← The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club
Best of full interview: Chris Gotti Talks Irv, Jay-Z, Ashanti, Fat Joe, Diddy, Hip-Hop Now Vs.Then, 'Clash Pro League' +More
01:16:51
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- [00:00]
Chris Gotti
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
- [00:05]
Better Picks Announcer
Nothing in life is free except this.
- [00:07]
Chris Gotti
$10 that better picks is offering. Download the Better app, pick more or.
- [00:10]
Better Picks Announcer
Less on your favorite player stats, watch.
- [00:11]
Podcast Promo Narrator
The games and win some cash.
- [00:13]
Chris Gotti
It's that simple.
- [00:14]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates.
- [00:16]
Chris Gotti
Terms and conditions apply.
- [00:18]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Better Picks Sports just got better, she said.
- [00:21]
Gisele Bryant
Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night.
- [00:23]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Along the central Texas plains, teens are dying, suicides that don't make sense, strange acc and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad.
- [00:39]
Chris Gotti
Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people. There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.
- [00:45]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas Teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts from. NBA champion Stephen Curry comes Shot Ready. A powerful, never before seen look at the mindset that changed the in love with the grind.
- [01:05]
Chris Gotti
You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around. Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. Let's go.
- [01:15]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Steph Curry redefined basketball. Now he's rewriting what it means to succeed. Order your copy of the New York Times bestseller Shot ready today@stephencurrybook.com hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. We were in the car like a Rolling Stone came on and he said, there's a line in there about your mother.
- [01:32]
Chris Gotti
And I said, what?
- [01:33]
DJ Envy
What I would do if I didn't.
- [01:35]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Feel like I was being accepted is choose an identity that other people can't have.
- [01:39]
Gisele Bryant
I knew something had happened to me.
- [01:41]
Chris Gotti
In the middle of the night, but.
- [01:42]
Gisele Bryant
I couldn't hold on to what had happened.
- [01:45]
Danny Shapiro
These are just a few of the moving and important stories on my 13th season of family Secrets. Listen to Family secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [01:57]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, Chair of Women's health and Gynecology at the Adria Health Institute in New York City. I'll be talking to top researchers and clinicians and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you.
- [02:13]
Gisele Bryant
100% of women go through menopause. Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?
- [02:18]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:27]
Gisele Bryant
You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryan and Robyn Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama, and reality news you can handle. And, you know, we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday, listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [03:02]
Chris Gotti
Every day, I wake up. Wake your ass up.
- [03:05]
Charlamagne Tha God
The Breakfast Club.
- [03:08]
Chris Gotti
Morning, everybody.
- [03:09]
DJ Envy
It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lola Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.
- [03:16]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yes, indeed.
- [03:16]
Chris Gotti
We got Chris Gotti. Welcome to me, man. Good morning. Thank you for having me, man. Thank you.
- [03:21]
DJ Envy
How you doing, brother? How's everything, man?
- [03:22]
Chris Gotti
I'm blessed, you know, just taking it one day at a time from everything, you know, but everything's going great. Got a lot of positive stuff happening, and that's why I'm here.
- [03:32]
DJ Envy
All right, if you don't mind, I want to go back a little bit for people that don't know who Chris Gotti is, of course. Irv Gotti's brother.
- [03:37]
Chris Gotti
Yes.
- [03:38]
DJ Envy
Irv Gotti's big brother.
- [03:39]
Chris Gotti
Yes.
- [03:40]
DJ Envy
For Queens, N.Y. hollis. And you guys been in the industry for a while. And you guys, both of y' all founded Murder, Inc. Yeah.
- [03:47]
Chris Gotti
Yeah.
- [03:48]
DJ Envy
Most people only hear Irv when thinking about Murder, Inc. But you were kind of the silent guy behind everything. So talk about how Murder, Inc. Or the Inc. Was founded.
- [03:57]
Chris Gotti
It's Murder, Inc. We hated that we had to change that name. That was Russell Simmons and Leo that and came to us and Ben Chavis and said, put Murder to bed because we was dealing with the feds and everything. So Murder, Inc. Was founded because Irv wanted to be the biggest producer in the world. I helped make him that. Finding producers. And we built out his production company called Top Dog Productions, and we just started making hit after hit after hitting for multiple artists. Irv didn't say, I'm gonna start Murder, Inc. See, this is the misconception. Most people don't realize that. They thought Irv came up with, like, I'm gonna start a record label. He didn't start a label. He just wanted to be the biggest producer in the game. And that's what happened. And because that happened, Tom Mottola, Dave McPherson over at Sony, said, we want to give you a record deal. They told us they wanted to buy four beats at the time. We're selling beats for 250,000 of tracks. So That's a million dollars. I'm like, let's go get that. We was. We met up at Justin's, the restaurant, you know, Diddy's, you know, and we go to. Go to Justin's and meet Dave McPherson, and we talk, and he's like, you know, Tommy wants to give you a deal. Not he don't want to buy beats. And to our surprise, he pulls a contract out and look at it. Irv looked at it and he threw it right back at him. So you serious? Send it to our lawyer. So that's really the birth for Murder, Inc. And we didn't have a name. We just came up with a bunch of things. DJ Clues doing the mixtape. Ja's doing a feature. And inside of that feature, we had a bunch of names we had thought of, like Lockdown Records. He says it in his verses on the features on the mixtape, and that's kind of where we was at. And then Irv was watching Arts and Entertainment one day. It's Gangsta Week, and he sees Murder, Inc. On the screen, and it's the Notorious Murder, Inc. Which was the Italian guys that was actually making hits. Yeah.
- [05:54]
DJ Envy
That was doing hits on people in Brooklyn.
- [05:55]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. It's luckily Chiano, Alfred, Anastasia, and those guys. And the narrator of that show was like the Notorious Murder Rink. And they made hits. Irv went crazy. He went crazy. He called everybody. I got the name. But that's why when you ask that question, how did it start? And if the co founders. That's the co founder. I helped make all of the music with them, with all of the producers. And I just took care of the business and I took care of my little brother.
- [06:23]
DJ Envy
And Ja was always the first artist on Murdoch.
- [06:26]
Chris Gotti
Another misconception. Ja was already signed a Murder Def Jam. So his first album, Vin Ve, it's on Def Jam. We just get the deal. But he already signed his deal.
- [06:36]
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, wow, wow, wow.
- [06:37]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. People don't know that. So we had to go basically back to Leora and say, that's our artists. And then we had to pay for it to get them back to Murder.
- [06:45]
Charlamagne Tha God
Inc. How much did you have to pay?
- [06:47]
Chris Gotti
A couple million dollars.
- [06:48]
Charlamagne Tha God
Damn. Yeah, okay, that was after the first.
- [06:52]
Chris Gotti
Album, after Vinov, and then they took some extra points on his next two. But a couple million dollars? Look, we had to pay for Ashanti. She was signed to AJM Records, which is Shout Out. Mario Ba. Mari's like an uncle, and he has Ashanti. He wanted us to do records for Ashanti on his label. He had a little Independent label. And Ashanti was there with him. And Irv didn't really think about doing anything. Or would hit me with the. The tunnel vision. Like, stay focused. Yo, we get money with Ja Rule. I'm like, yo, she could write. She's dope, and we'll break that. What broke that ice was Fat Joe. He called me up. Cause he's doing a Big Pun album. And he says, I need that pun. I need an artist to R and B artist on the hook. I said, I got one. He said, you do? I was like, yeah. I called her up. She drove right to the studio, pinned it. Joe was like, yo, she's dope. I said, all right, tell Irv.
- [07:55]
DJ Envy
And I said, I went down.
- [07:56]
Chris Gotti
And he told Irv. And Irv said, what artist? And then he called me up right after. I was like, what artist you talking about? Like my R B artist. And it was Ashanti. He's like, what? Artisan? Irv called me right after that. I said, bring it to bring it back up. I would bring it to the office. And Irv wouldn't even want to talk to. Like, he's so focused. Irv is tunnel focused. Like, when he's locked in you, he's no, I don't see no one like this dude, man. And he would be there, and he wouldn't even. I would have to force him to just say hi and lie to them. Like, yeah, I listen to your music. Yeah, yeah, I'll get back to you. So he walk in, say, what's up? And right back in his office. And they were like, did he like my music? I was like, oh, yeah, he loved it. You know what I'm saying? And that's really how we got Ashanti. But Joe the Cosign, like, when, like, Irv is an artist, it's very difficult to make artists listen to you if they don't. Irv was my little brother. I raised him. He listened to me up to a certain point. After that point, I had to get someone else. So I would send messages through all types of people to tell them, do something to get it done. And that's what Joe did for me.
- [09:02]
Charlamagne Tha God
How do you balance family and business in moments like that, though? Like you said, especially when y' all got disagreements or he don't want to listen to you no more.
- [09:08]
Chris Gotti
I never had a disagreement with my brother. I never put my hands on my little brother. You know how big brothers, they always talk about that. He was different. I always seen something in Irv from little. He was just different in a Different way. And again, when you talk music, it's like Irv did anything I did. That's when he followed anything. I would never tell him anything bad I was doing because I didn't want him to do it. But the reality is Irv was playing basketball. I used to play basketball. Then Irv started really playing basketball and was really good. And he had dreams of going somewhere for a split second. BJ Carter from Hillcrest High School was so fast. Irvs quit after that. He was like, if I can't keep up with him, I can't. That's what kind of ruined his hoop dream. But I was DJing and people don't know that. I started DJing because I had got some equipment. I won't say how I got it, but I got some equipment and next thing you know, Irv started DJing and he got really good and that's what started the music. And then I was managing him in a group called with DF Crew which is Romeo and Razel. Shout out Razel. You know what I'm saying? The godfather of noise. He's a beatboxer.
- [10:21]
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh yeah.
- [10:21]
Danny Shapiro
Yeah.
- [10:22]
Charlamagne Tha God
He's building the roots.
- [10:22]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, he was the roots. We had him early days. He was from Hollis, 199 in Hollis. So he's right there.
- [10:27]
Charlamagne Tha God
I did not know that. I don't know why I thought Roswell was from Philly with nah first love and all that black thought and all that.
- [10:33]
DJ Envy
I do want to ask you talk about. He doesn't listen. When got to his later life they said he was having health problems. Yeah, they said nobody could talk to.
- [10:40]
Chris Gotti
Irv about talk to him constantly.
- [10:42]
DJ Envy
They said he wouldn't change his diet, he wouldn't change his thing. And they said nobody could get through to him. Why do you think that that was for her?
