INTERVIEW: Steve Madden Talks Affordable Style, Entrepreneurship, Growth After Prison, Supporting HBCUs + More

Summary

The Breakfast Club Podcast Summary

Episode: INTERVIEW – Steve Madden Talks Affordable Style, Entrepreneurship, Growth After Prison, Supporting HBCUs + More
Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee, Lauren Larose
Guest: Steve Madden

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Episode Overview

This engaging episode of The Breakfast Club features legendary fashion entrepreneur Steve Madden in conversation with the crew. The discussion spans Madden’s rise from stock boy to shoe mogul, his business philosophy of affordable style, his time in prison and the lessons learned, working with HBCUs, opinions on fashion and copying, and how he balances legacy with staying current and humble. The tone is candid, humorous, and deeply reflective, offering rare insights into both the challenges and triumphs of building an iconic brand.

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Key Topics and Timeline

1. Steve Madden’s Origins & Entry into Shoes

Timestamps: 02:31–06:36

• First Job: Started as a stock boy in a shoe store during high school ([03:47]).
• No Family Background: No family in the shoe business; worked his way up through multiple jobs ([03:47–04:12]).
• Early Design Hustle: Initially a salesman, he sneaked into factories to start creating his own shoe designs ([04:31]).
• "Making Hits": Compared making hit shoes to the music business ("I'm trying to make shoes that all the girls want" [04:58]).

Notable Quote:

"I started with whatever money I had… put cases in the car, drive over there, collect the money, chase people for money. I did all of that." – Steve Madden [05:28]

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2. The Philosophy: Affordable, Trend-Driven, and Accessible

Timestamps: 05:52–06:36; 13:24–14:14

• Intentional Affordability: Always aimed to make stylish shoes for everyone, not luxury exclusivity ([06:05], [13:41]).
• Breakthrough Shoe: The Mary Lou, famously featured in “The Wolf of Wall Street” ([06:39]).
• Retail Strategy: Emphasizes fast turnover and wide accessibility rather than exclusivity ([06:05–06:36]).
• Longevity: Maintains quality and affordability as core values ([13:35]).

Quote:

"We try to give the girlies some value… the philosophy is that everything will kind of be sorted out after that." – Steve Madden [13:41]

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3. Confidence, Insecurity & Motivation

Timestamps: 07:19–09:53

• Confidence vs. Insecurity: Admits to feeling both confident and insecure, often within hours ([07:23–08:12]).
• Faking It: Describes "acting as if" and “fake it till you make it” as key strategies ([08:34]).
• What Drives Him: Growth, the desire to make hot products, and self-reflection ([12:00]).

Notable Quote:

"Some days you're confident and some days you feel like the worst… It's hour to hour sometimes." – Steve Madden [07:36]

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4. Entrepreneurship & Building the Steve Madden Brand

Timestamps: 11:22–16:36

• Rapid Growth: Expanded from trunk sales to major store and department-store presence ([11:22–12:00]).
• Keep Growing: “Keep growing, keep growing, do more, make it better” ([12:00]).
• Business Longevity: Strong team, people who “share the dream,” not doing everything solo ([16:21]).
• Founder’s Trap: Warns against founders getting in their own way ([16:36]).

Quote:

"You gotta get help… People that share the dream." – Steve Madden [16:21]

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5. Style, Identity & Cultural Influences

Timestamps: 18:49–22:03

• Style vs. Identity: Explains the difference between buying style (trend) and identity (status/luxury) in fashion ([19:00]).
• Staying Current: Collaborates with culturally relevant artists (Cardi B, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry), stays aware through his daughters and team ([20:21–22:02]).
• Authenticity: Candid about his appreciation for youth culture and influences.

Quote:

"We're always looking to be with somebody that people would see and want to wear the shoes if they wore them." – Steve Madden [20:21]

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6. Comeback, Growth After Prison, and Redemption

Timestamps: 24:09–30:02

• Prison Experience: Lost hope at first, but loyal team kept the company afloat ([26:53]).
• Second Chances: Reflects on America’s “love for comeback stories,” but is critical about when those comebacks are truly embraced ([24:25]).
• Personal Development: Came out of prison with “more depth… perspective,” more purpose, and learned gratitude ([27:43–28:20]).

Quotes:

"It did [give me purpose]… I met a lot of good guys when I was away that influenced me and gave me perspective." – Steve Madden [27:43]
"You have nothing in prison… but then 6 months later, you're out, eating a steak and you complain about it. That's human." – Steve Madden [28:19]

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7. Approaching Imitation & Collaboration in Fashion

Timestamps: 36:34–39:28

• The “Dupe” Debate: Openly admits to remixing (duping) designer styles, but insists on adding their own twist ([36:53–37:15]).
• Legal Challenges: Frequently faces lawsuits from major fashion houses ([36:49]).
• Openness to Partnerships: Expresses interest in partnering with emerging designers rather than being viewed as a “pirate” ([38:04]).

Quote:

"I've already been in prison—what are you gonna do, take my library card away?" – Steve Madden [37:10]

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8. Lessons, Leadership, and Team Building

Timestamps: 39:42–41:32

• Qualities Valued: Enthusiasm and passion over raw talent ([39:48]).
• Evolving Role: Highly involved with product decisions, but recognizes the shift due to age ([40:12]).
• Encouraging Next Generation: Prefers that his kids pursue what they love, not just the family business ([41:06]).

Quote:

"It's great to have talent, but it's great to have enthusiasm… and be open and learn." – Steve Madden [39:48]

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9. Giving Back: HBCUs, Social Responsibility, and Influences

Timestamps: 41:32–45:16

• Supporting HBCUs: Involved with Howard and Clark; provides internships, fashion programs, athlete campaigns ([41:47], [42:00]).
• Personal Influences: Discusses how proximity to Inwood, NY, and experiences in prison influenced his appreciation for Black culture and music ([43:01–44:54]).
• Humility About Impact: “I wish we could do more, to be honest with you” regarding HBCU support ([42:33]).

Quote:

"I've been very influenced by black people in my life… We grew up together. It influenced my life." – Steve Madden [43:01]

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10. Social Media, Trends, and Creative Process

Timestamps: 50:44–53:36

• Social Media Impact: Social media has revolutionized style; rapid trend cycles, wider influence ([51:00–51:41]).
• Staying Young: Surrounds himself with young talent and listens to their recommendations to remain current ([53:01]).
• Nostalgia & New Ideas: Excited about brand legacy, considering vintage re-introductions ([56:29]).
• Honesty in Team: Ensures he gets honest feedback, dislikes being surrounded by "yes men" ([57:12–57:45]).

Quotes:

"Now the cool girl thing is all over the country… I think it's great." – Steve Madden [51:41]
"If there's a musical thing I like, they're likely not to be successful… because I like them!" – Steve Madden [53:36]

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11. Pain, Resilience & Life Lessons

Timestamps: 58:28–59:30

• Learning from Hardship: Sees pain as a messenger—either weigh yourself down or “bounce back” ([58:36]).
• Hip Hop Parallels: Cites Big Sean’s track “Bounce Back” as a personal inspiration ([59:06]).

Quote:

"Pain can be a message or a messenger… We take Ls and we bounce back." – Steve Madden [59:28]

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• On Prison and Race:
  "Certainly it’s easier if you're white, to be honest… It is harder. That’s just the facts." – Steve Madden [46:25–47:27]

• On Dupes/Imitation:
  "I would say that we do a lot of original designs and we definitely do some dupes. But you know, I make shoes for 90 bucks, 120 bucks… I’m just trying to pay the rent." – Steve Madden [37:06–37:35]

• On Humility After Success:
  "There are people that get intimidated by your success… Most people in my crew, you're telling me the truth… that's not who I am." – Steve Madden [57:16]

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Host Chemistry & Overall Tone

Throughout the episode, Steve Madden is open, self-effacing, and often funny. He’s quick to acknowledge his flaws and the support system behind his empire, often laughing with the hosts about his missteps and insecurities. The conversation is lively, occasionally irreverent, but always focused on real substance about business, style, growth, and redemption.

