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DJ Envy
Wake that ass up early in the morning.
Charlamagne Tha God
The Breakfast Club.
Jess Hilarious
Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Jess. Hilarious. Charlamagne. The guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.
DJ Envy
The legend, Bruce. Bruce.
Charlamagne Tha God
What's cracking, baby?
Jess Hilarious
Welcome. How you feeling?
Charlamagne Tha God
Everything is good, man.
Jess Hilarious
Everything is good.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, man.
DJ Envy
Why are comedians always so early, man? That's something we notice.
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, yeah, I'm always prompt on everything, man. That's just why I was raised two hours early. Bruce.
Jess Hilarious
Bruce.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, man. That's why I'm doing. My grandfather said, if you're on time, you're late.
Jess Hilarious
Damn, that's factual.
Charlamagne Tha God
So you got to be on time. But then the traffic here is a monster. That's true. Nobody drives in the lane up here. Nobody. The buses, police, nobody. They just drive like they want to.
DJ Envy
And what's crazy, they got lanes. Some of them got their own lanes and still driving their lanes.
Charlamagne Tha God
Right? Yeah.
Jess Hilarious
This is the first time Bruce. Bruce has been on the show, first and foremost. And I wanna, you know, sometimes when somebody comes for the first time, I wanna start from the beginning.
Charlamagne Tha God
Right? Okay.
Jess Hilarious
Now, I know your story. Cause I've been studying you, I've been following you. But for people that don't know, how did Bruce. Bruce get into comedy? And I want you to explain your job before comedy.
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, you know, I used to be a chef. I can cook like a mug. And you know, everywhere I go, I used to always be funny. So I hired this guy one time. I was running a barbecue restaurant. He's older guy, old guy. And he said he used to watch me in the kitchen when I first started. When he first started, he's watching me. He said, you need to go. You need to go on stage. And I ain't paying attention to it. He said, I'm gonna bring you something tomorrow. He brought me this album, you know, back in the day, he had an album, he was a comedian, but he was ex Navy, he was an alcoholic. He said, don't waste your time on this job, man. You need to go on stage. No, what I did, I quit. Cause I had a family. I was young man, had three kids. And man, I went and started working for Frito Lay Potato Chips, selling potato chips. And the whole time I'm selling potato chips and on the dock, I'm just funny, acting crazy. So good old white dudes are, you know, you need to go on stage. I see you here every morning, you know, you need to go stage. You funny. I look comedians every Friday or not, you know, and you gonna stay. And when I took that step, man, it was. I knew that's why I should have been my whole entire life. And what made me take that step? I was going through a divorce, you know what I'm saying? And my ex wife said, you'd never make it. I'm like, what? Why'd she tell you that? So I just looked at it and say, I see you on tv, you know what I'm saying? And it's been gone. I've been doing it now 35 years, Professor.
Jess Hilarious
And what made y'all get married if she wasn't supportive?
Charlamagne Tha God
Cause you said you never young. I was young, you know. You know, I'm from Atlanta, Georgia and stuff. You know, you get a girl pregnant, you know, you got to marry all this crazy stuff. And I did the same thing. My oldest son is 43, man.
DJ Envy
Damn.
Charlamagne Tha God
And my baby boy's 40. My daughter's 38.
DJ Envy
Wow, you've been going raw for a while.
Charlamagne Tha God
I've been laying down, pull out game was terrible, you know what I'm saying? It was pull out, pull out game was terrible. I was just laying it down. And what's crazy, man, you know, I just didn't think just doing it, you know, when you young, you just do that until you get somebody old and say, hey, you need to watch yourself. You know what I'm saying? And that's what we need to start doing. As older guys, let them know, man, this ain't no game.
DJ Envy
Who taught you how to cook?
Charlamagne Tha God
My uncle. My uncle, man, he was like 5, yeah, Uncle Paul. He about 5ft tall, about a 98 in the waist. You hear me play look like an egg with a belt on, you know what I'm saying? He was my partner though, man. And he raised me and he taught me about, you know, life. He taught me about how to treat women. He taught me about being on time. Cause, you know, he was a baker. He used to deliver cakes. We gotta be there on time. But he would never, ever drive on the highway, ever, ever. We gotta go straight back roads when you can't gonna lie, boy, they'll ring your tail over on that highway, you know what I'm saying? And he was real superstitious. I never did believe in that, you know, he'd see a black cat walk the street, but he gonna turn around, you know, you put your hat on the bed. Oh, no, you can't do that. You sweep his feet. You gotta spit the broom, you know. Oh, he was just straight superstitious. Don't never let a woman touch your wallet, you know? You ain't gonna never have no money, man. Ain't nobody believing in that crap.
DJ Envy
Don't let no woman buy you no shoes.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, yeah. Walk out your life. Oh, watch, you know, or, you know, the time is out your life, you know. Oh, he was real superstitious, but other than that, man, he was a great, great guy, man.
DJ Envy
You remember the first dish that you learned to cook?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, yeah, man. Steak was. I can cook a steak, make a joke or cry. White folks be clapping. Oh, yeah. White folks be clapping. Black people be hollering, yay.
DJ Envy
How you get the capital for the barbecue spot?
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, I started when I was young. I'm gonna tell you what happened. My mother. It's just me and my mother. I'm the only child my mother ever had. And we was struggling, man. We was living in the hood, and it was in an area called the Bluff. It was. And, man, let me tell you, man, she needed some help. So I went and applied for this job. This guy I knew worked at a barbecue restaurant. And I applied, and I told him I was 17, I was 14. You know what I'm saying? So I was working, man. I was cleaning up. So I had been there about three months, and this old white guy named Eddie Wild said, let me ask you something. He was the man. He said, how old are you, really? He said, you work good and everything. He said, but you're not 17. I said, no. I said, I'm 14. He said, why are you working? I said, well, I got to help my mom. He said, I tell you what, it's gonna be our little secret, you know? He. He kept me because I was a good worker. Everything he told me to do, I did it. And I just kind of followed in and started watching these guys cook. And I knew how to cook. Cause my uncle had been showing me how to do everything. Next thing I know, man, I was running the pit, man. I was cooking barbecue and everything at, like, 16 years old.
DJ Envy
Oh, so you didn't own it?
Charlamagne Tha God
No.
DJ Envy
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
I was working there, man.
DJ Envy
Got you.
Jess Hilarious
Now, you also mentioned that you were only child.
Charlamagne Tha God
Only child.
Jess Hilarious
Your father left at the age of five.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, he was four or five. He was in the Air Force and he was a medic in the Air Force. And he was. He flew choppers and airplanes. And when he, when he got out, he was an anesthesiologist.
Jess Hilarious
Now, was it important to, to mend that relationship before he passed or did you?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I did. I did. My mother said, I just wanted to know. I remember him. My mother said, what you looking for him for? You know? Cause they be mad. But my mother really ran him off, you know what I mean? She was just. She ran him off and she was a monster, man. You know what I'm saying?
Jess Hilarious
Did your dad say that?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, no, I just saw it. I'm like, man, this dude is cool. He was really cool, you know. But she like, I don't want it, you know, Everything he tried to do, she just knocked it down like. But she was listening to her girlfriends. That's why I try to tell all these young girls, don't listen to no woman that ain't got no man.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
You understand what I'm saying? If you got a woman, if you got a girlfriend, you got a husband, she know how to treat her husband. But a woman that don't have a man, she can't tell you nothing. But he, I mean, he just, he left and he never ever called us, ever. And my mother didn't even know she was divorced. He did a non contested divorce because my mother just worked, come home, never went anywhere. So when she said, I think I'm going to get a divorce. And when she went to do it, they said, you already divorced and uncontested. You put it in the newspaper for 30 days. You don't answer the ad, Bam, you divorce.
DJ Envy
I did not know he was already gone.
Jess Hilarious
He was always gone.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, he was gone, man. I got married three more times. I found it when I was like.
