"From Jail To Jesus" Lil Tony Interview (EP 134)

Summary

The Bryce Crawford Podcast

Episode 134: "From Jail To Jesus" Lil Tony Interview

Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Bryce Crawford
Guest: Tony ("Lil Tony")

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Episode Overview

In this powerful and raw episode, Bryce Crawford sits down with Atlanta rapper Lil Tony, who shares his journey from a life entrenched in street crime, betrayal, and incarceration to a recent and transformative encounter with Jesus Christ. Touching on topics of family dynamics, the pressures and realities of street life, the music industry’s spiritual darkness, and his search for truth, Tony delivers a heartfelt testimony of redemption, honest reflection, and hope.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tony’s Childhood and Early Family Life

• Tony’s Background:

  • Grew up in the Bluff, southwest Atlanta, raised by his grandma and father, close to siblings (01:10).
  • “My family always tried to make it work for me.” (02:00)

• Family Environment:

  • Emphasizes closeness with immediate family despite instability.

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2. Entry Into Street Life and Rap

• Transition Point:

  • Broke his wrist while playing basketball, which ended his hoop dreams and led him towards selling drugs in high school (03:30–03:59).
  • “After I quit hooping, I start serving...that’s what got me, like, really start getting deep in the street.” (04:00)

• Start of Rapping:

  • Began rapping out of boredom during quarantine at age 15, realizing he was good at it (02:17–03:01).

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3. Escalation of Street Involvement

• Deeper Entrenchment:

  • Progression from selling drugs to robbery, seeking independence and rejecting reliance on his father (04:00–04:37).
  • “I ain't like being in my daddy pocket...So I started robbing.” (04:38)

• Family Turmoil:

  • Kicked out of the house after his girlfriend reveals her pregnancy to his grandma (05:36).
  • Moves to California to sell weed, returns to Atlanta at 17 having made enough to buy a townhouse (06:06).

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4. Rise in Music and Consequences

• Music Success:

  • Releases projects that gain traction, eventually signs a record deal at 17 (06:44).
  • Content of music reflected his real, often violent experiences: “Murder. Everything I was living. Where I'm from, it ain't peaches and cream.” (07:25)

• Honesty in Rap:

  • Tony reflects on authenticity in rap: “10% rap about real life, 90% be cap.” (08:12)

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5. Downturn: Jail and Financial Ruin

• First Arrest and Aftermath:

  • Arrested for shooting Nerf (Orbee) guns out of a car, receives multiple felonies, loses apartment, spends all savings on bail and lawyers (10:30–12:33).
  • “They try to give me 200 years for a Nerf gun.” (12:38–12:43)

• Financial Humbling:

  • Experiences extreme financial loss and humiliation, forced to confront his priorities.
  • “My pride was in the money...when I finally ran through all my money, it really humbled me.” (11:01)

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6. Spiritual Crisis and Encounter with God

• Breaking Point:
  • At rock bottom, contemplates deeper street crime or seeking God:
    • “Because at this point, I can't rely on the money no more. So I went to God.” (13:11)
  • Has a supernatural encounter: hears a voice urging him not to commit a violent act, receives a financial blessing shortly after:
    • “If you let them live...I'm turn you up more than you ever been, basically, in your career.” (14:39)

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7. Betrayal and Loss

• Friendship and Betrayal:

  • Describes being betrayed by close friends he helped, who became envious and distanced themselves (22:39–28:49).
  • “I'm the one giving you things...Then you want to switch just because...he really had pressure, like, he had been had undercover pressure.” (22:39)

• The Impact of Money:

  • Reflects on how the love of money corrupts relationships:
    • “It's crazy how the love of money can distort people.” (25:32)
    • “But it don't really be like that. It's all the images, all the Internet game. And I had to realize that some of them really do be on it.” (37:17)

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8. Repeat Incarceration and Spiritual Awakening

• Further Incarceration:

  • Locked up multiple times, eventually denied bond due to prior charges (32:47–33:16).
  • Begins reading the Bible in jail, receives revelations (33:14).

• Brother’s Death as “Third Strike”:

  • The death of his close friend/brother pushes him to fully surrender to God (34:31–35:00).
  • “It was like, all right, bro, you on your last strike...I felt like he took somebody that was real close to me to show me that I'm probably gonna be next if I don't grow up.” (34:57)

• Seeking Truth:

  • Explored other religions but found peace only in Jesus and Christianity (38:48–39:31).

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9. Encountering the Darkness of the Music Industry

• Spiritual Danger in Entertainment:

  • Shares a striking story of being invited to a suspicious photo shoot and witnessing what he interprets as openly demonic behavior (42:53–48:56).
  • “Understand the industry you are becoming of...the entertainment industry is ran by the devil. I want y'all to know this.” (42:08)
  • Describes a recruiter’s open talk of rituals and an encounter that physically unsettled him:
    • “His face change...you see Venom, like, yeah, like Spider Man. All I can say, bro, it was like, oh, kind of like the Sandman...it threw me all the way off.” (46:42)

• Supernatural Rescue:

  • Believes God literally provided an escape through a mailman after the disturbing incident (48:53).

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10. Transformation and Testimony

• Forgiving His Betrayers:

  • “Yeah, I forgive him.” (39:35)

• Using Influence for Good:

  • “I have to use my influence for good...only thing that's important is winning souls.” (50:56)
  • Warns about the spiritual nature of the industry and need for discernment.

• Advice for Those Seeking God:

  • “Don't look at it as religion. Don't look at it as restriction. Look at it as relation.” (40:31)
  • “Go do your own research and don't listen to nobody else's word.” (41:36)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Humility and Hitting Rock Bottom:

  • “My pride was in the money...when I finally ran through all my money, it really humbled me.” (11:01)

• On God’s Protection:

  • “If you let them live...I'm turn you up more than you ever been.” (14:39)

• On Betrayal:

  • “Before I switch on you, I'ma ride to the wheel fall off...I’m the one giving you things...Then you want to switch.” (21:47–22:39)

• On the Temptation of the Industry:

  • “This is what made me start getting into God...” [Photo shoot / demonic encounter story] (42:55–48:08)
  • “If the devil runs this world, then who else is running this world in the physical?...You're not pushing Jesus. You don't see Jesus on tv? You see sex, money, murder.” (52:56–53:04)

• On Redemption and Purpose:

  • “I have to use my influence for good...only thing that's important is winning souls.” (50:56)
  • “Praise God.”—Bryce, reflecting on Tony's transformation (53:44)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:10 | Tony’s family background and upbringing | | 03:30 | Breaking wrist, giving up basketball, entering street life | | 06:06 | Moves to Sacramento, makes money, returns to Atlanta for music | | 10:30 | Signing a deal, first legal trouble for Nerf gun incident | | 13:11 | Lowest point; starts seeking God | | 14:39 | Supernatural encounter: “If you let them live...” | | 21:47 | Betrayal by friends, street code, emotional toll | | 32:47 | Second major arrest—time spent reading the Bible in jail | | 34:31 | Brother’s death catalyzes surrender to God | | 38:48 | Researching religions, finding peace in Jesus and Christianity | | 42:53 | Story of demonic photo shoot and spiritual encounter | | 50:56 | Commitment to use influence for good, warning about industry | | 53:44 | Final reflections on Jesus as the way and love for God |

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Final Reflections

Lil Tony’s story is one of stark contrasts: independence, violence, and betrayal replaced by humility, forgiveness, and a passionate pursuit of God. This episode serves as a gritty and honest call to those lost in similar cycles, emphasizing that redemption is possible and that nothing can satisfy or free a person as fully as a genuine relationship with Jesus.

