Club Shay Shay - David Banner part 1

Summary

Podcast Title: Club Shay Shay
Host: Shannon Sharpe
Guest: David Banner
Release Date: June 18, 2025
Duration: Approximately 75 minutes
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the premiere episode of "Club Shay Shay," NFL legend Shannon Sharpe welcomes hip-hop icon David Banner to the show. Sharpe provides a comprehensive introduction, highlighting Banner's multifaceted career as a Grammy-nominated rapper, award-winning songwriter, CEO of Banner Vision, and a prominent activist. The introduction sets the stage for an in-depth conversation about Banner's journey, challenges, and his impact both within and outside the music industry.

Notable Quote:
Shannon Sharpe (03:06): "He's the first rapper inducted into the Mississippi Musician Hall of Fame... an advocate for humanity, a cultural thought leader, an outspoken commentator on social issues."

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Early Life and Upbringing

The conversation delves into David Banner's upbringing in Jackson, Mississippi. Banner shares his aspiration to escape the harsh realities of his environment through both music and football. He recounts the influence of his family, particularly his grandmother, whose resilience and teachings profoundly shaped his character.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (12:14): "I always wanted to be a city boy my whole life. But I realized, man, that I had already been blessed."
Shannon Sharpe (17:57): "After my grandfather died, he was the dominant male figure in my life... more of a father figure than a brother figure."

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Career Beginnings and Struggles

Banner discusses his entry into the music industry, highlighting the initial allure of rap as an escape and the subsequent disillusionment with its commercialization. He contrasts his passion for music with the transactional nature of the industry, emphasizing his commitment to authenticity and community investment over profit.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (14:09): "Rap actually changed my life... Once I made it, I realized it wasn't what we thought it was. It's a business, bro."
Shannon Sharpe (35:04): "You're from Jackson, Mississippi. I grew up in rural South Georgia."

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Personal Philosophy and Mental Health

A significant portion of the discussion centers on Banner's personal growth, mental health, and the importance of forgiveness. He reflects on overcoming depression, the value of self-forgiveness, and the societal tendency to judge others harshly without understanding their struggles.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (05:54): "We ask for forgiveness, but we're the least forgiving. And sometimes we don't forgive ourselves."
Shannon Sharpe (05:44): "I really, really wanted to know just how you doing."

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Family and Community

Banner emphasizes the importance of family bonds, especially his relationship with his brother Spike. He shares heartfelt anecdotes about their upbringing, the teachings of his grandparents, and the significance of maintaining strong familial ties despite disagreements.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (18:41): "We became so judgmental of each other, we forget that we're human beings."
Shannon Sharpe (20:16): "Our grandparents taught us to never fall out with each other."

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Activism and Social Commentary

Banner uses his platform to address systemic racism, the generational trauma experienced by Black Americans, and the necessity for authentic representation in media and entertainment. He criticizes the superficial approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and advocates for investing within the Black community to foster genuine change.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (43:19): "There's a reason why the blues and black music resonate so well. Pain is the only common denominator with all human beings."
Shannon Sharpe (46:10): "If you hate a liar, if you're not careful, you'll become one."

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Overcoming Adversity and Success

Banner recounts his battles with the music industry's financial and contractual challenges, including his confrontation with Universal Records. He speaks candidly about turning setbacks into opportunities, such as using his earnings to support his family and community, demonstrating his commitment to uplifting others over personal gain.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (38:00): "Universal didn't pay me my money. And I kicked open 12 doors."
Shannon Sharpe (75:20): "What money do you do it for when what you did it to achieve this, to get my grandmother out of that situation."

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Mentorship and Personal Growth

A pivotal moment in the conversation is Banner's interaction with Samuel L. Jackson, who becomes a mentor and acting coach for him. This mentorship underscores Banner's dedication to personal development and his desire to transcend the limitations imposed by his beginnings.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (77:38): "We ended up getting shut down by the feds... that's how I know that God is with me."
Shannon Sharpe (78:57): "If I ever give me some money, I want a house with running water, indoor plumbing, air conditioning."

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Closing Reflections

In the episode's concluding moments, Banner reflects on his responsibilities as a Black man in America, the importance of authenticity, and the role of pain in achieving freedom and growth. He underscores the necessity of using his influence to inspire and enact meaningful change within the community.

Notable Quotes:
David Banner (71:28): "Sacrifice, not having a family, not having a wife, the loneliness that we go through."
Shannon Sharpe (75:07): "What money, what do you do it for when what you did it to achieve this, to get my grandmother out of that situation."

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Conclusion

Shannon Sharpe and David Banner engage in a profound and honest dialogue that traverses Banner's personal struggles, professional triumphs, and unwavering commitment to his roots and community. Banner's narrative serves as an inspiring testament to resilience, authenticity, and the enduring power of family and mentorship.

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Listening Recommendation:
For listeners seeking a candid and enlightening conversation that delves deep into personal and societal issues, "Club Shay Shay - David Banner part 1" offers valuable insights and heartfelt storytelling.

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Note: This summary captures the key discussions and notable moments from Part 1 of the episode. Part 2 continues the conversation and can be accessed through the "Club Shay Shay" profile on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Unknown Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Michael Kasson]

I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode I'm joined by Anjali Su, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming.

[Anjali Sud]

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content. The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

[Michael Kasson]

Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sarah Spain]

Hi, I'm Sarah Spain, host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and the co author of the new book Runs in the Family, an incredible true story of Football, fatherhood and belonging, written with and about Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach Dylan McCullough. It's the story a football coach and father of four who sees his life forever changed by the unsealing of his adoption records. And it's got a twist you won't believe. Based on the viral ESPN story I did a few years ago, this book will blow your mind and bring you to tears by Runs in the Family wherever books are sold.

[Unknown Host]

How you doing bro?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm doing good. I woke up this morning I was in my right mind Blood was running warm in my veins I had use of my limbs I was able to put my feet on the floor A lot of people had an appointment they.

[Unknown Host]

Couldn'T reschedule what they say from where we from we on this side of the dirt. Yeah. That was the first thing I wanted to say before we say anything bro, is check in with you all my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle paid the price, wanna slice, got to roll a dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life all my life been grinding all my life Sacrifice hustle paid the price wanna slice, got to roll a dice that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hello. Welcome to another episode of Club Shay Shay. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Shay Shay. Stopping by for conversation on a drink today is one of hip hop's most multi dimensional figures. He's a Grammy nominated rapper, award winning songwriter and multi platinum artist, versatile producer. He's the first rapper inducted into the Mississippi Musician hall of Fame. He's evolved from a rapper into a dynamic force behind the scenes. He's CEO of Banner Vision who created campaigns for Gatorade, Disney, Marvel, Gillette and Pepsi. A multi talented actor, activist, philanthropist, entrepreneur, entertainer and public speaker. An advocate for humanity, a cultural thought leader, an outspoken commentator on social issues. An industry veteran for over quarter century, he uses his voice and influence to push the boundaries and spark meaningful changes. One of the major forces behind the Dirty South's rap breakthrough in mainstream music in the early 2000s. From the MI. Crooked letter Crooked Letter I Cricket Letter Cricket Letter. Humpback, Humpback. Here he is. Yours truly, David Banner.

[Unknown Host]

Blessings, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

How you doing, bro?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm doing good, honestly. No, you know what? I woke up this morning, I was in my right mind. Blood was running warm in my veins, I had use of my limbs, I was able to put my feet on the floor. Cause a lot of people had an appointment, they couldn't reschedule.

[Unknown Host]

What they say from where we from, we on this side of the dirt. That was the first thing I wanted to say before we say anything, bro, is check in with you. Like I need you to understand something, bro. When you decided that you were gonna talk like you talk, be intelligent.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Make sure that you know everything. I watched how you researched, I watched how it meant something to you. Cause I remember as an actor, you know, one of the first things they told me to do is to crush my southern accent or I was gonna be typecast. I remember that, bro. And for you to decide, make a conscious decision that you wanna speak like you, bro. And you brought em to you. Yeah, that meant a lot. And we have to be careful, bro. Sometimes we will allow them to turn our blessings into a jail cell. Like bro, you know, I watched when you talked about bro, not having no running water in the crib, bro. People don't even understand where we come from in the environments that our grandparents lived and our mothers lived under, bro. You know, and for you to break generational curses, bro, I want you to understand that regardless of what they decide to try to do, bro, you own yourself.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I do.

