Buying Black with Ray J and activist Natasha Williams

the nation. People are dealing with holidays, they're dealing with COVID, they're dealing with a new administration, um, and just our regular everyday issues that we're gonna be talking about all of that, all of it, all of it. So that brings me to my thought of the day. That was kind of cool, right, I thought of the day? You like that, Right, it's something. It's a nice little listen. That's what I'm trying to say. Everything that has to do with something that's Brandon and you know that's dope.

I usually have some type of input. I'm just saying. I'm just well, look, you know, you know, with this holiday situation, everybody's buying everything and we're encouraging people to buy black. I struggle with this one issue. Are we just buying black and not worrying about black excellence? Like is it okay for us to support businesses and not require of them that they be excellent in the ways in which they operate? I mean, I think I think

that's a good question. But I think there has to be a real conversation about what we call excellence and whether we hold them to a standard of somebody who has a million dollar company who has, you know, resources that they don't have, or whether we walk into a place that we know it's owned by somebody black and understand that they might not have those resources and we

can push them to that. We can you know, we can elevate them and say hey, give them tips and say hey, or invest in it, you know, invest in that that company or that organization and say, I see what you're doing, it could be better if you did this. I'm wanting to invest in that. You know. I think a lot of times, you know, we we we hold our people to a stand it. We don't hold nobody else too. We don't ask where is the money going and what did you do with this? So why am

I invested in that we go. We we support other organizations and other you know, ethnicities without any level of scrutiny. You know, so of course we want we h But what I'm talking about is something dealer. So what do you talk Even within our organization until freedom, we had a bit which you told us, don't start selling merchandise until you can actually push out the orders, because you were saying, I've experienced this, I had trial and error.

I know how much of a job it is. And we on the road in Kentucky and Georgia and all these other places, and we're not able to sit still and focus on this job. Now we've hired a person who is going to man who is managing it and doing a really good job of getting all of the orders out and all of that. So we figured it out. And so there is a trial and error part, but we recognized that there was a problem and we are

rectifying it. And by the way, we're rectifying it, and we hired someone that we hope to make enough money to be able to pay them. So we're doing like the the three card Molly game right now. We really got the salary in the bank, but we think them are Randice will sell enough to be able to pay this person, right, that's the deal. So I get you.

The resources are not there to just open up the Amacy's or you know whatever and sell our clothes, our our our merchandise and and all of our branded until freedom stuff. But there is something to be said about one people who don't want to change. They think it should already find the way it is. And they use that excuse my son that well, we don't have the same money that everybody else has. It's not so what.

It still should be customer service. This thing should still be clean, your facility should be clean, You should be on time. That's another big problem, especially for somebody like me. When you're talking about hair and you know the services that we need. People complain all the time, well you should go to black owned businesses and I do my

hair style. It's you know, all of them, and they and because I'm so busy, and because they are business people themselves, they understand the importance of getting me in and out of coming to the house or meeting me on the side of the road, and you know, whatever they have to do. But I have worked with people who are chronically late, who are chronically just disrespectful. They act like they're paying you to do a service for you, and I'm challenged with on my social media and other things.

I never want to talk about this issue because I'm not trying to hurt black business. But at the same time, there has to be somebody to call our attention and we've got to raise the level of excellence with how we put products in the world. Well, I think for me, I understand exactly what you're saying, and I'm not saying that we should expect less from black people who are in business. What I'm saying is you have to look at the individual. You have to look at the organization.

You have to look at the company, and you're able to tell while they have more recoil since they'd probably be bigger, you know, probably when you looked at even with the Nipsey Hustle's brand, right, he had never sold as many things. So when he passed away, the organization took months to get people their thing because they weren't capable.

It wasn't that they were just you know, they were um incompetent exactly, It's just that they weren't They didn't have the bandwidth to actually supply the orders, so they it was something new. So when you look at things in that aspect, cool, I'm saying if you if you have somebody who who does your head that you give thousands of dollars to on a regular basis and they're constantly late, that means that that person is just not professional.

The individual is not professional. So no, but you can't say that no, because that means if you make if I tell you say, hey, you know, I know that you're a little busy sometimes this and that, but I have a schedule, you know, and and it's customary when you're a customer that you reach out and give somebody a courtesy and I'm not gonna make it on time. Or you're honest about this. When you said a day and you said it's that, that's that's professionalism, you understand.

I'm saying, so you it's nothing wrong with expecting a level of professionalism and understanding and and and coming to a mutual agreement about somebody who are you're paying your money to. You know, of course you will want. But the thing is, I'm not saying that because that one black person doesn't fit, you're gonna say, well, I'm just

gonna go back to the to the the regular. Do you know the people who have been doing whatever for me because it was this way, No, find you another black person that's professional because they are professional Black people

that do it. So if if we're saying buy black, find you a professional black, don't just support any black business that doesn't, you know, fit up to your standards because they don't want to, or they're not cable or doing things like I'm not gonna buy I'm not gonna buy less quality something from black person because they're black. No I will. I would support a movie, a company that's on the upbroads that's growing, and I see the potentially.