Jess Hilarious
So he knew who you were? He knew you were successful?
Charlamagne Tha God
Who I was. He knew exactly who I was.
DJ Envy
I look like.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, my son looked like him, though. My baby boy looks just like him. But it's funny how it dip over, you know what I'm saying? But I met with him and we talked and we stayed in touch and he ended up passing away about 17 years ago. My mother passed away 14 years ago. Wow.
DJ Envy
Did you and your mom ever have to talk? Did you ever have to say to your mom it was you?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. She said, you know, I was wrong. She said I didn't care. She said, but I had other boyfriend. You know, my mom fooling around. See, parents don't tell you. They try to tell you do the wrong, but they'll do the wrong thing in front of you, you know what I'm saying? Those old dudes used to go with named David, you know? Had platform shoe with taps on them. You remember? Platform. He had taps on platform shoes. He come up the steps, clock up, how your mama doing? And then he'll tell me, hey, come in, let me give you a few dogs, go down and get you a Coca Cola, you know, something like that. I know what he's finna do. Finna get him some tail, you know what I'm saying? So he gets you, gets the potato chips. I run right out the house, you know? I know what he finna do. I don't want no food, you know what I'm saying? But he was cool. He was cool to me. He treated me very nice. But she had this one boyfriend she was crazy about. I don't know what's up with women with this one dude that they like. And he ain't nothing. I mean, man, he wasn't nothing, man. He dogged my mama, man. He was married. She didn't know he was married. Damn. But he's over there every day. Every day, eating. Yeah, yeah. God is a good God. You know how to joke with. Yeah, God is a good guy. And let me tell you what happened. When I was in high school, four of us used to hang together, and we saw him in his truck. And my buddy said, man, that go your mama boyfriend? What's your mom? I said, no. I said, that's my mom boyfriend. But that's not my mom. It was another lady. So I got out the car, looked at him and said, hey, you know I see you, right? He said, oh, hey, how you doing? Played it off. Come on to my mom's house. I told my mother I seen him with another woman. He looked me dead in the mirror. He said that was not. He did not see me. And my mother believed it. But the reason she believed it, because I didn't like him. So she just kind of figured I made up a story about him and she let it go. But it took her girlfriend of hers to see him say, I saw that dude with another woman. You know what I'm saying? And it took her to tell me she dated him like 16 years, man.
DJ Envy
Damn.
Charlamagne Tha God
And I ought to tell you, my mother, I don't wanna get married. I don't wanna get married. Okay, you don't wanna get married. But this dude's already married, so you can't marry this dude, damn. When she found out, she was, like. She was tore up. Yeah, I heard her.
DJ Envy
You grew up in the bluff. How close to reality was Snow on the Bluff, the movie?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God, it was real close. That was the heroin, cocaine, I mean, crack area. But my mother told me, if you touch it, I kill you. So I was more scared of my mother than the guys in the street. You know what I'm saying? So I never touched it. I watch him do it. I watched him shoot up everything. No, I can't do that, bro. No, I can't do that. My mother is crazy. My mother's a wrestler. I'm telling you. She had been on wwe. I know what I'm talking about. This lady can scrap, man. So, you know, that's where. And that movie was really, really serious. But, you know, it was so funny in the hood, being in the hood, because, you know, the crackheads come out. Hey, man, dude had bought a video camera. You know, he was filming people and everything. Crackhead said, man, I got a camera like that. He said, it's bigger, but it's got a 2 on it. And I said, what are you talking about? He done stole the camera off the Channel 2 news truck. The dude was getting ready to do some news in the area. He just walked off with the camera. So we saw the white guy panicking, walking around. I said, you looking for your camera, Angie? He said, yeah. I said, I know where it is. I said, you gonna have to give some money to get it back. He said, I get anything. He said. He said, how much you think? $100. I said, oh, $20 to get your camera back. Wow. And the dude brought it back to him, just walked off with a camera.
Jess Hilarious
He said, I got a camera. Like, it has a number two on it.
Charlamagne Tha God
It has a two on it. It had Channel two on it, right? Jesus Christ, man, these dudes in the hood. Dude had a whole bedroom suit. Walked down the street with the dresser. Dude, make way about 130. He said, I got the mirror, the two nightstands and the bed. Y'all need it? We like what?
DJ Envy
Somebody bought it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Somebody bought it. You know what I'm saying? Dude told me, said, man, I got a typewriter like that, but only thing mine different, it's got a TV on it. He didn't realize he had a desktop computer. Done stole it. He said, I got a typewriter, but it's got a TV on it.
DJ Envy
Like what typewriter with a tv?
Charlamagne Tha God
He's a tv, man.
DJ Envy
I know back then, brothers had to Press you to try to get in the street, though.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, yeah, man. You know, they talk about you. Say you scared, you're punk, all this crap. Hey, man, I'm had to be a punk. Cause my mom didn't play. My mom, my aunt, the neighbors, they didn't play, man.
Jess Hilarious
So you was more scared of your moms than anything?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. My granddad. I was scared of him more than anything. He about six five, black, real black with royal blue eyes. So my mother said, do I need to call your granddad? I said, no. She would get him on the phone, he'll say, hey, do I need to come up there? All I had to do was hear his voice. I let. No, sir. He said, let me get another phone call and see what happens. That joker didn't play, man. Damn. Six, five black, one skeleton, nothing. How that happened? Royal blue eyes. And you look at him, you drop your head like a runaway slave player. You know what I'm saying? He was just that dude, man. But when I got older, I realized he was really cool. He was a cool dude, but he just believed a child staying a child place.
Jess Hilarious
That's right.
DJ Envy
And you said your Uncle Paul inspired you as far as comedy? Cause he was the funniest person you know.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, man, he was funny, man.
DJ Envy
Okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
He tell a lie. Everybody got to help him with this lie. Every lie he tell. Did I tell him? Yeah, he told Paul. Ain't said nothing. Everybody helped him with his lie. But he was one of the best bakers in the world. He practically raised Gladys Knight back in the day. And they used to call him the Sweet Bread Man. And Gladys Knight knew him. His name was Paul Henson Jr. And he went by the Sweet Bread Man. Cause he was the baker in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the man. And he talk about Gladys all the time. But Gladys and I was really raised on the same street. The street was Chestnut Street. They changed to James P. Brawley. I was on 415, she was on like 785, something like that. Just right up the street, like two blocks up.
DJ Envy
Did you know her?
Charlamagne Tha God
No, no, I was. I was a little kid. But she lived there with her first husband, you know what I'm saying? But Gladys is a girl though, man. Wow.
DJ Envy
How were you able to translate your funny to actually make a career of it? But somebody like Uncle Paul who was funny couldn't.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, I don't know. My Uncle Paul was just scared to go and say he was scared. See, See, black people back in the day had the skill to do everything, but they Were scared to do it. They had so much fear. See, like young kids now, they do it. They don't care I do it. So I just took it and ran with my uncle, one of the best bakers in the world. He went against bakers from France and Italy, you know, from England. And he beat them all out, you know what I mean? Then he went to. He had a cheesecake that he made. It was one of the best cheesecakes in the world. And they tricked him out of it and didn't have sense enough to get a lawyer and everything. Gave him like $10,000. They clapping. He was all happy when he could have.
DJ Envy
But he stole his recipe.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. When he could have got 100 million, you know what I'm saying? But just didn't have the sense and the knowledge to do that at the time.
Jess Hilarious
Oh, you know, I wanted to know as a child, was Bruce, Bruce big as a child?
Charlamagne Tha God
No, man, I was a little bit. They used to call me Little Bruce, man. I didn't get fat till I got married. I don't know why I got married. That's what I mean.
DJ Envy
All that kick. Younger.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. I wouldn't eat it, man. I was just a little bitty dude just running around, just messing with everybody. I was a little bitty kid, man. But when I got married, I got fat. You know, that's what happened to us as black men. We get complacent. We get complacent with jobs. We get a job and it'd be, let's just say, General Motors. We make a little money. Oh, man, that's a good job. I don't care nothing about no good job. It's about getting out there, getting it. Cause it's more than that, than getting a good job.
