1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: You're listening to waiting our reparations, the production of my 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: heart radio. I don't have any alcohol, but I'll be fine. 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: Good waiting the reparations, waiting no reparation. You ain't no reparations. Wait, 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: no reparations. Uh you see, I ought to be a 5 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: product you, just like my parents thought. At being said, 6 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: it's quandering my doctorate party and heartily lost in the docks, 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: I get looking like chocolate broccoli, but not pil I 8 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:31,200 Speaker 1: can keeping them watching me constantly because I brightened and 9 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: straight into funnily in the great tent, I decided I 10 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: was tired of homogenization. Yeah, what's funny though? A ship 11 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: change says, look like Andie Davis every racist, But in 12 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 1: fact me and her you'd be sitting up on the 13 00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: stages straight in places like the activists, getting up each 14 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: other's spaces to learn from the different ages across generations. 15 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 1: When you gotta say kids. Two years ago from the friends, 16 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: mine asked me to spit podcast rhymes, so I said 17 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: the ROMs I'm about to say, I don't know how 18 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: it goes we go. I don't play. I just talk 19 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: about of ship weed. In politics sociul I could drop 20 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: some knowledge and receive a scholarship rapping on my level. 21 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: The season not equipped but that we can remember. We 22 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: even got a script like fucking We'll do with live? 23 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,800 Speaker 1: How does the cruisivibe President's viewing list? Everything supersized? The 24 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: cops choke you to death of some funny money? Can 25 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: we please get over this ship? Is fucking Hey? What's 26 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: going on? My name is Dope Knife. Are you doing 27 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 1: this week? Mac? I'm good, I'm good. Thank you for asking. 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: Another week goes by and we get closer and closer 29 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,679 Speaker 1: to this election. You know, speaking of the election, we 30 00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: have some things to announce about what we're doing next week. 31 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 1: But before we even get into that, you I wanted 32 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: to talk to you, like, um, you have like a 33 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: whole last conversation with Angela Davis with with Dr Angela Davis. Yeah, 34 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: tell me about that. We were We were the keynotes 35 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,000 Speaker 1: speakers for this virtual youth summit being put on by 36 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: speak Out, which is a nonprofit based I think in 37 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: the Bay Area of California, and so they wanted to 38 00:02:08,360 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: bring together activists across generations to talk about movement building, 39 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: talk about the local as well as the international in 40 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: terms of organizing and solidarity, abolishing the police and things 41 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: like that. Um, and it was fun. I mean, she 42 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 1: she's a very gracious and kind person, very sweet. I 43 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 1: loved and will always remember. I think the end of 44 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: the conversation when I asked her, like, if I was 45 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: your younger self, what would you tell me? And she 46 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 1: was like, I wouldn't tell you, ship because like the 47 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: failures and mistakes a long your journey, you're going to 48 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 1: teach you so much, and like, I don't pretend, even 49 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 1: though I'm an elder in this movement to know more 50 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: than you about like how this is all supposed to go. 51 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: So it was like really humbling and like I just 52 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: have a lot of gratitude for that conversation with her, 53 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: and I got to wrap for her and she liked it. 54 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: She was like, where can I find a music? And 55 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: I was like, I'm gonna die now, oh my god, 56 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: But yeah, you can find it on YouTube. You searched 57 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: Angela Davis, Mariah Parker. But I'm sure it won't be 58 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: the last time that you guys. Yeah, actually passed across again. 59 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,799 Speaker 1: Although you know, it's really funny. The night before that, 60 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 1: we had a protest downtown that was like a caravan 61 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: slash march, and so we talk to the streets, you know, 62 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: marching in the streets. I was in my car and um, 63 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: I got pulled over and it was really twice actually 64 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: I pulled over by the cops twice, and it was 65 00:03:27,280 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: very stressed out and uh, I was very shaken by it. 66 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: And so I ended up going out and just getting 67 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: really drunk the night before, and then I woke up 68 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: so hung over the day of my talk on the 69 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 1: angel the Days, and I was like, I can't believe 70 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: I have put into peril the most important day of 71 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: my life. But it be is like that when you're 72 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: shell shocked from like interactions with the cops. It from 73 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: what I saw on YouTube, it didn't look like you're hungover. 74 00:03:53,480 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: So no, I had it together by the time the 75 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: talk started, but I definitely woke up like, please not today, 76 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: can we risk duel well? Speaking of Angela Davis, Um 77 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: not too long ago was reading something about her views 78 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 1: about the upcoming election and how she was just pointing 79 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: out what you would hope would be the obvious, which 80 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 1: is like, hey, you know, Trump's a fascist, and while 81 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 1: Joe Biden is not our first choice, you must do 82 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 1: what's necessary to save the free world. And um, yesterday 83 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: there was a little scuffle in an interview with Noam 84 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:36,320 Speaker 1: Chomsky with a virtual Texas and Brian and Jod Gray 85 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: for their podcast, and um, you know he was he 86 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:42,039 Speaker 1: was going in about the it was a lesser of 87 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:45,719 Speaker 1: two evils debate about voting. What what are your thoughts 88 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: on that whole thing, about the necessity of voting for 89 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: Biden or not even the necessity of voting for Biden 90 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: to vote against Trump. And I mean I'm one of 91 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,640 Speaker 1: those people in my personal politics, I feel that our 92 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: rights a vote is so sacred that people should be 93 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: able to use it however they want. If people don't 94 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: want to vote, um, they have that sovereignty. If people 95 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,480 Speaker 1: want to vote green, that's fine. I'm not out here 96 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: talking about who people should vote for, um or not really. 97 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: I mean, like I might, you know, like rally people 98 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: around voting Democrats because I do agree we need to 99 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: get rid of Trump. But I'm not a vote shamer. 100 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: And I feel like a lot of people confused vote 101 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,039 Speaker 1: shaming for activism, Like look at me, I'm like drum 102 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: enough support for my guy, and it's like you're just 103 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: making people really piste off and hate you. And I 104 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 1: think that's where so much of this vitriol coming from, 105 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: Like I think the like the the Wokes Gold Left 106 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: it comes from, because it's like it's not even just 107 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: the mere principle of it. It's in reaction to, like 108 00:05:46,520 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: the vitriol that has pushed us away from believing in 109 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,080 Speaker 1: the Democratic Party. I think this is where I may 110 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 1: make my little long awaited heel turn. But like I don't. 111 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,359 Speaker 1: First of all, I don't think it especially with something 112 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: like voting. I don't think you can be shamed if 113 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,160 Speaker 1: you think or no, you're right, Like so somebody can 114 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 1: say whatever the funk they want you know about your vote, 115 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 1: But if you know that your ship was right and 116 00:06:13,839 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: you know the reasons why you did it, I don't 117 