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Final Takeaways

• Stay humble, stay hungry: Even after success, humility and openness are vital.
• Value collaboration: The importance of a strong team and shared vision recurs throughout Madden’s story.
• Growth through adversity: Steve Madden’s prison experience was formative, deepening his empathy and perspective.
• Fashion democracy: His unwavering focus on affordable quality and trend accessibility set his brand apart.
• Giving back: He is deeply committed to supporting HBCUs and the communities that shaped him.
• Embrace change: Steve values social media’s power and youth culture to keep the brand alive and relevant.
• Resilience is essential: Every loss or setback can be a setup for a comeback.

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This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, fashion, or the human stories behind business success. Steve Madden’s journey is as much about redemption and adaptability as it is about shoes.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. Y' all finished or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lauren Larose is here as well. We Got a special guest in the building.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

My guy from Far Rockaway, Queens. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Ladies and gentlemen, Steve Madden.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Welcome.

[Steve Madden]

Yes, yes. Good to be here. I'm so happy to be here. I'm such a big fan of the show and fan of you guys and girls, whatever. And so you got to take it easy on me because it's very early in the morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, you can't say whatever too because you don't know what people identify as. You can't say, boy, no, stop it.

[Steve Madden]

10 mistakes and I've been here for four seconds. No, they're not today. You know, girls and boys, I do that a lot. I say, well, this girl really has a lot of talent. I'm talking about someone in my company. And then I'll correct myself. This woman has, you know, I don't mean this person.

[Angela Yee]

Okay.

[Steve Madden]

You know, I should say I do want to be better.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What about the people who transitioned in your company?

[DJ Envy]

Oh, my goodness.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How do you do that?

[Steve Madden]

You know, we have a few. I think it's great. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's fine. You'll be who you are.

[DJ Envy]

Seems like you can be out here now.

[Steve Madden]

I'm good with it.

[DJ Envy]

Now, Steve. This is the first time Steve Madden has been on the show. So when we have somebody that's been on the show and as successful as you, we always like to start from the beginning.

[Steve Madden]

Yes, sir.

[DJ Envy]

Right. So of course you're from Queens, New York. What got you into shoes and women's shoes and apparel? What got you into that?

[Steve Madden]

I want to tell you. So we're on the border. I was born in Far Aqua. We moved to the Five Towns, which is right across the border.

[DJ Envy]

Right. Right through Snake Road.

[Steve Madden]

And, you know, I'm from a town called Lawrence. And I went. So what got me is I went to work in a shoe store in high school. I didn't have anybody in my family in the shoe business. And I just went. I was a stock boy. I mean, it's, you know, sweeping the basement. And so that's how I learned, you know, and I did a lot of different jobs in the shoe business and sort of worked my way up.

[DJ Envy]

What made you want to start designing shoes and saying, you know what? I can do this better than the shoe designers that are out at the time. So that takes a lot of balls.

[Steve Madden]

Okay, so tell you what happened. So. So I worked for a company in the 80s and I was a salesman. You know, take the bag and go out to stores.

[Angela Yee]

Boom.

[Steve Madden]

And, you know, you have a sample bag and you show them samples and Then, you know, so the. At that time, the, the designers for this company was like 1986, they were fighting with the. There was like, fight. So I snuck into the factory and I made a few shoes. And it wasn't, you know, it was like, put that on that bottom. Let's try that moccasin in that color. And I started slowly, you know, learning how to do that and trying to, very similar to the music business, try to make hits. You know, I always compare myself to that because that's what my business is like, is hits, you know, as opposed to a big canvas of artwork. And I'm trying to sell shoes, you know, I'm trying to make shoes that all the girls want.

[Angela Yee]

What made you so you.

[DJ Envy]

Sorry, go ahead.

[Angela Yee]

So you were. You started selling shoes out the trunk of your car. Like. Like.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

Like a artist would sell the CDs out the trunk of his car.

[DJ Envy]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

And you started your company.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

With $1,100.

[Steve Madden]

This is true. Not made up. Yeah, I thought I made it up. Told the story so many times. But yeah, I started with whatever money I had, you know, and made a couple of deals along the way and, you know, would put cases in the car, drive over there, collect the money, chase people for money. I did all of that.

[DJ Envy]

What made you not go high end? Right. Because you could have went the Gucci route, the Louis Vuitton route, shoes that are way too expensive. But you're known for making shoes that are affordable, people can afford and that are great quality. So what made you stay that.

[Steve Madden]

No, I was always into, you know, making shoes that everybody could buy. And. And so that's just what I liked, you know, and you have to be very patient to be in the high end business. It requires a lot of very, very, very hard to do. I admire those guys, you know, and. But that's what I do. I like to make it quick, sell it. I'm a little bit of a pirate, you know what I mean? And, you know, that's what my talent was.

[Angela Yee]

And the breakthrough shoe was the Mary Lou.

[Steve Madden]

The Mary Lou, which is in that movie, the Wolf of Wall street, if you ever get to see that movie.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah, we did.

[Steve Madden]

And classic. It is. It is. It's a good movie. I was very afraid when it came out. I was like, I didn't know how I would be portrayed, you know.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And. But it was pretty accurate. And I went. There's a scene where I go there.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah. And.

[Steve Madden]

And tell these, you know, rapacious brokers about the Mary Lou, as if they Gave a about it. You know, they just want to make money and they started throwing shoes at me and doing all this shit and calling me names and. But that's how I started. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How much of your success came from just pure confidence?

[Steve Madden]

Zero.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Commercial Announcer]

Wow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How much came from Eagle?

[Steve Madden]

No, I mean, you know, you go. I mean, you guys know you're successful guys. You know, some days you're confident and some days you. You feel like the worst.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And that's how I am. You know, it could be an hour to hour thing. I'm on top of the world, my chest is out, let's go. And then I'm like, oh, I'm the worst. You know, you know, I. I can't do it, you know, that kind of thing. So I have those things and it has not gone away, sadly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Was there ever a point where confidence became arrogant?

[Steve Madden]

I'm too insecure. I suppose people would argue and say, I am arrogant sometimes. And I'm really not. I'm very sort of, you know, I wish I was. Yeah. Actually, I kind of wish I was that guy.

[Angela Yee]

What makes you insecure?

[Steve Madden]

No, you know, you just think that someone's got better shoes or bigger muscles, better. More money or whatever it is. You know, it's just those moments.

[Angela Yee]

Competition.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But. So before meeting you right now, every time I've ever seen you, like photos of you with like, celebrities who do jobs with you or whatever, you always struck me as a very like, I'm here and I know I'm here type of guy.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, well, fake it till you make it. You know what I mean? We call it acting as if. Right. So if you do that enough, then you begin to believe it, sort of. I found that to be true, but it's certainly not the case.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What was it like? You arrived. I mean, you had. It had to be a point where you knew you arrived.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, yeah. You know, I had my first store in soho that was great. And you know, business getting bigger, more money in the bank, you know, kind of stuff. And. But it's. It's very. It could be ephemeral, you know, I mean, it's very. It feels good. You get like a little jolt for 20 minutes and then you're back to, what am I going to do next?

[Angela Yee]

Okay.

[Steve Madden]

You know, and I don't have enough of this and, you know, all of that.

[Angela Yee]

What helps you in those moments, though? Because it seems like you have a lot more of them than one would think.

[Steve Madden]

I think everybody's got them, but they're just not honest about it maybe, you know, I mean, does Drake have those moments? I don't know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Absolutely.

[Angela Yee]

I mean, he writes albums about it.

[Steve Madden]

I mean, I don't know. I mean, does, you know, Denzel have those moments?

[Angela Yee]

We would never know.

