1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:00,760 Speaker 1: Morning. 2 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 2: Everybody's the ej Envy, Charlamagne the God. We are the 3 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 2: Breakfast Club. You got a special guest in the building, 4 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,039 Speaker 2: a legend when it comes to this hip hop thing. Man, 5 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:12,600 Speaker 2: ladies and gentlemen, Fab five Freddy welcome, brother hey man. 6 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:14,319 Speaker 3: Pleasure to be here, man, what's happening. 7 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:16,400 Speaker 4: Pleasure to have you, brother man. 8 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 3: Thanks so much. Man. 9 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:18,720 Speaker 4: First of all, how are you. 10 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 3: I'm wonderful. Thank you for asking. 11 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 4: Yeah, and you know, we just celebrated fifty years of 12 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 4: hip hop. 13 00:00:24,280 --> 00:00:24,800 Speaker 3: Incredible. 14 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 4: What does that mean to Fab five Freddy? 15 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 5: Wow? 16 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,400 Speaker 6: Man? Like I said, it's been I tell you, it's 17 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 6: been incredible just going through the motions. But at that 18 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 6: Yankee Stadium gig, the vibe in there amongst the people, 19 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 6: the energy, that enthusiasm that like grown folks you know 20 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 6: that lived through it, been through it hurt, all these 21 00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 6: hits having an incredible time. And then when the axe 22 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 6: was on, I'm looking way up all around and people 23 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,480 Speaker 6: up in the highest points of Yankee Stadium rocking the house. 24 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 6: So that hit me like, wow, this people really feel this. 25 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 6: It's just hard to articulate how how much it resonated 26 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 6: for the community that made this all happen, and to 27 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 6: be in the Bronx like it was just it all 28 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 6: came together for me. 29 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 5: Did you ever think that hip hop would take it 30 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 5: this farr to quote the lady, I know, I loved 31 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:12,600 Speaker 5: that call. 32 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 3: Not at all, Not at all. 33 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,320 Speaker 6: I mean, I mean I was clearly thinking of, like 34 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 6: you know, in terms of the moves I made, having 35 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 6: some control over the narrative, you know, being that being 36 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 6: aware that people that look like us in previous generations 37 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 6: of our culture didn't have that ability to host the 38 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 6: shows that you know, you know, the footprint that you 39 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 6: guys have and the things that others like us in 40 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 6: media and do these things. So that was like a 41 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:44,000 Speaker 6: super significant thing that I thought about from beginning. But 42 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 6: to see it come to this point globally the most 43 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,640 Speaker 6: listened to form of music around the world, still, it's 44 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 6: just astonishing. 45 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 2: Let's let's go back for people that don't know who 46 00:01:55,520 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: Fab five Freddy is. You started off as a graffiti artist, right, yeah, 47 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 2: So let's let's start from the beginning how you got 48 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: into this thing called hip hop and what you created 49 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: Because you started off as a graffiti artist, right, and 50 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 2: I'm sure you were tagging trains back in the day 51 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: because that was the thing to do. 52 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 6: The trains, that was the thing to do, the trains, 53 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 6: the walls, the buses, right anywhere. It was an audacious 54 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 6: thing to do when when I think back, so many 55 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 6: New York teenagers back then in the seventies just felt 56 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 6: like it was okay to put your name anywhere you 57 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,919 Speaker 6: felt it needed to be. And then the competition of 58 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 6: that developed into a real, you know, refined and defined 59 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,519 Speaker 6: form of expression, ways of using them spray cans that 60 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 6: nobody ever envision anywhere, Like you know, spray cans is 61 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 6: just just you know, the pain and the old piece 62 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 6: or whatever right around the house. Now we've created, you know, 63 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 6: a way to make murals that kind of tell stories 64 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 6: about who we are and what we you know, where 65 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 6: we are and what we want to be and do 66 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,079 Speaker 6: and all those things. It was like a fantasy, you know, 67 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 6: kind of like rap was that too. I'm going to 68 00:02:58,320 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 6: invent myself and talk about all these things I want 69 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 6: to do, And in graph as it began to really flower, 70 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 6: it was like, you know, I'm a superhero and my 71 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 6: name is Big and you know, all those things kind 72 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 6: of took off in ways that and then you know, 73 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 6: early on I got something clicked in my head that, 74 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 6: you know, looking at pop art and what you know. 75 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 6: I used to go to museums a lot as a 76 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:23,600 Speaker 6: kid and looked at what Andy Warholl and these pop 77 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 6: artists were doing, and I was like, wait a minute, 78 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 6: they're inspired by the same things that we were as 79 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 6: graffiti artists, like like looking at popular culture names, comic 80 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 6: book logos, you know. And then and that kind of 81 00:03:38,760 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 6: made me want to be a visual artist like those 82 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 6: guys were. And then that began a journey that I 83 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 6: kind of helped lead, taking graffiti art into galleries, turning 84 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 6: it into something called street. 85 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 3: Art, which is also like a global thing. 86 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 6: You know, probably heard of my homie Rest in Peace 87 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 6: Jean michel Boski io young brother out of Brooklyn, and 88 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:03,320 Speaker 6: we met on that downtown scene. Had similar aspirations figure 89 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 6: out a way to be artists, Like Malcolm X said, 90 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 6: by any means necessarily, yeah, he used to Jean was tagging, 91 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 6: but he was putting up these like poetic phrases, quotes 92 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,800 Speaker 6: that were not in any way like typical graffiti, but 93 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 6: it was a part of graffiti. 94 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 3: And nobody knew he was a young brother doing it. 95 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 6: Initially He started out doing something called same O, which 96 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,040 Speaker 6: was sort of short for same O, you know what 97 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:30,360 Speaker 6: I mean. 98 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,160 Speaker 3: And then that developed and then we met and he 99 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 3: was on the scene. 100 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 6: He turned out to be a brother like he was 101 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 6: doing stuff around Soho in the village area. People didn't 102 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,600 Speaker 6: know he was a brother, and we met at a 103 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 6: party writer as I'm kind of stepping on that downtown 104 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 6: art scene, and we both had similar aspirations to try 105 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 6: to figure this out, so we began to you know, 106 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 6: we kind of linked up and we're in the same circuit. 107 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 6: Blondie was somebody that we met pretty much at the 108 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,679 Speaker 6: same time. I'm in their ear about this new culture, 109 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 6: and then they kind of took us under their wings, 110 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 6: so to speak, and brought out work some of the 111 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 6: first people to buy paintings. 112 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 3: For myself and Jean Michelle and then made. 113 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 6: You know, took some inspiration from them stories I told 114 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 6: them and made a record called Rapture Altho. 115 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 2: We Got to Stay Here for a Minute was the 116 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:17,239 Speaker 2: first video on MTV. 117 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 6: That was one of the MTV's first videos, which I'm 118 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 6: featured in along with Jean Michelle. I tried to get 119 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 6: flash was supposed to have come to be the DJ 120 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:26,160 Speaker 6: i'd met, because you know, it was working on the 121 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 6: first hip hop movie while Style of It in that 122 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 6: same time frame, early eighties. I said, Flash, come down 123 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 6: and be in this video. You know, to think that 124 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 6: there was no MTV at that time, so we did 125 00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 6: music video was not a thing. But still I'm like, 126 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:44,240 Speaker 6: they had this idea to create a music video. All 127 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 6: the people we hung out with were in the video. 128 00:05:46,960 --> 00:05:50,680 Speaker 6: Flash never showed up. So I said, Jean stand at 129 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 6: the turntables, and I try to tell Majean just stood 130 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 6: there with a grin on his face. So in the raption, 131 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 6: so as Debbie starts to rap in the first line 132 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 6: on this Fab five, Freddy told me everybody's fly. 133 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 3: She's saying it to Jean and then she you know, 134 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 3: the song goes on. 135 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,479 Speaker 6: So that turned out to be one of MTV's first 136 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:14,039 Speaker 6: videos when the channel launched, and close to ten years later, 137 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,520 Speaker 6: they would they were kind of pressured into trying to, 138 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 6: you know, to do a show about rap music, and 139 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 6: I got the call YOMTV raps. 140 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 5: I want to hear more about Boski at but I 141 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:26,880 Speaker 5: want to talk about Blondie too, because we had these 142 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 5: conversations about fifty years of hip hop, and when I'm 143 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:32,720 Speaker 5: starting to realize is the role that Blondie played and 144 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 5: helping get helping get hip hop main screaming, we have 145 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 5: all these conversations about white allies. Now, she was one 146 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 5: back then because I saw something. I was watching the 147 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 5: Ladies First documentary and she put shot, uh, Funky is 148 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 5: the Funky Funky four plus Funky four plus one on CNL. 149 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 6: That's right, And that was me because I had been 150 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,680 Speaker 6: in there are playing them old school hip hop party tapes, 151 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 6: breaking it all down, and so a lot of the 152 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,840 Speaker 6: things that she's saying in the app with things that 153 00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 6: I told her, you know, flashes, fast flashes, coolrefaid. You 154 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 6: told me everybody's fly on the early hip hop scene, 155 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 6: it was fly guys and fly girls. So I'm telling 156 00:07:13,240 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 6: her the slang, explaining how Flash was the fastest DJ 157 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 6: and how that was a big thing. And I was 158 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 6: amazed that they went out and made that record. I 159 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 6: knew they were feeling me. Her and her boyfriend at 160 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 6: the time, Chris Stein, that was the nucleus of Blondie. 161 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 6: I would they would invite me to come hang out 162 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 6: with them and we would just talk on pop culture. 163 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,320 Speaker 6: Chris Stine. He was from Brooklyn. He loved the graffiti 164 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 6: on the train. So when I said, hey, I'm one 165 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 6: of those guys, oh man, I love that stuff. And 166 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 6: then I began to share my ideas trying to figure 167 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 6: out a way to be a visual artist, trying to 168 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,240 Speaker 6: make it happen. It was actually them that took that. 169 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 6: The first time I met mister Andy Walholl was through them, 170 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 6: and then we you know, me and Andy and I 171 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 6: became friends. He was a supporter of what we were doing. 