Gangster Chronicles: From Likwit to Legacy: Xzibit Talks King T, Kingmaker & West Coast Cannabis

Summary

Podcast Summary: Title: Gangster Chronicles: From Likwit to Legacy: Xzibit Talks King T, Kingmaker & West Coast Cannabis
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
Release Date: June 21, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The Breakfast Club's Gangster Chronicles, hosts Rick Jervis and Glasses Malone engage in a deep and introspective conversation with renowned artist Xzibit (referred to as "Exhibit" in the transcript). The discussion navigates through Xzibit's journey from his early days with Likwit Crew to his legacy as a pivotal figure in West Coast hip-hop. Additionally, the conversation delves into the intersections of music, entrepreneurship, and the burgeoning West Coast cannabis industry.

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1. Legacy and Ageism in Hip-Hop

Xzibit opens the dialogue by addressing the pervasive issue of ageism within the hip-hop community. He asserts the importance of legacy artists and the challenges they face in an industry that often prioritizes youth and trends over experience and consistency.

Xzibit [04:14]: "You know what they call it now? Legacy artists."

Xzibit emphasizes that hip-hop has evolved beyond its original confines, advocating for the recognition of diverse sub-genres that accommodate both seasoned veterans and emerging talents.

Rick Jervis [04:18]: "There's no new West Coast. It's only West Coast."

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2. Evolution of the Music Industry: From Physical to Digital

The discussion shifts to the transformation of the music industry, highlighting the shift from physical sales to digital streaming and its implications for artists.

Rick Jervis [06:35]: "In the past, people invested in your music through physical copies and major labels. Now, it's all about streaming."

Xzibit reflects on how digital platforms have democratized music distribution but also introduced complexities related to monetization and artist visibility.

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3. The Role of Streaming and Algorithms

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the impact of streaming services and algorithm-driven content promotion. Xzibit critiques the superficial nature of some digital content and underscores the need for authenticity.

Rick Jervis [09:56]: "This generation has grown up with convenience. It’s become a handicap."

He advocates for leveraging algorithms strategically while maintaining genuine connections with fans.

Xzibit [26:09]: "We can't forget our strengths. Organize ourselves, stop waiting for people to pull us together."

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4. Cannabis Industry and Branding

Xzibit transitions into discussing the West Coast cannabis industry, drawing parallels between building a music brand and establishing a successful cannabis business. He highlights the challenges of entering a saturated market dominated by established brands.

Xzibit [79:02]: "Cannabis has to work, and people buy it for different reasons. It’s a tough industry with immense competition."

He advises legacy artists to support and collaborate with existing cannabis brands to build community and economic empowerment within the industry.

Rick Jervis [84:58]: "Every store has good weed. How can you make your experience unique?"

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5. Building Community and Supporting Legacy Artists

Emphasizing the importance of community support, Xzibit and the hosts discuss strategies for legacy artists to sustain their careers by fostering strong, loyal fanbases.

Xzibit [77:35]: "You never know who you're talking to. It's about passing the torch and mentoring the next generation."

They advocate for collaborative efforts and unity among artists to amplify their collective influence and ensure long-term success.

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6. Challenges with Social Media and Content Creation

The conversation addresses the pitfalls of social media, including the emphasis on virality over substance. Xzibit criticizes the commodification of authenticity and the pressures it places on artists.

Glasses Malone [53:43]: "Creating content, whether negative or positive, is what people focus on today."

He encourages artists to prioritize meaningful engagement over superficial metrics to build lasting relationships with their audience.

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7. Strategies for Modern Success

Xzibit shares actionable insights on navigating the modern music landscape, such as diversifying revenue streams, leveraging direct fan interactions, and maintaining artistic integrity.

Rick Jervis [57:10]: "Use the algorithm to your advantage while staying true to your roots."

He underscores the importance of balancing digital strategies with real-world initiatives to create a sustainable career.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with a reaffirmation of the importance of legacy, community, and authenticity in hip-hop. Xzibit, along with Rick Jervis and Glasses Malone, underscores the necessity for artists to adapt to industry changes while preserving the essence of their craft. They advocate for a collective effort to support each other, build strong brands, and drive positive change both within the music and cannabis industries.

Xzibit [85:20]: "It's about creating the experience and supporting our community."

The hosts express optimism about the future, encouraging artists to stay focused, collaborate, and continue building their legacies with purpose and passion.

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Notable Quotes:

• Xzibit [04:14]: "You know what they call it now? Legacy artists."
• Rick Jervis [06:35]: "In the past, people invested in your music through physical copies and major labels. Now, it's all about streaming."
• Rick Jervis [09:56]: "This generation has grown up with convenience. It’s become a handicap."
• Xzibit [26:09]: "We can't forget our strengths. Organize ourselves, stop waiting for people to pull us together."
• Xzibit [79:02]: "Cannabis has to work, and people buy it for different reasons. It’s a tough industry with immense competition."
• Rick Jervis [57:10]: "Use the algorithm to your advantage while staying true to your roots."
• Xzibit [85:20]: "It's about creating the experience and supporting our community."

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Key Takeaways:

1. Ageism and Legacy: Legacy artists play a crucial role in hip-hop, and combating ageism requires recognition and support.
2. Industry Evolution: The shift from physical to digital has democratized music but also introduced challenges that artists must navigate strategically.
3. Authentic Engagement: Building genuine connections with fans trumps superficial social media metrics, fostering long-term loyalty.
4. Entrepreneurship in Cannabis: Diversifying into the cannabis industry offers new opportunities but demands strategic branding and community support.
5. Unity Among Artists: Collaborating and supporting one another strengthens the collective influence and ensures sustainable success in a competitive landscape.

This episode of Gangster Chronicles offers a comprehensive look into the intersections of legacy, entrepreneurship, and cultural authenticity, providing valuable insights for artists navigating the ever-evolving landscape of hip-hop and beyond.

Transcript

[Katherine Townsend]

This is an I heart podcast.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast. From iHeartMedia to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Flores]

Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

[Rick Jervis]

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Perelman]

I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season one Taser Incorporated.

[Rick Jervis]

I get right back there and it's bad.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to Absolute Season 1 Taser incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jeff Perelman.

[Exhibit]

And I'm Rick Jervis. We're journalists and hosts of the podcast Finding Sexy Sweat.

[Rick Jervis]

At an internship in 1993, we roomed.

[Jeff Perelman]

With Reggie Payne, aspiring reporter and rapper who went by Sexy Sweat a couple years ago.

[Exhibit]

We set out to find him.

[Jeff Perelman]

But in 2020, Reggie Fel after police pinned him down and he never woke up.

[Rick Jervis]

But then I see my son's not moving.

[Exhibit]

So we started digging and uncovered city officials bent on protecting their own.

[Jeff Perelman]

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

[Rick Jervis]

Gangster Chronicles. This is not your average show.

[Glasses Malone]

You're now tuned into the real MCA Big stale, strictly from the streets.

[Rick Jervis]

Hello, we represent the J.

[Exhibit]

Welcome to the Gangster Chronicles Podcast, a production of iHeartRadio and Black Effect Podcast Network. Make sure you download the iHeart app and subscribe to the Gangsta Chronicles. For my Apple users, hit the purple mic on your front screen. Subscribe to the Gangster Chronicles, leave a five star rating and comment. I guess y' all see what's going on. See and hear what's going on Right about now. Gangster Chronicles another episode hey, what it do, master? You got you a nice joint in your hand. First thing you did was find you a joint, huh?

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah. Cause I was sleeping the car on this Vegas drive. And so, you know, I had to, you know, get out and relax a little bit, you know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

You had to go do your, man, you know. Of course, I guess y' all know if y' all hear me talking about weed and all that other good, man, we kicking it with the homeboy exhibit tonight, man.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, man, thanks.

[Exhibit]

What's happening, man? First of all, man, thanks for, you know, allowing us to come in this, man. Beautiful spot. This is spot right here.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah. Hell yeah. Yeah.

[Exhibit]

I feel like I finally don't made.

[Rick Jervis]

It, man, up here with all these.

[Glasses Malone]

Fans over here, man. Glasses, man, Tell him to stop already.

[Exhibit]

Man, this what I do. Gee, you already know. I'mma show my ass everywhere I go, man. First, I want to give you salute, man, on the album, man. The album. Dope as a Motherfucker.

[Rick Jervis]

Thank you, man. Appreciate it.

[Exhibit]

Dope as a motherfucker, dawg. You just came out and just haymaker they ass real quick. I love when OG's come out and just, you know, a few of them just, you know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Definitely haymaker, you know, King Maker, that's what it's called. So, you know, if you. If you ain't up on it, man, I don't know where you been for the last 30 days or whatever you've been, but my man been moving, you know, Got some good work out there. You know, it's hard to come by good work from. From us, you know, Legacy artists. Forefathers of this shit.

[Exhibit]

You know what they call it now? Legacy artists.

[Rick Jervis]

I say legacy.

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah, that's a good. That's a good thing. That's a good name.

[Rick Jervis]

Ageism is real, and they try to put that only in hip hop. It don't exist in other. Any other genre of music. But I don't believe that we need to be put in that box. I think legacy artists is fine. There's no new West Coast. It's only West Coast. You know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Let's get into it. Why do you feel that us legacy artists are put into that age discrimination box?

