1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,120 Speaker 1: I can't believe you finally getting this interview man, so 2 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 1: long it was finally works. It's excited. Yeah, rapp right 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: up podcast Elliot Wilson, speed up, dapper damn Man, I 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: can't believe it. Man, from Queen's to Hame, here we are. 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: I think so. But honestly, this book is a page 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: turning man. Couldn't put it down. Yeah, man, it needs 7 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: to be a best seller. Man, it's gonna be a 8 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: great interview. Man. I'm excited. Were in Hallom man to 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: see this man, the legendary Stapper Dan. I had to 10 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,440 Speaker 1: put my good clothes on him. That's a lot of 11 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:38,200 Speaker 1: questions in this book. Man, congratulations. How does it feel 12 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: to have this book finally out? Man? What was that process? Like? 13 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: The main reason, like I wanted to do this book 14 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: is because I'm the last generation to all grow up 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: in Hallom and see Hollom before there was drug epidemic, 16 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: to see Hollom. Win eleven o'clock Sunday morning, you can 17 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: see everybody coming out their houses going to church to 18 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: see Hollom. When everybody go in their buildings and all 19 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 1: the doors is open to see Hallom, when anybody, all 20 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: adults can stop you in the street and say, ain't 21 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: that literally day soon? And you're be imbrassed if he 22 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: was doing something more. So that's what this book is all. 23 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: This book is like to tell a story by a 24 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: guy who comes from the corner, who's trying to find 25 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 1: a way to keep young men from getting stuck on 26 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: the corner like I was, you know, because I tell 27 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:37,119 Speaker 1: young guys in my neighborhoods the hardest graduation they may 28 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: ever have in their life is graduating from the corners. Yeah, 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: why was it now the right time to write it? Though? 30 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: With this platform, a lot of people are paying attention 31 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 1: to me, especially young people, so it's the ideal way 32 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: to reach them. You've you've had amazing year, right, I 33 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: mean you already this book is going to be adapted 34 00:01:57,480 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 1: into a film aster right with Yeah, yes, it's gonna 35 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: be adopted to film. And you don't know, like, um, 36 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 1: I'm in a dream state and I tell my friends, 37 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:11,239 Speaker 1: I say, man, look, you're in the underground for twenty years, 38 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: and yeah, and you know you're going from You're going 39 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: from gangster hood gangster who I'm traveling like from New 40 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: York to Chicago, hitting every ghetto you know, then come 41 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: back and go from New York Stlanta, hitting all the 42 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: ghettos to stay aflute. Then all of a sudden, you 43 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 1: got a partnership with Gucci, a book deal with Random House, 44 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: and a movie deal with Sony Pictures. You can't write that. 45 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: But then, baby, I couldn't believe it, man, And like 46 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: I tell everybody, if you pinch me and I wake up, 47 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: I'm gonna kill you. Did anybody would to kill you? 48 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,120 Speaker 1: Because reading the book it's a page turner, Like a 49 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,919 Speaker 1: lot of these stories is like really personal. Your family, 50 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: your friends, Did they have in reservations about the stories 51 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: that you told? No? Because you know what, that's a 52 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: good question, because this is what happened, right, I said, Man, 53 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 1: I gotta, I gotta, I gotta. I was like reluctant 54 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: to say a lot of things now I'm walking around 55 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:14,639 Speaker 1: and said that for her, you got a book, man, 56 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: I'd better be up in there. It was the opposite reaction. 57 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,679 Speaker 1: People would be mad with their name being up in there, 58 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: and I avoided you know a lot of people, I said, man, 59 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 1: because they're not up in my look. Yeah, come on, man, 60 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: you know that. You know I was that real dude, 61 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: quick play man, what chapped out men. I thought it 62 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: was interesting about the book, like, obviously, you know, you 63 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: were such a part of building the whole foundation what 64 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: we call the gold nature hip hop and fashion. But 65 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: that's asked maybe, like the book really the majority of 66 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: the book is really about your journey. You're being super 67 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: personal about every aspect of that was why was that 68 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: so important? Hip hop and fashion is grounded in culture. 69 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: You know what what hip hop has done today, it's 70 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: an outgrowth and the stories they want to tell and 71 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: the experiencing it's an outgrowth of my experience. You know, 72 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,240 Speaker 1: I'm the first generation of the Great Migration. You know 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: this is where this is where it starts. It starts 74 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: with us, the first that first generation and great migration. 75 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: Now that here this inner city thing, so the story 76 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: starts with us. So I wanted them to know the 77 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: genesis of what this all is, what they're feeding off, 78 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: because they're all feeding off, whether they're conscious over or not. 79 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: What people going up in the eighties, like being how 80 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:37,119 Speaker 1: much of a fan of hip hop was you before 81 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: you started working with these rap stars like l J. 82 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:42,080 Speaker 1: Where you invested in the culture in terms of the 83 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: music and loving it before I watch, I watched it 84 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: developed like, UM, A lot of guys like you gotta 85 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: look at um what they call hip HOPA say, I've 86 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,520 Speaker 1: been trying to nail that down anyway, because I remember 87 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: we had a club on twenty fifte UM Charles's Gallery, 88 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: and that's when the first time I ever saw this 89 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: kind of music what you called hip hop to day 90 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: experience like and guys would come in and say, yo, man, 91 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 1: can I get on the mic? Yeah? You know so yeah, yeah, 92 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,640 Speaker 1: this is like in the sixties, late sixties going into seventies, 93 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: like um, right before Hollywood, Harold and all of them, 94 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,680 Speaker 1: you know, right before we became part of it was 95 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: still like a house party type of thing. The clubs 96 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: were just starting and that's the first time I saw 97 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: and then I just so of developed developed development too. 98 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,839 Speaker 1: It just it just took took off in the Bronx 99 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: to because when I was growing up, you couldn't go 100 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:41,600 Speaker 1: in the Bronx. You know, Irish gangs up there. You're 101 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: part of a crew too. You talk about that and 102 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,559 Speaker 1: your in your book The Souls and all the crews 103 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: that you was done with when you talk about gangs 104 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: from back in the day and gang culture from back 105 00:05:52,440 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: in the day, there has been We never lost one 106 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: person to balance, never once. There's nobody who grew up 107 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: with me got killed from gang roulence, not one. So 108 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: it's a different thing. And you might hear you don't 109 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: even hit them one they say somebody I have a 110 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: problem with somebody else to say, can I get a 111 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:16,640 Speaker 1: fair one? Yeah? And then you and then when the 112 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,160 Speaker 1: older guys say you got enough and say, okay, that's it, 113 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: your man. What was it like growing up in that 114 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: era when you were surrounded by gangsters like you mentioned 115 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: as a kid seeing Buppy Johnson, you know you were. Okay, 116 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: let's don't get it confused. These young guys today used 117 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: the word gangsters. I grew up with racketeers. There's a 118 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: difference between gangsters and racketeers. You know, racketeers like they 119 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:45,000 Speaker 1: into like bootlegging, bootlegging liquor bootleg licking. Um, they're into 120 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: the numbers game, you know, the confidence game, things like that. 121 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: There this this new concept came as what we call 122 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: this g thing. It's an outgrowth of drug culture. But 123 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: you up without fitting the dealers of that of that 124 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: era though, like besides the rap stars Alpo the famous 125 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: houses that we know of all got their gear from you. Yeah, 126 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:10,480 Speaker 1: they get that credit because of the nature of the time. 127 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: In particular Alpo Alpo ushered in. He just came along 128 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,239 Speaker 1: at the same time hip hop was beginning to spread, 129 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: so he was the first fly guy for them for 130 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: that generation, you know. But each generation had what we 131 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: called on like you hear me talking about a boy. 132 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: Those those are the guys who set the pace. Each 133 00:07:32,680 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 1: generation had that guy who everybody talked about because they 134 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: was really flying. What do you think it's like the 135 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: generation the boy will say, it's shifted because each generation 136 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: had um a time when money was flowing. Now a 137 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,960 Speaker 1: drug dealer, man, you know, we don't have like Kingpinn 138 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: drug dealers back then like they had back then. You know. 139 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,520 Speaker 1: So now if you was talking about the boy one 140 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: Dingt Hollo, now everybody's kind of like low key. Nobody's 141 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: getting that kind of money where they can stand out 142 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: that way. There's not nobody I can call out right 143 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,960 Speaker 1: now that everybody say I want to dress like him. 144 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: That shifted to the rappers now. And you said at 145 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: the beginning, you enjoyed something about the person of a 146 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: poor because the part of the major style so great? 