[Unknown Host]

You a made man. So like one of the things that I think that we do is we become so judgmental of each other, we do and forget that we're human beings, bro. I talked about recently, people were really interested in this conversation about how. And I'm not talking about whether he was right or wrong or not. That's not for me to judge, that's for God to judge. But like how media did Chris Brown when he was a child. He was a kid. People forgot he wasn't even 21 at the time. And we. Because we are so vested in these people's fame and their money, we forget what God say. We forget about being human beings, and we pray for forgiveness and every. Can I cuss y' all every day of our life, but we are the most judgmental people on this planet.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

So, bro, like, I really, really wanted to know just how you doing?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I think the thing is, a lot of time, it happens. What happens is, is that we ask for forgiveness, but we're the least forgiving. And I think that's the biggest issue right there.

[Unknown Host]

And we don't forgive ourselves.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, no. And sometimes we end up putting ourselves in jail for perpetuity, even though at the smallest mist that at the end of the day, we're human and we're going to err. And. Yeah, but I think the thing for me is that. Is that I do realize how fortunate I am. I do realize how blessed that I am, and I do realize where I came from and how long it took me to get here. And I'm very thankful. I'm very appreciative of the people, because a lot of people had to sacrifice in order for Shannon to be where Shannon is, and I never forgot that.

[Unknown Host]

You know what I think that. That your followers should do right now? And I think they should sit back and be honored and blessed that this much chocolate is on their camera right now. Just look and take this in right now. Cause, Shannon, I'm in that gym. Not quite as much as you. I'm in that gym, dog. Yeah, I see. I see you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's what Jordan, my social media guy, my picture guy, he was like, man, okay, I see you've been in the gym hitting them shoulders, huh, bro?

[Unknown Host]

Let me tell you something, dog, man. I'm so thankful, bro. You had Ali Siddiq on here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Host]

That's one of my partners, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, he's amazing, bro.

[Unknown Host]

Matter of fact, I saw it shocked you when you asked him a question and he said, David Banner.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And he was like, oh, like, Ali was one of the people that taught me, man, that if we really about what we say we are about spiritually, we make some people uncomfortable.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

There's certain spaces that are not for us, and sometimes we have to be careful. I had to learn this, bro. I just came out, like, a major depression, bro. And I think I can't say what God was trying to show me, man, but I think God was trying to tell me that even the things that I think are good still don't come before him, her or it. You understand what I'm saying?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

So I thought fighting for black people, I thought being a good person, I thought all of those things. Even think about David in the Bible, people don't know that Psalms is a song, verses from a song. And that as much as people talk about it, if you took away the fact that God said that that was his man. If you look at David, he was a gangster rapper. No, really, I'm serious. And the only reason why Christians hoop and holler about David, it's because God said, that's my man. But if you took that away, you would treat him like you used to treat David Banner. And how they trying to treat you. So just like, just as men, bro. Like, regardless. It ain't my place, bro. But I wanted to do a check on you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Good.

[Unknown Host]

Cause most people don't. And most people really don't care, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well, listen, bro, to everything that you've accomplished, all that you're doing, and what you'll continue to accomplish.

[Unknown Host]

Thank you. God bless you. I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it, bro. Thank you. Thank you for having me in your space, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Thanks for coming. How have you been, bro?

[Unknown Host]

I'm better than I ever been in my life, bro. To be honest with you, man. It's so funny, man. Because the kids try to call me og. And I'm serious, bro. With the exception of Speed, I'm stronger than I ever been.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

I'm smarter, wiser, jamming, rapping, better than I ever had. I'm definitely a better actor. And what people don't understand is my life is just starting, bro. Look at what you were able to accrue after football.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

And think about this, bro. Like, sometimes the things that we thought that we wanted, God didn't give it to us. Cause he knew it would be a nightmare.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct?

[Unknown Host]

Bro, you done so much more after football, bro. I'm doing so much more. Like, once people. Once it catches up, what I'm doing right now, bro, I didn't even dream it, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right? No, I definitely didn't see this aspect of it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, bro, I'm about to be a superhero, bro. I play a God in a movie that's about to come out, bro. And that's the reason why now, man. I've stopped asking why. And I ask what? Like, what is it for? Like, what is it for? It's a reason. Because I know I'm chosen. So if I'm chosen, bro, like, we gotta stop doubting. Like, there's a reason for everything. That we ever gone through, bro. You know, when you get in that gym, bro, that rep don't start until you feel the pain. So when you feel the pain, okay, now it's time to really get to work. So now you gotta get back to work. Cause it was getting easy for you. I know how it is. We get spoiled. We spoiled children, bro. So it started getting easy now, okay, I'm back where I'm comfortable. You feel what I'm saying? I'm comfortable. I'm built for this, bro. And so, man, like, I'm so fortunate, man, because, bro, the stuff that I'm doing now, man, like, it. I don't want to say it scares me, because I knew it, I saw it, but it's like, bro, I'm from Mississippi.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And God placed me in that place for a reason. To be able to rep in a way, bro. That Farrakhan once told me one time, bro, it shook me, man. He said that if you can put any type of dip dent in racism being from Mississippi, you can be a beacon of hope for people and places. And I'm paraphrasing. It's hard to speak for a man that powerful, but everything is starting to make sense to me. And I think it'll start making sense to you in a minute, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You mentioned you're from Jackson, Mississippi.

[Unknown Host]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Now, Jackson, Mississippi, is not New York. It's not Chicago, it's not la. It's not one of those big cities. So it's interesting. I would like to hear, what was your upbringing? Were you like. I mean, I know Jackson is the capital, and so were you on a farm? Were you in the rural area? What was growing? What was David Banner's childhood like?

[Unknown Host]

So this is the craziest thing, bro. I always wanted to be a city boy my whole life. And then I moved from Jackson, Mississippi. Huh. Then I moved to the city and was like, nah, we had it already.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay.

[Unknown Host]

Dog that love, that good food, that space. But I realized, man, that I had already been blessed. And that's the reason why it's important for you to have purpose in life. Because sometimes God has already blessed you. I spoke at the Waymakers Conference, and I was telling the young kid, like, we had walked by, and I could tell he didn't know who we were because he was so young. I was like, come here, bro. I said, bro, you don't know who. You don't never know who you talking to. Be kind to everyone.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

And I think that's what us being from the country, Georgia and Mississippi taught us, bro. Like, the real truth is before conventional religion, we believe that God is in everything. Even if you gonna hunt, you gotta pray over that body before you kill it, before you eat it. And I think money has blinded us to those things that our grandparents taught us, bro. Like, I remember seeing that in you, bro, when you first started, bro. It was a. Of course there was competitiveness. Cause that was your job, bro. They build these almost mechanical machines and try to act like that doesn't bleed over in the real life. And they know better than that.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Unknown Host]

That's why so many football players have problems after the game. Cause they don't know where to put that. Cause you warriors, right? So, like, for me, being from Mississippi, man, I. I grew up, man. Rap actually changed my life. Like, Jackson was real. Live the murder capital of the United States, bro. When stuff was hard for me, bro, that was why my friends didn't understand I didn't listen to the same kind of music other people listen to. Imagine being in Mississippi. I would roll up to the club playing the Price is Right. They was like that Nigro crazy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

But I always wanted to escape. And so what football did for you, like music did for me. But the problem was with me is, like, once I made it, I realized it wasn't what we thought it was. Like, all that shit is a lie. It's a business, bro. And it hit me hard because I really, really loved music. My little homeboys would always say, man, like, you act like rapper girl. Like it broke your heart or something, bro. And what I think that we can do, Shannon, that's different. Is that if we really want it to be true, and this is the power that God gave to us. All you have to do to make the music industry fair is we can sign kids and give them what they deserve. We talk about DEI all the time, bro. Apparently, them people don't like us. Apparently, they don't want us around. Then why don't we employ our own people? Because one thing, one, I don't have many problems with my peers. But the problem that I do have with my peers is we accrue all of this money and we'll buy fancy clothes and jewelry and stuff. But we won't invest in ourselves. We talk about investing in all these corporations, bro. I invest in me, right, bro. I made enough money shining in my life to live three generations, bro. But the reason why I don't have the money that I probably deserve and my family probably deserve. Cause I've always put my money back into Me back into my community. Things that I stand for. And people say I'm crazy for that, bro. But like I real, real, real live love black people in all forms of us, bro. Because I study history. I know why we act the way that we act. I'm not surprised. But I am grateful, bro, that we come from where we come and to be able to sit here no matter how much pain we've been through and find a way to look at each other and smile and I'm drinking your shit and enjoying it, that's a blessing, dog.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It absolutely is. You said something very interesting. You said you always wanted to be a rapper and when you got there it wasn't what you thought it was. I've always wanted to be a professional football player and I'm not necessarily. And it wasn't because I thought it was this glamorous position, I mean a glamorous job. Because it was, I wanted to be it because I thought what it would do, help me do for my family. That's all I've ever wanted to do.

