That sweater fly to my brother. I like that sweater.
I took it back the next day.
He kept the tag on that motherfucker.
You kept the tag right in there. I took it back the next day.
Welcome Back Unplugged, our weekly spin around spots, Sports, culture, Entertainment. We got a special guest off the Rip today, Jack. But before we introduce our guests, Jack, you was just out in Mexico. I can see you got a little darker. Didn't try to Yeah, I know, I know you run from the sun, but sometimes that ship is tough.
How were you? I know you was out there with socks on the beach. How was that Mexico?
Bro Man. I had a good time. It was good to get away because it's been to ramp up. You know, we got a lot of stuff going on with the tour in Big three, so I needed to get away. Wife enjoyed it. Had my childhood friend who I went to middle school with. Movie, So who's a good trip I needed. He was Indianapolis for the third Let it Go, uy b. We did well three and one.
Played an eight am game out there, which is five am our time. They called us slipping once, but all qualified for peace jam we'll be ready to rock uh in July. Man, I want to welcome in right now. Our brother Charlotte Maagne, what's good, bro?
Man?
What's up my brothers? Matt Stack's happening?
What's up my boy? We saw your donky other day. We definitely want to touch on that at some point, but let's start with some positivity first. Uh, you know we can't with so Charlott Mane. We came together what two years ago.
It might be like four, five, going on five.
It's been going on five.
It's been a high school term, bachelor's degree in college.
Yeah, we're blaming on the Yeah.
Well no, obviously we appreciate you know, you came in and found us in and brought us an opportunity to work with you and your company Black Effects over there at iHeart and it's been a very solid situation in partnership and relationship.
But also through that has come.
We have a coffee table book, Yeah, launch in October eighth, and it is through your company. Explain how the partnership with Simon and Schuster and I don't want to butcher the other name, but kind of explain how that came through your publishing deal.
Man, I'm just a fan of what y'all do. Man. First of all, thank you for having me.
It's always a pleasure to be on one of my favorite podcasts, man, with two of the most authentic voices. You know, you family, absolutely two of the most authentic
voices we have out here in media. And you know, I don't think y'all get enough credit because I could be wrong, but you know, salute everybody, all the athletes, you know, the former athletes that are doing podcasts and doing their YouTube and shows, their YouTube shows and stuff now, but all the smokers, the originators, ye young, I can't think of no, I can't think anybody that who was doing it.
Prior to y'all, not the way we did it.
Yeah, I mean from the from the podcast and you know, you know how y'all would taking the visuals and putting them on YouTube. You know, the partnership with Showtime, all of that, all of that was like groundbreaking. And I think that you know, y'all showed, you know, the athletes that there is life after whatever you.
Know spoiled is that they're playing.
And you know, y'all just y'all just did that so successfully, man, because you know, everybody always feel like they had to run to the networks, you know, to have those voices, and now those voices on the networks getting trumped by what y'all doing. You know, it's always a pleasure to you know, be able to partner with y'all on anything.
So you know, when when when I've had this book in print for about four years now too, you know, Black Privilege publishing with Simon and Houston, so just hot, just hot, just seeing I'm always gonna come to y'all and see what y'all want to do. And when I saw that y'all wanted to do a book, It's like, Yo, let's let's let's make that happen. And it's a no brainer, right, Like it's not one of those things that you even got to sell to people. It's like, yo, all to
do a book. They like, let's figure it out.
To be able to see you in the space, befriend you, and then be able to grow with you.
You know.
Obviously what you've done has motivated us and me in particular as far as ka I have this amazing show, you had this show and Breakfast Club. How do you branch out? How do you build out? We had a good show and all the smoke, but how do we branch out? You know, we've been able to build you know, all the smoke productions, you know, outside of leaving showtime and do some big partnerships with DraftKings and kind of continue to build out this space and build out our voices,
which is important. Obviously our main focus right now is sports, but you know, educated enough to speak in other spaces, and you have your particular space that your expertise in, but an expert to speak in other spaces as well. So I think, you know, what you've done has obviously motivated us to think bigger than just show and you know, obviously partner with you shit four years ago a smoke a lot of way forgive me has really kind of
motivated us to continue to go. But yeah, we have a new book coming out October eighth, A The Table book will go you know over our two hundred plus episodes, highlight some of our guests, some of our amazing conversations, stuff you've made forgot about or not seen the first time around. Man, So definitely looking forward to that dropping October eighth.
You can pre order now. The link is in our bio Charlamage.
You you got some good stuff coming up, just dropped the new book.
Get Honest or Die line, why small talk sucks?
Go get my boy book Man, and he got a nice little round table card game for the adults to start some questions.
Let's talk about it the.
Thought behind your book, Charlemagne, and what else kind of comes with that, because I know you've got a new show on Comedy Central. You got a lot of stuff going on, So talk about what's going on in your ecosystem right now.
Well, the book Man is just like you know, every day it's like a challenge, like to wake up and just keeping honest with yourself, Like and everybody always want to keep it real with everybody else, but yo, you're not really keeping it real with that with that.
Person in the mirror.
So like it's just a challenge to everybody to, like, yo, get honest or Die line. Like, we see people lying to themselves every day and then they wake up and then they project those lives and volunteer those lies to everybody else. And I think that's very dangerous, especially in the era were in right now where everybody got a platform, everybody got a microphone, and we don't need people out
here just projecting to be us on the folks. So like, just my challenge to everybody, man, like, challenge yourself to be honest with yourself every single day. You do that, you know, it's easy to show up in the world and be real.
I like that, man, because today, especially in social media, it's this thing now where people are creating just fake pages and just spewing out fake media, like completely false stuff because they know how people see stuff and they believe and they get the reposting, and one person get the reposting. Now people thinking it's truth, you know what I'm saying. So it's it's very I like what he said.
You got to start being real with yourself, man, because it's so much false stuff out that people believe anything they read.
And the why small talk sucks part is just because man, I hate small talk literally and figuratively. Like I hate when you know, like you somewhere somebody just try to make meaningless chit chat with you, and it's just like you gotta tell you brother, like, hey, you know, I appreciate it, but just like, let's talk about something else. Let's actually talk about something that we're gonna talk and then I feel like you know, nowadays, people just be making all these micros macros.
Man, it'd be like these small hues like.
