Maximizing Potential

With Venmo Stash. A taco on one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking cash back with Venmo stash. Get up to 5% cash back when you pick a bundle of your favorite brands. Earn more cash when you do more with Stash. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 cash back per month. See terms of Venmo me stashterms.

You always want the best for your family. And that means only Eggland's best eggs in your kitchen. Compared to ordinary eggs, Eggland's best eggs contain 6 times more vitamin D, 25% less saturated fat, more than double the omega 3s, 10 times more vitamin E, and more than double. So why give your family less when they can have the best? Add Eggland's best superior nutrition to your next grocery list. Better taste, better nutrition, better eggs. I like your socks, Ty.

Thank you.

Is that a girl hugging a horse?

Yep. I forgot that's what it said. Welcome back to fuck your money.

It's another episode. I got Ty with me. This is yo.

This is yo.

Where are we at, Ty? I was like, I feel like I ask you that every time you say.

Yeah, where we at?

But where are we? It always looks a little different. So I never want people to think we just.

This show. We're in Los Angeles, California. Downtown, specifically.

Okay.

In a very vintage loft style building.

Yep.

Doing BET Awards.

Yes.

It might be. The BET awards might be happening as we speak. Yes. BET Awards.

Uzi open. I saw something about Uzi.

A little Uzi.

Uzi, Uzi. Kid. Capri ship. Sugar Hill Gang. I hear it was a nice mixed bag of hip hop.

Oh, right, right. They're doing the 50th anniversary.

Right, right, right, right.

Uzi and Sugar Hill Gang.

Yeah. That's a nice mix.

Right? It's a very interesting mix.

I don't know who did the. Who was on the program for that one.

I'm actually not mad at that.

I'm not angry at it at all. I like a little combination. Ty, I've been asking people this question. Let's say you're sitting at a bar, right?

Uh huh.

And the embodiment of hip hop walks in the bar. What do you see?

The embodiment of hip hop walks in the bar. What do I see? You know what? I would probably have to say, Drake? Hip hop was birthed from taking hip hop and remix in their own way. Right. Sampling. Right.

Essentially.

And I don't think no artist is better at sampling than Drake, like from a standpoint of how he can blend in different cultures but still find ways to add value to those cultures. Because we can't take away the thought process that nobody gave a fuck about Afrobeats music in the United States of America before Black coffee. Even though it's always been popular globally.

Right.

What is it talking about here?

Right? That breakthrough.

That breakthrough. Nobody gave a fuck about grime music in here. Right. And it's pretty interesting because Drake's not even from here.

No, that's what I'm saying. He's from Toronto, which is a melting pot. So he just travels with everything. Right.

But I think that he's a true embodiment of hip hop because you have somebody who blends across multiple cultures.

Right?

Right. Rather you want to say because of the light skin or just the taste of understanding the different or the well traveledness, whatever the case may be. Right?

Very well traveled.

Then you have somebody who has a very high level skill set because hip hop started with lyricist, like very high level skill set that can be able to blend all these different beats that is getting chopped and screwed and remixed and sampled. Right.

And rocking a party. You gotta have a audience.

Because they would take a eight bar loop on the record and just DJs just rap over that. The DJ would just keep it in that one little eight bar. Then they'll tape it and they'll chop it to make a whole song. Right?

That's so first off it was innovative then, it's innovative now still. But then think about how they didn't really have the tech for it, so they were cutting mad corners finding those.

Little sample loops 1000%.

So I like your answer. Yeah, I do like your answer. I think there was a thing about hip hop turning 50 and it could almost be. Some people say it's an executive that walks in, they see a businessman. Some people say they see like an artist like Diddy, you know. And people tend to break it down is whatever you see is the way you kind of perceive where hip hop is. I think your understanding is also seeing Drake. Drake has so much potential when he entered the game. Right. But we never saw a rapper from Canada. We never saw an artist from Toronto. So it makes sense that this person that was already kind of alien brought so many different flavors to hip hop that wasn't also very prominent at the time.

I mean, if we being honest, man, Slades brought shit to the U.S. slaves brought everything to the U.S. you know what I'm saying? So like, and it was the, the foundation of the start of black culture here in the US and that fusion of all the different bloods and all the different, like, people being lost and not knowing what their heritage is, they started creating their own, right? So that's why you look at, like the music it took. Think about it. It took 50 years before Afrobeats became something that was just as popular in the United States of America. That's hip hop.

Crazy, right?

If you looking at the time frame.

That's why I look into Afrobeats as a genre that's infiltrating what hip hop has been doing for 50 years.

And the fact of the matter is, Afrobeats been around very long.

