WEBVTT - Questlove Supreme: Shawn Gee 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:03.760 Couest. Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:11.440 All Right, well, ladies and gentlemen, this is a special 0:00:12.240 --> 0:00:16.239 episode of Court Love Supreme, as all episodes are special 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:18.279 episodes of course Love Supreme. 0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:21.119 No seriously, for a long time fans of the show. 0:00:22.520 --> 0:00:25.759 Who already know like how nerdy and informative we are, 0:00:26.440 --> 0:00:29.120 or at least that we strive to be at least 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:32.519 and putting you on game. This is probably why our 0:00:32.640 --> 0:00:37.840 guest today is the perfect example and know how having 0:00:37.880 --> 0:00:44.640 one foot being a well effective suit in the business 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:50.400 while equally having his other foot deeply rooted in creativity. 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:52.839 It's really rare to. 0:00:52.800 --> 0:00:55.640 Meet someone on the other side of the camera that's 0:00:55.720 --> 0:00:59.520 as much of a creative as artists are, but still 0:01:00.200 --> 0:01:02.920 in the mode of being a suit. He is the 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:08.160 president of Live Nation Urban and as a business manager 0:01:08.200 --> 0:01:12.200 for the last twenty years, he's literally guided the careers 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:16.959 of a bajillion acts from Jill Scott, Scott. 0:01:16.600 --> 0:01:22.560 Storch, Lil Wayne, j Colen, Nicki. 0:01:22.319 --> 0:01:29.720 Minaj, even a certain unnamed presidential candidate Slash Nuisance, not 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:33.039 to mention Philadelphia's finest. 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:33.960 The legendary Roots Crew. 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:34.280 Hello. 0:01:34.319 --> 0:01:37.360 Hello, but you know pretty much if you've been head 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:43.640 scratching for the last ten or fifteen years, wondering how 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:48.680 in the hell does Questo? How can Questo match a 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:53.040 triple platinum artist going buff for buck with only a 0:01:53.080 --> 0:01:55.800 single going gold in silent? 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:00.680 This man is really fully responsible. 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:04.000 Uh he can answer that question because lord knows, I've 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:07.160 been in the game since nineteen ninety two and there's 0:02:07.160 --> 0:02:13.560 not many of us left here still swimming and thriving. 0:02:13.760 --> 0:02:17.000 If you will, and we owe that to our guest. 0:02:17.480 --> 0:02:25.760 I promised no inside baseball talk. This is supermanager, Sean guest, super. 0:02:26.800 --> 0:02:29.639 Thank you, brother, thank you. I'm waiting for my supreme 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:34.880 y y you'll do that practice last night. 0:02:36.480 --> 0:02:38.040 We can do it on zoom. 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:40.920 We can't do it on COVID nineteen. 0:02:41.840 --> 0:02:44.720 But if we had about it that name, I'm like, 0:02:44.840 --> 0:02:45.880 we can get a feature. 0:02:45.680 --> 0:02:46.720 Then, you know, break it down. 0:02:47.200 --> 0:02:49.600 His name was Sean G I think that's what it was. 0:02:49.600 --> 0:02:49.840 Was your. 0:02:51.320 --> 0:02:59.320 No, I don't know, you tell us please, lets you 0:02:59.360 --> 0:03:01.399 can start there the story, all right? 0:03:01.600 --> 0:03:06.680 Yeah, No, Seawanz's rap name was MC two cool mellow 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:11.120 cool cool cool mellowy. 0:03:12.720 --> 0:03:16.160 Yeah, Sean, Sean is really responsible. I guess you know. 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:18.000 I mean, it's no secret. 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:19.160 Shawn and Tarika cousins. 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:22.560 And I guess a lot of people don't know that. 0:03:23.440 --> 0:03:26.880 Right, Okay, again, no inside baseball from question treating you 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:31.639 like a regular ask guest. Yeah, and so I guess 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:35.920 the legend is that the sibling rivalry nature of their 0:03:37.200 --> 0:03:39.800 of their childhood. You know, Sean was like the star 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:42.720 of the family because he had a twelve inch single 0:03:44.200 --> 0:03:48.240 that was popular Philly and you know that that really 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:51.040 lit a fire into Tarik, like you know, wait, do 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.040 they get a load to meat like that? That sort 0:03:53.080 --> 0:03:56.200 of thing, and that's you know, so Sean is responsible 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.960 for really putting the fire under. 0:03:59.600 --> 0:04:01.720 Hold on, I see what's about to happen here, you 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:02.320 go ahead. 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:04.120 Okay, IM about to say so. 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:09.360 So Tarika and I our cousins. Black thought is my cousin. 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.280 We were sort of raised more like brothers because his 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.560 mother was my first cousin, so he was my second cousin, 0:04:17.640 --> 0:04:20.520 but we were obviously around the same age range. 0:04:21.000 --> 0:04:23.840 And you know his mom, you know. 0:04:23.760 --> 0:04:25.640 He's always stayed at the crib like my mom was. 0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:28.720 The was the aunt was the South Philly aunt who 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:32.760 moved to Mount Airy where all of the entire South 0:04:32.800 --> 0:04:35.000 Philly family would come up and hang and drop their 0:04:35.080 --> 0:04:38.360 kids off. And Riek was always at the crib, always 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:41.719 at the crib. And from the time we were four 0:04:41.800 --> 0:04:46.360 or five six years old, we were super competitive in everything, right, 0:04:47.400 --> 0:04:51.640 whether it was riding our bikes, whether it was drawing, 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:55.400 like Trek is a super dope visual artist. And you know, 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:57.440 I'm the older cousin. I'm two years older than them, 0:04:57.440 --> 0:05:00.200 so I I especially in those at that time when 0:05:00.240 --> 0:05:03.320 you were younger, two years is a big difference. So 0:05:03.360 --> 0:05:05.400 I was able to muscle him. I was able to, 0:05:05.680 --> 0:05:08.440 you know, verbally muscle him, physically muscle them like yo. 0:05:08.640 --> 0:05:11.440 So you know, we would have drawing contests, you know 0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:14.440 what I mean, and we judge each other's picture and 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:17.160 you know, his pictures looking super dope in minds, looking 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.919 like stick figures. But I'd like, I want, I want, 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:22.080 you know, So you know I used to always be 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:26.800 able to frustrate them and in different ways. And music 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:29.960 was another passion of us, like we you know, grew up. 0:05:30.200 --> 0:05:32.119 You know, I got my first record that I bought 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:35.520 was you know, the Fat Boys but a stick them, 0:05:35.640 --> 0:05:38.760 you know, from Sound of Market, you know, brought it 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:40.760 up to the cribe, was at the crib. You know, 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.520 we're playing a record. So you know, a lot of 0:05:43.560 --> 0:05:46.479 the experiences that I had being the older cousin, I 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:50.360 would come back and and explain or talk to him 0:05:50.480 --> 0:05:52.880 or about it, and he would sort of live vicariously 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:56.200 through me. And then, yeah, it got to a certain 0:05:56.200 --> 0:05:58.839 point where you know, I started rapping and and I 0:05:58.880 --> 0:06:02.520 started to get a rep in Philadelphia, and I used 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.120 to travel around the city and got a record deal 0:06:05.360 --> 0:06:09.960 quote unquote and put out a single. And at the 0:06:10.000 --> 0:06:14.520 same time, you know, REP was always an artist, you know, 0:06:14.640 --> 0:06:19.159 whether it was a visual artist, whether it was a poet, writer, 0:06:19.600 --> 0:06:22.280 a rapper, you know, a singer. He could do it all. 0:06:22.680 --> 0:06:26.480 And I got to a point where, you know, I 0:06:26.560 --> 0:06:34.599 also played basketball in high school and I was shooting guard. 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:37.560 I had a record out and I was on a 0:06:37.600 --> 0:06:38.600 basketball team. 0:06:40.480 --> 0:06:41.560 Played basketball then. 0:06:42.160 --> 0:06:44.440 No, no, not at all, not at all, not at all, 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:49.440 but but basketball basketball took me away from from hip hop, 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:51.560 like basketball took me away from because it was like 0:06:51.640 --> 0:06:54.400 I started getting college scholarship offers and things like that. 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.760 So I stopped. You were that good, Yeah, I got 0:06:57.880 --> 0:07:00.000 I got scholarship division too. I mean I wasn't. I 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:03.479 didn't know that you were in that Villanova you swhere, 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:05.279 But yeah, I got I got a college Scouts, I 0:07:05.279 --> 0:07:07.640 got the ball, like yo, google me though, like. 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:12.120 I got to be a mayor me Sean. 0:07:14.600 --> 0:07:17.400 Know that's I'll send you some clippings, like you know, 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:19.720 I don't know that life. 0:07:19.800 --> 0:07:22.800 So twelve grade year, I put numbers the way Sean, 0:07:22.840 --> 0:07:24.600 you basket forward and can we take it back, like 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:26.400 take it back to like the kind of house that 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:32.000 you grew up in, like what your what your parents did, and. 0:07:29.160 --> 0:07:32.040 Oh we can start there. We can start there. So 0:07:32.040 --> 0:07:37.920 so my entire family on my mother's side, I was 0:07:38.000 --> 0:07:41.440 really close, you know, to my mother, and father was 0:07:41.440 --> 0:07:44.160 in my life, but my mother raised us. 0:07:44.280 --> 0:07:44.800 You know what I mean. 0:07:44.840 --> 0:07:47.840 It was a household where you know, my father was 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:49.880 in and out. You know, he was in my life. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:52.080 I'm not I'm not the one who's got it. He 0:07:52.160 --> 0:07:53.600 was in my life, but my mother raised it. She 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:56.840 was She was the visionary, she was everything. And my 0:07:56.880 --> 0:08:00.920 mother grew up in the projects in South phil projects. 0:08:01.800 --> 0:08:06.160 I have three siblings thirteen, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen years 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:07.840 older than me. So they're much older than me. 0:08:08.080 --> 0:08:09.200 Oh they were. 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:13.760 They were born in the projects in South Philly. My mom, uh, 0:08:14.280 --> 0:08:17.720 she dropped out of high school in tenth grade. She 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:20.120 was pregnant with my sister when she was in tenth grade, 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:22.200 so she dropped out of high school in tenth grade. 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.640 Her my dad got married. They had two more kids, 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:28.400 living in the projects. My entire mother's side of her 0:08:28.400 --> 0:08:31.239 family is from South Philly, Fifth Street Projects of Seventh Street. 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.160 You know, South Philly is fifth Street of seventh Street, 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.040 and you know that was the sort of pre showing 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:40.920 existence was all South Philly. My mom was a hustler, 0:08:41.040 --> 0:08:43.200 you know, she worked two three jobs. She saved up, 0:08:43.280 --> 0:08:46.640 she bought real estate, and her dream was to get 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:50.240 her children out of South Philadelphia and she did that. 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.640 She bought a house in mount Airy and my closest 0:08:54.640 --> 0:08:58.200 sibling was twelve years old, and they moved, and we moved. 0:08:58.200 --> 0:09:00.160 They moved to mount Airy and I was born in 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:05.120 a mount Airy So I I was born on Sharpenext 0:09:05.120 --> 0:09:08.680 Street in mount Airy with my entire family living in 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:11.760 South Philly for the first six years of my life 0:09:11.800 --> 0:09:13.600 because my mom was working a couple of jobs, my 0:09:13.679 --> 0:09:16.320 dad was working, you know, and my kid, my brother's 0:09:16.320 --> 0:09:18.280 and sisters in school and we was ground and they 0:09:18.280 --> 0:09:21.160 couldn't keep me. So my first six years of my life, 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:25.240 I lived in South Philly with Tarik's grandma, so until 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:28.200 I became until I was able to get become school age, 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:31.480 I stayed during the week in South Philly with Tarik's 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:33.880 Grandmam and my other aunt who lived like two doors 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:35.760 from each other, my Aunt Many and my Aunt Blanche, 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:38.480 until I turned six, when I was able to go 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.480 to school. That's when I moved to Mount Airy with 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.160 my mom and my family for the entire you know, 0:09:43.480 --> 0:09:47.079 all week. So that was sort of my my early 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:52.199 existence was jumping between South Philly and Mount Airy during 0:09:52.240 --> 0:09:54.560 the week and then you know, sort of staying with 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.120 my parents and my family on the weekend. 0:09:57.000 --> 0:10:00.160 Which at the time was like the first right was. 0:10:00.160 --> 0:10:02.240 The hood and the burbs. It was absolutely one thousand 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:04.400 percent this was this was mount Airy at the time 0:10:04.440 --> 0:10:06.640 where there were white people there, you know what I mean, 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.239 it was, it was, it was predominant. It was predominantly 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:12.280 white when my mom moved there. I mean, now you 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:14.880 know that that doesn't exist, but that's that's the Mound 0:10:14.920 --> 0:10:18.680 area that we moved to when it's predominantly white. But again, 0:10:19.080 --> 0:10:21.840 my existence until I became six and went until I 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:24.160 became school age. Was still in South Philly because my 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:26.320 mom and dad didn't have you know, didn't have no 0:10:26.400 --> 0:10:30.559 home health care, you know, kid money, money to. 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:33.520 Put me in some sort of some sort of you 0:10:33.559 --> 0:10:38.600 know care. Wait, so I have a question that Trica 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:41.839 is going on record to tell the story. But were 0:10:41.880 --> 0:10:46.360 you there in South Philly during the infamous fire episode? 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:51.200 So the fire episode? All right, So I moved When 0:10:51.200 --> 0:10:53.959 my mom moved from South Philly, she moved to a 0:10:54.000 --> 0:10:56.679 house on Sharp Next Mount. That was the house she 0:10:56.840 --> 0:10:59.640 saved up. You know, she saved two jobs. She bought 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:01.720 that house again. My mom was a hustler. Let me 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:03.160 tell you one more thing about my mom. My mom 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:06.559 was death So she lost her hearing at sixteen, so 0:11:06.600 --> 0:11:09.440 she dropped out of high school at fifteen, lost her 0:11:09.480 --> 0:11:12.280 hearing at sixteen, and had three kids by the age 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:17.200 of twenty. But she was a hustler and super smart 0:11:17.280 --> 0:11:19.960 and understood how to make moves and under and had 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:21.880 a vision for her family. So she got us out 0:11:21.880 --> 0:11:24.520 of South We moved to a house on Sharpnext Street. 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:29.559 We were there for about I think four or five years. 0:11:30.200 --> 0:11:33.880 Then she saved up and bought another house on Hoarder Street, 0:11:33.920 --> 0:11:37.040 which is the street around the corner, and kept the 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:41.000 sharp Next Street as a rental property. Right, so we 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:43.400 moved around the corner, kept the sharp Nextreet as a 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.559 rental property. One of the first tenants in that Sharp 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:51.680 Next Street property was Tarik and his mother. So the 0:11:51.760 --> 0:11:55.000 infamous house burned down story was the house that my 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.360 mother owned. Oh and it was in Mount Airy, not 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.680 in South Philly. So the story is Tarik lived in 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:04.960 this house. Tarik and and and his mom and his 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.760 brother lived in this house. I was over there. I 0:12:07.840 --> 0:12:09.719 was there. We were hanging, we were playing. We were 0:12:09.720 --> 0:12:12.360 being cousins or whatever. And then I bounced and we 0:12:12.360 --> 0:12:14.120 were playing. I don't know if y'all remember these little 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:14.880 green army men. 0:12:15.600 --> 0:12:17.880 Yeah, that was that was our thing. 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:18.480 That was our thing. 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:20.240 We used to set them up all around the crib 0:12:20.360 --> 0:12:22.160 and you know what I mean. And again I'm the 0:12:22.200 --> 0:12:24.240 older cousin. I'm like, wow, wow, wow, I killed you. 0:12:24.280 --> 0:12:27.160 I killed you. You know what I want. But we 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:29.160 we we, you know, we got into the game and 0:12:29.200 --> 0:12:34.319 I bounced and he continued playing, and you know, evidently 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:37.320 the story is he found a lighter and you know, 0:12:37.400 --> 0:12:41.000 the army men were stuck in one particular position. You know, 0:12:41.040 --> 0:12:43.000 that's the position you bought the man, whether they're on 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:47.040 their knees shooting or on the ground shooting. Te you know. 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.000 Being the intelligent kid that he was, he said, I 0:12:50.000 --> 0:12:52.600 think I can if I burned this army man, I 0:12:52.600 --> 0:12:58.200 can change his position, because it's going to be you know, yeah, exactly. So, 0:12:59.040 --> 0:13:02.000 you know, he clicked the lighter, old school lighter, you 0:13:02.040 --> 0:13:03.719 know what I mean, clicked the lighter was burning the 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.080 army man. Of course, the lighter got hot and he 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:10.000 flicked the lighter down, and before you know it, you 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.000 turned around and the curtains is on fire. And he 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:15.400 runs downstairs and tells his mom, and then the whole 0:13:15.520 --> 0:13:19.920 upstairs is on fire, and then the house is so, yeah, 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.240 that's the that's the that's the that's the ultimate story. 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:24.360 But yeah, I mere the house that the house that 0:13:24.520 --> 0:13:29.240 caught on fire was actually my mom's rental property. Oh okay, 0:13:29.800 --> 0:13:31.480 how those ladies in that house? 0:13:31.559 --> 0:13:31.839 Okay. 0:13:35.120 --> 0:13:39.320 He tells the story that he just ran downstairs like 0:13:41.080 --> 0:13:48.520 like you smell something burning, not at all, that's when 0:13:48.520 --> 0:13:49.040 it happens. 0:13:49.960 --> 0:13:53.080 So when you question, I had just about your mom 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:55.600 and she lost the hearing. Did you learn how to 0:13:55.640 --> 0:13:56.400 sign to that? 0:13:56.440 --> 0:13:56.920 Like, how did y'all? 0:13:57.000 --> 0:14:00.000 That's the crazy shi? It is so here. So let's 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:02.960 you know, again unpacking a little bit. So my mom 0:14:03.240 --> 0:14:07.040 lost her hair in at sixteen, her sister, Tariqu's grandma. 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:10.720 It was hard of hearing from the time I knew her. 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:15.160 I mean, she could hear when you like yell. Our aunt, 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:20.600 Dot was death. Dot had two kids that were both deaf, 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:25.200 and my middle brother was deaf. You know, So we 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:28.840 had all of that in the family. And I just 0:14:28.880 --> 0:14:32.480 don't understand why I don't know silent you know why? 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:36.360 You know why because my mom didn't learn silanguage. My 0:14:36.440 --> 0:14:39.920 mom read lips. Wow, I mean, my mom never learned 0:14:39.960 --> 0:14:42.800 silentuge she and what I did. I was her communicator. 0:14:42.880 --> 0:14:46.720 So my early business days was while she was doing 0:14:46.760 --> 0:14:50.200 and building her real estate business. You know, I was 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.160 this eight year old on the phone translating with the 0:14:53.160 --> 0:14:57.200 electric company or translating with the contractor. Like Mom, he said, 0:14:57.280 --> 0:15:00.080 it's going to cost you know, six hundred dollars to 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:02.200 put this hot water heater in, and she'd be like, Sean, 0:15:02.280 --> 0:15:04.120 get the fuck out of here. Time. It don't cost 0:15:04.160 --> 0:15:07.000 me four hundred dollars and I'd be like, sir, and 0:15:07.040 --> 0:15:08.960 she'd be like I heard her, but tell her we 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.000 could do four fifty. And I'm like, mom, he said 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:13.800 four fifty, She's like, no, four hundred, and that's it, 0:15:13.920 --> 0:15:15.840 you know, okay for it. So I learned my first 0:15:15.880 --> 0:15:20.520 sort of negotiating and and just handling business and understanding 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:30.200 the rhythm of those conversations because business right, yeah, over 0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:35.160 my mom handling buying houses, buying property, negotiate with contractors. 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:37.120 I was the one doing it because she couldn't hear, 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.960 so she never really learned sign language, but she obviously 0:15:41.040 --> 0:15:42.960 knew how to communicate. So I think because of that, 0:15:43.080 --> 0:15:44.760 I never learned sol What was. 