ROC Solid Live: Château de Cognac

Summary

ROC Solid Live: Château de Cognac — Episode Summary

Podcast: ROC Solid
Host: Memphis Bleek
Date: July 14, 2026
Location: Live from Château de Cognac, Cognac, France
Guests: Puzo (Tommy Vegan), Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)

Episode Overview

This special episode of ROC Solid finds Memphis Bleek and his longtime associate Puzo (aka Tommy Vegan) broadcasting directly from the legendary Château de Cognac in France, home of D’Ussé cognac. The show delivers an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at the hustle behind launching D’Ussé, memorable moments from years of both the music and spirits business, and brings in Sullivan, D’Ussé’s expert brand ambassador, for a deep dive into the rich history and technical artistry of the cognac itself.

Throughout, the conversation flows between wild industry stories, candid friendship banter, reverence for French cognac heritage, and true hip-hop energy — culminating in Sullivan’s passionate teaching about the origins, making, and future of cognac.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of D’Ussé: Hustle and the Hip-Hop Connection

• How it began:

  • Memphis Bleek recalls reaching out to Jay-Z for an opportunity outside of music, leading to his involvement in launching D’Ussé.
  • Quote: “Yo, Jay, the music ain’t going down. I need something else, man… He said, you ready to work? You can’t be showing up to the meeting smelling like weed, Bleek.” (05:00, Memphis Bleek)

• Early grind:

  • No salaries – only commissions per bottle sold.
  • The street hustle mentality applied to building the brand: “I used to sell fireworks, crack, whatever. I could move this.” (05:32, Memphis Bleek)

• Puzo’s involvement:

  • Instrumental in making the first key sale of 100 cases to La Marina nightclub through savvy industry connections.
  • Quote: “He said, what was it gonna take to get Jay here? And we said, 100 cases and the boat dock.” (07:32, Memphis & Puzo)

• Overcoming resistance:

  • Major liquor competitors allegedly paid venues to keep D’Ussé off their shelves.
  • Even internal jealousy — other ambassadors back-dooring Bleek’s accounts.
  • “They didn’t take you serious as an entrepreneur yet, you know what I mean?” (09:40, Puzo)

---

2. Bootstrapping, Distribution & Street-Level Expansion

• Grassroots sales:

  • Puzo recounts moving bottles directly out of his car trunk before proper distribution.
  • “It was like selling out of my trunk, like bootlegging.” (09:48, Puzo)

• Reward and Transition:

  • Bleek’s sales volume outgrew the commission system and forced a switch to salary.
  • “They said, Bleek, we no longer give you commission. You bleeding us dry. We gonna give you a salary.” (08:33, Memphis Bleek)

---

3. Château de Cognac: The Heritage and Unique Experience

• The chateau experience:

  • Both hosts reflect on the sense of history and craftsmanship at the Château de Cognac and encourage listeners to tour if possible.
  • “The way that it’s made, everything is done here is unique… It’s a history lesson.” (10:06, Puzo)

• French culture & energy:

  • Contrasting the energy of Cognac, Paris, New York, and New Jersey, the hosts dwell on how transformative travel and work in France has been.

---

4. Personal Histories, Friendship & The Role of ‘Connects’

• Unfiltered stories:

  • Bleek and Puzo reminisce about shared pasts, weed connects, hilarious border-crossing stories (notably almost being denied entry to Canada due to Bleek’s old charges), and family legacy.
  • Memorable Quote (Canada story):
    • “They said, your friend is definitely not coming into the country because he has, you know, 50 arrests for marijuana… I made up a whole story that he has to perform with Jay. I’m gonna get fired.” (18:23 - 18:56, Puzo)

• Grind culture:

  • Exhausting work travel — five cities in one day, hours in cars, constant hustle.
  • “Going on tour with you is exhausting… You sleep for three hours and your door is getting kicked in.” (22:50, Puzo)

• Recognizing each other’s contributions:

  • “I've been on the road with you. Oh, no. I had to earn it. This position wasn't given to you either.” (24:55, Puzo & Memphis)

---

5. Impact and Legacy of D’Ussé in Hip-Hop and Beyond

• Brand-building vision:

  • From “D’Ussé Mafia” merch (denied by Jay-Z at first, but eventually embraced) to local liquor store expansions and events.
  • “Nobody ain’t gonna wear no liquor brand on they chest. And I was like, what?” (25:57, Memphis Bleek on Jay-Z's skepticism)

• Cultural significance:

  • Sense of pride for introducing D’Ussé to new markets and fighting for shelf space.

---

6. Masterclass on Cognac: Sullivan’s Deep Dive

Segment Start: 28:35

Sullivan, D’Ussé Brand Ambassador, joins to give:

• The history of cognac and Château de Cognac:

  • Built in the 10th Century, became a royal castle in 1494, started making cognac on-site in 1795.
  • Cognac invented through accidental discovery: Dutch traders distilled French wine for preservation — “brandywine” becomes “brandy.”
  • “The greatest things in life happen by accident.” (33:04, Memphis)

• What makes cognac ‘cognac’ — not just ‘brandy’:

  • Cognac is a brandy, but made exclusively in the Cognac region under strict regulations.
  • Quote: “All cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are cognac.” (33:29, Sullivan)

• Origins, production & aging:

  • Stepwise distillation process (wine → “brouillis” → “eau de vie” → aged in cask).
  • Aging definitions: VS (2 years), VSOP (4 years), XO (10+ years).
  • “How do you achieve consistency in cognac with your raw material always changing? By blending different vintages.” (39:38, Sullivan)

• Cultural context:

  • Cognac is exported 98% from France; barely consumed domestically in modern times.
  • Cognac’s historic place in American cocktail culture — origins of the Sazerac, Brandy Daisy, sidecar, and even the margarita (Spanish for “daisy”).

• Modern D’Ussé’s goal:

  • “We wanted a cognac that could be sipped neat but also shine in cocktails— to change how people see cognac.” (51:47, Sullivan)

Notable Quotes:

• “Some of the greatest joys we enjoy in life happen by accident.” (33:13, Memphis)
• "Cognac is one if not the most regulated spirit in the world." (41:04, Sullivan)
• “Change your margaritas, your pina coladas, your sidecars. Put that D’Ussé in there and change your life, man.” (53:57, Memphis)
• “XO is mixable too… It is deucelicious. You can mix it.” (54:28, Sullivan)

Fun moments:

• Bleek and Sullivan laughing about how the French invented liquor "to cure disease" — “It cured us with moderation!” (39:20, Sullivan & Bleek)
• Custom cocktails: “D’Ussé with apple juice, with a bit of Coca Cola to give it some pop.” (52:15, Memphis Bleek)

---

7. Hip-Hop at the Château — A Moment for the Culture

• Landmark event:
  • Tomorrow’s music festival performance at Château de Cognac marks the first-ever hip-hop show at the ancient site.
  • “The first time in the history of the castle of Cognac… Hip hop gonna be played and performed.” (55:09, Sullivan)
  • “The king rolling over in his grave. He’ll behead all of us.” _(55:16, Memphis Bleek)**

---

8. Closing Banter: Competition, Friendship, and Culture

• Classic Bleek/Puzo ribbing:

  • Debates about who’s better in basketball, who’s blacker (“I’m blacker than you, Bleek!”), and who can out-game whom—stretching to video games, cooking, and even potato sack races.
  • “I'm Sicilian, yo… I'm blacker than you, Bleek.” (57:57 - 58:00, Puzo)

• **Anecdotes about hanging in hip-hop circles, being a fan of the culture, and getting “invited to the barbecue” despite being Italian.

