WEBVTT - Civic Cipher 111222 Civic Cipher Sits Down With Big Boy (Part 1) 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.040 Welcome to another episode of Civic Sipheri Army host rams 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:05.440 Is Jah, and we have a special show for you today. 0:00:05.440 --> 0:00:09.240 If you've been paying attention to our show or paying 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:13.640 attention to the media, our humble show has had some 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:21.600 national and international light shone upon it, and obviously there's 0:00:22.000 --> 0:00:24.560 a lot of stories in the media that you can 0:00:24.640 --> 0:00:29.800 check out Feel Free, and obviously we need to talk 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:32.240 about that on this show exactly what it means. 0:00:33.200 --> 0:00:34.680 And you know, our future. 0:00:35.320 --> 0:00:39.440 As a show, because there's a lot more momentum in 0:00:39.479 --> 0:00:42.160 this space for us right now, and we're really excited 0:00:42.159 --> 0:00:44.520 about that. We're really excited about all the changes that 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:47.640 we can help make in this country, the conversations that 0:00:47.680 --> 0:00:49.600 we can start and help people have in their homes, 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:55.360 et cetera. But that is still something that we have 0:00:55.440 --> 0:00:58.560 to wait on, those conversations that we would love to 0:00:58.600 --> 0:01:01.280 have with you. So in the meantime, there's a couple 0:01:01.360 --> 0:01:03.280 of things that we wanted to share with you, not 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:06.600 the least of which is sort of a conversation that 0:01:06.680 --> 0:01:09.640 started this whole thing. You and I were fortunate enough 0:01:09.680 --> 0:01:11.640 to go to La and sit down with our mentor 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:16.959 Big Boy, a legendary broadcaster in the hip hop space 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:19.240 if you're not familiar, and. 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:23.560 He gave us a great interview after and. 0:01:23.480 --> 0:01:25.280 So i'd love to share that with you today just 0:01:25.280 --> 0:01:26.520 to kind of bring you up to speed if you 0:01:26.520 --> 0:01:28.399 haven't been paying attention to the media and if you 0:01:28.440 --> 0:01:29.520 have been, to kind of give you a bit of 0:01:29.560 --> 0:01:34.399 an origin story of the show and some of the 0:01:34.440 --> 0:01:37.800 current things that are happening in this space. And also 0:01:38.160 --> 0:01:40.839 we were fortunate enough to speak with one Isaac Hayes, 0:01:40.880 --> 0:01:42.840 the third you know, owner a fan base, and so 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:44.720 the second half of the show, we're going to shine 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:48.280 some light on black business, supporting black business, kind of 0:01:49.360 --> 0:01:50.440 black people's. 0:01:50.120 --> 0:01:55.960 Influence over the culture, the popular culture, and how social 0:01:56.000 --> 0:02:01.240 media affects our ability to communicate, our ability to make money, 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:03.880 some areas that require improvement. 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:05.400 Et cetera. So we'd love for you to stick around 0:02:05.400 --> 0:02:06.480 for most of those conversations. 0:02:06.520 --> 0:02:09.959 You feel like you're both very important, And of course 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:11.800 we are going to be back with more citys Cipher 0:02:11.960 --> 0:02:13.799 very soon, but this is the space that we're in 0:02:13.880 --> 0:02:18.040 right now. And yeah, yeah, we hope you enjoy it. 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:20.880 So I'll be back after we talked to a big boy, 0:02:21.000 --> 0:02:22.200 So enjoy. 0:02:23.240 --> 0:02:26.000 Big Boys neighborhood. Beautiful then the neighborhood ladies and gentlemen. 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:28.680 Sometimes, Man, you come across some things, you come across 0:02:28.680 --> 0:02:32.120 some beautiful people. And for those that do know, then 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.519 you know. And for those that don't, I would love 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:37.359 to make this introduction as well. Now, first off, Ramses, 0:02:37.720 --> 0:02:41.320 I've met you years ago. You didn't need anything from me. 0:02:41.800 --> 0:02:44.080 I didn't need anything from you. You were just a 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:46.800 solid brother that I met years ago, man. And I 0:02:46.960 --> 0:02:50.280 love the way that you know characters, what's being said 0:02:50.280 --> 0:02:52.560 about you when you're not in the room, and people 0:02:52.639 --> 0:02:55.480 speak so well about your character. So now that I'll 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.040 see you moving forward, and I'll see you never stop 0:02:58.120 --> 0:03:01.000 your hustle, never stop your grind. You got fifty thousand 0:03:01.040 --> 0:03:04.280 things that you're doing in fort ninety nine of them 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:06.239 nine hundred nine and nine you're doing very well. I 0:03:06.240 --> 0:03:09.320 don't know what that one is, but welcome to the neighborhood, Rams, 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:11.680 I appreciate it all right. And this ISQ War and 0:03:11.720 --> 0:03:14.840 together we are Cipher. What is Civic Cipher? 