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,480 Speaker 1: see a reason why somebody anything that somebody can say 118 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:21,760 Speaker 1: would make you be like second guests or have any 119 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: sort of feelings about your vote. But that's a whole 120 00:06:23,680 --> 00:06:27,960 Speaker 1: another point. I just don't think that it's necessarily stopping 121 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: anybody or telling anybody what to do by having like 122 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,480 Speaker 1: a discussion about how people are going to vote, unless 123 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: unless someone just doesn't want to have that discussion altogether, 124 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: and it's like, yeah, I don't want to talk about 125 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: who I'm voting for something like that, then all right, 126 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:44,919 Speaker 1: then I understand. But if we're talking about it and 127 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: someone's like, oh, I think that I'm going to vote X, 128 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: and I think that other people should vote X, and 129 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: then you're like, no, I'm going to vote this way, 130 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: other people should vote that way. I don't. I don't 131 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,640 Speaker 1: really see that as anybody like jumping on anyone or 132 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:01,919 Speaker 1: telling anybody what you have a Twitter? Do you have 133 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: a Twitter? Yeah? I mean, I see what. I don't know. 134 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:10,040 Speaker 1: I just I don't know. It's just the whole thing is, 135 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: I'm not dismissive of the point of view of somebody 136 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: who is like, yo, I am a leftist leftist and 137 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 1: Joe Biden doesn't represent me. So I don't wanna, you 138 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 1: know what I mean, I don't. I don't want to 139 00:07:26,480 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: vote for Joe Biden. If somebody feels that way, then 140 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: that's cool. But I think, you know, especially in that interview, 141 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: there was a dismissive nature that everybody had, everybody's pointing 142 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 1: because he's like fucking ninety billion years old, and then 143 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: just everybody is just mad at each other because everything sucks. 144 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: I did like the point that he said about you know, 145 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: it's like, yo, do you think that in the next 146 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: twenty years that we're gonna Yeah. I mean it's like, no, 147 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: it's not gonna happen. So it's just as a matter 148 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: of like, you know, reality, you gotta do what you 149 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: gotta do. You know, it's not pretty all the time. 150 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: And then I read another quota of Visit. I don't 151 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:19,680 Speaker 1: remember where it was, but um, he talks about how 152 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: every there's like a quadrennial extravaganza that we look up 153 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: from our activism to go participate in for ten to 154 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes. When we go cast our ballot, we put 155 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:32,679 Speaker 1: our heads back down and put our nose back on 156 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: the grindstone and continue with activism. Activism is always the point. 157 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: So it's like, you know, who does it? I don't 158 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 1: even want to say who does it hurt? Because it 159 00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: hurts millions of Iraqis that getting ordered when we drop 160 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: bombs on them? But um, like, do you just get 161 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: up just go vote? I mean, you know, just go 162 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: vote and then just get back to it. Just go 163 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: vote and get back to it. The thing that I 164 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: don't understand, we're getting too caught up in a presidential 165 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: election when president a president intial election is effectively this 166 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: a blip on an activist radar because we're gonna have 167 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: work to do no matter who. Yeah, and but here's 168 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: the thing, and it's with that exact sort of like 169 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: philosophy behind It's like, we're gonna have work to do 170 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: no matter who it is. But I just don't understand 171 00:09:18,840 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: how the further left you could be that you could 172 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: see any hope of like doing anything with the Republicans 173 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: going so far right, you know, I just I just 174 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: don't get it personally, if it was like a thing 175 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: where trust me, I know that the Democrats are way 176 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 1: more right than anybody like us wants them to be, 177 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: but the Republicans are like going for some other other 178 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:49,640 Speaker 1: ship with with how far they're leading, how far right 179 00:09:49,679 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: they're leading. So it's like with them trying to manipulate 180 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 1: the courts and all that sort of stuff. I just 181 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: don't see how, you know, anyone who's left of that 182 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: can be like, you know, another four years that I 183 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: think I think I interpreted the Trumpsky quote to me 184 00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: and that like we look up from our activism once 185 00:10:08,480 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: every four years. We think about who was marginally better 186 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,240 Speaker 1: just go and then spend an hour to like click 187 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 1: a thing, maybe you know, influence that person becoming an office, 188 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: and then we get back to it. Stop making such 189 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: a big deal out of it, because it's like the 190 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 1: smallest part of our civic engagement. The marching and the 191 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:35,400 Speaker 1: postcards and the rallies and the mutual aid and the 192 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,320 Speaker 1: you know, electing candidates down ballot and the lobbying. All 193 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: that ship is what should consume ninety five of our 194 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: attention and not like who is the president. God, there's 195 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: so many more points I want to get to this. Well, 196 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 1: you know what, as a matter of fact, we are, 197 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: you know, with the election getting so close, we're going 198 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:56,560 Speaker 1: to have this big extravaganza voting episode. Yeah, I'm gonna 199 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 1: have a big voting episode. I think also in preparation 200 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 1: for the massive all unrest that likely awaits us on 201 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: November fourth, We're also gonna have episode about guns self 202 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:11,840 Speaker 1: protection uma. But that's like we're kind of talking about. 203 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: We're continuing our spitting images serious talking to paper Boy Prince, 204 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: former corressional candidate for Congress, and I believe the fourteenth 205 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: District in New York and I think that this devetails 206 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,200 Speaker 1: with our conversation about voting because more these days, I 207 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: more often than not, was hell of people. Rather than 208 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:30,640 Speaker 1: tell people to go out and vote, I just tell 209 00:11:30,679 --> 00:11:33,560 Speaker 1: people to run, because, like, if we don't get a 210 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:38,200 Speaker 1: better quality of policy represented on the platforms of folks 211 00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: that we have to choose from, nothing's going to get 212 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: any better. We cannot trust the Democratic Party, of the 213 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: Republican Party, any of these parties to like like just 214 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,520 Speaker 1: churn out Pete Buddha gigs and like everything's gonna be fine. 215 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: We have to step up and create and give that 216 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: hope to people who feel the solution with this system. So, hey, boy, 217 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 1: Prince did it. I did it. We're talked to a 218 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: lot of other rappers and activists in coming episodes in 219 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: the series who have put their names in the hat. 220 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:20,840 Speaker 1: For this week, we're talking to paper Boy Prints. But 221 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: all right, let's kick it off. So today we're speaking 222 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: with Paperboy Prints, an artist, activists, and recent candidate for 223 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: Congress who earlier this year hope to unseat Representative Nydia 224 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,679 Speaker 1: of Alasquez, a fourteen term incumbent who has represented New 225 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: York seventh Congressional district parts of Brooklyn, Queens in Manhattan, Sin. So, 226 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: paper Boy, in your own words, tell us a little 227 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: bit about yourself. Who is paper Boy Prints? Well, first off, 228 00:12:53,120 --> 00:13:02,320 Speaker 1: I'll start by saying, Yeah, it's sorry one Love, it's 229 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: Paperboy Prints, Papaboy Love Prints, Paperboy Princes of the Suburbs. 