- [10:48]
Chris Gotti
Partially because my pops was hardheaded. He got it from my dad. So same exact thing going through diabetes, health problems. And my dad was like, you can't tell me God didn't make this orange and I can't eat it. You can't. You know, this was really our problem. And then it's the ignorance of just health. And her was the same. He would be like, there's no way you could tell me I can't eat this food. It's good. And he would tell you it's healthy and it was trash, you know and he was just hard headed. Now he had his first stroke. He had two strokes. The first stroke. Basically he was man. I didn't think he was going to be Here. After that one, I went to the hospital. As soon as I heard, I flew right to la. Shout out bj. BJ found him. Yeah. You know, BJ picked him up, got him to the hospital, or when he came around, he's like, I don't want to go to the hospital. Don't take me to the hospital. I'm going to take my meds now. Again, this is, it's probably just how we all believe. We're very hard headed. I got a little bit of that too. So don't. I'm not acting like I don't. And BJ was like, no. He said, so stand up. And he stood up and fell back down. And no, you're going to the hospital. Took him to hospital. I didn't know he's gonna get past that one. I flew out there. He was there for. I was there for a month and a half in the hospital staying with him. When he took about two weeks before he actually came back and was conscious. But those first two weeks, I didn't think he was gonna make it. And I always credit. I said, BJ gave us another year basically before the next one, you know, so.
- [12:34]
Danny Shapiro
Yup.
- [12:35]
Charlamagne Tha God
Somebody told me. I'm sorry. Somebody told me there was a sense of acceptance that he had. And he would say, he would say things like, I'm going, I'm going to see Poppy. I'm gonna be with Poppy.
- [12:43]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, yeah. He wrote if you've seen his gram. He. And I would always, when I seen it, I would call him like, stop talking like that. I don't believe in calling off a death like that unless you really have a deaf wish. And I was like, yo, stop talking. You'll see him when it's your time. You know, Irv is very, you know, success. I've, I, I pretty much see this in every successful person. They're very particular in how they take information from people, which one or who you know. And Irv is no different. He's no exception to the rule. He's right there, you know, so we say with success and money and you damn near probably feel invincible. I used to say Irv used to feel like he's God. Probably at one point when we was at the height of Murder Inc. He probably felt like he was the alpha and omega at one point.
- [13:33]
DJ Envy
And you think he knew when he.
- [13:35]
Chris Gotti
Sold part of his catalog, right? Yeah, no, he sold it all. Well, he earned on 50% of the masses. We had a 50, 50. So we had 50%. He sold it. It was a $300 million. Deal. 100 in cash, 200 for movies and TV projects.
- [13:50]
DJ Envy
Do you think he knew at that time to set his kids up to be like if something does happen, every kid have that. Do you think that was the mentality?
- [13:57]
Chris Gotti
IRV is 100% family. So yeah, that's definitely part of it. And it's also part of health and just not, you know, just want to make sure like you said things is there for somebody no matter what. Because Irv accepted death. He always, he would always accept death if that was the consequence, whatever it is. We both do. Like I don't ever look at the consequence of whatever it is. Right. The preciousness of life. Think about that. Like we're here for such a short amount of time, but we never thought or thought about anything like that. Irv's no different. I like and that's why when he got sick and he would tell me like if this is what it is, this is what it is. But he didn't try to prevent it. And that first stroke he did for his kids because he fought back. His left side was paralyzed. He got it all back. And I would be right there. You could get it all back. I did it with my dad at 82. I made him a vegan. He no longer was diabetic, but what took my dad was cancer. The causes of that Sugar creates the cancer in your body. And he died from lung cancer. He beat cancer in his thigh, shoulder, spine, but didn't beat through lung cancer. How's that?
- [15:15]
Gisele Bryant
80.
- [15:15]
Chris Gotti
He finished. He passed at 86. But look, I'll sign off right now. If someone said 86, that's your date. Done. I'm 58. Let's go. It's just the reality of life. Like we all know this is, you know, no one talks mortality, especially when you're young, but it's, it's coming and we don't know when. That's the reality too. We don't have, no one knows that expiration date. Well, what is, how is your health? You said you earlier you're hard headed as well. Yeah, no, I, I fast now. I, I've been doing this for years. I, I credit Phil Ivy. I don't know if you guys know who Phil Ivy is. The poker player I managed Phil Ivy, 24 years now, still currently.
- [15:54]
Charlamagne Tha God
I didn't know that.
- [15:55]
Chris Gotti
Yeah.
- [15:55]
Charlamagne Tha God
Wow.
- [15:55]
Chris Gotti
Yeah.
- [15:56]
DJ Envy
I think he been up here one.
- [15:57]
Chris Gotti
I think Phil I was he up here? I don't think so. Maybe he might have been early on. Early? Yeah. You know, we shout out Phil, he's Having another baby, man. And that's something I fought with him to have. You know, some kids, gotta keep them going, man. Yeah. But yeah, Phil changed my life. Since COVID I'm gonna go back to covert. I mean, I was out in Vegas. I ran a record label called Supernova for him. You know, he had some incredible artists, man. It was crazy. We just. He's not the best of understanding of how to not give these artists everything they want. He gave them too much. And when you didn't succeed yet, that's not a good formula for success. Gotta have that hunger.
- [16:43]
Interviewer
I saw that you and Ja Rule are figuring out a. Like some sort of organization to help educate people and using. So you're leaning into holistic medicine?
- [16:51]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, I've been, I've been holistic for years. The only thing I would go to a doctor for today would be like a broken bone or something. Holistically, I fix everything. Any. Any ills. But you know, if you, if you take care of yourself, those will be very far and few between if I really believe that. You know, I was looking, reading something with Farrakhan or the Honorable Elijah Muhammad as they used to live. And he said if you don't eat, if you eat one meal a day, he says you might not get sick for every three years. If you don't eat in three days, you know, a fast in the three day time, he said you probably would get sick once every 10 years. And you know, if you go longer in a fast, it's like you won't even get sick. The food is what kills us. It's just the reality. The body God designed is perfect. Think about it like that and then you understand the only thing impure is what you're putting inside your body. So if you don't understand that or that concept of floating is what it is, but I do you deal with a holistic doctor. Sandy. That's my girl. She's. She's amazing.
- [18:00]
Charlamagne Tha God
I want to go back to the Murder Inc. Days for a second. Yeah. What do you think the culture underestimates about that era?
- [18:09]
Chris Gotti
The culture in that era again, when I. I love these kids today, I promise you. But the business is all messed up because of the Internet. I'm. I have a distribution company called Adventure Music. I am fully engulfed inside of music from how to help or empower independent artists. But today versus then it's again the competition. Today's again, it's a needle in a haystack. For real today. Like you could be the dopest artist and no one could even hear you. I always talked about this years ago, like, how come we don't have another Whitney Houston? How come we don't have another Luther Vandross? These are like iconic classical, Anita Baker. It's because it's too hard to find them. And in the labels, when they stop pumping the money in to actually create that star and market that artist, there's no way. There's not a chance in hell. Today, the artists, that's the challenge. You have to actually become that on your own. And that is a huge challenge. And they're doing great jobs as far as the marketing and building social medias and all that influence. But there's so much options. You know, think of it. Let's use food. We was just talking food. I always talk to artists like it's food. If you're artists delivering music, you're feeding, you're feeding your fan. Stop putting out music and the fan is going to eat somewhere else. They're not waiting on you today. Where they would wait on, man, that next Ja Rule album, that next DMX album, that next job, Jay Z album, they was waiting on that. Like, I don't see that anticipation for the most artists. There's still some legacy artists that are still today. A Drake, I'll use him or Kendrick. They have that power, a future, you know, they still have that power, but I promise you, they better keep it going. The longer they go dormant, the harder it is to get that audience back.
- [19:55]
Charlamagne Tha God
So what's the biggest mistake you see labels making today?
- [19:58]
Chris Gotti
The biggest mistake for labels is not investing in artists. We have to find a way to invest in the artists. You know, to expect the artist to walk in the door and be a star is like, that's not real.
- [20:08]
Charlamagne Tha God
It's ridiculous.
- [20:09]
Chris Gotti
That's not real. Michael Jackson was five years old, groomed to be the king of pop for all those years. It's a reason it's not just by chance. And of course, quality music and talent has to be there. So again, it's what it is. You gotta groom. You gotta groom and you gotta understand it. And there's so many outlets now that reach so many people. It's not just here, right? There's so many different places. So that makes marketing easier for the artist. And they still can't hone in on.
- [20:36]
Charlamagne Tha God
The artists don't even like the market. They don't even like to do the, you know, the press no more.
- [20:41]
Chris Gotti
The amount of time an artist has with a hit record today is another problem. In our day three, we make an album. We knew we had three, four singles. We knew we dominated for a year. Like, we locked in. We have this year. This is our year. Not a month. This is our year because we knew we had the first single, the second single, the third, we locked. And that's how we built out our business. You can't do that today. You'll be dead. You have to. You have to feed him. You know, think about how much music like Drake puts out. It's a massive number. And all the content he does and all the man, it's night and day.
- [21:22]
DJ Envy
I always want to know, how did you navigate with Irv, having problems with all of y' all friends? Like, one time, Irv was not messing with hov, Then it was Fat Joe, then it was dmx, then it was Nas. Like, how did you navigate that part of it?
- [21:36]
Chris Gotti
Cause families fight. If we're not close in the beginning, then it doesn't matter. Then, you know, it's really like, whatever then. But it's not. And that's just the facts. And you make mistakes. Irv made a ton of mistakes. If he was here, like, here or not, I'm gonna always speak the reality of what it was. Irv made a lot of mistakes. For instance, with Jay Z, Nas, they beefing. Irv made super ugly. You know, he produced that record. To go after that and talk to Jay Z and say, I'm. Yo, I'm gonna sign Nas. What you think?
- [22:18]
DJ Envy
What do you do for that combo?