147 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,840 Speaker 1: Is you really connected with these people that you that 148 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: you tell are clothes for and credit clothes with, and 149 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: you have said in the book how much you and 150 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: you sort of connected more with the rappers than talking 151 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: to the hustles. Yeah. Yeah, I like the shift because 152 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,000 Speaker 1: I like I like what was happening. There was this 153 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: thing with you know, especially when Rap started, it didn't 154 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: have that the same kind of nature. You know what 155 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: I'm saying, a lot of people don't understand how drug 156 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: culture is and what it does. It implodes, And I 157 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: didn't see that happening with Rap. I didn't see the 158 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: death call. You know, with gangsters, you see him every 159 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 1: day and you're hearing your hearing stories from both sides, 160 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 1: people coming all the way. Yeah, we know what we're 161 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,199 Speaker 1: getting ready to do. You know how many reading did 162 00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: you know that didn't happen? You know, it was like 163 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,520 Speaker 1: it was a a comfortable shift. You know, that's before 164 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:12,319 Speaker 1: gangster Rap came in there talking like that that then 165 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: then they got like that for somebody like you connected 166 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: with Lucile Jay. You kind of took you guys working 167 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: together with the magnitude of his startom. So now you're 168 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,400 Speaker 1: taking something that was more New York based and you 169 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: feel like it's going nationwide, worldwide. Do you feel that 170 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,199 Speaker 1: connection like now l J was kind of like someone 171 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: who helped bring your fashion to more of a wide 172 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: mass audience. Yeah, definitely, LLL. And you know the interesting 173 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: thing about LLL is like I was doing before I 174 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,000 Speaker 1: got ready, I was just transitioning him because you know, 175 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,240 Speaker 1: it was what was they called, It's called B boys, 176 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:46,959 Speaker 1: And then I was just shifting. If you see how 177 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: LLL was dressing, like from the like the logo outfits 178 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: that was making. Then I was getting him more, shifting 179 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: him towards how I dressed, and you see him going 180 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: tod with like these silk outfits all us and l 181 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: L right here. So I said, l We're going We're 182 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: starting this thing. Man. We're going from you know, we're 183 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:11,439 Speaker 1: going from B boy to be man. Yeah, we we did. 184 00:10:11,679 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: We did. Uh we did a shoot like that there 185 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: with with with Ted Demi and everything. You know, I 186 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 1: didn't get a chance to really move in on it 187 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: like that because Bam, I got readed, you know, I 188 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: had to go on the ground. But before that, he 189 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: was the father of logo Mania. Explained that what you 190 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: mean when you say that everybody has aspiration, So they're 191 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 1: aspirational garments, aspirational things that if you got that, you arrived, right. 192 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: So in terms of clothes and calls and diamonds, that's 193 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: what it was. I knew that I couldn't go into 194 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: the diamond game because it was too lucid, you know, 195 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: too much, too too much, bigger investment. So I was 196 00:10:47,559 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: starting with first, right, because I knew gangsters when everybody 197 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: wanna look first. But I needed something else, as like 198 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 1: a cash crop. A guy came in the stool one 199 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: day and he had a uh in fact, this is 200 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: really important guy. His name was Jack Jackson. Jack Jackson 201 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 1: is the one who told on John got his brother 202 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: Jean Gotti. So if you see me in the in 203 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: the video with uh pee Wee Kirkland, we're walking through Hallom. 204 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: You see me hold up a newspaper. On the headline 205 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: of that newspaper is Hallom connection. What I was saying 206 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: in that newspaper this was the end of the Italians 207 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: controlling drugs and hall when they busted Jack and Jack 208 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: end up telling on John Gotti. Right. Well, anyway, Jack 209 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:34,760 Speaker 1: and Jack came in and store one day, and he 210 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:39,600 Speaker 1: had like a louibrattan pouch, like a little pouch filled 211 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,599 Speaker 1: with hundred dollar bills. Everybody, you know, everybody want to 212 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 1: see what Jack pulling out. And I looked at that 213 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: bag and I saw how everybody got excited about that bag. 214 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 1: So I had already been studying religion and and symbolism 215 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 1: and stuff like that, and I said, what is it 216 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: about the bags? I say, it's the logo. That's the 217 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: anything that made that different from any other bag in 218 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 1: the world. I said, it's the logo. I said, if 219 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: they got that excited over the logo, imagine if I 220 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:12,080 Speaker 1: can have them walking around looking like bags. And you said, 221 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,800 Speaker 1: Louis Louis V didn't make clothes, Gucci didn't make Jackie. 222 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:17,360 Speaker 1: It's crazy. They didn't make it before you came around. Yeah, 223 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: none of them. So now here's what I'm thinking. If 224 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 1: I can get the same kind of energy, financial energy 225 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: out of logos that I got out of first. So 226 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:33,080 Speaker 1: there's a luxury transference. So they are relating to logos 227 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: the way they will relate to furs and diamonds. Right, 228 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:39,600 Speaker 1: So I expanded on that, you know, so I started 229 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 1: making garments with logos all, you know, the brighter the diamond, 230 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:46,480 Speaker 1: the begin the diamond right, the more of course, so 231 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,040 Speaker 1: you know how many how many letters you want? Who 232 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: are your style icons? Growing up? Like? Who are your 233 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:55,360 Speaker 1: music that you looked up to? Fashion wise? Fashion wise? 234 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,439 Speaker 1: It was like what the guy called Pee Wee Hammond, 235 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,360 Speaker 1: the famous basketball Joe Hammond, his uncle. Well, he was 236 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: the flies guy I ever seen in Hallom at one 237 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,319 Speaker 1: point it was the It was these guys from out 238 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: of Georgia. They called him the Georgia Boys, and it 239 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: was a whole group of them. They was really fly. 240 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,320 Speaker 1: But before them came U Joe Hammond, but there was 241 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: you know, everybody from Hollom was from somewhere else doing 242 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: I was going up. It was from different parts of 243 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,920 Speaker 1: the South. So the Georgia Boys was like they was 244 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:32,439 Speaker 1: really really fly. And the head guy of the Georgia 245 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: of the Georgia Boys is the one that I've had 246 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: in my street life from his name Joe Jackson. Jackson. Yeah, 247 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: he was amazing. You know, It's like his ability to hustle, 248 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: it was, it was crazy. What made me gravitate towards 249 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:52,200 Speaker 1: Joe Jackson is that every they called him gentleman Joe Jackson. 