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Welcome back to all the smoke back. We got a good one today. You're ready, Yeah, I'm ready. Come on, yeah, man, we want to welcome to the show. One of the busiest man's in Hollywood. Black man man right, writer, producer, director, actor, creator, the one and only Kenya Bears. Appreciate you, man, Thank you for your time. Bro, Appreciate you.
I'm glad to be here.
Man. What's new? How's life right now?
It's crazy? We are I'm running. I started going back to TV. I'm running up the Richard Pryor doing a show by Richard Pryor's life. Okay, and we're in a room show, movie, a show. Oh really, it's greater the grave. Just I mean, his life is so crazy. You could have one. You could take it to a whole show just on him growing up in a whole house. You know what I'm saying. Just that, But it's like it goes his whole life and he's one of my heroes or anti hero whatever you want to say. You know
what I'm saying. He made it and did it his way. So I'm doing that. And it's a writer's strike that everybody's worried about the next couple of weeks, so kind of trying to get bank as many scripts as we can on that. Me and Snoop just we saw the script testing test screen of his movie just came out. He killed it. It's called Underdogs. It's about uh, it's like bad News Bearers but Pop Warner football and he plays though, yeah, he plays a co coach Mike Epps
and some badass kids, and Snoop kills it. Like you know what I'm saying. Snoop is just naturally funny. White Man Can Jump is coming out, should be on a month or so. So we're kind of doing press for that and Rich Paul I'm doing that the next movie. I'm set up to directors doing Rich Paul's. I wrote Rich Paul's like biography kind of like his thing, doing that for Netflix. And I'm doing something on Famous Amous, like which is people don't think it's a crazy story
of this dude. Whilely Amos who created Famous Amus like created like an empire and you don't know, but he created the gourmet cookie, you know what I'm saying. And like was like black man first black he was the first black agent. And William Morris signed, Marvin Gaye signed Simon and Garfunkle. Marvin gay gave him the money to start Famous Amous. He was driving around and drop top bens fucking he was. He was doing this thing, you know what I'm saying, And like Gormet Cookies didn't exist
before that. It was oreos, you know, chips or why he created that, and like it's a billionaire empire and it's just an example of like financial literacy. We weren't. He wasn't prepared for what came up. And like just seeing that story is kind of like a Cohen Brothers, David or Russell type of So that's kind of just you know what's going on. And then we're we have the Truman Show, but we did it as a series.
Damnseon Interests is playing Jamal Truman. It's like the version of like, you know how you see all the you know, cop shootings and all the fucked up ship that happens to us on TV. That's the Truman Show, you know what I'm saying. And then it's white people were like, oh my god, could you imagine if that's what's real life? You know what I'm saying. So it's kind of like telling it from that story and rearranging and going to whatever. So we were doing that with a damn anyway. It's that's that's.
The so is it? I mean, obviously, I know you have a lot of different has to do adult What do you enjoy one more than other? Writing, directing, producing all of it?
I mean writing, writing your favorite, I think, I think because that's where it's you know, you got to create the stories, you know what I'm saying. I like editing too, because I feel like y'all know, like what I'm saying, what comes out in the edit, you can take some you can shine shit, you know what I'm saying. Something that might not be something, you can make it become something an edit. And I feel like that's the painting part, you know I'm saying. So I think those two parts
of it. But I feel like, you know, the biggest part is like more and more we're getting a chance to work with people who look like us, and that never has been like that before.
Well, I mean, you've been tagged with to me, which is not a tough spot but obviously an honorable spot of it. You know, you're doing remakes and legends from our culture and remakes of legendary movies. Do you feel the pressure is it more of an honor? Like how do you look at you got a heavy, big plate with a lot of responsibility on it.
I feel like it's it's I'm trying to like do more. You know, if I do a remake, I wanted to be big, Like I'm doing Wizard of Oz you know what I'm saying, And I'm doing that for us, you know what I'm saying.
Like she's in the hood.
You know what I'm saying. It's a girl in the hood, and you know she falls, She's in Anglewood, she falls in the underhood, and tell her from that side, you know what I'm saying, kind of like trying to to tell that Wizard of Ours back in the day was about turning the mirror. It was the Great Depression and he turned the mirror around and like what so I want to turn the mirror around on like with society is like so if I do it, I wanted to be big. We're doing It's a wonderful life. We're hopefully
you know, Jamie Fox doing with this. But that was like one of the biggest Christmas movies ever. So if I do make I wanted to be big and I wanted to say something. I feel like the thing I'm really trying to get now onto more is like telling original stories. I did This is the movie you People with Jonah and Eddie, and it was like, you know, people, you know, I got a lot of pushback, but then it blew up in terms of the people number of
people watched it. I think it's like, you know, anyway, it blew up, you know what I'm saying, And I feel like it they didn't believe in it, you know what I'm saying, And I think, but we show up for each other. And I think that's what you saw with you know, Wakanda. You know what I'm saying, Like Ryan's one of my heroes. You know how He's stuck to make it that movie about us? Know true what
they were calling a list stars. Didn't use none of the Marvel, iron Man X, you know for Cat of America, which they wanted him to because it was like, if I put that in there, then you'll say that's what that's what movie was. And he took that and he blew it up and it's one of the most successful. It threw away the notion that they say our movies
don't travel. You know what I'm saying, I feel like, you know, saying this movie that we did with black people, it blew up and so just like you know, we now have a chance of all the shit they've told us before, like you know, taking control, like y'all own like this is y'all shit, And I feel like that's we haven't had that opportunity now. So I think we got that moment, but I think we got to be more responsible with it.
But you're definitely one of the main people pushing that though too. So I was about to say that does that come with a sense of responsibility because you are kind of setting the tone as to what you know now what we're able to tell, but how we're able to tell it as well.
Yeah, I think I think it does. I think it also comes with you know, y'all been in this position where, you know what I'm saying, when you get certain certain blessings and certain chances, people expect more of you and you still just didn't get just trying to figure it out. You know what I'm saying, Guy got kids, I got divorces and this and that. What I'm saying, I still got my ship, and so I'm trying to like manage life, you know what I'm saying, but at the same time
still do my job. Well you know what I'm saying. But I feel like I definitely feel like I feel a sense of responsibility. The hard part about it is is so few of us. If I tell a story, my version of telling the story, it may not be your version, may not be your But but I'm supposed to sort of like beat everybody speak to everybody.
Know what I'm saying, And that's not that's not you. I'm realistic.
Yeah I can't.
I don't.
