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Sophia Donner
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human
Bubba Sparks
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Bubba Sparks
Amazon Health AI presents Painful Thoughts I I can't stop scratching my downtown. Yeah, but I'm not itching to go
Bowen Yang
downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here
Bubba Sparks
to talk about my downtown. Some things you'd rather type than say out loud. There's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health AI. Chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24.
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7 Health care just got less painful. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI, it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. Work it screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures what's up y'?
Bubba Sparks
All?
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Bubba Sparks
Give me money for cigarettes. I'll never leave your bed. I stay the night and one night be two or three years. The kids are not all right, but that's okay cuz no one here is take me.
Danielle Fishel
Every week I ask my listeners to send in their own stories of embarrassment, hopefully to make us feel better about our own horrific moments. And this week we have a clip from Tommy in a subject you know quite a bit about. So let's play the clip.
Tommy
So I used to rap in high school and there was a crew we beefed with and there was a pep rally and I wasn't the best freestyler and the guy that called me out was a very good freestyler but I couldn't back down so I went up there, I cursed on purpose, so I got disqualified. Then he got to go and he had something written for me and he destroyed me. He straight ripped me and the whole 12th grade was there and I'll never forget it and it doesn't haunt me, but it definitely motivated me to step my game up.
Bubba Sparks
Oh, his first mistake was not having something written himself. I'm not a freestyler. Like I'll never. I would never have been in that scenario. I would have relented two or three steps before it got to that point because I know I'm not a freestyler.
Danielle Fishel
Me neither. I need something written on a page. I. You. You're never going to catch me just off the cuff trying to, trying to rhyme. Never gonna.
Bubba Sparks
Absolutely not.
Danielle Fishel
I can't believe that. His very first thought was, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna curse so I can get disqualified. Quite, quite an approach.
Bubba Sparks
It actually, it has some merit. It has some merit, you know, but yeah, I mean either that or you'd have to, you know, fake a aneurysm or something.
Danielle Fishel
No one ever wants to lose a battle. And obviously it's, it's probably way more in his mind he remembers the entire 12th grade being there.
Tommy
Yeah.
Bubba Sparks
I'm willing to bet the other guy, the other guy, if he brought like sees him at the 20 year reunion or 10 year reunion or whatever, I bet other guys like he's probably like a lawyer now. He's gonna be like, oh yeah, yeah, I did used to rap. Oh, that was.
Danielle Fishel
Yeah, like exactly. No one remembers our stories.
Bubba Sparks
Self obsessed. We're so self obsessed as people. You know, it goes back to what I was saying about. It's all about us. You know, it's like, you know, and that's something too. I was just reading that. It's called something, but it really made a lot of sense to me. As far as you were talking about alcohol being a social lubricant. They were talking about how when you walk into like a public setting, like a social environment, people are so self obsessed, you know, like they're not thinking about you.
Danielle Fishel
Nope.
Bubba Sparks
You know, that. And it's. It's so hard for us to. To operate under that understanding because, you know, my stuff is the most important stuff. Because it's my stuff. It's in my head. That's why it's so much easier for me to tell you how to live your life than it is for me to live mine. You know, because I can imply, I can implore logic on your. On your issues as you tell me about them, but in my head, all my stuff is so, you know, just altered by emotion and just the actual experience I haven't lived. Whatever. And it's like, yeah, it's much tougher, you know, in our own heads.
Danielle Fishel
Well, you said you're not a battler, so I'm assuming you don't have any embarrassing rap battle stories, but do you have any embarrassing performance stories?
Bubba Sparks
Oh, yeah, Yeah. I performed at this thing called the Gathering of the Juggalos.
Danielle Fishel
Oh, yes.
