Episode 3 w/ Pain in Da Ass

Summary

Podcast Summary: ROC Solid with Memphis Bleek – Episode 3 ft. Pain in Da Ass

Episode Information:

• Title: ROC Solid
• Host: Memphis Bleek
• Guests: Jay-Z
• Episode: 3 ft. Pain in Da Ass
• Release Date: June 24, 2025
• Description: ROC Solid with Memphis Bleek delves deep into the hip-hop culture, featuring conversations with rap legends, producers, and rising stars. Episode 3 features an engaging dialogue between Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z, exploring their journey in the music industry, personal struggles, and the evolution of hip-hop.

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1. Opening and Introduction [01:08 – 02:07]

Memphis Bleek welcomes Jay-Z to the show, setting the stage for a candid and nostalgic conversation about their shared history in the hip-hop industry.

Memphis Bleek [01:08]: "This is Rock Solid. You already know. We back at it with my guy, Pain in the ass, man. What's up?"

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2. Early Life and Personal Struggles [02:03 – 05:08]

Memphis Bleek shares his childhood experiences, highlighting the loss of his mother at age 12 and the pivotal role his sister played in his upbringing. He discusses how his environment and the movies he watched, like "Rocky," influenced his path and emotions.

Memphis Bleek [03:12]: "My mother died when I was 12 years old. My mom passed very, very young... So there's nobody in the home."

Jay-Z empathizes, reflecting on his upbringing without a father and the responsibilities he bore from a young age.

Memphis Bleek [04:04]: "So, I mean, her raising you was very noble, and I appreciate that."

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3. Entering the Music Industry and Meeting Jay-Z [05:08 – 07:50]

Memphis narrates his journey into hip-hop through promotion companies like Around the Globe and Penalty, eventually intersecting with Jay-Z's early career. He recounts handing out stickers and flyers, working with Ray Ray, and the vibrant street culture that shaped their early interactions.

Memphis Bleek [06:05]: "I remember listening to, like, can I get open? [...] I was like, yo, who is this guy?"

Jay-Z adds anecdotes about the importance of street promotions and the significance of stickers in building their brands.

Jay-Z [07:18]: "On Shout Out Group Home was... They might be one of the groups that had the best beats ever."

---

4. Joining Roc-A-Fella and Building Legacy [07:50 – 12:00]

The conversation shifts to joining Roc-A-Fella Records, their collaboration with key figures like Dame Dash, and the challenges they faced. Memphis shares memorable moments, including receiving his first Roc-A-Fella jacket and the camaraderie within the team.

Memphis Bleek [11:38]: "The first time that I recognized that I was part of something bigger was when the jackets came."

Jay-Z emphasizes the brotherhood and collective ambition that drove Roc-A-Fella forward.

Jay-Z [09:27]: "They would fight together. It's a brotherhood."

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5. Contributions to Classic Albums and Voiceovers [12:00 – 23:34]

Memphis discusses his role in Jay-Z's seminal album "Reasonable Doubt," including creating iconic voiceover skits that added depth to the storytelling. He highlights how these contributions were initially met with skepticism but ultimately became integral to the album's success.

Memphis Bleek [22:37]: "And like I said, it can only be... one of the greatest pieces of work that the genre has to offer."

Jay-Z reflects on the creative process and the meticulous crafting of the album's narrative.

Jay-Z [16:45]: "How did you end up on that intro of Reasonable Doubt?"

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6. Acting Ventures and Industry Experiences [23:34 – 47:15]

Memphis reveals his forays into acting, including almost being cast in movies like "Belly" and facing setbacks due to industry constraints and personal challenges. He shares humorous and poignant stories about interactions with directors like Hype Williams and the pressures of transitioning between roles.

Memphis Bleek [53:56]: "So I meet him by the Coliseum. He gives me the script for Belly."

Jay-Z discusses the complexities of balancing music with other entertainment avenues and the importance of staying true to one's identity.

Jay-Z [75:58]: "I respect every single artist coming out the hood. I love what they’re doing."

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7. Reflections on the Evolution of Hip-Hop and Business [47:15 – 75:35]

The duo delves into the transformation of the music industry, contrasting the old-school methods of promotion and collaboration with today's digital and streaming-focused landscape. They critique modern practices like artists owning their masters and the rise of independent distribution platforms.

Jay-Z [74:15]: "And you’re probably thinking I was gonna do something against that. But no, I respect them."

Memphis Bleek echoes these sentiments, emphasizing the loss of communal support systems and the shift towards individualism in the industry.

Memphis Bleek [74:16]: "I'm so glad that... people think everything is weird."

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8. Personal Insights and Advice [75:35 – 90:08]

Towards the end of the episode, Memphis and Jay-Z offer heartfelt advice based on their experiences. They discuss the importance of believing in oneself, the role of God and destiny in their careers, and the significance of mental strength over material success.

Jay-Z [81:54]: "What I would give advice to myself is don’t listen to the crowd noise. Stay focused on the game."

Memphis Bleek [84:16]: "Believe in yourself. Believe in God and just know that he’s going to put you on that path where you belong."

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9. Closing Remarks and Future Endeavors [90:08 – End]

The episode concludes with Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z expressing mutual respect and commitment to future collaborations. They highlight the enduring brotherhood forged through music and life’s challenges, reiterating the essence of being "ROC Solid."

Memphis Bleek [90:08]: "So always be prepared. Because a lot of times I was called last minute and I had to show up and I had to be the best."

Jay-Z [90:07]: "What’s for you, will come to you. That’s right."

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Notable Quotes:

• Memphis Bleek [03:12]: "Nothing worse than growing up when I would go to my friend's house and watch them interact with their mom. That’s a very hurtful feeling."
• Jay-Z [16:45]: "How did you end up on that intro of Reasonable Doubt?"
• Memphis Bleek [22:37]: "And we’re hall of Famers now."
• Jay-Z [81:54]: "What I would give advice to myself is don’t listen to the crowd noise. Stay focused on the game."
• Memphis Bleek [84:16]: "Believe in yourself. Believe in God and just know that he’s going to put you on that path where you belong."

---

Conclusion

Episode 3 of ROC Solid with Memphis Bleek offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of hip-hop legends Memphis Bleek and Jay-Z. Through storytelling and reflection, they explore their rise in the music industry, the bonds forged at Roc-A-Fella, and the personal challenges they overcame. The episode underscores themes of resilience, brotherhood, and the enduring impact of authentic collaboration in shaping hip-hop's legacy. Whether you're a long-time fan or new to their journey, this episode provides valuable insights into the heart and hustle that keep them "ROC Solid."

Transcript

[Memphis Bleak]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Pain in the Ass]

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[Jay-Z]

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. Big whipping. Yeah, Memphis, I'm back at it. Notice the difference. Just more grown. Prezzy, no stones.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now, usually I know Bleak does all the intros, but since he has the king of all intros in the building, we all gonna start this off right. Somebody's pulling me close to the ground. I ain't panicked. I've been here before. I've been rock solid for 30 years now. Rockin with Bleak. Bleak's an entertainer, a rapper, and now he's doing his podcast thing. So open up your fucking ears, motherfucker. Cause here come the pain. Okay, I'm reloaded.

[Jay-Z]

It's rock solid. You already know. We back at it with my guy, Pain in the ass, man. What's up?

[Memphis Bleak]

See you again, Bleed.

[Jay-Z]

Good to see you, man. How you been, my G?

[Memphis Bleak]

Good. Look like I like sitting at the table here. Look like we're doing the weekly nightly news or something. Right, right. Like some ghetto news. And we set up tonight.

[Jay-Z]

That's what we go.

[Memphis Bleak]

Marcy projects, right? Where they start off like that? I'm sorry, hold on. Not so fast, not so fast. Yo, that's What?

[Jay-Z]

Just for those who don't know, pain in the ass, legendary voiceover intro, extravagant, funniest man. I know. Comedian should be next to Kevin Hart in every movie.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay, wait a minute.

[Jay-Z]

Might be funny.

[Memphis Bleak]

Wait a minute. Time out, time out. We're gonna start off right off the bat like that. Yeah, it was gonna be the movie with Kevin Hart.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, we gonna start off just like that, but we're not gonna ask that question till later. Hold on. But I'm just letting people know how funny my guy is. The love I got for pain. Every time I called this guy. Been a genuine guy. Like I said, this is rock solid. And if you on this platform, it means one thing. You solid, my G. I love you. Know what I mean? I love you, my guy. So, yo, just for those who don't know pain, what made you fall in love with acting? Doing the voiceovers and everything like that? Like.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, it's funny how God works, you know. God always has a plan for us, of course, and. And we don't realize it while it's hatching itself, if you will. You know what I mean? So my mother died when I was 12 years old. My mom passed very, very young. She came here, Columbia, South America. Met my dad.

[Jay-Z]

Okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

An American man. And unfortunately, she died when I was 12. And he already remarried when I was like, two divorced. So there was nobody in the home, you know, so thank God my sister raised me.

[Jay-Z]

Okay, shout out big six. You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

My sister's like my mother, basically.

[Jay-Z]

And one day, when I.

[Memphis Bleak]

When I see my mother again, one day in the promised land, I will grab my sister's hand and I will come up to my mother and say. And point to my sister and say, this is my mother.

[Jay-Z]

How you know your sister gonna be. Be up there too? She might still be here.

[Memphis Bleak]

I mean, when, you know, when we're all together and those years is different, one day is like a thousand up there, right?

[Jay-Z]

Okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, I mean, her raising you was. Was very noble, and I appreciate that. But the only problem with that is that she has to work, you know, to provide. So there's nobody in the house.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

So you know what you do? You start dwelling outside, and the people outside become your surrogates. They become your adopted family.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. You know that.

[Memphis Bleak]

And sometimes unfor. They. They're up to some things that are not that great, but they're letting you roll. They're letting you, you know, be part of that. I mean, not directly part of that, but they're letting you Just chill on the block with them. Like, you chill on the block. So everybody had, like. Like a job to do, if you will. So my job would be to just, like, crack jokes all day. And at the same time, I was watching these movies, and these movies were raising me, basically because there's nobody in the house.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, all these movies are very important to me. So I would go back on the block and I would, you know, say, oh, yeah, I saw this movie last night, you know, Rocky. And it was so dope. When. When. When. When the trainer's talking to me, get up, you son of a bitch. Cause Mickey loves you. You know, just be up there doing Mickey all night. You know what I mean? Like, and they would love it.

[Jay-Z]

And those movies was impacted. Those movies were shaped some of our lives, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

I wish these kids could relive some of the 80s.

[Memphis Bleak]

They could go to fucking Netflix, yo, see. Go see. Go see fucking Rocky. That changed my life, you know, being out there on the block all night. It would be like, yo, do Rocky. Do Mick. And I would do it all night. And little did I know that that was kind of like a preparation for what would come later on. And that's. Like I said, that's how God works. Exactly in that manner.

[Jay-Z]

Like, how did you end up with. Cause I met you through, of course, J. Dane Biggs. How did that relationship brew? Like, how do you even end up meeting them? Cause them niggas crack more jokes than. And back then, y' all niggas used to go to war before that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hold on.

[Jay-Z]

How did y' all meet, though?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's funny. Again, how life works is things are always subconsciously around. You know what I mean? I was a big hip hop fan. I always loved hip hop. And that was one of the things accompanied with movies that were very important to me.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I remember listening to, like, can I get open? Like, you know, back back in the days, Rap City would play videos, and I would. I would tape them, and I would come home and watch them over and over again. But I thought he was so nice. I was like, yo, who is this guy? I was like, damn, the way he's rapping and everything. Go get your gun. I'll go all out with a can. I was like, who the. The is this guy? What's he talking about? I was like, yo, he's nice. I remember it said the name on the. On the tv. She was a Jay Z. I was, all right, cool. You know, keep it in mind. And then he came out in my lifetime. And then I got into the music business. I was working for around the Globe, which is like a promotion company, eventually turned to Penalty and eventually signed Noriega and Capone.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I was handing out stickers and flyers, and we were working with this guy named Ray Ray.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, Ray Ray. Shout Out. Ray Ray, Ray Ray. Live in the O with me, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He looked out there. So Ray Ray, you know, was the main promotion person at the company there. And they would do promo stuff for every label.

[Jay-Z]

Yep, yep.

[Memphis Bleak]

And they were doing stuff with Payday. So Dame would come shout out to Mr. Wall and everybody over there. So they would come to around the Globe to try to get them to promote whatever was on A group home was on there. Let's see who the other act was.

[Jay-Z]

On Shout Out Group Home was. I ain't gonna lie. They might be one of the groups that had the best beats ever.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, that's Premiere, of course. Premiere's project. That's Premier's, baby.

[Jay-Z]

I know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Malachi the Nutcracker. They were so dope, man.

