Chris Gotti | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Chris Gotti | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Podcast: ROC Solid
Host: Memphis Bleek
Guest: Chris Gotti
Release Date: December 23, 2025
Producer: Black Effect & iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode of ROC Solid delivers an unfiltered conversation between hip-hop veteran Memphis Bleek and legendary music executive Chris Gotti, co-founder of Murder Inc. Records. The duo dives deep into the underpinnings of Roc-A-Fella, Murder Inc., and the wider hip-hop industry, reflecting on street life, business moves, creative innovation, and legacies. Packed with untold stories, practical game, and personal philosophies, this episode is a masterclass in how business, music, culture, and hustle have forever shaped hip-hop.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Origins and Evolution of Murder Inc.

• Not Just Music, But Business:
  Chris Gotti breaks down how Murder Inc. started not as a label but from Irv Gotti’s ambition to become the top producer, and Chris’s own business and street smarts.

  “I built the construction business that was funding Irv... started making money with Top Dog Productions.” — Chris Gotti (10:20)

• Scaling Up Production:
  Realizing the need for scale, Chris expanded their producer roster from a handful to dozens, leading to unprecedented output and the legendary Murder Inc. “crack house” studio.

  “We went from 5 to 15 to 25 to 50 in less than six months... all these producers I got.” — Chris Gotti (11:09)

• Street & Industry Mergers:
  The Gotti brothers’ survival instinct and willingness to battle both the streets and the industry (“the Alphabet Boys”—the Feds) was key to their resilience.

• Innovating the Business Model:
  Pioneered cost-saving and ownership techniques: renting studios to themselves, hiring their “hood” as car service drivers, controlling budgets—all later replicated by major labels.

  “I made something called Mink Rentals... We built our studio so we could rent our studio to ourselves...” — Chris Gotti (11:41)

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Navigating the Legal Storms and Record Industry Backstabbing

• Beating the Feds:
  Few in hip-hop can claim to have defeated federal charges like the Gotti brothers. Chris credits legendary attorney Gerald Shargel.

  “They called him Superman in the courtroom, man.” — Chris Gotti (07:06)

• Industry Betrayals:
  The realization that Def Jam and Universal cooperated with authorities against Murder Inc., shifting industry support to their rivals—Aftermath and G-Unit.

  “They didn’t do anything but shift it from one side... and put it over the Aftermath G Unit... it was a lateral move.” — Chris Gotti (08:33)

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Culture, Competition, and Family

• Roc-A-Fella, Ruff Ryders, Murder Inc.: A Culture of Competition:
  The era’s success was built as much on camaraderie as on friendly competition: sharing session notes, respecting release dates, and healthy rivalry.

  “There’s only 10 slots... it’s a hundred rappers in New York... we all fighting for the ten.” — Memphis Bleek (15:35)

• Jay-Z as a Domesticated Gangster:
  One of the most memorable riffs—Chris proposes writing a book “The Domestication of a Gangster” about Jay-Z’s transformation from street hustler to business mogul.

  “He’s a domesticated gangster... He got that because he honed his skills, he ground them from the street...” — Chris Gotti (26:00–26:13)

• Mentorship and OG Wisdom:
  Chris on playing the background, being the observer, and protecting his brother Irv and the crew—but never leading them down his own dark paths.

  “My job was to protect my brother and to protect everyone around.” — Chris Gotti (23:48)

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Reinventing and Influencing the Sound

• R&B/Hip-Hop Hybrids:
  The innovation of merging rapping and singing—propelled by acts like Ja Rule and Ashanti—shifted the industry and is now an expectation for new artists.

  “I don’t even think artists get deals now if you don’t rap and sing right. Think about that.” — Memphis Bleek (36:28)

• Unsung Pioneer: DJ Irv:
  Early blends of R&B vocals and hip-hop beats on mixtapes, years before it became mainstream.

  “He was blending again hip hop beats with R and B acapellas.” — Chris Gotti (38:10)

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Entrepreneurship Beyond Music: Film and Sports

• New Ventures: Film
  Chris lays out his move into filmmaking:

  • Ballin’, starring Lance Stephenson, with a soundtrack featuring the NBA star as well.
  • Spanish Fly, an all-Latin cast film shot in just eight days.

  “The only way to do these types of films is fast. You gotta turn them over.” — Chris Gotti (42:38)

  Distribution Game: Leveraging platforms like Tubi, but acknowledging challenges in fair compensation.

  “...still the best place for black content... but their CPM is super low.” — Chris Gotti (43:02)

• Clash Pro League (CPL): Changing Basketball's Infrastructure
  Chris details building a league to serve overlooked D1 and professional players, inspired by decades in street basketball management.

  “When I get New York set, I’m gonna take it in multiple cities, not teams. See, everyone thinks I’m gonna bring a team to Chicago—no, I’m bringing the league.” — Chris Gotti (72:00)

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Real-Life Wisdom and Game for New Artists

• Consistency and Work Ethic:
  Lessons for up-and-coming creators: Hard work and consistency are still the only “cheat code.”

  “You cannot short the work.” — Chris Gotti (44:41)

• Ownership and Innovation:
  The power of building your own platforms, maintaining ownership, and preparing to shift with the industry—whether in music or film.

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Hip-Hop and Modern Culture: Advice and Social Commentary

• On Today's Kids & Violence:
  Both men urge young rappers to skip the violence, focus on business, and appreciate “just being here.”

  “Just appreciate life, man... we’re only here for a short period of time...” — Memphis Bleek (33:43)

• On Hype, Authenticity, and Legacy:
  Discussing NBA Youngboy, Lil Durk, and the next generation, Chris expresses hope and respect for peaceful, successful new artists.

• The Hook is King:
  Chris shares the “hook first” philosophy (learned from Irv)—the idea that it's the hook your audience takes away, so focus on that before the verse.

  “So long as the hook is hot, just stay on top and get it done... on to the next record.” — Memphis Bleek (60:30)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Surviving the Feds:

  “It’s only two Gottis in the world that beat the Feds, man—the Gotti brothers and the real Gotti.”
  (Memphis Bleek, 05:57)

• On Label Betrayal:

  “They did us dirty. That was my machine. So how can I put out music?”
  (Chris Gotti, 08:33)

• On Jay-Z’s Evolution:

  “He’s a domesticated gangster. When they talk Jay and they talk about him today... I say, he got that because he honed his skills and ground them from the street.”
  (Chris Gotti, 26:00–26:13)

• On Competition in NYC:

  “It’s a hundred rappers in New York. And it’s only 10 slots... we all fighting for the 10.”
  (Memphis Bleek, 15:35)

• On Innovating the Music Model:

  “We circulated that money right back to us, man.”
  (Chris Gotti, 13:09)

• Advice to Artists:

  “You cannot short the work. And the process is... you can’t cheat the process.”
  (Chris Gotti, 44:41)

• On Consistency:

  “If you don't feed ‘em, they gonna go eat somewhere else.”
  (Chris Gotti, 46:23)

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Important Segments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:19 | Memphis Bleek’s tribute to Gotti—legacy and family | | 05:57 | The Gotti brothers vs. the Feds—standing tall, trial stories | | 08:00 | Behind-the-scenes of the industry shifting to G-Unit/Aftermath | | 09:39 | The rise and scaling of Murder Inc.’s crack house & studios | | 14:23 | Irv Gotti’s Guinness World Record production run | | 15:35 | Competition in NY, family, and sharing the stage | | 17:07 | Chris the observer, OG, and crew protector | | 26:00 | “Domestication of a Gangster”—Jay-Z’s evolution | | 33:55 | Advice to new generations—value life and health | | 36:02 | Murder Inc.’s influence on R&B/Hip-Hop fusions | | 42:00 | Transitioning into film: Ballin’, Spanish Fly | | 44:41 | Independence, hard work, and the business “cheat code” | | 60:29 | Studio philosophy: “the hook is king” | | 72:00 | Revolutionizing basketball with the CPL |

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Tone and Style

The conversation is raw, candid, and brotherly with a mix of street wisdom, entrepreneurial hustle, and nostalgia. Both Memphis Bleek and Chris Gotti embrace their New York roots and maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect, energy, and humor.

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Conclusion

This episode is a rare, insightful look at the forces that shaped Roc-A-Fella and Murder Inc., revealing the grit, resilience, and innovation required to survive and thrive in both the streets and the boardrooms. Chris Gotti’s journey from the “crack house” studio days to new film and sports ventures illustrates hip-hop's endless evolution. Listen for real talk, real lessons, and the stories you’ll never hear anywhere else.

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For fans of hip-hop history, entrepreneurship, and raw conversation, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

[Chris Gotti]

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[Memphis Bleak]

Whoa, what a vibe we've got, y'.

[Commercial Announcer]

All.

[Memphis Bleak]

As always, it's classic HBCU energy. Nonstop action, the band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chants echoing, drums beating, everybody showing that school pride. Moments like this. Yeah, they call for an ice cold Coca Cola. Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Mm, yeah, that taste always hit the right note. Just like the band at halftime. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the place, no matter the moment. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and and keep that HBCU pride going.

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[Commercial Announcer]

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[Chris Gotti]

This is where mindset comes in.

[Commercial Announcer]

Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down.

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[Memphis Bleak]

What up, y'?

[Chris Gotti]

All?

[Memphis Bleak]

This your main man, Memphis Bleak, right here. Welcome to Rock Solid, a production of iHeartRadio and the Black Effect Network, in partnership with my guys over at Drink Champs. Big whipping. Yeah, Memphis, I'm back at it. Niggas.

[Chris Gotti]

Notice the difference.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just more grown. Prezi, no stone. Yeah, y', all, you already know what it is. Back with another exclusive. And I tell you, you see many people sitting on this stage sitting right here with me. And not everybody is like, everybody, but this man sent to the left of me. This is family. This is my brother. This is a og. Every time he spoke, I listened. So, you know, it's an honor to have him sitting here. You know, I gotta say rest in peace to his brother ir, who is another legend in this game. A brother of mine who taught me many things that I still apply to business to this day. So I want to welcome my guy, Chris Gotti, to the building. You already know my brother. I love you, bro. What's up, man?

[Chris Gotti]

Thank you for having me, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Appreciate it, man. When they told me it's so crazy how this happened, because I was supposed to come here, interview somebody else yesterday. And Armando was like, yo, I was just talking to Chris Gotti. I was like, what they tell Gotti, pull up. He's like, yo, I'm gonna get y' all on the phone. And I'm like, yeah, let's go.