230 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: Thank you all so much for having me pappor Yeah, 231 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: it's our time. You know. My slogan is it's our 232 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,679 Speaker 1: time because it's our time to make a change. It's 233 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: our time to stand up for what's right. It's our 234 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: time to get what we deserve. It's our time to 235 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: spread love. You know. It's our time to speak out. 236 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,160 Speaker 1: It's our time to live our dreams. It's our time 237 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:32,440 Speaker 1: collectively the community. Because just one of us succeeding isn't 238 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: really progress. Just one of us making it isn't really 239 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: uh doing something right. It's great, but it's not doing something. 240 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: But when all of us do, when all of my friends, 241 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: when all of my family, when we make it together, 242 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:51,360 Speaker 1: that's truly progress and it is time for that. My parents, 243 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:58,000 Speaker 1: uh both met at Howard University. In college. My dad 244 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: was running for class president, I believe, at Howard and 245 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: he was campaigning on the bus on like the school bus, 246 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: and um, my mom was on that bus and that's 247 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: where they met. That's actually how they met. So you 248 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: literally have politics in your like origin story. Yeah, and 249 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: you know what, I never thought about that. I know 250 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: that that's how they met, but I never have said 251 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:29,280 Speaker 1: that my whole time running until now. For some reason 252 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: it felt right to say now, And yeah, I'm like, wow, 253 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 1: So that that's how they met. And they don't talk 254 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 1: much about that, but I need to ask him more. 255 00:14:38,120 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: I have a vision of what it was like in 256 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: my head. But like, so, were you born in d C? 257 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,200 Speaker 1: I was. I was born in d C. And you know, 258 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: my parents were still in college there and my mom's 259 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: from New York, my dad from Texas and it went 260 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: school in d C. So that's that's there's that connection there. 261 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:00,640 Speaker 1: So I spent a lot of time living in d 262 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: C in Baltimore, last time living in New York. Also, 263 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: like um lives in Spain for a while, like working 264 00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: and studying abroad. So all this stuff for me, you know, um, 265 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: about myself, I'm also an artists. I went to school 266 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: for broadcast journalism and computer science and uh, and I 267 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 1: took a bunch of other like courses and did a 268 00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: bunch of other like stuff outside of the school, stuff 269 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,640 Speaker 1: that really informed what I do now. And I started rapping, 270 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: you know, um in to make fun of wrap in 271 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: music because I just really was you know, I grew 272 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: up like in a thing where the focus wasn't Art 273 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: wasn't a real tangible thing. Art wasn't an actual career art, 274 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: The arts weren't something that considered respectable even in and 275 00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: like kind of like the area I grew up in. Yeah, 276 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:03,960 Speaker 1: we listened to it, but it wasn't, like in something 277 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: that you should seriously aspire to be. So I actually 278 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: started making music to make fun of it, Like even 279 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: like the songs you all were talking about before we started, 280 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:13,440 Speaker 1: and some of my songs like that during that period, 281 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: even before that, I was doing songs kind of making 282 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: fun of Even my rap name, you know, which is 283 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: not my referial name, The boy Prince of Suburbs was 284 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: supposed to be like a joke on like t I, 285 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: King of the South or something like that. Note nothing 286 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: against t I. You know, it's supposed to be like 287 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:32,440 Speaker 1: a parody. So that was that, and then you know, 288 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 1: after a while, um I started really getting into the 289 00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:39,800 Speaker 1: music as far as it just became a really good 290 00:16:39,840 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 1: outlet and release, and I became aware of how important 291 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: arts are, um in so many ways. So I walked 292 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: away from like the corporate type side, you know I've 293 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 1: worked for like NBC and MS and all these things. 294 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: I walked away from that to like dive more into 295 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: the art and the music. And then now I'm you know, 296 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 1: kind of walking back to it in a way to 297 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:12,439 Speaker 1: try to merge, try to use the artistic side to 298 00:17:12,520 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 1: help people actually, um, you know get activated for different reasons, 299 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: causes and all that. So what changed for you? What 300 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: shifted in your mind between that period in which you 301 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,440 Speaker 1: kind of made joke rap. It sounds like you're describing 302 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:37,159 Speaker 1: to like taking your talent and taking your artistry seriously. Um, 303 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: you know, I think and I still do make joke rap. 304 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,200 Speaker 1: Like one of my biggest songs right now is Popeye's 305 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: Chicken Sandwich, which is like a lot of people know, 306 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,560 Speaker 1: which a song about. It's a joke. It is a 307 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,959 Speaker 1: song about the Popeye Chicken sandwich. Um, but there's an 308 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 1: art to that too, you know what I'm saying, Like 309 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 1: that's a whole like joke rap as a whole sub 310 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 1: genre in itself exactly exactly why I never even stopped it, 311 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 1: because it's like I've been doing it so long, no 312 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,120 Speaker 1: reason to stop it. But um, I started taking it seriously. 313 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,040 Speaker 1: I started taking the jokes seriously if you follow me. Once, 314 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: um I started seeing like the internet like they're actually 315 00:18:19,119 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 1: being like, oh a path to success or I started 316 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: like actually watching because I wasn't even you know, I 317 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 1: grew up in like a Christian home, so I wasn't 318 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:29,800 Speaker 1: even allowed to like listen to wrap, which is all sople. 319 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:31,959 Speaker 1: I was making fun of it and stuff. And so 320 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: then I actually had to follow people's careers. I saw 321 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:38,880 Speaker 1: people that I just was like around like making it 322 00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 1: um like for example, like Logic, some of my people 323 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: who I knew were like producing for him and stuff 324 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: like that, and it was just like wait, like very 325 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: quickly and we were all rapping, just freestyle time and fun. 326 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: It was very quickly took off and stuff, and I 327 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: was like it that just seemed impossible to me. And 328 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 1: then seeing somebody who just was like a round with 329 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:03,080 Speaker 1: and he wasn't like my best butt or anything, but 330 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: it was like in the people around that be like 331 00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: wrapped around it was like a person and you know, 332 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: so other factors contributed to that, but to me, seeing 333 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:15,160 Speaker 1: that it's just possible. It's the exposure of you don't 334 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: see that that there's so many ways and arts and 335 00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: entertainment for people to have, you know, different type of 336 00:19:19,920 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: careers and these things. I never saw that so um 337 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: and exposure is a big issue, like in our community, 338 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: being like the black community, and then as well as 339 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,879 Speaker 1: just for young people in general, were just exposed to 340 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,199 Speaker 1: so few things. So like exposure opens your mind and 341 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 1: how you can even structure your life and career. Oh absolutely. 