[Rick Jervis]

Because they make it trap. They trying to make it so that they. We think there's only 10 seats to success. They trying to make it seem like it's limited spots. Like there's only so many spots that could fill that space in hip hop. But I think the opposite I think it's so many that hip hop has grown so much that it needs to be broken up now. We shouldn't be. Nas shouldn't be in the same box as Sexyy Red or, or, or Machine Gun Kelly or, you know what I'm saying? Like, like, like, you know, we've had people come in, use hip hop and then move on.

[Exhibit]

Post Malone, you know, for real? Yep, yep.

[Rick Jervis]

Like, like, so now it's become something that is bigger than where, where it started. So I think adult contemporary hip hop needs to exist. I think, you know, alternative hip hop needs to exist. I think pop, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, R B, hip hop, like all of those things. We need categories and subdivisions and that I, I think that is going to serve better than trying to age people out of hip hop. And I think to answer your question, legacy artists are, are looking at the pace and the growth of this thing when we had only one or two things to get to the public and we had gatekeepers and labels and we had to deal with and people invested in our music. So, so that was when people invested in your music and you were signed to a major label that got to the masses. So now we got these people that, that you know, are looking at going from physical copies and now we got streaming. We got all these different things. It's weird. I don't want to do Tick Tocks. It's doing weird on there and then don't even rap. But then they sell rap records because they doing weird on Tick Tock. I'm not doing that. You know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Definitely.

[Rick Jervis]

So, so, so what, what I have to do is kind of figure out where I fit in that. And I think that me putting out Kingmaker, it inspired a lot of people. It got a lot of people thinking like, oh, like we can do it a certain way. It may, you know, saying, and if we consistent and we, we don't have to chase the algorithm, we don't have to chase a sound. I think we just got to do what we do really well.

[Glasses Malone]

Right?

[Rick Jervis]

And what, when we, when we elevate our sound and make sure that everything is flawless, then I think the public is going to gravitate to it. And I think that's what we did with Kingmaker.

[Exhibit]

Well, you know what the illest thing I've heard now, I had to call like 10 o' clock at night. I saw a dude online saying, why don't the old motherfuckers just get out the way and let us do Our.

[Rick Jervis]

Thing get me out the way.

[Exhibit]

I said, what does that mean? Because hip hop is a competitive thing.

[Glasses Malone]

No, I mean that is it, Is the, is it the fear of competition? Is it the fear of feeling that legacy artists have a solid foundation? That if me as a new artist tried to come out and say my record don't stand up to X record or, you know, it don't, it don't. It don't stand up to a Snoop Doggy Dog of the past. It don't stand up to a straight up menace.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, that's just like, that's, that's, that's like when they started giving out participation trophies at little league game. You know what I'm saying? Everybody gets a trophy. No, you don't get a trophy. We won. You know what I'm saying? So you got to go back and work harder and come back and get me out the way.

[Exhibit]

Well, I'm.

[Rick Jervis]

But I think, I think what, I think it got weird when people were like, you know, I, I just, I don't like the lyrics. I just like to be. And that opened the door to a whole bunch of other shit that made it acceptable in hip hop to be whack. You know what I'm saying? And then when, when, when was, you know, making whack shit and you said it was whack now you were hater. Like, wait a minute, I'm not hating. I don't think you have skill. I don't, I don't, I don't. Compared to what I like, I don't think you are making what I like. So I think it's whack.

[Exhibit]

Well, you know what it is, man? I noticed with this generation, it's like this entitlement thing. Like we was talking about it on the way up here, you know, you got these kids, it's a group that's like from 16 to 23, 24. Now to think is supposed to happen automatically. Before into this thing, it was a barrier to entry. It was a barrier of entry. You had to go through some things before you, you had to kind of do your. Before you got put on, right? Same with you. You was, you know, out there battling everybody. You was doing your thing, doing whatever you was, you was doing it. Then you kind of got the, you got on red. Man had to pay his dues. Everybody had to pay their dues. Now you can around and just get a record man around in your phone, in your room and have a record and that's.

[Rick Jervis]

And then you right there. This generation has grown up with convenience. And it's become a handicap. So you can order a, a sandwich, a some from Walmart, all within 15 minutes and it'll come to your house. So why don't they think stardom and, and hard work and can't. You can get it out the phone and land at your house? You know, like they grew up with that mentality.

[Glasses Malone]

It's, it's the, it's the, it's the situation of, you know, still, you, you'll, you'll find this very fitting. Just like dealing with the sports world, right?

[Exhibit]

Yeah.

[Glasses Malone]

When you grew up, when our age, you know, we came from sports teams, or you joined the team, or you tried out, you didn't make the team, you didn't make the team.

[Exhibit]

Work harder and come back again next year.

[Glasses Malone]

Right? Today you don't make the team, you don't make the team. You can just go start your own team. Yeah, get me. So I'm gonna be guaranteed to play because now I don't have to go through the. You know, I'm. Like you said it was a certain criteria. Everybody can't make it to the NFL, but now you can go to arena football, you can go to usfl, you can go to xfl.

[Exhibit]

Yeah, it's different opportunities, a lot of.

[Glasses Malone]

Different opportunities, and a lot of them are presented by their own artists. But I just feel that, I don't know, like you said, in no other musical genre do they exclude. Once you reach a certain point, Rolling.

[Rick Jervis]

Stones will be done, right. Eric Clampton to be done. You know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Like, a lot of, A lot of.

[Exhibit]

That is really a lot of the homies up. I ain't gonna get the name of the homies names, but I talked to some of my people and be like, man, what you got going on? Oh, man, I'm trying to do this, but I don't think they trying to hear me no more.

[Rick Jervis]

Oh, come on, man.

[Exhibit]

And he. I'm talking about legendary dudes.

[Rick Jervis]

We don't need to get in our own heads. And we definitely can't let other people's opinions about what they think is gonna be the perception of your art to other. From other people that like, we just gotta, we gotta, we gotta focus, lock in, do what we do really well and then let it. Let the world decide. You know what I'm saying? And then you have to also be. Understand what your. What is your perception and what is your success? What does success mean to you? What does that look like? It don't have to look like what everybody else is or what the next man is doing. Like, I have certain things that, you know, I. I want goals and that I achieve don't. And that's how I feel like I've been successful. That may not look like nothing else that you guys are looking like. And it ain't just about material shit.

[Exhibit]

Right?

[Rick Jervis]

Time is the most valuable thing we have, you know. So how do I want to spend my time? How much time do I want to spend this? Because you know, once I hit that, then I'm gonna do this and then I'll be good, you know, and sticking to that and living with that and being. And if you overshoot that and get there faster, then so be it. But my goal has always been the same. And I always plan things five years out. So once I hit my five year plan and boom, there it is. Some things work, some things didn't. I know I know what the next thing is looking like, you know, because I play, I use, I plan using time. So I know I want to keep doing music as long as I feel it and as long as they come out my spirit the right way. But you know, when I got what I'm doing music because I want to.

[Glasses Malone]

Do it, not to do it. Yeah.

[Rick Jervis]

And that's what feel good. That's why key makers sound like that, you know, like. Like I love this shit. You know what I'm saying? So when I do something that make every ooh and shake the room, I know it's going. I know it's gonna work. You know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

Man, let's talk about this, man. Cause I want to go back. Cause I've been a fan for a long time. I know all the motherfucking records, you know what I'm saying? So how did you make the. I want to talk about the transition when you started out with Tila and them, those guys, you know, with King T and them. And I used to hear you on a wake up show every Saturday night, getting it in, grinding.

[Glasses Malone]

First of all, let's start with what was the first rap record you ever heard? What made you want to go, oh, this is some. You know, because, you know, I know your father was an educator and, you know, so what made you go, nah, this is this. I got to get to where I got to get.

[Rick Jervis]

Okay. The first rap record I ever heard was the Rapping Duke. The huh, Duh. That's the first rap record I ever heard. And it was also jam on it, Nucleus. So those were the kind of my introductions to that. Then My brother Run dmc. But the first one I ever heard was it had to be between jam on it and rapping. Dude, the. What made me stop in my tracks and be like, oh, it was Rakim, you know what I'm saying? Rakim, his. His whole style and delivery was unorthodox, and it was different than anything. I was a fan of. Big Daddy Kane, you know what I'm saying? All epmd, all them dudes.

[Exhibit]

Ll, you know, Rakim was on that.

[Rick Jervis]

Though, of course, you know what I'm saying? Nwa, Easy E, Compton's most wanted, you know what I'm saying? Like, all of these records were poor, righteous teachers. They were all the kind of wheelhouse where I was listening to everything, you know, even down south, I would listen to Poison Clan and, you know, DJ Magic Mike Bass, Miami Bass, you know, the Mini Truck movement. So I would listen to everything. But Rakim was the one that made me like, that's rap. That's. That's. That's some elevated shit.

[Exhibit]

And you was always lyrical. That's what I was gonna say, because you was getting it in on the Wake Up Show. I'm talking about. You was up there tearing cats out the frame. What made you. What made you decide? Like, later on, you pivot. You had, you know, you went through your whole thing with Loud Records. You had a very critically acclaimed album, was received well, and then you hooked up with Dre. You was already a monster at making records. And it's like when you hooked up with him, it's like you just went, yeah, yeah. Did you get any backlash from the homies at first? Cause, you know, people got a tendency to want to make you kind of stay where you at.