Bubba Sparks
Which is the Insane Clown. Yeah, the Insane Clown Posse. Yeah. I'm not the biggest fan. Not the Insane Clown Posse, just the whole experience because of what happened. So in 2002, I was there direct. This is before the Gathering became like this big thing, like outdoors. It was at the. At a coliseum in Peoria, Illinois. I remember it was the first time they paid me $20,000 to do it. It time I ever made $20,000 for one show. And I was like, yeah, I've made it. Yeah. And. And I was their direct support right before the clowns. Mac 10, the legendary west coast rapper from Inglewood, you know, who was. Was right before me. And he cut his set short, like 20 minutes. So we're backstage, we're just like, you know, they. They come to get you on the golf cart and take you to the stage and all that. We're back there just chilling, and all of a sudden they're like, hey, Max. Max. His set shorts. You need to hurry up and get out there. Nope. See, back then we didn't have Internet. I didn't understand we didn't know anything about the Juggalos. Yeah, we didn't know about Faygo Root Beer. We didn't know that they. Their whole kind of vibe was like, to just be antagonistic and boy, and just, you know, And. And so we end up getting there about 10 minutes later. But before we even come on stage, the crowd is very restless. And I walk out on stage. We ready? We ready. Just come out. And I was start. I still start my show with that, but I took two steps and was hit in the face. A full big gulp. There's 13, 14,000 people there. And I'm like, what the. I start going off. Wrong thing to do, you know, Like, I'm like, I'm doing exactly what they want me to do to keep agitating it. And they started just throwing stuff, like, I mean, fruit cups and shit. It's like me and I had a hype man at the time and a dj. And after I got done with We Ready, I was like. I was like, I know there's some people out there. That Ugly was my only song at the time, my biggest hit man. I was like, I know some people out there want to hear this song. So I'm gonna perform this song and I'm getting the F out of here. And I performed the whole Ugly and. And was by the time I got. I don't even know what some of those fluids that I was soaked in could have been. And I, I. I don't dare to speculate at this point. And. And we get off stage and they're. They're all. They're cheering and they're jeering, you know, like.
Danielle Fishel
Yeah.
Bubba Sparks
And. And I go back there and I just run up on one of these. I'm like, I push him. I'm like, you set us up. I didn't know what was going on.
Danielle Fishel
Right.
Bubba Sparks
Terrifying, to be honest with you. And even the next day at the airport, it was. They were like, we can't control them. I was like, what do you mean you can't control. I just didn't. There was. I had no background information on that whole dynamic. And so I handled it horribly. It was a bad situation. To this day, they had the Gathering Journals. They have a Bubble Sparks Award for the person that gets booed or whatever.
Danielle Fishel
Oh, my gosh. You know what? $20,000. Not worth it.
Bubba Sparks
I was today. It's not back then, it was. But even in the airport the next day, they were still, like. It was still going down. Like, they were still, like, man, it was wild. It was wild.
Danielle Fishel
That is wild. The next day at the airport to still be getting things chucked at you,
Bubba Sparks
still acting like idiots. Yeah. Like, you know, but. But. And then if. If it had been 2012 or later, like, where, you know, I would have been prepared. You know, it's so much easier to access all kind of information, you know, with. On your phone, on the Internet at this time. And that just wasn't as commonplace back then. But, yeah, it really does. I don't harbor any ill will towards it. You know, like I said, it's been 24 years ago now, but. But yeah, that's. That was an embarrassing show story. So. To the person that sent the. About Tommy. Magic Tommy. My boy Tommy, you know. Yeah, it's not always bad. As bad as it can always be worse.
Danielle Fishel
That's exactly right.
Bubba Sparks
Foreign.
Danielle Fishel
I know most people are surprised to learn what OCD really is because pop culture has spread the idea that it's just about being super neat and organized. But that's not accurate at all. My husband has ocd and I can tell you it is so much more than that. Real OCD is a serious condition where you get unwanted, distressing thoughts called intrusive thoughts. They're stuck on repeat in your mind, often focusing on people or things we care about, like relationships, identity, or character, making them hard to ignore. And then you feel driven to do certain behaviors called compulsions to try to make the anxiety stop. This obsession and undying desire to make it go away can completely derail you for decades. Jensen ruined his own life and the happiness of those around him purely because he couldn't make the repeated worry go away. But he'd eventually learn it doesn't have to be that way, because OCD is one of the most treatable mental health conditions. Once you get the right kind of specialized therapy. OCD needs ERP therapy. That's exposure and response prevention, which is proven to be the most effective treatment. Regular talk therapy isn't recommended and can actually make OCD worse. NOCD is the world's leading OCD treatment provider and all of their licensed Therapists specialize in ERV therapy with no CD is 100% virtual, covered by insurance for over 138 million Americans and includes support between sessions so you never have to face OCD alone. To learn more about starting OCD therapy with no CD, go to nocd.com and book a free call with their team. That's no c d.com Amazon Health AI
Bubba Sparks
presents Painful Thoughts I. I can't stop scratching my downtown. Mm, yeah, but I'm not itching to go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown. Some things you'd rather type than say out loud. There's no question too embarrassing For Amazon Health AI chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24.
Commercial Announcer
7 Healthcare just got less painful. Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc, SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures this
Bowen Yang
is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel imposs. That's why Premier Protein Shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions, it's just for life. With the wide variety of flavors from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. There's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retail.
