Why Michael Jackson was Taken Down & Untold Eminem Stories

'Cause you've got to constantly be alert. Mm-hmm, yeah. You know, especially if you live in the life. Mm-hmm. Like, if you live in that life. Yeah. Bruv, you're not focused. You're gonna get out smarter by every bit you meet. Oh, I don't get you. 'Cause they smart, bro. Like, they-- What do you mean they smart? You got to play chess. [LAUGHTER] You got to play chess, bro. Got you, chess, got you, chess, got you. When they say you know the game is crazy, that's what they really mean. Like, it's really a game about-- it's a mental game on who can outsmart and outdo who. We explain. It's hard to explain. Like, 'cause they're coming to catch you. You're saying the-- And you got to not get caught. All the suitors, huh? The suitors are coming to catch you. Yeah, they're coming to get you. It's a game, it's about who can bag you. Yeah. And you got to not get bagged. And then what-- Like hide and seek. What is-- [LAUGHTER] You know what I'm saying? It's like, hey, you know what I'm saying? Now, what is getting you, though? It's not just fucking, right? It's like-- No, no, no, no, no, it's not-- I mean, to me, that's the like the last part. That's like the part that's like self-explanatory in the end, right? Is either going to be the reward or the weapon. Fucking is either the reward or the weapon. It depends on how you approach-- What do you mean by weapon? You don't know? [LAUGHTER] I just want to clarify. I just want to clarify, you know what I'm saying? Like, like, like, think about all the horror stories that you see online about a guy getting snagged, and next to him, he's paying like $100,000 a month on a chick he just met. Don't even know who she is. Got it. OK, OK. She's weaponizing the sex. 100%. Got it. Or they just meet and get a divorce. And next to him, he's going to court giving a half and he only known her for six months. Yeah, that's got to be all right. What are the rules? It should be, but it's not. What are the rules on that in Acon City? What are the rules going to be? Oh, there won't be no rules in Acon City. [LAUGHTER] There's no-- There's no rules going to be guidelines. That's it. OK. How do I get a dual citizenship? Yeah, exactly. What do we find out? Yeah. Yeah, you guys are naturally being citizens, because I'm trying to make it to where as a partnership with the United States. So if you're a U.S. citizen, you're automatically a citizen. Oh, fine. I want to make it a territory in Senegal. Oh, the United States. Depending on how legislation is passed here, because some of the things that's going on here from a law perspective is not really favorable. Especially with immigration, right? So, yeah, you know what I mean? So I need to make sure that some of that stuff actually works for visitors to be able to come in and out. But for the most part, I want it to be an open-- I want it to be a unity city, like an entertainment unity city where-- We're going to-- We're going to get-- Just donate him a plane. Yo. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just donate him a gift. You can make anything happen. OK, so-- I'll just hug that. Yeah, well, I should be able to get him a plane. Now he can use when he comes. Exactly. And we were on a very interesting subject, which is like women hunting you. And-- No hunting us. Us. Yeah, we're just together, guys. No, no. Just wait a minute. We're happily married now. Me too. Yeah, I don't want to tell you. You got a unique marriage. No, no, it's not a biblical one. It's not unique. It's just culture. Explain this culture. Well, look how excited he got it. I'm thinking about it. I'm watching how excited you are. I'm like, you're looking at me. You're looking at me. I'm excited. He can't wait. He's told me he got explain it. He just-- Tell me why. Tell me why. No, no, tell me why it is-- because obviously you think about having multiple wives. And you're just like, all right, multiple women, that's fire. But multiple wives, multiple responsibilities. Yeah, that's a very different thing than multiple women. 100%. So tell me why you want multiple wives, not just one wife, and then multiple women. I mean, because it's the responsibilities as well, too. It makes your life a lot easier. Like so much easier. Because you got to think wives are like your best friends. They always got you back. Like, no matter what, they're going to hold you down. They're going to support. They're going to protect. So your perimeter is already occupied by your soldiers. Because they're not going to let none come in that's going to define effect or in any kind of way create a bad environment for you. You follow them, Sam? Of course, yeah. Now, one wife-- some shit could get in. It could slide in. [LAUGHTER] It's just one line of defense. That's all you got. I mean, you only got one line of defense. That's crazy. You only got one line of defense. You don't have one bodyguard? And think about how many are coming at you. She can't stop them all. That's why there's always problems in the household. [LAUGHTER] You know what I'm saying? So how many are there? She can't defend everybody. She's like this. Yeah, she got a place. You don't use enough feet before you know. I'm just like this to me. Somebody slip in, and I'm like, shit. No, it's not there. [LAUGHTER] So how many lies are the fence you think are really necessary for security of a man? It depends on the man. Right, right. I'm a very-- I'm a very-- Alex, what about Alex? What about Alex? How many lies are there? Let's try getting in trouble, though. Alex, see it, right? No, I'm not going to use lies on the fence, bro. See, Alex. Yeah. Chill out, bro. You're about to get a wife looking at me coming right up. Yeah, I'm going to see Alex. See, Alex, he's fragile. You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right, man. Alex, it's real right now. I'm a lover. I'm a lover. And with Alex, you kind of all have to chip in, and donate some courage over here, too. Because what happens is this, as a man, right? Right, Kanye, what you doing right now? No, no, no, I'm trying to help you out. And you've got to let me. You can not stop me and allow me to-- Yes. --I got to empower you. Yes. Because right now, she holds the power. Yeah, all right. And it's obvious. It's very obvious. But it's OK. You trust me. [LAUGHTER] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'll see you guys next time. You understand the kind of person I am, Alex, right? I'm in a position where I'm the king of my household. It was very clear. Like, the fence is so heavy that no one can lift it with me. It's like that hammer. Yeah. It's always for a man. That's how your house has to be. If your wife can lift that hammer, she's knocking you over the head with it. Period. One thing about women, the more you give them, the more they take. There has to be a line where she know that you're the dominant rule-maker, the dominant voice, the dominant, everything. And what you say is what goes. Period. Yeah, it's more of a-- It's very clear. It's more of a democracy. 100%. [LAUGHTER] But that's true. A household is a monarch. It's a monarchy. How so is a monarchy? A monarchy. Democracy doesn't work in a household. Because now you kids feel like they can make decisions, too. No, you can't. There's a king and there's a queen, period. And then there's a princess, whatever, the workers, whoever. But there has to be a top position and maker. Like he says, what it is and everybody follows suit. And what is it? Alex said his house, though. Which position would you say here? I have to hear more. So far, what do you think? Yeah, it depends, Democrat. So far, it seemed like the queen runs the house. Whoa. So far. Damn. Boom, boom. Wow. Damn, man. Happy life, happy life. That's the wrong. That's the problem. [LAUGHTER] That's the problem right there. That's the problem. Tell us, tell us. Tell us. Because women are never happy. [LAUGHTER] You will never have a happy life because she's never going to be happy. [LAUGHTER] Yes. You wouldn't have to be-- listen. [LAUGHTER] Think about it. I could just imagine eight times a wife go, listen, if you get another wife, I'm not going to be happy. I mean, you're just like, when have you been happy? [LAUGHTER] I got nothing to lose here. No, that's the thing. That's the thing. I create happy environments. Because women have to be in a happy environment. It's not about necessarily making them happy specifically. Yeah. Because women are very-- like they're very-- how do you say indecisive? What you think makes them happy? Yeah. It's not quite-- we'll make some happy. What do you think makes them happy? What do we think makes women happy is the happy environment. That's what makes them happy. Like, you create a happy environment around them? They're going to always be happy because the environment don't allow them to be depressed. It doesn't allow them to be sad. What they want, they provide. It's there. What they need, they don't have to look for. Yeah. And when they're in a position where they feel safe, that's the environment. What do you do when your women are not feeling happy when your wife is happy? Then I mean, you're fucking up. What happens when you're fucking up? I find out. What I'm doing is fucking it up. And you ask them directly? Not all the time, because-- [LAUGHTER] That might-- you might think you're something more water. You know what I always ask too many questions. Women, no one is the one to ask them the question. You want to keep your mouth shut. You shut the fuck up. That's it. Then you figure it out. I know that. I know that. You gotta know that. Dude, I don't know. Alex, you're making us look mad. I know that. I do that. [LAUGHTER] I'm trying to empower you. All right. All right. I can tell your wife is a sweetheart, because that's why you don't want to lose her. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. So she's a good one. Yeah. Better person than me. Yeah. She pays his nails. Yeah. No, she's-- [LAUGHTER] Oh, hell no. [LAUGHTER] Oh, hell no. Oh, hell no. [LAUGHTER] - Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey (laughing) - You gotta use chords for a create. - I'm worried about it. - You think so, yeah. - Yeah. - I'm so worried for Alex. (laughing) Wait, wait, wait. But what happens when they all sink up? - Oh, it must be. - It's good, it's good. - A few days after. - No. - Yeah. - That's when you're going to tour. - Well, no, this thing. - Your tour happens to be the same week every month. - I'm always on the road anyway. But when I am home, you know, everything is in separate silos. Like, everybody has their own universe. I think the worst mistake you can do is put, oh, you're women in one place. - Oh. - You never want to do that. - So, it's the same estate and different homes on the estate. - Everyone has their own place and their own lifestyle and their own universe. - Their own place, meaning like. - Their own mansion. - Okay, so they're 30 minutes away. They're 30 minutes away. - Oh, I have a minutes away. They just not in the same place. And then how do you decide when you go to them? - I mean, that's all how your life is set up and how you manage yours, you know? Everybody's different. - Right. - You know, like depending on what's necessary what's needed, but you want to make sure that everyone's treated equally though. That's very important. - Mm-hmm. - Can't do one without doing for the other. - How do you manage, I can, you guys ask some questions. (laughing) - I can barely do that for one. - Yeah. - Do an equal for all of us. - 'Cause everybody don't know where to go to. - But sometimes one may need a little bit more in teaching than the other. 