If you're authentic to yourself, not chasing every thing and you can do this, then you can win attention is the number one asset. Uh Vayner Nation What is good? We are here for another episode of Podcast with friends. I'm going to predict it now this going to be one of the cooler ones. We got some real Heat at this table, some guys really moving in culture, making incredible sounds and fashion and Trends and so like we always do.

we're going to let people go around the room and say what's up, Tell all of you uh out there who are listening live right now but in the future on the podcast a little bit about what they do and then we'll chop it up a little bit and with Twitch we'll maybe take some questions from youall out there and we'll go. So get it. We'll start with best looking. let's go what it do D Gu ice wor vzo You know what I'm saying Detroit Michigan Six M You heard, yep tell everybody a little bit more so obviously where you're from and who you are.

If somebody ask you what your sound is, what you do, where you, why you believe things are moving for you. what stands out's let's close that door Yeah I'm from the I'm obviously I'm from Detroit from the East side from a hood called Six Mile You know what I'm saying my sound stand out because it's more so like like the beat sound like can we cut somewhere? Hell yeah. All right cool them beats sound like I made them in my grandma basement. You know what I'm saying just real gutter like You know what I'm saying just real dark ass beats.

we just popped that on there you know I feel like Detroit got a distinctive sound and we've been pushing that sound for so many years and the world starting to like gravitate to it. You know what I mean So I think by everybody else around the world and other bigger artists with that sound they like pushing it more forward. You know what I'm saying. So I just think our sound is distinctive and different and I talk real Street on there authen Street Music you know what I'm saying I don't sound like I'm lying again no V what up baby bro We got so much love for you it's so good to see you You' been good you know that year I've been great everything good.

How was your New Year reging chilling family regular with the girls? good. Tell everybody who you are and what you do um Dave East I'm from Harlem New York City um I rap act I do a lot of um I feel like with me my sound is more like like he was saying it's it's just authentic you could um you could believe it it it it identify me where I'm from my my my style you could you can pop it in and could tell where it's where it's coming from. type so I think just the um the lyricism, the storytelling. All of that is something I really embody in my music.

Dave you you you know before we get to the youngster here popping up, you really have longevity and all three of you know this. Everybody in the room knows this and everybody watching right now knows this like it's really hard to do what you've pulled off. you've mattered for a real minute for sure. dud like why do you think that is I ain't chasing no Trends I I'm not trying to um, do what everybody else doing.

if it's hot you know I don't try to just jump to the next hot thing I I stay grounded I stay doing what I do try to keep the same people around me. you know what I'm saying like so I feel like that keeps me in my own bubble like my own Inner Circle yeah I don't really pay attention to what be going on outside of what I got going on too much I love it I'm about to pop off a text to make sure people tune in. Tell everybody man n before I even start myself like it's it's good to be in this room with y'all like I appreciate as a fact y too cuz it's like I I'm from New York So seeing your way back to being in the same room it's like it's a full circle moment and you too I was telling them before I came here or like before you came in here that I used to watch the podcast I remember you brought book boogie in the office and I'm looking like damn how the I get in the office how get here you know and we made it here so it's just like I appreciate you for that I'm 45 I'm from New York uh but like like y'all y'all was saying like Y sound is like authentic to what you do like I'm not really from like the street life but I'm I'm from Uptown I'm from Washington Heights so I grew up around it but like my sound is more like it's more Vibes man I'm here to like I'm here to spread A vibe. you know abolutely like we we be, we be doing M pits you know we in the M pits for My Vibe So like we in a different world but it's the same world.

autic. clearly the same world but in a different world. So that's what I do I run a clothing brand like business type of thing. like besides just music, it's clothes.

People don't just know me for the music but that's what Au that's what being authentic is though. You know what I'm saying. being true to yourself and true to what you got going on and sticking to you know, your wave and your sound. Whatever.

just all around the board. You know what I'm saying no but you know I appreciate all type of so I'm over here I'm defin in there turned up you know when I'm in when I'm like for sure like me we was definitely listening to your back and like I was saying like so I started making music when Chief Keef was going crazy like around that time like I wouldn't say making it but like really into it like cuz I started listening to like Thug Young Thug that's my inso free Jeff for sure enough of this right? So go ahead so that we all know that era okay and and then like you know what sparked it you were just like it was just I just feel like I can too now you know what it was I was um so I'm I'm born New York City uh uptown Manhattan and then my mom moved out to the suburbs I remember when we were choing we were talking about it so I moved out to the suburbs a little bit so I got like the suburbs in my like world but I wasn't really like matching up with it. you know I wasn't like I with the business side of the suburbs but I don't with how people like acted out there. so I was like you know what I'm going to take the risk living with my mom I'm going to move back to the City live with my grandma back in uh Washington Heights she passed away and then just started to work for me you know I just like I took that risk you know that's really it good for you.