DJ Envy
I ain't like that question, by the way.
Jess Hilarious
What you mean, I ain't like the.
DJ Envy
Question he asked you. Wait, what was Bruce. Bruce little as a child?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, that's hard.
Jess Hilarious
Was he a big child?
Charlamagne Tha God
I wasn't. No. Fact, kid, man.
DJ Envy
That's what he wanted to say.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. He thought I. He thought I just couldn't clap my hand. Little fat kid could clap his hand. Y'all clap my hand. But no, man, I was a little kid. Little cute joker, man, running around messing with everybody. And, you know, we. We seem to lose focus. And that's what happened. You lose focus, you start eating crazy. But now I'm back at, man. I'm 62 years old, man. Wow.
Jess Hilarious
Is that. Is that where the comedy came from? Cuz when Bruce. Bruce Does a show and somebody's in the audience, says something, or somebody's wearing something. Outfit.
Charlamagne Tha God
Bruce.
Jess Hilarious
Bruce has no problem of attacking the.
Charlamagne Tha God
Audience if need be.
Jess Hilarious
Is that where that came from?
Charlamagne Tha God
Like I'm a little kid and I.
Jess Hilarious
Gotta start snapping at these kids?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, man. You know, when I was. When I was younger, I was real scary, you know, Most kids won't admit that. I was real scared to do anything. So people used to talk about me. I talk about them back. That's how I learned. I used to talk about this girl, man. This girl, man, she had a ponytail envy. Her ponytail about that long, look, with a rubber band around it. I walked behind her, I said, girl, how did they do that? She said, do it. I said, make that oxtail right there. I said. I said, you can stand on your head, your hair still won't touch the floor, man. This girl said, I'm a beat joint. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, what? Man, I broke out running. I didn't know she was a track star, man. This girl caught me and beat the brakes off me, man. I didn't care because I was raised not to hit women. So I didn't care. She beat me up, she laid me on the ground, throw my arms. You know how they throw your arms out? She said, what's up now? I said, your hair still? So then she said, you gonna be my boyfriend? So I had to be her boyfriend, walk her to school every day. That's when I realized I had something. Now, you know, I joined her out and talked about her bed. But she did like me. And my uncle told me, said that, man, that girl like you. That's why she. That's why she wants you to be her boyfriend. She like you. I didn't realize that, but I thought she hated my guts, but she really didn't, man. She actually laughed about it. Then she grew up and be drop dead gorgeous, you know?
DJ Envy
Did y'all still.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, no, no. Okay. No, I can't. I can't do it no more, man. I ain't got it like that.
DJ Envy
But that's laughter though, you know, if.
Charlamagne Tha God
You can make it.
DJ Envy
Say if you can make a girl laugh, you crack ass.
Charlamagne Tha God
Hey, man, you make them laugh, you got them. Most women, they just want to laugh. You make them laugh. A lot of guys, when they see women, when they see good looking women, fine women, nice body, instantly most guys get intimidated, they'll be like, oh, she ain't gonna holler. She will. You ever see a real fine, pretty girl with an ugly dude.
DJ Envy
Yeah.
Charlamagne Tha God
You know what happened? Cause he said something to her. He walked up to her, hey, how you doing? You look good. She's like, you for real? Yeah, I'm for real. And then he would've, you like, how did this ugly look? I know. I got some ugly partners. Oh, my God. I got some dudes scared of cold out. Your eyes. When you look at. Ooh. You had to wipe your eyes. My God, bro, what happened? You know what I'm saying? But they got the baddest women you ever wanna see. But everybody gotta understand, though, it's really nothing to it. Just talk to them. That's all they want.
Jess Hilarious
What's the most difficult city for you? Cause you're on the road, what, five days a week, four days a week.
Charlamagne Tha God
You know, every week.
Jess Hilarious
What's the toughest city for you and why, if there is one?
Charlamagne Tha God
I'm gonna be honest, I never had a tough city, man. I've had some tough crowds. When the comedy clubs hold these people hostage, you know, like, let's just say first show is at 7, second show's supposed to start at 10. All right? They let the first show run over. These people coming to the show at 10:00 outside, waiting. So they're pissed. They pissed, you know, so you got to really go to work to make them laugh, you know, or go and say something like this. Hey, y'all ever been at work and they want to be there? They'd be like, yeah. I said, that's the way I feel now. You know what I'm saying? So when you break the ice with them, you got them. Once you get them, you got them. But you got to run the clubs on time. And it's hard dealing with us as black people. It's hard to deal with our black people people, man. But the white clubs, they be on it. Bam, bam, bam. Because they realize the money they can make in a short length of time.
DJ Envy
Why is that with us, man?
Charlamagne Tha God
I mean, I don't know. It's hard doing business with her. I had one dude at a club, man, it was in November and it was cold, and he had people outside. I said, hey, man, people standing outside. The show supposed to start an hour ago. He looked at me, he said, I don't give a. What they doing. I said, I'm like, what? So matter of fact, all he do is club anymore. Because you don't have respect for the people. But we're the one working hard for it, to make them laugh. Cause it's hard to get black People to laugh, especially when they mad. They better be funny. They better be funny. Especially when they mad. White people laugh at anything. Oh, he's hilarious. He's great. You could be terrible, you know, you're good. You're gonna be great. Cause white people have a different way of saying no. Like when you audition for a show, how did you like him? Well, he's a good looking guy. He has great hair. That's a no. See, people don't realize that when they want you, they want you. They get you. Checks are signed. But when they breathe hard, you know, I was looking at him and. Smart guy, smart guy. But no, I don't think we'll do it. That's a no. And that's what we all got to realize.
DJ Envy
You know what you just made me think about when it comes to doing business with black people and white people, because I love doing business with my people. But I don't think we often look at it as business. Like it should be a personal transaction.
Charlamagne Tha God
Right? It's always a hookup.
DJ Envy
You want to thank?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, yeah. Cause people, people call my manager and be like, me and Bruce, go back 15. I don't even know this brother. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, I met him at the gas station. And you don't know me, bro. Maybe I come across like, you do know me, but you don't know me. They'll call and be like, we discussed a deal and he said he would do it for this. That's not true. Because I don't discuss money at all with anybody. But they always think it's like a partner thing when it should just be business.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Jess Hilarious
Do you remember your best show and you remember your worst show?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, man, I can remember a lot of them, but people don't know it. I know it. I can remember my first. I come off stage and tell them guys, I didn't like this show. Well, people thought it was great, but I'd be like, I didn't like that show.
Jess Hilarious
What was your worst show? Cause they said, you don't write things down. It's just off the mouse.
Charlamagne Tha God
I'll come off the cup. One time I was in Houston, Texas, and I was doing this show and I was joaning everybody out, and this dude came up and joined me and he was funny. His buddy said, man, go up there, go up there. You know how he would go up there and join him? He said, I look like a pickle jaw, you know? And I started laughing like, damn, that's funny, brother. You Know, I said, I'm gonna keep that, you know, stuttering me like a pickle jaw up here. I'm like, oh, my God, that's funny. But the crowd loved it because I took it so well. I didn't go off, you know. It was really funny when he said it. And I ended up seeing him, like, 10 years later. He said, you remember I came on stage, man, I saw you. Saw you like a picture. I said, that was you. Let me take a picture with you. You know what I'm saying? But it's cool. But the best show I ever did was years and years and years ago is when Bernie Mac was red hot. Bernie Mac was super hot. And it's a part of Georgia called Macon, Georgia, and it's about an hour from Atlanta. And Bernie was performing, had a 10,5000 seater. And the feature didn't show up. And the guy said, hey, man, my feature didn't show. Can you come down here and open up for Bernie Mac? I said, yes. You know, I had been in the game there about five years. Yes. And I drove down there quick as I could, and I was on stage, and I could remember Bernie Mac had his arm folded, looking at me. He said, who's that dude right there? He said, that's Bruce. Bruce. He said, he is Bunny. But Bernie went up and ripped it. And I worked with Bernie twice in my whole entire life. Macon. And then I worked with him in Columbia, South Carolina, one time. That's it. But Bernie was a bad dude, man. And people don't realize when he did. I'm not scared of you. On Def Jam, he made that up right then because everybody was coming up. They was having a hard time here in New York. Def Jam, they was getting it to him. You know, New York, they don't hold no punches, you know. And Bernie said, man, I ain't scattering them motherfuckers. And he went up and did it. Him and Capri went together on it and he ripped it, man. Bernie was a bad dude.
