#2561 - LL Cool J

The Joe Wilgen experience Train by day Joe Rogan podcast by night all day I believe it here. We're up. I got sneaker recommendations from L.O. Cool J.

I'll take that I was wearing these pumas I'm gonna throw him but he said I'm gonna incinerate him you'll throw him in the incident. Okay, I don't know if that's true I like yeah, you have no reason to believe me yet. I'll give you that Don't believe me, but when you when you try me to say yo, you're man was telling you true. Okay, you see you're gonna come back I want to say that all right.

I promise you I believe you I'll give it a shot. I'll give it a shot Well anyway very nice meet you nice meet you I met you a long fucking time ago very briefly. Yeah, we were at the stupid NBC thing It was very funny because you were making fun of it. It was some sick You know they do those things we have all the new shows and everybody has to show up.

It's like everyone sits down I was at a table with you. Okay, and I was a nobody. It was like 1994. I was like oh shit That's all cool.

J. I was just getting it was just still weird for me to be around famous people and I remember you were like What the fuck is this? I was like I wish I could do that like it's gonna make it fun of this shit like you didn't give a fuck about it all It was really funny I mean you can never take it too serious. No, you can you know I mean like like we not you know we never take it too serious You know, it's good Especially those kind of things where they sit down the announce all the shows and you have to clap You know, I mean This is like this is the 90s long long time ago.

Yeah, you've had a fucking insane career man I mean when did you get signed weren't you like? 17 or some shit, so how will be when you first got your first contract so um 16 16 we started def jam Story def jam right as a production company Rick and Russell together formed def jam the label and I was the first act The first song on def jam productions was it's yours by Tila rock and then from there the label was formed because that was Streetwise Party time and then from there the label was formed and you know the rest is history that's incredible ad rock from the beastie boys actually program to beat Rick Ruben produced it and Did the Mike and here we are most people who get that successful at 16 have a very difficult time keeping their shit together But you just managed to keep smiling and floating through this thing Yeah, that was probably about 17 18 That's by the boombox there. Yeah, the boombox man. That was everything that meant everything to me Oh everybody had those back there absolutely people carry him around walking down the street with their own music Absolutely, we're in a different world now people don't understand what it was like back then.

Yeah, because actually In a weird way even though the world is more public music has become more private, right? Right, right, right. The world was private but music was public right right right. It's like an in it in verde, you know Yeah, well you I mean it's no exaggeration to say you're a pioneer because hip hop was so new back there Yeah, it was so new.

Yeah, like Sugar Hill, which was in like She'll help rappers the light was 79 But I got a hip hop before that because I was listening to like grandma's flesh and she was four before they would have five and the Trez was three and mow and the cold crush and what year was that that's The 75 76 77 while around that time, you know, I mean and I was hearing the tapes because they were circulating because I was in Queens You know, I mean so the tapes were coming out of the Bronx and when I was in Long Island See I was raised I was born in Long Island I was raised in Queens, but I also lived in North Babylon and I'm when I was in North Babylon next door There was a lot of force the kids were from uptown who were from the Bronx and from Brooklyn Well, Bronx and Harlem and Brooklyn so I would hear all the tapes when hip hop was emerging So I was like, you know eight years old and I was getting exposed to like all of the you know the newest of the new at a Really young age so I got like indoctrinated and dipped in the baptized in the fire hip hop early You know what I mean? What a fortuitous time to be a kid too like it's the perfect time because it's all emerging around you Yeah, it's like when Gladwell talks about you know, you know that moment the tipping point Well people being born in certain places, you know, he talks about, you know, being in Seattle when computers were Yes, when so I was in New York at that same time. It's very much in that scene Yeah, that same thing, you know, you get sprinkled a little dust, you know Man upstairs, you know get a little sprinkle being the right place got the capability Yeah, you know and the drive and the discipline yeah stick to it. Yeah, I mean obviously I have that still in great shape You got it.

Yeah, yeah, you still keep it together. I do I do I've been um, you know, I've recently started doing Jizzo, which is really really yeah. Yes. What are you training?

Brian Glick. Where's he at? He's in Brooklyn. Okay, and um he trained under down here.

Oh great. Oh phenomenal. Oh, so that's a great lineage Yeah, he's a Gracie Donner her. Yeah.

Yeah, so he's uh, he's a lot of fun. He actually my man Scott Scott Con, you know, put me on to him. Okay, yeah, we've been working so it's uh, it's very humbling, you know, you think Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's like that's click.

That's my teacher and so that's a lot of fun That's how long you've been doing that not long at all and you find out that you think you're tough out But you're really a little old lady you find out really quickly Real quick so I've uh, you know, when I was young I did a little say-doh Karate a little wing tongue a little each one like I like the martial arts so but this one this is uh a Completely different thing because you know, yeah, it's just you know, you feel helpless. There's no question about it You are yeah, you don't think you are until you do it and then your whole world chatter She's like oh, no, yeah, I put you on a closed guard and say get out good and you do everything but stand up You know your first thought it's crazy. Yeah, so it's fun. It's a deep pool too.

There's a lot to learn It keeps going forever and ever and ever. Yeah. Yeah, but that's life. Yeah, that's what I like about like yeah, you know cuz uh, you know We want to maximize our potential, right?

Well, I think it's really good for famous people to do something that doesn't depend at all on your personality or your status or your Status or your stature. I think it's good for your head because it's it's an undeniable thing like you were either good at this or you Are not good at this there's there's no charm. There's no charisma I'm really charismatic. Let me go.

Yeah, they love you the moment. They see you there's none of that Which is charisma your way out of an American? I know tomorrow because that's the opiate for celebrities like this thing with everybody loves you and needing that thing Here's the thing I'm a celebrity by consequence like as a result of what I did. I'm not a I'm not a guy who's celebrity-minded I'm an artist though.

You know I'm saying I you know, I'm famous by default because of the things that I do have I'm not walking rooms feeling famous. That's a great perspective. I'm not in it for the like the fame thing I'm like I'm way more blue collar. I'm not like remotely interested in hitting you with the famous with the long cigarette holding the Ascot and shit like I'm like so not into that like I'm like way different like I'm not even remotely hit You guys are rocking a cigarette holder.

Can you imagine? I guess you can't wait to say right over here I can't get away anything off And he's gonna say some genius shit about it on top of that. Yeah, you can pull it off. Yeah I was gonna be walking in with the cigarette.

What if you walk in here today? No cigarette hold it. Hey, when you say hey, hey, hello, I would like this. You know I just hit you with this Where's the purpose of the cigarette holder?

But other than keeping the cigarette further from your face? My hands dirty. I don't know what I'm saying. I don't know what's wrong with the fingers.

It's just all wrong I don't know what to purpose. It's just all right. First you pulled it off as Hunter S Thompson You had it just somehow another scene ridiculous. Can we put a picture up of him because I'm not familiar?

Hunter is Thompson the writer. He's the one they did that Johnny debt movie fear in loading in Las Vegas. Okay. Okay based on one of his books Okay, he's a cigarette older.

Yeah, but he's doing it a little bit more aggressively I'm talking about that other one. Yeah, I'm talking about that long long one. Yeah, black one with the silver Yeah, you know, you know, yeah, I think he did it more. I'm cool.

Oh, he was cool as fuck. Yeah, he's cool A complete total maniac on me out of his mind on drugs, but wrote some of the most genius shit ever I mean, you know, yeah, make it through man. You go through hell keep going Yeah, sometimes some people need something to get out of their own head, you know, and that's yeah, it's called humility Yeah, yeah, that helps too. Right perspective that you have is a great perspective because like that's the way to get through it And young people should hear that too is that like just be an artist and be famous as a consequence of what you've done Exactly.

Yeah, exactly as opposed to because if you're arrogant, you can't learn anything And the most fulfilling thing of this whole thing is learning some stuff. Yeah, like that's what's fun Right, right. What's not fun is just thinking about yourself all day. That's kind of boring.

Yeah, what's kind of crazy? It is it really is and the best way to not think about yourself all day is try to learn something difficult 100% yeah, like when you're doing you just do the last thing you're thinking about is yourself you're not thinking about anything Yeah, just think about surviving and hoping that he doesn't Humiliating you know, that's cool that you're doing it though. It's very exciting. Yeah, so um, you know, man I like that and I like reading you know love the books man book.

I should you read everything. Yeah, I read everything from carbon clouds With to who's that he's a Austrian General Actually, Prussian general who you know talked about this concept called friction and he has this clouds, which in triangle Where he talks about like, you know, you have these three these three areas that depend on them swings over like probability and chance logic and reason and luck, you know, no probability and chance logic and reason and passion and Emity hatred so you can look at society right now and you can take a clouds, which in Trinity and put it over society And you know that we're operating in a place of emotions and passions and logic and reasons wouldn't even Make it, you know, wouldn't even mean anything so it's the Trinity, you know, so it really helps you think about life, you know Interesting so the grand strategy is at the center of it all government politics reason intelligent the armed forces calculation chance game of chance odds values Fascinating. Yeah, how did you get into this guy? I just read all kinds of stuff.

I love literature love history love reading things that Make me better, you know, I'm saying and what you find out is the more you read The less you know the more you know the more you find out the more you realize you don't know shit Right and because of that it becomes more exciting So and I wanted to navigate entertainment. It's like what you talked about right, you know, you're 16 17 18 years old now either you can get holiday spent all your money and switch yourself out and go on a binge or You can figure out something else, you know, I'm saying and so I just how'd you know that at 16? I had my mother my mother was showing me like books of like drug addicts with like sores on their arms and say hey Todd, this is you know, this is what happens when you you know get out in that world if you can ruin your career in Room your life, this is what happens, you know, and now and you know that combined with her telling me Todd, you know, girls are like dummies You know me, you know, not like you trying to be like, you know, mr. Scientist like some pedantic super nerd at the same time though You want to stay inquisitive?