[Chris Gotti]

But as soon as he said that, I was like, what? I was looking for you. I promise you. I told Rule not too long ago I need to give him Bleak info. Cause I wanna come and talk to you about not just this, but other things, other businesses that I'm involved in that I think maybe make some.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, so you got the basketball league popping, man. Congratulations.

[Chris Gotti]

Definitely wanna talk to you about that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man, you know, thank you. We did season.

[Chris Gotti]

Season one. We did season one. You know, it's really just money. I gotta raise more money. But season one was incredible. Sold out every week. It's a It's a small league, short seasons.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cpl, right?

[Chris Gotti]

Cpl, Clash, pro league, you know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

What's up, man?

[Chris Gotti]

And again, it's all D1 players or plays that played overseas or, you know, and it's. I've been inside of street basketball for four decades, you feel me? Help Greg Marius. God bless Greg when he did. Rucker had it at the hype, helping Ken Steven shout out Ken, you know what I'm saying? Helped him with Dyckman, to get Dyckman really at where it's at today. And that gave me a lot of insight. You know, I have a sports management business that I did, you know, that's what's up, man, you know, for over almost third going into 30 years. And I've been involved with either co agenting or co managing or managing all these different NBA plays or football players. I even had one golfer, professional golfer. So I'm inside a sports culture aside from being just music. Yeah. Like I've been doing that. And the reason I went into it is cuz when them boys came, you got to diversify because they shed off the faucet.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. But yo, speaking on that, man, that's one thing a lot of people don't know, man. It's only two gottis in the world that beat the fans, man, you know what I'm saying? It's the Gotti brothers and it is Gotti, man, but y' all beat them boys, man, and that not many people don't know.

[Chris Gotti]

My lawyer was Gerald Shagiel. He passed just not too long ago. God bless. But he was also Gotti's lawyer, Dab.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, so he knew, man, he had the playbook.

[Chris Gotti]

He's the best attorney I ever seen.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what's up, man. And you know, everybody know y' all stood tall, you know, in this, in this new world today of all these rappers catching cases and going down, you.

[Chris Gotti]

Know, it's like, you know, one of.

[Memphis Bleak]

The things that we crazy, we're crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

While we was in trial, the. The prosecutor, you know, she was always trying to change things or say things like that's what they job is or whatever. But he would tell the judge, no, this is the law, this is the case law. He would break it down and it got so real where the judge told her, if Gerald Chargel says this is what it is, don't question me. It's that damn. Nah, it was crazy. She was so mad.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, he was a beast.

[Chris Gotti]

He was a beast.

[Memphis Bleak]

He was a beast.

[Chris Gotti]

Man, they called him the Superman in the courtroom, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that shit happened at the height of Murder Inc. Man. That's one thing I feel like, you know, a lot of people in this rap industry think rap beef can. Can take down, but they don't understand that that happened all simultaneously. And it's like, yeah, I need a joke. That was crazy, man. We got some more. Don't worry about it.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm already fucking with you. I'm already fucking with you.

[Memphis Bleak]

But, you know, like, just making me feel that way, that's all, man.

[Chris Gotti]

No, but you. You know what? You just said something that's so real. Because, you know, I do podcasts with all types, and they don't understand, and they always bring up the beef.

[Memphis Bleak]

And they ain't got that.

[Chris Gotti]

And I said, let me tell you something.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's entertainment, bro.

[Chris Gotti]

I said, beef. It's entertainment. I said, number one, I never felt pressure. Number two was, let's say he took away Ja completely.

[Memphis Bleak]

Which never happened.

[Chris Gotti]

Which never happened. But let's just say that's what would have, like, happened. We was doing over $240 million, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly.

[Chris Gotti]

Let's say Ja's worth 130. It was good. I'm still alright, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Good. But when the Alphabet Boys come, Alvin.

[Chris Gotti]

Boys, and then what's even further that most people don't know is they universal. Idj, Def Jam cooperated with the feds against us.

[Memphis Bleak]

So you would expect that.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, but you say that. But that's my machine.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

So how can I put out music?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

They not. And then when you think of business, they didn't do anything but shift it from one side from Murder Inc. And put it over the aftermath G Unit. That's all they did. It was a lateral move.

[Memphis Bleak]

Boom. Yeah. The money gotta move.

[Chris Gotti]

The money don't change, though. They still eating, they still good. But they definitely, you know, was did us dirty.

[Memphis Bleak]

I played a major role in that, man. But before that, let's go back, man. The rise of Murder, Inc. I remember when y' all first started coming around. A lot of people don't know Gotti was a J. Dj.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

When I first.

[Chris Gotti]

That was DJ Irv.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes. DJ Irv. Ig, holding it down on the tour, telling me, yo, you bugging. Don't be leaving the club, going home with no girls. You better bring them to the hotel. You don't go. I'm telling you. I was the young boy and they got wild me, my G. I remember when I first met Ja.

[Chris Gotti]

All of y'.

[Memphis Bleak]

All bj. Yeah. Raw Gutter. Yeah, all of y', all, man. You know, and we became a family.

[Chris Gotti]

Facts.

[Memphis Bleak]

And then I watched y' all grow from the beginning, bro. And it was just like a tidal wave all at once. Like, you know, I was that. You know what I mean?

[Chris Gotti]

It's really, like, unreal, like surreal. You know what I'm saying? You go through these things, you watch all these things transpire. And, you know, the reality of Murder, Inc. That I've been trying to explain. Cause everyone asked, how did Irv start Murder, Inc? I said, technically, he didn't.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And what I mean by that is Irv just wanted to be the biggest producer in the game. And we had Little Rob. Shout out Little Rob.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yep. Little Rob.

[Chris Gotti]

That was the one producer we had with Irv.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Shout out Little Rob, man. Little Rob was putting them hits out.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. But he didn't make a lot, see? So he was making hits, no question. But, you know, when you in business, it's quantity.

[Memphis Bleak]

I can't.

[Chris Gotti]

I can't service an industry with just a few beats. I need a lot. And I told Irv I had just made the transition, like, because I built the construction business that was funding her to Irv, started making some money with Top Dog Productions.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yep, yep.

[Chris Gotti]

You know what I'm saying? Tells me, yo, I need you back with me. Because I started Irvin.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And then I said, okay. And I started doing both. But then after I did both, I got burnt out and I said, I'm gonna just do music. But to get 20% of $5,000 ain't gonna pay me.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hell no, man.

[Chris Gotti]

If I sell three out of the four beats Rob made, that's three racks. That's not enough.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

So I went back to Irv and said, listen, I'm gonna go bring in more producers. And he was like, I don't care what you do. I'm not taking less than 5,000. You know what I'm saying? I started laughing. It's like, of course I got you. So that was the beginning. And I started adding in producers, and the next, you know, we went from five. I took us from five to 15 to 25 to 50 in less than six months. We had 50,000 attract. The first year, we had a hundred thousand attract, you know what I'm saying? And that was the beginning of all of that. And we just kept going. We went all the way up to 250,000. Tracker was getting 250. But that's all these producers I got. So we had a team, producers. That's with her banging out.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's how the crack house came about, man.

[Chris Gotti]

That's the crack house.

[Memphis Bleak]

Crack house. Yeah. I was in there. She was like a fortress, you know, she was like that, like the Carter.

[Chris Gotti]

Yo. It was so real because I was controlling all the business on. On everything. So I'm. I'm seeing all the money we spending in studios. And I told Irv I created something called Mink Rentals. M I N C Murder Inc. Mink Rentals. And we rents. We built our studio so we could rent our studio to ourselves to make the money. You know, we bought houses to rent the house. We traveling all over. This is when we start really rocking. And I'm watching these bills. We had hundred plus thousand a month in car services. So I bought. I stopped buying cars.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And get my. All my hood, the whole hood is drivers.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. That's right. That's the smart way to do it.

[Chris Gotti]

And they got mad. Universal got mad because we was doing that. But I said, it's our business. And Irv went in and we went in there and fight. We would go back and fight with all of them. And then next, you know, I see them doing it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, I remember when the label started doing their car services. Come on, man.

[Chris Gotti]

We was the ones that started that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah, that's a fact.

[Chris Gotti]

And that was because I seen that. I seen that. And then again, even the studio, we was the ones to do it. Because I'm watching all of those budgets go to Quad Studios, Sony Hit Factory. Right track. And, and you look at the bill and you're like, damn, why are they getting all that money?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. That car service, then you send in their order.

[Chris Gotti]

I recirculated that money right back to us, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, that was dope, man. That was a master plan.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, for sure.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was ill. And we gave him a discount.

[Chris Gotti]

They was mad. We gave him a love price because it was us like we doing it for ourselves. So they got. We made albums cheaper. But if we had to produce for other people, they got to pay full rate, everything.

[Memphis Bleak]

But think about. I'm going back said man. From 5000 a track.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

250.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. In about two years. In a two year time frame.

[Memphis Bleak]

Sweet.

[Chris Gotti]

Super.

[Memphis Bleak]

That, that, that 95 to about 2015 run. Oh my.

[Chris Gotti]

Well, our heights. Our Heights is from 2002 to 2005. And that's. But that's when the trial ends. It ends in December 2005.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And damn, here's the crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

It seemed like 15 years.

[Chris Gotti]

We had a lot of hits. Yeah. Guinness Book for the longest run at number one. Not like. So what do you mean? If he produced one artist, the other artist he produced took that artist out. The next artist took that artist out. So he was the producer on a hot 100 for, I believe it was like 48 weeks. Damn. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, it's in the Guinness Book. I'm not sure the time frame, but.

[Memphis Bleak]

It'S in the Guinness in there. They can fact check it.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, they can fact check. He's still. He's still the only producer to do that. That's something that, you know, as good as these other producers are, they might produce another artist, but they don't go number one. Or the competition gets the number one song.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you the older brother. Yes. So look, the C Little bro go from DJ Irv. Then it was the Mike Geronimo run. Because I remember when Shit's Real came out. That was when was lit. You kidding me?

[Chris Gotti]

We was outside then, you know, the Shit's Real for, you know, Jay to bring up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Jay.

[Chris Gotti]

Shout out Jay. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's right. Shout out. Always, though.

[Chris Gotti]

Always.

[Memphis Bleak]

G. He dumb, man.

[Chris Gotti]

But that's what made him fuck with Irv. Probably more, in my opinion. This is not. I would have to ask him to be sure. Cause he came to Irv is like, how you getting him played? You know what I'm saying? This is when, you know, I tell everyone we was all a family. But this is competition at all times. Look, rapper is a blood sport. And especially in that era.

[Memphis Bleak]

And mellow. It's only 10 slots.

