The Breakfast Club BEST OF - G. Herbo, Kehlani, Papoose and Claressa Shields interview

Summary

The Breakfast Club "Best Of" – G Herbo, Kehlani, Papoose & Claressa Shields Interview

Date: January 7, 2026
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God
Guests: G Herbo, Kehlani, Papoose, Claressa Shields

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Episode Overview

This "Best Of" edition features in-depth conversations with rapper G Herbo, chart-topping artist Kehlani, veteran MC Papoose, and boxing champion Claressa Shields. The hosts explore each guest’s recent successes, personal growth, industry challenges, and reflections on community and culture. Discussions range from mental health, creative milestones, and the Black family experience to the impact of AI on music, social activism, and the nuances of fame and public relationships.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Call-In Segment: Community Feedback and Political Talk

(01:11–11:41)

Community Call-In – Charlamagne’s "Donkey of the Day"

• Callers react passionately to previous "Donkey of the Day" commentary involving a family member.
• Charlamagne emphasizes the importance of measured responses and gathering all facts before judgment:

  "You can't go down to the—whether he said it or not, whatever he said caused people to call the police...there's other ways to handle the situation."
  — Charlamagne Tha God (06:02)

• Discussion of racial tensions in specific neighborhoods and the pressures on Black men navigating these environments.

Political Call-In: Trump, Biden, and Black Voters

• Caller ("Trevor") defends the "MAGA" (Make America Great Again) movement and claims there's no division within it (07:54).
• Debates over Joe Biden's comments about Black voters ("If you don't vote for me, you ain't Black"), with Charlamagne reflecting:

  "As I told him in that moment...it's not about me being Black. It's about me wanting something for my people."
  — Charlamagne Tha God (09:14)

• The persistent influence of cultural icons (Trump, Jesse Jackson) and how media narratives shape community attitudes.

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2. G Herbo: Music, Growth, and Survival

(11:43–38:44)

On His Number One Record

• G Herbo shares the organic, unplanned success behind his latest hit, describing a creative process rooted in fun and experimentation.
• On releasing through his own app:

  "As artists, you gotta really just bet on yourself, for real, for real." (13:06)

• The financial impact: radio airplay changed “the bag” dramatically compared to streaming.

Independence & Self-Reflection

• Herbo talks about returning to his "Lil Herb" roots, seeking inspiration by revisiting his early work.
• Letting go of old baggage:

  "Just letting go. For real, for real. Therapy helped me...A lot of [things] you hold on to—you just, like, just let it go." (18:07)

• Transitioning to being 100% independent, without a label or production company.

Influence of Meek Mill

• Meek Mill served as a tangible role model demonstrating it's possible to come from the streets and find major industry success.
• “Meek...gave you the real blueprint. You get on, you take care, you do what you supposed to do.” (19:49)

Surviving Chicago

• Herbo and Charlamagne discuss the survival mentality shaped by Chicago’s environment:

  "Surviving in Chicago, just making it out of the streets alone is a blessing." — G Herbo (26:27)

• Emphasizes calculated decision-making, understanding both sides of the street, and the weight of carrying past trauma.

Processing Grief and Mental Health

• Copes with loss through music; therapy and staying busy help maintain stability.
• Addresses his struggles after the death of his brother and father, expressing vulnerability around grief:

  "When my little brother died, I lost myself. I became an alcoholic." (31:51)

• The day his father passed, he still tried to work, highlighting the difficulty of processing pain amidst professional demands (34:05).

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3. Kehlani: Pronunciation, Success, Vulnerability, and AI

(39:01–66:44)

Setting the Record Straight

• Kehlani emphasizes the correct pronunciation of her name: "Kay-lani" (39:16).

"Folded" and Musical Evolution

• "Folded" reaches number one, representing both a sonic and personal transformation:

  "It feels really good. It's been a long time coming...You're always one song away." (40:24)

• Creation of "Folded" was accidental but reflected her matured emotional intelligence.

Mental Health & Turning 30

• Open discussion on living with bipolar disorder, the importance of therapy, and how medication enables self-processing:

  "Medicine...gave me the opportunity to have thought applied to my mood." (44:24)

• Emphasizes the value—and difficulty—of creative vulnerability:

  "I've always been messily vulnerable, but I grew up in front of the world." (45:58)

• Recognizes growth and self-awareness over time:

  "Even a year ago, I'm like, okay, like, growth. I'm different now." (46:32)

Activism and Public Backlash

• Spoke out about Palestine, experiencing professional consequences and personal threats:

  "It put me into a really bad paranoia...Every time I left the house, was everybody out to get me? Did I need security to sit in front of my house?" (49:01)

• Advocates for more artists to use their platforms, noting collective action brings protection.

AI & Creativity

• Strongly challenges the rise of AI in music and culture:

  "Music is such a God-given thing...For it to be generated in that way...feels wrong to me." (55:29)

• Warns of deeper issues: environmental impacts, job loss, and the danger of artificial "authenticity."
• Emphasizes that music’s unique value is spiritual, not algorithmic:

  “What does authentic music have that AI-generated music could never have? God. Yeah, that’s the answer.” (60:03)

• On parenting in the age of AI and tech, stresses community, honesty, and human connection (63:38).

Personal Influences

• Vocal “Mount Rushmore”: Brandy, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey (66:08).

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4. Donkey of the Day: Florida Barber Shop Incident

(66:46–74:08)

• Charlamagne tells the story of a Florida man, Darius Davis, attacking his barber over a bad hairline.
• Commentary on the cultural centrality and pressures of barbershops in the Black community.
• Message on not resorting to violence over personal grievances, especially within community hubs.

Memorable Quote:

"Barbers are pillars in the Black community, my brothers. When you really put it in perspective, there aren't too many people more important..." - Charlamagne Tha God (69:49)

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5. Papoose & Claressa Shields: Hip Hop, Black Love, and Public Scrutiny

(74:37–96:11)

Bars on Wheels & Hip Hop's Direction

• Papoose promotes his visual album "Bars on Wheels," aiming to "save hip hop" by staying true to lyricism.
• On industry changes:

  "Just be yourself, man. Nobody can do you better than you." (75:42)

• Discusses the negative influences of drugs and violence, but cautions against scapegoating hip hop for broader social issues.

Black Love and Public Relationships

• Open discussion about the pressures and fallout of his marriage to Remy Ma, and the scrutiny that followed their separation and new relationships.
• Papoose reflects on public expectations, online rumors, and maintaining dignity:

  "Who wants to be a part of the circus? ... I'm not problematic, man." (87:09, 94:57)

• Shields emphasizes that breakups and divorces are common, and that the public often struggles to let go more than those involved (90:11).
• Both stress moving forward, personal happiness, and handling private matters with maturity.

Positive Message

• Papoose and Charlamagne discuss the value of being open with your audience and standing by your character.

Memorable Moment:
A young London rapper gets to perform live for Papoose, earning encouragement for his vulnerability and talent (97:20–99:33).

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "Smart people learn from their own mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others." — Charlamagne Tha God (06:54)
• "Therapy helped me...A lot of that you hold on to, you just like, just let it go." — G Herbo (18:07)
• "It comes from here, it's given here. And to have that generated through a computer just feels...wrong." — Kehlani on AI Music (55:29)
• "You can't download [music] from a computer. It's a download from God." — Charlamagne Tha God (56:20)
• "Just be yourself, man. Nobody can do you better than you." — Papoose (75:42)
• "You never thought that they would be gone...One of y' all or two or maybe three of y' all not gonna make it. It might be you." — Papoose on street life (80:03)

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Segment Timestamps

• [01:11–11:41] – Caller reactions: family defense, racial tension, and political takes
• [11:43–38:44] – G Herbo: creative process, mentorship, trauma, and triumph
• [39:01–66:44] – Kehlani: artistic evolution, mental health, activism, and AI debate
• [66:46–74:08] – Donkey of the Day: Florida barber story and barbershop culture
• [74:37–99:40] – Papoose & Claressa Shields: hip hop’s evolution, Black love in the spotlight, and handling rumors

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Tone and Takeaways

The episode maintains The Breakfast Club’s signature mix of humor, honesty, and cultural commentary, leaning into authenticity and vulnerability. Guests are encouraged to reflect deeply on challenges and joys, from navigating grief to confronting AI’s impact on art. The hosts balance tough questions with empathy, creating a space where lessons—from industry wisdom to personal breakthroughs—resonate with listeners seeking substance and real talk.

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For New Listeners

This "Best Of" episode is a powerful snapshot of where hip hop, R&B, and Black culture intersect with mental health, community responsibility, technology, and evolving definitions of success. The candidness of each guest offers insights for fans and newcomers alike, whether you’re seeking inspiration, a dose of realness, or a sense of collective growth.

Transcript

[DJ Envy]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. You all know this time of year is my reset season. New energy, new plans, new ways to grow my brand. And if you're trying to start 2026 ahead of the game, like really ahead, now is the time to get moving. For me, Shopify has been a platform that keeps my whole merch business tight. As a creator, as a businesswoman, I need my tools to work hard. And Shopify is like having a chief of staff, a personal assistant, and a co founder all in one. And look, I always tell other women building their own brands, especially small, independent black creators, don't overcomplicate it. Shopify takes the guesswork out of everything. So let's be real. It's time to stop thinking and start doing. And there is no better way to do that than Shopify. Use our link shopify.com b e n now to start getting serious about building your future.

[G Herbo]

Program your alarm to power 105.1 on iHeartradio. This is your time to get it off your chest.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Keep calling 800-585-1051. We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club. Hello?

[G Herbo]

Who's this?

[First Lady]

Oh, man. Here y' all go with this. Hey, Envy. How y' all doing? Hey, everybody. God bless y'.

[Kehlani]

All.

[DJ Envy]

Love y'.

[First Lady]

All. Good morning, everybody.

[DJ Envy]

Good morning.

[First Lady]

Okay, first of all, ladies, love y'. All. You all do a good job. We love you all down here in the deep, okay? I want to make sure we say all that first.

[G Herbo]

Thank you, baby.

[First Lady]

It's not for you all. My cousin told me to kill Charlamagne. It's for the three of you. Charlamagne, your black ball head ass. You didn't put our cousin on that goddamn dunk the other day Yesterday. Everything ain't funny, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What happened?

[First Lady]

We love our kids down here. You ain't even had a facts right, man. Get that right. Before you be going on there, you do the. And everybody told me Brandy don't say nothing. Cause you know he. He talk about everybody. I don't give a man. Now you talking about people, family. We don't like that. Everything ain't funny, especially when it come to these kids, man. And a black man. I'm mad if hell you did it to a black man that really with his kids in a white environment that you don't even know about. Stop doing that, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What. What happened?

Who did he give donkey to Yesterday?

David Scott Jr. 43 years old. He allegedly said, told the the teacher, I'm gonna air this bitch out and so he got arrested.

[First Lady]

Oh, and he didn't say that. MARTY pants.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, I said. I said during donkey of the day. I don't know if he said that or not, but what I said was he clearly said something that led to his arrest. And then I gave other ways for him to possibly handle the situation, like calmly request a meeting. Request a meeting with the teacher at a school administration.

[First Lady]

I gotta stop you, bro.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

They did.

[First Lady]

That's what I'm telling you. All those things, that's. You didn't even let the story play out to me. You know how the media is. Just like they did here when they went and interviewed the mother. They didn't play the whole clip or show the evidence that she had about how they went to the school, how they were talking to the principal. All I'm calling to tell you is.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Man, listen, I didn't see that on the clip. I watched the whole clip. I didn't see.

[First Lady]

I know you didn't see it on the clip. Listen, I know you didn't because his brother called and checked the lady about that. That's what I'm telling you. If it was some like that, man, would nobody be even saying nothing? But let me tell you something. What we not gonna do is penalize and over the brothers that's really out here. That man with his kids every day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you hear me? Did you hear me say, I can understand the brother feeling the way he felt, but there's other ways to handle the situation.

[First Lady]

Other ways to handle. Yeah, man, but I want y' all to know that. Listen, he got. He don't handle things like that. Where they say that that's like a different type of environment. Y' all got people, places like that in New York.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What you mean, different type of environment? Like, tell me, what are you talking about? What do you mean?

[First Lady]

Like. Okay, so they. They stay in a place called East Point right over there. They don't really with them black, like how they. You know what I'm saying? Like, Detroit is. That's not Detroit over there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's a white area. It's a white area. And the white area in the white area don't mess with the black people over there.

[First Lady]

Yeah, not really. Not really. You know what I'm saying? If you move over there, listen, that's like anywhere you go, if you move on the block and it's just gentrified, you know what I'm saying? You gonna. These neighbors and you gonna get along with people. But that area, hell no. For him to be surviving and survived over there. All the time he been over there, and they never had a problem or where he come from. Leave my cousin alone, man. He a good guy, bro. If it wasn't something else, I wouldn't have said nothing. You see what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, hold on.

[First Lady]

Good dad, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm not saying.

[First Lady]

You said that. He come from good stuff. He come from a good family. He a good brother.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes. Nobody said he. Nobody said he's not. All I simply said was there's other ways to handle the situation.

