QLS Classic: Jemele Hill Part 1

Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio.

Yo, What's Up?

This is fon Tigelow from Team Supreme. We all celebrating Black History Month of QLs and releasing new weekly interviews with some incredible guests from film and music. In the meantime, we've selected some special classic episodes as well, which we run on Mondays. This classic two part of CURLSS is from September twenty twenty, and it is with the incredible my homie, my friend.

Jamail Hill.

Jamail is not only someone to call a friend, she's one of the most important voices in sports, where she always leaves in art, politics and social.

Issues and we love her for it.

In part one, Jamail joined amyr like Eas, Steve and I to talk TV, movies and life. Sometimes these are the best discussions on QLSS and we just talk on our shit. It's also a little time capsule back three and a half years ago.

Enjoy all Right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to what I think is guaranteed to be a highly interesting episode of Plus Love Supreme. You might as well consider this ease dropping in on a conversation already in progress, just to

Yeah, I'll say you just made a new word, made new word.

Yes, this efication. Please welcome Jamil Hill.

To thank you, Hello, old friend, and what up, old friend?

This is This is a great moment for me to be on with with two musical legends. And and I'm glad you you provided me this space because me and Tigiloa can keep arguing.

About dude, we gotta get Let me keep arguing it.

I watched after after that initial chat, I sat in my office all day watching. I recapped Bad Boys Too. Still don't like it. No, I'm shocked that it.

Was not good.

I'm just not good. Just I'm shocked that's your favorite.

I don't get it. I don't get it.

And here's the thing. This is what has me sort of not ruffled. But I see Lia's point, like, is are you still standing on that hill that Bad Boys woman's classic.

I'm standing on the hill that nobody.

We should let people know that Fonte had never seen part one and part two until.

As he's about to watch three. And I do not.

Think that you should compare something that happened fifteen to twenty years ago to a current installation. That's what we agree on. And yeah, it doesn't yes because of the time, Yes, I agree that.

But I can say that you were genuinely perplexed that Fante and I didn't see Bad Boys one as classic.

Well, let me be clear.

I think it's I think Bad Boys One is classic, But as I was in the group Chess, I think classic right exactly. Classic has more to do with time, place, era, Like there's a lot of things that make something a classic. I didn't think it was a good movie, but it was a classic for what it stood for. That was like Will and Martin coming together. Like it was what it stood for and what it represented made it a classic moment.

I will not say it was a good movie.

Its classic era.

Nigga.

I was there.

I didn't have to see the ship.

What you talking about.

I saw the movie. I lived there. I saw what it was. I saw it's these two niggas on film. I know what it was. I was in the era. I was outside. I just went to the theater.

What I'm saying is is that, like, are you saying that had Fonte been of age in nineteen ninety four and seeing it on its first run, that he would have thought Bad Boys One was a classical film.

Yes, it's like a millennial watching Do the Right Thing on HBO.

Nah, that's not true because I saw my show my sons do the Right Thing like a couple, and they love that shit.

Hell yeah.

Well, but you know what it is certain movies that don't necessarily age well, even though that they're classics, right, I mean I saw Bad Boy when you know, right in that time in space, and so I totally understand why it's a classic movie.

But there's other shit that we have.

It just don't age well. And like I think this about Scarface. I think Scarface is one of the most overrated movies I've ever seen. Like that movie does not hold up. It's cheesy, it's corny. I'm shocked that you have all these brand new racers. It's definitely racist. Right, So I'm.

Shocking you saw two times, didn't you.

Yeah, all right, I watch.

It, Yeah, I watch it. Whatever's on. I mean, I'm not gonna learn from it.

But you have al Pacino, you have f Murray Abraham, you have all these wonderful actors in this movie that just doesn't hold up.

It just looks.

I mean, I've never been on that bandwagon that this movie was one of the greatest ever. Like I think to even put it in the same sentence as like a Godfather Godfather too, is just like disgustingly bad.

Like that's just it ain't even in the same category as Good Fellas to me, none of that.

You do understand why that film at sentimental meaning though, right Scarf? Often do we get to see someone stick it to the man, right.

It's about it's a rags to riches story.

The Cuban.

It's the Cuban Superfly, Yes, basically like that. And that's another word that doesn't age that well.

I have not seen Superfly yet, is it worth I'm glad you wait if nothing, I haven't seen the original super.

I'm telling you you you don't want to choke somebody out on the new and like the New one, you were, but like they didn't see that one.

The new one. Man they got what's his name? Damn? I Trevor Jackson.

I think Jackson from Yeah, from the Hazing movie, from the movie.

Right, they got Trevor Jackson with a with a dope ass Hawaiian silky And it's just like Superfly has advanced. It's crazy because Superfly has advanced from you know how I used to get his money.

This dude now is in bitcoin.

We like, look, Harriet Tubman didn't point to the North Star for this motherfucker to be into bitcoin, Like that's the new wave.

I'm like, this, what were doing?

He got a whole bitcoin electronic operation.

I was like, I'll be damn, like, I just I can't. I can't.

They had to bring it. They had to bring it to the new era, Like the new era is.

You know, a crypto currency don't go together.

I'm sorry, I agree, but I mean I saluted for trying to bring it to twenty twenty.

You know a movie I watched the night I saw on.

The group chat that did not age well for me at all, Like Beverly Hills Cop is fucking Coppaganda.

Dude, Like, I'm looking at this and it's and it's you know what I mean, it's Eddie Murphy and I mean we love Eddie always.

I mean, but I'm just like, Yo, this nig is just a scammer that just goes around line to people like every movie, like that's all it is, like he lining to get into this building and he's lining, and I'm like, yo, this is nah, this was not right.

I am bound by Detroit and it's not to talk shit about that movie even though I understand what you're saying, because if you in the movie. He wore a T shirt from Mumford High School, which is my high school where I.

Went to went to school.

Ass oh wow, yeah, because Jerry Bruckenheimer Actually he went to my high school as well. He's from Detroit, which is how the Lion's jacket wound up on Axel Foley and the Muffer High School t shirt.