250 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:57,240 Speaker 1: Everybody in Hallard respected him, you know, everybody. And he 251 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: was like a masterpool player. He is, he was a 252 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:03,960 Speaker 1: master mac man. He could sing girls, cross country, playing 253 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,719 Speaker 1: call and game Yeah, And everybody looked up to Joe 254 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: Jackson and he was amazing Gamma. And when um, when 255 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 1: I was coming up, all of all the master hustlers 256 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 1: that I came in contact with, all of them got high. 257 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:23,200 Speaker 1: And when I noticed that Joe Jackson he didn't smoke, 258 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: he didn't drink, he didn't get high, I said, that's it. 259 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: That's he was the street version of Malcolm X. You know, 260 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: I mean, he didn't do that, none of that there, man. 261 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: So I said, oh, that's it. So if I'm gonna 262 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,000 Speaker 1: be a if i'm gonna be a street demon, I'm 263 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: gonna be like Joe. But he was a hell of 264 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: a demon. Because I was reading this book, I was 265 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: so fascinated that you were so good at dice like playing. 266 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: I was trying to find some she just still got it. Man, 267 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: I got it, man, you asked him, man, I broke everybody. 268 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: What was your technique that? Because I used to play 269 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: CEO and sometimes like your head cracks a times, I 270 00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:03,480 Speaker 1: would ace out. So you you you sometimes you felt lucky, 271 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: sometimes you pretty much and then that's why you lost, 272 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 1: you know things. Look, it's mathematics, you know. I played 273 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,080 Speaker 1: the mathematic When you hear the guys in how I'm 274 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: talking about me and said, Dave never shot the dice, 275 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: I give him mathematical propositions. You know. So you play celo, right, 276 00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: I would bet you don't beat the deuce twice. Sounds easy, right, Yeah, yeah, 277 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: you know, I bet you camp five a better. I'm 278 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: gonna give you a mathematical uh the probabilities of things, yeah, 279 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: the lot probability that. So I studied like a first, 280 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: everything I learned in the street, I utilized that. But 281 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: then I went and board books by the foremost authorities 282 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: on gambling, and that was like Jon Scanni. I read 283 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 1: everything he put out, you know, and then I read 284 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: books on the percentages so that I would know that. 285 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,440 Speaker 1: And so like people think they're gambling when they go 286 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,760 Speaker 1: to uh Las Vegas and play on the gamma table, 287 00:15:56,920 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: but what you what the recently the casino has always 288 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: live because they have a vigorish like, say, on one 289 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: side of the table, if you bet the dice on 290 00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: five you you bet straight up. On the other side, 291 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: they got to lay, they lay odds, so in between 292 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: that there's a vigorish like. So this is how I 293 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: do right, here's the proposition. Say I have a a 294 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:21,600 Speaker 1: three sided qu my intention. What I have to do 295 00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: is to get you the bet that you can't throw 296 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: one of the sides right, So that means you got 297 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:29,640 Speaker 1: one side. I got two sides. You know what I'm saying. 298 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 1: But but you gotta understand the lower probability has to 299 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,400 Speaker 1: kick in. I would never bet, like, say, if you 300 00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: had a million dollars and it was like, say ten 301 00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: numbers and I told you, I'm gonna give you a 302 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 1: million ten million for your million if you pick the dumber. 303 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 1: I would never do that. I'll tell you got to 304 00:16:47,400 --> 00:16:54,720 Speaker 1: keep picking the number down and proper proportion so that 305 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 1: the lower average can kick in. So it's based on 306 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: and I can't you man. You know what when I 307 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,360 Speaker 1: was coming up, it's my life has been about tools. 308 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 1: This is the person who I've always was destined to 309 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,440 Speaker 1: be and would want to be. But when you grow 310 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: up poor and stuff. The first thing I learned my 311 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: father was the only one who had a job on 312 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 1: my uncle's everybody, all the males that I knew in 313 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: my community that I looked up to. You will hustle us. 314 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:24,600 Speaker 1: So you use the tools from these people. Two survibs, 315 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: so there was survival to you. So when you see 316 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 1: me driving down these different lanes in my life is 317 00:17:29,520 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: because I'm switching. I'm switching games, switching games, switching games, 318 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: switching games like that, the paper game, you know, the 319 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 1: crap game, you know what, everything that I've ever gotten, 320 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 1: you were the first swipe of that. Yeah. Yeah. Taking 321 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: it back to hip hop for a second, when when 322 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: I think of some kind of images, I wanted to 323 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: get your take on the whole thing behind. You know, 324 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:53,680 Speaker 1: I kind of cover EARP and R Camp paid them full. 325 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 1: Like you talked about the logos before, like how important 326 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: was that and how did you come up with? What 327 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: did you want to cry? And that's an important important 328 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: album cover because whenever it being rock Kim, you see 329 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:09,800 Speaker 1: the the personification of personalities through emblems. You see on 330 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: the back of rock Kims. He got the five of centners, 331 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:18,520 Speaker 1: you know, and Eric we got the Gucci sign you know, 332 00:18:18,800 --> 00:18:23,600 Speaker 1: so that that that signals like and let everybody know that, 333 00:18:23,680 --> 00:18:26,239 Speaker 1: but damn you can have it your way, you know, 334 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: and people just they know me for the logos. But 335 00:18:28,359 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 1: if you see like some of the things that did downstairs, 336 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:35,160 Speaker 1: like say Jungle Brothers, they was into Afro citric store, 337 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: so I made them stuff and and red green and 338 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: black and boogie down production. They got into this thing 339 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,680 Speaker 1: where they was doing like reggae, this reggae type rap, 340 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: so that made them close and the roster colors. So 341 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:52,600 Speaker 1: I did all that and then salt and people were 342 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:55,080 Speaker 1: told jackers. It was like a lot of diversity and 343 00:18:55,119 --> 00:18:58,439 Speaker 1: what I was doing. But it's just that the stuff 344 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,160 Speaker 1: with logos, it just was like took off there. Anything 345 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: you wouldn't do for a customer, I wouldn't produce. I 346 00:19:04,320 --> 00:19:10,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't never ever would make anybody any clothes with gang 347 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,159 Speaker 1: symbols on them that you will never see nobody with 348 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: a garment that Dapper Damn made that had flags on it. 349 00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: But it did get construction. You did make some bulletproof, 350 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:27,639 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I had to protected protect. I get your 351 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: protect certain little pockets where you can hide. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. 352 00:19:32,280 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: I had all that there. But I got in trouble 353 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: with that though, because one day for a pound, some 354 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,240 Speaker 1: like In fact, New York Jack was on the investigation. 355 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:44,680 Speaker 1: The DA used to park across the street all the time, 356 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,919 Speaker 1: right for maybe three weeks, I ain't get no customers. 357 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: I had to go over there and tell them. What said, listen, 358 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,560 Speaker 1: anybody know who you are? And that's a I think 359 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:55,000 Speaker 1: I learned about d A. And when you see them, 360 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 1: it's over. They're just wrapping up the small stuff. So 361 00:19:58,160 --> 00:19:59,720 Speaker 1: I'm going over to tell maybe I know who you are. 362 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:02,280 Speaker 1: They laughs and drove away. But when they came back 363 00:20:02,359 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: looking for the guys that they want to pick up, 364 00:20:04,119 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: they said, oh, you're that wise guy. You don't want 365 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: to be making all that bulletproof for stuff for him, 366 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,239 Speaker 1: and we got to come get them. So what they 367 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: were telling me that we don't like what you're doing. 368 00:20:13,240 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: So that's why I had to stop that after a 369 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: certain times. You said, the story was a heavy psychological 370 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: toll on you. Right. And he was open for nine years, 371 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,520 Speaker 1: never closed hours, twenty four hours. Man, they had that 372 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:26,240 Speaker 1: bill apartment in the back, so my kids can come 373 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:28,600 Speaker 1: spend the night with me. Sometimes it was the store. 374 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,119 Speaker 1: It so if you involved in the culture, I grew 375 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:35,479 Speaker 1: up in the culture and grew out of the culture. 