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Lauren LaRosa
Taking control of your career is empowering. Just don't tell my boss I said that. Building a career just isn't about a job. It's about creating a path that impacts our community and future generations. Whether you're starting out or making big moves, State Farm is here to support you with resources to help protect what you're working hard to achieve. They've got your back every step of the way. Because, like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Find out more@state farm.com Wake that ass.
DJ Envy
Up early in the morning.
Bill Bellamy
The Breakfast Club.
DJ Envy
Yep, it's the world's most dangerous morning show. The Breakfast Club. Charlamagne, Tha God, DJ Envy, and Jessa out. But Lauren LaRosa is here, and we got the legendary, the iconic Bill Bellamy is in the building.
Bill Bellamy
I love it, I love it, I love it. The Breakers Club. We here.
DJ Envy
Bill, you are aging amazingly.
Bill Bellamy
Thank you, man. You know, I'm only 73, and ain't nothing but coconut water, Lauren. You know, you get coconut water, Get a cup of strawberries, blueberries, and a little bit of shea butter. You look just like this, but you.
DJ Envy
Playing or you just turned 60 a couple weeks ago. That is an amazing 60, my brother.
Bill Bellamy
Thank you, man.
DJ Envy
But I don't know what 60 is supposed to look like, because I'm comparing it to what we grew up on.
Bill Bellamy
No, no, no, no, no. We didn't knew. We didn't know. We didn't knew because, you know, back in the day, if you told somebody who's 60 years old, they'd be like, man, I just got me some pancakes from ihop, you know, for free.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
You know, now, you know, we moving, grooving, we work out, you taking care of yourself, you know what I'm saying? We know what we eating.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Bill Bellamy
You know what I mean? You watch your diet, and if you blessed to have good health, you'll look good.
DJ Envy
Do you take advantage of that kind of stuff, though, like the free pancakes from IHOP and all of that?
Bill Bellamy
Man, I haven't really leaned into the senior citizen thing, but I really think I need to get, like, some of them little benefits and stuff.
Lauren LaRosa
You don't got the NARP card. Yeah, you do or you don't?
Bill Bellamy
I don't have one. You think I should pull up?
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, I feel like that's the right of passage. That's the right on it, but I.
Bill Bellamy
Just don't want to be unk everywhere, like, you know what I'm saying? I'm getting unk now. I'm Getting OG OG is kind of cool, but Unk, like, on the basketball court, be making me feel like I can't play no more. Yo, Unk, you want the ball? I'm like, yeah.
Lauren LaRosa
And some of they not helping you up off the ground calling you Unk that. You know what I'm saying? Nah.
Bill Bellamy
But it's a tricky thing. OG Is cool, Unk. Just in certain cases. And I'll be honest with you, I was in a club. Where was I recently? And I felt like.
DJ Envy
Like, you need to go home.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, yeah. You know this music Loud.
DJ Envy
What song was it?
Bill Bellamy
Because some of the music, I just don't know. I feel like I just missed it. Like, I love Glorilla, but she got this joint that's so fire, but all the girls know the words, and I ain't know nothing. That's when I felt like I gotta go home.
Lauren LaRosa
Was it FnF?
Bill Bellamy
What is it? How does it go? Tell me.
DJ Envy
She got so much since fnf.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah. Is it with Sexyy Red, too?
Bill Bellamy
Yes.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay. It's the independent.
DJ Envy
Oh, the one that. The remake of the song. Yes.
Bill Bellamy
Every girl in there from 25 to 35 was going crazy. And I'm at the bar, like, man, I gotta go home, man. Y'all ain't playing no naughty by nature. Y'all don't know trash.
DJ Envy
But that's funny when you say that, because, like, when you get to a certain age, when you think about everybody who didn't make it from our culture.
Bill Bellamy
Correct.
DJ Envy
Does that make you appreciate it more?
Bill Bellamy
Yo, man, honestly, yes. Yes. That's a very, very good thing you said. Because you know what? To have a long career is a blessing. You don't know. And then we lost so many people that came up with us. Charlemagne, you've been my boy forever. Like, we came up, like, at around the same time. Like, we went to the same school kind of thing. You know what I mean? We seen, you know, from the Little Kim days to, you know, let's say, Boyz ii men, that 90 early 90s. I remember when Busta Rhymes and first got on with leaders of the New School. I remember, like, the Def Jam offices, like, the Source magazine. Like, all that energy of the 90s. I remember when Q Tip went solo, you know what I'm saying? Ll was the ladies man of rap. Like, there's so many moments of hip hop that we experience. And to think now I'm like, man, that's such a great time for us to be able to experience it. I mean, I remember interviewing Michael Jackson. Like, how many people did they. Just think about that. How many people interview.
DJ Envy
Damn.
Bill Bellamy
Like, they not even. Like, if you would have told me 20 years ago, Michael Jackson would not be alive. Like, that doesn't make sense. Like, I always thought, like, them dudes would live forever. Like, Prince. Like, he was so damn cool. Michael was so damn cool. Whitney, Jersey Girl. Like, I have all these wonderful memories of these people. Left Eye, you know. Damn. Like, we did all this stuff with MTV when people were just coming up. People getting on, people getting accepted. They starting to go platinum. So you young. You don't even know it was young. I know it go platinum, you know, Platinum. Okay, cool. I gotta make sure. I gotta make sure. But, like, like, I remember when Usher went diamond. I remember when the Fugees went diamond. Like, diamond was like, way out there. Like, you told somebody you went diamond, they like, what? And that was real albums I'm talking about.
Lauren LaRosa
I was about to say, I think it's just different for y'all. Cause people had to go and get the. You know what I mean? Like, right now we streaming. So it's like, okay, cool. That's people listening. It's different when all these people going to the store.
Bill Bellamy
Nobody is going to the record store. Like, me and Charlamagne. Me and Charlamagne knew. Remember Ty Records here in New York? We remember when we was the album released, people was lined up to get your album. We remember. I remember taking the plastic. Remember when. Remember when you couldn't get the plastic, you needed a razor.
DJ Envy
God.
Bill Bellamy
You had to take a key to get the damn album out. And then you read. Then you. Did you ever get thank you?
DJ Envy
Did you ever, like, No, I wasn't around. I'm 46, so. Well, no, I started getting thank yous later on. Like, but that was like, early 2000s.
Bill Bellamy
Like, when you would get the album and you'd be like, yo, I wanna shout out my man Charlamagne for all your support on my album. Or whatever. And then I would read all the producers and stuff like that. Those days are over. You don't even get artwork.
Lauren LaRosa
What? Thank yous. Did you get artwork? No, you don't get artwork.
Bill Bellamy
You don't get no artwork. You just get a song. Chris Brown got a new song.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, it's like a special thing if they release, like, artwork and images. And normally it's like merch and, like, something swaggy.
Bill Bellamy
So you gotta buy a T shir to get artwork now.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah. Unless people do.
DJ Envy
I don't even know what you're talking About. I know she said T shirts he.
Bill Bellamy
Talking about in the album.
Lauren LaRosa
I know what he's talking about. I'm not that old. I mean, that young. Like, I had the Destiny Child writings on the Wall two side album. I had Michael Jackson.
Bill Bellamy
Did you ever go to a drive in theater?
Lauren LaRosa
No, I did, but it was like a cool, vintage experience that, like, we. We vlogged.
DJ Envy
Like, it was like, not have Michael Jackson Thriller. Why would you tell that line? What year Was you born?
Lauren LaRosa
1991. My mom had it in my house.
DJ Envy
Oh, she had it in the house.
Lauren LaRosa
But Destiny's Child, I remember going and buying that album and, like, you had it opened up like this, like. And it had all the writings on the wall.
Bill Bellamy
See that? Go ahead, girl. Your writer passes. Oh, my God, you young o.
