Such an icon in your industry.
So tell us more about who you are, what you where you come from, what you're all about.
Let's private, private talk wants to now.
Let's do it. So basically, you know, called Kanai. I'm from the streets of Brooklyn, New York. I was born in Brooklyn in the house without a doubt, you know. I was born in Costa Rica. My family migrated here when I was three years old. Moved to Brooklyn, and my dad came here to set up shop and set up a business and import my mother and my sister from Costa Rica and here we are.
So what kind of business?
Did he set up a printing service? Yeah, he came here and he set up a type printing service called after me and my sister, it's called Carl Varney Composition Service. And he was doing type setting for a lot of banks. This was before there was like computers and internet and all those type of things like that.
You explain what type setting is.
Type setting Basically you do letterheads for banks and you do their logos. You do all by hand, and you kind of like type out the letterheads and cut and paste it on a piece of paper. He xerox copy it. You kind of go from there and you had a lot.
Of that's like the real true talent. Like it's a lot of time and work and very precise things. So it's like back in the day when people wouldn't want to do that stuff. It's like a delicate thing.
Yeah, So he it was more like a businessman. So he taught me the ropes of like not working for any one to doing things for your own. And my dad was a very fashionable person, so you get his clothes made by a tailor back then, so he kind of showed me, like how you can make clothes without technically knowing how to sew. He had ideas, but he surrounded himself with people who didn't know how to do things he know how to do, so he didn't how to sew, so he hired sewers and tailors to make
his clothing for him. So the process kind of segue me.
In every great business person does we know it what our crafts are, but sometimes we have just have to outsource things that were just we know the vision.
Yeah, for sure. So it kind of gave my segue into being in a business entrepreneurs. My dad had the model never working for anyone, do it on your own, find a way to make things happen. That's always been in my blood and my genius to do that for success in America.
Nice.
Yeah, that's really cool. So do you feel like that you've owned up to all of those things I did?
Because you know, my dad was a fashionable guy and he like jewelry and flamboyant. He drove all the fancy cars and Cadillacs and the Lincoln's back then with the white wall tires. And my dad was the first person to have to actually have a TV in his car. He took out the glove compartment in his Cadillac and put a TV in the glove compartment.
And back then, you don't no one ever did that someone You didn't even know what that was at that time.
So it showed me the ropes in terms of break the rules, figure things out on your make this thing happen. So when my daughter, my dad and my mom's got divorced, we end up moving to inner City in East New York and Brooklyn, and that's when fashion became real to me. Let me tell you what happened. I went outside and I wanted to meet all the kids in the projects.
Right, how old were you at this time?
About twelve years old? And I thought I was really cool. I had whatever clothes my mother bought for me. And back then he's still clothing in the grocery store, okay, sneakers and T shirts at the end of the aisle the frozen food departments.
So at that time, did you like make your own style with what you had or you just rocked what you got at the grocery store.
Rocked the grocery store store. I thought I was cool.
Hey, get it, it's all about swag.
I thought I had swag. I had no swag whatsoever. I found out really quickly, so I went outside to meet all the kids in the projects. I thought I was cool. So I went out there and I thought I was chilling. So there was like sizing me up. There's like, oh, you did a new kid in the projects and moved into eight three. I was like, yeah, it's like, man, what kind of steaks you got on? I was like, these are skips. They was like, man, get the fuck out of here, and I'm just coming
from the grocery stores. Bro, we get out of with that ship. I was stunned. I felt demoralized. They were laughing at me. I went home, cried to him, and I was like, Mom, I need some money to buy some clothes. These kids are laughing on my clothes. They said, you bought it for the grocery store. I need to My mother was.
Like, boy, if you don't go get a job. She said, boy, go out there and job exactly right. I was like, okay. I refused to go back out there and be demoralized again. So I two weeks. I didn't go back outside to hang out with these kids. And I saw a newspaper truck and I said, kids going to the newspaper truck. I'm like, what are you guys doing? It said, oh, we delivered newspapers in these bills. He is actually looking for a new paper.
Boy, if you want to do this, I was like, you can make money for living newspapers. They're like yeah. I'm like I'm in. All I want to do is findal money, make some money, get some of those clothes.
They're not going to make fun of you anymore.
That's it.
You just what you wanted to floss it, that's it.
Yeah, So I got the newspaper route. I just give a five thirty in the morning because you have to deal with newspapers for it before everyone went to work.
What time school eight o'clock.
I got five thirty delivering newspapers to make money. So fall I was able to save up. I bought me a pair of Pullmans and a campus will take a short set, and the Pullmans at that time of seventeen dollars and a campus set was like thirty dollars, so forty two dollars. I had a fresh outfit. Yeah.
Yeah, So now I'm nervous one time. Yeah, if they don't take you're fresh to jest, you fucked.
Now you had to go year to go back out there make these kids again. So now I'm fresh. I got some wine and white Pullmans, a white short set. I'm going back out there, and all the kids are sitting in the same spot they were right, So I walking there, It's like looking at me, like, ah, surely got the white and white pumas, the white short set. So now I was accepted. Yeah, that feeling of being accepted meant everything to me.
Everything for sure.
Now I felt like I'm one of the boys now, So that feeling I never want to lose it again. So I know, I think I knew that clothing is what made you stand out in the hood. It's not about how much money you got, because it was all broke, sure, but you have fresh clothes on to good money. So now I realized this could be my calling now as respect.
Though a lot of people don't know what that would mean.
They don't know anything about that. So this is the time when hip hop was just sort of coming up, and hip hop was always about bragging. But what you got, how much jews you got, everything like that, It's always about moving forward. So I figured, let me try to outdress these guys. All of my friends we used to shop at the same stores, so anytime we got something fresh, know, we never told anybody where we got it from. So we want to always be.
I still people that they don't want to tell you nothing. They don't want to tell you nothing.
Because they know it's so good. They're like, nah, because everyone's gonna copass.