You know, if you know me, you know I've been through many different hairstylists, makeup artists, regular style clothing stylists, nail technicians like, I've been through many and I continuously support black people. I am really grateful that at this point I found a team of individuals that really they

first of all, they want to see me win. So that makes a big difference, right, they want to see me win, and so they're showing up knowing that they are a part of this movement that we're in and their job is to help me be a little bit more comfortable and look better. So I have to say that about my team because they are the bomb. But at the end of the day, what I find, to your point about less quality, it's the people who have them. They know how to do hair really well. They don't

want that, don't want to show up on time. They're the ones that have an attitude that they are the star of the of the chair, like it's not you are supposed to be working for people, you know where else I've had issues black contractors and by the way, I found many trash contractors, and I'm talking about contractors, not I'm talking about like for your home, for renovations

or whatever, construction workers. I have found that there's like some issues there, especially with women hiring car dealership car dealers, like you just get treated unprofessionally. Well, I understand what you're saying, but I think it happens with white when black women hire white men to do the same thing, they treat you unprofessionally. So well, But but it's it's a different Yeah, that's true. And I'm not gonna say white.

What I'm saying other I'm saying, well, not just what I'm saying outside of the black race, because I've going I'm going to get services outside of black race and felt like somebody just then they'll ask you, you shure you can afford this? They ask you question, so you so you gotta acts? What is it? What professionalism are you looking for? Are you are you comfortable with being marginalized or treated like you're not even supposed to be there?

Buy somebody that's not your race, or you want to deal with some of the level of inconfidence to where you know they're not doing certain things that you want to do this because you know me, I'm not gonna deal with any that's everybody that I spent my money with. It's it's pretty much like the worst. You just want to hide your face because she'll sit there and the civil War is not clean, and the ladies walking by don't don't not hear her the first time because she says,

excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. This this civil is not she know she does it's not it's very it's just the octaves. It's very raised. Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. This civil war is not clean. And this table is not clear, and the table is not clo. I don't understand what it's not. But the thing is this now and then she'll eat the food and say this food what I'm not gonna take it back with? The food was cold? You know, I asked for a certain thing. It didn't get that. But don't worry about it.

Or did you say you know what? I'm just trying to I'm trying to help them be great. And then she'll she'll get something and like, no, I don't. This is not done properly. I asked you for I asked you for a drink and I said no salt, and it tastes like you poured it back in and with the salt on it. I don't want you to pour it back in with the salt on it. I wanted to have no salt. I want a new drink. I don't want this one poured into like everyone, this is

what she does, but I don't. But what a good point that you made is that I do not ask for a discount or that just because I didn't love it, that I now don't want to pay. I don't do that. I just tell them listen, I ate the food, or I did you know I participated I partake or whatever, but I don't appreciate these things that happened, and hopefully they will make changes and sometimes I go back. But see, I learned the service business, specifically from going to Sylvia's

restaurant in Harlem since I was a kid. I'm not saying it's perfect. Nothing is perfect, okay, because my son was a bus boy there and I used to have to get on him like, uh, move it, move it. But he knows how hard he worked and how much they worked towards excellence. Sylvia the owner of the restaurant, God let rest her soul. And you know, the family runs and operates every single level of the business, from the chefs to the administration to the event planning and

all of that. I learned from them. One touch and feel your customers. Miss Sylvia, as I said, God rest her soul. She used to go to every single table in that restaurant herself, not the manager, not the whomever. She went and walked around and made sure that people were good at the tables, touching field, talk to them, how did you like it? It wasn't hot? Oh no, you're not gonna eat that. And it's not hot we

put throwing that out, we're getting you something else. Her children learned that, and her all her grandchildren, which you know, there are many of my three GW cousins and they love you and love us and and and and and his family. When you go there as a cousin who might be coming from out of town, and you think you're gonna sit down at the bar, when they get busy, they get up from eating with their own friends. They could be in a meeting doing something that is not

working for the restaurant. They're not all on the payroll. They get up, they start moving tables, busting things down, taking care of business, because that's how they were trained that the only way this business will sustain itself. Where they have now purchased half the block, more than half the block, um is because we all have to participate in the excellence, the movement for excellence for the black

rais And that's what I want to see. I appreciate that, and I agree, but you know, and it started with no money, no resources. She was frying chicken in a with a little a little counter. I think I think that's a loss art. You know, I think customer service is really a loss or a lot of most people are so frustrated that they have a job. Most people aren't working in professions and in places where they actually enjoy doing it, so they're mad that they there. You

walk up to me like, okay, what you want? You know, there's no trying to I think when she started her business, it was her passion, you know, it was her love. She like, this is my I'm gonna cook my food. I'm gonna have my people in here. So it's different, and I think we have to get back to that. You know, we have to expect excellence. We want people to get into jobs that they enjoy, that they love doing. You know, customer service is very important if you have

a service business, Customer service is very important. I'm trying to explain to you. They just don't do good because it's the worst thing nobody wants to do Jenkie business. Nobody wants to you say you're gonna do something, you don't do it, or you don't call they gotta call you a thousand times. It's not done properly. Like, I just want to get back to us doing business properly. There was a time where you can expect that if somebody said they was gonna do something. They did it.

So let's get back to good customer service, good business, good business. I'm telling you that's a that is like that should be a movement by itself and doing good business. You can learn, We all can learn, we all can do better. I know for me, I certainly am learning and growing and the experience. And you know, I do not like mess associated with my name and the issue that we have with the until freedom merch taught me a lesson of one. Sometimes we might want to listen

to my song. It's all knows what he's talking. Mom might know a little bit about a little I mean, I know a thing too, about a thing or two. It taught me is the whole which we know that preparation is key, and so being prepared preparation prevents poor performance. Okay, well that's good. What else is going on the streets is talking, always talking. I tell you every week the streets talk to damn much. That's the fact. That's why

so many people going to jail. And that brings me into the streets talking because it's too much talking, so scamming, you know, holidays, people trying to figure out how they're gonna get PS five, you know, they're trying to get the new jacket, you know, the new fashion. Kids want all types of toys, and a lot of people are focusing on scamming. It's a it's a new thing. It's

