From Viral Dunks to 60M Views: YPK Raye's Content Empire| YPK Raye DSH #974

Summary

Digital Social Hour Episode #974: From Viral Dunks to 60M Views – YPK Raye's Content Empire

Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: YPK Raye
Release Date: December 12, 2024

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Introduction

In episode #974 of the Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly sits down with YPK Raye, a dynamic entrepreneur and content creator who has built an impressive digital empire. With over 60 million views monthly across various platforms, YPK Raye shares his journey, strategies, and insights into navigating the fast-paced world of digital content and social media.

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Building a Massive Content Empire

YPK Raye delves into his approach to content creation, emphasizing the importance of virality and consistent engagement. Highlighting his current reach, he states:

"YouTube. Probably like 60. Something million. Like over. Probably over 50 million on every platform."
[04:50]

This staggering view count showcases his ability to capture and retain a massive audience. YPK attributes his success to staying ahead of trends and continuously seeking new ways to engage his audience.

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Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

A significant portion of YPK's success lies in his strategic collaborations. He recounts his experience at Complex Con, where he leveraged his social media influence to secure exclusive deals:

"I'm just working, seeing if, you know, I'll give you a shout out on my Instagram. Da, da, da. And it was just gone for it."
[05:58]

By offering shout-outs, YPK was able to receive high-value merchandise without the hefty price tag, demonstrating the power of influencer partnerships in the digital age.

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Integrating Sports with Content Creation

YPK Raye's background in basketball plays a crucial role in his content strategy. He discusses how his athletic pursuits and content creation synergize:

"So, I'm just trying to look for new ways to stay trending. For the most part."
[29:32]

His participation in events like the Creator Cup and slam ball tournaments not only showcases his athleticism but also provides engaging content that resonates with his audience.

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Overcoming Challenges and Adapting to Trends

Maintaining relevance in the ever-evolving digital landscape poses its challenges. YPK emphasizes the necessity of adaptability:

"Anybody could go viral. Anybody that I can possibly imagine had told me, you know, because you talk, you know, you talk to people online. They're like, yeah, I went viral for this. I went viral for that. I'm like, it's easy to go viral."
[29:24]

However, he acknowledges that sustaining this virality requires constant innovation and a keen understanding of audience preferences.

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Future Endeavors and Expansion

Looking ahead, YPK Raye shares his aspirations to expand his brand beyond digital content. He is working on launching a hooping line of clothes and developing new programs to capitalize on his peak popularity periods. Reflecting on missed opportunities, he notes:

"I'm mad I didn't come out with the program then, you know, because that could have made me some more money than now, you know?"
[26:21]

This realization drives his current efforts to diversify his offerings and maximize his brand's potential.

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Insights on the NBA and Basketball Culture

The conversation extends into YPK's perspectives on the NBA and basketball culture. He discusses the evolution of the game, the increasing emphasis on three-point shooting, and the athleticism of modern players:

"But I feel like if I'm six, six and keep all of my abilities, I feel like easily I could in the right situation."
[14:51]

YPK's insights highlight his deep understanding of the sport, which he effectively integrates into his content strategy.

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Notable Quotes

• On Virality:

  "Anybody could go viral. Anybody that I can possibly imagine had told me, you know, because you talk, you know, you talk to people online. They're like, yeah, I went viral for this. I went viral for that. I'm like, it's easy to go viral."
  [29:24]

• On Collaborations:

  "I'm just working, seeing if, you know, I'll give you a shout out on my Instagram. Da, da, da. And it was just gone for it."
  [05:58]

• On Future Plans:

  "I just want another NBA collab. Because I got two NBA collabs right now. One for a block the first year, and I think something last year."
  [32:35]

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Conclusion

YPK Raye's episode on the Digital Social Hour offers a comprehensive look into building and sustaining a digital content empire. From leveraging strategic partnerships to integrating personal passions like basketball into his content, YPK provides actionable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and content creators. His candid reflections on challenges and future aspirations make this episode a valuable resource for anyone looking to thrive in the digital landscape.

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Where to Find YPK Raye:
Follow YPK Raye across all major social media platforms to stay updated on his latest content, collaborations, and projects.

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from episode #974 of the Digital Social Hour, providing a detailed overview for those who haven't tuned in.

Transcript

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[Ypk Ray]

Safety info found @freestylelibre us. I saw this viral clip of Shaq and I think it was Angel Reese. Do you think the rim should be lowered?

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, it's up to them, but I also do think that tendencies do play a part. Just because the rim is lower doesn't mean that they're gonna have tendencies to still wanna go up and dunk everywhere. I play like that on a 10 foot rim for a girl who doesn't really go up like they want to dunk at all anyways. I don't think lowering the rims to nine feet, nine and a half feet is going to make them want to dunk. Everything.

[Ypk Ray]

All right, guys? Ypk Ray is back. Been almost two years, man. Sure. How you been?

[Guest Speaker]

Good. How are you?

[Ypk Ray]

Good, man. You've been liking Vegas since we last talked.

[Guest Speaker]

Loving it. Loving. I just moved out here. When?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, literally a month before you came on the first time, I think.