342 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 1: I likedd poetry and spoken word and stuff when I 343 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: was younger, and it wasn't until moving to like a 344 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: music town where I was like people can just like 345 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:53,760 Speaker 1: make music and like play it for people I like 346 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: started wrapping. I was like, oh, I guess there's like 347 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:59,640 Speaker 1: venues and shows happening. I like threw myself in the mix. 348 00:19:59,640 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: So I feel know that having that like model something 349 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: to like yeah emulate or realize, oh this is a 350 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: thing you can do, It's important exactly. So what sparked 351 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: the transition for you to decide to run for Congress? 352 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:21,959 Speaker 1: My family was always like very politically activated, and you know, 353 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: always having conversations around politics, and not just electoral politics, 354 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: but um, you know, just the politics of life in general, 355 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:38,720 Speaker 1: the American politics and uh everything that has dealt with 356 00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: our history. This is already in the normal conversation of 357 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:46,160 Speaker 1: my home right. And then um, when I was like 358 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 1: maybe eleven or twelve, I got an internship. Might note 359 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:54,520 Speaker 1: on my mom won like a raffle at our school. 360 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 1: She was like on the PTA and she w a 361 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: raffle that I think she helped to set up allow 362 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: me to have like lunch with my congressman or with 363 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 1: members of Congress. And so I did it. And I 364 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:10,600 Speaker 1: was at a kid. I didn't care, like I think 365 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: I might have gotten like offrom school that day or something. 366 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,160 Speaker 1: Well maybe it was even the summertime, so I didn't 367 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: even get off school. So I was like not really 368 00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: into it. But Mom was like, oh, it's such a 369 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:20,760 Speaker 1: good thing that you know, I'm so young that where 370 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,640 Speaker 1: I'm just learning even about the government, so I don't 371 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: even know what a congressman is or like. So, but 372 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:30,879 Speaker 1: we got to go to the House of Representatives and 373 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:33,440 Speaker 1: I got to have munch with some people in Congress 374 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: and they're showing me like offices and like smiling and 375 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: looking important and all this stuff, and I'm like, okay, cool. 376 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: And from there I still wasn't interested, but it was 377 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: something that I was exposed to, So I just it 378 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: was one of the ten things that I was exposed 379 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: to as a kid. That basketball, you know what it means, music, 380 00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,919 Speaker 1: some like church, like only a couple of things I 381 00:21:54,920 --> 00:22:00,159 Speaker 1: was exposed to the Internet. So um, yeah, I m 382 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: that there were like different programs that they had for 383 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:06,240 Speaker 1: like youth. Like sometimes in the summer it would be 384 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,960 Speaker 1: like some youth program like model mock Congress thing where 385 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: we would go and actually sit in there and like 386 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:18,440 Speaker 1: do some like you know, mock congressional hearings, or we 387 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: would read different papers and stuff like this. And yeah, 388 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 1: so from there I was doing those. I had like 389 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:31,160 Speaker 1: an internship at for some Congress members and then uh 390 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: end up in turning at the Supreme Court. So I 391 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 1: was doing all this young. And this is why I 392 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,199 Speaker 1: still was like young and trying to figure before I 393 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: even got to college, right, so like figuring out what 394 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: my career would be or what interest would be. I 395 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:47,680 Speaker 1: was just kind of doing what my parents said, it's like, oh, 396 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 1: this is good for you, this will help you do 397 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,119 Speaker 1: x y Z. I had this background in learning about 398 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:58,040 Speaker 1: politics young and then electoral politics that is, as well 399 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:03,520 Speaker 1: as all of these activist politics, and then it transitioned 400 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,760 Speaker 1: into me, you know, working as an artist and moving 401 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: away from all of this stuff. The politics pushed me 402 00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:12,080 Speaker 1: into journalism, which pushed me into being an artist and 403 00:23:12,119 --> 00:23:16,440 Speaker 1: away from journalism and politics. And then now, um, I 404 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,400 Speaker 1: finally have found a way to kind of like merge 405 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: all of those things and and get a message across 406 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 1: and bring in new people and not regurgitate the same 407 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 1: message that someone maybe from my background would have had, 408 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: um but actually be able to like add new things 409 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: into the conversation and new perspectives and be able to 410 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 1: speak for like a wider range of folks. What were 411 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: some of your early activists experiences that you were referencing 412 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: a little bit earlier. So, um, I definitely was at 413 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,480 Speaker 1: like some protests in March with my dad. I don't 414 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: remember the exact one, so I don't want to say 415 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 1: I'm wrong, but you know, we're living in d C. 416 00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 1: And there were like march on Washington this type of stuff. Yeah, 417 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: So but I was too young. I can't really say that. 418 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: I was like I was out there fighting the power. 419 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying. Oh, I mean it's those 420 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 1: formative experiences to like influence what options you see as 421 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:18,560 Speaker 1: available to you, right right, and so to like march 422 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 1: even if you don't know what you're marching for, but 423 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: you know that people march, Like I just read about 424 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: marching in like textbooks in school. I didn't like get 425 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,840 Speaker 1: out here in the streets until I was like an adult. 426 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:32,640 Speaker 1: I didn't realize I was a thing people still did. Yeah, 427 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:36,520 Speaker 1: you know, living in in d C. Was interesting because 428 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:42,560 Speaker 1: there's protests there every day and there are like you know, alright, fine, 429 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:47,680 Speaker 1: I'll just take you guys out of the conspiracy route. Um. 430 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: Basically you know there are like little paid protesters, um, 431 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: because there's people even before Trump was in office. There's 432 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: the you know white houses there, and the White House 433 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:02,960 Speaker 1: is actually a very it's not that big. Like anytime 434 00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: I see the White House, I like this is it 435 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:08,440 Speaker 1: like like this is like? But so there's always people 436 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:12,760 Speaker 1: protesting there for something every day for some cause, and 437 00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: so I saw a lot of that. And then in college, 438 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,360 Speaker 1: you know, in my school I went to University of Maryland, 439 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: College Park, and there was like in my freshman year 440 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: actually like the first week or something, somebody put a 441 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: noose on the tree next to our like cultural center 442 00:25:37,560 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: and then brew Cultural Center, which is like has like 443 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 1: a Swahili name, and it's like, you know, basically the 444 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:46,480 Speaker 1: center for like a lot of like black and indigenous 445 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 1: like activities. There was just a news there. And you know, 446 00:25:51,840 --> 00:25:54,440 Speaker 1: college is supposed to be seen as like a very 447 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:59,000 Speaker 1: progressive and this campus poses a very like progressive like 448 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 1: liberal saying quotations um area. And at that time I 449 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:08,199 Speaker 1: was too. I had two little experiences to even contextualize. 450 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: But yeah, like my school was mad racist so many ways. 451 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 1: I never knew I was a uh minority as they 452 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,119 Speaker 1: used and I don't like to use the term minority, 453 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:28,199 Speaker 1: but because we are in the minority, we are we 454 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,960 Speaker 1: are the majority in the world, like literally, But you know, 455 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: I never got the concept of a minority and of 456 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: like what ad meant to be black in America until 457 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:43,159 Speaker 1: going to college. And my college was in there, uh 458 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:49,640 Speaker 1: richest black the richest African American county in America, Prince 459 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,199 Speaker 1: George's County. Yeah, you know about Peg County, yeah, I 460 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: work with a lady who grew up in Peg County. 