WEBVTT - #153 - Freeway Rick Ross 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:11.760 Jesus Christ, we own a motherfucking bootleg kid podcast. Oh yeah, 0:00:11.880 --> 0:00:15.600 welcome to the boutlet Cap Podcast, ladies and gentlemen. Another 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:19.120 one shout out to, uh Freeway Ricky Ross came by 0:00:19.120 --> 0:00:22.360 the show man. You know, I didn't know what to 0:00:22.360 --> 0:00:24.800 expect from this interview because he does so many interviews. 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:28.280 I got a ton of him, so I was like, yo, like, 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:30.160 I feel like this dude has kind of talked about 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.720 everything in you know, at that long depths. But we 0:00:33.760 --> 0:00:36.760 had a great interview, man, super dope interview. This motherfucker 0:00:36.840 --> 0:00:40.600 loves to talk. Shout out Freeway, Ricky Ross, super nice guy. 0:00:41.479 --> 0:00:43.080 I feel like we kind of hit the interview from 0:00:43.080 --> 0:00:49.040 a different angle. So I'm super excited for everyone to listen. Plus, 0:00:49.200 --> 0:00:51.919 gotta give a big shout out to uh our good 0:00:51.920 --> 0:00:54.640 folks over at odd Socks. All right, listen, odd Socks. 0:00:55.400 --> 0:00:57.800 They just showed me a preview of their new WWE socks. 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.760 They're fucking nuts, man, they got these this wrestle Mania series. 0:01:00.800 --> 0:01:02.240 I'm pretty sure by the time you hear this, they're 0:01:02.240 --> 0:01:05.440 going to be out. The WrestleMania series is insane. Odd 0:01:05.440 --> 0:01:08.800 Socksofficial dot Com go over there, and get some odd socks, 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:16.240 crazy licenses, WWE, Breaking Bad, Godfather, Scarface, nickelode and they 0:01:16.240 --> 0:01:20.640 got it all. Use the promo code Bootleg keV save 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:24.920 twenty percent off your order. Let's get into the podcast 0:01:26.160 --> 0:01:28.200 boutlet cash Show. We got a special guest in here. 0:01:28.280 --> 0:01:30.679 This guy's a legend Freeway Ricky Ross is in the building. 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:33.760 What's up, keV. Man, it's good to finally meet you. 0:01:33.760 --> 0:01:35.480 Shout out to my guy amor who connected us. I 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:38.360 feel like I've been trying to interview you for so long. 0:01:38.480 --> 0:01:41.600 I just ended up streets along the streets every day. Man, 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:45.479 was just hot out. It's good to finally meet you. Man. Obviously, 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:48.000 I've been following your story for a really long time. 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:53.960 You've done such a good job of building an enterprise, building, 0:01:54.160 --> 0:01:58.320 building up just different streams of revenues that you got 0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:00.240 out of since you got out, Man, I mean, I 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:01.960 feel like you just you got out in the real 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:04.680 work started right, Yeah, ain't no question, Well not really, 0:02:04.680 --> 0:02:07.240 because I worked when I was in jail. Believe it 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:09.120 or not, I did not have enough time. When I 0:02:09.160 --> 0:02:12.040 was in jail. I wanted more time, really, yeah, I 0:02:12.080 --> 0:02:14.200 wished I had more time. So how would you spend 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:17.280 your days like and in what ways? Were you still 0:02:17.360 --> 0:02:20.040 working on outside stuff while you were incarcerated? Every day? 0:02:20.200 --> 0:02:24.200 Every day, you know, I was getting schooled by Wendy 0:02:24.280 --> 0:02:27.920 Day on marketing. Whinny Day's legend in the music industry. Yep, 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:30.080 it was one of my personal coaches. You know. We 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.600 emailed back and forth four or five times a day. 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:36.920 I just I just tried to stay touch and in 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.320 touch with the streets. You know, what was going on, 0:02:39.480 --> 0:02:43.640 who was moving You know, you'd be surprised of some 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:46.079 of the people that that I was communicating with from 0:02:46.120 --> 0:02:49.040 behind the bars. Who was somebody? I mean, obviously you 0:02:49.080 --> 0:02:51.680 mentioned Whinny Day, but were there any anybody else that 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:57.000 whether it was actors, directors, artists, musicians that would snoop 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:01.680 dre they all reached out. They necessarily didn't reach out 0:03:01.760 --> 0:03:05.799 reach out to them. You know, I knew somebody with connections. 