How can I breathe without you here by my side? Nope, I cannot sing, but I can do a show. What's up, everybody, Welcome to the latest edition, especial edition that Steven Aate Smith show coming at you as I love to do at the very least three days a week over the digital areas of YouTube, and of course iHeartRadio. As always, I take a moment to think and show gratitude to my subscribers and followers and listeners who listen to me
and support me. I am on vacation, but it doesn't mean that I wasn't gonna tape a show and to provide you with the level of content that you have come to expect.
Even when I'm away, even when I'm away, and that's exactly what I've done today.
Before I say anything else again, the gratitude is extreme.
Thank you so much.
Without you, there would be no me so or just want to thank you for that, not just to my followers on YouTube, over the digital airways YouTube, but of course iHeartRadio. Thank you so much. With all of these millionams of downloads that y'all have been given me, I.
Appreciate the love so much, so much.
By the way, to continue to like and following the show. Just click the bell and you too shall be the latest member of the stephen A. Smiths Show family.
Acts accessible to all of our new content.
And while you're doing that, make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Times best selling memoir, Straight Shooter, a memoir of second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback. Just go to straight shoot book dot com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that straight shoot the Book dot com to get yourself a copy. From what I'm hearing, it's a highly motivational and inspirational book that all of you should get your hands on around the Christmas holidays. I mean, this is what they
tell me. I mean, I wrote the damn thing. I also did the audiobook, so I know it's inspirational and motivational.
But I didn't want to say that myself. I want to leave that to y'all to deduce on.
Your own anyway, this particular show while I'm on vacation. I'm one of those guys that you know, what sports is my background, that's my wheelhouse. But it doesn't mean that I don't know a thing or two about politics. Doesn't mean I don't know a thing it too about pop culture entertainment. It certainly doesn't mean that I know a thing or two about some of the artists out there.
And I've been very, very interested in talking to a guest of mine today and it's not my nephew, who'll be on later on in the show, answering questions on relationships, believe it or not from people. I don't know what the hell possessed me to do such a thing, but I said, hell were that I'm gonna try it because he's been bugging me and bugging me and bugging me, you understand, And I want to give him an opportunity to show his ignorance yet again. And he did not
let me down in that department. You'll see what I'm talking about. You'll see what I'm talking about. But he won't be on before my guest, who is an accomplished individual, earned two Billboard Music Awards a Grammy nomination. He's been doing music for years. I know a lot of people don't think they've heard from him for years, but his music will speak for yourself. You'll know exactly who I'm talking about when I mentioned his name. It's a lot
of things that artists bring to the equation. So many times we look at comedians, for example, and we're so gratified and thankful that they find.
A way to relieve us of stress.
And tension and misery because they find a way to make us laugh when nobody else can. Well, there's another powerful element that lives out there, and we've known it since the days we were born, and that's the power of music. When you're listening to a song or a particular artist and their voice and what they bring to the table, and how it just soothes you and it makes you a bit introspective and appreciative of all that you have and all that you aim to and aspire
to achieve. You can't say enough about the impact that music can have on any of our lives. So anytime I have an opportunity to interview a music artist, it's something that I want to take advantage of, and I definitely did that with this episode.
His name is Mario.
He's got a holiday film coming out Style Me for Christmas. I already told you about some of his accomplishments in the music industry. He's also an actor, and guess what he's up next Right here for the stephen A.
Smith Show.
So don't go away.
Okay, everybody, you know what time it is contor stephen A Sports Picks.
Let's be real, y'all. If there's one thing that is obvious to everybody is that I love sports.
I report on it, I debate it, and enjoy watching it.
It's my passion, always has been, always will be.
That's right, and that's why I've teamed up with Prospects to bring you my favorite sports pick each and every single week. Prospects the largest fantasy sports platform and all of the land with over three million members.
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but that is the highest payout ever at Prospects. And the good news doesn't stop there because if you sign up now and use code and say yes, Prospects will give you fifty dollars instantly when you play your first five.
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You don't need to win your lineup to receive the fifty dollars bonus. You know it's guaranteed. Just play a five dollars lineup for prizects and you'll get fifty dollars instantly. Now, let's see my winning picks today. I'll be making picks for this Thursday's NFL matchup, the Los Angeles.
Rams against the San Francisco forty nine Ers.
First up, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford more or less than two hundred and forty nine and a half passing yards.
Matthew Stafford is a bad brother. Pook in the Coop and Cooper Cup a no child.
Sean McVay is no Joe called him plays and again, Matthew staff is a bad brother. And I don't like the way San Francisco has looked for the most part this year. I'm going with more on this one. More than two hundred and forty nine and a half passing yards for Matthew Stafford.
Next up, Rams wide.
Receiver for Pook and the Coop, more or less than eighty four and a half for sea yards. He's a bad brother, and he's got Matthew Stafford throwing him the football. So obviously the answer to this question is gonna be more. Just look at what I said. Okay, it's very very simple. Next up, let's go to the next one.
Please. Forty nine a signal call a brock perty.
Face in the Los Angeles Rams secondary more or less the twildred and thirty nine and a half passing yards. See, I'm not one of those people that look at tw undred and thirty nine and a half passing yards of some big, big day you throw for over three hundred yards, over three hundred and fifty yards, that's a big day. Twidren and thirty nine and a half passing yards. With Deebo Samuel George Kittle in the lineup, you should be.
Able to pull that off. B Rock Party, I think you will. I'm going with more on this one.
And finally, San Francisco receiver de Bo Samuel more or less than forty three and a half yards receiving. It's de Bo, y'all. I got mad, love and respectful. I know that forty nine has been a show of themselves. Christian McCaffrey has been hurt for the most part, this year Brandon and Yuke went down for the season.
Obviously, your bit off more.
Than you could chew because you've been knocking on the door for a super Bowl the last five years. You've been in four conference championship games, two super Bowls, and you haven't walked away with one super Bowl championship. So I get it. Slippage was evident, it was inevitable. Okay, but that don't mean that applies to Deebo Samuel. This is a bad brother. He can play forty three and a half yards receiving. That is more than I mean, that is not as much as you would expect. Okay,
he should be able to do that. I'm gonna go with more. So let's recap right here. Matthew Stafford, Pooka, Nakoua rock Purty, Deebo Samuel.
