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Speaker 1: Welcome to Naked Sports, the podcast where we live at

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Speaker 1: the intersection of sports, politics, and culture. Our purpose reveal

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Speaker 1: the common threads that bind them all. So what's happening

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Speaker 1: in women's basketball right now is what we've been trying to.

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Speaker 2: Get to for almost thirty years.

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Speaker 1: From the stadiums where athletes break barriers and set records.

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Speaker 1: Kamen Quark broke the all time single game assists record.

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Speaker 1: This is crazy for rookies to be doing. Our discussions

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Speaker 1: will uncover the vital connections between these realms and the

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Speaker 1: community we create. In each episode, we'll sit down with athletes,

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Speaker 1: political analysts, and culture critics, because at the core of

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Speaker 1: it all, how we see one issue shines the light

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Speaker 1: on all others. Welcome to Naked Sports. I'm your host,

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Speaker 1: Carrie Champion. If you are listening to this podcast, and

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Speaker 1: if you're watching this, I hope you are. Hope you're

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Speaker 1: watching it. On my YouTube page, you will see I'm

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Speaker 1: fully dressed, I have a scully on and I got

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Speaker 1: on a very warm jacket. I'm getting hot right now,

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Speaker 1: but it's cold in New York. It's a real cold.

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Speaker 1: It's frigid. And one of my guests did his best

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Speaker 1: to run, literally run to the studio and be here

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Speaker 1: because I had a short amount of time. But you

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Speaker 1: all know him from Cool Runnings a New York Undercover.

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Speaker 1: He's been an actor, a mainstay actor at least for

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Speaker 1: the culture, for the better part of thirty forty years

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Speaker 1: if you ask me, and I really have gotten to

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Speaker 1: know him as a good person off camera. I call

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Speaker 1: him kind, That's the word that I would use. But

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Speaker 1: his commitment to building the community and giving back is

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Speaker 1: one that must be honored and talked about. And so

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Speaker 1: today Malik Yoba comes on the podcast. He clears up

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Speaker 1: a few things I know that he was in the news,

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Speaker 1: most recently for saying he's a non white man, that's

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Speaker 1: how he's going to identify himself, and that went viral

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Speaker 1: for various reasons. He explains what he meant by that.

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Speaker 1: He also talks about, you know, growing up here in

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Speaker 1: the city and in New York rather and what it's

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Speaker 1: meant to him and how it's helped him develop as

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Speaker 1: a man, and why he is so committed to being

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Speaker 1: just more than an actor a multi hyphen it. As

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Speaker 1: the kids say, I hope you enjoy this edition of

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Speaker 1: Naked Sports. So whenever I have a guest on the

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Speaker 1: podcast that I genuinely know, I like to give an

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Speaker 1: origin story. But every time I do this without fail,

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Speaker 1: there's a part of the podcast where we say the

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Speaker 1: origin story is not true, or the origin story is subjective,

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Speaker 1: or the origin story looks different. And of course you

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Speaker 1: are explaining to me before we even start recording when

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Speaker 1: we met, how we met, what happened when we met,

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Speaker 1: and it didn't go that way. But okay, because you

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Speaker 1: said you got you you true talent. You are such talent.

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Speaker 1: Y'all think y'all know everything your talent.

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Speaker 3: I just know what I know.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So you said it was twenty years ago, But

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Speaker 1: twenty years ago was would we win? Two thousand and five?

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Speaker 3: Two thousand.

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Speaker 1: I lived in Florida in two thousand and five. There's

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Speaker 1: just no way I was walking the city streets of

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Speaker 1: New York. I hadn't. There's just no way. I was

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Speaker 1: a I was a CUB reporter.

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Speaker 3: I think it was more like two thousand and six.

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Speaker 1: Maybe I was in Florida than Atlanta.

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Speaker 3: When did you leave the Tennis Channel?

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Speaker 1: I was twenty eleven.

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Speaker 3: So it wasn't. It was definitely for that.

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Speaker 1: And I started working at the Tennis Channel in two

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Speaker 1: thousand and nine.

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Speaker 3: So maybe you were at Okay, Yeah, I had my recollection.

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Speaker 1: I left Local if we had just met, I left

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Speaker 1: Local News. I had just got fired and hired. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: so it's two thousand and.

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Speaker 3: Nine, okay, so you didn't have a job yet.

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Speaker 1: I was just looking. It was out here, I was,

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Speaker 1: I was in between gigs, I was hustling.

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Speaker 3: Because that was the conversation on the roof of the Dream.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So tell me what happened to you and.

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Speaker 2: Your girl what's her name again, your best friend Kendrew

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Speaker 2: were walking down the street and I saw you.

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Speaker 1: And I was so, that had to be two thousand

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Speaker 1: and eight, two thousand and nine.

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Speaker 2: So you're walking down the street and I'm like, that's

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Speaker 2: what happened. And then we made it to the roof

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Speaker 2: and I was.

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Speaker 1: Like, oh, those you're like, come with me. I'm going

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Speaker 1: to the Dream.

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Speaker 3: No. No, you guys were going and I was going.

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Speaker 1: You were staying there, and we were there.

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Speaker 2: I was going as well, and I just happened to

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Speaker 2: see you in the street first, and then you were

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Speaker 2: on the roof okay, and we started chatting. You looked

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Speaker 2: familiar to.

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Speaker 1: Me, okay, and then we talked.

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Speaker 2: We talked, and part of it was you talking. First

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Speaker 2: of all, when you talked about how much you loved sports,

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Speaker 2: I thought that was fly because you're beautiful and black

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Speaker 2: and talk at sports. And I was like, yeah, that's dope.

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Speaker 2: And you were like, I'm looking, I'm trying to get

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Speaker 2: a new gig. So you hadn't had the get yet, and.

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Speaker 1: So was I not at the tenants So I was

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Speaker 1: not at the Tennis channel or I I.

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Speaker 2: Just remember you talking about wanting a job and a

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Speaker 2: job in sports broadcasting, and I thought that was a

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Speaker 2: really cool thing. And then cut to a few years later,

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Speaker 2: you're in ESPN and we hadn't seen each other in from.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So then that's what it was. Okay. So I

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Speaker 1: was at the Tennis channel. I was probably looking for

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Speaker 1: a new opportunity, and I was like, I want a

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Speaker 1: bigger gig than just being at the tennis channel because

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Speaker 1: it was a single sport network. So it was like

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Speaker 1: two thousand and eight, two thousand and nine, you give

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Speaker 1: me that, give me that to be it's some pieces

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Speaker 1: of our memory. And then and then obviously I was

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Speaker 1: at ESPN, and then and then you and I did

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Speaker 1: we connect while I was at ESPN or do it?

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Speaker 3: So we did?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, because I feel like it might have been on

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Speaker 2: Instagram or it might have been a Zita.

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Speaker 1: It was a Za our mutual friend who is also

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Speaker 1: an actress. Well, let me say this to you. Over

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Speaker 1: the years, I will tell you one thing that I

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Speaker 1: have noticed about you outside of you being a phenomenal

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Speaker 1: actor and me being a fan before I even knew you,

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Speaker 1: because you, for so many of us, have narrated our

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Speaker 1: our childhood, our teenhood, our adulthood in terms of the

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Speaker 1: films that you've been in that have been a part

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Speaker 1: of the culture, that are integrated deeply into the culture.

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Speaker 1: But coming to know you off camera, you stay very

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Speaker 1: consistently kind to everyone, like and that is and that's

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Speaker 1: a hard thing to do in this industry because it.

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Speaker 3: Ain't about the industry, correct.

