Reflecting on the Kevin Hart Roast

Y yo thought warriors What is up? H L learnning is on is I Van Lason Junior. And is me Rachel and Lindsey? Yeah, we got Jay Fer on the show It's gonna be a good conversation. Surprising. interview with Jay Farrell to me. Well, we had him on the last time I can't remember what we were talking about, but it wasn't this conversation. Well, he use' in person this time change is huge. Well, yeah, but we still do good interviews. Rachel, arere you familiar with the game eighty two z I'm not I'm playing it right now Well Hello. What? So this is a game. Turn your computer around that has gone viral where you are given I swear to God guys, I'm in no way being paid by these people. It's such a shame you have to say this. So this is how the game works You are given. so I play hoop. Right. So you're given a team. starts off AT on the sixies, you spin So it's like you're trying to build a team that would go A to and O that wouldn't lose a basketball game. Oh wow. So From Utah in the nineties, who do you choose? Well Unfortunately for everybody that's like listening right now, I gott to play the game And if you have a choice from Utah in the nineties The first person that you're going to choose to put that power forward is Carmlone I'm sorry The game don't know about different shit that happened. No o Okay. I'm trying to win the fuckingame Okay, so then I spin again, right and it gives me Milwaukee in the twenty ten s. Now Here's the thing Milwaukee into twenty ten, you can go one of two ways here If you spin again because you can also change the team once and you can change the era once. Okay Now I could put Yonis on that bitch Cpa Yanis on it M walking in the twenty tens But I'm not going to do that I' tell you why You want that position open I if I have Milwaukee, there's somebody else I could get from the seventies Ebedded in Yanis in the twenty ten. Yeah. And that would be Kriimal Du Jibbard. 'm aware I'm not Yout mean it that way. But how do you know you're going to because it's Spence again. How do you know you're going to get seventies? I don't know, which is why. I'm just going to go ahead pick Janis. Now here's the thing though, I have to be honest. canan ask you a question. Does it give you how Janis played in that era or does it Or is it just like hereere's the deal Okay twow different versions of the game. One game gives you statistics, the other one doesn't. Janis played a lot of years and got off to a slower start. This good question. Right. There you go. So his overall for the twenty ten M not be as hardot as N think it is, but we're gonna go yonest anyway because I know't because I don't feel like spinning it right now becauseince Jonas is already there. I don't feel like spinning it again to try to get to try to get another fucking player and also something else about Janist that you have to consider Yonis has so many different positions on here that If I get another player, I can move Jonis around to. Oh, okay. so you can move because he has he's in multipleions. Okay, okay. Right. So I can see how you can get addicted to this game by the way. It's over. Yeah. I can see it. Right now I have car kind of into I put Yahonis at center right Is it free? It's free. It's free but I can also put Yonis in small forward. I can do whatever I want. I can do whatever f. So how do you know so okay, once you build your team? How do you know you go eighty two and no? The computer tells you after you pick the last place. Okay. So right now I got this is also a great way for people to learn the game of basketball I think Like learn like players and stuff like that. Yeah. Donnny is Donny there I am. Yes. Donnie, I got Detroit in the twenties I got to be honest with you. I feel like I want to change the team right here You do. you' trying to go to Detroit in the eighties? Well, no, I want to change the team. Oh, you want to change the team. I heard what you heard D. Oh, no, don't do that. Yeah, yeah. Don't change the team. Go Aa and put Kate in there. Right now I got Kate Carmalone and and Yanis. That's I guess that's that's straight number change the a or goade. Yeah. Okay, let's goade. Let's see let's see let's see I put some respect on Detroit. I'm with you, Zonny. There were you could have gotten a Tony. if I get if I would have changed the team and I got like Lucaa W somebody like that? We outa here We outa here. We out ofa here if I do that But I'm going with Donny because Donny loves for you. My name is Donny. I love Detroit. That's how you sound. So I'm so I'm going I'm going to keep that. Okaykay. we're going to spin again. You're going to spin again. So so far, we got C alone. At powerower for it we got Janesit Sinner we can still move on That's as smart as the computer because what if it gave you like Oklahoma City nineties And you get nobody That happens all the time But then you have to waste a team or an era Right, So this is the game Do you know how many of these franchises ain't shit? Or didn't exist, No, no, no, no no. That's my point. Well, it'll give you Seattle Setle sign. It would have So it would do that. Right. Oh, okay, okay. Now all the players are for the franchise. Okay, okay. Okayame is like you might be Brooklyn, but it got you got d got you got Yeah. I misustood question. Okay, so I'm spinning again Bam a bombata Din in the twenties Guess what Great pick. Do you know why Kevin fucking Durant That's who I'm putting on this bitch. We have the chance right now legitimately to go eighty to anz Like, let me go to let me go to KD KD Durant. That's his fucking name Kevin fucking Durant, Rachel knows him So let's see here. Can't find them there? Here he is right here. Kevin Durant. Okay. so so far right now, live. y'all think I'm bullshit, I'm not gonna to turn my computer around, live I have Yanis. Calm alone Kate Cunningham and Kevin Durant. I still have both my team and my Eera swwitch available. You got it. All right, Donny. I'm going to spend one last time here Detroit in the seventies Can't fuck with it Okay The question is I have both a team and an aera switch. Should I switch the team or should I switch the air? There's really no else from Detroit that can help me I'm bey hon with you All right swit position is open again? So small forward is open. But you could move some of your players. I could move Yanest to small forward. I could move K D to small forward, right? What I really want is a bomb ass sinner If I could get if I could fuck with Wild or cream out do J bar. I'm gonna go change the team. I'm gonna go A to an So I need Wilt from the seventies Okay, Kvin Yall. Okay, yeah. Okay, Or I need J bar from the seventies So let's change your team. That's what I say Yeah, change the team. Let's we need Milwaukee We need Milwaukee, We need Milaukee. You already got it, so he's not getting it again. Milwaukee. We need Milwaukee. Let's go team change, the walking, the walking,ew walking Indiana Of. Oh, wait a minute. In the seventies though? Alex English This teame can rock Alex English Do I change the era? Do do I go with Alex English and put him in because this snigkel was bomb Or do I change the era? Who else? But you want a big man? Well, now it's just about what's left because There's no sinner from Indiana That's really going to help me because they got Rick Sith in that bitch Okay So that thats that's the only one. So I got I feel like I got to kind of rock, right? because I can't change the team, change the era. What's the best play I can get from the history of Indiana That's a that's a center? No, well, I because it's small for left so I can get I could still get like Reie. I was to say Reie. Vermain on you Well, I'm saying is I'm looking at all of these people So what do you think? Do I go with Alice English who I know had crazy numbers in the seventies is one of the best? Just do it. G go for it. We got to we gott to go. Not as was white. What did they give you? Man What did they give you was more of an eighties player, man. I got fucked in. What did they give you? All of this shit was fucked up. What was this? sixty six and sixteen is Oh wow. Is that one of the worst ones you've had? It's not one of the worst ones. It's actually not the best. Okay, let me tell you, it's not one I went eighty two and up Who was your team? My team, my eighty two andz. Did you see how he looked at me when he said, No play eighty two andz? L like he himself went eighty two. Like he was actually on the team. So so hold on for a second. Really, you know who hurard me? Yan has hurt Yonis is only really useful from the twenty twenties. I said Which one But I didn't know which game you were playing if it was based on where they were during that time. but you said there were two versions. So I just. is my eighty two andz was now we can get to the podcast after this. You guys you know what? Judge us for getting into different shit like this. Play the fucking game. The game is fun. Donny played, Donny. what's the best you ever win Uh eighty and two Cose Yeah. skin. Who who's on your eighty and two team I had Trey Young Michael Jordan. Adrianne Dantley Jimmy Butler and Karine Okay So Oh there's an NFO version Yeah, the NFL version That's tough. That's a lot of people on the team. That's tough So my eighty two and O was a second. My eighty two andz was Lua Dodic at pointoint guard. Mitch Richmond at shhooting Guard Michael Jordan at small forward Chris Webber. powerower for it and this is the cheat code. Karim Abdul Jabar. from the Milwaukee nineteen seventies at Cinner to win the game pretty much almost have to have Korean from the seventies. or will from the sixties. You get Wil from the sixties. You could put really hard to mower Oh For some reason the game is a love will chaming like that. That this bitch Has been taking up lot my time I can see why I love this type of sh. I mean, we just played it on the podcast. That was an excuse for you to get one more in this morning. Yeah, yeah, yeah.'m mad at it though I'm looking at it. I'm like o, g my p. The ringer should do a game like this and I have an idea. I have a pitch. This is the game We should do mayaybe you should save it. No, no because they're not Yeah, You're about to put it out there They're not going to do it anyway So I might as well share it with the people All right, they're not gonna to do it anyway. becausea remember the movie Gid game that talked about years ago, so much fucking fun sh out to the moovie Gid guys, the movie Gid game The wringer should do a ewing theory game No way did this game work? Are familiar with Bill's ewing theory? you guys know it No. Bill has the Ewing theory and it's like a team loses their best player and somehow they become better. likeike Patrick Ewing got hurt in ninety nine and Nicks went to the finals What they should do is take an all time great team than have you rememove their best player. and then build a team of people from that same era Beat that team with the best player Like a ewing theory type game. That's fun. It's a fun game. like take two thousand Lakers take Sack off the two thousand Lakers thenen you got to build a team of those Lakers that could beat that team without Shack. Maybe you up something, you do a couple of different whatever. this a game like that. Fuck it. Maybe that sucks, but you do a game. we should have our own game. I want our own game. We should have a game. Great. We'll build a high basketball, motherfuckers Wh why we don't have no game Till. For adults with Crohn's disiseease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters Trumphia offers self injection or intravenous infusion from the start Trmphia is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. 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Karen Bass has already secured her position in the November ballot Any surprises for you now You know, a lot of these prediction markers, you pay attention to that shit hereere and there How she fucking all that. For some reason Oh everybody iss making money off of this with cal fuck all that dumn shit, but like everybody is u Bllish on Ramen being second All the prediction markets have her right now. She's up on Cali at least U to seventy one percent now. just for people know. We voted on Tuesday, but just like how many How what's the percentage of the precincts that are in? I think it's like sixty two. That's That's what I see last, but this also says it was updated eighteen hours ago. So I mean they're still caning vote Spitzer Pratt and Karen Bass were the one in the two. It always takes California a long time to count their votes. I know spepecifically, a lot of people that voted mail in, they dropped ballots. and there were a lot of run of voters that were in there. And I think also, well, one, there was a lot of strategy behind voting for Ramen for people. and then two, I guess And I' yeah, was I no, I did live here then. what am I saying? When it was Caruso and Bass Um There was a big change at the end with all the votes like like seven points or something like that. So U The governor's race seems to be less controversial It seems pretty evident in the governor's race that the top two will be Steve Hilton and av. Well why is that? I'm looking at us the only fifty six percenter in? Is it is it based on which percentages or I mean, precincts are in because fifty six percent, I feel like there could still be a huge a change. You know, if we're talking about what I just gave the example of Caruso and Bass In the last Mayoral race, then why couldn't Styireck get a seven point or something like that. He might they would have to break for him pretty dramatically, but I guess it's the same thing. with ramen, do you have So now what's going to happen is this Odd If in fact, Sencer Pratt did not make the top two All of the rich asshole crybabies that are backing him are going to claim some sort of voter fraud. country Trump's already doing it by the way. They're already dipping into that U. It Spencer Prat does not get does get to the top two so be it you run the race and then you have a long time until November thingsings quiet down probably in the summer and then they ratchet back up around the fall. People normally take a break from this shit during the summer Um Do you have a problem though the way the slowness of California ispot vote Cnie Why don't I remember it being this slow last time? I know I know, but I just don't remember it I mean, I think the slowness gives room for people to criticize. voting here. Like I said, Trump's already claiming voter fraud. and it's like, why is it always so slow in California? Oh, they must be up to something. gives more fuel to the conspiracy theories of voter fraud and all of that in California being corrupt for those people who choose to believe it. So like, yeah, of course I would I mean, the fact that it's june fourth we two days ped it. And we're still talking about Maybe this person, maybe not, like I'd rather it just be us know in the morning The morning of the next day I would say though that There's a part of me that believes that the reason why the vote counts are so slow is so that the process can be more thorough Voting you optimist? Yeah I mean, I don't think that there's widespread rampant. Oh, I don't think that at all. I think it just gives room for people to try to say that. But yeah, I think you're right D Also also the provisional ballot. is a real thing. And like because I saw U some MAGA influencer saying he was able to vote, drove in was was able to vote, doesn't live here And people are like, well, one, you didn't actually show yourself going through the process. You could literally just be holding up a sticker, but two, it's a provisional ballot. They're going to Thoroughly check you out and make sure you actually live here hence the word provisional. And three, Thank you for just admitting to everybody that you committed voter fraud And everybody was sending his info to the Secretary of State. Prosecute him and Some of these changes are post COVID They wanted to make sure that they gave everybody an opportunity. If you are a registered voter in California, you get a mail in ballot. Everybody gets a mail in ball. The valid all those ballots are valid. are valid as long as they're postmarked by election day So It is not just you know, something that you can do voting by mail and dropping ballots in California is something that seems to be prioritized here. So, you know, after COVID, we want to make sure that everybody could participate in that stuff. someome of those changes came in. And so now we are basasically counting votes that people Cast. Yes. differentifferent times. The question is Reaching for the words, reaching for the words. said a lot of words to J through. The question is whether or not those votes are going to break for Rahen and for Styre in order to make it Docrat vers Democrat Nove Even still though, even if even if they did If we get in. or like It does seem like Not just from a counting of the vote standpoint It seems like Culturally California is more to rered leadership than they've ever been before There's cultural movements. let's not let's say that the voters don't reflect this There seem to be there seems to be a cultural shift That is making both Hilton and Pratt more viable As candidates in California. Do you think it's a cultural shift of towards Republicans to the Red or do you think it's just a cultural shift in Distrust for the government. not having candidates, you know that people feel are so strong. You know, a lot of people feel like They thought Cola Harris was going to run. Th she didn't. They thought maybe one of the senators would run. They didn't for Governor I'm talking about. And then they felt like they had a cast of candidates who they weren't really confident in who they weren't really excited about. If that's the cultural shift you're talking about, I feel more of that. I feel more people are not happy with the options that they have. They're not as excited and whether that's the people As an individual, whether that's parties, a distrust of that or whether that's just a distrust of government in general, I'm not sure that's the shift I see more than I see it more towards The red You're definitely right In the way that I mean, it just means a change, shift, whatever You're definitely right. I don't know You know, it's difficult for me to