every family member is running to Cedar Sinai in L.A., she ran right to his apartment where, there's the blackest shit ever. The apartment? Where, I mean, he had a condo somewhere in Beverly Hills and knew where the stash of $5 million cash was inside the wall. Like, Mike had a just-in-case shit.

But that's some real shit. Like, I don't know any black person, do you have a just in case some shit happens, Nike box with... Trump makes me want to. I just don't believe in it because it just makes people like want to rob you. Well, I mean, you don't let the world know, but I mean like... Between having, you know, work done at your house, I don't believe in safes, you know. A safe just makes somebody want to come back and rob, like. tie you up.

I just know I know motherfuckers that have been tied up and beat the fuck down like, where is it, nigga? Where is it,

like I know yeah, I definitely know a couple of cats that have been tied up and shit themselves. Oh shit. Do we know that?

Celebrity cats or like cats in the game? Celebrity, maybe one celebrity and one normal submills. He knows everyone. It's like

the motherfucker just had you know two, say $10,000 worth of jewelry and safe, but it's a safe, so everybody

thinks there's so much shit in there. Oh, wow. So you put a Rolex in there, and you're like, nigga, put your Rolex in your drawer. Do not get a safe for your fucking Rolex. I agree. Because somebody's going to break in your house,

and they're going to think you have a lot more. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that, trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends, Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone, I'm Ego Vodam. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell.

My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day. And I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved.

And he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck.

Listen to Thanks Dad on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. All right. Tell me a legendary Latin quarter story. Wait, did you ever perform at the Latin Quarter? No, never performed at the Latin Quarter. I thought you did. I mean, what do I have? Like you were there the first night you saw?

It's so weird. It's like when I see Latifah or Kid and Play or Light. Or like a lot, have when he was alive, like a bunch of, it's like we went to high school together. Because we all know each other from the quarter. It's like a ton of us. You know, all the guys. some X-Klan, like, just a bunch of motherfuckers that just, we all went to this fucking same club.

I remember, I don't know, what's a good story? Just being, again, I just had this weird ability to blend in with motherfuckers. So I remember coming outside the quarter and Eric B playing me the beat from Follow the Leader, just sitting at Eric B's truck with a bunch of other young kids. cat's just like and Eric be explaining to you what the fucking records is going to be

and you're so into the shit you knew you and Ra's going to say this and he's going to say fuck like he that shit I remember being outside it's weird

just being outside the thing and Chuck playing the beat from welcome to the Teradome what? Yeah and just hearing that shit this in a truck

like does him open up the back and playing that shit. I remember being in the quarter when Rebel Without a pause came out. Okay? And watching Melly Mell get pissed the fuck off

every time he heard that shit because he thought Chuck was taking his shit and that motherfucker would walk to the DJ booth and skip the record. Fuck this thing. We also Meli Meli Meli Meli Hayton stories

Yeah, there's been so many Penny Mennie Mell stories, bro We gotta get Penny Mell But who's gonna test them now? Oh no, that motherfucker's like Yo, this is the real deal Melly Mell and Scorpio

The motherfuckers always ran together Right They were brothers though They're like, you know It's like Bobby Either Mr. Ness. It's like Bobby and Ralph Tresbant Always hanged together

It's like Melly Meli Mel and Scorpio Wow I remember I remember being in a car I remember Again I just had this weird ability I remember

I'm outside The hip hop story I'm outside the The Rock the Bell's tour Okay So LL's at the garden And I'm just like I might have been

And I'm gonna get you sucker Like I'm like So I'm outside the garden, you know, saying one rib trying to get in the fucking garden. Like, how do I get in? Like, you know, everybody thought they knew somebody, right?

Anyway, Mike Tyson gets me in. Right. Mike, hey, you, you know Eddie, whatever. So, I'm in the garden, me and Mike Tyson, like, right, like, you figure out the year. Me and Mike Tyson and Naomi Campbell. on top of chairs.

There's other thing, too, is I always look like, you think I look young from my age now. I looked, so back then... You look 12. Yeah, when I was 20, I looked 12. So it was like, hey, let the kid have it.

It was a big part of it. So I remember, Scott LaRocca just died. So watching Carus one do his first show at the garden, like literally the weak, Scott LaRock died. So it was like September 87?

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Watching public enemy for the first time like unfurl what the fuck this is. Right. They're on early. Like, you know, doing the first album. Right. You know, what the fuck was, you know?

Yo bum rustle show. Yo bum rush the show. You know, Oozie weighs a ton, like that show. But they had the hot jam at the time, so they do rebel it out of a show. So it's me, Mike, and Naomi. Like that shit. Ella, watching Ella come out the radio.

But so we went to a party later. And I think Naomi gave Scorpio her number. While she's with Mike Tyson. She was hanging? Yeah. And then. Okay. You know, Scorpio, hey, white lines was out, motherfucker.

They wasn't dead. Right. You know what I mean? Like, you know what I mean? Like, Grand Master Flash, Furious, that shit wasn't dead. That's Mike Tyson knock a nigger out Mike Tyson. Right. That's fucking Mike Tyson. This is before ears and jail.

You know, anyway. So he was a cool person. Because I always hear people like hanging out with Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson is the best guy in the world to hang out. He is? Yeah, I used to love hanging out with Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson is very vulnerable too. Like very, I remember

I'm digressing, but I remember one of the last times I hung out with him. We're both in, okay, I'll get, we're both in Jersey. How we're in Jersey, I don't know. We're like some house party or some shit. How to fuck we're there? I don't know.

Anyway, we're at the blackest party in the world. Okay? She's black. In Jersey? In Jersey, right? Wait, not in your adult lives, Jersey. It's semi-adult life.

I mean, are you Chris Rock? I'm kind of famous, right? SNL, Chris Rock. Yeah, anyway, so we're there. Me and Mike Tyson are kind of drunk, and we're both kind of like, we're both called ourselves ugly, and we're like, if we weren't rich, we could never get these girls. We're just depressed.

But the funny thing that happened that night, it's the blackest party in the world. Kishon Johnson's there, a bunch of jazz. In walks Bill Belichick. Who's not even the coach of the Jets? Wait, it just ends right there. What? Bill Belichick walks into the blackest party in the world. Was he pissed? Because he's always pissed.

Looks at Kishad and maybe one other jet and goes, come on. Gets them and gets like, you niggas go into bed. We got a game ball. That day is an old one. Damn. Your daddy showed up to the party. That was a record scratch. Joe Belichick's in here.

Anyway. Phil up and they're like Robin Harry. When he was like a coordinator, he's not even a head coach. Anyway, Naomi Camel gave her number to Scorpio. Mike Tyson realizes this, and there's a slow boil. There's a slow boil cut to me, Mike Tyson, and Naomi Campbell in a car. Going up Madison Avenue and Mike Tyson. I don't want to hear the story.

kicking Kicking Naomi Campbell out of a moving car. Oh! Oh. I don't even understand the formatic. Might use the original Gucci main.

Was his foot? Was it his actual foot? I think it was his foot. I don't know. I'm just like, yeah, that was back of the day. Oh, God. Back of the day.

I've seen a lot. So let's go back to comedy. Let's go to comedy. We've seen a lot. So comedy saved your life. Again. Again. I looked like I was 12.

Hey, come on, kid. Stop saying you guys. All right, so this quest love Supreme Court and Van Dura and Chris Rock is our guest this weekend. We're talking about kicking bitches out the car. The baddest motherfucker of all time. Oh, my God. Anyway.

I remember after I did, like, Bring the Pain or something, I'm in L.A. I'm at whatever, fly hotel, and I see Naomi Campbell. She's like, Chris. Chris was like, like, finally I'm going to get this pussy. You know, I'm on, whatever I'm on. I'm all over to play.

Some host of MTV Awards, like back when I was Drake, like, you know what I was? Like, I was that nigga for a minute. Yeah. And I was like, yeah, what's up? And she's like, do you have Eddie's number? I was like, ah, God,

if I can't get this pussy now, I'm sorry. I'm never getting this. She saw you want your come up. She was like, no, I know who you really had. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, we both saw each other on the come up, so there you go. All right.

You never got it. Speaking of Eddie, speaking of Eddie, Eddie's the best. The infamous Blackpack. What Blackpack. I mean. I mean, I know there's the myth of the Blackpack. Black Pack is like L.A. rap.

It's just Dre. It's just Dre and tentacles. Dre's Snoop. It's just Dre. I mean, there's Dre and Ice Tea and everything else. Everything else has a, Dre Tenticle All right

It was like literally So who's Drey and Eddie Murphy? So the black pack is Eddie Murphy Okay Literally everybody How'd you first meet him? Huh?

Go ahead How'd you first meet him? I met Eddie at the comic strip In New York I was there one night I wasn't even on the schedule I was just like hanging out watching comedians

I was gonna stack chairs later Like just earned my way on the stage And he came in And it was really Eddie Murphy It was not Dr. Dula Eddie Murphy. It's like leather suit. Like people don't realize Eddie Murphy used to wear leather suits

on a regular? It's on a Tuesday. Like just on a tooth like this motherfucker was Elvis or some shit. This shit was like he was like Thor. He was like Iron Man. A motherfucker who used to walk around with boots and fucking leather suits or

zebra skin suits like crazy. Like anyway. So he comes in you know I was walking, you know, you look outside. There's like five porches and he's got the real entourage and he's got the baddest girl you ever seen. And you're like, God damn it. He's got shades

on in the fucking inside. And they didn't have any black comics on that night. And he asked the owner of the club, like, what are you black guys? It's like, oh, we have one right here. Wait, that's literally how that starts. It's literally how it went down. And I went on.

You know, I guess I'd been doing it maybe three years at that point, something like that. And I killed. I fucking ripped it. Like, are you planning or you just freestyle? Like, whatever it's like? Do it? Like, do you plan? Like, I plan a DJ gig?

Like, prepare. I was so weird. I saw you this weekend. You definitely. I was like, oh, shit, this is all planned out. Yeah. Like, you got to plan shit. Did I plan?

I didn't plan on meeting Eddie Murphy. that night. I mean, I planned on working on the set in front of five people at two o'clock in the morning. But are you planning one day, like, Richard probably might walk in here. I'm going to be on my best, or? But even then, like, do you want to kill in front of them? Like, what if you're, like, a threat? Like, say some guy that you see now is, like, red hot at 18. Are you saying to yourself, like, hmm, are you looking at Michael Chee, like, might be a threat or, oh, I can help him out? I'm 20 years older than Michael Chee. So, I mean, we're always going to appeal to different people.

But there are people that want to keep their post. I put this way, if I thought like a guy like Michael Chee wasn't on the path to success, yes, I would try to help him out. Hey, I did it with Leslie Jones. Like, hey, Lauren, you should look at this person. I've done it a bunch of J.B. Schoole, I got a misjob over there. You're the reason we have two black women. Thank you.

You know, I mean, it's a bunch of, this is a bunch of people far too many to fucking, you know. And Eddie's done the same. I feel like you and him genuinely want to help. But like, I'll, okay, there is a certain MC, I won't name, that I know will associate himself with someone with lesser swag. It might have a little street credibility going on

that has lesser swag. But he will never stand to someone that's a real threat to him and outshine him. But he'll choose, like he's very choosy on who he picks to endorse and take their cool from because, you know, it ups his street credit. But won't really co-sign or get in the ring with someone that could really. I mean, persuade. Unless a person is a celebrity. Young cats are young cats, and I don't know.

I try to help and to try to, you know. Eddie was cool to me. Keenan was cool to me. You know, there was a bunch of guys that were talked to me when they didn't have to talk to me. So I try to, you know, somebody asked me a question of Trevor Noah calls me

or Michael or whatever, you know, I try to drop knowledge. As far as peers, I mean, Like Dave, I love Dave. And... I mean, are you technically older? Are you in Dave?

Do you consider you two the same? No, no, I'm 10 years older than Dave. So what's a generation in comedians? Do you have to be 10 years? I don't know what it is. I mean, on paper, we should probably hate each other. Okay. Because we're, you know, P-Funk and Earthwood and Fire.

We're always going to be... Right. You know what I mean? Eddie and Pryor weren't boys. Richard and Pryor weren't boys I don't know I've made a conscious decision that I'm going to love Dave

Wait they weren't boys They did all night's together They did haul them nights together But they weren't But was this polite They weren't boys I don't want to speak too much out of whatever But they weren't boys

Okay okay I guess I was never at any's house And saw Richard You know You know what I mean I never was like You know what I mean

I never saw them hang out except on a movie set. You know what I mean? They acknowledge each other. You know what I mean? Like there's no, you know, they're not at a fight together or none of that shit.

They're not, they acknowledge each other. And Richard was older than Eddie, so does that shit. But, you know, I love Dave. I mean, Dave is, for my money,

the best in the world, really. It's like, the guy that, like, I'm like, sometimes I see him and I got to wrap my mind around what the fuck he just did.

I'm like, God damn it, How do you fucking do that shit? You know? It's a gift. So I don't know. I don't know. It's too much fun when you play with people.

You know what I mean? Right. It's too much fun to have, like, it's lonely being good. You know what I mean? So if you see somebody else good, it's, you know what I mean? Is it even harder to be friends with someone that's not as good that doesn't know it yet? You're brutally honest. I don't do bad talent.