[Chris Gotti]

That's it.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a hundred rappers in New York.

[Chris Gotti]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And it's only 10 slots. We all fighting for the 10.

[Chris Gotti]

There's only 12 magazine covers.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. And we fighting for it. That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

So. So it's like. It's a. It's that competition. Friendly competition. Family competition. Which is nothing wrong with it. Cause it really pushes each other to the next levels. And I believe we had that. Cause I remember us going into sessions when we had our records. And this is our album. We go play it for each other and be like, yeah, this is the date we coming. Don't come that day. And they give you, you know, don't come the same time. So we don't interrupt each other's run. Yes, that's. That's intellectual property.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

That's IP for your ass. And that's right. We didn't give that to anyone outside of the family. Like, I remember even doing that with Diddy. Yeah, Running with Irv, going into his sessions like, yo, we coming. You know what I'm saying? Rough Ride is. It was, it was, it was Rockefeller, Rough Riders, Murder Inc. And Murder Inc. Bad Boy. And Bad Boy was again inside of that as well.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Chris Gotti]

And we, we, we shared notes and it was a real competitive thing. But we go in each other's sessions. They came in our sessions. I never. Swiss came in our session playing Heat, Shout Out Swami.

[Memphis Bleak]

He was a one man Army Switzer. Come in the session to shut down, have some records. He'll come in there, play some shit and you'll be like, I don't think I got records like that.

[Chris Gotti]

No different.

[Memphis Bleak]

Gotti was the same way.

[Chris Gotti]

No, listen, we was blessed. But listen, everyone had they again, what.

[Memphis Bleak]

They was good at.

[Chris Gotti]

Just be sending. Yeah, man, listen, they came in with they fire, man. Guns blazing.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, that's a fact. Was major. Especially between Murder Inc. Rockefeller and Rough Riders.

[Chris Gotti]

And then when I look back to me, that is part of something that made it so special. I look back at that and when you put Irv in the middle, he was the, he was the kind of the person that kept everyone that glued him.

[Memphis Bleak]

He definitely was the glue, man. We can never take that away. And you was the OG in the background, man. You know what I mean? Like, what was it like? We had this conversation a little bit off camera, but I want to bring it up on camera because.

[Chris Gotti]

Let's talk about it.

[Memphis Bleak]

I got a few cousins, right, that I used to be as a kid growing up, I used to be mad at be like, damn, cuz how you ain't rolling around, how you ain't got the bands, cuz you supposed to have the condo up top. Cuz you was 18 in the 80s when was making a million dollars on the corner, right?

[Chris Gotti]

A day, a day, a week, straight up getting it.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you ain't go outside and get none of that. So I used to be as a kid looking at my cousins like, y' all think it was soft. Y' all think it wasn't outside.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, one of the things for me, I never hustled no way. Never hustle, never.

[Memphis Bleak]

You just knew all the hustlers.

[Chris Gotti]

I, I, I' ma keep it all the way. A hundred I might have robbed.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, you was the stick up man.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, yeah, stick it. Oh, you can't do both. That's why you never on the block.

[Chris Gotti]

I was never on the block. Cause that block life, I. I looked at the block life. All my. That was on that block every day. I never seen them up. Up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Never.

[Chris Gotti]

Not the. Not the block.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, the who was moving the was.

[Chris Gotti]

Getting it for them. Yeah, I seen them up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

So I never wanted to. It was like, that's the road you had to travel to get to that next stage. It was super violent. Yeah, it was super violent. Like senseless violence. I'm talking about for Hollis. I grew up in Hollis, Queens. You know, I'm from Brownsville. People always say that. We from Brownsville. What part? Livonia.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying? I'm from mother. I'm from Rockaway. Dumont born and raised.

[Chris Gotti]

So I'm just saying we was. My family's all in Brownsville.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Chris Gotti]

My mother's mother and father bought us this house. Cause they didn't want eight kids in Brownsville in a three bedroom apartment. And they got the house in Hollis, a three bedroom house. But we used every inch of the house. But we in Hollis, Queens, different lifestyle. But again, I always claim house because that's where I made my life.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

So that's where I did my work. And I always go. If I go back, I always had guns. So I was the kid in the neighborhood with the juice, right? That's the movies. The juice was the gun.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

You had the juice in Tupac movies. The juice is. Cause he had the gun.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was because Think it wasn't like today thing at all. It'd be five. It's 30 guns in the car.

[Chris Gotti]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Back in the day, it's five.

[Chris Gotti]

Who has it?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. One gun.

[Chris Gotti]

So you know me, I had it. And everyone from hospital come get me to do. I was again, I always say, you know, I was stupid. You know, God protect you.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And I never thought of consequences and things of my actions. I just. And it was never me. It was like, you come and get me. Yo, they just shot Lele. Let's go get him. Come on. Oh. It was like, let's go.

[Memphis Bleak]

Knew you had that.

[Chris Gotti]

Not only did I have that, but I had money. Because again, I used to do. I was all right. I was getting money my way. They couldn't understand how I had money and they didn't have the money. I would take the niggas on the block shopping. Like, come on, let's get you fresh. Look at you. Y' all niggas out here all day. Yeah, I'd be Like you could get a job at McDonald's and do better.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I would kill him. Because you respect the money more.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I would kill all the black man because I was with the niggas that was behind them. And then they would tell me, either come with them to go pick some up and then hit me off with some bread, or they would line some up, you know what I'm saying? And I never had that. That gene called fear. So it was just. And once they said it, it was. It wasn't me. Like, oh, man, am I gonna. I was like, cool, let's go. It's like, it was never that. And for me, I was like. You said I was Irv's big brother. I never would tell Irv anything because I. If I did it, Irv did it. And I didn't want him to do the things that you did.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, no, that's what's up, man. My brother, he ain't give a. Yeah, like, hey, I'm selling drugs.

[Chris Gotti]

Come on with.

[Memphis Bleak]

Crackheads is right here.

[Chris Gotti]

Bust that down. Here's what you gotta do. You know what I tell. And I ain't. I don't want to say, but like, I don't even smoke or nothing. And I was around it my whole life, you know, But I didn't have. I lost two uncles, though, to that Blue Magic on some real shit.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, wow. Yeah, man, that's crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. My father on my mother's side and my father's side, they grew up in Harlem and they got some bad dope.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man, that era back then was bad, man. You definitely had uncles that caught no aunts, all that. That era was different, man.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes, it was.

[Memphis Bleak]

But like, I just heard you say, always kept the cool head, always was level headed. And I could definitely say, bro. At the height of Murder Inc. From the beginning to the height when Gotti and Ja was running around like these was the Terminator. Yes, Chris would be the only one. Shout out, rule be like, yo, Bleak, they tripping, right?

[Chris Gotti]

They bucking.

[Memphis Bleak]

Don't even worry about that. Just come back in the morning, you know they gotta. Gonna have a beach for you. Don't even listen. We don't got time for that shit. We rock stars, nigga.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, that's what they telling you. I came for the beats. Just put my music.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. Like why I'm getting cursed out that I'm not accepting I'm a rock star.

[Chris Gotti]

Let me tell you, though, what do they say? It was the best of times. It was the Worst of times, you know, we had. Listen, we. Everyone looks at us like we had a real plan. And we understood every. No, we didn't. We learned as we go. We learned on the fly. We're quick learners. You know, for me, personally, if I watch anyone do something, I do it. That's just me. I could do it. That's my blessing. Like, I look at that. I built the whole construction company, and I learned every trade. I didn't go to school. I learned every part of this music business.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm a lawyer. I'm not a doctor. I'm a doctor. Like, I really learned this, and I have it. No one could take it from me, no matter what it is. And my mind is different. And I'm. I always was quiet. You always tell you I was quiet because why I'm a student. Yeah. I'm watching everyone's actions. And my job was to protect my.

[Memphis Bleak]

Brother and to protect everyone around. That's how I always.

[Chris Gotti]

So my job was. When I'm. When you quiet and you fall back and you let. Irvin John. They out there doing anything, you see everyone who's who.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

You see, they. When they not paying attention, the way they looking at. They looking at Irv. Like me. You. You know, you could.

[Memphis Bleak]

You're watching all that.

[Chris Gotti]

So now I'm telling them afterwards. Yo, this nigga's no good, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Yeah. I'm telling you, I've seen the looks. You ain't paying attention.

[Chris Gotti]

But that's not their job.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

They in the middle of the storm.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, I got homies like that in the crew that don't talk. They come around, don't say a word. You won't even remember they was there.

[Chris Gotti]

When we first started. When you go back, when you talk that. I was. It was just me. I'll be outside. I'd tell them, go in the club if they coming out, hit me if there's a problem. So I know what's coming. I'm outside, hammered up, waiting for them come out.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

It wasn't till I got Fat Boy Shout out, Fat Boy shout out Todd. You know what I'm saying? When I got Fat Boy inside with me, that was my first help. Like, these are my niggas from Queens. They came out. But Irving, them. I keep it a buck. They didn't want him to come out. They was like, they always in trouble. I said, that's what I need, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

We need them niggas we need some trouble for nights.

[Chris Gotti]

Don't worry, I'll keep them away from you. And you know they love them niggas, but they didn't want the trouble to bring them down. Irvin Rue both love these niggas.

[Memphis Bleak]

They just didn't want to get trouble.

[Chris Gotti]

They didn't want it on the rise. We trying to come up. We don't want nothing to pull it back. Yo, so I had to keep them with me and keep them away from everything.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, hov was different than that. Hova have I be, yo, we got the party. I'd be like, yo, it's a party. Be like, first of all, I'm too young, so I gotta ask permission. Can I go?

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'll be like, all right. Yeah, you can roll, Little.

[Chris Gotti]

You go.

[Memphis Bleak]

I get to this party, start seeing all the killers from the projects in here. These popping bottles, drinking Hova's with that funniest that. Yo, that's why I tell the. The Hov. You see now? Yeah, this is the man.

[Chris Gotti]

I want to write the book about it. It's called. It's called the.

[Memphis Bleak]

The.

[Chris Gotti]

The. The. What do you call that? The. Damn, you making me forget right now. It's the. It's. It's like the change in domestication. It's the domestication of a gangster that's going to be in my book. I'm right.

[Memphis Bleak]

I like that because that's what he is.

[Chris Gotti]

He's a domesticated gangster. You know, I tell. I tell everyone. I said, you know, when they talk Jay and they talk about him to day and where he's at, and he's a businessman. Businessman. This. I said. He got that because he honed his.

[Memphis Bleak]

Skills and ground him from the.

