Wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club Morning.
Everybody is DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne the Guy.
We are the Breakfast Club. It is Mental Health.
Awareness Month, as it is what we do each and every May May fifth, to be exact, Silence the Shame Day, and we have a very special guest, Shanty D. How are you are you feeling?
I'm feeling good.
Actually, so ten years ago I almost took my own life. Well, it'll be ten years in September, so this is like my year of rebirth, That's what I'm calling it. And I'm in such a good place in space, and I have really accepted being like this mental health advocate and doing this work and not being stressed about going back in the music industry, even though I'm still proud of my boys, Like okayst I just got it going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and so it's.
Just it's good. I'm feeling really good. Thanks for asking.
Before we get into Silence the Shame Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, I do want to ask you what does Outcast being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame mean to you?
You was there, from day one.
It means everything. They zero. Actually, yeah, plays Ball.
Was the first record I ever worked, and so shout out to Andre Big, the late Rico A organized noise. It's like the holy grail right of music. And so they finally achieved that, and I couldn't be more proud and just to have been there passing out like cassettes doing freak neck and you know the Southern playlist that could be.
Documentary with documentary. Yeah, they were talking about you giving out you have to go get back today.
It's crazy, Like whenever I see too Short, he was like, yo, you gave me that cassette and was like, y'all check out my new group Outcast.
They're gonna be dope. And we laugh about it all the time.
Did you know that Outcasts would become the global iconic superstars that they became.
I mean, you never know, right, but I had the oh on my chest, right, the hell on my chest LA face Outcasts, and I just was really committed and dedicated because I knew that the A was gonna support them.
It was a different.
Sound and like you know, in Atlanta, we grew up supporting East Coast rap what's cosp but we didn't really have our own even though we had people like Shaddy, they hadn't really received national attention, right, and we will always wear like Dodger's hats or Yankees hats. But finally we could wear like the Falcons, you know, logo in the year and the Braves gear because Big Boy and Drey made that cool.
And they really brought like.
Atlanta to the world like Ush's doing now on his tour, right, he bringing the aid to the world. But Outcasts set that up initially and really transform hip hop absolutely. Now, I know they transformed Southern hip hop, but look at like a lot of the artists that are still influential,
they're still from the South. And so to have been at the forefront of that and been right there with them, like I can't explain it, like it kind of solidified even just me in my journey and what I've been able to contribute to the music cultures.
Is arguably the greatest hip hop group of all time and one of the greatest group's period in music of all time.
You know, So when you started the show, you were talking about your rebirth right. You thought about committing suicide ten years ago. Now with this day and age, What do you tell somebody that's possibly thinking the same thing.
You know, it's stressful.
You know they're looking at the price of everything going up, it's hard to get a job, they're looking at politics, and they might feel left out. They might feel like there's no place for them. So what do you tell that person, especially in this social media world where nobody wants to be your friend and it's a very evil place, what do you tell that person that individual?
First of all, it's like honor your feelings. If you're not feeling good, you gotta acknowledge that right I coin this new little acronym rapping through your problems. The R is being able to recognize those unfamiliar feelings, the A and RAP is acknowledging and accepting right that somebody, right, I don't.
Feel like myself.
And the P is being able to process through those feelings with a licensed professional counselor or someone you know that can actually help you. Even if you call your PCP, your primary doctor, say I'm not feeling like myself. So you gotta be able to recognize, accept and acknowledge those feelings and understand that you got to protect your peace.
At all costs.
You got to be unapologetic right now, more so than ever, because like you said, like we're getting hit in a lot of different directions and people be like, oh, yeah, we all in this together.
Not really, we might be in.
The same storm, but wean in the same boat, right, and whether it's socioeconomic factors, lack of access to care, like, it's not the same, and we can't pretend that it's the same. And I know we have people that you know want to help and do more, but you gotta dig deep inside yourself because even when I was going through my suicidal ideation, I had to dig into my faith in my spirituality, and I had to also talk to people and let people in.
So that's truly important.
And then I tell people, you gotta remove things that aren't serving you anymore.
You can't just be a people pleaser, like let.