[Steve Madden]

We will never know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, good. But, you know, I have them. And I mean, I'm sure the King of England has those. Yeah, right. I mean, I don't know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But is that what led you to drugs? Maybe?

[Steve Madden]

You know, probably. I mean, I was. I definitely like getting high, you know, when I was younger, and it was definitely a real. A release. Is that the right word? You know, I was just.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Escape.

[Steve Madden]

Escape, you know, was in my 20s and. And, you know, it's a terrible moment. I worked. I worked for another shoe company. I got high all the time. And, you know, it was terrible. But it was a relief.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, a lot of that was just lifestyle back then.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Cocaine was like weed. So I heard.

[Steve Madden]

That's the craziest drug ever. Cocaine, like, it's one of those drugs that you do. It makes you feel it, but you keep doing it. It's so bad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I smoked some of some weed one time.

[Steve Madden]

It didn't make me feel, you know, it depends. Everybody's got a drug they like. You know what I'm saying? You know, I never did molly, you know. You know, a lot of people that talk about Molly, I always said I

[Charlamagne Tha God]

would do it again on accident if you pass me.

[Steve Madden]

No, I, I, you know, a lot. Weed is very big now. Yeah. And weed for me was not my drug of choice. You know, I would smoke a joint and like, I would think, like, I had. My pimples were getting bigger. I would look in the mirror.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Anxiety. Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

Give me bad sex. Whereas there were other drugs. Like, okay, I'm all right. Take a deep breath, you know, focus. Like whiskey, you know? You know what I mean? Like, that kind of thing.

[DJ Envy]

I want to know what the vision was when you created Steve Madden in the store. Right. Because it's not just one store. I mean, you're in damn near every mall in America, there's a Steve Madden. Right. The other day, my wife, my daughter needed shoes for a pageant. The first thing she said was, go to Steve Madden. Right? And I'm like, I don't know where Steve Madden is. Is there one in this mall? My wife says there's one in every mall. And she was right.

[Steve Madden]

There's one in Bergen county in Garden State Plaza. Right.

[DJ Envy]

By the way, Garden State Plaza, one at American Dream Mall.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

So my question to you, but not only that, you're in the department stores as well, right?

[Steve Madden]

All the department stores.

[DJ Envy]

You go to Macy's, you go to Nordstrom, you can find Steve Madden.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

So, so what was your mind frame to expand Steve Madden in that way? Cause a lot of people would have just kept it small, boutique. But you wanted expansion.

[Steve Madden]

You know, I'm from that school of, you know, keep growing, keep growing, do more, make it better. That's just what I am about, you know, and that's what I was always about. I have my little trips that I go on, you know, but that's what I still want to do. I still want to grow. You know, we're everywhere. We're all over the world. I mean, we're everywhere. And you're never nervous about too much

[DJ Envy]

because there's a bunch of shoe brands that's been out after you and before you that killed itself. Yes, but not Steve Madden.

[Steve Madden]

People trying to get me all the time. Take me down, try me. Everything, everything. You know. You know, it's like I always tell people, you know, when you, you know, kill or be killed, you know, that kind of thing. I hate to put that message out, it's not really what I'm trying to say, but you know, business is a war and everybody's trying to take your stuff and that's just the way it is. But, you know, we tried to. So when I went away, okay, my message was, number one, try to make hot shoes and number two, try to make profit. You know, but first was hot shoes. You know, that's what the company's all about. Like when I say hot shoes, the product is the most important thing and everything will sort itself out at. So that's sort of the message.

[Angela Yee]

What I love about Steve Madden and why it's had, the longevity it's had and far more going to be for a while, for a long time is it's affordable and it's high quality.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

You know, that's. And that's intentional. You said profit, but yeah, Steve, Matt is very affordable.

[Steve Madden]

We try to, you know, give the girlies some value.

[Angela Yee]

Okay.

[Steve Madden]

Girl trying to do okay, you know, that's what we're about. And make the best shoes we can. It sounds corny, but, but we really live and breathe and we still do to this day. I'm in the factory in Queens where we have a sample room there and we're all, you know, the whole team is just like, you know, jamming and trying to figure it out. And, and, and we, we have the, the philosophy is that everything will. Will kind of be sorted out after that. Yeah, Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think everybody should read your book the Cobbler. But I want to ask people. I want to ask you for people who haven't read it yet. You know, your father. Your father cut you off after college, right?

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And so that's when you had to figure things out for yourself financially because he cut off financial support. You know, what made you want to start that shoe company? Like, what was the actual thing that clicked in your mind that said, this is how I'm going to make money and change my whole complete life? And. And. And more importantly, how did you do it? Like, how did you get that $1,100? How did you know to go buy materials here and get shoes made here?

[Steve Madden]

So, you know, I. First thing I want to say is I learned the business. You know, he. And. And him kicking me out of school and cutting me off was a gift. Looking back, you know, 45 years later or 50 years later, whatever it is, because it forced me to survive. You know, I had to survive. I had to eat. I had to pay the rent. That's just the way it is. And. But so I learned my craft working for another company, you know, and then I said, you know, I could do this. You know, it's really just. I was like, can I do this? And so I did it, you know, And I remember waking up one morning and I had an apartment in the Village, and I had butterflies. You know, that feeling said, what did I do? I had such a good paycheck every week. What am I doing? And like I said to myself, just make good shoes and just sell them, you know, you'll be okay. You know, it's gonna be okay. And. And that's what it was. The biggest gift, the biggest thing that I did. I have to say, I just want to say, in case anybody's listening, and is that I was able to bring higher good people, partner with people, because I couldn't have done it myself, although I take all the credit, you know, But I really needed help.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where did you go to learn the business? You said you learned the business.

[Steve Madden]

Shoe store. He was working at working for somebody else. I did every job in the shoe business.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You were working with somebody when you were, like, in your teens, though, right?

[Steve Madden]

I worked in a shoe store at 17 years old. Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

And you bet on yourself.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, well, I don't know.

[Angela Yee]

You did.

[Steve Madden]

But the thing is, the message is, like, a lot of people want to do everything themselves, and, you know, you got to get help. You Got to get good people that. People that share the dream. And that's really one of the things that really. Because, you know, founders often get in the way.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Perhaps.

[DJ Envy]

I wanted to know, what was your relationship with Irv Irv Gotti? I know you guys had a tight relationship.

[Steve Madden]

Gotti was great, and I miss him so much. I miss Irv so much. And I. He was such a great storyteller, and he was. He was a good guy. He was a warm guy. You know, He.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He.

[DJ Envy]

He.

[Steve Madden]

He was always trying to make deals, you know, he's always like, you know, and he was very enthusiastic, but he was a great guy, and he was so much fun to be with. And he would, you know, he would say things like, you know, and he was like, I always used to joke that Irv Gotti had, like, a white Jewish man inside his body. You know what I mean? Because he would. I would be with my friends and Irv, and he would play gin with them and take their money. But also, he would tell stories. He would say, let me tell you about the time I was with Suge Knight in the Hills. Like, who could tell stories like that? Especially the white boys. They eat that shit up, you know? And, you know, he would tell stories like that. And, you know, I got to hang out with him and Ja Rule, who is the greatest dude I know. I think he lives up by you guys. He's so funny. He's so funny. Ja Rul. And the two of them together were like. It was just like, you're holding your sides after 45 minutes, telling stories back and forth, and I really miss Herb.

[DJ Envy]

How did y' all meet?

[Steve Madden]

I met him at a poker game. He was a master. Him and his brother play a lot of poker, and people liked me because I was the worst poker player.

[DJ Envy]

I want to take you away.

[Steve Madden]

Very nice to me.

[Angela Yee]

Love taking away from you, Steve.

[Steve Madden]

Have a sandwich. Hang out. I was the worst because I didn't give a shit. I just wanted to have a good time. And, you know, you really have to be patient to be a good poker player. You have to not go in, you know, and he was great.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You're not a patient person, are you?