kind of, um, for me to judge or litigate God. certain people's priorities because you never know what they really are So I talked about before that here in California There's Pe are saying that this is a red mirage that's happening right now. but I happen to believe that in California there is a blue mirage. There is a progressive mirage that exists Oh this state partarticularly in Los Angeles while I do believe that there are a lot of pissy, whiny rich assholes who U art They refuseed to put anything in context so much so that they don't even put their vote in context, right? Because if you were looking to change in Los Angeles The next thing wouldn't just be This is the thing that always gives me about like, you vote for change. You do vote for change. You vote for change It still matters what the change is. Of course, right? It still matters what the change is. What are you changing to? So if you think that crime is running rampant in California, U the question is not whether or not you should change to a candidate that is suuffer on crime or that has What are you changing to? Have you heard anything from Pratt plan from Prat that makes you believe that Spencer Pratt can execute what it is that he's saying he's saying he's doing. And so concepts. Well, concepts of like But like to me, that's what I look at So of course. Everybody that's, you know, making videos in front of their house talking about how fucking bashh itit is. That was Doug Ellen from. I was trying to figure out who he was. from entourage. Eourage great show. Okay. I've seen that video. Y. The video very in passassion. He's up there talking his shit and talking about what him and his neighbors are going through and I get all of that. He lives in Beverly Hills So The question is, what have you heard that makes you believe the person that you are supporting can get this stuff done. And the reason why I asked that question is because Those are the questions that you're supposed to ask Of course of a public servant. We actually get bad public servants. because people number one, don't follow through with the things that they say they're going to do. but also because people They vote on vibes. They vote on anger, they vote on emotion with everyone that's voting for these candidates Hilton's a little different, but everyone that's voting for these candidates, I haven't heard them make a compelling case as for what spepecial Pratt's going to do to clean up the streets.. It's just a very anti Karen bass and that's literally the narrative they're running on. And that's why people like talk about Spencer's success on social media because that some of that campaign and that messaging, people are, you know, like It's permeating throughout, I guess the conversations or with the type of people that are standing behind him because they are repeating some of his same talking points without there being any depth behind it. I think one of the most infuriating things to me when I saw that video of the person that you were talking about and he's not alone is Obviously your house is broken into, you're upset. you want, you know, like it's personal for you. There's a difference, but are you aware at all that Karen Bass heavily supports funding the police. and believes we don't have enough Like so so I just don't understand why people are like got to get her out of there as if she's not a person who's like fully supports why the union, The union was against her the last time now the union's for her. So I just don't understand. and when I talk to people because you know, I got to talk to Billy Bush You guys were tagging me on the video. Don't worry I thought I' talked Billy in a couple of weeks when I get back from traveling I don't when I talk to people and they say, well, you know, like Crime is just everywhere. and then I tell them how Karen Bass supports it They're like, oh, I didn't know that. So then my messaging, I guess to you know, Karen Bass' campaign is y'all got to figure out How to step into twenty twenty six with social media in the way that we saw. and get creative with it to where your messaging lands and people are using your talking points like we saw with Mum Donny. He was very creative in what he did. Spencer Pratt is as well. And because I just don't understand why people don't know that I just don't like that's so simple. Your friend is a dick rider Oh, Billy? Yeahah So that's the thing with him We're gonna talk about. I listen to Billy Bush talk about And that's okay, you know, it's likes I was real really excited to talk to the cameras. It's he talked he said that Spencer Pride is Don't repeat it Spencer Pratt has and that is a talking point. Spencer Pratt said that a month ago onn camera Barack Obama is was Constitutional law professor And the editor of the Harvard Law Review And U both a state senator and a U. S. Senator Um Prad is not like Barack Obama. Spincer Pratt came from the Hills and I'm not in any way like, hey, reality show people shout out to them. We know a lot of reality show. Hey, reality show people put the Tam Za. this is a TamZ guy. I'm not in any way getting I'm not bona fighties and all of this appealalsority shit. I'm just saying saying that he's not saying that he's like Barack Obama is Dick Riding and I know that Billy Bush is a dick wrider because I heard him with one of the most breathtaking dig rides that has ever happened And of course, that was on the Axis Hollywood tape where Donald Trump was bragging about being able to assault people. and Billy Bush was like, Yeahah, get him, Donny. Yeah, score one for the Trumpster. Okaykay? So I'm not that's how he was being on that bitch. And you guys, I don'tind making this personal. whatever. I'm not making this personal. I'm just saying You know, that happened. that that that that was something that happened. So like and a lot of this U going back to it has nothing to do with actual policy. has nothing to do with that stuff. It has to do with the class of people that are angry theirir beloved playground, like I said before is being suouly and they they want somebody to come in and crack a whip And who better than this specific cracker to crack that whip So to me, like if any of this was based in something that I could intellectually wrap my mind around I would get it, like legitimately Here are the numbers, here's the problem. Here's the deal. this is how we attack it, but it's not it's vibes voting. And this is kind of the wayay we got that is exactly the way. It's not kind of, it's exactly the way. And what's interesting in that clip that I saw And I'm going talk about this to him They're interesting in the clip that I saw where he compares him to Barack Obama, he doesn't compare his resume He doesn't say that they're aligned in that way. He looks at he says I haven't seen anyone Gather people together and rally them together and make them feel this kind of hope Right? which was Barack Obama's messaging And I sat there, I listened to that and I'm like Only a white person would say that because You don't understand What that hope meant It wasn't like Hope is not the thing that Spencer Pratt is even preaching out here or campaigning on. But you want to use the word hope to link him to Barack Obama. You don't understand what that hope actually meant in two thousand eight. And and that's why I say only a white person could say that because for a black person, that hope was more than just policy and issues. It's what Barack Obama himself represented by stepping into that office because of what A person like Barack Obama represented from the moment that black people came to this country. And like that is how I the conversation I will have with him. But like it is H highly offensive because you're taking something that was so meaningful to a certain community and it's so disconnected and you're using a word And you're not even applying it the same way. And I'm just and I think that's why I get so annoyed and passionate about it whenever I talk about the Spincer Proud of it all, because it is so obvious as I have we keep saying It's a particular community that is being served. I don't care if Spencer Pratt is saying that he's with with the cribs or, you know, down having conversation He's apparently said he was with the Is it roll in sixties? This is him claiming this. J saying, you know, just So that he's like, oh yeah, bragging about it. He was on no jumper talking about it or something like that. So there's a Prat he was on no jumper saying he's down with the roll in sixties. He met with them. Oh, okay. I don't know if he's our dad. I don't know with him. My point being is that he doesn he is not here to serve anybody else. So when you talk about hope, when you talk when you want to use names like Barack Obama, like please be careful when you say that kind of stuff because you're just talking in a very flippant way and not understanding the gravity of that kind of rhetoric and I'll talk to him about it I I' Scerrtckc me, by the way Oh you I'm not offended by Sitcher press Rom I'm not offended by Billy Bush's support for Spencer Prank I'm not offended by any of it. I'm not offended by that comparison. None of it offends me. It's just some dick riding and have to call it out as such. None of it offends me. None of this, this is the process My issues with all of this stuff I'm not about to I understand everything that you're saying.hing that I'm not going to hold water for Mayor Bass. Did I vote for her Voted to the left of Mayor Bass, okay? I'm not going to even hold water for our beloved Barack Obama after all at this time. But the reality of Barack Obama's life is that Barack Obama had had a life in public service Barack Obama had had a life dedicated to deep, deep scholarship and intellectualism Barack Obama had achieved elected office. he had earned his shot. meteorically Met York Rise, I don't know if Mew York losees word he He had earned his shot at going for that office and got there with the country being and just fucked up enough of a state that people would be like, I get the niga chance. Okay. So All of that stuff is true of Barack Obama. Barack Obama did not walk off of a film set or a podcast to go try to be the presresident of the United States of America Once again, if you were to do that That is fine. Americans this is not an appeal to authority. Americans saying, hey, I see shit being fucked up and wrong I am now going to go and try to change that stuff for myself I have no problem with that. I think that's a part of who we are and who we're supposed to be. do have a problem with all the time people getting to places because of the cut of air jib That is why buhit people get into places just because they can like whatever, that is white buyshit. That to me is something that is exclusively reserved for a certain segment of the population. I don't fuck with it. I need to hear from politicians actionable plans that they can put in that will change the substantive reality of people's lives, the substance of their life And he has even tried to do that because he's got a bunch of Dick Riders and a bunch of people who look at him as basasically a puppet for their class. That is the way that I look at it. I do not take offense to him running I believe people should feel so frustrated and passionate about whatever it is that they stand on that it might cause them to like want to make a change difference. I'm not mad at that I' not or I should say I'm not offended by that. I'm not offended by him throwing his name in the hat. I do get offended when you start making remarks like comparing uh, the life of a Barack Obama to a Spencer Pratt. The fact that you can even fix your mouth to say that says a lot. That is offensive to me. What say bill S on what I just said now But I'm say I'm say you you only said only a white person would say that because you have no understanding I no bill is going to say to you What is Billy going say to me? So you be yourself and would be Billy. Okay Now Billy, I saw I saw what you said onn camera about Barack Obama. and how you believe that Spincer Pratt has some of the energy and is able to gather and corral people and make them feel hope similar to our former president Barack Obama. Now Bill, you know. Only a white person would say that. I'm not just any white person Well, who are you Um, I know presidents Let me tell you how no presidents I'm not sure if you realize I'm much sure have you realized presidence in my family Soee you think that you're going to come and talk to me y. and tell me about the president. Did you know that my cousin H. Dub was the president. Did you know that my other cousin H uncle was a president, uncle, cousin, whatever They would the office. HW got there cousin W got there My other cousin, Jeb would have got there except for the fact that Trump, a guy that, you know, hey, go Donny. I don't know if you heard me talking to him. It's like I apologize again to everyone. He would have got there except for the fact that he was one of the worst political candidates that the right put up ever terrible had the personality of a rudega. M Okay. You don't tell me about presidents, littleittle Miss Thang My ancestors were on the My ancestors were on the Mayflower You don't tell me about presidents Thanksgiving with Pidents I'm B motherfucking B I say he's like Obama Wh he's like Down, you know that Obama is my nigga, meaning that I own him U Wow, Wow. I was like, how's this going in The answers we were on the Mayflower though. That's crazy to me Is that a fact? Yeah, the buses their ancestors were on the Mayflower. something like that. Like I have no idea. I'm not pushing back guys don. The ancestors, they had there's there's a thought don't look that, they had ancestors on the Mayflower. This iss how far this sh goes back. I mean, Prescott Bush, Bh, Bh, Bh, Bh, Bh, all of thisuff. I can't wait for you talkking. When you talking to them again M then a couple of weeks excited about it.e Why are people tagging you and shit that he said? Because they're thought warriors. And remember I said before that I was going to talk to Billy Bush Oh The last time we the last time we talked because that this is how I got blocked by Spencer because I was like, I don't give a fuck what he has to say. blah bl, blah, blah, he only gives a shit about himself And then somebody told me to look at something on his page. And when I went to look, I was like, I don't know if I've ever been blocked before. And I went to look and I was like Wait, it says there's a loading error. And then I looked at somebody else's, I think was to like Hide these, and I could. And then I went back and I was like, oh shit I guess he blocked me and Spencer Prat has not blocked me onwitter. as As m of fact me and Spencer Pratt are following each other On Twitter O on Twitter Um W would love to have Spencer Prd on. I would too. All of these things I will say this So you've never been blocked by a celebrity before? No, if I have, I don't know. Oh yeah. we've talked about this before Ashon Cutcher blocked me back in the did. No. Did he unblock you? I don't think so. I think I'm probably still blocked by Ashton. You know, he was on my season Wlaing he was on it. You said you watched it He and Mil are big Bachelor fans where they were at the time and they came on to do a host to date They did Kem Adul Jabar did Oh no. I thought he had un bllocked me. No look, he still got me On Twitter, what did you say? I didn't say anything. He blocked everybody Everyone from TMZ. Okay. All right he would just if you were on TMZ, he just he just would straight up block he would block everybody from TMZ. That makes sense. So he so I'm blocked by Ashton Cutcher I remember back U I was in the office and they went T my Ashion kitchen and're like,an, you're probably block And I was like, What, Wh would he block me? if you get seen her here he's like, who's new guy he blocks? So I went there and he blocked me It's really nice. Stuff. He's a really nice guy blocking people for no reason, fuck Ashian country I remember they looked around on my date and they were like,, none of these guys are for you So they told me off camera, they were like, none of them They told you that They ended up being right. He wasn't on that date, but still. They were right All right. Let's move on. What should we do next? Donny's choice? Let's do the Tyler the creator one I think that'll be a good conversation. Tyler was on a recent episode of DJ Drama's Gangster Grills podcast And he had this to say about discussions and debates around top five lists I think people who fixate on objective top Fives are fucking lame I'd rather hear people talk about the shit they like and love and their favorites instead of who's the best based on numbers or hit like gives a fuck. Like people really be arguing like how dare you not put so and so on of all time? What if you just told me who your personal favorites were and the shit you like and then explain it and maybe you'll put me on some new shit instead of us sitting here arguing about like like It crazy, you care about another Niga's top five list when you're on your way to work. likeike go get a fucking hobby. It truly blows my mind Oh, how dare you not put Pony Tony on top five? He killinging because you heard his verse on so and so. He r from the perspective of a hot dog.. Oh, but what's your favorite song on that album? I don't really know. I don't really listen to that album. So what albums do you listen to? But people aren't selfish enough So like Hey, this is what I like. Check this out This is what I learned about it. This is how I grew from this. This is when I heard it. like That shit's crazy. What's that? And I do not give a fuck about like objective top brushmore because I'm doing my own thing like whatever, like But I think everyone should have their own personal rushmore of things that they heard when they were seven, fourteen, twenty eight, forty, that changeed their life. That makes them feel a certain way that that's their personal favorite shit Do you feel ? No. Do you feel like the Van Leyton is under attack? Not at all. Okay. N all As a matter of fact, I thought about Pony Tony's raps, man I know why he rapping from the perspective of a hot dog . T Tony be the buns. Is this why you wanted to do this topic? You What the fact that you can make your lip quicker worked? Sbody can't get