#Throwback Episode - w/ John Singleton | (Ep.86)

Yeah, what's up, y'all was going on? Brother, He's a legendary Queen's rapper. He is your boy in O R.

He's a Miami hip hop pioneer.

What Up?

His DJ e f n Together they drink it up with some of the biggest players in music and sports. You know what I mean, the most professional, unprofessional podcast and your number one source for drunk facts.

This is Drinks every Day is New Year's Eats. He hain'ts hope, Savia. It's your boy in O R. What Up is DJ e Fen and his Drinks Dance Motherfucker podcast?

Right now, right now, we have the legendary a guy that I feel like cinema should be handed to him like period. Like when it comes to cinema, he has to be the executive.

Producer of the word of the word.

Like when you look up cinema, it gotta be his face, gotta be right there. He's made legendary movies. He's got to work with the legends of the.

Legend, made the legends.

He made the legends, put them when they first leve but especially hip hop, when it comes to hip hop, he was I feel like he invented this. I'm going to take rappers and I'm going to make.

Them movie stars. I feel like he gives me some other jobs. Right now, we got the legendary John.

Now, where did you get the love for developing cinema period?

How did that even come to you?

I grew up next to a drive in theater, and I used to look out my window and let's to see like Kung Fu movies and horror movies and Michael Myers and stuff, and Blast protection movies. And I saw Pam Grays titties.

And I was like, are you saying Pam's great titties? Is what made you?

I gotta get I know that last what made me do that? That's what happened.

It's true story.

I'm not making it up.

Everybody knows baby Boy was supposed to be a role for Tupac.

Yes, how difficult was that saying that? You know what?

I had wrote this originally for my friend because you guys was friends and he's not here. How difficult was that to pick that actor, that Tyree's actor.

I put it up on the shove for years after that because the last thing, last conversation I had with Park was at the Chris Shawn Maul. He was doing this video to Live and Die in La and I was like, I got the movie. That's going to get you an oscar, you know, and that was it. That was And then you know, a couple of weeks later, he wasn't with us anymore. So I didn't. I wasn't. I hadn't planned on doing the movie at all at all. And it just I know Tyree since he was sixteen

But by the way, Shaft, like when people do remakes, it's very hard because and I can't believe how you pulled.

Off Shaft like that.

Yeah, it was, it was. It was good.

It was good to be in New York. It was a crazy time to be too.

I was. We was in the heighest we was in We was in harlew Over, We was all over the whole city.

It was it was.

You know, you remember it was that was when I was making that movie. We were the only movie that was shooting at the time. It was like in the daytime, in the night, I was shooting in the night, and then sometimes at night I was up in Cheetah and Central Fly.

Like it was first, what was the first thing I said to you?

I was like, oh my god. But I was like I was a wild person then I was I'm different now, more conservative conservative movies.

It's movies like you have to go through something like you know how sometimes comedians will come out with things every five years because it's like they actually got to go through experiences.

For me, it's for me, making films is kind of an emotional experience. You know. I put my all into it. I put my heart and soul, you know, and it's just like it takes something out of you, but it gives something back.

And every time I do a movie, it's an adventure.

So, you know, lately, I've been just like concentrated on television instead of movies because people watching more TV than there are films, and there's a lot more to do. You know, like you can make it. You make a movie every two or three years, but a film a TV show, it's like doing a movie. Every week. You get a chance to shoot, pull a new talent, put people in and see how they work, and then maybe if they work in the TV show, then you take them off to a movie. So that's my that's my body.

And you feel the same way about writing and directing.

Yeah, yeah, I mean I have to write whatever I do, I have to write. I have to write because I have to put my own stink on it.

Now, what made you say to ice Cube? You said, because because I remember you saying that you knew.

Thank you.

So you said to ice Cube, and just so you know, it's a plastic on it, come on, help him out, Come on, you're closes.

Let me show it over daily. I don't even know how to do it.

But you said to ice Cube that his first rhymes were like movie like so, and then he went later on and created Friday.

Did you ever think that you you should have been about a Friday as well? Yeah?

I did.

Let's keep his true story was cute.

When we were doing Boys in the Hood, he started like looking at how movies were made, watching the set, so that he did a video called Dead Homies.

You've seen that video. It's really cinematic.

He started like doing slow ust shots and really cinematic stuff.

And you know, even when Cube had other.

People direct to move the videos, he would be quasi directed. So then he was like, okay, I want to write movies. I said, well, okay, we gotta get a laptop. He me him and his now wife when she was just founcing and going to laptop's a screenwriting stuff. So he started, he wrote. He wrote from that. The next year and a half, he wrote like three screenplays. He wrote different titles and screenplays, and every one of them I was like this one no.

And then he stopped showing me his screenplays. Wow. So then he wrote because I kept shitting on him a little bit.

