Jim Jones (Part 1) | ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Summary

ROC Solid w/ Memphis Bleek

Jim Jones (Part 1)

Release Date: October 7, 2025
Host: Memphis Bleek
Guest: Jim Jones

---

Overview

This episode of ROC Solid brings together Memphis Bleek and Jim Jones for an in-depth, unapologetically real conversation about their parallel journeys in hip-hop, reflecting from their early days in the projects to industry-breaking moves, the dynamic legacy of Roc-A-Fella and Dipset, challenges of loyalty, and survival in the game. Both icons unravel untold stories, key life lessons, and the real effects of fame, brotherhood, betrayal, and entrepreneurship.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Early Days: Linking History & Humble Beginnings

[03:18 - 07:00]

• Both Bleek and Jones reminisce about when their paths first crossed in the mid-to-late 90s, before the fame and fortune.
• Bleek recalls wanting validation from his neighborhood and peers:
  “All I knew is I wanted to impress my hood and I wanted the chicks in school to know I got. So that was it. I had no idea it was going to turn into this.” – Memphis Bleek [04:26]
• Jim acknowledges the unique “powerful” position Bleek held as Jay-Z’s young protégé.

2. The Pressure, Perception, and Power of Proximity

[07:00 - 11:00]

• They discuss feeling pressure from their circles as the “#2” or “underdog” to the crew’s superstar.

• Jones draws parallels to his own role beside Cam’ron — how hate and doubt often came from those closest in the circle.

  “Those are the people who usually show their hand first… there were some people that I did things for that they couldn’t imagine… even those people.”
  – Jim Jones [08:13]

• Bleek breaks down the constant scrutiny:

  “I had to play the background and wait for my turn… I had to sit there anxiously, patiently, and anxiously waiting, you know what I’m saying?” [05:58]

3. Living with Success & The Hood Dynamic

[09:41 - 13:00]

• Bleek and Jim speak candidly about remaining in the projects, straddling newfound rap fame with their original environments.

• The dangers and “lessons” — Tata’s intervention, warnings about lurking threats, and why it’s critical to graduate from your environment.

  “Tata was the one who really woke me up… If the OG of Tata gonna give me that game, I’ma listen.” – Memphis Bleek [11:33]

4. The Rise: Seizing (or Missing) Opportunities, Loyalty, and Evolution

[13:17 - 18:16]

• Both describe raw ambition, and how loyalty and personality, rather than only lyrical skill, laid the foundation for their success.

  “Your personality was the force of Dipset… Your influence shine brighter than your lyrics.” – Memphis Bleek [17:21]

• Jim Jones never intended to “outshine” Cam’ron — it was always about the crew and the movement.

  “My forte was making sure he was good so we could be good.” – Jim Jones [17:10]

5. Business Lessons: Labels, Deals, the Rockefeller Dynamic

[19:05 - 21:49]

• Jim drops the much-misunderstood fact that he was "never signed to the Roc," despite public perception.

• They unpack how Dipset achieved independence, breaking industry norms with their Koch deals and label structure.

  “I was one of the CEOs at Diplomat… Telling Cam like, yo, don’t matter where we go, long as people know it’s a Diplomat bird and it’s a Diplomat artist, they gonna go buy the records.” – Jim Jones [20:13]

• Jim reflects: “All I know is what I’ve been told and that to have truth is a whole lie.” [22:10]

6. Executive Moves & Industry Power Plays

[28:01 - 33:36]

• Jim recounts his consulting/exec role at Warner, navigating respect and shade within the industry hierarchy.

  “He like, I want you to be an executive here… I need you next to me because I seen what you could do.” – Jim Jones [29:53]

• The crew jokes (or veiled envy) from peers about “going corporate” and insights into the morality and politics of taking those steps.

  “You got to watch jokes because some niggas will say some serious shit to you in a playful way…” – Memphis Bleek [32:03]

7. Scarcity of Standalone Stars & The Power of Affiliation

[37:14 - 39:43]

• The discussion turns to how new artists benefit from affiliations — the rarity of someone making it truly “alone.” They cite Cardi B and Sexy Red as rare exceptions.

  “In this game, if you want to win, you need to be affiliated with something…” – Jim Jones [37:42]

8. The Rockefeller Split: What-Ifs and Lasting Impact

[39:43 - 45:54]

• “What if” scenarios about Roc-A-Fella, the personal cost of the infamous split, and how mindsets and leadership styles divided legends and their camps.

  “If Jay and Dame would have figured out how to have some type of conversation, none of that would have happened.” – Jim Jones [43:42]

• Dame Dash is celebrated for his business acumen and fierce protection of the crew, despite his flaws.

• Warm reminiscences of the culture of bonuses, gifts, and loyalty Rockefeller once embodied.

9. Personal Growth, Business Hustles, Motivation & Influence

[47:59 - 51:06]

• Jones talks about his relentless drive, challenges of self-motivation, and learning to “boss up” after disappointments.

• The entrepreneurial legacy of Dipset and the importance of business, wellness, and continuous evolution.

  “All I know is what I’ve been told and that to have truth is a whole lie.” – Jim Jones [52:04]

10. Club Legends & Wild Nights: The Tunnel, Baseline, and NYC Lore

[57:05 - 63:00]

• Passionate recollections about legendary New York clubs like the Tunnel and Speed — the epic performances, street energy, fashion wars, and brushes with danger.

  “I love Hov… but Hov ain’t fucking with mine right in the Tunnel. That’s just being honest.” – Memphis Bleek [57:39]

• Stories of “allegedly” wild street dynamics, showdowns, and club culture that defined the era.

11. Reality TV, Business Moves, and Lessons Learned

[64:31 - 69:15]

• Jim details the origins of Love & Hip-Hop, why he and Chrissy walked away, and the realities of reality TV contracts and ownership.
• Reflections on opportunities, the power of content creation, and why internet is king now:

  “Now I could do the $#it on my own and make the networks come knock down my door. That’s exactly what [I’ll do].” – Jim Jones [68:13]

12. Fitness as the New Hustle

[69:44 - 71:48]

• The importance of health and fitness as an aging artist, and Jones' plans to launch a gym and fitness platform.

• The value of support systems and self-reliance in turning passion into business.

  “Game is one. One person to see that and make one call and get everything connected.” – Jim Jones [71:30]

13. Healing Old Beef, Growth & Remaining Youthful

[72:04 - 73:13]

• The significance of squashing old feuds (like with French Montana) and the respect for personal evolution over stagnation.

• The value of embracing youthfulness regardless of age.

  “It ain’t about the age. It’s about a wage. It’s about business.” – Jim Jones [73:03]

14. The Biggs Conversation: The Quiet Power

[73:23 - 78:32]

• Dissecting Kareem “Biggs” Burke’s underappreciated, essential role in Roc-A-Fella’s success.

  “He’s like the silent partner… Biggs is one of the few people that I consider to be a big brother… not letting the spotlight jade him.” – Jim Jones [74:14]

• Memphis Bleek shares personal stories about Biggs’ loyalty and generosity.

15. Legendary Gambling in the Studio: “Guts” at Baseline

[79:01 - 83:59]

• Iconic tales from Baseline Studios: high-stakes card games with Hov, hustling, losing and winning "stupid money", and how those moments cemented the brotherhood and hustle.

  “Baseline over guts game… The pot would start off $5,000… Hov used to do — like he said in the rhyme, ‘I’m calling guts every time, even look at the cards, guts.’” – Memphis Bleek [79:15]

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Memphis Bleek:
  “If you stay the same, I feel like that’s the definition of insane. To do the same thing over and over, and expect different results.” [72:05]

• Jim Jones:
  “I just refused to stop… my relentlessness in this game.” [27:19]
  “You won’t grow till you know.” [49:59]
  “I want people to know that I gave more than I took.” [51:09]

• On Loyalty & Brotherhood:
  “Everything I was willing to be for my comrade, I had to learn to be that for myself.” – Jim Jones [46:34]

• On The Game:
  “You got to watch jokes, because some niggas will say some serious shit … in a playful way.” – Memphis Bleek [32:03]

• On Success:
  “Lose a million times, win big again. I did it all.” – Jim Jones [27:19]

---

Memorable Segments with Timestamps

• [11:33] Tata’s wisdom changes Bleek’s approach to safety and success.
• [20:13] Jim reveals he was not “signed to the Roc,” breaking long-standing rumors.
• [32:03] The veiled serious truths in playful jokes among friends and rivals.
• [40:16] Breaking down Dame Dash’s genius despite his divisive personality.
• [57:39] Debating the biggest Tunnel legends (Jay-Z, Ja Rule, Dr. Dre, Snoop) and how club culture shaped NYC rap era.
• [79:01] The Baseline “guts” game, high-stakes gambling, and life lessons learned in the studio.

---

Tone & Style

The conversation stays raw, direct, and authentic, with plenty of street vernacular, humor, and wisdom forged from experience. There's pride in their survival, humility around mistakes, and a mutual respect for the grind, hustle, and personal evolution required to go from project hallways to hip-hop royalty.

---

For Further Listening

Stay tuned for Part 2 (if it drops). For anyone interested in the true inside stories of Roc-A-Fella, Dipset, and hip-hop’s evolution from the streets to corporate offices, this episode is essential listening.

Transcript

[Jim Jones]

This is an iheart podcast.

[Maggie Freeling]

The murder of an 18 year old girl in Graves County, Kentucky, went unsolved for years until a local housewife, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Jim Jones]

America, y' all better wake the hell up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Bad things happens to good people in small towns.

[Maggie Freeling]

Listen to Graves county on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

I'm Jonathan Goldstein and on the new season of Heavyweight. And so I pointed the gun at.

[Jim Jones]

Him and said, this isn't a joke.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

A man who robbed a bank when he was 14 years old and a centenarian rediscovers a lost 80 years ago.

[Jim Jones]

How can one 1 year old woman.

[Memphis Bleek]

Fall in love again?

[Jonathan Goldstein]

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

[Kindbody Narrator]

Introducing IVF disrupted the Kind Body story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care. It grew like a tech startup. While Kindbody did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients.

[Jim Jones]

You think you're finally like, in the right hands? You're just not.

[Kindbody Narrator]

Listen to IVF, the Kind Body Story on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the one, the only cardi b my marriage.

[Cardi B]

I felt the love dying. I was crying every day. I felt in the deepest depression that I had ever had. This was not given to me. I worked my ass off for me.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Memphis Bleek]

What up, y'?

[Jim Jones]

All?

[Memphis Bleek]

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 champ. Big weapon. Yeah, Memphis, I'm back at it. Notice the difference. Just more grown. Prezi, no stones.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, y'.

[Jim Jones]

All.

[Memphis Bleek]

You already know what it is. Back with another exclusive episode of Rock Solid. And like I always tell you, you see anybody on this platform is one of two things. And this gentleman right here is both. He's solid and he was part of the rock. I want to welcome my brother Jim Jones to the motherfucking building. And we here at Artist to Artist. Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

Holla.

[Memphis Bleek]

My g. It's been a minute, my g. Oh, man. Capo. What's up, my brother? Yo, it's been forever, man. You looking good. Doing good, family. Doing good, man. Bless, my brother.