DJ Envy
Now, you hear about a lot of this in Top Billing, but just talk to the people. What was interviewing Michael? Like, somebody literally asked me that this weekend. You haven't you ever interviewed Michael?
Bill Bellamy
I'm like, nah, Michael interviewing Michael Jackson was like talking to, you know, a prince, a king of some sort of some royalty. Because the way he moved, you know what I'm saying? Like, he was, to me, the epitome of being a rock star superstar. He had, like, if he was in here right now, it'd be 30 people here. 30 people that. You don't know what they do, but they look like they kill people. Three, four publicists. You got the record label people, you got his personal people. And then everything is just like, oh, my God. Like, you don't want to make a mistake. And he comes in, everything's set up. The lighting, you just like, I'd be sitting there like this. Well, we gonna do this. And his people be like, no, Michael's gonna do three, five, and nine. Thank you. That's how they used to be. I'm like, he had his own lighting person. Like, you ever heard of a person having a cinematographer for an interview?
DJ Envy
Now, Mariah Carey did that to us. Mariah Carey came in the studio, had her turned down the lights, and had her team set up lights. And I was like. And I said, mariah, they only gonna be able to see you. And she was like, that's the point, darling. That's the whole point, darling.
Lauren LaRosa
Yo, how early did the lighting people get there before Michael got there?
Bill Bellamy
Two hours.
Lauren LaRosa
Ooh.
Bill Bellamy
That same thing that he said is true. Cause I interviewed Mariah Carey in Hawaii, and Jermaine was there, too. And I was like, jd, where's Mariah? He was like, yo, man, Mariah will Be down about three hours. We waiting on her, man, to get here. Dp, I didn't know what that was at the time, so I was like, dp, Who's. They say that's Daniel Pearl. He'll be here. He like all of Mariah's stuff, right? This dude comes, he got like 10 people. They like, they doing a little thing. Turn that down to 30%. Put that up to 10,5. It looks like heaven. Heaven. Heaven, everybody. Heaven. Bring Mariah out because his lighting was heaven. Wow. Swear to God, I was sitting out there black. I got so black. I was sitting out there waiting. Just like, man, she'll be here in another hour. They didn't even give me no water. This back in the day, MTV stuff.
DJ Envy
What happened to that era, man? Like, can you even build a superstar like that anymore?
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, I guess on TikTok. I learned a lot of great artists on TikTok. I'll just. Just come up in my feed. Cause, you know, when I came up back in the day, we knew who was dropping. We knew that the new Beyonce album was dropping. We knew Jay was dropping something. We knew that, you know, Redman and Meth was doing something. Now I'll get a TikTok video. That's a challenge or something. I click on that, and then I find the artist, and I'm like, yo. And I lock it in. That's how I've been doing it lately. Damn.
DJ Envy
But can those people become those superstar global icons we're talking about? Because I feel like there's a level. Because I feel like there's a level of. What's the word? There's a level of curation that's not happening anymore.
Bill Bellamy
Well, you know what? We. We missed a few steps. Yes. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'll give you a perfect example. Leon Thomas. Love, love, love. Leon Thomas. Right? I got window. Leon Thomas by mistake. Mutt was on Instagram and it was doing. Somebody was doing a. Was singing his song, trying to do, like, a version of it. I said, dan, this shit's kind of dope. I go, click on that. Then I click to him, and I'm like, oh, then there's a Chris Brown remix. I had to click to that. Now I download all that on Spotify. That's how I'm finding artists. It's like, what the. You know what I'm saying? It's like, damn. They don't promote the artists like they used to. Coco Jones right now on Fire label.
DJ Envy
Won'T even send her music to the radio.
Bill Bellamy
You said that. I was like, why would they do that?
DJ Envy
I have no idea. They did it to us. And Angie Martinez, it's like, what are you doing?
Bill Bellamy
It's like, nobody gets their press kit sent out no more. Where they really show you what the. What the project is, how they gonna promote it, and what did. How much money they put behind the artist. Like, Coco Jones is fire. Like, she's in a pocket right now to me. And. And you know, I love her music. I like Giveon. Do everybody know? I do. I think he's dope. As hell. I'm trying to think of somebody else that I just was like, oh, snap. Snow. Allegra. Oh, golly.
DJ Envy
What?
Bill Bellamy
Snow is bananas. Is there like a big, big. I had Danny Lee on my podcast. She's dope, too. Then all of a sudden, I don't even hear nothing. It's like, yo, she was rolling. Rolling. Mater. Is it Maida or Maida? Maida. Maida Mater. Am I saying it the right way? Mater. Mater. She's new artist. She was on my podcast. Super Dope. I'll give you one more guy. Tone Stiff. You know him. See, you don't know who Tone Stiff. And you young, you better Google it.
DJ Envy
It sounds like a dick joke. I thought you would say, tone, stick this dick in your mouth. I was like, what?
Bill Bellamy
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is. It's a real artist. But more importantly, you know what I'm saying? Like, as much as I love music, I'm trying to incorporate that vibe to my. To my. My new tour top billing, because it's like, I feel like it's going to bring people away, bring people together in a way that they're going to be very, very nostalgic. Because I feel like, you know, what we're talking about is it exists in people. They just don't have anybody to bring it together. And that's what I want to be. I want to be like that, the beacon of light to bring music, comedy, and a moment of hip hop that is just incredible to the people. That's what I really want it to feel like. When you leave, you're like, damn, man, I got way more than I thought. You know what I mean? And I feel like that's really possible now. We got social media. You can shout out clips to people. They can see a little bit of your show, see what's going on. Like, yo, I'm going to see that stuff. Whenever I play anything with Mary. Oh, like Mary. Mary just. She just does it for the ladies, for Everybody. Oh, Mary is something else. But I don't know. The other day, I seen her with them boots on. Her look like her ankles was hurting. Was that me?
DJ Envy
You'd be seeing her on stage. She'd be looking like she ready. She looked like she'd be tired.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, Mary, I came up with me. I love me some Mary. I just love this part right here. She got the little bomb to it. Just like that one. Hip hurt. Shout out to Mary. Love you, Mary.
DJ Envy
Now, you haven't done a special since 2022, right? So is top billing working towards that?
Bill Bellamy
Yeah. Okay, so I think right now I have an hour of comedy that is crazy funny. Like, I think nobody's talking about what I'm talking about right now. Um, it's very relevant. I mean, it's so much stuff going on right now, from Diddy to Shannon Sharp to Shador. Like, there's so many elements in the culture that everybody's thinking about, like, oh, my God. And I want to capture this moment because it's. It's right now. So I'm really trying to tape soon so that everything that I'm talking about will be indicative of this moment in. In the culture. Okay.
Lauren LaRosa
I was gonna say, how are you? Because I know you. You got the podcast, but, like, you obviously, you're so aware of everything because of your background and, like, interviews and stuff. How do you bring the podcast to the stage? Like, are you shooting the podcast while you're in the studio?
Bill Bellamy
I usually shoot the podcast in the studio. I'm going to try to do the podcast live, too, because I think it would be kind of nice to be able to have the energy of the people there, too. And then they could, you know, ask people questions during my interviews, and then we could have, like, some interaction and shoot it that way. I think that could bring. Bring some different energy in season two.
Lauren LaRosa
I just think it's interesting because there's a lot of people who try to intertwine all of that, but, like, they're not really as up to date in, like, current as you are. Like, you just rattled off. I'm just sitting here listening. You just rattled off so much, and I'm like, oh, he's on the headlines.
Bill Bellamy
Oh, yeah.
Lauren LaRosa
Because your background. You know what you. You know what I mean?