I saw, I saw, I saw when you came back on social media after your break, Jack, and you was like, man, y'all be on here talking about a bunch of nothing.
I enjoyed my vacation away from social media.
Man, That's that's how I'd be every day.
Like Yo, we make these small issues into the biggest things in the world, so when the big things actually pop up, we don't even know how to talk about them.
Or deal with them.
Thanks, you show it, right, bro, Let's talk about I mean, the current state of the media because you know, as you mentioned that, you see machine driven and now it's individual and platform driven, and some of that has been a blessing. But we can all admit and you know, we're we don't put ourselves above anybody something. Motherfuckers don't deserve platforms to be saying the ship you're on here saying.
So talk to the state of the media and how it's changed, but also at the same time stayed the same.
Anybody can have a platform, anybody can say anything.
You don't know what's true.
You don't know what's what's not true, and and that within itself is dangerous because you know, they they've they've been saying for the longest that our people, you know, we perish from from a from a lack of knowledge. So it's like nowadays there's so much misinformation is being spewed out here, like what's real knowledge, what's real wisdom? Like what's real understanding? Like who who truly has it?
Where do you get it from? But then on the flip side, you have so many people out here who you know, like like yourselves, who create your own platforms, who actually have something to say. So when you ask me what's what, what's what? Stayed the same? Authentic, authentic, authentic, authent authenticity.
I never could get that word out bro me up today.
Being authentic, being authentic will never will never go out of style.
And I think people can sniff that out more than ever, you know.
I I think that now with all of this AI and you know, the deep fakes and the chat GPT, all of the stuff that you can just create, people are gonna have to turn back to just like regular humans that we trust, you know what I'm saying, Real people that actually they trust and they value their voices and that's something that's always been since the beginning of time. So even though everybody has a platform, I think it's gonna be just like anything else, the cream gonna continue to rise to the top.
How with us being.
The center of everything cool culture at current events, fashion the creator creators, do you ever see a day where our people are compensated for the influence they have.
On culture and what needs to be done for that to happen.
I don't think we'll ever be properly compensated for the influence that we have on culture. But I think that, you know, the more more of us, you know, do what we're all doing, you know, starting own production companies, you know, launching our own platforms, you know, we'll we'll we'll get we'll get compensated for for that. You know, we'll get compensated, you know, for you know, putting building
things that you know can actually empower other people. I don't think we'll ever truly get compensated for for for for what we've already done, you know, cultural wise. And also I think that has to do with a lot of us still just having a consumer mindset, you know, like we so we're so happy just being the consumers, or we're so happy just you know, getting I guess credit for things, right like oh, that that was started by black people, or that was started by black people.
I think we need more than a salute man like you know, we.
Need we need real live equity, you know, we need real compensation for that. But I don't think we'll ever get it until we get out of that consumer mindset. We got to get out of that consumer mindset and like really start creating, you know, right now, right now, we're like the the curators of cool and we're like that, we're like the creators of it and then the cure cerators of it. And we can say what's cool and what's not cool, but we can't really direct, you know,
who gets compensated for what. And I think that's the that's the biggest problem. But we just got to get out of that consumer mindset.
And I've been guilty of it too, Like I think that for me, that's why I'm so loyal to my team and I love my team so much. I got a great mind and I got a hustler's mindset, but I didn't have an owner's mindset or business mindset. But being around the guys Madden and Brian and Guy and Julyn and the guys I'm around now, I'm learning from them,
you know what I'm saying. Being the owner of these companies and stuff like that and being a part of this, I've learning more about how important ownership is in different spaces we can be in and where we belong by being around my team, you know what I'm saying. So
you're saying, you're saying getting the right information. It's important to put yourself around the right people, around the people that's gonna help you grow, Around people that's better than you, that can teach you that that that's not around Just yes, man, you know what I'm saying. So what I've been blessed, you know, even having relationship with you, seeing what you build and being blessed to be around the team. I have to understand these things. Like I said, I didn't
go to college. You know what I'm saying. I come from an.
Upbringing where get it, how you live, figure it out, you know what I'm saying.
So to be with a team like I have now, to see guys like you, Sean Mayne, it's important that we get the right information, because we can't succeed and reach those heights with the right information.
Absolutely, And that's why I'm not afraid to ask questions, man, And I'm never afraid to look stupid, Like if I don't know what something is, I'm gonna ask. You know, if I don't know how to put something together, I'm gonna ask. That's that's the only way that I learned because you know, growing up, we all saw you know, people that we look to that were doing those things right, like, you know, growing up for me, especially being you know, a black kid growing up in South Carolina, I looked
to the Rappers. I look to the J Prince, I look to the Master Ps. I looked at what Jay Zeden was doing with Rockefeller. I looked at the Suave House. When I kept hearing that word independence, sell it out the trunk and have your own label, like I wanted to know, you know, what that was.
And so I as I got older and you know, got into that.
Space, I was just blessed to have you know, real people that would put their arm around me and show me like, nah, this is how you build this company, y'ad, and this is how you build that company. Out and this is how you build that company out and that's just been a blessing.
Hip Hop twenty twenty four has been nuts.
I think obviously last year the Diddy stuff at the end of the year kind of started the fire. Kat Williams kicked the door in on Shannon Shar's podcast, and the hip hop community has been going crazy ever since. Just quickly on Drake and Kendrick, what they had, what came of it, But really just more important, I love
the sport of it. You know, Charlotte Mane, you came from where we came from, where you know, we grew up in hip hop was so instrumental in our upbringing and our culture and just feeling a little older, maybe this is the older side of me. I kind of felt like it hip hop is not on life support because there are some very talented artists out there, but
it just didn't have the kick we had. And obviously two of the biggest artists that ever but of our generation in particular, you know, are going to blow for blow. What were your thoughts of the back and forth between Quinchin and Drake.
It's way more commercial than it's ever been.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, with our question. I love I love the sport of it.
Like you said, Matt, to me, it was like we never saw Kobe and Bron in the finals, but that was always that was always the match up everybody wanted to see, right, Like you remember when Gez had that.
Song Kobe Lebron and Nike had all.
Yeah, but we but we never saw it, and so it felt kind of like with this. You know, Drake and Kendrick have been throwing shots at each other for so long, but we never thought we would actually see them go go head up. So I love the sport
of it. The only thing I disliked about it, man, I just I was like, damn they went to hell way like the stuff they put on each other man, Like calling somebody a pedophile, calling you know, Drake Kendrick, calling Drake a pedophile, Drake calling Kendrick a white beater, like, and it's some heavy accusations to be putting on somebody.
