Big Boy | Ep 213 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME BASKETBALL

M hm.

Hm, welcome back all the smoke. We're here man, back in La. It's been a minute. West Side the best side.

You already know.

Today we got an iconic voice of radio legend, legend in the space. When he talks, you listen. The journey is kind of out of a story, but from being homeless to a bodyguard to a radio superstar, big when you sit back and look at your journey, obviously, I feel like when we're in the midst of our journey, we never really take time and appreciate, you know, all we've accomplished. But do you ever kind of sit back like damn.

All the time? All the time? Bro, Like you know, everybody come from it. People say it like it's just a cliche phrase, but everybody come from humble beginnings, at least the people that we messed with, you know what I'm saying. So there's times literally when I'm on the air and I'll stop and I even tell the people that's listening, like, man, I'm tripping, I'm tripping that I'm in here. You know what I'm saying. I tripping that people are listening. I'm tripping at people got their phones.

Bro, I'm gonna put you right on the spot, off the rip. Give me your top three favorite interviews you've ever ever hosted.

I don't have them, really, no, man. You know, I get it all the time. I get what's your favorite? Or top three? Probably be easier if it's not top three, it's people, you know what I'm saying. Like Snoop is one of those. And y'all know, Dog don't have to be talking about nothing as far as it's not an album, it's not a movie, it's not He could just come in and you enjoy Snoop, you know what I'm saying. So Dog is one of those man talking with Barack Obama.

Let's dog GTA recently announced you'll have a radio station on the game. How has GT I mean to me, it's kind of crossed you into a new a younger demo. Yeah, speak to you know what kind of that How that partnership works out and you know how it continues to expand your viewership.

I did. I did GTA five and so we had my radio station. I think it was Los Santos in there. I never played the game. They sent it to me and I didn't even start the ship up you know what I'm saying. I would play video games, but I know how to cast checks, you know what I'm saying. So they hit me up and I know what it is. You know what I'm saying. I know it's great for my brand so on and so forth. So just getting with GTA and I think it's Rockstar. That was like

You had the honor of hosting Tupac's Star unveiling earlier this year, and your eyes wives Pac still so impactful. Maybe you know, nearly thirty years after, you know, he's left this earth.

You know what I think, you know, for one, the whole gone too soon, you know, Pac, he left us with a lot of material left us with a catalog. But the one thing with Pac as well is that people loved him, you know what I'm saying, Like you can love a song, you can love a certain time period, but people loved him, even people that didn't know Pac. I knew Pak before I got into radio, so it was crazy for me to know Pak, then for Pak to come in and do an interview and to see

Yeah.

And doing the star also, Bro, that was like when they hit me up to host his star unveiling. That was man, you know. And it's easy to say, oh man, it's big boy, La I should but come on, man, you know what I'm saying. That's like anybody that's an honor beyond honor bro.

So.

I literally I told my wife, I said, what every day this falls on, I would be there. And I made sure that I was there, man, And it was a beautiful day. People and La showed up to they showed up.

You were born in Peoria or Chicago? Chicago.

I played against somebody named Mike Robinson. I went to Purdue basketball from Peoria. A long time ago. You moved to Los Angeles with with your mom.

U was two. Yeah, I was that transition ship.

I didn't know you know too, I wasn't in the car like, oh, mom stopped here. I mean, I don't know too much about Peoria. I mean it's one of those things. Now, you know, with navigation, I can get you around, but if you turn the navigation, we all lost. You know what I'm saying. So my whole thing was I was out here in LA before I was too, So this is kind of like all I know. I went back to Peoria one time when I was bodyguarding the forest side, I think. But other than that, this is this is it?

Then?

You know, once I kind of got on, my mom lived, you know, in Chicago. Two of my brothers were born in Chicago, you know, but my mom lived there, so a lot of her family's from Chicago as well. And once I kind of got on, then that's when I realized my connection to Illinois. Because everybody start calling it right, you know what I'm saying, But I didn't.

I don't know.

Oh yeah, in a major way, you know what I'm saying, calling for things that I couldn't give them. I'm like, who is Yeah? Not at all.

People think that everybody answers this question the same, But when I hear people answer it, I get different things from them.

What does your mom mean to you?

Everything?

Bro?

Like my one and only tattoo, it says idle son. You know what I'm saying. And I had that before my mom passed. My mom passed in nineteen ninety nine. I always was a mama's boy. You know what I'm saying. I knew that, my man, my love for my mom is not was it's ridiculous, you know. So my mom worked extremely hard and I could see that as a kid, the sacrifices seven kids. Now that I'm grown and I'll have my own kids, like, damn, when did mom sleep? How did mom you know, survive off of one paycheck

Know what I'm saying.

So to actually buy my mom my house and tell her this is yours and no one ever take it away from you. Man, I could have I could have stopped radio back then, you know what I'm saying. Glad I didn't. I shouldn't have my house, you know, with moms. But but no, my mom meant everything to me, Bro. And it's nothing like losing something that is the most you know, shit, that's the most precious to you. You know what I'm saying. So when my mom passed, it

Of my mother, you know what I mean, that's dope. I said.

The biggest things I've ever done in my life was build my mom and grandmother's house.

