Dupre “DoItAll” Kelly | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Summary

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ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Episode: Dupre “DoItAll” Kelly | May 5, 2026

Main Theme / Purpose

In this dynamic episode, Memphis Bleek sits down with Dupre "DoItAll" Kelly – a hip-hop legend from Lords of the Underground and now, City Councilman for Newark, NJ. Together, they explore the evolution of hip-hop, the intersection of art and community leadership, groundbreaking stories from the culture’s golden era, and Kelly’s journey from platinum-selling rapper to inspiring public servant and children’s book author. The conversation is raw, nostalgic, candid, and deeply rooted in hip-hop authenticity and the power of reinvention.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Evolution from Hip-Hop to Public Office

• Bleek introduces Kelly by highlighting his remarkable transition from rap to politics, calling it “grown up hip-hop” ([02:44]).
• Kelly reflects on embodying hip-hop in every phase of his life, never abandoning his roots:

  "I am so hip hop, man. Like I am hip hop. Like I'm never gonna stop being hip hop with anything that I do."
  — Dupre Kelly ([04:05])

• Kelly discusses his troubled youth, brushes with the law, and how restorative justice and mentorship led him to college instead of prison ([09:02]–[10:41]).
• He shares the full-circle moment of becoming councilman in the same office as his early mentor, showing how “the city brings it all back around” ([10:14]).

2. Stories from the Golden Era

• The pair reminisce on the early '90s music scene, the significance of Video Music Box, and the impact of big records like “Funky Child” and “Chief Rocka” ([03:17]–[15:09]).
• Detailed recollections of meeting Marley Marl, recording at the legendary House of Hits, and early run-ins with LL Cool J:

  "We pull up to this white house, upstate New York. ... And it's this little skinny kid with a bell Kango ... and all you hear is 'Mama Said Knock You Out'. It was LL."
  — Dupre Kelly ([07:03])

• Behind the scenes of how “Funky Child” went #1 despite label hesitance, and the label’s push behind the subsequent “Chief Rocka” ([13:19]–[15:09]).

3. The Funk Sound: Origins and Ownership

• Discussion about Jersey’s funk roots versus the West Coast's perceived dominance:

  "Parliament Funkadelic is from New Jersey. So all the sampling of the funk in the West Coast ... That's New Jersey."
  — Dupre Kelly ([17:18])

• Shout-outs to key figures and how communities like Newark—though often unrecognized—have undeniably shaped hip-hop culture ([25:24]–[27:15]).

4. Internal Dynamics, Success, and Adjustments

• Kelly describes the intoxicating success of the Lords pre- and post-94, lessons learned about never getting complacent, and the shift when hip-hop became business:

  “Never stop. Because we was rich as hell at night before … You can get, like, ‘Oh, they want what? No, tell them we want such and such.’ ... You start feeling yourself, man.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([31:09])

• The perils of following major labels’ advice versus staying true to the streets’ sound ([34:01]–[35:14]).
• Bleek echoes the sentiment, comparing gold records in the 90s to double platinum today:

  "Cause you literally ... 500,000 people had to physically get up, walk in that store and purchase that CD, that tape and keep it pushing."
  — Memphis Bleek ([36:35])

5. Pivot to Community & Politics: Tupac’s Influence

• Deeply personal story: Kelly attributes his drive to community service to a conversation with Tupac Shakur on tour ([38:43]–[44:21]):

  "He started talking about how we got to turn millions of rapper listeners into millions of voters. He started talking about ... we got to become legislators … if we don't make the laws, they will be made for us."
  — Dupre Kelly ([41:17])

• How this, along with his mentor’s challenge (“What’s the last thing you did for Newark?”), inspired Kelly to dedicate himself to local change.

6. Legacy, Inspiration, and Children’s Literature

• Kelly explains his foray into authoring a children’s book, “You Can Do It All”:

  “The adults reading it to their children acts as a reminder."
  — Dupre Kelly ([53:50])

• The importance of positive representation, giving back, and encouraging the next generation to believe in their potential.
• Special on-air moment: Kelly gifts Bleek a copy of the book and related merchandise for his family ([53:21]–[55:48]).

7. The Reality of Public Life: Challenges and Growth

• Kelly candidly discusses facing skepticism as a rapper-turned-councilman, losing his first election, and having to prove his dedication repeatedly:

  “I am what you guys pray for in the neighborhood. Y'all pray for our young people to make it out. I am that prayer answered.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([63:01])

• The toughest part of city council? Patience, handling criticism, and remaining focused on service despite negative voices ([64:45]–[65:54]).

8. On Family, Mentorship, and Black Fatherhood

• Honest talk about the impact of growing up without fathers and the generational mission of teaching patience and positive values to their own children ([66:42]–[68:47]).
• Kelly reiterates the power of mentorship and becoming the role model he sought as a youth.

9. Staying Rooted in the Culture While Inside the System

• Kelly stresses the importance of having authentic voices in government and using his platform for real change:

  “If we don't get a seat at the table, we got enough tools to build one, right?”
  — Dupre Kelly ([74:02])

• His ongoing campaign and hope to be remembered as someone who left his city better than he found it ([78:05]).

10. What’s Next: Innovation & Legacy

• Kelly shares an upcoming venture into the booming vertical movie space (“Shaker Unit”), reflecting his constant push to create and inspire ([79:22]).
• Bleek encourages Kelly to make a film about his life, calling his story “box office.” ([80:07])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Hip-Hop as a Lifelong Identity

• “I am hip hop. I’m never gonna stop being hip hop with anything I do.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([04:05])

On Early 90s Music Culture

• “We pull up ... all you hear is 'Mama Said Knock You Out'. It was LL.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([07:03])

On Funk Origins

• “The west coast gets the credit for that funk sound in hip hop. But they were sampling a Jersey artist.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([17:30])

On Success and Humility

• “We was rich as hell at night before. You can get ... like, ‘Oh, they want what? No, tell them we want such and such.’ … You start feeling yourself, man.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([31:09])

On Tupac’s Legendary Advice

• “We got to become legislators... if we don’t make the vote, if we don’t make the laws, then the laws will be made for us.”
  — Tupac Shakur via Dupre Kelly ([41:17])

On Community Impact

• “I am what you guys pray for in the neighborhood. Y’all pray for our young people to make it out. I am that prayer answered.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([63:29])

On Patience and Growth

• "A boxer can’t complain about being a boxer, right? ... You chose this."
  — Dupre Kelly ([66:02])

On The Power of Inspiration

• “Influence is powerful, but it ain’t really that thing. What you said is that thing— inspiration. ’Cause when you’re inspired by somebody, you in spirit with it.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([71:49])

On Leaving a Legacy

• “I want them to say, this is a young man who grew up in his city, went on to have a success in entertainment, came back... and did things to make it better than when he left it.”
  — Dupre Kelly ([78:05])

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Timestamps of Notable Segments

• [02:44] – Transition from rap to politics, defining “grown up hip hop”
• [04:05–05:09] – Early 90s: Dreams, struggle, and getting discovered by Marley Marl
• [12:29–14:34] – “Funky Child” and “Chief Rocka”: Chart stories & label mishaps
• [17:18–18:20] – The roots of the “funk sound” in hip-hop and Jersey’s legacy
• [38:43–44:21] – Tupac’s tour, generational challenge, and birth of public service mission
• [53:21–55:48] – Gifting children’s book, power of inspiring youth
• [62:18–65:54] – Facing community skepticism as a rapper-turned-politician
• [71:11–73:31] – The difference between influence and inspiration; chasing purpose
• [74:02–76:05] – Access, authenticity, and the real work of local politics
• [79:22–81:07] – Announcing new “vertical movie” project, commitment to new forms of storytelling

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Conclusion / Final Takeaways

• Dupre “DoItAll” Kelly’s journey illustrates hip-hop’s capacity for personal and social transformation— from tapes and block parties, to gold records, world tours, and now, to a seat at City Hall.
• The episode is a masterclass in reinvention, mentorship, humility, and the responsibility to give back. As Bleek and Kelly agree, being “ROC Solid” means staying true, staying inspired, and always moving forward— whether it’s with bars, ballots, or books.

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Vote Team Baraka! (Newark, NJ: May 12, 2026)
Children’s Book: “You Can Do It All” — Out now
Look out for Kelly’s vertical movie project and keep supporting hip-hop innovators making real impact.

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Transcript

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

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[Dupre Kelly]

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[Memphis Bleak]

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[Dupre Kelly]

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[Memphis Bleak]

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[Dupre Kelly]

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[Podcast Host / Narrator]

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[Memphis Bleak]

What up, y'? All? 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. You should know by now. You should know by now. Yeah, y'. All, you already know what it is. Yours truly back with another exclusive episode of Rock Solid. And this one right here is special. When you have someone that was a childhood favorite, really, when you listen to the music, it takes you right back to where you was. Let's welcome not only rapper Do It All, City councilman Do it all to the building. I enjoy my brother.

[Dupre Kelly]

I'm good, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, man, the evolution of hip hop is amazing, bro. To see you over here from rap bars. The change in the laws is insane.

[Dupre Kelly]

See, he still got bars.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean?

[Dupre Kelly]

He still got bars, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yo, man, man, I appreciate you, man. Making easy money.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, I ain't pimping no more.

[Dupre Kelly]

You ain't pimping no more.

[Memphis Bleak]

I retired. Love lockdown. Love lockdown. I ain't pimping no more.

[Dupre Kelly]

But see, that's what grown up hip hop looks like.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

I love it, man. Let's go back before we keep taking the present. Cause the year is 1993. I remember being in my house. Video music box. All we had was video music box or the box. I didn't have enough money for the box. So all we had was video music box. Shout out Ralph McDaniels.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, shout out Ralph, man. Happy anniversary to Ralph, too.

