INTERVIEW: Mike Epps On 'Old Head' Status, "Last Friday" Movie, Touring New Material + More

Wake that ass up in the morning.

Breakfast Club Morning.

Everybody is the j Envy Jess, Hilarys, Charlamagne, the God. We are the breakfast Club law on the Rosa Philiny for just we got a special guests in.

The belt of a legend. God damn it, brother, Mike. I'm serious, Mike, I don't want them introducing you no more if they ain't putting legends on your motherfucking egge. Well we got the legends.

Hold.

You got to get to be a legend.

Yeah, you got. I'm getting there.

I don't think it's about age, It's about what you've done in the game. But you've done yet.

Yeah, thanks, man, I appreciate. I appreciate that, you know, compliment.

You don't feel like legendary status, so you don't feel it like I paved the way like I'm here.

Yeah, yeah, I mean, you know, I try to use those words, you know, the right way, legend and all of that stuff. But I do feel like, you know, I put a lot of young comics on. You know, they don't they don't give me no problems for it, though they act like they don't know me after they get on.

But Mike, he always supported us early on. He actually did our first skit with the Breakfast Club. Remember the first kid that was the first kit was with with you and you did.

That for us.

And he used to put money in my pocket because you used to do the April Fools commember. He's always at the garden.

Yeah man, so yeah man, And and it feels good to be able to, you know what I mean, turn on the young comics, put them on, because I was once one at one time. I mean I used to be staying on the stage trying to get on open up for Steve Harvey and uh D l Heagley.

So you know they hate on you.

No okay, no, no, no, no no. They never hated on me, but you could tell though. You know, when you're an older comic or you're an older artist and somebody new come on, you know, it takes time for them to be like, Okay, this dude is cool, you know, or I can work with him. You know, you don't know how a person's gonna turn out.

So I shouldn't even have said hate, because sometimes I think that people don't realize how much of a fraternity comedy is, and they want to see you earn your dudes before.

They they do. That's right, But nowadays it's different.

Man. You know, artists are getting they just do a little quicker than we did. We had to really work for that ship. We had to go hit them stages. And now they got the social media thing, which is good and bad because you're getting opportunities premature of you working for it, so it could be tricky.

Do you respect that or you you you feel like they should get their dudes first to hit them clubs.

Well, I respect the fact that they It's still a hustle, right, I mean, to be able to be on the internet.

I still ain't figured that ship out.

I still ain't figured out how to really get the money off the internet like these young like they on Snapchat and all this shit. I really haven't figured it out. But I respect that because that's the new hustle. But like I said, when it's when it's time for you to get an opportunity and show and prove you ain't really been in the gym.

It's kind of like you you you.

Know, you got you got muscles, but they didn't come from the gym.

But on the flip side, they don't know how to get money on stage. They don't get they don't know how to get money in the TV world. They don't know how to get money in the world.

That's right, and it takes and that that's what I'm saying. This levels to the ship and you got to keep on, you know. And I always say I tell people, man, you know, you might have a lot, you might know a lot, and it's you know, it's somebody looking at you like you don't know ship and have a lot either.

For everybody that got a billion dollars Bill Gates and them they pay that shit in taxes.

They're looking at some black dude like, if you don't get your little point you were right?

Now, do you like going out on tour with so many comedians? Do you enjoy if you do?

Well, you know what envy I I'm hosting this tour. So these are all young comics that's coming up.

He didn't start with me, though, no he didn't.

He's young to me because he you know, he came up after me. But for the most part, all of them are young comics that's trying to get to the next level, which is film and television and whatever that is. But yeah, it's cool man, you know, I'm secure for myself and I'm secure with my comedy act. I go on tour with anybody all today, all day, I tell him, I tell him all. I had Bubba Dove yesterday, just telling him. Man, it's good how you're transitioning. It's good

Act, because that's what happens a lot of times.

A lot of a lot of them blow up. Then they get a movie opportunity and can't act. So why are you doing stand up and you coming up? Go to some acting classes, man, watch movies. Start positioning yourself for it.

I think me and Jess were talking about this before, and I was telling her like like the way that, like even with Martin, he brings her on his like you know, different stages. I think that two way street that you're talking about is really important because they're teaching you while you're teaching them, especially because like I feel like sometimes comedians who come up the way you come up when they shut out like the just hilarious is

And I think for.

