You know, I've been I've been very vocal, and I've been holding back with a lot of restraints because I've been doing a lot of work on myself and I just really just you know, i'd like to say, and I'm not afraid to say, and I'm not afraid to say, and I'm not afraid to say.
So what do you have us eating today? As you broke dish?
Well, you know, for me, I can only remember when it was brought to me, like it was either like my main dish was top right and it was hard for me to choose because it was either the top rhyman. It was either you know that egg sandwich, you know what the bread or like a tuna sandwich or a peanut butter swich. But I feel like I hate to.
Yeah, And we went back and forth. Just so you guys know, a lot of our guests shoes top Ramen. I'm always like be towing top Ramen.
It's the cheapest a couple of noodles.
It's because everyone's dish goes into a cookbook and I know that top Ramen is it's a popular So the only time I accept top Ramen on the show is if you have tweaked it.
But Rad says that he does tweak. Kids, what do you do to yours?
I mean there's times I've put tuning in it. There's times that I put eggs in it. There's times and I just put a lot of different seasons just to try to figure out like karaokey sauce, oyster sauce. Try, you just try and freed the different noodles. But like, for real, I would love to come back because I have a few other broke dishes now that like, because you wheels are turning right, yeah, because you opened up that.
Yeah, you opened up that that that you know, that that portal of what it was like to be broke, Like, well, what the fuck was niggas eating like motherfucker's eating like Jack in the box tacos for a dollar?
You know what I'm saying.
I still love those, by the way, I still eat them.
I still eat like That's like when I go to dragone Crack and people are like, what do you want, I'm like curly fries and some to two for one tacos.
Right, you talked about never forgetting where you came from, so for real, for real, but yeah, that's why but now that I know that you're building a cookbook, you know, I would love to come back. You know what I'm saying, because we have a bunch of I.
Just think that that recipe, Well, why don't you start us off a right cool all y'all listeners, y'all know how the top ramen goes.
You boil the hot water and uh you go from there.
So it's real simple. We're gonna keep it light and simple. But let me tell you this, when your boy was, you know, seeing how many y'all like tasting us this season just by itself. Really, yes, the season is good. Mind of that chicken season in the cup with the little squares, oh the bollion listen called I don't cook. But I will tell you this, there's men many times right just when in my mom's cap, I'm like, yo, I'm just gonna put this in here and put this in here.
Are you gonna do two or one?
Always better?
It was always better. So I had a guess.
One time they said that they would save half of the they would eat a one pack and they would save half for like lunch.
And half for break.
Y'all, break break the second break.
Don't dump that little seasoning.
Pack ship is in there. Well, we got to get it out.
Now, you know, ra isn't in the kitchen a lot.
Yeah, yeah, we're not in the kitchen as okay, perfect, all right?
So I have another question. When you do your ramen.
I like to do my ramen where it's like cook not all the way mushy, and then I drain it a little bit so it's a little more dry.
How do you do yours?
It depends on how I feel that day, right. Sometimes I will completely drain it and I'll put some butter in which I'm gonna put some butter in, some singing salt, you know, maybe maybe an egg. I typically I drain it. Sometimes I'll drain it and I put it like a lot of butter, and I just have it like really really dry. And sometimes I just like I leave the soup because I think the soup is pretty good too.
Yeah, Like I like the soup. But after having ramen like eight hundred and million, thousand, kazillion times, I do the draining and I do the butter mixture. But you've seen so much success in your life, are I like to go back to the time when you were eating this ramen. Okay, So with you, you have an interesting story because I'm assuming you were broke before you were successful, and then there was a period in the middle. I'm sure we're dipped a little bit and then it picked
up again. So which part of the Ramen story do we get today?
Oh, that's a good question. You get the story from the Ramen when I was just starting out, and I'm sure you probably get that from most people in this industry if you are not financially Uh, what's the word? I want to Financial literacy is everything in this business. So a lot of artists have to have took a dip and and splurage and ran through money sitting and all to manage it with credit and so on and
so forth. So I've definitely experienced some some heart into my life Where've ran through some money and I've been fortunate enough to be able to, you know, continue to move forward, you know what I'm saying. With with learning how to manage money and continue to grow with funds, I get like, if you get a hundred K, you
know what I'm saying, don't just run through it. You know what I'm saying, You can you can actually invest on a hundred thousand and turn it turn to five hundred thousand, turn that five hundred thousand into you know, to five million. So you know, I recall my mom always being gone at work, and you know, as a kid, you're growing up and you really don't know how to cook for yourself. So the easiest thing you can do, you can take some ramen, keep the water up, and
then you know you can cook. You can actually cook the ramen the microwave, you know. But the easiest thing for me is I learned, you know, to to boil the water and put the ramen in there. And I just used to get really really creative and and eat that ramen and remember as it and and think as a as a kid, what do I want to do
when I when I get older. On top of like waiting for cartoons to come on and different things like that, but like, there was always this sense of destiny that I had upon my life, and I feel less for everyone, you know that that comes to this earth. I had a sense of destiny. It's just really all about figuring out figuring you know, you kind to kind of grow into your your spirituality. You have to grow into your enlightenments. You have to grow into your discipline. You have to
embrace the world. But at the same time, excuse me, you have to learn how to be in the world, not of the world. So for me, you know, this, this dish represents like humility. For me, it represents it takes me back to the time when I was a kid, just cooking that, thinking and dreaming, you know. And even at times as as I got older, I still found myself eating ram and I wound up living in China. When I was well, I had some success. I had a lot of success.