172 00:07:56,160 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 6: And yeah, they made that record and it went number 173 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 6: one across the country and many countries around the world. 174 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,640 Speaker 6: And I don't I don't describe it as hip hop, 175 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 6: but it was the first time people heard rapping in 176 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 6: a context. And then also what she was, what she 177 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 6: graciously did was shout me out and mentioned other things 178 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 6: in the scene that I told her later. When Flash 179 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 6: did this record, the Adventures of Grand Master Flasher on 180 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 6: the Wheels of Steel, where he literally made a record 181 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 6: an example of what he would do live, just masterfully 182 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 6: cut up a series of records. 183 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 3: It started with. 184 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 6: Using that using that rapture song where you hear that thing, 185 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 6: and then he cuts it into a whole bunch of 186 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:39,959 Speaker 6: different other songs are cut. 187 00:08:39,800 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 5: In, which is how do you think people like Blondie 188 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 5: avoided the label of culture vulture back then? 189 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 6: You know what I mean, that's a good question, But 190 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 6: that word culture volta as a concept didn't exist, and 191 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 6: I think it was I mean, if you had really 192 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 6: dived into hip hop, which wasn't that big of an 193 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 6: audience outside of New York. 194 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 3: Most people did know what the hell she was doing. 195 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 3: They just were big Blondie fans. 196 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 6: She sang as the record opened in her lovely voice 197 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 6: and then broke into this rap and was pretty decent 198 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,959 Speaker 6: at it, you know, all things considered. 199 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 3: It's not like I sat there. 200 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 6: With her and tried to teach her how to rap. 201 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 6: She had rhythm and just said, I'm going to make 202 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 6: a record. Fat. I've been in her ear a lot, 203 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 6: and this record was a reflection at It was such 204 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 6: a gracious thing because it turned out to be a 205 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 6: calling card for me. Nobody really knew who I was. 206 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,520 Speaker 6: I hadn't been on TV then, you know. And then 207 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 6: when MTV happened and they decided to try it out immediately, 208 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 6: it had the highest ratings any show had had at 209 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 6: that time. Then people began to figure out, wait a minute, 210 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 6: that's the guy that Blondie. 211 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: Mentioned, let's go back to your TV raps. So your 212 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: on TV raps. 213 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 2: They flipped this channel and they create this hip hop 214 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 2: show called Your MTV Raps. Right, I'm sure at the 215 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:54,080 Speaker 2: time it was kind of like a stab against Ralph 216 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 2: McDaniel's Video Music Box. 217 00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 3: No, not at all. 218 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 6: No, Ralph was definitely I was a fan of Ralph's 219 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:04,680 Speaker 6: show from the beginning in it. But they were resistant 220 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 6: what MTV was trying to do. It's interesting that you 221 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:10,439 Speaker 6: you guys are now, you know, have this big position 222 00:10:10,679 --> 00:10:15,679 Speaker 6: doing radio. The guys like you, well, you know, the 223 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:19,920 Speaker 6: thing was radio was pretty segregated, and in the American charts, 224 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:22,640 Speaker 6: I mean, England was different. That's why I referenced America 225 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 6: pop pretty much meant white essentially, So no matter what 226 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,199 Speaker 6: kind of record you made, if you could, you know, 227 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 6: make a record that was popping all the descriptive ways, 228 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 6: the people doing it were black, they would most often 229 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 6: off end up on the R and B or the 230 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,959 Speaker 6: soul chart or the dance chart. And so MTV was 231 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 6: set up to try to mirror that a visual form 232 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 6: of what of what American radio stations were and so 233 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:49,960 Speaker 6: when black acts got big, they were like, why am 234 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 6: I not getting any love on there? And so, with 235 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 6: the exception of a little line of Richie, a Little Prince, 236 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 6: there was very little black music to be seen. And 237 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 6: then I think it was Michael Jackson's label, Columbia's CBS 238 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 6: if I'm not mistaken, Epic, whichever one of those really 239 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 6: pressured them and they said, listen, we're going to pull 240 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:14,920 Speaker 6: all out other acts, which included Bruce Springsteen off of MTV. 241 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 6: If you don't play Michael Jackson. I think that specifically 242 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 6: was Billy Jean, and then they played it. The numbers 243 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,880 Speaker 6: went through the roof and then came Thriller and everything 244 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,599 Speaker 6: like that, so that really they had to realize that 245 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 6: this time to change up that attitude. And then there 246 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,760 Speaker 6: with two young white guys at MTV, Peter Doughty and 247 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 6: then Ted Demi Rest in Peace. Peter I've known on 248 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 6: the downtown scene. 249 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:38,719 Speaker 3: He knew things. 250 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 6: I was moves I was making with Blondie and hip 251 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 6: hop's first film, Wild Style, and so he was in 252 00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:49,880 Speaker 6: their ear. Like records were selling like Crazy Run dmcll. 253 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,160 Speaker 6: Some of those first early hip hop records were going crazy, 254 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,959 Speaker 6: no marketing, no promo, and so they said, okay, we're 255 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 6: going to try try this out, and they tried it. 256 00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,599 Speaker 6: Keep them and also I'd like to make There was 257 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:04,840 Speaker 6: a European version called The Yo Show that a female 258 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 6: named Sophie Bromley, a frenchwoman North African French woman who 259 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:11,199 Speaker 6: was really cool, had hosted for a short period of 260 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 6: time only on MTV Europe. And then they decided that's 261 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:16,839 Speaker 6: so that's where the Yo came from. There was a 262 00:12:16,960 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 6: Yo and then they said, okay, well we're gonna call 263 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 6: it Yo MTV. 264 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 3: Raps and it went. 265 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:24,880 Speaker 1: And they called you first. You were the first. 266 00:12:25,240 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, because I knew Peter and they saw the moves 267 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:28,280 Speaker 3: I was making. 268 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 6: They saw the Rapture video, they saw the film Wild Style, 269 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 6: which you know I produced it all original music. 270 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 3: For, and then you know, one of the lead characters. 271 00:12:35,920 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 6: So I had a bit of a presence and they 272 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 6: you know, made this argument and they said, let's give 273 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:44,160 Speaker 6: it a try. And the ratings were crazy from the jump, 274 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 6: and so I held down the Saturday slot. They'd asked 275 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,959 Speaker 6: me about a year or two into it. They wanted 276 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:52,719 Speaker 6: to get a daily version of the show, and I 277 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 6: didn't want to over expose myself. 278 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 3: Plus, I'm I'm directing music videos at the time. 279 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 6: The first video I did was my philosophy Carros one, 280 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 6: Carross one, and then a whole string of videos. 281 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 3: So I wanted to stay in my land. I didn't 282 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:06,839 Speaker 3: want people to be like, oh man, I'm tired of 283 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,439 Speaker 3: seeing him him on the screen. 284 00:13:08,559 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 6: You know whatever, Like a lot of those other VJs 285 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 6: would be on there for hours introducing all these you know, Duran, 286 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,360 Speaker 6: Duran and whatever else, and then they luckily found ed 287 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 6: Love and Doctor Dre. 288 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 2: How long were you working at Young TV raps before 289 00:13:21,240 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 2: they brought in at Love and Dre? 290 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:25,719 Speaker 6: It was about it because it was close to two 291 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 6: years the first two. 292 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:31,720 Speaker 2: If I'm not mistaken, and you wasn't you wasn't upset 293 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 2: with leaving or you wanted to leave or was it well? 294 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,839 Speaker 6: When it ended about six or seven years in which 295 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 6: was incredible run, it was kind of sad that it 296 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 6: came to an end. 297 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:45,360 Speaker 3: But I realized, like, you know. 298 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 6: Those acts that debuted on your TV raps were so pivotal, 299 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 6: they were so defining of the culture. Like the first 300 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:59,319 Speaker 6: time people saw you know, Tupac Nwa, you know, Luke 301 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 6: and then my go to these areas. 302 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 5: Where were you invented that everybody that's doing these these 303 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 5: these shows now where they go to where people are 304 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 5: that's absolutely fab far Freddy, fab far Freddy invented on 305 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 5: location conversation. 306 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, and that was motivated by the way MTV had 307 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 3: been set up. The VJs would be in a room. 308 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 6: They would have all these crooky images going on in 309 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 6: the background, kind of a crazy you know, just mash 310 00:14:23,720 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 6: up of visuals and they'd be on for two, three, 311 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 6: four hours at a time, and it was like, I mean, 312 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,160 Speaker 6: they're like, man, I just want to see this video, 313 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 6: you know, you know, slame dude on the screen. 314 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 3: What's going on? So I just was all about lessons more. 315 00:14:37,520 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 3: It was a thing for me. 316 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:41,520 Speaker 6: And yeah, so it was, it was, it was. 317 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 3: It was a beautiful run. 318 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:44,600 Speaker 5: I know, we're gonna be all over the place because 319 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,440 Speaker 5: you just got such a great hit, so many gems 320 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 5: like and I know you said you didn't see hip 321 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 5: hop going as far, but as far as hip hop 322 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 5: becoming mainstream, you played a big. 323 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 4: Role in that. 324 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 5: Like when I think of the movie Wild Style, like 325 00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 5: what did that movie mean to you and hip hop 326 00:14:58,320 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 5: at that at that time. 327 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 6: Yeah, well, you know, that was an idea that I 328 00:15:02,680 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 6: had had to try to create a better look for us. 329 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 6: A lot of times in the media when somebody was 330 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:11,680 Speaker 6: a young Black or Latin person when they were seeing, 331 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,600 Speaker 6: you know, some cool street person was almost always in 332 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 6: a negative context, and I wanted to try to do 333 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 6: something to change that narrative. Also as trying to be 334 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 6: a visual artist, which was the main thing I focused on, 335 00:15:24,360 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 6: but dabbling in other forms of creative expression. 336 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 3: I wanted to just put us all in a better 337 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 3: light and then show what we were doing. 338 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 6: So the idea that I had had for a wild 339 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 6: Style was to show a way to show the connection 340 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 6: between all these elements that are part of hip hop 341 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:44,000 Speaker 6: now that didn't exist before. So the idea was to 342 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 6: make a film that showed the connection between this rapping, 343 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:51,160 Speaker 6: this djang, the breakdancing, and the visual form of expression. 