I don't. Oh, I feel honored. I think. hang out with untalented people I don't fuck untalented people I don't like

I sit next to untalented people I don't like I always think you know you know shitty artistry is sexually transmitted

so I don't fuck with that shit well Dave actually said Dave said no but the thing is Dave said that you're a tough

critic so it's like oh yeah I'm tough he's tough too but you're I mean, what makes you comfortable enough? I mean, I respect the fact that you will just...

I like a work ethic. I mean, some guys that I think aren't that good, but I like their work ethic. And then there's some guys, some guys, I think, are great. I'm not going to say names. I think are hysterical and hate their work ethic. And they piss me off.

It's like, oh, this motherfucker is wasting ridiculous talent. Oh, my boy. Okay. Yeah. I'm going off script. There's a few of them. There's a few of them that, like, ooh, I wish I was as funny as this guy or this guy. Oh, you're talking about comedy.

Just in comedy, yeah, yeah. Oh, shit. Okay. I was talking about music. Like, I ain't the funniest comedian. You know, there's some funny motherfuckers that just don't work on their shit that don't, you know. How does that happen, though? Treat it special.

Because sometimes. So there's still some person that's doing an OJ joke that's like, you know. I mean, sometimes it's happening. You see it in sports sometimes. where the game comes too easy to you. So when the game comes too easy to you, it's hard to be LeBron. It's hard to be physically better than everybody

and practice more. You know what I mean? That's fucking hard. Well, you're also a guy who you let me know. I'm shocked that you want to work on your material and unorthodox places that aren't easy for you. You told me you go to certain clubs in Florida

that, you know, isn't your audience or whatever and you feel like, okay, well, if I'm funny here, then I know it's good for my special. Yeah, I like to. Well, I'm, you know, I'm old. I remember Muhammad Ali and, you know, he would go somewhere.

They'd go up in the mountains and they would train and training was eight weeks. And for eight weeks, if he lived a certain way, he could beat anybody. in the whole world. So I try to like adapt that thing. Like, okay, let's get away. Let's get away from all the distractions.

And, you know, okay, maybe it's not eight weeks, but it's two weeks or three weeks. So you'll go to a comedy club in Columbus, Ohio, or Palm Springs, Florida. I'm trying to find a spot in Nashville right now, like something. So are you saying like I want to pick the places where no one would ever find me funny? Not even not find me funny.

I'm just trying to get away. Like really get away from a comfort zone. But isn't it hard for them? Like a pure genuine laugh and not like. But the question I have. When you're around your friends, you don't even have to complete sentences. You don't even have to finish words.

When you're not around your people, now you have to enunciate. You know what I mean? But the thing is, okay, now when you told me that you would go to, where is it, Palm Springs in Florida? I know West Palm sometimes. Yeah, but how do you know

that they're just not blinded by your celebrity? Because comedy is not that. Celebrity only works for six, eight minutes. And then people, you deal,

when you're a musician, you know, no disrespect, but I'll disrespect them. I don't go to fuck. I look at these motherfuckers going on stage singing songs they wrote 30 years ago,

20 years ago, five years ago, whatever the fuck, that they've sung a hundred times, that shit's easy Because it's proven It's proven The audience knows it You're right

Now I got to do What a comedian has to do Is literally give people Brand new hit records Yeah Every night Like an hour and 20 minutes Of brand new hits

They've never heard before What the fuck So no audience is faking that love Right You don't want it from a musician but you want it from a comedian. You want new shit. You do not want old or...

Hey, I can watch Delirious. I've probably watched Delirious 400 times. But if I went and saw Eddie Murphy live, I'd be mad as a motherfucker if he did jokes from Deliris. When people go see live comedy, they want live comedy. They almost want to feel like you got this shit, you thought this shit up tonight. Which is why Dave makes it so hard for you to tape the shows

and he has all these different ass and stuff, which is dope because he's going to pass it around. and Beyonce it. I still say you should do your greatest hits tour. Like, it's a review. That shit's done. Or cover songs. I did it.

I did it. I mean, you know, it's weird before all this, and I don't really want to talk about it, but before all this Cosby shit happened, I definitely was going to do a part in the tour where I did like a long Cosby bit, but I can't do that shit now. Why not?

Because it's just his, you know. It's too hot. It's too hot. His spot's too hot. and you know Would it have favored Is that why

It wouldn't have Is that like favored Not favored I mean No what Not talking about him But doing

I was gonna I was gonna do one of his bits I suggested that he do I was gonna do either a dentist bit Or The whole Russell Who my brother My brother Russell

Man I would love that shit You know what I mean Like that would be so cool To like do one of his bits But I'm not gonna You know You can't

People can't separate I don't think you do Cosby but I think you should do something I think you should do Bob Newhart I might do like some Rodney jokes or something I don't know but like danger

Danger feel yeah Awesome Yeah I mean I just I wouldn't mind doing it up You know like you go to every rap show This is a fucking the Tupac Biggie tribute It's like That's what I'm saying

It's like okay in a comedy show You got your fucking Rodney Cosby Carlin Carlin Carlin Probably like if you do like One of them

And have their face behind you. Yeah, that'd be like so cool, right? Dude, that's what I want you to do this to work. Yeah, but I still got to write a fucking hour and a half of my own shit. But I'm just saying a part of the show. You know, maybe that's my own car. Maybe that's my own car. That's a

fucking great safe encore. Yes, I believe it. I think you should do that. I can't do Cosby. So, let's, you know, let's not talk. You're from Philly. I'm not bringing up Bill Cosby. No, no, no. Not at all. Sorry, dude.

So, you, you, you said you killed in front of Eddie. Like, did you know he was watching you at the time? Yeah, I mean, they brought me up. I met him. And I went up and I did my thing and I heard the, uh, uh, uh, uh, and what did you feel inside when you heard that? You know, I was, I was a cocky young kid. I was. So you weren't humble like, oh, gosh to meet you, sir? I mean, I was humble to meet him. I mean, obviously he was my fucking idol. You know what I mean? He's not even that much old. He's like five years older to me. But, uh, he's, Oh shit.

But he might as well be 25 years older to me. It turns his career and what he had done before. Yeah, for what he had done, he was a lot older than me, mature wise. Anyway. And I don't, but, you know, I mean, put this way, I was so cocky as a kid. I'm not, you know me, I'm not that guy now. But when I was a kid, I listened to his first album, the one at the comic strip with the, you know, boogie in your butt and whatever. And I just thought, I could do that.

this shit. Like, I didn't like it. You didn't? And I loved everything he did and didn't like that album. So... You still feel that way now? I like it more now. Is that his Yo bum rush the show to Delirite? That's funny, because I like that record better than like Delirious. No, Delirious is fucking...

See, I wasn't allowed to watch Delirious, so all my delirious... I know Delirious based on people doing it for me in school. Yeah. That's how I... And basically, Wilson, I just realized, like, for long as delirious was never available on DVD or any format like when we were touring in the 90s so when it finally came out on like DVD like maybe like 1997-98 whatever

then I finally realized like oh god Will Smith has just been doing delirious on the Fresh Prince of Bel Air like I didn't realize that a little bit well I mean his attempt of it I mean of course you know that Will Smith studied everything about DeLeries. And then made that his persona. Yeah. Deliris is fucking, it's the best shit ever.

Yeah, I wish I could have experienced that. The ice cream man? I know, but it's like, imagine. That movie. He should make the Ice Cream Man is coming. Imagine being. The ice cream man is coming. The ice cream man is coming.

Imagine being in a coma during the whole duration of Michael Jackson's meteoric rise between like 81 to like let's give him some bad years to 89 like that was me blood on a dance floor is that what you're talking like if I were in a coma right at the tail end of off the wall and I woke up like maybe at the end of dangerous

like I just everything anything Eddie Murphy related was just taken away from me as a kid not even like coming to America so you said that he took you to L.A. Like at what point? Literally, so we hung out that night a little bit. I went up to, I was at Bubble Hill.

What was that shit like seeing at the 8? How, you were at 17 at this time? It's around 19, 1920, something like that. He named the Bubble Hill or was it, that's what it's called? He named the Bubble Hill. So weird, I live in that neighborhood now. Uh-huh. It's so crazy.

So crazy. Yeah, I hung out. We went to see, he said, all right, we go on the movies. tomorrow, meet us on, whatever. Broadway and 79th or whatever the fuck it was. So he would go to a real movie theater. And I'm out there waiting.

Next thing you know, there's whatever, three limos, four limos of guys and shit and chicks. And we saw she's got to have it. Spike Lee was selling t-shirts outside the theater. First time I met Spike. What? Wow.

Oh my God. Were y'all talking in the movie the whole time? I can only imagine. No, no, no, no, no. Was this special screening for him? No, no, no, no. It was just like, there's a black guy making it that made his own movie. Let's go see it. And we saw she's got to have it, hung out.

And, you know, he's asking me about, you know, I was, I guess I was like his liaison to the club. The streets. To the club. To, you know, he was thinking about touring and shit. So it's like a lot of like, is so-and-so still there? It was like a lot of that shit. him asking me about comedians and shit. And he's like,

hey, we're going to L.A. tomorrow. You want to hang? Yeah. What the fuck? Why not? And just like that, you get on a plane? Did you send you a pilot?

Then he goes, Oh, Frutie, make sure Chris Rock's got a ticket. Oh, wow. And it's like, Frutie gets Chris Rock a ticket. I'm there and it's... This is your first trip to L.A. That's my first plane ride.

Very. Ooh, ooh. Was it a mind fuck for you? It was a mind fuck a little bit? It was a mind fuck It was a little bit of a mind fuck Went out to L.A. Stayed at my first hotels

Do all that shit. Met Arsidio, met Robert Towson, met Keenan, met Damon, met Who else is there?

Damn. You know, all the other Wayne's brothers. Sean and Marlin. So they're in L.A. by this time. Yeah, everybody's in L.A. Did you not know them from their New York run? I knew Damon.

I knew Damon. I was going to say Damon had been on S&L for a minute. Oh, that's right. I forgot about that. The shot A joke. Yeah, I'm going to say Damon. Sadie. Been on S&L for a minute.

But I ended up with two lines of Beverly Hills cop. I auditioned for the Tonight Show. Didn't get it. But Eddie's manager liked me. So I ended up being signed by Eddie's manager. And Richie Tinkin. Just in one fell swoop? Yeah, everybody. For a second, you know, like, you know, it's like, we are like every guy is like the next Jordan.

Right. Or the next LeBron. I was one of the, you know, I was. This guy might be next. Yeah, this guy might be the next Eddie Murphy. I was like one of those guys. When you did Arsenio for the first time, when you did Arsenio for the first time, how far was that? Because I remember the night you did your first Arsenio. That was probably a couple of years after that. I was in high school, so it was 80. I mean, it was. I mean, it was. I mean, it was like, Arsenio, we did that Uptown Comedy Express thing. Uptown Comedy Club. Yeah, so we did that. Oh, no, no, Uptown Comedy Express was HBO special, right?

Right. With, like, Marshall Warfield. So it's me, Arsidio, Marshall Warfield, Barry Sobel. Yeah, I remember that. And Robert Townsend. I got in trouble for watching that. Have you played with Eddie? Have you been in the basement and had to play drums?

I got summoned to work on some music. There you go. He hired me twice to DJ, uh, there's parties for him. Okay. But yeah, I think yeah, we just gave each other pounds. Like, it's too, I think

knowing you is Eddie Murphy enough. Like, I don't know. It's weird. You know, like, you might not want to meet Sir, I wouldn't want to meet Michael Jackson. I don't know if I want to meet Eddie Murphy. Yeah, no, no. I'm, hey, man, I'm... You say, like, he's still the funniest guy in the room. He's the funniest guy in the room. He's still the funniest guy in a room.

and even I still a little bit fucking am intimidated by him I just hung out with him But he likes you and you know he likes you. A couple of months ago Sometimes he likes me Oh No I don't know

Wait how's he feel now that you've come up He's been great I can't I mean he's usually the first call When I do something good Whatever he's So the night after bringing the pain Everything changed Yes he was the first call

Literally first call And what he said Just you did it great It was amazing all that shit everything you want to hear. Oh, okay. You know, Eddie, Seinfeld, whatever.

But I was with Eddie, we share a business manager. Okay. We share a business manager. Me, Eddie, and Arsenio have the same business manager. And, you know, we go, oh, Eddie's not broke, so I guess this guy's good. So, anyway, our business manager was getting married.

And so we're all at, because you want to go to your business manager's wedding. You don't want to mad at you for anything. You got, you know. So we're all flying back. Eddie had a plane going back. So we flew back together. So it's me, Eddie, and Arsenio on a plane together.

Just fucking chilling, talking, talking shit. And at one point, Eddie's talking about watching the hip-hop otters and shit. And he said something about he met KRS-1, and he starts doing a KRS-1 impression. Oh, shit. It's the funniest shit in the world. Kers-1. Eddie Murphy going, my rink. He must destroy you.

He has a Keroswan invitation. I need to hear that. He might be doing Keraswan's the funniest shit ever. My raps will destroy you. KRS1 is like the ultimate over-annunciator. I had no idea you'd even do a Kers-1 impression. You know how the hashtag, well, actually, is on the line. That, okay, so whenever Jay-Z

imitates Keras 1, it's always, well, actually. Matter of fact. My raps will destroy you. I told that to Dave and Q-Tip one night, and pretty much any time we text each other, it ends with my rap. My raps will destroy you.