Go of the scrolling, the doom scrolling and all of that and really focus and be present with yourself. And sometimes therapy isn't for everyone, but doing like sound baths or getting out walking, immersing yourself in nature, like all of that really matters. And like for me now, if I'm not feeling good because still go through my moments, I'll just get up and go outside and take a walk, or I'll tell people like, hey, I need a minute, and it's okay. That's your time, that's your mind, that's
your body, that's your spirit. So you gotta really take ownership of your mental health and wellness, because every day, y'all is something different. Like I'm like, am I in a movie? Like did that get scripted into something I didn't sign up for? Because it's really scary. And then even seeing yesterday, I know you can't believe everything you see on social media, but I try to go to reputable.
Outlets, right, like the breakfast Club.
But I saw on one of the other outlets that the federal government is considering like canceling one billion dollars of funding for mental health for students being able to provide additional counselors and that sort of thing in school systems across the nation.
And that's really scary.
And we know how mental health is affecting young kids because of this little thing right here, right. And I don't just only I don't only blame social media, but it's a lot of pressure and these kids need the support. So y'all, we gotta fight back and fight back in terms of protecting your peace, get the help you need, reaching out to organizations like Silence to Shame. There's a super dope lady I met last week at they accelerate
her conference in Miami. Her name is Ashante, and she does a lot of healing, and so she just talked about the importance of like really immersing yourself in these healing practices with everything that's going on right and so I'm recommitting myself right to whatever I'm doing is giving time for Shanti. If I got to set an appointment at three o'clock during the day for Shanty to like step away and take a moment and breathe or get them aside to do something like you just gotta.
Do it, y'all.
What do you advise for people to find their happy place? Right?
So I realized, like, my biggest happy place is my family, right, I can cut off. I enjoy watching my daughter's dance. I enjoy watching my son play soccer, I enjoy talking to the kids cooking.
So I found my.
Happy place, right. How do you tell somebody to find their happy place where? You know, how do you do that? Because it has to be a place where they just let go and release.
One hundred percent. But think about some of the most joyful times. And I know every body's life wasn't the same. To let me start with that. Some people did not have a happy upbringing, and I'm sorry for that, right, and if that was your truth and your journey, But if you did have fun when you were growing up, go back to when you were like eight years old, like what.
Whatever that mean?
I mean, what do you and what did you used to do to make you happy?
Playing outside? That's why I love grounding so much. I tell the dots that all the time. Take your shoes offespecially now, I just want to take your shoes off, taket socks off, go walking around barefoot in the grass, just run around the yard, your there, ride your bike, Like, think about how joy as you felt as a kid when you simply played outside.
I was over at my cousin's house the other day and I started playing with the Rube's cue and I was like, yeah, I forgot how much I love this and it had me going for like an hour. But just find things that used to bring you joy.
Get your Bobbie Doll, Jess Herriet.
Oh, I'm already happy and over, Joey, you gotta find that inner child that is so important. Yeah, I'm glad that you are actually like somebody that can speak who has gone through the whole thoughts of suicide and everything like that, because you had to be going through some real things. It's this guy on social media who is documenting like he's planning to take his own life, you know, and he's documenting every day. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's on
social media. And one of my people who fixed their mess on that's what the mess they sent this person to me. And so he's just every day he's leading up. So he's going around like spending time, spending his last moments with like with his friends and his loved ones and stuff.
And then nobody stepped in enough.
He's not telling them, he's not telling everybody what he's doing. But I'm like, how is how nobody's seeing Like because he's online, he document says, he doesn't delete it, his lives and stuff, he posts them, right, And so he's going to dinner with his people just talking about life, going around the world, talking to strangers about life and
things like that. And then just last week, like he went on his date, you know, with a guy or whatever, and then you know, like he had sex with the guy and everything, and he got online to say how great it was. So he's just doing things that like he thinks it would bring him to that list right right before he go and then like he was on Live Happy just like a couple of days ago, and I'm like, so, are you doing this for you know, the clout and some dick or you just you know what I'm saying.
Are you you know what I mean?
But it's well in that case real, but this is like his he's like thirty days countdown and it's like he got like nine days left.
I hope that someone is intervening, Yeah, because if it's out there like that, then somebody in his family or his friend circle should be intervening and having him called nine to eight eight, which is the National Courts's life.