[Guest Speaker]

Wow.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. You said you didn't start pooping yet, but now you've got a good feel of Vegas, right?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes, definitely. For sure. Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

You've been running. You play every day, huh?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I've been hooping at unlv. I've been in school, so.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

That's cool.

[Ypk Ray]

It's good. Runs Great. Okay. NBA's cups coming up, right? You're playing in the Creator cup next week. What are your predictions for that?

[Guest Speaker]

Another dub. It's going to be the third one, I believe. Yeah, it's going to be the third one. They did one for the in season tournament last year, then summer league now.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. And you won the previous two?

[Guest Speaker]

No, I won the first one and lost the last one.

[Ypk Ray]

Ooh.

[Guest Speaker]

So I'm on, like, a revenge tour right now.

[Ypk Ray]

All right, all right. You a captain? How does it work? Picking teams?

[Guest Speaker]

No, there's just two coaches. Who is it this year? Professor and Lethal Shooter.

[Ypk Ray]

O, I think.

[Guest Speaker]

Are the coaches okay?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, they're not playing, they're coaching.

[Guest Speaker]

N. Damn.

[Ypk Ray]

Lethal Shooters videos are insane.

[Guest Speaker]

Insane right now.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, my gosh. He's popping off.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. I thought he already blew up, but then he just blew up even more from. All of. It's insane.

[Ypk Ray]

I mean, dude, is he the best shooter you've ever seen?

[Guest Speaker]

Definitely. For sure.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel like he could. Oh, no. He got asked if he could play in the league, but he said he would score, like, six points a game or something.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I think there's something that keeps him from playing. Some type of injury or something like that, though. That's what I. That's. I think, why he doesn't play anymore. Yeah, but I wouldn't even want to play if I was him.

[Ypk Ray]

Why?

[Guest Speaker]

Because, like, he has this, like. I don't even know what to call it, but, like, the stigma that he doesn't miss. Yeah, but in a real game, obviously, everybody misses, so it's like. I feel like if he plays in the game, he can't miss.

[Ypk Ray]

That's facts, because some people are wet pregame, and then they. They just fumble. Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

I feel like he'll have a great warmup, but then, like, once he misses in the game. Now that just looks crazy on him.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Like, to uphold this image, he just can't play. I wouldn't even shoot a ball in the gym with too many people.

[Ypk Ray]

Facts. Yeah. You saw when Klay Thompson started missing, he started getting a lot of heat.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ypk Ray]

He had some bad games. And he's on the Mavs now, though. How do you think the Mavs will do this year?

[Guest Speaker]

I'm a big Mavs fan, but they seem to play decent. They seem to incorporate him well in the system. I watched. I think I watched one game of the Mavs. Yeah?

[Ypk Ray]

Who'd they play?

[Guest Speaker]

I don't even remember, to be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

I mean, they're decent, but I don't know. They got a lot of pieces. Kyrie, Luca, a lot of ball. I like. I like Cuban, but he just sold his equity, so what does that mean? I like Mark Cuban, but he sold his equity in the Mavericks.

[Guest Speaker]

Oh, so he's not an owner no more.

[Ypk Ray]

He might have a little piece left, but he made a bag.

[Guest Speaker]

Wow.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Three billion or something. Imagine owning an NBA team.

[Guest Speaker]

Exactly right. Even partially anything. Anything in there.

[Ypk Ray]

Would you consider owning a WNBA team? A little piece of one?

[Guest Speaker]

I would do. I would own anything.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Somebody give me a good deal on our owning. For sure.

[Ypk Ray]

All right.

[Guest Speaker]

Definitely.

[Ypk Ray]

Is that a goal of yours one day?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. But I feel like I want to find a way to finesse it so that I don't have to buy it. You know what I'm saying? I want somebody to just be like, you know what? In exchange for this service, whatever. We'll give you a percentage of this team or that. Whatever.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, I mean, you're in that spot now. How many views are you getting a month right now?

[Guest Speaker]

Oof. YouTube. Probably like 60. Something million.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn.

[Guest Speaker]

Like over. Probably over 50 million on every platform.

[Ypk Ray]

Holy crap. That's insane. That's a lot of value to, like, a company, though.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. So I feel like I try to use that to my advantage whenever I'm, you know, inquiring. Anything.

[Ypk Ray]

100%. No, I do the same thing. I don't like paying for tickets these days.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

I'd rather just say, yo, I'll, like, shout you out, you know, for sure.

[Guest Speaker]

I went to, what was it? Complex Con. Yeah. Weeks ago. And the first day I probably spent 600. And then I'm just walking around like, oh, my. My goodness. And then I seen this guy that I know. He's walking with a big wagon full of stuff. I'm like, yo, how about you? Like, he's like, I didn't pay for anything. He's like, I'm just showing them my Instagram and giving me stuff. And I'm like, what? Yeah, I probably spent like a hundred dollars, bro. And I walked out with, like, two big bags full of stuff. That's all I had to do.

[Ypk Ray]

I should have did that. I was there.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

I didn't get shit.

[Guest Speaker]

Oh, yeah, you should have did that for sure. I'm like, hey, I'm just working, seeing if, you know, I'll give you a shout out on my Instagram. Da, da, da. And it was just gone for it.

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[Guest Speaker]

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[Ypk Ray]

Let us install.