There's seriously a Afrobeat before there was an S on it. So it has evolved, right? It had to be developed into a new sound which is highly influenced by the melodies of hip hop, 100%. So still, hip hop was new, right? It didn't exist. Yeah, there was nothing like it.

It's rare. Like, sometimes your shit gotta get hot outside of your home before it can value.

Very much so.

You know what I'm saying?

Very much so. That's a common story that people have to leave their home for what their talent is to be acknowledged.

Except for Atlanta.

Why you think Atlanta so different?

I think. I think it goes back to the overall base level of legislation that was created in Atlanta by the mayor. It'll come to me. But that particular mayor created legislation in Atlanta that you couldn't build nothing unless 33% of it. I think the percentage.33% was occupied or owned or employed black people. Well, people of color.

Okay.

But it wasn't about black people there then. When you talk about the unity of things like the nightclub, the nightlife side of things, right? The connectivity that had for the city. Right. And we have to be very, very, very, very intentional about understanding that. When hip hop first started, then it started to grow, and when it did make it way to the south, everything was so regional based, right? And when you start thinking about what Jermaine Prix was doing, what Oomp Count was doing, what, you know, I mean, it's so many sub. There was so many sub labels during that time frame. I just remember Social Death and Oot Camp for obvious reason growing up there, right?

Yeah.

Way before Lil Jones, Eastside Boys, like all of that came from these different individuals, right? So when you start thinking about those different elements of it, it was all localized. Like, y' all stay over here, right? And we gonna go do our own thing and what end up happening over time is that we just stay localized.

Yeah.

We never. We never conformed to other people's sound. It just kept being a sound that we just was developing, developing, developing, developing. And as other people, as the Internet took off, our sound took off and was being shown around the world. And being that we had such a large, like, history of just, like, creation and messing with the music and our ecosystem of the nightlife was very important.

Yes.

You know what I'm saying? And you start thinking about the chitlin circuit. There's a lot of different elements around it. But I just think that Atlanta was the first one to see the impact of collaborating internally within the city and keeping that going.

Yeah.

You know what I'm saying? Because once you see one person see that it's working, everybody, like, Outkast got hot in Atlanta. Yep. Outkast didn't have to leave, like, Big Crit left Mississippi to come to Atlanta. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? At that same time, Jay Z got hot in New York. You know what I'm saying? Pharrell had to go to New York to get hot as a producer.

Because they were in Virginia, right?

Yes. Like Snoop, them niggas got hot in la. All of the cities where niggas got hot in that city, they was the ones that had the opportunity to own whatever part of the industry. Right. And so when things happen, when things start to happen and things start to grow, you get to the pocket where now, you know, Atlanta has a very loud sound. I'm gonna be honest with you. New Orleans still got they sound. Cause even the rappers that come there, their dialect, how they talk, it's so. It still cuts through. And the same with rappers from Detroit. Right. You might catch a rapper like Wale don't sound all the way because he's been around the music for so long. But then you got artists out of the DMV area that are like, Drill rappers. Right. That it don't feel like something that traditionally, you know what I'm saying? Felt like I never heard Drill rap in Atlanta. You know what I'm saying?

It was 21 Savage. We listen to Red Opps. That wasn't Drill. But the grittiness of it, so close. I feel like we've already been doing trap. I've never heard an Atlanta Drill record. Now that you mentioned it.

No.

Dang, you right. Yeah. Do we have a Drill rapper?

I don't think we care to have a Drill rapper like. Cause us, it's like, why do Drill. We got trapped. Yeah, that's how I look at it, you know what I'm saying? Cause you had to feel like, when you think about that origin of it, you know what I'm saying? So that's why I think Atlanta have been the source of their own driving force. And you had to develop there because there wasn't no major labels in these different cities. So it was major labels in Los Angeles, major labels in New York. There wasn't no major label system. It was all production companies that had to develop. And when you're trying to develop, you need whatever you need to develop there. You need everything. The studio there, rehearsals there, radio people. You need everything there, you know what I'm saying? And you'll fly at different places to kind of take meetings. But a lot of people had to leave where they're from to go get hot somewhere else. So you can't develop a community that can keep turning out. Right now, Atlanta is running through an aspect of it. Like, we trying to figure out what's the next artist to break. Cause there ain't been no artists that broke since Lil Baby.

I mean, where you picked Latto in that conversation?

Well, Latto is probably right after Lil Baby.

Yeah, but after Latto, there it's been a. Yeah, it's been like a.

And I was just thinking about men. Cause, you know, Latto was the first female artist on Broken a minute. Like, I think Young Baby Taylor started having a moment now.

Oh, yeah.

You know what I'm saying?