Yeah man, yeah man.
But but other than that, I mean, I it was I thought it was fantastic for the sport.
I don't know what the fallout will be, if anything, I don't.
Think any of those I don't think alligation.
Stuck stuck stuffed in him in that way.
I mean, you know, people might make jokes on social media and laugh and stuff like.
That, but I don't think. I don't think any of those things will stick to him.
But it's just dangerous to watch watch two men me too in each other.
There's two men me to in each other like that.
That's an interesting perspective, and I just think from a pure music standpoint, I hope it doesn't get to if you're a Drake fan, you can't fuck with Kendrick and vice versa. I think both these guys are amazing in their own respective ways, two.
Of the greatest to ever do it.
They went at each other, it got a little messy, but I think, you know, hopefully they'll both continue to just continue to elevate.
I've always been more of a Kendrick fan.
I've always said, I feel like Kendrick is the leader of the new School, you know, when it came to this, this last generation, I feel like it's a Fantastic four, right, It's Kendrick, is Cole, It's Drake, and it's Future, right, Like, that's the Fantastic Four.
That generation.
I throw, you know, you can throw the people in there like the Big Sean's and the Willets, the Rhapsodies like they were there, but that was the fantastic fault And I've always been more of a Kendrick fan anyway. I want to see Kendrick do a West Coast album, man, I gotta be album. Yeah, Man, I think when Kendrick hit people with that and not like Usye, we grew up off that because we you know, we were born in the nineteen hundred, so we came up in that
night ere. We know that death Row sound and that vintage ice Cube and pot sound.
We know what that is.
I want to see Kendrick do a whole album that sounds like that, like with the Mustards and the battle Cats and Doctor Dre's and Dad.
A lot of people got to understand too. It's a different era. Like back back when we was coming up. I don't think having people knowing that people wrote your music, it wouldn't survived back then. But now today, motherfuckers don't care about this generation. Don't care about it. Bro, This is the truth. They don't care about none of this stuff we cared about. It's coming up with in the
hip hop. So it's a different era. So if, like Matt said, if people think feeling like they can't do this because this person said that none of these people know you.
First of all, Okay, Drake don't know you, Kendrick, you don't know you.
Drake nor Kendrick are gonna text you and say thanks for taking my side.
So right, so just enjoy the music.
Yeah, me took about just sit back, sit back and be a fan, you know what I mean. I didn't necessarily want to pick size. I wouldn't say that Kendrick won, but I got a lot of respect for Drake because that the motherfucker took on how many people, you know what I mean? And it's it's hard out here for us light skinned motherfuckers to come from biracial backgrounds. You always gotta you gotta be sick with you, you gotta be slicking with your words, and you gotta be able to fight.
You can't have if you gotta have one of those.
Well, Matt, you gotta have, well you got hope, Matty. Hey, Hey, hold on, I gotta say this because nobody don't know Matt is not.
Your normal boiration for motherfuckers. Okay, if you met Matt's daddy and then what Matt daddy was doing dropping him to school. You don't know why he's so goddamn different. You said, you said Matt got dark skin tendencies. Hey man, man, dad could played on Boys and Hood, South Central and.
The New Jack City all that shit, Start Road.
You can say what you want about Drake. Drake Drake is not back down.
From a challenge. No hell, Now, you gotta respect it. Gotta respect it.
You came at him, he got at me. Push your team, got push your team, Kanye, whoever it is all, you would have five different people just now for real, you know, like he held his own like I can't see it and act like I didn't enjoy I enjoyed all Drake music.
I enjoyed Kendricks a little bit more.
But I think that the best record to come out of that whole thing was that Drake Family Matters. I think Kendrick got the best song with not like that Family Matters is tough.
Hell yeah, creative. What do you think the future holds for streamers? Are artists?
I mean obviously they are, you know, still getting the short end of the stick. Will there ever be a time where you know where we're screaming independence? More than ever, there's a blue that there's a there's a roadmap for it. Will there ever be a time where artists are true paid what they're worth for their art?
The only way that's gonna happen in music is if they do it theyself. But you know, they know, they known that from the beginning. That's why it's so funny when people you know, sign these music you know, these deals with these record labels, and they still complaining about what these record labels are doing to them, like like nothing has changed. Is the beginning of time, and the blueprint to make real money off your music has been there.
Like everybody y'all just named from the South showed you how to make money, you know, off off off your music, you know, cash money, the no limits to rap a lot. They showed you how to make money off your music independently. Three six Mafia. Three six Mafia had one of the best models come on many defendent wing and then they had a major label things, so they was went over at the same time, using the major label to continue to build their profile, then still putting the little whites
and everybody out, you know, independently. And I always thought that was dope as far as I like, I like what the screaming is doing. One in the media like I like what cons and not I like what I like what those guys do because there's a uh, there's a fluidity that they have that even podcasts don't even have, because podcasts still record and you know they put out
you know, they once to twice a week. But you know, if Drake want to give academics a record or some are are they want to kys and not to talk about something right there in that moment, them guys can just get on there stream and they they right at the people in minutes.
Is that the few not to cut you off from? Is that obviously the future of someone like you. You know, obviously you've established yourself and you grind it in this space for a number of years. These young streamers have jumped in the space and captured this their their generation, uh you know, through through through streaming.
Is that where all this all of this is headed.
Yeah, I think that you have to kind of be there now. Like with Breakfast Club, we split up. We distribute Breakfast Club on like five or six different platforms,
and we've been doing that forever. Now it's like, of course you get us on the radio, So on terrestrial radio, we get between six to eight million monthly listeners, and then we put it out as a daily podcast or the daily podcast that's like fifteen to twenty million downloads a month, and then we put it out on YouTube, and we put it out on all the social media platforms.
Another thing that we just started doing, we've been going live, so like as we're in the studio and you're listening to us on the radio, we'll just go live on YouTube, live on Facebook, live on Instagram, all at the same time, and there's tens of thousands of people watching us, you know, over there now too. Because you know, you can't just build it. Back in the day they say, yo, if you build it, they will come. Now you got to
build it and meet people where they are. Or it's like, yo, if you know that there's this audience online that's looking for this type of content, you know you got to give it to them in real time.