[Memphis Bleak]

Here comes the Lord Drops.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yes, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Produced by Marley Marv.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shout out to Marma.

[Memphis Bleak]

Signed the movie, too. Oh, wow. I didn't know that.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, K Def did the hits, man. Marley co produced.

[Memphis Bleak]

What was that like at 93? To have a major hit by a major producer? And you were signed to Molly mar, like in 1990. I couldn't even imagine what y' all was living. So I want to hear from you.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yo, man, it's like a dream come true. Like, I am so hip hop, man. Like I am hip hop.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

Like I'm never gonna stop being hip hop with anything that I do. But with that being said, I was the young homie that recorded Molly Maul Pause tape on wbls.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes. Right.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yes. You know, put the tissue in the tape. I'm recording Molly Mall and Mr. Magic on BLS. I'm listening to all of that. And we go off, you know, I want to be a rapper. I'm trying to get a deal that doesn't work out. My mother says, you know, if it does not work out, you are going to school.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Everybody. Mom is on everybody.

[Dupre Kelly]

So I went to school, man. I went to Shaw University. Cause it didn't seem like it was working out in Raleigh, North Carolina, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

NC yeah, man. In North Carolina. And it felt like it was starting to happen because Molly Maul's cousin went to our school. Derrick La Jackson. Now, Derek is the same guy who found Scott Storch.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, wow.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn.

[Dupre Kelly]

And he managed Coolio and All of those Mountain Dew commercials that you used to see with Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne and all of them, all that was Derrick LA Jackson. And he found the Roots.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn. Laughs Shit.

[Dupre Kelly]

But he was in college without dj,

[Memphis Bleak]

dj, Lord Jazz, Shout Out, Lord Jazz

[Dupre Kelly]

Shout out and Lord Jazz Living fl.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know, man. Yo, you see what's so dope about the era back then? The DJ got just as much love as the artist. Where today it's just like, hey, that's my dj, dawg. Niggas just focus on the artist. So that's dope that all three of y' all grew together, right?

[Dupre Kelly]

Lord Jazz founded Lords of the Underground. We always say that because LA was his best friend in college. And Lord Jazz was the DJ at all of the parties, all of the Greek parties, all of that type of stuff. And LA was graduating, and he was going to work for his cousin, who just happened to be Marley Ma. And he said, yo, when I go work for Marley, you know, I'm gonna try to get a group in there. He was like, form a group when I go work for Marley. So he would let me rhyme at all of the parties. And he would never let funk rhyme

[Memphis Bleak]

at the parties, no way.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, he wouldn't let funk rhyme at the parties. I guess his funk was pressing him so much. And then one day, man, he asked us to come up to the radio station, and we set a rhyme that we wrote together. And they sent the tape, which was Psycho. They sent that tape that we was rhyming over dreads from Black Sheep. And, you know, rhyming over. I think it might have been Flavor of the Month or something like that. Oh, wow. He sent it to Marley.

[Memphis Bleak]

Black Sheep had them joints back.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shout out to Dre. Shout out to Dream. Word up, man. Send it to Marley, man. And Marley called, man, and said, yo, when y' all coming to the House of Hits? And the rest became history, man. So to answer your question, being able to be in front of Molly Maul, who I used to record from the radio, it was just. It was amazing to me. The first time we walked into the House of Hits, which was upstate New York at the time. You know, we pull up to this white house, upstate New York. You see a red Pathfinder, you see a red Saab, you see a red BMW, all the cars was red. This when Marley had the ring back in that day, before anybody had the ring, you pressed his bell and he could see you, and you talk to him. We went in, damn, it's a little skinny kid standing in between the SSL and back then, it was only two people that had SSL in their home. Or maybe three, I think Prince, Molly Mall and Teddy Riley. And it's this little skinny kid with a bell Kango on and a white beater on. And he's all you hear is mama said knock you out. It was ll. Yo, chill, yo, this is, this is, this is young kids like, yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is legendary.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shit.

[Memphis Bleak]

Come on.

[Dupre Kelly]

LL was like the God. Yes. You know. And he said, yo, Todd. Hey, yo, Todd, I want you to meet my new group. We ain't even had a name yet, you know. And he turned around, he look at us, he lick his lips, he turned the music down and like, what up, B? Then he turned it back up. Mama said knock you out. They was mixing. Mama said knock you out. I turned to the crew, I was like, yo, we made it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word up. Like, we here, we in the presence of real right now. But damn, like you said, you was in Shaw University, you pledged Alpha Phi Alpha. I didn't even know that Alpha, you know what I'm saying? Stepping on them. How did that shape your leadership, you know what I mean? Mindset that you carry today, man, it's difficult, right?

[Dupre Kelly]

Like, it was difficult when you come from. And I know, you know, Lee, coming from Brooklyn, when you come from those inner cities, man, you just believe and know what you know.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

So when somebody introduce something foreign to you, first thing we do is we push back to those things that's unfamiliar to us, right? And when I first went to school, I only went to school cause I got in trouble, right? I got locked up, I got caught jail riding and I got charged with a gun. I got charged with the drugs that I was in.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Dupre Kelly]

I was looking at 17 years.

[Memphis Bleak]

God damn.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. And the councilman at the time shout out to my mentor, Hafiz Fareed, who went on to manage laws of the underground. But the council, he was the chief of staff to the councilman. And shout out to Dr. Ralph T. Grant Sr. He's still living, man, 80 almost. He's 90 something years old, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

God bless.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. And he lives in Florida.

[Memphis Bleak]

He know where to retire at.

[Dupre Kelly]

And you know, he says, yo, I know you not this type of dude. Let me write some letters to the judges and to the courts and see if I can get some lesser things to happen. Long story short, they come back, the court said, you got to go to school. You go to school. I had to paint some poles and all that, but they said, you go

[Memphis Bleak]

community service I've been there.

[Dupre Kelly]

I've been there, you know, went to school. And that's where I met the people that changed my life. But even back to the councilman, that was the councilman that everything that he showed me, I wound up becoming an alpha like him. I wound up going to the same school that he graduated with. And I can't make this up. And now as the councilman of Newark, New Jersey, I have the same office that he had as the councilman.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, it's like crazy. That's life. 360. That's full. 360. To be standing there looking at it as a juvie, looking at them helping you on some criminal activity to now you the councilman in that same spot and able to give the same opportunity to maybe another misfortunate young, you know, young man out here in the wrong place, wrong time.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, damn, man, you doing all of that college and that's dope that you got in a situation and they made you go to school.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, they made me go to school. That was back then. Now I don't know if they gonna do that now.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, what happened? In my era, they just put you in truancy and then took you to the precinct. Your moms came and got you, and you still was dumb yesterday as you was that day. They did not say, hey, we gonna sign you up to college and get you right? Was none of that. So all of that happening and then chief Rocka. Chief rocker drops buzzing nationally, everywhere. Radio send it, like, to me. I think that was maybe, you know, back in the day, listening to music, you didn't know what records went gold, what records were platinum, what records was not. As a kid, you didn't care. I think that record was the first time I noticed, like, wait a minute. This shit is everywhere.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, man, that was a blessing, man. But I think before we even get to chief Rocker, we have to rewind to, like. I think it was the buildup. We had like five videos out, you know, Shout out to Ruben Rodriguez, who ran Pendulum Records.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, Pendulum. I remember that. Diggable plan, word up.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shout out to Diggable Planet, yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

Diggable Planets, yo. They had one record that lasts forever.

[Dupre Kelly]

Forever.

[Memphis Bleak]

Forever. Like forever. And they ain't even dance in the video. No, they was cool as a mother. Cool.

[Dupre Kelly]

Cool.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like that. Like that,

[Dupre Kelly]

right? But I think we have to rewind, like, and go back to Funky Child, right? So Funky Child, like, first Psycho was bubbling and it became okay. But then Funky Child dropped. And that's The. You know, I went into the. Went into the video with the diaper on.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, Dababy owe you. Yes, Dababy owe you. Word up. You was the first one to set it off, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Actually, we got that from Parliament Funkadelic.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Dupre Kelly]

At the time.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out. You and Dababy. Y' all the only two in my lifeline I seen do it. And y' all held it down, man. You know what I mean?

[Dupre Kelly]

When you got Funky Child to come out, I remember being at Roscoe Chicken and Waffles in la and, you know, back then, everybody had a record representative in each city.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was the good old days.

[Dupre Kelly]

That was the good old days. And our record representative came in and they slid the Billboard to us, and they said, congratulations, you number one. This is with Funky Child. So we like, oh, yeah, yeah. But the record representative was still, like, kind of, like, down. So we like, yo, he just said, we number one. What's up? And he said, I want to apologize to y'.

[Memphis Bleak]

All.

[Dupre Kelly]

We, like, apologize for what he said because we didn't think this record would move, so we didn't push it. So we like, wait a minute. The record went number one and y'

[Memphis Bleak]

all didn't push it?

[Dupre Kelly]

We like. He like, yeah, man. It could have really been that record.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah, Funky Child was it, like, think French Montana revived that joke.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, shout out to Frenchy. We had a long talk with him about, you know, I was upset with French at first. French, I was upset with you, but. Because this French is my dude now. But I was upset with. And Max has always been my guy. But French. We was upset with French because we felt like when you did the video, when you did the song, you ain't reach out to the homies who originated it. Just invite us in the video so we can be like this in the video, you know? And it wasn't. And then come to find out, it wasn't even him. It was his crew and all, you know, so. But we cool. French is cool. You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

That record, bro, I think that record gonna live forever. Like, I was talking to my partner Cheech off screen, and he was like, yo. He was like. If I remember, he was like, yo, Lords of the Underground might have the last breakdancing record released.

[Dupre Kelly]

And that's what I'm getting to, too. So when he told us that Funky Child, they didn't push it. The next record was Chief Rocka. So now they didn't believe or push Funky Child. So they put everything in the chief rocker that made Chief rocka, a top 40 hit. And that changed my. Our lives.