[Guest Speaker]

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[Ypk Ray]

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[Guest Speaker]

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[Ypk Ray]

I'm gonna start doing that. That's actually so smart because if you shout them out, most likely someone's gonna like check them out and maybe buy.

[Guest Speaker]

Something, you know, something. I mean most, most brands, they don't. But the only things that I did have to pay for is stuff that's like 101. There was a few people that were selling pieces that they really like. They only have three pieces in the whole store. So like, you know, pretty.

[Ypk Ray]

That makes sense. The lines there were crazy.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, Insane.

[Ypk Ray]

Even to get food was like an hour wait to get food. That was. That was the first time I've been to Complex Con.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, me too. I didn't even know what it was until. Until I went.

[Ypk Ray]

It was pretty bad, dudes. I think Speed pulled up. There were some big people there.

[Guest Speaker]

Everybody was there. I've seen so many people gonna. Everybody. I seen every.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, it was nuts. Could you beat speed in a race 101?

[Guest Speaker]

Honestly, I think so. Yeah, I think so. He's fast though. He's super fast. But I mean there's always faster out there.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel that. What's your, like, would you do 50 meters, 100 meters? What type of race would it be?

[Guest Speaker]

Uh, I would do a 50 or 100, to be honest. I mean, preferably a 50 because 100, even though it's a short distance in track reference, that's still kind of long. Like when you race as a kid, you're not racing 100 meters. You're probably racing maybe 50 from one street light to the other or something that a mailbox to mailbox.

[Ypk Ray]

A hundred meters is long. It's like 12 seconds. Yeah, a full out sprint. So it's no joke. People underestimate the hunter. You could cramp up and shit.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it's a pretty long race.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Damn, I'd love to see that though. You really think you could beat him?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, why not?

[Ypk Ray]

He kept up with Noah Lyles.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I've seen that. But then again, it's like. And also, correct me if I'm wrong, I have this stigma about track athletes. I love track athletes, but I Do feel like track athletes aren't the fastest athletes in the world. And I honestly say that because I feel like track athletes are the fastest athletes that aren't skilled enough to play other sports. Sports. Because realistically speaking, if someone was that as fast as no allows and was very skilled at basketball, very skilled at football, I feel like they would prefer to do so.

[Ypk Ray]

Wow.

[Guest Speaker]

You know what I'm saying? Because I feel like track does take less skill than all the other sports, to be honest. You have to do is run faster than the next person or jump higher or further. You know what I'm saying? But when it comes to actual sports that involve, you know, a ball in it, it's like you have to run faster, be stronger and do something to put the ball in the basket.

[Ypk Ray]

Be coordinated.

[Guest Speaker]

You have to be coordinated to do so. So if you're just super fast but not coordinated enough to play a sport with the ball, whether it's baseball, this, that, I feel like you just do track. But most athletes do do track in their past time. You know, if you play basketball, they're playing track in the spring. So I do feel like track athletes are, you know, the fastest in the world. But I do feel like there is football players, basketball players that are faster than these people but just more skilled. So they ended up playing a different sport.

[Ypk Ray]

I could see that there's, there's some fast ass football players.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, I can't put that into experiment, you know what I'm saying? But I do feel like a Tyreek Hill versus no allows race.

[Ypk Ray]

I think that that'd be interesting. No, it makes sense though because the money in track's not as good.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it's not as good.

[Ypk Ray]

It's, it's actually terrible. If you're not top five or top ten, you're not making a living.

[Guest Speaker]

So they're, they're just pretty much running for fun. Yeah, I love track. I did track growing up. But I just feel like most track athletes that I know didn't really do much other sports.

[Ypk Ray]

Track and wrestlers were always terrible at other sports for sure. They're just uncoordinated. Yeah, I did track two and you know, the respect is like you don't get respect.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, not, not really. But I mean, it's understandable. It's like teachers, huh? To be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Do track.

[Ypk Ray]

Well, Noah Lyles, if you're watching this and speed this man right here.

[Guest Speaker]

But I mean, I probably could. I mean, if that race was 100% real, I think I'd Keep up. But if Noah lyles was going 20% like he said, then that makes sense.

[Ypk Ray]

What was your event when you did track?

[Guest Speaker]

I did 104 by one. Long jump, high jump, triple jump. I was doing a track in college, but before the season started, that's when Covid had hit.

[Ypk Ray]

So you got a scholarship for that?

[Guest Speaker]

No, I went to a Juco. I played D2 juco basketball.

[Ypk Ray]

Got it.

[Guest Speaker]

And then my second year, I ended up wanting to do track after basketball season, but they cut the season off short.

[Ypk Ray]

I could see why you did high jump. Your bounce is nuts. You just launched a program, right?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes, I did.

[Ypk Ray]

For getting your vertical up new heights. That's dope. I gotta take that honestly.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, why not, right?

[Ypk Ray]

Okay. How long did it take you to see results?

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, I wasn't. I was always pretty athletic. I was just super small. I was probably 4 foot 9 as an 8th grader, maybe 5 foot 2 as a freshman in high school. So, like, I feel like I was athletic, but I didn't really know. As an athlete, you only test your. Well, at least a basketball player, you only test your vertical in reference to the rim. So if you can't touch the rim, you don't really think you jump that high or the backboard or anything. So I'm super short and I can't grab the rim. But I think I started dunking maybe like, 5, 5 and 10th grade.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. That's crazy. And just kind of elevated from there. I was just always in season, so I was just always, constantly working out.