[Steve Madden]

No, not patient. Terrible poker player. And. And we used to play. We used to have fun, and I didn't care if I lost. He cared, you know, he used to go to the World Series of Poker, so. And his brother's a great poker player, too.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Salute to Chris. I want to ask you something about fashion, right? Like, Fashion is one of the few industries where people literally wear their status art. You think people are buying style or buying identity?

[Steve Madden]

Oh, that's a good question. I think both. You know, that certainly a lot of the, you know, Hermes, Gucci, that they just. It's a. It's just a prestige. It's almost like a uniform. You know, I got this, and it's amazing what they've done. I have to tell you, I admire Hermes and. And in my world, they're buying style. You know, you gotta have the right style. I don't care who you are. If you don't have the right shit, you're.

[DJ Envy]

You're.

[Steve Madden]

You're out. You know, that's it. You gotta have. You gotta be on it. And so it's. It's tough. It's very tough.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Cause something can have identity but be ugly, you know? You know what I mean? Like, it could be worth a lot, is what I'm saying. It could be worth a lot, but not look good, you know?

[Steve Madden]

I mean, people rap about Gucci and Fiorucci. Wasn't there a song? Austin Gucci, Fia Rucci? There was. It was like, 100 years ago. I'm fucking old. I'm sorry.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Angela Yee]

You know, the one that we know was Gucci, Louis Prada. Pop them tags. That's from Karlie Redd.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yes.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, that's right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

Well, how do you stay so close to, like, culture, right? And, like, where did that stem from without and keeping it being authentic? I know your collabs with, like, Cardi, and you just talked about Irv Gotti, and, like, you're kind of embedded in that now. Like, where does that stem from?

[Steve Madden]

So we're always looking to be with somebody that people would see and want to wear the shoes if they wore them. And so we've had a bunch of collabs that were very good. And I liked working with Cardi B. I enjoyed it. And she was good fun, and she was polite, and she blew up at the same time. So sometimes it's difficult to get a big head and. But she was delightful, and I'm glad she was having a great career. And we worked with a bunch of other folks, and, you know, we even had Gaga in the beginning, and we had Love that. The one that said I kissed a girl. What was her name?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Katy Perry.

[Steve Madden]

Perry.

[Angela Yee]

Perry. She was the girl.

[Steve Madden]

I liked it. And she was. She's a big star now. We had a lot of that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is that just a good team that knows what's happening or, like, do you have an interest in entertainment as well

[Steve Madden]

too, though I would say that what I tend to like is not necessarily in favor, you know, we have a great team. And now you got all these young artists out now.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

That are so good, you know, Tate McCrae's of the world and all the, you know, and that kind of thing.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And you, you know, what's the one, the blonde.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's a lot of.

[Steve Madden]

There's a lot of blonde in her song. Do you know that one?

[Angela Yee]

That's everybody. Everybody. A singer or rapper.

[Steve Madden]

What's her name? Carpenter. Sabrina.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, Sabrina Carpenter.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

That's so funny. As soon as you say blonde, that's who I thought of. But I didn't think he was talking about her.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, she's. I mean, I have daughters, so I have an 18 year old daughter and a 13 year old daughter and they just love Sabrina Carpenter and they love Olivia Rodrigo and those. So like, you know, it's like that

[Angela Yee]

and they keep you hip.

[Steve Madden]

Well, I don't know if they could do that. It may be too late for that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What about Chris Brown?

[Steve Madden]

Oh, God. Remember when we talked about Chris Brown? I'm sorry, I think he's the greatest dancer I've ever seen.

[Angela Yee]

Absolutely.

[Steve Madden]

Oh, I got booed off stage at Howard. Chris Brown was a better dancer than Michael Jackson.

[Angela Yee]

Oh, shit. I like that.

[Steve Madden]

I got booed.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All he did was mention Chris Brown and I don't know why the Howard audience reacted to that like they did not up with Chris Brown. But you really do believe before the dancing thing.

Well, Howard, HBCU campus. Yes, very like, I don't know if you would call him woke. I feel like that word is played out. But like, you know, because of Chris Brown's past, you probably find a lot of the black women at Howard are like, we don't want to hear about him.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

But damn.

[Steve Madden]

But I just watching him dance. I understand what you mean, but I

[Charlamagne Tha God]

know that Howard, I could, I could see the girls being like Chris.

[Steve Madden]

I was like, I'm sorry. I just like Chris Brown. I think he's amazing.

[Angela Yee]

So do I. Do you really think that he's a better dancer than Michael Jackson?

[Steve Madden]

I do. I think that he's got more athletic skills. I think he really. Of course, Michael was amazing.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know what I'm saying? Michael was breathtaking to watch Michael. I'm the same age as Michael. I feel like I grew up with Michael Jackson.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, I used to watch it when I was a little boy and we were like 12 together. I feel like. And he would do stuff and it would be like, oh my God, he's. You know, if he was on tv, it's like, hey, Michael's on, you know. But Chris Brown, geez,

[DJ Envy]

I'll get booed too. Yeah, he's a better dancer.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

I ain't gonna say I don't think I would do it.

When they was born.

[DJ Envy]

Don't you know me?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, I was taking it in because I was like, I didn't expect the audience of these young people to be upset about Chris Brown before he even said the Michael Jackson thing.

Yeah.

Just him mentioning Chris Brown. They were like, yeah.

[Steve Madden]

I'm like, Chris is different.

[DJ Envy]

Chris is different. Like if you really watch his videos and watch his dance routines and the things he's able to do and not just look at Michael Jackson, who he is.

[Angela Yee]

Chris gets busy and does not get tired of performing.

[DJ Envy]

No, Chris gets busy and he does different things, different times.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I think America, America, clearly America should believe in second chances, right?

[Commercial Announcer]

Of course.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you think America really loves second chances or does it just love comeback stories when they make money?

[Steve Madden]

Well, boy, yeah, I think you might be right. Because if I failed, people wouldn't give a about me. Maybe, you know, then wear my shoes to be like, yeah, that guy did was in prison. You know what I mean? But yeah, but people. But we are allowed to have a second chance. I think that we, you know, I mean, so many people have had second chances. And it's a great thing about our country. Right? You know, it is a country of second chances. Oh, yeah, right.

[DJ Envy]

So, okay, I wanted to ask, you know, you told my second chance. Continue what you're saying. I want to ask something that you said and I was curious of why men's shoes get into the men's line. Were you ever scared to leave what your base was?

[Steve Madden]

You know, I. Men, women buy like 20 to 1 over men.

[Angela Yee]

Damn right.

[Steve Madden]

And so I focus on women's. But we have a nice little men's business and we try to, you know, accommodate, have some good shoes and we have a whole team that works on that. And I'm wearing them right now. And you know, I'm gonna show you. I'm do a little modeling here for my leg. Cause I'm so old. Okay, Steve, there it is.

[Angela Yee]

I know that's right. And you got cute ankles.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I know.

[Steve Madden]

That's Steve Madden.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's a clean shoe.

[Angela Yee]

That is clean. I love it.

[Steve Madden]

It's about $140, something like that. Yes, it's very good. Yes.

[DJ Envy]

And do you do apparel as well?

[Steve Madden]

Yes, I do.

[DJ Envy]

And how does the apparel do? Because, you know, most people are associated like shoe, shoe, shoe, shoe, shoes. But stepping outside of that, you know,

[Steve Madden]

our apparel does well. Yeah, we're doing well. We have good people over there. I was afraid of that. I have to tell you why. I didn't want to overdo it. I just kind of. When I started, I had a little success in shoes. And I thought, well, I don't want to be like, you know, Calvin Klein or Pierre Cardin, my name, you know, I kind of wanna. I wanted to make pajamas and shoes. That was like my thing. Yeah, just like, cool pajamas, because I didn't see any. But it, you know, business takes over and people offer you all sorts of stuff and. And so we went into clothing and we're in handbags and all sorts of linens and all sorts of stuff. Gotta make, you know, make a little money that way.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

But our focus is we have a lot of business. But what I love is making girls shoes for the girlies. Yeah, that's what I. That's my. What I wake up thinking about.