[Unknown Host]

Can I pause you for a second?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes.

[Unknown Host]

And bro, I love the reverence that you have for your brother.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Appreciate that dog.

[Unknown Host]

People need to see that. That is so important, Shane. And like, bro, I know sometimes man, like we, sometimes we get disillusioned and we forget that most of the stuff that we shoot for now we didn't even know that it was possible.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely bro.

[Unknown Host]

The reverence that you give for your, like I've studied you, that's the thing about you is because bro, all the rest of that stuff and all them other people that I see in your position, I don't know them, right. I know where you from, bro. I know the pain that you've been through, right or wrong. I don't agree with everything you say, everything that you do, but I do know you, a country dark skinned man from very similar situations that I come from. So that other shit them other talking about, I don't know about that. I know about what you come from, bro. So your reverence for your brother, bro, I always respected that. And he needed too because of injuries, bro, he wasn't able, bro, he was a maniac, dog. And so he may not tell you this bro, but, but bro, when you feed back into him, bro, that gives him life and he's actually able to live through your ability to continue, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Well that was our whole thing growing up.

[Unknown Host]

And I don't know him, I can't speak for him, but I'm just saying.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No, but when we Growing up, after my grandfather died, he was the dominant male figure in my life, even though he was only three years older. And so the relationship that we have is that it's more of a father figure than a brother figure. My sister, she's eight years older, is more of a mother because she taught me all the things that a mother probably would. Would have done. And so, you know, help me with my homework, sign my report card, you know, get me. Help me get. Take a bath and get me dressed for school. When I was at that, at an age that I couldn't really do it for myself. And so we've always. We've always been close. I remember my grandmother used to always say, boy. She'd say, son, teeth and tongue may fall out, but you and your brother and your sister, y' all should never fall out.

[Unknown Host]

Damn. Hold on, hold on. That's a bar. Let that sit there for a minute. That's the shit we need, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

And it wasn't. And at the time that she said it, I didn't understand and what she meant. She say, son, if your teeth bite your tongue, your tongue get mad at your teeth, won't it? And you like, ding. She said, they might fall out with each other. She say, but y' all don't. And we're not perfect. My brother said some things, done some things I didn't like. I've done some things, I promise you. My sister's the same way. But through everything, good, bad, up, down, indifferent, I can always pick up the phone and call Buck. I can always pick up the phone and call my brother, Spike. And no matter what, no matter what, we had a conversation, and I'm sharing this with you for the first time. And I apologized for what was going on. And I said, brother, this your day. I say, now if this is going to cause you. I said, because I don't want it to be about me. I say, man, I prayed so many nights for this day to come. Spank. He said, bro, look here. He said, I know you as much as well as you know yourself. He said, I'm your older brother. He says, nobody is ever going to be more proud of you than I am. I would want. I don't want anyone else to be my presenter other than you.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I want you to stand up on that stage. I want you to look out there to that crowd. I want you to look at our families that's down there and how proud they are of us. He said, don't you ever, ever let your chin touch your chest.

[Unknown Host]

That's what I'm trying to tell you. And I ain't even your brother, dawg. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Like, don't worry about it, bro. Like, honestly, man. Like, whatever, this, this whatever I may disagree with you about or may not, like, we can talk about that as men later on, right? But like, for us to have some type of united front, bro, that's important, bro. And I'm doing this on purpose in front of the camera, because we don't, bro, honestly, bro, I didn't learn to talk, man. My mentor just taught me, bro. Like, where I'm from, you don't talk to nobody, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

I didn't know. I didn't talk to my friends about shit where I was taught in the streets, bro. You don't show a weakness to nobody, bro. And so my mentor, David Moody, he asked me, he was like, bro, do you talk to your friends like you talk to me? And I was like, no, sir. And, bro, I've been holding this shit my whole life.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I think the thing is, David, that we gotta be careful. Cause I'm a firm believer. My grandfather used to say, boy, you gotta be careful what you tell people. He say, well, once people find out what make you tick, they'll wind you up and make you tick when they want you to instead of when you need to.

[Unknown Host]

But that's only because the environment that our grandparents were built. Yes, but the real truth is, if we can't talk to our friends, then they not our friends. True. They shouldn't be around us, bro. We make enough money to have, yes. People around us, but real friends, you need to be able to. And I mean this. And I know how media is, so I have to watch what I say. You got. You should be able to get naked in front of your people. My mentor taught me something, bro. I'm serious, bro. I never thought about this in my life, bro. He said, I don't. He said, I don't do business with men that cheat on their wives. And I say, huh? He said, if the person that you sleep with can't trust you, I damn sure can't. And I never thought about that. If I can't talk to my best friends, like, this is the first thing I ever asked my friend coming from the streets. And it's funny, bro, I just talked to Matt Barnes about this, bro. Cause I'm so proud of that boy, man. Or that young man. That man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Excuse me.

[Unknown Host]

We probably about the same age. I'm so proud of him, man. And I could tell that we deal with the same struggles. So I talked to him. I was like, bro, man, I'm so proud of you. I don't even know you like that, but I watched you grow up and I told him, man, I was like, man, I didn't saw so much violent stuff. I didn't understand why am I having anxiety about this weak shit that I'm going through now? You know what I'm saying? But my therapist taught me that the human brain and God built us and loved us so much that the human brain hides you from certain stuff until you get comfortable enough or old enough. And now that we got some bread, okay, deal with that shit that happened to you when you were nine. Oh, oh shit. That's why I'm freaking out.

[Michael Kasson]

I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. How she's turning so called niche into mainstream gold. Connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen.

[Anjali Sud]

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there's so many stories out there and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content. The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

[Michael Kasson]

Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment and sports collide and hear how leaders like Angeli are carving out space and shaking things up a bit in the most crowded of markets. Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Unknown Host]

Oh, okay, I get it now. And when you were playing football, you were a different type of animal. When I was really in rap in the middle of that shit, I was a different type of animal. Now I actually care. And enough therapy has taught me that I really do care about people. I thought I was the hardest walking on the streets.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I did.

[Unknown Host]

I was not the David Banner. Now, as trained as I am, excuse my French, I would the young maniac loud talking person that I was. Because people that run they mouth and talk loud, they don't know shit. You ain't never in your life saw an angry kung fu master, have you?

[Shannon Sharpe]

No.

[Unknown Host]

All you gotta do is cut your literally cut your throat. That's all you gotta do. You ain't gotta get mad about it mad is a lack of information. If you are the greatest, you ain't never gotta get mad at nobody. I knock you out, fool. You know what I'm saying? So for me, man, like, the older that I get, bro, I think that we can use these mediums, bro, as a way to release each other, bro. Like, I really want you to know that it's okay. However this shit go, bro, you've already won, right? Like, we are the underdogs, bro. The consummate underdogs. If we don't get another dollar, another view, it's a blessing that God made us, gave us the vision to see further and to want more. But Bruce Lee said something that was so powerful. He said, the goals are only a North Star to keep you moving. They're not always things that you are supposed to accomplish. But we gotta keep moving or you die, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So growing up. So was rap. Did you play sports in high school? Did you play sports growing up? Did you ever wanna be an athlete? Did you? Always. Was rap the only thing that was on your mind? So what were you gonna do to get out? Cause I know Jackson, Mississippi. Grew up. Born in Jackson, Grew up in Jackson. That wasn't gonna be your final resting place.

[Unknown Host]

I never said. But people used to laugh at me because I was a rapper. Some of the same people that asked for record deals. Now I remember them laughing at me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

But I was like, why are you trying to do that New York shit? Motherfuckers laughed at me, bro. And I. My uncle came from the north, bro. And for some reason, he wanted to be a. He wanted to be a blues dj. I didn't even know that was a thing, right, bro. He gave me all of his rap records. I remember the first record was Rock Lestet from Stetsasonic.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What you know about Stat?