closeer Um Now look, you know, this is another treatise on Dickride. That's where he really those ways. You saw this was? that was I actually liked what he had to say. I like what he had to say Yes, he's of course of course he's one thousand percent right. You know what he's talking about He's talking about the people a couple of days ago you know I'm in my shit You know, I'm in the car I' listen to a random mix on title, becauseuse I still have title. Yes, you tell us And then you know what comes on What? B surise to I die Lord knows I' say f and I love it And I love it do do We call hs on the table. T is on the floor, fresh sh of workking on the wave for more. and I love it. I listen to JeezZ, Nigga Jesy. And I'm thinking to myself Is there anybody who I really Really, how many rappers do I really Like listening to more than I like listening to Jesus standing ovacation You know what I'm saying? And I'll go and I'll tweet You know what? Jesus is in my top ten Oh, I didn't see this. GeezZ's in my top ten. Okay. My top ten of people and not only GeezZ, Juvenile in my top ten If my top ten includes JeezZ, it includes Juvenile Those are two people that are in my top two. Yes And then people come, Oh y'all niggles want a kid blah blah blah. It was a bunch of Pony Tony niggas that came in the head was like, you can't tell me that JeezZ Rrap better than fly session thirty five. You know what I'm saying? And I'm like I like your list. is my list, I think your list matters more than any objective list. Of course. Because if we' just talking about niggas who crap been Best. subjective as well to as well masher Sometimes, There is a little bit. You have to be objective in a way There has to be some objectivity if you're talking about just like who's the best, right Wh's the best because you know I'm gonna come out and tell y'all niggers that young b I' listen to Niggas R rap Young with my balls my wear.ike I like that type of shit I like He's right What he's saying is that a conversation around what moves you is a better conversation than a conversation that is an appeal to authority, an appeal to some hip hop authority Because at the end of the day That becomes nut licy and dick riding Like how could you have somebody ahead of this person Like no It's like that's not as interesting as a conversation about Why artist or their art means something to you specifically I loved it. I loved everything he had to say. I immediately thought about the van Lay in And I thought, oh no, is he going to feel like This is a personal thing. I didn't know I'm gladscause you make your own list. All kinds of different lists. You know, And we we do Mount Rushmores, which I actually do think Mount Rushmore is an interesting conversation. It doesn't have to be about rap, just about anything. But again, we're asking somebody their personal, not to debate it because it does give you insight into what they like, why they like it, how they tick. And then again, to his point, you might learn something you don't know about an artist or if it's a movies or food or whatever it may be. I loved this And it made it reminds me of why, you know, I'm a fan of Tyle of the creator Now An objective ten list or something like that, it has its place if you're talking about deep criticism notot everybody is qualified to make an objective top ten Oh for sure. and we've talked about that on this podcast when we have lists of you know, its like top bestest twenty songs of the two thousands or whatever it may be. And we always talk about debate them and talk about how like Wh they don't really matter If you go make an objective top five hip hop list have listened to all of these people's records You have to know all of their stories. You have to put their salves, their influence, their cultural impact into context. Most people aren't even qualified to make an objective top five or top ten list of things because that requires deep scholarship into what it is that you're talking about, right? You have to be literally be able to point to the rise of Rock himim. influence on the people behind him and then be able to weigh that influence versus commercial success, lyrical ability, depth of all of that. There's just not as many people as y'all think that there are that can sit down and make a list, an objective list of the top ten MCs. Most lists are your lists. Yeah, right? Becauseuse you ain't about to tell me If you if you ain't never heard Scarface, you ain't about to I'm not going to listen to. you're not going to put like Th ten fucking nigg that is all from the West Coast are all from the east Coast and then tell me and Scarface is not gonna be on your list. You haven't listened to Scarface. If you haven't listened to him, how you know he' not number seven Jeezy Jus is great. You ever seen JZ a concert? No, I like concerts. I like concert Maybe you would like the one he does with, you know or The orchestra behind him. is E everybody gets dressed. So I hear it's like an affair. Like people get dressed up, you know, but like they're listening to this trap music and nice clothes. It's like a whole thing But then like you gota leave, though, and like And what's the problem with? Yeahah, you gotta go home, man. I know, but like 's like a lot of people in the parking lot. Do you not go to sporting events? Not really Now now I talkking about Beause I you go there And then you have a good time And then it's like, okay, I got to go And then you leave You gotta use the bathroom first, but then you gott to leave as muchch people in the parking lot as this This is such a half cup half cup full mentality. I don't know what the half cup full the fuck what you want right now No, you are. Ipologize It' such a negative thing. If you if you the whole time if at a concert, you're worried about what the parking the traffic in the parking lot Yeah, maybe you should stay home. That's awful What's awful about it? Because you're not in the moment. you're not enjoying the experience. You're more focused about the traffic after. Maybe while you're sitting in traffic, you can listen to the music that you were you experienced at the show. Maybe y'all could talk about what you like, didn't like, whatever. That's usually what happens. You still sing in the songs. you up Wow When I'm when I leave that's tough. When I leave, right? So I'm in that business let's say I went to a GZ concert, right You know, That's I heard I was the You know what I'm saying? And so I mean that was they fucking D. Suda So I'm listening to I'm in that shit and then I'm in the parking lot. And I'm still up And then I might Why don't you go G Go, I'm letting you go. go the music and stuff like that and then I'm like yo man What the fuck is going on? Are we ever gonna get out this bitch And then about five or six minutes after. You know, I'm through all the records that I love from And I'm like, yo, was it worth coming out here for me to be frustrated in this moment right now? Was it Was it worth me coming out here is late I'm not going get good sleep. My eyebad' going to be crazy the next day. Was it worth it for me to drive to the Hollywood Bowl for me to drive whatever. and I got to fight traffic to get back. Was it worth it for me to come out here? No, Van, it wasn't. notot if that's how you see it. So none of So none of what I say resonates. Donnie, before we move on, like none of what I by the way, you know how I know it resonates because I look up at a laker game and if the game is decided with five minutes late, They fucking clear out the stap. That's true. Nobody waits for seeing they still wit. Yes They still Sometimes I go, but like you really are turning into ark I mean, you insert you're there. You are all the way there I want to bring you back. I'm trying to bring you back And you know where it starts I don't think you're going make it. crowds. But look, everyday people is different though, because you can get in and out of there. plus, yes, you can, but there's a lot of people. But there's something else that I do at places like this and you know ' you've gone out with. What do I do when all y'all out partying, y'all having a good time we had a party. Oh you Irish accent. Bye. Other like, where's van he left? left he left Eang He at home out of here. I don't think I've ever been in an event like that with you longer than an hour? No, doneone. feet hurt Everybody's talking It like next thing I know Kula walks up with me and she' be like, I'm like, okay, he left B. I'm so the opposite. No. like to shut the fucking party down. I'm the worst. Rachel like Rachel I' the Rach Rachel likes to shut the fucking party. And I'll walk and I'll be like, I'm so sorry. probablyably only gonna say hour. I'm probably only gonna say hour. Next thing I know, nobody's there. It's like time does not exist They're like security, like they're shutting it down. They're be like, it's time to go out. I'm like, man, we're all of time. I'm having such a good time Every time Back in the day, when I first learned this about Rachel, some years ago. There was a party at Isa R's thing. I can't remember what this was for Remember the rooftop party at Eis erased me? Yeah. And you even much want to come to the party? No, because was it was fresh off the divorce. I remember this. Rachel't even want to come to the party Rachels like, I don't know if I'm gonna go but E everybody was that there was actually a nice little joint, right? Oh yeah, yeah. So all everyone wass on the roof we go to the party and everything like that. And all of a sudden Rachel didn't want to come to party. I'll look around and the bunny hop is on, and Rachel has become the bunny Bunny has like t take you over Rachel's bind. I thought you left by. No, Rachel has become the bunny. And Rachel is Rachel is doing the thing. I'm like showing them a different version. Y'all know this one. Yeah. And it's like, y'all even know when someone's doing one of the dances and they get so into it that they clap because they so because they And I'm like, Oh, Rachel,'s like 'causeuse there's clapp in that bitch. You just like, you bunny hopping and Rachels like I'm like, ohit, I'm like I'm, I'm like, look at Rachel. Go fucking crazy. Every time. I look at you, I'm like, ain't w tona come out, huh? G crazy. like cutting up, but I'm you know what when I said that to you When I was leving always I am what they call an extrovert On the other side is Bak, we're going to talk to Mark Caputo from Axios about the war powers resolution vote took place in Congress Does this mean anything Does this make anything substantially different Uh And where do we stand with possible US hostilities? All newews Sundayays at nine, exclusively on AMC and AMC pllus. I am the vampireistart. I'm a rock star now. Anne Rice's Imortal Universe comes what Vulture calls the most momentous event in fictional rock history. Thousands of f. I want millions It my. Panrice is the Fampirelessot. All new Sundays at nine exclusively on AMC and AMC plus stream now. For adults with Crohn's disisease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters. Trumphia offers self injection or intravenous infusion from the start Trimphia is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks. If your doctor decides that you can self inject trmphia, proper training is required Tremphia is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease, and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis, serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them, and liver problems may occur. Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection flu like symptoms or need a vaccine. Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tmphayia today. Call one eight hundred five two six seven seven three six to learn more. or visit Tmphiaradio. com He's to ask you questions on the other side of that break Okay. there's been a vote in Congress to on a resolution to end Trump's war. in Iran U exercising I on, whatever you want to call it Operation Epic Fury Some Republicans have broken with the Republican establishment, which is, of course made up of the whims of President Trump and voted For resolution to end the war. What does this really mean though We could try to explain it to you, but we're not going to. We're going to leave that up to Mark Caputo, senior politics reporter at Axios over twenty years covering national politics. I saw him on CNN election night the highlight of your career was coming on higher leararning and talking to us, but it looks like it was. You got good gamership We appreciate you. Formmerly of Politicical, NBC News, Miami Herald, all of that stuff. All right, Mark Let's talk about it For the average American that's wondering when this war will end, When prices will begin to stabilize in terms of oil, their payain at the pump, everything's more expensive What does this vote Congress me It just means, as you said, that there are more Republicans who are growing uneasy with what's happening in Iran. problem that' anti war side or the critics of President Trump have as The likelihood of us getting through the Senate is pretty slight And then even so is Donald Trump really still wants to stick through this. In fact, if you would have listened to the Secretary of State Marco Rubio's testimony beforefore Congress, A few days ago, I've lost track of the days, I'm sorry He said that the war is over So they're not even agreeing on the idea that there's technically still a war It's a complicated Yeah, so the fact that people are people, Republicans kind of four of them crossed over and voted with the Democrats What does like does this say anything about the GOP? Does this say anything about like in general, is this a one off? or are they getting uneasy about the current state of the country? And we're start we might see more kind of fall over to the other side Do you think you're seeing more up You're saying more of it. Number one, there's just sort of the natural laws of political grass is Donald Trump is coming to the last midterm of his last term. And that's what they call the lame duck period. That's where a president starts to lose his juice. Now, if there's one president who's going to keep as much juice as possible and more juice than others, it's going to be Donald Trump with the GOP. Likelihood is, however that the Democrats are at least the likelihood, not the guarantee They're going to take the house. And if that happens, it starts to really change the balance of power The thing is is Ultimately in our congressional system, not to get too wonky and geeky here But The The only branch that can really check The executive branch is the legislative branch And the only ultimate way to do that with a president like for Congress to force a president to do what they want to do is to impeach and remove him from office Now that's a really extreme thing because you can impeach by simple majority in the House, but in the Senate, it takes two thirds, sixty seven senators, you're just not going to get it. Donald Trump knows that So he's an incredibly empowered executive, who's going to do the things he wants to do and he's largely done that. But what you've been seeing In addition to this vote that you're talking about with Iran is a number of Republicans starting to break ranks with him, break ranks with him For instance, the president had established in his own Justice department, or the Justice Department had established a one point eight billion dollars weaponization fund that was going to be this huge pot of money that Donald Trump could essentially decide to dole out to whomever he thought had been wronged by unfair prosecutions during the Biden administration And there were a number of Republicans who were like, we just can't do this. No, stop it. And Donald Trump signaled or the attorney general signaled that that weaponization fund was, quote dead for now. Now. how long now lasts? We don't know. So that's one thing. another thing Donald Trum wants to build this big beautiful ballroom. initially he said it would only be financed. private dollars, but then his allies and he started to say, well, they want to get tax money plowed in there to build this ballroom at the White House grounds And that became a real flashpoint because a lot of people said this is not worth the expenditure. You didn't consult with Congress. That's now been taken out of a funding bed. So you're seeing those are kind of three cases, the Iran vote, the ballroom vote, the weaponization fund vote or the slush one vote as the critics call it, these cases of Republicans starting to break ranks with Trump. But I don't want to mislead people Donald Trump is the most powerful executive we've seen in the White House in a long time. He's got an iron grip still on his party. Sure, maybe one finger in that iron grip was I kind of ped back maybe too, but he's still got a hold on that part Is it possible that these Republicans that are breaking ranks are doing so because Some of them might be up for reelection this fall and they don't want to give any potential opponents material to cut ads on them Well, it's part of it. I mean, this is not a popular war. The president didn't generally when a president goes to war The the administration It starts to lay the predicate for it. It starts to tell the people, hey, we might be going to war And we might be going to war for A, B and C reasons. Trump didn't do that And so this is sort of a little bit of a shock to the system for a lot of people And Not only was it unpopular to go to war, but then gas prices started to rise. And food prices are starting to climb It's causing inflation in addition to some of his trade and tariff policy, which is sort of a separate thing. And at a certain point, this is just becoming too much for a lot of people I'm not proredjectting that there's going to be this wholesale revolt against Donald Trump, but You know, way back when when Bill Clinton first ran for president in nineteen ninety two. His advisors famously said, it's the economy stupid. And it's still the economy stupid. And in this cases, it's gas prices. Everybody drives by or most people drive by. if they have cars. Even if you have an electric car, you don't fill up, you still see the gas sign for the cost of gasoline, almost anywhere in the United States, I guess unless you live in like a densely urban area where you take a