like a trend. You know, somebody knows somebody to get it for cheap, that to swipe it if you give them this and that, you know, and I'm hoping that our kids understand that this right here, it's one of the biggest ways that they get you. You know, this is this is why I say that poverty is violence, you know, because when you don't have you try to figure out ways to cut corners, and you get caught up in certain things. And what we do through this

holiday season. You know, if you out here scamming, it's going about three or four months, you're gonna be in the prison. Sw It's real dangerous because first of all, you're we're talking about the holiday season. But actually this scamming issue has been going on for a little bit longer, which is throughout this whole time when with the with those the loans, the the stimulus money. I know that there have been people applying for unemployment that that actually

didn't have a job. I seen more money in the hood than I've ever seen. And that's why some people were like, oh, we like Trump. They don't know it takes Congress to actually help, you know it, to get to put a stimulus package forward. Um. And of course other branches of government and the president and all those individuals have to come together and agree on it. But the president Donald Trump, did not give us a dime. Okay, it doesn't work like that. Um. But anyway, that's I

digress from that. The point of the matter is that I see it too. Write like I'm not gonna sit here and act like we don't see people moving around with things that and no job because this pandemic there's not even now there's some folks who just came up because their ideas, Um, you know, some of their innovative

strategies to make money have actually worked. And I remember at the beginning of the pandemic, I saw this post that said, um, this pandemic will will make this pandemic will show you who can make it and who's broken basically who couldn't make it right, um, And it basically was talking even more in the post about how people with innovative ideas would be able to make a lot of money during this time, and those people who might have had popping businesses that don't know how to pivot right,

they will You'll see them their business will decline. And that's true one the struggle of this moment. You see so many businesses. I mean, it is so heartbreaking. We have been away living in Kentucky, which, by the way, even there in Louisville businesses boarded up, you know, struggling. They're saying that at least in New York, the businesses won't even reopen. When we came back to New York and I just had to like run downtown for something.

I was looking around, like what everything It's like, yo, things are closed and and and some of the places, like you're talking about delis and restaurants that are long standing like they are, they've become staples. Everybody goes to these um these establishments, and to have them closing down because of a pandemic. But not even just a pandemic. It was the Trump demmick because of the way in which the pandemic was actually being handled and still today

not being handled exactly. You know, somebody said, I saw you know, you know Instagram is like um, like the news. But I saw someone say say that who was it? It was somebody important to us. That there has not even been a day of mourning that this administration has organized, like when almost three hundred thousand people died the president of the United States. It's supposed to stop everything and and and have people come together to pray and mourn

those who have lost who we have lost. But that would take leadership, you know, that would take a double of understanding of presidential is m you know, you know, I create my work presidential ism, you know, which which the president? Because is it just leadership or do you have to have a heart all those things? You know?

But even if but my thing is this, even if you don't have a heart, you have a common sense to know, if I really want to have a being a leader, then I would have to, you know, let the people believe, you know, even just fake even if you was faking and you don't even need to heart fake it because you understand it's the right thing to do, even if you didn't even agree to say, you know what, these people people are dying. Let's show that we actually care.

Let's have a dead morning, let's you know, let's let's celebrate the families who lost. Let's, you know, console the families who look this this president has never had and he doesn't have he doesn't have common sense, he doesn't have reasonable discernment. There's so many things that Trump lacks that I don't even We're not going because you know, he doesn't want to even. He doesn't want people to escape that the pandemic exists. That's the real thing. It's

like trying to ignore it. Yes, there, but it's not that important, and so we're not going to talk about it. But again, all of these folks have died, and we as a country, we as a nation, have not paused to acknowledge and support people lost their mother, their father, their kids, people lost three and the whole families in one family likes it's terrible and you know, it's just terrible. So with that being said, the streets better know that in a few months, to your point, the indictment is

coming down. I see him all the time. We've been seeing them, you know, like damn, my boycatting over got caught up in an indictment. Her g herbal caught up in indictment for actually supposedly swiping credit cards allegedly, you know. So it's like, this is what happens. You know, these the system is strategic. You know, they're not giving you

anything for freedom. Boy, you're out there, you're scamming. You're running in these clubs and you're buying bottles and you you're going into these these establishments and you think you're getting over. You know, they're just building up a jacket for you. Man, they're building up your foul and they're

letting you think you're getting away. And then what happens is when things open back up, the fans got fresh cases they're looking for, and they need new people in themselves, and they're coming to get you because your fingerprint is all over the world and you're scamming. To me, it's the scary, Like, I don't understand scamming, crimsing the camp. You have a digital fingerprint. You understand. If you're literally

leaving your face, you leave it. And if you're saying I ain't doing somebody else to do now you you you think somebody else, they're gonna tell on you that your t gave me this. This is it doesn't make sense, man, I think common sense ain't comments so much, man, I'm just saying, Look, be smart, man, don't get something that's gonna get you. They say all the time, trouble is the easiest thing to get into and the hardest thing

to get out of. So a set of scamming being entrepreneur, figure out how to get multiple streams of income, create something different. You know what I'm saying. The same energy that you put into doing something illegal that's gonna probably end you in prison, put that same energy into doing something positive that is legal. You know. I I realized being in the streets that when I was doing negative things and I was putting all of this energy into negativity.