You know what I'm saying. It's nothing like it, Bro, when you could just say, I got you. And of course selfishly, we all wish we had more time, right, you know what I'm saying. You wish he had more time, but you but I didn't, you know what I'm saying. So, but what she was able to see and see the billboards and see you know, the morning show, and see her house. And I remember I took her to Vegas one time and she used to love to go to Vegas, but it'd be like them five ten dollars turnaround trips

Walk with us through through this tough time of being home. It's sleeping on park benches and just trying to figure out the period that period in your life how you was feeling and how he was trying to stay positive, you know what, man.

Like, you know, things are bad. You know, we weren't rich as far as when it came to the dollar, but we was at fluent when it came to love. Like my mom, we said it, I love y'all, love y'all, love you. So when we were going through our bouts of homelessness. It was more of you know, the motel. Eight of us in one motel room, you know what I'm saying. Then we stayed at this place called the Sunlight Mission, and the Sunlight Mission is just you know, you had to go to church.

You know.

The boys, me and my brothers, we were in one room. My mom and the girls were in another room. But I think that not having builds a lot of characters if you know how to accept it. You know, I could sit up and it's crazy because when we were homeless, had a motel. It's as a kid, you were like, oh, we got a swimming pool. You know what I'm saying, right, you know, a swimming pool, you know what I mean.

Right? You know?

Is this forever? You know? And then now, as a kid, bro, all you would want was, man, I just want to an address, right, you know what I'm saying, I want a roof, you know. And when you start thinking of the basics that you don't have that you want, when you start to have and get things, you're like, well, shit, I know how to survive with nothing. So I can enjoy this something, you know, And I'm glad that she

Up a little bit more scarred.

Yeah, yeah, and it does, you know. And there's a lot of tuition into the school of experience of you know, how you live your life and the things you want to do, and you know, live in the right way as far as like, you know, like I'm still no matter how many years I've been thirty years in radio in twenty twenty four, right, no matter how much radio I have behind you, I'm still motivated by fear. I'm

You know.

I think that's a good thing too, because regardless how much success you've had, how much success we had, we always feel like even though it's up like not necessarily something bad gonna happen, it's still more to prove you.

Still you appreciate where you're at.

You know what I mean, And you still want to show people that you appreciate that you got more to give, you know what I mean. And I think having that having an attitude is not a bad thing, you know what I'm saying.

Times too, I just stop, and not that you pat yourself on the bag, but I'll stop sometime and I'm like, oh, ship, like I got a star on Hollywood Walker Fame, you know, like things like that where you're like, and sometimes I forget. Somebody just ask me, like, man, when's least I ain't

As a man, we'd be stuck in real time.

Yeah, and everybody else enjoyed around you.

You was around in the peak of the game, Cutch and the bus cs and you even got them streets a little bit that had to hustle a little bit.

What was that like?

I don't know, man, you know what I'm saying, Like like, I don't know, because when I got into radio, aside from Bodyguarden, radio was the first job I ever had in my life. You know what I'm saying. I never had to pay taxes, I never had a W two. I never really felled out an application and got a job.

You know.

I just I made way, you know, I made way, and it was you know, it was a lot of great stuff that I was into, you know. And when we were standing in the mission. I remember I was like ten years old and I went up for prayer, and when I was coming back, I'm walking up the aisle and it seemed like this lady just grew in front of me. I didn't see her walking up to me or anything. She just popped up and she looked at me and she said, don't let the devil get a hold of you. And as quick as she popped

Don't.

But you know, I had one foot in and one foot out. I knew I always wanted these entertainment things, so on and so forth. But realistically I was doing other things as well.

You know.

I come from you know, a time when certain things was introduced to the streets of Los Angeles, and it was this dude named Mixed Master Spade not his fault, but he had this song where he said, you spend three hundred dollars, make seven hundred back.

And I was like, you.

Spend three hundred dollars make seven hundred back.

Straight to that, straight to it, bro.

Straight to it, you know. And it's crazy because if you look at my bio and you pull up anything, my bio says former bodyguard for the far Side, you know, like I never try to get into when when any hustles that people had, you gotta waf you you got away from your hustle. You you know, you separated yourself from your hustle. Oh I DJ I did say that, you know. You know, nowadays it's a little bit more goofy where everybody's talking about what.

They do, you know what.

But yeah, when we were going up, you didn't talk about that ship. You know what I'm saying. You did that ship, how you did it, and you moved on. But I would play. You know, I had to DJ in business, you know those kind of things like literally pack my records up and stuff, you know, just so I could justify having some kind of money. But no, it was like, you know, shit, it was it was great.

You was doing it. You was doing it for the right reasons. These days, they're doing it to be seen. That's the difference.

Yeah. And then with me, Bro, I was like, you know, three four or five hundred pounds. My ID was too positive, So you know what I'm saying, I couldn't you know, I wasn't never no strong arm. I didn't hold people up, none of that kind of shit.

You know.

I did credit cards, I did phones, I did other things. But but yeah, like my I d BRO like shit, I did something to you, you'd be like, who was you? Like he's like six ft, like five hundred pounds. I was just him. So I had to hustle in different ways, you know. But uh, but ship once.

I once.

And it's crazy because when I say you try to you know, you try to hold on to certain things. It was like I just felt man like everybody around me started getting caught up. You know, people started you know, either dying or catching you know, als like at one on point, I have my partners that was coming home, that was doing they're twenty five. Everybody was like what I'm saying, like, you know, everybody coming home and you always had them decisions. Man, it just felt like I

He was protecting and covering.

Man.

Can you say.

I ain't saying nothing ahead.