[Jim Jones]

Same to you, my brother. I've been watching your moves, word up. Seeing the things you've been doing. I don't. I. I don't even know where to. Where to start. All the history we have and that. But. But beside before the history, I knew who Memphis Bleak was, right. I knew Memphis Bleak for being. So you got to figure we taking it back to the mid-90s.

[Memphis Bleek]

Well, hell yeah. 98, 99. That's when we started linking for sure.

[Jim Jones]

Even before that. Yeah, before. Before our real fame, we knew who Memphis Bleak was. You heard through all of the albums which you have featured on with Jay.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, yeah, you heard.

[Jim Jones]

So you've been in those days like Bleak. That's Jay Little, man. Like, I know for a fact that that position was a very powerful position for you at such a very young age. From starting hearing you on the come up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep, yep, yep. Coming to age and all these records. Marcy to Hollywood, me and Sauce Money, that shit was different, Jim. I ain't gonna front, man. Like, I ain't gonna sit here and act like, yeah, I knew or I was ready. I had no fucking idea, my nigga. All I knew is I wanted to impress my hood and I wanted the chicks in school to know I got. So that was it. I had no idea it was going to turn into this. You know what I'm saying? So I was just riding with the.

[Jim Jones]

Dogs, but growing into that position of power. I don't know if you will understand the type of power that you possess from being that close to damn near the world's favorite. World's favorite rapper.

[Memphis Bleek]

I know, man. Some would say I didn't take advantage, but it's like what you said, I didn't know, man. You know what I'm saying? Things was happening so fast that I never got a chance to.

[Jim Jones]

Sometimes it's not about taking advantage, you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Know what I'm saying?

[Jim Jones]

I commend you for everything that you did do, and that's what I'm. And this is what we. What we're getting at. The position you hold was a very dear position, and most people wouldn't understand that until they in that position and things like that and things that we don't think about, that most people think about because they watching it.

[Memphis Bleek]

Exactly.

[Jim Jones]

And they not living it.

[Memphis Bleek]

Exactly.

[Jim Jones]

So naturally, the first thing a person is going to say looking at a person like you, is, oh, he Didn't. He didn't take full advantage of what he had.

[Memphis Bleek]

I would have did this, or I would have did it this way. I hear that all the time, bro.

[Jim Jones]

But I do know for a fact that you took full advantage because of the love and loyalty you got for your big brother.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact. I did what was available, you know what I'm saying? I didn't try to overstep or offend, because, like I always say, I wasn't the only one. It was a long list, you know what I'm saying? I had to play the background and wait for my turn, you know what I mean? It was source money, it was Jazzo, it was Chris John, they had Rel, and then it was Jay trying to pop off. So it was like, yo, I gotta just sit there anxiously, patiently, and anxiously waiting, you know what I'm saying? That's why guys like Liny S is very important to me, because he the one who seen the frustration and gave me the outlet. Like, yo, I got the studio. I know producers, let's lock in and let's work. And that led to. But you know what I mean, you.

[Jim Jones]

Stayed down to all of that and. And most of the names that you mentioned, I haven't heard those names in years and years. But the name that I do hear in the whole Rockefeller dynamic.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

Has been bleak, you know, I mean, so it's like. And I know with that position, you had to come against a lot of adversity and a lot of hate, because I know how. What it comes with. Definitely, I know you came up across a lot of hate. It.

[Memphis Bleek]

I don't want to say it's hate because, you know, sometimes people have opinions and we just judge it as hate, and we automatically say that. But it was a lot of hate from the hood. From, like, more. More hate, I say, came from those I knew than the people I don't know, because they got opinions, and it's just their opinions. So I'm never gonna call them haters, you know what I'm saying? But a lot of. A lot of the. The down talking ain't gonna do it. Or, you know, the plays. Like, man, they ain't gonna never make it, ain't gonna never blow this rap is that came from those I knew more than the ones I didn't. But, like, I could say the same thing for you, man, being the. The capo of the set, you know what I'm saying? Like, you had this almost the similar. The same pressure of being the underdog to one of the top dogs from Harlem out of New York City, period. So it's like we both sitting here mirroring. Mirroring the same position, like, you know what I'm saying? So you, if anybody understand the pressure and the. The hate, as they would say I dealt with, is you, cuz I know you dealt with the same thing.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, I dealt with a lot of things. When it came to being that close to Cam and the power I possessed in myself came up with a bunch. A bunch of. A lot of things, especially from people that are close to you or people that you do know and things like that. Those are the people who usually show they their hand first, you know what I mean? Usually show the hate or the discomfort or usually, I mean. And I had to learn how to deal with that. Yeah, it took me a long time to learn how to deal with that because I didn't understand where it was coming from or where it was stemming from, because there was some people that I did things for that they couldn't imagine. They couldn't even pay me back to this day. And it was like, even those people.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. And it's. And I had to learn quick because it's weird, because. Word up, when the Hard Knock Life tour happened, that's when the separation I feel like happened from a lot of my friends because Jay and them was on some yo. They only could bring one. Now, mind you, you in the hood, it's 70 of y'. All. It's 50 friends you hanging with all day. And now you gotta sit there and think, which one of these niggas Imma tell he could roll and the other hundred ain't gonna be mad. But it didn't matter who I pick. It would. The. The results would have still been the same. You know what I'm saying? So I felt like when I came back off that tour, the welcome home wasn't. It wasn't the welcome Back May song. Trust me.

[Jim Jones]

So was you still. Was you still in the projects when you came back off that tour?

[Memphis Bleek]

Hell yeah, I was still in the Jack show, bro. That was the. That's the thing people don't understand. I didn't move out the projects until my first album came out. So coming to age one, it's all right. Coming at age two, Hard Knock Life tour, I was in Marcy, my G. I used to feel like the king of New York. But the broke one, not. Not the lit one. Like, I was the broke one because we had come off tour. And, you know, that was back then. We had the square king of New York limos. And we'd be in the limo, the limo, dropping everybody off. Dame uptown off first. You know what I mean? Dropping. Raduing them all off. Word up, shout out Radu. Dropping off Source, then dropping off J downtown. Where the Barclays at now? And when everybody done that, pulling up in Marcy. So for a split second, I was like, yeah, I'm that. But when I get upstairs, they realize, man, I'm still in the hood. I got a lot of work to do. It didn't. It didn't feel so good to me. You know what I mean?

[Jim Jones]

I know how you feel. I was. I was in the projects. If. If I think I was fortunate enough to end up getting rated in the projects. I was so ignorant in a lot of ways during that time that I probably would have tried to stay in the projects. A lot of this success, yo. You know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleek]

I thought it was possible. Especially hearing niggas like, if you're a.

[Jim Jones]

Project nigger, you thought it's possible. That's your project.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

You worried about too much. No, that's just what you totally used to Habitat, like. And a lot of people don't understand that. Like, you. Like, we not taught certain things. Told us what we got.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, that's right.

[Jim Jones]

Ready to park.

[Memphis Bleek]

Lambos, rolls, roll, everything right there.

[Jim Jones]

Jury in the pro.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, yo, bro, and I. I used to do that shit, man. And I. I thank God for Tata, man. Cause Tata was the one who really woke me up. Like, that ain't gonna one day. Yo, we used to park the bench in front of the building. I had all kind of bikes, four wheelers being down there every day. And one day, I seen Tata in the studio. I went to baseline after leaving the hood. That was like, yo, you gonna die. And I'm looking at that like, damn. I think like, you think you some tough guy or something. You don't even know, man. I'm getting all kind of calls around. Brooklyn niggas is laying on you, and you ain't even focused. You out there running around with the little homies like the OGs is making calls about you, is parking outside the projects, laying on you, watching your moves. He was like, if you don't listen to me, Bleak, you're gonna die. And you know me. I was like, damn, if. If the OG of Tata gonna give me that game, I' ma listen. You know what I'm saying? So I started making my moves a little bit more rare to the project.

[Jim Jones]

So y' all came up, yo, from the same Project.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Tata me. Source. Jazzo J. Tata. All of us from the same project. No, no. Different buildings. Like, Tata from across the park from me. Source from across the building from him, and Jazz from on. On the other side. You know what I mean? Jay from my building.

[Jim Jones]

You know what I'm saying? That's what I want to learn. The dynamic of how it really happened. So he really had it. He saw you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Growing up. That's why. Yeah, no, definitely. Like, me and Jay. Family is. Is closer than. That's like my family. His. His sisters. That's like my second mother. His mother. That's like my mother. Real project building.

[Jim Jones]

My project building. Like, damn, anybody apartment.

[Memphis Bleek]

So J and them always been them. So I always wanted to be a part of that life. Like, seeing these niggas with the bikes, the cars, the girls, the jury, like, the money, everything. I used to just be sitting there, like.

[Jim Jones]

He was out there doing it in the project.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, no, my G back then.

[Jim Jones]

So he was an older. That I used to look up to. He was getting money.

[Memphis Bleek]

They was rolling my G, like. I mean, rolling, bro. Like, they was doing they thing to the point where I knew whatever going on in my apartment ain't going on in that apartment. And I need to figure out what's going on upstairs on the fifth floor.

[Jim Jones]

He live on the fifth floor. Live on the fifth floor. That's crazy.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep, yep. I was on the third, and he was on the fifth, and. And then one day, I just seen him and Clark and shot my shot, and that was it, bro. That's why niggas try to be, you know, on that. Yo, J. W.R.O. coming to age and all that.

[Jim Jones]

Get your shot. Knowing him or.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, knowing him.

[Jim Jones]

Stop playing.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, but he ain't know I rapped, so he was shitting on me. Like, man, back then, they used to call me Lil Dre. Cause everybody knew my brother. So I was. He's like, man, stop bullshitting, Little Dre. You don't rap. You ain't got no bars, nigga. You ain't shit. So Clark was like, yo, let me hear something. Rest in peace, Clark Kent. And I spit for them. And Clark was like, yo, yo, that record that we got, he'd probably be good for that. And word, I had, like, one shot, bro.

[Jim Jones]

Clark Ken is so special not to cut you off. First time I ever got the freestyle on the radio with Cam doing his. His album promo run, I'll never forget. It was a Hot 97. Notice this. You heard? Like, I don't even Rap at this point, they teaching me and making me. And now I'm at the radio. They gotta do a freestyle. So I did a freestyle. Entertain everybody. Then, damn, they on me after the freestyle.

[Memphis Bleek]

You it all you.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, go downstairs. Oh, don't let him freestyle no more, ever. Cam. No, don't, don't.

[Memphis Bleek]

No way.

[Jim Jones]

On mamas. You heard one that was. There was Clark camp. So, man, yo, come here. He said, yo, bro, you went crazy on that. Don't listen to these. They had a touch.

[Memphis Bleek]

They don't stop.

[Jim Jones]

He's like, yo, keep digging, bro. I promise you, you're gonna go. Clock always respected Clock for that, for that day, cuz that they did right there in the midst of who I was. And, yeah, I'm just a project y' all putting me in. They could have another zone. I'm not.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, they could have discouraged you too, man. You know what I'm saying? 100%, clock. Rest in peace, Clock. But the we just was talking about. Clark is the only who did what we. We dreamed of doing. You know, he was. He stayed in Brooklyn where he was raised at. In that house, bought it and never moved. Like, I always respected that. Like, damn, Clark, you a real one.