My raps will destroy you. destroy you. Wait, side question. When's the last time you texted that to Q-Tip? I don't know. Two weeks ago. You want to know something? When Q-Tip was in the seat that you're in right now,

you must have typed that to him because he's like, he was going to explain the inside joke. He's like, wait, Chris has this joke about, he said about, and he's like, nah, it's too far to go into. And I was like, I'm almost certain that that was the...

It's a fair. Dave, you know, Dave will start crying if you say, which is just the thought of Eddie doing Keras1. So, like, how do you nuance? First of all, my reps! By the way, Keros Kwon, he lives in L.A. now. Yes, he does. He lives in Tupinga Canyon.

And whenever I see him, I go, Tepanga Canyon, Tepanga Canyon, Tepanga Canyon. Bidie Baha And he's another He's another anti-airplane rapper He doesn't fly? Oh God, every summer he turns down The Roots picnic because The Queen Mary

It's a two-week process for him to take the boat I'm sorry He takes the boat? Dog Karras won There are a slew What the fuck? What is it?

What is it? Louis Armstrong? There are a slew of rappers from the 80s that are definitely afraid of flying. Rakim, Keras 1. Like pretty much, if they were under the rush roster, maybe it was a bad flight one time

in their lives. Public enemy is the only group active, maybe L.O., that I know that has gotten over flying to Europe or flying anywhere. Karris 1 will drive himself to any place in the United States. He won't get on a plane in the United States. And

yeah, him and Rakim take the Queen Mary. I didn't even know. I never heard of that before. Yes, the Queen Mary to England and mentor Europe that way. Okay. Well, here's the crazy thing. I will bet you $1,000 right now, one of them can't swim. What you're trying to say. I'm just saying.

You won't take that bed. You're like, so. I mean, all right, so when you're establishing, I'm assuming that you're, you're, I'm assuming that your New York base of comedy. I think I made a record, I said it to you earlier, I think I made a record in this studio. Is it called my raps will destroy? No, no sex in the shamper. Was it? Would a buster and M&M?

Yeah. Like on an unreleased buster record or something. That must have been in. This is not the place Tupac was shot. Yes, it is. It's upstairs. This is Quad. I thought it was upstairs.

No. In that elevator downstairs. Oh, yeah. Were you in the right or the left elevator when you got it when you came in? Q-Tock. He got shot in the lobby. Yes, downstairs, Quad. This is not the-

This is Tupac Central. Okay, I came in, okay. When you walked in the door, did you get on the right elevator or the left elevator? Okay, I got to look at it again. Right or left elevator. What block will be on? Were you there that night? You're in denial, dude.

Yes. No, this is the- I was there that night, yes. Well, I was... I think this is not there. I think they moved quad. No, dog. I know this place.

Okay. And I made no sex in the champagne room at Quad. Wow. No sense in the champagne room. Yes. Damn, Gerald. All my albums were at Quad. A little bit of electric way you had.

Did you do the stuff for the Old Dirty Baster Second album? Yes, the Old Dirty Baster second album. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It ain't the N. Ferell was upstairs. Ferell and ODB were upstairs.

I was downstairs. That wasn't planned. You just happened to be. I wanted O Dirty Bastet for my album. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. And they wanted me to do something. On walls no more.

What would you ax it? So I did my part on O Dirty Bastet's album, right? Because I'm a professional. Of course, by the time it was time for ODB to do whatever sketch we wrote for for my album he was too fucked up to do it so he's in the booth and he's just spouting shit he's just high as a motherfucker he

might have been swatting at imaginary flies like he was so fucked up so all that stuff he completely made it all up and my man ali thought of the concept Ali LaRoy Ali LaRoy thought of the concept

Words of wisdom with the old dirty bastard and so it's me Ali and Prince Paul and we're like okay 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, 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 celebrate. 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. There's two golden rules that any man should live by.

Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same... prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell.

Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah.

He goes, but there's so much luck involved. and he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be.

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to Thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. So who are your peers at this point? What is your home base? Is it Catch a Rising Star? My home base is at the comedy seller now. Well, no, not now, but I'm saying back in 88, 89, 91, 92.

Well, my peers. Adam Sandler is my peer. Colin Quinn's my peer. Mario Joyner is my peer. Brett Butler is my peer. John Ridley, who wrote, like in 12 years of slave. I'm working with it right now. Was a comedian.

Wait, what? Was a comedian. He never told me that. John Ridley was a comedian. He worked with all of us. Yeah. Was my peer. Scott Carter, the longtime producer of Bill Marshall was my peer.

Yeah, lots of cool cats. Gary Laser. Fred Stoller. Jim Mendrinos. Like guys you just never heard of. I feel like writing them down or something. Funny cats. Google them later.

Are they still actively working? Oh, yeah, everybody. Nobody quits this shit, man. Where do you just go to Vegas? Like, in your mind, are you like, I got to avoid Reno? No, I mean, you'll be there eventually. You know, if you're lucky, put this way. Your career is basically Vegas.

You want to stay near Caesar's Palace. But as your career, as you get older, you're going to move further down the strip. and you just want to avoid circus circus circus Circus Circus and a rib Hopefully you don't get that far down there But you know But even if you get down there

At least you're still working It's more than you could make someplace else So no part of Vegas or Elang City Residencies are like Kitchy to you or Eventually Eventually you know

Everybody's doing these residencies now My kids are here. I wouldn't want to do it now. But maybe someday, I don't know. I'm not against it. I don't know. I don't know. I would hope I'm always touring.

I would hope. I like touring a little bit. You know what I mean? I like going to San Antonio and doing, walking the river walk during the day. And going by the Alamo and impersonate. There's no basement in the Alamo? All right. So I...

You got to do that. That's from Peewee's. I was going to see Deep in the Heart of Texas. You got to walk by the alibou and say that. Large March. Any other Pee We are references? Large March.

Deep enough. Texas. Okay, okay. Anyway, my raps will destroy you. That's the Q-Tip dance break. My raps. I adore you. Pernunciate, man.

A callback. So how did you get the role of Pookie in Jackson? I auditioned. I auditioned. I read for it. Doug and George. Doug McHenry. George Jackson.

Were the producers. Mario Van Peeples saw me. A woman named Joan Fields was my agent at the time. She was the only black agent at William Morris. She just died not too long ago. Yes, she did. And she was the only black agent at William Morris. Morris and she got me the audition.

I guess she was tight with Doug and George. And she got me in there. And I kind of got the part. I mean, I hear they wanted Martin Lawrence now. Because, you know, Martin Lawrence was amazing. And he still is amazing. But, you know, they had no money. So I think they would have had to fly Martin in.

And I happen to live in Brooklyn. Like, I remember driving my mother's car to the set the first day. You know, it was a low, low-budget movie. What did you audition with? No one picked me up. What was the... Oh, there's no car service? What did you have to read?

Like, what part of the... The scene that I auditioned for was the one where me and the girl fought over the chicken in the hallway. Oh, yes. Crack bean, you're the crack bean. Like, like, whatever. I think I had lived that line. But, uh... Wow.

So, wait, I wonder what happened to that girl. I was about to ask you. Do you know what any of these people are? I have no idea. I used to date the girl that, when he asked, does she have milk in them titties? You got milking them tities. One night we were watching this. She's like, there I go.

I was like, oh, that's you. You got skim milk in the tits? Hey. Did she have milking them titties? I'm just sure. Where's the roots cover album? What the fuck is that? Like that?

Grace is doing covers. Hey, my favorite roots, my favorite rage against the machine album is the cover album. That shit is hot. The Rick Rubin fucking Rage Against the Machine doing pistol grip pump shit

Zach doing microphone fiend nigga It's cool but you know What? Killer man That shit is hot It's cool

But Val-Bala Valma 96 Like Evil Empire for me That's That's All their shit But that, as an album to listen to, you want to listen to like eight records in a row?

Yo. Oh, what you call it? The Dillon thing they did? Maggie's farm? Chris is secretly the roots in R, ladies and gentlemen, by the way. You and R him? Y'all do it together. Chris basically, yeah, he gives me.

Yeah, you should just do a cover record, do that record, essentially. He told, yeah. And you said it? Because Tarek's great. He's our executive producer. But I'm going to. He's a great imitator. He's a great imitator and he's a great interpreter.

Yeah. I'm going to prove to Chris that we still have good songs in us. Dude, no one's saying you don't still have good songs. No, I have to prove. I had to prove that we have good songs. If I could make a fucking album right now of somebody else's jokes, you don't think I would do that shit? Are you fucking, like, to have? But I have something to prove.

I got something to prove with myself. I'll say that I've DJed more. than I ever have in the last eight years, of which this is also the longest gap of no roots material since Rich. I was with you the day that Rich, our producer, finished in top five. We haven't made an album since. Yeah, you should do a cover record. And do two new records at the end of the record. But have fun,

enjoy yourself. Don't put yourself on it. What is that? Because the reality is you have a a job and your job is a Tonight Show and everything else goes from that and you cannot make great and so whatever you do will be on the side and nothing is great as great as made on the side

can only be good so but you can but doing a cover record eliminates half the fucking work that's my De Niro Heat moment though I feel like I'm a great producer I've never been a great songwriter and it's

that's fun but the thing is all the Jones, it's all covers. What? Sometimes he covers himself. But I'm saying, but I'm saying, man, I feel, I feel like. Okay, let's get somebody else to sing good to you.

That's right. Yeah, seven to sing tomorrow. I feel like the best producers in hip-hop were also DJs, and I didn't realize it. After I saw the NWA movie and realized. the duress and the stress that Dr. Dre was under as a DJ at that roller skating rink,

which is basically like you play the wrong shit. It can be gunfire, yeah. Right. Then I realized, oh, the pressure of Dre being a DJ. I had that same pressure last month at the White House where, you know, when you're in a room with 3,000 people and it's like you're playing some trap shit and Springsteen's frowning at you because he can't dance the trap shit.

But then you play. like Michael Jackson and those two are happy, but then like Malia and Sasha over there frowning because they don't, it's such a high-pressured moment. But it's made me, I feel like it's educated me more. Being a DJ these last five years has educated me more about songwriting structure than my first 18 years as a route. So I don't even count even your beloved things wall apart. I don't, I count none of that anymore.

I want one more go around at making a fresh album before I start just doing the side projects. All right. Thank you. I tried. This was an ODB moment. Occasionally I get offers to bring CB4 back. CB4 as what, bring it back as what?

Like offers to play festivals and stuff. No, you mean like perform? The group. Yeah, as a group. Oh, shit. And what would I do if I brought CB4 back? I would record an album of covers. That's what the fuck I do.

Well, yeah, but I feel there's less pressure. And I would tour with that album covers, and I would make millions of dollars. Or I could try to write fucking 10 great CB4 songs, but they're not going to play as good. No, it's going to be empire. It's going to be empire. The roots are CB4.

Like, CB4 as the novelty of being CB4, a fictional group. But the roots should do, I got, what's saying, the roots can make more money doing, I got it made than special ed can make. doing I got it made. The roots can make more money doing,

I can name 10 songs that the roots. I know, but. And just, you mean remix too, not just do the song verbatim, do your thing to it like you usually do. I'm not saying, I'm saying do your thing to it. I can think,

you and I can think of literally 20 songs. This is also the point where you should ask them why, better hits. Why my beautiful twist of dark fantasy is also the best album of all time. It is the best album of all time. No, he swears

Oh, come on Chris. Let's come back to that. Hey, I gave Jay, hey, I gave. This is where we go all over the place. I'm the guy that came up with 99 problems. It's a cover. What? Yeah, I see some.

Rick Ruben calls me up. He goes, uh, Jay Z's coming in. What should I play him? Because Rick Rubin believed, Rick Rubin's a cover guy too. Rick Rubin's basically, you're going to find yourself through doing covers. You cover the shit you like.

So if I have the chili peppers coming and they like can't always get what you want why don't you play can't always get what you want first why don't you play 10 and stay a way to heaven and through playing these other records Yeah that's the DeAngelo method you will define you will find anyway so he's like what should I play

Jay and I had two records because we you know we always listen to music me and Rick and I was like play them 99 problems and play them this other weird record can a nigga get a table dance 99 problems is a weird record 99 problems is a record that was on an iced tea album when he got kicked off Warner Bros

and I'm just the guy that listens to everybody's whole album So I heard It was on a home invasion right It was on a home invasion of it then And me and Rick just loved the record Anyway he plays it for Jay Jay loves it Totally turns it into his own thing

And you know It's one of his biggest records It's definitely one of his biggest records live. How similar is it? It's the same hook. It's the same, yeah. It's the same. Yeah.

It's the same here. So there you go. I know what I'm talking about. What made you choose this for Jay? It's the greatest hook ever. It's a great hook. I'm not saying an aide. If you have a girl problems, I feel bad for your son, I got 99 problems in a bitch ain't one.

Hit me? My rap. My rap's shit. It sounds so fun to write. I wanted to be a rapper. just couldn't rap. So there you go. I love the fact.

That hooks are amazing. If it weren't for New Jack City, I don't know. Well, New Jack City and the subsequent four-star lead review that ICT got in Rolling Stone for the OG original gangster album, I probably

want to listen to it. That's a really good album. But it was, I love that record. That's his best album to me. That's his most. No, the one would you played yourself on it? Was that power? No, that was the one of the gun,

Freedom of speech. Freedom of speech. Just watch what you say. You like that one better? I love it. You played yourself. It's just a fucking amazing record. Chris.

How long is this fucking thing? Forever. It's nine hours. It's a three hour affair, bro. Really? Sorry. But we're having fun. You're educating us.