344 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 6: Graffidi and I hooked up with this cat Charlie Ahearn, 345 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 6: who was an underground filmmaker on the downtown scene in 346 00:15:57,040 --> 00:16:00,360 Speaker 6: New York. He had made a super low budget movie 347 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 6: about kung Fu that had caught my eye. When I 348 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 6: linked with him, I basically pitched this idea for the movie, 349 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 6: and he said, essentially, let's get busy. 350 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 3: So then we started researching. 351 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 6: Going to parties in the Bronx, going to the t Connection, 352 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 6: the Ecstasy Garage, meeting Busy Bee, Cold Crush, Fantastic, Funky 353 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,400 Speaker 6: Four plus one more including shah Rock, and that was 354 00:16:24,480 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 6: how to jump back to the Blondie thing. When they 355 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 6: got the opportunity to host Saturday Night Saturday Night Live, 356 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 6: they also got to pick who the support act was 357 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 6: and they wanted to bring somebody hip hop on. 358 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 3: So we talked about flashing the Furious Five. 359 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:40,520 Speaker 6: Of course they were big, but then I said, you know, 360 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 6: the Funky Four, similar to Blondie, has a female like 361 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 6: out front, and I thought it was a nice counterbalance. 362 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 5: Now what they talked about in the Ladies first Dog, 363 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:50,600 Speaker 5: I don't know you've seen him, but like they break 364 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 5: that whole thing down, Like it was all because of 365 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,600 Speaker 5: the shah Rock that Blondie wanted her to wanted them 366 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:57,680 Speaker 5: to be the group correct. 367 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 3: So that was me behind that and that was incredible. 368 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 6: I remember being at Saturday Night Live for the taping 369 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 6: of that, and it was a young brother that had 370 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:07,600 Speaker 6: I didn't really get to kick it with him that 371 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 6: much that had just joined the Saturday Night crew, and 372 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 6: that was Eddie Murphy. 373 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:13,400 Speaker 3: Wow. 374 00:17:13,600 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 6: Yeah, just started around and I remember seeing because it 375 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 6: was another brother that used to be on Eddie Saturday 376 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 6: Night Live in the beginning. 377 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 3: Garrett Morris was. 378 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,199 Speaker 6: His name, absolutely, and then this young kat Eddie who 379 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 6: would later like blow up all over the place a 380 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 6: little bit. 381 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 5: It's so interesting because you know, I keep hearing you 382 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 5: talk about you wanted to make sure hip hop was 383 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 5: presented in the right way, right, So I wonder, like, 384 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 5: what are your thoughts on the genre of hip hop now? 385 00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:45,359 Speaker 6: Well, you know, hip hop has continually amazed me with 386 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 6: the different turns and the evolutions that have happened within it. 387 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:53,080 Speaker 6: That's been the most fascinating thing for me. And some 388 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 6: of the things that I've hoped for have come to light. 389 00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 6: Like I remember the very early days when it was 390 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:00,920 Speaker 6: all pretty much throw your hands in the air waving 391 00:18:01,040 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 6: like you just don't careybody say, oh, it's pretty much 392 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 6: a party, uplifting kind of vibe. 393 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:05,920 Speaker 3: And that was cool. 394 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 6: But then I said, man, if somebody can figure out 395 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 6: a way to say something that was socially relevant, I 396 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 6: knew that would elevate us, and that was the message 397 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 6: broken glass everywhere, you know, don't push me because I'm 398 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 6: close to the edge. Really articulated how a lot of 399 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,960 Speaker 6: people were living in New York and other hoods, and 400 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,359 Speaker 6: everybody got the memo that we can now throw our 401 00:18:27,400 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 6: hands in the air and have a party, but we 402 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,760 Speaker 6: can talk about our realities in these streets. 403 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,200 Speaker 3: And that was exciting. 404 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 6: And then so there's been things that have happened along 405 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:42,120 Speaker 6: the way that I've been really enthusiastic about. Obviously, when 406 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 6: the conscious movement came in me working with KRS one 407 00:18:45,280 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 6: in the beginning and Chuck d and everything, that opened 408 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,080 Speaker 6: up a whole another chamber that was incredible. Didn't see 409 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:53,719 Speaker 6: it coming, but it was definitely needed. And I think 410 00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 6: hip hop is gonna fit. It constantly figures out a way, 411 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,440 Speaker 6: it evolves. It's a it's like a living organism, and 412 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:02,440 Speaker 6: different affected come in and may go off the track 413 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 6: a little bit with certain things, and then they'll come 414 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 6: back with something that totally blows us away. Like I 415 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:12,040 Speaker 6: think the African even though it's not specifically hip hop, 416 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 6: it's very inspired by the things that we've done. So 417 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 6: the afrobeats and the Ama piano, which is a sound 418 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 6: coming out of South Africa, a young kind of dance 419 00:19:24,640 --> 00:19:27,399 Speaker 6: type sound which is unique, is incredible as well as 420 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 6: well as what the cats in England have figured out. 421 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:31,680 Speaker 3: On the grime side. 422 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 6: You know storm Z and those cats that were constantly 423 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:38,280 Speaker 6: early in the early days of what they were doing. 424 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 6: They were constantly trying to emulate rap groups from over here. 425 00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:44,280 Speaker 6: I went to England and covered them during the Your 426 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 6: TV Raps era. I remember London Posse was one of 427 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,239 Speaker 6: the hottest groups at the time that had a New 428 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 6: York East Coast kind of wrap flow. But they never 429 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,240 Speaker 6: really blew up as big as they wanted to in England. 430 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 6: But then they figured out how to do it in 431 00:19:58,160 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 6: their own way, with their own sl in their own 432 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,639 Speaker 6: way way of speaking, and they made some dope records 433 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:04,200 Speaker 6: and blew ups. 434 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 2: What's your thoughts on a lot of the legends and 435 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 2: ogs who are the founders and creators and made this 436 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,480 Speaker 2: platform where there are billionaires and people are millionaires, but 437 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 2: they haven't got to just do financially and a lot 438 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 2: of those brothers are not doing well now. But if 439 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 2: it wasn't for them, you wouldn't have the sound. They 440 00:20:22,640 --> 00:20:26,439 Speaker 2: wouldn't be the movies, the music, the DJs, the rappers. 441 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,160 Speaker 2: What's your thoughts on that? Because I always feel like, damn, 442 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 2: should there be like a union for the creators of this? 443 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 5: You know. 444 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 3: Wow, there's something coming up that I'm involved in. 445 00:20:37,440 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 2: I can't elaborate on it a lot because l said 446 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:42,880 Speaker 2: there something coming up that he said he can't elaborate 447 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:43,399 Speaker 2: on either yet. 448 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, ll is probably a where I'm a part of 449 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 3: what he's doing with Rock the. 450 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 4: By the way, he said, you one of the founders, Well, yeah, 451 00:20:51,800 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 4: he reads you. 452 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, I have some equity in that. 453 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,080 Speaker 6: And he made an incredible presentation, flew me out to 454 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:58,440 Speaker 6: really pitch in a proper way. 455 00:20:58,440 --> 00:20:59,959 Speaker 3: I was saying, I'd have got down with him. 456 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 6: He didn't have to go that, but I was impressed 457 00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 6: that he wanted to demonstrate he had learned how to 458 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 6: play that business game properly. And I got down with him, 459 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,719 Speaker 6: signed the papers, and I'm super impressed to see what's happening. 460 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 6: So there's something that's coming up, which is something that's 461 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 6: going to address that and do something significant towards people 462 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 6: that haven't gotten there just do but that have had 463 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 6: a significant impact. 464 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 3: Trust me. 465 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 6: In the fall, something's going to go down. You guys 466 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 6: are going to get the memo and hopefully we can 467 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,639 Speaker 6: continue that and hopefully there'll be more versions of this 468 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:40,200 Speaker 6: that are a significant give back to pioneers. Unfortunately, because 469 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 6: in that very very very early, almost pre record days 470 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 6: or the beginnings of that, a lot of cats didn't 471 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 6: figure out how to monetize and how to do the 472 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 6: kind of good business that you guys clearly have both 473 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 6: figured out, which is incredible. 474 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,560 Speaker 3: Brothers like those Earn your Leisure. 475 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 6: Cats are laying out a road map for how we 476 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 6: can be fiscally attuned and aware of ways of doing 477 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 6: the proper things with our money all. 478 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 4: The time, exactly. 479 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,439 Speaker 6: Yeah, the Aunlesia guys I met. I ran into them 480 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 6: the other day. In fact, when when when you know, 481 00:22:15,400 --> 00:22:17,640 Speaker 6: those cats were here in New York. And so that's 482 00:22:17,720 --> 00:22:21,240 Speaker 6: a problem unfortunately that it just is what it is, 483 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:25,360 Speaker 6: you know, But I think there's been examples once once 484 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 6: again on the positive side, you've had cats that figured 485 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 6: out how to how to do business right, how to. 486 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 3: Accumulate not just be rich, accumulate wealth. 487 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 6: You know, it's difference between rich and wealthy, and it's 488 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:39,159 Speaker 6: great to see cats working on that now. 489 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:41,280 Speaker 5: Yeah, because I thought about that with y'all, like, what 490 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,520 Speaker 5: was the future for VJs back then? Like did y'all 491 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,240 Speaker 5: even know what the future looked like? Like what what 492 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,520 Speaker 5: did y'all aspire to be after the VJ thing? 493 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,480 Speaker 3: Well, good question. Thankfully for me, I was doing something prior. 494 00:22:55,600 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 6: I was already making moves, you know, making art, you know, 495 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 6: making films like Wild Style, and the VJ thing just 496 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 6: came to me really honestly, which was great. People would 497 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:06,959 Speaker 6: run up to me, I want to do this, How 498 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:08,159 Speaker 6: do you do it? I was like, Man, I'd be 499 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 6: awkward because I'm like, I can't tell you how to 500 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 6: do There's no to go to VJ school do this. 501 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:14,760 Speaker 3: It was just a moment. 