[Ypk Ray]

So, like, nuts. Dude, have you measured your vertical before?

[Guest Speaker]

I tested a 46 or 47, if I'm not mistaken, at UNLV recently. If that was accurate.

[Ypk Ray]

You know, it's the one where you hit it, right? Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

The thing where you.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, I say those are pretty accurate.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. For the most part.

[Ypk Ray]

You can't really, like, fake that.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. So, yeah, I'm reached. What, like 11, 8. But the space in which you have to do it is kind of weird.

[Ypk Ray]

What do you mean?

[Guest Speaker]

It's like, in between a few machines. So, like, if you, like, fall the wrong way or jump the wrong way, you might hit.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, wow. So it's like a tight area.

[Guest Speaker]

It's like a tight area. I want to, like, actually be on the court, you know, warmed up, and actually, like, do it, do it. Oh.

[Ypk Ray]

So were you standing? It was a standing test.

[Guest Speaker]

No, no, no, no, no, no. My standing ver is terrible. It was like running. I like steps.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, dude.

[Ypk Ray]

11, 8. You could probably Touch the top of the hoop.

[Guest Speaker]

What is that? That, that might be like towards the top of the box.

[Ypk Ray]

Wow, that's nuts.

[Guest Speaker]

Maybe 11, eight.

[Ypk Ray]

So the hoop must be like 13 then.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, something like that. Like 12 and a half or something like that.

[Ypk Ray]

Wendy could probably get up to the top.

[Guest Speaker]

Oh, definitely. Easily.

[Ypk Ray]

That dude's different.

[Guest Speaker]

He could probably stand and grab the rim. So he definitely should be able to.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, I mean these players these days are insane.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. And I feel like that's what people don't necessarily understand is the athletic ability and also the size of these guys. Cause there's guys that have 40 inch verticals or you know, 47s like I do, but they're six five or six, six, you know, so it looks way different when they're jumping that high in reference to the rim in the backboard than when I do it.

[Ypk Ray]

True. Yeah. Everyone's more athletic and everyone's chugging up threes now.

[Guest Speaker]

Insane.

[Ypk Ray]

There's teams shooting 50, 60 threes a game.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Ypk Ray]

I don't know how I feel about it. You know, the game changes. You like it though. Cause you're not a. You're not a shooter.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, I don't know, it's.

[Ypk Ray]

You've had to adapt, right? You gotta develop a shot now.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I mean I. I used to shoot a lot more before, you know, I got super athletic, but now I just kind of try to mix it up. But I mean it's. The game changes so much, so drastically so that like you gotta be able to adapt if you wanna make it anywhere. To be honest, I feel that. But also different levels are also different as well because everybody's different sizes. I think college is dominated by 6 foot 5, 10 guards, you know. But once you get to the league, the league minimum for guards is somewhere around six, three, damn, six, four or.

[Ypk Ray]

A guard, you know.

[Guest Speaker]

And like the average of an NBA player is I think 6, 7, 6, 8 now. So like. Yeah, really doesn't.

[Ypk Ray]

If you were 6, 6, do you think you would have made the league?

[Guest Speaker]

Honestly, I could see myself in the league in the right situation, you know, because it's all situation. There's a lot of six, six guys that just don't make it. Yeah, but I feel like if I'm six, six and keep all of my abilities, I feel like easily I could in the right situation.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Cause you're getting to the basket with ease.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ypk Ray]

Your slashing is nuts. Your speed, you'd probably be one of the fastest in the league.

[Guest Speaker]

Hopefully. I guess I just dream about it.

[Ypk Ray]

Was that a goal, yours growing up, though?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it's everybody's goal.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

But, I mean, I feel like I gained consciousness pretty early and realized, okay, this might not be practical. So I want to be a trainer. I want to do this. I want to just play college ball and then, you know, maybe go play pro. The only reason I'm not pro right now overseas is because I do content.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. You know, it's probably better money doing content than overseas.

[Guest Speaker]

Ain't really paying no money overseas unless you're in, like, the first league. You know, the leagues that, like Luca, those guys kind of Europe like that.

[Ypk Ray]

You know, maybe China, too.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, those guys make money. But I mean. I mean, if I got the offer to do so, that's guaranteed money, you know?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Like, the thing with social media is if you're not getting the views, you're not getting the money. No matter how much following or what you were trending for last year, this year, it's like, if you're not getting the views, you're not getting the money.

[Ypk Ray]

Facts.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

You gotta maintain deals. Yeah. Would you take a million a year to play overseas?

[Guest Speaker]

Instantly.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, you would. Okay, so you got. You got a level?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, definitely. I would take. I would take.

[Ypk Ray]

What, about 500K?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

If you're watching this, I would do.

[Guest Speaker]

500K, not nothing less, though, at least I feel like when the money sitting right there in front of you, you don't know what. I don't know what I would accept in that situation.

[Ypk Ray]

500K, plus you could still do the content on the side, so you would probably make decent money, but I don't know. You'd go all in if you got an offer.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure.

[Ypk Ray]

You would stop the content.