No one mentioned that to me, but okay. We'll be out here in an hour. He's about to change all of his meetings. Like, apparently I have another 90 minutes left. No, we'll wrap it up. Okay. In 90 minutes. It's not true, Brandon.

Stephen Glover. Okay. Who are you texting? Donald Glover's... His brother. Brother, yeah. Yeah. Who writes...

He looks like Vernon Reed. He writes Atlanta, yeah. On Atlanta. Yeah, I got no shame. I'm going to work on... Oh, get that guy. Yeah. You want to do Atlanta?

No, I love Atlanta so much. I don't want to be on it. I love Atlanta so much. I would ruin it. Like, like, I'm... Like when I talked to, I was like, no guest stars. Just fucking, you know what I mean? It should be like a dray record.

It should only be Nate dog. Yeah, I want no one guesting in that. Guys from Long Beach. Right, right. You know what I mean? But you still was on Empire, so I just figured. Yeah, I just did that because I did. But Empire's no Atlanta.

No, Atlanta's like the greatest shit ever. It's like some shit we dreamed about. Like, Obama should have mentioned it in his speech. Like, we did it. Yes, we can. It's like Atlanta's that good. Some shit we didn't think we'd ever see. Well, that's good that you jumped the train early.

But yeah, I'm already like, okay, how am I going to work with you? Oh, yeah, you're down. You're down. So his brother writes as well. I mean, I talked to him and he's like, to hire my brother. I'm like, yeah, sure, whatever. Whatever you say. There you go.

Whatever you say, Mr. Gambino, I'm like, I'm rolling with you. You have your pulse. on the I don't got my I'm just like I'm not going to be stupid

like this shit is hot yeah you know a lot of times with black stuff anyway no one

people don't think it's written people like kind of people overlook the nerd factor they think it's naturally done

yes they think it's you know they think everything's natural and these niggas just show up

and they just no preparation yeah they don't realize that the stories were broken and, you know, scripts were written and rewritten,

and it's like, okay. Yeah, I always describe that if Woody Allen were allowed to direct masterpiece, bowed about it, they think it was the greatest shit ever? No, but I feel like that's, I mean, Atlanta to me is like a surrealist, high intellectual surrealist comedy that, you know, that has the grittiness of a, you know, a masterpiece.

It literally does have to gritty. greediness of the intellect of how people, at least the perception of, you know, of Woody Allen comedy. But does that not make Donald Glover like a unicorn? Like Donald Glover Chowdered Gambino in his self, like as a comedian, producer, writer, artist? No, no, he's doing the thing. He's doing, you know, he's pulling an ice cube, you know.

See, now last week he told me as Will. Well, Will, I mean, he's Will too in a sense. Will's Yeah, I guess I don't know I mean I mean his music's good

I love this new album Some of us do He's not Will He's not Will yeah He's not Will that I mean Will's movie shit's just You can't Nobody can fuck with it

Really But he's doing it And it's weird Because he can still be him Like I feel like It's fascinating That Atlanta is so black as it is But I mean

It's just like Ice Cube Rote Friday We forget Ice Cube Wrote Friday Like he wrote He wrote that? Yeah. Oh, I thought Jinks wrote it.

No, no, he wrote it. I remember I was the Chris Tucker part probably for like eight hours one day. And what happened? They couldn't fly you out. Like they were going to pay me 80 grand and he did it for 40 or some shit like that. I forget. I mean, it's weird because I remember Cube telling me. But you strike me as a guy that would.

By the way, he's a thousand times better in the park. I wouldn't have been that good. I wouldn't have been as good as Chris Tucker. Chris Tucker is perfect for the part. but I remember Cube kind of telling me in a car like I had a meeting with him and he made me listen to a whole lynch mob album so I'm like in a car with

I'm in a car with Cube kind of smoking a joint and see he's playing lynch mob records and they were okay but you just like what's the part with Ice Cube right

no blackfish is yo yo yo one or not. Exactly. All right, so. Yeah, a long career. I've been around. So you and I have something in common that we both are.

We love our dads, yeah? Well, yeah, that too. But I mean that we... Black guys that love their dads. We went to the high school 30 Rock. It's a couple of us. Will Smith, Grand Hill. We love our dads.

That's a bunch of us, but... You and I went to 30 Rock University. 30 Rock. Yes, I definitely. with the 30 Rock University. I mean, in hindsight, I'm sure that you have nothing but positive things to say. But the thing I always wanted to know about 30 Rock is that, I mean, and we're now in 2017,

I mean, it's so politically correct. And, you know, if there are any vices, people hide it. But just all that folklore that I've read about, like, the SNL oral history book and about, like, you know, the binge days of, You know, all the crazy party. I mean, there was weed.

There's not even smoking there now. Oh, no, there was heroin. We smoke in the refrigerator. I had. Oh, man. I had it. You know. I had Chris Farley, man.

I had Chris Farley. I'm not going to blow up too many. Put it this way. In my cast. Well, I mean, all that stuff is talked about in the SNL. Chris Folley's dead. Right. Right.

Phil Hartman's wife shot him in the head. I forgot that I cried about that You know what I mean Like So I mean This shit was rock and roll Motherfucker

This shit was like It's so weird When I got hired at S&L I lived in Brooklyn Because I wasn't moving to Manhattan Because I couldn't get a cab In Manhattan right And I couldn't park a car

So it was like What the fuck It just cost too much to park a car It was never going to get a cab Fuck this shit Right Stay in Brooklyn I remember everybody was so

Lauren and everybody Was concerned about me Living in Brooklyn I was the one they were concerned about. Meanwhile, Chris is the guy who died basically of an OD. You know what I mean? Everybody was worried about the new black guy living. I wasn't living in New York.

I was living in Fort Green. Oh, do you mean like showing up on time or just like concern for your safety? Just. Or how you would blend in with them? Not even how to blend in with them. Like who recommended you to S&L? Did you audition or? I audition a guy named James Dixon.

who's John Stewart's agents and a couple other people. Who's the Higgins at the time? Who's the Higgins at the time was Jim Downey. And who's Higgins? Who's the head writer. Higgins is our sidekick.

Jim Downey. No, no, no, no, no, no. But, Jim Downey and Senator Al Franken. Oh, dang. Keep forgetting. Yes. I forgot it. Al Franken was a senator.

I think they were both the headwriters. Conan O'Brien was a writer on the show Bob Otenkirk was a writer on the show Yeah Did you ever have any issues with the things that you wrote on that show? I always wonder like is it ever too black for SNL? No, I mean Or too edgy?

It was too black. Nothing was ever too black. It was just, it was a situation First of all, I had an amazing time at SNL It's the best thing. It's absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. Really? Yeah, because it kind of made me legit.

You know what I mean? Like, it was like graduating, Harvard. What you did for the up-and-coming comedians from Howard and stuff made it even don't work. I mean, like, I was on S&L, man. It's only, you know, come on. Like, S&L, S&L, forget even black. Like, S&L is the X-Men School of Comedy. Right. Okay. Did Eddie give you any kind of preparation on what to expect? No. The only thing Eddie told me, kept telling me, is like, just make sure you write stuff for up. because it's the easiest spot to get on.

But what was your question? I was just asking, was it ever too edgy or black to where they were like, Chris, maybe? It was like this situation, it's like this white people in general. It's like the things they understand about black people tends to be, has to have a racial element to it. So a lot of stuff I did was more obvious, like NADX, chilling. Like that stuff's like obvious black stuff. You know what I mean? It wasn't really allowed to do the weird.

I wasn't allowed to get into my weird side. The other, you know, like. So it had to be black? Yeah, so it had to be black. Right. That's what I'm noticing. You know what I'm noticing. You know, it's not necessarily.

It's just white people in general. Was that the Arsenio factor kicking in? Was that the living color factor kicking in? I got hired because of the living color. I got hired just like every, like, whatever that. The girl, I keep forgetting. her name. Sashira?

Sheshira. Oh, from In Levitola? No, from S&L. Yeah, I got hired pretty much under the same circumstances. SNL hadn't had a black cast member in nine years. And Living Color was hopping. And they went out looking for a black cast member and I got the job. But I forgot what I was getting ready to say.

No, just white people in general, when they're looking for black stuff, they tend to like something either ridiculously black. This is what I'm learning. It basically goes, it's either Tracy Morgan or Larry Wilmore. Right. You know what I mean? Like, and the middle. Nothing in the middle. Nothing in the middle.

Not for nothing. I'm taking it. I love both those guys. You explained, but you explain in your whole theory of, you did a joke about Obama could only hope to be mediocre is again, it's like, you know, it's either the perception that we're animals or we are superhuman. We're not calling any person an animal. Well, no, no, no, but I've meant like just whatever in the one side of the spectrum where it's the extreme...

It's triple raw or... Extreme caricature versus extreme intellect. Yes. But the thing with being ground zero middle is that that's just regular human. Yeah. Which is harder to... Yeah, I mean, that's what, hey, that's why Atlanta's genius. Because it walks that thing.

It's like... I was very rounded. I was recently told by a bunch of white women. I take a, like, a comedy class. I made one joke. I get really nervous about making black jokes in front of white people. And so when I did finally write one, they were like, oh, my God, we love it. Tell us more about ourselves.

Tell us about white women. And I was like, really? But that's, see, that bothers me too, because I feel like that's almost like fetishizing. Or, you know, the whole guilt, the guilt factor kicking it. I was wondering if it was a setup. I didn't know. But I was like, okay, I got a lot, though. That's a setup.

Damn. I'm sorry that's a setup. Set up. So, okay, so you're fine with your experience there in the education. I had the best experience is literally the best thing that ever happened to me. I met the best people. Not just, I mean, hey, I got exposed around a bunch of comedy. So, you know, I'm a guy from Bedstuy who came through this white system.

So I'm still the guy who has to go with my uncle to go get the guns before the bad cousins come. And at the same time, I know Conan O'Brien. How can you fuck with me? You can't fuck with me? You know what I mean? Like, that's a lot of route.

That's a lot of education. All right, so that leads me to, the period between your intonior at SNL. I wrote something for, I'm sorry. cut you up. I think SNL, we edited Spin Magazine. I used to have that magazine. And I wrote an article about

the end of the black super comic is coming because TV was getting more segregated. And the black super comic is me. Okay, let's take me out of it because that sounds, I sound like a cornerback, right? But you know, there's a reason

Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, the greatest black comedians. The greatest comedians in America tend to be black. It's because you had to work these two systems in a world that everybody else has to work one. So you're saying Sam Cook

record in Harlem, which is more blacker than the Sam Cook record at the Copa. He had two live records come out the same time. This is the same thing that produced Michael Jackson and, like, the fact that you had to work two audiences in a world, everybody,

else worked one. It's like, how can they fuck with you? It's impossible. Can't fuck with a guy that could work the Apollo and Carnegie U. Hall. You can't fuck with that. Anyway. But the thing is,

you're talking about two audiences, though, but I feel like now you specifically there's there's the Brooklyn alternative there's the Brooklyn alternative stuff that I know

that you love a challenge anywhere and I always ask you like would you ever go to night train in Brooklyn on Monday? I went to night train two weeks ago. You did night train? I did night train. I did like 45 minutes on night train. Well, I didn't kill. How'd you do? I did okay. But I did okay because I just haven't been on stage in a while. You went to night train. And what is night train just to? Well, okay, so night train is like, again, there's like, I feel like there's three comedy universes in, we're really four because I keep taking the black factor out. But for me, my observation in New York is that Brooklyn is the comic alternative spot.

So Night Train is a place. That's where Wyatt would go. That's Wyatt's spot. It's alternative hipster comedy spot. And then, you know, I feel like in Midtown Manhattan between where's the story? spot on 23rd Street that people sometimes go.

Not UCP. Like Amy goes there sometimes but there's like a midtown if you're midtown to sort of like 78th Street you might be going to you know you might be doing Vegas

you're kind of mainstream. Not the stand well the stand the stand the stand? The stand? Yeah but then the comedy seller I feel like the Harvard I feel like that's That's the hardest place to penetrate. Not because of the crowd downstairs,

but I feel like if you can survive that table in the back where he'll sit, where Chris will sit, sometimes Dave. Me, Amy, and Aziz. Yeah, it's like Schumer, Aziz, Chappelle, Louis C.K. But it's like, it's the, it's the concentrated geniuses of comedy. That's their, that's their. that's their woodshed. Gotcha.

And I'm always curious asked you, Chris will be like, I don't give a fuck, I will go to alternative Brooklyn and see if I could work there. Chris will also,

you know, try Carole, I mean, not saying that you would ever do Carolines, but I don't know. Is Carolines like to you what B.B.

Kings is to me? I mean, I'll walk, I'll walk, Eric Andre went on, was doing some shows. He went to Caroline? Eric Andre did like a weekend

or a week at Carolines. See, I would expect Eric Andre to do the Brooklyn spots. Right. Anyway, I opened up for him. I went on before him one night. Yeah. Well, not unannounced as just walk up. Yeah, I love Eric Andre.

Caroline's is like the last comedy club I ever played, for real. Like when the shit was this you know, that gig where you, oh shit, people are getting hurt. Okay. Time to go to theaters. Wow. Okay. I just remember right around Bring the Pain. Maybe I remember Louie, who

wasn't even my friend at the time but Louis and David Cross, like Janine, all the cool kids showed up. Oh man. It's like, oh, okay. Something else happening. What is that period between you leave in SNL,

see before, there was like maybe half a season of living color. Half a season of color. Between that and I'm not even saying big ass jokes, but more like, I just remember a period when you started doing the 1-800 collect commercials and politically correct.