“Don't look at it as religion. Don't look at it as restriction. Look at it as relation.”
 – Tony (40:31)

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For listeners seeking a raw, real-life story of transformation, this episode delivers moving testimony, cautionary tales, and encouragement to seek truth for yourself.

Transcript

[Bryce Crawford]

November 8th this fall in San Diego, California, we'll be at the Balboa Theater for the live podcast tour. Chicago, Birmingham and Nashville are already sold out, but we still got tickets left in San Diego. If you guys want to come out, experience the presence of the Lord, worship with us. I believe that the word God has stored in my heart for San Diego is going to be so specific to the city and break chains. So if you live in Southern California, San Diego, or you just want to come experience the presence of the Lord and have fun at the live podcast store, go, go to jesusonthestreet.org tour. Come out to San Diego. We got some seats left. Love you guys. Enjoy the episode. What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford podcast. I'm Bryce, and today I have an incredible special guest with us today. In the house we got Tony.

[Tony]

Hey, man, appreciate you for having me.

[Bryce Crawford]

How you doing, bro? Man, thanks for making time for us, man.

[Tony]

I'm blessed, man. I'm happy to be here, man.

[Bryce Crawford]

Dude, I'm so excited to hear your story. You know, there's. There's definitely a lot of people that have seen your story. There's also a lot of people that don't know much about you. And so I really believe in just a world that's deceived by sin. Your story has a lot of power to it.

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

And man would just love to share, but, like, just so, like, people kind of get a backstory about you. Like, where are you from? Where'd you grow up? What was that like?

[Tony]

I'm born in the Bluff. Raised in southwest Atlanta. I was born in the Bluff and then I moved to Riverdale Road and I moved to East Point with my little sister. Then I moved in with my grandma and I was raised pretty much up there in Cascade. And then I bought my own townhouse when I was 17 on Fairburn Road, which is still in southwest Atlanta. After high school, I pretty much raised in southwest Atlanta.

[Bryce Crawford]

What was your family dynamic like?

[Tony]

I'm pretty close with my grandma and my pops and like my little sister.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And my little brothers and like that part of my family. Like just my brothers, my sisters, my grandma and my pops and my main right hand family type stuff.

[Bryce Crawford]

And would you say that, like, growing up, you had a pretty loving family environment?

[Tony]

For the most part, yeah, yeah, yeah. My family always tried to make it work for me.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

That's great. So for people that don't know maybe who you are, you're a rapper. How long have you been Rapping? Just in general. Just in general.

[Tony]

I've been rapping for five years, man.

[Bryce Crawford]

And what made you get into rapping?

[Tony]

I just got kicked out of school for selling drugs. My daddy was trying to tell me to just get out the street and stop doing what I was doing in the street. In the street and put it on the beat because I was eating on Die or get locked up for Life. But, you know, at the time, I wasn't really listening to that because we are. We be kids, we be arrogant. So I wasn't listening. But quarantine hit and I was just bored. So I started trying to rap. And I was actually slick, good at it. So I just kept going.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

And you said so in quarantine. Kind of was like when you were just like, hey, I'm gonna start rapping. And how old were you? You started rapping?

[Tony]

Yeah, I was 15.

[Bryce Crawford]

15?

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

How old are you now?

[Tony]

I'm 20.

[Bryce Crawford]

No way. Let's go. Okay, so 15, you start rapping in quarantine. Kind of bored, you know. I know you mentioned before we started that, like, real sincere faith in Jesus has been a pretty recent thing. Probably the last few months. Yes, sir, man. Kind of invite us into, like, leading up to that. Like, what. When you were 15, you started rapping. You said that you got kicked out of school for selling drugs. I mean, like, how did that start? And then how did that kind of affect your life leading up to?

[Tony]

I just kept getting deeper and deeper in the street. At first, it started off with, all right, first of all, I had broke my. I used to hoop on my first time dunking. I had broke my wrist. That's when I still was trying to hoop a little bit. I had tried out for the school team, but the coach wanted me to come practice while my wrist broke. And I was like, I'm not wrist broke. I'm not going to wake up early. I ain't even. You feel what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I. I just. I quit hooping, basically after I broke my wrist. I quit hoop.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So after I quit hooping, I start serving. I start serving in like the hallway, you know, and cafeteria, anywhere, really. Whatever needed, I serve him. So after that, that's what got me, like, really start getting deep in the street. Cause then I started smoking. After I started smoking, I had to apply my habit. So I started robbing. So after I started robbing. Well, let me refrain it. Cause I wasn't robbing just to get high. I was robbing cause I also wanted to make money. For myself. Cause I ain't like being in my daddy pocket.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So.

[Bryce Crawford]

Yeah, you kind of wanted to be independent.

[Tony]

Yeah, I wanted to be independent. So I started robbing. And then my daddy used to catch me sneaking out and coming home after, I just did something crazy. It went from that to, okay, I got kicked out of school. Then I come back. I tried to come back. In 10th grade, I got kicked out again for like a Nerf gun fight, something like that. So after that, my family was still, like, they started getting on the edge with me. It was my last straw when I got my baby mother pregnant. That was in 10th grade. After that, she had called from grandma. She called the sprout, and I told her. I was like, I can't have no baby right now. Cause my folk gonna kick me out the spot and I'm already in a whole lot of trouble. Stuff like that. And then so she. She got my grandma number and called her and told her she was pregnant so I can get kicked out of the spot. And then when I got kicked out of the spot, I ain't had nowhere to go. So I went up to Cali and I started serving with my big brother. He gave me some little. Little weed.

[Bryce Crawford]

When you said. When you say, like, for people that don't know, like, when you say serving, you're like selling. That's. That's what. That's. That's what you mean? You're outside and you said you came out to Cali?

[Tony]

Yes, I started selling weed. Yes, sir.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And I was out here. I was in Sacramento. I started selling weed in Sacramento so I can run up some money and go back down and get me a place to stay.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I was selling weed in Sacramento.

[Bryce Crawford]

When you were like, 16?

[Tony]

Yeah, dude.

[Bryce Crawford]

Oh, my gosh.