502 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 6: Clearly MTV is a different you know, all that stuff 503 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 6: like doesn't exist. People can do millions of people do 504 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 6: that on YouTube, you know, if you will. So there 505 00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:29,439 Speaker 6: wasn't really a clear path if you will, but if 506 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:34,120 Speaker 6: you like you say, like I think interestingly Ed lover 507 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,520 Speaker 6: going to radio along with Doctor Dre initially and being 508 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,239 Speaker 6: really good at it was a great transition. There were 509 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,840 Speaker 6: some people that had worked that radio behind the scenes 510 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 6: and whatever that then came to MTV. Stephen Hill have 511 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,479 Speaker 6: been a radio person that then transitioned to become one 512 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:52,560 Speaker 6: of the producers at MTV. 513 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:54,440 Speaker 3: But yeah, that's a good one. 514 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:58,200 Speaker 6: Man. It wasn't too many clear paths other than radio 515 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:00,919 Speaker 6: or some type of TV announced it and maybe commercials 516 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 6: or whatever. 517 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 3: But for me, like I wanted to just get back 518 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 3: to doing the things that I'm doing. 519 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 6: I'm like an obsessive creative and so that's it, you know, 520 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 6: it's just creating and that's still what I primarily do. 521 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,479 Speaker 5: I mean, you had to be right, and man, when 522 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 5: you hear you talking, I'm like the role that art 523 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:22,959 Speaker 5: played in hip hop when you talk about Boskiyaut, when 524 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 5: you talk about Warhol, I feel like, damn, that might 525 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 5: be what's kind of missing, like that connection to art, 526 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:31,080 Speaker 5: like actual art. 527 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. 528 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,159 Speaker 6: Well, you know it's interesting too because of the continued 529 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 6: success and awareness of Jean Michelle and other things that 530 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 6: we've done. How street art like hip hop, is a 531 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 6: global form of expression. People and countries around the world 532 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:50,200 Speaker 6: take it to the streets, so people are aware of 533 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 6: art in a way, and I think that's a great 534 00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:57,680 Speaker 6: thing about using this tech to inform ourselves. And because 535 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,840 Speaker 6: I'd like to say all this stuff that we really 536 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 6: want want to know or to get a at least 537 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 6: an overview is a few clicks away, and. 538 00:25:06,720 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 3: You could you know who's Andy? 539 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:08,440 Speaker 7: Will you know? 540 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:09,200 Speaker 5: I was? 541 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 6: You know like me, I was one of those cats 542 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,720 Speaker 6: that would go to the library and love spending some 543 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,000 Speaker 6: time in some books and which is a foundation of 544 00:25:17,040 --> 00:25:18,600 Speaker 6: a lot of things I've done. But now you can 545 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,920 Speaker 6: you can click through it and see it and chat 546 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,400 Speaker 6: gpt it. You know, use those things before those things 547 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 6: use you. 548 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:32,960 Speaker 5: Like is has gotten you know, put on him because 549 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 5: of hip hop, and it's like back then he didn't 550 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,160 Speaker 5: get the opportunity because he died like before hip hop 551 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:38,760 Speaker 5: kind of took off that eighty eight. 552 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 2: That was gonna ask were you surprised of the explosion 553 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:42,120 Speaker 2: because it came so late? 554 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 6: Well it was, it was building though bese Jean was 555 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 6: just a fascinating character. So there was a films and 556 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 6: interest in his life once people heard, like, you know 557 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:54,680 Speaker 6: who he really was and the things he was doing 558 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:55,920 Speaker 6: in the moves he was making. 559 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 3: And yeah, so it's it's been. 560 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 6: It's just continue used to grow it like it feeds 561 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:04,240 Speaker 6: and it's like a it's like an organism. The the 562 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 6: awareness of Jean and his work and then the exciting 563 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 6: stories about his life and basically how we lived back then. 564 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 6: You know, this young brothers trying to figure it out 565 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 6: and figuring out a way to get in. It's just that, Jean, 566 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:22,280 Speaker 6: It's exploded in a significant way and inspired a lot 567 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 6: of other people to just dig in and learn more 568 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 6: about art. That was the thing that we both cut 569 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 6: school and went to museums a lot as young kids 570 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 6: and got comfortable with the idea of making art, standing 571 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:39,800 Speaker 6: in front of great paintings in the Metropolitan Museum, the 572 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 6: Brooklyn Museum and things like that, the Museum a Modern 573 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 6: Art and being comfortable with these important pieces that you 574 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:49,679 Speaker 6: would later see in different books and stuff, and then 575 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:51,960 Speaker 6: go and look, I can do this too, and I'm gonna. 576 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:55,239 Speaker 3: Figure out a way in. That was the the strategic thing. 577 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,640 Speaker 6: There was really no clear way in, so we would 578 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 6: huddle and think about ways to get in that weren't 579 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 6: the kind of formal ways in, and that was through 580 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 6: connecting with other people that was making moves like Blondie, 581 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,400 Speaker 6: other people on the downtown New York scene at the time, 582 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 6: pulled us in and then we like made things happen, 583 00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,120 Speaker 6: put our shows up, you know, group shows and things, 584 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 6: and then caught the tension of the major players that had. 585 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 3: To acknowledge what was going on. 586 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: How many pieces do you have? 587 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 6: I've had work. Artists that are friends usually will trade 588 00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 6: things with each other. So over the years, me and 589 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,639 Speaker 6: him being cool, you know a few things would change hands. 590 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,800 Speaker 2: You know how many people called you and be like, yo, 591 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 2: I know you got some crazy when it comes up 592 00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:46,160 Speaker 2: some pieces, you know the numbers on his work. 593 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,880 Speaker 6: It's so crazy. It's such an awkward conversation. Now it's 594 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 6: like somebody asking you about the value of things that 595 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 6: you own or can buy now or whatever, which against 596 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 6: kind of personal at a certain point, but the things 597 00:27:57,080 --> 00:28:01,200 Speaker 6: got so crazy it's an awkward conversation app because you know, 598 00:28:01,359 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 6: you think about the security and how you're gonna you know, 599 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 6: how you're gonna hold it down, or can you keep 600 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 6: this in the house now because it's so crazy, like 601 00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:10,399 Speaker 6: does this make sense to keep this here? 602 00:28:10,560 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 3: Or should you just find a safer place. 603 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 2: Now that not not just being stolen, but you don't 604 00:28:15,320 --> 00:28:17,880 Speaker 2: want the house to get flooded or catch five because 605 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 2: it's an investment. 606 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 1: At one piece that was just your your brother's art. 607 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:23,159 Speaker 1: Now it's like Jesus, you got a lie. 608 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 3: I'm not saying I'm not gonna get it. 609 00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:29,800 Speaker 4: To come to my credit, you got enough. You have 610 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:31,120 Speaker 4: to think, ain't nobody seen it before? 611 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 3: Oh well, guys, I'm getting I'm getting I'm getting pressed. 612 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:36,159 Speaker 5: You know what? 613 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,320 Speaker 4: I do want to ask you about Boskout and Warhall 614 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 4: or two things. 615 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:42,080 Speaker 5: What were those conversations like, because you see all these 616 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,640 Speaker 5: Andy Warholl quotes, Like one of my favorite Andy Warholl 617 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 5: quotes is in the future, everybody will be world famous 618 00:28:47,280 --> 00:28:48,120 Speaker 5: for fifteen minutes. 619 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 4: Did he really talk like that? 620 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:52,520 Speaker 6: No, But he wrote a book called The Philosophy of 621 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,720 Speaker 6: Andy Warhol, From a to Being Back Again, and that 622 00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,840 Speaker 6: was where he had a lot of other really smart things. 623 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 6: Andy was very perceptive, very astute about the whole pop 624 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:07,640 Speaker 6: culture game before it it developed into. 625 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:08,200 Speaker 3: Where it is now. 626 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 6: So he literally saw things that were coming, you know, 627 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,840 Speaker 6: And so that was a part of the genius of Andy. 628 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 6: But then his public persona was kind of like simple 629 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:24,880 Speaker 6: answers like oh, g no, you know, so you would 630 00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 6: you would kind of come off like he wasn't that 631 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 6: kind of savvy a guy that he but he really was. 632 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,280 Speaker 6: It was a very kind of a cultivated persona. So 633 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 6: when you got to know him and you hanging out 634 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 6: and talk, he really was like a big brother in 635 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 6: many ways. And he saw that we were coming up, 636 00:29:41,960 --> 00:29:46,120 Speaker 6: we were having exhibits, he would tell you, oh, this gallery. 637 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 3: Watch out for that dealer. Oh my goodness, he's this 638 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:49,640 Speaker 3: and that. I'm like, oh wow. 639 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:52,480 Speaker 6: So he would be very chatty and very talky when 640 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 6: you got to know him, but his public persona was 641 00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 6: a was a whole different thing. The Netflix doc that 642 00:29:58,360 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 6: I took part in, and then I felt a little 643 00:30:01,920 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 6: awkward because Andy was gay, and I didn't know he 644 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 6: was gay in that regard because his whole perception was 645 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 6: I'm a a sexual if you will. So I was like, Okay, 646 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 6: you know, he's not messing with anybody, and I've never 647 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 6: seen him around anybody that was his lover, girlfriend, what 648 00:30:20,360 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 6: have you. But the Netflix doc got really deep into 649 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 6: the relationships he had, and I felt like, almost almost 650 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 6: embarrassed to get all this info that. I was like, man, 651 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:35,600 Speaker 6: he so, you know, he's so strategically kept it positive 652 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:37,600 Speaker 6: to see it all laid out, and I was in 653 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 6: that dock. I took part in that, but I just 654 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 6: it was a lot that I didn't really realize was 655 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,560 Speaker 6: going on. You care. 656 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 4: He probably didn't even cared. 657 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:45,320 Speaker 3: Really, I didn't really care that. 658 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 6: It was just interesting just how crafty he was and 659 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,720 Speaker 6: how on top of culture he was for a really 660 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:54,520 Speaker 6: long time, way before he you know, like into the 661 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:58,320 Speaker 6: early sixties, like the Walhall Factory and that scene. Almost 662 00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:00,960 Speaker 6: anybody could have came up in there hang out and 663 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 6: hang around, and that might be like Lou Reed, you know, uh, 664 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,320 Speaker 6: just a whole bunch of you know, Jim Morrison, Jimmy Hendrix, 665 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,400 Speaker 6: like artists, people just doing wild psychedelic drugs or whatever 666 00:31:14,480 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 6: would all hang out and then somebody just walked up 667 00:31:16,840 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 6: in there and basically shot him. 668 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 4: You know. 669 00:31:19,440 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 3: The chick said, you're. 670 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 6: Controlling my life, like you know, the just the buzz 671 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,920 Speaker 6: on him had was driving her crazy. And so that 672 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 6: then shifted him to shut down a bit and to 673 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,960 Speaker 6: close the gates, and then he went to another level 674 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:32,240 Speaker 6: with it. 675 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,680 Speaker 4: But but he got shut You got shot by somebody 676 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 4: who's clearly a craze fan. 677 00:31:37,560 --> 00:31:41,320 Speaker 6: Man. Listen, Okay, you controlling my life, stop tuning into me. 678 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 4: Then that't got it to do with me. 679 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:45,600 Speaker 6: Yeah, So that that was a It was a wild story. 