[Rick Jervis]

Nah, see, I wouldn't call it backlash. I think, you know, we all. We all get. When we. When we were younger, we all had dreams and aspirations and, you know, seldom do you speak something into existence, you know what I'm saying? It's like when something actually worked and it shocks the. Oh, shit, did that shit work? You know what I'm saying? Like, it was more like that, you know what I'm saying? Because me, Rass and Saphir, we were kind of the group that we, you know, even though I was with King Tina, Alcoholics, I was never into alcoholics. Right? You know what I'm saying? Like, it was. It was the trio King T and, you know, and it was like the Liquid Crew. I was in the crew with them, you know, But I always wanted to be in a group. So me, Rass and Safir I remember we sit in Raz's house and be writing together, and we all had different outlooks on how we was going to make it, right? So Ras was super anti wearing khakis. He was like, you niggas look like you about to go clean some shit up. Fuck you. You know what I'm saying? I was like, nigga, this is the attire.

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah, yeah, ye.

[Rick Jervis]

And so he had his, you know, I never. I'll never be you. You know what I'm saying? And then I was like, this west coast rolling. We out of here. You know what I'm saying? And then. And then Safir was like. But now, you know, I'm from the Bay. You know, we say blood, but we don't mean blood. You know what I'm saying? So it was like. It was like the perfect kind of representation of all of California right there. You know what I'm saying? And so that's kind of. That's kind of how we built it. And then when after the battle stuff and the Wake up show and unity and all that shit, and Snoop called me to do the. That's how we got connected with me, Dre, Snoop, and the whole camp. This was. We did Bitch, Please for the no Limit, Top Dog album. And then from there, it was just like, boom. Okay, you. We like, what that happened? It blew up. It hit. Okay, you gonna be on 2001. You want to be on the Open Smoke tour. And then from there, we just do. So the homies around, you know, I tried to include them, you know what I'm saying? But I think it was just more of a. You know, they. I don't know. I don't know. It just got weird for a second, and then it got better.

[Exhibit]

That's how it always.

[Rick Jervis]

It's just growing.

[Glasses Malone]

You.

[Exhibit]

Growing pain.

[Glasses Malone]

Growing pains. Yeah. You know.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah.

[Glasses Malone]

It's. It's always. It's. It's unfortunate, but, you know, there's always a standout. You know, same situation with me and Chill. You know, we started off together. Everything was a grind. You know, whatever, Whatever. But then when you. When you putting in a little more effort, then, you know, maybe, you know, somebody else might be. Or your delivery might be standing out or the way you present yourself in front of other. And so people start noticing, like, they call eight. Eight. We want to get on something. Or, you know, and it's not like Compton's Most Wanted. Do y' all want to come? It's eight.

[Rick Jervis]

And then attention. Attention grows. You know, who did a really good Job of having a collective and then branching out and all the members was Wu Tang. Wu Tang Clan did a tremendous job of having a collective and then being able to outsource the standouts. People knew Method man from that one first song was going to be, he going to have some, you know what I'm saying? Odb, I mean, all these people that came together, but they had some kind of a, some kind of working method that was able to, to branch out and do what they did.

[Exhibit]

They did a good job. But you knew, you knew that Method man unequivocally was going to be the when he came out, you knew that ODB was so different and dynamic that he was going to blow up.

[Rick Jervis]

Right?

[Exhibit]

You knew everybody else was dope. They hold. You know, everybody in the clan is dope. Ghost Face on down the raid to business. All of them dudes is tight. But you knew that Method man had star power.

[Rick Jervis]

But you are. But even in their individual endeavors, they still represented Wu Tang Clan.

[Exhibit]

Oh yeah, for sure.

[Rick Jervis]

You know what I'm saying? And so I, I, I'd like to see that out here too, you know what I'm saying? Like, but, but I mean, I know the game rules and everybody feel like, yeah, they want to be the CEO of every goddamn thing, you know what I'm saying? So, yeah, a little more unity, a little more cooperation, you know, just because of one, Just because a win don't mean you can't and that you're not.

[Joseph Reeves]

You know, show me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know. It can't get no better than being hella black, hella queer and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Rees. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to Hella Black hello Queer, hello Christian. To hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Rick Jervis]

I think what I've had to make.

[Glasses Malone]

Peace with is that every iteration of.

[Rick Jervis]

My voice is given to me by.

[Glasses Malone]

God and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity.

[Glasses Malone]

The library now for me is a safe space. As someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off of shelves.

[Joseph Reeves]

And how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Rick Jervis]

I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Rick Jervis]

Listen to the American west with Dan.

[Jeff Perelman]

Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

[Rick Jervis]

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katherine Townsend]

Over the past six years of making my true crime podcast Hell and Gone, I've learned one thing. No town is Too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've received hundreds of messages from people across the country begging for help with unsolved murders.

[Rick Jervis]

I was calling about the murder of my husband. It's a cold case. They've never found her and it haunts me to this day.

[Exhibit]

The murderer is still out there.

[Katherine Townsend]

Every week on Helen Gone Murder Line, I dig into a new case, bringing the skills I've learned as a journalist and private investigator to ask the questions no one else is asking.

[Dan Flores]

Police really didn't care to even try.

[Rick Jervis]

She was still somebody's mother.

[Dan Flores]

She was still somebody's daughter. She was still somebody's sister. There's so many questions that we've never.

[Rick Jervis]

Gotten any kind of answers for.

[Katherine Townsend]

If you have a case you'd like me to look into, call the Helen Gone murder line at 678-744-6145. Listen to Hell and Gone Murderline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Perelman]

I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

[Joseph Reeves]

Across the country, cops call this Taser the revolution.

[Jeff Perelman]

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

[Dan Flores]

Cops believed everything that Taser told them.

[Jeff Perelman]

From Lava for good. And the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is absolute Season one Taser Incorporated.

[Rick Jervis]

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really bad. Really bad.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4. Ad free at Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Exhibit]

Do you think that today, man? Because we missing something? Like I always tell Glass as we be talking and I say, bro, man, I'm so. I feel sorry for you. I'm sad for you because you missed the whole experience. I remember, man, going to go to Tower Records, man, to wait for the ghetto boys album to come out. You know the one after Willie D came back, you know, you remember Big Mike came in on the second one. The deaf do Us apart. No, not the Deaf do us. The part. The first one where the homeboy Big Mike came in, right? He took Will's place. Cause Will left the group. Then when I saw the ad and the motherfucking Murder dog or the Source magazine to where they was in the caskets, it was like, oh shit. And you just saw a date. I went up to Tower Records, man, and I stood outside with all the people, man, going there and get what I got. And I got the record, man, and I sat in the parking lot till like maybe three in the morning.

[Rick Jervis]

Wow.

[Exhibit]

Just listening to it and reading the liner notes and just, you know, reading it. Doing in stores, going to in stores, seeing your favorite rapper. That's how I met Mr. Mix. I met Mr. Mix at the in store. The homie from two, right?

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah.

[Exhibit]

And he wound up helping me out a lot. You know, we, you know, had a bond. You know, it don't always start off like that, but it was just, you know. And I think today they missing that dog. It's not the same experience. It's not. It's not the same experience. Do you think, man, with the way streaming is and everything, it kind of diluted everything, man. Do you think it's still this, you know, it's not the same aura no more.

[Rick Jervis]

Let them have it. We, we are Jedis. People that are. Have survived getting here through the time we had because we hip hop then, like, then these niggas couldn't survive then and. And work through what was done here.

[Glasses Malone]

Right, exactly.

[Rick Jervis]

So. So we can't abandon that. Right? So yes, we have to agree with the algorithm. We have to go, we have to participate because that is part of it. But we can't forget where our strengths are. We got people that went and bought our shit, just like you said, hard copies. Read the notes. Those people are still. There's. There's millions and millions of people that bought into that right around the world. So our bread and butter is getting in front of these shows, organizing ourselves. Stop waiting on people to come and pull us together. Pull the homie off the couch, pull the homie off out the woodworks. Put together something that we can go out and get in front of. These fans rock these shows. Fill out rooms, put packages together, put merch packages together. Use the algorithm to advance and let people know we coming. We'll go. You know what I'm saying? People depend on all the success and all these numbers. But having a bunch of followers and social media people is like having a bunch of monopoly money. It really doesn't do much, you know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

For real.

[Rick Jervis]

You know, I think it's. I think it's. It's awareness is important. Popularity is important. But the 1%, the new payola is the playlist. The 1% is getting billions of streams. You know, we don't know who's buying that or who's doing that or that's real, whatever. But, you know, the money, The. The money to come in is going to be the one, you know what I'm saying? I think people are dependent now a lot on streaming. That's a whole new culture that is outside of the realm of what we do and create. But, you know, I think that's what we can learn from that is not trying to copy them, but come do it on our terms, you know what I'm saying? I can't do something every day, but if we organize 12 of the homies that want to do that, then maybe that stream makes sense because it'd be me this day, ate the next day, quick the next day, da da da da. And then that's, you know what I'm saying? Like, now we have to funnel. But the thing is that, you know, we have to work together like the legacy artists. We got to work together because combine audiences together. If we lock arms, they. We go platinum every time.

[Exhibit]

Oh, yeah, for sure, 100%.

[Rick Jervis]

But everybody want to be the leader. I don't want. Okay, niggas. Okay. You know what I'm saying? Like, let's just organize. Nobody has to be the leader. You know what I'm saying? Let's just make some people just got.

[Glasses Malone]

To have that title. People just got to have that title. Like, I've become comfortable to where, where you want me to go first or last? I don't give a. Like, yeah, am I getting paid tonight? That's all that matters.