[Tony]

So after that, on my 17th birthday, I went back down to Atlanta. I had had enough. Enough money on my account to go buy me a little townhouse. So I went and bought me a little townhouse. And after that, I started. I dropped, like, my first project. They start doing some. This is my second project, though. But I dropped my second project and it started blowing up. Like, actually blowing up. I'm like, damn. After that, I think about, like a month later, I got. A month or two later, I got signed. It really up for them.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

And so what I'm kind of hearing is like, man, started 15 you or. Sorry, before you broke your wrist, you were bored, got into drugs, you were smoking weed. Then you started selling, and then you got your baby mama pregnant. And then you Ended up getting kicked out of the house because she called your grandma and was like, hey, this went down. You went to California. We're selling out there. Then you bought a house here in Atlanta after you were selling there. And now you're rapping. Your rap songs and projects are taken off. What kind of stuff were you rapping about at this time?

[Tony]

Murder. Everything I was living where I'm from, it ain't peaches and cream. So, yeah, I was just really rapping about what I was seeing and the life that I lived growing up and everything that I been through and everything that I guess you could say, yeah, everything I was seeing, I just kept running about everything I was seeing.

[Bryce Crawford]

So, you know, I feel like, you know, a lot of people associate rap music with that kind of vibe, like the drugs, the. The sex, the. The murder. But would you say that, like, 99% of people that rap, just in general, they're not rapping to, like, sell a song, they're rapping about stuff that. That they witnessed, grew up. Would you say that the rap game is, like, pretty honest? Because, like, for you, you're rapping about stuff that's personal to you, right?

[Tony]

I say it's a 50. 50. I say it depends on who you talking about. Because a lot of it do be kept. A lot of these folk do just be capping and doing this for image. Like, I say 90 of them doing it for an image, only 10 of them really rapping about their life or what they went. What they been through in real testimonies. And the ones who do rap about real life, they. They music be better and be more relatable. Yeah, Yeah. I say 10 rap about real life. 90 be cap.

[Bryce Crawford]

Gotcha, gotcha. But for your instance, you were rapping about your. You were just sharing your story, things you witnessed, things you were doing, you know, life and how I was taught. I just think in general, you know, we're not. We're not glorifying that part of your life, but I respect that. I respect your honesty, because I think a lot of people just want honesty in general. And I think. I think that's exactly what you're saying. You're saying, well, you know, the guys that rap about their actual life, people enjoy it, but that it kind of makes sense because people want the real stuff, just in general. People want honesty, People want transparency. So I respect that about you. And I can tell that you're just honest and humble and transparent about everything with your life, of course. And so you're 17. You buy this townhouse in Atlanta.

[Tony]

Yes, Sir.

[Bryce Crawford]

When you're 17 years old.

[Tony]

Yes, sir.

[Bryce Crawford]

Keep inviting us into that. You buy this townhouse, then what's going on? Does your life get better or worse now that you have your house? That's a big deal.

[Tony]

Yeah. I get signed, so I get my events. I start buying clothes, cars, guns, jewelry, drugs, spending it on women. After that, I. I started getting a little too popular. So I. I thought. I felt like I had to move about that townhouse because like I said, I was on the southwest Atlanta. If anybody know who watching this video, they know where Fairburn Road is.

[Bryce Crawford]

I know where that's at.

[Tony]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was living on Fairburn Road, so it was a little too ghetto over there. So it was about time for me to go ahead and just move out the way. Called getting too famous. So after that, I went and bought another apartment on at least another apartment on 26th Street. I kept rapping, just kept rapping, just kept rapping. I was getting deeper and deeper in the street, though. I got locked up when I, like, I think two, three months after I moved to 26th Street. Because me and my brother, we were just playing around. We were just shooting Nerf guns and stuff. Like out the car.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Got locked up for that. It wasn't even the fact of me getting locked up after that. I had spent all the money I had saved up on lawyer fee. Cause it cost me and bro bun was 30,000 a piece.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Wow.

[Tony]

And I spent 30,000 on my lawyer, 20 on his. Wow. Oh, you can do the math right there. That's 60 plus 50.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So that's a lot of money. That is a lot of money. That's all I had put up. Wow. So after I mind you, you know, my pride was in. My pride was in the money. So I was, you know, I'm the type of person who always calling somebody broke. You feel what I'm saying? I used to always be that type of person. So when I finally ran through all my money, it really humbled me. Come damn, I can't buy no more clothes. I'm rocking the same thing. I feel bummy already. When I got up, see, everything just started going wrong when I was locked up. I was locked up, spent alarm, paid to get out. Then when I got out, they also kicked me out my apartment. Cause I had shot one of the ladies with the little Orbee gun. It was like somebody. A jail blaster. Yeah, I shot somebody with jail blaster and they kicked me out.

[Bryce Crawford]

Those things were addicting. When they came out Those things were awesome.

[Tony]

It's actually so funny, bro. They gave me six felonies for that, bro.

[Bryce Crawford]

What? So when you were saying you and your brother were driving and shooting Nerf guns out the car, you're being. You're being for real, like, it was like, Nerf guns.

[Tony]

Yeah, we were just playing. I think I was 18 at the time. So I would just stoop, like, slow. You feel what I'm saying? Yeah. I ain't know. We weren't doing nothing lucrative. I never was taking financial literacy or reading books. And I'm waking up every day getting high. So we like.

[Bryce Crawford]

I can't believe, like, Nerf guns. You can get in trouble for shooting.

[Tony]

A Nerf gun on first offender right now because of Nerf gun.

[Bryce Crawford]

You're a first offender because of a Nerf gun that. I've never even heard of that before.

[Tony]

And they try to give me 200 years for what?

[Bryce Crawford]

I've never even heard of that before.

[Tony]

Ain't trying to give me 200 years for a Nerf gun.

[Bryce Crawford]

That is crazy.

[Tony]

No broke, but.

[Bryce Crawford]

So you got the. You got put in jail. How old were you when you got put in jail?

[Tony]

I was 18.

[Bryce Crawford]

And then you got. You got thrown in jail. You got out of jail and you were broke because you spent all the money on the lawyers.

[Tony]

I spent everything on the lawyer. And I got kicked out my spot. So I probably had about, like, 20, 000 left. I spent all that on getting another spot.

[Bryce Crawford]

Gotcha.

[Tony]

All right. Go get me another spot. Now I'm really poor. So at this point in my life, I'm like, at the worst part of my life, like, I felt like this is my worst part of my life that I felt like. So I'm talking to God. I'm like. I'm just telling him. I'm like, I'm confused. Just show me what's right. Because at this point, I can't rely on the money no more. So I went to God. You feel what I'm saying? I'm keeping the book. I just went to God. Cause I couldn't rely on the money. So I'm like, God, just show me, like, what I need to be doing. Just show me what I like. What is. What is right. I'm just confused. I'm just so confused. Like, I'm all the way lost.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Like, yeah.