680 00:31:45,680 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 6: But yeah, he was a definitely big influence on a 681 00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,000 Speaker 6: lot of us. He had broke through in ways, and 682 00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 6: then when we started making Noise and he started coming 683 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:56,280 Speaker 6: to events we were having, it was a symbol that 684 00:31:57,120 --> 00:31:58,760 Speaker 6: we were doing the right thing, and you know, he 685 00:31:58,880 --> 00:32:01,480 Speaker 6: was acknowledging the work. And then it took it to 686 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,400 Speaker 6: the next level. Him and Jean Michelle collaborated on a 687 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 6: series of paintings together and that was like unbelievable. So 688 00:32:08,280 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 6: that got Andy to put the brush on canvas in 689 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:12,960 Speaker 6: ways that he hadn't done in many years. 690 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:15,800 Speaker 1: And was any of those pieces no No. 691 00:32:17,560 --> 00:32:19,800 Speaker 5: When I think about y'all being, you know, young back then, 692 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 5: it's like, yo, what and you I don't know what 693 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 5: were y'all? 694 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:25,520 Speaker 7: What was youall aspirations? Like what did you and Oboskaya 695 00:32:25,640 --> 00:32:27,680 Speaker 7: want to do? Like we were just you know, that's 696 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 7: a good question, too, kind. We were just trying to 697 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:37,320 Speaker 7: have an impact as artists. We were trying to rock 698 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,480 Speaker 7: our scene, which was a downtown scene. 699 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 6: This was obviously thinking this is pre the Internet and 700 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 6: pre access where anybody can have instant access practically to anything. 701 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,760 Speaker 3: Going on in the world, pre big money. Yeah, but 702 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 3: it was pre big money and big money. 703 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 6: We were looking to be comfortable and be able to 704 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,560 Speaker 6: pay the bills and pay the rent and then you know, 705 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:58,680 Speaker 6: have good meals and take you know, hang out with 706 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 6: our friends and party. We didn't have that. 707 00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:04,240 Speaker 3: It wasn't like a like a like a focused on 708 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 3: just getting paid. 709 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 6: It was really making an impact with with your with 710 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 6: our work and really being heard and being seen. 711 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:14,200 Speaker 3: That's something that led me. 712 00:33:14,760 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 6: At a point when I'm making paintings and was doing 713 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 6: pretty decent at it, I was getting a little restless 714 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:23,040 Speaker 6: with just painting, and Jean and I both had talked 715 00:33:23,040 --> 00:33:25,600 Speaker 6: about using any medium we can get our hands on, 716 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:31,560 Speaker 6: so make music, which he dabbled with a bit, produce 717 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 6: films as well as being films, which you know we 718 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 6: both did at that time. And so that was one 719 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,400 Speaker 6: of the motivating things that a lot that we that 720 00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:46,160 Speaker 6: we talked about and were just driven to kind of 721 00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:48,160 Speaker 6: find ways of expressing ourselves. 722 00:33:48,200 --> 00:33:50,160 Speaker 2: Do you remember how much and I know we asked 723 00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:51,600 Speaker 2: a lot of questions. Do you remember this was a 724 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:53,760 Speaker 2: long time ago. Do you remember how much paintings went 725 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 2: for back then when y'all soul paintings you or biscout 726 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:58,840 Speaker 2: to even warhole, what like what they were going for 727 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:01,400 Speaker 2: price wise back then in the beginning. 728 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 6: If you could sell your work for a few thousand dollars, 729 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:08,200 Speaker 6: that's great. And then if things move, then those numbers 730 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:11,239 Speaker 6: could either quickly go up or go up at a 731 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 6: nice moderate rate, because as people acquire to work, and 732 00:34:15,360 --> 00:34:18,920 Speaker 6: you know, if the work is accepted and respected and 733 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,120 Speaker 6: you know, written about, and other people want to show 734 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 6: the work, there's an incremental increase in the prices. And 735 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 6: then at a certain point it can just go really 736 00:34:26,800 --> 00:34:29,640 Speaker 6: really crazy, which it clearly did for Jean. 737 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:31,759 Speaker 3: But you know, he. 738 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,160 Speaker 6: Received a lot of that, like while he was alive 739 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:41,160 Speaker 6: and then sadly unfortunately, you know, passing really young at 740 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:43,720 Speaker 6: twenty seven, and then it just shifted into a whole. 741 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 3: Nother level, which you know, was just a part of it. 742 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 6: But I think the great thing though, is there's a 743 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:54,280 Speaker 6: lot more young artists, just artists of color, even artists 744 00:34:54,320 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 6: that laid the foundation back in the times at the 745 00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 6: Harlem Renaissance, significant Black artists Jacob Lawrence, Romar Beard and 746 00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:03,440 Speaker 6: Charles Austin. 747 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:04,320 Speaker 3: A lot of these artists. 748 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 6: There's a long list of these artists that were from 749 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:09,800 Speaker 6: the Harlem Renaissance period that was strong and incredible that 750 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,239 Speaker 6: because of the way racism was at that time, they 751 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,600 Speaker 6: just didn't get the kind of love and acceptance. 752 00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:17,799 Speaker 3: But a lot of that has been changing. A lot of. 753 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 6: Institutions and museums are reaching out to realize, like we 754 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:27,040 Speaker 6: missed getting these significant works, which is a part of 755 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:31,320 Speaker 6: the story of American expression visual artists. So there's a 756 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,080 Speaker 6: lot there's a strong effort and a lot of dynamic 757 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 6: young artists now making moves you know, in America now 758 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 6: way more than whatever doing it that are getting like, 759 00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 6: you know, serious, top, top tier, you know, recognition collapses, 760 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:49,880 Speaker 6: et cetera, et cetera. 761 00:35:50,560 --> 00:35:52,520 Speaker 5: What was it like for you in nineteen ninety one 762 00:35:52,840 --> 00:35:55,360 Speaker 5: when The New Yorker named you the coolest man in 763 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 5: New York City? 764 00:35:56,960 --> 00:35:59,840 Speaker 6: Yeah, that was crazy, Susan Orlean wrote that article was 765 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,360 Speaker 6: a profile. I was about fifteen or sixteen pages in 766 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:02,919 Speaker 6: the New Yorker. 767 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, I was wow. I remember this. 768 00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 6: You know, I've been written about a lot at that time, 769 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 6: you know, different articles about hip hop, different aspects of 770 00:36:11,200 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 6: the culture, being on your TV raps. And here comes 771 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:16,759 Speaker 6: this woman who wants to do a piece on me. 772 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,760 Speaker 6: She comes and hangs out with me a few times. 773 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:22,520 Speaker 6: She knew nothing about hip hop. And what I loved 774 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:25,840 Speaker 6: most about that piece was how right she got it, 775 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 6: how hard they worked to tell the story accurately. 776 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:30,240 Speaker 3: People had butchered. 777 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 6: How to say my name. 778 00:36:31,440 --> 00:36:32,680 Speaker 3: They would always ask. 779 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,800 Speaker 6: How long I think it was gonna last, meaning that 780 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:37,640 Speaker 6: they thought this was all like a brief passing fad. 781 00:36:38,239 --> 00:36:40,920 Speaker 3: And here's this woman, Susan Orlean came and she. 782 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 6: Got real curious and wanted to hang out with me 783 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:46,480 Speaker 6: while I'm taking your MTV raps, while I'm having meetings, 784 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,719 Speaker 6: planning from music videos I'm directing, and just. 785 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,200 Speaker 3: Listening to me talk. Obviously you know, I'm into a 786 00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:52,840 Speaker 3: lot of stuff. 787 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,880 Speaker 6: And she caught it all and fifteen sixteen page piece 788 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 6: for The New Yorker, which was incredible. 789 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,520 Speaker 3: The only thing about them being in New York at. 790 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:04,800 Speaker 6: That time, it wasn't read by a lot of a 791 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,080 Speaker 6: lot of people in the space that we were in 792 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:11,000 Speaker 6: at the time. Like Vanity Fair was kind of hot 793 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:13,239 Speaker 6: at the time, and I used to think, man, I'm 794 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 6: kind of due for, you know, for like a nice 795 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:16,879 Speaker 6: write up and maybe you know, like in Vanity Fair 796 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 6: something like that. 797 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 3: And then the New Yorker came along, which. 798 00:37:19,920 --> 00:37:22,800 Speaker 6: Is considered like the greatest magazine. Some of the greatest 799 00:37:22,880 --> 00:37:26,520 Speaker 6: writers in American history have written for them. And here 800 00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,000 Speaker 6: they doing a fifteen page profile on me. You know, 801 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:32,080 Speaker 6: it's hip hop person doing this cultural stuff. But it 802 00:37:32,360 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 6: was pretty good and it's amazing that it still pops up. 803 00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:37,080 Speaker 6: People see it on the Internet and stuff like that. 804 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:38,560 Speaker 4: Did you you go ever get out of control? 805 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,000 Speaker 6: Not really? You know the thing about my ego, I'm 806 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:43,960 Speaker 6: glad you you got you got good questions. I see 807 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 6: why y'all saw y'all y'all both are so nice. 808 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:47,520 Speaker 4: That means the world coming from you. 809 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:50,919 Speaker 6: Thank you. So I had like people in my life, 810 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:53,480 Speaker 6: like my father grew up with a jazz legend named 811 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,480 Speaker 6: Max Roach who became my godfather. He to the drums 812 00:37:57,640 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 6: is what Charlie Parker to the sacks, Miles to the trumpet, 813 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 6: Dizzey Gillespie. He's in that category cast that defined a 814 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 6: new form of jazz late forties fifties called be bop, 815 00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,480 Speaker 6: be around. He's featured with his then wife Abby Lincoln 816 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 6: in Summer of Soul, performing up in Harlem. And so 817 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,239 Speaker 6: he come by the house all the time, kick it 818 00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,080 Speaker 6: with my dad, you know, always wanting to hug me 819 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,399 Speaker 6: and hey, man, what you doing? You know what I mean? 820 00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 6: And so he was just so cool all the goddamn time. 821 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:29,200 Speaker 6: I could never be like be on some stupid you know, 822 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:33,040 Speaker 6: you know, like with a crazy ego. And then even 823 00:38:33,120 --> 00:38:35,320 Speaker 6: Blondie in them would treat me so good. I'd be 824 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 6: up in their house hanging with them. The biggest pop 825 00:38:38,080 --> 00:38:40,560 Speaker 6: group in the world, literally number one records all over 826 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:44,719 Speaker 6: the place. So I learned to, you know, always got 827 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:45,840 Speaker 6: to be cool with this. 828 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,120 Speaker 4: So you mean there was always people around that reminded 829 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 4: you like, yeah, I'm not really a man. 830 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:52,160 Speaker 6: Can well you just can't. Can't go crazy. But you 831 00:38:52,200 --> 00:38:55,000 Speaker 6: got to be humble and with this and appreciate the 832 00:38:55,080 --> 00:38:57,320 Speaker 6: fact that you have these opportunities. You know, it's just 833 00:38:57,760 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 6: you just but it's easy to get caught up in there. 