[Chris Gotti]

He says it in his songs. You just ain't paying attention.

[Memphis Bleak]

I always tell people today, these kids today, I feel like they. They treat life like a book report.

[Chris Gotti]

Now.

[Memphis Bleak]

They be like, yo, go do the book report at the crib. And as a kid, you cheated. You like, man, I'mma read a little bit in the middle, and I'mma read the end, and I'mma write what happened. Skip the whole beginning. So that's why I say these kids today don't look at the beginning chapters of life. They just want to see everything he said.

[Chris Gotti]

And it was. Everything he said has been facts. You know, I get that question all the time. And, you know, I'm not saying it because you here. I say it all the time. He's the best.

[Memphis Bleak]

Whoa, what a vibe we've got, y'. All, as always, it's classic HBCU energy. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chants echoing, drums beating everybody showing that school pride. Moments like this, yeah, they call for an ice cold Coca Cola. Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there.

[Chris Gotti]

Mmm.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that taste always hit the right note just like the band at halftime. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the place, no matter the moment. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

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[Chris Gotti]

This is where mindset comes in.

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[Chris Gotti]

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[Sponsor/Advertiser Voice]

Definitely something in it for you.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, I say it all the time too. People try to argue me down and.

[Chris Gotti]

Again, there's other great, great other. It's just like when you talk basketball. Jordan. I'm like, there's no one better than Jordan Yellow. We didn't see it. I said, but there's other great players. You be a fool to say LeBron ain't great. And like. Like one of one as well. Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

He's 1 2. Like, you know, it is what it is.

[Chris Gotti]

Kobe has to take a back seat.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

He. And he understood it.

[Memphis Bleak]

And, and. And Kobe is a God bless Kobe family. God bless him. Kobe was a monster, man. Like, listen, I'm a New Yorker. I didn't like the Lakers. He used to kill every team.

[Chris Gotti]

I brought him to Rucker.

[Memphis Bleak]

You brought him to Rucker?

[Chris Gotti]

He played for me in Rucker. I can never doubt that.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that. That. That's what made me respect when I seen Kobe in Harlem.

[Chris Gotti]

That's right. Oh, and I'm telling you, he was. And he did. He gave you street ball.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, but I was a basketball fan, so I was hating from a basketball fan.

[Chris Gotti]

Hold on. And he did it after he had five rings. This ain't if.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, this ain't like rookie. Five rings.

[Chris Gotti]

N. This is five rings cold, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

One of the greatest players I ever witnessed playing got to shake his hand and watched him bust all my favorite players ass. Shit was heartbreaking. I gotta admit it.

[Chris Gotti]

One of my regrets in life is I didn't. You know, I never took pictures. I never took. All the times we used to get.

[Memphis Bleak]

Back then, that wasn't it. Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

We wasn't.

[Memphis Bleak]

We didn't grow up with that.

[Chris Gotti]

I know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, take a picture.

[Chris Gotti]

As much as I was around him and with him and in la, you know, when he scored, when he would drop what he dropped. In the Garden. No, in New Garden, he goes, what, 66, 64. Go watch it. There's a video you're gonna see. The first person he run to is me. He didn't talk to me the whole game. I'm right there on the floor. I'm sitting next to James Dolan and I'm calling him. And at halftime and everything. In the beginning, he wouldn't even look at me. Soon as it's over, he ran. I did it. Yo. He was that focused, yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hey, he used to bust ass in the Garden. Every time he came, he dropped 50 or some crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

But I'm just saying, you know, he's. I never took pictures with that man. Like, I got pictures that I took for him and others and none with me. And I'm like. Because I wasn't thinking he wasn't gonna be here.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, that we never thinking like that.

[Chris Gotti]

I know, but that's something for people to understand out there to understand and make sure they get.

[Memphis Bleak]

And a lot of young respect. I feel like they need to appreciate life because it's short, man. You don't know. Really? You really don't know?

[Chris Gotti]

I just lost my brother. 54. How do you figure that out?

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying? And that, that was way unexpected, bro. Like, you know, the biggest deal of his career.

[Chris Gotti]

Like we got so many things we was plotting on and planning on and yeah. It's like I curse him out now. Like when I wake up, I'm like, you left me here for this, for myself. What the. You know what I'm saying? Like how you leave this like that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. And that. And.

[Chris Gotti]

Because I really believe it could have been. It could have been different.

[Memphis Bleak]

But no, definitely, man. All this, man, like we. We are our own demise. You feel me? I believe that. Like what we. What we do to our bodies, if we don't take care of ourselves, we don't go get the proper. It's like. It's like a car. I feel like. Right. If you just drive around, drive around. Never take your car to get. Waiting for it to break, that shit going to conk out, it's going to break down and it's over.

[Chris Gotti]

Might be on the highway somewhere.

[Memphis Bleak]

So out of the desert. If you. If you could take your car to get service, you got to be able to take the body to get service. You know what I'm saying? The mind too. Like.

[Chris Gotti]

Like, you know, everything I try and eat healthier. I got fast a lot and yeah. You know, fastens the. The health factors that it comes with. With the body. And yes, we gotta watch as you get older, you know, you. Your body don't break down that food.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, it don't.

[Chris Gotti]

He's used to eating late night studios.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you don't heal as quick. You know, injuries too.

[Chris Gotti]

Come on.

[Memphis Bleak]

So it's like that. That's the one thing that I say. Hey, I always tell people getting old suck. Getting old sucks. But not getting old sucks too.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. So yeah, when they say, oh, you old. That's the goal.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. That's right. That's what we have.

[Chris Gotti]

That's what we want to do.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right, man.

[Chris Gotti]

But you don't want to know what the other side of that is.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I feel like these kids just got to take. Just appreciate life, man. Because it's not. It's not forever. We're only here for a Short period of time. We got to live it to the.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm going to shout someone out that's doing something. Because when you talk that young. The young people. There's a young artist right now, NBA, young boy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, my God.

[Chris Gotti]

And congratulations for doing all the things you're doing on touring. They never thought that type of rap would go out and peacefully do tours.

[Memphis Bleak]

Keep.

[Chris Gotti]

Make sure. Keep pushing it, man. Because again, I'm a fan. You know, I'm a fan of Dirk. I know y' all have. They have their little. But I'm a fan of the music of both of them.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. And at the end of the day, I'm a fan of hip hop.

[Chris Gotti]

Hip hop.

[Memphis Bleak]

These kids pushing it forward and.

[Chris Gotti]

And it's their turn.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, man. Sit back and watch them and change the game, too.

[Chris Gotti]

Like it's. To help them is to tell them what to look out for, what to do. Like, this is why it's like that. And hopefully they heed our word. That's it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's all we could do is give out a little bit of game. A lot of. It's a lot of ignorance in the game, though. You got a few people out here who. Who want to push the. The violent narrative and all the other.

[Chris Gotti]

I don't see no one doing.

[Memphis Bleak]

But it's like just talking.

[Chris Gotti]

Would you smack?

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. You know, they ain't doing none of that.

[Chris Gotti]

Who'd you touch? Show me. Show me something. Someone say, yeah, he me up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, it's not.

[Chris Gotti]

I don't hear it. I don't see it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that don't happen in hip hop no more. And we don't need it. We don't need it.

[Chris Gotti]

No.

[Memphis Bleak]

But we don't need no violence. Don't talk kids to get money.

[Chris Gotti]

Jay said that too. He said you couldn't talk if you wasn't. You know, if it wasn't you. You can't say it, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. If it wasn't one of his raps. That's where I'm from.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm telling you all he. Everything you need to know about this in them words.

[Memphis Bleak]

Couldn't say it. That's. That's where I'm from.

[Chris Gotti]

It's in his words, bro. He gave you the game.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just listen 100%. But then, yo, y' all gave us Ja Rule. Y' all gave us Ashanti. Then y' all rebirthed J Lo. Like, bro, Y' all pushed the envelope, too. Y' all rebirth.

[Chris Gotti]

We rebirthed Fat Joe.

[Memphis Bleak]

Fat Joe. I gave him one too.

[Chris Gotti]

Word he'll admit it. He says it all the time.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I feel like a lot of.

[Chris Gotti]

Changed his whole trajectory. Shout out Joe and Jada. Man, what they doing is amazing over there.

[Memphis Bleak]

Y' all changed the trajectory, I feel like, of Music and Murder, Inc. Don't get the credit of that, because before y', all, it wasn't like, yeah, Puff did the. You know, the R and B and rap together, but it wasn't done as one. Like, it was total. Featuring Big or featuring Mace, featuring 112.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, they never. They never gave John his credit for.

[Memphis Bleak]

Pioneering a game that every. First of all, I don't think. I don't even think artists get deals now if you don't rap and sing right. Think about that.

[Chris Gotti]

You gotta have some of that melodic.

[Memphis Bleak]

Flow in your straight up. Like. And I remember when he first was doing it and y' all pioneered, like, coming out with that and used to be looking like, yo.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm saying something, though, because I'm gonna give you the. The Irv Gotti. I'm gonna speak like, Irv is in me right now.

[Memphis Bleak]

Pause.

[Chris Gotti]

He's with me. That part, what you just said, you don't hear it no more. Is the opportunity for the exact polar opposite. Cause that means they want that. There's a whole group of people that says, we heard all of that already. You gotta be creative and fresh. You know, that was the dmx. Like, Puffy was killing it. Killing it. Yeah, but we can't outshine Puffy. He's a shiny.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

Shout out. Hold your head, boy. But you can't outshine him.

[Memphis Bleak]

No.

[Chris Gotti]

I was like, I got X.

[Memphis Bleak]

We gonna outgrind them. That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And that's the polar opposite effect. So you gotta realize that is still true to this day in business and everything, when you see something saturated with one way the flipped. The polar opposite is a huge open potential, if you know how to finesse it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes. And then y' all did it with Ashanti, bro. Like, think about it. You didn't really hear that many. And it was remixes to R and b records, where DJs would throw the rap, you know.

[Chris Gotti]

Okay, so that's Irv. DJ Irv. See, if you go back to Irv, you go back to DJ Irv. There used to be lines with around the Block, no bullshit. Waiting for his mixtape.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, that's crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

No bullshit. Every drug dealer, all in Queens, everyone was coming to get DJ Irv Volume 1, DJ Irv Volume 2. And I told him, never sell it. You know, he said, that nigga was greedy as a motherfucker, man. I said, never sell those tapes. Let's keep the masters. Yeah, I might have one tape left out of, like, a hundred and some. DJ Earth Volume 120 or something.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy. Anybody got some? DJ Irv tapes them to the table. I want to hear them, please.

