1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: You're listening to Math and Magic production. I heart radio. 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: The best thing that ever happened to me was I 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,319 Speaker 1: did not have any radio skills, Like nobody taught me 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,919 Speaker 1: the traditional way to do radio. So I would just 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: be talking. I go back and listen. Now it's not 6 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: the terrible I was yelling and I was screaming, and 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: I'm answering the phones, and we just was kicking it 8 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: like how we would kick it, you know, in the hood. 9 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 1: And it became very popular in a very short amount 10 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,480 Speaker 1: of time. One day in there doing overnights, I said 11 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: to myself, I love this. I've never felt passionate about 12 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: anything before that. I just knew this is what I 13 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: want to do for the rest of my life. I'm 14 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: Bob Pippin. Welcome to this episode of Math and Magic 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing, where we explore about 16 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,040 Speaker 1: the analytics of marketing and business and the magic, the creative, 17 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: the stuff that gets consumers excited and builds the bonds 18 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: with brands, businesses, in our case today, personalities. On this episode, 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: we're going to explore how one person can have an 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 1: impact on culture and society. Welcome Charlemagne, the god best 21 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: known as the co host of the syndicated radio morning 22 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: show The Breakfast Club. He's also on TV, he's in podcasting, 23 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: he's on social and he's a best selling author. Charlemagne 24 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: was born Leonard Larry McKelvey in Charleston, South Carolina. His 25 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: mom was an English teacher and his dad was a 26 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: businessman with a wide range of businesses. Charlemagne appears to 27 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: have picked up much from both. He got into a 28 00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: reasonable amount of trouble as a young man and then 29 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: decided he was gonna get it together. That led him 30 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 1: through a number of jobs before he discovered his true 31 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: calling radio, and it's been in a amazing rides since then. Charlemagne, welcome, 32 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: How are you BP? I'm doing well? Okay, So before 33 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: we jump into your life, your ideas and your lessons, 34 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: let's do you in sixty seconds. Here you go. Do 35 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: you prefer New York or l a New York Instagram 36 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 1: or Twitter Instagram, Beach or mountains Beach? Cowboys or Panthers 37 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: Cowboys All Day? Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan's. Oh I'm 38 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: gonna say, Maggie Johnson, Cats are Dogs, Cats Prince or 39 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Drake or Kanye. Oh old Kanye 40 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: and new Kanye. You know what I'm gonna say. I'm 41 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: gonna say Kanye. Okay, it's about to get harder. Smartest person, 42 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: you know. I know a lot of smart people. I'm 43 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: smart enough to note that I'm not the smartest person 44 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:45,959 Speaker 1: I know. Okay, we'll leave it at that. Childhood hero 45 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: Malcolm X. First job I worked at a factory called 46 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: Industrial Acoustics Company. Favorite city, Charleston, South Carolina. Secret talent. 47 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: I don't even think I have any talents. I don't 48 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: know what my thinking on. Favorite TV show probably Martin. 49 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: Favorite comic book character, Olvery, Favorite book, The Four Agreements 50 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: by Don Miguel Ruis. Favorite food jamaking, food like ox tails, 51 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: stuff like that, Salfish Bay Slfish for breakfast. Yes, there 52 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: you go. What did you want to be when you're 53 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: growing up alive? Okay, here we go. Let's start with 54 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: the obvious. How did you get the name Charlemagne the God? 55 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: Grown up in monkst going to South Carolina. I was 56 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: doing a lot of things I had no business doing. 57 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:29,680 Speaker 1: One of them was selling drugs. When I used to 58 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: be on the block hustling, and I would always say 59 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: my name was Charles or Charlie. I was reading in 60 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: the history book one day in night school and I 61 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: saw that Charlemagne was French for Charles the Great, and 62 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: I literally just thought it sounded cool. I'm like, oh, 63 00:03:41,320 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: I'm gonna start calling myself Charlomagne, and so that's what 64 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: I did. I just started calling myself Charlomagne before the radio. 65 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: Oh wait, before radio. This is like, where did the 66 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: god come in? It's an offshoot of Islam called the 67 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: Five Percent Teachings of Islam, and they teach that the 68 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: black man is God and God is a Greek word 69 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: derived from the Aramic. It's gumas the ball, which means 70 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: whydom screenping beauty, And so I was just like, oh, 71 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: that's dope, no. And plus, every wrapper back then was 72 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: calling himself the god, whether it was Jay Z calling 73 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: himself Jehovah to God. Everybody in Wu Tang was a 74 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,320 Speaker 1: god rock him allowed was the guy like all of 75 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: him us to call himselves God. So I was just 76 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: started calling myself Chalomage the God, which technically makes no 77 00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: sense because Charlomagne is child is the Great, so it 78 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: would be like Charles the Great the God. Well, let's 79 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: work really well for it definitely looks good on the 80 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,600 Speaker 1: Marquis right. You're wildly successful on the radio as the 81 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:28,960 Speaker 1: co host of the Breakfast Club with DJ MB and 82 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,719 Speaker 1: angela Ye. It's heard on stations all over the country, 83 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:34,280 Speaker 1: has heard on the I Heart radio app nationally, It's 84 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: seen on Revolt TV. You do other podcasts, you're on TV. 85 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 1: You have millions of Instagram followers, Twitter followers, and of 86 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: course you have the Donkey of the Day feature that 87 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: everyone looks forward to. You've written books, all best sellers, 88 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 1: and you even wrote a special Marvel comic book. You've 89 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: been called the Howard Stern of hip hop or Today's 90 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: Johnny Carson er Jay Leno. Hard to imagine much more influence. 91 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: Let's tag into how you out here from Monks Corner, 92 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: South Carolina. Can you paint the picture of where you 93 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,839 Speaker 1: grew up in those times? I grew up in a 94 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 1: small country town. When I was growing up, it was 95 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: a dirt road cornfield surrounding everybody's house on that dirt road. 96 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: My father used to always say, if you're driving down 97 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: the highway and you see something dead on the side 98 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: of the road, you get out and put your hand 99 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: on it. If it's cold, you leave it there, it's warm, 100 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,440 Speaker 1: you bring it home for dinner. That's literally what kind 101 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:28,000 Speaker 1: of town it was. There was nothing. They're growing up, 102 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 1: you know. I remember when Signic first came, no the 103 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: town like, oh, it's gonna got a Signic now, Like 104 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: so we felt like a big city. You know. When 105 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: we got a super Walmart d would open twenty four hours, 106 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 1: we felt like we was in the big city. That's 107 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: actually what we used to do for fun. There's nothing 108 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: to do on the weekend, and it's after midnight, and 109 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: you just tired of sitting around house, you literally just 110 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:47,080 Speaker 1: go walk around Walmart. So, from what I've read, your 111 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: mom was a teacher, your dad was bigger than life 112 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 1: personality with a huge presence in your town. What did 113 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:55,159 Speaker 1: you get from each of those? I learned a lot 114 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,520 Speaker 1: of what to do in my life from my mom. 115 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: I learned a lot of what not to do in 116 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: my life from my that. You know, my dad was 117 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: a good father. I realized he was just doing the 118 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: best he could because he was dealing with his own 119 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: issues with mental health and you know, substance abuse. I 120 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 1: remember going to visit my father in rehab so I 121 00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: just know that he was doing the best that he could. 