376 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 1: There's layers of culture in the home, you know what 377 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: I'm saying. There's spiritual layers, game layers, you know. It's 378 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,679 Speaker 1: just all these different kind of layers, you know. And 379 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:49,639 Speaker 1: so when you start making that transition, you start rejecting 380 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 1: certain stuff, like to be in some nights, I sit 381 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: in there and here guys discuss murder, you know, and 382 00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 1: you say to yourself, damn this, send this, you know, 383 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: and then I'm reading spiritual stuff all the time, you 384 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying. So it was hard. It was 385 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: hard to live with that. It's hard to live with that. Man, 386 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 1: and I talked about this earlier. If you've been around 387 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: as long as I have, you know, this culture that 388 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:19,760 Speaker 1: they called gangster culture and all that, it implodes and 389 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,119 Speaker 1: you might hear me say like, you can't be in 390 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,560 Speaker 1: it and not of it. So although I'm not participating 391 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: in that activity, I'm right in the midst of that activity, 392 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,240 Speaker 1: you know. And then it plodes. So now you know, 393 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: everybody was making a lot of money off crack right 394 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:39,160 Speaker 1: then when it over saturation, you know, when the cartels 395 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 1: got into it, they started flooding hallom so the flood 396 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:47,000 Speaker 1: of the drugs and Hallm created this enormous amount of competition, 397 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: and this was detrimental not only for Hallm but from 398 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,200 Speaker 1: the small towns that we came from in the south. 399 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 1: And this is very important. The strong ones could take 400 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 1: over neighborhoods. And if the strong ones long I wasn't 401 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,560 Speaker 1: getting any money, then the wars were started, you know, 402 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,560 Speaker 1: the wars the weak ones. You know, like when we 403 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: got in trouble when we was young, our parents would say, 404 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: I'm sitting you back down south. You know, I'm sitting 405 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: you back down south. But this is the uh, detrimental 406 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:23,720 Speaker 1: twist took place. The weak ones who couldn't make it 407 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:26,679 Speaker 1: here say, damn, I could make a killing if I 408 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,199 Speaker 1: go down south. So they got on the road and 409 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 1: start going on south. And that's when messed up where 410 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: we came from. So now there's no haven for the 411 00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: escape and and that went down there. But so and 412 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 1: in Halem as the proliferation of the drugs took place 413 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: and the wars took place, then you had the kidnappings 414 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: and the murders. So I'm writing the midst of that 415 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: or we took place. They tried to kidnap this guy 416 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:56,119 Speaker 1: in front of my store, right, and it was unsuccessful. 417 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: And now I gotta make a judgment. I'm watching them 418 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: getting ready to kidnap. Do I call the police? In 419 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 1: mind of my business? So I'm a product, are you envine? 420 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 1: So even though I think I'm not in it, I'm 421 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:16,160 Speaker 1: still over it. And I'm watching this take place, right, 422 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,920 Speaker 1: so the des guy. So I say nothing. The next 423 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: week they try to kidnap me, and I got shot 424 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 1: and got the bullet in my neck to this day. Yeah, 425 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,320 Speaker 1: and so that's what happened. If you are in it, 426 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 1: you think you can't be over it, but you are 427 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,440 Speaker 1: over it, you know. And uh And I said this slowly, 428 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 1: like when that happened to Nipsey, I got flashbacks because 429 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: here's the guy who changed his life, had nothing to 430 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,399 Speaker 1: do it, and it's the same thing. You know, It 431 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,120 Speaker 1: comes back at you. So you gotta just like remove 432 00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: yourself from it for a while, you know what I'm saying, 433 00:23:54,720 --> 00:24:00,520 Speaker 1: because if you're interacting with it, it implodes, you know. 434 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:04,360 Speaker 1: And and that's exactly that's exactly what happened to him, Exactly. 435 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:05,920 Speaker 1: He didn't have nothing to do that. He is away 436 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 1: from that culture the same way as I was away 437 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:09,920 Speaker 1: from my coach. It's a miracle that I'm not dead. 438 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,280 Speaker 1: I'm carrying the bullet in my neck. You understand I'm saying. So, 439 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:15,320 Speaker 1: like my friend people, he don't have nothing to do. 440 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,159 Speaker 1: He ain't talking to nobody who's about that. He's not 441 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 1: engaging in any activity that would bring that kind of 442 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: negativity around him. You know what I'm saying. So, if 443 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: you're around the negativity that creates that kind of climate, 444 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: no matter what your intentions though, you fall subject to 445 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 1: the demons, you know. And and so it's the same thing. Man, 446 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: that's like it hit me like a brick when I 447 00:24:39,359 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 1: saw that. Say, damn, here it is again. Man, here 448 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,920 Speaker 1: is again. You know what I'm saying. You just gotta 449 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 1: you gotta like you gotta get away from him. You 450 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,679 Speaker 1: can't talk it with nobody, You can't engage nobody. I 451 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:56,880 Speaker 1: had problems with that man. I went to Thankful Pop 452 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:00,719 Speaker 1: Daddy problem one time, friend, been friend of the You say, yo, 453 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:03,440 Speaker 1: that man, you've been disrespecting me for six months now 454 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,800 Speaker 1: what you're talking about. You won't accept none of my calls. 455 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,720 Speaker 1: And I said, listen, man, I'm not. I'm not, I'm not. 456 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 1: I don't want to hear nothing about that life. I 457 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 1: don't want to be involved in that life. You know, 458 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:16,480 Speaker 1: I just got a way. I just like when it 459 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,359 Speaker 1: and that's what it is. Man, if you got a brother, 460 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 1: you gotta say, I tell my my brother. If I 461 00:25:21,119 --> 00:25:23,320 Speaker 1: got a brother like the cousin, I said, anybody else, 462 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: And man, I'm not messing with you. Man, you know me, 463 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,480 Speaker 1: you know, because you you're leaving them doors open for 464 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,760 Speaker 1: things that happened to you know, go back and the 465 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: front front like the back of the days. Though even 466 00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:35,200 Speaker 1: when you first in a mixture though you was brought 467 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: selective of who he was social with outside of giving 468 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: them outfits and stuff like that. But you and Mike 469 00:25:39,840 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: Tyson built a real friendship, right you said you guys 470 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,520 Speaker 1: would Mike. Mike is incredible man. And like, I can't 471 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: wait till I have you know, I haven't spoke ton 472 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,639 Speaker 1: Mike since it's still closed. It's a long time, right, 473 00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 1: pictures in the book, can we talk about that, like, 474 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:56,600 Speaker 1: so you so that everybody knows that heard of the 475 00:25:56,600 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: infamous Mike Tyson Miss Green fight at the Dappa Dance 476 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: Store and you explained and this pictures, like the book, 477 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: I didn't know that there were pictures existed until us. 478 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,200 Speaker 1: So the book. Man, it's a big story behind them pictures. Man, 479 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:09,879 Speaker 1: you know, I know the street, you know, I know 480 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: the calling game. And if you look at the trajectory 481 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 1: that Mike went through, suing his friends, soon everybody around him, 482 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:22,840 Speaker 1: and I watched how everybody around him was playing them. 483 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. And I'm seeing this, I said, damn, damn. 484 00:26:26,800 --> 00:26:29,120 Speaker 1: And then when the fight, when the fight broke out, 485 00:26:29,520 --> 00:26:33,280 Speaker 1: the newspaper reporters offered me up to a hundred and 486 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand dollars. It was a bid and war between stars, 487 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: you know, the st and the inquire before just to 488 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: see if the pictures existed, just to see them. The 489 00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 1: big war started. My nephew who took the pictures? Now, 490 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: I said, da, we could get hundred. Didn't want to. 491 00:26:57,080 --> 00:27:00,879 Speaker 1: I don't even count. You're being distribution. You saw a pitture, Yeah, 492 00:27:00,920 --> 00:27:04,280 Speaker 1: that's what I'd had something. It was like twenty five 493 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 1: years and respect. Yeah, because I knew that if if 494 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: I showed them pictures, Michael is gonna get sued for 495 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: a lot of money. Mike was so young and inexperience 496 00:27:16,119 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: at the time. I said, I said, Mike, I got 497 00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:20,400 Speaker 1: these pictures. I ain't gona show them though he said 498 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:24,000 Speaker 1: sell them. But he didn't know. He didn't even he 499 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:26,199 Speaker 1: didn't understand. I might have a big conversation with Mike 500 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: about the pictures to talk about that, but like people 501 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:31,080 Speaker 1: don't know, Like what a phenomenon that. When Mike Tyson 502 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:34,000 Speaker 1: came into the game, that changed the course of my hole. Yeah, 503 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: he was running around with