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Speaker 1: It's about the world. But people don't know that.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, you know that because you one thing I like

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Speaker 2: about you, you will send me a random as text

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Speaker 2: like you have such a beautiful heart, You are so kind. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: and that's all.

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Speaker 1: That's it.

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Speaker 3: And I appreciate that.

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Speaker 1: People I think don't the more and more I'm a

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Speaker 1: little more and I don't know if you can relate

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Speaker 1: to this. I'm a little more like socially fine, but

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Speaker 1: I'm very introverted. I'm very particular. I'm very private, so

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Speaker 1: it sometimes prevents me from getting to know people. But

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Speaker 1: I am very observant about how people treat other people.

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Speaker 1: And you treat other people wonderful, from the president to

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Speaker 1: the janitor, and I think that speaks volumes to who

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Speaker 1: you are and I appreciate that.

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Speaker 3: Thank you.

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Speaker 2: I think it's important. I think you know, did a

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Speaker 2: lot of unkind people? Yeah, and I don't understand that.

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Speaker 1: I do. They're miserable. Oh they want everybody else to

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Speaker 1: be missed.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, no, no, yes, yes, yes, I understand it from

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Speaker 2: that perspective.

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Speaker 3: But a misery is a choice too.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. When you look back over your career, and we're

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Speaker 1: in New York filming this, which is so fricking ironic.

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Speaker 1: If if someone would have told me that, I would

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Speaker 1: have been sitting with you doing this podcast and I'm

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Speaker 1: about to talk about New York kud to cover. I'm like, really,

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Speaker 1: think when you look back over your life and some

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Speaker 1: of the roles that you've had, and I know that

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Speaker 1: you know, people know you from particular places, are you

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Speaker 1: Are you aware of your cultural impact?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, for sure. But so we're in one sixty five

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Speaker 3: what's forty sixth Street.

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Speaker 1: That's where the building is right now where we are filming.

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Speaker 2: Yes, and so this is the Actor's Equity Building. It

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Speaker 2: used to also be the office for the Negro Ensemble Company,

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Speaker 2: where I sat in this building and sold subscriptions for

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Speaker 2: the Negro Ensemble Company, which was the preeminent theater company

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Speaker 2: from I was there from about sixteen years old to

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Speaker 2: eighteen years old. And so that was my job in

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Speaker 2: this in this building back in the eighties, and like

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Speaker 2: selling newspapers, no, no, no, no, we sold subscriptions. Like so,

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Speaker 2: now how you buy subscriptions to everything right to the

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Speaker 2: you know streaming or whatever back.

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Speaker 1: In the day you can do it online.

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Speaker 3: No, it was it was theater. It was live theater.

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Speaker 2: So people would there'd be a season and the season

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Speaker 2: could be from like say September to May maybe, and

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Speaker 2: you did. The theater would produce four shows a year,

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Speaker 2: and my job was to call people up, Hey, miss champion,

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Speaker 2: would you like to renew your subscription for next season?

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Speaker 3: We have this amazing.

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Speaker 2: Play with Felice Richard or Sam Jackson or Angela Massett

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Speaker 2: who were all part of that theater company Denzel eight

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Speaker 2: Off Cason.

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Speaker 3: Wow, So this is where I used.

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Speaker 2: To come and dream about being an actor, aside from

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Speaker 2: the fact that performing ours high school when they danced

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Speaker 2: in the Street at the beginning of Fame, that was

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Speaker 2: right in front of this building.

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Speaker 1: At the beginning of Fame when they danced on the

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Speaker 1: street is in the beginning of this is right here

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Speaker 1: where I am right now.

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Speaker 2: You walk out this building, you go to the left,

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Speaker 2: there's a red stone castle kind of that used to

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Speaker 2: be performing out of high school. And then my first agent,

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Speaker 2: Ambrosier and Mortimor, was also in this building, and I

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Speaker 2: signed with them because I knew Sam Jackson and Angela

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Speaker 2: Bassett from my time at the New York at the

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Speaker 2: Negro Ensemble Company. And when I booked Cool Runnings, I

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Speaker 2: didn't have an agent. It was an open call, and

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Speaker 2: so when they booked me on the film, they were like,

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Speaker 2: you need to find an agent to negotiate your deal,

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Speaker 2: and I chose Ambrosia Mortimor because Sam and Angie were

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Speaker 2: our clients.

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Speaker 1: Oh wow in this building. Oh wow. Fact that's a

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Speaker 1: great story. You want to put your I don't know

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Speaker 1: how can you put you on any more water? You stuck,

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Speaker 1: you stuck up under there? You got this or you

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Speaker 1: can lift it. Look we stuck up under there, and Jay,

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Speaker 1: why we got my man stuck up under here?

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Speaker 3: Your work?

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Speaker 1: Yo?

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Speaker 3: Look at Jay's shirt. It says be kind. He knows

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Speaker 3: what's up.

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Speaker 1: He knows what's up. Jay's always kind. Kind, it's kind

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Speaker 1: of kindness goes a lot, but.

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Speaker 3: It's different than nice. Right. I hate people debate kind

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Speaker 3: and nice all the time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I wouldn't say that nice would be the first

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Speaker 1: word you would use to describe me. But you definitely

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Speaker 1: if you knew me, Eve, you say kind Yeah, yeah, accurate, right, accurate.

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Speaker 1: Over the years, I think that I don't know what

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Speaker 1: makes someone a mainstay, but people are mainstays. Do you

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Speaker 1: actively make sure that is a part of who you

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Speaker 1: are or it has happened?

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Speaker 2: Not in terms of like. To me, it's always been

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Speaker 2: about purpose, right. So I was not pursuing a career

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Speaker 2: in theater in film and television.

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Speaker 3: I actually was more interested in theater.

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Speaker 2: Growing up as a kid, I wanted to be on

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Speaker 2: Broadway right down the block I went to high school.

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Speaker 2: So I went to three different high schools. One of

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Speaker 2: the high schools is fifty a street between ninth and

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Speaker 2: tenth right here in time script.

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Speaker 1: It's crazy.

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Speaker 2: I got shot at that school when I was fifteen

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Speaker 2: years old, so.

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Speaker 1: It's not where how this is a bullet? Wo? Why

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Speaker 1: when that happened?

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Speaker 2: So right between eighth and ninth Avenue, I used to

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Speaker 2: go to Park West High School. There was and then

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Speaker 2: there was Printing High School on the same street. So

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Speaker 2: January eighteenth, nineteen eighty three is two high schools let

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Speaker 2: out on the middle of midtown. So he got like

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Speaker 2: three thousand kids in the street. Nine of those kids

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Speaker 2: were beaten down another kid. One had a baseball bat,

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Speaker 2: one had a golf club and then beating this kid

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Speaker 2: within an inch of his life. And I'm leaving school

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Speaker 2: heading to the train station on eighth Avenue, and we're

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Speaker 2: all watching this, and so I literally was like, y'all,

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Speaker 2: I wish it would and they did, and they pushed

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Speaker 2: me out the way to beat on this kid.

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Speaker 3: One of them. I pushed a kid back.

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Speaker 2: Another kid came up behind me, threw me around, grabbed

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Speaker 2: me around the neck, threw me on the ground and

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Speaker 2: told the third.

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Speaker 3: Kid to shoot me.

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Speaker 2: So that's fifteen years old, right here in midtown Manhattan,

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Speaker 2: and my friend Marvin was standing on the corner.

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Speaker 3: Everybody watched it and he was like, yo yo, but Yoba.