[Guest Speaker]

If. Nah. For 500k? No. Before a million, you know, if I had to stop the content, they're like, yo, you can't do no content, that you have to just play basketball. It would have to be in there.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel that. Well, there's probably some teams watching this that can hit you up, you know, hit up his agent. Anyone in the Creator cup you're worried about?

[Guest Speaker]

No.

[Ypk Ray]

What about Tristan? Jas?

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, he's good, but, I mean, I don't worry about anybody.

[Ypk Ray]

I'd like to see you match up with him. That'd be a good.

[Guest Speaker]

We've been playing on the same team the past two years.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay.

[Guest Speaker]

The team's the same. It's kind of like a rivalry at this point. But, I mean, I Would love to play against.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn. You and him lost. Who was on the other team?

[Guest Speaker]

Marcellus.

[Ypk Ray]

He's decent.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, Marcellus is decent. Who else did they have?

[Ypk Ray]

Friga?

[Guest Speaker]

No, I don't even remember who they had. Chris Staples.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, he's.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, they had a good team.

[Ypk Ray]

But Hard to see you and T. Josh losing together, bro. That's 30. 30 game from both of you.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure. I don't know. He just couldn't pull it off.

[Ypk Ray]

Maybe you had a weaker bench or something.

[Guest Speaker]

I don't even know. We. It was probably like seven people on the team. It wasn't even really probably like. Yeah, probably like seven hours on the team.

[Ypk Ray]

You got your boy Mecca on it too.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, yeah, I got Mecca on. I don't know what the teams are yet. There might do like some type of draft or something.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh.

[Guest Speaker]

If I'm not mistaken. But I mean, we'll see.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn. We'll see. And you won the Creator League last year, right? The one on one thing?

[Guest Speaker]

No, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't play in the Creator League last year. I won Dream Con. But that was. That was earlier this year.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, okay. That was a one on one tournament.

[Guest Speaker]

No, that was. That was a five on five at. Yeah. Dreamcon with the RDC World guys.

[Ypk Ray]

That's.

[Guest Speaker]

I did with Creator League.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, nice. You picked your own team.

[Guest Speaker]

No, they did a draft.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay.

[Guest Speaker]

The. What was it? Duke and your age were the captains.

[Ypk Ray]

I remember watching that now. Yeah, you were popping off.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I think I had 30.

[Ypk Ray]

Dude, they couldn't stop you insane.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, it's like creator stuff. So like, I mean, and that's why guys like me, t jazz stand out and things like this because we're actual basketball players that just happen to do the content creation, you know, and just, you know, we just came up off of that. You know, I'm like, I actually play basketball.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Playing somewhere right now, but now we're just going up against guys that just might sit at a computer or sit in front of all the time. So like it looks easy because it kind of is. You know what I'm saying? Not really that. That competitive in most of these settings.

[Ypk Ray]

I can see that. You get any haters on social media?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, but I mean, for the most part I kind of got a cult following, but they're just sometimes some outside influences.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, I had Hezy God on and I was asking him about that.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, Hezzy God has a lot of controversy because of like the way he plays and stuff like that. But basketball, who cares?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

Realistically, it doesn't matter because none of us are in the league. It's like we're taking critique from people who don't really necessarily matter. It's like, okay, this guy's criticizing my game. Sitting behind the screen. I'm like, let's see. I'm not trying to get scouted by anybody right now. I'm having fun going to a gym or going to play in a. I.

[Ypk Ray]

Saw you playing in an eight foot rim league.

[Guest Speaker]

Oh, that was fun.

[Ypk Ray]

That looks lit.

[Guest Speaker]

That was fun. Fun.

[Ypk Ray]

That looks super lit. So everyone's just slamming it.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, basically, for the most part, yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

Did you win?

[Guest Speaker]

No, we lost in the championship. My first game, my first tournament and then it was another tournament. We lost like in the playoffs.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn.

[Guest Speaker]

I don't know how.

[Ypk Ray]

Did you have a big.

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. We lost with a stack team too. Both times.

[Ypk Ray]

Well, there's people probably just practicing that all the time, that type of setup. And you're just going in there for the first time.

[Guest Speaker]

It was crazy.

[Ypk Ray]

I got to see some highlights from that.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, that was insane.

[Ypk Ray]

You were probably windmilling and stuff.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, crazy highlights from that game.

[Ypk Ray]

I saw you a slam ball too, right?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. That's like the funnest thing ever.

[Ypk Ray]

You played it?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I played it. That's one thing. I also won with Creator League as well. They did a slam ball tournament. Oh, was it like two years ago or last year? They did a slam ball tournament in Atlanta. Okay, I won that. That was cool.

[Ypk Ray]

That shit looks nuts.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, that's insane. But that was before I even knew how to play slam ball. I was kind of just playing how I play regularly on the board. I didn't really know how to jump or nothing. But like I started going to Sky Zone because they had built one. They had built the court eventually and I started going crazy.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn. I didn't know skyzone had one. Yeah, I got to pull up to that.

[Guest Speaker]

Definitely.

[Ypk Ray]

That looks fun. You do any sports betting?

[Guest Speaker]

No, I want to get into it. I'm scared. I don't like losing money, so I'll be mad if I put a bet in and lost money.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

But I definitely want a sports bet. I don't even know how to do it. I want to.