[Jay-Z]

Back in the days, Payday. I remember the stickers.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Jay-Z]

In my lifetime.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, that's what I'm saying. Stickers were real important back then.

[Jay-Z]

Stickers were everything. Everything.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's one of the things that, you know, was important at the very early, you know, baby infant stages of Rockefellers.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

We had had a dope. So we wanted to flood the city and let people know that, yes, Jay Z's that dude.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. A lot of people don't probably know that. Jan was a little mad at the in my lifetime stickers.

[Memphis Bleak]

Are you serious?

[Jay-Z]

Remember they popped Cristal, they put the Moet bottles on.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, they gave him the 4.0 stickers.

[Jay-Z]

They don't do that, but, you know.

[Memphis Bleak]

They do 4.6 stickers.

[Jay-Z]

It's crazy, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

But Ray was on there at around the Globe. And they would. Dame would come and they would, like, utilize them for whatever they needed. Now, Ray had a roommate that worked at Payday named Garvin.

[Jay-Z]

I remember Garvin.

[Memphis Bleak]

Garvin. I'm sorry. Apologize. Garvin worked at Rockefeller. Garnett. So Garnett, when they decided to open up their own label.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Was asked to come work at Rockefeller, but he was at Payday, and that was like, you know, it was solidified. He couldn't take a chance going to, like, a Mexico company. Yeah. Like, you know what I mean? No disrespect to Rockefeller.

[Jay-Z]

It was a dream, bro. Back then, Exactly. If you got a solidified check, you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Gonna stick with the shoes in you. Definitely stayed with that.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. But he fucked up, though.

[Memphis Bleak]

He did. But he did. What he did with Smart was. Was. He's like, I can't work for you, but I'll help you. Why don't you let my roommate Ray Ray work with you?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So Ray decided to come over to Rockefeller.

[Jay-Z]

Yep. He ran the street team with.

[Memphis Bleak]

So he left around the globe. So we were still there, me and Tenza, my boy, you know, he's the one that introduced me to the game and everything. So I remember he was telling me, Tenza's like, yo, call Ray. You know, he's at Roc A fella. And Rockefeller had such a huge buzz at that point. They had a record company and people was at. In Wall street and, you know, they were like, different. They were doing things. Oh, my God.

[Jay-Z]

That office was bad, though. It sounded fly, but it was bad.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was.

[Jay-Z]

It was Shout out.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was okay for what it was.

[Jay-Z]

Dara, Omi, Colleen, all of them, they held it down. Word, man. Rest in peace. You gotta think about Al Branch.

[Memphis Bleak]

Branch. Well, not at that point. Al Branch wasn't at the very beginning.

[Jay-Z]

No, no, no.

[Memphis Bleak]

Chrissy Clifford.

[Jay-Z]

Chrissy Shout Out. Chrissy still there. Chrissy at Rock Nation.

[Memphis Bleak]

O. Good, good, good.

[Jay-Z]

Chrissy was the. Was the promoter back then.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, she was. She used to manage, or she probably still does. Kid Capri and Cat Low.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And eventually started managing the locks.

[Jay-Z]

Yep. She still got her manager hat on. Yeah, she Shout Out Chrissy, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

So Tensor I ever met Tenza goes, yo. Correct. And ask if we could go up there and do the street team thing for, you know, Rockefeller. So we get the out of here because, you know, that's like, you know, it's a regular label. It was corny. So we call up. I call up. He makes me do it, you know, of course, you know, he puts it. He called, yo. You know him too?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. Why don't you call.

[Memphis Bleak]

He likes you better. Like, all right, cool. So I call him. Yo, Yo, Ray, man, what's going on, man? Yo, I heard you over at Rockefeller. Now can we come over and do the street team? He's like, nah, dogs, we got professionals for that.

[Jay-Z]

I was like, oh, he closed the door.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, he closed the door on me Red Flintstone style. Like, yo. And the Flintstones, Wilma. Like, he's trying to get in. So I was like. I was like, yo, fuck it. Then you know what? Can we intern there? Then he goes, yo, hold on. So he puts me on hold. But this is a long, extended hole, and this is a whole music. No music.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, I know.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I'm not even talking about the music played in my lifetime or some. You could have played Carl Catalan. At least let me hear. Can I get open for a minute? I'm talking about locker room.

[Jay-Z]

Just.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just. Just dead silence. So I'm like, he's never coming back on the phone. I'm about to hang up. I'm giving him the grace period, five minutes. But I'm like, all right, cool. He gets back on the phone. Thank God. He goes, all right, dogs, you could come. I go. When he goes. Right now. He goes, jay wants to meet you right now. I was like, word. I was like, yeah, I'm in Queens. I'm living in flesh in Queens. I still do, but I had to jump on the train, go all the way downtown for them to meet us so we can, I guess, become the interns there. So I watch. I don't know why you would want to see somebody become an intern. All we're gonna do is get coffee and like that. But luckily, we saw Jay. We saw everybody. And first thing I did when I introduced myself to him was, what's up, pain in the ass? And he did like a. Yeah, because you know how Jay is.

[Jay-Z]

Of course. Same thing I did. I remember when they introduced you to me, yo, this pain in the ass.

[Memphis Bleak]

What? What? Like, what the are y' all doing? But he was cool with it. And eventually, you know, we started going up there every day after school. It was like the normal thing, you know, Jump on the train. Yes. Be at the office.

[Jay-Z]

Drinks, crystal flowing.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

Enemy used to be Liddy.

[Memphis Bleak]

And then the very first time that I recognized that I was part of something that was, you know, bigger than I thought it was, was when the jackets came. Oh, when the jackets showed up.

[Jay-Z]

I didn't get a jacket.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know. I remember we had that conversation, which is funny, because on backstage, you end.

[Jay-Z]

Up having that whole thing with Dame Def Jam jacket.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Jay-Z]

They don't understand.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right, right.

[Jay-Z]

That's why I expressed that feeling for.

[Memphis Bleak]

That jacket that I missed.

[Jay-Z]

No, no. It was just like somebody gave me a jacket. Ma' am, I'm from the hood. We couldn't afford them.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know, I know, I know.

[Jay-Z]

Delancey Street. You had to steal one of those from somebody. You couldn't just go down there. You had to be Big Top. I was a little homie getting little money.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right? So that's what I'm saying. Look at that. Imagine that to the point where you are like from the neighborhood. You like that next artist in that camp and you didn't get a jacket.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. Cause I wasn't the next artist as of yet. Remember, Jay was still trying to get on at that time. Rockefeller was just brewing.

[Memphis Bleak]

But it was roughness. Roughness was there too.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, roughness was there too.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I guess she was like the.

[Jay-Z]

New yo, you know, I never met Roughness. Are you serious? I swear to you, I only heard her name. I heard about her, that she was the artist that the first Rockefeller artist sign. And I never met her.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't know what she doing now.

[Jay-Z]

Diamonds in the rough.

[Memphis Bleak]

Diamonds in the rough from uptown. Yeah, yeah. Chink and Rebel.

[Jay-Z]

I met them. Them my guys. My guys, man. Like, we had a crazy relationship. You bringing up memories that people gonna want to know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, yeah, that's roughness. Yeah. Who's roughness, man?

[Jay-Z]

Straight up.

[Memphis Bleak]

But that was like an honor to me that they would even give me a jacket when. Look at that. You didn't get a jacket. You know what I mean? It meant a lot to me.

[Jay-Z]

I was still trying to get on, get in the team.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was still with my name on it, Y Pain.

[Jay-Z]

And I remember talking to you about the jacket. You showed me the jacket had the Rockefeller Records logo on the back and everything said Pain and Ass. And I'm like, you got a jacket now?

[Memphis Bleak]

I still have that.

[Jay-Z]

Dang. Give me a jacket.

[Memphis Bleak]

I still have that jacket.

[Jay-Z]

As you should, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

A couple of years ago, when they had the museum, the exhibit, Jay Z, somebody contacted me from Roc Nation.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

My man just C. Okay. You still got the jacket? I was like, yeah. He goes, can you do us a favor? Can you bring it up?

[Jay-Z]

Oh, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I brought them the jacket to Roc Nation. And they duplicated it and put it. And that's the one they put in the.

[Jay-Z]

That's crazy, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

So as a thank you for doing that, they made me a new one.

[Jay-Z]

No way.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, so I got. I got. I got. Yeah, I got both now. I got the two Rockefeller. The old one, classic. And the new one is the Pain Ass on it.

[Jay-Z]

And if I believe. So was that the. Was that the old logo of the Rock?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, the one with the. With the bottle, which should have been, like, you said, Ace of Spades. But I think back then it was the. Was my.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, it's weird. We're drinking champagne in the club, cuz now you got the do say thing. And I'm so proud of you doing.

[Jay-Z]

This Big up Doucet. You know, do Mafia, baby.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. We do what we say.

[Jay-Z]

But if.

[Memphis Bleak]

So weird. Back in the days, we used to drink champagne in clubs. Like, nobody drinks champagne in clubs.

[Jay-Z]

No, they do. They do that.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't see nobody popping champagne anymore.

[Jay-Z]

Like, that New York vibe in the clubs is like, ah, man. I'm trying to restore the feeling in New York with that. But you go to Vegas, go to Miami, let them soccer players pull up in the club, you'll see so many bottles of champagne, you'll think they bought it in theyself.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's crazy.

[Jay-Z]

Like, it's insane.

[Memphis Bleak]

My G. You know what I always wanted to do? Like, if someone popped the bottles. You know how Alpo used to, like, smash the cake in people's face? Why don't people take, like, the Gatorade bucket and, like, dump it on someone like it says their birthday? You know what I mean? Like. Like, you know how you win the championship? You know when they win a championship, just dump the bucket on the dude. Like that. Like, at the end, it was like, oh, and he's cool with it, too. Like, he acts like he's cool with it, but, like, deep down inside, he's like, motherfucker, yo. He's like, yeah, I hate you. Yeah. It's like. It reminds me of the dudes. Like. Like, back in the days, they usually had to jump you into a crew.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, remember that day? That was the real.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what's weird about getting jumped into a crew? It's like, don't lie. You know, deep down inside, you still feel animosity for those.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. Yeah. Like, that one kick coming at you, like, damn.

[Memphis Bleak]

Focus on you, like, really down.

[Jay-Z]

Back in the day, that's how you got coming out with a crew. You had to fight.

[Memphis Bleak]

You're gonna be the first one to get flipped on. I'm gonna set you to up some. Which is weird because jumping someone to get into something is crazy. Like, how do you prove your loyalty to them?

[Jay-Z]

And then, you know what's crazy? They jump you to get in, and then y' all have a fight and they run on you.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's crazy.

[Jay-Z]

How about that?

[Memphis Bleak]

You know I got jumped in to be an intern at Rockefeller, right?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, right? Yeah, right? Yeah, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Fucking jump me, man.

[Jay-Z]

I seen the kid.

[Memphis Bleak]

Imagine that. That would be crazy, though, to be.

[Jay-Z]

Like, jumped into Rockefeller, inaugurated into a.

[Memphis Bleak]

Camp, like a rap camp or something like that. But you gotta get to beat the shit out of to get in there.

[Jay-Z]

You know what I mean, your rhymes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Are gonna be different.

[Jay-Z]

Back then, it wasn't that serious. But I always wanted to know one question. How did you end up doing the intro on Reasonable Doubts? That changed everything.

[Memphis Bleak]

It did change.

[Jay-Z]

Cause I remember Jay, you know, Jay used to come around, play the songs. You know, Cashmere Thoughts, different songs. Jay violated, too. Cause I remember he pulled up to the projects. I'm outside. He like, yo, I want you to hear this record. When he played Ain't no Nigga, they had Foxy on it. So he played the record. He like, yo, what you think? I'm like, that shit CR Crack right there, that fire. And he looked at me and said, man, how you letting a girl burn you? You should feel embarrassed that a girl is nicer than you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right?

[Jay-Z]

I'm like, all right. Now I'm in the crib dissing Foxy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, wow. You got to diss track Foxy.

[Jay-Z]

Nah, man. But back then, you know, I used to just write rhymes listening to her. Like, how it work? How is she better than me? But Jay used to do things to inspire you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

To help you get better. So I always wondered, how did you end up on that intro of Reasonable Doubt?

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, like I said, due to the fact that my mother did die when I was 12 and there was nobody in the house. It does build up a lot of anger in you. It builds up a lot of animosity. You know what I mean? Nothing worse than growing up when I would go to my friend's house and watch them interact with their mom. You know what I mean? That's like a very hurtful feeling.

[Jay-Z]

No.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now I am going to bring everything together. I know you're like. You ask your question and make like, what the is he talking about his mother for? But I was very angry growing up. Very angry. It led me to doing a lot of crazy things and acting out. So, you know, starting off at around the Globe and then going to Rockefeller, you get in the music business and you have a certain expectation, yes.