Took the risk man. thanks. you know it's it's funny but I think you're exactly right and Dave I I actually saw a picture of you and I sitting Courtside together at the Garden we sat saw it in Social the other day and I made me think of us that night I was just like recalling like it's so funny people throw around offense ticity. yeah and we keep you know when I was growing up keeping it real it's all the same and to your point when he when youngster was speaking about like this is my vibe.

the thing that I've always been most interested in back to suburb: Street kid language, religion, income level. There's a reason that people that are very different can with each other absolutely and the only reason it exists is because they're both being authentic and open 100% The only reason people that are totally different facts like real all of us no in the room I see the head nods I'm sure people are going to say it in the chat right now. The reason you meet someone and you're like oh I with this person and on paper the 10 minutes before you started to chop with them and Vibe with them you're like I'm not going to lie. Think about every person that's ever walked into a room and you judged them real quick and look let's call Spade of Spade.

You guys are cool like you know and when you when when you've got that as your currency you always feel better then being hip to it being fresh having it. that's like money. Yeah it's a currency and when people walk in just like the country club with their third generation money. when someone from the street walks in then they judge someone that's got flavor.

When someone that walks in that physically the way they're dressed right? Yeah, doesn't look like they have flavor, they judge as I'm out with that person. But then they sit down on a plane. think about the crazy people you chopped up with in the last three years on a plane. that's effect and you're like hanging with like Grandma you're like I'm and the only reason it could ever happen is authenticity.

you being you, they being them. Yeah, thinking back to music and collaborations in different parts: I Did I actually did a a TV show this morning where I talked about Adidas versus Nike in the80s and I brought up rund DMC like why did it Adas pop off like crazy in culture and I was talking about Run DMC right? And you know just thinking about these things like different worlds. When rund DMC and Aerosmith made that music video and that song went crazy, you understand I'm the old dog in here like the rock and roll was number one and it wasn't even close. Hip-hop was a young baby coming up starting to make some noise that came out and it made such crazy noise.

But the reason they with each other was they were just being authentic and they liked each other. Trly is and it changed everything. That is the watershed moment of momentum for hipop that people don't understand. It quadrupled Hip Hop's interest amongst America it took over MTV that played on rotation pre kids pre- internet right when there was 36 channels on TV that was on rotation 14 times a day and change the world.

But none of it happens without authenticity. And as a matter of fact, one of the things that I've loved the most having people come through this office. Through The Years Whether they're businessmen who have no idea what the is going on in culture or they culture people trying to take it to the next step and build businesses is when when people are open to yeah like right like to me, the biggest reason people lose is are closed. So for example, in settings like this that's corny that's selling out that I ain't doing that.

And meanwhile the number one thing that artist should do is do a collab with a K-pop band M but they're closed cuz they see it as corny, right? For real. For real, that ain't you know One thing. one thing I know for sure is understanding is universal Bro You know what I'm saying You can as long as you understand a person as as a as a person we talking about background where from clothes, jewelry who had at the heartest ain't about that, we can understand each other mentally mentally. That's all the need bro.

I think everything about just building relationships and and Building Bridges between with with with one industry to another industry that always work every time it never fa and that's why that Adidas that's why that rock and roll hip-hop That's why I went that way. they they closed the bridge that what that nobody thought would ever connect. You know what I'm saying and they started some that that let me go around. Start with you 2024 we're still in it.

It's still January I Can ask these kind of questions. Okay, what's something you really really want to accomplish? But let me give you the context that has historically been hard for you. not a goal, not some that you want to pop off some AKA something you actually want to work on based on your personality, based on the way you move, based on the things you've been scared about based on things you haven't ially done well. What's something you want to accomplish in 2024 that if somebody that really knows you knows you like your mama is like damn I can't believe he finally did took that chance I want I want to get better with uh communicating with friends and stuff like that like that's a big one like cuz I got a lot of people around me and like I'm the type of person that's like yo you do you doing me dirty like I'm just I'm going just keep it cut out you know not even really cut people out just like I'm going to let you like deal with your over there and I'm going to do my thing.

you going to have to deal with watching me do my my thing like but my my new thing I'm trying to work on is just communicating better with like everybody like family too cuz like when I'm in my own world like I really get in my own world like and that's like a problem sometimes cuz then I'm like I'm only communica with the people I see like in front of me you know I be forgetting about the people that's really like background characters and sometimes like it's important to keep those relationships I can't just like throw it out the window so communication is like a big thing I'm trying to work on 2024 like I'm good with communicating like business show we could talk business all day long but like but real but like the keep the problems like I want to get handle the problems a little more like a little like more hands on with that my guy. That's a really wise thing to say for a young dud. That's what. I'm trying to do 202 good for you Dave But and you said history.

But if I good good, No, no, that's definitely that's it. that's bet with me this year Um I opened a store up last year in Harlem Um called from the Delhi and I really want to see how far I could take that as far as the real estate game and tell everybody who's watching and listening. tell them from the deli, give them a little 411 what it is. Um, from the deli is basically One-Stop shop.

You know what I'm saying, um everything you need is in there. uh I do a lot of events in there a it's just like a, um, a social space type of type of type of vibe. What's it that 145th in St Nick Oh okay on the hell yeah. Okay, how's being in retail? B You learned some lessons already? Yeah, definitely cuz I grew up in retail and everybody likes to get excited about retail.

And then you start realizing like the manager didn't show up and the store didn't open. It's definitely work. It's real work. looking at it before I did it and now I'm in it is.