[Memphis Bleak]

What video was that? I'm trying. I want to say the wrong song, but y' all shot a video in Newark, I believe, and it was at night. Was that Chief rocker or Lord or Funky Child? That. That was it.

[Dupre Kelly]

That was Funky Child, that video, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, classic, my G. I was mobbing in Newark, like, let me give you

[Dupre Kelly]

a history about Funky Child cover. I never said this on any interview ever. We were supposed to have that cover with baby pictures of us. And Funk could not find a baby picture of himself.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, chill. Yeah, that's how it was back then.

[Dupre Kelly]

Like his mom's, you know, God bless Auntie. She had passed on my birthday. That's why my birthday is so different to him. We signed on January 12th to Marley and Funk. Moms passed on January 14th, which is my birthday.

[Memphis Bleak]

Dang.

[Dupre Kelly]

So it was the best day of

[Memphis Bleak]

his life than the worst day. Worst day.

[Dupre Kelly]

So he couldn't find any of his baby pictures. And then next thing you know, Big comes out with the baby picture on the.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was mad drama over the baby picture.

[Dupre Kelly]

The baby picture was crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Y' all had drama over the funk. Yeah, the funk, me and the Funky Child. Like him being the funk, your man whores, all that. Yo, it was mad drama. Cause I remember Laura Finesse.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, they came out. What was his album? The Funk, something. Return of the Funky Child. Y' all was Lords of the Funky Chat.

[Dupre Kelly]

No, we was Lords of the Underground.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, but no, y' all was.

[Dupre Kelly]

The record was Funky, Chad. Yes, but people used to say it was the return of the Funky Child. That's what caused the. Caused the flip.

[Memphis Bleak]

I remember as a shorty, you know, this was back with write up. Word up.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, word up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. All that stuff was out. You get Jillian like, yo, this going on. Then when I spoke to Guru, I told him I'm interviewing. He like, yo, you gotta bring up that. Cause this was a big time, big movement. And then, like the funk sound.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I feel like there is no originator to it.

[Dupre Kelly]

Nah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right. Because Lord Finesse and them did what they did with the Diamond D and them.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, Shout out to Ditc.

[Memphis Bleak]

Y' all came out and changed the. Pushed the envelope further. And then Radman came out and took it even further.

[Dupre Kelly]

Well, let's even take it further than that. Right? So Parliament, Parliament Funkadelic is from New Jersey. So all of the sampling of the funk in the West Coast.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's New Jersey.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's New Jersey.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn. So finessing them was Wild.

[Dupre Kelly]

No, not even just finesse. Like the west coast gets the credit for that funk sound in hip hop.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Dupre Kelly]

But they were sampling a Jersey artist. You see what I'm saying? So, I mean, shout out to finesse, too, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

No finesse. I met him at an award show. He's super duper, though. One of the illest lyricists I met coming up. I respect all the OGs. That's one thing. All of y' all paved the way for us to do what we do today. And if guys don't know. Lords of the Underground digging in the crates. Molly Ma. Yeah, you doing a disservice to yourself at hip hop. Like, you know, I don't, like, keep bringing up the young and the old. But little Yachty, man, what he said about. You know what I mean? Rappers delight, it's just like, come on, my man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Come on, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's blasphemy.

[Dupre Kelly]

And you know what's crazy about Lil Yachty? Like, his mother went to our college.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn, no White. Yo, chill. So Mama Yachty.

[Dupre Kelly]

Mama, we gotta sit little Yachty down again.

[Memphis Bleak]

Mama Yachty.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right, right. Shaw University, man. You know, I mean, shout out to Yachty. So when we found that out, like, wow, she should have schooled them on what's going on.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, for sure, man, definitely.

[Dupre Kelly]

But back to the chief rocker, man. So after. After Funky Child, you know, we were on the WEAH platform, and then we switched to the EMI platform with Chief Roca, and they poured all of those dollars, all those promotion and marketing dollars into that. And, man, Chief Roca just changed our lives, man. We got to buy our mother's homes ourselves. Home homes. And you can tell the difference from a hit. I know. You know, I tell people a radio

[Memphis Bleak]

hit is better than a digital hit.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, you see?

[Memphis Bleak]

Way more money.

[Dupre Kelly]

Definitely.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't know why. Like, how the game is rigged that way. You know, I don't own the money machine, but that radio hit and I Come on 93, 94, bro. That was. That's all it was, was radio. There was no digital, was no Internet radio. So y' all got to see the full fledged of what rappers today can only dream of. Me, I came in on the tail end of it. And we had the JA rules in them murdering radio. Nelly, Luda. It was like, get your record in, nigga.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, you great tail end.

[Memphis Bleak]

Pause. I had a lot of competition. Remember, it's nine slots.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's only nine slots on the radio. That's right. Ja had three. Luda had two. Nelly had two, and Jay got the rest. They looking at you like, where you want me to put your record? Outside the radio. I got you.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right, right. Yo, what was that? Monday music? Wednesday, Mondays and Wednesdays something, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

New money. There used to be new money. Brick it Thursday, remember? They used to be like, what was this? Rocket or Jocket or some shit they used to do? Rocket or socket.

[Dupre Kelly]

Rocket or socket.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. Yo, like, back then, like, when did the. You said you was on Pendulum, but then how did the Def Jam thing happen?

[Dupre Kelly]

Well, we wasn't. See, Redman was on Def Jam, and people like, you know, that's my brother. I got four godfathers for my. I call them for my son, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Angels, baby.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, man. They the Mount Rushmore godfathers, man. Redman, Laura Finesse, Michael Bivens from New Edition, and.

[Memphis Bleak]

And.

[Dupre Kelly]

And Tretch.

[Memphis Bleak]

God damn, he got it all.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, no. They spoil the mess.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, he got it all. You got gangster dancing, showbiz skills. I wanted to rap like Redman. He don't know that. He know now when he see this, but when that first album. The what?

[Dupre Kelly]

Crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

I studied that album.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Do you remember when Diana Ross double tapped Lil Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

[Memphis Bleak]

Or when Kanye said that George Bush

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

didn't like black people?

[Memphis Bleak]

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Lil Kim?

[Dupre Kelly]

Well, you can find out on the

[Memphis Bleak]

Look Back at it podcast.

[Dupre Kelly]

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

[Memphis Bleak]

Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it, including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just cause of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but yeah. Yeah, literally. But just so y' all know, I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed cracks, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

[Dupre Kelly]

Listen to Look Back at it on

[Memphis Bleak]

the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the

[Dupre Kelly]

Hard Way, with me, your host, and

[Memphis Bleak]

your favorite therapist, Kear Gaines.

[Dupre Kelly]

And in recognition of mental health awareness, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

[Memphis Bleak]

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of

[Dupre Kelly]

the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we done enough

[Memphis Bleak]

because people scoreboard wide life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns Dustin Ross. Cause you find it important to be

[Dupre Kelly]

a good person while you're here on earth?

[Memphis Bleak]

Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Cause that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

[Dupre Kelly]

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the Hard Way and Listen now.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

In 2023, former Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed GL inconsistencies in her story. This began a years long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice in summons, correct? I doctored the test once. It took an army of Internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for.

[Dupre Kelly]

Sunlight's the greatest disinfectant.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.

[Dupre Kelly]

Greg Lesbian Michael Maranchini.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young, this is Love Trap. Laura Scottsdale Police as the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at a Maricopa county as Laura Owens has been indicted on fraud charges.

[Dupre Kelly]

This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Who says renting can't feel like home? Make your rental feel like yours. It all starts with one scroll. Download TikTok to discover easy home decor ideas.

[Dupre Kelly]

He's a legend, man. He's one of my favorite MCs too. Monks being my brother, but he used to be my DJ.

[Memphis Bleak]

Chill Redman is a DJ too.

[Dupre Kelly]

Redman was my DJ because before he was Redman, the murderous MC.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo Chill. Not Muddy Waters DJing.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, he was my DJ man. And he's just always been a fire emcee. Even when he was DJing, we had this Set that we used to do, where he would be cutting while he's rapping.

[Memphis Bleak]

Wow.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean? And he just been a ill MC man all along. So salute. Salute to Reggie Noble, man. Always been fire, for real.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a lot of talent came from New Jersey, period. But from Newark, New Jersey, a lot of y', all, man, like Tretch, you Red man, Queen Latifah, most definitely. Fucking fugees.

[Dupre Kelly]

All of them.

[Memphis Bleak]

Lauren, Wyclef, Fugees, even Whitney Houston.

[Dupre Kelly]

Come on, Nippy. Ms. Nippy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shaq.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shaq.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, a lot of great came from Newark, New Jersey. And I don't think y' all get the respect for that, for carving out a lot of shit that us in this world live through. Like, come on, bro. If you take Shaq, all the music, take the fugees. Whitney Houston, right? What we got?

[Dupre Kelly]

I mean.

[Memphis Bleak]

I mean, like, it's gonna be a lot of voids out there that need filling, you know what I mean?

[Dupre Kelly]

Definitely, man. And we used to say that a lot, too. Like, we love New York City being so, so close in proximity to y'. All. You know what I mean? Like, we. This is the Mecca. The BX is the Mecca. But we felt like in the 90s, we had everybody, word up, you know, we had our brothers from Trenton Swerve, you know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, Camden, Trenton.

[Dupre Kelly]

Camden, Trenton. Like, we had so many people, man, from. I mean, you got Channel Live, you

[Memphis Bleak]

got Artifacts, Channel Live, Outlaws.

[Dupre Kelly]

You just had so many different people, man, that were rocking in the 90s hip hop. And we just feel like sometimes we don't get mentioned enough when it comes to 90s hip hop.