[Jay-Z]

Gonna be all these girls.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, I'm gonna get to chill this, that.

[Jay-Z]

And it's not.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's not. They actually wanted me to work.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

They actually wanted me to go get coffee.

[Jay-Z]

It's work. Yeah. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Write things down. There's no girls at all.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So due to the fact that I was very angry, and I was also kind of, like, getting not brainwashed, but these movies were really, like, inspiring me, and they were, like, kind of possessing.

[Jay-Z]

Me, if you will.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I remember there was a one time when a girl did show up to the office and I try to, you know, kick my game.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ignored me and went straight to, like, the main offices. Because the main offices were in the back with J. Damon Big's office.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, wow. I just got ignored. I was like, damn. I. And now somebody's like, yo, go get me some coffee. I'm like, what the fuck is this? This ain't the music business that I want to be in. So I'm like, yo, I'm out. I'm outta here.

[Jay-Z]

I'm done.

[Memphis Bleak]

So if I was gonna leave, though, I wanted to leave, you know, with a little something that I would be satisfied with. So out of nowhere, she's walking to the main office. I'm out. Anyway, I was like, you fucking stupid bitch.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, chill.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right? And it was like a silence.

[Jay-Z]

Hell yeah. There's a lot of girls working in the office at that time, job.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I was like, oh, they about to throw me out the window or something. So all of a sudden it's like a long silence. Like, you know, like the one on the phone when I was waiting for the internship. And I hear all of a sudden.

[Jay-Z]

It'S got them straps. Yeah, it was strapped up. Shorty in the office.

[Memphis Bleak]

Not that strap that we're laughing. Yeah. I'm like, oh, shit.

[Jay-Z]

Okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

So there was somebody else in the office I didn't really like. So I cursed them out right there too. So. You too? What the are you looking at? Another laugh. I was like, oh, okay. I went home that night and I cursed out somebody in my neighborhood.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nothing happened. I said, all right, maybe I'm on to something. So I decided to go back.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

But now I was a little bit more overt, more looking back. Now, aggressive is a good word, but looking back now, I was channeling my anger, not in such a positive way because I'm cursing people out, which is not good. I don't advise you do that. But for the first time, I felt heard.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Even though I was saying something very negative.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

And looking back, I apologize, it was wrong. Because, you know, as a 40 something year old man, you expressed at 18, when the world is coming down at.

[Jay-Z]

You, you thought that was what it is.

[Memphis Bleak]

I liked it. I like that feeling. So I began going back and going back and just, you know, acting out the movies. And I noticed that Jay was a big fan of the movies that I like.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So when I'm in there talking like that all the time, it's like that shit. Do you want Something to call me. Okay. So all of a sudden, they loving it. They're loving it. And I gotta give a big shout out to this person because this was my main champion. The main person that was really just rooting for me the most is Big Biggs, man.

[Jay-Z]

Shout out to OG Biggs would have.

[Memphis Bleak]

Me come into his office, say, yo, do move the scene. Like, you know, I would just do Carlito's Way or do something like that. And then this started become a little bit of a groundswell. Like, people like, yo, you gotta put him on the album. I remember the first person that said that was big, so you gotta put him on the album. Then all of a sudden other people came, like, you know. Cause there was two factions. It was Harlem and then there was Brooklyn.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, you know, it was like everybody came together. Like, you gotta put him on the album. You gotta put him on doing the crazy shit that he's doing here in the office. Office. Now, I thought at the time, you know, that's whatever. If it does happen, like, you know, how much. Do you really remember a skit?

[Jay-Z]

No, you remember skits.

[Memphis Bleak]

I never thought like that.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I remember one day, after a long time of everybody, like, you got to put them on the album. You got to put my album. Jay called me into his office, sat me down, and goes to me, yeah, how you feel? You're gonna be on a classic album. I was like, it sounds fun to me, man. You know, but it's so funny that he knew already. He knew the joint was going to be classic. And you being next to him, being in the same neighborhood, being in the same building on the same floor.

[Jay-Z]

No, no, no. He lived on the 5th.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was okay. So you two floors away.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know how important that album is to him.

[Jay-Z]

Hell, yeah. That was his baby.

[Memphis Bleak]

What it took to make that album, what it took to get to a point where even to have an album.

[Jay-Z]

Rest in peace, Clark Kent, man. Big shout out to Clark Kent. He played a major, major, major role. And reasonable dialogue he did. For real.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he played a major role in Hollywood.

[Jay-Z]

Helmetsky, like, you know, like those was.

[Memphis Bleak]

The guys in house, producers, main producers. So it always is mind boggling to me and you, like I said from being so close, is that after all that work, after everything that happened, after everything that transpired, that album is so classic. And the first thing you hear when you press play is you.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And like I said, it can only be. God, I know, you know, people gonna misconstrue this with the cursing and you this and that. But I'm really a believer in God. And I can't believe that he did that for me. That can't believe that he, after my mother died, took me to the block where I would watch these movies, do it for these people. That would just kind of like, practice for me to get to this point, to be there, and then to find my way somehow onto one of the greatest pieces of work that the genre has to. To offer.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And we're hall of Famers now.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

In the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

[Jay-Z]

Fame for sure, my brother. Congratulations.

[Memphis Bleak]

Your voice is in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.

[Jay-Z]

And that was my purpose of wanting you on this platform. Because a lot of people don't. They might not know the face, the person, you know, the man behind the voice behind the skit. You know, people don't know how talented everybody is. They don't get to see everything. You're not a very visual guy. Like, you ain't out there making skits like on YouTube and Instagram like the rest of these, you know, social media comedians. Like, I don't really see you chasing that like that. Like them.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, we come from a different era.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying?

[Jay-Z]

And we ran from the community to me.

[Memphis Bleak]

To me. To me that being on that block, doing that was my social media platform.

[Jay-Z]

And it's hard. I don't go live and do the things that the young guys do that I'm supposed to do. You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

So you get live, though, when you need to. Of course you get live. And not on Instagram either. Get lied.

[Jay-Z]

Joe, this ain't for that.

[Memphis Bleak]

We ain't doing this.

[Jay-Z]

Listen, don't play this in court, but Joe, so off. What I was just saying about how you even met. Cuz I met you after Reasonable D. That's when I came in.

[Memphis Bleak]

And we're the same age, so we kind of came up together, if you will, after the. The album was released.

[Jay-Z]

Let me let the people know the wars you and Dame had, bro. Oh, my Jesus. You know, Dame Dash is a snapper. And then with. With the jokes, they used to go at it, boy.

[Memphis Bleak]

But you know, I got nothing but respect for Dylan. Of course. I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. There's a difference between. I remember I was watching a documentary about Biggie and they were talking about there was a writer. Dream Hampton. I know.

[Jay-Z]

You know? Okay. Yes, of course.

[Memphis Bleak]

She was talking about the Relationship between Big and Pac. When Big first started out, she said that and it always stuck with me because it made so much sense. She said that Big knew that Pac was real, but more importantly, Big knew that Pac was being real with him. So now you hear that word floating around a lot. Oh, he's real. This person's real. I knew Damon was being real with me. Damon used to punch me in my arm all the time when I would act out, like the laughing at the cursing of the girl. They laugh. But then after that, he grabbed me in the room. He started punching me. But like a big brother almost, you know what I mean? He was always also a very big proponent of trying to get me into, like, you know, rooms and stuff like that that I didn't really belong in. You know what I mean? I'm an intern and here I am arguing with him about the album in his office. I don't see that happening any other label. You're not going into Leora Cohen's office as an intern. We should do the Cashmere Thoughts as a single. What the f are you talking about? Like, we would argue that.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

He wouldn't kick me out. He wouldn't do anything and converse with me.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

He was being real with me.

[Jay-Z]

Dane was definitely good for that. He listened to everybody from the interns to the workers to the artists to the producers. He definitely listened, man. Like, he did. I always respect him. I would never, never, never talk bad about dame, you know, shout out. Dame.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, dame. Big shout out to everything that he's doing. And it's so great that everyone's doing other things.

[Jay-Z]

I'mma bring you back to a memory, though, that you probably don't remember. Listen, so it was a release party for Reasonable doubt, Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay.

[Jay-Z]

This is the first time. Yep. This is the first time I seen get in trouble with Dave J. Big Biggs, where everybody was mad. We had an ill party in there, chilling, wilding, celebrating the album release. We get out outside, we get in the limo and you standing through the sunroof of the limo, pissing out the.

[Memphis Bleak]

Sunroof, screaming, money ain't a thing, Right? See you at the sunroof. I'm pissing out the sunroof, talking about money. Anything ain't going.

[Jay-Z]

Top of the limo, peeing off the limo. Jay and David like, yo, yo, get this off the car. Somebody, yo, I remember they was mad at you. They made you do push ups.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah. And then Damon just punched me in my arm, like real hard. I think I got like Bruises still from that shit. About 30 years ago, I remember I had to go to the bathroom.

[Jay-Z]

Like, who the hell is this guy right here, man?

[Memphis Bleak]

I'll never forget. Dame got pissed at me one time. I mean, literally, right? I mean, right. Pissed me, right? We were in the studio. We were in one of these studios. And this is later on, though, you know, I had to go to the bathroom, but I was in the booth. And you know what it's like when you're in the booth. I'm in the zone.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm like, yo, I'm zone. I'm drinking. Back then, I would drink.

[Jay-Z]

I haven't drink pee in the booth.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, I had to go check this out. Bleak. Bleak. I saw there was a dog walking around the studio. Son, the owner owned a dog. Yeah, it was like a dog walking around the studio.

[Jay-Z]

So you like it? The dog did it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, right. Like, where my dog's at? I was like, yo. So they called the label. They called the label afterwards. What the fuck? And then Dame calls me into the office.

[Jay-Z]

The.

[Memphis Bleak]

Are you crazy? What the you pissing about? I said, yo, Dame, it wasn't me. It was the dog. He goes, the owner said that he smelled it was human piss. I was like, how the. Do you know the difference between dog urine and human urine?

[Jay-Z]

What the fuck?

[Memphis Bleak]

Are you, a probation officer? Like, you could tell the difference between dog urine and human urine?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, that's different.

[Memphis Bleak]

But like, yeah, he knew. He knew the deal.

[Jay-Z]

But you peed in the booth.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was solitary confinement.

[Jay-Z]

Peed in the booth. Yo, I love.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I didn't piss, like, directly. I pissed in a cup. And I don't know, for some reason, I just like. Like, threw it up like. Like New Year's Eve or something like that. And it flashed all over the place. So it wasn't like. It wasn't like a Bart Simpson urination. Like, you know, at the beginning of the Simpsons, like, this was like. Like some splash mountain. Like, you know what it looked like. You ever been a great adventure or like one of those, like, theme parks where they had, like, that wooden, like, coaster that goes down the water? But then there's people, like, standing on the bridge, you know what I mean? And they get splashed out of nowhere. Like, that's like. That's the effect that it kind of had. Like that. Like the. The pipeline. And it's like that, too. But you know what? As crazy as that all is, I can't believe that they accepted me back. Every time.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, every time. No matter what you did no matter how much they was mad the night before, the next day paying in the office. But one thing they would.

[Memphis Bleak]

Push up and look at that. I still got scrawny arms. See that? After all the trouble I did, you would think I look like Popeye the sailor man. Look like I'm doing no pop. But you don't understand what that means to somebody when they lost their mother and they have nothing and you could do no wrong. And I mean even though yes, I get in trouble, but it was an acceptance that I just.

[Jay-Z]

It was a brotherhood, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

I needed that.

[Jay-Z]

We was a brotherhood. Like if we was in college, we'd have been a fraternity.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, we are fraternity.

[Jay-Z]

I ain't gonna say we'd have been a gang cause we wasn't a gang. We used to do a business orientated to be on some shoot em up bang bang.

[Memphis Bleak]

But.

[Jay-Z]

But we definitely, if we were school kids, we'd have been a frat.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, we were a frat. We were a frat.

[Jay-Z]

It was family. Like everybody that worked there, cared for each other. Everybody took their job serious. And every single person in Roc a fella wanted to see Jay Z win.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

That was the, that was the number one agenda on everybody mind. That's the one thing I respect.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you know what I think was the most important thing of all. And I don't wanna turn this into like, you know how people talk. I read the fucking comments, asshole. Like, oh, you gotta talk about Jay Z all the time.

[Jay-Z]

We got stories, we know him, we.

[Memphis Bleak]

Bleak grew up with him.

[Jay-Z]

So you know what I mean. A lot of this stuff without mentioning.

[Memphis Bleak]

I ain't gonna talk to you about.

[Jay-Z]

Politics and you from the beginning. Like I tell people I'm from when the rock was a pebble. Yeah, you met roughness.

[Memphis Bleak]

Roughness.