I can tell it my way, but that's not the way. That's one way. And I think there needs to be more of us. So like it's not you know, like you know, the I get a lot of the light skin ship, you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, my you know, my kids mom is mixed. You know what I'm saying. I made a show about my family, my kids mom is mixed. My kids look like I'm not super so my I made the people look like my you know, mindfunctioning. And it was you don't like
light skinned people. And I'm like, what I'm saying, like you know, and I feel like, you know, when it comes to like for me for black shit, like I said a joke, but I'm like, I want to like this sewer verses like everything in my career has ever I've ever done has been for us.
You know what I'm saying.
I've never done nothing that's not for us what I'm saying. But I feel like people will launch into one thing, and you know, the biggest thing is when and y'all know when you when Twitter and shit, it's hard not to respond, you know what I'm saying. It's hard not to respond. I'm saying something I've made the mistake of saying shit. Sometime I clap back. Sometimes I'll say some funny shit, but I know you're not supposed to. But sometimes when you put my kids and shit in.
Okay, so well let me ask you a question.
Okay, who says you're not supposed to?
Who are over there? Okay?
Well, I ain't got nobody does matter to me.
No, ain't nobody tell me how I should feel about something.
And I think that that more so is coming out. I'm saying in a way that we were taking more control of our narrative. You know what I'm saying, I think we got to be careful. You know what I'm saying. I feel like the same way can help us. You know what I'm saying. I look at Kanye and I feel like, if that nigga didn't have social media, he still be a billionaire, you know what I'm saying. But like you know, the idea of you know, we got
to be careful. But I do feel like for me, like I told her, I wanted to do I wanted to literally do a blog called I Got Time Today, and I want to just literally I wanted to literally take all the take any any reviewer. And I wanted to get into their life. I wanted to get on their social media. I want to go over there.
It won't take long. If half of them they got nothing going.
On, nothing going on, They living in some studio apartnent with a fucking hot pot with a room, and they, you know what I'm saying, they mad because they don't want to see us have something to say or so. I feel like it's a delicate balance, you know what I'm saying. And I feel like the more success you have, the less you really can You're supposed to like sort
of open up. But the more I want to because the more I'm like fun, you know what I'm saying, Like, if you cancel me now, I'll be okay what I'm saying, but you know, I don't want to just start trouble. But at the same time, I feel like bringing my kids and my family into it. That's that's when it changes.
But a lot of people don't know that you don't have to demean other races to be black and proud.
That's right.
That's why I think I'm mastered. That's why I get along with everybody.
Like when you see me, I come off as a black and proud man, and I stand on that. But Doug Black, but everybody know, I stand on love for all who have loved fall. When people understand it's a way to be strong and be proud of who you are without demeaning the next race, we can move.
Yeah, you give respect, you get respect, you know what I'm saying. And I feel like, but that's not always.
The case, especially in Hollywood in particular. You know, I mean, I feel like you've been able to it seems like where you speak of now, is it coming from our people? Or people that look like us.
For the most part, a lot of it Twitter is I personally feel like you should have to register for Twitter. And the reason I say that is you get people get real digitally brave.
Man.
Well, you can just say something conously and it'd be twenty people who sound like twenty thousand you know what I'm saying, and I feel like, you know you're saying something. I feel like everybody don't get the mic, everybody don't get a chance to sing. I'm not you know what I'm saying, And I feel like you now have this this situation where people feel like everybody's opinion counts. Everybody's opinion don't count, so everybody didn't put it in the work.
Everybody's not fucking you know, given the same talents and opportunities.
At least qualified of the loudest too, Yeah, the least qualified of the loudest. Upbringing Inglewood, how did that raise you as a person or excuse.
Me it was it was prequimed than Inglewood. I feel like it taught me everything. I feel like, you know, it was crazy because when you grow up in those situations, you don't know you're broke because everybody's broken. You know what I'm saying. That's the beauty of it. You know what I'm saying. It is like I always tell the story. You know, people used to come over my house. I wanted the neighbor used to come over our house. Then I'm like, why they always got to be over? Why
didn't come up? What I'm saying, I always would complain. And then one day I came home the lights you know what I'm saying, didn't work. You know what I'm saying. My mom was like, we're gonna go over to Johnson and I was like, oh shit, Like you know what I'm saying, Like they was coming over, you know what I'm saying. I felt like that was you know, that's the beauty of that situation. You know what I'm saying.
When you're in that community. But I feel like when I got a chance to sort of cross over and get it going to different schools, I feel like I have you have more respect, and you know what I'm saying, you understand the opportunities differently than people who've been in that situation. And I think that's my kids. I worry about my kids not getting that. You know what I'm saying, because they've come up in a situation where they didn't have that struggle, you know what I'm saying.
And I feel like that's what you how do you balance that? Because I try to balance it too, because obviously we all work our asses off so our kids didn't have to come up the way they did, and particularly you and I would my twins are bi racial. My son, what shit, I'm by racial. All three of my sons are are biracial. You mean, so there's kind
of that colorism thing. And then also now like my kids look behind the gate and go to private school, but I didn't, I mean we were, So how do you balance that as having your kid have an understanding of everyone is maybe this blessed or this is not? You know what I mean. That's what's that balance and parenting for you?
You know, I got six kids and oh, he sounds like Jack, it's six different people, you know what I'm saying. It's proof that is nature or nurture, Like, it's that kind of your kids are gonna be who they are. You can kind of teach them some stuff, you know
what I'm saying. They can have some morals, but you know, people are who they are, but I feel like I look up and I just want to came back from college tours with my daughter and she got accepted to all these grade schools that wanted her, and she's like, I want to go to Spelman, And for me, I'm like, I didn't push that. I went to black college, you know what I'm saying, But she wants that experience. She's like, yo, I didn't grown up in situations where I'm around white
people my whole life. She was like, she went there and she was like, this is fucking let home to me. And she felt that you could see when she was walking around, she didn't matter if the other campuses look better. It's like she was like, I want to be around people. And so I feel like in some aspect there's something she learned and something she got. But I definitely feel like, you know, I got. You know, there's times when I'm harassed, you know, like with Yalla for Christmas and a couple
people they're like nothing. I'm like nothing, the fuck are you talking about that? Like I was like, I fucked up, you know what I'm saying, Like you don't want nothing? Like I feel like that is hard for me. You know what I'm saying and knowing like are they going to still have that hustle because that hustle is what mass is.
It's a necessity. Graduated in mass media Arts in ninety six from Clark Atlanta University. What was that like going from California to Atlanta.