So yeah, the future, the future is now.
As far as that, I think in a minute, you're gonna you're gonna start seeing like live podcasts, like you know'll y'all might all the smoke might say, look, this Tuesday, we're gonna go live and just do our showed via the Scream and didn't take that same audio and put it out on the RS Street is a podcast later. I mean, that's just that's just what you got to do nowadays. You got to meet people where they are.
I'm over here taking those as you're talking your ship. So we're definitely doing everything you just said. Man, hey, real quick before we get you out of you. We appreciate your time. Big article just dropped in the New York Times with you and you, you know, saying you're not picking a side in this year's election.
Uh.
You know, You've been very outspoken and have a very powerful voice, not only in our community but overall. I've definitely utilized my voice and platform for this last run. What are your thoughts on just what we're headed towards this November come election time? And where do you kind of stand with it? Understanding that you are someone that people look too for information.
And second part of that question, I'm receiving I was supposed to receive the lifetime achievment with the ward this week? Should I receive it lifetime achieving the warf move from the president.
Hell, yeah, you deserve it.
You earned that.
Yeah, I've been hearing ext emotion from a lot of people I respect.
Nah, you deserve that.
You earn that, Like you should absolutely go go collect that. And you know, if you get the opportunity while you're there, you know, to speak. Just always speak truth to power the way you always do, you know. I think as far as the election, man, I'm just I just feel like as a black person, as a brown person, you shouldn't be beholden to any political party. Like, you know, I don't know why we have this idle worship over Democrats.
I don't know why black and brown people have this idle worship over Republicans.
Like, at the end of the day, we should just be voting our interests.
And you know, when you look around and you know, you see the condition that you know.
Our communities are in, you just got to ask yourself.
All these people doing everything that you know they possibly can be, you know, for us, And I get on these platforms and I say the same thing, I'm voting my interest this year. My interest this year is to simply protect democracy, you know. And then when I look at somebody like you know, former President Trump, like he's just a person who doesn't give a damn about democracy in any way shit perform like you know, he he literally said, you know, let's suspend the constitution to overthrow
the results of an election. It's crazy to me that all of these so called patriots will get mad because the Colin Kaepernick will take a knee, all these other athletes will take knees. They'll get they'll get mad and call those folks unpatriotic. But a person who says let's suspend the constitution to overthrow the results of an election, the election was supposed to be the cornerstone of democracy. Voting the cornerstone of democracy. You want to suspend the
constitution the overthrow the results of that. I don't see how anybody could want somebody like that, uh, you know, being the leader of the free world. And then you know, you can't even we can't even begin to talk enough about the attempted coop of this country that happened on January. So I don't like President Biden either, you know, I think President Biden is complete trash, you know, but I
know that he's better than the alternatives, you know. And then then then there's third party candidates out there too. You got doctor Cornell West out there, you got you know, RFK Junior, Marianne Williams, and folks always say those individuals don't have a chance.
Well that's why they don't have a chance.
They don't have a chance because they conditioned us to make us believe that, you know, none of those people are viable options. So I'm never gonna tell nobody to stay home and vote in November. But I'm also going to tell you that as a black person man, you do not have to be beholden to any of these parties, you know, and when you do put these people in office, you got to stay on they ass to make sure they're showing up for us.
I started with local, local, community, state, where you see the turnaround, you know, and eventually work your appetite up to you know, higher things. But you know, people want to see results, and they want to see them fast, and you see them the fastest if you get out there and vote in your communities, you know what I mean.
So that's where a lot.
Of to start my appetite in this space, because this is a space we are never intended to have a footprint or voice. And and now when we come together. It's up to us what we want to do if we come together, you know what I mean. So obviously to educate yourself and understand that there's faults on both sides and who serves you know, the best purpose for not only us, but for our children and our children's children coming down the pipeline.
So it's a whole lot of lot of shit going on.
It's just a business decision at the end of the day. That's really what it is like. You know, they try to make it seem like, you know, especially when you I see I'm not even gonna say just liberals because everybody does it. It's like, yo, you want to I don't want to fall in love with any of these candidates. Like I'm literally voting because you know, there's there's certain interests I have.
There's certain issues that I want to see addressed.
You know, there might be certain policies that they lay on the table that I'll be like, Yo, that would be really dope if implement it.
That's what I'm voting for. I'm not voting for no individuals. I'm voting for issues.
For Charlotte Man, we appreciate your time. You can check out the new book, give it to them and where they can find it at.
Get Honest a guideline while small talk sucks.
It's available everywhere you get books now, man, And that All the Smoke Coffee Table Book drops October eighth.
You can pre order that right now wherever you pre order books.
Man, that sweater fly to my brother. I like that. Sweat them.
I took it back the next he kept the.
Tag on that motherfucker.
We kept the tag right in there. You're back the next day.
Yeah, yeah, well, Charlotte Man.
Man, we appreciate you, bro, We appreciate your love and always looking out for us, and we hope we're doing our part to help your ecosystem grow, because you're definitely doing your part to help ourts girl, bro.
Definitely, man Like, I love everything that y'all doing, man, especially what y'all doing with the other platforms, the kg's and Paul Pisces and all of that. Like what y'all building out with all the smokers incredible. And I hope people paying attention. But by the time they pay attention, it'll be too late.
Too late. You're not even tripping.
It's gonna be too It got so much shit cooking. But again, charlat Mane, Bro, thank you for your time. We'll catch up with you soon. Bro, sir peace. Our next guest, my uc afe brother, my dog. Welcome to the to the show and the family. Our brother, Trevor, Reza, Trevor whatever.
Bro, my dogs? What's up with it? How y'all doing? Man? I'm found. It's real. It looks real any where you're at, Man, where you at right now, where you hiding.
Out at, Bro, sunny is tropical. I'm in turch right now. But yeah, enjoying this beautiful weather over here.
Yeah, I know, I know. Let's get to it.
Taj was just in uh In in Indy. I saw their team out there. You said they took a few lumps out there. But what is the experience with Taj been like a top ten player in his class in the country, just got an offer from our alma mater u c LA as a dad and as someone who's trying to, you know, give him the game and show him the ropes.
What has that experience been like with your son who's sixteen right, Yeah, he's sixteen.
He just turned sixteen in March, so he's in his right gradies.
You know, I'm glad.