• The essence:

  • This is a group that’s lived hip-hop, built brands from the ground up, and carries both the swagger and respect for their journey.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Some of the greatest things in life happen by accident.” — Memphis Bleek (33:12)
• “Cognac is one if not the most regulated spirit in the world.” — Sullivan (41:04)
• “Change your margaritas, your pina coladas, your sidecars. Put that D’Ussé in there and change your life, man.” — Memphis Bleek (53:57)
• “The king rolling over in his grave. He’ll behead all of us.” — Memphis Bleek on performing hip-hop at the Château (55:16)
• “It went from Daisy to Jay Z. You heard?” — Puzo, connecting cocktail history to hip-hop (63:14)

---

Important Timestamps

• 02:47: Live from Cognac, France – opening toast
• 03:52: Recounting origins of D’Ussé and Bleek’s transition from music to business
• 07:31: The pivotal La Marina 100-case deal (“100 cases and a boat dock”)
• 09:16: Discussing adversity from competitors and within their own team
• 10:06-10:40: Puzo’s passion for the history and experience at Château de Cognac
• 14:54: History of touring and feeling the special energy at the Château
• 18:00-19:01: Canada border incident and importance of ‘the connect’
• 28:35: Sullivan (Brand Ambassador) joins for cognac masterclass
• 33:29: “All cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are cognac.”
• 37:45-41:04: Cognac production, blending vintages, legal regulations
• 48:12-49:00: The forgotten legacy of cognac in classic cocktails
• 51:47: D’Ussé’s modern mission and the VSOP decision
• 55:09: Hip-hop’s first-ever performance at the Château
• 57:57-61:00: Competitive banter, cultural nods, “invited to the barbecue”

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Final Thoughts

This episode blends true stories of Black entrepreneurship, hip-hop grind, and cross-continental camaraderie with an infectious mix of humor, knowledge, and reverence for cultural tradition. For fans of ROC Nation, spirits, or just great storytelling, it’s rich with detail and personality.

Stay solid. Stay Roc.

Transcript

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[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, you know what it is? Exclusive episode of Rock Solid podcast. Yours truly, Memphis Bleak. Live from Cognac, France, man. Chateau de Cognac. And this is brought to you by Advanced Productions. My guys holding me down, but let's toast to my partner, Puzo in the building, AKA Tommy Vegan.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yes, sir.

[Memphis Bleak]

When you see the sign, that meant the Mafia is in the big magnifique in here, man. What's up, my guy, man?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Nothing, man. Just. It's an honor to be here, yo. On this journey back again.

[Memphis Bleak]

We was just here in September.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's right, during the Super Bowl.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying? We was here in September during the Super Bowl. We didn't make it to New Orleans. And it's crazy that all the flowers, everything was dead. It was cold. We was running around. But we had to come to the Chateau. But why? I got my guy, Tommy Vegan on with me right now because. Cause he's a very, very important person when it comes to this brand. Do say because when we first launched the brand, who got the call?

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Poos.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Nah. Yeah, we started this. Like I said, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. What year was it actually? 2012, I wanna say.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, it was 12 years ago. We in 2026. So, yep, 2014.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And you had run up to the office to talk to Jay and, like, the rest was history. I think from there you said, I needed the opportunity to work, do something different. The music thing was in and out. Like you weren't really into it at that time.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, no, no, don't keep it clean. Tell me that shit was dried up like the wet.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You could say that. Say that part.

[Memphis Bleak]

The music was dry. They wasn't checking for bleak.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

But I was just in the right place at the right time. I had driven you to the office

[Memphis Bleak]

that day, you know what I'm saying?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And then you came out with the bottle, if I believe I'm correct, right? And you said, we need to start making some moves, yo. And then voila.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's crazy.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Voila.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let me tell y', all, that's real scenario. So I called Jay, I tell him, hey, yo, Jay, the music ain't going down. I need something else, man. I wanna. I wanna try something outside of being an artist. And he was like, yo, you ready to work, man? You can't be showing up to the meeting smelling like weed. Bleak.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

This is.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, you can't be sleep at the meetings. Wilding out. So I'm like, nah, man, this ain't bleak. This is Malik. I really, really need a shot, bro. Give me some. So he like, all right, I got something for you. Come to the office, you show me the bottle. We take a shot. And he like, bleep. You think you can move this? And I'm like, of course. Now, Pooz was downstairs, because at this time. That's right. The office was just built. Remember, they didn't have the parking lanes.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Just started off.

[Memphis Bleak]

Pooz was holding it down. So we didn't get a 225 ticket. That's how they bang you in New York. 225 or 125. One of those.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That part.

[Memphis Bleak]

So Jay gave me the bottle. I'm like, yo, you know me. I'm a hustler. I used to sell fireworks, crack, whatever. I could move this. So he like, show me what you could do. I go downstairs to the car. I show Poozo the bottle. I'm like, yo, Pools. HOV said, if we can move this and turn this up, we could take over. Pooh said, I got you Bleak.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, from there, I mean, it's like the wheels turned.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, I'm not even gonna take the credit, because all I did was seal the deal. But Pooh said, yo, I'm gonna make one call to my man Mateo.

[T-Mobile User]

No.

[Memphis Bleak]

What's.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Fernando Mateo? Yeah, Shout out. Fernando Mateo.

[Memphis Bleak]

So, now, mind you, I didn't know who he was. Tell him who Mateo was.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Matteo. He. Well, he's. He's just the guy uptown, if, you know. You know, he ran all the cabs services. He owned La Marina, which was the biggest club at the time. La Marina was. Wasn't even Amarina. It was just.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was just. It was just the west side.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

They were just building it, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

He was just opening it.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

He was. He was getting ready to launch, you know, at this. At the right time. So we had brought the. The.

[Memphis Bleak]

So Pools off the rip. Call me. Bleep. My man uptown got a new club called La Marina. He want to buy 100 cases. You got to come here. You got to meet me up here right now. So I'm like, all right, let's shoot up there. I get to the meeting. It's the representative for the NYC Taxi Cab Commission. Yeah, it's like anything ever happened in NYC with the. With a taxi. He was on the news. I don't know Spanish, so, you know, that's what he was, like, going hard representing for the Dominicans. Anybody. Any immigrant, Mexican, Dominican, any Latin descent, he was representing. So to see him at the meeting was like, P. So for D say, how the hell you know the cab

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

dude, the taxi dude, Shout out Gordo and Vic Medina, too, on that journey, they.

[Memphis Bleak]

And he wanted to buy a hundred cases. His whole thing was, yo, I'm like, yo, you buy 100 cases, I guarantee Jay gonna pull up. Remember, at this time, I'm like, yo, you gotta have a boat dock built. Cause Jay wanna come in on the yacht.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

He said, what was it gonna take to get Jay here? And then we said, 100 cases in the boat dock. 100 cases?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, 100 cases in the boat dock, right? We never got the boat dock, but we got the 100 cases moving. And you know what's so iconic about the 100 cases? Cause when they first started Doucet, it was no salary. There was no, yo, you gonna make this much a month, you're gonna do nothing. It was commission. It was like, yo, for every case you move, Bleak, we gonna give you $50 off a case. So mind you, Pujo went, I went crazy with the honey off the.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I went crazy with it.

[Memphis Bleak]

So then I called my bro, uncle bi. Brooklyn liquor store we've been going to my whole life.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Hit up Brooklyn, you know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

Shout out my dog Mike over there. You know what I mean? Myrtle Ave got the liquor store booming our whole life. Go talk to Mike. Mike bought a honey. Then I called my dog Fred C out Vegas.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's it. Expansion.

[Memphis Bleak]

The Palms Casino.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Time to expand.

[Memphis Bleak]

Went on the list.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Time to expand.

[Memphis Bleak]

I got a call to the office. You know what they said? Bleak, we can no longer give you commission. You bleeding us dry. We gonna give you a salary, and we gonna hold you there.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And now you have to keep.

[Memphis Bleak]

Continue doing your thing, though.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You have to keep in mind, that was 2012. So fast forward here. We're in 2026. And to be here at the Chateau is something that you can't even describe.