0:03:05.840 --> 0:03:11.839 Bernard Hopkins, uh cha, Bernard Hopkins, Berner Hopkins, a real one. 0:03:11.919 --> 0:03:15.440 Who else? A lot of people? You know, I found 0:03:15.440 --> 0:03:19.000 the alcoholics while I was in jail. You found the licks. 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:22.720 I found the licks. He's talking about Tash king T. Well. 0:03:22.800 --> 0:03:24.679 King t was a part of the liquor. King T 0:03:24.960 --> 0:03:27.720 was was you know King I listened to King T. 0:03:27.840 --> 0:03:29.960 I'd beat the King of hip hop. I did not 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:33.120 listen to King What. What did King T tell you? Well? 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:36.640 I was. I was hanging out with Dick Griffy by 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:38.240 the way, shout out to jer Row and East Swift. 0:03:38.320 --> 0:03:39.760 I just want to make sure I know all three. 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:42.440 I know all three members of the Licks. I was 0:03:42.480 --> 0:03:44.920 hanging out with a guy by name of Older Smith 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:48.760 who was the owner of Beverly Glen Music. Uh. He 0:03:48.800 --> 0:03:53.080 introduced me to Dick Griffy Berry Guardy And at the 0:03:53.120 --> 0:03:57.000 same time, I'd already started dipping into hip hop. This 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.680 is while you're no, no, this is before before okay, 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:06.680 this is before NWA. At that time, my DMC might 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:10.839 have been this is like early to maze yep. Yeah, yeah, 0:04:11.600 --> 0:04:14.160 So I was already dipping in hip hop. We had 0:04:14.160 --> 0:04:16.640 the DJ equipment and you know, we're doing we're doing 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:22.760 a little thing. King T told me to mess with 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:27.280 him DJ pooh, But instead I gave the money to 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:31.360 Oldiest Smith to do a need a Baker's first record. Wow. 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:34.760 And had I known that hip hop was going to 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:36.560 be what it became, I would have went on and 0:04:36.600 --> 0:04:41.080 did DJ Pooh album anyway instead of not doing it. 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:43.000 You know, I still could have did it, but I 0:04:43.080 --> 0:04:45.680 was like this young boy, he was only about seventeen 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:48.360 years old. Yeah, King T FOREO. People don't give him 0:04:48.440 --> 0:04:52.360 enough credit. He's one of the young pioneers and La 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:55.120 Dre learned how to work the drum machine from Master 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:59.320 Spade and King T. Now King T doesn't get enough flowers, Oh, 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:01.880 no question. Well you know, and and that's why when 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:05.880 when when when King T was going through his little thing, 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:09.159 you know, dra gave my deal, right, I don't remember 0:05:09.160 --> 0:05:10.720 what year it was, but but Dre gave me a 0:05:10.800 --> 0:05:12.640 nice little deal, you know, trying to try to try 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:14.839 to boost him up, get him back on his feet. 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:17.880 But yeah, King T had told me to mess with 0:05:17.960 --> 0:05:20.279 hip hop. Was like, stick with the hip hop, stick 0:05:20.320 --> 0:05:23.799 with the hip hop. And and you know, I'm listening 0:05:23.800 --> 0:05:26.520 to these guys that got platinum albums and and and 0:05:26.839 --> 0:05:29.320 you know, walls decorated looked like your wall right here. 0:05:29.480 --> 0:05:32.160 So I'm like, who do you listen to the seventeen 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.920 year old kid or the pioneers of of of R 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:39.000 and B and uh. It was it was a decision 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:40.520 that was easy for me to make. You know, I 0:05:40.560 --> 0:05:43.760 went with them. Of course, how did you discover the 0:05:43.839 --> 0:05:48.520 licks from? From? Well? When when when I was in MDC, 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.240 as soon as I walked in the door, the first 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:54.880 person I ran into was HARRYO. So HARRYO pulled me 0:05:54.920 --> 0:05:57.640 into his selle. We were Selly's and you and harry 0:05:57.680 --> 0:06:00.680 we were sellis. Yeah, we were Selly's. Okay, when when 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:04.080 they started death row Okay, Okay, that's that's that's crazy 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.160 to know because I mean, just the chances of that happening, 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:08.279 like you guys ended up. I mean, but you know, 0:06:08.320 --> 0:06:11.479 you're talking about guys who who pretty much ran the 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:16.600 streets out of here. And even though we wasn't really 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.720 good friends on the street, you know, we we were 0:06:19.800 --> 0:06:22.600 kind of competible. You know, you want to be you 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:24.159 don't want to be in to sale with somebody that 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:28.600 you can't talk to, relate to, you relate to, you know, 0:06:28.640 --> 0:06:30.479 you want to be with somebody that you can relate to. 