'Cause, you know, emotions go up and down. - Don't you get those things kind of be, you know? But I mean, think about it. Guys do that now, what they jump off's. - Yeah. - They do it now. - I mean, we don't know anything about that, man. - I know. - That's what we've got quite. (laughing) - That's a different type of lifestyle. - I know the jump off is. (laughing) - What's the jump off of my thoughts? Look at jump off. See if you get a definition of jump off. - Don't run me my thoughts. - That's all, that's all. - And let's not get in with trouble. Let's jump off the subject. (laughing) - I'm a good man, I'm a good man. - All of you guys are great, man. - Yeah. - All of you guys are good. - Do you have different wives that you enjoy doing different things with? - Yeah. - Like the wife I like to watch movies with. - Yeah, that's another thing. You know, one woman would never be able to provide you everything. - Who cooks the best? - They all great cooks. - Every single one of them. - Yeah, or you just can't say right now 'cause it's gonna hurt you. - A wife has to be a good cook. - Yeah, but there's gotta be a best. - I mean, everybody got different recipes that they cook better than the other. - Joe Love. - A first wife, she's the best with that. She cooks the best African food period. - Is she African? - No, she's not actually Asian. - No, she's from the Carolinas. - Oh wow. - White girl, black girl? - Black. - Do you have any different flavors than your wife? - Well. (laughing) - Yeah. - It makes a sound. - No. (laughing) - Yeah, we got it. - You got it. - It's the best and we're obviously the best. - It's all good. - We will be in trouble by the time we get out of here. (laughing) - You talking like is it a buffet? (laughing) - But no, are there some different flavors? - Oh man. - Yeah, I mean, in a situation like that, you would wanna, I guess you would. - You want a little Epcot? (laughing) - You definitely want an Epcot. - You want an Epcot? - You want an Epcot? - You got a drink around the world. - Yeah, you got a drink around the world. - You got an Epcot? (laughing) - I'm a happy. I'm a happy. - Yeah. - I need jump over here. - I need a jump over there. (laughing) - You guys. - I'm just saying so with your lifestyle, when you got different mansions, you don't wanna have one mansion over here, one mansion over here, and it's the same thing. - No, I mean, there's taste, there's taste. This is their universe. Remember, like it's creating a very happy environment for them, like separately though. Whatever makes them happy, that's what you do. - What about Christmas to you as well, you don't celebrate Christmas? - Yeah, I don't celebrate holidays. - No holidays? - Not really. - Very convenient. - Very, very convenient. (laughing) - Like that. (laughing) - What about New Year's Eve? - New Year's Eve, I'm always working. - You're on New Year's Eve. - I'm always being booked for those stuff. Like, that's another reason why I don't celebrate holidays 'cause I'm never there. I'm always being booked on special days, special days. - Yeah, that's a big day. They're gonna have you do the ball. - Yeah, it's a lot. - And then birthdays, you make a special- - Birthdays, I have to be reminded. I'm really bad with numbers and names. But faces and places, I'm like photographic memory. - How many wives you got? - I don't know if that's entertainment. - That's entertainment. - Yeah. - What is that? (laughing) - I'm a great answer. - I got one from a different question. - That's a great answer. - That's fire. - I'm gonna use that. - That's it. - What does that mean? (laughing) - I don't even know if that's entertainment. If you don't even know, that means you're not entertainment, bro. - Yeah. - Damn, I'm not entertainment, man. - You're not right now, you're that. (laughing) - God. - Do you know how many wives, huh? - Yeah. - Come on, man. - Let's see, guess what that does. - Tell me how to use that. - It makes you figure it out and makes you out. Think about it, make your research, it makes you just, that becomes a part of your entertainment. - That'd be fun if you were really single, bro. (laughing) - That's entertainment. (laughing) - Run me on my confess. (laughing) - Until then, it's entertainment. - Update, I'm gonna be out in LA, shooting a movie this summer, but we added some standup shows. So pull on up, man. We're gonna be in Pasadena, California at the ice house, the 19th and 20th of June. Then the Ontario Improv will be there, the 26th and 27th. And then the Brea Improv will be there July 17th and July 18th. And then we're gonna be at the Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada, Great Outdoors Fest, August 8th. So you can go grab tickets and any of those shows. If tickets are still available, 300shows.com, thank you guys so much. And Virginia Beach, you were fucking awesome. That was incredible. Love you guys, man. All right, Mark, what do you got? - Oh, I have great news. I'm going all over the end of the year. I'm going to Plano, Texas, Chandler, Arizona, Pasadena, California, San Diego, California. And then I'm also going to a couple other spots that are gonna be coming up at the end of the year, like Detroit, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah. And I can't wait to see you guys all there. Mark Agdon live.com, Alex. Guys, my monthly comedy show Is Back Canceled Comedy is on June 24th. We have a killer lineup. Get your tickets at canceledcomedyx.com. And then my tennis series, TheAllLoveClub.com. The tennis is on July 25th. I'll see you guys there. The first one was fantastic. Second one's gonna be even better. - Yeah, you have the most interesting life, bro. - Yeah. - I was just doing deep dive on you, man. Your life is absolutely crazy. - No, it's amazing. - Yeah, it's amazing, but like outside of entertainment, do you ever look back on it? And you're like, "Yeah, what the fuck happened?" - Over the last few decades. Like, what an insane journey I've been on. - Yeah, and that actually happens as I'm living it. - So you're present in it? You're reflecting on everything. - Absolutely. - 100%. - 'Cause I think, like, for me, I didn't even know about the Michael Jackson stuff. - Yeah, no, that was my dog, man. - This is good, dude. - I literally found out about that doing research on you for it. - Right. - I didn't know it about the lady. God, God, I've known it about your unbelievable success. But how do you get connected with Mike? - Well, we actually shared the same attorney for years, and I never knew. Like, my attorney never told me. He just called me one day. He was like, "Hey, man, what would you do a record with Mike?" - So Mike reached out to you about-- - Yeah. He told him to call me and see if I would be interested to work with him. - What song did he love of yours? So I ended up co-executive producing the re-release, the re-release of what's the name? Thriller for them. - Wow. - Okay, so you were brought in as a producer as well. - Yeah. - And then what he liked your work on it? - No, he had already liked my work. That's why he had me come along. - That's what I'm saying. What did he listen to from you? Did you find out the song that he listened to? - Yeah, so I had already had a few records, I already created for Mike. That day ever came and it was interesting 'cause when I did it, whole of my hand was one of them. And I still want the song I played first. - Hold on, so you already had songs. - I already set up for Mike. - Just in case, did you have any idea that you might meet with him? - Yeah, it was on my after the lawyer connection or-- - No, this is way before him. - This is what I was locked up. Yeah, this is my vision board. Like, he was at the top of the list to achieve one day to work with Michael Jackson. - So you're writing songs for Mike while you're in prison. - Right. - Hoping that one day you'll be a massive superstar. - Yeah. - And you'll get the opportunity to work with Michael Jackson. - Exactly. - Crazy part. He said, "I want it in 10 years." - Yeah. - And when did it happen? - It happened in five years. - Crazy. - Okay, hold on. So you go meet him. Do you meet him? The first time, or this is a corresponds with the first one? - No, I flew out to Vegas to meet him. - All right, so you fly to Vegas to meet him. You're in the studio with him? - No. - We met at his penthouse the first day. - I met him. - Okay. - Did you play the music there? - Let me just tell you what happened. - Yeah. - Three. - Yeah. - You mean the story. - This is insane. - How many people can say they fucking went to? - Now straight up. So my attorney literally called me and was like, "Yo, would you want to work with Mike?" I said, "Yeah." He said, "Okay, cool." You know, I represent him. I said, "Bro, how long you been representing Mike?" He said, "For a long time." I said, "You never told me." He said, "Well, you know, it's the attorney's plan. "Privately." He said, "Man, fuck that." You know how I felt about Mike and you never told me he said what I just waiting for the writer opportunity, but I think now is the time, you know, man, do you mind me setting up a call with you guys? And I was like, hell yeah. - Wait, one quick thing, did you ask him about Mike's stuff? - Well, he knows the allegations. - Oh, that was our bullshit. - See, that was our bullshit. - When I met Mike, when I spent time with him, I understood what was happening. - What'd you mean? - I'll explain after. - Okay. - So, no, but it was all bullshit, not only bullshit, but Mike had a lot of power, bro. And he owned a lot of. - Coordinated. - Coordinated tech, you think? - Yeah, he was, he was, see, Mike was just a smart ass business man. And he outsmarted a lot of the guys at the top. And like. - And they wanted to come for that. - That was, that's exactly what was happening. They was coming for it. - Okay. - Tell us, tell us this story, and then explain that part of the Mike thing. - So, so boom, he calls me and Mike's like, hey, he can't, how are you? And I was like, I get the fuck out of here. So, I hung up a phone. - He didn't know. - I hung up. Because I thought my attorney was just bullshit. Like, he was a jokester, too, right? He was a jokester, too. So then he calls back. He said, you can't. I got, that's Mike on the phone, bro. Like, it's really Mike. I said, I. - I know where. - So, I said, I believe me. Mike, is that you? He can't, it's really me. - I said, I'm gonna be in the front. (laughing) - I'm gonna be in the back. - No. - What do you call him a third time? That's what I knew, okay. He's not joking, it's really Mike. So, I picked up again and he's like, no, it's, it kind of is really me. I said, Mike, it's like, where are you? He said, I'm in Vegas. I said, oh shit. So, what we doing? We gonna work together, what? He said, yeah, we. - You said that, too. - Yeah. Yeah. He said, no, sir, it's like, I just wanna let you know that I'm such a fan and we have to get together. I'm working on thrillery release and I want you to be a part of it. I said, well, shit, when? He said, what are you doing tomorrow? I said, where are you? What do you need me to be doing? He said, okay, cool. Tomorrow. So, next thing that they call me, hit me with a text, flight information. I get to the liner, we get on a jet, fly to Vegas. When I get there, his head security guard Muhammad picks me up. And now we're on our way to the wind. So, now I'm driving, I'm sending myself, damn, just, I mean, I'm about to really fucking meet Michael Jackson. - It's just crazy. - I'm kinda scared 'cause I don't know how I'm gonna fucking react. Like, I don't wanna embarrass myself, but I'm like, this is Michael Jackson. Like, as a kid, like, this is all like, so. Are you worried about, like, what you're wearing? - No, I'm like, I don't care about none of that shit. I'm gonna worry about how I'm gonna react, like, as a man, like, I'm a man, like, I'm a man, you know what I mean? - But it's still, like, you wanna just hug on me, you're gonna get nervous, you know what I mean? - Exactly, I'm, now I'm checking myself, like, bro, just be easy and just pretend like you ain't excited. Like, you know, the shit that you, everybody tell me something before you meet somebody you admire. - But this is my, from people faint from, like. - Right. - And you see the photos, you see the video, who's like, I know those people didn't plan on spainting. (laughing) - Yeah, shit, like. - That's it, she told you. It just happens, you just black out next thing, like, this fucking just happened, right? 