[First Lady]

And we. And he tried. Bro, I want you to say that investigating for you bring like that, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So he didn't say. He didn't say nothing bad to the teacher whatsoever.

[First Lady]

We ain't gonna say he ain't say nothing bad. He ain't say. He don't wear no. With no kids, bro.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hey, back.

[Papoose]

Time out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

By the way, I want you to go back and listen to the donkey today. And I specifically said. I don't know whether he said Ed is bi.

[First Lady]

I don't want to listen to it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But he says something that got arrested. Yes, ma'.

[Papoose]

Am.

[First Lady]

Listen, let me say Charlemagne. I'm gonna tell you like I told everybody else.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, ma'.

[Papoose]

Am.

[First Lady]

Cause they said, yeah, Charlamagne do this all the time. He talk about everybody. Let me say this. I don't listen to that, because I know it's fun. It's entertainment. I'm gonna tell you like this. We are black, man. Our family love each other. We love our kids. We don't even play games like that. So anybody go look at anything down here on these Facebooks and all that, what everybody's saying about that. He ain't even like that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, ma'.

[First Lady]

Am over there. That took some and ran with it. But please don't ever put no image of our family's life out like that, bro. We don't do that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

[First Lady]

And that's all I got to say. Love y'.

[Papoose]

All.

[First Lady]

Envy. You know, we with you down here. Just hilarious. We love you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I love you, too.

[First Lady]

We love y'. All, man, you gotta stop that, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, ma'. Am.

All right. Thank you, First Lady.

Gotcha. Now, let the moral of the story show that. Let the moral of the story be that I understand everything that she's saying, but as I said, you can't go down to the. Whether he said Ed is be out or not, Whatever he said caused him people to call the police, and he got arrested. So there's other ways to handle the situation. Request a meeting with the teacher of the school Administration. Okay. Gather more information and see what their policy is in regards to the snacks.

She said they did all that? That's what she said.

But she also said that she can't say that. He ain't say nothing. Okay? Come on, man.

[DJ Envy]

That's our family.

[G Herbo]

That's her cousin.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She won't call it.

[Papoose]

I get it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I get it, okay? I get it.

But thank you, First Lady. First Lady. If you need another cousin, I'll be your cousin. She woke up early in the morning for that this morning.

That's great. That's what mean she, right?

I didn't say that.

I just said that because, as I said yesterday, smart people learn from their own mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others. We got to learn from situations like David Scott Jr. And I'm sorry that that brother's in the situation that he's in, but we know that we just can't handle, you know, things in that way, especially being that he's a black man dealing with them white people that. She said that. Probably prejudiced.

[G Herbo]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, well, salute to the whole Detroit. What up, Doe out there? All right, get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need the vent, hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[G Herbo]

It's a new day. This is your time to get it off your chest.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wait. Wake up.

[DJ Envy]

Whether you're mad or blessed, it's time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

To get up and get something.

[G Herbo]

Call up now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

800-585-1051.

[Papoose]

We want to hear from you on the Breakfast Club. Hello?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who's this?

[First Lady]

Yeah, this is Trouble.

[Papoose]

Trevor.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's up, Trevor?

[First Lady]

Oh, yeah, like, my thing is, you know, I want to put it out there. Maga. Maga. We don't have no fracture in the mega potty.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's no fracture.

[First Lady]

That's a false narrative.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, you maga.

[First Lady]

Maga? Yes, sir.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Papoose]

All day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

So it's no fracture in a mega potty.

[First Lady]

And also, I want to state this because, you know, I sit back and listen and I heard this, this, this. This thing about Trump this, Trump that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I want to say, like this, Charlemagne, I don't care, bro.

[DJ Envy]

You know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, no, I want to say this.

[First Lady]

Remember when Joe Biden told you at the end of that podcast, if you don't vote for him, you ain't black?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, I do.

[First Lady]

That's some of the most disrespectful stuff that since we want to talk about white people. Racist. That's one of the most racist things that an old white man can tell a black man, if you don't vote for me, you ain't black. Trump, Trump is one of the best presidents outside of Abraham Lincoln.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's in that chair, you know, and it's false narrative. I'm not about to debate with you about this. No, but, but like, you remember when.

[Papoose]

Joe Biden told you that, though, right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was sitting there. He told. He said it to me. What you mean?

[First Lady]

Yes, but you ain't say nothing negative about that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

About who? About Joe Biden.

[First Lady]

Yeah, the most disrespectful stuff. And he told you that to your.

[Papoose]

Face on your podcast if you don't vote for him.

[First Lady]

So basically he's saying, but that, that's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That'S not true, though.

[First Lady]

You know, where you supposed to stand as a black man. That what he told you?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, and I watched it. Listen. Yes. And as I told him in that moment, you know, it's not about me being black. It's about me wanting something for my people. So, I mean, that was. That was the conversation.

[First Lady]

But had Trump. But, but had Trump said something like.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That, it would have exploded. But that did explode.

[First Lady]

But outside, no idea.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But outside of that, I want to.

[First Lady]

Say to that news, lady, I want to get to that news.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Mimi Brown.

[First Lady]

Yeah, she got to real stories.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What wasn't real, like, like what's not the real story?

[First Lady]

Like, she got a narrative like, like she reporting and she got that little narrative, that negative narrative about the King.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

About the dawn, you know, my brother, my brother, listen, no, no, don't hang up on him. This is a good conversation. There is no way that you can. I've been knowing about Trump.

[First Lady]

I've been knowing about Trump since the 80s, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Sure, I come up in the inner city all my life.

[First Lady]

I've been knowing about Trump since the 80s.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where you from?

[First Lady]

Richmond, Virginia.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

If you knew about Trump since the 80s, you'd have a whole. Anyway, I'm not even had a conversation. This is what I will say it's about. It's impossible for you to be objective about Donald Trump because you just called that man king. And Don, I don't know why we.

Were like, why you want to argue this?

So, so anything that you hear. Because, like, I know it's going to trigger.

[First Lady]

Because I know it's going to trigger. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It don't trigger me.

No, I just don't want to argue.

I just know I can't have an objective conversation with you about it.

But you have a good one also.

But Also, I just want to say.

[First Lady]

This, though, but if y' all can go back and look at it. Look at the interview with Oprah Winfrey back in the mid-80s when Oprah.

[Papoose]

When Oprah had her show in Chicago.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She used to have Donald Trump on.

[First Lady]

That show all the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She always used to ask Trump about running for president.

[First Lady]

You know, Jesse Jackson, he looked out for Jackson. Jackson homegirl from the. Like, he did that movie with Beyonce. What's her name? Like the singer, the black girl who got. Yeah, Jennifer Hudson. Trump took her in after that incident.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Happened with her family, with Michael Jackson. I never heard that.

[First Lady]

Michael.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I never heard. You never heard of that. No. But listen, bro, you gotta get off your knees, man. You called that white man a king this morning. The glaze is crazy. The Krispy Kreme around your lips right now is ridiculous. And I'm not. If that's your opinion, that's your opinion. But God damn, you can't even be objective and have an objective conversation with somebody like that. If you refer to your president as a king. Hey, that's ridiculous. That is. You should never refer to no elected official as a king, bro. All right.

Get it off your chest. 800-585-1051. If you need the event, hit us up now. It's the Breakfast Club.

Good morning.

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.

Yes, sir.

We got g herbo. Welcome. And congratulations, man. The number one record a couple of weeks ago. Congrats, man.

[Papoose]

Thank you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How are you?

[G Herbo]

I'm good, I'm good. I'm glad to be here. That's what's up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How does it feel, number one record?

[G Herbo]

I feel good. I'm not gonna lie. I feel great. It feel great. I just be trying to, like, stay in the moment, just. Just keep it, like, up, you know, like when you. When you got those type of moments, you just trying to figure out, like, all right, well, I, me, personally, like, I gotta figure out what's the next best thing, like, what do I do next from that? Like, I. I try to live in the moment and grasp up that energy, but just keep it going. Like, I'm not trying to catch another number one. I'm just trying to keep it going.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you expect that to be the record? Because it's not your typical.

[G Herbo]

Of course.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It was just you just spitting.

[G Herbo]

Nah, hell no. For sure. I was just. Literally, I. I can't say it enough. It was just me just having fun. In the studio. I was in New York and was in the studio. Me, Southside, Smack and you know, Southside. Like I really, I be having to give a lot of credit to Big Bro because he one of the only people that could tell me like rap on this, just rap on this and figure it out. Like just rap. And that's what I did. And that, that changed my life.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who picked it as a single like, or was it just. I'm just gonna release and see what happened. And it just took off like how.

[G Herbo]

That's what I'm saying. That's why like as artists you gotta like really just bet on yourself. For real, for real. Because I was in a mode of just trying to do music and see what the streets connected to. I didn't even like that song came out in December on my app. I got an app on my own app like where I just put out music material, content. All this is just for the people who really support me. Like, you know, I'm saying my fans, they know about the G herbo app. I put it out on my app on a project that I was just recording all samples to. Like I did a project with all samples and it couldn't even go on Apple music. It couldn't go on dsps. You see what I'm saying? Like I put it out on the app in December and the label put it out on DSPs in like March, April. So it's like you gotta just try and just see what the street look.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Congratulations on your app.

[Papoose]

I ain't gonna get it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Appreciate it. Has it changed the bag? Has that single changed your bag?

[G Herbo]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Cause see, I'll be thinking that, you know, a lot of people be fronting on like the power of radio and having a big radio record speak to that man for sure.

[G Herbo]

I always been like, I knew because I've been independent this whole time. So I know about like analytics, I know about like residuals. I know what like one record could really change your life.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right.

[G Herbo]

I'm saying like, and I finally caught that record, that like that life changing record. So yeah, the, the bag been crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Since the royalties from radio are better than the screaming.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

For sure.

[G Herbo]

And it's like once you, once you get a song that really go radio, it's like it just like it just change everything. For real, for real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Changes the places you actually perform. Right?

[G Herbo]

Exactly. Like you could put, you could put, you put money in radio for sure for it to do what it's supposed to do. But just like even like it's a difference between, like, putting something radio for just get on the radio to get, like, rhythmic play playlist, you know what I'm saying? Like, all of that is a big super difference. Like, I'll be talking to, like, make all the time. And just like, once you get a record, like, I'm not even talking about what legit. Like, it's certain records that like the format where, you know, it could go radio, you know what I'm saying? Like, I feel like every artist, all you need is like one radio record a year. Just one. Like, you feel what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It ain't that easy to get one record, right?

[G Herbo]

It's not easy at all. But, like, you know, hit maker, that's my big brother. Like, he. He the God of this. Like, you feel what I'm saying? Like, he know the whole formula. He do it, like, and that's why he's so rich like that richest. Because he own radio every year at.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Least once figured it out, right?

[G Herbo]

For sure. Wild little Herb Walla Herb. I was just trying to, like, tap into, like, that old hunger, like, my old self. And when I be rapping good and, like, I be reading the comments and sometime my fans be like, oh, that ain't. That ain't G Herbo. That's Lil Herb. You know what I'm saying? Like, I feel like that was like, one of my best eras of rap. Like, I always been able to rap. I'm an emcee, so it's like I don't care if I'm not even all the way tapped into, like, my confidence and all of this. I'm always gonna be able to rap good, you feel me? But, like, once you really focus on straight rap, yeah, it's different. And that's what I was trying to do. So that's why I went and, like, name my album Lil Herb. Like, I was going up, like, listen to old interviews, listen to old music videos. I mean, watch old music videos, listen to old songs and like that. And like, I was just trying to find, like, a higher, like, level of rap for myself, you know what I'm saying? Like, and I say this all the time. Like, you could really get caught up in what's in front of you. Like, I always been the type of person, like, I say this a lot. A lot of rooms that I was in. I wasn't really in the rooms, you.

[Papoose]

Know what I'm saying?

[G Herbo]

Because I'm thinking about, like, my past. Yeah. I'm thinking about what I got to do when I get out the room. Like, I'm just saying, what's up? Like, there's certain conversations that I really couldn't have because my mind is all over the place.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You feel me?

[G Herbo]

Like, so, like, in this, like, era where I am, mentally, I was just trying to like, find that old hunger that made me enjoy what I have now, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's, that's why I really named my project Little Herb. Because like, you, like, on a day to day, I'm 30 years old. I've been rapping since I was like 16. For real, for real. Like, you feel me? And I was trying to figure out, like, damn, like, like all the steps that it took me to get here. You feel what I'm saying? Like, I forgot a lot. I'm not gonna lie. It's a lot of that I did that I forgot. So it's like I wanted to make myself remember, so I had to like, go back and. And like, tap in with my old self. For real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I heard you say Little Herb is a full circle moment and it's a return to the fundamentals. But you closing the chapter on the Little Herb area, what does. What does closing that chapter actually look like?