Actually, yeah, before you went to China.
But when you were saying that, you were thinking about your destiny And while making this, did you think, Okay, I'm going to be a music star or a dancer?
Like what were you thinking when you were thinking about your desk? You know, do you need to turn that up?
And I turned it down actually because I'm gonna let them want to cook it for a little bit. I it's a really good question. I would definitely say what a child likes faith. There was a lot of times my mind just wondered, and I felt like as I got older, I finally had to kind of like dig get back into what I used to like or what I used to think about, And that's kind of hard to remember. What do you used to think about and
dream of as a kid. I think one of the biggest things for me it was always having a major platform. It was always being a voice, It was always being a light. It was always making people laugh. Right, So at a young age, I recalled being like I would I learned trying to drive a stick shift at like eight nine years old, right, So I would take the
car to the store, to the Mexican market. But a lot of times my mom would tell me, she remember that there would be times that I would go to the Mexim mark and I'll be like acting like I was singing Spanish and you know, imitating different Spanish songs that I heard and dancing. And you know, for me, that sparked the level of entertainment because I wasn't afraid to you know, yeah, and be the eyeball in the room, per se and uh, you know, to give it, to
give a person a chuckle or laugh. It brought me great joy that I was able to give them joy. So I think that's something that I actually held onto. Being a class clown and different things like that. But once again, I say this dish actually really represents like the times when I you know, didn't know what to cook. You know, you know, it was the it was the cheapest thing to buy. There was there was times where you know, money was just really really short. That's like a go to.
But now you said that when you were when you were a child, but you lacked faith, Like why would you say that, say black face?
Yeah you said like black face. I thought you did because I was like, that's interesting that you said.
I mean maybe maybe at manage, maybe I did like some faith. I mean, you know, I mean if I did say that, I would say to this that your favor is challenge and you may be leaving something as a kid, but you have people around telling you that you can't be a scientist. Oh that's gonna take you thirty two years, Like damn, thanks for discouraging me. But they gave me the truth at the same time. So it's like, but a kid can't process that at a young age, right, You kind of need that pat on
the back and say yeah, you can do it. And if you do, see you know that the interest is really there for a kid. You have to continue to put those roadblocks in front of them for the sake and continue to elevate if that's what it is, because I feel like a lot of us could be. I feel like everyone should know physics to the highest level.
I feel like we're all scientists. I feel like we're all super intelligence, the way our bodies are made, the way the universe works, And I just feel like we've been taught to be dumbed down versus to be super enlightened.
And I feel like when I look at countries like China and how they brought seven hundred million people out of poverty in thirty years, it's that's how you empower culture, right, And you wonder why the the end, the Chinese n is the number one currency in the world, which I knew that was going to happen eventually anyway, because the way America's running their currency. So that's a whole other conversation.
That's a definite whole of the conversation.
How old were you when you started B two K, when you got into B two.
K, it's a good question, probably the thirteen and a half, fourteen, maybe thirteen and a.
Half, So what led to that? So you're eight, so what I'm what I'm gathering is like, you're eight years old. You're definitely not your typical eight year old I don't know, eight or nine year olds driving stick shifted cars.
And yeah, rolling out in the street.
Yeah, So how did how did how did that nine year old self transition into like a B two K moment?
That that's a good question. You know, I have a family in the industry, you know, I would definitely say that was a segue, that was a that was definitely a path of bridge those my cousin okay, right, and my brother was I would say my brother was really more interested in the music industry per se than me. So there was times where he brought me along for his talent shows and we had this little group we call called brothers Too, And you know, just to give
like people a little context of my life. You know, my mom was going through and beuse some relationship at the time, and I was in and at a foster home.
So around the ages of twelve and after thirteen, my cousin Christus was able to take over guardianship for me, and I think it was pretty cool that just kind of like growing up and seeing different groups and different being inspired by some of his work that I had the opportunity to be around something that inspired me, which was as a kid with a light, right, There's a lot that comes along with being inspired, and we got
to make sure you find the right lights. Right. I feel like I learned a lot of great things over there, and for the most part, I was able to grow into myself and he provided an opportunity. It was a group that he was working with called Melodic and that group was consistent of four members, which was Jay Bug, Little Fish, and JAHI, which was which is jimya Oukle's brother,
and our brother Trey and we you know. It was kind of I felt like the eye ball that joined the group because they already had a four main group and I was like the fifth member. But now that I'm older, I never asked anybody about this. I would like to know why did they accept me. I kind of felt like maybe because my cousin had, you know, you know, previous success in the industry and had relationships and I don't really know politics behind it, but they
accepted me. I kind of feel like the eyeball, But I felt like I eventually fit in a group and we went on to travel to multiple different labels, auditioned
for him, sung for them, nobody signed us. So but we came across one label that thought the three of us, which was Jay Bug, myself and Fizz, they thought we were pretty dope and they felt like we were just missing the right lead singer because they felt like the other two guys maybe looked a little too older for the group, which I thought I didn't really think about it to now, but maybe they did. They looked a
little bit more mature than we did. And we had the three of us had a chemistry, which those two guys went on to start another group called Final Four and got signed to MCA. So I was happy that they had that experience, but B two K actually went on to do our thing.