subway, right But if you're driving a car, you know the price of gas. And like you probably are more likely know the price of gas than the price of a gallon of milk, for instance, right? And that matters to people. M. You already touched on it when you said before Congress, Marco Rubio was talking about how, well, he said what Trump said the war is over, they grilled him on that. and then he tried to kind of walk it back a bit. But he did say that Congress passing a resolution would make Iranians less likely to come to the negotiating table Why do you believe why does he believe that's the case? And is there any legitimacy to that statement Well, I can't see what I can't explain legitimacy of it, right? I can just explain what they're thinking. The idea that the Trump administration, perhaps any administration would have in this case is this, is that in their view, the United States needs to be fully behind President Trump so that he can force the Iranians to the negotiating table and not have the Iranians think that there is division in the United States, which is going to eventually cause The Donald Trump have to back off for it to buckle That's the sort of the bottom line. you know, the famous scene and the gofather, if you like movies, right? neverever go against the family in public, that kind of thing. And that's what Rubio's trying to say there. The problem that the United States has in dealing with Iran In part is the United States is sort of a victim of its own success that is On february twenty eighth when the United States launched this war against Iran It shows that day because The intelligence services had shown the senior leadership, including the Ayatlla who was ruling Iran of time. We're going to be in one place. on that morning on that Saturday morning And so the US and Israel went in a bombing raid and blew them up. And they blew up a lot of the Iranian leadership And then Israel, especially continued with targeted assassinations. So The Iranians suffered what' called a decapitation strike. That's number one So who do you negotiate with when you've removed some of the leadership? It's complicated Then in addition to that, Iran knew that one day it was going to be attacked. And it came up with a more what they call a diffuse power structure. It's called the mosaic dock And it's the idea that different factions and different groups in the Iranian political system generally would be able to operate somewhat semi independently. Well, that also makes it just very difficult to communicate and negotiate with Iran One of the interesting things in Marar Rubio's testimony is he talked about how there's basically like a nine man council that debates these things, and then they take it to the new Ayotola, the son of the murdered Ayotolla them assassate, I told or whatever we want to call them They have to take what they've decided and debated to him He's not using a cell phone because he knows if he use a cell phone, you'd be tracked and killed. So he's essentially hiding They're taking messages to the Ayatolla United States believes by courier, like old fashioned like on a piece of paper so that he can't be tracked That just slows down negotiations. It just makes it more difficult to understand who they're working with. Then in addition to that, because there's this diffuse power structure There are some Iranian leaders who just don't want to have a deal with the United States. Some probably do And those who don't have allies like Hezbollah the terrorist group in southern Lebanon whom they can United States believes get to attack Israel and prompt Israel to respond to them and create a pretext for Iran not wanting to settle the war It's a complicated chess game, except unlike chess, you got two, three, four sides with missiles guns bombs and attack drones and a long history of shooting at each other and killing each other Yeah, I'm not sure how much od What Hezwoell has to do to get Israel to act completely unconstrained in Lebanon. I think that's it depends on your perspective there. But what I will ask you is Um What has to happen for the Trump administration to exit this war feeling like they've gotten a political victory To me, it seems like there's no good way out of this for them. Any deal will be judged in context in the purview of the JCPOA which doesn't seem like that would be favorable to Trump if you may He the same type of concessions that were in that deal And then if you just, you know, declare victory and go home The Iranians seems like that they will be strengthened in terms of their control over the strait. So the question is everyone wants Trump and the Trump administration to get out of the war How do you do it in a way where you maintain your political dominance? And it doesn't seem like you urnt to anyone That's a great question and I don't know the answer to but what I could What I could see is a likely scenario Ending this would be Trump agreeing to allow Iran to access its various frozen funds and billions of dollars. dropping sanctions, which Iran wants so they can sell their oil on the open market and make more money and coming up with other creative financing schemes so that the Trump administration would not call it reparations Yeah you know, compensation but the Iranians would call and take a little bit of messaging financing or smoothing out, I should say and That would be the likeliest scenario to see an end to the conflict Trump would in this scenario I'm talking about here, or the administration would because let's face it, Donald Trump doesn't really stand message unlike the rest of his administration. would say that We went in there, we destroyed Iran's nuclear capability. We got all of its nuclear material out of there. We've largely shattered their ability to wage war in their neighbors. Their missile stocks are depleted. Their navy is essentially gone. They've got a few like goo fast boats and you know Boston whalers. It is not the regional threat it is anymore and there's peace and everyone's going to be happy. That would be the scenario, they would say I'm not saying that people are going to buy it. I'm not saying will be message that clearly, but that would be the That would be the answer to that question Excuse me Um for listeners and our viewers who are Listening to you talk about the warar powers resolution. What should they take away from this? Is it just a headline? Is it symbolic as Van was alluding to? or Is it really a functional piece of legislation that is useful in twenty twenty six or is something like it just feels like even as we discuss this right now, that yes, it means something in the sense that four Republicans sided with the Democrats, but in the reality of things, There's really not much that can be done you know if it goes with the Senate, it supp hased to go through the House and it can be vetoed and all of that. And so you know, if I'm a listener and I don't know much, like what do I do with this headline? What does this mean It just means that there's just a little bit more Republican opposition to President Trump than there was before But it's not going to really bind him, att least that doesn't look like it's going to be right now I mean, there's a there's an outside possibility and I would us on a low probability to it. that Trump would say if it passed the House and it passed the Senate, Okay, fine. you guys wanted me to withdraw. Here's an excuse for me to withdraw So in answer to your prior question, it does give him an out. For instance, when I talked about that weaponization fund earlier, that one point eight billion dollars, they use as an excuse of backing off of it the fact that a court had issued an adverse ruling Now Donald Trump, if he wants to push something is going to push it. He's going to appeal it's but in this c, he's like Hey, we're going respect the court Technically you could do that here with Congress. But Trump doesn't want to do that. Heading into this weekend, the last weekend There There was more reason for optimism and more optimism in the Trump administration than there had been in recent weeks that a deal was actually on the table and was doable And Trump from our reporting had sent back some edits to an offer from the Iranians to have a peace deal. a concern how they would dispose of and deal with nuclear material. And within that document, there was a financial component And The problem that happened was we were told on Saturday that The president had made these edits, he sends it back to Iran. He's hoping for a response. It's obviously difficult to get a hold of people. For the reasons I said before, the Ayatolla is kind of hidden So it would take a few days. And then on Sunday, Netanyahu unleashes this broad assault on Lebanon And that just caused a real stir for Trump because Trump thought You know, he was close to a deal. The Iranians use this as an excuse. They're like, lookook, Israel iss uncontrolled. We're not going to do this anymore The present Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu got on the phone on Monday, and Trump lid into it according to our sources, and Trump subsequently confirmed that he said it. He said, What the fuck are you doing crazy. The President of the United States said this, I'm on to call. like it's remarkable. He said everybody hates Israel because of what you're doing, like you need to know when to quit And and oh, and I'm keeping your ass out of prison He told Netanyahu, Netanyahu, incidentally in twenty nineteen had been indicted in Israel for alleged corruption charges. He's denied it. There are people both in the administration and certainly more broadly who are critics of Netanyahu who think that he's partly incentivized to continue to wage war because as a wartime prime minister, it makes it more difficult to remove him from office and for him to stand trial One of the things that Donald Trump has been trying to do is tell Israel, Hey look, drop the charges against the guy Now You know, they haven't listen to President Trump and Israel about it. But that's sort of underpinning some of Trump's concerns here and and his criticisms on that phone call because there is while a good working relationship militarily between the United States and Israel, I say there're sort of brother countries in this conflict. You know Bothers sometimes fight and it was a hell of a fight from what we understand. Yeah I have my eyebrow raising thoughts about that. It seems pretty convenient for that to be reported and then for Trump to come out and be like, yeah, I was tough on BB and it made him look like. like to I told him go fuck yourself and you're rining ituck you Yeah fuck you. And everybody' like, o my God, maybe there's some kind of breakout It seems like they're still pretty much I think skepticism was understandably warranted knowing the reason I was actually trying to find out if that call had happened before I was told and the reason was I suspected it had occurred Because in the process of reporting out my colleague, Barack Ravid, the contours of the latest sort of peace deal that Trump had sent back these edits. On that Saturday, when I reported out that story, I was told by senior administration officials that Netanyahu who wanted Lebanon included as a component of the peace deal and Trump had told him no Then the next day the bombing campaign happened, and I was like, o, I wonder if the Trump administration is going to perceive Netanyahu as basically, oh, I'm not getting my way. I'm going to bomb my way to your attention And if that would piss off Trump And so I asked about it and they're like, Yeahah, well, it's interesting. you asked, you know, just thirty minutes ago blah blah blah, that's how the story came you know, did they make it up on the spot? I mean, I guess it's, you know, it's possible But the high probability is that call Hm. Um Before we get you outt of here, you've been so generous with your time, give us an update about the last thing that we discussed when you were on here before, which was well, we discussed Venezuela, but Venezuela was a conduit into us discussing Cuba It seems as if some of the reporting I'm reading it seems that the United States is staged for Timed for an invasion of Cuba a regime change operation in Cuba. We are certainly involved in emiserating the Cuban people right now down there to try to break the will of the government and I guess the people there more broadly. What is happening down there So a bunch of things have happened. The U.S. military arm called Southern Command that oversees operations in the Caribbean is based in M And let's see, what month is it's June So in late April are reporting it shown at Axios The Southern South Com, Southern commommand, South Com had an interner agency, what they call a tabletop exercise, where they had everyone come in and they war gamed out a variety of possibilities of what to do militarily with Cuba I was told and I probably should have reported this so know for what it's worth is sort of news here that the military plans for handling Cuba responding to a crisis there or even invading had really not been updated in many years. So this is sort of kind of a fresh update and So that's Wednesday Se thing people have to understand is is just just like you say real quick, real quick they dated plans that were already existing which signals with signals increase preparation or what does that So Oh, sure. Yeah. Yeahah definitely. I mean The Pentagon has pllans for invading every Of course I know that, but fresh plans would say that they' looked at their h. Okay. rightight. Oh, yeah, they looked at their old pl. and here's why. So let's go back for a second. in nineteen fifty nine is the Cuban Revolution, right? About a year later The United States under Eisenhower imposes the first Cuban embargo on Cuba, and it basically penalizes Cuba with respect to trade. And the embargo has been worked on in a number of years and expanded and contracted. In nineteen ninety six, there was the shootdown of this aid plane called the Brothers to the Rescue, apparently recording the United States in International waters. And that caused a stir back to Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton's running for reelection And the Cuban American Republican members of Congress made sure that a law was passed that codified the embargo into federal law So federal policy, federal law since nineteen ninety six, the United States for Cuba has been regime change. It says the Cuban embargo cannot be dropped. Unless Cuba frees political prisoners have free elections and guarantees very civil rights. Those are the three major prongs. And so onlyn now On in twenty twenty six on may first, which they purposely chose may first. It's workers' Day. It's a commommunist sort of holiday or celebration day. So the Trump administration on that day purposely imposed a new different type of sanctions The type of sanctions that you say with respect to Iran and Russia called secondary sanctions that don't just target Government It targets businesses that are doing business with elements of the Cuban government And coupled with the trade embargo, these sanctions have really started to crush Cuba's econom In addition to that, because the United States took over Venezuela Venezuela is no longer giving free oil to Cuba Cuba run by a bunch of Marxists who don't know how to run an economy, also have a certain measure of blame for what's going on there. They didn't pay for oil for years, so no one's selling them oil because one will get money back anyway. So now the United States basically controls The trade that goes to Cuba, the oil that goes to Cuba or doesn't go to Cuba and The Cuban regime The totalitarian government there looks weaker than ever People are without power in some places for as many as twenty two hours a day It's summer now, at least in South Florida, right now I' in DC I know it summer technically isn't later, but it's the beginning of hurricane season. Things are getting hot And when things get hot, people get hot. And if you don't have electricity, you don't have enough refrigeration, it's harder to keep food So the United States has War gamed out the One of the big things from the tabletop exercise was thinking If this is going to be like twenty twenty two, when there was an uprising on july eleventh in the streets of Cuba against the regime for people demanding more freedoms and a better economy The regime then violently put down those protests. They killed people, they incarcerated them for daring to speak up and to protest In this case, if that happens again according to this tabletop exercise The United States Government and President Trump is posossibly, I dont want to say he will. He has a number of military options that have been wargamed out as possible responses So there was a really long answer to this is that The United States is looking at the possibility of an uprising happening as a result of the imiseration was a good word to used, right? of the Cuban people in late summer and a violent regime response and then the possibility of the United States coming in and militarily taking over Now how long that lasts? what that looks like? I don't know. I wasn't given the plans. This is only the shreds of reporting I can get that don't disclose too much confidential information that could get or classified information that could get the people I talked to in trouble So seemeems like We're starving them so that they rebel so that we can go so that more people are killed so that we can then go in and do what we want to do That is certainly that's certainly one interpretation, yes This world is a crazy fucking place. Mark sorry I thought read to laugh. Well it's true. you laugh because it's true. And you laugh because that's how we get through it honestly. Yeah, the I mean, the United States has been at war with Cuba, you know, cold war with Cuba since nineteen fifty nine. and the US the US has viewed the Cuban regime as the exporter of anti American Marxist revolutions that have changed the governance and lives of people in Venezuela, in Colombia, in Nicaragua and other places. And the Trump administration and Marcar Ruvio see this as a the time to effectuate regime change. But exactly what that looks like, who knows? There could be a negotiated settlement as well. That is the pe the Folks running Cuba could finally