[Memphis Bleak]

But I just wanted to bring you through the journey, like back in the day. Remember, I don't like bringing up other brands, and I'm not gonna name other brands, but it was difficult to get Doucet popping. Remember, it was another brand out there paying bars, clubs, and restaurants not to put us on the shelf.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Right? Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So we had to deal with all of that. You know what I'm saying? And, like, think about it. We even had haters on our team. I even had ambassadors that will find out I got a certain account. Remember, we got love and lust in Brooklyn.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

A lot of jealousy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, we had a. It was another Doucet ambassador who went to the club and told the promoter, yo, don't deal with bleak. He's a rapper, man. You want to buy Doucet, come to me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

They didn't take you serious as an entrepreneur yet, you know what I mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

Poos, man. The ride has been crazy, right?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Right.

[Memphis Bleak]

How much Doucet you done had in your truck?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Oh, God, it was like selling out of my trunk, like bootlegging. Know what I mean? At that time, 2012, it wasn't distributed yet, so we had bottles coming from here. Cognac. And then when you get to. You know, I highly recommend if you get to come out here and come on a tour and just experience this entire.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is amazing. Look how far we came.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah. This entire. The way that it's made, the way that everything is done here is unique, and that's what makes it special. So I don't think to say is really in competition with anybody else because of the history of the. Of the castle and the way that everything is done here. It's just different. It's a history, you know, It's a history lesson. It really is. And I'm a nerd for that. So, like I said, the energy. Just when you come here, if you get a chance to visit Chateau de Cognac, highly recommend the tour and the people here. Everyone here is incredible. So shout out to Advanced productions and all the people that work at the museum.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, but you said it like, we about to log off.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, not logging off. I just got here to meet everybody, so I'm just. I'm still blown away by the whole,

[Memphis Bleak]

like, Tommy Vegan is in his element.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, I am.

[Memphis Bleak]

He's in. Relax. I wish you would have saw Tommy Vegan in Paris.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It's a certain kind of energy here, you know what I'm saying? It's different than being in New Jersey and New York, you know, where we're from.

[Memphis Bleak]

So where we mobbing? Mashing?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It's a different. Different energy here. So what's the energy?

[Memphis Bleak]

Tell me. You lit.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We lit right now. You know, like, just left Paris and did a couple days there. I know you had your daughter at. At Disney.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You know what I mean? Real boss.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's like a woman talking about, yo, Jay, man, it's like.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It's like a workation for you, though.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo. When they gonna take their kids or they girl out?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Listen, I don't know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Don't worry about what they worry about the rap side? No, no, don't be the family side.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

But yeah, Disneyland do say just, you know, like I said. And I was out here when I was younger, at 21, I didn't get to really experience Paris. And then running around, you know, with you on tour everywhere, being able to come back here and experience it as an adult, it's a whole different vibe.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, but let's give them some history about you, man. Like, yeah, thank God everything is legal now. Rest in peace to my bro Ralph. Ralph was my dog. If you seen Ralph hit video. He the reason the doors was up in the truck.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's right.

[Memphis Bleak]

Gave me all the whips, laced all my whips off with my guy. But he used to brag about this guy who had good weed in Jersey. Used to be like, yo, my bro Puzo, he got that fire blue. I'm telling you, you gotta meet him. So one day we ride bikes, you know, I mean, going to Bear Mountain. And he like, yo, my boy live right over here. Believe. Let's stop by the crib. I'm like, all right, I need some weed. Let's pull up. The one time, My God, Tommy Vegan actually had good weed.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's. That's how you're gonna. That was how you're gonna drop that?

[Memphis Bleak]

The first day I met him, the pack was fire. Me and my man Saffy, Shout Out Safi. We was pulling up to the crib buying zips. I think you lost that connect. Cause you fell off.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, not at all. You're just. You're a connoisseur. So it's hard to keep a client like you happy all the time.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

You know what I mean?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Because you have a different kind of, you know, taste bud for the bud, you know, so it's different. You're very hard to keep satisfied in that department. Because I feel like you're traveling all over the world. So you have the opportunity to smoke on all kinds of exotic cigars.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, I recognize trash.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Personally, I'm only. What do you mean?

[Memphis Bleak]

I recognize tr.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

How'd I go from such a great thing to such a trash?

[Memphis Bleak]

I just asked, did you lose your connect?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

What do you think are baiting and switching on you?

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't know.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I thought you lost the connect, but

[Memphis Bleak]

now I'm the connect. Like, you see how life work. He started out as my connect, now I'm your connect.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Well, there's an element of truth to that, though, if you think about it. Because what you and Fred built with mind, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm Saying mind, right? Exotics, you know what I mean?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It did surpass me because you guys actually started growing your own. So I never. I never had an opportunity. I never really had an opportunity. I was always trying to pay someone to do it for me, you know what I mean? So when you guys, I saw you building that, yo, part of the business.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is the. This is why we connect. Because, you know, they used to say back in the days when hydro and first came out, right? Who had it?

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

The white boys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

We did have me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You're right about that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Look at my guy.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

But you, you would know better because, you know, it started in Holland, started in Amsterdam. So, you know, those old growers, Jack Harrier, Northern Lights, all those old strands, they came from Holland. And then what happened is they. They migrated over to California and then Cali took over. So, you know about that. You've been in Amsterdam how many times in your life?

[Memphis Bleak]

Four million times?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, four million.

[Memphis Bleak]

Paris. Three million times.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

I've been to cognac twice.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Right, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

So we gotta add some more time.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We should talk about that too. So we were out here during the Super Bowl. We gotta. We gotta bring that one back. And then we got to take the tour here. It was absolutely incredible. Once again, I can't stop talking about it because of how incredible it is. That being said, I said, how can I get blik back here, yo, to, you know, to do some kind of an event or do something. So lo and behold, Sullivan. Shout out. Sullivan put us on.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

There's a music festival in Cognac July 2nd. So I said to myself, we gotta make this happen. Because I don't think a hip hop artist, let alone an artist, has ever performed at the Chateau Cognac. So that being said, it's history being made here. And then, you know, we were able to make this happen. So shout out Sullivan for having us, you know what I'm saying, and making this happen. But the music festival I'm most excited to see because last time we were here was cold. We didn't get to really enjoy this.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, we got shorts now. You know, I mean, I got on my East Hamptons, the river.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

So the. The drop is beautiful here. So I'm excited for that.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm glad you excited because, you know, you the hype man.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I. I know. Listen, we. We talked about this. I know pretty much like 90 of your lyrics. So in my head I'm thinking to myself, maybe I could be an artist one day.

[Memphis Bleak]

You could be the hype man. Tomorrow, I want to see how.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, I got a. I got a team of people.

[Memphis Bleak]

We was rehearsing right on the back. We rehearse it. My man was helping me because I forgot some of the lyrics, but he like, yo, I know all the lyrics, so he helping me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's not my man.

[Memphis Bleak]

I was telling him he was one second behind.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's not. Not. I'm always gonna be. Because I'm a fan, man. At the end of the day. So I grew up listening to your music, Ja Rule, you know, all that coming up, so. Nori, I grew up on all that music, so at the end of the day, you know that. That, to me, I know every single line of all those tracks you could play, but I never performed, so I'll never be able to. People don't realize that's one thing. I've been on the road with you forever. That's how difficult it is.

[Memphis Bleak]

What's your favorite trip with me? We've been everywhere, man. So what's your favorite?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

There's a lot of them, bro. There's a lot of them.

[Memphis Bleak]

My favorite. I would. I'm gonna let you answer it. What was your favorite trip?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

For me? For me, it was Aruba. Just because that was right around the time you were about to get married. And it wasn't really. It wasn't really any work stuff involved. We were able to just, you know, chill out, see the island kind of

[Memphis Bleak]

vibe, relax, drink Doucet, you know, Boo Sandman, Wee wee.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Saying that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah. The latest trip we've been on was

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Canada, Toronto with superstar Jay.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't know who we was with.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Vancouver, Toronto, you went with me.

[Memphis Bleak]

But when we got to the border, I was with you.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Actually, as a matter of fact, you wouldn't have got in the country if it wasn't for me, because that's what I said.