[Tony]

I don't know. If I get deep in the street, Do I go rob somebody? Do I wait for God to give me the money? Do I go make a song? I don't know what to Do?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Literally, so. Oh, my God, they help me. And then later on, I wanted to kill somebody. I really, really want to kill somebody. And then it's like God came to me in my head or said something. You ever heard somebody say they heard a vision or they heard a voice in their head? Yeah, I heard a real voice, but it was loud, though. And it was like, if you let them live, if you don't go do that. This is not verbatim what he said. Basically, what it was saying was like, let the man live. I'm turn you up more than you ever been, basically, in your career. You won't be more successful than you ever been if you just listen to me. So I was like, all right, I'm gonna let him live. I'm just chill. I'm just chill. I ain't gonna do that.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And then outta nowhere, like, I get my first. In my first time getting off my own work, I got a $6,000 check from Disco Kid just off, like, music. So that my first time getting that type of money by myself. The only other time I got some money like that was for my label.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

Like when they paid you up front.

[Tony]

Yeah. So this was by myself. I did this by myself. So after that, that's when I started, like, locking in more on the street, you know what I'm saying? I mean, not street. I started locking in more on the music.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

Dang. Okay, so I kind of want to. I want to. I want to highlight something that I think you said, because I think it's important. So, 18, you're broke. And then you said that humbled you, because you're the type of guy that, like, cared about money a lot, and you would even make fun of people that didn't have money. Now you didn't have money, and it kind of humbled you. So you're in this moment where you're kind of humble. Would you. And you said, that's kind of like your first ey awakening of, like, okay, God is real.

[Tony]

N. That one. The first one, it was more so I always knew God was real. I didn't know which God was real. You see what I'm saying? I was. That's why I was scrattling the fence, because it. It's so many different religions and spiritualities that everybody is playing off of and using today. And I feel like, yeah, religion or spirituality was basically pointless.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

No, I felt like it was used as a pun or excuse, if you.

[Bryce Crawford]

Don'T mind me asking. It's okay. You don't have to answer this, but, like, when you said you had the unction, like you wanted to kill someone, but you let them live.

[Tony]

No.

[Bryce Crawford]

Like, what got you to that point? Like, what got you there?

[Tony]

I had a brother. I felt like he was my brother, you know, I turned a couple individuals up, like, tried my hardest to help a couple of folk, and they had betrayed me. Just. I gave them careers, put clothes on their back, food on their plate. Family around. I mean, not family around them. I clothed them, put food on their plate, gave them a career, roof over their head, everything. And when I got out of jail, like, everybody just started moving. OD funding. Like, everybody just started moving extra funny.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

One of my brothers, I felt like he was my brother. He switched up. Cause he felt like I left one of my other brothers in jail. But my lawyer told me to give my brother a week and just let him sit for a week. Cause he gonna go back to court next week and they gonna let him out. I called my brother, I asked him if that was okay. I said, if not, I'll still burn you out. He was like, nah, twin, if you that can help you save some paper, let's do it. So they was either gonna let him out or reduce his bond.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So either way, I ain't gotta spend 30,000.

[Bryce Crawford]

So for both of you guys, you guys were on the same page. Even the guy that was in jail, you guys were like, yeah, we're doing this.

[Tony]

Yeah. He like. Yeah, like, he like, twin, like, you smooth twin. Like, I was trying to save the 30 racks that his bond cost for my other brun. My other brother bond. Kenny. My brother Kenny was locked up at the same time. Wow. He had got locked up for a murder. So his bond was 30,000.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I was saving that to get him out because he was supposed to go to court the next month or like in the next couple of weeks. And they were gonna get him a bond. So I was like, just let me say that for twins so I can blow my twin.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

And are these guys that you're talking about that are in jail, are they like guys that you met when you were describing you going deep in the street, like, these are friends that you made and like, basically family.

[Tony]

I met Kenny in school when I was going to Wesley. I used to go to school named Wesley. He was my brother. Like, he the only one I really, like, got along with in school. You feel what I'm saying? He was really my brother. Like. Cause we was boxing and ain't nobody wanted to box for Real. Yeah, but nobody wanted to box Kenny. Ain't nobody wanted to box me for real.

[Bryce Crawford]

Oh, y', all, like, boxed all the time?

[Tony]

Yeah, we. Oh, no, we would just use the box for the YouTube videos, like, try to put on.

[Bryce Crawford]

Dude, those videos are awesome. I used to.

[Tony]

Yeah, so I used to try. I used to. I tried to do YouTube. I tried to do YouTube to start making me some money instead of, like, serving. Well, it was. It was kind of, like happening at the same time, but I was trying to do YouTube and see if my YouTube would blow up so I ain't got to sell it.

[Bryce Crawford]

Do you feel like that a lot of people that are selling right now on the street, would you. Would you say that they're selling because they want to or they're selling because they have to, and that if they had another option, they wouldn't sell? Because that's what you're saying right now. You're like, dude, I was trying to get out. Like. And even back when you said you were selling, you said you were just trying to be independent and the opportunity was there. So you. Would you say that's. That's.

[Tony]

Yeah, I said. I say, all right. 50 of the people in the street, it's like a half. Someone ain't got nowhere to go, and then some of them just doing it look cool. But me personally, it was really like, that's all I knew my dad, if he was getting money, and he wasn't getting money with no job. You see what I'm saying? So, yeah, when I grew up and got old enough to understand that I went and make it to the league, I was like, I need to start making some money now. So I don't. I don't want to be living with my Grandma when I'm 18 and 19. I don't want to be stealing my mom. I don't want to be stealing my grandma house. So the only way I knew how to get money was to start serving. Dad ain't never teach me about real estate. He never teach me about none of that. None. Besides a job that can get me some paper. And my dad ain't work no job. So I was like, I'm following my dad's lead. You see what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I was like, man, only way I seen somebody ever get money, like, how I want was serving. That's what I did. And I felt like in ninth grade, I had to grow up because, like I said, I ain't want to be 18, 19, still living with my grandma. So before I Get out of high school. I'm having some money.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So that was my way of doing it.

[Bryce Crawford]

So we're back in this spot where that guy betrayed you, and that made you feel like you. You literally want to kill him. And then you hear this voice that basically tells you not to do it.

[Tony]

Yeah, see, I don't want to make it look like I was overreacting. The reason I felt like this, because I was taught dead before dishonor. Well, from is devil for the song about death. Before the song on saying, but before I switch on you, I die. Cause you supposed to be my brother. Before I switch up on you, I'm a ride to the wheel. Fall off. Yeah, that how we supposed to be. That's how I was taught. So if I put you on money, a career, we went shopping countless times. I ain't never asked you for nothing. I'm the one giving you things. I'm the one paying for your food. Got a roof over your head. Then you want to switch just because. First of all, he ain't switched because I left my brother in jail. He said that, like, he really had pressure. Like, he had been had undercover pressure. You see what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I had been asking him for, like, two months, like, do, like, what's on his chest, because he always was acting funny, but he never, like, said nothing when I brought down on him. Be like, hey, twin, you smooth. Like you got something you want to get off your chest. He be like, nah, twino. Just tripping about my lawyer. I'm just tripping about. I'm just going through a whole lot in life right now. Like, he'll just be capping. So our blue light. When he push up on me, he tried me. Like, I'm not taking care of the bros. I'm like. And even if I wasn't, like, I don't got. I don't gotta do nothing. But point being on top of that, you not putting in on no type of bond. You not helping me with nothing. So how you trying to tell me that I left my brother in jail. You don't even know what going on. Yeah, and we supposed to be bros. What you talking about? Yeah, you supposed to help me out. We all supposed to be one. Like, it just. It just caught me for a loop because I thought we were cool.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

It's like you did everything for him, and then all of a sudden.