[Jim Jones]

But, you know, to this day, that was the same house.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, we do. We did come in the age in that basement, bro. Think we did come in the age in 1994. 5. It came out in 96. And Clark still had that house, bro.

[Jim Jones]

That's incredible.

[Memphis Bleek]

Insane. My G, like, word. But you. You put a lot of imprint on the game too, my G. Like, coming up through Dipset and making your ranks. Like, what was it like being the underdog, watching Cam back then, waiting for your shine?

[Jim Jones]

I wasn't waiting for my shine.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, I took it.

[Jim Jones]

No, I mean, I wasn't that. That wasn't something that was important to me. Something was important to me was. Was Cam. That was the end all, be all.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

In that dynamic, that was the important, most important thing for me. So whatever he was telling me to do at the time, as partners and dig and as the boss of this whole situation and like, that I was like, it didn't matter.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, you heard?

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, the fix walls. I was gonna fix walls.

[Memphis Bleek]

It just right.

[Jim Jones]

And that ended up being able to figure out how to rap. And he was like, yo, figure it out. If you could. If you could rap like you act outside on the streets, then I got you. We gonna figure this out. And he kind of kept me in.

[Memphis Bleek]

The loop with all.

[Jim Jones]

All of this. All of his albums. And like that. But that wasn't my forte. My forte was making sure he was good so we could be good.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right. And my thing, too, with rap. I always tell people, personality is more important than lyrics.

[Jim Jones]

Lifestyle is a hell of a thing.

[Memphis Bleek]

You know what I'm saying? So I always tell people, like, you say, yo, I ain't know how to rap. I had to learn how to rap. But your personality was the force of dipset. Was the force of Cam movement. Anytime cam in the move, like, even when I sat there and did the interview, I came, I told him, man, the I with the most out y' all crew was Jimmy. Like, you know what I mean? And everybody, I feel like, felt like that from even back then before we linked up, when we used to be at shows and remember, we still used to kick it, be backstage, blowing it down. Cam and them would be over there. But I always. With you, Zeke, and all y', all, you know what I'm saying? So your influence shine brighter than your lyrics. Like, to me. And no matter what you did, like.

[Jim Jones]

We both had a mission, bro. Overall, I knew what was at stake for both sides. I knew that we had to build alliances. I knew that he wasn't really with building alliances because he figured he was. I'm camp.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, I'm.

[Jim Jones]

That he's supposed to.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's. Back then, you had to move like that, right?

[Jim Jones]

You are that.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

You do yours.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right. I call it.

[Jim Jones]

I was outside.

[Memphis Bleek]

I call it. I call it life outside. The velvet rope.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, I was outside. So I had to mix with a lot of different people from. To the industries to everything, because we had a movement that we was building and trying to keep Cam a stall and still make the movement be known so it could push that level. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. It was a lot of different variables to the whole. It became difficult a lot of times and shit like that. But most all my end all position was just to do whatever it took to. To make us to win, win so we'll get the bag and. And nobody would have to depend on nobody if this all crumbles. And I think we did that.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

You heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

No, y' all definitely did that, man. Like, what was your feeling like when y' all first got signed to the Rock? Like. Like, how you. What was your.

[Jim Jones]

Well, I never was signed to the Rock, so that was the whole thing, too. Like, let's. Let's.

[Memphis Bleek]

Let's wait a minute. The whole dipset Movement. Because then y' all dropped the compilation. Independent.

[Jim Jones]

Rex is the first artist Damon in New York City to do an independent deal. Remember I tried to sign and told Dame to give me a million dollars. He laughed at me. I said, cool. I was like, yo, I direct engineer. I was telling all this type of shit. He was like, yo, you ain't worth a million dollars. I was like, cool. But we had. Did the deal we had to the label deal up there, and Jules was the first artist that was signed over under the label deal that we did with Diplomat and Rockefeller and shit like that. Jim Jones never had a deal up at Rockefeller. I got a bag and shit like that from whence Cam signed the deal and shit like that. But he gave me like $75,000. It was cool.

[Memphis Bleek]

Damn, that's crazy. I thought y' all had the whole label deal and all of y' all was signed. Cause even when the compilation came out.

[Jim Jones]

Nah, I pretty much did my deal on my own. Cam is my partner. I wasn't signed to Cam. Cam is my partner. I was a. I was one of the CEOs at Diplomat. I went and did my deal at Koch.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep, yep.

[Jim Jones]

Telling Cam like, yo, don't matter where we go, long as people know it's a Diplomat bird and it's a Diplomat artist, they gonna go buy the records no matter if it's Biff Jam, Koch, whatever. We went to Cotch and did an independent record deal and like that. And that was like the. For. One of the big, big stories behind my success was like, as I took a gamble on to an independent label.

[Memphis Bleek]

I don't think nobody really know that, bro. I don't think nobody know that story. I'm pretty sure people think just like me that you inside to the right.

[Jim Jones]

You didn't know that.

[Memphis Bleek]

Word up.

[Jim Jones]

He wasn't signed to the Rock as a. As a. As a businessman, and I wasn't even signed as a businessman. It was just. I don't even want to get into. All right. But that was my partner. I was told that I was CEO, but my name wasn't on nobody's paper. But during that time, I was a CEO. We came with a Diplomats, and he had all the business going through Rockefeller. But that was my man, like I said. And I would do anything that he asked me to do. Cuz you my man. So praying that you would take care of me the same way I'm taking care of you.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

Long story short, whatever. And like that. But yeah, during that time, the deal was With Rockefeller for the label. Jels was the first artist under that all our other deals and all that was bring the Kacha. After had the success of Koch Camp start bringing more diplomat artists over there doing doing that type of cuz you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Definitely was the first artist on Kaj, right?

[Jim Jones]

Well, I was the most successful artist on Kash. But from Dip makes you the first. You know, Kash has been an independent label for years. They did a lot of record even going back to dealing with Fat Joe and all this type. So they was already moving and like that, but not at the capacity of a def jam. That's why they was called independent label at that time. So I was able to catapult the Diplomat success with the deal that I was doing with Koch and it just rolled over into oh Jim Jones, Diplomat. I didn't care about Koch. Let's go get the album. And I was lucky enough to catch that, catch that wave like that. All I know is what I've been told and that to have truth is a whole lie.

[Maggie Freeling]

For almost a decade, the murder of an 18 year old girl from a small town in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved until a local homemaker, a journalist and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Jim Jones]

I'm telling you, we know Quincy killed her.

[Maggie Freeling]

We know a story that law enforcement used to convict six people and that got the citizen investigator on national tv.

[Jim Jones]

Through sheer persistence and nerve, this Kentucky housewife helped give justice to Jessica Curran.

[Maggie Freeling]

My name is Maggie Freeling. I'm a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist producer and I wouldn't be here if the truth were that easy to find.

[Jim Jones]

I did not know her and I did not kill her or rape or burn or any of that other stuff that y' all said.

[Memphis Bleek]

They literally made me say that I took a match and struck and threw it on her. They made me say that I poured gas on her.

[Maggie Freeling]

From Lava for good. This is Graves County, a show about just how far our legal system will go in order order to find someone to blame.

[Jim Jones]

America, y' all better wake the hell up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Bad things happens to good people and small towns.

[Maggie Freeling]

Listen to Graves county in the Bone Valley feed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

I'm Jonathan Goldstein. And on the new season of Heavyweight, I help a centenarian mend a broken heart.

[Jim Jones]

How can a hundred and one year.

[Memphis Bleek]

Old woman fall in love again?

[Jonathan Goldstein]

And I help a man atone for an armed robbery he committed at 14 years old. And so I pointed the gun at.

[Jim Jones]

Him and said, this isn't a joke.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

And he got down.

[Jim Jones]

And I remember feeling kind of a surge of like, okay, this is power.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

Plus, my old friend Gregor and his brother try to solve my problems through hypnotism.

[Jim Jones]

We could give you a whole brand new thing where you're, like, super charming all the time, Being more able to look people in the eye, not always hide behind a microphone.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

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

[Jim Jones]

I started trying to get pregnant about four years ago.

[Maggie Freeling]

Now we're getting a little bit older, and it just kind of felt like.

[Jim Jones]

The window could be closing.

[Kindbody Narrator]

Bloomberg and iHeart Podcasts present IVF Disrupted the Kindbody Story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertility care, Introducing Kindbody, a new generation of women's health and fertility care. Backed by millions in venture capital and private equity, it grew like a tech startup. While Kindbody did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients.

[Jim Jones]

You think you're finally, like, with the right people in the right hands, and then to find out again that you're just not. Don't be fooled by what all the.

[Kindbody Narrator]

Bright and shiny listen to IVF Disrupted the Kind Body Story starting September 19th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the one, the only cardi b my marriage.

[Cardi B]

I felt the love dying. I was crying every day. I fell in the deepest depression that I had ever had.

[Jay Shetty]

How do you think you're misunderstood?

[Cardi B]

I'm not this evil, mean person that people think that I am. I'm too compassionate. I have sympathy for that. My man, you put so much heart.

[Jay Shetty]

And soul into your work. What's the hardest part for you to take that criticism?

[Cardi B]

This was not given to me. I worked my ass off from it even when I was a stripper. I'mma be the best pole dancer in here.

[Jay Shetty]

When was the moment you felt I did it?

[Cardi B]

I still to this day don't feel comfortable. I fight every day to keep this level of success because people want to take it from you so bad.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Memphis Bleek]

Harlem. Harlem, y' all motherfuckers, man. It's a lot of Lot of great people came out of Harlem.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like. And you know what's so weird? That being from Brooklyn, we consider this all one. The Bronx, Yonkers, all that. All one. Because all y' all hanging the same places. You know what I'm saying? So to us, I feel like we don't. We don't know the difference. So I compare. I put it all into the one pot, but y' all made y' all mark as a group, but then you made your mark as a solo artist, as a boss on your own, outside the group. How you feel about that?

[Jim Jones]

I mean, I feel good that I was able to use my success and hard work that I had with the Diplomats and turn that into Jim Jones's solo career success and everything that came with all my business affairs and ancillary business that I was able to create from Diplomats and things like that. It felt good, you know what I mean? Nothing was promised. It was all God being next to me and things like that. But the hard work that I put in, being consistent, always showing up, being relentless, not taking no for nothing, Trying, trying, losing, losing, winning big. Lose a million times, win big again. Like, I did it all. Like, I just refused to stop. You know what I mean? And that was one of the things that served me the. The best, was my relentlessness in this game.

[Memphis Bleek]

I remember. You don't know this, right, but I'm speeding. We gonna definitely backtrack a little bit, too. But this was after the Rockefeller breakup, and. And I remember going through the city. I just. I just got to the. This one. Rockefeller was leaving the Def Jam building we was on 50th. Remember, that was the building we was at.

[Jim Jones]

That was the building.