[Unknown Host]

I just told you. Yeah, I just told you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Just say Stet.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, T. Larock.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, man, now you going back.

[Unknown Host]

Mantronics, I'm telling you. And I was a little, little kid, bro. Yeah. Imagine getting this type of information, bro. But what people don't know, bro, is that we were battle rapping in Mississippi. That's how powerful hip hop was at the time, man. And he gave me all these records, bro. And it helped me to escape. Hip hop had always been like, bro, I listened to. I related more to, you know, groups like Hieroglyphics, bro, and Souls of Mischief. Because the dope dealing, the violence. My friend Chucky was the first person to die from gang violence in Jackson, Mississippi. He was older than Me, we used to go to what y' all call Circle K. It used to be Stop and Go back in the day.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Unknown Host]

So it was this game that was the rip off of Pac man was Ladybug. Like, I would go down and we would play Ladybug Man. And as old as he was. Cause what people don't know is that the people who were affected the most by gangs was dance groups. Cause they were already in a group. No different than fraternities. I think that's what Jim Jones was trying to explain to people. Bro, football is a fraternity.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Like, bro, basketball, rap is a fraternity. We just not as organized.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Unknown Host]

You know what I'm saying? Like, that's. We should. Might as well just go ahead and say it and get organized and made it move. And Chucky was. Chucky was the first dude to ever die, bro. So it affected me in a way. And what happened was, bro, is that I loved rap so much because it was always my escape from my reality. But what it also did is think about this, bro. This is gonna freak you out, bro. I stopped eating pork in Mississippi. And you know how we feel.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How old were you when you stopped eating pork?

[Unknown Host]

11Th grade. 11th grade in Mississippi. So I hadn't been eating pork longer than most people. No pig ears, no pigtails, no nothing. No bacon, no nothing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No sausage.

[Unknown Host]

See, that's the reason why people listen to me. Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Chili's.

[Unknown Host]

Because I tell people I never ate Chili's.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay. Hog Mo.

[Unknown Host]

No.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, okay.

[Unknown Host]

But let me tell you this. Listen. This is the reason why I think kids listen to me, bro. I would swim in pork if I could. That shit tastes good. Act like the shit don't taste good.

[Shannon Sharpe]

For real.

[Unknown Host]

But what I tell people this. And be honest with you. Listen to me when I say this, y' all. Would you eat rad if it tastes good? You probably would. Shaddy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I ain't gonna.

[Unknown Host]

I look at your big ass. You probably shaddy. Don't. Hold on. Take a drink first. Shady. You probably. Your big ass. He jerked out.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Your big ass probably would home grandma.

[Unknown Host]

You decide that. Yeah. The only reason why I'm saying that is. Cause a rat's diet is better than the pigs. Yeah. The pig will literally eat your ass.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So will a chicken.

[Unknown Host]

That's what they want.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You eat chicken?

[Unknown Host]

Yes.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Ain't nothing less than a chicken. I grew up on the farm.

[Unknown Host]

That's what I'm saying. Okay.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And you eat that, though.

[Unknown Host]

Hold on. But let me tell you. But let me. There's a difference.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Unknown Host]

The Thing that I realized, though, bro, is that. Is that as I got older, bro, that hip hop actually taught me something, bro. Like, I stopped eating because of brand newbie. You know, I tell Sadat at the time, his name was Sadat X. Derek X at the time. Like, bro, it was the reason why I stopped eating pork. And then, bro, from that, I read Malcolm X autobiography, bro, it changed my whole entire life. And then from the broader files, I actually stole that book from my cousin. This is a story that I'm actually. And I'm not gonna go too far into it, but the lead singer from House of Pain, he ended up buying two of my God boxes I put out. My last project that I put out some people said was the greatest marketing so called. They call it marketing schemes. But he ended up buying two of those God boxes because his sister got pregnant by a black dude. So his children, I mean, his nephews are black. And he bought them God boxes because he said, I don't know nothing about being black, but I do trust David Banner.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Unknown Host]

What's funny is how I became conscious because my cousin stole the remix, the Pete Rock remix of Jump around from me. And since he stole my CD at the time, I stole that book. I read that book from Chicago to Mississippi, and it changed the whole course of my life. And that's why I'm David Banner.

[Shannon Sharpe]

How did you. So when you tell your mom, you tell your dad or your grandparents that I ain't eating pork no more. Cause, you know, bacon and all that stuff and food is hard to get in the South.

[Unknown Host]

Let's be clear. I know where you going. Go ahead, say it, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They ain't bringing no shoulder. You know, you ain't getting no. The best. First of all, you not getting the best cuts of meat on the pig anyway. So you getting the scraps and a cow. Oh, have mercy. I don't think I had hamburger. You get ground hamburger, but you not getting no sirloin. You ain't getting no ribeye. No. None of that. So how did you make. How did you, like your parents and your grandparents, like, I ain't eating pork no more.

[Unknown Host]

Let me show you something powerful. And I didn't realize this, bro, until three years ago. Okay, watch this. My parents actually stopped eating pork cause of me. Huh? They were on my ass at first cause they thought it was just a fad. But I think they knew what I was saying was true. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't notice that my parents didn't start back eating pork. Until a year after I left school. But sometimes, man, our parents in the south, and I was just telling a young man this today, that our parents worked they ass off so we could be smarter than them.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Sometimes we get frustrated at our parents because they don't understand what we understand. But there's no way for them to understand. All they could do is work.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

So we could be smart or so we can be the best football player in the world.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They were never exposed to what we're being exposed to.

[Unknown Host]

Right. And so I think, like, this is something personal, bro. Like, my mother started going to church cause of me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Unknown Host]

She's like, there's no way that my child is going to church and I'm not going to church.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Unknown Host]

And so I ended up telling my mom later on, like, you trusted me when I was 16. Just consider what I'm telling you now. Because if you followed me then I'm not asking you to believe in what I believe in now, but just consider. And then I had to learn that they worked hard so they wouldn't have to consider us. And so, like, back in Mississippi, as far as eating pork and all of that kind of stuff, man, like the fact that they gave me the opportunity. Cause they had to eat what they had to eat. It wasn't no different choices.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

So for me to even have that is a blessing and I'm grateful for it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah. I don't know if in the 50s and 60s, being vegan wasn't an option.

[Unknown Host]

For a black person, but on the other side, we were. Go ahead. No, we were green. Oh, that's hilarious. Oh, I'm greasy. Just say it, dog. It's okay, bro. I know we already got the ratings and stuff. Just say I'm greasy, bro. I actually usually need lotion. Come on, do it now. We done broke the third wall. Let's do it. Yeah. One thing I want y' all to take us take into consideration, though, is we country. You just rubbed it in. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That used to be the thing. You wanted to be greasy.

[Unknown Host]

I don't think that's ever happened on Shannon Sheriff show before. But. But what I was saying was, bro, is that for us to be in a position, bro. To even be able to do it. Shannon and I want you to think about this off camera, bro. Like, bro, it ain't no losing for us, bro. Like, my. My parents couldn't consider not eating pork. And one thing that people don't talk about, it was a little bit different because the pig was actually a part of the family. We went and got our pig from the backyard. I'm dead serious.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You raised him, so we know what.

[Unknown Host]

That pig was eating. Yeah, I don't eat fish, bro. But I had a catfish farm when that MTV Cribs that everybody says one night, dude, I had catfish and I fed them. So my catfish, you can literally see through their skin. Cause I didn't feed my catfish. Bullshit. I fed them like I fed the dog, right? So when we ate. When you ate the pig in Mississippi and Georgia, it was almost like eating your fourth to fifth cousin. And a good one pig. Cause I know how meaty is. They'll cut that up and say that I was eating.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, yeah. They're like pets.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you fed them out your hands. I mean, you saw them grow, like, okay, yeah, that's the one that's gonna be, you know, come Christmas time. That's the one that's gonna be, you know. But let me ask you this, Dave. What do you think the number one thing that you learned from your parents? What's the number one teaching that, like, when you going through something or you somewhere and you sit back and think, and you're like, my mom. My dad said, I'm gonna give you a great one.