Look trivia that you can literally do nothing with. So just take it on.

Now. If we live for useless information on this show, we lived for that. Yeah. I was gonna say that already today. I've had enough research with that. I'm almost bored. Line afraid to ask Fante his opinion. I want to wait till she least come on this show. Okay, no, no, no, no, no.

On on Lovecraft Country love Craft County.

Oh okay, I haven't watched it yet, all right, yo.

I really liked it, and I'm not I love it. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what it was. I was just like, all right, see what it is, yo, I fuck with love Craft. I'll see where it goes, you know what I mean. But they got me on the first episode and that and those are the hardest ones. The pilots is like the hardest episode. Yeah, I'm fucking with it.

And I watched it in real time, and it is weird because we were like texting each other as it was happening, and she's being like really quiet about it, and I'm talking about Journey Journey Smalllett and yeah, like I without spoiler a learning it's it's I feel I trust that this will be excellent. I mean, the pilot is awesome. Yeah, I'll say I like it. So this will probably be the first time that I'm gonna follow

At That's what I'm doing with I may destroy you, That's what I'm doing.

Yeah, that's what I.

Need.

I need to get on because I just hear too many great things about it.

Yeah, everybody's saying it's it's it's great, it's worth it's worth getting into, or none of us has seen it yet.

No, No, all the feedback I heard from it from like my movie and TV homies that really you know, they like nah that they say it's really good.

Can I just tell y'all?

I mean, and I want to stay with Jamel to like Sundays No Offense, but black women are killing it, like Lena waf Misha Green Katoy from Pea Valley.

Y y'all on Pea Valley.

I still I ain't watched that yet.

Hit me, do that? Hit me? Do that?

Hit me?

Do that.

It's a strip club joint.

Yeah, yeah, it's about the Yeah, it's about Mississippi strip club. And it's called pe Valley, which you know what the P stands for, Yes, Pussy Valley.

That's the name, right, So it is season that's right.

So women against Patriarchy. That's what I told my grandma stood.

But it's it's a it's something that you you don't see often. It's like the way that it's shot, great strong characters. I mean again, you know somebody tells you it's a drop. It's a drama about the Mississippi strip club. You're like, ship, I'm in, Like why would I not be in?

On that?

Right?

Written by a wonderful writer that I've gotten a chance to know, Patrick Ian Polk and Autsi as you mentioned, Katy Hall like it's it's it's like that like me, Me and the Hubbie. We three episodes in. I think it's been about six episodes, but we really enjoyed. Uncle Clifford is my dog, that's all.

It's interesting.

I want to prepare people who haven't seen Pee balle Okay, this is a highly inclusive show where you'll see all kinds of sex and I love and Jamel. It's funny because they'll show Uncle Clifford, who is a let's not put a label. No, no, I know, what's the I'm trying to think of what would be the best way, Like he's clearly gay's.

Fluid or he's fluid.

I think he I mean, he's very gay, but he also wears beautiful wigs.

Sometimes he may be dressed up.

From like Frida Callo and he runs the club, Thank you babe.

He is gender fluid, right, yeah.

Yeah, that's probably the best way to put definitely gay, but he's gender fluid.

Yeah.

For sure. They play with you a.

Little bit because you'll see Uncle Clifford get his thinging, but you'll also self cut to like the stripper doing her thing too.

They're trying to satisfy everybody.

Yes, time out. Isaiah Washington's in this.

Yeah, so that's the part way I know, I know that's the part that kind of You're like, hold up, because I didn't know he was in this series until we got to the episode where he popped up because he's the mayor of this little little bitty town or whatever, and I was like, oh, ship is that?

I mean, I hear your reaction quest because I thought.

I'm amazed that he got another shot. Like I know, I'm like word they let him back word up?

Yeah, And then the fact that they let him back on what is clearly a black show is ironic in itself, considering everything out his mouth is so fucking anti black that it's OK.

I haven't followed. I don't, I haven't followed. I said, what's this deal?

Yo, man e might as well join yea.

Yeah, he probably worse than yea though, because what are you saying? No, I mean he's definitely one of I mean he's a he's a MAGA supporter, like he's a he's a Trump dude.

And it's just like, man, I don't know what happened to you? So he broke Yeah?

So he is, I mean, he ain't got he okay on on the on the levels of what is it one to Terry Crews, He's not like but yeah, they would definitely welcome at the Publican national convention.

Wow, disappointed him. I would think he'd be more self educated than Tearing, So.

Yeah, you would think, but surprisingly he isn't, or not so surprisingly he isn't. So anyway, if you get it over that part of it, it's still a wonderfully done series worth your time, absolutely, as you know.

That's the thing about this pandemic.

It's like you just realized, and not that I didn't know this before, but just how much content is out there. I mean, it is almost possible to keep up. Like I still haven't seen little fires everywhere. Like I'm still trying to really good everybody.

My wife watched that.

I watched it though, yeah, Washington and.

Pot But I'm going to finish.

That, yeah, the pilot.

So I find myself feeling, you know, feeling like constantly behind. And yet you know, they're still old favorites that I'm not gonna come up off the old favorites to make room for the new stuff.

So I just kind of have to.

I have the budget, my TV time better, is what I'm saying, you know, because like Monday Nights is below deck medic to Radiant.

Tuesday's million dollars at your episode?

Now? Can we can we talk about listen?

Me and me and the boyfriend over here. We're rather addicted.

It can be a new episode coming on or an old episode of me or I don't know. And Steve, I don't know if you'all are up on a below Deck Steve.

From watch Stevie, I haven't seen any of the bad Boys.

Wave man, but uh yeah right now, I don't watch like what I'm watching Quantico right now.

There was a Quantica, I remember it, but I never wat Quantico.

What's his name's wife? Yeah, Jonas brother, Uh, what's the name? I don't know. I don't know that their names, but it puts me to sleep real quick.