It's definitely work, but it's something. What most surprising to you. um most surprising What caught you off guard: Like how hard it would be to sustain foot traffic. How managing people realizing who who who can I really have working in there? Yeah, that that might be the hardest I me because I'm not not running it tell a real story that's going to make you laugh on this.

It's good for everybody to listen. So I was born in the In Soviet Union USSR immigrated to us when I was three lived in Queens studio apartment the size of this eight family members. poor poor poor. My dad worked every minute American Dream went from being a stock boy in a liquor store to eventually being the manager to eventually saving his money for seven years of buying his own shop I'm 14 11 years later and I get Dred in I got to work at the you know, some Merchant you know the corner store day have family business I'm working at 14 hustling 45 minutes.

my dad's store was from where we lived I spent so little time with my dad at this point cuz he worked every minute even though my dad and I slept in the same house my whole childhood. he would leave before I woke up and he came home after I went to bed some real and I'm talking 360 days a year. Hey bro, that's crazy You said that bro cuz I I I be feeling I wonder if my son feel that same way about you? Yeah and sometimes I be feeling guilty about that like damn am I am I hurt am I Love man, let me let me tell you something that you might that might be. So let me tell you something Fellas for all and for all the parents listening right now that are trying to figure out work life balance, let me give you an optimistic story.

My dad did all that I didn't see him all that much at all. He went to none of my games, knew nothing in my life until I started working at the store at 14 and I sit here today. My dad and I are tight as I love him the most. we're super tight like sure I'm a human.

what a what as I have an 11 year younger brother and at that point especially because of what I did for his business, he was able to do more for my brother. Do I feel some sort of way sometimes, but on some real real real right? I have the best relationship my pops. Now that doesn't work out for some people. Some people resent it.

There's things and if you're feeling that way I feel that way I work like crazy. You got to chop at it. You got to let me give you a good one. Then if both of you feel that way one time a month when you normally energetically chemically feel like no I Got to do that show I'm going to take that business meeting I'm going to go to the Gramys one time a month.

Choose the kid, choose the kid. get into the Habit yeah just like some real hot like NBA Allstar in Indiana nah I'm this time I'm going to take got it one time a month them events is going to be there them times with them kids they getting old I look back. just was it. Two days ago was the 6 year anniversary of my um.

Paranoia 2 album and my daughter's a baby on that cover. It's already about to be eight. Yeah, it's crazy. Anyway, let me finish this story cuz you're love this.

You're going to love this about retail. So now I don't even know my pops like that. Plus my pops has these eyebrows that are naturally mean looking like this and so and he doesn't talk. so I'm just crazy scared of my dad, right? And we drive and my dad is the reverse of me.

I'm extroverted loud. He's quiet. so we drive 45 minutes at 700 in the morning and he doesn't say a word. quiet right? That's and by the way, kids pre phone I'm just sitting there listening to the radio like and this my this my first.

this my first day at work at the store too and I'm like and I was already slinging baseball cards making money yeah and my dad my mom told me the night before he's going to pay me two bucks an hour I'm like this is some like I'm like I'm going to work for 10 hours make 20 bucks I Sold a K Griffy I sold a Ken Griffy card for 80 last week I was all mad. Anyway, we pull into the parking lot mhm. My dad turns to me in a deep like Ivan Drago Russian accent and he goes keep an eye on the employees. they like to steal.

That's what was on his mind and that's what you're learning. There's certain people you can let in there. you know it's just anything that you not looking at all the time. It's like your kids.

Soon as they got a chance to sneak off they going to sneak off and do something like it's a human nature like you know what? I mean you said something earlier Inner Circle again everybody in the chat jump in on this and all of you like you all know this like it's a very common thing that we talk about in Street Culture in business and everything in the music business that inner circles. Everything All I Do By the way, my whole world a lot of you got a little bit of sense it. I'm trying to keep people forever so I can take them from strangers when they walk in day one, to acquaintances when they start chopping with me a little bit, to friends when they chop more and then family. Absolutely the whole game.

That's that's the process of it though. It can't just go straight from one to family like Gotan of course not. That's why I Believe in working with family. Everyone says don't work with your family.

Yeah, if you know yourself and you care about money over everything, don't work with family cuz you're going to lose your family because you care about money too much. But if you're not just about paper, you should always work with family cuz you've already gotten to the Main Place been. Do it with him. Yeah, so that's your thing got you my man.

What do you got for us for my thing for 2024 right is to not be so like so shy about my entrepreneurship. You know I'm saying I make Street Music I'm I come from the streets I'm I'm a street guy and I all and one thing I do I have learned through experience like when you got so much other going on. it kind of take away from your music and I love my music so much that I always end up put in the music over my other business. You're scared to get distracted cuz that's the core thing.

I'm scared from how people going to look at it like I'm a businessman businessman brother like I had my first restaurant when I was 23 years old, my first car wash dispensaries like I own a vape company we got a chip company I own a juice bar I got real estate I got I own a movie uh Distribution Company and I own a movie film company overall I got a lot of going on and when I'm busy promoting all that and posting that and working for this and working towards that sometimes like with like with my fan base and bro got the same type of fan like we got we come from the street so we got that fan base they take they try to, they try to dumb the music down and that take away from it they feel like damn bro you ain't got nothing to talk about no more because you got all this going on or the you talking about it the this it Ain it ain't it ain't real or I don't want to hear it so it kind of Mak it make me feel like damn can I not be no business man you know what I'm saying. Listen cuz take that the wrong way. let's level up. Let's let's take this broad.