0:03:15.400 --> 0:03:20.800 Civic Cipher is a radio show and a podcast that 0:03:20.960 --> 0:03:26.040 was born out of the protests of twenty twenty. Basically, 0:03:26.120 --> 0:03:29.359 what happened was you know, we're both DJs. We both 0:03:29.360 --> 0:03:34.800 were working radio men Q where we were at our 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:39.360 old radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. We you know, in 0:03:39.360 --> 0:03:42.640 twenty twenty, we were out protesting. We felt like the 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:46.560 leadership on the streets really deserved more than just bullhorns, 0:03:47.200 --> 0:03:49.800 and in order to challenge the narrative of what was 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:54.040 being sort of chronicled on television stations and other media 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:59.160 outlets to get let folks say their piece in terms 0:03:59.200 --> 0:04:01.840 of explaining defund the police means or why people are 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:04.520 upset about Breonna Taylor or you know these sorts of things. 0:04:05.120 --> 0:04:07.160 We felt like, okay, well, we work in media, we 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:09.480 work in hip hop media. This is you know, black 0:04:09.520 --> 0:04:12.480 culture being consumed. You know, in a city where it's 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:16.400 black and brown mostly consuming this culture, we need to 0:04:16.440 --> 0:04:20.839 be able to say our piece as well. And basically 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:24.680 we went to our station program director and asked to 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:27.600 set aside thirty minutes per week in the middle of 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:30.400 the night where there's no money involved, and just let 0:04:30.480 --> 0:04:31.839 the leadership on the streets. 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:34.000 Why did you feel like that was important to you guys? 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:38.279 Well, you know, there was no voice, there was just 0:04:38.320 --> 0:04:40.159 people on the street. It was a huge crowds, right, 0:04:40.560 --> 0:04:43.159 but no way to reach the city people that weren't 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:45.360 able to come out people and you know, bullhorns only 0:04:45.400 --> 0:04:45.880 go so far. 0:04:45.960 --> 0:04:47.560 So some people weren't getting the message. 0:04:47.680 --> 0:04:49.360 So it was up to us to try to make 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:50.880 that different and make that space. 0:04:51.040 --> 0:04:55.960 So in such a real time bro at twenty twenty, 0:04:56.080 --> 0:04:59.039 it looked like things were just crazy. You know, we 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:01.600 had a pandemic, something that we've never seen before. We're 0:05:01.760 --> 0:05:05.680 watching people die in front of us, you know what 0:05:05.720 --> 0:05:10.640 I'm saying on TV repeatedly watching footage. And so when 0:05:10.640 --> 0:05:14.279 you do, like some people also qward where some people 0:05:14.440 --> 0:05:16.880 say you know what, man, I'll do what I do 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:19.599 on the mic, sometimes they don't go a little further, 0:05:20.160 --> 0:05:22.599 or they just wait for the next leader. 0:05:23.000 --> 0:05:24.680 Like you can have a plan, you can. 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:26.440 Have you can feel like you're like, man, this is 0:05:26.480 --> 0:05:29.520 really horrible, But then we wait for the next person. 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.320 You guys didn't wait, do you know what I'm saying. 0:05:32.360 --> 0:05:34.920 Sometimes you feel like you need permission, right, you need 0:05:34.920 --> 0:05:37.200 somebody to tell you it's okay to be dynamic or 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:39.200 to step out in front of it. And like you said, 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:40.840 when you got the bullhorn on the street, a few 0:05:40.920 --> 0:05:43.000 hundred people can hear you, but you turn on the 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:45.960 news and they're calling protesters looters and right right, the 0:05:46.040 --> 0:05:48.520 narrative is different and those people can't speak their part. 0:05:48.880 --> 0:05:51.159 So that's why the conversation with the station was, look, 0:05:51.360 --> 0:05:54.359 we are profiting off of black culture. People from that 0:05:54.440 --> 0:05:56.279 culture should have a voice and be able to say 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:58.239 something about what they're dealing with out on the streets. 