You say Iced Tea and then W eighty made you fall in love with about Who was the artist to make you fall Ice Tea?

Definitely? Definitely because Ice Tea early on, man, he had it was this documentary called Breaking an Entering, and that was the first time I saw, like I knew of Ice Tea. You know, Ice Team was years before you wa as well. But I was on like you know, super Rhymes, and I went out and I just found hip hop. Bro, you know what I'm saying, Like I was always on this quest to go get hip hop.

You know.

Of course my first introduction was rappers Delight. That was like the biggest introduction because before I didn't know what it was. When my partner would have something from New York, I had to partner about the name of Frankie. And once I got Rappers Delight, that put me on like this quest where me and my homeway Trevor would walk to boys Club and we would just rap Rappers Delight. You know, I'm you know, she heard stories and she her fables that are vicious on the mic and the turntables.

Yeah, what was the what was the West Coast movement?

Like back then the West Coast movement? It depends on when we're talking. The West Coast movement was the East Coast movement, you know what I'm saying. Like whatever was kind of run dim see was heavy for us. You know, I love Melly Mail, Mello Males, like one of my favorite m c's, you know, Grabbing as a Flash, Furious five, Melly Mail with Sol Sonic Forest with Bam Bottom, when they did you know, plant our things like that, Like

You know, you don't know at.

Six in the morning, I was at one bro sixth morning.

Was like, that's one of the ones.

He told Ice. He told the story. My man started with running out the house for being chased by the police, you know, to he got out of prison. You know what I'm saying. My man said, my hair grew long on my seven year stay. When I got it done on my shoulders, it le my man. In three and a half minutes. He took you from jumping out the window to coming home from prison. You know what I'm saying that Ice Tea is the storyteller, bro, one of the best, Yeah, the best to ever do it.

Bro. How do you go.

From bodyguard to a far Side to one of the biggest DJ.

In the world.

You know, man far Side was uh one of my partners by the name of Paul Stewart DJP. I'm not sure if you know, but dj P. He he signed the for Side, but he was you know, he wrapped far Side, Coolio, House of Pain, Cypress Hill. You know, he had power Move promotions where he would also service the records. So a situation happened with the far Side and in uh New York and New Jersey where they had a little problem, you know. And I was always

You know.

That was going out of town to us. I had never been anywhere. Traveling with them bro and seeing the world that was like it just opened me up because anything that I was going to do was going to be connected with entertainment. Somehow. I was going to be there somehow, you know, Bodyguarden, Yeah, I will do that. I enjoyed being on the road. I enjoyed being on the bus. And I used to do a hip hop line called what Up. It was w U D D hyphen up, what Up? And well what up? Your call?

Something by the White Piggy Fence for a birth, Yeah, man.

And I went in there and broke and you know, I DJ'ed and I did everything. I loved music, but I never did radio all my life. And I remember he told me, he said, go in there, say your name. Just remember the station. It's called Power, one of those six. And he gave me just he gave me a big yard to play in. Bro and I played in that yard like a mother.

I was.

You know, they let the right one and the wrong one in at the same time, and it worked, you know what I'm saying.

Still yeah, still.

Radio personalities back in the nineties, you know, huge influence, almost gatekeepers to.

The music space.

What was it like, I mean, any story do you feel like you could tell with labels or artists, bribes, threats.

Like what was that vibe like when the radio was it?

Yeah? Yeah, radio was everything, man, and people felt like like if you played it, their lives changed and it didn't know what I'm saying. So I was always good on telling somebody no, you know what I'm saying, like you gotta, you gotta, you gotta exercise that early because people are passionate, man, and you messed with somebody's passion. That's no longer business, bro, that's personal, right, you know. And to this day, somebody be like, big I need

You know what I'm saying.

It ended up popping anyway, So I didn't need to mess up character. And you know that's a jackie you can never take off. Bro, know what I'm saying, Like I could have did something twenty five years ago, like yeah, man, we paid big for that, so not at all, you know what I'm saying. It's enough lives out there, don't give them the truth?

Right growing up in La any great showtime Lakers stories. You ever attend any the Forum club festivities?

Hey no, man, I restart going to games. I met you. No, Man. You know when when the Lakers were winning, it was good for the city though, you know, we was going back to back and you know, the three peat. It was easy radio. But yeah, I never you know, I just I wasn't that guy that was in on a lot of the stuff, you know what I'm saying. But I love what the city felt like when energy down. Hell yeah, and it made it easy. You just had to come on and just be like, oh yeah, you know,

Me safe, you know what I'm saying.

Talk about establishing that you touched on it earlier. You hadn't got a chance to meet Tupac before he became the Tupac that the knew in love.

What was that like? And how'd you guys develop that friendship? You know what?

Man? Pac was just just you know, people say, oh man, he was a real dude. You know what I'm saying. He was real. He was My best conversations with Pac were away from everything. You know what I'm saying, either just sitting in a lobby, sitting in a hotel room, my partner, Smoky, him and his mom and PAC's mom of Fanny was in the Panthers together, So just catching him at the apartment and just just talking, you know, and I can see what was going down with Pac

I feel like you had a song for every emotion.

Nineties again the power of radio when a lot of the killings were going down, Like how do you.

Manage through that? How do you talk?

You were always again you were a voice of relaxation, a voice of realness, a voice of hope. When you're going through a time like that, you know, how do you fine tune that?