So you you three, this was prior to a Mario.
This is prior to a Mario getting in the group. We went through it. We went through about a good year and a half two years before we met a Mari.
So so you have the three of you guys and they're like, let's search for a lead and then where does a Marion come in?
But that's a good I'm gonna give you some some more contacts and give you some more details, so that label had actually seen the vision was Epic Records at the time, I believe. I don't want to get caught up with titles, but I know David Fisher was probably either the president or vice president or you know, the really top executive, along with poly Anthony rest in peace, Polly, we love you, Thank you for everything, and Tommy Mantola was a top guy. And we were very fortunate enough
to meet with Max Goose. We love you Max, I can't forget Max. Max was the one of the main champions for B two K, you know, to who brought in Davey Frish and Jamie Frisch and signed Backstreet Boy. So that was pretty cool too, And so we had people with experience of boys groups and it was crazy because the negotiations went back and forth, you know that woman and they was interested in the signing. That's and they were interested, but they didn't have the fourth member.
And I remember there was an artist I don't know his name, but it was along the lines of like, I don't know, so I don't want to butcher it, but I think Keith Sweat having solo artists that potentially they was thinking about putting them in a group. That guy never popped up. Mm hm, oh yeah, that's looking good. So that guy never.
Listen, we're gonna eat together.
It's gonna take it. It's gonna take a brother back.
There was a you don't put the seasoning in.
Well, I mean, I think everybody likes their own season so I wasn't. I wasn't here. Let me get your ball.
Okay, I'm watching you. You know the way you eat it. Okay, if you get season it however you like. I mean, you know, I'm gonna be nice today.
I cook the news. I'm gonna let you put I do put butter and seasons on. Those are like my main two ingredients, you know what I'm saying. Like, those are my go to seasons. Man, you put that, you or anything, but but yo. So that so that that artist never popped up. So it was three of us just lingering around. So I remember meeting a Marion at Marcus Houston's eighteenth birthday party, and I thought he was dope. He was like I think he had his timbering boots on,
he his corn rolls, you know what I'm saying. He was a background dancing for Before Dark and you know, thank you, and he was he's like a background that's for before dark. He had his cameos, he was doing his thing, and I like the fact that he was already in the industry. He wasn't afraid to get in the circle. Some people be afraid to get in that circle and dances be dancing and they make the circle at like a party or something of that. So I
was like, Yo, this guy is cool. So I remember me and the guys we were having a conversation where he's like, yeah, we did to chop it up with him. I'm not sure if we all walked off, like to the side, and maybe we walked in the bathroom or we walked out. I don't remember all the defining details, but what I do remember is we had a conversation with the guy and he wasn't opposed to joining the group, being a solo artist already or pursuing his his dreams.
We thought he would be a good fit because at this time we were already on the radar of the labels.
Yeah right, but he says, didn't have the official signature.
You have the we have the Fisher signature deal. So I typically take I used the season that maybe too much for maybe for I take this. If you need more seasons, I how to take this, and of course I take the butter.
Always take the butter.
Okay, typically put the butter in.
Oh you put the butter in first? Yeah, okay.
So o Marion, at the time you meet him, he's he's a singer slash dancer or is he mainly a dance.
He was actually a rapper and he was he was a rapper. Box of weeds to eat, the feed, the greedy's. He had his little rappers all you do. But A Mario was lit. Mario has always been lit, you know what I'm saying. He had his Pops commercial, he had, he was you know, he was working with his company called I think it was called Abrams or something like that. And am I right was Abrams? Yeah? It was as got but uh, you know, amar was ma was dope.
Me and a Mari actually really got along. And I thought it was cool that he actually joined our group. He right should have puted him out a little soiler, so, you know, but I thought it was dope Mario. Eventually, after we had that meeting in the bathroom or in the hallway wherever, that was Marion wound up coming up to the house and we like kind of like dance for him in there, and we did our little routines. We showed our we we displayed our talents, and he
displayed his talents. Then we started immediately learning routines together. And as we started to look like it was a the chemistry was there. I think the biggest thing that we like at that time was was vocally, So it took some time for us going to you know, really learn how to use our instruments. You know what I mean. I believe everybody can sing, but you just got to train your voice, you know what I'm saying, and then and then and then find out what's what's good for you.
And I think there's a lot of artists that came, you know, through this business that actually, if I'm gonna put just a little bit on this because us I forgot I think that.
So how long did it take for you guys from from bringing a marian on practicing and exploring your vocals together.
How long did it take before you guys got signed?
Well, you know, just like the first group, which was called Melodic, it was about five of us in the group. Like I said, I was the fifth member, the awkward guy. But after many people, hey, after many people pass up on us, you know, eventually we went to that little phase, that down period where we you know, had our hopes of hot things and there was a member was going to come in and we got the label They're kind of interesting us already and then that.
Just dies, right so and is Crystal managing you or yet?
Yep? And then and then we come back from what I recall, we we we get a Mari and then we go through all of the labels again, seez right, they all passed. There was a level of interest where Arister Records and La Re was courting us for some time because Louis Silence was involved Rest in Peace to Little Silence, and it was really interesting to the fact
that they still passed on us. So now we still we're still in this same like entanglement with Epic Records, and you know, we would see them at different industry events because BJK step kept going and now we got the four. We still even though you're to sign us, we're still moving now.