[Memphis Bleek]

And when we left that building, they was like, yo, Jim Jones got a A R deal at Atlantic. I remember, like, yo, y' all lying here. And on that, nah, somebody gotta hire me. I was hating. I ain't going front on you, Jim. I was. I was not feeling that. I'm like, Kaiser. I called Kaiser. What the. What's going on, dog? I need to dig his. On me. Like, nah, we can't handle how the you pull that one. My.

[Jim Jones]

I mean, I've always been. Had a great mind when it came to marketing, even as a little kid from playing with GI Joe. So it just stuck with me. But I got a chance in Def Jam when we did the Diplomat deal to pop up in one of these marketing meetings, and that served me the best purpose. Me and Cam wasn't agreeing on the things that they were doing at the time. Yeah, about Diplomats. And I was like, there's no way we could be seen like that. So I made a little bit of a deck, some bullet points of what we need and shit like that. I made them. Made copies for everybody. And I went down there, I think I stood on the table, gave everybody copies of the shit. Kevin Laos and all that shit, they all went through it. And Kevin Laos was amazed and called me upstairs like, yo, I want to pay you, I think 10 or $15,000 a month to be a consultant. So I actually was a consultant while we was in Rockefeller that I didn't tell nobody about like that. I just was getting a consultant check for that. And then remember that whole stop? Kevin and Leo left Def Jam, popped back up with the Warner Music Group.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

And then Kev called me for a meeting one day and I started my music. This is when now Jim Jones a rapper too. Yeah. So Kev caught me that I know he got all this money. They got the new label. I'm thinking I'm lit like, oh, I'm about to get a nice deal over here. I bet. So I go over there. He like, yo, bro, I know you're doing music, but that's not my concern. You're way smaller than music. I. I know how to make you super duper rich. I'm like, well, he like, I want you to be an executive here. He like, not just any executive. It's going to be Leor, myself and then you, everybody else in this, all of these buildings, Atlantic, everybody. Todd Moscow was, Joey, I. They all work for you in that capacity. This is a very, very important job. But I need you next to me because I seen what you could do. This is what Kevin telling me on like that. So that's how I ended up being a. The A R director for Warner Music Group. Not for want to rec. For everything was Atlantic under there was. So that was my position.

[Memphis Bleek]

See, I just heard it was Atlanta.

[Jim Jones]

Both buildings had an office in Leo building. Her office in the Atlantic building had a. Had two labels in the building. Aside from me having the A R position that like I was in there cooking. But there's another thing too, that. That like so me being who I am, very passionate and very smart and. And. And I love business because I see things from a different. And one of the things that me up in that position where I kind of left that was one day and we just talking stories. One day I'm coming out. I'm walking with Kevin and Leo, Cam and Dame walking in the building. Dame said you, you a worker now, yo. You a pumper, yo. You know these niggas, you know, everybody in Rockefeller make jokes, you know.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Oh, this game was crucial.

[Jim Jones]

He pumping for Kevin Laos, you know, Cam always want to interject and like that. And I was just. I was on fire, bro. That really. That really bent me in a different position. Like, I was like.

[Memphis Bleek]

I ain't doing this no more.

[Jim Jones]

But no, it wasn't that. I was more mad at what they did, you heard, because you undermine what I got going on, the position I had. But maybe they knew they could never be in that position of where I was going, so they did some shit to deter me from where I was actually heading, yo. You understand what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleek]

You know, I always tell niggas that you got to watch jokes because some niggas will say some serious shit to.

[Jim Jones]

You in a playful way, 100%, because.

[Memphis Bleek]

They know you would take it to the left way if they said it serious to you. So they say it in a joking way. So you got to really pay attention to jokes because it be a lot of disrespect. And motherfucker be like, you know, you laughing, thinking they playing, but niggas is dead ass serious. And that could have been that, you know, hate disguised as a joke, bro.

[Jim Jones]

You said some to me that you was already doing.

[Memphis Bleek]

You was Leo, dude, boy.

[Jim Jones]

That's why you had so much envy towards him. Because you, you not nobody boss in that situation.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

Leo was your boss.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

While you walked in that building with me, them Nick, somebody else was your boss.

[Memphis Bleek]

Everybody.

[Jim Jones]

Rockefeller was a label. There was somebody else that was your boss.

[Memphis Bleek]

So you walked into a building where.

[Jim Jones]

I became a big executive at and tell me what I'm doing is wrong when you doing the same thing. And I never told nobody about this like this in this world. I'm just telling you, that's how that struck me.

[Memphis Bleek]

I would have felt the same way.

[Jim Jones]

This just.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, like tried to undermine my.

[Jim Jones]

And me being so loyal.

[Memphis Bleek]

You never said nothing. You hear nothing.

[Jim Jones]

But I learned a valuable lesson. And moving forward, I knew how to handle myself in those positions, you heard. And through that, that, that it up. But it was cool. I learned a lot there. Was able to take that knowledge that I had there and moving on and end up with the record called balling. So the joke ended up being on them.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

I stopped being executive and had the number one record in the country on you.

[Memphis Bleek]

And then you imagine, you dig, you Understand what I'm trying to say?

[Jim Jones]

So it was like a lot of different like that coming up. We used to be me up like God. But I know where to come from, you heard. I totally know where to come from. But it ain't here to bash nobody so we can talk about it. I'm just telling you how it made me feel. But through all of that, could have did anything he wanted to to me because that's how loyal I was to him, you heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

That's whack though.

[Jim Jones]

Never going to get a nigga.

[Memphis Bleek]

It was a executive at Warner Music.

[Jim Jones]

Group now my own executive.

[Memphis Bleek]

Exactly, you heard.

[Jim Jones]

I got a whole facility building my.

[Memphis Bleek]

Own network relations, bro.

[Jim Jones]

Record label, you heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

Clothing line, casting.

[Jim Jones]

Clothing line. We just gonna run it up. Everything I learned off of every mistake that I had to go through and every loss that I had to take. Now we gonna put this shit on the winning street.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact, man. Like, I feel like as artists we always take our losses, but our losses is visible, you know what I'm saying? And the loss of loved ones when they pass. Like, I remember when you first signed Stack Bundles. Rest in peace, Stack. Like to me, I felt like you was the right one for him. Cuz he first was with Clue and Clue didn't know what he had, bro.

[Jim Jones]

You know, you know, you, you, you know the story. How s Stack n one of the illest.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, definitely first.

[Jim Jones]

First of all, I heard Stack on the radio. Didn't know who he was. I know, you know, if cam in that dip says I know you don't love me. He was doing the rock, he kept saying the rock and I'm like, this the, the did and this is the time. Where is things going on? Something like, is this sound to the rock? Like what the is going on? And like that. Who is this little? Yeah, I seen him screaming the desert storm. And then with clues and I started, I'm like, I like this kid. And I seen him one day at a club, he had on a big blue fur, he said some fly shit to me. I told him, you know my mouth little don't play out here, you heard? But I was like, I still built the bridge. And then I had somebody call him like, yo, pull up Jim, want to speak to you at the studio. And he pulled up a couple of dudes and I was like, yo, I really admire what you do. I'm building a new label right here. We doing this Bird Gang Records, you heard? I'm pretty sure you're familiar what we got going on in the city. And I'm giving you an opportunity to.

[Memphis Bleek]

He would have been one of the ones.

[Jim Jones]

Man, let me. It ain't finished. Let me tell you, the Flash, he's with Clue at this time.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yes.

[Jim Jones]

He like, what you mean? I'm like. He like, yeah, that should say I'm. I'm ready. I'm like, all right. But it's one thing. Like, you can't leave here and try to figure it out. It's not what we do. You got to commit right now or there's no love lost. We can still do music, but if you. If this what you. We going and call Clue, tell them.

[Memphis Bleek]

Tell them we out.

[Jim Jones]

This what we doing.

[Memphis Bleek]

You know that's right.

[Jim Jones]

Disrespect. But I'm.

[Memphis Bleek]

I'm out.

[Jim Jones]

I said, yo, Clue went to the side. He said, now we lit Burger. Let's go. Yo, squad up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Let's go.

[Jim Jones]

Word up. I love Stack Soul, bro. Like, Zach was an incredible, credible artist. He definitely had his chance. He definitely would had to be in the race.

[Memphis Bleek]

He'd have been one of the.

[Jim Jones]

One of the illest artists that we ever seen.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact. His energy, his personality, his. Swag used to be in the 40 all the time.

[Jim Jones]

Ladies loved him.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, I had a major cool relationship with him. But like I said, when I seen him get with y', all, I was like, nah, that's the right crew. Like, you know, certain. Certain just need the right home. Like, what I felt about him is the same way I feel about Alb. You know what I mean? Al B. Al is one of the new animals. One of the new animals. Talented, murderous personality. Swag. He get with the right camp, he's gone.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah. That's another thing that these young artists don't understand how strong affiliation is. Even in 2025, when maybe Rockefeller or Diplomat has been out so long, maybe they feel like. But they're not even saying Rockefeller diploma. But did some of these grandfathered in lines of affiliation are very important to these artists because standing on your loan is on your own is one thing. Yes, as a man, we take nothing away from.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's the right.

[Jim Jones]

But in this game, if you want.

[Memphis Bleek]

To win, you need to want to.

[Jim Jones]

Win, you need to be affiliated with something. People know not to say it like that. You heard, but like that, there's only a few. Few every few years that's going to be able to stand on their own. And boom.

[Memphis Bleek]

Other than that, think about it. Who's the last artist that stood on his own after Nelly Completely on his own. Nelly came out completely Dolo.

[Jim Jones]

I mean it's. It's no one Sexy Red.

[Memphis Bleek]

Nah, bro. She still had the affiliation of who? Drake?

[Jim Jones]

I mean that's afterwards. She's still on her own. She's still on her own. Artist Glorilla got the affiliation of Yo Gotti. That's the affiliation she signed in.

[Memphis Bleek]

Sexy Red did come out of the. Yeah. Out of nowhere. Damn. I even think about that.

[Jim Jones]

How many of how many?

[Memphis Bleek]

That's what I'm saying. It's a far and few, bro. It's not a lie. It's not a lot that come up. But. Yeah, but Cardi B had the TV promotion.

[Jim Jones]

What I'm trying to tell you is the, the. The rarity.

[Memphis Bleek]

But she is dolo. She was Dolo. Yep.

[Jim Jones]

She was affiliate sign. That's only happening everywhere. Yeah, but for a lot of the kids that do end up bubbling, they are affiliated with some of the strongest.

[Memphis Bleek]

Some bigger than theyself. Pause. Like, definitely helps a lot. Like. I ain't gonna lie, bro. One thing I always look back, even watching your success, watching how you Cam Santana, all y' all move. I always like, you know, I'm a Marvel head man. I watch every Marvel movie and they got this shit on Disney plus called what if where they show the alternate realities of different movies of what if this went this way and what if that went that way. You ever think about that? Like, what if we never had that tension because it was never nothing with us. Like, I never had an argument with you, Cam Santana, nothing. It was business. And then the just went like this and next thing I know we beefing like. So I always think about what if none of that happened? What do you think we would have took this.