She's catching them. Yeah.

But she might be the next one. For real that broke. That's like broke in the city. But I don't think Lato is bigger than Lil Baby, though. So that's why I said Lil Baby.

Because I feel you. I feel you.

It's like that. It's like that element of it where you like, yeah, this is here. You know, Latto ain't doing arena tours. Do you know what I'm saying? So do she have the capabilities of. Yeah. If she keep growing her brand. But that's how we looking at it from a city perspective.

Like, I got you.

Shit. But we got a goddamn. We gotta figure out the next one now.

Are you looking for the next one?

Me, personally? Nah, I'm not looking for nothing. I would love to be a part of that story if it comes across me, but I ain't really looking for it.

Yeah, yeah.

Not looking for the potential.

You looking for the potential.

Which leads us to. When you hear the word potential, what.

You think, what's inside you, but you can't People can't see it, but it's inside you. And I think whatever you go through that brings it out is going to show you how far you can go. And sometimes that thing can be something like tragic. Like you get kicked out of school and then your potential to grow out of situations like that really flourishes. Sometimes it's the potential of opportunity. Someone gives you a job, that potential shines. But I think it's something you can't see until it comes at you.

So you don't. So if you see a nigga that's 16 and he's 15 years old, you don't look at him and be like, man, he got potential to be a basketball player.

Well, I got to see him hold the ball first. Right. I'm not going to just look at your side and be like, catch. If you missed the ball, then no, you don't got it in you. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I think that's a good question because I be looking at tall people all the time. Like, so what do you do? They'd be like, I'm an accountant on the side.

Like tall ass accountant.

You know, he's seven, three crushing numbers.

You playing Drew Lee on the side.

But yeah, I think you still, you gotta see somebody in the field to know how they really got it in them. What about you?

Potential is. It's like I look at potential from a standpoint of a combination of things. Right. It's like you can see, you can look at a person and be like something is unique about that person.

Right, right.

You can like just. That's observations.

Yeah.

Then you can have conversations with that person. Then you're going to truly be able to kind of get a good sense of what's inside that person.

Absolutely right.

Then you can look at that person's lineage. It'd be like his mom and his dad did this, did that. He seemed to be kind of close to that path. He might have potential. So it's like a three tier fold, like the lineage of their bloodline, the observation of how that individual kind of operates and then having conversations with them.

So it's like an ongoing, almost like interview potential.

Interview potential is a, you know, I think so. I think it's just a. I think it's a multifaceted thing to understand.

Yeah.

Because a person that. This story is a famous story because Michael Jordan got cut when he was in eighth grade. Did he have potential to be Michael Jordan when he got cut? What did that coach not see that end up being the you know, a thing that wasn't the era. You see what I'm saying? So it's like, what is potential? If the coach knew that the information that this player probably is going to be one of the best players in the history of the sport of basketball, would they have seen their potential differently?

That's a good question.

You know what I'm saying?

Because I guess he didn't have the foresight. He couldn't look far enough ahead. Now maybe someone would have pulled him to the side and be like, hey, I'm from the year 2023. Don't cut that kid.

I'm the year 2023.

Don't Cut that kid. And maybe he'll believe him. Maybe he wouldn't. But like, that information, not having that information, I just feel like, how do you know? And to your point, it's just about kind of like going through this process of understanding someone.

So this episode really, when we're talking about potential. Potential, we're talking about what you naturally feel individually and then what you feel once you get information that can drive your potential. And what does that look like in application?

Absolutely right.

So if a person is a great painter and they never get the information that they can make a living out of painting, they might just be an accountant.

Absolutely right.

So the information being, like, dispersed to the individual, depending on the individual can dictate a lot in their life. So if you don't know information, like, if you like to book artists for your parties, like, every time you throw a party, you bring your homie over and you have him perform. And you've been doing it since you was in middle school.

Hip hop, everybody.

Like, yeah, man. Every time you go to Lil Jojo house, he got somebody to perform. You should come over. He always got somebody dope, performing facts. Lil Jojo found out that there's actual a job called a talent buyer, that now they can make a living doing something that they've been putting the efforts.

In.

Since they was in middle school.

They know the trade, they know the system.

Yeah, they've been doing this since they was in middle school.

They just didn't know how to title.

They didn't know that they could get paid from something that they have developed a muscle on. It's something they might be passionate about. If you do it in middle school.

Right.

You might have a certain passion for.

It or you're excited about it.

Definitely.

You're not doing anything you just don't want to do in middle school.

No, middle school.

Especially if you find like a I was just listening to this podcast. Sycamore had a podcast about just his journey to the music industry. And he started off, like, selling mixed CDs.

Yeah.