[Unknown Host]

Shannon is. When I was one of the top producers in the world, I was out in Vegas producing for arguably one of the biggest artists on this planet. And the artist came in and, bro, this is before I was the conscious, super conscious David Banner. This is before I was polished. I was straight off the streets. And I would jump in your ass quick. Right? This is when a lot of people don't know this. I was on the terrorist list before it was a thing.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Damn.

[Unknown Host]

Because Universal didn't pay me my money. And I kicked open 12 doors.

[Shannon Sharpe]

They have money behind none of them, huh?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it didn't. But I played into that game. My anger played into that game. Because they owed me that money. And what people didn't know, bro, I didn't sign the Universal until way after, Like a Pimp had came out. Cause I had told them folks. And I don't think white folks was used to this. Cause they were so used to black people being money hungry. I said, y' all done already put my record out. I ain't gotta sign shit. You owe me. Cause I knew I could sue them. I've always been smart. So I said, what you do is get my contract, right? I'll go on this tour. Don't trip. But have my money. So I had become this $10 million David Banner, and My mother was in Mississippi, bro. Struggling dog. No way.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That don't make sense.

[Unknown Host]

Then I'm making millions for you. And my mama can't eat out hurt you. Okay, let me get back to the story. So what I learned from my dad, trying to be more upbeat. My dad told me this, Shannon, and I live by this to this day, man. It changed my life. The artist walked in and said, I just came from gambling and I was playing a beat that was for somebody else. And this artist was like, who is that? Who that for? And I was like, yeah, it's not for sale for you. It's not for sale, right? And the person flipped me a $10,000 chip. Now, number one, I'm from Mississippi. I ain't never seen no $10,000 chip. I've been gambling half my life, right? But negro, you don't throw nothing at me. We not used to that shit. I almost lost it. And I called my dad. I walked outside the studio and called my dad. I said, dad. I didn't even tell him the story, right? He said, what's wrong? I said, dad, I was shaking. I was so mad. I was like, dad. He said, stop. How do you feel? I said, dad, I don't feel good at all. He said, pack, he shouldn't leave. I said, dad, I'm about to make six figures. He said, I don't give a pack your shit. He said, I'd rather you work in the post office and be a $70 man than be a million dollar woman with an invisible skirt on. Bam. I never, never, never forgot that, bro. You can walk around looking like a man, but having an invisible skirt on. He said, pack your shit. I'd rather you be back in Mississippi in the mailroom and be a man that I can look at.

[Shannon Sharpe]

So the guy thought he could flip you that $10,000 chip and get the beat. I mean, so what was the thing was.

[Unknown Host]

It's regardless, man. I think sometimes that we get into this industry and forget that we still human beings. And that's something that I don't wanna lose. Shannon, I'm gonna tell you something I ain't never told nobody. Look at my hands.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, bro.

[Unknown Host]

I don't wear gloves in the gym.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, you do. Hard. Yeah, I can see the calluses already built up.

[Unknown Host]

I wear gloves, but we got different. We got different things. But literally, bro, like I said, as much money as I make, I never wanna lose the fact that I come from a working man's background.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Background. Okay.

[Unknown Host]

Honestly, though, Shannon, man, my dad taught me that it's like, there's certain things that we never wanna lose. And, bro, like, I don't know what you're going through again. I really felt like, bro, it's part of my. My purpose as a person, bro. You come from the South. You come from certain things that, bro, it gotta be born into. You just always remember those things, bro. That's the reason why you here. It ain't nothing like that shit, bro. Ain't nothing like our grandparents and our grandparents are dead now.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, yeah, for sure.

[Unknown Host]

That's one thing that I wanted to start a business where we go and get all of our aunties and cousins all of those quilts, bro. You know what I'm saying? Those homemade biscuits, bro. Like the stuff that white people are making millions. White folks making millions of dollars off chitlins, bro. We wasn't supposed to be eating no chitlins, but we didn't have no. We had to turn it into a delicacy.

[Shannon Sharpe]

The new chitlin now is oxtail.

[Unknown Host]

Boy, I tell you, they killing them folks in New York, bro. I'm telling you, Jamaica's mad as they was. Like, damn, Doc, we could have did that shit down. What the. Yep. You feel me?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yep.

[Unknown Host]

But, like, that's what I'm saying. Like, Shannon, bro, like, it's in us, bro. And I know for a fact, man, with AI and all of this technology, the one thing you can't fake is authenticity. That was the reason why them folks jumped on you. It's more country folks than it is city folks, dog. Always remember that like, it's more of us. It's more struggling people. That's the reason why the blues and black music resonates so well. The only thing that makes us relatable is all of us are gonna die. So pain is the only common denominator with all human beings on this earth, bro. That's what makes us special.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow. I saw the viral video where you saw your dad told you, say, son, you know, you smiling, and your dad called you and said, what are you smiling for? Stop smiling. Did you understand at the time why he didn't want you to smile?

[Unknown Host]

I didn't. But what I do, I don't hate. What I do hate is I don't like people talking about my dad. Like, I wish I would have explained it a little bit better. And this gives me the opportunity. Yeah. What happened was my dad knew that he had to raise a certain type of man, especially in the South.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct.

[Unknown Host]

Like, my dad told me this story once. Do you know one of the reasons why Southern people beat their children so violently. Because in the south, at one time, by law, if you raised up to a white person, they could kill you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

So what they did was break you so that when they beat. If somebody beat you while you was in town with them white folks, they wouldn't kill you. So they got you used to being beat. Do you know how much that would hurt a parent to have to beat their child up? And the child doesn't deserve that. That's what I'm saying, man. Like, when people judge black people, there's a reason, there's a story. That's why our movies and our music, we gotta get out of commercialism, bro. And we gotta get back to telling these stories of why when they see black people and they see us mad and they see us do certain things, bro, we've been conditioned to be this way, bro. I'm on this really big tour, and, yeah, I'm talking about it. A lot of people get scared of me, bro, because I tell the truth, man. Like, I'm on this big tour and the sponsors are coming at me because I told them white folks. I said. I said, your grandparents taught you how to be racist, you know? And I said, I don't need you. I don't need no white savior. What I need you to do is for you to check your racist uncle. The people who you know that's saying the word nigga. The people that make you feel uncomfortable because you love my music, so I know you know better. Go back and check your grandfather, your mother, your cousins, your sisters, your uncles. That's the reason why, like, when we become judgmental of some black. Black people, you know, your uncle so dope. Why you treating somebody else kid like that? Cause they selling dope. You know, your uncle so dope out your grandmama house. Nigga, stop that. We become other people because we trying to impress folks, bro. I don't ever want to do that, Shannon. I don't ever. I want to give the message. I want to give God's message, right? It's God's responsibility to judge you. Now, if you do something to me, I'm going to have to get your ass off of it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

It's funny that you said that. You said that people judge. My grandfather said that very same thing. He said, boy, if you're not careful, you'll become the very thing you despise the most in a person.

[Unknown Host]

Mm.

[Shannon Sharpe]

If you hate a liar, if you're not careful, you'll become one. If you hate a thief, you'll become one.

[Unknown Host]

Well, write a book, dawg. No, I'm dead serious. That shit, that's simple shit. Is that not bars, though? Look at everybody. Every time you say some shit, Machin.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, my sister's like, shannon. But I swore to my sister I would never. Cause everybody have always said that. But you know, at the time.

[Unknown Host]

No, but. No, don't finish that, though. You told your sister that you.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I told my sister. Cause everybody tell my sister, they say, Shannon always saying things that your grandfather, your grandmother like, you know, Miss Mary, Mr. Barney would tell him. I was a kid. I was eight years old, my grandfather passed. But I can tell you everything he's ever said in my presence. I was 43 when my grandmother passed. And I can tell you every time she'd been upset at me. And I hung on everything that they said. They didn't know it at the time, but I worshiped. I idolized. I didn't know idolatry, you know, you weren't supposed to do that or. But for them to take. Raise their 9 kid and then take my mom's 3 and love them more than they did their own. So I hung on everything they said. But I always told my sister. And she said, shannon, please don't. I told my sister I wouldn't. Because a part of me wanted.

[Unknown Host]

She just wouldn't. What?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I wouldn't write a book.

[Unknown Host]

Why not?

[Shannon Sharpe]

I wouldn't write a book.