I had a good agent. Yeah, I felt like, oh, Chris Rock is... Like, I stayed working. You seem like a different person. Like, you cut your hair, you had a... Your preacher's voice was now starting to develop. Like, it was less about, like, your voice on born suspect. And your old Chris Rock, throwing down the mic and all that stuff.

Like, you were now a nuanced... I got older. I mean, the thing with comedians... Comedians aren't good until they're in their 30s. It's just not... Everything you love about Richard Pryor, he was 38, 40, whatever. There's no little wane of comedy. There's no fucking Drake of comedy.

Eddie Murphy's the only young guy. I'm going to say, Eddie Murphy, yeah. He's the only guy. Literally, if you go to your Netflix right now and just start clicking through people, you'll find one 22-year-old, Eddie Murphy. Everybody else is grown because you got to pay people. You gotta pay taxes to fucking connect to your audience. You gotta...

Been through shit. Been through some shit. You gotta have been loved and unloved and cheated on a motherfucker and went broke. You know what I mean? Like, you gotta like, you gotta feel the pain of just life and disappointments. And like, oh shit, I'm not who I thought I was. And my mother ain't who I thought she was. But besides age, I mean, besides.

Besides age, besides age, what... And you get older, you realize what works to you. What made you focused? What made you focus into, like, you know...

I mean, at that point of my career, honestly, I thought I was done as far as getting famous. So you thought, like, oh, off the Vegas and Reno. I thought like, okay. Working with George.

What's his name, Georgia? George Wallace. Yeah. Like, he always works. Yeah, that was... George Wallace is my idol. To this day, because he's like, that was my goal, was like, okay, this whole trying to be famous. Like, what does he make a year?

Not that I want to know. George Wallace, I bet she makes $2 million a year. Just playing Vegas? Playing Vegas, Atlantic City, cruise ship, this like, you know, choice gigs. Yeah. So he's kind of like Jimmy Buffett of black comedy. I'm going to guess. I could be way off.

I don't know, but I'm going to guess. That's about right. He's like the quality. Like he's every comedian's favorite comedian. Yeah, he's like a quality, like a guy. Is he good? Oh, he's great. George Wallace?

Yeah. What? He's great. As an interviewer, I was asking him that. No, no. I just wanted to know. I've never seen him live before. What he does, he does a thing.

It's hard to realize what he's doing. It looks easy. That's what I want to know. You know what I mean? It looks like he's just your uncle and he's just coming up with this shit. But George Wallace will come in the club and he'll have his pad and that motherfucker will try jokes.

And he writes jokes and sometimes he'll buy some jokes. And he's like very serious about this shit. Well, rewind. Buy jokes? Yeah, people. buy jokes sometimes. Really? Yeah.

Have you ever had to sling jokes? Like, yo, man, I'm da-da-da-da-da next week. I need something about OJ. I mean, you know, I watch people's acts, and sometimes I give them a line or two or whatever the fuck. Somebody will give me a line and say, oh, that thing you're working on. You know, if you try it this way. I mean, you know, and some guys just have jokes for sale. Some guys are just writers and they sell jokes.

But, you know. What's the name does that, right? The guy who does all the roast. Doesn't he write Joe stuff? Yeah, Jeff Ross. Jeff Ross. Yeah, I mean, I'm not one of these, like, you got to come up with every line. You just got to, you know.

So do you have a crew or a cabinet of, is it you and I lead? Like, right now, I have, I've written, I don't know, an hour, 20 minutes worth of stuff, right? Right. And, you know, my tour starts February 13th. Wait. Yeah. Yeah, he comes, yeah, he's coming to... Tour?

My tour. Yeah, he's coming to our... That's next week. Hang on one second. All right, we're in the third hour this week's episode of Quest Love Supreme with our special guest, Chris Rock, who just let me know

that he's about to start his tour momentarily. But yet, usually you let me know when you're like... There was a big announcement. Well, no, no, no, no, no. It was like a huge announcement. But you usually... Usually tour, you know, you do the small spots first and you start.

I've been fucking around a little bit. I mean, it's a weird. I've never not heard you. I've never seen you wait this long. I've never waited this long. Why are you waiting this long? Like my last three tours, I was kind of the same guy. It was with the same girl, had the same kids.

Like, I was a, my last two, three years is like, I don't know who the fuck I am. Y'all was going to ask you, do you talk about the divorce? I'm divorced. I got like, I got custody. I got, you know, I got split custody of my kids. Girls, teen, preteen girls. So, yeah, I got teenage daughters. And like, I'm really trying to figure out who I am.

A lot of it's that. I'm not scared. I'm going to work out. I think I'm going to go to Nashville for a few days, like a week. Actually have some of my guys have Ali there, Lance, whatever. Do you same guys? Some same guys.

Are you bringing in new blood? I'm going to bring in some new blood. I think Jack White's going to be involved on some level. So a third man record. Yo, I really regret this whole missing that meeting, that Stonehenge meeting you guys had at Tips House because I feel like so much business got negotiated. That was a good night. That was a good night. That was a good night.

When y'all did the show? It was like Tip had a, what do you call it, at their funeral? A repost. A repost. After Fice thing, yeah. But, I mean, we had Tips House a lot. I mean, when he was working on the record, now, there's no record. I don't know what he's doing now.

I talked to him a little bit yesterday. But I feel like one has to live in Jersey. I gave my A&R notes there. A lot. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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.

There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes. And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist.

I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care. So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves.

Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Ago Wadam. My next guest, you know from Step Brothers Anchorman, Saturday Night Live, the Big Money Players Network.

It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever. I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and Dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings,

I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place that come look for up-and-coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah. He goes, but there's so much luck involved. And he's like, just, give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against

the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be. Right. It wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. How much of your set is worked out and how much is it going to be kind of... I mean, honestly, it's the least amount I've ever had worked out ever. And you're not worried about it? I'm not... It's weird. Watching Dave relaxes me a little bit.

Am I worried about it? I'm worried about it. I mean, it's put this way. Worry is respect. You know, motherfuckers that don't worry about shit that aren't nervous. don't respect the art. The audience, yeah. I've heard that before. So I'm definitely worried and I'm definitely, but I'm carving out the time. I'm carving out the time. I'm just, it's just a different me.

I mean, I'm a father first, you know. So, you know, I've been with my kids. You know, I got my kids, I have my kids this weekend. You know what I mean? So I'm not, you know. So, like, you've got to go pick your kids up after this. Like, you still. I drop my daughter off at school today.

I mean, you know. Like, do your kids know you're Chris Rock? Or they just know, like, you did the voiceover for Madagascar. My oldest is realizing because she wants to come with me every time I get on stage now. But she just thinks, like, you get her into cool concerts. Oh, yeah, that's part of it. Yeah, it's like, hey. But they haven't, like, going through old DVDs like, oh, what's bigger and blacker?

I mean, I'm sort of watching that their friends' house. I mean, they got their own phones. They got YouTube. Would you not punch up your father? If he had 80 videos on YouTube Of course they've watched the shit What's the ratio to dad and oh shit

We're being raised by an A-less celebrity It's 99. They didn't turn 16 yet, did they? No, not yet. Yeah, because we'll know your A-List celebrity status When it's time for Sweet 16 No, no, no, I'm already, Bruno Mars will be involved

I've already been informed That I got to figure out Bruno Mars's whereabouts Of my daughter's suit. How old are they? now? Get ready to be 15 and 13. Okay.

So. How you doing with keeping them off the pole? Yeah, they're off to pole. They're safe. I think they're safely off the pole. You can tell these things early, like athletics, you know. You know if your kids go on in the major leagues by the time he's 12. You know if your daughter's on the pole by the time she's about 14.

You go, okay. We're out of the water here. You're good. You're good. But where were we? Where were we? Yeah, I'm just Get ready to get on

I'm just trying to figure out where I'm going to go To work out So I may go to Nashville There's a part of me that wants to go to Baltimore So I always make sure Before I go on tour I spend like a week in some place really white Getting on stage and a place

Some place really black Are there black comedy clubs? Oh yes there are Where? Atlanta Detroit Mobile Alabama You know

There's some spots There's definitely some spots You know Kind of spot Earthquake plays twice a year You know It's okay We got earthquake this week

And you know Laval Crawford's The next week And you know what I mean In top five Joe Tori's coming to town You know In top five

The whole The Jazzy D character You know with Cedra Was that Actually a part of your career Did you play those little clubs like that? Yeah That really happened.

That whole story actually happened. That happened? The motherfucker, a motherfucker man in Houston. Another town. Carri B and everything. Jazz. That was Jazzy D, damn it.

Cedric knocked that shit out the park. Why do you think that movie, because that was, I mean, that's my favorite of your movies. And the other ones I liked, but, you know,

when you were talking about kind of finding, I guess maybe finding your way in movies, like you would kill it on stage, but a lot of times in the early stuff, the humor that you had on stage, it didn't translate to the movies. What was it about Top Five that made that kind of,

like, where it all kind of galvanized? I mean, it's weird. Top Five is a lot like Bring the Pain. It was like a guy just trying to be good. Like, everything before Bring the Pain was a guy trying to be famous. And, like, the other movies I made, it was like, it was almost like I was making

my own version of Adam Sailing movies in a weird way. because he's my friend, and his movies are big. So I was, like, following another blueprint, and I was just like, I was thinking about a one sheet. So I love my wife is... No, so it started with... I think I love my wife, probably.

But, like, head of state, down to earth, and whatever else was just kind of me look... Okay, this is a good poster, and these are good jokes for a trailer, and I wasn't really thinking about a movie, per se. And, you know, I was just on some bullshit trying to get a hit.

Still like Hadda State though. Still like Hadda State's got some good shit in it. I mean, you and Bernie and it love it. But with Top Five, and I think I love my wife, it was just like, okay, I'm just making, I'm making what I want to make. I don't really care if it's a,

I would like it to be a big hit, but I'm really more about, and I've really gotten to being a filmmaker too. Okay. Where I was, I didn't even care. about filmmaking in those other movies. I was just top five was just the thing I wanted to say

at that moment. I wasn't, I never thought it would be a hit, put it that way. What did your wife think of, I think I love my wife? Well, we're divorced now, so. I was that at the time when it came out. I mean, it was a weird movie because at the end he does go to his wife.

Right. So, I mean, hey man. But Nicky is, it was like for life. Like, that changed my life. I mean, Quinn Tarantino said something a long time ago. He said, when you make a piece of art, if there aren't people in your life that are mad at you afterwards, you didn't make good shit.

You didn't go deep enough. She was mad. She was mad. She was mad about it. She wasn't even mad. She wasn't even mad. Because the end sentiment was, I mean, it makes you look. I mean, again, I'm divorced. I don't want to say too much. No, trust me. I didn't want to make your I don't want to make your divorce

the part of your career discussion. But since we're here, In hindsight, because, I mean, after 96, you became, did you get married before after 96? I got married in 96, I think. I think we were dating. You guys got married during Bring the Pain? We got married after Bring the Pain, I think. Now.

Like I could afford a wedding after that. In hindsight, and I guess we could pretty much say that 96 was the turning point of you really. That's me. That's the black culture. reasonable doubt bring the pain right Jay Z one his

opus affected the culture more than my opus yes you think so nah and we're not kissing your ass because I'm telling you as a rapper it did not

here's a thing no now that's that's the forget illmatic I hear forget illmatic references and rap songs all the time grand opening grand quote I hear all

I said that shit the other day. But the thing is, Reasonable Doubt is also one of those albums that you were told it was a classic. Exactly. I don't remember being that. No, nobody was bumping reasonable doubt when we had fucking ghost face red man and goddamn AT aliens. I didn't hear reasonable doubt until after I moved to New York. That was, yes. It was almost 10 years after.

Yeah, I was like. It came out and I remember. I was like, okay, this is good. but, nigga, again. I'm saying the impact of Bring the Pain, seeing that shit on HBO was like, that was a dramatic moment. I was like, holy shit.

We rewinded, recorded it, watched it over, studied that shit. Now, my teachers in school were talking about Bring the Pain, like in home room, like before the bell rang, like they would be joking. I think you suddenly said a shot on that, man. I don't think there's three, there might not be 700 million.

Well, I don't got Beyonce. Yeah. I don't think there's $900 million in your bank account and, you know, Beyonce, but you won that battle. I mean, it was a weird, it was a great year. Some great black art came out. And, hey. And that was when you got married during that. Around the time.

Yeah, it was a, I want to say a haze, but it was a world when a lot of shit was going on. But what I'm asking is, at the point where you're, not that you planned on, you know, suddenly having this meteoric rise and this oh shit moment happening in your life but this is the moment where you become an industry. But this is also the same time that you're deciding

to become a husband and future father and I always believe that you couldn't serve two guys. You're either going to be a super industry or you're going to be a family man. That's what most guys do. I mean I think most men marry when we're at the top of our game. You know what I'm saying? Like we marry at that time in our career

but we feel like, like, I think for women that's the other way around, it's like they get love and then think, okay, now I have love, so now I can go and do whatever. But for us, it's like, I got to get my peace of the world before I can have love because love calls. Like, I got to have, I got to be able to afford this love. No, you just said. Like, I got to afford a wedding. So it's like, for us, we got to get ours first. So I'm just saying, how hard is it to be, you know, are you, if Seinfeld, if Seinfeld is calling your phone at 9.30 p.m., she's like, you better not pick.