Obviously for everybody who's listening that listens to hip hop and the culture and understands what we're talking about, We're talking about the streets with you right when the streets with you. But the reality is this is a global issue. The number one issue in American pop culture is we are obsessed. Not just Urban black hip-hop culture America we build Britney up then tore down and we tear Britney back.

You know why cuz we really love when Britney's back. We love the 123. This country is obsessed with 123 you up they love you. we going to tear your ass down and then Rocky Bbo us come back.

they want it that that is what we are obsessed with. Build up, tear down combat. They like when they count you out and so to your point. And in sub communities in subc communities: gender, race, religions, immigrants from different C C countries they've got their own nuances.

Yeah, right. Whether it's Jewish or Muslim or black or white or India or from Pakistan like they got their own little nuances and then even within it, Detroit's different than six six Wards different. Uh, Southside Atlanta there's Nuance Nuance Nuance Memphis right? Harlem's different. like it's all like all these little nuances.

Yeah, this goes back to the number one thing. I think about every day of my life life. If you're authentic to yourself Mhm, not chasing every thing MH and you can do this, then you can win. The problem is most people can't tune out the noise cuz they want to hear the accolades.

The reason people struggle with people's judgment on the negative is because they get high on the positive right? The reason my that's so real. you get a thousand love com the two haters be looking me real You guys know this I post and I get a lot of love because of the way I rolled and when I tell you those 9,000 goat emojis that come in comments I can't hear them I don't think I'm special yeah for real talk I'm aware I got stuff. we all got stuff right. but because I don't let them gas me, they can't tear me yeah see see but like so what? what I'm really saying right is I don't I don't give a I don't care about how they feel about that I look at like the like the the whole dynamic of that like damn this kind of throwing off from the music side.

However, the part that I do got a problem with like with what you said just just resonated with me for so so much because of the sense I got I could have a conversation about anything and I I lightweight be kind of like care I do care what people feel about that part like d cuz now with being a rapper nowadays you can't have too much sense and the just, it's just dumb, just garbage. You know what I'm saying like we can't I can't I can't sit down and have a conversation about something that don't none of my listeners or followers have absolutely no type of understanding of. And meanwhile, the number one way for you to enjoy the next 70 years of your life is having as many of those different conversations in real life as humanly possible. Yeah, yeah, you know.

back to let's you know. just cuz I thought about I just thought about him today. maybe subconsciously because Dave you're going to be here nipy Yeah, was nipy because of who he was having combos with? All right, that's every one of our challenges. Everybody who's in this stream right now, Everyone who's going to be listening over the next five years to this somebody's listening to this podcast right now in 2028 and I promise you, her number one challenge is not expanding her world Enough worrying about the Judgment of people when you walk into new environments.

Like right, you know Street kid from Detroit you should go to the US Open tennis tournament and get some different flate like it's it. It's the game. You deserve it. Because then the other thing is and this is what I believe was foundational for a lot of us.

When you grow up in adversity, it's the foundation of your success. You already know what losing tastes like. You're not scared of it. Yeah, and you're crafty.

Yeah? like that's just real talk when like when you grow up in a jungle, you know there's animals around the corner. You grow up in a zoo. You don't and so you know what? Funny I grew up in a way where I thought all those kids that had so much were so lucky now at 48 being grown I feel bad for the kids that are growing up with too much. Absolutely they're They're just not prepared.

I got cousins like that. That's you. see it, We all know it and all you know we're all to different levels of our careers. We we all of us already at this point have been around very successful people and and you see it and you know I I re honestly know and I know well I say this a lot.

So and I know a lot of people don't with it. they're like you girl that's stupid. But I'm telling you kids that have much I feel worse for than kids that don't on real on some real how do I feel their makeup is in their soul I think for the parents that are watching right now like thank God that but you got to watch it careful cuz you got to build them I go through yo like my pops. He never just gave nothing like we always.

We always. had to do something like you know what I'm saying like and I think about that with my own is like damn I give give give cuz I I'm getting it. You get what I'm saying but I don't know what I'm doing in to them in the long run by just giving giving, giving giving like you know what I mean but I got daughters that is hard they be got me wrapped around their finger. well yeah there's that.

Plus I feel like if I had a boy I might be like nah like you know what I'm saying and the other p my son but I I'm I'm way tougher on my son I ain't tough at all with my little girl I do try not to spoil them though like real and I and they got everything they want but it's a lot of that they don't got and I do try to make them wait for that and I try to make them work for that, you know what I'm saying. my son seven, my daughter, eight, yeah he going to be like you know who my dad is and yeah I I don't let bro. it's a lot of that that I don't allow them to see and look and just you know a lot and you're lucky 87 you got another two, three, four years. Then they're going to know everything before they start Google search They're going to know everything I had to edit the YouTube they watching your I I I want to I want to segue to something interesting I want to give some flowers I want to give some flowers I'm going to give you a few seconds I'll set this up and by the way, everybody in the chat all 500 of you right now.