[Ypk Ray]

You in Vegas.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I mean, I know what I'm doing. You have to go to the thing. You can't use the apps, right?

[Ypk Ray]

Certain apps are banned in Vegas. Yeah, yeah, I heard.

[Guest Speaker]

You gotta like pull up. I don't like leaving my house.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel up. You're your homebody.

[Guest Speaker]

I don't want to go. Yeah, I'm a homebody.

[Ypk Ray]

I thought you were an extrovert.

[Guest Speaker]

Well, I feel like I'm more of an extrovert, like just when I'm out places. But I don't really like leaving my house that much. I'm inside for the most part. If I'm not in the gym, I'm probably home.

[Ypk Ray]

Wow. So you're just hooping and at home.

[Guest Speaker]

I go every day. I go work out, hoop, then go back home.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. I didn't know that about you. Yeah, just seeing your content. I thought you were out and about, you know?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. I mean, sometimes I go, whatever.

[Ypk Ray]

But you think the. And I think it was Angel Reese. He was like, do you think the rim should be lowered?

[Guest Speaker]

Oh, yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

And she said, no.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, it's up to them.

[Ypk Ray]

What do you think?

[Guest Speaker]

It doesn't matter to me. I mean, it would make it more entertaining if. But I also do think that tendencies do play a part. So just because the rim is lower doesn't mean that they're going to have the tendencies to still want to go up and dunk everybody, you know, like. And I use the eight foot rim reference as well. I play like that on a 10 foot rim. So, like it's going to be my game transferred over to a lower rim. But now it's like for a girl who doesn't really go up, like they want to dunk at all anyways. I don't think lowering the rims to nine feet, nine and a half feet is just going to make them want to dunk everything, to be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

I could see that. Yeah, that's.

[Guest Speaker]

I feel like that'll only increase. Maybe a fast break dunk here.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

To be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

No, that's a good point. Because if you're just shooting so many layups you're used to.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. You're not gonna just really just be like, okay, the rim's lower now let me go up and dunk on this girl. You know what I'm saying? I don't think that that's really gonna be.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. She was saying she didn't want it, but Shock was saying it would get more viewers.

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, realistically, I feel like it'll get more viewers initially for the first however long, but once they realize that there's not more dunking or whatever going on, I feel like the viewership might just drop back down again.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel.

[Guest Speaker]

To be honest, I feel like.

[Ypk Ray]

Who's your favorite player right now?

[Guest Speaker]

Curry that's my favorite player right now. Probably like J. Anthony Edwards.

[Ypk Ray]

They're fun to watch, for sure.

[Guest Speaker]

Definitely entertaining.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Ants. They're saying he's going to be the next guy.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I think so.

[Ypk Ray]

He's got the mentality.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for sure. He's definitely got it.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Just the team, though. I was not upset, but when they got rid of Carl Anthony Towns, I thought that was a weird move.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I don't. That was random.

[Ypk Ray]

They were doing so well.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. I don't know. Random.

[Ypk Ray]

And they got. Who'd they get for him? Randle?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, they're not doing that good anymore.

[Ypk Ray]

I'd rather have Kat over Randle.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. And their. Their record is not so well this year.

[Ypk Ray]

Well, the west is stacked, too. I mean, the east is. There's only two, three teams in the East.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

Cavs and Celtics and Knicks.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I was just about to say the Cows and the Celtics and.

[Ypk Ray]

Because the Sixers suck this year and the Bucks are randomly sucking, so.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I watched. Oh, yeah, I watched the Cavs vs. Celtics the other day.

[Ypk Ray]

Ooh, that was a good one.

[Guest Speaker]

That game was insane. They said Donovan Mitchell had, like, eight points coming into the half. Yeah, I think I turned it on during the third quarter. He scored probably like 20 points straight.

[Ypk Ray]

He popped off.

[Guest Speaker]

He's insane.

[Ypk Ray]

They were undefeated that game, too. Right? That was the Celtics given the first loss, I believe.

[Guest Speaker]

No, I think the Cavs won that game.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, they won.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. This was.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, maybe they played twice.

[Guest Speaker]

Did they?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, because the Celtics, I think they.

[Guest Speaker]

Won that game that I was watching.

[Ypk Ray]

It might have been their second game because they were. Cavs are 15 0.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I remember somebody gave him a loss, but I think they won the game that I watched.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay. Do you like watching in person or on tv?

[Guest Speaker]

In person.

[Ypk Ray]

Really?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, definitely. I like watching the games in person. I like being close to. I don't really like. And that's probably the reason why I don't really go to a lot of games and stuff as well. Like, I. I have to be courtside. I have to feel like I'm there. Sounds bougie, but like super bougie court side. Because I'm not even going to feel like I'm at the game if I'm just watching. Can't even really see that. Well. Yeah, I don't want to watch LeBron from the top of the thing. Like, I can't even see him.

[Ypk Ray]

I don't like nosebleed seats, but I feel you, though.

[Guest Speaker]

I want to be like Right there, so I can feel like I'm there.

[Ypk Ray]

Courtside are sweet, but court side for NBA games are, like, thousands.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I never. I never sat courtside at NBA game. Yeah, but I mean, I sat in, what, like, the commissioners.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay.