You guys and what you do, you're trying to figure out social media. If it doesn't come off well, then fans kind of start to look at you a little differently. You got to battle so many different things because they don't Yeah, it's what's here right now.

So the fact that you're getting that.

On Instagram, like, you can't get around that because you who are to.

Watch about it's not just older?

You know, Listen when you said wasn't young? I looked it up.

I thought he was way younger. He's forty seven.

Was younger?

I thought, was like not too. I thought he was like maybe forty.

He gives young energy.

But I'm saying I just think that it's dope to see people embracing it because they be hating, like a lot of the old his be hating.

And it's crazy because.

What just oldad that word around a lot with that.

Why are you upset about being called older? That's a gift to age and to have what you had.

Not it's just how you said, Well, I don't mean.

I don't mean in no way. What I'm saying to you is is that I know what you mean.

I think it's fire to see you doing it, because a lot of people don't and you're not about it.

A lot of older guys I don't know how to you know, they don't really don't know how to embrace that.

Man.

But like I said, man, that's what we're supposed to do. We got to keep on given, handing it down, handing it down to each other, because I'm gonna be in a position one day I'm gonna need one of the young dudes to.

Put me in.

That's what Red Fox and Eddie Murphy put Red Fox in. He looked out for Red Fox, gave him. Yeah, hell yeah. Now let's get message. What you want to ask me.

Exactly what Kevin hart tigned going to be the entertainment is all for the pacers and fever. You are from Indiana, like you super famous from Indiana, right, and then built the whole community in Indiana. How did that make you feel that they didn't call you for that?

Well, you know what I thought about it.

I was I was the ambassador for the man's uh All Star in Indiana this past All Star.

And keV should have called me if he was in Indianapolis.

Because I definitely called him when I was in Philly, but he didn't answer the phone.

I wanted to call him and say, hey, man, I'm.

Downtown at the Eagles game because I was. We had to show it in Philly, and I was calling him to tell him, Man, I'm downtown Philly. Boy, they're going crazy at the parade. But you know, everybody got they different different things about how they feel. Man.

You know who goes to Indiana. I'm still trying to figure out.

Who the fuck want to go there and do something in Indiana other than myself.

I'm the only fan they got.

Outside outside of the outside of India, outside.

Of what they fans are in that city, you know.

So you know, hey, man, it's it's politics and then and and a lot of times people that are not in a business like people are not in comedy, people are not in the rap game that run entities.

They don't know they think they think me and.

Kevin sitting in the backyard drinking iced tea together, you know what I'm saying. So you really can't get upset about it, but it's.

Enough for everybody, man, you know what I mean.

Kevin, he put it, he put on, He put on enough young comics and people.

So yeah, I didn't get slighted about that. Man. It's cool.

So y'all talking though, the fact that you called him and he was in Philly.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. We me and Kevin talk man. And again, man, I'm everything I do now. I put an age on it, you know what I mean. So I think about it, and I'm like, Nope, you're too old. Nope, you're too old. Nope, you're too too old to talk shit, too old to be broke. I'm too old for all of that, you know what I mean. You just get to a point in your age where you just hey, man, I'm just trying to get what I can get out of it.

And you know, but I know you're gonna reach out for you to do something when he put that together.

Oh yeah, well, well that's what I'm saying.

I was just on the phone with him, telling him that that's what we gotta do.

The white boys do it.

They You already look up, all them white boys be together doing movies and television together. While we can't do it, but we do like the black people do.

Like we love fussing with each other too. That shit is fun.

Who oh shit, I guess it's systematically, you know what I mean. We cannot get away from race, We cannot get away from slavery. It's just keep on. It's just a thin line of that shit still in the community.

Man.

And if you match it up to back end slavery, it's still the same. You know, they used to take one brother, one brother and put some clothes on it and have him sitting on the porch with a lemonade looking at the rest of the dudes out there in the field.

They still doing that ship and we still forgetting it.

It's like, hey, if you standing up there with some clothes on and you got to lemonade in your hand.

And you see them brothers out there in the field, they ain't got nothing. You got to sneak out the house at night, man, to go get them something. Man.