I was because it's my brother, right, you could do better than this, right. And then but he was also selling them too. You know, it didn't matter if I thought there was happening. He sold some stuff to Universal. He was selling like right after that we got produced, he was just selling screenplays. And then so then he did he we do we do higher learning together. And then he's like, I'm doing this other movie, I said,

It showed it to me. I was like, it's gonna it's gonna be huge, and it was you know what I mean, are we talking about Friday Friday? Oh?

Wow, yeah, Friday? Okay, so Friday. You know he did that all on his own. Man, he's you know, look at them now, man.

Yeah. Yes. So now I'm glad you brung up Higher Learning, right, Jerry?

Because Higher Learning, I feel like, was a socially called conscious movie. Yeah, we don't really have socially conscious movies anymore.

Are we missing that? We're missing a lot of things.

We're missing.

We're missing an era of John this is how we do it, and drinks that's how we do it. So are we missing social consciousness movies? I think we're missing movies that about something. I think we need that now more than.

Ever because I'm kind of proud of jay Z for the Rikers Island.

That's nice.

That was that was that was beautiful. That was beautiful for him to tell that story. And now him he's doing the Trayvon Martin story. I feel like.

Doing a movie and doctor Trayvon mind and I think that's really smart and and something that needs to be done because.

We need that, like for our community, because I just feel like it's balanced. I feel like level spell backwards, this level we've got a balance in and I feel like that's the perfect way. It's just it's because there's so many of us more in our community, what more than they read?

Yeah, exactly exactly.

I mean, I mean it's what I do. I like to do films that are like make people think, but also entertained so that they have to watch it several times and be like.

You know, did I really see that in there?

Hold on another time? So you know, even when I make a film that that is really really has heavy issues in it, it Uh, it's entertaining. You know what I'm saying. You don't really notice, you know.

Now. Poetic Justice.

Roll ice Cube roll was originally to excuse me Tupac's roll was originally Ice.

Cubes, Yeah, exactly, and Cubes Romance.

Okay, and why what Okay, at the time we see Tupac and Juice, we see Tupac everywhere else. But what makes you say I'm gonna make Tupac riding in a male band with Jackson?

He killed it because I mean, you know, he was. It's crazy because I didn't even give it a second thought because you know, realized Pocket just done just it hadn't even come out yet.

Oh yeah, but I heard you say you saw the movie in advance.

I saw the movie, were in advanced. I said, okay, this this dude. You know, I wasn't. I wasn't thinking about him to be in Poor Justice. I'm still thinking about Cube. I was like, we got to do something together. So we chop it up just like you know. And he just he just got back because he had gotten too l a and I was like, we gotta do something together. Someone Cube said what he said? I said, Okay, I call up him and I said, you know you want to do it? He said, yeah, yeah, I do it. You know.

Now, Boys in the Hood, Boys and Hook comes out first, right, yes, then Minister Society comes out.

Yes. I gotta ask a petty question.

What's the time, Like, I was that time between them just so two years?

Did you ever think like they could have exactly was the huge Brothers? Yeah, yeah, we.

Never heard your side of the story because I kind of felt like ship they just made there with that movie too.

Well, no, they just made they made an interesting film that was more violent than my movie. My movie was my movie was I say, it was more kind of embedded in what my personal experience was. In the studio that made Mini Society said we got to have some parents.

The boy there was.

You know, there's a lot of movies, but in retrospect, Minister Society is the best of all of those movies that came after Boys, you know, because there's.

A lot of movies that they tried to copy.

It was like, you know, but but you know in fact that my favorite character in a Society is old Dog because he was he was like, right, no, Tupapa was supposed to play this character, this other character that another dude that was in Boysante Sweet played he was a more conscious brother.

Oh that's right, Yeah, that was a teacher that was Fox Roy Yeah.

Right, And then he had had court beef with the Hughes Brothers and had.

The ill roll too. So so what is what what? What?

What is?

John Singleton? What are you sitting back and saying.

That you know that you didn't produce I know you're doing a lot of TV what I was, But what do you enjoy like when you yeah me?

I mean like in terms of like just life and.

Stuff, movies, TV. I know you're doing too much TV to watch TV.

I'm just too much TV to watch TV. I don't even get a chance to really watch my TV because I'm making TV right now. I mean, like, you know, I like movies and stuff and everything, but the movies, the movies now are not you know, I don't feel that they're They don't push hard enough in terms of the culture as much as possible, you know what I'm saying, You know what I mean, like in terms of mainstream movies, you know, and that needs to be.

Done, you know what I mean, because like because like like Boys in the Hood was so much of important message.

It's just like yo, you know, you can.

Live the street life, but there is actually consequences exactly this actually, and that's what hip hop sometimes fails to tell.

We only always yeah sell the drugs. I don't know you're gonna do nine years?

You know what I'm saying, Like nothing that at the end of it, Yeah, exactly. No, I'm all about the reality of it. You know what I'm saying.

What's that like your goal?

Because I know, oh wow, My goal was just basically telling the story. I was just like, you know, just like trying to get something off my chest. That an experience that I lived, that that I lived through and that a lot of my family and friends had lived through. So that was always about what.

If ice Cube said no to play dough Boy, who would have played that?