Bill Bellamy
Well, you have to be a student of the game as well. Like, for me, I have to read all the time. So, like, at night, when in house is quiet, I'm read, I'm. I'm listening to music. I have to stay in the Culture, because it's like there's stuff, there's. It's a language. The culture is a language. Right, right. And so if you get outside the language and then you try to come back, you're gonna sound dated. You're gonna sound like, oh, they don't even talk like that no more. Or whatever. You know what I mean? So for me, it's very important for me to stay very, very relevant and conscious of what's poppin. You know, I watch you, I watch you now. I watch Jess, I watch the new comedians. I watch, you know, the news and seeing like, oh, shoot. I watch. That's popping off on social media. Like, oh, everybody's talking about this. What's the deal? You know what I'm saying? Get in the trenches with it. Oh, wow, this is a good angle. So what I do with comedy is I'll take like something that's, that's a real subject matter and flip it. You know what I mean? And now you laughing, but you like, oh my God, that's crazy. What made him say that? Cause you gotta know it.
DJ Envy
So how do you flip something like the Shannon Sharpe situation? We just.
Bill Bellamy
Well, first of all, Shannon Sharp did not see how to be a player at all. Okay? So let's just, let's get that out. He must have missed the V, VHS.
DJ Envy
And the DVD release. And he 56, so he don't got no excuses.
Bill Bellamy
Yo, he 56 years old. He should have seen it coming. It was right on. What's that sound? Your ass. It's coming. It's coming. What's that? Man? Skip should have known. Not, not Skip. Shannon Sharp should have known when, when that first tape leaked that we gotta slow down.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
It's a little bit. It's a little bit too much. Yeah, baby. With othe talk to it.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
I didn't even know I was live. Tell me. Baby, listen now, now, if you are going live and you don't know it, you too old.
DJ Envy
Yeah. If you don't even know how.
Bill Bellamy
You said you don't even know how to get on. Of course.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay.
Bill Bellamy
And you gotta click, click to do it.
Lauren LaRosa
Yes.
Bill Bellamy
So he wanted to be live. Let's let. Talk to me, baby joke daddy what it is. Tell daddy what it did right. He full throttle got caught on that one. Everything should have been shut down. Went to some type of class. You can't talk nasty no more. You can't talk nasty. Shannon, calm down. Get you a nice, nice, solid woman off to the corner that I would and just lay Low for a minute till this guy. What is it? Not even eight, nine months later, I don't think.
DJ Envy
It hasn't been that long. It is not even that.
Bill Bellamy
He back in them streets. Damn, you mess up the bag. I'm telling you right now, white girls can't even say nothing to me. I was at the dog park. This white said, oh, nice dog. I took my dog and ran. I wasn't even trying. I'm like, Jonathan Mace.
DJ Envy
What about the age difference? Cause he was 54 when he met her. She was 19.
Bill Bellamy
Thank God. Thank God she was 19. It's too far. See, I got a young daughter, so I can't even process.
Lauren LaRosa
How old is your daughter?
Bill Bellamy
My daughter's 21. So I'm thinking. I'm thinking like my daughter. I'm me and Shannon in the alleyway scrapping. I can't wear that, you know? But you know what I'm saying? These cats. I don't know. Athletes are different. I'll just be honest. I think it's a. It's a difference with these type of guys. Like, they. They get. They get attracted to certain things that are different. Like. Like, why do, like, most football players like strip clubs? I don't know. They just like that. I mean, when I did any given study, that's what we was. We was in strip club. Come on, dog. Let go see the girl, man. Real talk, man. Blow off some things, drink a little bit, get back to the. To the. You know, to the hotel.
DJ Envy
You saw one this weekend in the Script Club, too.
Bill Bellamy
Football players love strip clubs for whatever.
Lauren LaRosa
Reason, because of their. Like, their. Their industry takes so much, like, aggressive aggression and, like, ugh. So they, like.
Bill Bellamy
I don't know what it is, man. I just think that it's a fantasy, you know what I mean? And I think once the fantasy is sort of sparked, like, that's the kind of women they're attracted to. Like, I don't know why, you know, Shannon Sharp would have to get a girl from Only Fans. I mean, that seemed real thirsty.
DJ Envy
That's crazy.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, it's crazy. Like, you couldn't just get a regular fan. You gotta get an only fan. That means you a subscriber. Like, you subscribing you rich. Like somebody who came to show with the extra tokens. Turn around, baby. Let me see it. Like, yo, yo, what are you doing? Like, come on, man. It's like you. Here's the thing. When you With Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse, That's Disney.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
You gotta keep it clean, you know, you can't be nasty, baby. You can't. No, no, no, no, no. Uncle, Uncle, Uncle. Can't do that now.
DJ Envy
But you said something that's important. You said after the first situation, you gotta slow down. But you said he should have went to, like, some type of class, something. That development isn't there no more for nobody. It's not there for musical artists. It's not there for personalities. Like, you got people that literally going in their living room and becoming, like, these phenomenons overnight. Because of podcast and YouTube, Sharp has been famous.
Lauren LaRosa
Famous.
Bill Bellamy
But everybody caught a wave, though.
Lauren LaRosa
Like, y'all should.
DJ Envy
Different level of fame.
Bill Bellamy
This. This is like, he was always dope, you know, football player, always hall of fame. Da, da, da. But this is a wave. Like, he got like, boom. You know, Cat Williams gave him that boom. You know, it's like. Then you get on, you leave, skip, boom. Come to espn. That's like. That's a rocking wave, right? So, you know, you rolling. You know, the light on. You gotta kind of be careful. He needed an auntie, man. See, this is what's lost in the culture. Old school, black auntie. Auntie be like, shannon, you can't do that, baby. Uh, now you done got too nasty.
DJ Envy
Monique tried to tell her. Yeah, Monique tried to tell him.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, yeah, Mo. Yeah, Mo was trying to help her, but, you know, he. He liked what. He like, what you gonna do now? Can you wear it? See what I'm saying? Can you wear it now? So what do we do from here? Like, how do you. How do you. How do you. Olivia Pope, that. What would you do? Like, what do you do? I mean. I mean, he ain't kill nobody. You know what I'm saying? He just nasty. Ain't nothing. It ain't a crime.
DJ Envy
You too nasty. No, there's other stories.
Bill Bellamy
More stuff.
DJ Envy
Well, it's stuff that has been documented before. Prior. Like, actual legal things.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, yeah, yeah. See, I don't know. See, Charlamagne, you be in the trenches.
DJ Envy
Oh, that's cause of Lauren. I be in here.
Bill Bellamy
Lauren, you know, all the. You know, the good. Like, it's a lot more to it than this.
Lauren LaRosa
I mean, it's out there.
Bill Bellamy
The choking and the.
Lauren LaRosa
In the bdsm. There's. It's out. There's other. There's a woman who just came out recently and dropped a defamation lawsuit and talking about sexual assault.
Bill Bellamy
Okay, so beat.
DJ Envy
He's walked away from networks before.
Bill Bellamy
So this beat. And all this is him is like. That's the bondage stuff. Is that what we talking about?
Lauren LaRosa
You 60 years old, you know these things.
Bill Bellamy
I know. I'm just saying. Okay, you'd have been around. So? So, I mean, you know, act like you don't know.
Lauren LaRosa
That's the best thing to do, Bill.
DJ Envy
Act like you don't know. Yes.
Bill Bellamy
No, I'm just saying, like, that's a lane. So, I mean, that's a lane. Let's be honest. That's a lane.
DJ Envy
That's what you said. He could come back to be honest.
Bill Bellamy
No, I'm just saying he might have to come out with some T shirts.
Lauren LaRosa
He's not.
Bill Bellamy
I've got the funk. I don't know.
Lauren LaRosa
I don't know.
Bill Bellamy
When you in high lane, that's a tricky lane. That's like driving your car 100 miles an hour with no seat belt gonna happen. You dig? Like, that's a tricky lane because it's edgy. That's what I think is the pull for people. It's so edgy. But it can always go left because where's the line? Yeah, where's the line? You wiling? Where's the line where we could come back? Or like, say, this is the thing that's tricky. You could be all good on Saturday. We go back to do it again Sunday. And you might not be on that right now. So now it's a bad deal.
