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The 500 with Josh Adam Meyers
144 - N.W.A - Straight Outta Compton - Rickey Smiley
01:15:32
Rickey Smiley makes his debut on The 500 to discuss one of the seminal albums in all of hip-hop.
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- [00:01]
Ricky Smiley
Next Chapter Podcasts.
- [00:07]
Podcast Host 1
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- [01:07]
Ricky Smiley
This Labor Day at Lowe's Shop Member only Doorbuster deals for a limited time. Save $50 on an ego string trimmer now $169 plus get 50% off select Holland Pavers Not a rewards member. Sign up for free today but hurry Labor Day doorbuster deals won't last long. Lowe's we help you save valid through 91 while supplies last program subject to terms and conditions. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change.
- [01:35]
Podcast Sponsor Voice 1
This show is brought to you by Distrokid. Bring your music to the masses.
- [01:47]
Podcast Host 2
The 500 the 500 JM been walking us down through that 2012 edition so it ain't nothing to you Hundreds more to go and in need of us friend the king of peaceful angelo Talking the 500 until the end Talking the 500 until the end with my man JM on the 500 Talking the 500 until the end.
- [02:30]
Ricky Smiley
What'S up tell him where you from Straight outta Compton Another crazy ass nigga More punks I smoke yo my rep gets bigger I'm a bad motherfucker and you know this but the pussy ass niggas won't show this.
- [02:41]
Josh Adamyers
That is Straight Outta Compton. It's by NWA from their 1988 record of the same name. It's also number 144 out of 500 on the 500 with Josh Adamiers. What's up fleece army? I'm going through Rolling Stone magazine list of the 500 greatest albums all the way down to one. The reason this might not sound good is that right now I am on tour with Jelly Roll and my Europe trip kind of took a so I staying a lot longer than I thought. So we didn't bring the equipment because we did a lot of this shit ahead of time. So I Dude I Have so much stuff to tell you guys when I get back. Yeah, I guess Master Fleece theater would be the way to do it. Subscribe to the Patreon 500 podcast or the 500 podcast. It is worth it. And if you want to watch the podcast, there are two ways you can see me and my guests each week. YouTube or Patreon. Patreon's better. $5 gets you a little bit. Whole bunch of stuff. And for $25, you get co March. So I might be in Europe right now. We got a few more dates when I get back. I will be in Pittsburgh September 12th during the Mario Lemieux foundation benefit. I'll be in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia September 14th through the 20th. I'll be in Bahrain with Bilbao on the 25th of September. I keep wanting to say November and then Saudi Arabia. Then you can catch me in Naples, New Westminster, British Columbia, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, Janesville, Wisconsin, Phoenix, New Orleans, Baltimore, Charlotte and Connecticut. You know, all the big markets. I'm killing it with Santa Ana Pueblo. But, dude, if you're out there, come to a Show, dude. Josh Adamyers.com for tickets, come to a show. I promise you'll have a good time. So let's get to the episode the guest. This week we're gonna start the guest. The second of the record is that we all. If you're of this age, you remember nwa. If you're of this age, you and you have any idea of what was going on in the world or music, then let me tell you guys something. It will stick out when you listen to this record. And our guest today is probably. I mean, this dude is so perfect for this album. The one and only Ricky Smiley. You know him as one of the biggest morning show radio DJs in America. Hilarious standup comic from the Friday franchise, Def Comedy Jam. This dude is a legend. Yeah, man, this one's gonna be a fun one. Rave review and most Importantly, subscribe to the 500 listen free on all platforms or anywhere you get your podcast. Follow me at Josh Adamyers on all social media at the 500 podcast. For the 500 people, follow the Facebook group run by Crazy Evan. And for all things 500, go to the website the500podcast.com. All right, y', all not left to say, but here we go with number 144 out of 500 with NWA's straight out of Compton.
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Podcast Host 3
Ricky's definitely not joining us from Compton. I mean, he could be. Real estate's going up. All right, dude. All right. Bro. All right. Birmingham. Okay. Got a nice fireplace, cool art, ceilings for all the listeners. Let me shorten that. They need to know this stuff. Okay, Let me shorten that. And, Jer, I never.
- [05:59]
Ricky Smiley
It never.
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Josh Adamyers
Oh, there it is.
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Podcast Host 3
I got it.
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Josh Adamyers
Cool.
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Podcast Host 3
I got the research.
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Ricky Smiley
I need. I need to get on the weights so I could wear a basketball jersey.
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Podcast Host 3
Well, this. I ordered this one from China. It is, basically. It is. It is. I'm trying to find a Gilbert Arenas jersey for years, and the only place that I could find it is, like, these, like, bootleg shops in China. Let me tell you something, brother. It's. It's better than the authentic. It costs $30American, and no BS. I mean, I get so many compliments on it. It's better than the authentics. The only problem is it took seven months for me to get it delivered.
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Ricky Smiley
My God.
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Podcast Host 3
Wow. Yeah, they don't do China. This is before the tariffs. This is, like. This is a long time ago, bro.
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Ricky Smiley
That.
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Podcast Host 3
I got this.
- [06:47]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it took me six months. I have a fountain that I ordered from China. It took six months. Like, for real?
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Podcast Host 3
Yeah. China drags ass. I mean, they.
- [06:55]
Ricky Smiley
They get.
- [06:56]
Podcast Host 3
Look, you feel like they're getting out cell phones quick, and, you know, they get an iPhone immediately. But if you want to. You want to bootleg Jaden Daniels jersey, you gonna wait a long time, dude. I mean, I ordered my. I ordered my Jaden Daniels jersey as soon as the season ended. I still haven't gotten it. So give me an idea. Long ways from China.
- [07:19]
Ricky Smiley
Well, man, he's kicking ass. He's gonna do good for y' all team.
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Podcast Host 3
I know. I'm excited. What's. Who's your team? Who are you? Who you rooting for?
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Ricky Smiley
I mean, Cowboys and the Browns, man, but I don't want to talk about.
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Podcast Host 3
Oh, God, yeah, sorry. Rivals.
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Ricky Smiley
Alabama, Crimson Tide, though. How about.
- [07:41]
Podcast Host 3
Okay, I'll give you that. I'll give you basically an NFL team anyways. That's pretty much. I'll give you that, dude. It's funny. I'm gonna give you a shout right now before we get started. I'm gonna give you some flowers. So I'm on tour right now with Jelly Roll and Post Malone. That's why I'm in. To turn my phone off and.
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Ricky Smiley
Wow.
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Podcast Host 3
Yeah. And when I said to Jelly earlier. Oh, I gotta do, you know, because I had to do two podcasts, we. We. First one canceled. Thank God, because I wasn't prepared at all for it. This I'm prepared for because I lived this record. So good. But When I mentioned your name, he said, like, he's like, dude, he's one of the best radio DJs of all time, dude. One of the most influential people. Yeah, he. He knows you. And. And he. He really was like, tell him I said, hi. Tell him I'm a fan. So tell him.
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Ricky Smiley
He. Y' all perform at the beach at. In front of BA Hill Mar Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. I sat out on my boat and listened to the entire concert, telling I was listening from my boat.