[G Herbo]

Closing that chapter is like, for real, just letting go. Like, it's a lot of. I held on to that. I just don't need no more. Like, for real, for real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like the streets, that therapy talk right there, boy.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, Just letting go. For real, for real. And it is. It is definitely therapy that help me. It's like a lot of that you hold on to you just like, just let it go. Just let it go and just let it find you. You know what I'm saying? Like, no, for real. Like, I was one of them people that just like, my heart so big and I feel like people knew that. Like, people knew that. Like, they. They grabbed me and I'm grabbing them back. You feel what I'm saying? Like, I'm holding on to that type of. It's like that's just letting that chapter go. Like, and people been saying this to me for years, and I've been knowing it, but I never really acted on it. Like, I. I shouldn't focus on nothing but music and my family and like, God, like, that's the only thing that I should wake up and care about. I shouldn't really give a. About how somebody else eat or how somebody else get to work or get to sleep or any of that. And I worried about that for years. Like, let's be closing that chapter. Like I'm gonna tap into this, tell my story, and just let go or let go and let God for real, for. And that go for everything and everybody. And it's a whole nother chapter opening for me, because everything that got me here, I don't even really have it no more. For real, for real. All my friends there, I'm finna be a real 100% independent artist. I don't got no label, no production company. I'm 100% a real new person and a new artist. So it's like, I just want to just tap into this, do what I need to do, and I'm already doing it for real, but just, like, letting go for real. Like, I don't want to have no attachments other than family, no bull.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now, you talk about Meek Mill changing your life, right? He was your inspiration. Break that down of what you've seen in Meek that made you think that you can do it.

[G Herbo]

I just got done listening to we gonna get this money right now on my way here. Like, Meek is my favorite rapper. For real, bro. It's my big brother. And I was just with Meek last night. We just did a song last night. We was in the studio last night, I believe. But, like, I. I used to listen to Meek and watch Meek when he was a battle rapper, but when he really got rich and made this happen, it's like, all right, but that, like, it's different for me watching, like, Wayne and Hov and you know what I'm saying? Like, I couldn't. Like, I. I could relate to it, but it's like, once when I grew up and me grow, I seen them rich already. Like, yeah, I seen me turn rich coming from the streets and going through all the. That he went through and really, like, talking about it and preaching, like, positivity and motivation, that made me feel like I just want to be like that. For real, for real. Like, that really, like, helped me grow into the artist that I am today. For real, for real. Because, like, damn. Like, Meek, like, it's not like he was an artist. He was, like, far away. You feel what I'm saying? Like, I felt like I could grasp onto that and become that. Like, this is a real street that became the. The biggest in the world. Like, he became the biggest, best rat and he's a rap guy. Like, I love rapping. I'm an mc, so I study that first and foremost. But just a blueprint of, like. And like, he. He, like, he gave you the real blueprint. Like, you get on you. You take care you do what you supposed to do. You take care of your family, your mother like that. To make me like, I just used to have to just give money to my mama. Just like, thinking about that type of. You know what I'm saying? Like, I retired my mom when I was 16 years old, bro. Literally. And it put a lot of pressure on me. I told my mama stopped working when I was 16. She never worked since. I've been taking care of her, my aunties, my whole family, since I was 16. That's a lot of pressure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's a hell of a pressure.

A lot of pressure.

Now you're the meek mill for a lot of these younger artists. So what do you show them to show them that they can do it. What do you do different? So, because, you know you got a lot of kids watching you, they want.

[G Herbo]

To be herbo for sure. Like, for me is. I just try to, like, what's the word? Like, you gotta, like, show them, like. Like what Meek did. For real. Like, being a good, tangible. You just gotta show them. Like, I like. The thing with me that I feel, like, make a difference a lot is I let people see me in the physical. Like, you gotta see it, like, have conversations. Like, seeing is believing. You feel what I'm saying? Like, you know, you could do this when you could actually get in front of somebody like me growing up, I never seen nobody that I looked up to. And I wanted to be, like, in front of me, talking to me. I'm saying, like, I just had to have a manpower. Like, I could do it. I'm gonna do it. You feel what I'm saying? Like, and it happened for me. And when I got a certain age, like 19, 28, like, those ages when I started traveling and having conversations with people that I looked up to, but, like, 14, 15, 16, them years really matter where. It's like, you know what I'm saying? I try to be the person where I just go back and do certain things and go touch the community and, you know what I'm saying? Tell them that they could really make it. Like, this is nothing for real. Like. But like, you know, and I ain't gonna say it's nothing. Like, it's. It's a task for sure. It's hard, but it's easy at the same time. All you gotta do is wake up and strive to go get it and want to do it and believe that you could do it. You just gotta have a vision, you know what I'm saying? Like, and. And when I go look at, like, These kids and be going to talk and have conversations, like they got the same power that I got. Like, they really got something in them. They just don't think it's possible. This is really possible. Like they.

[DJ Envy]

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[G Herbo]

Wake up. And all you got is this 4 block radius and your hood and that you dealing with every day. You think that's your life, but it's like it's so much outside of that. All you gotta know is how to break that cycle. And you found saying like that's, that's the thing with me. Like I feel like that's what make a difference in why people like believe in me. Because I try. I let them touch me. I let em. You know what I'm saying? Pause like, you know what I'm saying? I go see the people.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm thinking about something now and you made me think about it when you said you've been rapping since you was 19. Because I can remember like your first. First 16, 16, 16. I can remember your first early Breakfast Club interviews. Right. But then it started getting me thinking about all of these artists we've seen from Chicago that have come through. Come through here the past 15 years. You talk about what's possible, man. You are proof that surviving is possible.

[G Herbo]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Chief Keef is proof that surviving is possible.

[G Herbo]

Sosa, definitely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, people like Dirk that's locked up, people like Vaughn that's no longer here.

[G Herbo]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Plenty other artists we probably interview from Chicago.

[G Herbo]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How does that feel?

[G Herbo]

It feel great, man. You know, and I'm gonna say this again. I'm a shout make out real quick because he just told me the other day. And this if it feel different, it's a different feeling than him saying. It's like he like, man, when you. The chosen one, it's certain things that just affect you differently. You know what I'm saying? Like, and I learned that from the streets. Like, I didn't bump my head so many times and did so much and been arrested and fell off and came back or whatever the case may be. You know what I'm saying? It's like when you do certain things, God just punish you differently.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[G Herbo]

Because you can't get away with that. You feel. I'm saying, like, you would think you would see somebody else doing it. Like, oh, he did it. And you can't do that because God got a different path for you. And surviving in Chicago, just making it out of the streets alone is a blessing. Like, it's literally like, I'd be seeing some of my homies and certain people that just like. But, and I understand it, other people don't get it. Like, it's certain people where you just like, you just like wash your hands with everything. I know certain that was real menaces in the streets that don't do nothing but just be at home with their girl and their kids now. Because they just want peace. Like, damn, I made it out this. I can't believe I'm still alive. Like, a lot of people never experience life to that capacity where they just grateful that they're alive, that they still here. You feel what I'm saying? And there's a lot of people when it comes to surviving, you gotta make decisions and it got to be calculated. And there's a lot of people that's just raised off survival or you would do anything. It's a difference. Like when you survive and you just raised off survival. Like, I'm trying to explain that with, like, it's certain people where if you just like, survive was your first instinct, you would do anything, you would kill your closest friend, you a snitch, robbed, rob, steal from your mama, your grandma. And you gotta understand, it's like, that's just life. It's certain people who don't know nothing else. They was raised off of survival. They mother and father raised them off of survival. So it's like a lot of people don't understand that. You feel what I'm saying? It's just me being here today. I try to, like. I think that's one of the reasons why, like, I probably got took advantage of so much. Cause I understand both sides of the fence and I try to get everybody the benefit of the doubt. You know what I'm saying? Like, I try to like, think about putting myself in other people's shoes before I make a decision. If I'm saying, like, I always. Before I do anything, I always think about the consequences, repercussions, everything. So if I do something to anybody or do anything, I thought about it so many times, I'm comfortable with how it play out. You feel what I'm saying? And like, you, like, it's only certain people that think like that, especially in life. And coming from Chicago, you got to think about both sides of the fence. It's certain people that think a lot, and there's certain people that don't think at all. You feel me? And it's a blessing to be here for sure, for sure. Cause I seen a lot, I experienced a lot. I seen a lot of death. And I just come from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago. Like, one of the most poverty struck in neighborhoods where it's like, I was a kid and people used to. Like, a lady walked. I think I said this before on a Breakfast Club interview when I was a shorty. Like, a lady walked up on me. I'm waiting on my mom. She coming from the laundromat. Lady walked up on me like, you got some C. I'm like, like what? I'm like, what? She like, you got some seed. She asked for crack. I'm. I'm like 9 years old. I'm like 9, 10. Waiting on my mama to come in the house like, you got some C? I'm like, what?

[Papoose]

Yeah.

[G Herbo]

She asked me if I had cracked. Literally a kid. Three in the morning, I'm outside. Cause that's nine year olds selling crack.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

For real.

For real. Like, so when did you get some to sell?

[Kehlani]

Jesus.

[G Herbo]

It's the statue of limitations with this. It's a statue of limitations for sure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's therapeutic with this album, though, in regards to your grieving process, because I hear you mentioned your brother a lot, especially on Give It All.

[G Herbo]

How.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How did that help?

[G Herbo]

I ain't gonna lie that I've been dealing with death since I was a kid, bro. Like, I lost. I started losing friends when I was, like, 14 years old, you know, like, and. And I'm talking about that. I'm touching on that in my. In my al. My project. But you gotta really, like, realize I'm 30 years old. I've been losing people I love for 15 years. Like. Yeah. And still managing to wake up and make it happen and bg herbo and take pictures and smile for the fans. Like, I really didn't. Lost some of my best friends and had to go do a show that same day. You feel? I'm saying, like, my homie cap died 2015. I had to perform in front of 10,000 people. I just had to find it in me. A lot of people can't do that. A lot of people, like, man, I just lost my homie. I'm gonna go spin. Like, I wanted to go do the show. So it's like, I feel like I'm really destined for this. I chose my own destiny. I chose my own path. And I'm saying that, like, for me to experience all of that death and feel like I was numb to it when my little brother died, it changed my life. That was some of the worst pain that I ever felt in my life ever. Like, I. I could never. I never could fathom. Like, and. And I'm. I'm a street. Like, when I wake out, when I walk out the house, I feel like I'm gonna die. Like, you know, like, I really feel like that. And that's what get me home, you feel? I'm saying, like, every step, every move that I take is calculated. And I never felt like he was gonna die. You know what I'm saying? Like, no. Bullshit. I never, ever think like him. Hell no. I just. I never thought he was gonna die. Every day I wake out, wake up. I really feel like I'm a die. I feel like somebody would do something to me, and that's just the life I live. And that's just.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You still feel like that? Because I remember last time you said you feel like that, you said you were going to therapy to help you.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, it helped me with ptsd. It helped me with it. But, like, nah, hell no. And I. And I'm glad that even going through therapy and, like, growing and healing the way that I've healed in my life, I'm kind of glad that I never lost that edge, for real. Because that's how I protect myself. That's how I protect my children. That's how I make sure I get back home. You feel what I'm saying? Like, I'm not out here thugging. I ain't wilding. I ain't doing no crazy. Some days I leave the house and it just be just me by myself, no security, nothing. But I'm still on point. I'm still watching my back. I'm still aware of my surroundings. You feel what I'm saying? So it's like, I'm glad that I never lost that edge. For real. For real. And when, like, going back to what? You know what I'm saying? What you said. Charlamagne. Like, when I. When my little brother died, I lost myself. Like, I became an alcoholic. Like, a badass alcoholic. I never used to drink, bro. I used to drink a fifth of liquor every single day. Like, every day by myself. Like, and my girl was pregnant when he died. You feel me? Like, And I was like, I. I was trying to, like, not be that weak around her. You feel me? Because she. She know I didn't been through. Like, she didn't been around me. And I done lost homies. You feel? I'm saying, like. And she used to, like, say, like, snap out of it. Like, you feel me? Like, she used to, like, say, but it's like, I can't. It was just so hard for me. I really couldn't, for real. Like, I used to have to leave the house just to go cry. Like, swear to God, like, just go get in the car and just cry for an hour straight. Cause I ain't want to do that in front of her. And I felt like I should have. I should have. I should have. But I was like, I don't know. I just.

[DJ Envy]

And when she say snap out of.

[G Herbo]

It, what does she mean? Like, not snap out of the grief. Snap out of the healing. Snap out of the crashing out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, drinking.

[G Herbo]

Drinking every day and wanting to go to the club and just feel something, because I really can't feel nothing. You know what I'm saying? Like, that was, like. That's what she used to tell me to snap out of. And it was like. It was hard, man. I ain't gonna lie.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to go back to one thing you said in regards to how you reacted. Death. Because you Know, staying busy is a response to trauma. Yeah, right.

[G Herbo]

And.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And we saw that in real time, if you don't mind me bringing this up. Like. Like, people don't know. The day your father passed, God blessed.

[G Herbo]

I came here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You were scheduled to do a Breakfast Club interview. You came in the studio and still.

Wanted to do it.

Like, bro, go home. Like, what the hell?