[Jim Jones]

My g. What if none of that happened? Jay would have been up billions. Dame would have been up billions. Biggs would have been up billions. Bob's kids would have been up hundreds of millions. You understand what I'm saying?

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact, bro.

[Jim Jones]

Like everybody that would have trickled there because the. What I've seen during the time we was there and through the separation of it was amazing. It was. It was no losses being taken in.

[Memphis Bleek]

No man.

[Jim Jones]

And anything Rockefeller had did at the time was. Was a slam dunk. Anything Jay said or did didn't matter if he makes you put on a button up shirt, drink some liquor or the why it was like this just was connected and. And the way Dame was handling the other side, as far as the business is concerned, that's. That's that's all right. So from what I've seen, that was one of the two of the illest niggas I've seen. And this was a lot of things that me and Cam trace their steps because of how they were moving. Like, Jay was end all the artists, right?

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

With the boss and Dane was the businessman and a lot of other things, you dig? And Dane protected Jay and kept the business running forward. Dane was incredible in that position. So people look back at it now, try to laugh and say he was obnoxious and all these things. Yeah, he might have pissed a lot of people off.

[Memphis Bleek]

He fought for us, right?

[Jim Jones]

That's what people don't want to put up.

[Memphis Bleek]

They don't give a.

[Jim Jones]

He pissed everybody off. He was fighting for the crew.

[Memphis Bleek]

Every, like, straight up my everybody.

[Jim Jones]

And that's what it's about. So now we look back and I'm not. I don't even care about what goes on with him. But I'm just telling. Looking back, it's like people don't want to give him his about like, come on, bro. Like, them built half of the industry.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

You heard built by like Diddy. But these responsible for the temperature of getting money right now to this day.

[Memphis Bleek]

100 half the half the new CEOs was interns at Rock, bro.

[Jim Jones]

Like, you was home dancing like, dang, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

Stop it.

[Memphis Bleek]

Stop it.

[Jim Jones]

Stop.

[Memphis Bleek]

I'd be trying to tell that's the.

[Jim Jones]

Part of this game and it's cancel culture. How easy it is for people to forget because of the media. Brown folds you into thinking one thing and like that. And if you think something else, they're trying to cancel you out before you even could get your opinion off. So you don't sway the people's judgment. And that's a fact. Nasty. You dig?

[Memphis Bleek]

But yo, it's.

[Jim Jones]

It's a lot to it. But as a man also, you got to know how to be accountable for everything you do also.

[Memphis Bleek]

Dame do be wilding Dame do be wilding.

[Jim Jones]

I don't care about what goes.

[Memphis Bleek]

But they got to give him some.

[Jim Jones]

Respect because that why he was wilding before.

[Memphis Bleek]

He's a major brilliant.

[Jim Jones]

Different era where they were giving us nothing. So no, if he didn't fight the way he.

[Memphis Bleek]

We would have got nothing. We'd have had nothing, my G. We'd have been on the shelf waiting, bro.

[Jim Jones]

I seen them come in and get baked, bust down Christmas checks, giving their workers $80,000 a check like that. I never seen Christmas bonuses Christmas Bonuses.

[Memphis Bleek]

Am I lying? No, that's. They used to send out gifts to.

[Jim Jones]

All the artists doing it on another level and can't see what. What they doing. And that was where my respect was in that building is watching how them was moving that label and that building and like that. I mean, but to see the, to see how it happened, it's just ill. Like you said, there was never no problems, but the loyalty of the two sides took it there. I, I. And we did it also too. But I do believe, and I'm just talking since we talking. I do believe that if Jay and Dame would have figured out how to have some type of conversation, none of.

[Memphis Bleek]

That would have happened.

[Jim Jones]

Because we going off of what these two say.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact. You ride with me together where everybody.

[Jim Jones]

Talking together to everybody in separate offices talking.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

Damon spewing what he's spewing. We don't know what J and M is spewing, but I know on this side it was going on.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yes, I know.

[Jim Jones]

My position is to do whatever Cam is going to do.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

You heard.

[Memphis Bleek]

So you got to ride with Care about Damon.

[Jim Jones]

I'm king about what Cam gonna do, and I gotta protect him and everything. So now here we go.

[Memphis Bleek]

And. And that, that's, that's what I felt like broke up the rock. It was the divide. Cause remember, it became Harlem and then it became Brooklyn. It was. It didn't have to be that way. No. Cause it was never no drivers. Just because them two didn't speak the way everybody else took on the vibe of whatever they was around. And then the just. It just grew. And I like that whack, man. But at the end of the day, everybody turned out successful.

[Jim Jones]

I mean, everybody turned.

[Memphis Bleek]

Everybody turned out.

[Jim Jones]

We as black men figure out how to get past that.

[Memphis Bleek]

I tell. I tell people. I just had this conversation.

[Jim Jones]

Same thing.

[Memphis Bleek]

I'm not perfect. No, none of us are. We would never. Nobody is.

[Jim Jones]

I'm a piece of. To somebody else and just the way I feel.

[Memphis Bleek]

And you're an angel to other people 100%. You know what I'm saying? So that's that I always say that somebody might call me a piece of shit. Somebody gonna call me an angel over here. Like, I even had that conversation with Cam when I was talk. When I had to talk with him. I'm like, yo, like, you brought up the incident with me and Beans. Like, me and Beans are not childhood friends. You know what I'm saying? Like, I met Beans through rap. Like, I didn't Know, Beans, growing up in Brooklyn and we grew into brotherhood. Not saying that we got a issue that can't be fixed, but I don't feel it's as important as two people that grew up together. Like, to me, watching y' all not communicate and then watching him and Dame go through that shit is whack to me, bro. I feel like we too old. We made too much money. Our kids is grown. We supposed to be chilling on Oprah yacht in the middle of fucking Santorini right now. My gig.

[Jim Jones]

Absolutely right.

[Memphis Bleek]

For real, bro. Absolutely right.

[Jim Jones]

You're absolutely right. But sometimes things don't work like that, my brother.

[Memphis Bleek]

I know, man.

[Jim Jones]

As much as I cherish the time we had and cherish the brotherhood that we did, I can't dwell on it. No, it don't pay. I mean, I, I, I tried it. It doesn't serve me no purpose at this point in my life. You know what I mean? You lose friends, you see who's really with you and things like that. And sometimes people gonna see the see what they lost. And I know losing me as a friend and a brother is a cold thing. Cause you ain't gonna meet too many people like me that's gonna rap at all.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact. I'm comfortable with that.

[Jim Jones]

And, and me being that cold person, I had to learn how to be that for myself. I was telling that to Fat Joe and shit like that. Like everything I was willing to be for my comrade.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yes.

[Jim Jones]

I had to learn to be that for myself. And that's what made me stronger. Understand what I'm saying? Cause it was like, I'm just leaving myself open by doing that for so many others. Leaving myself wide open. And now in my position of leading, I can't leave myself wide open.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

You heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

Because now you got your crew. I got a lot, right? That's right.

[Jim Jones]

I got my family, I got my business. I got everything. So I gotta play this strategic out here. Cause is quick to want to see you fail. Ain't nobody coming to save you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Nobody.

[Jim Jones]

Rather, so you go through it to help you get through it. You heard? Like you knocked. You heard? So I learned how to boss up on my own. Like, wherever we started, that it's not what we gonna end that.

[Memphis Bleek]

You heard? That's a fact, bro. That's one thing. You said y' all learned how to boss up on my own. Like, I commend y', all, man. That's one like y', all, all of y' all from. From Jewels. Cam, you Even Zeke being down there in sea laying low. Y' all all know how to create businesses, bro. Like, none of y' all just sit back and chill. From the Wii to the clothes to the dipset rebranding to the compound you just purchased, you know what I'm saying to the podcast? Like, what keeps you motivated, my G? What. What gives you that drive? Because these kids need to learn that, you know, these kids is lazy. They think smoking weed going, it's just gonna hit them one day, they gonna get high.

[Jim Jones]

Definitely not gonna come to you sitting in the house and smoking weed. I always wanted something bigger in life. I just always knew that I could do better. And I always knew I'm not giving myself. I'm not giving things my full potential. Even right now, you dig?

[Memphis Bleek]

You feel like still waiting now?

[Jim Jones]

100%. I totally feel like I have not found total tunnel vision where I'm locked into my full capacity of what I can give the people and what I can do for my mission and things like that. Because it's. There's so many distractions.

[Memphis Bleek]

No.

[Jim Jones]

You understand what I'm saying? And as a man being creative and having to take care of responsibilities, it's hard to not get distracted with responsibilities. Trying to create and save the world. It's like what I like to call it because I feel like what I'm adding when I'm finished is going to be saved a lot of people from a lot of different things when I'm finishing like that. So, you know, I. I take it. I take it day by day. But as long as I'm willing and able, strengthen my body to be consistent every day, I'm not worried about the motivation because I do believe that I'm here to finish the mission. And sometimes I don't even know what the mission is. You heard? But I know walking in faith is stronger than anything. And I do believe God going to point me in the right direction. So I just try to finish every little bit of things. Every small success turned into a big success Success and execution has been a disease for black men for a long time. So I've been learning how to execute every idea that I'm trying to put on the table. Because whether it's worth it or not, you learn from your mistakes. You know what I mean? So I've been through a lot. It took me long to get where I'm at to even talk like this. Like, I've never been dumb, but I have been ignorant in my life. You heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

We all have, bro.

[Jim Jones]

100.

[Memphis Bleek]

We all have my gnomes and.

[Jim Jones]

But I'm glad I was here to show me that time don't lie. And I was glad I was here to understand. You won't grow till you know. So now that I have grown a lot, and I still got a lot growing to do, this is where we at.

[Memphis Bleek]

Nah, man, that's a fact. I just. I just seen the video. I see you got the merch on right now, too, man. Dead Looney.

[Jim Jones]

What's up, man?

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, bro, like, looking at you do that, it brought me back to a time when Jay was fighting with Iceberg. You know, that's why Rockaware, I believe, in my opinion, I believe that's why Rocaware was birthed, because Jay went to Iceberg, being that he was rocking it, rapping about it. Iceberg Slim, you know what I mean? They ain't want to give him the deal that he like, all right, I'mma create something that's going to crush y'.

[Jim Jones]

All.

[Memphis Bleek]

And he created Rockawear. So watching you, you know, deal with the Chrome Heart situation like that and then create your own clothing line and you like, all right, you ain't fucking with me. I'm a crush. Like that drive, bro. You can't teach that.

[Jim Jones]

You can't.

[Memphis Bleek]

It's not learned in school. It's just in you. And, like, you a warrior. My, like, real warrior, bro.

[Jim Jones]

I can't say that above everything that I've been called, I'm definitely a warrior.

[Memphis Bleek]

You are, bro.

[Jim Jones]

That's in every. That's on in. In everything. Like, I've just got this warrior spirit that I've been born with, and I kind of refuse to lose. Even if I take a loss, you're gonna feel like I won. You can't beat me.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

My mental was too strong.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, man.

[Jim Jones]

That's why I'm still here. And I. And I gotta leave a lot of this with people because I know I got a lot to leave, you know, I mean, like, I tell people I need to. I want people to know that I gave more than I took. I'm taking a lot.