Naomi and looking back, he 504 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,360 Speaker 1: came down to stow a Naomi Camell and miss America 505 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: the second one. Yeah, Mike, Michael is a hell of 506 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 1: a dude. Man. He he generated a lot of excitement 507 00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:53,000 Speaker 1: and it's just that after Cuss died, everything changed. Custom 508 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: I don't want to talk about the people. I'm not 509 00:27:56,640 --> 00:27:59,200 Speaker 1: gonna talk about going into the deep until I get 510 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 1: around Mike and me him talking about it. Is it 511 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: fair to say he was your best customer? It depends 512 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:06,320 Speaker 1: how you look at him. He was the best and 513 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: the worst. Wrote all the attention that called me to 514 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,719 Speaker 1: get shut down, It was it was Findy that went 515 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:20,399 Speaker 1: after you. Right at first, They Louis Findy and m 516 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:26,679 Speaker 1: c M. Didn't come at me. They got cancer. The 517 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:30,679 Speaker 1: albums was too busy on me. But Findy was the 518 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 1: most aggressive behind m c M. Because you know mcm 519 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: took off because of LLL. But Findy was the most 520 00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: suggressive because so Mayo who became one of the Supreme 521 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:43,680 Speaker 1: Court justice is the Supreme Court. She was the lead 522 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:48,280 Speaker 1: attorney for Findy. All right, Yeah, so I'll never forget 523 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:50,680 Speaker 1: when she came for the raid, came in the store. 524 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:52,720 Speaker 1: She saw this code that had just made for Big 525 00:28:52,800 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 1: Daddy Kane, the black black clown call him everything. She said, Wow, 526 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:07,400 Speaker 1: this guy's guys, this Scott blows downtown. Yeah, she didn't 527 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: take me, She took all my stuff. Now, how much 528 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 1: that for average? And what was the price for a 529 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: Dapper Dan ensemble back in those days? A budget one? 530 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: The lawsuit was the budget ones. And what was the 531 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: cheapest thing unless you wanted to advise him? What was 532 00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: the most expensive piece that you made? The most expensive 533 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: piece would be the I made jacket's like Louis Vuitton, 534 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,960 Speaker 1: and then when you flip it over, it's all mink reversible. 535 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: And those ran up to like seven dollars six. Everyone 536 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: loves the Apple snorical And there was another picture of 537 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: apple we had like it was at a club and 538 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: had the matching hat yeah yeah yeah, and the Esper drills. 539 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: But when you would lay close out to like you said, 540 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,400 Speaker 1: Andrea Horrell, like an early days of uptime with him 541 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 1: and Puffy you had. They had the bar clothes for 542 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: Mary j. Blige and Jean to see. Yeah, man, Andrea. 543 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:02,040 Speaker 1: Andrea Rolle was like, um, a big asset. Andre got it, 544 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,160 Speaker 1: you know, he really got it when he started out. 545 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: He had like a little office in Brooklyn, and I 546 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: used to go out there. But you know, Andre Harold 547 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,520 Speaker 1: and the rappers didn't have money. Took a while for 548 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,480 Speaker 1: them to get money because Andrea I used to loan them, 549 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: loan them clothes. You know, some rappers still owe me money. 550 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:25,200 Speaker 1: I promised I won't call it out Teddy ye Yeah yeah, 551 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 1: paid DApp his money, y'all. Yeah, we can laugh about it, 552 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: but kick it out, man. But it's all Gucci down 553 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: literally though that. I mean last year was two years 554 00:30:39,400 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: ago when that whole controversy happened, when uh the inspired 555 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: piece hit the runway, hit the blogs. What was your 556 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: thoughts of that when it first happened. You know what, 557 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:52,080 Speaker 1: I'm probably was the one least affected psychologically for that 558 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:54,959 Speaker 1: because I had been seeing it all alone. People just 559 00:30:55,040 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: wasn't conscious of it. Hallam new that's why they got 560 00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: called out, you know. But I said, and you know, 561 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: it wasn't on social media, just social media just came about. 562 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,560 Speaker 1: So I didn't know that black Twitter could have that 563 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:12,040 Speaker 1: much power when the first Yeah, yeah I didn't. I 564 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:14,320 Speaker 1: didn't know anything about that. I just thought that they 565 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,480 Speaker 1: was gonna keep being able to appropriate different brands and 566 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: different people be able to appropriate and not not not 567 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:22,240 Speaker 1: gonna say, but when I came out and black Twitter 568 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:26,960 Speaker 1: kick and social media, yeah yeah, that was like amazing. 569 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 1: I say, what And you're kind of like used to 570 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 1: it at this point, like they're just gonna rip me 571 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 1: off again. Yeah. Yeah. I never thought that I'd be 572 00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 1: able to profit from my creativity and I thought it 573 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:41,760 Speaker 1: was like a far stretch. But you know, um, but 574 00:31:41,800 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 1: then Steve Stout stepped into and I helped bridge the 575 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:48,120 Speaker 1: connection between you and oh well, my son was the 576 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 1: primary force behind that. Yeah, July was the primary force 577 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: behind that. But you know, other people stepped in after that. 578 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: But my son is the one who negotiated the deal. 579 00:31:58,000 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: My fun is the one who they reached out to 580 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:02,120 Speaker 1: and talk to that. I just didn't. I just didn't, 581 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: you know, go into it. You know, I said, I 582 00:32:04,440 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: told mus I, don't worry about it. You know, I think, yeah, 583 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: he want that beat more into was the black face incident, 584 00:32:10,080 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 1: Like the black stepped up and you kind of held 585 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: them up accountable for the actions, and that that's point too. 586 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: You just at point one, okay, your point two was 587 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,239 Speaker 1: like the black face you know when you when you 588 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:25,560 Speaker 1: look at it. The black face definitely, in my opinion, 589 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,920 Speaker 1: wasn't something that was intentional. You know, because I studied 590 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: like Alexandro, what his intentions was, what his experiences was, 591 00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 1: his relationship to fashion and how it should be carried 592 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: out or done, and as well as markol So I 593 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,120 Speaker 1: know it wasn't intention But when you're getting involved in 594 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: being creative and you're using elements of other people's culture, 595 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: it's easy to make a mistake. So that was but 596 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: mistake or not, regardless to what you might think of 597 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,520 Speaker 1: what happened, whether you think it was intentional or unintentional. 598 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 1: There's like if you shoot somebody by accident or you 599 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: shoot him on popist, they're still dead. So we have 600 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 1: to deal with the fact that they did so it happened, 601 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,280 Speaker 1: so we have to deal with the fact that it happened, 602 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: you know. So I told said, listen, I'm a black 603 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,880 Speaker 1: man before I'm a Pryan. You gotta come to hallm 604 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 1: and explain what this situation is. And they came and 605 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:26,960 Speaker 1: they sat down, and what I did was I had, 606 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: like all the people that I could gather together in 607 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:36,560 Speaker 1: the corporate world, people who are responsible for corporate inclusivity, 608 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: people who have dealt with issues like this before, people 609 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: who have knowledge of how corporations work and things like that, 610 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:46,320 Speaker 1: and I gathered them together with Gucci and we ironed 611 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 1: out this thing on how they should approach the problem. 612 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: So so today we have what's called the change makers. 613 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:57,120 Speaker 1: So what the change makers do is they're gonna see 614 00:33:57,200 --> 00:34:02,200 Speaker 1: that a Gucci appropriates the money for different programs, you 615 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: don't have all recruit young designers up and down the ladder, 616 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:13,879 Speaker 1: straight up down. So we got this big Gucci corporate inclusivity, 617 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: not just as designers, but in every facet of the business. 