WEBVTT - Colin Kaepernick 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:07.600 The Quest Love Show is a production of iHeart Radio. 0:00:13.480 --> 0:00:14.560 Hey people, what's up? 0:00:14.760 --> 0:00:17.560 This is Questlove, and this is the Quest Love Show, 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:22.000 of course, and our guest today is the one and 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.119 only Colin Kaepernick. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:26.239 So here's the deal. 0:00:26.280 --> 0:00:31.200 We taped this conversation earlier this month at Web Summit 0:00:31.840 --> 0:00:35.560 in Qatar in front of a live audience. This particular 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:40.640 episode is shorter than the ones I'm usually known for. 0:00:40.960 --> 0:00:46.520 It's not the you know, pat Nick Mammoth length Questlove conversation. 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:50.239 We sort of had a time limit on our hands. 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:54.600 But even within those boundaries, I'll say that I wanted 0:00:54.600 --> 0:00:58.800 to approach Colin the way that I approach everyone who 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.640 comes on the Quest Loft sh We talked a little 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:05.400 bit about his childhood, how music played into his childhood 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:08.000 and the role that it plays in his life. 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:10.600 And it's also about the work that. 0:01:10.640 --> 0:01:13.679 He's building now with the Know Your Rights camp and 0:01:13.760 --> 0:01:19.600 a storytelling platform. Loomi and Kylin and I had connected before, 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:23.720 kind of during the heat of the action. Unbeknownst to me, 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:27.760 he's kind of adjacent in the neighborhood see him and 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:31.840 nessa like kind of around the area. But you know, 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.399 it never seemed like the right moment for us to 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:39.440 sit down and break bread and really have a proper conversation. 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.399 So I'm very happy that he made time to do 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:46.720 this for us, since we were both in Qatar during 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.040 this time period. But you know, it was great to 0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:52.240 sit with him in that space. You know, the space 0:01:52.320 --> 0:01:55.000 was like a very large space in front of audience, 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.800 you know, a couple thousand people, and so it wasn't 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:03.600 as sentitimate as normal episodes are, but still, you know, 0:02:03.640 --> 0:02:06.160 the energy was the same. And this is definitely not 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:10.000 our last conversation, Like we just scratched the surface. So 0:02:10.040 --> 0:02:12.920 what you're going to hear is a snapshot, but you 0:02:12.919 --> 0:02:16.000 know it's one worth sharing beyond the large room of 0:02:16.000 --> 0:02:19.240 people watching us and guitar and as we honor Black 0:02:20.000 --> 0:02:22.680 History Month on the Quest Left Show this month and 0:02:22.720 --> 0:02:25.320 every month, Collins definitely someone that we. 0:02:25.360 --> 0:02:27.440 Continue to talk to in the future. 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.839 He definitely does the work and he represents conviction, sacrifice 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:33.040 and a commitment. 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:35.600 To activating change. All right, so I hope you enjoy 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:41.480 this guys. 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.360 Okay, so welcome to the Web Summit. 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:53.000 My name is Amir Thompson, otherwise known as Quest Love 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:57.160 and shout out to my iHeart family out here, and 0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:00.000 I thank our guests for receiving us that website. 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:02.840 I'm here for a very small sampling. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:06.240 Of what I do on the podcast, and we're deeply 0:03:06.280 --> 0:03:09.560 on it to have the one and only Colin Kaepernick 0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:10.640 with us today. 0:03:10.680 --> 0:03:11.320 How you doing. 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:14.160 All right? 