I don't know, I can't want to go there, think of nobody.

Where would we be now he.

Didn't play the part man, It was like, you know, I think he was robbed of an Oscar nomination. I think because it's one of those timeless performances that that just exists. You know what I'm saying.

And I'm gonna be honest with you. When I look at like, if I want to describe the West Coast how I first visualized the West Coast, I would start at Boys and I would start there and be like, you're working around it. I actually go there first and then Colors.

I cursed it when I was a school with pil East Coast. I don't know that was real, No, but it wasn't real. It was it was derivative. It wasn't because it wasn't done by by by black people. It was like it was like, you know, it was like it was nothing about that that thing that was really truly whatever. You know, like people were more caricatures, more caricatures, they weren't real, you know.

And so you know, so now I got to get to the million dollar question, what was that? Why is it? John Singleton directed this Tupac, Why you gotta I feel like you got get another shot.

I feel like you're gonna get another shot because we want the real answer, and I'm gonna take one with you.

I'm not gonna busy myself on this. And because you know, you're gonna bring up we fashions and you know, and everything and stuff.

Because it's documented that you guys are friends. It was like, nobody can't dispute that.

Well, just say that the people that that got the rights to do the movie, they had different ideas on how to do the movie than I did. And then that you're a part of it at some point, right, yeah, it was yeah in the beginning, right exactly. Well no, not as it came in through and everything. But you know, let them, let them make the movie and let's see how it does. And you know, let's see.

What's because you're personally involved. So does that ever like mess up in your creative process?

Like you because I'm personally about that means I'm more focused and more like, you know, I'm more like get it, you know what I'm saying. Like that means I'm you know, as I said, Bettt, you know what I'm saying.

I'm down on the ground. I'm ready to shoot you.

I mean, like that makes it more powerful that I'm more personally involved.

And you know, if Benny Boom ever even met Tupac, I don't know. Benny's my friend, my friend too, But I'm just thrinking. I'm just I don't care.

Yes, boy, every time I say something bad about with Benny, Cosby said, you know, so it's like, you know, I don't even want to touch it.

Right now, let the movie come out.

Y'all make your own judgment what you want to say about the movie.

But if you have had your choice, how would you have done it?

Because I think I don't know if you've seen like the Outlaw guys, he had just said something, Yeah, he accused you of saying that he wanted you want to put a rape scene of Tupac in there.

Yeah. Well, there's a whole lot of things that that that they were not.

Having the movie, that that actually happened, that they weren't want to.

We're not saying Tupac got rigged.

There's a whole lot of things that happened. There's a whole lot of stuff. There's the stuff that why why who actually was involved in his death? Why didn't die? What I'm saying will delete up to his death, you know what I'm saying. Like, so I don't know what they did with the movie. So you know, it's like I can't even speak on it because I don't even what they did with the movie. And I won't watch the movie, you know what I mean?

But if you had your choice, how would you did the movie? If you'd have had your choice, how would you did the movie? How would I what did the movie?

Like I'm gonna say that over a podcast, Yeah, I mean, I'm gonna make you know, make the right movie. I'm You know, you gotta understand I'm and I don't want to speak on this over and over there. I come from, I come from, I come from. You know two. I was born in nineteen seventy one. I was born nineteen seventy eight. We are revolutionary babies. It's a difference between being a revolutionary baby and being someone who's just hip hops, you know what I mean. We were built, you know,

I don't want to be.

I don't want to be that person that keeps on having dissension or whatever. They made the movie. They stole the rights from his mother, so they made the movie they want to make And hopefully one day I'll get a chance to tell that story. But otherwise I got all this other ship that I'm trying to do that is is in line with what my principles are as a person and as a black man and that I'm gonna do. So that's that's all I want to speak on.

This' makes no noise for that.

You can trying to make a part movie in the future, yeah, of course, or at least at least.

No, No, this has to be.

It has to be a movie. It's it's too it's too it's too it's too important not to just make a movie. I mean, like, you know, there's so many different things around why who he was as a person, you know, and why people can be inspired by it, you know.

No, it's it's such it's such a great story.

So when I heard, like you know, when people have differences with it, I always listened because I.

Never got to meet Tupac. Yeah, I never got to meet Tupac.

Actually, uh, he actually hung out in my hood and I was in jail, So I actually never got to meet Tupac. So I'm always this is actually me as a fan, like just asking. But now you also got to work with somebody who's also legendary and who also I think is innocent. O. J.

Simpson you got to work with.

I had to work with him. I met him before, Yeah, I met him before, but I did I did an episode of a show based on her people verse ojtly okay, how was that?

Like?

It was good, it was interesting, it was fun. It was like, you know, it was good.

Because he changed l A after that, well he changed he changed culture.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, I.

Mean, I mean what I mean is like we just looked at l A like give me from this coach. You the point of view were just like, oh, because yeah, that's weird.

I mean, it was just weird. It was just I mean because like we never knew we thought only our cops is racist. We never knew that outside of our ship, there's there's other people that's racist, you know what I'm saying.