461 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: Oh nice, Okay, yeah, she's she's singing the phrases time. 462 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 1: But that opened my eyes and I got to see, 463 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:17,119 Speaker 1: you know, how the system works, how the power structure, 464 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 1: white supremacy, all of these things. And I got to 465 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:25,240 Speaker 1: see even our university UM, which was built off the 466 00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:30,440 Speaker 1: backs of black people, UM, built in the blacks of slaves, 467 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 1: enslaved people, UM, the land that has been taken away 468 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: from free black people to even uphold this university. And 469 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 1: and the reason I'm going this is because so many 470 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:47,560 Speaker 1: universities on the whole East Coast and South have the 471 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 1: same story, right that I'm saying, except for maybe the 472 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: caveat of like being in a like an affluent black town. 473 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 1: But uh yeah, so but from that, I just always 474 00:27:58,520 --> 00:28:00,959 Speaker 1: grew up in black areas, even the adverse black areas, 475 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,520 Speaker 1: and I'm like, uh learning that. And then from there, 476 00:28:04,600 --> 00:28:08,439 Speaker 1: you know, we like organized a bunch of protests on 477 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: campus for different issues UM, and you know, did a 478 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,439 Speaker 1: lot of political education as far as you know, I 479 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: was a part of different groups that basically every week 480 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: we were leading education sessions as well as UM. You know, 481 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: learning from others and leaders in different facets of like 482 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: activism and and and you know, the movement, and so 483 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,159 Speaker 1: this was like always in the background to me. But 484 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: I never thought I would step out there in the 485 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:41,920 Speaker 1: forefront of it or try to like helped to be 486 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,360 Speaker 1: a core organizer or leader in any of these ways, 487 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:48,360 Speaker 1: because it just didn't seem I just didn't know how 488 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: I could make it appealing for myself, because at the 489 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: end of the day, even when you're trying to do 490 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: stuff for the people, it has to be something in 491 00:28:56,400 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: you that excites you about it, that that makes it 492 00:28:59,080 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: worth it to you, or you're not gonna do it 493 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: so for me. But now I kind of get it. 494 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 1: I get I kind of see how you know, I 495 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:08,440 Speaker 1: also always like to throw parties and events. I threw 496 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: a bunch of parties and events and shows and concerts 497 00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: and all these things. But now I get it. It's like, oh, 498 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 1: throwing a showing a party is like throwing a protest. 499 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 1: And if I also you know what I mean, It's 500 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 1: all so many of the skills are connected and build 501 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:25,479 Speaker 1: upon each other. So it's like when I kind of 502 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:29,680 Speaker 1: got that, it even gave me more confident to be like, yeah, So, 503 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: I mean you talked a little about about some early 504 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: activist experience with yours. I'm glad you touched on the 505 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: way that like hip hop promotion and like shows and 506 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: parties and things like that are like organizing in a 507 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: certain sense, and like you learn a lot of skills there. 508 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:50,400 Speaker 1: But I'd be interested to talk to them about your platform, 509 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: very bold progressive platform of universal healthcare, universal basic income, 510 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,000 Speaker 1: it spread and love. So can you tell us how 511 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 1: you came to this platform? Him? Right? Um, you be? I? 512 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: I have a I have a song for that. It's 513 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,080 Speaker 1: called All We Want is that you Be? I got 514 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:10,560 Speaker 1: holdball in my eyes. So for the people while you 515 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: want to swicide's going to get something that can change 516 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 1: your live for like Yang ain't left and right help 517 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: everybody got to share that pie. Oh we want is 518 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:23,200 Speaker 1: that you be? Yeah? So that's my song you Be I? 519 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: And um it did it? Did Andrew Yang ever hit 520 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: you up about that? We'll talk about that, Okay, Cool, 521 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:34,520 Speaker 1: let's come back to that. I've done a bunch of 522 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: events with Andrew Yang. I talked to his manager all 523 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: the time, and he's hadn't performed at his rallies and 524 00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 1: tweeted out my songs. He's shotting me out in interviews. Um, 525 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: he's like retweeted my campaign video and um, so he's 526 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: actually been like a big friend and helping to get 527 00:30:55,280 --> 00:31:00,600 Speaker 1: you know, helping to spur energy behind my pain. But 528 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,400 Speaker 1: so u V I then I have spreading love. I'm 529 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,120 Speaker 1: spreading love to the community. I'm gonna block. I'm for 530 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:09,360 Speaker 1: the unity. I'm being positive what they're gonna do to 531 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 1: me waving a stick. This is it new to me. 532 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: I'm gonna track. I'm in the hood. I'm giving out hugs. 533 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: How much a girl she was a love? Dave me 534 00:31:16,760 --> 00:31:20,160 Speaker 1: some moe. Just ain't it? Nub. And my platform, actually, 535 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:24,480 Speaker 1: you always gotta, you know, listen to your gut because 536 00:31:24,480 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: my platform actually was even much more robust than that 537 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: I originally when I first announced, I had over like 538 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 1: eighty four issues that I pledged to fighting for, and 539 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: among them being like reparations, uh for slavery, among them 540 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:45,520 Speaker 1: being um, abolishing the police. Um. And these were things 541 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 1: that like I even took off right at once. I 542 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: got like a I had like a white manager that 543 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: was working with me, and you know his and I'm 544 00:31:56,760 --> 00:31:59,440 Speaker 1: not blaming him because it was ultimately my decision, but 545 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:02,440 Speaker 1: you know, we boiled it down. I'm saying this so 546 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,320 Speaker 1: people can like kind of understand where some of the 547 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: like framing of the platforms even come from and why, 548 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: like it's like even cookie cutter like this, even though 549 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: you described it as progressive, I'm even just critiquing it 550 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:17,400 Speaker 1: myself how I feel about it. When I started the campaign, 551 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: I had like abolished in the police was at the 552 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:21,200 Speaker 1: top of it because I was like, no, you don't 553 00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,160 Speaker 1: understand this is and you don't get it because of this, 554 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,600 Speaker 1: and like they're like no. My own was like, no, 555 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:29,680 Speaker 1: no one's gonna vote for you to say abolished the police. 556 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: You're you're gonna get into trouble. You're you're gonna cause more. 557 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:37,400 Speaker 1: Do you want to win this? Right? All right? So 558 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: we take off it's eighty four and they're all on 559 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: my website. They were all on my website, and we 560 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:44,920 Speaker 1: take off eighty of them and leave the three or 561 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,760 Speaker 1: four that's there because it's like, you know, these are 562 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 1: gonna be the main things that you're fighting for an 563 00:32:50,080 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 1: x y Z, which I did agree with to keep 564 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:59,680 Speaker 1: it simple for people. Uh, but you know, I now 565 00:33:00,040 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: it's like everybody talking about polishing the police, talking about 566 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: defunding the police, and I was like, I was talking 567 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 1: about that in December nineteen, like on the platform, not 568 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:12,240 Speaker 1: not that saying that was the first time I had 569 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:14,600 Speaker 1: mentioned it. I'm saying that was like on my platform. 