No, I was enough. I mean, she was good. I mean, I, dude, my output from 96 to probably, you know, whatever, 2003 till my first daughter is ridiculous. I wrote movies. I wrote books. So she was mad patient. Or she understood that. She was very good.

I can't sit here and, you know. Right. I wrote movies. I wrote books. I made albums. I toured. I did a lot of shit. So, you know.

know, hey, I guess, you know, probably could have been better if I spent more time at whatever, but I had to do what I had to do. I had to get my prints on, you know? So, I did a TV show. I did, you know, I produced, everybody hates Chris. I did a lot of shit, man. I know, but that's what I'm saying. Like, you can either be an industry or you could be a family man. I have the resume of an 88-year-old person. But he did both. But he No, he didn't. He did not. Because he got divorced.

No, but he was married for a long time. I was married a long time. But I feel like something. My marriage lasts. Put this way, Hamilton will not last as long as my marriage. Okay. You know, I'm trying to make, you know, put things in a positive spin. Bill's like, thanks.

I got kids. Because I made it 96 to just, what, like close to 20 years? Yeah, close to, yeah. Yeah, that's a good one. You know, I mean, hey. It is. Wow. Yeah, okay.

Hey, man. Look, you made it longer than I made it. Me too. Way along than me. That's a good run. Way long than you and you? Put us together.

Put us together. I think we might. That's it. I'm just saying, I mean, I got great kids. All good. Everybody's,

everybody's fine now. So as long as you're happy. So I guess in the end, everyone. You can do it. It can be done. But are you asking this question based on yourself? Mm-hmm.

About you making this. Absolutely. All the time. It can be done. But only I can do it. my raps will destroy you and maybe Eddie because he had like 10 kids too I mean she had a long run

with the same woman well until you know I'm saying oh yeah yeah yeah yeah did you see that new family photo no Jesus Christ

he didn't realize he had that many kids just to see them all together it's like I mean here's the Wu Teng Clan and the Jackson's like and like half swimsuit model but not the Wayans right yeah

he raised his own industry. That's crazy. So, all right. I guess in this last moments I have with you, I just want to shoot this shit. What is your top five? Top five rappers? Yeah. Changes all the time. Jay-Z.

Kanye. Have you thought about this? Because usually when people's spew. Here's a thing. It's like, we're not in the park anymore. He made a movie about this. Let me say something to you. Everybody's top five. We're not in a park.

This isn't fucking... Mr. Magic's not on anymore. You're not listening to this shit on cassette. Your top five is top five record makers. You're talking songs here. Right. Okay? That's what we're talking about.

I mean, you want to say top five words I can read off a piece of paper? No, no. It's different. But when I say... Yo, rappers that make records. And we're judging them like running back. So you're judging four years. You're judging four years.

If you don't have four albums, I don't really, I can't put you in my top five. And by the way, this changes all the time. But now after I did the movie, it's like, man, people ask me this all the time. Who's made albums that I like? It's almost like, who would you like to see make a record with Dr. Dre,

right now. You know what I mean? I don't know if I want to see Dr. Trey make a record. He did make a record. Like produce. Like who would you rather, you know? I've got to go, I like Jay-Z

knows how to make a motherfucking song. Kanye West is a bad motherfucker. Interesting as fuck. Only rapper in the history of the game with a mystique. Rappers are like comedians. They are who they are. it's like there's nothing mysterious about him

Kanye's the only one okay you don't think about any other rapper like that you just don't you don't you don't give a fuck about you know their relationships and all this shit it was Amber Rose you don't think about anybody like that

except one guy speaking of which did you freestyle that whole shit on name blame game I freestyled it but like how is that work he just says go there No, no, he made me do, I was in the booth, I don't know, a couple hours, three hours maybe.

Was he producing you for real? He was producing me for real. Of him, first I was hanging around a lot. Again, I'm good at hanging around. So I was- You are, because I'd never be allowed to hang around a kind of essential. So I got to hang around, I was got to hang around Electric Ladyland a couple of times while he was doing the record. So I think I was around for Monster and a couple other songs, right?

And I don't know He just, you know, text me one day Come in We did it At that studio Right next to B-Smiths The one Oh, Wycliffe's studio

Yeah, Wycleft Studio Anyway, he had me in the booth I'm going to say about three hours And he kept shouting Instructions to me How about this? How about that? And then he took all the shit And edited it

And then I get a text We got a classic and that was it and he played it for me and it was like oh my God because I didn't hear when I did it

it wasn't to music it was I believe it was just to or I didn't hear any of the words right so maybe there was a little

music but there would know all that John Legend and all that stuff wasn't on it he put it together and he put it together so then he played it

I was like oh my God this is amazing and I don't know I remember sitting with him and I'm my own

you know me and my bullshit A&R and I told him the album has to end on who's surviving America who's surviving America I was like that's the end of the fucking record really he put some bonus after that but he ended it right there

I don't know I'm not going to say I get all the credit for that but I definitely told him that I said nigger this is it who will who will survive in America is the last thing I need to hear. This is the mic drop.

Yeah, yeah. You ever hear the album, the ghetto boys' resurrection album? No. Resurrection. That was the one with the, what was the single? Was it gangsters put me down on that one?

It might have been. Ghetto Boys and girls. It's one of the great rap albums ever made. And the last line of resurrection is Willie D. Going, I'm the type of nigger throw a party with in a flag burn. I'm at the point in no return.

And that's the end of the fucking record. All the cleanup man. Yo, you love filler hip hop. Like, you go beyond the artist art. Is this because the shit ain't a hit doesn't mean it wasn't great? So sometimes there's some shit in it. So I remember I told Kanye that. And I got from a good source that he listened to it after I left.

Listen to it in front of me. Wow. Him and Jay. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. There's two golden rules that any man should live by. Rule one, never mess with a country girl. You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes.

And rule two, never mess with her friends either. We always say that trust your girlfriends. I'm Anna Sinfield, and in this new season of the girlfriends... Oh my God, this is the same man. A group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. I felt like I got hit by a truck. I thought, how could this happen to me? The cops didn't seem to care.

So they take matters into their own hands. I said, oh, hell no. I vowed. I will be his last target. He's going to get what he deserves. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, everyone? I'm Ego Wodom. My next guest, you know from Stepbrothers, Anchorman, Saturday Night Live and the Big Money Players Network. It's Will Ferrell. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. My dad gave me the best advice ever.

I went and had lunch with them one day, and I was like, and dad, I think I want to really give this a shot. I don't know what that means, but I just know the groundlings. I'm working my way up through, and I know it's a place they come, look for up and coming talent. He said, if it was based solely on talent, I wouldn't worry about you, which is really sweet. Yeah.

He goes, but there's so much luck involved. and he's like, just give it a shot. He goes, but if you ever reach a point where you're banging your head against the wall and it doesn't feel fun anymore, it's okay to quit. If you saw it written down, it would not be an inspiration. It would not be on a calendar of, you know, the cat. Just hang in there. Yeah, it would not be.

Right, it wouldn't be that. There's a lot of luck. Listen to thanks, Dad, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever seen Amber Rose after this came out? I have seen her at some store on Madison Avenue and I took a picture. She's, you know. Oh, you guys just never talked about this? I love her. Oh, my God.

You ever see like those movies where like a guy, like he's got magical powers but whenever he uses them, like if I use it right now, it's going to kill me and it saves the world? Right. Like that's what it would take for me to give Amber Rose up proper. fucking. Like it would Like I would be... Like 11 from Stranger Things and nose start believing

Yeah, my nose would stop Yeah, everything would happen I would get, I would make a cum, but yeah, I would be fucked up for a long time I like that you're so sure though, I make a come But it'd be, yeah, I'd be fucked up for a while I'd be no good to anybody Oh, man.

All right, who else? She's a bad motherfucker boy. Who else is in your top of? I'm a girl. Who else is in your top five? Top five. Okay. Jay Z.

Kanye. The popular guys. Snoop Dog. More popular guys. You show me a motherfucker that I got ten records in a row. All right. All right. You show me.

You have a show right now. You do your rock the bells or whatever to fuck. And you show me who's going to follow Snoop Doggy Dog. True. All right. Who? Who? No, Snoop is like, no, Snoop is like law and order.

Like, everyone knows at least one episode. That's true. Everybody. And the motherfucker's ridiculous live. You're right. When he comes out, when he got the real bass player playing, murder was the case. And this nigga got his braids out and his hair's blowing in the motherfucking wind. And their motherfucker says, as I look to the sky and you're like, oh, shit.

And you're like, this motherfucker's really six feet tall. He's really a fucking rock star. You can't fuck with that, nigga. You're right. You are right. That's why I'm like. That's funny. You're right.

You can't fuck with that, nigga. On anything. On anything. He's one of the greatest of all time. Two and three. Two and three. Or two and three. Four and five.

Oh, God. I mean, I got, you know, I can be. He named three. Give me the remaining two. Four and five. Just on that shit, just like, yo, you can't fuck. with these motherfuckers. Man, you know, this tribe

shit is for real, man. This shit, yo, Q-Tip is on some other shit. Now, don't get me wrong, Fife, God rest, you know, whatever, is some other shit, too. They were not, he wasn't like a one-man band Q-tip, but God damn it.

Those records, again, you can go 10 in a row. Yes. And be like, and everybody's happy. I agree with it. Everybody's happy. The hood's happy, your moms is happy. You know what I mean?

You know what I mean? The trap crew is happy and the Steve Harvey crew is happy. Ain't too many emcees that can do that. It's not too many emcees that could do that, right? All right. And, you know. Your fifth entry is... And, you know, okay, she's only got one album, so I'm not going to say her.

Please, who was the her? Just who wasn't? The head? No, no, Lauren Hills. Lauren Hill's a better rap. than she's a better rapper

than Kanye or a lot of people but you know you gotta make lyricist you know you gotta have a body of work

you gotta have a body of work you know all this other shit that ghost face is a motherfucker that ghost face so he's your favorite Wu Tanger?

He's my favorite Wu Tanger I mean you know I was like ODB and I was like meth and whatever like everybody else but nigga you gotta work

you gotta work you gotta work you're right hey man Tony Starks puts out a record every six months you know

fucking six you know whatever 600 days there's a Tony Starks record and that shit's

fucking great wait speaking of top five because it just hit me now and the iron mention ice cube wow all right

is the is the irony lost on you speaking of top five yes that uh

the Medea movie and Birth of a Nation were released in the same October week as what you predicted in the movie and had the same outcome? Has that irony been lost? Here's the thing. When you talk about

schizophrenic people talk about shit like that. You know what I mean? Like, it's a happy coincidence. Well, this doesn't know. Is the irony lost on you that... And it's not lost on me. You predicted that shit. It's not lost on me. It's not lost on me. It's not lost on me. It's not lost on me that I essentially

came up with the idea for Tyler Perry's biggest movie in a decade. Like down to the cover art. Oh, Jesus, really? Yeah, say what? No, the Sinkay cover and like the Birth of a Nation

it's like that same with him holding the Well, that's even crazy. Yeah, it's all the same stuff. I don't know, man. It's weird. My agents were like, we got to sue Tyler. I was like, I'm I'm not suing Tyler Perry. I don't want to... I don't want...

Does he even know? Yeah, yeah. I saw him on the day. Oh, he said... Oh, okay. What else you got? He called me up. We talked about it.

Call me up. Yeah. I'm almost out of... Wait, before you go, tell me a print story. I don't have a great print story. Honestly, I mean, he's one of those guys

that he liked me. me. I loved him. I always pushed back, honestly, because I always figured it can only get bad. I always figured, like, I don't want to fuck up my access. I just like those moments hanging around him. The longer you hung around him, the more he became like a normal person. Right. So I used to love it when, you know, when he'd have like a spaghetti stain. Didn't know it. Purple spaghetti stain.

Right. He's like, look at that fucking stain on this fucking lime green space suit. I remember, it's so funny, I remember him calling me up one night. And so as I read all the shit that's coming out right now. And right before when it was coming in 2000, and him, Prince telling me that I need to change all my money and the goal. Because the banks and all this shit wasn't going to be working. You read the, you saw the article the other day.

They found he had like all of. 67 gold bars in his possession. So. Word. Yeah. And like 5 million in cash. And like 25 million in real estate. The Negro stash.

I remember one year he wanted me to go on tour with him and I turned it down because I turned him down because he was the promoter. And I just didn't want Prince coming up to me one night saying, look at here, look at here. We're a little short. A little short. A little light. Well, wait. Would it ever been light with a Chris Rock Prince?

show? I don't know. I just didn't trust him in that position. I didn't trust him as a promoter. This would have been like 97, 98. Yeah. Yeah, so yeah, you wouldn't know. Oh, funny money. It would have been funny money.

It was like emancipation. He's doing everything himself. I was like, yeah, he was playing for his ass at that point. That's sit down and you and Prince had, I think it was VH1. Still one of the best Prince interviews like ever. Oh, thanks. Yeah, when you got him to say about the whole bad thing. Yeah, I think that was the first time he'd ever publicly commented on that.

Yeah. your butt is mine. Imagine me saying that. Yeah, Ben, he's mad. Whatever. I don't do a good prince. But, uh... All right, well...

Michael Jackson. I'm gonna have... Have you ever met Michael Jackson? I was around him. I didn't properly meet him, meet him. No, no, I do have one story of meeting him. Here's the thing. First, I was around him for the what's up with the video.