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:46.880 The height of her number of properties at like. 0:15:47.240 --> 0:15:51.600 Her height, I think we had. I mean she used 0:15:51.600 --> 0:15:54.280 to buy and sell, so it was never like a 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:56.880 buy and hold, like oh my mom had fifty properties 0:15:56.880 --> 0:15:58.560 all over the city. It was it was a buy 0:15:58.600 --> 0:16:01.640 and sell thing. But I mean I think she probably 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:05.080 you know, across my through my high school years, it's 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:07.600 probably like ten to fifteen you know, properties around the 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:10.680 city that she's either bought held, So whatever. 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:13.560 Are you still in that business or have you just 0:16:13.680 --> 0:16:14.240 let them all go? 0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:16.840 No, I know I still have. I still I still 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:23.200 got some property. And so you know I'm still likes. 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.240 Great because that'll call your parents in case some shit 0:16:25.320 --> 0:16:25.760 happened to me. 0:16:30.920 --> 0:16:32.240 Are your parents to they still alive? 0:16:32.280 --> 0:16:32.480 Shot? 0:16:33.080 --> 0:16:36.320 My mom passed away young. She was sixty four when 0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:39.280 she passed. She passed away fifteen years ago. My father's man. 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:41.400 Yes, okay, gotcha. 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.280 So you also attended Millersville? Correct? 0:16:46.840 --> 0:16:50.600 Absolutely, all right at the university I got Are you 0:16:50.680 --> 0:16:52.960 the one that introduced Malkan to read to each other? 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:54.080 Or yes? 0:16:54.160 --> 0:16:57.240 It was so I did. You're asking this question. I'm sorry, 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:01.520 So it was me. It goes back to me and 0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:05.720 Tarik being competitive, right, so like I was saying, basketball 0:17:05.720 --> 0:17:08.040 took me away from him, Like you know, he wasn't 0:17:08.040 --> 0:17:09.160 making no money back in the day. 0:17:09.080 --> 0:17:10.120 Yeah, you know. I was doing. 0:17:09.920 --> 0:17:13.639 Shows at the Why out fifty second Street. You know, 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:14.320 that was my trap. 0:17:14.440 --> 0:17:15.959 That was the house of the Why Circuit. 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.720 I did the Why on Christian down South Philly, Why 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:19.760 on fifty second Street. 0:17:19.840 --> 0:17:20.320 You know what I mean? 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:22.240 I always wanted I always wanted to be jazz j 0:17:22.280 --> 0:17:24.040 just see, like that was my goal in life. 0:17:24.119 --> 0:17:25.720 Right, what is that record deal with Sean? 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:31.359 It was with a company called Payhill Records with the 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:35.400 label was The label was a joint venture between mc 0:17:35.600 --> 0:17:36.879 breeze and balally B. 0:17:39.119 --> 0:17:40.239 Again where is all right? 0:17:40.320 --> 0:17:42.840 So for those that don't know, like balawie B is 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.840 like mid hip hop period, like between eighty five to 0:17:47.880 --> 0:17:53.879 about ninety one. Blii B was like a legendary Philadelphia 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.800 label CEO, Like what was I always heard his name? 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:00.480 But was he like our was artists. 0:18:00.520 --> 0:18:03.879 So it's funny because the label was you know, this 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:05.959 is his dude name was Jim Hill. He was like 0:18:06.040 --> 0:18:13.840 your traditional you know, corporate guy, non musician, non you 0:18:13.880 --> 0:18:16.240 know probably what what what y'all thought I was when 0:18:16.240 --> 0:18:17.760 you first met me, you know what I mean, like 0:18:18.040 --> 0:18:23.199 corporate shoe, no, no creativity. So it was his label. 0:18:23.600 --> 0:18:26.160 He did a deal with mc breeze, who was an artist. 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:29.159 This combobulated later and and and you know all of that, 0:18:29.200 --> 0:18:32.800 and Breese did a sub deal with balally B, who 0:18:32.840 --> 0:18:36.480 also was an artist. So my label was run by. 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:42.800 Two artists and production deal exactly exactly. 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:44.160 I'm like, where's my royalties? 0:18:44.200 --> 0:18:44.360 Dog? 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:45.879 I'm about to about to hit you up for that, 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:49.400 but but yeah, so so so you know I had 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.160 that then I started playing ball. College, just start calling. 0:18:52.480 --> 0:18:54.359 I'm thinking about life. I'm like, let me take this 0:18:54.400 --> 0:18:58.200 college scholarship. You know, I stopped rapping and I start 0:18:58.200 --> 0:18:59.920 playing ball, so I go up to military. But I'm 0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:02.399 you know, you still rap. You're still freestyling, right, You're 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:04.520 still in the car. Bea come on, you still you 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:08.359 never stopped fucking rapping when you rap? And you know, 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:13.840 I come home Thanksgiving of my sophomore year, and you know, 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:16.280 reeks over the family. We have our Thanksgiving dinner. You know, 0:19:16.320 --> 0:19:18.720 we're in the basement or whatever, and me and we 0:19:18.920 --> 0:19:23.080 always battle. We always battle, always used to battle. And 0:19:23.160 --> 0:19:25.760 when I was younger, you know what I mean, I 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.119 would kill him. I mean yeah, I wouldkill him. He 0:19:28.200 --> 0:19:30.200 was younger. I would muscle him right, like, even when 0:19:30.240 --> 0:19:32.840 I lost, I won. But he's just start getting fucking bad. 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:34.560 It was like right around the time he met you 0:19:34.600 --> 0:19:36.879 and me were like, you just start getting better and 0:19:36.960 --> 0:19:39.160 better and better. And when I came home from college, 0:19:40.000 --> 0:19:41.360 we was in the basement and he was like, yo, 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.560 you want to battle. And I was like you go first, 0:19:44.760 --> 0:19:48.639 and he was like all right, and whatever he said. 0:19:48.720 --> 0:19:50.639 I was like, oh no, I don't rap no more. 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:52.240 That shits the sucker, you know what I mean. Like 0:19:52.280 --> 0:19:55.960 I said, but listen, but I said, look, you might 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:57.479 be good, you might be better than me. But I'm 0:19:57.480 --> 0:19:59.960 playing ball man. I said. There's this dude up Miller's 0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:04.399 named Malik. Like, Yo, you can't fuck with Malik B. 0:20:04.840 --> 0:20:06.399 You can't. He was like who. I was like, Yo, 0:20:06.440 --> 0:20:09.200 he's from Philly, he from westsel Wayne. You cannot touch 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.239 Maliku B. And you know, that was it. That was it. 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:14.479 That was Thanksgiving dinner. I said that to him, and 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:17.000 that was it. Fast forward. He's a senior in high 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:19.480 school at this time. Fast forward, him and a couple 0:20:19.480 --> 0:20:21.600 of his homies from high school ended up going to 0:20:21.600 --> 0:20:24.440 Millersville and they ended up, you know, applying and getting 0:20:24.440 --> 0:20:28.359 accepted to Millersville. They go into the summer program. You know, 0:20:28.440 --> 0:20:30.840 I'm up there working in the summer. I want the 0:20:31.080 --> 0:20:34.960 first weekend that they're up there, I go to the 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:37.880 you know, off campus party or whatever, and they're like, yo, yo, 0:20:37.960 --> 0:20:39.639 I just met your cousin. Your cousin go here. I 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:41.040 don't know you had a cousin here. I just met 0:20:41.080 --> 0:20:42.680 your cousin. I'm like, yeah, yeah, it's all good. He's like, 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:44.200 he's in the kitchen. I'm like, what are you doing? 0:20:44.400 --> 0:20:46.600 He back there rapping and I'm like, all right, cool. 0:20:46.640 --> 0:20:49.399 So I walk in the kitchen and it's Tariq and 0:20:49.480 --> 0:20:55.560 Malik battle and Malick says to me, like, yo, your 0:20:55.600 --> 0:20:57.879 cousin came in a party and asked who I was, 0:20:58.440 --> 0:21:01.520 so Tarik in his mind, you know, from the time 0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:04.040 when I said, yo, you this kid Malik and Millersville, 0:21:04.080 --> 0:21:06.440 You're not better than him, it was like a missile. 0:21:06.480 --> 0:21:08.320 He was like, let me find this kid mal like 0:21:08.320 --> 0:21:11.919 Moseean's talking about. And from that they literally battled the 0:21:12.080 --> 0:21:14.399 entire It was like a two and a half hour battle, 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.480 just back and forth. From that point they were bonded, 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:20.000 you know, from from a rap perspective, that was that's 0:21:20.040 --> 0:21:24.280 when the you know, that st that portion of the 0:21:24.359 --> 0:21:27.840 roots were formed in that kitchen that summer in Millsville University. 0:21:29.000 --> 0:21:30.840 Wait, there's the question. 0:21:31.040 --> 0:21:35.800 You You'll be the perfect person to answer, because normally 0:21:35.960 --> 0:21:40.560 our guests are New York UH based guests and they 0:21:40.600 --> 0:21:45.600 always have a Latin Quarter experience. However, the Philly Latin 0:21:45.680 --> 0:21:49.520 Quarter was a spot called after Minon and I never 0:21:49.600 --> 0:21:53.280 had a guest on the show that could really explain 0:21:53.840 --> 0:21:58.359 why the after midnight was so important? Even though I'm 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:00.959 of age, I was not allowed to the after midnight? 0:22:01.920 --> 0:22:04.800 What was? What was it like in there? Now? 0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:09.159 I know after Midnight's building as the Spaghetti Warehouse because 0:22:09.480 --> 0:22:14.160 it shut down, But like, what was was the after 0:22:14.240 --> 0:22:19.120 midnight the pinnacle or the top place where you could 0:22:19.160 --> 0:22:22.160 see hip hop shows at that time? Was that our 0:22:22.200 --> 0:22:25.399 house of blues? Was that our or was it the 0:22:25.400 --> 0:22:26.280 fifty second Street? 0:22:26.280 --> 0:22:30.080 Why? Like, where was Philly besides block parties? 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:34.800 Where was Philly in terms of seeing a show that 0:22:34.960 --> 0:22:36.040 wasn't at the spectrum? 0:22:36.680 --> 0:22:39.199 Right? So there was sort of two levels to it. 0:22:39.600 --> 0:22:43.040 You know, you had your sort of i'll call it 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:46.159 the local regional level, but for certain shows you still 0:22:46.240 --> 0:22:49.600 had some national acts. But that local regional level, which 0:22:49.640 --> 0:22:52.880 is mean which means you can on any given Thursday, Friday, 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:56.360 Saturday and Sunday you can go to a party. Right. 0:22:57.200 --> 0:23:01.880 You had the YMCA's, you had the out in Winfield, 0:23:02.000 --> 0:23:04.879 You had Circus City. You know, there was this circuit 0:23:04.880 --> 0:23:09.520 of clubs that rock every week. But you got to 0:23:09.600 --> 0:23:15.600 understand that Philly back then, the stars wasn't the rappers. 0:23:16.320 --> 0:23:19.160 The stars were the DJs, you know what I mean? 0:23:19.200 --> 0:23:22.080 So when you got the Flyers, you weren't going to 0:23:22.119 --> 0:23:26.160 see you know, Prince Will Rock. That was Fresh Prince's 0:23:26.280 --> 0:23:29.000 name before Fresh Prince Prince Will Rock. You know, you 0:23:29.040 --> 0:23:31.000 were going to see DJ Jazzy Jeff, you were going 0:23:31.040 --> 0:23:32.880 to see DJ cash Money, you were going to see 0:23:32.920 --> 0:23:35.560 Lightning Rich, you were going to see DJ Spinbad. Like 0:23:35.840 --> 0:23:39.240 those were the names on the flyers. And when at 0:23:39.280 --> 0:23:41.920 all of these clubs, those are the people who sort 0:23:41.920 --> 0:23:46.000 of made those rounds, and as young teenagers, we were like, 0:23:46.040 --> 0:23:47.879 we gotta go see the DJ. It was almost like 0:23:48.920 --> 0:23:52.200 a you know who cared who was actually rapping for them. 0:23:53.119 --> 0:23:55.240 Like Jazz Jeff said earlier, I always wanted to be jazz. 0:23:55.400 --> 0:23:58.560 Like Jazz Jeff is a god to me, Like it's 0:23:58.600 --> 0:24:00.840 amazing that I can call him a friend. But because 0:24:00.840 --> 0:24:03.639 when I was a kid, you know, I was like 0:24:03.920 --> 0:24:06.199 following Jazzy Jeff, like you know what I mean, Like 0:24:06.240 --> 0:24:08.840 he was an icon and during the time he had 0:24:09.000 --> 0:24:12.320 Rock well he had I see, he had all these 0:24:12.400 --> 0:24:15.320 random m seeds, but it really didn't matter. So you know, 0:24:15.480 --> 0:24:18.679 you had your DJ circle in Philly around all of 0:24:18.720 --> 0:24:24.520 these clubs that all of the DJ's were the stars. 0:24:24.920 --> 0:24:29.560 What's that well, Grand Master Vict Victor do play. 0:24:29.720 --> 0:24:33.800 Absolute you know, yea Master Vic and the super m seeds, 0:24:33.960 --> 0:24:35.320 you know what I mean, Like he was he was 0:24:35.359 --> 0:24:38.200 a he was a star, you know. And Vic actually 0:24:38.240 --> 0:24:39.920 went to my high school. So I would go see 0:24:39.960 --> 0:24:43.640 him at parties on Saturday, him and and his two mcs, 0:24:43.720 --> 0:24:45.359 and I come back and he'd be walking through the 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:47.400 halls in high school and I'm like, oh, shoot, that's 0:24:47.440 --> 0:24:51.000 Master Vick, you know. But yeah, So it was just 0:24:51.119 --> 0:24:54.240 sort of energy in Philly around the DJs. And this 0:24:54.400 --> 0:24:57.040 was and that was the club circuit, but after Midnight 0:24:57.119 --> 0:25:01.480 brought was this sort of national u look from a 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:04.760 national recording artist perspective. All of the New York people 0:25:04.800 --> 0:25:07.080 came down to play after midnight. You know, you gotta 0:25:07.119 --> 0:25:11.160 figure even on the club DJ circuit, it was still neighborhoody. 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:13.440 Right when you went to the fifty second Street, why, 0:25:13.880 --> 0:25:16.480 ninety percent of the people was from West Philly, you 0:25:16.520 --> 0:25:18.520 know what I mean. When you went to you know 0:25:18.520 --> 0:25:20.680 what I meant, the Christian Street wid ninety percent of 0:25:20.680 --> 0:25:22.399 the people in South Philly. When you went to the 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:24.840 after Midnight, it was people from all over the city, 0:25:25.359 --> 0:25:28.600 and you had performers from that you were listening to 0:25:28.720 --> 0:25:31.880 on Ladyb's Hip Hop Show and Memi's Hip Hop Show 0:25:31.920 --> 0:25:35.080 and DAS. So it was like that was like our 0:25:35.160 --> 0:25:37.760 house of blues. That was where the national acts would 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:41.159 come and play and you would see all of the 0:25:41.200 --> 0:25:44.760 people in the audience from all over the city at 0:25:44.840 --> 0:25:46.520 one place where we would all congregate. 0:25:46.920 --> 0:25:48.080 Would your life be in danger? 0:25:48.160 --> 0:25:48.320 Likely? 0:25:48.440 --> 0:25:48.960 Latin Quarter? 0:25:49.720 --> 0:25:52.080 Yeah, your life in danger at all of these places. 0:25:52.440 --> 0:25:55.600 You know, that's just part of that's part of the culture. 0:25:55.640 --> 0:25:59.920 You know what I mean, girls, girls would get there 0:26:00.200 --> 0:26:02.520 snatch and you know, guys will get there. You know, 0:26:02.560 --> 0:26:05.320 the six's jackets taken and you know what I mean, 0:26:05.320 --> 0:26:07.200 their name belts and all that ship. But yeah, I 0:26:07.240 --> 0:26:09.560 mean that's you know, that's that's that's that goes along 0:26:09.600 --> 0:26:11.880 with with the culture. You don't want if you don't 0:26:11.880 --> 0:26:16.280 if you don't want to experience that, stay home. Okay, 0:26:16.440 --> 0:26:17.639 I did anyway? 0:26:19.320 --> 0:26:20.840 Wait what weren't you allowed to go? 0:26:20.920 --> 0:26:26.800 I don't understand that. Yeah, come on, I. 0:26:26.720 --> 0:26:30.120 Did it the first route show of Princess Lounge. 0:26:30.200 --> 0:26:41.400 I wore burking Stocks. Now you got anyway? 0:26:41.520 --> 0:26:45.840 Yeah, So okay, Now how you entered my life was 0:26:46.240 --> 0:26:50.440 you you started my first ever bank account, Like, at 0:26:50.480 --> 0:26:56.840 what point are you realizing that that basketball might not 0:26:56.960 --> 0:27:02.200 be your future? And when does finance enter? And when 0:27:02.200 --> 0:27:05.920 you were entering finance, were you thinking of entertainment finance 0:27:06.000 --> 0:27:08.960 or were you just thinking like, I'll be a professional 0:27:09.040 --> 0:27:12.160 and you know, make low six figures a year, get 0:27:12.160 --> 0:27:15.840 a BMW, nice job and you know, wife or two 0:27:15.920 --> 0:27:20.000 kids in mount airy life, Like, where was this paradigm 0:27:20.000 --> 0:27:22.080 shift in your life where it's like, Okay, money might 0:27:22.080 --> 0:27:22.840 be in my future. 0:27:24.840 --> 0:27:26.639 Well, what you doing? 0:27:27.600 --> 0:27:30.080 I was I was looking and laughing in my mind. 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:32.400 Sean was just about to say, Darren, but I'm gonna 0:27:32.760 --> 0:27:35.200 exactly what I'm going to say. 0:27:33.920 --> 0:27:39.560 That basketball stopped becoming important my freshman year when my 0:27:39.640 --> 0:27:42.639 girlfriend at the time and at Millersville told me she 0:27:42.760 --> 0:27:46.640 was pregnant. And at that point I had to grow 0:27:46.680 --> 0:27:51.840 the fuck up. So it was yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:27:51.840 --> 0:27:54.479 So I had November of my sophomore year, my oldest 0:27:54.480 --> 0:27:57.840 son was born. I was nineteen years old, a father. 0:27:57.960 --> 0:28:00.639 I was a quote unquote statistic, a teen age father 0:28:00.800 --> 0:28:03.720 who wasn't supposed to make it. And you know, you're 0:28:03.760 --> 0:28:06.560 supposed to drop out of school, and you know, all 0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:09.160 of your dreams are over and just support your kid. 0:28:09.359 --> 0:28:14.520 But again back to my mom and actually her mother, 0:28:15.160 --> 0:28:17.600 her mother and father. They both looked at both of 0:28:17.680 --> 0:28:19.800 us and said, all right, cool, you know y'all got this, 0:28:19.960 --> 0:28:21.800 but we're gonna take care of this for the next 0:28:21.800 --> 0:28:23.160 couple of years. We're gonna take care of this kid 0:28:23.200 --> 0:28:25.000 for the next couple of years. Y'all both gonna graduate, 0:28:25.400 --> 0:28:27.240 and that's one thing that's not gonna happen. Y'all not 0:28:27.280 --> 0:28:31.080 gonna drop out of school. So that support a lot. 0:28:31.200 --> 0:28:35.120 But but also my mom said, but you're gonna get 0:28:35.400 --> 0:28:38.680 you know, I was always a worker anyway, but you 0:28:38.720 --> 0:28:40.400 know you're gonna take care of them too, Like this 0:28:40.520 --> 0:28:42.560 isn't all on us, So you make sure you get 0:28:42.560 --> 0:28:45.160 your answer job or two if you need it. You know, 0:28:45.360 --> 0:28:46.840 you know you got you gotta take care of it. 0:28:46.960 --> 0:28:50.880 So at that point I stopped playing ball. Stop playing ball. 0:28:51.080 --> 0:28:54.000 I literally worked two jobs for my sophomore year to 0:28:54.200 --> 0:28:57.520 to my senior year. One one was at a bank 0:28:57.760 --> 0:29:03.720 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. One was at Kellogg's facility up there. 0:29:03.960 --> 0:29:07.560 On the weekends, I would they would shut down the 0:29:07.240 --> 0:29:11.520 the cereal uh whatever that is not treadmill, what do 0:29:11.560 --> 0:29:16.920 they call the assembly assembly shut down the Cereal assembly line, 0:29:17.200 --> 0:29:19.360 you know, on the weekends, and they bring people in 0:29:19.440 --> 0:29:22.000 and all we do is clean. We cleaned from ten 0:29:22.080 --> 0:29:25.040 at night to ten in the morning, twelve hours, two 0:29:25.080 --> 0:29:27.360 days a weekend and get paid doing it. So I 0:29:27.360 --> 0:29:31.760 had two jobs up at school and graduated in four years. 0:29:32.800 --> 0:29:35.920 I was an accounting major, so you know, I didn't 0:29:35.920 --> 0:29:37.280 know what the funk I wanted to do. Like, it 0:29:37.320 --> 0:29:39.160 wasn't like I was like, I want to do finance. 0:29:39.400 --> 0:29:39.560 You know. 0:29:39.760 --> 0:29:41.840 I was an accounting major, so I you know, it 0:29:41.920 --> 0:29:44.240 was like, all right, you know, let me, I guess 0:29:44.320 --> 0:29:46.720 numbers are are where I'm where I need to be. 0:29:47.360 --> 0:29:50.080 I started working for the phone company. It was Bell 0:29:50.120 --> 0:29:54.520 Atlantic at the time, but it's it's Verison now, uh. 0:29:54.960 --> 0:29:57.840 And you know, it just was like going through life 0:29:58.040 --> 0:30:02.520 not knowing where I wanted to It was eliminating things 0:30:02.600 --> 0:30:04.440 that I didn't want to do, if that makes sense. 0:30:04.480 --> 0:30:07.080 So worked in the finance department with the phone company. 0:30:07.080 --> 0:30:10.000 I was like, oh, this is where I'm supposed to be. 0:30:10.040 --> 0:30:11.520 Once I got in there, I was like, oh, no, 0:30:11.680 --> 0:30:13.400 this shit ain't for me, you know what I mean. 0:30:14.880 --> 0:30:17.840 After the finance department of the phone company was like, oh, 0:30:18.160 --> 0:30:21.120 people are going to get their NBA, Like, you know, 0:30:21.160 --> 0:30:23.680 there's a I can get another degree and that's going 0:30:23.760 --> 0:30:25.440 to help me make more money. Let me go get 0:30:25.440 --> 0:30:28.280 my MBA, you know. So I went to move to Washington, 0:30:28.360 --> 0:30:32.640 d C. I went to George Washington University full time. 0:30:33.000 --> 0:30:35.600 While wait wait wait wait wait wait, so you'll parents 0:30:35.600 --> 0:30:37.880 are still like, okay, so you want to get your NBA. 0:30:38.320 --> 0:30:40.720 Sorry, Sean, go ahead and move to d C. 0:30:41.840 --> 0:30:44.360 I moved to d C, but by that time I 0:30:44.400 --> 0:30:47.800 had graduated college. She had graduated college. Darren was living 0:30:47.840 --> 0:30:50.400 with her and her parents, but he was with me 0:30:51.120 --> 0:30:55.000 every weekend. Wow, So I was traveling to get them 0:30:55.040 --> 0:30:56.880 even when I lived in DC. You know what I mean. 0:30:56.880 --> 0:30:59.440 I would drive up to Blancaster, pick them up, bring 0:30:59.520 --> 0:31:01.200 them the DC. He'd be with me on the weekends, 0:31:01.280 --> 0:31:04.480 I take him back drive back to d C. So 0:31:04.520 --> 0:31:06.800 he was with me pretty much every if not every 0:31:06.800 --> 0:31:09.120 other weekend. But yeah, she was living with her She 0:31:09.160 --> 0:31:12.600 was living with her parents at the time. So you know, 0:31:12.760 --> 0:31:17.520 went got my degree, MBA and finance and investments. You know, Okay, 0:31:17.680 --> 0:31:19.960 what are you supposed to do with that? You either 0:31:20.000 --> 0:31:22.880 go consulting or you go Wall Street all right, let 0:31:22.920 --> 0:31:25.480 me try this Wall Street thing, you know, went up, started, 0:31:25.560 --> 0:31:27.760 got a job at City Bank, moved to New York. 0:31:28.400 --> 0:31:30.640 I was a private banker at City Bank, you know, 0:31:30.800 --> 0:31:33.719 working with high networth individuals. I had an office in 0:31:33.720 --> 0:31:36.200 New York. I had an office in Zurich, Switzerland. I 0:31:36.280 --> 0:31:40.200 was spending probably two weeks out of every month in Europe, 0:31:40.200 --> 0:31:42.520 two weeks out of every month in New York living 0:31:42.560 --> 0:31:46.720 the dream, right, I didn't know, but I quickly realized 0:31:47.320 --> 0:31:50.880 I wasn't living my dream, you know again, eliminating shit 0:31:50.960 --> 0:31:52.640 that I didn't want to do. That's that was my 0:31:53.080 --> 0:31:55.480 that point in my life. That was four or five years. 0:31:55.560 --> 0:31:58.720 It was less about finding my direction. It was more 0:31:58.760 --> 0:32:02.120 about eliminiting things that I didn't want to do. Again. 0:32:02.160 --> 0:32:03.600 I was spending two weeks in Europe, and I had 0:32:03.600 --> 0:32:05.520 a son in Philadelphia. Like, I'm like, yo, I'm trying 0:32:05.520 --> 0:32:07.400 to be with my kid, Like, this ain't the life 0:32:07.400 --> 0:32:08.840 that I want to be, that I want to have. 0:32:10.120 --> 0:32:11.480 What year was this? 0:32:11.480 --> 0:32:15.760 This was ninety seven into ninety eight, So you were. 