'Cause I'm like, please, don't let that shit happen. - Yeah, yeah. - 'Cause now we go down, bro. That's when I realize there's entrances and exits and fucking Vegas that you would never ever know, bro. We get, I don't know if I can even be saying this online. I don't know if they want people to know this even exists, but fucking, it exists, bro. I'm riding, we get to this one road, and we go into this parking lot, and the fucking road lifts up like this. - Oh, shit. - And we drive in it and it closes back down. - Wow. - Next thing you know, I'm at the fucking underground, parking lot of a private place where there's nothing but just parking and one elevator. We get in the elevator, that shit takes me all the way to the top. - Directly to the. - Straight up. - Yeah. - The top of the nose is long as hallway with no doors. It's just a door at the very end. - Get the fuck out of here. - Bro, who shit felt like it was choreographed? - Yeah, like men and black. - This would have realized, okay, my choreographs, everything. Like nothing is my chance. We get all the way to the end of the door. Five steps before I get there, the doors should start opening up. - No. - My nigga. (laughs) - I walk in, Mike is sitting in the middle of the floor, in a chair, back turn, in the chair, your star. - Stop it, you're in line. - No, I'm walking right. - You're in line. - Bro. (laughs) - You're in line. - That's his point. The drive's done. - The drive's done. - You're in line. - Yeah, listen. Like how your chair's turning? This shit move was slow. And while I was moving, I'm like, okay, the moment I see his face when the fuck am I going to do, soon as you make the full 360 turn, for 180, he looks and I look, I was like, oh shit. I froze for a second and as I was freezing, the freeze automatically broke, 'cause Mike just stood up. - Yo, hey, God, what's up? But I'm like, oh, my God, what's up? (laughs) - Wow. - Yo, we are brazen. And it felt like we know each other forever. - No way. - Like literally felt like we know each other forever, bro. - That is crazy. - Did he have another voice? - He did. He did have a baby. - He did have a baby. - It was deeper than the one he's normally using. - But it's not that deep. - But it's not that deep, right? - But it's just a little bit. - Yeah, but you know, people will exaggerate, but you know what it will. But it's definitely deeper than that one for sure. But it's like, it was like an instinct. He just knew when to turn it on or turn it off. - Right. - And like, when he talked shit, when he bus malls a little bit, was he, uh. - Oh no, he was, he was, he was funny. Like Mike was funny. And he, like, we would have real conversations. Like real conversations, like, I'm like, your Mike, what kind of girls you're like? - What was he saying? - He's like, my stomach. - None of them would talk? - Hell no. - 'Cause these girls talk like crazy. - My sister's been set up. - No way. - Yeah, he was that finesse. Like he can't believe it. - No, really? - No, no, no. - No, bitches loved Mike, bro. - Well, yeah, of course. - Yeah, because he was a celebrity. - Mom just said, like Mike before even a celebrity, like, bitches thought he was handsome as shit. - Mm-hmm. - And he had a charm. - Yeah, like think about it. Like celebrity will take you so far, right? - Mm-hmm. - But there's some people out there that's not celebrities that got bad bitches. - Mm-hmm. - That's true. - 'Cause they just got a certain level of how they move. You know, they got a certain aura that comes with it. - Yeah, yeah. - Mike just had that aura that was just magnetic to women. You know what I'm saying? - Really? - Like Prince had the same thing. - Yeah, yeah. You always heard about it with Prince for sure. - You know? - And what happened with Prince became what? The Pimp. - Oh, really? (laughing) - No, no, no. - I know. Prince wasn't like-- - He wasn't-- - Out there Pimp, but he was a Pimp. - But he had girls. - No, he was a Pimp. Prince was a Pimp. - But he-- - What is he-- - Very hard in her sexual. - That he was a Pimp. (laughing) - Bro, don't look for-- - I'm just saying. - No. - I'm just saying that's a very heterosexual thing to do. - It's not. - Prince. - Prince had more bitches than Mike. (laughing) - I wouldn't say that. - I wouldn't say that. - And he's Prince-- - Prince, that was a part of his image. Like, you walk in, you have some bitches walking with him. His band was all holes, you know what I'm saying? - Yeah. - I'm sorry, ladies. But I'm just, you know, just a bigger speech. (laughing) It was all bad, savage, but it's entertaining. But my point is, is a part of his aesthetic. - Right, right. - You know what I'm saying? - Where Mike was true to the game. - Where Mike was, everything was quiet, silence, mysterious, a mystery, like, you never really knew how he moved, what he we moved with. You know what I mean? - So then you guys made a copy later. - Do you immediately get to work? Is he like, hey, let's look at some, like samples, let's look at beats, or is it like, you guys just hang? - Oh yeah, we just hang. We just hang, we talk, and then we just create. And what do you think it is? I love that, I love to add this. And what do you think about this? And like, it was like, we just kind of just back, you know, kind of was like, sparring partners in the studio. - Mm-hmm. - Yeah. And he had go in there and beatboxed something and I make the actual beat to it. Like, it was really dope. - And you had a recording studio in the pentat? - Or not, that's it. - Or not. - That's it. - That actually, we went to the palm to record. - Okay. - The palm had a dope-ass studio and he blocked that out in which we recorded. - Wow. - And how was he musically, in terms of, like, production? - Oh, well. - Did he really understand? - Yeah, he understood music too. But he was, he more, he more was a, I thought I'm trying to say, he was more of a, he understood rhythm. - Right. - Like, what's the difference between those two? - Well, music and rhythm is two different things, right? So, let's say, from a perspective, they don't know rhythm. (laughing) - Yeah, they define rhythm. (laughing) - Music is more from, like, like, the way they, - Well, Mike wasn't like a musician, so he couldn't really play instruments. - Music is like composition. - Yeah, it's more organized, noted, written down, whatever the case, whereas rhythm is just a feeling that just rocks with you. Listen, it's locked in on a tempo. - Right. - You found out what I'm saying. So, Mike was that like, - Mike, what you did, there have to be a certain pocket that he needed it in. - And did he have instincts for what a song needs? - Oh yeah. - So like, he knows what a song needs without being able to necessarily play it. - Yes, exactly. - Yeah, exactly. - Exactly. - Was it difficult for you to give pushback if he did something musically and you were like, "I actually don't think that's it." - No, that's what made me work so well together because we would try anything to see what it sounds like first. Sometimes people have a habit of saying, "Now I don't think that's gonna work, "but you didn't do it yet. "How would you know?" - Who's saying that's a Michael Jackson, like, if-- - No, you'd be surprised, it'd be people that do that. - Really? - Yeah, but Mike was the pun, like a man, he was so, now I realize why he was the biggest he was, 'cause he was like, he was that open-minded to it. I would ask him to, I could have asked him to bark on the record and he would have did it just to see what it sounded like. - What would his bark sound like? - I don't know, I don't know. It would be interesting to find that. (laughing) - At a time. - At a time. (laughing) - Come on, like, is that working? (laughing) - Like a poodle? (laughing) - Wow. - Damn, man. Mike, how many people can I imagine, bro? - All right, so you leave that session. - And you're like, did I just accomplish everything that I ever dreamed of? - Yeah, no. - You're already an incredibly accomplished artist. - At that point, I feel like I'm hit the ceiling. - Do you check off every box? - I checked off every box. - Like is there an actual feeling as you leave the hotel or as you leave the session? - Yeah, it was that feeling. Like, Dan, what do I do from here? - What do I do from here? - That's exactly what it was. It was like, what do I do literally from here? - And then what did you think? What did you do? Did you dream about new dreams? Did you have to sit and reflect on it? - Well, actually I didn't reflect on it. I just kept going to see where life took me. But then I found out, that's when I got actually more active in going to Africa with my philanthropy, the light and projects and all that sort of stuff. 'Cause even me and Mike was talking about creating a music university out there in Africa. Like almost like a Berkeley type of style university but for Africa. Because you have the arts, you have, I mean, you look at rhythm, arts, instruments, all of that shit come from Africa. We wanted to kind of reinvent the whole wheel, bring it in for history and also create how we develop that instrumentation and culture for the future. Like really a musical university that would take Africa into the future. - That'd be kind of wild. Is it interesting for you, exciting for you to see how much African music is being embraced in the mainstream. - Yeah, that's, I mean, interesting enough in the beginning, it felt tough though. 'Cause that was why I actually stopped doing music after I released my album in 2008. I promoted for about two years. I did the World Cup in South Africa and then I stayed in Africa and went straight to Nigeria and started developing what you now know now as to be Afrobeat. But it's really was, Afrobeat was more of a political movement started by an artist named Fella. And he was really big and very influential in Nigeria. He was like, he was like the rebel. - There's Fella Kuti. - Yes. - He was like a rebel, but he would speak the people's words through his music. And he would always combat the government on what they ain't doing, what they should be doing. And it became one of those kind of things so it was more, it was more-- - Bob Marley asked figure in terms of his music. - Yes, exactly. - Wow, okay. - That's, he's a good, like analogy. So when we went up there, that music was well respected but wasn't commercialized. And that's when we came and kind of brought more of a pop feel to it and gave it a more rhythmic type of, you know, allow us to wear people outside of Africa couldn't actually relate to it if he wasn't quite understanding what was being said. - Wait, when is this? - This started from 2008 to recent. Bro, when I, this whiskey was my first artist that I signed. - Wow. - Acon. - Yeah. - Wow. - The Lord is crazy. - You're like this unbelievable. - No, it's crazy. - Like whiskey was how old were you met him? - He was 13. - Crazy. - Wow. - And what are you seeing in this kid? - Oh, he's a star. - Like he was a star. - He was a star. - Like at 13, like musically he was a star. - He was a star. - Man, when he walked into the room, he just knew okay, this kid is gonna be, he's something big. And he was a, he had an amazing voice. He was also writing his own little songs at that time. You know, he was a managed and ran by a guy named Banky W at the time, who that's what I partnered up with, to sign with. - So you're in there. You see some talent. You also see potential for this genre of music internationally. - Yes. - You think, like what? I mean, 'cause I imagine as a young kid growing up in the States, being African, right? There wasn't the same like embracing and love and like, to be able to connect with your roots. Like I'm 42, so I remember there was like a distinct separation even like, maybe, maybe I would even go so far as to say like, - No, no, like everybody here at the factory was African. Like literally, people was embarrassed to be African. - All right. - You know what I mean? I don't know what some clowning is. - Oh, he was being clowned, it was like African jokes. It was like, like, if you had, if you was being zoned on, the African jokes was the most popular. - Right, right. - Put it that way. - Right, right. - So nobody wanted to be African. - I apologize for my past, 'cause I apologize for that. - He's probably, you know what I mean? - Okay, so that's interesting. So you grew up in this time. And now you're seeing massive artists from the region. - And like, doing well locally. And I'm like, yo, this would be, this is crazy. How like, they don't know about this. - But what gives you the feeling that it would be successful when you grew up in a place where there was this separation? - Well, because I knew that Africa was heavily popular. But I knew it just wasn't exposed in America to even get the chance to become popular. - Got it. - Right, so I just knew that certain elements in it that I knew that made it too local on why I would never leave and become bigger than the continent. - And this is like sonic elements? - Yeah, it is sonic elements. I'm knowing what the US want to hear. I'm knowing what Europe want to hear. - This is like taking China from China. - Yes, turning it into a version of it where Western people will come through. - Exactly. - Got it. - Okay. - So perfect. - That's the perfect way to explain it. - And this is just because, like, your father was a musician if I'm not mistaken. So like, you grew up classically trained in music. - Right. - So like, you can consume this from this culture that you understand, and it is part of your identity, but also recognize the limitations in the music. - Oh, well, yeah, like Western audiences to go. - And how much not to take out to keep it out there as well? - They also need to still like it. - Yes, right. - They have to love it. - Yeah, it can't feel too commercialized when things are going, no, that's not the real thing. - It's not exactly. - Oh, that was a challenge. That was a challenge. - So you're saying Averbeats doesn't really exist in its modern iteration before you go there. - 100%. - Wow. - You can actually burn a boy at this time? - Well, he was young at that time too. - 'Cause we're talking 2008, like he was probably trying or thinking about being an artist at that time. But he wasn't at that level, nowhere near it. - Wow. - At what point do you go, oh, Averbeats is out of here. Like, this sound is like a global, is there a moment? - When Whiz kid actually popped, that's when I realized, okay, we got him. 