And you're talking about industry wise, the street wise, a little bit of both man for one new you gotta be that voice of of calm too, you know what I'm saying, and not calm to where you say, all y'all could just f over us. You know what I'm saying. You gotta, like I said, you got to have the enough. So I had to be West Coast enough too, especially when you know, we felt like there was some attacking going on when it came to what the West Coast was doing, you know, and when when Q and Mac

You know?

And now you know, we record something, we record our interviews, but back in the days, you know, our interviews was live live, and I remember having to record some of the interviews because people didn't want people to know that they were down. And you know, I'm leaving. Can you play it when I leave?

You know?

But it was just it was just that crazy then. You know, the streets was acting a certain way, and you just had to be that voice because you could either you know, throw gasoline and a match on the city, or you could tell the city like you know, and I never been that guy. Or I just wanted to rile you up and just get you crazy. You know, we're not gonna be on no goofy stuff either, but just to get you mad, like come on stop.

What role did you think you played in the hip hop in the nineties, Like how.

Big of a role? And the biggest.

I mean I was expecting that. And do you did a lot of artists play you there music to get approval?

Yeah? Yeah, man, you know, and you gotta think, bro, like everything was so new.

You know.

I was there with Death Row, you know, I was there with Bad Boy. I'm there with Rough Riders, you know, in any and every the cash money, you know, no limit, like I'm there through all this and everything that's in between, you know. So you did have people that, man, let me, can you listen to this? What's the next direction?

You know?

And people really like radio is is still a thing now. It's the most listened to still, the one of the most the most listened to media period. It's free radio. But you had everybody, you know what I'm saying. Jay Z had a new album. You had jay Z. You know, now, somebody could drop a new album and you probably may not see them, you know, except if I have a relationship. They're not doing a radio tour. I just got to call to me like, hey, you know, Cold, can I

Being such a big pillar in the music, uh in the music saying how did you stay out of any the death ro drama, all the death ro stuff?

It wasn't my business. Yeah, you know what I'm saying, Like.

They didn't come up there. We need this record play. We know it's bullshit, but we need to play.

What's crazy is that? Should never did that?

Well?

People say, oh shug, yeah, you know it was never like, man, you need to play my mother records. You know they had bangers anyway, right, you know what I'm saying, They had bangers anyway. So nah, I never had no no crazy situation where somebody was talking about you need to play this respect upfront with you too, and then I'm not you know, I going anyway, especially then, you know. And the one thing with me as well, Man, I

Talk to us about how it was, how La was when Dre was departed Death Row and starting aftermath.

Man, you know what, the same way when you saw Q leave n w A, he was like, oh boy, she was about to be bad, Like what's going on here? You know, because you connected them with so much, you know, And I remember when when Dre was done with death Row. I remember specifically like, man, what does that mean? You know? What does that mean? You know, when when he's not with death Row and the music that we get that we got from them collectively, what does that mean for Dre?

Like?

Does does he have snoop somewhere else? Yeah? Does he have does he have dads corrupt? Does he have rage?

You know?

Danny boy, whoever whoever is there, Nate? Does he have that? And that dude he's the formula?

Yeah, you don't have none of that without the doctor.

So I mean I feel like you felt Drake could have went anywhere and landed and built the same thing.

And we've seen that many times, many times over, you know what I'm saying. We saw, you know, the introduction of this dude, Snoop Dogg. You know, we saw that. We saw the chemistry of putting all these dudes and females in the house and coming with you know, the chronic album and coming back with you know, Snoops What's my Name? And doggy style album. It was like, you know, from when we first heard deep Cover, I knew something was special, you know what I'm saying. I knew something

Bro.

You know.

What artists?

Would you say up from the West Coast that has given the biggest contribution to hip hop.

The biggest. That's hard because yeah, man, like there's King T from Compton, you know what I'm saying, There's Toddy T mixed, Master Spade, all the people that kind of carried us on their backs, you know what I'm saying, that was doing the skate lands and the world on wheels and you know, small spots and just just just making it, not thinking that this was going to be

You know?

Yeah, Quick was just he was just special with rhodium swap meat tapes, you know what I'm saying. So it's hard to say who did the most because everybody put everybody, you know, and we look at the Kendricks of the world, you know, like Boom, that's bomb game, you know, like Game is a hell a hello lyricist to me, you know,

Yeah, I'm gonna give you a few names, either first thing to come to mind, or something a memorable moment you had with them.

DMX, DMX man. I got a few with DMX, but DMX man he one of my last sit downs with DMX, he stood up and he performed in the studio for me, and when he did slipping, it was eerie. And then when I look back at it now, I just get

Yeah man.

The legendary dog Snoop Snoop Man, Snoop Uh. I got quite a few with dog Man. But I remember one night I was having a birthday party and every year I would have somebody come and Snoop around that time. Snoop is heavy into his Snoop you football, so I would years. You know, my birthday fell during the season and Dog would lock himself in, so he would, you know, respectfully like big you know. So when I finally got him one year, that's why I said, dog, I really

Kanye little run right now. Miami dropped a snipper.

Hell yeah, man, last night, Kanye. Man, I've had some of the most resting nights with Kanye, especially during the life of Pablo. Kanye would call me one in the morning, I need you to come here something.

You know.

Kanye was like my dog. I don't mess with him as much right now, but Kanye was, you know, creative genius. He was my dog. And I remember one night, man, I was literally at Coachella watching and I'm watching the Weekend and I'm far back watching the Weekend, sitting down on this like this riser, and my phone kept going off and I'm looking like, damn, it's Kanye. And you know, when Kanye when he needs something, I need something when he want to holler it's something Big. So I picked

Africa.