Man. That's you need to get with Below Deck because Below Deck is awesome and amazing. It follows different crews depending on what part of the world they're in, and it's like a reality show based on the crew and they're guests that come on for chartered chartered, uh chartered, both rides and needles to say one day, no, you gotta say it's a charter yacht. Yeah you can't unders you're right, it's shot and one Saturday afternoon, to the

I got it in.

So I guess they'll give you the bones of what happened is, as she said, below deck is a reality show.

You know, they follow they put you in the location.

It was Thailand, so this is uh, this was a pre bachelorette party event.

So me, five of the my homegirls win.

So it's six of us, six black women on a yacht in Thailand, and you know, people like you know, you're in that environment where you're getting everything is catered to you.

Uh, the great food, all the liquor you could possibly want it.

So you're on this yacht for three days and they film you and really the show is mostly about the crew that services the yacht, but of course, you know, guests like myself, we we get in on the entertainment. So goot of mine is I was drunk as fuck for like literally three straight days. It's pretty much what happened.

Uh and they showing the cameras just showing me.

It had just focused on me and I am literally at this dinner table about to pass out in my food. Yeah, no, it was.

It was the drunk items.

But I was drunk as fun because we have been drinking since the moment we got up, and you know, because we all vacation, so we were like getting it in. But as far as much as they showed, I got to be honest, I'm thankful for all the shit they didn't show you. I was like, oh, okay, like they just showed when my girl fell off the jet ski when I floated out to see you and they had to come get me, like they did show none of that.

I was like, thank god, Oh.

My goodness, wow yo.

Wait below questions though, like how many people are actually on that ship because they only.

High like maybe like six of the cute crew members, right.

And then I also wanted to ask you about that tip at the end, because that's I was like, oh, we was praying this all black women. Please, Well now you okay. So it's a lot of money, Yeah, it is a lot of money.

I mean the crew.

There's a lot bigger crew than what you see on the show. They of course focus on the deck hands. They also focus on the captain and the interior crew, but there's like a whole there's like a bunch of engineers, like you know, this is a this is a mega yacht, so they have to have like a really full staff,

Girl is being rude to you, but you didn't know that she's just the bitch.

Well, I knew she was just a bitch because I had watched the previous seasons of Below Deck, so I knew how she got down. But I understand the attitude I got when we got there. It wasn't a figment of my imagination because they had just had a big blow up in the last charter and like things were going left on that but of course you know, they blew that up, and they made that kind of an anchor of what the episode was about.

But it really wasn't that bad.

It's like, we said that to her, and you know, she had her commentary, which I didn't know until I saw the episode that she called me all them names. Because I'm like, believe me when I tell you. Had I known that, we might have had a different conversation then. Oh but we her and I were cool. I mean the day that my episode aired on Bravo, her and I were texting that day like we're still cool. Like it's no beef whatsoever. I think it was just like

You figure out like, all right, who really got some money over here?

Oh here, we got to understand it's like what it's like seven people that got to be tipped out, right, like seven to eight people? Yeah, so you mean leaving money? Yes, like a tip. So this you're getting the yacht. The way it works is you're getting the yacht at a very discounted rate. Okay, not like what it normally would cost to be on a super yacht or mega yacht. So you're getting the yacht at a discounted rate, and you know that they fly you out there, they put

Because they, you know, they bring the cash for you.

So it's not like people don't just magically have like twenty grand and cash like they you know, you've worked out that arrangement beforehand, so I knew minimum we were gonna leave twenty grand, So that's what we left like we left twenty because we did really like the service and we thought we had a great time. And so as you see from the episode, they were very happy about our tip because they know what the base point is. And then for us to be kick in another five grand there it is.

Wait can I ask? So you're saying that the whole premise of the show is how not hospitable, but how your tipping action is? That's the whole goal of the show.

The whole premise of the show is to get you and your friends, your homies, whatever, on this yacht. They y'all all the alcohol that you want, all the food that you want, because it's a chef that because before you even step foot on the yacht, you are given what they call preference sheets, so you fill out the person who's the primary charter guests, the person who gets to determine everything that is done there. In this case,

The point is to combine people who.

They think will be a little extra with a crew that's trying to work hard to get their tip, and then alcohol and see what happens.

Yo. I would have loved to been a fly in the room when this pitch was being made.

Yes, but it's brilliant though. I mean, the show is like super successful and you.

Know what, Wait, Steve, are you getting any flashbacks about this story? She's telling me and Steve are world fame like all throughout maybe two thousand and five to two thousand and nine, the dynamics between Steve and I. If you don't know Jamillo, Steve has been my recording engineer for the longest, for like the di'angelo stuff, the common stuff,

That sounds like a loving friendship.

It does.

And you use your stripper club standard for tipping, Okay, that's.

Just the strip what's the strip club standard?

Well, at this point, I mean in college it was twenty so it got to be like twenty five to thirty percent at this point, right, So if you tip in twenty five at the strip club, you gotta do that.

There's different rules for cats like me. You gotta. Yes, I leave more than what the bill is worth.

Yeah, I mean but some of it too though.

It's just that we know, especially like this is this is black trauma.

This is what I call black trauma.

That's why, Yes, this is black trauma, because not only are you famous, but like even if you weren't famous, It's like, I think a lot of us feel like we got to compensate for the stereotype that we don't tip, and so I.

Gotta I gotta tip, well so that the black people to come after me, get treated treated correct.

Which Yeah, like one time we took James Poyser for it's like thirtieth birthday to a club and they did not come to our table at all.

You went to want on white strimp?

What else is left? What am I going to go to the left?

This is why you need to watch Pee Valley? Are you kidding me?

What else is left besides the white?

There was no no Philadelphia. There was no Vanity whatever that name that Philly. And when I asked a girl that worked there, I found out that Allan Iverson basically ruined tipping in Philadelphia for like the entire city, like anywhere that he frequents, he doesn't pay the bill, doesn't pay his tab, all that stuff. So they just assumed that everyone is non professional.