They tell you nothing. Right. So one day I thought about my dad's tailor. I was like, Wow, if I make an outfit with this tailor, none of these guys would have it because it's fresh. Because what we were doing back then, we were buying clothing two sizes is bigger because we run it bagging. But they weren't making clothes like that. So what I made my outfit with the tail, I made it more looser in the legs. When I wore that, everybody's like, oh man, that's fresh.
Who'd you get it from? Where'd you get it from? I'm old school, I'm not telling about I ain't telling you nothing. So I was like, what want I make you one? And back in the nineties in New York, everybody was selling drugs. Drug dealing was almost legal back then because everyone was everyone's doing it, was doing it. So I decided I started selling clothing to all the dudes in the projects. Right, instead of selling drugs, I was selling clothing to the drug dealers and the projects. Right.
But here's the key, the most important day that established everything. I was sitting in the park one day and I was bragging to these girls about I was making these clothes. These guys, they didn't believe me. There's a drug dealer named Joe. He was one of the biggest drug dealers in Brooklyn. He walked by. I was bragging I made the alpha for him. The girls didn't believe it, said tell them come over here. Then he comes over. She's she's like a girl named Keisha. She says, who made
the Alpha for you? He said, Call made it? What what's up? She says? Can I see a jacket? He takes it off. Keep in mind, this is the most important day of my career. She looks at it. She says, well, if Call made it, how much name may know it? Then facts That's when it hit me. She was completely right. I wasn't owning it. I was just making customer. Had no name, no logo, nothing was it was nice clothing had.
Didn't you didn't get the like props to know that it was caron. She's being a smart alec, but she was right. I didn't own it. That night I went home. This is the time when Miami Vice was out, Scarfaces came out. Every dude in the projects loved the movie Scarface. Everybody wanted to be like Tony Montana saying when she said that, I went home listening to Phil Collins in the air tonight, over and over and over again. Guess what I was thinking about a name from a brand
because I wanted to be like Polo. I want to be at Rolph Lauren. I want to be a Tommy Hill figure. I want to be at Calvin Klark because that's the most crucial thing, is branding your name, because you have one shot.
One shot, that's it. My dad changed our name to an American last name. We moved to the United States, to Williams. I was like, call Williams jeans m just didn't have a ring to it. Over and over. I'm listening to into Air tonight and my mother said, cal turn at me. He's paying the same song over and over. Pissed off. I was actually manifesting at the time, but
I didn't know that's what I was doing. I used to do to a lot, meaning like anytime I get a pen in my hand, I used to write the same thing on a piece of paper over and over again. One night, I kept writing Carl. I was writing the word can I c A and I can? I was a question to ask myself, Can I do this? Can I be successful? Can I come from the inner city and build a brand and make other guys wear my brand on them. I didn't know the answer to that
because it's never been done before. Then I realized, if I call myself, can I that name would have meaning to it every day I have to answer that question. Yes I can, Yes you can, Yes we all can. So I decided my name is wil Be Karl can I. And that's how streetwear was started. Else know the designer. No other brand could ever told you they started a streetwear before me, because it's not factual. We started off with energy and me just trying to figure things out.
And that's how street where it was applemaned from the street Where, making people believe that if you could do it, I could do it too.
Sure, that's a beautiful thing.
I mean the fact that that's not inspiring, but it's just like it's your truth and so it's so much more beautiful than that. But the thing that's it's it's just so became so organically your truth of knowing from the thing from the you knowing what you wanted from your clothes, or knowing the reflection of what the truth that you wanted from the boys in the block or
the girl telling you that where's your name at? You know, like the respect of not only that you made that item or whatever it was, but you made it fly, like you made it hot, like you know what I mean? Like that's such a big respect, especially in the time of like you said, like you start from nothing and you became something not only because of a belief that you had, but because other people talked about it that
inspired you even more. So that to me is like I'm very big on energy and like the love, and like there's certain things that come just like in like intuition by yourself.
You don't even know when it's gonna happen.
And maybe that was your calling and obviously it was because you're still here after all this time. You've made a big you know, impression from the beginning, you're still here today, and that I think that that's you know, what inspires me is like I said, I've met you in twenty fifteen, you know in a way that you know, I knew.
Who you were, but not who you were, you know what I mean.
So it was like in you're very soft spoken and you're very like you know, to yourself, which is very you know, appreciative because you're an artist and your own
you know, and your own respect. But I think that right now, like what I think attracted me more was because of your rebranding of not only just taking the sticks of who you were, but taking now into like being like, hey, I'm still who I am, but you know what, I'm doing this stuff and you're gonna still you know, because people are still wearing yourself, people are still.
Talking about you.
You've redone a lot of things, you know, But from the start, let's talk about, like who do you think, celebrity wise is who pushed your brand the most in the beginning? That made Carl Kanai? After you named yourself Carl Kanai and can you and obviously you can who pushed that for you? Like what was the you know, the segway after you named yourself and me that way?
Yeah, you know our journeys. Who's been so real and everything's been God sent and everything's done without thought? I just did. We came out to La with a thousand dollars in my pocket, with a patha full of dreams. We opened up a store on Crunchhall Boulevard in the middle of South Central, two blocks away from them she hustle storey open them on Crunchshaw. Okay, my store is forty three twelve Crunchhaw Boulevard in the Merk Park. And we didn't know what we were doing, but we just
want a mission to succeed. You had a dream, Yeah, and failure was not an option, you know, like we never thought about failure. We never thought this was not gonna work. So the first music artists that we met out here was Easy E, Doctor Dre at the Palladium in Holly. We met them and they were so receptive to everything we're doing. They were like, they want to rock out. Clothing was anyway, Yeah, yeah, it was new
and it was different. So hip hop to me at the time didn't have any clothing brands that was representing that culture. We were that brand to represent the hip hop culture. No other clothing companies didn't embrace hip hop. They never thought hip hop was even going to last. Matter of fact, a lot of design it was. Yeah, they didn't eve want hip hop artists in their clothing. They thought that it would have whatever. Ye of course, But I embraced what we knew and I embrace that's
who you were, That's who we were. We were just we were built from the cloth these other kids are built from. We all grew up insecurities. We all were scared. We didn't know what we were doing, but we know we wanted to succeed. We know, we didn't want to go back to where we came from. I didn't want to go back to the hood because there's nothing back there, of course, and.