When you guys are still performing, where we still perform wherever we.
Can we building a buzz when the world start, we do word up magazines. You know. Now we were in vow Wow's Ghetto Girls video. Now we're in hold on where we signed, Max, where we sign I'm gonna have to call you after this. Were we signed when we did the Ghetto Girls video. I don't know we got
to come back to that. That's different because but we we did so much to the label to where we did so much, So when we came back to the label, I remember meeting like Tiss Williams who managed three O wor overs Ol Train, and that was set up by management because they had relationships and they let us meet. But now that I'm older, I realized that meeting was what led to Marvin Pearton because we've been circling around
this label for a long time. Marvin Peer had a little, i think a higher status than maybe Max Goos, and maybe it was in a different lane in the company than David Person. But somehow he had the ear of Polyantheony Polly's right under Tommy. So somehow, I don't know how it happened, but we wind up performing for the entire label inside of five point fifty meterson in New York. Because everybody's like Who the fuck is this group? Why are they fucking like? Yea, what is all this energy
about this group? We wound up shutting the building down.
So like other other departments are coming over to.
Everybody that was in. Sony came in the lunch cafeteria. They set up a stage for the actually spent money on his say, flew us out, and you know, they were still courting us, you know what I'm saying. And finally we got that opportunity to perform for Time Ontold and Tim mototally was like, you know, we performed him by ourself and he he pulled the trigger. But it was a crazy journey, like you know, it was crazy. It took some years, you know, but in nineteen nine nine,
I remember getting that deal. I had tears in my eyes. It was it was, it was we were so excited because it was something that we worked so hard for, especially at the time where we felt like the label, our production company was going to drop us. You know, they didn't really want to, uh, you know, they didn't think it was going to be able to happen because they spent so much money to get us to what
we got. There was times where we even added a fifth member from another group called Third Story to be a part of the group.
You know what I'm saying, you guys were really beating the pavements. So when you get your deal, you get signed. Now, B two K, what year was it that you guys? You got signed in ninety nine? But what year was the tipping point where everybody was like, look gay everywhere? Oh nice, sorry, slurp them ramins.
No.
B two K kind of like popped on the scene and exploded. It wasn't like it wasn't like a gradual like even you know, like when you look at Rihanna's career, Rihanna was dropping records before Umbrella.
And then Umbrella took it and it just you know, B two K kind of went right away. Am I wrong?
That's a good I mean wrong. Well, Rihanna's story is different. Rihanna got signed by jay Z out the Gate, she was doing challenge shows. B two K was already in the industry.
But but that's what I'm saying.
It because of the people that we had behind us, immature as the Chris Stokes and stuff, so we had a little bit more accents. So I feel like it didn't It may appear for some people like it happened overnight, but for us, it didn't.
We were Lise saying from the time you signed, though, from the time you signed. I'm not talking about before because it sounds like you guys ran a marathon. I feel like when you signed. How how fast it go from signing to multi places?
That's a really good question, but I'm to put to put you right there and then like the little middle park, because we were lit, we got a eight we have, we got we got offered a superstar deal, not a little development deal, so they already knew we was gonna pop. Okay, So for people who'd just seen us in two thousand and one, after we got our deal at Night late nineteen ninety nine, fourth Quarter Night nineteen niney nine, we spent that whole two thousand working on an album You
Feel Me, So it was already you know, they put millions behind it, so it was gonna pop. They already knew the group was dope. It was really just about finding the right records. So to give you that between nineteen between nineteen ninety nine we got signed fourth Quarter, like I don't know, I told them November December somewhere around there, spent that year recording. Our first album came out in March twelve, two thousand and one, and they had to put the singles number. It was thirteen weeks
at number one. It's so over a half a million copy?
What single was that again?
Uh huh? And it was produced by Tricky Stewart. It even won us a buildble toward. But they pulled that record back because I believe they like a little special DVD with it, like it was a DVD with the video attention single, and they put it back because they wanted to say that for the album that was coming, that single would have want Probably I don't I don't know the sound scan today, but it probably went on
to be a platinum single. And but during that time, it took us about six I could be wrong, three to six months to break that record. The visual really helped break the song, you know what I'm saying. And a lot of people don't know even though we you know, were urban group, we actually had a pop record, you know what I'm saying. We were number one on the the you know, the Hot one hundreds for thirteen weeks. Yeah, so that was that was some That was some big ship.
And then you got the support of a billion dollar company spending millions behind you, You're going to get access to everything.
Now was that so at the time?
Now this is you know, the industry has been notorious for taking advantage of groups, or there have been groups that have been taken advantage of in the industry. So you guys are a young group of guys, your teenagers. Right, you get signed, you get this deal, but you do come from the industry. So I'm guessing your deal wasn't like a terrible deal, right.