Jess Hilarious
Was that the funniest comedian you ever worked with?
Charlamagne Tha God
No, man. I know some funny comedians now. Like, Tony Roberts is stupid funny. Tony makes me laugh. You know who Tony Roberts is? Of course. Oh, my God. Tony Roberts told me he used to date a girl. Her breath was so bad, it smelled like a horse's hiccups. So, damn, who think of that? Who think of a horse's? You know what I'm saying? He makes me laugh. Mike Epps. Mike Epps is one of the dudes I trained back in the day. Mike used to be on the road with me. Mike moved from Indiana to Atlanta and I used to take him on the road with me. And then he moved to New York and he called me one day and said, man, they want me to audition for Fridays. And I said, what you waiting on? I said, looking for somebody like you. And he called me a week later, said I got the part. I said, you on your way? Dae dae. That's my man.
DJ Envy
You said something earlier when you talked about the pickle jar joke. You said, I'm gonna keep that.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
DJ Envy
So comedians do cover jokes.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I don't. I didn't keep it. I just told him that.
DJ Envy
Okay, okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
But no, you, we like. I've seen comedians just take bits and pieces of other comedians jokes. If you do that and I see it, I know exactly where you got it from. I've been in this business so long, I know exactly where you got. I know who said it, how they said it, when you said it. But no, I don't use anybody's stuff in mine.
DJ Envy
Cause I saw Bernie, it was a video circulating to Bernie, Bernie Mack. And he was saying, don't say your joke around if you're a new comedian. Oh yeah, veteran like us.
Charlamagne Tha God
And see a lot of comedians now, the veterans will look at the new Jacks and take their stuff. And then it looked like the new jacks stole it from them. But that's not cool. That's not cool to do.
Jess Hilarious
Now we seen Cat Williams pulled out his chop a couple of months ago.
Charlamagne Tha God
He did.
Jess Hilarious
He was firing at everybody. What was your thoughts? Cause a lot of that stuff was inside that became outside conversation.
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, I think Katt just told how he felt, man, and what's been going on in his life for real. And he just got fed up with it. You know when people dog you out, let's just say this. I used to tell people I had a club in Atlanta, it's called Club559. And I used to tell my security, I said, listen, when you have an altercation with a guy, be careful because they don't forget you. You don't forgot about them. So if you throw them out the club, throw them on their head and they be like, I'm not gonna forget that. They won't forget you.
DJ Envy
That's real.
Charlamagne Tha God
But you be done. Forgot who that was. And you had to go to the store with your woman shopping. He run up on you, you remember me? You're like, no, you had to be careful. So Cat just went through some things, stuff that he never forgot that was done to him. And he's coming back retaliating. And he just told it like it was.
DJ Envy
I feel like. I mean, there's a lot of different things you could take from that conversation. But the thing I took from it, that I appreciate, appreciate it, it felt like it put black comedy in a.
Charlamagne Tha God
In a.
DJ Envy
In a new light.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
DJ Envy
Like people started paying attention to the OGs like yourself, Tony Robbins, like, they.
Charlamagne Tha God
I don't know.
DJ Envy
I just felt like it just shined. Earthquake. It shined the light on the. On the people who've been doing it.
Charlamagne Tha God
And people gotta understand something about Cat Williams. Cat Williams is not a dummy. He is very smart. He's very smart. I don't know if y'all remember when he had altercation in Atlanta with one the Smith on V103. If you ever notice. If you ever notice, he never lost his composure. He stood there and drunk his coffee and he was killing her the whole time. And he just cool like that. He's very smart. He's a smart guy.
DJ Envy
Now, we always talk about the role ATL played in rap. What role did it play in comedy?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, I don't know. You like rap? When you said rap, I thought you was finna say with Outkast. And, you know, I did videos. They like my little homies. I'm like, they OG they call me OG and with too short made the song shake that monkey with Lil Jon. And then no, it was too short. And then Lil Jon came up with Yin Yang twins. That's cause it's just love. Everybody show love in Atlanta. Everybody show love. Like when I did the movie Idlewild with Outkast, it was gave to me, you know, it wasn't a movie I had to audition for. And then I did the movie who's your caddy with Big boy is a role that was gay to me because they just have that kind of love for me, you know what I mean? And we all cool. And I stay in my lane, man. I don't get out. I don't do crazy stuff.
Jess Hilarious
Let's talk about something else. But before we go there, we get back. How did you feel about all these artists mentioning you and their songs?
Charlamagne Tha God
I love it. I love it.
Jess Hilarious
Were you ever surprised? Did you hear it before when you heard Let Bruce Bruce hit it?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. I just hate when dudes say it. You know what I'm saying? Like we. I be my let Bruce Bruce, bruh. Bruh. You should be saying that. Your girl should say it, but not me. Not you, bro. Come on.
DJ Envy
He said that on the text this morning.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. Did he?
DJ Envy
Cause our producer, it was like, man, Bruce. Bruce is already his. We were on the way in and so he. So he goes, well, entertain him, then let Bruce.
Charlamagne Tha God
Bruce hit it.
Jess Hilarious
I was joking.
Charlamagne Tha God
It was. I forgive you.
DJ Envy
That's what he said.
Charlamagne Tha God
I forgive you.
Jess Hilarious
That's inside stuff, man.
Charlamagne Tha God
I just.
DJ Envy
I just thought it was stupid, you know, He.
Charlamagne Tha God
I felt. He felt we cool. So he just told me and.
DJ Envy
And our producer told him that was. He was going to hr.
Charlamagne Tha God
Going to hr. It's going to be easy. That breathing hot. Why did you do that?
Jess Hilarious
Why did you do that? Yeah, why did you do that?
DJ Envy
And Biggie.
Jess Hilarious
Biggie mentioned you and hypnotized. When was the first time you heard? Did you have anything?
Charlamagne Tha God
What happened? What happened? I was in Jacksonville, Florida. I never forget this. And I wanted to meet him so bad because I was a fan of Biggie, you know, and, man, he came in and I was on stage clowning. I was joining people. I mean, I asked the dude, I said, that shirt's silk. Is. I say, is it silk or you iron it too much? You know, something like that. He walked in, he said, this dude is funny. Because if you ever really pay attention to Biggie, he didn't really smile that much, you know what I'm saying? He just always had that look, like this non shit like, look. He smiled on the video when he was on the boat. Remember he was on the boat? And he started smiling. He said, I'm gonna put you down for real. And when I heard it, I'm like, what.
DJ Envy
What was the Bruce, Bruce line? Cause there was a. People were debating whether he.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, well, did he say that? Yeah.
DJ Envy
What was the line?
Charlamagne Tha God
He was like, bruce, Bruce who do something to us. Talk goes through us, through us girls do us want to screw Us who meet Papi and Puff. It was just love. He showed, man. He was a cool guy, man. And I actually saw him smile and laugh because I never saw him smile. He just always had this, like, hard look. Like, you know, he read the fight. But he was really funny. He was fun to be around.
DJ Envy
So he told you he was going.
Charlamagne Tha God
To put you in.