Lauren LaRosa
I think at this point, at Shannon Sharpe's age, he should just. He needs to sit still with a person like marriage, something.
Bill Bellamy
I think he should do a turkey drive.
Lauren LaRosa
What?
Bill Bellamy
Turkey drives always fix stuff.
Lauren LaRosa
No, that is the paper.
Bill Bellamy
You gotta go to the paper.
Lauren LaRosa
You're not around.
Bill Bellamy
Turkeys make people feel good. Man, he giving out turkeys.
DJ Envy
What?
Bill Bellamy
He ain't do it. You ever notice?
DJ Envy
Oh, my God.
Bill Bellamy
You ever notice when somebody do something.
Lauren LaRosa
Bad, they always do turkey. And then they sent me the photos exclusively. Yes, I know.
DJ Envy
You can see. Oh, my God.
Bill Bellamy
Seen him like, hey, thank you. Give me a bunch of turkeys.
Lauren LaRosa
It's about to be summertime, though.
Bill Bellamy
No, you got to give out turkeys, Shannon. That's the trick. Where's my camera?
Lauren LaRosa
Right here.
Bill Bellamy
Hey, look, Do a turkey drive. Just give out turkeys randomly, all over the country. Hey, baby, get going. Little turkey for uncle. Get going, little turkey. By the time they get that 31st turkey, this will be over.
DJ Envy
Oh, man.
Bill Bellamy
And they gotta be butterball.
DJ Envy
Listen. Now, you grew up in that era.
Bill Bellamy
Of, oh, my God, that is so funny. Go ahead.
DJ Envy
Of the 90s.
Bill Bellamy
Went back, he got his fan, he started laughing.
Lauren LaRosa
He be going through menopause.
Bill Bellamy
He got menopause. Okay, go ahead. Charlamagne.
DJ Envy
When you look at the Diddy situation, did you ever think the culture of hip hop would catch up with people the way that it did? Cause a lot of this is lifestyle.
Bill Bellamy
Well, well, well, well. I'll be honest with you, man. The Diddy situation is just. It's gonna hurt us. It's gonna hurt us all, no matter what how it comes out. But it's gonna hurt the culture because to me, why I say that is because what he's done for the culture before all of this is phenomenal. Like, it never happened before. You know what I'm saying? So when I think about his career from where he started at uptown intern doing parties, I feel like, you know, I was coming up on MTV when Bad boy got like. I remember Puff literally giving out flyers. Like, literally. Bad Boy, T shirt on his shoulder. He out there with the street team. This is when his label was about to pop off. Cool. To cut to becoming, you know, a mogul and, you know, a guy that's an incredible influencer in the hip hop.
DJ Envy
Hey, what up, y'all?
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Lauren LaRosa
Panoramic moonroof, ambient lighting, bows and massaging leather.
Bill Bellamy
Appointed seats are optional features. Culture. Pop culture, right? To come to this point, I didn't see that coming. You know what I'm saying?
Lauren LaRosa
You didn't. You've been around.
Bill Bellamy
I know, but I didn't know like, all the other stuff that people are saying, like, that's just like, all this stuff is just so like, oh my God. Oh, it's so many oh my guys no turkey drive could fix. You know what I'm saying?
DJ Envy
I would've never thought Diddy would have been in jail.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, I would never say in jail. It's crazy for life. Yeah, like that's what we looking at.
Bill Bellamy
That's crazy. Like, I mean, God dang. You know what I'm saying? Cause we came up, let me tell you. The 90s was really a fly 10 year run for everybody that was coming up through it, you know, Cats is getting record deals of substantial money. I remember when Janet Jackson got her like 40 million dollar virgin deal or something. Crazy. Remember when they was giving out numbers for artists. 90 million, this, that and the other. Whatever, whatever. Puff got a hundred million dollar deal. I remember that. Like that was a big deal in New York. Like people was like, yo, Puff got his own label now. Boom, boom, boom. Clyde Davis, something, something, something, Boom bow, boom. 100 million. Because I'm interviewing all the artists, right? So I'm right there with Craig Mack. I'm there with, with Big. I'm there with Total, I'm there with who else he had? Faith Evans, FAI, 112. Like I'm interviewing all the artists. So I'm seeing this brother, Mace, Mace, the Hustle. Oh my God, what you gonna do? Talking about Alex ctz, all them in the headrest. You remember this? You was probably four, right? Like I came up with Mace and those guys and Cameron and guys. So just think about like, oh man, I just seen like these guys making money now. Dudes that look like me, that came from situations like me. We out here eating to to now. Like damn. So let's say if he, even if he were to get out of it, his images is smashed. So it's like, damn, man, you could do all this good and do one thing and no, people never feel the same. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like they'll never look at you the same. So that's the part that going to hurt the culture.
Lauren LaRosa
To me I think it's the. Wait, hold on before I say that. Why do you think it'll hurt the culture though? Because he's one.
DJ Envy
That's a big part of it.
Bill Bellamy
Culture. Like, like no, there's very few people that did what Puff did for hip hop and like the culture. Like very few people have done what Jay Z has done. How many rappers you know? You know a lot of rappers, but you don't know a lot of rappers that became billionaires. You don't know a lot of rappers. That came out the street that you seen on the block. Go from being on the block to being on the TV show with you, from that to being doing world tours to becoming a mogul like that. That's. That's a crazy ride.
Lauren LaRosa
Like the. You mean so the legacy is hurt.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The legacy of what you've created, you know? You know, I think about your kids, like, I'm thinking that I have children, so I think about his children, like, that's their dad. Like, you know, they're. They. They. They don't want nothing to happen to their dad. You know what I'm saying? So it's like, what. What do you do? Like, how do you take care of your kids if you're in a bad situation like that? Like. Like, what do you do? Are they trying to take all your money? Do you have to stash your money? You all the way? You know what I mean? You got. You got a family. He's got, like a beautiful family. So now and then, the tribe about to start.
DJ Envy
Laura gonna be there every day.
Bill Bellamy
You gonna be. You go, are they gonna televise it?
Lauren LaRosa
It will be. It says that you can't.
Bill Bellamy
Did it say, are they gonna televise?
DJ Envy
It's an open bar.
Lauren LaRosa
Not open bar. Is crazy.
DJ Envy
What you say it was.
Lauren LaRosa
You said it's first come, first serve. There you go.
Bill Bellamy
That's crazy.
Lauren LaRosa
Broadcasting and recording is prohibited.
Bill Bellamy
What is it?
Lauren LaRosa
Broadcasting and recording is prohibited, but it is first come, first serve for me.
Bill Bellamy
So you can sit in there?
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, you can sit in.
Bill Bellamy
You gonna go in? Oh, my God.
Lauren LaRosa
I'm gonna go in. Because to your point, it's. First of all, I just think it's.
Bill Bellamy
How do you get the opportunity? That's beautiful. You just gonna get up. Oh, oh, I'm not. You, right? I didn't think of it like, that was just like, what made me. They invited you because you're doing this and they weren't.
Lauren LaRosa
Oh, no, they didn't invite me. I emailed them.
Bill Bellamy
You say, I'm going.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah, but I forgot what's going. Oh, to your point, though, the reason why I wanna go is because, yes, I wanna have, like, firsthand account for the show. But also, too, this is something that's happening that I think for years to come, people are gonna look back at like, oh, wow, that really happened. So to be firsthand account is this.
Bill Bellamy
Is like the OJ Trial for hip hop. For real. Like, this is like. This is gonna be like the OJ trial was in the 90s for hip hop. Because one of hip hop's biggest pioneers is on trial. Like, yo, people gonna be watching it. Watch what I'm telling you, it's gonna be all over the. Anything they say in court. Boom, boom, boom. The charges people that. You know, how many people that's probably gonna testify that we don't know that's gonna pop up, that we know. You'll be like. You're gonna be like, yo, snap. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
DJ Envy
And some of the testimony gonna be funny. It's gonna be horrible, but it's gonna be funny. And, you know, it is. It is. You know, some of it's gonna be funny.