'Cause it took a while. And when I came to the US and I was shopping Whiz, they thought it was Reggae. And Reggae's not really popping right now. I'm like, it's not Reggae. - Yeah. - And it was Reggae. - Bigger in Europe before I came to this. - Yeah, but that's what made me go to London. Then when I went to London, it broke in London, 'cause London was more open-minded. And it was a lot of African community there. - So London was where it actually broke. And we was able to break P-square first, which was a twin group, two twins, right? And we had a reggae called Chapman Money that went fucking ridiculous. It ended up charting in the US charts. But it charted in the UK charts first. But at that time, those guys were like, they were performers. Imagine if you had two ushers, and they were twins. That's what they were, but in the Afrobeat market. - Right. - Like when you see their performance, it was nuts. That's how they actually got them. And then while that's happening, Whiz kid is more authentic at that time for what we were trying to portray. Whereas P-square were more commercial. So P-square came what actually opened the door for where it's to bust through the door with the authenticness of what they recognize in P-square. And then it just-- - At this point, your career, can you kind of like see, do you know when the trend is gonna pop? - I don't know when it's gonna pop, but I don't know what will pop. - Right. So it's like, but is there a moment where you see something building momentum? And you're like, yeah, this is out of here. And a year, this is out of here. - Yeah, that's exactly how I see it. And this is what you saw with-- - With that. That's what I saw with that. - Interesting. - And at that point, from a business perspective, are you starting to build up an apparatus around it? - 100%. - But what I realized was there was no business or apparatus to build around African music. Because they didn't understand the business well enough to know what that was. - And why is that? - There was no music industry structure in Africa. Everything was black market, sold in the back market. Like there was no record stores. There was, you would have to go to the actual market and buy albums that was duplicated in CD duplicators. - 'Cause music industry didn't see the value of it. - Exactly. So in Africa, the motto was, you would sell the master to somebody. And then they, like, prime example, it would whizz this album before then. they wouldn't make it. - Okay. - And then sell it to someone, sell the masters to them for like a hundred grand. - And then? - And then done. Then now they just make money off shows. And who owns the master now, he monetizes that through all the black markets throughout Nigeria. And then later does a deal in the US with iTunes, Apple, or whoever. And then he owns the master now. - Got it. So just so I understand here. You make your album, you sell it to somebody. It might be somebody in the business, it might be somebody outside of the business. They own the rights to it and perpetuity. You go tour with your songs. And then they literally print CDs or whatever it is. And then sell them in different black markets around. - Where would they sell it? - Because you can see how someone might never break out but be locally super hot. - Exactly. And that's why I was like that. - It was. - Because of that motto. So when we came, we twisted it up. We actually taught them the business. - Oh, really? - Yes. You can make them publishing off this. You make royalty off of this. This is a distribution cost. This goes to the label, this goes to the artist. Now they understood it. And it was able to now understand it. Because now you can actually negotiate with labels in Europe and France and the UK and, you know, and you're putting the artist on game to this. You're putting the industry folks on game to this. What is the. - What an inch folks didn't like the fact that they were putting them on game. - Fuck no. 'Cause they're like, "Yo, we're getting this a deal." - Yeah. - We're getting a hundred grand and. - I mean, it was getting mass free, basically. - Right. - It was basically like, "Hey, we'll pay for the production of all the stuff." - And interesting enough in India was the same way. 'Cause India had the same motto. I realized something recently, sleep is everything. I hate to be one of these guys. I genuinely hate it because I like to stay up late and I have to wake up early 'cause I have kids. The reality of the matter is sleep dictates everything. Especially it might. 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So if you want to upgrade your skin, your hair, your whole shower experience, try Jolie risk free for 60 days by going to jolieskinco.com/flagrin. That is jolieskinco.com/flagrin. Jolie is also available on Amazon. Now let's get back to the show. - Where does this acumen come from? Because like, even you started your label early. - Yes. - Soon as you started music, you would think in your own. - 'Cause I used to always, because you know, you got to think like my dad was a jazz musician. And in jazz-- - Drummer? - Yeah, he's a drummer. - Yeah. - Yeah, he's a drummer, percussionist. The problem with jazz is that that's a passion project. - Yeah, dude. - Jazz doesn't really make money. You got to really just love music to do jazz. And if you're making it money off of it, that's fine, but you don't really care if you make money or not. You know, you hit small bars, little spots, and things like that. So my pops is like, I don't know if music is what you want to do for a living. - But you love that as a kid. - I don't know if that's what I want to do either, right? 'Cause, but I loved it as a kid. But I was like, there's got to be money, 'cause somebody's making money. - Yeah. - Like literally somebody's making money. And I just always think about that. But then I just always hear how artists who's cry about them not getting paid enough. And they got robbed. This and that. And I was like, there was a lot of money. - That's gonna be amazing. - How do I be the guy who's making it? - But somebody's making it. So let me find out how they're making it. - Smart. - How do I know? - I start reading books about the music business. Back then, they had books that would tell you how the music business worked. There was a book called "What Was It Called?" I think it was called "What Was It?" "How To Something About The Music Bin?" Who was something about that? It was, I forgot the title, but it was a long-ass title. Like, all about the music business. That's what it was. All about the music business. And I read it and I understood the dynamics of how it all worked. And I was like, oh, so the money's made if you got your own label. - Yeah. - It's not actually being the artist, unless you're just a successful artist that know how to tour, understand, merchandise, and all this other stuff. You need the label 'cause that right there becomes bulletproof. - Right. - And that's when I said, okay, cool. I'm just gonna start my own label and just find a distribution. But I was like, how the fuck am I gonna distribute it? That cost even more money to create. Then I found that they had things which you call like joint ventures where you can just partner with a distributor and give them a percentage. And they have that part and you have the content. And I was like, that's what I wanted to do. But there is a small difference going on here which is like, you can produce music. - Right. - And like we have Rizzo on here a few weeks back and it's just like, the guys that can actually create something. - Right. - Or it's different than I'm just gonna start a record business. - No, no, for sure. - It's like, it's the same thing like even in like, you're talking about like scripted television or film. - Right. - You can write a script. You're a very different entity than somebody who just gets placed to maybe act in a movie or maybe even just a 100%, so it's very unique that there is somebody who has artistic ability and business sense. Oftentimes they're like almost diametrically opposed. - No, they are. - So you're in a unique position that like, you could, if you needed, you could just produce all of your own music before you were late. - But that's what I've been doing. - Of course, and it worked out. - It makes sense. - But not everybody could do it. - Right. - My favorite story that showcased kind of the business acumen tied with the creativity is the ringtone story. - Right. - Which was to me basic common sense. - Bro, I couldn't believe that the ringtones were gone for that much. - Yo, $4.99, but we buying ringtones? - Yes, we were. - Buying them and they were selling more than singles. - That's here. - They were selling more than singles. - We were spending $5 for a fucking ringtone ringtone ringtone. - Break down the ringtone, what this did, and how you kind of like produce songs around it. - Yeah, so when I realized, okay, well, first of all, I was trying to find a solution because I wasn't getting enough radio play. Like the way my music was, it was hard to put a genre to it. Like it wasn't quite rap, it wasn't quite R&B, it wasn't quite reggae, it was like, what is it? Is this before locked up or after locked up? - This is during locked up. Like locked up itself, the what made locked up actually pot was the fact that we was able to get styles P on there. So styles P made it a genre, it became hip hop. - Yeah, yeah. - That's why until this day, in the eyes of a consumer. - Exactly, because before, before styles was on it, we was working the record a whole year and couldn't get it to stick the way out of here. - 'Cause there was no genre. - Wow, I thought that's it. - Before you use it. - Before you use it. - What does that mean working a record? So that means like promoting it. Go on the DJs, you know, go on to radio stations, try to get it played, things like that. So when we put styles P on there, it gave it a, 'cause before then they didn't know, okay, what do you play it before or what do you play after it? - Yeah. - Which I mean, so it confused people because they just don't think like a good record just can go behind another good record, right? - So there's a version of locked up where it suggests you. - The first version is just feet. - So then when they put a genre to it, then they just made it hip hop. Like that's why right now to this day, if you notice, I've never wrapped a day in my life. - Yeah, I never thought of you as a rapper. - But if you look up A-con, I'm under hip hop genre. Because that was the first thing that was ever, you know, recorded as in a state that way. - You know, it's so funny like, 'cause I'm doing a little research about you and you were very intentional with Gaga to not sign her under like convict because you didn't want her to be framed in an hundred way. - Yep. - You wanted to have her audience find her organically. - Exactly. And like, did you? I understand that after you went through this. - I went through it. - Yup. - Got it, got it, got it, got it. - 'Cause I was like, she's like me. They're like, what genre is she really? - Yeah. - And then at that time, we were doing 80's music in like late 90. I mean, late to early 2000. - Yeah. - And you know, like even right promise happened with just dance. They thought it was, like, just dance was out a whole year before it actually popped. Why? 'Cause I literally had to tour the world to push it. We tried America first, nobody bit, nobody touched it. They was like, no, this is too old. We can't even put this in our playlist. We went to Europe. Europe was like, well, this little cheesy is not quite what it is. Then I was like, fuck, I went, I can't let this record go. Like, this is a hit. I know it's a hit. So I had a tour in Australia. I flew all with Australia. When I got to Australia, I said, I'm gonna push it here. I know for sure they'd get it here. The record didn't work. So now, my, you know, that's six and a half, seven months of me working this record and nothing getting no bite. So now, I'm at a point like I fuck up. I'm just gonna give up. Like, we just gotta give up. And I know if I give up, there's a chance that they were really dropper, right? 'Cause you were always having challenges before I picked her up, before I ready. So this would have solidified the fact that, okay, this just maybe not it. I was like, I can't fucking deal with this. So now I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna revive this record. So I'm gonna, Australia hitting back to the States. We're connecting through Canada. And I was like, should I get off the plane and go to Canada and try it, like, what would it hurt? I'm connecting, I got five hours there. So I'm gonna lobby thinking about this shit while I'm in the lounge. And I said, you know what, man, fuck this shit, I ain't got any loose. I called a friend. At the time, he was in a version of the radio, named David McGraw. So you'll David, I got this record, I wanna test. It's out, but it's like the biggest record in Europe right now. He's doing fucking amazing. - He's on Australia. - He's on Australia. - He's on Australia. - He's on Australia. - He's on Australia. - He's on Australia. - Bro, you guys gotta jump on this shit before it reaches America, like, that'll be embarrassing. It's the number one record on both sides. Like, you need to drop this record. Test it with your, you know, with your mark and see what you got. So I come to the station, leave my bags, everything can go straight down. He plays the record. This shit becomes number one on phones. The phones start lighting up. Oh my God, this record is amazing. Who is this? - People are calling into the recording station now. And is that how you could tell back in the day? - That's when you knew, God, if you had something. 