Yes, super important.
And that's the thing.
I'm not being judgmental, but we I hope he knows that his life is important and that help is available if he really is truly hurting that bad, because all he's doing is putting band aids over the situation and what's going on, or he's happy moments could just be band aids if he's really in crisis.
Put the phone down, though, Like, how are you documenting something that is so that's leading to.
Sound like help with me, you know it? So I want to ask you this bout suicide.
Like sometimes I'm sure you're familiar with the mail robins let them theory, right, which is basically, let people make their own choices whatever they want to do. So sometimes you hear adults complaining, you know, nothing is ever going right for them. They all they're always telling you, you know, about all the bad that's happening in their world. They talk to you about wanting to commit suicide, and you strangely start to understand where they where they're where they're
coming from. Oh you know, uh, and you realize encouraging them to get help isn't working. So do you just let those people make their own choices?
Like that's a that's a really great question.
It's a tough question at the same time, you know the thing about it, the reason why with silence of shame, we try to provide as many resources as possible. But you can't make someone do something right that they don't want to do. But you can try to be a positive influence in their lives. And so I've talked to people you know who have been contemplating, and I shared my story. That's why I storytelling is so important and people have to speak up and share their stories around it.
I don't think you just kind of like relinquish everything and let it go, but you try to be there for them and keep encouraging them as much as possible and putting resources in front of them and showing them how other people have survived, because you know, the last thing you want to do is kind of wash your hands of it, and then you know a week or two later or something happened.
But then, yes, you're right, But then we also got to protect.
Our people, so you do it to the extent to your point that you are kind of protecting your peace because again, you know, people have choices, right, God gave man and woman choice, so you can only do so much. But and then you know faith comes into play. You know, I'm a woman of faith, and so I'll continue to pray for that person. So yeah, do what you can as much as possible, put the resources in front of them, and you know.
Let's hope and pray for the best. But a lot of.
Times when people are in crisis, they don't know how to get the help right, or they need somebody to say, hey, I'll go to the with you, or I'll help y'all walk.
With you through this process. And you can only do what you can do.
And you were right.
So Trump administration did discontinue one billion dollars in school mental health grants, and the grants supported hiring school psychologists and counselors, and it was funded by bipartisan legislation that was passed after the twenty twenty two massacre.
At you you what is it? You all day? You've all day?
You can see a lot of schools.
Sometimes they might have one counselor for like ten schools, and it's like the number of kids that are in crisis, Like that's just not enough help and support. And sometimes they're not licensed professional counselors. They just may be social workers, which social workers are great, but oftentimes if these kids need to learn how to get through the crisis that they're in, they need someone that's license right and more
of a professional counselor. So you know, y'all got to call your you know, your legislators, you know, talk to your senators, talk to your congressmen and women, and you know, we got to push back on this because we need that funding, right, they need to keep pouring into our kids.
And it is as you see the suicide rates going up and depression going up or do you see it stabilized or do you see it coming down? With all the mental health talk and all the you know, platforms and places where people have to go.
Now, what do you see?
So for what I think the last study that I saw was like from twenty twenty one or either twenty twenty two, and suicide rates, particularly for black youth who.
Are up thirty percent.
You know a lot of those studies, they don't happen every single year, right, those large pool of research studies. But there has been an end tick, I mean an uptick rather even just two weeks ago, there was a young man in Atlanta who happened to have gone to Palm two years ago, and then some of my other friend's cousins knew him.
He took his own life.
You know, so I still see I'm still getting texts and comments about these young people like taking their own lives, and so it's still prevalent.
Are they limited on social media. Is that what they're saying it is, or they're saying lack.
Of resources in the school, or like what are they saying?
The reason is I'm always curious because I just feel like, you know, when we were growing up, we would we were just as bad, but we just didn't have that social media element where people were constantly going at it.
I don't think we had the language, nor do I think we had the same spaces to even express those issues. Like my dad was dealing with all types of mental health issues that he never talked talked to me about until I was like forty years old.
But we didn't know how to name it or what to call it.
Is right, But even with all that, it's getting worse.
It feels like it should be getting better now that your dad could talk, and that I can talk and be open and just could talk. But I feel like it should be getting better, but it doesn't seem like it is.