122 00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: I really don't hold a lot of things against him, 123 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 1: because I do think he's a great man, you know. 124 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:17,880 Speaker 1: I just think that it's a lot of things he 125 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: didn't teach me, and he would discipline me for not 126 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 1: knowing things that he should have taught me to begin with. 127 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: I remember one time following him as he was driving 128 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: and he ran the stop shine. So I ran the 129 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 1: stop sign. He pulled over, so I pulled over. He 130 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:33,520 Speaker 1: got out the car, told me rod went down, He 131 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 1: slapped in the face, told me to wake up. You 132 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 1: don't see yourself right that stop sign. I'm like, I'm 133 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: following you. You ran the stop sign. So it was 134 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: that that kind of relationship. But you know, my mother, 135 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: being an English teacher, she kept the book in my face. 136 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: She always encouraged me to read, and she would always 137 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: tell me to read things that don't pertain to me. 138 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:52,239 Speaker 1: So I would be the guy that would be reading 139 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: like Judy Bloom and Beverly Clearly, and you know, I'd 140 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: be reading about Bigfoot and uf Folds And it was 141 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,559 Speaker 1: just that one little piece of read things that don't 142 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: pertain to you that helped me transcend a lot of 143 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 1: my circumstances and made me realize that the dirt road 144 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 1: I lived on I was much bigger than that. You 145 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:11,720 Speaker 1: had a lot of problems in school, you graduated from 146 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: night school. You had some run ins with the law. 147 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: You tried a number of jobs, first working at a 148 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,360 Speaker 1: clothing store, telemarketing agency, flower garden, your sister hired you 149 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: had I guess fired you at Taco Bell for two 150 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,080 Speaker 1: weeks for not taking it seriously. Then you discovered radio. 151 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: Before we get to that, though, why the bad times. 152 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure you had some explanations then, But looking back now, 153 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 1: what do you think it was about? What lessons did 154 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: you take from that? It was really just about wanting 155 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,960 Speaker 1: to fit in. When you're not getting what you need 156 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,920 Speaker 1: at home, you will get it from the street. And 157 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 1: it's not like the love was real in the street. 158 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: You know. It just made me feel good to be accepted. 159 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: If my father wasn't dealing with the things he was 160 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:52,560 Speaker 1: dealing with, and he probably would have embraced me a 161 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: little bit more and gave me that confidence I needed, 162 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: and you know, that courage I needed and just empowered me. 163 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: I probably would not have gone to the screetch the 164 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: way that I did. What did you take away in 165 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,480 Speaker 1: terms of your life now from that experience? Nothing? There 166 00:08:08,520 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: was nothing beneficial about being in that situation. You have 167 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: a bunch of skills that you really don't need. I 168 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:16,600 Speaker 1: don't need to know how to sell drugs like I don't. 169 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: I don't need to know how to carry a firearms. 170 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: I was carrying it illegally back then. Anyway, Like, none 171 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 1: of what I went through then serves me in my 172 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: adult life other than to have those experiences. So when 173 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,400 Speaker 1: I'm talking to young men that grew up in these areas, 174 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: I can relate to them in a different way, and 175 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:34,960 Speaker 1: they can look at me and they can say, oh, well, 176 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,160 Speaker 1: you know, he went through a lot of the same 177 00:08:37,240 --> 00:08:39,839 Speaker 1: things that I went through. When I started to see 178 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,080 Speaker 1: a lot of my friends going to jail, and like 179 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 1: guys around me actually getting prisons in this is and 180 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: people around me actually getting killed, and cousins that I 181 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: used to look up to they really were the cousins 182 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: that were doing everything that I was doing previously, and 183 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: they ended up broke under the tree, scrung out on 184 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:57,559 Speaker 1: drugs or alcohol or whatever it was. That was a 185 00:08:57,600 --> 00:08:59,280 Speaker 1: wake up call for me at a very young age 186 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: to say, I don't want to end up like that. 187 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 1: So more important than why did radio click with you? 188 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: I was really just looking for something positive to do. 189 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: I started working a lot of odd jobs. I worked 190 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: at the clothing store called Demo and the Mall. I 191 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: worked at Taco Bell. I worked at this factory called 192 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,720 Speaker 1: Industrial Acoustics. I worked at a telemarketing place where I 193 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: used to be the guy that would call your house 194 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 1: and try to sell you twelve CDs for a penny. 195 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,839 Speaker 1: Did you ever do that? Yeah? I was one of 196 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: the best because I knew music. That was a gift 197 00:09:26,080 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: that I had. I knew music, so I knew what 198 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: was good. My mother would tell me three things that 199 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: don't pertain to me. I would always listen to things 200 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,959 Speaker 1: that don't pertain to me. So I knew everything from 201 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:38,360 Speaker 1: Johnny Cash to Fleetwood mag to the New jay Z 202 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: Like I knew all of it. And so I would 203 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:42,760 Speaker 1: just know how to sell these things to these people. 204 00:09:42,840 --> 00:09:44,679 Speaker 1: And I used to want to rap. And I was 205 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 1: in this recording studio and I met a guy. His 206 00:09:47,160 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: name was Willie will He was a radio personality at 207 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,000 Speaker 1: a local station at Chalton called three Jamps, and I 208 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 1: just asked him, I said, you, how did you getting 209 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: the radio And he was like, I went down there 210 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: and I got an internship. And I'm like, it's that easy, 211 00:09:57,280 --> 00:09:58,680 Speaker 1: Like I don't have to be in school or anything, 212 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: and he was like, nah, and mind even n Charleston, 213 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,560 Speaker 1: South Carolina, so things are a lot different now. So 214 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: that's what I did. I went down there the next 215 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: day and I filled out the internship application and they 216 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:10,640 Speaker 1: hired me as an intern in the promotions department. And 217 00:10:10,640 --> 00:10:12,040 Speaker 1: that's how I got my foot in the door. But 218 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: I guess this is one of the ways that you 219 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: could say the screets help me because being at the 220 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: radio station at the time, some of these guys wanted weat. 221 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 1: I knew to get wheat, so I would have to 222 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,080 Speaker 1: weed for them, and they would always want me around, 223 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: like they would always request me, yo, I want Charlemagne 224 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: to drive me to this remote or yo, Charlemagne when 225 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: you had come to the studio. So I would just 226 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 1: be in the studio being a fly on the wall, 227 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: just sitting there watching everybody do their job. And then 228 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,080 Speaker 1: sometimes they would call me in and asked me my 229 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,360 Speaker 1: opinion on things, and I would just talk and the 230 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: music director one day, his name was wrong White. Ron 231 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: White was like, yo, you ever thought about being on 232 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: the radio, And I was like no, but I am 233 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 1: now like yeah, I'll show I'll try it. And so 234 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: they made me voice track one Sunday morning from eleven 235 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: am to two pm. And I did that for a 236 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,839 Speaker 1: few weeks, and then they immediately cut that out because 237 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: there was Sunday morning in Charleston, South Carolina, and I 238 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,040 Speaker 1: was a bit too much for that Bible belt. So 239 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:05,679 Speaker 1: they started putting me on Saturdays seven pm to midnight, 240 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: and I voiced tracked from seven to ten, and from 241 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: ten to twelve I would go live. And I think 242 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 1: the best thing that ever happened to me was I 243 00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: did not have any radio skills. Nobody taught me the 244 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: traditional way to do radio. So I would just be talking. 245 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: I go back at list now, it's not the terrible. 246 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,080 Speaker 1: I was yelling and I was screaming, and I'm answering 247 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: the phones and we just was kicking it like how 248 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 1: we would kick it, you know, in the hood. And 249 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,840 Speaker 1: it became very popular in a very short amount of time. 250 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,319 Speaker 1: One day in there doing overnights, I said to myself, 251 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:41,840 Speaker 1: I love this. I've never felt passionate about anything before that. 252 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,400 Speaker 1: I just knew this is what I want to do 253 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: for the rest of my life. And then, you know, 254 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: just like anything else in my life, once I fell 255 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: in love with it, I just started studying it. The 256 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: Howard Sterns and the Frankie Crockers and the Pete Greens, 257 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:56,559 Speaker 1: and then you know, you started getting into the new 258 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,559 Speaker 1: guys like the Tom join Us in the dug Banks. 259 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 1: They were syndicated and all market, so I was already 260 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: listening to them, and then you started learned about the 261 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,600 Speaker 1: Wendy Williams is and Andie Martinez and all these different people. 262 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:09,280 Speaker 1: And I remember saying to myself, if I really commit 263 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: myself to this, I want to be like them. I 264 00:12:12,679 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: want to just be in a local market saying time 265 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,160 Speaker 1: and temperature and introducing the next song, like I want 266 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: to be one of those people. What did you take 267 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: away from them you were listening to them, what did 268 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,600 Speaker 1: they sound like to you? Everybody I just named was authentic. 269 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: They were really on the radio being themselves. They sounded 270 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 1: like regular people having a conversation with you on the radio, 271 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: talking about regular everyday topics. That everybody was talking about 272 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: like when my mom would ride to work in the 273 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: morning and she has been any three jams on and 274 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,680 Speaker 1: it was, oh, if the time join them arning show, 275 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:46,160 Speaker 1: like they was in there just talking about regular things 276 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 1: that were going on in the world. And I just 277 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: thought that was the coolest thing to have that kind 278 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: of voice. When my mom woke up in the morning, 279 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,040 Speaker 1: before there was iPods and satellite radio and podcast and 280 00:12:57,080 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 1: everything else, there was Tom joining in the morning and 281 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:02,040 Speaker 1: now when she was listening to And I always wanted 282 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: to have that impact on people. I wanted to be 283 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,200 Speaker 1: that companion to people. So when you envisioned yourself being 284 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: one of those people, have you turned into that or 285 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: turned into something else? I've had identity crisis, is right, because, 286 00:13:15,040 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: like I said, I didn't know how to do radio, 287 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: so I was literally just in there being who I 288 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: thought was myself. But at the time, you gotta think 289 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: it's I'm like twenty years old. You know, I didn't 290 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 1: know myself at twenty You do what I mean, So 291 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: you grow and then at a certain point when you 292 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,959 Speaker 1: are having some success, you think, I gotta give people 293 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,760 Speaker 1: more of this, So then you become a characterature of yourself. 294 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: I think at this point in my life. Right now, 295 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: I am comfortable with just being me, and I think 296 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:50,559 Speaker 1: I've been giving people just me for the past three years. 297 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: I'm not giving people what I think they wanted here 298 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,440 Speaker 1: and not giving people what I think they like about me, 299 00:13:55,559 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: just genuinely being me. My name is Leonard McKelvey. I'm 300 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: a father, I'm a husband. I started going to therapy 301 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:03,839 Speaker 1: a few years ago. I took listeners on that journey 302 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: with me. I've talked about every portion of my life 303 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,560 Speaker 1: along the way, the good, the bad, and ugly. You know, 304 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: some of it comes back to bite you. But I 305 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: wouldn't trade it for the world because I think they 306 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: really know me. So let's go to that journey. You 307 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,000 Speaker 1: go to Charleston, South Carolina, to Columbia, South Carolina. Then 308 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: you made this big job to work with Wendy Williams 309 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: in New York. How did you make that big job? 310 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 1: People don't go from that size market to New York City. 311 00:14:26,640 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: The company I worked for in Columbius, Ath Carolina, was 312 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: called in the City Broadcasting in the City owned w 313 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: b LS here in New York. So they started syndicating 314 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:38,400 Speaker 1: Wendy Williams on Hot one or three nine in Columbia, 315 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:40,080 Speaker 1: South Carolina, and I used to do nights with a 316 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: guy named Big Sexy. His name is Bill Black. He 317 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: worked for I Heard Now. Then I did nights with 318 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: a young lady named Venom. Whendydom used to come into 319 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:48,880 Speaker 1: the market. Windy and her husband Kevin, and I remember 320 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:51,800 Speaker 1: the first time Wendy was broadcasting from the studio. I'm 321 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: thinking to myself, Oh, this is my but tell me 322 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:55,360 Speaker 1: the I'm gonna introduce myself to her because it's somebody 323 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: I've been studying for years. I used to do mixtapes 324 00:14:58,040 --> 00:14:59,680 Speaker 1: at the time, and I used to do parody songs, 325 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:01,760 Speaker 1: and I wanted her to hear this one parody song 326 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 1: because I thought she would really enjoy it. So going 327 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:07,400 Speaker 1: there and Wendy said to me verbe him, Yo, I'm 328 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: trying to do my f and show get the f 329 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 1: out of here and take that mixtape to my husband. 330 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:14,280 Speaker 1: I didn't get discouraged. I said, well, where's your husband. 