Danielle Fishel
On a happier note, who was your favorite act to perform with?
Bubba Sparks
You mean to Perform, like on stage or you mean like in, like in the studio?
Danielle Fishel
Oh, you could tell me either one.
Bubba Sparks
I love performing with Yin Yang. Anytime we're together, we do miss new Booty together. And it's. It's. Man, it's a great time. I love them guys so much. They are just the best energy. I don't know how. They're just always happy. I mean, they just. They're just the most turned dudes and just the most positive dudes, man. You know, I just. I love them guys and we have a blast every time we perform.
Danielle Fishel
You have really been surrounded by some. Some hip hop royalty, Outkast, Goody Mob, ugk. The list goes on and on.
Bubba Sparks
Yeah, I just. I just did a song with. We were just in Houston and we shot a video to a new song. Me and my boy Dusty and. And Bun B. It was good to see Bond. I got to try out Trill Burgers, which is fantastic. If you ever in Houston, I'm like, it's not a marketing ploy. I'm telling you. Those burgers are incredible.
Danielle Fishel
I was just there. I wish I had gone. I was just down in Houston. I gotta go back.
Bubba Sparks
Next time you go, you have to go to Trill Burgers for sure.
Danielle Fishel
Okay, I will check that out. Who, of everybody you have been able to work with and spend time with, who is the most surreal for you to meet?
Bubba Sparks
Eminem. Yeah, was the most surreal to me. That's the only time I probably ever been starstruck. And I mean, I've been around Jay Z multiple times. It was at the Anger Management tour when it came to Atlanta. And yeah, I knew. I kind of knew I was gonna meet him. But like, we're backstage and Andre 3000t out, you know, like who's who in Atlanta at the time. But Bizarre came and got me. He wanted to meet me first. And first of all, you walk through like two layers of presidential security, like with the earbuds. And you know, because it was at the height of their. Of their beef with Murder Inc. And Ja Rule and all those guys, because he had just. So 50 cent was on that tour. So it peak 50 cent time, but it was always peak Eminem time, you know, and. And I walk in and he's playing. And I know he was playing it because he wanted me to hear it, but he's playing the. The remake of Hail Mary that he did of Tupac's Hail Mary where he was dissing Ja Rule, and. And he's playing it, you know, like, wow, that's hard. And he. He paid me the highest compliment. It took me actually a couple of days to really digest it and really, like, translate it to my spirit. He was like, he said, if. I don't know if you would have ever made it if it. If. If there had never been a me, but you deserve to, whether there was ever a me or not. And basically what he was referencing was, after him, there was like gold rush of people trying to sign white rappers, right? And he was basically saying, like, that he didn't know if. If I would have, but I deserved to be who I was, whether there had ever, ever been a him or not. And yeah, it took me a. Probably a day or two to really grasp that fully, but he was paying me a tremendous compliment.
Danielle Fishel
That is a tremendous compliment and a well deserved one.
Bubba Sparks
Thank you. Thank you. Danielle, it's your birthday, so you gotta be right.
Danielle Fishel
That's right. Thank you so much. You are notably thinner than the ugly days. You're physically fit. Obviously, fitness is a big part of your life now. Do you ever have to convince people that you are Bubba Sparks?
Bubba Sparks
No, because it's so liberating. It's not like I'm walking around. Yeah. People will be like, that's Bubba Sparks. Why didn't you tell me? Like, what do you mean? Like, think how ridiculous that assertion is. Like, hey, hey, how you doing? I'm Bubba Sparks. It's not even my name. That's not even what I, like, go by, like, out, you know, in my regular life these days. So it's like, yeah, I, I do, I do. But, like, I'm not trying to run towards celebrity and fame at this point anyway, so. So it's cool.
Danielle Fishel
Well, Bubba, thank you again so much for spending your time with me. This was a really big treat for me to have you here. And outside of making a ton of bangers, you are also an inspiration for those who are looking to get help and start their road to recovery. And you've got some live show coming up this summer, so if you wanna stay up to date with Bubba Sparks and all his new music, follow him on Instagram. Bubba Mathis. Where can people see you this summer?
Bubba Sparks
I mean, I got like 25 shows booked. I know that. I got shows in Cincinnati and Albuquerque. I got a bunch of shows, but I kind of just. I know I got to be in San Antonio this weekend, so I kind of wanted a time and I kind of just.
Danielle Fishel
Listen, I. I feel you on that. I. If I look too, too far ahead into the calendar, it's a little overwhelming. I just need to know. Yep, day at a time, week at a time. Listen, I want to come to one of your shows. So I'm gonna look up, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna follow you on Instagram and I am going to see where you're gonna be and Jensen and I are gonna come see you.