[Rick Jervis]

Like minded guys, that's how I work. It's finding like minded guys, which is the same business acumen that you have is the key. And it starts with 2, 3, 4, 5. And then you'll find the right folks and then when they start working, then you can decide and choose to expand or not. But that's what we need, you know what I'm saying? And algorithm is part of that. But I think that we as legacy artists just gotta fucking get out there in front of our people, you know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

Like you said though, it's about man, really dropping the eagle. Cause one thing I will say, from the first time I met you to now, you've always been the same dude, like always been just like I've grown.

[Rick Jervis]

Up a little bit. Yeah, I've grown up a lot.

[Exhibit]

You know what I'm saying? You ain't never been Hollywood. Oh yeah, no, you ain't never been Hollywood. You was always like, hey, how you doing? You know what's happening I think today, like you saying, man, I think it just got to start off with a few people. It don't necessarily have to be a whole bunch of people, cuz I tell you, like, I talk to Too Short all the time, but Too Short is one of my favorite rappers probably cuz he just one of them real genuine cats. He's always the same, you feel what I'm saying? And I think people can feel it. And I think right now everybody is kind of caught up in this thing to where they have to have an image. This character. Rap has always been professional wrestling to a certain extent. You know, you come up with these big dynamic characters like you got the Busta Rhymes as you got the MC8s, you got the exhibits, you got the Glasses Malone's. I think it's always been that way, man, but now it's all the authenticity is no longer there. Where do you think that comes from?

[Rick Jervis]

I agree with you. I think Mike, the antics became bigger than the sound.

[Exhibit]

And.

[Rick Jervis]

I don't know where the disconnect happened, but that became a selling point. And you know, somewhere along the lines, I'm not trying to be funny or nothing, but stop reading books. Comprehension levels, you know what I'm saying? Like making records with six words and you know what I'm saying, real talk like that became the norm and the standard and you know, if I'm. If I walked in this room and started speaking Swahili, and none of you niggas is Swahili. You'd be like, what the did he just say? That's what. When you try to use metaphors, punchlines, da da, da, da, da. These ain't. They. They don't get that. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it may, but they don't want to hear that because they make them think. And that's why I said, we don't do the same drugs either. You know, like, I couldn't imagine a cocktail of. Of. Of lean and pills and ups, downs, all these other things. You know, we did 40s and weed.

[Exhibit]

Yeah.

[Rick Jervis]

And we had some money. We had some Hennessy. You know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Rick Jervis]

But 40s was good. Like, that was. That was the.

[Glasses Malone]

Some bumpy face gin or something. You have to think you would be rich as a. We getting 2/5 of Christian brothers from SADs or some.

[Exhibit]

During our time period, it was an embarrassment to be a fiend. You didn't want to be a dope fan.

[Rick Jervis]

He was a cluck.

[Exhibit]

You didn't want to. You didn't want to be a smoker. That was. No, you don't want to be that.

[Glasses Malone]

Now we live differently, man. I, I said, I said it the other day. The story of my life is I just grew up different than what you see today. A lot of things we frowned upon as young men growing up in the hood, it was just. It was detrimental to our character of trying to be that nigga from the neighborhood, like smoking dope. Nigga, are you crazy? You niggas pop. What kind of pills you pop? Other than some motherfucking aspirin my mama gave me for a headache like pills and you is drinking. I hated cough.

[Exhibit]

Smoking weed for the longest.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah.

[Exhibit]

Because I was always worried about somebody putting some in it.

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah. I think our, our. That, like you said, our. Our character and, and. And not to say that everyone is. Is like that today because there's a lot of young men who grew up on that. That role model character of, of frowning upon. But our generation frowned upon, you know, drugs and, and like that. Like you said, you be called a cluckhead in the middle.

[Rick Jervis]

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[Exhibit]

You got frowned upon not being who the you said you was. I'm not. I came out to California in 1988, man, from Cleveland, Ohio, and that's when gang banging was at his. At its full peak. And half the niggas on the football team, I'm out Here to play football, but I'm running with insanes and twenties. I don't have no money. So the homies shout out to the homie, Fonbi. He says, hey man, Ohio. That was my name for the longest Ohio, cuz I'm gonna take you, go see the homie today. We gonna get you some bread. And them niggas hand me a motherfucking napkin with a thing. And I'm like, what the fuck is this? He said, I got you. Let's go. We bouncing. We go back to crib, he chop that shit up, I come. Next thing you know, I'm coming home. I got $100, right? And so I'm in the game right now, and I'm out here to play football, dog. But these are the people I'm surrounded with. I saw how easy it was to actually get caught up in being from a gang because them is homies, right? They're your friends, right? I think nowadays, man, that is so manufactured, dog. That whole experience. It's almost like they find these dudes, okay, we go put some khakis on you, we go put some of this for you. We go let you hang out, we gonna go get you this record with exhibit. We go get you this record with eight and you gonna be on for from there.

[Glasses Malone]

I think a lot of that though is mixed with what the, the, the realization of social media has, has really upped the ante on like my glasses say social currency and you know, it, it's, it's, it's, it's content, I think, for half the dudes who do it. Because if I can be loud and boisterous and gang affiliated, it only helps my content when I'm turning on these cameras. Because that's what I, I'm trying to. The bottom line is I'm trying to sell something right here, right? I'm trying to sell this image of being this hard gangster nigger. And, you know, I'm from here and I'm from there. And now I want to introduce you to my world of rap, you know, because that's the bottom line. At the end of the day, I'm trying to put out a record, right? You know what I'm saying? So I think it uplifts their social content to the fact that that's what aim for today. You know, everything is turn the camera on and let's get some content today. But you see the expense because a lot of them, a lot of them will be returning back to jail. A lot of them still don't significantly Put out any music worth even fucking with, you get me? And so I say it's a lot of content because a just what I tell you. Nobody wants to be normal today. Everybody has to be famous today. Like when I came up, I didn't think I was gonna be a quote famous rapper. My goal was nigga my father working at General Motors. Maybe I can get in nigga, rookie, woomp or that was something. There's nothing wrong with that, you get me? Yeah, I had no nothing wrong with that. If I didn't feel like no, I'm gonna be the next NFL stuff because you know that's the route we take. You either gonna do music or play sports. Yeah, I was like, I'm okay in sports and I can't play a instrument. So I was gonna be a normal nigga around this. It was fine with me.

[Exhibit]

It was fine.

[Glasses Malone]

I wasn't like God damn, I need to go out here and start running circles. Butt ass naked people can find you and be famous and be architect.

[Rick Jervis]

That's what I want. I wanted to go to school to be for architecture. That's what I was doing.

[Exhibit]

Ain't nothing wrong with that. You know me and him talked about that one day. Every new rapper you see, you ask them what they was doing before. Oh, you know, I was out in the streets. I said what streets? I said I don't think they sell crack no more. I ain't seen the crack.

[Rick Jervis]

What was you doing?

[Exhibit]

Just come and say you had a job somewhere. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

[Glasses Malone]

Hate being.

[Exhibit]

That's why I really with you, cuz. I think I was reading some. You was telling the you I worked at the car wash?

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, man. What this? I had regular jobs.

[Glasses Malone]

I had regular jobs. What the.

[Rick Jervis]

I was a horrible drug dealer.

[Glasses Malone]

Horrible, horrible drug dealer. I told that about the same.

[Rick Jervis]

We. I would buy dumb, you know what I'm saying? Like we part of a gold BMW and some gold datings in the little ass town. Like we were very obvious, you know what I'm saying? It was like. And it was, it was.

[Glasses Malone]

I don't think I bought a car off of my dope dealing. I was just written cluck cars and able to go. Able to go to the Vermont drive in and buy some. Buy some khakis.

[Rick Jervis]

We were going to get cross color clothes. Them big ass green pants.

[Glasses Malone]

Was a horrible drug dealer.

[Rick Jervis]

Horrible.

[Exhibit]

Exactly.

[Rick Jervis]

I had a room with a whole bunch of stereo equipment in it trading for rocks and it was horrible. Man had no.

[Glasses Malone]

I just wish like that did that didn't work like, wait a minute. I spent this. I'm supposed to make back this, but goddamn only got I up my re up or something.

[Exhibit]

You know what I wish, though, man?

[Glasses Malone]

But these shoes look good as a motherfucker. I got. All right.

[Exhibit]

You know what I wish, though? We in a. Man, we in a real eel time right now, man. Because I think just. I think about the last 10, 15 years of my life. You know, we've seen our black president come in. We've seen all these, you know, different things just happen. This, like, man, when you sit back and think about it like, damn, man, we don't saw Covid. I never saw no like that. And I'm always a dude. I love the dystopian movies.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah.

[Exhibit]

You know, the. I'm thinking that's about the time now. It's about to happen now. The world about to end. I'm, you know, I'm glad I got all my guns and right to the point, I'm buying. I'm moving down to Texas. I keep telling them I'm going down there, bro, just to build me a bunk. Seriously, I'm gonna build me a bunker. Cause I think that. I think we on the precipice, man. There's some ill happening. Like, I see all the stuff that's happening. Like, it just started with the COVID stuff. And then I see the stuff that's happening with them trying to, you know, get all the Latinos out with no due process. And now, don't get me wrong, I do think if you in this country and you whacking motherfuckers and running back across the border, get rid of his ass. But the dude that's has this green card here, and I've been working here for 20 years, and, you know, like, I like the dudes to cut my grass, man. I don't know them cats. I don't know why in them, man, for the last 20 years, they come over, man, I. I give them water and shit. We'll sit out there and talk. They don't see my sons. Like, my son play professional football. He's just at home. Want some? Hey, I'm very proud of you. It's almost like he want to take pictures, you know, with my son and shit. And I think that's dope, right? I'm just mad at the fact we don't have no thinkers out here now documenting all this shit. And if you do have the thinkers, they not getting no attention because that's boring. Like, I'm gonna tell you, like, Even with this podcast, me and him always have conversations because I see dudes, man, that just kind of just come up, right, because they stay on the all the time. They, you know, trying to embarrass, trying to come in and ask you up questions to get you and, you know, into some, man. I, I think right now, man, everybody is kind of doing whatever it is they have to do. If I think if a tell a hey, suck your mama's titty and you go be famous, they gonna be trying to suck their mama's titty, dog. I think we're in some fucked up times.