[Memphis Bleek]

You definitely put a lot of influence out here, man. Like, I watch when I like, you know, the Migos, Lil baby, half the Atlanta really dipset. Influenced a lot of these young boys moving around right now. My. And you really played a major part in that. So I know you gotta. That gotta make you feel like the big homie to the new era right now.

[Jim Jones]

It feel. It feels good. A lot of times I'm like, damn, If I would have knew this was gonna be like this week.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, word up, right? You didn't prepare back.

[Jim Jones]

Just see this now. How this going crazy. It's like, yo, this is. This is really wild. But it feels good also. And it also let me know I still got opportunity to make a lot of money out here.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

You know what I mean? As long as they still doing things like this, then I know I could jump in where I need to jump in and get some bags off of this, you know what I mean? Create some business off of this. All I know is what I've been told and that to half truth is a whole lie.

[Maggie Freeling]

For almost a decade, the murder of an 18 year old girl from a small town in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved until a local homemaker, a journalist, and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Jim Jones]

I'm telling you, we know Quincy killed her.

[Maggie Freeling]

We know a story that law enforcement used to convict six people and that got the citizen investigator on national tv.

[Jim Jones]

Through sheer persistence and nerve, this Kentucky housewife helped give justice to Jessica Curran.

[Maggie Freeling]

My name is Maggie Freeling. I'm a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist producer, and I wouldn't be here if the truth were that easy to find.

[Jim Jones]

I did not know her and I did not kill her or rape or burn or any of that other stuff that y' all said.

[Memphis Bleek]

They literally made me say that I took a match and struck and threw it on her. They made me say that I poured gas on her.

[Maggie Freeling]

From Lava for good. This is Graves County, a show about just how far our legal system will go in order to find someone to blame.

[Memphis Bleek]

America, y' all better wake the hell up.

[Jim Jones]

Bad things happens to good people and small towns.

[Maggie Freeling]

Listen to Graves county in the Bone Valley feed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

I'm Jonathan Goldstein. And on the new season of Heavyweight, I help a centenarian mend a broken heart.

[Jim Jones]

How can a 101-year-old woman fall in love again?

[Jonathan Goldstein]

And I help a man atone for an armed robbery he committed at 14 years old. And so I pointed the gun at.

[Jim Jones]

Him and said, this isn't a joke.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

And he got down.

[Jim Jones]

And I remember feeling kind of a.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

Surge of like, okay, this is power Plus. My old friend Gregor and his brother tried to solve my problems through hypnotism.

[Jim Jones]

We could give you a whole brand new thing where you're like, super charming all the time, being more able to look people in the eye, not always hide behind a microphone.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

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

[Jim Jones]

I started trying to get pregnant about four years ago now.

[Kindbody Narrator]

We were getting a little bit older.

[Maggie Freeling]

And it just kind of felt like.

[Jim Jones]

The window could be closing.

[Kindbody Narrator]

Bloomberg and iHeart podcasts present IVF the Kindbody Story, a podcast about a company that promised to revolutionize fertil care, introducing Kindbody, a new generation of women's health and fertility care. Backed by millions in venture capital and private equity, it grew like a tech startup. While Kindbody did help women start families, it also left behind a stream of disillusioned and angry patients.

[Jim Jones]

You think you're finally, like, with the right people in the right hands, and then to find out again that you're just not. Don't be fooled by what all the bright and shiny.

[Kindbody Narrator]

Listen to IVF Disrupted. The Kind Body Story starting September 19th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jay Shetty]

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the on purpose podcast. I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the one, the only cardi b my marriage.

[Cardi B]

I felt the love dying. I was crying every, every day. I fell in the deepest depression that I had ever had.

[Jay Shetty]

How do you think you're misunderstood?

[Cardi B]

I'm not this evil, mean person that people think that I am. I'm too compassionate. I have sympathy for that. My man, you put so much heart.

[Jay Shetty]

And soul into your work. What's the hardest part for you to take that criticism?

[Cardi B]

This was not given to me. I work my ass off for me even when I was a stripper. I'm gonna be the best pole dancer in here.

[Jay Shetty]

When was the moment you felt I did it?

[Cardi B]

I still, to this day, don't feel comfortable. I fight every day to keep this level of success because people want to take it from you so bad.

[Jay Shetty]

Listen to on purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jim Jones]

Well, I was gonna say tunnel. Tunnel night. Ladies, busters, Dusters. One day. Yeah, what's up? You remember that night?

[Memphis Bleek]

What? When the video shoot?

[Jim Jones]

Not the video shoot. When y' all came and performed that.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, of course. I remember every night in the tunnel, but remind me of something, boy. Wait, wait. I might be missing something.

[Jim Jones]

Not the video. The video was done in the tunnel.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jim Jones]

It wasn't done on the tunnel night.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, no, no, no.

[Jim Jones]

It was a 10D, but I was trying to give people a little recap of what. What it felt like when Rockefeller had.

[Memphis Bleek]

The Tunnel on stage. Yo, bro, like.

[Jim Jones]

Cause they niggas don't know how crazy the Tunnel was. I don't care what club y' all been to in New York City. You never been to no club like this to me.

[Memphis Bleek]

I love Hov. Hov, my bro. I love that nigga. I would never go against him. But Hov ain't fucking with mine right in the Tunnel. That's just being honest.

[Jim Jones]

You can't fuck with that.

[Memphis Bleek]

You a lot.

[Jim Jones]

But he can't fuck with that.

[Memphis Bleek]

He can't fuck with mine right in the Tunnel, my nigga.

[Jim Jones]

First of all, Rockefeller used to be the Tunnel that used to sell out by like 9 o', clock, 9:30.

[Memphis Bleek]

We couldn't even get in.

[Jim Jones]

You couldn't get in. And then after that, any star that getting. You had to really know them. Like you had to know Mark had a security. You had to know Peter. Yo, like, the Tunnel was just a whole nother. But when Rockefeller was there, when Jay was coming to perform. It was bad.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, it was bad. That's because the whole Brooklyn used to pull up bad, bro. The whole Brooklyn female in his city.

[Jim Jones]

Model, hustler, scammer, drug dealer from out of town.

[Memphis Bleek]

It was, bro.

[Jim Jones]

Those are some of the best nights we had when in the world your performed at the Tunnel.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, Tunnel was it.

[Jim Jones]

It was a few that came to the Tunnel. Used to put on Ja Rule. Used to go crazy too.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh yeah. J.

[Jim Jones]

It wasn't. It wasn't nothing like.

[Memphis Bleek]

Nothing like the rock. Only people I think that shit blue Yankees.

[Jim Jones]

Then man come out with that Yankee like this. Oh, dumb in the Tunnel. Start breaking in that. What?

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, you ain't lying.

[Jim Jones]

Nah, bro, like you the only.

[Memphis Bleek]

I think had the Tunnel more turn than us. And I gotta give it to them. When Snoop and Dr. Dre came to this was you there that day. I couldn't even get in my.

[Jim Jones]

I was in there.

[Memphis Bleek]

I couldn't get in. That's how packed it was outside.

[Jim Jones]

Iceberg sweater on Flintstone shit. I took it from Cam. I never did it. Like, oh yeah, he dead on this. I'm putting this on for the tunnel tonight.

[Memphis Bleek]

Iceberg. That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

So they went in there for two and a half hours and went crazy. I tell people Snoop was going so crazy right during the show, all the Bloods was in the front. They start throwing all the red rags at him on stage. Show like yo, no disrespect. I'm just trying to show love. But the Bloods was showing love. We grew up on all of these. Yo, bro, they burnt that down so bad. But that was just one time. So y' all came in here a few times and went crazy?

[Memphis Bleek]

No, no, definitely.

[Jim Jones]

But snooping them, yeah, they got the most. They got. They got one of the most legendary nights ever. I've seen in the Tunnel perform. I seen, I seen. I seen Jay at the Apollo, too.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Yo, yo, the Apollo used to be stupid.

[Jim Jones]

And I always want to ask him this. He came on Apollo with one color jersey on, but it's mad bloods in there. Mad, mad Bloods.

[Memphis Bleek]

Mad Bloods.

[Jim Jones]

I'm blooded.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo.

[Jim Jones]

He started the show with one jersey. I can't forget what jersey. When they came back out with the old red San Francisco jersey, I think, bro, I'm talking about the homies went crazy, came back. I think he had some with the blue jersey on. Was not jacking that it was. He came back out with the red jersey on an Apollo that went dumb, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, the tunnel used to be stupid. Used to be stupid. Speed used to be stupid. Speed was the tunnel for the new. For our era. Like, so.

[Jim Jones]

So listen, when me and when me and Gutter was beefing and Seasoning was beefing and like going crazy, one day they caught me slipping out there. I'm in front of sleep. It's like four of us, five of us just chilling. And the. What's his name, the owner. I forgot the security name. Told me, you know your bro C raising them coming here tonight, bro. Why, why, why. Why is you. Why are you doing this? I'm like, bro, I'm like, what you mean? They pop up with like 60.

[Memphis Bleek]

Bro. Chill. Yeah, the Mafia. I heard deep we here.

[Jim Jones]

Allegedly, allegedly. You know these how this should be gunshots go.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

Don't bust a move out there.

[Jim Jones]

So yeah, these Crip got us outnumbered. Let's get the out of here. Speed was different.

[Memphis Bleek]

Speed was different. That was his spot. DJ Word up enough used to run.

[Jim Jones]

And, and, and, and, and, and, and Mr. C. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

Mr. C ran speed and the tunnel. Mr. C was everywhere.

[Jim Jones]

Bobby Trans. Bobby Trans was a young. Bobby Trans was young in the tunnel.

[Memphis Bleek]

Young. You heard? Yo.

[Jim Jones]

We going. Allegedly, allegedly, we going in the tunnel. Two boxes of a Dutch mask, yo.

[Memphis Bleek]

Crazy, yo. Sometimes you had to pre roll your duchess, bro.

[Jim Jones]

This. You're not listening, yo.

[Memphis Bleek]

Sometimes you had to pre roll listening.

[Jim Jones]

We passed that, bro. You're not listening, bro. I got everything under control in the tunnel.

[Memphis Bleek]

Now you got it. He's like, it's good. We good.

[Jim Jones]

House is under control. Everything better not touch me.

[Memphis Bleek]

See, now we're not. We only had it under control when we had a show. Before that, they was on some.

[Jim Jones]

All right, so this is the difference outside. Not to say it like that. You a star.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, no, no.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, definitely banging in this.

[Memphis Bleek]

You heard?

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, this before Rap Police had the gang unit.

[Memphis Bleek]

I had to be my dogs. Had to be with Trey and Bi and them for that, not me. They was like bleak. Who you with, bro?

[Jim Jones]

Gang unit used to be your bro. I used to. Oh, yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

Gang unit was serious in New York.

[Jim Jones]

The tunnel so bad, bro. Yo, Peter Gation used to call me to his office during the gay. Like, yo, bro, please, you give it.

[Memphis Bleek]

That made so much money.