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Speaker 2: They used to come to me Joba in high school

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Speaker 2: and we ran to There was a hospital, Saint Clair's

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Speaker 2: on ninth and fifty second Street, and it's that getting

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Speaker 2: shot at that when I went to that school. And

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Speaker 2: my father wouldn't let me go to performing our high

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Speaker 2: school because he didn't want us to pursue our career

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Speaker 2: and the arts. He said, you know, get a real

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Speaker 2: job kind of thing. So I was studying engineering over there,

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Speaker 2: which was crazy. But because I got shot, He's like,

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Speaker 2: you know what, We're going to switch schools. And there

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Speaker 2: was another performing arts program called Talent Unlimited that kadem

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Speaker 2: Hardison went to. Most death went to Lisa Lisa Geene.

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Speaker 2: Anthony Ray, who was in fame, actually went to the

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Speaker 2: same program. So that's I was allowed to go to

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Speaker 2: that theater program. But I had two passions growing up.

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Speaker 2: One was education, working with kids. It was just always

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Speaker 2: that kid that other kids came to with their problems,

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Speaker 2: and I was always I had some kind of wisdom

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Speaker 2: and I was always tutoring or helping out. And so

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Speaker 2: the other one was theater, like doing theater, but musical theater.

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Speaker 2: So I grew up a musician, playing guitar, singing, and

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Speaker 2: so for me, I wanted to be on Broadway and

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Speaker 2: I thought I'd be doing musicals, and I was pursuing

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Speaker 2: music and working with kids. And it was through the

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Speaker 2: job I had at a place called the City Kids Foundation.

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Speaker 2: At the time, it was a job before that, but

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Speaker 2: City Kids really would change my life. I was there

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Speaker 2: from nineteen to twenty four years old. And so when

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Speaker 2: the grant that was hiring me, that was paying for

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Speaker 2: me ran out in the summer of eighty nine, I

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Speaker 2: told my boss, Yeah, I have a waiter job at

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Speaker 2: a restaurant uptown, Cafe Luxembourg, and I said, I'll volunteer

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Speaker 2: for the summer. And so when I showed up at

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Speaker 2: work one day, there was a flyer on the wall

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Speaker 2: for an audition because we had a repertory company. And

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Speaker 2: in that repertory company was Donald Faison, Isaiah Washington, Lisa Lapere,

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Speaker 2: who's unequalizer now dashed, myha who was on Ray, Donavi

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Speaker 2: been in a bunch of other stuff, a bunch of kids.

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Speaker 3: Doulay Hill came through there.

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Speaker 1: I keep calling dou Lay Duel, but doule.

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Speaker 3: Doule Doulay Hill. And so.

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Speaker 1: That what wealth of talent you grew up with New

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Speaker 1: York City? Well New York is really special in that way.

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Speaker 1: Go on.

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Speaker 2: So no, no, it's all good. So I go and audition.

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Speaker 2: So as a science says three twenty five a day.

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Speaker 2: I was like, oh, I could do that. Twenty five

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Speaker 2: dollars a day. Yeah, three twenty five days. So I

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Speaker 2: went in auditioned for that movie. Got the movie. It

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Speaker 2: was a little film called Seriously Fresh. And that's the

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Speaker 2: guy who wrote that film was a guy named Jamal

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Speaker 2: Joseph and he had just gotten out of his role

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Speaker 2: doing ten years in Levenworth Prison for his role being

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Speaker 2: in the Black Panther Party. And so he's telling me

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Speaker 2: the story on set, and I said, yo, I work

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Speaker 2: with this youth group. I want you to come and

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Speaker 2: talk to my kids during Black History Month. And so

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Speaker 2: I was like eight months later, oh, no, four months

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Speaker 2: later or something like that. And we loved him so much.

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Speaker 2: He is the person that we end up hiring to

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Speaker 2: run the city kids of a repertory company. And Jamal

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Speaker 2: is the dude who called me one day and said, hey,

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Speaker 2: they're doing this movie about the Jamaican Bobster. That team

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Speaker 2: from an audition. It was an open call, and that's

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Speaker 2: that's how it happened.

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Speaker 1: That's how you got running.

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Speaker 3: So I wasn't ever really trying to, like, I've never

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Speaker 3: really tried.

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Speaker 1: What did you see yourself as? Were you going to

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Speaker 1: be an activist in the community? Were you going to

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Speaker 1: You wanted to do Broadway, but what else were you going?

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Speaker 2: I was always a multi hyphen in so musically and

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Speaker 2: my father you say, boy, you need to focus. So musically,

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Speaker 2: I wanted to be Bob Marley and samk those are

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Speaker 2: my two, like the way they made me feel.

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Speaker 3: I wanted to make people feel. I play acoustic guitar.

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Speaker 2: I'd be out here on the street singing, and I'd

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Speaker 2: be in the subway, I'd be in club like you know,

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Speaker 2: open mics, all that, and so I was chasing the

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Speaker 2: music because I felt like I could put I can

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Speaker 2: control that. Yeah, I don't have to wait for an audition.

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Speaker 2: Because growing up in the city doing theater, all my

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Speaker 2: friends were pissed when they wouldn't get stuff, And I'm like,

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Speaker 2: y'all are I'm not doing that?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I want to do a lot more.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so real estate, which I do now. Development was

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Speaker 2: always something.

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Speaker 1: We're going to take a quick break because we have

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Speaker 1: to pay some bills. We'll be right back in just

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Speaker 1: a few moments. In today's age, people feel like they

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Speaker 1: can't well, today's age, they do. They are very much

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Speaker 1: comfortable with saying we are multi hyphen its. It is

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Speaker 1: the thing. You have to have a lot of things

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Speaker 1: going on. But back then that wasn't that very popular.

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Speaker 1: It felt like, like to what your dad said, son,

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Speaker 1: you need to focus. Did you ever find it a

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Speaker 1: burden to be so talented in different areas mentally, physically, emotionally.

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Speaker 1: Did it feel like.

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Speaker 2: If you're the way it still feels that way. Why

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Speaker 2: not a burden that I can't handle? Because when you

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Speaker 2: I call myself a Swiss Swiss army knife, I'm useful

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Speaker 2: in a lot of situations.

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Speaker 3: Right.

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Speaker 2: I could produce this show, I could choose that a

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Speaker 2: direct that can edit it. I can write a speech

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Speaker 2: for you. I can sing a song. I can work

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Speaker 2: on strategy for you. We can talk about development, we

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Speaker 2: can talk about education. So for me, you know, made

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Speaker 2: it make sense to me. Martha Stewart, when The New

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Speaker 2: York Times posted her schedule, I was like, Oh, that's

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Speaker 2: like school, math, class, science, class, gym, language. Like when

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Speaker 2: we went to school, you had like eight classes a day.

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Speaker 2: You did and you tried to get an A or

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Speaker 2: eighty or whatever we did.

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Speaker 1: But why does it feel like a burden? Not a

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Speaker 1: burden you can't handle.

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Speaker 2: Well, Because sometimes I really, honestly, like say, my music, right,

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Speaker 2: the music has always been probably I think it's one

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Speaker 2: of my greatest talents, but it's not the thing I

383
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Speaker 2: do all the time. So the burden of ambition is

384
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Speaker 2: more because I'm ambitious in all these different ways that

385
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Speaker 2: it's hard to focus on all the things you want

386
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Speaker 2: to do, so I try to mash it all up.

387
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Speaker 2: Like my development company over Developments at the intersection of

388
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Speaker 2: real estate, education and media.

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Speaker 3: Right.

390
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Speaker 2: The reason why we moved the way we move is

391
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Speaker 2: because I was able to figure out, oh, telling stories.