I believe B two K got a good deal, but you gotta understand, you know, you can't fought. You know, people prayers from lack of knowledge. Right. A lot of people want to fault the labels, like the way math is put together. It's like math magicians, right, the way the industry is put there there there, you know, at that old business model that is now different, is evolved
in the change. A lot of these labels will say, hey, we spending all these millions of dollars and we make you into this, but we don't get any money from touring merchandise this. So that's why they started creating three sixties. So we got to think about the labels. If I was spending my money as a label, I'm like, yo, they got to recoup it now only they got to recoup it. I made this human being and I put this artist to where he's at. Right, So some people
like to complain. You just have to look at the deal. You have to try to negotiate the best deal for yourself, you know what I mean, and take accountability for what type of deal that you signed. Don't be mad at at Listen. If I'm in business, you got some I don't want to say shisty, but you got some people that's gonna try to negotiate better than you. Right, negotiate if you feel that it's not at the time, maybe
maybe you shouldn't take that deal. And that's when people say, hey, you sold out, right, Maybe you shouldn't have voted so early. Maybe you should have just went on like for example b TK, if we would have maybe held out a
little bit longer, maybe we got to even better deal. Right, But you got to be grateful for the fact that we were able to get to a point, which is like very rare, right to get a superstar deal, not just a development deal or a little smarter like a really major deal and have the whole label and company behind you pushing you. That's a major you have to you have to blow up. If you don't blow up, people getting fired.
Were you guys looking at the marketing budget going, yes, this is definitely a big deal.
Well, you know, for me, I didn't see it, but I knew better.
Okay, okay, you know.
I knew it was I knew it was some millions.
So what was the first thing you spent your money on once you saw like, what was the first big check you got?
And what was the first thing you bought with it?
I think it was probably like twenty five thousand, maybe probably some clothes?
And what was your mom thinking at the time?
You know, my mom wasn't around. She was dealing with her own you know, you know, trials and tribulations in life with relationships and whatnot. But she gave me the blessings to you know, there's something I always wanted to do as a kid, and she she she she gave me a blessings and she she allowed for me to you know, to move forward as as an adolescent because I'm you know, I'm at a young age between like thirteen and damn. I got my deal when I was like fifth, almost fourteen and a half.
Okay, So I met you around So it's so funny because we've had this talk when we're in it in Texas together and we can't remember how we met, which is crazy because you're the only you remember how you met and I still have no idea how.
We met or whatever.
But when I met you, I think it was it was after B two K, before before China, after B two K.
Okay, so you were level B two K was leveling out.
I would say, right, yeah, I believe at the time B K was dispanding the delay K was dis span.
And when that happened, Marioan was solo. Oh yeah, Mario went mari was solo, and.
That's around the time that we met. Yeah.
Yeah, so at that time, So you have now reached all this success. Now you go, you're on the roller coaster ride. What are your thoughts around the time when we knew each other?
Sheesh? Just how fast things can change and adapting to you know, not having this machine that you were part of, that you helped build, you know, actually operating around you every day, even though you have the brand that you are those years. It took me time to understand what I got. Who am I What happened to me was this experience?
How old were you though?
You were like probably like twenties, right or not even, But that's what I'm saying. Look how young you were when you have to You're looking You're thinking.
Like, that's that's that's a crazy experience.
What are you saying?
I mean?
But that's life for you, know what I mean? You know, we're I try not to get so caught up in the matrix, but we're amazing human beings. Like I always say that, Like I just think that we're like amazing human beings. And I just thank God for the experiences because when I look back at that time, I was like, the fuck was she thinking? Like how did you make it through? Excuse me? How did you make it through?
But it was definitely a huge transition for me because you had to adapt to the money not coming all the time, you know, maybe getting a quarterly or or semi aily check. You know, I mean, you can't you can't sustain yourself over that, you know what I mean? And then you you're going you start to look back at the deal you want to get bitter, but you also have to think about, Okay, during that time, much money that you make, regardless if you feel like you can get your just do with this? Did you do
right by that money? So you have to you have to start to say hell, you know what, you can't blame anybody in life. You have to learn and take accountability for yourself at a very young age, even though you want to, but you do because that at a young age, we're making our own decisions. So you're you're kind of grown, but you really don't have the knowledge you make them.
But was there any when you were making those decisions on spending the money? Were there any adults or accountants or people saying, hey, man, don't do this, or was there any training on how to handle money.
At that when you I believe out of all the guys I was, I was the one that people thought that yo er probably wouldn't blow his blow a lout his cash, you know what I'm saying. But yeah, I ran through like three hundred thousand and six months. You know what I'm saying without any financial literacy. You really don't know how to handle that. And you're not trying
to listen to anybody as well. You know what I'm saying, You want to go buy three cars and the motorcycle and you got all these fucking bills and you just keep paying money. Before you know what, shit's gone. Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So it's like and I I really feel like with the money that beach K was generating, the money that was generated from beach K, I don't really feel like we we got our dress do.
I feel like recently, you know, the tour that we that we just did, and I was very instrumental putting it and producing and bringing it together. I feel like that was a good payday for all of us because the tour did over twenty million dollars.
Wow, and you had the production well, you had putting that whole thing together.
Well. For me, when beach K did disband, it was really hard for me just to let go. I'm like, damn, I'm invested in my life, my time sacrifice and I finished in school and so many different things like how are we not to how are we just alienated from the business and we can't go out there and capitalize on our success.
What was the ultimate thing that disbands you guys?