[Jay-Z]

You was down before me then. You even got a jacket. You was there when the rock was a thought.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's funny you said that, that everybody around wanted Jay to win.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

But the most important thing was that Jay wanted to win. And I think that's the thing like we were talking before we, we started recording how you know, try to give a message or advice to the younger generational or anyone not even younger anyone. Just trying to be inspired.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

At first you got to believe in yourself.

[Jay-Z]

That's a fact. And no one could tell Jay he wasn't that. No, he knew no one.

[Memphis Bleak]

No one even, even a comment like that how you feel you're gonna be on the classic album. That wasn't at that point something that people were really, you know, looking forward to at that point. You know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

Fact. You want two classics out. Two classics, though, man. You on my joint. My first album.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Jay-Z]

You know what? I' don't forget that, man. I remember when I called Payne like, yo, I need that. That. That flavor you gave hov. You gave me two skits on my first.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let me tell you something about you, and I'm glad we're having these conversations. We could talk real.

[Jay-Z]

We could talk real. That's what we here for, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

The. The. The slight on you always is, oh, Jay wrote your shit. Coming of age. Of coming of age. He wrote that?

[Jay-Z]

He did. Coming age one and two. I'll give that.

[Memphis Bleak]

He wrote two for you, too.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, I give that to him.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay. Let me explain to you how great God is and how the ghosts are always watching with us. God rest his soul. Clark Kent.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

What he means to all of us.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. I was a big bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know the story of how you got to be to that point to even be the person rapping on coming of Age. So that was originally written for Shaheen.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. Right? Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

And Shaheem was with Wu Tang, and.

[Jay-Z]

I guess somehow he ain't have the time to do it. And then when I synced them in the projects, I'm telling hov, I rhyme. I'm like, yo, he told me. I spit. I spit. Clark like, yo, I think he might be good for that joint, and it's not history.

[Memphis Bleak]

But wait, it's not history because Clark made you rhyme for him?

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Your rhymes.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

So you auditioned to be that?

[Jay-Z]

Of course.

[Memphis Bleak]

With your rhyme. 100% with your actual rhymes. This wasn't Jay Z's rhymes. This was you rapping to Clark.

[Jay-Z]

Clark needed to teach me how to.

[Memphis Bleak]

Rhyme, and Clark needed to verify, like.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, okay, he's nice enough.

[Memphis Bleak]

He's good enough to do that, to even do that.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. 100,000%.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you own it?

[Jay-Z]

Of course.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because, I mean, you know, obviously this isn't the same genre, but, you know, these great artists. Celine Dion didn't write, you know, my heart will go. A lot of people like Tony Braxton didn't write that, but they owned the song. It's theirs.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

They embodied it.

[Jay-Z]

It's my words.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's you doing it. Emphasis. You emphasize every word. Same thing with me. I mean, look, those skits on those albums, they're movies. Those are scenes. They're not my. I didn't write those words. Words. But I Own them.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

I, I, I, I, I took it. I always seen myself like a. A producer would, you know, like how he would sample, like, you know, Kanye would sample I'm Falling in Love, like. But he puts the drums to it. He puts the. You know. But it's still a sample. But it's his beat.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So these scenes, these monologues, they meant something to me, so I wanted to take them and I wanted to try to convert them and make them yours. To make them mine or, or to pertain them to you. Yes, pertain them to Jay Day. Because I see everything like a movie. I see things in movies. I don't. I don't read books.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't like to read because I don't grasp the material.

[Jay-Z]

I said that on.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know.

[Jay-Z]

I see that.

[Memphis Bleak]

I seen that.

[Jay-Z]

And they took it the wrong way. So don't say you don't like to read.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't like. I don't like to read.

[Jay-Z]

Can't read.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't like to read because I don't grasp the material.

[Jay-Z]

It doesn't. It ain't captivating.

[Memphis Bleak]

I need to visualize.

[Jay-Z]

I'm a visual. I'm a visualizer.

[Memphis Bleak]

I just was watching the Joy Luck.

[Jay-Z]

Club the other day, but I read books. Don't get it twisted.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no, no, no, no. You know, we got library. We got library cards here. You see that?

[Jay-Z]

I probably got a tab on my library car.

[Memphis Bleak]

I probably own, like, 20,000. I need a Jay Z verse just to pay my library tab. Like, I think I owe them, like, from a movie that I rented. Remember, they used to rent movies? Yeah, but I'm better visually.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, like, the other day, I. Watching the Joy Luck Club, the movie touched me. Like, I was like, wow. Like, this is, like, so good. And then I wanted to go back and read the book.

[Jay-Z]

Book, okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because I seen the visual.

[Jay-Z]

Now you can read.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, exactly. I see. It's in my. Because when you read, you're kind of seeing the thing play out in your head anyway.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

When they already have that for you, then now you can go back and kind of contra. It's like, okay. Oh, yeah, yeah. They did a good job here. You know what I mean? Oh, I didn't see it that way now reading it, you know what I mean? So it's more visual. It's always been visual to me. So, like, with those movies, you know, I wanted to pertain them to the artists that I was working with, because I see things in movies.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So like, you. You. You with Jay, I always seen you two. Your relationship, as far as I was concerned, from. From watching it from my vantage point, you reminded me a lot of, like, the Christopher Montessanti, Tony Soprano kind of, like, relationship.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Where Tone is Christopher's uncle, but he's not really his uncle. Like, it's weird, you know, they're connected somehow. But not blood. But he loves him. He's like my nephew, you know, my nephew. She's gonna be the next in charge, you know, like, so. But you had that because Christopher. Christopher is very like our Tony. Normally he's talking about. You know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, after that. That's why I loved coming of age two.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Coming of age two is better to me than coming of age one because it's so realistic of like, yeah, I'll ride with you for free the first time around. But now I was like, yo, what up? What up?

[Jay-Z]

I need to see that. Brad, what's going on? N. Still in my swag.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. How you doing? Good to see you. But there's an underlining.

[Jay-Z]

If you really see this is how ill J Mind is with even writing that song. Cause I remember rhyming the song. I remember Jay made me stay in the booth. I literally was in the booth for about an. In the stance, like, and what? One legging my pants up in the stance, like, and what? I know the dudes is feeding me cancer then, but at times, the answer. Whatever I say back then, I don't remember the line, but I remember he made me keep saying that line over and over and over and over and over and over until I got it perfect. But when the song came out, I didn't really understand it. And then when I got older and I listened to it and this probably gonna blow people mind if you really listen to the record. We don't even say nothing to each other.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Jay-Z]

It's just. Yes. It's all subconscious. It's all what we're thinking.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just won't look.

[Jay-Z]

Sometimes all I say is, what up? And you say, what up? Bleak. That's it.

[Memphis Bleak]

How incredible is that? Because it encapsulates everything going on. That's life.

[Jay-Z]

And people think, like, when you listen to the record, they think we having a conversation, but it's just what we each thinking about the other person is.

[Memphis Bleak]

Thinking in that moment.

[Jay-Z]

And when I really caught that, I'm like, jay is the. That's what makes him the genius he is.

[Memphis Bleak]

When you're telling me that story about how he made you say it over and over again. It reminds me almost like, of a good director.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Would do, like an actor. Like, you know, I want you to do it this way. Precise and to be precise.

[Jay-Z]

Jay is so perfectionist. I remember when I did, like, that shout out, DJ Enough and Swizz. Cause they was in the studio when I got the, like, directing me. DJ Enough, Swizz and Guru. And you know the part where I say, swizz slowed down the beat, Shorty slowed down the beat. However, she say, you know, and I don't like that. And I remember I said it in the first verse and I played it for him. He was like, yo, you know what? What? You should say that in every verse. And I'm like, you think so? And he like, yeah, just go back and rewrite him. Put that line right there. Put it in every verse. And I did it. And now that's, like, the highlight of the record. Like, he always been, like, the constructor. Like, I don't get where the people. Like, yo, he wrote your rhymes then. I don't know why the ASCAP checks come to me.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I mean, like, as far as. Like, I said to me as. As a. An observer, like, I said when I heard that story that you had to kind of like, like, audition to do that.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

That means that your joint got. It wasn't out of necessity. It wasn't like, oh, we need somebody right now. That's what's so great about, like, both of our stories. I didn't audition to be on the album. You know what I mean? I wasn't part of the plans. I was never part of the plan.

[Jay-Z]

Exactly.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I was part of God's plan.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. You know what I mean? And that's exactly what happened. Like, I wasn't part of the plan either, but God made me stop them that day.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly.

[Jay-Z]

And it changed the course of life.

[Memphis Bleak]

What did you feel like when they were walking up? Like, did you know that there was a joint that.

[Jay-Z]

No, I just knew Jay was that guy. Like, you know, you got Lexus coupes that ain't out. You know, you got the baddest chick in the hood. It's like this guy go to his crib. You got water beds, floor model, TVs, AC. Yeah. It was like, I gotta get with him. Like. Cause we spraying the water bottle on the fan in my crib. It's hot as a. It's hot as ass down there, so. And that's what I just knew, man. I needed to get with him, man. Like, if anything was going to change, I was gonna figure out how to get money and learn how to get money with a person who's getting money. Can't get money with a broke person. Y' all both broke.

[Memphis Bleak]

What a blessing that it's that person.

[Jay-Z]

It's crazy. I always knew of all people you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Could have came up to, like, Joe Johnson, like, you know, I learned from you and end up, like, you know, in prison for 20 years. But of all people, it was this person I knew.

[Jay-Z]

And I'm not gonna just say I knew with Jay. I also believe Jazz O, too, of course. I remember seeing Jazz O and Jay K in the elevator, like, taking an elevator ride with them from the first floor upstairs. And I remember asking them, yo, how you write a chorus now? I could write a verse, but I can't write a chorus. And Jazz said to me, yo, keep rapping. All you gotta do is keep writing. It's gonna come. And I remember saying to myself, if I told you I got the verses, how the hell is the hook gonna come? I'm telling you, I can't write a hook. I don't know how to think of a hook. And his advice was, keep writing. And he was right, though. Kept writing now. And I learned how to make choruses. I would take choruses out the verse. But every day, I used to see them and pick they brain, try to get in the car with them. Nah, get out of here. You can't come with us today. Get out of here. Not today. Not today. So when I used to get that call and be like, bleak, we need you in the studio, bro. It just felt like life, like, I knew. I knew life was gonna change.

[Memphis Bleak]

So at that moment, you did.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, it was. I knew, man. I used to get in trouble for hanging with them, bro. Remember, they was the big.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I'm saying. It's weird because three gener, you know, you got Jazz, you got Jay.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, they was getting that money, man. And moms, like, what the hell you doing around them? You're too young. You ain't supposed to be with them. Get your ass in the house.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, it was weird because that would probably never happen in today's world, you know? Today's world, you know, like that.

[Jay-Z]

It look weird.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah.

[Jay-Z]

You know, people think everything is weird.

[Memphis Bleak]

Today, but it's weird because not to. No pun intended, but, like, you know, that's the time we grew up in.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hanging on that block. Those are old elder statements, you know, it was like 20, 30 year olds.

[Jay-Z]

And I'm one thing I can tell.

[Memphis Bleak]

You, but it was an honor just to be chilling with them.

[Jay-Z]

A 14 year old city kid is the same mentality and mental state of a 25 year old suburban man. Like. And that's the truth. Like a 14 year old city kid has the same responsibilities as a 25 year old man who grew up in the suburbs. It's no different. He probably might have it harder. More responsibilities.

[Memphis Bleak]

We agent dog years, basically.

[Jay-Z]

No, it is because you think in the city you got it rough, bro. Like you said your sister had to raise you. You know what I mean? Your sister, how old was she? She probably was.

[Memphis Bleak]

She was like eight years older than us. Exactly 20, 20 at the time, you.

[Jay-Z]

Know what I'm saying? So think she had to be 30, she had to be a mother.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Jay-Z]

So think about that. That's what I'm saying. Like you, you could take a kid from the suburbs and bring them to a kid in the city. And the kid in the city is way more advanced. Like cuz they life is faster in the city. Just. And that's just what happened. You age quicker. You do like. And that's just what it is. But back to the Rockefeller days. My guy pain. I never forget pain. My album release party, yo. One of the greatest nights in my history of ever performing. I got a chance to get called to the tunnel.

[Memphis Bleak]

The tunnel.

[Jay-Z]

Shout out Funk Master flex, big cap, big cap, Mr. C. Rest in peace, big cap. And, and Mr. C. Word. Very, very missed the dude up. Rest in peace, dmx. Cause DMX was even at the album release party. The first album in the top. I remember my guy Payne like, yo, bleep, let's do the intro before you come out. And I'm like, you think so? He like, trust me. And you went out there and the roof came off. We didn't even have to play a record. That's how famous he was.

[Memphis Bleak]

But it was weird because it's weird.