What's the common denominated here?
More?
More, more more more.
We like that, especially the prospects, because when we hear more, we think more money.
And who's got a problem with that?
My next guest is a singer, songwriter and actor known for the hit songs like how Do I Breathe Again? And let Me Love You, which earned two Billboard Music Awards.
In a Grammy nomination. After six year.
Hiatus for music, he's back with a new album in a holiday film. Please welcome the one and only Mario to.
The Steven A.
Smith Show.
What's going on?
Big Time? How are you?
Man?
How's everything good?
Good afternoon with my brother? Things are great. Man.
It's good to see you, even though we're doing screens. Man, it's good to see you. Always feel your energy. You always got that high energy.
You know it. You know what I'm saying.
Going crazy out here.
I gotta I gotta ask you a question because I know you know your sports a little bit before I get into you and what you're doing.
You Baltimore Ravens.
Fan, I am, man, what the hell are you going on?
I first came out, my first my first my first jersey was the Ray Lewis fifty two jersey and the Justin Firm video.
I haven't been watching lady, okay, So don't don't go too crazy.
But I'm not holding I'm not holding you accountable for that. You know, I'll leave the sports analysis to me. But I'm just saying I'm thinking about Lamar Jackson, I'm thinking about Derek Henry, and I'm thinking.
About the fact that he was supposed to be making some noise.
They got five losses on the season of spart I'm like, are you worried that they're gonna bow out early yet again?
You know what?
I never you know, listen, you can never put it past Lamar Man, and guys, you know sometime he pops out and shows up when you at least expect it, you know, you know, just just give.
It some time.
You know, we got a couple more to go, and you know, I feel like he gonna he's gonna pull it through.
Man.
Even watching the game the other day against Philly, you know, and the and the last in that he pulled up, you know, close to what We almost got that touchdown, Yeah.
Almost, you know.
But the bottom line is, you know, Philadelphia outplage all that day, Derek Heary a little bit more. All you gotta do is give them a ball about twenty five times.
I think you'll be all right. You give Derek he It ain't that damn complicated.
But let me get to you, man, because get it to your holiday film style me for Christmas streaming now on BT Plus.
Tell me about that role and what inspired you to do it.
Yeah, I played Teddy Maxwell, not too too far departure from from what I do in music.
But you know, he's a guy who is passionate.
About his art, but he's finding it hard to find his space in love.
And Tiffany.
Raven Goodwins plays a character by the name of Tiffany who just inherited this boutique from her late mother. So she's, you know, so having a tough time transitioning into that ownership. And while that's happening, my manager goes into her store to find a suit for me. It ends up seeing her as a girl who could change my.
Perspective of love.
So there's this love story that's happening unbeknownst to Tiffany in the movie, and then me struggling with my my you know, infidelity issues and just like being an artist and trying to find loving that we end up having this story together that kind of shows both sides of you know, love loss, with you know, acquiring this this her acquiring this business while at the same time trying to be you know, my stylist.
But it's all challenging for her and my challenges are going on.
So it's just you see a story of both sides coming together and messing and trying to make it make sense. And in the end, it's all about purpose and connection and love.
I think it's a beautiful story.
It's a beautiful Christmas story, different from your typical Christmas story, but I think people enjoy it.
We get a lot of love for me so far.
Obviously you can act and what have you, but everybody pretty much knows you primarily for your singing.
What inspired you to do the acting thing.
I think acting is a way for me to express myself through different mediums and escape from the selfish world of being an artist. I can control my surrounds. I can control you know, my stage show. I can control this is my world, right, But in acting, it's a more collaborative, it's more community involved. So I mean, it really just teaches you to, you know, be able to stretch yourself in different ways creatively, which also helps musically and helps with working as a team.
Right. Also just the imagination.
Right when I was a kid growing up in Bottomore, I had to use my imagination to escape the harsh realities of what I was growing up in. So, you know, acting, I think is something that kind of comes at the hand of just having a more expanded mind and just you know, exploring different parts of your creativity.
Man, I ain't no damn actor, but I act on the soap opera General Hospital.
People tell me I'm being damn good. But I got to tell you something.
I don't view myself as an actor, but I'm gonna tell you what I've grown the love about it and why I'm gonna I'm gonna take it far more seriously in the future. I love the idea that I can be whatever the role commands.
That's what I've learned to appreciate it about. It's like, wait a minute, Wait a minute, what if I wanted to be a villain?
What if I wanted to be corrupt I get away with Yeah?
It was crazy about getting those types of opportunities.
Is that you don't even realize that there's certain parts in your life where you can actually pull that from where you may have felt like the villain, Right, But if you think about heroes and villains, they kind of like the same person a little bit, yeah, you know,
but just in different in different forms. Right, So you know, I think I feel like acting there's always a space that you don't tap into and in real in your everyday life that we you know, a lot of times we escape from certain things that we experience or we've been holding on to. Acting allows you to ex to explore those different things. So teach you a lot about mental health as well. You know, it's it's so many different avenues to it.
Six years, bro, I mean on the rids, doing your thing, very very talented, well respected, the whole nine, and then you step away for six years.
Why I never stepped away from music, you know, I think that as an artist, the way we look at.
Time, like I'm always create. I'm in my studio now, matter in fact, I was working on something earlier today.
As an artist, well, I speak for myself as an artist, I look at time completely differently, you know. So I don't feel the six years because during that time, I'm still creating. During that time, I'm still I have the four vision of seeing what the next two three years ahead is going to look like.
Right, So when.
You're creating, I've been doing this for a long time, so I'm already like a customing kind of like wired to think like that.
So for people who like.
Or fans like I put an album out, douring a pandemic. A lot of people don't count projects that came out during the pandemic because it was such a different type of release. But glad you came what you're looking at right now when the new album comes out December thirteenth.