You know me well women want a man who can navigate life There's no question about yeah, and intelligence is one of the best ways one of the best tools to navigate life intelligence health Yeah, and uh that that you know emotional strength You need to test in 42 to go with the intelligence right because if you have intelligence, but no willpower Yeah, you still get banged out right just be a smart punk You know what I mean that gives up early, but you know, I'm giving up, you know, that kind of I know why I'm giving up I'm gonna go with therapy and never get better. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean that's the that's one of the key elements of society today That's not embraced is like discipline discipline and drive and understanding that you have to have the ability to Persevere through difficult times and that giving up.

There's no there's no virtue in being emotional giving up That's the opposite it's bad for you everybody feels bad sometimes you like but giving up like that and celebrating that and embracing it You know, he's in he's in touch with his emotions Empathy is not the same as which are just right because empathy we need empathy Yes, empathy is not the same as weakness exactly Yeah, and you know one spark instead of prayer you'll find so we got to be you know We got to manage our moods and we got to be able to do what we need to do Even when we don't feel like doing it right because that's the language of success. Yeah, right? That's a really important quote one spark instead of prairie on fire because how many people they spiral out from one bad thought they start pursuing Yeah, you got to get out of your own way, you know, I'm saying that's that's super important Mm-hmm. That's super important.

You know what I mean like it is, you know, yeah Yeah, I know I'm no one teaches you that shit in school Like you have to have wise people around you to show you that way or you have to slowly figure it out on your own Yeah, you got you got to um you got to go through some drama and you got to be able to see the silver lining and you got to have you got to be able to finish the marathon and That requires your ability to you know get comfortable being uncomfortable I know it's kind of a cliche, but it's true. Yeah, you got to be comfortable being uncomfortable Like you got to be able to keep going and understand that there's another side like I heard this guy I don't know who he was so I'm not trying to take credit for this but this guy said um like if you want a plane And you know when engines on fire if you're flying a plane you keep flying and he said if what else were you gonna do? I mean yeah, you look the lamb, but you got to keep going You don't crash the plane if two engines on fire. What do you do?

You keep flying until you can say that so in life you don't give up just because one of your engines It's not acting the way you want it to right you have to teach it to your life like you you know attitude determines your altitude, right? So you gotta everybody wants to be comfortable That's the thing because we're so often uncomfortable They everyone seeks to be comfortable and then once they're comfortable they want to hold on to it and only be comfortable Right, and then they stop making progress. Exactly. They stop evolving and they become defensive Yeah, you know what I mean?

They just curl up and get a hedgehog. They just go into a ball and don't try to do nothing in life They also get very upset at ambitious people well some can some people can welcome because it's a reminder right like I can understand How painful it might be for somebody who is afraid to go for that next level afraid to do that next thing to see somebody else Wholeheartedly committing. Yeah, but what you have to understand is that like you have somebody say to you I don't want to I don't want to go back to school. You'd be like why I'm saying if they want to do oh because it'll take three years Well three years from now is gonna be three years from now any goddamn way so go back to school so going back to what you were saying It's like like the idea of Of making it you just got to be comfortable with the idea that people want to say what they're gonna say anyway And you need to go after your dreams dreams.

I'll have deadlines. That's the headline dreams. I'll have deadlines You just got to go after it and you know you lose the battle you can still win the war right with yourself Yeah, right yeah with yourself. Yeah, because we're not looking for perfection.

None of us are perfect We all did some crazy shit. We all crazy everybody's crazy But at the same time you could take it to the next level if you keep going yes The football season is heating up and every week feels bigger with draft Kings the draft Kings Sports app is now live In all 50 states that means from Texas to California to Florida every fan is in on the excitement follow the teams You love keep up with the biggest games and experience the excitement of football all week long no matter which game you're watching You're always connected with one app one app every sport all 50 states new draft Kings customers sign up with code Rogan Spend just five bucks get 150 in rewards within 14 days includes all markets That's code Rogan in partnership with draft Kings the crown is yours gambling problem call 1-800-GAMBLER 1-800-My-Reset Connecticut call 888-777-7 visit cckg.org on behalf of boot Hill Cuz you know in Kansas attacks past the May applying Illinois 21 and over void in Canada With drafting sports book to get bonus bets that expire in seven days or trade with drafting predictions to get predictions dollars that expire in one year I've been contracting involves risk of loss predictions offer void in New York non-with-rable rewards issued as $50 click to claims every seven days for 14 days turns at DKNG.com slash offer limited time offer nationwide based on sports book predictions and free-to-play sports contest availability very Spiced eight yeah, you know to me great advice. Yeah, it's real and it's real from someone's actually done it You know, that's really important people can hear that all day from a motivational speaker But then you could say that motivational speaker what exactly have you done other than motivate people a lot of them the list is very small I hear people say that but you know my thinking is like if a homeless guy tells me don't do push-ups in traffic I'm gonna listen You know you get bad advice from people that are great. They're great.

They're great And you know really good advice for idiots. I'm gonna more on will tell you something you like oh shit So I'm I'm less inclined to concern myself with who the messenger is I know it's relevant right But I listen to the message because you have to contextualize the message. Yeah in your life, right? That's some Bruce Lee shit.

That's like absorb what is useful Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Really how that happened because I mean he was the only dude with a 10 that was like doing some cool shit on TV on the movies, you know, he was a little brownie All my Asian friends were so happy all my Asian friends were like finally we have a fucking superhero Oh, he was a man dude man. He was a man. He changed martial arts for the world I want you make an avenue with the yellow and black game of death suit Yeah, I will Absolutely absolutely absolutely Absolutely walking down the half that shit proud that gave a death suit was the shit right Yellow game with that suit. I don't think people understand how Revolutionary he was all martial arts were all they were all siloed Yeah, like if you did kung fu and your instructor caught you doing shodakon somewhere, right?

They'd be upset with you Yeah, there was it was very siloed and Bruce Lee came along and said no was the first mix martial art Z first You know what I mean? He's doing American boxing Chinese boxing Kung Fu. Yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah judo judo everything. Yeah, yeah, and he put it all together and that was heresy.

Yeah. Yeah people wanted to kill him for that Yeah, well, yeah, that room is still persist. Yeah, well I think that rumor has to do with the triad with the Chinese mom because they were financing his early movies the Raymond Chow And when he left them there was a gigantic dispute so when he went to Hollywood there was a gigantic dispute So I think that's what the real conspiracy theories. I don't know if they're probably just had an annual What it seems like something happened where he had a allergic reaction was an allergic reaction to medication or something like that Because they gave him some pills and he went to sleep he was that's always a part of it, right?

Well, I think it's also he probably had some head injuries You got to realize like he's doing a lot of sparring. He's you know, they're they're he's doing sparring with boxers He's experimenting with stuff. He's doing crazy scenes and movies. He accidentally get hit who knows if you had a brain injury Okay, cerebral edema dangerous swelling of the brain attributed by the coroner to a hypersensitivity reaction to ingredients in the prescription painkiller Equa, J.

Sick Just Equi-Jessick which he took for a headache Plain of a headache given equi-Jessick medication containing aspirin and may met pro-mate met pro-bay mate Pro-bay mate Pro-bay mate pro-bay mate Lay down the rescue unresponsive cannot be revived after taking to the hospital autopsy found severe brain swelling and no external injuries The brain swelling is self as well established in the historical record But the precise trigger remains disputed the official conclusion focused on drug hypersensitivity reaction later writers and researchers that propose other possibilities including heat related illness and Hypo whether test the rest of their words. They were a reparctive hypothesis hypo Naturingia hyponatremia dangerously low blood sodium associated with excess water intake, huh? All right retrospective See I'm sorry as the plural of hypothesis retrospective hypothesis Well, he was the dow of G. Kondo is the original book of big smarts larts.

No question. I love what that book And he took things from everything he took things from like Western boxing and fainting and jabs and he got from karate Oh, yeah, oh yeah He did some of that in the movies. Yeah, absolutely But people today they see that you know they see mixed martial arts you see all these fighters on television They see movies it seems normal to them. They don't understand that back then this was unprecedented No one had ever done that before super yeah and to be that skillful into it So he can move so fast that everybody's like what the lightning quick Yeah lightning quick just changed it for the whole world like karate school just opened up all over the world crazy It's not crazy at that time.

It was blurred cuz like people didn't know the difference between karate and kung fu Right very blurred. Yeah, it was very blurred. Yeah, you know what I mean? Oh, yeah, yeah, you just got lucky wherever school you walked into That's right, you know, you open the yellow pages under martial arts.

That's right. I was up at the YMCA Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, I mean a lot of those YMCA classes. Yeah, it was good though. Yeah, two knuckles, baby Yeah, it's a crazy time cuz like it just got introduced into the world and it took off It's I I'm fascinated by things that didn't exist and then all sudden burst onto the innovation Yeah, well, that's why hip-hop to me so fastening especially early hip-hop because hip-hop as an art form before the 1980s was non-existent in pop culture And then all sudden it was the dominant force five or six years later Like people have to understand what it was like when I was a kid and I was when I was coming up The first time I heard sugar hill gang was I was in a lunch room I was in Jamaica playing Massachusetts that time was a bad neighborhood now It's been kind of gentrified and at the time it was like it was kids.

It was 17 years old and I was still in the eighth grade It was crazy. That's yeah. Oh, yeah, that's not not 17 years old and eighth grade is nasty work. Yeah, it wasn't like that like bullshit There was kids that should have been graduated from high school and they hadn't even got a middle school Yeah, it was just a lot of like neared-wells and people just came from bad homes and bad neighborhoods But it was the first time I'd ever heard that I remember thinking this is like a different kind of music This is yeah because because you know you live in a neighborhood and you feel invisible Yes, you know and I think a lot of people can relate to that now you live in a neighborhood you feel invisible your friends get killed Nobody cares the news doesn't talk about you know They may talk about some major thing But when you're friend down a block, it's killed nobody cares right you walk down You got this ditty-bop that you're walking with like this and people think you're walking to be cool But you're really walking because you like it's like being in the jungle and you're like a lion and you're like walking around Trying to stay low and you're watching your environment in your back, right?