'Cause they would say, listen, this is new music. Let's know what you think. And then play it. Bro, when I tell you the phone lines lit up, so he was like, man, this record is a fucking smash. We need to add this. I say, well, you know, can we add it to our other stations? I say, hell yeah. So now, I start going through the other stations, while I'm there, fucking mind you, my bags are still on that plane. That plane that already left back to the States, I understand, I understand in Canada, an extra week going to all the stations. By the time I left Canada, the record was number one in Canada. - Wow. - That's cool. - Then they call me like, yeah, what the fuck is going on with this record? I think we got something. - Then kiss in the New York City, pick the fucking record up in America. When they picked it up, everything changed. - Kiss FM? - Yes. - At that time, they were the needle. - Kiss got the record. - Everybody was like, what about Z100? Was that like a big pop? - It was, but not like Kistow. Kist was like the generation, whereas Z was more like the older generation. - Right. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Kistow was like, when Kist said that was it, everybody follows suit. - Follow suit, meaning all the other radio stations go. - Jump on it. - Wow. Okay. And you recognize this piece. You believe in this artist, but is there also a version where you're like, you understand how profitable it is to have just a mega star on an artist, on your. - All you need is one point. - So it's worth taking the time. - Is 100% worth it. - All you need is one major artist. That one artist can pay to bills for the next 10 years. - Wow. - Yeah. - If you sign the right artist, you're good. - And you signed, well, Gaga was already signed. - She was already at Interscope. - And then you were like, hey, I think she's talented. Can I work with her? - Yeah. - And Jimmy literally, that's why I say Jimmy saved my life with that one, 'cause he threw me the bone. He didn't have to do that. And he made me a 50/50 partner with it. - Get out of here. And is it because he knew your talent, your ability, he believed in me. - Got it. So he's like, listen, we don't know what to do with this girl. She's obviously got talent. Let him give it a try. If it becomes massive, let's take half of it. - Well, this is a thing. He knew how to put parts together. Like he knew how to marry a writer with producers, producers with artists, writers with artists. Like he knew exactly what would work. So what I called and was like, yo, Jimmy, I need this one. And he thought about, he's like, that could be brilliant. 'Cause at that time, I was working on the Pussycat Dolls record. - I remember you. - So it is mine. He's like, dude, this is this might. He said, you sure? I said, trust me, Jimmy. This is, I need this one on my label. He said, all right, well fuck it, she's all yours. - Wow. - Like literally thought about it like that. And then when we heard that first record, 'cause when the first record I did, on her was really for the Pussycat Dolls record. - You had hers? - Yeah, yeah, I was supposed to be the Pussycat Dolls for the Pussycat Dolls song. - 'Cause she came on board, 'cause I got a writer's block and couldn't come up with nothing that week. I was so excited, I just closed this big guy's deal. Like, that's what it, and I had just picked a red one who was the producer that I worked on whole Gaga album with. And he was like, I just worked with this chick last week. That's pretty dope. I think she helped you come up with some ideas. And that's when I met Gaga, 'cause she came in through the studio. And then I was like, yo, are you signed? Like, what's your situation? She's like, well, you know, I met her in a scope. I was like, wait, wait, you at a scope, hold on. Yo, Jimmy, what the fuck, you know what this is? Yeah, that's how it came together, wow. - And then when did you stop, or have you even stopped working with Gaga? - Ah, man, we did the whole first album in 30 days. - Holy moly. Literally the whole first album. - And that's all those drives. It's like poker face. - All that whole first album, wow. We did that in 30 days. After that, then I got obviously on tour, start working on my album. Red was still a part of it, but I wasn't as active as I was on the first album on the writing side of things. So the second album, I had like, I would say 50% involvement on a creative, but I was heavily involved on pushing the album itself once it was done. And then the third album, by the time she had her own idea of what she wanted to do and who she wanted to work and then she partnered up with her ex-boyfriend who was a producer as well. And then they did those albums moving forward. - You do a cool thing with Neil on the tour, where you guys go kind of like back back. - Yeah, back to back on songs that we wrote for other artists. - Yeah, and then we called it the Needle Drop. - There's tracks that you're like, you worked on this. - Like what? - You would not even know. - You got to come to the show. 100%. - Yeah, that is it, 'cause people don't know. I don't want them to know until they come to the show. - Oh, got it, got it. Okay, okay. 'Cause you just go shock you. - That's my surprise. - You'd be surprised. - Versus when I'm face. - Yeah, it's like that. It's like that. - But it's like deep cuts. - He was telling me something outside, but I was like, that one. - Yeah. - Can you say any that you're not playing in it that you might people make up soon? - That's entertainment, yeah. (laughing) - Are there any artists that came along that you had the opportunity to work with, or to sign that you were like, I don't know if now is the right time, and then it's the fish that got to work. - But I had, the biggest fishes that's out today, I had, or had an opportunity to do, and I didn't know that I passed on it, at the time for specific reasons, but. - Tell us. - Okay, so Drake is one of them. - Really? - Cardinal Aficia, I had brought me Drake originally. - Yeah. - It's so interesting how you pronounce his name? - Oh, card, yeah. So it's interesting because he was the first artist I had ever signed from Canada. - You signed him? - Yeah, he was, yeah. So Cardi was like, yo, nigga, this nigga out here now, he killed in the streets. - Yeah. - And he should have played me his mixtape, but I was so busy doing so much, and I was so busy on the guy guy stuff, and I had just turned down Justin Bieber, 'cause I didn't have time for that, 'cause I had Kobe O'Donis. Yeah, it's like, those things. And then I had, one of my security guys, two T's, was constantly on me about Kendrick. Like literally for whole year, like, yo, I'm telling you Con, you got, you got, tell you. But at the time it was so much happening that I just didn't have the time to do it, and then Drake ended up picking up Kendrick, and then Drake would beat me down to do production for Kendrick. But everybody was needing me, and I just, there was no time. And I never had the time to stop and listen to C, to hear the even the genius of what Kendrick was. - Right. I was just about to compliment you for your eye for talent, and then I'm like, you missed that. I didn't miss out, I didn't miss out, I didn't miss out. No, I didn't, I missed it literally. Had I had an infrastructure, they would have all been bagged at that time, but it was just all me doing my own A and R and doing my own everything. - Yeah. - And everybody pulling from every direction, and I'm just focusing on what I have on a table now, and what needs to happen for that, versus what more I need to add to my table. - Yeah, right. You didn't have all the wives to help out. - That's what I'm doing, yeah. - Yeah. Wow. - Wow. - Crazy. - So now you built out the infrastructure? - Oh yeah, the infrastructure's built out now. Yeah. - Yeah. - Now it works in my sleep. I don't have to be a part of it at all. - Could you kind of break down what your infrastructure looks like? - It's like a mini universal. It's like literally like, I have artists I haven't even met yet. - That's been signed in my label, that I haven't even. - So you have different A and R's that are going and getting-- - Well now A and R's, we don't really use A and R's anymore. I just feel like A and R's was a waste of time and money, 'cause most of them didn't really know what the hell they was doing anyway. And then have the ear for music. Like, they just, whatever they saw was popping. So they'll read other people's gauge to see-- Instead of having their own. And instead of having their own. Today is like, the people around me, these are the people that was telling me, "Yo, Khan, I don't know about that record." And I'd be like, "No, I didn't get this hit." And they'd be like, "Ah, I don't know." And then they was right. And I was like, "Oh shit, okay. "They know something that I don't know." Got it. Keep 'em down. Keep 'em, keep 'em, keep 'em, keep 'em. Yeah. Type shit, you know what I mean? Do you ever get worried that it gets too big where you start signing artists and it could have another Lady Gaga situation where you have an artist with talent sitting there but isn't good? Oh, no, that's part of the business. You're not gonna catch everything. Oh, okay. That's one thing that I had to realize and I had to just accept that there's gonna be some ones that you miss, you know what I mean? And it is what it is, like, everything ain't meant. Some things that meant to pass by you, but not through you. Yeah. And I've realized that had Drake been with me, he probably wouldn't be that big. Have Kendrick been with me, he probably wouldn't have been that big. It's those things that either define them or things that pass them by that might have motivated them to even go even harder. 'Cause by the time I was and did have time for Drake, his price was a million dollars to sign and he was in a bid and war. Oh, wow. And I was like, man, I ain't got a million dollars to four artists. Yeah. I can't pay for a million dollars for an artist. At that time, I couldn't afford it. Hmm, you know. I'm curious, you have such an international appeal. What's the craziest, like, private event that you got booked to do with a king or something like that? Exactly, it was royalty. And it was funny because-- Where? It was in the Middle East. Yeah. I can't say which family. But for the most part, it was the craziest thing because they booked me for a million dollars, right? And it was like, well, you want you to perform for the family without this huge event. And my daughter's the biggest fan. I said, OK, amazing. So we get prepared, they do everything. It was set up to where it's going to be like. I even had a dressing room with all my condiments, everything on my rider, like, it was like top notch. So I go in and I'm getting ready for the show and everything else. It was interesting because the castle is so big, I don't hear any music, right? So I'm like, wow, this is huge, like-- so they're walking me to the show. They walk me through this huge hall. But there's only three chairs. Monster stage, LED lights, lasers, everything. And I'm sitting on the side of stage waiting for my audience. No fucking way. Yeah, three people came. The daughter, the son, and the wife. And she's sitting in the middle. She's just like just cheese and just can't wait. I walk out. And it's like, OK, this is my audience, right? Wow. So I go into my show and in the middle of it, she said, no, stop, stop. And I was like, what's going on? So we heard everything OK. She's like, I want to hear Mr. Lonely. I said, that's it. She said, yes, can you just play that first? I said, OK, no problem. So we start singing Mr. Lonely. Mr. Lonely. I'm still lonely. Right? So the song finishes like, again. No. No. No. No. No, no. No. We can't treat you like a-- No. Like a city play. No. Again? No. We don't. No. Again. No. Bro, that song's got a bit more applicable, bro. That was the one. I'm alone. I'm alone. Hour. That's all we put in. No way. That's it. She was like, funk flex when he gets a new record. Again. Again. Again. No way. How many dudes are with you on stage in total? No. No. You know what I understand? My whole team was there. My sound guy, my lightened guy, road manager, business manager, because we thought it was like a major show. Yeah. Because they agreed to everything. Everything on the writer, bro. Yeah. Yeah. That's a million dollar stage. Yeah. And they set it up in a hall. Yeah. Three people. It was crazy. What do you think they spent on it? Totally. Like the stage is a million dollars. Your fee is a million dollars. It was an easy five million dollar budget. Was there a part of you that was like, man, I could have just kept the five million and just sung it with a carry-off? After that? No. Bro. After that? In my mind, I'm like, I wish they would just told me specifics, because I would just save them all that money. Took half of that and just been in the living room and just sang with it. Like karaoke, whatever. Like an hour. Yeah. It had been better. Yeah. Wow. Because, bro, even the jet that they sent, it was like a typical jet. It was like a fucking seven. Seven forty seven. Yeah. You had a full bedroom inside, shower, game room, like theater, like crazy. All right, guys. You know the moment that you catch your reflection. You notice your hairline receding a little bed. Well, hymns makes it simple to actually do something about it. Guys, going bald as a choice now, you notice, you know this, okay? I've been on this stuff two decades. You are aware of it. You are going to make that decision how you want the top of your head to look. hymns can help you keep the hair on it, even grow some back. They offer an access to a range of prescription hair loss treatments with ingredients that work. They got chews, oral medication, serums, and sprays. Dr. Trust did ingredients like finasteritamin noxil can stop for the hair loss and regrow hair in as little to three to six months. hymns brings expert care straight to you, 100% online access to personalized treatment plans to put your goals first, okay? 