331 00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: She said, he's right over there, across the hall. So 332 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: I went across the hall, scrug up a conversation with him, 333 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: gave him the mixtapes. He enjoyed them. So from that 334 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:24,560 Speaker 1: point on, we had a relationship. That's when the Internet 335 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:26,880 Speaker 1: started happening. So I started having viral moments, and so 336 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: when these things would make its way up to New York, 337 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: she knew me. She started shouting out some of the 338 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: things I was doing. I did this interview with a 339 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: young video vixen at the time. Her name was Buffy 340 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 1: the Body, and I just remember asking her like, Yo, 341 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: you don't want to be Buffy the Brain. What happens 342 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: when you get older and you know, everything starts to sag, like, 343 00:15:42,200 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: you know, you don't want to be able to rely 344 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 1: on your intellect. And she got really upset about that. 345 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,840 Speaker 1: But Wendy loved it, and Wendy was talking about it 346 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: on the air. They invited me to come to a 347 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 1: party in New York, and when I went to the party, 348 00:15:54,880 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: Wendy asked me to come on her show. She literally like, Yo, 349 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: come on my show tomorrow, and I was like word. 350 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: So next day I was calling her husband all day 351 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: and her husband was like, yes, go up there now. 352 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:05,720 Speaker 1: I went up there for like twenty five minutes, and 353 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: that night at dinner, he was telling me like, Yo, 354 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: you know, she's looking for a co host. She's tried 355 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:13,280 Speaker 1: out a bunch of comedians. You don't want a comedian. 356 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: She really wants somebody from radio. She really just liked 357 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 1: what you do. And he was like, look, we can't 358 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: pay you, but we can give you a place to stay. 359 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: I'm only making six dollars an hour in Columbia, South Carolina. 360 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,760 Speaker 1: I'm like, cool, Why not? I was out and I 361 00:16:26,880 --> 00:16:28,920 Speaker 1: moved to New York, actually New Jersey, but I used 362 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:30,680 Speaker 1: to commute to New York everyday just to do Wendy 363 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: Show from two to six and would fly back to 364 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: South Carolina to do my show on Saturday. Kept your Saturday. 365 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 1: I kept my Saturday show for about six seven months, 366 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,200 Speaker 1: and then my operations manage at the time said I 367 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,120 Speaker 1: couldn't have my cake and eat it too. So I 368 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: used to do it also just to make some money 369 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:50,680 Speaker 1: because I didn't have any money. I had like if that, 370 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: so I packed a little cotton suitcase. The way I 371 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: would make money is by flying back in South Carolina 372 00:16:56,800 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: and hosting parties on Saturday night, do my radio show, 373 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: go host the Paul, and then flybacks Sunday afternoon. So 374 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:05,479 Speaker 1: you left Wendy, you went to Philly, then you went 375 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,719 Speaker 1: back to Monk's corner. And then in two thousand and 376 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,359 Speaker 1: ten it really came together for you because with Wendy, 377 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 1: as you say, you weren't making the money. You joined 378 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: dj MB and angela Ye, and you created the now 379 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 1: legendary Breakfast Club on Power one oh five point one 380 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:21,639 Speaker 1: in New York and on like a hundred radio stations 381 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,360 Speaker 1: around the country as well as nationally on the Heart 382 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:27,399 Speaker 1: radio app. This is a story about perseverance, and you 383 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:30,280 Speaker 1: took a hell of a lot of chances. What lesson 384 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:32,879 Speaker 1: do you take from that journey? When I got hired 385 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,399 Speaker 1: at the Breakfast Club, I had just got fired for 386 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: the fourth time from a hundred points three to beat 387 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 1: in Philadelphia. The last thing of you I did was 388 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:43,000 Speaker 1: with a rapid named Beanie Siegel. He used to be 389 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:45,280 Speaker 1: signed to jay Z. He called into the show because 390 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: he was from Philly and he had a lot of 391 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,320 Speaker 1: not so nice things to say about jay Z. That 392 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: was on a Friday, that went superviral that weekend, so 393 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: much though that jay Z even had to comment on it. 394 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 1: And then that Monday, I got fired, so the blogs 395 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:01,240 Speaker 1: said jay Z got Charlottagne five. Publicity of Bathboblicity like 396 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: that made everything even bigger. Yeah, it looked good online, 397 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:06,199 Speaker 1: but in real life, I'm back home living with my 398 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 1: mom at thirty one years old and my one year 399 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: old daughter, and I honestly thought in my mind that 400 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,439 Speaker 1: South Carolina was it for me. Like I was like, 401 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: you know what, I'm back living at home. There was 402 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: a new station opening up in the market called Box, 403 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:21,080 Speaker 1: and I remember being on air with my man d 404 00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: Nice and it just felt so small, like it just 405 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 1: did not feel right. It wasn't an ego thing, it 406 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:31,640 Speaker 1: wasn't a pride thing. In my mind already accepted I'm 407 00:18:31,640 --> 00:18:33,520 Speaker 1: gonna be living back in Charlton. We're gonna raise our 408 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: family here. But it just did not feel right, Like God, 409 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: the universe just kept telling me no. One day the 410 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 1: summer of two thousand and ten, I drove up to 411 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: New York. I happened to just randomly text g Spen 412 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,199 Speaker 1: He's been used to work for my Heart, and I said, Yo, 413 00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: I'm in the city, and he was like, Yo, come 414 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: to the station right now. Can you make it here? 415 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,560 Speaker 1: I said yes, And when I get there, he goes, Yo, 416 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:57,720 Speaker 1: my program director, that Catolic Jack. At the time, He's like, 417 00:18:57,760 --> 00:19:00,399 Speaker 1: he's been watching your online videos. All day because I 418 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: ed to do these web videos with my man Little Duval, 419 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: and so we just sat down and we had a 420 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: conversation and kind of like Jack said to me, he 421 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:08,639 Speaker 1: was like, Yo, how long could you wait for a 422 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:10,240 Speaker 1: job like this? I said, what do you mean a 423 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: job like this? I just supposed I wanted to hire 424 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: you at Power. How long could you wait for a 425 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:18,000 Speaker 1: job like this? I said, for this job, I'll wait 426 00:19:18,080 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: until his time to go, Like when you tell me 427 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:22,680 Speaker 1: to be here, I'll be here. A few months later, 428 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,359 Speaker 1: he was offering me a position on the morning show. 429 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: Pretty amazing, It is pretty have any idea the ride 430 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: that was ahead of you. When I used to work 431 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:33,800 Speaker 1: for Wendy, I remember saying to myself, if I do 432 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: what I'm supposed to do it here on Wendy Show, 433 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 1: one day I can host that morning show. When we 434 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: first started doing the Breakfast Club, one thing you realized 435 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:43,520 Speaker 1: about I Heart. I Heart has some really good people, 436 00:19:43,600 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 1: you know, like Dennis Clark. After two days we did 437 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:48,159 Speaker 1: two shows, like literally two demo shows on like a 438 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:50,959 Speaker 1: Saturday and Sunday. Then this Clark goes, this could be 439 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: really something special, Like this could be something that could 440 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: rival Elvis Durant, it could be Elvis duran morning show level. 441 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: He said that after two and for people who don't 442 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 1: love Dennis Clark, he is the extraordinary talent coach we 443 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,119 Speaker 1: have here at our heart, unbelievably works with our talent. 