[Chris Gotti]

But he was. What he did in those tapes. He was blending again hip hop beats with R and B acapellas.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's why I said that's the only way you heard him on the Ron G tapes.

[Chris Gotti]

Okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean?

[Chris Gotti]

Definitely one of the pioneers.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he bought it to real music.

[Chris Gotti]

And he was a battle dj. So I would take him battling. That's how we actually. God bless. Called Clark Kent. That's how we met up. Clark.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out Clark Kent.

[Chris Gotti]

We met Clark at Union Square. Irv went up there to battle. Brooklyn's in the house in full effect. I thought we was gonna go crazy in there. We got into a little bit of stuff, but nothing crazy. But, you know, this is real. I still got the flies. Cause we had our Queens. Rapper Romeo. And Golf Fauvino is Razel. He was part of Irv's crew. Romeo, Roselle, and Irv. And we went and battled, and they all won. And it's just a few of the queens in there. Brooklyn. It was a Brooklyn house. Union Square, Come on. You know what it is.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Yo. Shit, y'. All, Bo.

[Chris Gotti]

DJ Clark, Ken is why.

[Memphis Bleak]

I will tell you why.

[Chris Gotti]

We probably didn't get into more. He respected Irv that day. Cause Irv beat him. Irv.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, this is a fact. This is a fact. And he respected him and basically kept the wolves quiet. You know, we ready, but we outnumbered. We outdone.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, you was in the different.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, we outdone.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man. Like, fucking Akanelli came through with y', all, too, y'. All. Akanelli threw, like. Look at Akanelli at one of the biggest records, man. Now. Now got the biggest strip club. That's insane. Polar opposite.

[Chris Gotti]

I know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Polar opposite, you know, I mean, that's what it takes. Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

It's creativity, though. That's what you got to understand. I learned so much from just being a fly on the wall, watching, listening some of the conversations that I heard. You know, I was right there. I'm sitting in the background right behind Irv. He's doing his talking. But the people he's talking to from Leo, even with Jay. Jay used to be waiting in my office to talk to the neighbor, you know what I'm saying? Just to, like different moves he's gonna make from a musical standpoint. So the respect, you know, is always there. They respected Irv's ear and his vision.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And boom. Got it gone. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. Fucking leading to that, man. You being the observer and listening and watching. That leads to you doing the movies, man. Tell me about that. You said you got a movie out now called Ballin', right?

[Chris Gotti]

Yes. Lance Stevenson's my lead.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ooh, Lance the homie, too. And he got verses and he got balls.

[Chris Gotti]

I did a whole sou soundtrack for the movie with Lance.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Chris Gotti]

Ricky. Shout out Ricky.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, yo, yo, listen. She. Y' all got a joint, that joint. I think Irv produced the first joint. Yeah, that's on one of my playlists, bro.

[Chris Gotti]

Come on, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Listen.

[Chris Gotti]

You heard that? Ricky, I'm telling you, we got to get up there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. Like, we. I. I remember. I just talk after this. Yo, I just was away with Ja for his birthday. Yeah, yeah. He like, yo, play one of your playlists. I've been rocking. And this came on. He like, let me find. I'm like, you know, I. With the fan, if it's dope.

[Chris Gotti]

No, Ricky's a talent, but, you know, that's a whole nother conversation. She does her crocheting. She just got, like, stuff to Bad.

[Memphis Bleak]

Bunny, like, damn, that's dope, man. God bless.

[Chris Gotti]

Shout out Shaboozy. Shout out Shaboozy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. He loved it.

[Chris Gotti]

Reposted everything again. She's super talented. I gotta get you laced. I'll get you some.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man. Hell yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

For sure.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let's do it.

[Chris Gotti]

But, you know, we go in that zone, man, and everything just flowed from the movie. My partner, Rich, Black and Andy and Try to shout, both of them. Rich wrote the movie. He was asking me to do it for years. Over a year and a half, almost two years. Like, yo, I got this movie. And I was like, yeah, I'm not ready yet. You know, I'll get to you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And then one day, I just reached out and said, yo, what's up? Let me see this movie. Let's go.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

I think I got everything set up. Damn. You know what I'm saying? And he was like, let's shoot it. So we went out, shot it in Miami. 17 days. Shot it. It would have been even faster. Shout out Ever my director. First time, you know, ever.

[Memphis Bleak]

17 days. Damn, that's quick.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, it could be. I I'm telling you, the only way to do these types of films is fast. You gotta turn them over.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And right now, I'm dealing with distribution. I'm working on distribution. Cause without the proper distribution channels, it's very hard to get your money. See, Tubi, I know people that made millions off of Tubi.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

That was early to be. Once Fox acquired it, the game changed. It's still the best place for black content.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. For any up and coming.

[Chris Gotti]

They got over 110 million on that channel that watch black film. But the reality is they're not giving the deals out to. To compensate. And their CPM is super low.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, but. But if you got the product, that's worth it, because you can't just give. It's too many. It's.

[Chris Gotti]

We was number one for five weeks.

[Memphis Bleak]

I feel like in all perspectives of entertainment is over saturated.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So how do you weed out who's real against you? Speaking my language, who's faking it? Because you can't just give everybody the money and hope what lands. And it's not a place. So that's why these companies.

[Chris Gotti]

I tell everyone when you talk of music, it's called the music business. Yes. Music is half. Business is half. You gotta make it marry each other. And then that's when you have sex.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's what I feel like. Cause even in this space place. Right. Like, people look at it like, yo, you get the deal, Nori and them. You did the deal. I heart. You got YouTube. Yo, y' all cashing out. And it's like, yo, bro, no, you got to put in the work. The numbers have to speak.

[Chris Gotti]

You need.

[Memphis Bleak]

You need a track record.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

To go sell. So people can buy into. They're not just gonna buy into. Because you. You opened up the stores like, yo, what if you fall off next week?

[Chris Gotti]

Probably in a lot of similar type of conversation with people because they think because of your history.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

Just boom.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, you good. No, it's like, yo, it's still a process. We still working. We gotta earn it. Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

Like every day you just say, this is what, your third podcast today? You know what I'm saying? You working, bro. At the end of the day, the work, you cannot short the work.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, man.

[Chris Gotti]

And the process is. You can't cheat the process. I said, if you want money overnight, the only thing I know is lotto.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Good luck.

[Chris Gotti]

I don't know how to hit lotto numbers.

[Memphis Bleak]

Good luck. Word up. Neither do I.

[Chris Gotti]

So I'm gonna Go put in my work. And consistency is part of what you have to be because of the. The saturation.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

So I tell all my independent artists. You know I have a. I got tens of thousands of independent artists on my platform. Adventure Music.

[Memphis Bleak]

But Shout Out.

[Chris Gotti]

We're going to talk about it. Shout Out Adventures. I'm building some new shit for it. But I really don't want to expose it. But I'm just letting you know it's coming. But the. The consistency. I look at music. Let's use. And you could use this podcast. Podcast is like one of the most emerging booming industries.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

Once it started.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. And everybody jumped in it and everyone's.

[Chris Gotti]

Doing it and everyone's trying to get they. They podcasts and they streaming numbers and everything. All good. We accept all competition.

[Memphis Bleak]

All the smoke. That's right. All.

[Chris Gotti]

All the smoke. You heard me. Stacks.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out to fam.

[Chris Gotti]

But consistency is the differentiating factor in my opinion. Because if you don't feed them. Let's use. I like to always dumb everything down so anyone understands. Simple, simplified. Let's use this podcast show as food. You feeding people with information. That's right for me and yourself and whoever your guests are. And that's why they're going to tune in. It's entertaining but it's food. If you don't feed them they're gonna go eat somewhere else.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

That's simple.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's just. They're gonna find the next best item on the menu.

[Chris Gotti]

And I said the only ones that get a chance to basically fast you. Right. Make you fast for that content is the ones that's already at the top.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yep.

[Chris Gotti]

Not the new up and coming guy. Look at the guy that was at the top and look at their track record and you're going to see how much work they put in to get there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And don't. Don't discount that. Understand that there's no cheat code.

[Memphis Bleak]

There's no. You can't cheat the game. You can only play the game. Can never cheat the game. You can only play the game.

[Chris Gotti]

I had a problem with rolling my sleeves up and getting to work.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, bro. It don't matter what and me. I. I'm the type of person I never had a problem with. Even if the W ain't looking promising for me. But it's looking promising for you. We gonna push you to get you the W cuz the when you win gonna make it easier for me to win. Cuz now I can Piggyback off you. Instead of us fighting. We all we got.

[Chris Gotti]

All we got, baby. CB we all we got. Right there.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word.

[Chris Gotti]

Every time, you know, we. We mentioned I just shot a movie. We was talking. The movies were back. I'm gonna just go back to that for a second, because we just shot a Spanish fly movie. I'm not Latino. My mother's black. My father was Trinidadian, Filipino. That's my lineage.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

At the end of the day, I got a partner, Don Dinero and Oscar. You know what I'm saying? Both guillotines, and they're very influential in the Latino community. Don was a big artist at one point, Independent artist first. He was the first rapper in. Really? In Spanish music. Wow. Back then. Yeah. Desiree calls him. Des calls him. Was calling him the Latin Jay Z. Go ahead. Go just check it out.

[Memphis Bleak]

You asked.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm telling you, no. And Juan knows him, everyone. But that was back then. Then he. He evolved and everything. But they're my Latin division, let's call it, because the growth of the Latin communities.

[Memphis Bleak]

We can't keep going.

[Chris Gotti]

Get a globe and look at all the Latin American countries, and you start understanding why the growth is like that. And then you put into the fact that they're not being serviced. So I was. When I started Adventures, I started a Latin division 10 years ago. This is way before any of this started. I was in front of this movement, and I have it now in film. So we did a movie called Spanish Flag. It's called. It's all Latino. Like actors, comedians, big names.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, wow.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, right. And they all did it for nothing. See, that's what. Because they know they all. They got. That's where the whole reason I'm talking about that is because I watched the Latin community come in, all the best directing people. That's the production people telling Dinero, whatever you want, I'm here.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. We want to.

[Chris Gotti]

I can't. We need this.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I want to be part of this.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because if it wasn't about money, everybody.

[Chris Gotti]

But it wasn't about money, about. They just wanted to help and be part of it. And that's what we have to get as a community, as people.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right. Because if he win, we all win.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's the Village. It's like, oh, man, we all win.

[Chris Gotti]

That's it. But, you know, that's another dope movie we just finished, and we shot that eight days.