Definitely it would say the fact that you know, management and production companies were really influenced and had that opportunity to be able to tell the narrative to the labels and be able to go get that deal for Marion, which eventually doing it out to you know whatever, doing it too respectfully cool run over there. But it's like when you look at the artists like the Justin's and Justin Timberlake's and you look at the Beyonce, there's no
shots fire at Marion. I've always wanted to mari to be like that top solo artist, and I felt like how he came out, it was so much backlash that he received and so much misunderstanding that he that people didn't have of him in regards to how the deal was orchestrated. And I feel like a Mario is probably like a pond in that situation, because if we would have all left together collectively, we would have had our en sync no streams attached album, you know what I'm saying,
leaving lou Pearlman per se. So I don't know, there's a lot there.
You know.
It always kind of like hunts me or if I go to like go down that lane, what it had been, but you know, it's the way it was designed, you know, and especially in the old and I'll be quick about this in the in the old boy group formula groups last one, two or three albums. You know, they attend to divide and conquer, and I just feel like B took should have been a lot stronger.
How many albums DoD B two K put out?
We put out a lot of product in such a in a short time span, but really two studio albums, a soundtrack that was considered an album or at least counted towards an album, uh, two remix albums, and some DVDs. So we kept a lot of content out which I thought was pretty cool and pretty unique for B two K. Just this is apply the demand. And I say this in closing, like just just growing older in the business. You know, you have to understand the business aspect of it.
You know what I'm saying. We love music, but for the most part, you have to understand the business aspect of the business. When you understand that that you can you know, you can really benefit from it. You know, for example, you have a company that invested I don't know, millions of dollars. Let's say over ten to fifteen million, twenty million dollars into my brand. I'm still rasby to
this day. Yeah, so you know, I mean whether they make money off me, which they still do to this day, you know, and I still make money too from from from my previous work. You know, you got to be
thinking for the opportunity you got. And that's why I want to encourage a lot of artists to not you know, not bash these these investors that are part of a company that are shareholders because they want they don't want to lose money either, but they're taking a risk on someone they don't know if it's going to happen or not happen.
It's very risky.
You just got to, like, you know, get in the door, you know, you know, and you know, and work your way to the top. I mean, we've seen a lot of artists from the jay Z to the Kanye's you know, to Nick Cannon's and so on and so forth. Bringing up Nick Cannon, I met you somehow your magazine because somebody wanted to connect me for a fucking interview with you. And you think it was that one of your partners and something. And I think I think you were I don't know something.
It was something around the celebrity high air. But okay, so just I know we're going.
To close out this interview soon. But so you're riding a wave. I got to take you back on your roller coaster. So now the group disbands. You both through pretty much all your money. What is he licks the b old guys, this is this is, by the way, for if you don't know ras this is Rasin is truest form talking about this is like probably one of the most realist and funniest people. I call him at whatever Yes, I just poured it. I call him at
whatever time and super real. I will tell you more details, but it may be too much.
But uh funny.
But so you come down off the wave, okay, be to dismand you're now you don't have a lot of money, So what is your thinking process?
Now that's good, that's a good question. So during that time, you have to say to yourself, like you have to remember who you are, what you accomplished, regardless if you are still trying to figure out your business, trying to collect royalties that are owed to you. You don't have that money at the moment, so you got to go figure this shit out. The fact that bet you Cad
sustained a big enough brand. I was still able to, you know, get bookings ten grand here at five grand here, right, so that was cool.
So you're like an entrepreneur selling yourself.
Completely because I'm I'm my own commodity. So I always do how to create opportunities that I can bring value to as an entrepreneur, as a businessman, as an executive, I always create opportunities. Even if it wasn't me on the on the on the forefront. A lot of people want to be well, it's either me on the forefront or not. No, if Rasbey can come in and add value, help broke a deal and do this and do that, and I can slide myself in there where I get
a little shine up here. Bro take that role. You know, some people don't didn't really take time to learn the business. I took time to learn the business. So I've always been able to sustain myself, like even on the even on the bad year, I'm still doing six figures.
So how did how did you? How did you end up in China?
Because by the way I went looking for you, you're like disappeared and then I was like, oh, he's in China.
But this was before that was crazy. I mean, you know, during during the breakup, you know BJK was still super hot, right, so you still at all the parties and still connected the network. And it's all about how you handle your network. You're your networking, should at work your network, they say, Right,
there's some truth to that. NBA Nerly for those that are in the industry, and you know about the NBA Entertainmently, you know it was the place where US basketball US celebrities would go and we would play in our own version of the NBA E okay, right, So there's a lot of bit network networking going over there. For example, one of my guys, he's like, Yo, how would you like to perform at the Great Wall of China? Said, huh, I said, what you know? And he sent me over
letter intent. It was a company called BTV Communications. They wound up hooking up with how how Uplinger, who produced a live a concerts. So this was like some huge shit. I tried to get the boys to be a part of it, but they weren't really interested, or maybe they couldn't hear me, or it was just a lot of stuff going on, so that didn't go through. It fell through. They put up pressure releases that I was going to be a part of the show. I was the Events
Houston Bassador. I was going to host the show, and last minute they were telling me, you get your deal done. Get your deal done, because they're gonna they're running out of money and they're gonna sell the show to another promoter and he may not want to honor the deal that we had previously. They wind up by honoring that deal. I wound up calling a really big lawyer and putting out a boycott letter, which hit them hard, which brought
them back to the table to negotiate. You gotta play bahrdball.
Sometime you'd play a lot of you got to.