Bill Bellamy
Ah, it's gonna be a field day for comedians.
Lauren LaRosa
I got a real question for you. How you been around all this time, did all this stuff, but you ain't never been to a Diddy party?
Bill Bellamy
I didn't get invited like that. I missed it, but I'm happy. God is good. Won't he do it? Won't he do it? You ain't gotta go to everything.
Lauren LaRosa
I heard that.
DJ Envy
But you was like.
Bill Bellamy
But I was right there, though.
Lauren LaRosa
You were.
Bill Bellamy
I was at the game.
Lauren LaRosa
You were. And that was like the iconic. Like, when they were partying here in New York.
Bill Bellamy
I remember that. Hamptons and all this. Yeah. Yep, yep, yep, yep. I remember all that.
DJ Envy
Did you ever have to fight to get hip hop on MTV back then?
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, man. Charlamagne, come on. Let's you. You know what we did. Okay, so listen. This is how. How it was. So when I came on mtv, it was mostly rock. There was. There was. They was tiptoeing with hip hop, where we're gonna play a little bit. We'll play a little bit over here with yo, we got Yo, MTV Raps. Those guys, Ed and Dre are doing a great job. Blah, blah, blah. I wasn't even on the channel yet. So now we're getting this. This hybrid show that's going to show you that hip hop is crossing over a little bit. We not only gonna do Nas, but we gonna do Salt and Pepper. We're gonna do LL we gonna do Leaders in the new school. We gonna do Domino, and we gonna do Coolio, and we gonna do this young dude named Snoop. So now you getting all these new artists. You got Ice Cube. Now you got this, you got that. So now the plate got bigger, right? So I just happen to be the guy delivering the plate to the people. Like, yo, we got this. We got this. We got this. Oh, my God. We got this girl from Detroit named Boss. Nobody mentions her.
DJ Envy
Rest in peace. To Boss.
Bill Bellamy
Boss. Boss was a young artist, came up just like the brat. Like, Brat was the first platinum female artist girl to go platinum. Like, people don't talk about that no more. She was the first artist to go platinum female. Not Latifah.
DJ Envy
That's a fact.
Bill Bellamy
Not. Not MC Light. It was the brat, right? Solo rap artist. Solo rap.
Lauren LaRosa
You talk to me like you teaching me.
Bill Bellamy
I'm just. Cause I feel like. I feel like I'm bringing you.
Lauren LaRosa
I knew that, but go ahead. You did know that.
Bill Bellamy
Okay, I'm.
DJ Envy
You knew that.
Lauren LaRosa
I did know that. I did know that, but so.
Bill Bellamy
So my point being is, I just think it was really, really a blessing for me at that time just to be in the right place at the right time, because I love the music, and I love us. You know what I'm saying? I wanted you if you was a new artist. I'm like. I'm trying to get you on. Like, yo, you gotta come on here. Make sure you get. Fix her hair. Make sure she look fly. Okay, Cool, cool, cool. All right. No, no, but what I'm saying, like, you know, straight down, y'all can figure this out later. So real quick. If anything goes wrong, Turkey drive, just do. I already do one every year.
DJ Envy
I've been doing it for 10 years.
Bill Bellamy
And you see how you ain't been in no turkey. Throw them turkeys on the ground. They just forget. It just made people go, he ain't. He ain't do nothing. He gave me a turkey.
Lauren LaRosa
What was the biggest thing that MTV passed up on that you were like. You fought for? And they was like, nah, we good. And then later, like, now, you looking back like, man, that was an iconic moment we could have had.
Bill Bellamy
I can't remember that. I can remember what they almost blew on. There's a couple things that. That happened. Like, this one I remember very, very vividly was H Town. So H Town was on Luke Records, right? So you got.
DJ Envy
Oh, the group.
Bill Bellamy
The group.
DJ Envy
Knocking the Boots. Okay.
Bill Bellamy
Knocking the Boots. So I was in, like, in the South. I was doing a show or something. I heard knocking the boots.
Lauren LaRosa
Boots.
Bill Bellamy
I said, oh, my God, what is that? I go back to mtv. I'm like, listen, this dude's down to goddamn Tuscaloosa. Got a. This song that's Fire in the. Everybody going crazy.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah.
Bill Bellamy
I was like, we got to get this on mtv. Oh, my God. What? Who is it? What is it? Oh, my God. Who? H Town, Luke Records. Oh, my God. We can't Touch Luke Lucas. Because at this time, Luke is like, you know, he is the Hugh Hefner of hip hop. They doing pop that. What is it?
DJ Envy
Pop that.
Bill Bellamy
They. They rugged. They wow. They wow. But they. But he got an R B group. That's not. They just a sexy R B. I go in there, I showed him the tape. I said, yo, this is. That and the other. Blah, blah, blah. They're like, oh, my God. Go to the Billboard. Let's see what it is. Is it doing. Is it. Is it a heat seeker? What is it doing on the charts? I was like, it don't matter what the charts is. I'm telling you, this song right here is crazy. Did we get the video? They still on it. We put it on the air. Oh, my God, Bill. Oh, my God. You know music. I've been telling y'all. You see, that's the thing. When you live in the tower, you're not on the ground. You don't know the people, right? So that's why I never stay in the tower to this day, I never stay in the tower because you don't know the people, the going on.
Lauren LaRosa
Did you ever get a chance to tell the group that? Yeah, they know.
Bill Bellamy
Okay, I got the play.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay.
DJ Envy
That was a real risque song back then, when you think about it, because.
Bill Bellamy
It was knocking the boots and it was boom, boom. You know, it was a lot of grinding and, you know.
DJ Envy
Interesting.
Bill Bellamy
You do remember that when we used to. Okay.
DJ Envy
I wonder what the difference between knocking the boots and sex you up was. That's what I'm saying.
Bill Bellamy
They white.
DJ Envy
They white.
Bill Bellamy
Oh, say they multicultural.
DJ Envy
You're right.
Bill Bellamy
There you go. You know, we nasty. They're pleasant.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm sure them people turkey drive, they'd have no problem with sex you up.
Bill Bellamy
We did color me bad. I want to sex you up. Yeah. So all them groups, like, now you don't even see groups no more. We had Color Me Bad Boyz to men, Shy Jodeci, Jodecy, Girls.
DJ Envy
High five.
Bill Bellamy
Remember high five.
DJ Envy
People forget high five.
Bill Bellamy
High five. Brownstone. We had Jade. Who else? Give me another group. Give me another group.
DJ Envy
Give me 702.
Bill Bellamy
702. Damn.
DJ Envy
Total. It's so many, man.
Bill Bellamy
I love total, though. That was just cool. Can't you see what you do to me?
DJ Envy
I saw somewhere that you said you regret coining the term booty call.
Bill Bellamy
I ain't regret it. Oh. I regret that I didn't trademark it. Oh.
DJ Envy
Got you, got you, got you.
Bill Bellamy
I would have had a Lot of money. If I had trademarked that, right now, it'd be a hologram sitting right here.
DJ Envy
What inspired that term, though? What made you come up with that term?
Bill Bellamy
It was the way I was writing the jokes at the time.
DJ Envy
What was her name?
Bill Bellamy
The girl?
DJ Envy
Yes.
Bill Bellamy
I don't remember. I didn't. The girl didn't have a name in the joke. It was basically, I'm talking about the.
DJ Envy
Girl you actually slept with that inspired you.
Bill Bellamy
Oh, I don't remember. I tell you, she was of age. I know that. I know she was at least 24, 25, something like that.
Lauren LaRosa
How old were you?
Bill Bellamy
24, 25, something like that. I try to keep it even.
DJ Envy
You know what I mean?
