Podcast Summary: Joe and Jada — G Herbo Talks “Lil Herb”, Juice WRLD, Chief Keef & Chicago Hood Stories

Podcast: Joe and Jada
Episode Date: November 11, 2025
Hosts: Fat Joe, Jadakiss (Joe Budden in transcript)
Guest: G Herbo
Description: In this episode, hip-hop legends Fat Joe and Jadakiss link up with Chicago's own G Herbo (formerly known as Lil Herb) for a no-holds-barred conversation on his career, Chicago’s street life, surviving success, and the real stories behind his newest album and collaborations.

Main Theme

The episode is a deep-dive into G Herbo’s journey from Chicago’s South Side streets to national hip-hop prominence. The conversation covers the challenges of escaping street life, the emotional toll of loss, financial realities of legit success, fatherhood, community activism, and the sacred ground of trust, family, and loyalty in and out of hip-hop.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surviving Chicago and the Blessing of Life

• Survival Against the Odds:
  G Herbo opens with gratitude:

  "Just being here alone is a blessing. ...I done got shot at so many times and I’m still here. That is a blessing, bro." — G Herbo [03:40]

• The Relentless Danger:
  They discuss how dangerous hip-hop and Chicago street life can be, with Herbo and Fat Joe swapping stories of being targeted.

  "Hip hop is a very dangerous [job]. Probably the most dangerous, to be honest, for real, for real." — G Herbo [18:51]

2. Fourteen Years In: Longevity, Style, and Staying Fresh

• Career Evolution:

  "How many years you been in the game?"
  "Going on 14 now." — Fat Joe & G Herbo [05:32]

• Fashion as Status and Coping:
  "I probably got a hundred thousand in drip just in the hotel room on the couch, laid out for this." — G Herbo [08:16]
  The group jokes about the addictive nature of high fashion and the pressure to display success.

3. The Business of Hip-Hop: Taxes, Legitimacy, and Money

• The High Cost of Going Legit:

  "I’ve been a real tax-paying artist. I’ve been paying taxes for 10 years now, for real, for real. Million dollar taxes cost some M’s." — G Herbo [16:12]

• Resentment and Misunderstandings from Accountants:
  Fat Joe and G Herbo discuss how people—even their own accountants—don’t see their work as “real,” despite the financial stakes and personal risk.

4. Community, Positivity & Giving Back

• Selling Out in the Hometown:

  "I did my own BDAY bash at the Wind Trust. That was sold out... 19 artists on the bill. Everything smooth. Everything went perfect. ...That’s beautiful. Safe." — G Herbo [19:09]

• Peace in Unity:
  Fat Joe and G Herbo stress the power of positive examples and community work in “dangerous” cities where opportunities for violence and division are high.

5. The Trap of the Streets: Cutting Ties to Survive

• Evolving Beyond Old Ties:

  "It’s hard for dudes to understand. Yo, I have an opportunity, a generational opportunity...Let me go." — Fat Joe [38:54] "There’s no way possible to really have one foot in this industry and one foot in the streets. That shit is insane." — G Herbo [41:13]

• Responsibilities and Difficult Conversations: Both share stories about having to distance themselves from problematic friends/family for survival.

6. Realities of Chicago Street Life

• The Impossible Geography:
  "It’s so hard to walk two blocks [in Chicago]...That shit sound crazy, but it’s for real though." — Fat Joe & G Herbo [41:31]
• Legendary Venues and Violent Memories:
  Stories of dangerous rap shows and near-riots at the Regal Theater:

  "Every gang you ever name was in that...They hate each other, right?...That was the scariest [situation] in the world. It was ugly." — Fat Joe [45:16–47:01]

7. Music & Legacy: The Lil Herb Album

• Collaboration with No ID and Wyclef:
  "No ID...always just like gave his input...So it’s like, yeah, it’s a blessing to even be able to, like, have somebody like that in your corner." — G Herbo [14:58]
  "Wyclef...I’ve been talking to him, like, almost every day since we did this...We ‘bout to work on some whole water shits for sure." — G Herbo [53:40]
• Juice WRLD Feature: Emotional Impact

  "That’s my brother, man. Long live Juice...every time I think about bro, it’d just be like a nostalgic feeling. ...He used to make me rap with him....he was just a different breed." — G Herbo [55:19, 56:10]
  (See [55:12–56:36] for full discussion)

• Raw Pain in the Music: (see Notable Moments section for track lyrics)
• Preview of Standout Tracks:
  “Fallen Soldiers” and “One Chance” — both are played and discussed in full [104:16–113:09], with Herbo’s lyrics emphasizing pain, trauma, loss, and survival.

8. Family, Co-Parenting, and Maturity

• Navigating Peace with Multiple Families:
  Fat Joe marvels at G Herbo’s ability to maintain peaceful relationships with his child’s mother and his wife, when most men face drama:

  "How do you get that kind of relationship? ...It’s the love we got for our children, bro....that shit overpowers everything." — G Herbo [59:19–60:34]

• Putting Kids First:
  "A lot of people just don’t try...in the end, the kid loses. My kid ain’t losing by any means." — G Herbo [60:37]

9. Cycles of Violence, Relationships, and Loyalty

• Women as Fuel for Violence:

  "I feel like 80, 90% of wars...in the street always happen behind a female. Women. 1000%." — G Herbo [66:03]

• Taboo of ‘Friends’ with Ex’s:
  "That gotta be, like, off limits, for real." — G Herbo [69:26]
• Unwritten Rules of the Streets: The group shares stories of betrayal among friends and the aggravating role of jealousy and relationships.