Oh yeah, back in the day, a out of paper time you had to go to Fridays.

Yeah, I was like, I heard Fridays it was a spot.

Yeah.

So wait, so I'm curious of the of the panel here.

What's the most money y'all? Haven't ever tricked off in the strip club?

In the strip club money? I'm really.

Probably whatever? I mean, it gives me to spend I spend. And by the way, I overtipped when that situation he's talking about, I overtipped because I knew his mentality and I tipped more than I ever tipped percentage wise on any break.

The over overtip.

Damn they ca come up that night.

Oh yeah, yeah, answer the question what you were saying, like not like what you saying, we were talking about most ever spent. I think for me, the thinking about it, like I always treated strip clubs like a casino, So I just go in with a set amount, and when that amount is gone, I'm going so nicolots.

Yeah for me.

For me, it's probably like I think the most like when I was with the Homies that we be on tour and like I think, probably like two hundred dollars.

Just what Like, I'm not, I'm not.

I'm just I.

Ain't even making it missed. Not ain't even Magic City numbers.

Man.

I didn't get a bitches, no promises. I came here and enjoyed myself. I'm just killing time before I had to go to the show. We used to go in.

Like in Detroit, in Detroit downtown because we would play at Saint Andy's and we would play at uh, we would go to It was a spot used to be down.

I don't know if it's still there, haven't.

It was a Bazookies, Yespkis it was.

It was literally just a spot like we go sound check, We go sound check. Is in Greek Town.

We go sound check and then we're like, all right, we got you know, two hours, two and a half hours. We won't want to go back to the hotel and just see if I go into the tail, I'm gon lay down and go to sleep, and this is gonna be all bad, So fuck it, Let's just.

Go to Bazuki. So me and the boys just go to Bazooki's and you know that's the name of the club, and two hundred dollars later getting to the show.

All right, daddy.

With me? All right? So if I go to a mainstream jawn and mainstream jowin is like a gentleman's club, I mean, you know, like if we're in Vegas or something and it's like that they replace Yeah, yo, wait, I tell you about Spearmint Rhino Dog. Their their crab fries are the best thing on I know it's the wrong thing to say about strip club. No, Well, one night after show, we made a stop the Spirit Rhino.

Five, geez, I'll stop it five.

However, okay, back in two thousand and four, you better remember I went to cause the thing is is that you haven't lived until you experienced a prime Atlanta strip club. I agree, now right now, more bang for the bang for my buck is a spot called Follies.

Oh yeah, everybody said they have the best wings in Atlanta.

Yeah, it's it's Follies is off the chain. There was a spot that I went to with Chris Robinson in like two thousand and four. This is the first time I'm being introduced to the concept of make it rain. And Table number one is well known, well loved basketball player.

Get college book and for it tonight, yes, yo.

And I realized that the whole purpose of going to strip club isn't even to get a lap dance or any of those things. Like the women were non factor. It's about how long can you take this water cash and make it stay in the air. And there's a accounting clock. There's there's a clock to the last dollar drops, and there's like people are trying to break the record.

I will watch this event in the Olympics.

I just want to Yeah, we get I think we can replace curling with this right here. Oh dude, curling can get the fuck what was What.

Was even crazier was that sixty dollars fell in the crest of my afro, my afro pick in the crest. Wow, the crest, well, you know, I kept the back, I kept my afro pick in the back of my head. So the dollars rolled down and just like in a nook and cranny, like sat inside there. I swear to you I was about to remove it so I could put it on the floor. I wasn't going to steal it. Yo. They was on me like no, and they'll say, we'll take that, And they just took the money out of my afro.

The strippers did. The strippers did.

No, you're not allowed to touch none of that money, like you know, slippery, you know slippery a cheesecake factory floor is. I can't buy it right now because you know what I'm telling the truth factory and yes I have.

I don't know. We had carpet at the Gold Club.

I'm sorry, No, I'm saying that that's how slippery the floor was because there was nothing but money on the floor. Oh, I didn't get it. So the next time I went, I was like, well, I better represent So the most I ever tricked was I was feeling myself that night. I brought ten there, but I was also with like I I was with fifteen people.

Oh okay, you got to balances out.

Yeah, no, I mean it's like for me, me and my homegirls, we look at the strip club as liberation. So when we go, you know, because one the strip club has become a really good place for women to go because we know there are other obviously very naked women in there, we're unlikely to be bothered.

We can hear good music, and we can get good food.

So it checks the Bengo cars if you really want just a night out of which your girls are just unadulterated, pure ignorant ass fun. And we wind up almost always befriending all the strippers like we have the hottest booth, Like if you go there with a woman trusts me or women like, we will have the hottest booth. So I've had some times in the strip club that what ruined me is one of the first times I really

I was like, I could just put this dollar the crack of the ass as let you put more places than he'll like.

I had to be like, hey, oh right there, yes, no, they will get aggressive with other women, So I I want to say I probably I probably have done maybe about three, I think, you know, and yeah, maybe a respectable three. But one of one of my girls as a bachelor rep uh uh party actually no, as a birthday present was before I was even a gage, she got me a stripper gun, which, oh my god, will you take a stripper gun into the strip club?

How much money does that fit? I think this would fit like three hundred bucks, and like you just keep loading the g.

That you want to load it up multiple times, just real quick. The best of the best strip club I've probably ever been to. As a spot in Vegas, it's called it was then called the Palomino. We used to call it just the Mino. That one of my girls took me to that who lived in Vegas. But this was a place where men dance for women.

And what I had this was I was just about to ask you that what is the draw of the male strip club for women?

Yeah?

Well, I mean but this one was off the hood, so I wouldn't even twist my face up. Okay, I tell you.

This one was off long socks on the on the danga lang long size. No, no, it wasn't socks. I mean, yeah, but I have never seen this ever in life at the strip club. This dude put his man part in a hot dog bun and crumpled some chips over it, and I'd like, it was both the blackest thing I've ever seen and also the craziest thing I've ever seen in.