Like we didn't travel, but after oh J, it was like clear, it was.

Just like, holy moly, Walka, this is what is going down. But I never thought o J did it. And I met OJ as well.

When we met him, there was.

Him, you know, I met him twice, you know, yeah, neighborhood he was at that time.

Yeah, and he was walking out the best bite. He said, my leg is killing me. And I thought that was the funniest thing in the world. And he said that I don't get it. He was lipping something was wrong his leg and he goes, my leg is killing me killing.

Yeah, bad, bad, But I just you know, you know what it is. I hung around like real killers, right, and this is always a certain instinct about it exactly, and he didn't have it exactly.

He did not have it.

You got to say the story about when we met him at the concert. What he said, You gotta tell the story, please, like you don't co sign like talking about it.

So what concert?

It was something?

It was a radio station, you know they do like summer jams and the concert Fort Myers.

So my record La would tell me, don't stand next to old Jay.

It's the oddest thing in the world.

Honest, this is crazy.

So we're all backstage with him and his boys and his crew.

At that time was still his voice Murder Union Murder.

Oh j comes back, and everybody's like, let's take a picture together, and there's this infamous picture and then when he snapping the shot, one of his boys says, you original union.

He said, yeah, it was I'm.

You clearly remember I'm making this. I thought it was me who said it. I'm just looking at him and like, oh hell.

Yeah, but I'm honestly, I never thought to take Yeah, and this is before Instagram, but we do got a picture that we don't have to pature that moment, but we got a picture that night.

No, you have a picture of when he said that, ye to.

But that was awesome working on.

That because you from you from that time, you live through that exactly. So is it better for you to be passionate about the project?

It's much better for me to be like passionate about it, taking personal, like you know, just feeling it in my heart, you know, and that's you know, that's what it's about.

Have you ever done something for the money? It was just like this is just for the money, yeah, you know, but it doesn't work out, Like it doesn't work out too well. When I explain that to you, it's like, it's just you have to.

Whenever you do something you know, artistic, whether or not, even if you're getting paid for it, it's better to do it for the passion of it, for the heart of it, and you really feel it that you know. It's just you know, in your blood, like you do anything, you know, you'll kill somebody if they fuck with your ship, you know what I'm saying, Like you know. That's that's that's how I am about certain things, you know what I mean when I'm doing something, you know, and not

For me, I'm like, I'm like laser, I gotta get it, you know. I feel like I feel like I just I mean, I mean, you know, I know you for you.

I know you real drinking years.

But I feel like I feel like that's what drives you is passion.

First, you feel it in the work because you're watching something, you feel it.

You feel it.

That's why I can get people to do things that they would they would do with me, but they wouldn't do with other people. You know what I'm saying, Like you know.

Like scenes, baby boy, everything, you know what I mean, Like it's great. Now. Now, what was the moment in life that you passed on but you regret it? Like something wasn't that passed?

Didn't you pass on the wire?

Yeah?

I passed.

I just didn't think like doing the whole thing. No, No, the first season, I didn't. I didn't know it was gonna be what it was. But it But by the time it got into this like thirst season.

I was like, wait a minute, because corners Corners came before and the.

Corners it wasn't that great.

Corners is all right, but it wasn't with the wire, it wasn't Why was the wire was lit?

You know what I mean?

It was lit? It was so lit. It was like, I really don't.

Yeah it did.

So who you get the for the while it's HBO.

Or agent com music agent, Like, I'm not gonna do that.

I was like, is.

That the only thing you ever passed on? You regret it?

Or the only thing I can remember right now? You know? You know?

Now, is there anything that.

Like, uh, you have a set out to do, you did it and then you was disappointed in the outcome?

No, not at all. I mean, like, you know, I think my work.

Is a thousands. We know that.

We know that.

Thousand right now?

God forbid?

You know?

You know, so you know I'm still still hitting it really hard. You know, I'm gonna do you know, some more TV and top telling, do some more movies. But everything I do is gonna be real passionate and hitting it really hard.

Now what do you like better? Though? I know you're doing the same thing TV TV thing. It's the same thing.

It's the same thing that. Here's the same thing to me. You watch anything that I put this on TV. It looks, you know, like one of my more work.

Now we got Rebel on BT correct exactly, and you got to premire for Rebel tonight.

Yeah, another another episode today?

Okay? And what does this act?

So people couldn't know, Oh this is private?

What what the tonight? Oh no, no, it's Air to Night.

Is not Air to Night.

But you know you say you do it every week before the joints, So we would like to get Oh yeah, we just.

Have a little thing a z in lounge and in the in the valley on the valley, it's like so Lancasham, it's a little spot.

So what's the next thing for black media? Like, okay, Birth of the Nation came out. It didn't work right because it felt like it was it worked.

It just got squashed. It got squawhed, It got squashed. So what's the movie.

Got squashed because they didn't want that movie to come out, you know with the Black Lives Matter and stuff and all stuff. That movie they squashed that movie, you know what I mean, that's the real time.