[Memphis Bleak]

Eight days, man. I got to come this. I got to pop out one of these videos.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. You got to know I'm put you in one. We got. I got last acting.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let me get my skills sharp.

[Chris Gotti]

It's no problem. I show you how to do it. Like, I really have a system that I develop for, like, influencers. You're an influencer. Because I'm not just taking John Do's and have nothing. Because today I got to get an audience to watch my film.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Chris Gotti]

So if you're in the film, you'll be here. Yo, make sure you watch my film.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

What's needed if we're doing it independently.

[Memphis Bleak]

Even if you just text me and tell me the film is out. Yo, listen, make sure y' all go check out Ballin'.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Where they can find it at.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. To be right now. And I'm gonna be on a ton of other places. Amazon. It's gonna be all over.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. In Spanish Fly. And I'm not even in the movie. But this is my motherfucking brother, so I'm gonna promote. So if the movie I'm in, I'm gonna tell y' all right now, you might get a flyer on the windshield of your car. So if you see this flyer. Windshield of your car. Bleak. In the movie, baby.

[Chris Gotti]

No, but I'm telling you, that's why I picked the cast of How I did It. You gotta have. You can't get. I looked at movies in a different perspective again. And I looked at, like, I love, let's say a Morris Chestnut.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tay Diggs.

[Chris Gotti]

These are incredible actors.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hell, yeah. Me, I could never.

[Chris Gotti]

All right.

[Memphis Bleak]

I wish.

[Chris Gotti]

Here's the question. How many people. If I had them in a movie, how much do I have to pay them? And then how many people they get to go watch it? See, that all comes with a tag. When they establish like they are. I'm not knocking them. It's just the business they're in. And now they almost price themselves out.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Chris Gotti]

You understand? They're really great actors, both of them. I fuck with both of them hard, you know, pause. But at the end of the day, they're both great actors, but they'll want more money than I could afford at this level. And then they're not going to work as hard because then they're going to want even more money for the marketing side. But if I go get these influences that want a chance to be actors, or these actors have a following, they're gonna push the movie for me. They're gonna help market the movie, and they're gonna get people that's curious. Another part of you know this, me and hers, like, we had a lot of different philosophies. One of them was curiosity killed the cat. So a new artist would slay an old artist. Right. If I brought a new artist in the game, you're curious to see or hear his story.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

So that gave us a upside on that. So that's how I look at the same thing. That curiosity I wanted, that curiosity of. Damn. Lance is in the movie.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

He could act.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

Wait a minute. He got a whole soundtrack.

[Memphis Bleak]

He could rap.

[Chris Gotti]

He's really the black Drake. What a matchup we got, y'. All. This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action.

[Memphis Bleak]

The bed is rocking and the crowd lit.

[Chris Gotti]

Chance, echo, drum beat. Everybody showing that school pride game like this. Yeah. It calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just like the band at halftime.

[Chris Gotti]

And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere and an.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ice cold Coca Cola.

[Chris Gotti]

That's a winning combo no matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work.

[Memphis Bleak]

So grab a Coca Cola and keep.

[Chris Gotti]

That HBCU pride going.

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[Chris Gotti]

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[Chris Gotti]

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[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, he's spitting. I don't know if he Drake, though. Listen, I ain't heard enough music.

[Chris Gotti]

I promise you.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't can't stand. I'm not unstable.

[Chris Gotti]

Listen, when I say I'm gonna tell you why I say what I'm saying He could make R and B hooks. That's why I say the black shirt. Told you he come in the studio.

[Memphis Bleak]

Why he just saying ja Rule.

[Chris Gotti]

Come on.

[Memphis Bleak]

He Ja Rule. Man, all these niggas is Ja, you facts. Straight up, man. You can sing and rap, man, you jack. Cause it was a time I was jealous of this. You heard of me in the studio? Think about it. Yeah, When Gotti produced my joint, Infatuated.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm sitting there, he like, yo, Bleak, we need a hook. I'm like, all right, call your man. Call Ja. Nigga, what the fuck?

[Chris Gotti]

I don't sing Hook master.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Ja came through, wrote the infatuated hook. And five seconds we got shout out to homie Boxy bj. Yeah, it was bj. Artists at the time sung the hook and we got it done. But that's what I'm saying, man. Like all that, he was the first I saw do it, man. Yeah, straight up.

[Chris Gotti]

Listen, you could say Bone Thugs was part of it, but they different.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, they were more harmony. They were more harmonizing and stuff like that.

[Chris Gotti]

Take it to a different place.

[Memphis Bleak]

A solo act doing both, bro. I used to tell that. Who you think you is? Usher and Jay together? Come on, man. You cheating, dog. Can't do that. Then you got muscles. Yeah, come on.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, yeah. We used to make jokes. He'd do 10 push ups, and next thing, everything's popping out. Like, what the hell?

[Memphis Bleak]

If Drake Was Diesel like, Jai taking his shirt off? It'll be unfair.

[Chris Gotti]

It'd be crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

It'd be unfair.

[Chris Gotti]

But really, Lance could do that, though. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

He has that ability. I heard one song, the Joint with.

[Chris Gotti]

Him and Jim Jones balling soundtrack.

[Memphis Bleak]

Go get it.

[Chris Gotti]

I promise you're gonna be able to hit the play and listen to every joint.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, definitely.

[Chris Gotti]

Because we. When I did this thing, I was only thinking, I'm gonna make a record or two just to put in the movie.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

Not a whole soundtrack. So we go on the street. I go to Circle House in Miami.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, that's my house, man.

[Chris Gotti]

Lance never been in a big studio. He's like, man, I'm always making my raps in the kitchen or something. So he never. Then I bring in my producer, shout out Neri, Neri, boy obese, lives out in Miami. Comes in, he chef, whatever you want up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yep, yep. Any idea you Circle House down there. Ruined my life, but go ahead.

[Chris Gotti]

So he get all of this, and he's seeing all of this shit. I bring in YD Another dope out there, you know what I'm saying? And we just started making records.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's dope, man.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm gonna keep it a buck. He's the reason. Because he kept pushing me. Come on, let's do more records, more studio. More studio. Because this whenever went to go do something with Mary J. Blige, my director. So I had a little downtime. And so we going right there. Boom, boom, boom. Less than a week. We had like, 18 joints.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, that's dope.

[Chris Gotti]

Nah, he was working.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope.

[Chris Gotti]

He was working. My niece, she's there pinning with him. They vibing together. They got hit records on that soundtrack.

[Memphis Bleak]

I believe it. I'm gonna go check it out. You said he's the black Drake. Drake is black, though. But he is the black girl Drake. He's the black.

[Chris Gotti]

That's what I mean. That's what I mean. The black skin, Drizzy. Black girl Drizzy. Shout out Drizzy, too, man. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, word up, right? It's smoky out here.

[Chris Gotti]

These crazy, yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's smoky for out here. They gotta. But you would be able to see. Listen, you. What a perfect segue for the things that he's dealing with, you know what I mean? The public, the media. What advice would you give him? Cause y' all been through it, bro.

[Chris Gotti]

You know he got J. Prince behind him, too.

[Memphis Bleak]

So shout out to Prince, fam.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah. His birthday just passed. I missed you, bro. I catch you to. Out in the. I'm gonna go to his island. You know, he owns a couple islands.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way. I ain't know that.

[Chris Gotti]

In Belize. He owns two islands in Belize.

[Memphis Bleak]

I ain't know that. That's dope, man. That's fire. That ain't dope. That's fire.

[Chris Gotti]

Super Fire.

[Memphis Bleak]

Islands.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, that's dope. I'm gonna go out there and with him. I just told him, I said. I asked him one question. I said, what's the law of these islands? Is it Prince law? He said, y. I said, okay. I know how to come there.

[Memphis Bleak]

Bringing my strap.

[Chris Gotti]

Thanks. But you know all of these things. But you're gonna hear his. His range. You know, when you're an artist, probably most artists is insecure when it's time to release music because they. They stay safe. They stay in a box. And the one thing I kept telling is, don't be afraid if it's. If you hear it, do it. We're in the studio. If you don't like it, we don't play for nobody. Elite, that's the place you supposed to try everybody, everything.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's where your free space is.

[Chris Gotti]

That's when you might find something to.

[Memphis Bleak]

Change the game that you ain't even know.

[Chris Gotti]

You didn't even know you had.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. Yo, one, one thing I always say, man, Gotti gave me the best advice, man. When it comes to making records, I think to this day I apply it. And this is why I make records. I could go in the studio and knock out two, three records. Cause Gotti used to always say, why you spending so much time on the verse? You ain't gonna say nothing. That Biggie, Nas, J, Tupac, they ain't say already, you just gonna try to find a new way to spend it. They only gonna remember the hook.

[Chris Gotti]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So long as the hook is hot, Just stay on top and get it done on to the next record. We ain't got all this.

[Chris Gotti]

And when the hook done, the verses damn near written.

[Memphis Bleak]

They write theyself.

[Chris Gotti]

It's crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's crazy. Once you have the chorus, the verses, then they write they self, bro.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, it's like you don't even think.

[Chris Gotti]

My favorite. One of my favorite Irv Gotti producing. One of them is like produce as a producer is when we did Hallahala and we again, Jay. We gave Jay the can I get it? So we didn't have to for the movie, the soundtrack and everything. So we didn't have a first Single for each other. I found the beat. One of my producers, I called Irv. Yo, I got it. So he's like, come to the studio. We had Electric Lady. They had Electric Lady. I go in there and he gives jota, puts the beat up. He's like, this is it. This is hard, yo. He go. Irv is like. That's like. Cause he didn't hear it. I just told him, I got it. And he get, yo, that's hard, yo. Come on, Ja. He said, on this record, don't start with the verses.

[Memphis Bleak]

The hook first.

[Chris Gotti]

Write the hook. And Ja was like, okay. Went and wrote a hook. It wasn't it. Irv was like, that's not it. Now, again, these artists today gotta be produced.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And accept being produced. The criticism or the opinion of that producer.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

To help them make the best record possible.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

He came out with another hook. That's not it. And I give Jot all the credit because it was no ego.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

It ain't it. All right, let me go. He came out and he's like, I got it. I'm a double up this. He didn't have it, but he understood the concept. He wrote. Irv's like, go write it. He wrote it. Verse is done like this. As soon as it's done, it was like the record was made already, yo. And that's three verses, 16 bars each verse. Like, that's. Back then when you had to do three verses. Those verses was written like this.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now niggas is writing one verse a minute. 18 seconds is the song I started cheating with.