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:32.480 If you're gonna have a selle, first you don't want 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:33.760 to sell it. But if you're gonna have one, you 0:06:33.800 --> 0:06:35.320 want somebody to be somebody who you could actually be 0:06:35.360 --> 0:06:39.159 friends with her. Yes, So when I leave MDC and 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:42.719 go to the pen in Arizona. I get to the pen, 0:06:42.800 --> 0:06:46.640 they turn on b T and there there was snooping 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:51.320 doctor dre one A seven on the undercover cop in 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:55.520 the Arizona Phoenix Arizona or which was a buckeye. No 0:06:55.680 --> 0:06:59.080 black Canyon. Okay, okay, the name of the FCI Phoenix 0:06:59.160 --> 0:07:03.360 is what it's called. But it's in Black Canyon. So 0:07:03.480 --> 0:07:06.920 when I saw that, I was like, damn, Harry Finna 0:07:06.920 --> 0:07:09.480 make it. You know, death Row is Finn Blow. So 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:11.640 I got right on the phone, man where King t At, 0:07:11.760 --> 0:07:14.040 give me King T number. So they gave me King 0:07:14.080 --> 0:07:16.280 T number. I was like, man, I need an artist, 0:07:17.600 --> 0:07:21.400 and he was like, my video finish drop Saturday. Look 0:07:21.400 --> 0:07:23.280 at my video. Let me know if you like these 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:26.840 little dudes. It was licks alcoholics. Man, shout out to 0:07:26.920 --> 0:07:29.000 Tash and those guys. And then it was even colder 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:34.680 than that. They living with my cousin really related to you. 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:36.200 You didn't even know it. Yeah, they was living with 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:38.600 my cousin. So it was it was a real easy fix. 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:42.520 And then uh, Fade, I don't know if you know, 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:46.559 Fade Debian got all faith. Well, Fade was also Fade 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.120 was at that time, Fate was a head promoter over 0:07:49.240 --> 0:07:52.240 Loud Records, but he was gonna quit Loud Records and 0:07:52.280 --> 0:07:56.520 come and run Freeway Records for me. Wow. So doing 0:07:56.520 --> 0:07:58.880 that transition, he got the job over then the scope 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:03.520 mm hmm. And he was still gonna quit though, and 0:08:03.600 --> 0:08:06.440 come and and and and and run my label. That 0:08:06.520 --> 0:08:08.480 was that was our plan. He was gonna quit his 0:08:08.600 --> 0:08:11.480 job and come run my label. I go to the whole. 0:08:12.400 --> 0:08:14.160 That's when one of my partners was in the hole. 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:16.960 He telling me to call this girl and and and uh, 0:08:17.000 --> 0:08:19.880 the case manager called me and locked me up. So 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:24.920 when I go to the hole, I'm in the hole, 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:27.240 like thirty days, no phone call, no mail, no nothing. 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:32.240 Fae signed him the Loud Records Wow. Yeah, because they 0:08:32.320 --> 0:08:35.040 ended up on Loud with like that's how that's how 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:38.080 they ended up on a round with with with the risks, 0:08:38.160 --> 0:08:40.320 and they probably could have should have ended up on 0:08:40.360 --> 0:08:43.360 the Freeway Records. Yeah, they should have. And and then 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.400 you know, I was, you know, I was kind of 0:08:45.440 --> 0:08:48.520 due too where I wasn't gonna like sweat, you know, 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:51.560 like it wasn't their fault that I went to the hole. 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.520 And and even though we had already agreed on on 0:08:54.600 --> 0:08:57.480 the deal and everything. I just like, go ahead, y'all, 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:59.920 do y'all thing. So take me back. You said that 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:05.280 you bankrolled Anita Baker's first record. Mm hm, So how 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:07.800 did because you know, obviously in your position, do you 0:09:07.920 --> 0:09:09.480 have a lot of money that you need to put 0:09:09.520 --> 0:09:11.520 places and you need to Yeah, I was looking for 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:14.320 I was looking for legitimate businesses, things that get me 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:16.520 out of the dope game. Of course I didn't want 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.200 to be in the dope game. So how how does 0:09:19.240 --> 0:09:21.800 this Anita Baker story happen? Because I mean, obviously you 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:23.960 told us you linked with you just said his name. 