[Memphis Bleak]

They don't even know. Like, Eminem went to Newark and got a lot of his roots, too, from running around with the guys out there. A lot of people don't know that, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

They came to the outside.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I'm saying. They think they all them flows came from 8 mile. Nah, half them shits came from Newark, New Jersey, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, shout out to Em, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Definitely shout out Em. He was definitely always. And you know what I love about rap, man? That when you really into ain't where you from. Like, they say, it's where you at. Cause he was a Detroit guy.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I heard more stories about him in Newark, New Jersey, than I did in Detroit.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right, man. Yep. I mean, he was there. He was in the outs house.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's what we used to call it, the outhouse.

[Memphis Bleak]

R Digger, man. Come on, R Digger, man. Word up. Y' all got goats? Yeah, New Jersey Joe. Buttons.

[Dupre Kelly]

Come on, shout out the Buttons.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word up.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, man. I mean, young Z, like, he was with them, you know what I'm saying? So, I mean, it was only best that he had to get their game up or they would have took his head off.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, you know.

[Dupre Kelly]

I mean, you know. Know, you've been around greats, you know what I mean? And when you've been in Baseline, you had to come with it or they

[Memphis Bleak]

was gonna hit him. That's a fact. That's just how it was. Remember Rockefeller? We had, what, 10 artists? Baseline only had two rooms. People think Baseline was a room for everybody. Hell, no. It was two rooms. And you could not be in there bullshitting with bars. That was the number one thing. HOV coming there, y'.

[Dupre Kelly]

All.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let me hear what you got. Oh, he bullshitting with bars. Guru, turn this off. Yo, bring these dudes in. Let Beans in them in here. It was just like that. Like, either you gonna have it or you don't. Next man up. Who got it in there?

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, that's crazy. You say Beans. Shout out to Beans, man. That's my dogs, him and Freeway. They did a bunch of community stuff for me in the community, man. In our hood in Irvington and in Newark. Excuse me. And shout out to the man that. That they don't see it to be robbery to still come and do some community stuff. But I remember one time, man, my first time, Beans, I wanted to do Beans. Remember this? But what was their management? Black Hand.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Black Hand.

[Dupre Kelly]

Black Hand, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I was with my man, Rest in peace. Real Roller.

[Dupre Kelly]

Real Roller.

[Memphis Bleak]

What up?

[Dupre Kelly]

Sadiq and Real Roller. I know they remember a producer by

[Memphis Bleak]

the name of Black Friday. Black Friday, Yeah. Black Hand is Queens.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Took me a minute. It's cool.

[Dupre Kelly]

Black Friday.

[Memphis Bleak]

Black Friday. No, no.

[Dupre Kelly]

Thank you for the cause. I know Black.

[Memphis Bleak]

Him.

[Dupre Kelly]

No, we Queens. Nah, but Black Friday, we was in Philly. I went with my man Craig King. Producer Craig King, you might remember me. Did some stuff with Ye. Did some stuff with Luda, Aaliyah, a bunch of people. But he asked me to take a ride with him in Philly. We go to this inconspicuous house, you know, in Philly on some crazy block. I go in, and this is probably like 99 maybe when beans came out. 2000.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ish.

[Dupre Kelly]

2000.

[Memphis Bleak]

2000. His album dropped. We both dropped the 2000.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, it's about 99. I go in. The house is all dimly lit. You Know, we sit down at the table with Black Friday, and Beans is standing in the corner like he waiting for something to happen, like security. And we sit down and he comes over to me and he like, I love sleeping. That's my favorite record. And then he go back to the corner. I'm looking like, yo, who is money? Next time I saw Beans, he was in a Bentley.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, chill. Beans was the Bentley, man. He had two of them.

[Dupre Kelly]

He had two of them at one time.

[Memphis Bleak]

He used to come to me. Bleak. The Bentley, hot. Let me hold a Benz. Switch up with me. It's like, no problem.

[Dupre Kelly]

Take the Benz. Yeah, take this.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't want this shit anyway.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Or message. So 1994, when, fucking, how can I say this, man? After Keepers of Funk and the industry shifted, you know what I mean? The label support back then shifted, too. What was the mindset of y' all moving forward from then?

[Dupre Kelly]

Like, that's a great ass question, Lee. That's a great question. And I'm saying it's a great question question because I want the young entertainers and artists to understand out there. Never stop going. Never believe that. Oh, I'm on. I got the hit. I'm good. Never stop. Because we was rich as hell at night before.

[Memphis Bleak]

I feel you. You understand what I'm saying? 100%, bro. I feel you.

[Dupre Kelly]

You can get. You can get like, oh, they want what? No, tell them we want such and such. Oh, they want us not. Tell them only if it's 21st class. Yep. Yo, tell, you know, start feeling yourself. Start feeling yourself, man. And if you ain't feeling yourself, you ain't touch it, Right? That's right. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's a fact. You ain't really see success if you ain't start thinking. If you ain't get big headed or think you left Earth.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, you left Earth.

[Memphis Bleak]

You ain't see success for real.

[Dupre Kelly]

That don't mean you ain't had a chance to come back. But yes, you know, you start feeling yourself a little bit. And I think, 94, we riches. I don't know what we got. Keepers of the Funk. We're recording while we're on tour. Once we went to Chicago in 92, like the end of 92, we hadn't been home for like, damn, damn near. It felt like three years. I mean, periodically. But we hadn't been home.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean? And we was just rich, rocking and, you know, and when that album came, that hunger that we did In Here come the Lords of. This is just something we love. We don't even care if it comes out. Almost. I think that we started questioning everything. Well, how many points for this or how many is this and how many is that or what this look like or what these numbers? You know, you start doing the business while you're trying to get.

[Memphis Bleak]

I tell people that all these young artists, I tell them once it become. Cause you do it for free. It's for the love. It's how we always start. It's for the love. Once they give you that check and you look like I got this.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

For that. Right now. It becomes a business and you start trying to shoot for bigger checks.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Same check. And you're not. The love that you did it for. The music is just not coming out the same anymore. Yeah, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

And you know, Keepers of the Funk still did amazing. You know, we went gold initially with it. I think it's already somewhere around platinum now. But it wasn't the same vigor that we. We approached it with Here Come the Lords. And we were still on the road, so we couldn't just lock in into the studio. And we could have. But we didn't stay. Stop pausing of getting the money to. You know what I mean? So I think the. And then the industry was switching.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Dupre Kelly]

I remember Ruben Rodriguez shout out to Supreme C, man. Supreme C, he actually married Wyclef's sister.

[Memphis Bleak]

Man. Music business is crazy.

[Dupre Kelly]

But Supreme C, we had a record with him called Never Faded. And shout out to everybody that love never faded because it kills on the. But at that time, the record company wanted us to lead with that single. No, we wanted to lead with that single, but they wanted to lead with Denise Williams Keep the Faith, which almost sound like a inspirational churchy vibe. Lords of the Underground. Oh, you're Lords of the Underground. This churchy vibe the Streets wanted never faded.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean? So we went, of course, with the record company because they gonna put all of the money into this. We had Denise Williams shout out Denise Williams. She's a legend. She's singing on it. But the Streets wanted the grimy.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And then Mob and all of them was coming. And we didn't put that out first.

[Memphis Bleak]

We put out the nice, happy, nice record because they wanted to go crossover. That's when the labels tell you, we gotta go crossover. Let's go for ads.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Go for radio. And then they had you in there like this, like, yeah, I might go be LL too, right? Yeah. And no.

[Dupre Kelly]

And the street was like of the underground. We would have never faded.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, they had me in there. It was Ja Rule, Nelly and them. Yo, we need that. You in there like now. Ja do got muscles. I hang with the. I might could do that.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, you go try.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nigga's like, that ain't you?

[Dupre Kelly]

Nah, that ain't.

[Memphis Bleak]

Take that back to the boy, homie. So I feel you with that, like listening.

[Dupre Kelly]

She was switching, man. And I think that we. We didn't kind of line up, align with. With the switch was, you know, like I said, we young dudes who just got our mothers and families out of the hood and rich.

[Memphis Bleak]

So that's the main. That's the most important thing to accomplish when you get into this. Because that's what we wanted. Man, you picked up that pen. I know me, man. I was tired of looking at roaches in the crib, fire traps hanging from the ceiling.

[Dupre Kelly]

Most definitely.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm tired of opening up that pot. Mind what you cooking. It's just everything in the cabin thrown in one pot was like, nah, go outside the homies that's hustling, he buying pizza, he buying beef patties, this nigga buying sneakers, whatever he wants. Like, I gotta figure something out. And then you start writing your pain down. And then you get paid for it. And here you are.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. Paid for your pain.

[Memphis Bleak]

And then like in 94, 93, 92. Man, to have a gold record back then is equivalent today to being double platinum.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, seriously. Cause you literally, like I said, was no digital nothing. 500,000 people had to physically get up, walk in that store and purchase that cd, that tape and keep it pushing.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So that's a major accomplishment because it's just like the NBA. I feel like everybody in the NBA, you have hundred thousand millions of players that play. But not everybody can say they won a chip, right? It's the same thing in this business.

[Dupre Kelly]

I agree.

[Memphis Bleak]

Million of people play. Not everybody brung a chip home. So to have a chip and multiple chips, that's an accomplish in itself. And then back then, bro, like I keep saying, like you said, yo, we was rich. Rich. Hell yeah. 1993, a gold record, yo.

[Dupre Kelly]

My partner had like eight cars at one time. Me and Lord Jazz used to laugh at him like, what is you doing with all these cars? And we still joke about it to this day, but I mean, it was just so many different. I mean, you know, cause you experienced

[Memphis Bleak]

and I seen it in the 2000s and the money was still major. But it wasn't what it was in the 90s. Like, I used to be mad at some of my cousins and them looking at drug dealers in the 2000s that be like, yeah, I got money at 88. And I'm like, cuz, you was up outside 88 too, wasn't you?