392
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Speaker 2: I'm a storyteller at the end of the day. So

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Speaker 2: whether it's development, whether it's owning my restaurant I had

394
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Speaker 2: in Times Square forty secondary for years Soul Cafe. Right,

395
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Speaker 2: it told a story. You walk in, you felt good,

396
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Speaker 2: you saw yourself, the colors, the black people, the menu.

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Speaker 1: Right, that told what's the Because I'm listening to you

398
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Speaker 1: and I'm like, oh, I can relate. I have a

399
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Speaker 1: lot of I think a lot of creative people consider

400
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Speaker 1: themselves with starby knives. I think you take one platform

401
00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:52,480
Speaker 1: and you do it well, and that allows you to

402
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Speaker 1: open up doors to do other things. But what is

403
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Speaker 1: the what would be the downside of being creative? And

404
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:01,320
Speaker 1: I don't know if there's somebody listening and saying I

405
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,840
Speaker 1: want to do it all? Do you get too overwhelmed

406
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Speaker 1: in your mind? Do you not have enough time in

407
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Speaker 1: the day to accomplish all the things that you want?

408
00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:10,160
Speaker 3: That's part Yeah.

409
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Speaker 2: I mean right now we're producing our activation right flipping

410
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Speaker 2: the Hood, which is in a month from tomorrow. Sure, right,

411
00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:20,920
Speaker 2: that takes all of my time, okay, And so that's

412
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,760
Speaker 2: a heavy lift, even though we have a team. So yeah,

413
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Speaker 2: I think it's just a friend of mine said recently,

414
00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,240
Speaker 2: not to do list is longer than the time I

415
00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,119
Speaker 2: have on the planet, and I relate to that. So

416
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Speaker 2: it's not like a burden, like but that was a

417
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Speaker 2: joy to be able to wake up every single day

418
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Speaker 2: and do what you want to do, pursue the things

419
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Speaker 2: you want to pursue. So yeah, I think that the

420
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Speaker 2: burden for me has been the public perception of who

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Speaker 2: people think I am.

422
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Speaker 1: Who do people think you are.

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00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:50,880
Speaker 2: The characters or a collection of characters that you play.

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Speaker 2: They think that you're driven by being a celebrity. They

425
00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,879
Speaker 2: think that you think you all the whatever is in

426
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Speaker 2: their head that they want to assign to you. You

427
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:00,960
Speaker 2: deal with it as well. I'm sure right people you

428
00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:04,119
Speaker 2: think you know, you think I think I'm that. So

429
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Speaker 2: what I've learned is there is the person I am,

430
00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:11,600
Speaker 2: they are the collection of characters I've played, and then

431
00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:15,560
Speaker 2: there's a persona that has been developed based on those perceptions.

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Speaker 1: So you're a little bit of all.

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Speaker 2: In the eyes of No, I'm the first dude, like

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Speaker 2: you said I'm you said I'm kind to people, right.

435
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Speaker 1: Doesn't mean all those other people can't be kind that No.

436
00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,280
Speaker 2: No, what I'm saying is that I think that people

437
00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:30,199
Speaker 2: will want to sign a value to you based on

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Speaker 2: who they think you are. So people like if I'm

439
00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:36,080
Speaker 2: I posted something about my real estate, right, so oh

440
00:20:36,119 --> 00:20:40,200
Speaker 2: you celebrities think, No, I ain't doing this because you

441
00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,720
Speaker 2: think I'm a celebrity. I'm doing this because I'm purposed

442
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,440
Speaker 2: to do it now the value you want to sign

443
00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:48,119
Speaker 2: to that is on you. So and there are people,

444
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,760
Speaker 2: as you know, who are really into being celebrities. There

445
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,159
Speaker 2: are people who really work on it, make sure that

446
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:53,960
Speaker 2: every event.

447
00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,399
Speaker 1: I'm a little reads a lot of work. It's a

448
00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,240
Speaker 1: lot of work to try to be famous up with

449
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:03,880
Speaker 1: the do a lot of work trying to do all that.

450
00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,840
Speaker 1: What do you think the biggest misconception of you would be?

451
00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:10,800
Speaker 1: Like if you are walking down the street and someone

452
00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:12,399
Speaker 1: talks to you, or if you meet some morning, you

453
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,400
Speaker 1: hear what people say about you. What is the one

454
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,000
Speaker 1: thing that you hear about yourself that isn't true?

455
00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:24,479
Speaker 2: That isn't true. I think back to the whole celebrity thing.

456
00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,560
Speaker 2: I think that you know, I don't need to tell

457
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:28,159
Speaker 2: you our stand up for things that I think are

458
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,199
Speaker 2: important to see people. I think we all deserve to

459
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,400
Speaker 2: be seen. And there are times when I've certainly said

460
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:35,760
Speaker 2: things that people have been.

461
00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,600
Speaker 3: Like why is he saying that?

462
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,040
Speaker 2: And I say it for the same reason you said

463
00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:42,240
Speaker 2: at the beginning of conversation because I'm a kind person,

464
00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,880
Speaker 2: because I see humanity. I don't care who you are,

465
00:21:45,040 --> 00:21:48,040
Speaker 2: and I think people can conflate what you say you

466
00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:51,639
Speaker 2: stand for or who you may support with who you are, right,

467
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,520
Speaker 2: So don't get it twisted that I'm something other than

468
00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:57,840
Speaker 2: a beautiful black heterosexual male.

469
00:21:58,560 --> 00:21:58,679
Speaker 3: Right.

470
00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:03,560
Speaker 2: We say black lives matter, we say we are pressed

471
00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,920
Speaker 2: and we should be supported. But we are the first

472
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:07,080
Speaker 2: to come after each other.

473
00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:07,639
Speaker 1: I don't know why.

474
00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,520
Speaker 2: A few weeks ago, I just said I'm a non

475
00:22:10,640 --> 00:22:12,880
Speaker 2: black man. I'd said it to my daughter to Nate before.

476
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,639
Speaker 2: I was like, you know what, So working in the

477
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,679
Speaker 2: federal government, because we have a federal business contracting business

478
00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:22,280
Speaker 2: as well, and having friends in the federal business and

479
00:22:22,359 --> 00:22:25,920
Speaker 2: the federal government and in contracting, you know that there

480
00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:30,040
Speaker 2: are certain words that are being looked for to identify,

481
00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,600
Speaker 2: to say we're not gonna allow that. Bipod right, black,

482
00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:35,240
Speaker 2: first woman.

483
00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, all of those words. Right.

484
00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:44,800
Speaker 2: So my point in jest was, well, are they going

485
00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:47,920
Speaker 2: to say that about non white Are they going to

486
00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:49,480
Speaker 2: specifically say that if.

487
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,800
Speaker 1: You say I'm specifically non white?

488
00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,760
Speaker 3: Are they going to say you don't deserve an opportunity

489
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:55,800
Speaker 3: because you're not white.

490
00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,680
Speaker 1: Because you're saying I'm not black. I'm just saying I'm

491
00:22:57,720 --> 00:22:58,480
Speaker 1: non white.

492
00:22:58,280 --> 00:22:59,960
Speaker 3: Right, and I'm not saying I'm not black.

493
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,880
Speaker 1: I cannot you're keeping it real generic and you're playing

494
00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,640
Speaker 1: the word seal of game that they play. So you're

495
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:08,119
Speaker 1: sitting here the exactly and made it and made it

496
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,040
Speaker 1: something that was exactly.

497
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:15,760
Speaker 2: They took wo they're now using civil rights legislation.

498
00:23:16,119 --> 00:23:18,240
Speaker 3: Woke and they're saying it's unfair.

499
00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:21,639
Speaker 1: Sure, so they're taking get what you're saying and weaponizing it.