When I decided to switch and put that same energy into something that I didn't have to run from the police and I didn't have to worry about whether somebody was gonna rest me or knock on my door, I got even more results. You know, and our next guests is a classic example of that. You know Mr bad Boy bad Boy turned entrepreneurial tech. You know, he's in can and he's in so many different things. Man like,

he's like a young mogul Man. You know, watching Ray J over the years, from sex tapes to beefs with this one too, you know, his multiple relationships, relationships, multiple entanglements, man, and just watching him navigate through that, being entertained by him, to see him grow into this entrepreneur that you know it's doing all this big stuff in tech is just is motivational, you know, and it shows us where we can come from. Man. So I hope a lot of

young kids pay attention because you can make money. You can money. Listen when you realize that. I was having this conversation yesterday and I was like, yo, when you realize how easy it is to make money when you focus on the right thing. And I think in our communities were always taught that the only way to make money was pretty much three especially in marginalized communities, like three ways. You had to be into some crumbs and some drugs. You had to be a rapper, or you

had to play a sport. You know, everybody else too hard. You've seen mother going to world and you didn't want to do that. But when you start to realize how many different things and ways that you can make money, it is, it's I open it. It just gives you breath of life. And that's why we have our brother Ray j joining US is joining us today. Before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint, we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors. So

I don't really celebrate Christmas, but it's Christmas. And one thing I will say is that more businesses are investing in this idea of the Black Lives Matter movement right now, it's not nearly enough. Um, we won't claim it as being some type of victory just throwing a few million, few foul in dollars at the problem. There has to actually be a commitment and the companies have to change.

If Black lives matter, it needs to matter from your corporate boardroom all the way down to how people are being treated treated um, you know, on the floor actually producing your product or working in your stores. And so there's a lot of work that still has to be done there. And I don't think that we have returned to a space where it's time for us to start spending this one point for trillion dollars that black people spend every year without some real demands for our money. However, Um,

you know, people still gonna buy Christmas gifts. That's the bottom line. People got kids and kids, you know, for me, like, I personally don't celebrate Christmas because you know, understanding the history of it, and you know, and one of the things that we we said at the march was, you know, we want to take Christmas back from Stata close to give it back to Christlike we didn't say that that a maze using amazing spoken word that you did. It was was it? This was the speech. It was the

speech spoken word in the spoken word fashion form. Right. Um, And you said that let's take the Santa Claus out of Christmas and give it back to christ right and so, but still people are buying gifts and so if you're gonna buy black black black, black black, that's why we're on the Black effect world. So our next guest is someone who has been a real true advocate for black entrepreneurship.

In fact, when we were with him recently, uh, he was like, yeah, you know, I can get into the political discussion all day, but I also want to talk about black banks, black business where we can really focus on economic development and how that plays a role in addressing the concerns that our communities have because we need to be self sustainable, right, we need to be self sustained um and uh and And I think one of the ways is to continue to increase our you know,

continue to use our buying power um as an opportunity, not just taking money away, but is acknowledging that. You know, what we don't do is acknowledge our buy we utilize because we all go out and buy anything with the number one consumers in the world, and we trillions of dollars that we spend, especially during these holidays, you know.

So if we start to redirect that money back into our communities and make sure that we are making sure that people that look like us, that come from our exact same realities, you know, are benefiting from our spending, then at that point we can change our reality. Because I always say that poverty is violence. You know, the number one cause of violence for me is poverty. The number one cause of anything that's negatively affecting Black people

comes from poverty. So we can't we can't be comfortable with poverty. I was having a conversation other than some people. Some person said that we've gotten comfortable with the struggle, and we we we we only embraced the struggle in poverty, you know, And it's it's a it's a mentality that we because we struggled so long that we've embraced it, and you know, we try to make, we try to make it's not cool, and we don't believe it, and we don't believe in at all. Poverty is not okay.

It is violence. It's definitely violence. And I kind of went off, you know, we just kind of drifted off into our critical analysis of this whole issue about UH spending money during this holiday season. And let's just clarify. I love Christmas. I do. I love christ obviously, and I'm a Christian um and it has my my The fact that I don't celebrate Christmas has absolutely nothing to do with me being sort of like against I think that I think. I think for us, it's not really

celebrate just we don't tradition exactly. We celebrated, but we don't. We don't believe in having to spend all of our money. The commercialization of Christmas. Christmas, that's what I don't participate in. And we went off, you know, into a lot and did not bring um on our guests. I'm so happy to have today. And if you are going to spend money, like we said by Black spended with our own people. We don't have to run out and get our headsets and all of that, all of our tech equipment from Apple,

which is great. We we support Apple too, but they are actually black brands who are putting out products that are just as good. One of them is by our brother ray J, who was with us right now and Raycon is his product that is actually doing really really well. So again, during this Christmas season, let's by black and support our own family. What's up, ray J? Sub baby Man, that's love. I appreciate that, y'all. Thank you all for having me. Man, that's a blessing to let people know

that and let people know about the company. So thank you for that. Yes, sir, so give us let us know. You know, you called the crossover from TV and music into tech entrepreneurship, like that's that's something that we have to celebrate. You know, you started as a personality and then understanding how everybody else is getting rich, how everybody else other you know, cultures are getting rich and you tapped into that. Explain to the process. How did you

get into the field of getting into tech? Well, um, well I started and I started just kind of running my own company when I was when I was uh, went on for my second album, Radiation. The first album was with Atlantic Records, and I had a song called Wait a Minute, um with Little Kim that was like

my first big record. But I started to kind of figure out how to run my own business and create my own template through marketing from just being turned down a lot man the labels, you know, dropping and and you know, just kind of being out there just alone, and and then you know you kind of like ask God for help and then your mom, my, mom and dad let me brass some money and um, and that's when I made the album Radiation, and so I really just went guns blazing with that and I found out

how to create my own template through music, and um, eventually it was it wasn't it wasn't giving me the return that I wanted. I was spending a lot of time doing music and putting all my soul and all my pain and passion into the music, but the return was kind of not It wasn't enough for the time. So I just said, man, it's gotta be another way.