That's the respect of the entrepreneurship.
I feel like, as we all know where it comes from, it stems from and there's no other way but winning.
We're not taking anything else. We're going up.
It's winning. But you know what's really crazy about it. I realized that that thought of me being demoralized with those guys making fun of me of the clothing is what pushed me to never want to feel that film again. So when I decided did I want to build a business, failure was not going to happen. Of course, I thought, pat it to that, so.
We because you're investing in yourself at that time.
Yeah, and you know, the key about Alexis was was double no thought. I didn't think about how I felt. I knew we had to move forward and gets stinc done. So as we went through easy the first big artist that we got to do a clothing campaign was Puffy
p diddykay back in nineteen ninety one. He did my first clothing ad for me and we launched it in five magazine, No Sorry, Source Magazine nineteen ninety two, Carl Kinni the first ad and source Pdy White Baggy called can I sagged with the red shorts and fresh to death, and this whole look was totally new to all the kids on the streets. Everybody wanted this look that we were doing the originally the streetwear, so he kind of set it off for us and like from there it
went from Puffy Tupac, Biggie Nas, Jay z Emine. They're just rolling and rolling and rolling roll. The craziest thing we got Michael Jackson to wear my clothing in nineteen ninety five, the only time Michael Jackson wore streetwear, it was called can I and Jordan these moments. I didn't realize how big these moments were in the process, not to reflect back to.
Those days, you can understand that I'm realizing how big that was.
Each moment was.
You know, I'm in a moment in my life where you know, I was on a fast track to my business and I was really successful in my business, and like I said, I have no qualms of anything members But you didn't really realize and appreciate certain moments in your life because you're just in it until you really have time to set back and like reflect on those things.
Do you were?
Like, man, that's a big deal to a lot of people would never have those like monumental moments. But like Michael Jackson wearing the Only Street Where at that time for Karl and I like, that's an amazing monumental moment. Like not anybody can say that, obviously being the first time, but like, how did that make you feel after you reflected knowing that?
How did that make you feel?
Think about it? The King of pop who he is? Where my brand? Like I just know, like life's about destiny and goals. You gotta follow your dreams. And sometimes I think that the roll to the top sometimes could be perceived it'd be so lonely. Of course, not everybody's gonna get your vision. And I've lost I'm not going to say the word is lost, but I've disco connected with a lot of friends on the world to the top where I'm going because I knew I was on
a mission. My goal is always I have a pivotal point when I get to I'm going to get there no matter what. If you want to join me on this journey, Come join me. I respect Nah, I never say cut nobody off. You know what I say? Time out for sure, mental timeout.
I al would say like I can lead a horse to water, but I can't force you to drink it. It's one of those things, you know, I want everyone to win. If you're on my camp, I want us all to eat. And it's one of those things. But there's certain times that you really realize in certain situations
who's really there for you and who's not. So you know, unfortunately, if you've got to be going to time out or not, you may reflect a little bit differently, but you know, it doesn't make you lesser any more important than you were a pivotal point in your life.
Focus focus, focus, care less, do more, keep your emotions intact, stay on your goals. That's always been a model. And I realized that you're mental and your physical, all those things all coincide together for success because success is not meant for everybody. Of course, you know what I'm saying.
People are envious enough to that they want it and they think that it looks so easy, but it's not as easy as people want it to be. And the people that I feel like yourself. You've been such here for so long that you're a testament to that. Whole saying is that you've put in the work, you're still here, you're still relevant, and that you know it's a big testament to the relevant world from being where it is today to ten years ago, twenty years ago, so much so.
And I feel like once you get to the point in your life we accept each moment except everything is all good, and if it doesn't go your way, it's just not meant to be. And that's kind of what's been driving us to continue on our path to success where we're going, and we've been very successful throughout the years. We had so many bumps and bruises in the road, and each bumps and bruises you learn from that. You just got growth. Of course, it's all part of the game,
you know what. I realized something like I have this model. Once you go through a hiccup or something on your journey doesn't go your way, my mental is charged to the game because there's another options. In fact, you chose the role to be an entrepreneur, right, but there's other options. You know, what you could do. McDonald's is high.
Thank you. I always use that one first check.
I always like, I'm glad that they didn't working nine to five because I could do that. So there's certain try and tribulations. Even though it could be my worst day, it's not someone else's worst day. So you have to like put in perspective. But it doesn't mean that it doesn't mean that your worst day is bad or not unwarranted,
because we're all humans and have our own feelings. But at the same time, you have to like kind of almost sit back and be like, okay, like the blessings of what we have and everything is like you have to like put in perspective. But yeah, that's that's a
hard one to do with. So let me ask you this, like with the whole like evolution of like where you know you started a long time ago with the whole business and where you're relevant still today, is how do you feel about the brand the new brands of like the fashion novas, the pretty little things like all these brands of like coming up and like doing not really creating, but putting merchandise out for everyone to.
Be a part of.
Yeah, you know again, life is about acceptance, and you've got to accept where things are going of course in a minute you don't accept it, that means it's stress on you because you don't have the power to change them. And mentum more things are.
Going or what the world is meant to be, and and you know see with social media, iPhones and all these things that we never knew we could do ten even five years ago.
It's a deep process. Even like when we came out, I'm sure a lot of other designers didn't want Street We're out there. Sure it took away from what they were doing, but they had the final way to accept it. So when just these fashion brand started coming out of the fashion over, its pretty little things and all them, I started seeing it and I'm seeing how they are capturing a young generation of people with a different mentality
of thinking. And if you don't have the young generation where in your brand you.