500
00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:23,720
Speaker 1: And so you're you're going to take the language that

501
00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,439
Speaker 1: they weaponize and use it for your benefit. Yes, so

502
00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:31,280
Speaker 1: I'm non white. No, I'm saying that's what you're saying.

503
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:34,239
Speaker 1: You go online white. It was a joke, okay, so

504
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:35,159
Speaker 1: you're being silly.

505
00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,879
Speaker 2: I was walking to a meeting on my page, just

506
00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:41,240
Speaker 2: posted something and people you're just talking, just talking, talking

507
00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:44,320
Speaker 2: that talk, and so people said, what's wrong with him?

508
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,920
Speaker 2: But that speaks more to our trauma. That speaks more absolutely,

509
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,119
Speaker 2: it speaks to how dare you separate yourself from me?

510
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,560
Speaker 2: And those are the things that people have a hard

511
00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:57,520
Speaker 2: time understanding when you're a person that is driven by

512
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:01,479
Speaker 2: your humanity. Now by celebrity, not by fame, not by money,

513
00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:04,560
Speaker 2: not by anything other than my purpose is to make

514
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,719
Speaker 2: the world a better place. I was raised. We were

515
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,280
Speaker 2: raised to leave places better than they were when you

516
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,080
Speaker 2: found them. So if somebody is driving in front of

517
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,960
Speaker 2: me and they toss them out their window, I've chased

518
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:20,520
Speaker 2: cars down. Like yo, bro, what are you doing? Somebody

519
00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:22,840
Speaker 2: toss up in the street. You don't open the door

520
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:25,560
Speaker 2: for an old lady. You don't you know, you don't

521
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:30,200
Speaker 2: say excuse me. You don't like all those things that

522
00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,639
Speaker 2: can connect us as humans, that would allow us to

523
00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:36,359
Speaker 2: see each other, to be kind to each other, to

524
00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,479
Speaker 2: trust each other. The a lot of people that move

525
00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,880
Speaker 2: in this world like I ain't trusting nobody because people

526
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,080
Speaker 2: are shady. That ain't how I really move. I move

527
00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,520
Speaker 2: with an open heart and an open mind to say

528
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:52,199
Speaker 2: that in every space I'm in, I belong and I

529
00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,080
Speaker 2: have one purpose, and that's to be light.

530
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:58,440
Speaker 1: If you're a person like Lghts, yes exactly.

531
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,560
Speaker 2: So, if you're a person, I truly believe that you're

532
00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:05,040
Speaker 2: a child of God. And if God is love, then

533
00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:08,000
Speaker 2: I love you. I don't have to know you. Why

534
00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:09,679
Speaker 2: do I do work in community? I have to know

535
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 2: these kids that we serve. I don't have to know

536
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:13,880
Speaker 2: why am I doing everything I'm doing in real estate,

537
00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,200
Speaker 2: particularly around educating other people. I don't have to know

538
00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,960
Speaker 2: you to say I know what I know, I know

539
00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:20,359
Speaker 2: what I don't know. So if I put you in

540
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:22,320
Speaker 2: a room with me and you got something to share,

541
00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:23,880
Speaker 2: I got something to share. We're going to be strong

542
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,440
Speaker 2: if we're doing this together in collaboration. And that is

543
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,199
Speaker 2: what Yoba means. Yoba means lasts from the slaves, a

544
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,919
Speaker 2: new generation. That's how we were raised. My father was

545
00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 2: very much on some You ain't doing what everybody Your

546
00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:39,520
Speaker 2: name is not like everybody else, your religion is we

547
00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,760
Speaker 2: were raised Muslim. Your religion is not like everybody else.

548
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:45,600
Speaker 2: You're not moving like everybody else. Since kids, right, you

549
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,560
Speaker 2: get in trouble at school, you're like yo. But you know,

550
00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:49,320
Speaker 2: Michael said, I don't care what michaels.

551
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,240
Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't care what Michael eaton and saying yeah,

552
00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,560
Speaker 1: it's very interesting when you said a few things that

553
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:59,440
Speaker 1: I think are very true. But to have that type

554
00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,040
Speaker 1: of heart and have that mission and to be as

555
00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,840
Speaker 1: free as you are, God bless you, because that's hard

556
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:05,720
Speaker 1: to be in a world.

557
00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:07,960
Speaker 2: Why do you think it's hard because I just.

558
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,080
Speaker 1: Think, well, you're not as sensitive as I am. Like

559
00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,679
Speaker 1: you just said, some people will be like, I'm not

560
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:14,600
Speaker 1: gonna I'm not doing that, and that would be me.

561
00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,320
Speaker 1: I'm like, I would get exhausted after, you know, and

562
00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:19,720
Speaker 1: I think that I pick and choose who I give

563
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:22,560
Speaker 1: that love and light to. I doesn't. It doesn't sound

564
00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,360
Speaker 1: like you pick and choose. You give it freely, And

565
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:31,720
Speaker 1: to me that is that's a tough ask because because

566
00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,280
Speaker 1: of what comes with all of that. While your intenders

567
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:36,880
Speaker 1: are great and you're trying to live in a world

568
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,639
Speaker 1: and do right, everyone doesn't have that. In fact, the

569
00:26:39,680 --> 00:26:40,720
Speaker 1: majority of people don't.

570
00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:42,879
Speaker 2: Yeah, well I don't know who I would be if

571
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:44,840
Speaker 2: I ever lost that And don't lose it.

572
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:46,680
Speaker 3: No, I can't. No, I'm gonna tell you something.

573
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:50,560
Speaker 2: You know that that I was cyberbullied when I stood

574
00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,200
Speaker 2: up for that community, for the community right in that way.

575
00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:56,840
Speaker 3: And that's the community.

576
00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,719
Speaker 2: When I stood up for our community, because these are

577
00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:03,440
Speaker 2: are others and sisters and our children, right, we're still

578
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:04,040
Speaker 2: black people.

579
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:05,720
Speaker 3: We're still I see.

580
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:06,920
Speaker 1: What you're saying. You're saying when you sit it for

581
00:27:06,920 --> 00:27:09,600
Speaker 1: the black people in the trans community people or or

582
00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:13,760
Speaker 1: or black men or black whomever, You're still being bullied.

583
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:16,040
Speaker 3: No, what I'm saying is that.

584
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,399
Speaker 2: Having that experience with the level of vitriol, the level

585
00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:27,399
Speaker 2: of misinformation, the level of intentional pimping my pain for

586
00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:28,240
Speaker 2: people's profit.

587
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:32,280
Speaker 3: When you decide to put a.

588
00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,240
Speaker 2: Caption that says Milik, Glba says he's no longer black Milik,

589
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,120
Speaker 2: ioba's gay Milik whatever this thing, I'm like, really, this

590
00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,480
Speaker 2: dude who has represented every single one of us and

591
00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:46,560
Speaker 2: everything I've ever done. When you see me play a

592
00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:49,439
Speaker 2: black man in anything I've ever done, there is a

593
00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,280
Speaker 2: level of vulnerability that I think is important to imbue

594
00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:54,520
Speaker 2: with every single character because so many of our black

595
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:58,120
Speaker 2: men are afraid to be vulnerable because they don't understand

596
00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:00,679
Speaker 2: that the strength is actually in the vulnerability. It's in

597
00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,200
Speaker 2: the ability to be human and sensitive and to see

598
00:28:03,240 --> 00:28:06,160
Speaker 2: you and to feel you, and to vibrate on your frequency,

599
00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,960
Speaker 2: no matter what it is. So I study Buddhism, right,

600
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:15,080
Speaker 2: if you've seen what's love got to do with it?