And like, that business developed him into relationships, and that developed in him deciding that, oh, when I'm at the studio working with artists, that this is a role that people play at labels becoming an A and R. You just watch all the steps of this person enter this industry and have a real impact. But it starts with him selling CDs. You know, you gotta start somewhere. So usually, like you said about the painter probably had colored pencils growing up. It starts so early. Do you feel like developing potential is difficult when you don't know what someone wants to be?

See what a person wants to be, that ain't really, like, the potential. That can be misleading.

Mm.

Because you can see somebody and you can see how they treat people. You can say, man, he got potential to be a great leader. Right. Or, you know, this person got a great potential to be an incredible parent. Or this person has the potential to be a really great basketball player or a really great. You know, they always like numbers. Right. So. Thinking about it from a standpoint of solely career or task driven can be misleading. You know what I'm saying? Because a person might have the potential to be really great at basketball, but they may have. They might be. Their purpose might be community service. You know what I'm saying?

Okay.

So your potential can be something that can really go completely against what your actual purpose might be. Right, Right.

That's wild.

You know what I'm saying? Because your potential can be put on you by a bunch of people saying it.

Yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You have kind of accepted this projection.

That this is who you should be, 1,000%. So that's why I like what's inside of a person from a potential perspective, I think goes way quicker and deeper if that potential aligns with their purpose. Right. And figuring those things out simultaneously is a very rare thing. Not everybody is able to. I mean, if everybody was able to do it, it'd be a lot more successful people and the world might look a little different.

But when you say purpose, when did you realize your purpose?

I would probably say. It was happening slowly. It was happening slowly. First of all, I think everybody has the same purpose. Right. And that purpose is to serve in the way that whatever, you know, I believe in God and Jesus. So my purpose is no different than the next person who believe in your God and Jesus is to serve. Right Now I'm going to be Equipped through God with different talents, skill sets, visions, how I see the supernatural, like all these different things to utilize things here on this worldly basis to actually serve my purpose right now. And you're going to have these different gifts that's going to help you with your purpose. So for me, I started realizing that everybody got the same purpose.

Yeah.

Around like, I don't know, 2010 ish or something like that.

Okay.

Before then, I just was like, trying to make some money. You know what I'm saying? I'm just trying to make some money.

Did you notice that you made more money once you realize what you realize about purpose?

Yeah. 1,000%.

Yeah.

Yeah. Once you. Once you. Once again, once you get in that pocket of understanding the true natures of the universe that was created for you to truly own. We're here. We're supposed to own and govern the universe and the land, all of the resources, and all of the good and the bad that comes with it. Once you realize the power that each individual, yourself can wield, it makes it very, very easy to understand how you're supposed to serve through your gifts, through your stewardness, through all of the things you're managing, all these different things. And so when you realize that, it puts life into a different perspective. You still got to mature as a human because that potential can actually take. It's a lot of. It's a lot of weight that can take you under if you're not emotionally ready, mentally ready, if you like, not really truly understanding what's happening to you. You got to think about it. Right? Think about this. If a kid is 10 years old and they're seeing visions of what the world can become, and they go tell their mother, I keep seeing these visions in my dream, like all these different things. Sometimes when I'm awake, I see these visions. And the mother takes the kid to a doctor. The doctor deems them, you know, gives them a diagnosis that they are schizophrenic.

Yeah.

And now they're on medication. They just. That that that person probably sinned in the supernatural. It was telling you that in the supernatural, this is what's gonna happen. Mama, already they're eight. But the parent who don't understand what it means to serve what's going on, who don't even understand their purpose, they go into worldly panic, think that they think that their kid is crazy or that they got some kind of issue. They take them to a worldly doctor who give them a worldly diagnosis that takes away their supernatural visibility. Not forever, but within that pace, through medication, through all these different things, you know what I'm saying, man? You can see it real fucking crazy, man. You walk up, you see shit you like. I remember my grandfather passed, right? I don't know how true this is, but old people told you like, if somebody die, right? Somebody gonna learn something from this today. If somebody you love dies and they come to you in their dreams, if you. No, no, no, no, my bad. This was no motherfucking dream. When they come to you, however they come to you. Rather it's in person or it's in a dream, if you are afraid, it scares that spirit out forever. It's never going to come back, right? So my grandfather passed 2002 the same week I graduated high school.

Okay?

So I think a week later, they usually take a week before they bury a nigga.

Yeah, usually a week before they go.