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Podcast Host 3
Dude, dude, I heard. I heard Fort Lauderdale, and then the first part got all fucked up. So I'll tell them. I'll be like, you remember Fort Lauderdale? What was it? By water? Say it again one more time and then write it down. Jer, that's awesome, dude. That's. Well, you know, what's funny is, like, when she told me when Emily booked, you know, we were booking NWA and she had mentioned that she was gonna. You. I was like, of course. I was like, it just makes sense. Not only because, you know, you've worked in entertainment for so long, but being, you know, I'm 45. And so I got N.W.A. i mean, yeah, it was. Yeah. Well, when the record. Yeah, when the record came out, you know, I'm. Let me see how old I am. The first record came out on Straight out of Compton, was released January 25, 1989. And I'm so. I'm nine years old. I'm still making the crossover from listening to, like, rock and roll into hip hop. And I don't. I don't think NWA immediately got me. It really didn't get me until. Was it 2,000 miles and running? That was when I really. Their second record. That was when I really started digging into him, and I was really into hip hop. But, I mean, you were of an age that you're at the. That the place where this record was probably, if I'm. You know, correct me if I'm wrong, you know, it must have hit you in such a way. So where. So where were you grow up? And, like, kind of like, just give me, like, a quick little backstory about how you found this record and maybe before that, the hip hop that you were listening to. Because I argued and I'll get into this. I argued with this younger kid about how he thinks that new hip hop is better than old hip hop because it's newer. And I was like. I was like. He tried to compare it to, like, would you rather have a brand new iPhone or an iPhone one? And I was like, it's not the same, because there's no that without that. So. So tell me your story real quick.
- [10:44]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. Birmingham, Alabama, born and raised. I went to Alabama State University. And NWA was, like, hot. Like, when I was in college, on my way out of college, like, we was listening to nwa and before that, of course, it was like, you know, the Sugar Hill Gang, Curtis Blow. In high school, it was Dougie Fresh. Dougie Fresh came out. I was working at Showbiz Pizza. So I was like, wait, was there.
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Podcast Host 3
Like, a Chuck E. Cheese?
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Ricky Smiley
Yeah. So showbiz. It was Chuck E. Cheese first, and then showbiz took over. Then Chuck E. Cheese sued Showbiz, and now it's all Chuck E. Cheese. And, yeah, I used to work there. And I remember in the kitchen making pizza, us back there listening to hip hop. That's when I got turned on the Dougie Fresh. And then by the time I got to college, man, NWA was out. And it was like, that was the first time you heard cussing in the music. And so, you know, we was kids. We. It's like, you weren't supposed to listen to that, but we were all ears.
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Podcast Host 3
So.
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Ricky Smiley
Yeah, man, Easy, Eazy, Ice Cube, MC Ran Yellow, man. Yeah, man, that was. That was our joint.
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Podcast Host 3
So. So let me ask you a question, because you said something that was. That was really important right there. And you said it was the first time you heard cussing. I mean, there obviously was cussing in hip hop before that. Like, if I'm not mistaken. It's like. I'm not saying, like, Sugar Hill Gang. No, they never cussed. You know what I mean? Or, like. Or like Melly Mel or, you know, any of, like, what you would call the pioneers of hip hop.
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Ricky Smiley
But.
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Podcast Host 3
But. But 1989. I mean, I'm. If I'm. If I'm not mistaken, I don't have all the facts in front of me. But, I mean, public enemies out, you know, before that, at least it takes. The nation must have come out right around, because fear of a black planet, I think is 1990. God damn, I wish I had all this in front of me. Dude. Jer, correct my math as I go with this stuff.
- [12:55]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah.
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Podcast Host 3
You know, it's. It's one of those things when I. When I was talking to this kid. And I'll give you the quick story about it, Ricky, which is me and comedian Big J Okerson, we went to go see Wu Tang Clan's last concert at Madison Square Garden. And. Oh, wow, you know Jeremiah. Yeah, and. Yeah, and Wu Tang Clan, for us, us was like, I Mean, that was like. Yeah, it was like our life was one way. And then Wu Tang came out and my life was different. And, and. And it was interesting because we bring the kid and. And he's not. Not enjoying it. He's actually vibing off what we're doing. But on the. Two days later, we're leaving someplace and I'm giving the kid a ride home. And that was where he said that thing. He was like, yeah, it's like. I mean, Wu Tang's good, but it's like. It just sounds like noise to me, the way they're rapping. And then he's like. And I love all, like the new. That's all the melodic stuff. And. And that was like the moment I was like. I was like, dude, what you're saying is everything new is better than. Than. Than things like. And I brought up NWA is like, you have a group, nobody's done this before that got on their first record and said the Police. During a time when. Shit. And I mean, I lived in la, but I lived in LA by. I moved seven. So, I mean, I know it's still the Compton and Watts and places like that are still, you know, harder places to live. But I mean, in 1987, 88. I mean, like, what was that like? What was that like? You're growing up in the South. I mean, I'm assuming, you know, with good area, bad area. What. What's. What's the area like? I'm trying to get the full picture of everything.
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Ricky Smiley
I mean, it was. Where I grew up is kind of like middle class or whatever, but I'm a product of Section 8. But hell, we didn't know that we lived in the project because it was not a lot of crime. People kept the hood like, really nice. No paper on the ground. Everybody was nice to each other. People had gardens and stuff or whatever, but going to high school or whatever. We knew the song was bad. When the President of the United States was doing. Did a press conference about. I think it was Bush. It was the first Bush. I think that's when the police came out, man. And that seems like it tripled the amount of ears that it got because it was crazy. And people started to feel like that towards the police officers because that was a thing.
- [15:46]
Podcast Host 3
I mean, not only was that a thing, but it's like now you have somebody that's finally like. Because, you know, it's. It's like you. You hear about it, but it's not just, you know. And then like to say the black community where they obviously know that the police has been, you know, just. Just the way the police treats the individuals that live in the harder areas. But now it's spreading out out of Los Angeles, getting into places like where we grew up in Maryland, Whether it's the suburbs or the bad areas of D.C. it's like this. This is. There's. This is like one of, you know, the most important shifts, in my opinion, probably in hip hop, because public enemies doing the political thing, public enemies saying the same. But they're not. They're not. Dude, it's not the police, which. Which is such a statement just on that fact. The fact that they're cussing in it. And this is like, one of their biggest songs, like, ever. I mean, it's what, you know, was it. Was it. Were you guys just attracted to it for the message, or were you attracted to it just because, like. No, this is finally people are saying the shit that needs to be said.
- [16:59]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it was like finally people saying what needs to be said because police brutality was real. And I remember 79 when Bonita Carter got killed. It was a big riot in Birmingham, Alabama. You probably could Google it. Bonita Carter was killed by a white police officer as she sat in her car. She was shot in the back by George Sand. That was the name of the police officer. And I remember it being riots in the street, and I remember in the streets. And I remember police officers walking through our neighborhood, shooting out the street lights, telling people to get in the house and telling people to go in the house, and people were throwing bricks. And I remember it looked like it wasn't the National Guard, but the police officer was coming through, and you can hear the gunshots. They were shooting out street lights, whatever, because it was a riot. And, you know, when Reverend Al and Joseph Lowry, Reverend Jesse Jackson, they all came to town. It was a big march. It was a big protest. And that was the first time Birmingham elected the first black mayor. His name is Richard Arrington Jr. But that after police resonated, because people hated the police. And after that, the policing in the city of Birmingham, Alabama, definitely changed after that, once Richard Arrington became mayor. But that was a thing back in the 70s, people had an issue with racial profiling in our police office. So when that song came out, it was crazy. It was like people expressing themselves because they have always felt that way, you know, or whatever. Even still to this day, you know, I can still hear that song in my head or whatever. And even the nervousness of when I get pulled over by police, I Had a white police officer pull me over last year and just simply told me to just relax. Everything is fine. I just want to check. Because he felt what I felt, and he wanted to make me comfortable. And he said, relax. He said, you're in no danger. He said, you're good. You're good.
- [19:09]
Podcast Host 3
He's like, don't worry. He's like, don't worry. I saw your Def Comedy Jam set. I'm a huge fan.
- [19:18]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, no, no, no. I did run a red light one time. I got pulled over and I said, man, we just drove from New Orleans. We just trying to go to sleep, but we have some beignets, we have some. What's the cake with the baby in there? Whatever.