[Memphis Bleak]

You went with me. When we got to the border, I was with you.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We won't get too specific.

[Memphis Bleak]

No get spec. Because they don't want to let me in. This is when we was illegal, so I used to know. No, no bull, right? I'm gonna tell y' all real quick. Recap. I used to get locked up for weed every week in New Jersey. In my town, it was a captain who had, I don't know, shout out exit 117. He just didn't like me whenever he seen my car. Pull that over. So I remember telling this cop, yo, I'm not the average dude. I don't sell drugs in your community. I'm just coming through and you just, for some reason, always pulling me over. I got no problem with y'. All.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Harassment.

[Memphis Bleak]

Straight harassment. So I called my lawyer and I told him. He says, the chief. The chief not supposed to be with you. So the chief, we went. My lawyer, when sued them, did this for harassment. He got fired. Long story short, here we go. Going to Canada. All his charges fucked me up. They didn't want to let me in Canada. They said, you got too many charges. Go home.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Let me take over from that part. So I'm at the window and we're talking to the lady for immigration, and they're like, well, your friend is definitely not coming into the country because he has, you know, 50 arrests for marijuana, and that's not happening. So I was, you know, he's about to curse her out.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I was. I was crazy.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Please stand aside. Let the Italian handle it.

[Memphis Bleak]

I gave her one.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I had a little, you know, I had a little talk with the lady. I got her supervisor over. I said, he's gotta perform with Jay. I made up a whole story. I don't even think we were on tour with Jay or anything.

[Memphis Bleak]

We wasn't. We wasn't.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I just made up a whole. Yeah, I think I made up a whole story that he has to perform with Jay. I'm gonna get fired.

[Reese Witherspoon]

Yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

We was with superstar Jay.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I made up a whole story. A bunch of stuff.

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[Memphis Bleak]

Awkward time to ask this, but.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Hey, did you download the trail map?

[T-Mobile User]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I. I don't understand.

[Memphis Bleak]

You're trusting your signal out here.

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I'm trusting T mobile. They have the best network. And if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Memphis Bleak]

Whoa, I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Reese Witherspoon]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

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[Reese Witherspoon]

Reese Witherspoon here. Checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[T-Mobile User]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Reese Witherspoon]

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[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

But anyway, eventually they let us in the country.

[Memphis Bleak]

Word.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And I did. I pulled my finesse, you know what I mean? And I made that happen. We were with superstar J2 and then we took the whole tour. So we were in Toronto, I believe. Then we went to Winnipeg. We did a couple tracks shout out to shout out P. Silva.

[Memphis Bleak]

And Winnipeg had us in the track.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, did a couple tracks in the snow.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's my favorite trip because Superstar J even bring that trip up to this day where he legendary, legendary I Ain't know where you was taking us.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, it was, I think it was five cities in six days. I think it was and it was.

[Memphis Bleak]

We did Winnipeg, Edmonton, a bunch of.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We did.

[Memphis Bleak]

The coldest place you could ever go besides Finland. Finland too, yeah.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, Winnipeg is, is. Yeah. Negative five, negative six. You know, sub temperatures. But a lot of people don't realize you're an exhausting person, bro. Since we're going to break it down and get raw with the like, how that happen? What do you mean? Going on tour with you is exhausting. So let that be known. It's not a time like you think you get to enjoy the cities and have a good time with bleak. Get up, we gotta go. Get up, we gotta go. It's non stop. So it's an exhausting process. So since you wanna go through it, people probably get the wrong misconception of what it is. We're not in Toronto, relaxing, hanging out, playing Drake. There's none of that. You go to bed, you sleep for three hours and your door is getting kicked in. There's no grace period. So you know, it's work. It's always work.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't think nobody could do the work we did. We did five cities in one day.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It was a. Yeah, it was like I said, it was six.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, just in New Jersey, remember we just did five cities in one day. Remember not even.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We did what the Baltimore DMV joint.

[Memphis Bleak]

We did Brooklyn, remember we started in Brooklyn, went to Manhattan, shot two podcasts, Delaware, drove to Delaware to meet somebody to do a walkthrough at a grove, drove to D.C. right, to go test mind, right? New product, drove back to Delaware for another walkthrough of a. Drove to New Jersey, shot another podcast, drove to New York, shot a video with Smoke Dizza, and then Woke up at 7am the next day to fly to another city.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's what happened again.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is how we.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

The mileage, the mileage is different, you know what I mean? But it started in cars now, now you're really up in the air now though, so. So it's elevation, man. But like I said, behind the scenes a lot of people don't realize the work that goes into it to prepare to get to this point, you know what I mean? So you know, it's hours and hours in the car, hours and hours on the phone, hours and hours of non stop, you know, so that part, I salute you. Because if it wasn't for the hard work, we definitely wouldn't be here. And this position wasn't Given to you either. Let that be known. I've been on the road with you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, no. I had to earn it. James thought I was going,

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm on your show now. But to get. Give you your flowers.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's what's so funny. Jay thought I was gonna play with this, that I wasn't gonna take Duce serious. His whole thing was, I know you gonna show up toward me, they gonna call me. You gonna miss meetings, they gonna call me. He said, I'm just waiting for it. Bleep. I went, so, man, this my shit now.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You can't. You can't blame him because he's known you since you were a kid. So still, it's the same way. You hire like you give. And that's another thing. You gave a lot of people positions and jobs and opportunities and other things. Not just Doucet, but the Doucet thing. It opened up my lane for me. I mean, I made a huge.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, it was Doucet name for myself.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Just through that lane. Yeah, it was Doucet Mafia. You know, that was the original thing that we coined.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Remember we made. Yo, remember that? I remember telling Jay to give us the budget to make the club Doucet Mafia one day.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And he told me, yeah, we had them.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nobody ain't gonna wear no liquor brand on they chest. And I was like, what?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Remember we went and made the Doucet Mafia hats, Then we made the Dulce Mafia shirts.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Because he came back, it was like a season desist.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, he came back to me, it

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

was like a season desist.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay, you on the song.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah, right. Yeah, right.

[Memphis Bleak]

You on the sub, little bro. We started this whole movement. That's why it's an honor to have you on this with me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, I appreciate that, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

At the chateau. Come on. Chateau Nicole.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I appreciate that, man.

[Memphis Bleak]

This castle was built in 1030.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah. 10th century.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's got almost a thousand years ago.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And then.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

And then fast forward. Sullivan will be on next, I believe.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

To give us a little bit of a break.

[Memphis Bleak]

Give y' all a history of the cognac.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Incredible. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Just to break down everything.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Not to give away too much.

[Memphis Bleak]

We don't. We don't want to give too much, but I want you to understand what this brand really mean, because this brand is coming to take over.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, it really is made with love. I mean, you can take the tour. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

At first, we came to conquer the dogs. We did that. All dark skinned collide. All dark skinned fam. You with me lock in. We did that now we coming for the whites. Anything you mix tequila, anything you mix vodka with, you put this in it, you change your life. Bet you never had a Doucet pina colada. Never had a du say margarita. You never had a Doucet sidecar. Never had a do say dear Summer, you know what I'm saying? Dear Summer, Just know we not playing if I do say so myself. All right, you already know what it is. Yours truly bleak. We back at it. Rock solid podcast live. Chateau de Cognac, man. We out here. Cognac France. Welcome my guy, my man, Sullivan. The best ambassador, the brand ambassador, the best mixologist, and one of my very, very good friends, man. You know, I met you over at Glass Doucet and we built a very, very genuine, great relationship. Where we talk next, we just gotta get our kids together. Cause you in Florida, that's the next step. But last time you gonna know my guy, he definitely popped up on us at the live Doucet event, Roots picnic. Sullivan was there. This time we get the real, real history of the brand. We here, like I said, man, we at Chateau de Cognac and Cognac France. And this is all about Doucet. And what better way to get the history and the history of the chateau, the history of France, and the purpose and importance of cognac from none other than you, my brother.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Wow.