834 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,840 Speaker 6: You have seen it happen too many times. But luckily 835 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:05,440 Speaker 6: you know some people that they can can pump the 836 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,879 Speaker 6: brakes and check themselves and realize, man, you know I'm 837 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:11,279 Speaker 6: out there being a clown. I'm being an asshole right now. 838 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:12,520 Speaker 6: I shouldn't be doing that. 839 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,600 Speaker 2: And so, and how did it feel when, you know, 840 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:17,840 Speaker 2: at the time, when you had all these rappers right, 841 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:19,920 Speaker 2: and these rappers are coming up and now they're not 842 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:22,960 Speaker 2: as local. They're selling millions of records. They're going, but 843 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:24,840 Speaker 2: they're mentioning you in their raps. Do you remember the 844 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 2: first time you heard your name in a rap. 845 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 3: Besides yeah, no, EPMD A couple of guys. Man, man, 846 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:30,600 Speaker 3: that was crazy. 847 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:30,799 Speaker 4: Man. 848 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:35,480 Speaker 3: It's just such a humbling experience to just be recognized. 849 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:37,600 Speaker 6: But you know a lot of casts that really has 850 00:39:37,719 --> 00:39:41,080 Speaker 6: seen wild Style so early, like in your TV raps, 851 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 6: A lot of people that was really dialed in on 852 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,719 Speaker 6: the game kind of knew who I was, which was 853 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:49,320 Speaker 6: really my first real audience was other people in in 854 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:51,600 Speaker 6: the in the culture really, which was so cool. 855 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:53,839 Speaker 3: And then that began to spread out. 856 00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:59,240 Speaker 6: But yeah, you know that was a special, special, special dynamic. 857 00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 3: Do you uh? 858 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,400 Speaker 4: Do you do you remember that day you shot with 859 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,839 Speaker 4: nw A when you went out there? 860 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,399 Speaker 6: Yeah, that was a good one. Yeah, and it became 861 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:11,640 Speaker 6: a lot of people's favorite show. I remember vividly. We 862 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:17,080 Speaker 6: have been playing videos by Easy on the channel and 863 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,880 Speaker 6: Ted Demi and what he would talk to Easy often 864 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 6: and Easy was like, man, I want you all to 865 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 6: come out. 866 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:24,879 Speaker 3: We have a new group. 867 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:29,879 Speaker 6: And I remember them sending us a memo the day 868 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,200 Speaker 6: before us to listen. Nobody don't wear anything red or 869 00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:39,880 Speaker 6: anything black. No, I'm sorry, red or blue were black, 870 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:41,879 Speaker 6: is what they said. And I was like, man, I've 871 00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:43,360 Speaker 6: been to l A a bunch of times, but I 872 00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:45,880 Speaker 6: didn't understand the dynamics in the hood, you know, I 873 00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:48,880 Speaker 6: being West Hollywood in and out on some art business 874 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 6: or what have you. And so we were like, okay, 875 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,239 Speaker 6: so we want to show people this scene. So let's 876 00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:58,880 Speaker 6: run a flatbed truck and let's ride around, because you know, 877 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,840 Speaker 6: we hadn't seen like what the hood is like or 878 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,840 Speaker 6: any semblance of la And so we meet at the 879 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:07,400 Speaker 6: welcome the Compton sign and then we get on this 880 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:10,839 Speaker 6: flatbed truck and ride around and do segments from the truck. 881 00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:13,120 Speaker 6: They take us to a swap meet and they give 882 00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 6: us a little insight on how they live. And it 883 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 6: was crazy. 884 00:41:17,640 --> 00:41:18,919 Speaker 3: I know it was gonna be a great show. 885 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:22,120 Speaker 6: I get back to the hotel and I put the 886 00:41:22,239 --> 00:41:25,840 Speaker 6: Walkman on, got the cassette of the new album, the 887 00:41:25,960 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 6: NWA album Straight out of Comptent. I listened to it 888 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,279 Speaker 6: for the first time and I'm literally snatching the headphones 889 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:34,479 Speaker 6: off my head can't believe the things that they're saying 890 00:41:34,760 --> 00:41:38,480 Speaker 6: f the police and just the aggressiveness and the music 891 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:41,920 Speaker 6: was amazing and incredible, but the things they were saying, 892 00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,080 Speaker 6: I was like, MTV is not gonna let this this happen. 893 00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:46,000 Speaker 3: They gonna pull this. 894 00:41:46,239 --> 00:41:49,680 Speaker 6: Man, we done shot this incredible show riding around. There's 895 00:41:49,719 --> 00:41:52,560 Speaker 6: nothing's gonna happen. Well, the videos, they weren't able to 896 00:41:52,600 --> 00:41:55,600 Speaker 6: play the video for Straight out of Compton, but they 897 00:41:55,719 --> 00:41:59,160 Speaker 6: still had other videos and other content, and the interview 898 00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:01,719 Speaker 6: played it and it took off. 899 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:03,520 Speaker 3: Man, it took off so lovely. 900 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:06,880 Speaker 5: And was there anything you saw and like Dre or 901 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,520 Speaker 5: Cube back then, you know, easy became as an icon too. 902 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:12,680 Speaker 5: Anything you saw in Drea Cube that lets you know, oh, 903 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:14,200 Speaker 5: I can see them being where they are now. 904 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:18,040 Speaker 6: Yeah. Well I couldn't predict how huge it was going 905 00:42:18,120 --> 00:42:22,160 Speaker 6: to be. But they were so smart and they clearly sonically, 906 00:42:22,520 --> 00:42:26,520 Speaker 6: particularly Dre had studied what Public Enemy had been doing 907 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,040 Speaker 6: sonically with them with the best right with the Bomb Squad, 908 00:42:31,120 --> 00:42:33,560 Speaker 6: thank you, and the level of production and using those 909 00:42:33,600 --> 00:42:36,279 Speaker 6: samples was the state of the art at that time, 910 00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:40,080 Speaker 6: and they had did something similar. And I remember before 911 00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:41,880 Speaker 6: I had listened to the record and really understood it. 912 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:44,880 Speaker 6: Cube a couple of times in between the interviews was like, 913 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:47,080 Speaker 6: your fab what's g rap? 914 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 3: Like, what's up with g rap? 915 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:51,960 Speaker 6: And I said, Yo, g Wrap's cool and whatever. But 916 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:54,520 Speaker 6: then when I listened and I heard the aggressiveness of 917 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:57,799 Speaker 6: what they were saying, I saw that Cube happened studying grap. 918 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:00,759 Speaker 6: G Wrap was spitting harder than any at that time, 919 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:04,040 Speaker 6: you know, songs like Rykers Island. In fact, I directed 920 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:08,399 Speaker 6: a video for g Rap Road to the Riches, which 921 00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 6: is which was the first rap song, and then the 922 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:13,759 Speaker 6: video about the rise and fall of a New York 923 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,320 Speaker 6: crack dealer. I'm the first video to put an image 924 00:43:16,320 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 6: of scarface in the thing, and that led to me 925 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,879 Speaker 6: getting in a social associate producer role on New jack 926 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:26,080 Speaker 6: City because when George Jackson came to talk to me, 927 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:29,719 Speaker 6: I'm finishing up Road to the Riches and he bugged out, said, man, 928 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:31,640 Speaker 6: this is what the this is the constant, this is 929 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:34,759 Speaker 6: the idea in the movie The Undercover Cop, which I 930 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:35,560 Speaker 6: see with play. 931 00:43:35,719 --> 00:43:38,080 Speaker 3: I had a hand in casting all those guys. It 932 00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:40,680 Speaker 3: was crazy wow. So that was a snapshot of that. 933 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:44,680 Speaker 6: And yeah, but Nwa man, genius and Cube, you knowing 934 00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,320 Speaker 6: that he was a person that wrote a lot of 935 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:49,880 Speaker 6: that helped structure a lot of that record. It was 936 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:52,640 Speaker 6: just amazing and the fact that it it had the 937 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:55,920 Speaker 6: impact it had was just one of the great things 938 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:58,239 Speaker 6: in rap to see it come together. And then you know, 939 00:43:58,360 --> 00:43:59,800 Speaker 6: in the process of doing that, I'm one of the 940 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:02,160 Speaker 6: first people that once again I'm interviewing these guys, I'm 941 00:44:02,200 --> 00:44:03,480 Speaker 6: hearing this West Coast slang. 942 00:44:03,719 --> 00:44:05,640 Speaker 3: I'm getting to hang out with them, and I'm like, money, 943 00:44:07,320 --> 00:44:09,400 Speaker 3: what's what? What are the switches? 944 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:13,560 Speaker 6: When you're talk about witting switches before you knew like 945 00:44:13,800 --> 00:44:16,480 Speaker 6: what one eighty seven was, are some of the things 946 00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:18,600 Speaker 6: that they were dropping We just as I had to 947 00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:21,320 Speaker 6: get the four one one, which is similar to what 948 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:23,040 Speaker 6: other people in other parts of the country had to 949 00:44:23,080 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 6: do to figure out what we were saying. 950 00:44:25,160 --> 00:44:26,960 Speaker 3: In New York, you know, they had to break down 951 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:27,480 Speaker 3: and slang. 952 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:30,560 Speaker 2: You know, since you've interviewed so many people and you've 953 00:44:30,600 --> 00:44:32,800 Speaker 2: been to so many coaches, whether it was you know, 954 00:44:33,080 --> 00:44:35,360 Speaker 2: La the South New York. When you're talking when you 955 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:39,120 Speaker 2: hear the mount Rushmore of hip hop, right, who is 956 00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:42,279 Speaker 2: your on your mount Rushmore? As far as artists are concerned. 957 00:44:43,040 --> 00:44:44,960 Speaker 6: Well, you know, when when I get asked those kind 958 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:49,279 Speaker 6: of questions, I'm basically like, I've loved so many and 959 00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:53,040 Speaker 6: and I'm also aware that there's different errors where different 960 00:44:53,120 --> 00:44:56,480 Speaker 6: people were the most important people at that time, right, 961 00:44:56,760 --> 00:45:01,120 Speaker 6: so as the errors have evolved that my rushmore would 962 00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:04,160 Speaker 6: it would be various versions based on but I'm a 963 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:09,400 Speaker 6: lyrics guy, primarily based on lyricism. Oh man, it'd be 964 00:45:09,719 --> 00:45:13,279 Speaker 6: in the beginning, you know, I'll screw up, and I'm 965 00:45:13,360 --> 00:45:15,719 Speaker 6: sure there's names I forget, But in the beginning, of. 966 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:18,400 Speaker 4: Course, you know, only before for every era, look at you, 967 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:21,960 Speaker 4: you know, uh Mo. 968 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:29,520 Speaker 6: D kaz uh you know, man, who else? 969 00:45:30,280 --> 00:45:31,279 Speaker 4: Man, I'll screw this up? 970 00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:37,160 Speaker 3: Cowboy? You know? And then going on further from that, 971 00:45:37,400 --> 00:45:42,200 Speaker 3: you know Caine, rack him, uh g. 972 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:47,040 Speaker 2: Raph man, Jesus, people forget about g rap a lot, 973 00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:49,080 Speaker 2: And I don't understand why, because when you listen to 974 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:50,840 Speaker 2: you clearly get it. 975 00:45:51,120 --> 00:45:54,800 Speaker 6: His lyrical game was masterful, just incredible way he played 976 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:55,360 Speaker 6: with words. 977 00:45:56,760 --> 00:45:57,759 Speaker 3: Who else was my mother? 978 00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:00,200 Speaker 6: Forth from that in that early period, I guess I 979 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:03,440 Speaker 6: would have to put I'll drop a cube in there, 980 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:07,200 Speaker 6: you know, And then moving forward, you know, you know 981 00:46:07,400 --> 00:46:14,280 Speaker 6: Biggie Pack, of course, you know Oh man, I'm stuck 982 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:18,080 Speaker 6: right now. I can't think of all the names that 983 00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:21,000 Speaker 6: I would love, but pretty much those that you know, 984 00:46:21,320 --> 00:46:23,800 Speaker 6: Nads of course, who I luckily got to direct his 985 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:28,800 Speaker 6: one of his first one one love Yeah, that that 986 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 6: Q Tip produced, you know. So, man, just and then 987 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:36,320 Speaker 6: to see Noads still putting out incredible music on a 988 00:46:36,560 --> 00:46:38,080 Speaker 6: consistent basis, it's. 989 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 3: Like a jazz artist. It just look, I got something 990 00:46:40,239 --> 00:46:40,480 Speaker 3: to say. 991 00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:43,399 Speaker 6: I'm not pressure. It's not about the paper. If you will, 992 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:45,480 Speaker 6: I'm just want to express this. I'm gonna drop this 993 00:46:45,600 --> 00:46:45,840 Speaker 6: on you. 994 00:46:46,600 --> 00:46:50,480 Speaker 4: And so it's it's just probably he probably get from 995 00:46:50,480 --> 00:46:50,880 Speaker 4: his pops. 996 00:46:51,400 --> 00:46:54,759 Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, Olu Dara who used to live near me 997 00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:57,440 Speaker 6: in Harlem and we would talk because you know, and 998 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:01,160 Speaker 6: that's a key thing that Nads had a similar to 999 00:47:01,239 --> 00:47:02,480 Speaker 6: something that rock Kim has. 1000 00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:03,120 Speaker 3: Both of them. 1001 00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:08,280 Speaker 6: Obviously nas Dad's a jazz musician. Rock Kim had jazz musician. 1002 00:47:09,239 --> 00:47:11,960 Speaker 6: It was a sing I can't remember her name, but 1003 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:16,680 Speaker 6: earlier connection to jazz and that sensibility I think is 1004 00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:20,400 Speaker 6: a is a big part of his flow and his 1005 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:22,000 Speaker 6: dynamic as an artist. 