The strip put it in there.

And I also realized that that's when one of those moments when I realized I was a little bit famous, because they shouted by name out. The DJ did and this is back when I was at ESPN, and I was like, and next, like all the dudes I I got,

Your zipper with your teeth, like this is the whole They're trying to flip you up and flip you. So that's another thing that I saw. I saw this dude.

He sat this girl on his face and then he flipped her around and never lost her position and on the face.

And I was just like, I've just closing my eyes so I can imagine hold on, John she was.

She was on his face, and then he flipped her like he somersaulted her and they popped right back up in the same position. And I was like, I don't know how he did that without breaking her neck, but somehow, somehow it happened.

I don't know. I got lost for a second.

But it's all about the fantasy. And certainly I've had Onyx in Atlanta, Magic City. You also, you know to that to questions point about, like, when you're at a strip club and other famous people are there, you cannot get caught up trying to throw money with them.

Don't do that.

Yeah, don't even do it.

Don't mean it's a competition.

It well, it's just that you just are trying to sort of like, yeah, I can be fun at the strip club. Because the last time I went to Magic City, Ti I was.

There at oh Names, he was one of the rappers. Okay, now.

Shout out like he's all right.

So he and out on the stage at Magic City and he throwing money and I'm like, my stack running low, and he just seems to keep growing larger, and I was like, I tell you, it's not gonna happen.

This whole four on one g gonna wind up on this.

Dam Wait a minute, it just sent me. I'm old enough to remember a time when women really weren't allowed in the strip club unless they were with me a guy, because of And it's weird now because.

That wasn't that long ago.

I mean, well, the early two oughts, no, I'm sorry, the early odds, like two thousands, right, But now.

It's like the only people I know that still frequent strip clubs are women more, you know. I mean the last five times I went, it was with more women than there were dudes.

Because they realized that this is I mean, to be honest, at least from what I've said, when it's been a situation when there's you know, men and women sort of equal in a strip club, the women spend a lot more money like the women like the guys. Or I say this, the women spend more money and you have to do less because you know, a guy spend ten dollars and he just.

Like he wanted her to put her leg behind her ear, like you want to do all kind.

Of stuff for like ten dollars, whereas women go there sometimes to just celebrate and appreciate other women, and so you don't even have to do all that, and you can wind up, you know, making a men I don't necessarily need. I've gotten lap dances from women, like I got one at ONYX one time. I was like, oh, I'm about to fall in love with a librarian. This islie. She's a Philly Phillis no no Atlanta ONX Atlanta Atlanta ONYX. Yeah, so uh but no, I mean what happened was that

But we in there and we spending money.

Is it worth going there? I've been discouraged. I've asked a few Miami friends like, Yo, let's go to King and they're like, nah, you.

And Mike, No, it's not.

It's not the spot like it used to be anymore. I think eleven is where a lot of people go. I think that's the twenty four hour strip club. I believe it's a let.

Yeah.

So do you want to come out on the strip club in a daytime?

Oh my god?

Or do you Well.

That's the worst feeling. Like once when I left the Vegas One it was like seven in the morning. Yeah, that was the worst walking shame ever.

Man club club?

Okay, because that's when you feel a like, what decisions have I made to lead me to this point right.

Now where I'm coming out the strip club at seven?

Al Yo, it's just hitting me that, Yes, we're forty five minutes into this podcast. I haven't asked you one question.

Yeah, I could have a whole podcast dedicated the script clubs, brother, because you want to get all up in this, mister Malhill.

That's right, Okay, all right, Well a free to ask me a question.

I know it's it's just sometimes we just have an episode where we just go rogue and just ask questions. Anyway, what was what were your what was your early childhood like in Detroit? You were born in Detroit? I assume correct.

I was born in Detroit. As I like to say, I'm from the real hood, not the rap hood. And you're from the east side or I'm a West Sider. I'm a little bit more refined than the east Side.

Thank you, any any Detroiter that's ever been on the show. I was told to take him the task because I heard that the east side of Detroit is the real hood side of Detroit and the west side is why.

To be honest, both sides they we both can win the contest. I mean to be honest, because it's many parts on the West Side that look as bad, if not worse. But we but it's just a running joke in the city because East Side is like they just think they so hard, like all of them, all of them think they DMX from belly and it's like, come on, relax,

So those were who really big influences, you know, on my life.

And you know we're talking about you know, I was born in seventy five, so coming of age at least from a music standpoint, you know, being right there at the CUSPA when hip hop got going, and also you know, coming to age I think as a music fan in the mid eighties to late eighties and in high school. You know, I was thinking about this because my husband is actually five years younger than me, and so we were just talking about music, what was hot during our

Mad Band dropped.

It was like, you know, a really really good, a good time in music like those early nineties and hell, the first roots album I was I was actually working as a music reviewer. I was interned, and I was a view of music. The very first CD that landed on my desk do you want more? So yeah, that

I'm just waiting. I'm just waiting to get that last number on that power ball quest.

And so all right, so slight confession. I first had my first real conversation with Jamil at the NBA All Star Game.

New Orleans.

Yes, the one that you surprise, Yeah.

Right, And the thing was, i'man again full being totally transparent here. I'm not a sports guy, I'm the I'm the ESPN so on the gym, get all my information on Sports Center the first go round, and then hanging the circle at work like yeah, that was a great pitch. But then like someone like Steve will call me out like, no, man,

Mike and Jamal, I don't even want to talk to you about we didn't we like we You know.

The thing is, though, when we run into what Quest said, very often what we did ESPN is that there were people that we just like fuck with because we respected their talents.

We have been rocking with them a long time.

The roots were number one, and so because of that, we we often would get turned down by people like, yeah, but I don't really know about sports, Like, trust me, we don't want to hear your sports.

Opinions at all, but we want to hear you all day.

Yeah, we do.