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:26.800 I'm sorry OLDA Smith, Odas Smith. When I was in 0:09:26.880 --> 0:09:31.400 high school and another mistake I made not being young, 0:09:31.520 --> 0:09:34.760 you know, not really understanding business. At the time, I 0:09:34.840 --> 0:09:38.319 was a tennis player. Okay. Older Smith had a son 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:42.480 that he wanted to be a professional tennis player. His 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:44.760 son was about three years younger than me. So Oldest 0:09:44.760 --> 0:09:47.600 would come pick me up from high school, would pay 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:50.280 me twenty dollars for me. At that time, that was 0:09:50.320 --> 0:09:52.719 a lot of money. Yeah, twenty bucks back then, I 0:09:52.760 --> 0:09:55.000 mean twenty bucks in the nineties was let we'll buy 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:57.520 me tennis shoes. We'll buy me rackets to go and 0:09:57.520 --> 0:09:59.160 play with his son. I played with his son, just 0:09:59.200 --> 0:10:01.839 boyut every day after school. I would finish at the 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.080 tennis team, do my little tennis practice at the school, 0:10:04.120 --> 0:10:06.080 and then he would pick me up. We'd go to 0:10:06.080 --> 0:10:10.360 Beverly Hills, Hollywood. It was another place where Kennedy got 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:12.040 killed at. It used to be a tennis club, really 0:10:12.120 --> 0:10:16.120 nice tennis club. He was a few tennis clubs. He 0:10:16.240 --> 0:10:20.079 was the only black that went there. Nobody else La 0:10:20.120 --> 0:10:22.480 Tennis Club in Hollywood. He was the only member for 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:26.199 the longest. There was no other black member beside Oders 0:10:26.200 --> 0:10:28.480 Smith in that club. So he would take me to 0:10:28.520 --> 0:10:31.719 those places and I would play with the son, you know, 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:35.079 our hour and twenty minutes whatever whatever time it took 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:39.120 us to play a couple sets. So I grew up. 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:42.480 Though after I was sixteen seventeen, I think seventeen eighteen, 0:10:42.520 --> 0:10:44.439 I stopped playing with him. I dropped out of high 0:10:44.480 --> 0:10:47.160 school and went back to the streets. So we hadn't 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:49.560 saw each other for years. And all this is in 0:10:49.600 --> 0:10:51.560 my book if you get a chance to year book. 0:10:51.559 --> 0:10:53.920 It's been out for a while too, about five years. 0:10:54.400 --> 0:10:56.720 But they still don't nobody know about it. It's still 0:10:56.800 --> 0:10:59.560 kind of like unknown, you know on Amazon. I'm sure, 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:02.040 don't go Amazon and get it. Don't go No, should 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:04.040 they go go to Freeway Ricky Ross and get my 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:06.280 book by the book there, Well you can get an autographed. 0:11:06.320 --> 0:11:07.880 You get it autographed, and you get to keep all 0:11:07.880 --> 0:11:11.640 the money you don't got to give Amazon there cutting Yeah, 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:13.760 I don't want to get Jaffizo nothing. He's got enough. 0:11:13.960 --> 0:11:18.760 Hain't no Jeff, Yeah, a rich motherfucker's go to space. So, 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:24.319 uh I loved Otis, let me say that there. Yeah. 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.000 So one day I'm just like chilling out right here 0:11:26.920 --> 0:11:29.040 in Santa Monic. It was. It was a professional tennis 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.360 tournament going on, and I ain't seen notice in five 0:11:32.400 --> 0:11:34.160 six years. You know, I got ham on my face. 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:36.680 Now I'm a grown man getting money. I ain't sixteen 0:11:36.720 --> 0:11:39.040 no more. And I got about two three million dollars 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:42.400 cash and I'm at the tennis court. I'm by myself. 