It's very true.

That's the real time they squashed a movie. And and black people are kind of like, you know, they have a complicit in squashing that movie.

But as a movie director, was the movie? Uh good? Period?

The movie was good? It was good movie. It was good. Good.

You see the movies. I didn't see the movies you got see the other I've been running around. I've been running around. I ain't see my own movie. I could do all my own movie right now. But listen, man, we need more directors like you, right. We need more people who are passionate than they work. So so if a person is listening to this podcast, and if they that's their goals, that's their their their there, that's there, that's what they want to achieve, how do you get started?

Because now these kids can just buy.

The equipment, Like when you started that you had to be almost rich to get cameras.

Yeah, but you have to you have to look at to do it really really well.

You have to study it.

You have to study what came before and in the style and tone you know, and and theme, and you have to like be well read about how story story you know people, you know, how stories propagate universally. You know what I mean in different languages and stuff, right, And that's what you know. That's what made me do what I create. And then you create your own style.

When you went to film school though, Yeah.

But before film school I was doing all that. And even after film school, I kept learning. I'm learning all the time, you know.

So if a young directord director is sitting out there and they feel like they're creative, they feel like they can write, what's the first step you suggest for them.

Uh, to watch all movies and watch movies from around the world.

How far back you think they should watch movies to the.

Beginning of cinema, to the beginning of the the moving picture. You have to you have to study it. Be a student of the game. Student of the game.

Now you you rolled off Our Colors? Is American?

Me?

Real?

Authentic?

That was a great good I mean, I'm not saying that because I'm not.

It's a good movie. How about Blood and Blood out that the colors of America? Colors are doing? Another cho another Come on, you got you going to a party on your way to you so rich man hear you got yachts and all types.

Of things, and you know what you're humble god, but almost I'm a brag. I'm a brag for you, man. I'm a brag for you man.

You know what I mean.

We listen.

I don't know if you know, but our show is about giving our legends flowers when they can smell them, and trees when they can hell them. Because our society so much praises the person after they die, and I feel like that is so backwards. I should be able to tell you how much I appreciate you right here, face to face and a man out of eye, as opposed to waiting for you to pass away and then be like he.

Was a great guy, me and him party.

Together back in the day, Like I should say that now, Like you know what I'm saying.

And I actually learned that through Dave Chappelle.

You know the way it was Prince and it was like he started praising Prince while Prince was alive. And it's just like, that's what we got to continue to do. And that's not just as a culture, that's as as.

People as human human beings, as human beings.

We got to start praising our people while they're here.

So, with that being said, how was it working with Janet Jackson.

You know, come on, it's beautiful. It jerked off the penny a lot. Throw that out there.

It was good.

I don't know, is that serious, that whole age thing.

No, that was not serious. That was a joke that we was having on the set. Because the real talk is was attracted to Janet. I was attracted to Janet the world. We're in the set, we're both trying to like, you know, floodwater and stuff.

I'm like, you know, well, I don't know if you know I.

Should have you kissing on my actress because you know, you've been fucking around doing all this ship. You know, Pocket was just coming in his own man right, and I was like, man, that ship. I was like, yeah, you know what, you're gonna have to do a test for y'all do this left scene. It was a joke.

He said that.

You said, you know, it's me sawing out my nigga on the side right before, just like you know, talking ship. And then we're like, oh, ship, we should we should we should use this, we should put this out.

And so that's what we did as a publicity that it's.

A publicity thing. We just did that.

But just like us Jackson about it was just us talking.

On the ship, on the set and everything and this, and you know it was a inside joke, that's what it was.

Now, not only did you get to work with Janet Jackson, he got to work with the baby.

Man, Mike Jackson. Did he have a gloved warm when you met him?

No, he did not have a guy's where he wore the old fuck like I ain't gonna lie, and he did he did. It's crazy because it's it's I'm always you see Michael on camera and I said he didn't talk the way that he talks, you know.

And you're saying like Mike was a nigga, like was like.

Different, different and everything that I'm just saying that just that was an expectation that he put on for the cameras. He didn't. He wouldn't talk like it. He was his brother.

He was a different demeanor and everything, different demeanor and everything.

It's just like, you know, it's just like hey, you know, and he was really despite what he you know, he ended up doing to his face and his skin got lighter and everything and stuff. He was a real brother man. He was really about black people.

Because I heard that video he Actually that was after Magic actually announced and he wanted to do something.

Mike and Mike wanted. Mike wanted Magic in the video. He said, you know, call him Magic. Let's get him in the video. Remember the time, remember the time?

I hate that in my head, right, I couldn't have met Michael Jackson. I would like I would have gave him. I would gave him a five too hard, gave us the crazy Michael Jackson. Okay, so how was it? Was he a pure genius? Like was he everything?

He was?

He's damn near genius. I mean Daniel Jenius. I mean like you know the things that that that he did and that he and that he wanted to do and stuff, you know, like unprecedented in this business.