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Switch providers at no cost. Find the licensed provider. That's the right fit for your needs. Talk space is affordable, even at a pocket. Therapy can be costly, but part of the mission of talk space is to provide quality care that is accessible and affordable, whether you or not you are insured. As a listener of this podcast, you're going to get $80 off of your first month with talk space when you go to talkspace.com/flagrant and enter the promo code space 80. That's S-P-A-C-E-8-0 to match with a licensed therapist today. Go to talkspace.com/flagrant and enter the promo code space 80. Any disaster gigs? Disaster gigs? Oh no, there was no disaster gigs, but that was one gig that almost could have been a disaster. I was a Lebanon. Okay. Crazy show. You know, everything, the Lebanese crowd is probably the craziest crowd I've ever been in front of. Let's go. Okay, let's go. So, I'm in a crowd, well not yet, I'm in the car riding through the crowd. This is probably one of the biggest events Lebanon has had since their last bombing, right? This was a 19. No, no, no. This was. This was 2000? No, no. This was 2007. Thank you. This was a 2007. Okay. No. So, this was the kind of like brain morale just uplift to eat, you know, because it was going through some conflicts, right? And it was like, don't worry, it's going to be a cease fire, it's going to be no issues, whatever. Because a lot of people said they wasn't going to come, they was all afraid to come. I was the only one who was like, I'll do it, right? Because I just love the Middle East, right? Especially the Lebanon, like bitches, I'm sorry. It's just, they're party people, right? Bro, I get there. It's like 200,000 people, easy. Oh, wow. It was that big. Like, it was easily 200,000 people and we're riding through the crowd. You got the security blow. And I'm out there performing, man, we go crazy ghetto comes on, oh my god, it's like, oh, it goes nuts. So now we're in the party side. I go into the back and I'm in my zor ball, like the zor ball, right? I've been doing it back then since then, by the way. He goes in what I know. And then you're just going through the crowd. So I'm riding through the crowd. And I see this one dude who's like, yeah, I know he's a super fan. So I was like, okay, I'm going to roll over his way so he can, you know, because I know his moment like this for him is like crazy, like he would never forget this moment. So now I'm rolling this way and I see him and I just start rolling over towards him. And as I'm rolling over towards him, I'm getting close, he's like, yeah, come on. And next thing you know, he disappears, I'm like, where the hell did he go? And next thing I look down on the ball and I see him. And I see him. He has his blade. No. Bro. He takes the blade. Shoves it in the ball because he's so fanatically a fan that he wants to hug me So he hits the ball and I she's and I so I immediately see him going I try to hurt him roll Not the other way, but he had already poked it. No, so I'm I'm seeing the ball slowly started to play No, I'm in the middle of like Crazy, right? He's not near you. No, I'm in the audience. They can't work They're just watching the side, but now I'm starting to flaten So now I said I got to think quick because I can suffocate in this motherfucker with all these people, right? Because I have to get out because you got to open it from the outside Yeah, so then I start thinking quick. I start Like calming down so I can see whether the wind is coming from so I can find the hole And then I realize the hole is above me So I roll to what the hole is right up under me and then I put my fingers in like it's open it up And I slide out and then the ball just goes so everybody's like, huh Like know everybody's like skit like what the fuck's going on in the meantime I didn't came out and I'm on my knees Under everybody all my way back to the state by the time the ball had sunk all the way down and people realized where the hell I was I had already made it back to the stage Can't the fuck out of bro because everybody's working towards the ball nobody realized that I was crawling already towards the stage I get to the state And the fucking crowd thought I was a musician My life I was so brilliant Suzy saw me spot hit the black and put the spot right on It was you know that shit was the crazy show. I'd never forget that wow That is fire You gotta incorporate that from now on No, cuz I want to get people ideas when I go out in the ball. Yeah, so I kind of try to keep that You how come you haven't performed in a state to know all I just man It was well for two reason once there wasn't paying enough and two I was just so busy like literally There's like a two almost 20 out of some time three-year waiting as for me to get available to perform out here Yeah, cuz I was so in demand on the other side to the point where when a promoter wanted me and they'd be like damn I gotta wait in a year and a half now. I just booked somebody else Mm-hmm, and that's how it was like that. So how long has it been since you've done a proper a tour in America? man I would say he says two thousand Party for it, you know 12 2012 Wow, yeah 2012 was it being usher? Wow, that's crazy. Yeah But all this time you've been for all this time of performing internationally. Wow. Yeah proud Hey, I've never never considered living internationally Cuz you're mostly in Atlanta, right? Well, that's the thing. I got like I got a house in Atlanta house in LA House in France house in Senegal house in Dubai So I kind of do live in an actually, but I'm just always traveling, right? You know, so I'm like there's like there's no one place. I can just call home I'm always moving around is it is there was there ever concern like when you're in Senegal. Mm-hmm Was there ever concerned about Safety because of just how famous you had become nah because it's like me I never looked at it as a safety issue because it's all it's all love like the people is it's coming from You can be dangerous to me. It could be like yeah More just like people wanting to see you rushing on that that was always the thing like just having crowd control Like security for crowd control and did that become did it become difficult to spend time there because of that? Yeah in Senegal Senegal was one of the places was difficult spend time because of that. So what would you do? Do you have like a compound there? Like I do and well, I got a house on the island and you Need one way to get out to it. Yeah, yeah got it. That was the only way Well, you were about coming back to the states like what your reception is gonna be. Oh, nah I'm in my leg is already built. Don't matter. Okay. You know said cuz the fan base is already there and they hadn't seen me in forever So let's start. It's a treat for the it's starved right and he's starving for them to give it to him too And are you going out with neo or? Yeah, me and neo got a collaborative tour now that we're doing so we got all together 70 dates We just did 30 and you were we're about to do 10 in Canada. Then we're doing another 30 and a back Yeah, what was it like working with Eminem? Oh, man, I love work with him. I love work How did that come to be was that that was through OB-Trice actually OB-Trice was the one that connected me with with him Oh, wow. Yeah, cuz I had this record. I did for OB and I was like OB don't worry. Don't worry. You ain't got to pay me. I just need a feature from him You know what I'm saying like I just need a feature from him. He's like a man got taught to go burger by that was Like I well, let's figure this out. He said, but now he ain't gonna let it happen. We just got to find him You got to get to him directly Goldberg I'm Rosemburton Rosemburton Rosemburton, yeah, that's a Goldberg So OB is like, you know, just come to Detroit. I just take it through the studio I was like man, I don't want to be on Rosenberg's bad side. Let me just call them first. Yeah, so I call Rosenberg. I see y'all I got this record. I want to do it in What do you think? He said what's in it to me? I Didn't have it at the time I said I got I got to kind of put it together when I put together. I'm a senator. He said all right cool Just let me know so at that moment. I put the C down right he knew that clear. Yeah, there was interest there Yeah, let's right. I put the C down. He knew so then I said okay. Oh be all right cool. Let's go We got to get the record cuz I got to sit at the Rosenberg, right? Boom so OB is like I cool. So now we we posted looking all of them because him, you know, you don't never really know where M's gonna be So we post outside the studio M doesn't show up that day So I'm like, he might show up at night. Kobe's like I mean OB was like nine. He had never come up late night because we stay nice to studios He said now now M don't operate like that. I said I will just come tomorrow He said you got to come early before he come so we come early like six a.m. So we don't miss him So I'm like we're staking out in studio. It's a funny state. So M finally shows up He said that and then go right there. Come on. Let's go. So then we come and was like oh shit So so so so so I come through and I was like yeah, you know, man, we need to get in the lab like you know, let's work He said I you know, I came my little briefcase with all my tracks and everything. That's like I got mad records for you too I want to play a few records So now I'm going to make sure I get records for him first before I ask for something Exactly. Yeah, you're offering value right. So he was like, yo, you know, I produce too. I said really he's a yeah I said, well, play me some tracks. So now he's playing me some tracks. I didn't even know improduced. Yeah, I had no idea Wow, bro the smack that track came on Dude, I was like, yo, this shit is crazy. Can I get that? He's a hell. Yeah, so I take the track and he gave me four more so all together I picked five tracks I started on what's named when first though the the smack that record And then I thought finish on the em her here. And I was like, what do you think you said? Yo, this is crazy Bro, this is fucking this is a hit. So this is M's production M's production you ask for because you're like I can do something with that Yes, are you tweaking anything in the production? No, you lame vocals on it that track was produced solely by M&M Wow a lot of people don't know that they thought I produced right that was the only track on my album that I didn't produce by the way Wow, and produce smack that right So interesting enough em her and I was like Bro, you really think it's a hit. He's a hell. Yeah, this is a smash. I see you should jump on it With me he's like, yeah, you know, I think about it. Okay, so so he because everybody's asking him to be on a song right? So it's a palsy move to go hey be on my shit right like for you. You have to find the right moment right you throw it out there I just throw it out there and then when he goes, let me think about you're like cool Yeah, that's nothing like because it really wasn't me. It was just great enough that he's produced it I was happy to be able to say him and then produces track. Yeah, I was cool with that. Yeah, right? So now I'm working on the other tracks so I'm kind of hearing the song playing in the background Not quite sure You know if he just listen to it to see what he want to do from a production perspective. Oh, you're hearing him Listen to it. Listen to it. So I'm thinking okay now you want to tweet the beat whatever the case may be So he goes off the lunch we come back by that time. I don't work on The other tracks