I felt like there was something else out there. And then that's when we started venturing into tech and got into the scooting bike, and then UM eventually sold that company to a Canadian company UM named Luke Great Company Schooling Bikes trading right now on the t sx V and on the OTC and UM and then I just went in the recon Man. I needed a product that I felt people could afford. I felt it was it was a wide open lane. You know, Drake kind of dominated on the ear on the headphone side, but the

earbuds is just something new. It's something new, it was something you know, it was on the cutting edge of being successful. So we just took a dive at it. And and three years later, Man, we were scaling every year, heavy heavy. We just did UM we did over four million in sales in the past four days, over the over the Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend. And I'm not scaled for x from last year. So we've been you know, everything's been moving, man, God is good. We still got

a long way to go. When we when we first had this conversation a couple of weeks ago, and you were talking, we wanted to talk about politics, and you said, Yo, I want to sit down and talk about politics, but I want to talk about having black banks like let's talk about the finances and how those are the things that we really need to focus on. Like, so we need to definitely tap in. I mean, I think it's

something important. I think everything that we're doing is right, from raising awareness to to march into to uh, you know, really just really trying to make sure that we get what we deserve, um, but also in the financial department to like I mean, I don't I don't even think there's like four or five actual black families that own a bank in America. I think there's like maybe fourteen minorities total total, and I might have the number like wrong,

but it's around in that area. But we don't own banks, you know, and I think we should focus on owning banks, being bank owners also you know, uh, being stronger in stocks, um, just to being more educated. I think if people knew what this stuff was and how simple certain things are and it's not so complicated, I think people will dive in and start using their skills and what they're good at in different in different sectors of the world. You know, it's sports is cool, and gaming is great too, um,

but coding is is great. I Mean, it's just so many different things people can do in the tech business or um, you know, even in real estate. I just think we need to we need to be educated more every day on our financial side of things, not just not just you know, I mean it's I can't say not just because you know what what's happening to us is is extremely wrong. And I think at us, changing the narrative on that is is up first, but we've

got to get that done. But also there has to be an open mind to to make sure our financial structure is in play. I'm not just hearing oh, ray J has a great earbuds, but I'm hearing business. I'm hearing employees. I'm hearing the sustainability of our communities based upon UM this this revenue driving that you're doing. Yeah,

I mean it's important. It's important to put people in play, Like I got all of my team and play and most of my right hands are all on payroll from from my company's UM and then you know, you've got health benefits, You've got all these extra things that come with it. So you know, I definitely want to make sure that I tap into to the people that I

know are creative. That that is, you know, it's just in my culture hands down, because it's I try to tell people, like people love us, right, they love us in tech, Like, you know, you don't have to come into meeting with a suit on. Come in with a white T shirt on, sweats and some flip loops and a great idea. That's all you need, you know what I'm saying, And speak the way you speak, Hit them with the slang, hit them with the if you want to at the end of it, at the end of

the pitch. They love that, you know what I mean? Because as long as the product is good and you being yourself and you can lose, you know, you can't lose being yourself. What is the conversation? What is the movement that we all sit down and come up with a collective plan to change the things that we see that a wrong, Like Okay, we all need to own we need to own a black bank. What is the process? What is the steps that we need to do. We need to own black banks. We need to get everybody

into tech. We need to start focusing on coding. Like, what do you think that's gonna take for us to get to that stage? I think I think we we gotta we gotta speak it out kind of like how we protest, you know. And I think it's gotta be it's gotta be a movement, you know, and they got to know that there's something you know, positive gonna come

out of the movement, you know. And I think if you just if people are are understanding that, Like if you're going in Instagram and you have two hundred, two hundred people or a hundred people in your Instagram, A hundred people, that's a lot of people. Like people go, you only got a hundred a hundred people in your house. You can't happen, right, a hundred people getting together and

marching or moving or programming or putting something. People here every day a hundred times of the three hundred, just the people that we talked to every day online, you can create these movements and you can even create the blockchains with just the three hundred people inside of you know, your Instagram following right, and then create businesses through these through these power plays of two hundreds and three hundred people. Um,

I just think the numbers are there. I think people just have to use the numbers that they have, whether it's ten, where's fifty, and try to under us all up and come up with a plan. So when we all say go, we go together. And when we off,

we know that's the most important. No, when we say no, it's no. We can't say no. We're gonna say no, and then a couple of people say no, gotta you know what I mean, it's got to be complete and if not, you know, I just think that there's just a lot of work we gotta do until it's there. It might not happen this year, not happen next year, but as long as we keep showing them the way and doing stuff like what we're doing to open the door, you know, it's inevitable. What about music, are you are

you retired and you just into tech? Or are we gonna get a RAJ album soon? You know? So? So I um, so I look at everything as numbers now right. So I put out the album Radiation with one wish. Um it just sold over. I think five thousand albums now, Um, it's gold. And so what I did was I want to scale that album. So I put out another album called Radiation X is what I'm releasing top of the year.