Family, Yeah, man, you know what I'm saying. How do I call my wife?

Like?

Yeah, baby, take the kids tomorrow. I gotta go to Africa.

Be right back.

Yeah. Like and Africa is not like somebody saying, hey, man, can you come out to Riverside. You know what I'm saying, Like, that's somebody tell you go to Riverside from Coachella. You're already like okay, man, I can probably make it there for thirty forty five minutes from Coachello. Africa, Yeah, my man said, Africa.

Got a jet waiting on you got a jet waiting that's part Kendrick.

Kendrick Man, Kendrick, uh. I remember I asked Kendrick. I said, Kendrick, I said, man, what's your wacked song? And he said it was a song called Bitch I'm in the Club. And we found it and when we played it back and it's and it's it's online. When we played it back for dude, he was literally like melting in his seat and it was like, bitch I'm in the club. By Kendrick standards, it wasn't what Kendrick what he is today. But man, his worst was man, his worst could have

Just an okay, that's crazy. Michael Jackson.

Oh Man, Michael Jackson, there's there's a few with Michael too. Man, Like, Michael was laughing at things that I thought he shouldn't have been laughing at, you know what I'm saying, Like, I was really like this, mam, did you have you met Michael? Okay? I was like, yeah, Like should Michael really be laughing at this?

You know?

And he caught me in rare form and we you know, it's just us. So I'm you know, I'm big boy, and I'm just having fun. But I remember he asked me, he said, can you go to a store and can you go shopping? And I'm like yeah, he said, so you can. You can go into a store and you can just like shop and put things in the cart and no one bothered you. I say, they'll bother me, but you know, I can go shopping. And he thought that that was like so big. He was like, so

So you can. He's smiled.

He's smiling right now, go ahead, right now.

So we up there?

Oh man, kay, I'm gonna get you some more water.

Yeah man, they got to say, so we're up. And so were listening to some music because he brought ourselves to listen to some music.

Right.

So literally, it's me and Fuzzy and where I am. Fuzzy and I are sitting on his couch and if you guys know, you know my boy Fuzzy. Fuzzy's a piece of shit, right, And so we're sitting and this is Michael. That's definitely your boy. Yeah. We're sitting on the sofa, on the sofa and there's the mixing board right here, the soundboard, and so Mike is sitting at the board, but he's sitting sideways, so our profile is him sideways. But we're looking at him, and I know

Uh, there's obviously a handful of unfortunate moments while you are on the air. Speak to us, you know how it hits you and what kind of day it was on the radio first and foremost part when he passed.

Pac Man Poc, we didn't have social media, you know what I'm saying. We didn't have social media. It was one of those things where there was no TMZ, you know. So when Poc got shot, of course we all knew Poc got shot, you know, And so I started hearing rumblings that Poc passed. So I get to the station and at this time, I'm working like the three to eight shift. I'm not in the mornings yet, and I'm

Bro. Nip man, mm hmm.

Nip was a nip was Nip was like that was that was another one, bro, Like, Nip was real hard.

You had a close relationship with him too. That was ad.

Like just you know how good brother was, you know, and uh, just the way he was in the room with everybody. He looked at everybody and you knew he was special.

So h.

That was all you know, that was because it's crazy because you know, I have a chair in my studio and that chair it is like it's my interview in chairs. So if I'm here, the guests is right there and in that chair. We were talking Jose and I think Jose we're talking one day man and I was talking about the chair and I was like, dude, I said that chair, Andre Herrel, Juice World, Nipsey DMX, anybody else,

Bro.

That that one was a hard one.

That one, That one hurt everybody going on the globe because you've got a lot of people in the hip hop game, but ninety percent of them aren't leaders.

That was a leader.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying.

He was a leader in the leader.

What was next? What was coming? You know what I'm saying, What was coming?

Bro?

And you know, and just like with Parking Big and Soldiers that we lost before, like hopefully we we just learned something from that. You know, we learned something either with Nip, learned about you know, being an entrepreneur, learning your you know, like I remember when Nip did that was was it proud to pay Dave? Yeah? And man, I was never so proud to pay one hundred dollars for a CD in my life, you know what I'm saying.

But he was just.

Outside the box.

Bro.

You know he was outside the box, man.

So shut up. Brother David Gross too? Yeah? Man?

What if David Gross?

Yeah? Man, big business partner, Nip Kobe?

Oh man, Kobe too? Bro? Kobe shooting y'all? Man, you come on, man, y'all got real ones, you know what I mean?

Kobe?

Like, for one, I had Kobe his whole basketball career. Yeah, man, So you know we seeing the winds, the Al's, the championships, you know, the wife, the kids, it's just the everything. Kobe. And I remember the way that I heard about Kobe passing is what really kind of like like really like fucked me up? Man.

I was.

It was a Sunday, and I remember my wife was driving and no I was driving. My wife was in the passenger seat and my daughters with her friends behind us. And my daughter called and I'm driving and I hear my wife say Kobe died in the immediatem. I'm like, and she was like, what Kobe Kobe Bryant, and I'm sitting here like what's going on? And at that time, early on, you know, it was other people in the helicopter this you know that Fox and so I remember

But that hit.