Yeah, genius. Have you ever been starstruck? Yeah? Who start? I gotta hear this.

I mean I've only that starstruck two times in my whole career.

I need to hear both. Let's go for it.

The first was meeting Steven Spielberg because it's like, you know, as a kid growing up, you know, like he was, you know, the the young person that went on to make movies at an early age, and I wanted to be like that just nervous, and you know, I saw him and it was as soon as I saw him and we met just it was like it was like you know, it was it was just great.

You know, he's like the godfather and godfather.

Of filmmaking and filmmaker. The second was what your prior, rich What did you mean which I member?

Which prior?

At the comedy store? I was I used to hang out to come.

As soon as you said you met Richard, I thought the comedy.

Store and so uh And it's funny because rich Par was hanging out with.

A comedy club, was Hollywood with.

Opportuna and your life is dope. And I'm like, let's throw that out there. I don't even look at opportune. I'm looking at much private. But Richard used to have this dude that worked for him. It came over to me and and he said, uh, you know, uh, Richard would like to say hello to you. And I walked across him and Richard was kind of frail. He the MS was getting him, but it wasn't as bad. It was, Yeah, it wasn't milchbot and he just said, uh, uh, you're

Was, he bore guns.

No, No, all these people would come through. They would come through every day to pay harmised Richard. And it's before he really got sick. So it's like, you know, we were.

Just he was on his way to being sick, but he was coming to pay homage, just to pay.

They know there was coming to homes because you just want.

To be around with probly.

If you want to be a comedian, you want to be around with pride. And so we were just sitting chopping up and he was just you know, he was just tell me, how about about business?

How about that movie? What you should be a part of that movie? You can't do them all? Man would love to.

I would love to, yeah, because yeah, he was. He was ultimate storyteller. And I still take a lot from him as a storyteller in terms of the way that he with Ben stuff, Ben lines, and he would just you know, he was the He was.

The storyteller of the streets.

If you think about all the stuff that Jose that you listened to him, they were really sad stories, some of them exactly.

He was like Don Goring's pimple comedy. So people know how to do that.

So when I take a lot from him in terms of, like when I tell a story, just stuff that may be a little sad but funny, funny but sad, you know what I'm saying, because that's what life is. Life is not just one thing, you know what I mean. We can go to movies and say, oh, that's just a comedy. All that movie is just a serious movie. When you watch one of my movies, it's a reflection of life. So I mean, Richard, Richard is an ultimate storyteller.

To me.

Will we ever have.

A dope error like that again, like the nineties cinema, would that ever return a different way?

I think we have a different way. I think we can in a different way. I think as long as there's been more voices that are really uncut and pure and just like, you know, not afraid to maybe necessary offend some people, you know what I mean, Like, you know that's what it's about. It's not you know, I don't think people push it as far as they can push it in terms of a of any anything.

You know that it was Empire, like your first TV that was your first TV it.

Was it was my first TV show directing on the direct Yeah.

What did you work on TV before? Probably Empire?

I mean I was on TV shows, but I never directed. That's the first one I worked on. But you know that came about because you know, without Empire, that would without me, it would be not.

Get real talk because Hustle and Flow.

Yeah you you invested in Huston Flow paid for the whole movie.

Yeah, wow, that was Lee Daniels. No produce flow okay, okay, okay, okay, from to get the whole whole thing. So what is Daniels go to do? On Flow. Nothing.

He made Empire.

Okay, ter get.

My veterans from Hustle and Flow to do a TV show.

Oh that's with the relations in there. But we are brothers. You know that.

It's beautiful to see us win and celebrate us winning, all of us as people.

It's just it's about time. That's what this show is about.

Man.

This show ain't about you know.

You go on certain you know, internet shows, and you can see negative ship.

We just celebrate our people. We drink, we smoke.

I was about to ask you you're gonna smoke, but I feel like you got sponsors.

No, I don't sponsors.

Feel that smoke.

If I spoke too much. I want to, but you want to.

I don't want you to, my friend, you take it. You take it, man.

I just want to thank you man for being a part of this. You know, this is just just like I get again. We want to continue to celebrate our culture, our lifestyle, our ways of life, and just continue to get back to the community and just have fun doing it. It's so much you know, dumb ship happening in the world. When people turn on the news and you get sad. I would rather they turn on this and get happy happy yon day.

You know what I'm saying, You're gonna put me in a movie or somewhere I get a roll, anything whatever.

I'm just trying to get it.

My friend. I'm like yo.

I was like, yo, I gotta get in one one Like it's just it's it's that you called I M B M D.

You know I'm a foul hobbywood. I need the I M B A D B No. I need more than my list. I'm good. I want to do East Coast movies. I want to try to play a West Coast crip mo on the West Coast. I did the Heart. I did Heart. You ever watched this? It's called the Seventh not.

Just say and I played a black guy.

I died as soon as the youth because as soon as chop my head off, I fucking chopped my head off.

That's so black that you know that's a horror movie. You can we don't last horror movies in real life. I think I would SURVIVEDR Like, if you put me in some scary ship, I like, you know what, I rally at shot at though that's a horror movie to me.