It has new all new songs, all new new beats on one wish melody all the classic songs we redid them, made them just epic, like two thousand and twenty one versions and Radiation X the anniversary album would be out top of the year. All Right, well, I'm gonna need I'm gonna need. I'm gonna need a feature from you. Listen whatever you're doing for the holidays with the charity. I was serious when we were in um in Arizona, like I want to, we want to, we want to

support it. Ray Con wants to help, you know what I mean. So whatever, whatever, whatever we gotta put in to make sure that we we did our thing, let me know and we get off. You know you're gonna make sure we get your investment. Man. You know I have to ask this one question, right because what I love about you and I think I sort of share this same attitude that you know, we're not just one dimensional. You talked about that we got a lot of things

going on. But now someone would people would say, why be on love and hip hop if you are doing all these other great things and making money, like you're not hurting for money. We know that. Well I'm happy. That's and that's one of the best questions anybody has ever asked me. Nobody's ever asked me this question here politicians, and it's it's one of the best questions. The reason

why is because I freaking love it. Like when you when you we'll listen when you break the ice, and like we started this reality show so like we we we were in the beginning, in the forefront of breaking the ice and loving. Hip hop has been number one since day one. Love for the Love of Jen number one, Brandy and ray J Family Business, Batgirls All Start Battle. I mean I could keep going right. This is what I love to do. When you watch you in this show,

you it's such a comfort zone. You understand like you look, you always in the same comfort zone. You don't look rattled, you don't look and you don't look like you're doing it. I got my rattling. People were gonna talk about I love reality. I love reality. I was able to produce four new shows on a new network called Zous Network v H one via comm y'all know, y'all got first Party. I love y'all. I would never do nothing wrong, but Zeus Network, we got it. We just did the Bad

Girls All Start I mean, the Bad Girls franchise. We did one more chance, with a chance, we did the conversation with me and Princess Mexica and Hazel a one in Lyrica. Now we've got three more crazy ones coming. Um. So producing shows and and and putting them on the board. That's what we do, you know what I mean. Um, And that's what I love to do. That's a hobby of mine. It's just fun. We appreciate the education today. Um, what you're talking about is exactly where we need to go,

especially with young black boys. Um. And and of course, you know, young women in tech is an issue that has to be addressed. But our boys were watching them, We're losing them on the streets, people being killed. Um, you know, our young kids not really knowing what to do, and especially in this moment when the pandemic has caused so many of you know, our kids to have to

go in their homes. They don't necessarily have the touch and feel of being in an environment that and it's not even like the school was doing that much form in the first place, because a lot of them were already being lost. But definitely now and so how we bring these messages to these young kids, that's something that we need to focus on. Because they had the future. They're the way. And we appreciate you so much for

coming to street politicians today. Next time you come back, we're gonna talk about your new um the relationship show that we've heard about, and try to figure out what's going on with your love life. Love life is pray for it. But I want to ask one more question before we go, because they just cut me off. But I just want to know before you leave. Before you leave, I know you've got things. He got time for us. First, give me my song. Big deal out here. Everybody look

up to y'all out here. Everybody when we look up to well, we appreciate that. Now y'all a big deal out here for really you're doing great things, big positive thing. Man. Well, thank you. But I want to know this, do you have like any regrets throughout your career, Like when you look back and you see things because a lot of people say, no, everything made me better, So I don't

regret anything. Do you feel like it's anything throughout your career that's happened that as to macgrets, Man, I went through some great depressions, Um, some dark ones, you know, I mean just the decisions I made, like I felt like, you know, when you make a plan, and I learned this over time, when it's the plan, stick to the plan, because um, you know, after every first single I would release, you would see I kind of stalled and nothing kind of happened. That was because I made I always change

the plan. I think it right, like like the last three days of it. So with Wait a Minute, I was supposed to come out with a song called out the Ghetto. For Real wanted me to come out with smash record classic. It gave the album a balance, but I wanted to stay turned up, and that decision wasn't right, and so the whole album crumble. Um. And even with one wish, I had one wish, we were at the top, right there where we needed to be. The next song

was Melody. I decided to go with what I need at the final seconds and it didn't work out right. And those two decisions kind of like messed me up inside because you gotta you saw everybody else continue to sword and just because I was stubborn and I didn't listen and I didn't want to give myself a balance where I had to turn top song and you had the song with substance you know, that's very important. I didn't. I didn't get that at the time, and I felt hard,

you know what I'm saying. And so now looking back at that, I know that being cool and trying to be you know, with streets or making sure the homies think you call all that ship don't matter. It don't matter at all because they don't even think about that. They want to get out. They want to just positive things. They want to go out and be and be positive. So I think just those things, I regret it, you know, I regret it. The fabulous fight, you know, and then

it turned into being like an epic moment. I inducted them into the Hall of Fame. So it's just, you know, certain things bother you at a certain time and then later it evolves into something for positive. But I do have to regrets. But I'm happy that God got me here today and it made me stronger. But over time I regret it. Dope, Man, I appreciate that's that's young boys. That's a testimony, man, when you hear that's what evolution looks like. When you understand and you could be turned up, Bam,

you could still be turned up and do tech. You could do all this tech turned up like they like it. Get out there and be yourself. Go out there and find a heck business. Go out there and look at some of these products online. They whole sale products. They they're they're they're they're white labels. So you can take a bike that's online and buy a hostel and put your name on it. It show bite, you know, look up white label products that you can just slap your

name on. Start with that and then grows. You know, we appreciate you, King man, thanks for all the jewels. You know, we'll continue to do your thing. Man, We're gonna see you in this forms list next year. You know, we told me. But let'sten um and then let's talk. Let's talk y'all, hit me, hit my line, and then let's figure out how I can be a part of all this stuff going on giving back to the community this this this month. Don't don't worry. We got you.