[DJ Envy]

You know, the crazy thing is. Well, one, I had a question. When. When you were arrested, did you think it was over for your company? Did you say, it's a rap? And what was your mind frame during that time? And did you have to build it back up or did.

[Steve Madden]

No. So what I did was just very quickly, I thought it was over for me and for the company. That's it. And then, you know, I had put. I had great people there that I had taught. Really. People have been with me forever and I get way too much credit. And. And so they kept it going. You know, they didn't grow a ton, but they kind of kept it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Kept it.

[Steve Madden]

We didn't go backwards. They did good. So when I came out, you know, I was able to. Yeah, we really exploded because they had done the hard work when I was away.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And, yeah, I really did think it was over.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is that one of the downfalls of having your name as the brand, like, your actual name?

[Steve Madden]

Well, if you go to prison, it is like that guy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you ever think about changing it?

[Steve Madden]

No. You know, it was too late. Everything happened and, you know, you know, everything. I've been lucky. I've been so lucky. And I was. Look, I met a lot of good guys when I was away. You know, that influenced me and. And gave me perspective and. And I think every. And made me more successful. And when I got out, in a way you know, I had a little bit more, you know, depth perhaps. You know, seen a lot of suffering and unfairness and, you know, so.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Gave you purpose.

[Steve Madden]

It did a little bit. I want to say one thing about human beings. I just want to say, like, you have nothing in prison. You eat shitty food and eat bad food, and it's really bad. And you say, oh, God, I can't wait to get out. You know, and like, six months later, you're out and you're eating a steak and it's too burnt, and you complain about it. You know what I'm saying? My stink, you know, that's like, sort of human being kind of stuff. But you try not to. You try to not be that way, but you can't help it sometimes. With my steak?

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You were eating slop six months ago.

[Angela Yee]

But I'm Steve Mad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Could be you in prison. Look at this.

[Angela Yee]

Oh, God.

[DJ Envy]

He's showing him Atlanta.

[Angela Yee]

Tay Charlemagne is showing him Atlanta.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. That's sad. What is that? That's so sad.

[DJ Envy]

He says they're making him suck everybody's penis in the barracks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He heard it. Envy.

[Steve Madden]

You didn't have to repeat it.

[Angela Yee]

I mean, you didn't have to show me.

[Steve Madden]

It's okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Heard it.

[Steve Madden]

I've seen some bad. I've seen some tough stuff, you know, I've seen some bad things, and so

[Charlamagne Tha God]

you see some bad dicks.

[Steve Madden]

No, I haven't seen any dicks. I'm going to tell you something real quick. You can't show yourself to another inmate. It's a sign. It's. It's a sign, you know, I'm saying learn.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can't do it.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, you got to cut. I've seen big dudes, sweatshirts, hats. They don't show shit. Yeah, no, real.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, guys, even when they go to the weight pile, they're like, got shirts on.

[Angela Yee]

Nobody layers.

[Steve Madden]

Nobody's peeling. It's not a. You know, it's not a thing you do.

[DJ Envy]

Yo, I was checking out the Sprite Living track list the other day and immediately started arguing with myself. It was wild, because records like California Love, Still Not a Player and Back Then are so much more than words in a song. They're moments, they're memories. They're snapshots of where hip hop was and where it's going. That's what Sprite gets. They've spent over 40 years celebrating artists who define the culture, and now they're turning the conversation over to the fans. And if you're like me, the real fun is getting into the why? Why does this song matter? Why does this line hit? Why did it change hip hop forever? Now, I can't promise you any answers, but with Sprite you'll have a good time figuring it out. Check out the full Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtrackless. Genius.com this is the sprite Living track list. Obey your thirst.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, who out there can get stressed out about money? Raise your hand. Okay, other than some kids listening in their parents car and the odd billionaire, I'm assuming that everyone is raising their hand because money, right? Except Ally Bank. With those guys, there are no tricks, no hidden fees, no hidden fine print. Ally is a bank and this is kind of crazy. They want to take care of you and your money. They've got tools to help you save automatically while you spin. Ally Surprise Savings automatically analyzes your spending to find you savings so you can save more for the things that matter to you. Like when I moved across the country from LA back to the east coast and landed my gig at the Breakfast Club, money management was essential. During a move like that. They even look out for your mental state. For real. They have a free financial wellness program called Money Roots that helps you understand how your money mindset impacts your physical, mental and social well being. I'm like, are they really even a bank? And yeah, they are. And a great one. Banking built for life today. Learn [e-mail], ally bank member FDIC.

[Steve Madden]

Mom, are we there yet? 10 more minutes. Only 10 minutes. Can you drive slower? What's up with them today? Lingokids, that app we downloaded last week. They love it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The games, this funny baby bot character. Kids, we're almost there. No.

[Steve Madden]

With more than 4,000 interactive games songs

[DJ Envy]

and shows little ones can't get enough of. Lingokids is the number one entertainment platform for young kids.

[Steve Madden]

Why didn't we download this sooner?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Lingokids, everything kids love, download it for free.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Even though your business went up so much after you came home, do you feel like, personally, you took a step back from, like, spotlight because, you know,

[Steve Madden]

actually got a little bit more famous at some point, you know, and, you know, so, I don't know, it's back and forth, you know, Martha Stewart went away when I went away, so we had a similar sort of path and. And it was almost exact same time. You know, she's big star. Martha Stewart's a big star, and she's a big star now, but she had a dip there for a minute.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

People were hating on it. You know what I'm saying? And so I kind of like went a little on the low when I got out. Like, stayed out of the spotlight, you know, didn't want to, and kind of went that way. And then our business was so good, I kind of got. Was forced to come out. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

America loves comebacks. We love. Well, we used to love comebacks and redemption stories. Nowadays, everybody just wants to cancel you for. But back then, we used to love a good redemption story.

[Steve Madden]

Well, I, you know, it's. We do. It's great. It's wonderful. Because everybody makes mistakes.

[Angela Yee]

Absolutely. That's right.

[Steve Madden]

I mean, you know, you just. And. And even bringing Chris Brown's name up, it's like, oh, wait, should I bring it? Like, you know, should I even bring his name up? You know, But I don't really, you know, I just think he's a good dancer. Right.

[Angela Yee]

It's like you're acknowledging him for his talent.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

I hope he gets well.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

All that. But I'm just saying, you know, so it's a. It's a difficult culture, you know, And. And so even, you know, you just have to be careful all the time. You know, one false move and, you know. Yeah, you're cooked.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I remember when you did the Cutting Room Floor podcast, and I was like, why People act like they never seen him before. But then I saw tick tockers and people saying it's because you kind of got a little low after you came home.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But you remember that response. Like, you did the podcast, everybody. It was really black people that were like, oh, this is Steve Madden.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And it was like.

[Steve Madden]

It was. It was really black people.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And it was really. And I'm like, but we've been buying from You. It was just like. It was. They were making TikToks about.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They were, yes.

[Steve Madden]

And it was so gratifying. It was so great. And I didn't think I did that good when I was on. I was, you know, I remember she said, what's the shoe you copied? And I thought, oh, God, I'm cooked.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, yeah, what am I going to do?

[Steve Madden]

I said, it's Chanel and I make it. So what? You know, all my girls can buy it. Yeah, so what? And they just went crazy. They ate it up, you know. It was wonderful. It was really so great.

[Angela Yee]

Speaking of TikTok, I also saw a video on TikTok where you went in the store and one of your stores and you had purchased a shoe and a girl was like, thank you. And like, didn't. She didn't notice who you were. A little young girl didn't notice who you were. Do you like that people don't off the bat, like, associate your face with your brand?