[Chris Gotti]

There's one of my homies. I'm gonna give him a plug right now. He's from Compton. You know what I'm saying? Terminator. What up? And, you know, I told him I want to make an album with him because he has a voice and he tells a story that you gonna believe every word he says. It's a different. It's a different feeling from everything. But he don't make records. He makes a verse in a hood. Not even really a hood. He gives you a little something, and in that ve out. And he's done. Because he's really a gangster and he's only doing it as fun, yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's how the Boss Boss Mando songs is. You be like this, yo, hard. This fires. And it should go off like, what happened, yo? What the. Like, wait, I got. Did I get the. I gotta download the real version. A minute, 20 seconds. Let me play this shit 17 times in a row.

[Chris Gotti]

Maybe that'll help change the game. You gotta think everyone.

[Memphis Bleak]

He said that. He's like, yo, think about it. When you listen to the radio, bossman DLO said, when you listen to the radio and they on the mix show, the DJ only play about a good 30, 40 seconds of the record anyway.

[Chris Gotti]

Anyway.

[Memphis Bleak]

So if it's hot, you going to bring that back.

[Chris Gotti]

That's it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Which is. Right. And when he said that, I was like, there's something.

[Chris Gotti]

And then I said, the way we do videos, I got a different concept. I don't want to give everybody everything because Turn might do it. So. But yeah, it's a different way to shoot. Shoot the video for you know what I'm saying? Because he's talking some real. It's like almost against cinematic. Yeah, come out on some cinematic, bro. And it'll be just a different look and feel. When I look at all these videos, they just trying to get it done because they lowered the budgets now. And everyone's trying to do it for as cheap as possible. And that's why the game is suffering, in my opinion, you know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, because everybody cutting budgets. But it's. They don't got the money no more, man. The money ain't coming in like it was when we had it in. In that early 2000s, bro. That, that, that digital. I don't think these labels understand how to get that digital money.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, they get more money from like sponsors and brands, so it kind of offsets some of the. The mechanical sale that we had, but the expenses way less. So kind of if you. I don't want to say it's not doing good. That's. The labels are still around.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no.

[Chris Gotti]

The music for a reason. These kids. Cause they making money.

[Memphis Bleak]

The 360, the touring.

[Chris Gotti]

The touring is always there. The merch and everything. That torrent.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's not off the record.

[Chris Gotti]

No, I got, you know. No, no, it's not off the sale. But there's again, I know the stream is. They're gonna have to do something like I'm doing with the. The T. The movies and TVs. Where the distribution has to be different, you know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout Out, Roc Nation, Distro. They just launched somewhere, you know, free to everybody, 85, 15 split.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

They said they got a phenomenal like social media thing that you was telling me that matter. I'm talking about.

[Chris Gotti]

They.

[Memphis Bleak]

You said this is a perfect segue. You could break it off on down.

[Chris Gotti]

Listen me, I was early over there when it was equity with Christian with. With one shout out.

[Memphis Bleak]

Christian, you know, I'm gonna keep it.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm gonna keep it a buck. And OG know I was mad we didn't get it together because they. They wanted to do something. They know I had adventure music. And they was like, let's figure something out. They was picking my brain on what's the problems. And me and OG had a meeting, and he said, it's really his sons. And, you know. Yeah, if he says, he says, you got to talk to him. I said, well, he could ask me whatever questions and I'll answer to prove that I'm not playing. That's right. So we had that meeting, and I answered every question and more. And Christian was like, yes to everything. And I'm looking at Juan like, okay, let's figure this out. But we never figured it out. That's something that I don't. I get mad at because the time in if we white, we do it. That's right. That's the part that I don't ever understand. And shit is like, if we white, we do it. I told Steve Stout that, you know, Irvin Stout was in the second grade together.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, I ain't know that we play.

[Chris Gotti]

I used to play football with him in the cage. Come to the parks, you know, and that's crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Get his ball for him. That's crazy, man. Now kicked his over the fence.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, you know, be crazy. But at the end of the day. Yeah, you know, it be crazy, but, you know, at the end of the day, I said. Cause he was the very first one to come to me for adventures. When I start adventures, he's like, what are you doing over there? Before he starts his United Masters.

[Memphis Bleak]

United Masters.

[Chris Gotti]

You know what I'm saying? Yeah, we all family, like. And I said, steve, I'll shut this down and fuck with you. Cause when I wrote my business plan, this is how real it is for adventures. What do I need to be successful? After I wrote it, first thing, I put Steve Stow. Because I know what I need. I just don't want to give the game up. I know how to change this game and get it right.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I just need someone to with me because I can't walk in the Doors. They don't fuck with me.

[Memphis Bleak]

They do. You just gotta.

[Chris Gotti]

No, the Doors that I'm talking about.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

They scared.

[Memphis Bleak]

They scared the history.

[Chris Gotti]

You never leave your. They never get past it.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, it don't.

[Chris Gotti]

Once you say. Cause they want to know your background. You say, you're from that, right? Away. See, people don't know that unless you live it. I live in it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

I understand my problem. So if I can't go to my family and friends.

[Memphis Bleak]

Once you stamped, you stamped.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, shout out Andy and try to again. That's one of my partners, business partners. He accepted.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

He understood. I don't look at it as a badge of shame. I said it's a badge of honor. Because most of those, Most of those white boys that have those executive jobs went through white collar crimes and guess what? They did. No, they told and they still there and they still move like it's all good and there's no problem, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

If anybody looking at crim. America is built on crime.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Our country is built.

[Chris Gotti]

Of course, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Come on.

[Chris Gotti]

If you don't know that, you out. You. You in the wrong place.

[Memphis Bleak]

You live in space.

[Chris Gotti]

But that's my. That's part of my plight that I gotta walk through.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man, that.

[Chris Gotti]

But we, you know, Irv went through. Look, watch. Irv went there. And I'm gonna give Jay a big shout out. Cause he. Irv started tails. Remember?

[Memphis Bleak]

Tails. Yeah. BT shout out tails.

[Chris Gotti]

Okay, so here's a meeting.

[Memphis Bleak]

Me and Irvine, sister Nikki working on that.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, we have a whole meeting and all of this shit about tails. And we get a meeting with Stephen Hill, who run BT at the time. And Jay's with him. So it's Irv and Jay. And Irv is pitching to get a pilot. Just a pilot. Give me the money from BET to show you how powerful this TV show is. And it's dope. So he pitched to Steve, Steve turned to Jeff, like, I'll never forget this shit. Like. And I give credit in flowers where it's due, but I. If there's something foul, I say foul shit too. Like the truth is the truth. And I'll never take it away. Never take it away. Cause Jay, being who he is with my brother, turns to Steve. Stephen Hill says, what would you do to Jay? Jay looked at him and then looked at Irvin and looked at Steve again and said, I give him whatever he wants and get out his way.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Chris Gotti]

And Irv didn't get a pilot deal. He got an eight show season because Jay said that.

[Memphis Bleak]

And they.

[Chris Gotti]

Irv can never act like if he was here, he could never act like that didn't happen. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Now hov do unbelievable, unbelievable work behind the scenes. He don't even want to be credited. He don't even want you to even tell the world he don't care like he do what he do.

[Chris Gotti]

I want him from a basketball league.

[Memphis Bleak]

He's a great hearted kind. He's the kindest person I ever know, man. Like thing gave me the biggest opportunity in my life.

[Chris Gotti]

No, he's been nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is the gift that keeps on giving. That's why I always say how can I pay you back, bro? Like how I don't put on my whole family now you pay someone like him back like when that's it. And that's what he said.

[Chris Gotti]

Bet on the right person.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's what he's saying. Yeah. All I want to do is see you win.

[Chris Gotti]

I'm telling you like I la my last time I seen was an earth pass passed. That's when I was with him and you know he wrote me after the funeral and saying it was like amazing to watch me deal with everybody and you know I greeted everybody, talked to everybody and you know it was in the worst times for me.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right? Hell yeah. I couldn't. I couldn't even imagine, bro.

[Chris Gotti]

That's you know, and you know him writing back and telling me and he was like if you need anything, let me know and everything again, it's just.

[Memphis Bleak]

A blessing a big homie like that on your Just to have somebody of that stature on your side even behind you and understand because a lot of people forget. Like I say, they look at billionaire ho. They don't understand. He from Marcy Projects, man. They gave peanut butter and jelly, man. Made fake pizza with the crab cheese and the tomato sauce on the wonder bread. Stop playing, man. We regular hood nigga and you could never erase that, man. The heart that have from what we came through to where we at, it would never change, man. What you want to tell them what's going on next? What's the next moves for my guy.

[Chris Gotti]

Chris Gotti out here we touched on again the movies is incredible. But again the basketball league to go back to that. Like I said, I'm here raising my first season was incredible. I got all them players and coaches and my street ball background and I have a real business there's that. When I get New York set, I'm gonna take it in multiple cities, not teams. See, everyone's. Everyone thinks I'm gonna bring a team to Chicago. No, I'm bringing the league. It'll be the. The CPL Chicago, it'll be the CPL Miami Atlanta. Because what I'm servicing is all these players. You think of the NBA, there's only 32 teams, there's only two rounds every year. Think of Marsh Madness. How many players don't get to the league? That's a fact. And then out of those, 64. How many?

[Memphis Bleak]

No.

[Chris Gotti]

From overseas.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

And then they would say, oh, you go overseas and play. Okay. Overseas, it's two players that could be from America. The rest cannot.

[Memphis Bleak]

I had a conversation with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady. I went to Denver.

[Chris Gotti]

Shout out TMag. Yo, that's Fan. For real.

[Memphis Bleak]

The dinner with them not too long ago, and they were saying, man, we missing shooters in America. Once Curry leave, like, who we got, we don't have. All the shooters is from overseas, man. Everybody here, we just know how to dribble.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I was laying there, I'm like, damn, that's kind of crazy. I ain't never look at it like.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, shooting like Curry has.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

Think of how many shoes shots he has to take to get that good.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I'm saying. Take that practice, man. You got to work.

[Chris Gotti]

That's working.

[Memphis Bleak]

When you're exhausted, you got to go get it, man. You gotta work for it. It's not gonna be just given to you.

[Chris Gotti]

If he wins another ring, where do you put him?

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, he's up there. He's number two. He's number two. He win another ring, he number two.

[Chris Gotti]

And you look at the team he's got. He's not.

[Memphis Bleak]

He don't got no good team right now.

[Chris Gotti]

I mean, when you go back, you got a Draymond who only would work good with him.

[Memphis Bleak]

You got.