DJ Envy
Okay. So that's how you know it was.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, okay. But I heard him, like, that ain't what I thought I heard. You know, when you get on the radio, I'm like. And Shorty Shore, they called me the Comedian Show. He said, man, Biggie just said your name, and I'm like. I listened to it over and over. I just kept going back. I just listened to it. I just kept repeating it. Listen to it over and over. And that was love. That was real love.
DJ Envy
I guess you answered the question, because when I say, what role did ATL play in comedy for you? Like, what role did Atlanta play in the comedy?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God, everything. I think that's it. Well, you know who did it? Well, who started it was Chris Tucker. And Chris Tucker, when he did Fridays, first of all, he didn't do Fridays first. He did house party. Remember House party? Chris Tucker was the house party. Yeah. When he came to the. He said, same time, man, you gonna give me the money? Same time. It was an immature. The group called immature. And he went to the door to get some money. I'm looking for such and such, man. He just had that one scene at the door, and then he did Fridays. And Fridays took off way better than they thought it would. It took off way better than they thought it would. And Chris, he's a good dude, too, man. He's a good guy. I used to be on the road with him, but he fired me, though, man. You know, he fired me. He fired me. He didn't fire me, but he fired me. Like, I was on the road with him back in 94, 95. And then he said, man, I'm gonna take off. I'm gonna come off the road for about three months because their president's getting ready to come out, you know? And that's when I said, okay. Then when he went back on the road, he just didn't bring me back. So that's firing your ass. You know what I'm saying? But it's cool. He's still my boy. But he did come back and apologize. He said, hey, man, I didn't do that right. And I'm sorry. And I'm like, cool, man. I'm good. I work. I get down.
DJ Envy
You said you was a salesperson for Frito Lay?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, yeah.
DJ Envy
They used to make you tell jokes when you.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, I used to drown everybody on the dock. You know, I used to. You know, we used. I used to sell potato chips. You know, go from soda store delivering potato chips. So we delivering. We on the dock. I'm droning everybody. I didn't care who they was. And we had some good old boys. Y'all ain't got no good old boys. I'm sorry.
Jess Hilarious
We got From South Carolina. We ain't got no good old boys.
DJ Envy
Oh, yeah, you know, I know.
Charlamagne Tha God
You're from Greenville, right?
DJ Envy
Charleston. Charleston Monks Corner But I was born in Charleston.
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, but you know, we got them. Hey, buddy, how you doing? Yeah, you're a comedian, huh? Well, not every day, you know, we got divorced like that. They be so impressed you're a comedian. Oh yeah, well, I am. That's they word. But we had it. But one thing about good old boys, when they like it, they like it. When they don't, they don't. And it ain't a black white thing. It could be a white white thing. If they don't like you, they don't like you, you know, so. But I don't see racism everywhere, man. It don't bother me.
DJ Envy
Remember your sales pitch?
Charlamagne Tha God
My sales pitch on potato chip? Oh yeah, man, let me tell you, I had a Walmart, they had just opened this Walmart and in order to. I wanted to dress up as Chester Cheetah. You remember the Chester Cheetah tiger. In order to do this, you got to sell this huge display to get the costume, you know what I'm saying? Because the company was charging different branches money to use cars. I was the biggest Chester Cheetah they have ever seen. Look, man, I was the fattest Chester Cheetah. One guy said he must done ate all the Cheetos. This bitch is big as a house. But I sold like, I think it was, if I'm not mistaken, like $10,000 in Cheetos. That's why they sent the uniform to us. And it was great. And it was a Walmart. It was a guy managed a Walmart named James Pike. White dude, the madder he get, the lower he talk. So you know, he said when I tell you do something, you're like, what? What did you say? But he was cool. Everybody thought he was old redneck, but he was really cool. He ran that store, but he let me bring $10,000 worth of Cheetos in that store. That was my man.
DJ Envy
And what was your pitch?
Charlamagne Tha God
Hey man, just me being funny. I walk in and I say, hey man, I need sales. I need to sell some chips. If not, I'm gonna start back stripping. And if I start backstripping the church members, really gonna be hard on me about this. I say, you don't wanna see me naked. Trust me when I tell you that, you know what I'm saying, They'll bust out laughing. Got em took an order.
Jess Hilarious
You wasn't really a stripper though.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, come on. If I was though, my stage name be Stretch Marks, you know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? Then you know, but If I was a stripper today, I'd go by Hard Candy.
DJ Envy
Hard Candy. Why Hard Candy.
Charlamagne Tha God
This is a good name. Hard Candy. Why are you gonna ask me?
Jess Hilarious
I didn't want to hear why.
DJ Envy
Hard Candy was like something behind it. Like, you know, the church. Old ladies in the church with hard candy. I don't know.
Charlamagne Tha God
Church would be lemon pound cake. I'd be lemon. Yeah, Lemon pound cake.
DJ Envy
Now out of Def Comedy Jam, Showtime at the Apollo, and Comic View. Which one had the most impact on you?
Charlamagne Tha God
Comic View. Def Jam first. Def Jam was the starting. Come on, now. We got to give it Russell Simmons. I mean, big up for him. Def Jam was good. But when I did Comic View, see, Comic View started out as coast to Coast. I don't know if y'all remember that. They used to go. They used to come out to your city and come to a club and film you and then take it back. And DL was the host there, and he was like, look, went all the way down to Atlanta, had a club called the Comedy Act Theater. And we seen this guy, Bruce Bruce, and then showed me. And I did the coast to co when they first started. But I never forget the year that I host. It was probably the best year for me that I have ever experienced in my life. They went from 10,000, 10 million viewers to 20 million viewers when I host. And it was great for me. It was good. I made some money. They gave me money for wardrobe. That's why I dressed in all them suits, because I thought I was a pimp. You know what I'm saying? I thought I was a straight up pimp.
DJ Envy
How'd you get the gig?
Charlamagne Tha God
They called me. I mean, I had been doing Comedy View like, seven or eight years and gotta say, call me one day, say, how would you like to host comedy for you? I said, I would love that. Cause I wanted to do it, but. And I wanted to do it before then, and it just wasn't my time. But when my time came, it was perfect. It did well. It did very well.
Jess Hilarious
Was that the moment that, you know that that was your big break? Like, oh, this is really gonna happen?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. And I knew it was gonna happen then. It was good, man. Then we. I did more shows than anybody. I did, like, four to five shows a day. So I was changing suits, chains, and I was working five days a week. So on the days. And we was off Sunday, Monday. So I was shooting commercials for them. And I did this one commercial. I like gators, alligator skin shoes. So I told his cab driver, take me, man, I need to get me some gators. And he took me to a real creek where alligators was. That was the joke of it. And he dropped me off, and I'm like, what? Wait a minute? These are real alligators? Real alligators coming out the water. And it was really, really funny. That was a scene that I wrote. But, yeah, it was fun. So I still wear gator shoes. I'm old school, man. You know, I'm like, them old player. So y'all can still wear suits with tennis shoes. I can't do it. Nah, I can't do it, player. I can't do it.
DJ Envy
I never felt like Apollo was good for comedy.
Charlamagne Tha God
I mean, it just. I think what it was with Apollo, those people that all day sitting. So the first two shows, you're gonna get love. But like, the third, fourth, and fifth show, they wore out. They booing everybody. They pulled me the first time, and I didn't care. I just started talking about people. It was a dude in the front dressed like a. I don't know what the hell was going on with him. I said, bro, what is your problem? He had. He was just like a woman and a man on one side, a woman on the side. So, Brady, are you slow?
DJ Envy
He was before his time.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. And, yeah, he was before his time. But it was. It was at John. Them. They laughed. But then I went back and did it again. Then it went well.
Jess Hilarious
Yeah.
Charlamagne Tha God
I did it with Mark Curry first and then back with Steve Harvey.
Jess Hilarious
Is it too sensitive now for comedy.