[Steve Madden]

Yes, I do like it. I used to not like it. I wanted everybody to know who I was, you know, kind of thing, right? But now it's kind of cool to kind of see, sneak into a store. And of course, when they ask you, because I'm older than by double, everybody that works in the store, this was this old white dude here. You know what I'm saying? But so at some point I have to say, you know, that's me.

[DJ Envy]

When I see your credit card says Steve Madden.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Probably think it's like a company card, like when we get so.

[Steve Madden]

And I do like that. But I didn't.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What about the conversation around C. Madden when it comes to the dupe business, like, what you just mentioned, like the remix, right? Because there's a good side of it where people are like, okay, this is affordable. But then there are the other side of it where you have independent designers. Like, I remember the Brother Valleys thing. Like, different designers who speak out and say, well, these are our shoes and we don't get credit.

Major fashion houses, too. You got. You got sued by like Alexander McQueen

[Steve Madden]

and I'm always getting.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, like,

[Steve Madden]

I would say that we do a lot of original designs and we definitely do some dupes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And don't say that.

I'm trying to figure out how.

[Steve Madden]

I've already been in prison. What are you gonna do, right? You take my library card away. What are you gonna do?

[Angela Yee]

Everybody does.

[DJ Envy]

Dudes, what you can do is you have to settle out. Do they sue you? Do you settle out or do you win?

[Steve Madden]

Sue us. We do twists on them, too. You know, we try to give you a little. But, you know, I mean, that's it. I mean, I make shoes for 90 bucks, 120 bucks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's dope, dude.

Me, I love them.

[Steve Madden]

And, you know, I'm trying to pay the rent, you know, I mean, really.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, you've been paying the rent a long time.

[Steve Madden]

Feed the family.

[DJ Envy]

You don't do that ever.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is there ever?

[Angela Yee]

But the girls trying to play to pay the rent, too, and they can afford to pay a Steve Martins and duping, not dupe. And then I can pay my rent.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But it's coming from the designers who were, like, trying to build to where you are that feel like you have the bigger platform and then. But we rather work together versus you have it on your platform. And no one knows. Like, the inspiration came from us.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Do you ever feel in those moments like, have you ever been like, okay, well, let's just partner.

[Steve Madden]

Or like, I would love to do that. You know, I would love to. People always think I've had this thing where the people think I'm just this big pirate, you know, or this monster guy. So some of them.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That was some of the Tiktoks. It was like, yo, he looked like he in a mob.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, yeah. I'm not. And I feel those people. And I. And I. And I even talked. We talked about having a little. Maybe, you know, a little venture fund for some small guys. And we do it. We've done it. And she's. And it's something to think about. I'm not, you know, a rapacious. Rapacious. I love that word. Rapacious vulture. You know, I'm just trying to make good shoes, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And that's it. And I do not to be such a windbag here. I just want to. No, I want to. I want to tell you that he'll yell at me over there. I do think about. I swear, now I have a lot of money now. You know what I mean? But I do think about. No, why am I doing this? I'm feeding my family. You know what I'm saying? I try to tell my kids that because they don't make the connection. No, I'm feeding the family. I'm putting clothes on your back. You know, I'm going to the grocery store. I'm able to buy good fruit and vegetables. And I really think that way. And I know it's probably madness, but you're a billionaire. I mean, I don't know about all that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Come on with the Company.

[Steve Madden]

Company's doing. Yeah, we do.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, that's why.

Matter of fact, congrats, congrats on your second quarter earnings.

[Steve Madden]

Thank you.

[Commercial Announcer]

Very well.

[Steve Madden]

We have an amazing team, and we have a great CEO and great president, and they. They try not to pay too much attention to me, and they're doing great.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When you hire somebody today, what qualities do you value more than talent?

[Steve Madden]

Good question. I like enthusiasm and, you know, I like enthusiasm and passion. I think it's good. Not everybody is talented. It's good to have talent, though. Yeah, right. It's good to have talent, but it's great to have enthusiasm. And sometimes you can work and learn and be open and stuff like that.

[DJ Envy]

How involved are you with the company now? Like, do you know every shoe and this?

[Steve Madden]

I'm very involved with. Very involved with the product, and I'm very involved. And, you know, things different when you get older. You know, in my late 60s now, you know, I'm older, you know, do much less weight now.

[Angela Yee]

You know what I'm saying?

[Steve Madden]

I'm sad getting older. It's not great. It's kind of like. I think about. I don't know why we're talking about that, but I'm very involved. But, you know, it's. I think about Larry Bird or I think about, you know, you know, just athletes that, you know, at some point, you know, can't boxer, can't knock a guy out anymore. It's a hard, you know, it's a very hard feeling you know, to be. You know what I mean?

[Angela Yee]

It's getting older.

[Steve Madden]

Well, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, you got kids, and your kids run your company. You got to trust in your kids that they, you know.

[Steve Madden]

Well, I don't want them to go into shoes, but I want to do something. Well, because we're a public company and it's difficult, but, you know, they could if they wanted to. But, you know, I'd like them to do something they love, you know, and that would not upset me if one of my kids became a teacher if they loved it, because they would have the money, you know, to do that. I think teachers are underpaid.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You just want them to find their passion.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, Yeah. I think it's terrible injustice in America. By the way, what makes you do

[Charlamagne Tha God]

so much work with HBCUs? Because, I mean, as we were on a panel at Howard, you have a. A building at. Am I making this up?

[Steve Madden]

No, no. We just helped them out. No, no, no.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It is. It's something we do.

[Steve Madden]

We do a lot of work with Howard yes. We do some stuff. We have a big programs, intern programs, fashion programs.

[DJ Envy]

And then we did something. Was it Clark.

[Steve Madden]

Clark.

[DJ Envy]

A couple years ago?

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. It's great.

[DJ Envy]

I'm almost one of them.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You do athlete campaigns, too. And I owe campaigns. Right. You do things well.

Let me answer the hbcu.

[Steve Madden]

So I'm just doing what I can. I don't really know what else to say. Doing what we can. That's it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But who pointed you in that direction? Like, what made you say, I want to start pouring into these hbcu?

[Steve Madden]

You know, it's just something that I. I want to do. I just. I don't really have. I just feel like without getting into it, I just feel like it's an area that doesn't get as much attention as it should.

[Commercial Announcer]

Absolutely.

[Steve Madden]

And it's a wonderful thing. And I think. I wish we could do more, to be honest with you.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And especially at this time in America,

[Charlamagne Tha God]

was there like a certain. Was there like a certain something that happened where you were like, I need. Like what. You know what I mean? Like, what was the emotional connection for you? Like, what happened where you were like, we need to be doing more for hbcu. Yeah, for hbcu. Is there, like, one event that you saw where you were like, this is messed up?

[Steve Madden]

I don't. I was. You know, I've been very influenced by black people in my life. I have to just say it. You know, I just, you know, as a kid, it was next to my town. There was a town called Inwood. You guys may have heard. Inwood. Inwood, which is right next to Mr. Farakaway. I want to give a shout out to my man Jeffrey Brooks and Pucci and all those guys. And. Yeah, there was a town called Inwood. And, you know, so we grew up together, and it was. They were different and it was fun, and. And we had so much fun. And I could tell you all about that trip one day, you know, because it is an interesting sort of trip. But, you know, it was. It was just great. It was very. It influenced my life, you know, that thing. I tend to get influenced by a lot of stuff. Of course, I was in prison. A lot of black folks and, you know, and so, you know, another influence, you know, you know, that kind of thing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But that's good, though. You have to be open to that. Like, there's a lot of people who aren't open. That's why racism and bigotry sucks.

[Commercial Announcer]

Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Because you close yourself off from people instead of remaining opening to people and learning Things like you did.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. So my cellmate was like. He grabbed me by the neck. He said, okay, white boy, I'm going to teach you about hip hop now. It was that kind of thing, you know, Go listen to it.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And so it was fun, you know, that was. That was a good. That was good experience. And there was a song, I'm Working that back, I Don't know how to Act. That was like the first one. I'd be on the track, walk in Prison and listen to that song.