I rally shot at then.

A snake chased me like, I gotta know, I got no experience in the snake chase like.

I got you got that before. I know good behind the car wait, get.

Your gold like, but now for snake chase me, I that's not my element.

Like I'm gonna just be like, wait a minute. Hold, well, well I'm getting big.

I'm dying.

If a snake hit me, I'm dying. I got no experience with that. We got we gotta make real reality shows. You know how they got fake fair factor. We gotta make like hood factor.

They got shot at some hood.

Good if you want to be shot at? What is the internet to someone? Put me onto this. It's a little suspect. We're gonna have a real game.

Put something where they do ghosts chasing and it's a little crazy. We don't have.

Ghosts in the hood.

We got we got a woman named Wanda that wakes up every day.

And says good morning.

That ship is the experience, you know what I'm saying, Like every every hood got a crazy person, right, Like every hood has a crazy person. The zombie now is the characters that you write, is they based on real characters? All to tell a lot of them and best especially the hoodie one.

Yeah, exactly. There's so many characters in the hood. You know, you're right, there's always a neighborhood crazy person.

It's always and everybody deals with they crazy like they like, yeah, that's that she.

Does, like.

Maybe one and then maybe on some days they're not crazy, and I don't feel like they're crazy today, like I don't, you know, and they don't be the.

Best advice and you don't listen to crazy, yo, John Man, I can't thank you enough. Man, Yo, you're such a legend.

Man.

You did so much for this game.

You did so much for the for for for hip hop, and particularly by you always incorporating a hip hop artist even you got method Man and Rebel Medicine, Rebel Rebel right now, and you also go the f X we didn't.

Even in Snowfall. You know, it's a whole lot of you.

Keep it hip hop incorporated. We appreciate that, man, because you all do. You're a legend, Yo. We're one of the best artists ever and you keep us alive and there's nothing And you also was the first person to put a West Coast guy and an East Coast.

Guy in higher learning.

And yeah, I don't know if you ever I don't know if you ever beat that. That was like the first that was the first union from the West Coast and East coast in the city because where was high and learning at actually at l it was in l A, Okay. See, we never knew that on the East coast. To us, we was just that was neutral. You got a West coast East coast. This is crazy, you know that, right?

Yeah?

You know, just my folks, just people. I was knowing at the time that you know.

And I also hear that that that's how passionate you are. You like you like you like the Adam Samau Adam Sama always hired is the same crew you kind of the same.

Crew you like to put you know, people I know and work people I know, you know, and we just we make something happen.

You know?

Is it easier that way when you work with somebody you know, because you know you can scream on him and you.

Can just scream on I screamed on everybody, that's all, you know. But but what I do is I make careers though you know what I'm saying. When people work on me, they end up doing other stuff. Though that's not just a flash in the pan, get the latest rapper in the movie for the face look whatever like No, it's like people do, they end up doing other things, you know what I mean.

I've been trying to.

Get something for John singlet hen't come out of the socks line. I'm just wear it like I'm down with Singleton. That's my nigga. My brother, Thank you so much, my brother, be good. We got anything else? And and do you want.

To come eat? They got it all man, We got it all right, yo.

Man, this has been an honor. Man your first director.

Verse for drink Champs, the first drink in the first direction to that, I'll take another one. God damn it.

Don't don't don't, don't tell me they have a good time. And now you're going to going to premiere of Rebel also on f X.

Red Rebel is on BT, Rebels on b T, Snowfalls or f X stuff All you didn't talk about stuffs saying Fall was about it's the beginning of the whole prat trade in l A, it's about cocaine.

Tonight to day you got two shows A b C was the summer tonight, said ABC on A b C. To this is l a burning, a burning.

Yeah, is it the anniversaryll do you realize how busy is you got?

Other man?

Yeah, let's make some noise.

It's about the twenty fifth anniversary of the LA Riots.

Wow, damn, it's crazy. It's been that long already. It's twenty five. That's after Rodney King. Yeah that is Rodney Yeah, Ronney King got twenty five years ago. That's rare.

Yeah, a verdict yeah, yeah right, yeah, So let's let's break that down for the people who a quickly we get about it here.

Okay, Yeah, it's just you know, it's a it's documentary about what happened and takes it from the street point of view of the people who basically are from South Central and uh, the Korean culture and the Latin of the people who were really scarred by it were in the middle of it.

Okay, when you say Korean, the Koreans was riding to their business.

They were defending their hysicists from being looted, you know what I mean, Like it was a war. There's a war zone, you know, like so but we we got you know, we got perspectives that no one else has in this documentary and what.

Was the Latinos saying coming from just.

Well the people in the documentary just they got caught up in it. They got actually you know, they got hurt by it, you know what I'm saying.

But that's what I'm trying to tell you. Like my grandparents lived in Inglewood and they called me during the riots the blood no man, they blood right, that's not that's not.