[Jay-Z]

To see that once you started that. Okay, okay, okay, okay. So now the guy, now he goes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Working for Jay Z. Problems. He can work for Jay Z. Trouble writing a song he called Jay Z. But now the guy's got to come up with Jay Z's money every week. No what matter what. Ain't selling records, you pay me. Oh, you want them in your video? You pay me. No one's coming to your shows. You pay me. But then I had, because I learned this from you, I had a wad of money on me. I don't know who gave it to me. You or somebody gave it to me. When I did the. You pay me. I threw it into the crowd. And I remember just the shit looked like the scene in Paid in Full.

[Jay-Z]

With his own money coming down, you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Know, just sitting in slow motion. You know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

I had a story about the J throwing money, but guy, I'm let you finish this.

[Memphis Bleak]

So you know, the tunnel was incredible. So when that's happened, everyone's flying all over the place. I just remember getting off the stage. You got on there and they just went bananas. You know when you started into. Into. The beat comes on and just like you could feel the building shaking. Seriously.

[Jay-Z]

So I got an earthquake.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like we registered on the Richter scale.

[Jay-Z]

I got a story about M. Bleak is. Cuz I didn't even want that record to be my. We didn't even have the record.

[Memphis Bleak]

I remember being in the studio with you and Lenny.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cause Lenny was working as A and R in your project. That was his first project.

[Jay-Z]

Me and Lenny almost died to make meth. Bleak is like literally. We was on a Hard Knock Life tour. We were supposed to shoot what you think of that? Featuring Jay as the first single to come into age. Right? They didn't. Matter of fact, Jay wasn't even on what you think of that? But that was supposed to be the first single. They wouldn't clear the same. So then Jay went to Swizz like, yo, my little bro need a beat. So Swizz like, yo, I'm gonna be in New York this day when we off. So Jay like, all right, I'm gonna book y' all flight to go home. Me and Lenny, we flew from Buffalo on a propeller plane.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, man, that's in Hard Knock Life.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, bro, that plane was shaking. So I was on there praying like, yo, please, please. Lenny too. We laughing. I say, you see what you gotta go through to make records?

[Memphis Bleak]

And backstage. Yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, I'm telling you. And we land, we get there, we make the record. Yo, Bleak. I got it for you. He got. He had the hook on there Myth Bleak is. And I'm like, all right, cool. I did it. And I'm. I don't think this the record. I don't think people gonna want to say my name like. And Jay like, man, you bugging. Shut up. The record is dope. People don't like. They. They know your name. Chill out. So then when we put the record out and the response we got, and that response at the tunnel was like, yo, hold on, I'm. They. They like me that's for me. Like, that's how I felt.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you the first artist. Artist other than DMX to get a swizz beat, right?

[Jay-Z]

No, Jay, because coming to age two is coming. I'm sorry, but a lot of people don't.

[Memphis Bleak]

Other than that, because he did also.

[Jay-Z]

Money cash and Jig Jig.

[Memphis Bleak]

I always equivocate swizz with X and then X being on Money Cash Hoes. Like, all right, he did that for them. And then obviously he did another joint on the Valiant too. But you're the first artist other than those two.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Colossals.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now it's you that gets a Swiss beat of.

[Jay-Z]

Of, I believe, similar to like from your mouth to switch to Swiss fingertips.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right, right. But like Nori. Nori with the Neptunes, like, you know, he's the first one to have that be. But then who's that next one from the. Does the Neptune's one?

[Jay-Z]

I don't know.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's a good question. You know, I don't know.

[Jay-Z]

I gotta get Pharrell in here. Pharrell, pull up.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, pull up, man. For real. I know who's your second beat? So that's piece by piece.

[Jay-Z]

Pull up.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's big in itself. Look at that. X, J. U. And he knew that was going to be a hit.

[Jay-Z]

The only thing I ain't sell those records, it was X.

[Memphis Bleak]

But you went. You went gold on that. No, no, no.

[Jay-Z]

You went gold on.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no, no, no, no. You did your thing.

[Jay-Z]

I went gold. I went.

[Memphis Bleak]

Underestimate yourself.

[Jay-Z]

Every album went gold. But we talking About X went 4 or 5 million every album. X dropped two albums in one year, both of them 5 million.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. That's crazy.

[Jay-Z]

Never been done before. It would never be done again.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, absolutely not.

[Jay-Z]

Ever.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, I don't. I don't think people buy that many records at the disappointed people don't understand the importance of selling that many records.

[Jay-Z]

That you had to go to the store. Like now it's a little cheat code because think. Imagine we got the. The count for every time you played that cd. Now today, when a person download the album, every time it play it count.

[Memphis Bleak]

They get something but.

[Jay-Z]

And they giving us fractions of the count. So it's really don't count for the artist. It just counts for the. The. You know, the streaming provider.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, it's weird how, you know, the music business breaks down. You know, like the. Of it. It's. It's.

[Jay-Z]

It's terrible. You have to. I feel like music now you have to use it As a platform to promote your other platforms. Like, you know what I mean? It's almost like a commercial, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, it is. It is. It's. It's a platform to let you know, like, look what I'm capable of doing.

[Jay-Z]

Exactly.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's what. That's really what he did. I mean, as far as business and what you did, too. Look what you're doing with this. Look at all the things that you brought to the fray. You've done a lot of things.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. We. Outside working. I only learned.

[Memphis Bleak]

Don't really appreciate. And they don't recognize that you've done.

[Jay-Z]

I learned from the best, man. You know, we got the weed out there, mind. Right. Exotics. We got the Doucet.

[Memphis Bleak]

How did the do. Say thing come about?

[Jay-Z]

Doucet came about from my wife, actually. Crazy word, because I was in.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hold on. Sorry to interrupt. You just played me a joint on your new album. That. That's, like, you know, you're talking about her.

[Jay-Z]

And I appreciate that.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was incredible. You know why it's incredible? Because watching you recite the rhymes, you can see how heartfelt it is. No, and I'm happy to see you happy.

[Jay-Z]

Definitely.

[Memphis Bleak]

You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be happy. And there's nothing in life better. When a man has a strong woman, that's.

[Jay-Z]

That's.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's behind him.

[Jay-Z]

I believe that's everything. That's the navigator.

[Memphis Bleak]

She's so great. Gave you a beautiful daughter. Oh, my G. I'm so happy to see you.

[Jay-Z]

Appreciate it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Succeeding and happy. Because being happy and being successful are two totally different things.

[Jay-Z]

And that is success to me. Happiness.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly.

[Jay-Z]

Families. Exactly. Money ain't success to me. Like, money is something to be made, spent, and made again.

[Memphis Bleak]

So money sometimes brings even worse than, you know, things than happiness. The opposite of happiness.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. And bring. Bring it. Bring the drama.

[Memphis Bleak]

Brings the greed, too. You know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

That's right. But we on you. It's not on me.

[Memphis Bleak]

All right, all right. But you know. You know, you know me. I'm the intro guy, like, praising somebody else.

[Jay-Z]

This is pain.

[Memphis Bleak]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Jay-Z]

I always felt too. Man. And this is for the people to know, like, why you never got into, like, doing the voiceovers for cartoons or have you tried. I don't want to say why you never got into it. You probably tried. It just didn't manifest. Or, like, even acting like. I felt like. You could have played a role in State Property. They killed me. They could. You gotta. I could have killed you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, all right. So a lot of things happened along the way. Way. So I always tell the story, and I also get negative feedback, too. What the you talking about? You weren't in it. So after being on album, Reasonable Doubt back then, Abdul.

[Jay-Z]

Shout Out. Abdul Malik.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Malik Abba would film all the videos.

[Jay-Z]

He did.

[Memphis Bleak]

So he did, you know, Ain't no. He did Presidents. He did In My Lifetime. And this is on their own dime.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So due to the success of Reasonable Doubt, Jay's next single after Ain't no is going to be the married joint. Can't Knock the Hustle.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, yeah. Wait, we ain't even getting in the streets, just watching.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right, right, right. We'll get into that. We'll get into that in a minute. But so they decide. Hype Williams is like the biggest director in the game. Yeah, let's let Hype direct it. You know, we're going to pay him money, you know, and pay him a lot of money to do this. He just finished doing Tupac's California Love video, which is basically a mini movie.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Got the Mad Max going on. It was incredible.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So here's this guy gonna direct Jay's next joint. So he comes up to the. To the label, comes up to Rockfire. I. I introduce, you know, meet him at the door, Bring him in. Snaz. Like, yo, you gonna put me in the video, right? You know how these artistic people. I was like, this guy's a dick. You know what I mean? Like, so here, again with the end anger, I start snapping on, right. Look at your shirt. Whatever. He's gonna direct the video. Blah, blah, blah. So we get to the set and I'm like, yo, you're gonna give me the video, right? Straight ignores me again. I was like, yo, this guy's. What the is wrong? I get. I'm out of here. I'm leaving. But again, like the time with the girl, I'm gonna give people peace of my mind. So.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

They were smoking cigars. Him, Jay and Dame. This is in South Street City Seaport downtown. And I'm like, look at this guy smoking a dick or whatever. I'm making fun of him. Whatever. Everybody starts laughing. And I'm like, yo, I'm leaving. I said, so I walk away. And there was a woman named Fran back then. She was the video promotion person. Her name was Fran. She was the main video person. So as I'm walking away, she runs, she goes, hey, come back, come back. And back here. I'm like, oh, Shit, Damon's gonna, like, punch me in my arm or something like that because he got mad that I was dissing. I Hype, she's like, no, no, no. Hype wants you in the video. She goes, go get. You know, go put on a suit.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, it was in the. In the Dead Prize video.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, this is the Can't Knock the Hustle video.

[Jay-Z]

Can't Knock the Hustle? Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I put on the suit and I go up this elevator, and I go into this restaurant that's right by the highway, by the seaport. And as the elevator's door open, Hype goes, here comes pain in the ass. And everybody starts clapping.

[Jay-Z]

Yo, you lying.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I was like, oh, shit. So like, yo, go ahead. You want to be such a big mouth guy? Go ahead, do something. So I ended up jumping on the table, and I'm dancing on the table. And you see it in the video, you know, whatever. In post. You could put that up there.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Dancing in the video and whatever. So the video's over. And he's like, yo, I see Hype again outside. And he's like, oh, we said, you want to make fun of me all the time. This and that. He goes, let me get your beeper number. This is some beepers back.

[Jay-Z]

Yep, yep.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I get my number, whatever. Six months later, I get a page from a 212 number. Now, the young generation don't understand when you get a 212 page.

[Jay-Z]

Knew you were in business, you was in business. That seven, one eight. You like.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ah.

[Jay-Z]

What this chick want?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, exactly.

[Jay-Z]

What this dude looking for me for the cops. Two, one, two. You like strong? That meant money.

[Memphis Bleak]

Big time. Big time. So I call up, I said, what's up? Somebody paged me. I was like, yeah, this Big Dog Films. Who are you looking for? I was like, big Dog Films, what is that? It was this Hype Williams company. I said, well, somebody paged me. Paint ass. So she puts me on hold. All of a sudden, he gets on, he goes, paying. You're going to be the next Robert De Niro. I wrote a part for you in my movie. He goes, meet me right now downtown. No, no, I'm sorry. Meet me right now in Jamaica. So I meet him by the Coliseum. He gives me the script for Belly.

[Jay-Z]

Wow.

[Memphis Bleak]

He wrote this major part for me.

[Jay-Z]

What the fuck?

[Memphis Bleak]

Just off of doing Liar. No. So at the time, I'm an intern still. Even though I'm on the album, you know, I'm still internal. I'm not anything other than all right, cool. That's a cool story. You got on the album and you happen to be here. So they got word of it. They got wind of it. Jay and Damon, and they're like, all right, cool. We manage you now. So I became the first. I became the first, like, non rapper.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, but you gave on the roster. That's right. You know what that's called? Yeah, they put that speed stick on deodorant.

[Memphis Bleak]

They deserve it because I wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for. For them. So he wrote this. Major point. I remember we went to a reading, and Beehi was with me.

[Jay-Z]

Shout out to be was also managing professional. Put the speed stick on the back of your neck real quick. Stop acting stupid. Get over here.

[Memphis Bleak]

For real.

[Jay-Z]

Get. I said, get over here.

[Memphis Bleak]

So I remember we went to a reading and Nas was there. Scarface the rapper was there.

[Jay-Z]

It's only one. Wait, we not going to see Scarface the actor.

[Memphis Bleak]

Scarface. Scarface the rapper.

[Jay-Z]

What the you doing here?

[Memphis Bleak]

Why are you here, man? You're supposed to be an intern. What the you doing rapping? Rapping? No, but Terrell Hicks was there from.

[Jay-Z]

Okay.