601
00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:19,159
Speaker 2: Like when Tina Turner was channing numb Yo horangeyeto devotion

602
00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:21,640
Speaker 2: to the mystic law of cause and effect, through sound vibration.

603
00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:24,639
Speaker 3: That's what that means. Numb yo horanguekeo.

604
00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:28,720
Speaker 2: Inherent in every human being at a ten essential life

605
00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:33,600
Speaker 2: conditions hell, hunger, anger, animality, rapture, tranquility, learning, absorption, Bodha,

606
00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,200
Speaker 2: and buddhahood. So in any given moment, we can be

607
00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:47,360
Speaker 2: in hell, sure, hunger, anger, animality, rapture, tranquility, right, so

608
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,160
Speaker 2: on and so forth, and so from a Buddhist perspective,

609
00:28:50,560 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 2: if I see a person that may be in hell,

610
00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:54,520
Speaker 2: may be in anger.

611
00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:57,280
Speaker 3: Maybe is supposed to help.

612
00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,200
Speaker 2: Not help, But I can recognize where you may be,

613
00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:06,120
Speaker 2: knowing that you have the potential for enlightenment trump putent.

614
00:29:06,200 --> 00:29:11,320
Speaker 2: All these cats sugnate puff people still have. That's what

615
00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:15,760
Speaker 2: Christianity talks about redemption, to be christ Like, to be

616
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:17,160
Speaker 2: light in the world.

617
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:17,400
Speaker 3: Right.

618
00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 2: And so for me, if you can recognize those inherent

619
00:29:22,040 --> 00:29:25,040
Speaker 2: life conditions in people, it's not very hard to be

620
00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:30,000
Speaker 2: kind because all of us have those life conditions. So

621
00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:33,000
Speaker 2: I could choose to be I could stay in the

622
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:33,880
Speaker 2: gutter with a lot of people.

623
00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:35,479
Speaker 3: Sure I choose not to.

624
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,680
Speaker 1: It's harder to stay out of the gutter. I think

625
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:41,680
Speaker 1: it's easy to be in the gutter. I think it's

626
00:29:41,720 --> 00:29:42,240
Speaker 1: easy to.

627
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,080
Speaker 2: When people don't understand that they have higher life conditions

628
00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,920
Speaker 2: that they can achieve. And so how do I even

629
00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:53,840
Speaker 2: have this information where I studied it? If I didn't,

630
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:56,720
Speaker 2: If I didn't, I had a certain sort of orientation

631
00:29:56,800 --> 00:30:00,880
Speaker 2: as a kid. My mother told me when we were

632
00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:04,640
Speaker 2: when they were getting divorced, her my father. I was

633
00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:06,800
Speaker 2: ten years old. She said, you have tried to fix

634
00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:07,600
Speaker 2: it if I told.

635
00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:08,080
Speaker 3: You what was going on.

636
00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,440
Speaker 2: Oh, so I know that that was my orientation, but

637
00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:16,120
Speaker 2: then being able to bolster that with deeper understandings about

638
00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:18,640
Speaker 2: philosophies that may be different than how I grew up

639
00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:20,680
Speaker 2: as a Muslim, or what am I to learned from

640
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 2: my Christian friends and my Jewish friends? For me, when

641
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,120
Speaker 2: I started studying Buddhism as a seventeen year old, that

642
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:27,920
Speaker 2: was a game changer and.

643
00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:33,400
Speaker 1: A changer whole perspective. Which is why you have been

644
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,360
Speaker 1: able to be successful in many areas, and which is

645
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,840
Speaker 1: why you have been to me, what I'm just thinking

646
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,840
Speaker 1: as I'm like, why why are some people cultural mainstays?

647
00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:46,560
Speaker 1: Why are people always in the zegeist if you will,

648
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:51,000
Speaker 1: whether it's consistently or every so often, but that is

649
00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,720
Speaker 1: this magnetism that you have. We're going to take a

650
00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:56,720
Speaker 1: quick break because we have to pay some bills. We'll

651
00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:09,280
Speaker 1: be right back in just a few moments. A couple

652
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:13,320
Speaker 1: of weeks ago, you invited me to and I won't

653
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:14,640
Speaker 1: call it a fundraiser, but it was a bit of

654
00:31:14,640 --> 00:31:15,280
Speaker 1: a celebration.

655
00:31:15,520 --> 00:31:18,640
Speaker 2: It was a fundraiser. It was our first charity dinner. Okay,

656
00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:23,080
Speaker 2: and foundation and buy my lovely daughter's right off camera.

657
00:31:22,960 --> 00:31:25,760
Speaker 1: I will show her to her beautiful self. She's gorgeous.

658
00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:32,080
Speaker 1: And you talked, you cried a lot. You cried a lot,

659
00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:34,880
Speaker 1: and I was like, well, he is so full of emotion.

660
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:37,480
Speaker 1: It was a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing to

661
00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:42,600
Speaker 1: see a black man cry and be overwhelmed and excited

662
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,080
Speaker 1: and have a bevy of emotions that we all could relate.

663
00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,840
Speaker 1: To tell us about the event, the fundraiser that I attended,

664
00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:49,720
Speaker 1: and what you're working on.

665
00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,320
Speaker 2: So thanks for coming. First of all, you are with

666
00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:55,680
Speaker 2: your lovely friends who I know through you, Keisha at

667
00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 2: the NBA Players Association and her team Erica and some

668
00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:03,360
Speaker 2: other folks was there. So you know, we have you

669
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:08,240
Speaker 2: over development the LLC, which is my development company. That's

670
00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,880
Speaker 2: at the intersection of real estate, education and media, which

671
00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,600
Speaker 2: I talked about, And our slogan is builder of people,

672
00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:16,920
Speaker 2: places and things, And so we run a lot of

673
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,400
Speaker 2: education programs for a high school, college, and community level

674
00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:25,600
Speaker 2: around how can we level up in terms of having

675
00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:29,240
Speaker 2: access to information on the built environment. And when people

676
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:32,640
Speaker 2: think about development and cities being gentrified, they didn't always

677
00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:36,280
Speaker 2: realize all of what is that entails. They might just

678
00:32:36,280 --> 00:32:39,000
Speaker 2: see buildings grow up and don't understand but who financed it,

679
00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:41,440
Speaker 2: and who's the engineers and those the designers, who's doing

680
00:32:41,480 --> 00:32:45,280
Speaker 2: marketing and who's telling the stories and right, and these

681
00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:49,640
Speaker 2: are places that we're woefully underrepresented in architecture, development, finance,

682
00:32:49,720 --> 00:32:52,560
Speaker 2: all that stuff. And if we don't have a seat

683
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:54,840
Speaker 2: at the table, or we don't grow up in families

684
00:32:55,240 --> 00:32:57,680
Speaker 2: that are in this space. For instance, eighty percent of

685
00:32:57,680 --> 00:33:01,360
Speaker 2: commercial real estate in America is owned by one percent

686
00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:02,120
Speaker 2: of families.

687
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:07,520
Speaker 1: It's crazy, that's crazy. But I can see that because

688
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:09,040
Speaker 1: I see the same names everywhere I go.

689
00:33:09,120 --> 00:33:09,600
Speaker 3: That's right.

690
00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:13,000
Speaker 1: I see the same names on residential and commercial properties.

691
00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:14,760
Speaker 3: Everywhere, every city, every state.

692
00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:16,800
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and summer around the world.

693
00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:20,160
Speaker 2: And so we're not at the table. So we don't.

694
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:22,080
Speaker 2: We're not in that game. I've been in the development

695
00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:24,000
Speaker 2: game since two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight.