[Memphis Bleak]

The best man to do it.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

That is an interesting.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying? What's up, my brother? How you doing?

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

You know, man, it's good to see you again at the show.

[Memphis Bleak]

I got you, man. You the best dressed man. Like, I gotta get, like, you don't worry. Five more. Ten more pounds. Ten more pounds. I'm going down.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Like, you know, like, that's quality. That's pretty. I need to look as good as

[Memphis Bleak]

the breadwinners, you know what I'm saying? That's right. You looking good, my brother. For sure.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

But yeah, now we are the Chateau de Cognac. Full of history, man. I'm happy that you are back here because we were here like four months ago.

[Kohler Ambassador]

Yes.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Wintertime, it was cold, it was dry. You can see cognac in a.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was no grapes on the tree.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

It was no grapes.

[Memphis Bleak]

It was grapes on the trees. Everywhere you go now, it's grapes. I see why they call it cognac.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

You see, because like, the grapes are starting right now. We're going to harvest them in September and then we're gonna start making cognac. Should we dive into how what is cognac you know, that's the thing that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let's get into it, let's break it down. What is cognac?

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

What is cognac?

[Memphis Bleak]

My good friend, what is cognac? People don't even know what they drink. And they drink it. They love it. They don't even know what it is. So give them some science, give them some history to it, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

How deep in history do we go?

[Memphis Bleak]

Let's go deep. They might say, Paul is where I'm from, but shit, women love when you go deep.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So let's go deep for the woman and to make you understand what is cognac. So we have to situate the space. Right now we're in Cognac, France, in the southwest part of France. That's right about like 400km of Paris. I don't know how much it is in miles, but it's done in the south.

[Memphis Bleak]

Listen, in miles is about a good. I say probably like 500 and some change because it's what, 5 hours and 45 minutes by car. Yeah, so it's about 600 miles, almost.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

No, we don't drive as fast as you do. Like, I think that would be like 200 miles. 230, 240. But so in the south of France, like not far from Bordeaux, this region was part of the Roman Empire during the third century. And they noticed. I'm talking. We're talking about history, right?

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right, the third century, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

They noticed the soil was really felt silent. And they're like, let's just start to grow grapes in the region. So this became kind of a wine region. Fast forward, we go to the 12th, 13th century. We had an issue with the. The march land just up the. The coast of France. And we didn't know how to clear the. The floating. So we called the Dutch that had some techniques to help us do that. So they came, they helped us out there and they started to trade the goods of the region up there. So we had a good quality of salt. They started to take the salt because Dutch have been trading everything in the world. That's what they did.

[Memphis Bleak]

Because they the ones smoking that bud. They had all the mental ideas. Let's go. We got you. You need help? Light up one. We got the plan. Let's go. So I love the Dutch and I

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

guess they were a bit high and they were like, oh, look, there's this beautiful river which is the Charente river. And that river goes all the way down to cognac. This is the river that just passed down the Chateau Right here it goes all the way to Angouleme. So they took that river, they came down, and then they saw that we're making wine, so they decided to trade this wine. So 13th century, the wine trade started in Europe, and so they took the wine here, they brought it back to Holland. But by then, we're not putting any sulfides or anything to keep the wine steady as we do today.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

You know, like the organic ones that we have, the Frankie ones that we have today, that was the one that we're drinking back then.

[Memphis Bleak]

So by the time it got back

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

to Holland, it wasn't as good as it was the bracket. So they were like, what are we going to do with that much French wine? So they decided to distill it because they were already making genever, which is the grandfather of the gin. So they knew how to distill. So they decided to distill this wine with the idea that by distilling this wine, they'll get a concentration of aromas that would give them kind of like the essence of the wine and then top it with water. And they would drink it like this to get the wine back. It didn't work out this way. It just created a whole new flavor, a whole new product that they were calling brandwinde, which means in Dutch, burnt wine. Because to distill, they were burning the wine, it was turning into steam and became a liquid again. And they were just drinking with water. And it was a fantastic drink. Right. British people are like, we love what you guys doing with the French wine. Up in Holland, we cannot pronounce it Bren Winch, so let's just rename it Brandy. That's how the word brandy came to life.

[Memphis Bleak]

Wow. So brandy was originally invented in Holland by them messing up, transporting the wine from France.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

Insane history happened by accident. Yo, you. Some of the greatest things in life happen by accident.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

That's what we're having to look up.

[Memphis Bleak]

You already know. Some of the greatest joys we enjoy in life happen by accident, for sure. So that's an amazing story. And I know they call it Brandy because like they say, all brandy is cognac, but all cognac ain't brandy.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I'm sorry, my brother, you got it wrong. All cognacs are brandies, but not all brandies are cognac.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That.

[Memphis Bleak]

See, there you go. I knew the slogan. I just had it backwards. A habit because.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So the. The first alcohol that got the name Brandy was the beginning of cognac. And now brandy is the Word that we use for any fruit, distillate, which is why you have apple brandy, peach brandy, cherry brandy, all those type of brandy. When you use a fruit, you can call it a brandy. Now, to be cognac, you have to be made in the region of cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know that's about to be here.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Here. The grips are all around the city.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, everywhere.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And so those Dutch kept on coming to France, getting that much wine, shipping back to Holland, distilling it. And that was like a really trendy northern Europe way to drink. And at one point somebody had an idea, he was like, why do we keep going to Koniak to take that much wine? And we go all the way up to Holland, we distill and we have that much, that little of distillate because you lose so much in distillation. And so somebody had the idea to bring the steel in cognac. And so now French people started to find out, oh, that's what you've been doing with our wine. Because they were just selling, trading the wines. They had no idea what was happening up there. And so they got into the process. So they were seeing that the Dutch were using like a specific still distilling wines, drink it with water. And the thing is, like when you put the wine into the distillation process, it comes out as clear as water, like a vodka or gin. Like that's clear.

[Memphis Bleak]

This is why you need the cognac.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Tour, gentlemen, come to the chateau. We'll show you the whole thing.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And so when they brought the steel in France, people started to. The French people started to understand what they were doing and they got involved in the process and they added a layer of complexity by double distilling. So that will raise the ABV and give you something more pure. And that was the very beginning of cognac. So now again, the Dutch keep on trading the liquids. So this liquid, now that was distilled in cognac was put into cask, because that was the only way you could travel, you could ship things. So they put the liquid into cask and now they go back to Holland, they open the cask, the liquid is brown. So that's when we started to figure out that, oh, we can age it and it gets better and better. And then the first connect houses came because again, like when they were distilling it in Holland, they were just getting the distillate and drinking straight with water. So everything was clear.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And now the liquid was sitting into the cask for several Months or years. And then it got brown and they're like, okay. Because of the exchange of the liquid

[Memphis Bleak]

with the wood, we have barrels that's in this castle. Older than in our country.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Oh, yeah, we do.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's insane. I know. I've seen it.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Oh, no. Older than the country. No, we have. The castle is definitely older than the country. We started making cognac. Like, the very first cognac house was created in 1619. So America was already around. The constitution wasn't.

[Memphis Bleak]

Then we celebrated 250 years, man. You talking about 1619.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Well, we're about to celebrate in four years the hundred. The 1,000 years.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, I know, I know, I know. Four more years. Here we go.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

We built this castle in 10:30.

[Memphis Bleak]

10:30. Insane.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So that's the. And that's part of the French history, because I'm jumping back into cognac in a minute. But this castle is the history of France, is the history of cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

It's the history of the French Renaissance was born here, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

This castle was built in 1030. It became the Royal Castle of Cognac in 1494 when Francis I, the king of France, was born. In the room just behind there.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

History, history, history, bro. History. 1494.