That's because not everybody can say that, Like the twins are fifteen as freshman and there'll be sixteen as a sophomore. I say, you're supposed to be not supposed to be seventeen as a freshman.
Yeah, But for him and for me and our relationship, you know, it's taught me a lot. I learned a lot, especially about being somebody that played in the NBA, him wanting to you know, that being his dream, but me being dad at the same time, there's a little bit of areas that you got to work through in those situations because me as a player, I wanted to be perfect at everything I do, because you know, as far as like work, I was willing to put into work talented.
I may not have been as talented as the best players or whatever, but I felt like, you know, there was opportunities where I could have been. But for me and his relationship, I want to push him to be the best that he could be at all given times. Like I always want him to go one hundred percent.
I always want him to stay confident. But the father part of me wants him to be like a gentleman, you know, wants him to be able to be able to, like, you know, take care of everything for himself, guide himself and learn things you know, as man too. So having that balance and figuring out how to do that has been a little bit of a challenge. But you know, like we're going through life, we learned things together. So I'm excited about it and it's been, you know, an exciting time.
Yeah. I love it too.
And he just transferred to your alma mana right, Yeah, he just went to Westchester, Yes sir, yes, sir. Well, best of luck with that. So Trev always someone been my homie for a while. A man a few words, you know what I mean.
Unless you're really around Trev and Trevor fuck with you, you know, go here Trev's voice, Trevor is really you won't know.
He burned out, Yeah, but always always, always very well, always very well spoken.
And I'm really glad he hit me up a while ago and kind of wanted to start dabbling in this media space. And I was really excited because I feel like, you know, shit, eighteen years night, how many years you play in League twenty eighteen? Yeah, eighteen years and knows the game, you know, as you just mentioned, not the superstar,
but had the attributes of stars for sure. So what is your goal in this media space as we kind of try to help you figure out what is next for you in this man To be honest with you, read, I feel like I'm a chameleon. I could do pretty much everything. I've always felt that way about everything. It's just being in the space or seeing what I like that really to me, it doesn't matter. I just want to figure out how I can give back or help in like a team center situation. Like I've always been
really good in that space. So figuring out my lane and right here with people that I trust, the people that I fuck with, you know, it definitely brings more of my personality out.
I love all the work that Mad and everybody doing it on our team, bro, because it showed it shows us.
For so long they put us in the box. You just played basketball.
You can all you can do is play basketball, and then you gotta retired, You can't coach, you gotta do something else like it. For so long, that was that was the way they put basketball players. But nowadays we can do whatever we want. See what I'm talking about in any space we want. It's just whatever like you said, whatever you feel like, you're comfortable and you can be your best at We can do.
That ship for sure.
Trail one thing we're gonna need you to work on since you're coming over to this side, has helped Jack grow his his ship.
Ain't got no hangtime in the back. I got, I got, I got, I got a little bit. Now, hold on, man, don't do that like that, Jack, Jack, Jack, Jack, I don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. My ship growing now, Jack, that'ship. That that'sip that ships been that long for eight months right there. But it didn't start like that in your head. Bro.
You got only only let people in your hair that's close to your brain.
That got love for you, bro, that's it. Yeah.
Yeah, I'm pretty good with that. I got I got one chick here that breaks my hair all the time.
Yeah yeah, okay, Well that's where you're still. We're gonna figure it out, Jack. I want to say the whole ship like Trails, and we're gonna come back. We're gonna come back to this ship.
My ship start going to I'm gonaet I'm gonna get trap whole regiment, and I don't want to hear.
Ship from none of y'all. At one point he wanted to do my ship. Now you want to do trail ship. We go see what works. You gotta be a chance to trail of them. One little bullshit.
I didn't even try your shit that you just talked about it. I really didn't try it. I knew that shit was gonna work.
All right, man, Well, a great weekend. The hoops, I mean, the Eastern and Western Conference finals are set. Man Okac falls to Luca and Kyrie. And one role player who's really been making a name for himself in this playoffs, PJ Washington, who averaged seventeen points and eight rebounds in this series and shot forty seven percent from the three point line.
Let's backtrack a little bit and talk about this series.
I think one thing that I said coming into the playoffs is it wasn't that I didn't believe in Oka, see in Minnesota. I just had to see it because we all know, as vets fourteen plus years each that the light tra a lot brighter, that the attention to detail each possession it means that much more. And okay, see you know fell short, you know, tough foul call at the end of the game by SGA, which was
obviously a foul, but they fell short. Let's talk a little bit about the series first, and you know, Jack, I'll start with you.
I just look at the defensive side. Both teams were scoring, you know what I'm saying.
I was look at the teams who made the plays down the stretch, you know what I'm saying, and made the hustle plays. And and for me, Dallas what did the best was the best at scrambling. Both teams was able to for their stars, was able to get easy shots and get to the basket and make plays for other people. But they did better scrambling out contesting shots and doing.
Stuff like that. The end, Yeah, the file, that was a that was an uncostly filed. You know, I hate that.
Well, you see, I had to go out like that. But for the most point, I think Thatas was the better defensive team. They scrambled better, and then you know, I think they fought more to win the game.
I think when you get into the playoffs and you know, and you got to figure out ways to win games.
Defenses where it's going to bring it out of you all the time. So whoever has the most stretch.
Uh, the longest stretch of better defensive play is going to win the series. Now, history has shown us, like you said, as veterans that younger teams usually the haven't had enough experience to figure out how to like muster rug wins or grind wins out and kind of, you know, in a situation that we've just seen with that that series right there, that kind of played into into you know,
history right there. So yeah, closing now games, exactly figuring out how to close our games as a young team is a hard thing to doing the playoffs.
Jack, I want to say it was you.
You had Dallas is one of your dark horses, didn't you kind of coming towards the end of the season.
I did, Yeah, Yeah, I remember you said that.
I mean, we know, you know obviously your relationship with Kyrie, but you kind of felt that they were coming together at the right time and obviously one of the top Dubos in the game, and you know, they both had their moments in this past series.
And no hate, no hate, because you know, every time we talk about basketball thing, it's hate. But they said they killed some of Tim hardaway minutes. He's not He's not the best defenders. You know, he don't even try sometimes on defensive and having PJ. Washington, that shit was.
Yeah.
I mean they revamped their team. I think they went out and got the Lively and the other big kid, you know, Josh Green.
Uh, you know. PJ.