[Chris Gotti]

Let's go to Clay when he was there. Clay was tough, but he playing with.

[Memphis Bleak]

A great player like Curry lightens out. Andre Igadala, though.

[Chris Gotti]

Though.

[Memphis Bleak]

And what was my other man who.

[Chris Gotti]

Had a role player?

[Memphis Bleak]

The homie who had the J is.

[Chris Gotti]

A dollar a star or is he a role player? Thank you.

[Memphis Bleak]

He was a role player in Philly. He was a star in Golden State. He was the MVP of the finals.

[Chris Gotti]

I could argue that. But there's another part. Again, he didn't average more points, but. And again, average impact. The impact is because of Draymond.

[Memphis Bleak]

Don't score. But he impacted the game, though.

[Chris Gotti]

You know, my sister was just talking to me just now, and she says the pace is. She said she never liked Halliburton.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, you gotta, like, hold on.

[Chris Gotti]

Why? She's. This is my sister. She, you know, and she said I didn't like Halliburton, so. I know, but, man, what are they, 1 in 12 or something like that? Okay, he's not playing. Yeah. Okay. His impact. Now, those role players, when. When it's. See, when sports is in and you talk to players, you could ask them what I'm saying. When it's. When that. When that star isn't on that court and now it's you, the game on the other side is geared to stop you. You.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, okay.

[Chris Gotti]

That's what just happened to all those role players. If they geared to stop Iguodala, what is he gonna do?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's only because he gets jumping through the roof, dunking on heads in Philly.

[Chris Gotti]

Are you kidding me? I understand.

[Memphis Bleak]

We cannot erase who he was, man. No, y' all not gonna do that.

[Chris Gotti]

Listen to me. I'm not. I'm saying he's a role player. He never was a star in Golden State.

[Memphis Bleak]

He was a star, man.

[Chris Gotti]

Only because Curry takes all that attention, I believe, and then he's good enough. He's that good that if it's just him and that one player, he buzzing that nigga ass. See, that's the difference of a star. It's the difference of a star, bro. It's like you could go through the lane.

[Memphis Bleak]

Is Jimmy Butler not a star?

[Chris Gotti]

Jimmy Butler's older now, but is he not a star? He was at one point.

[Memphis Bleak]

You ain't answered my question.

[Chris Gotti]

At one point. I said yes. He's not now. He's not now. And I guarantee if you talk to him, he's gonna tell you how much he loves playing with Steph because it takes so much away from him with other plays. It's no more dealing with twos and threes, you know? You know, I told you I co agent or co managing Monte Ellis. Shout Out Monte Ellis, man. That was one of my dudes. And he was mad because David Lee got a max contract.

[Memphis Bleak]

White boy. David Lee, Yeah, I remember.

[Chris Gotti]

Shout Out David Lee, that was my man. We used to play poker and all that shit together.

[Memphis Bleak]

David Lee, I ain't worried about it.

[Chris Gotti]

I managed Phil Ivy, best poker player in the world. Word out, you know what I'm saying? But David Lee got an $80 million contract at the time. And Monte Ellis said to me, he said, how does a nigga get 80 million and never a double team for him? See, this is when you start analyzing players and understand the differences in who's really who. You. It's when you got a player that's taking all the attention, and every team is geared to stop them. You fall through the cracks, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. So that's why you look at.

[Chris Gotti]

What are you talking about?

[Memphis Bleak]

Because LeBron, the whole league, the refs, every team, the players, the fans, they've been geared towards him since he came out of high school. So he number one. If he got through all that and did it.

[Chris Gotti]

You watch LeBron get double teams, 10 teamed 10 teams?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, the whole Detroit. He dunked on the whole team.

[Chris Gotti]

LeBron is power and speed. He don't shake nobody. He's just.

[Memphis Bleak]

He gonna run through.

[Chris Gotti]

You understand that?

[Memphis Bleak]

And you gonna bow down.

[Chris Gotti]

I would. And me personally, when I watched, when I watched LeBron. And again, I don't want to knock LeBron. Don't get me.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, he number one. Dev, by your analogy, he's number one. If you talking about the. The main focus of the.

[Chris Gotti]

What do you think? Are you kidding me?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, but them dudes was. Them dudes were. Come on, them was plumbers, man.

[Chris Gotti]

See?

[Memphis Bleak]

Wasn't athletic.

[Chris Gotti]

They already. I don't want to go back and forth with you with this. Go look at the players that he played with.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm not saying no, but I'm. I'm saying that my eyes that I saw Jordan bums too. Jordan is number one. I said but by electricians and makes LeBron number one.

[Chris Gotti]

Cuz Jordan just because that analogy doesn't make him number one.

[Memphis Bleak]

So listen, so BJ Armstrong wasn't BJ Armstrong and Jordan made him, but he wasn't a star.

[Chris Gotti]

Pippa came, he made him. Paxton's a role player.

[Memphis Bleak]

Paxton wasn't a star though.

[Chris Gotti]

Role players.

[Memphis Bleak]

What about specialist?

[Chris Gotti]

What about Kerr? Specialist role play. He can't.

[Memphis Bleak]

He had the illest role playing team in history. This is what I'm trying to tell you.

[Chris Gotti]

See, you just say no. The team is designed.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Chris Gotti]

You need a person for these places. They knew three peoples on Jordan. Someone's open that's gonna be reliable to knock it down. So they got specialists. Hodges, fuck them. What about Craig Hodges?

[Memphis Bleak]

Craig Hodges got busy, I'm telling you.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, they had specialists. That's how you design a team. That's how you gotta design a team.

[Memphis Bleak]

I hear you. There's no team designed like that since Golden State. That's the only team since Chicago Bulls that was designed by the regular role players that dominated the game.

[Chris Gotti]

How did that happen? See, this is where you're missing this part. How did it happen?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's the same thing with Detroit Pistons. How they wore one, they ring.

[Chris Gotti]

How did it happen?

[Memphis Bleak]

The team together. But these niggas was all stars. It's just nobody wanted to be the main star. I'm not talking about that Detroit. I'm talking about Detroit with Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaw Prim.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was my squad, okay? Motor City. That was my team. A bunch of that you counted out. And we get together and show you.

[Chris Gotti]

We really number one. I'm here too.

[Memphis Bleak]

So that's what I'm saying. You can't say is not number one. If you get together, put the team together, all of y' all get busy. On Chicago level.

[Chris Gotti]

What team was gearing up to stop Iguodala? That's what the problem is.

[Memphis Bleak]

You can't.

[Chris Gotti]

That's what no one was giving up to stop Iguodala in Golden State.

[Memphis Bleak]

Are you kidding me?

[Chris Gotti]

No. Are you kidding me?

[Memphis Bleak]

No, I'm not.

[Chris Gotti]

No.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, we was.

[Chris Gotti]

We gotta get in touch with Andre J. You're gonna have to gearing up to.

[Memphis Bleak]

Stop the whole Golden State. These invented to move around giving. They was looking like the Globetrotters when they first started trying to guard the whole team. I think they're the reason. Okay, hold on, hold on. Stop switching.

[Chris Gotti]

Stop, stop. Who's the one out of all of them is running around. That's who they're geared towards. The whole plays is run because they had an iconic player. Listen to me. They got an iconic playing Steph.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm not saying nothing. Steph is the greatest shooter, but I'm.

[Chris Gotti]

Trying to explain to you. So he's the iconic player. You agree?

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm going to give him. Hold on.

[Chris Gotti]

Okay, so if that's the case, their entire offense is designed around him, not Iguodala. You're a second and third option, homie.

[Memphis Bleak]

All right?

[Chris Gotti]

He'll tell you that.

[Memphis Bleak]

But listen. So listen, right?

[Chris Gotti]

You can't beat the second and third option. Let's break it down.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm just trying to say who a star. He said iconic.

[Chris Gotti]

Okay?

[Memphis Bleak]

Jay Z is iconic. But we all stars on there, too. We role players, though, but we stars in our right. I said, and nobody ain't gonna tell.

[Chris Gotti]

Me, you just was the role player. I don't give a fuck when he got to. When he got to Golden State, he's the role player. You got. You got Steph and you had Clay. Clay. Clay's a monster.

[Memphis Bleak]

Draymond is a star. So Dray not a star. He a role player.

[Chris Gotti]

If Draymond played for the Knicks, would Draymond even play? See, he only could do what he's doing.

[Memphis Bleak]

I feel like that.

[Chris Gotti]

It's like, you know, again, it's like you get that perfect combination. Steph and Draymond is the perfect combination. Fuck, I fuck with Dreamond like he's a grinder, but he has to fit in a certain system or else he'll be irrelevant.

[Memphis Bleak]

So nah, be chill. This conversation that's real. Cause sports is crazy.

[Chris Gotti]

Oh, this is what I love. This is the basketball league. Cpl, nigga. Yo, I love it. Yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

I just want to tell you, don't lose my script in the mail like niggas lose my invite. You heard, send the script. We ready, baby. Yo, Gotti, I appreciate you pulling up my brother. You know I love you, man. Make sure y' all check out ballin'.

[Chris Gotti]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Make sure you check out Spanish fly dropping soon. Make sure you tap into the cpl. If any of y' all got some money and wanna invest, y' all get your holla at Chris Gotti. We outside man.

[Chris Gotti]

Get involved with this basketball league. I promise you this is a multi billion dollar business. I'm raising 3 million right now. Listen, next raise is gonna be 75 to 100.

[Memphis Bleak]

Stop being scared of who beat the Alphabet boys. And they tell you should want to link with them these other out here. Burton, Ernie, watch it.

[Chris Gotti]

Believe that. Believe that.

[Memphis Bleak]

For more podcasts from iHeartRadio this visit iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows at. And you can follow me on any social media platform under the name Memphis Bleak. You see anybody frauding, flag them.

[Chris Gotti]

What a matchup we got, y'. All. This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action.

[Memphis Bleak]

The band is rocking and the crowd lit.

[Chris Gotti]

Chance, echo, drop beat everybody showing that school pride.

[Memphis Bleak]

A game like this.

[Chris Gotti]

Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Yeah, that taste always hits the right note.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just like the band at halftime.

[Chris Gotti]

And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola.

[Memphis Bleak]

That.

[Chris Gotti]

That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work.

[Memphis Bleak]

So grab a Coca Cola and keep.

[Chris Gotti]

That HBCU pride going.

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[Chris Gotti]

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[Chris Gotti]

And we want everyone to feel welcome, welcomed and rewarded.

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[Chris Gotti]

This is where mindset comes in.

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Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com A new.

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