0:03:14.200 --> 0:03:17.200 So if you followed my career, you know that I 0:03:17.360 --> 0:03:21.799 entered this business thirty years ago as a musician as 0:03:21.800 --> 0:03:24.600 a DJ, and in the last five years, I've been 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:28.440 doing everything well not but that, but in addition to that, 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.680 so I'm about storytelling and books and movies and whatnot. 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:36.680 And so basically our guest today has the same trajectory. 0:03:36.880 --> 0:03:42.680 Basically started out athlete, became a revolutionary activist and is 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:46.840 now a storyteller helping others with the New Year Rights 0:03:46.880 --> 0:03:51.320 Camp and also with Loomi, your app. So we're going 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:53.680 to ask you a few questions and our limited time here, 0:03:54.240 --> 0:03:58.760 I would like to know what is your morning routine? 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.360 What is the first thing you do in the first 0:04:01.400 --> 0:04:02.440 twenty minutes of your day? 0:04:03.120 --> 0:04:08.800 First thing waking up always shower. That has to be 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:13.080 to wake up, okay, and the part for me because 0:04:13.120 --> 0:04:15.600 I wake up to train early in the morning, so 0:04:16.160 --> 0:04:18.840 wake up at four point thirty by five o'clock, I'm 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:23.440 training so that shower hot shower to be able to 0:04:23.440 --> 0:04:27.919 get everything moving ready to go. And then that last 0:04:27.920 --> 0:04:31.800 thirty minutes I'm into my workout routine. So hit the 0:04:31.800 --> 0:04:35.000 ground running is as soon as the day starts, and 0:04:35.040 --> 0:04:36.599 then take everything else from there. 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:40.120 So without fail, training as is always the first thing 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:41.320 in your morning, no matter what. 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:44.119 If you don't do it, are you thrown out a whack? 0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:47.320 Or oh I feel so off if I don't do it, 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:50.520 almost like my body reacts' is like, oh, we don't 0:04:50.560 --> 0:04:51.680 have to do anything today. 0:04:51.720 --> 0:04:54.400 Then so God starts the day with a workout. 0:04:55.120 --> 0:04:57.719 Okay, this is kind of a frothy question about your childhood. 0:04:57.720 --> 0:05:02.279 What television show would best describe what your childhood was like? 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:06.880 Ooh, I would say Colin in Black and White is 0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:13.560 the best one that we made created. But beyond that, 0:05:13.640 --> 0:05:14.719 maybe the Power Ragers. 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:15.520 Okay. 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.120 You know, we're always looking at how we could be superheroes, 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.559 how we could save things, how we could be better. 0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:26.400 So we liked being the heroes of the story. 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:30.120 Okay, so even then you were sort of manifesting or 0:05:30.800 --> 0:05:33.360 see what your future was going to be. Even in 0:05:33.400 --> 0:05:37.039 your childhood, what secret talent of yours do you have 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:38.240 that we don't know about? 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:42.480 It's a great question. Most my talent has been primarily 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.840 through sports. So I was going to be drafted by 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.720 Major League Baseball coming out of high school. Okay, so 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:51.839 baseball is an area that had a lot of talent 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:55.040 in Unfortunately, I did not get any music talent. 0:05:55.800 --> 0:05:59.080 So I'm gonna leave that up to you. You can 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:01.440 hold us down there, hold us out this four side. 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:03.960 Okay. 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:08.080 This year, twenty twenty six, of course, mark's the ten 0:06:08.160 --> 0:06:12.599 year anniversary of like your life pivot and to activism. 0:06:13.040 --> 0:06:16.640 Of course, you famously standing up for justice for those 0:06:16.680 --> 0:06:19.960 without a voice. I always wanted to know. So for me, 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:23.479 music is such an integral part of my life. But 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:27.680 during that time period ten years ago, what was the soundtrack? 