I think it was the best thing I ever did because I was getting in trouble out here, you know what I'm saying. I was starting to do dumb shit and my friends wasn't really doing shit. And when I went away, I got a chance to see, like what the rest of the country was like different when you're
in La, you know what I'm saying. La is a really specific place, but when you go away and you see, like, you know, I got to meet dudes from Texas and Florida and Atlanta and New York and and it kind of like, you know, we all kind of were there trying to do something better. And I think that was you know, you know, my best friend passed away is to Shakier Stewart, like we he was he was president of Deaf Jam and got to do all this stuff.
And my boy Kenny Burns and job I'm saying, like I got to see like dues that I took so to this day, you know what I'm saying, are still my people. And I don't know if I would have if I stayed here, if I would either not been in.
Trouble and talked to Key a couple of days ago and I lived in Atlanta.
Okay, Yeah, that's my ma, Like we's He's a hustler. He's been one since we was seventeen, you know what I'm saying, Like, we want to tell the story like he has the rayful Edmunds. We want to I want to get into one of the things that me and Kenny talking about, like I think the whole notion of like the Italian gangster movie like that. I think that's over right. I loved it. They had like a seventy
year right. But now when you think about what you know, gangs movies are like I feel like it's black and brown, especially like why why are we Why have we been so afraid to tell our stories? And I think we're afraid to tell them. If you do one, keep me in mind, fink we're afraid to tell them because let's go.
Because I feel like we're afraid to tell them because it looks like we're glorifying it, but like real talk, like like you know, uh Robert and Narrow and you know those dudes and when they were you know, doing the Godfather, those were respected businessmen who are proud members of their community,
and that they did what they had to do. The dudes I grew up with, you know what I'm saying, Like if they had different opportunities, I'm saying, you know how hard it is to make a million dollars on the street when the police and everybody else is trying to get you and you can turn off, you know, get a million dollars like you put you in a If they have put those dudes in a fortune five hundred company, they would have turned it into a billionaires.
But that's not celebrated, you know what I'm saying. And I feel like at the same time, like I think that, you know, I love you know, a good shoot him up.
You know what I'm saying.
I think that when I go, you know, I go talk to my cousins and I talked to my boys like you'll get caught in gang talk. We'll talk about like the such and such, and I'm like, we do it this hour and a half and I'm like, you know what I'm saying, Like, why is that not something that I can be proud of and talk about and
say it's entertaining, you know what I'm saying. And if it's glorifying the moments of what he's doing, usually there's another side that you know, it's not something And I feel like, so that's me and Katy talking about that. I want to, you know, get into those stories I'm doing Michael Concepcion's life story. We're top you know what I'm saying. I feel like, you know, I want to. I want to tell those kind of stories. I feel like they're they're ready, they're ready to be told.
There's a documentary of the Freaknik documentaries coming out from Frank Williams. You know, you know you know anything about that era using Atlanta at that time. I was right there talk to us about that because I missed it. I just like, I'm looking forward to the doc if you haven't, did you see it? It's not out yet.
It I mean, you s, did you ever go to freking it? I cannot explain to you really it's amazing. It's like nothing. It didn't even seem real it turned out a city back to back to back cars, everybody blasting, everybody blowing, everybody trying, you know, girls doing you know, wilding out, you know what I'm saying. Like, but for three days, it's just nothing but us, Like and I it seemed like it was impossible.
It seemed like this is impossible.
And then they, you know, clean up the city, like and I was there when it was happening, was when it stopped, but it was. It was crazy. So I really want to know what this documentary is like. And I don't really want to know if me and JD was just talking about it like it was, you cannot explain it if you didn't see it.
There's nothing like it. I'm doing a project with Frank and he was telling me like, I'm about to drop this doc It's gonna fuck everybody up. It's like a freaking I was like, oh shit, I ain't heard that word just in a long time.
So there's no way they can recreate that. There's no way, no way.
It's no way.
And the crazy part was it wasn't a lot of like crime, you know what I'm saying, Like, you know, little places, a whole bunch of yeah, but it was like it's just like when you go to the strip club and you're like, yo, this shouldn't be as cool as it is, but you get out of it.
I'm saying ninety five percent of the time. Now you go back.
You know what I'm saying, You go back. You know what I'm saying. It was like, you know, you give us. Everybody was trying to have fun. It was ny, was kids, but it was not fun. So I felt like, I'm glad.
I got a chance to see it. That's dope. How did you find out, Navi, get your career path and end up what you're doing today?
God, blessings, luck work, you know what I'm saying. I was a PA, you know what I'm saying. I was picking them trash and getting people, you know, picking up people's kids from from school and washing cars. And then I you know, got in a writing program. I wanted to be a director. It was too expensive to direct because you had to get a camera, you had to get you know what I'm saying. I knew what to write as a writer. I could get through it with
a lot of time. And then TV writers are are king you know what I'm saying, Like they and I saw that when I was a PA, something they tell you not to do, but I read everything that came across my desk. So when a budget came, I was like, oh shit, I saw what the writers were making. I
saw what they were doing. I started writing this lady Felicia Henderson, who created a soul who really kind of like took me under and helped me a lot, and I just got you know, I got lucky, and I worked really, if I'm being honest, I worked really hard, and I was like, you know, I saw opportunity and I went after it. Like what I'm saying, Like I knew I wanted to fucking you know, have money. I knew I wanted to have a life. You know what
I'm saying. I wasn't. I didn't who you know what I'm saying, I wasn't gonna make it if I if I was in the streets. I knew that, and I knew this was a version for me to sort of have something, you know, better for myself. My wife at the time, you know, she was fine in medical school. I knew some nigga, but more than me was gonna come Scooper. If I didn't you know get so I figured I just figured my way out.
As a writer.
Well, and was there any challenges that you went through and as a writer.
Yeah, when I first started writing, my name is Kenya. I didn't I changed my writing name to Kay Matthew. My middle name is Matthew K. Matthews, because I didn't want the way you get jobs as writers. You write what was called a specscript, right, and you write a script and then you show it to people and people read it and you know, if they like your writing
and'll bring you in for interview. I didn't want to say Kenya because I was like, they're going to read like, you know, our scripts, you know, says fade In, you know, And I was like, they're going to read this like fade In, Like they're gonna like they're gonna put their own emphasis on how I'm supposed to sound whatever, and that was and that was stupid for me to do.
But I was so turned off because they they were the time it was on upn c W. What I'm saying that we had only a few versions of what we could be do and all that shit didn't really necessarily wasn't what I wanted to do. So I was trying to like be something else, and it didn't really change until I started being like, yeah, I'm just gonna be who I am, and if it works, it works, it doesn't it.
You know, you wrote the show Soul Food, Girlfriends, the Game. Are we there yet? How do you look on the run of shows you're a part of?