Oh, wow. Whoa! Wait a minute. Wait in a minute? I don't remember. Here we go. I don't remember. There's the moment we've been waiting for on.

This is the moment we've been waiting for. So I was around. You just casually leave this out. I was around for the What's Up with you video. And so I didn't get a chance to talk to him. That was a VIP section that I knew not to even walk near. But I got to watch. So Eddie,

brought the crew with him and they all just something on the trailer or something? But I got a call from Michael Jackson when I, first time I hosted the Oscars. You know, Michael Jackson always film shit all the time in movies and had crew people. Anyway, one of the crew guys gave me a fucking phone, and it was Michael Jackson

wishing me a good show. That would have messed up my night. Right. He called you that night? That day or whatever, like during like dress or whatever. Wait, I just realized there's a whole suit question I still didn't ask. Like, is that pressure? Like, Do you want to...

I mean, I was hosting the Oscars. I mean, I want to kill every time. I want this to be better than everyone else's in. No, but look, dude. But, Chris, you're the hindsight revisionist. I always tell people it doesn't... You can't control if it's a hit, but you can always be good. If it's good, no.

That ass right out. No, but the thing is, is that you can say now after the fact that, oh, you know, I was cooling a cucumber. But if you're getting a call from Michael Jackson, good luck. Which is essentially the nice guy version of the... of don't fuck up now. How do you feel? The shit was going by too fast.

Honestly. I mean... I figured the BET Awards was more pressure. The fact that you wanted to do that shocked the shit out of me. I did want to do it. Because that was risky.

It is risky, but you know what happens. It's easier Oscar or BET Awards? Oscars are easier than BET Awards. Why? Just put this way. No disrespect to anybody. Because black people are more disposable.

People liked what I did at the Oscars, but if 30 other people had hosted the show, they could have done. done a good job. You know what I mean? I love Billy Crystal. Billy Crystal would have came out there last year. He would have annihilated the Oscars.

He'd have been great and everybody would have been happy. Blue Crystal can't do the B.T. Awards. Although, if he did, it'd be amazing. If he did, it'd be amazing. You know what I mean? Like, you know what I mean? Like, you grant or not you Grant, but you know,

you Jackman could have done it. You can't do the fucking B.T. Awards, nigga. I'm doing a B.T. Awards. Was it more nerve in this last Oscar experience? I'm like, they're doing amigos joke. Was it more nerve-wracking this time? Because, I mean, it wasn't your first,

but it was like, everybody was on you. This is Oscar so white, yeah. It was, you know what? This was like one of those happy accidents, man. I agreed to host a show. None of this stuff had even broke out yet. I was just like... Initially, wasn't Eddie the host or...

No, that was two years ago. Okay. I was... You know, I... I don't know. I just had nothing going on. I was... spent a year, you know,

trying not to talk about. I'm trying to talk about my personal life, but I was in divorce court so much, like, I was just so in a fog, so nothing, like I didn't have a script or anything. It was like, okay, let me host this. Let me host this, because it's hard to, you know,

custody and all this shit going on. So it's hard to do a movie. It's hard to do a TV show. It's hard to do anything. But that's heavy. Oscar's like, honestly, like, a, three-week commitment.

It's more, if you want to put in more, but I knew I could do it. So I said, yeah, because I was so busy getting whatever that if I didn't do something, I was going to risk, it's very easy to be to not, if you're not like a movie star or have a TV show, it's really easy to not be seen for a couple of years. You know what I mean? Like, you've got to be very strategic. about this shit if you're not on a show. So I figured if I do the Oscars, it's like, okay.

A nice way to come back in. That's me for 2016. Right. But this is a different Oscars. This is a controversial Oscar. So that was the decision to do it. And nothing to do with anything else. It was just like, okay.

And then the nominations come out and there's no blacks. And now it's like, you know, it's the most important thing. You want to cover it. It's like, what are you going to do? Yeah, what are you going? I got the essence cover I never got before, you know what I mean? 20 years in show business, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, suddenly I was another cat.

So, yeah, it was a lot of pressure. It was a lot of pressure. But it was fun. It was fun, man. It was fun. It was the best time I've ever had hosting a show. Are there any other challenges? I know the last tour you went to other countries, which, besides Billy Crystal,

Started it. Now everybody does it, but yeah, that was the big, I left my manager over that. Over. You didn't want to go to other countries? No, no, I wanted to play other. I was just like, okay, you know, everybody has this thing, Black Axe don't work here, there, whatever. And I was like, I can't keep playing Philly. This is like, I want to be the best in the world.

That means playing the world, you know. I can figure it out. So I thought And with the onslaught of the internet Like everything's localized No one had done it No one had really done it It was like an occasional show here or there

But no one had really toured No comedian had really toured Outside of the country And it worked out You know Thank God for YouTube I guess I mean I went

My initial First time into London I thought I'd play like 600 seats Played 90,000 you know, over weeks and weeks of doing shows. And, you know, if I can do a Obama fucking, you know, victory lap, pretty much broke the record in most countries.

Wow. And a lot of it was, and a lot of it was word of mouth. A lot of it was like one show sold out or two, and then people liking the show so much that it just kept rolling into other things. Well, how many shows were in London? I don't know how many shows. So the orange law wasn't like 15 Chris Rock shows. It was like, we'll do two.

And it was like it. And there's five more. Then it's five more. So you're spacing out this tour. Yes. Okay. Let's so. Oh, fuck.

There's too many for the Hammerstein. Let's see if we can do the, let's do the O2. Oh, the O2 sold out in a day. Let's do another. Like, it was like, it was. And do you prepare a tour like a rock star? Like, do you do it every other night? Because I know, like, you used upper register of your voice.

I do have a... Like, what happens if you have a cold or your horse? You're fucked, you're fucked. I mean, you got to, when you get off stage, you drink your tea. You try to talk as little as possible. You try to watch what you do even on stage. I mean, I got pipes like a metal singer. Yeah, I was about to say.

You and Kinnison are like... Yeah, I got... When I did the play years ago, the motherfucker with the hat, the whole experience, I was the low-man-old. under totem pole. The whole experience, I was the rookie, right? Through rehearsals and blocking and everything, right? The moment we got

to the stage, I was, you couldn't fuck with me. Because You projected it better. Yeah, every, yeah, I was the only one I didn't have to have a doctor and get vitamin B12 shots and whatever for my voice because I'd played 50,000 people.

Playing a thousand wasn't anything, you know? When you were going and traveling other countries, was it anything in your act that you had to kind of change or tailor to fit that country? Pop culture changes from town to town. I mean, you do a thing like, okay, what's your Walmart? Okay, gotcha. What's your Flatbush Avenue? Yeah, certain references.

Who's the prime minister? Who's the president? Who's the, okay, this? Is there a researcher who does that for you, let you know? I do it, or, you know, Alan Leeds would do it. you know, oh, this A-Rod joke is now a Ronaldo joke. You know what I mean? Like, you do those things.

But, and you have to just change that stuff. The jokes that talk about men and women, you don't have to change shit. Like, men and women are mad and happy about the exact same things all over the world. The relationship dynamic is, the relationship dynamic. don't change anywhere. So lastly, your script. What's your pin game into?

I'm working on a script. I can't really describe it right now. Well, no, I don't want you to describe it, but you are, you know. I'm working. I'm trying to get my man from Atlanta to help me out a little bit. Okay.

I'm working on something. Hopefully I can finish it before the tour's over. And, you know, get back into directing. The top five opened some doors for you in that area? Top five, I get a lot of offers to direct. Offers of producing. Like, you know, people took me serious, like, oh, okay.

Yeah, I feel like another Black Willie Allen situation. You're, you know, and it's like the third movie I directed. So it's like, okay, some filmmakers takes a while. Hopefully, you know, I got to do it again, honestly. Like, David O. Russell's first, wasn't David O. Russell out the box or even, you know, and I shouldn't compare myself to him. But I'm just saying people, artists grow, you know, the second Fuji's album is the fucking, you know what I mean?

It's a big jump. It's the second Nirvana album. It's the big jump. So, you know, I got a big jump in my third movie and hopefully it'll, you know, I don't take for granted and fucking, you know. How much of that was autobiographical in terms of the struggle in the character, in the movie, his struggle was alcohol. Was that personal or was it, did you substitute that for another addiction?

The struggle wasn't alcohol with me, I mean, a little bit, but not. To the extent that it was depicted. The struggle with me was just partying. Struggle with me was girls, honestly. Why you got daughters? You know? That was like, okay,

I could fuck so-and-so or I can get on stage. You know, I can juggling fucking six chicks and, you know, that's six conversations. That's six complaints. That's like, you know what I mean?

That's like... Must be nice. You know what I mean? That's, you know? That's like being a manager of a fucking Rbies and shit. It's just like, my shift. How can I get, like, it's like literally, yeah, just like, okay, let me get that part done with. All right, well, Mr. Rock, I know this was painful for you.

It's painful. To be interrogated. figure out a three-hour favor to ask you. You know he's DJs. You know, you got a sweet 16 16 party. You don't want me spending

no sweet-dusty. And before we go, I just want to say, man, you are the reason I drive in Ultima. I just said, like, I bought all this. From the thing you did, I think it was on MTV, you were talking about how you like to steal. Oh, no.

MTV, what was that? A day in the life life. Yeah, I think, yeah. And he was like, I drive an altar. And I was like, you know what, I'm about for an awesome. That was a whole joky. That's one of those things. They said, you want to do it.

I said, only if I could make it funny. Nah, you did it. And now, like, even on the, how we were talking about you being, like, a private, I'm currently living out one of your jokes because I just bought a house. And I'm, like, one of only of the three black families, like, in the whole joint. The guy that used to own the house was a dentist. Hey, man. There you go.

That's where it was. Wow. Well, sir, I thank you. Thank you. that you'll make me pay for this somehow. I will, I will. I'm staying in town, so if anything's going on later, let me know I've got to go buy.

I'm sorry, you're not coming by. I'm going to go buy my tour clothes. Nice. You're not going to do it. Eddie Murphy, just go to mall and buy the red light. I found out that he didn't have an outfit. He didn't have an outfit for delirious. He didn't have an outfit for delirious.

He didn't have an outfit for delirious and just went to the mall and saw the leather suit inside of it. Yeah, it's not even a suit. They're like, he already. had the pants, of course. It's not even a suit. They don't even match. Well, wait, you don't have a wardrobe present? I do, but sometimes you just want to walk through.

I was going to say, dare I introduce him to the crazy words, Steve? No. Oh, never mind. Anyway, thank you very much. Chris Rock. We appreciate you coming on the show. This is Questlove Supreme. We'll be back with more reflections. Reflections. Laia.

What did you learn? I learned that if Chris Rock everyone wants to quit comedy, he will be the most amazing A&R person, like, for real. Or at least the most opinionated A&R person. I mean, that 99 problem story can't be denied. Like, that shit was real, right? Yeah, he, I'm telling you, he has a tendency to, I thought I liked filler and non-relevant rap stuff,

but he loves filler and just, you know, he goes beyond a person's, arc. Oh, you know what else I learned? What? My rats will destroy you. Next. All right, Farn, take a little.

What did you learn today? Oh, man. I learned that Chris Rock is, and I'm not just saying that, you know, he's here, but he is my favorite comedian, like, favorite. I mean, he had been for years, but just sitting here and talking to him and just the way he discusses, like, his personal life and, you know, just discussing, you know, the journey of, like, going through a divorce and how you, you know, lose. in that year and all of that

what that entails and you know the thing that he said about how if you're not on a TV if you're not a movie star if you're not on TV years can go by without motherfuckers seeing you know what I'm saying and like that shit is real so uh ask Reese Withersman man listen

you know I mean so for him he's just real shots fired I'm just saying like people won't recognize you people she came back and nobody knew who the fuck she was when the last time you dropped the Reese Withers I'll just shut up I'll just shut up

I'll show up but no he's just all around it's just a real dude and he's definitely a person the shit he said about not being with people like what we're saying

like being untalented is sexually transmitted that shit is fucking true like there has been sexual opportunities I have passed down because I didn't think that much of the person's art

not even wrong crew like I just didn't think the art that that girl made was whatever. So it's just like, yeah, like I don't want to, you know, you know, I don't want you, you know, to make this vaginal decision. And I can't support your art. Like, I feel that would be disingenuous, you know what I mean? Like, I can't do that.

People think a PIM ain't got no feelings, but a Pimp got feelings. I wouldn't do that to her. So, but yeah, that's real, man. So, yeah, he's just a super relatable dude, man. Still my top. Number one. Okay, you guys told me, or someone told me that I don't know how to take a compliment. I actually felt honored that, you know, when he said I don't hang around untalented people.

I was like, wait, we hang around each other. Oh, shit, I'm talented. Oh, man, he really likes my talent. No, you know, I appreciate that. Now, Chris is the dude that, like, when you're stagnant in one particular area of your life, And then it's a sudden, it's an upsurge, you know, I'll say like in the last five years, things have definitely changed for me. And dealing with family members and all that stuff, like, you know, you don't know how to deal with it because you just think that, you know, you're going to be a star of an artist or a broke artist or whatever, like a struggling artist or whatever the case is. and so he was really there to let me know

like to get he was the magical Negro I was about to say yes he's he the one that he was kind of like your rich nigga whisperer like you're kind of like your new rich nigger whisperer like he seems to do that with a lot of people though no he does like his first thing was

he was like he's like all right you're going to meet me here tomorrow I was like why where are we going he's like we're going to a not a tea party like a we're going to a cocktail party and I was like Why would I want to go there? He says, because you never know the day that you're going to need to borrow $650,000 so you could develop something. And I was like, huh? Like, he just, he just, no, it was like, for real.