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:28.320 Was there a. 0:06:28.240 --> 0:06:31.760 Song that got you through that period, especially when you 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:32.640 were in the thick of it? 0:06:33.120 --> 0:06:37.240 So interesting enough, during that time period, I actually had 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:42.480 a soundtrack all wife Nessa. She obviously works Hot ninety seven, 0:06:43.040 --> 0:06:45.640 so she's been in the music industry for a long time, right. 0:06:46.040 --> 0:06:49.080 She knew a lot of my favorite songs, a lot 0:06:49.080 --> 0:06:52.039 of my favorite speeches, so she put together a playlist 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:56.200 for me, that was my favorite songs and favorite speeches. 0:06:56.800 --> 0:07:00.400 That was like revolutionary music cut up and that was 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:05.320 my pregame playlist for that entire season really, So that 0:07:05.480 --> 0:07:09.280 was everything from POC changes and Holler if You Hear 0:07:09.360 --> 0:07:16.720 Me to Malcolm speeches and Ali all of those innercut. 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:19.600 Is there one song in particular that makes you always 0:07:19.600 --> 0:07:21.400 feel unstoppable when you put it on? 0:07:22.080 --> 0:07:24.400 So this fall is a little bit out outside of 0:07:25.520 --> 0:07:29.280 kind of the revolutionary music vibe DMX party up. 0:07:30.480 --> 0:07:33.960 Yes, okay that it's your adrenaline. 0:07:34.200 --> 0:07:35.400 It's all adrenaline. 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:38.440 You can put that off for any workout, any pregame. 0:07:39.520 --> 0:07:40.640 It works in any age. 0:07:40.840 --> 0:07:44.880 His voice, his energy, like you could run through a wall. 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:46.000 I got you. 0:07:46.600 --> 0:07:49.680 I always wanted to know when you do an active 0:07:49.760 --> 0:07:55.360 courage it comes from somewhere. Where does the source of 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:56.760 your courage come from? 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:58.880 Are you big on meditation? 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:02.880 It's something that you ponder on an hour before, like, 0:08:02.960 --> 0:08:05.440 where's the source of your courage come from? 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:07.800 I think a few different places. 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.680 One knowing that you have people around you that love you, 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:14.040 it's one piece of that. 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:18.920 The other is doing the right thing. There's a. 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:24.240 Morality, an integrity, a sense of obligation to do the 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:31.360 right thing, and oftentimes that if we don't have the 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:35.840 knowledge and insight, then it's hard to say, oh, is 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:39.440 this the right thing? But once you have that knowledge, 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.760 then it's an area that kind of forces you to action. 0:08:43.840 --> 0:08:48.040 And for me, that was a huge piece. And the 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:51.000 third piece I think about is something that your first 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:53.480 courageous act I took was. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:54.120 Was not a major one. 0:08:54.880 --> 0:08:58.679 It's trying out for a team knowing you might get cut, 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.600 it's trying to lead a team knowing they may not 0:09:02.760 --> 0:09:06.520 follow you, and all of these acts. Over time, you 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:09.360 get more and more confident in your ability to take 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:15.160 these actions that may seem daunting. Like probably the first 0:09:15.200 --> 0:09:20.480 time you ever cut a track, it was like, oh, man, 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:22.840 like what could come out of this? 0:09:23.559 --> 0:09:25.360 Well? I tend not to think about it and I 0:09:25.559 --> 0:09:26.080 just do it. 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:29.640 But I think later in my career became there was 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.840 a period where I started to overthink. And when you 0:09:32.920 --> 0:09:37.240 start overthinking, I think that's where pure artistry leaves, because 0:09:37.320 --> 0:09:41.480 you know, you're supposed to do things spontaneous, not you know, 0:09:43.040 --> 0:09:45.520 sort of ponder on it. I mean, it's good to 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:48.040 plan and it's good to rehearse, but yeah, not to 0:09:48.080 --> 0:09:50.800 the point where it handicaps. 0:09:50.160 --> 0:09:51.800 You so exactly. 