570 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 1: Now it's like people are so um It's just like wow. 571 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: Like you know, sometimes things might seem far out progressive, futuristic, 572 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: but you don't even know how ready people are for it, 573 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: how soon people are ready for it. Another class example 574 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: of that universal basic income. I was talking about universe 575 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: basic income. Did some of these songs that I'm singing. 576 00:33:36,720 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: One of the songs I did was for Yang, the 577 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:43,920 Speaker 1: first song I ever did about Yang's platform. You asked 578 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: me about that. You know, when I first heard of him, 579 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:52,280 Speaker 1: it was early nineteen, it might even been and he 580 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,120 Speaker 1: talked about basic income giving a thousand dollars a month 581 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 1: to everyone, and I saw it like it was almost 582 00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,080 Speaker 1: one of those like articles that you see at the 583 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:00,960 Speaker 1: end of one of those the articles that looks like 584 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:03,920 Speaker 1: a spam ad. I was like, somebody running for president 585 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 1: talk about so I click it and I'm like basic 586 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:08,960 Speaker 1: income and I'm reading up on it. I'm like, Wow, 587 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:11,319 Speaker 1: that's dope, and this is why you know, the new 588 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:14,799 Speaker 1: election is about to start. Uh, and people are talking 589 00:34:14,840 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 1: about Bernie right and I supported Bernie in twenty six 590 00:34:18,600 --> 00:34:21,560 Speaker 1: team uh. And then I was like, wait, put this. 591 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,600 Speaker 1: It feels like we need more now, like right now, 592 00:34:24,640 --> 00:34:27,759 Speaker 1: it feels like we need more. And I was like 593 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 1: basic income. And then I had studied Martin Luther King 594 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:37,120 Speaker 1: and Martin Luther King with the Poor People's Campaign. You know, 595 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 1: one of the things that he was fighting for before 596 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 1: he was killed. One of the reasons that he was 597 00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:43,400 Speaker 1: killed is not because he was talking about I have 598 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: a dream for black people and white people to get 599 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 1: ice cream. No, it was him talking about the you know, 600 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:53,800 Speaker 1: economic revolution and again income. You know, these are the 601 00:34:54,120 --> 00:34:58,200 Speaker 1: last speeches everyone he's named. He's he's dropping a guaranteed 602 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:00,560 Speaker 1: income and how important it is. And this is in 603 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:04,719 Speaker 1: the sixties, So the idea isn't that progressive? This? You know, 604 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,160 Speaker 1: Martin Luther King talking about it back then, and um 605 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:11,600 Speaker 1: you know, um, I knew about that, and I always 606 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,319 Speaker 1: wondered why no one ever talked about that from Martin 607 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: mus but it was like, still no one ever talks 608 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,839 Speaker 1: about it. And then so from Yang. I was like, 609 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: this is a way to even boost Martin Mu King's message. 610 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: So I did the Yang Gang song and I which 611 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: I dropped it and then like fifteen minutes later he 612 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,879 Speaker 1: treated it out and then like after that, I did 613 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,319 Speaker 1: another song called got to Do the Math, which was 614 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:40,520 Speaker 1: about doing the math of why, um, universal basic income 615 00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:44,280 Speaker 1: was important and I had to dance with it, you know. Um, 616 00:35:44,280 --> 00:35:46,840 Speaker 1: it's like you gotta do the math. Hey, you gotta 617 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: do the math. Hey, you gotta do the math. Calcul 618 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: Later in the bath, I'm a split s I'm a 619 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:54,759 Speaker 1: splash gang gang, get the back, and you gotta do 620 00:35:54,840 --> 00:36:00,560 Speaker 1: the m A t h M A t h m 621 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,840 Speaker 1: a T page. So that's basically the hook in the 622 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: versus like thousand dollars in your pocket. Everybody about the 623 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:08,439 Speaker 1: guy that but the kids like Polly Pocket. It's easy 624 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:10,440 Speaker 1: like outo polt. Yeah, And we never stopped and do 625 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: the math. So all the problem all that, Dad, he's 626 00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:15,280 Speaker 1: all O Mamas pizza hat. In the side of fighting 627 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:20,719 Speaker 1: for actual policies, um that, I feel like we're going 628 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:25,080 Speaker 1: to help people, you know, and that are pushing the narrative, 629 00:36:25,560 --> 00:36:27,920 Speaker 1: that are changing the way do people do things. I 630 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 1: put spreading Love on my platform. People thought it was 631 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:34,560 Speaker 1: a joke. You know. Now it's like now again when 632 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: June came around and there were riots in the street, 633 00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:39,200 Speaker 1: theyre like, we did people to spread love we need 634 00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,480 Speaker 1: And I'm like, no, you didn't want to listen before 635 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,719 Speaker 1: when we were talking about it, you know, and you 636 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 1: didn't take it seriously. You didn't take and spreading love 637 00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:52,040 Speaker 1: that manifests itself as actual community spaces for people to 638 00:36:52,239 --> 00:36:58,239 Speaker 1: use on every block, hopefully in America. How difficult was 639 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:01,760 Speaker 1: the campaign for you? Like, did you you experienced pushback? 640 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:05,040 Speaker 1: I did. I experienced a lot of pushback, And you know, 641 00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:09,440 Speaker 1: like I think I got a lot of support because 642 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: I was already doing a lot of political work, UM 643 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:16,799 Speaker 1: in a in a unique way, like in my community. UM. 644 00:37:16,840 --> 00:37:19,480 Speaker 1: One of the ways being like the songs that I 645 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:21,360 Speaker 1: was doing, like some of them that I just mentioned 646 00:37:21,360 --> 00:37:24,560 Speaker 1: now that we're just trying to know. So many people 647 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,920 Speaker 1: have like yo, I've never heard of Universe Basic Income 648 00:37:27,320 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: before your song. So many people some people like yo, 649 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:34,680 Speaker 1: I've never heard of Andrew Yang before your song. I 650 00:37:34,719 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: wasn't even thinking about voting for that, UM. We were 651 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,879 Speaker 1: doing voter registration efforts at my shows. Again, now it's 652 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,279 Speaker 1: right before the election, so like people are a lot 653 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:45,120 Speaker 1: more people are doing these type of things. But I 654 00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,720 Speaker 1: was doing that, like you know, two years ago all 655 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,759 Speaker 1: of my rap shows. It would be like yo, verge 656 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,399 Speaker 1: to the vote, and you know, if you REGI to vote, 657 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,120 Speaker 1: tell you what I'm I buy your free drink to 658 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,680 Speaker 1: you know what I'm saying. For certain people, I'm like, okay, 659 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:00,480 Speaker 1: maybe only nine people registered to vote this time, but 660 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:02,359 Speaker 1: three or four times on the line. Now we got 661 00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 1: fifties seventy two hundred people registry to vote. And we're 662 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:11,400 Speaker 1: talking about communities with black, Latino people, young people usually 663 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:19,560 Speaker 1: not even inside of your process. Yeah, so that um 664 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:21,799 Speaker 1: I was. I also was a part of this UH 665 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: protest at the beginning of Trump's inauguration called he Will 666 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:30,319 Speaker 1: Not Divide Us, which was in New York. It was 667 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:34,319 Speaker 1: big Shila Buff kind of kicked off, Oh I know 668 00:38:34,440 --> 00:38:38,719 Speaker 1: about that. Yeah, yeah, like Shila Buff and Jaden Smith 669 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 1: kicked it off. And I was kind of like one 670 00:38:40,160 --> 00:38:44,080 Speaker 1: of the main UH characters if you will in this 671 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 1: And I received like a ton of death threats from 672 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: like uh, you know exactly like white supremacists for a 673 00:38:51,640 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 1: chan all of these things, tried to have all of 674 00:38:54,280 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 1: my accounts and all of this. So so yeah, like 675 00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,640 Speaker 1: these things happened, and you know, you just learn how 676 00:39:02,640 --> 00:39:06,000 Speaker 1: to deal with them. I've said for a long time 677 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:08,399 Speaker 1: it's kind of a barometer of like how much you're 678 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:11,320 Speaker 1: shaking the table, Like if you are getting death threats, 679 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:16,480 Speaker 1: he ain't even doing this work hard enough. No, definitely, definitely. 