And if you the man, if you the man, you can't be afraid to be standing next to another black man because you scared he gonna get some shit. That's hayten shit too. If you the man and the people the powers that be. It's paying you and making you who you are. If you not and you don't want to stand next to it, that means you don't want the powers to be, to see them, you're trying to you're trying to be you know. That's what I don't like. You know, Iceqbe. I got in the business through ice Cbe.

That they like. Ah, because you can't rub on.

My head and pat me on the ass and dog I don't play none of that ship. So and I think they figured that out. Okay, this is a nigga. We can't do that with not gonna do it with them. So you know, hey, but.

You've had a great career. I mean, the Shaws is killing fifth season, fifth season season.

I swear by that show the love.

I appreciate it. And that came from my idea.

That came from an idea that's about my hometown and loosely based on my life.

You know. So I'm I can't complain. I'm grateful, I'm happy.

I ain't gonna be for nobody you know, you know, ship man, I'm.

Just trying to continue to live on and do what I do. How many kids you got, Michaels h seven.

And you think about it, you think you got some kids out there?

I hope not. You not. You ain't that kind of guy.

I'm glad you know that you ain't.

That kind of guy.

But you're not either, don't.

I'm not.

Now she has a naptime playing what you're talking about.

But but back in the day, keeps.

Up all the smoke went. Just focus over here. I'm trying to keep you in again, good graces. Yes, So don't lean into what he's doing.

You can talk about your old day, old days.

The old days, they old days, slanging it like a pistol, slanging it man. But you know what though, Hey man, if you can survive anything and be there to talk about it, it's it's cash money, that's right.

I don't care what it is. If you survived it, you're standing there talking about it. It's cash money.

That's why we're looking to magic Johnson so heavy now, that's right, that's right Johnson.

Yeah, yeah, and you'll forget sometimes.

You forget that he got. Yeah, you see what I'm saying some.

Of the women probably do too. They probably they forget that you are crazy.

You got a young child too, Yeah, so how was being old head because we all had raising that young child.

Man. I love it. They're giving me life. I gotta, I gotta.

I got a son four years old, and I got a daughter, uh five, and they give me life.

I mean like, and I ain't no old type dude.

I can get him run right now, fast as I want to and do whatever I want to do.

Why are you looking at me when you said that?

You looked at me when you said that that you're not no old dude, no old type dude.

I meant it by like iconic legend ag like you have that.

You have it, you know what I mean?

Like you got that. I didn't mean it like think about it.

You only you fifty four. You gotta five old four years old, So think about that. Steve Harvey sixty eight.

Yeah, Eddie Murphy and his six they look good, going good, like we.

Got to live sixty nine.

I think that's right.

Let it over here too. I didn't mean it that way. I mean so good.

Old her wig looked, mate, she ain't gonna wig on thank you.

I appreciate it. It's growing from the scot you hate her.

Yeah, he just happy because his face surgery is new, so he's still giving one color on the face.

So that's what he What.

The fuck did I just walk into talking about his old face?

Yeah, all tree of y'all, Man, I say, I love that that.

That was my best interview, y'all.

It was only twenty.

I love that interview. It was so hilarious. All tree of y'all. Don't say my name, no mo Yeah, man, I love it.

Man.

But right now I'm on this tour right now, shout out, shout out to be in entertainment.

You done with the mess because I did have some other questions.

Better about a couple of minutes later.

Okay, So thang, the I mentioned all the smoke.

You had to come up with the apology after sitting on all the smoke, and you talked about learning how to finally get to it's white. Yeah, when you said down all all the smoke podcasts with my Barnes, because even you said that you were you wanted to get to a point where you were treating women one hundred percent right or something like that. And I think people took it the wrong way because you've been with your wife for a while. I saw y'all at NAACP Image

No, my wife's a grown ass woman. She's she's she's the truth. My wife is the truth, and she's a grown woman.

She don't pay attention to none of that Patty ship not Patty. She ain't. She ain't no little girl.

So yeah, she can decipe from when I'm saying something that that I might not have meant.

The right way or whatever.

She know when I'm talking ship and when i'm you know, she know me. So I didn't say nothing to really offend nobody, you know, But it is the truth.

It takes me in a long time to get the ship together.

