← Digital Social Hour
Digital Social Hour
From $36 Outfit to Empire: An Immigrant's Success Blueprint | Michael Blackson DSH #1000
00:16:54
From $36 outfit to building an empire! 🚀 Michael Blackson shares his incredible immigrant success story on the Digital Social Hour. 🌟
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- [00:01]
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- [00:28]
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- [01:00]
Michael Blackson
And they just looked at me. They said, damn, you black. I said, of course we are black. He said, no, you black as hell, yo. One other kid told me I look like I have no bright ideas. He said, the difference between me and midnight is 11:59.
- [01:14]
Host
Oh, my God.
- [01:15]
Michael Blackson
He said, when God said, let there be light, I was out of town.
- [01:23]
Host
All right, guys. Michael Black, son here today. What happened to you, man?
- [01:26]
Michael Blackson
Man, you know what? Man, you know, first, I'm on a nice, easy table with a bunch of amateurs that had no damn clue what they were doing. I was doing very well. I was rich, had about 200,000, a little over 200,000, and decided to put me on a big table with Adrian Peterson, a bunch of other guys. And it's just. That's when things went downhill from there, man. When I got Adrian Peterson had like half a million, maybe more. Maybe. Maybe a million dollar. I'm not sure what the mother. Whatever. He had a lot more than me, so he had room to play around.
- [02:01]
Host
He started bullying.
- [02:02]
Michael Blackson
He started bullying, man, you know, and then I came up there with about 187, to be exact. Then we're 187. Yeah, I had about 187. And it just. I never had a good hand. I never had a good hand. And I tried a couple of times. One time I folded a 7 6, and I could have won, you know, and that's why usually I play almost every hand. And when I was coming, my good friend like Mike don't play, only play the good hands. The Good hands don't always win. Facts, you know, you got to take a risk. If I would have took a risk, I would have probably been still playing right now.
- [02:36]
Host
Yeah, you got to play aggressive sometimes.
- [02:37]
Michael Blackson
Got to play aggressive with nothing. And you know, and then also, I mean, I went all in with a ace and a queen of spade at the beginning of the, you know, Adrian Peterson won't he, he had a five and two fives came out.
- [02:50]
Host
Oh, trip fives, that's nasty.
- [02:53]
Michael Blackson
When I and I started off with the A's and queens.
- [02:56]
Host
Damn, you're right though. You gotta take risks. That goes for life too.
- [02:58]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Gotta take a risk.
- [03:00]
Host
You're not where you're at without taking some big risks.
- [03:02]
Michael Blackson
Hell no, man, it's all good. You know, at the end of the day, I had a good time, I had fun. I mean, I wore. Look at this jacket, man. Dripped out, you know, I think I end up like, you know, like 30 something out of 80 something. I don't know, whatever it was.
- [03:14]
Host
But you're number one in outfits though.
- [03:15]
Michael Blackson
I am number one outfit. That's all that matters, man. I'm the best dresser. Everybody here look, I mean everybody like they, they half homeless. I mean, I'm not sure where these guys shop in what hamper they shop at, but they have no style. I mean, no sense of style. They just always a horrible dressing one always win the money. But you know, it's all good. I, I came here and this, this is actually still alive.
- [03:42]
Host
Is that real fur?
- [03:43]
Michael Blackson
This jacket is still alive.
- [03:44]
Host
Wow.
- [03:44]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's cheaper when you buy them alive in my village.
- [03:47]
Host
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You got that from a village.
- [03:50]
Michael Blackson
It's still alive, man. This jacket will bite the of you right here.
- [03:55]
Host
Let's go. You got to walk New York Fashion Week next year.
- [03:58]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, I would love to, man. You know, I'm definitely going to try the Milan one in June. I'm definitely going to Italy and going to Milan Fashion Week. I'm looking forward to that. I'm into clothing, man. You know, when I was a kid, when I came to America as a teenager, didn't know how to dress. Kids clowned me every day, man.
- [04:18]
Host
Damn.
- [04:18]
Michael Blackson
You know, I had like America, you know, very materialistic here. And you know, as a kid coming from Africa, we just cared about our outfit being new. We didn't care whether it was Nike, Adidas, Puma. We just cared it was new when I was a kid. And you know, I remember my first day of school, my mother bought me some sneakers the sneakers was called In Action, right? It was like $10. She bought it like in a, in a grocery store. And it was, it was in Jersey. It's called Path Mark. I don't know if you heard of Path Mark. That's way before your time. Jersey, Pathmore is a grocery store. So she bought my sneakers in a grocery store, like right next to chicken. Like, like I have chicken flavored sneakers I had to wear to school. So I go to school, but I didn't care because it was brand new. You know, I go to school, I'm like, oh, I got brand new sneakers. My sneakers in Action. I had like a button up shirt, cost of like 5.99. Some church pants that was like 9.99. My whole outfit was about the same price as the drink. I just had like $36.