[Jim Jones]

Oh, my God. My God.

[Memphis Bleek]

He kicked the off. Peter Gation.

[Jim Jones]

For real. I was. I was two seconds from doing the belly move on that because they started getting too comfortable with me. I was like, yo, I was gonna act ignorant, bro. Y' all might sound like a movie, but I really was dumbing. You heard I was about to pull the belly. The real belly movie on the tunnel.

[Memphis Bleek]

Peter was soft, too.

[Jim Jones]

Just for the fact his security was kind of soft, too.

[Memphis Bleek]

You heard like, yo, I'm a buck.

[Jim Jones]

60 at this time. Going up to grown men, that's 240. Like, I wish you would raise your hand and raise the eyebrow if I'm lying, I'm flying. Ask any bounce at the tunnel if they ever, ever, ever, ever made a mistake and raised their hand to me. And we just talking and like that. I'm just telling you what type of menace I was when I was a baby. Bop and you can ask around.

[Memphis Bleek]

You had to be outside the Velvet road.

[Jim Jones]

This is 2025.

[Memphis Bleek]

I was talking about.

[Jim Jones]

From my first time I went to the channel was in 1994. I had to be at school the next day. I went to school on Monday and was looking at my teacher like she was a joke. I just left the tunnel last night. See, Mike Tyson, Easy E. All type of you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, yeah. Easy to do. Yeah. No, the tunnel had to stop, bro. Don't even go to clubs like that no more, bro. Don't even rap.

[Jim Jones]

1994-99 when it closed when they killed Baby Boy Killer from Brooklyn. He was 17. Charles Jones Little cousin.

[Memphis Bleek]

That was my little box right there. Crazy.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, like, for real.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's crazy. Yo, I was gonna ask you. Talking about you was gonna do a movie on the Tunnel. You was the first. Y' all launched the loving hip hop platform. Right. And then it was a little spew on creativity and all that. I always wondered why you just didn't never start your own franchise for New York. Cuz you had it. You had it.

[Jim Jones]

It was a cool. It was a few variables. Contractual. Contractually leaving. I couldn't do no more hip hop shows for a certain amount of time. With me, Chrissy was at. We didn't feel like comprise compromising our dignity for the sake of doing the show.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yes.

[Jim Jones]

Remember, this is very. In the very beginning.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yes.

[Jim Jones]

I'm saying a lot of the people that was supposed to be on our side doing business end up taking the other side of doing business with the network. So now they against us instead of helping us and showing us how to do it. And then some personal came involved. Scuff get scuffed up and like that. What's up? Like that. It just was a lot, bro. And then where I was at in life, I was like, well, I ain't got time for this. I got other to do. I'm. I'm a hustler. I need to get to a bag. I'm not gonna be fighting with no networks and. Cause somebody end up gonna end up getting hurt. Obviously hurt. As it almost happened a few times. Ain't nobody gonna get in trouble but myself.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

Because.

[Memphis Bleek]

What made me ask you that? Because y' all was in the network before 50 even started his doing his shows.

[Jim Jones]

Let me show you how the network works. We had three shows that each one of our shows that we did there was successful. Were more successful than the love and hip hop shows. But because they had so much vested interest in loving him.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

I did saw the show after. Yes. Keep giving us new episodes in our show because our ratings were taken away from all the money that they invested into love and hip hop at the time. They ain't a few seasons in at the time. Every time we put up a show.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. I forgot. Yeah. You and Chrissy had jobs.

[Jim Jones]

We had a lot. We did a lot of. On that. Yeah. A lot of money off that. So it's like. But it was a good. It was a good learning lesson at that time.

[Memphis Bleek]

How is that tv? Cause, you know, they called me, they hit me. They was like, yo, bleak, would you ever do it? And I'm like, I wouldn't say it was. I told.

[Jim Jones]

I was. I would definitely not say it for somebody like you.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Cause I told my wife I gotta have a fake wife.

[Jim Jones]

But it Also depends on what type of bag they gonna throw.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, yo, I didn't.

[Jim Jones]

Nori, I didn't made half a million dollars to go for four days. Damn her to do type of shits. Yeah. Same as baby girl. Like, they start throwing stupid, stupid numbers at you. And that type of is like, okay.

[Memphis Bleek]

I can't turn that down. I pull up, would you want me to throw a drink in the club?

[Jim Jones]

I got you to figure out your lane. But I never let them dictate what I was doing. Yeah, that was a lot of things on the camera. Because it's premeditated situations they doing.

[Memphis Bleek]

I can honestly say out of every couple and rapper that been on the show, you definitely ain't do no. No such.

[Jim Jones]

Because we set the rules. Like on everyone I showed.

[Memphis Bleek]

Because I've seen a lot of do some crazy.

[Jim Jones]

It wasn't nobody else showed. It's my show. That's probably the rules of my show.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's why I was like, yo, why.

[Jim Jones]

They didn't just start my show and implemented her rules to exploiting people and all that type of that was our show. Our show was built on real premise. Yeah, we sell dysfunction. So you're gonna see a lot of dysfunctional rappers.

[Memphis Bleek]

And this is what we do. We get into it, everything perfect.

[Jim Jones]

You heard like nothing. We doing what we want to do and this. But now looking back, like, it's way easier for me to tap in the market now than it was back then. Now I could do the on my own.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

And make the networks come knock down my door. That's exactly what.

[Memphis Bleek]

Because these people the money watches the.

[Jim Jones]

Same way they was watching before. As soon as we put up oh, whatever show coming out, they're gonna go.

[Memphis Bleek]

To YouTube and click on yo TV.

[Jim Jones]

Is not important as. As the Internet right now. You heard all the shows is made.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact. I used to think Ori was trying to set me up. Shout out. Nori too, man.

[Jim Jones]

He saw the long.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, Nori called me about love and hip hop first. And I'm like. And no, I ain't with that. Then Nori called me about marriage boot camp. That's what I'm like.

[Jim Jones]

I ain't gonna that check.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, my.

[Jim Jones]

I zapped out of the on that a little bit. But that was a stupid check. You should have took that check. I mean, I don't know what they.

[Memphis Bleek]

Was offer you, but no, I never even got to that part. Nor, he's like, do you want to talk? And I'm like, nah, because I My wife ain't with that. I gotta get a fake wife for tv. She not gonna get on.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, see, that's another thing. You gotta have the willing partner to get. Yeah, but it's so smooth that if y' all was to go in and be smooth.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

Expect nothing from y'. All.

[Memphis Bleek]

It made me start watching the show and living in.

[Jim Jones]

It's a wild show. But I can't say this. It was cool. It was cool. It's just that is wired up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

All the time.

[Memphis Bleek]

All the time. No privacy, nothing.

[Jim Jones]

And then you got the chance of you definitely on what other grown men is. It was like, you know me, but I'm thinking I had to chip somebody up. I don't want to go nowhere. No grown men, you heard?

[Memphis Bleek]

No, this was outside the 90s. Sound like to chip somebody.

[Jim Jones]

As soon as I get there, I'm on. I'm on the bench and doing pull ups like. Yeah, we gonna. We gonna start this up right.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, speaking of that, what made you get into the.

[Jim Jones]

I got it.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, you had Cam and May know at the workout. Boot camp was struggling. I ain't gonna run you. You have Fab. Yeah, you have Fab and May know at the workout together. I gotta come join the camp, man. I gotta get a couple sessions in you. And man, you ain't Kiss on some.

[Jim Jones]

Kids doing pretty good. I'm proud of Kiss. I've been seeing elevation in the fitness game and like that. That's. That's. That's great for him and like that, you know, I mean, like, we getting older, so that's a fact. That's way to just found the youth is through fitness and like that movement is medicine. But I've been on this as a teenager like that all the Used to come home, show us how to do pull ups and all that type of. Then when I got. When I got with Chrissy and like that, that was. She doubled down like, bro, you like a buck 60, buck 70 wet.

[Memphis Bleek]

Gotta get your.

[Jim Jones]

Gotta get your up.

[Memphis Bleek]

These bounces used to put that work in.

[Jim Jones]

So she was very, very important in the beginning of my workout season in the past 30 years. Now I'm. You heard, I'm on it.

[Memphis Bleek]

You ever thought about starting like your own workout? Billy Blanks. Nobody did it bigger than him.

[Jim Jones]

I mean. Well, I've been using the platform of IG for the past few years, but I got a. It's a whole block full of storefronts in this building. Yeah, one of the storefronts got a nice square footage that I'M actually putting a whole gym in and things. Yeah, I've been speaking to like Gronk Fitness to try to do a partnership with them and things like that. But I'm putting a gym in there, then in the gym and start shooting fitness shows. And then it'd be 100, you know, I mean, my.

[Memphis Bleek]

You need to talk to peloton everybody. Bro. Your workout regimen is insane. Honey, I'll be watching you. I follow you. You know that I'll be white, be doing pull ups with the. The 150 pound drum on like.

[Jim Jones]

But you know how I go. So that's another. That's the flip side. So it's all about the support system.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's right.

[Jim Jones]

Game is one. One person to see that and make one call and get everything connected.

[Memphis Bleek]

No, that's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

That one person that don't understand that, don't figure or find a way that they can being business from a situation, you're never gonna get that one. So I'm just dialing in, doing everything myself because I know how to make a success out of something. They gonna have to come and give us a check anyway.

[Memphis Bleek]

Nah, that's a fact, man. Like. And one thing I want to say, like, every artist been through a bunch of bullshit in this game. Every artist we, you know, we always thugging, talking our bullshit. But you know what I respect the most when I see artists. Cause me, I'm all about growth.

[Jim Jones]

Growth.

[Memphis Bleek]

If you stay the same, I feel like that's the definition of insane. To do the same thing over and over and over, inspect different results. You technically insane. So when I seen you and French was able to bury y' all and get back cool, make money together and move around.

[Jim Jones]

Do I?

[Memphis Bleek]

I really looked at you and I was like, nah, that Jim is for real. He take this business serious. So, like, things like that, bro, just know you inspire a lot of people out here to move. You know, I see the shit. People say, yo, Jim, he's still young. He want to be the kid, he want to be out here. But they don't talk about that shit like that. You know what I mean?

[Jim Jones]

What's wrong with being young?

[Memphis Bleek]

No, I want to be young forever.

[Jim Jones]

What's wrong? And in the meat, the most people that say things about that are people that got no motion, just as old as I am.

[Memphis Bleek]

They out the loop, and they in the crib bitter. They playing Call of Duty right now. You know what I'm saying?

[Jim Jones]

That shit on me. We outside, we got motion, we getting money, you know Dig, it ain't about the age. It's about a wage. It's about business.

[Memphis Bleek]

Killed that. That's a ball. Say, it ain't about an age, it's about a wage. Step your wages up, cuz. Your age going up every year 100%.

[Jim Jones]

So what you going to do with that?

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact.

[Jim Jones]

I'm out here trying to live longer, eat better, doing all the things and.

[Memphis Bleek]

You having fun, man.

[Jim Jones]

You know what I mean? What about. Let's talk about Biggs, Bigs.

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, let's go, man. I still want to know what happened between him and Dame. I gotta have Biggs on Rock solid.