618 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:21,680 Speaker 1: So that's a good thing that happened. As bad positive, yeah, 619 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: because you know it's hard getting the message out, but 620 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 1: what Gucci is doing is a great thing. In fact, 621 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:33,600 Speaker 1: it's so important for us to have a foothold in 622 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: luxury branding because we don't have that right. That's so important, 623 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:43,319 Speaker 1: and so I'm thinking that when everybody sees what's going 624 00:34:43,360 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 1: on with Gucci, we can move this program to other 625 00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:48,359 Speaker 1: big luxury brands. You see, as soon as Gucci came 626 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:52,120 Speaker 1: and got me right away leave its home with got 627 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:56,399 Speaker 1: so something that's happening. We can't stifle what's happening. If 628 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:59,840 Speaker 1: you don't interpret what's happening in the right way, you 629 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:03,799 Speaker 1: can set us back. We have to forge your head 630 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: with what we're doing with Gucci and take it to 631 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:09,200 Speaker 1: other brands. We should not back up because if we 632 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:12,239 Speaker 1: back up in terms of this boycott, this would be 633 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:16,400 Speaker 1: the first boycott ever by people of color in America 634 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:22,040 Speaker 1: that has zero accomplishments. We've always used boycotts as a 635 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 1: means to get in, not to walk away from, you know. 636 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: So I'm happy with the change it so far, and 637 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 1: I advised everybody to go online. You can go on 638 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 1: mom Instagram and pull out their information and read everything 639 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 1: about Gucci change makers and see if they're happy with 640 00:35:41,600 --> 00:35:44,240 Speaker 1: what they say. After you got raided and was shut down, 641 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:46,439 Speaker 1: you know, I know, you went underground and started doing 642 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: your things on that circuit. But you had a quote 643 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:49,839 Speaker 1: in the book where you said that when you went 644 00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 1: to clients, they said, I ain't dealing with that black ship. 645 00:35:52,239 --> 00:35:54,279 Speaker 1: You know. It's like as if there wasn't as much 646 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:59,479 Speaker 1: reverence for black products or black uh, black things, black service. Yeah, 647 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:02,279 Speaker 1: but you know that comes. So that's a result of 648 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: that's incumbent upon to create the creatives. I'm one of 649 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,359 Speaker 1: the creators, right, I have to produce something that would 650 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: make them want aware. Is that why urban brands don't 651 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: do as well as they used to? Yeah, well, urban 652 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: brands do. A lot of people look at urban brands 653 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,960 Speaker 1: and and they don't see what I see. What urban 654 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: brand that has come about? That was a luxury brand. None. 655 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:29,319 Speaker 1: People have aspirations. Everybody don't want to look walk around 656 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:34,000 Speaker 1: looking like everybody else, you understand. So it bottom out. 657 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,239 Speaker 1: And plus it was it was dating. What I mean 658 00:36:37,239 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 1: by dating is they came out with an idea. Everybody 659 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,000 Speaker 1: had that idea. Everybody's looking around, you know, and it 660 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:49,520 Speaker 1: what I did was like when you customize you constantly, 661 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:53,920 Speaker 1: you know they can't they can't pin you down. You know, 662 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:57,400 Speaker 1: you are everybody who you come in contact. So my 663 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:01,080 Speaker 1: collaboration was with the customer. So as they change about 664 00:37:01,120 --> 00:37:04,360 Speaker 1: how they feel, I'm changing with them as a customer 665 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,319 Speaker 1: changed since those days till now, well, the customers haven't 666 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:10,919 Speaker 1: had the ability to change because there's nobody have been 667 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:14,560 Speaker 1: there until I came back to give him an opportunity 668 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:18,440 Speaker 1: to change. Because what designers do now they designed from 669 00:37:18,480 --> 00:37:20,200 Speaker 1: their mind. They come up with ideas and they put 670 00:37:20,200 --> 00:37:22,520 Speaker 1: it down out there. I didn't do that. I come 671 00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 1: up with ideas and I said, how do you feel 672 00:37:25,239 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: about this? How do you want to look? And we 673 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:31,840 Speaker 1: work together. So now I'm tapping into their energy and 674 00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: I'm using my energy for us to be creative together. 675 00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:39,719 Speaker 1: You know, designers have this like ego thing that they think, well, man, 676 00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:42,359 Speaker 1: I'm I'm I'm good man. But no, you're only good 677 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:45,319 Speaker 1: until people want to wear you, you know what I'm saying. 678 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: So the bottom line is people gotta feel good with 679 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 1: the garment. Wearing the garment can change everything. Change. Its transformative. Man, 680 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:57,719 Speaker 1: It's nothing like yeah and the power up garments transformed. Man, 681 00:37:57,920 --> 00:38:02,880 Speaker 1: It's like it's new skin. You yes, new skin, because 682 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,160 Speaker 1: you know, if you come out of the project and 683 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,120 Speaker 1: you come out of the ghetto, you put on a fly, 684 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 1: you go down to town. Nobody knows where you came from, 685 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 1: what your story is? The bank account that first first hand, 686 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,440 Speaker 1: you know, because when I was coming up, I was 687 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:19,600 Speaker 1: really poor. But I got flying. I went somewhere. Man, 688 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 1: it's so transformed. You feel good about you. What was 689 00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:23,800 Speaker 1: it like taking over the World Series of Fashion this 690 00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:29,680 Speaker 1: year that make Ga takeover? That was it? Savage? Whoa man? 691 00:38:29,719 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: That was it? Man? But did you see the variation young? Oh? 692 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, different styles? That was it, man, 693 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: You know what I mean? That was it? Like the 694 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 1: canvas had everything in man. So that felt good because 695 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:47,280 Speaker 1: not only was I there, I had my own table literally, 696 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:53,319 Speaker 1: yes table. Yeah. Many people who have been around longer 697 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:55,319 Speaker 1: than me, you know, in terms of even while I 698 00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:57,840 Speaker 1: was underground, didn't even get that. Man. So I have 699 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:00,200 Speaker 1: you know, I have hollom and and every out he 700 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: whoever believed in me to think for that, man, because 701 00:39:02,680 --> 00:39:05,680 Speaker 1: that was that's major. It's always major in the hip 702 00:39:05,719 --> 00:39:07,440 Speaker 1: hop when you get shouted out, you know, from Jay 703 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 1: Z to Fat Joe, Like, what was do you remember 704 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:11,440 Speaker 1: the first time you got shot out on the on 705 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:14,320 Speaker 1: the song Fatro even sells you out in this recent record. 706 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 1: He said, yeah, you Ni is buying Dapper Dam out 707 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:19,480 Speaker 1: the Gucci store. I was in Hollida dripping Dap serving 708 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,000 Speaker 1: Pooky Row and you knew you knew him at a 709 00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,160 Speaker 1: young age, right when he was working at the Sandwich Shot. 710 00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 1: Yeah that's right, crazy Yeah, yeah, Joe Joe. I'm when 711 00:39:29,760 --> 00:39:32,520 Speaker 1: Fatro started out and he used to come to the store. 712 00:39:32,520 --> 00:39:35,479 Speaker 1: I said, damn, this guy. He knew everything about rap 713 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:40,160 Speaker 1: man Fat Joe walking inside of inside of the video. Man, 714 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:43,879 Speaker 1: I don't. I haven't met anyone that knows more about 715 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:46,160 Speaker 1: the rap game than Fat Joe. And I'm talking about 716 00:39:46,200 --> 00:39:47,600 Speaker 1: this from day one because I used to listen to 717 00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:50,080 Speaker 1: Hi when he coming to my first tiny store. He 718 00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:53,279 Speaker 1: knew everything about rap man. Yeah. He also got a 719 00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:56,680 Speaker 1: great connection with Asat Fur. Like you knew his father. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 720 00:39:56,719 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: I used to mentor his father, Man Defer, Deferred was 721 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,799 Speaker 1: responsible for a lot of the swag. Puff Daddy will 722 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:08,480 Speaker 1: tell you. You You know he got his swag from Deferred. Yeah. 723 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 1: He designed a bad boy logo. He was he Yeah, 724 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:14,080 Speaker 1: he was amazing young guy. Man. I saw it on 725 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:16,600 Speaker 1: the stool. I used to let him do T shirts 726 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 1: and stuff like that in the stool when he was 727 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:23,640 Speaker 1: a kid. Man, what's this? What's like? Oh man, he's like, man, 728 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:25,759 Speaker 1: he looks like his father to yeah, you look like 729 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,440 Speaker 1: the father. He's amazing. But you know what, he's hungry 730 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 1: for knowledge. Man, that makes him so important. I can't 731 00:40:31,640 --> 00:40:34,279 Speaker 1: you can't find guys like that. He sought me out. 732 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 1: I'm coming out of my house one day and that's 733 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,920 Speaker 1: this call pull up. I said, damn, so I'm on 734 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:46,560 Speaker 1: g now I'm thinking. Yeah, so they He jumps out 735 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:48,919 Speaker 1: of the car and walks up to me. He said, 736 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:50,879 Speaker 1: my father told me all about you. I've been looking 737 00:40:50,920 --> 00:40:53,439 Speaker 1: for you for two years and we've been together every 738 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,799 Speaker 1: since then. You know. So, yeah, he's amazing. So I'll 739 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: tell him all about what it was like, what his 740 00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:01,040 Speaker 1: father went through, what it was like when I was 741 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 1: a kid, and everything in the mentorship extends to Rocky 742 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:08,279 Speaker 1: as well. Yeah it's rock I'm I feel terrible like that, 743 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:10,680 Speaker 1: and I want to put this message out. I was 744 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:12,680 Speaker 1: locked up in a foreign jail, so I know it's like, 745 00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, I did nine months in the far in jail. 746 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: But it is not a joke. So I'm on all 747 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,800 Speaker 1: you guys are going tour. This is my suggestion to you, 748 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 1: whoever is paying for your tour at the venue that 749 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:29,640 Speaker 1: you're at, require that they get to security from that 750 00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 1: city which you are in. Let them be the first security. Yes, 751 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:37,440 Speaker 1: local security, because they know how to deal with the 752 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:40,360 Speaker 1: people there. And then if anything transpires as a result 753 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,960 Speaker 1: of that, you know, that's on them. It doesn't it's 754 00:41:44,960 --> 00:41:47,480 Speaker 1: not gonna even cause you that much. Get security for 755 00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:51,320 Speaker 1: them because that whole city and community is gonna be 756 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: against you. It doesn't go for one. Just get that security. 