Charlamagne Tha God
Depending on what subject you touch on? Cause if you. If you don't, like, let's just say gay people, you can't. You can't touch on that. You can't say anything disrespectful. And I wouldn't say anything disrespectful. You know, when I was coming up, my uncle called them sweet pickles. You know, so we'd be riding these days, sweet pickles. I'm like, well. Well, we knew what it was, right? We like, what the world, you know, But. But the thing is, I mean, I don't do any bashing of anything of sorts like that, but I see them all the time. Like, I remember one time I was doing a show at bet, it was in California, and the makeup artist, two of them, they did makeup and hair, and they was gay. Gay dudes and everything. So, you know, one dude walked in, man, I don't want no bags doing my makeup. Gay dude got real emotional. He said, oh, I'm sick of this. I'm so Tired, I don't know how to. So he started packing his stuff, getting ready to leave. So I walked in the room, I closed the door on him. He looked at me like, what the. I said, hey, man, let me tell you something. I said, if you're comfortable with who you are, I say, be that. I said, but if you walk out on this show, they're gonna blackball you. You won't work for NBC, cbs, tbs, nobody. You want me to work for nobody. I said, chill out. Dry your tears up. And I said, do my makeup. You know what I'm saying? I said, but if you walk out, they gonna do it. I said, nine times outta ten, at the end of the night, that same dude will be hollering at you. What if?
DJ Envy
He would've said, I love black balls. That's what I want.
Charlamagne Tha God
I'd had to run out of there. I'd had to run out of that Charmaine. I would have to run full speed. You know what I'm saying? But then at the end of the night, he was like. He said, thank you. Thank you so much for what you did. Cause he was getting ready to go. He was emotional, everything. And the dude, like, man, I thought when I went to talk to the dude, I said, man, chill out, man. Don't do that. You know, they got feelings too. That's just who they are.
Jess Hilarious
Why do you help so many comedians? Comedians talk about that. You've helped so many comedians in their career, in their life. What gives you the energy? Cause a lot of people be like, I ain't helping him. Cause he might get bigger than me. But you talked about so many comedians. You did.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God, yeah. But so many helped me. I never forget when I first. When I was in the Comdac Theater in Atlanta and John Witherspoon came to Atlanta, and he looked at me, he said, you got it. He said, you really got it. He said, I like you. So he started telling me what to do and what not to do. And he helped me, took me up on his wing. Ronaldo Ray did the same thing. He helped me on BET when he was my co host. People don't realize that Ronaldo Ray was a college professor before he started doing comedy. He was extremely smart. And he would tell me sometimes, he said, turn your body to the right a little bit when you tell that joke, it'll work better. And I'm like, how's that gonna work better? And it worked better. And then the last of the Mohicans, who really told me, he said, you won't have to find them. They will find you. His name was Paul Mooney. Wow. The legend Paul Mooney. He told me that Rodney Winfield. Y'all remember Rodney Winfield, that my man took me over. He said, a lot of these jokers don't like you just cause you're funny. He says, keep being funny. You're gonna be all right. You just call me, do shows with him. You know? You know, back in the day, man, somebody say, man, we got a show paying $300. I'm like, let's go. You know these new kids now. He say, man, I got a show for you. How much they paying? Hold it, player, hold it. You ain't been seen walking by tv, much less on tv. So what is you talking about? How much they paying? If I tell you about a show, I'm gonna make sure you get paid. Just that simple.
DJ Envy
You think social media helped to hurt comedy?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, it helped it. I wish Charlamagne. I wish I had social media. 35 years ago, only thing we had was go in this city early, do radio, try to do TV to get people in there. Social media is a platform that really helped a lot of young comedians Now. Now veteran comedians like myself, they get pissed because all the new young comedians are coming up faster. I been doing comedy for 25 years, 30 years, and he ain't been doing comedy for three months. I tell them like this, if you can't beat them, Joe on him, and they winning, so you might as well follow in the footsteps. They are winning.
DJ Envy
But that's why them young comedians feel like. That's why they asking how much, Right? Cause are they following on social media?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, but then the only thing about it, Charlamagne, is when they do get booked, only thing they got to say is what they did on social media. That's right. You got to bring out more than that.
Jess Hilarious
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
You know, you got that seven minutes you got. Oh, it's bye. But what about this other 20 minutes they need you to do? You can tell when a person is bombing because they'll start talking real positive, you know, we need to take care of these kids, man. You know, hey, man, support these women, man. Hey, man, these women need your support. They need your respect. They bombing like hell.
DJ Envy
Yeah.
Charlamagne Tha God
They trying to get positive.
Jess Hilarious
That's his favorite part of a comedy show.
DJ Envy
It is. I like. I like. You know what it is? I like to see somebody try to dig themselves out of a hole when they bomb.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God.
DJ Envy
If you see me laughing really hard, it's probably because you up there thinking.
Charlamagne Tha God
Because I remember seeing you. Because I watch you guys all the time. I remember seeing you on ridiculousness, right? And Chanel West Coast. You made her so mad you was coming. You say, I never seen you on anything. I never seen you rap with. I rap with Snoop. She got P. They went to commercial. See, I think it happened twice. Am I right?
DJ Envy
No, it was one time.
Charlamagne Tha God
She was. But do she rap?
DJ Envy
I don't. Yeah, yeah, I think she did.
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, okay. But I didn't know it, but I. I looked at you and I'm like, oh, my God, she's pissed. She got pissed. She moved that hair back to commercial. Commercial. And she came back, she was more calm. Yeah, we're back here. Charlamita pissed her off. He said, I never seen your nothing. I never seen you with Snoop. I never seen you. Too short. I never seen you. She was pissed. I laughed so hard at that. That was so good.
DJ Envy
How do you feel about them rebooting Comic View?
Charlamagne Tha God
I just. I like it, but I think they're trying to do a new way. I think they should have rebooted it and did it the old way. I think they should have had the host and introduced the show like we used to do back in the day. Because if you remember, when that show was on, everybody watched it from your mom, your mom, your dad, your dad, your grandma, your granddad, aunt, uncles, you know, I saw you on tv. They love it. So I think we need to go back to that platform. They doing a new thing now where, you know, they wanted all hip hop and all that. That's cool. But we need to go back to the old way now.
Jess Hilarious
You a huge car enthusiast?
Charlamagne Tha God
I am, man.
Jess Hilarious
Classic cars.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Jess Hilarious
What got you into that and how.
Charlamagne Tha God
Many cars you have back in? About 27. I collect Buicks.
Jess Hilarious
Buicks.
Charlamagne Tha God
I like Buicks.
Jess Hilarious
Why Buicks, man?
Charlamagne Tha God
My granddaddy told me, say, look at you. Don't buy nothing but a Buick. You know, old joker, he used to have a Roadmaster with three speed on the column. I thought he was a genius. When you change the gears on the column, you was a bad dude. You know, he pull it down the first, then go to second. He looking at you talking, then he go to third, get you a Buick, baby, you know? So I always like Buicks, and I like Skylarks. Buick was a really good muscle car, too. People don't realize. I got, like, I got a 70 Wildcat convertible. I got a 70 Rivera. I got a 63 Rivera. I got a 69 Rivera. I got a 68 Deuce in the quarter. I got a 68 Skylark convertible. I got a 68 SkylARK, four speed. Got a 65 Skylark convertible.
Jess Hilarious
So that's your addiction?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah. And I like Ford trucks. I love Ford trucks.
Jess Hilarious
So you don't drink, you don't smoke?
Charlamagne Tha God
I used to. I let it go. My baby boy was born. He's 40. I stopped 40 years ago. Really? I used to get so drunk. MAN on NBA. I used to get so drunk when I. When I get home, I couldn't walk to do, I had to crawl. I used to knock at the bottom of the door and my ex wife say, gonna be me and alcohol. One of us has got to go.
DJ Envy
Damn.
Charlamagne Tha God
And I sure did miss her. I did. I missed her. I missed the hell out of her.