Like, we want to talk about what you're an expert in and why people love you. And on top of that, you know, no disrespect to you know, entertainers and other celebrities. Most of their sports opinions is trash anyway, Like we can tell y'all, well, tell y'all cashual fans, like we know, we tell you know that's fucked up because you can't say that about you can't vice versa that because music is something that you know, you grew up on, you

Do you do?

Like no, But that's the thing, Like y'all made me feel so comfortable, Like I was so panic stricken that oh my god, they're going to ask me about the sixers and then I'll be like, uh, yeah, I like Maurice's cheeks no, we don't care about what you think about and you know, I want to be that guy.

So no, no, it was it was all good. But it was the same with It was the same with Tilo.

It's like I told him that when we first met, I was like, I could give a shit less a bunch of sports opinions like I'm here because I.

I don't watch none, I have no I don't care.

Wait, well, this leads me back to my next question, because I feel like, now, despite despite the trials and tribulations, the ups and downs of your lane, it sort of forced you in a position where you have transcended sports. Whereas I would have strictly thought of you as, oh ESPN anchor, you know, Jamel Hill. Now I mean you're just I mean, you're damn near culture critic, your world leader as far as I'm concerned, and that's like one

Where we are right now, particularly with sports, where you have athletes who are who have who are growing into their own sense of power and voice, which is where they always should have been, but at various decades and periods they are discouraged from doing this, and it got to a point and I think Colein Kaepernick was really the one who kind of opened this door for this generation, if you will, a combination of him speaking out and

This whole idea stick to sports is dead.

It should have never been a conversation to begin with, because you know, you look back on history and sports has often been ahead of society and a lot of issues. I mean, Jackie Robinson integrated Major League Baseball in nineteen forty seven. I mean, the Civil rights passed in the mid sixties that desegregated America. So you are looking at a lot of moments like that in sports, where because sports is one of the few things that we still do together.

I mean, we don't worship together, we eat with the same people.

You know, America is still very much a segregated society except when it comes to sports, which is why they have this unique pathway and opportunity to get people to listen to broader issues.

So no, I'm glad that these.

Conversations are taking place because, frankly, what's harder is when I was on Sports Center and the country was continuing to fall apart, and especially post twenty sixteen. You know how hard it was some days to be anchoring Sports Center and the world is on fire, like on a day like what happened with Philando Castile to anchors you know, I mean we were on his and hers there to do the show that day, so we just incorporated it in the show.

You know, it's hard to pretend that.

You give a fuck about whether or not the Patriots when the AFC East, when you have black bodies industry, So it's really the opposite where I'm glad that in sports I can be this full black person and talk about you know, the games and stuff that I love in cohesion. That's something that you just said, be this full black person. I just need everybody to take a moment, because usually we are not allowed to be a full

One and so can I ask the first time that you were whatever the proverbial being called in the principal's office, how dark is that moment where you're you know, obviously trying to climb up a ladder of a career, and you know there's that moment where you might stop the stop the bag, or you know you could get black ball. Like in the beginning, I think now you're pretty much tept line.

I'm still black dog Exactually.

No, I think I think I think you will be clapped at at least three times a year. However, I also think that you're you're in the teptlne zone. Now, Okay, I can get it at the beginning, like when was the first time that you rock that boat and what was the feeling of like did your mom call you like girl, what did you do that for? Or whatever?

Well, I mean theirs the first time I got into trouble and it was trouble that was totally self inflicted. It was some dumb shit that I did. Was this was in two thousand and eight and I was at ESPN.

Uh you know. I came to ESPN not as on air talent. I came there as a writer.

So I was writing for ESPN dot com covering sports, and I was covering the Lakers Celtics NBA Finals and I was just writing a column, an off day column because the game was like the next day. So this is something that just was being posted in between and when I grew up. You know, in Detroit, we're talking about the height of the bad Boys. When I was coming that age as a sports fan, right, so I hated the Boston Celtics. Hated you hate them, right, so

I couldn't stand the Mopuckers. I hated the Celtics.

So once Rondo and KG and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were doing their thing as they were in two thousand and eight, when I wrote this column, you saw a difference in how the Celtics were perceived because they was a black ass team, right, and so black people were rocking with the Celtics, which was abhorrent for me to see in many respects is in a way I grew up, right, you know, and you understand if you're a black Bostonian, of course, but like outside of Boston

So I wrote this column about like how even though these.

Guys are good guys and are great basketball players, like it was just a funny column about how we all the reasons we can never be Celtics fans. One of the things I said in the column was that if rooting for Celtics is like saying Hitler is a victim?

Right, oh yeah right, so yeah, that didn't go over to well. It was just so dumb.

What was that?

Like, Like, what's the intricacies of that ass whoop? So, I mean, look it was it was though that doesn't matter, She's culture when it comes to.

It was fire and brimstone. It's like the column was only up for a couple of hours. And when I tell you, and to this day, a lot of Boston people and fans do not fuck with me because of this. In eight and so they they they took the line out the column, but it had already been up for an hour.

A few hours. It went viral back as much as you could go viral.

Then everybody's reporting on this, and even at the Celtics games, people were because it was a Celtics home game, like that next night, they were holding up picking signs, basically saying I wasn't shit. A Boston radio station got a hold of my home number and live I tell you that the calling was non stops. I mean, I've been cussed out. I didn't I had this. I didn't answer the I stopped after like the first two first two calls. And luckily it was my business line. So it's like

You know, I got suspended for a week with pay.

And when you get sent to the penalty box, you know that that's something on your record. So if anything happens next, then you might be sure that, yeah, correct, they're gonna go back to that incident and say, oh, but you got a track record, here's what it is. And so I was thankful that that happened in two thousand and eight versus say twenty and seventeen, which prings me to my more recent suspension was over the Donald

The standpoint of I get suspended.

He's got to man the ship while I'm gone, and you know he doesn't want to be there and suddenly look like he doesn't support me, So it just right, which he did wholeheartedly. I mean, because you know, for a few days after into my suspension, he didn't anchor the show because he just refused, And if it would have been up to him, he would have just been

I mean, it did.