A week later they bury her. I'll never forget this. I was literally at my mom house. I left the country early to drive back up to Atlanta. I was in the house and the way that the house was set, it was a ranch style house. You walk in, it's the kitchen, living room, dining room, then there's a hall. That first room on the left is my brother room. You keep going down, my room's on the left. And then the other room on the right was my mom room, right? Bro, I promise you. I was sitting in this. I was sitting in my bed and I literally was watching a white light, like a, like a, like a shining, like angel type of light. Same my grandfather was buried in. All white. Just walking through the, walking down the hallway. But I didn't see, no, I just seen a light, bruh. I panicked. You hear me screaming? I shot out of the house, jumped in the car, drove to my aunt house that was down the street, which is my grandfather's sister, right? And I think that's when she told me, or even my grandmother told me. I was like, bruh, I panicked. But I was so blowed. So I was like, man, maybe that was something that wanted to be told to me that I should have known, but I'm never going to get that opportunity. I think that hunted me for a long time until I just recently saw therapy about this shit like last year, you know what I'm saying? And so when you are thinking about potential, you're thinking about what we as humans, the capabilities that we have through our natural neurological abilities, we're supposed to see in the future. We're supposed to hear things that are not visibly or audio relevant. We're supposed to operate in a way that is a supernatural aspect of things.

But with high intensive awareness.

Yes, but when a kid or a human is displaying too much of that, call you crazy, you know what I'm saying? Give you medicine and all type of shit. I know I'm crazy. I just never was medicated, you know what I'm saying? You gotta be crazy to see. To see the things and to be able to like walk towards them.

Yeah.

And to. And like, without any. Like, you gotta have some level of like a little too coo coo. A little. You know what I'm saying? Truth of the matter is you gotta sleep. Be a little crazy to even believe in God.

You're not wrong.

You know what I'm saying?

Like, you're not wrong.

Think about it. People gonna go to the church every Sunday and they gonna give money to somebody that don't exist.

Something you definitely ain't seen. You ain't seen him, you ain't seen.

Where he at, bro. So there's a certain level of like being a little off the rocker in your faith that you have to have in order to like, see a certain level of breakthrough in your life belief.

Todd, like when you talk about what you believe in, was that like the moment when you saw your uncle? Like, was that the moment when you believed at your strongest about just the world and the way the world works?

Talking about when I said my grandfather.

Yeah, I'm talking about as far as like God and how God works in the world.

No, I already knew, but I already believed in God. I was fucking. I really believed in God. I called for God to save me.

Okay, but that was before. Huh? Was that before? What you mean in 2012 before?

No, no, this 2002. I always believed in God.

Okay.

You know what I'm saying? I'm just saying, like those experiences taught me that supernatural shit is really happening, rather you want to act like it's not or not. So I just looked at that as a real life. That was the first time in 2002.

2002.

That was the first time that I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, that wasn't 2002. 2002, yes, that happened. But that was a dream that I had about my aunt that passed away before my grandfather. But that was in a dream. So I panicked in the dream, got out of the dream and ran to jump.

Panic in the dream.

But this wasn't no dream. Yeah, you see what I'm saying? That was when I first Realized like, oh, this shit really be outside. Like, this is not something that's just living a dream. Because to this day, you want to know who I'm afraid of? Freddy Krueger.

You're afraid of Freddy Krueger?

Yes. Terrified. Cause that nigga played your dreams.

Yeah.

And you can't control your dreams. You know what I'm saying? No other, like Candyman, none of them niggas. I wasn't scared of none of them. But Freddy Krueger. Nah, bro, I'm straight. I ain't watching that, bro. Be in your dreams. That gets a little tricky there.

You are a real dreamer.

Yeah, bro, I don't got time. Especially when I. Sometimes I can't even. I don't even know if I be up. So I can't be having Freddy Krueger in my mind. Yeah, that ain't gonna work.

I wasn't much of a dreamer until recently. And they're always like me. Let's say I fell asleep, like, on the couch, right? I would have a dream about being asleep on the couch. I would see it very vividly. I'll wake up. Like, I'm waking up. And then something weird would happen.

Okay.

All right. So recently, I had a dream where the door. Like, it's like a door like that. There was light underneath the door, and it was just a repeating voice saying, go back to the beginning. Go back to the beginning. So I'm looking at it. I feel like I'm awake, though. Like, this is kind of weird. There's somebody behind the door. Then I wake up. Okay, that was a dream. And I've been wondering ever since that happened. What is the beginning that I'm going back to?

Right.

Like, are you going back to the beginning of your life? Like, be a child again, being more in touch with who you were when you first got born. Is it go back to the beginning of your career as a writer? Right. Is there something you need to learn from the very, you know, at the. At the early stages of your development? Is there something there for you, or is it going back to the beginning of the way you thought of Beginnings? You know, maybe beginnings is the first time I met Ty as the beginning I should be hindering on, but it was a dream like that that made me realize, like, that sometimes we get messages that are strictly for us.