Can exactly you got to get in with the times.
So being from the streets, coming from Crumb where I'm from, realize that you got to associate with people who got a movement that you may not have. So what did I do. We did a collaboration, a pretty little thing, and it was a very common knowledge collaboration. We both wanted something from each other. They wanted legitimacy from streetwear, legitimacy to their brand and guess so we wanted we want that social media infam.
And the new generation of wearing.
Exactly which what they had. It's a game changer right there. It changed our game. So we did a collaboration last year. It launched on my birthday. We signed Tianna Taylor. We had billboards of Times Square three billboards, we had billboards, TV commercials. London, Europe isn't. Yeah, well it introduced my brand. This whole generation of kids, they all want to be cool, they all want to be street they all love tupap, they all want to be part of the culture. Didn't
know how to do it. Pretty little thing introduced my brand to that culture. Yeah, so it was like a wind wind for both companies.
Of course, because again at this point you have to you know, you either have to revamp yourself to it. Like like you said, if the new generation's not wearing your thing, then they're not gonna buy it. So if you're not gonna be relevant to what's now, so if you have to change with the times. And I think that was like an amazing thing, especially using someone as big as Yanna like it was a great thing. Like
people wanted to see what she was wearing. She looked hot, she looked good, like you know what I mean, Like it was the color everything it was.
Yeah, it was the right moment for sure.
It was the right moment for hip hop, was right moment for the culture. And life's about adjustment. Accepting adjustment changes to your life and your business, and you can learn to be more successful for the future. Don't get caught up on how things used to be because no one cares. No.
It's like the old school, like quarterback like I used to do, like I had five touchdowns again, and no one cares about the what incut of whatever. It's about what are you doing now? What is your current constant whatever going on? So what are you doing now currently?
You know, We've been so blessed. We just celebrate our thirty year anniversary this year.
Congratulations, Thank you so much.
And our brand is the number one streetwear brand in Europe, with the number three selling brand in foot locker Europe. They have fourteen hundred stores calalk Nize NOWS and a thousand stores, so it's ninety Adidas's number three selling brand in Europe. What we have. The advantage we have is that we outgrown generations. We have parents who grew up on our clothing. Now we have their kids who to be a part of the nineties culture. All they do see images of it. They don't know anything about it.
They want to represent the culture. You know what they do now? Kids are smart. They do their research. Yeah, they see who was popular in what.
They were wearing, and that was great about what you put your name on it, so you put it exactly on it. You didn't have to like have a label on the back. It was right in front of your face and bowl.
So there's no other brand that could show you Michael Jackson, Eliyah, Tupac, Biggie jay Z, Puffy Nas all in one brand, no one else but Carl Cano. Because it wasn't about Carl's about the culture back then, what was real, what was what was in the culture. So that's why brand resonates to this day. And Tupac plays a huge role. He's like a household name. He's the icon of hip hop. And I have over two hundred pitches of him wearing my brand, no paid endorsement. He wore it because it's real.
So you said, you've said Tupac twice now in this segment. What iconic role has he? Did he play a part in your life? After him pushing your brand without no endorsement and all of that, that's a big thing because obviously he believed in you your brand. Did you guys have a friendship? Like where did that go? Because that's that's a big thing, you know. I mean, Tubac is everyone
loves him, everybody you know to this day. You know, regardless if you knew him or not, he's still very treating a lot of people's hearts.
Our relationship is really different.
He's a Gemini also, Gemini's in the house. I love my geminis very.
Weird relationship, you know, like he's aware about Culton all the time. So I really want to meet him. So we set up a meeting at the Hotel Nico, which is now a SLS hotel in Losianica. Okay, So I go to this room the first time he's every meeting right, and knock on the door. He says, come in. We walk in and he's like on a computer or a laptop. He's typing a scripture movie and he's talking to me. Were talking about black culture, hip hop, black panthers, you know,
his whole life. One weird thing though he never looked at me in my eyes, he never looked up and looked at me. But he's talking to me, he said Gemini thing, yeah to each other.
I feel that because I know because I'm like you.
Like, even though you're comfortable, you're still in the awareness mode. But you're like, you know, if I'm talking to you and I'm being this in depth, that means you should know. I'm comfortable, but you may not unless you're a Gemini, but I'm comfortable. Are two sides play a lot of things, you know what I wouldn't I wouldn't give up being a Gemini more than anything in the world.
You know.
It's one of those things that you know. So I know, it's like people say like, oh, what are you and they're like Gemini, like, oh, I'm like you know what, Yeah.
That's what I am.
And then I add I'm a Puerto Rican too, and they're like, oh, okay, even more so I am.
I'm pretty.
Where do you think that big body came from a baby?
Okay? Okay?
The things you find out a private talk podcast, you know what I mean?
Texas.
That's right, guys, you better subscribe like this channel private talk podcast.
You better do it.
We're here with Kyle Karan and we're having an amazing time. I feel like we're getting more comfortable as we speak. So he let me hear more.
So he knocked on the door. He wasn't looking in the eye, but he was.
You were vibing him though, because you still kept talking, because you're just like you were still wondering though, like why aren't you looking in the eye.
Yeah, so you as a Gemini.
Know, Oh there's more to the story though.
Please tell me so feel private, you'll come open.
Blunt after blunt.
I like this already, all right, maybe I should light this up right now, let's do it in honor. Let's let's stet it up and then it's like, I'll just use the candle.
I'm sorry. He never passed the blunt.
Though I didn't play baseball, he didn't pass the blunt.
No, he didn't.
As a girl, that means something way different for dudes. So why didn't he pass the blunt?
Because he was in his zona what he was doing. Maybe he didn't know if I smoked.