We're definitely gonna follow up with that. I appreciate you, love, thank you man. Salute to vocal y'all, God bless you. All right, all right, see before we go to the next segment and have our special guests joint, we're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors, so you know, our local activists our my definite special time of the entire show for me. For me, it just means a lot that we bring people on every single show and allow them to talk about the things that's happening in

their communities, things that they're working on. But you know, in this particular situation, although she wears the hat of being an activist extraordinaire, extraordinary, but she is a candidate extraordinaire right now for city council in Queens, New York. Is that is our dear sister, dear sister Nantasha Williams a K. What's happening, Queen? Nothing much? Thank you all so much for gearing this platform. I think that's one of the things that I admire about you all so much,

is that you're not selfish about what you do. You're always willing to reach out and and bring people along your journey. So I just appreciate y'all and love y'all for giving me this platform and sharing sharing this. So you ran before, tell us about that experience all that happened, um,

and why I do it again? Yeah? Yeah, I ran before, And you know, it's it's only now that I realized how much uh naive I was, how much I was really a junior candidate, still wet behind the years, UM, because I feel so much more mature in align this go around, and I ran the first time because I still had that same passion and fire to play a role in our decision making, because as you said, I I believe I like to be the connector UM, and I think that activism and people who are on the

front lines are extremely important, and it is my goal to connect that UM fire and that energy to places of power, like that's just my thing. I feel like I was sort of born to do that, and so having that experience UM, having those connections, I wanted to leverage that and leverage my experience in all me to really shape change UM. Different type of change, not what we're used to. And it was an opportunity uh the woman UM that simply momor had passed away in the seat,

and so I decided to run. I quickly realized how much I was a government operative and not a political operative, because those are two different things UM. And I did not obviously get the seat, but I lost. I like the less than one percent of the vote. And I don't you guys how many votes? How many votes? Because you know it's like two hundred and like fifty something

less than votes was made the difference. So this idea that voting doesn't matter and my vote doesn't count, it's not true because in your situation, if three hundred more people would have gone to the polls, you would have won. I really believe in divine um alignment. And you know it wasn't my time. I was went on, as you know, Tamika, to work with you on the women's mattress is amazing.

I met so many people and I was able to grow as a leader, UM, double down on my own advocacy and learn things UM, develop be more mature UM. And so I'm I'm happy uh to have had those experiences. And I wouldn't have had those experiences if I would have won UM. And so here I am again running for office. It's an open seat in the twenty seven council district, which is in Southeast Queens. It covers Cambria Heights, Queens Village, Hollis, Saint Alban's, parts of Jamaica and parts

of Springfield Gardens. And again I still have that same passion. But at the core of why I really want to run for offices because I think people need to believe that change is possible, UM. And I think we're seeing that if you look at what has transpired over the last couple of months. But we need people in office that understand, um, what is happening on the grounds and that are really gonna push a Bowl's agenda and work

with all people to do that. I believe in the inside outside game, UM, And so I'm just excited to bring a different energy and to inspire and educate people to be more involved. Like you said, it's ive of to go out and protests, as I love to support protesting, but after we protest, or in between protests, and like, let's figure out who is in a position of power, um to really make those changes we want to see. Fantash, I do believe that you will, that you can and

will win. UM. I know one thing that if people want to see folks like you, a person who is an activist and organizing, as you said, a government operator or operative, somebody who understands the ends and out of government and can apply a strategy that includes the streets. In the dialogue, you know, and make sure that you take the radical vision of community and bring it to

government offices. When we that's what we say we want, and when we see someone like you who has all of those great things operating at once, we should fund it. We should make sure that we support you, not justin rhetoric, not justin words, but that we support you financially. So you said that the max out is how much. So the city has a really good program. It's matching funds. So for every dollar that UM someone in New York gives, the city gives eight dollars um. The maximum and individual

can give it's a thousand dollars. My fund raising goals for January one is to raise fifty dollars UM and I need to meet that goal and I'm working really hard to do that. So, yes, any support you can give monetarily is greatly greatly appreciated. If you somebody gives you a thousand dollars and they're gonna give you eight thousand, so to be nine thlls, there's no there's the one

caveat about that. So mam right, they'll only match up to a hundred and seventy five dollars, Okay, but the max out still is a thousand, So at least people should try to give you about a hundred and seven five dollars because you will get eight times the matching funds for a one hundred and seventy five dollar donation. People can give from anywhere around the country. This idea of local people running for office in different cities is a movement that needs to be connected, like we should

be funding people. I give money all over the country to people who are not in my community. Of course, you know, with certain types of budgets, people can only give twenty thirty dollars to the person that's actually in their community, and that's important as well. But if we are able to give outside of our communities to people running in different parts of the country, what we're doing is like it's like we're putting a team in place across the nation that can come with new ideas and

new energy. So I'm definitely gonna max out. I'm gonna make Max Max, I'm gonna make my son Max. But you but it's name Nan. I ain't gonna give my money to anybody. This is Nan Nan you and you can check out my web page for more information. It's www dot Nantasha dot com and it's Natasha dot com on all social media platforms. You heard her, go to the website. There you go, City counsel in Queen's Queen, take care of Natasha. We love you, I love me

more and by Natasha's dope. Natasha is awesome man and the more that you if you listen, go follow her. She put her website up there. Donate thousand U sei five so they can match it. You know, we can't. We can't complain if we don't activate, like our sister Leslie Woman another one of our dope sister says, don't complain. Activate. So you know we got a support Nanta. But Nantasha, she's a great leader. Nantasha is gonna go out. She's going to go forward in life doing really big things.

And I have to say that when people see me right and they say they celebrate me, and they go, oh to Mick Mallory, you know whatever, you're doing amazing things. There's a team of individuals that helped to hold me up. And Nantasha is one of those people that when I'm in the clutch one and two, when I'm in difficult situations, I can depend on Nantosha to help me with the strategic plan because she is a strategist, and so I hope people support her. I know we will be supporting her.