[Jim Jones]

I don't know about that. People don't, don't. I feel like people don't talk about how much of a goat Biggs is because he's so solid, you know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, is the quiet assassin who got all the pinpoint ideas. When he tell you something, you better listen.

[Jim Jones]

Better listen, cuz.

[Memphis Bleek]

He calculated every angle. Like the professional. No women, no kids.

[Jim Jones]

He's like the accountant, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

Like, bro, that's a fact, yo.

[Jim Jones]

He's so calculating everything you do. But I mean, Big is one of the few people that I consider to be a big brother and somebody that I admire from his position in the game and remaining humble and not letting the spotlight jade him and doing what his job was to do, no matter how important he was in that Rockefeller dynamic.

[Memphis Bleek]

And he never. Character, bro. Like, he never wanted to be in front of the camera. No matter how much money he got. He never wanted this, man.

[Jim Jones]

And people don't understand. Like, the show is a trifecta. It, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, it really was. That made them.

[Jim Jones]

Yeah, he's like the silent partner. And like that, like, it's crazy, right?

[Memphis Bleek]

Is his presence was felt, but you never heard his voice. I don't think nobody ever heard Big Spill speak. You like a lot of people, you.

[Jim Jones]

Got to know him to have a conversation. And that was even back then.

[Memphis Bleek]

That's a fact, yo.

[Jim Jones]

But now it's even early if you. You. You definitely not speaking to him now.

[Memphis Bleek]

Got two stories about Biggs, man. Like, I'm married now. So as a kid, I used to feel like I gotta pay this nigga back. Like, I owe you, nigga. You violated word. We was on the road, Jim, man. Like, remember as a kid coming from. I'm talking about the kissing in the hallway era. Before you could get right, you kissing for hours. The way you need something to drink when you done, my nigga, that kissing, you know what I'm saying. And then they take me from that to the road, so I wasn't ready. So niggas is like, yo, you gotta get your up. These girls is ready to get right. You out here playing. Go get you something. So I'm like, all right, let me go get me something. I go line something up. She like, where you staying at? I' ma ride back with you. I'm hyped now. Like, oh, I got one fishing line. We caught one, baby. First og. Now, mind you, I'm the young on the road. We was in New Orleans somewhere. I never been there before. The first OG I see is Biggs. So I go tell him, bill Biggs, what hotel we staying at? Thinking like, we staying at this hotel. Why you want to know what hotel we staying at? I was like, yo, is it room in the car? He like, wait, why are you asking me all these questions? I'm like, cause I got something lined up. She ready to go. Now, mind you, I'm the young boy in the 21 and up club, so everything is older than me. So he like, let me see what you got. Make sure you ain't got nothing wrong. So I go show him as a lemon head, yeah, I got this one. And he took her. Damn.

[Jim Jones]

Biggs take the one and left him.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, yo, damn. Took up my G. Yo, yo, yo, that. But he. I always felt like, I' ma get this back. I'm lit now I'm blizzle. We on the road. They don't know him. I'mma take one of his joints. I never got the opportunity, but he repaid me back. My word. Biggs made me back. Cause one day, I'm in the crib chilling, doing nothing, bro. Like, I'm in Jers. I don't even know what the fuck I was doing. And that nigga called me out of nowhere like, yo, what you doing? I ain't doing shit. He like, yo, come me to come to the crib in Jersey. This when they lived in the Palisades. And I'm like, all right. I pull up to the crib, first of all, I'm like, these getting too much money. This crib is insane. I need a crib like this, though. I see the rain. Drove outside or whatever. I had the Tahoe at that time. And he was like, yo, I just bought this Range Rover, but they delivered to me in champagne. I don't even want this bleak. You can have it. And I'm like, what, you just gonna give me the. He like, yeah, man. I don't Want this? They gave me the wrong color. I'm gonna order the one in white next week. I'm like, oh, you could keep the. I don't want the bitch back. I'll take the rage.

[Jim Jones]

Keep her, please. Word. Where's the car?

[Memphis Bleek]

Straight up. Like, I'm gonna leave the Tahoe here. I'll come back later, bro.

[Jim Jones]

That's the type of money it was getting, word up. One of them gave Beans to Brown Bentley. And that was big, too.

[Memphis Bleek]

Both of them. Dame and Biggs gave Beans the Benz.

[Jim Jones]

This was amazing.

[Memphis Bleek]

Amazing, amazing.

[Jim Jones]

Back in the day, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, you know what's crazy? I would tell you a funny story, baby. I think. I think it was Biggs who told me this. Know why he got rid of his bit while he was like, yo, I don't want this no more. Because when you drop it off to get repaired, they don't give you a loaner car. So he's like, I don't want this.

[Jim Jones]

That's how much money these things. Ridiculous. Ridiculous.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, I used to look at them like, what, bro?

[Jim Jones]

Bro. I remember the dame dropped the egg on his house floor in Alpine. Like a Washington drop an egg. And we gonna go and watch a movie. When we come back, it's gonna be cleaned up.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, bro, yo, bro, yo, yo. Dang was awesome. Oh, my God, they had the chef.

[Jim Jones]

Let's talk about baseline. I want to tell people about his story. Yo, will you save my ass?

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, baseline.

[Jim Jones]

Baseline over guts game.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, people don't know, right? When you walk in the casino and you play the car three. The game Three card poker. We played that in the studio, and it was called guts.

[Jim Jones]

And it was nasty.

[Memphis Bleek]

And the definition of this game, it's everybody. It'll be me, Jim, Juan, Ho, Kaiser.

[Jim Jones]

Kaiser, Big dogs, Big Dog, Rip, roll over.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah, word up.

[Jim Jones]

Guts, everything.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yo, so the Potter start off $5,000. Now, mind you, you got five, six people playing. Only one person could win the pot. So imagine if four of y' all called guts. Remember, only one person win. So the three losers has have to match the pot. So if the pot was 5,000, now it's 15,000. And that's how it kept going up, kept going up, kept going. And hov used to do. Some used to just call, like he said in the rhyme, I'm calling guts every time, even look at the cards, guts.

[Jim Jones]

But sometimes it'd be real, because then I'm telling you the story. I never forget. We in there, bro. I'm telling you, it was three. It was happened three times. In a row. We in here. I got two kings. I say guts.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep.

[Jim Jones]

Jay got two aces, right? Cool. I believe the grand was like three grand, right?

[Memphis Bleek]

Went up.

[Jim Jones]

I had to put the three grand back. Got the cards again. It was the same thing. I got two kings.

[Memphis Bleek]

You're not throwing two kings in. I don't care who you are.

[Jim Jones]

Jay got two aces again, my nigga. Now this shit just double. I gotta put in like nine grand or ten. Whatever I had to put in.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep.

[Jim Jones]

The dealer cars again. I got two aces. I'm popped. Now, now, popped. I ain't got no money in my pocket at all. I'm done for. I got two exes, I lean over, I show that. Yeah, I can't lose. You got money in your pocket. You're like, yeah, hold me down. I go home and get you. I get some money. I need this the next. I got you. I said guts. I see them here. I got mine and ran the out of there playing with them.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah. Jim was like, yo, yo, that good looking bleak.

[Jim Jones]

Word up. I got throw these in out of there, bro. But yeah, them Gus games was serious. My losing they life on them guts show, bro.

[Memphis Bleek]

Remember we used to play ceelo on the pool table too. Everything losing stupid money.

[Jim Jones]

So I don't know. And. And it's not to talk about J, but he got and that baseline that couldn't lose. Yo, bro, I went in there one day, it's just me and him. We end up playing pool, right?

[Memphis Bleek]

Oh, yeah. No pool.

[Jim Jones]

Look, you know I know how to play pool. I'm spanking this thing. Look, crack, boom, ball going. I hit all the balls in, no hormone. Hey, yo, pause.

[Memphis Bleek]

We grow from Holland.

[Jim Jones]

That don't matter if we grown this get out of line. I had all the the rocks in.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yeah.

[Jim Jones]

And I have one from the table. What you think he do?

[Memphis Bleek]

Came back and ran the table. Ran the table, ran the table.

[Jim Jones]

I was, yo, you know, for me, that's a victory I need.

[Memphis Bleek]

It's not even about rap. Shit. Yo, this is about to tell n. I smoke. That's right. That's right. Yo, bro, him and Juan, I ain't gonna lie, are probably the best pool players I ever played against. Because they let you rap and they tell you you miss game over. Just grab the rack.

[Jim Jones]

No, I'm new in baseline.

[Memphis Bleek]

Yep.

[Jim Jones]

I'm coming with my Harlem shit. You know me. I'm thinking I'm lit.

[Memphis Bleek]

You missed once. Just grab the rap between Jay and Juan is crazy with that. But as far as like I remember one time gambling with HOV and he know this is facts. He don't want no smoke with me. Cee Lo, we in baseline one day gambling, bro. And you know Jay, he's shooting the bank every time. 5,000. Shoot it six, 10,000. Shoot it six. 20,000. Shoot it six. 40,000. Shoot it six. 80,000. Shoot it, bro. It went up to a buck 60. All my kids, that nigga, yo, he never touched the dice. That nigga looked at me and was like, bleak, I'm going go get this money for you. But I'm never fucking gambling against you again. I don't know who the fuck you are. I took about a buck 60 from Hov and I gave him the bread back. Only took 20 grand. It was. I could never take that from you. Looked out for the guard. He was like, that's why I love you, my little bro.

[Jim Jones]

How you feel about. Yeah. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleek]

For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit iHeartRadio app, Apple Punch 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.

[Jim Jones]

Have you ever heard a story so unbelievable it just had to be true? Roofman is the jaw dropping new film about Jeffrey Manchester, played by Channing Tatum.

[Memphis Bleek]

A man who becomes infamous for breaking.

[Jim Jones]

Into over 40 McDonald's through the roof, then secretly living inside a Toys R Us for six months. With humor, suspense, and heart, Roofman is.

[Memphis Bleek]

A cat and mouse story that will keep you hooked until the very end. Don't miss Roofman.

[Jim Jones]

Only in theaters October 10th.

[Memphis Bleek]

And Doug.

[Jim Jones]

Here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.

[Jim Jones]

Cut the camera. They see us.

[Jonathan Goldstein]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty.

[Jim Jones]

Liberty, Liberty, Liberty Savings. Very underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts. There's a million things to stress about when flying overweight luggage. TSA lines, delays, overpriced airport lunches. Your rental car shouldn't be one of them with Avis. First, your rental comes with a personal concierge who meets you at arrivals, hands you the keys to a premium car, and refills it for you at market price when you're done. You've rented before, but trust me when I say you've never rented quite like this. Welcome to Avis first. Visit Avis.com to learn more Thursday Night.

[Memphis Bleek]

Football is on and it's only on prime video.

[Jim Jones]

You better look out. You better get ready.

[Memphis Bleek]

This week, it's a rivalry renew as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New York Giants. Oh, it's intercepted. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party, TNF Tonight, presented by Verizon. Not a prime member? Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Eagles and the giants Thursday at 7pm Eastern, only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[Jim Jones]

This is an iHeart podcast.