So I feel you.

I don't got no supernatural. I ain't never seen no ghosts. I don't think I can. I feel, like, the sense of awareness that you need. I sometimes notice some people are Just so dialed in that I feel like you probably won't see nothing if you don't get scared. I think they only appear like you only. People only see things if they're prepared for it.

Oh, right, right. I definitely wasn't prepared.

Nah, but I think you would, right?

Like, I think you would like, oh, no, somebody.

There's some folks in your. That would have fainted, you know what I'm saying? Would not have been able to run.

I jumped in the Regal and the last game.

I can't see you.

I can't see you yelling. Yeah, but definitely, yeah.

I still think there's a reason why.

I mean, you know, the truth of the matter is, when we start talking about all of these things of like, potential to be able to live the life you're supposed to live here on earth can easily be derailed by somebody else free will.

Somebody else's free will.

Somebody else free will.

Yes, sir.

Because your parents, your thought process of all these different things, like if your foster parent, whoever it is, or your brother, your sister, all these different things can change the trajectory of like, your life and what your potential could be. You know what I'm saying? I was just having this conversation with PK earlier. Like, I got a cousin. I remember telling my cousin 2005, he had wrote me a letter from prison. He had got locked up this in 2005. So he had been locked up maybe like, let me see. We graduated high school 2002. I think he probably got locked up like 2004 or something like that, whatever it was. But it wasn't soon after high school and he was serving like a five year bid. I remember writing him a letter while he was in prison. Bro, you gotta figure this out. Because if you don't, I'm gonna be in Hawaii while you in prison. Right. And that was in 2005. I remember cause I was at Livingstone College, it's Salisbury, North Carolina, when I received the letter and I wrote it back. And that was in 2005. We're in 2023, right? So that's what, 17 years later? 18 years later, he's locked up right now. Again. Again, you know what I'm saying? And it's one of those things where, like, people gotta really know that I'm pretty sure he has and have potential. But that shit don't matter if you do not understand that how to utilize the information to truly take advantage of whatever potential that's gonna like, float in your life, you know what I'm saying?

And allow you to flourish.

Yes, man.

That would be motivational. Have someone tell you, I will be in Hawaii. I will be. Hawaii is. To me, that's motivation.

And at that time, I had never been to Hawaii, you know what I'm saying? It was just. I don't know what made me just think about Hawaii.

I mean, it's just nice in theory. Like, if I imagine a place where I'm relaxing and I probably have never thought about ever being here before, like, going to Miami from Atlanta is possible.

Right.

We can rent a car. I can't rent a car and just drive to Hawaii.

I had never been out of the country when I wrote that letter. I had never been even in Canada when I wrote that letter. You see what I'm saying? So it was such a stretch to even be like, out of all the places, I have no clue why Hawaii. Yeah.

He probably really like this. How you going to Hawaii? I ain't gonna Hawaii yet.

Yeah, exactly.

But he was telling me a story that kind of inspired the theme of tonight's episode. As far as about who you met with earlier.

Yeah.

You wanna talk about that or.

Now? I won't talk about who I met with earlier, but what I will talk about is one of the things that they spoke about when we was meeting. They was talking about what is perceived and what is assumed.

Yes, sir.

Right. So. And having clear commentary to an audience.

Absolutely.

So he gave the example about, if you ask a bunch of boxing fans who's the greatest boxer of all time, people will be like, Sugar Ray Leonard, you know, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather, Oscar De La Hoya, Rocky Marian, I can't remember. He said all these different people, right? He said, but if you ask the American people, people.

Yeah.

Who's the greatest boxer of all time? They're going to say, Muhammad Ali said. Because every time a microphone got in front of Muhammad Ali mouth, he screamed out, I'm the greatest of all time. So outside of his record.

Yeah.

Outside of his contributions to civil rights.

Yes, sir.

Every time a microphone was put in front of Muhammad Ali's mouth, it was, I'm the greatest of all time. You know what I'm saying? And that really struck a nerve about branding. That really struck a nerve about how I like. It literally changed everything, even about this show about the branding. It's like, what is our upcoming branding overall that we want to keep? So that every time a microphone is in front of us, it's like, this is the show that people are gonna be like, oh, I remember that show. Because of this. You know what I'm saying? This just made it really stronger for me to be really thinking about, like, fuck you, money. You know what I'm saying? A very ignorant conversation about wellness. And it's one of those things that, like, just sticks. And I was like, man, he's right. Like, every time you look at it, I'm the greatest. It don't matter where it was.