I feel like for me, like I you know, Blackish was the big break for me, of course, and I wrote a ton of pilots, you know, nineteen pilots. Something else said. You know, they had went to different stages of pilots where you know, when you decide whether or not they're gonna pick it up. Some of it went close, some have gotten not as close. But I finally was like,
fuck it, I'm gonna write about my experience. And I looked around and I saw my kids, and you know, you're taught to give your kids more than you have. But in doing that, what do you sort of lose?
You know what I'm saying.
And I think that's what we kind of always are struggling with. But I wrote that story Fishburn, Laurence Fishburn really fucked with me. Aunt if really fuck with me, we really got we got together. It got picked up, and I started realizing that the for me, what I wanted to do was like say something, and I wanted to not say it, like I love the Coswe Show, but the Coze Show truthfully could have been a white family.
The big thing about it was that they were black on TV and that was a big breakthrough for us, you know what I'm saying. And they had money and they had money, you know what I'm saying That we hadn't seen that before. But I was like, yo, I want to write about a little bit of this experience, but I don't. I want to talk about our experience and what it's like when you get a little bit of money but you're from this situation, but you want
to cheat you, I'm saying. And so that was, you know, that was a different experience and that and it picked up and that became sort of what I wanted to do moving forward, was like how do we tell How do I tell a version of my story or something that I know about? And I think the thing that was different for me is like and you know, I get she get shipped for it, but I want a lot of people to see my shit. I want black people, I want white people, because I think the real way
we break up out is populist success. What I'm saying we sold Blackish to FX, not was FX was the shit at the time, and that's where I was going to go. Everybody made offers, but FX was where I wanted to go, and Paul Lee, who was the president of ABC, was like sent me some things like if you come here, I'll put you on after maddern Family, and that for me was everything because I was like, if we can go on, if you give me a chance to play in the league next to the biggest
family comedy, then and we hold on. It changes the conversation. You won't just say this is a little black show and we beat Modern Family the first couple of weeks, you know what I'm saying, And it was like that changed the whole conversation. That made everybody start being like, oh this is this is not just a black show. It's a show that has start as black people, made by black people, but it's a show that speaks to everybody. And that became sort of like what I wanted to
do moving forward. I wanted to do big shit that was for us but actually spoke to everybody because I think you know, I'm all down for like you know this, you know, things that are like niche and things stuff like that. But I really feel like how we went on a big stage is like we got to like win on a big stage, you know what I'm saying. We got to sort of get to the playoffs. We gotta fucking you know, get to.
The award shows.
We got to really sort of step up and win it.
That stripe absolutely. How was was that pitch? Did that pitch different than others because you were actually opening up your personal life to an extent with that?
Yeah, I think it was different and it was better for me, easier, easier, and like, you can't tell me. You can't really give me notes on my life to me, you can't give me notes some of the life. And it started being like when they would give me notes, my little trick would be like, well, culturally speaking, they're like, yeah, yeah, Clure speaking, you're right, Like, and I would be like, you can't tell me about the culture and how what I experienced. And I feel like that sort of moving
forward became that's what I wanted to do. You know what I'm saying, is like, do stuff that felt like it's us on a bigger level, you know what I'm saying, Like I'm the rich Parulk thing like one of the movies. In the movie, one of the things we talk about is the NBA is ninety six percent African American workforce, you know what I'm saying, And maybe it's dropped a
little bit since we did the thing. And the only they get to own a team had to be the Michael Jordan of basketball to own a team, you know what I'm saying, Like that doesn't make any sense. You know what I'm saying, It doesn't make any sense. And I feel like the notion of you know, they love us, they love our culture, they love they Even in the comedy I just did, there's never been it was one hundred million move there never had been a major comedy about what that was directed by a black person.
And I'm like, why, that's what I'm saying.
I loved him story, love the but like they didn't get a chance to do that big every think. I'm like, but you'll eat up Kevin Hart, You'll eat up Dave Chapelle, you eat up Anie Murphy, you'll eat up you know, Chris Rock, But like you won't let us tell our own stories. And so I'm like, you know, that was a big opportunity for me.
So obviously see Blackish is greenlit. How did how did that cast come about? Because that was a pretty it was a special cast.
That was magic. I'm sure y'all I always do basketball knowledge, but I'm sure y'all been on teams and you're like, this shit just happened.
It was supposed to happen.
There's moments where you're like, you can't explain it, like just everything started, you know, happening. You know what I'm saying. I feel like Marseille, you just knew when she walked in the room, like she just was like this little girl with glasses that just blew up. Marcus Yarra, Tracy. I've worked with Tracy before, but like people they were like, where'd you discover this girl? Was like she just had three hundred episodes on girlfriends, like and they didn't even
know who she was. That's how little they look at us. You know, I'm saying, that's crazy, But like everybody you know, and I think Fish was the fish and ant where the Lynchin's but Lawren's fishburnt. Coming to do TV nobody has really seen him do that, and he made everybody you know, when they came to work, it was worktime. So you know that. I think that was it was really destined to be. And you know, from the moment we started shooting the pilot, I felt like that was something different.
You go into black af and experienced success with that. What was that like?
It was not what I expected. I wasn't going to be in it. Rashida was my homegirl. She was a big deal. She asked. She told me. She was like, I think you should do this. She's like, I think this should be your curb. You're Larry David.
She's like, we don't get to do that.
You know what I'm saying. People don't get to see that there's a real black dude behind this. And she I was like, I'm not an active but she like walked me through it. I would be doing scenes and she like, you know, stop and she'd be like, you know, people have to be able to understand what you're saying, right, And I'm like, Okay, you know what I'm saying.
She would help me through it.
But it changed my life because it was it went from being behind the scenes and whatever to people actually seeing me in front of the camera and seeing like that was at my real house. You know what I'm saying, seeing you know, a version of what my life was
was like, you know, it's the thing. When I'm out, people will come up and be like, well when season two, I guess the the thing, like I get the most sort of love from even though it wasn't critics didn't like it, just like I feel like, you know, it was a lot of people that from the culture that really responded to it, and I feel like it changed my life.
Got a chance to work with the legendary Sammy Jackson with Cheft. What was that like, I.
Mean, he's a beast. He's a beast. He comes to play, you know what I'm saying, Like he literally when you eat steps on the thing, like he'll eat you up if you're not ready, you know what I'm saying. He was Tim story directed it, so you know him and Tim were in any place, but like he came, I feel like it was still that was one of the cricket critics didn't love, but it was one of my favorite comedies. I feel like he was hilarious. When the critics came out, they were like, you know, this is
toxic masculinity. I'm like, yo, this is shaft. I should have called it shaft toxic masculinity. Like that's what it was, what I'm saying, But it wasn't, you know it was? You know, I feel like I I don't even look at reviews and stuff anymore. I feel like it's the stuff that gets great reviews and stuff. Sometimes I'm not as happy about the stuff that doesn't get reviews.