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Podcast Host 3
The baby.
- [19:39]
Ricky Smiley
You know, they have a little baby crown cake. The crown cake.
- [19:42]
Podcast Host 3
Okay, yeah, okay.
- [19:43]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, yeah, the crown. Okay. And we had some pralines. So I said, hey, but we got some stuff from New Orleans just to show that we came from New Orleans. And he took some and he ate it. And he said, all right, guys, go ahead, be careful. Other than that. So. But. But yeah, Police. That song still. Still in my head to this day.
- [20:01]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah. I want to ask you. I'm asking you a question after I say this one, because I want to see if it's ever happened to you, bringing up, like, some of the stuff you've done in your career. And obviously, you know, you're a person of influence and being an entertainer. Has your fame ever gotten you out of trouble with the Police? Because I went to go to. I mean, I've been in Europe for, like, about a month and a week now, and I went to London to go see Oasis. And on the first night, I brought. I brought, like, a weed vape and some candies so I could take it during the show. And I'm walking up Wembley Stadium steps, and a cop dog smells me. And I'm like. I'm thinking like, oh, this is nothing. Like, I. I weed on me in LAX all the time. And the cop, you know, the dog will just smell me and just move on. And I love dogs, so I kind of was like, oh, look at the puppy. And then the guy's like, I'm sorry, sir, I gotta. Gotta search you if you've got drugs on you. The dog seemed to have smelled something. And I'm like, all right. And then they pull me over and they. They take me to the side and the security searching me. I'm pulling everything out. Make me take my shoes off. They find the vapes. Or like, is this this weed. I'm like, no, it's. It's nicotine. And the guy's like, it doesn't smell like nicotine. And another guy's like, maybe it's cbd. And I'm like, yes, it's cbd. That's what it is. And then as they're searching me, somebody goes, I think I've seen some of your clips on YouTube. And I was like, oh. And because of that, they let me go.
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Ricky Smiley
Yeah.
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Podcast Host 3
Has something like that ever happened to you?
- [21:28]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it wasn't because of who I was, but I told him that I was a comedian. I was coming back from the show. I was in between Meridian and Jackson, Mississippi, and I got pulled over by a big cop that looked like he's played offensive tackle for Ole Miss. Yeah. And I said, I'm a comedian. I just performed. I'm trying to get back. All right? He said, I tell you what, you tell me a joke. He said, but it better be funny. I'll let you go. I said. I said, how do you want it? You want it clean or you want it dirty? He said, I like it dirty.
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Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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Ricky Smiley
And I told him a dirty, dirty ass joke. And that man about fell over his car, he was laughing so hard. Till another police officer came and they. They drew on me because they thought I had hit the officer, because why is this officer laid out?
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Podcast Host 3
Oh, my God, that's hilarious.
- [22:31]
Ricky Smiley
And then I had to tell the joke again to those officers, and they laughed they ass off and they let me go on about my way.
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Podcast Host 3
Oh, thank God, dude. That's hilarious.
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Ricky Smiley
Dirty, dirty, dirty joke. But it was. You remember it more funny than it was dirty.
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Podcast Host 3
Do you remember it? Can you tell it to us now? Do you remember the joke?
- [22:48]
Ricky Smiley
I told him that I had got. I got lost. I just picked the city. I said, yeah, I was lost in Jackson. I was trying to get back to Highway 20, and I was about to ask the lady for directions, how do I get back to Highway 20? But what I really noticed, that she was eating this big piece of watermelon, and she had her dress pulled all the way up and her legs open. And I said, ma', am, you must be trying to let that thing get some air. She said, no, it's not getting any air, but it's damn sure keeping the flies off this watermelon. So. Hey.
- [23:32]
Podcast Host 3
All right, we'll give you a warning. It worked for us. You're good. I don't want to. I don't know if I want to go over the full History of the band. But I know for certain people that might not have seen the movie, like, what'd you think of the. Would you. Before we get into the history, what did you think of Straight Outta Compton? The movie? I mean, did you feel like it captured the essence of what they did? You tell me. I watched it once. I thought it was good. It was entertaining, for sure.
- [23:58]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. I personally liked the movie. One thing about movies like that is so many parts you just can't tell at all. And you know, when you. When you start getting into movies like that, let's say, for example, like New Edition, where Bobby Brown has his own story, where Ralph Tres Vent has his own story, Johnny Gill has his own story, BBD has. Yeah. So you got, you know, you got all of the guys, you got Cube, you got, you know, Easy E or whatever. I think they did a great job and did the best that they could on trying to capture the story and tell as much as possible. I thought it was a great movie. I thought it really moved. It was never a dull moment or whatever, you know, So I thought the, you know, coming from the music industry, the entertainment industry, I thought the movie was great.
- [24:50]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, it was, like I said, extremely entertaining. I think the people that played each one of the characters did a great job. And I mean, I bet, you know, I don't think they're embellishing a lot of it, but it's. It's got to be entertaining. But the story, I mean, the story of this group is. Is pretty interesting. They're assembled by Compton based Eazy, who co founded Ruthless Records with Jerry Heller. Jerry Heller is going to be a big name that up later, Easy sought an introduction to Steviano. They initially rebuffed him, but he's impressed by the persistence and he arranged a meeting with Dr. Dre, which Dr. Dre, if you guys remember, was in a few other groups. You ever see like old pictures of Dr. Dre before he got into NWA? And you're like, damn, dude. Like, please never show these pictures ever again. That famous one where he's like, he's wearing that purple suit and he's like, yeah. You're like, dude, it's like, come on.
- [25:42]
Ricky Smiley
Man, I think we all have to take those.
- [25:45]
Josh Adamyers
Yeah.
- [25:46]
Podcast Host 3
I was like, dude, like, I don't. I can't believe I'm buying your headphones. Like, those are the. That's the gayest picture I've ever seen in my life. All right, so initially it consists of E and Dr. J together with fellow producer Arabian Prince Ice Cube. Is added to the roster. We started as rapper from the. He started out in a group called CIA Dre later brought DJ Yellow on board. Dre and Yellow were both members of the World Class Wrecking Crew, which is where those pictures were from that we just mentioned. Ruthless released a single panic zone in 87, which is later included on the compilation NWA and the posse. Through a bunch of different releases. The Boys actually during that time created the song Boys in the Hood. And I think Boys in the Hood.
- [26:27]
Ricky Smiley
Would you.
- [26:27]
Podcast Host 3
What was the first song that you heard by them would have been Boys in the Hood.
- [26:32]
Ricky Smiley
Oh, you talking about nwa yeah, the one that I know my memory and the one that I like. I don't think it was on that particular album. Album, but I like Find Them, Freak Em and Flee. That was my favorite. Do anybody remember that one?
- [26:50]
Podcast Host 3
I don't. I. Dude, I. It's funny, it's like I only really know this record. And then like I said, is it. Is it 2000 miles and running? Because I think I bought that one. I was never. Dude, during this time I was never a huge NWA fan. I'm not saying I didn't dig it. I was like Public Enemy, you know, I was. I was A Tribe Called Quest. I was like a lot of the east coast. I was a lot of the east coast hip hop man, EPMV. I loved EPMD also, dude. You know, I'm a 11 year old kid. I loved Kid and play. I loved the fun, you know, like Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody was. Was just. It was fun. But I also. Dude, this is. This is. I don't want to get off topic. This is aggressive. This is not, you know, like put it on and just vibe to it. This is like. You're listening to. This is like. I hate to say it, this is like I'm about to go beat somebody's ass music. You know what I mean?
- [27:49]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it definitely wasn't nothing that you just sitting up there like grooving to and you could dance off of, man. When you listen to those songs, you are in the car and you are listening to the lyrics like. But it's not music that'll have you get up and dance and put together a dance routine, you know what I mean? But that was the reason why I like Find Them FM and Flea because it did have a. That. It just had a good sound to it and it was, it was, it was dirty, but it was. It was jamming.