[Guest Speaker]

He's like that. That one row that's, like, right above, like, the clock and stuff like that. Yeah, I sat, like, there. That's, like, pretty close. Of course, at a lot of G League games, those were fun. I was watching basketball and, like, in person, but just like. Yeah, tv.

[Ypk Ray]

Well, G League's actually good competition.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it was when Ron Holland and Mattis was still.

[Ypk Ray]

What do you got next? You've been making some fun videos lately. Anything planned?

[Guest Speaker]

The program was one thing that I was working on for a while. Dropping a line for basketball. Like a hooping line of clothes. What else?

[Ypk Ray]

You just played in Heelys.

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. That was fun.

[Ypk Ray]

That sounds dangerous.

[Guest Speaker]

Trying to elevate, man. Just do so much more. I feel like one thing I messed up with doing is not capitalizing on my name trending, you know, And I feel like everybody just kind of gets caught in a moment. I feel like I got caught in a moment and didn't, you know, take the business route of using my buzz, you know, Like, I feel that, say, this is trending right now. Maybe make some merch out of it. Maybe do this, maybe do that. Because there was a point in time where my dunking videos were super, super trendy. I'm mad I didn't come out with the program then, you know, because that could have made me some more money than now, you know?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

So. But, you know, I'm learning.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, you live and you learn. I will say a lot of basketball content creators kind of fell off.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

But you're still. You're still relevant.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. I mean, I feel like it just comes with trending as well.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay, well, like, five on five was hot for a while.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

On YouTube. But now it's like, one on one, I heard, right.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it's decent. What do they got? Like, the Next Chapter? Yeah, they got a lot of stuff going on. That's the only really 1v1 league that I even see. I don't watch it, though. I don't watch the games.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

I'm not really.

[Ypk Ray]

You don't watch other people's basketball content?

[Guest Speaker]

Honestly, I barely even watch my own. I don't watch my YouTube videos when they come out like that unless I'm, like, super interested or edited it myself. Yeah, my. My editor, Grady, he puts the videos out and then I'll see it on my for you page or like my Explore page on YouTube. Like, oh, I forgot I put this video out and I might watch it. But, like, I'm not really too into content creation that much. It doesn't really keep me, like, entertained for the most part. I watch, like, nature stuff on YouTube. My YouTube is like, insane. Like, I watch a bunch of, like, nature animal documentaries and stuff like that. And like, people. You ever watch those, like, guys in, like, India or like, stuff that they, like, build houses?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, I've seen those.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I've been watching stuff like that on YouTube.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, those.

[Guest Speaker]

Those are like TV shows.

[Ypk Ray]

I don't watch shows anymore. Yeah, I watch the animal stuff, though. Those are lit.

[Guest Speaker]

Definitely.

[Ypk Ray]

Like, you're like the hunting ones.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah. And then like, yeah, like the hunting, like the catch, cleaning, cooks and stuff like that. We're completely off topic.

[Ypk Ray]

I know.

[Guest Speaker]

I love that. I love that stuff, though.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, no, those are addicting, man. Yeah, I go on long.

[Guest Speaker]

I like binge watching every time I'm like, eating and stuff like that. Just stuff like that on.

[Ypk Ray]

I feel that. Yeah, I really. Only for basketball, I watched Jesser. Yeah, his stuff is really cool. I mean, he's kind of learned from Mr. B style. Yeah, Like, I like.

[Guest Speaker]

I actually like Jester's content.

[Ypk Ray]

I like it a lot.

[Guest Speaker]

I've watched a few of his videos before.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah, he's cool. But yeah, I don't really watch the, like, five on fives anymore. Like, I used to watch Freega. I used to watch mk, like Teejas, but I kind of got sick of it.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, for the most part. I mean, it kind of just gets repetitive.

[Ypk Ray]

For real.

[Guest Speaker]

You just got to keep yourself entertained. So I feel like that's why a lot of basketball creators have fell off, because they aren't necessarily entertaining. You know, I feel like it doesn't take much to go viral. Anybody could go viral. Anybody that I can possibly imagine had told me, you know, because you talk, you know, you talk to people online. They're like, yeah, I went viral for this. I went viral for that. I'm like, it's easy to go viral. Anybody can go viral for anything.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

You know, but it's just like, to keep that and have that longevity within the field is kind of difficult. You know, you got to stay trending and stuff like that.

[Ypk Ray]

Agreed.

[Guest Speaker]

That's what has kept me around is I just try to always look for new ways to stay trending. For the most part.

[Ypk Ray]

No, I feel that kind of looking for what's next you need that personality these days. That's why Cash Nasty is still doing well.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

Because he's actually cool, like off the court. Like, he's funny. Have you played him yet?

[Guest Speaker]

Uh, I played him last year. Two years ago, I played him one on one. I think that's like one of the only one on one games I've ever even played.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

He asked me to play after 3v3 3 Creator League. This was like two years ago. 2023, I think. Or 2022. Who won that? I did.

[Ypk Ray]

You won?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

He didn't back you down?

[Guest Speaker]

I mean, tried to. Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

I mean, that's his game. He just backs you down.