[Tony]

All of a sudden, it just flipped like that.

[Bryce Crawford]

But you know what's crazy is you're just saying, like, right now, which I Think there's just so much truth to this, even in that moment. And keep in mind, we're. We're just leading up to good what God's doing. And this is before God's really done something in your heart. There's so much power and just being honest with people and having conversations. Because I feel like if. If he would have just talked to you, the times that you approached him and were like, dude, do you want to talk about things? If he would just talk to you, that probably would have never happened where he like pressed up on you because it's all just built up frustration that like, you gave him the opportunity to talk and.

[Tony]

Exactly.

[Bryce Crawford]

There's. There's so much, like, because I. I'm a big overthinker. Like, if I got something on my chest and I'm not able to talk about it, I understand the buildup. Like, I understand your brain going to the extremes and oh, well, you know, Tony's not helping our friends and he's just not doing that. And he's just getting in his head probably about something that really didn't matter.

[Tony]

Exactly. He said the problem was they felt like I was the only one having money out the group and I wasn't helping nobody. But first of all, I was. And second of all, if you not getting no money and you a grown man. I'm younger than everybody. Let me. Let me remind you. I always grew up around and hung around people who were older than me. You know what I'm saying?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I'm deed bro, but you post be my bit bro.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So I'm like. It was weird me that everybody felt some type of way that I'm the only one having paid. But ain't nobody working. I'm the only one putting in work.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

Like, everybody stop rapping, stop working, doing everything.

[Bryce Crawford]

Because they could like leech off of you.

[Tony]

They felt like. Yeah. Until they just stopped coming around. Wow. You know what I'm saying? One day they started feeling real. I peeped the jealousy. Like they stopped coming to the studio, all that type of stuff. So, you know, I'm still keeping it 100 with them though. I'm staying genuine. You feel what I'm saying? But it was like. And that what threw me off, it was like a. A switch. Like, I think that they was acting funny. He was acting funny. But after I got locked up, it was just a switch. Like, soon as I got out, everything just got weird. Everything just got weird.

[Bryce Crawford]

So you got locked up again?

[Tony]

No, no, no. I'm talking about the first time. The first time, yeah, when I got out, like, that's what I'm telling you. Like, it was weird, though. Cause, like. Like, imagine me and you kicking it. You go away for. I wasn't even locked up for, like, two days. I get locked up for, like, maybe two days. I get out. I bond right out. Soon as I get out, I'm like. I'm trying to push up on him, like, see if he smooth all that. Just acting funny, like, stop responding, stop answering the phone. I'm like.

[Bryce Crawford]

Cause it was now. You needed them to be there for you.

[Tony]

Exactly.

[Bryce Crawford]

And no one was there. It's. Man, what I keep just hearing is, like, there's this, like, everything that you're saying, the way you grew up, the. The friends and this type of story. There's like this hustle. This, like, hustle and grind and this, like, love.

[Tony]

Not. Not.

[Bryce Crawford]

I'm not saying from you, I'm saying from everybody. It's crazy how the love of money can distort people or make people think, because that.

[Tony]

That. That.

[Bryce Crawford]

That's really what it sounds like. Your friends having this love for money, and it's kind of throwing people off. I mean, the money's not a bad thing. It's just when people love money more than they love God, it jacks people up and it. That then money's their God and it messes people up.

[Tony]

And like I said, I'm gonna give you my perspective. Just imagine these your bros right here, man.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And you're overextending. Not just y' all working together. You're the one working, and they the one eating you. Working. They leech, right? They not doing nothing. They just sit here. Just imagine that. And you the one doing a podcast. You the one doing the editing. You the one. This is what, in my point saying, I make my own beats. I'm the one putting people on Audi, all these boys on. On money. And I ain't even telling you. I had. See, we can go deep. We can go deep with it. This is what got me right here. Not only did I turn them up, it was another engineer. It was the one dude. He would engineer me. He didn't even make beats. I was making beats. All he did was engineer. He seen how I made beats. I inspired him to make beats. This one, I'm 18. I'm like, just. I think just turned 18, 17 years old. Like, you know what I'm saying? One or the other. I'm t. So he see how I make beats. He start getting inspired by me. Start making beats like me now. He. He do. He do beats. He. He pretty. He do. He pretty successful with the beats.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

He didn't have nowhere to stay. He didn't have nowhere to do his sessions at engineer no more. Cause mama wouldn't let him engineer in the house. My uncle blessed me with a studio. Wow. So we had extra rooms in the studio. So get what I do. I let him live in the studio, and my uncle gave me the studio. This supposed to be my studio. I let him have one of the rooms so he could do studio sessions in the room. This man get the pillow. Talking to my baby mama, telling her that I be with other girls and I don't really like her for real. And I be talking about her behind her back. Just all type of weird, like, just moving funny. Not only that, they thought they had another artist who was gonna end up blowing up. So they stopped messing with me. For real. They start putting all they effort into the other little bro who they thought was gonna blow up instead of me. So at this time, this all happening at the same time. But what was weird about our whole thing? This. What was funny to me, they didn't even like, little bro, who was. They were trying to switch up on me for it. When I. When I first met all these boys, they used to talk about this, man, all of a sudden, he get a little buzz. Now all of a sudden, it's, oh, all y' all down with him. Y' all switching up on me. Like, they trying to take my studio that my uncle gave me and use it to help LeBron. So I'm like, what the hell? I'm like, bro, why is everybody acting funny right now? Like, yeah, I'm the one who gave everybody they opportunity. So I'm like, bro, where is this? Like, it was. It was a switch game. Like, it literally, like, happened, like, in a span of, like, maybe a couple of days. Like, come back. It's all like this. Everything just weird.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I'm like, what the hell? What's going on right now?

[Bryce Crawford]

So all these guys are switching up on you, basically. And I get. I get the point you're making. It's like. It's like, you know, if the guys that are. If our team was just here and they didn't work and I was doing everything and they switched up, you know, it would. It would be crazy. I get what you're saying.

[Tony]

Basically, like, you did all the work, you put them on. After they get on, they like, nah, we don't need you no more. And you Like, I just gave every last one of y' all the chance.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And. And I sacrifice. Like, it's not like, bro, I'm like, my uncle, they bringing. I got smoke in my city. I got real. It's real smoke where I'm at.