And every woman that's with a man, it's got to be a little bit more patient than we are with them because it takes a while. It takes a while for a man to you know, get her ship together. It's I mean, we we got were fighting up against so much temptation.

It's like, damn, it's like, whoa. You gotta be a.

Certain kind of guy to really survive and navigate through the world.

Charlamae.

We was just talking about Whoopi Goldberg the other day.

Is that what you want?

She looked good last night. She did look good, you know good.

She on the view.

She looked a little a little fluffy, but she looked her skin was right, skin was right. You know, body looked right last night night with compliment, nothing to do it nothing.

Well, let me find out.

But this tour that I'm.

Yeah, because this is what I came to promote, this tour.

This tour we didn't want, we want this tour.

I came to.

Promote this man because we got some young, bad comedians. And if you're in a city and you ain't seen this tour, I mean probably a lot of y'all probably seen wilding out you know them a little.

It's all right, wilding out, you know, don't shock and wilding out.

I'm just saying, they do a tour, but you'll do to Cannon and there they're doing a tour, but we do it. This tour right here is this is the best young comics coming up in the game right now.

How did it become like a staple tour? Because, like I remember, it started a few years ago. Yeah, but like every year since y'all been doing this. So how did it become like a staple tour?

Well, shout out to my man Blake Man promoter out of Chicago. This young brother has been promoting for a long time.

He does a great job.

He started out before I started, Before I came along, he had d Ray. He was doing like d Ray so many other shoes shows in Chicago for New Year's Eve, and they were selling out sometime two and three shows, man, ten twenty thousand people. So when he put this tour together, you know, I came along and like I said, Man, we come on, man. You got Country Wayne, you got Little Duval, you got Corey Holcomb, you got Tony Roberts, you got.

Bubba dubb Manjo.

Man, these tell me any young comics is better than these young dudes.

These young dudes O G is in the now.

Corey is o G. See, I don't think nobody's funnier than a lot of the o G. Like Corey is one of the funniest world to me.

Wrong, Yeah, he gonna say what he want to say, how you want to say it. He don't care. And and and that's the great thing.

We it's a nucleus of young dudes, and we throw in a couple of old guys in there.

But it's still a young, happy hopping tour, you know what I'm saying. So this tour is good. Man. We was in Brooklyn last night.

They messed around and put us today after the fight, so we didn't get the crowd. Last year we did ten thousand people in plays and this year we only did about four thousand.

But you know, the fight. The fight kind of messed us up. But this tour, it was weird.

It was on a Sunday. I didn't even know y'all was in time.

We thought you were coming up here to promote God.

Because I don't even know. I didn't even know I was gonna go.

But then we wasn't gonna go.

Comedy show, Yeah, out all the time show. I was gonna ask, how do you how do you.

Well, what's the worst show that you see? And how do you talk to a comedian about getting booed? The reason I asked Charlamagne toast all the time ain't nothing funny in the comedian being booed.

Right.

Then over the weekend, I happen to turn on and I see a good friend Donelle getting booed. So how do you talk to a comedian after that?

What do you tell them?

Big brother advice?

You know, every show is different, man, you know, but getting booed as a comic, that's a tough one. That's a tough one because it's a reevaluation of who you are and what you do. And don't be no older like Downell, he's too goddamn old to get booed.

Record, I do want to get you a comic.

He was judging, okay, judging, and.

One of them white boy groo and boy wasn't feeling Lord, he didn't gotna know. I was trying to because I ain't texted BT it get mad that you mentioned that right now? He was hoping that with the white people.

Okay, Well, you know what.

Every day is a different day, man, you know what I mean? And some days you're gonna have your jokes are gonna work. I could do a joke one night and it blows. It's kills in Detroit, and then I go to Brooklyn the next night, and it ain't popping, but it's just different energy.

You know, different cities, different energy. But if you do get booed, gotta go reevaluate your self. You gotta go think about some ship that you said and did.

You can't get booed again because that shit all get you kicked out the business.

What's the toughest city to perform?

The toughest city to perform? It used to be New York, but I would say Chicagogo because because everybody's funny, just the average human being out there in Chicago, they funny as hell. And they sitting there looking at you, like what you're gonna say, Joe? You know that's one of them towns.

Is like they come to criticize your ass.

You congratuate your daughter got accepted to the New York University drama.