Five o'clock come. I'm like you're where's him like him left. I was like where he go. He went home I was like oh shit. He just went home while we was working. I didn't know that he said a timeline at the studio. He comes in Lunchtime he takes lunch five o'clock. He goes home. He treated it like a real night Right, and I was like damn that's interesting like it fucked me up because he accomplished just as much work He's supposed to accomplish in that little time that I did spinning the night there. So I started to rethink everything It was actually after that that I started to really Manage my time better. Yeah, like in life because after that I realized not gonna make time for my kids make time for my family Yeah, and not be consumed by the studio all day every day. Yeah, he comes back the next day He said yo, man. I did some some minor adjustments to the song. I wanted let you know what you think So I'm playing him here in my verse command boom. Then his verse come. Oh, looks like another one. I said whoa. Oh shit Whoa, I heard I'm like, "Oh, shit, I don't buy something." I was like, "Oh, she's gonna be crazy." Then I'm like, "Okay, who's record is gonna be, though?" Of course, yeah, yeah, that's right. So now I'm just waiting for, you know, I'm just like, "So we'll put this on your album." So you're differential that he said that he wraps on it. Yeah, so you're doing the respectful thing, which is like, "Oh, is this yours, and what do you wanna do?" I mean, think about it, you were producing it now, you're featured on it, like, 'cause some, like, Prime's Apple, when I did, I wanna love you. Me and Snoop did the same thing where we actually put it on both of our albums. And that's been done before. Yeah, yeah. Right, so that's what I, you know, I was like, "So, yeah, what do you think, you know, should it be on your album? What, how do you wanna work this?" He's like, "No, bro, it's on your album." So he just gives it a song to you. Yeah, he's like, "Yo, bro, let's go." Like, you know, and then later it became, a bonus track of his album as well, too, because the record became such a huge record. Such a huge hit. And then, for you, there was no issue with that at all. You're like, "Oh no, it's even more smooth." It was even better, because now I got a bigger, broader audience on top of that to also bring his record to him. That's so cool. Holy shit. And then that, it just goes crazy. When you're hearing a song like this, you've produced it. So the creative part is, quote, unquote done. Yeah, that's the easy part. Are you going, are you like assigning a dollar amount to what you think this song is going to do? Not never. Okay, so there's never a financial thing. It's more just like, this is going to impact culture. It's about how big a record is going to be. I'm going to perform this. If it's going to be okay, because like the creative part is automatic, and me, if the record is a hit, the financial part is automatic. It's just going to happen. It's, yeah, if a hit record is going to generate money, no matter how you rate it. For those of us who have no fucking clue, what does a hit record generate? It pays the bills. No, of course, but like, is it? Can you tell us like what it will be? Depending on how big the record could be. Like, you got some records that literally, because, okay, prime example, let's say-- Let's smack that. Let's say smack that for instance, right? I can't tell you the exact number, but I can tell you that that record, I'll begin to pay for that record for the rest of my life. Are we talking about, like, royalty checks? Of course, of course. Don't we talk about 20 million? We talking about-- What's the thing? Two million? That's the thing. You can't quantify how much it eventually will make, because it will always continue to make money. Like, let's say in a ten-year period. Like, let's say in a, let's use it in a, let's quarterly period, every three months. Yeah. Every three months, that record could generate easily about $150,000 to $200,000. Wow. Every three months. And you got a lot to smack that. A lot of those. Yeah. And that's for. In perpetuity, they just-- Right. And guess what? It's spiked during-- and I was before digital. That was before digital. With the label, taking all the extra shit out. Now digital is more accurate. And when you had Spotify, you got the streaming, and you now you have the Netflix of the world, the apples of the world, the amazons of the world, now you got AI coming, that's going to also bring in. The record now goes from that into digital world. It tripled off top, just from that. And then, when AI comes where it now becomes even bigger and global and being attached, it can make easily up to $1,000,000 a quarter. A quarter? Forever. Wow. And the record makes that, and then everybody gets their piece of that. Then everybody gets their piece of that. But the writer gets it, the producer gets it, the label distributes it, whoever owns the masses, gets their piece like that, and it's kind of, it all breaks down. And if there's an artist that has a massive, huge song, assuming they're not in like a completely predatory contract, like say they're an artist that they have, you know, a piece of, they're publishing all these things. Right. One song, they could potentially never work again. Yeah. One hit record. One hit record they'll never work again. Let's say one classic, and that is different than a hit. Let's say a different hit because sometimes hits come and they go, but classics stick around for a long time. So if you, and this goes back to the Michael. So the goal is to make classics. Yeah. And this goes back to the Michael thing when you start owning. Yes. This is why Mike had so much power, because he owned catalogues that was filled with classics. Like you know, the Beatles at one point. Yeah. Explain that to me. So explain that to me. Like you think, so you think that this was potentially without, you know, putting yourself in a compromising position. But like you think that there was certain people out there did fell threatened with the amount of power that might. Yeah. It was alleged that at the end of the day, he owned too much like, he owned too many shares of Sony to where he controlled it. Because he owned the classic records or too many catalogues. Wow. And then so that, so there might have been people. And he didn't want to sell. And they were like, hey, we need control. Or maybe somebody over there. Yeah. It was alleged that because he didn't want to sell. They said, okay, cool. We're going to press you to sell. And if not, then we're going to devalue you to the point where it doesn't, it's not worth that much. Oh shit. And that's where that came into devalue him. And what is devaluing him do to the records? Oh. It doesn't really do much to the records itself. But it does to his financial situation. Yeah. And now he's in force to sell these records. Yes. Whoa. So, okay. That's obviously we've all heard the side that people have made the allegations against Mike, et cetera. So the other side, the other argument would be, he has so much power. They first try to pressure him to sell. Right. What are they doing to pressure him to sell? I mean, like how they do with everything, they first attack your reputation, your likeness. Oh, wow. They take the power your name has in making money to the point where nobody wants to be attached to it. So this is a, this is an interesting. And it always starts with allegations with women, rapes, pedophilia. You know what I mean, you see it happen with every powerful person at a certain time in a life when they don't want to play ball. The reason why it never happened to Trump is Trump didn't give a fuck. That interesting. He owned up to it and said, okay, I did it, Ann. Fuck him. They just lock him up. He didn't say no, I didn't do it or he didn't try to distance himself from allegations. He's stepped up to it and then there's no power because now you get support. Sometimes in sports, you see this where like a player's coming on a contract year and also in the video leaks of them like rolling a joint with like some cocaine on the table. Remember to happen with like, you know, back home, junior? Right. Do you think that's the same thing? You think that's like powers that be it depends because sometimes everyone has a backstory that you don't quite be aware of. But certain people, when they get to a certain level, there are certain things they're asked to do that sometimes most people play ball and some people don't do it. And when you don't do it, depending on what they're asking you to do, now you seem to be not a part of the club. So when you're not a part of that club, okay, we need to remove this person because he's a threat to everybody else. It's almost like a crooked cop within a prison. He knows where the bones are buried. So you got to get that motherfucker out of there. Play with us. Or somehow there's going to be accident and a police report written that makes everybody okay and you not. Because think about it. That one person threatens everybody else. And why was Michael owning all the music so threatening to them? That's a very good question. Like what is that? Like why couldn't they just continue to make more songs and make more hits and then have other things? See, okay, there's a word that's more powerful than valuing itself and us hope. Mike is the most arguably the biggest artist on the planet and he's black. It's one thing to be a big black artist, stop it. No, but it's true. No, no, no, no. But to be a big black powerful artist that runs the business, that's something different. Interesting. It's going to be that guy. What makes you think I can't be that guy or LeBron can't be that guy for NBA. So you think they're attacking the hope and they're attacking the systems and power, that's what it is. Whoa. Because you got to think about it, we're the, we're, we're when you talk of from a culture perspective and I don't want to sound like it's to be racist or anything. But when you look at it from a culture perspective where there's entertainment, fashion of sports. Yeah. Right. Black and brown people are ones that generate the billions, but we don't own the content and we don't control it. And there's no real reason why you shouldn't be able to do it since you can generate it. Right. But the moment we put ourselves in a position to be able to do that, what it do. You can't stop touching kids. The ones that come on. Come on. Yeah. Come on. Yeah. Why did it happen to you guys? Yeah. Oh, man. Oh, man. What the hell? What the hell? Get a little bit of power. You know? I could. No, you can't be that guy. He's touching kids. Because that's so sensitive to society, that's always the first place they go to start to attack. And that's why when you see that, you got to first say, wait a minute, what's really happening? You don't just agree with that. Find out what's happening behind it and find out why it's going there first. And why do you think that Michael's team didn't push more of that out there? Why do you think that there wasn't? Well, you got to think they own the media. It's Michael Jackson. Yeah. No one's bigger than him from a perspective of voice. But if you can't use the platforms that your voice can be heard in, your voice is meant nothing. So if Mike can't use it, we'll make sure to think the people around him are going to be it is. Oh, shit. No, it's a game. It's like, it's, it's powers that know how to control the situation. It's all about how you control the narrative. And then the companies that actually own what controls the narrative, who controls that. Yeah. [BLANK_AUDIO] >> You got to be careful how you want him. >> He's talking about that. >> Oh, he's clear. >> And then Prince was also talking about it. >> Yeah, they all talked about it because they were all, you know, in handcuffs, but it's not much you can do. You could just say it, but the people you're telling it to is blind and deaf to me. >> Can I, is there a part of you that as you ascended to superstardom and then you start shifting into more, I wouldn't want to say political things, but like infrastructural things. >> Oh, yeah, I'm a victim of it too. I was a victim of 100%. >> Right. >> I mean, you saw it in a tax on ACONCITY. >> Well, that's the thing I want to ask you about. >> That was clearly, clearly that. >> So that is where- >> That's why I shut the fuck up. >> And again, we don't have to talk about something that you don't come to talk about. But like, is there a part of you that's going through it? It's like, oh wow, now I'm attacking like system and structures. If I can just come in and make this majestic city within this country that I love and cherish, all the people that exist within this country and the powers of either within this country that haven't done that yet, now you're potentially threatening that power. >> 100%. >> Because if I'm a person that's living there, I'm going, well, why the fuck have a job done this? >> Why? >> Why? >> And then every time a customer wants