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:56.440 So all that's say, like just the practice of doing 0:09:56.480 --> 0:10:00.600 things that may be uncomfortable gets you to a way 0:10:00.640 --> 0:10:03.360 that you can build courage over time through those actions. 0:10:03.440 --> 0:10:07.800 Oh yeah, Now, if I'm scared or fear, like even 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:11.080 this morning, like going to the sand dunes to for 0:10:11.120 --> 0:10:14.000 the first time going down these mountains, I normally would 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:16.600 have not done that, but yeah, sometimes you just got 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:17.080 to lean. 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:17.680 Into your fear. 0:10:18.559 --> 0:10:22.120 I always wanted to know was there a figure during 0:10:22.160 --> 0:10:26.760 the time period that offered you support or encouraged you 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:29.480 that you weren't expecting, like during this early time period 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:31.360 and your activism. 0:10:31.800 --> 0:10:34.840 So a few people that come to mind. The first 0:10:35.480 --> 0:10:38.080 one that I unfortunately did not have the opportunity to 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:42.200 meet was Malcolm X. Like reading the autobiography of Malcolm 0:10:42.360 --> 0:10:46.600 X was life changing and life changing in the sense 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:51.600 that a lot of that history, a lot of his 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:55.680 life story was information that was misrepresented to me growing 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:58.600 up as well. Right, he was not looked at as 0:10:58.640 --> 0:11:00.680 a hero, he was not looked at someone who was 0:11:00.720 --> 0:11:04.600 advancing society and communities. So for me, actually reading the 0:11:04.600 --> 0:11:10.199 autobiography was life changing. Ali was another huge influence there 0:11:10.800 --> 0:11:14.360 looking at his ability to stay steadfast in moments where 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:17.600 the US and the world, well, I should say more 0:11:17.640 --> 0:11:22.520 specifically the US attacking him, stripping him of opportunities and 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.760 titles and things of that nature. And then third one 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.959 that actually got to spend time with was mister B 0:11:29.200 --> 0:11:33.480 or Harry Belafonte, being in New York. We used to 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:36.440 go over there on Sundays, and it was like Sundays 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:40.319 with mister B. And I loved talking to him to 0:11:40.760 --> 0:11:46.160 his last day. He was sharp, sharp, and I would 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:49.440 ask him so like, what would you do in this situation? 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:53.040 What are your thoughts here? And what was most interesting 0:11:53.120 --> 0:11:58.360 to me? He would never give me an answer, but 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.199 he would tell me a story about an experience he 0:12:01.320 --> 0:12:02.520 had that was related. 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:04.160 Yeah, And it. 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.439 Was one of those moments that I will walk out 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.800 of there sometimes and I would be frustrated because I 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:13.640 was like, I just want the answer, like I need help. 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:16.240 I'm trying to figure this out. I need to take 0:12:16.280 --> 0:12:19.199 action now. But he's forcing you to see it yourself, 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:22.679 and he's forcing me to walk that path myself, as 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.760 opposed to saying, well, here's the path I walked, walk 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:29.920 it as well, and I have great appreciation for it 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:32.640 because it forced me to grow in ways that otherwise 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:47.960 wouldn't have got you, what is the best advice you 0:12:48.080 --> 0:12:53.120 ever received? The best advice I actually think about it 0:12:53.120 --> 0:12:55.160 comes from a poster I had hanging on my wall 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:55.760 growing up. 