[Angela Yee]

And I know that song.

[Commercial Announcer]

Oh, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He grabs you by your neck and put you on.

[Steve Madden]

That was the song that I heard first. It was like slow motion for me. And I thought, this is so great. And there was a little hip hop bit. Somebody was on that song too Juvenile and Soldier Slim. Yeah. And it was so good.

[DJ Envy]

I like it like that.

[Steve Madden]

I like it like that. That's not the song.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Back in Prison.

[Angela Yee]

Beatles.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. So, like, I'm like, oh, this is good.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And then, well, when I was away, Ti was very big and he was from south, and his. His stuff was very, you know, poppy. It was very, like, Wild as a Taliban. I remember those songs. And I would be like, working out and every. And everybody would be like, yeah. You know, there was another song. You Don't Know me. You Don't Know Me. We'd be working at it. Listen to that song. It was just a moment, you know, and I thought, well, this is good.

[Angela Yee]

I love that.

[Steve Madden]

And then I got to meet TI with Irv Gotti. Yes.

[Angela Yee]

Did you meet Juvenile yet?

[Steve Madden]

I have not.

[Angela Yee]

Because they are going on tour. We need to go see.

[Steve Madden]

Okay. If you see TI's music.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah. Okay.

[Steve Madden]

But then he had that beef with money, and I thought. With money Money Mayweather.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, yeah.

[Angela Yee]

Fall back a little bit on that.

[Steve Madden]

I don't know about all that.

[Angela Yee]

I feel you.

[Steve Madden]

I'm not sure about that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You want that Prison saved your life, right? So how do you know when you're, I guess, quote unquote, biggest failure has become your greatest blessing?

[Steve Madden]

Well, you have to think of it like that. I mean, because otherwise, you know, you'll just drown in sorrow and pity. Right. I mean, you know, and it's easy to do, you know, it's easy to do it. God, you know, so you try to turn it around and try to. If you can. Not everybody has the ability to do that, to be honest. And certainly it's easier if you're white, to be honest with you. That's not good. And I don't get all soapy about

[Charlamagne Tha God]

it, but it's not soapy. Stevie, tell the truth. I want you to talk to what

[Steve Madden]

you talk when you're not on the microphone. That's what it is. So it's a little bit of that. It just. That whole. It's connected to that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Why does that make you uncomfortable to talk about those type of things? I mean, I understand the.

You don't know if Steve gets to talking, talking people back there be like, stop, stop. He's policing himself.

That's what he's doing.

[Steve Madden]

Yes, it is harder. And it's just. That's just the facts. That's just the way it is.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I appreciate, you know, people talk, you know, it's just.

[Steve Madden]

That's the way it is.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

So we do what we can.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What do you think society gets wrong about people who've served time?

[Steve Madden]

Well, the good news is. The good news is people are less harsh about it today. You know, a lot of people do time. And, you know, when I was away, most of the people were in. In prison for drug dealing. Just, I would say I was in a low, Low security. Not that it was easy. It was not. Don't get trippy by low security. It sucked. There were guys with guns and fences. It was terrible. But, you know, most of the people were there for drug crimes, like 90%, you know, and. And, you know, I think the drug laws were too severe and they. And, you know, I mean, they tend to really disrupt communities. And I think it's grossly unfair. And I know you guys know all about the crack laws, and I'm sure you've talked about it. You know, it was like just a racist, you know, law. It's just that simple. There's nothing you could say about it. That has changed. Guys have gone home and, you know, when I went away, also, there was white people in there dealing marijuana. 100 plants, 10 years maximum minimum. 10 years. Everybody's smoking pot, right? What the hell? Guys did 10 years, 100 plants. That's crazy. So the laws were, you know, she had all these people there, and it wasn't like bank robbers and stuff. Although I was friends with a bank robber.

[Angela Yee]

Okay, you got some torches and stuff, tortures and stuff.

[Steve Madden]

Steve taught me how to hide money under the ground. But, you know, anyway, it's a humbling experience, and people deserve second chances. And I would say that a lot of the folks that were in there for drug dealing, you know, I would say just try to take those skills and try to do it with something that's legal. Of Course marijuana is legal today, you know, so. So how is social?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, go real quick.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Angela Yee]

Why you didn't bring me no shoes? Uh oh, it's Steve.

[Steve Madden]

They're fault over here. We gotta get.

[DJ Envy]

Okay, we'll take care of that.

[Angela Yee]

Thank you.

[Steve Madden]

These are really pretty.

[Angela Yee]

Thank you. Look, let me just show you the whole thingy. Okay.

[Steve Madden]

These are nice.

[Angela Yee]

I should have wore some of my steel.

[Steve Madden]

Steve, that's two. No, don't do it.

[Angela Yee]

No, no, no. I got enough Steve, man. But yeah, I need. I wear a size 8 and I want you to know because I need for you to send me at least two or three shoes so I can figure out when we going to the juvenile concert.

[Steve Madden]

Yes, we're gonna go. Yes. And we're selling a lot of dress shoes. I just want you guys to know more than usual, which is interesting. A lot of people, you know, the in my price is, you know, 120, 150. They don't make a lot of cool dress shoes. It's kind of like really better market people like Aware, like Christian Dior or.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, something like that. And so we're doing really well with that. We're making a lot of high heels.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How has social media changed your business?

[Steve Madden]

Social media is everything. And you know, we have a whole department devoted to that and it's really. I mean we could do 10 shows on social media, couldn't we? It's so unbelievable.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And, and I don't really. I like just on a personal note, I really like tick tock myself and it relaxes me. Like sometimes at night I just like, I don't even put on the tv. You just scroll, you know, and it's like. But you know, my algorithm is probably different than your algorithm.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hell yeah.

[Angela Yee]

You know, because I can't stand none of it. I'm like, it's. There's two negative. Two negative.

[Steve Madden]

Is that right?

[Angela Yee]

The algorithm is different though. Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. Well, I get a lot of movies, old movies and you know, stuff like that. Chris Brown.

[Angela Yee]

I know that's right.

[Steve Madden]

Chris Brown.

[Angela Yee]

Moonwalking.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. Has social media made style more accessible or has it made originality harder to find?

[Steve Madden]

Oh God, that's, you know, style is everything. Trend is everything. It's just, you know what I think is like, do you. I don't you remember being in school and there was a bunch of cool girls wearing certain jeans or a tank top and it like it went around. Now that cool girl thing is all over the country. You get to see what the cool tank top Is, you know, it's sort of an amazing idea in a way. Like, oh, what's the cool ankle boot? Like, what are the chicks wearing? You know, I think it's great.

[DJ Envy]

Have you ever went too late on a trend? Cause you know, when you start designing, you're designing for next year, right? Have you ever were too late?

[Steve Madden]

I've been too late. I've been too early. You know, I've done it all. You know, you try. Timing is very important. And I've definitely been too late. I have. And I've been too early, too. Which is just as bad as too late, you know.

[DJ Envy]

So what are the circumstances of finding out, like. Of figuring out what's next? Right. Like, for instance. Right. Everybody knows needles was the big thing for like three months straight. I mean, you couldn't find one. All these stores that ordered crazy amount of needles. Now I'm sure they got a stockpile. Cause kids don't care about it no more. So how do. How do you decide what's gonna be the next trend and what you go with?