- [28:27]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So this record comes out January 1989. You say you're in college. I mean, I'm in maryland and probably 9, 10 year old kid. The first single released off of this record is Gangsta Gangster and then Express Yourself. Those are the two first singles they never released. Straight out of Compton, they never released. They did do music videos for it, obviously. I don't know if they. I think they did one for the police, too.
- [28:58]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah.
- [28:58]
Podcast Host 3
The album. The album ends up going simple, platinum. It became the first rap album included into the Grammy hall of Fame years later. And also this has been selected for preservation in the Library Congress National Recording Registry as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. Is this one of the most important hip hop records ever made? Do you put this in the top? Top 5, top 10, top 20? Where do you think this lays?
- [29:28]
Ricky Smiley
You're talking about the album on that particular.
- [29:30]
Podcast Host 3
The album. The album, not. I'm talking about Straight out of Compton. Is this. And I'm not saying the best. Do you know what I mean? But I'm saying important. Shifting. Shifting the music into a different direction because obviously this is the same thing I said about us hearing Wu Tang for certain people and for music. I mean, this is really. Is this the beginning of gangster rap?
- [29:56]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, I would say so. Because when you think about gangster rap at my age, which is 57, gangsta rap, that's probably the first gangster rap that I remember hearing. Was NWA as far as. As far as gangster rap? Yeah.
- [30:14]
Podcast Host 3
I mean, I don't think there. I mean, obviously it's like just the derivatives from this with Dre breaking off, with Ice Cube going in his direct. After this record, you know, without Dre leaving, there's no Snoop Dogg, I don't think. I think Tupac is the same person. If Tupac doesn't hear this record, he's still doing Digital Underground. You know what I mean?
- [30:38]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. I feel like coming from nwa, you know, and then when Ice Cube in the Lynch Mob came out, and then, you know, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac or whatever, you know, people was really feeling west coast music. But, but, but, but the music also became, like, jamming. Like, like really, really groovy. Like, like you could just, you know, like California, you know, it was. That was really a thing in the 90s, like when all of that music came out.
- [31:09]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, it's just. It's so funny. It's like I. I keep. As I keep thinking about this record, Ricky, the record that keeps popping into my head as. Not as culturally significant, but just as a record that. That literally got. You know, let's say this White people very scared. Was too Live Crew. Too nasty. Was it. What was the record Too nasty or nasty as you want to be? I think that's what it was called. And it's totally different, but totally different.
- [31:39]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it was more about sex with two Live.
- [31:43]
Podcast Host 3
Exactly.
- [31:44]
Ricky Smiley
And Shakes.
- [31:45]
Podcast Host 3
Yes.
- [31:45]
Ricky Smiley
Strip club up in the Rolex and with the club. Strip clubs in Miami. Was that. Was. That was a Rolex. In Atlanta, you have Magic City.
- [31:56]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, yeah. Oh, I've been there, dude. Dude. Like, I say this to you, Ricky. So anytime I do the punchline, I hit three places. I go to Mary Mac's Tea Room to go get some soul food. I go to Silver Skillet for breakfast, and then I go to Magic City. Usually go quite early because I want to get the wings. And I got to go to work. I still gotta do shows. And I go to Magic City. I literally. I'm the first in there, and I'm like, you got. You got a girl to get. We got one girl working. And I go, oh, cool, can you bring her out? I'm gonna throw a little bit of money. And they're like, okay, yes, Order the wings while I'm waiting.
- [32:30]
Ricky Smiley
Clapping up butt cheeks. And you got glitter all over your wings.
- [32:34]
Podcast Host 3
100, 100. I like trying to eat them. But, dude. But, dude, I. I swear to God, my favorite. My favorite conversation I've ever had at a strip club is I say to the girl, I go, is this fully nude? And she goes, oh, yeah. And they bust it open. And I'm like, they bust it open. She goes, they bust it open. And I'm like. Then I saw it.
- [32:56]
Ricky Smiley
They.
- [32:56]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, they busted open, dude.
- [32:58]
Ricky Smiley
My first strip club experience was with comedian Earthquake. I. I'd never been in the strip club, so I went Earthquake. To get me to my first strip club. So that's. That's how. That's where it all started for me. But. But yeah, man. 2 Live Crew, their music was just more explicit about sex than.
- [33:19]
Podcast Host 3
Yes.
- [33:19]
Ricky Smiley
Than gang and whipping somebody's ass.
- [33:22]
Podcast Host 3
Yes. But when my. My point was more about. It wasn't the subject matter. It was just. It scared white people. You know what I mean? It's like Tipper Gore. You were talking about Bush. Like, all of those people started putting the parental. That's. This is the beginning of the parental advisory stickers that on records, if I'm not mistaken. It was probably right around this time. But yeah, back to the formation. So they. They released this record. Obviously, like, it sells a shitload of albums, but really, it begins the beginning of the downfall, like, this is the only record that you're gonna get. Every member of NWA from this point on, it completely starts shifting and just the infighting, fighting over money. I mean, you find out that Easy E and that guy Jerry are, like, ripping everybody off. Which is so funny because it's like the two guys that basically ended up leaving eventually, especially Ice Cube, right off the jump. It's like he leaves in 89. So that's very shortly after this record comes out over royalty disputes. And he also wrote half the lyrics on this record and was not getting the fair share of the profits, which led to the remaining members dissing him on their subsequent releases. Like, oh, it's 100 miles and running. I keep calling a thousand miles of running am I doing. But, you know, you have. You would have. Let's see. Following NWA jabs, Ice Cube responds with the track no Vaseline.
- [34:51]
Ricky Smiley
Oh, my God. Oh, my.
- [34:53]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
- [34:53]
Josh Adamyers
What do you think of that?
- [34:55]
Ricky Smiley
The greatest, this rap, this record of all time. Nothing tops. No, because it came off of a groove from the seven. It came off. Everybody go on. And that right there, also use that same beat was Cinderella. Dana Dane used that same beat for the song Cinder Fella. Dana. Dana Dane. But he didn't get no Vaseline. That was. That was one of the only diss records that you can actually dance to.
- [35:32]
Podcast Host 3
Sure. Well, no, not. No more. Now it's. Now you got Kendrick Lamar with.
- [35:42]
Ricky Smiley
They Not Like Us. They Not Like Us.
- [35:43]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
- [35:44]
Ricky Smiley
Can you.
- [35:44]
Podcast Host 3
Can you imagine? No Vaseline sang at the Super Bowl. Yeah.
- [35:48]
Ricky Smiley
But no Vaseline was. It had funk to it. It was just funk. Like, Kendrick Lamar is like, this day and age. That's kind of like their sound. But I still took it back to the 70s, man, with that song. It was funky, and it was nasty and funky. So.
- [36:06]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, very nasty. Very funky. All right, let's talk about some of the records on some of the songs on this record. But interesting. It's like, I keep wondering about that Library of Congress hall of Fame. Like, is there. Is there any other records? Like. Like, when you think about this, you think about Straight out of Compton being one of the more pivotal records. And it deserves, like I said, all the recognition it can get. Should it be getting, like, do you think this album should get way more attention? Like, is it, like, you know, is this. Is this, like, Grammy hall of Fame worthy? Like, should they be in. I don't even know. Are they in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame? They were. Yeah. They are inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame in 2016. That was the year that the album came out.
- [36:50]
Ricky Smiley
I think so. Because it changed the game. Yeah, NWA came out, man. It influenced a lot of artists. It changed the game. And seems like everything that came out after that was based around that.