And that's the crazy part of Ali is he was saying he was the greatest before they revered him as the greatest before someone else co signed it. It wasn't like someone wrote muhammad Ali, greatest boxer alive. No, he was just saying it. Cause it's press. He saying it in the ring. He sent it to you. I don't even think I ever said Muhammad Ali commercial. Like, I don't know if he did a commercial. He didn't have to do, like a goddamn. You know what I'm saying? Budweiser commercial. Like, nah, he gonna talk. But it's like you said, the repetition of saying the same thing over and over and over again.

I am the greatest. Over and over and over again. And what it spoke towards. We was having a political conversation about how Donald Trump went about his campaign, about make America great again. And that's all you've seen.

That's it.

That's it. So anybody that really bought into the campaign or that did not buy into the campaign, they knew that, man, he trying to make America great again.

He lived and died on, like, those six words.

Yeah, but no, that wasn't the first time somebody said that. Like, Obama said it too. He just said in a different way. You know what I'm saying? Make America grin by Hope and change.

Yes, hope and change was Obama's campaign.

But it still was under the same underlying. And everybody's been trying to make America great or make. You know what I'm saying? Whatever.

But you can come up with a slogan to use as your campaign 1000%. I don't know what Trump's slogan will be on this next run, but I know he's gonna have some phrase that they can take and put on everything. That's good marketing.

Yeah.

Might be a bad president, but now.

You wanna know what's so crazy, man? I forgot to tell you this, bro. I was at. What's the name of the restaurant? Or Ewan. Ewin. Ewin. What's the name of the restaurant? The Spencer grocery store. Erwin. Erwin, yeah. Erwin Erewhon. Yeah, the grocery store. So we at the grocery store, me and Jane, we went and got some Food, Right?

But she like.

And she was like. She was like, everything. She's like, yeah, 300. She said, $36 million. I'm like, 36? $36 million. I'm like that's how much this place is worth. She's like, no, everything in here cost $36 million. So she was just trying to say how expensive it was. Yeah, but she. But she didn't say 36. She said something like $600 million. And I was like, dang. I was like, they get some money in here? She was like, no, that's how much everything costs in here. $600 million.

That's crazy.

I was like, what's wrong with this? And so we're literally waiting for food, and a woman says, and I promise you, I was with the wrong human to hear this. Jane is the wrong person to be with to hear this. The woman leaned over, she's like, hey, excuse me. She said, I'm such a big fan of the book. And I was like, oh, snap. I really appreciate it. She's like, yeah, I'm a stand up comedy comedian. And like, I'm really like, I read the book. I read it. I'm like, trying to apply these different things. I was like, oh, shit. For real? What's your Instagram? I want to check out some of your. Your work. She's like, oh, I'm just starting. But like, you know, it's all good. Yeah, but rest of the day bright. Oh, my God. I didn't realize I was with a celebrity. I'm like, bro, you gotta chill.

That is Jane. That is Jane.

Oh, my God. I just can't believe it. Oh, Jesus. Like, can I get your. Can I get your autograph? Like, I was like, oh, my God. I can't. I'm never going nowhere with you. I'm not hanging out you no more. I ain't got time.

How did that make you feel?

It was interesting because it showed me that you better be careful because people know who you are. Yes, people know who you are because this happened to me at the US Open. A guy by the name of George who runs this company called Playlist Push. We're sitting down. I'm talking to me and Troy. We talking about Tricarter. And literally, he was like, ta. I was like, you know me. I'm like, I don't know too many, you know, like, just random. Like, this is a not that many black people extravaganza, okay? This is not. This is not. This is not the Lakers game courtside, okay? This is Literally golfing at the Beverly Hills Country Club. And somebody's like, ty, that's you.

I'm like, I don't know who asked me.

And I look over and it's like this white guy, like, this young white guy. He's like, hey, man, it's George from Playlist Push. I was like, oh, what's up, man?

How you doing?

Cause I use Playlist Push. Yeah. Wow. I asked him, I said, man, like.

How you know How. How you recognize me?

Cause now I'm a little paranoid. And he was like, nah, man. You know, I like. Then he said something to me. He was like, man, you guys have the record for the most ads on Playlist Push for a song.

Oh, wow.

And I was like, oh, word? He was like, yeah. Cause Playlist Push, nothing but an independent playlist pitching system. Okay. I was like, oh, okay. He was like, yeah, man, I'd like to know. I try to stay in tune. So it's just him being studious of it. So that makes sense. We spend money with him.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He's still in your face.