Washington was a late addition which was ended up being huge for them. So for for them, everything kind of came this season, you know what I mean. Obviously, the core pieces were Kyrie and Luca, and the whole question coming into this season was that can they coexist? And I think they've done that and I think that we've seen this is the freest we've seen Kyrie play basketball in a long time. He's at peace on and off the court, and we know what kind of duty is
on the court when he's at peace. So I think it's been a beautiful thing. And these motherfuckers got hot at the right time. Switching conferences, the Knicks crumble down the stretch. Injuries played a huge part in that, but I also think the PACER's pace and and and and their others and Shack likes to call their role players played really well this series. We'll get into that, but thoughts on the Knicks trev as they kind of stand
right now. We've talked on the show in the past about I mean to have four or five or six key guys. I think obviously random went out before the playoffs, but I think they lost four or five guys during the playoffs. And we all know how big Tibbs is on minutes, although Bruns is a hand and you can't really necessarily say that's wear and tear.
That's just kind of bad luck.
But I've always wondered, like the way he plays his guys thirty nine forty plus minutes the entire season and plays them more in the playoffs, does that, you.
Know, affect their ability to go deep in the playoffs.
That's just the nature of the game. The more time you're on the court, the more you have or you're subjected to injury. And that's just the way it is. And the way TIBs coach, he coaches hard as a mother plager, so he gonna get everything he can up out of you in and when you play this game,
you're gonna give something. And you know, you hope that the injuries aren't severe or like career threatening, but in this game we've all played, you're going to have injuries, but the NIXT the way that they are honestly there, there should only be one piece that I think that they should move.
Everybody else.
That they have, especially the people that was hurt, I think they fit into that style of play. They fit into tid style, and to be honest with you, the culture of New York. I feel like those players fit into just the way that they play. But one thing, one thing I would say though about like the NBA as a whole, and like like the people behind or outside of the court, the gms and the people that
put these teams that's here right now together. There are mid season trades and the things that they've done to.
Have these teams where they are right now. They did a really good job too.
Yeah, everyone kind of hear things that Randall may be the guy that might be the odd guy looking in this offseason because, like they said, the pieces they have outside of him, from the Bogdanovic's and and the Ogs and these other guys that got hurt but definitely fit this system.
Well. So you see, are you someone of the degrees that that that Randall may be on this way out one?
I definitely agree with that round the need to be gone because look at the success we had him a couple of things with the Knicks. I don't I don't think he's that guy that that that batman to to Brunton, I mean robbing the Brunson. I think I don't think he's that guy. More like a guy like a PG guy that can create rand super h hold on, don't just fly by that. You said Paul George would be
a perfect fit you feel like in New York. Yeah, because they need a wing that can get buckets and that can get to it, that can guard of the wings. They have all small, small guards. You know, Randa is really one dimensional. If you stop him from going left, he's gonna run over. Y'all turn it over. These are just the fact y'all got to watch your own game. We don't be hating on y'all. We be watching y'all play well.
I definitely too want to want to touch on with Indian accompass. Now what the Knicks, didn't you know shout out most boys? I mean they may we talk about gems making, you know, to be able to pick up Pascal uh during the season. Tyres Halliburton's really first taste in the playoffs. I think their X factor through out these first two rounds has been uh uh.
A little little little little like TJ. Welcome to hisself.
You and as basketball players, we used to hate little guys like that team get into.
A spots picking up full court, you know, not conceding the switch. He's fighting over screens and and just making it made it tough. I mean, brunts is the motherfucker. But TJ McConnell made him work, made him work hard, so you know, uh it was it was some payback for what what what's the boy's name that goes under the legs on the fast break that was in New York? Uh uh top of topping, topping, I can playing with it edged you know, Miles Turner, you know, did his
part of the Niece Smith Nate Smith. Is that how you say his last name but your name this morning? But to your point, Jack Carl I did a great job of I think wearing them out with their depth and and and his ability to go into the bench and and trust the bench and and get production from the bench. So uh uphill battle obviously versus the Celtics, but definitely want to give Indiana their their.
Their respect because although the were beat up. That was a tough Knicks team. That was Boston had been playing that well either though, So.
Jack, this is gonna be their first I feel like this is gonna be their first real test. And that's not you know, with all due respect to the teams they played, you know, a Cleveland team, it wasn't that good. And then who was the first team they played in the in the first round. I'm burnt out. I've been traveling so much. I forgot Miami. Miami. Yeah, I beat up Miami team with no Jimmy Butler. So Boston is definitely gonna get tested. You know, I see them coming
out of the Eastern Conference. But you know, Indiana is definitely gonna have something to say. Uh Now, the team that I think surprised the entire league and maybe not everybody.
You know, Trev, Trev, you called that surprised me. Three months so you were on Shannon Sharp Show saying saying, what tell us what you said?
I told the world, Well, I told Instagram or whoever like Anthony Edwards was the nigga and nobody, you know, everybody he's a good player or whatever. But I've just seen it and just by how he moves. And it's not even really like the just the game. It's how he encourages his teammates. It's how he leads by example, it's how he takes coaching, is how he does everything that he does and still like is the player that
he is. That's just a test to like how hungry he is and how much he wanted He not gonna back down from shit. He wants the action, and like when you looking at players that's like stars or superstars, and you want like and like you know, like there's gonna be a tough time that you're going to have to go through in that stretch. Those are the things that you look for in the player that you want to ride with or you want to be in that foxhold with. And he got all the attributes of it,
and he moved like and he moved like Mike. So it's not too many months like that, like you see that straight away. Yeah, before we get to you, I just again to peeedback off what TA said. I want to give Minnesota's front office some credit because you got to think they took a lot of heat when they traded all that year for Rudy Gobert, all that traded all them picks and players, and they took a lot of heat, but they stood the test with Gobert and
congratulates to him. He wins his fourth Defensive Player of the Year, putting him in rare air six Man of the Year nas reed someone I was really high and I think it was one of the top free agents last year that no one was really talking about. And he ended up going back to Minnesota and he was a big, big game changer in Game seven, Cat getting healthy and finally buying him because as we've all recalled, there was a while where Cat was kind of reluctant
to hand this team off to end. Remember he was low key hating on I'm talking about what he eats and did all that bullshit that didn't really matter.