that for me, right? >> And then the dream tray, where he takes over and all of a sudden all these other countries are like, oh, wait, why do I do that? >> It gets so right. >> After that happened, guess what? There was four more crews. >> Yeah. >> And then the other was an out preparing and there was something that got stopped and it goes, so it's like, it becomes a domino effect because it's human nature. It's almost like a very successful person walking through the mall. Nobody really notices in some dude, but they're afraid to go ask for a picture. It only takes one person to say, oh my god, can I get a picture? And then next you know, everybody's like, oh shit. So then everybody comes and doesn't. So to control just human nature and the way how we are, because we're just followers by nature. It's not that many years, right? The majority of humans are followers. So the ones that actually lead, it depends on what you're leading and you got to be able to control that. Because if one person gets to hope to move in that direction, it can offset everything that was built. >> If that leadership is at odds with someone else, the agenda, they need to stop it. >> So do you think that you had people that were working against? >> Oh yeah, it was very clear. And the goal was attainable more than attainable. >> Right, because the outside perspective, I'm sure you were probably having to defend nonstop. >> I mean, I realized me defending it only made it look more, it made it look worse. >> That's an interesting thing because it needs your reflexive reactions, guys. This is what I want to do. I want to do good in the world. We could do this. But the more you keep saying it, then they start looking at you like, well, how are you involved in this question? >> They look like, okay, he kind of is a 100% part of Luminati. I'm like, what the fuck, bro, are you going to do too right now to tell you all the Luminati they start looking at my show, they start seeing signs, I'm like, oh shit, it made me believe I was part of that. Because the way they put that shit together, bro, it's just so interesting, it's like damn. >> Yeah, yeah. >> It's amazing. >> He's motherfuckers a clever. >> They did that. >> Why? >> They did that to all of us. >> Bro, it's like, I love the work and the way you highlight Africa. >> Right. >> Are you still doing the work but just doing it more? >> Yeah, now I'm just doing it in a more smarter way to where it doesn't attack the powers that be. >> Attack the powers that be, but more support them in a way to where they can get what they want, but we can get what we want to. >> This is a lighting project. >> Yeah, so my thing is, okay, let's find a way to co-exist. You need the resources here, but we also need the resources too. You can't just take the resources from Africa, build your country up in an ours is still fucked up. >> Yeah. >> We work it to, and this is the agreement that was made with China. China figured out, okay, cool. We understand you don't have the liquid cash, but you do have the resources. But we need your resources. Give us what your resources worth, and then we'll give you that back in infrastructure, and that made sense. Now China is in Africa, building roads, roundabouts, bridges, putting down fiber optics for technical futures and things like that. Whereas Europe, America, they just took the resources and left, and they didn't even send no money back for nothing. >> Look, look at more on Europe than us. >> [LAUGH] >> And he's running through it, no, it's more real. He's sure, completely more Europe. >> We do have to the Middle East. >> No, America only comes in with the oils. >> Yeah, South America. >> No, they do have to do, they do have to do, they do a proxy. They do have to do a proxy, they do have to do a proxy. >> We outsource that. >> I'm American, so I know. [LAUGH] I'm straddling both sides of the fence, but I'm trying to unite us, because I was the one in the White House trying to get America to partner with Africa before China did. But they didn't get it. >> This is, dude, this is the political game, there's a very dangerous one. >> No, it's very dangerous. You attack people with real power. It's very different to music beats. >> No, bro, you think, you think, nigga, listen, you talk about gangster? >> This is the most game. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> Government's in Mafia. >> Bro, nigga, they beat it in the Mafia, the Mafia is a pretty good one. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> I don't worry about that. >> That's more potatoes, cuz those powers is something that you don't want to play with. >> There's something that interests me so much, because I saw you say somewhere like something that really bothers you is the fact that black people can't work together. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> How can we come together? >> I mean, the thing is that there's a lack of trust within our community, unfortunately. >> How can it change that? >> It's hard. The only thing that can do, you can't, that's not something that can be changed overnight. That's something that has to change from a generational cycle. Because we have to teach our children, and they have to be the one to make the change. >> Okay. >> Like, we're too gone. Our mentality is so left that it's impossible, cuz like this generation is out. >> I admire that of other culture that are able to come together and like pull their wealth together to move up. >> That's how you have to do it. >> It sucks that we're not able to do it as people, but it's also, it's like, there's black Americans, and then there's Africans, and even if they don't get along, it's too. >> Yeah, because it's a divide of how, and it's also information too. Like information can be very dangerous if you know how to properly use it to create a divide, right, but if it's being used to create unity, right now can be dangerous because such a capitalist environment that we're living in, and so many agendas that can actually affect, that isn't the world's best interest to keep Africans and black people divided. >> Yes. >> Cuz Africa holds so much power. >> So if they were united. >> So much power. >> Yeah, they would be able to organize around that power. >> Cheerio, tell us more. >> Everything that they see it, one thing that black Americans can maybe do to help bridge that gap. >> They just come together. >> That's it. >> Like literally come together, put together pools, bring your investments together, invest together, and literally create and build together. >> And how does one, how does one, how does one, how does one, how does one, how does one invest in Africa. >> Let me give you a prime example. >> The one thing that you have to respect on this planet is how small a population that the Jewish are, but how the United they are, they're the smallest population on the planet, but they're the most powerful. Why is that? Cuz they come together, they pool together, they invest together, and they build together. And then when there's a problem, they stay together. What happens when there's a problem on Niggas? >> And I don't know that name. >> Proud. >> Proud. >> Proud. >> You know what I'm saying? On their side, they're like hold on, cuz if that affects you, that affects us. How do we fix it? We need them kind of new conversations, and we can't continue to blame the white man for every fault that goes on in the fucking society. >> Hold on now. >> But it's true. >> [LAUGH] >> I mean, be real. >> We like to be talked about. >> [LAUGH] >> I'm talking like you don't sit right there, there's a brother conversation with his real. You never mind it, how powerful we are. >> [LAUGH] >> Don't take that away from us. >> [LAUGH] >> He's not blaming white people, brother. We'll start to think we're not running shit. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> What does the point? >> That's really interesting. >> Yeah, we just got to stop. Cuz when I realized, bro, as much as I travel, that problem only exists in America in maybe two or three parts of Europe. But the rest of the world is united, and they all co-exist. >> This is a young place. >> This is a young place though, like I think that's another thing. That it's tough for us to compare to. Like you're looking at European civilizations that existed for thousands of years. >> Right. >> America's a young country. >> Yeah, it is. >> About to be 200 to 50 years old. The black American experience in America is super young because a lot of the black Americans don't even have connectivity to their roots in Africa. >> That's so true. >> So you're like inventing a new identity, and unfortunately, because of fucking what his family did. >> No, no, no, no, no, no, no. >> It's all in the natives. >> But not in the black American. >> They were coming up there as a same thing. >> Yeah. >> Fail for that trip. >> [LAUGH] >> This is a scary welcome. >> But unfortunately, a lot of the experiences just like shared trauma. >> Is shared trauma. >> So it's like, eventually, ideally, you get to the point where it's like, a lot of the experience is shared culture. And the most ideal version is we all share culture. That's like, that'd be amazing. We all share culture and everything is incredible. And we can all rally around being American despite us having cultural differences, etc. I know that you already were there. But that would be ideal scenario. But there is a version where, like, what we've done in 250 years, most countries haven't done in 1000 years. >> No, no. >> That's 100%. >> But we still got-- >> Yeah. >> No, but to your credit. >> To your credit, what we've done as a culture here is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. Because right now, my kids don't know what racism is. They wasn't raised that way. Like, their friends are from all parts of the world, it's like, it's like United Nations at my house. >> Right. >> Literally. They don't see each other from that perspective. >> They know racism exists, of course, but they don't see it the way we see it. >> But they don't see it the way we see it. >> And maybe this is it. >> Because maybe when I saw it growing up, it's a lot of flavor over there. >> It's a lot of flavor over there. >> Yeah, because it's all in how the adults teach their children though. >> Yeah. >> Because if they keep it going, then it's going to continue to go moving forward, right? >> But if we allow them to be able to just be themselves and get to understand each other as they are without putting our thought and process and our ideology on them, it actually can change overnight. >> That's true, but you got to tell them that too. >> Yeah. >> We're working on it. We're working on it. >> Okay. We'll discuss it. You got to get out. >> Yeah. >> Before you get out of here, we just need your world cup. We just need your world cup hot. >> So my world cup prediction- >> You were talking crazy shit outside. >> I was. >> I said the final is going to be Senegal and U.S. >> What are the chances on Kowshi that we have- >> What's the chance? >> Senegal. >> Senegal. >> 0.8% for Senegal. >> Right. >> What about the U.S.? >> The U.S. is 1.6%. >> Ooh. >> I'll take those odds. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> But that's a tough one for you. You're a dual citizen. If Senegal and U.S.A. is in the fight- >> I went both ways. >> But who do you root for though? What jersey do you wear to the stadium? >> Oh, great question, bro. >> Oh, that's actually a very good question, bro. >> Great question. >> Yeah. >> Because there's the business man in you. >> No, no, no. Honestly, I would get a customized jersey. It's going to be Senegal in the front, and he wears it in the back. >> Why Senegal in the front? >> Yeah. >> The color's a nicer. >> Because I'm in a business of selling hope, and Senegal needs it. >> Senegal needs more hope, even when it comes to soccer. >> No, America needs more hope, because- >> America needs more hope. >> I guess Saudi Obama is- >> No, we got the odds in them right now. >> Yeah, you see, bro, listen, the US team is so good this year, they're really good, bro. And mind you, just so you guys know, people didn't know. There was a friendly match between Senegal and the US, and you guys beat us by one. >> Whoa, all right, I didn't even know that. >> That says a fucking lot. >> Yeah. >> I mean, we kind of wanted to build hope in the US. >> I don't do that, I don't want that. >> Before the game, you want to listen to another one, come on, we beat you before the show. >> Come on, you hope, we need to make sure that you guys make it to the finals so we can really play. >> Okay, well I guess we'll see them. >> But you know what I mean, but your US team is really good this year, they make me nervous, I'm not going to lie. >> So you got me feeling hope, man? >> Yeah, you've been feeling hope for all of us. >> I already know Senegal is going to make it, but yeah, I'm going to make me feel nervous. - Hey Con ladies and gentlemen. - Hey God, thank you so much. - God, oh God.