This mentally has been in the making for a long time.
But me and James fart Laurie, who executive produced this, talk a while ago about working and the timing just worked out.
Man, and I feel like we.
Made a project that's very imaginative, it's very confident, it's very sexy, it's very classic. It preserves the firm of R and B. It's inspired by so many different types of music that I grew up listening to. You know, the first single, Space is more jazzy and R and B. You know, that's that's an hormie to my grandfather who played jazz and drank liquor, you know what I'm saying.
But then when you get into the album and listen to it, you know, it goes from this nostalgic feeling to more of this contemporary fresh vibe, you know, So you're really getting like a full spectrum of who Mario is as a creative Vocally, you know, I think I've showed growth on all of my projects.
Oh yes you have.
Yes, you have no doubt about that. You you got my support on that one, our co sign on that one. But I will say this to you.
You know, despite the fact that you were.
Still on your ground, still work and still creating and what have you. When you look at artists today, one of the things that I'm skeptical about, certainly not what you certainly not those who are established, but cats who are aspiring to get in the business, to get where you are, a lot of times they're thinking about the
creative freedoms that come with it. I'd like you to speak to the work and the commitment and the discipline your craft requires, because I don't hear enough people talking about that, but I know you have to have that in order to be successful as you've been.
I think it's just like anything else, Stephen, where you got to decide at what level you want to play off, you know, and based on that level is how you govern you know, your input and your discipline and your patience and your resilience within the process, because that's what's going to determine, like you know, making something that's classic and commonness versus just something that's just for right now.
You know.
And I think it also all of it matters as you build your appetite and your strength of being not only the artist but also the business man because you are woman, because you have to understand the business side of it in order to be a good partner, especially when you deal with a label like Sony, and I partnered with Sony to do this project with New Citizen, which is my label, So you know, all of it matters.
I think the hardest part of it would probably be choosing, you know, out of the hundreds of songs you might make, choosing which records really is is going to be a part of this portal and this capsule that you're creating. You know, when it comes to creating the album, you know, singles you can kind of like test the market and just those singles on and do this and this and that. But when you're making an album, you want to make something that has some type of purpose behind it.
I'm glad you came.
It was like this all encompassing invitation to this new era of me as an artist and this new era of R and B.
Is this your first project with Epic Records.
This is my first album.
Yeah, your secondlbum, but this is your first album with Epic Records. The music industry has changed obviously with streaming. How do you believe you've evolved along with it?
And who did you work with on the album?
So man James fart Loerray pretty much wrote a lot of the album.
The production on the album is like friends of mine that I've been making music with over the last three years.
And you know, the evolution of the evolution of.
Me is from both the business side of it and the creative side and just kind of merging the two.
Uh.
For example, you know, when releasing the album like I'm on, calls out about different campaigns, digital campaigns, you know, you know, the manufactured content versus the very organic content that I put out. There's just so many different you know, aspects of getting the word out and pulling people into the process. You know, there's a you know, a timeline of engagement.
You know, as you get into the album and then you get into the touring conversation and you get into the meat and Greece and you get into all these things.
Is diferent levels.
And what I love about Glad you came, and what we're talking about is again is the invitation to the journey of all of it, and like bringing it for a circle and also talking directly to women.
I feel like there's not a lot of music that.
Speaks to women in a very direct way. And I feel like, even though my songs are metaphoric, it's very direct at the same time, Like when I came out with just a friend or breaking my head was very direct to what I'm stating in the record. You know, the the call and answer of it all crying out for me, the vulnerability to confidence, you know, all of that in one on one space.
In my line of work, my attitude is I'm talking about television, I'm talking about you know, for sports it's male. But for the most part, if you want to be successful. I always say this about Madison Avenue. You know, just metaphorically, you got to have to support a women. If you don't have to support a woman, you ain't You ain't pulling it off. I mean, the ladies got to help you.
The ladies got to help you out. Do you gives you a decisive edge because clearly there's a lot of way I listen to the music there's a lot.
Of women that like that that got love for you. I mean, I go, yeah, no, for.
Sure, man.
And I feel like women that are often neglected when it comes to music, certain parts of them are neglected, you know.
I feel like.
Women are forgiving and adaptable and they invite you to be who you are like as a man. They like seeing every different side of us. You know, you got people who are just like, you know, make music that's grungier and just like.
You know, talking you know, different to women.
Then you got music that is, you know, ambiguous, and then you got music that's direct and like very much so geared towards women.
Like Glad You came. This record is specifically about a woman.
The first line of the song is, I listen to what you say, girl, I'm watching what you do. You know, I'm not the type of man to leave you with your hands out asking if it felt good.
I finish what I started, you know.
So it's really much it's very much so geared towards talking directly to women from a man perspective. And if you're a guy and you you know, are into what I'm into, you know you're gonna enjoy it too. You know and yeah, man, you know we we definitely not neglect the women on this one.
Don't ever do that, even glad you came.
And by the way, that's dropping December thirteenth, So let's make sure we remind an audience of that your top three R and B artists of all time would be who That's why I'm put you on the spot. That's why I'm asking because you would know. I mean, your opinion matters.
Yeah, my top three R and B solo artists or groups or what.
Give me both separated, give me top three total artists, top three groups.
I'm gonna start with top greet three groups. Boys to Men Okay, number number one all.
From me.
Because they did both straight R and B records, R and B pop Christmas record like.
They can do anything. They did anything. Uh, Jodasy and ls.
Mm hmm d.
There that's hard. All right, I'm gonna say I'm gonna say next.
Next, next, So okay, that's the joas in next voice, the man Jodasy in next.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's just what came to the top of mind. So then we're gonna go to solo artists.
Crazy Joe Okay, I like that.
One. I like that one.
I'm gonna go Joe. I'm gonna go I'm gonna go musically only, I'm gonna have to go Urka.
I was getting ready to say it. Don't be ashamed. He in jail now jail listen, wee.
That don't mean we can't That don't mean we can't give him props for his music now.
God on God r K. And then I'm gonna go, Wow.