It hit man, it hit the city, hit you personally, and then you know, as a dad and you know he and Gigi, the other lives, you know. I remember my daughter came to me and she asked me. She said, she said, Dad, she said, do you think he had a chance to hug her? You know? And I was like, I hope. So, you know, and your mind go a thousand miles in a second, and you know what's happening. And that's where I go, like, man, what was brother thinking?

You know.

I couldn't. I couldn't muster it up. I couldn't like, oh, man, you know you've been here before. Each one of them. Man, I think I'm a sensitive person anyway, each one of them just meant something something totally different. You know.

Thank you for sharing. That was tough for you and Matt.

I remember, you know you've been to the living room, bro. Like I remember going to my house after we left that little get together. I remember going to my house and I could smell I could smell the it was on the other side of the yep, I could smell it in my house, man, like the propane or whatever, the gasoline. I was like, dam I could you could smell it? Like y right there?

All right? Something a little lighter?

You sure?

Yeah?

Explain death of my mom about the last time you saw your mom. Huh what what about it?

Oh?

Yeah, definitely. Yeah. I'm just saying, be like, yeah, big talk about so your brother had a stroke. Talk to me about that.

Phone taps something legendary, uh, that that we grew up on. Did you have to clear the sample of phone taps from Yeah?

Yeah, Dre, Dre, Dre, let me get it. He definitely let me get it, man. Yeah, it was just one of those things where we all played jokes on the phone. It was just one night. Man. I would learn, Like I had to learn how to use the board when I first got into radio, and man, I wasn't even trying to touch that board for like my first six months. So we were just get on there. And when they told me, hey, you got to learn how to work the board, I started doing overnights till how to work

You have the you have one that was most member one. No, you've done a time.

Yeah, I got a few. I got I got a few. Man. It's this thing called one of them is called follow Lola Lights and it's the it's the holiday season and I tell this dude that he won this like extravagant light show on his house, and we're gonna come out and put these lights on. And the way that you get them is if I just called you and I was like, hey, we got a light show, and you'll be like, man, fuck you and you hang up. But when I call and I say, ah, right, man, I

That's crazy.

Yeah, so that one. And it's another one that's crazy for this lady where I told her I was bringing a haunted house to her. I think I remember this way.

I remember this one, and.

She was going berserk.

Man.

She was talking about how she live in a rise and I'm telling how we're gonna come and bust the windows out of placing Briny's ghouls and goblins and ship man. And I remember the last thing she said to me. And I said, there's gonna be kids for the candy. She was like, there aren't. There's gonna be candy for the kids. She said, there are no kids in this building. It's a fucking high rids hang up, but no, I got I got a volume. You know, I got many that I sit up and I'm just like, bro, what

Going, right, yeah, I want to when we cut the edit up, I want to get those two.

Oh yeah, definitely, definitely We're getting there.

The finish line weight loss journey. What was your peak weight?

My peak weight that I saw on the scale was five hundred eleven pounds. Now they see where you walking, man like, like, were you on your way to six hundred pound life with doctor? Now? No? But there was five hundred eleven pounds and that was on my surgery date. I got surgery about twenty years ago gas your bypass surgery. But I must have been bigger than that because the doctor told me, lose as much weight as you can from now to your surgery date. And I had about

Who was the biggest impact that motivated you to keep going in your weight lost journey?

Will Smith?

Will Smith started it, you know what I'm saying. Will Smith started it, man, because I had been big like my whole life, and you know, like even when my mom passed, right, everything wasn't like a light switch, was like oh shit, I need to I need to get my shit together. Everything for me was more of a dimmer, you know. And then as the Dimmer's going. Then the light the room gets bright. Oh damn, I understand. But Will Smith, even though Will Smith's challenged man the weight

You know, no.

Disrespect, I could say. I don't have to say no disrespect. She I was five hundred pounds. You know, I'm gonna get mad at me. But I remember I was walking through the Burbank Airport one time, man, and I had to stop and catch my breath and I felt the pain in my back. I never felt that before. But I had lost the weight and I was putting the weight back on so rapidly that I just felt like, man, I have to do something. I have to do something, you know, just before my kids and all that stuff.

The big pun have like did it wake you up?

Or did it all that buffy from the but you like I said, it was a dimmer. My mom didn't wake me up, you know what I'm saying. So, yeah, you see the big puns of the world. I remember, in fact, Joe and I we were talking with pun past and I remember he was like, yeah, you know, big we got to take care of ourselves, and you know, we made a commitment. But you know now, you see Joe,

Congratulations, Yeah, yes, sir. What's your advice to anyone who's on the weight loss journey?

One day at a time, one moment at a time, one minute at a time, one second at a time, you know, and people don't see. You know, it'll take you sometimes, it'll take you. It's quicker to lose it than it is to gain it. Because I gained the wait my whole life. It didn't take me a lifetime to lose it, you know. And I don't mean like ten pounds on and so forth. But that's that's the biggest thing.

Man.

We we'll take care of so many other people we don't take I didn't take care of myself and not we and they and you. I didn't take care of myself.

You know.

I would put the highest octane into my car, but I wouldn't put the best octained into my body. You know what I'm saying. I worry more about other people than I worried about me. And the first thing they tell you when you get on the plane, they say, you know, secure.

Your mass anybody else?

Yeah, Like, so if I'm not taking care of me, how do I take care of my kids?

You know?