I used to have a thing in high school you do one two three behind you one two three behind you the whole time down the hallway Wow, you know the main so hip-hop was the first time that I heard young kids like me sounding powered and you know Instead of you know because all you saw at that time when if you saw a black kid on the news Oh, you saw was a guy in handcuffs being put into a police car. Yeah, that's basically it. Yeah, that's mostly Yeah, so it was like hip-hop is the first time I heard people sound powerful sounding powered You know it wasn't like the grape peu pon fancy Yeah, I have a lot of money thing that it is today when we talked about the money and we that was aspirational That's what we wanted like you're coming from nothing right You're coming from the grime in the dirt and you're like rapping about what it could be So you are your your extra macho when you extra right extra bravado right extra because you're an underdog, right? You know it became that to like you know now it's like you know your on Mount Olympus spitting on you know the peasants It was the opposite it was the opposite one of my favorite hip-hop videos of all times big He was 17 on the street corner.

Oh when he's ramen. Yeah, yeah, he's he's on the block and nobody and he's the shit at the same time Yeah, he's the shit and everybody rhymes. Oh, yeah, he's hitting these and his flow was already spectacular That's right because you're you're basically You're saying what every you're like it's like a different version of Cyrano what you're doing it for people It's not about romance necessarily. It's not for this particular girl You're doing it you're speaking you become a spokesman for the emotions that angst the pain Desires the wishes of the people that are like you and I'm not talking about just ethnicity I'm talking about culturally people that I like you that come from the energy and the type of places that you come from so you speak for them You know what I mean?

Yeah, I'm walking like what I got the big old chains on the big old chains aren't to say the the big old chains So to show people I have something at that time in the yo not only do I have something But I'm tough enough to be able to wear this so jury back then was was a message You know anyway any neighborhood it was I can wear this in this neighborhood, right? That's very different from it becoming like, you know Cigarette holders and I got the jury on and it's like a goddamn like everybody's a liberal ratchet, you know No, no, that's what's interesting is like that's the first music genre where like open displays of what? Well became like standard, right? But here's the thing here's the thing remember it wasn't an open display of wealth because it wasn't at the wealth level It wasn't that wasn't even a mindset.

It was I it was it could be as simple as I have 50 grand in my dresser draw. I got a gold chain I got a nice car and I'm doing better than I couldn't eat six months ago, right? And look what I did that's very different from you know, look at my portfolio, right? Right in my open ostentatious display of this incredible You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, my mind says different right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, remember we were taking cues from hustlers too Like we got to be honest about that like we were looking at the different hustlers We were looking at the Supreme team and we were looking at you know, AZ and rich and Apple the guys uptown We were looking at different people and all of that was affecting us too So wasn't so much about like nananana To society was more like I did this in spite of right like you got to think about it Yeah, if you're it's like monopoly right like somebody was talking to it all the day like we play monopoly and I start off And I got all the paper and you got hardly nothing and I get 60% of the property and then I say okay now Let's play if you can go around that boy and come up you're gonna fucking feel good about You might throw a chain on yourself. You might smile a little bit during that game after a while Yes, so you got to think about it from that mindset now We've lacked people have lapped this you know the game so many times that it's not perceived the same way right at that time It wasn't about showing off right the car was about yo I really did this right like I got I have something because having something is a major accomplishment Yeah, I don't care if you in a trailer park you in the inner city you in a hood wherever you are able to accomplish something That's a hell of a feeling yes, right? That's and so it wasn't about like so the idea of financial Fiscal responsibility and well nobody's think about that shit.

I want to bens I want to be yeah, I remember sitting with the county like yo, he's like yeah, I want to I want to take care this is what I want to bens And it's like so we you know like I never lost them. Yeah, you do stuff with money and all that but I never lost a mindset of You know where you really from like people yo, it's easy to forget I mean look you're like one of the most red people I know because I watch you know the stuff and everything you could be in a bubble forget if you didn't get that Jim And you didn't roll around on that mat and you didn't get reminders of you man you could forget in the life this world that we live in Yeah, it's easy to forget so I kind of you know I just comfort him to keep that in mind you so what it's comforting to forget Yeah, it's easy to fall into a band of yes men and be insulated especially in Hollywood I'm gonna say you're not relatable and then you can't learn you can't learn you can't also go crazy. Oh, whatever That's that's the how we do. Yeah, I respect you know Just back you know maybe in the room to the 70s.

Yeah, yeah, but all the pigmentation around well It's kind of how it's turn now. He like he hides in the Hamptons now That's rough. He didn't do his pot his radio show rather from his studio for a long time. He did all remotely Yeah, you know people start getting weird with germs.

So we're about getting sick. Yeah, that's strange Start washing their hands all day long. Well, I mean, okay. I get a little hip a clean I lost my hands, you know, I think with you know No disrespect to Howard because I'm a giant fan of this and you know, I think he's the pioneer of all this stuff But I think you know, I mean he's named after an African-American university.

So that's now I'm kidding But he got so famous got so famous and so big and so huge and no so much money and I think there's a real Potential to be isolated when that happens. I'm mad at you. Are you two? Yeah, like I did a show quite a few times You know, he was always cool to me He really was and he gave me love like in the early years when I first thought I got to be honest He he embraced me.

He gave me, you know, he kind of like let me come on show and let me you know saying that to me You know, I'm not saying that what you're saying is like no I'm not I'm not I think you are I think he's a legend and I think if it wasn't for him But you can't buy my plate you can become isolated and it's also it's very hard to even be hanging out with people when you're that famous It just gets weird for some people unless you force yourself to just do uncomfortable things all the time, you know what and in public Well success success likes likes you to be outside, right? It's kind of hard to find success when you're not networking You could do certain things, but I heard a guy say the other day You know, you put a painting on your garage wall and whether even if the door is open It's kind of hard to get people excited, you know, I mean as opposed to putting it in the gallery So you have to interact, but you know me like I'm an introvert even though I do all this Oh, you really? Yeah, you would think I put when I go home I gotta read I gotta relax. I gotta recharge like I can't you know me I can't I don't like being surrounded by a thousand people but I have a different reason for it because I just learned that brings problems Mmm, you can't manage everybody's behavior, right?

Right, and then when the problem happens then it's LL right right you feel me? LL's friends. Yeah, right part of LL's crew Yeah, so you got it so Yeah You know me yeah, especially when you're on a cop show Even really think it that's pretty funny bro, I think about all the time with with iced tea So giant iced tea fan still am but giant iced tea fan growing up and he had that song cop killer remember that song with the body count Yeah, but a man that could call himself is great in a man who can call go city, right? So right there you go But it's just funny.

No, it is what you know what? You know like I said Yeah I Love Yeah, so like yeah, I see he's been hustling since the very beginning He's another another pioneer. It's not a doubt But what I want people to really understand is kids today they don't understand because hip-hop is just a part of their life It's a part of music it emerged and it emerged so quickly from you go from sugar hill gang, which was 80 What was it 79 79 the rappers the light was 79 and then you got like nwa and it happens very quickly 100% It happens very quickly and all of a sudden you have fight the power and you're like whoa, what is this? I tell you a quick little insight their logo is actually my friend.

He love My they chucked a from public enemy took a picture of my man standing next to me on stage and put him in silhouette Really? Yeah, so when you look at the public enemy logo, that's actually my man. He loved that that uh that created Yeah, that's my man. He loved right behind now and you probably if you actually you could probably Google e-love public enemy L.L.

Cool, you know and you'll find out that you like you know see see rest in peace e-love aka the public enemy logo and see That's my man. He loves you. Stay on the earth. See that's us.

Yeah, so that's he but he just had to happen to be standing See the hat he's having to be standing in a different pose. But that's what yeah, he's the logo He's the lesson piece. That was my man. Wow man.

He's a good dude That was my man. He passed away But he was like when we did crush Grooving all that we did the first hip-hop one of the it was early hip-hop wasn't first when the early hip-hop movies He was standing next to me with the black-semm of my man cut created. You know what I'm saying? Shout out to my man feel pop cut created.

Wow And then run DMC of course you see you know those my friends. You know I'm saying run Angel You know ma JM J Wrestling piece, you know they they took me on tour You know they took me on tour around the world. We went all over the place. You know I'm saying it was bananas It's just bananas like people really get in their mind what had changed that was in music and this emergent power and style Just took over pop culture where kids were dressing like them like everybody wanted to be like them.

That's like It's like 85. Oh shit. Yeah It's so funny. That's crazy, right?

That's crazy. You know what I mean? That's crazy I was like it was like an unbelievable experience. You know I'm saying like I will go to London and you know You know you're like looking for fast food like it was just please like I didn't understand your place now You understand none of that help you when I went to let me say 17.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

What was the reception like over there? It was incredible It was incredible at first now at one point. I'll be honest with you when I put the love song out I got booed not booed, but like people were mad people because guys were upset that I was willing to be that vulnerable I got to do this, you know I'm saying but I'm not they gave me a lot of love and you know we used to tour over the place That's funny to that song that song it was huge, but then there was a little you know There was a little corner. Well the problem is the other stuff was so hard right your stuff was so hard real life Isn't it isn't that more real?

It's balance. Yeah. Yeah, it's balanced. There's nothing wrong with having both I mean, you know you go home you get what you got.

I mean, you do you got a couple of personalities. Don't you like? I mean we all do right should so I reflected the real I just keep it in a hundred right? Like you got to keep it 50 and call it a hundred They just didn't want to expose that part of themselves meanwhile.

They probably like that song when they're alone There's no in their rooms there in the world. No question. No question. No question Wow, so was hip-hop taking off over there as well with like artists were new artists were emerging in England?

Yes Yes, it was well at that time There wasn't as many but they got in hip-hop very early the whole world like there's a whole lineage of artists that applying is around the world That contributed to hip-hop in their own countries I can't name them all but like in France you had MC solo but they was people before him like, you know There's different my man Spats and Germany was people for him. Obviously. I always get the name wrong But it starts with an N in a number. I just can't remember But yeah, I mean hip-hop like I would go to Japan, you know, and they'd be singing the words to the song verbatim and then can't speak English But they rap song Yeah, crazy.

It's amazing. Why? It made me respect cultures all over the world though It made me it gave me a different kind of mindset for people around the world You know I'm saying how I view things because you can be real myopic I mean when I first started going out of land, it'd be like, yo, take me to the black neighborhood Let me just see what it looks like. What do you mean?