It was funny to me. I laughed, my ass I laughed my ass off.
Yeah it was. He's funny. And I feel like the kid Jesse, you played this something?
He killed it? Yeah he killed it. Yeah he killed it.
Yeah he killed it. From two different worlds, but they messed good together on camera.
Yeah, and Sam seventy years.
You know, you know, you know my girl was on the beginning of that movie who Gina?
Oh, I love her, So she had to beg she had to begin and saying we'll be working together in the piece.
She's the best. Yeah, she really really is.
How is your from you starting off to now, how is your storytelling change?
I think it's more honest. I think I care a little bit less, you know, what I'm saying. What people think, Yeah, I think like you know, it's it's a little bit more like, you know, I'm a little bit more like I won't say confident, but I'm like, I'm if it doesn't work, I can take I can. I haven't put up a lot of bricks, so I feel like I can put the shooter take my shots. You know what I'm saying in a different way that not I'm not as careful with them as I was before. And I
think you know you've earned that. You know what I'm saying, you know what you're doing now. I think so, I think you can say that. I think so, I think that you know what I'm saying. I feel like if I don't, you know, I think I got to I get a little bit of a few misses, you know what I'm saying, so low and I and I also, you know, feel like I get a chance to I'm seeing Ray I'm saying, you know, Courtney, Courtney Camp. I'm saying,
lean away from seeing Ryan Coogler. I'm saying all this, you know, younger like, and I'm loving them and like different than to be honest, like when I was coming up, like I didn't have like a lot of people who like, were.
There any enough to cut you up? But were there people you could look up to that look like you?
There are people I could look up to, but they weren't really fucking with me, you know what I'm saying, Like they want, you know, like because it was a little bit more crabs in a barrel kind of intell because it was so few, they made us feel like.
That ye had not with each other you did. And now I.
Feel like the younger generation is like they show up, you know what I'm saying, Like me and will packer cool? If I call Leana, if I call you, if I call you know, Eva, if I call like, they'll show up. You know what I'm saying. They're not showing up asking for a check. I'm gonna try to get them a check, you know what I'm saying. But then it's not about that. It's like they don't gonna show it for them. And I think that's a different situation.
Than we have before. Enough for all of us.
It is, I would Bridge Fauls like we're sarting just in general, like the contracts cats are getting now, Like it's it to me if you I saw that this last year looking at that the first like ten to fifteen contracts. Like if you have dudes who have tuned and fifteen million dollar contracts, you know what I'm saying, what's you're worth in credit? And what your you know what I'm saying. Where you can get five of those dudes together and with they can buy a team, shut
it down, you know what I'm saying. But they have to be told that.
You know what I'm saying.
Like we're in a position now where like the bag is different, you know what I'm saying. And it's about ownership and it's about like I think that you know, I looked at like, you know, golf is the whitest, oldest you know what I'm saying, supposed to be. The Saudias came in and they bought golf.
You know what I'm saying.
They came in and was like they bought that shit, and I'm like, yo, like we got money, Like why can't we go in you know what I'm saying, next do our own expansions? Why do we have to compete? You know what I'm saying, And people who don't look like us get to own the teams and we can you know, put the you know, put our money together, go to finance and go to capitol and literally own our own teams. I feel like it has to the next five or ten years. We got to see that quadruple.
But it's got to be that more more of that thinking though, because we don't even think like that. We're so used to coming up by ourselves that we don't realize that. Obviously, the fist is stronger than the finger, you know what I mean. We could do anything together anything Literally.
Twitter is black Twitter. Why don't we own black Twitter? You know what I'm saying, Like Twitter's not Twitter wouldn't be fun if it won't with the black people, know what I'm saying. So why don't we own our own Twitter? You know what I'm saying? Why do we keep you know what I'm saying, Like we have all this and we do this, all the memes, all the funny shiites on there. Why don't we own our own ship? You
know what I'm saying. So I feel like just having those conversations and getting around, you know, other dudes who have you know, some means I think that the conversation will and stuff was gonna change pretty soon.
Three pot question, what piece of advice would you would you give to spying actor today?
Myself? Are you do you want to ask? I started, really, what are you doing? I did? I did it?
So on with the Thomas Jones, they got to show that they're doing. I'm not really supposed to say it, but I'm telling you, y'all can edit this out on what's uh don't let mean he'll come to him again. But I did it like three weeks ago my first cameo in the TV series that he got.
I it's crazy you said that because you waking up in the morning and the Reveland sleet and just talking. I'm like, there's a naturalness to what you do. And I'm like, yeah, he could do it, you know what I'm saying. And I feel like that's the serious you know what I'm saying, Like it's it's funny, but it's real.
And the one they could tell you that too, you know what I'm saying.
I feel like that's the ship that like you know that, Pops, I feel like we don't have enough. That's the thing that like there's this there's this movie, this series out beef right now, and it's a Ali Wong and forget the other dude's named John True. I want to say, John, I don't want it, but it's phenomenal. But the dude who blows me away is this dude, David Joe who's
in it. He was an artist and he's the dude who did a piece in Facebook's office and they said you can get sixty thousand dollars where we can give you stock, and he took the stock and the stock is worth like five hundred million dollars from so he but he's the most not He's just natural, and you can't you can't bind natural. Mike Epps natural, you know what I'm saying, Like there's actors. Chappelle doesn't even do jokes. What I'm saying, you've ever talked with Chappelle, it's you
know what I'm saying. Exactly what you get when you hang out with him is what he does and does himself. So I think that part of it. So I would say my advisive actors is, are you an actor who really really really needs, you know, acting class and you know everyone needs to understand it. But I think sometimes acting class for me can can take away that natural ability because you're trying to like fit into an envelope or a checklist that may not be you. You know
what I'm saying. I feel like there's something about you know, real stars. You know Robert de Niro, Pacino, Cloning. They're the same dudes basically every movie. You know what I'm saying, real stars, you buy them. You know what I'm saying, Like, you're buying them every movie. They're a version of that movie. There's actors, it's Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and there's you know, great character actors, and those dudes are different. They can do something. But I feel like a real star sometimes
you're buying them. And so you ask yourself an actor, are you a star or you're an actor? You know what I'm saying. So that was my my advice.
Yeah, I'm a star.
As going to start a long time.
Okay, I'm going to start a long time.