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:57.680 Okay, I was just going to ask you if you 0:12:57.720 --> 0:13:00.160 had a childhood poster in your bedroom, what was it? 0:13:00.320 --> 0:13:03.880 But ah, what was to I'm getting two pieces here. 0:13:04.000 --> 0:13:08.360 So first, this was a very like non branded poster 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:14.000 to unidentified teams on it, but it hung next to 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:16.880 my bed and it said the power to win must 0:13:16.920 --> 0:13:20.560 come from within. And what it made me think about 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:24.719 consistently was while I was on the field, when I 0:13:24.720 --> 0:13:26.920 was in the classroom, while I was doing anything in life, 0:13:28.080 --> 0:13:32.480 it has to come from you. No one else is 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.920 going to go out and do it for you. Now, 0:13:36.080 --> 0:13:38.840 people can help along the way and they can support, 0:13:39.480 --> 0:13:45.000 but ultimately, the success you want, the goal you're trying 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:47.920 to accomplish, any of those things, it has to come 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.600 from within you. And if it doesn't come from there, 0:13:51.600 --> 0:13:54.360 then you're really just kind of floating along hoping for 0:13:54.440 --> 0:13:57.880 things to happen, as opposed to taking action and having 0:13:57.920 --> 0:13:59.160 that power in that situation. 0:14:00.320 --> 0:14:05.320 Okay, so we live in America and twenty twenty six 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:09.600 is already a lot even though it's the first month 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:16.160 of it, because of your work and you establishing that 0:14:16.320 --> 0:14:22.080 Know your Rights camp. How does that play now that 0:14:22.200 --> 0:14:26.720 it's more urgent than ever with what is happening back home. 0:14:27.840 --> 0:14:30.920 Yeah, it changes some of the work that we do, 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:34.160 but a lot of the work we've been doing because 0:14:35.080 --> 0:14:37.600 this is this is a much more heightened and advanced 0:14:37.640 --> 0:14:40.040 version of it. But a lot of the issues that 0:14:40.080 --> 0:14:43.200 we're seeing have been present. So a lot of that 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:46.840 work is how can we accelerate it. So for example, 0:14:47.760 --> 0:14:51.800 we recently did a camp in La camp in La 0:14:51.840 --> 0:14:56.480 was immigration focused because of the environment of ice coming in, 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.440 trying to raid schools, trying to raid business. This is 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:04.240 how do we offer support and protection and guidance for 0:15:04.360 --> 0:15:06.480 communities that are being attacked in real time? 0:15:07.440 --> 0:15:08.600 So that's some of the work. 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:12.680 The other part is and this was actually insight coming 0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:15.920 out of the camp in La. Yeah, we have an 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:19.960 autopsy initiative where we do free second autopsies for people 0:15:20.000 --> 0:15:21.760 who have had loved ones that have been killed by 0:15:21.840 --> 0:15:25.480 police or while they're detained. Right, and one of the 0:15:25.520 --> 0:15:28.800 students we're talking high school students, middle school, high school 0:15:28.800 --> 0:15:33.120 students raised his hand as we were talking about the 0:15:33.160 --> 0:15:36.600 work we're doing in an autopsy initiative and was like, 0:15:36.960 --> 0:15:41.720 does that apply to ice detention centers as well? Which 0:15:42.600 --> 0:15:47.240 the immediate thought that comes to mind is this child 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:50.240 knows someone who was killed in the ice detention center 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.760 and is trying to figure out how do we get 0:15:52.840 --> 0:15:56.280 justice for them? How do we find out what actually happened. 0:15:57.400 --> 0:16:00.800 So a lot of the work we're doing is how 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:05.720 do we accelerate partnerships, how do we accelerate resources, how 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:07.760 do we shift some of what we're doing to fit 0:16:07.800 --> 0:16:11.000 community needs, and how we do that as quickly as 0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.000 possible because it is extremely urgent. 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:20.960 I thank you for activating and least planting and your 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:22.680 community activism. 0:16:23.160 --> 0:16:25.440 I have two minutes left. I do want to talk 0:16:25.480 --> 0:16:26.040 about Loomi. 0:16:26.640 --> 0:16:29.320 So, of course, you know, especially in the entertainment world, 0:16:29.680 --> 0:16:34.680 older people are really slow to embrace AI. You know, 0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:38.280 there's always conspiracy theories and whatnot. However, Loomy is counter 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.840 to that. Could you speak on that and what does LOOMI. 