You got to really good ones, though, you got to really good.
Ones Joe r K.
And then just for like in terms of like urban R and B that like like I'm gonna have to go Usher.
Yeah, I'm gonna jump. I'm gonna go Usher.
You know, I feel like he you know, he's the closest artist to like. I would say that I grew up listening to and I was like in my early teens, that was doing what I aspire to do now, so I'll continue to aspire dude. So yeah, I would say that as far as like this, this so many man, so.
Many artists, bro give me the give me the three females.
Three females.
Okay, let's not leave.
Them out, because you care about you care about females that's right.
That's what we've just been talking about. Give me the top three females.
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Beyonce.
Yes, we agree, we agree.
I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go Beyonce. I'm gonna go.
Take your time, take your time because you got to get this be.
I'm gonna go because I'm thinking of like when I was like coming up, like whatever was I listening to that was like, Okay, they was represented for the I'm gonna go be I'm gonna GOA.
Right.
What about Mary J.
I'm gonna go definitely yeah, Mary, all right, No, I'm gonna go be Mary J.
Okay, that's right for sure.
J Okay, we're about to go and tour together.
That's right. I was getting ready.
I was going the next well, go ahead and then yeah, man, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say Keisha. Yeah yeah, I'm gonna give Kescha some love. Man.
You know, I feel like she you know, like for for she liked the young She like a young Mary like you feel me energy.
Yeah.
Before I get into you and Mary J Blige, I gotta ask you this as an aside you remember. I don't know if you saw the episode of my show when I got into it with Tank tanks by to me. I was at I was at Prom one twelve in Miami.
Right I heard about it.
Oh my god, yeah, that's my man. I love Tank Man. And I was leaving and the next thing, you know, he stopped me. We were talking for a while, him and his boys were hanging together, and.
Then he said, he said to me, you do understand that.
The greatest artist, the greatest art pop art. I said, Michael Jackson, what are you talking about? He said, Chris Brown. I said to him, Chris Brown is all world the greatest performer right now, I got it.
But there's only one Michael Jackson.
Man, I think this is this is the thing, man, It's it's we live in.
That's a completely different generation of music and tension like what Michael was facing back then, like there was so much going on in his life. But when it comes to what we're talking about today, man, we're talking about kids who don't remember Michael in that crime.
Right, Chris? Is that for them?
Okay?
You know what I'm saying.
That explosive to that explosiveness, the performance he's you know, the ESD he comes with.
On stage, like, that's not so that everybody.
It takes a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication and love and passion for the art to do what he does in his space, you know. Yeah, that's there's nobody like him, you know, in his space. I personally would not compare Mike and CB because when I listened to Michael had a completely different time and zone, Like his music was live, he had strings and live this, and there were so many other things going on in his concepts, concepts of his music and what he was
talking about, and his voice and everything. He's in the land of his own. To me, right, I'm inspired by Mike two. So you know, I'm really inspired by his voice. Like Mike, if you take Michael, Marvin, Stevie, and Joe putting together, you get Mario vocally, in my opinion, if you listen to all of my music, right, So, I'm inspired by Mike too, like a lot of things. But yeah, I think CB is like the greatest of in his lane and what he does, he's no one's is touching him.
He does greatest dance.
By the way, let me get to the year twenty twenty five. That's because that's gonna start off right for you. Tell me about this, sir, you're embarking on with Mary J. Blige and yo, you're you're the opening act out here.
Yeah, so this tour, like my set, is gonna be good towards glad you came. And I'm obviously the classics, right, but I'm giving you know, very much so intimate performance and you know, inviting people to get to know me on a different level than they have from a from a vocal standpoint and from a storytelling standpoint on stage.
But yeah, that night in itself, I think it's gonna be You're gonna dance, You're gonna sing, and you're gonna cry, You're gonna feel good, You're gonna you know, you're gonna you're gonna feel the essence of R and B in so many different spaces, you know, because all of us do something completely different.
So I think it's gonna be a beautiful night.
And tickets available now obviously, but yeah, I can't wait to perform these songs and you know, classics for you all on the stage and just reconnect with y'a again.
Man, I'm proud of you man, keep doing your thing. Man, it's just good.
As far as I'm certain, big things is just getting started for you.
You already have big.
Things going on, but you're gonna trust on an elevated level all the best that you always hear for you. Anything you need, feel free to holler.
Man. You take care of yourself, all right.
Appreciate you, Steven. Glad you came December thirteenth.
Thing.
I cannot wait to see you on the road layout.
Thanks again to the phenomenon one himself, the one and only Mario. I'm kind of feeling bad for him. And as Baltimore Ravens, I don't think they gonna do what a lot of us expected them to do this year because I'm looking at the Pittsburgh Steels or the Buffalo Bills and the Kansa City Chiefs ain't going no where with Patrick Mahomes, And I'm saying, what Baltimore is gonna do? You understanding when the defense is usually horrid, their offense can do but only so much. And then when the
defense shows up, the offense doesn't show up. They can't seem to get it together. They can't seem to get it together. But that's a personal problem because I'm a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and they'll figure out a way to.
Get over it. I gotta get over some things.
And I'm glad that I had Mario on here because he set the tone. And my staff here asked me. He said, there was a lot of people out there clamoring for some reason to call into the show to ask me moah for relationship, and.
I was looking forward to doing it. I was actually excited about doing it.
I really really was, like, look at me in my suit, I'm looking all good and all of this other stuff.
Yeah, I'll give the advice. Sure.
And then my nephew strolled around and he said, yo, I'm here.
You know, why wout you to this segment without me?
You understand saying you old? You understand I'm saying you're in your sixties. I'm actually fifty seven, but he always says I'm in the sixties. Al he throws that extra shade, extra dust on my birth certificate. That's what he does with his sorry ass self. Okay, but in the end, it's like this, he said, let me do this. The weekend's over, the new week is here. You gonna be on vacation so you.
Need some semblance to you to be involved in all of this to sort of jump start the holiday season.