444 00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:08,880 Speaker 1: He's got a gift. Guys like Dennis have a gift. 445 00:20:08,880 --> 00:20:10,199 Speaker 1: And the reason I say that is because we live 446 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 1: in this world where people think if you're not part 447 00:20:13,480 --> 00:20:16,119 Speaker 1: of a certain culture, you can't speak to that coachure. 448 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 1: Then this Clark is a white man from I don't 449 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,760 Speaker 1: know where. He don't look like he's in the hip hop, 450 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: but he just gets how to do good radio and 451 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:28,760 Speaker 1: he understands people. He was like, Okay, Envy, your this Angela, 452 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:32,439 Speaker 1: you're this Charlemagne, You're this. After two days and he 453 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,159 Speaker 1: has not been wrong since. I would listen to that 454 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,080 Speaker 1: man for the rest of my life. Let's give some 455 00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: advice here. What advice would you give to people who 456 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: find themselves stuck in that struggle to the top. When 457 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:47,200 Speaker 1: you feel stuck, make sure that you're doing everything in 458 00:20:47,359 --> 00:20:50,400 Speaker 1: your power to not be stuck. A lot of times 459 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: we like to blame everything that's around us, you know, 460 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 1: we like to blame other people. We like to blame 461 00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,760 Speaker 1: certain circumstances, But are you truly doing everything that you 462 00:20:58,800 --> 00:21:01,320 Speaker 1: need to be doing and not be in that position? 463 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:05,120 Speaker 1: Because God will not bless mediocrity, God will bless excellence. 464 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,360 Speaker 1: Excellence can be. If I clean these windows, I'm gonna 465 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: make sure he's are the best looking windows in the 466 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,760 Speaker 1: whole building. You know, if if I'm watching the car, 467 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna make sure that car is spotless. Like are 468 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: you always doing your best? Putting your best foot forward? 469 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: And if you can honestly say yeah, then truthfully it's 470 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:23,639 Speaker 1: just a matter of time. Just hold on a second, 471 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: because we've got so much more to talk about. We'll 472 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:32,360 Speaker 1: be back after a quick break. Welcome back the Math 473 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,400 Speaker 1: and Magic. We're here with Charlemagne the Gods. Let's jump 474 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,280 Speaker 1: to you today. I'm wanna get your views on some 475 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:41,719 Speaker 1: things hip hop culture. When did you know it had 476 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 1: taken over the main stream? Actually a long time ago, 477 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 1: and I'm talking about in like the late nineties, when 478 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 1: you saw all of these white kids at Woutang concerts 479 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:53,439 Speaker 1: and you saw all these white kids loving Death Row records, 480 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 1: Dr Drean, Snoop Dogg. When you started seeing hip hop 481 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,439 Speaker 1: all over MTV, and you started to see other artists 482 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:04,719 Speaker 1: from other genres of music start to want to do 483 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: hip hop. It's like rap became the language, and so 484 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 1: that's when I knew that it had taken over. I 485 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: think it took a while for mainstream America to accept that, 486 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 1: you know, what hip hop is pop culture. This is 487 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: a podcast for marketers and entrepreneurs. What do they get 488 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: wrong about hip hop? What is it and what is 489 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:26,200 Speaker 1: it not? I think they getting wrong that they think 490 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,439 Speaker 1: hip hop is just still some novelty. They think it's niche, 491 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,119 Speaker 1: they think it's just the black thing. It's clearly embraced globally, 492 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 1: but I think a lot of times people look at 493 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:37,359 Speaker 1: hip hop and they still think it's dangerous. They still 494 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: think it's violent. They have rightful reasons to think that 495 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,240 Speaker 1: in some cases. But I mean, the hip hop that's 496 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: been out for the past fifteen years does not reflect 497 00:22:44,560 --> 00:22:46,399 Speaker 1: what was going on in the nineties, is not reflect 498 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,320 Speaker 1: what's going on in their early two thousands. Like now 499 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: you've got Kendrick Lamar, dreg J Cole Wile, a big 500 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: Sean Rahapsody, chance to rap it. These are some of 501 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: the nicest people you can ever mean you're life like, 502 00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 1: And they're teaching the whole new generation the minute it's 503 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: okay to beva rble. You know, it's okay to not 504 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: be from the street. It's okay to not glorify the 505 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,159 Speaker 1: drug culture that I celebrate the game culture. You've reached 506 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: the point talking about your journey. The people now want 507 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 1: to know what you think, not necessarily interviewing other people. 508 00:23:14,040 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: And many would say, you're a pundit or a philosopher. 509 00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: Are you reflecting the hip hop culture, or it's this 510 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: just you, it's this your life, your thoughts. Well, that's 511 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: the other misconception about hip hop. The other misconception about 512 00:23:25,040 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: hip hop is that hip hop is not all those things. 513 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: I grew up listening to Chuck D from Public Enemy, 514 00:23:30,280 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: and I grew up listening to Wu Tang Clan and 515 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:35,240 Speaker 1: you know, Goody Mob and Outcasts. All of those people 516 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: were philosophers. They were encouraging me to read certain books 517 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: because they would wrap about these books in their music. 518 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: You know, they did have high levels of spirituality because 519 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 1: they did believe in a higher power. I started studying 520 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: a lot of different things because these rappers would mention 521 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:52,439 Speaker 1: these things in the music, like they would always be 522 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,720 Speaker 1: talking about politics. They would always be talking about religion. 523 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: They were the pundits that had microphones, and they were 524 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,760 Speaker 1: talking about things that were going on in society. So like, 525 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:06,640 Speaker 1: that's always been a hip hop thing. Hip Hop has 526 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: always been broad and always been able to talk about 527 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:12,359 Speaker 1: all those different things. Like I said, my mother would 528 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: always tell me to read things that didn't pertain to you. 529 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:17,000 Speaker 1: So I literally was just a sponge. I would be 530 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 1: into everything. After all the dudes you paid and the 531 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: struggle you endured to get here, how do you deal 532 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: with all the success? It must be heady stuff, going 533 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: from the life you were talking about Mark's Corner to 534 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: not New York but the world. Now? How do you 535 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 1: cope with that? I learned my lesson a long time ago. Man. 536 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:36,680 Speaker 1: The first time I ever got fired was from High 537 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 1: ninety eight nine in Chalton, South Carolina. But I really 538 00:24:39,760 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: held myself accountable because I know that I was not 539 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: using the microphone the way that I shouldn't have used 540 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,639 Speaker 1: the microphone. Back then, I didn't understand the power that 541 00:24:47,680 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 1: comes with that microphone, you know. Michael Mex said, the 542 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:51,639 Speaker 1: person who controls the media, control of the minds of 543 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: the masses. I know, back then, I was not putting 544 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 1: the right things in people's minds and people's heads. And 545 00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: so now when it comes to the success, it's not 546 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: about me. It's about who could I empower the day? 547 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,639 Speaker 1: Who can I help to day. I like opening and 548 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: sharing my platform with people more so than anything. I 549 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,400 Speaker 1: wrote two books, one called Black Privilege, another one called 550 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:12,960 Speaker 1: ship Win. You know. Black Privilege was just, you know, 551 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:15,640 Speaker 1: eight lessons that I learned in my life. So once again, 552 00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:19,240 Speaker 1: even though I'm talking about myself, I'm sharing my life 553 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: experiences to help somebody else. Ship Point was about a 554 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: journal I was keeping while I was going to therapy 555 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:26,959 Speaker 1: that too, helped other people. You know, I was just 556 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: telling my stories. So I think that's what helps me 557 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,440 Speaker 1: not to get big headed, uh, not to have an ego. 558 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,000 Speaker 1: Success to me isn't about what I'm accomplishing. Success to 559 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,679 Speaker 1: me is like what am I doing to help other people? 