[Memphis Bleak]

From the Bronx Tale.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I used to love that movie. Tyron Turner from. From Menace to Society is there. He's sitting right next to me. He's the one that ends up playing in the movie. Because I don't like that.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't like that shit one bit.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna drive a dime.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right, Exactly. So we're all sitting at a table like this. You know, we're all together. Nas is there and everything. So I'm reading my parts.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, and it's like, blah, blah, blah. And it was like clapping and laughing and everything. And then during the break, I remember Nas was smoking with Scarface, and I seen him like, you know, I'm walking away because, yo, son, you ever acted before? I was like, nah, you got it, son. I was like, oh. I was like, how'd I end up here? You know what I mean? Like, where'd I end up from? From. From that, from that to that? So. Because, you know, I used to love Nas growing up.

[Jay-Z]

Nas was like, come on, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

So after we came back from the break, Hype was like, yo, I just spoke to the producers. We're gonna change Pain in the Ass's name from Coomatin. It was.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

To Pain in the Ass. And I was like, oh. They started clapping and this and that, and it was so exciting. You know, it's one of the highlights of my career so far.

[Jay-Z]

Why you ain't giving me.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. Exactly. Here it comes. So all of a sudden, I don't know what the fuck happened. You know, contacting back and forth, this and that, and, you know, get ready, you're gonna do wardrobe, you know, we gonna film this movie, this and that, blah, blah, blah, blah. Then all of a sudden, it just went blank.

[Jay-Z]

You think Jay and Dame asked for too much money?

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no, it wasn't that.

[Jay-Z]

You thought they wanted the Denzel FIFA.

[Memphis Bleak]

You imagine that right now for Payne.

[Jay-Z]

50,000 an hour, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

50,000 an hour would be nice. What happened, I think, was that he needed to cut characters because of budget issues. And even now, like, you know, years later, like, he's very angry the way it came out because he didn't get to do what he intentionally wanted. Like how. Like, I remember reading the script. It was totally different from what I saw saw on the screen. But I was really honored that he asked me to be part of that because it did change everything.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because I didn't get in belly. And I remember, as a matter of fact, the day of the reading, we were supposed to have a reading on a certain day, and my sister paged me and I called back, say, what's going on? She's like, oh, you know, they called from this company. You know, there's something about that. They're not going to do a reading today because of. Of other issues, you know, that you'll do it another time. So I'm like, all right, all right, cool. So what's up? Nothing. I know you get mad, you know, when I don't tell you things. What the kind of setup is it? What are you talking about? So my sister raised me, but our grandmother was very much part of our.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, child. Yeah, that's right. The backbone of the family.

[Memphis Bleak]

I didn't know my. My. My mother's side of the family there in Columbia, so. Knew my grandmother. So I'm like, what's going on? What the. What's up? Grandma died.

[Jay-Z]

Damn.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, it's like, you know, my heart just. That was the first panic attack I've ever had. Something from panic attacks.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was like, you know, just shaking.

[Jay-Z]

A lot of people suffer from them. Don't even know. Yeah. At least you recognize, Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's just I. I couldn't believe it. And eventually I didn't get in the movie. So, like, there was like a dark cloud around all that again, more energy, anger. But How God Works. Jay drops volume one, and he says, to me, yo, you gonna do it again, right? I was like, do what again? You can do your thing again, you know. So I was in the studio. We did it again.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And it was a great album.

[Jay-Z]

Great album.

[Memphis Bleak]

But it wasn't received as well as it should have been.

[Jay-Z]

Cuz it. It what I believe was it was a lot of competition at that time.

[Memphis Bleak]

At that time.

[Jay-Z]

And Jay was talking about things that wasn't yet.

[Memphis Bleak]

People going over people's heads.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. Because Jay was talking about the lifesty live today then.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Jay-Z]

Remember Rolls Royces, Bentleys. People are just now getting these things.

[Memphis Bleak]

And maybe the singles weren't the best. Like how you said that you didn't like the meth bleakers. Like maybe they weren't the best selections of the album. Because the album is strong.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

So as smart as they are. Dame and decided let's film a movie.

[Jay-Z]

Of the strong records to every song. Now it's basically that damn near every song.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Jay-Z]

Word up.

[Memphis Bleak]

So we're in Marcy.

[Jay-Z]

I'm mad they ain't called me for the Source Money video though.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, that was fun. Yeah, that looked like a good time.

[Jay-Z]

I was mad.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was in Atlanta.

[Jay-Z]

I wasn't married then. Young guy.

[Memphis Bleak]

That would have been a different song of that.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. They got me pulling out guns on you Must love me shooting people. But don't invite me to the strip club.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that was. That was a nice little.

[Jay-Z]

See, that's two strikes. I ain't get a jacket.

[Memphis Bleak]

No jacket and no strip club. I mean, basically you robbed me of my youth, you know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

I was 15 years old.

[Memphis Bleak]

You don't do that to a 15 year old boy, you know what I mean? Come on, let him get his jacket. Let him go to the strip club thing so he can please.

[Jay-Z]

I wouldn't be talking about it to this day.

[Memphis Bleak]

I would have. So I'm in Marcy and we're in the trailer, you know. And I just started wing out or something. And you know, Jay's like, dad is so tired. So I do the scene from. You know, I remember in Carita was like, what you think you like me? You ain't like me.

[Jay-Z]

You a punk.

[Memphis Bleak]

I've been with made people, connected people. Who you been with? Snatching job ass. Why don't you go get lost, get out of here. Go kick a freestyle or something. He said, yo, go do that. All right, do that right now. Yo, Abdul, let him do it right now. And it ended up starting out. The streets is watching.

[Jay-Z]

That's Right. That's a belly.

[Memphis Bleak]

Would have been great for me to do.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I don't think it would have done for me what Streets is Watching did for me. Because it's the first time that people put together the face with the voice from the albums. It was the first time that I had that stage.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. Where people recognized. I remember walking as that with you. And you was litty, right? Pain. He was just like an artist. Artists on rocking, which is crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

With no album, which is crazy.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I should have dropped something, you know?

[Jay-Z]

Yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

Instead of urine, everybody play pause.

[Jay-Z]

I don't play pause. Yuki even did a Jerky Boys album.

[Memphis Bleak]

That would have been crazy.

[Jay-Z]

Remember they had a comedy album? I remember they was lit at one time. The Jerky Boys.

[Memphis Bleak]

That was a big deal back then. Hell, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

Dip could have been the pain in the ass, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

The pain in the ass thing or something like that.

[Jay-Z]

We gonna get you lit. Don't worry. Somebody gonna contact. I'm the manager now.

[Memphis Bleak]

You see that? See that? Now you putting it. You see? Now you're doing a deodorant. Yeah, that's what we do around here, right? Speed Stick. We got your back and your armpit. But it really changed my life because, like, like you said, for the first time, people just recognized me. Like, oh, you the guy from the album. And that led to your album.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that led to eventually working with you and being. We. We did shows together, we traveled together, we did tour together. We had a fun time. Same Mage, too.

[Jay-Z]

You remember Jeta Proof, Everybody. Crazy ass guys, man. We was all talk. Wow.

[Memphis Bleak]

Fighting, fighting, fighting. And that's. That's what. That was our. That was our logo. We was the Fighting. Or maybe sometimes both.

[Jay-Z]

But yeah, even when I remember when Freeway, Beans and all them got signed you. They got you doing skits and all that. Freeway still bring you out at the shows, man. I like that, man. Definitely one of the coolest people.

[Memphis Bleak]

But not only that, been through so much as well, you know what I mean? Like, I. I see that in him.

[Jay-Z]

Like, you know, I look at Free as one of the strongest people I know. Absolutely. To be through what he been through and still could get in front of that camera and smile and act like everything is okay. I commend him for that.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, it's funny. Life, you know, it's weird. It always happens, you know, when you least expect and when I say life.

[Jay-Z]

But you. You can never plan for decease or. Or things to go wrong, man. You can just pray they don't. But you can't plan for something to go on. You can have a.

[Memphis Bleak]

A.

[Jay-Z]

If something go wrong, stash what you gonna have. If. If something go wrong, heart can be like, yeah, my feelings. If something go wrong, put these feelings over here to something go wrong. So when it happens, it's just a natural human feeling, bro. Like, but to be able to get up and still push forward, that's strength, bro. That's. That's. That's stronger than the bodybuilding.

[Memphis Bleak]

It is. It is.

[Jay-Z]

You know what I mean? Yes, man. Because certain people, certain things happen in their life. I seen things break a person. I've seen a relationship. Some of these d. Lose a girl and jump off a bridge.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's insane.

[Jay-Z]

You know what I mean? Like, it's insane.

[Memphis Bleak]

I've seen a lot of too. A lot of escapism. I seen, like, when pain comes, people, like, escape to certain things. That's why, you know, you offered me a drink and I love you. I. I haven't drank. Yeah. I haven't drank in. In 20 years.

[Jay-Z]

I pretty. That's. See, God bless, man. That's dope.

[Memphis Bleak]

I always, you know, I wanted to be in control. You know, I would see myself, like, the pissing and all that. Yeah, I see the video of me pulling.

[Jay-Z]

Chill. Wait, you did push ups in the office naked?

[Memphis Bleak]

Naked, yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

Like, chill. We come in the office, this doing push Chubb's butt, ass, neck.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was, it was. I was talking to one of the chick in the office and she was saying something. I was like, you wanna, you wanna. You wanna do something? Like, you know, let's. Let's have relations, but put it in a nice way. Let's have relations. Like, no.

[Jay-Z]

Get him out the office. He can't come to the office no more. And I remember, like, yo, what. What happened? What he do? Hey, I think it was doing push ups naked like crazy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah, and that's the least of it. I remember I performed naked one time. Did I have ass? Like, literally not dead ass, but yeah, like, naked ass. Naked ass. I performed, Nick. I don't know why.

[Jay-Z]

You know why?

[Memphis Bleak]

Because me, Me and my. We were talking like, yo, you're scared. You scared, man? What the you mean you're scared? He's telling me, you know, hyping me up. Like, you can't even go up on the stage. You afraid? Like, you, you, you, you like. You got stage fries. I got stage fright. Are you crazy? Yeah, I'll go up there naked. The. Out. You never do that. I said, watch me, yo. And I, I don't know what the possession. But I did. But I did.

[Jay-Z]

We getting you a voiceover somebod. We gonna do some cartoons, something. We get my guy. We got you doing all these impersonations. It's a million guys out here that do impersonations that don't sound like people.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, you know, I got to give a big shout out to Jay Farrell. Oh, man.

[Jay-Z]

Jay Farrow.

[Memphis Bleak]

I have an impersonation that I did with him and he does Jay. And I did something. I did the skit this and that was kind of funny.

[Jay-Z]

But he's talented. No, he got it a couple people. But then there's a couple people who really don't say, be like, oh, you made it to snl. You ain't got no talent, fam. Like, I know a lot of people. You was talented, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what? I see impersonations, like, you know, I always equivocated myself or try to, like, embody, like, the graffiti artists. I love graffiti. I love the fact that a graffiti artist, what he'll do or she'll do or they do. They'll do their piece. Like they get their ups within them.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

And then they'll put a character to it.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, they'll have like, Homer Simpson, like in a B boy pose. Or I have, like Speedy Gonzalez holding up the. The piece. So they're adding character to their.

[Jay-Z]

To their. To their piece.

[Memphis Bleak]

So that's really what I saw myself doing when I was doing these skits is like, I'm doing the character.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Putting. Getting my ups, too.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean? And pertaining it to the person that I'm doing it.

[Jay-Z]

And it's a lot of platforms from.

[Memphis Bleak]

Here on, and nothing goes down unless I'm involved. No blackjacks, no dope deals or nothing. Someone goes down in Marcy Bleak. Once in.

[Jay-Z]

You guys got fat out there.

[Memphis Bleak]

But we all starved in the street.

[Jay-Z]

King of New York, baby.

[Memphis Bleak]

Turn. And it is. And it always has been.

[Jay-Z]

That's right, my brother. But I like I was going to say it's a lot of platforms. Like, I remember. Like, I know Cipher sounds got a comedy show thing going on.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, see, it's pretty cool.

[Jay-Z]

No, we got a link. I told you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely, definitely do that.

[Jay-Z]

Don't worry.

[Memphis Bleak]

20%.

[Jay-Z]

20%. No, I don't want no percentage. It's just for you. Just. I'm managing.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hey, let me tell you something. I learned a lot of things doing in business. I don't want nobody who does something for me. You Get.

[Jay-Z]

Don't worry, we got you. Listen, because that.

[Memphis Bleak]

That sometimes get misconstrued like people as respect.

[Jay-Z]

Let's shout out the fam. You know, even Tata, you know his son Spanky.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They do have the comedy show now. Dead ass.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. Yo, chill. There's a lot of dead ass on this show.