0:05:58.279 --> 0:06:00.279 And since we're out there and we see it, we 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:02.679 felt like we could lend that voice to the people 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:06.000 that were marching next to us, Black, white, Hispanic, Asian 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:06.760 and otherwise. 0:06:06.839 --> 0:06:09.040 But you see now and you fast forward to twenty 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.719 twenty two, almost going into twenty twenty three, you know, 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.560 a lot of the bullhorns, the batteries done died in them. 0:06:14.920 --> 0:06:16.880 You know, we've seen the signs that were held up. 0:06:16.920 --> 0:06:19.400 Those are somewhere in the garage. It was like, you know, 0:06:19.480 --> 0:06:21.720 there was a reason, but it was also a season. 0:06:22.279 --> 0:06:25.440 You guys went past the season, sure, you know, so 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:29.200 why is it important to continue what you do? Well? 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:32.840 You know, in the spirit of I want to shout 0:06:32.839 --> 0:06:35.920 out doctor Camilla Westenberg, She's my college mentor. In the 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:39.360 spirit of the Panthers, in the spirit of doctor King 0:06:39.440 --> 0:06:41.440 and the spirit of Malcolm X, and the spirit of 0:06:41.920 --> 0:06:45.360 you know, Marcus Garvey, and the spirit of you know, 0:06:45.640 --> 0:06:48.520 Stokely Carmichael, all these names that we grew up learning 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:51.520 about James Baldwin. 0:06:51.560 --> 0:06:54.680 It comes to mind. We realized that this is a 0:06:54.720 --> 0:06:55.320 long fight. 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.039 This isn't something that we can just get out there 0:06:58.080 --> 0:06:59.840 for a couple of years, say a couple of names, 0:06:59.839 --> 0:07:02.000 and it's over. You know, we have to stand on 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:05.440 the legacy and the history of our leaders before us, 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:08.840 and nobody was doing what we were doing what we're 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:10.920 doing now in the space that we're doing it. In 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.440 other words, we're more than just rappers and singers and dancers. 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:17.280 We are thinkers, we're leaders. We are people that love 0:07:17.320 --> 0:07:19.480 our children, We love our families, we love our communities. 0:07:19.560 --> 0:07:21.520 We want our communities to be strengthened. You know, I'm 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:24.960 born in California, you know, I grew up around all 0:07:24.960 --> 0:07:29.320 different types of people, and you know, doing radio and Arizona, 0:07:29.480 --> 0:07:31.720 it it whittles it down just a bit. So it's 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:34.120 just really black and Latino out there in terms of minorities, 0:07:34.160 --> 0:07:37.920 and we're all we got in terms of marginalized folks. 0:07:37.920 --> 0:07:41.200 And so again, seeing that unity in the streets, being 0:07:41.240 --> 0:07:43.520 able to kind of capture that moment and project it 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:45.720 into the future and really have a place where if 0:07:45.760 --> 0:07:48.239 something else happens, folks can come and say their piece, 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:50.360 We'll hold the space for you, will hold a microphone 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:51.960 for you can come and talk. And where do we 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.040 find Civic Cipher Now you can find Civic Cipher at 0:07:55.400 --> 0:08:01.240 civiccipher dot com. Yes, sir, you know, we've also partnered 0:08:01.240 --> 0:08:03.960 with iHeartMedia and that's another thing that I'd love to 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:09.400 talk about. But we are found on thirty stations around 0:08:09.400 --> 0:08:16.400 the country. Hopefully we'll be able to talk to mister 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:20.880 Winter and talk about getting presence here in La very soon. 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:24.000 But yeah, the show was growing when the process of 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:29.680 negotiating an additional effectively doubling our footprint in terms of 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:32.760 stations around the country. So hopefully by the beginning of 0:08:32.800 --> 0:08:34.679 next year we'll have that situated. 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:36.680 But how did the relationship to you? How did the 0:08:36.720 --> 0:08:37.600 relationship start? 