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:18.240 In Europe from the time when we were grinding. 0:32:18.600 --> 0:32:21.040 I was in Zurich. Yes, I was in Switzerland. 0:32:21.640 --> 0:32:21.960 Damn. 0:32:22.040 --> 0:32:24.880 Okay, I was in Switzerland. I mean, did you see it? 0:32:25.080 --> 0:32:27.080 We were there two weeks out of two weeks out 0:32:27.080 --> 0:32:29.560 of every month. No, we never it never it never, 0:32:29.720 --> 0:32:31.080 you know, so that we never connected. 0:32:31.320 --> 0:32:32.280 Are you are at this time? 0:32:32.320 --> 0:32:34.720 Are you talking to to y'all, like talking about your lives? 0:32:34.800 --> 0:32:37.200 And then yeah, I mean I mean an American attest 0:32:37.240 --> 0:32:39.640 to this, like during this point in the Roots career, 0:32:39.840 --> 0:32:43.120 Like I was the cousin that would come around and 0:32:43.440 --> 0:32:46.000 hang in the dressing room and drink up they liquor 0:32:46.080 --> 0:32:48.440 and eat their food and hang. 0:32:48.520 --> 0:32:50.680 But then I was mail D call the original mail 0:32:50.760 --> 0:32:51.360 D coll. 0:32:56.080 --> 0:32:57.800 But I would bounce because I had to work in 0:32:57.840 --> 0:32:59.120 the morning, you know what I mean, or I had 0:32:59.160 --> 0:33:01.240 school in the morning. But you know, yeah, I was 0:33:01.280 --> 0:33:04.600 definitely you know, still communicating and and and you know, 0:33:04.640 --> 0:33:06.760 I always say I was because of that, because of 0:33:06.880 --> 0:33:09.720 me and Tarik, because of the Tarik Malak introduction, you 0:33:09.760 --> 0:33:11.680 know what I mean, all of that I was. I was. 0:33:11.720 --> 0:33:12.880 I'm a root, you know what I mean, I was 0:33:12.880 --> 0:33:14.920 a root at that point. I just was a root 0:33:14.960 --> 0:33:16.720 in grad school and the root in Wall Street. 0:33:17.000 --> 0:33:19.640 Well, I think we we met. 0:33:20.320 --> 0:33:23.560 I think the first oh distortion, I forgot you're the 0:33:23.640 --> 0:33:25.000 eye in distortion and static. 0:33:25.320 --> 0:33:26.200 Yes are you not? 0:33:26.720 --> 0:33:26.920 Yes? 0:33:27.000 --> 0:33:29.640 I am. I was the star. I was the star 0:33:29.720 --> 0:33:30.560 of the first two routes. 0:33:31.400 --> 0:33:33.480 Yeah, you know, I forgot about distortion. 0:33:33.600 --> 0:33:37.080 I know you were in proceed, but I forgot that's 0:33:37.120 --> 0:33:39.000 eye is the eye. 0:33:39.080 --> 0:33:41.600 That if you just. 0:33:46.880 --> 0:33:47.040 Right. 0:33:48.000 --> 0:33:51.200 I totally forgot that joint. So okay. So at the 0:33:51.240 --> 0:33:52.120 time when. 0:33:53.600 --> 0:33:58.960 Me and Tarique are sort of elevating this thing past 0:34:00.120 --> 0:34:03.760 just being a high school rap group and name only 0:34:03.840 --> 0:34:06.640 and trying to get joints at the gallery, yeah, making 0:34:06.800 --> 0:34:08.799 like the early organic shit? 0:34:09.440 --> 0:34:11.120 Are you taking at seriously? 0:34:11.400 --> 0:34:15.040 Like when Tarik's playing you like past the popcorn and 0:34:15.080 --> 0:34:18.400 like early organics things. Is is there anything sparking in 0:34:18.440 --> 0:34:21.000 your head, like all right, he's doing something or did 0:34:21.000 --> 0:34:23.560 you just think like, uh they corny? Nah? 0:34:23.640 --> 0:34:27.080 Absolutely taking it seriously, you know, absolutely taking it seriously. 0:34:27.080 --> 0:34:28.600 When Tarn told me he was gonna drop out of 0:34:28.600 --> 0:34:31.960 school and and come back to Philly with you and 0:34:32.239 --> 0:34:35.040 concentrate on this group and he's taken malk I was like, yo, 0:34:35.200 --> 0:34:36.160 go you. 0:34:36.200 --> 0:34:36.600 Know what I mean? 0:34:36.640 --> 0:34:41.360 Because again, for me, a part of me wanted to 0:34:41.440 --> 0:34:43.360 be that like you know what I mean, Like you 0:34:43.400 --> 0:34:45.400 remember in high school I was rapid, but it was 0:34:45.440 --> 0:34:47.600 at a time where nobody wasn't making money and it 0:34:47.680 --> 0:34:51.480 wasn't no traveling. It was just like, you know, a 0:34:51.520 --> 0:34:54.960 professional hobby for lack of a better term. So for 0:34:55.080 --> 0:34:58.800 me to see y'all at that point, you know, focus 0:34:58.960 --> 0:35:02.040 and commit and elevating, you know what I mean. I 0:35:02.080 --> 0:35:04.680 was the one on the phone fucking calling Kobe at 0:35:04.680 --> 0:35:06.600 powernighty now like why don't you play the roots? Why 0:35:06.600 --> 0:35:10.080 don't you play the roots? Why you know I work 0:35:10.160 --> 0:35:12.120 with y'all, you know what I mean? So it was 0:35:12.200 --> 0:35:15.279 I was I was absolutely taking it seriously and I 0:35:15.320 --> 0:35:20.120 was absolutely sort of believing in you know, the future, 0:35:20.200 --> 0:35:22.480 the vision, you know what I mean of what y'all 0:35:22.480 --> 0:35:25.319 were forming at that time. Okay, so what did you 0:35:25.480 --> 0:35:26.040 have to do? 0:35:26.680 --> 0:35:29.800 Because I'm trying to get into how you got into 0:35:30.719 --> 0:35:32.200 the profession that you are right now? 0:35:32.280 --> 0:35:35.160 So I know that my correct. Are we your first client? 0:35:35.719 --> 0:35:36.920 Yeah? I mean I can tell you. 0:35:37.040 --> 0:35:40.359 I'll give you two mess worry at the time when 0:35:40.560 --> 0:35:41.200 you came. 0:35:41.040 --> 0:35:45.040 Afore words words as to how I got into this business, 0:35:45.400 --> 0:35:47.480 the words are Richard Nichols. 0:35:48.280 --> 0:35:48.600 Okay. 0:35:48.719 --> 0:35:52.879 So while I'm being the cousin that's smoking up, y'all, 0:35:52.920 --> 0:35:55.879 weed and drinking y'all liquor, you know what I mean, 0:35:56.480 --> 0:36:00.360 Me and me and Rich on the side, and a 0:36:00.400 --> 0:36:04.560 relationship because I'm also the cousin that's in grad school, 0:36:04.760 --> 0:36:07.000 and you know, I mean handling his business, you know 0:36:07.000 --> 0:36:08.920 what I mean. So Rich as all of you who 0:36:08.960 --> 0:36:12.279 know Rich as a you know, he was a visionary 0:36:12.760 --> 0:36:16.520 and he could see things before you could see him. 0:36:16.880 --> 0:36:17.080 Right. 0:36:17.400 --> 0:36:20.520 So I think during those times where I'm building, I'm 0:36:20.560 --> 0:36:22.800 just in the back and we're just talking and arguing 0:36:22.840 --> 0:36:25.840 about shit, and he's schooling me about life and you 0:36:25.880 --> 0:36:28.239 know why, you know, nbas don't mean shit in the 0:36:28.239 --> 0:36:31.359 real world, and you know all of Rich's philosophies. You know, 0:36:31.440 --> 0:36:34.680 he's really he's really testing me, you know what I mean, 0:36:34.719 --> 0:36:38.480 He's really testing me. And I remember it was nineteen 0:36:38.600 --> 0:36:43.440 ninety eight. I was at the bank and he called 0:36:43.480 --> 0:36:46.439 me and he was like, Yo, where are you at? 0:36:46.480 --> 0:36:47.560 And I was like, I'm at the band, I'm at 0:36:47.600 --> 0:36:49.240 my job. He was like, YO, come by the studio 0:36:49.360 --> 0:36:52.000 after he was at some MEMBERSNY Studios is on fifty 0:36:52.000 --> 0:36:55.600 fourth Street. My bank was on fifty third and Alex 0:36:55.760 --> 0:36:58.279 So I walked up there, walked in the studio with him, 0:36:58.320 --> 0:36:59.800 and I think it might have been like Axe or 0:37:00.160 --> 0:37:02.320 somebody back in, one of the engineers. 0:37:01.880 --> 0:37:08.480 Actually, and he had, you know, two bottles of red wine, 0:37:08.640 --> 0:37:09.120 you know what I mean. 0:37:09.200 --> 0:37:12.239 We sat there, drank a little bit, smoked a little bit, 0:37:12.440 --> 0:37:14.239 and nobody else was in there. I think he was. 0:37:14.239 --> 0:37:16.480 He was He was mixing like a jazzy fa nasty 0:37:16.520 --> 0:37:19.960 song or something like that, and uh, he was like, yo, 0:37:20.400 --> 0:37:24.560 I hate this ship. And I was like, okay, what 0:37:24.640 --> 0:37:26.319 you what do you what do you hate? And he 0:37:26.440 --> 0:37:28.239 was like it is fucking managing this ship, like I 0:37:28.239 --> 0:37:31.080 hate it. And I'm looking at him, like what is 0:37:31.080 --> 0:37:33.920 he talking about? And he was like, you know, just 0:37:34.160 --> 0:37:37.040 dealing with the agents, dealing with these dudes in their money, 0:37:37.280 --> 0:37:39.800 you know, dealing with the record label and budgets and 0:37:39.800 --> 0:37:41.400 and all of that ship. He was like, I fucking 0:37:41.440 --> 0:37:43.560 hate it, Like that's the part of my job that 0:37:43.640 --> 0:37:46.360 I hate. And anyone in those rich you know was 0:37:46.480 --> 0:37:50.520 He's the ultimate visionary, the ultimate creative, you know, the 0:37:50.520 --> 0:37:53.080 fifth beetle to you know, to to to to the 0:37:53.239 --> 0:37:55.800 really the you know, the third and fourth beatle to 0:37:55.960 --> 0:37:59.480 Tarik's first and second from a creative perspective and a 0:37:59.560 --> 0:38:03.000 visionary respective and what he was saying to me was 0:38:03.480 --> 0:38:06.359 this part of my job is weighing me down. So 0:38:06.480 --> 0:38:08.960 I just was like, how can I help you know 0:38:09.000 --> 0:38:10.200 what I mean? He's like, all right, that's what we're 0:38:10.200 --> 0:38:12.319 gonna do. You know, he gave me Carol Lewis's number. 0:38:12.320 --> 0:38:14.000 I remember he gave me Caro Lewis's number. He gave 0:38:14.000 --> 0:38:16.799 me somebody's number at the label, and and and and 0:38:16.880 --> 0:38:21.359 he gave me Miyoshi's number, and and he was like, YO, 0:38:21.640 --> 0:38:23.600 call these three. I'm gonna tell him you calling them, 0:38:23.640 --> 0:38:25.839 and then you can take this shit over. And I 0:38:25.880 --> 0:38:28.439 was like, but Rich, I don't I got a dog. 0:38:28.480 --> 0:38:30.640 I got a job, Like I got a real fucking 0:38:30.680 --> 0:38:32.480 job down the street, you know what I mean. He 0:38:32.560 --> 0:38:33.839 was like, don't worry about you gonna figure it out. 0:38:33.880 --> 0:38:37.520 You're gonna figure it out. I literally left the studio, 0:38:37.960 --> 0:38:42.680 as you know, Rich's partner that night. And you know, 0:38:42.719 --> 0:38:45.719 I didn't know shit about the music business. But you know, 0:38:46.200 --> 0:38:49.759 I knew finance, right, and I knew business, and I 0:38:49.840 --> 0:38:52.640 knew the rhythm of back to my Mom right. I 0:38:52.719 --> 0:38:55.640 knew the rhythm of a negotiation and the rhythm of 0:38:55.640 --> 0:38:58.080 a conversation. And I work at the bank, and I 0:38:58.160 --> 0:39:00.080 know how to deal with these white folks, you know 0:39:00.120 --> 0:39:02.239 what I mean. So there's no different than you know, 0:39:02.320 --> 0:39:04.319 someone I'm dealing with the bank and someone I'm dealing 0:39:04.360 --> 0:39:06.759 with the label. So I sort of fell back on 0:39:07.239 --> 0:39:11.640 the experience that I had my entire life, and Rich 0:39:11.719 --> 0:39:14.160 gave me the opportunity to figure it out. And it 0:39:14.239 --> 0:39:18.520 was months of me figuring it out right. And you know, 0:39:18.640 --> 0:39:20.759 at a certain point it went from me doing two 0:39:20.800 --> 0:39:23.480 hours of root work and ten hours of bank work, 0:39:23.560 --> 0:39:25.120 and then at a certain point, I you know, be 0:39:25.160 --> 0:39:27.400 in my office to ten at night and realized, like, 0:39:27.480 --> 0:39:29.400 you know, I haven't done shit for my bank, Like 0:39:29.440 --> 0:39:32.680 I just wanted the phone negotiating tour deals and figuring 0:39:32.760 --> 0:39:37.200 out you know, mileage from from London to you know whatever, 0:39:37.280 --> 0:39:39.120 you know, what's the mileage and what's the gas called. 0:39:39.160 --> 0:39:40.560 You know, I've been doing that. So I got to 0:39:40.560 --> 0:39:43.200 a point where I was like, yo, I again going 0:39:43.239 --> 0:39:46.440 back to my earlier point. I found what I'm supposed to. 0:39:46.440 --> 0:39:49.920 I've eliminated all of these things that I wasn't I 0:39:50.000 --> 0:39:53.320 wasn't interested in, and I finally found my passion, or 0:39:53.360 --> 0:39:57.719 I should say my passion found me. And I had 0:39:57.719 --> 0:39:59.279 to make a decision. You know, I was making six 0:39:59.320 --> 0:40:01.680 figures at the bath. I was twenty this is ninety seven. 0:40:01.760 --> 0:40:03.960 I was twenty five years old, twenty sixty, twenty five 0:40:04.000 --> 0:40:06.960 years old, making six figures at the bank. 0:40:06.880 --> 0:40:07.080 You know. 0:40:08.000 --> 0:40:10.799 And but I went talked to my mom again, you know, 0:40:10.920 --> 0:40:12.960 my my rock, and I said, Mom, I'm I'm gonna 0:40:12.960 --> 0:40:15.400 work with I'm gonna work for Tariq and his group, 0:40:16.120 --> 0:40:17.760 you know what I mean. My mom was like, oh really, 0:40:18.120 --> 0:40:19.920 and she's like, it's a yeah. He's like, what you 0:40:20.040 --> 0:40:22.480 gonna do? I said, I don't know, Like you know, 0:40:22.520 --> 0:40:25.680 I'm gonna be richest partner and we're gonna figure this out. 0:40:25.800 --> 0:40:27.440 And you know, my mom, being. 0:40:27.280 --> 0:40:30.080 An entrepreneur that she is, she was like, look, as 0:40:30.080 --> 0:40:31.799 long as you can take care of that boy talking 0:40:31.800 --> 0:40:33.879 about Darren, as long as you can take care that boy, 0:40:33.920 --> 0:40:36.480 you can pay your rent, go ahead, do you you know? 0:40:36.560 --> 0:40:39.080 So I said a prayer and jumped out on face. 0:40:39.160 --> 0:40:41.879 And I remember my first year I was making six 0:40:41.920 --> 0:40:44.319 figures with in the bank, and my first year with 0:40:44.360 --> 0:40:48.560 the Roots, I made twenty seven thousand dollars and uh, 0:40:49.000 --> 0:40:52.760 you know, took a huge break, but I always appop 0:40:54.719 --> 0:40:58.080 last day that I worked the last day that I 0:40:58.120 --> 0:41:00.440 worked in my life. The last time I worked the 0:41:00.640 --> 0:41:03.279 job was that last day at the bank. You know 0:41:03.320 --> 0:41:06.439 what I mean, Like, that's the last job I've ever had. 0:41:06.480 --> 0:41:08.279 The last day I woke up and said I have 0:41:08.440 --> 0:41:11.239 to go to work was that day in April of 0:41:11.320 --> 0:41:13.080 nineteen ninety eight when I left the bank. 0:41:18.000 --> 0:41:20.680 The thing is, is that, all right? Can you explain 0:41:20.719 --> 0:41:24.680 to our listeners what does it entail? 0:41:25.040 --> 0:41:25.279 Now? 0:41:25.680 --> 0:41:28.279 I'll give the pre story at least with us, the 0:41:28.320 --> 0:41:32.480 way that we were living very hand to mouth. You 0:41:32.520 --> 0:41:35.920 would do a show nine times out of ten. You know, 0:41:35.960 --> 0:41:39.400 we get paid in cash, even though our system was 0:41:39.440 --> 0:41:42.160 a little bit different. It was more of a socialist system, 0:41:42.280 --> 0:41:44.880 like you get to repeat, you get to repay, you 0:41:44.920 --> 0:41:46.160 get to you know that sort of thing. 0:41:46.200 --> 0:41:47.400 And had like a little talance. 0:41:48.200 --> 0:41:52.239 But you know, the first time I got my advance, 0:41:53.360 --> 0:41:56.359 you know, you would have killed me, Like I spent 0:41:56.440 --> 0:42:00.839 that shit in three weeks my van. Do you get 0:42:00.960 --> 0:42:07.319 what you get about? Let's see seven thousand dollars worth 0:42:07.360 --> 0:42:11.839 of records. Yeah, a bunch of pumas. 0:42:11.880 --> 0:42:14.239 You know. I was, I was Billy Jean, I was I. 0:42:14.200 --> 0:42:15.920 Was about say when I sorry, you say he was 0:42:15.920 --> 0:42:16.960 giving booms money. 0:42:18.719 --> 0:42:21.200 It was like a hundred bucks trying to watch it 0:42:21.280 --> 0:42:24.520 joynts like glow in the Dark, Like I was just 0:42:25.120 --> 0:42:27.920 you know, Sean hates this story, but that. 0:42:28.000 --> 0:42:29.240 Look he's pissed. He's already. 0:42:29.280 --> 0:42:31.920 Man, Man, it's the truth. 0:42:32.600 --> 0:42:34.320 Like thirty years later, thirty years. 0:42:34.239 --> 0:42:37.839 Later, right, you just you don't think about like I 0:42:37.880 --> 0:42:41.640 wasn't thinking about like am I Like back in nineteen 0:42:41.719 --> 0:42:45.720 ninety three, Like nineteen ninety nine seemed like the future. 0:42:45.440 --> 0:42:48.400 Like oh we won't be here that. 0:42:47.760 --> 0:42:51.640 That's thet I think, you know, even coming back from 0:42:51.680 --> 0:42:53.920 the proceed video, my dad was still like you got 0:42:53.920 --> 0:42:57.359 to get a real job. Like I didn't see this 0:42:57.600 --> 0:43:01.120 as a sustainable future. 0:43:01.280 --> 0:43:04.520 So curious how he tuned it up. Yes, can you. 0:43:04.440 --> 0:43:10.640 Explain how an organization with at least thirteen people because 0:43:10.680 --> 0:43:15.080 we rolled like you know, there's a band, there's you know, 0:43:15.200 --> 0:43:18.600 staff and all those things. Can you just basically because 0:43:18.600 --> 0:43:20.160 a lot of people do want to know how the 0:43:20.239 --> 0:43:24.360 Roote's been able to be a thing, drive and be 0:43:24.440 --> 0:43:28.080 a thing when on paper we technically should. 0:43:27.840 --> 0:43:30.440 Now yeah, like what was those first changes that you made? Sean? 0:43:30.520 --> 0:43:31.719 Like you came in he was like, oh no, we 0:43:31.760 --> 0:43:34.000 gotta do this, we gotta I. 0:43:33.920 --> 0:43:39.239 Mean well, also would threaten to fire me if I 0:43:39.360 --> 0:43:42.000 ever fucked up. I don't know if we'll go into 0:43:42.040 --> 0:43:45.719 his clients that have no if you I mean shor 0:43:45.719 --> 0:43:47.640 want to ask me shell shock, Like if I spend 0:43:47.719 --> 0:43:54.200 anything over like my nineteen ninety nine budget, I'm still 0:43:54.239 --> 0:44:02.600 like can I buy this bicycle? Or you know, I'm It's. 0:44:04.000 --> 0:44:09.360 Because again, coming into this business, I didn't I didn't 0:44:09.400 --> 0:44:12.520 grow up in this business, so I didn't know the 0:44:12.680 --> 0:44:17.080 norms and the roles and the titles and the things, right. 0:44:17.239 --> 0:44:21.319 So when I started working with rich you know, I 0:44:21.360 --> 0:44:23.360 remember we had a conversation. We were in the studio 0:44:23.400 --> 0:44:25.640 one day and I asked him, I said, you know, 0:44:26.360 --> 0:44:29.080 what's my title? And he was like, I don't know. 0:44:29.280 --> 0:44:30.400 You know, He's like, what's my title? 0:44:30.600 --> 0:44:31.200 You know what I mean? 0:44:31.360 --> 0:44:34.920 And I was like true, I was like facts, And 0:44:34.960 --> 0:44:38.840 we sort of settled on these titles of creative manager 0:44:39.360 --> 0:44:46.120 and business manager, right, but it extend My role extended 0:44:46.200 --> 0:44:50.760 beyond what a traditional business manager did. Like a business 0:44:50.760 --> 0:44:55.840 manager in the business is pretty much your accountant, you know, 0:44:55.960 --> 0:44:59.759 or your financial advisor. That person builds your financial team. 0:45:00.239 --> 0:45:02.840 It's the hub of your financial team. So that person 0:45:02.920 --> 0:45:05.520 is the one who interacts with your tax account and 0:45:05.560 --> 0:45:08.800 interacts with your investment team, and interacts with your insurance 0:45:08.840 --> 0:45:11.400 team and your bank and you know, all of the 0:45:11.480 --> 0:45:16.520 financial activity around your business. He's your CFO. For me, 0:45:16.760 --> 0:45:20.000 that was an easy sort of title because that is 0:45:20.040 --> 0:45:22.200 the that is similar to the role that I played 0:45:22.200 --> 0:45:24.680 at the bank as a private banker. That's what I 0:45:24.760 --> 0:45:27.840 was doing behind network individuals. I was the hub of 0:45:27.960 --> 0:45:31.400 all of their financial activity and using specialists in the 0:45:31.440 --> 0:45:33.320 bank and bringing them in. So I was like cool, 0:45:33.760 --> 0:45:37.440 But my role with the roots or was more. You know, 0:45:37.520 --> 0:45:40.960 I was also the person that was responsible for touring, 0:45:41.560 --> 0:45:46.560 you know, tour strategy, toard budgets, toar execution, you know, 0:45:46.680 --> 0:45:48.200 every aspect of a tour. 0:45:48.320 --> 0:45:48.480 You know. 0:45:48.560 --> 0:45:50.560 Rich sort of handed that to me. And again that 0:45:50.719 --> 0:45:53.759 that's not your traditional business manager, you know what I mean, 0:45:53.760 --> 0:45:56.359 it's sort of part of the management job. So where 0:45:56.360 --> 0:46:00.399 me and Rich sort of had our delineation was all 0:46:00.480 --> 0:46:03.760 of the business aspects of management, dealing with the label, 0:46:03.800 --> 0:46:05.680 Like most business managers don't deal with the label, but 0:46:05.719 --> 0:46:09.200 I was dealing with manager recording, budgets and and and 0:46:09.280 --> 0:46:11.520 that type of thing. While Rich was dealing with making 0:46:11.520 --> 0:46:12.120 the records. 0:46:13.120 --> 0:46:14.160 He was in the studio, you know. 0:46:14.280 --> 0:46:18.080 So so those first couple of years was a period 0:46:18.080 --> 0:46:21.799 of adjustment for both of us because I came in 0:46:22.080 --> 0:46:26.279 on my flat shoe, ignorant to the business shit. And 0:46:26.600 --> 0:46:30.680 Rich although he was the you know, upon first sight 0:46:30.840 --> 0:46:32.960 or if you get in an argument with him, you 0:46:33.040 --> 0:46:35.560 know what I mean, you think he's the roughest, toughest, 0:46:35.920 --> 0:46:39.400 you know dude in the room, Rich was a softy 0:46:40.000 --> 0:46:43.520 like Rich was like doctor, yes, Like anybody can get 0:46:43.560 --> 0:46:45.520 anything out of Rich, you know what I mean. So 0:46:46.200 --> 0:46:48.960 for me it was like I was like, Doug, why 0:46:49.000 --> 0:46:51.600 do we have all of these people around? Like He's like, oh, 0:46:51.640 --> 0:46:53.719 because we're developing this and this and that and this 0:46:53.800 --> 0:46:57.680 and that. We literally argue back and forth about the 0:46:57.800 --> 0:47:03.640 usefulness of individual or why are we paying this out 0:47:03.680 --> 0:47:07.080 of the roots tour money? Like why is this person 0:47:07.080 --> 0:47:09.440 getting their rent paid out of the roots tour money? 0:47:09.520 --> 0:47:11.840 Like are they not self sufficient? Like is this? Do 0:47:11.840 --> 0:47:14.200 we have a deal with these people? So I came 0:47:14.239 --> 0:47:18.400 in and sort of instituted traditional business structure in a 0:47:18.440 --> 0:47:21.840 non traditional business, or at least tried to institute traditional 0:47:21.880 --> 0:47:25.759 business structure and a non traditional business. And it was 0:47:25.840 --> 0:47:33.120 the yin and yang of Rich's creative vision as well 0:47:33.120 --> 0:47:39.440 as socialist mentality mixed with my or capitalist mentality and 0:47:39.680 --> 0:47:43.600 hardcore vision that sort of formed this nice sort of 0:47:43.680 --> 0:47:46.640 pocket that we ended up in. Right, We ended up 0:47:46.680 --> 0:47:51.000 with the Roots Crew, but I also made sure that 0:47:51.040 --> 0:47:53.839 the roots were cool, you know what I mean. If 0:47:53.840 --> 0:47:56.160 we just would have went with the Roots Crew, the 0:47:56.280 --> 0:47:59.319 Roots probably wouldn't be here by now. So I made sure, like, yes, 0:47:59.360 --> 0:48:01.960 we got the Root Crew, you know what I mean, 0:48:02.200 --> 0:48:05.040 which is, you know, planting seeds for a lot of 0:48:05.080 --> 0:48:07.440 other people. But I'm gonna make sure that the roots 0:48:07.440 --> 0:48:11.200 are cool as well, because that is the bus that 0:48:11.239 --> 0:48:14.719 we're all riding. And it was that sort of that 0:48:14.880 --> 0:48:17.759 back and forth up front, which was a lot of 0:48:17.800 --> 0:48:21.160 back and forth, that allowed us to build the foundation 0:48:21.320 --> 0:48:23.520 I'd say, by like two thousand and two, two thousand 0:48:23.560 --> 0:48:27.280 and three, when we start sort of rolling post post 0:48:27.280 --> 0:48:31.239 things fall apart, post Grammy, that sort of allowed us 0:48:31.280 --> 0:48:33.840 to take this, you know, this, this beautiful journey that 0:48:33.880 --> 0:48:35.480 we've been on for the last couple of decades. 0:48:35.760 --> 0:48:37.680 Did you know you'd be the bad cop to Riches 0:48:37.719 --> 0:48:39.000 good cop. I'm sorry, I'm here. 0:48:39.200 --> 0:48:42.280 I mean at times I was most of the times 0:48:42.360 --> 0:48:44.600 I was the more. I was the financial bad cop 0:48:44.800 --> 0:48:48.719 to Riches good cop, but I also was the creative 0:48:49.200 --> 0:48:52.840 and business good cop sometimes to Rich's bad cop. Like 0:48:52.840 --> 0:48:56.120 we played ying and yang really well, especially with you know, 0:48:56.239 --> 0:49:00.359 the the label side or promoters or you know, creates, 0:49:00.480 --> 0:49:02.360 you know what I mean. We played we played our 0:49:02.680 --> 0:49:05.839 good cop backcop really well. But definitely because of my background. 0:49:06.200 --> 0:49:09.040 You know, I played the financial bad cop and and 0:49:09.040 --> 0:49:11.720 and Rich played the good cop just because he was doctor. 0:49:11.800 --> 0:49:14.439 Yes a lot of times. But but we we we 0:49:14.440 --> 0:49:16.640 we balanced each other well. And I think you know, 0:49:16.719 --> 0:49:18.680 at the end, we at the end, we you know, 0:49:18.719 --> 0:49:21.239 we were both managers, you know what I mean. Like 0:49:21.320 --> 0:49:24.840 I I just said business manager without knowing that business 0:49:24.840 --> 0:49:27.080 manager was actually a role in the music business. I 0:49:27.200 --> 0:49:29.320 just like, Okay, I have the business handle of the creator, 0:49:30.200 --> 0:49:32.200 so I ran with that. But I think that that 0:49:32.400 --> 0:49:34.799 that's the reason why we were able to lay the 0:49:34.840 --> 0:49:36.839 foundation for the roots and and and and I said 0:49:36.880 --> 0:49:39.200 this before another in the in other interviews. You know, 0:49:39.520 --> 0:49:42.480 we were we were also realistic, yea, Like at the 0:49:42.560 --> 0:49:46.200 end of the day, our goal was can these guys 0:49:46.239 --> 0:49:48.560 make enough money so that they don't have to go 0:49:48.600 --> 0:49:52.040 get a day job, you know, and and and make 0:49:52.080 --> 0:49:53.840 money and live off of their art, you know what 0:49:53.840 --> 0:49:55.640 I mean. That was our goal. It wasn't like let's 0:49:55.960 --> 0:49:58.200 let's let's make sure that a mirror can drop around 0:49:58.200 --> 0:50:00.600 in the maybox and Tarik can have twenty five cribs 0:50:00.640 --> 0:50:02.879 around the country. It was like, Yo, can they pay 0:50:02.920 --> 0:50:06.279 their rent? Can they give their mom some money when 0:50:06.280 --> 0:50:08.080 she needed for a light build? Can they take a 0:50:08.160 --> 0:50:10.479 lady out on a date, you know what I mean? 0:50:10.840 --> 0:50:13.480 And and then can we go and do it all again? 