[Memphis Bleak]

He does it with my man, Mousey Jones.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, man. Come on, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Called me to do like an intro for the show. They do it at sobs. Big shout out to them.

[Jay-Z]

It's really why you ain't get involved.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what it is like the belly thing. There's been so many, like, close calls.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

That never happened.

[Jay-Z]

No, you got to make them happen. You do got to make them happen. Some things get. Is out of your control, but certain things you very much control, bro. SOBS is right there.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's right there. We performed at SOBS a bunch of.

[Jay-Z]

Times, a million times. We could go open sobs, right? You have your own show.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

Like, come on, let's do something. Paying you. I would like to do more acting.

[Memphis Bleak]

I want to get involved in the acting. You know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

Yes. But it starts. So you got to start somewhere.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

You know what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleak]

I mean, that's another thing. As far as close clothes. I remember Jay and Damon and talking about the Kevin Hart.

[Jay-Z]

Supposed to be in something with Kevin Hart. Tell me about.

[Memphis Bleak]

Well, they wanted me to be me to be a comedian.

[Jay-Z]

No. Oh.

[Memphis Bleak]

So at the time, you know, I'm 18 years old and that anger is there and I like making people laugh. It's cool. But I don't do standup.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

I. I'm a gangster. I do sit downs.

[Jay-Z]

Okay, that's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I mean? So I don't want that. I want to. I want to play the Tony Montana role, which is this and that.

[Jay-Z]

You're too little for that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Not too little for that. I gotta do that. I gotta. I gotta play a little like the little version. The little Tony.

[Jay-Z]

They come out with the little.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like with that guy from Game of Thrones. What's his name? A short one. I'll be Tony Montana to him. The is wrong with you, man?

[Jay-Z]

You know, like, come out with little Sopranos you love.

[Memphis Bleak]

Little Sopranos would be dope.

[Jay-Z]

You little.

[Memphis Bleak]

Like, right. Little Tony come. What the. I'm over here with the. What do you want for me, Tom?

[Jay-Z]

What do you want?

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm trying to do whatever I could. You too Short Tony. But eventually, after doing. No, after doing Streets is Watching, then they started Rockefeller films. And they were doing all these films and.

[Jay-Z]

But do you have yet.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was supposed to be in Paper Soldiers with Kevin Hart.

[Jay-Z]

They put me in Paper Soldiers. You know, I ran from dang for that. Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

I did too.

[Jay-Z]

I was. Why you should have wanted to be.

[Memphis Bleak]

I didn't like the character. I didn't like the character they had you playing. They had me playing his. You see in the movie, he has like the dude that's rolling with him. I was like, no, I didn't want to do that. If I was just saying, well, no, you.

[Jay-Z]

It's almost like they tell me when I. I tell people, yo, Kevin Hart.

[Memphis Bleak]

Wasn'T Kevin Hart, but he became Kevin Hart from that.

[Jay-Z]

He got soul playing from that.

[Memphis Bleak]

But the thing was at that point, because of the belly thing, that I got respected enough to be asked to be in something like that. And you doing this now. Why don't you do something for. Or let me get something. Let me be the Kevin Hart character. Character in that. Let him be my man. You know what I mean? At that point.

[Jay-Z]

At that point right now.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, not right now. I'm talking about at that point.

[Jay-Z]

He ain't even the sidekick to the rock. They fighting for who.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what I'm trying to say. That's what I'm trying to say. Back then, he wasn't the Kevin Hart. That should have been my platform. Is what I'm trying to say, is what I felt.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Now looking back.

[Jay-Z]

But you could be a plastic cup boy.

[Memphis Bleak]

I could definitely do that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

You just throw. You got water in your cup.

[Memphis Bleak]

You see that or you're in some.

[Jay-Z]

Yo cheer.

[Memphis Bleak]

Spill it up like that. So, I mean, a lot of things I turned down that I could have done that really could have taken me to another plateau, but bleak. I'm very happy where I'm at right now.

[Jay-Z]

I'm not saying you're not. Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, I mean in general. In general.

[Jay-Z]

I'm wondering why. Because you so talented to me, like one of the funniest people that I ever met is you and Kevin Hart that I know personally, that I sat and seen do work, perform on camera. And when you stop, get back to the regular cool guys. Like, I can't do that. That's why. When they wanted me to do drum line, it's like, that would have been crazy. I can't act. I'm not a drummer.

[Memphis Bleak]

Who contacted you for that?

[Jay-Z]

I think Singleton. Singletary. That was. Yeah, John Singletary. Rest in peace. Yeah, he contacted you.

[Memphis Bleak]

John Singleton. John Singleton.

[Jay-Z]

John Singleton, yes. He.

[Memphis Bleak]

But knowing what he did for pac. Did you want to make.

[Jay-Z]

He wanted to pay for acting class for me and all that. Cause I told them I could not act. But the real thing, I was scared. So Jay Jay cursed me out about that. He paid for acting classes for me and I still never act. So. But that's neither here nor. I never wanted to be an actor. Me, I thought rap was gonna be plateau. Like, it's your vehicle. It's your vehicle. How can you come back? I'm a drummer, but I'm over here telling n I'm a gangster. How can it don't work?

[Memphis Bleak]

You didn't know how to decipher the character from what they would view you as.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

And that's the way I felt dealt.

[Jay-Z]

With that certain roles take is your life. Like Urkel would never not be.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know, I know.

[Jay-Z]

Like I don't care what he do.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. He can't escape that.

[Jay-Z]

You know what I'm saying? It's just he's always going to be that.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's like the girl in the neighborhood, that's a hoe too. Like when she gets older, she changes her life. Like she's always going to be the hoe. Right. Like, is that weird? Like you always labeled as that she's married and everything.

[Jay-Z]

His words.

[Memphis Bleak]

Not mine, not mine. These are not my words. I've been possessed by the movie Scarface. No, but it's weird because even in growing up in the hood, you label a certain thing. Yeah, but like if you snitch, you.

[Jay-Z]

Always going to be the snitch. No. Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You ever seen like I seen driving over here, the. The unions.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. When they blow up the rat.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. They had a little rat like that. They go, this site is being held by non union workers.

[Jay-Z]

I think.

[Memphis Bleak]

Wouldn't it be dope if they had that same rat in the hood? Like if you like to snitch on someone, like they put that in front of your crib like that. Because I just want to know that right here in 537 is a snitch living here.

[Jay-Z]

You, sir.

[Memphis Bleak]

All right. Wouldn't that be dope? Because now the whole neighborhood knows that they ratted.

[Jay-Z]

The game has changed. People accepting rats now, are they? Yeah, man. Look at Instagram, bro. Look at social media, these guys. The game has changed. It's not the morals and the codes. We grew up. Those don't exist.

[Memphis Bleak]

I would never rat. That's why I would never commit a crime.

[Jay-Z]

Cuz you would.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cuz I would Never rat. I would. I would.

[Jay-Z]

My never rat. So I would never commit a crime. That sound like if I commit a crime, job telling.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no, no. I would never do that because I would never put myself in a position where I had to rat somebody or like, you know what I mean?

[Jay-Z]

That's why they say, do your crime by your own.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. I mean, or not even do crime at all. You know what I mean? There's other ways. There's other avenues.

[Jay-Z]

There's a lot of ways to get money out here without having to do it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. Especially nowadays, too, you know, you could sell anything nowadays.

[Jay-Z]

Definitely. Man, I see. I want to shout out the homie chic. The chic man. I see you got on his sweatsuit plug. You know, that's Marcy out in the building getting to it. You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

Marcy got a lot of things going on, too. A lot of artists out there that, you know, contact. Big shout out to Breezy Lynn. A lot of people. A lot of artists in Marcia, Benny. Benny, my man out there. Like, there's a lot of artists that are, like, making noise from that same neighborhood that you're from. Well, how do you feel about that? Like, being that. That you grow up in that environment and to see an artist kind of, like, develop from it, like, let's say.

[Jay-Z]

Like, with you, with Manolo. Yeah. I tried to reach back to a lot of these kids, but today, music business is different. I respect every single artist coming out the hood. I love what they doing, from all of them to the young guys, to the girls, to everybody what they doing. But today, the game is so accessible. With YouTube, you can just put your stuff out. You got all these United masters. You got Roc Nation Distribution. You got all these E1 and all these. Yeah. You could just put your music out yourself to where A lot of these artists think they know more than the executives today.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm so glad that.

[Jay-Z]

And it's like, I don't have time to beef with an artist. And it's like, I've been there. I've been to the top of the mountain. So I'm never gonna let a person who never seen the top of the mountain tell me how to get to the top of the mountain.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly.

[Jay-Z]

And tell. I don't know when. I've been up there a few times. It's like, fam, I done left a flag up there four times. You feel me? You trying to get there. And that's what it is. Like, I respect them. And I think the game has become where A lot of these artists now, before they even make a record, they automatically thinking, I wanna own my masters. It's like, who you gonna sell them to? Who you gonna do business with? All right, you own your masters. What movie are you putting them in?

[Memphis Bleak]

Were you licensing.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. Were you licensing this music? You don't even know how to get a license to drive a car, but you're gonna license your music. Okay, let's see it happen. So it's a lot of wannabe big business artists and small business.

[Memphis Bleak]

I think. I think it's because of the influence. I think it's because the influence of artists and what they.

[Jay-Z]

And what. You know, you hear these guys telling you on records, yeah, I went triple platinum and I own my masters. Impossible.

[Memphis Bleak]

It is impossible.

[Jay-Z]

Yes. It's just rap, like, you know what I'm saying? But they, you know, people believe what they hear sometimes don't even believe what they see.

[Memphis Bleak]

So now, wanted to discuss this with you.

[Jay-Z]

What's up? You got a question for me?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. Well, I mean, discussion. I wanted to have this debate with you.

[Jay-Z]

Debate.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let's debate with you. Yeah, I did debate with you, because.

[Jay-Z]

Skit B, Stephen A, let's go.

[Memphis Bleak]

All these skits that I did, these were my ideas. These are my.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Things that I came to him. I'm like, know you. This is what we're gonna do. He gave me that right after the first one.

[Jay-Z]

I never had that, but go ahead.

[Memphis Bleak]

So like I said, I always seen him like Carlito. So that's why I'm valuing on it. Somebody's pulling me close. That's the opening of Carlito's Way.

[Jay-Z]

You gave me King of New York.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay, but I gave you something bigger than that. And you, I heard recently and I seen in interviews, don't agree with it. And I don't understand why. And in respect, respectful way. So volume one is the opening of Carlito's Way.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Volume two is the ending of Carlito's Way. Sorry, boys.

[Jay-Z]

Oh, I know. Where you going with it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Can't take me back now. Lay down.

[Jay-Z]

I'm gonna stretch my mic out. You know Taunt's Funeral Home? That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Bleak's gonna be a good rapper.

[Jay-Z]

New, improved, improved Jay Z. Who told you say that?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's my idea.

[Jay-Z]

Oh, that wasn't all me.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's not Jay Z. No, no, no, no. Jay up proved it. I mean, obviously he has.

[Jay-Z]

So you put the pressure on me.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, it's not violated. No, it's not. It's not. And I'll tell you why. I tell you why. I'll tell you why. You got to put it in context of where we. And I know people are going to disagree, whatever they say. Jay came out Reasonable Doubt, came out with volume one. Those two albums, to me, the greatest of all time. They weren't really received the way they should.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he was going to quit at the end of. Of Reasonable Doubt.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. He wasn't supposed to even make another.

[Memphis Bleak]

Album, but he got through the grace of God, we got the Def Jam situation.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

And now he was going to come out with one more and that's it. But he split it up into two parts, Volume one and Volume two. So what I said at the beginning of volume two, there was no Volume two yet. He didn't even get to that plateau yet. There was no Hard Knock Life. There was no Can I get a what? What? Like none of that. None of that has happened yet. And he's retiring. So you are that next person in line. You know, you are the next person 1. Jay Z has not become the Jay Z that we've come to know and love.

[Jay-Z]

No. Yes. When he said that he was not the Jay Z of today, you've said.

[Memphis Bleak]

Before that that put a lot of pressure on you. But at that point, there was no pressure because like I said to me, he wasn't pressure. He wasn't, but he wasn't what? Now, in retrospect, we look back because he's the biggest artist of all time.

[Jay-Z]

But remember, to the fans, he wasn't. But always to us, Jay always been who he is, is today.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right? Yes. Yeah.

[Jay-Z]

So you can't say he wasn't who he was. He wasn't who he was to the world yet.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right.

[Jay-Z]

But we all know under that Rockefeller umbrella, that man is one of the greatest.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

That's why everybody believed and pulled on one accord to see him win and see this Rockefeller thing absolutely flourish. He was who he was before he got here, bro. So.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay, okay, so secondary. You agree with that? You, in my eyes, have had an incredible career.