- [37:04]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah. Do you feel that? Do you feel that? Like, with this being such a. I don't want to call it politically driven, but definitely cultural awareness. Do you think that hip hop in 2025 is carrying the torch or completely lost direction?
- [37:20]
Ricky Smiley
Completely lost direction is there's no messages in any of the music anymore. There's no awareness in any of the music before. Everything is calling women Bs, and it's like, everybody hate everybody. All the artists hate each other. I mean, you know, NWA, Ice Cube, they had their share of beef back then, but it wasn't like it is now. It's terrible now.
- [37:45]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, it really. That kid tried to play me some new artists and say, this is what's great. And he put it on, and I was like, this sounds. I mean, it's not bad. It just sounds like everything I've already heard before that's come out. Like, that's. That's. It's like there's nothing. You only have a few handful of hip hop artists that are really doing something different. And that's why something like this. Something like Wu Tang, something like Dr. Dre, the chronic, I mean, Public Enemy, Fear of a black planet. That's why there's such important records. I was right. I was right when I said this, that this was the first album to feature a parental advisory sticker. Tipper Gore, Al Gore's wife, was so incensed when she heard the explicit lyrics of. Of the album. She said because her young daughter was listening to it, she went on a. Basically a mission to fund or found, I'm sorry, the Parental Music Resource center to find any music that was unsuitable for minors. And so this was the first record. There's something about that, though. There was really about buying a record that had that sticker on it that made you feel badass, dude.
- [39:00]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. Once you saw the sticker, that made you want to buy it right there. She should.
- [39:06]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [39:07]
Ricky Smiley
For the Donna Summers love to love you, love to love you, baby song with all that sex morning in the background. Bad Girl album. That. That. That was kind of risque as well, you know, especially for little boys. Your mom love your baby. She's in the background having sex, moaning through the whole damn song or whatever.
- [39:32]
Podcast Host 3
But. But this is what's so cool. And you mentioned that earlier is that the controversy that they gave this band is what blew them up. It's the same that happened to Shane Gillis when he got in trouble with SNL for making the joke, you know, that that got him canceled from the show. It literally brought attention to him. And now all the people that love just comedy found him. And it was like, if you like music and you got this band that's like, these guys are the toughest. This. I mean, literally, they got no radio airplay besides Straight out of Compton and Express Yourself. And this record, it says it triple platinum. That's 3 million albums. I mean, and this is the first rap group, first rap album ever to gain five stars from Rolling Stone magazine during their initial review. And the term gangster rap soon, like I said, arose in journalism. It's coined because of this record. Whereas Ice Cube called this more reality rap. Thoughts on that? Yeah, Reality versus gangster.
- [40:34]
Ricky Smiley
Had to promote the album. Hell, the government did it for. Yeah, you know. Yeah, yeah. I mean, anything that was controversial back then was like, hey, we gotta go get the NWA Album. We gotta, we gotta. It was kinda like that. Regardless of whether you liked it or not. But the fact that. I'll give you another example. Just like everybody was crazy about the Richard Pryor Wanted album, you know, you wasn't allowed to listen to that. It had a lot of cursing in it or whatever. But when your mom would leave, you would put that album on and you would sit there and that's the first time you heard somebody use words like that other than your mom. And you would sit there and laugh your ass off or whatever. So, you know, it seems like back then things that wasn't allowed was like, okay, let me get it, because it's not allowed, you know.
- [41:29]
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- [42:12]
Podcast Host 3
I know all that.
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Podcast Sponsor Voice 1
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Podcast Host 3
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- [43:36]
Ricky Smiley
Dig it.
- [43:39]
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- [44:09]
Podcast Host 3
Would you. Would you call Richard Pryor the NWA of comedy?
- [44:14]
Ricky Smiley
Definitely. Because that Wanted album, Richard Pryor Wanted album was like probably some of his best work. I know he had live on the Sunset Strip, but that Wanted album was like, how dare you play this in my house. But you know, we have to have it. My mom had it. Every uncle that I had, my mom had four brothers. My dad had three brothers. Every uncle that I knew had that album. And I remember watching my grandparents sit on the side of the bed listening to the Richard Pryor Wanted album was laughing his ass off. So, you know, it was like everybody had to get it. And back then, you Know, especially growing up in the south, this the Bible built. I live in Birmingham. So N.W.A. in the one album here was like a big deal because it's something that you were not supposed to have.
- [45:12]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, totally. All right, let's talk about Straight out of Compton. Let's talk about the opening song on this record. This was ranked number 248 on Rolling Stone magazine's 20 list of 500 Greatest Songs of all time. It depicts the ups and downs of gangster life on the streets of South Central. MC Ren warns the most, the more punks I smoke yo, my rep gets bigger Easy promises you'll see I'll get over the hesitation and hear the screams of one of the. Of one who got the lead penetration. Critics said it was glorifying gangster lifestyle, but Ice Cube insists this is merely a documentary. Yeah, I mean, it's always going to feel like. I remember when Menace to Society came out and they said it was glorifying violence, you know, because out of all those movies that came out, like, you know, boys in the Hood, it's. Yes, it's great movie. I feel like Menace to Society was a little bit realer. Do you know what I mean? It just really felt, in my opinion, where it's like New Jack City was still kind of bright and gangster. Like, it was literally like a black Godfather movie, you know, Men of Society was a little bit realer. And I think that's what you're getting from the opening track. I mean, what a. What a better. There's no other song they could have put to open this album better than Straight Outta Compton.
- [46:34]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, Minister Society was so real to me because I'm a gunshot. I was shot in 95 and I was shot at point blank range with a sawed off 12 gauge in a robbery.
- [46:46]
Podcast Host 3
Whoa.
- [46:48]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah I almost lost my life and it was like right when I got out of the hospital, that movie came out and that movie creeped me completely out. But I remember every single word To a messed up childhood is not the way I am it's got me in a state where I don't give a damn Somebody killed me but now they don't hear me Though I guess I be another victim of the ghetto Ain't no mistake cause I'm way too young Kept stealing because after that my mom started skimming on the top Pops never fickle daddy go down by the hands of the boy I remember the whole straight up minister minutes. That was the theme song to that, to that movie. So I was obsessed with it, but scared at the same Time or.
- [47:36]
Podcast Host 3
Sorry, man. I mean, I can't imagine what that's like to be shot. You were pretty young at that time. I mean, how much did that. I mean, did that, you know, usually would be you, you. You get in a situation where you die, it gives you a better perspective on appreciating life. I mean, were you already doing comedy by then or were you like. Yeah, thinking about.
- [47:58]
Ricky Smiley
As a matter of fact, I got shot the night that they found Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. I got shot that night. So I come out of surgery and I'm in icu and I'm looking at the TV in the corner with no flat screens. But then you had the little big back TV up on the wall in the hospital. Police officers chasing the white Bronco while the thing going, Yep, I'll never forget that. And this nurse coming there, giving me a hot sponge bath. That was weird.
- [48:36]
Podcast Host 3
What an experience. Oh, my God. It's insane, man. Yeah, I. I think it's like, like, it's. It's like, how much did that influence your comedy? Like, when you really started getting into it? Like, you know, getting shot, like, because does it take the fear away from starting? You know, because it's like you have a situation where it's like, I almost died. This is the fun. Get nervous about these crowds. Let me go enjoy this, because I could be gone.
- [49:03]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. I tell you what. But it made me scared of box car Chevys, that's for sure. I. I was scared of rails. I was scared of a certain. Anything that reminded me of that that night. I was totally post traumatic stress disorder from that whole thing. It took me years and years to become comfortable again. Probably almost in my 40s, because I think when I got shot, I was like 21, 22 maybe. But I had did Def Comedy Jam. I did BET Comic View, and I think I had already taped Def Comedy Jam. So when I got shot, it was all over the news. It was kind of. Kind of crazy. Yeah.