560 00:25:39,760 --> 00:25:42,199 Speaker 1: That's when you truly start to feel successful. You're one 561 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:44,399 Speaker 1: of the few people who has to gravitage to talk to. 562 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,159 Speaker 1: The big stars disappear when you interview them. What are 563 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:48,760 Speaker 1: you trying to get from them? And how do you 564 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:51,560 Speaker 1: do it? I'm just always coming from the perspective of curiosity. 565 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:54,640 Speaker 1: I think that's what every radio personality, every media personality, 566 00:25:54,680 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 1: should never lose. Don't lose that curiosity when you start 567 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:01,960 Speaker 1: to think that you're an expert and people are really 568 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: coming to you because you're the authority on all things 569 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: hip hop or the authority on all things politics. That's 570 00:26:08,720 --> 00:26:10,720 Speaker 1: when you get corny, when you're to know it all. 571 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: To me, it's like you really know nothing. I don't 572 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 1: like people like that. I like people that when I'm 573 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:18,119 Speaker 1: watching them, I can tell they're learning and I'm learning 574 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,960 Speaker 1: with them in that moment. Let's talk about something new, podcasting. 575 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 1: Why do you think it suddenly broke out and it's 576 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:27,000 Speaker 1: been around for a while and then just suddenly it 577 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,199 Speaker 1: took off. It's the same reason people love radio. I 578 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:34,639 Speaker 1: think one problem that radio I hope we can fix 579 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,879 Speaker 1: going into the new decade. We haven't done a great 580 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: job of grooming personalities. It should be more than one Charlomagne. 581 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: It should be more than one Bobby Bones. There should 582 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 1: be more than one Elvis Duran. You know, I don't 583 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 1: think that we've done a good job of letting people 584 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,600 Speaker 1: express their personalities. You know, I think radio got a 585 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 1: little bit too to Vanilla. I think podcast allow you 586 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: to be a personality because you're really taking these kids 587 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: off the street the same way I was when back 588 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: was off the street. Nobody told me how to do radio. 589 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: I just started talking. And that's what these kids are 590 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,399 Speaker 1: doing with their podcast. They just talking, and they're telling 591 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: their life experiences and they're talking about things from their 592 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,720 Speaker 1: p O V. And I think some people will just 593 00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 1: find it refreshing and they just find it entertaining, like 594 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: when we talk about being those companions on those long 595 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 1: car rides. Man, you know, if it's not the morning 596 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: show and you're listening to the radio in the mid days, 597 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 1: are in the afternoons, are at night, you don't really 598 00:27:30,359 --> 00:27:32,120 Speaker 1: feel like you got a companion. You feel like somebody's 599 00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: talking at you. You turn on the podcasts, you feel 600 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 1: like it's some people which you laugh and joke and 601 00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,920 Speaker 1: having a conversation. Podcast is creating more friends for people 602 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:44,440 Speaker 1: to ride with. Let's talk about social Social influencers are 603 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: all the rage with marketers. You have something none of 604 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:49,879 Speaker 1: them have. You have a huge, engaged and regular audience 605 00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:53,040 Speaker 1: on the radio every day, plus the millions of followers 606 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 1: on social too, so we you and the Breakfast Club 607 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,639 Speaker 1: put a post up socially, how does that fit with 608 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: your radio show? Before? I feel like we had these steaks, 609 00:28:00,760 --> 00:28:03,320 Speaker 1: but we were eating them with forks. But I feel 610 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:05,920 Speaker 1: like with social media now we've got the knives because 611 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 1: we're cutting it up and that's how we're feeding the masses. 612 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:13,040 Speaker 1: And like, the conversation never stops, I mean literally never stop. 613 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: I know, I know, I look at your posts, yes, 614 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 1: which is not good for your mental health, by the way, 615 00:28:17,359 --> 00:28:20,359 Speaker 1: because like nobody should be that connected all the time. 616 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 1: And literally it can be interviews from years ago that 617 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: people will start talking about now. It's like they're discovering 618 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: all of this new stuff all of the time. So 619 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 1: it's like the Breakfast Club. The conversation never stops. It's 620 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 1: always a constant conversation about some type of content that 621 00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 1: I created. So you gotta feel good about that. But 622 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:44,240 Speaker 1: it's literally a conversation that never stops. And if you 623 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: think you're these people's friends when you're on the radio 624 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: for four hours a day, no, you're these people's friend 625 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,160 Speaker 1: twenty four hours a day, and they have questions and 626 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: they demand answers. How dare you not reply? To me, 627 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: you know that's how they view it. How dare you 628 00:28:57,800 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: not reply to me? If I post something on your 629 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:01,800 Speaker 1: page and I found myself engaging with him, I actually 630 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: think it's fun. You get to see the reaction. That's 631 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 1: actually one of the things that's new to radio that 632 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 1: we didn't have back in the day. To actually see 633 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: how people react to your interviews, whether they're trending on 634 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: social media, or people learn new information, or even when 635 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 1: it's not a celebrity, as somebody from a business and 636 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 1: you bring them on, like we had my guy on 637 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: another Day's name is Kareem. He's in the social equity 638 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: and the YouTube and if you might have got like 639 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,640 Speaker 1: seventy thousand views something like that, but he's like, yo, 640 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: we're getting tens of thousands of emails, people hitting us 641 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: up inquiring about our social equity. So to watch these 642 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: companies like that get those booths, or the entrepreneur who's 643 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 1: selling T shirts, whatever it is is, to watch these 644 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: people be able to establish themselves just from an interview 645 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:49,520 Speaker 1: is very powerful. How do you help advertisers get returned 646 00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:51,360 Speaker 1: on the investment in your show? What do you think 647 00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:53,719 Speaker 1: the value of being in the radio is for an advertiser. 648 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I think it's everything, especially when you're dealing 649 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 1: with the show that has the listenership that the breakfast 650 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 1: Club does and has the social me the engagement that 651 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: the breakfast Club does. Because our people trust us. That's 652 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: one reason I won't just put my name on anything. 