[Bryce Crawford]

So, like, against you.

[Tony]

Yeah. So it's like you might do a session and bring the wrong in here, and then I end up doing whatever to him. You see what I'm saying? Now I'm locked up for it. Or. These are real problems I used to have. Like, I say the other. We gonna give them a name. Let's just say. Let's just say B. All right? So B start bringing. Let me get a other little rapper name that they switched up for water. They just say, B start bringing water. He started bringing water to come rap. And I'm like, bro, you were just talking about this, man. Like, you told me he got robbed. You told me he ain't talking about nothing. You told me he freezing on licks. And. And he's scary. And. And he going out bad. So why is you bringing him around me?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I'm like, bro, you don't even like this. Why are you bringing around me? And why is you using the studio that's supposed to be ours for him? Book him a session. Why are you bringing him around me? I don't even like this. You feel what I'm saying? But my point is saying, like, I'm like, bro, I don't even like him, gang. And you don't like him, so why is he around? What. What is this? What is. What is that? Yeah, and then it gets to the point where he start getting mad. Come putting him on the spot for bringing all these round randoms in my studio. I'm like, bro, I don't know none of these folk, gang. I being here, ice, I. I'm in here, fly. I got. Oh, I got. I got. I got diamond bracelets. I got two, three diamond chain. I got my ring on. I got a watch. I got Rolex on me. A straight white diamond Rolex. And I always got a fly. Straight designer down this one I used to rock straight designer. I'm Dolce to the kicks. I'm Gucci on the top. I'm a mirror on the pants, like every day. I'm like, bro, look like a walking lick. Why are you bringing random?

[Bryce Crawford]

And they might come and, like, you know, try to rob you or something like that.

[Tony]

Exactly. And I don't know them. So if they do something to me, I'm do something to You.

[Bryce Crawford]

And why would would you say, like. Like, you know, I get it. There. There seems to be, like, a lot of tension between people in the rap game in Atlanta. Like, why is that?

[Tony]

There's so much politics.

[Bryce Crawford]

Jealousy. Is it really just jealousy?

[Tony]

It's a lot of jealousy. Everybody. Nobody wants to see somebody doing better than them. Yeah, that's just all it is. And when you start, it's kind of like the dope game. Imagine your block moving. You got a lot of. You got a lot of business coming through your block. I just come out of nowhere and start posting up on your block, and I taking all your business. Now your fiends start coming to me. Oh, we can make it more subtle. Let's say you selling lemonade on your block. I come and sit or set up right next to you and start selling lemonade, the same lemonade you selling. But I start making more money and everybody coming to me and buying my lemonade instead of yours.

[Bryce Crawford]

Yeah, it's kind of like it's all just competition. Like, just. I think what you're echoing about your story before Jesus is a lot of people's story in different contexts right there. A lot of people have felt betrayed. A lot of people have felt used. A lot of people have been enslaved to money, fame, you know, drug, the whole. They. People's stories are different, but that's like the echo of sin. Like, that's just people's stories, like they're drowning in sin. What was the breaking point for you? What was the moment and the switch for you? After all this stuff is going on?

[Tony]

Life kept going. So life got deeper and deeper. After that. I moved again. I went and got me another apartment. I got locked up again. This time when I was locked up, they had denied my bond. I had got locked up for a switch. My brother had claimed the. He had claimed the charge for me, but they had held me in jail for like, four more months after that because of the prior charges. I had.

[Bryce Crawford]

Gotcha. Wait, so someone took the blame for you?

[Tony]

Yeah, he took the blame for me, but they still held me. So at that point, I knew it was God talking to me. I was like, once, once, they denied my bond the second time, and I knew I was really finna sit. I was like, okay, so God. I'm like, I know God talking to me like, this is ordained. It ain't no way that I'm just sitting here in jail, especially for some. Like a water gun. Come on, gang. Yeah, Got me sitting. Come on. I knew it was God, so I was Like, I'm like, okay, so what do I do? All right. Boom. All right. I get to reading the Bible. That's the only thing I can do in there. So now I'm strictly in my book. I'm getting real revelation. I'm getting real revelation. So I'm gonna just fast forward a little bit. Basically, it was just. I got out of jail, I was still on the fence, and my brother died. When my brother died, this is probably about a month ago at this point, it was just so shell shocking because I still got revelation from it. I was asking God why it happened the way it happened, but it was because I was high, you know, I was all like, two perks. I was like, like, two purse. Like, I just rolled up, like, seven blanks. I smoke probably was on my eighth blunt. Rolling up my eighth blunt.

[Bryce Crawford]

It's, like, sad.

[Tony]

Yeah. And he died, and it was just. It was nothing that could help me. Afterwards. I was trying to pop OD pills and. And smoke od, but it wasn't helping me. When nothing helped me, I went. I couldn't even get high. And I'm off two, three per. I'm off eight blunts. I'm not high.

[Bryce Crawford]

And you're just coping with the death of your brother. Like, it's all just a coping mechanism.

[Tony]

I'm like, but I couldn't get high. And I knew that at this point, it was time for me to choose what life I wanted to live. I knew this was my last choice. And I'm keeping everything real service level with a lot of these stories, for sure, because I just don't want to talk your head off. But my point of saying that is it went from me getting kicked out of the house to getting deeper in the street to. I slowed down a little bit that first time I got locked up for the Nerf gun thing. I started learning a little bit about God knowing to be a little bit more humble. But I was still in the street after that. I got locked up again. That's what opened my eyes to knowing that in the real near future, I'm gonna have to get close to God and actually give my life to him. But I just didn't when I was gonna do it. And then the third strike was when my brother died. So it was like, all right, bro, you on your last strike. I felt like he took somebody that was real close to me to show me that I'm probably gonna be next if I don't grow up. You feel what I'm saying? So I was like, I don't wanna die. Cause I know I'm gonna go to hell. So I was like, man, it just time for me to just go ahead and lock in and just let go of the drugs. I knew I was supposed to been let go of the drugs. I know I'm supposed to been start using my influence for something positive instead of still playing on the fence, still spewing curses in my music, still influencing people to do wrong. And I ain't even tell you the reason I got locked up. Let me go back. I'm missing one part. The reason I got locked up was the same dude that I. I told you changed on me. Yeah, I guess he saw me at a, a smoke shop and he ain't, I ain't see him. So when I pulled off, he went in there and did a video and said I couldn't go to the store. And, and, and this is where I'm from. Like this, this really where I'm from. So I'm like, yeah, I go, I pull up, I pull up to the store. So next day when he did the video, he did, so he did the video. And the next day after he did the video, I pull up, I'm like, you ain't finna tell me why I can't go in my city? It being prideful.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