And it's just been for me. I see so many different sides too, you know, I see the prejudice, you know what I'm saying. I see you know, when I was walking down the aisle getting on Southwest Plains. I know people didn't want to sit next to me. You know what I'm saying. I see that now that I'm smaller, and I see I see certain things and they don't know. You know, I'm in the club. Yeah, you know, I'm in the club. But I just tell people that whatever your journey is, man, you know, it's a it's a

You know. Question.

Now, this could be urban legend and we don't even have to talk about it, but any truth to you got to rest one time and hit a gun in your fold and it went undetected. We don't have to talk about if you don't want to know, get looped it.

But its motherfucker Can I can I tell you the story? Please let me tell you this story.

Bro.

So I was bodyguarding the forest side, right And when I was bodyguarding the forest side, we had to go to the Bay Area to do some shows like Souls and Mischief, you know, and so uh OJ is on the fucking four or five that day.

Really, so we're literally the hell of a way to start the day.

Watching OJ and his boy on in the Bronco. Yeah, man, in a major way. So we're watching this and we're missing planes. The guys don't want to leave their their glued to the TV. So I'm booking other flights. Okay, we can get you know, it's the Bay. There's a flight every hour. Okay, well make sure, make sure, make sure. So now we get to a point where we can't fly, were like, forget it, let's just rent a van. So

Yeah too, not more.

And when they lit me up, I slid both the guns under my stomach. And when dude was patting me down, he never lift my stomach. If I would have went to the county jail, they strip search you. So I had to make bail before that county bus can. Now this is what I was going to tell you early on. I get home. I'm exhausted from dealing with the Foreside. While I are in the Bay Area, flying back, you know, doing what I have to do at home, they come and bringing my gun. It's days of me being tired.

The next day, that.

Morning is when I got that fucking phone call from Power changed my life. That's crazy, Yeah, ain't that crazy? Yeah, So maybe they would have called back, but that day I would have definitely missed that call because I was going to do that time.

Boy got bailed out for he caught that James.

Yeah, man, man, I would have coach just stack. I caught it.

Well.

I had a situation where I get I got caught with it with a firearm, you know, and showed up when that motherfucker tipped me. My man, he said, with your stomach up like you know, But they found my ship. Was they caught me slipping. I had it in my car at that time. Yeah, but yeah, I would have missed that call. I wouldn't sit here.

That's one of the best stories we heard.

Yeah, acting you've had some cameos long as Yard Charlie's Angels two, Project x N three Strikes to name a few. Any memorable experiences or you got a chance to work with a lot of great actors in those projects, Well, anyone that jumps out.

I think when I did like Duce Bigelow with with Adam Sandler, that was one of those things, man, where Adam taught me a lot, because I love the way he treated his crew. You know, like I think when people say you set a tone, he set such a tone where he was cool, so everybody.

Else was going to choice started at the top.

Yeah, man, And he got me to you know, well, what do you get paid per movie? I wasn't making nothing, you know, I was doing you know, playing myself and that kind of shit. So he gave me a flat standard. And that standard is what got me into SAG for a certain amount. Every time somebody came, it was like, oh, well this is what what big gets. So that was

Man who's big outside of work.

Man, I'm a dad. I'm a dad and a husband. Outside of work. You see us, Matt Man, you see me and the family.

Bro.

You know my brothers and sisters I take care of. I'm kind of like you know, I think I'm quiet at the crib.

You know.

People ask my wife like, oh, you must be laughing all the time, you know, if I can get a moment, of course we're gonna laugh at the crib. But I like the quiet.

Sometimes, even when you're in public, you're not really.

Telling you. I love the love. I don't run from that love. You know what I'm saying, Like people feed you for freedom of people. Isn't giving you ship when you needed it?

You know?

So yeah, like George Open said, man, motherfucker be like, I'll hook you up and be at Burger with nine meets who need that. But I'll take it. But no, I'm just away from away from you know, the public. I just if I can get home, man, and just sit. You know, we don't get a lot of those moments. So I cherish you. And I'm watching I'm watching my.

Kids go fatherhood.

Beautiful young daughter son who's excelling in high school basketball. What don like the boy the twins just got the high school finally their freshman Yeah. Man, I was just thinking about the other day. Remember when we saw each other in the Bahamas and the kids were like five maybe.

Yeah.

No, It's magical, man, because you know, you'll have friends and family members and you'll see each other and you'll see you know, you'll see like, okay, we got some grade, we got this, we got that, you know. But with your kids. I remember my kids sleeping on my chest. Now, Jaden's taller than me, you know what I'm saying. It was times when he would go upstairs and he'd come downstairs and he just got taller. Like I see your boys.

Man, I'm like, what exact sashes and girlfriends?

Yeah, man, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I'm having these conversations with Jaden. You know, he's sixteen. Now. I don't put too much out there because all his homies, you know, but like, man, slow, you know, enjoy.

But it's just good to be able to have that line of communication too.

Yeah. So you don't know our kids. You know, they're handsome, you know what I'm saying, And they're popular, you know, I wasn't handsome growing up, so it was it was different, you know what I'm saying, Like, no, you don't oh you know, okay, you don't think so okay, okay.

Cool, all right now quick hit this first thing to come to mind. Let us know most awkward interview.

Bone Thugs in Harmony. Yeah, how long you guys been in the business forever? How old are you guys? Old enough? This interview is over, you know what I'm saying, and we man bone now to this day, those are my guys. That was their first like interview. I was new, they were new, and we just you know, we turned to MIC's off and we talked about it. You know what I'm saying. But yeah, it was. It was a very young big boy and a very young bone Thugs and harmony.