[Dupre Kelly]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Why you ain't got no. Oh, you was in the house. You ain't go outside.

[Dupre Kelly]

I get it, right? So.

[Memphis Bleak]

But then everything changed. Like, what changed for you to make you say, all right, I did the music, I did all. I've been around the greats. I toured the world, had all the cars, did whatever. You know what all us rappers do. You go to the imagination. We don't have to talk about it. Then you said, yo, I'm gonna run for city council, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Man, so many different things leak. It's like in 1992, in Orlando, Florida, we had a motel. We ain't even in hotels yet.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's when you go to the motels, when you go outside.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

The room outside.

[Dupre Kelly]

We on a Tupac tour.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn. Legendary.

[Dupre Kelly]

Nah, real talk. This real talk. Like we on a Tupac tour. Outkast is opening up Ja' Nay with my man Pham from Rotten Rascals. They got the hey, Mr. DJ record. That's.

[Memphis Bleak]

Remember that joint? Yeah.

[Dupre Kelly]

Major and Big used to come on with Pac sometime on the road, we on the tour. I almost get into something with Pac because we shared a. Lloyd shared a van with Pac in Thug Life. So most of it was Thug Life and Pack. And I think maybe lord's had about six people with us, like 16 passenger van. And he was just mad because we was always late. One of our members was always late. You guess who? But one of our members was always late. So I get into it with him because he started talking in third person like this my MF and tour, you know, And I just felt like he was dissing us. And it started to feel embarrassing, you know, the Thug, like, they laughing. So I started talking third person. Like, rappers be acting like they from. From Cali and they really from Baltimore, you know, like we like, we getting into it back and forth. So right when it really gets tense, my. My other group member gets on the van. Fast forward later, Pac comes to my room, knocks on my door. He's bearing gifts. He got a T shirt under one arm. I believe I still got that T shirt too. Thug knife on it with the bullet on the eye. Damn dope, that's fire. He got a Newport in one ear, a blunt in the other. And he got two 40 ounces of O.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn.

[Dupre Kelly]

So he knock on the door. That's when you still have phones and you can still smoke in the hotel.

[Memphis Bleak]

Get the smoking room.

[Dupre Kelly]

The smoking room, it's lit. And I look out the curtain, I'm like, it's Pac. So I know that we just went through. So I called Lord Jazz, my dj and was like, yo, Pac in the door, he like, yeah, he tripping. I'm like, nah, he just at the door. I'm just letting you know. Cause I'm about to let him in. If something happened, you already know what's happening. I let him in. I open the door. He just look at me. He like, you ain't gonna let me in. I just. I still don't say nothing. I just move out the way, let him in. There's two beds in the room. He sit on one, I sit on one. He crack open the 40. Hand me, hand it to me. Crack open his 40, sip it. He take. I don't know if he took the blunt or the cigarette out, but he lit it. Probably was. He said he lit the blunt. And he looks at me and he's like, you know you was wrong, right? And I was like, yo, I felt like I was wrong, but. Cause it's his tool. But I wasn't wrong for taking up for myself.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

You gotta hold it down, man. Right?

[Dupre Kelly]

Like, I couldn't let you just diss our crew. But bro, we 20, 21. He goes into. I never heard a 20 year old to this day talk to the way that he was talking. He was talking about positivity. He was talking about how we shouldn't move from the cities we from if we grew from the soil from there. He started talking about how we got to turn millions of rappers into millions of rapper listen records. Listen. People who listen to rap records into millions of voters. He started talking about. Then he said, we got to become legislators. I'm like, legislators, man, what you talking about? I didn't almost know what he was talking about.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm like, man, I'm a rapper.

[Dupre Kelly]

What you talking about? He was like, nah, but if we don't make the vote, if we don't make the laws, then the laws will be made for us. I'm just listening to him. He's like, we gotta start non profits and create youth programs that bridge the gap between our youth and our seniors.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. Yo, this guy's 20 years old is what 91. Oh my.

[Dupre Kelly]

In Orlando, Florida. So I'm like, I'm like, all right, man. I feel like I did everything he asked me in that hotel room, man. I created a non profit organization called 211 Community Impact. I did everything, man. I ran for office. But he wasn't the only one. I had a mentor by the name of Hafiz Farida, who was our manager of Lords of the Underground. We had just came off of doing mtv. You know how MTV used to throw all of those big concerts. I was feeling myself again. I was feeling myself a couple of times.

[Memphis Bleak]

Trust me. I call them asshole moments.

[Dupre Kelly]

I got a couple of asshole moments. Denzel Washington. I'm sorry, I got a couple of asshole moments. I'll just keep it there. But. So I come off of MTV and usually I've been wearing Newark on my hats and clothing for years, you know what I mean? And this time I had on Newark hat, Newark T shirt, Newark everything. And my manager looked at me, he's like, oh, you Newarked out today, huh? So I don't know why I got defensive, but I was like, yeah, like, and what? Like, yeah. And he was like, what's the last thing you did for Newark? And I was like, I got defensive. I was like, what you mean? I just performed in front of millions of people on mtv. I represented for my city. He's like, I'm not talking about marketing and promotion. What was the last thing you did for your city? And he stumped me. I was like, wow. And I promised that day that that would be the last day that anybody would ever be able to ask me what I did for my city. And I can't answer it. That's dope, you know. And then I started taking my hip hop money and started my nonprofit, like PAC said. And I started investing into teen pregnancy and, you know, just things that was affecting our youth, going into schools, doing talks and all of that. And then the people later on, years later, said, yo, we want you to be our voice.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn. You know, that's dope, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

And then I wound up in 2022, I wound up becoming the first platinum selling hip hop artist to ever win an elected official seat in the United States of America, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Come on, man, shout out to Sean

[Dupre Kelly]

too, because he got the world title for winning Belize. Yeah, yeah, shout out to Sean.

[Memphis Bleak]

Sean definitely came home on his Obama move. Definitely, definitely. I respect it too, man. He out there really making the change and doing. I respect all because these are things we dreamed about that we, we, we wished we could do and y' all really doing it. So, like, that makes the difference that's needed. Cause other young black men, older men, might see you like, they don't even know. I didn't have no clue that Pac put some of that inspiration.

[Dupre Kelly]

Most definitely. Most definitely.

[Memphis Bleak]

I never met Pac. I never saw him personally ever. Like, I only know his message, know his story, and know what every other fan knew. But I never met him. To know that he was out there inspiring movements like that, man, that's definitely been.

[Dupre Kelly]

If not the governor, at minimum, he would have been the mayor of Baltimore or Oakland.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy to think about that, man.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Do you remember when Diana Ross double

[Dupre Kelly]

tapped little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?

[Memphis Bleak]

Or when Kanye said that George Bush

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

didn't like black people?

[Memphis Bleak]

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got

[Dupre Kelly]

to do with little Kim? Well, you can find out on the

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Look Back at It podcast.

[Dupre Kelly]

I'm Sam J.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I'm Alec. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make

[Dupre Kelly]

sense of how we survived it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but yeah, yeah, but just so y' all know, I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have eight on the table right now. Myself, thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

[Dupre Kelly]

Listen to look back at it on

[Memphis Bleak]

the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the

[Dupre Kelly]

Hard Way, with me, your host, and

[Memphis Bleak]

your favorite therapist, Kir Gaines.

[Dupre Kelly]

And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up

[Memphis Bleak]

in the chase that we don't realize

[Dupre Kelly]

that we are in possession of the

[Memphis Bleak]

thing and we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people, scoreboard wise, life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross. Cause you find it important to be

[Dupre Kelly]

a good person while you're here on earth?

[Memphis Bleak]

Or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

[Dupre Kelly]

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app search learn the Hard way and Listen now.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

In 2023, former Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal. The family court hearings that followed revealed gl glaring inconsistencies in her story. This began a years long court battle to prove the truth. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens? Correct. I doctored the test once. It took an army of Internet detectives to crack the case. I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for.

[Dupre Kelly]

Sunlight's the greatest disinfectant.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

They would uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.

[Dupre Kelly]

Greg Gillespie and Michael Maranchini.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This is Love Trap. Laura Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at a

[Dupre Kelly]

Maricopa county as Laura Owens has been

[Memphis Bleak]

indicted on fraud charges.

[Dupre Kelly]

This isn't over until justice is served in Arizona.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dupre Kelly]

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y' all say. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor iv.

[Memphis Bleak]

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college

[Dupre Kelly]

football or my career in sports media.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, somewhere along the way, this platform

[Dupre Kelly]

became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered

[Memphis Bleak]

conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

[Dupre Kelly]

creators and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

[Memphis Bleak]

One week, I'll take you behind the

[Dupre Kelly]

scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment.

[Memphis Bleak]

And the next, we'll talk about life,

[Dupre Kelly]

mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford show isn't just a podcast.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a space for honest conversations, stories

[Dupre Kelly]

that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

[Memphis Bleak]

So if you've ever supported me or

[Dupre Kelly]

you're just chasing down a dream, this

[Memphis Bleak]

is right where you need to be.

[Dupre Kelly]

Listen to the Clifford show on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And for more behind the scenes, follow Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

[Memphis Bleak]

So where do you place Lords of the Underground in the golden era? Conversation, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's a great question, too, man. I mean, you asking one of the lords, so I'm gonna put myself up there. We usually talk about groups, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah. Amongst the groups.

[Dupre Kelly]

Conversations, man. Top 10.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Dupre Kelly]

Top 10. And I mean, you can ask Kanye, too. Like, ye. Shout out to ye, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out to ye, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, shout out to ye, man. I remember him saying that Lords of the Underground was either six or seven on his top ten list. Yeah. And I believe it to be so, because when he did was the Pablo album. I believe it was.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, he got a Pablo album.