653 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 1: You know, if I'm not actually using it, then I'm 654 00:30:09,560 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: not gonna really talk about it. Sometimes I mess up 655 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,000 Speaker 1: because I'm using products and I might just shot it out. 656 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 1: Next thing, you know, they reaching out to me and 657 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: sending me product because they've gotten these spikes and sales 658 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 1: are like these spikes and mentions on social media, people 659 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 1: are starting to check them out. I just think radio, 660 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: especially now at radio, with social media and then YouTube 661 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:33,479 Speaker 1: all works this one. I don't think we could ever 662 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:35,760 Speaker 1: put a price on it. We've built this multi platform 663 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 1: company now because it's hard to tell where one ends 664 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: the other begins. You've spent a lot of time on 665 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 1: TV as well as radio. How do you contrast the 666 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,800 Speaker 1: audio experience of radio with the TV experience. Audio is 667 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 1: more intimate. When you're sitting there having a conversation with somebody, 668 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: you can get more comfortable. I think when they come 669 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: on television. They know that this segment is only gonna 670 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 1: be six seven minutes. When you think about the compelling 671 00:30:56,000 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: interviews that you saw on TV back in the day, 672 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: the compelling interviews, it was the Larry King's the Open 673 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 1: Wind for You, the diansaur Is, the Barbara Walters. Why 674 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,800 Speaker 1: were they interviews so compelling because they actually took time, 675 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: They actually sat down and had long form conversations with 676 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,520 Speaker 1: these people. It's the intimacy of it. You know. That's 677 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:13,680 Speaker 1: one reason I used to love or seen your Hall 678 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,640 Speaker 1: back in the day. You know, Senior Hall used to 679 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: have these which seemed like long conversations with them. They 680 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,280 Speaker 1: would be, you know, fifteen twenty minutes, which is long 681 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: on television, but that's all we had back then. There 682 00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: was no podcast. What's the longest interview you've done on 683 00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: the radio? Longest interview I've ever done on the radio 684 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 1: was an hour in forty seven minutes, and that was 685 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,440 Speaker 1: with Dick Gregory. God blessed the rest in peace. I 686 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: think that was actually his last interview. And I remember 687 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: just I never had met Dick Gregory, always been a 688 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,560 Speaker 1: fan of Dick Gregory, and you know, we just sat there. 689 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 1: I remember Angelie and envy being so restless, and Dick 690 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: had like all of these papers that he was showing us. 691 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:52,840 Speaker 1: It was almost like he knew he wasn't gonna be 692 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,040 Speaker 1: around much longer, so he wanted all of this information 693 00:31:56,600 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 1: to be out there. And it's it's literally like an 694 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: hour forty seven minute of view. And I'm so happy 695 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:04,680 Speaker 1: that we did that. You've embraced a number of important 696 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 1: social causes. Somebody creating awareness, some by providing insights, some 697 00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: outlets promotions, somebody raising money, somebody donating your own money. 698 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,880 Speaker 1: All had huge impact. How do you choose your issues 699 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:19,320 Speaker 1: and causes? I know what it feels like to not 700 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 1: have I grew up in a single wide trailing Monks 701 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:24,640 Speaker 1: when the South canline. I didn't even realize how Poul 702 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:26,400 Speaker 1: we were. And it's so funny because my mom said 703 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: the same thing. I didn't realize how poul we were, 704 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 1: and she talks about that when she was growing up. 705 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: I just feel like, when you have a lot, sometimes 706 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: it's very easy just to say here, But I mean, 707 00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: I just try to do things that are of personal 708 00:32:38,400 --> 00:32:40,720 Speaker 1: interest to me. Anything that has to do with mental health, 709 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 1: the research of it, the treatment of it. I'm gonna 710 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: be all into that. My mother went to an HBCU, 711 00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: historically Black college university, So I'm gonna always be big 712 00:32:49,520 --> 00:32:53,239 Speaker 1: in the HBCUs. Anything that can empower people economically, I'm 713 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: gonna give money to those type of foundations. So it's 714 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:58,680 Speaker 1: just things that I have personal interest in. Your book, 715 00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:00,720 Speaker 1: Shook One, Can you talk a little bit about your 716 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: journey my whole life, I've had like these really bad 717 00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: panic attacks, and you know, I never knew what those 718 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: panic attacks were. You know, I just honestly thought that 719 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 1: the environment I grew up in warranted me to have 720 00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: that shortness of breakfast like I'm having a heart attack, 721 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,240 Speaker 1: and those sweaty palms and things like that. So I 722 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: never thought anything of it until two thousand and ten, 723 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: when I was back living at home with my mom, 724 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,160 Speaker 1: driving me down and feeling like I was about to die, 725 00:33:24,280 --> 00:33:26,040 Speaker 1: Like Yo, this is it. And so I went to 726 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,360 Speaker 1: the hospital. The doctor was like, YO, your heart is fine. 727 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: You got an athletes heart. And he was like, yo, 728 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 1: you have anxiety. You know, like anxiety, And he's like 729 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:33,360 Speaker 1: it sounds like you got a panic attack, Like a 730 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: panic attack you scresched out about anything. I'm like, hell, yeah, 731 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,480 Speaker 1: I'm scressed about all kind of stuff. I'm living at home. 732 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: My mom just got five for the four time. And 733 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: so in my mind when he said that to me, Okay, 734 00:33:42,800 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: all I gotta do get another job, like another job, 735 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,120 Speaker 1: all that to go out the window. Everything would be 736 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,440 Speaker 1: cool for or five years later, end up getting the 737 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:52,640 Speaker 1: breakfast club, had a lot of success, but still having 738 00:33:52,640 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: those panic attacks, still falling into depression for whatever reason. 739 00:33:57,120 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: And um, I studied successful people, and a lot of 740 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,440 Speaker 1: people that I know that's successful, we're talking to me 741 00:34:02,480 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 1: about therapy, and it's like, Yo, maybe you should try therapy. 742 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: And so I just stopped flirting with the idea around 743 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,439 Speaker 1: two thousand and seventeen and I just started going it's 744 00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: done one just for my life. It's literally like organizing 745 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 1: a junkie closet. Like you know, you're going to closet 746 00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:18,480 Speaker 1: and you might have clothes and sneakers and everything everywhere. 747 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 1: So you just start like folding up the stuff that 748 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,799 Speaker 1: you want to keep and putting it in a nice place, 749 00:34:23,840 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 1: and the things that you don't want you pack up, 750 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: you ship off, and now you got room to bring 751 00:34:27,640 --> 00:34:30,400 Speaker 1: in new things. That's just what therapy has done for me. 752 00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:32,600 Speaker 1: It's just like, really help me to get a handle 753 00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:36,040 Speaker 1: on my anxiety if you could. What advice would you 754 00:34:36,080 --> 00:34:38,640 Speaker 1: have for your sixteen year old self? I would tell 755 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:44,279 Speaker 1: my sixteen year self don't change a thing. Really, I 756 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 1: believe in the space time continuum. I've watched a lot 757 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 1: of Back to the Future, and I know Avengers in 758 00:34:49,719 --> 00:34:52,760 Speaker 1: game changed our thoughts on time travel, but I still 759 00:34:52,800 --> 00:34:55,359 Speaker 1: feel like if you go back in time and you 760 00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:59,640 Speaker 1: change anything you went through, you may not end up 761 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,719 Speaker 1: where you are. The only thing I would tell him 762 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:07,000 Speaker 1: is that it's gonna be a lot harder then you 763 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,480 Speaker 1: realize it's gonna be. But I promise you everything will 764 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 1: be all right. Just don't get discouraged and stay. Of course, 765 00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 1: I don't think I would tell my sixteen yourself I'm 766 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:18,520 Speaker 1: gonna be successful, though, because I feel like my sixteen 767 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 1: yourself will just sitting around and wait to be successful. 