- [22:19]
Chris Gotti
Of course, we're in Baseline Studios. What did HOV say before Irv spoke? I said, I will. I'll give you the PG version. But I told him, whatever you want to do, I'm with you. And then Irv's like, yo, it's good business. And he's telling him. It's like, yo, are you crazy? You can't tell your man you want to work with his enemy like that, like. And Irv's like, nah, it's just on. Jay was like, you know, he was asking him, does he have real beef with him? He said, nah, it's just like music. But Jay's keeping it cordial, like, to see where Irv is going with. Jay plays chess. He's not playing. Like, he wants to see what you going to say. And Irv, as soon as Jay said, it's not beef like that, he turned to me, he said, I told you. I told you. And Jay looking at me like, yo, is he serious? And I was like, wow, he's crazy. But again, when you asked earlier, you Asked about like I was always in a bank. Irv, this is all about Irv. Business is our business, right? The way we conduct our business, that's our business. But it was all about Irv. I never wanted to be in front of the camera, behind, never. I was forced into that. Everyone, you know, everybody I was forced into. But that's the reality with Murder Inc. I was always. My job from Irv was, what do you need? Keep everyone away from him so he could stay focused. Only you know what I mean? Because I mean, the amount of orangutans I had to deal with is unreal. And not just New York. Every city we went into, they all wanted in. That's the era we was in. They all wanted a piece of the goose that laid the golden egg. And I had to deal with them and keep them away.
- [24:04]
Charlamagne Tha God
And I was never signed with Murder Angle Fish.
- [24:06]
Chris Gotti
Nah. Steve Stoughton. Oh, Steve Stout. Shout out Steve, man. But the commission is. He's. He's in that day. He was a real hands on guy. He's the one who brought the deal to us. And Irv was like, you serious? We could get Nas. Like, we didn't think we could get that. And he was like, yeah, we made the record. The Pledge.
- [24:28]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yep.
- [24:29]
Chris Gotti
Naj pledging allegiance to Murder Ring. Think about that. He's on the record. Pledging allegiance to murdering. And then Stout seeing the future, in my opinion. And again to his credit. Again, I'm not knocking Stout. This dude is brilliant in the book of hip hop. He has to be one of the most iconic people in that book. You know what I'm saying? Shout out Steve again. The end of the day. He's seen the future. What's the future? Come on. Murdering. We're murdering. What's the future? It's 50 cents. He's saying it. He knew it. He knew it. Ja had a sneaker deal with. With Steve Reebok. We on a private plane, flying. They're designing everything in the. In, you know, in the plane. And then he seen the future and pulled everything and switched it. Now, G Unit got his sneaker deal. Jay Z got his sneaker deal, you understand, with Reebok. And again, he knew he. He seen something and understood and made the pivot. As a businessman, I respect it.
- [25:32]
Charlamagne Tha God
So question, why did. Why was Jay as a friend.
- [25:34]
Chris Gotti
It's a little questionable.
- [25:35]
Charlamagne Tha God
I get that. That's what I'm saying. Why was Jay upset with Irv but not Steve as Steve presented the deal?
- [25:41]
Chris Gotti
Well, Steve was also. Remember, Steve was also part of a lot of that's why Damon always has no beef with Steve is because of that. Steve was funneling a lot of deals with Jay and then seeing Jay getting.
- [25:52]
Story Dream Machine Announcer
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- [26:53]
Better Picks Announcer
Not everybody can be good at fantasy football and at Better. We understand that. That's why we're giving away a free $10 just for signing up. Download the Better App, pick more or less on player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better Picks is available in 33 states, including Texas, California and Georgia. Download the Better app today. That's better. B E T R and get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports just got better welcome.
- [27:25]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
To Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, Chair of Women's Health and Gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York City. On this show, I'll be talking to top researchers and top guests, clinicians, asking them your burning questions and bringing that information about women's health and midlife directly to you.
- [27:43]
Gisele Bryant
100% of women go through menopause. It can be such a struggle for our quality of life. But even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?
- [27:53]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
The types of symptoms that people talk.
- [27:55]
Chris Gotti
About is forgetting everything. I never used to forget things. They're concerned that one they have dementia and the other one is do I have adhd?
- [28:04]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
There is unprecedented promise with regard to cannabis and cannabinoids to sleep better, to have less pain to have better mood.
- [28:11]
Chris Gotti
And also to have better day to day life.
- [28:14]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening now.
- [28:24]
Danny Shapiro
Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro, host of the hit podcast Family Secrets.
- [28:28]
Podcast Promo Narrator
We were in the car like a Rolling stone came on and he said, there's a line in there about your mother.
- [28:33]
Chris Gotti
And I said, what?
- [28:35]
DJ Envy
What I would do if I didn't.
- [28:36]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Feel like I was being accepted is choose an identity that other people can't have.
- [28:41]
Gisele Bryant
I knew something had happened to me.
- [28:43]
Chris Gotti
In the middle of the night, but.
- [28:44]
Gisele Bryant
I couldn't hold on to what had happened.
- [28:47]
Danny Shapiro
These are just a few of the moving and important stories I'll be holding space for on my upcoming 13th season of Family Secrets. Whether you've been on this journey with me from season one or just joining the Family Secrets family, we're so happy to have you with us. I'll dive deep into the incredible power of secrets, the ones that shape our identities, test our relationships, and ultimately reveal who we truly are. Listen to Family secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [29:24]
Gisele Bryant
You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryant and Robyn Dixon is dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama and reality news you can handle. And you know, we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday, I was going through a walk in my neighborhood. Out of the blue, I see this huge sign next to somebody's house. Okay, the sign says, my neighbor is a Karen.
- [30:06]
Chris Gotti
No way.
- [30:08]
Gisele Bryant
I died laughing. I'm like, I have to know you are lying. Humongous, y'.
- [30:16]
Chris Gotti
All.
- [30:16]
Gisele Bryant
They had some time on their hands. Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The moments that shape us often begin with a simple question. What do I want my life to look like now? I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford and on therapy for black girls. We create space for honest conversations about identity, relationships, mental health, and the choices that help us grow. As cybersecurity expert Camille Stewart Gloucester reminds.
- [30:49]
Chris Gotti
Us, we are in a divisive time.
- [30:51]
Interviewer
Where our comments are weaponized against us.
- [30:55]
Story Dream Machine Announcer
And so what we find is a.
- [30:56]
Chris Gotti
Lot of black women are standing up.
- [30:59]
Interviewer
And speaking out because they feel the.
- [31:01]
Chris Gotti
Brunt of the Pain.
- [31:03]
Gisele Bryant
Each week, we explore the tools and insights that help you move with purpose, whether you're navigating something new or returning to yourself. If you're ready for thoughtful guidance and grounded support, this is the place for you. Listen to therapy for black Girls on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you get your podcasts.
- [31:22]
Chris Gotti
Instead of going through Dame and dealing with the, you know, that side of it. I understand that. I understand why he's upset about that. As a. You know, if Irv. I use Phil. I'm use Phil Ivey for. For this story. Because Phil had a deal. I brought him this lawyer. I won't say his name, but I brought him a lawyer. He didn't know who Phil was, and I brought him a lawyer. They ended up doing some business, and the lawyer didn't tell me, and I didn't get mad at the lawyer. I got mad at Phil, said, you can't do something and expect me to not. You didn't let me know about it. That's on you, bro. That's not on me. And that's the same way I look at with Jay and Steve that. You know what I'm saying? If he don't go back to Dame, if he doesn't go back to Dame and say something, I feel you had to come and talk to me. I'm here to protect you. That's how Dame felt. And I get it. Like, as a partner, as a Dane would have took a bullet for Jay. You kidding me? In that day. You kidding me? It's not even close. That's what makes me mad. With that situation.
- [32:26]
DJ Envy
I was gonna say, how do you feel about that situation?
- [32:28]
Chris Gotti
I spoke to Jay about that before. One time I told him, and then I just left it alone after that.
- [32:33]
DJ Envy
How do you feel when you see it play out? Cause you see how close they were. You were on tours, you were in studios.
- [32:37]
Chris Gotti
There's a lot of stuff that's personal again, inside of a family that we wouldn't know that. I don't know. You know, that's. I'll leave it there. And then you gotta let families be what they are because of what it is. I respect both of them to the highest level. You know, at the end of the day, I leave it alone.
- [32:55]
Charlamagne Tha God
And didn't Jay get back? Didn't. I think. I think I heard you tell a story about how when Jay used Irv's same line again.
- [33:02]
Danny Shapiro
Oh, yeah.
- [33:02]
Chris Gotti
Oh, yeah. The same lie. Because Irv was like when. When Jay told him that it wasn't really more. It wasn't like physical beef. It was more lyrical. And Irv went crazy, like I told you. And then he. But Jay's looking at him like, you my man. You can't be, like, serious, like. But left it alone. Chess. He's playing chess. And then right after that, Jay went and did a tour with 50 Cent. They got the G Unit sneaker. He has his. Remember he had his, like, Gucci. Yeah. And they went out on the tour, and then Irv. Irv sat there, and he's like, yeah, I just went out. He said, yeah, it was good business. Cause Irv told Jay it would be good business to do this. It's gonna be good business. I might have not. But what he's not realizing, and Irv knew it after the fact, you know, hindsight is 20 20. He realized that was one of his biggest mistakes with Jay. It took a lot to fix that.
- [33:55]
DJ Envy
But they finally did fix it. Oh, yeah.
- [33:57]
Chris Gotti
We had multiple conversations. But, you know, it was never the same, right? It was never the same. Like, what's that record? And Jay says, gotta consult Irv. Gotta, y'. All. Hey, it's got to roll. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [34:09]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Right?
- [34:09]
Chris Gotti
That's a fact. Jay took that off every Forward record. Think about how serious that is that he said, no, I don't want to hear that no more. You can't get that unless you have the old original. It's bleeding. It's bleeped out.
- [34:24]
Charlamagne Tha God
It is.
- [34:25]
DJ Envy
I didn't know that.
- [34:26]
Chris Gotti
It's called remastering, baby. Yeah, Gone.
- [34:31]
Charlamagne Tha God
I remember.
- [34:31]
Chris Gotti
That does not exist. Go get that. Go get that record and see if you could hear it.
- [34:35]
Danny Shapiro
It.
- [34:35]
Chris Gotti
Go to Apple Music and see if you hear it. I'm bad with titles as much as I'm terrible with titles and names and stuff. I don't remember the title.
- [34:43]
DJ Envy
Records on Streets is Watching, but it's only a customer.
- [34:48]
Chris Gotti
Jay used to sit in my office, literally, to wait, to talk to Irv. That's how deep that was, you know, Again. Again, he's at the heights of. I'm unbelievable heights. People may not like to hear that, but if it's true, it's true. You know what I'm saying? And it's not one time. It's multiple times. Yo, is Irv coming? I was like, yo, you understand my office? Go ahead. I lock the door, whatever. He's like, nah, it's all good. He'd just sit there and just be waiting. And Irv, when he come in, they go into. But Irv would help him with all Types of business ideas, thoughts, everything. He respected Irv's brain. I'll leave it there.
- [35:27]
DJ Envy
Now, the Fat Joe thing, y' all could never.