0:08:37.720 --> 0:08:41.360 So it started, of course out of djaying, But that 0:08:41.480 --> 0:08:43.719 was something that Ramsey saw that I didn't. I had 0:08:43.800 --> 0:08:48.720 just moved back to Phoenix from Detroit and was looking 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:52.720 for something to do career wise, and rams had met 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:56.400 me when I was working for mo at Hennessy. The 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:59.400 radio station would cover our advertising, and Ramses wrote a 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:02.360 letter to LV and Mah just about the type of 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:03.360 professional I was. 0:09:03.480 --> 0:09:05.760 And when I saw the letter, my boss forwarded to me. 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.240 Rams and I had just met and crossing we didn't 0:09:08.240 --> 0:09:10.960 have a personal relationship. When I saw that, he put 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:13.720 pen to paper to vouch for me to this French company, 0:09:13.960 --> 0:09:15.720 you know, thousands of miles away. 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:17.600 And they were so impressed by that. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:19.320 The next time I saw him, I had to make 0:09:19.360 --> 0:09:20.800 sure I didn't just shake his hand, but that I 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:22.520 put my arms around him and let him know how 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:26.120 far that went. And I then moved to Spain, moved 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.959 to Toronto, and when I got back to Phoenix, the 0:09:29.000 --> 0:09:31.719 first person I reached out to was Ramses and he 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:34.200 was like, man, you might want to try these turntables 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:39.000 out barely was a ridiculous idea, but before never, never, 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:40.880 I had never even thought about it or considered it 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:42.840 really And Ramsey said, look, I. 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:44.040 Would have hated to have been at the club when 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:46.800 you were first starting story. 0:09:47.120 --> 0:09:49.960 He left me hanging when I first started really him 0:09:49.960 --> 0:09:52.120 in the water bro swim. His thing was buy some 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:54.760 turntables and I'll teach you how to DJ. He wanted 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:56.400 me to make that first investment. He could have just 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:58.520 gave me some terms that he had plenty, but he 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:00.760 wanted me to make that investment to know I was serious, 0:10:00.840 --> 0:10:02.559 inviting me to the club for the first time, told 0:10:02.600 --> 0:10:03.800 me he had to go to the bathroom. 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.720 Oh no, stayed going to the bathroom for thirty minutes. 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:10.400 Yeah, I remember. That's when his bowels were bad. Every 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.640 time I talk to me like, yeah, come in the restroom. 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.559 But you saw something in him, possibly that at the moment. 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:18.719 No matter how much shine them, no matter how much 0:10:18.760 --> 0:10:22.280 we you know, know our self worth, sometimes someone else 0:10:22.320 --> 0:10:24.240 will see something else in you, sir. You know what 0:10:24.240 --> 0:10:27.040 I'm saying. You saw that in QO. I heard that 0:10:27.040 --> 0:10:29.839 and didn't suppress it. No, no, no, It Isn't it 0:10:29.960 --> 0:10:33.440 crazy how some people like you'll get folks that say, okay, 0:10:33.440 --> 0:10:35.760 well you know, Lebron James, shut up and dribble, you know, 0:10:36.160 --> 0:10:39.000 and then it could just be spending the record. 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:40.200 Don't say nothing, you know. 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:45.440 So sometimes man, we don't understand how powerful this microphone 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:49.080 is exactly, and how powerful this voice is, and what 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:52.600 you do with this microphone and with the voice. Yes, sir, 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:54.720 all of us can bring in the next Drake record, 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:56.960 you know what I'm saying, But it's what we do 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:01.080 between those records and what we do aside those records. 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:04.480 So when you do see certain things happen in our community, bro, 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:08.320 people not that they expect us to say something, but 0:11:08.520 --> 0:11:14.000 we should expect us, me, you to say something, you know. 