We're in Japan And then you start getting exposed and you see kids that love graffiti and they love the arts and they love hip-hop And you come to find a newfound respect like I did a record in Germany where my man and it's Spats I think I'm saying his name right. I mean, he's rapping in German. I'm rapping in English people in America Don't know about the song, but it was like I think I did over there and you know, you just get into a whole world You know I'm saying yeah, I love Brazilian hip-hop because I can't speak Portuguese. I just like listening to the sounds You know funny.

I think the bet to me the language that sounds Like most impressive to me. I mean outside of English. I would say it's French French French I'm from France. I'm from France.

I'm from France. Here pop is dope. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah pop is dope Yeah, yeah, it is. Yo French hip-hop is dope for real.

You know saying I like I like Brazilian I'm Portuguese You know I'm saying but French is a you know to me. Yeah, you know, I love the music of the whole world You know I'm saying for different reasons, you know to me France is fascinating to me Yeah, you know, it's a hyper point of mixed martial arts now. Yeah a lot of elite fighters are coming up France including the heavyweight champion the world Zero gone. He's from France.

Yeah, it's a dream Bay as a dude who fights in the PFL who's like one of the best kickboxers alive Yeah, fucking people up in MMA now. Yeah, I know Cyril was Cyril. He's a must be he's a freak He he has changed my thoughts on bases like for sport entry Well, he's a mointai fighter, but here's the point he played basketball. That's interesting This is why I think basketball is a huge factor for big athletes in particular if you can play good at basketball The thing about being good at basketball is you have to be able to change direction constantly.

Yes, you're tennis would be a good one But it's not constant. It's but bump bump bump bump bump ball You're constantly engaging there's a ball and people and it's all about juking and movement and it's all about misdirection That's huge with striking. Yeah, you can get a guy as big as Cyril gone So he's two hundred forty eight pounds, but moves like a cat. Yeah, and I think a big part of that He spent so much time.

It's like plyometric. So you're doing constant plyometric when you're doing basketball plus hand-eye coordination Because you have a ball. Yeah, you're moving the ball wide back and forth, which is very similar to punch work Yes, footwork is hugely important footwork in conjunction with the movement of your hands Existence management and he could play man. Yeah, I thought I saw it as clip before yeah, that boy And he's really playing yes, I think there's something legitimate to that as a base because you're constantly like soccer's another one Yeah, soccer's a tremendous base for MMA because those guys have great cardio and their legs They're going constantly move back and forth.

Yeah, like they don't make sense. It's a huge factor It makes sense if you can get that kind of movement and most people don't have that kind of movement like an elite basketball player movement And if you're a guy who's like plotting and like, you know heavy-footed and you're like moving forward and there's a guy that's just like Light on his toes. You can't hit him. He's nowhere to be found.

That's a big factor Yeah, I agree and if you combine that with you know Mindset animal mindset and intellect. Yeah now you're really playing at a different level Right if you can get you can do one so they do two so you can grab the three I mean if you really you know if you're really thinking that way now You had a whole number level because that makes a difference too It's the mindset and intellect like when you look at Floyd like you know, yes Yo the intellect yeah traps He's setting yeah, you know the process the standing in front of you to giving you something just to take it away And you know like those little things that matters and you can't hit him and he's right in front of you Right. He's not moving around and he's not constant with footwork like Ali was in this prime. No, he's right in front of you Show you just giving you a little something you can't just giving you just just because you're telling on yourself Yeah, he's looking at your hips.

You know, you're telling on yourself Yeah, you know, I mean easily the most elusive guy who stood right in front of people him Sweet pea sweet pea sweet pea would move to you can stand right in front of you But he would be moving backwards and getting out of there. He was he was incredible with that There's also this Italian is this Italian boxer. You got to look it up. He's like a um, I think he's like Floyd before Floyd Even before Floyd's pops look for you any old look for um like no actually he's origin He's Italian, but he was in Argentina, but he's Italian and he's he's one of the most incredible elusive fighters I've ever seen in my life.

It was this this is 4050 60s like look Italian. Yeah, you got him watch watch this Mecalino. Yeah, nickel lean on watch nickel. You know watch nickel.

You know watch watch nickel. You know watch him And that no this ain't him. That's not him. Yeah, no, you gotta but fine.

Yeah, here he is Yeah, now watch watch watch watch watch watch watch watch. Oh, they're just comparing to like get him find him look at it Look at it. Look at this. Look at this.

Oh, I have seen this guy. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this.

Look at this shit This is this is this is crazy You know, you can't like like I mean he's unbelievable and this is like a bad fight because I'm looking at his eye and it looked like he didn't You know, but I mean when you really watch him unbelievable you get him on the ropes you find him on the ropes I mean this guy is just unbelievable nickel lean on luce was the last name Locha locha locha locha yo, he is just I mean his like when you get like you can't hit him like that's all Floyd You see it right and this is early. Oh, there wasn't a lot of guys like this back. Look at this look at this look at this Come on, baby. Have you ever seen Willie Pep?

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. Well, he wanted an entire round without throwing. Yeah, he was unbelievable Yeah, Willie Pep.

Come on. You know my uncle was John um John Henry Lewis. He's a light heavyweight champion. Really?

Yeah, yeah Uncle yeah, yeah, my grand uncle my mother's uncle. So he's been a boxing fantasy really I mean actually here's the crazy thing I didn't even know that I had all of these boxes in my family till I did my DNA research with Henry Lewis gate on finding your Ruth and he did this whole thing and came to find out all of these people in my lineage for real like this is Because my mother was adopted. That's why that's why I didn't know and then I came to find out your uncle all in like he's in a hall of Fame Wow. Yeah, he was he was good John Henry Lewis.

Wow. Pull up John Henry Lewis. Yeah, that's my uncle. Wow.

You know what I'm saying? He was unbelievable. It's unbelievable. He was incredible.

He was incredible. I mean, you know, he went up to he was light heavyweight. He went up to heavyweight Got knocked out by Joe Lewis really quickly, but he was a unbelievable fighter, you know, he was yeah. Yeah, he was he was powerful.

That's awesome. That's crazy, right? So, you know, so the fight game I love the fight game. I love it.

Like I you know sometimes I tell him I miss my kids wedding to see a good boxing Man. Honey, I'm sorry. I know you're I'll walk you down the island an hour. Yeah, there's something very definitive about it It's like everybody understands what's going on like you can you don't have to be a fan of boxing to understand what boxing's going on What's happening?

You're watching two people's souls get exposed. That's what I was about to say. Yeah, because it's a soul test Yeah, because when you're in the fire now, it's about your soul. Yeah, right because you know what you're dealing with Yeah, you know because there's a saying you can look at a man's eyes and tell his rank Mmm, you can see a person's ranking their eyes, you know what I mean?

And I'm not talking about the arrogant. I'm like I'm talking about your Their skill level. Yeah, they are right who they are. It might not be even be their skill level But who they are because your skill level can fluctuate it can evolve it can change But you know what you're dealing with right?

Right? Like if you get a pit bull puppy or if you get a you know, you know, you know A race or a dozen ridged back, you know, raise it back. It's a razor back a ridge back Yeah, you get one like you could look in a puppy's eyes, you know what you're dealing with reminds me of that movie Remember the samurai movie when you gave him the sword of the ball and he said pick one What was that it was um, it was the one way the guy was he was traveling around and his wife was killed and then um, They said uh, no, this is real sit He said he put the bit the sword in front of his son and he put a ball in front of his baby son He said if you pick the ball show gun assassin, that's what it is. Yeah, you choose the sword of the ball If the kid chose the ball, he was gonna kill him.

Let me see that scene. That was not the actual scene But it's a great scene. It's a great scene because he found out what was inside of his son. Right, you know what I mean?

Wow That's heavy. I love it. Well, that's the thing that trainers have to deal with there's certain people that as you're training And you realize that they just don't have it. There's something about them They don't and then there's other people that you start training right away like oh if this guy could figure out how to keep this fire burning He's got it inside of them because like when you hear people say and this is like no disrespect But this is like when you hear people say I'm maintaining or same old shit I don't really like that because you want to thrive not survive I actually got that from click that's his quote, but you want to thrive not survive So it's just like being on the mat you want to thrive Right, so some people live their lives defensively Yeah, and they don't take the opportunity to seize the neck when they can and like yeah That's the sort of the bossing and he basically is telling his kid yo you choose this ball you will join your mother Well, his mother's going right you choose the sword.

There's a little baby. Yeah, exactly you choose the sword and you come with me And you put the sword down you put the ball down and watch this watch this Yo, yo, it's like a little bit pick up a ball to join your mother death is absolutely insane work It'll quote is hilarious and then a little boy. He's growing. He's going he's going and then Yeah, well, he ultimately he picks the sword ultimately he picks the sword.

It's crazy That's life though. That is life, right? You gotta wonder how much of that is like just destiny how much that is inside of you because certain people just have They're born different. They're born to the different mindset.

They're born to different personality That's true this episode is brought to you by visible as fall hits We enter another season of change time to shift gears drop the dead weight and upgrade the wardrobe for the drop in temperature But one thing that doesn't need to change your phone the smartest upgrade this season isn't a new phone It's a better wireless plan switch to visible the ultimate wireless hack you get unlimited 5g data and unlimited hotspot powered by Verizon for just $25 a month that means keeping the phone you already have ditching your overpriced phone bill and pocketing some savings for yourself All the perks of big wireless for half the cost switch today at visible calm the visible plan starts at just $25 a month or get the premium Visible plus pro plan and save $10 on your first month with promo code Rogan terms apply see visible Dot-com for plan features and network management details one thing I would say about that though is that that's true But you also have to have self-awareness So what does that mean that means that if I know I have a proclivity or a certain thing that I go You know I can make certain thing you know I mean like I know I'm not hungry in a certain area you can decide To improve yeah now that doesn't mean it's easy I didn't say easy and that doesn't mean that I can't relate to people going through stuff because people go through stuff and that's legit But you can decide to be better. I didn't say easy But you can decide to be better right yeah, it's kind of like the the pro in the amateur The amateur says to the pro I want to be where you are. I want to be at the level You're on and the process where you have to sacrifice you have to dig deep You have to be go through some pain you're gonna go through some trials It's gonna be tough you and the amateur says that's easy for you to say you're a pro Right That's because a lot of times people they suspend success in advance they say that's too hard Right that's easy for you. That's easy for you to say means I interpret that to mean That's too hard for me or I think that's too hard for me.