[Memphis Bleak]

History, social studies. Can't teach you this.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I mean, I got. I had to come here to learn about it. Me too. Like, I didn't go to school on the ground.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Yeah.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Even in the historic books, I learned about the first. I didn't learn about the Chateau de Cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

Me neither. Until I came here and until I met you and then we did the tour. That's why I needed you to enlighten the people on what they drinking, what they enjoy, because they don't understand the making of vsop. Like VSOP and exo. Like, tell them the age difference. It takes five years. The age. VSOP it takes.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So basically, cognac. The process to make cognac is you take grapes that must be grown around a specific perimeter around the town of Cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

You take those grapes, you harvest them in mid September, you press them, it gives you a juice. You let this juice ferment, or you add some yeast. It gives you a wine. A wine that you cannot really enjoy is not a drinkable wine. So then you distill it, but you would distill it two times. So we have a specific, like alembic charente. It's a pot still made fully out of copper. And this has A way to kind of like burn with like an open fire. It burns the wine. The wine turns into steam. Steam goes into the swan neck. We're going to put a picture of the alembic champion distiller machine.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes, I know, we got it.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

That will help.

[Memphis Bleak]

We go show them some footage of it.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And then you have like this liquid. You put your wine as about like 12% ABV into this Alembic or steel. The first distillation will give you a liquid that we call Bruy, that is about 30% ABV. That's what the Dutch used to drink with water. That's the first distiller. Then the French came in and added, you take that Bruy and you put it back into the distillation for others around. And then it gives you the eau de vie. Odevi means water of life. Because, you know, all the alcohols were created at the beginning with water. The sense of curing disease. The water of life. Like, drink a beer and, you know, it helps.

[Memphis Bleak]

So all they created liquor and wine and all that to cure. It cured us.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

It cured us with moderation.

[Memphis Bleak]

Always with moderation, but it sure cured us.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

But so you have this eau de vie that then will go into casks for several years, minimum of two years, to be able to have the label cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And the thing is, your raw material is grapes. And every year the grapes change the same way you have vintages in wine. How do you achieve consistency, Consistency in cognac with your raw material always changing? Because if you like this really nice Petrus, Chateau Petrus, I know you like the good Bordeaux wine, chateau Petrus of 2012, the 2015 would taste different. And that's what you like in wines, because there's different ways of enjoying it because of the way the climate impact the grapes. How much rain, how much sun. All of this cognac, the king cognac is consistency. Yes, but how do you achieve consistency when your raw material is always changing years after years? They came up with the idea of blending different years together. So now we get into the subject. We have three main categories in Cognac. We have vs. That means very special. That would mean that the youngest eau de vie inside the barrel has spent a minimum of two years. That's the bare minimum. Then you got V as well.

[Memphis Bleak]

We don't want that.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

We don't want that.

[Memphis Bleak]

We don't want that. You want vsop.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Then we got vsop. Very superior. Old, pale.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

That means the youngest per Million of four years. And then exo extra old. It's a minimum of 10 years. And that's for every cognac houses. So we have those rules that are regulated by the BNIC Bureau, national anti professional de cognac. It's basically the office that rules and regulates everything. When it comes to cognac, Cognac is one if not the most regulated spirit in the world. There's so many rules that you have to follow to create cognac. That is really hard to make about cognac. I mean, like, you have so many rules. That's why I love cognac. It's a beautiful category, It's a beautiful spirit. But of course, I love Dussel the most because of the way it's crafted, the way it's made to kind of change the vision on how you perceive cognac, bring some modernity into cognac. And that's what we've been doing, like at Chadon's Cognac again, that's a castle that was built in 1030. But we started to make cognac in those walls in 1795. Again, I was saying the first cognac house was created in 1619. So 1795, we already knew what was cognac. How was cognac performing? What you need to get good cognacs. So there was this guy, Baron Hotel, that wanted to create his own cognac brand. He was looking for the right place to make cognac. And 1795 will acquire six years after the French Revolution, no more kings. Right? So we're like, what to do with all those castles? And they put this castle up to auction. And this one merchant visited the castle and bought it for one purpose, to create this cognac brand. Because the thing, the particularity of this castle, we have like 10ft wide walls and the fits right in the Charente river. I mean, the river is right here, right there. And so this gives us two different climates.

[Memphis Bleak]

We can take that river to Amsterdam.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Yeah, you take the river, you go all the way up to the coast. And we up there, that's what we do. We do the trade trip.

[Memphis Bleak]

They was trading that yaya. They would drink that yay for that wine in casks.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Imagine the edge. Cognac in an old cannabis cask.

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[Memphis Bleak]

Awkward time to ask this, but hey,

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

did you download the trail map?

[T-Mobile User]

Yeah, no, I don't need to.

[Memphis Bleak]

I don't understand you're trusting your signal out here.

[T-Mobile User]

I'm trusting T Mobile. They have the best network and if we end up in bumtots nowhere, well, we've got T Satellite for backup.

[Memphis Bleak]

Whoa, I don't trust my carrier that much.

[Reese Witherspoon]

We'll just use your phone as a flashlight.

[Boost Mobile Advertiser]

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[Reese Witherspoon]

Reese Witherspoon here checking into my favorite hotel in Paris.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Bonjour.

[Target Advertiser]

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[Reese Witherspoon]

I'm traveling with my Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card. So I earn rewards wherever I book travel. Five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Phew, that was a lot. I need to lie down. Is the room ready?

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[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, so my thing is, right, we enjoyed cognac for so many years. A lot of people enjoyed it straight. Like what I love about what we created with Doucet, we was able to blend what people enjoy straight and then what others enjoy. Cosmopolitan cocktails. Like you would say, you know, you invented the blend of both here in France when people weren't doing that. What was your drive and your vision behind?

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So that's what like, so I've been working with Zuse for seven years now, but I've been in the hospitality for 20 years. That's where I put my career. I love doing this. I love this industry. And I noticed in my bartender that cognac wasn't really used in cocktails. I mean, like in bars, you could see like 15 tequilas, 20 whiskeys. I don't know how many vodkas, because vodkas was really hot. It's still super, super hard.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, Vaga was booming.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

And. And you know, I was looking to cognac because I just had an epiphany when I was living in London when I was like 20. And the thing is, I had to be in London to discover cognac. Wow, that's a French spirit. And then I said about in the career, and I noticed cognac wasn't using cocktails, wasn't using bars. And so in every bar that I worked, I pushed for cognac cocktails because with this epiphany, I called it, at the ratatouille moment, I had a really high end cognac. I was working in a restaurant and the bar manager after dinner gave me a massive glass of cognac and I could sip on it. And in ratatouille, when that piece of cheese close the eyes, the fireworks. That's what happened to me. I was 20 years old. In France, you are allowed to drink from 18. Okay, wow. So I was 20 years old. I wasn't underage, and I had these moments. And then I came back to France and realized cognac wasn't really celebrated. So I started to push it and all the bars. And I worked in Australia, I was putting cocktail with cognac on the menu. Then I came back to France. Was part of the opening of a cocktail bar, focusing on whiskies. But while I was in that bar, I was starting to discover the other French spirits, Carvado, salmagnac. And I fell in love with those. And so with a friend of mine, Romain, we opened le Syndica in 2014, which was the very first and only cocktail bar in the world, using only French alcohol in order to showcase the craft that we have in France, to be proud of our liquors. Because the thing is that 98% of cognac is exported in France. We don't drink cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

I know. That's when I tell people that, that yo, when you come, like, think about it, I'm in Paris, I called you like, yo, bro. There's no way I could find a bottle of Duchet. It's insane. They don't sell it anywhere. And we have to change that. Because it's not like the French don't love cognac. But I don't understand why they don't sell it.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