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:17.640 And we went through well not even just twenty twenty. Bro, 0:11:18.200 --> 0:11:20.520 when you sit here, you go down that list. It's 0:11:20.559 --> 0:11:23.800 been a fight for a long time, and there's absolutely 0:11:23.840 --> 0:11:26.960 no time to give it up, no matter how many decades, 0:11:27.040 --> 0:11:29.320 no matter if it's a century, whatever it is, because 0:11:29.360 --> 0:11:34.400 those problems still exist today exactly. And we do need 0:11:34.440 --> 0:11:37.720 the entertainment, we do need everything that we're playing, but 0:11:37.800 --> 0:11:41.160 we also need a balance. And what happens today, man, 0:11:41.559 --> 0:11:46.640 is we don't have a lot of the leaders, and 0:11:46.679 --> 0:11:49.360 then when we do have the leaders, they don't get 0:11:49.400 --> 0:11:52.640 the platform, you know. So that's why we got to 0:11:52.679 --> 0:11:56.199 continue to make sure that our voices are used and 0:11:56.240 --> 0:11:59.320 we take care of our platform. And our platform also 0:11:59.400 --> 0:12:02.359 tells people going on, we're right here, we're in primaries, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:05.160 we're voting with it, and sometimes, man, we don't get 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:08.760 the message unless the message comes from us. So continue 0:12:08.800 --> 0:12:11.040 doing the message, man, continue getting that out there. 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.320 Speaking of platforms, he pushed me in the water with 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:16.000 this too big really so when he went to the 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.160 station about us doing a show to give our people 0:12:18.160 --> 0:12:21.280 a voice, you'd never believe what our hip hop station 0:12:21.440 --> 0:12:25.280 said to us. Sorry, Ramses, we don't want to do 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.800 a black show the hip hop station. 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:29.800 The hip hop station, y'are not no longer there though 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:30.880 right now we can kill it. 0:12:30.920 --> 0:12:32.480 They could have said we don't want to do a 0:12:32.480 --> 0:12:34.360 political show. They could have said we don't want to 0:12:34.360 --> 0:12:36.640 do a polarizing show. They said we don't want to 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.120 do a black show. And Ramses was in this meeting 0:12:39.120 --> 0:12:42.640 by himself. I wasn't present. Ramses resigned for both of 0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:45.480 us that day, damn, and he knew that I was 0:12:45.559 --> 0:12:47.800 staying with him, wrote a resignation letter to the city 0:12:47.800 --> 0:12:48.319 of Phoenix. 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.040 And we couldn't look at our sons rafter. 0:12:51.080 --> 0:12:52.600 These people then told us we don't want to do 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.880 a black show on the hip hop station to the 0:12:55.880 --> 0:12:58.359 only black on air talent in Phoenix. 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.160 And who you're speaking with as well, who you're speaking too, 0:13:01.840 --> 0:13:04.720 which is crazy. And we've seen this so called genre 0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:07.800 and we've seen our lifestyle. Man, it plays all the 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:11.360 way across and they said that to you in the room, 0:13:11.600 --> 0:13:12.320 and you resign. 0:13:13.080 --> 0:13:14.719 Yeah, I wrote, and like you said, I wrote the 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.679 letter to the city of Phoenix, and then that letter 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:19.840 ended up getting shared and shared and shared. So it 0:13:19.880 --> 0:13:22.920 made the radio trades and that's how a lot of 0:13:23.080 --> 0:13:25.319 radio folks ended up reaching out. My first station was 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:28.800 kk FAR and Phoenix, so shout out to DJ Complex 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:32.440 Ben Romero. But then other stations around the country reached out. 0:13:33.000 --> 0:13:35.280 We got on in Tucson. That was our first connection 0:13:35.320 --> 0:13:37.760 with iHeart, so shout out Steve earn Hart, and then 0:13:38.120 --> 0:13:39.040 you know, the rest of the country. 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:41.320 You did a different battle, you know how sometimes you 0:13:41.320 --> 0:13:44.400 got to push some things uphill because it's not you know, 0:13:44.679 --> 0:13:47.880 it's not you know, it's not fun. It's not and 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:50.880 it's not yet it's a whole different thing as opposed 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:52.360 to you know, I want to do the shoot them 0:13:52.440 --> 0:13:52.800 up hours. 0:13:52.880 --> 0:13:55.800 So this is this is another another thing to your 0:13:55.880 --> 0:13:57.319 point about the platforms. 0:13:57.360 --> 0:14:00.400 So we did. Uh. 