And my hands anything, Weddy. What would tell a writer writer's right, Wright's right? Right? Is right?
It's nothing more like if you're a writer, you write, and you keep writing. You know what I'm saying, And you know what I'm saying, If it don't work, you keep writing something else. Like that's the there's no there's no other advice writer's right, cause you get back. I look back at the ship I wrote twenty years ago and I'm like, oh, you know what I'm saying. And then I look at stuff now and I'm like, oh, I can take that two years. I can rewrite it.
But like, you keep getting better. You know what I'm saying. It's you know, you know from the time you hoop, you know what I'm saying, to when you start hooping to when you find I tell people I was talking to talking, they were talking about Kenny Lofton came in. Somebody in the room was like, yeah, but they only played six dudes about I'm like this nigga put up forty two points. Like I don't care how many people I'm saying he put Like he put up forty two points. Period,
he got game. I'm like most of the dudes that people call bombs, I'm like, if they went to the best wreck run in the world, they put two hundred.
Points, everybody on the bench can bust your ass two hundred.
I'm like, literally, I went to a run ten years ago with Mitch Richmond, fat out of shape. I think it was shooting blindfold from Half Courts. What I'm saying, I'm like the the idea of when you really know your craft different him saying, you really do it and you put those shots up. The bummy snak on the NBA team is better than you. So I feel like
the same thing with a writer. If you keep writing and keep writing and keep writing, I feel like you get better and better and better to the point where you you know, you feel confident with it. Your master director, it's it's confidence. It's all like that's it's either you know, kill or be killed. You know what I'm saying. When you when you get behind a camera to direct, it is they have to trust that you know what you're doing.
And the moment that you show any bit of weakness, you know what I'm saying, they will eat you up.
I was on that set and it was Eddie Murphy, Johnny Hill, Julie's Dreyfus, all these you know what I'm saying, David du coompany Nia Long and it was a moment like we were in between season and they were talking and they like and I was trying to like start to seeing them talking, and I just fucking flipped out and Lauren was like, oh, bro's about the spiral, like a spiraling and I was like, yo, I'm not.
I'm not the fucking substitute teacher.
You know, a somebstitute teacher comes to everybody's talking, and I like, if I can, you know, slipped out and they kind of like Eddie was like, huh substituture. I get that, So I kind of like but it was a moment of respect what I'm saying and like, and they all at that point wanted me to win. But that's the thing with directing, like you gotta be the general and the moment they sense any weakness, you gotta
know what you want. You gotta have a plan, and you got to really make them feel because you know, they got to trust you. They putting their face there, you know what I'm saying. They got to trusted with that. You're not putting up a brick, you know what I'm saying. So responsibility, I think that would be my thing is like, you know, be confident.
What was like Cutty?
I think you know it's it's crazy. I'm I'm a fan cut He's you know, my brother. I feel like what he did in some aspects for music, people don't give him. You know, Travis Scott is Travis Scott because of Scott must Study. That's where the Scott and his name came from. You what I'm saying, Like he created like.
A whole brand talent of super.
Emo rap or like you know what I'm saying, Like whatever, I feel like it's not for everybody, but I was really surprised as an actor, Like he came. Animation is hard, you know what I'm saying. And he came and like, you know, fucking what's his name? That ty Dallas heiin ty Dallas he murdered. I got people that you would never think I'm saying. I'm like, yo, it was real talented. So I feel like, you know, the music cut he put put together an album. He held the album for
two years. That's hard to do because everybody wants to put out money than when get their streams. He held that album for two years. That's how only it took the animate you know whatever it came out. I still think we're going to be getting them conversation. I'm saying, a lot of people really responding to it, you know, and it was you know, it was animation, and we
don't get a chance to do the animation. I'm doing the Bob Marley like, uh, it's called you know, one Love and I'm doing Bob Marley animated animated movie for Disney right now. It's the first time the family ever gave all the music do it. And it's like a love letter, Like how Mawana was a love letter in the South Pacific. It's a love letter to Jamaica.
Know what I'm saying.
It's animated, and I feel like animation lasts forever if you do which it's trees in there, Okay, we can't.
Yeah, yeah, it's that's that's part of their culture.
Right. Good. You can't take it's it's not and we're seeing that now. I'm saying, I'm looking at all this stuff that like, you know, it's crazy. Paul Pierced yesterday, you know, had his interview, came out and he was like, what did I do wrong?
Right?
He was talking about the things I loved him. It made me think, what did he do wrong? In the big scheme? I understand the morals claus and things like that, but he had a point. He's he's in California, he's enjoying himself. Weed is legal it's his birthday. It's his birthday. He's playing cards with his boys. He didn't do anything, there was no guns in the thing, whatever he's doing.
But I feel like those conversations are like we gotta know what I'm saying, Like why is the teaching KHN can be this or this person can do that, but like if we what I'm saying, like this is legal, I'm glad they took weed off the table for the NBA because I feel like.
Why is.
You know what I'm saying, but like, why is that you know what I'm saying something that I feel like, I don't you know what I'm saying? I fuck we
hearing it, but it don't. It's not good for me in terms of writing because I can't focus, but I feel like, you know, it's so much should I've been reading just about like The Help and if it's I was reading stuff, but just like dreads, like people have been talking about like forever, the Rosters were talking about their dreads is their antenna and to connect them and they kind of sound like there's some hotel like bullshit.
I was reading someone on my trip and hair is an extension of our nervous system and that's a scientific fact that they do not tell you that. And then one of the reasons that they started studying that is like in Vietnam and Korea, like Indians Native Americans are amazing trackers, right, They you know, can go track animals,
track people or whatever. And so the government was giving out grants and getting Indian trackers to come help them when we were going fighting these wars and foliage or whatever, right, and they can find anything. They were amazing. But once they sat down, they sat down and they gave them the standard the lostpartments across the country, Like we don't feel the same.
And that's what made them start researching.
And they found that it was our hair is a part of like how we it has like you know, that's why your hair on your arms raised, because it's a part of your your nervous system. And I felt like, you know, we used to get sweated for, like the Crown Actor is the thing we used to get sweated because we want to wear our hairlong, we want to put our hair in braids, like all the things that I feel like we have been having to fight for.
It's like there's always I'm not a conspiracy, there's but there's always something behind that conversation that I feel like we if we dig a little bit further, it's like, maybe there's something else we.
Don't know that's interesting.
That's a good thing while we have people like you, because you understand it. Can't nobody tell our stories better than we can tell them. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. And a lot of stuff will get twisted the wrong way if they told another way, because it's no way you can tell a bib Mar story without the tree, right, But only we can tell that story, can't Nobody else said that they wouldn't tell it the way we would tell right.