1006 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:23,560 Speaker 4: You did Park's first interview the. 1007 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:27,120 Speaker 6: First first time on National TV. 1008 00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:29,000 Speaker 3: A lot of those cats. 1009 00:47:29,600 --> 00:47:32,239 Speaker 6: The first time I interviewed Park was on this set 1010 00:47:32,320 --> 00:47:36,040 Speaker 6: of the movie Juice, and and then we held that 1011 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:39,840 Speaker 6: show until the movie dropped a few months later, and 1012 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,200 Speaker 6: then we added you know, and I'm also did a 1013 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,440 Speaker 6: cameo in Juice as. 1014 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:46,880 Speaker 3: Myself, you know, hosting your m TV reps while the 1015 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:47,880 Speaker 3: DJ battle. 1016 00:47:47,680 --> 00:47:50,920 Speaker 1: Was going on and talk about that set Juice. 1017 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:52,320 Speaker 3: That was crazy. 1018 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,440 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, it was you know, I mean 1019 00:47:55,920 --> 00:47:57,160 Speaker 1: classic movie to this day. 1020 00:47:57,400 --> 00:48:01,840 Speaker 6: Man, amazing stars from them, Yeah, a lot of good stars, 1021 00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:05,240 Speaker 6: a lot of just really good dynamics. And I'm pretty 1022 00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:09,480 Speaker 6: sure Tupac definitely have excelled in acting and clearly would 1023 00:48:09,520 --> 00:48:13,600 Speaker 6: have been OSCAR nominated by now. His dynamism on the 1024 00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:17,160 Speaker 6: screen was just something I think, like like people like 1025 00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:19,520 Speaker 6: that have been able to do it in music and 1026 00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:22,080 Speaker 6: then do it on the screen. It's just a it's 1027 00:48:22,160 --> 00:48:24,239 Speaker 6: just a rare group of people that have been able 1028 00:48:24,280 --> 00:48:27,120 Speaker 6: to do that and still you know, resonate to us 1029 00:48:27,200 --> 00:48:29,480 Speaker 6: in such a powerful way. But your Pock and I 1030 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:34,279 Speaker 6: were pretty tight. The second time I interviewed Pac once again, 1031 00:48:34,320 --> 00:48:37,759 Speaker 6: this was pre death Row. I like to that's when 1032 00:48:37,760 --> 00:48:41,920 Speaker 6: because it was the first time I knew his background, 1033 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:45,080 Speaker 6: like he had a black Panther link family wise, and 1034 00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:50,120 Speaker 6: that was the first time he'd spoken about that when 1035 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:52,400 Speaker 6: I pulled that out of him, and he explained how 1036 00:48:52,440 --> 00:48:55,880 Speaker 6: his mother was panther father, so that that fire and 1037 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:58,360 Speaker 6: that awareness of what they were fighting for. 1038 00:49:00,840 --> 00:49:03,920 Speaker 3: Was a part of his consciousness, so which was really interesting. 1039 00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:04,640 Speaker 3: He was a. 1040 00:49:04,719 --> 00:49:06,919 Speaker 6: Dynamic cat like I mean, he could be the most 1041 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:11,439 Speaker 6: militant f for a while, Fruit of Islam, Black Panther 1042 00:49:11,640 --> 00:49:13,440 Speaker 6: and then spin on a dime and just be the 1043 00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:16,440 Speaker 6: illess thug and that was I think a part of 1044 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:21,160 Speaker 6: the actor in him. He could completely be those people 1045 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:24,000 Speaker 6: or any other people. I'm sure he would have gotten 1046 00:49:24,040 --> 00:49:27,040 Speaker 6: to play in films. He would have been super effective 1047 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:30,160 Speaker 6: and compelling. So that was a great loss. So you 1048 00:49:30,239 --> 00:49:33,400 Speaker 6: saw that back then even absolutely, because it was just 1049 00:49:33,880 --> 00:49:35,600 Speaker 6: talking to him and he you know, and then he 1050 00:49:35,760 --> 00:49:38,840 Speaker 6: flipped and be just super hood. And I think the 1051 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:43,600 Speaker 6: persona that he remained in for most of his public 1052 00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:47,880 Speaker 6: life after was the persona of Bishop in juice like 1053 00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:50,640 Speaker 6: that was his character that you know, he wanted to 1054 00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:54,399 Speaker 6: become on everybody and as many people wanted to wish 1055 00:49:54,520 --> 00:49:57,879 Speaker 6: to have been a big dude on the New York scene, 1056 00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:01,080 Speaker 6: or a strong cat that conflex like in Harlem and 1057 00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:02,839 Speaker 6: all that, and juice. 1058 00:50:02,880 --> 00:50:03,759 Speaker 3: Was his way to do that. 1059 00:50:03,920 --> 00:50:07,040 Speaker 6: And because come on, he he wasn't that dude prior. 1060 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:11,400 Speaker 6: But he stayed in that character largely, and then unfortunately 1061 00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:13,360 Speaker 6: got caught up and this that, and the third on 1062 00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:15,520 Speaker 6: the New York side, if you know, the drum, and 1063 00:50:15,600 --> 00:50:18,640 Speaker 6: then and went West coast, and you would think he 1064 00:50:18,800 --> 00:50:21,759 Speaker 6: was born in South Central the way he rapped, you know, 1065 00:50:22,040 --> 00:50:25,520 Speaker 6: on out there in Cali, which is so super effectively, 1066 00:50:25,719 --> 00:50:28,960 Speaker 6: but he could he was convincing in any of those 1067 00:50:29,040 --> 00:50:31,920 Speaker 6: genres or any of those formats he would put itself in. 1068 00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:33,960 Speaker 4: I know, you probably got to go. He's got a 1069 00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:34,600 Speaker 4: couple more questions. 1070 00:50:34,600 --> 00:50:36,680 Speaker 5: Why do you think commercially, because you was there from 1071 00:50:36,719 --> 00:50:39,800 Speaker 5: the exception, why do you think commercially the West Coast 1072 00:50:40,120 --> 00:50:40,600 Speaker 5: took off? 1073 00:50:41,239 --> 00:50:43,040 Speaker 4: It seemed like to me before the East Coast, like 1074 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:43,840 Speaker 4: I'm talking about. 1075 00:50:43,640 --> 00:50:46,600 Speaker 5: With the massive mainstream success that we see in hip 1076 00:50:46,640 --> 00:50:49,759 Speaker 5: hop now interesting, I just I. 1077 00:50:49,719 --> 00:50:54,400 Speaker 2: Don't know that's but would you say that because he 1078 00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:54,799 Speaker 2: had run? 1079 00:50:57,000 --> 00:50:58,040 Speaker 3: I thought it was their term. 1080 00:50:58,160 --> 00:51:02,279 Speaker 6: Yeah, we we blew up big and dug out and 1081 00:51:02,920 --> 00:51:06,719 Speaker 6: planted a firm foundation. That's why this culture still rocks 1082 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:09,359 Speaker 6: so hard to this day because the roots went deep 1083 00:51:10,040 --> 00:51:14,200 Speaker 6: without anything going viral too early or people jumping out there. 1084 00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:16,520 Speaker 4: Tucson, it was deth Row was a months. 1085 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:19,800 Speaker 5: Snoop Dogg sold what eight hundred plus thousand his first 1086 00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,359 Speaker 5: and second week. He was like the first hip hop 1087 00:51:23,520 --> 00:51:27,360 Speaker 5: artist on certain magazine covers, like he really was. 1088 00:51:27,480 --> 00:51:29,719 Speaker 4: It was something else that was something else, and it 1089 00:51:29,800 --> 00:51:31,239 Speaker 4: started with NWA to me, but. 1090 00:51:31,520 --> 00:51:32,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was. 1091 00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:33,279 Speaker 6: It was a big thing. 1092 00:51:33,320 --> 00:51:34,560 Speaker 3: They had an incredible movement. 1093 00:51:34,760 --> 00:51:39,600 Speaker 6: It was I think it just followed they They added 1094 00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:42,440 Speaker 6: on nicely to the foundation that was laid right here 1095 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:44,960 Speaker 6: in New York. And then once again, I was honored 1096 00:51:45,000 --> 00:51:47,719 Speaker 6: to get to direct Snoops first video for What's My 1097 00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:50,919 Speaker 6: Name and turned them into a dog. And then interestingly, 1098 00:51:51,440 --> 00:51:53,800 Speaker 6: you know, I'm in the cannabis business now with a 1099 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:56,479 Speaker 6: brand called b Noble, which grew out of a film 1100 00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:59,320 Speaker 6: I made which you can see on Netflix called grass 1101 00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:01,840 Speaker 6: Is Green and got Snoop is in my film and 1102 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:05,560 Speaker 6: Snoop tells the story which I didn't know that he Dre. 1103 00:52:05,920 --> 00:52:09,919 Speaker 6: I spent that whole summer living with Dre in Calabasas 1104 00:52:09,960 --> 00:52:13,840 Speaker 6: because the first day of shooting Snoops video him performing 1105 00:52:13,920 --> 00:52:17,719 Speaker 6: on VIP Records. Right after that, we changed locations in 1106 00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:21,160 Speaker 6: Long Beach. That turns into a near riot. That's like 1107 00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:23,680 Speaker 6: not more than a year after the LA riots. So 1108 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:27,240 Speaker 6: we got shut down dress fabric. I gotta finish Snoop's album. 1109 00:52:27,520 --> 00:52:29,400 Speaker 6: If you can chill and hang, we will get the 1110 00:52:29,520 --> 00:52:33,960 Speaker 6: video done with. My priority is getting this record done. 1111 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:36,239 Speaker 6: So I'm like, Dre, I'm here, Why. 1112 00:52:36,239 --> 00:52:36,640 Speaker 4: Was it right? 1113 00:52:37,719 --> 00:52:42,560 Speaker 6: Because you know, LA is deceptive. You can be in 1114 00:52:42,600 --> 00:52:44,600 Speaker 6: the hood and I'm a New York cast, so I 1115 00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:46,840 Speaker 6: see cats in the hood. I see cats on the corner, 1116 00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:49,880 Speaker 6: on the stoop. I can feel the tempo of the neighborhood. 1117 00:52:49,920 --> 00:52:52,080 Speaker 6: You know what I'm saying. In LA, you don't see 1118 00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:55,560 Speaker 6: cats out. So I'm scouting locations. I'm like, oh, Dre, 1119 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:57,480 Speaker 6: I got this this And Dre was like, man, it's 1120 00:52:57,560 --> 00:52:59,279 Speaker 6: kind of crazy and Long Beach. But I'm like, man, 1121 00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:01,719 Speaker 6: I'm been there good. I didn't see the cast that 1122 00:53:01,840 --> 00:53:05,120 Speaker 6: really live in the hood. At the video shoot, everybody 1123 00:53:05,239 --> 00:53:08,080 Speaker 6: comes out. Everybody's in the crowd. So you got this set, 1124 00:53:08,239 --> 00:53:11,600 Speaker 6: that set, I got the foy on set as a 1125 00:53:11,640 --> 00:53:16,840 Speaker 6: security nobody that's like disrespecting, like a like a priest 1126 00:53:17,000 --> 00:53:22,000 Speaker 6: on Sunday. These dudes in Foi's face, you know, talker 1127 00:53:22,080 --> 00:53:25,120 Speaker 6: smack to them. And my assistant director came to me, 1128 00:53:25,200 --> 00:53:27,799 Speaker 6: I'm at video village checking the monitors, sitting next to Dre. 1129 00:53:27,960 --> 00:53:30,839 Speaker 6: They said, fab, you know the crew can't work. I said, Yo, Dre, 1130 00:53:31,080 --> 00:53:32,880 Speaker 6: is it possible? You know you can do to Drason man. 1131 00:53:33,040 --> 00:53:34,239 Speaker 3: I can't tell them cast nothing. 1132 00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:36,440 Speaker 6: So when I realized they wouldn't listen to Dre, I 1133 00:53:36,520 --> 00:53:38,560 Speaker 6: knew that was going to be a delicate issue. So 1134 00:53:38,680 --> 00:53:41,360 Speaker 6: when we finished that location, we went to the next location. 1135 00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:43,680 Speaker 6: These cats now was ready to get it in. By 1136 00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:47,840 Speaker 6: three four, fights had started and the police came. The 1137 00:53:47,920 --> 00:53:51,239 Speaker 6: helicopter swung and they basically shut us down. So it 1138 00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:52,960 Speaker 6: wasn't like a riot, but it was. 1139 00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:53,920 Speaker 3: It was ugly. 1140 00:53:54,280 --> 00:53:56,920 Speaker 6: They just had a riot, so they didn't want no 1141 00:53:57,080 --> 00:53:59,840 Speaker 6: massive gatherments like that. So that lets led me to 1142 00:54:00,040 --> 00:54:01,920 Speaker 6: and the rest of that summer out there hanging with 1143 00:54:02,040 --> 00:54:04,640 Speaker 6: Dre and the dog pown, getting to know them real well, 1144 00:54:04,920 --> 00:54:08,239 Speaker 6: seeing Dre's process in the studio, which was remarkable, and 1145 00:54:08,320 --> 00:54:10,800 Speaker 6: then we would get a moment to run out and 1146 00:54:11,280 --> 00:54:14,040 Speaker 6: get some scenes that would be other parts of the video, 1147 00:54:14,400 --> 00:54:16,480 Speaker 6: and then towards the end of the summer there was 1148 00:54:16,520 --> 00:54:18,680 Speaker 6: a big scene that I never got to shoot because 1149 00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:21,400 Speaker 6: Snoop got caught up famously. 1150 00:54:21,920 --> 00:54:24,560 Speaker 3: Murder was the case. I said, Man, I'm out of here. 1151 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:25,839 Speaker 2: This is just enough. 1152 00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:29,680 Speaker 3: But you know it was interesting. Snoop tells a story that. 1153 00:54:31,200 --> 00:54:35,480 Speaker 6: The chronic had become the hot slang word for good 1154 00:54:35,880 --> 00:54:39,360 Speaker 6: cannabis on the street. He told Dre, the chronic is 1155 00:54:39,440 --> 00:54:43,279 Speaker 6: the hot thing, and call your album the Chronic, and 1156 00:54:43,440 --> 00:54:44,160 Speaker 6: Dre went with it. 1157 00:54:44,320 --> 00:54:48,200 Speaker 2: Was is this just amazing to get that story behind 1158 00:54:48,200 --> 00:54:50,279 Speaker 2: the scenes and see it come to fruition, see it. 1159 00:54:50,280 --> 00:54:54,040 Speaker 6: Coming fruition, and get that story years later, and then 1160 00:54:54,480 --> 00:54:58,520 Speaker 6: amazingly I make this film Grasses Greener, which looks at 1161 00:54:58,920 --> 00:55:02,840 Speaker 6: the connection between cannabis and America's music, So from jazz 1162 00:55:02,920 --> 00:55:06,439 Speaker 6: and Louis Armstrong, the greatest jazz people. That was their 1163 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:11,839 Speaker 6: intoxicant of choice, because you know, you get really high 1164 00:55:11,840 --> 00:55:14,080 Speaker 6: on cannabis, you still can play your instrument. You know, 1165 00:55:14,160 --> 00:55:18,680 Speaker 6: you like, if you get really drunk, that's not happening, right, 1166 00:55:19,160 --> 00:55:21,800 Speaker 6: And so it was an important part of that and 1167 00:55:23,280 --> 00:55:25,719 Speaker 6: laying all that out, looking at all genres and music 1168 00:55:25,800 --> 00:55:27,520 Speaker 6: from jazz, all the way to hip hop and then 1169 00:55:27,560 --> 00:55:30,520 Speaker 6: looking at the criminal justice thing inspired me to create 1170 00:55:30,560 --> 00:55:34,280 Speaker 6: a cannabis brand called be Noble, and I'm really fortunate 1171 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:35,520 Speaker 6: that we were able to partner. 1172 00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:37,040 Speaker 3: We own the company. 1173 00:55:37,160 --> 00:55:40,280 Speaker 6: We made a licensing agreement with the biggest cannabis company 1174 00:55:40,280 --> 00:55:43,359 Speaker 6: in America, Curely. We give back a ten per cent 1175 00:55:43,440 --> 00:55:46,200 Speaker 6: of what we earned to organization and we're in nine 1176 00:55:46,320 --> 00:55:50,360 Speaker 6: states organizations helping people victimized by non for non violent 1177 00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:54,160 Speaker 6: cannabis offenses, and we donate money and then we take 1178 00:55:54,239 --> 00:55:56,600 Speaker 6: care of the brother that we named the story that we. 1179 00:55:56,640 --> 00:55:57,640 Speaker 3: Focused on in the film. 1180 00:55:57,719 --> 00:56:01,000 Speaker 6: This brother was given a thirteen year sentence for two 1181 00:56:01,080 --> 00:56:03,160 Speaker 6: joints of weed and he served seven. 