[Unknown Host]

But why not? But listen, listen, listen, listen, listen. There are some things that she probably. She's still alive. Yeah, but talk to her. I'm only telling you to give the wisdom.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Cause I know from where we from.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Oh, yeah, we got bunch of.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Oh, bro. But I will tell you this, though, bro. There are certain things that happen in the south that I don't think that we should talk about on camera, but we definitely gotta get in the room and talk about. Because that's the reason why we keep malfunctioning. Cause we won't talk about those things. And I say that with white folks. We gotta have those young white people who really wanna make this a better place, this America that y' all say that y' all want. We gotta have some uncomfortable conversations. And that's what. I didn't finish the last statement. That's the thing that people don't understand about our music is people want our music. They want the blues, they want the rap, but they don't want the pain and the responsibility that comes along with it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's what the blues is. People was talking about the pain and the hurt that they had experienced. But I read this, and this brought back so many memories. Cause my grandfather had one. The bullwhip. Actually, my dad got beat with a bullwhip. My grandfather called it a faux pack whip or coach whip.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

And people don't understand. I mean, you see the Cowboys and they'll.

[Unknown Host]

That shit look funny. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

It ain't. It's not much on this earth that hurts worse than a bullwhip. Yeah. And that was one of the things that made me and my dad closer once. I, like, I thought my dad was the meanest person on this planet. I really did. I didn't like my dad, bro. Until I was 23, I didn't like that. And I thought he was so hard on me. But in comparison to what he went through, yeah, he was soft on me. So in his head, he thought he was, and he actually was. But see, people can't register, like, all the slave movies that you think you saw. Slavery wasn't nothing like that. It was 30 times worse than any movie that you ever seen.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And we've never had therapy, Shannon.

[Shannon Sharpe]

No. And that trauma just got passed down through generations.

[Unknown Host]

It did. And so, man, for us to even be here, and you know that from an epigenetic standpoint, bro, we still suffer from what our great great grandparents. The stuff that Jewish people have gone through, Native Americans have gone through, black people have gone through, bro. That stuff, Pat, we still clicking, bro. We still tripping. It's funny. My mom said it. My mom said that she don't want me to drink. She said, cause I was drunk when you were born. She said, so much alcohol in my blood from my family. I don't need to take one drink. Sorry, Mom. I'm good at everything else. But.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Were you a good student? Were you good in school?

[Unknown Host]

Okay, that's a strange question. I'll tell you why. Honestly, I was near a genius growing up.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. You gonna laugh at this, Shannon, but it's the truth. People talk about how smart I am now. I'm just catching up to where I was when I was in kindergarten. I ain't really never had to work hard like this. Ain't shit, shit easy to me, bro. I talk about this all the time. I read on a junior in college level. When I was in the third grade, I could count to a million. When I was in kindergarten, the only reason we had a counting contest, I counted all day. The only reason why I messed up is because everybody else was outside playing and I wanted to go outside and play. So I was like a million and one, a million and two, a million and twelve. Cause I wanted to go outside. Everybody else had already been outside for three, four, five hours, bro. Shannon, this is very personal to me. I think I've only said this in maybe one or two interviews, but when I was young, I used to have anxiety attacks about existing forever. I wasn't scared of the devil. I wasn't scared of good or bad or Dracula or the things other kids were scared of. I was scared of like existing and never cutting off. That still me up. Think about, I don't want to put that on y' all. Maybe that was too heavy for this medium. But like, bro, my mind has always been. And that's why I understand.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you sleep well?

[Unknown Host]

I just started. Not well.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Cause if you don't turn, if you.

[Unknown Host]

Can'T turn your mind off, look at my eyes. You know the answer to that. That's the reason why I understand Wayne. I understand Pac needing to smoke cigarettes, bro. I understand nip like, bro, like. It's impossible not to be angry. It's not a poss. It's impossible to not be afraid.

[Michael Kasson]

I'm Michael Kassin, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Anjali Sud, CEO of Tubi, for a conversation that's anything but ordinary. We dive into the competitive world of streaming. How she's turning so called niche into mainstream gold. Connecting audiences with stories that truly make them feel seen.

[Anjali Sud]

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. It's this idea that there's so many stories out there and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content. The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

[Michael Kasson]

Get a front row seat to where media, marketing, technology, entertainment and sports collide and hear how leaders like Angelique are carving out space and shaking things up a bit. And in the most crowded of markets, listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown Host]

Hey bro, I'm just. I'm gonna say something and I don't wanna put this on your show. Hey bro, I know what they got out for us. I just got back from Columbia from doing stem sale shout out to biox Rampage, the UFC fighter. He hit me to it, bro. To know what they doing to our bodies, bro. To understand that man and to be able to read and spiritually really know God in a way that most black people. I can't even talk to them about it, bro. That's a lonely place to be. That was the reason why I decided when I came on here, bro. I wanted to come as a man of comfort, not judging again, like I told you, I don't agree with everything, bro, but that ain't my place. But what I do know is, bro, some of the things that you've done, bro, it's gonna take generations for people to catch up. But we can't lose you, good or bad, right? The shit. Other shit we can fix off camera, right? Bro, we got to figure out a way, man, to be loving to each other. And we can't ask these kids to stop banging and loving each other if we can't find a common ground to agree. See, one of the things. And I know a lot of Christians gonna get mad at me, but I'm gonna tell you this. Just like Santa Claus don't exist. Sorry, kids. I don't think there's one way to heaven. Really, I don't. God is everything, and they teach us to have fear. Just like I don't believe in the devil. They don't. The devil, you the devil. The reason why they give you something exterior, so you'll never fix you. If you keep blaming on the devil, you gonna fix your black ass. You the problem. Go fix you. If you didn't make the team, the devil didn't do it. You didn't do your reps. You didn't stay in the gym. That ain't the devil. That's you. But they tell you the devil, so you will never fix the devil in your black ass. And if you really believe in God and think that God is omnipotent, how you put anything next to God? If God created the devil, you shouldn't even put the devil in the same conversation. But I know that our people can't. Like, our mothers can't digest that. But that's what I got to sit with, bro, in my mind. That's why my life is so crazy, bro. And me being from the south, it was hard for me to explain. Like, my mind was moving faster than my lips could, right? And I had the Southern draw. I couldn't say the shit as eloquent as them did, but I knew. I knew the truth, bro. And I gotta sit with that shit alone. Shannon. Ugh. Let me get another drink. I'm serious, Right? That ain't easy to deal with.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You say you don't believe in the devil, but in Job. In the book of Job where he's telling the story about Job. Do you not believe that the devil told God to say the reason why Job is so faithful and so loyal and so servant to you like you.

[Unknown Host]

Give him everything, man, My home. My uncle told my cousin, you see that badass bride over there? I know you got a moment, wife, man. But look at that big ass. You need to get on that. Ain't that the same thing? You can have motherfuckers sitting on the side talking shit, but you gotta make the decision. Nobody make you do nothing. If somebody made you do it, then it shouldn't be no hell. That's why I don't believe that things are destined to be. If I'm destined to be a thug ass while I'm going to hell, you predestined that. No, I made a choice. You got two brothers that was raised the same exact way. One end up being a maniac and the other end up being one of the best persons in life. We make a choice. You always have two ways to look at things, bro. And I'm serious, man. That's why I believe what we are going through in America is a choice. I really believe that God wants us to be better. The only way for you to be refined is through pain, bro. You have made it. You don't have to train the way that you train. But you understand there is a direct connection and correlation between pain and freedom, bro. I wake up every morning, people say I'm crazy. I train like I'm a football player, bro. Because I know the freedom that comes along on the other side of that, bro.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Right?

[Unknown Host]

And I understand, bro. If it go down to. If it come down to it, Shannon, I could tell in your eyes, bro, you wouldn't like it. Cause you're a little spoiled now. But if it came back to it with your big ass, bro, you get on the train tracks and beat that railroad to that. Get straight if you gotta eat. Yeah, for sure. You ain't got no problem with it? No, we blessed, bro. We actually free, right? Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You worked at Kroger.

[Unknown Host]

How you. Hold on. How you know that?

[Shannon Sharpe]

You worked at Kroger and selling mixtape. So you like, hey, you know, you put the jars, you put the heavy stuff on the bottom. You put the eggs and the bread on top so they didn't get squashed. And so you.

[Unknown Host]

That's sobered me up a little bit, man. Hold on. Yeah, yeah. You doing some research. All right, Shannon. Shit. Well, let's Go get it then. Damn it.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I'm trying to figure out how you taking the bag to the car and selling mixtapes at the same.