0:50:13.640 --> 0:50:18.000 So it was like having realistic goals, understanding the what 0:50:18.120 --> 0:50:21.160 a blue collar musician is I mean, because again rich 0:50:21.280 --> 0:50:24.200 come from Rich came from that jazz world where it 0:50:24.400 --> 0:50:26.920 was you know, blue collar musicians, you know what I mean. 0:50:27.000 --> 0:50:30.480 So understanding that, you know, a blue collar musician is, 0:50:30.719 --> 0:50:33.760 you know, living off of his or her art and 0:50:33.840 --> 0:50:37.800 they're enjoying that versus going and having a substitute teach 0:50:38.680 --> 0:50:41.640 and you know, playing the jazz clubs at night when they. 0:50:41.560 --> 0:50:42.520 Can you know what I mean. 0:50:42.600 --> 0:50:45.560 So it was that that sort of mentality that we 0:50:45.640 --> 0:50:49.480 always had, and obviously those goals increased over the as 0:50:49.520 --> 0:50:52.240 we got more successful, you know, those But we've always 0:50:52.320 --> 0:50:55.320 even to this day, you know, I'm you know, it's funny, 0:50:55.320 --> 0:50:57.200 I'll be in these rooms and I love the roots. 0:50:57.239 --> 0:50:59.239 I really do love the roots. And I'm like, name 0:50:59.360 --> 0:51:02.680 fucking three root songs. You love the concept of. 0:51:02.640 --> 0:51:03.759 The reats, you know what I mean? 0:51:06.080 --> 0:51:08.040 Three root songs? You know what I mean. But again, 0:51:08.200 --> 0:51:11.480 for us, that's always been our goal was, how can 0:51:11.520 --> 0:51:16.440 we take these virtuoso you know, performers, you know, Tarek 0:51:16.520 --> 0:51:19.920 and a mirror, how can we make sure that you know, 0:51:20.040 --> 0:51:22.440 they can they can create a living off of their 0:51:22.480 --> 0:51:25.200 talent because they're super fucking talented and there's nobody out 0:51:25.200 --> 0:51:27.360 there better than them. They may never create a hit 0:51:27.440 --> 0:51:32.239 record ever in life, but that shouldn't define, you know, 0:51:32.360 --> 0:51:34.880 their future and their ability to earn a living off 0:51:34.920 --> 0:51:35.080 of the. 0:51:36.840 --> 0:51:43.640 Absolutely so you mentioned the socialist system versus the capitalist system, 0:51:43.640 --> 0:51:46.360 of which you know, I think people think I'm super 0:51:46.360 --> 0:51:51.120 exaggerating when I said, like we we really didn't start 0:51:51.600 --> 0:51:54.120 as far as me and Tarik like really put ourselves 0:51:54.160 --> 0:51:57.680 on payroll until like later later or later in life, 0:51:57.719 --> 0:52:03.279 whereas absolutely before were it was very socialist, like okay, again, 0:52:03.360 --> 0:52:05.399 your RNK gets paid and your car bill gets paid 0:52:05.440 --> 0:52:09.200 and that's how and you kind of came in and 0:52:09.239 --> 0:52:11.640 cleaned up shop, like, okay, well why are we So 0:52:12.400 --> 0:52:16.799 do you, in hindsight do you feel as though that 0:52:17.560 --> 0:52:20.000 I think the socialist position sort of kept us pure. 0:52:21.200 --> 0:52:25.880 But did you agree with it? Because the thing is that. 0:52:26.000 --> 0:52:28.839 I agree with aspects of it, you know what I mean? 0:52:29.239 --> 0:52:31.680 I agree with aspects of it, but I think I 0:52:31.719 --> 0:52:36.160 think the way that things were set up, people were 0:52:36.160 --> 0:52:39.040 taking advantage of it, and people were taking advantage of 0:52:39.160 --> 0:52:43.280 Rich and I think he and I think he realized 0:52:43.320 --> 0:52:45.520 that too. I think that's why I got that call 0:52:45.600 --> 0:52:49.840 that night from the bank. But I agree with aspects 0:52:49.840 --> 0:52:52.600 of it. I agreed with the sort of creative community 0:52:53.280 --> 0:52:57.239 that was being built. And for any community, the one 0:52:57.280 --> 0:53:00.680 thing that in any creative community, any you know, sort 0:53:00.719 --> 0:53:04.080 of a musical movement, you know, whatever you want to 0:53:04.080 --> 0:53:06.719 call it, you know, the one thing that's needed in 0:53:06.800 --> 0:53:10.319 order to breathe life into it is infrastructure. Otherwise it's 0:53:10.360 --> 0:53:13.040 just some one off musicians and artists, fucking you. 0:53:13.000 --> 0:53:14.280 Know, creative. 0:53:14.400 --> 0:53:17.360 Yeah, he's just doing it right. It's not a community 0:53:17.440 --> 0:53:20.520 or a movement without any infrastructure. And what Rich had 0:53:20.680 --> 0:53:25.280 was the vision to say Okay, we're going to provide 0:53:25.280 --> 0:53:30.640 that infrastructure, right, and without that creative infrastructure, Without that infrastructure, 0:53:30.880 --> 0:53:34.799 the community slash movement, slash everything that was happening that 0:53:35.080 --> 0:53:38.480 beautiful times that we all had from you know, ninety 0:53:38.560 --> 0:53:41.600 seven to two thousand and four where all of this 0:53:41.680 --> 0:53:44.800 ship you know, really sort of took off. It wouldn't 0:53:44.800 --> 0:53:47.600 have it wouldn't have existed without Richard Richard Nichols pre 0:53:47.760 --> 0:53:51.719 you know, creating that infrastructure. However, the problem when you 0:53:51.800 --> 0:53:57.479 have you know, infrastructure without structure is that infrastructure would 0:53:57.480 --> 0:54:00.080 have would have eaten itself alive because there would have 0:53:59.960 --> 0:54:03.360 been too many people eating at that same apple, you 0:54:03.360 --> 0:54:04.640 know what I mean. At some point you got to 0:54:04.680 --> 0:54:07.000 be like, I'm cutting this apple in half, Tarekan the mirror. 0:54:07.000 --> 0:54:09.319 This is your half, everybody else, this is y'all hair. 0:54:09.520 --> 0:54:12.040 If y'all can't survive off of this, oh so be it, 0:54:12.200 --> 0:54:15.239 you know what I mean. So that's where, you know, 0:54:15.360 --> 0:54:17.799 the the balance of being rich at least in that 0:54:17.880 --> 0:54:22.680 time was was that I provided the structure for the infrastructure. 0:54:23.040 --> 0:54:27.000 But if if it were just my way, it probably 0:54:27.000 --> 0:54:30.480 wouldn't have survived either because I was too hardcore. You 0:54:30.520 --> 0:54:32.560 know this is about Tarekan the Mirror, and I think 0:54:32.680 --> 0:54:35.640 that that without the commun I think y'all thrived off 0:54:35.640 --> 0:54:36.680 of the community as well. 0:54:36.920 --> 0:54:39.080 Think about that, there would have been no Black Lily, 0:54:39.239 --> 0:54:40.319 And think about all the people that. 0:54:43.800 --> 0:54:47.520 Black Lily know, even the you know, the whole you 0:54:47.560 --> 0:54:50.480 know tele comment like all of all of that, Not 0:54:50.600 --> 0:54:53.480 that they were core, but they were part of the 0:54:53.480 --> 0:54:57.680 the orbit that that everybody sort of you know, revolved around. 0:54:57.680 --> 0:54:59.520 So I think, you know, to your point of me, 0:54:59.640 --> 0:55:03.880 I think this. I agreed with a portion of you know, 0:55:03.960 --> 0:55:08.040 the socialists you know ideas, and I think they they 0:55:08.200 --> 0:55:10.960 were part of the reason why we've been able to survive. 0:55:11.080 --> 0:55:13.200 But you know, if we just would have stuck with that, 0:55:14.200 --> 0:55:15.640 I don't think we'd be where we are to that. 0:55:16.719 --> 0:55:21.560 Okay, can you talk about the growing I guess the 0:55:21.600 --> 0:55:24.600 first two ventures that we really put our eggs into 0:55:24.640 --> 0:55:29.840 those baskets was okay, Player and Black Lily. 0:55:30.160 --> 0:55:31.320 Now remember the beginning. 0:55:31.760 --> 0:55:33.959 I think I had to really sell you and Rich 0:55:34.120 --> 0:55:39.160 that this was going to be the future. I don't 0:55:39.200 --> 0:55:43.560 think Rich really saw, you know, what the hell me 0:55:43.600 --> 0:55:46.440 and Answer was doing, you know, in the bedroom. 0:55:46.440 --> 0:55:49.480 Trying was the easier sell Emir, which was the easier sell. 0:55:50.920 --> 0:55:55.960 Where because you know, I I was done before it 0:55:56.040 --> 0:56:00.520 was Black Lily was the Jam Sessions, and so you know, 0:56:00.960 --> 0:56:05.640 the second third week, you know what I'm saying, Like, really, 0:56:05.719 --> 0:56:09.440 I'm not exaggerating, like Beanie Seagulls putting out blunt ashes 0:56:09.480 --> 0:56:12.520 on the floor like everyone in the room is a 0:56:12.600 --> 0:56:13.799 bona fide celebrity. 0:56:14.400 --> 0:56:17.239 You know what I'm saying. Music really was the pizza guy, 0:56:17.480 --> 0:56:18.120 you know what I'm saying. 0:56:18.200 --> 0:56:22.440 But just at the time, they are regular people using 0:56:22.600 --> 0:56:24.040 my living room. 0:56:24.239 --> 0:56:24.839 As their hub. 0:56:24.840 --> 0:56:26.320 And I got to live on the block of neighbors 0:56:26.320 --> 0:56:28.439 looking at me like I'm crazy, Like why y'all jam 0:56:28.520 --> 0:56:30.040 until two in the morning, that sort of thing. 0:56:30.120 --> 0:56:33.719 So I you know, I went along with the. 0:56:33.760 --> 0:56:36.200 Jam checked out. He checked out of the Jam Sessions. 0:56:36.280 --> 0:56:37.680 Yeah, I call the police on us. 0:56:45.560 --> 0:56:48.960 So my heart was with Okay Player simply because like 0:56:50.239 --> 0:56:54.960 I just envisioned a future where there was a virtual 0:56:55.000 --> 0:56:56.520 playground that I could contact. 0:56:57.880 --> 0:57:01.520 And so, but it was a hard sell for Rich 0:57:01.560 --> 0:57:02.000 and Sean. 0:57:02.120 --> 0:57:03.960 And there have been many times where like they were 0:57:04.000 --> 0:57:06.000 just like dog, let's just go, like let it die. 0:57:06.120 --> 0:57:09.520 And so at what point did you get that this 0:57:09.640 --> 0:57:12.759 might be something futuristic? 0:57:13.560 --> 0:57:15.680 So we're talking. Okay, player, we're talking Black Lily. Which 0:57:15.680 --> 0:57:16.520 want you to talk first? 0:57:16.560 --> 0:57:18.600 Either or because I feel like that's so. 0:57:20.160 --> 0:57:23.200 Yeah, so for let's talk Black Lily first. 0:57:23.320 --> 0:57:23.800 Black Lily. 0:57:23.840 --> 0:57:26.240 Amir told the story one thousand percent correct. Like Black 0:57:26.240 --> 0:57:29.160 Lily started off as the Jam, the Roots Jam Session. 0:57:29.240 --> 0:57:32.800 The Roots Jam sessions are epic, you know, have been 0:57:32.840 --> 0:57:37.440 done for years, you know, in various places. Started in 0:57:37.480 --> 0:57:40.200 the Mirror's living room and you know sort of grew 0:57:40.200 --> 0:57:45.000 from there when the Roots Jam Session started happening in clubs. 0:57:46.280 --> 0:57:48.360 I forget the club that Malik Gioba used to have 0:57:48.480 --> 0:57:52.240 in New York. Remember we did that club the second 0:57:52.320 --> 0:57:55.120 forty second Street. You know, we went from there then 0:57:55.200 --> 0:57:58.600 we went down to to the Wetlands and but the 0:57:58.680 --> 0:58:04.600 problem was it it became all fucking male rappers, you 0:58:04.600 --> 0:58:06.240 know what I mean. It was like a line at 0:58:06.240 --> 0:58:09.480 the side of the stage of you know, dudes trying 0:58:09.520 --> 0:58:09.920 to get. 0:58:09.840 --> 0:58:10.560 Up and spit. 0:58:11.200 --> 0:58:15.120 And you know, in the community that that that the 0:58:15.200 --> 0:58:18.040 Roots had formed, you know, there were female artists, most 0:58:18.080 --> 0:58:22.040 notably the Jazzy Fantasties, and they would either never get 0:58:22.080 --> 0:58:25.520 an opportunity to get on stage, or they'll get on 0:58:25.760 --> 0:58:29.440 and you know sing you know, four bars of a 0:58:29.440 --> 0:58:36.600 hook while some random rappers you knows, or they'd get 0:58:36.600 --> 0:58:38.960 on at the end of the night after four hours 0:58:38.960 --> 0:58:43.280 of energy gone and people were leaving, right, So Rich 0:58:43.480 --> 0:58:47.520 and Mercedes and Tracy, you know, came up with the 0:58:47.600 --> 0:58:53.160 idea of doing their own jam session. And you know 0:58:53.640 --> 0:58:55.840 Black Lily. I remember it was you know, sort of 0:58:55.880 --> 0:58:58.080 a play on Lilla Fair because Little Fair was that 0:58:58.160 --> 0:59:00.640 thing back then. It was sort of on Lilla Fair 0:59:00.680 --> 0:59:02.439 that they came up with the name and the Jadge 0:59:02.440 --> 0:59:04.880 and Fantasy was also signed to the Rooch label Mode 0:59:04.880 --> 0:59:08.120 of Records and rather than you know, and it wasn't 0:59:08.120 --> 0:59:11.240 a huge like marketing budget that that that they were 0:59:11.280 --> 0:59:13.680 given at that time, so you know, they came up 0:59:13.720 --> 0:59:16.400 with the idea of saying, you know, rather than randomly 0:59:16.440 --> 0:59:19.760 spend our money on you know, radio promotion, which who 0:59:19.800 --> 0:59:22.680 knows what that actually gets you, especially when you're an 0:59:22.680 --> 0:59:26.760 emerging artist, how about we pull this money and again 0:59:27.080 --> 0:59:30.200 back to the C word, create this community. You know, 0:59:30.480 --> 0:59:34.040 let's build this this this brand, let's build this event. 0:59:34.200 --> 0:59:38.320 This weekly event that started off in New York, this 0:59:38.360 --> 0:59:42.040 weekly event, so you know, called Black Lily, which builds 0:59:42.080 --> 0:59:46.560 from the energy and style and and and and aura 0:59:46.760 --> 0:59:50.880 of the root Jam sessions. Right, so Black Lily was 0:59:50.960 --> 0:59:53.880 built off of that. It was, you know, here is 0:59:54.800 --> 0:59:57.720 the next iteration of the root Jam session. And it 0:59:57.800 --> 1:00:02.640 was funded by initially by the Jazzy Fat Nasty's marketing budget. 1:00:03.080 --> 1:00:05.680 And I remember that first that first event we had 1:00:05.880 --> 1:00:08.560 was at the Wetlands and it was probably like fifteen 1:00:08.600 --> 1:00:10.960 people there, you know what I mean. But it was dope. 1:00:11.280 --> 1:00:13.120 It was dope, you know, and we just continued on 1:00:13.120 --> 1:00:16.040 the weekly basis and the crowd started coming and people 1:00:16.080 --> 1:00:18.040 heard about it was free. That was that was the 1:00:18.080 --> 1:00:21.080 other part of it. Early on, it was free, you 1:00:21.120 --> 1:00:22.680 know what I mean. We just had the martest pre 1:00:22.760 --> 1:00:25.919 social media. It's like market you know, to get people there. 1:00:25.960 --> 1:00:28.360 But it was free. And that free event just started 1:00:28.680 --> 1:00:31.400 started growing and then it, you know, eventually moved from 1:00:31.440 --> 1:00:33.280 New York to Philly to the five spot, et cetera, 1:00:33.320 --> 1:00:36.200 et cetera, and you know, it grew to become you know, 1:00:36.240 --> 1:00:37.800 what people know is Black. 1:00:37.520 --> 1:00:40.200 Lily, but never more than ten dollars. 1:00:40.680 --> 1:00:42.560 It still never was more than ten dollars, and it 1:00:42.600 --> 1:00:45.360 became and it became you know, at a certain point, 1:00:45.360 --> 1:00:50.880 so post Jazzy Fat Nasty's budget funding it. You know, 1:00:51.200 --> 1:00:54.640 Richard Nichols commissions were funding it. Because again you got 1:00:54.680 --> 1:00:57.360 to realize this is the post, this is post Shawn 1:00:57.440 --> 1:01:00.680 g coming into the fold, right, So it wasn't like 1:01:00.720 --> 1:01:02.640 when we ain't using this Roots money to fund this 1:01:02.720 --> 1:01:05.760 Black Lively thing, you know what I mean. You know, 1:01:05.800 --> 1:01:08.240 we got enough, We got enough things that the Roots 1:01:08.320 --> 1:01:11.680 money is funding over here. So you know, rich you know, 1:01:12.360 --> 1:01:15.040 mainly rich quite honestly was using the commissions that he 1:01:15.120 --> 1:01:17.800 was making off of the Roots to fund that five 1:01:17.840 --> 1:01:19.880 spot version of the Black Lily. And to your point, 1:01:19.960 --> 1:01:21.920 like we would you know, we charged at the door 1:01:22.000 --> 1:01:24.720 ten dollars, but that was barely you know, covering back line, 1:01:24.760 --> 1:01:27.400 you know what I mean. So it was a we 1:01:27.480 --> 1:01:29.960 lost a lot of money, but you know a lot 1:01:29.960 --> 1:01:32.320 of a lot of big musical movements if you look 1:01:32.360 --> 1:01:35.520 at him in history, you know, they didn't make money, 1:01:35.600 --> 1:01:38.680 you know what I mean. They created, they created culture, 1:01:38.680 --> 1:01:40.600 but it wasn't it wasn't a profit center. 1:01:40.800 --> 1:01:42.320 It's like we got Jazmine Sullivan. 1:01:43.320 --> 1:01:47.840 Yeah yeah, yeah, absolutely absolutely so, so that that's the 1:01:47.920 --> 1:01:52.360 history of sort of black Absolutely, they held us down, 1:01:52.480 --> 1:01:55.360 like yah is the family soul. We went on the 1:01:55.400 --> 1:01:58.680 Okay Point, so Black Lively was poppular. Then we built 1:01:58.680 --> 1:02:02.040 an Okay Player too, and we took all of the 1:02:02.040 --> 1:02:04.720 Black Lily artists on the Okay Player tour. So then 1:02:05.080 --> 1:02:07.640 what happens to Black Lily when they're all out on 1:02:07.680 --> 1:02:10.960 the road for two three months kindred the family soul 1:02:11.240 --> 1:02:15.480 between in Asia and their band, which you know, at 1:02:15.480 --> 1:02:17.400 the time, again they ain't had no money at the time, 1:02:17.440 --> 1:02:20.400 so they just picked musicians that were passionate about the 1:02:21.160 --> 1:02:25.280 you know what I mean. And at the beginning, you know, 1:02:25.520 --> 1:02:27.360 I remember me and rich will look at him like 1:02:27.440 --> 1:02:29.960 they sloppy as ship, like not for teen and Angel, 1:02:30.000 --> 1:02:34.360 but their band, it was just sloppiness. But after four 1:02:34.480 --> 1:02:37.960 or five, six, seven, ten weeks, you know what I mean, 1:02:38.000 --> 1:02:42.640 everybody comes back off the road. They owned Black Lily. 1:02:42.760 --> 1:02:48.000 They defined Black Roots would come and perform at Black Lily, 1:02:48.360 --> 1:02:50.280 and people would be like, oh, that's cool, that's cool. 1:02:50.320 --> 1:02:56.120 Where it's where's Frendrick? You know what I mean? And 1:02:56.400 --> 1:02:58.400 they still I mean again, shout out to both of 1:02:58.440 --> 1:03:00.520 them because they still one of my fas groups, like 1:03:00.560 --> 1:03:03.240 I love I love them. But yeah, so that's that, 1:03:03.360 --> 1:03:05.680 that's the Black Lily story. I mean, Okay Player, you're 1:03:05.760 --> 1:03:10.160 right you when you and an Chad division. I stepped 1:03:10.200 --> 1:03:12.800 in early on because I just wanted to make sure 1:03:12.800 --> 1:03:14.880 there was some business structure there. Again, I didn't want 1:03:14.880 --> 1:03:17.640 this to be Okay a mere starting this business in 1:03:17.680 --> 1:03:21.440 his bedroom, and you know, he's going to eat into 1:03:21.760 --> 1:03:23.680 our roots profits and we won't be able to pay 1:03:23.680 --> 1:03:26.640 for our tour bus on the next tour because you know, 1:03:26.720 --> 1:03:31.840 he's buying everybody computers, you know what I mean. But 1:03:31.960 --> 1:03:38.680 what y'all built was immediately special. Again, the community that 1:03:38.680 --> 1:03:47.800 that that that that that formed around Okay Players absolutely absolutely, 1:03:47.880 --> 1:03:52.240 and and the relationships and the music and the artists 1:03:52.280 --> 1:03:54.960 and you know, I think Will I Am was like, yo, y'all, 1:03:55.000 --> 1:03:56.840 would y'all were the first Facebook? 1:03:57.080 --> 1:03:57.640 You know what I mean? 1:03:57.760 --> 1:03:59.960 Like he said something like that, y'all were the first Facebook. 1:04:00.120 --> 1:04:02.080 It was it was all about the community. It was 1:04:02.160 --> 1:04:04.840 less about you know, artists websites like That's how we 1:04:04.880 --> 1:04:07.480 went into it, right, it was like, let's build this website, 1:04:07.520 --> 1:04:11.800 let's build that website. But yeah, you know you and 1:04:11.920 --> 1:04:16.320 you and Ange your participation in Angie's you know sort 1:04:16.320 --> 1:04:19.160 of vision and and craziness, you know what I mean? 1:04:19.520 --> 1:04:22.600 Were able to were able to attract this sort of 1:04:23.200 --> 1:04:26.560 community that that that you know has has continued to 1:04:27.040 --> 1:04:27.720 grow and build. 1:04:28.600 --> 1:04:32.200 So how did what were the first steps into you 1:04:34.280 --> 1:04:39.600 really building coming outside of just keeping us, you know, 1:04:39.720 --> 1:04:44.200 keeping the lights on for us and then you And 1:04:44.320 --> 1:04:49.160 there's two there's two phases. Yeah, your your empire at 1:04:49.280 --> 1:04:54.800 least as far as tour managing other artists, like what 1:04:54.920 --> 1:04:58.480 was your first rate and tour managing artists that weren't 1:04:58.560 --> 1:05:01.480 roots bas so so. 1:05:02.920 --> 1:05:05.560 A business man, I don't again, I don't. 1:05:05.760 --> 1:05:08.360 And this this is and this is a study in 1:05:08.400 --> 1:05:12.280 my life. Like the title, you know, my title, I 1:05:12.320 --> 1:05:15.000 don't know what it is. Like I call myself a manager, 1:05:15.080 --> 1:05:17.000 you know, that's what I say, a manager because people 1:05:17.080 --> 1:05:20.120 kind of understand that, but I do more. You know, 1:05:20.480 --> 1:05:23.680 it's it's not your traditional man. Anyhow. My second client 1:05:23.760 --> 1:05:25.560 was a young lady out of Philadelphia that I've known 1:05:25.600 --> 1:05:29.040 since high school by the name of Jill Scott. Jill 1:05:29.080 --> 1:05:31.800 and I went to brother sister high schools. I went 1:05:31.840 --> 1:05:34.280 to Central, she went to Girls High. I knew her 1:05:34.280 --> 1:05:38.640 in high school. We uh, we went on a we 1:05:38.680 --> 1:05:41.000 went on a we even going a prom together. 1:05:41.040 --> 1:05:43.040 But yeah, okay, because she's already told this story so 1:05:43.040 --> 1:05:44.160 that we needed to sound the same. 1:05:44.240 --> 1:05:49.120 Y'all went to She went on a prom with a guy. 1:05:49.400 --> 1:05:51.040 I went on a prom with. 1:05:51.040 --> 1:05:51.880 A young lady. 1:05:52.760 --> 1:05:54.600 After the you know how after the prom you go 1:05:54.640 --> 1:05:58.240 to Great Adventures, right, So we were all at the 1:05:58.280 --> 1:06:00.760 prom together. Then the next day it was like four 1:06:00.800 --> 1:06:03.520 couples that were supposed to go to Great Adventure together. 1:06:04.440 --> 1:06:07.160 It was the three couples in me. My date didn't 1:06:07.200 --> 1:06:09.960 go with me, so it was, you know, I was 1:06:10.000 --> 1:06:12.680 the third wheel or whatever you want to call it. 1:06:12.720 --> 1:06:15.880 So you know, we hung out then, and you know, 1:06:15.920 --> 1:06:17.840 I sort of lost touch with Jill after high school, 1:06:17.880 --> 1:06:19.240 like you know what I mean. She was the girl's 1:06:19.280 --> 1:06:20.880 high jone. 1:06:21.720 --> 1:06:23.600 And I remember. 1:06:24.720 --> 1:06:27.840 Having a cassette to giving me a cassette with the 1:06:27.880 --> 1:06:31.680 original You Got Me beat and hook, and on the 1:06:31.720 --> 1:06:34.600 cassette was written the Jill song. I don't remember this 1:06:34.600 --> 1:06:35.960 on here. We used to be called the jail so 1:06:36.240 --> 1:06:38.240 the Jil song R it was, And you know I 1:06:38.320 --> 1:06:40.160 just ignored. I was like, oh, the Jill song, Yo, 1:06:40.200 --> 1:06:42.080 that Jill song, banging like yo, that Jill song. You 1:06:42.080 --> 1:06:45.240 gotta do that Jill song. Anyhow, at a certain point 1:06:45.320 --> 1:06:48.520 we were on tour and we were at whatever that 1:06:48.600 --> 1:06:52.320 venue that is across the street from Fenway Park in Boston. 1:06:52.680 --> 1:06:54.640 You know that little club Fante that's right across the 1:06:54.640 --> 1:06:55.640 street from Fenway Park. 1:06:58.320 --> 1:07:00.000 But it's not that it's not the Middle East. 1:07:00.760 --> 1:07:02.120 It might have been a Middle I don't know what. 1:07:02.160 --> 1:07:05.400 It's right across a Frienway Park, but I remember we were, Yeah, 1:07:05.680 --> 1:07:10.400 we were in bound Chack and I heard this voice 1:07:10.400 --> 1:07:14.760 from the stage and it was Jill singing you do 1:07:14.800 --> 1:07:18.000 you got me hooked? And I walked out and I'm 1:07:18.040 --> 1:07:20.200 looking at her and she's looking at me, and I'm like, 1:07:20.600 --> 1:07:23.800 Jill Scott, like you are the Jill song and she 1:07:23.960 --> 1:07:26.360 was like showing you know what I mean. And that 1:07:26.480 --> 1:07:28.600 was like the first time we connected was at soundcheck 1:07:28.640 --> 1:07:31.240 when she came out, you know, doing some doing some 1:07:31.280 --> 1:07:35.240 shows with the Roots. And you know, her husband or 1:07:35.320 --> 1:07:38.560 ex husband now was managing her at the time, and 1:07:38.640 --> 1:07:41.920 she had her and her lawyer had to negotiate with 1:07:42.080 --> 1:07:46.360 me the deal terms to get on that tour. And 1:07:46.480 --> 1:07:48.400 you know, I think she had, you know, a lawyer 1:07:48.440 --> 1:07:50.400 that was like, you know, she was a lawyer, but 1:07:50.440 --> 1:07:52.120 she wasn't an entertainment lawyer. It might have been her 1:07:52.120 --> 1:07:54.160 girlfriend or something, you know what I mean, that happened 1:07:54.160 --> 1:07:56.960 to be a lawyer, and she was asking for all 1:07:57.040 --> 1:07:59.440 kinds of shit Like I was like, yo, sweetheart, like 1:07:59.600 --> 1:08:02.320 do you understand what this is? Like I'm gonna give 1:08:02.360 --> 1:08:04.720 you this amount of money and this is how we try, 1:08:04.880 --> 1:08:05.960 like you know what I mean. She's like, well, she 1:08:05.960 --> 1:08:08.200 needs to fly between each other. And I'm like, yeah, 1:08:08.160 --> 1:08:10.720 we're playing House of Blues, Like what are you talking about? 