And why university?

University? How did that make you feel as a father?

Oh?

Man, this is the thing. I didn't graduate from high school. I was in I was a special aired student. And for my daughter to graduate and go to NYU, it's it's a compliment, you know.

And I had to give her mother props as well.

Her mother did a great job with her, But my daughter is running.

Around n y U.

And that's the same place I ran around doing comedy at in the village. I used to sit in that Washington Park and with no money and watch people and people watching.

And now my.

Daughter's running around that same area in college. So man, I'm grateful, and I just thank God that that I was able to raise a child to be able to go get an education.

You know.

So that's what it is. Because he was a special Hell yeah, I had. I was in there for a semester because I felt a class. So I wasn't like I mean, I feel a standing out his test.

But they had me in.

One math class that was specially with a specially. I wasn't in special specially.

No, you was in there, nigga, I don't know what it was there for thirty minutes.

Man, I want.

People, but like you was outside.

With the But special education is not about the short bus. See a lot of people get it twisted. There are kids that are slow learners. They don't know how to learn as fast as other kids.

That's how it was.

I could read a whole book and tell you couldn't tell you what it was, but you got to give them. Kids a break too, because you look look at Elion Musk.

Yeah, this is a dude.

You could damn you could tell he wasn't doing ship in the class room, you know what I mean. But look who he is, look where he's at, and and not to pick them up or to knock them down, but you gotta give people a chance. You don't know what a kid gonna turn out to be. And that's how I am. I mean, man, it's it's so hard to I run into people who treated me like shit, and I still treat them nice because I know they

Because you didn't know.

But that also taught me you treat people who you might not really have it at the time. You gotta treat them good too, because you don't know what the hell is gonna happen.

I don't respect people like that, do I judge people based off how they treat people that can't do nothing for him.

That's right.

So you gotta treat the custodian the same way you treat the CEEO. I don't respect that if I see you talking to Custodia, but you treat the CEEO nice.

Yeah, yeah, yours out of here. Man, this is we are the ones too it man. I'm your host, Mike, and we're gonna be coming to every local city we're going to.

We'll be in Hey, let me help you. Let me help it.

Detroit on the seventh, on the eighth, come on Fairfax on the ninth. Come on March fourteenth, New Orleans, Louisiana. Let's go, fifteenth Alabama, twenty first, Tennessee. Hit him with, twenty second South Carolina, Greenville, twenty third, seven five seven, hem, Come on the twenty eighth, Columbia, South Carolina, Come on twenty ninth, North Carolina, and the thirtieth Charlotte, North Carolina.

You only got a website, man, go get Yeah, we got a website, But that shit he just did it's really gonna work. You got a shout out there. How long Bafors Club been going, Man, it'll be.

Fifteen years this year, fifteen sixteen years.

Do you know the first time I met him, he was working with Wendy William.

Yeah, how was that was?

He sitting on that apple with but he was sitting in the corner quiet.

Really, Yes you was on the show, but you wasn't saying shit, he's on time out.

And then I looked up.

Again and I seen I seen you with. I'm like this dude, that was the dude. That's a show and he ended up with a show.

Be Alas absolutely remember that.

And she had she wasn't even man, it was crazy. So man, I'm proud of y'all than you, brother, I said, I've seen dj MB before he got in the game. I said, just see you just out and about doing ship in New York. I said, man, you guys really came up.

You know, I want to ask you. We had Joquee up here.

Yeah, jack Quee, he said, you know.

What man, Mike Mike Michael front for one second and herself, Queen said, and I told my own believes. He said, you told him he was the next Marvin Gay.

Well, I told him, I said, Jock jack Queeese, I told him.

He could be.

Why you lie to that man like that was it a lie? Yes? Good?

You can't sing to you?

Absolutely, you said he you look at him like Marvin Gay, Like he's like our generation's Marvin Gay.

I think people were.

Like I told him, Michaels hot man, Michael, Mike wanted to make you feel good that day.

Hey man, let me tell you something, man, the man can it's probably some little girl out there that think this niggas Marvin Gay.

And you gotta sometimes.

You have to say, man, I'm I'm I'm about empowering the youth, and I'll tell them that they can be the president, knowing damn well they can't.