- [35:28]
Chris Gotti
I'm sorry.
- [35:28]
DJ Envy
The Fat Joe thing, y' all could. Because Fat Joe and Irv was like, we fixed that. Y' all fixed that.
- [35:33]
Chris Gotti
With Joe and Irv again, never the same. It was at my man Junior's funeral. And, you know, I told Joe again, I'm my brother's keeper. I told Joe, you messed up, Roy. And I went at Joe and told him. And he's like, he understood. We was at say Less, actually. And I was having a meeting with my niece and Saint from Interscope Records. And I didn't want to go and deal with this right now. And my other dude, Big Joe, kept coming. Say, yo, Fat Joe's over. Come on, come on. I said, I don't want to talk right now. He forced me to talk. So I said, all right, let me go talk. And when I went back there, he's with Rich, of course. Shout out Rich and Joe and Uncle Dan, the usual suspects. And I told him, I said, you can't shout out, my brother's a sucker and then whisper, I'm sorry, that's a sucker move. And I told him that that's a sucker play. You can't do that. Especially if we're like this. You can't yell it at the top of the mountain and then come down here and say, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have did that. You know, I asked him all kind of crazy questions because that's just me. I was like, was you messing with Ashanti? Is that your girl? You found her because of us. What are you doing interfering? They had a relationship. What are you doing? Like I said. And listen, I promise you go listen to anything. All Irv did was yell how much he loved her. In the way he's talking about every. You could tell as a man, he loved that woman. He was heartbroken. But I said, how do you tell me you love this girl and you out with everybody else? That don't make no sense. He kept getting caught with other women. Like, yo, what are you doing, bro? But that's Herv. That is Herv. He wanted his cake and eat it, too. Again, you know him. That's who he is. And that's the reality of that whole thing. But it's crazy. Like, every time I say, just listen, everyone talks all crazy. Just listen to what he's saying. Listen to the words. Don't just hear his. He's speaking loud With Lorenzo's, we speak loud. You know what I mean? That's what we do. But at the end of the day, listen to what he's really saying. And Irv is not a liar. He is telling you the truth about her, about him. I was their counsel, meaning when they would fight. I'm over the Four Seasons with Irv, and I'm at the Ritz Carlton with Ashanti talking about, what did he say? What did she say? Trying to keep him cool and keep the business. You know what I'm saying? Keeping the business. Where you gotta be. That's the. That's the facts. Ashanti wanted me to play a part in one of her videos. Again, I wish I remember the name of this video. Oh, man. Where she's singing and she killed. She's. She got the dude, her boyfriend in the tub. She wanted me to play that part because she wanted me. I'm not doing that. She was gonna kill you. Yeah, yeah. But I'm really supposed to be Irvin, right? Again, it's, like, crazy. And I told her. I said, the only thing I won't do is lie. But I never took her. I never took Irv's side while Irv was here. Never. So I. All I said is, I'm not gonna lie now. I'm not gonna talk about nothing. But I'm not gonna lie either. Like, you can't ask me to do that. He's not here no more. He can't even say, if I hear something wrong, I will correct it. But that's it. That's just for respect for my brother. But I never. Irv hated that I never took his side with her. Hated it. Like, that was something I had to deal with with him. And I'm like, yo, that's your relationship. You know, that's your business. This is over here. He was like, she didn't come to the trial. I said, she was at the trial, bro.
- [39:11]
Danny Shapiro
Yeah.
- [39:11]
Chris Gotti
Cause Darcelle called her. I said. I called her. I called her and said, you should be there. And she showed up. What more do you want? You guys are fighting. And what else I always say is. I say, let me talk to your ex, and let me see what she gonna say. Let me talk. You know what I'm saying? That's just what it is. That's the facts.
- [39:30]
Interviewer
Have you and Ashanti been able to talk since Everything. Because I saw that you were upset with her when she sat down with Angie Martinez, and she said that I.
- [39:37]
Chris Gotti
Was upset because we haven't spoke in person after Irv's passing. Imagine that. And I promise you I'm the reason she was murdering Irv. Made the records. But Irv would have never got to that point. If I don't do what I did, I used to fly up to Jersey giving her music to make record after record. If I don't put it on the pun, it never happens. And I did that. She knows it. For her not to call me after Irv's passing, she texts me that. That don't feel right. Her mother, Tina, that don't feel right. You understand? Like, I did everything for them. Never did. I did one thing in return. Don't count tickets, because I could get that myself. You know what I'm saying? To a show. That's just the facts. I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat nothing. And that's why I felt the way. And then when I see, I'm like, nah, that's not cool. But again, thinking career. But she's a legacy artist. She has no new music. Her career is solidified. She's fine. Stay in shape. This is the reality. And deliver them. You'll be able to do that until you're gone and make a living. She's fine. That's what we did. We gave them hit records. That's the reality. Ja rules the same. Gave him, gave him. And Ja again. He's amazing. And yes, it's a marriage. When I say we gave him, it's a marriage lyric and beat. And I know there was a point she was like, she wants her masters. And that's why Irv was like, I'm not like lior. Meaning Leo wasn't in the studio making those records with you. Meaning when you wrote those songs and I corrected it, I'm part of that, too. When I put that record out and I did the beat, and then I have to go market, promote it physically to get it off the ground. You know, there's so much details of the Murder Ring history that we don't know or the public doesn't know. Ashanti. We didn't have her signed and we put Foolish out.
- [41:47]
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, wow.
- [41:48]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. Number one record in the country and she's not signed. You know how much it costs us to get her from that little AJM records? $5 million out of our pipe. 5. Cause we got a hit record. Oh, yeah. Yeah, we got a hit record on her. So now he's. The number's up 5 million.
- [42:05]
Charlamagne Tha God
What made y' all put the record out before she was Irv.
- [42:08]
Chris Gotti
Irv moves with his heart. Leo Said, I'm not gonna pay for nothing. Irv's like, we going, it's timing. You know, Succession is number one reason for success is timing. Number one reason for all success. Any business, whatever it is, is the timing. Irv understood timing at the highest level. We have to go now. He knew what the world was looking for. That's why she's still who. That's all it is. It's the timing. And she put boom. It worked. But now he got to pay. And he did. She knows we had to pay that money. But look, Irv said loyalty. He figured that's what hurt him. See, this is the part that hurt him. He's thinking, she's gonna be loyal with me on just business things and stuff. And again, then it turned into relationship, too, because in that moment, he wasn't messing with her yet. He just seen a talented young girl, and that's it. And that's what she was. That's what she is like. She's. She's amazing writer, she's incredible artist. And she always wanted to sing. She could sing pitch perfect. People don't know about her. If you think about her career, they always like, she can't really sing, but that's what Irv created. She hated she wasn't singing. But remember, she had three deals before Irv, so she lost three times. Fourth time. Fourth time was the charm. So when you think about it from a business standpoint, I'm a business guy when I think the business of it, that's what happened. You know what I'm saying? She was with Nooney and those guys at noontime and all of that. No records. But you're singing. You're making a record that no one wants to hear because the timing is not right. Not saying they weren't good records. It's the timing of it. It's the errors. Changing the culture. Irv is part of the culture. That's. He created this culture, this sound that was coming out of us and all these other artists. He put his hands on pause.
- [44:04]
Charlamagne Tha God
Y' all probably didn't make a lot of money off Foolish either, because that was a bad boy. Wasn't that a sample?
- [44:08]
Chris Gotti
No.
- [44:08]
Danny Shapiro
Yeah.
- [44:09]
Chris Gotti
Yes, it's a sample. Wasn't bad. We didn't give it to Puff. Irv, kind of. He went to him and told him, I'm using Biggie, but I ain't using your big. Because Puffy wanted him to use that. So he get it. He went to the original. I think it's the Ozzy Brothers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think so.
- [44:24]
Interviewer
When Irv sold them on the catalog for his part of the catalog. Was Ashanti's masters a part of that?
- [44:29]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. Every song he made got you. Every song he made, every song he produced, everything. Because it's when you sell the mask, the masses. Not just masses, it's publishing goes along with it. Because whoever's paying that kind of money, they don't want to go fight for the now with the publisher and say, ah, you can't use it. They want it all. You know, had to get a. You know. Then that's what they did. They did that with Universal. So in our contract, we have full control of the master 100%. But we had to share 50 50. So basically, wherever that music was going to get put, anywhere we could say yes or no to. Does that make sense?
- [45:02]
Interviewer
Yes.
- [45:03]
Chris Gotti
Okay. So that's how we had it set up. So when he sold it, they inherited that. Right. So Universal can't stop iconoclast who has the masters.
- [45:12]
Interviewer
Now, I was asking because. Right when he sold something previously, like with Ja Rule, didn't he give Ja Rule a cut?
- [45:18]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, he gave Ja. But you know, again, that's family business.
- [45:21]
Interviewer
Got you. So there's nothing like that that was going down with Ashanti's situation. For the part that he gave Ja.
- [45:26]
Chris Gotti
Ja was supposed to be. It's a different business.
- [45:28]
DJ Envy
I was gonna ask, was Ja a owner of.
- [45:31]
Chris Gotti
That's what Ja was supposed to be. Officially never happened. Never happened.
- [45:37]
DJ Envy
Why not?
- [45:38]
Chris Gotti
Just timing. Irv was. Irv was gonna sign to Ja Rule's label as the first artist for Ja.
- [45:45]
Charlamagne Tha God
I heard that before. That was like, that's a hip hop urban legend.
- [45:47]
Chris Gotti
Let me tell you something. I have the, the. The. The napkin I wrote the contract on and they both signed it. I have it somewhere. But that's what the contract was. Because Irv was like, if, okay, we would be in the studio and Irv would rewrap everyone's song for them to show them how to deliver the song. Not so much Ja, but like the other artists. And then he. Irv understood how to deliver as a producer. He understood how to deliver vocals on music. You know what I'm saying? And that is what, man, when Ja said, nah, you can't go out like that, then he was like, he's gonna write his song. Cause Irv wasn't a writer. Ja was like, I'll write all your music. You're gonna be my artist on my label. And they signed the deal. It just never came to fruition. Just like Jaws Getting his piece of murdering.
- [46:38]
DJ Envy
So that was his piece. When he sold the thing, that was.
- [46:40]
Chris Gotti
His piece for it got you.
- [46:42]
Charlamagne Tha God
One question about Foolish. It was a debauch sample, right?
- [46:44]
Chris Gotti
But it had the Bosch.
- [46:46]
Charlamagne Tha God
It had Biggie's voice. Than Foolish. It was another one that was a remix.