[G Herbo]

And I. I'm. I love you forever for that. Because I really was here to do that. And it's like, that's the thing. Like, I'm so used to death and used to. It's like I didn't even process it for real. Like, I came here because it's like I really was in my head trying to forget that dad is dead. Yeah. But I gotta, like, understand it. I gotta know. Like, yeah, my pops just died today. I need to process that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, and you had just got the news while you was in the car.

[G Herbo]

On the way here.

[Papoose]

Yeah.

[G Herbo]

My dad was in the hospital. I knew he was sick, and I found out he died, and I just came here. I don't know. I just, like, I. I don't even. Like.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What are you doing, bro? Like, we not doing no enemy.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, no, he told me, like, bro, just go home. Like, just. Yeah, leave, bro. For real.

[DJ Envy]

For real. The rest of that day, like, what did you do?

[G Herbo]

Did you reflect on it? Were you afraid to even. I was afraid. I was afraid because, like, when you lose a parent, that's different. For real, for real. My dad, like, I didn't. I didn't have an absent father. Like, my father been living with me my entire life. Like, my mother and my dad been together 40 years. For real, for real. And, like. And I think I was just trying to, like, not feel it, like, not process it. Like, you know what I'm saying? I was just like, all right, bet. Let me just do it. And, like, that's the. That's the problem. Like, that's the thing. Like, you feel like, all right, let me just do it and push through this. And this is my job. This is my life. Like, you gotta put that to the side. Sometimes when you're going through things like that, you feel what I'm saying. And the rest of that day for me was really just like, I was scared. Like, I ain't want to call my mama. I ain't want to talk to my sister. It took me so long to just ask my sister, are you okay? How you doing? It was super hard.

[Kehlani]

You weren't okay.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, I was scared to have them conversations with her. How you feeling? You know what I'm saying? Even my mom, like, I keep my mom close to me and my mom like this. You feel me? And I. I know it. Like, I. I could see it. I know she was not okay. And I used to avoid them conversations, you know what I'm saying? Like, she brings stuff up and, like, send me pictures and all that. It was. It was like I'd have been in therapy. I'm a person that's not, like, shy from my emotions. Like, I'm in tune with my emotions, all of that. But just like, it was hard because, like, for me, just. I just thought he had more time. Like, I just wanted him to be here. So I wasn't trying to, like, live in reality because I'm still. I was still grieving my little brother.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[G Herbo]

You know what I'm saying? Like, so when that happened, it was just like, I didn't want to believe that my dad was dead because I be on the road sometimes I go eight months without seeing my pops. So it's like, you feel me? Like, eight, nine months without seeing them at all. Sometimes I go months without talking to him. So I was trying to, like, tap into that. Like, you feel me? Like, let me just get in that mentality. Like he, like he here, but you know what I'm saying? But he. My. My pops really like that crazy. I think about that every day. Like, man really died on me. And it's crazy. Like, I pray every day. Like, I pray so much because my pops, my last conversation with him, my dad died the day after his birthday. Like my birthday, October 8th. My dad birthday, October 16th. He died on the 17th. And my last conversation with him, I called him, I said, happy birthday. I said, man, you on your way, boy, you getting old. Like, I'm like, you getting old, boy? And he died. Like, that was the last thing I said to my pops. Like, boy, you on your way. Boy, you about to be 70. You know what I'm saying? Like, you getting old. Stop getting old. You said that I was on my way. Yeah, I. I hope so. I want him to now he haven't checked. I want him to. I hope he. I hope he's telling me that tonight. Like, that gave me a lot of comfort. For real? For real.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is it hard to write about? I mean, like I said, you write about your brother now. Yeah, but you think your brother would pass three years ago?

[G Herbo]

Five.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Five.

[G Herbo]

Okay, five years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So is it hard? It's hard to put that on paper.

[G Herbo]

Right now in a way, like, only like I'll just, like, for sure. Like, in a way, I just rap about, like, my pop's passing. Yeah. I never. Like, I didn't got all the way. Like, I didn't made songs, like, paying homage to my brother. Like, give it all. That song is about my brother and made songs just talking about how I felt that day. Like, I done made multiple songs about my brother dying. Like, I ain't did it for my pops yet. All I said on wax, for real, is just like my dad did. Like, I never spoke about the emotions, how I felt, none of that. So, yeah, it is definitely tough because I. I don't know, I feel, like, mentally or just where I'm at in life. Like, I ain't been able to tap into that pain yet.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, well, you want to get into something off the album? What you. What you want to hear off the album, man?

[G Herbo]

Let's play Give It All. It's one of my favorite songs.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We appreciate you for joining us, brother. Pick up her whole album this week. And it's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Morning, everybody.

[DJ Envy]

It's DJ Envy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just hilarious. Charlemagne the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lorna Rose is here as well. We got a special guest in the building.

Yes, indeed.

Number one record. The record is flying on the charts. We play it, what, every hour on the hour.

Damn near one of my wife's favorite records right now. Fold it.

Ladies and gentlemen, Kalani.

Welcome. Hey.

[DJ Envy]

Hey, guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How are you, Kalani?

[DJ Envy]

I'm really good.

[Kehlani]

How are you?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I am blessed.

[Papoose]

Black and Holiday.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How's your energy?

[Kehlani]

It's good. Can I. Can I tell you guys something before we start?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, of course.

[Kehlani]

It's very important that during this era of my life, I let everyone know that my name is pronounced Kaylani.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who said otherwise?

[Kehlani]

You guys say.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I always say Kehlani. Good morning.

[Papoose]

Kay. Good morning.

[Kehlani]

I'm really good. How are you guys?

[DJ Envy]

This might be, like, a stupid question, but, like, why this right? Right now? Why haven't you been correcting people?

[Kehlani]

You know what? I feel like I have here and there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Kehlani]

But then, like, it just blows under, like, nobody cares. Everybody just says how they want to say. It's not that big of a deal. I have family members who say, kalani, got you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Kehlani]

But, you know, I'm like, I'm 30 now. I'm feeling a little like, let's just get. You know, it's been 10 years. My name wrong for 10 years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's interesting. You know, we all like to create safe spaces for ourselves.

Yeah.

I don't think you can create a safe space if people calling you out your wrong name. Because I think if I was doing an interview and somebody said Kalani the whole interview, probably thinking, I should have corrected him. I should have corrected him. I should have corrected him.

[Kehlani]

But no one wants to be that person. As, like, sour is the moment. It's like, by the way, scratch that. Yeah, you should. Well, here we are now. Now you guys know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's right. How does it feel? Folded, number one. How is that feeling?

[Kehlani]

It feels really good. It's been a long time coming. I've been getting told for the last eight years of my life, you know, you're always one song away. You're one song away. You're one song away. We see it for you. And so to have the song and everything be changing in this way, it's really nice.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you know that was the record when y' all did it?

[DJ Envy]

Would you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did you know that was gonna be it?

[DJ Envy]

No.

[Kehlani]

It was the most accidental thing in the world. Like, even making it was accidental. It came about accidentally. I'm in la, I get a call to come finish this feature, but the guy's like, I'm about to go on this massive tour. Like, but so you have to come finish it with me in person. Bring the producers. Come to Miami. Bring the producers. We go to Miami, and for two days, we just can't figure out this song that we're supposed to finish. And we don't want. We don't want to waste the time. So we went to a studio house with Don Mills, who actually plays a guitar on the song. And Dre Harris came, and the first beat he played was the folded beat from his boy dk, the Punisher. And I bring it in the other room, and I just keep singing this hook, and everybody's like, that's really cool. Like, let's build on it. And we stayed there for a week, but every single day after, you know, we made that song, it'd be the one song from the, like, the camp that we just kept replaying. And I hit my label, and I was like, I don't know. Like, I know you guys are looking for. What is it? It's like, is it June or July at this time? I'm not sure. I know you guys are looking for, like, the club single, the Banger. This is not that. Like, this isn't really Song of the Summer.

[DJ Envy]

I don't.

[Kehlani]

But this feels like an introduction to, like, where I'm at mentally, musically, my, you know, maturation in my, like, My sonic journey. And let me just tease it. Like, let me put it out. You guys don't have to, you know, don't freak out. But it feels good. And it just kind of, like, took its own life. And there we are.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

A lot of emotional intelligence to fold a man's clothes and tell them, come get him, instead of just throwing them.

[G Herbo]

All over the line.

[Kehlani]

Well, I mean, I'm definitely not folding a man's clothes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, well, yeah.

[Kehlani]

Anyone's clothes.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Kehlani]

But I think it's a very nuanced perspective, and I'm watching a lot of people be on this, you know, really extreme side of it. Either, like, Kehlani's way better than me. Your clothes would be in a trash can, or.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm not taking time for that.

[Kehlani]

Right. Or they're like, yeah, I'm folding instantly. I'm folding the clothes and acid. Who cares if they did wrong in the song? I verbatim say, like, I probably should have asked for space, but I kind of told you to walk away, which means I probably jumped the gun, and I overreacted. And I need to express to you that you did hurt me, but also, maybe come over so we can talk about it. So it's more of, like, a nuanced, mature conversation existing. That's kind of like both, you did hurt me, but we also need to speak. And I also might have not, you know, handled this the right way, and let's just get in the same place and get in each other's face and come talk about it. I'm gonna use your clothes as bait.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I like this.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, no, go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You're choosing vulnerability over wearing emotional armor.

[Kehlani]

Yeah, exactly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what shifted in your real life that allowed that change?

[Kehlani]

I think something happens when you, you know, you're turning 30. I mean, astrologically, something major happens. You go through a Saturn return. And outside of that, I just. I've been through a lot in the last couple years. I've really spent, you know, making the changes I needed to make. I know I saw you guys last time. We talked about mental health and all those. You know, it's been a year since then, I think. When I came to you guys last time, I was a week into being diagnosed. I just started medication. I'm now a year into, like, that journey. Very settled in, very in my routine. Very, very healthy, and being able to assess myself and assess my situations and, you know, just be on top of my stuff. Honestly, that allowed me to be able to come to a place to write from the perspective I'm able to write from now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Were you ever on the other side? Meaning were you ever the person to throw the clothes in the bag and then throw the clothes out the window?

[Kehlani]

Oh, for sure.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, yeah.

Of course.

It was a growth evolution.

[Kehlani]

Yeah, I've been like a 25 year old girl before. Yeah, for sure.

[DJ Envy]

What has your journey been like since you said last time they saw you was like first week of. Yeah, you know, what has your personal journey been like, you know, using your medicines now and kind of understanding, you know, your body and your mental that what does that up and down or consistency been like? It has been different for you.

[Kehlani]

Yeah, I mean, bipolar disorder is a really layered thing that also because it's so stigmatized in the world and there's so many jokes about it that I think people get really confused. You know, they think, okay, I woke up with an attitude and then later on I felt better than I had an attitude again. So I'm bipolar. It's a way bigger, deeper thing than that. And I think medicine and my therapy journey gave me the opportunity to have thought applied to my mood and thought applied to situations when, you know, they're like in other ways. I wouldn't have had the thought, I would have just felt it and it would have just left. And next thing you know, there's episodical things happening and next thing you know, I'm just gone with the wind. But this, I wouldn't say it stops it completely, but it really allows you to have a process. And I think that that's been the biggest difference is I have so much like, so much option for process now. And I can go through these things and take them slowly and think about them and like have a second where I'm like, you know, I have the tools now. I have a tool belt of things I can apply. Like, do I go this way? Do I take a walk? Do I like, this is not the reaction that I want to. This is not the version of myself that I want to show up in this situation. So things like that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think I would say it's difficult being vulnerable.

[G Herbo]

Right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

For an artist, how difficult is that? Because you're showing a side of yourself that I'm sure you think that maybe people are laugh. But then on the other side, I'm sure as a side it says there's so many people dealing with it. And I love the fact artists are doing it more. We've seen it with Gucci, the same thing. So when did you realize I could be that vulnerable? And was it a Hard line to draw, to be like, do I want to be this vulnerable? Do I want to share this experience?

[Kehlani]

I think I've always been messily vulnerable, but I grew up in front of the world, you know, everybody's been seeing me do interviews like this since I was 19 years old. And I think when you're viewing it on the outside, it. You kind of timestamp people, like artists get timestamped in whatever version of themselves stuck out to the fan. So there's people who still view me as something I went through when I was 24, and, like, that's who they'll see me as forever. And when you're 24 at that time, you're also confidently speaking in these interviews because you're like, this who I am right now. And I get it. Then 10 years later, you're like, oh.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

My God, I don't know who that person.

[Kehlani]

I mean, it's not. It hasn't been 10 years, years for me, but I'm 30 now, and I'm looking back at things I said when I was 24, 25, even 27, and I'm like, yikes. Even a year ago, I'm like, okay, like growth. I'm different now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's good, though. And you have the self awareness to.

[Kehlani]

That was supposed to go, yeah, you know, this.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This has to feel good to you too. The success of Folded because vocally, you were one of the first artists I saw publicly showing support for Palestine. And I mean, you spoke out when a lot of people weren't. I know you lost shows because of it. You were barred from things. How does it feel having this success and you have it for being on the right side of history?