They don't know much about it. In a way, that for us is our grandpa's spirit. Because commonly in France, we've been enjoying cognac or all those other liquors at the end of the meal, like just neat, straight. So that's the vision that we have when it comes to cognac. The thing in America, cognac, we forgot about this. But cognac was one of the most used spirits at the beginning of the cocktail culture. In 1850s, when cocktails were created in New Orleans or somewhere else in America, cognac was the most readily available spirit. And a lot of classic cocktails were created first with cognac and then other brands, other categories. And we forgot about that because of two big moments within the world. So again, the cocktail era started in 1850s in America. The Sazerac was one of the first cocktail created with cognac. It was recreated with cognac. The Brandy Crusta created in New Orleans, was the first cocktail with lemon juice in it. And so this inspired bartenders to open other to create other recipes using fresh juices. And you see like from the Brandy Crusta. So there was a guy called Joseph Santini, he had a bar called Jewel of the south in New Orleans, and he created Brandy Cresta to be like the most sophisticated drink back then. So there was that cognac, orange Liqueur marasquino liqueur, lemon juice and shaken, a bit of soda, nice sugary and a big peel of lemon. And that was like the wow cocktail of the era. And everybody was really raving about that cocktail. And bartender started to look into this, okay, this is a bit of too much work. So let's just kind of like dilute it down. And they created the brandy Daisy. 1876 was the first time there was a mention of the Brandy Daisy, which was cognac, orange liquor, lemon juice and soda water. A really refreshing drink. And then came the Whiskey Daisy, Rum daisy, Gin Daisy. But if you look at the way brandy daisies made in 1870s, it was basically the sidecar which is the most known cocktail with cognac is a result, is a daisy in a way. How do you say margarita? Oh, how do you say daisy in Spanish? Margarita. Margarita is a daisy. So what I'm doing right now with Doucet is really reconnect everybody about like the mixability of the fact that cognac has always been used in cocktails. But like, there was the Fellowshire crisis. It's an epidemic that destroyed all the vineyards in France and Europe. So we couldn't make any more wine. So we couldn't make any more cognacs. Or bartenders had to swap recipes to keep the recipe alive, but not putting their hand on cognac. Then they put whiskey, they put rum, and then the prohibition happened in America. So another way like cognac step back from being the first thought product in cocktails. But I think what I love with Doucet is that we are created here in the chateau. As you were saying, it is a modern cognac. It is a cognac to make cocktail with. Because we've been making cognac since 1795 when we created Ducey. In 2012, we created it knowing how people drink today. So they still love to sip on their cognac, but they love to mix it too.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Which is why we went straight to the VSOP to have again four years old, to have a cognac that has a lot of body, that can be sipping for any cognac amateur. And then that has a lot of body that shines through any cocktails, anything.

[Memphis Bleak]

So when you drink a Doucet water, I'm over here with Doucet apple juice right now.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I'm just having the same way the Dutch were drinking like this bran winch. It was like the wine distillate with water. I'm just having doucet and clear water, still water.

[Memphis Bleak]

And I got Doucet with apple juice with a little splash of Coca Cola to give it that pop and not. But you know, we'll use Doucet with anything.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

We're gonna have the dear simmer cooked it too.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yes. We gotta make the dear summer cocktails. For sure. We gonna have that. That's a must.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

So this for me was again inspired by the daisy. How to bring modernity. So honoring the past with the daisy, but creating a modern cocktail inspired by you. Right?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah. You asked me for you like, yo, what's the favorite fruits? What's this? What's the flavors you like? Ah, ah. And then you came up with something. I'm telling. I've been getting calls about it all summer. Every event, people like, yo, they told me bleak, you had something to do with the dear summer drink. That drink fire like. Yeah, I gotta get my hands on that recipe.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

We're gonna have on tonight or tomorrow during the show.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

That's a fact. But it's like.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

D' you say Saint Germain? Because you gotta put that liqueur. Guava syrup. Cause my man love that syrup. Because there's exotic notes.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know, My first trip to Hawaii changed my life. I'm a guava man now.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Guava man, frankly, guava man. A bit of lemon and of course you like your beverage, so Turbo Prosecco.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right. Gotta put the bubbles, man. Yo, Sully, man, I appreciate you. You already know do say brand is what it is because of guys like you. And I want everybody to understand and know when it comes down to mixing the drink. This guy got all the recipes. We gotta somehow get the recipes out where we need to give it to the people, you know what I'm saying? Like, I have the. It's like a dictionary book. I don't know. You created this.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

No, that was before my time.

[Memphis Bleak]

Okay, but I know some of your cocktails is in this book.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

They on the website. But we are redesigning the website. So take onduse.com. later in the year we're gonna have a whole new website. Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

So people gotta understand, man. Trust me. Change your margaritas, your pina coladas, your sidecars. Put that Doucet in there and change your life, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

It works in every cocktail. Try in the espresso martini.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, my Jesus. Espresso martino. Oh, my Jesus, man. That's it. It tastes like it should be illegal, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I had one with xo. You gotta try an exo exposo martini. Phenomenal.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, we on one we on that.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I mean, like, XO is mixable too.

[Memphis Bleak]

That is right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

It is a higher skew. Our exo is 10 to 20 years with a 15 years average. It is deucelicious. You can mix it.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You can.

[Kohler Ambassador]

You.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I mean, like, I like it neat, I like it on the rocks. But I also like it in the good, good cocktail.

[Memphis Bleak]

That's right.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

But if you want to put some fruits, some lemon juice. The VSOP was created for that. So have fun with it. Anything. Work with Juicy. I'm telling you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Really, anything.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Trust anything.

[Memphis Bleak]

Magnifico.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

My brother.

[Memphis Bleak]

My brother.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Thank you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Come on, man. Come on, man. Anytime. You're welcome. This is your house, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Did you tell them that tomorrow you're performing at the Chateau?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, they know tomorrow is the performance at the Chateau. They know we. This is what we do.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

The first time in the history of the castle of Cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

Hip hop.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

Hip hop gonna be played and performed.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm be honest. The king rolling over his grave. He'll behead all of us, man.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

It'll be dancing on your head, bro. Definitely.

[Memphis Bleak]

They hang our hat on the bridge. Love, my brother. Cheers. Five minutes, my guy.

[Sullivan (Brand Ambassador/Mixologist)]

I appreciate you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Come on, man, let's go. You know what it is, man? Got my guy Puzolino back in the building. We out here, man, but I ain't gonna front. You was acting a little shook, like it's your first time. Like. Like you just met a chick. I just had.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Do say with water, do say with pineapple, do say with soda, do say with apple juice.

[Memphis Bleak]

You activated with everything.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Do say over everybody.

[Memphis Bleak]

You active.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I had to get my a little bit of sip on to understand what it was.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ready?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm ready. I'm ready right now. I'm feeling great. I'm out here in Cognac, France, for the music festival.

[Memphis Bleak]

Let these guys know though, man. They talking out there reckless. Tell them we about to get on

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

a. Yo, we don't ever talk reckless over here, though.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tell them, listen. Let them know pools. We about to get on that culture every day. They want them topics. They want us to talk about them topics. They want to know why Jay been on the pod.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

There's so much to talk about. They want to compare.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo. They want to know why Jay been on the pod.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

They want to compare us to gq, which is. It's an honor.

[Memphis Bleak]

Thank you.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Because I don't even know how I belong in the conversation.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

There's, you know, there's a whole nother level to the game. When I saw that, I said, wow. They compared us to gq.

[Memphis Bleak]

We lit.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Thank you. You heard.

[Memphis Bleak]

I like that. You see, you can't rhyme in that.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You can't rhyme. I've been around some of the best writers.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, Dior, you rubbing off some of the best writer. The golden pen too much. You're in the studio with Dior writers,

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

some of the best brilliant people in the industry. So I've been able to sit and be a fly on the wall in a lot of rooms that I didn't belong in and shout out to you for that. Like a lot of different situations.

[Memphis Bleak]

No, man.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm like the janitor in the room. Like, I'm just soaking everything in. And I applied a lot of that in my life. What I did my other endeavors to. To that. Because I'm not a music person, but I learned through you people like Dior, you know, Bank. Shout out. Bank.

[Memphis Bleak]

Rest in peace.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Black Rob was. Was originally my. My family.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying?