757 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:55,680 Speaker 1: They know how to deal with their people there. Man, 758 00:41:55,960 --> 00:41:59,319 Speaker 1: that's a tragedy, man, I hope. I'm really concerned. I've 759 00:41:59,360 --> 00:42:01,640 Speaker 1: been calling every day about that. But going back to 760 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,319 Speaker 1: great relationships, another person that was very low to you 761 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,400 Speaker 1: through the ups and downs was for Floyd Weather or Florida. 762 00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:11,440 Speaker 1: Floyda is so loyal man, Robbins should never say nothing 763 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:15,600 Speaker 1: about Floyd Floyd. I'm serious. When you can get a guy, 764 00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:18,640 Speaker 1: you gotta do Eric B. That's crazy, that's crazy man. 765 00:42:19,719 --> 00:42:21,920 Speaker 1: Back then, I'm saying again Eric B was involved with 766 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:24,279 Speaker 1: Floyd back then. Oh yeah, yeah, they all hung out 767 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,120 Speaker 1: with you know. It's funny things like Flander. Everything that 768 00:42:27,239 --> 00:42:29,960 Speaker 1: roses must converge. People go to all these venues and 769 00:42:30,040 --> 00:42:31,880 Speaker 1: stuff and you get to meet people. You got the 770 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:34,680 Speaker 1: parties they don't want, can get them special parties and stuff. 771 00:42:34,840 --> 00:42:36,520 Speaker 1: So they get to know each other to become friends 772 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:38,640 Speaker 1: like that. And every b is a credible guy. You 773 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:40,759 Speaker 1: know he's he's a real street guy. You got some 774 00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,600 Speaker 1: wrappers that are really not street, every being rock Cam 775 00:42:43,760 --> 00:42:46,800 Speaker 1: jay Z and know those are real street guys. You 776 00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: know Wu Tank, you know all them guys that I 777 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:53,000 Speaker 1: can testify that for them. Back to Floyd, you let 778 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:58,040 Speaker 1: him design your trunks? Yeah, everything like from for seventeen years. Man, 779 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:02,640 Speaker 1: everything you see him, we're in in the ring man. Yeah, 780 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:05,160 Speaker 1: that's why it was undefeated. You that but there you 781 00:43:05,239 --> 00:43:08,440 Speaker 1: can't lose that. Yeah. Your Floyd is amazing man, He's 782 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:11,360 Speaker 1: amazing man. Yeah he said we ain't boycotting Gucci, but 783 00:43:11,719 --> 00:43:15,640 Speaker 1: it was like he gonna, what your boy cotting? I'll 784 00:43:15,640 --> 00:43:19,520 Speaker 1: be right back. I'm gonna give me some mogucchi. What 785 00:43:19,680 --> 00:43:21,480 Speaker 1: are some things that every man should have in their 786 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:24,680 Speaker 1: closet that that it's important, like it's essentials. Let me 787 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:26,640 Speaker 1: tell you my approach to gain I'm in Gamin. I 788 00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:32,360 Speaker 1: love gamburse approach to dress to me. Um. Because I 789 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:33,759 Speaker 1: was born and raising Hall, I got a lot of 790 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:35,400 Speaker 1: different kind of friends, that's what they call them. So 791 00:43:35,520 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 1: great diversity in here because like the Latinos here, my 792 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:45,160 Speaker 1: Porto Rican friends here, my Dominican friends here, you know, 793 00:43:45,400 --> 00:43:47,800 Speaker 1: my African American friends here and West India, all of 794 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 1: them got a little slight different ways they dressed. So 795 00:43:50,360 --> 00:43:54,360 Speaker 1: when depending on who hang out with, you know, switch 796 00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,440 Speaker 1: up a little bit, you know. So I think that 797 00:43:57,560 --> 00:44:03,080 Speaker 1: people should have diversity in their wardroom based on what 798 00:44:03,280 --> 00:44:07,200 Speaker 1: kind of activity takes place in their life, you know 799 00:44:07,239 --> 00:44:10,200 Speaker 1: what I'm saying. So you when you get among these people, 800 00:44:10,520 --> 00:44:13,440 Speaker 1: you feel like one of them, and they'll feel like 801 00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:16,040 Speaker 1: you feel like one of them. Man. Yeah, so that's 802 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:17,759 Speaker 1: what I think I think you should like if if 803 00:44:17,800 --> 00:44:19,840 Speaker 1: you're a wall Street, Um, you can stay straight with 804 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:21,279 Speaker 1: a Wall Street you know what I mean. But I 805 00:44:21,440 --> 00:44:23,960 Speaker 1: like to be around people that I can like, Um, 806 00:44:24,920 --> 00:44:27,600 Speaker 1: I d with, you know what I'm saying. So like 807 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,879 Speaker 1: on Friday nights, I hang out with my Dominican friends 808 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:33,320 Speaker 1: uptown like they're cutting eggs. And then on Saturdays, I 809 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:36,160 Speaker 1: hang out with my my my, my Porty Rican friends 810 00:44:36,200 --> 00:44:38,239 Speaker 1: at La mar get down and we listen to using 811 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,359 Speaker 1: stuff like that. That's what made Hallan what it is. Man. 812 00:44:41,600 --> 00:44:44,160 Speaker 1: If thought every city was like this, man. You know, 813 00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:46,759 Speaker 1: when I was growing up, we had like Italian point 814 00:44:46,880 --> 00:44:49,799 Speaker 1: weekends and you know what I mean, Irish, we had 815 00:44:49,840 --> 00:44:53,600 Speaker 1: all this, all of us together in this cultural pot man. 816 00:44:53,760 --> 00:44:56,520 Speaker 1: And so I think that's what made all I'm so unique. 817 00:44:56,560 --> 00:44:58,239 Speaker 1: You know what you see the hall of you see 818 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:03,760 Speaker 1: now you see the uh it's grified. But the gentrification, 819 00:45:04,360 --> 00:45:07,840 Speaker 1: the breakdown, the ethnic breakdown is close to what it 820 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:09,920 Speaker 1: was when I was a kid. The only difference is 821 00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:12,680 Speaker 1: that it was poor times, poor Irish, poor Porto Ricans, 822 00:45:12,680 --> 00:45:15,759 Speaker 1: poor African American and so we went to schools the 823 00:45:15,840 --> 00:45:18,600 Speaker 1: same schools together and stuff like that. So it was 824 00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:22,680 Speaker 1: a difference, you know, you you know, you mean the 825 00:45:22,760 --> 00:45:25,440 Speaker 1: Italians here they're not the same as the Italians you 826 00:45:25,560 --> 00:45:28,359 Speaker 1: find else me, you know, and Porto Ricans here they're 827 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:30,120 Speaker 1: not the same. And Dominicans here they're not the same. 828 00:45:30,320 --> 00:45:34,000 Speaker 1: There's there's something that takes place here, that interaction that 829 00:45:34,120 --> 00:45:37,480 Speaker 1: they'd be like just like us. But that what's your secret? 830 00:45:37,520 --> 00:45:39,160 Speaker 1: How you stay so young? Man? It's like you found 831 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:41,719 Speaker 1: the founding of youth for something. You got the globe very. 832 00:45:41,880 --> 00:45:43,160 Speaker 1: Let me tell you, man, let me tell you what 833 00:45:43,239 --> 00:45:45,600 Speaker 1: I did, man, when I turned my life around. On 834 00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:48,480 Speaker 1: twenty three, I read jeffro Claus. I were looking for 835 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:51,480 Speaker 1: that book, back to Eaton, that's my family book with 836 00:45:51,560 --> 00:45:53,960 Speaker 1: all those natural remedies in it. But when I went there, 837 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:56,680 Speaker 1: there was a brother in there. Man, he looked real spiritual, right, 838 00:45:57,239 --> 00:45:58,799 Speaker 1: and he had this but he said, brother, we don't 839 00:45:58,840 --> 00:46:01,280 Speaker 1: have that. Try this book. And it was called Man's 840 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:04,800 Speaker 1: High Consciousness, right, but help professor helps it Halltimore. And 841 00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,399 Speaker 1: I started reading that book. Say, man, your body's never 842 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:11,240 Speaker 1: more than seven years old. He said, every seven years, 843 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:15,680 Speaker 1: every cell in your body is replacing. Scientists just confirmed 844 00:46:15,880 --> 00:46:18,520 Speaker 1: that even the brain regenerates. Right. So I got heavy 845 00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:22,720 Speaker 1: into that that carbon costs another one carbon cost survival century. 846 00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:24,839 Speaker 1: So what I did, I said, you know what, man, 847 00:46:24,960 --> 00:46:27,040 Speaker 1: it might take me a time before I can come off. 848 00:46:27,360 --> 00:46:30,960 Speaker 1: So I started studying metaphysics and science. And so I've 849 00:46:31,000 --> 00:46:34,200 Speaker 1: been a vegetarian for like forty five years. Raised my 850 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:36,440 Speaker 1: son Gelanni Vegin and you locked up. You said you 851 00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:39,000 Speaker 1: were fruititarian. I never heard that one no, his, his his. 852 00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,880 Speaker 1: That's how he breaks it down. He says, um, how 853 00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:45,120 Speaker 1: do we start off? He said, we go from breath 854 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:52,960 Speaker 1: of breath arian to liquidarian, to fruittarian, to vegetarian, to 855 00:46:53,160 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: conivarian to gluttinarian. That's how he breaks it down, you know. 856 00:47:00,480 --> 00:47:03,920 Speaker 1: But what I really noticed, what when he got me open, 857 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:08,239 Speaker 1: was I don't know, maybe about twenty years ago, when 858 00:47:08,480 --> 00:47:12,279 Speaker 1: they when England and Ireland was having this problem and 859 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:15,719 Speaker 1: these Irish guys was locked up in the English jail 860 00:47:16,400 --> 00:47:19,040 Speaker 1: and they and they refused to eat. These were guys 861 00:47:19,080 --> 00:47:21,800 Speaker 1: who wasn't even vegetary and the average and I'm without 862 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:25,000 Speaker 1: eating the last ninety days before their faculty is begin 863 00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:28,520 Speaker 1: to fate. I say, damn, the body is amazing, you know. 864 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 1: But I think the most important thing that I learned 865 00:47:31,600 --> 00:47:33,880 Speaker 1: from that, and what the whole the teachers, is that 866 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,160 Speaker 1: you can go like up to ninety days, depending on 867 00:47:38,239 --> 00:47:42,560 Speaker 1: how you took your kid without eating, you know, if 868 00:47:42,560 --> 00:47:45,680 Speaker 1: you're lucky, you can go three days without drinking water, 869 00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:49,920 Speaker 1: you know, but you can't go five minutes without breathing, 870 00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:54,440 Speaker 1: you know. So the most important organ in your body 871 00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:58,440 Speaker 1: is the lungs, the breath, you know, when the scriptures 872 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:01,959 Speaker 1: start out, they say, you know, God breathed the breath 873 00:48:02,000 --> 00:48:04,120 Speaker 1: of life and we became a living soul. So there's 874 00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:06,000 Speaker 1: something about that man. And that's so I try to 875 00:48:06,360 --> 00:48:08,759 Speaker 1: get the young kids, like I say, many first time 876 00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:12,200 Speaker 1: you's puffed on that joint, right, so you cough right, 877 00:48:12,600 --> 00:48:15,320 Speaker 1: And the second time you call then when you start coughing, 878 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:17,840 Speaker 1: the body is reacting to the fact that, oh, I 879 00:48:17,880 --> 00:48:21,640 Speaker 1: gotta live with this, so it conformed with it. It shortens. 