0:16:41.640 --> 0:16:45.240 Offer like a younger generation, Like, what's your goal with it? 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:50.280 Our goal there is we're trying to address the education crisis, 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:55.040 first being student engagement, second being literacy, and then third 0:16:55.080 --> 0:16:59.560 being building AI skills so we have future ready students. 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.480 And part of the reason this is so important for 0:17:03.560 --> 0:17:06.640 us is when we think about AI, when we think 0:17:06.640 --> 0:17:11.320 about the future, we have seen the impact that digital 0:17:11.400 --> 0:17:15.560 divide has had on our communities. Yes, this is generational 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.520 impact that we still feel to this day. AI is 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:23.600 also a technology that is going to be generationally gap 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:28.760 closing or gap widening, right, and we want to make 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:32.479 sure that our communities are at the forefront of this, 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:36.040 meaning our students, our teachers, our districts have to be 0:17:36.119 --> 0:17:39.320 at the forefront. So we do a lot of work 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:41.800 with our students. We do a lot of work training teachers, 0:17:41.920 --> 0:17:44.680 We do a lot of work training districts to make 0:17:44.720 --> 0:17:47.000 sure that they have the tools and the skill sets 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:49.840 needed to be able to engage with the tools in 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:53.360 a way that can help them advance as effective as possible. 0:17:53.520 --> 0:17:54.280 Gotcha. 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:57.240 Okay, so my last question to you is, and you know, 0:17:57.520 --> 0:18:01.280 I am a person who I will say, in my 0:18:01.960 --> 0:18:06.160 kind of thirty five year history as a professional, I've 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:11.320 always been a reluctant pivoter in terms of starting at 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:14.840 one place and then somehow morphing into to what the 0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:19.840 universe wants you to be. For someone listening that is 0:18:19.880 --> 0:18:22.280 at a place in their life in which they're at 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:26.000 a crossroads, at a fork in a road, could you 0:18:26.600 --> 0:18:30.679 sort of give them advice on how you adjusted to 0:18:30.720 --> 0:18:35.119 pivoting starting off with, you know, dreams of athleticism and 0:18:35.280 --> 0:18:39.359 ending up being much needed activists. First of all, is 0:18:39.359 --> 0:18:42.080 it a burden on you for us to place this 0:18:42.200 --> 0:18:44.480 on your shoulders? I mean, does it sometimes feel like 0:18:44.520 --> 0:18:47.920 a burden or do you now accept in your heart 0:18:47.960 --> 0:18:49.080 that this is your life calling. 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:51.840 I don't look at as a burden. 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:56.320 I look at it as a responsibility, gotcha, And I 0:18:56.320 --> 0:18:59.320 think collectively that's something that we should be looking at 0:18:59.800 --> 0:19:03.639 me We're we're seeing the implications of that not taking 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:06.920 that approach come to fruition in real time. 0:19:07.840 --> 0:19:10.920 So I take the responsibility serious. 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:14.159 I also know if that can help save a life, 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:17.760 if it can help us advance as a society, if 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:22.120 it helps make someone better off, those are all phenomenal accomplishments. 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.199 And to your question around pivoting and being able to 0:19:26.280 --> 0:19:30.120 be in different spaces anyone who is going through that, 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:34.439 the key thing that I would say is jump. And 0:19:34.480 --> 0:19:38.320 that goes back to the earlier conversation around courage, like 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:43.919 I look at from that lens that it's gonna be uncomfortable, it's. 0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:45.600 Gonna be it's gonna be scary. 