So after that, I pull up to the store, the nigga tell on me. I get locked up, he called the police on me. That's what like what had me reminiscing in jail. I forgot to tell you that that's what had me reminiscing. Cause I knew that this nigga played me out my position and I played myself out my position worrying about somebody who already wanted to see me lose anyway. So I was like, after that, I knew that the street won the way. Because I thought folks was really on that, how I thought I was on that. But it don't really be like that. It's all the images, all the Internet game. And I had to realize that some of them really do be on it. I ain't saying that certain people in the street don't be on it. Cause some folk do be on it. But my point of being that is it was all pointless. After I knew the life I thought was cool was pointless, I was like, well, I gotta grow up now. I gotta grow up. And if being in the street is pointless, then what is the point of life? And that's what I was starting to try to figure out. Like, what is real? I started doing research on all religions, on all spiritualities And I started paying attention that it's everything. Every. Every religion that has some. Some type of Jesus. Yeah, it just. They play with Jesus in certain type of ways. So I was trying to see which Jesus is the real one and which God is the real God.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I wanted to know what was right. And I knew God was right. I just didn't know which God was right. Yeah. So I started doing my research and ain't nothing add up like Christianity. Everything down to the biblical prince, the biblical principles, down to the way it tells you to live, down to why it tells you to live, how you live. Down to the peace you get when you say Jesus name. Down to the peace he's given me in my life. Down to every time I prayed to him, he made something happen. That was the point right there. Like. Yeah, after I opened my eyes and I started doing like research on Jesus, I knew Jesus was the real, the real messiah, man.

[Bryce Crawford]

Have you been able to forgive? Yeah, that guy that.

[Tony]

Yeah, I forgive him.

[Bryce Crawford]

That's the coolest thing ever. How, like, the love of God will give you that strength that you try to find in yourself to forgive people, man. I think your story is beautiful because.

[Tony]

You go from, I got a good one too. I got to tell you, after you.

[Bryce Crawford]

Get done the season of. Of hardship, trial, long season of being enslaved to everything but Jesus. And then Jesus changed her life. Now you change your music, you change the way you talk, you change the way you interact with people. Now, I mean, I think what you said about, man, you were just reading the Bible every day and it was changing the way you think. You renew in your mind. Now you're here, man, I really believe, because I know you got to catch your flight here in a few minutes. If you could, like, tell someone watching or listening to this, like, how would you encourage someone watching or listening to this to leave their life of sin and submit to God?

[Tony]

I ain't gonna force nothing on nobody. Would I tell you to try to go build a relationship with him? Don't look at it as religion. Don't look at it as restriction. Look at it as relation. Look at it as you just trying to figure out what's right in life. Because nobody know what's right until you do know what's right. So what I say is don't go by your own understanding because your heart is deceitful and wicked. Like God says, you gotta listen to your spirit, not your heart. And God is your spirit. You have a holy spirit. So within saying that, I tell you just to pray. For understanding. I pray and just pray that God help you find the right way, not the way you want the right way. Fight to find the right way. And as men, we think with logic, as people were supposed to think with logic. Women think about feelings. But as people, we are supposed to think about logic. And by me saying that, I want you to just go do your own research and don't listen to nobody else's word. That's what got me off the track of my relation with God. I know that me listening to Hebrew Israelites and me listening to Muslims and me listening to even my little Jew buddies. I was listening to all, even my E5 partners, every different person. I was listening to many different people. Instead of listening to what was really right. When I prayed and asked for wisdom and discernment and, and how to. And, and. And guidance, I made it. I made it to where I was supposed to be. And I got one more story I want to tell you real quick.

[Bryce Crawford]

Yeah, right.

[Tony]

Anybody who wants to be in the industry, understand what industry you are becoming of, understand where you want to go. Because the music industry, the entertainment industry is ran by the devil. I want y' all to know this. I thought it was cap. I thought the devil was Cap. I thought God was capped. Now, I ain't gonna say I thought God was capped. I just thought it wasn't no Illuminati. I thought it wasn't nothing that going. But what I want folks to know is I know you probably seen the story I was telling about me getting booked for a photo shoot and having a real encounter with the devil.

[Bryce Crawford]

So wait, you had an encounter with the devil?

[Tony]

Yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

I didn't even know about that.

[Tony]

Can you, like, they booked me for a photo shoot. This is what made me start getting into God right before I got locked up again. Yeah, this is how I knew God was talking to me though. I was scrabbling the fence, still on belief. This is what I was telling you. I didn't know what to believe because I was getting into all the spirituality. I ain't know what to believe. And God sent me a real encounter. So I went up, I got booked for a photo shoot. They took me all the way up this mountain. I was on top of the mountain. We finished the photo shoot. They have OD cars. They got a three seater McLaren, they got a Ferrari. And I'm asking them like, how y' all get all this money? How y' all do this? Like they like, we do demonic rituals. I'm laughing like, no, you don't, bro. I'm like, how you get this money? Don't put me on. I'm trying to get like. Y' all like, no, we do the minor rituals. I say, so what type of money? He say, the Illuminati never talked to you. I'm laughing. I'm still laughing at him like, bro, you playing game. Like, why y' all playing with me? Stop playing. Like, how y' all getting the money? He like, bro, no, for real. Leonardo DiCaprio do all the initiation. I'm like, what? I'm like, who is that? What is you talking about, gang? He was like, he gave me a. A list of people who all did it. I'm gonna keep it pg 13. He was basically saying, either you let them peg you or you do oral and you'll get whatever you want. Tell them what you want. If you want to be the next big actress, next big whoever, I can take you to somebody. And all you gotta let them do is just do what they want to do to you just for a night. Do some gay, basically. Do some gay. That what he was telling me. I'm like, hell, no. You playing game. You playing. So I'm still not trying to bleed this. And he like this. When they get to laughing, they like. They like, oh, we need to take him to the booty club. Stop playing with me, bro. He like, bro, I can make it happen. Now while they doing all this, I'm trying to call my Uber. We on top of the mountain, though, so I don't got no service. So I'm like, all right, I see which one need work on me. They take off. The people who book me, they take off. Like, I say I tell them. I'm like, all right, y' all can take me to y' all Korean barbecue. I'm telling them this because they were telling me. They was like, when I start calling my Uber, my flight was finna take off. They was like, man, your flight finna take off anyway. Let it just get you a hotel and you can come get some food out of a Korean barbecue. I'm like, at first I was like, nah. But then I ain't had no service to get downstairs. I mean, get down the hill, right? So I'm telling them, take me down to the bottom of the mountain. When I'm not telling them this, but in my mind, I'm like, I'm gonna let them take me to the Korean barbecue. Then whenever we get down there, I'm just. Call me an Uber and go. So I tell them, like, take me down to the Korean barbecue. They like, okay, shmood, good. Okay, boom. The people who booked me left. After they leave, I'm in the car with the other dude that they called up to have a photo shoot with me or take pictures. Cause he come up and he like to take pictures with celebrities to make them look like he was, he was rich or famous. I get in the car with him in a three seater McLaren. This man, as we going down, see, on the way up, we go all the way up. Like in the swivel, all the way around the mountain. On the way down, we take a right. So he not going the same way that we came up. So I'm like, what the hell? So then when I try, I'm like, okay. I'm like, take me to go get some McDonald's, gang. I want to go get some McDonald's. He said, we're not gonna take you get no McDonald's. We spent all this money to get you up here. It's face change. Gang in front of me, you see Venom, like, yeah, like Spider Man.