880 00:48:21,800 --> 00:48:23,680 Speaker 1: Speaking of the youth, what what's your advice to young 881 00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:26,520 Speaker 1: designers that might be inspired by know your history or 882 00:48:26,560 --> 00:48:28,759 Speaker 1: see what Virgil is doing. Like I saw something where 883 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:31,160 Speaker 1: you said this, No such thing is ugly. No such 884 00:48:31,239 --> 00:48:33,800 Speaker 1: thing as over oa is the thing they do to 885 00:48:33,920 --> 00:48:37,400 Speaker 1: disparage other people ugly. The only thing that's ugly is 886 00:48:37,440 --> 00:48:40,040 Speaker 1: the way people act in terms of fashion and how 887 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:42,200 Speaker 1: people look and things like that. No, there's no such 888 00:48:42,239 --> 00:48:44,800 Speaker 1: thing exactly. But if you want to make any fashion, 889 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:49,279 Speaker 1: there's two things that that I advocate. One is to 890 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:55,040 Speaker 1: master your culture. Two it is to stay abreast of 891 00:48:55,160 --> 00:48:58,800 Speaker 1: the latest technology associated with making clothes. That's how I 892 00:48:58,880 --> 00:49:01,960 Speaker 1: did it. On the Stood Through Culture, read a lot 893 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:05,440 Speaker 1: about the culture talk to the people like even now, um, 894 00:49:05,960 --> 00:49:08,880 Speaker 1: I don't take you try not to take limos and 895 00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:11,080 Speaker 1: none of that. Right on the train, right on the bus. 896 00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:14,640 Speaker 1: Interact with the people. See how they they respond to 897 00:49:14,719 --> 00:49:16,640 Speaker 1: the way I dressed and I talked to them. I 898 00:49:16,719 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 1: think it's I think it's very important to do that. 899 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:23,680 Speaker 1: Then other people who appropriate our culture come look at us. 900 00:49:23,760 --> 00:49:26,279 Speaker 1: How do they know about it? They come look at 901 00:49:26,360 --> 00:49:28,279 Speaker 1: and see how we do things, so we get the 902 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:32,920 Speaker 1: first look. So you gotta if you can translate, that's 903 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:36,640 Speaker 1: what we should do. Designers should translate the culture, you 904 00:49:36,680 --> 00:49:39,640 Speaker 1: know what I mean, That's what rappers do. The rappers, 905 00:49:39,719 --> 00:49:41,719 Speaker 1: I mean some of them lie about it, but they 906 00:49:41,760 --> 00:49:45,960 Speaker 1: all they all objectives is to reflect though what's happening 907 00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:48,959 Speaker 1: in their culture. And I think that's what fashion should do. Also, 908 00:49:49,160 --> 00:49:51,400 Speaker 1: do you think your background as a journalist A lot 909 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:54,600 Speaker 1: of people don't know that you know you have that background? Um? 910 00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:56,840 Speaker 1: Is that? I guess you use that to your advantage 911 00:49:56,880 --> 00:50:00,520 Speaker 1: when it comes like researching and understanding what you're doing. Yeah, um, 912 00:50:00,840 --> 00:50:04,319 Speaker 1: I had UM When I went back to school, Dr 913 00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:08,880 Speaker 1: Goody REESI, um my history. I was history major because 914 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:13,239 Speaker 1: I wanted to know why things happen, and the he 915 00:50:13,400 --> 00:50:16,280 Speaker 1: said it as well as the Black scholars said, history 916 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:21,719 Speaker 1: is the thing that's most qualified for you to know 917 00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:26,920 Speaker 1: about all subjects. There's nothing that you can get involved 918 00:50:27,000 --> 00:50:30,640 Speaker 1: in that history won't be an asset for you know. 919 00:50:30,880 --> 00:50:34,040 Speaker 1: And the key to history of no matter what it is, 920 00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:38,680 Speaker 1: is reading. And so once I once I realized that there, 921 00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:40,800 Speaker 1: I said, I'm gonna read about it. Every anything that 922 00:50:40,880 --> 00:50:43,440 Speaker 1: I want to know, I'm gonna read about it. And 923 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,000 Speaker 1: I would just read my way out of every situation 924 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,560 Speaker 1: that I've ever been in. A game that you all 925 00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:52,520 Speaker 1: ready we have your book. Now, what do you before 926 00:50:52,560 --> 00:50:54,239 Speaker 1: we go? What are you most proud of about the book? 927 00:50:55,120 --> 00:50:59,959 Speaker 1: The ability for the book to show people, younger people 928 00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:05,160 Speaker 1: and other people how far we've come and how important 929 00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,239 Speaker 1: it is for us to read and find out and 930 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:10,640 Speaker 1: know our history. That's what this is, you know, this 931 00:51:10,840 --> 00:51:13,800 Speaker 1: is a book about the history or at the bottom. 932 00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:16,279 Speaker 1: You know what it means, what it's like to be 933 00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:18,920 Speaker 1: at the bottom, that rise up from the bottom. That's 934 00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:20,719 Speaker 1: what I wanted to conquer the world. Yeah, yeah, I 935 00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:23,200 Speaker 1: felt like I got resilience out of it. That's what 936 00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:27,000 Speaker 1: I YEA. You see how you've always overcome every obstacle, yeah, 937 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:30,120 Speaker 1: every everything. Your journey has been inspiring that way. Your resiliency, 938 00:51:30,360 --> 00:51:34,120 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, and it's like it's just something when you everything. 939 00:51:34,320 --> 00:51:38,320 Speaker 1: I said, the first thing was drugs. I had the 940 00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:40,839 Speaker 1: first thing I set out to do. I say, when 941 00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:42,960 Speaker 1: I got us sit down, why did I get high? 942 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:45,359 Speaker 1: You know why? I used, like, why did I get 943 00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:47,480 Speaker 1: involved with that one? And so I said, you know 944 00:51:47,520 --> 00:51:50,320 Speaker 1: what I'm gonna I went to the County Color Library, 945 00:51:50,360 --> 00:51:52,960 Speaker 1: that's the Shaunberg Line most important Black library. You know. 946 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:56,680 Speaker 1: I went in there and and study drugs. And then 947 00:51:56,719 --> 00:51:59,200 Speaker 1: when I found out the situation that China had the 948 00:51:59,320 --> 00:52:01,880 Speaker 1: Box will be, I said, oh, this is where it 949 00:52:01,960 --> 00:52:04,839 Speaker 1: comes from. This is how it's happening. Let me tell 950 00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:09,759 Speaker 1: you something. You could juxtapose everything that China has went through. 951 00:52:10,640 --> 00:52:13,600 Speaker 1: You know, they had to kick China had to kick 952 00:52:13,680 --> 00:52:17,440 Speaker 1: the Europeans out of China during the Box of Rebellion 953 00:52:17,800 --> 00:52:20,320 Speaker 1: because of the Opium Wars where they was pushing opium 954 00:52:20,320 --> 00:52:22,880 Speaker 1: in China. They wanted to a period of isolation for 955 00:52:22,960 --> 00:52:26,200 Speaker 1: engineers until Nixon win in there, right, and look at 956 00:52:26,280 --> 00:52:29,840 Speaker 1: China today, and if we use that as a pattern, 957 00:52:29,920 --> 00:52:33,040 Speaker 1: we the Panthers was doing it. The five percenters was 958 00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:35,640 Speaker 1: doing it, the nation Islam was doing it. In the 959 00:52:35,719 --> 00:52:40,800 Speaker 1: early days, we knew that the destructive force that was 960 00:52:40,920 --> 00:52:45,719 Speaker 1: hurting us in America was drugs. You have generations. I'm 961 00:52:45,760 --> 00:52:49,120 Speaker 1: the last generation that saw Hallom when it didn't have 962 00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:53,719 Speaker 1: a drug epidemic. It started in the sixties. They don't 963 00:52:53,719 --> 00:52:55,360 Speaker 1: even know what it is. They don't even know what 964 00:52:55,440 --> 00:52:58,279 Speaker 1: it's like not to have a drug epidemic. They don't 965 00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:02,840 Speaker 1: understand how much effected negative effect that it has on 966 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:05,839 Speaker 1: our culture. People will talk about guns and all the things, 967 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:08,719 Speaker 1: but it all stems from that drug culture. Man. You know, 968 00:53:09,520 --> 00:53:13,000 Speaker 1: it drove us away from spiritual Indevor's Man, everybody eleven 969 00:53:13,040 --> 00:53:16,360 Speaker 1: o'clock Sunday morning was America's most prejudice hour. Everybody in 970 00:53:16,480 --> 00:53:19,320 Speaker 1: Holland was going to church. I get up someone. Everybody 971 00:53:19,360 --> 00:53:24,800 Speaker 1: went to church. Yeah. Man, so well, drugs change the 972 00:53:24,840 --> 00:53:26,760 Speaker 1: whole culture, man, But it's still great to your parties, 973 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:29,759 Speaker 1: community and bring it, bring it positive, positive change to it. 974 00:53:30,040 --> 00:53:32,440 Speaker 1: They never left and it inspires people. I think if 975 00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:35,839 Speaker 1: they see the whole story. Man, read that book. Yeah, yeah, 976 00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:40,640 Speaker 1: read that book. How we're gonna celebrate when this tops 977 00:53:41,200 --> 00:53:43,880 Speaker 1: Time's best Seller's list because it's gonna happen. What's the 978 00:53:43,920 --> 00:53:47,000 Speaker 1: point of that. I probably have a meeting here with 979 00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:49,200 Speaker 1: all the kids from the block who I've been trying 980 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:50,759 Speaker 1: to talk to you for a long time, and I'm 981 00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:55,279 Speaker 1: just some knuckleheads. Straight. I want them to tell a 982 00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:58,560 Speaker 1: story better than meat because they I told you to 983 00:53:58,640 --> 00:54:01,000 Speaker 1: them on a daily basis, kids said about and every 984 00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:04,239 Speaker 1: neighborhood have been in. Yeah, they're excited about that, you know. 985 00:54:05,120 --> 00:54:07,480 Speaker 1: So it's on them if I could just change one 986 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,160 Speaker 1: of them, one like changes the rest, you know. I 987 00:54:10,239 --> 00:54:16,480 Speaker 1: think you're gonna do that. Man, time brother, really, so 988 00:54:16,680 --> 00:54:19,879 Speaker 1: this is jay Z. This is jay Z's with Jay. 989 00:54:21,840 --> 00:54:26,560 Speaker 1: He said, hello, Jay, Jay, you got a lot to 990 00:54:26,719 --> 00:54:30,719 Speaker 1: do with what's happening with me today. Man, our story 991 00:54:30,840 --> 00:54:34,200 Speaker 1: is tied in. I just I must be in your family. Man, Beyonce, 992 00:54:34,360 --> 00:54:36,200 Speaker 1: where is my jacket? And look what he does for me? 993 00:54:36,800 --> 00:54:40,359 Speaker 1: You did that video with me and Pete were walking 994 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:42,279 Speaker 1: through home. You don't even know the story. We gotta 995 00:54:42,320 --> 00:54:46,600 Speaker 1: sit there and talk about this time. Ye was saying 996 00:54:46,640 --> 00:54:51,160 Speaker 1: that that changed everything. You know, everybody started coming dapadendas 997 00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:54,520 Speaker 1: on Dad. Young people thought I was They say, oh, 998 00:54:54,640 --> 00:55:02,279 Speaker 1: Dapadena is a real person, So Jay, we gotta talk. 999 00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:05,120 Speaker 1: Thank you again, Jay. This must be the start of 1000 00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:07,960 Speaker 1: a new something, a new launching for me. Man, because 1001 00:55:08,320 --> 00:55:11,040 Speaker 1: you did it. You're not chest. We still got dapper 1002 00:55:11,160 --> 00:55:14,440 Speaker 1: damn man. Yeah right up. Podcast Ye