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:43.880 You know, no no homies don't want to go to 0:11:43.920 --> 0:11:46.040 no tennis match and just kick back on the bench 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:49.000 and got my hand, got my cell phone and you know, 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:52.040 just relaxing. This is a relaxed to day and I 0:11:52.120 --> 0:11:55.600 look up. There was little oldest nice like six feet 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:59.319 three and hit his son. His son, Yeah, hitting the 0:11:59.360 --> 0:12:02.400 ball the time. And he's playing against No. One guy 0:12:02.400 --> 0:12:06.600 from Stanford. Big guy looks like a linebacker. And they 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:10.480 start arguing. And then the guy from Stanford, the whole 0:12:10.480 --> 0:12:15.040 team is back in him. Otis. He's playing at UCLA, 0:12:15.240 --> 0:12:19.480 the only black guy on the team, nobody backing him. 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:24.080 He's by myself. I said, man, I'll better get some help. 0:12:24.520 --> 0:12:26.319 So I got on the phone. I called all the guys. 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:28.120 I was like, man, some white boys fan to jump 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:31.400 on me out here in Santa Mona. Come atoo. You 0:12:31.440 --> 0:12:33.520 know they was in La we in Santa Monic. They 0:12:33.520 --> 0:12:37.000 was there in like five minutes. I heard motorcycles tired, screeching, 0:12:37.080 --> 0:12:38.520 and to hell of a that's a hell of a 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:41.120 time to get that far. As soon as they come, 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.520 the kid who little Otis is arguing with hit the 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:49.080 daddy in the eye, damn. And then my guys just 0:12:49.080 --> 0:12:50.720 coming over the fence. I see him coming over the 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:53.240 fence and they looking at me like he do that. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.040 And they don't even know Otis, but they just know 0:12:56.080 --> 0:12:58.160 it's a black guy and a white guy fighting, so 0:12:58.679 --> 0:13:01.240 and then I just gave him a nod and they 0:13:01.240 --> 0:13:04.160 wouldn't handle their business. So when they broke it all, 0:13:04.200 --> 0:13:06.199 I went and broke it all up. I didn't want 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:09.520 none of my guys went to jail. So that relationship kept. 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.120 It started all over again. It started all over in 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:14.760 that day. So Oldest don't even know that I did 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:18.720 that for him, right, Like, he don't know what happened. 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:21.080 He just no. Man, damn, somebody saved my life because 0:13:21.200 --> 0:13:24.640 he was finna get massacred, I can imagine. So then 0:13:24.679 --> 0:13:26.839 the tennis coach, my high school tennis coach, comes up. 0:13:27.360 --> 0:13:30.199 He's the one that introduced me the oldest because he 0:13:30.240 --> 0:13:33.920 knew I needed money in high school. So they started talking, 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:36.160 and I'm just standing back to the side listening, you know, 0:13:36.559 --> 0:13:39.240 glad to see my old coach again, you know, because 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.080 my coach was nice to me. You know, he helped 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:45.400 me out a lot in life. So I Older started 0:13:45.400 --> 0:13:47.640 telling him about the music business because I never knew. 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:50.160 I just knew. Oldest drove a brand new Rose Royce convertible. 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.720 You know, I'm in the seventies, Like, I don't know 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:54.280 what you do. You know, I don't even care what 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:58.600 you do, just keep giving me them twenties. So he 0:13:58.679 --> 0:14:00.559 was talking to Coach Smith about the music business and 0:14:00.600 --> 0:14:02.160 then he was like, man, Rick is the one that, 0:14:02.320 --> 0:14:04.400 uh you should be talking to. He got more money 0:14:04.400 --> 0:14:08.439 than seeing and and uh he oldis looked at me 0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:10.280 and he was trying to figure out did he know me? 0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:15.199 He's like little Rick. Man, He's like little Rick. He 0:14:15.280 --> 0:14:17.560 was like yeah. So then I came up. We shook hands, 0:14:17.600 --> 0:14:19.400 and he's like, man, it's been a long time. I 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.240 take you out for dinner. And uh then the coach 0:14:22.280 --> 0:14:24.080 said he probably won't to save your life out here. 