No, it's not too hard for you You just don't want to be uncomfortable. Yeah, but that's not easy and see that's the part like I give you an example Like and you may have heard this you be on a set somewhere you know how you don't live in a dream people say live in a dream Most of the time when they say that it almost sounds like they're upset But they're trying to keep themselves happen, but they don't really realize is when you dream a roses you get thorns If you and I decide we're gonna go on an adventure we're gonna climb out Everest and we put the work in that doesn't mean We're not gonna deal with weather. We're not gonna deal with slippery slopes our legs aren't gonna be burning from climbing It doesn't mean that it just it doesn't mean it's easy It just means that you know It's a challenge that we're going after but challenges are difficult so success is difficult And I think that particular piece right there is what people forget any miss well I think young people today also are looking for something to happen quickly. No question.

You know it's crazy So I got this theory. I got a hot pot this is I got a lot of them joke. I'm out of my mind So it's like the internet is like a script, right? Yeah, but real life is on its feet You have even been on set you did show you know, sometimes you have a script and it doesn't work on its feet They'll say oh, this isn't working what you put it on his feet, right?

Guess what if you've been living on the internet you've been dealing with a script the whole time Then you get in real life and you're awkward you can't interact with people, etc Because what you've learned in this script and what you've studied isn't working on its feet You follow what I'm saying so in other words like in other words what works behind a keyboard? Like you know, Mike says people got too comfortable with saying stuff and not get a question to face What works on a keyboard doesn't necessarily work when I walk into your studio me and you're kicking right right right? That's what but I think people sort of to go back to what you're saying with kids a lot of times not all because a lot of There are a lot of animals out there that want it, but a lot of them they want real life to work like the internet Instant validation Everybody loves me. Yeah, this instant that yeah order the drink order the stuff get the thing Yeah, real life.

You got to really get out there and hunt you got to really get out there in the woods You know like the internet will reward you for chopping down trees in the wrong forest Yeah, yeah, you know yeah, but in real life you got to put your ladder against the right wall, right? That is the weird thing about the internet and then a lot of people are becoming famous just for being people just Just dreaming yeah, and so then there's a lot of young kids where they look at that as an avenue for life Well, you're not creating anything really you're not becoming better at anything really there's no art And here's the thing about it though Here's the thing I believe I think that some streamers really are artists and they really are doing what's in their spirit Like when I see a kid like speed going out and doing his stuff and running around yeah I know doing things, but he's doing things But it feels like to me that is coming from here. Yeah, right? Some people are just turning a camera on and saying anything for clicks right right no disrespect to them Hey, we should know we should do the title and it's no disrespect, but but the reality is that that's not You're not really doing anything and you're gonna get rewarded.

You'll make money you'll buy cars you'll buy stuff You're gonna feel empty. You're so wonderful. Yeah, you should you should find something that you could express yourself in something That's legitimate something that is uniquely you what would you do if you weren't afraid right? Yeah, it's always a big one you weren't afraid if you weren't afraid what would you do?

I would say if you had a documentary crew filming your life and it was a story about your success But it all starts now live like that like live live like a documentary crew is following your journey to success Yeah, do all the things that that person would do yeah Decide like what is it that that kind of person would do? What is what are the steps? They would take to succeed? That's powerful too.

That's powerful Because it's like um, you know, you're channeling something that's like channeling it You know, it's it's kind of it's not fake it to you make it But in a way it's embodying what you want to ultimately become yeah, right? Like if you were watching a documentary on a very inspirational person like look at this motherfucker crack a dawn gets in the ice Path, you know, he's out there running on the road. He's getting his work in he's doing like that's what you would you would say? God I want to be like that God.

We'll just just do it and then you know what thing is right? You know what Joey and this is the language of success we're talking about right now. You gotta be relentless That's why I like shout out to my man Tim Grover. He wrote the book relentless.

He um trained Michael Jordan He trained Kobe. Um, I work with him some time. We good vibe good friend of mine You have to be relentless the book is great by the way people should check it out But you have to be relentless in life like you have to really really want it I didn't say it was easy Please don't conflate relentless with easy or relentless with every moment's gonna be a better roses That's not what I said. I said you have to be relentless You know I'm saying like you have to be hungry like I come here You have beautiful studio to stuff.

This is a manifestation of somebody putting their energy in and being relentless Right and you have to be comfortable with who you are and stop trying to be someone else I'll ask a while had the best quote. He said be yourself. Everybody else is already taken Yeah, you know, I mean you feel me. Oh, yeah I think for a lot of young people it's a problem that they don't exactly know who they are Well, you know what they know what they know what they want Right scared to be scared to deal with it because they feel like that's not something that other people would be into It goes back to me making a love song in the middle of like hardcore hip-hop, right?

Oh, oh other people right was that before after mama said Knock you out. That was before yeah, that was way before yeah, that was many years before because that's one of the hardest songs That's hard. That's why the hardest. I'm gonna call it come back.

Come on man That's one of the hardest songs of all time, but you also mix it up with shit like going back to Cali Yeah, which is smooth. Yeah, yeah, I've been God blues Yeah, her bikini small heels tall. She said she likes the ocean She showed me the beach gave me a peach Now my bed is fast. Yeah, that was fun.

Oh my god, man. You got some classics. You got some real clock Ruben It's such a trip. He's one of the most interesting people I've ever met.

Yeah, so funny like my first album radio It says reduced by Rick Ruben. Ah, it doesn't really yes, it's not produced if you pull up the credits it says reduced by Rick Wow, yeah, because he wanted to strip everything away. It's kind of like in life, right? It's like stripping down I've come to realize that stripping away Tends to be a lot more interesting than piling it on You know what I mean?

In a lot of instances it's about unique context, but it really works and he just stripped down because pride it at most of the hip-hop That was on record. I'm not talking about the streets because it takes so different but on record it was a lot of bands Mmm, and a lot of you know a lot of musicality records were like disco records. They were like 10 minutes long 12 minutes long Eight minutes long he reduced it stripped it down. So I'm rapping over simple beat And I'm just you know, I mean yeah, and he just became this thing, you know, how did you get to know him?

So It's so funny. He made a record. He produced a record called it's yours by Tila rock and it was on the street-wise party time label But it was def jam productions Tila rock is yours. I bought that record loved the record had his number I still remember this number two and two four two oh zero six six No disrespect so so I did that and I called him every guy centipane me and my mother took me back track a little so I Had sent demo tapes a lot of labels At that time that I thought might be handling rap one of them being sugar hills some others and they all kind of gave me These standard notes we can't we can't use material at this time blah blah blah you know the standard rejection letter So my mother found one crumbled up on a shelf.

I'm dejected now I've been trying for two years because I started became a fan of eight started writing at eleven or twelve at 14 I started working on demos and now here I am 16 late 15 early 16 working on his demo. I get this rejection she gets her tax return, you know, you know Shout out to the people who actually get tax returns like that's pretty you know, you know That's a whole nother conversation. I want to digress but anyway my mother got a tax return You know and that tells you everything she was happy so that tells you where we were at right She I tell up she sees the letter. She's like Todd was wrong.

I mean, yeah my room. I'm dejected. I'm depressed I'm like, you know, I'm quit I'm gonna do it. No, I'm quit.

I'm gonna give up. She said no Todd you sound as good as some of the guys on those guys on the radio The people I hear on your tapes you sound as good as them. You should keep going. I said well, I don't have any equipment I don't have stuff.

I can't make a demo. They don't like what I'm doing. She took her tax return and bought me a corg drum machine She bought me that corg drum machine and me and my man Frankie shout out to my man I'm not a master for that Frankie. We went Frankie Forbes.

We went out. We went to his house We were so excited. We didn't even I couldn't even wait to learn how to program it reading the instructions We did a pause tape I'm played I played to beat he did a scratching I played the beat he did a scratching I did that I wrapped over it afterwards sent that to Rick Rubin at his dorm He would head a dorm five University place. He was in the dorms at NYU I had rock from the Beastie Boys Adam Harvey's from the Beastie Boys heard my demo He played it for Rick.

I was calling Rick every day after I sent it like a day or two later I'm like you did the tape yet? No You're Ricky get the tape yet? No, I would call him. I would call there like two three four times every day finally ad rock heard it I played it for Rick.

Rick called me up. Well, you call my house my grandma picked up screw doesn't it fuck his name up crazy You know I did it slick dick Ruben dick do it. I'm like oh my god Ruben she's like you know so I get I call him he's like yeah come down to the studio We're gonna go in come down tomorrow. I go down I get on the subway I'm doing hands hands on some way I'm so damn happy You know I'm saying I'm like on the subway platform do a hands there's in New York You know I mean like literally like so happy I'm like turning myself upside down Legs against the beams like about a tennis world up.

I get on the train going on the five University Rick comes down I said you said hey, what's up, man? I said you're Rick. You said yeah He looks at me goes cool We go upstairs and I look up the state out of here. He's so crazy.

We go upstairs. We made a demo called catch this break We made that demo. We went across town right after we made it and saw Russell Simmons played it for Russell Russell's like Same old thing sounds like this one to back on that one like okay Me and Rick go back in the studio ad rock programs beat for Rick Rick producers everything he gets jazzy J To do scratching we do we do this thing. I need a beat Russell they like it so good.

They're gonna start their own label called death jam They're gonna start their own label not just a production company But actual label and they put that song out and we ended up going into it was independent We did two singles that's me and ad rock and then we ended up you know Def jam became the thing that people know today. Wow. Yeah, but it all started back then How did Ruben get involved like it's such a fascinating character He's like he sees things well He's a see the key the thing is having a POV and being a fan You don't have to be classically trained in something to have a POV and to be a fan and have taste because ultimately whether it's Us being here whether it's us picking a t-shirt a book a bike a workout mat. It's about taste Taste is something that you can't that's the great Delignating factor between a lot of things is taste he has great taste.