[Steve Madden]

You know, you. Well, when somebody reaches my age, you must surround yourself with young people that tell you what's up. I dig that. I like that. I like to be around that energy, you know? You know, I'm listening to cowboy music in the gym. You know what I'm saying? You know what I'm saying? I'm listening. That's what I'm listening to. So it's not coming. You know, I'm not really going to be directing a lot of that. But. But so I. I have young people and great talent around me, and we

[DJ Envy]

trust in your team.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, yeah. You know, as a matter of fact, if. If there's a musical thing that I really like, there's. They're likely not to be successful. Do you know what I mean? You know what I mean? Because I like them and I'm like, gee, I love this group. You know, when they're young or whatever. God, I love them. And I go, but I like them. That may be no good. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So that's crazy because y' all be so on the know. Like, even with the. Like the people y' all send to the Kirk.

[Steve Madden]

How you say, Kurt Geiger new brand. We own. Doing great. Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But y' all were kind of early in, like, people were talking about it, but now it's become like a cultural.

[Steve Madden]

Like, Kurt Geiger's hot all over the world.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, y' all were kind of early on acquisition with them.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's crazy to hear you say that. Like it's not your instinct.

[Steve Madden]

Well, you know, you kind of have to mix humility with vision, perhaps. And, you know, but I do like Sabrina Carpenter. Yeah. You know, and I like Taylor Swift.

[Angela Yee]

I know that's right. Shake it off.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. I mean, and I do like that stuff, you know, so. But nobody cares.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know what I mean? But. And my daughters love all that stuff.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah.

[Angela Yee]

So when you have like, like your creative team, they come up and they show you, like, steve, do you like this? Do you like that? Are you honest? Will you be like, no?

[Steve Madden]

Yes. That's what we do.

[Angela Yee]

Okay, let me show you something.

[Steve Madden]

Okay.

[Angela Yee]

Now, if I was working for you, right, in the creative and I said, steve, these need to. These the next hottest thing. These need to be sold for the church ladies, what would you say?

[Steve Madden]

Church ladies.

[Angela Yee]

And I put my hard work into it.

[Steve Madden]

I would say I like to make shoes for all kinds of people. And I would be, let's do it. Let's make some church lady shoes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay. You wouldn't want.

[Angela Yee]

You wouldn't want to hold two of those from Amazon.

[Steve Madden]

No, we put some. We put our stamp on it. I mean, we put a little stamp

[DJ Envy]

signature flare, a little flavor.

[Steve Madden]

We have a little.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The heel.

[Commercial Announcer]

We have a little.

[Steve Madden]

There's a few secrets, like Coca Cola, which I can tell you.

[Angela Yee]

Okay.

[Steve Madden]

Like the secret formula to Coca Cola.

[Commercial Announcer]

Right.

[Angela Yee]

But you're gonna make it raw. You gonna make sure you do some stuff.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. I could make that shoe look a little.

[DJ Envy]

If you don't put them shoes, everybody

[Charlamagne Tha God]

to know that Jess just showed Steve Madden shoes that Monica wore in that Make It Right video. Okay.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Not. Not. Okay.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, no, I'm just saying. I would say. I was thinking about what you said, you know, just humility and vision. And there. I mean, so many times. I fucking love that shoe. I hope I'm right. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Angela Yee]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, that's a creative process, isn't it?

[DJ Envy]

You should make a special box to all the young girls that come and make it like my first heels box. Right? So when the girls buy their first heels, they can put it in something, right? So I tell you, I bought my daughter's first heels and she wore them, but she's so excited to have her first heels like mommy. But now there's no way to put them. I got to put them on the shelf like that. But if they had like a special box, like a signature first heel box, I think that would be dope.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah. I Like that. You could do something with that. Yeah, we're doing a little thing. We're thinking about to bring in your vintage Steve Madden shoes. Oh, my God. And trade them in or something.

[Angela Yee]

I'm coming.

[Steve Madden]

Yeah, we're thinking about something like that.

[Angela Yee]

I got a lot, too.

[Steve Madden]

We want to do that, too.

[Angela Yee]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

Because we're. We've been around, you know, I don't feel like it. I mean, you know, and I'm still trying to make hits. Right. But, like, we've been around a long time. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And nostalgia's in right now.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Steve Madden]

And so, you know, I go to the vintage stores in, like, Brooklyn and I see Steve Madden and I'm like, wait, right? I'm not dead yet. You know, it's kind of like when you win a Hall of Fame award. Yeah, yeah. Hold up on that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's us. We in the hall of Fame.

[Steve Madden]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is there a level of success where people stop telling you the truth?

[Steve Madden]

You know, you have some. You do have some people that get a little intimidated by your success and they want to. There are some people that do that. I don't really like it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Me neither.

[Steve Madden]

And then I have people that do the opposite, too. They, like, you know, they're always trying to correct me. I don't like that either.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yeah.

[Steve Madden]

You know, most people, if you're in my crew, you're telling me the truth. You know, I'm not. That's not who I am. But I know people like that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How do you protect yourself from being surrounded by. Yes man. All women. Yes women. Yes men and women.

[Steve Madden]

You know, it's really boring being surprised, you know? You know, you do something messed up and they say, oh. Or you play golf and you hit a shitty shot and they go, great shot, Steve. Then you know, like, yeah, wait a second. This is not. But I've been around dudes like that, you know, and it's not a very good way to grow.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah, I think, you know.

[Steve Madden]

You know that there are people that break my chops, too, a lot.

[Angela Yee]

For sure.

[Steve Madden]

They take it easy on me, you know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is my last question. Okay.

[Steve Madden]

It's been, like, time.

[Angela Yee]

Can I go?

[Commercial Announcer]

Shoes.

[Steve Madden]

We gotta go. We got things right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What lesson did your pain teach you? That's just a success. Never could.

[Steve Madden]

Well, pain can. Not to be corny about it, sort of pain can be a message or a messenger, you know, and it can be. And, you know, you can let it. You can let it weigh you down, and I have done that. And then you can let it say, no, you know, I'm coming back. You know, it's like that is that hip hop song Bounce Back. I just heard it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, no, that's Big Sean.

[Steve Madden]

Great song. What a message that is. I know that's Big Sean. I like that guy. Yes. He was on. You know, Spotify has like your top songs of 2020. So I put it on the other day and Bounce Back was on it. I was like, what an uplifting message.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So

[Steve Madden]

we take Ls and we bounce back.

[Angela Yee]

I know that's right. Steve.

[DJ Envy]

Big Sean. Well, we appreciate Steve Madden. Thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you so much. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[Commercial Announcer]

Hold up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. Finished or y' all done?

[DJ Envy]

Before we go, I gotta leave y' all with a question. What's a hip hop lyric that changed the way you saw music? Because that's really what the Sprite Living tracklist is about. It's not about crowning winners. It's starting conversations. 50 tracks, generations of artists, endless debates. And Sprite didn't just put lyrics on cans. Nah, they went deeper. Bringing together hip hop experts and tastemakers to help unpack the stories and impact behind every track. Check out the full Sprite Living track list and break down the stories behind your favorite bars@livingtracklist. Genius.com. this is the Sprite Living track list. Obey your thirst, dad.

[Steve Madden]

Disney activities are on Lingokids.

[Commercial Announcer]

What?

[Steve Madden]

Moana and Elsa and Marvel's Spider Man. All of them on Lingokids? Yes, dad, on Lingokids. That's pretty cool.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I know.

[Steve Madden]

You just lost them for the rest of the afternoon. Worth it. Full of fun activities inspired by Disney's

[DJ Envy]

Moana, Frozen, Zootopia, Marvel's Spider man and more. Lingokids is where little ones discover more about favorite characters.

[Steve Madden]

Lingokids. Everything kids love, love. Download it for free.

[Commercial Announcer]

The wait was worth it. The keys to your dream home have been secured. Now comes time to fill it with memories. But first, furniture and movers. When's the house warming? Who's cooking? Or should you cater? All that planning can be stressful. But ensuring your home shouldn't be. And that's where State Farm comes in. Because State Farm agents can help you choose the coverage you need. Just call, go online or check out the app. An agent is ready to help so you can focus on showing off your new home. If you know, you know like a good neighbor. Stay Farm is there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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