1:08:10.840 --> 1:08:13.960 But because Jill was my friend, because she was my 1:08:14.080 --> 1:08:16.920 friend or you know, I had an own her, I 1:08:17.000 --> 1:08:20.040 called her and Lizell and said, Yo, I'm just gonna 1:08:20.040 --> 1:08:23.400 give you a piece of advice. Like this lawyer she 1:08:23.479 --> 1:08:26.439 has no idea what she's talking about, and she may 1:08:26.880 --> 1:08:30.880 ruin relationships. Like if it wasn't me, if it wasn't me, 1:08:31.320 --> 1:08:33.800 I would be like, fuck this girl. Let's just you know, 1:08:33.880 --> 1:08:36.639 we'll figure out how we do this. This girl is crazy, right, 1:08:37.040 --> 1:08:40.559 So I think her and Lizel appreciated that, and you know, 1:08:40.640 --> 1:08:42.759 a few months, you know, then you know, Jill became 1:08:42.920 --> 1:08:45.840 you know, she started putting her record together and Touch 1:08:45.840 --> 1:08:48.200 of Jazz and you know, all of that, and her 1:08:48.240 --> 1:08:51.719 record came out July of two thousand and July two 1:08:51.760 --> 1:08:56.000 thousand and I think later in the fall, like she 1:08:56.040 --> 1:08:59.080 would you know everything, she was grinding or whatever, and 1:08:59.120 --> 1:09:01.120 they called me and was like, Yo, can you come 1:09:01.520 --> 1:09:04.000 be a part of our team? And I was like, 1:09:04.640 --> 1:09:05.560 what do you want me to do? 1:09:05.600 --> 1:09:05.800 Again? 1:09:05.840 --> 1:09:07.519 It's almost like a Richard Nichols call. I was like, 1:09:07.840 --> 1:09:09.200 what do you what do you what do you want 1:09:09.240 --> 1:09:11.200 me to do? And they were like, you know, I don't, 1:09:11.240 --> 1:09:13.519 we don't know, we don't know what we're doing. You 1:09:13.560 --> 1:09:16.000 know you work with the roots. You know you know 1:09:16.040 --> 1:09:19.280 what you're doing, and we trust you. That was basic, 1:09:19.439 --> 1:09:22.360 the basic premise of our relationship. Needed the call and 1:09:22.400 --> 1:09:25.400 the start of our relationship. So again I came in 1:09:25.840 --> 1:09:29.679 leveraging what I knew finance, so you know, I stepped 1:09:29.680 --> 1:09:31.320 in and looked at the money and tried to make 1:09:31.360 --> 1:09:34.240 sure everything was structured right business wise. I came in 1:09:34.320 --> 1:09:36.600 and immediately took over all the touring because I was 1:09:36.640 --> 1:09:38.760 the roots guy. We were doing two hundred shows a year, 1:09:38.800 --> 1:09:40.760 like this is how you organize your touring, et cetera, 1:09:40.840 --> 1:09:43.719 et cetera. And I just came in playing my roles again. 1:09:44.360 --> 1:09:46.519 I never had a title with Jill. We always called 1:09:46.520 --> 1:09:50.200 ourselves business partners because you know, she went through a 1:09:50.200 --> 1:09:53.240 couple managers and then she's like, this managership ain't working 1:09:53.240 --> 1:09:55.519 for me. You know, me and Sean we just rock together. 1:09:55.560 --> 1:09:58.679 We're business partners. But people call me a business manager early, 1:09:58.720 --> 1:10:00.920 people to this day called call me her manager. But 1:10:00.920 --> 1:10:03.720 we're just business partners. We just we just build right, 1:10:03.760 --> 1:10:06.760 we build together. So Jill was my second client, and 1:10:06.920 --> 1:10:09.200 you know, thankfully, both the Roots and my first two 1:10:09.240 --> 1:10:11.559 clients I always say will be my last two clients, 1:10:11.600 --> 1:10:13.479 you know what I mean, We've been together, you know, 1:10:13.880 --> 1:10:19.040 multiple decades. My third client, though, is the one who 1:10:19.680 --> 1:10:23.880 sort of set my trajectory to where you know, the 1:10:24.520 --> 1:10:27.120 next phase of my business was. And that was you know, 1:10:27.200 --> 1:10:30.439 me getting a call from Don de West in two 1:10:30.439 --> 1:10:36.200 thousand and four when Kanye had college dropout and wanted 1:10:36.240 --> 1:10:38.960 to do a tour. You know, he wanted to do 1:10:39.000 --> 1:10:41.960 a tour. He wanted to do a college tour, and 1:10:42.120 --> 1:10:45.559 nobody on his team had ever worked with a tour 1:10:45.920 --> 1:10:49.200 touring artist. You know, his managers at the time, Gee Roberson, 1:10:49.240 --> 1:10:53.080 Who's hip hop, ol Branch hip Hop, they all at 1:10:53.080 --> 1:10:55.720 that point, they all they managed was producers. They had 1:10:55.880 --> 1:10:58.760 just Blaze. They had Yay. You know, remember Yeay was 1:10:58.760 --> 1:11:01.439 a superstar producer before he became an artist, so they 1:11:01.439 --> 1:11:03.960 were like the managers of all the superstar producers, so 1:11:03.960 --> 1:11:07.000 they ain't no shit about touring. The business manager that 1:11:07.080 --> 1:11:09.519 he had, Kellogg and Amberson, I believe, was the company 1:11:09.520 --> 1:11:12.679 in LA. They were filming TV. You know, they didn't 1:11:12.680 --> 1:11:14.800 have any music folks, so they didn't know much about touring. 1:11:14.880 --> 1:11:17.400 And his agent was a lady named Karen Lewis, and 1:11:17.560 --> 1:11:20.120 Kar told them you need to talk to this guy, 1:11:20.200 --> 1:11:25.720 Sean G. Because he can organize, strategize, he'll have your ship, right, 1:11:25.840 --> 1:11:29.040 So they flew me out to LA interviewed like three people, 1:11:29.160 --> 1:11:30.400 and they hired me on the spot. 1:11:30.960 --> 1:11:33.760 Can ask but be cause you mentioned that we did 1:11:33.760 --> 1:11:38.000 two hundred shows a year, where was that common knowledge? 1:11:38.160 --> 1:11:41.280 Like was that common knowledge in the business of like 1:11:42.400 --> 1:11:46.840 how the roots keep like able to you know, is 1:11:46.880 --> 1:11:49.880 that normal for a music act to do that many shows? 1:11:49.920 --> 1:11:54.320 Like what does a normal act do in terms of 1:11:54.320 --> 1:11:56.240 like what is it what does a gang start doing 1:11:56.240 --> 1:11:56.960 that time period? 1:11:57.280 --> 1:11:59.719 So so you got to think about the time period 1:11:59.720 --> 1:12:01.720 that we're in and the time period that we're in 1:12:03.240 --> 1:12:07.240 touring wasn't sexy, you know what I mean. Touring wasn't 1:12:07.240 --> 1:12:10.600 a thing, especially in black culture. You know, in the 1:12:10.680 --> 1:12:13.160 in the alt rock world, which is you know, alt 1:12:13.240 --> 1:12:15.719 rock slash jam bard world, which you know, a mirors 1:12:15.840 --> 1:12:18.160 was our model. That's the model that me and you 1:12:18.280 --> 1:12:21.360 rich In Tarik sort of built around. Was like, you know, 1:12:21.479 --> 1:12:27.120 the alt rock or jam band model, and fifty doing 1:12:27.160 --> 1:12:29.240 one hundred and fifty two hundred shows a year was 1:12:29.280 --> 1:12:34.240 normal with that world because number one, these bands grew 1:12:34.320 --> 1:12:37.360 up as fans of bands, you know what I mean, 1:12:37.560 --> 1:12:40.799 So it was part of their culture, their favorite bands 1:12:40.840 --> 1:12:43.160 when they were growing up and playing that guitar in 1:12:43.160 --> 1:12:45.920 their garage or wherever the fuck they learned their music, 1:12:46.320 --> 1:12:49.160 their favorite bands they experienced live, so it was live 1:12:49.320 --> 1:12:53.000 was part of their culture, our culture, you know, as 1:12:53.040 --> 1:12:57.120 as consumers of black music, you know, especially hip hop. 1:12:57.479 --> 1:13:01.760 Live wasn't a thing. So we were a huge anomaly 1:13:02.080 --> 1:13:04.600 within hip hop by doing all those shows. You know, 1:13:05.320 --> 1:13:09.320 hip hop tour was you know, uh uh bad boy 1:13:09.400 --> 1:13:11.040 versus you know what I mean, whatever, You know what 1:13:11.040 --> 1:13:13.200 I mean, it was if you're not in the big 1:13:13.240 --> 1:13:16.200 arena with with with Pyro and all of that, you're 1:13:16.240 --> 1:13:18.040 not really touring. You know what I mean. You're going 1:13:18.080 --> 1:13:22.000 after fresh Yeah, you're going after your big publishing checks. 1:13:22.000 --> 1:13:24.479 Are you going after your Adidas deal? Are you going 1:13:24.479 --> 1:13:26.400 to get another advance from a label? That's how you 1:13:26.400 --> 1:13:28.679 made your money, Like you weren't making money on the road. 1:13:28.680 --> 1:13:32.040 Who did that? So for us, we were an anomaly 1:13:32.840 --> 1:13:35.920 in hip hop. We were anomaly in black music by 1:13:36.000 --> 1:13:39.320 doing all of that. So from a from an overall 1:13:39.439 --> 1:13:43.439 artist perspective and fan perspective, they probably didn't recognize it, 1:13:43.520 --> 1:13:46.840 but the business people in the music industry recognized it. 1:13:47.120 --> 1:13:51.760 The label heads, the label execs, the agents, you know 1:13:51.800 --> 1:13:54.640 what I mean, they all realized, like, oh ship the roots, 1:13:55.040 --> 1:13:56.960 you know what I mean, they're doing their thing and 1:13:57.200 --> 1:13:59.760 they're a live bang like you know. So that's how 1:13:59.840 --> 1:14:03.960 I was recognized through Karen Lewis to be recommended to 1:14:04.040 --> 1:14:08.320 Kanye because of the business that we built by doing 1:14:08.320 --> 1:14:11.160 two hundred shows a year and making sure it's organized, 1:14:11.400 --> 1:14:13.920 making sure we're you know again, simple shit, we're on time, 1:14:14.400 --> 1:14:17.920 you know what I mean. We perform, you know, we 1:14:17.960 --> 1:14:20.400 collect our money, we pay our bills, and we wake 1:14:20.479 --> 1:14:22.240 up and do it another day, you know what I mean. 1:14:22.320 --> 1:14:24.240 That's sort of back to the blue collar, that blue 1:14:24.240 --> 1:14:25.800 collar musician, you know. 1:14:26.439 --> 1:14:29.280 I asked one more question inside of this question. 1:14:29.800 --> 1:14:34.880 Yeah, again, like if you look at marketplaces and maybe 1:14:34.880 --> 1:14:36.280 this is more of an agent question. 1:14:36.479 --> 1:14:38.599 Maybe this is the Caroll Lewis episode. I don't know, but. 1:14:39.560 --> 1:14:45.800 If, as far as I know, there's really around the world, 1:14:46.280 --> 1:14:49.719 who would you say that there's maybe at the most 1:14:49.720 --> 1:14:51.120 twenty three markets. 1:14:50.720 --> 1:14:54.879 For us for the for the roots use us as. 1:14:54.479 --> 1:14:57.880 An example, like how many marketers are there? 1:14:58.360 --> 1:15:04.000 And people to the past, like is it normal for 1:15:04.040 --> 1:15:05.639 an artist, because that's the thing I want to convey 1:15:05.640 --> 1:15:06.080 to people. 1:15:06.479 --> 1:15:10.000 Is it normal for an artist to play New York. 1:15:09.880 --> 1:15:13.880 City seven times a year and still sell out? 1:15:13.920 --> 1:15:14.040 Like? 1:15:14.120 --> 1:15:14.679 How are you? 1:15:15.080 --> 1:15:17.439 I just had this conversation with I had this conversation 1:15:17.560 --> 1:15:20.800 with an agent because again, you got to think about 1:15:20.800 --> 1:15:23.719 the time frame that we were in versus the time 1:15:23.760 --> 1:15:26.439 frame now like right now, it you know a lot 1:15:26.479 --> 1:15:28.280 of and because you know, I'm sure we'll get to 1:15:28.320 --> 1:15:30.280 the live nation side of my life. But because I'm 1:15:30.280 --> 1:15:33.280 working with artists from a different perspective, you know, it 1:15:33.360 --> 1:15:37.360 is short term gratification. It is Yo, I played the 1:15:37.360 --> 1:15:41.000 House of Blues last tour. Why aren't I playing you know, 1:15:41.040 --> 1:15:43.240 Hammerstein Ballroom this tour, and I want to be in 1:15:43.320 --> 1:15:46.240 Madison Square Garden by my next album, you know what 1:15:46.280 --> 1:15:53.360 I mean. And I'm like, yo, y'all tripping like happening. Yeah, 1:15:53.400 --> 1:15:57.280 you we from a roots perspective. We played the House 1:15:57.360 --> 1:16:03.080 of Blues for fifteen years and we're happy about it. 1:16:03.120 --> 1:16:07.920 In Halloween World, yeah, we increased all the financial was 1:16:08.439 --> 1:16:11.920 instead of trying to reach too far on venue size, 1:16:12.200 --> 1:16:15.280 we would just increase the ticket price, every ticket paying back, 1:16:15.439 --> 1:16:16.880 you know what I mean. So that's how we went 1:16:16.920 --> 1:16:20.120 from ten thousand dollars a show to twelve five. 1:16:20.160 --> 1:16:21.880 Better save it at New Year's Even show. 1:16:23.120 --> 1:16:25.840 So so that so that part of it, I mean, 1:16:25.960 --> 1:16:30.040 you know, we don't you know we there are there 1:16:30.120 --> 1:16:34.599 are probably you know, a good thirty to thirty five 1:16:34.920 --> 1:16:37.680 cities if you're a popular hip hop artist in the 1:16:37.800 --> 1:16:40.880 US that you can play. If you're if you're if 1:16:40.880 --> 1:16:44.160 you're Drake, you know, you can go into going to 1:16:44.280 --> 1:16:47.920 Des Moines, Iowa, and Eugene, Oregon, and you know what 1:16:47.960 --> 1:16:50.760 I mean, Tallahassee, Florida, and you know you can you 1:16:50.760 --> 1:16:54.080 can hit those forty and fifty you know, tertiary or 1:16:54.080 --> 1:16:58.560 whatever is beyond tertiary markets but for most successful artists, 1:16:58.600 --> 1:17:01.080 you're between twenty five and thirty markets in the US. 1:17:02.200 --> 1:17:05.479 In Europe, you know, you have multiple markets in the UK, 1:17:06.000 --> 1:17:08.519 you know, depending on again how big you are, from 1:17:08.520 --> 1:17:11.920 a from a from a pop culture perspective, from a 1:17:11.920 --> 1:17:14.000 pop culture perspective, depending how big you are, you have 1:17:14.040 --> 1:17:16.200 multiple markets in the UK. And then you have a 1:17:16.240 --> 1:17:19.280 handful in continental Europe, you know, in the continent. Like 1:17:19.320 --> 1:17:21.920 it's not like you're going too deep. You know, you're 1:17:21.960 --> 1:17:25.320 basically one city per country, you know what I mean. 1:17:25.640 --> 1:17:35.520 You're doing Amsterdam, you're doing. 1:17:31.160 --> 1:17:35.040 You might hit like Helsinki, like you might see you know. 1:17:35.040 --> 1:17:35.320 What I mean. 1:17:36.160 --> 1:17:38.240 Germany you can hit two or three cities, you know 1:17:38.280 --> 1:17:39.439 what I mean, And you. 1:17:39.520 --> 1:17:44.479 Got motherfucking uh like maybe kind of went up last 1:17:44.479 --> 1:17:46.840 time I went, but like you got that Berlin can 1:17:46.880 --> 1:17:47.479 go Berlin. 1:17:47.800 --> 1:17:48.000 Yeah. 1:17:48.120 --> 1:17:52.160 Yeah. So so you know it's there's there isn't a ton. Now, 1:17:52.240 --> 1:17:55.960 what's what's open the market? It's festivals, because you have 1:17:56.160 --> 1:17:59.599 festivals in these secondary cities in Europe now where you 1:17:59.600 --> 1:18:02.680 can go to Leon or whatever and they or you 1:18:02.720 --> 1:18:06.360 can go to to Portugal, you know, where you can't 1:18:06.360 --> 1:18:08.360 go do a hard ticket date there. You can go, 1:18:08.400 --> 1:18:10.640 So that's opened up. The amount of markets is the 1:18:11.120 --> 1:18:14.519 sort of festival economy over the last decade. But you know, 1:18:14.560 --> 1:18:16.920 there is a limited amount of markets. And for us, 1:18:17.120 --> 1:18:18.920 what we did is we continue to just go back 1:18:18.920 --> 1:18:21.519 and play markets because you build that audience one show, 1:18:21.600 --> 1:18:23.519 one fan at a time, you know what I mean, 1:18:23.520 --> 1:18:25.519 and when it's time to grow, You'll know when it's 1:18:25.520 --> 1:18:26.280 time to grow. 1:18:26.400 --> 1:18:27.639 And it should be noted by this time. 1:18:27.640 --> 1:18:29.120 By the time you get to Kanye, you're not a 1:18:29.120 --> 1:18:31.960 one man band, right Like, there's like the office. 1:18:32.000 --> 1:18:33.240 Maybe you've got some help, but are you. 1:18:33.200 --> 1:18:37.080 Still yeah yeah, yeah yeah, right around Jill, Right around Jill. 1:18:37.320 --> 1:18:39.479 When I picked up Jill, I started, you know, I 1:18:39.560 --> 1:18:42.320 hired two people, you know what I mean. I was like, okay, 1:18:42.360 --> 1:18:44.880 now I got Now I got a company. You know, 1:18:44.880 --> 1:18:46.200 when it was the roots, it was just me. I 1:18:46.240 --> 1:18:47.400 was just trying to figure out what the hell I 1:18:47.439 --> 1:18:49.000 was doing. When I got jail, I was like, oh, 1:18:49.040 --> 1:18:50.680 I got a business. I got two clients. You know. 1:18:50.960 --> 1:18:52.680 By the time I got to Kanye, you know, I 1:18:52.720 --> 1:18:55.400 never I never really stacked up to you know, a 1:18:55.520 --> 1:18:58.800 thousand people in sixteen offices. There's always been a pretty small, 1:18:59.000 --> 1:19:03.160 pretty small operation. But but but yeah, yeah, so by 1:19:03.160 --> 1:19:04.599 the time I got to Kanye, you know, I had, 1:19:04.640 --> 1:19:05.720 I had, I had some folks to it. 1:19:06.080 --> 1:19:12.800 Okay, so in building your clientele, which you know Drake 1:19:12.960 --> 1:19:15.599 is well, I mean more than that, I who name 1:19:15.680 --> 1:19:19.080 all your clients because I know Latifa And again I 1:19:19.120 --> 1:19:22.160 know you don't have a title, but as far as 1:19:22.200 --> 1:19:26.000 I know, if money is coming down the pike to you, 1:19:26.000 --> 1:19:29.400 you are in some You're under that management Unbroke. 1:19:29.640 --> 1:19:32.680 Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was. It was. So that's why 1:19:32.720 --> 1:19:35.439 I say so with Kanye, I had this weird role 1:19:35.680 --> 1:19:38.479 of I wasn't as manager. I wasn't as business manager. 1:19:38.520 --> 1:19:40.960 I wasn't his agent, I wasn't as all of that. 1:19:41.560 --> 1:19:44.559 I was just a consultant in touring. So I you know, 1:19:44.600 --> 1:19:46.920 I worked with him. We we we worked on that 1:19:47.080 --> 1:19:50.160 very first college tour, which was the School Spirit Tour 1:19:50.960 --> 1:19:55.240 from college dropout. And you know, and when I say worked, 1:19:55.280 --> 1:19:58.760 I mean I felt it was more tour strategy. Like 1:19:58.840 --> 1:20:02.360 I hired the tour man, I hired the production manager, 1:20:02.640 --> 1:20:06.040 I hired the whole team, and I worked with the 1:20:06.080 --> 1:20:09.080 agent and worked with ya on the overall strategy. And 1:20:09.320 --> 1:20:11.800 you know, I started with him on colleges. And I 1:20:11.880 --> 1:20:13.800 think the last tour I did with him was Watched 1:20:13.800 --> 1:20:16.200 the Throne, you know, with with with with him and Jay, 1:20:16.240 --> 1:20:18.880 and you know, I sort of took that trajectory went 1:20:18.920 --> 1:20:21.360 from with him. I went from clubs to theaters to 1:20:21.479 --> 1:20:25.120 amphitheaters to arenas, the stadiums, you know. And I learned 1:20:25.439 --> 1:20:29.879 the big business of touring through my experience with Kanye West. 1:20:30.320 --> 1:20:35.680 As I started building that reputation other and building my relationships, 1:20:35.920 --> 1:20:40.160 other artists started coming to me for that work. So 1:20:40.320 --> 1:20:44.280 Ge Roberson, his next client after Kanye in two thousand 1:20:44.280 --> 1:20:47.920 and seven was Lil Wayne. And again this is two 1:20:47.960 --> 1:20:50.479 thousand and seven, two thousand and eight. Lil Wayne. You know, 1:20:50.560 --> 1:20:54.439 he releases Carter three, the biggest record in the first world, 1:20:54.520 --> 1:20:57.080 a million of first week. So he's no longer some 1:20:57.080 --> 1:21:00.639 some hood as hip hop artists. He's a driving culture. 1:21:01.000 --> 1:21:03.559 But his touring was on some hood shit, like he 1:21:03.680 --> 1:21:05.880 was still getting brown paper bags from the ship clubs, 1:21:06.120 --> 1:21:08.240 you know what I mean. So G was like, Yo, 1:21:08.400 --> 1:21:11.280 my guy just did the glow and a Dark tour 1:21:11.720 --> 1:21:15.040 with Kanye. We need to bring him over here. So 1:21:15.120 --> 1:21:18.280 G and Cortes hired me. Again, I wasn't Wayne's business manager. 1:21:18.320 --> 1:21:20.840 I wasn't Wayne's manager. I was just this guy who 1:21:20.920 --> 1:21:23.240 came in and built his touring business and we went 1:21:23.280 --> 1:21:26.800 from you know, strip clubs and brown paper bags to 1:21:27.240 --> 1:21:29.080 you know, I AM Music Tour, which was the first 1:21:29.080 --> 1:21:31.200 tour and we did I Am Still Music Tour after 1:21:31.400 --> 1:21:33.479 he got out of jail, and we've done America's Most 1:21:33.479 --> 1:21:37.240 Wanted and you know, built that up on that first 1:21:37.280 --> 1:21:39.800 tour with Wayne. You know, he had a bunch of 1:21:39.880 --> 1:21:42.400 artists that he was developing on this random tour bus. 1:21:42.720 --> 1:21:45.840 And on that bus was Drake, a young young gentleman 1:21:45.880 --> 1:21:47.560 by the name of Drake, a young lady by the 1:21:47.640 --> 1:21:51.160 name of Nicki Minaj, amongst others. So, you know, I 1:21:51.280 --> 1:21:54.719 started working with g and Cortes and I started working 1:21:54.760 --> 1:21:57.880 with Drake early on and built the sort of infrastructure 1:21:57.880 --> 1:22:00.479 for him and for me. My role was touring, you 1:22:00.560 --> 1:22:02.320 know what I mean, And I helped, you know, build 1:22:02.360 --> 1:22:07.080 with his agent, Rob Gibs, helped build his early touring career. 1:22:07.080 --> 1:22:09.120 I think the last tour I did with Drake was 1:22:09.160 --> 1:22:12.720 Club Paradise when I had you know, just just how 1:22:12.760 --> 1:22:15.880 the puzzle works. On the first European tour that I 1:22:15.920 --> 1:22:19.000 did with Drake. Drake chose an opener by the name 1:22:19.040 --> 1:22:22.479 of J Cole. You know J Cole and his management team. 1:22:22.479 --> 1:22:24.720 I had knewest management team. They knew my wife through 1:22:24.720 --> 1:22:27.640 the business and you know, on that Europe tour we 1:22:27.760 --> 1:22:30.160 built and they called me in in in London, they 1:22:30.160 --> 1:22:32.559 called me in there in their dressing room. Was like, Sean, 1:22:32.600 --> 1:22:34.720 I need you to help us. You know what you're 1:22:34.720 --> 1:22:36.320 doing with Drake, what you did with Wayne. I need 1:22:36.360 --> 1:22:38.800 you to help us. So I worked with Cole from 1:22:39.080 --> 1:22:41.920 the Friday Night Lights period on up through his first 1:22:41.920 --> 1:22:43.880 arena tour. I mean a lot of the roles that 1:22:43.920 --> 1:22:47.680 I played with artists because I'm building their touring, I'm 1:22:47.720 --> 1:22:51.000 also educating their team. So I sort of worked myself 1:22:51.040 --> 1:22:53.160 out of a job at certain points and times, you 1:22:53.160 --> 1:22:57.919 know what I mean. You know, when when Drake's contract 1:22:58.000 --> 1:23:00.519 was up with with with Cortez and Gina Man's company, 1:23:00.520 --> 1:23:02.920 you know what I mean. And his management team who 1:23:03.000 --> 1:23:07.040 came on is as bright eyed, you know, you know, 1:23:07.439 --> 1:23:11.439 sort of naive Toronto kids, but super smart, you know 1:23:11.479 --> 1:23:13.960 what I mean. They come ask me questions. They see 1:23:13.960 --> 1:23:16.479 how the ship run like it's it's not rocket science. 1:23:16.520 --> 1:23:18.599 It's like if you're smart in your attention, you pay 1:23:18.600 --> 1:23:20.760 attention to detail. You can do this right. So at 1:23:20.800 --> 1:23:23.120 a certain point they're like, all right, cool, Sean, I'm good, 1:23:23.200 --> 1:23:25.000 you know what I mean. J Cole, same same thing. 1:23:25.080 --> 1:23:27.160 J Cole's crew. I love them, you know what I mean? 1:23:27.200 --> 1:23:29.920 I love them because they were super smart. They thought 1:23:29.920 --> 1:23:33.160 out of the box. They were always individuals, never really 1:23:33.200 --> 1:23:37.360 followed a pattern. Eve and Adam we would always talk 1:23:37.360 --> 1:23:40.760 about touring Envision and Rob Gibbs again their agent, and 1:23:40.920 --> 1:23:42.599 you know, at a certain point they were like, oh, 1:23:42.920 --> 1:23:45.439 you know, your resources are my resources now right. I 1:23:45.479 --> 1:23:47.559 know I know a rigor what a riggor does, and 1:23:47.600 --> 1:23:49.800 I know I can call the rigger, you know, who 1:23:49.880 --> 1:23:51.960 hung my light's last tour, So I don't need you know, 1:23:52.080 --> 1:23:54.679 But I don't mind that because I think that's part 1:23:54.720 --> 1:23:56.800 of you know, i'll use the L word, but it's 1:23:56.840 --> 1:23:58.840 part of sort of my legacy in the business. Is 1:23:59.160 --> 1:24:03.519 I am joy, Yeah, I am. I am teaching these young, 1:24:04.200 --> 1:24:07.519 you know, super smart future executives the touring game. So 1:24:07.520 --> 1:24:12.719 I went from Cole to Nicki, Wayne Cole, Nicki Drake, 1:24:13.760 --> 1:24:15.200 you know, and a few others. 1:24:15.200 --> 1:24:16.559 But that was sort of and also I think that 1:24:16.600 --> 1:24:19.440 you're is you teaching them how to do it for themselves, 1:24:19.479 --> 1:24:22.760 not by themselves, but you know, teaching them like, yo, 1:24:23.000 --> 1:24:25.000 you can do this for yourself. 1:24:25.040 --> 1:24:28.000 You know what I'm saying, with the resources that are available. 1:24:27.520 --> 1:24:32.880 To you, absolutely now without it being all got you 1:24:33.000 --> 1:24:34.440 journalism disc. 1:24:36.280 --> 1:24:37.280 No no, no, no, no no this. 1:24:38.000 --> 1:24:45.160 What can you talk about managing expectations? You can actually 1:24:45.240 --> 1:24:47.760 use me as an example. I mean, I would like 1:24:47.840 --> 1:24:50.800 to think that you know, you've only had maybe two 1:24:50.960 --> 1:24:52.040 or three of those. 1:24:52.560 --> 1:24:56.960 Four m a mirrorphone calls of what the fuck? All right? 1:24:57.080 --> 1:25:01.280 One time I misread a price on a ay on 1:25:01.360 --> 1:25:05.880 a particular or on a simple item a mattress and 1:25:05.880 --> 1:25:11.240 a mattress, Well, I okay, I graduated from the W mattress. 1:25:11.320 --> 1:25:13.400 Oh ship no rich put me. 1:25:13.360 --> 1:25:22.160 On to Hastens on a Hastens mattresses and they're extremely pricey. 