This is what he said. He's not telling the truth. It's not accurate, but that's his perception. And you know howeople say all the time, can't tell me how to feel, can't tell me how to feel.
That's how I feel. That's what he was saying. So he insisted on being in on the segment, and I said, bump it. Why not?
So I take the segment with my nephew taking calls about relationships, And after listening to him, I had to be talked out of not deleting the whole damn segment because that's how ignorant his ass sounded. I am not responsible for the words to come out of his mouth. I am his uncle. I've tried to set a better example. Clearly, I have a lot more work to do.
I really really do.
But I'm gonna let y'all hear him anyway, because it means a lot to him to get some camera time.
So I'm gonna give it to.
Him, much to my potential detriment, yours truly, with my nephew Josh in a minute, I don't even wanna tell y'all his last name, but it ain't hard to figure it out.
It's my nephew Ryan. He's up next.
With relationship Calls, Lord, Forgive Me, Forgive Me Back with Moore.
To Steven A.
Smith Show in a minute.
Listen up, y'all, I have an important announcement you need to know about here at the stephen A.
Smith Show.
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You'll get fifty dollars instantly. Prize picks, pick more, pick less. It's really that easy. Welcome back to steven E. Smithshaw. This is you know, my segment, can you know?
Calls for people about relationships? And since he was already here in studio with.
Me, my nephew Josh right here. Okay, he's supposed to get off.
The air, all right, but it's.
Crazy ass I said, no, no, I want to stay. I want to say, can I before we even get to the call.
Can I have my shades?
These ants you stole? Can you stop?
We are rich.
You're not gonna be missing a pair of shades and not buy another pig.
Be rich? All right, we got a contract coming out. We're gonna sign it.
We we gonna sign it. We gonna sign it.
My last name is Smith too, so you gotta sign half my name. Technically you have to sign half my name.
Let's go to the calls. Let's go to the call.
These are relationship cause ladies and gentlemen, people calling me for relationships. I apologize for whatever this crazy ass nephew your mind is gonna say.
But I let him.
I'm letting him stay in on the segment. I will answer your call. Seriously. I don't know what the hell he's gonna say, but we gonna listen. All right, Josh, this is a niatra. This is a female.
This is a nietra in Saint Louis, Missouri. You're live with Stephen a anitra.
How are you?
I'm good?
How are you, Stephen?
How you doing? I appreciate you calling? Go ahead, I'm here for you. I'm here for you this holiday season. What's up.
Okay, So I have a quick question. What are your thoughts on someone in a relationship or marriage having the opposite sex as a friend or best friend?
Anitra, do you mind?
I got my little knucklehead and nephew sitting next to me right now. He's in his thirties. He thinks he knows everything. But since he's here do you mind him participating in this segment with me and answer. I'm gonna answer your question, but I'm gonna let him answer first.
That all right with you? Is that all right? Yeah, let's Josh go ahead. How would you answer that question?
It depends on how the friend looks.
If you know that your man likes uh, women that are in sheep, then if he has a big friend, and that's what friend.
If it's a.
Girl that's in shape, it's only a matter it's own if you asks me.
All right, my my nephew put it in a very crass kind of way, Anitra, let me break this down to you. Okay, he's for the most part. My nephew's actually right from this standpoint, speaking as a man, if you are friends with somebody you find attractive, if you're in the friend zone.
It's usually because of her. It ain't cause to you because.
If you had your brothers, you gonna want to get with her because she fine. Now, if you're not attracted to her at all, you understand, then that's a different matter altogether. If it's it's a media attraction, all right, that's cool too. But if you're not attracted to her at all, you don't have to worry about it.
Like my boy, Pooly Pooly.
You remember that movie Norbit, Remember the movie Norban in the remember rasp Fu. Sure, yeah, so me being friends with somebody like that, that she's safe, it ain't none to worry about it. But if you're fine, and here's a key point here, here's a key point here, if you've never been with her, if you've never been with her, because if you've never been with her, then curiosity kills the cat. So you're gonna always be curious because you've
never been with her. So there's going to be an insatiable appetite for her for you to get with her.
You're gonna have that, now, flip it. If it's a girl and a dude is attractive, well, women are different, y'all?
Are y'all have your proclivities, y'all have y'all desires and all of that stuff.
That's true.
But in the same breath, how happy are you in your relationship?
If you're happy with your.
Man, then even if you find somebody else attractive, you happy with who you have, So you good. But he on thin ice, because the second he make you unhappy, you gonna notice the friend even more that you find attractives.
And because of that, it could be trust.
Do you trust? Do you trust like your person? Having like a man as a best friend, do you trust?
Hell?
No, trust, no woman, trust, no woman in mind having a dude a's a best friend.
Particularly if he's attractive and he's.
In Now mind, you you knew who you knew before I came along, So I'm not gonna police your friendships. But what I'm going to say is that again, if you're around the brother, if you still communicating with the brother, that ain't an accident.
You communicate with.
Him, you staying in touch with him because in case.
Of emergency, open glass. Now that may not be literally correct, but a lot of men think like that. And because they think like that, they always have that.
They always have that sixth sense and by having that sixth sense, there's a level of trust that they're lacking, which means suspicion elevates, which means any little thing you do can cause a problem, which means the relationship is gonna be on the n ice.
Am I right about that? Josh?
You right? Are you the friend with a friend?
So I'm not the friend with the friend though, I'm like the person that's dating him. And then he's like, oh I got a best friend, we've been friends.
Okay, start right there.
How it is?
How do you think that friend of your man looks?
I don't know, you don't know.
You never you never met her.
I don't think she ugly? No, I've never like met her.
No, you never met her. No, you don't sound very convincing.
You don't sound very convincing. You sound like you got your suspicions. And if you haven't met her, and that's your man, he keeping you distant from her for a reason, just raisnas. That don't mean he's guilty, but it means to elevate younis.
She sounds extra okay with it, like she got.
It's okay with it? Thank you, okay, take care, need to thank you?
Let's go to Troy in Toronto, Canada, a beautiful city by the way.
What's up, Troy, how are you?