Because guys were just like well, ware of your mouth, and I'm like, come on now, shretch your mouth, like, come on now.
I think he's enjoying the moment.
So like, did you say a puff puff? Pass intimidated? You didn't know at all.
So my purpose of going with too, I want to meet him, but I also want to talk about doing a clothing advertisement of clothing campaigns. For me, I didn't feel the moment of accent. I remember room service came and knocked on the door deliver some food.
Do you remember what the rooms with the many what was on the menu that night? It was chicken chicken fingers, it was was there a ranch? Was podcast?
No mustard? It was definitely some fries there. But the key with the room service guy had a towel around his space coming to the room with someone smoke in the room.
Oh god, right, they didn't tell he was that cool that they didn't kick him out.
Back then it was different though, fat there was there was tupac in the room, right, So I was like okay. So after the guy came in, I was like, here's my opportunity. I was like, your plock, how much did you charge me to do an ad?
How many shots did you have at this time, no shows. No, so you just did it okay because you said that you were nervous.
She didn't know it nervous.
After room saving, I was like, okay, let me ask him that.
Okay, shoot your shot.
Yeah. So he got really quiet. He said anything. It felt like an hour. He was like, yo, I ain't gonna charge you nothing. I ain't gonna charge you anything. You black. I don't charge on people for nothing. And the man kept his word. Two weeks later he was in New York. We did a photo shoot, his most iconic photo shoot we've ever done in life. Once asking that question that kind of broke the ice.
That's awesome though, That's like it was organic and that most.
People aren't true on your words.
So for you to keep doing that and for you to like as much as he wrapped your brand and like push it or whatever, it's like, that's so much belief in like loving what you did is like it.
Was crazy, very respectful. Denny goes like this, He's like, hold on, I want one thing. I was like, here you go.
I want to hoodie here he go. That's what I would say.
He's like, I want you to put thug life and some of the adds with me his crew. I was like, that's it, that's it, And then Danny changed the Gemini came out.
He's like, yo, so you said that's it, So now I know there's a there's a segue into something that I have more.
Then he goes, yo, I want to just add. Denny started creative directoring. He says, yo, I want to add. I want to be on top of a bastball rim in manhat with no showed on, with your sweatpants on.
Fly.
Everything he said happened, every single thing he said.
But like you said before, it's got It's one of those things that you didn't know at the time, but it was already set in motion for the first time you met him. If it was inspirational, it was whatever from both times. Because creatives and most especially geminis, like when you put people in a room geminized like people are again like as much as they're like geminis, they love us because they love us because we could be the best of both worlds one thousand. We can adapt
any situation, but we're creatives. We're very creative in a lot of things where it's like sometimes it takes another Gemini to pull something out of us. But when we're together and that magnetic thing, it's like there's no stopping it. And it's like, you know, like you don't you don't look back. You know, you don't look back at all at all. Like that's an amazing Like that's not many people can have that. You know, that story. So again,
that blunt is for you, Tupop. So I have a question for you, if you could give advice to the young Karl Kanai, what would it be?
The only thing I know is my life and how I did things, And I can't speak towards how other people became successful because I don't know how that road works. I know how my road works. My work works is hard work, dedication, focus, focus, focused, focus. Every night before I would have been think about success and successful. What scares me every morning to wake up early? Like I don't. I admire people sometimes they could sleep to twelve, one, two,
two o'clock. I don't know how to do it, like brow Sometimes I wish I could do that, but you don't.
I think you really don't know you do. But on the other side of what do you would do it? For two days? You're like, oh, you're like, you're driving yourself crazy.
Trust me, but I feel like you got to be scared of something in life to keep you going. You gotta fear something, something has to keep you motivated, complacive, you know what I'm saying. So Like, I feel like hard work and focus what keeps me driven every day. And I will not fail for nothing. My model is I rather die before I fail. I feel like you're on this earth for a purpose. In fact, I'm not on this earth to fail. I'm not honest worth to suffer.
And if you think like it's okay to be suffering, to be down, shame on you, because why do you think, like why should somebody else have something that you don't have?
I agree with that.
Nothing in life is given to you. If you're putting all the work, you fucking focus, you're working hard, dooin these things, you deserve success. If you don't feel you deserve it, then what do you feel for yourself? Like, don't succumb to other shit, succumb to the best. So that's why I was with my motto, and I don't like dealing no bullshit. I should just focused. So am I bad? In my worst times? We always found a
way to find another route to be successful. And then once you think like that, you'll find a way and keeping good energy and people around you will help you get to that point a lot closer.
I like that. So your current situation right now?
So are you single, married? What is your current relationship status? Where are you at with that?
Got two kids? Okay, I'm single focused. You know, having two kids is great. Then Mom, we grew up in the same projects. We just grew apart. You know, it is what it is. But we're two great kids and it happened and they're successful.
What they do, it's respectful co parenting.
Yeah, you know, we try. She's a Scorpio, so it's a little difficult for me.
What does that mean for our listeners for the Private Talk podcast? What does scorpio? What does that mean for people?
I just feel like sometimes Scorpio people like maybe like it's like no negotiating with them once they don't agree with you on certain thoughts and stuff like that. So you got to find about very seven Yeah somewhat. And it doesn't mean that I'm right. It just means that does connect right with my energy because everyone feels that they're right in their feelings. Of course, anyone to tell someone they're not right how you feel, because no one
could tell me Carul. You know, you shouldn't feel that way about especially in.
A time right now where it's like everybody's right. There's a lot of there's a lot.
Of things where it's like people are questioning everything in the world. So it's just very up in the air. So again, everybody's feelings obviously matter, Yeah, but it's how you approach the situation and like how you are tactful about it. I mean, obviously you can't be a dick about certain things regardless of bit with it.
So with the respect of it, like is it with co.
Parenting, acceptance, acceptance on what things are I once to accept things that you can be able to move forward in the pods and manner, because that's what life is about, moving forward. Everything is not going to be exactly what you want, but you can show change things if you have a different mentality about things, and that's how I move forward. So yeah, so.