But that's not to say that the shrap dough was all bad, but it is to say that it did blow it up for the moment. So when you said that about the spaces that I'm known in now, that incident, good or bad, is what allowed me to transcend, or at least to be considered in some other circles, because suddenly, you know, they put me in a political bucket, and you were highly supported. I was watching the support during that time, and the community had Joe back.

Yeah, I mean they did, like black people.

A big reason why I wasn't fired at that point, I think, I know it was because the high level of support that I had in the community, and not just from people at the grassroots level, but you know, you know, Colin Kaepernick was I think the first person who tweeted, the first celebrity or that ILK who tweeted his support of me.

And then you had d Wade and Daryl.

Yeah, everybody was watching, and so they really wrapped their arms around me and ESPN seeing that Lebron James as well, seeing that, they said, okay, you know, after they didn't suspend me immediately after the Trump comments because of that, because they knew they were gonna have a bigger problem

You gotta know who you are before you go in the door.

And if you don't know who you are before you go in there, that will get you into more trouble than anything else. If you know who you are, you know what you won't accept, and you know what your boundary is. There's a lot of thousand things a lot of us will let slide as we try to make our way in whatever profession that we're in. They gonna come two or three moments where you're gonna have to be You're just gonna have to be like, I ain't the one.

You know, I was gonna ask you about that.

I was like, cause you make it sound real easy, but we know that's like a maturation process. Oh totally, it's not like And sometimes it's trial and error. Sometimes you look at way where you didn't speak up and you have to live with that, and but it teaches you the next time that pops up, like you know what I didn't before?

But see now now y'all got the wrong one, And so society didn flip me.

I used to talk real loud a lot, and then I just got to quiet it down because so many people told me to shut the fuck up.

So now it's like it is it okay now? Always too much for somebody.

That's the thing is that that's the constant black existence is that we could do nothing and be too much for people.

Our existence is too much for people.

Existent.

Yeah, so that's why we can the only people are the only thing that we can do is really be ourselves. But you're right, it takes years, and it takes growth and leverage the other thing too that certainly, I mean, let's just be real. It's like at that point in my time, in my in my career at ESPN, I have been able to make some bags, you know, and I knew that if we had to come to a decision where I wasn't gonna be there anymore, that that

Right, So and ABJ was still like she the ship, Yeah.

Yeah, I mean it was it was still all right and all I But what it did teach me, though, is something that we learned, you know, at various points, or sometimes it take us a long time to learn, is that any relationship you have with an employer is conditional. It's a completely conditional relationship and you need to you need to treat it as such.

And HR is not your fucking friend, not your.

Friend ever at all.

Ever, this is a conditional relationship, which is we should give you and empower you more to be true to yourself. And you know, despite all the relationships I built at ESPN, despite all the time I've been there and felt like, you know, I did my job quite capably, if not better than that, the truth is is that when the president came after me, they didn't say shit. And that was a very important lesson for me to learn about.

You know, they didn't.

I mean, it's one thing, I mean, and it's it's a cold thing too. Because in journalism, you know, I mean you check that a black concept. Yeah, I know, I mean in journalism especially. You know, I worked for newspapers before I got to ESPN, and there was always just to understood code, like when you go after city hall or city hall comes after you, you got to stand with your people. Because part of what makes democracy work is a free press. You have to have a

You know.

The whole thing about you know, being a journalist is that you're supposed to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

And so that's why there has to be.

An understood code in media that when the city hall comes after you, you protect your people. Now, however ESPN wants to deal with me internally is another matter. But when the President decided to put my name in his mouth or in his tweet, is when I expected ESPN to say something and say, all right, hold up, now, if she gonna be a problem, she are a problem.

She ain't right, and that didn't happen.

And honestly, that's the most disappointed I've ever been in working there.

Because that's not the way that goes.

I've been in situations and newspapers and seeing how people have stood by their people.

That's how it's supposed to be.

And even the NFL, as raggedy as they are, the moment he called them sons of bitches.

What happened? They all tightened up. That's what you're supposed to do.

So I was talking to my man the other day and based on watching what the MLB and MLB, the NFL, and the NBA are doing.

Does it seem like good karma that everything is working out right for the NBA, But the.

NFL and the MLB when it comes it comes to just like they are like, is it just me? I mean, meanwhile, the NBA got Black Lives Matter all on this on the thing. They safe in their bubble.

It's like, but well, but what is it? It does teach you something about the value of leadership.

And the thing is you have Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, but you also have the de facto commissioner and Lebron James right here the de facto commissioner. Yeah, so you you have this and you also have a black woman who's the head of the players union, Michelle Roberts, and the three of them collectively have exhibited such amazing leadership, particularly during COVID. I mean, not only are they in the bubble, No NBA players have tested positive since they've

You get exposed again exactly time, right.

Or yeah, or you think about the number of people you may expose because you don't know if you got it right.

So they are at the forefront. I mean, who would have thought in twenty twenty.

I mean, it's been a strange year because we got Taylor Swift way more woke than Kanye Wow, don't do that perspective that was but it's it's true though, like Taylor Swift out here leading black people to freedom, not Kanye No.

Don't wait wait.

Now.

When I saw Kim Kardashian talk about free and c murders, it's just like, yo, what happened car?

Wait?

Say what? And if she able to get him free, look, I'm just saying, just trying to stay in because her husband fucking up. But whatever, go ahead.

Black people don't fall for it, even if she gets the murder out. Don't fall for black people, like don't let this be like I'm a dope for Donald Trump? Like no, no, until she gives us our asses back in our hair and everything else.

But it's not so much about her.

Is that one thing that we need to understand, Like those acts, individual acts are great, giving back to the community, and that's great. Charity does not fix structural racism, doesn't fix it, right because you get se murder out, But what about And I don't know.

If y'all watched uh uh the.