[Dupre Kelly]

He gave us $8,000. A. Like, I'm not saying that's a whole bunch of money, but just for saying he was the Lord Chief rocker number one. He didn't sample it. He didn't. Here, I'm gonna give you a couple bands, each one of you. Because I'm saying something that I respected, that I love, and it comes from y'. All. I'm like. You know what I mean? Like, shout out to ye, man. Because he didn't have to do that. He didn't have to even clear nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, ye is. He's one of the most generous and genuine guys in the music industry that I met. And I just, like, you know, a lot of people try to fault people for their passions. His passion is just high, bro. And when you love what you love and believe what you believe, you're gonna fight for it. You can't knock a person for they fight. Just. Just say, I'm not getting in the fight with you, or I'm not gonna help you fight. Don't knock him for the fight he's fighting. You know what I'm saying? And that's what I don't like. Don't knock the man for the fight. Cause he's out here fighting, fighting.

[Dupre Kelly]

He definitely is.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's a war. We all got a war within ourself, whether we present it or not. But we out here fighting to be better men, right. Than we were yesterday.

[Dupre Kelly]

And when he came. When he came in search of his deal, man, he came through Newark, New Jersey.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact. Another one went to Newark to get that root. Had six. You can even see on his documentary, he locked in the crib in Newark.

[Dupre Kelly]

He locked in the crib in New York.

[Memphis Bleak]

Definitely, you know, I came to Newark, too. I did my last album 5. I recorded it in Guru Crib.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, at Guru Crib. I recorded there too.

[Memphis Bleak]

100%.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, I recorded there, man. Shout out to Guru man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Niggas don't know he the y'. All. He the Yoda of Rockefeller, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Shout out to Guru Man. Yo, and I'm gonna keep. I'm gonna keep our thing with us, Guru. Cause I know you not asking. Not. I told you off camera. Yes, but he asked me never to say it on camera, so I respect that. But I respect you a thousand, a million percent.

[Memphis Bleak]

No Gulu. That's my guy, man. And Jake gave a lot. It's my brother.

[Dupre Kelly]

I love him to death.

[Memphis Bleak]

I wouldn't be here without him.

[Dupre Kelly]

No doubt.

[Memphis Bleak]

But hov. Oh, he stole Goo from me. That's my dog.

[Dupre Kelly]

Pay up, Jay.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's my dog. Pay up, Jay.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's your dog now. Word.

[Memphis Bleak]

Highway robbery for Guru Gaming Guru. Oh, you with me now? Yeah, Word, bro.

[Dupre Kelly]

Who ain't saying no to that, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Hell no. I'm in LA right now. Bleak.

[Dupre Kelly]

I call you back as many times. I've called Goo too. Yo, where you at, Goo? Oh, I'm in. I'm in the south of France with the homies. Yep.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, all right.

[Dupre Kelly]

All right, cool.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'll hit you back.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, Gooby, I'm in LA with the homie. All right, I'll holler at you later.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, so from platinum records, tours, gold albums, being the first platinum selling artist to win the councilman's seat like you said, man, to now you have a children's book, man. You can do it all, bro.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yo, with that being said, I want to take this time, man. I want to give you a gift, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, yeah, of course, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Look, man, so here you go, man. I know. Pepe, your daughter. Daughter. The boss.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out the boss. I ain't even going to open that now.

[Dupre Kelly]

You can crack it open. You can crack it open. But. But I just. Because there's something in there for you as well, you know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

We got the coloring book. We got the book.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's the book. The children's book.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just remember, even you adults need to know you can still do it all.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right. And that's just it. That's just it. The adults reading it to their children.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

Acts as a reminder. I want to shout out my co author, man, Kyrie Williams, who wrote it with us. So, yeah, crack this open, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, man. The packaging is amazing, bro. I love the presentation.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, man, I wanted to make sure. You deserve it, though. I know you smoke cigars. You might put other things in it.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, I do it the real way, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

Okay? But we got the nice.

[Memphis Bleak]

Look at the nice case for you ain't playing around. This is real, real dip.

[Dupre Kelly]

But the cigar in it, I want you to understand that this cigar in it, right. This is. This right here is a Rocky Patel, right? And cigar smoke was known as a Rocky. It's a disciple. You one of the Rock's disciples, bro. So I wanted to make sure that I was intentional about get you Rocky Patel.

[Memphis Bleak]

Rocky Patel. This might be my new favorite cigar. Now.

[Dupre Kelly]

Word up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause all I know is Cohibas, you know,

[Dupre Kelly]

that's the old throwback class. You gotta do Cohiba, you know? And we got you the mug.

[Memphis Bleak]

Mug? Yes, the te. I was about to pull that out next.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. Some courage. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

The tea mug. You know, little green tea in the morning, don't hurt nobody.

[Dupre Kelly]

Why not?

[Memphis Bleak]

Green tea keep you mind your business, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

It'll help you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, it'll help you mind your business, y'.

[Dupre Kelly]

All. It helps you mind your business, I'm telling you. So we. We got you the mug. You got courage on there. Because, man, to keep on going to do it after we not doing records, man. It takes courage.

[Memphis Bleak]

Got the puzzle. Oh, my daughter gonna love all this, bro.

[Dupre Kelly]

But for paypay, man, we got the cape in there for her. Oh. Because I hear she's a Supergirl anyway.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And she does it all, bro. That's right. So we got to get. Do it all.

[Memphis Bleak]

I love this, man. This is amazing, bro. Like, word up. This is amazing, man. Congratulations on this, man. The kids, we need all the inspiration for the new youth.

[Dupre Kelly]

And the last thing, man, we wanna make sure that she gets a coloring book, too.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, man. Appreciate it, bro. I'm coloring, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, why not?

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause I gotta teach her. Don't go outside the lines.

[Dupre Kelly]

Outside the line.

[Memphis Bleak]

You can't be my kid coloring outside the lines, Right? Yo, this is amazing, bro. Thank you so much, my brother. Yes, sir.

[Dupre Kelly]

Man, shout out to Kyrie Williams, man. My co author, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Kyrie Irving, man. Holding it down, Kids book. See, Pei Pei, you just said to me, you want to do some kitty stuff to promote and inspire, right? I got the right crew for you to link with.

[Dupre Kelly]

We got it, man. No doubt, man. Enjoy, man. I appreciate it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Thank you, man. So like I said, how did this even come about? What made you want to get into the. You know, I'm gonna do the kids book and give the kids some hope. I love it, man. We need it.

[Dupre Kelly]

Like, I can't front, man. Kyrie Williams is the one who. He was pressuring me to. I don't know if pressuring the right word. But, you know, he was on me to make my memoirs. Cause, you know, bleak. I don't know who that is in your life that. That you just kind of throw things off and you talk to. And even if you just. Just screaming at. And he just listening, you know what I mean? Like, we all need that sometime. And Kyrie was one of mine, you know, Like, I could just say whatever. And then at times he'd be like, yo, remember when you said such and such? I don't even remember. He'd be like, yo, remember you said such and such? That was a Jew. Like, yo. And he remind me to live by my own words.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

You definitely need those friends to remind

[Dupre Kelly]

you elbow and your ribs, you know, and he was the one that. He said, yo, I want you to. You should write your memoirs because your stories is crazy. And people don't know that's a fact.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, you know, just couple things you said sitting here. I don't wanna like, yo, but bro, you got some stories, you got some history, for real, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

And I just said, you know what, man? I. I'm gonna get to it. I'm gonna get to it. You know, being busy, we always. I'm gonna get to it. I'm gonna get to it. But tomorrow might not come, right? So he said, you know what? Do you mind if I push the book along? I'm gonna call you, and whatever I need from you, can you give it to me? I'm like, yeah. He said, all right, so we're gonna start with a children's book. I'm gonna start with stories, and I'm gonna make it palatable for young people. Failures as a child. In that book, it talks about me running for school counsel and not winning the first year. It talks about me going out for the baseball team and not making it the first year. It talks about falling and getting up and brushing yourself off. And he pushed me to do that, man. And I'm forever grateful to him for that because this book is doing amazing, and it's not something that we look to happen.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's the ones that work, man. It's so crazy. It's like that in music, bro. Think about it. How many times you recorded a song and in your mind you like this The One, right? And then they drop and be like, well. And then the record, you be like, I don't know. It's cool. And people like, that's my joint. You be like, what?

[Dupre Kelly]

And that's happened with Funky Child and Chief Rocker two hours later.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way.

[Dupre Kelly]

K Def, who produced those records, who's from Jersey as well. He tried to fast forward past those, and Funk and myself was like, yo, yo, go back to those. He's like, nah, nah, y' all don't want those. Yo, those became our two biggest.

[Memphis Bleak]

No way I got a record like that around here. Just blaze. I walked in the studio just like, what the hell is that? He like, man, that's nothing. That's something. I'm just playing with. You don't want that. And I'm like, no, put that beat on, right? And then we came around here, so I know, exactly. But some producers be like, they be like, us artists now. They ain't. And I don't know. And then we hear and be like, no, that's the one right? Then the one they like, yo, this the one I made for you? You like, I don't like that one.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, I made this before. Yeah, that one.

[Memphis Bleak]

Big. Like, I don't really like the one you made for me. So when mainstream visibility slowed up after the early 90s, what kept the Lords active, touring internationally? Like, all that stuff? Besides music, like, how did y' all stay inspired to even even keep going?

[Dupre Kelly]

Lord Jazz is the glue between Lords of the Underground.

[Memphis Bleak]

Our dj, I gotta pull up on you in Miami. Get some of that Elmer's, though. He got Elmer's. He don't got crazy. He got that Elmer's glue. Back in the day, we used to play with peeling off your head.

[Dupre Kelly]

Oh, yeah, facts. That's facts, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

He got the real glue. Yeah.