That's my current situation, okay, and.
I'm happy about it and I'm cool about where things are right now, all right.
I have a question, just like inspiring minds wants to know. So, like in your heyday and even currently, like, did you ever have to deal with like fashion groupies?
Is that like a thing?
Is it like people waiting at your doors at like certain things like fashion events? Is it like something like dming you? It's like people like how do you deal with that? How does that happen? Does it happen?
Tell Private Talk podcast what that's all about?
I think, like for me, like it's always like dealing with models and stuff like that.
Is it because they're wanting to wear your clothes for free? Is it because they want to model for you? Is it just because in general of who you are, you're deman it like in what aspect? Because again, even with myself, like I've gotten hit up in the DMS several times, But does it mean that they want me? They want a persona of me, They want Alexis Texas of what that persona is. And I'm going to tell you I'm
not that persona. Like I've talked back and I'm not very nice a lot of the times, but you know when I'm a great person. But you know what I mean that I'm saying. So, how do you like just like describe that?
Yeah, I think, you know, in my younger days, it was very fun because you know, we all love attentions design.
And that's like posts like social media day, so nobody was like paying attention to what you were doing. You had like to develop film like at a like you know, twenty four hour Place if you were lucky, or like a like just like hard film, role clear like something or Polaroid. You know, nothing came out really great, so no one knew.
What you were doing Polaris. Yeah, I think, like you know, when you young coming up, like, yeah, we all want attention to ourselves and we will embrace that. And I feel like a lot of girls want to be part of the culture, don't want to be the freature models and stuff. But as you get older, you get wise, you feel realize all those things is bubble gump. Of course, they just want opportunities and you gotta gauge yourself on.
But you also have to like dabble in the morning opportunities because I myself get bored at certain things and I want to be entertained, So you have to be entertained by that as well.
Yeah, but you know, like with me, I'm so fickle on who I want to be with and girls that I want to really ultimately.
It doesn't necessarily they want to be with them, but to be entertained by them.
Yeah, you know, it's.
Just that's the groupy nature of things is like, you know, being around people and not necessarily.
Doing anything, but just being in the mix in the moment. You know.
Yeah, it was fun. You know black doesn't. It was very fun. We had a great time. It's very inspirational. You know. The funny thing about me, no matter how much we hung out, how many girls who have been around always up at six o'clock and the next morning and guess what focused on?
Because it was always about work. Yeah, regardless of the fun behalf like good night before and I respect that. That's that means you're a true entrepreneur. And then didn't regardless of what the the vice was or whatever, if it was girls partying, whatever, you still got up and you did.
Carl, Can I.
Me and my home boys used to work for me like we used to. I have this thing. We used to go out and get drunk and go back to my house and party all night.
Can I ask you what was your alcohol at that point? Is it still currently?
The same thing.
Oh no, like back then we're doing like E. J.
Brandy, Oh shoot, and like all that, like the accessible things.
The Hennessy, and back then we were drinking and drying.
I mean, so that means you're doing a lot of not great things. Choices, life choices probably were very.
Blurry that we should crash a lot of cars and do all the crazy shit. But the weird thing again.
We do not for drunk driving here at private podcast.
This is a long time ago before all these things still days.
But again, no matter what comes six o'clock, refocused.
And that's that's the most respectful thing.
But because to me is again is why obviously who you are today and why you're still obviously relevant and still current. Even as you said, it's like you even doing the pretty little things thing like collab. People knew who you were, but you revamping your thing is it's very more modern of like what the current people are doing. It's evolved with the changes, and it's like I love it,
like you know, like I where your stuff. I've did it before, and it just it's it's very so you're still your brand and still just very much to you. So it's very unique that you can still be in the business as long as you have and still be true to your car can I bran.
Absolutely, because you know what you can't from where you are. We've always stayed true to take it in the street where and I know for a fact what's separate my brand from everybody else's history. But no one could replace history. There's one thing that money came by. It came by legacy, exactly by history. Money could never how much MOE you have, you can never perpetrate that you were here in the nineties. You can never perpetrate you did these things.
Now what time time is? I mean, you can't replace it unforgiven.
So my point time is the time that we put in there is benefits to this day because history is everything for sure.
And that's one thing. What I like, what I gravitated to what.
You said earlier was like you at the moments of when you were your highest peaks, you almost didn't really realize how high those peaks were until you maybe sat back a little bit and realize what those peaks were.
Because myself in my business, like I feel like I'm almost more reaping the benefits now of me sitting back and like enjoying your legacy, your brand and all those things and so those things is like it's just very satisfying to know that you're still like you've done so many monumental things that people could never even replace, like the Michael Jackson thing, Like there's so many stories, the Tupac thing, like that's amazing. And again, I appreciate you being here on the Private Talk podcast.
You're amazing. I appreciate you. Last question that.
I have currently right now, who do you think is the best stressed male and female artists in the industry at this current moment?
Wow? Okay. I think in terms of females, like have a class, keep its sexy, keep it.
Again, this is your your your taste, your genre, your whatever you want it to be.
I think like any girl that I think is dope, who's always fashioned forward, who pushes to the limit, And this is someone who added to it's more of an obvious more than just clothing. Everything is a package.
Of course.
Well for me, I think that that's what makes it all come together is because it's a whole.
Like yeah, it gotta like hands down respect she does.
That's my girl crush forever in life.
What people think what they say. She does what she wants, she wants, she shows up what she wants, she does the album what she wants, she does whatever she wants, and she steps out. Everyone still cares who she who she.
Is, what she's wearing, what.
She's learned the game about pacing your time. Don't go and give people what they want, give it to when you're ready to give them what they want.
She has mass your worth.
And control your destiny. She's been a mass I love that and longevity. She'll be around forever.
She's honestly, like I said, I don't just say that she's my girl crush number one.