say, all right, fine. like uncle, we're going to come to the negotiating table and' we're going to free Cuba, We're going to free political prisoners and go through all those things. We'll have to see.. Mark Puto, senior politics reporter at Axios I'm going to ask you about When we're going to know something about the LA Mayoro race. I saw you on CNN talking about that because I think Karen Bass is going to win. It's just the question is just when who's like how small a margin And who's your number two which a lot of people are asking around here because a lot of peoples It's going to be Prat, I think, but you know, I'm outside of my depth and I probably shouldn't say those sorts of things. But if I had to bet a nickel, I would bet that Pratt would be number two and then I would bet that in the in the final election. I would imagine Karen Bass would win. becausecause you know, he there's only so much of a protest and a Republican vote in L.A. still a Democratic city But we'll see Thank foroining us today H L learning,. appreciate your brother Thank you. I appreciate you guys All right, Donnie, I haven't actually seen this topic And that's the problem, Donny That's so literally that's why I want to talk about it. No you're not alone. Nobody's talking about this. Tennis Pro Sloan Steven is currently covering the French openp for TNT sports. And recently during a broadcast, her co host Adam Lefcoo gave her this introduction TNT baby, We ready to go. Good morning to all of you on the east and west coast. If you're up on the west cooast, heck of a night. Keep it rolling. John Ener Sam Guery, Carollyine Wzniaki and ye. No! slow Stehven, Joall. Great to see you get off the ranch. I know the crops need attended because you are ready. Adam Luffcoo here. She tried to put me on Instagram but I didn't like it. So why only see if you missed it last night Nobody's talking about this Right What were your thoughts? So this is what I thought. So obviously we're trying to do race This is race. You feel like this is race. Dell the race. The crops need tending to. Okay, so this's the way I look at that That's me I'll probably make that uncomfortable for him percent If that's me, I would have go ahead what youre saying.. I was like, well, which's the cotton Cotton crops Is that what youre talking I and that's a punishment But it's a punishment for him doing something that I think is inadvertent Because I have to punish your inadvertent shit as well. So I do believe that what he did was inadvertent, but I still have to punish you for it just so you just like little little tack. He should have known better to now do that Okay. so like You can miss me with the inadvertent You shouldn have know better 'causeuse what I would have said is, Okay, because at the end of the broadcast, I think he says something like, al right, I got her. Like he doesn't even somebody must have said something to him. And instead of saying apologizing because heaven forbid he do that. He says something like, all right, you can get me back something like that to her. And I would have been like, you already whited me on, so why don't you just go ahead and do it again? That's what the fuck I would have said because's what you say. Well, it needs to be it needs to be the same thing. because the yeha, okay, whatever to the ranch, fine. She's not even wearing a cowboy hat. Like the joke was stupid too. L it didn't even match. That's why I'm like, you should have known better Yeha. All right Go back to the ranch. okay, even say field. But then he said, because the crops need tendin to. D what? The crops need tending to. But how about I gonna tend to? Who's tending to crops? But Richch That is an out dirt dated term. So okay, so let me ask you a question Do you think it was this ' I feel you I'm not saying he's racist. I'm saying he should have known better to like one, it just makes me feel like you're not in black spaces enough. You're not around black people enough. You thought that joke would land. This is tennis, this is a Predominantly white sport Everybody sitting at that table is very white And then you look at Sloan and you're trying to make a joke, I don't think he was being racist. I don't think he was trying to. My point is he should have known better. And the fact that Sloan had to be subjected to that sitting there. She put that outfit on. she put that hat on. She probably thought she looked so cute. She's a beautiful woman. And then to open up the show to set the whole mood for the entire tournament At least for that day to tell her that she should be in the field because that's because that's the only place the crops are. They're not on a ranch. They're on the they're in the field to tell her that's like I can't even imagine how she felt that entire time just sitting there. And the crazy thing about it is she had to sit there and just She probably felt like, well, I can't say anything. I don't want people to say I'm sensitive. I don't want people to like him to say get sensitive and say I'm accusing him of being racist. I don't want to lose my job. I don't want to make a big deal out of it because she has to. And it just reminded me of the times of like Being a black person where you have to sit there at times and feel like, you have to debate within yourself, do I just take this or do I say something about it? And you're the only people who have to litigate that kind of thing because you don't know as the only black person here if you're gonna be able to continue in this space if you make that white person feel uncomfortable Oh because he'll say it wasver it was inadvertent. Why are you taking it so seriously? You just gave everybody the opportunity to laugh at how I look and to take it back anotherother century. I'm sorry. It was the tenant of the crops that was too much. Come on.m o I'm not calling him a racist. Okay I've told you the Back Hawk Dign story before, of course, right No, realal quick, real quick Pomm, Donnie, have I told the Black Hw design story on here before I had to have? N this doesn't sound familiar. Itound familar. So back in the day got to be quick. backack in the day I worked at a place and I was a producer I mean and this guy were really close. is' cool And he wanted to pitch to me a movie that he wanted to do And the movie was about a Black Hawk helicopter that crashes in Compton And it's on the run from terrorists. It crashes from Compton It crashes incomptdon. And there are parts of the Black Hawk helicopter that are all around lan everywhere. and be I guess Marines or spepecial forces, whoever, the Force recon guys, whatever it is that are on the Black Hawk helicopter have to like hide from these people that are coming to get them. in the community And then a community comes together using the weapons and all of the parts of the Black Hawk to help the Marines that are on the ground there fight off these terrorists or whatever. And the name of the movie at the end was Black Hawk Dign You definitely haven't told that storory. Diz out? Black Hawk the name of the movie was Black Hawk Diz out I've told this story certainly on TMZ and probably on other podcasts, but that was a name of the movie. And I remember I'm sitting there and I'm listening to this And I thought and there were two things that were happening here. Number one, it was like, I like it. Van is going to be the one that's going to get this idea. Van is the guy that's cool, but Van don't take no shit, whatever. I'm gonna tell Van about Black Hawk Disown because the rest of this town can't fucking get over the fact that I called it Down. It's actually a story about the empowerment of the neighborhood and working with fucking Marines and all of that stuff. The military comes together with the neighborhood, they build fucking turrets and they fight these guys off Black Haw D disign. This is awesome I remember He pitched it to me and I was like Okay, so no under any circumstances No If you do go out with that movie, we will laugh at you and I will be the person laughing the loudest. Now can we get lunch? That was the thing. I didn't make a whole big deal about it. I'm just like, no That's whack. Now I will say that they will probably make that movie. They will probably make that movie Black Hawk Dound. But I guess my thing is this, you are right This guy, I've seen this guy before. He does like a podcast with Shacky hosts he's a sports h. sports popular sports guys guy I personally I personally in my situation, dont like I say, the way I punish you in that situation for what you do is to come back at you with a joke call out what really is wrong here is that that was corny He was trying to be cool and he came across as Cny I don't think that I will be angered by it Okay, go ahead. much you? No, no, that's all. I mean, not to belabor it. I don't think that I would be angered by it. Are you I'm not angry. I'm sad that she had to sit up there and just take that. Like if you look at the guy on the other end, he looks super uncomfortable And guys said yehw. Yeah. that is a gooda got me a little. Yha is like what man what are we doing? dog? Like what's going on? So that's one. I said there three. then the ranch then the tents of the crops and it made me sad Because I just I just know, I can't think of a particular moment that I've been the only black person in a room where somebody made a joke inadvertently or maybe in your like your situation, maybe Rachel won't take it so seriously and you have to within yourself say, do I go this way or do I go this way with it? And if I go this way, like you have to litigate it in your own mind for your own wellbe, for your own survival. Do you keep your job? Do you make this person uncomfortable? Do you get labeled this other races don't have to do. And that made me sad watching it. And I had I look, she hasn't done a response He hasn't said anything, Network hasn't said anything. and they probably won't because they want this to move on and maybe she does too. justust like nobody to talk about it. Let's just move on to the next thing. As a black woman when I saw it Ls like I just felt so bad for her Like I don't think that he intentionally did that. I'm gonna to give him that But he should have known better Really, he should have de a dee But I definitely would have said the whip thing. Yeah, especially where I am right now. all living together Mh hm. in the same realm. on the same panels. in the same grocery stores on the same podcast Do we actually need to be better at making space Foor Good Faith cultural litches is not always going to go Yes. And so like So what I'm saying is is not when there is Tit insidiousness and all of that stuff behind words, des and actions, we have to fucking come down with a hammer on nose as crazy as we can In situations where we're around each other kind of feel like There is not a responsibility. Sloan Stevens has no responsibility in that situation But just for. Not even a greater good, but I don't even know what the right word is. Don't we have to be resilient to a degree to where We respond in kindind or consider We are living in diverse times where people are not always going to have a complete handle on our experiences and sometimes run afoul of them. compleomtely agree with you. I think that's why we have both said we're not quick to label people racist. I don't like when people do that immediately. I think it takes away. If I say it, I've truly thought about it Um, It's the same reason we had Keith Edwards on here it was a conversation of This is what's happening in this space. Let's sit down and let's have a conversation and talk about it. I'm not saying to excuse him like atam or anything like that. that was a little deeper, but I agree with you I guess my point with Adam is Again, I'm not calling him racist The reason I say he should have known better is to the point you made as well One, I think it's this well let me just say this too. It's also the glaring thing of When you're black And you walk into a room full of white people, you immediately know you're the only black person in the room They don't necessarily look at you in that they don't see it in that way because they aren't that. They're around there's majority of them. So I would imagine that Sloana is already aware of her presence on that panel in that space period Then you go in there and do this. Now to your point with Adam, the reason I even more so say he should have known better is because he has had a podcast with black people. He covers more than just a predominantly white sport. He covers sports with majority black people as well I say you should have known better because to me, tending the crops is an obvious thing as an obvious thing. I feel what you're saying. Look I'm not mad at him, but I do think that It's something that you should discuss because I truly felt sorry for her when I watched it. Now Sloow might have been like, I know Adam is nothing serious, but You know, do I wish she would have said You already whited me once you should do it again. He would have been so uncomfortable Go look at her face. She looks she looks uncomfortable. She look like that because the whole I get it. She looks uncomfortable. This is why. And she would have got in trouble if she said that. This is why actual move is Go first You in the space? bunch of white people actual move is to make them uncomfortable first and raise their awareness of the situation. That's the move. The move is You you walk in here and you go, h You're on the thing, you slow save as you, you go one I guess I really did't get rid of DI And everybody goes, oh shit What type of time we own? L like everybody everybody everybody everybody goes a fuck. They' like she she wanted him? like did she actually cool and now The ranch thing is impossible Because when you do that, pr It's not going happen. Now and if it you don't And if it does people it makes them comfortable enough to be like, oh, that's what we're doing. If it does happen, now you know straight up you've laid down the gauntlet and you can go back and forth. You make a joke about them, you do something. right away, you make them uncomfortable. And so now that they're uncomfortable Now everybody's like, I don't want to be the one. He got too comfortable. That's really what happened. Yeah. He got too comfortable. Now, last question about this. is there anything he could have said regarding the ranch that you wouldn't have taken in that way. What you just say like? She's riding horses or becauseuse like she didn' even had a cowboy hats. the h horses though The word tendon's gotta go. I don't want that verb anywhere near me. I ain't tending to shit except getting an atam mass of leftecoast ass. That's what I'm tending to right now. Oh shit. there's no way for him to close it out and say like, oh, you can get back at me. That's okay, Masa. You made your point. That That's what I'm talking about. You gota but see that's the way that's also I know But the reason I'm saying this now is because we do that. Not everybody is as comfortable being that confrontational or making people uncomfortable. feel So I feel like I didn't see this addressed enough and I watched it and I felt so bad for her that let me talk to Masa for you I hope he listens to this podcast Adam Just too just you should know better. That's it. I don't think he's That's funny. That's funny. Okay. you guys, we have a surprising I would say surprising A surprising, inspiring thoughtful interview with Jay Ferrell on the other side his Bak and I mean this sincerely Evening, buyers remorse. Buy a new car, I'll be moving in Let's get started. Sorry, I think there's been a mistake. I bought it from Carvana. You what? Yeah, great price. I even have seven days to love it or return it. So there's no No, no buyer's remorse. More like buuyer's rejoice I guess I'll let myself out. Congratulations. I mean it. Buyers rejoice. Buy your car today on C cararbana Limitations exclusions may apply See your S sev day return policy C cararbana This episode is brought to you by Nas Energy Every ounce of dirt sweat and gears, every checkered flag and trophy raised, every lap, every race, every hard fought place They're all jammed inside every can of NASA energy performance energy for burn the midnight oil in the garage and pedal to the metal human horsepower For the streets, go ahead, crack open a can of Nas energy and get after it ising B Yeah. J Farrel on the other side of this bak We gotta hang for y'all right now. One of the Single M impressive talents for a long time man. I've been I remember back in the days when you was this is pre Satday Night Live when he was on YouTube with And I'm looking at it was the Denzel that got me. The Dzel and the will situation He makes it to Saturday Night Live. now he is a Multi hyphenate. we're talking about a musician Television host the quiz with balls is a show on Foxes on hiatus. now it's coming back after the World Cup. That's a double entantre. Who saw that coming at all host me host in quiz with balls and being a game show host. That's crazy. but AF fic. I seeck. Yeah. abbsolutely. Everybody's trying to get that job. I know. a rap album Odyssey. Dropping on june twelfth J Farreoll joins us today on Higher Larning. Y'all give us up. What's going on? What's going on? I love this. The only thing is missing some incense. I love this, man. do that. You know what Speaking of that, I did buy some candles from a lady overver on Larchmont that I wanted to burn while we was doing some interviews here. She had different candles and different mood and stuff I didn't bring the candles in yet, so I'm gonna bring some candles here. Hey, man, don't get don't get too many candles. They you start getting into the Drake Green room territory. You know what I' saying? What's with that? Dra Dke candles? got candles? got got a humidifier, You know what I mean? He takes care of himself. He gave me some throat spray when I was ' Wait, because I was horse I was horse. a Okay.. I was horse. Wh is always a thing on way. Yeah like I'm surprised you didn't get stuck on quiz with balls. Yeah. I was horse bro. like he gave me the come on, bro. L like it's nothing weird, bro. likeike the guy's bro. he's a guy, bro. He gave me gave me some spray for my voice, you know? Do you do Kendrick too U Oh yeah a little d d d Yeah. It's like wait, six a nine freaking here six nine