Leave some flowers for someone and here's what I mean by that on some real I Believe the world has gotten really good at spitting negativity. Real good. Negativity is loud as yeah. We're walking around 24/7 hearing how hearing something's up.

everything loud super loud I think algorithm hits and and and the algorithm is a reflection of you I'll show you my algorithm. it's Jets football it's happy kittens on Tre like I got positivity in my feed cuz I don't with negativity like that, everyone's like the algorithms me up I'm like you're the algorithm that based on what you the algorith I know I know Honestly, there's very few things I know more than what I just said I With that though, that's right you the algorithm bro. if I had any musical Rhythm I'd be with you guys bro I got bars I just don't know how to do the music anyway anyway I'm going give you some I'm going to get I'm going to give you a minute. Think this through to that point to the point of pick your kid one time when you normally would have went to work I'm going to do.

we're going to do it right now. I'm I want you to think for a second someone that right now publicly forever minted in this recording. Give Somebody love right now. maybe even someone you never really get some random like a bus, like something you've been in the back of your head or maybe something current somebody right now who's helping you in some way or somebody that put you on or somebody that really stopped you from getting caught on some somebody right now around the circle on some I'll go first actually.

I'm going to give love to my best friend Brandon Wariki who I met the first day of high school first day and I sold him some cards the next day cuz that's who I am Yeah, but we became best friends forever I Do not believe that I would be able to have the career that I have this I've never said this public Get ready Dustin I Do not believe that I have the career I have today if it wasn't for Brandon Wariki because I would have never left my dad's store if it wasn't in his hands. That's real real talk I could not be me because I would have never left my dad like that because I wouldn't have felt good M Back to family I knew him from 14 we did baseball card shows when we graduated college. he came in at 23 I worked with him every day retail 8:00 a.m. to 10: p.m.

350 days a year for a decade. He's family as much as my brother and sister and I could have never made that leap to the next place if I didn't know I had somebody good good cuz I my dad needed that partner and I was that and that was the closest thing and and so that's my love. Big shout out to Brandon Wari I got to do that for my big brother Rick Okay, go ahead you know I don't I don't show enough appreciation to him at all. You know what I'm saying I grew up with with without a father but my brother like he way older than me and he was that father figure for me.

You know what I'm saying I and I we I grew up. we had a like a LoveHate relationship. How much older is Rick uh Rick about eight years older than me I'm 11 years older than my brother AJ yeah and that's why I jumped AJ just graduated school and we started this V media together Um so I know exactly what that relationship's like and I I I don't appreciate I don't show him no appreciation actually. you know what I'm saying.

He did a lot of for me bro. Like if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be no rapper. You know what I mean he the first guy that made me sit down and just write a rap. you know cuz he he knew the way I appreciated music and it's a situation I always think about this I never spoke on it when I was in uh, ninth grade right? and this was the last look.

read the chat. look what they're saying, what they say, they what they say you're giving your flowers to Rick Owens no Ricky Smith man my brother, you got yeah, we got to clear it Up chat don't it up look I got a crazy story though right? I was in the ninth grade Bo that's the last. this the last this one I dropped out right before I dropped out completely so uh I was a popular kid you know I was I was a ninth gr yeah I was a ninth grader with a 12th grade girlfriend. You know what I'm saying I failed all my class usually he the reverse so that's some good I failed on my classes and I I I I knew I was going to be in to go to the 10th grade and still be in all ninth grade class and my big brother sold the rims off his car and paid for my summer school and I dropped out that I didn't go to summer school, sold the rims off his car the rims that he sa he worked hard for and saved up for for months.

sold them. so I can go to summer school just so I wouldn't feel embarrassed and look crazy. You know what I'm saying So I didn't show no appreciation then and I feel like I don't show enough now I I do the whole huh here you go type. You know what I'm saying he is own man, he his own boss.

He got his own money. You know it ain't much I can do for him but I do do do the financial. He's about to listen to this. That's this is why we're having this show.

What you just did. That's it. To your point for sure. if if you can't give paper because they got it like that or one can't give it.

The only other thing that really really really changes is words. By the way on the record cuz there's some grown people in here. words over paper every day. Yeah people want to hear it.

Yeah people want to hear it bro. I'm proud of you. That was some deep appreciate that brother who's got something who's going with flowers. Go ahead now.