[Rick Jervis]

I think, I think just to talk about what you were saying about going to Texas and building a bunker, I think we are witnessing a lot of distractive things from the root of really what's, what's trying to happen. The power struggle behind scenes. And it's way bigger than religion and politics. You know, there's a shift that's happening. And you know, I'm not a religious person, I'm not a political person, but I do notice that things are being fed to people that are willing to take it. So, you know, when they program 80% of the Earth to look down at these phones and not even pay attention to their surroundings, that's a big thing. And when Covet happened, you know, and they were, they actually got everybody in the world to go home and economy boomed in different ways and all that other things, that this is an experiment. And then the, the way that people have been positioned here in the United States, everybody got guns, everybody watching the Walking Dead and the last of us and you know, saying all these survival thoughts that are happening and, and then they flip a switch and then a nigga go, and all the toilet paper niggas fist fighting in fucking stores for toilet paper. And I'm looking at all this shit and people are actually scared to death and they're raising the temperature, raising the temperature. Something's gonna pop, right? You absolutely correct. Something is going to happen. But what I think was dangerous about it is that we haven't started the discussion, especially through hip hop. People want to be so popular. But hip hop used to be the voice of rebellion.

[Exhibit]

Exactly.

[Rick Jervis]

It used to be where you could send things and say things in hip hop that you couldn't hear anywhere else. Not just about pussy holes and butt popping and fucking money and shooting niggas. Right, that was part of it too. But there was other things that we kind of, if we needed to hit, get the message, the message was sent. You know what I'm saying, like, no matter if you was gang banger or grassroots, you know, Roots Chewer, you know, you was listening to Fight the Power, you know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah, definitely.

[Rick Jervis]

You was listening to PE So I think that people are scared to speak about what's happening because they don't want to up the their algorithm. People have been punked into, like, not saying what they feel and believe and group thinking and finding their way through group drink through group thinking. But that's a dangerous place to be, man. Like, so, yeah, man, you know, is it up. People are being pressed against each other and divided and singled out. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? It's crazy. But don't get distracted by that. You know what I'm saying? Like, there's something happening that's going. It ain't just happening. Happening to the Latino and Hispanic community.

[Exhibit]

Oh, no.

[Rick Jervis]

You know what I'm saying? It's. It's happening to all of us. But there's something bigger coming. And they doing all this because that whammy is coming. So I would rather look for the.

[Exhibit]

Big whammy than I'm going to tell you something. And you probably see you astute enough that you probably noticed this. Did you notice maybe about a year ago, they say it's something about life in outer space. Like, pretty much all but confirmed it.

[Rick Jervis]

It.

[Exhibit]

And it was so ill the way they did it. I had to rewind that. And nobody gave a. But then when they said something about. Because I noticed my kids, they didn't say nothing about that. But when some other dumb came up. Exactly. Oh, did you hear about this? It was almost like they was programmed just to look past that, right? And it's almost like, man, I'm thinking, what's happening between these phones, between television and all this? I was noticing, man, Like, I go in and check on my kids every night since they was little, right? I noticed that my daughter sleep on her bed with her phone right next to her. My son sleep on the bed. It's almost like they program with these motherfuckers. I had to tell everybody at the table. And when we at the table eating together as a family, put your fucking phones down. As a matter of fact, put them up there. Get the fuck out the house. Because I want to be able to talk to y' all. I don't want to sit at the table like this. And we just eating and everybody is just kind of like, no, put the fucking phone down. Like, either. Even with all this technology, like, glasses is like my Little brother, I even tell him sometimes, bro, call me by yourself. I don't want to talk to you with 20 niggas on the phone all the time. There's some shit I want to just talk to you about, you know what I mean?

[Rick Jervis]

He's talking to us, you know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

He's talking to us.

[Glasses Malone]

And so we on the phone.

[Exhibit]

But it's like. It's like, bro, we're not paying attention to what is going on. If actually paid attention to what's going on, they'd be scared. As a. I'm at an age right now to where June 18th. I'd be 55 years old, right? My R55 is much different than our father's 55. That dude had on slacks. He had, you know, his pen up here and this and that. I still dress like I'm about to go to a rap concert or do something, be the bodyguard or some. I don't know. But you know, I look at this right now, man, and everybody is falling for the dumb. And I think it's almost like we being programmed by something, you know, whether it's television, whether the streaming shit. I don't know if you remember this movie. It was one of my favorite movies. It was called the guy that did Beavis and Butthead did. What's the dude's name? The DFD was somebody here from Texas. Mike Judge. Yeah, Mike Judge. Good looking out, dog. He had a movie called Idiocracy. And when you watch Idiocracy, Idiocracy came out years before the ott, like the Netflix and the Hulu and all these people had huge TV screens like you can go to Best Buy and buy a gazillion inch TV for $600. Now, it's not like it was, you know, when you first. We first got the right. They had TVs on the wall. A would literally be watching people kicking each other in the balls. That was the thing.

[Rick Jervis]

You can see entertainment.

[Exhibit]

Did you see Idiocracy?

[Rick Jervis]

I have, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was in that movie.

[Exhibit]

Yeah, it talked about it pretty much. Much talked about what's going on today.

[Rick Jervis]

Absolutely.

[Exhibit]

We just a bunch of brain dead dumb out there, dog. And if it ain't no tough, me talking about a dog. I'm gonna tell you what one of the homies told me one day. I'm not gonna say his name, but he told me, I said, man, I like your new album, dog. I'm about to talk about in the show. He said, no, don't do that, bro. Say it's whack. I said, what you mean, dog? Say it's wet. Like I would. I'm not gonna do you like they said. No, say it's whack. You get more attention that way.

[Glasses Malone]

They playing the they playing the content.

[Exhibit]

Algorithm like is retarded Now I'm not gonna manufacture a beef with my brother Glasses or I'm not gonna call you exhibit before we come and say, hey man, I want you to hit 8 in the hell with the microphone and then I want you to tear some up.

[Rick Jervis]

You saw Minister Society. You saw that big ass Desert Eagle.

[Exhibit]

But that's the thing. No dog.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today, God. And show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella black, Hella queer and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian to hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Rick Jervis]

I think what I've had to make peace with is that every iteration of my voice is given to me by God and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity the library.

[Glasses Malone]

Now for me is a safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off of shelves.

[Joseph Reeves]

And how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck. This podcast looks at a West available, available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and meat eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Rick Jervis]

I'll correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Rick Jervis]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katherine Townsend]

Over the past six years of making my true crime podcast Hell and Gone, I've learned one thing. No town is too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've received hundreds of messages from people across the country begging for help with unsolved murders.

[Rick Jervis]

I was calling about the murder of my husband. It's a cold case. They've never found her, and it haunts me to this day.

[Exhibit]

The murder is still out there.

[Katherine Townsend]

Every week on Helen Gone Murder Line, I dig into a new case, bringing the skills I've learned as a journalist and private investigator to ask the questions no one else is asking.

[Dan Flores]

Police really didn't care to even try.

[Rick Jervis]

She was still somebody's mother.

[Dan Flores]

She was still somebody's daughter. She was still somebody's sister. There's so many questions that we've never.

[Rick Jervis]

Gotten any kind of answers for.

[Katherine Townsend]

If you have a case you'd like me to look into, call the Helen gone Murderline at 678-744-6145. Listen to Helen gone Murderline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jeff Perelman]

I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

[Joseph Reeves]

Across the country, cops called this Taser the revolution.

[Jeff Perelman]

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

[Dan Flores]

Cops believed everything that Taser told them.

[Jeff Perelman]

From Lava for good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute season one, Taser Incorporated.

[Rick Jervis]

I get right back there and it's bad.

[Exhibit]

It's really, really, really bad.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4. Ad free at Lava for Good. Plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Exhibit]

You know what a dude told me one day and I was mad as a I'm looking at this penis shaft head online. Talk about me like a dog, right? I don't gave him all kind of money and dog and I'm mad in the right I called this he act like ain't nothing. Oh, what's happening dog? I'm like man you when are you like dog this content you supposed I'll do you the alley you bro. Yeah, my I said, what the you mean playing with me? Don't play with me like that.

[Glasses Malone]

That's how I go nowadays. Feel that they need to establish more monetary success with social media by creating content. That's whether it's negative or positive, I don't care. But long as I can get somebody to focus on it, then they gonna focus. Then they gonna focus. My son gonna be calling me, talking about, hey, dad, so and so and so and so. And I'm gonna be like, you know, but it's the. It's the creation of the content that these. These dudes have figured out now. Like, I don't give a. If I start. I think. I didn't mean that. I'm just like. He said, man, I'm throwing you the hell of you. I'm gonna call you a dumb. Say you stupid and all kind of. And if you run up, it's gonna be this and that. Come get this fade.