[Guest Speaker]

He's strong, but. But there's. There's basketball strong and then there's like weightlifting, you know, maybe wrestling strong. I feel like he's that type of strong. But in basketball, if you don't know how to use your body, it's just a little bit different, you know?

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

So, I mean, he is strong though, but it's just like not the type of strong that like, is dangerous on a basketball court, you know, and that. And that. That makes sense.

[Ypk Ray]

I could see that. I've seen him back down people, but they're. They don't know how to play ball like you do. So you probably know like how to.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, I feel like just. I can. I feel like I can guard for the most.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Have you played Julian Newman yet?

[Guest Speaker]

I played against him in the 3v3, but I got hurt. We played three games. It was like best out of three. It was like the. The co ed. It was me and Jenna Bandy and then him and Stefan. We ended up losing, but I got hurt in the last game.

[Ypk Ray]

Damn. What do you think of his game?

[Guest Speaker]

He's cool. Good. Everybody. I'm not a critic. I really, honestly don't really analyze people's games that much. It's just like. Okay, like you. You're good.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

You know, I don't really think anybody sucks. It's like everybody has their strength and weaknesses. Everybody's game is different. So I don't really analyze people's game games like that. I don't care that much. I feel, to be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

What's your stat line predictions for NBA Creator Cup?

[Guest Speaker]

First game I had 22 or 24. Second game I think I had 17 or 19. I think I could easily go for 30. But there is other people playing in the game too.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

And I feel like I'm just going to adapt to whatever role they assigned me to, you know, I Feel like that's the reason why I. Yo, it was crazy. I had a lot of hate for a while after the Dreamcon game when I had 30. Yeah, they was like, oh, he didn't pass the ball. He doesn't pass the ball. And I'm just like, well, I feel like they look to me to be the score of that game, to win the game, but then everybody's like, oh, it's not that serious. But like, it was that serious to everybody. They're giving me the ball, so why not take up the role to be what they need me to be in this moment to win? You know what I'm saying? So I feel like I'll just adapt to whatever, you know, because I played with Teejas, and Teejazz is also ball dominant. So we kind of just took turns and kind of just got in where we fit in for the most part.

[Ypk Ray]

But I feel. Is there an MVP trophy?

[Guest Speaker]

Yes. I think J Dub got it last year. T Dash got it the first year.

[Ypk Ray]

I mean, this is your year.

[Guest Speaker]

I just want another NBA collab.

[Ypk Ray]

Let's go.

[Guest Speaker]

Because I got two NBA collabs right now. One for a block the first year, and I think something last year. But I just want to get a few highlights so I could just get an NBA collab. That's really what I'm worried about, to be honest.

[Ypk Ray]

You think they'll post it?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, they do. They do. From the Creator Cup. They always post.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, that's dope.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, they post a few clips from the Creative Cup.

[Ypk Ray]

Hell, yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

So all I gotta do is dunk it. They'll probably just throw it up there.

[Ypk Ray]

Let's go.

[Guest Speaker]

To be honest, have you ever played.

[Ypk Ray]

Against an NBA player?

[Guest Speaker]

Um, against as.

[Ypk Ray]

Like in a run or anything?

[Guest Speaker]

I've played.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

I played against NBA players, but I never matched up with an NBA player. Like, I've been on the same court, you know, while they're there, but I've never played, like, matched up with one. I've matched up with a lot of, like, overseas pros and stuff like that. That's like, you know, a regular, but never no NBA guys.

[Ypk Ray]

Marcus Cousins been out some Vegas runs and a couple other NBA.

[Guest Speaker]

He played in the Creator League.

[Ypk Ray]

Oh, he did?

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, he played in. We. We. We did another 2v2 at fine. No, 3v3 at final four.

[Ypk Ray]

Okay.

[Guest Speaker]

This year in Arizona, he played in that.

[Ypk Ray]

Was he still nice?

[Guest Speaker]

Y. Yeah. You killed him. Paul Pierce and Nick Young. Damn. They all played in it.

[Ypk Ray]

That's nuts.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah, it was cool.

[Ypk Ray]

Holy crap.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ypk Ray]

Those guys can still hoop.

[Guest Speaker]

Oh and Cam Newton. Yeah, he was there too.

[Ypk Ray]

He played Cam Newton. Yeah, he could hoop.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah he's all right. I mean he's huge. He's like six five for me.

[Ypk Ray]

And if you play football with that height.

[Guest Speaker]

Yeah he probably played basketball too growing up so he knows what he's doing. Like everybody plays basketball. That's like a universal sport. Like, like basketball is one of the sports that like even if you don't know how to play, you still play. That's everybody just always casually plays back these days.

[Ypk Ray]

Yes. Yeah.

[Guest Speaker]

You don't see nobody just picking up a football and playing pick up football randomly. You know old people. You'll see a 70 year old man at 24 hour fitness a lifetime just shooting.

[Ypk Ray]

Yep. 100.

[Guest Speaker]

That's like probably like the only sport that does that.

[Ypk Ray]

Yeah. Where can people find you man?

[Guest Speaker]

YPK Ray on everything.

[Ypk Ray]

Right. We'll link below. Thanks for coming on again.

[Guest Speaker]

Sure appreciate you.

[Ypk Ray]

Check them out guys. Peace.