- [46:50]
Chris Gotti
The remix. We did the remix, but we didn't. The original one doesn't have it. The original doesn't have it.
- [46:57]
Charlamagne Tha God
What was the most underrated part of your role in building Murder, Inc.
- [47:02]
Chris Gotti
I don't. I don't. You know, I'm. I'm very humble. I. I. Like I said, I did everything I had to do for my brother. I'm my brother's keeper. And that's the crazy part. Everything I had to do on anything you could think that needs to be done, I did it. I faced 20 years of something that wasn't for me. That's the. That's the ultimate. If you understand the truth of the everything. Irv and again. Shout out. Praying. Go get. Go see the. The Supreme Truth. He got a documentary out this crazy, so. But Irv and Preen forged relation. I'm from Hollis, Queens. I'll give you that dynamic. Because Hollis and Southside don't work. Prem is the king of Southside. You're Queens. You understand that? You understand King of Southside. My whole adolescent years, all I did was fight dudes from Southside, shout out Monkey Dave. I just. He's someone that I fought all the time. He don't know me. But now we. We just kind of gonna connect on some good stuff now. So. Shout out Monkey Dave. Monkey Dave used to be there waiting for anyone. Going to hollis with like 20, 30 dudes every day at the Q2, the only bus that runs through Hollis. So. But Irv, again with. With all of this, he was just different, man. I can't explain it. He was different. I seen something. And my job, aside from my mom and my dad always telling me, take care of your brother. Make sure he's good, you know? And I had to take care of my brother, so it never stopped. I only got in an argument with Irv during the trial one time because he acted like he didn't remember. And anything I did. The reason I'm sitting is because my counting was I got a grade A bill of health from the feds for the accounting of Murder Inc. We gambled a ton. They had me gambling at 1.8 a week. And that's not just me. It was me, John, Irv, all gambling with a bookie. And I had A book. Who keeps track of their. I do, because I want to see profit and loss. And we could claim profit and loss in business, but I had every check I signed. Unless it was to me. So anything we did to anybody, if I had to pay envy of a check, Irv, I'm gonna sign this for envy. Anything outside of payroll, right? That which I'm signing. But anything outside of payroll, Irv, I gotta give Charlemagne, you know, just. I gotta give just everybody. He's seen it, and it's okay to end. And I go, so I never made one check without doing that. See, again, everyone say, families don't can't do business together. I'm showing you how you have to do it as family. If you don't do it this way, you will have problems. So he can never look at anything and say a word. But when we're in the trial and they're saying, what's this talking about checks? And he's saying, ask Chris. I'm like, like, man, nigga, you told me to pay this dude. You told me to pay this dude. You told. Like, don't get amnesia now. And I, like, The lawyers had kind of got us separated. I wasn't playing with him. And then I said, you better start remembering now. And he did. He started. Irv didn't do the trial. I always say this to everybody. Irv didn't do the trial. I did the trial. I did every motion hearing. You know, motion hearings, you usually don't go. It's just your lawyers and their prosecutor, and they're deciding on what evidence gets submitted in to the trial. That's where you win and lose cases. My judge the first day said, why are we here? We know these guys are guilty. My judge, wow. I couldn't believe it. I turned to Shagel, which is my lawyer. He's not here no more. It's Jerry Shagel, best lawyer in the game. And I turn to Shagel, and I'm looking at him, and then I just start staring at the lawyer. And I write down, is this grounds for an appeal? And I slide it to Shagel. Shagel says, we'll talk afterwards. So we go in the hallway, and the judge sees me staring at him, and he realizes I'm not, like, a paralegal. Oh, this is really the client. This is because they never show clients, never go to motion hearings. So they're like, oh, man. He. Oh. And he changes everything up after it's all over. The prosecutor's smirking and laughing like, yeah, got him.
- [51:28]
DJ Envy
We got this one Right. Yeah.
- [51:29]
Chris Gotti
So we go out in the hallway and he said, chris, I know the judge. We went to school together. He says, he's probably gonna be most furious. Judge, you're gonna get in the Southern district. I said, what? I said, what? He said, I probably. He said, I wouldn't. We could make a motion to change. Because what he said, he said, but I wouldn't do that. I'm gonna tell you. Trust me. And I said, oh, my God. I was like, this is who you want the judge to be for my case, and I'll keep it a hundred. You know, when we first started, we had like 24 charges. It wasn't just two. They put everything on. On it just threw everything. Anything prem was dealing with, they threw on us. And we get to the next day for the motion hearing, and that judge blocked everything because he knew he messed up the day before. I really believe that he blocked everything. I keep it a hundred. I had a lot of guns and things, and I never sold drugs in my life. I might have robbed the drug dealer. I never sold the drugs except for when I sold without robbery. That's different. That's a different sale. That's a different sale.
- [52:46]
DJ Envy
He didn't sell it to customers.
- [52:47]
Chris Gotti
He sold the other drug dealers. That's what he said. Yes. Yes. At a discount, too. They love. They love me, these guys. So at the end of the day, end of the day, I feel that guilt he had that next day. He blocked everything. And that is the defining moments of why there's no way those jurors, 12 jurors of not your peers that are not your peers, is going to find you innocent with 24 charges. And you understand there's no way. The most chilling moment for me, again, I was very ignorant to a lot of this stuff, was the first day of court. You get in the all rise judge, and they read Christopher Lorenzo vs. The United States of America. I'm like, what did I do to the government? What did I do to this country that I'm fighting them? Like, that was the surreal moment. Even though you see it in the doc, but when they read it, I was like, oh, man, this is crazy. But I didn't do, like, everything. Money laundering cases all earns money. It's not my money. Why am I sitting here? But I signed every check and that's my partner and we there my brother, and that's it.
- [53:57]
Charlamagne Tha God
Y' all heard it down, though.
- [53:58]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [54:00]
Charlamagne Tha God
I did want to ask you about the funeral because ho came to the funeral.
- [54:04]
Chris Gotti
Yes.
- [54:04]
Charlamagne Tha God
Didn't I thought Ashanti came to the funeral.
- [54:06]
Chris Gotti
She did not. She sent some flowers.
- [54:07]
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, what about Joe?
- [54:09]
Chris Gotti
Fat Joe did not. His. His father. His father passed the same time.
- [54:14]
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay, got you, Got you.
- [54:15]
Chris Gotti
Got. Joe came late. Actually, Joe was there late.
- [54:17]
Charlamagne Tha God
Got you, got.
- [54:18]
Chris Gotti
He left his father's and got to us late. I. I seen him after. At the end, when it was almost over. He did get there. Sorry, Joe. Yeah. He wasn't in the beginning, though.
- [54:27]
Charlamagne Tha God
Got you.
- [54:28]
Chris Gotti
Yeah.
- [54:28]
Interviewer
I was going to ask you. He mentioned the flowers, and I know she. Ashanti had posted a statement online. Did that. I know you said that you want to talk in person, but, like, did that provide any sort of comfort for you guys in that moment? Just having things show up there from her.
- [54:46]
Chris Gotti
I don't know how to answer that, really. It's like. It's a teller. It's a terrible. My dad was the worst. And Irv passed that. You know, this is the connection between a sibling and the way me and her grew up. I mean, I raised her. That's not my father. My. You know, my mother. See, my dad. My dad was an alcoholic my adolescent years. He's. He's crazy. You know what I'm saying? But then when he got older, I understood why he was drunk every day. He had eight kids with no money. You know what I'm saying? I understand as a man. He never left, stayed with mom. And I asked him that question, why didn't you leave? He said, I could never do that to y'. All. Heard you. You know what I'm saying? He's my hero. But my brother, I tried. I had to explain this to his kids. I said, I know that's your dad. I know what it is to lose a dad. I said, you'll feel that the day you have to lose your brother. Whenever that day comes and it's different to this day, I can't. I mean, I got sick over Irv, man. I got sick physically after he literally in the hospital, like. And they. What is it? Stress? What's the stress? It's my brother. He's here right now, like. But I got through it. I have to. Like I said. So when you say that with the. The flowers, it's a good gesture. It's a good gesture. I won't go further than that. I don't want to be disrespectful to her because she probably thinks it's good, but she should know better that she had to talk to me physically. Actually, she should come see me physically. I. I love Ashanti. You know what I'm saying? That's little. That's like little sis. For real. For real. We took care of her in every sense of the imagination. She. She confessed to me one day afterwards and she thanked me for everything we did for her. Because now she's out there by herself and she's getting all type of indecent proposals. Let's leave it at that. Right? Because that's what this industry is. Let's not make any sugar coating about it. It's an attractive young lady, she wants to make music. What could you do with this? You want that beat? Okay, let's go over here. And she told me, she told me and she was like, thank you. She thanked me for always taking care of it. On versus, you know, she's with Nelly. Shout out Nelly. I have no problem with these. Nothing. I fuck with Nelly. But on versus, the day of versus, he pulls up and I said what do you want to do? Ask her. Like she come up and you ask her what do you want to do? I'll roll listening off the stage. She said no, I'll give you the sign if there's a problem. But that's the day they got back together. That's why you don't get in the middle of relationships. It's different. That's why I never got in it when Irving her were together. I never did. I just tried to keep it cool with them and keep the business moving. Damn, that's crazy. I could have swore.
- [57:53]
Gisele Bryant
It was reported that she went to the funeral.
- [57:55]
Chris Gotti
Okay, so she just sent you a test? Yeah, they lied. They did put a report that she was there. They lied again. She probably got a good pub she or something.
- [58:03]
DJ Envy
I wanted to ask you, you know.
- [58:05]
Chris Gotti
You know she should have came say to my mother. Yeah, that's the part that's deeper than just what it is. She knows that. She knows. Nene, come on. This is all bets is off. When it's death, it's over. Nothing. Earth could say nothing no more. It's over. Why can't you? And again, if it's because of your husband, you could come see me and talk to me. I could see you at a show. What's the difference? That's how I look at it. Me personally.
- [58:37]
Interviewer
She had said that she tried to. There was an olive branch or whatever that she tried to extend or was extended, but it wasn't received well. So you think that that's why she kind of.
- [58:45]
Chris Gotti
She text me. I wasn't in the mood for texting. You understand? She got to understand that too. You can't only have your view. It's two sides. She texts me and she didn't text me. If I show you the date, she texts me. Slate. You understand? He's gone already, so just put this in without me going deep. He's gone and then I get a text after he's gone a couple days.
- [59:16]
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- [60:48]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
To Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, Chair of Women's Health and Gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York City. On this show, I'll be talking to top researchers and top clinicians, asking them your burning questions and bringing that information about women's health and midlife directly to you.