Everybody was raw.

Yeah yeah, I remember, dude, I didn't know how to let it go. And I remember at one point Busy had this bottle he had like a forty hous and he was looking he was looking like this, and he had just looked like, man, you don't shut the fuck up, Like man, I'm gonna take this bottle and bust you in your face with it because it wasn't like we were standing up about to scrap or anything. It was just one of the things where it was like the interview's over.

Funniest interview.

Funniest interview. Man, I've had so many, Bro, George Lopez makes me cry. Corey Holcom makes me cry, and he makes me nervous.

Corey get out of the pocket.

Yeah, oh my god, man, you know what I'm saying, like and he don't care.

And it makes me nervous.

Hell, yeah, you know, funniest interview said at the end of Tainer, like I've had Dave Chappelle. Dave Chappelle. All he got to do is say hello, and I'm like you. But yeah, the man, you know, we have a good time in the neighborhood and we laugh a lot, so you know, we have a We've had a lot of guests that came through and made those moments even funnier.

Who was your radio goat?

Radio goat was? There's a couple of them. Man. I respect Tom Joyner, not knowing what Tom Joyning was doing a lot until I got in Frankie Crocker, But my goat was do you know Russ Parry, Russ Parr Bro Russ Parr when he used to do Bobby Jimmy on the original fifteen eighty KD f Am. That dude, man was he was like, it was like me, I didn't know that I was going to be a radio guy. And if like ludicrous attell me to this day he said, Man,

That's always a good thing. Childhood crush like Star or just Star.

Damn oh. I had a few of them, bro, Like when I got to thirteen and started touching myself. Sorry she was over there. What's the mama's name over there? Christ Christina did like, yeah, she's like, did I touch his hand when he came? No? I would say, man, uh, growing up, you know Janet Jackson early on man, and it's crazy because do you remember a group called Sister Sledge?

Yeah?

What the fuck?

Like, man, you look at them, but yeah, Sister Sledge and uh and I'm dating myself now. Jane Kennedy, you know I was a kid kid, you know what I mean. So this is like my my childhood bro where I would look at women back Now you stopped that, You're crazy.

One album you can listen to and repeat, no skips.

I got a few of them, I would say, Bizarre Ride to the Far Side. And the reason why is because not only was that great music, it just takes me to a place that I got so many connections and so many memories to that. I know the show live, I know, I know the guys, I know them going to interviews, you know, I know from us being in a van to being on a plane, like there's a lot of investment into that, you know. And then if I just want to listen to anything like Darius Rutger

How Snoop snoop? Listen?

Yeah you go, yeah, you go? The dog? You know dog? Is this Tady Pendergrass? All kind of ship?

Five against alive?

My mom sitting with moms definitely, Uh, Martin Luther King. I think I take the five hundred thousand, so it won't be jay Z. You know they said five or jay Z so my mom, Martin Luther King, Uh, ship Oprah. I haven't met Oprah yet, so I sit. I'll sit with Oprah My brother Keith, so I could just, you know, tell him how instrumental he passed on. I could tell my instrumental he he wasn't you know, steering his baby brother into this music thing and ship last last seat

Jack.

I'm excited about this last question. I think it's a good dude and it's roller Dex is fucking insane.

Yes, and I'm gonna slow this question down. I'm actually DJ screw it. If you could see one guess on this show, who would it be? But but you have to help us get your answer on the show.

On the show, make sure we clear, So.

I would have to help you get them slowed down. Say it again, who would you like.

To see on our show? You got to help, but we have to help us get your answer on the show.

Man, I would say, but I would have to help you.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, that's a key.

Word I said, because between us there is no six degree. I think it's a one degree that separation because we know everybody. Are you familiar with a dude by the name of His real name is jose A Lonzo, but they called him the brown horny. Oh my god, dude, like this motherfucker is Yeah, that's him right there, that's Jose. Yeah. I can get I can get Jose and this seat. I can get him in this seat on thirty seconds. Jose, what you do all the smoke?

Yeah, he said, think about it when you said it, when you said it, When he said Jose, I'm like, hold.

Up the Jose's over there at that No, man, you know what has anybody said doctor dre Have you all had doctor dre on? Yeah? Man, yeah, hey man, it was thinking like I said, the brown hornet, it's not a green one black. Yeah, yeah, doctor Dre, Doctor Dray, doctor Dre. But you know what though, man, I think that Dre would trust being here because anybody that see, how y'all get.

Down, man, Like we're giving flowers.

Come on, man, like I could definitely see Dracy.

We'll be honest, man. Yeah, yeah, it's in that text.

Big Yeah, we're gonna be like, hold on because we got to get our Dre in first.

But before we get out of here, man, we really just want to give your flowers. Man, what you mean to the radio space but also the West Coast and La alone. Man, you've been a trusted voice for a long time, man, and you know, a personal friend of mine and our kids grew up together.

So I just want to say how much we love and appreciate you. Man. Keep fighting a good fight, bro, Appreciate you, no doubt.

Hey man, real ship. I was expecting a gift. I was looking hey man, I was like, you need chaining day. I was like, man, I got some treat Yeah, give back, we got plenty of treat.

Load them up on all this.

We'll send it to my Gatesburg address. Yeah that's a wrap, big boy. I love y'all.

We'll see y'all next week.

Thank you for productions,