[Exhibit]

And the era I come from, we don't do all that, because I'm never gonna come back online. Go get the camera. Let me say this to. It's professional wrestling. Yeah, it's professional wrestling. It's like, bro, what the. Look, because to me, I'm not gonna allow a motherfucker to play with my family. You say something about my wife or my kids, I'm gonna go to war with your ass.

[Rick Jervis]

Well, it's not professional wrestling because even though, you know it is what it is, they still get in the ring. These motherfuckers aren't gonna fight out here. These niggas. It's the Wolf Ticket show, definitely. I'm not playing that game, though. You know, I got a lot of goodwill out there, and that's Cause my character, the way I carry myself, like, no. Am I liked by everyone? No, but I don't like everyone either. So it's. It's good. You know what I'm saying? Like, I. I'm cool with the people. That's cool with me, and I. I'm good with that. So like I said, man, I focus on just what works for me. And you got to look objectively at this stuff, because technology, it depends on who's the user, right? So some people could sit up and figure something out and work out a whole fucking graph and be able to build businesses from a laptop. Other people just gonna be taking picture of their food and sending pictures of their dicks to everybody. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's the user. So you got to look at your brand, your equity, your assets. Figure out exactly what, what works and who you trying to target. If you want to target everybody, you're gonna be sweating women in the sea, you know what I'm saying? But if you could target where you want to contact your people, the most effective use of your time, then that you can, there's tools that you can use to get there, you know what I'm saying? But you got to focus and target your audience. And I think that's, that's, that's the overwhelming part because we all need people like, I don't want to produce, I don't want to. I don't want to do this, I want to do that. I just want to rap. So your job is to find people that can come around and actually facilitate those things with you if that's the way you want to go. Some people want to do it all themselves, you know what I'm saying? But if you're going to do it yourself, you got to focus on your target audiences and spend your money wisely. Don't just throw it on there buying ads, because like I said, it's just, you don't, you can't. How do you get a roi? How do you get a. How do you get a quantified whether it's working or not? You can't tell by the numbers, you know what I'm saying? So, so we gotta trust our intuition. And my intuition says, let's go and get in front of the crowds and do our merchandising immaculately. And then the people that we meet in person now we can see physically, that's what's gonna make a legacy artist feel better. You can physically see who's there. And now your job is to use the algorithm. And now you taking people that you actually meeting face to face and getting their information there, that should be one of the things that you do everywhere, whether it's a festival, whether you have a designated person going out, emails, phone numbers. Emails, phone numbers, contacts, contacts, contacts, mailing list, mailing list. That's what the data is. We collect enough of those, man, and then a city you'll be able to send. Now you could use the algorithm the way you want. You can send that out to the people you've contacted over the last however months you've been doing it. Thousands of of people that you already hit and now you can correct hit them directly, you can sell directly to them, which is better than streaming. You can make them exclusive drops, you can do you know what I'm saying? Like, that's using the technology In a way that's comfortable for us.

[Exhibit]

Well, you know the one thing I've been on with the homies too. Like I always tell my guys, man, let's own our own shit. Let's stop trying to look to take shit to Tubi, to Hulu or whatever else like this. We got all these fucking cameras. So I got all kind of drones and cameras at the house. Let's go shoot our own fucking movie, you know, let's go shoot our own shit and start doing our own things. The next thing I'm on is like starting to really. I'm gonna tell you what really fucked me up back in the day. You remember that MySpace shit? I remember the publishing company I was working for, man, they went and spent all this money on my MySpace page. I had the coldest MySpace page ever. I had a hundred thousand motherfuckers on there. I remember, I remember Joey and induced homies from the Giants used to send me on there, trying to get me to listen to their songs and. Right. And them cold as a now go figure, right? I remember we spent all this money on there, bro. And I looked up one day and my was back the same as it was. And then the next day it was gone and we just spent $10,000 on that, dog. I said from that point on, right there, I would never build my business on somebody else else's platform. Don't get me wrong, I say we need to utilize the YouTubes and the Instagrams and all that, but they have so many package that you get now. You can make your own Instagram, you can make your own YouTube. I think we need to have things like you said, information is key, right? Information, knowledge is power. They always say that, right? If you can get data, if you can get the phone number to send them SMS message messages, if you can get their email and send them emails. When you got that new shirt that's coming out, if you can, if you can text 15, 20, 000 people, hey, I got a shirt out. And if you can convert 5%, 10% of those people, you winning.

[Rick Jervis]

And it's not always about selling them, right? When you having that kind of connection with the fans, it's your obligation to give them an experience.

[Exhibit]

Exactly right.

[Rick Jervis]

And so what I plan to do is, you know, not only reach out and bring this, you know, use the new data that's coming in from Kingmaker and the people that are coming in and now going out to the shows, building that kind of data database that I'm going to be able to Say, okay, cool. If I'm sending you this, you've won this experience, this address, this time. But you know what I'm saying, there come there be like some food, some dope ass concert, you know what I'm saying? Like in their town, you know what I'm saying? Like, you got to create the experience. And then, you know, I've seen a lot of people do a lot of cool with merch, you know, sending a free shirt when they didn't order it. That's, I mean, that kind of. And you that kind of fan gonna.

[Exhibit]

Be like, oh, I'm with this man.

[Rick Jervis]

That goes a long way that reciprocation. This like, like, you know, we, we got backstock of all kinds of. If we can just like, hell, yo, you know, if you get an address, we send, we send you. You know what I'm saying? You don't got to be mandatory, but if they do do it and then you do send them something, that that shit's gonna, then, you know what I'm saying? Like, it's just, you just got to be consistent with it, you know, and, and you know, we, I don't know how you, if you guys tour or, or that. But if you elect legacy artists and you still going out there trying to go to after parties and drinking and around with and all that, then you playing Russian roulette with everything. Yeah, business, business, business. You know, I'm pretty sure everybody got their, you know, their, their together at this point. They want to go forward to be professional, but that's what we got to be on. We got, we're the first of our kind, you know, we've transitioned from physical copies into streaming into now, you know, we are legacy artists, you know what I'm saying? We've seen transitions and now I don't know who's been in front of us that had careers like us, you know, so we gotta, we gotta, we gotta set the standard, we gotta set the bar. And that don't mean sitting down, you know what I'm saying? Some people, some people want to expand, some people want to still do music, but you can't. Music is the catalyst of what makes all this work. Well, music is the commercial for everything else that we create. Right? But you got to choose what you create. You can't just like create what everybody else does. What do you do really well that you can bring to the table and be the avenger that you're supposed to be on the Avengers, you know what I'm saying? You know, and, and, and I Think that's, that's what, that's what, you know, I did, did it took me a long time to figure out that, just that simple right there, you know what I'm saying? And make some decisions, change my circle, Focus on things, you know, let some things go. Take some chances, take some risks, you know, go without for a while, you know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

Now if you could tell, you could say something that's real key, man, about changing your circle. I always tell my children, man, and just like the little homies, whoever the ass addicts you are, who you hang around, if you hanging around, that's telling you all day what you can't do. Instead of somebody saying, hey man, let's figure out a way to do that, right? You need to let them go though, because they gonna keep like. I don't think people believe this, man, but the tone does speak life and death. If you got somebody constantly telling you what you can't do or how it's not going to work, how it's not go that I'm tell you, man, I don't see a glasses name two or three times, you know, why me and him with each other, it ain't no, we not, let's, we go figure out a way how to do it. We not gonna do it. Let's figure out a way to do it. To do it.

[Rick Jervis]

He get it done. Yeah, exactly. Yo, I, I, I think, well, I, I didn't have to let people go, let themself go. Yeah. You'd be amazed for what happens when think it's over, you know, you be amazed. You'd be amazed how, how, how much space you get. You know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah. Come on. It's going to have to end at sometime soon. Like what were you thinking? It's going to have to end.

[Rick Jervis]

You'd be surprised how much space you get when think it's over. And so I learned a lot about myself. The people that, you know, I had around, the people that are still around from then, I think there's, I said it on Kingmaker. I think there's royalty and loyalty, you know, for sure. I think there's, there's something about, you know, having a disagreement and then figuring out if you want to figure out a solution, you can, if you love the person, if you, if you really see that person as somebody of value not to use them, but you value.

[Exhibit]

Who they are, you know what I'm saying?

[Rick Jervis]

Not everybody move like that, you know what I'm saying? And so I'm pretty sure if I was a vicious motherfucker I put it, I could have really some shit up and I'll be a lot further than I am. But I'm happy where I'm at and I still got my soul intact and I can still look people in the eye when I talk to them. And I'm not worried about keeping up with the lie that I told the. The other to not do the other. I'll. That's too much. My bandwidth is not that tight. You know, I got a bunch of raps and up here and they. I don't want to remember that. Like who what I forgot. Oh. You know what I'm saying? So. So I don't move that way. My. And. And I feel like. Like a lot of people are in a position where they feel like they gonna use people up or do all that, but I've never had to do that. And so my circle got really tight, you know what I'm saying? I'm not out there in the street. I'm not partying. I'm not moving. I don't. I got a lot of goodwill out there and I. I don't take that for granted. You know what I'm saying? I see. I see it as a strength, you know, I don't have to prove to nobody. I want to do my art. I want to be a. A standout person when it comes to things that we build outside of music. I don't put my personal in the street. Even though, you know, whatever was happening with my divorce that everybody was talking about that nobody gave a. You know what I'm saying? You know, like nobody gives a. About exhibition his personal life. Like let him rap straight up, you know, saying like I'm not. Nobody gives a about that. It's not. It's not that interesting. Trust me. But yeah, man. And so now going forward and just coming out the blue and having. And haven't been planning this for so long and talking about it and strategizing about it and if to actually come out and do what it did and now we got to put the elbow grease behind it. No new. I was sitting here for a long time, nigga sending out kites like, nigga, I'm out here like Tom Hanks lost. Help me. Until it was just like, oh, silence. Got it. Okay, let me get back to work. So nigga Iron man man built my suit out of this I had laying around. That worked, you know what I'm saying? Now we out there, now we building them to Mark 2.