- [05:19]
Host
Damn.
- [05:21]
Michael Blackson
But I didn't care. It was brand new. My first day of school in America, I said, okay, I'm about to go to school. I'm about to all my haters. Cause I got on brand new clothes. I get there, the kids like, what the hell are you wearing? I said, what you mean? I say, they say, it's not Nike, it's not Adidas, not Puma. I said, it's brand new. Nobody's ever worn this. They lit my ass up. So I said to myself, whenever I'm able to make some money, I'm gonna wear the best clothes.
- [05:49]
Host
Let's go. Look at what you're wearing now.
- [05:50]
Michael Blackson
I'm clothes that nobody. I've. Nobody in here is better have this on. If I catch anybody with a jacket on, I'm going to throw this away, okay?
- [05:58]
Host
And so those, those were the kids in Philly.
- [06:00]
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- [07:24]
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- [07:52]
Michael Blackson
No, that was North Jersey.
- [07:53]
Host
Oh, North Jersey.
- [07:54]
Michael Blackson
By the time I got to Philly, I always spent my three years in Jersey. By the time I got to Philly, I already knew what it took to fit in. I knew already. So when I got to Philly, I got a job at Domino's Pizza. I was delivering pieces on a bike at like 16 years old. Making a little $30 here every day during the summertime and then saved up all my money September. Went shop for some nice decent clothes and then I went to school and it started looking good.
- [08:19]
Host
Damn humble beginnings, man.
- [08:21]
Michael Blackson
Came a long way, man. Wow.
- [08:23]
Host
I didn't know you. You grew up in Jersey though.
- [08:25]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, yeah. My first three years was in Newark, New Jersey. Then I moved to Philly. Philly's where I was raised. The rest of the time, okay. I got to Philly like 15 and a half years old. 16 years old and I pretty much.
- [08:35]
Host
Grew up there, started run the stuff.
- [08:36]
Michael Blackson
And I started doing comedy about five years later. 21 years old, I started doing stand up.
- [08:42]
Host
Yeah. Who were your mentors early on?
- [08:44]
Michael Blackson
Who's my guy? Eddie. I mean Eddie Murphy was my, you know, he was one of my favorites when I first started. You know, I miss, I kind of almost missed the Richard Pryor era when I came to America. But Eddie was a man. I mean I watched like raw, delirious and then, you know, and then we want fast forward to like 28 years later, I'm doing a movie with this guy.
- [09:04]
Host
Wow.
- [09:04]
Michael Blackson
You know, I mean, circle full Circle, man. Amazing. So, yeah, man.
- [09:09]
Host
You ever look back like. Damn. Like.
- [09:11]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, I look back all the time, man. Like I came from. From what I came from to where I am right now. It's, you know, it's amazing, man.
- [09:17]
Host
Yeah, because you grew up in Ghana, right?
- [09:19]
Michael Blackson
Yeah. Yeah. Well, Liberia. Liberia is where Ghana was birthed. Liberia was where I was raised. And then I came. Spent. Actually spent about three years in Nigeria as well as a kid, you know, pretty much West Africa. And then I came to the States in my teens and then. And stand up was. I guess that's what. Because I was a shy kid. I was very shy as a kid, man. I didn't.
- [09:42]
Host
Why were you shy?
- [09:43]
Michael Blackson
I don't know, because the kid, you know, I was in a very different place. You know, American kids could be very mean. Very mean, very mean. You know, a lot of things I didn't know about myself till I got to America, you know, like, you know, let's say Africa, for instance, you know, Africa, we have all different complexion of black people. You have darker black, you have brown, you have light, you have everything. In Africa, we never saw colors.
- [10:07]
Host
No white people.
- [10:08]
Michael Blackson
Well, I mean, there's some white. We knew the white people were white, I mean, but the blacks, we just never saw different colors in the black. When I came to America is when I found out that I'm dark skinned. I had no idea I was dark skinned till I got here.
- [10:22]
Host
That's crazy.