Well, you know, I don't know if I can pinpoint it on one particular thing, envy, but I do think it's still a lack of resources in some areas because it's still in underserved communities. People know about it, but they aren't taking that next step. That's why I'm proud I have an announcement. So we created this PSA campaign and it was around black men's mental health and it was called Healing the Spaces between Us and so it was a grandfather, a father, and a son and we
just got nominated for Southeast Emmy. Y'all shout out to making Sure Jopringo, who is our creative direct there, and Oak Films who put it together. But you know, we're really trying to push that narrative, especially to you know, young black men and their grandparents and their fathers. Y'all get together and talk about it.
Nothing to be ashamed.
About, but you got to put your cars out on the table and talk about it.
Yesterday in Atlanta or not yesterday the last week with Black Children's Mental Health Day, right yep.
Yes.
So two years ago, Senator Anderson in the State of Georgia road a resolution designating May first as Black Children's Mental Health Day in Georgia on behalf.
Of Silence of Shame.
We'd love to do that in New York. So maybe we could partner with the Mental Health Alliance. Let's do it designate May first in New York State because Again, we're trying to just bring awareness to the problems that's going on, so we can try to you know, cut off those the numbers right that keep increasing for suicides.
Absolutely, and you know this is Mental Health Awareness Month, and there's always a lot of focus on raising awareness, right, but how do we move past just awareness and start like action steps for actual healing.
Again, I think you know, you got to meet people where they're at again, you talked about the uncertain times. Like part of our we have a mental health toolkit on Silence, toshame dot com, a number of things that you can do to honor the month and to push resources out to the community. So one of the areas we're focusing on is fire and rescue because you know, we're seeing all these natural disasters and things happening in
the world. So we're pushing out resources that are targeted, you know, to the firefighters and to people that are out there on the front lines. Also, we did a toolkit for the federal workers. Right, a lot of people
that have been let go. I think maybe half of the people that got let go were due to the cuts within this administration, and so we want to talk directly to those that are suffering from a federal employee perspective, letting them know to establish a routine, even though you got let go get your daily routine going, even if it's like looking for that next job, Like establish a routine so you can protect your peace and practice mindfulness
and reach out if you need support. So we're trying to target specific subgroups and people within the community, and so you just gotta you gotta be forceful in a way about it, so that we are unapologetic about healing and getting help that we need, but looking at specific groups of people because we can all say we're all in this together. Mental health is important. We know we
got to take care of it. But when you talk directly at a specific group of people, I think that's when you start moving the needle and getting people to listen.
Absolutely well.
How can people if they want to tap in and they want to hear it or more information or they want to help, how can they get involved?
First of all, visit our website silences Shame dot com again. Today is National Silence a Shame Day and we have a campaign.
It's May fifth.
We just want people to get five dollars, you know, and the five dollars. I will say, if it's too difficult for you, please save your money, pay your rent, you do whatever you gotta do. But if you can spare five dollars or more, you can text the words silence to seven oh seven O seven O. Also understand that nine eight eight is a free resources out there.
We recently partnered with the City of Atlanta. Shout out to Mayor Dickens and Courtney English who came together with us, and we're pushing nine eight eight out to everybody that in you know, the city of Atlanta and beyond, and you know, just really trying to make sure that we're pushing as many resources to the community as possible.
So please support us. Y'all talk about it.
Don't just you know, if you're a young person and you listen to the Breakfast Club and you are, you know, going through something with a friend, talk about it. Don't just like throw some foul stuff on social media about that person. You know, be the bigger person, you know, be unapologetic about healing and letting go the things that don't serve you anymore.
Absolutely, and one more question, Shanty, there's nobody that protects the piece more than Andre three thousand. Do you think he's even.
Gonna come to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? What's the under old pheamony, I say he gonna be there.
I think he's coming. I will say.
I call both Big Andre after you know, the announcement came out and Andrea, both of them were so excited.
Drey was really excited.
Okay, so we're gonna we're gonna keep home alive.
Ladies and gentlemen, today is silenced, the shame day mental health away in this month.
Of course, we appreciate you for joining us.
Thank you.
It's the Breakfast Club, Good Morning, wake that ass up in the morning. The Breakfast Club
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