[Joseph Reeves]

Show me how good it can get today God and show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being Hella Black, Hella Queer and Hella Hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian, a fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully divine podcast that explores society, culture and the intersections of faith and identity. Listen to hello Black, hello Queer, hello Christian to hear conversations about what it means to sound the way you look.

[Rick Jervis]

I think what I've had to make.

[Glasses Malone]

Peace with is that every iteration of my my voice is given to me.

[Rick Jervis]

By God and I love it.

[Joseph Reeves]

Books that validated our identity. The library now for me is a.

[Glasses Malone]

Safe space as someone who is writing books that they're trying to take off.

[Joseph Reeves]

Of shelves and how we as black queer folks relate to our Christianity. Listen to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Flores]

The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. Hosted by me, writer and historian Dan Flores and brought to you by Velvet Buck, this podcast looks at a West available nowhere else. Each episode I'll be diving into some of the lesser known histories of the West. I'll then be joined in conversation by guests such as Western historian Dr. Randall Williams and best selling author and Meat Eater founder Stephen Rinella.

[Rick Jervis]

Oh CR correct my kids now and then where they'll say when cave people were here. And I'll say it seems like the Ice Age people that were here didn't have a real affinity for caves.

[Dan Flores]

So join me starting Tuesday, May 6th where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Rick Jervis]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Katherine Townsend]

Over the past six years of making my true crime podcast Hell and Gone, I've learned one thing. No town is too small for murder. I'm Katherine Townsend. I've received hundreds of messages from people across the country begging for help with unsolved murders.

[Rick Jervis]

I was calling about the murder of my husband. It's a cold case. They've never found her and it haunts me to this day.

[Exhibit]

The murderer is still out there.

[Katherine Townsend]

Every week on Hell and Gone Murder Line, I dig into a new case, bringing the skills I've learned as a journalist and private investigator to ask the questions no one else is asking Police.

[Dan Flores]

Really didn't care to even try.

[Rick Jervis]

She was still somebody's mother.

[Dan Flores]

She was still somebody's daughter. She was still somebody's sister. There's so many questions that we've never.

[Rick Jervis]

Gotten any kind of answers for.

[Katherine Townsend]

If you have a case you'd like me to look into, call the Helen Gone murder line at 678-744-6145. Listen to Helen Gone Murderline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Perelman]

I know a lot of cops and they get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no.

[Joseph Reeves]

Across the country, cops called this Taser the revolution.

[Jeff Perelman]

But not everyone was convinced it was that simple.

[Dan Flores]

Cops believed everything that Taser told them.

[Jeff Perelman]

From Lava for good and the team that brought you Bone Valley comes a story about what happened when a multi billion dollar company dedicated itself to one visionary mission. This is Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated.

[Rick Jervis]

I get right back there and it's bad. It's really, really, really bad.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to new episodes of Absolute Season 1 Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge episodes 1, 2 and 3 on May 21 and episodes 4, 5 and 6 on June 4 ad free at Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Exhibit]

I think what you're saying, man, is some real spill, man. I think energy is very important. I'm an energy person, man. If I sense something even off with a dog, I don't with up and because I was always one of the type of dudes that did right by people like I pride myself on doing right. If we making some money together, dog, I'mma give you you half up to the point to where she'd be telling me, man, why you giving them all that money and they don't? Do you know what I mean? And I always thought that was me doing a good thing. But what I realized, dog, is that you can't cast your pearls on swine on the next swine because everybody not go appreciate you, dog.

[Rick Jervis]

We did it. We did it with a genuine, with a genuine spirit. And you thought it was going to be reciprocated, you know what I'm saying? But it seldom, it seldom, seldom is, you know, but it's some people, you know, it's some people that you can't handle body a lifestyle. So that's number one you can help. Money is a tool you know, but don't want money, they want your position, you know what I'm saying? And that's weird to me.

[Exhibit]

It's like weird as a mother. Why the.

[Rick Jervis]

It's just, it's just different personality types that come around and different intentions from different people. You know, if we walked into a room with a whole bunch of producers, rappers and ask them why do you want to do music? You know, you get a thousand different answers. Some wanted, you know, some want a car, some niggas want to get their mama a new something or I want to get my family out the way or they got, I'm, you know, on a run and I gotta, you know, like it's a thousand different reasons, you know what I'm saying? Saying so we got to understand like we dealing with a whole bunch of people that you know in this industry that you know, not necessarily here for the same reasons. So finding those like minded individuals and keeping that in line, you know what I'm saying? Like it takes a long time to get to know somebody, right? But how we move around this industry and we meet different people, you know, and especially the gang rules of how California is broken up, you know, saying everybody's clicked up and you know what I'm saying, everybody has this group thinking idea when it comes to them. But it's certain people that move differently and, and, and, and have a different type of level of understanding that I get along with. So I ally myself with those people.

[Exhibit]

Right?

[Rick Jervis]

You know what I'm saying? Where before or when I was younger it was like oh, go with the herd, you know what I'm saying? Let's go with the herd. I'm not, I'm not there now. And so that's why when I say no new, it's like if, if you didn't, if you weren't around when we was building over the last 20 years and if you definitely wasn't around what we build in the last five years for whatever, I don't care if I know you or not. Like, like the car is going, the train left the station and I know who's on it now, you know what I'm saying? Like can we build and expand? But it's going to come from the like minded individuals in the nucleus of what we have going now. It's a lot of good happening right here and a creative is really dope. I'm protecting that like with everything I got because that's what's making everything feel so good, you know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Right? That's what's valued.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, yeah. The way the music is coming out, the way the spirit is, the way this, you know, the. The public is receiving it. It feel right, you know what I'm saying? I feel strong and. And the people around me are here for a reason, on a purpose, and they qualify to do the things that they're being done, you know what I'm saying? We don't have a homeboy hookup, right?

[Exhibit]

You know what I'm saying?

[Rick Jervis]

I love you, man, but you can't be a manager. You can't do it unless you can.

[Exhibit]

Bring some of this table.

[Rick Jervis]

You can't do it. You can't be a march person. You're not even a people person, you know what I'm saying? Like you. You gonna punch in the face, you know what I'm saying? For. For saying this. This can't hear you, you know, saying he not gang banging, he's deaf. You hit him in the face. What Real look, you. I'm not taking no liabilities on the road. These. Yo, are you gonna come to the album release party? You know what I'm saying? You gonna come to the last show and then we gonna. I'm gonna see, come back and. And we gonna hang out, you know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

And that's it.

[Rick Jervis]

That's it.

[Exhibit]

I wanted something. I want to ask you, man. Something. I really applauded you. Every rapper, it seemed like this out here. I'm talking about, like, from the Dirty Birdies, man, to the. To Giants, to all these other rappers, it seemed like you always put your hands, like you reach out and touch them kind of and fuck with them a little bit. What made you decide? Man, I'm a mentor, motherfuckers.

[Rick Jervis]

That's where I come from.

[Exhibit]

And you real genuine with it, too.

[Rick Jervis]

That's where I come from, G. Like, I come from backpack rap. That's what they used to call us, you know what I'm saying? Like backpack rappers, because we would lyrical or whatever, and so I understand the grind, you know I'm saying. And trying to be unique or diverse in that sound, especially coming behind Death Row, G Funk, you know, Ruthless, you know what I'm saying? The. The classic G Funk sound, you know, classic west coast sound, it's hard to step away from that and, you know, saying, try to start something different. So when I see Dirty Birdie and the guys from the IE and. And. And, you know, C4 and. And the rest of that, the group's out of there, you know what I'm Saying it. And I see people that have a lot of potential and talent and a sound. I, I definitely put my hands on it, you know what I'm saying? Because nobody, if King T Key didn't do that for me and like see something in me and be like, all right, N, come on. Cause I didn't know how to write a verse, a hook. I just had a whole bunch of battle raps, like pages and pages, just long ass raps, you know what I'm saying? That's how I started. So King T was the first one to see something that raw, you know, I wasn't polished, you know what I'm saying? I was just battle rap rapping. So he, he was the first one that gave me an opportunity to figure it out, right? So why wouldn't I take that same energy and give it to somebody else, you know, you never know who you're talking to, you know what I'm saying?

[Glasses Malone]

Yeah, it's okay to pass the torch.

[Rick Jervis]

You never know who you're talking to. It ain't even about passing a torch. If somebody come to me and ask me something or see the value on what I do and why, to know how I did it. And you have really, you really want to come and actually sit face to face and, and get something done? Absolutely. You know what I'm saying? Absolutely. Because you don't know what that conversation is going to turn into and what that person that you help is going to turn into. That may turn around and be some other. You know what I'm saying?

[Exhibit]

Yeah. For real.