DJ Envy
Who got a better collection, you or Jay Leno?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, Jay got the car. But you know, my man Envy got some car. I. I like. Like, I got. I. I've had everything Ford ever made, from the Lincoln Blackwood truck to the Duallys to the saline truck. I got a saline truck. I got two lightnings. I got a Rapture. I got a super snake truck. I had the Ford gt. You know the one like a Ferrari. I had all that.
Jess Hilarious
You had a Ford gt?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yes, sir. Really? Yeah, I did. You know why I sold it?
Jess Hilarious
Cause you couldn't fit in it?
Charlamagne Tha God
No. Oh. Oh. I fit in it, but it felt like.
DJ Envy
Wait a minute, Wait a minute.
Charlamagne Tha God
But let me tell you why. I'm gonna tell you why I sold it. Cause when I did get in, it felt like four people sitting in there with me.
Jess Hilarious
Michael Strahan had it. And I asked Michael Strahan why he got rid of his. He said, cause I couldn't fit in it.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, I could fit in it, but it was tight. But when I sold it, it was a.06. When I sold it, it didn't have a 2,200 miles on it. And I had it for seven years. So when I put up a sale, I'm not.
Jess Hilarious
At least you ain't selling that. Cause if you sold it now, it triple, quadruple.
Charlamagne Tha God
But it's like 600,000 for it now. But I bought it for 200,000. I sold it for 250,000. And a guy in England bought it. It was canary yellow, black stripes. Jesus. Damn. And when I tell you it had the power, it had the power. Wow. That thing would run.
DJ Envy
That's the one you wanted to hold on to, though.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, I don't miss it. I can get another. I Don't miss it. I want the new one.
Jess Hilarious
You could have sold it for like 6, 700,000.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I sold it for 250 back then. But I could have got 5, 600,000 for it if I'd have kept it.
Jess Hilarious
If I'd have kept it with those miles.
Charlamagne Tha God
Absolutely.
DJ Envy
How big of a deal is it now for a comedian to have a special? Does it even matter?
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, let me. You know, it's funny you said that, man. Specials are good. I just got signed for a Netflix special.
DJ Envy
Okay, okay.
Charlamagne Tha God
And the reason I just took it, I wasn't gonna do it. I was gonna do it myself, like Fitment. Make them buy it, you know what I'm saying? But they offered it to me. We gonna do it. We're gonna do it, I think around August.
Jess Hilarious
So you shoot in Atlanta?
Charlamagne Tha God
No, no, no, no, no. We're gonna go somewhere else. I wanna go somewhere. Somebody think I'm a superstar, you know what I'm saying? In Atlanta. I'm just in Atlanta. No, I'm just average. What's up, Bruce? What's happening, man? They see me in the grocery, Bruce, what's happening? But I go somewhere like Chicago or Texas. Oh my God. That's where I want to go, you know, in Atlanta. It's my city. I love it. I still live there. And I had a place in LA for 30 years. And LA is just LA. You pay. They make you pay for the weather. You know what I mean? Everything is just so high. It's just ridiculous. But it's high here in New York too.
Jess Hilarious
It is.
DJ Envy
You especially don't need one though. It's not. I mean, it don't validate you in no way, shape or form.
Charlamagne Tha God
But I'm gonna do it, man. Cause I want to do a tour myself. I'm always on somebody else's tour. I want to do a tour. I got two guys that opened up for me who is hilarious and nobody know them. So I want to introduce them and bring them out and then they can start out doing their own thing. That's what it's all about, man.
DJ Envy
There used to be a kit for comedians. You needed a special, like a HBO special, a sitcom, like, I don't feel you need none of that no more.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, no.
DJ Envy
And some of the people who got em can't sell out of.
Charlamagne Tha God
Can't sell a ticket.
DJ Envy
Nope.
Charlamagne Tha God
You know what I'm saying? They can sell people in their garage, but they can't sell a ticket. You know, back in the day, before Kings of Comedy, that's what you had to get, you know, you do real good, then they offer you a sitcom, then you do your sitcom, then you go on tour. And Bernie Mac was like the only comedian that could sell out by himself. He was about now, Cat Williams could do it. Kevin Hart can do it. Kevin Hart is a good guy, but Cat can do it. Like when he did that interview, that podcast. Yeah. Went crazy. He just starts selling out everywhere. And, well, he got something to say, and I think he should say it. I agree.
DJ Envy
They doing a live Netflix special with Katt.
Charlamagne Tha God
But you know what? Cat made everybody get on their toes, though. People like. I thought he was gonna say something about you. I never had any conflict with Cat. We always been cool. He called me one time, he said, man, I want you to go on the road with me. And I said these exact words. I said, I would do it. I said, but why do you need me on the road with you? I said, you got it. They come to see you. He said, well, it's a big crossover. You got a crowd. I got a crowd. But Kat is. He's a smart dude and he take care of his people. That's what I like about it. He take care of his people, and that's what it's all about. Can't keep the money, man. You just think you're gonna work people to death and not pay him. You got to pay these people. We got families, we got kids. You know, I got grandkids now, man. You know, grandkids, my. That's who I work for now. They cool.
DJ Envy
You've been getting money for a long time.
Charlamagne Tha God
Long time.
DJ Envy
You've been in the game 30 years. When did you start seeing that real.
Charlamagne Tha God
Real money that, you know, When a joker was giving me $1,000 a show, I thought he was crazy because it was so easy to me. $1,000 to be on stage for 10, 15 minutes. Oh, this is where I need to be. Potato chip truck. Got to go. I tell you how I quit my job. I took a leave of absence and I told them, I told my supervisor, I say, man, I said, I'm going through a divorce, man. And I say, I just need some time to get my head together. Can I get a 30 day leave? He got it approved. When he got it approved, we was inventory in the truck. He said, man, you coming back? I said, I want you to look at me real good. Next time you see me, I'll be on tv. And I left. And what's crazy, you remember back in the day when you had beepers? Anybody remember Beepers. Of course I left. I had my cousin to pick me up on a Friday. I said, man, take me by the bank machine. I got $20 in the bank. That's all I had in the bank. I went and got the $20 out to give him for gas. And as soon as I gave him the money, my beeper went off and I said, stop, man. Let me use the payphone. And I called, and it was the club owner in the car theater in Atlanta. He said, man, what you doing tonight? I said, I'm working for you. I ain't look back.
DJ Envy
You do a lot of manifestation, Bruce.
Charlamagne Tha God
You've been telling me if you will.
DJ Envy
See me on tv.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I just tell him, man, you got to speak stuff when people don't realize you have to speak stuff into your life. And when people be speaking the wrong stuff in their life, the wrong stuff is gonna come. Oh, I'm sick as a dog. Okay. Gonna be sick as a dog. Cause you're gonna be sick as a dog. I love her to death. She be dead in about three months. So you can't see. You know, you got the love of the life. Whatever you speak, the tongue is very powerful. You know what I'm saying? What I'm saying? So people be hollering about church folk, but they'd be telling the truth. You know what I'm saying? You know, you say you're gonna be rich, you're gonna be rich. Just. Just keep. You got to believe it, what you're saying. So I've always told people, you see me on tv, I'm. I'm not gonna work this truck all my life. I'm not gonna be.
Jess Hilarious
That's what it is.
Charlamagne Tha God
Delivering chips. All my life, I'm gonna be doing stuff I like to do.
DJ Envy
So what's your manifestation now? What do you.
Charlamagne Tha God
My key thing now is to make sure I make enough money and save enough money to leave for my grandkids when I'm gone. I don't plan on going anywhere right anytime soon, but, you know, I just want to make sure they straight when I leave. Because that's the way it's supposed to be. I know a guy now. He's been married. White dude. He got married in 1962. His mother and father gave him a house that he still live in. He never paid a house note. Cause the house was paid for. Then he left him. And then the property. He was on, like 60 acres with three lakes. So he living the life. They left him money. That's where it's supposed to be. You always leave your family in a position where they don't have to suffer and be in a strain. That's why we need to get insurance.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. You ever see somebody die? They do a gofundme. Then the brother in law take all the money. He take everything but $60. They done raised 30,000. They didn't give us $60, man. You know, they left more than $60. And that's what we should be. We should always put ourself in a position to live a good life, but also leave a good life for our family.