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:51.680 And for me prior to this, I had never built 0:19:51.680 --> 0:19:56.560 an AI company before. Yes, but I had done a 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:58.480 lot of work in media. I had done a lot 0:19:58.480 --> 0:20:00.719 of work in education. I had been and investing in 0:20:00.760 --> 0:20:03.720 the tech space. I sat on the board of Medium 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:07.359 with Evan Biz who co founders of Twitter. So I 0:20:07.400 --> 0:20:09.760 got to learn from brilliant minds along the way that 0:20:09.920 --> 0:20:14.359 ultimately led to this path. But when my career was 0:20:14.359 --> 0:20:18.960 taken away in twenty sixteen, I could have stopped and 0:20:19.000 --> 0:20:22.359 been like, man, they took everything, like what do I 0:20:22.400 --> 0:20:22.920 do now? 0:20:23.200 --> 0:20:23.600 Gotcha? 0:20:24.200 --> 0:20:27.520 Instead, it's well, let me go find a way to 0:20:27.560 --> 0:20:31.840 be successful. And I actually fully don't know what that 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.240 looks like in this moment, but I'm gonna keep putting 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:37.240 one foot in front of another until I find that 0:20:37.359 --> 0:20:40.600 exact clarity as far as what I'm gonna do, how 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:43.159 I'm gonna do it, and then make sure that I 0:20:43.240 --> 0:20:44.119 go be great at that. 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:49.120 There it is Colin Kaepernick, Ladies and gentlemen, my name 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:49.760 is Questlove. 0:20:50.600 --> 0:20:54.000 It's the Quest Love Show. Thank you our family at 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:56.879 and enjoy yourself. Thank you, I appreciate it. 0:20:57.000 --> 0:21:05.200 Thank you all right, good people. 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:09.119 I wasn't lying to you, definitely said it was. It 0:21:09.200 --> 0:21:09.879 was way shorter. 0:21:10.280 --> 0:21:12.800 Look, it wasn't my choice at length of the interview, 0:21:12.880 --> 0:21:16.800 nor was it Collins. So the deal is basically, I 0:21:16.880 --> 0:21:20.639 flew way over twelve hours to be in Doha for 0:21:20.760 --> 0:21:25.199 web summit for the conversation, and also DJ said that 0:21:25.240 --> 0:21:29.040 I did. I was slightly jet lagged, but I was 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:32.919 fully present. But I definitely wanted to share some additional context. 0:21:33.000 --> 0:21:36.200 So when you do a summit like that number one, 0:21:36.560 --> 0:21:43.400 you're given a list of possible guests, and this particular year, 0:21:43.440 --> 0:21:45.800 there were several people I wanted to speak to, but 0:21:46.000 --> 0:21:50.639 I felt like Colin represented the moment, you know, kind 0:21:50.680 --> 0:21:57.800 of what Colin was pointing towards in terms of well, 0:21:57.840 --> 0:22:02.000 basically like where we are now. Almost felt like Colin 0:22:02.400 --> 0:22:08.320 was somewhat of a Paul Revere figure warning us about 0:22:08.960 --> 0:22:13.600 the future. And of course, now you know, the idea 0:22:13.680 --> 0:22:18.479 of speaking out, using your voice, using your platform for 0:22:18.840 --> 0:22:22.920 the climate that we're in right now is needed now 0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:26.600 more than ever and so pretty much. You know, when 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:29.639 I found out, especially with his developing with the Know 0:22:29.720 --> 0:22:33.080 You w Rights camp, it was more urgent than ever 0:22:34.280 --> 0:22:37.040 and I'm glad we had the conversation. So, you know, 0:22:37.240 --> 0:22:40.160 shout out to Colin, and also shout out to Nessa 0:22:40.240 --> 0:22:40.640 as well. 0:22:40.960 --> 0:22:43.240 She's the architect behind the. 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:47.040 Inspirational music and speech playlist that Colin spoke about. And 0:22:47.480 --> 0:22:51.600 you know, gratitude also to tone and to allow and 0:22:52.200 --> 0:22:56.600 if you want to know more about Colin's work at 0:22:56.480 --> 0:22:58.400 that kaepernickseven dot com. 0:22:58.960 --> 0:23:01.880 Kaepernick seven also get the. 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:05.840 Loomy app, the Loomi app, which is basically I mean, 0:23:05.880 --> 0:23:11.160 its designed to help students foster skills and creativity through 0:23:12.080 --> 0:23:13.560 safe AI storytelling. 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:16.639 That's available now. Yeah, so you know. 0:23:16.800 --> 0:23:20.240 Also, I'm not normally this guy. I never said these, 0:23:20.320 --> 0:23:22.920 well sometimes I do. But here we are in twenty 0:23:22.960 --> 0:23:27.400 twenty six. But follow and subscribe to the Quest Love 0:23:27.440 --> 0:23:31.440 Show wherever you stream your podcast, and you know, catch 0:23:31.440 --> 0:23:33.760 these full conversations on YouTube. 0:23:34.640 --> 0:23:36.280 We have a hell of an archive. 0:23:36.480 --> 0:23:38.960 If you're a longtime fan of the show, please tell 0:23:39.000 --> 0:23:39.920 people about the show. 0:23:40.040 --> 0:23:44.080 I appreciate it, leave a rating, leave comments. I read 0:23:44.119 --> 0:23:44.720 the comments. 0:23:44.920 --> 0:23:50.000 Yes, I'm still recovering after the quasi beat down I 0:23:50.040 --> 0:23:53.560 took for the open Mic Eagle app But you know, again, 0:23:53.680 --> 0:23:54.919