Love her hands downs and males.
You know, I would say Travis Scott is going to be a type of dude between his music and his fashion and where he's going, and I love about it the most. He doesn't do interviews. You don't really know Travis Scott. You don't know how he really talks interview.
Just what he gives you.
What he does, he gives you just enough.
So you used to like the vulnerability of like being an artist and not giving too much away because again, like social media and all these like new platforms gives you that whole, Like you could give everything away if you wanted to, but like holding back a little bit more I feel like makes your artistry more intriguing and makes you still sell albums, sell concert tickets, sell all these things that are what people are striving for.
This important model that we live by. It's like people always want what they can't get, what they understand, what they don't understand. Once somebody figures you out, and then what you think and what you wear, you're not interested anymore. Of course I don't want you anymore. Like it's just the way how things work.
It becomes boring, it becomes not interesting, it becomes just like you expected.
You got to put the normal limit only talk. Well, you got something going on, You've got shit going on, Shut the fuck up, chill out and go make a new album, make a new clothing collection, go through something to revel to. It's the culture moving forward. Sometimes people are so afraid of not being in a limelight. They don't know what it is that people. Sometimes you got to take a step back to move forward.
I agree with that.
Yeah, So here at the Private Talk podcast, we like to push the envelope a little bit, but not all the way but a little bit.
So the last segment that.
We have is we have a game that we play and it's basically going to be a game with the Lexus Texas and you're going to pick a card, and whatever card that you get, based off of what simple you get, I'm going to ask you a question and you have to get a little bit more naughtier with Miss Texas. So here in Private Talk with Miss Texas, we're going to get to this game and see what Carl's questions answers are all about. So I'm going to
shovele these cards. You're going to play with me, and you're going to get a little bit more intimate with Miss Texas.
Are you ready, Carl?
I'm so ready?
Are you ready? Are you sure you're ready? I don't know. You didn't sound too ready about that.
No, No, I'm good. All in all right, Brooklyn stuff.
Oh all right, my family's from the Bronx. We'll do it, pick one one at a time. There you go, all right, what it is it? What kind of ace of diamonds?
Diamonds? All right, so diamonds is my spicy question.
So here at the Private Talk podcast, we want to know where's the craziest place you've had sex?
Wow, I would say it was at Respeech Respeech in Cony Brooklyn, New York.
Okay, how old, let's ut the mood.
I was seventeen years old and I had a bmw oh, and we joke to the beach, get me nowhere else to go?
Did you do on top of the hood of the car?
No, we didn't stand by the be She was actually pretty cool.
Were there people there?
It was not in night time, so no one really was around. We didn't have many blankets or anything like that, so you got a lot of sand all over yourself. It didn't really work out the way I wanted to work out.
What we got to there was sand though sand never goes. Sand is never a good situation because you're finding it like weeks.
Later exactly, And that's kind of what got me caught out there. My girlfriend at the time sold the stand in my car and explained, how oh.
So there was another girl and it wasn't your girlfriend.
No, it wasn't my girlfriend. My little situations at that time, so you know, when you're young, you do things like that. So I thought it was pretty interesting because it was kind of out and open on the sand and the beach of at night, romantic of you. Yeah, it was cool though.
I like it. It was good, but you got romantic sex and.
Yeah, she's pretty spontaneous, so it happened that way for me.
I'd like your honesty. Yeah, are you ready for more? Because I'm ready for more. That was just like open. That was like the prey of the Pandora. But like you pry that thing open. I've had a crowbart. Everything is bigger in Texes. Don't you be afraid to go?
Let's get what do we have?
What do you have? Asus? What this clubs? Ace of clubs, clubs, clubs, clubs?
All right, clubs is kinky. It's a kinky question. How kinky can you get?
I did get kinky on occasions? Yeah?
Have you ever been attracted to your partner's best friend?
Wow?
Current present, past Private talk podcast with a Lexus Texas once to know.
It has happened. Yes, that has happened.
I never got on numerous occasions.
No, on a few, okay, because you know what it is like starts with two girl and like her girlfriends.
Come over, but you're like, damn, I wasted on her, and you're like her friend was way hotter, or like.
A situation some times when another girl comes around and she she's like vulnerable and she was like just being really openess to her feeling.
You like the vulnerability and a girl, Yeah you know what I mean. So that kind of that kind of gem I see you.
But then when you realize, you realize that they're just being like that. Cool. Now, when you really have the girl, then you may put all the issues on yourself, you know. Trying to say so, like at the time, it was really cool, it was very entertaining. So yeah, at the times, but.
It never happened. It never followed through or maybe once or twice.
Maybe once maybe on's okay, once is okay, okay once when you're younger, you got to give a pass. I don't know better.
I'm just kidding. I really liked it. I'll give you a very well.
I like the honesty because I will be honest, I don't think it's ever happened to me, only because like I don't know, I've also in my whole twenties with the adult entertainment industry, so if ful filled every fantasy ever had, so.
It was really like different for me. So but prior to.
I went to school with all these people, so I didn't really like anybody that was like somebody's friend, and it was just kind of weird.
So I never had that. Yeah, but I'm.
Different because I went and did porn in my twenties. So you know, I'm just different from you. You wanted fashion, I did porn. Two different walks of life. But we're still the same Gemini on.
Some levels, I felt be comforting.
Maybe, Oh so you feel bad for her?
Oh you're so your Captain save a ho you have a cape exactly. Oh so the other part of your Gemini is you're saving the.
World is one at a time?
Yeah?
I like that, Carl. Can you make a cape line for your fashion line?
Maybe you should have capes and it should be like Captain Save a alexis.
The world we're saving one ho at a time.
We'll give like one away for each like charity of a profitable thing, you know, one thought at a time, one for free for every thoughty moment.
I don't really know. We'll come up as it comfortable. All right, we got we got two more cards.