680 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:18,920 Speaker 1: We talked a little about u B I. I want 681 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: to talk about Paperboy Care. I think it's interesting that 682 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:28,120 Speaker 1: it preserves private insurance and allows people to remain unassured 683 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,400 Speaker 1: if they so choose, but it does guarantee healthcare to 684 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:39,640 Speaker 1: every person. That's correct. Yes for me. You know, um, 685 00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:45,319 Speaker 1: healthcare is one of the most important things. And we're 686 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:49,759 Speaker 1: only as healthy as our sickest person, right, And I 687 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: think coronavirus helped to expose that as a truth. It's like, 688 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,160 Speaker 1: how can you not want access to health care for 689 00:39:57,239 --> 00:40:01,760 Speaker 1: all if we're living in a world where viruses exists, 690 00:40:02,080 --> 00:40:05,280 Speaker 1: where if one person gets something, then you can potentially 691 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:07,879 Speaker 1: get it as well, no matter the level of your 692 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:10,360 Speaker 1: health care, or even if you're good and your healthcare 693 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:13,880 Speaker 1: is so good that you're going to be safe. The masses. 694 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:17,239 Speaker 1: Being sick can affect your everyday life. Again, look at 695 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:19,680 Speaker 1: coronavirus because of so many people being sick, and that 696 00:40:20,200 --> 00:40:22,080 Speaker 1: now the way that we do life, the way that 697 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:27,680 Speaker 1: we do business school, everything has been interrupted and changed 698 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:31,120 Speaker 1: because of that. So so for me, like you know, 699 00:40:31,320 --> 00:40:36,680 Speaker 1: healthcare is super important. And you know right now, you know, 700 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 1: we don't have an actual healthcare system in this country. 701 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,160 Speaker 1: We have a you know, sick care system. We wait 702 00:40:44,239 --> 00:40:49,920 Speaker 1: until you're actually sick, uh, you have a disease. We 703 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:53,200 Speaker 1: wait until we've allowed you to you know, create these 704 00:40:53,200 --> 00:40:57,839 Speaker 1: habits for yourself, um that are killing you, and then 705 00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:00,520 Speaker 1: we want to treat you for that be because that 706 00:41:00,719 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: is the best way for capitalism to make money off 707 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:08,480 Speaker 1: of the people, instead of you know, instilling healthy habits 708 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:14,560 Speaker 1: in us as children and then fostering those making it 709 00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 1: easier for us to live healthy lifestyles, you know what 710 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:22,320 Speaker 1: I mean. So, so this is kind of the idea 711 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 1: of paperboard care. It's not just even physical body care. 712 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:30,680 Speaker 1: It also combines and this is with spreading love. This 713 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:35,799 Speaker 1: is also with basic income as well. It combines you know, 714 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:40,839 Speaker 1: raising the collective consciousness of people and actually you know, 715 00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 1: living and thinking on a higher plane, right, but to 716 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:46,600 Speaker 1: do that, like a lot of your basic needs need 717 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:50,120 Speaker 1: to be met and just basic level of just like 718 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:58,360 Speaker 1: uh like safety, Yeah, you're basic needs security. It's interesting 719 00:41:58,360 --> 00:42:02,600 Speaker 1: that it preserves private insurance, which is, you know, different 720 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 1: from most of the Medicare for All plans that are 721 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:09,359 Speaker 1: out there. So why did you decide to go that route? Well, 722 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:14,600 Speaker 1: you know, from my talks with UM, a lot of 723 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: community members UM in my community, many of them felt 724 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:32,000 Speaker 1: it being the government infringing on their UH rights, taking 725 00:42:32,040 --> 00:42:36,480 Speaker 1: away their right to their own private This is what 726 00:42:36,719 --> 00:42:40,760 Speaker 1: certain not me. I'm so you're being responsive to the community. 727 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:44,160 Speaker 1: Now that makes sense for me being a healthy, generally 728 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:47,399 Speaker 1: healthy person, Thank god. UM. You know, I haven't had 729 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:50,319 Speaker 1: to interact with the health care system to where I'm 730 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 1: paying in tens of thousands of hundred thousands of dollars 731 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:56,480 Speaker 1: into it, whereas other people I've talked to who you know, 732 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 1: see their positions more regularly, are like or have different 733 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:04,040 Speaker 1: conditions or like, you know, I want to still be 734 00:43:04,080 --> 00:43:06,160 Speaker 1: able to have that option. And the way that some 735 00:43:06,200 --> 00:43:08,600 Speaker 1: people broken down to me is this. Now, I will 736 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:11,759 Speaker 1: say that I see the issues of people saying that 737 00:43:12,280 --> 00:43:18,040 Speaker 1: by their even being a private healthcare insurance industry existing, 738 00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:26,360 Speaker 1: they're very um like existence will like influence and change 739 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:31,000 Speaker 1: the like effects on public health care. So and like, 740 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:33,719 Speaker 1: I definitely like recognize that, and I think that that's 741 00:43:33,719 --> 00:43:38,640 Speaker 1: something to like be dealt with moving forward. Um. But 742 00:43:38,680 --> 00:43:40,680 Speaker 1: the flip side of that, as people say, you know, 743 00:43:41,960 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 1: there's a public school system where everyone has access to 744 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:52,360 Speaker 1: uh equal equal I say in parentheses, um quotations, uh 745 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:56,359 Speaker 1: like equal education, so they could also be and then 746 00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:58,279 Speaker 1: there's also a private school where if you want to 747 00:43:58,320 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 1: pay extra, if you want to pay a hundred thousand 748 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:02,759 Speaker 1: dollars for your kids to go to middle school, you 749 00:44:02,800 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 1: can do that. Um. So they're saying, hey, if I 750 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,080 Speaker 1: want to be able to do this for my healthcare, 751 00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 1: can I do that as well? For me, it was 752 00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:11,719 Speaker 1: me saying, hey, if this is something that is really 753 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:13,799 Speaker 1: important to you, then I feel like in the first 754 00:44:13,840 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: steps to us building a strong public health care system 755 00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:20,279 Speaker 1: that yes, we can still find ways to preserve your 756 00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:22,879 Speaker 1: private health care if that's what the people really want. 757 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,960 Speaker 1: But again, if that's not what the people want, then 758 00:44:25,000 --> 00:44:28,319 Speaker 1: then I'm a hundred percent down to move away from 759 00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:32,880 Speaker 1: that as well. So I love your responsivity to like 760 00:44:33,200 --> 00:44:45,719 Speaker 1: what you're hearing on the ground that's really dope. So 761 00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:48,279 Speaker 1: I had a question, what, um, I know how you 762 00:44:48,280 --> 00:44:52,160 Speaker 1: were saying earlier that the whole concept of like throwing 763 00:44:52,200 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 1: a party or throwing an event kind of help with 764 00:44:56,520 --> 00:45:00,960 Speaker 1: you know, how you approach activism and stuff. So what 765 00:45:01,239 --> 00:45:05,879 Speaker 1: skill do you think you've either picked up or developed 766 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:10,439 Speaker 1: being a performer in an m C that has come 767 00:45:10,480 --> 00:45:14,239 Speaker 1: in useful the most, like while you're running or in 768 00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:19,239 Speaker 1: your political pursuits. I would say, like one of the 769 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:26,839 Speaker 1: main things is uh promotion, like you know, like from 770 00:45:26,880 --> 00:45:30,719 Speaker 1: being I hate being a promoter. I really hated like 771 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:35,640 Speaker 1: promoting rap shows and promoting parties and albums. I like 772 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:38,880 Speaker 1: making the stuff. I like doing the party, doing the show, 773 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:42,080 Speaker 1: I don't like promoting it. I don't like texting a 774 00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:44,160 Speaker 1: hundred people and telling them to do this. I don't 775 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:48,000 Speaker 1: like passing out flyers. And but like that came in 776 00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:50,279 Speaker 1: handy because all of the times that I had to, 777 00:45:50,320 --> 00:45:53,400 Speaker 1: like I passed out five thousand flyers from like a 778 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:56,440 Speaker 1: sponsor that like sponsored my mixtape or whatever, or like 779 00:45:56,840 --> 00:45:59,759 Speaker 1: I was passing out flyers just for to promote my 780 00:45:59,800 --> 00:46:02,200 Speaker 1: own shows. That came in handy when I had a 781 00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:05,080 Speaker 1: petition to get on the ballot for Congress. I was 782 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:08,400 Speaker 1: already you know, used to putting myself out there in 783 00:46:08,440 --> 00:46:11,800 Speaker 1: this type of way and like you know, just hitting 784 00:46:11,800 --> 00:46:15,400 Speaker 1: the ground running and just really depending on my own grind. 