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:28.240 So the relationship started. The next day, he took me 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:30.400 up to his office, you know, showed me all the plaques, 0:14:30.440 --> 0:14:34.160 you know, Johnny Taylor, he found Rick James, you know, 0:14:34.360 --> 0:14:38.360 uh his listen, he just he was just decorated. So 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.280 I was already dipping in hip hop right then. You know, 0:14:41.320 --> 0:14:43.400 I was messing with some local rappers here and I 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.760 had I had some rappers from Chicago. I'd already sent 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.080 four that eventually signed with Russell Simmons. What was the 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:53.400 names six Pack or something like that. There. Uh they 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.960 didn't get big, you know, they got a little mediocre 0:14:58.280 --> 0:15:04.960 local you know local celebrities. So Oldis started talking to 0:15:05.000 --> 0:15:08.160 me about this girl that he was going to produce, 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:11.920 and he needed the money to produce her. He didn't 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:14.240 even had the money to send for I gave him 0:15:14.280 --> 0:15:16.360 the money to sender her ticket from Detroit to come 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:19.760 out here, and we got our apartment up in Hollywood 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:22.800 Heels and just started from there. I need a baker. 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:26.520 I need a baker. I never got into the business though, 0:15:27.240 --> 0:15:29.320 you know, I just gave him the money. Here, here's 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:32.600 the money, here's the money. So did you get a 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:36.880 return on your investment? No, she jumped the label? She okay, 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:40.880 she jumped the label went to I forgot the name 0:15:40.920 --> 0:15:42.680 of the label. I paid for the attorney, the sewer. 0:15:43.200 --> 0:15:47.600 Oh wow, it's crazy because, like I think so many 0:15:47.640 --> 0:15:51.640 people have kind of like based on I guess the 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:55.160 misconception that like snowfall is like directly about you, even 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:57.880 though they didn't. They couldn't say that because they didn't 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.160 drop the bag off, that they should have probably up 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:01.440 the bag off for you. But they might be getting 0:16:01.480 --> 0:16:02.920 ready to drop it now, you know. I got the 0:16:02.960 --> 0:16:04.640 phone call. They want to they want to sit down. 0:16:04.840 --> 0:16:07.360 They want to sit down. In terms of what though, 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:10.680 I don't know in terms of like bringing you into 0:16:10.760 --> 0:16:12.200 the fold. You just told me they want me to 0:16:12.200 --> 0:16:16.040 come through the studio. What we're gonna talk about. I 0:16:16.040 --> 0:16:19.480 don't even know the Snowfall producers or the network or 0:16:19.880 --> 0:16:22.120 the show. I mean, obviously John Singerson passed away, Rest 0:16:22.120 --> 0:16:24.000 in peace. They say that he say it was a producer. 0:16:25.280 --> 0:16:27.200 I mean, but it's it it has to do with 0:16:27.240 --> 0:16:31.360 Snowfall or is it separate? No, they Snowfall. I mean 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:34.720 I mean because I mean, listen, if anyone who's familiar 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:37.880 with your story, I mean, like what they know they 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:41.560 changed commercials when they add the first commercials on Snowfall. 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.760 My fans gave them the blues M hashtag and John 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:49.200 Singleton Snowfall, I mean, FX all of them. Hey, this 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:52.120 is Rick's story, y'all stole rick story? Yeah, I mean 0:16:52.840 --> 0:16:56.840 obviously it's not the same because then they then you 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:00.480 could sue the living ship out of them. Have did 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:03.160 you try to suit? No? I thought about it. I 0:17:03.160 --> 0:17:06.560 talked to a few lawyers. It's a tough suit. It 0:17:06.600 --> 0:17:09.680 is a tough it's a tough lawsuit. It's a tough lawsuit. 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:12.960 Intimate domain. You know, I got so much stuff in 0:17:13.040 --> 0:17:16.679 newspapers right and right right right right. So if you 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:21.760 think about like the show, h I mean as far 0:17:21.840 --> 0:17:25.800 as the first season, I guess I guess how much 0:17:25.920 --> 0:17:28.640 of that do you feel like was really? I didn't 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:31.560 watch it, you didn't watch it. I only started watching 0:17:31.560 --> 0:17:34.399 the show after I got the call from Dave and 0:17:34.560 --> 0:17:36.560 he wanted me to come and be a part of 0:17:36.600 --> 0:17:40.639 his podcast after the Snow. Before that, I never watched 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:44.400 No Fall. I probably had glanced, you know, passing by 0:17:44.560 --> 0:17:47.439 and and and and seeing it on TV. Now. I 0:17:47.480 --> 0:17:50.480 did have dinner a lunch with Franklin before. I was 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:54.600 at Whole Foods downtown with the actor. Yeah, the English 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:57.280 guy something Idris is his name. I forget his first name. 0:17:57.480 --> 0:18:00.280 I don't know his name, but it seems like I'm 0:18:00.400 --> 0:18:03.680 terrible with names. Seems like a nice guy, very nice guy. 