[Dupre Kelly]

All Jazz is the centerpiece peace to our group. Because when me and funk as MC started to grow as men and have different ideologies, you know what I mean? And ideas, Lord Jazz was like, yo, this is a covenant, you know, this is blood brothers. Like, these two of my brothers. I don't care if I don't like them. Sometimes we vow to each other that we would never break up.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know that Laws of the Underground as a group is bigger than anything that we ever did separately and outside of each other. So collectively, we have things that we've done with each other that we have done with no other person in the world. Like, Lord Jazz has been around us more than he's been around his Real brothers. Damn. I've been around Lord Jazz and Funky, man, more than I've been around myself, sister and my brother, you know what I mean? So they are my family. And I think that that's what kept Lords of the Underground together, is realizing that we are more than just two MCs and a DJ, but we a family.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope, man. And I gotta definitely now I gotta put y' all on the list. Cause I never thought about that. When I think about rap groups. No groups break up.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's only. I only had two groups that never broke up, but now it's three.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, we never broke up.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's Lords of the Underground. Now. The Locks.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yup. Shout out to the Locks.

[Memphis Bleak]

Smith and Wesson.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, Shout out to Smith and Wesson, too.

[Memphis Bleak]

All the other groups, even Run DMC broke up.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, yeah. And we modeled ourselves out there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I'm saying. All groups, even the Avengers broke up, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Come on, man. Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

All groups. So like, when you transitioned like, pivot into running the campaign and running for councilman, like, did you face any skepticism from any voters or anything like that? From the. Yo, he's a rapper. He can't do this.

[Dupre Kelly]

Most definitely bleak. Like, yeah. People did not believe. I don't even think. And this is not a diss to Mace, right? But I think that when Mace became irreverent, a lot of people wouldn't be, ah, he just trying to get some money. He ain't making records no more. I think people felt like that about me. Like, ah, he ain't doing it no more. So he trying to get some a job, you know, and that's just not the case. I thought because I was popular in my city, that I was still popular with the youth at the time, that this would be a no brainer. And when I first ran eight years ago, I lost.

[Memphis Bleak]

Mm.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know, I lost.

[Memphis Bleak]

Damn.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know, and the seniors were like, he just. What's that rapper boy that's running? What's that rapper boy that's running from South Oakland? Orange Avenue and 19th street, they got that rapper boy running. And I had to prove to them that I wasn't just a rapper boy. I told them, like, man, I am what you guys pray for in the neighborhood. Y' all pray for our young people to make it out. I am that prayer answered.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

So how you gonna front on me? And this is how I used to talk to them.

[Memphis Bleak]

You had to.

[Dupre Kelly]

How you gonna front on me, Elder?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

Like I am what it looks like,

[Memphis Bleak]

a hip hop grown up that made it survive.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. And now I'm asking to govern where I grew up at. Like, how can you front on that?

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause a lot of these old people stuck in their ways.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah. And I get it. I definitely get it. And you know, I really had a tough time, but me just showing them, just being consistent and having a track record. Just like you said, you didn't know a lot of things. There are a lot of people who didn't know a lot of things that was because of me in the city, in the community.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Dupre Kelly]

And then when they started to realize, wait a minute, he did that. Oh, he did that. Cause I wasn't asking for the fame. I had rap to make me famous.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

I wasn't looking for the community to make me famous.

[Memphis Bleak]

Of course not. You know, we've been famous in the community since you was a G. Right. That's not nothing new. That's where we first get fame. That's what make us walk worldwide. Fame, that's fact is the neighborhood fame we like. Wait a minute. I. I did this. I'm lit over here. Yes. But if I go over there, right?

[Dupre Kelly]

If I go over here, let's double that shine.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's amazing, man. But what was the toughest adjustment you would say moving from stage to the

[Dupre Kelly]

city council changed the toughest adjustment. And I think I kind of got it down. But it's still hard sometimes is I had to build my patience. You know, I get people come to the council meeting me. He's like, that's do nothing. He ain't do nothing. He do nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

He ain't do it all.

[Dupre Kelly]

He do nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, no way.

[Dupre Kelly]

I mean, I'm being a buck with you. Like, yo, you know, and that's why. But one of my mentors said, keep the receipts of all the work you do so they can say all of that. But we got receipts. That's right. You know what I mean? And I think it's the patience, you know, the name calling, the. Because you wouldn't say none of that to me if I wasn't councilman in the streets. That's right. You would not.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, you would.

[Dupre Kelly]

I know you wouldn't.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know it wouldn't. Come on, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

And you know, so the being patient with the name calling, the disrespect, the talking about your family, the. All of that type of stuff, I had to get used to that. And it's very hard to get used to still. I've learned how to endure, but it's still hard to get used to.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, definitely.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know, it's just a boxer can't complain about being a boxer, right? When he in the ring, he can't complain, oh, he's throwing punches at me.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

He's hitting me. You know, he's a boxer. You chose this.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I believe, like just hearing you say it, I think my belief would be. I think they put that there to test us. Cause we are the minorities. That's the aggressor. They say, so if we gonna so think. You know what they. I remember being a kid, you always get physical. You always wanna get violent. What about using words? How you let words hurt you? He didn't touch you. So that's what that sounds like. They want to push them buttons to see how far or how patient you really have. And me, I had this conversation with one of my homies from the hood about kids that grow up with fathers and kids that don't.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Like I know me looking at how I raise my children, that that's something that I missed out on, not having the father present.

[Dupre Kelly]

Me too.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I look at all my friends that grew up with they father, they all have patience, right? And I don't.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause I was raised by a woman. What a woman gonna do everything is. Fuck. What the fuck you playing with? What she said, I'mma slap that bitch. So you getting that? Mom's coming to crib. They think I'm playing with this. I'm not sending them no money. So your attitude grows off that. And I feel like my friends who grew up with fathers, like, even my son, I taught him something I didn't have. I didn't have patience. But I made sure he will, right? That you not gonna overreact and jump off the ledge for things that you could just sit there and be like, man, ain't that serious.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's facts, man. And I believe that, you know, raising my children with their mom is totally different. Cause I didn't have that. I think my mom is one of the strongest people in the world.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Dupre Kelly]

But she couldn't show me how to be a man. No, she can't. The streets, I don't think no woman can.

[Memphis Bleak]

Woman can. No.

[Dupre Kelly]

And vice versa, though bleak.

[Memphis Bleak]

We can't show a woman how to be a woman.

[Dupre Kelly]

Exactly, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact.

[Dupre Kelly]

And that's why I always looked for mentor. The things that I wanted to become in life, I looked for those mentors. And now I wind up Becoming that person that I used to look for, you know, that's dope, man. And I try to give that to my. I give it. I don't try. I give that to my children. Whether they accept it or not is another thing. They do.

[Memphis Bleak]

They do trust me. I always tell my wife, I say, yo, we don't know our kid. When they leave our presence, we don't know them. All we could do is hope they took all the jewels in and processed them and interpreted them into their life. But once they leave that house, don't know what your kid out there doing talking. I remember seeing a TikTok of my son, and he out there like, yo, bring the. Like, bring the what? When you started talking like that, he didn't even let me follow him on TikTok. Cause he didn't want me to see who he really was.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right, right, right, right. See who he really was.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, that's right. That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

All we can do, man, is give them the ingredients, give them the tools and hope they mold themselves and become that dish that the world appreciates.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, man. I'm so appreciative to everything you done. Everything you doing, man, you keeping it going. And you giving guys like me hope that, you know, it's still other chapters that you can still do to give back. Cause like you say, even with Freeway, I love what Freeway doing out there with the kids. You know, what schools he go, talk to the community. He got the thing now where he doing. If you lost someone and need to vent and get that off your chest. He got the. The. The. The prayer channel where you could come and kick it with him and talk about ups and downs. You know, I. I just. And I tell him, I love that. That you doing that, man. Cuz to turn your pain into passion is the beauty of life to me, man. To take something that. That was supposed to destroy you and. And be triumph, I think too bleak.

[Dupre Kelly]

It's like, what's really the end all be all right. What I mean by that is, like, we have this destination that we seeking, right? All of us, you know, want to make it out the hood. Anytime I go to school, how many of y' all want to make it out the hood? Everybody raised their head, right? We want to make it to this destination, you know, like, the highway of life to me is like, you know, your eyes are like the headlights. We see it 200ft in front of us. That's when we not moving.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

When you moving, you see another 200ft. You move a little more, you see, you start seeing on ramps and off ramps that you couldn't notice off in the desert.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And you start to. If you get off of some of those on ramps and off ramps, you start to be interested in things that you didn't even know that you would be interested in. Even while you headed towards your destination.

[Memphis Bleak]

You figure out, oh, shit, I like that. I didn't even know I like.

[Dupre Kelly]

I would have never told you I liked it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And then when you, let's say fast forward, you make it to your destination and you get there and you realize, damn, this ain't even.

[Memphis Bleak]

This ain't where I want to be.

[Dupre Kelly]

But yeah, it's more about the journey, because the journey that made you and allowed you to get it to your destination. We don't even really want to be that when we get there. We want to be everything that it made us to get there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact to me. I don't think I have an end. End destination.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's smart. And I wouldn't have said that that smart years ago. That is very smart.

[Memphis Bleak]

I just want to keep going until I can't go no more. I want to inspire till I can't inspire no more. And that's it. Because the end, I feel like, is the end.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean? It's the end. So I don't want the end goal. Hell, no.