Yeah Rick can say that's cool And it will be at least to us right we can't I can't say that everything we ever did is cool to everybody But to us it was cool, right? You know, I mean so when we do rock the bells it's like it's cool You know, it's like when we do these songs. I can't live down my radio rock the bells all this stuff It just felt cool Jack the ripple. It just felt cool.

You know I'm saying to us and that's how it is And that's for him to me. That's the thing that makes Rick so fun to work with it's because he wasn't afraid to tell you I'm not sure that's it like you can't you can't have a real report. You can't tell me your charge of t-shirts I don't know whatever, you know, yeah, we can't but he would tell you Yeah, like my name like, you know, like I had a friend playboy Mikey I had a lot of dudes with like romantic and client names that had them kind of names on it So I was ladies love cool James. It's like you're long for the record man, you know, but a label a lot to L.

L Yeah, cool. Let's do it. You know, I mean, yeah, it's all those little things, you know, and that's the thing about Rick, you know I'm saying taste is a big deal, you know, man. Yeah, yeah The fact that you respect his taste like he's intelligent enough to we're like taking into consideration because there's a lot of people that have Opinions, so you know, it's so funny.

You're right about that You know people always tell you like you hear somebody say you're gonna surround yourself with great people How do you know they're great people right well, especially when you're 16 exactly so you just have to follow your intuition? Yes, that's the biggest tool in your toolbox. Yes, your gut is yeah, it's gonna be the thing Yeah, and I always followed that like there was times I was told right now And you like Sean man, but then other times you like oh, this is it. I'm like, yeah, you sure yeah, you know And I would listen like going back to Kelly's classic example initially I said I don't think so because I hated this shit Really?

Yeah, I was like I don't think so I Because it sounded different like at first when it was the demo version and I was like Oh, I was like, yeah, and then I said it Became a thing, you know, right so you have to you know, it's just like martial arts It's like anything adjustments. Yes, right taste adjustments and doing things that work for you right your mind your creativity your Voice your tenor, you know, you know, you're when you're involved like the editing process of a song like it says reduce by Rick Ruben Did you and Rick like sit down together and listen to it and try to sort it out? Did you listen to it independently like so at that time? I was I would more listen to what he was saying, but I would like hum beats in his ear and then they would program I was able to be go like this Rick or do this and then he would like so we really work together But ultimately at that time he would come back to me with ideas and most of the time I just love them I just thought they were great, you know, I'm a little kid 16.

I'm on the bus Wow I'm going back and forth and getting on a subway we making these records and it's just it just sounded like the coolest stuff In the world my man. He loved we walking down a block. I play rock the bells for him and he's like yo I played on my walk and he listens like y'all let me hit out again. Oh, yeah, I play for me You know, you know, it was just that kind of a thing, you know, because I like so I always went after feelings with lyrics Like I know nowadays especially in the internet age people are hyper focused on lyricism and they're hyper focused on complexity of lyrics and couplets and I am Hand Tamada, you know, I always I was more on the James Brown zone of how does it feel?

It's kind of like it would be like you like did the joke make you laugh or was it a really smart joke? Like I didn't really care about it having to be a smart joke. I just wanted them to laugh I wanted people to feel what I was saying. I wanted to feel it So that's why I wrote songs that people can feel, you know, which is very different when you get when people get over analytical That to me, I don't want to listen to an audio book when I'm listening to an album.

I want to feel something Right, right. You feel what I'm saying? Yes, but what people like and so that was kind of my thing I was never really concerned like it's kind of like Quincy Jones said something really interesting to me He was one of my mentors. He said yeah, forget two thirds of what he knew before you get a hit You know, yeah, it's like overthinking your back your jump shot.

It's like overthinking a punch It's like overthinking a kick. I watch you one time He was doing some side you talk about you doing side kicks and back kicks, you know, like roundhouse kicks And you were talking about how you got your hip up in the air But at a certain point you forgot it, right? You were no longer conscious of it You just throw the kick the way you throw the kick where when you're writing a song You can either be one of those people that overly focused on I'm raising my hip and I'm all you could just write the song And it's a fluid kick that just works, right? Now just because it's a fluid kick that works if people don't always associate Simplicity with genius or hyper creativity because they underestimate how difficult it is to get simple right right right right right right like if I You know if a guy you know, you're very experienced martial arts guy comes in here And he's like you know, he's telling you in your shoulder and you're all right and another guy comes in here He just throws it you like you know, I mean you could forget right you still say it because it seems so easy Yeah, simplicity is very underrated.

It's really a great words You know like we were talking about the other day in the comedy mothership green room about the song Jesse's girl Jesse's girl simple that song. Yeah, where can I find me a woman like that right? But see that's the thing but guess what that means think about how many people feel that though feel like yes Yeah, I find me a woman like think about how many people feel like yeah, see so what happens is it's kind of like if you Got a squeaky floor and I you know and a hundred carpenters coming in to change it And then one guy comes in and puts a nail right there, but he wants to charge you 10 grand or some crazy astronomical number You're paying me because I know what the spot you're not paying me because of how difficult it was to solve the problem It's identifying the thing so identifying Jesse's girl. I want to you know, you understand what I'm trying to say.

Uh-huh. Yeah Yeah, you feel me cut do it getting touching the thing like all guys and bro She don't care. She don't care with all guys Oh, it's the toll when he went to the knee nibble on the knee orgasm. What you do you see what I'm saying?

Yeah, you know respectfully, you know, yeah, I'm simple Yeah, especially in songs, right? Yeah, yeah, but so people kind of I think I think that that to me Has been something that worked for me. Just keeping this simple You know sometimes I get complicated but for the most part when I find I feel when I get a feel that's where I go with And I do that in life That's a great way to live. It's very smart.

It's smart and you have good instincts And you've had a long series of success trusting your instincts, so you know how to do it. I mean 84 1984 that's crazy. What was it like becoming famous at 16? Well, you know it was like the movie Porkies Or project X if you want to bring it up to newer days it was it was it was never saw project X So Porkies it was big project X is crazy party and all this stuff happens, but ultimately man I just I went you know went ham without a doubt ham sandwich With the apple in his mouth ham sandwich baby crazy I loved it I loved every moment because I was living life and enjoying myself and you know You can get what you want, you know, and you can go where you want to go.

I never went to a prom You know I'm saying I didn't go to a prom I didn't I didn't do all of those things. I didn't do a lot of the normal things that you know a lot of kids get to do Did you feel like you missed out on that? Hell no No, no, no, I just you know I got a girl's invite me to prom hang on it. I was crazy man I was crazy man, but we had a ball man.

You know I introduced hip-hop in Maine really yeah that was a Like we like there's a video of me. We was in a smorgennasium in Maine This is the first time hip-hop was in Maine and I introduced it. It was like might have been I don't know 15 kids and 20 parents or something in a room and I'm explaining to them. So this is my DJ cut creator He's gonna do this that's it right there.

We're literally introducing hip-hop in Maine like I'm literally it had never been there before They look they're sitting on the floor. Wow My man cut create is cutting that's the people introducing me cuts cutting and we explaining it I'm how it's gonna work and I'm telling them this is hip-hop. This is my DJ. This is how this works This is how like I literally had to do tutorials to teach people how to interact with hip-hop that's crazy.

Yeah, you see I'm explaining it. I'm what we do. That's my DJ cut creator blah blah blah blah you know what I mean, right? So it was that kind of a vibe, you know crazy So like that's kind of the world I lived in like you know It's like a historical moment.

Yeah, when you're looking at a cultural historical moment You introduced it to like it people have never been to Maine like in 1985 I used to do stand up in Maine Yeah, Maine is it was strange. It was different right towns isolated people who were used to be in 30 below zero for five months out of the Year, they're hard-ass fucking people a lot of hard drinking Geese Moves you know, it's a odd place. Yeah, yeah means a odd place and I went there at that time and introduced it. Wow You know like those kinds of things, you know, I live there look at it.

I mean, it's crazy It's what maybe a hundred people in there. I don't know. Maybe it's a little more. That's crazy I mean it was that kind of a thing you know what I mean?

Yeah, so being 16 17 18 doing that around the country was really wild Because I think that in a lot of places. Wow. It was very different man. Wow, you know It was very different, you know and there was no roadmap either It's like, you know, there wasn't like a lot of hip-hop stars before you that you could talk about or talk to about it Well, there was no industry, right?

So you don't have any managers that really understood it There was Russell, but you don't have managers. You don't have like you have Bill Adler who was a publicist, but there was no industry Right, so there's no you understand. Yes. Yes.

There's no platform. There's no you can't go get a strategic partner We're not doing branding right right, you know what I mean? Yeah, it was all about like, you know grass roots This is something we love this is something we believe in you know take it a leave it basically like you know It's just so few times in history where an art form emerges like that yeah, I mean, it's a blessing too It's a luck and blessing a huge blessing. Yeah, I mean, obviously you were very talented obviously you worked very hard But it's also like what an incredibly fortuitous moment Oh, they're at that time when a new art form is emerging that is gonna become the dominant art form It's like one of the most dominant things in pop culture ever.

Yeah, there's hip-hop music and it's um and you know what the beauty of it is You know people always say did you ever know was gonna get this big? It's like it was already that big to me in my mind It was the biggest thing in the world to me. I didn't say it was the biggest thing out in the world Right in my mind It was the most popular thing in the biggest thing So when I'm playing the vinyl and I'm staring at the record off I'm playing a tape and I'm listening to a tape and I'm like I'm like imagining myself inside that like it was all consuming Mmm, but that's a there's a little there's a jewel in that we have to be completely consumed by what it is that we're embarking on Mmm, right. Yes.

We have to be completely consumed by like we got it's got to you know You got a one in every fiber of your being man. You got a one it with every fiber of your being you can't take no for an answer Not even from yourself Right. Yeah Yeah, it's important to hear man people need to hear this especially young people It's like so important to hear someone has been through it all and maintains that focus and what that's all about to you man It's a beautiful thing, but I tell you, you know, I know you the young people Yes, but all people all the streams don't have that like a lot of people they get to a certain age and they give up Oh, I'm 50. Oh, I'm 46.