- [61:06]
Gisele Bryant
100% of women go through menopause. It can be such a struggle for our quality of life. But even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?
- [61:16]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
The types of symptoms that people talk.
- [61:18]
Chris Gotti
About is forgetting everything.
- [61:19]
DJ Envy
I never used to forget things.
- [61:21]
Chris Gotti
They're concerned that One, they have dementia and the other one is do I have adhd?
- [61:26]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
There is unprecedented promise with regard to cannabis and cannabinoids to sleep better, to have less pregnancy, to have better mood.
- [61:34]
Chris Gotti
And also to have better day to day life.
- [61:37]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're listening now.
- [61:47]
Danny Shapiro
Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro, host of the hit podcast Family Secrets.
- [61:51]
Podcast Promo Narrator
We were in the car like a Rolling Stone came on and he said, there's a line in there about your mother. And I said, what?
- [61:58]
DJ Envy
What I would do if I didn't.
- [61:59]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Feel like I was being accepted is choose an identity that other people can't have.
- [62:03]
Gisele Bryant
And I knew something had happened to me in the middle of the night, but I couldn't hold on to what had happened.
- [62:10]
Danny Shapiro
These are just a few of the moving and important stories I'll be holding space for on my upcoming 13th season of Family Secrets. Whether you've been on this journey with me from season one or just joining the Family Secrets family, we're so happy to have you with us. I'll dive deep into into the incredible power of secrets, the ones that shape our identities, test our relationships, and ultimately reveal who we truly are. Listen to Family secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [62:47]
Gisele Bryant
You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryan and Robyn Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama and reality news you can handle. And you know, we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday, I was going through a walk in my neighborhood. Out of the blue, I see this huge sign next to somebody's house. Okay, the sign says, my neighbor is a Karen.
- [63:29]
Chris Gotti
No way.
- [63:30]
Gisele Bryant
I died laughing. I'm like, I have to know. You are lying. Humongous, y'.
- [63:39]
Danny Shapiro
All.
- [63:39]
Gisele Bryant
They had some time on their hands, right? Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The moments that shape us often begin with a simple question. What do I want my life to look like now? I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford, and on therapy for black girls, we create space for honest conversations about identity, relationships, mental health, and the choices that help us grow. As cybersecurity expert Camille Stewart Gloucester reminds.
- [64:12]
Chris Gotti
Us, we are in A divisive time.
- [64:14]
Interviewer
Where our comments are weaponized against us.
- [64:18]
Story Dream Machine Announcer
And so what we find is a.
- [64:19]
Chris Gotti
Lot of black women are standing up.
- [64:22]
Interviewer
And speaking out because they feel the.
- [64:24]
Story Dream Machine Announcer
Brunt of the pain.
- [64:26]
Gisele Bryant
Each week, we explore the tools and insights that help you move with purpose, whether you're navigating something new or returning to yourself. If you're ready for thoughtful guidance and grounded support, this is the place for you. Listen to therapy for black Girls on the iHeartRadio app. Apple Podcasts are wherever you get your podcast.
- [64:46]
Chris Gotti
No, nothing else. She got my number. She could, like, you'd appreciate it.
- [64:51]
Charlamagne Tha God
A call.
- [64:51]
Chris Gotti
I would appreciate it. A visit.
- [64:52]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, I get what you're saying.
- [64:53]
Chris Gotti
I understand. Like, it's like I said, we did a lot, you know, and she could say whatever she wants about a relationship. She's. She, whatever. But she can't lie about her career. Who can? Who can sit there and say she did something more than what. What it is? Like, yeah, she wrote the records with him. She hated every hit record. How about that? So what if we listen to her? Did she become Ashanti? That's the facts, baby. Baby. She hated that. Well, I was too many babies. It's one of my favorite records. Irv went in the booth and told her, you got to sing like this. He said, you got to feel like you. You high. You don't get high. That's why you don't know what it is. That's what he told her. And he said, you gotta be strung out on a man that way. And he's so. I don't want to hear it. Pitch perfect. I sound stupid. Gotti, sing it like that. And she did. See, I give credit for the listening. A producer has to be able to produce, or else you just a beat maker, right? And you're leaving it in the hands of an artist. And then that's the reality. If you trust that producer, which they trusted her, they was able to get through and make those changes. She compromised her own belief for his, which is to her credit, you know, and that's the reality. Ja. The favorite time with Ja was, holla, holla. I get that beat, I run to the studio. Irv puts it up. Ja did two hooks. Irv said, write the hook first. We playing cards in the other room. He comes out with a hook. That's not it. Go write another hook. What if Josh said, nah, Irv, that's it. That's what these artists do today. It's like, they can't be wrong. Nah, that's it. Irv said no, that's not it came out with another one. That's not it. The third one. Yo, I'mma double it up. I'mma do with the beat. Holla, holla. Room go crazy go write it. He wrote the hook and the verses. It's like they was written already. That's how fast it was. And we're talking about 16 bars. Three times three. 16 bars. It was like. It was. As soon as he got the hook, the verses was like, done, hit record. But that's the. That's the beauty of a producer. And that's. To me, Irv is a producer. For real. For real. And then when I look in the industry, Dr. Dre, who's Irv's idol, he. He idolized, like, he's the best. I don't even know how he made this or how he did that. But Dr. Dre is a real producer. No, and you have a lot of them. You know, I remember Tim and Irv. Timbo, you know, they used to have little competitions, you know, and he would tell, because Tim's on huge records. And Irv would say, did you tell him what to do? He said, how come you didn't make Magoo a hit? You know, this was Irv and Tim's conversations. But when you think about it, it's real. I get it. I'm just in the back listening, you know, I'm. I'm that. And I'm like, man, that's real stuff, though.
- [67:57]
DJ Envy
How many people did you have to fight for Irv? Because Irv had a crazy mouth pause.
- [68:06]
Chris Gotti
Listen, Irv would go out, I would get the call over and over. That's like a constant. All of his friends, everyone would tell you, like, they would call me and they would be like, yo, your brother's here. But, you know, I really don't fuck with him. I said, well, then don't call me. You can't not fuck with my brother and tell me you fuck with me. That's impossible. Nah, you know what I mean, Chris? You know what I mean? All right, well, then make sure he's good. And that's what would happen. So I didn't really fight a lot. I'm blessed. I was blessed in the sense of I got a lot of respect, you know, the people I fought wasn't really for Irvine. I fought a lot, but it wasn't for Irv. There was a respect. And when I. Everyone knew if you didn't mess with Irv, you can't fuck with me. Don't come over here. You know, I Give you the Jimmy henchman. Shout out Jimmy again. But this is how we actually got cool. He kept coming to meet me at different clubs. Yo, I want to talk to your brother. I said, okay, what you want to talk about? Jimmy talks to me. I said, I want to talk to your brother. I said, jimmy, I'm telling you, I'm gonna get it to, like. I don't lie. If you're gonna tell me, I'm gonna get it to Irving. Just talk to me. And then he said it again. And I said, I am Irv, nigga, what's up? And then. Oh, yeah. And then it was tension, a lot of tension with Jimmy. Now. We didn't get into any conflict. We resolved it. But when you deal with predators, and I dealt with a lot of predators, you have to deal with them. They only respect power, strength. So if I didn't show Jimmy's strength, it would have been probably a whole nother situation.
- [69:46]
DJ Envy
Do you think the industry is messed up? Because now. This is gonna sound crazy. Back in the day when hip hop was prevalent and everybody was running, there were predators or there were street guys.
- [69:57]
Chris Gotti
Was it worse then than today?
- [69:59]
DJ Envy
It seems like it's not as bad. It seems like people are just doing whatever they want to do.
- [70:02]
Chris Gotti
I think it's a thousand times worse back in our era versus today.
- [70:06]
DJ Envy
But don't you think there was more control? There was somebody on the West. There was somebody in Houston. There was somebody in Brooklyn. There was somebody in Queens. There was somebody in Bronx that kept the artists being artists and the street guys.
- [70:17]
Interviewer
Like, there was a code.
- [70:18]
DJ Envy
There was a code. It doesn't seem like that code is there now.
- [70:22]
Chris Gotti
It is, let's say, lawless. But the code. Back then, most people didn't have the right person they was dealing with. I mean, I don't want to, but I had tons of people's jury in my hand that I shouldn't have had in my hand. And I'm like. And the reason they come to me, they was coming to me, these guys was they would tell me, do you know them? I'll get it back to him. But then they want me to pay for them or want them to pay for it. And I'm like, no, I don't want to get into the middle of that business now, if he was my man. And it was that I call you up, and I would ask you, hey, something happened, I wouldn't say anything. I would ask you, you good is every. And I want them to confess. And they would. 99 times out of A hundred. They did not confess. They would act like it was cool, like, nah, no one wants to act like they got robbed or anything. They want to always act like, okay, well if you don't. You said nothing cool. You know, I saw that.
- [71:19]
Interviewer
Sorry to cut you off.
- [71:20]
Chris Gotti
I saw.
- [71:21]
Interviewer
Just speaking of this made me think of. They're doing the supreme team docu series or documentary?
- [71:25]
Chris Gotti
Well, we. The docuseries is a documentary on supreme. Is called the Supreme Truth. And yeah, shout Out Luke, he made an incredible film him and Michael J. Payton. And he's again just backed on with facts like it was fact checked. There was no. This is my opinion, you know, that's one of the things Premium insisted on. He wanted to get all of the facts where people lied or this is impossible because this is what it is. Because the reality is he's in on the wrong charges. And I'll leave it at that. What he's convicted of is not what he did. But when you go in front of 12 people with a history like he has, oh man, good luck in getting them to say not guilty. And that's just the facts because I was there for that whole trial and it's all, it's all lies based on lies, all snitches. But the 12 are gonna believe that because you have a history. They're not gonna sit there and say, oh, he couldn't have done that. That part of your brain is not happening. It's not happening.
- [72:34]
DJ Envy
The Diddy trial must have drove you crazy.