Lauren LaRosa
Keep it even.
Bill Bellamy
But, yeah. So booty call came from me just talking about a girl coming to your crib. You know what I mean? I had just got a brand new crib loft joint. You know, I'm getting that money now and stuff. So I was just like, oh, man, it's crazy when you want chicks to come by. And I'm like, damn. They always bring a friend and stuff, like, to blow the. Blow the vibe. Because, like, the thing about it was booty call is basically like, you call this chick up and you, like, hoping she answers. She answers like, yo, what you doing? She's like, oh, my God. I don't know. You're like, yo, why don't you come through for a second? You hoping she. She say yes. She's like, yeah, I could just slide through in about an hour. You like, oh, you are happy. Whatever. And then you get in your house and get together. You, like, trying to set it up. You putting the candles and stuff. You know, you trying to make it fly. And then she come to the door and she got her friend. She like, hey, Belle. You like, what is that? And she like, how long y'all gonna be? Cause she bring the ugly girlfriend, the block case. It ain't going right. She gotta. She gotta out. Y'all know. You know how y'all do team. Team defense. You ready to go, Lauren?
Lauren LaRosa
What?
Bill Bellamy
They do that.
Lauren LaRosa
We do.
Bill Bellamy
Girls do that.
Lauren LaRosa
Or you set up the phone call. You be like, yo, if I text this word, call me, because I can say it's an emergency and I got a dick.
Bill Bellamy
They do same defense on us. Say, for instance, you ain't trying to buy her drink, and she ain't like, you. Her girl will come over like, we gotta go. Your baby. Your baby sitter is leaving, or they'll do some. Some creek. So you. You just told Me?
DJ Envy
You didn't have no kids.
Bill Bellamy
Well, it's a baby I. I just found. So anyway, they make them stuff. But that's team defense for y'all, right?
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah.
Bill Bellamy
See? Told you.
DJ Envy
Damn.
Lauren LaRosa
Would you have known what to do? Like, if you had trademarked it back then and it, like, once it started blowing up in the movies, going all that, would you have known what to do with it? Or you would have just said, I think.
Bill Bellamy
I think I would have just did, like, merchandise and stuff like that. Because people still say booty call.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah.
Bill Bellamy
They try to say sneaky link, but it don't sneaky link. Don't sneaky link sound like it is contagious.
Lauren LaRosa
It's the same thing as a booty call, though.
Bill Bellamy
I know, but it don't. It sound like you get a rash from a sneaky link. Right? Sneaky link. Booty calls sound like booty calls. Sound like, I got some booty. It was fun. Sneaky link sound like. Mm.
Lauren LaRosa
See, now they not even saying sneaky link. It's fine shit now. So it's like, fine shit. Like, you be like, you my little fine shit. Yeah, like, my little fine shit coming.
DJ Envy
Over a little fine shit.
Bill Bellamy
Mm. I'm too old for that. I don't want fine shit. I want that foodie.
DJ Envy
What happened to wifey?
Lauren LaRosa
I mean, those got wifeies no more?
Bill Bellamy
Nah.
Lauren LaRosa
It depends on, like, you know, where y'all are in the stages of things.
Bill Bellamy
But so if. Okay, right now, you meet somebody, you.
DJ Envy
That was another great group. Next.
Bill Bellamy
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
DJ Envy
I wonder if she could feel my dick getting hard right now.
Bill Bellamy
Whoa, wait. They was talking about getting hard in the. You're right.
DJ Envy
I wonder if she can feel my.
Bill Bellamy
Dick get so excited.
DJ Envy
Yes.
Bill Bellamy
Can't deny he was talking about being hard in the club.
DJ Envy
Yes.
Bill Bellamy
I can't hide it, girl. You're dancing real close.
Lauren LaRosa
Y'all just made. Y'all packaged it well. Packaged it real well.
DJ Envy
But then that turned into, once you be my wifey, so you gotta start somewhere.
Bill Bellamy
Gotta start with the.
Lauren LaRosa
That's what I'm saying. It's levels.
Bill Bellamy
Levels to the shit.
Lauren LaRosa
My little fine shit. Then it's like, that's bae. Then it's like, that's wifey. Now we live together. You don't got a booty call. Cause you go home and she there anyway. And she don't wanna give you nothing anyway. Cause she been seeing you every day.
DJ Envy
Don't forget bad baby mama. Deadbeat. That can happen, too.
Lauren LaRosa
Not in my trajectory.
Bill Bellamy
So now like on social media, Baby mama is bm, right?
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah.
Bill Bellamy
I had to figure that out. I was like, bm, that was a car. Yeah. I bought two of those. Bought two of those. And Y N is young.
DJ Envy
Yes.
Lauren LaRosa
You want to stay away from those, definitely.
Bill Bellamy
So that's. That's that. That the Y ends mess up the club.
Lauren LaRosa
The mask.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah.
DJ Envy
We used to call them killers.
Bill Bellamy
So they just. They, they. The killers that be in the corner that as soon as we see them, we leave.
DJ Envy
That's right.
Bill Bellamy
Okay.
DJ Envy
That's right, that's right. That's right.
Bill Bellamy
Did you bring me up to speed? L. Thank you.
Lauren LaRosa
I got you.
Bill Bellamy
Thank you.
DJ Envy
You know you said you want to do another how to be a player. Are you really working on the updated version of that? What would that even look like in 2025?
Lauren LaRosa
Oh, my God.
Bill Bellamy
The woke Auntie Shannon Sharp will not be in it. All you. All nobody. Nobody that's messing up got anything to do with how to be a player too? Nope, nope, nope.
DJ Envy
Is it even worth being a player? Because Kendrick Lamar said and. And I agree with him on the new album gnx. He says you better off being with one woman. Everything tricky right now.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, it's tricky right now. I think for the comedy of. Would be really good for the culture. I feel like it would be good because it's nostalgic. Everybody's the right age now. Some cats was like in a teenage years. Some cats, it was in their 20s. Whatever. I think if we do it coming, like if it comes out next summer, I think it would be perfect because we can talk about certain things. You know, house, like technology is blowing cats up. You know what I'm saying? Leaving your phone open, girl. Using your face while you sleep. I feel like we should have alarms on our phones.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
You know, like saying. Saying you. You sleep and your girl try to go.
Lauren LaRosa
Or you could just not have nothing in the phone.
DJ Envy
That's true too.
Bill Bellamy
We always got something in our phone. You know, you got stuff. Everybody got something. They phone that something. You just be like, nah, I didn't think nobody was going to see that. Your phone clean.
Lauren LaRosa
I mean, I don't.
Bill Bellamy
Thank you.
Lauren LaRosa
See, I'm on my phone, though. I could. I do what I want to do.
Bill Bellamy
Right now, what I'm saying. But if your phone was just left open and people went to swiping, would you be. Would you be good? Nope. See, look at the pause.
DJ Envy
I would my phone clean.
Bill Bellamy
She said, which phone?
Lauren LaRosa
Also too that. Okay, now I'm not going to tell.
Bill Bellamy
On yourself what if you did an.
DJ Envy
Updated version of the brothers, that's supposed.
Lauren LaRosa
To be happening, right?
DJ Envy
And you had Dr. Umar in it, mad at you and your character. Cause how much you like white women.
Bill Bellamy
Dr. Umar would be bananas.
DJ Envy
Yes.
Bill Bellamy
He would just show up on my dates.
DJ Envy
Yes. He's a cousin.
Bill Bellamy
Come on, brother.
DJ Envy
Every time you out, he just pops.
Bill Bellamy
Up for no reason. Don't let the bunnies get you, brother. Boy, if Dr. Umar have a mixed baby, I'm gonna pass out.
DJ Envy
It'll never happen.
Bill Bellamy
No, I know. I'm just joking.
DJ Envy
Some things in life will never happen.