I can't do it anymore. No. No, no, yes, you can't. Yeah, stop stop Colonel Sanders was how old when you started to talk about 65?

He really was really really yes Quenita's bad boys like 80 in his 80s doing the distinct went to the railroads after the steam the ships I mean, they're like the countless examples of people that kept Sam Jackson, you know, like the countless examples of people that kept George Forming let's put it back on the sporting world came back and did his thing like you can do it. There's no limitation Right limitation is in your mind. You know what I'm saying? That's certainly true You're still alive.

It's this idea that you're gonna chapter in your life where no more growth is gonna happen It's crazy. It's crazy. Don't you actually so why would you do that to people like to do that for some reason like to categorize their life In a certain stages. Oh, it's not just constant.

It's not it's not just got like all I'm past that stage Oh, I can't know why no why why because you don't have to compete. It's easy As soon as I say to you all you know, I don't I no longer have to try I no longer have to get in the arena, you know that the man in the arena Yeah, like there's a certain point when they just you just wanted to step out of the arena like you know Because it's not really about competition of life is about being creative, right? Right, you can teach your kids to compete. That's if you teach them to create they can have a life Yeah, right now that we don't want to compete.

I love sport. You know, we love sports combat sports basketball football like we love all the stuff But creativity is the thing that's gonna make you the greatest competitor because whether you're in the ring in the dojo In the arena, it's the creativity joins creativity. You know what I mean? It's the creativity on the court calories creativity those are the things that take you to the next level So I would just encourage the all people not just the youngsters But like everybody to keep going and when you look in the mirror, what do you see?

You know the best version of yourself. I look in the mirror one time to my shirt on look at the mirror I turn to the side look like somebody took a pebble and you know, I mean like they just throw it in a pond I was like no, we can't do that We're not doing that you know what I mean? Yeah, that's a decision. I'm not saying it's easy.

Don't hit me with this. Yo But it's not easy. I didn't say it was but you know who you are Well, this is the reason why most people don't do it is because it's not easy It doesn't mean you can't do it It's just you just have to figure out how to persevere and a lot of people never learn that and then they get scared They get scared of failure. That's a big one.

That's a fear failure is hold people back from almost everything So you're a big fan of like the whole concept of many worlds and multiverse right? Which I love all that kind of stuff too. I'm crazy. So it's like um Well, you know when you think about the multiverse and you think about what many worlds and you think about if you look at your life It's a series of choices.

What would you like be like if you made different choices? Oh, yeah, right? Okay, so let's let's let's game it out. Okay, so if you decided not to give up what you like be like in five years Want to find out right?

You know me everybody red pill blue pill doesn't that you want to find out take the personal red pill You know the personal and if you get to five years You still haven't made it Don't give up because it might be five more and what if you just went through five more and got there or what if five more passed You and you did nothing and you stayed the exact same place in life even in that scenario if you didn't accomplish it You would still be better for us 100 because your soul would evolve. Yeah, your character would grow you become a better person Yeah, with difficult things you become a better person, right? Yeah, that was one of the things my martial arts instructor said to me when I was a kid He said martial arts are a vehicle for developing your human potential 100% Yeah, exactly. We want to maximize our potential.

Yeah for me, you know as a youngster You just into martial arts at a very low level. It was about it just taught me humility and respect Taught me not to be tough. It taught me matters. Yeah, you know I'm looking at my sensei on even a senpai and I'm like you know It's assisting and I'm like you know this guy looks like you know You could steal his sandwich and kick him in the butt and get more wedgie and he'll kick your forehead off of your skull You know what I'm saying?

Yeah, you know respect Yeah, well, it's just good for people young people in particular to be humbled and to have structure and to do something that's difficult And also the progression of learning as you go along. Oh, I'm much better than I used to be. Oh now I have a blue belt Oh now I have a green belt whatever it is like this progression is important because it like marks these milestones and it Cements in your mind that hard work and focus and all these things I'm glad you said that so I love the idea that originally like with belts In martial arts the reason why black belts became black belts because of use heavy usage in other words I start off with a white belt and never washed it because I don't want to wash my skill away And I've been working at this art form so long that ultimately it's black from dirt and wood and hard work and in grime and grit That's such an interesting concept when you think about it because you can have a black belt in life and not know it Yeah, you can have a black belt in certain areas of your life and not even know it Like a lot of people in this world of black belts in certain things and they don't even recognize it because they're not self-aware You know what I mean? You feel me?

Yeah, so that that to me like that the idea of going a white belt in that progression and finding out I forget the book I was reading they talked about it. Um, it's one of the greasy books Gracie one of one. It's a new one and he was talking about this is it Hixon? No, no, I know I don't want to say the wrong name is a lot of them I don't want to say the wrong name and be disrespectful So he's the one who writes about it's oh the principles of jiu-jitsu Is a principal's a 32 principles of jiu-jitsu.

That's the one with that. It's in and he talked about this this progression of going from white belt to black belt And how was traditionally it was because you know people were like what is it? Yeah? Yeah, yeah and Jocko did the So it's hella integration.

Yeah, and Jocko did the forward. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, you know what's interesting about that too If you get an old black belt they turn white again, yeah, I think Jocko had one like that right here I like that right they get beat up they get torn apart and as they wear out the black goes away And you almost have like a white belt and if you look at your instructor your instructor the guy that's with Don Herr Go to his picture Like right like if you could find him you see his belt and his belt is so worn out because it's been a black belt for a long time There's frayed white all over it and it's crazy Yeah, guys who have like you know fifth and sixth degree black belts have been training for 30 years their belts are all fucked up to the point Where it's almost white that's crazy.

Yeah, it's like Joseph Campbell It's like the hero yeah, cuz you go all the way back and return. Yeah, look at that See how his belts off right yeah, so that's just the beginning stages Yeah, like there's guys that have 10 year old or 15 20 year old or belts than that where they're completely black Look at Don Herr's belt on her has a nice new one on yeah But his is all fucked up because he's got the original black belt that he probably when he first got his black belt Yeah, and he's like Donna hers longest running student, right? Oh, is he really? I believe he's one of them.

Yeah, yeah, right? He's a good teacher to see if you can find some old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts They get old and then the thing about Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt so they get to a certain level where they become coral belts Where they give him a red and black belt. Yeah, I know I heard about that. Yeah.

Yeah, yeah Like mine's trucked a Jean-Jacques Machado. He got his coral belt because it was done for the art form Oh fucked up exactly where they're all basically almost white exactly yeah Yeah, and you get the coral belts because you uphold the art form itself right at that point in the craft and your contribution to the craft Yes, yes, yes, it's a you know, I love you know, this is life This is the language of life right here. Yes, you know people you know people get in think about these things trying to be tough guys It's not it's about the language of life. Yes, you know, I mean this is because you're battling yourself like, you know, when you could step in the studio as a mature older guy and walking in with a white belt and Yeah, you know, you know, let a purple belt slap you around a little you know what I'm saying?

Like these are things like but it's good to use right and you as a known person. That's a different thing like someone gets to choke out Oh cool, Jana. It's very different. It's very different than you know Mike Jones from down the street.

Yeah, it's different man. It's different like Choking me out. No, it works on famous rappers No, you know wrap it so funny be Remember you got your first half when you first have somebody not having gotten it. You haven't got a seven-time yet Wow, so you really fresh I'm really learning it when brand new in the game.

You talk about Jamie. Well, I don't know Jamie have you man in a cream in an Americana something nasty No, but that's awesome though. I'm really happy that you're doing that Yeah, just you know just on the click but it's um, I just think life in general Joe These are the languages success me. You know, yeah, the language of success, bro Like let's win I think it's always good to do things from the very beginning to start off as a beginner again and some because you can develop it You have a beginner's mindset when you first learn something I think that excitement of like a new thing where you're like absorbed in it and trying to figure it out and you really don't know And then you see people who are good at it Like all this whole new avenue for my interests and whole new avenue for thinking for creativity.

Yeah, absolutely You know what else is dope technique that I think is cool and you may do this I read one book for three four years Really just go back and read again Like my thing is this if you read a book you became a black belt because you know all the moves and then you get the degrees Because you I mean it's an endless ocean of information. We know that but you get it because you so why not become a black belt in the book? How you gonna take one lesson and now you know you know jitsu or you know You know shodokan because you know you went for yeah, you know three lessons and or you learned a kata Let's say you memorize three cottas now you're you done Yeah, you have to so to read a book for three or four years like you probably your favorite book Oh Boy, I don't know if I have a favorite book one of most impactful books for me was a book that I read when I was very young called the book of five Rings. Oh, yeah, me a multi-musash.

Yeah, so so let's say let's say let's say you read me a multi-musashy You read that a lot of times, right? Oh, yeah, yeah, I don't even know how many times I read it a lot when I was young. Yeah, see what you just said. Mm-hmm now imagine consciously doing it.

Yeah, yeah Because massagey book five rings is really interesting why I read a lot of stuff like that But that was the first one that read from a guy who killed people with swords Yeah, he was unbelievable There was a lot of people that had really good books on philosophy like who managing the mind why believe it or not like a lot of Anthony Robin stuff In the day that was like in the night. I was walking into seagulls in a I saw the view of this I love very inspirational stuff absolutely and also like really good at like time management like good good good at like mind Management managing your expectations and your understanding of things There's a lot of like good psychology in those books the thing about the wasashi book to me that was so impactful was that this guy Was so unusual even for his time killed 60 men or 61 men in combat one-on-one with fucking swords Mm-hmm, you know like his mind had to be completely dialed in and his idea was that you had to have a complete balance And that you had to have a balance of art and creativity and poetry as well as being ruthless and vicious with a sword You had to have full balance see it's harmony. Yeah, I'm balanced It's harmony. Yeah, it's balanced something's out of harmony Yeah, this would be this much of you like this can be this much of you Harmony and that's what he talked about in the book Yeah, I love the little things he talks about like you know being sticky You know when he talks about sticky and being sticky on your own little things he talks about in there putting making sure that you know The Sun is to your back the threshold putting them in the threshold making sure you you know when you're in the room certain corners Like all that matters in life, right?