He's still coming out. Who this is that's spending money, right? But the young lady that worked at Erewhon, whatever, name of the restaurant. I mean, the grocery store, who was this black woman that was like, excuse me, I'm. She was at work. Like, she was like. She wasn't the one ringing up the food either, so she kind of had to move around. She just recognized you 1000%. So I'm. Hey, man, this not having that Instagram ain't gonna help you, brother.

It's not gonna help. I had this. Had this experience at the bank, yo. So I went in to get one of those credit cards you put money down on, right? So the woman said, oh, Michael early gonna take care of you. Said, I don't know who that is. But I. So this guy come. He gets me. I sit down. He's getting my information. He's like, I know you. I said, you don't know me. He said, DJ boo. I said, sir, this is a Wells Fargo.

I don't know if that's under your.

I was so surprised. I felt like this man had got me like this, man. You got me all right. You got me. Turned out that he had worked with clients in music, and I had written about some of his clients, and he was aware of me through that, and it was just such a surprise. I walked in there thinking that I was gonna have to put some money down, do some stuff, and this man was Just like we started talking about something else. Time we completely didn't. We never reached it. We never even got to the credit card. Cause me and this guy was just like. He started telling me about his job. He started telling me about who he was working with. He started giving me all of this information. It's now, to me, one of the closest people I have a relationship with to this day.

Oh, that's crazy.

You know, like, real good guy. And I just did not expect that day to run into someone that knew who I was. So to your point, it could be at the bank, it could be at a show. It could be at the grocery store. I mean, are you. You never seem to be someone that really cares so much about being a celebrity. No, but does it. Is it exciting to feel like not just a book is becoming something that people are more aware of, but, like, the person that put the words out there? You two get your credit.

I wouldn't say exciting. I would say that it is more humbling than anything. One of the things that's crazy about. I was telling this about Ray Daniel. I was telling Ray. I was like, what's up, nigga? You the talent. You got a writer, Ray. I know you got a writer by now. Cause Ray's show really started to blow up, and individuals like that. He's no different than Gillian Wallow or, you know, Noriega. Like, I mean, Nori for Stan. Like. Like all of these different. They reintroduce themselves in a different. Yeah, different light. Especially with Cam and Mace.

Oh, that's a complete reintroduction.

Oh, my God, I love it. So you. So when you start seeing those different things, like, for me, I met this guy named Marcus, who's the CEO, who the president of Mr. Beast.

Oh, yeah.

He said, make content and partner with talent. He said, that's the future, right? And I was like, we gotta do these YouTube. Gotta get this YouTube shit going. Like, you know what I'm saying? Because I'm not afraid of celebrity. If it's for the right thing, if I'm a celebrity. Because people like, yo, man, I know you and, yo, y' all be talking about this financial literacy aspect. Wellness. I got the book. I'm cool with that.

Yeah.

I ain't trying to be no celebrity because, you know, I put a song out or I was in somebody music video or. You know what I'm saying? I'm not trying to be an influencer. Right? I.

If.

If. If my notoriety is just right at the level of author. You know what I'm Saying, like, I'm cool, like, whatever. However many fans a big author has or like, you know, like. Like, I'm not. Like, that's just not what I'm trying to do. But the information being put out in a way where people can actually understand it is important. So to see it from two black men that's talking about financial literacy and the lifestyle of wellness, because that's all it is when we talk about this ignorant conversation about wellness, it's just so that you know how to remove yourself in the most disarming way possible from situations that really threaten your mental health and how you see the world. You know what I'm saying? And so for me, it was more humbling then exciting, you know what I'm saying? Then I get a little paranoid. Yeah. Oh, shit.

Looking around the corner, like, I feel that.

Yeah.

I think that's our episode for the day, my sir.

Oh, man, that kind of flew.

That was a quick 60.

That flew by.

Quick 60. You know, I do see we got a special guest. I see Ms. Wealthy in the corner. Hi, Wealthy.

Yep.

Wealthy gave you a book called Outliers.

Yes. So Troy told me about the book first, Wealthy told me about the book second, and then third, I was working at Target, and it was just like, right in my face. I was like, I gotta read this book.

So the copy at the house, she left a note in the front of it.

Yeah.

And I thought it was so cool.

Just as like we're talking about years later, she gave me another version.

Okay. Okay.

That's what I thought. Another copy of it.

That's what I thought. But what I liked about it is just, like, sometimes how a friend can bring you something that they know is gonna affect your life and impact your life. And I do feel like this show has the chance of being like a gift the way a book's a gift, 1,000%, you know?

Yeah. This. This is. This is all like a part of this next iteration of the culture playbook.

Yeah.

You know, the. Yeah. I'm excited about now after today's meeting on that side, I'm excited about what that's going to be. So. Yes, sir, we're going to get back into it next time and see you all soon.