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:04.200 A gentleman named Tony Coles reached out from iHeart too, 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:07.760 the CEO level stuff, you know, and he heard about 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:09.199 what we were doing. He's like, Hey, we got to 0:14:09.240 --> 0:14:12.040 partner on some stuff, but I would like you to 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:16.440 do some other things with iheartwo Enter the Black Information Network. 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.560 So I've been working with them for the better part 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:22.520 of a year on a daily podcast for the Black 0:14:22.520 --> 0:14:26.040 Information Network where I interview folks from Roland Martin, you know, 0:14:26.120 --> 0:14:28.880 and it firmly it gives me some credibility with. 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:30.560 Respect to civic sipher the radio show. 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:33.160 But it also kind of helps me to network and 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:37.160 expand and then off and diversify what it is I 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:38.840 can bring to the table on the radio. 0:14:39.000 --> 0:14:40.000 In the hip hop space. 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:45.600 In terms of platforms Q has acquired within the same timeframe, 0:14:45.640 --> 0:14:48.360 I believe the imprint the media imprint hip Hop Weekly, 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:50.600 so hip Hop weekly magazine that you're familiar with now 0:14:50.640 --> 0:14:53.120 he owns that. So in terms of like procuring our 0:14:53.120 --> 0:14:55.320 platforms and making sure that we have the stages so 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:57.760 we can tell our stories now our voices, I want 0:14:57.760 --> 0:14:58.400 to speak for you. 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:00.640 So so talk to me about here. Pop Weekly. 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.560 So the magazine had laid a bit dormant in my opinion. Oh, 0:15:04.560 --> 0:15:07.440 they never went away, but they stopped print and they 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:10.600 stopped running original content. It's just a bunch of shared content, 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:14.600 and we knew that that imprint. People know the imprint. 0:15:14.360 --> 0:15:15.400 And it means something to us. 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:17.880 Yes, So being able to, like you said, and like 0:15:17.960 --> 0:15:20.640 Ram just said, give our people a platform. You know, 0:15:20.680 --> 0:15:24.600 I can employ writers, journalists, freelancers that want to share stories, 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:26.280 that want to develop their craft, and that want to 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.560 put something credible on their resume. In the journalism space 0:15:29.600 --> 0:15:32.240 and the photography space, and in the music creation space. 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:35.280 Being able to take new artists and blast their music 0:15:35.360 --> 0:15:38.160 off to millions of people that maybe otherwise wouldn't have 0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:38.520 heard it. 0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:40.360 I wanted us to be able. 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.800 To have some control over our own voices and how 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:44.680 far they could reach. 0:15:44.960 --> 0:15:48.040 And how is hip hop weekly now? Is it still 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:49.400 print or is it more so? 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:50.720 It's more digital now. 0:15:51.200 --> 0:15:54.360 And we were considering going back to print because some 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:58.080 of our brothers and sisters who are away, that's how 0:15:58.120 --> 0:15:59.920 they keep in touch with the world and with the culture. 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:02.160 So we have a you know, we had you know, 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:07.520 several tens of thousands of subscriptions that just stopped being filled. 0:16:07.520 --> 0:16:09.800 So those people don't have that bridge that they used 0:16:09.840 --> 0:16:12.000 to have. So we're looking at making sure our brothers 0:16:12.000 --> 0:16:14.480 and sisters that are down get some light get some 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:17.680 inspiration and get some information, and then just rejuvenating the 0:16:17.720 --> 0:16:20.200 digital space as well, from the website to social media 0:16:20.920 --> 0:16:23.840 to those people that follow Hip Hop Weekly magazine. We 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:27.440 got some fresh new content coming for you, some fresh 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.960 new voices, a bunch of young creators that want to 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:30.520 get involved. 