10. Community Initiatives & Focusing on the Youth

• Overton Project & Swervin’ Through Stress:
  "We bought it and just, you know what I’m saying, made it like performing arts...just putting something in the city on the south side where kids could have a safe place." — G Herbo [83:44]

  "...Swervin’ Through Stress...free therapy, suicide hotlines, food drives, food giveaways...me really trying to be a staple in the community and give back." — G Herbo [85:29]

• Cutting Food Stamps = More Crime:

  "When a hungry, you gotta eat, might eat you." — G Herbo [86:34]
  "It’s connected to crime...when you got kids, what do you think is gonna happen?" — Fat Joe [86:34]

11. Moving Out for Safety, Wealth & Perspective

• Escaping the Web of Local Drama:

  "You gotta get up out of here. A dude will force you to hurt him...we can’t live, somebody got to go." — Fat Joe [99:36–101:06]

• The “Middle” Is Deadly in Chicago:

  "If you play the middle, that’s the most dangerous thing to play in Chicago." — G Herbo [90:46]

• Lessons from Chief Keef, Lil Durk, and Others:

  "I see Sosa got out of there. I see you got out of there. Even Dirk got out of there. ...You got to get out of there." — Joe Budden [91:21–91:31]

• Violence in Other Places (Puerto Rico):
  G Herbo and Fat Joe describe the level of violence in Puerto Rico, comparing it to Chicago and underlining the universal danger for high-profile artists.

  "In Puerto Rico...I probably had like 600 guns outside. Never seen nothing like that in my life." — G Herbo [96:07]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Opening Tribute to Survival

• "Just being here alone is a blessing...I done got shot at so many times and I’m still here. That is a blessing, bro."
  — G Herbo [03:40]

On Walking Away from Street Life

• "There’s no way possible to really have one foot in this industry and one foot in the streets. That shit is insane."
  — G Herbo [41:13]

On Fatherhood and Family Peacemaking

• "It’s the love we got for our children...that shit overpowers everything, bro. ...A lot of people just don’t try...in a way, the kid lose. So...my kid ain’t losing by any means."
  — G Herbo [59:40–60:37]

On Youth Violence and Hunger

• "When a hungry, you gotta eat, might eat you."
  — G Herbo [86:34]

On Betrayal and Street Codes

• "That gotta be, like, off limits, for real."
  — G Herbo [69:26]

Track Preview: “Fallen Soldiers”

• "Since Juice WRLD died, I ain’t got nothing left. / Since Pop Smoke died, we ain’t got nothing left.”
  [104:42]
• "Glock on me for protection, homies, just a couple left, falling soldiers..."
  [105:01]
• Fat Joe (impressed): "That’s the best record I heard from you." [108:35]

On Community Work

• "We bought it and...made it like performing arts...just putting something in the city...where kids could have a safe place..."
  — G Herbo [83:44]
• "Swervin’ Through Stress...me really trying to be a staple in the community and give back..."
  [85:29]

Important Segments (Timestamps)

• G Herbo on survival and gratitude: [03:40–04:09]
• Herbo’s time in the industry, fashion & addiction to “drip”: [05:42–09:03]
• Taxes, legitimacy, and accountants: [16:12–17:56]
• Chicago festival, unity, & positive examples: [19:09–19:32]
• Leaving the street life, entourage reflections: [37:06–39:37]
• Impossible dangers of Chicago neighborhoods: [41:13–44:06]
• Regal Theater show & Chicago violence stories: [45:16–48:18]
• Collaborations on new album & Juice WRLD tribute: [53:40–56:36]
• Navigating co-parenting with maturity: [59:19–61:02]
• Women, loyalty, and street betrayals: [66:03–69:26]
• Overton project & Swervin’ Through Stress: [83:44–85:29]
• The youth, poverty and cycles of violence: [87:01–89:21]
• Moving out for safety & why middle ground is deadly in Chicago: [90:46–91:47]
• Puerto Rico violence and lessons from other cities: [95:47–98:28]
• Album preview, legendary verses, and closing tribute: [104:16–113:09]

Tone & Atmosphere

The episode strikes a blend of street realism, gallows humor, and hard-won wisdom. The hosts and G Herbo keep things candid, with a mix of playful teasing, deep vulnerability, and mutual respect throughout — all punctuated by real talk about loss, perseverance, and the importance of leaving a mark beyond music.

Conclusion

This conversation isn’t just an interview — it’s a living oral history of modern hip-hop survival. G Herbo’s tales and tracks underline the near-impossibility of escaping cycles of violence and poverty, but they also showcase the possibility of change, redemption, and giving back. For anyone curious about the realities facing today’s rap stars, as well as a primer on surviving and thriving beyond the “hood,” this episode is a must-listen.

Album Out Now:
Lil Herb, featuring guest production by No ID, Wyclef, Juice WRLD, and more — available on all platforms.

"You get one chance in this. Only one chance. Can’t be with the devil dancing. And you got one life...You get one shot. Don’t miss." — G Herbo, “One Chance” [109:49]

Final Word:

"Just being able to be in this type of room and have these kind of conversations, be alive, is a blessing." — G Herbo [102:01]