Jess Hilarious
Absolutely.
DJ Envy
I just got a couple more questions. There's a stigma about black comedians wearing dresses to be funny or having to wear a dress to get to that next level. What's your thoughts on that?
Charlamagne Tha God
Well, you know, I'm gonna be honest with you, man. It's funny you said that. I did a TV show that I taped one time, never came out. It's called Bruce, Bruce, Bounty Hunters. And we did this scene. I was a bounty hunter. I played a bounty hunter. I played a preacher called Reverend Get Money. It was Reverend Get Money. And I played a mother named Mother Marshall, which was crazy, but Mother Marshall was a real lady in my church that I mimic. I copied off her. And I also played. I did it in Indianapolis. And I did not feel comfortable in that dress. You know what I'm saying? At all. And some people could do it. Some people, if it worked for you, it'd do it. Flip Wilson did it when he did Geraldine, you know? Cause Flip Wilson's show was a variety show, which I love, because it wasn't a black show. It was a show for everybody. And that's what people gotta understand. But if they wanna dress up in a dress, do your thing, you know? But it's not my thing. Yeah, but you know, Tyler Perry made it big. He's one of the best. But to me, I love Tyler Perry. But Joe is funnier than Tyler Perry. Than my dear. No, when he plays Joe. When he plays Joe.
DJ Envy
Joe.
Charlamagne Tha God
Joe is funny. Joe have an oxygen tank. Yep.
DJ Envy
And smoke weed.
Charlamagne Tha God
Smoking weed, coughing. And I say, thank you, Jesus. You know what I'm saying? So when he plays Joe, Joe is the funniest dude, you know, that's just me.
DJ Envy
I think he's living a lot with Joe, too.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I love Madea. But Joe.
Jess Hilarious
Joe's funny to you.
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, my God. Joe is funny.
DJ Envy
And see, back then, we used to see people in the dresses. I even see, like when they used to do men on film. On the Living Color. It was just funny. I never thought nothing of it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Men on film was the thing. Remember when they talked about Moby Dick? Moby Dick that gets two snaps and a kiss and a roundabout. You remember they did the Twist. Yeah, yeah, the Twist. Yeah.
DJ Envy
How would you define this point in your life? Professionally and personally?
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, well, I want everybody to know professionally and personally. This is me, and this is how I do business. I don't act, I don't put on. So if you see me on and off stage, this is Bruce. Bruce. And I'm the same every day, man. You know, I have problems just like everybody else. I have. I get a cold like everybody, you know? Everybody. Everybody. Think when you're in the entertainment, things are just perfect. No, it's not. And your family members and your friends are the worst. The Bible speaks. If it ain't your family, watch your closest friend, they gonna get you. I got a cousin now, Auntie, going through so much. I said, keep having some birthdays, you gonna go through some more shit.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
You understand what I'm saying? But they expect you to rescue them and fix them and not pay you back. Who thought of that one? I don't know. I don't know. Who thought of that one? I don't know. They don't think. But if it was flip, if I owe them. Now, y'all know he owes money. He ain't gave me my money yet. But when you owe me, I supposed to be able to understand.
Jess Hilarious
Well, you got it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, exactly. I be telling. I told him, I ain't seen a rich man with extra money. Damn. Nope, never.
DJ Envy
Why do you have to say your name twice?
Charlamagne Tha God
Cause my mom used to call me twice. My mama said, if I call you the third time, I'm gonna kill you. So my mother said, if I call you three times, you gonna die today. And my mother was a little woman, about 140. I mean, she was just. But loving and knew how to make her way out of no way. Most mothers do. That's why it's always good. When you do get successful and you start making money, make sure you take care of your mom. And one thing you gotta realize, it don't take much like you think it does. That's right. People think like, well, I gotta do. No, your mama don't want that much. She just wanna make sure she's okay, she's comfortable and she got a little money. My mother, last 20 years of her life, I made sure she was straight. Didn't pay no bills, nothing. But it didn't take much, you know what I'm saying? But then when your family members found out about it, they start trying to use you too. You know, my mom going through something. Well, that's your mother. This one is mine.
DJ Envy
There you have it.
Charlamagne Tha God
Bruce.
Jess Hilarious
Bruce, we appreciate you for joining us.
Charlamagne Tha God
No, thank you.
DJ Envy
And you on tour right now, right?
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm on the show tonight.
Jess Hilarious
Tonight.
Charlamagne Tha God
And you know, next week I'm in Tampa. We got that. I'm in Tacoma, Washington. Week after that I'm in Raleigh. I'm booked every week. If I'm not booked every week, somebody gonna lose their job. Ain't nobody gonna be sitting at home drinking lemonade while I'm sitting at home. That's right. I need to go to work.
Jess Hilarious
That's right.
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah.
Jess Hilarious
Well, there you have it. It's Bruce.
DJ Envy
Bruce, we've been trying to get. Bruce Bruce up here for a minute, man, because you know, I've always disrespected you as a, as a comedy legend, man. You are icon. So salute. Thank you, man, for coming.
Jess Hilarious
It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.
DJ Envy
Wake that ass up early in the morning.
Charlamagne Tha God
The Breakfast Club.
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Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club – Best Of 2024 Full Interview: Bruce Bruce Talks Comedy Upbringing, Bernie Mac, Katt Williams, Social Media Comics + More
Podcast Information:
1. Introduction to Bruce Bruce
The episode kicks off with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God welcoming comedian Bruce Bruce to The Breakfast Club. Jess Hilarious joins the hosts in introducing Bruce, setting the stage for an in-depth conversation about his life and career.
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2. Early Life and Entry into Comedy
Bruce Bruce delves into his humble beginnings, sharing stories from his upbringing in Atlanta, Georgia. He recounts working as a chef and later transitioning to selling potato chips at Frito Lay while honing his comedic talent.
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3. Transition from Sales to Stand-Up
Bruce shares the pivotal moment when he decided to leave his job to pursue comedy full-time, spurred by personal challenges like a divorce and criticism from his ex-wife.
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4. Personal Life and Family Dynamics
Bruce opens up about his relationships, multiple marriages, and the challenges of balancing personal life with a demanding career. He discusses his children's ages and the impact of his lifestyle on his family.
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5. Influences and Relationships in Comedy
Bruce reflects on his interactions with legendary comedians like Bernie Mac and Katt Williams, sharing anecdotes that highlight their personalities and impact on his career.
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6. Navigating the Comedy Industry
The conversation delves into the challenges comedians face, such as dealing with tough crowds, the importance of originality, and the dynamics between black and white comedy venues.
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7. The Impact of Social Media on Comedy
Bruce shares his perspective on how social media has transformed the comedy landscape, benefiting emerging comedians while presenting new challenges for veterans.
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8. Future Endeavors and Legacy
Looking ahead, Bruce discusses his plans for a Netflix special, his passion for classic cars, and his commitment to supporting younger comedians. He emphasizes the importance of leaving a financial legacy for his family.
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9. Reflections on Personal Growth and Success
Bruce emphasizes authenticity both on and off stage, discussing the misconceptions about life in entertainment and the importance of maintaining genuine relationships.
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Conclusion
In this enlightening episode of The Breakfast Club, Bruce Bruce provides a candid look into his life as a seasoned comedian. From his early days juggling jobs and nurturing his comedic talent to navigating the evolving landscape of comedy in the age of social media, Bruce offers valuable insights and heartfelt reflections. His stories about influential figures like Bernie Mac and Katt Williams, coupled with his dedication to mentoring the next generation of comedians, underscore his enduring legacy in the world of entertainment.
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