The truth mixed and they called me and they were telling me they were like, the Latinos are rioting too, because it wasn't showing it on TV.

They made that riot pretty much a black lid and they were there more Latino was rioting and then the black people riding, but they didn't want to show that.

It says, I'm not gonna front since my family's Cuban. They look they like, we're not Mexican, like the Mexicans are right, but.

But it's like but it was Mexicans and our Salvadorians, you know what I mean, Like people would who basically are you used to like war situations that were like really going at it was like it was like green light, let's go anarchy, you know what I'm saying, Like from their country for war, they grew up in war. So they were like, Hey, you know, I'm gonna get my car. I'm gonna put it up on pet boys. I'm gonna get me some new tires. I'm gonna put the transmission.

And I know you're not gonna tell me this, but I feel like, what is John, What is your next move? My next What are you making the big Pun movie with me?

That would be an amazing movie.

Yeah, big, but let's make the movie. I don't know the whole story. You know what's really funny is because we was rolling in the same time in the nineties, like Pun had all the bad Puerto ricanditions.

He had right now, all the funnest I was so jealous meet that right now. I was so jealous girls like honey, he had he not he not he not he not fat like belly fat.

He was the whole room. And he had three or four around him, right, and they were so beautiful it's gonna kill me, but don't worry about it.

They were so beautiful, like your face would hurt when you saw them. And we would hang out at Jimmy's Bronx. We were hanging on Jimmy's Bronx and it would just be like it would be girls coming from d R and from from Puerto Rico.

They couldn't speaking.

Laders that were like models, and every nigga that was a hip hop would be a Jimmy's Bronx.

That's right, you know what I'm saying. That's right. Look, you know you can tell John we walk up there. You know. I used to walk up there and Joe would be there and and they'd be like, what you want to eat?

It would be like do we eat? Eat all you could eat, drink all you could eat, and then you go dance and it would be Friday night.

It was like Friday nights. It was Friday night was a band and the Saturday was hip hop exactly. You know, because I went to.

The riding spots in New York.

I lived in New York. I was the grindiest spot.

And you know, like we would eat we would drink and you know, it was always like Saturday night. Friday night was the people who were newly immigrated to New York because English, they just came, you know, some kind of.

Spanish to get a bit, right, yeah, a little bits.

Yeah, the whole boy to be like hey listen, right, but Saturday night somebody will always get shot.

But when we go both right that what you got to you got you got. You don't know that. So you net a Latin movie, right, you never did a whole Latin movie. It's called legal Tender. Oh yeah, it's like they got their own.

I Potago Potago called the own in this first movie. And then they took him off and put him in faster furious. That's my brother, some brother from from I think that's why you know.

They go, they go Louisa, let me say no, Louisa, let me say me, and you would be the lights the most like.

Skinning exactly, like yeah, you like I shot that down there, I produced that down there. I shot that down there, and we were just you know, it was it was a movie.

I was.

Then you had the other dude in there, that the young kid with the afro, Rick Gonzales yeahs out my man from basketball movie.

But coach car Yeah it's not good actor.

Because I know you got to go so but how do you actually see talent? Like when people say like what what what?

What is it?

Is?

It is it?

When you it's just my vibe. It's like when a vibe or somebody, I'll be like, okay, vibe with them and say, okay, if I can get that original, what's really special about them? A the original vibe on camera out to the world. Then that then that the world see what I see. And that's how it goes from me. I don't know. I can't.

Hell, by the way, it was ill, but because I got a friend, right Sonny Sonny d Sonny d BT is the funniest guy off camera off camera, he will roast you. But the minute you say action and I'm like, I mean, he's not that bad, but he made him like an idiot.

That was totally wrong.

Sorry, but he's not the same, Like it's not the same when it's all how do you like if you was to see that from the actor and you just say, damn, you know, I see off camera off camera you're fucking excellent. But once I say I.

Spent I spend time off camera pulling get out of people, because I've had people like that too. Okay, really like they got that, but they don't. They're nervous.

You know.

It's like get out of yourself. You know.

What helps them get out of that? What would help if you was to do that, is it liveies?

Like it depends on the person. It depends on the person, like.

Are you already hiring them or sending them to like a coaching class where they're like a little bit.

Of both, a little bit of both, and you know, you know, I coach them and then you know, and then I have other people work with them too, you know what I mean.

Well, John Man, we robbed you for all your knowledge. You know, we are schooled, we are blessed, we are honored. I want to tell you you're one of the greatest artists of all time. And that's included everything at all art period. You were one of the greatest artists of all time.

I was very honored. It's good. My boy Trevor told me you're John to do it. I was like, for real, Like I was, I was so scared.

I went I watched every interview you ever did that Google every I knew, I knew you personally, but I just wanted I wanted to appreciate your art and we did it.

And man, I just can't tell you how much I appreciate you. I want you to continue to do your.

And continue to do your thing because we are proud of what you're doing in cinema and we watch everything and we support everything, and we're gonna continue to do that. This makes a noise for motherfucker Johnson and I'm still finishing my drink too as well.