1:25:23.040 --> 1:25:25.840 The thing was, they saw me walking in the door. 1:25:26.760 --> 1:25:28.479 They must have thought it was a football player played 1:25:28.479 --> 1:25:28.640 with the. 1:25:28.640 --> 1:25:33.640 Giants or whatever. I don't know. And you know I 1:25:33.680 --> 1:25:35.760 came in like I will be the first to. 1:25:35.840 --> 1:25:39.439 Tell you shut up, sorry you got a king, because 1:25:39.479 --> 1:25:40.880 I'm just looking at a queen and I'm like. 1:25:40.760 --> 1:25:43.360 Got that right? So they take what kind of kind 1:25:43.400 --> 1:25:47.799 of when you go into Hastins, they. 1:25:48.840 --> 1:25:53.720 They they they you're supposed to They're supposed to you 1:25:53.800 --> 1:25:57.000 try one bed, and I still feel like they lied. 1:25:57.120 --> 1:25:58.320 I feel like they lie. 1:25:58.160 --> 1:26:03.120 To you and make that initial cheap bed so uber comfortable. 1:26:03.680 --> 1:26:07.000 Then your mind's like, hey, let me try that one 1:26:07.000 --> 1:26:08.160 over there. What's that over there? 1:26:08.160 --> 1:26:10.000 And you're like, oh, this is sud you know, maybe 1:26:10.080 --> 1:26:12.639 two hundred more and you're give that one, and then 1:26:12.840 --> 1:26:13.320 they got you. 1:26:13.800 --> 1:26:15.760 Then they're like, all right, let's go to the next one. 1:26:15.920 --> 1:26:16.760 Let's go to the next one. 1:26:17.000 --> 1:26:19.439 These motherfuckers actually just brought me to the top of 1:26:19.439 --> 1:26:23.679 the line. Joined I didn't look at the price because 1:26:23.720 --> 1:26:26.800 again Rich is like, yo, I think, I think you'll 1:26:26.840 --> 1:26:28.920 you know, you have better circulation for your legs and 1:26:28.960 --> 1:26:30.880 d D d D if you get this Haystens bed. 1:26:31.080 --> 1:26:34.120 So I got in the bed, fella stick like you 1:26:34.200 --> 1:26:37.559 lay down for ten minutes and then I say, yeah, 1:26:37.600 --> 1:26:40.599 I fell asleep. Okay, great, I'll take it, and here's 1:26:40.640 --> 1:26:44.719 my office number, and I'm thanks. And I never looked 1:26:44.800 --> 1:26:48.840 at the price because you know, at that time, getting 1:26:48.920 --> 1:26:53.120 a W Hotel bed was a big deal because W 1:26:53.280 --> 1:26:57.559 Hotel beds were like seventeen hundred bucks again, which was 1:26:57.720 --> 1:27:02.120 expensive for w Hotel bed. I didn't realize that I 1:27:02.320 --> 1:27:06.000 just purchased a six figure bed. 1:27:07.000 --> 1:27:08.720 I got a hundred thousand dollars. I didn't look at 1:27:08.720 --> 1:27:09.040 the price. 1:27:10.600 --> 1:27:13.519 This is the whole night. This is bed, like the frame, 1:27:14.200 --> 1:27:22.440 everything has over the egg. That's all you. 1:27:23.280 --> 1:27:23.400 Get. 1:27:23.640 --> 1:27:30.599 Visit Monday right again, Babe Bill said that Hastings has 1:27:30.640 --> 1:27:31.599 two dots over. 1:27:31.520 --> 1:27:32.320 Two dots. 1:27:33.720 --> 1:27:34.519 J Z like j. 1:27:36.040 --> 1:27:36.960 That's all you need to know. 1:27:37.360 --> 1:27:43.920 You're gonna get charges out. It's like a white person dots. 1:27:44.000 --> 1:27:46.240 There's like ship like whoa. 1:27:47.120 --> 1:27:48.519 Anyway, So cut to. 1:27:50.120 --> 1:27:54.680 Eight o'clock in the morning the next day, yeo, you 1:27:54.720 --> 1:27:58.680 would have thought I ran everybody's mom over with the 1:27:58.720 --> 1:28:02.160 car the like really, it's come to this now, like 1:28:02.200 --> 1:28:04.559 we we give you an inch and this is what 1:28:04.600 --> 1:28:05.400 it is, Like did. 1:28:05.280 --> 1:28:06.439 You get to what the buck calling me? 1:28:06.479 --> 1:28:08.760 And like come on, no, they were it was he. 1:28:09.160 --> 1:28:12.360 The thing was is that Seawan's had some other clients 1:28:12.360 --> 1:28:17.240 that he's not naming right now that have done that 1:28:17.280 --> 1:28:19.320 shit like you get your check and you want to ball. 1:28:19.160 --> 1:28:20.360 The fuck out. 1:28:20.640 --> 1:28:25.840 And fifteen minutes into this curse out, I realized that 1:28:26.120 --> 1:28:29.519 oh shit, I just brought a one hundred thousand dollars bed, 1:28:30.000 --> 1:28:33.559 my bad and of course I got the price I 1:28:33.600 --> 1:28:36.640 can afford, or that they told me where my budget was. 1:28:37.320 --> 1:28:41.920 But the whole point was how do you manage expectations? 1:28:42.120 --> 1:28:47.200 Because you are managing acts and dealing with their money 1:28:49.080 --> 1:28:51.719 post two thousand, you know, it's way it's way past 1:28:51.720 --> 1:28:56.000 that baller stage. How are you Are you having conversations 1:28:56.000 --> 1:29:01.120 with them at the top of your business relationship? Will 1:29:01.160 --> 1:29:04.880 you tell them like if you color within these lines 1:29:04.880 --> 1:29:06.720 and live you know, da da da da da or 1:29:06.840 --> 1:29:08.920 you or is it just like you just get the 1:29:08.960 --> 1:29:13.479 Evans money from you know, Cincinnati, Ohio, and that's it. 1:29:13.560 --> 1:29:16.400 I'll see you later, Like how do you manage? 1:29:16.840 --> 1:29:20.559 Managing expectations is one of the key things to being 1:29:21.200 --> 1:29:25.800 a manager, a successful manager in music. I'm sure it's 1:29:25.800 --> 1:29:28.320 in film and TV or or in any sort of 1:29:28.439 --> 1:29:32.640 creative genre, right, you know, because when you're dealing with 1:29:32.720 --> 1:29:36.840 creatives and but and again, I didn't come in knowing 1:29:36.880 --> 1:29:39.479 this shit, like I've just learned it, you know, on 1:29:39.600 --> 1:29:42.479 the backs of my clients, like dealing with you and 1:29:42.520 --> 1:29:45.800 dealing with Tariq and dealing with Jill. You know, just 1:29:45.960 --> 1:29:53.920 understanding the motivational aspects, the aspirational aspects that each of 1:29:53.960 --> 1:29:59.480 you have, What inspires you, what motivates you, what buttons 1:29:59.520 --> 1:30:03.240 can be he pushed. It's psychology, right, It's all psychology. 1:30:03.320 --> 1:30:06.639 That's that's the most important part of being a manager. 1:30:06.680 --> 1:30:09.439 That's the most important part of being in any relationship, right, 1:30:09.560 --> 1:30:12.280 is understanding the give and take of psychology. So that's 1:30:12.320 --> 1:30:15.920 whether we're talking about a mattress or you know, we're 1:30:15.960 --> 1:30:19.479 talking about you know, damn I wish emir ended the 1:30:19.560 --> 1:30:22.720 show with this song versus that song, Like how can 1:30:22.760 --> 1:30:25.600 I have this conversation with him knowing that this is 1:30:25.640 --> 1:30:28.559 his world and his baby, but I know I'm in 1:30:28.600 --> 1:30:31.840 the crowd and you know what I mean. So it's psychology. 1:30:31.920 --> 1:30:35.800 It's understanding the give and take. It's compromised. Like one 1:30:35.880 --> 1:30:38.240 lesson that I learned and Kanye taught me, and I've 1:30:38.240 --> 1:30:42.000 taken this throughout my career. So again, this is you know, 1:30:42.040 --> 1:30:44.880 two thousand and six, I think seven whenever that year 1:30:44.920 --> 1:30:47.040 whenever we started to Glow in the Dark tour, and 1:30:47.080 --> 1:30:49.519 again I'm four years in with Kanye at this point, 1:30:49.720 --> 1:30:51.679 we've done three or four tours together. 1:30:52.200 --> 1:30:52.840 You know, what I mean. 1:30:53.040 --> 1:30:56.000 We have a level of trust. He knows me, you know, 1:30:56.479 --> 1:31:00.240 meaning how I think. So we're going on this this 1:31:00.680 --> 1:31:03.200 big tour, biggest service career, biggest tour of my career, 1:31:03.280 --> 1:31:07.040 you know what I mean. And I go out and 1:31:07.880 --> 1:31:12.720 specifically go and hire the sort of logistics team. I 1:31:12.800 --> 1:31:15.960 put an all star team together of people. He had 1:31:16.120 --> 1:31:18.360 all his creator I ain't touched none of his creator shit. 1:31:18.640 --> 1:31:22.680 But he allowed me, as did Wayne and others, to like, 1:31:22.800 --> 1:31:25.240 all right, give me the team that's going to properly 1:31:25.320 --> 1:31:29.400 execute this. So I go out. I hire Curtis Battles, 1:31:29.439 --> 1:31:33.439 who number one is black and number two is what's 1:31:33.479 --> 1:31:36.280 Eminem's tour manager. And at that time two thousand and six, 1:31:36.320 --> 1:31:38.960 two thousand and seven, Eminem's on fire, He's on stadiums 1:31:38.960 --> 1:31:41.639 and shit. So I'm like, I got the top black 1:31:42.040 --> 1:31:45.920 tour production manager. I bring in the tour manager. I 1:31:45.960 --> 1:31:49.120 bring in all of the tech teams. I'm hiring all 1:31:49.160 --> 1:31:51.960 of the logistics. He's dealing with the creator. At a 1:31:51.960 --> 1:31:54.960 certain point, I start calling people. I'm putting it together, 1:31:55.120 --> 1:31:57.920 my budgets, going back and forth with the agent, you know, 1:31:58.000 --> 1:32:00.960 doing venue deals, calling the venues, arguing with him over 1:32:01.160 --> 1:32:03.880 you know, our point, and everybody went dark on me, 1:32:04.640 --> 1:32:07.880 like literally nobody would return my call. Curtis didn't return 1:32:07.960 --> 1:32:10.719 my call, Yay didn't return my call. Like nobody fucking 1:32:10.720 --> 1:32:13.639 return my call. And I'm like, what is going on? 1:32:14.240 --> 1:32:16.080 And it was like a two week period. I'm in 1:32:16.080 --> 1:32:19.200 the middle of planning. I can't get any information. I'm calling, 1:32:19.560 --> 1:32:20.360 you know, Miss West. 1:32:20.439 --> 1:32:20.840 His mom. 1:32:20.920 --> 1:32:22.840 She's like, hey, Sewan, now I don't know. Everything seemed 1:32:22.840 --> 1:32:24.600 cool to me. You want me to ask around. I'm like, no, 1:32:24.720 --> 1:32:26.559 I'm not gonna get you into it. Let me figure 1:32:26.560 --> 1:32:29.559 it out. After a two week period, Kanye calls me. 1:32:29.560 --> 1:32:32.000 He's like, Yo, can you come to La tomorrow. I'm like, yeah, 1:32:32.439 --> 1:32:35.080 you know, I fly to La, go to his crib, 1:32:35.640 --> 1:32:37.519 sit in the living room. He's on his computer and 1:32:37.520 --> 1:32:40.040 he turns the computer around and I'm like what's this 1:32:40.320 --> 1:32:43.040 And he's like the tour, this is the creative what 1:32:43.040 --> 1:32:45.320 do you think? And he walks me through it and 1:32:45.320 --> 1:32:49.000 I'm like, Yo, this shit is crazy and I'm like, yo, 1:32:49.080 --> 1:32:51.599 but what the fuck? Like how much is this cast? 1:32:51.720 --> 1:32:55.080 Like I haven't talked to nobody like and he was like, yo, 1:32:55.240 --> 1:32:57.679 I called everybody and said if you talked to Shawan 1:32:57.760 --> 1:33:01.360 g you're fired, and I was I was like why. 1:33:01.520 --> 1:33:03.479 I was like, why'd you do that? And he said, 1:33:03.560 --> 1:33:07.280 because I know. If I wasn't able to get my 1:33:07.479 --> 1:33:10.519 full creative vision, I would have talked to you along 1:33:10.560 --> 1:33:13.160 the way. You know, I would have made a left 1:33:13.160 --> 1:33:15.040 turn and I would not have been able to get 1:33:15.040 --> 1:33:17.080 my full creative vision out because you would have been, 1:33:17.600 --> 1:33:20.240 you know, asking me how much things cost and how 1:33:20.280 --> 1:33:23.639 are we gonna move this? And I got my full 1:33:23.720 --> 1:33:27.519 creative vision out. Now, now tell me what you think 1:33:27.560 --> 1:33:31.640 about it unless And it taught me like that was 1:33:31.720 --> 1:33:36.080 a really deep lesson on how to work and deal 1:33:36.120 --> 1:33:39.240 with creatives, because at the end of the day, y'all 1:33:39.280 --> 1:33:42.519 are the motherfucker you know, a mere fonte to reak. 1:33:42.880 --> 1:33:45.280 You know, whoever it is, y'all are the ones that's 1:33:45.400 --> 1:33:48.280 driving this car, you know what I mean. I just 1:33:48.320 --> 1:33:52.840 gotta yeah, yeah, exactly. I just got to make sure 1:33:52.880 --> 1:33:54.920 that it got gas in it, it got oil in it, 1:33:54.960 --> 1:33:56.840 and it's gonna get to where it needs to get 1:33:56.840 --> 1:33:58.880 to and it ain't gonna break down. And when you 1:33:58.920 --> 1:34:00.639 get there, you got some money in your pocket. 1:34:00.720 --> 1:34:03.800 Right, So, because the show is they're not gonna holler Shanji. 1:34:05.320 --> 1:34:09.280 Exactly. Or even if the show is good and you 1:34:09.360 --> 1:34:12.600 weren't able to do what you wanted to do creatively, 1:34:12.720 --> 1:34:15.200 you're gonna be unfulfilled. And who you're gonna blame for that? 1:34:15.360 --> 1:34:18.200 For being unfulfilled, You're gonna blame Sean g You know 1:34:18.200 --> 1:34:19.760 what I mean, you didn't let it out. So that 1:34:19.840 --> 1:34:22.120 lesson that I did with Kanye, that lesson that Kanye 1:34:22.240 --> 1:34:25.200 taught me I've taken throughout my career and working with creatives. 1:34:25.240 --> 1:34:28.559 It is managing expectations, but it's also a balance in 1:34:28.640 --> 1:34:32.640 making sure that look, I mean that not that matchless. 1:34:32.720 --> 1:34:35.559 But we could tell other stories here where you know, 1:34:35.880 --> 1:34:38.280 there have been things that you needed or you wanted, 1:34:38.400 --> 1:34:40.559 and you know, we talked about it, and I'm like, 1:34:40.600 --> 1:34:43.519 you know what, this is what this motherfucker work is 1:34:43.600 --> 1:34:45.680 ass off for. This is why he's up twenty three 1:34:45.720 --> 1:34:48.160 hours a day to be able to do what I 1:34:48.200 --> 1:34:51.760 think is dumb shit, but it's aspirational shit for you. 1:34:51.840 --> 1:34:54.599 So I can't I can't give you know, I can't 1:34:54.640 --> 1:34:59.000 overlay my thoughts on you know, your creative vision and 1:34:59.040 --> 1:35:02.080 what I just to put the barriers up, both creatively, 1:35:02.400 --> 1:35:04.920 business wise, money, whatever it is I got to put 1:35:04.920 --> 1:35:07.400 the barriers up so you don't fall off the highway, 1:35:07.680 --> 1:35:09.280 you know what I mean. But you're driving the car, 1:35:09.560 --> 1:35:10.120 you know what I mean? 1:35:10.400 --> 1:35:12.479 Hey, Sean, can you tell us the time, like when 1:35:12.479 --> 1:35:14.800 it comes to the roots in jail, what was the 1:35:14.800 --> 1:35:17.200 deal that you've made that really made you take a 1:35:17.240 --> 1:35:20.120 step back and like past yourself on the shoulder or 1:35:20.160 --> 1:35:23.600 really go fuck yes, Like I'm finally doing what I 1:35:23.640 --> 1:35:25.800 feel like is fulfilling them, and like we we've done 1:35:25.840 --> 1:35:27.760 this ship. Nobody else has done this ship. Like this 1:35:27.800 --> 1:35:29.120 is fucking phenomenal. 1:35:30.280 --> 1:35:33.800 I don't think there's you know, I don't. I don't 1:35:34.000 --> 1:35:36.800 think there's one deal, you know what I mean? Like, 1:35:36.880 --> 1:35:40.799 I don't think there's there's not like one big branding 1:35:40.880 --> 1:35:44.640 deal or one even the Tonight Show deal. Like I 1:35:44.640 --> 1:35:47.559 don't think there's one. What I get it? What I 1:35:47.640 --> 1:35:52.479 you smile? I thought? I mean even the whose picnic? 1:35:52.479 --> 1:35:54.840 We're not there. Like the thing about the Roots is 1:35:55.200 --> 1:35:58.599 the thing that keeps us going is we never fucking arrived, 1:35:59.040 --> 1:36:03.000 Like you know what I mean, Right, We've never like 1:36:03.400 --> 1:36:08.320 arrived to whatever that mythical place is that you think 1:36:08.479 --> 1:36:11.280 you need to get to. We're we're always motivated to 1:36:11.960 --> 1:36:15.519 either do more or diversified, you know when I. 1:36:15.520 --> 1:36:17.479 Say right, But they still had to be a moment 1:36:17.520 --> 1:36:19.360 where you went they didn't think we could do this, 1:36:19.479 --> 1:36:20.760 and we did that ship. 1:36:21.040 --> 1:36:24.040 Oh okay, okay, gotcha for the Roots. It was the 1:36:24.120 --> 1:36:26.080 Roots pet in New York. Okay, it was when we 1:36:26.120 --> 1:36:29.560 did when we did, when we did Bryant Park. I 1:36:29.880 --> 1:36:33.479 I I literally stood at the back of the park 1:36:34.000 --> 1:36:37.760 we were on with Wu Tang and you know, I 1:36:37.800 --> 1:36:40.280 looked up in the sky and I shot the rich 1:36:40.400 --> 1:36:43.080 and I was like, yeah, look, look what the fuck 1:36:43.160 --> 1:36:43.840 we did? You know? 1:36:44.000 --> 1:36:47.160 Because again I remember that night. Man, we talked that night. 1:36:47.400 --> 1:36:49.519 Uh you know, we I think I don't think w 1:36:49.800 --> 1:36:52.000 was on, but it was. Somebody was on. But we 1:36:52.040 --> 1:36:53.800 was talking and you was kind of giving me time. 1:36:53.840 --> 1:36:55.960 You was like, yeah, man, like this ship was work, 1:36:56.080 --> 1:36:58.599 like he was on, like you was. You was giving 1:36:58.680 --> 1:36:59.960 up like that. 1:37:00.439 --> 1:37:02.200 So I remember that being a big moment for y'all. 1:37:02.280 --> 1:37:04.920 Yeah, Ruth Picnic New York was probably that moment. 1:37:05.080 --> 1:37:05.240 You know. 1:37:05.240 --> 1:37:07.240 Again, it wasn't a deal, but it was that moment 1:37:07.280 --> 1:37:11.200 where it was like all right, you know what I mean, like, okay, 1:37:11.880 --> 1:37:15.120 you know we're there. But again, I think. You know, overall, 1:37:15.439 --> 1:37:18.679 it's the constant it's the constant growth, like the it's 1:37:18.720 --> 1:37:23.120 the what's the tortoise versus the hair mentality that we 1:37:23.280 --> 1:37:28.479 have that I'm happy when I'm happy when Alicia keyes 1:37:28.640 --> 1:37:32.360 twenty years into her career makes a fucking song called 1:37:32.439 --> 1:37:35.800 Jill Scott, you know what I mean. Like that makes 1:37:35.840 --> 1:37:38.479 me happy because that shows all of the work that 1:37:38.840 --> 1:37:41.840 Jill put in and I was able to assist. You know, 1:37:41.920 --> 1:37:47.000 it's being recognized. I'm happy when you know Questlove is 1:37:47.120 --> 1:37:52.360 DJing the jay Z and Beyonce Oscar party and killing it, 1:37:52.840 --> 1:37:54.960 you know what I mean. And everybody there is like, 1:37:55.200 --> 1:37:58.120 oh my god, I'm twenty five, thirty years in Like 1:37:58.160 --> 1:38:01.439 it's just a constant ascension of people that you know, 1:38:01.640 --> 1:38:04.240 over the years, everybody always turned it. You know, who 1:38:04.240 --> 1:38:06.880 are these guys? What's up with her? The girl from Philly? 1:38:07.600 --> 1:38:10.080 You know, but you know they at the end of 1:38:10.080 --> 1:38:13.240 the day, as long as we constantly ascend creatively, as 1:38:13.240 --> 1:38:16.160 long as we diversified business wise, and we can make 1:38:16.200 --> 1:38:18.920 sure that we follow our own dreams and every time 1:38:18.960 --> 1:38:21.679 we achieve a goal, reset and go for more goals, 1:38:21.880 --> 1:38:23.360 you know it's gonna work out. 1:38:28.040 --> 1:38:31.520 All right, So I guess for you and me personally, 1:38:32.640 --> 1:38:38.160 you know, twenty fourteen was definitely a turning point once 1:38:39.439 --> 1:38:44.720 Richard died of of chemia, yep. And you know I 1:38:45.360 --> 1:38:49.479 definitely was going out my mind during that time period, 1:38:52.240 --> 1:38:54.640 and you know, I realized that it was just it 1:38:54.720 --> 1:38:56.240 was going to be a shift for all of us. 1:38:56.360 --> 1:38:59.559 You know, I was like, well, damn right now. 1:39:00.439 --> 1:39:04.160 You know, any creative musical creator, like usually I always 1:39:04.160 --> 1:39:07.200 have Rich to bounce off of, and there's always that 1:39:08.040 --> 1:39:11.479 eight am phone call that you have with Rich which 1:39:11.479 --> 1:39:13.799 is weird because Rich had am phone calls with everyone. 1:39:13.840 --> 1:39:15.880 So I'm trying to have am phone call every day 1:39:15.880 --> 1:39:17.280 were Rich. I don't know how he did this. 1:39:17.680 --> 1:39:20.400 Right exactly, Like in my mind, it's like Rich wakes 1:39:20.439 --> 1:39:22.880 you up at like eight seventeen and then you're off 1:39:22.880 --> 1:39:23.439 at eleven. 1:39:23.520 --> 1:39:28.400 But everyone has and so what in. 1:39:28.320 --> 1:39:34.040 My mind, I was just like, well, shit, like Sean's 1:39:34.080 --> 1:39:37.880 the suit to Rich's creative. Now Sewan's going to have 1:39:37.880 --> 1:39:40.880 to be a creative and I'm going to have to 1:39:40.920 --> 1:39:44.920 do things that I hate doing, like vocal takes and 1:39:46.160 --> 1:39:53.800 like sitting there patiently, like putting stuff together. So talk 1:39:53.840 --> 1:39:55.960 about the shift that because I guess that's the period 1:39:56.000 --> 1:39:59.200 in which you made the decision to I mean, at 1:39:59.200 --> 1:40:02.960 that point, you would you were you were developing sports 1:40:03.080 --> 1:40:10.479 Entertainment or s C s CFTE. Yeah, you had you know, 1:40:11.000 --> 1:40:15.200 basketball players, yet you were managing business, managing all these people. 1:40:15.720 --> 1:40:21.000 Can you talk about the transition from sort of amalgamating 1:40:21.080 --> 1:40:26.120 your your company into Maverick, which then goes into Live Nation, 1:40:26.600 --> 1:40:27.320 like how does it? 1:40:28.000 --> 1:40:28.200 Yeah? 1:40:28.439 --> 1:40:30.760 Yeah, yeah, yep. But before doing that, I want to 1:40:30.760 --> 1:40:35.160 talk about twenty fourteen because you're right, you know, at 1:40:35.200 --> 1:40:39.480 that moment when we all realized that Rich was was 1:40:39.479 --> 1:40:43.599 was on his way out. The first thing is Rich 1:40:43.680 --> 1:40:47.400 being rich, you know he was he was prepping me 1:40:47.439 --> 1:40:50.240 for it. You know, Rich was prepping me for for 1:40:50.400 --> 1:40:54.640 years just you know, thinking back on it, just the 1:40:54.680 --> 1:40:57.720 conversations we were having and and you know, ship that 1:40:57.760 --> 1:41:01.559 we were talking about, and responsibility that were normally his, 1:41:01.720 --> 1:41:03.960 and the creative side that he would be like asking 1:41:04.000 --> 1:41:06.080 my opinion, and I'm like, you really want you want 1:41:06.080 --> 1:41:06.559 my opinion? 1:41:06.760 --> 1:41:07.439 You know what I mean? 1:41:07.880 --> 1:41:09.840 You know he would always say I was wrong with that. 1:41:09.840 --> 1:41:12.040 I gave my opinion, but he was just asking my 1:41:12.120 --> 1:41:15.920 opinion and things that you know what which photo looked good. 1:41:15.960 --> 1:41:17.960 I'm like, you want my opinion on that, you know, 1:41:18.000 --> 1:41:22.320 but he was prepping me for twenty fourteen. And I 1:41:22.320 --> 1:41:23.920 don't know if you remember, I had a conversation with 1:41:23.960 --> 1:41:28.920 you and Tarik. You know, I said, look, I'm going 1:41:29.000 --> 1:41:31.760 to step up and do a lot of shit, you 1:41:31.800 --> 1:41:34.240 know what I mean. But I am not going to 1:41:34.320 --> 1:41:37.080 step into the shoes of Richard Nichols. You know, from 1:41:37.120 --> 1:41:39.519 a creative perspective, I can do a lot. Then I 1:41:39.520 --> 1:41:43.439 can build this and you know, tours and festivals and 1:41:43.840 --> 1:41:46.400 ideas and hire people to come build your dreams. But 1:41:46.479 --> 1:41:49.719 I can't. I can't make reference. I can't do vocal takes. 1:41:49.760 --> 1:41:51.880 I can't. That's just not who I am, you know 1:41:51.880 --> 1:41:53.320 what I mean. And you guys are going to have 1:41:53.360 --> 1:41:56.479 to step up as well. It's not just me stepping up, 1:41:56.520 --> 1:41:58.000 So you're going to have to step up because this 1:41:58.040 --> 1:42:00.679 is a big ass void that we both got film 1:42:01.120 --> 1:42:04.040 and I think it is it is that sort of 1:42:04.080 --> 1:42:09.719 combination of my growth in the two of you individually growing. 1:42:10.160 --> 1:42:13.880 That is the reason why you know, six seven, eight, 1:42:14.000 --> 1:42:17.160 hopefully ten, fifteen, twenty years after rich you know, we're 1:42:17.200 --> 1:42:21.000 still sort of building, growing and driving. But as far 1:42:21.040 --> 1:42:22.880 as you know where I was business wise. I mean, 1:42:22.920 --> 1:42:27.439 it's funny because twenty fourteen, twenty fifteen was the year 1:42:27.520 --> 1:42:31.000 that I sold my a portion of my quote unquote 1:42:31.040 --> 1:42:36.519 management business into Live Nation, into Maverick, you know, and 1:42:37.080 --> 1:42:40.839 Live Nation was building this mega management company called Maverick 1:42:42.200 --> 1:42:44.599 and Guile Siri was the head of the Guile Siria 1:42:44.640 --> 1:42:46.880 the manager of You two and Madonna. He brought in 1:42:46.920 --> 1:42:49.760 Clarence Faulding, who was the manager of Jason Alden and 1:42:50.080 --> 1:42:54.719 Rascal Flats and Shanaia Twain. They brought in Adam and 1:42:54.880 --> 1:43:00.000 Larry Rudolph, who managed at the time Miley Cyrus and Britney. 1:43:00.720 --> 1:43:04.040 So you had black folks, yeah and and yeah. So 1:43:04.320 --> 1:43:07.720 at a certain point, at a certain point, these were 1:43:07.800 --> 1:43:09.920 all the deals that were done. And I guess someone 1:43:09.960 --> 1:43:11.920 within Live Nation said, you got a whole bunch of 1:43:11.920 --> 1:43:15.600 white men. You know what I mean, I got white Yeah. 1:43:15.640 --> 1:43:19.240 So they went after my partner, Gie Roberson, Remember Gie 1:43:19.320 --> 1:43:22.439 Roberson from Kanye I walked in, I met him with Kanye. 