696
00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,600
Speaker 2: Shout out to my brother Dan Bythewood, who Reggie Bythewood

697
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,320
Speaker 2: we might know from Loving Basketball, Gina and his wife.

698
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:32,880
Speaker 3: Reggie, Reggie's cousin.

699
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:34,000
Speaker 2: We met on the set of New York Kind of

700
00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,880
Speaker 2: Cover and when I told him I wanted to get

701
00:33:35,920 --> 00:33:38,520
Speaker 2: into development in two thousand and seven, two thousand and eight,

702
00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,040
Speaker 2: he gave me a seat at the table. So started

703
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:47,040
Speaker 2: over development in twenty seventeen, when I decided to start

704
00:33:47,080 --> 00:33:49,320
Speaker 2: my own thing, even though I still rock with my brothers.

705
00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:52,160
Speaker 2: That gave me my first seat at the table for

706
00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,120
Speaker 2: development in Baltimore. So I was involved with that for

707
00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,880
Speaker 2: over a decade. Still involved. But that's where I learned

708
00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:00,520
Speaker 2: the game. And the whole time I'm learn the game,

709
00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,520
Speaker 2: I'm like, I want to teach this to people. You know,

710
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:06,040
Speaker 2: folks should know how this really works. Right, And number

711
00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:09,520
Speaker 2: one with that family, the Bythewood family, that first round

712
00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:10,400
Speaker 2: was friends and family.

713
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:10,680
Speaker 3: Right.

714
00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:13,080
Speaker 2: So he went to friends and family, say hey, would

715
00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:15,400
Speaker 2: you like to be a part of this. Susan Taylor

716
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:18,160
Speaker 2: is in that deal. People like Reginald van Lee, Susan

717
00:34:18,160 --> 00:34:21,080
Speaker 2: and her husband Keeper and a bunch of other black

718
00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:24,040
Speaker 2: folks that we know were the first investors in that deal.

719
00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,640
Speaker 2: And so for me, being the educator that I am,

720
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,799
Speaker 2: right that history goes back to the eighties, I just

721
00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,239
Speaker 2: felt like, I want to find a way to, you know,

722
00:34:33,360 --> 00:34:36,399
Speaker 2: share this information with our community because I'm learning so much.

723
00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:39,319
Speaker 2: And the first, the biggest money ever made in one

724
00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,319
Speaker 2: transaction was a real estate It wasn't in film and teavurse.

725
00:34:42,719 --> 00:34:45,200
Speaker 1: That's where the money is, that's where the money resides.

726
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:47,719
Speaker 2: So that's what really got me saying, you know, I

727
00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,480
Speaker 2: need to take this thing seriously and so try to

728
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:53,160
Speaker 2: keep the story short. So in twenty eighteen, I'm doing

729
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,040
Speaker 2: a show called God Friend of Me, and I'm playing

730
00:34:55,080 --> 00:34:59,239
Speaker 2: a real estate developer and we're on set in Bushwick

731
00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:04,239
Speaker 2: and construction site and there's film cameras and I'm like, yo,

732
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:08,600
Speaker 2: my world's emerging. A few weeks later, a few days later,

733
00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,640
Speaker 2: we're at a site at Brooklyn Navy Yard. Across the street,

734
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,279
Speaker 2: a friend of mine is developing entire city block. A

735
00:35:14,320 --> 00:35:16,879
Speaker 2: guy named Scott Reckler, one of the names you see

736
00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:22,600
Speaker 2: all over the place. RXR right, And so the projects

737
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:24,799
Speaker 2: are down the block, and I'm saying to myself, how

738
00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:27,920
Speaker 2: many people from the projects walk by film sets and

739
00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:31,480
Speaker 2: construction sites and have no idea about either space. I'm

740
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,680
Speaker 2: in both spaces. I want to find a way to

741
00:35:33,680 --> 00:35:37,719
Speaker 2: bring all three of these together. And I shared that

742
00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,000
Speaker 2: vision with a woman and a group of women who

743
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,040
Speaker 2: are trying to start a nonprofit with me. At the time,

744
00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:44,760
Speaker 2: I was like, nah, I got this for profit company

745
00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,400
Speaker 2: I haven't done anything with and by now it's like

746
00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:53,120
Speaker 2: twenty eighteen, and I said, I want the focus of

747
00:35:53,160 --> 00:35:56,359
Speaker 2: my company to be on educating our community about real

748
00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,640
Speaker 2: estate while I'm pursuing deals, but I want to used

749
00:36:00,640 --> 00:36:04,000
Speaker 2: film somehow. Two days later, she sends me a deck

750
00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:06,880
Speaker 2: it says I build New York. And she took my

751
00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:11,759
Speaker 2: vision and made turn the thought into a thing.

752
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:12,600
Speaker 1: Wow.

753
00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:15,600
Speaker 2: And I took that deck to my friend Scott. I said, Yo, Scott,

754
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:17,480
Speaker 2: I want to figure out a way to bring more

755
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,080
Speaker 2: black and brown people into this game.

756
00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:20,600
Speaker 1: It's good for a year.

757
00:36:20,719 --> 00:36:22,960
Speaker 2: He says, you know what, I'll fund it. And when

758
00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:25,759
Speaker 2: he said that, I said, you know what, I'm gonna

759
00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:31,879
Speaker 2: shoot the documentary and so for six weeks from.

760
00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:33,480
Speaker 3: July.

761
00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:38,360
Speaker 2: In July twenty nineteen, we went from New Hampton to Newburgh,

762
00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:41,840
Speaker 2: New York, which is upstate, and I took seven young black,

763
00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:45,480
Speaker 2: seven Black and Latino young people from eighteen to thirty eight,

764
00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:48,400
Speaker 2: and I introduced them to my roller decks as I

765
00:36:48,440 --> 00:36:50,680
Speaker 2: went pursuing my first development deal in New York, and

766
00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:54,240
Speaker 2: I filmed the whole thing Ali Anthony Bourdain, Parts unknown.

767
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:57,680
Speaker 2: That became something called the Real Estate Mixtape, which is

768
00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,520
Speaker 2: a ten part doc series that I I'm not going

769
00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,240
Speaker 2: to try to sell it to a network or streamer.

770
00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:05,200
Speaker 1: You just use it to show what you division.

771
00:37:05,320 --> 00:37:07,080
Speaker 3: And I use it in community, right.

772
00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:08,719
Speaker 2: I use it at the high school level, at the

773
00:37:08,719 --> 00:37:12,479
Speaker 2: college level, and we do community work. And so that

774
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:16,040
Speaker 2: then became the basis of a curriculum called the Eyebuild

775
00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,600
Speaker 2: New York Curriculum that we introduced the high school students

776
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,080
Speaker 2: to introduce high school students to real estate development partnerships

777
00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:24,480
Speaker 2: with PRAP. In the last three years, I've been to

778
00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:28,240
Speaker 2: fifty one city, six countries screening the dot. It leads

779
00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:31,640
Speaker 2: to development deals, it leads to me doing stories on

780
00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:35,000
Speaker 2: other entrepreneurs, other black developers. I'll be in Austin in

781
00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,640
Speaker 2: a couple of days I'm working on a documentary on

782
00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:43,400
Speaker 2: black women developers, an organization called Big Austin, which is

783
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:48,440
Speaker 2: a CDFI, which is you know, community development, financial development,

784
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,400
Speaker 2: community development financial institution. So I'm doing a doc on

785
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:54,359
Speaker 2: these black women who actually, by the way, had won

786
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,280
Speaker 2: an RFP to build a Tesla plant, a Tesla campus,

787
00:37:58,320 --> 00:37:59,680
Speaker 2: which we'll.