[Bryce Crawford]

Yeah, from Spider Man.

[Tony]

Kind of like that. It wasn't like od, like long, like veins OD long. Got his face. It was probably about this wide, like face change. I'm like, what the. Like, it's about probably about like right here. Like, all I can say, bro, it was like, oh, kind of like the Sandman. Like how you'll see somebody morph into something. Yeah, it's like that. It threw me all the way off. So I'm confused now. I'm like, okay, I didn't know how to get out the car. I would have been got out the car. We in the three seater McLaren. So it's like a button you gotta push to get up outta there. Gotcha. So he backing in. Now he backing into somebody driveway. He smack a mailbox. So now he hit the button and he get up out of there. Hit the button and get up out of there. I see the button, I'm getting up out of there too. I hit the button. Guess what? It's a mailman come out of nowhere. I slap run up to him like, hey, bro, let me get in the back of your truck. He. He looking at me like right there. No, I look at him, I'm like, bro, just let me get in the back of your truck. Please just take me down. Take me down to the bottom. Please just take me down to the bottom. It was God, he took me down to the bottom. Like, if I was him, I wouldn't have took me down to the Bottom. Some random trying to get in the back of my truck. Hell, no. He took me down to the bottom, and I called an Uber, and I just left. The whole thing was just. I felt it in my spirit. Soon as I got up to the top of that mountain, it was something off.

[Bryce Crawford]

There was something wrong.

[Tony]

Yeah, yeah. And I never seen no motion like that like, where I'm from. Like, you know, 100,000. That's smooth. Like, we hunt, you know, that's hood rich. You know, you get you 100,000, you up 100,000, get you a nice car, a little spot, you good. But Defoe having real money, so you.

[Bryce Crawford]

Knew, like, based on their stats, like, there was something wrong.

[Tony]

It wasn't even that. It was the fact of how when I got up there, first of all, that whole mountain just felt funny. Then when it was time for me to go, it started kicking in. When I was trying to get my Uber, and I seen that they had me at the top of the mountain, no service, no nothing. And they came up here, out of everybody, they came up to the one spot, I'm like, man, hell, no.

[Bryce Crawford]

You knew.

[Tony]

Something was all, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Bryce Crawford]

It's crazy because you even. Even then, like, you. You knew from that moment, like, man, I can't be doing that. Even before you were fully submitted to Christ, and now looking back on it, you're. It's crazy how, like, the devil will overplay his hand, and then you, like, literally, this guy's like, yeah, bro, we do demonic rituals, and it's, like, normal. And you're like, what? That's crazy. And now you're serving the Lord, and you're just like, dude, these guys. I think that's so. I think there's a big encouragement there just to let, like, our battle's not against flesh and blood, but against principalities. And. And I really believe the devil's overplaying his hand now.

[Tony]

And he definitely is. He definitely is. That's what I. That's basically what I was saying, though. I just wanted to give my testimony. The reason I'm telling this story is because it come from me. Like, where I'm from, we don't. I ain't gonna say necessarily believe in devil, but we don't really pay attention to the devil. It's not there. We try and get smashed out the way. That's it. Get some money, get flashed out of the way. You know what I'm saying? For me to actually see that in my face, I was just. See. What I'm trying to say is this coming from me, bro. If you know me, you know me. If you don't know me, then the people on camera, you ain't got to believe me. I don't care. But if you know me, you know I don't do no capping. I'm not lying.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I don't just lie. I don't just talk.

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

I really saw this.

[Bryce Crawford]

I believe it.

[Tony]

And it made me. This what made. That's what, like, made me know that the devil and God was real. But that's what made me start to understand what is the real God. Since the Devil real. What is the real God?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

And within this last year and a year, that was done to two years ago, but I was like a year and a half. But within this year and a half, that's what has been getting me closer to God. You sound.

[Bryce Crawford]

Yeah, because you got. You saw the darkness.

[Tony]

I seen it.

[Bryce Crawford]

And now you're. Now you're in the light with Jesus.

[Tony]

This is why I have to use my influence for good. Like, how you doing? Because only thing that's important is win winning souls. And if to anybody out there who isn't Christian, I just hope you live a godly lifestyle, because greed will never get you to where you want to be in life. It's different brackets, you know, it's a certain group of people who own everything. And when you get to a certain level of influence, you can no longer be on the fence. And what I'm saying is if I own everything and your level of influence is getting to the point where you can put a movement together that can possibly break down my empire, you gotta go, because it's business. This is what they say is business. So if you're hurting my pockets, and then you have enough to not only hurt my pockets, but start building your own empire like how I did. This world ain't big enough for the both of us. It's my world. That's how they look at it. And they own everything. And we don't fight against flesh or blood. We fight against principalities and rulers in higher places. The devil is the highest ruler under the devil becomes his pawns with his pawns. Okay, who runs this world? The devil. But okay, if the devil runs this world, then who else is running this world in the physical? If devil runs it in the spiritual, who runs it in the physical? I ain't even got to do all that. Just do your own research on who runs it in the physical. And then when you start saying, oh, they run it. Well, who else is rich and who else is getting to these paper like them? Everybody who has influence. They ain't pushing Jesus. Right? They ain't pushing Jesus. You don't see Jesus on tv?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

You see sex, money, murder?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yeah.

[Tony]

That's what you see?

[Interviewer/Host Assistant]

Yep.

[Tony]

So why is the people who own everything pushing sex, money, murder? And why in the Bible does it say Revelation 3:9? Revelation 3:9? Why does it say that? You say damn. Well, it's a certain group of people who own everything. And anybody who went against it, they died. Anything? Anybody who got a little bit of influence and push something opposite than what the people who own everything is pushing, they died. So why is that? Because Jesus is the real way. They're pushing the opposite of Jesus because they believe something other than Jesus. But Jesus is the only way.

[Bryce Crawford]

Praise God.

[Tony]

Amen.

[Bryce Crawford]

Tony, thank you for coming on, bro. We appreciate you.

[Tony]

Love you.

[Bryce Crawford]

Thank you for sharing your testimony, what God's doing in you, man. Just so grateful for you. Thanks for sitting with us, bro.

[Tony]

Thank you, brother. Thank you for having me. I hope y' all learn something.

[Bryce Crawford]

Guys, thank you so much for watching and listening to this episode. If you guys like it, subscribe to us on YouTube, follow us on Spotify, Instagram, and Tick Tock. Bless you guys and see you guys next week for the next episode.