You ain't gonna tell none of these little young comedians they can be. They can be.

Richard Bryant, Yeah, told all of.

Them, appreciate you for joining us.

Brother, told them all.

Mike's Club coming this year.

Club.

No, I ain't gonna do no club because I'm still trying to figure out why I'm like.

I told, and I told I was like, I had to sit down.

Up y'all gott to bring some white men on here and grill them. You can't just grill black people. That shit ain't right.

You.

I know we make money off clickbaiting and ship, but clickbait them white folks. Get some of your NFL players that you know was fucked up. Get him on the show because real Cat Williams that ship he did.

It was good, but it was bad. It was it was It was good.

Because we enjoyed it, but damn man, he hurt them dudes feeling saying all that crazy shit. So we got man, we gotta we gotta balance it out, man, Shannon Sharp, if you're listening, get we want to see you interview some of them football players, some of them white football players that was in.

The NFL that was fucked up, just a bouncing I.

Don't know race ship, but you can't just interview black men and let them pour out they all they pain on television, on these on these podcasts. Man, that's some bullshit, you know, because we more than just problems.

We we we everything, man.

We we got talent, you know, we got families, We were entrepreneurs.

We all of that.

So we have to keep shedding the light on the positive part of that. We already they already, we already got enough negative light.

So we want to podcast.

We want to start bringing people on the letter even though you know people don't want to hear that ship.

But man, let's talk about some positive.

Ship on these you know, like Naptown Productions, Naptown production. Got Good American Family that come out on WHLU this Sunday Night Family.

Yeah, I produced the show Good American Family with Ellen Pompeo, another Naptown production. Shout out to my team TC, my man Nile, shout out to Big shout out to my wife, you know, because that's where it starts. You know, before you leave a house, you got to be all the way right. So big shout out. Everybody should give my wife a prize because she's the ones that's getting me to these TV shows.

And you know what I mean.

But I was able to douce that show man and it's all white casts based out of Indianapolis. If you haven't ever seen the movie The Dwarf, that's what it's about about this young girl who played to be an adult, but she was really a kid and they adopted her and she was trying to kill him.

But anyway, has approached you about Last Friday.

He called me the other day, Wow, said we're doing just finished the deal. Oh wow, so we're doing the Last Friday. Man And big shot out to qube Man. That's another brother that has put so many brothers on man. This dude, man, this dude, put so and don't really get the props for it. You know, put me Chris Tucker, Bernie, I mean name him. The dude gave dudes opportunities, and that's what I'm doing on the Upshaws man I got. I just had Scarface on the show acting. I had

We turned. We were turning.

On black men, putting black men in the position where they can feed their family and build legacies.

Have you seen the script for lats right.

I haven't seen the script, but I'm pretty sure it's good. And we're gonna bring in the new comics. We're gonna put the DC young Flies and all of them in with the old GESU. It's gonna be a good ass.

Chris Tucky gonna be part of it. Through you, Chris, they're gonna combine all the world.

Hopefully we can get Chris Tucker.

You know, we need to get Chris Tucker on that, because people still love Chris Tucker. He's still smoking. He laid it down, he put the positioned me to do it. So Chris, if you listen to it, we need your baby boy, come on back. You know, wh y'all thought shooting, well know when we start shooting, But the deal done, The deal's done, and the Upshaws keep watching up Shots Man. Shout out to Wanda Sykes, shout out to to Kim Fields, the whole cast.

I love them people.

Man. Unfortunately this is our last season. But no, we did five seasons.

You know, but when I tell you my grandmama, they swear by the.

By last season, the show was changing.

The kids are getting older, you know what I mean.

It's had is run, you know, and sometimes those shows do that. Man.

You know, me and Tiffany had this have a show now, okay.

That we're about to do together, dope. That's like the up shows. It's gonna be about the bar, like Cheers, Black Cheers.

It's gonna be off the hood, dope. Yeah. Okay.

So so man, we're gonna keep the ball rolling. We're gonna keep some entertainment in your face, you know.

That's right, and support everything tour that's we didn't want to.

I'm coming like three to tour dates, so you know I didn't mean to come on, yeah.

Come on, no, I ain't gonna take that it's Mike As it's the Breakfast Club.

Good morning, wake that ass up in the morning.

Breakfast Club