1182 00:56:03,280 --> 00:56:04,839 Speaker 3: His case was a big case. 1183 00:56:04,960 --> 00:56:08,120 Speaker 6: Many organizations were fighting to get this brother freedom, and 1184 00:56:08,200 --> 00:56:11,120 Speaker 6: when he finally got a parole, we flew back down 1185 00:56:11,200 --> 00:56:14,120 Speaker 6: to film him walk out of prison. And then shortly 1186 00:56:14,200 --> 00:56:16,560 Speaker 6: after that, I got inspired to create this brand which 1187 00:56:16,640 --> 00:56:20,240 Speaker 6: is doing really well and raising awareness about these issues 1188 00:56:20,320 --> 00:56:24,920 Speaker 6: while selling fireweed actually, which is a growing business now 1189 00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:29,080 Speaker 6: which New York, which has now gone legal, is expanding 1190 00:56:29,800 --> 00:56:32,359 Speaker 6: licenses going out. I mean, there's some bumps in a row. 1191 00:56:32,400 --> 00:56:34,879 Speaker 6: So that's a fascinating thing because once again, I feel 1192 00:56:34,960 --> 00:56:42,920 Speaker 6: so just blessed to be working in the space enlightening 1193 00:56:43,040 --> 00:56:49,000 Speaker 6: people about this powerful plant which has been vilified as 1194 00:56:49,360 --> 00:56:55,200 Speaker 6: a gateway drug and categorized next to heroin in the schedule. 1195 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:59,800 Speaker 6: And there's a fight now because this obviously medical benefits. 1196 00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:02,640 Speaker 6: With the opioid crisis going on and hundreds of thousands 1197 00:57:02,640 --> 00:57:05,560 Speaker 6: of people dying, cannabis can be used and a lot 1198 00:57:05,640 --> 00:57:09,560 Speaker 6: of things that they prescribe opioids for, and it's so 1199 00:57:09,600 --> 00:57:11,960 Speaker 6: it's a beneficial thing. So that's been been a big 1200 00:57:12,080 --> 00:57:14,319 Speaker 6: thing that I've been working on now, as well as 1201 00:57:14,360 --> 00:57:15,440 Speaker 6: all the other creative stuff. 1202 00:57:15,719 --> 00:57:16,440 Speaker 3: Just to ship you. 1203 00:57:16,400 --> 00:57:20,360 Speaker 6: Didn't bring any ship, baby, I got something. 1204 00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:25,320 Speaker 3: We got you covered on that, baby. 1205 00:57:25,520 --> 00:57:28,880 Speaker 2: Well, you got the fifty Years of Hip Hop podcast series, 1206 00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:31,120 Speaker 2: and we'll talk about that before we get about it. 1207 00:57:34,040 --> 00:57:36,120 Speaker 4: I want to document fab You need. 1208 00:57:36,200 --> 00:57:39,200 Speaker 5: You need a document like you yourself, Like you have 1209 00:57:39,320 --> 00:57:42,200 Speaker 5: to tell your story because you know, I hear it 1210 00:57:42,240 --> 00:57:44,720 Speaker 5: in bits and pieces, whether I've seen Black TV interviews, 1211 00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:46,640 Speaker 5: you know, the New York articles and stuff. 1212 00:57:46,640 --> 00:57:50,280 Speaker 4: But I'm like, you need the proper telling of your tale. 1213 00:57:50,880 --> 00:57:53,320 Speaker 6: Well, I'm working on I'm gonna I'm gonna soon be 1214 00:57:53,480 --> 00:57:56,440 Speaker 6: working on my memoir and lay it all out and 1215 00:57:56,520 --> 00:57:59,680 Speaker 6: then hopefully out of that process we can get a 1216 00:57:59,760 --> 00:58:00,360 Speaker 6: doctor done. 1217 00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:01,160 Speaker 3: You know, it's funny. 1218 00:58:04,400 --> 00:58:06,160 Speaker 6: No, we don't have a deal yet, but I got 1219 00:58:06,160 --> 00:58:11,160 Speaker 6: an incredible collaborator who's a very accomplished writer that I'm 1220 00:58:11,560 --> 00:58:13,800 Speaker 6: most likely going to work with, and we've had a 1221 00:58:13,880 --> 00:58:17,560 Speaker 6: few conversations, like I had a brief convo with Questlove 1222 00:58:17,640 --> 00:58:19,760 Speaker 6: actually started a publishing impress. 1223 00:58:19,480 --> 00:58:23,360 Speaker 4: So I'd like to bid on it. Question I got 1224 00:58:23,800 --> 00:58:26,280 Speaker 4: my post called Blacker was publishing with Simon and Schuston. 1225 00:58:26,720 --> 00:58:29,680 Speaker 6: Man without questions charlam Man, I'm sorry, I really should 1226 00:58:29,720 --> 00:58:32,480 Speaker 6: have known that. But also it's great having you guys 1227 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:38,080 Speaker 6: on the podcast that we did, uh, the fifty Years 1228 00:58:38,120 --> 00:58:40,360 Speaker 6: of Hip Hop podcast series, which. 1229 00:58:40,320 --> 00:58:44,720 Speaker 3: Was a fun I mean, I mean my man here King, Aaron. 1230 00:58:44,520 --> 00:58:49,080 Speaker 6: King, who worked with my very dear friend Rest in Peace, 1231 00:58:49,160 --> 00:58:52,960 Speaker 6: Combat Jackle Combat Jack Show. So it's great to work 1232 00:58:53,000 --> 00:58:55,800 Speaker 6: with him and to really, you know, tell some of 1233 00:58:55,880 --> 00:58:59,240 Speaker 6: those foundational stories about the culture. You can go anywhere. 1234 00:58:59,320 --> 00:59:04,840 Speaker 6: Your pod casts are living any platform as. 1235 00:59:04,680 --> 00:59:06,080 Speaker 4: A Black Effect production. 1236 00:59:06,320 --> 00:59:11,040 Speaker 3: Yes, yes, Dolly Bishop, who is on your team. 1237 00:59:11,080 --> 00:59:14,120 Speaker 6: We work together and you know, it's a it's a 1238 00:59:14,480 --> 00:59:16,520 Speaker 6: you know, it's an iHeart podcast, and that was fun 1239 00:59:16,720 --> 00:59:21,120 Speaker 6: to get to relive and tell some of these foundational stories, 1240 00:59:21,240 --> 00:59:24,800 Speaker 6: and especially with you guys when we did the show 1241 00:59:24,880 --> 00:59:28,200 Speaker 6: on on you know, hip hop radio, it really hit 1242 00:59:28,320 --> 00:59:30,880 Speaker 6: me like, you guys have gone at doing this at 1243 00:59:30,960 --> 00:59:35,840 Speaker 6: such an incredible level, remembering the Supreme Team, Mister Magic 1244 00:59:36,040 --> 00:59:38,680 Speaker 6: and Read Alert and when those when we just had 1245 00:59:38,720 --> 00:59:41,080 Speaker 6: an hour or two on the weekends. Now you guys 1246 00:59:41,280 --> 00:59:44,240 Speaker 6: are doing this at such a major level and sharing 1247 00:59:44,280 --> 00:59:47,720 Speaker 6: those stories were special. To be able to remind people 1248 00:59:47,840 --> 00:59:50,040 Speaker 6: of these journeys that we've been on. So easy to 1249 00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:52,160 Speaker 6: just get caught up in what we're doing now. But 1250 00:59:53,240 --> 00:59:55,880 Speaker 6: the greatest thing about this fifty years is we've been 1251 00:59:55,920 --> 00:59:59,160 Speaker 6: able to once again tell the story of this journey 1252 00:59:59,200 --> 01:00:01,880 Speaker 6: that we've been on and how this thankfully is still 1253 01:00:01,960 --> 01:00:04,960 Speaker 6: going on and going strong. And the main reason, I 1254 01:00:05,080 --> 01:00:07,640 Speaker 6: believe is because a lot of people stepped up and 1255 01:00:07,800 --> 01:00:10,800 Speaker 6: we've been able to take control once again. When Max 1256 01:00:10,880 --> 01:00:13,400 Speaker 6: Roach my godfather, and I'd hear my dad and those 1257 01:00:13,440 --> 01:00:16,480 Speaker 6: guys talk about stories and the Jazz era with Miles 1258 01:00:16,560 --> 01:00:19,360 Speaker 6: Davis and them, they wanted to have their own labels. 1259 01:00:19,400 --> 01:00:21,720 Speaker 6: They wanted to be able to control things that just 1260 01:00:21,880 --> 01:00:25,400 Speaker 6: wasn't happening in the nineteen forties and the nineteen fifties 1261 01:00:25,720 --> 01:00:28,920 Speaker 6: because of the way the dynamics and America racism and 1262 01:00:29,000 --> 01:00:31,240 Speaker 6: things like that. So it was always a part of 1263 01:00:31,320 --> 01:00:34,840 Speaker 6: me to want to be able to adjust that to 1264 01:00:34,920 --> 01:00:37,880 Speaker 6: a certain point and be able to put that narrative 1265 01:00:37,920 --> 01:00:40,360 Speaker 6: in there, which is things that I see you. 1266 01:00:40,520 --> 01:00:42,280 Speaker 3: Guys do, and I really appreciate that. 1267 01:00:43,080 --> 01:00:45,520 Speaker 4: One final question, how did you get your name? 1268 01:00:45,520 --> 01:00:49,720 Speaker 5: Because your name you predate Fab five from Michigan clearly, 1269 01:00:50,560 --> 01:00:51,960 Speaker 5: So how did you get your name? 1270 01:00:52,040 --> 01:00:53,960 Speaker 4: And I know that they probably got it from you? 1271 01:00:55,440 --> 01:00:57,840 Speaker 6: Yeah, they definitely the Fab five. 1272 01:00:57,960 --> 01:00:58,160 Speaker 3: Yeah. 1273 01:01:01,040 --> 01:01:03,520 Speaker 6: I became a part of a graffiti crew called the 1274 01:01:03,560 --> 01:01:07,080 Speaker 6: Fabulous Five. They were the one of the dominant groups 1275 01:01:07,160 --> 01:01:10,440 Speaker 6: of graffiti painters in New York which were known for 1276 01:01:10,640 --> 01:01:13,920 Speaker 6: doing murals on this side of the primarily on the 1277 01:01:14,000 --> 01:01:18,440 Speaker 6: Lexington Avenue number five train. I wasn't a part of that, 1278 01:01:18,960 --> 01:01:23,360 Speaker 6: but I wanted to take this whole thing to another level, 1279 01:01:23,400 --> 01:01:25,919 Speaker 6: and I collaborated and got down with a brother named 1280 01:01:26,000 --> 01:01:29,800 Speaker 6: Lee ken Jonis, who was a premium member of the 1281 01:01:29,920 --> 01:01:34,800 Speaker 6: Fab five graffiti group. And you know, they had kind 1282 01:01:34,840 --> 01:01:38,480 Speaker 6: of eased off painting the most of the Fab five, 1283 01:01:38,520 --> 01:01:41,560 Speaker 6: and I connected with Lee and shared these ideas about 1284 01:01:41,640 --> 01:01:45,680 Speaker 6: taking it to another level, like from the subways into galleries, 1285 01:01:45,800 --> 01:01:49,880 Speaker 6: museums and stuff like that. So with the blessing of 1286 01:01:50,000 --> 01:01:52,000 Speaker 6: Lee and the other members, I became a part of 1287 01:01:52,040 --> 01:01:54,400 Speaker 6: the Fab five. So what you would tag up was, 1288 01:01:54,520 --> 01:01:56,480 Speaker 6: you know, you tag your name and the group you 1289 01:01:56,640 --> 01:01:59,560 Speaker 6: was down with and then off. And then sometimes I 1290 01:01:59,560 --> 01:02:03,200 Speaker 6: would be referred to as, oh, that's Fab five Freddy. 1291 01:02:03,280 --> 01:02:05,680 Speaker 6: You know what I'm saying, that's fab fire fred And 1292 01:02:05,760 --> 01:02:10,560 Speaker 6: when Blondie made Rapture, it just embedded it and solidified it. 1293 01:02:10,720 --> 01:02:13,040 Speaker 6: When she dropped my name, when she basically was like 1294 01:02:13,520 --> 01:02:17,640 Speaker 6: Fab five, Freddy told me everybody's fly and I was like, man, wow, 1295 01:02:17,720 --> 01:02:19,440 Speaker 6: I never thought of it as the whole thing. But 1296 01:02:19,520 --> 01:02:21,000 Speaker 6: that's a good look, you know what I mean. She 1297 01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:23,920 Speaker 6: represented and gave me a look and it it booms. 1298 01:02:23,960 --> 01:02:25,480 Speaker 6: So that's how that really came together. 1299 01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:27,640 Speaker 2: Last last question, I know you said that, but I 1300 01:02:27,720 --> 01:02:30,520 Speaker 2: just want you to tell people how difficult it was 1301 01:02:30,680 --> 01:02:33,200 Speaker 2: to tag trains back in the day, because it was 1302 01:02:33,400 --> 01:02:34,760 Speaker 2: it wasn't easy. It's not like the train was just 1303 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:36,400 Speaker 2: sitting there and you'll had eight hours to do what 1304 01:02:36,520 --> 01:02:38,120 Speaker 2: you had to do. I mean, y'all had to deal 1305 01:02:38,160 --> 01:02:39,880 Speaker 2: with police, you had to do with the train moving, 1306 01:02:39,960 --> 01:02:42,480 Speaker 2: you had to deal with the electricity in the trains, 1307 01:02:42,520 --> 01:02:44,160 Speaker 2: like y'all had some ish to deal with. 1308 01:02:44,320 --> 01:02:45,560 Speaker 1: It was so just just talk about that. 1309 01:02:45,680 --> 01:02:48,120 Speaker 6: There was a great documentary that was done at the 1310 01:02:48,200 --> 01:02:51,160 Speaker 6: same time we making Wild Style early eighties. There was 1311 01:02:51,200 --> 01:02:55,600 Speaker 6: a documentary called Style Wars that illustrates in fact, Kate 1312 01:02:55,720 --> 01:03:00,840 Speaker 6: Slay who's young graffiti rider named Dez is as a 1313 01:03:00,920 --> 01:03:05,640 Speaker 6: young graffiti rider and he's you see him in Star Wars. Yeah. Man, 1314 01:03:05,680 --> 01:03:07,919 Speaker 6: You had to know where the trains what we called 1315 01:03:08,560 --> 01:03:11,800 Speaker 6: called the called the layup or in times when the 1316 01:03:11,880 --> 01:03:16,000 Speaker 6: rush hour is not running, the extra trains are placed 1317 01:03:16,040 --> 01:03:19,520 Speaker 6: in different areas in the city, sometimes in tunnels, sometimes 1318 01:03:19,600 --> 01:03:22,439 Speaker 6: at the yards. So you had to know which train 1319 01:03:22,560 --> 01:03:25,160 Speaker 6: you wanted to get to get up on, where that 1320 01:03:25,320 --> 01:03:27,760 Speaker 6: train was going to be, whether in a tunnel or 1321 01:03:27,880 --> 01:03:30,360 Speaker 6: way up in the train yards at the end of 1322 01:03:30,440 --> 01:03:32,840 Speaker 6: the train line somewhere, and then you had to be 1323 01:03:33,120 --> 01:03:36,440 Speaker 6: stealthy on some ninja type energy to get up in there, 1324 01:03:36,480 --> 01:03:38,920 Speaker 6: because one of the objectives is also you know, not 1325 01:03:39,080 --> 01:03:42,000 Speaker 6: to get caught, and so you had to have all 1326 01:03:42,040 --> 01:03:45,880 Speaker 6: those pieces together to get in, get out, and hopefully 1327 01:03:46,360 --> 01:03:47,000 Speaker 6: not get caught. 1328 01:03:47,200 --> 01:03:48,480 Speaker 1: You ever got caught taken the tray? 1329 01:03:48,680 --> 01:03:51,160 Speaker 3: Never? Never, But what what would happen to you back 1330 01:03:51,200 --> 01:03:53,400 Speaker 3: when it was raging, which was not a good look 1331 01:03:53,480 --> 01:03:55,720 Speaker 3: if you get caught. One of your sentences was to 1332 01:03:55,840 --> 01:03:57,080 Speaker 3: go wash walls, So you. 1333 01:03:59,120 --> 01:04:02,720 Speaker 6: Overalls, You're your bucket and a bunch of chemicals, and 1334 01:04:02,800 --> 01:04:06,480 Speaker 6: you'd be at some platform and some station having the 1335 01:04:06,560 --> 01:04:09,800 Speaker 6: clean walls, feeling like, man, I got caught out here. 1336 01:04:09,800 --> 01:04:11,640 Speaker 3: I feel I'm like a herb now, you know. 1337 01:04:12,560 --> 01:04:15,000 Speaker 6: So it wasn't easy. It was a very difficult thing 1338 01:04:15,120 --> 01:04:19,080 Speaker 6: and to really develop it. So that's a crazy part 1339 01:04:19,120 --> 01:04:21,240 Speaker 6: that we didn't like to talk about a lot because 1340 01:04:21,240 --> 01:04:24,480 Speaker 6: a lot of the paint was actually uh liberated. 1341 01:04:24,600 --> 01:04:24,760 Speaker 4: You know. 1342 01:04:24,920 --> 01:04:27,800 Speaker 6: It's funny when you go in anywhere that sells spray paint. 1343 01:04:27,960 --> 01:04:30,720 Speaker 6: Now in New York City, they still have the spray 1344 01:04:30,800 --> 01:04:34,400 Speaker 6: paint in a cage. It's like under lock and key, yep. 1345 01:04:34,720 --> 01:04:37,280 Speaker 6: And I had a lot to do with that form 1346 01:04:37,320 --> 01:04:41,360 Speaker 6: of expression, you know something I'm sorry, yeah, no saying 1347 01:04:41,480 --> 01:04:43,000 Speaker 6: you know, I had to get that paint. 1348 01:04:43,680 --> 01:04:47,320 Speaker 5: It just something that people thought was just vandalism back 1349 01:04:47,320 --> 01:04:49,840 Speaker 5: in the day became something so synonymous part with New 1350 01:04:49,920 --> 01:04:50,400 Speaker 5: York City. 1351 01:04:50,440 --> 01:04:52,720 Speaker 4: It gave the city character. You see it in video games, 1352 01:04:52,840 --> 01:04:53,960 Speaker 4: cartoons and everything. 1353 01:04:54,120 --> 01:04:57,480 Speaker 6: That blows my mind. You know, graffiti fonts, you know, 1354 01:04:57,560 --> 01:04:59,920 Speaker 6: you can get a font and just use graffiti letters. 1355 01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:04,080 Speaker 6: So that's that's really satisfying to see that. That's a 1356 01:05:04,160 --> 01:05:06,880 Speaker 6: lot of these ideas we had have really worked. And 1357 01:05:07,000 --> 01:05:08,600 Speaker 6: I'm excited for the next fifty. 1358 01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:11,320 Speaker 2: All right, well, we appreciate you for Freddy. 1359 01:05:11,560 --> 01:05:12,840 Speaker 6: Thanks Freddy. 1360 01:05:13,160 --> 01:05:14,320 Speaker 3: Wanted to be up here with you guy. 1361 01:05:14,880 --> 01:05:16,919 Speaker 1: You brother absolute breakfast club. 1362 01:05:16,960 --> 01:05:18,360 Speaker 6: So I'm getting ready to head out. I'm on my 1363 01:05:18,400 --> 01:05:20,840 Speaker 6: way to Burning Man tomorrow. I'm a part of the 1364 01:05:20,880 --> 01:05:23,680 Speaker 6: Burning Man world. I'm also on the board of directors, 1365 01:05:24,120 --> 01:05:26,360 Speaker 6: so I would be in the Vada desert having a 1366 01:05:26,440 --> 01:05:28,520 Speaker 6: blast once again. I know it looks a lot of 1367 01:05:28,560 --> 01:05:30,400 Speaker 6: weird to people if you don't know, but it's an 1368 01:05:30,440 --> 01:05:35,280 Speaker 6: incredible creative experience where artists come make incredible sculpture. Everybody 1369 01:05:35,680 --> 01:05:39,160 Speaker 6: that nobody's trying to sell anything. It's just amazing work 1370 01:05:39,320 --> 01:05:42,080 Speaker 6: out in the desert. It's like being in a sci 1371 01:05:42,240 --> 01:05:46,960 Speaker 6: fi fantasy world of creativity. 1372 01:05:47,160 --> 01:05:49,360 Speaker 5: It's amazing and I just want to tell you man, 1373 01:05:49,920 --> 01:05:52,360 Speaker 5: you are the shoulders that so many of us stand on. 1374 01:05:52,520 --> 01:05:56,760 Speaker 5: Whether you are journalist, whether you're a radio personality, the podcasters. 1375 01:05:56,840 --> 01:05:59,080 Speaker 5: None of us would be here without the foundation. 1376 01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:01,320 Speaker 4: That a fab five friend. Are you back in the day, man, 1377 01:06:01,400 --> 01:06:03,240 Speaker 4: So we love you, and we value you, and we 1378 01:06:03,360 --> 01:06:05,160 Speaker 4: appreciate you. My brother, thank you. 1379 01:06:05,480 --> 01:06:06,640 Speaker 3: I appreciate that so much. 1380 01:06:06,840 --> 01:06:08,240 Speaker 2: Yes, it's the Breakfast Club, good morning. 1381 01:06:08,440 --> 01:06:08,600 Speaker 3: Yes,