God. lie. the labor going to let you disrespect Pat. M,'s he's got a character voice when he raps too. Yeah he does. Yeah I don't know why I didn't say I didn't, man. I did did one and I didn't even mention Kendrick, but Kendrick is another one of those that He has that timeless timeless vibe and music that you can play like twenty years later and you'll still be playing his music at the cookout. So ye Yeah sure. Well For you, it's a music Yeah I listen to this The one joint that that I got a joint on YouTube I listened to. Yeah. And I gott to be real This music is surprisingly good. Thankure. I'm soplain. but let me tell you whya If you put some music out and you came out there and you was rapping And the shit was like competent rap. R I'd be like, oh, okay, he could rap it. This is kind of like bicious sounding So I know that you've rapped more traditionally in the past. Yeah. This is on some like really ambitious sounding soul music with a groove and a vibe that like is serious. get I add to it. It feels nostalgic and different at the same time And I don't like I don't, I don't Do you understand what I mean when I say that? And I can break that down. Okay please because it's like old school cross with Neo You know and you merge those two worlds together And that's when you create something timeless because it's got the seventies type vibe in it too, but it's got a it's got a contemporary feel. You know what I mean?ike I don't know, James Brown if he James Brown if he was like If he got dropped in a young money camp or freaking Rockefeller camp for like a little bit and he put out an album. That's how I would equate this album to be like that. So I understand what you're saying. Yeah, yeah. So the Odyssey, where did the title come from? Where did the inspiration behind the music? Why? now? Becauseuse like Van said, you rapp before Yeah. what was it with? Unsuccessfully. I can't even I can't even say it's unsuccessful just that You know, people that tuned in and listen to me do the freestyles on Sway in the morning or you heard me do the freestyle on a Wh Kids S show, you knew I could rap The question was U what was the product going to be? Where were you going to go with that? And, you know, to go back to your point how surprisingly good it is Um, I couldn't put out anything that was going to be less than that after I have put out other music that's been good, but it hasn't really hit hit. We wanted to make a whole project that really hit hit. you know what I mean? And and every track on this album, every track is like is one you can run back and listen to. So yeah, I totally, I totally understand what you're saying when you when you mix the worlds and I totally understand what you're saying. When you say man, this is is surprisingly good. I had no choice, bro. I hand no choice because you like I put out Speedboat, which is a great record. I don't know if you heard spepeedboat. I don't know if It's a little explicit, but you know I was at a different a different part of my life when I made that then finally put it out. But it's it's like it's it's bars Yeah. but it's not a full it's not a full buffet of artistry. You know what I'm saying? It's only one little aspect of. I mean, anybody that's heard you rap before knows that you could rap You set that Also I think the assumption and expectation would be that if somebody with your creative talent got with a producer that you can make something that sounded good But to make something ambitious is different. Right. Because when you do that, then that talks about your taste level, how you're getting into the music and all of that.. How did this come together from a musical ambition standpoint in terms of like you melding sounds and going in a different way and stuff? Like where's that from? That is from well the base of the project and I love how you all alluped each other because I halfway answered your question. I didn't finish it. I'm so sorry. you came in and this is why y'all look Y'all are partners because you' all understand each other.. All right. so the Odyssey, first of all the name came from The song I did, Life was Good when When you're Rich because I set a bar in it. I said, If you stingy with your liquor, then you odd to me, then your money mythology and that's the odyssey. You know what I'm saying? In the next totally in the next verse, I totally flip that That's where this that's where the project title came from Now, as far as everything mixing together, I came with Miles William, who's the producer on this project with the idea of demand. You know what I mean? I had a had I had a like I had it in my mind, you know, at first I freestyled it, sent it to him. He built the beat around it. And after that, he listened to the song, the first take He was like All right, you got to take some of this out. You know what I mean? because Because, you know, you got you got to remember everybody that's listening to your music. Yeah, women are listening to this music. So even though demand is demand, you still got you still got to kind of have some moral to it. You know what I'm saying? You can't You're not going to be able to you get more bees with honey. You know what I'm saying? So let's have a good message in that. Bam. All right, cut to U I'm good. That song. It's like it's it's rapping about U being positive. it's keeping your head up, you know, making sure you praise stay connected to God. Those are the morals in that one So you got that one. you got looking that's dropping. looking. It's just somebody that got their heart broken. I mean, he's got his heart broken. He's rapping however he's rapping, but it's still relatable in that way. And we also got star Starve Ros and all these other engineers on the project that really understand sounds like Will Smith right now that really understand that really understand the integrity of of everything of the music, like the ingredients of it.ure. So construction. Ml It all construction. Mlody construction. T to take imagination and engineered it absolutely. Sonic feeling, all of that stuff. Absolutely. So we wanted to create a story paralleled where I've been through, but still would make sense in another dimension. This character is in another dimension, but he's dealt with the same type of things I've dealt with, which is Um getting a lot of notoriety, getting a lot of power at an early age And thinking that that's the Cime la Cme having the accessibility to everything and then realizing that it's that's not, that's not going to make you happy. I have had all of that. You know what I'm saying? But that's that's not the thing that's going to make you happy. What makes you happy is being able to take your talents and your gifts, generate wealth, help people Give it all back because you can't take it with you. But at the end of the day, what you will have with you is your soul. So pay attention to that. Pay attention to love and strive for that becausecause if you don't have God, you don't have anything. What was the moment that you realized it's not gonna to make me happy? U during the pandemic, I think that was my moment. that I had it and even the end of SML U and when I got white famous. I'm like, yo, I'm still Like I'm because I'm still trying to get to some other place. You got people looking on the outside like you're here. But in your mind, you're like, no, I got to keep going. It's a never ending story when it comes to fame because if you're ambitious and you want to keep growing and evolving, if you stand still, the world is going to pass you so you can't stand still. If you keep growing And you keep evolving and U got Dag it. S see, I got I got eightyD two elevating elevating. If you keep if you keep elevating then That that's the beautiful thing. You can't you can't just you can't just sit here. You can't just you can't just allow the world to to just pass you by. You got to keep pushing forward. You got to keep moving at the same time. when you get when you get there where you expect it to be years before, when you finally get to that point, it still won't be enough. It's not It's never going to be enough. Yeah. So love is what you need, man. loveve is eternal. Love is going nowhere. You always need that And you can't take any of this stuff with you. So why not give it back? Why not give it away? And I'm saying during the pandemic, man, Really during a pandemic when I had everything and I was like all the way on the other side. like, dude, it was, dude house was crazy, you know, parties, all this stuff, random women in different rooms and stuff. It was all of that And when I had all of it, it just felt disgusting. And I just broke down one day And Man, I had I had a spiritual God really touched me And he really brought me back from where like the prodigical son literally the prodigicalal son Like you spend your money on women, yound you spend your money on all these things And you feel you feel dirty, you feel disgusting, but you hear that voice telling you to come back and that door is still open And I walked right through that door back in there. So That's that's interesting because didn't you have Before I guess your career took off, you had a moment where you had a similar experience where someone said something to you. Absolutely. And I kind of like spoke to you and told you not to give up.. And I would love for you to tell the story. And it's just interesting to know that. and then you find yourself at a place where you're achieving all this success, everything you feel like you've wanted You still didn't f fulfill in what brought you back was the very thing that got you started. Yes. Well, what you're talking about is when I was in Burlington Coat Factory. Yeah, yeah, very tough. Yeah. Very tough to work in general. Yeah. place. Tough place. P in general. A lot of people shoplifting you go inside the Burlington coofactor and like it was I used to call it and Gino will notice, I used to call it the most depressing place in the world. A, yeah. becauseuse I was Bigger dude And I would always go into the Burlington Coal Factory Thinking that I was going to leave the Burlington Coat Factory with something really fly. And every time I went there, it was like nobody wanted to be in that bitch. No, right? Nobody wanted to be in that bitch. Nobody helped you with the coats. Nobody look you have to look through It's like It's a lot. You go into the Burlington Coat Factory and you ask, Hey, man, can I get like a man? we don't know this in this moment So big around is fuck. just go find a cood, get the fuck out Perkins Road, Ban Rouge Ratchsit Central. That's what it. Yeah. And there's like nobody is okay, so well, yeah. So weird. I was working I was working there in two thousand I believe it was it was two thousand eight And or nine, it was two thousand eight or not. And I was down on myself, man, because I was on a roll with Charlie Murphy, but that has started to like dry up a little bit, you know Um, And I was thinking in my head, man. I was like, Yo, what What should I do? Like am I going to keep doing the entertainment thing or I'm just gonna goo ahead go back to school and finish my degree And I said, man, maybe I should quit. I said this in my head As soon as I'm saying out of my head, it's this guy that walks to me He sees my head is down. He said, Listen, man, God told me to just God just gave me a message to tell you keepeep going becausecause whatever you want is about to happen to you. Everything that you want is about to happen so you do not quit going And I was like, okay. And then me and my sister went on the road and we started doing a chitlin circuit Uh, you know, in New York, you do the seventy five dollars rooms, hundred dollars rooms And that was the summer of two thousand nine And things started happening This december two thousand nine to january, twenty ten. And then that Will Smith versus Denzel clip went viral and then he played it. And everybody saw it at Fox, Fox was Fox is offering me a holding deal. I was supposed to do a sketch show with AFon Crocket back in the day. Okay before it in the flow. It wass supposed to be me and him Oh So before he actually got his show on the air had a different show that you guys were do. Yeah, well, it was the same it was the same show. I just wasn't in it. You know what I mean? Okay that was supposed to be. But NBC had offered a holding deal, which I took And during that holding deal, SNL came through and then they got me and it was I was off to the races And then everything started happening. But I had that I had that feeling. I was like, yo, man, this is it. And I was way more connected at in the beginning. I would say to God. Because I always you go back to my Facebook posts. I was always posting, thank you God,, thank you Jesus, you did this, such and such. And then I got in the industry and I got sidetracked with everything that was happening. you know? So cut to the end of SNL, I'm like, I'm living, I'm living, but I'm living. You know what I'm saying? I'm not as connected. And then cut to the pandemic when everything was like going this way and I had I really had everything I wanted to. I had a salacious lifestyle and I didn't want that. And then going back having God like open his arms and say, you can come back and just putting a code on me and saying, if you Meet me halfway. I will carry you the rest of it. I literally heard that And I was like, I will okay Let me start getting rid of U my swings in here. Let's get rid of all this stuff. Man, yeah, it was it was it was it was crazy bro. It was insane. as that experience, obviously now you feel totally different. You you feel way more fulfilled. leaded into The music, re in your comedy. Has that changed it in any way? It has, it has now one thing my struggle is the profanity I don't curse off stage or off record, but you know, it's still in some of the artistry as you can hear in the music. But mind you, I made the music twenty twenty four. You know, there's still a you know It's a transition period. you have to, you can't just jump, be advanced. you got to work towards where you want to get to. I feel like now I'm working towards where I want to get to where you know, um The stuff that I come up with on stage, you know, I'm not cursing or I'm taking words out that I don't need. and I'm always trying different words and saying, okay, if I substitute this with this How will it affect the comedy? It hasn't changed it. People still laugh I realized that you don't necessarily need all of the words to create the art, you know. But you know, when I recorded this album, you know, I was still a little transitional. So there's some words in there, but it's still great music. and its still feel good music. Do you have a personal thought or ethos that makes you think or believe that profanity is like either not wholesome or sinful or No, it is. I mean, you're not supp I mean, in the Bible, you're not supposed to, you know, you're not supposed to curse I didn't I never knew that. You're not supposed to curse? You're not supposed to. But First Baptist Church or are you going Baptist Academy? First Baptist Academy, like are you gonna educate Be I mean I cur like a motherfucker. I curse But listen, I don't know the verse, but I was taught that yes, for sure for sure, for sure. re I don't personason sin because I didn't know that I mean, I was raised to believe it was a sin as well. was I was raised to believe that if you do it, you get kicked in your stomach But nobody told it. likeike dady would be like, Hey, He wasn't rooted in anything. I He more respect. But he never really rooted stuff in stuff like that mom and dad because they ' they because they'd say, hey Mother fucuckking don't curse at me. don't curse at mother fucking h nig until you' be like wait a minute But yeah, so but I'm interested in how when you feel like you had to clean your spirit, what are the things that you feel like you had to separate yourself away from them? And it's interesting that prorofanity is one of. Well, profanity was definitely one of them. Another one was just the, you know, you know, pornography, things of that sort. Yeah Is in a high bar for me right now? A Yeah That's a struggle. Really? at all h it used to be. canan say something? You've talked about it before. You've talked about it beforecast I was initiatingated into the life C to early eight me too. you know, absolutely. L So and it's been something that's been A thing over the years, but I don't necessarily I'm trying to be nice. Why do you These are not digs, These are not digs. Okay. I can talk to you from somebody who was somebody who was addicted to that and somebody who was so addicted to that that the accessibility of those folks was just Yeah, eye open.. Yeah You can you you're fine. you can come out of that. God can take you out of Yeah. could take you out of anything, man. you know anybody. everybody has their struggles. I can't I'm not judging anybody that curses. You can like you curseing now, like I don't care. It's you know, right. It's not like o, I'm just like, yeah, I don't I'm not going to do it. but I think I'm more interested in when you come to that in a sincere way. I don'tember I'm interested in what people think or how people connect to or how people analyze whatever you want to say, the things that they feel encumbered by. And for you personally When you felt encumbered, spiritually encumbered, mentally encumbered What freed you If it's porn, if it's for some people it's going to be drugs, for some people it's going to be food, for some people it's going to be like video games, it's all different types of things. I had all those things. At one point Look, at one point I was one point I was fat. was that was, you know, I was serving that at one point it was the drug thing, you know, over smoking a lot. I used to serve that, you know, I had to cut hadad to cut down on that dude used I don't look like it man, but yeah, he useds the Yeah I used to puff it up, know what I'm Like a chimney homey, you know what I mean? Not anything, notot anything crazy because I never because Charlie always told me that, you know, he said, man, weed is fine, but you know, anything past that, you don't want to do it because it messes, it alters your personality. And I never wanted anything to alter my personality. So I never did any heavy drugs, but weed I mean, it's not