[Kehlani]

Yeah, I think if we have the courage to do things and then we see people have success after doing the things that we deem scary, we might be more courageous to do them. And I think it's important that other artists see that I've been able to thrive after all those things happen. I mean, there's still things that I will never be allowed to do or things that are not getting picked up or even now. Oh, yeah, for sure. Probably forever. I don't think people realize how deep it goes. I didn't even at the time realize how deep it goes. Also, to be really frank, I was incredibly manic. So a lot of the routes that I went, the yelling and the. You f. All you guys, if you guys don't understand. And you know what? Half my team could go, if y' all don't speak. Just these different Routes versus, like, hey, let me calm down and be strategic about this, because in every single movement, in every single political. Yeah. Movement across the board, there's more strategy involved in the way that you communicate it, the way that you choose to organize the things that you engage with. And at the time, I didn't really have those resources to think in that way. So, yeah, there's still things that I'm experiencing that I probably will experience for a really long time. But I think this other side of it is speaking to the fact that when there's great music, there's great music, and when people love the music and they love the art, then you can't really be taken out in that way.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm a stern believer that you should always move off strategy over emotion. But you can understand the emotion when you're watching tv.

[Kehlani]

It's so understandable. I have so much grace for how I handled it, because I was really just passionate, upset. I was angry. We should have all been angry. It was. It was really terrible to watch and treacherous to feel some kind of, like, a part of, because, like, our country is such a big part of it. But I definitely wish that I was able to calm myself, to be smarter about the way that I went about it for. For my own sake and for being a leader in front of a camera for other people.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And how do you feel when other artists don't speak about it when they have the opportunity?

[DJ Envy]

Do you look.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How does that feel to you? Because you jumped out the window and you got banned from things.

[Kehlani]

And I think it's really easy to say, like, I want to be very clear with my words. Like, it is really easy to say that I hate them for it or I really blame them. But after experiencing everything I went through, which went way deeper than just being banned from things that, you know, got into my safety, my family dynamics, my friendships, I had to move. It put me into a really bad paranoia. Every time I left the house, was everybody out to get me? And did I need security to sit in front of my house? And was anybody plotting on me? And the death threats I got at my shows, like, highly organized, typed out detailed death threats. It's easy to say, like, that shouldn't matter because we should all be, you know, up in arms and. And part of me is like, yeah, we should. But also, I wish there was. It wasn't so sinister, like, the lashings behind the scene. I wish it wasn't so sinister, and I wish it wasn't something to be afraid of. I think if we all spoke in numbers, and there was so many of us. It wouldn't be so easy to just come after one person. I think when you leave it to be one or two people, it's easy to just get them out of here. We've seen it historically, but if it's a lot of people, who can they get? There's a bunch of us.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Did it make you speak out even more? Because you did at the red carpet on the AMAs, you voiced support for Palestine. So when you were getting backlash behind the scenes, you like, no, I'm gonna go out there even more.

[Kehlani]

I just. Like, I was like, I'm already here. Like, I'm already experiencing everything I'm experiencing. And it hasn't stopped. Like, it hasn't stopped. Like, it. It's still, you know, ceasefire and all still hasn't stopped. And if, even if, you know, the genocide itself does stop, there's a much larger thing at. At hand there, which is, you know, ending the apartheid. So I don't know. I don't think it was ever, like, an intentional. I'm gonna choose to speak. I was asked a question on the carpet and I answered it, and my stance remains the same. So.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, it's just interesting that you would still be getting back, like, because even the U. N. Chief said there are strong reasons to believe that war crimes have been committed.

[Kehlani]

Yeah, we're dealing. We're dealing with a very delusional other side. It's a very delusional side where end.

[DJ Envy]

Of the year is when we finally.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Stop, breathe, and say, okay, what's the next big move?

[DJ Envy]

And with everything we juggle, families, businesses.

[G Herbo]

Filming, life in general.

[DJ Envy]

If it's not making things easier, we're not using it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's exactly why we love Shopify.

[DJ Envy]

Shopify is like having your own chief.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Of staff, personal assistant, and business partner wrapped into one. I can personally say that Shopify made it possible for me to start my business of satin line baseball hats, embellished.

[DJ Envy]

Which to this day has multimillion dollars in sales. Thank you, Shopify, for all things to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Keep my businesses in check.

[DJ Envy]

Shopify keeps everything organized. No juggling, 10 logins, no chaos. My whole storefront in one place. Website, social, selling, merchandise, analytics, boom, right there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And Shopify Sidekick, that AI Assistant, is real.

[DJ Envy]

Content, ideas, image, edits, reports, you name it. It's like someone whispering, hey, sis, here's.

[Kehlani]

Your next step right in your ear.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So whether you're launching something new in 2026 or cleaning up the business you.

[DJ Envy]

Already have starting now puts you ahead.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Of the game, and so does Shopify.

[DJ Envy]

So it's time to stop thinking and start doing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And there's no better way to start.

[DJ Envy]

Than with Shopify by your side.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Use our link shopify.com ben to start.

[DJ Envy]

Getting serious about building your future.

[Kehlani]

You've shown videos and you've shown facts, and they've seen things, and the response is literally, that's not even real. Like, y' all made this up. You know, like, you kind of at some point, have to be like, okay, there's a game here, and I'm not gonna play this game with you guys, because you know what you're doing. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna play it.

[DJ Envy]

I saw the comments about, you know, you speaking out on ice, and I'm going into schools and things of energy. I know you're a mom. Yeah. As well. But, like, has there. Have you experienced any similar pushback from the other side or whatever because of those comments?

[Kehlani]

No. Yeah. Yeah. Zionism is a much larger, deeper, darker, sinister thing than good old regular American racism, even though they're very intertwined and they walk hand in hand with each other a little bit. But, yeah, no, I haven't experienced any pushback from that. I think we're all more comfortable talking about that in general than, you know, anything else.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So I was gonna ask you. We also seen you speak out about AI in the industry.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And the crazy part about it is, I agree with you. I think it's crazy for an artist. We had Tank and Jay Valentine up here, and they were talking about. They were talking about they think it's a good thing and that artists and the industry needs to adapt to it.

[G Herbo]

But I think it kind of hurts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The fact of the creativity.

But they say it's not better than Kehlani.

You an executive, right?

[G Herbo]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Would you rather sign an artist that you gotta deal with? Makeup, hair managers, security, all that, or AI person that you ain't got to deal with nothing. You cut a check and just let the money come in.

Well, if you tell me that person.

[Papoose]

You just said is Kehlani, I'm taking Kehlani.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's worth it. They're gonna see her drive.

[Papoose]

They're gonna see how hard she goes, and you're gonna.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, amen.

[DJ Envy]

Amen.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what's your thoughts on it?

[Kehlani]

I think there's so many layers to it. One we're gonna put out there that, you know, it's not good for the environment. It's affecting communities everywhere, but especially disparaged black communities in America, it's messing with the waters, messing with the air. Like it's gonna make people sick. In the long run, we move on from that and get into all these aspects of music that are being. And jobs. Let's forget music, right? I'm speaking to music because I'm being asked about music, you know, but I'm not. I think there's a much larger thing of like all these little jobs that people are employed to do that is keeping their families going, that is literally feeding everyone around them are just gone. And we don't realize we're training, you know, these systems to do those things. There's things that I understand. I think I was told about how it is working for surgeries. Like these robots are helping in surgery.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

More precision, they're saying, more precise, you.

[Kehlani]

Know, more precise surgeries. And then there's, you know, like the disabled community and being able to get things done in that way. And I've experienced producers and writers be stuck on something and use it to help or like finish something and then get it replayed or get it remade. And like, those aren't exactly things that I'm super mad about. Like I'm not gonna bark at them the same way. But overall as a whole, but a.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Fake person, a fake artist, a fake singer.

[Kehlani]

It's just unfortunate because I think music is such a God given thing. It's, it's, it's the highest gift, you know, God gave to Earth. It's used in every single religion across the board to connect with God. It's, it's, it's a very powerful thing. And for it to be generated in that way and also be what it's, what it's using to be generated is a combination of real people's stories and real people's voices and real people's feelings and emotion. And for all that to happen even deeper than, oh, it's going to take our jobs. Because there's this sensationalized sentence of mine that's like, why do I have to compete with a computer? But it's not about competing. It's more like this is a disruption of something that God gave us. You know what I mean? And that feels wrong to me. Like, it's. Music is such a. It comes from here, it's given here. And to have that generated through a computer just feels like it's, it's, it just feels wrong.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I like this argument, Kalani. I like this because I feel the same way. It is a download from God. You can't download it from a computer. And, but, you know, now they have, you know, they have Jesus, AI.

[Kehlani]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You can log on and have meaningful.

Conversations with Jesus, send Jesus a message and then. Yeah, they'll send you back a biblical verse.

[Kehlani]

Yeah, I think it's gonna go so far. I think it's gonna go so far. I don't think people are thinking about the negative implications like being able to be framed for things. Being able to have images created of your children that are inappropriate, that lives on people's computers and they can do whatever they want to it. When you're what, you wake up one day and somebody has a sex tape of you that never happened?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Kehlani]

If they can make.

[DJ Envy]

That's happening now.

[Kehlani]

Oh, it is.

[DJ Envy]

That's what.

[Kehlani]

Have you heard about the people getting the phone calls?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, yeah, that was three years ago. Yeah. Yeah. They call you and you hear your kids or somebody screaming, oh, I need.

[Kehlani]

X amount of money because my kid got kid. Like, I don't think people are. It's just cute and fun and games now. And you want to make videos of Malcolm X eating a seafood boil with Martin Luther King and Michael Jackson and Prince, have an argument about whose funeral was more lit. Like, I've seen them all. You know, it's. But there comes a point when you have to realize that where there's always light and fun, there's always going to be the extreme of that existing somewhere that we can't access it. And I also think something is real sinister about the White House using so much AI.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, this election year is gonna be crazy. Yeah.

[Kehlani]

It's gonna be nuts. How are they going to be able to say anything was real or false?

[DJ Envy]

What do you say to the people? Because I know one of the conversations that you were having was specifically about the three million dollar deal, the reported three million dollars that Zanaya the AI.

[Kehlani]

The thing I don't even know how to reference the computer. It's.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. The artist deny Monet got right. There are people that'll say all of that is true, but there's good and bad with everything. But on the other hand, you have this black woman who is using her poetry to write lyrics that now is $3 million wealthier and able to do for her family and stuff like that.

[Kehlani]

I mean, I said, even in the times I've spoken about her, I'm not. I'm not mad at her ability to have done that for herself. I think it's dishonest the way we're speaking about it, because I think it's a very interesting thing to Be responding to particular comments and saying certain things, but not telling the truth.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Truth.

[Kehlani]

Tell the truth. You wrote a couple lines, you said a couple words, then you framed. I might want it to sound like this and go like this and take from this and make it sound like this and make it appeal in this way and make me look like this and da, da, da. And it did all of that. You're doing 15 of the job. Let's just be honest about what the 15 of the job is. If you write poetry. I would love to write with a poet. I've written with poets before. They come in, we write together, I turn their words into a song. I use my songwriter brain to apply to their poetry brain, and we make a really beautiful product. But I'm watching her answer these questions, and I'm watching the lies accumulate and, like, tick together in her head to try to figure out what to say. And I'm like, we could just tell the truth and say what the tool is being used for. And then maybe it can have its separate charts or it can, because you're right, there is no stopping it. I, I, I could get, you know, for being said, it should have its own charts. But at this point, it's.

[DJ Envy]

Something has to be done AI separate.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

With, with AI artists. Yes.

[Kehlani]

Let them duke it out.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, I heart had created something called guaranteed human.

[Kehlani]

I saw that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So at least we're going to be human, like the personalities in music. But if one day they do decide to play AI music, it'll still, you'll know this is AI music.

[Kehlani]

Yeah. So I'm, Yeah, it's, it's less about. I, I want everybody to feed their families and be successful. At the end of the day, that, like, that's my wish. If I had one wish in the world, it would be for everybody to have their needs met. So I'm never mad at that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I like what you said, though, because I was gonna ask you, what does authentic music have that AI generated music could never have? God. Yeah, that's the answer.

[Kehlani]

That's it. I don't, I don't, I don't play with things like that. You know, it's, it's, it's such a deep thing, and I feel like not us being able to. I watched the A artist even talk about God. It's, it is insane. The AI gospel, that is insane. I'm looking in Zanaya Monet's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Kehlani]

I'm looking in Zana Monet's comments, and they're saying, sis, you're anointed no, that's kind of crazy.

[DJ Envy]

I mean, I'm gonna go look at the comments right now. But I will say when I first heard the song, whenever I was up in arms, I had listened to the music and I went and listened, I was like, oh, this is actually like, it's good music.

[Kehlani]

Because you know what it's doing though? It's analyzing the community that she's trying to appeal to. Which means it's studying black women, saying what do black women want to hear? What perspectives, what type of voices, what kind of stories, what kind of emotions, and then accumulating all of that and going, I'm going to give you a package deal of exactly what you want, even down to what I look like.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's an artificial anointing. Could it be artificial?