[Unknown Host]

Time.

[Shannon Sharpe]

All right, that's probably.

[Unknown Host]

Let me calm down. All right, Shannon, what's crazy, bro? They could never understand why I didn't wanna. What's. The people that check you out, cashiers. They didn't understand why I wanted to be a cashier, why I didn't want to be a cashier.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Because you couldn't pass your. You couldn't pass your mixtape out.

[Unknown Host]

I was making so much money, dude. I'm telling you, I was killing em, bro. And, bro, that's. Again, man. And I'm talking to these kids to show you how spoiled you get, man. I used to clock. I used to clock in and go home. I was so cocky, bruh. And I had the perfect job, bro. And I knew that they. I understood the hustle. I studied the hustle, and I just slipped up. We had the hustle and slipped up. You feel me? And that's the same thing I did, bro. And I ended up getting fired. And I had the blessing right there for me, bro. I couldn't. Bro, let me tell you, this is something I never said on nobody else's show before, man. Like, I remember my parents got behind on their mortgage, man. And only thing I ever cared about in life is getting a pair of Js, right? I gave me a pair of Js, and I put the rest of it in the bank, bro. And I had enough money, you know, early, bro, without selling dope, without disgracing my family's name, bro, to be able to help my parents get out of peril, financial peril. And, bro, my father being as tough as he, he didn't even want to take it, man. Now that I know and I'm a man, what that put him through to have to take that from his son, bro. But the fact that I was able to do it, man, from music. Come on, man. In Mississippi, Early. Yeah, man. I thank God, man. And I. Shannon, I know that people don't understand me. And I really believe, man.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Do you want people to understand you?

[Unknown Host]

I want them to pay me. I'm serious, Shannon. I want the same thing you get in white folks. I want your money and your attention. I want your flowers. I don't like flowers, Em. I want your money and your attention.

[Shannon Sharpe]

That's it.

[Unknown Host]

Think about this. I asked a group of black people one time if they thought I was the antithesis of Trump, and they told me, yeah, I said, then why don't you take care of me like white folks take care of Trump? The reason why kids don't want to be king is cause you let them kill the last. That's why kids don't want to be upstanding gentlemen. We gotta start paying upstanding gentlemen. So that's one of the reasons why, bro, no bullshit. I'm just give this to you cause I feel comfortable. And I put you in a position of vulnerability. And I have to do the same if I'm a real man, right? Man, the reason why I do most of the stuff that I do. Like, bro, I'mma be honest with you, man. I got a lot of money, bro. But this jury and all this shit, this ain't me. But I know this what these kids like. So if I am a conscious black man. Oh, you can be fly. Oh, you can make money being conscious. Then maybe I consider it. David. Oh, David better drive a Ferrari. Oh, you. I didn't know you. Them two things went together. America has marketed being a revolutionary with death, pain and suffering.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Correct?

[Unknown Host]

I'm changing that, bro. Killer Mike is changing that, bro. TI is changing that, bro. You know what I'm saying? So, like, for me to be in a position, bro. To do that, bro, I'm honored.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Here you talk now. You leave high school, you go to Southern University in Baton Rouge. Was it all. Was it? You don't like the term preordained, but did you always know you wanted to go to an hbcu? What led you to an hbcu?

[Unknown Host]

I never wanted to go to college, okay? My mother. My dad was a country dude. Like I said, he ain't give a fuck about that rap. Shit. Boy, you need to go work in a bank. My dad was not playing. But let me tell you about my dad. I got a $70,000 check from Southwest Distribution in Texas. And my dad saw that check and he looked at me and said, all that noise you be making back in the White House, you get paid that much money? I'm not bullshitting you, Shannon. I'm dead serious. Look at me when I say this. He said, that's what you get from that. My dad. You. And he don't say the word. My daddy say, why you ain't rapping now? Why you ain't outside rapping right now? Get the. I'm a rap. Rap. No, no, he was dead serious. He like rap right now. And what that taught me is that our parents did the best with what they had. And as they learned more, they wanted to, oh, you make that much money playing football, Go, Yes, I want you to go. And they only dealing with what they deal with. You know what I'm saying? Right, but what was the question? I forgot the question.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Hbcu. What led you to an hbcu? You didn't want to go to college?

[Unknown Host]

No, I didn't want to college. I remember, but my mom used to put up her house and shit for talent shows. And again, my mom, like, man, rap wasn't promised, especially people in the south at the time, right? So for my mama to do that, she sat down and she asked me, she said, do you think that your talent is original? And I said, yes, ma' am. She said, well, it'll be original in four years. Then go to college.

[Shannon Sharpe]

She walked into that one. Hey, Dave. She walked in, she knew I was a smart.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, she had to put it in a way. But seriously though, I did it for my mom. And what's crazy was, bro, like, I never studied until. Because I was so smart. Until statistics. And I had a friend named Buds. His name is Aaron. Chicago gang banger. He taught me statistics while smoking weed in his car. And so that was the first time I ever had to study statistics. Just didn't come easily. Everything else came easily for me. For some reason, statistics didn't. But my mom, man, my mom asked me. She was like, billy, this is the only thing that I ask you to do. And I did it for her, man. And Shannon, I ain't lying, bro. I'm so proud because show you how God works. The leader that you see in me, that came from Southern, bro, I have accomplished so much, made millions and millions of dollars. But being SGA president at Southern University. Cause I never believed in politics. I thought politics was some bullshit. And what I end up learning is that power would never invest in poor people unless poor people invest in power. See, what we don't understand in the community that we from is that you have to invest with your money in politics. You gotta buy these politicians. And Shannon, this ain't on you. You stay away from this shit. Let David Banner talk this shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Okay?

[Unknown Host]

Man, these politicians are bald, bro. So unless you buy em the same way these pharmaceutical companies buy em, they ain't gonna never do shit for you. Just like I'm gonna take this opportunity to tell you, I found out, man, most of these lawyers that we invest in, them lawyers work for them same companies. We can't pay our lawyers. But 2, 3, 4, $5,000, them companies give them lawyers hundreds of thousands of dollars and it make us feel like they doing something for us. Them same, like. Yeah. No, I'm serious. They need to hear this. Like, the cool thing about me and the cool thing that we being from the country is that we got to go back to the country and the way that we did, we can deal with that. Most other people would break, right? Like, bro, if I think that's a sellout to me, man. Like, I've been blessed to see things and other people. Shannon, this went really viral, bro. Like, I really believe that not all people. I think some black people don't want to free the slaves. They want their chance to hold a whip. I want to free my people. I'm going to tell you something, brother. It's going to mess your head up. I could be, especially as a Southerner, I could be one of the richest people in Southern rap if I sign artists. Have you ever noticed I never put an artist out?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Really?

[Unknown Host]

Never. You want to know why?

[Shannon Sharpe]

Why?

[Unknown Host]

Because the music game is predicated and built on signing as many artists as you can and throwing up against the wall. I care about people, bro. I don't want to sign nobody if I know I can't help your family this shit up, bro. And it don't matter how talented you are, it's about time. It's about luck, it's about money, it's about opportunity. It's about where the markets are. It's so many things that you cannot control, bro. And I don't wanna do that to people. I'd rather teach you how to fish and you get your own shit. Yeah.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You leave that. So how old were you when you left? I guess you left after college and went to New York. How old were you then? 22, 23.

[Unknown Host]

Around that. My Uncle Swack, you gonna like this story, man. My Uncle Swag, I can't tell you now. Cause I said his name. My Uncle Swack. Let's just say I went to New York. I didn't know that there was a firearm law in New York. I took a pistol to New York with me. That's all. My uncle didn't have money to give me nothing. My mom gave me as much money as she had in her bank account and I moved her to New York homeless. That's why, like, a lot of people think that I'm cocky. But most of these can't tell me nothing about rap. Most of these white folks can't tell me shit about rap, man. I put everything in my life ignorantly. And, bro, I went to New York homeless. I never Been to New York in my life, bro. I slept on the floor and my uncle gave me a pistol. And the day that I realized I didn't need a pistol, the day after that, I was with John Forte. I don't know if y' all know who John Forte is, but we ended up getting shut down by the feds, bro. If I would've had that pistol on one more day, I may still be in prison right now, dawg. That's how I know that God is with me, bro. I've been through so, so, so much, bro. And so like, when people say and do things to me, Shannon, it don't. It don't fade me. I just. What I didn't tell you. What I was trying to tell you earlier though, bro, is I really think I was supposed to been in physics or something, bro. I really think sometimes my talent is being wasted with rap and entertainment, bro. I really think I could do something to help the earth. I really think I'm that type of person. I'm that type of thinker, bro. But we didn't have access to that in the places where we from.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You don't think you helping now by your words and what you're doing platform that you have, you could possibly have.