So now you have to take that and you have to do the same. I went to this thing with them. We took a bunch of hands, a bunch of old rich people. You now have to be Chris Rock at some point and pass the baton and do the same thing. Mentoring. That's great. Yeah, it's called Quest Love Supreme. Child.

Only on Pandora. Only on PAN. You know how much stuff I've learned on this show that I actually, like, apply to my everyday life now? No, straight up, done. Just straight up. Anyway, yeah, he taught me a lot. So I'm very grateful that he did the show. Bill.

So, yeah, the whole him being the secret A&R or whatever behind the Jay-Z-99 problems. And, like, we were talking when we were on break. Like, can you imagine what it would be like if Jay Z had picked, can a nigga get a table dance over 99 problems? That'd be amazing I'd actually kind of want to hear that So Jay, if you're listening You're going to get a table dance I think it might be time to revisit that

And I learned one more thing One more thing What'd you learn? My raps will destroy you My raps will destroy you What'd you learn? He kept going back to His ability

To destroy you With his reps No, his ability And the value Of blending in being able to hang with anybody and I feel I've made a bit of a career of that myself. I'm not laughing

but now I cannot wait for the day we get Karras won't on this show because I know our intro is going to be nothing but my rap's will destroy you I'm sorry Steve farty for interrupting go ahead. Yeah his thing

about blending in and being able to hang with all sorts of different crowds and people and the value and that and that it's a skill and I can vouch for it I think to some extent also I thought it was cool because you and I are always making the comparison between musicians and comedians and saying all the similarities between the two different trades and he mentioned a major difference that musicians can can work on continue to play their old material and you know And that's actually what the audience wants to hear most of the time is the old songs and the hits and so forth.

And comedians have to come with the new stuff in order to make. So I thought that was cool that, you know, this sort of major difference between those two things, which we don't think about. We're always thinking about the similarities. And I also got to mention NatX in front of NatX, which was really so awesome. Remember that time? You did that, Lex. That was really cool. All right, all right, Bill.

I'm paid Bill. I used to open a lot for comedians back in the day, and I remember being backstage and there being, like, the most introverted, angry folks. Freestyle Love Supreme used to open for a lot of comedians because we were a comedy thing in, you know, in Edinburgh at the fringe. And anyway, there were these really introverted dudes,

and you were like, and it made me not want to hang out with comedians. And so Chris Rock very much changed that, because he's just a, he was not, he's not like that at all. He's an anomaly. Yeah, I would say so. Like, you know, when your job is to try to make people laugh all the time, feel like the rest of the time you're just like a sad dick.

And it wasn't like that at all. I like that. And how about that divorce can really, you know, change a person, right? So there's like, there's the highs of Chris Rock's life, and there's the lows and there's all some shit. And, yeah. The look of acknowledgement on Fonte's face was classic. Yeah, we both.

Like, you kind of, like, can't really do other things. Our failed love is bonded us together. Yeah, I mean, pretty much. More than. All right. What are you two, Bill and Fonte, what are you two going to feel betrayed, like, five, four years from now when you're like,

all right, I'm going to get married again? Oh, I'm never getting married again. Are you getting married again? I'm never getting married again. I will say this. I will say this. You are definitely getting married again. Everyone fucking says that.

Why do you say that? Okay, okay, this is why they say it. This is why they say it. Look at your hair. Your hair cut is made for marriage. My hair coat. Oh, yeah. I'm glad people can't see my amazing haircuts

were on the radio. Your hair coat was made for marriage. Oh, wow. My raps were made for marriage. And they'll fucking destroy you. Your hair cut were made destroyed marriage. And my rap just destroyed you.

My niggabille Sherman got the number two on the Fantastic Sam show. All right. I could be your accountant or your business manager. Go ahead. Okay, this is why I was saying, because this is a person that said that I would never do it again.

and I want to do it again. All right, it's a couple things. All right. First thing is that you got to realize that there are like a common threads that run through all marriages, but sometimes you can just be with the wrong fucking person. Now I'm saying? And for me, I just know in my marriage that was just the wrong fucking person. You know what I mean?

And so, and not even putting nothing on her because we're cool now. But for me, the person I was when I got married was not ready to be married. Like, you know what I'm saying? So it's like if you eat If you've never eaten beef before And somebody make you a cheeseburger And it's just fucked up And you taste that

You're like I hate cheeseburger It's like nah It ain't that all cheeseburgers is fucked up You just hate fucked up cheeseburger Oh what's gonna say like But you're stuck with a cheeseburger When you were at the altar When you were at the altar

Was there a point when you were like Oh shit Maybe not No When you caught up in the moment You couldn't wait for Frankie Beverly Maze You start playing

No, it wasn't, I never had a moment where I thought like, oh, shit, it wasn't that. I mean, I think you, you know. How long before that first, oh, damn. Oh, when I realized I fucked up? Right. Oh, now I realized I fucked up, like, within the first. Two cheeseburgers. Probably the first year, you know what I mean?

Like, maybe like the first year or so. Oh, because after seven months, someone shows you who they really are. Yeah. Yeah, that's show you who they really are. And, I mean, and even beyond that, again, I mean, die, like, it really just depends on who you are. And I just speak specifically as men, you know what I'm saying, just talking to the man. Like, it really depends on us. It depends on.

It's not so much. And this is the part of, like, women, they don't like to talk about. It's like when a man decides to get married, like we were saying with Chris, it's at the top of your game. It's when we're at the top. So it's like, it really ain't got shit to do with her. Right. It's got to do with who you are. You know what I mean?

Yes. You know, it ain't got nothing to do with, you know, with who. It ain't got nothing to do with who she is. She could be, like, the greatest motherfucker ever, like, Cook, clean, big ass fat tits, whatever you like. But if you ain't ready for that. Cook clean, big ass fat tit. Yeah, I mean, you know.

Whatever you like. It's got to be one of those three things, but you just have to choose. Yeah, if she can have all that. But if you ain't ready for that, then it don't matter what she got. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Those big, yeah. You feel me?

So we say intelligence because that's what they want to hear. Yeah, no. And talent STDs. What the fuck was that too? Whatever that. Oh, yeah, yeah. Sexual transmitted. Sexy transmitted.

untalentedness. That's fucking scary. But not, so I would say that boss Bill, I mean, unpaid bill, I think, you know, you're feeling that now because you're fresh out of it. That don't want to get married? Yes, you want to get married. And you're still going through your divorce. Like, you're still going through the after-maid. Like, you still got, like,

the thousand yards there of divorce. You know what I'm saying? Because that shit is fucking traumatic. It's like a 10-foot stare at this point. And I have the right hair, so I'll be fucking fantastic. You know, fine, fine. And I would say, and I don't know what I'm saying is because I was the guy that before I was like

fuck this shit I never do shit again and I kind of had to eat some humble pie after once I decided to do it but it's a process and you know you work through it and you may decide to do it you may not but if nothing else I think that your heart will soften once you make it out of this joint like you got to treat

you got to treat divorce like PTSD like you really got to treat that shit like you've been through some traumatic shit so many so many abbreviations STDs PTSD's all fucking it's all it's all yeah you gotta yeah You got to treat it like that. You got to get yourself that time to really heal.

And then if you decide to do it again, you know, you can make a better decision. Divorce Supreme, only on Pandora. That's going to be the offspring show. Yeah, when we get our side show. I know. Like all day. Just like, fuck, remember that shit. What's more stories?

Hey, our boss, Scott Yeo's here. Did you learn anything? Did we embarrass the higher-ups in the office upstairs? No, I mean, look, there's a lot of things, I think, in this interview that were super interesting. One, to what Fonte was saying, super real. Like, I always felt like he was that in his comic and celebrity persona, but just having him here in the room, definitely a real dude.

Super talented. Most comedians, Seinfeld, otherwise, I'm a big fan of comedy. They take a year to work out before they go out on the road. And they get a solid 60 to 90 minutes before they do that. And he's literally putting it together. Winging it. Yeah, as it's happening. I'm so scared of that, man, because, no, he's, he's,

my Chris is my preparation guru for all the folklore I talk about like the 10,000 hour practice thing like I'm with him when he's at this obscure club

like working things out with his grandfather glasses and all these notebooks like when he's prepping stuff he's not like the short you know cocksure walk on the stage and thing

no he's like walking on the stage with point extra glasses with a whole bunch of composition notebooks Okay, what should I talk about? Okay, let me try some food jokes. No, not that.

Okay, Ravioli. So, da-da-da-da-na-na. And he's like, literally, and watching the process. And to see nobody laugh. And if a joke doesn't work, he's like, yeah, y'all don't like that. Okay, let me try. Okay, Nike's. So da-da-da-da-da.

Like, he's real scientific. So he's really working it out, like in real time. Right. He's the reason why I started prepping my DJ sets. Like, oh, to be that. great, you have to prep and then not just go up there, wing it. So how do the audiences respond to

him when he's working stuff out? You know, like, you say they might not laugh, but like, do people get impatient? Sometimes it's weird, because lately I'll say in the last year when, like, you just got to come to a comedy seller. Like, now that he, if he's going to comedy seller, then everybody's going to, like,

Louis's going to show up. Seinfeld might show up. Aziz is definitely showing up. Hannibal will be there. Amy's going to be. If Amy and him are there, then basically nine of the gods of comedy will also be there. I think if you're coming to the comedy seller,

if you're an audience member that's going to that club, I think you kind of know what you're in for. I think like... They don't, because... And when I say no gym for, meaning like, they would like to see someone work that out, you know what I mean? Yeah, they'll have patience. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they'll tolerate it. Ever since Louis, people understand

that the comedy seller is the working out spot. but you know it's also the you're caught up in the moment because you know if Chris is on then damn Kevin Hart must be oh my guy there he is right there like it's it's it's it's but also like he said comedians will they get but I feel like they before for each other yeah that's true also yeah and the real the real workout happens upstairs because once they're done and they go back up to that booth in the back they beat each other that's when they start you know you know you bombed on that shit and da da da da da da and they start you know you're

compare notes like that's the real that's the part that I wish people could really see about the process of of comedy building there was two other things he said that I I kind of wish we had dug a little deeper on which was he talked about all of his friends doing drugs and he didn't and I kind of wanted to know why like what was it like was he afraid was it health is it just like I don't want to be that guy but because his dad would have beat his ass well I wish to respond I kind of figured that too and then the other moment when he decided to go to the con when he saw the ad and went down to the comedy. Like what made him say

I can do comedy? Like he, at that point he had said nothing had ever come other than he was just a fan of it. Like, that's an inspiration. He's scientific in this approach, but he's not scientific romantic. Like, I'm scientific romantic. I'll fetishize over, oh my God. So when you had this

MP3, you know, this MP3 of this particular song, did you think that he... You're nostalgic over MP3s now? Well, I think in this show... There's Venet Sound like NAP3s and there's AI. And the stories you've heard on this show have kind of ruined that notion because you hear all this stuff is happy accidents, right?

Well, I'm fine with the happy accidents, but no one really scientifically genius tends to look over there. They're very dismissive of their work and that stuff. It's been a whole lot of happy accidents and not overthinking things. I do all the overthinking. Anyway, on behalf of Queen Light Year. Wait, I have a funny story, a funny Chris Rock story if we're ending the show. Okay.

It was like a year and a half ago. You were working on the music for his movie. Oh, I forgot. I scored top. Yeah. And for some reason, you had me text him or call him, and for some reason, my number ended up in his phone. So one night, I'm at home.

Hi. as hell. And I get this FaceTime. And it's Chris Rock, right? It says Chris Rock FaceTime. Like, he's calling me. So I'm like, okay. So I pick it up.

And it's Chris Rock. He's like in the back of a car or a limo or something like that. And he's like, who is this? Like he's looking at it. I'm like, you call me. You go, this is Steve, Quest Engineer. He goes, oh shit. He goes, I don't know how that just happened.

I go, you must have just. ass FaceTime me You know like ass dial FaceTime Like my number Must just

Been in his phone Right And his He must have sat on his phone So I'm like Yeah Okay how are you doing He's like good

He's a I'm gonna go back To smoke and crack now Bye Bye And I just like That was the perfect Chris Rock

Interaction And that's the perfect show ending All right On behalf of Laia I'm Paid Bill Boss Bill And uh

Sugar Steve Fantigolo And yay yo This Of course love Supreme, we will talk to you on the next girl round. All right. Of course love Supreme is a production of Iheart Radio. This classic episode was produced by the team at Pandora.

For more podcasts from IHartRadio, visit the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 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 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 IHeard 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. This week on the Sports Slice podcast, it's all about the NFL draft. And we've got a special guest. The director of the NFL's East West Shrine Bowl, Eric Galco,

joins the Sports Slice podcast to break down what really matters when evaluating draft prospects. From hidden traits teams look for to the biggest mistakes franchises make to the players flying under the radar. This is the insight you won't hear anywhere else. If you want to understand the draft like an insider, you don't want to miss this episode. Listen to the Sports Slice podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, for wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slice of Life 12 and TikTok podcast network on TikTok. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist,

they take matters into their own hands. I bowed. I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed human.