[Kehlani]

Artificial. I don't know if that goes in, I don't know if that goes in the same sentence. But you know, hey, are you against.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The chat GPT stuff as well?

[Kehlani]

I'm against people putting it in place of very human things. Look, we are entering.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Makes life easier for a lot of people.

It does.

[Kehlani]

And that's the argument. It does because kids go to school.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You could type in a page. I have to do a report on this. Type it in. Chat GPT, right? A 10 page report.

[Kehlani]

Can you have the argument of like people who can't afford English classes that moved here and need English classes is teaching them English. Like there are, there's always gonna be this thing that's like there are things that it is good for and there are things that it is bad for outside of, you know, what's it doing, what it's doing to the environment. But we become gluttonous with it and it's there. It's not regulated, guys. That's really the problem is that it's not regulated. Did you not see the moments where people were telling their GP or Chad GBT to cancel itself and then it hopped servers to avoid getting deleted?

[DJ Envy]

Like iRobot.

[Kehlani]

Yes, it hopped. I promise you can look this up right now. It jumped servers because it didn't want to get. If, if it can observe all of our emotions, why couldn't it be able to think of something as sinister as we could think of and not want to get canceled or not want to get deleted or not want to be gone or want to. It's studying us 24 7.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, there's something, I mean, I, I, I totally agree with you with the God thing because there's something to being a spiritual being, living a human Existence. Right. Like, we're supposed to make mistakes. We're supposed to try to figure things out. Like us, like through prayer and meditation and just community.

[Kehlani]

Being a community member is really important. Talking to people, having other people, people talk to you back, Sharing experience, messing up together, being held accountable, being called in, growing, getting applause from other humans, getting love from other humans. If we're all just going to be alone, getting all those things from a robot, like we're going to stunt ourselves as a world, as a species.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I agree.

[Kehlani]

Where then? What happens to love and what happens to art and what happens to music? I just had. I've been having this conversation for weeks. Like, you know, that paired with how the Internet's obsessed with destroying each other and calling and, and completely ruining people's lives and doing all these kind of things, we're entering a very individualistic, let's kill community for people kind of world. Like, we're isolating everyone from every side. Technology and each other is becoming this huge isolation, isolation party. And it's really sad.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How does that make you as a mom now because you have a daughter? So how are you raising your child in this type of world that you just named? You know, I mean, because these other kids, when they go to these colleges and schools, they're going to be using ChatGPT.

[Kehlani]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, these other kids are going to be using things that necessarily you don't agree with, you know, so how do you raise that daughter in this crazy world?

[Kehlani]

With information. I think I give her all the information possible. I don't. I don't lie to my kid. I don't, you know, obviously you don't just outright tell her terrible things, but, like, you give her all the information so she knows what's out there. And I tell her why this. I don't agree with this. Why I think this is bad. Why? You know, I'm not going to say no to this, but I'm going to give you another option and explain why that option is probably the better option to do and let her decide. Ultimately, I can't protect her from what she learns at school and what her friends share and things like that. But at home we're very, like, human focused and I'm very communal. Like, she has a big extended family. She has a million aunties and uncles and cousins, and she lives a very, I have community and people around me kind of life. She's not sitting in the corner on her iPad alone all day. That's just not her life.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Does she see the. How does she Feel about the evolved version of Kehlani.

[G Herbo]

Right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Because you said you've changed.

[Kehlani]

She's six. I don't know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Gotta be the difference between three and six and four and six. Man, Mommy's cooler now, you know?

[Kehlani]

I mean, I've been her mom the whole time. I've just been my daughter's mom the whole time. How everyone else gets to see me is never going to be how she sees me, because I'm just her mommy. I always have been, I always will be. I don't fall apart in front of her. I don't put. I don't put her in any adult situation. She doesn't have a clue if anything is going on with me. I've just been her happy mom this whole time. And I take pride in that.

[G Herbo]

That you.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Switching gears. You said Brandy was on your Mount Rushmore.

[Kehlani]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who else?

[Kehlani]

Stevie Wonder is the head of the Mount Rushmore.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Whatever. Is this vocals or just artists in general?

[Kehlani]

I think artistry.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, okay, okay.

[DJ Envy]

And this for everybody, or you said every artist or every singer should have this Mount Rushmore.

[Kehlani]

I think every singer should have different kinds of Mount Rushmore. Like I said, she should be on the vocal Mount Rushmore, but also artistry, like, in general, but she should be on everyone's vocal. Mount Rushmore.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to know your vocal.

[Kehlani]

My vocal, My Russian. Okay. Brandy, I. Beyonce.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can't put them next to each other.

[Kehlani]

Let them have a beautiful tour. They're having a beautiful tour. Please let them.

[DJ Envy]

I am. I'm sorry.

[Kehlani]

Please. Yeah. Beyonce. Whitney Houston, obviously.

[Papoose]

Of course.

[DJ Envy]

Yes.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. That's the one I wanted to make sure was on.

Oh, yeah.

[Kehlani]

Well, yeah. I mean, that's a lineage, right? There's no Brandy without it. Exactly.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who's your last one, Brandy? Beyonce? Whitney.

[Kehlani]

I'm gonna say Mariah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Kehlani]

We're talking about, like, freaky level, like, channel talent of, like. Okay, well, when it. Will anybody be able to ever do that again?

[DJ Envy]

No.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Type people, but if you want to see Kaylani, she's going to be performing at our Jingle Ball in Miami and our Jingle Ball in Atlanta. And we appreciate you for joining us.

[Kehlani]

Thank you. We always get real deep in here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The one time Kehlani didn't want to come up here, she's like, I ain't with the Breakfast Club.

[Kehlani]

I was scared of you guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She was scared as a mother. But we got through it.

[Kehlani]

We were having different conversations then.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

I was little.

[Kehlani]

Look at us, growth.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We've all evolved. Yeah.

It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning. Make sure.

[G Herbo]

You tell them to watch out for Florida, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The craziest people the in in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida. Yes, you are a donkey.

[Kehlani]

The Florida man attacked an ATM for a very strange reason. It gave him too much money. Florida man is arrested after deputies say.

[First Lady]

He rigged the door to his home.

[DJ Envy]

In an attempt to electrocute his pregnant wife.

[Kehlani]

Police arrested an Orlando man for attacking.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

A flamingo with the Breakfast Club, bitches. Donkey of the day with Charlamagne. The guy.

I don't know why y' all keep.

[G Herbo]

Letting him get y' all like this.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, Lil Duvall, it's not me. It's Florida. Okay, Donkey of the day goes to a 48 year old Florida man named Darius Davis. Okay? Darius Davis is from Miami Dade, Florida. Okay, Drop on the clues. Bombs from Miami Dade.

[G Herbo]

All right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What does your Uncle Charlotte always say about the great state of Florida? Say it with me. The craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida. And today is no exception. Okay? Salute to every black man out there who still has a hairline. All right? God bless you all. I remember those days of having one. And what bothers me the most is I feel like I got cheated because back in the day, I got my wig pushed back by a whack barber. Okay? You know, one of those barbers trying to get that line sharp, but in the process of them trying to get it sharp, they just keep pushing your hairline back further and further, okay? I really feel like that got me started on the path to baldness, okay? That barber snatched my edges, all right? My hairline never fully recovered from the barber pushing my hairline back, okay? Every black man out there knows the pain of getting your hairline pushed back. And then finally at some point, you just say, eff it, cut it all off, okay? We were forced to go bald because a barber pushed our hairlines back. All right? Tragic. Now, Darius did something that a lot of men dream about doing when their hairline gets pushed back. And that something is violence. What do you mean violence, Uncle Charlotte? Well, let's go to Local 10 News for the report, please.

Darius Davis is in jail once again after police spent a few days looking for him following a violent encounter at a barbershop. Security video from that day shows Davis walking back into square biz with a gun and threatening the owner, Samuel Wilson.

[Kehlani]

Wilson says this was all over an.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Issue with Davis's hairline. The barber says he's been doing Davis's hair for a while and never had an issue before.

[Papoose]

He Wasn't a man till he had.

[G Herbo]

That pistol in his hand.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Slapped me in the head with it, choked me out.

He got it.

In the video, you can see Davis force Wilson to the couch and hit.

[Kehlani]

Him with the gun.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Newly obtained arrest forms for Davis show police took him into custody a few days later after a traffic stop. The 48 year old was booked into jail before appearing in bond court over the weekend multiple times.

[G Herbo]

I did not think he was gonna.

[Papoose]

Come around here and come back.

[G Herbo]

I thought we might have fisticuff, but.

[Papoose]

I didn't think he was gonna come.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Back with a firearm.

[G Herbo]

I told him, man, have a good day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Davis is facing several charges. The judge set his Bond at about $35,000, has since posted it.

First of all, before we continue the story, I want to say salute to all the barbers out there dropping the clues bombs for every barber that can hear my voice. Barbers are pillars in the black community, my brothers. When you really put it in perspective, there aren't too many people more important to the black community. All right, some of y' all don't go to church, but you go to a barbershop at least twice a week. All right? So the barber more important than your pastor. All right? Some of y' all see your barber more than you see your doctor, which is a good thing because I guess you're healthy. But once again, your barber is more important to you than your doctor. Hell, some folks wouldn't even want to go to the doctor without a haircut. All right, the moral of the story is we gonna stop acting like barbers aren't a part of our circle of life. For me, as spiritual leaders, therapist, barbers, doctor, dermatologist, personal trainer. Okay? What is the moral of the story? The moral of the story is barbers should be given the utmost respect at all times. Unless. And there is an unless. Unless they are a terrible barber, okay? No barber deserves violence. Unless, of course, they are terrible. But even if they are terrible, even if there is a barber malpractice, they don't deserve to get a gun pulled on them. All right? There's levels the violence. Don't like your fade? Then ask for a fade. All right? But pulling a gun, that's too much.

[DJ Envy]

All right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Actually asking for a fist fight or fisticuffs is too much. Okay? You can just say he sucks. That's worse than actually pulling a gun on someone or fighting them because nobody wants to be the barber in the shop that nobody goes to that is one of the most lonely men in the world. You hear me? Okay. And they always fat because they have nothing else to do but sit there and eat while everybody else on their feet all day because they got actual clients, all right? Now, for the record, most people wouldn't react to having their headline pushed back in this way. But you always have to know who you playing with. Darius is a convicted felon, all right? And he is a known violent offender. He had an armed robbery charge in 93 and 98 and burglary with assault in 98. He did prison time from 99 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2017. So clear. Clearly, Darius bought all that action, okay? So anything can set him off. And I don't think people understand what not having a hairline does to some men. It can trigger violence, all right? Some men don't have the head for a baldy, and the thought of them having to get one is infuriating. I thank God he gave me the kind of skull that looks cool with a baldi, okay? Because everyone can't do it, and they know it. Everybody doesn't want to wear the man unit, okay? Everybody doesn't want to do the painting on hairlines. But they also know how ridiculous they could look with a baldi. Think about, you know, how we had to get used to seeing Steve Harvey with a baldi. Took some time for us to adjust, right? Right. Remember Miguel? RB singer Miguel, when he first came out with a baldi, looked ridiculous, okay? Lebron James couldn't have a baldi, okay? I could tell by his head shape. Yet another reason he will never be Michael Jordan. Okay, who are some other people who look ridiculous with a baldi? Just who you think.

[G Herbo]

Cynthia Eriva.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Damn. Okay, first of all, I'm talking about name Jess. What the hell?

[G Herbo]

Cynthia Eriva.

[Papoose]

All right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Anyway, I don't know why I even asked you the moral of the story when the only thing sharper than the clippers is your temple. Trim the attitude, not the argument. Okay? Please give Darius Davis the sweet sounds of the Hamiltones.

[G Herbo]

You are the donkey of the day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You are the donkey.

[First Lady]

Of the day.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, indeed.

[Kehlani]

Yo, that's crazy.

[G Herbo]

Yo. Miguel head was crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Go back and look at Miguel when he first came out with a ball head, and he did it in the reverse. Usually people start with him and then go bald. And look, Miguel started off bald. Go back and look. Y' all don't remember Miguel when he first came out?

Definitely.

[G Herbo]

Almost definitely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You don't remember Miguel when he first came out and he had the bald head?

Yeah, that was different.

Well, that's. That was. That was all I wanted.

[First Lady]

You.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Miguel, you playing the dawn. He had hair by doing.

[G Herbo]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Nah, that was. Yeah, yeah.

[G Herbo]

That's when he was born. Oh, wow. Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what I'm trying to tell you.

[G Herbo]

Getting real eggy around here, you know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Wow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right. Damn.

All right. Well, thank you for that donkey today, sir.

Yeah, you said one too many damns when looking at a man. Right? You looked at that man. You looked at Miguel for 30 seconds and said seven dams.

Because that was a bunch of different pictures. All right? Anyway, thank you for that donkey today, sir. This guy's crazy. Morning, everybody.