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.440 I like him. So you guys had dinner, lunch, lunch. 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.560 You guys had lunch. Did he like try to pick 0:18:08.600 --> 0:18:12.720 your brand? Or I was sitting there because I didn't 0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:14.720 know who he was. Okay, because you're like, I don't 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:16.600 even watch the show. I don't watch the show. How 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:18.159 would I know who you are? You know? And he 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:20.399 walked up and he was like, you missed Ross and 0:18:20.440 --> 0:18:24.280 I was like yeah, and uh my managers were sitting 0:18:24.280 --> 0:18:26.919 there and they was like, that's a guy from Snowfall. 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.000 And I was like what. And I was like, sit down, 0:18:30.080 --> 0:18:32.159 you can sit down. So he sit down and we 0:18:32.200 --> 0:18:33.720 just started talking. He was like, man, I don't know 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:36.399 why John ain't got you on the set. And I 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:38.640 would do a much better job if I had you around. 0:18:38.800 --> 0:18:40.439 And you know, we just went through the little thing. 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:42.160 You know, he probably was blowing a little smoke too. 0:18:42.240 --> 0:18:46.360 You know. Of course, of course he runs into you 0:18:44.760 --> 0:18:50.080 and so but it was a cool conversation. Uh and 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:52.240 and you know, we just got after we finished, and 0:18:52.240 --> 0:18:54.600 we just got up and we went our separate ways. 0:18:55.200 --> 0:18:59.679 So because obviously in the show, like it's very much 0:18:59.760 --> 0:19:02.600 kind of I mean, I'm assuming there wasn't a bunch 0:19:02.640 --> 0:19:05.400 of tennis players in your hood where you were growing 0:19:05.480 --> 0:19:08.960 up at, right, I mean, for black tennis players, we 0:19:09.040 --> 0:19:12.240 probably had the biggest black population of tennis players maybe 0:19:12.240 --> 0:19:15.560 in the country. You go from were you a good 0:19:15.560 --> 0:19:20.720 student in school? Terrible terrible student, good athlete, though when 0:19:20.760 --> 0:19:23.159 I say terrible, I mean terrible as far as is 0:19:23.600 --> 0:19:26.439 doing the work and stuff. Like that. I didn't really 0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:29.119 like mess up a lot in school. I was a 0:19:29.800 --> 0:19:32.440 good kid. But I was a good kid. But applying 0:19:32.440 --> 0:19:34.240 yourself to school, I couldn't read it right. You couldn't 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:38.679 read and write no, oh wow, okay, So take me 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:43.960 like to like the is the parallels of the show 0:19:44.200 --> 0:19:47.439 and the CIA. And obviously we all know that the 0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:50.320 contra wars are being funded through all this crazy ass 0:19:50.320 --> 0:19:52.800 ship that was going on with the CIA. Was that 0:19:52.960 --> 0:19:55.159 is that part accurated in terms of what you were 0:19:55.160 --> 0:19:57.199 dealing with with your plug and all that ship? I 0:19:57.240 --> 0:19:59.240 didn't know. I didn't know that my guy was a 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:02.240 CIA operative. You didn't know until you were incarcerated. Right 0:20:02.320 --> 0:20:06.120 when when when Gary Webb broke the story? Is when 0:20:06.160 --> 0:20:08.320 I found out that the guy been getting my drugs 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:11.320 from was the CIA operative? And how long was that 0:20:11.440 --> 0:20:13.760 your guy? Like? Like was it from the jump? Like 0:20:14.320 --> 0:20:17.160 I sold drugs for eight years? He wasn't the main 0:20:17.200 --> 0:20:19.840 guy all along? But you know, you know in the 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:24.240 drug business there's probably three or four guys in between 0:20:25.240 --> 0:20:27.640 there is, so you have to work your way through 0:20:27.760 --> 0:20:32.600 each level of of of of participants in order to 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:36.439 get to the top. Hunt show. Were there situations in 0:20:36.480 --> 0:20:39.679 which you felt like the fact that you were indeed 0:20:39.680 --> 0:20:42.200 dealing with law enforcement without knowing it, and that they 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:47.119 kind of needed you out on the streets getting this money. 0:20:47.400 --> 0:20:50.720