Well my mine is like mine. it isn't too like crazy like deep like that but like I got to give appreciation to my boy sham right here. Let's go cuz when I when I met him like uh I was in a really dark spot like mentally like he's my producer, my engineer and uh when I had met him I was just in like a like kind of just figuring my life out like I just moved back from Baltimore and like I was kind of just like not sure if I want spending time in Baltimore will always get you in the place it was dark over there but I I kind Baltimore ain't no joke it big shout out to Baltimore like if you want to T up your kid send them to Baltimore for a year. that's a real Baltimore's a real place now now you want know New York is New York's gotten a lot softer in the last 30 years Baltimore ain't around n it's just crazy I went out there like uh with a girl at the time that I was with.

oh now I know where you were up? yeah we went, we went out there you know I crashed out in Baltimore a little bit I made it back though and then I met sham and then he kind of just woke me up like on some like like bro this is the first person I I ever had in my life that was like hungry for this like me. so like when I when I met him I didn't realize how hungry I even was we were just cooking having fun in his crib like he picked me up from work cuz I was working at UPS yeah the first time I met him he picked me up from UPS and I was like who is this dude like he just picked me up we drove to the city we cooked uh we went to the studio we cooked some music and like we just had a connection and like since that day bro like me and him have not ever like switched up on each other. There's been a time where like he actually was like like we shot a music video in Miami he he paid for everything like took me to Miami like yo I believe in you so much that like I'll invest my own money time everything and then so that's why we you know sh with me to the to the end of this to the end of this beautiful bro you know and he a big part of my like everything music like my whole music career. If it wasn't for sham I probably wouldn't be where I'm at here to see it n yeah for sure and he definitely here to see it like that's why I make sure he comes flowers Dave what you got bro mine's uh I got to give it to my brother big bully um speaking about Bore I did I was locked up in Bore and he was the person that was right there to pick me up when I got out.

you know what I'm saying and from that from then on from before then but I feel like I wouldn't have the drive or the the the the the love I got for music if he didn't step in my life when he did cuz he was the first person to bring me around all of it the studios, the the rappers that was already on I got a chance to see all that before I like 10 years damn there before I even got on. so I would have to give it the bully. you know what I'm saying just over the years even to this day been nothing but supportive. he was the first person to drive me um where we went North Carolina my first book in it was for like $500 we drove all the way to NC drove back so he always been from day a negative Roi event crazy we lost money like was but kids listen I jumped in for a reason there.

think about what Dave did he drove from New York to North Carolina for $500 a I was so excited I'm listening to kids in my DM right That's right that people get people. don't people get confused when you get paid to do something that it could be an in investment right? This is why I jumped in I want to give something for I know one person's going to hear what I'm about to say and change the way they move and it's going to change their life. People understand doing for free is an investment. You tell somebody like go do this it'll be good for you.

They're like okay but when they get paid a th000 if it cost them 1,300 to do it they're like nah I'm lit and I'm like no no you don't get it. It's something about getting paid for some even though and you lose money that confuses them that that's an investment and they say no to that would have been the that changed their life. Every one of us as we sit here right now said no to some that would have changed our life for the better I think about all the people ask me all the time with the way I roll what's the biggest mistake you made I'm like the ones I didn't know I made the meeting I didn't take that would have met to the intro that would have led me to being the first inv don't know 100% I can talk about passing on Uber I that up I lost 500 million I could talk about like all the dumb business mistakes the way I don't like that I manage for a long time cuz I wasn't real with people I Tred to fix them without telling them they were up and then it got dirty I could talk about all that I know as I sit here today especially the way my life played out I didn't take some random meeting that would have been the meeting that set up cuz the I take the meetings when they're CEO of Disney I'm talking about the meeting and I say yes to a ton of yep that's why I win yeah but you can't especially last 10 years I can't say yes to everything or the Or or the back to like picking the kid over thing or Dave sends like yo I got a release party I'm like I'm in Indiana like yo I hope it's amazing like maybe I would should have said yes to that. not done done that business meeting and in that meeting in that launch party I might have met dude and dud this dude would have like it's the connections.

the biggest mistake I've ever made is the meeting I didn't take I like that. that's a good one like uhhuh and so I think about that a lot. What? I Want to go back to Bully for a second just the way you told the story obviously the dude that picks you up when you come out the lock cell. that's that person's always going to first face I've seen but the way you said it, you guys were just friend like it.

It sounds like that took the relationship to a whole another level. No, we was locked in already like on on some Street though like it wasn't no music or nothing. Nothing like that going on at that time. back to when he brought you around I like you said something I wanted I Want people to hear this.

This is what Why I want. By the way, this is why I'm doing this show I Know that I have such a crazy wild audience. they're all over the place because I'm all over the place. So I know that a ton of people like I was reading when you guys first sat down.

Some people lose in their minds that y'all are in here and tons of people being who the are these and that's why I do this podcast with friends cuz I'm trying to. The reason I'm doing this show is I'm trying to put y'all on to new people first. I think all of you have something to say to people in my world that you're going to help them. Second, there's a lot of business people in here and it's going to lead to for y'all So I love doing this right.

but I want them to be exposed to new right? You said something that I want to click on. He brought you around. You got to see people that were winning M back to flowers when you were making that transition mhm. Which person do you remember vividly out one night? whether in studio, in the club, on the stoop, whatever the setting was in the boardroom who caught your attention that was an artist that was winning.

What did he or she say? What did they do? Do you remember an early story when Bully was bringing you around when you got to see like Big Pun move like this or like for instance anything stand out. any I know it's like there sometimes that really like it's hard to recall but I'm just curious if anything popped off on some artist that you early on with him it would I would have to say dip shut when they was like in they in that Glory like you know what I mean cuz I would I would see them in Harlem one like not knowing them of course then I'm with bully and I'm seeing them in a whole another light. you get what I mean. So it was like they really rock stars like I see you know what I'm saying just they whole demeanor, the clothes, the the whole get up like you know what I'm saying you realize oh this is how they are behind the scenes right? 100% and I had I had a my my my big bro was right there I'm I'm just in the back observing just like a sponge just soaking up game from all of them like you know what I'm saying but seeing that that early was like damn this might be possible.