Watching it like watching that yes on BZ yep, watching that and seeing I mean I knew that Louisiana had a racist criminal justice system much like most states in this country. They on another level. They god standard. It's a whole state, a gold standard of racism. And seeing se Murder's case, but also the other dude, Mack, what happened to him?

You?

Like, how is this possible in America?

So, Kim Kardashian freeing Se Murder isn't gonna address that, is what I'm saying. And so that's not to belittle what it would mean for Sea Murder to be out of jail, but like, yeah, like you said, like I would have never in a million years, but like, so Kim Kardashian is gonna lead Se Murder the freedom.

I'm like, I'm surprised she knows well hit him ala for all of that.

What's up with meya? He's still in there.

Yeah, it's been a it's been a really crazy year. But at any rate, I guess to get back to your original question, is that who would have thought that? And again it's what I was saying about sports sometimes leading away and leading in ways society can't that the most competent, cohesive response to COVID nineteen has been the NBA by far.

All right, so now now I feel all off key. Going back to another sports question. In your childhood, what made you did you initially? When did you develop this passion for sports? Because I'm I'm I'm curious at anyone who really commits to something that they themselves aren't involved in, you know, like it's it's possible to be to faan music and participating in it. For a lot of people, their knowledge of sports just as spectators is amazing to me.

I do love to bowl. I am a I'm a hell of a bowler.

I do.

Y'all want some young come get them straight up? Oh wow, yes that's right. I'm handing out ass whippers on the lane.

So you know, you're talking a lot for a person that has a hometown with only one movie theater in it. But that's okay.

But you know what, we got a lot of bowling allts because we're because a winner like you need to have Yeah, you need to have activity. So people a lot of people from Detroit, Michigan period can bowl like that was our thing. But to answer your question, is you know I would ask you the same about music. I'm sure there's a time where you don't even remember not loving music, right, and so I don't there was a time. I don't remember not loving sports. It wasn't

I love Did you grow up with your mom and your grandmom?

Right?

So?

Yeah, I mean my mother she was, I mean she's she was, she's been married before. She just didn't marry my biological father and so but as I like to mess with her, but it's true though, it's all facts. My first step father all got one. Yeah, my first step father was somebody who was also into sports. And you know, I was the neighborhood tomboy, right. So I was out there playing you know, uh football and you know, playing basketball and freeze tag and you know everything.

Uh two not we didn't call it two step What was it. I'll think of what we used to call it.

But I was mother not mother may I no?

Yeah, oh yeah, kickball, all of that. So I was always out like kind of rough housing with the boys. I mean it was sort of frustrated my mother, not that she wanted me necessarily a girl, be a girly girl.

She'd just been like, why are you always playing with the boys. It's so rough? And so that was that was always me and what.

Did your folks do?

So my mother a bit of a jack of all trades.

I mean, she's like worked at the post office, she's she had her own cleaning service by trade. Though she was a medical laboratory technician. And both my parents are recovering drug addicts. So my dad he is uh, well he retired, as I should say, a clinical drug therapist.

So so he does like counseling and that kind of thing.

Is this your stepdad, that's your biological.

Dad, my biological father, my stepfather. Uh, the first one was like some kind of computer engineer, and my current stepfather.

Look, I'm just telling no judgment. I make it no judgment.

Oh this was this is a public.

Thank you. You couldn't look this up and you would know she she just oh number two. I mean, hell, my grandma got a rab so I'm mean. But uh, but my second step father he retired from the auto industry because you know, Detroit's factory town, so he worked at the plant for many years. But no, I mean it's like sports always came natural in terms of both playing and watching it, and you know it was odd because I knew, I'm I'm very fortunate is that I knew I wanted to be a sports journalist when I

I majored in journalism.

I've only done this, Like, don't I'm not even equipped to do shit else, Like the only other job that I had, That's true, I'm like, I'm not equipped to do shit else. The only other jobs that I've had outside of journalism was I delivered phone books during what I know. That's how I'm seven thousand years old. I was like, I delivered phone books to earn some extra money for ring break and.

They still make phone books.

Dog, I like this, this is like the this is the late nineties, Like they were still making phone books and it was so heavy, and I got to say, the game must be crazy.

Oh my god. I got paid like seventy cent per phone book delivered, Like oh god, it was fu o way more than that.

Yeah, that shit was labor and that's what I knew. I was like physical laborer and me will never get along, Like it's just not happening, that, ain't it? So? I yeah, I had internships in college. I even interned at the Philadelphia Choirer. I interned there, so so in Philly? I did I've lived in Philly?

Yup?

No, wonder you heard of the roots. I refuse to believe it. I looked at it.

I was like, no, no, but one of my internships questions like, no, bullshit. It was nineteen ninety four. I think I was an intern at the Free Press with Detroit Free Press, which is the local paper in Detroit, and they assigned me to the features desk, and the music critic at the time did not fuck with R and B and hip hop at all, so he said, you can have all R and B and hip hop.

It was the Roots.

It was like so many different artists that dropped that year. My CD collection was banging after that summer.

Joints Joy was like it was promos when I worked in the for our college newspapers.

So I mean, this is the campus echo es Central and I would get promos.

You get a hard time and tell them that's what I used to do.

I'd sell them, yes, sell the ones I don't want, or I said, say, this was nineteen ninety five by bag, but like yeah, So that summer that I was interning at the Free Press, the reporters went on strike and the Free Press is also was at the time owned by the same people who owned the Philadelphia in Choir, which is how I got the Philly because they sent me to Philly. One of my girls was already working at the Philadelphia Inquirer, so I didn't even live in Philly.

Proper. I lived in McDade mcdave Boulevard. Damn yeah, I lived.

In mcday man. I had to catch a bus and a bus in the train to get to the Philadelphia Acquirer downtown.

Wow.

Hold up, we need more time with Jamail Hill, and therefore you'll get it.

So this was part one. Stay tuned for part.

Two of our interview with Jamail Hill on Questlove Supreme next Wednesday.

You don't want to miss it. It just gets better. It's so good.

West Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.