[Kohler Ambassador]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm saying that's where I met the pools. We're hungry with black.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm a fan, bro. I'm a fan of hip hop. I'm a fan of the culture, so let them know. A lot of people call me a culture vulture because of my skin.

[Memphis Bleak]

Nah.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

So I had to get. I had to get a tan in cognac.

[Memphis Bleak]

You heard? Yeah. John Wayne with that. This is my black.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

So I can get invited to the barbecue.

[Memphis Bleak]

You've been at the bar. Yo, listen. Yo, chill. I'm Sicilian, yo.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm blacker than you, Bleak.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, chill. I took this dude to a soul food spot in Brooklyn, yo. What was the soul food spot we went to in Brooklyn? They gonna kill me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I couldn't think of the name. If I know.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, my God.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yo, it was a food chaser. It was a food chaser, yo.

[Memphis Bleak]

Oh, I took them to food chases in Philly. I took you to a spot. We went to New Orleans.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It was a food cheese.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, this guy about. Yo, listen, Pujo.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I showed my roots.

[Memphis Bleak]

He might be wearing champion hoodies and discus sweatpants at night when he not with me. I show my roots.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I show my roots. My family is originally from Corleone and Naples, so I'm Southern Italian.

[Memphis Bleak]

If you see this man in the pair of construction tims and some Carhartt jeans, just let him be on his way. He going to the soul food restaurant.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Stop it. Stop it. Thanks to Bleak, I got invited to the barbecue. But that being said, I'm better At basketball. Than bleak. I could jump higher Than bleak.

[Memphis Bleak]

Never. White men can't rhyme like bleak. White men can't jump. We've seen the movie.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Listen, your man Cheech will tell you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Cheech. Yo.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Advanced production. The best shooters.

[Memphis Bleak]

Dominicans can't play basketball either Productions.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

The best shooters in France, but Tommy Puzo, the best shooter in New Jersey, Al Harrington. Everybody. Bring it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tommy Vegan.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Bring it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Tommy Vegan.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Bring it. Everybody wants. That's arcade games, video games, whatever games, leisure smarts. I'm your guy.

[Memphis Bleak]

He said, listen.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Any video games.

[Memphis Bleak]

Xbox?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Yeah.

[Memphis Bleak]

PS4, 5, 3, 2, 1. Original. Anything you want.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Smoke or game boy saying listen, I come from up.

[Memphis Bleak]

GameCube.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Riverside Church. Riverside.

[Memphis Bleak]

P.S. vita coach.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Ernie Lorch. Google him. Ernie Lorch.

[Memphis Bleak]

Dumb wrestling.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, stop it. Stop it. Riverside Church. Uptown was where it started.

[Memphis Bleak]

So before smoke and anything that take. That's competition.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Google that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Baseball, Roly, Poly Dodgeball.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

George Washington Suicide. Stop it.

[Memphis Bleak]

Coca Levia, Doucet. With water, hot peas and butter.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Do you say with water?

[Memphis Bleak]

Whenever they put it back.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Now, listen. Stop it. Stop it. Hold on.

[Memphis Bleak]

What they want to battle? Frisbee. Whatever I want to battle with, we could battle with. I play what they used to say. We all American sound like a.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

This sound like a Brooklyn versus Harlem rivalry. And I'm over the bridge in Northern New Jersey.

[Memphis Bleak]

You brought it back, man. That's what I'm saying. What they want better Colecovision.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Nah, listen.

[Memphis Bleak]

We got all the games.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I want to go on the record.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Pac Man.

[Memphis Bleak]

Ms. Pac man and Kid Pac Man.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I want to go on the record for competitive. Competitiveness.

[Memphis Bleak]

Atari and Atari 2600. I don't know about that.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You're like. You sound like. And Rabbit, you sound like a Something champs.

[Memphis Bleak]

Neo Geo.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Let me talk for a second. Let me talk for a second. Can I talk for a second? In competitive sports, right? When you grow up in Brooklyn and you play anything from beanbags to shuffleboard to basketball, anything competitive, even fire hydra, you go against a Brooklyn. Brooklyn cat.

[Memphis Bleak]

We battle everything.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

The most in the world. A lot of them will back it up. But this guy, Marcy.

[Memphis Bleak]

Battle with cooking pancakes.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Hold on. You're talking a lot, right? Omelette on your own show. Sully, thanks for the douche and water your guy bleep right now. Brooklyn.

[Memphis Bleak]

I'm just letting them know we competitive and everything.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I hate him so much. I hate him so much that I

[Memphis Bleak]

claimed grinding back flips, front flips, lds, Rodney, whatever they want to do, we can battle.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Rodney Danger doing the triple Lindy on

[Memphis Bleak]

the William Top backboard indoors.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Stop it. Stop it, bro. These Brooklyn dudes, man, let me tell you, like I skin. I'm from North. He's not going to stop.

[Memphis Bleak]

You want to put the quarter water in the tire motorcycle.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I consider myself from New Jersey, but I'm really an uptown dude.

[Memphis Bleak]

Even walking the fifth can't battle me.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

These dudes from Brooklyn. Brooklyn, they spit and they talk more than anybody.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, I'm just.

[Kohler Ambassador]

You.

[Memphis Bleak]

You started it. You said competition, so I just wanted

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

to let them know it's an ebony. And anything you want to battle with rivalry right now. We could battle Larry Bird versus Johnson.

[Memphis Bleak]

You heard all that stuff. We named Larry Bird Versus very diverse in a lot of different.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

A lot of different Michael Jackson.

[Memphis Bleak]

She said, that's right.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'll take Paul McCartney. I got you.

[Memphis Bleak]

What's up, Mike?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You can't moonwalk on nothing.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what I'm saying? But we battling these dudes. Whatever they want to do. Pointing, stare, contest.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You're saying cold water. You heard? I was put on by the locals.

[Memphis Bleak]

They want to all wrestle, thumb wrestle. I said that one.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Listen, our camera.

[Memphis Bleak]

Do whatever they want to do. Yo, whatever product y' all want, we on that type of Toby Sullivan drinking.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Hold on.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Shh.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Hold up a second. I gotta shush you.

[Memphis Bleak]

Shush me?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I have to. I'm the only one that can do that.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo, what you trying to shush me

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

to say after they show you.

[Memphis Bleak]

But what you shush me to say after they show?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You can punch me in the face,

[Memphis Bleak]

but what you shush me to say after this show? Punch me, but say what you shushing to say?

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Sullivan taught me about Doucet and cold water. It is a vibe. It's a movement.

[Memphis Bleak]

You lucky you said that.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

It went from Daisy to Jay Z. You heard? So the 30 year reunion is real. Yo, you just got it.

[Memphis Bleak]

You just got to 30 reasonable doubts. Thirty years later, after a sheet of paper was ripped out of notebook and told me it'll change my life. And God damn, has it changed my life. I wouldn't be here without that piece of paper.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Likewise.

[Memphis Bleak]

You know what it is? Doucet Mafia live in Cognac, France.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

Shout out King Francois live at Chateau de Cognac. Without him, none of this is possible.

[Memphis Bleak]

And with my man Puzo, we ready to battle. Y' all ain't gonna say anything.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

You say Mafia.

[Memphis Bleak]

You heard even I'm up.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

I'm out of here.

[Memphis Bleak]

What they. What they do? What white people, they be doing games

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

like, oh, wait, now we're gonna pillow

[Memphis Bleak]

sack racing and stuff like that, right? Maybe do a potato sack. Ebony and Ivory what they want to do limbo.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

We wanna hold up. There's no limbo lower now. We want ebony, we want Ivory, we want Doucet.

[Memphis Bleak]

Yo. They want battle with salsa.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

No, no.

[Memphis Bleak]

And the Macarena.

[Puzo (Tommy Vegan)]

This is Dominican Bleaks sounding off live. You heard?

[Memphis Bleak]

Yeah, we bad. Puzo tommy vegan. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows at. And you can follow me on any social media platform under the name Memphis Bleak. You see anybody frauding? Flag Em

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