0:16:30.520 --> 0:16:31.960 So it's something that's really exciting. 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:34.800 And man, with so many voices being heard and now, 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:37.720 at one point it was okay, you got something from radio, 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:40.000 you got something from television. There was you know, back 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:42.520 in the days, it was a few news outlet, you 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:46.320 had newspapers. Now with this device, everybody has a voice, 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:51.160 rightfully so, but that voice also means that everybody has 0:16:51.200 --> 0:16:54.080 something to say, and sometimes people are saying bullshit. Yes, 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:58.040 and you get that when you do have a voice, 0:16:58.200 --> 0:17:00.800 and your voice talks to your audio, and then you 0:17:00.920 --> 0:17:05.080 have another voice that can talk to the masses, like 0:17:05.080 --> 0:17:07.359 a Kanye West. And when we see Kanye West with 0:17:07.920 --> 0:17:12.480 a White Lives Matter shirt not having a conversation, I. 0:17:12.400 --> 0:17:13.720 Still don't know what it means. 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:16.840 But looking at it and then watching some of the 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:20.320 interviews that he's done in the last couple of a 0:17:20.359 --> 0:17:22.000 few days, he's doubled and. 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:22.840 Triple down on it. 0:17:23.240 --> 0:17:26.080 We had a brief conversation about White Lives Matter, the 0:17:26.440 --> 0:17:29.440 actual shirt, the slogan all Lives and you brought something 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:30.480 to my attention, y'all. 0:17:30.480 --> 0:17:32.760 Did that blew me away right now? Yeah? 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:38.800 Yeah, So there's a funny story. The federal trademark for 0:17:39.320 --> 0:17:45.760 White Lives Matter is not owned by Kanye West at present. 0:17:46.119 --> 0:17:50.480 It is owned by Civic Cipher LLC. And Civic Cipher. 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:54.400 Is US me and Q. Yes, how did that happen? So? Yeah, 0:17:54.440 --> 0:17:55.280 So let me tell you. 0:17:55.280 --> 0:18:00.480 There's an individual who is based in Arizona that had 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:04.919 the foresight to procure the trademarks, the federal trademarks for 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:08.880 the benefit of black and brown people so that other 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:13.159 folks wouldn't profit off of it. And this person knows 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:17.240 about what you and I are doing. This person trademarked 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:21.760 White Lives Matter and submitted the application for All Lives 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:23.760 Matter as well. So we're still chasing that one up. 0:18:23.760 --> 0:18:28.240 But White Lives Matter has come back and to excite 0:18:28.320 --> 0:18:31.879 right right, and it has since been well it was 0:18:31.920 --> 0:18:35.360 originally filed in that person's name has been since reassigned 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.560 to us. So actually we just got the receipt from 0:18:37.560 --> 0:18:40.760 our lawyer today. So shout out to Morris for taking 0:18:40.760 --> 0:18:43.840 care of that for us. But yeah, civic site for LLLLC. 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:46.320 So we are the holder of the federal trademark for 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.840 white lives. And what would that mean? So that means 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:51.560 that the only person who can profit off of it 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:53.760 not make shirts. Because you can make a shirt and 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.600 wear it, and that's your right as an American citizen. 0:18:56.640 --> 0:18:58.840 But if you want to sell that shirt, you either 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:00.439 have to come knock on my door. You have to 0:19:00.480 --> 0:19:04.760 face Morris, my lawyer, who is the person that helps 0:19:04.800 --> 0:19:08.040 me protect that brand. And now that it is in 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:14.159 our care, we can decide how it benefits the black community, 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:18.080 the brown community, you know, everyone to be honest with you, 0:19:18.400 --> 0:19:20.280 and it brings us all together. It doesn't matter if 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:22.960 you're in the white tribe or not. Something that benefits 0:19:23.000 --> 0:19:26.000 all of us. But of course we like to focus 0:19:26.000 --> 0:19:27.960 where there's the greatest need, and oftentimes we find that 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:31.280