- [49:53]
Podcast Host 3
Were you profiled at all? Like, were you wearing nice clothes or anything like that? And you changed your outfits after that or anything?
- [50:00]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, Back then it was no cell phones. We had sky patches. Remember the beepers?
- [50:06]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, yeah, dude. I was just talking about beavers with somebody. I miss those motherfuckers. Yeah.
- [50:11]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. A chick hit me up on the beepers. So I pull over to the payphone, you know, to put a quarter in the payphone to return the call of the beep. I was in my little 300zx with the T tops. I had the T tops or whatever. I was doing comedy, you know, I thought I was. Had it going on back then. And I saw a friend at a payphone. So three guys came around. He had bandanas on, and they was robbing that guy. And they shot me to let the guy know that they were serious. He was like, give it up. He was like, I don't have anything. He was like, boom. He said, all right, give it up. I grabbed my side, I ran. If he would have waited two more seconds, I was about to jet anyway. And so he shot me, man. And it's crazy thing about it, I went to court and that guy was not watching where he was going and ended up on the same elevator with the guy that shot me on the way to court for attempted murder trial. And he saw me, and we made eye contact, and he turned around. Cause he was in the front of the elevator. I was in the back. But I was ready for his ass. Like, you make one wrong move, we gonna. You know, we both gonna be in jail. And he did 25 years, got out of prison. Was out of prison three weeks and was drag racing and got killed.
- [51:38]
Podcast Host 3
Interesting. Interesting. Well, it's karma.
- [51:42]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. So every time I hear straight up minutes, I always think about that guy that shot me. For real.
- [51:47]
Podcast Host 3
What's scarier? What's scarier? Having a gun pulled on you or doing Showtime at the Apollo.
- [51:55]
Ricky Smiley
Was scarier. Showtime at the Apollo?
- [51:58]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah.
- [51:59]
Ricky Smiley
Hey, hey, listen, listen. Mark Curry was the host.
- [52:04]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, wow.
- [52:05]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. So it was like coming to the stage from Birmingham, Alabama, they start booing right then. I walked out to boo. So Mark Curry, when he shook my hand, he said. He said, do your shit. He said, don't worry about it. It's gonna air. I thought nothing of it. I just followed the directions. I stood out there for seven minutes and did my jokes. They were booing the whole time. I focused on the camera. I did my jokes. Never told anybody that I was on Showtime the Apollo until it came on. Why did they take an audience that probably was laughing at somebody like Terry Carpenter or somebody that was actually funny? And they edited it together and made me look like a star, but I actually got booty.
- [52:50]
Podcast Host 3
Wow. Who gives a. Dude, you did it. You did your thing. You did your thing. And dude. And everybody was like, that killed. And you did kill.
- [53:02]
Ricky Smiley
Standing on race. I'm like, what? You got a standing on race on their part? I'm on the bike.
- [53:11]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [53:14]
Ricky Smiley
No, hell, I didn't.
- [53:18]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, God bless editing, bro. God bless editing. So. So I want to just mention the title Straight out of Compton. And I want to see, I want to try to say straight out of Birmingham, Alabama. What is the biggest thing you learned from growing up in Birmingham, Alabama?
- [53:36]
Ricky Smiley
Discipline. Instruction for sure. I do a morning show, I have to be up at 3:30, I have to be sleep at 8 in the bed, lights off, TV off in the bed, under the covers, 8 o' clock PM. Anything cuts into that time. I start like, I'm like Nick Saban. If anything. One thing sets off everything. So I'm really, really, really, really, really structured. I'm like that with my comedy shows. If that show starts at 7 o', clock, I promise you I'm there at 6:30, I'm ready to go. It's been times where comedians stuck in the trap and I'm like, hey, if you want to start the show, if we own, you know, like, you know how you perform at the Aerie Crown in Chicago, that union time, I am in my dressing room and available and ready to go. I've had to go out on stage and perform until the other artists made it there on time, start on time. I don't like, I just don't like bull crap shows, bull crap, radio shows, bull crap, nothing. You know, I just. The discipline, the structure, the love of God, respect for others. I'm proud to be where I'm from because, you know, I just like the way I was raised. My teachers, my coaches, my musical, my band and musical, you know, I'm a pianist, organist, trumpeter. I play the trumpet. Played little league football my entire life. If you grow up in the state of Alabama, you have to play football if you're a male. Like Panthers, Alabama and Auburn, Alabama State. Alabama A and M is huge in this state. So football and band brings a certain amount of discipline and structure and respect. So all that is important. And I got my start at the comedy club stardom. Bruce Ayers was the first to allow me to go on stage. And he always told me, don't embarrass the family. And he didn't play no game. That's when Bruce was like. I met Bruce when he was 39. Yeah, I met Steve Harvey when he was 29 and I was 19. So Bruce introduced me to Steve Harvey and I had my little Flavor Flav gear on. Steve Harvey said, hey man. He pulled me to the side in the dressing room. He said, hey, hey. People paid money to see us perform. He said, tomorrow night I need for you to dress up. I'm gonna allow you to bring me on stage tonight. But tomorrow I need you to dress better. I said, yes, sir. Back then, that was when comedians was allowed to correct other comedians to make them better. I introduced Steve. I introduced Steve to come on stage. He came on stage, audience going crazy. I ran out of the comedy club up. I drove all the way across town, and I ran in my closet, I got a suit and I put it on right quick. I'm driving on the highway with my leg. With my knees tying up a tie and. And I made it back in time just for him to say, thank y' all for coming out. My name Steve Harvey, Birmingham. Thank you, good night. I came back on stage with a damn suit on. And he said, hey. He said, young man, he said, follow me. I follow him to the hotel. I think he was staying at the Hilton. And I sat on the edge of the bed, at the edge of the bed with note. With a notepad and a pen. And he lectured me for about. Till about 3 o' clock in the morning. And he ended up giving me his radio show. And that's my story.
- [57:09]
Podcast Host 3
Wow.
- [57:10]
Ricky Smiley
Wow.
- [57:11]
Podcast Host 3
Come on.
- [57:12]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah.
- [57:12]
Podcast Host 3
That's so great. How long did you think long after. Did the radio show happen? When did it happen?
- [57:19]
Ricky Smiley
The radio show came years later. But I also was one of the opening acts, the kings of comedy. Like, so when you're an opener, you don't get your own limo and you don't get your own dressing room. You have to ride with the host, which was Steve. Steve and I are fraternity brothers. We're all omegas. D.L. hughley, Steve Harvey, myself, we all fraternity brothers. But I never allowed that to make me comfortable enough to be in his dressing room doing too much talking and eating the food and. And making myself at home. I was professional. I kept my. I spoke, you know, I spoke when I was spoken to. Kept my eyes and my notes very respectful. And that kind of discipline leads you to bigger things. People like, you know what, man? You got a lot of discipline and respect. So we're gonna give you this opportunity right here. And that's how I ended up getting the biggest urban syndicated radio show in the country, because the opportunity was given to me by Steve.
- [58:19]
Podcast Host 3
Steve, that's great, man. You hear such good things about him. And I mean, what a. What a important comedy tour to be a part of, man. I mean, you know, Spike Lee directing the movie, you get. You get one of the greatest sets of all time from, you know, Bernie Mac, and everybody kills it, but it's just Bernie with the milk and cookies, like, all of that.
- [58:46]
Ricky Smiley
That is so important 25 years for the Kings.
- [58:50]
Podcast Host 3
That's crazy. Wow.
- [58:51]
Ricky Smiley
Celebrate. Yeah.