788
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:00,760
Speaker 1: Get into that another time.

789
00:38:02,239 --> 00:38:03,880
Speaker 2: But when I met them, it was like a hidden

790
00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:04,439
Speaker 2: figure story.

791
00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:05,880
Speaker 1: I was like, people is amazing.

792
00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:10,080
Speaker 2: So the dinner you came to I finally said, you

793
00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:13,120
Speaker 2: know what, let's start the foundation. And I asked my

794
00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:16,440
Speaker 2: daughter in like three years ago to do the paperwork,

795
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,279
Speaker 2: was like just file five one D three so she

796
00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:23,640
Speaker 2: could learn that process. And then one of the things

797
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:25,600
Speaker 2: we do is called flipping the Hood, which we have

798
00:38:25,719 --> 00:38:27,800
Speaker 2: coming up on May ninth and tenth at the Brooklyn

799
00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,680
Speaker 2: Navy Yard, which in the hood is a mentality. Sure,

800
00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:33,560
Speaker 2: the first real estate we owner is in our minds, sisterhood,

801
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,400
Speaker 2: the brotherhood, the fatherhood, the familyhood, the neighborhood.

802
00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:38,399
Speaker 3: Right, we have to not.

803
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,400
Speaker 2: Just flip a house for myself and my family, but

804
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:44,560
Speaker 2: how do we flip entire communities? And we can't do

805
00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:48,440
Speaker 2: it without education. So we did the first one in

806
00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:50,960
Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. My daughter at the end of the

807
00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:54,040
Speaker 2: year of that year said, Dad, I feel like I

808
00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:58,120
Speaker 2: need to step my game up. And I said, Okay,

809
00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:00,880
Speaker 2: shout out to Morgan Stanley, Globals and Entertable.

810
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:02,120
Speaker 3: They were our sponsor.

811
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,839
Speaker 2: But I really wanted to position my daughter in a

812
00:39:05,880 --> 00:39:08,840
Speaker 2: place of leadership that I got to experience at her age.

813
00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,960
Speaker 2: May ninth and tenth the Brooklyn Navy Yard two days

814
00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:16,080
Speaker 2: of We call it an activation because once we activate,

815
00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:19,600
Speaker 2: we don't stop. So the first year we did it,

816
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:22,360
Speaker 2: we had about a thousand people over two days, about

817
00:39:22,360 --> 00:39:25,120
Speaker 2: fifty five million dollars in business activity was generated. That

818
00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:29,600
Speaker 2: was primarily through business loans in the real estate side,

819
00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:33,680
Speaker 2: but everything from technology, AI, crypto supply.

820
00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,240
Speaker 1: Chaine, just educating financial literacy.

821
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:39,120
Speaker 3: Teaching community building right, building.

822
00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:40,120
Speaker 1: Up the community that you have.

823
00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:43,560
Speaker 2: Just through Yeah, yeah, So how do we co invest?

824
00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:45,960
Speaker 2: As a wonderful woman named Nicki Murkison who as a

825
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,200
Speaker 2: platform called pair gap. So you don't have all the money,

826
00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,840
Speaker 2: you got the credit, your sister, your brother, your neighbor.

827
00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,000
Speaker 1: Does it together? Community?

828
00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:56,399
Speaker 2: Yeah, equity shares another one you.

829
00:39:56,400 --> 00:40:00,279
Speaker 1: Have the three c's. It was community. I was reading something.

830
00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:02,040
Speaker 3: Oh, community connection and capital.

831
00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,120
Speaker 1: Community connection and capital. And I thought that was really smart. Yeah,

832
00:40:05,239 --> 00:40:06,240
Speaker 1: I thought that was really smart.

833
00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:07,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that's what it is.

834
00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:09,640
Speaker 1: It goes back to what I was saying about you earlier,

835
00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:11,960
Speaker 1: me being kind. It all full circle.

836
00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 2: Well, I honestly, I just feel like I'm being obedient

837
00:40:15,239 --> 00:40:17,640
Speaker 2: when I tell you in this chapter in my life,

838
00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:20,799
Speaker 2: I noticed people that go, like, yo, when does his cat,

839
00:40:21,000 --> 00:40:23,040
Speaker 2: Like when did he start doing real estate or whatever?

840
00:40:23,239 --> 00:40:25,319
Speaker 2: You've been doing it twenty years? Right, You've been doing

841
00:40:25,640 --> 00:40:26,840
Speaker 2: I owned since before that.

842
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:28,160
Speaker 1: Yeah, but.

843
00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:33,279
Speaker 2: It really has been in obedience. Like when I was

844
00:40:33,280 --> 00:40:36,160
Speaker 2: doing a show called God Friended Me where I had

845
00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,200
Speaker 2: this vision whose vision was given to me, and I've

846
00:40:39,239 --> 00:40:42,319
Speaker 2: just been obedient to it. Literally, It's like I heard

847
00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:44,680
Speaker 2: the words flipping the hood. This is what it is.

848
00:40:45,560 --> 00:40:45,759
Speaker 3: You know.

849
00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:47,759
Speaker 2: It's not like I started with a corporation saying here's

850
00:40:47,760 --> 00:40:50,000
Speaker 2: a big check, go do it. It's like, nah, it's

851
00:40:50,080 --> 00:40:52,440
Speaker 2: me picking up the phone, me reaching out the folks saying, hey,

852
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:53,080
Speaker 2: this is the vision.

853
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:54,120
Speaker 3: Do you support it?

854
00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:56,919
Speaker 2: And the best part about it is that for every

855
00:40:56,960 --> 00:40:59,400
Speaker 2: adult that buys a ticket, a high school a college

856
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:00,359
Speaker 2: student gets I'm for.

857
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,680
Speaker 1: Free, get to what come for free. Oh all right,

858
00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:05,239
Speaker 1: so we got to put that out there, flipping the

859
00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,960
Speaker 1: hood y'all gotta support all the naked listeners and those

860
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:14,080
Speaker 1: who are watching as as my guy elogantly gets this

861
00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:16,799
Speaker 1: water and drinks it and slides it and moves it

862
00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:20,360
Speaker 1: and then does it. This is he's given us full action.

863
00:41:20,239 --> 00:41:21,960
Speaker 3: Movie, sports and politics.

864
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:24,960
Speaker 1: We didn't have time. We did not have time. I'm

865
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,240
Speaker 1: so bummed, and it was my fault and your fault.

866
00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:28,640
Speaker 1: This is my fault. I'm gonna take the hell.

867
00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:30,120
Speaker 3: I'm so proud of you, though.

868
00:41:32,200 --> 00:41:36,920
Speaker 1: We cannot talk about me. I don't like attention. I'm

869
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:38,600
Speaker 1: gonna say wonderful things about you that are going to

870
00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:40,319
Speaker 1: make you quye at the beginning of the podcast, but

871
00:41:40,360 --> 00:41:42,279
Speaker 1: I won't give it to you now. Thank you for

872
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:46,080
Speaker 1: being light, thank you for being a beautiful black man,

873
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:48,120
Speaker 1: and thank you for being vulnerable. We don't get to

874
00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:54,360
Speaker 1: see it alive. I'm naked, you naked. Fully Naked. Naked

875
00:41:54,400 --> 00:41:58,640
Speaker 1: Sports written and executive produced by me Carry Champion, produced

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Speaker 1: by Jockey's Thomas Sound Design, and mastered by Dwayne Crawford.

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Speaker 1: Naked Sports is a part of the Black Effect podcast

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Speaker 1: network in iHeartMedia