We got here, we go, Ok, you got that, you got that, you're comfortable with me.
Ace, you got my ace?
Yes, we got for you.
Hmm, got what you got?
What you got got the ace of hearts?
Do you all right? I want to know.
What it's the longest amount of time that you've gone without sex?
Why do you say it so?
Like?
Why do you laugh like it?
Like?
This is the thing people who know Gemini is when you laugh like that, that's usually not really a great thing afterwards, because it like comes with a plot of.
Something, and and also people don't know to reach your story because I want you to say it.
But Gemini are very more like Gemini women when it comes to like feminine male traits of like acting on those things.
But that's why I know you more than you think I know you.
Car that's just scary.
Don't be scared. We're in a private situation. Private talk is about an intimate conversation.
Feel free with Miss Texas. I won't bite you.
I got you. I got you. So the longest time, I will say, I would say it's probably two weeks.
Two weeks.
Yeah.
Why do you feel like that was like an eternity? I feel like that was like pulling teeth.
From me because I was an overseas trip in India.
You sounded was such like a child like, oh, because my mother didn't give me something.
Because India, in the huts, we were like living and working in factories.
There was nothing there, so there was no Indian vagina.
No, I do have a funny story about that.
Please tell me. I want to know.
So we did go back to the hotel one night, of course.
Because I'll do when we're in India. There's nothing else.
One of my friends homies from New York Brooklyn, named Harry. He worked for Harry, he works for the city, but he's my best friends. He used to take time off just to travel me because we had always had fun. Right, he was really backed up in India. He's backed them before he got to India.
What does that mean? So he didn't have sexual relations for a very long time.
Even before he got to India. So he's really backed up in India.
So yeah, so we.
Found a guy down on this true story li to you not. We found the guy.
They're not lied to me, that's some New York ship. Lied to you not.
We found Lobby and we totally My mayor Harry got hooked up. He found a guy who brought his two daughters to the hotel room.
Oh my god.
His father in India has two daughters. So Harry, he said, he wants both of the daughters as he should.
As he should, but that's up as a father.
Well in India, things happened, Okay, obviously we brought them there and Harry the best time is life, and I said, and we and we had a flight to catch.
Did you watch, Harry?
Were you a cuckold in this situation or were you just like you let Harry do his thing.
You had a flight to catch. You know what a cut is that?
Okay, let me educate you.
So cut called me. Maybe he did this with Harry. You don't even know a cut called means that you were like, you had nothing to do with this sexual encounter, but you watched in the same room.
I wasn't really watching his mouth pack him because we had to catch a flight.
But what happened was what happened was you're very precise about this, please.
It happened in real time. Harry did what he had to do, had a great time.
He had sexual relationship with twins or two.
The dad was happy. They got we got paid.
He paid a year.
So it's really interesting. It was really fun to see Harry still relax on his trap trip back home. We had to stay with Harry married. Harry is a single guy, single dude. He went relaxed, such a happy man. That made Harry such a He was a really good guy, good friend though. That got a lot.
To me to know that's a good friend because I do that stuff too. Is like, I don't reap the benefits of what Alexis Texas brings sometimes, but my friends do because I'm like, I would rather them like be happy than me. And I've I mean, I've done a lot. I mean I'm satisfied in life, so like I'd rather them like be happy. So it's yeah, it's satisfying that way. So yeah, Harry is very he should be very happy. To this day, he still talk to Harry. I still talk to Harry, my boy, does he still.
Talk about this story? And that means you know it's real, because if you talk about to this day, that means it was fun.
It was real. We had a good time. He was like he he released himself. He became a new person. He had pimples before you.
I like how you say it, so like nonchalantly he released himself.
Because honestly, he had like pimples on a chip before he came on his face and.
Let my podcast people like know the private Time with the lex of Texas. We need to know what pimples are, where they are, what's going on you?
A lot of things happened in the new age.
He was backed up, but he's cool now, so he's my homemideing. He's a dog and a good time so it's good, all right.
My favorite card we got?
Wow, hey's the spades used to be a good one, I'm sure.
So Spades here at prior Talk Podcast with a Lexus Taxes is my favorite card because it's just like my booty but different. So I want to know your weirdest sexual experience.
Weird is sexual experience? Yeah, let me say weirdest like it is that like the time I had the most fun or something the most.
Well touche to me, weird can mean something different to my podcastless listeners here, which you guys should also be subscribing and liking right now as the private podcast Talk with a Lexus Taxes. But it's up to you, so it's your discretion. Your weirdest moment if you think it's good or bad. Weird to me would be maybe like a little bit good but a little bit weird. But you still went with it, and so it was good at the end. But you know, it maybe have been
a little bit trouble. You know, you're a Gemini. I know, I just saw that look kind of something happened.
Weird.
Carl Well feel free Thomas Texas with them a lot.
Of weird situations. But I would say the most enlightened situation was there was a time that we're in a hotel and a lot of windows in the hotel surrounding the room, and people sort of could see in the room, kind of the voyeurs.
Yeah, how many people? Was it just you and one other person? Sorry, my prefted mind is going somewhere else.
Well, it was. It was more than two.
So it's I mean three and you.
Two plus one the three, okay, four as a crowd. Three is good. And I thought it was interesting was that the windows kind of gave it the feeling like other people could see what's going on.
They can because I've been the one in the window looking.
And that was because I felt sort of vulnerable at the moment, because I felt.
Like they could see you.
Yeah, so you didn't know if they were looking or they were, but you felt you were naked.
Yeah, you kind of made yourself come out of there. But I think what maybe more of the last This was before the era of social media and camera phones and things like that, but it kind of just made you a little bit more exciting about what was going on. Everyone was called it down with it, so I thought it was pretty cool. It was something that I would want to do again for sure. Windows exciting, Yah, windows open, windows make it exciting.
I have ado.
It was exciting.
It was exciting.
Yeah, what made it exciting?
It was exciting for the fact that