And that money is important. When you run for office. It's about money and votes. That's it, bottom line, money and votes. And we need to make sure that she gets the money and then also the money the money brings me to model. Get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. And now we're in the holidays, right yeah, and we independent we have a pandemic. Why spend a bunch of money on close all types of vehicle,

all these things when we can't even go nowhere. We can't go nowhere, and you can't afford it, you can't, you know, I like I never, for the life of me, I always try to figure out why after the holidays people go into debt. You know what I'm saying. You don't board thousands of dollars worth of stuff and you don't got no money to pay your rent. People like y'all need to borro rent money. How are you borrowing

rip money? I'm not gonna lie after you just spent thousand dollars on a bunch of stuff that you don't even need and can't really use, Like I really just don't get it. What this is a real thing, like listen man, But there are lots of deals. There's a lot, there's lots of sales right now, deals and so it's not a deal. You can't afford it back outside, but

you can't afford this stuff now. It's like like when during the pandemic, at the very very beginning, I was sitting in my house and a lightbulb went off, thing, why don't you go check the websites and see what they're doing on sheets and bedding and towels and all of that. It was dirt cheap, Like I was able to get the high quality, top of the line stuff that I would never pay for. Comforters that cost five I was able to get them for like a hundred dollars.

But what if you couldn't afford that. Obviously they can't afford it, know they're buying it, and then they're acting you can they well they got a strategy. Yeah, that's a strategy that I can't afford it, and I'm gonna buy it anywhere. But it's not the best strategy. It's like you're playing to lose. You're like you're practicing, like

you're practice and we're gonna lose by thirty. You know what I'm saying, We're going y'all going into the game knowing that you can't afford something, knowing that you shouldn't be but it's still doing it. It's like the weirdest mind state. Man. I just really don't get it. It's a deal. You gotta get the deals while they had, But it's not a deal if you can't afford it. It's only a deal if it's something that is within

your price range and you can afford things. Do not buy shoes clothes and you can't pay your rent or you're gonna make sure your lights and guys get cut off. It don't make sense, no, because you could just borrow the money from you and then you got the bag and the rent. No, it's not a smart but all I'm saying just to be transparent. There was a time in my life when but I didn't I didn't have to borrow lots of money, but I still got to the point where I was like really struggling and stressing.

But I was cute, but I kept my lights on. I did. Now I grew out of that cut and b I grew out of that, out of that big time now. I mean I just purchased stock for the first time in my life. A few days ago. Was Angela Ye who was like, Sis, you know, I'm seeing that you've got some deals and some things that's coming in. We need to focus on what we're gonna invest in.

And for her, she does a lot of real estate, um, so you know, and shout out to our sis yee um, you know, and she was like, you know, we could think about some projects that we can work on together. Specifically, she's in Michigan doing a lot of great work. And Vy told me the same thing. Come to the classes. He tells us all the time, you know, participated in the classes. J Morrison, you're getting these classes, um nineteen keys.

And then my cousin Kim Abney from Atlanta, who works in the tech space and also does a lot of trading and business in the stock area. You know, he's he started really trying to encourage me to get in, and so he suggested that I read one of Warren Buffet's Warren Buffett knew his article that he just he did, you know, uh uh uh an article about his investments and what he just recently purchased and why why he thought these particular companies were companies that he should support.

And so I read it and I made some decisions and I bought my first shares of stock. So this is where I'm spending my money now. It makes sense, you know, That's what I did. I brought my first year is also you know, and we have to be a lot more intelligent, especially with our money. Like you know, we can't. We are never going to obtain wealth if

we're spending more than we actually have. That's you know, if your outcome is more to your income, it doesn't it don't really make sense, you know what I'm saying. And you know, and also teach it to our young children, teaching generational wealth, teaching how to a quiet wealth and keep it. It's not what you make, is how much you keep, you know, And that's what we gotta be intentional about. So that brings us to the clothes Another great great episode. Man shout out to Everybody's number one

number one a better podcast. I was on episode Fat Joe's show one day, right and he was like, He's like, oh, this is the best show in the world. This is the nothing one show in the world. There's nothing better than it. If you don't if you're not on this show, you're on no show. And I was like, oh yeah, like he had because he's speaking in too. Listen to me. When you believe in what you're doing and you pour into once again, shout out to Fat Joe for this

show because he had me too. But he loves what he does. You know what saying, Joe. The day that you was on Fat Joe's show, the police literally were chasing us in contact and you were running while doing the interview, trying to make it to the safe house, which was the church so we wouldn't get arrested before the That definitely happen, you know. So that brings me back to what I was saying, is that you believe in what you do, you know, and you talk about

it like it's the best. You know. I know a lot of people who got hired for positions that they never knew nothing about, but they walked in and he was so confident in themselves. Does somebody say, you know, let me take a chance with you. You know, So that's a that's a lesson for the young. The youth out there, man, Believe in yourself, believe in your craft, believe in anything that you put your mind to that you can accomplish. So once again, so we're not gonna

always agree. I'm not gonna always be right, She's not gonna always be wrong, whatever, but we will always be authentic facts. So listen, if you want to hear something on Street Politicians, You've got topics, you got feedback. We already know we're the greatest show in the world. You really got to tell us, but we don't mind you telling us. If you got some negative, you got some Hey, we don't know how you can hate on this because this is actually the best show that you're ever gonna

see or here in the world. But we want to hear your feedback. So pashtag Street Politicians. Let us know what you feel, let us know what you're thinking. For new and all episodes, you can tune into I Woman TV or listen every single Wednesday to the Black Effect Network on I Heart Radio one Son. That's how we own