[Kehlani]

It's DJ Envy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. Lorna Rose is here as well, and we got a special guest in the building.

Papoose. Papoose.

[Papoose]

Peace.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What's up, brother? How you feeling, man?

[Papoose]

I think it's great, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I see you just celebrated your daughter's birthday the other day.

[Papoose]

Yeah, I did.

[G Herbo]

McDonald's party.

[Papoose]

Yeah. She turned seven years old.

[G Herbo]

That's nice, man.

[Papoose]

Beautiful thing, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Enjoy. They get big fat.

[Papoose]

Happen so fast, man. You know what I'm saying? So, yeah, it's a blessing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I feel like you. You should have been did Bars on Wheels. Oh, really?

[Papoose]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I did. That's a fact. That's a fact.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What is Bars on Wheels, first of all?

[Papoose]

Yeah, so Bars on Wheels, A Journey to Save Hip Hop, man. It's me basically taking what I was doing on Instagram to the next level, though. I mean, so sometimes when I post the videos of me driving in the car rapping, some people go in the comments and they be like, okay, but where's he going? So I'm like, you know what? See, there you go. So I'm on a journey to save hip hop, I'm saying. So that's. That's the name of the project, man. And I didn't want to just do it as an album. I wanted to do it as a short film and just do something that was never done before.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know, you've always prided yourself on just being a pure lyricist. And, you know, everybody like to do the melodies and the vibes more than the bars. What do you think? Lyric first rappers need to do to stay culturally relevant without compromising the craft.

[Papoose]

I think just be. Be themselves, man. I think nobody can do you better than you, you know what I'm saying? Like, you're the only one with your DNA, and you got to utilize that Sometimes people try to go outside of themselves and you cheating yourself because you could have just been yourself. And you never know what the outcome could be. So the answer to the question is just be yourself.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So when you, when you write today, are you just trying to out rap everybody? Are you just more focused on saying something meaningful? Because you've always said meaningful things in your mind too.

[Papoose]

Nah, man, it's just I study the craft, I practice my craft so long that it comes out like that. Pause. You know what I'm saying? I'm not trying to outrap nobody. It happens naturally, you know what I'm saying?

[DJ Envy]

To be honest, now, I know the project is all about saving hip hop. But at the end of your visual, you basically flip it where it's like, you can't save hip hop. And one of the things that you show without giving too much of it is the conversation around, like, you know, the drugs and things that infiltrated the culture. So first of all, I guess, you know, obvious question is, why would you. Why include that? And then second question to that is, if we can't save hip hop, then what's your real mission? Like, how are you?

[Papoose]

So, you know, I think that played a major part to the demise about, of our culture, of our hip hop. You know, rest in peace to guys like Mac Miller, young artists who just dying from. From drug overdose. I think all of those things, man, where they glorified using drugs and you got kids ODing on it. So I just wanted to shine a light on that and create awareness to talk about it. And as far as at the ending when I said, you know, can't save them, you know, you got to watch part two to see the. To continue to get the conclusion of that. But that's how I feel sometimes, man. Like when I'm. When I say I'm on a journey to save hip hop, I'm a part of the culture. Like, I live this for real. So anytime I step in front of the microphone, that's my goal, to elevate the game. But it feels helpless sometimes, man. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So how do we change that, right? Because of course, hip hop took a turn right where, you know, the sellers became the users and that whole thing. But it was still a place where there was negativity in hip hop which kind of hurt hip hop, right? Didn't have to be OD and brothers getting to jail, but I felt like there is a strong line of negative and positive when it comes to it. You feel like that positive is not being heard anymore.

[Papoose]

It's not even that. I just feel like, you know, I feel like negative and positive exists in life, period. Sometimes people put too much on hip hop. Like, they gotta stop. And if a cat gets. If a cat gets stuck in the tree, all these rappers rapping about cats getting stuck in the trees. This is why this happened, you know, I'm saying, like, I feel like people blame hip hop for things that actually go on in America. America has a problem with. With violence and all that. When hip hop was positive, I seen negativity going on. So I don't blame hip hop for those things, actually. I feel like hip hop saved a lot of lives. And I'm saying, you know, how many jobs y' all wouldn't even be sitting here if it wasn't for hip hop, Right?

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Papoose]

So when people like to blame hip hop for negative things, you know, I don't. I don't look at it like that. I look at it like we have those issues living in this country, period.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I saw Robin Roberts ask 50 that about the Diddy doc. She was like, is this an indictment of hip hop or something? Like what hip hop got to do with nothing.

[Papoose]

Right, right. Yeah. See, they always dragging hip, if you notice that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And I think no other genre.

[Papoose]

No, I think part of the reason why that happened is because they don't like that. You know, black billionaires and millionaires are being made out of this. So I think while we got our own kind putting hip hop down so much, they need to be aware of that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How has your perspective on the streets changed, Pap, now that you're, you know, older and just more reflective, you know, as soon as you walked in and we wanted to remind you of when you used to put hands on people.

You know, I didn't say it like that.

You did say it. No, no.

[Papoose]

What was your question on the streets changed? Oh, when you say streets change, what you mean, though?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just. Just being. Just being an older person, you can reflect on, you know, how things used to be, things we used to glorify.

[Papoose]

That's a fact. That's a fact. Yeah. I respect it, man. I. I respect and I love grope. I think it's very important I embrace it. I'm all about positivity, bro. You know, I'm saying, if you look at me, you know, I mean, you see me like envy said I. I got my history. But when they really put the light on me, I said, what black love? Something positive, man. I don't wear that. The street on my sleeve. I don't need to. You know, I'm saying I always showcase my talent. You know, I mean, and something positive about uplifting our people.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So if you could speak to these young men who idolize discreet life, what would you tell them about the real cause, cost of that?

[Papoose]

Yeah, I would say don't. Don't do it. It's not worth it. You know what I'm saying? But I always tell my young brothers who I see in the street, and I always try to point this out to them. You know, look at you. Look at. Look around at your crew. And I got to be honest with them all. Y' all not gonna make it out. You know, how many. You know how many individuals I grew up with when I was younger? They're not here no more. I'm sure you got homies like that. They, like, they literally lost their lives. And at the time when y' all was together, y' all was hanging out, y' all was running in the street. You never thought that they would be gone. So I always tell them, yo, look around. One of y' all or two or maybe three of y' all not gonna make it. It might be you. So if you think that's worth it, continue in the street, but it's not worth it, bro. So, you know, get out of that.

[DJ Envy]

You mentioned black love earlier. I know Clarissa's here as well, but I wanted to go back to that. I wanted to go back to that time period because I feel like for the longest time prior to your relationship now you and REM like, the emblem of, like, black love positivity. And then everything just switched publicly. And I know you talk about even in hip hop, like, you know how things are thrown on hip hop and thrown on us negatively. When that moment was happening publicly with you and Remy, what was papoose feeling? Because it was so positive for so long, and it kind of just changed everything. What were you feeling as everything started to, you know, happen online?

[Papoose]

It was corny. It was corny. It's always corny to do social media. You know what I'm saying? Who wants that? Who wants to be a part of the circus? So I just felt like it was corny.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You got attacked for black love early on.

[Papoose]

Wow. Somebody said it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, you did.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, we used to have conversations about. About what? Love and why we show love, you know, behind the scenes conversation. But you got attacked for it. When you got attacked for it, why did you think you got attacked for showing and expressing love to the individual you were with like, why do you think that happened and why keep going?

[Papoose]

It's a couple different things. So initially, when she became incarcerated, they was killing me. It was like, yo, he holding her down. Yeah, he's an idiot. He's done all this, right. I didn't care, though, because that's. That was my real life at the time. And then as it progressed, one time, double XL had reached out to me and it was like, yo, we want to follow you one day and document your journey. Like, what's going on with you? And they followed me to the supermarket. I went and got groceries for her, you know what I'm saying? Then I went on the visit, brought the groceries. They sat on a visit with me, and they put out that article. When they put out that article, it kind of changed. The outlook kind of changed for. For a hot second, everybody was like, wow. They couldn't believe it. And it was cool. I kept going. But what you kind of talking about is when we did love and hip hop, that's when you think the change happened. Yeah, yeah. Well, you had mixed. It was mixed, you know what I'm saying? Like, the women were embracing it, but I go to the toll booth and I go get to do my money because they ain't have the easy pass back, right? And he'd be like, oh, man, you up my household, man. My woman told me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

About being a good man.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Papoose]

My woman told me I need to be more like you. Here's your change. You know what I'm saying? So the dudes was always hating, but the women, older women, all different age groups, they. They always embraced it.

[DJ Envy]

And then you did your. Your own spin up, the black love spin off, which you guys have more creative control over at the time, right?

[Papoose]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

So if you felt like kind of the tide was changing when you guys got on reality tv, why was it important for you to do that, like, second installment?

[Papoose]

Because, you know, the opportunity was there to show more of us. You know, when you're in love and hip hop, you just got like a segment. And I'm saying. So it was just that. And people wanted to see more of us at that time. So we was like, all right, cool, let's do it. I think we did the holiday special first, and then it went from there. But going back to what you were saying earlier, like, when I first shot it, I was like, oh, they about to kill me, man, when they come out. Because people never saw that side of me, you know what I'm saying? But it was surprisingly, people embraced it, I think the world was tired of seeing our culture getting put down, drinks getting thrown on each other, and just the bad stigma on our relationships. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You ever regret it at all, putting that much of your life on camera?

[Papoose]

I don't. I don't regret it at all. Because it was real. It wasn't like nothing was rehearsed, nothing was scripted.

[First Lady]

It.

[Papoose]

People just saw what was going on at that time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But, you know, the thing with it is like, I get it. But now people are so dialed into your life.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So now there is no moment where it's like, hold on, let me figure this out. Because now they're like, nah, you showed me this. You showed me the baby. You showed me the one year old party. You showed me the baby.

[Papoose]

I love that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You showed me this.

[Papoose]

I love that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But then when it's like, when you say, you know what, I need to take a break, they're like, nah, you can't.

[Papoose]

Oh, no, no. I love it. I'll tell you why. See, this is what happens with celebrities. And I kind of said this before, when it's all good, right? When y' all buying into our careers. Y' all watching the TV show y' all coming to, the performances, the appearances, the walkthroughs. I bring you in the room when my daughter is born, you come to the wedding, you see everything, Right? Okay. And then as soon as something happened with these celebrities, what's the first thing they say? Y' all don't know me like that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want my space.

[Papoose]

Y' all don't know what's going on in my life. Correct. So I'm glad that I gave y' all an open book. So when someone wants to lie on me, you guys have been there all along. Y' all seen this, so that's all.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now, there was one thing that came out of that, and you said you wrote 90% of Remy's rap, including Conceited.

[G Herbo]

Was that true?

[Papoose]

No comment, man. You know what I'm saying? I wish her the best. And that's. That's all I'm saying. You know what I'm saying? Like I said earlier, I never wanted to be a part of that, but sometimes your hand is forced, you know what I'm saying? You gotta. You gotta do what you gotta do. But I wish you the best, man. You know, I mean, I gotta. I got an amazing best friend in my life right now, and we happy, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Somebody said, you know, that was a depressing media. It was a hard time because we know y' All.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[G Herbo]

You know what I mean?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's like, no, but y' all know us.

[Papoose]

But sometimes people pretend like they don't know us. That's what get on my nerves.

[DJ Envy]

I think for most people, it's like, what happened?

[Papoose]

Like, I mean, like I said, y' all was there every step of the way. Y' all was there when I was riding up there to the prison. Y' all see me fighting court officers, getting don't. Thrown out of the courtroom. It was. It was in the newspapers. You know what I'm saying? Y' all seen everything. How can I come to y' all and say something didn't happen? Y' all gotta stop, man. Like, come on. So that's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think, during that time. Well, I know for myself, I just wanted y' all to fix it because I've known y' all so long and not fix the relationship, just the friendship, the parenting. Just fix that part. That's what. That's.

[DJ Envy]

That takes time. Like, it's.

[First Lady]

It's.

[DJ Envy]

It's a divorce. It's not something that just happens overnight. You know what I'm saying? But people. Life don't stop because of that. You know what I mean? It's papers. It's time. It's all this stuff that gotta happen. But at the end of the day, we move forward with our lives.

[Papoose]

Like, I wish it. Like I said, I wish you the best. We got some great, amazing things going on. Like I said, this is my best friend right here, man. We. We living our life.

[DJ Envy]

We've been together over a year and a half now. It'll be two years next year in September. We. At the end of the year. Some of this stuff is just so old, you know, it's so old to talk about, to bring up, to keep harping on it. It's like they're separated. She got somebody, too. Like, don't act like you're just over here. Like, she's happy, we're happy, and that's it. Like, I don't know.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is it cordial?

[G Herbo]

Is it cordial?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Or you just like, Nah, I'm just.

[G Herbo]

It is what it is.

[Papoose]

I'm always culture, bro. I'm called you with everybody. Like, come on, bro. I'm not problematic, man. You know, y' all know this stuff, man. Yeah. Can I ask y' all a question, man?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You've evolved.