- [58:54]
Podcast Host 3
I got to sit next to Spike on a flight from LA to New York. No New York to la. And wow. He hadn't slept yet. He had been drinking. And so he was. I had my. I had my Redskins jersey on because it was. It was the game. It was the day we were flying. And I was planning to watch the Redskin or the Commanders Philly Fly Flyers Eagles game where we got our ass to handed to us. I had my dog and he just let me pick his brain because he was like a little. He was a little tipsy still. It was a 6am flight. We talked about the Kings of Comedy. We talked about Clockers. It's just I'm such a huge, huge fan is. And just, you know, what was. I want. I know we're off topic, but I can give a dude, you know, if you have. If you want to know about nwa, ladies and gentlemen, watch the movie. I'm talking to Ricky Smiley. I'm in Zurich. I. I don't want to do the notes. I didn't talk to Morty for this album. Who prepped me? What was your favorite story, working with the Kings of Comedy? What is the one that you're like, you know, holy shit, I can't believe I'm in this room, you know, Or Bernie Mac just doing something ridiculous, which is something that always sticks with you and sticks out.
- [60:02]
Ricky Smiley
One thing I'll never forget. I was on a local radio show in Birmingham. Steve came on to interview for the Kings of Comedy, was performing at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic center center, you know, and he said, I'm gonna announce something on the air. He said, guess what? Who's going to be opening the show for the Kings tonight? And. And we were like, who? He said, ricky Smiley. And like, I was like saying to myself, like, get the hell out of here. Are you serious? I said, okay, let me figure this out. My brain starts spinning. I ran out of the radio station, jumped in the car, drove all the way to Atlanta from Birmingham, which is two hours to pick my son up at our meeting location because I was on a visitation schedule. And one thing I never did, I never missed missed visitation ever. So on Fridays, I was on my way to Atlanta to pick up my son. I picked my son up, brought him back. I went downtown, bought a suit or whatever, had to run across town to get it tailored because, you know, I'm with Steve, so you can't have on no suit. Off the rack. It got the look, too. So I went ahead and got it to cut it. And I just remember having my son with me. He had on his Chicago Bulls jersey. And I just remember sitting backstage and I saw. Look at that. DL Said, Steve, Bernie, with nice suits on, with the legs crossed. We were sitting in this little boot on the side of the stage. Stage with a screen, you can see who was on the stage. I just remember them sitting there. And I remember going on stage because I only get to do three minutes. I did three minutes, introduced Steve. The audience going crazy. Steve came out there, he stopped the applause. Hey, everybody, hold on, hold on. Stop. Everything stopped. He said, ricky, come here. And he grabbed me and he stood aside and said, I want y' all to know, Birmingham, you should be proud because. Because this one is next. And I just remember going to the bathroom crying. And my son that was with me was my son that passed away two years ago, Brandon. So I always think about that moment that Steve did that. I remember how nice Bernie Mac and DL Hughley and Sid and everybody was to me. And I had a chance to do some other cities with them, and it was a great experience, and it was life changing because I never thought I would ever perform in front of an audience that big. And then I get a chance to go on tour with Martin. So when I went on tour with Martin, I saw how they did it, and I knew what to do and how to do it and kicked ass on that, too. I used to. Oh, I used to be the first comedian. And then I end up closing some of those shows.
- [62:49]
Podcast Host 3
Once you. Once you get around people, like true professionals, whether it's in comedy, whether it's rock stars, whatever it is, if you see what they put into it, and they treat every show like it's. They gotta give, dude. It's like, I. Who did. I just go, like. I mean, way, way different than nwa. But I went to see Coldplay in London, and, like, he literally says to the audience, he goes, we're gonna give you our best performance. We can give you. We're gonna give you everything we got. So just hopefully, hopefully, you know, you guys have a good time, and that's what you do. You put everything into it. And when you do that and you have fun, dude, the crowd's gonna have fun. And. And I mean, what a group of guys, especially Martin, man, who, like.
- [63:28]
Ricky Smiley
Like.
- [63:29]
Podcast Host 3
I mean, dude, you so crazy. Is such a big, you know, special for me and my comedy career.
- [63:34]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah.
- [63:35]
Podcast Host 3
That it's just like. I mean, to be able to spend that time with him, I mean, but you've also. You worked with Ice Cube, too, to bring it back to nwa. I mean, you've worked with him a couple times. Like, do you learn anything from being around him?
- [63:48]
Ricky Smiley
Hey, you want to hear something funny? So. So I started 11-13-89. It was no black comedy clubs. It was no black nights at the comedy club. I'm working like mainstream. So Ice Cube in the Lynch Mob. D. Nice. And somebody else came to town. They said, hey, they want me to open the show. Here I am on stage with a suit on, with a comedy club routine. Never take the mic out and say, hey, how you guys doing? You know how we used to hold the mic or whatever. They booed my ass so bad. And I remember Ice Cube and the Lynch Mall. They was over there laughing their ass off, and they was like, hey, man, you got to switch it up when you perform in front of black people. That was funny. And then I ended up working from bet and I ran into Ice Cube again. Whatever. Of course, he didn't remember that, but I did remind him, say, hey, I'm the comedian that got booed. They laughed about about it. But I end up doing all about the Benjamins Friday After Next. I did baggage claim first Sunday or whatever, and now we're friends. We're actually friends. He was just on my show a few weeks ago, and he's a regular on the morning show. So just having that history with Ice Cube and all the opportunities, opportunities that he has provided for comedians like Mike Elliot Steps Some More, myself, Cat Williams putting us in a major movie like Friday After Next, which is a staple in the black community.
- [65:25]
Podcast Host 3
It really is.
- [65:26]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. After Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving night, you can see Santa Claus and Danny and. And Craig whipping ass with the Christmas tree Thanksgiving night. You know, know, I'm just glad to be a part of that history.
- [65:44]
Podcast Host 3
Oh, and, dude, I mean, you. You've had such a great career. You're kind of like. You're. You're very forced gumpy. You just had a very, like, you're just in the right place, the right time, and just work with the right people. I mean, yeah, it's impressive, but also, you're a good dude. And, and like I said, you learn from people early on, be a good person, show up on time, do your best, you're going to be successful. I mean, it's. It's. It's a. It's literally.
- [66:08]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah, it's crazy you say that. You know, Earth. I just Talked to earthquake 10 minutes before I called in. No, yeah, earthquake is from D.C. he said the exact same thing that you just said. I was just bothering me about being a good dude. One thing about me, you ever come to Birmingham, and I know you're coming, I'm gonna get in there and cook my ass off. Because I can cook or whatever. I make sure comedians always can come over here and sit down and have a hotel hot. A hot meal. And I let him eat. And I'll go in another room and lay down and watch tv. I don't even have to entertain you. Steve. Come over here. He would go down to the pond and smoke a cigar. You know, after we eat some food or whatever, and I'll stand here, he'll go down there and fish. You know, I have lines out there because I got my little pun stock. So he could fish and smoke a cigar. But, man, anytime y' all ever come to Birmingham, you want some good food, man, you are always, always welcome to my house.
- [67:04]
Podcast Host 3
I'm coming. I'm coming. You're so nice. I bet you could have brokered peace between Ice Cube and Ev.
- [67:12]
Ricky Smiley
They told me on my morning show that I fill in for Jesus when he's on vacation. I stay up.
- [67:17]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, I got it.
- [67:18]
Ricky Smiley
I get it.
- [67:20]
Podcast Host 3
I get it. All right, we're at the hour. Let's. Let's wrap this up, man. I can't. Listen, I'm. I'm gonna stay in touch with you. I'm gonna talk to you on Instagram or send you a message, do our final questions and also, like, listen to everybody out there. If you really like, we could go over the facts of. Of the whole record, you know, there. This is an important record. We didn't mean to show it any lack of respect by not going song by song like we normally do. I'm just on this trip right now, and, you know, Jeremiah and I had way too much fun in Ibiza, and half of my brain is still pretty much recovering from that. So final. This is the final questions. We ask everybody this. I'm gonna put some amendments in this to really go where I feel. You know, I. I feel like we. We have to still talk about nwa. And I'll focus in on that, too. So the basic ones we always do. What's your favorite song on this record? Straight out of Compton. Favorite song?