But it got them. I bought one of the biggest lawyers. He was actually Chinese and American. It was pretty cool how I did this one. And you know, some people can get You can bring a lawyer and they can sell out or they cannot sell out. Some lawyers partner up with each other and they cash a check and they tell you whatever, right. But I felt like I found someone that was that really understood what I was
trying to accomplish. He worked out a deal where I could still go, but I couldn't bring all the people because I was before them, all the dancers, all the people that I promised and talked about we were going, and all the money they didn't want to pay me. And I was like, fuck that deal. I don't work to go, you know, don't You said, kick your ball over. But I regret it because I would have been in someone's history books one hundred years from now from hosting
the first concert at the Great Wall of China. Yeah, that's parked the interest. Someone hit me up seven year or four years later about an opportunity to go to China.
Okay, so is it happening one more time?
Listen? I love you too, soon soon soon, as soon as it happens. Soon as I got that message because I was sad, bro I was on fucking one o six in Park telling everybody I was going to China, like that's embarrassing, you know what, And it don't happen. Uncle was like, yo, if it being God's will, you'll go back. Got that message on Facebook with the China never looked back.
Okay, awesome. So then, how so it's what I love about you too?
Is like I was like, you like disappeared and then you popped up on social media, and then you're already dominating on social media really fast. Like I love when you pop into a comment section and everybody gets all excited, Oh ship, rest in the comments, you know what I'm talking about?
Right? Talking about right, talking about right?
You know, they kind of get excited, like, all Ship, what's Rad's gonna say?
Now? I'm very vocal, and I've been holding back with a lot of restraints because I've been doing a lot of work on myself, and I just really just you know, I mean, I'd like to say yeah, and I'm not afraid to say it, but I think that excites people.
I think people get really excited.
They'd be like, you know, the eyeball em just like oh yeah, no, I mean, you know, for real, It's like, I feel like I feel like I have the short end of the stick with the beach k deal. I feel like, you know, they decided to go on Marion solo. I feel like I would have been the better bet.
We're talking just no shade to Marion. I just feel like I would have been the better bet, you know, because there's a lot of things a lot of qualities that I have that I feel like, you know, it takes to be a to sustain in a solo career. He does. He's done very well for what he's been given.
I just feel like I never had that opportunity right and I feel like what I've done, I took the long road to carve out the space that I have now, which brings me the Bad Boys Season two, which is the hottest networking Towns network.
This is your baby, this is your creation.
Well no, it's not my creation. This is not Natalie Nune's creation, and let me and the Zeus Networks. I'm just happy to be able to be a producer on it, to be a star on the show. With that being said, I feel like this is a great opportunity because this show is so huge. You know, it's in everyone's face when it comes to our culture. So I feel like they'll be able to have this opportunity to be on
the show. I'm excited to see. We just dropped the trailer of the day, so I'm excited to see the outcome from from this because it was it was definitely an experience in the environment that I've never experienced before. But I say to say that I'm still relevant after I came back from tryinga I brought the I brought, you know, I brought the money to the table. I brought the trademark. I created the Millennium Tour that that caused this nostalgic wave that took all these Millennium Tour one,
million Tour two. So I'm a part of that. So I'm I don't want say, a puppet master, but I'm in the back creating and cultivating and producing deals. That's where I'm at now that I'm a modern day mogul. You know what I'm saying. I'm an executive in this industry, and I'm here to bring and give opportunities to those because I understand what it's like to not have understand what it's like to go through the drought. I understand, you know what it's like to be brot play again.
Speaking speaking of all that, one of the things I wanted to ask you is like, do you feel like there's added pressure, added pressure to have money being that you are a star?
I definitely think there's pressure.
I mean, you know, like as a star, you can't You're like, I would never go to work at target right, you would never go back. So, like, do you feel a boy you put so much lotries people, way too much lowries on that. But do you feel like there's mad pressure on you to like maintain a certain level of income or or to even stay relevant because I even Nick.
Went through of course, hell yeah, hell yeah. Because some people trying to say they don't care about what you people think. But you know, people judge you based off of how you took care of yourself, you know what I'm saying, from your narrows to your hair to you know, how you manage your money, how do you move and stuff like that. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, but you always want to be soliding your own shit,
you know what I'm saying. And despite what people say, people they may not say it, but they still they kind of move a little interesting around you based off of how they appear. Because you're pulling up in a motherfucking of vented door, a five hundred thousand on a car, and you got to not that you have to have this. I'm that's saying. You know what I'm saying. There's a lot of very wealthy people that I know that don't do none of that stuff. Right to each his own.
You know what I'm saying. I think you need to be wealthy and calm and holding your spirit and you can move and walk through anything. Yeah.
Well, I've been in this game for quite some time, and the people that continually pop up to stay relevant, like Nick or yourself.
You guys work your asses off, you know what I'm saying.
And I always tell people like whenever I'm like, you know, uh, I think I'm working hard, I'm like, ain't nobody working hard as Nick Cannon?
Because that I remember people chaping up in the studio being like, you know, you know, I just want this from Nick, and I'll be like that has the ten you guys are sitting in the studio smoking up, like what are you talking about?