[Dupre Kelly]

I'm glad you said that too, though. Like that. You said you want to keep inspiring until you can't inspire no more. Because I think we in the influence stage, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Everybody influenced. Everybody influence. They not influencing nothing. Nothing influencing me. Influence you by a chicken sandwich. I don't want that influence. Influence me. How to change my life.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right? Influence is powerful, but it ain't really that thing. What you said is that thing inspiration. Cause when you inspired by somebody, you in spirit with it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

You believe. You know you can, man. That's what. That's what made me gravitate to Jazz, O and Jay, because they from my neighborhood building. And I see them with the things that I dream about, and it's like, if they can do it, I can do it, too. And that inspiration has been what drove me my whole life. It's like to watch your friends accomplish something, it's like, man, you did it. I could do it, too. What world, what steps you took then you could share tips, knowledge, and game and help each other climb Instead of. That's how you get out the barrel.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Instead of pushing your homie back in the barrel. So that's my thing. And I hope I exude that to the people when they see me, speak to me, meet me, listen to me. Like, I hope they get some type of inspiration to know. Yo, I can do that too, man. Like, you know, that's what made me do this. Because everybody was kicking the homie down, talking about the chicks or the crimes. They come in and it's like, yo, fam, all of us have more to us than just negativity. I have way more positive things in my life than negative things. And I don't think the people want to hear all the negative. You could turn on the news and watch negativity all day. All you gotta do is watch the news. You want to hear some negative, right?

[Dupre Kelly]

So movement is a movement, not a movement. Unless it's moving forward, man. Not moving backwards.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, man. So, like, with this being said, right, Hip Hop began as an anti establishment, right? How did you. Or how do you navigate being inside the government while staying rooted in the culture?

[Dupre Kelly]

Yo, I used to hate politicians, like all hip hoppers did, even when I first got in my term. Shout out to Mayor Raz J. Baraka, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Shout out Mayor Raja. They're holding it down, too.

[Dupre Kelly]

He's an artist who believes, right? But I used to say to him and my team, I ain't no politician, man. I'm just a dude that got elected. I'm Hip hop. And the mayor was like, bro, you gotta stop saying you not a politician, you in it. Everything around us is politics.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

You know, it's just how you navigate it. And he created a team of people who fought for the people, right? So I believe that who you are. What he was talking about is the same thing PAC was talking about. We need a seat at the table. And if we don't get a seat at the table, we got enough tools to build one, right? So when we get at the table now, do the things that you said you would do when you weren't at the table.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, Right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And one of the things that I noticed is that people don't. They talk, but they don't understand until they get behind this table, man. Or until they get into any job that they say that, oh, I'll do this, I'll.

[Memphis Bleak]

Does it look easy?

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, but it's not, man. I tell you, this politics stuff is not easy.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's Right.

[Dupre Kelly]

But why do I keep doing it? I keep doing it for the people.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. And I don't like the people that be like, if it was me or if I get there, I could do this. You wouldn't do nothing. You would do the same thing you doing right now, just talking. Cause if you really was about it, you would be doing it. So do it. That's right. Ain't no if. Like my mom used to say, if was a fifth. We all be drunk and I'm sober than the jail. So what we doing? What we doing?

[Dupre Kelly]

It's easy to get elected, man. There's so many different processes. There's so many real things that you gotta deal with. I'm dressed in a suit right now. I told Kyrie, who came with me today. I was like, I probably wouldn't have wore a suit today, but I'm literally coming out of a council meeting. A council meeting where we talking about $80 million and $8 million on this project and buying new garbage trucks because of 20 of them broke down. And you know what I mean? Just dealing with the business of the city. And shout out to my council colleagues who always there for me to help me walk that walk. But it's not an easy thing. And I know you've been in meetings or been around meetings where they talking about real money. You know that. You know, playing around.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no playing. Can't play with these people. That's right, man. That's right.

[Dupre Kelly]

And I got got city lives. Ain't no playing around. Like, I'm not the. I'm not the politician because I'm hip hop. And I got elected and now I'm playing. I gotta get the work.

[Memphis Bleak]

I really want to make change, man. That's dope. So, like, I know you running for re election.

[Dupre Kelly]

Yeah, man. Re election. 20, 26, man. May 12th is the re election, man. And the whole Team Baraka. Shout out to Team Baraka. We rocking with the mayor, Mayor Raj Jay Baraka again, man. And Team Baraka, you know that is myself, Councilman Dupre Kelly. Do it. All of some of y'. All. Councilwoman. The fragrance of the council, Louise Scott Roundtree, the president of the council, C. Lawrence Crump, South Ford. Councilman Patrick council. You got our North Ford. Councilman Nebo Ramo, you got. Who else we got? We got Mike Silva down in the east ward. We got Quintana running for at large. And that's our Team Baraka, man. Oh, excuse me. And then we got our Muslim, our Musa Lema sister. You know, Ms. Bay, Councilwoman Bae Amina Bay. So that's our team, man. That's what we rocking with in Newark.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right, man. Make sure y' all get out there and vote. What'd you say? May 12th?

[Dupre Kelly]

May 12th.

[Memphis Bleak]

Every vote count, man. And if you want to change your community, you got to go out there and be the voice of the community.

[Dupre Kelly]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a fact, man. Our votes matter. Don't let them tell you it.

[Dupre Kelly]

Don't tell them again, Bleak.

[Memphis Bleak]

They matter. Don't let them. Even if they want you to show your id, show it. Because it matters.

[Dupre Kelly]

It matters.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now, if you win the reelection, right?

[Dupre Kelly]

Win, win, win. Bleed when?

[Memphis Bleak]

When you win. Not ifs. Like I said, no ifs. Win, win, win. See, I ain't gonna have to give me tongue tied when you win the reelection, right? What impact do you wanna be measured by 10 years from now? 5 or 10?

[Dupre Kelly]

10 years from now? I want them to say, this is a young man who grew up in his city, went on to have a success in entertainment, came back to his city, the same soil that birthed him and replanted in the soil and did things to make it better than when he left it.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's dope, man. What's next for you coming up next? So you want the people to know, besides May 12th? Get out there and vote. Get your butt, your ass, your behind, your feet, your mouth, I don't care. Whatever.

[Dupre Kelly]

Vote Team Baraka.

[Memphis Bleak]

What's next for my girl?

[Dupre Kelly]

Before I say what's next, I want to thank everybody who goes out there and campaigns with us. The people that you don't see, the people that you.

[Memphis Bleak]

I see them because I be at. I'm riding through the council place. I more paid attention to it when I moved to Florida. Cause it's a red state.

[Dupre Kelly]

Right, right, right, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, you know, I started paying attention to things that I took for granted. Being a New Yorker in the blue state my whole life. Got you that. You. Things you can do that they like. Oh, you can't do that here. You like. Since when? Since he said that. Like who? So I pay attention to the right. They be out there working. Ironic.

[Dupre Kelly]

We in that building.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word out, right? That's dope, man.

[Dupre Kelly]

Word up.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's fire, man. So what's next for the people to expect for my guy? What's the movement?

[Dupre Kelly]

You know, what's next for me, Bleak? I just did a deal sometime. I don't like saying it until it's done, but the deal is done. But what's next is, you know, vertical movies are the next thing. They're worth $8.8 billion. I just did a deal. Me, my man, Jimbo Alexander. Jim Alexander. We go into pre production for a vertical movie that we got called the Shaker Unit that is coming up. We probably go into production probably in April. Pre production in April. Then probably after the election, we go into principal photography. Micro movies, vertical movies. It's the big thing.

[Memphis Bleak]

With that being said, do a vertical micro cube shape, rectangle movie of your life, bro. Cause to come from what you did, accomplishments, the motivation from some of these guys, like come on the story about Tupac, his music is inspirational. For you to sit there and say he gave you inspiration too, like Molly Maud Finesse or bro, your story, that's box office, man. Then the battle, changing your neighborhood, your roots, that's box office, bro.

[Dupre Kelly]

If you look at TikTok video, if you go back to a laws of the underground video called TikTok. See, we had TikTok before. TikTok is TikTok. Word up, if you see me jumping the gate, running from the police, that's me depicting me running from a council person in my neighborhood who became one of my mentors, Ron Rice. Me depicting, running from him. And now I am the councilman in that neighborhood.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy, man. Life repeats itself. And I always say that, man. That's the one thing about living it. We love it. And I appreciate it, man. I thank you for coming through, my brother.

[Dupre Kelly]

Thank you, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

Much love to everything. Like I said, get out there and vote. May 12th, we gonna reelect. My God. Do it all for city councilman. And when you got time with your kids, make sure you download that book.

[Dupre Kelly]

You can do it all.

[Memphis Bleak]

We go from rapper, author to councilman, right? Don't stop there, man. You kids better know you can do anything, man. Stay solid.

[Dupre Kelly]

And on May 13th, pop that deuce.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let's go, my G love, bro. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit iHeartRadio app, Apple Pay podcast 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.

[Dupre Kelly]

If you're chasing data down instead of seeing it one place, you need the Intuit erp Intuit Enterprise suite. All your data in one place with built in AI for real time insights. Learn [e-mail] ERP on the Look Back

[Memphis Bleak]

at It podcast from 1979. That was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J.

[Dupre Kelly]

And I'm Alex English.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack

[Memphis Bleak]

what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians and favorite authors like Mark Lamont hill on the 80s, 84 was a wild. I mean, it was a wild year.

[Dupre Kelly]

It was a wild year.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

[Dupre Kelly]

Listen to look back at it on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

[Memphis Bleak]

you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckerd was accused of fathering twins, but the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax. You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens? Correct. I doctored the test once. It took an army of Internet detectives to uncover a disturbing pattern. Two more men who'd been through the same thing.

[Dupre Kelly]

Greg Gillespie and Michael Mancini.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

My mind was blown. I'm Stephanie Young. This. This is Love Trapped. Laura Scottsdale Police. As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences. Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Memphis Bleak]

When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist,

[Dupre Kelly]

they take matters into their own hands.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

I vowed I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that.

[Dupre Kelly]

Trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me.

[Memphis Bleak]

B.

[Dupre Kelly]

On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or

[Memphis Bleak]

wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Memphis Bleak]

Guaranteed Human.