[Jay-Z]

Of course, yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You may have not lived up to that height. What it was because. Because he continued as you continued.

[Jay-Z]

He should have quit. Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Not he should have quit. But I mean, at that moment.

[Jay-Z]

Let me drop three albums at that moment.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no. At that moment, that's what. What it was, though. At that moment, he was getting stop and not quit. He was gonna do the business side like he's doing now.

[Jay-Z]

I could have invented the word cap. Back then, I could have worked in the student and told Jay, yo, why you capping?

[Memphis Bleak]

You should have said, why you Yankee capping?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, yo, why you capping? You told him you was gonna retire and let me be the guy.

[Memphis Bleak]

But to me, you are that guy. Yeah. Look what you've done for this game.

[Jay-Z]

No, I, I, I. How did that.

[Memphis Bleak]

The greatest hip hop beef of all time. How did that stop? Sorry.

[Jay-Z]

Oh, it started by this kid named Jabba from Marcy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay?

[Jay-Z]

By telling me, yo, you gonna let Nas diss you like that, son? And I said, what? Play the joint. And I said, yo, goo. Put the beat on. And then twins actually gave me my right beat.

[Memphis Bleak]

And who went after him?

[Jay-Z]

Me.

[Memphis Bleak]

All right. You brought this to the table?

[Jay-Z]

No, no, no, no. I didn't. I didn't bring this to the table. No, it was the idea that Jay had.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay?

[Jay-Z]

And when I spoke to him, he was like. I'm like, yo, bro, the raps ain't clicking, shows ain't booking. I need some real money that, you know, I can really do this business shit. And he like, yo, I got something I'm thinking about getting involved with new liquor.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you took it around.

[Jay-Z]

He showed me the bottle and I said, let me get my hands on that. I'm gonna put this in every hood across America.

[Memphis Bleak]

And you did.

[Jay-Z]

And of course you did.

[Memphis Bleak]

The first real record that up Northeast had of, like, down south artists.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Who was that?

[Jay-Z]

Me. Round here, baby. You know that. Round here. Trick Daddy, T I O. That's the reason why I could live in Florida comfortably. I'm like a honorary Floridian badge. Yeah, they love me just because I fuck with Trick.

[Memphis Bleak]

You got a string of hits, of course, Whether they like it or not, that's yours.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. I never said my career wasn't. I wasn't happy with my career.

[Memphis Bleak]

The only reason I say that's what I said that.

[Jay-Z]

What I said was I felt like the bar was raised too high for me. Because at that time, time, I wasn't who I am today, you know, mentally, like I was a kid. I was 15, 16 years old. Remember, I was 16 years old when coming to age drop. I was 19 years old when my album coming to age drop.

[Memphis Bleak]

19 is crazy.

[Jay-Z]

So I wasn't who I am today. And what I'm saying is it put the pressure on me, which was, at that time, good, because it made me better. It's like, if I'm the new, improved Jay Z, that mean I gotta be better than what he's Doing at that time of me improving in rhyming. He just was fucking improving, too. It's like, my nigga, you ain't gonna stop when he. Where's the ceiling?

[Memphis Bleak]

It's almost like you, like racing. Yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

He's just getting faster. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

He's just. Yeah, yeah.

[Jay-Z]

And that's what happened. Like, I know the reason why I didn't become the new improved Jay, because Jay became the new improved Jay. He went from Jay Z to Hova.

[Memphis Bleak]

If you can go back and talk to yourself right now from that time, like you said, if you're not the person you are, then what would you say? What advice would you give to yourself?

[Jay-Z]

What I would give advice to myself is don't. Don't listen to the people in the crowd, man. Don't listen to the crowd noise. Stay focused on the game. And that's what it is. I got too hyped by the sideline noise and got sidetracked there.

[Memphis Bleak]

You got almost like shooting a free throw.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. And I'm looking at the people with the clappers instead of the net focusing on the rim. Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

If I could go back and talk to myself now, like you said, the person of the thing that now realizing that stupid is I would have appreciated the moment more. I feel like I didn't appreciate it while it was happening in real time. You know what I mean? I appreciated the fact that I was part of something.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

Brotherhood, sisterhood. You know, I felt like everybody in there was like family. But I didn't appreciate the moment. I didn't appreciate the importance. Now when you don't have a mother and your father is out and moving.

[Jay-Z]

Around and you just not even moving.

[Memphis Bleak]

Around promises you gonna see you on the weekend and everything shows up. There's a void there.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

That I've been chasing my whole life.

[Jay-Z]

Do you have kids?

[Memphis Bleak]

No. I mean, unfortunately, I could have a few times, and it just didn't happen. Well, bad decision making.

[Jay-Z]

Because I grew up without a father. I never, never, never said the word dad a day in my life. So when I had my son, of course. So that's what I'm telling you to avoid. You talking about. I've been there. When I had my son, it felt weird. Even when he used to call me that. I used to tell my son to don't call me that. Because I never said that word a day in my life. I just tell my son call me bleak. So that's why my son, when he found out my name was Malik, used to be like, your name ain't Malik. Your name is Bleak. You bugging my name Malik. You Bleak. I'm Malik. So then, you know, as he got older and I knew the responsibilities of a dad and things, it made me actually having a kid made me hate my father more. Just knowing what he left.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

Because I would never turn my back on my children. So that's why I asked you, because it feels. But my brain brother was in and out of jail. It filled the void. But you never. It's nothing to change it, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

But.

[Jay-Z]

But the kid definitely makes you, makes it easier.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't have a kid, but I will say one thing. So chasing after that void, that emptiness, really what you're chasing is love.

[Jay-Z]

Yes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You want to be loved. I saw you rapping right now before we started filming this podcast podcast about your woman. And like I said, what I saw is you were happy, of course. And I love that feeling. As time has gone on and evolved and the generation has turned the page, I walk the streets now and people come up to me and they're like, yo, I grew up on your voice. Just a little sliver of that void gets filled.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because it's love. These people are showing me love and they're telling me that they hear my.

[Jay-Z]

Voice and you helped them through a dark time or your words did this. Like you hear all that stuff. We played a pivotal. We played a pivotal role in music at a time when, you know, New York hip hop was all over the place. Remember we had underground, we had people putting boogers on the camera lenses, you know what I'm saying? Biggie and Jay really came and made people clean up. Get that jury. That's money talk. So like you, you played a major role in people lives. Nobody will ever forget this.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's incredible. And as I said, like, listen to a skit.

[Jay-Z]

You would think even when I called Nori and I'm like, yo. He like, yo, what's your next shoot for the pod? I'm like, yo, I got pain in the ass coming. He even was like, oh, nobody. No pain story. I'm like, yeah, man. Like, you know his voice, you know what the talent is, but they don't know the story. And that's why I wanted to give you your flowers on here and let people know you more than just a voice.

[Memphis Bleak]

Give me some flower. Make that shit happen. The rest of that, we could take care of that with just the flower. Flowers. Give me the flower.

[Jay-Z]

We gotta holler at the people behind the scenes for that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, yeah, I just need Some flour, a little baking soda, I'll be all right.

[Jay-Z]

That's right. Yo, chill. Yo, but anything you got new, anything you got coming up, anything you working on, anything we should be expecting. Where can the people find you at to follow you, reach out to you if they can't reach your manager.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, reach. Reach the bleak.

[Jay-Z]

They can't reach the manager.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, I don't like to be followed. Following is like, you know, I still live, like, in the same place, you know, like, yo, chill. No, whatever comes my way, I'm. I'm walking God's path. So you know what I mean? I'm a little different than I was when I was young, you know? So wherever God leads me, wherever God puts me, that's where I need to be. So that's what I'm working on now. Wherever he puts me, I want to be in the best frame of mind. I want. I want to be ready, you know, that's an important thing in this business. Always be ready. Because a lot of times I was called last minute and I had to be there. I had to show up and I had to be the best. You know what I mean? So always be prepared.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Always be prepared.

[Jay-Z]

As long as you prepare, you never have to get prepared.

[Memphis Bleak]

Exactly. Look at Bleak. Bleak. The moment you came up to them, like, you didn't realize that was going to change your life. Because you were prepared at that moment, though.

[Jay-Z]

But I wasn't prepared for the Aladdin carpet ride we took.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that was crazy.

[Jay-Z]

I didn't know that was going to happen. I'd have saved a lot more. More money back then. I was doing stupid.

[Memphis Bleak]

You were doing a lot of. You were doing a lot of shows.

[Jay-Z]

I was buying. Putting TVs in my car, watching Jerry Springer.

[Memphis Bleak]

Maury at the front, too. Look at that. Why you driving?

[Jay-Z]

What was I driving?

[Memphis Bleak]

Driving Miss Daisy driving.

[Jay-Z]

Remember? It wasn't nothing on TV back then. Exactly, Mory.

[Memphis Bleak]

They didn't even have that many channels.

[Jay-Z]

Jenny Jones, like, used to watch Jenny Jones in front of the high school.

[Memphis Bleak]

What's weird about all those shows that they, like, catered towards? Like. Like for females too. Like the Ricky Lake show. I don't know what the. I was watching Ricky Lake show. The. Are they talking about that? That would resonate with me, you know?

[Jay-Z]

You know what they. The Ricky Lake. I used to look at it, be like, who was the secret crush?

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, yeah. When they bring him out. Yeah. Oh, my God. And then how about. Do you remember the Richard Bay show?

[Jay-Z]

Nah, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Richard Bay was the show. Richard Bay was Jerry Springer before Jerry Springer.

[Jay-Z]

There is no Jerry Springer.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, he had wild going on.

[Jay-Z]

Jerry Springer put us on the hedonism.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Jay-Z]

There is no. The only person you could call a Jerry Springer before is Ben. Benny Hill.

[Memphis Bleak]

Benny Hill. Remember that?

[Jay-Z]

That's Jerry Springer before.

[Memphis Bleak]

Jerry Springer. When they chase him out of the town, out of that. What was the other guy? What was the guy with the big mouth? What's his Name? Morton Downey Jr. Remember him?

[Jay-Z]

Yeah, but, yo, if they could let Carrot Top get famous. Come on.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[Jay-Z]

Come on.

[Memphis Bleak]

What do you get famous for? Carrots? I just haven't read that right.

[Jay-Z]

Yeah. Like, why my pain. Come on, pain.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he, like. He, like, started working out too, recently.

[Jay-Z]

He looked crazy. He looked like Popeye.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he looked like. Like a third baseman from the 1998 Yankees or something, right? Like, like. He look like he about to, like, hit a home run into the upper deck.

[Jay-Z]

Of course, he still getting booked in Vegas. Carrot Top still got billboards in Vegas killing it. I don't know, one character type joke movie, nothing. So I'm saying pain. Listen, say that Holl at the manager.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, arm and hammer, baby. Yo, chill by menace.

[Jay-Z]

You know what this is, man? This has been rock solid, and I appreciate you for pulling.

[Memphis Bleak]

Thank you for having me.

[Jay-Z]

This ain't gonna be the last time. We need you back on the show.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, definitely, definitely.

[Jay-Z]

We gonna have some comedians come up eventually, and I'm gonna know you going to burn them. You going to have comedian battles.

[Memphis Bleak]

So wait, tell me real quick before.

[Jay-Z]

We go comedy versus.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tell me about the concept of this. Of this show, though.

[Jay-Z]

The concept of this show is just what you are.

[Memphis Bleak]

Rock solid. Rock solid.

[Jay-Z]

You know, we rock and we solid. The concept of the show is I want to highlight my people, what you into your talent. How people could know how I become managers and put the speed stick on these guys, you know what I'm saying? And if y' all want to book them, you just. This is what the platform is, man. It's just giving people story, letting people know the dedication, the hard work. Some you might inspire somebody somewhere. You never know, man. You know, I mean, somebody probably watching Family Guy right now and out there talking like Stewie.

[Memphis Bleak]

Right, right. See that?

[Jay-Z]

You know what I'm saying? You never know, bro.

[Memphis Bleak]

You do know. You never do know that anything is possible. Anything is. Is capable of happening if you just.

[Jay-Z]

Believe God first all the time, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Believe and believe in yourself. Believe in God and just know that, you know, he's going to put. Put you, like, on that path where you belong. Remember what's for you, the right people, too.

[Jay-Z]

And what's for you will come to you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Absolutely.

[Jay-Z]

You don't have to choose.

[Memphis Bleak]

And what's not, won't.

[Jay-Z]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So don't. Don't ever.

[Jay-Z]

Nah. Some. Some thoughts used to come. That wasn't for us, but they came.

[Memphis Bleak]

They really did come. Right? Yo, chill.

[Jay-Z]

We out of here, man. Rock solid, baby. Do say Mafia. My right exotics.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tick of the pain.

[Jay-Z]

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

[Memphis Bleak]

This is an I Heart podcast.