I agree, And they've and and other people have been allowed to tell our stories too long, for too long. The dudes who wrote the New Roots, White dudes, they also wrote Planet of the Apes, which is the irony of that is fucking crazy. And I'm like, would I ever be allowed to write something that was you know, significant to other people that I'm saying and a culture thing? I don't know that I would, you know what I'm saying.
I don't know that we get those same opportunities. So I feel like, you know, when we do get our opportunities we need to make sure we tell them the right way.
It's like write Titanic, yeah, or me writing something.
You know what I'm saying. I feel like if I wrote word for word the best version of that movie, I still wouldn't it would be, like I was, it would be looked at as disrespectful. What I'm saying doesn't matter if it's a really good script or not. It be looked disrespectful. And I feel like, but it's not sold. That's not looked at the same way when they want to write our movies, and I feel like, you know, we have to sort of we got a certain point.
We got to sort of take control of our own narrative.
Good point, quick hitters man. First thing to come to mind. Let us know the most meaningful film or memorable film or show that influenced you.
Jerry Maguire was a big one for me, you know what I'm saying. I like the way Cameron Crowe told that story and told, you know, put me inside what the agent was, put me inside that world.
I was.
I still I like voiceover a lot, and I think he used voiceover and stuff like that. So that's a big That was a big one for me.
First thing you do in the morning, last thing you do at night, first thing in the morning. When I wake up, I say thank you for thank you for giving me another day. I'm I'm a big go to sleep for TV fans. What I'm saying so, I probably just fall asleep watching question TV.
I want to ask, because you're definitely a movie in TV. Dude, this is not even on the list. But what shows you watching right now?
Secession is crazy? I like, I was watching Beef, I was. I was loving Snowfall for a while. I think it kind of took it took a turn. I'm sorry, bro, are you caught Are you caught up with it?
You caught up? You stopped? I stopped.
I keep going, all right? Damn since my boy and all the peoples, my boy, it was it went crazy all of a sudden. You know what I'm saying this thinking had a real estate company and was like like a new woman and I'm just like, hold on what you know I'm saying.
So, but I'm gonna go back if but the woman plays a key part in what's going on.
Now, Okay, I gotta go back with power. And you know, I like a lot of documentaries, but also, you know, because I want to keep I watched you for you. I know dope.
I think watch the first come back on is y'all Son good Man, that ship fire? Is it watched in the world? That ship is fire.
I don't watch it like that. I don't watch it like that to be hon is, I don't.
I don't.
But let me tell you why you got me. When I seen they handling everything like we would like over land. You come on my land, I ain't gonna I'm gonna go hang you right here on my land. I'm gonna shoot you and all my sons know to kill you. No, it's dope, and his sister is crazy. I sent her to college just so she can come back and terrorize all y'all with us smart now it's dope. And Kevin Coustlin it plays like he's a mob b.
It's dope.
It's dope, and like I said again, I don't watch it like that, but it's dope.
I love that. That's what I want. That's why I want people to say that about shit that I do like, I don't watch this, but I think that's that's when you know something really well.
To the point where I watched eighteen. It's two more of them.
It's nineteen twenty five and the eighteen twenty three, but it's all built up to the.
Same shit about how they got the land. Yeah. I watched all of them, okay, and that ain't my ship, but that shit was good.
So that dude wrote Taylor Sheridan, and he wrote one of my He wrote this movie Hell or High Water, and that movie was like one of my favorite favorite movies. So I was said, I was gonna watch House, but then it just felt too CBS is to me. It was the one where they were bank robbers. It was him and it was Chris Pine and I forget the other dude's name, but they played bank robber.
Yeah. Ben Foster, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I like being Foster.
He's dope.
Out of all the sets you worked on, someone that would do a practical joke or a prank, who was the funny guy on set, Dion and.
Cole, He's funny, funny in real life.
His stand ups classics. He got one some of the best stand.
Ups I produced this first Netflix special and it was I was one of the priest moments.
I like, what was that one called dope?
Co Cole hearted similar slap yeah yeah, yes, slap slap yeah yeah, that's what's the stand for again? Sound like a player. He talked about megas how back, how black people always want to get the bones out of fish, you know what I'm saying.
And his character on Blackish was classic.
Yo. The way that happened was I asked him to come on as a writer because he's his pen is crazy. He wrote for Conan. He writes his own I'm saying, like his the way his mind, his humor is different, it's different. So I asked him come on this writer. He couldn't get out of it, and I was like, Yo, I have this role, would you come just you know, fuck around it? And he murdered it and I was like, oh, we got to immediately make him a regular. You know what I'm saying. He went and just like he was
just my boy, and he's one of those dudes. He's Chicago dude. The way he presents is what he is. You know what I'm saying. There's no other and I love that.
I love like you.
What I'm saying that when you meet people, who they are is who they are. I feel like he's not almost tinking of people with different settings. He changes who he is who he is.
I can respect people like that, and.
I want to just I got to say, I love your podcast. I'm doing podcasts podcast when I want Weezy. He would kill me is thing drama. We have the dramas doing a podcast on hip hop right now. He's about to go do Pharrell. I am a huge fan of what y'all have done and seeing y'all build, like I'm learning, not been that you know me, and not been trying to figure this out, but I'm learning just watching y'all be y'all you know what I'm saying.
And it started off just like what is this?
And then it started growing and I think it's because y'all are real and you know what I'm saying. You know, you actually make people feel comfortable and that's like, so that part for me, I'm learning, you know, as I get into it, I'm trying to look around and see who I can learn from. So drama has that, Yeah, he does, he got that. He does his albums. I'm really like that and he really is like that.
Five movies, just five movies that that should never be remade.
Paintingful, don't don't do it.
They mastered, They up Belly when they tried to do.
That with belly paintingful Casino, nice, good fellasas and let We Do Our Own.
That was a great version. Yes, that was That was a great version for them.
Don't don't don't, I want to say, but they're doing it. I'm scared because I love and she's my girl, So don't be man, But I'm I love color purple. Do that they're doing over my girls doing this and Blitz is a great director. But I'm I'm it was. It's crazy about how good that movie was. Yes, so they have a lot on their shoulders, and I believe the
people were doing anything're gonna do it over. But that was one of my favorite to me, that arguably is one of the favorite best black movies, even though Scholberger made it one of the best Black.
Everybody cried watching it.