Bill Bellamy
I'll bet on it. Dr. Umar, he's staying on business with his stuff. But he hit it so hard, he better not even drink white milk. You hear me? He better have brown rice in his house. I don't want to hear it. He is over the top. I love watching him just go off. He just come through my phone every now and then. I could be swiping on my phone, he'd be like, listen, brother, I'm gonna tell you what you need. You need a sister. Keep this culture, keep the vibe. I'm like, oh, Lord, could we forgive.
DJ Envy
Dr. Umar if he got with a white woman? Like, if we found out.
Bill Bellamy
Oh, no, we would. We would go crazy. Black people would go crazy.
DJ Envy
I knew it.
Bill Bellamy
You know, we want you to fall, you know, black people.
DJ Envy
So what could he do to get everything back and get back in our good graces?
Bill Bellamy
Turkey drive for black people. A turkey drive. Solve all your problems. Just go Costco right now if you know you're going to do some dumb shit. Get you a bunch of turkeys. As soon as that shit drop, you just start giving them out and people forgive you.
DJ Envy
Bill Bellamy, his top billing tour is going on right now. He's going to be at the Improv Comedy Club May 3rd and the 4th.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah, I'll be in Brea, California. Yes.
DJ Envy
Brea, California. Fort Wayne, Indiana, May 9th and 11th at the summit City Comedy Club. He'll be at the Chicago Improv In Schaumburg, Illinois, May 16th through the 18th. The Miami Improv in Miami, Florida, May 30th through the June 1st. And the Funny Bone Comedy Club in Cleveland, June 6th to the 8th.
Bill Bellamy
Let's go, man. Let's go, man. That's how we do it, man. Thank y'all so much, man.
DJ Envy
Always a pleasure.
Lauren LaRosa
Oh, thank you. I had another question. No, I didn't know.
Bill Bellamy
I never.
Lauren LaRosa
We didn't get to meet a lot. I only met Donnell because he had a lot going on. He had like did something in the airport or something. I had to call him.
DJ Envy
Okay.
Lauren LaRosa
I ain't never had to call your teams. It's a good thing.
Bill Bellamy
Thank God.
Lauren LaRosa
But I had a question for you. Wait, are you still. You're still married, right?
Bill Bellamy
Yes.
Lauren LaRosa
Is your wife white?
Bill Bellamy
No.
Lauren LaRosa
Oh, okay. Cause I was looking, I thought that your wife was white.
Bill Bellamy
No, she mixed. She got like Indian in her family.
Lauren LaRosa
Okay, all right. Because Dr. Umar, I'm like, you laughing?
Bill Bellamy
No, no, doctor, no, no. My wife is so goddamn black.
Lauren LaRosa
That's the only reason why I was like, wait, Dr. Umar jokes. Don't let him get you in the car.
Bill Bellamy
I know he can't get me, but, you know, Wendy used to get me though. She always. But people don't realize that black people come in every shade.
Lauren LaRosa
Like, I saw that clip of Wendy last night when I was getting ready.
Bill Bellamy
I didn't see that one because it was so funny. Because my wife looks so like. You don't know if she wear hair this way is one thing where like you don't know what the hell's going on, right? And so one day it was Wendy. Wendy was like, so Belle. You know, this is the good days of Wendy or whatever. Belso. What is your. Why you know, you're trying to. I was like, she black hair, black hair, white. 1. 2 is one side is the good times. The other side's pretty much, how was. I know.
DJ Envy
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bill Bellamy
How the fuck I know?
DJ Envy
That's another one. Did you ever think Wendy would be in the situation that she's currently in?
Bill Bellamy
Man, I just hope she could get her life back. And they. I don't know who signed her off on this goofy thing conservatorship. It's scary. Like, it made me realize no matter how we. We successful, we get, we should make sure that nobody could just take over us. You know what I mean? You make sure your paperwork is in order. Make sure your paperwork. You'll never know you get sick and then have some weird person telling you your family can't do nothing. You can't do nothing. Nah, take care of your business and pray for Wendy.
Lauren LaRosa
When people tell all these stories about like these iconic interviews and hip hop stuff, why don't they mention you more and stuff?
Bill Bellamy
Because people. I don't know why. Like, I think what happens is people forget. You know what I mean? Cause they always jump into the next. You gotta do your history. That's why I can come to the Breakfast Club and have a good time. Because you guys know, like, there's certain things you Know, and then I grew up here. So it's certain things that people be like, yo, I remember, like, I'm from Jersey, right? I'm from Jersey. So the crazy thing, like, I remember the first time I met Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson was at Webster hall at a party, right? This is when Mike was Mike. Mike would knock somebody out and be in a club. Like, Mike would knock somebody out and literally be in the club with us, right? The first time I met Mike Tyson, right. And I didn't know Mike Tyson knew who I was yet. And we in the men's bathroom. I'll never forget this. And Mike comes in. I'm like, I could see him in the mirror, you know, you had the urinal, you can see. I said, oh, that's Mike. Oh. He was like, man, you're very funny, William.
DJ Envy
He called me William.
Bill Bellamy
I don't know why he called me William. You're very funny, man. I love you on Def Comedy Jam. You're really funny, man. I appreciate you, man. I was like, yo, that's Mike Tyson, man. And I was like, damn. He right there, like. But I told Mike, I said, mike, you know, you the first hip hop champ.
DJ Envy
Absolutely.
Bill Bellamy
Like, he was of the culture. Like, we literally could watch Mike at Madison Square Garden and see him at nails. Like, he would just one of the.
DJ Envy
First hip hop mainstream stars, too, Right. Whether Whether he knew that or not. Yeah.
Bill Bellamy
Mike left a Bentley Rolls Royce in the middle of the street somewhere, Right. Do you remember that? It was a Rolls Royce. I get. Did he get the Ed Lover?
DJ Envy
If, you know, if you read Bobby Brown's book, him and Bobby says him and Mike used to do that all the time. They'd be in different cities and see somebody give him a bag of cash and just buy their car and leave it. These guys were making so much money back then that it was unbelievable.
Bill Bellamy
They didn't know what to do. No. Do you. She don't even know this.
Lauren LaRosa
No, I looked it up.
DJ Envy
No.
Bill Bellamy
What kind of car was it?
Lauren LaRosa
There's a story about Mike Tyson leaving a Rolls Royce on the street in 1988.
Bill Bellamy
1988.
Lauren LaRosa
Yeah. They were gonna take the car from him, so he let him keep it. But after photographer saw them and the captain saw the picture, they ordered him to return. They give the car back to him? No. Officers were suspended. Ten days without pay. Yep. And then he offered at lever the Rolls Royce.
DJ Envy
Wow. I think MTV also hasn't done a good job of. A good job of, like, preserving the content that I don't think BET be Honest with you Bet.
Bill Bellamy
Either.
DJ Envy
Like that. There's. There's gold, platinum, classic material.
Bill Bellamy
They should be. They should be airing it like a TV show because, yes, it's literally music history.
Lauren LaRosa
That's how I'm getting ready for this. Yesterday, watching some of the. You have old clips on YouTube.
Bill Bellamy
I got so much stuff. Like, I remember interviewing Aaliyah. I mean, I just. Just had popped back in my head, and she was showing me the one, two checker. Everybody know what's up. That was her first album she did.
DJ Envy
We would sit there and watch that all day with you narrating yours, Fab 5, Freddy. Narrating.
Bill Bellamy
Yeah.
DJ Envy
At love. And narrating you on TV. Like, we watched that the moment you.
Lauren LaRosa
Stand out over Janet Jackson. The Janet Jackson interview. You were like. You was. You had a crush on her.
Bill Bellamy
Oh, my God.
Lauren LaRosa
That interview for you was big.
Bill Bellamy
I just didn't. I didn't know what to do by myself, you know? If I knew Jermaine could pull it, I would have pulled it. You know what I mean? He just had more courage.
Lauren LaRosa
He caught a straight.