addicting, but it can become if anything, anything that could become habitual can be in some vein Ad. You know what I'm saying? That was what I was serving. And I was I was shown, I was shown pornographic images at a very early age. and I was a church kid and when I saw that, it kind things were things started shifting a little bit. So yeah, what up Damianen? He' the want to got me this stuff. Daniel say last. you know he is. he used to print out used to have the hard drive full of pitches and he'd give it to me like like it was a dig. Damian was a Dami, Damian was the guy. He was the guy Whoa, I didn't even wow. I didn't even put that thing together. You see, you got got to talk to Dami? That's what no. I don't. Iited, but you also got some dam Dam That Yo, that's greatick. Dam. That's crazy bro That's crazy and that was my that was my strongest weak. That was my biggest weakness. Yeah. That was my biggest weakness. So finally, Finally, when I felt empowered, when I felt the spirit come on, it was it was I can't do that. I'm not comfortable with it. I might slip. Everybody slips you know But whatever you give more attention to in your life Th then God is your God And that's real. that hey, man Whatever you are serving, think about the time. even if throughout the day, you were always like, God help me. God help me. You were still communicating with God. You were keeping open communication. Vice versus the person who just goes to church once a week and just says whatever and then lives the way that they want to live for the rest of the time. You can't live the way that you want to live for the rest of the time. or whatever is a weight, a burden on you and whatever iss holding you down, you got to get rid of that because God sends you the Holy Spirit to break chains. He's never going to send you He's never going shackle you up. You know what I mean? He doesn't shackle. That's why the story of Exodus is so prominent how all of the Jews they were in they were in bondage. They were in bondage and you know, the Sirit came and got them out of that, you know? And it's that narrative with with every story. God is always delivering people, you know what I mean? Even from the beginning The reason we have time is because A sin happen outside of time. Well, you know, well, sin happen in time. We sin in time. The angels sin outside of time. That's why they can't be forgiven because when you're you sin in eternity, that's forever. You know what I mean? And they disrespect the God's presence. They did it in his face. O third got kicked out. So we say, what I'm going to do is I am going to come down myself My son, I'm going to send him. He's going to be the body to redeem the world to bring you all back up. That one third that's lost, I'm going to replenish it with the people that have never seen me before And that's what's so special about it because blessed are those who haven't seen yet they believe. You know? And that's what it is. What about with friendships? Yeah You had to let go some of your friend A. Yeah, like yeah, a few of them, a few of them. And you know, not in a disrespectful way. S. But you know, like some people I was hanging with, you know, they they were party parties, You know what I'm saying? They probably went to the dy party. feel me like I ain't go I don't You know what I'm saying? Did you didid you go ve? I've been to You went to? Oh, okay, wow All right she could have got me. I said this before I'll say it again. Okay, excuse me. There're degrees' tell me this is the way I look at it. Okay, you don't have to change the hat. o. They're degrees. like o, they're degrees to the party Yeah. there's a first I wouldn't know. There's a third degree party, a second degree party, a first degree party and there's a capital party where this's basically a freak off. We saw a video of that Like, yeah been to parties that he has thrown before. But so many people have it. But you haven't been a house? Yes. In Miami? No, in Miami. Yeah yeah. What do you want me to say? B the way, by the way I'm not gonna say everybody was at. This was not like a private, this is not free call situation. Hey, we didn't go. Yeah, you weren't even out here. Thank you very much. Okay, And I'm not going to talk about you swing set. All right But no, I understand what you're saying. What I think in all seriousness, there is and we all know it in the town. Yeah There is and has long been longong been an element of existence this particular town that is just demonic Yeah, it's full of battertery, it's full of exploitation It's full of wielding power over people There's a corner of this particular city where secrets are made. And those secrets oftentimes are used to blackmail people blackmail people, degrgate people more than even that. They're used to extract people's humanity from Yeah They used to put people under your thumb, under your foot, under your boot. And I'm not talking about the people that are being blackmailed, I'm talking about the people that are being exploited in order to produce the blackmail. Got you. That's long been a thing in this town. And also it's just a place to be honest with you. where things are moving so fast especially Like you're from New York, so it's probably not fast to you. But for me, when I got out here from Baton Rouge It was such a blur time was going, it was like, let's go here. Let's go there. Let's go here. Let's go there. Let's go here. and then by the time you get used to it, you stop remembering to say no to stuff Mm L you like the town is like there's an aphrodisiac of yes. So when you stop you you have somebody has to shock you for you to be like, no. I'm not with that. That's why I live in the valley. You know what I'm saying? I got. like you're like no, you no, that's not that's not for me. That's not for me. I understand that. And I always say this, man, you know, and you seem like you have a good You know, you had a good beginning whatever with your family and all of that. I could definitely tell B the conversation you had with Kanye the first time I saw you. And I was like, Yo, this dude is like you have a good moral code inside of you. I'm actually from Chesapeake, Virginia. Okay, we'. But my mom is from New York. so I have gone up and down the east Coast for my whole life pretty much. I got family all over Philly, New York, Maryland, Florida, North Carolina, everywhere U, but if you If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for everything. You know what I'm saying? So you the people who do come out here who don't have any type of home base, no type of faith foundation, yo, those are the ones that they're going to get eaten up because they don't know how to say no because nobody has told them about these things. L my mother my mother My mother told me when I was ars old No sex. I'm like, okay, that's weird. I'm eight. I'm not even thinking about that. But she said, everyvery time you think about sex, think about my face. I said, Well, that's kind of freakyit. That kind of freaky right there. You know what I mean? I don't wantna think about your face, you know,be maybe, you know, Josh's mom, you know she's bad Th think about your face, but it was always driven into me early on, you know, what not to do, what to do. And I even have I have people, you know, you know Tone Stith You know't know? I just wantna fly sorta like a eagle baby. That song? You know you never heard that? Okay. well, anyway, he used to write, he wrote Chris Brown's liquor. He's a good writer singer, all of that. He's from my church and he's in the industry as well. and we have these conversations. Evie McKinney who was on, you know, every yes. She also goes to my church. So We're all We have the we have the foundation and we check in with each other and just make sure hey, you good, you good. haven't talked to Evy in a while, but I can see she's just, she's just so spiritual And that comes that just comes from people pouring into you at an early age so you don't fall for that stuff, man. because you don't want to say yes to the wrong thing. I mean, I went to a I went to an all white party before and I got mollied. You know what I'm saying? Right? I mean, I didn't, you know, it was all in one glass and I drank stuff real fast, bro I used to I used to drink, bro. I should get it in me know what I'ming? I could draw I could throw thirteen and you know what I mean, thirteen, fourteen a day. I wasn't caring, You know what I'm saying? So, that's why had liver problems. You film me Not anymore because the liver regenerates. However, back there, it was messed up But you know, I drank the whole thing. boom. Now messed up the whole night. I didn't know that they put all the Molly in there. Nobody told me about Molly. They told me about Coke. they told me about weed. they told me and then nobody had to say hero heroin because I'm not gonna do no heroin. You know what I'm saying? I saw Ray, I'm not gonna do it. You know what I'm saying Aybody trying to be in the. You know what I'm saying? Ain't nobody trying to be anybody trying to be in the rehab? I don't want to take that.. You don't want to do that. You know what I'm saying? So it was poured. I think it's important for people who are coming to Hollywood. You can be successful in Hollywood and not lose your soul. You could be that.. You know what I'm saying? But I think that's such an important message. I was going to ask it, and I'm so glad you said that because I do think people who aren't who haven't been here, who have dream to come here, They have an idea of what still to this day of what they think Hollywood is like or what they think they have to do to fit in and be successful. And I was going to say to you, and I guess like you could address this to people maybe who still have the dream to come out here. orr am I be going through it right now Is it hard for you to hold your faith publicly in an industry that doesn't always make room for it And if not How is it that you do it? Is it the community you shout it out to people that you build around you to help you do that Because obviously, you can become successful. Right And stay successful. Yeah, it's just following, it's following what the Bible said. It say, Y, if you're ashamed to profess my name in front of people, I'll be ashamed to profess your name in front of my father So you can't be you can't be scared to say it Whatever happens, you know what I mean? Okay, if I lose some parts, I'll just lose some part. I wasn't supposed to have those parts. You want me to you wanted me to walk out naked anyway and do some and do some weird fleece Johnson stuff. You know what I'm saying? You know what I mean? I don't want to, That's not where I'm trying to go. So I'm align. I'm going to stay aligned. I'm gonna stay align in scripture, stay aligned in that that foundation and have that foundation because yes, that is going to be the feed. That's going to be the fertilizer. That's going to be what I need to stay cemented. And you can, man, you got to stay cemented. But it was just not being ashamed. I'm not ashamed to say Jesus' name. I'm not ashamed. But also with that, it's responsibility with that because if people are watching what you're putting out and your fruit ain't matching, then they're going to be like you're a hypocrite. And most of the time, that's what deters most people away from the faith in general. They're like, yo, well, well, he said this, but I saw him in the club doing such and such and such. Okay, mayaybe the man was slipping. You don't know. Everybody has their struggles and struggles listen, listen Lars, adulterers, murderers, stealers people who the tongue, people who are who are loose with the tongue, it's the same thing. It no sin is greater than another sin. So I'm not going to hang out at a murdderr party. I'm not going to hang out at a party of people steal. If people if I notice some stealers in there, I'm not going to hate them. I'm going to be aware, but I'm going to try to impose a message so maybe they don't do that can be listen, stay your base, Y base is the most important thing that you need, your base, your faith base is the most important thing you need. If you have that, I don't think that you're going to have to worry about much in this industry, you know I also say Two things for me. One was I made a lot of friends with people who are actually from Los Angeles. Yeah yeah. And that helped me because people who are actually from here aren't really enamored with a lot of the things that go on in Hollywood They might come out to Hollywood and party and stuff like that, but then when you leave with them, they go back to their cousins house and stuff like that and they sometimes they'll tell you, Hey man, don't wear that around here. thenen you got to get used to that whole thing. But people are from here. And number two this guys sound really weird BMZ helped Really? Yeah. TMZ helped because they make me lose my Christas sometimes. you would see my follow TMZ TM TMZ helped because two things. One, it was insanely structured. Right. So you're in the office at six You're out of the office at like five thirty. you didn't have a lot of time to be out but and then but also Man If you need to be in a place that provides you a cautionary tale to what excess Mistakes. What it what did Bon say? It only takes one time to fuck up your whole Wikipedia? like it's like that's that is real. Like I go on my Wikipedia and I'm like, yeah, cool Nothing fucked up on there yet. I'm not where you dy by any means, but like when I would see And we would just they would be in the office and they would be like like just they'd be writing up the stories gleefully, but they would be like, why did this person have a driver Like how could this happen? Like what's going on? And that they are You also see that there is cururrency in your mistakes. that there are people that are like actually waiting for you to make a mistake because it's news for them because it's It's a commodity to them. Yeah. And so part of it is just like don't want to be the person that gives you your next million clicks based upon what I'm doing. I feel that. But the basic thing is I just really And I don't do a good job this all time. I just really don't want to hurt anyone Like I don't want to have like my rise or whatever be because somebody else is hurt or did like I've taken something from. You hurt people, you do. Like but I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to, and that's the Dan egg. gets to me about this entire thing sometimes is just the need to hurt and dominate and impose your will on people and put them in bad situations and all of that stuff. Sometimes I don't know where that comes from. Yeah. I think that's just that's just Los Angeles. You just got to you just got to get out to the valley. You know what I'm saying? If's going down out there too it's going down out there too. which part of the valley? Which part tell these people exactly, you know, like near, you know, over there near near a near E encino and all of that. know, see that's nice though. that's Jackson I know people that live out there. That's where Michael Json is, you know. I want to talk to you about Europe is Honestly, brother A lot of this has been inspirational, but Shit, Nigga, we got toa get some voices. we got to I want to know about your method because there's part of it. always been H obsessed with. There's a guy named Dan Soder? I love Dan. And Dan does accidentally came upon him doing Macho manan Randy Savage Listening to an impressionist talk about how they nail an impression is some of the most fascinating shit in the world. He'll go I'll take a little bit of this. I'll mix it with this. Yeah. I'll put a little bit of this in there and all of a sudden, he's doing Randy saavage, but he's touching his glasses, He's doing everything to where it feels like Macho is still alive.. How in the world Do you nail an impression and get it to the point to where like it entertains millions and millions of people. Well first, it starts with for me. It starts with the voice. I'm not the the voice, off course, the voice It starts with the laugh first. If you you got to like if you get somebody's laugh, like even even some of the hardest impressions that I've had that I've done If I didn't have the voice first, I had to laugh of the person first. and that gives you the spirit. Th, for me I it's the it's the voice. and the voice comes for me by Um, literally it's some AI type thing that I do where I am picture I picture a person's face on my face saying the same thing that I'm saying at the same time and then I morph into it. That's those things. And I might hear sometimes it is adding impressions that sound similar. L for instance, like what's his name? God takeag it, there's this What is his name? He talks kind of like this. He has voice like like this. John Cry. was it was it he was in step brrothers. You don't talk him about? John John Reiley John C. Rileilly. Yeah. likeike John C. Reiley is a whole bunch of different impersonations mixed together. Like you can do this voice and you can also switch that other voice and go to it it's or you can you can easily do Joe Rogan off of that and like switch it up and talk about meet and You know what I'm saying? So like, okay, I hear. I will hear ' voices and other people's voices when I'm really trying to nail it vocally. Now Denzel, I had there was nobody who I could say sounded like that man. I had to morph my vocal cords that were still going through puberty to match that man. Yes, I was still going through puberty in my twenties. you know I was a premature baby. I came out at seven months And ye had gray eyes and light skin and no butt Who is this? You know what I mean? So it was a that was a vocal fry. Will Smith on the other hand. I don't know, I don't know if you hear it and people say it and at this time, I ain't even denying it no more. We got similar we got like a similar vocal sound like him anyway. I sound like Yeah I always said that like you kind of sound like Will even when you're just talking. Yeah and only because I'm being articulate. Yeah. It's just if you if you articulate yourself as a black man because Will is so You know, he's so articulate. You know, like he takes his time and then he does it. And you know, I'm finally after all of these years, like after Van, like w, you saw it, right? You