I'm great man, just finished listening to first take in podcast form Daily Ritual.
Oh all, we do appreciate it. Thanks so much. Man, you're here.
I'm sitting here with my knucklehead and nephew who's sitting in the studio with me thinking he's God's gift to women and relationships and all of that other stuff. He's listening on a call with you right now as well. What's on your mind? Troy talked to me.
Okay, so after a long year, a lonely year, after some past transgressions. Uh, I was single, but I'm currently working on fixing things with my ex and was wondering what are some ways to now that she's moving back, spice things up and make sure I never lose her again.
Okay, So you're saying she's moving back, meaning she's moving back to live.
With you, Yes, sir.
And when you talked about your transgressions, that means you cheated around, you screwed around somebody else.
Is that correct?
I didn't want to get too far into you don't have to, you know.
How I mean your Troy. We don't know who she is, your Troy from Canada. I'm sure there's other Troyes in the whole damn country. I'm just saying nobody knows your last name or anything like that. But I'm just saying, that's what you did, right, Yes, sir, okay, you believe she's a good woman, a great woman.
Do you are you? Are you? Are you very attracted to her?
Yes? Sir?
Are you stimulated sexually by her?
Yes?
Are you stimulated outside the bedroom by her?
Yes?
My brother, you got a great one.
Because you're talking about letting her move back in, So that means she moved out and she's will to come back to live with you despite what you did.
That's a very big thing.
But here's my advice, and I'll lean on a little nephew here, not leaning on him because I certainly don't need his advice, but I'm gonna listen to what he got to say. But I will say this, since you were wrong, you do understand she's forgiving you, but she'll never forget.
Oh know that? Right?
You know that? Right?
So that means every move you make that creates an eyebrow raise will be hard thinking the worst.
You understand that, right, Yeah.
It's happened, and I know I gotta, I gotta.
Can you deal with that? Can you deal with that?
I've been dealing with it, and I think I will happily deal with it. Okay, to fix things, all.
Right, Josh?
Hey, Troy, Hey, Josh, you like you like the word accountability? Accountability?
Yes, sir, well, I'm I'm a fan of reverse accountability.
You did what you did because she might have did something. So if you.
Can't like deflect, my god, you're not You're not just guilty.
I'm not buying that.
I can hear it in your voice.
You're a decent guy.
Hold hold, you just gonna assume I can't believe, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not responsible for all the thoughts and the things that come out of my nephew's mouth.
Are you trying to sit up here and automatically?
Are you saying that because he cheated, it must have meant that she cheated and that's why he did it.
I'm a supporter of Troy. He's calling us. We don't speak to her, all right?
All right, all right, Troy? Did you girl cheat on you?
Josh?
I got love for you, and I appreciate you trying to come and save me.
But I'm the only shitty person in this situation.
See what you mean?
Oh my god, what what you You just tell me?
Yes, he is got it.
Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't don't don't don't step up, don't stigmatize like that.
Here's the point, Josh. He just said it's not him. It's not it's he.
Told you that. He said he's he's the bad guy in all of this.
Okay, you're sitting up there, you're like, oh my god, like you're ashamed that he's own up. But you use the word accountability and you said reverse accountability, No, reverse accountability accounting.
You're my nephew. How are you acting like this? Oh? With the cameras, Roland.
This is embarrassing because I felt like he said what he said.
But.
Then when he said it was just him, not her, you would discuss he did it again.
He did it again because he told her.
I look, I got through to the stephen A show, and you want to listen to what I said. Of course he's gonna say everything that she wanted to.
Let me ask you, what you're saying right now is that you don't believe that his girl didn't cheat.
I'm just I'm not saying that because I don't know what I'm saying is it's a plenty.
It's plenty listeners and.
His I'm thinking about the totality and the bigger picture of this. Kids watching, they need to know that women can be wrong sometimes too. You just jumping on their side because they be on you in the shape room. You was on here today too.
First of all, I've called out women in my day.
For you to not even come to me with that weak ass argument, that's number one.
Would I believe what I believe?
You know me better than most you know, I don't backstep number two?
Okay, But if they write, they write because guess what? Who did you love? Who's the person that you loved most in the world?
Ganma say a louder Grimma.
Grandma the greatest woman you've ever known? How many times do I say that? How does she raise us? Await? Would she say?
What would Grandma say to you if you're sat up there and said what you just said.
She wouldn't understand either though. GMA's grandma, but she wouldn't know Troy.
Thanks a lot for the call. Man, I can't deal with this right now. Parker and Burlingham your Live with stephen A. What's up? Parker?
Hey, stephen A. First and foremost, I just want to say, it's honored to be speaking with the CEO of Love Enterprise Questions for you.
I'm a CEO of Love Enterprises.
That what you just said, I never I never thought about it like that.
I kind of liked that.
Logo's about me, the CEO of Love Enterprises.
I kind of like that.
I mean that I won't forget to love doctor lessam Alonzo, but the CEO of Love Enterprises, I mean I might have to.
I might have to embrace that. That that that model. I might have to do that.
But anyway, listen, Parker, you here with my little nephew and myself.
He's just sitting here chilling in my studio.
So I figure I put him the good use because he don't do shit anyway, So I figured I might as well. I'm listening to the call, I might as well have him join with me. Go ahead and tell us what's on your mind?
Poker, go ahead.
Yeah, So recently, my girlfriend of about two years really like her, I'd rate her about eight point nine out of ten. I'm about a seven on a good day. Anyways, we are getting into the fact that we need some foreplay in our life to spice things up, you know, and make things interesting. She is very adamant that the next time that we make love that I dress up as a firefighter. Now my options are this, stephen A. I can either, you know, go about fulfilling her fantasy,
no questions asked. But am I to think that when she's making love to me, she's actually wanting to be making love to a local firefighter in my town? Those are the thoughts that I'm having. Okay, I appreciate.
No, No, you.
Can't hang up. Hold on, don't hang up. Let me tell you why. I just want to make sure I got this correct.
You qualify yourself as a seven on a good day, right.