- [68:16]
Ricky Smiley
I would have to say Straight out of Compton. That's the one That's. That's more. Because, like, as we're. Straight out of Compton is for people to come. Compton, Compton, whatever. Make you proud of your hometown. Straight out of Birmingham, you know?
- [68:28]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I think that definitely. I think Straight out of Compton is such a great mission statement to open this. Like I mentioned, I love Gangsta. Gangsta. I mean, and Express Yourself, of course, is probably like the. Like the. You know, probably one of the more like, like hier stuff. But I'm telling you, it's Straight out of Compton. Is there anything that you skip over on this record?
- [68:51]
Ricky Smiley
I listen to Gangster Gangster today. Yeah, you're right about that one. What's the other one? Not the last one.
- [68:59]
Podcast Host 3
Let's see, is it. We got something to dance to. Yeah, that's the last song. Quiet on the Set. You know, look, I'm not gonna see here. I'm not gonna sit here and say that this is a. A no skip album. There are some tracks on it that I definitely go, all right, let me get get to this. It's. It's. I think. And I don't think that is a bad thing. I just think, you know, it is. It is a great record, but it is very still musically. It's. It's. It's set in the. It's in the late 80s. Does that make sense? Like, it's not. There's not so much. There's not. So, like. Dude, it's the experimentation which, with these artists is what came after this with Ice Cube with, you know, American KKK or. Or especially Dr. Dream, you know, and even Easy E with the stuff he did with Bone Thugs In Harmony. I mean, I think there is. I think this is a great ground. Like. Like, what is it blueprint to what foundation they're all about to do. And you couldn't do any of that because it's all influenced from this. So I. Like I said, it's. I don't love every track on this. It gets a little tiring in the sense of the just trying to do this in multiple listens. Not saying I don't appreciate it. I don't dig it. But I just think the songs on this that are important, like I said, Express Yourself. Gangsta, Gangsta, the Police, Straight out of Compton. Those are the ones that I love. Rest of them, I. I think are as. Are important. Just it's not those. You know what I'm saying?
- [70:36]
Ricky Smiley
Yeah. For me, it's Straight out of Compton and Gangster Gangster. Those are two that. That really. To st with me.
- [70:41]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, Dig it. All right. Can you. To this record, this whole album. Can you put this on and have intercourse? Like you would put on Al Green or you would put on. You know, a white person would put on, like, you Know, Deftones or the Cure, you know, can. Can people have sex to this album? Is it a record made for.
- [71:05]
Ricky Smiley
Not. Not that album. Unless you're gonna take some of your anger that you have for the police out on her, you know? You know?
- [71:19]
Podcast Host 3
Yeah, it's not, it's not, it's not. This is not. This is. You know, there's, there's hip hop that you can have sex to, but it's not this. All right, last question and we'll get you out of here. What would be your mission statement for this record? How do you get someone to list this album? What would you say to somebody to listen to this record?
- [71:43]
Ricky Smiley
It depends on who it is. I probably could never get my mother to listen to it because she had found sweet baby Jesus. Let me see some of my uncles. Probably not, but I definitely think my 24 year old son would buy in. I think my 24 year old son and my 24 year old daughter would definitely listen to. To it.
- [72:08]
Podcast Host 3
Well, I think, you know, I think this is a record, you know, like, I brought it, bringing it back to that thing I said about that kid, man, it's like it upsets me to know that, that this, that this person is so. Is so just like blind and deaf to the idea that, you know, maybe, yes, maybe the music now is, is much more, you know, melodic and there's choruses, but it's like you don't have that without this. And I think that's the reason I do the podcast. Jay is like, is, dude, we've been, we've listened to so many records at this point that, you know, even the Dr. John one that we were gonna do before this, I listened to it and I was like, man, why is this on the list? And you're like, oh, I get it. Because the guy did this. And that sounds like that. And that's because of that. This, this is a. This, this is a far more important record than just the story, you know, of, of when you talk about the story of hip hop. This is a point in the story. If Breaking Bad, if hip hop is the movie Breaking Bad or the TV show Breaking Bad, this is like, you know, the, the moment that he starts really digging, cooking the meth and being like turning a little bit, you know, and being just a little bit more evil. Not in not saying this is evil. I'm saying this is important and this is important to move the story of hip hop along and, And I couldn't thank you enough. I'm so sorry for the back and forth with the time of doing this. So, dude, thank you so much for coming on, Ricky. I mean, this has been a blast.
- [73:48]
Ricky Smiley
Thank you for having me, man. I really appreciate y', all, man. Keep talking about uplifting hip hop, man, because it's definitely part of the culture and I'm just proud to be on on this show today to have this conversation. So thank you, man.
- [74:03]
Podcast Host 3
Man, it's my pleasure, brother.
- [74:06]
Josh Adamyers
What I tell you? What I tell you? The one and only Ricky Smiley. Follow him on Instagram and YouTube @ Ricky Smiley official and on Tik Tok at really Ricky Smiley digital. And check out Ricky Smiley's morning show. Download it as a podcast or go here ricky smileysmorningshow.com and then his website for all things ricky ricky smiley.com and also check out Foolish special streaming on the Hulu. So we just listened to straight out the conversation, Compton from 1988 by N.W.A. our new music pick this week, brought to you part by District kid, is a track called Be my friend by Golo from the Dark Room Familia. You can find links to the music on our website the 500podcast.com and if you are in a band or were directly influenced by one of these albums or artists, you want your music featured on the 500, send your song to 500pockets.com make sure you put the Albert artist you in the subject line. Next week it's Dr. Dr. John the night Tripper with I'm saying it right Gris Gris or grease? Grease, grease grease by Dr. John the Night Tripper at 1:43 from 1968. Do your homework Be with me to.
- [75:09]
Musical Guest or Artist
The very end don't fall, don't break, don't bend and Alexis next goal was to flood on my neck I'm running it up trying to double my checks when on the road gotta keep me in tech they don't play fair so I can't be next this in my day guarantee we gonna pop your bullets they burn and they hot like some lava can't find you there we go find your partner we po when this leaning a pineapple f I was 14 with a fat ass chopper like fully yos I still told a llama post on a block and I smoke on my mama My life was so tough and it turned me a monster hey can you be my friend and can you hold my hand? Cause I know these people really want me dead Laid on the ground while I fiddle with lead don't with grandma because she fed Dealing with death so I'm filled up with meds I'M killing them off one by one like the plague Mindful of evil thoughts in my head But a win is a win and I'm still feeling blessed to grow to the range and shooting a mess Next drew that he did guarantee left from stretch all black ones are clothing they can't do a sketch the back for a three I hear nothing but net Aha, your big homie is dead and I'm still screaming Long live Uncle Fred Speak on his name Dug your grave, that's your bed hey can you be my friend? Can you hold my hand Wait for me to the end Please be patient.
- [76:11]
Ricky Smiley
Stay with me, with me baby Please.
- [76:14]
Musical Guest or Artist
Stay up till I'll make it worth.
- [76:17]
Podcast Host 3
It can you be my friend? Can you hold my hand Wait for me to end Please be patient Please stay with me, with me baby Please.
- [76:28]
Ricky Smiley
Stay up to the tree I won't.
- [76:30]
Podcast Host 3
Make you like this.
- [76:54]
Podcast Host 2
The 500 keeping it flee for the fleece nation.
- [77:06]
Ricky Smiley
On.
- [77:06]
Podcast Host 2
The 500 the 500.
- [77:18]
Ricky Smiley
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