- [72:36]
Chris Gotti
You know the Diddy trial. I was just with Christian out in LA not too long ago. Shout out Christian and whole family. You know, I'm Justin and I. Because I can't imagine what they're dealing with. My biggest problem with the trial was when it first started, you know, the way they promoted it, I thought something was going to come of it. Like some real want to hear about all types of crazy shit, you know, don't hear nothing. We hear the girl enjoyed having the freak off, you know, with dudes with large members pause at the end of the day and she was paying them. My biggest problem is this. If he's not a billionaire, he's right there. Let's call him a billionaire. How does this black billionaire with this lack of evidence? The prosecutor had to remove charges in the middle of the trial, said, oh, we're not going to go after these. We're taking these off because they didn't have no evidence for it. Not be able to fight this from home. That's all I'm saying. Nothing else. Why couldn't he fight this from home? You know the Abercrombie and fitch people, they. $5 million bail in their home, and they got all the boys they was messing with, them little boys and girls like, come on, enough is enough, man. But as people, if we don't get together, we will never get anywhere. And that's the biggest problem. They know we can never get together.
- [73:57]
Interviewer
You think he gonna get to come home and get the time served on the prosecution charge?
- [74:01]
Chris Gotti
He's definitely getting time served. And it's just a question of what they charging with. How much is the judge going to give him how much amount of time? I'm. I'm afraid for him. Really? Yeah. Only because they didn't let him go. He should have been home. He should not. He's almost. In a year. We. We all watched the case.
- [74:19]
DJ Envy
He's in longer than a year, hasn't he?
- [74:20]
Interviewer
It's only been like 13, 14 months.
- [74:21]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, that's a little longer than a year. Delaware education. God damn.
- [74:29]
Interviewer
Well, you. When you say more than a year, I'm thinking like you're hitting it like two years.
- [74:32]
Chris Gotti
Plus we got you. But. But he's. For being in that long is crazy. For. Not for the charges that. I mean, for the case that I heard. It's not a domestic violence case. I don't condone. I'm. I'm a protector of women. So at the end of the day, if I see a female in duress, I will be in the middle of that problem. Now, if it's a relationship, like I said, I don't do that. I got five sisters, I got a mother, I got a ton of nieces. I got a daughter. You're not playing with no women as a man. So when I heard the domestic violence. I don't condone that, but that's not a domestic violence case in the feds. He's in MDC right now. That's a real place. Nah, that's not cool, man. And I was early on it. Cause I was waiting to hear something. And a prosecutor will always come out with the smoking gun. The first thing they're going to talk about it. And I didn't hear nothing. And right after that, I was like, leave. Let Diddy go, man. This is terrible. You know, hold your head, bro. Again, you. Whatever. Someone's sexual preferences is nothing. If he involved kids, then that would have been a problem. I'm against women. Kids. You can't play with that shit. Not with. Not around me. No.
- [75:50]
Charlamagne Tha God
The Abercrombie Fish thing was interesting too, because they was always saying that he got a bail because of his age.
- [75:55]
Chris Gotti
Yeah.
- [75:55]
Charlamagne Tha God
And then they said he was unfit to stand trial because he had dementia.
- [75:58]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. Yeah.
- [76:00]
Charlamagne Tha God
I don't know.
- [76:01]
Chris Gotti
Puffy. Gotta go crazy too and should'll make me crazy.
- [76:07]
Charlamagne Tha God
I want to ask you something else about, you know, Dame Dash is doing the Supreme Team TV series.
- [76:12]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, yeah. Kyle.
- [76:13]
DJ Envy
Kyle.
- [76:13]
Chris Gotti
Shout out. Kyle Premson. He got Dame and he talking to Prince and. And Pre. We was on the phone.
- [76:21]
Charlamagne Tha God
Dope.
- [76:21]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, we was on the phone. Like the reality is some. Anyone could tell Prem's story from the 80s. Once you get into the 90s, and that's murder, Inc. He's attached to the hip. I went through a whole trial for it. He's, you know, that's really what the public wants to hear about.
- [76:39]
Charlamagne Tha God
Wasn't Irv doing a Supreme Team TV show?
- [76:41]
Chris Gotti
Yes, it was. We had, man, Jamie Foxx, Michael J. Michael J. B. Jordan, Michael B. Jordan, Michael B. Jordan, Michael B. Jordan to play Prince, his nephew. And Jamie Foxx was going to play Pre. We had. Was talking to Leonardo DiCaprio for the detective. Like the lead detective role. No, it was powerhouse.
- [77:03]
Charlamagne Tha God
Was it gonna be a movie or a TV show?
- [77:04]
Chris Gotti
It was a movie. Wow. But here's what happened. Here's what happened. Irv. Irv happened. We was Irv.
- [77:12]
Podcast Promo Narrator
He.
- [77:13]
Chris Gotti
He cursed out the president of BT or told him he's like, not black. He didn't really curse him out. He's not black.
- [77:21]
Charlamagne Tha God
So Scott Mills or Scott.
- [77:23]
Chris Gotti
Yeah, I didn't want to say his name, but yeah, Scott. I'm trying to do business over there. Scott. You heard me. We'll get on to that next. But he tells him he's not black. He don't know his culture, Uncle Tom, all types of stuff like that. Irv was very close with Bob Backish. Bob Bakish was the CEO of Viacom who owns and controls bet, Paramount Films. So we was getting a deal with Paramount for this movie, the Pring team, through Bob and Bob. Irv thought he was gonna protect him with Sky. And then Irv went there and said, irv, I hired him. I can't do that. And then Irv ended up losing Tails. We was the number one slot TV slot on BET for our time slot for Tails. And we lose it again. We got Irv'd. And he lost it because Scott took a stand. I can't work with him. And that was the end of Tales.
- [78:17]
Charlamagne Tha God
Why'd he end up calling Scott? Why'd he call Scott?
- [78:22]
Chris Gotti
Okay, Irv is a visionary again. And he had ideas about tales in different genres of music. And he wanted to. I'm gonna give Mona Scott this credit. Shout out Mona. He wanted to love and hip hop it. What did, what do I mean by loving hip hop? Loving hip hop New York, love and hip hop Atlanta? Loving hip hop Miami. Loving hip hop la. No, but it's from his programming. See, we're talking programming now. So love and hip hop never stops. It's 20, it's every day, 365. When you do TV shows, you got your hiatus, you're shooting this little bit of time, 10, 10 episodes and you're off. Then you come back. No, now if I do that, I never stopped working. But then, you know, that's a lot of money too. Irv is what he's getting $25 million for 10 episodes. So 2.5. So if you did that times four, you're talking about a hundred million dollar deal. And that's why he's. You might call someone out of their name for 100 million and if they don't see the vision. Yeah, we got a show that's working. We already proved it out. Let's do R B now. Let's do rock and roll, let's do country, let's do Latin. You know, the concept is there, so it's like. But you know, Mona Scott, she did that with. She did that with love and hip hop. Shout out Mona gang. Yes, she did.
- [79:47]
DJ Envy
Now the reason you here, the Clash Pro League.
- [79:49]
Chris Gotti
Yes.
- [79:50]
DJ Envy
What is the Clash Pro League?
- [79:52]
Chris Gotti
Man, the Clash Pro League is again, I'm four decades inside of street basketball. You know, I did so many things in my career, when I look back, I'm like, man, I did all of this. I can't believe it. But yeah, four decades inside the street. I helped Greg Marius, who ran Rucker park, helped build. Do deals with him and build Rucker park to the height, you know, abc, right? That's what they call it, EBC now. Yeah. Entertainment Entertainers, Basketball Classic, that's what it's called now. But yeah, I did that. And then all these years in the middle of that I would always think of, I dealt with. I also have a. Manage a sports business. So I manage athletes. I have NBA players that I was managing football players, managing or co agenting, managing or co aging. I would get an agent and be his partner, bring him the athlete. And through all of that is what made me start the league. Because I understood the again, business principle number one, supply and demand, the supply of athletes. That are not getting jobs that are really talented, play D1 but have nowhere to go. They playing the street ball. And some of them do get to go overseas. But when you think of overseas, it's only two jobs an American can get on each team overseas. The rest has to be from the country that you're playing in. So most of those jobs are taken just like the NBA. NBA is 450 players in the NBA and guess what? Most of them are not leaving. And then you get a new recruit, two drafts, two rounds every year. That's only 32 teams, 64 players. Think of the March, think of March Madness. And you understand supply every year all them teams D1 talented players but can't get a job. And I was like we need a team in a league in New York just started. I want to start it in New York. But I want to, I want to franchise leagues in every city, you know, and then really have a stronghold on that. So that's what I did last year. It went incredible. We sold out every week. Short season for the attention span of these Z's, right. So I did a shortened season, only a seven game season. Again with money. I'm paying all the players. They all get paid. The coaches, everyone's getting paid. So it's a real league. I based it on leagues like the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. And if you look at Puerto Rico league like bad bunny owns a team over there. Like they're pumping now the influence of a big star and money into these teams. Puerto Rico end up having a very big league. The problem is they need to accept more American players. They have to make an adjustment from their own business. Because only having two Puerto Rico's not big enough to have really that good of players. Everywhere. Everywhere. It's just what it is. You need more from outside to make the league more dynamic. But that's where they're at. And then I looked at all this, I studied this and I said let's start a league. And I did it at a very cost efficient man. And I based the pay off of those games. And we only have a seven game series. It's eight teams. Eight teams. They all play each other once. Once that's over, playoffs, championship, we're done. I did a full combine. We had over 500 players show up. And you had to fill out a questionnaire to make sure that you know, I know you know how to play ball. You have a career somewhere. I'm not just taking someone off the street. That's oh, I'm nice. I I killed the YMCA yesterday. No, no, you have to be a real athlete. So all of these are real athletes that played somewhere and man, it was a huge success. My next goal is now season two. We starting in March this year. I moved the date. I don't want to do it in the summer, which is probably in New York is the ideal time because I don't want to cannibalize the street ball. I also help build like a Dyckman park, like me and Ken Stevens. Shout out Ken Stevens, man. I helped build out Dyckman and now, you know, I helped him out with that. And Dykman's at his height, so I understand. But I get all the players from the high school up, so I have the farming system, basically everything right in my fingertips with Clash. And then that's what the league's about. And then it really is about expanding. I've had meetings just now. Shout out J Will. You know, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, you know, Kendrick Perkins, Fat Joe, you know, and then I got French Montana. I'm using influences now for each team. Smart. You know, you guys could come in whenever you want. Just let me know. No, seriously, like, this is business. And when I show you the business side of it, this is multi billions of dollars. Once I expand into multiple cities, the real part of it will be marketing because I'm using these social media influencers or celebrities. You know, I'm talking to Nle Chopper Chris Brown. J. Cole. Chris Brown.
- [84:41]
Charlamagne Tha God
That's what's up.
- [84:41]
Chris Gotti
Yeah. Because these I want. I want someone with a basketball and affinity. And he got it. I know to this day I. Chris Brown used to come to New York and play with me. I used to get a basketball city and he would come. That's how I know Chris Brown. Before he got big, I was playing basketball. He would come to. I would play at night with all my guys. Chris Brown, a guy named Tim would bring him with me and we go play ball everywhere. Same.