But I think they've kind of built their relationship on and off the court, which you know, kind of allows Kat to play that second role in Cat. I'm gona fuck with you. Cat could play basketball, bro, say what you one about the man? Cat could play basketball. And then you got one of the most underrated players in the game, one of my old point guards, Mike Conley, who just goes below you know, does whatever it takes.
And you know, keeps this team together. They got the young boy on the on the wing who's a monster on the defensive end. Help me with his name. McDaniels should be First Team All Defense. So really, again, hats off to the Minnesota front office for building this team. And as we said earlier, it wasn't that with me personally, It wasn't that I didn't believe in the young teams.
I had to see it, and I think what Minnesota showed us, not only throughout the series coming to get the first two games and you know, kind of celebrating and taking their foot off the gas, getting their ass kicked in their home, but then being able to bounce back, you know, being a young team, being able to take a punch and be able to counter punch back and come back in and down twenty on the defending champs
floor in Game seven and you guys make that run. Jack, what do you think about Minnesota as we stand right now with them heading into the Western Conference Finals.
Well, then again, you know, it's a lot of a lot of things are just common sense. It's number one defensive league. Talk to them, you know what I'm saying, to come to come back from down twenty. They got it in them. They've been doing it all year long. And one thing about it, the one thing about it that you can tell by this team, they try rust each other on defense. When somebody doubling, you don't even
have to say nothing. They got the old term you got to be on the string, because that has to be on the string, you know.
What I'm saying.
And they trust each other, bro, and it shows, and like I said on my Instagram, it's just so refreshed. You know, you got to give the whole team props, and you gotta give the mcdams and the rest of these guys because when those guys come off the bench, they come with that same energy on defense. But to have your best player every night challenging the best player on their team and being able to you know, we guys that played on both fans, didn't We didn't just
play on one of the court. It's just refreshing to see a guy like Anthony Edwards, you know what I'm saying, come out there being that people saying he de facing the league or being the best player right now, he's definitely the best offensive play on their team, but he's becoming the best defender as well.
So I just and and that transfers to the team.
You look at nas Reed naz REI stepped up and took the challenge to go out yo, because then when they made the comeback, you know what I'm saying, and all those big tip ends he got in. So that's another young person that come up, just like Anthony had the same fine him. So you know what I'm saying, it gets contagious to the team, dog and I just love to see it because we guys that took pride in that, and it's showing people wondering how they win and how they come back with twin. It's effort, it's
being on the same page as caring about stopping. It's trying, you know what I'm saying. Some people don't even try it, Dogg, and I love to see that. Both of these teams at Dallas and Minnesota are showing that you got to be scrappy, especially this time of year, to try to win these big games.
Crav what it is your thought on the league is such a copycat league. When Golden State had their run, everyone built their teams and you were on a Houston team that was right there on beating them a couple of injuries away. Everyone built their teams to beat Golden State. Golden State has gotten older and their window has shut. Denver stepped on the scene, and teams kind of started
resorting back to and let's look at Minnesota. Three service of Bill Biggs, since the player of the year, and then two other motherfuckers that could play defense on Jokich. And as Jack said, that GM built the Nuggets, so they built this team to beat the Nuggets.
And this is a newer, upgraded version.
And we haven't talked about it in a while, but Jack, we spoke on this a while ago about the key role players that Denver had lost last year and Jeff Green and Bruce Brown and those guys. Minnesota has a lot of great role players, a lot of great young players, but were built to beat Denver and beat Denver, you know what I mean. So we're looking at now to see I mean, obviously, this matchup in the Western Finals
is going to be huge. You know, two young budding stars, you know, arguably two of them, you know, not arguably two of the faces of the league that you know once Bron and KD and Steph ad Dunne. These two guys, big faces are going to be in the front of the NBA. I mean, and you look at what and is twenty two and a half, Lucas twenty five. These guys are gonna be here for a while. So let's look at this next one cool thing, you know, treving Matt.
Think about this though, If they got Jeff Green, they go Jeff Green, Jokic, a G Carl Woll, Pope and Murray, they bigger. Yeah, they can rebound better. They got our rebound And I'm just saying like, that's why they missed.
Those type of guys. Yeah, they missed those type of guys. That's how he was able to beat the Lakers so easy, they were so versatile.
Was a Swiss Army knife. But also to someone I love, someone I love, Michael Porter Jr. Could get hottest with the hottest. If he's not all well he's not. He ain't doing nothing, he ain't doing nothing giving myself out there, and yeah he had his moments out there. But again, yeah,
I definitely think they missed the role players. But you know, we got to think back to the first time to see two young superstars twenty five and under, you know, meet off in the in the in the conference finals, you look back at one with you know, Iverson and Ray Allen.
You take it further back, Bird versus Moses Malone and eighty one.
You know, Buck's sons, young Jiannis, young Booker in the finals, Magic and Bird. But again, I really think you know, we've seen the torch past this summer, phoenix is up in the air. We don't know if KD will get another ring. We don't know if Bron will get another ring, and we don't know Stephan will get another ring. But we do know that either Tatum u yok It or excuse me, Tatum, Luca, uh ant man or or or
uh Alberton, j Haliburton Haliburton. No, I'm just talking about who's left these new young team superstars is gonna get their first ring. And I think it's kind of the beginning of this new era of basketball. So definitely looking forward to this.
This is Tatum time, This is Tatum chance. If you don't get if you don't get it now, they're not gonna get it.
This is his time to really Tatum's twenty six.
I mean, you think you know four superstars under twenty six with Tatum being twenty six, Luca being twenty five, and then uh you know the other two being in their early early twenties. So it's definitely gonna be a fun conference finals and uh ship, we're gonna see.
Hey for real.
Though.
The Minnesota team reminds me of the team that now I was on in La, the Lakers team that won just with the side, just just the pieces that they got, Like who's.
On that team again? Find them?
Mm hmmm, pale myself, odum Beanfish. You know, I we had a lot of players, Luke was on that team. We had a lot of like players that just knew how to play in their role and play in their position and give everything, and people that actually like playing together and trust trusted each other, you know what I mean.
Like that's that was big because Jack was Yeah, Jack was talking about how Minnesota their best player is scoring all the points or scoring a lot of the points and going to sit down on their best player on the other team. That just gives your team, like more like that gives your team or the role players or the players that's playing the role more confidence just to go out there and kill just as hard as you are.
So there's no excuse.