1:43:22.840 --> 1:43:27.599 They went after him and said, okay, you managed Kanye West, 1:43:27.680 --> 1:43:31.760 and you managed you manage uh Lil Wayne, like, you know, 1:43:31.920 --> 1:43:36.400 let's do a deal a little bit of a sidebar 1:43:37.200 --> 1:43:40.200 all of these tour deals that I was doing, you know, 1:43:40.479 --> 1:43:44.360 Kanye Wayne dre Nikki. I was on the other side 1:43:44.360 --> 1:43:46.960 of the table from a company called Live Nation, So 1:43:47.040 --> 1:43:50.160 I was doing these deals from with Live Nation, so 1:43:50.200 --> 1:43:52.720 they knew me as the manager, the black dude that 1:43:52.880 --> 1:43:56.639 did all of the big black tours. The guy who 1:43:56.680 --> 1:43:58.880 I was negotiating with on the other side was a 1:43:58.920 --> 1:44:03.960 gentleman by the name of now Hayman and the most 1:44:04.000 --> 1:44:08.120 successful black concert promoter in the history of the game 1:44:08.680 --> 1:44:14.320 bar none, and he sins right now. Managers Floyd Mayweather, 1:44:14.400 --> 1:44:17.799 and he's the most successful boxing promoter in the history 1:44:17.800 --> 1:44:20.160 of the game, bigger than Don King and Bob Aaron 1:44:20.240 --> 1:44:21.479 and all of them right now. 1:44:21.280 --> 1:44:23.800 To this Haman was he the one? Was he the 1:44:23.840 --> 1:44:24.400 one behind the. 1:44:26.120 --> 1:44:30.000 Superfess Rick James Michael Jackson like. 1:44:31.479 --> 1:44:31.880 Mary J. 1:44:32.040 --> 1:44:35.280 Blige, I mean, he's he's he's the guy. 1:44:35.360 --> 1:44:37.120 So let's get him on the show. 1:44:37.320 --> 1:44:41.840 Se so so, so I'm negotiating these big deals with 1:44:42.000 --> 1:44:45.280 al Owl's on the other side of the table, Like, Okay, 1:44:45.320 --> 1:44:48.040 this little motherfucker knows what he's talking about, you know 1:44:48.080 --> 1:44:49.679 what I mean, because you know he's like I never 1:44:49.760 --> 1:44:52.479 dealt with a young black man who knows touring like 1:44:52.520 --> 1:44:56.880 you do. So back to the Maverick thing. When Live 1:44:57.000 --> 1:45:00.879 Nation Slash Maverick goes and tries to buy gro Risin's company, 1:45:01.280 --> 1:45:05.799 Al Hayman tells Live Nation, Well, Gee Robson is great, 1:45:07.040 --> 1:45:11.880 but this guy showing g over here, he's the operator, you. 1:45:11.800 --> 1:45:12.320 Know what I mean. 1:45:12.600 --> 1:45:14.880 So if you're going to because at this time, me 1:45:15.120 --> 1:45:18.320 G and Cortes had similar clients, but we had three 1:45:18.320 --> 1:45:21.240 different companies. She had Hip Hop's in nineteen seventy eight, 1:45:21.280 --> 1:45:25.040 I had SEFG. Cortes had Bryant Management. So you know, 1:45:25.240 --> 1:45:28.639 in order to sort of complete that purchase, they said, Okay, 1:45:28.680 --> 1:45:30.840 we're going to buy Gee Roberson's company. We're going to 1:45:30.880 --> 1:45:34.000 buy Cortez Bryant, We're gonna buy Sean G because that 1:45:34.200 --> 1:45:38.120 is the machine that makes all of this work, and 1:45:38.680 --> 1:45:42.920 we're going to merge them together and then put them 1:45:43.000 --> 1:45:46.080 under Maverick. So that was that deal in twenty fifteen 1:45:46.120 --> 1:45:49.160 where I brought they brought into my car, sold half 1:45:49.200 --> 1:45:50.639 of my company to Live Nation. 1:45:51.240 --> 1:45:53.640 Are you interested in bedfellow Sean, I'm sorry, I was 1:45:53.640 --> 1:45:53.960 just thinking. 1:45:54.000 --> 1:45:56.680 I was like, so you got management mixed in with 1:45:57.479 --> 1:46:00.000 live shows and production, just production. 1:46:00.320 --> 1:46:01.960 I'm just thinking like Live Nation again. 1:46:04.120 --> 1:46:08.200 You mean from a Live Nation perspective, I mean said 1:46:08.200 --> 1:46:12.080 Michael Rapino is one of the smartest executives in the business, 1:46:12.200 --> 1:46:13.840 you know what I mean. For him, he calls it 1:46:13.880 --> 1:46:17.280 a flywheel, and for him it is. You know, when 1:46:17.320 --> 1:46:20.160 he started, when he took over Live Nation, Live Nation 1:46:20.520 --> 1:46:24.000 was a bunch of individual regional promoters, you know what 1:46:24.040 --> 1:46:25.920 I mean. You had your guy in New York, you 1:46:25.920 --> 1:46:27.519 know what I mean, and he had his company. You 1:46:27.560 --> 1:46:32.080 had Electric Factory concerts in Philly, you had cellar door concerts, 1:46:32.080 --> 1:46:36.479 and these were just the independent individual companies. What Repino 1:46:36.600 --> 1:46:41.040 was able to do was merge all of these business 1:46:41.040 --> 1:46:43.559 It was. It was actually Clear Channel prior to Repino. 1:46:43.640 --> 1:46:45.719 But you know what came out of the Clear Channel 1:46:46.439 --> 1:46:50.680 Divester was this merged entity of all of these individual 1:46:50.720 --> 1:46:54.559 regional promoters that created this one mega promoter business. But 1:46:54.720 --> 1:46:57.559 what a lot of people don't understand on the promoter 1:46:57.760 --> 1:47:01.280 side from the live show you you don't make no money, 1:47:01.800 --> 1:47:03.760 you know what I mean. From a margin perspective, the 1:47:03.920 --> 1:47:06.559 artist makes all the money, right, you know what I mean. 1:47:06.840 --> 1:47:09.560 If I have Fonte come in performing, you know what 1:47:09.560 --> 1:47:12.600 I mean, and I do a deal with him. Ultimately 1:47:13.240 --> 1:47:15.920 in success, he's gonna walk out with eighty five ninety 1:47:15.960 --> 1:47:18.360 percent of the money, you know what I mean. The 1:47:18.400 --> 1:47:22.200 promoter margins are five to ten percent. So what what 1:47:22.439 --> 1:47:27.880 Rapino did, which was intelligent, super super genius, was he said, Okay, 1:47:27.920 --> 1:47:30.559 I'm gonna build a flywheel around the shows. I'm gonna 1:47:30.600 --> 1:47:37.000 have shows which are the volume business, low margin but volume, 1:47:37.120 --> 1:47:41.280 thousands upon thousands of shows. But I'm gonna have venues 1:47:42.240 --> 1:47:44.680 and when you pay for parking and peanuts and popcorn, 1:47:44.840 --> 1:47:47.320 you know, at the shows, you know, I'm gonna make 1:47:47.320 --> 1:47:50.240 money off that. I'm gonna have media and sponsorship that 1:47:50.479 --> 1:47:54.120 sells sponsorship at the venues. I mean. So he's built 1:47:54.640 --> 1:47:55.960 a flywheel of business. 1:47:56.080 --> 1:47:59.120 It's that almost like McDonald's, like you know with famous 1:47:59.160 --> 1:48:01.679 McDonald's quote, he's like, I'm not in the hamburger business. 1:48:01.720 --> 1:48:04.000 I'm in the real estate business business, you know what 1:48:04.080 --> 1:48:04.360 I mean. 1:48:04.600 --> 1:48:06.640 But the Hamburgers is would bring you in, right, the 1:48:06.720 --> 1:48:10.719 shows bring you in. Yeah. So so so to your point, 1:48:10.800 --> 1:48:14.080 like you know, it's your hand is in different areas, 1:48:14.080 --> 1:48:16.519 but it's all sort of a flywheel that works together 1:48:17.800 --> 1:48:20.679 and you know that. But again I came in under 1:48:20.920 --> 1:48:24.920 the austices of ge Roberson's partner, and that was that 1:48:25.000 --> 1:48:28.840 was Maverick management. It's funny because you know, I can't 1:48:28.880 --> 1:48:31.920 guy about this, but you know, when I came in 1:48:31.960 --> 1:48:35.840 with the Roots and Jill Scott, we were like the 1:48:35.880 --> 1:48:38.840 folks that didn't belong, you know what I mean. Every 1:48:39.040 --> 1:48:41.880 artist was an arena artist. Every single artist in Maverick 1:48:41.960 --> 1:48:44.480 was an arena artist, except the Roots in Jill Scott. 1:48:44.720 --> 1:48:48.479 But over time, you know, they start just like you know, 1:48:48.520 --> 1:48:51.040 just like I said earlier, like over time, you know, 1:48:51.200 --> 1:48:56.160 the managers started to respect you know, oh ship the Roots, Yeah, 1:48:56.320 --> 1:48:59.040 oh ship Jill Scott, and you know they start calling like, hey, 1:48:59.080 --> 1:49:01.479 can I can cuss a lot coming help produce this 1:49:01.680 --> 1:49:04.360 or you know when I think the key that that 1:49:04.680 --> 1:49:08.000 the pinnacle of that sort of disrespect at the beginning 1:49:08.080 --> 1:49:12.080 but ultimately led to respect, was when you two called 1:49:12.120 --> 1:49:14.400 an ascid the Roots can open for them, or no, 1:49:14.680 --> 1:49:17.559 if the Roots can guess on their set at Madison 1:49:17.560 --> 1:49:21.800 Square Garden and you know they came out right in 1:49:21.800 --> 1:49:26.040 the middle of Madison Square Garden of course. So uh 1:49:26.400 --> 1:49:28.080 but yeah, so I mean that was that's how I 1:49:28.080 --> 1:49:30.160 got into a lot of nation. It was through you know, 1:49:31.040 --> 1:49:33.639 y'all need some black managers. And these are the three 1:49:33.680 --> 1:49:36.280 that you got to buy out. Though Jill. 1:49:37.920 --> 1:49:41.640 Uh sells out Madison Square Garden, does she not? I 1:49:41.640 --> 1:49:44.400 mean that's one of the like we have. 1:49:44.960 --> 1:49:47.519 We have sold out Madison Square Garden. 1:49:47.640 --> 1:49:51.400 Yes, but you know what I'm saying from that, Neil 1:49:51.520 --> 1:49:55.200 sold class of two thousand. 1:49:55.680 --> 1:50:00.000 Jill, Erica and Maxwell and Mary are probably the three 1:50:00.520 --> 1:50:03.000 and and and believe it or not, you know, Kim 1:50:03.200 --> 1:50:05.479 are probably the four miles. 1:50:12.720 --> 1:50:14.280 You know they're strong. 1:50:15.720 --> 1:50:18.559 But even man, you know, if tickets are going on 1:50:18.680 --> 1:50:22.559 cell not for look, Erica is you know, I've been 1:50:22.560 --> 1:50:27.080 down from day one. But Erica isn't going to sell 1:50:27.120 --> 1:50:28.599 out Manson Square Garden by herself. 1:50:28.680 --> 1:50:31.680 Or maybe we've never sold out by ourself. It's all 1:50:31.720 --> 1:50:35.360 about strategic packaging. We sold it out with Maxwell, you 1:50:35.360 --> 1:50:37.000 know what I mean, Jill and Maxwell. We did two 1:50:37.040 --> 1:50:41.320 Knights of Madison Square Garden together, all right. Maxwell and 1:50:41.360 --> 1:50:44.000 Mary sold out Madison Square. So it's about you know, 1:50:44.080 --> 1:50:47.920 part of part of the touring is strategic packaging. Yeah, 1:50:47.920 --> 1:50:50.599 we sold out Amphitheaters with Sugar Water with Jail, Erica 1:50:50.720 --> 1:50:54.840 and and and Latifa. You know, Erica sold out Barclays 1:50:54.920 --> 1:50:57.599 last year was Erica, Anthony Hamilton and I forget who 1:50:57.640 --> 1:51:00.799 else it was. You know, again, strategic The the beauty 1:51:00.840 --> 1:51:04.479 about that that world is you can strategically package and 1:51:04.520 --> 1:51:07.000 one plus one can equal three or four, and that's 1:51:07.040 --> 1:51:09.960 where you get to fifteen, sixteen, seventeen thousand. On their own, 1:51:09.960 --> 1:51:13.280 they're all probably like five six thousand, but when you 1:51:13.320 --> 1:51:14.880 put them together, it becomes an event. 1:51:15.280 --> 1:51:17.280 Didn't that line of thought kind of lead to why 1:51:17.320 --> 1:51:19.040 there needs to be a Live Nation Urban? 1:51:20.360 --> 1:51:21.160 Yeah? 1:51:21.200 --> 1:51:23.720 Absolutely. I mean, you know, once I was in Live 1:51:23.840 --> 1:51:28.439 Nation officially, you know, with the venture on management, I 1:51:28.160 --> 1:51:29.599 just I just air beat them. 1:51:29.760 --> 1:51:30.200 You know what I mean. 1:51:30.240 --> 1:51:32.400 I was like, yo, you know, y'all not really fucking 1:51:32.439 --> 1:51:34.680 with Black culture. You know, like at the end of 1:51:34.720 --> 1:51:37.679 the day, Live Nation at that point did big really well, 1:51:37.720 --> 1:51:41.280 meaning you know, Drake blows up, he goes to arenas. 1:51:41.439 --> 1:51:43.640 No one does big better than Live Nation. You know, 1:51:43.840 --> 1:51:47.759 jay Z, Beyonce doing stadiums, they do big very well. 1:51:47.880 --> 1:51:54.919 But incubating culture, building partnerships, building festivals that are curated 1:51:55.000 --> 1:51:59.120 for specific audience, i e. Black audience, they didn't do 1:51:59.200 --> 1:52:02.400 that at all. So after about a year meet Air Beaten, 1:52:02.880 --> 1:52:05.559 you know, the CEO and the chief strategy officer at 1:52:05.560 --> 1:52:10.479 the time. They, you know, gave me an opportunity and said, okay, cool, 1:52:10.840 --> 1:52:12.519 you want to do this. You know you think there's 1:52:12.560 --> 1:52:15.719 an opportunity. You're an entrepreneur. We respect you. We already 1:52:15.760 --> 1:52:17.479 have a deal with you. Go build it. 1:52:17.920 --> 1:52:22.240 And besides the roots picnic, what did you build? 1:52:23.400 --> 1:52:27.160 The first three deals that I did. The first deal 1:52:27.520 --> 1:52:32.160 was I flew to Dallas. I sat with a gentleman 1:52:32.200 --> 1:52:34.599 by the name of Kurt Franklin, and I said, Kurt, 1:52:34.840 --> 1:52:37.880 you are the jay z of gospel music. Why don't 1:52:37.880 --> 1:52:39.840 you have your own event? Why don't you have your 1:52:39.880 --> 1:52:42.800 own festival? Why don't you have your own series? He said, 1:52:42.840 --> 1:52:46.840 because no one's ever asked me. So we that year 1:52:47.120 --> 1:52:52.320 launched the Kurk Franklin Exodus Music and Arts Festival, which 1:52:52.400 --> 1:52:57.519 is the biggest, most successful gospel music festival in the country. 1:52:58.040 --> 1:53:01.000 And I and I say gospel because I mean Bishop 1:53:01.040 --> 1:53:04.800 Jakes has you know, the essence of gospel. But it's 1:53:04.840 --> 1:53:07.719 bigger than music, you know what I mean, It's it's everything. 1:53:07.840 --> 1:53:10.840 So his is much bigger. But you know, we've had 1:53:10.880 --> 1:53:13.120 every you know, we've had you know, all of the 1:53:13.360 --> 1:53:16.639 who's who of gospel has performed on it. And next year. 1:53:16.760 --> 1:53:18.599 This year we were supposed to but next year we're 1:53:18.600 --> 1:53:20.720 going to expand it to It's in Dallas now, but 1:53:20.760 --> 1:53:22.600 we're going to expand it to multiple markets. So that 1:53:22.680 --> 1:53:27.360 was deal number one. Deal number two is I called 1:53:28.439 --> 1:53:30.920 a fellow Philadelphian by the name of Troy Carter, who 1:53:30.920 --> 1:53:34.120 was running Spotify at the time. Spotify had this playlist 1:53:34.120 --> 1:53:37.400 called Rap Caviar, which was driving you know, I mean 1:53:37.439 --> 1:53:40.080 at that point, rap Caviard was what Mike Show DJs 1:53:40.120 --> 1:53:42.760 were to us back in the day, where it's like, 1:53:42.800 --> 1:53:45.240 this is how rap artists get broke. You know, you 1:53:45.280 --> 1:53:47.280 got to get on the Rap Caviar list they had. 1:53:47.560 --> 1:53:51.519 Troy was running the company and Tumabasa, good friend of 1:53:51.520 --> 1:53:54.280 mine was was he was Rap Caviar, he was the curator. 1:53:54.439 --> 1:53:57.000 So I went to them and said, you know, you 1:53:57.360 --> 1:54:01.080 are the new radio and really the only self sustaining 1:54:01.120 --> 1:54:04.600 profitable model in the radio space is radio shows, you 1:54:04.640 --> 1:54:06.720 know what I mean, the summer jams and the powerhouses. 1:54:07.040 --> 1:54:09.519 So let's build the live iteration of your playlist called 1:54:09.560 --> 1:54:13.120 Rap Caviar Live. So we built that fifty fifty venture 1:54:13.200 --> 1:54:17.519 between Melivenish Urban and Rap Cavit and in Spotify, and 1:54:17.560 --> 1:54:19.639 we took and built that music series. And the third 1:54:19.680 --> 1:54:22.040 deal that I did is I identified these two young 1:54:22.080 --> 1:54:26.120 brothers in DC that you know, had their finger on 1:54:26.160 --> 1:54:28.559 the pulse of culture. Had like this many sort of 1:54:28.600 --> 1:54:33.800 smallish festival that they did, did like seven eight thousand people, 1:54:33.840 --> 1:54:36.920 and it was called Broccoli City Fest Broccoli City. And 1:54:37.000 --> 1:54:40.000 you know, I came on my radar because as I was, 1:54:40.280 --> 1:54:42.280 as I booked the Roots Picnic every year, of course 1:54:42.280 --> 1:54:44.560 I'm on my own shit. I'm like, I'm the best curator, 1:54:44.880 --> 1:54:46.640 you know what I mean in this in the space, 1:54:46.720 --> 1:54:50.080 you know what I mean. And agents and artists started saying, well, 1:54:50.120 --> 1:54:52.240 I play the Roots Picnic as long as I could 1:54:52.240 --> 1:54:54.240 play Brocoli City. So I went on a mission, like 1:54:54.280 --> 1:54:56.080 what the hell is Brockley City? And I went and 1:54:56.120 --> 1:54:59.120 met with the two brothers Marcus and Brandon too, really 1:54:59.160 --> 1:55:02.520 smart young brothers and from North Carolina. I'm both from 1:55:02.520 --> 1:55:07.160 from Yes, that's the homie. 1:55:07.280 --> 1:55:07.560 Yeah. 1:55:07.680 --> 1:55:09.840 And I invested in them, you know what I mean. 1:55:09.880 --> 1:55:11.880 I didn't try to take over. I didn't try to 1:55:11.880 --> 1:55:14.960 make it Nation Urban Festival. I said, look, you guys 1:55:14.960 --> 1:55:17.520 got a vision, you got a finger on the pustal culture. 1:55:17.720 --> 1:55:21.240 You know your audience. What I want to do is build, put, 1:55:21.360 --> 1:55:24.600 get invest, and build the infrastructure for you so that 1:55:24.680 --> 1:55:27.320 you can grow and scale. And we went from seven 1:55:27.400 --> 1:55:30.040 eight thousand people to thirty five thousand people. I moved 1:55:30.040 --> 1:55:32.480 into RFK Stadium and built. 1:55:32.160 --> 1:55:34.760 And grew and this year we didn't go down. 1:55:34.760 --> 1:55:37.400 We probably would have had fifty thousand. It's the largest 1:55:37.400 --> 1:55:41.760 gathering Black millennials in the world because I'm the oldest 1:55:41.760 --> 1:55:46.080 person there by far. It's it's eighteen to thirty, eighteen 1:55:46.120 --> 1:55:49.800 to thirty, you know what I mean, period. And so 1:55:49.840 --> 1:55:51.520 that was the third That was the third thing. I mean. 1:55:51.560 --> 1:55:54.880 Since then, I've partnered with her Gabby, with the artist her. 1:55:54.960 --> 1:55:57.200 We built a festival called lights On Festival in the 1:55:57.240 --> 1:56:02.040 Bay Area. You know, We've I've taken a start producing 1:56:02.120 --> 1:56:05.480 the Miami Jazz and the Gardens Festival, and. 1:56:04.840 --> 1:56:06.040 In d C. 1:56:06.560 --> 1:56:10.760 I've do some you know, smaller emerging artists platforms you 1:56:10.760 --> 1:56:13.880 know Audio, Mac and others. But those are the first, 1:56:13.880 --> 1:56:16.760 Those are the first three deals that I did. Was 1:56:16.840 --> 1:56:17.480 were those three? 1:56:18.040 --> 1:56:22.760 Can you explain how you build a festival from the 1:56:22.760 --> 1:56:25.320 ground up like one of the one of the times 1:56:25.320 --> 1:56:29.960 where I dread the most as a Philadelphian, it's usually 1:56:30.320 --> 1:56:34.480 around March because that's when everyone starts hitting. 1:56:34.240 --> 1:56:37.160 Me up, like yo, can I get them with Roots Picnic? 1:56:37.200 --> 1:56:40.360 Can get And I'm like the oh, we start building 1:56:40.400 --> 1:56:44.440 the picnic two months after the Roots Picnic like August. 1:56:45.600 --> 1:56:51.360 So can you just explain what goes into building a festival, 1:56:51.920 --> 1:56:55.160 like the calls you have to make, the like this 1:56:55.240 --> 1:56:57.320 is done ahead of time? 1:56:57.440 --> 1:56:57.760 Is it? 1:56:57.880 --> 1:56:57.960 Like? 1:56:58.040 --> 1:57:01.640 How do you how hands on is it for you? 1:57:02.320 --> 1:57:05.080 I mean it never stops. It's twelve months a year, 1:57:05.360 --> 1:57:07.880 you know what I mean. You know, if you talk 1:57:07.880 --> 1:57:10.000 about the Roots Picnic, if you talk about Brocoli City, 1:57:10.040 --> 1:57:11.480 if you talk about some of the some of the 1:57:11.480 --> 1:57:14.160 events that we have that that that I have, it 1:57:14.160 --> 1:57:17.160 it there. There's a there's a process to it where 1:57:17.160 --> 1:57:21.600 it goes from like you said, ideation. You know, let's 1:57:21.640 --> 1:57:23.880 say a festival starts in the fall. I mean I 1:57:23.960 --> 1:57:28.360 mean festival plays in the summer usually you know, late summer, 1:57:28.960 --> 1:57:33.640 is you know ideation sometimes actually ideation takes two or 1:57:33.640 --> 1:57:35.480 three years, you know what I mean? Like for the 1:57:35.600 --> 1:57:41.960 Roots Picnic, most headliners we've talked about two years prior, 1:57:42.040 --> 1:57:44.760 Like we talked about Pharrell two years prior, and it 1:57:44.800 --> 1:57:47.680 took us two years to lock in the deal, you 1:57:47.720 --> 1:57:50.640 know what I mean. Same thing with Usher, you know 1:57:50.680 --> 1:57:52.440 what I mean, we talked about So so you know, 1:57:52.520 --> 1:57:56.200 that ideation process never stops, but you know, it starts 1:57:56.200 --> 1:57:58.720 soon as the previous year ends. Then you go into 1:57:58.760 --> 1:58:02.040 the booking process because as the festival economy and market 1:58:02.240 --> 1:58:06.080 has gotten bigger, there's more competition in the space. When 1:58:06.120 --> 1:58:09.360 we first started Picnic, we were we were the only 1:58:09.440 --> 1:58:13.280 ones that were looking for sort of alternative urban black 1:58:13.480 --> 1:58:17.080 R and B hip hop like nobody else, no other options, 1:58:17.160 --> 1:58:19.120 So we can you know, call and be like, what's 1:58:19.200 --> 1:58:21.240 up you want to play it? But now you know, 1:58:21.320 --> 1:58:24.680 between the sort of regular mega all things to all 1:58:24.720 --> 1:58:28.680 people festivals like the Bonus and the that yeah that 1:58:28.720 --> 1:58:32.240 are that are now being tinted black, between those and 1:58:32.280 --> 1:58:35.400 then the other you know, sort of culture facing festivals. 1:58:35.480 --> 1:58:37.480 Now it's a lot of competition. So you start that 1:58:37.560 --> 1:58:42.000 booking process, you know, nine ten, eleven months in advance, 1:58:42.840 --> 1:58:44.960 and you need to have you know, I got a 1:58:45.240 --> 1:58:47.960 I got a team of young people that have their 1:58:47.960 --> 1:58:49.880 finger on a postal culture as you know, a mire, 1:58:50.000 --> 1:58:52.520 I send out a group text to our entire team. 1:58:52.760 --> 1:58:55.600 Who y'all listening to? Who y'all want to? Tell me? 1:58:55.600 --> 1:58:57.280 Who you want? A mir Tell me who you want? 1:58:57.440 --> 1:59:00.600 You know, Dawn, you know anyone that's like, you know 1:59:00.920 --> 1:59:03.760 out there, like talk to me, send me main, send 1:59:03.760 --> 1:59:06.960 me videos, send me clips. Because you almost have to 1:59:07.000 --> 1:59:10.960 be a predictor of what's going to be hot at 1:59:11.000 --> 1:59:13.840 two periods, A when your tickets go on sale and 1:59:13.960 --> 1:59:15.800 B when you play, and those. 1:59:15.600 --> 1:59:16.680 Are two different periods. 1:59:17.600 --> 1:59:23.200 Probably your two story was napping U I'm gonna things. 1:59:24.080 --> 1:59:24.640 What's his name? 1:59:26.120 --> 1:59:26.600 Nack Lamore? 1:59:26.680 --> 1:59:29.520 Yeah, we got back Lamore right in the nicked time 1:59:29.560 --> 1:59:31.320 of Like I mean. 1:59:31.320 --> 1:59:34.800 Yeah, there's a lot of stories like we got kid Cuddy, 1:59:34.920 --> 1:59:37.160 like you know what I mean, super early weekend, you 1:59:37.200 --> 1:59:41.160 know the weekend. Yeah, I mean, but again, that's a 1:59:41.240 --> 1:59:44.280 team that's a team based effort. It's not just Sean 1:59:44.360 --> 1:59:46.680 g or Meir Thompson sitting in our rooms, you know, 1:59:46.760 --> 1:59:49.840 saying this is hot. It's a team based effort, both 1:59:49.960 --> 1:59:53.840 official people. But then also you know, the last three years, 1:59:53.880 --> 1:59:56.080 my son has booked four or five of these acts. 1:59:56.080 --> 1:59:58.040 You know, my fifteen year old I'm like Sean who 1:59:58.080 --> 2:00:00.240 popping like, oh, you gotta get young boy. You got 2:00:00.240 --> 2:00:01.960 to get this person. You got to get that person, 2:00:02.160 --> 2:00:03.720 you know what I mean, Because it's a balance. 2:00:03.760 --> 2:00:06.280 So being a sons, can you just a quick callback 2:00:06.360 --> 2:00:08.280 because we talked about your first son, but can you 2:00:08.320 --> 2:00:10.560 just tell people what your your first son is doing now? 2:00:11.240 --> 2:00:13.560 Darren Darren's a sports agent and c. 2:00:14.280 --> 2:00:15.920 There you go living your dreams. 2:00:17.280 --> 2:00:19.720 Just moved to l a wow. 2:00:20.320 --> 2:00:22.200 From a baby having babies. 2:00:23.720 --> 2:00:26.240 But yeah, it's it's a never it's a NonStop processing there. 2:00:26.360 --> 2:00:29.640 It's just you know, it never stopped because once you book, 2:00:29.920 --> 2:00:32.560 then there's the marketing, you know what I mean. And 2:00:32.640 --> 2:00:34.360 you got to put the marketing plan together. You got 2:00:34.360 --> 2:00:36.560 to understand what the marketplace is saying. You gotta understand 2:00:36.560 --> 2:00:38.120 how you hit your audience. You got to understand how 2:00:38.120 --> 2:00:39.920 to break through the clutter. You gotta understand when other 2:00:40.000 --> 2:00:43.440 festivals are announcing. And then you know, once you get 2:00:43.440 --> 2:00:46.200 out of the marketing phase, hopefully you sell tickets quickly. 2:00:46.520 --> 2:00:49.080 And then is execution. You know what I mean. You're 2:00:49.200 --> 2:00:54.680 you're you're you're transforming empty fields into concert venues, into experiences. 2:00:54.880 --> 2:00:57.800 So it's more than just the stage it's the creative 2:00:57.880 --> 2:01:00.680 concept that goes along with how do you want these 2:01:00.720 --> 2:01:04.880 people to interact with all aspects of your site? Like 2:01:04.920 --> 2:01:07.400 it's not just who you put on stage, it's who 2:01:07.400 --> 2:01:09.600 are your vendors, where are you going to place your vendors, 2:01:09.720 --> 2:01:12.280 what are your prices? Who are your marketing partner, your 2:01:12.320 --> 2:01:14.160 brand partners? What are your activations? 2:01:14.160 --> 2:01:16.080 So Sean, doesn't all that go out the window now 2:01:16.120 --> 2:01:17.920 because uh, for twenty twenty. 2:01:18.000 --> 2:01:19.960 I mean, hell, yare for twenty twenty, but no, twenty 2:01:19.960 --> 2:01:22.120 twenty one, we'll be back yep. 2:01:22.000 --> 2:01:29.360 Okay, well all right, so it's April, Nah, it's May. 2:01:29.800 --> 2:01:34.760 It's May of twenty twenty. Like how much gray hair 2:01:34.960 --> 2:01:36.240 are you getting. 2:01:37.800 --> 2:01:38.520 During this people? 2:01:40.000 --> 2:01:40.120 Uh? 2:01:41.040 --> 2:01:45.240 I mean? And you know, with the Roots picnic, how 2:01:45.320 --> 2:01:49.560 much work we put into that second day like we 2:01:49.680 --> 2:01:52.200 had the first day, which we booked the shit out 2:01:52.200 --> 2:01:54.840 of Because part of the strategy for us and The 2:01:54.880 --> 2:01:57.520 Mirror has been driving this for years, is how do 2:01:57.600 --> 2:02:00.440 we get the Roots out of the headlining slot because 2:02:00.440 --> 2:02:04.200 if we ever want this to be Lallapalooza, we need 2:02:04.200 --> 2:02:06.960 the Roots to ultimately play the role of James addiction. 2:02:07.160 --> 2:02:08.640 You know, Perry Felt, you know what I mean, like, 2:02:08.760 --> 2:02:10.920 how do we get the roots out of it? So 2:02:10.960 --> 2:02:13.080 we finally figured a way to get the roots out 2:02:13.120 --> 2:02:15.960 of the headlining slot while still keeping them in the festival. 