- [85:04]
Gisele Bryant
That's how we met too.
- [85:05]
Chris Gotti
Way back before.
- [85:06]
DJ Envy
He don't play no goddamn basketball.
- [85:07]
Chris Gotti
He used to play with my cousins. No, but he could play ball. So someone like him.
- [85:12]
Charlamagne Tha God
So.
- [85:12]
Chris Gotti
So cb, if you listen and you see what I'm doing, like come holla at me because it's a huge potential. We'll own all of this. I mean, Gilly too.
- [85:20]
Charlamagne Tha God
Gilly can ball.
- [85:21]
Chris Gotti
I know. Look, Gilly and Wallow. I'm trying to get these guys to come up. They were supposed to come last year, but now I wanna talk to them about being owners of teams and then I can show em the business side of that and how will they get the money? And I'm not asking for a dollar, right. I'm giving the teams. I'm picking the right influencers to make my league. That's dope. You know, I'mma shout out Robin from Ball Alert. Shout out Robin. That's my girl. She's. She's going to be one of my. Yeah. So it doesn't have to be an artist. It could be an influencer as well. I reached out to kad, all of them, Drew. I reached out to everyone to see. Yeah, the stream is. But you know, sometimes you got to show them, got to show them before it happens, y'. Know, but when they, when you see that, what I did last year, I mean the gym, we're in a small gym, it's in Harlem, 119th street in Manhattan Ave. It's a small gym because I want it like the street. Like, you know, you go to the dyke, me and everyone's on top. I want my gym. So when I get to where I need to, because this first round I'm raising three more million dollars. And it's, you know, it's safe. So people don't know what safes are. I'm like, man, it's the best thing for an investor. So if the evaluation comes in higher or lower, you that safe adjusts for you so you never get a chance. That's what all the hedge. Not hedge funds, Silicon Valley guys, they use safe notes when they raise money for that reason. Because you don't know I'm starting the tech companies worth 100 billion. You know what happens, it comes in, it's only worth a million dollars. It adjusts so your money's more valuable than. Dang it, it'll adjust for you. So that's the reason we did the safe. But 3 million my first round. The first year it was just our money, me and a couple investors, we paid it. But this next one, 3 million and then right after that, that'll cover me for two years. I'll kill this New York area. And then I look to go into Baltimore, Chicago, Atlanta with different leagues and raise another 50 to $100 million. Well, congratulations on your league. I think that's dope. Thank you, thank you.
- [87:16]
DJ Envy
Well, thank you for joining us this morning.
- [87:17]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yeah, man, great conversation.
- [87:19]
Chris Gotti
That's right. I got to talk about one more thing before we get off. I got a movie. I'm a filmmaker now. Okay, nice ballin'. I got Lance Stevenson is my lead Safaree. Trey Chaney. Shout out to Trey Chaney. Yeah, shout out to Trey.
- [87:33]
Charlamagne Tha God
Lance Stevenson, the basketball player.
- [87:34]
Chris Gotti
He's the lead.
- [87:35]
Charlamagne Tha God
Oh, wow. Wow, wow, wow.
- [87:36]
Chris Gotti
He's the lead. Not only is he the lead, but he made an incredible soundtrack. Lance. Steven's the Black Drake. He's the Black Drake. I promise you. He's singing and rapping on the songs. And I couldn't believe I was gonna just make one or two songs for the movie.
- [87:54]
Charlamagne Tha God
Why not Safari, though?
- [87:56]
Chris Gotti
Why.
- [87:56]
Charlamagne Tha God
Why don't you get Safaree to do this?
- [87:58]
Chris Gotti
I, I again, I asked. But you got to come in, right?
- [88:01]
Charlamagne Tha God
I thought you said he was in the movie.
- [88:02]
Chris Gotti
He's in the movie.
- [88:03]
Charlamagne Tha God
Okay.
- [88:03]
Chris Gotti
But he didn't come to the studio.
- [88:05]
Charlamagne Tha God
Got you, got you.
- [88:06]
Chris Gotti
He gotta come.
- [88:07]
Charlamagne Tha God
That was probably for the best.
- [88:08]
Chris Gotti
Shut up, man. Now, you know, I'm. Since you said shout out. Safari. Safaree is not like you might think as a person if you get to know him. His perception of him is really different than what he really is.
- [88:22]
Charlamagne Tha God
Nah, nah. We rock with Safari.
- [88:24]
Chris Gotti
No, he's very good. He's very cool dude. You know what I'm saying? But, yeah, we did well. We was number one five weeks in a row on Tubi.
- [88:31]
Danny Shapiro
Go.
- [88:31]
Chris Gotti
Shit. Go watch it. It's out on Tubi. It's already out. Yeah. Okay.
- [88:33]
Charlamagne Tha God
What is it called?
- [88:34]
Chris Gotti
Ballin. Ballin.
- [88:35]
Gisele Bryant
Okay.
- [88:36]
Chris Gotti
On tv. No, it's a. It's. It's based off of Alfred Hitchcock movie called Dial in for Murder. The way the plot twist is, we just put the culture for today with people like us real quick. Are y' all related to Sinbad?
- [88:53]
Gisele Bryant
No.
- [88:53]
Chris Gotti
You know how many people tell me Sinbad look like me? Yeah. Yeah. I used to get that younger. I used to get it young. I don't get it as much now. Yeah. And we just finished shooting another movie, so. Arc films with. I got two partners, Andy and Trotter. Shout Out Andy, man, and Dwight Rich, Black Walker, you know, who wrote the. Who wrote it with me there. And, man, we just moving in with arc films. I got. I got so many films. Next year, I'll have at least seven movies out. Damn, that's dope.
- [89:24]
Charlamagne Tha God
Yes.
- [89:24]
Chris Gotti
20, 26. Yeah. Not me. I'm not gonna have seven movies out.
- [89:27]
Charlamagne Tha God
No, I'm saying, why you ain't asking me?
- [89:29]
Chris Gotti
Oh, are you casting? Always. We got a movie. We got one that we already casted right now called Raffle.
- [89:36]
Danny Shapiro
Okay.
- [89:37]
Chris Gotti
We're shooting in Miami. That's gonna be fire, too. Crazy great. Great cast of people already. And then ever the director, I mean, boy wanted it, you know, the producer boy wanted to. He's part of the. Part of that movie as well. I'm always down audition, man. So, Chris, I'll get your lumber. For sure. Yeah, for sure.
- [89:57]
Gisele Bryant
Thank you.
- [89:58]
Chris Gotti
We have a lot of stuff coming out, you know, and we're doing it for the black and brown. So. I'm not Latin, but I do Latin with my partner, Don De Niro. Man, we just finished Spanish Fly. A crazy movie, a comedy, you know what I'm saying? So we got. We got it all.
- [90:13]
DJ Envy
I'm not Spanish, man.
- [90:14]
Chris Gotti
You better stop either. He said he not, but he works. Yeah, I got a partner that's Cuban and he's my partner. He does all the Latin side for me. But I, you know, support him with everything he's doing. You know, it's funny cuz on my Wikipedia, someone put down there cuz people could add stuff. I never did my Wikipedia.
- [90:31]
DJ Envy
He does mine too, all the time. He called me a gardener.
- [90:32]
Chris Gotti
He started. Oh, they put on mine and I'm Dominican, so I'm an honorary Dominican. Dominican too, they said. Kel, Kris, Gotti.
- [90:42]
DJ Envy
It's the Breakfast Club.
- [90:43]
Charlamagne Tha God
Good morning.
- [90:44]
Chris Gotti
Hold up. Every day I wake up.
- [90:46]
Better Picks Announcer
Wake your ass up.
- [90:47]
Charlamagne Tha God
The Breakfast Club.
- [90:48]
Chris Gotti
Y' all finished or y' all done?
- [90:51]
Better Picks Announcer
Have you ever turned $1 into $10,000? I doubt it. But now you can. On Better Picks. Download the Better app. Pick more or less on player stats, watch the games, and win some cash. It's that simple. Better Picks is available in 33 states, including Texas, California, and Georgia. Download the Better app today. That's better. B, E T R. And get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 21 or only older. In a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks. Sports just got better, she said.
- [91:22]
Gisele Bryant
Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night.
- [91:25]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Along the Central Texas plains, teens are dying, suicides that don't make sense, strange accidents and brutal murders in what seems to be a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad.
- [91:41]
DJ Envy
Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.
- [91:44]
Chris Gotti
There are people out there that absolutely know what happened.
- [91:47]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas teen murders on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [91:57]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, Chair of Women's health and gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York City. I'll be talking to top researchers and clients, clinicians, and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you.
- [92:12]
Gisele Bryant
100% of women go through menopause. Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?
- [92:18]
Dr. Elizabeth Poynter
Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [92:26]
Danny Shapiro
Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro.
- [92:28]
Podcast Promo Narrator
We were in the car like a rolling stone came on and he said, there's a line in there about your mother.
- [92:34]
Chris Gotti
And I said, what?
- [92:35]
DJ Envy
What I would do if I didn't.
- [92:37]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Feel like I was being accepted is choose an identity that other people can't have.
- [92:41]
Gisele Bryant
I knew something had happened to me.
- [92:43]
Chris Gotti
In the middle of the night, but.
- [92:44]
Gisele Bryant
I couldn't hold on to what had happened.
- [92:47]
Danny Shapiro
These are just a few of the moving and important stories on my 13th season of family Secrets. Listen to Family secrets on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [93:00]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Greatness doesn't just show up. It's built. One shot, one choice, one moment at a time. From NBA champion Stephen Curry comes Shot Ready. A powerful, never before seen look at the mindset that changed the game.
- [93:13]
Chris Gotti
I fell in love with the grind. You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around. Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. Let's go.
- [93:24]
Podcast Promo Narrator
Steph Curry redefined basketball. Now he's rewriting what it means to succeed. Shot Ready isn't just a memoir. It's a playbook for anyone chasing their potential. Discover stories, strategies and over 100 never before seen photos. Order shot ready now at stephencurrybook.com don't miss Stephen Curry's New York Times bestseller Shot Ready available now.
- [93:49]
Gisele Bryant
You know the shade is always shadiest right here. Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryant and Robin Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of the founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac. We're giving you all the laughs, drama and reality news you can handle. And you know we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with us each and every Monday. Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [94:22]
Chris Gotti
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [94:25]
Gisele Bryant
Guaranteed Human.