Everybody. Everybody cried, everybody sugavery and just every It made so many oprah, I'm saying, made everybody everybody stars. That's four and I mean, this will never happen. But my favorite sports movie on he Got Game. You know what I'm saying. I feel like it was it was crazy, you know, what I'm saying, like what Ray did, and but that's an example of a director and editing. I'm sure Ray wasn't that. I'm positive. I'm positive, you know
what I'm saying. He was getting through lines here and there. But what Spike did and why he let him and what he made in the edit, it was a masterpiece. From that opening, you know, Terence Blanchow, I think that it's slow and it's people hooping all over the country. It was a masterpiece.
Five Dinner Guests, Dead or Alive? You plus five?
Jay, I'm still good. I still think Jay got some stuff to tell me. Malcolm Gladwell, m who's that he wrote a book? He's if you all of his books tonight, he wrote up one of the best one was Outliers, was a good one. He was the one who started coining the ten thousand hour rule. You know what I'm saying. Whatever. He wrote another one called Blink, you know what I'm saying. But anyway, he's a he's just he does interesting things. James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Michael Jordan.
Last question, Chief, If you could have a guest on our show, who would it be?
But you have to help us get him on your show, But.
Do you realize how deep his Rolodex phone book goes? Yeah?
Yeah, yeah, if I could have a guest or show, you know, it's crazy.
Who needs to be on this show? Who? Kanye? Yeah? We need we got some stuff to talk about.
I think that I think that you could. I honestly think that I'm gonna speak completely honest. I think that he has things that he probably, you know, emotionally, like you know, from a real standpoint, I think we don't we don't get the same love when people are like, you know what I'm saying, there's certain illness and things like that, and he has moments I think he would say that. But I also think that he is miss
is misguided, you know what I'm saying. And I think that he has a he has a delivery problem more than a content you know what I'm saying. How he delivers things, and and he's sort of like I feel like he's not study enough. But I think that there is the idea that there's a genius there. And I think that he went the hate speech that he was talking, he was miss he was misguided, you know what I'm saying, And he was.
I'm a big fan bro, and I would love to have him on the show. You know, just the things he said about George Floyd. That's what triggered me.
And that's that triggered me.
Everything else, but that was a that was you know, and I feel like we as a as a culture, to be honest with you. I have a barbera cust my hair. She was on a movie. So I started going to a barbershop every now and then. And I missed those barbershop conversations because the best conversations. And when you get money, niggas stopped going to the show. And I'm saying, and you missed those conversations. But I went in the shop and I literally called Richard Love of
my agent. I was like, can I get Adam Silver on the phone? Because it was the same time they were sweating Kyrie and I was like, Yo, this is too much. This seems like you're trying to coo to Kinte Tobias. You know what I'm saying. I was like, he said, he's sorry, you know what I'm saying.
Like, I was like, I got a chance to talk to Adam Silver.
I tried to you know what I'm saying, But the message you got to him. I was like, I'm not even sure this nigga watched the documentary. You know what I'm saying. This nigga's uncle probably was like he probably what I'm saying, Like that's how should go, you know what I'm saying. And I was like, he's a flat Earth. I'm saying, like this dude's not a scientist. You know what I'm saying, Like he's he's a dude. Like you know what I'm saying. We're taking way too much, giving
him way too much credit. And at the same time, I feel like someone needs When Charlie Sheen was in trouble, there was people reaching out to him, you know what I'm saying, or people reaching out to him. I feel like the idea of I don't think that we had enough outreach and what we should have done to me personally as a culture. When Kanye says slavery was a choice, why didn't we fucking have a talk with him? Why
didn't we cancel him? If there was a cancel, which I don't really believe in that ship, But if we're going to do that, why didn't we do it? Why do we wait and let somebody else keep saying, do the choice the decision that we did. You know what I'm saying. When George Floyd, when that's when I ignorant, that statement was said, Why didn't we fucking step up? You know what I'm saying, And then we get mad when other people do it. Adidas has every fucking right
to drop him. That's that's their that's their job. Yes, they're right, and they choose to do that. But when we when he said that, why didn't we have a conversation? Why didn't we pull him aside? Why didn't we stop showing up to the concerts? Why didn't we? And why don't we check each other and police ourselves? Why do we get mad when the other people police us, but we don't police ourselves? And why don't we big up ourselves? Why don't we when the Immature Awards comes?
Why?
Why is the Immagure Wars not as big as the Oscars? Why don't we take that Immature Wars and make them as big as the Oscars? Why don't we make our ship up where everybody who is somebody in our community, we show up, we put on the penguin suits, and we make that something we're proud of.
Same thing I we preaching without a game. We need to make that an office game just as big as the McDonald's game. Why why not? It makes more sense.
I don't understand why we don't value each other, ourselves and our place and things. You know what I'm saying. We do not allow ourselves to say, you know what, we are the number one consumer.
You know what I'm saying.
Without us, indeed, it's is about to fold. You know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying. You know what I'm saying, like you know the idea of like what we can do. But we can't just let this nigga get on there and say flavory is a choice and then and not say nothing, you know what I'm saying, and then complain when someone else did we that was our responsibility. You know what I'm saying. They took they handled you know what I'm saying. That culture handled their business.
Somebody came after their people in that culture handled their business. Why don't we handle our business? So you know that that for me is a is a big is a big deal.
Kind bro.
You welcome on the show. I know I said a lot. We just need to have a conversation.
That's that's what makes them to be honest with you. Your relationship to that situation, that's where I really started actually getting to know you, you know, saying outside of mouse in the palace and shooting threes and you know what I'm saying, but like actually hearing your voice and it was you know what I'm saying, nobody people only get
to know you outside of that. That's when I actually got to hear you as a man and like, you know, hear your voice that real relationship to that, to that situation. No one in the public has the same relationship to you. So the idea that what he said was so offensive you have in that conversation, that's that's building the opportunity. That's us showing. It doesn't mean you got to make peace with him because he might say some shit that pisses you off, you know what I'm saying, But.
It's a conspe conversation, That's that's what it's about.
And I feel we got to have more talks, you know what I'm saying, In more conversation with each other rather than just you know, shoot us at the club, you know what.
Each other off. Yeah, exactly well, Kenny, Man, we appreciate you of time tonight, but really just your importance. I was really looking forward to this because, I mean, I really feel like this is a big title, but you know, you're you're pretty much one of the head gatekeepers to our community and our culture and being able to tell our story with not only tell our story, but tell it with people that look like us too, and and and the end to hear that that's always been kind
of your goal and you continue to inspire doing that. Man. We really appreciate what you got going on. Man, Thank you for your time today. Bro, besting luck if you meet. Jack is really out here acting, so man, you catch this? Can you bear? Showtime Basketball YouTube and the iHeart Platform Black Effects. See y'all next week