Bubba Sparks
Hey, you. You know my boy Jensen. He's, he's welcome and encouraged. Y' all are encouraged to come anytime.
Danielle Fishel
Okay? Thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure talking to you. I really appreciate your time.
Bubba Sparks
Thank you so much, Danielle. Thanks for having me on.
Danielle Fishel
Thank you. Bye.
Bubba Sparks
Bye, bye.
Danielle Fishel
Teen Beat is an I heart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fishel, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tara Sudbaksh. The theme song is by Mark Hoppus. Yes, that Mark Hoppus. Follow us on Instagram teenbeatpod.
Bowen Yang
This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160 calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness. It's for getting after life. The 30 grams of protein gives you the fuel you need. It's not just for intense gym sessions. It's just for life. With the wide variety of flavors from cafe latte to cake batter, it never feels boring. There's a flavor for everyone. I personally love the peaches and cream, but maybe you're a root beer floater cinnamon roll kind of person. Premier Protein powers me to say yes to more. Find favorite flavor@premier protein.com that's P R E M I E R protein.com or at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers.
Sophia Donner
This is Sophia Donner from OK Storytime this summer. Find your next obsession on Prime Video and listen. We're not saying you need another obsession, but there could be a lot worse ones. Steamy romance, addictive love stories. And the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. So why not watch them a third time off campus. L the Love hypothesis and more. Slow burn Second chance chemistry you can feel through the screen and it makes you wish you were actually in that movie. We've got binge worthy series. Can't miss movies. Perfect for when you're ignoring your own problems or procrastinating as one does. Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime.
Bubba Sparks
Eminem's popped caramel do sound different. Oh, no. People are gonna be obsessed. What do you mean? People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch. Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute. Yellow. Have you been eating them this whole time? Mmm. So tasty. Hands off us.
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Bubba Sparks
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Sophia Donner
This is an iHeart podcast.
Bubba Sparks
Guaranteed Human.
Episode: More Time With: Bubba Sparxxx
Date: May 22, 2026
Host: Danielle Fishel
Guest: Bubba Sparxxx (rapper Bubba Mathis)
This episode of Teen Beat features Danielle Fishel in conversation with Bubba Sparxxx (Bubba Mathis), the Southern rapper known for hits like "Ugly" and "Ms. New Booty." The conversational and humorous tone gives listeners an inside look at Bubba’s most embarrassing moments, reflections on fame, hip hop collaborations, and his evolution—both personally and musically. The episode centers on themes of vulnerability, growth, nostalgia, and the realities of stardom.
Favorite Artists to Perform With [15:59]:
Collaboration Highlights [16:38]:
Most Surreal Moment: Meeting Eminem [17:27]:
Physical Transformation & Fame [19:37]:
Current Life and Staying Grounded [20:59]:
On Embarrassment and Perspective:
"We’re so self-obsessed as people…it’s all about us…they’re not thinking about you."
— Bubba Sparxxx, 05:27
On Performing at the Gathering of the Juggalos:
“I don’t even know what some of those fluids that I was soaked in could have been...I don’t dare to speculate.”
— Bubba Sparxxx, 09:24
On Audience Hostility:
“That was an embarrassing show story. So, to the person that sent the...about Tommy...yeah, as bad as it can be, it can always be worse.”
— Bubba Sparxxx, 11:20
On Collaborating with Hip Hop Greats:
"They’re just always happy…just the most turned dudes and just the most positive dudes, man.”
— Bubba Sparxxx, 16:08 (about Yin Yang Twins)
On Eminem’s Compliment:
“You deserve to [succeed], whether there was ever a me or not.”
— Eminem to Bubba Sparxxx, recalled at 18:12
Throughout the conversation, Danielle Fishel brings her trademark warm, authentic, and slightly self-deprecating style, while Bubba Sparxxx is candid, reflective, and often funny—offering both humility and insight into his unique journey through the music industry.
More Time With: Bubba Sparxxx is a funny, honest, and engaging episode that digs into the awkward, the legendary, and the transformative—from teenage rap battles to surreal moments with Eminem and downright disastrous festivals. Bubba’s willingness to laugh at himself, alongside Danielle’s empathetic hosting, creates a nostalgic and uplifting listen for anyone who’s learned to embrace their past embarrassments.
To stay up on Bubba Sparxxx’s upcoming shows and music, follow him on Instagram: @bubbamathis (20:59).