On a good day?
Right?
You said she's about an eight point nine?
Right, I would say so.
And you said that she y'all want to spice up your sexual relationship. So as a result, you want to y'all have agreed to engage in some level of foreplay and for her, she would like you.
To dress up as a fireman. Yes during four play, Well, let me role play role play right?
Well, first of all, if you're a fireman or firefighter.
What she want to be?
That's the thing, stephen A. She just wants to be herself.
So she wants to be a herself, but she wants you to be a firefighter.
Ext Okay, second question, Second question you and Cali A ruh? How near by is the fire department from where you live?
Here's the thing, stephen A. The fire station is just around the block from where she gets her morning coffee.
The fire station is just around the block from where she gets a coffee every morning.
Yep fight.
Oh yo, man, there's a firefighter. She's she's she she's she she she's feeling No, I'm sorry. How old are you, bro? How old are you Parker?
I'm twenty nine.
How old does she? She is?
Twenty six?
You said that you're a seven on a good day? What does she say you? Are?
You?
Guys?
The nephew doing the math over there is this no.
No, no, no, no no no.
The nephew's listener, he hears you a lot of clear. I'm asking you if you say you're a seven on a good day, what does she say you are?
You know, I've been too afraid to ever ask.
You never asked her.
You don't have the confidence of yourself to ask her how you think, how she thinks you look.
I'm afraid of what the response would be, stephen A.
And now, and now you brought up the firefighter, Josh.
Well, if you want to know what I think, I think you got a cheat on her just to get your confidence.
He got to, he got to and you know it.
No, I don't know that. I don't.
You just said she put the firefighter tomout.
But that's not gonna necessarily boost his confidence.
It's gonna make him do what he gotta do.
That's gonna make him more vulnerable to whatever she throws in his direction, because he's going to know he was wrong, which gives her justification for whatever it is that she ends up doing.
And again the woman wins.
What I tell you what to do, Go get you a fire lady or articulated. Get a six, though, don't get a nine, because that's.
Why you're not confident. Because she looked better than you, look better than your girl.
I like that.
Well, let me stop this right there, let me stop disrect there First of all, la gentlemen, this is my nephew. He does not work for the show. He is not connected to the show. He is paying his uncle a visit. And I decided to put his ignorant as on camera. And you see why I call him ignant right because of the nonsensical stuff coming out of his mouth right there. I will say this, though the last part of his argument, Parker does provide a good point. Let me say this
to you, Parker, in all seriousness, all joke inside. When you lack confidence in yourself, sometimes you take it out on a woman because it's not about her.
It's about what you know you're not see being part.
And I'm not really talking about myself on this level. But let me give you some insight. When I had COVID and I was sick as hell, and I didn't have any kind of definition whatsoever, and I'm walking around with a pop belly and I can't breathe and I'm overcoming double pneumonia and I'm doing all of this other stuff right, Even.
Before then, my confidence wasn't.
High because I knew that I wasn't what I was supposed to be and I couldn't shred the pounds around my mid section, my nephew looking at me, my little nasky tore o.
God, uncle Steve, you got that? Oh my lord, where that belly come from?
Stuff like that, right, And I never thought about it because all you heard was that you climbing up there in age.
This is what happens, and you.
Just got to deal with it, because that's all of us. When I got my health in order and I started being in the gym every day, and I didn't mind taking off my shirt, I didn't mind walking around with a tank top or a tight shirt or whatever the case may be. And I was in shape, my confidence elevated, and at that particular moment, I don't worry about anything because my attitude is, whoever don't want me, that's their loss. I'm good because I'm good with me. Has nothing to
do with anybody else. But when you're not.
Good with you, you.
Find reasons to be suspicious Parker about everybody around you because you know you don't have it.
You know you don't have it.
It's almost like they do. Let me get real with you, it's almost like that dude who can't get the job done in the bedroom. You suspicious about her, when in fact, it's because you know you ain't that dude, because when you with her, you don't feel like you're handling your business. And as a result, because you don't feel that way, you're willing to point to her and bring up every excuse under the sun as to why things ain't right, when deep in the crevices of your soul, you know
it's you. So that's why my nephew's advice is completely out of whack, off kilter and ignorant because he's not taking into account the fact that you haven't looked at you with an honest eye. You're using her to gloss over your own insecurities about you. Because if you were more secure about you, Parker, you know what you would do. You dig her to step out, because you'd be like this, make sure it's worth it, because I'll be out and I'll have your ass replaced in a heartbeat.
See what I'm saying.
I definitely see what you're saying. I appreciate this advice. I'm gonna take a long look in the mirror, might Papa bluetoo, and I'm gonna get to work.
That's right, Get to work. Be all you can listen. All you can be is your best self. You can't be the firefighter, you can't be some actor, you can't be some model, you can't be.
All you can be is your best self. But when you know that you have achieved or have come close.
To achieving, your best self, it elevates your confidence and you worry about all of that other stuff significantly less because you believe you're aprise too. Instead of focusing on the fact that she's the one closer to a nine.
Than year you feel me, I feel you.
Got you taking ease of my brother. Good luck with that.
Holidays, trying to fire fight, trying to firefight the outfit to see how she reacts. You still benefit for the immedia moment, still benefit.
Try try Mickey.
In Middletown your Live with stephen A. Talk to me, Nicky, you're the last call. What's going on, Mickey.
Dmo.
I got a bit of an ethical dilemma for you.
Okay, I'm sitting here with my nephew, my knuckle ahead and nephew.
You know he's right here with me. But he thinks he the love doctor, or whatever the case may be, He's not. You understand them saying what did they call me the CEO the Love What was that?
Huh?
The CEO of Love Enterprise, the CEO of Love letting the prize.
I like that. I like that. We're gonna go with that for today, CEO of Love and the Prize.
Let's go with what's going on?
Mickey? Talk to me? What's up you? Me and my nephew?
All right, all right, So here's the story. Basically, I decided to get back out there. Right I get on Tender at the dating site.
Time out, time out right there. You said you decided to get back out there.