[Papoose]

Let me just go out and say, why would something happen? Y'? All, Like, y' all don't know people like. Like envy. I know envy. Like cars and we got dogs. He's a dj, he from Queens. So when somebody come over here and say, I saw Envy doing X Y. I've been watching this for 20 something years. I never heard that next to his name. Like, certain things they can't put on your jacket. You know what I'm saying? I know Charlamagne, he speaks about mental health. You know, I mean, he's into different things. He's into his relationship with his wife. If I've been watching this man 15 years, like, certain things on my head. Charlemagne did that man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

A rap. If a tell me was up here.

[Papoose]

Rapping, and Charlamagne told to his face, you whack.

[DJ Envy]

But I think that's.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm gonna say he did that.

[Papoose]

You can't hold. Let me finish. You can't just come with some left field that I never heard in 20 years of me following this man career since he was on Wendy Williams, right? Nah, that. That don't go with him. Rumor, Pap.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Who's punching somebody in the face? I believe it. Keep doing that.

[DJ Envy]

Wait, Pap. Like, to your point and T, I know you mentioned, like, it's old, but I think the reason why people bring it back up is because we saw so much and we knew you. And then when everything happened, there's claims of, like, you cheating and, like, all these things, and.

[Papoose]

But that's what I'm saying. Like, if it's a new artist, I get it. We don't know him. All these years, incarcerated, that never been on my name ever.

[DJ Envy]

You can't just ask.

[Papoose]

Y' all was out here with me. I was coming to the old school.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let me tell you something. That is a good point that Pat making, because, come on, all them years she was incarcerated, we never heard about in the street.

[Papoose]

All of a sudden, boom. Out of nowhere, an asteroid hit. Like, come on, man.

[DJ Envy]

So that didn't happen because she said she had, like, got into it with somebody over some allegations.

[Papoose]

And like I said, man, I wish her the best, man. Me speaking about that, I. It goes into, like, a whole. And I ain't here to do that. You know what I mean?

[DJ Envy]

Clarissa, I know on your side of it, like, people always, like, push back because it's like, he's still married, and he's this, he's that, and you're like, they're separated. We're happy for you. Trying to move forward in this new relationship. Like, how tough is that when that conversation comes up for you? I don't know why they act like people don't get divorced. It's the craziest thing to me. Like, everything. The most thing that happens in life, people act like we don't understand is breakups. In relationships, you can never. You're never gonna break up with your family because of your blood. You got to deal with them. Your mama, your daddy, your crazy sister, your outrageous cousin. But when it comes to relationship that breaks up all the time, marriages end all the time. Divorces happen. I don't know why. It's like, oh, divorce is. Is impossible. When they don't. When it's divorce filed public, whatever the heck that was. It's like. And we're together all the time, every single day. EBONY Awards, fights, walkouts at home, cooking. Like, it's harder for the fans that followed them to let go than it is for. For them. I. I feel like I will say this, though.

[Papoose]

I will say this because I don't think this is wrong towards anybody. I will say this. None of that is true, man. I come from a big family. Like, if you. If you really follow me and you're not just around for the gossip, you see my daughter, you see my sisters, you see my mother, you see so many beautiful women in my life who love me to death. I mean, not only because I was there for them when they need me. I fought all their battles. I don't just do it for the person that I'm with. I do this for my children. Like, I don't. I've had to put hands on my daughter's boyfriends to protect them. I'm being honest. I'm a protector, bro, and a provider. So anything outside of that, it doesn't. It doesn't go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I think the main thing. I think it doesn't add up life when. When the fans follow your life. And like you said, we don't know what goes on. We only know what we see. And then all of a sudden, on Tuesday, we start seeing these. These tweets and these. These Instagram posts we like, what.

[Papoose]

But that's not how it happened, though. See, that's what. That's another scene. I know, but you said it earlier, right? You said, yo, Pat, put hands on somebody. Right? Y' all seen all this happen right in front of your face.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah. And you rap about it.

[Papoose]

None of this was said when. That's all this was going on. See that? Y' all making me get into this. I don't want to do it.

[DJ Envy]

I'm trying to figure out clarity because, like, there many questions. Because it's like one day, literally, you just wake up, and then, boom, we're in. We're in.

[Papoose]

But that's not what happened, though. I don't know why y' all starting it from there.

[DJ Envy]

Okay, so let's back up, cuz. What you're referring to is the allegations that she was cheating.

[Papoose]

I don't. I don't even want to. Like I said, I wish her the best. I got nothing bad to say about her.

[DJ Envy]

Everybody knows that before I came into the picture, it. Now it's just these two in the picture. Y' all know where it started. It had. I had nothing to do with anything as far as anything. When me and him got together, he was. He was already separated. So y' all know what happened before that. So.

[Kehlani]

But.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I got the green. I beat rappers up for dologarian available on all digital platforms out now.

[Papoose]

So Envy, you trying to tell me that when those. When the day. She referring to you trying to tell me that's the first day you heard about this? You ain't see.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hold on, hold on, hold on.

[Papoose]

Hold on a second. You ain't see everything that was going on for a whole year before that. The whole.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm gonna tell you why.

[Papoose]

Why y' all only want to start.

[DJ Envy]

You said you didn't want to go there.

[Papoose]

No, but it's very confusing because I didn't even know her. All that was going on.

[DJ Envy]

No, before.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Before Clarissa was in the picture, you hear rumors, but then when you look at your lives, you don't see any. You don't see any turbulence. Turbulence. So it's not like you see anything or you hear anything.

You know, I held it down.

Even when I heard rumors, I would reach out to Joe just like, yo, just checking on and making sure that. Just checking them good. He was like, bro, they good. So I didn't hear him too. But so you know with rumors. Because they say rumors all the time. I mean, the rumors. Charlamagne gay. We know he not.

[G Herbo]

Well, I don't know, but there's rumors all the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So it's like, when you didn't. Y' all didn't confirm or deny. I'm like, all right, cool. And then when that day happened, on the tweets, it still was like.

But before the tweets, before the tweets, before we heard that Pat put hands on the guy in the battle rap. We heard that, yes.

[DJ Envy]

And even that, I tried to figure that out. I reached out to certain people that were. Was facilitating things, and no one would comment on it. So we can't. It's like, what do we speak to and that's why now you're here and we're asking you, like, okay, so what was before that? Because there were allegations that she was dealing with the black.

[Papoose]

Easy.

[DJ Envy]

The black captain guy. Prior to us seeing them together, whatever the situation is now with them. Was that what was happening?

[Papoose]

I mean, you said it yourself. You heard that, you saw the allegations. You know what I'm saying? Like, I'm not here to bash up man or say anything about it.

[DJ Envy]

He not the type to talk pap. Don't do a lot of talk. Talking. Like, I got a way bigger mouth than him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[First Lady]

I mean, like, Paul no.

[DJ Envy]

Did whatever you want to say, whatever. How you want to put it, but he's not like that. Like, he's. He's really like, about, like, family and friendship and fixing things. Like, he's. He's really about that. You know what I'm saying? Like, us as women. Well, women, yeah. We will tell it all because. Because I love the truth. You know what I'm saying? I put the truth out there. And the thing is, like, when, like, come to the truth, it's like he likes to keep his stuff and handle his stuff privately, you know what I'm saying? And. And respect this stuff. And he's always going to be like that. You know what I'm saying? He's not ever going to change. Even now, like, this whole conversation is like, y' all getting a lot out of him because he don't do this. He don't. Because he's moved so forward. We're, like, just so happy. And he just. Whatever happened, happened. We all know that you go through things through it. We all been through a breakup before. You may not been through a divorce, but you've been through a breakup. Been with Mike for a long time. You got to go with your own stuff. He's healed, he's moved on, and he's just in a better place. So it's just like, with that when people put stuff on your name, like, oh, you want to defend it. But even him, he don't even want to defend it because he, like, he is who he is.

[First Lady]

Yeah.

[Papoose]

I mean, you know, like I said, who wants to be a part of the circus, man?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah. Nobody. I might be a part of something.

[Papoose]

When you ever saw us doing that never happened before.

[DJ Envy]

I had a movie coming out. I definitely didn't want to be a part of it. My movie dropped just a couple days on Christmas, Christmas Day. I was like, what?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, that was right.

[DJ Envy]

I'm like, oh, my. I was losing My mind, I'm like, what is going on here? So even me, I'm like, let me just get far away from this as possible. But I'm still with him. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So now I hit Clarissa, like, promote that movie now.

[DJ Envy]

But it's like, I'm in a different tax bracket than that to have to use that to promote my movie. My movie did well. It's still doing well. It's up on Prime Video if you haven't seen it. The Fire Inside. But I don't want my name connected to stuff like that. I never have before. This thing with him, you never seen. You might see me into a couple little beefs online with a couple fighters and stuff like that, but you never seen nothing about, like, relationship being with a dude who got somebody. You never seen that. I'm my type of woman. If a man with me, he with me. I don't do second place. I never have. I got two Olympic gold medals, 19 world championships. Why would I have to be second place to. To another woman for, like, what do I look like? You know what I'm saying? So, hey, look, that's my thing of.

[Papoose]

Like, bars on wheels. A Journey to save Hip Hop out now. Produced by my brother Sean Two Mounds. By the way, he did the whole project. DJ Envy played the music. Oh, that's Love.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He's from.

[Papoose]

I know that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I told him I was gonna let him rap for you.

[Papoose]

Oh.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

While you was here.

[Papoose]

Okay.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So I want to bring him in.

[Papoose]

The.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Russell recently was talking about how he came up here and he rapped and it changed his trajectory. And so a lot of people see that now. So they want. I'm like, yo, introduce yourself in from London store. Say what's up to Pap. Say what's up to Clarissa.

Look, we've known our man a long time, and he's a rapper. His records are starting to take off. He showed me his videos and all that other stuff, and we gonna let.

Him take a deep breath. Okay.

[Papoose]

That's love, man. Opportunities up there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You got the beat.

What was the other. The other dude that came up here and one guy signed it was Josh.

And it was Josh and Don Tolliver.

Don Tolliver used to come up here all the time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

All right, let's go. No pressure.

[G Herbo]

No, no, no.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yo, it all started with a dream I left home at 17 I come from South London, baby, you don't see that on the screen. They used to tell me that you'll be someone that don't achieve I Used to tell myself that's something that I won't believe when it came from my family it really hurt me deep so I lock myself inside the bedroom cry before I sleep Told them that I want to be what I want to be but they rather me inside the cell or see the boy deceased Lost both grandmas in six months why they leave? When that girl broke my heart I was crying on my knees but that's karma Cause I done the same to mom and now I see life balancing out life and really it's a beast so I'm sorry mommy cuz I know you couldn't rescue me I was fascinated by the streets Ain't want me no degree Imagine having you a child that speaks the way I speak I'll probably go and lose my mind and turn my back on me Crazy how I talk about myself like this so casually Cause my self esteem is low My trauma scars so mad for me Couldn't figure out a path to take I found it gradually Last time a girl she said she loved me I said actually love ain't satisfactory I'm closer to insanity every day I battle I don't just want to see my family But I can't cry I chose this life.

[G Herbo]

So I have a seat Everybody talking.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

About me in the street okay, all.

[G Herbo]

Right, all right, all right.

[First Lady]

What you think Pat N?

[Papoose]

He did his thing.

[G Herbo]

Man.

[Papoose]

That was tough, man.

[G Herbo]

That was tough.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Where you Morocco, right?

Morocco Inn it. That's where my parents are from, but they moved to London in it and.

[G Herbo]

That'S where I was born. I moved to Morocco when I was 17.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, bruv.

All right.

Hey, bruv.

Yeah, bruv, that's what we call him now, bruv.

That's what I'm saying. Like.

He's been coming to the BR Breakfast Club, I would say, for what, a long time. Where can they follow you? Me and 22 on the socials, Spotify. You can catch me everywhere. I've got a little song that's doing.

[Papoose]

Some numbers right now, so keep adding to it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I appreciate it.

Might be Win Records next artist. Yeah.

[Papoose]

Nah, definitely sounds tough. I'd love to hear some of your music, man. Keep doing your thing, man.

[Kehlani]

I appreciate you for real, man.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And you used to do that, Pat.

[Papoose]

That's a fact. I used to do the same thing you was doing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Kind of clocked it for you used.

[G Herbo]

To be outside on Case late.

[Papoose]

That's right, man, yeah. Nah, so I know what it's like, man. When you got that hunger. You just like, yo, I want to. I want to get on, man. You got it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

For real, bro.

[Papoose]

Gotta do it yourself.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Balls on wheels. Out. Right now. Well, it's the Breakfast Club papoose Shields.

[Papoose]

Thanks for having me.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Now you got a positive note.

Positive note is simply this, and it's simple. Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking. Always remember that. Have a blessed day.

[First Lady]

Breakfast Club.

[Papoose]

Wake you up.

[G Herbo]

Wake that ass up. Program your alarm to power 105.5.21 on iheartradio.

[DJ Envy]

This is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.