768 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,439 Speaker 1: So what advice do you have for those people who 769 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 1: want to be the next year? That's where you fail. 770 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: You failed by trying to be the next anything. You 771 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: should truly just be yourself. And it's great to be inspired, 772 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:37,440 Speaker 1: Like I was inspired by a lot of radio personalities, 773 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 1: but I would have failed tremendously trying to be any 774 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:43,399 Speaker 1: of them. The beauty of life is that we are 775 00:35:43,480 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 1: all blessed to be our own individual, unique personality. That's 776 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:49,960 Speaker 1: why our DNA is different than everybody else. If you 777 00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:53,279 Speaker 1: really tap into who you are and your experiences and 778 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:55,600 Speaker 1: what you've been through, you can deliver a story that 779 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: people can relate to. But nobody else has been through. 780 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 1: So I would never tell you don't want to be 781 00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: like me because you can't be like me because you 782 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:04,440 Speaker 1: haven't gone through what I've gone through. You're not from 783 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:09,000 Speaker 1: where I'm from, You're not me. Be yourself genuinely, be yourself, 784 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:11,879 Speaker 1: your true authentic self, and I think that you will 785 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: be a okay and you'll be a personality that people 786 00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:16,760 Speaker 1: want to listen to. You like a lot of guests 787 00:36:16,840 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: on the show, are not a college graduate. By the way, 788 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 1: I'm not either. Any regrets that you didn't go to college. No, 789 00:36:23,680 --> 00:36:27,239 Speaker 1: it's difficult having that conversation with kids telling them you 790 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:30,279 Speaker 1: didn't go to college because once again, you're not me. 791 00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: Lebron James didn't go to college, but you're not Lebron 792 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,760 Speaker 1: James like you gotta you gotta find I was lucky 793 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,800 Speaker 1: enough and blessed enough to find my gifts in life early. 794 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: And you know, being that we live in a society, 795 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:44,920 Speaker 1: were living in America where you can capitalize off your gifts, 796 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: I was able to do that. Everybody's not gonna be 797 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 1: that lucky. So are that blessed? I don't like the 798 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: world be that blessed. So I would tell you go 799 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: to school and till you figure it out. Can't hurt, 800 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 1: right until you figure out what it is that you 801 00:36:57,280 --> 00:36:59,280 Speaker 1: want to do. It doesn't hurt to go to college. 802 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:04,240 Speaker 1: I'm the exception, not the rule. So on the continuum 803 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:07,800 Speaker 1: of work life balance on one end and work life 804 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,279 Speaker 1: integration on the other, where do you fall? Honestly, if 805 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 1: I'm being honest, I think I focus more on my 806 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 1: personal nowadays than anything else because I feel like if 807 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: I'm not the best me mentally, if I'm not the 808 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 1: best me emotionally, spiritually, physically, I can't be the best professionally. 809 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:26,240 Speaker 1: So those who wrap up, we always do a shout 810 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:30,799 Speaker 1: out to two different kinds of people from math, magic, entrepreneurs, 811 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:34,279 Speaker 1: and marketers. Those that came at it from an analytical perspective, 812 00:37:34,520 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 1: the math folks and those that came at marketing from 813 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 1: the magic side, the showman. Who's the best of the 814 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:42,760 Speaker 1: math people you can think of or do you admire. 815 00:37:43,280 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 1: I'm thinking about like different executives that I met on 816 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:49,439 Speaker 1: my radio journey, George Cooke, Cadillac, Jack Dennis Clark, g Spen, 817 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: because it is a science to this thing that we 818 00:37:51,800 --> 00:37:55,839 Speaker 1: do call radio. And I've seen them take these one 819 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:59,000 Speaker 1: plus ones and make them too. That's not easy as 820 00:37:59,160 --> 00:38:02,440 Speaker 1: people think it is. So magician, who's the most creative? 821 00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:04,680 Speaker 1: I like guys like jay Z. The reason I like 822 00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: guys like jay Z is because he's from a place 823 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,440 Speaker 1: where people like him are not supposed to come from. 824 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,319 Speaker 1: He didn't have any of the training that a lot 825 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:17,919 Speaker 1: of entrepreneurs and CEOs have. He just had a CEO's mind, 826 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:19,759 Speaker 1: and like he said, that marketing plan was him and 827 00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:21,560 Speaker 1: he was an entrepreneur. He's the type of person that 828 00:38:21,560 --> 00:38:24,200 Speaker 1: would be successful and whatever field he chose to be in, 829 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: he just has something that you can't you can't buy. 830 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 1: And jay Z has just been a person who's dictated 831 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:32,200 Speaker 1: culture for the past thirty years, and not just for himself, 832 00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:34,399 Speaker 1: Like look at all the people that he's put on. 833 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: Whether this to Rihanna's the j Cole's, the Kanye's, like 834 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:40,160 Speaker 1: all of these people who have influenced coaching in so 835 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,200 Speaker 1: many different ways stemmed from him and what he built. 836 00:38:43,239 --> 00:38:44,719 Speaker 1: And so when I look at what I want to 837 00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:47,680 Speaker 1: do as far as radio and media, I want people 838 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:49,200 Speaker 1: to look at me in that same way, because, like 839 00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:51,839 Speaker 1: I said, it's not about me, It's about what are 840 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,880 Speaker 1: you doing to make this culture that you love move forward? 841 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 1: And I genuinely love forward and I want to keep 842 00:38:56,640 --> 00:38:59,600 Speaker 1: moving this culture of radio forward. Charlemagne, you have he 843 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:02,880 Speaker 1: trimmed mendous influence on culture and the lives of others. 844 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:04,799 Speaker 1: Thank you for doing it with so much thought and 845 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:08,080 Speaker 1: so much intention. Thanks for being Thank you, appreciate you. 846 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:12,920 Speaker 1: Here are a few things I've picked up in my 847 00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:17,359 Speaker 1: conversation with Charlemagne. To God one, read and listen to 848 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:20,719 Speaker 1: things that don't pertain to you. This invaluable advice from 849 00:39:20,800 --> 00:39:23,640 Speaker 1: Charlemagne's mom enabled him to see a world outside the 850 00:39:23,680 --> 00:39:26,040 Speaker 1: one he grew up in and helped him connect with 851 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 1: a wide audience later in his career, too. Never stopped creating. 852 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:33,719 Speaker 1: Even after Charlemagne got fired from several radio jobs and 853 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:35,879 Speaker 1: was living in his mom's house. It was a few 854 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:39,120 Speaker 1: videos he made with friends that ultimately got him his 855 00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: big break. Three come from the perspective of curiosity, not expertise. 856 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:48,279 Speaker 1: When Charlemagne interviews someone, the best conversations happened when they 857 00:39:48,400 --> 00:39:52,320 Speaker 1: learn from each other in the moment. Thanks for listening. 858 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:56,560 Speaker 1: I'm Bob Pittman. That's it for today's episode. Thanks so 859 00:39:56,640 --> 00:39:58,920 Speaker 1: much for listening to Math and Magic, a production of 860 00:39:59,000 --> 00:40:01,920 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. This show is hosted by Bob Pittman. 861 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:04,839 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Sue Schillinger for booking and wrangling our 862 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:08,080 Speaker 1: wonderful talent, which is no small feat Nikki Etre for 863 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:11,799 Speaker 1: pulling research, Bill Plax and Michael Azar for their recording help, 864 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:15,960 Speaker 1: our editor Ryan Murdoch, and of course Gayle Raoul, Eric Angel, 865 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:19,000 Speaker 1: Noel Mango and everyone who helped bring this show to 866 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:20,719 Speaker 1: your ears. Until next time,