You know, it depends how you want it. Like for me, I've been very like I want to be took that happened. Took me sixteen years to put the crew back together. Yeah. Yeah, like I said earlier, from secure the trademark, securing the money, you know what I mean, I wanted to happen. I willed it back together. Yeah, me, you know the things that I felt that was tooken from me. This is life. You gotta go take it for yourself. I went out and just got it. Okay, cool, somebody did this to
me or they said this or that. Cool. Cool, take the hits. So don't ever look at me as a victim. I'm just saying this is me ten times down, staying on my own journey. Fuck what niggas are talking about? Guess what you really want to smoke? You can really get it if you really really want it. But guess what, You're really not worth it. So I'm gonna focus my energy over here because you're a bitch ass nigga. Yeah, that's why I feel deep down inside about energies that
are like but this is dreggonators. Any any negative, low level frequency energy that is my high vibrational that is allowed for me to manifest and create and continue to travel with the earth.
What advice signing out? What advice would you give to anybody that has made it dipped and they're currently in their dipstate? You know, there's there's some people you know, you know.
Be real with yourself, Be real with yourself. Transparency is super key. Really really understand where you're at and be honest with yourself. When you're honest with yourself, you can say, Okay, this is where I'm fucked up at, this is where I need to share this, this is where I need to move this really, because you have to be able to make adjustment. Yeah, yeah, don't live in like in.
The fantasy world of like.
Like I give an example, Like I give example, I've been living. I make a lot of money because I just know how to hustle, right, So I still maintained and live the lifestyle I splurred. You can ask my girl, I splurged and I live because I just know how to make money. But imagine if I didn't splur so much, right, Imagine if I, you know, maybe probably cut down on certain way And imagine if you cut down on certain
areas and start applying certain things. You just got to be real with yourself from where you want, where you see yourself, because at the end of the day, you're the master of your your own destiny. Right, So you're gonna either build some dope ship or you're gonna fall to the wayside. It depends how bad you want it. So what are you willing to sacrifice for that? So anyone out there that's been through. It's like, yo, nigga, you've been, you've been, You've been around. What do you
what do you want to make out of it? So, I mean I had to come to that sense with myself. So and that's when I started making better decisions for better financial situations, such.
A financial situations.
That's financial that situations. You have to make decisions, better financial decisions, you know what I'm saying in regards to as well as better friendships. You know, who's who can you allow to be around you? Who can come to your work environment? Who's going to help you this, Who's gonna who's gonna hinder this? Like as much as I love my brother, you just did an interview with Orlando that I set up for you, but like, for example,
you know my brother. As much as I love my brother, he's not the one that can be around my business. This is my own blood, you Underseand I want to tell you right, you can't have people around that's going to do.
What drain you or be negative, damn your light, all of the above, anything negative. After being rich and being broke, are you afraid of ever being broke again?
Oh? I'm so afraid of being broke again.
I mean, I've read so many decisions like listen, but your confidence is.
So I'm always making money like but no, but seriously, it's better to have that cushion and that's ability, so when the famine does come, you can see you can coast a little bit.
Yeah.
I literally just bought some glasses for a photo shoot. Spent about nine hundred and ninety five hours on these glasses, and took them holes back the next day.
Amen, you know what I'm saying.
I found my other iPad, my iPods that I was looking for. I couldn't find the ones I just bought. You can bring them back in two weeks. I got that three sixty nine back or was it two sixty nine?
And by the way, I took your speaker, which it was a it was a gift.
It was a gift.
Let's go with just let's just talk about Bad Boys and where people could keep up with you and catch up with you so we can close out and get you on a plane.
Yeah, oh yes, about that time. Yeah, No, I'm really really excited. You know, we just dropped the trailer today for a Bad Boys season two Texas exactly produced by Natalie None, shot to zeus and let me and LJ and the whole team over there that produced a phenomenal show. Like I said earlier, it was a hostile environment, you know, for me, it was something different. But through my you know, my mental strengthness and my anger management skills, I was
able to just stay myself as much as possible. But let me tell this, these motherfuckers is crazy.
It sounded like crazy.
No, these motherfuckers is crazy. And I just feel like, just being RASB, you already come in with a target on your back, you know what I mean. And I'm there to trying to, like, you know, how can we take this thing to the next level? How can we build a brand? And I feel like we we somewhat accomplished that, and I feel like there's there's more seasons
that come so out. You know, I want everybody to subscribe me and to and then check out your boy Ras, you know, and support the production because they definitely spent a lot of money over there. Yeah.
And then and then also you can keep up with Ras online on Instagram if you really want an entertaining day, you'll see him dipping in out of comments and you will smart. I promised you whenever I see you in a comment section, I'm like, let's get it rasby underscore.
B two K your boys signed off. Make sure you subscribe bad boys. You know what I'm saying.
Eating while we broke, Eating while broke, and you will I'll get an updated eating while broke this because his ramen probably not going to make it in the cookbook, So we're gonna get an updated dish on his on his dish for the cookbook.
But thank you so much for coming and spending time with Thank you and hooking up. Shout outs to a RAS for or Orlando Brown everywhere. Yes, yes, so I'll see determined.
She's determined about her business, like she flew out to make.
Sure she got her interviews with my toddler with my toddler.
Know how you made it happen? But yes you did.
And then and then I'll see you in Atlanta hopefully. You forty two, let's go, Yes, YouTube, did you you?
Forty two? Forty two?
You forty two is the future of content creators owning one hundred percent of their content and being able to monetize at one hundred percent. It's the coolest shit you've ever seen, and it's only a decentralized platform on the Ethereum blockchain. Some shit you've never heard of tune in y O you four two dot com check it out Guys Peace.
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