- [10:24]
Michael Blackson
I'm playing with the kids, you know, and American kids in the hood could be real mean. I'm playing with the kids and they just looked at me. They said, damn, you black. I said, of course we are black. He said, no, you black as hell, yo. I said, what you mean? One kid told me I look like I was baptized on a skillet. Damn, that's like a frying pan fucking. One other kid told me I look like I have no bright ideas. He said, the difference between me and midnight is 11:59.
- [10:53]
Host
Oh, my God.
- [10:54]
Michael Blackson
He said, when God said let there be light, I was out of town. They told me every time I wear a wife beater, I look like a skunk.
- [11:04]
Host
Jeez.
- [11:06]
Michael Blackson
One kid told me Stevie Wonder sees me every day. That's dark as hell, man. Bruh, Stevie Wonder don't see. I'm tell you right now is blind.
- [11:14]
Host
This kid ruthless, man.
- [11:15]
Michael Blackson
They were mean. So I took everything them kids said about me and I took it to the stage now, and now I'm rich. Thank you.
- [11:22]
Host
You ever hit them up when you became successful?
- [11:25]
Michael Blackson
They probably are in jail or somewhere smoking, who knows where they are.
- [11:29]
Host
That's the best way to win, though. Prove them with success, you know.
- [11:33]
Michael Blackson
Yes. You know what? I was. Oh, yeah, Trump. I was rooting for the guy, his few reasons why I was rooting for Trump. I like to see somebody like this. I mean, that just shows you the American dream, how you could be. I mean, most of the politicians are all. They all came from like all were senators and governor and this and that. Trump was a businessman that had no idea about presidency and then he won 2016, became president. The guy that, with no experience. And the funny thing about Trump is, you know, when he went in office 2016, he had no idea that he was supposed to like hire like 4,000 people. He had no clue. Crazy, you know, I mean, that's just crazy. That's a great. That's what make the this country so great. You come from nothing or have no idea on something and then you could be the whole leader of the free, free world. You know, of course the economy was bad. It's coming very bad. That's why we needed a change, you know, And I mean, it was just great to see they are living on his past. He did this, he did grab this, he grabbed. That was 30 years ago, you know, now, you know, the day he went to office. I mean, day he won. What happened? Stocks went up, everything. Crypto went up, Everything went up. You know, I wish I would have put some money on freaking Tesla the night before. I would have been rich right now. Oh, you know, but yeah, guys, if.
- [12:56]
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- [13:24]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, yeah. I like to see the underdogs win it up. I'm also very religious, you know, and we just. I just want America to be normal again.
- [13:36]
Host
Yeah. You know, speaking of religion, there's a. There's a bet on polymarket. What will Trump say during his inauguration speech? And one of them is God.
- [13:44]
Michael Blackson
Is that was that is on a poly.
- [13:46]
Host
Polymarga. Yeah. So do you think he'll say God during his inauguration speech when he say God? Yeah, I think he would 56 chance.
- [13:57]
Michael Blackson
That he would say, God, that's the.
- [13:59]
Host
Betting market right now.
- [13:59]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, I mean, I'm sure make America great again is probably 100.
- [14:03]
Host
Yeah. McDonald's is on here. Crypto dogecoin, Kamala Rig illegal immigrants is at 52%. Border five plus times is at 35%. We'll see what he says.
- [14:18]
Michael Blackson
Man, I'm gonna try to make it to the inauguration, man.
- [14:22]
Host
It's gonna be a big event.
- [14:23]
Michael Blackson
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm excited. I'm just excited about, you know, sometimes when things are not great, you need to change. Yeah, that's with any country that's anywhere, you know, and he was an underdog to me. Meaning, like, you know, he came from where he came from. I like to see underdogs.
- [14:38]
Host
Absolutely. Shout out to Trump. Yeah, dude, what's next for you and where can people keep up with you?
- [14:45]
Michael Blackson
What's next? I currently have a TV show. It's a pilot, four episode pilot on bet. Plus it's called the Michael Blackson Show. I'm on tour as well. Recently, when I built a free school in my village, I went back and gave back.
- [14:57]
Host
Nice.
- [14:58]
Michael Blackson
Yeah. The school is called Michael Blackson Academy. So everybody want to donate a dollar and help, you know, put a kid in school. My foundation, michaelblacksonfoundation.org you can follow me on Instagram, my Instagram, my IG is @michael Blackson. For those who went to a public school, it's M I C H A E L B L A C K S O N. That's my Instagram, Facebook, my Twitter, Christian mingle. Where black people meet, where white people meet and where you meet my. Just hit me any one of those.
- [15:33]
Host
Let's go. Boom. Thanks for coming on, man.
- [15:36]
Michael Blackson
Anytime, man.