[Glasses Malone]

Some words to live by.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, man. Don't be afraid to actually help someone. For real, you know, don't be afraid to help somebody, you know what I'm saying? It ain't all about giving up your resources or money or doing lending something, but if you can help them learn something that's going to benefit them and they actually use it and go forward, think that's what it's about.

[Exhibit]

Hey, man, you know, before we get up out of here, man, I gotta ask you about this, man. You like the, the don of the marijuana guys?

[Rick Jervis]

No, I'm not. Do not put that check. Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby. Don't you put that evil on me, Ricky Bobby.

[Exhibit]

No, man, but when you talk about, you know, when you talk about good weed brands, people who have survived, you know, who's been here for a while, right? You think about, you know, you and you think about the homie. Be real. Why do you. And you, you know, you Told us about this earlier. Why do you think you've been able to sustain in that?

[Rick Jervis]

Well, I think it is hard to have celebrity brands. People don't believe in that. Hip hop doesn't sell weed like hip hop could sell clothing, hip hop can sell concerts, hip hop can sell alcohol, number of other things. But seldom do celebrity brands work in cannabis. Because first of all, cannabis has to work and people buy cannabis for different reasons. And to manufacture a brand it takes a lot of capital. And the licensing, especially on the legal side is really difficult, you know what I'm saying? And if you gonna be under the microscope, people fuck with you, you know, it's hard. There's a lot of competition, there's people to undercut you, you know, do all. I thought the record business was tough. Cannabis is fucking rough, you know, sayin' so you have to learn how to pivot. And because I built a few brands and you know, I was up at three in the morning moving pallets, I did distribution. I learned every aspect of cannabis and how to get it from seed to sale. I never most mess with cultivation because I just, I just not my wheelhouse. But we know mark marketing and we've done marketing for a long time through our own music and other things and those ideas still work in cannabis. You know what I'm saying? Targeted in your audience, knowing how to speak to them, speaking their language when they hear their song or they hear their words and they hear in, in this built into the marketing. That's oh, oh, that's my p. Oh, they say, they saying this right over here. I'm, I'm going over here. We going over there. Oh, decision great is built, you know, But I said I'm gonna stop competing in this market with one brand and I'm gonna go to the retail side because why sell one brand when I could sell everybody? And that was the, that was the pivot for me. It was. It's really difficult to start a brand in California. It's easier to, it's easier to start in other places. Places because the laws and the tax structure is different, you know, and you have to think globally now because now cannabis is not just legal in the US it's legal in like, you know, Spain. It's legal. And you know what I'm saying? Taiwan, you know, go over to Taiwan.

[Exhibit]

And get blown now.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, absolutely. You know, saying a lot of the laws are changing towards cannabis. It is becoming a billion dollar industry. And you know, just like when alcohol became out of prohibition, there was brands that was on the black market that exist today, you know what I'm saying? Like Jim Beam.

[Exhibit]

Oh yeah, for sure.

[Rick Jervis]

Seagrams, you know what I'm saying? Like all These brands were 150 year.

[Exhibit]

Old brands as well as distributors, right?

[Rick Jervis]

Correct. So they was already bootlegging and everything. And, and then they just maintain great marketing. Yeah, they, they, they probably was getting beat. Seagrams and all them was probably getting beat by niggas who had the brown paper bag with the XXX on it, you know what I'm saying? Selling like water, you know what I'm saying? But they didn't have a brand and that died out and eventually had to soak into something that did have branding. So them, so you have to look at that cannabis the same way, you know what I'm saying? And, and like I said, it goes back to the people that, you know, always want to do stuff theyself, you know what I'm saying? I think that the p. There's only a few black owners and real owners in cannabis, you know what I'm saying? Al Harrington, there's a couple other guys that are moving around really well, but really it's the network. They want our culture. So people that get behind like even Snoop stores, you know, it's the smoke weed every day store. Like it's important to support these brands because it's too easy for somebody to come and try to wipe it out. And then, you know, we have no representation and now here we are, you know, creating another billion dollar industry that we have no position in, you know what I'm saying? We gave away our spots and then we hated the rest of the, the rest of the out the way, you know what I'm saying? Like, like, you know, saying there's no reason why these stores, you know, as we, as, as we get back in, into these corners, you know, and then people are selling weed out the back door, you know what I'm saying? By the thousands and thousands of pounds on the black market and then the state does nothing to shut down the black markets. And even if they do get shut down, they open up the next day across the street and there's no taxes being paid, you know what I'm saying? So it's a really tough place to be, to be competitive, you know what I'm saying? So all that being said, man, it's like I think cannabis is a great place, but if you want to really get into the game, I think organizing behind people who already have the licensing, already have the stores, already have the brands, is where the next step for us to actually, actually do something is going because we're competing against people that don't have to pay the same bills that we have to pay, you know what I'm saying? But if we can drive our community to support these brands, support these stores, and we get 200, 300 people through the store a day, and then now we become like, the first ones that get bought out when a the people come through, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's the play. You know what I'm saying? A lot of people wanted to, oh, I'm starting a brand. They get 10, 50 brands already out in the stores, distributed. Not to discourage you, but what are you gonna sell in cannabis that's not already on the market with some good weed? Niggas got good weed.

[Exhibit]

That's what I'm saying.

[Rick Jervis]

Got their own. Got little closet grows. They grow good weed, you know what I'm saying? For sure, it's widgets. We all selling the same widget. Widgets. But how cool can you make your widget commercial? And how cool can you make your widget experience? That's what cannabis is. Everybody got good weed. But how can you bring in your people? And I think that's.

[Exhibit]

That's.

[Rick Jervis]

That's the play.

[Exhibit]

That's.

[Rick Jervis]

That's what I'm trying to organize and make people.

[Glasses Malone]

So retail.

[Rick Jervis]

Yeah, for retail, you know. You know, these people build, you know, wing stops and franchise days out to their home homies. Like, you don't think I'll put an exhibit west coast cannabis with the homies in their place. And then we build some. So then when pharmaceutical monies come through here, we all got a piece of this. Your store do this and hell yeah.

[Exhibit]

Cause I'm gonna tell you this.

[Rick Jervis]

What?

[Exhibit]

Boom. It's more people smoking weed than never. I'm gonna tell you. I was like I said I was. I didn't smoke weed for the longest, dog. I didn't start smoking weed, dog, till I was in my late 40s. Seriously, when you start getting them little pains in your body, lower back be hurting the homie. Let me hit the joint one day. I thought it was the most amazing ever.

[Glasses Malone]

And on that note, we gonna end this. Cause we gonna stop talking about this old niggas. When he started smoking weed at 50 years old.

[Rick Jervis]

Next episode, Aches and pains on Gangster Prodigals X Men.

[Exhibit]

I appreciate you, man, sitting down with. With us, man. And man, y' all make sure man, y' all go, man.

[Glasses Malone]

I can't say king maker man, make.

[Exhibit]

Sure y' all go knock that door.

[Rick Jervis]

And we about to announce tour dates, you know, we gonna stay out, you know, for the rest of the year and, and really, man, just work hard, brother. I can't. I can't wait to see people out live and I can't wait to y' all to experience this record the way we, we love making it. So thank you for having us. Indeed.

[Glasses Malone]

It's all day, you already know.

[Exhibit]

And on that note, we gone. Jill well, that concludes another episode of the Gangster Chronicles podcast. Be sure to download the iHeart app and subscribe to the Gangsta Chronicles podcast for Apple users. Find a purple mic on the front of your screen. Subscribe to the show, leave a comment and rating Executive producers for the Gangster Chronicles Podcast Norman Steele, Aaron mca Tyler Our visual media director is Brian Wyatt and our audio editor is Taylor Hayes. The Gangster Chronicles is a production of iHeartMedia Network and the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast. Wherever you listen to your podcast, show.

[Joseph Reeves]

Me how good it can get today, God, and show the rest of the world what we already know it can't get. No better than being hella black, hella queer, and hella Christian. My name is Joseph Reeves. I am the creator and host of Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian. A fully black, fully queer, fully human, fully, fully divine podcasts. From iHeartMedia to Hella Black, Hella Queer, Hella Christian on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jeff Perelman]

I know a lot of cops. They get asked all the time, have you ever had to shoot your gun? Sometimes the answer is yes. But there's a company dedicated to a future where the answer will always be no. This is Absolute Season one, Taser Incorporated.

[Rick Jervis]

I get right back there and it's bad.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to Absolute Season 1, Taser Incorporated on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Flores]

Why is a soap opera western like Yellowstone so wildly successful? The American west with Dan Flores is the latest show from the Meat Eater Podcast Network. So join me starting Tuesday, May 6, where we'll delve into stories of the west and come to understand how it helps inform the ways in which we experience the region today.

[Jeff Perelman]

Listen to the American west with Dan Flores on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

[Rick Jervis]

Or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jeff Perelman]

I'm Jeff Perelman.

[Exhibit]

And I'm Rick Jervis. We're journalists and hosts of the podcast.

[Rick Jervis]

Finding Sexy Sweat at an internship in 1993.

[Jeff Perelman]

We roomed with Reggie Payne, aspiring reporter and rapper who went by Sexy Sweat.

[Exhibit]

A couple years ago. We set out to find him, but.

[Jeff Perelman]

In 2020, Reggie fell into a coma after police pinned him down and he never woke up.

[Rick Jervis]

But then I see my son's not moving.

[Exhibit]

So we started digging and uncovered city officials bent on protecting their own.

[Jeff Perelman]

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

[Katherine Townsend]

This is an iHeart podcast.