First of all, how long have you been gone? And secondly, how old are you? Especially since you're on Tender now.
I've been out for about four months, mom, how old are you? I just went through I went through a rough breakup.
I'm twenty two, okay, rough breakup, age twenty two.
Go ahead, you wet BEHONDI here is bust some one like sim like, it's okay, You'll be all right, but.
Go ahead exactly. So I get myself back out there. I go on a date with a nice young lady and we had a real nice time, ended the night with a little kiss, and then I'm supposed to be going out with her tonight, but I had another match offer me free Knicks tickets. Hold lo, so I do some digging, right, and I agreed forgetting about my previous plans. So now I have two dates tonight, and on top of that, they are sorority sisters and friends.
Okay, you want my advice.
First of all, let me let me let me I know what you're gonna do, but I'm gonna listen to my nephew with his crazy ass give you some advice.
First, go ahead, Josh, go.
I have on a Knick's jacket, so that should tell you right there what you should do and you should be to night.
That's number one. Number two, I don't I used to be.
I have a friend that's on tended and how he pretty much takes over. He said he's on tender. I'm trying to teach him something because you're gonna need a new tended person after tonight. You're choose another girl, right, So when you go back on tender and you back on the market, read their profiles first to find out what they're looking for, and then you change your profile to that.
Oh my god, Mickey, I've never been I've never been.
Don't listen to that.
Please, I've heard of it. I've never been on it. I don't do stuff like that. I I don't need to.
Here's the deal. Okay. First of all, if.
You're gonna mess with two women that are friends and sorority sisters, understand that you're trash.
You don't come back from that. You see what I'm saying, You'll end up missing out on both. That's number one. You don't do that.
You have some class.
Number two, are you broke? You broke? I mean, can you afford to go to a Knicks game?
Yes?
I can.
Well, then you.
Don't need to be worried about being invited to a k next game.
Because you could afford to do that on your own.
You ain't some pauper that will never see the Knicks. You don't worry about that.
Okay. What the question, what my nephew should.
Have told you, is who do you like more? The person that you like more is who you should go out with.
If you like.
If you went out on the first and you were interested in having a second date, and you had a kiss from the girl off the first date, right then you already got an end. Because not only does she kiss you, but she wants you to come back for another one. Why would you mess that up just to hook up with somebody else? And the only thing they got going for them is that they offered you Nicks tickets.
Holy he again again laid the sales pitch.
Well, the sales pitch, sure, But the point is that's if you just looking to play. You sitting up there talking about you got your heart broken, you were hurt, you were down and out for four months. This is a different animal, Josh. This ain't some dude that's just single and trying to have a good time. This is a dude that was in a relationship, things fell apart, broke his heart, he.
Was down and out for four months. He's gotten back up.
And so what you're gonna do is your heart gets broken, ultimately it gets repaid.
You're willing to go back out there. Why for the purposes of breaking somebody else's heart. How does that work for you? Of productive? That's kind of productive.
You pick one or the other, So don't go to the niggame. I'm saying you pick one or the other. You don't play with both. And the reason why I say pass on the knickgame is because he went out with the other girl.
Now, if if you hadn't gone out with either of them, I'd say pick the Knicks game too.
But the fact is you went out with the other girl first, You went out with her, You enjoyed yourself, kiss the good night. She wants a second date. You wanted a second date with her, which means you're interested. Why jeopardize that for Knicks tickets?
It's because it might end different after the Knicks game.
Yeah, but the point is he don't know anything about the girl with the Knicks tickets.
Oh, he knows that she got a free tickets. He knows enough about the first date that he went out with to know that he wants a second date.
Go to the niggame, you ask me.
But you only saying that because it's the Knicks.
I'm not.
I'm just saying that it can indifferent. Maybe it's more than the kiss, kiss kiss.
You aid give another day.
That's the first date, the first day he went out with that was their first date, got.
A kiss, good night and it ended with the kids.
Yeah, what's wrong with that?
Go wrong with it? Sound a little incomplete?
Oh my god, Hey listen up, Steve, Go ahead, the heartless side of me wants to do demon mode, like Josh is saying, right, but I feel like I really needed that fatherly advice.
People get people get hurt all the time.
Life mandates that the question is is.
Somebody gonna do that to you? Intentionally? You're talking to her brother right now.
I've been all over national television and lived my life, and I've been very, very blessed and fortunate to be as successful as I am. My high school sweetheart broke up with me, got back together with me, stuck with me for three months until I took her to her prom, and then dumped me the next morning.
And I found out that.
The only reason that she got back with me was because I was the fool willing to take her to the prong to pay for her to go to the drong.
Let me take something. Everybody plays the fool sometimes.
That doesn't mean that you intentionally go about the business of trying to hurt other people. Now, people get hurt because you might want something that they don't want, or vice versa. But I'm talking intent you sitting up there talking about you in devilish mode and you ready to recavoc and hurt people. That are innocent because you've been hurt by somebody that had nothing to do with any of these people. I'm saying, that's bad karma. Bro, you
don't want to do that. Could you at least agree with that?
Josh?
Are you saying go to the Nick game and saying what you just said?
That's what I'm saying. Don't go to the next game.
Nah, we're not gonna agree on that one.
Then go to that Nick game.
Go to that Nick game and finish up strong.
Man.
I really needed to hear both sides of that, Nicky.
I do good luck, good good luck.
I'm sorry for exposing you to my nephew. Ladies and gentlemen.
That's it.
Just take it easy, nay Ta, take it easy, Mickey, j Just just.
Go, Nicky, Just go and and and be careful and and and try not to break anybody's heart intentionally.
Alright.
That's all I could tell you, ladies and gentlemen. That's it for this edition to the Stephen A. Smith Show. I'm very sorry that I had to subject you all to some of the stuff that came out of his mouth. We harbor no responsibility in this whatsoever. He is my nephew. He's my loved one. I love him dearly. But he's a bit loose.
He's a bit out there, to say the least.
Fix some relationships today. You did it.
Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, Stephen, They signing off peace in love.