2:02:16.200 --> 2:02:20.760 We were selling tickets like hotcakes on our one day festival, 2:02:21.200 --> 2:02:28.240 and we Tarique Emir myself. We spent six months negotiating 2:02:28.280 --> 2:02:32.280 with Missus Michelle Obama to come and headline our day two. 2:02:32.600 --> 2:02:36.960 We were about to shock the world with that. So 2:02:37.160 --> 2:02:41.120 we finally had it deal done, putting together the creative 2:02:41.920 --> 2:02:45.960 and COVID hits, you know what I mean. And so 2:02:46.200 --> 2:02:48.840 it wasn't just the roots picnic. I had Broncoli City 2:02:48.880 --> 2:02:52.520 Festival sold out. It was sold out two months in advance. 2:02:52.600 --> 2:02:56.160 I had Miami Jazzmine Gardens that weekend in March when 2:02:56.160 --> 2:03:00.160 everything shut down, headlined by Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, 2:03:00.360 --> 2:03:02.200 Anthony Hamilton, Charlie Wilson. 2:03:03.920 --> 2:03:06.360 It was live Crew, y know. 2:03:06.440 --> 2:03:09.640 We were we were we were better than essence. We 2:03:09.640 --> 2:03:12.880 were better than essence that you know. But again we 2:03:12.920 --> 2:03:14.960 had to stop. So I had a ton of festivals 2:03:15.000 --> 2:03:18.160 that got shut down, and you know, ship, I was depressed, 2:03:18.240 --> 2:03:20.640 dog like, I was fucked up, you know what I mean, 2:03:20.680 --> 2:03:24.080 Because I spent I spent the first four to six 2:03:24.120 --> 2:03:28.680 weeks of COVID undoing my last ten months of work. 2:03:29.640 --> 2:03:32.080 It's like building a house and you get to the 2:03:32.120 --> 2:03:33.800 front door. All you got to do is put the 2:03:33.840 --> 2:03:35.720 front door in and then the bulldozer comes and knock 2:03:36.080 --> 2:03:39.400 knock it down. Was like fuck, you know, I just 2:03:39.840 --> 2:03:42.400 eight ten months building and ship. So it was it 2:03:42.480 --> 2:03:45.400 was super super you know, sort of depressing. You know, 2:03:45.720 --> 2:03:47.960 I was. I was depressed. I was upset, you know 2:03:48.000 --> 2:03:50.240 what I mean. I was, I was hurt, you know 2:03:50.280 --> 2:03:51.840 what I mean. It was all types of emotions. 2:03:52.120 --> 2:03:53.880 When did it change? When did that change? 2:03:53.880 --> 2:03:54.440 When spirit? 2:03:56.520 --> 2:04:01.560 I'll be real when we don't in with the route 2:04:01.920 --> 2:04:04.160 we dove in on our on our YouTube page, you know, 2:04:04.200 --> 2:04:06.520 we sort of we sort of rolled up our sleeves 2:04:06.520 --> 2:04:11.600 and and and got creative and started coming out Quest 2:04:11.680 --> 2:04:15.840 Love Supreme Live, Quest Loves DJ, you know everything that 2:04:16.000 --> 2:04:19.320 you know Tariq's you know, the Thought Interview, you know, 2:04:19.480 --> 2:04:23.440 our our emerging artist platform, like like we got the 2:04:23.520 --> 2:04:27.800 creativity is the thing that that sort of was like, 2:04:28.080 --> 2:04:31.520 oh shit, Okay, this isn't the time to be depressed. 2:04:31.880 --> 2:04:33.840 This is the time to roll up our sleeves and 2:04:33.880 --> 2:04:37.920 we become entrepreneurs again. Like I I talked to Tariq 2:04:38.040 --> 2:04:42.320 a Mere Jill More during that period because you got 2:04:42.320 --> 2:04:44.879 to realize, like it was like a well we machine. 2:04:45.280 --> 2:04:47.360 With my management client, it was like, Okay, we got 2:04:47.400 --> 2:04:50.120 tonight's show. I'm going to stay six months ahead of 2:04:50.120 --> 2:04:52.280 the guys, you know what I mean. I got an 2:04:52.280 --> 2:04:55.560 execution team keeping feene Teina Faris Monir, I got a 2:04:55.600 --> 2:04:58.280 team that handles the day to day. My job is 2:04:58.280 --> 2:05:00.800 to stay six months ahead so that when we get there, 2:05:01.160 --> 2:05:03.000 it's something there. So it was sort of like a 2:05:03.000 --> 2:05:06.040 well oiled machine. What this did for us was it 2:05:06.160 --> 2:05:09.360 forced us to become entrepreneurial and creative again. And this 2:05:09.400 --> 2:05:12.560 shit's been fun as a motherfucker. I'll be real with you, 2:05:13.680 --> 2:05:15.600 all right, So what does that future look like now? 2:05:15.880 --> 2:05:18.880 And I know people talk about, man when we get 2:05:18.920 --> 2:05:22.440 back to normal, but it's like, okay. 2:05:22.240 --> 2:05:24.360 So when so all right? 2:05:24.400 --> 2:05:29.040 So when when when the the line finally gets flattened 2:05:29.680 --> 2:05:33.600 in the United States and there's we're COVID free? 2:05:35.800 --> 2:05:37.560 Am I still. 2:05:39.160 --> 2:05:45.280 Going to blah blah blah club to DJ YadA YadA YadA. 2:05:45.680 --> 2:05:49.680 You know, what do I do with the thirty thousand? 2:05:50.520 --> 2:05:50.800 You know? 2:05:51.800 --> 2:05:55.360 Audience members that I've gotten on these six platforms, virtual 2:05:55.440 --> 2:05:58.480 DJing yep, Like is that a monetary future? 2:05:58.600 --> 2:05:58.760 Like? 2:05:59.360 --> 2:06:00.240 How absolutely? 2:06:00.720 --> 2:06:04.760 I think you go back? Or do you stay the course? 2:06:06.040 --> 2:06:09.080 We will never in the live music space, in the 2:06:09.160 --> 2:06:14.000 live entertainment space, we will never return to February of 2:06:14.040 --> 2:06:17.960 twenty twenty. Okay, that won't happen. That won't ever happen again. 2:06:18.000 --> 2:06:18.760 What does that mean? 2:06:19.360 --> 2:06:21.840 What that means is like the way that the Roots 2:06:21.880 --> 2:06:23.880 Picnic look when we last did it for the Things 2:06:23.880 --> 2:06:27.360 for All part twentieth, what would be different? I mean, 2:06:27.400 --> 2:06:31.280 I think Live Picnic twenty twenty two, Lite will return 2:06:31.680 --> 2:06:33.600 and Live will return at scale. 2:06:34.040 --> 2:06:35.720 I think that part of it is going to be 2:06:35.800 --> 2:06:40.080 driven by science and governments, you know, mainly science meaning 2:06:40.200 --> 2:06:43.760 you know, whether it's testing vaccine, whatever that ends up being. 2:06:44.080 --> 2:06:50.080 You know, you can't replicate the emotional connection of being 2:06:50.200 --> 2:06:52.960 in an audience and watching your favorite artists. And I 2:06:53.000 --> 2:06:55.640 think that will return. But I think the difference is, 2:06:56.240 --> 2:06:59.680 you know, COVID was the symptom, but what the live 2:06:59.760 --> 2:07:04.440 music industry is actually going through, It's not COVID. It's 2:07:04.440 --> 2:07:08.960 a technological disruption we're going through. This is the first 2:07:09.360 --> 2:07:14.720 true disruption of technology for live music recorded music went 2:07:14.760 --> 2:07:18.000 through it from LimeWire to Napster to that ended up, 2:07:18.200 --> 2:07:21.560 you know, that sort of six to eight year process 2:07:21.600 --> 2:07:25.800 of disruption ended up with Spotify, Apple Music title where 2:07:25.840 --> 2:07:28.760 we are now, right And if you guys remember that 2:07:28.920 --> 2:07:32.520 was a really fucking uncomfortable time when Napster was in 2:07:32.560 --> 2:07:35.240 and live people were like, the industry's gone. Record labels 2:07:35.240 --> 2:07:37.560 are never going to happen again. Why are we doing this? 2:07:38.560 --> 2:07:41.480 These consumers will never buy anything because they can trade 2:07:41.480 --> 2:07:44.640 files for free, all of that. But what ended up 2:07:44.680 --> 2:07:49.520 happening was the industry embraced technology at the end of it, 2:07:50.120 --> 2:07:53.920 and the business is bigger than ever right now. And 2:07:54.000 --> 2:07:56.760 that's the same thing that's going to happen live. What 2:07:56.840 --> 2:08:01.000 we're seeing with these live streaming platforms. We're seeing with 2:08:01.280 --> 2:08:04.360 the consumer engagement. If you think about the level of 2:08:04.400 --> 2:08:08.760 digital engagement from music consumers when Fante, if I told 2:08:08.760 --> 2:08:10.720 you you were going to be sitting on your fucking 2:08:10.800 --> 2:08:15.560 couch for two hours watching Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight 2:08:16.000 --> 2:08:19.480 play music and enjoy it, if I would have told 2:08:19.480 --> 2:08:21.120 you that in February, you'd have been like, what. 2:08:21.920 --> 2:08:25.600 Nigga, my my moment for that was versus was the 2:08:25.680 --> 2:08:27.800 primo and uh, and. 2:08:29.160 --> 2:08:31.560 That was the moment where I was like, yo, the 2:08:31.600 --> 2:08:32.920 world has changed. 2:08:32.640 --> 2:08:37.120 Forever like these but that engage my house watching two 2:08:37.240 --> 2:08:41.320 dudes play record and that's the most important in the 2:08:41.320 --> 2:08:41.840 world right. 2:08:41.720 --> 2:08:43.800 Now, and enjoying it and looking forward to it. So 2:08:43.920 --> 2:08:48.040 that level of consumer engagement, which probably would have taken 2:08:48.360 --> 2:08:51.760 a decade for us to get there, happened in six months. 2:08:51.840 --> 2:08:54.080 That's going to transition out of COVID, and you're going 2:08:54.160 --> 2:08:57.880 to see cottage industries that become major, cottage companies that 2:08:57.960 --> 2:09:02.640 become major companies that are building companies around that digital 2:09:02.640 --> 2:09:06.320 distribution and digital engagement. That's not going to take live away. 2:09:06.640 --> 2:09:10.040 It's going to add on to the live economy and 2:09:10.080 --> 2:09:13.760 you're going to now see a bigger industry. The pie 2:09:13.800 --> 2:09:16.880 is going to get bigger because now you have brick 2:09:16.920 --> 2:09:21.800 and mortar lies, remember Blockbuster and h and I mean, 2:09:22.480 --> 2:09:25.520 what's the what's tower record? You'll have You'll still have 2:09:25.600 --> 2:09:29.280 brick and mortar line. Now you want to have virtual 2:09:29.400 --> 2:09:33.120 line and together you're going to twenty twenty five, the 2:09:33.160 --> 2:09:35.880 live music industry is going to be two three times 2:09:35.880 --> 2:09:38.680 the size that it is now. Just like recorded music 2:09:38.880 --> 2:09:41.280 is bigger than it was, you know during the during 2:09:41.320 --> 2:09:44.160 the Limewires. It's what Eric, It's going to be a 2:09:44.200 --> 2:09:46.160 point it's going to be a point of uncomfortable. It's 2:09:46.160 --> 2:09:48.800 about to say that two or three years where you're 2:09:48.800 --> 2:09:53.280 going to see big major players like Tower. You're going 2:09:53.320 --> 2:09:55.600 to see big major players that were the ship in 2:09:55.640 --> 2:09:58.680 twenty nineteen and twenty in early twenty twenty in the 2:09:58.720 --> 2:10:01.720 live music industry. If they don't adapt, they're gonna be gone. 2:10:02.840 --> 2:10:05.880 So Sean, is what Erica did recently during the COVID 2:10:05.960 --> 2:10:08.680 is that the future the whole subscription live show thing. 2:10:08.800 --> 2:10:11.720 You think the beauty about it is. I don't know 2:10:11.800 --> 2:10:17.000 the future. I say it's fun ship. That's the fun part. 2:10:17.200 --> 2:10:19.960 The fun part is we are in the Wow wild 2:10:20.120 --> 2:10:24.000 West with Ship. Erica came out and said, well, all 2:10:24.040 --> 2:10:27.680 of y'all platforms, I'm gonna build my own platform. Is 2:10:27.720 --> 2:10:30.520 that is that going to be? Is Erica gonna end 2:10:30.600 --> 2:10:33.400 up being Spotify? Or is she gonna end up being LimeWire? 2:10:33.640 --> 2:10:35.120 You know, I mean, I don't know, you know what 2:10:35.160 --> 2:10:38.720 I mean? Like like Twitch, Twitch is you know, it's 2:10:38.760 --> 2:10:42.040 a huge gaming platform now has a music strategy. Are 2:10:42.040 --> 2:10:44.080 they gonna end up being Spotify orre they gonna end 2:10:44.120 --> 2:10:47.360 up being Napster. I don't know. But that's the great part. 2:10:47.760 --> 2:10:50.080 And again depending on how I came up, and this 2:10:50.280 --> 2:10:52.080 I always and you know what I mean. I'm not 2:10:52.120 --> 2:10:53.840 just saying this because you're on the phone. I say 2:10:53.840 --> 2:10:57.120 it in meetings with CEOs and presidents. I'm a root, 2:10:57.720 --> 2:10:59.360 you know what I mean. I came in this game 2:10:59.400 --> 2:11:01.800 of route and we figured out how to make this 2:11:01.880 --> 2:11:05.120 ship work. We figured out how to make a twenty 2:11:05.120 --> 2:11:07.480 plus year, thirty plus year career off of one and 2:11:07.480 --> 2:11:10.800 a half hit songs. When when it's time, when it's 2:11:10.880 --> 2:11:16.040 time commercial right there, you know, when it's time to 2:11:16.120 --> 2:11:18.120 roll in the sleeves and figure some shit out. In 2:11:18.160 --> 2:11:21.880 a period of time where it's discord and everybody's confused, 2:11:22.120 --> 2:11:24.400 you know, some people are gonna fall off the wayside. 2:11:24.600 --> 2:11:27.960 I'm having fun. I'm coming up with ideas, creativity. Let's 2:11:27.960 --> 2:11:30.560 figure this ship a Mirland. Why don't you dj? And 2:11:30.680 --> 2:11:33.520 you know from your barn in New York, you know 2:11:33.760 --> 2:11:36.480 to why don't it? It's this is the part here 2:11:36.600 --> 2:11:40.080 that it's fun because I don't you don't know what 2:11:40.120 --> 2:11:42.680 the future is, but you do know, it's not going 2:11:42.760 --> 2:11:45.040 to be where we were on February twenty twenty. 2:11:45.240 --> 2:11:49.120 And you get to create it. We're essentially absolutely absolutely 2:11:49.160 --> 2:11:49.600 and the. 2:11:49.560 --> 2:11:52.360 Winner might be some kid that's sitting in you know, 2:11:52.880 --> 2:11:56.760 his bedrooms homeschooling right now, Like he might be the 2:11:56.800 --> 2:11:59.680 next Steve Jobs of the next you know what I mean. 2:11:59.800 --> 2:12:02.360 And it ain't gonna be somebody that's the CEO or 2:12:02.360 --> 2:12:04.160 somebody that's the president right now. There's gonna be some 2:12:04.240 --> 2:12:06.960 kid that's sitting there doing virtual school right now, and 2:12:06.960 --> 2:12:07.800 that's going to come up. 2:12:07.680 --> 2:12:08.280 With the answer. 2:12:09.120 --> 2:12:10.800 All right, man, did I just hope? 2:12:10.960 --> 2:12:15.240 I just hope your Roots fan, whoever he is the Roots? 2:12:16.440 --> 2:12:17.320 So did I? 2:12:17.800 --> 2:12:18.040 Well? 2:12:18.080 --> 2:12:20.840 Wait, I forgot there's one thing that we forgot to 2:12:20.880 --> 2:12:27.320 mention you also going to a foray of developing with 2:12:27.400 --> 2:12:28.640 two one five Entertainment. 2:12:31.400 --> 2:12:37.440 You know, actually, like what what is I find myself. 2:12:36.960 --> 2:12:42.000 Trying to step away from platforms and get less and 2:12:42.040 --> 2:12:44.839 less jobs. But now that I'm listening to this story, 2:12:45.720 --> 2:12:53.200 you're actually quest low like just between lot Nation two 2:12:53.240 --> 2:12:57.120 one five Entertainment us developing these these movies, these plays, 2:12:57.280 --> 2:13:02.080 these television shows. I mean, at what point are you 2:13:02.160 --> 2:13:04.120 going to Chef Gordon the thing and just be like 2:13:04.160 --> 2:13:08.000 all right, Alice Cooper, let's just right off into the sunset. 2:13:08.080 --> 2:13:10.920 And you know, do you have do you have a 2:13:11.040 --> 2:13:13.960 master plan written out in which you just like all right, 2:13:14.000 --> 2:13:15.840 I'm cool, or you let your. 2:13:15.680 --> 2:13:19.280 Son take over? Or for me, is he is he 2:13:19.360 --> 2:13:21.040 on that level yet where it's like. 2:13:21.160 --> 2:13:25.120 Which which on the music side? You know, yeah, like 2:13:25.360 --> 2:13:27.640 it's my it's shown, it's my fifteen year old. Like 2:13:27.680 --> 2:13:31.920 he's he's he's built for this and he's he's telling yes, 2:13:32.000 --> 2:13:34.480 he's telling me about you know, this person doing his 2:13:34.600 --> 2:13:38.080 bundle and you know how it's super creating because everybody's 2:13:38.080 --> 2:13:40.760 bundling with their T shirts, but he bundled with this 2:13:40.840 --> 2:13:43.640 and that, and you know, we look at the numbers, 2:13:43.640 --> 2:13:47.960 look at the streams. He's he's not not not a 2:13:48.040 --> 2:13:52.320 proactive thing for me teaching him. He's just I see it. 2:13:52.400 --> 2:13:54.880 I smell it like Darren. I smell sports Like Darren 2:13:54.920 --> 2:13:59.360 wasn't into music and this my business. He took what 2:13:59.480 --> 2:14:01.640 he learned from me, what he saw. He's took my 2:14:01.720 --> 2:14:04.879 hustle and my grind and applied it to his passion. 2:14:05.200 --> 2:14:05.720 You know what I mean. 2:14:06.120 --> 2:14:10.920 Sean is absolutely built for this music game. Like that's 2:14:11.040 --> 2:14:13.640 that's you know, I see it. I'm like, all right, dude, 2:14:14.240 --> 2:14:16.160 I'm gonna be working for you, so you know what 2:14:16.200 --> 2:14:18.200 I mean. But yeah, I don't. I don't. I don't. 2:14:18.240 --> 2:14:19.840 I don't have a I don't you know, I don't 2:14:19.840 --> 2:14:23.240 have an exit plan meaning exit plan from a you know, 2:14:23.720 --> 2:14:27.360 I'm gonna go get my house in Hawaii. Like for me, 2:14:27.360 --> 2:14:29.520 it's about passion, Like if you all the things I'm 2:14:29.560 --> 2:14:32.280 involved in is because I'm passionate about it. Like their 2:14:32.360 --> 2:14:35.240 clients that have fired me, you know, like I said earlier, 2:14:35.320 --> 2:14:37.160 because I sort of worked myself out of a job, 2:14:37.200 --> 2:14:39.560 their clients that I fired. Like if I don't fucking 2:14:39.760 --> 2:14:43.920 wake up and inspired by you or you know, every 2:14:44.000 --> 2:14:46.080 day isn't gonna be inspiration. Some days I wake up 2:14:46.120 --> 2:14:48.320 and be like, man, what the fuck I'm here? Come 2:14:48.360 --> 2:14:48.840 on dog? 2:14:49.080 --> 2:14:49.360 All right? 2:14:49.360 --> 2:14:51.920 So when's the first phone call start? Like, when's the 2:14:52.000 --> 2:14:56.440 first like when does your phone start ringing? Obviously you 2:14:56.600 --> 2:14:59.200 have a rule in the house that no more phone 2:14:59.240 --> 2:15:02.000 calls after black blah black out, because I could be 2:15:02.000 --> 2:15:04.200 imprisoned somewhere and I know you ain't gonna pick up 2:15:04.240 --> 2:15:05.520 the phone. 2:15:06.440 --> 2:15:08.320 But that's part of that's part of hiring a team 2:15:08.400 --> 2:15:11.480 like you call near, he gonna pick it up. But 2:15:13.120 --> 2:15:15.080 years but fifteen years ago, I was that dude that 2:15:15.160 --> 2:15:17.760 picked up their phone, you know what. You know, I 2:15:17.880 --> 2:15:19.960 was the one riding up when somebody got locked up. 2:15:20.000 --> 2:15:22.000 But now that's part of growth. It's like, all right, 2:15:22.080 --> 2:15:26.400 y'all do that. But it's funny my phone calls, you know, 2:15:26.480 --> 2:15:28.800 now that I live in La I usually start my 2:15:28.840 --> 2:15:33.960 phone calls around seven. But when I'm being creative and 2:15:34.040 --> 2:15:36.680 my team, you know, always jokes to me. Sometimes that 2:15:36.760 --> 2:15:38.960 last email comes from me at three or four in 2:15:38.960 --> 2:15:42.640 the morning. Like my mind. As I've grown in this business, 2:15:42.680 --> 2:15:44.600 my mind has started to work more like an artist, 2:15:44.680 --> 2:15:46.760 unless like a suit Like I know, y'all always used 2:15:46.760 --> 2:15:50.040 to say, like, you know, creativity don't start until after midnight, 2:15:50.080 --> 2:15:51.520 and I'd be like what y'all talk about? Like you 2:15:51.600 --> 2:15:54.680 got to sleep. But as I've gotten older, that's when 2:15:54.800 --> 2:15:57.080 my creative ideas come because during the day, you know, 2:15:57.120 --> 2:15:59.280 I'm doing phone calls and zooms and shit like that, 2:15:59.360 --> 2:16:00.000 so I'm able to. 2:16:00.320 --> 2:16:02.320 You gotta wait to everybody else's asleep so you can 2:16:02.400 --> 2:16:03.919 really exact exactly. 2:16:04.120 --> 2:16:07.000 But yeah, my day usually starts at seven. You know, 2:16:07.080 --> 2:16:10.840 seven seven thirty with calls, and you know, especially during COVID, 2:16:10.880 --> 2:16:12.680 I'm able to work from home, so I you know, 2:16:13.040 --> 2:16:15.800 between calls and my kids, you know, the balance is good. 2:16:16.800 --> 2:16:17.200 I see. 2:16:17.440 --> 2:16:22.400 All right, Well, I'll be hitting you about adding more 2:16:22.560 --> 2:16:24.040 acres to my property and. 2:16:24.160 --> 2:16:31.160 Oh shit, and you gotta battle Jeff more acres, more acres. 2:16:31.320 --> 2:16:33.960 Oh no, I'm about to sun Jeff in the second. 2:16:34.080 --> 2:16:40.240 And anyway, no, I think you know, I had to 2:16:40.360 --> 2:16:42.600 learn some shit. And you know we've been. 2:16:43.959 --> 2:16:48.840 We've been business partners for what twenty plus years already. 2:16:48.959 --> 2:16:51.680 Ye, we can definitely name this episode the lesson like 2:16:51.800 --> 2:16:53.680 there's there's some lessons in him. 2:16:54.160 --> 2:16:57.920 Absolutely. Yeah, all right, well you know, Sean G. Thank you. 2:16:58.240 --> 2:16:59.680 I'll be bugging you later tonight. 2:17:00.560 --> 2:17:02.840 Oh good, Well, make sure y'all send me that edit 2:17:02.879 --> 2:17:04.320 because you know I ain't signed that so I can 2:17:04.480 --> 2:17:05.680 should tell y'all any time. 2:17:07.200 --> 2:17:12.520 Than let us never about the career of Davy l Yes, 2:17:14.680 --> 2:17:17.960 so fine, anyway, all right, and I just say, and 2:17:18.040 --> 2:17:18.360 I'm so. 2:17:19.959 --> 2:17:21.440 I told you this before, I told both you and 2:17:21.640 --> 2:17:24.080 me this, but it really is inspirational to just to 2:17:24.120 --> 2:17:26.240 watch and see what y'all brothers are built over these 2:17:26.320 --> 2:17:29.200 decades man, and you know, and I just think you 2:17:29.280 --> 2:17:30.720 for the opportunity, you know, for bringing me into this 2:17:31.160 --> 2:17:33.840 and uh, you know, you hit me. And it was 2:17:33.920 --> 2:17:35.480 just like, hey man, the mirror is doing this thing 2:17:35.920 --> 2:17:38.920 you on in And I was like, all right, I mean, 2:17:39.000 --> 2:17:42.320 you know what the ship was gonna be. But but 2:17:42.480 --> 2:17:44.040 you know, I just I just you know, ad my 2:17:44.320 --> 2:17:46.160 work ethic in the hustle, and you know, for I 2:17:46.280 --> 2:17:47.920 know how hard it is to build something on your own. 2:17:48.000 --> 2:17:49.920 So I was gonna just you know, salute you man, 2:17:49.959 --> 2:17:52.439 and just give your flowers and just say yeah, Sean. 2:17:55.080 --> 2:17:55.920 Definitely appreciate it. 2:17:56.120 --> 2:17:57.760 We all have our own Shan stories. 2:17:57.760 --> 2:17:59.560 I wouldn't have got my own radio show back in 2:17:59.600 --> 2:18:02.199 Philly fifteen years ago if Kobe Cole would asked. 2:18:01.959 --> 2:18:04.199 Sean ge who he was the host for this show? 2:18:04.600 --> 2:18:05.080 Wait what? 2:18:05.720 --> 2:18:08.400 Yes, That's how I got Sunday Morning Soul because Kobe 2:18:08.600 --> 2:18:09.960 was on the call with Sean and he was like, 2:18:10.120 --> 2:18:12.480 I want to do this specialty show about soul, and 2:18:12.640 --> 2:18:14.519 Sean he was like, who'll be a good hell Sprach. 2:18:14.360 --> 2:18:18.560 And how yeah, I didn't know that. 2:18:19.360 --> 2:18:19.720 I thought. 2:18:19.879 --> 2:18:22.920 You know, me and Sean had many a morning conversations 2:18:23.000 --> 2:18:24.440 on the way to work and stuff like that, like 2:18:24.520 --> 2:18:25.040 it was a bill. 2:18:26.480 --> 2:18:28.480 Yes, And he finally told me when I was able 2:18:28.520 --> 2:18:30.360 to have my allowance to buy my weed, which was 2:18:30.400 --> 2:18:32.800 also very exciting. I remember the day when he said, like, 2:18:33.240 --> 2:18:36.800 you can now put some money aside weekly for weed thinking. 2:18:38.160 --> 2:18:43.440 And I regret telling the story because now you that 2:18:43.560 --> 2:18:43.879 was great. 2:18:44.800 --> 2:18:45.240 That great. 2:18:45.240 --> 2:18:46.360 I'm gonna stop talking about you. 2:18:47.840 --> 2:18:49.000 I would have love for you to say I took 2:18:49.000 --> 2:18:49.800 it back, but that's. 2:18:49.680 --> 2:18:53.360 Fine, dots, No, I did take it back. 2:18:53.560 --> 2:18:56.080 Okay, okay, good, all right, dude. 2:18:56.280 --> 2:19:00.120 Sure this has been the more more informative that so. 2:19:00.240 --> 2:19:03.840 I already learned from Alan Weeds that managers aren't going 2:19:03.959 --> 2:19:07.600 to do the tail all ship on the so you know, 2:19:09.120 --> 2:19:12.480 I feel that this show is effective enough without talking 2:19:12.480 --> 2:19:17.400 about you know, artist fuckery that is going down. 2:19:18.400 --> 2:19:20.720 It wouldn't serve the episode a great way to build. 2:19:21.600 --> 2:19:23.320 I never say this enough you. 2:19:23.560 --> 2:19:28.519 You definitely take on the gray hair that I successfully 2:19:28.760 --> 2:19:31.680 avoided right now, and I have. 2:19:31.800 --> 2:19:32.360 A lot of it. 2:19:33.840 --> 2:19:37.320 Anytime I see my my my barometer for how. 2:19:37.280 --> 2:19:40.560 My life is going is based on how much gray hairs. 2:19:40.680 --> 2:19:44.160 Right absolutely, I'm like, all right, all right, it's a 2:19:44.200 --> 2:19:47.320 good month. I'm amazing all right, well on behalf of 2:19:48.000 --> 2:19:55.400 the team, Sugar Steve. We still FLI Chustine right now, Yes, yes, 2:19:55.480 --> 2:19:59.000 I see you, I see you. Pay bill and take 2:19:59.040 --> 2:20:01.680 a little and all right, yeah, thank you showing ge 2:20:02.080 --> 2:20:04.600 uh this appreciate and signing and off we will see 2:20:04.600 --> 2:20:07.160 you next week when the next Joe around request Love Supreme. 2:20:07.360 --> 2:20:12.080 Thank you, yo, what's up? It's a sponte. 2:20:12.560 --> 2:20:14.760 Make sure you keep up with us on Instagram at 2:20:14.879 --> 2:20:16.959 QLs and let us know what you think and who 2:20:16.959 --> 2:20:18.280 should be next to sit down with us. 2:20:18.560 --> 2:20:21.680 Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast, all right peace? 2:20:22.920 --> 2:20:25.840 How Much Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. 2:20:28.040 --> 2:20:31.280 For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 2:20:31.560 --> 2:20:34.560 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.