785 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:18,480 Speaker 1: And and yes, we had like a volunteers and we 786 00:46:18,560 --> 00:46:21,080 Speaker 1: grew a volunteer base, but like even starting out, you 787 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:23,600 Speaker 1: know a lot of it was like just me or 788 00:46:23,640 --> 00:46:27,600 Speaker 1: me or one other person. And you know, if I 789 00:46:27,640 --> 00:46:29,560 Speaker 1: was and they were feeding off my energy. So if 790 00:46:29,600 --> 00:46:34,320 Speaker 1: I was not vibing, if I wasn't you know, moving, 791 00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:36,319 Speaker 1: then it wouldn't do much. So I would say that. 792 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:41,640 Speaker 1: And me also being a host as well, because like 793 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:43,960 Speaker 1: I'm a rapper, but a lot of the times I 794 00:46:44,000 --> 00:46:46,040 Speaker 1: was like, hey, you know, I told you I did 795 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:50,880 Speaker 1: broadcast journalism school, so I was like hosting shows and 796 00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:55,920 Speaker 1: events and these things, you know. So like that's still 797 00:46:55,960 --> 00:47:01,719 Speaker 1: of kind of just being able to, um, yeah, hold 798 00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:05,520 Speaker 1: it down whenever, you know, and motivate the people. And 799 00:47:05,880 --> 00:47:09,759 Speaker 1: I've kind of always used my rapping as more of 800 00:47:09,800 --> 00:47:12,759 Speaker 1: black you know, my parents were pastors, so I've used 801 00:47:12,800 --> 00:47:15,759 Speaker 1: my wrapping as kind of like it is very like 802 00:47:17,080 --> 00:47:22,080 Speaker 1: preachy and churchy in its own way. Uh, and so, 803 00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:25,960 Speaker 1: but that it's probably the strongest skill because I just 804 00:47:26,080 --> 00:47:29,799 Speaker 1: feel super I know how to. I feel like I 805 00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:34,680 Speaker 1: know how to. For example, right in June, we threw 806 00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:39,840 Speaker 1: in the election with June. In June, the beginning of June, 807 00:47:39,840 --> 00:47:41,960 Speaker 1: it was a lot of the George Floyd protests and 808 00:47:42,000 --> 00:47:45,120 Speaker 1: all these things were taken off. We let you know, 809 00:47:45,360 --> 00:47:49,319 Speaker 1: me myself and some of my collaborator collaborators, we let 810 00:47:49,360 --> 00:47:52,120 Speaker 1: a lot of protests, shut down bridges here, you know, 811 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:56,680 Speaker 1: had the cops basically like anywhere I posted, you know 812 00:47:56,719 --> 00:47:59,279 Speaker 1: what I mean, twenty NYPD officers showing up twenty in 813 00:47:59,360 --> 00:48:03,359 Speaker 1: my past walk cars and I would be hosting these 814 00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:06,439 Speaker 1: rallies and protests and at first I was like, okay, 815 00:48:06,440 --> 00:48:09,040 Speaker 1: we're doing a protest. What are we gonna do? And 816 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:12,080 Speaker 1: what am I gonna say? What I'm gonna end? Like 817 00:48:12,280 --> 00:48:16,759 Speaker 1: from my background in being a host in church, I 818 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:19,800 Speaker 1: learned how to just I'll be speaking in front of 819 00:48:19,800 --> 00:48:21,480 Speaker 1: the people and I look at my watching It's like, 820 00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:24,000 Speaker 1: oh wow, hour and a half just went by. You 821 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,960 Speaker 1: know what I'm saying, And that's that's no pin, no pad, 822 00:48:27,160 --> 00:48:34,320 Speaker 1: no Google notes, is just all from the um. Knowing 823 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:37,560 Speaker 1: how to harness the fire that's inside of me, the 824 00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:41,000 Speaker 1: collective energy that's there, and then just you know, keeping 825 00:48:41,000 --> 00:48:45,760 Speaker 1: that going freestyle and you know what, that's the number 826 00:48:45,800 --> 00:48:48,960 Speaker 1: one skill. Actually, yeah, that's that's I was. I was 827 00:48:49,160 --> 00:48:51,640 Speaker 1: gonna chime in with that's my number one skills, Like 828 00:48:52,280 --> 00:48:56,680 Speaker 1: knowing how to freestyle. You can if you really know 829 00:48:56,840 --> 00:48:59,600 Speaker 1: what the skill is, you can kind of apply it 830 00:48:59,640 --> 00:49:03,120 Speaker 1: to add ship. You know, it comes in really handy. 831 00:49:03,400 --> 00:49:05,440 Speaker 1: So what's next? Per year? Now that the campaign has 832 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:08,680 Speaker 1: done more music? I actually just like getting the text 833 00:49:08,719 --> 00:49:12,319 Speaker 1: now from some like some artists, some like uh, you know, 834 00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,800 Speaker 1: more like industry artists that I'm like collaborating with to 835 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:20,360 Speaker 1: get like some bigger tracks out there. So I'm excited 836 00:49:20,360 --> 00:49:22,560 Speaker 1: about that because the politics took a lot away from 837 00:49:22,600 --> 00:49:25,000 Speaker 1: my music as I wasn't able to want a lot 838 00:49:25,080 --> 00:49:28,000 Speaker 1: of my content, my musical content I put into like 839 00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:31,719 Speaker 1: the political stuff, and I didn't get to uh. I 840 00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:35,000 Speaker 1: was just so busy doing paperwork and meetings that I 841 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:38,680 Speaker 1: didn't have time to record and as much as I 842 00:49:38,719 --> 00:49:43,440 Speaker 1: like to. I also just opened a gallery art gallery 843 00:49:43,800 --> 00:49:47,000 Speaker 1: UM in Brooklyn, so black owned you know what I'm saying, 844 00:49:47,160 --> 00:49:51,040 Speaker 1: and h called the paperboyprints dot Com Love Gallery, which 845 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:54,560 Speaker 1: is gonna be like super dope. We're gonna have clothes 846 00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:57,840 Speaker 1: um that are art as well as you know, paintings 847 00:49:57,920 --> 00:50:04,600 Speaker 1: and different types of experiences. I'm also running again. Yeah, 848 00:50:04,760 --> 00:50:10,479 Speaker 1: so so I'm so my goal is to like help 849 00:50:10,600 --> 00:50:13,319 Speaker 1: change the system, like not just get myself elected, but 850 00:50:13,360 --> 00:50:17,040 Speaker 1: also change the system or highlight the issues system so 851 00:50:17,160 --> 00:50:19,319 Speaker 1: the people are well informed and they can decide what 852 00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:20,320 Speaker 1: we want to do and how are we going to 853 00:50:20,440 --> 00:50:25,680 Speaker 1: change it? Um So running in for I haven't officially announced, 854 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:29,640 Speaker 1: but I'll say it here. Um, I'm running in for 855 00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:36,680 Speaker 1: city council in uh Brooklyn and Queens. Yeah. The the 856 00:50:36,760 --> 00:50:40,320 Speaker 1: voting public is a lot more educated on what I'm about, 857 00:50:40,360 --> 00:50:43,279 Speaker 1: what I stand for my work than they were a 858 00:50:43,400 --> 00:50:46,480 Speaker 1: year ago. So like that's gonna it's gonna be exciting. 859 00:50:46,800 --> 00:50:48,759 Speaker 1: It's all about building on it, you know, build on 860 00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:52,440 Speaker 1: what you did before exactly so that where can people 861 00:50:52,520 --> 00:50:55,680 Speaker 1: find more info about you and get involved in your campaigns. 862 00:50:56,080 --> 00:50:59,439 Speaker 1: Paper boy prints dot com. Paper boy prints dot com. 863 00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:01,600 Speaker 1: And if you're ever visit in New York and all 864 00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,200 Speaker 1: of the tourist attractions are down and you want to 865 00:51:05,200 --> 00:51:08,120 Speaker 1: come to a new black owned tourist attraction you can 866 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:11,680 Speaker 1: come to the paperboyprints dot com love gallery where you 867 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:13,880 Speaker 1: can see some art. You may be able to even 868 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:18,560 Speaker 1: meet me, and you'll be in a great community space. UM. 869 00:51:18,600 --> 00:51:21,040 Speaker 1: You can also donate to the work we're doing at 870 00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:24,920 Speaker 1: paperboy prints dot com and quick donate UM. Or you 871 00:51:24,920 --> 00:51:28,280 Speaker 1: can just hit me up directly on my paper phone. 872 00:51:28,480 --> 00:51:34,839 Speaker 1: That's seven to seven three seven nine and yeah at 873 00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:38,360 Speaker 1: paperboy the prints on Instagram. I'm like most active on Instagram, 874 00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:43,960 Speaker 1: but I'm on Twitter and the other stuff too. I'm 875 00:51:43,960 --> 00:51:50,080 Speaker 1: on YouTube and everything too, so goodt I guess it's 876 00:51:50,120 --> 00:51:53,280 Speaker 1: about that time in it, yo, Can we get a beat? 877 00:51:57,600 --> 00:52:10,560 Speaker 1: Hey hey, hey, h low low low waiting on reparations 878 00:52:13,360 --> 00:52:15,600 Speaker 1: that moment when you're black and nobody give a fun. 879 00:52:15,719 --> 00:52:17,839 Speaker 1: You depressed, scared of cops because you fear they could 880 00:52:17,880 --> 00:52:19,960 Speaker 1: be rushing you. Next, you want some new threats, but 881 00:52:20,040 --> 00:52:22,200 Speaker 1: you feel the busting the sweat. Instead of going out, 882 00:52:22,200 --> 00:52:24,600 Speaker 1: you rather play some Russian roulette. It's like I'm Biggie 883 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:26,520 Speaker 1: in that song, but I ain't talking about and I 884 00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:28,319 Speaker 1: can't let them see me wrong because I'm strong and 885 00:52:28,320 --> 00:52:30,399 Speaker 1: I'm tough. But y'all really in the fog and y'all 886 00:52:30,520 --> 00:52:32,560 Speaker 1: calling a blood, but you're not turn the feelings off 887 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:34,680 Speaker 1: because I'm closet to much. It's all just a rush 888 00:52:34,719 --> 00:52:37,440 Speaker 1: and I'm tense. But it gets better fast food, something 889 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,319 Speaker 1: hard to release. My blood pressure had enough stresses. Look, 890 00:52:40,480 --> 00:52:42,600 Speaker 1: I've been making beats sign shaped in weeks now. My 891 00:52:42,640 --> 00:52:45,120 Speaker 1: whole face is a rough texture. I don't do this 892 00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:48,279 Speaker 1: rap ship just for dump pleasure anyway. Any means with 893 00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:53,160 Speaker 1: the next measure yo yo, and it gets pressure. Uh 894 00:52:53,280 --> 00:52:55,600 Speaker 1: check it out, yeah, find it out space like the 895 00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:58,319 Speaker 1: depth of the dinosaurs with ron let's connect ever felt 896 00:52:58,440 --> 00:53:01,080 Speaker 1: from spinal corn with disconnected the head about to the 897 00:53:01,120 --> 00:53:03,120 Speaker 1: kind of stord. Find it on the floor effectually stepping 898 00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:05,160 Speaker 1: with like a kind of sword, but I'm fighting war. 899 00:53:05,280 --> 00:53:07,080 Speaker 1: The final word is my kind of sword, but not 900 00:53:07,239 --> 00:53:09,280 Speaker 1: just any type of word. I'm a kind of sword. 901 00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:11,520 Speaker 1: You can search and talk world's never find a girl 902 00:53:11,560 --> 00:53:13,200 Speaker 1: will find the form, never fund to check it. So 903 00:53:13,239 --> 00:53:15,040 Speaker 1: I love and toppling off because it must not too 904 00:53:15,040 --> 00:53:17,640 Speaker 1: sick the chicken, little soup sick, holling home to MoMA, 905 00:53:17,680 --> 00:53:19,719 Speaker 1: Hey Mama, I got the flute sick. Not sure if 906 00:53:19,719 --> 00:53:22,520 Speaker 1: you'd reaming lucid and having a short trip nevers feel 907 00:53:22,600 --> 00:53:29,000 Speaker 1: like hallucination in tooth sin Bars Bars, I'm la Franca, 908 00:53:29,360 --> 00:53:34,200 Speaker 1: I'm Dope Knife and we are Waiting on reparations. See 909 00:53:34,200 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: you next week, vote early if you can, and we 910 00:53:38,600 --> 00:53:43,720 Speaker 1: love you all. Yes. Waiting on Reparations as a production 911 00:53:43,760 --> 00:53:46,719 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radio. Listen to Waiting on Reparations on 912 00:53:46,840 --> 00:53:49,799 Speaker 1: the i Heeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you 913 00:53:49,840 --> 00:53:50,799 Speaker 1: get your podcasts.