[Unknown Host]

Asked Bob Marley that. And I'm not saying that I'm Bob Marley. I'm not saying that. Jimi Hendrix, like, bro, I know Malcolm. There's only one person that I met in my life who I think know who they are. Tip Ti is the only person that know who he is. But most of us, Pac didn't know Pac was Pac, right? Nipsey didn't know that Nipsey was Nipsey, bro. And so, man, like, it's cool, but like, bro, I'm serious, bro. I see things in a way that's so clear to me. And I don't even expect humans to understand, man. But like, man, like to not. Like, the difference between me and most entertainers, bro, is I always wanted to be married. I always wanted to have a big family. I'm from the country, bro. But I never, like, if you look at everything in the Bible, everything in the Quran, everything in the Torah, for the most part, it's about what you're willing to sacrifice.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yes, sacrifice is a huge part.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. So sacrifice, not having a family, not having a wife, the loneliness that we go through. And so we drink some of the greatest kayak I've tasted in history. The award winning. Come on, bro. Come here.

[Shannon Sharpe]

13 times.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Talk that shit, dawg. Yeah. See that smile? I got him to smile. As much as that paid for them teeth? We need this to smile again, dawg. Them pearly whites. I know. You first. Show them damn teeth. They used to be crooked, dog.

[Shannon Sharpe]

There was a couple of missing on the side.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, bro, that's all.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Yeah, we got it. You signed a $10 million deal with Universal.

[Unknown Host]

Talk that shit.

[Shannon Sharpe]

What was the. I mean, look, we have a very similar background. You grew up in Mississippi. I grew up in rural South Georgia. Um, man, boy, I just.

[Unknown Host]

Woo.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Man, if I ever. Give me some money, I want a house with running water, indoor plumbing, air conditioning. Ooh, that sure be nice. What's the first thing you got with that money?

[Unknown Host]

All right, so get ready now. You got some. Y' all got some tissue? All right. So I never told this full story before, man. My mom. Imagine becoming conscious in 11th grade and realizing the person that you love the most on this planet, which was my grandmother. Ain't nobody on this earth I love like my grandmother.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I know the feeling, man.

[Unknown Host]

My grandmother, she spent more time with them white folks, raising them white folks so she could feed us shit. Didn't. Shit ain't never said well with me. But what my grandmother did say, and I'm man enough to say it on camera, once I got conscious, I went to my grandma. Like, I don't like that grandma. She said, one thing I can tell you is my white folks show up when I call them. And I'm a great debater, bro. I debated with Congress and won. They literally wiped me off the Internet. Look up David Banner debates Congress and you'll see fuzz. They wiped me off.

[Shannon Sharpe]

I wiped them, bro.

[Unknown Host]

Cause they wasn't expecting a black man who does research. They thought they was gonna get an emotional nigga. And they got a very articulate black man. I out debated Congress about our First Amendment rights. A lot of these rappers don't know. I'm probably the reason why you still can rap. But anyway, my grandmother, man. And, bro, I was able to get that deal. And my grandmother's stubborn, bro. You know how a grandparents are. So my grandmother would go to Chicago every summer. So I prefabricated a house and I tore my grandmother's house down. And I built her because I know she wouldn't move. I built her a brand new house in the same spot.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Wow.

[Unknown Host]

So, like, that was one of the greatest things in my life. And then my grandmother, man, this is very funny. My grandmother, she had a. You know, one of her friends had got out of Mississippi and became a Judge, she was talking to my mom and ended up moving in to be able to take care of her. My mom said, yeah, my grandson bought me a brand new house. And his mama, my maid, bro, that was Shannon. I'm serious, bro. Like, as much as we get into that other shit, bro, don't nothing feel like that, bro. I show my grandmother freedom. You don't, you know, man. And my grandmother died happy and was probably one of the most oppressed people in Mississippi. And she died with a smile on her face. And I got all this money and I ain't happy worth shit. I am now, but you know, I'm just saying, right?

[Shannon Sharpe]

But I think the thing is that, like, what money, what do you do it for when what you did it to achieve this, to get my grandmother out of that situation.

[Unknown Host]

My thing was a little bit different though, Shannon. Like, I'm a revolutionary, bro. I am. I always did it for Mississippi, but.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Revolutionary didn't make no money, Dave.

[Unknown Host]

But the thing is, is that I'm sexier than most of them. What can I do? No, seriously though, Shannon. But like, bro, I think where people get it wrong with God is God give you pain to refine you. I always say this, bro, if God is pushing your face, all God is saying is, son, go this way. So I saw what happened. I just adjust. People get upset with me. Cause I live a great life. It's cause I'm obedient. God gave me the plan. I ain't got to be mad and run my mouth like, Shannon, like, if you notice, bro, most people think this is when you should talk the most. You notice. You don't really hear me no more, right? Because it's happening to us now. We need to be doing something. Like, we need to be doing the work, man. And now I just realized, man, with me being blessed to do movies and television, man, like, I had a conversation with Samuel Jackson, man, it changed my life, bro. We did Fight Night. And I don't know if it still is, but it was the most viewed show in Peacock history, okay? And what people don't understand was that when I first met Samuel L. Jackson, I'm gonna give you the. The abridged story. It's a real personal one, so you gonna have to open up some more. People don't remember that I did Black Steak mom with Samuel L. Jackson, okay? And if y' all remember, that's when Samuel Jackson was telling was mad. Cause rappers. He felt like some rappers were getting jobs over real actors that they didn't deserve, right? And bro, we showed up in Memphis. We were doing the table read in front of everybody, bro. Again, I was a maniac. Samuel L. Jackson said, who's your acting coach? And pointed at me.

[Shannon Sharpe]

You looking around?

[Unknown Host]

I told him, he said, fire em. They suck, bro. So much anger came over me, and I was embarrassed. But something in my spirit said asked him this. I said, sir, if I'm so bad, then would you be my acting coach? Samuel Jackson said, humble rapper, meet me at my house next week. So I met him at his. Well, his apartment, bro. We trained. And then he was like. About a week later, two weeks later, he said, banner, I gotta go to New York now. Shannon, I know your staff may not want to hear this. I done flew to Paris for less, let's say, right? Ain't no way in the hell I'm not gonna be at New York for Samuel Jackson to teach me how to be a better actor. Said, sir, what's the address? He said, you serious, huh? Like, hell yeah. Samuel Jackson, actor, coach, I'm gonna be there.

[Shannon Sharpe]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Samuel Jackson said, you gonna be all right, son, but you ain't gotta come to New York. But you gonna be honest. No, I'm serious. No, serious. When you show up, you better. Hell yeah, you know. And so this story is so great. I don't remember where I was. Where am I? What was the question?

[Shannon Sharpe]

This concludes the first half of my conversation. Part two is also posted and you can access it to whichever podcast platform you just listened to part one on. Just simply go back to Club Shay Shay Profile, and I'll see you there.

[Michael Kasson]

I'm Michael Kasson, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures, and your guide on Good Company, the podcast where I sit down with the boldest innovators shaping what's next. In this episode, I'm joined by Angeli Su, CEO of Tubi. We dive into the competitive world of streaming.

[Anjali Sud]

What others dismiss as niche, we embrace as core. There's so many stories out there, and if you can find a way to curate and help the right person discover the right content. The term that we always hear from our audience is that they feel seen.

[Michael Kasson]

Listen to Good company on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Sarah Spain]

Hi, I'm Sarah Spain, host of Good Game with Sarah Spain and the co author of the new book Runs in the Family, an incredible true story of football, fatherhood and belonging, written with and about Las Vegas Raiders running backs coach D. McCullough. It's the story of a football coach and father of four who sees his life forever changed by the unsealing of his adoption records. And it's got a twist you won't believe. Based on the viral ESPN story I did a few years ago, this book will blow your mind and bring you to tears. By Runs in the Family. Wherever books are sold.

[Unknown Host]

This is an I Heart podcast.