saw what happened, right? Like I got up there and I lost my mind But But here's the thing, like if I was to go after somebody, you know, it would be if you had my love, you know what I mean? Yeah that person. You see and like look at this like the fac is morphed You know, like my lips They They're articulating words because I'm fixed If I just start relaxing and going like this and start blinking, you know, I switch to person. you know my personalitys switched up, you know, That's what happens, right? You just switch it up. That's what you do, Frank. You see the ducksordce, right? You get the ducksordce, right? That's That's Al Pacer. That's twenty. But it's but it's yeah. I did theater bro so What a fascinating newer divergence you have. Yeah. You're like a kid. Van is like on the edge of his feat like this is my forite. I can't I can't I don't know if I've ever imaged this happen. I can't even imagine the ability go from that And like immediately before he just switched spirits and went right into Dzele and then Denzel sitt right You're gonna to go home and practice tight aren't you? No you're going to be in the mor pract No way I feel like you're born with it. Yeah. swear to God for sure. And you know, that's that's something amountse that you have to paying attention to because yeah U It is natural, you know, natural talent But you do have those who are you know, good at it and they don't practice and you know, they're mediocre, you know. And you know, Ive never I've never been that, you know, because yeah, my father was kind of like Joe Jackson. so And when I say, you know, he would Joe Jackson me with the voices. So like, you know, I was first starting out You know, he, u, you know, if I was getting out of a voice, he would, you know, the belt would be what are you doing? I like, I'm sorry. you know like at that time, I'm being facetious and I'm pushing that a little bit. He wasn't whipping me at that time. I was I was sixteen, but Um he would drill, he would drill into me. He said, you're getting out of the voice. get back in there. He did that he's kind of he's the reason I'm so good because it's him. I'm naturally good at it because my mother is good at doing characters. My father's just freicaking hilarious, just stupid, funny. My sister is funny as I don't know what All my family members of characters, like I got I got an uncle that looked like Captain Morgan if he was left in the hood for like three months. You know what I'm saying? Like seriously, Bro, like he's like he's like Nigas Sperarrow. You know what I'm saying? Like he is he looks. like he got the gold tooth and all of that. But watching all of these characters and seeing all of these people when I was little, I think it just helped me with everything. And then getting into theater Eight years old and learning how to nail a character and stay stay in it. and then having the extra level when I got into comedy, my father pushing it and me seeing mis. Sam as when I was nine years old that used to do voices as he was reading the books. that always like youre fascinated with this. I was fascinated with him like, yo yo, he changed his voice When he was doing this character, he changed when he was doing that character, but he brought it to life and that guy I got to start. I've told this story, but it's different it's's different podcast. You know, it's different you know, different podcasts Um, I was playing Pow tan When I was nine years old Pocahontas, we did that play, right U, I didn't know my lines. I ain't going to lie and mr Sam is still put me in front. of the teachers and everybody and I didn't know my lines because he knew I was going to I was going to crumble, you know what I'm saying? So I had beef with him for years because of that. U Not even beef just like I can't believe he did that. Why did he do that two Um, eleventh grade It's a play called Damn Yankees, right? Yeah. And Damn Yankees, I was Mister Applegate But I got that role two weeks before open the night because the lead dropped out. Mula said I need you I learned every single line and I won best actor that year, but cut to open and night After I get in the lobby, Mr. Samers is there. The same guid put me up on stage in front of the teachers and I didn't know my lines and the kids had to feed me the lines. He looked at me. He said, I knew you always I always knew you had that in you. I was try to bring I was trying to bring it out of you. because I saw that in you at that age. And I said, well, you know, you could you could have picked somebody else, you know, to do it, but he was there And we just had this reconciliation moment. It's like going from G from not knowing your lines and being embarrassed to fully being in command of the character and having that same person that saw it witnessed that, it was really special really special. It's interesting in this whole conversation because You know, you talk we joked about Damian, but as you've been talking to us, you've told stories about these random strangers or a teacher or somebody like your parents, somebody who's been influential in your life Angels almost feels like you've been protected throughout your life. Yeah. Cpletely. You know, I know in twenty twenty Um You've spoken about what happened to you. And you said that you know what it feels like because of what happened with LAPD to have a knee on your neck And when you were This is a turn, but when you were sitting in the roast with Kevin Hart. What was going through your mind? Oh when you heard that joke, knowing from your own personal experience, one, but then two just as a comedian and the three as a black man. What were you feeling? I just felt it I felt it was gratuitous. You know what I mean? The rest of, I felt some of the some of the Cheryl stuff it was it was a big gratuit is you talking about deead husband or whatever, but she approved that But George Floyd had nothing to do with the roast and to make a Double entantra like Yeah, he died, but also he's in hell When I was sitting there, I didn't laugh. and it's funny, you said that Rich because I thought I thought of it when that joke was thrown up. I was like, well, that wasn't funny. What was the point of this? If it's listen push the line. Everybody pushes the line Um But It has to make sense and it has to be funny And I don't feel like I don't feel like that part was funny. I was having a good time at the rest of the roast. I was laughing, Machine gun Kelly was was sitting over there. hadving Miles Miles was right there. We were all laughing. But that part I was like, oh, yeah, man I was just like That's that's crazy that they would he would think that that's okay But then again, that's Tony Henchcliff. and you know, Kevin Hart had him on the roast and he know he knew what he brought And he just shouldn't have brought that because that was that was gratuitous and For people in the Back community who have suffered with police brutality or who have been wrongfully detained or whatever, it's not a funny thing, man. It's scary. because your life Y life could be gone just like this with one wrong move. Now luckily During my situation, you know, I' a very respectable person, you know, Yes, sir, no, sir. And I was just trying to figure out what was going on because I' never been in handcuffs. I've never even had a ticket before. You know what I'm saying? So It was always it was always taught to me to be be aware of the law and to respect those people and to always have manners, no matter what, because manners can save your life Why would you put I liked everything else. I liked everything else that in his set. The part was just, come on man. that was just that was ridiculous. you know? So I'll say two things. Number one, manner shouldn't have to save your life They should They shouldn't have to. But I will say this to your point though. There were times and happened times in my life especially earlier on, well I didn't even realize it was happening. I was like Member A U I mean in Ban Rouge I get pulled over actually speeding because someone called me and had threatened to unalive themselves So I'm trying to get to them. So I'm moving fast, right? And I remember So police officer pulls me over and he's like, Hey, I'm not bl. He's like, did you call the police? I was like, Aually, you're right I should call the police So I go for my phone. he's like, no, no, no, no, right now, let's just finish this. And my dad had gave me this thing it's called a saber light It's a flashlight, but it has like a sort of structured Wh did you And I wa wait a minute, before you go any further. Is it like the bat signal? like you open it up and it just help me, It's a heavy duty flashlight, but I guess in the dark, you could mistake it for something else. I go for the flashlight and I open the gloow compartment, the flashlight falls out and he goes and I went and I'm like, oh shit, this is happening Yeah. I'm like Yo, whoa whoa, whoa whoa. He's like, don't reach for it donon't reach for it. I'm like is a fucking flashlight That's exactly what I said. G out the card a whole nine And then he goes and he looks at the he looks at, he grabs it And he has it, it's a flashlight. I like, I look at him, he looks at me. now he's embarrassed Right? Now he's embarrassed. Now he's like, oh my God, like what the fuck is going on? And I'm like, I want to be indignant about it, but He drew his weapon. Yeah. So I'm like I'm looking I'm like Tld you it was a flashlight, T told you was M, get me out of these fucking cuffs Like like the whole nine. So like legitimately I get pulled over to the side cuffed And then they go around and they look at it, then they gott to search the whole car course And they got to search the whole car hoping to find something to make all it is worse incident that they just put me through. I kind of don't know how to react. I'm actually driving back and this this is the fucked up thing about me I get about ten minutes up the road and the same thing I do every time Start laughing M. like I get about ten minutes up the road. I'm like That actually just fucking happened. Are you fucking kidding me? L like that actually just fucking happen. And like I get to where my friends my friends beat me to our friends place and they go Damn Nica you was fucking late. and I was like, Well, I almost died you didn' here. So you know the whole nine and then we all talk and we end up talking about that. People don't even understand. sometometimes you don't know how to react. You don't know how Sometimes maners. you should be able to be like, because I see other I was driving with a guy named Reed. I might if I say Reed's last name. Cop pulls us over. We don't know where to baseball practice When you looks at him, he says, Hey, we got somewhere to be Free Yboard So we got somewhere to be. Wow. Like we're late. So whatever you got to do, the testicular forg L he goes, we got somehere to be. Hurry up And he goes, hold on for a second, He's like, this is my dad's truck, the whole nine. We got somewhere to be. Thank you officer snashes the ticket. We drive on. I'm like, arere you fucking crazy? Yeah, But that'sy ain't I'll tell you this and you saying the best the best way just like you're saying through laughter You gott to laugh it off I made a joke about I made a joke about the situation with the cops and it actually happened. L yo, I'm sitting down there the cops, the cops freeze. Det on the ground. I'm on my run app My run app, it tells me to walk. It tells me to walk. If it didn't tell me to walk in and I was still running, I probably wouldn't be here. but I get through They tell me to get on the ground I'm on the ground. And then the app says run. And I'm like. And I'm like, hell, no, you know what I say? But it's the it's the joke of it. It's like you have to laugh it off. And you're talking about the way that the white dude Talk to the cops. I. So I dated My ex, she is very fair, mixed half and half, straight up. You know what I'm talking about? L likeike coffee and cream. She's half and half. You know what I mean? But she looks M Caucasian, right? So So, um We were getting kicked out of a hotel U because she was mouthing off at the Manager, manager is a sassy man Very sassy You got a sassy man versus two warring people in one person, You know what I'm saying? It's not go inward So he goes, get your stuff, get the hell out get the hell out this is how how sounds. Get your stuff, get the hell out of my hotel. And I'm like, wait a minute, man, or I'll call the cops. Here she goes, callall a Po. I say, wait a minute. you wait, wait, wait. you could probably get away You look like Mari Carey, but me, I look like fifty cent. They try they going try to put nine in a boy. You know what I'm saying? So it's that it is there's that There's that privileged thing and it's that white folks are different when it comes to it. And she forgot she was black that night, You know what I'm saying? She forgot there was some blackness in there. They would have ran that car. she would have been going in with me too, you know? I got a question for you before we get outt of here. man, we gotta leave there. Yeah Yeah a lot of people are asking for Kevin Hart to apologizize. I guess the question would be if Kevin Hart did apologize, what would that sound like Wow. Um Listen, listen, listen, listen First of all, it was a roast Everybody's got to be cool with that The fact that U I'm not responsible. for what everybody says up there. It's a roast. First of all, secondecond of all, They shouldn't have said Gege Floyidoke. That was totally wrong. I should have jumped in, should have said something like I was interrupting U when other people up there didn't say anything, but I should have said something. So if I could go back do things differently. I would have said I'm sorry, Naggas, I never should have let that flow. That's what I got. All right, we good? Okay, come to my show. C to my show Jackl What an interesting this went some places. I didn't know he was going to go man. but I'm like you seem reallyally inspired and really healthy. Yeah man Al happy to see a black man in that space. Oh man, come on man, me too brother. and listen, keep on striving, keep fighting and keep going. I would say that to both of you, You know what I mean? Be You know, you all have created a very comfortable space where people be truthful and not take people down. This is like the I would say this is the anti club chiche. You know what I'm saying And not and I love onk. I love I love Shannon. I went up there. I did the show, but you know, U It seems like it's kind of it's kind of shadeeromish just a little bit when it comes to that. Here, it just seems like you're just having an honest conversation and we're just really talking about life and maybe things that higher learning, that's there you go. You learn more about people, higher learning. And just like I learned today that Damian was the devil. Jay. Ferrell, thank you for joining us brother. Yes, sir. Thanks for having me. Oh, bad. Okay, that's enough podcast.ook at it Man's gotta get home, he's gott to work on his impressions already know you go to text to the group chat and to be like, I got something. I got something for you. I know you were so giddy. It was actually really cute to watch. L you were really like, I just I just love that I don't like you talking to him. You're talking to him and you can see The way he changes his face and starts before he even does the voice, he becomes the person. Yeah. And I'm sorry You can work on that and get better at impressions, but that's one of those things. Either you have it or you don't. For sure. I just believe that. Absolutely right. You have it or you don't. Now he did say he l some Joe Jackson shit, but I love that type of shit. It's so crazy. Like why is that so you go up and you watch somebody do oppression and you just get all like'ses No, I enjoyed it too, but I really liked watching you enjoy it Let's go. U Donny, you got anything to say, Bernard you got anything? Jay is out this week Jay what' toweden?y the way, I can say something about Sweden real quick All you guys that went to Sweden from the ringer fuck you guys. That's really how you feel. Yeah, I feel. So all of you guys that went to Sweeten fuck you guys. Do want to be there? Well, no, I don't want to be there, but I also don't want people to make me feel like I want to be there. What you guys have done You sweeten people while we're still here stateside working, what you guys have done is purposefully tried to build and engineer FOMO around some Sweden shit Oh look at us, we're having a NBA finals watch part. That's all I saw. It's three It's three hundred eleven and Swedenew were're up together being a family watching the NBA final. I saw Weston. Weston, I'm surprised that you don't. I'm surprised you taking part in this type of trolling of everybody else who didn't go See people getting drunk in Sweden having fun. It's going to be a whole generation of Ringer babies that happened. Wow because of what's going on in Sweden. So I tell you guys just go to Sweden Have a good time. Never mind the contractors that didn't get a chance to go to Sweden. Go to Sweden, have a good time and shut the fuck up about it I dont want to hear it. Next year they're going to invite you and you're going be like, I don't want to go. I don't want to go to. That's the thing. you really don't wantan to go. Oh I should say this on the mic Forget about Swen. Guess what? Guess what I did? What did you do? That's what I did? This is what I did So shout out to the people from Stars Mhm Um They hit me up and they were like, Hey, Van Would you like to come to London to preview the new stars show Fight Land do a set visit, This is show that fifty Sent is producing, all of that stuff like that. And I was like, they asked me to come, they want to go out there And I said You know, I'll come out to London and do the fightland stuff If higher learning can come out and do the fight. Oh wow That's what it is. And they said yes Oh wow. When are we going? It late June See, I don't know about that. See, stough. No, I'm just kidding. I'm down. Yeah, they were like, Hey, it was like, yes. Wow, I've never been to London. Wow, Van, thank you. Yeah. I was like you're not going St. Bernardi. That's this this Yes, it's not That's not what was going on. That's not what happened