Let's talk about social media just cuz it's such a big currency in the world. Yeah, but the main Curren where weot of people where yeah, where we're at. Everyone's got different relationships. Somebody at the stable's about to tell me they don't have any app on their phone.

Makes sense to me. in 2024, somebody else is going to say this: that as a human and as a professional MH Talk. Break down social media for you right now. How are you using it? What do you like as a dude? What do you like to use From a promotional standpoint? What do you wish you've been using but you're like scared to get in there.

What's stopping you? break down social media for you right now. That one I'm I I ain't used yet. that I kind of you know, be reluctant to with is is the uh Tik Tok You know what I'm saying just because just cuz what the the image TI I got just like ain't nothing but a bunch of danc and like just all that just I ain't really interested in. Not that that is a bad thing to real quick.

that's just one of the ones I'm sorry I apologize I Was distracted I want to hear it one more time? Real real quick TI Tok is the one I ain't like really with Ch, you know what I'm saying did you think it was corny and little girls dancing or the thing that I'm seeing from real winners like you m They're worried about going on there with no followers and they're worried to set up an account and they only got 500 or a th000 or 2,000 followers and they think it looks bad or is it a third thing that I didn't bring up I just feel like I didn't have much to add to the app. You know what I'm saying like is it because you thought you had to be silly or do skits? That's that's exactly what it is. it's I I felt like you know you if you're not dancing or you you not making music? not there was some mixup. sorry about that.

Yeah I felt like if it Ain you ain't making music like that, can dance too and like that or ain't no jokey joke or just just whatever the it is like you know what I'm saying just one of them. Um, you're making a big mistake my man. Yeah, the only currency for all those businesses and your music is attention. Before you can sell or get somebody on, they got to be listening.

Yeah, attention is the only currency in the world And the enormity of attention on Tik Tok And back to how what you do, remarkable bro. I Went on. Tik Tok When it was called musically it was only it was only 14-year-old girls I was scared to go on on. Some people are going to be like you got to go to jail.

it was that early and you know what? the first content was Business talk I Went on Instagram and did this. Yeah when nobody was doing this right, people were taking nice photos of the skyline. Yeah a I Went in and did my thing in the room I didn't give a what the room was doing, you're giving a what the room is doing. Yeah I am.

Go on Tik Tok and make Instagram videos and let it work out right? Got me? Yeah bro, you are too. You are too ascending to be silent on the MTV of this generation. Yeah that is MTV n right now like uh, like social media is like a short form content thing right now. like people don't even care about music videos.

like unless like obviously like it's fire. but like attention SP you go viral off a 5sec clip you shot with your man's at your crib before you go viral. for the $20,000 it's called, it's called the gate. It's the gateway drug Dr It's the gateway drug.

It's like a and a curse by the way. back to if it's but if Cole Bennett makes a video I'm telling you right now people are going to watch that. Oh yeah yeah yeah for Quality matters. yeah for sure.

But to your point, it's the it's the Nick bag. Yeah Tik tok's the Nick bag. Yeah punching though. it's definitely punch.

You feel like do you feel like social media is like a gift and a curse? Though of course it's like both money and F exposes you. It doesn't change you. it's a gift and a curse. Yeah the reason you all know this cuz a lot of you had this aspiration.

Money and fame exposes you Now Social media is doing that to everyone. No I ain't saying more so like a gift and a curse like with with with yourself like with ourself just more so like the energy with social media media just period. You know what I'm saying just just watching Everybody we're saying the same thing a lot of people care about, that just shouldn't matter. that don't matter as the old dog hitting here pre- internet the number one show on TV was lifestyles of the richest famous and people gave a MTV Cribs happened before the social media people been caring about dumb forever.

Yeah yeah, that's true. it's true cuz bro. real life like this like this shouldn't matter Bro like just being an artist like this shouldn't matter I got it cuz I like it. but in reality bro I know I don't value this.

This don't mean nothing to me cuz don't make me who I am I'm a man I'm a real Regardless, bro, you're lucky. you're lucky. between between your older brother and the circumstances, even watching you from afar and now chopping up. like you said in here, you got a good foundation.

You're called secure. You got self-esteem. Your balance of self-esteem and insecurity is in a good spot. 90% of people on Earth's insecurity eats them alive and whether it's on Instagram life has always been this.

it's just heighten we it just in your face. o now like before you had to watch it on TV now you on the toilet honly rewriting history. People were either reading a magazine or newspaper watching TV like or talking about it in the Street Barber shops. and yeah bro, but you couldn't You couldn't be in New York and see a footage of somebody getting blown up or killed like that and somewhere fall like you couldn't see it.

It wasn't as graphic and the question but let's but guess what, let's not act like the last 200 years we were so great. So when I hear that just couldn't see it right? Guess what I'm saying. Maybe this is the one step backwards for eight steps forward. Maybe we need to see this shit's going on everywhere.