Bill Bellamy
He caught a straight pew. No, no, I love J.D. but J.D. pulled up. I did. I mean, you know what I'm saying? I was on tour with and everything, and I was just like, dang. You know, I. It was so interesting because we had such a really cool friendship that I didn't know. Like, I didn't want to mess it up, like, crossing the line, you know what I'm saying? So I never did. But the thing about it was, she used to flirt with me on camera, like, in front of everybody. And I was like, what? But I would be, like, stuck. Cause I ain't know what to do with it. Right? You know what I'm saying? I'd be like, ah, she ain't really mean that.
DJ Envy
You know what they say, if you can make a laugh, you can crack her ass, bro.
Bill Bellamy
I'm. I promise you. But you gotta understand, she was so big at the time. So I'm thinking, like, you know, this is Janet Jackson. You know what I'm saying? Oh, man, I don't know. But then she'd be like, belle, come by the house.
Lauren LaRosa
I'll be like, you never went by the house?
Bill Bellamy
Oh, yeah, I went by the house.
Lauren LaRosa
And then what?
Bill Bellamy
But it was a bunch of us, okay? It was never, like. I was never, like, alone with her like that. Like, I would party with them and stuff because we was on tour together and stuff. You know what I mean? But I should have pulled up, though. I ain't No, I should have came over there with a turkey. Be like, yo, got you a turkey, Janet.
DJ Envy
It's Bill Bellamy, man. Where can they follow you, Bill?
Bill Bellamy
Oh, follow me. Ill Bellamy on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, I'm on Facebook, wherever it is, subscribe to your podcast. Subscribe to Top Billing. We love y'all, man. Peace.
DJ Envy
It's the Breakfast Club. Bill Bellamy. Wake that ass up early in the morning.
Bill Bellamy
The Breakfast Club.
Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club – Interview with Bill Bellamy
Podcast Information:
In this vibrant episode of The Breakfast Club, hosts DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, and Charlamagne Tha God engage in a lively conversation with the iconic comedian and actor, Bill Bellamy. The discussion spans a wide array of topics, including Bill's flourishing comedy tour, the controversial situations involving Shannon Sharpe and Diddy, the enduring legacy of hip-hop, and reflections on the evolution of the music industry.
The conversation kicks off with a playful banter about aging, as DJ Envy compliments Bill on his youthful appearance. Bill humorously attributes his ageless look to healthy habits:
Bill Bellamy (00:50): “Thank you, man. You know, I'm only 73, and ain't nothing but coconut water, Lauren. You know, you get coconut water, get a cup of strawberries, blueberries, and a little bit of shea butter. You look just like this, but you."
Bill emphasizes the importance of staying active and maintaining a balanced diet, contrasting his approach with the more carefree attitudes of previous generations:
Bill Bellamy (01:20): “You know, now, you know, we moving, grooving, we work out, you taking care of yourself, you know what I'm saying? We know what we eating."
A significant portion of the interview delves into the transformation of the hip-hop industry from the physical album era to the digital streaming age. Bill nostalgically recalls the '90s when achieving "diamond" status was a monumental milestone for artists:
Bill Bellamy (03:05): “I remember when Usher went diamond. I remember when the Fugees went diamond. Like, diamond was like, way out there. Like, you told somebody you went diamond, they like, what? And that was real albums I'm talking about."
He contrasts this with today's landscape, where streaming dominates and the promotion of artists has shifted drastically:
Bill Bellamy (09:30): “You know, they don't promote the artists like they used to. Coco Jones right now on Fire label. Won't even send her music to the radio.”
Bill laments the decline in the quality of promotion and the lack of tangible rewards for artists in the streaming era, such as album artwork and physical thank you notes.
Bill shares captivating stories from his career, highlighting his experiences interviewing legends like Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. He reflects on the meticulous planning and exclusivity surrounding these interviews:
Bill Bellamy (07:15): “Like, if you would have told me 20 years ago, Michael Jackson would not be alive. Like, that doesn't make sense. Like, I always thought, like, them dudes would live forever."
He draws parallels between the grandeur of these interviews and the challenges of maintaining authenticity and connection with the artists.
The discussion shifts to the current state of hip-hop, with Bill expressing concerns about how recent controversies involving figures like Shannon Sharpe and Diddy could impact the culture's legacy:
Bill Bellamy (24:00): “The Diddy situation is just. It's gonna hurt us. It's gonna hurt us all, no matter how how it comes out. But it's gonna hurt the culture because to me, why I say that is because what he's done for the culture before all of this is phenomenal."
He underscores Diddy's pivotal role in shaping hip-hop and warns that current scandals might tarnish his contributions and, by extension, the cultural fabric of hip-hop.
Bill offers his perspective on Shannon Sharpe's predicament, intertwining humor with cultural critique:
Bill Bellamy (15:51): “Shannon Sharp should have known when that first tape leaked that we gotta slow down."
He discusses the repercussions of Sharpe's actions on his personal life and public image, highlighting the delicate balance between personal behavior and professional legacy.
Bill elaborates on his ongoing comedy tour, "Top Billing," and his aspirations to blend music and comedy seamlessly:
Bill Bellamy (12:48): “I want to be like that, the beacon of light to bring music, comedy, and a moment of hip hop that is just incredible to the people."
He explains how his tour aims to evoke nostalgia while addressing contemporary issues, creating an immersive experience that resonates with diverse audiences.
Throughout the episode, Bill reminisces about the golden era of hip-hop, celebrating the artists and moments that defined the genre:
Bill Bellamy (33:03): “Not Latifah. It was the brat, right? Solo rap artist. Solo rap."
He emphasizes the importance of recognizing pioneers who laid the groundwork for today's artists, advocating for their rightful place in hip-hop history.
As the episode draws to a close, the hosts promote Bill's upcoming tour dates, and Bill expresses his enthusiasm and gratitude:
DJ Envy (45:12): “Bill Bellamy, his top billing tour is going on right now. He's going to be at the Improv Comedy Club May 3rd and the 4th.”
Bill Bellamy (45:35): “Let's go, man. That's how we do it, man. Thank y'all so much, man."
He encourages listeners to follow him on social media and subscribe to his podcast, emphasizing his commitment to engaging with his audience.
Bill Bellamy (00:50): “Thank you, man. You know, I'm only 73, and ain't nothing but coconut water, Lauren."
Bill Bellamy (03:05): “I remember when Usher went diamond. I remember when the Fugees went diamond. Like, diamond was like, way out there. Like, you told somebody you went diamond, they like, what? And that was real albums I'm talking about."
Bill Bellamy (07:15): “Like, if you would have told me 20 years ago, Michael Jackson would not be alive. Like, that doesn't make sense. Like, I always thought, like, them dudes would live forever."
Bill Bellamy (09:30): “You know, they don't promote the artists like they used to. Coco Jones right now on Fire label. Won't even send her music to the radio.”
Bill Bellamy (15:51): “Shannon Sharp should have known when that first tape leaked that we gotta slow down."
Bill Bellamy (24:00): “The Diddy situation is just. It's gonna hurt us. It's gonna hurt us all, no matter how it comes out. But it's gonna hurt the culture because to me, why I say that is because what he's done for the culture before all of this is phenomenal."
Bill Bellamy (33:03): “Not Latifah. It was the brat, right? Solo rap artist. Solo rap."
Bill Bellamy (45:35): “Let's go, man. That's how we do it, man. Thank y'all so much, man."
This episode of The Breakfast Club offers an insightful and entertaining dive into Bill Bellamy's perspectives on aging, the evolution of hip-hop, and the complexities of maintaining a legacy in the ever-changing cultural landscape. Through humorous anecdotes and thoughtful reflections, Bill underscores the importance of preserving hip-hop's rich history while navigating contemporary challenges.
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Note: All promotional content, such as advertisements and non-content segments, have been excluded to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights shared during the interview.