Yeah, I know it's amazing stuff, and it's you know, it's really old It's like from the 1400s. Yeah absolutely so you're you died in a cave. Yeah, he wrote it and he went up in the cave Yeah, yeah, I love me a lot of such absolutely such a valuable book because you want to think about Samurai's is being brutes you want to think of as being vicious killers And you realize like in order to be the very best at it You had to be a completely balanced person like he did calligraphy and poetry and like he was he had the love song And he had my one said there you go. Yeah, you go now.

You're seeing where now you see where I'm going. Yeah now You see what I'm saying. Yeah now you see what that's what I'm talking about He knew when the let the guy just float off right you know when the guy float off the guy made him wait He knows when it when it's disrespectful making a guy like all those little things that he did he made He's wait for hours. Yeah, all of that you think you're gonna get killed and you have to sit there for three hours When is this motherfucker showing up and they like damn I should I eat something?

Yeah, you start thinking yeah, I mean everything he told him everything he talked about the way the whole the Sword yeah positioning of the sword. Yeah, there's the being able to use both swords the long one versus the short Yeah, yeah, yeah, all of that is life. Yeah, yeah, the mastery the master of the way and that once you see the way You can see it in all things. That's yeah, exactly and that's what I'm trying to encourage with what I say these things It's like people mastery is really really important mastery Starting with mastery of yourself Mastery of your vision meaning you know what you want mastery of the steps that you take meaning that you will take the steps That you deem appropriate, but also make adjustments along the way.

Yeah, right? Yeah, that's the thing That's where we want to go right right. That's what we trying to that's what the man even trying that's what we're doing That's what we're doing now. We feel me.

Yeah, like that's the thing like I think people just need to get back into that You know, let's lean into that a little more well Certainly people that inspire you do that and that's what we all take inspiration from other people that are getting after it Like there's something about when someone is doing that and chasing mastery. There's something very inspiring about that right because like if you think about it is like mastery breeds a Quiet first of all mastery is um transferable meaning that the mind says kind of what my mom said like Which is the idea of once you just see the way in all things So once you know what success looks like and what it takes you can apply that to other missions. Yeah, you see what I'm saying Yeah, like because you understand the stages. Yeah, right?

Yes, yeah, you know, I mean like that's the thing Yeah, and I think that's the thing that we have to get that mastery that mindset that mindset of being a master That mindset of being the best that you can be that mindset of going to another level that mindset of winning and winning in a way that benefits your team Right doesn't mean like because we're not it's not about being Nonconfrontational is just because you need boundaries, but it's about protecting those boundaries the right way you feel me? Sort of okay. So basically what I'm saying is there's a difference between being nice and being kind right Being nice as I want everybody to like me, so I'm gonna bullshit right Kind is yeah, I'm gonna be kind but if you step all over my shoe with your money boot I'm not gonna be okay with it I'm because I'm trying to be nice and you're maybe in a higher position. Yo, you're on my foot you don't get a pass for that right You feel me?

Yes, because you're here or you're this or you're that right what celebrity or CEO or whatever Uh-huh you feel me? Yeah, you don't get up. So that's the thing Like that part because it's a different balance in that too harmony Yeah, I say harm me say balance, but I say harm me is a better word I say harmony because they think things fit in their place like a horse yeah, orsters are not balanced But there's harmony right right, you know certain instruments lead right you know what I'm saying? Yeah, you know, you know You should write a book on this shit, dude I Like what people want to hear about this kind of stuff They want to hear about it from someone who has been successful someone who is like this is a real You've actually how to manage these thoughts and get through it and you have and now you're speaking from a place of experience No, it's not like theory.

No, it's practical. It's like it's like it's a case. It's a practical Yeah, that's why it's important to hear from a guy like you because especially I mean I say especially for young people Let me say let me take that out for aspiring people. Oh, there you go.

That's yeah, yeah Aspiring people exactly not even how long you've been alive. It's like what is your mindset right now What your and most young people are aspiring because they feel like they have their whole life in front of them And they're bit told hey you live in America. You could be anything in America Yeah, you can make it here You can go from the bottom to the top this is the place and so they are they are initially aspirational Yeah, and then a lot of times people get beaten down by life and circumstances and poor choices and well I think education your choices is big education. I think the root of the Latin word of it is a do-go I may not pronounce it right could you look that up the education but it means to do to bring out So education is about bringing out what's already there like a good teacher, you know We'll bring out of you even a good martial arts structure will bring out what's inside of you that in a champion that thing That's already in you they bring it out right education is about right So like the first thing that popped in my head when you said aspiring in America I'm thinking about all the people from all over the world who come to America So they were already that before they came right so people in general want to be better some people a lot of people are willing to take the risk to be better You know, I mean everybody wants to be better, but not everybody's willing to take the risk Yeah, I don't think there's a lot of people out there in the world that say I want to be better Yeah, would like to be better.

Yeah, yeah, I'd like to have had the mindset to pursue being better But I don't there's very few people that like I don't want to be better than anything I'd rather be mediocre and you know uninteresting forever. Yeah, people don't want to eat cereal Yeah, it's just like they lower their expectations so that they also lower the impact of failure 100% that's all it is 100% It's unfortunate sucks and sometimes people start off that way And then they eventually realize the folly of their ways and then they evolve and grow and some some people it takes longer Which is why aspirational is better than young like saying because there's some people like they get on the wrong path And then they don't figure down to their 40 like a Steven Pressfield brilliant author Yeah, I know you know this book called the war of art if you really of course, okay That's a little fantastic about procrastination. Yes. Yes.

What the best parts about that book is that Pressfield was kind of lazy in his own words until he was 40 Yeah, and then he figured it out when he was 40 It's like I see what I'm doing wrong and now I'm going to completely dedicate myself I'm gonna do the work I'm gonna do the work I'm gonna show up every day at the same time with an intention I'm literally gonna set my intention to do the work and all of a sudden he writes legend of back of ants and all these great books and it becomes hugely successful and You know, it's crazy. You know, it's crazy I heard this quote right and it like it stripped me down and made me kind of reassessed But it's true and as an artist it was hard for me to admit it but this quote inspiration is for amateurs Professionals have to actually go to work. Yeah, that's a that's a rough Yeah, my time is a great one to he said discipline is doing something that you hate but doing it like you love it That's real because the fire that burned inside of that man I mean no one can keep that fire going forever But you have to consider the fire and like from 86 to like 90 Whatever that the time when he was just on this mad run through the heavyweight division Like that fire burns so hot it burns so hot that that statement hits so hard crazy Yo pull up. I gotta see this picture pull up Mike Tyson holding L.

L. Cool James gold chain He's holding my chain is the funniest photo man. It just reminds me. I loved him I loved him.

You might hung out. Yo was crazy man. We used to hang out. You're Mike is that's my man?

I love that guy. Did you really? I remember walking down the city With the same and all that that's my man. Yeah, yeah, Mike's my man.

Mike's my man You know, but I love you know, I love champions, you know my next lowest likes. No, that's that's what's hanging out But not that's not it. Yeah, well, you it's kind of in the see the one right there with my man shorty black and Yeah, that's one but that's one of them But there's a picture like that if you was if you were to search around you ultimately you'll find it, you know But yeah, you ain't got to go through it, but it's um yeah, that's my man. That's my guy.

That's my dude He was unbelievable too and Floyd Patterson that that style of fighting the custom auto style custom model style peekable He's another guy to talk about fortuitous moments. Oh, 13 years old gets adopted by custom auto Who's a hip and test and one of the greatest boxing coaches? Oh, yeah, yeah, he's the hip is 86 yo, how could yeah, it was crazy. He's hypnotized Mike when he was young really yeah, he hypnotized him He taught him how to box taught him psychology taught him warrior mentality I love the fear the hero in the cow.

Yeah, what they doing their phrase. Yeah, they both feel the same thing. Yeah, you know You know cuz people always ask me like I'm going on stage They'll say yo, do you get nervous before you go on stage? Well, if you don't get nervous You don't care right right if you don't get nervous.

You don't care now what you do with it You got to use it as fuel right you got a big show in New York You feel nerves, but you use it as feels like a fight like a match you gotta have you gotta feel it Yeah, you don't feel that you don't care yeah, right? But then you use it as fuel you channel it and all of a sudden that fight a flight thing that adrenaline that power becomes a power that you tap into You know what I mean and you could do that in life custom I'll talk to about that with fear. He said fear is like fire It could cook your food or if you can't control it'll burn your house down 100% Yeah, you need it though. You definitely do need it.

I get nervous for every show I do I always do see what I mean Because I care that exactly right and if you don't care you don't get nervous. It doesn't mean you're fearful. No, it doesn't mean Yeah, it's like anxiety and like butterflies. Exactly.

Oh, it's about to go down It's about to happen absolutely and the more of those moments you can get in your life where you have to rise to the expectations The better you are I'm just good for you those moments are good for you. They get exciting. That's right Let's just live you're doing something fun. You go it means you're on the edge Yeah, you want to live your life on the edge like a lot of times like like you know It doesn't I don't hate it because that's the wrong word But it bothers me when I see people that are like it's kind of like what you said earlier when they people that kind of like oh What's the word relinquish with like there?

Yeah, really get I'm trying to figure out It's basically what I'm saying is people that just Decide that they're not gonna keep going. You know, they're like yeah, I forget the word. It's our word. Yeah, I can't remember either Yeah, I had a lot of after parties Right now, but I'm it relished in somebody out there in the comments knows exactly relegated relegated.

Yeah, it's kind of just yeah being Yeah, man. Let's get it baby. Yeah, let's go get it. Let's go get it.

Let's go get it That's an infectious mindset But you got to be around people that think like that's very good for you very good for you And you got to be that guy too. So other people around you absorb it. That's right. Yeah, cuz you're around a bunch of people Like man's fucking I never catch a break like oh my god.

Oh my god. Oh my god. That's a real thing Yeah, oh, you know contagious is it is it look is it yo? Like like my thing is as soon somebody's talking like that.