If we ain't seeing this then we wouldn't be aware of it. You right that make? hey bro. Got a lot of knowledge over here Bodyo some for real CU for me it's all people. it's always and I got Lu if you looked at my second grade photo I went to Martin Luther K Elementary School I Got real lucky back to where we all grew up cuz environment makes us listen to how we all talked.

y yeah if you look at my second grade photo actually team, you want to dig it up I want to post it again soon. It's crazy. There's 20 kids in it. Five kids are black, five kids are white, five kids are Asian Five kids are Indian on real yeah I wonder if team could pull it up before you leave? It's I ain't never seen a class picture with better diversity? yeah and I Got lucky my mom taught me to love and then I was just around all kinds of different people and then I got that's it.

That's all you need and that's what we need to be teaching right now. We're telling all everyone to hate each other. If we look different, we are religion, race, gender, income level, what we wear and we need to do the look at this P show. Look at this picture.

This is crazy diverse. This is Fire Bro. That's fire. This fire, right? You see my little, you see my little swing.

This is crazy. That's Fire Bro and so and that's that's why I Love the internet. Because the internet. right now we're focusing on what's bad on the flip side, we're getting cultured.

You're choosing to only pay attention to something if you're just looking at hot all the time. That's your world. Yeah, no, yep, that is your world. That's all that's going to pop up.

All that's up. But but if you try to widen it, you can get to everything you want to learn how to cook. How are you going to learn how to cook pre Internet If nobody around you could teach you how to cook True Explain: That's true. You go right on intern if you want to learn how to surf like you know what I mean if you want to like if you want to work on your me like people talk about all the mental that F four grown men into the that we're into with our backgrounds.

our exact PE 25 years ago is not talking about the we just talked about. we talked about feelings up in this real life. 25 years ago we ain't talking real cool rap when I What? I grew up with cool rappers talking they want to be better dads. Get the out of here that's legendary.

That's legendary Right There Get the out of here being being enough of a man and vulnerable enough to say on God right here in this room I Haven't been good enough to my brother. Yeah, get the out of here. So I think shit's heading in the right direction. We're choosing to look at what's not going well.

But A Lot's going right L Going right. It's just unfortunately, there's not enough messengers of that. That's why I Do this. I Want to be loud about positiv? Here's what it is: Negativity is loud because misery loves company.

Positivity keeps it in their Circle You know this, the most positive people are like cool. We'll just chill over here. We're good because when when you do what I do which is you go out there and make positivity loud and you put yourself out there. You get lots of heat MH Yep, people want to point fingers.

They don't want to point thumbs when I'm like it's good out here. That means the next thing coming out out of my mouth is then you're in charge. If it sucks, it's cuz you are sucking. Not because the president I'm so excited I'm so excited for this presidential election.

I Love when the presidents switch. You know why not. On any other reason then everybody right now who's blaming their life on Joe Biden In a year when they still suck don't matter whoever for sure they're going to vote. They voted Trump then they voted for bid Trump Again they going vote for like yeah, it's up to you man you do we not Yeah, you're right.

toity accountability. Yes, there's systematic. it is. There's racism and sexism and there everything.

It's always been though. but that change if everybody individually decide to pay more attention to their self. Not next Man don't like to hold themselves accountable though. I think I think the world.

One thing that I I I pray get way better right now is for everybody to be able to accept that we all may have different opinions and outlooks on certain but that don't mean it's a problem that don't mean I don't I hate you that don't mean I dislike you That don't mean it's something that we can't agree on I should be able to say hey bro you like green but I think I think I think the the Orange is is is better Problem is first of all I love you with all my heart. Comma comma comma on some real green and blue is easy. It's when someone's saying some about your people. Yeah, where we got to get the ultimate strength is when someone shits on your people, your gender, your race, your religion, your town.

When someone shits on your people, do you have the strength to react with trying to understand why versus hating bad back. And right now that's true. It's hate back and we got to identify that cuz some some things don't be a person on your people, your culture, your religion it don't be a some some be true You know somebody say hey, that's like that's like like let's let's be honest no no for sure but let's let's be real right? That's like if someone was to be like yeah uh black Onblack crime is is at a high rate that that that is true. It ain't for me to be like man, why you always got to bring that up.

What about you know what I'm saying What about this bro? It's it's it's it's up. Black and Black crime is high. That's not an insult, that's a that's a true statement. Let's figure out how that person is basically saying Hey brother with all due respect y'all Community should.

Maybe you know trying to figure out some type of Peace amongst each other and and maybe you can start that conversation If you if you got a positive mentality that's what you really hearing. but if you got a up mentality you really hearing you really hear black people hate each other, they kill each other. but that's not what that person I got to run to my next I'm going to leave it with what you just said. my dude life is how you see it if you wake up tomorrow and say everything's up I got news for you that whole day you were going to find that is up but if you wake up and be like yo life is good like I'm lucky I'm even a person I could have been a Rhino or a goldfish like let me try to find some positivity.

You will find it every. this has been an hour positivity. You should see the chat. this been a full hour.

You can find it. You just got to follow the right people anyway. Thank you fellas Love thank you Love you Love you to Brother.