So that's why I feel like the team that I like is that Minnesota team, because that's what it reminds me of.
Who will be the biggest X factors in this Minnesota Dallas series? Will be PJ Washington, Tim Hardaway, and Lively? Or would it be nas Reed, Mike Conley and McDaniels Minnesota.
I'm going I'm going nas Reed on Minison, I'm going NOAs Reed on Minnesota, and I'm going none of them on Dallas. Now, now, I got Kyrie gonna be Kyrie? Has he got he gotta go crazy every game he can't take too because Kyrie will take a game of two off.
You know what I'm saying.
We were just going through the motions, passing the ball, making plays, being real passive, you know what I'm saying. But I guess in closing games. He undefeated in closing games because he turned up. He got to come in every game of the series with that attitude. So I got I got Kyrie for Dallas, and I got a Nasrie Minnesota.
Trevor who what's some of these matchups?
I mean, let's think about who's who do you see from Minnesota that's gonna take shots at at Luka and Kyrie on the defensive end.
Man, I just feel like McDaniels should It would be he's going to be like the biggest distraction because he has the length, he has the toughness, the physicality, has everything that's needed to impose his will on the defensive end on those offensive players.
He reminds me, and you I'm telling to give you right now.
Mc McDaniels drives me of a young t A when t A was in l A and he was going in the motherfucking Orlando Magic's huddle during the game and cussing the players out and having them scared, Like that's what kind of time.
What kind of time daniels be on too?
And I see it, like, you know, I haven't been to any of their games this year, but I you know, I watch it on the TV and I kind of just see like like the things that he does and how he affects the game, and it's like it's more than what the stats sort of box square would show, and he can.
Make he can make it difficult for look at too long.
Will Yeah, yeah, yeah, Diddy mean, I definitely, yeah, I definitely see him having that type of effect. And is on the game for sure.
We talk about Luca and that's a hell of a matchup. I think McDaniel's gonna get times on Kyrie. But Jack, who do you do you feel like there's anyone on Minnesota that could, you know, do anything with Kyrie?
Man, it don't even matter. Anthon already called him out for the World head right right after the game. He said, and I'm going Kyrie on tn T and I'm going Kyrie. So's it's already understood. Mc McDaniel's is going Luca and say coming guard Kyrie.
I love it. I love it. On the flip side, who's gonna try to guard man? Nobody? They don't have no.
I don't think nobody got a chance in the hell over there in the guard here.
They're gonna have to gonna try.
PJ h and Deck Jones gonna try. You know what I'm saying. They try to make it difficult, but I just don't see it. And then one thing about it. For some reason, this is an insider for people who's never played in the NBA. Some Marina's rems just feel Lord. They are the same hype, but some of them just feel Lord and man, you just jump high as hell on the rims. Dallas is one of them arenas. So watch your head in Dallas. Yeah, watch your head t a hot take. Who will we see in the finals this year?
Minnesota and fuck Minnesota, and I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with I'm gonna go with Indy.
Minnesota, Indie Manus and we go.
We're obviously you gonna be back, so we're gonna see what if we get there, and then we want your predation, Jack.
Who do you have in the finals? Man?
You know I love the ship out of Kyrie Man, so I ain't no way I'm going against them, but I'm going against him this time. Minnesota and Man and a Man and new Boy is the only one right now. Dad is playing well too. You know what I'm saying. I gotta pick one. So I'm going Minnesota and I'm going Boston.
Man.
I think I think I think this time off to sit back and reflect on how they played the first two rounds and get Porzinger's a little healthy. He's still gonna miss the first two games, but I think this time is health Boston. I think they gonna come my hungry and understand this is their window. You know what I'm saying, They got to take advantage of it. So I see Minnesota in Boston, I think the person don't. I don't say to lose, because obviously it's a win win.
But Jason Taintum has been in the conference finals. I want to say five out of his six years in Boston, if I'm not mistaken, the four out of his five. This is a big run right here for Jason Tatum because he's getting looked over right now, and he shouldn't be, but he is. He's being looked over right now, and I know he knows that. I know he feels it.
So this is gonna be a big opportunity again to you know, run through Miami in the first round, get Cleveland in the second round. I don't really feel like they've really been testing and and I really feel like Pacers are one of those teams playing their best basketball right now, and they're all playing really good basketball right now. Boston is gonna have to really be ready travel. I'm
not even mad at that pick. I can't agree with you, but I'm not mad at it because they're playing really good and everyone's playing that type of basketball right now. But yeah, I got Boston coming out of the East and I got Minnesota. Unbelievable. I got Minnesota coming out the West. Man, So we'll definitely have to see. I can't wait, bag Like, stay right here.
I'm a whole home.
I'm gonna leave you all to me.
I gotta go and stay right here. I got you.
This is the sixth consecutive season that the reigning champion has not been able to make it out of the second round. So it's been a while since we've had a back What was the last time we had a back to back? Was it the Golden State?
Right, Golden State? Yep, Golden State, and then before that it was the Lakers. I'm not mistaken. So yeah, it's been a while, but it's it's you know, the landscape is different.
You know, we went from big threes to big twos to now a little bit more more you know, bounce of the league, and you know there's less superstars on one team and there's more kind of parody in the league. So definitely looking forward to this next run. Like I said, I feel like it's a copycat league. I think everyone the past two years is trying to build a team to beat Denver and Minnesota was able to do that.
So it's now Minnesota the staple of what this league is going to turn into as far as going back to some traditional bigs, but traditional bigs they can stretch. You know, I'm not talking about obviously Gobert, but I'm talking about nas Reed and Kat who can play inside out. So it'll be definitely interesting to see. I'm really excited about these conference finals and you're don't have to just fire up and sit back and watch and see what the fun happens.
All right, Well, t A, thank you for joining us today. You guys can find t A.
He's gonna be rocking with us through the rest of the playoffs and we're gonna have something special for him coming out next season.
We got but definitely welcome you to the All the Smoke Production family.
I appreciate the all us to come fuck with fuck with us, and we're definitely looking forward to helping you build out today.
The tropical podcast.
Trap stays on a different continent that fuckers just wrestling wrestling wrestling with tigers in Africa like two weeks ago. Now he's in tersey Kko. That boy stay on the move. So trev Man. We appreciate your time.
Thank you. We will see you in the coming weeks. Uh man. That's a wrap.
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