147.) Ebro, Tony, & Rosenberg Talk Rap Nerd Ish + Sketch Comedy (7/23/26)

Summary

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The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show

Episode 147: Ebro, Tony, & Rosenberg Talk Rap Nerd Ish + Sketch Comedy
Date: July 23, 2026
Guests: Tony Baker
Key Theme: Rap Nerd Debates, Hip-Hop History, Grief, Sketch Comedy, and the Human Experience

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Episode Overview

This lively installment brings comedian Tony Baker into the studio for a deep, "rap nerd" dive with Ebro and Peter Rosenberg (Laura is absent). The trio blends raw hip-hop commentary, comic riffs on sketch comedy, and poignant conversation about loss, grief, and the human experience. Hallmarks of Ebro's culture-minded radio roots mix with Tony’s candid stories from comedy, family, and his evolving career. Together, they deliver a rare mix of humor, hip-hop analysis, vulnerability, and unapologetic ranking—true to the show’s legacy.

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Table of Contents

• Rap Nerd Origins, Wu-Tang & Hip-Hop Fandom
• Wu-Tang "Triumph" Verse Rankings & Debates
• Iconic Hip-Hop Debut Albums
• Sketch Comedy Today: Key & Peele, SNL, and the Comedy Void
• Tony’s Comedy Path, Voiceover Fame, and Social Impact
• Vulnerability: Grief, Loss, and Fatherhood
• The Odyssey Movie & Casting Controversies
• Self-care, Sleep, and Lil Wayne’s No-Sleep Problem
• The Beauty of Acceptance: Living With Loss
• Culture, Comedy, and Loving New York

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Rap Nerd Origins, Wu-Tang & Hip-Hop Fandom

[00:00–04:47]

• Tony explains his rap nerd credentials: growing up in Chicago with older brothers into rock, house, and hip-hop—absorbing Public Enemy, KRS-One, Wu-Tang, House Music, etc.
  • “I was the youngest of three boys...pretty much listening to what they were listening to. When I got my own hip-hop love, it was just like—” (Tony, 00:58)
• Chicago to New Mexico move: Tony discovers Wu-Tang with friends; remembers first hearing "Protect Ya Neck."
  • “My head blew off. I was headless in the car. Just a headless horseman just sitting there.” (Tony, 02:51)
• Tony quit a job just to see Wu-Tang’s first show—no regrets, even when some members were missing.

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Wu-Tang "Triumph" Verse Rankings & Debates

[05:07–16:16]

• Rosenberg and Tony demonstrate their "rap nerd" powers, breaking down each verse of Wu-Tang Clan’s "Triumph" and ranking every member's contribution.
• Memorable live recitation of Inspector Deck's opening, extensive analysis of Capadonna, Ghost, Meth, U-God (“Olympic torch flaming we burn so sweet..."), Jizza, Master Killer, and RZA.
• Tony and Rosenberg debate whether Ghostface's “Yo, fuck that!” is a sly dig at lackluster energy earlier in the song.
• The debate expands into stylistic diversity in Wu-Tang and Ghostface’s “Nutmeg”—his abstract style, “just rhyming stuff together.”
• Memorable Quote:
  • “All these crab laid back—yo, wait, hold on, he got at them.” (Ebro, 11:36)
  • “Pound for pound, [Key & Peele] have better sketches than Chappelle's Show...They don’t have as iconic, but pound for pound.” (Tony, 27:33)

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Iconic Hip-Hop Debut Albums

[18:02–24:29]

• Spirited discussion on whether Doggystyle deserves to be listed with Illmatic and other best debuts.
  • “Doggy Style is better than The Chronic. I stand on that.” (Tony, 18:30)
  • “If you want to get into a conversation about ‘is Doggystyle in the conversation with Illmatic in terms of greatest debuts ever…’ Yes. Absolutely.” (Rosenberg & Ebro, 19:44)
• Critique of mainstream debut album rankings—"Doggy Style" rarely gets its due.

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Sketch Comedy Today: Key & Peele, SNL, and the Comedy Void

[26:25–30:59]

• Tony observes the lack of contemporary, big-sketch comedy platforms ("void of pure sketch"), recalling Key & Peele’s initial skepticism and later respect.
• SNL longevity discussed: "batting average" is low, but the show's function is more as a talent incubator than as consistent comedy.
  • “Every cast, you look back and go, wow, they had some hammers in there. Doesn’t mean the sketches hit though.” (Rosenberg, 30:24)
• Reality of media economics: networks only want proven viral content before investment.

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Tony’s Comedy Path, Voiceover Fame, and Social Impact

[31:00–38:59]

• Tony's evolution: started as an actor, began stand-up in his 30s. His Instagram exploded after animal voiceover clips went viral (“raccoon eating out of a cat food dish…”).
• “They don’t need the extra fluff and shenanigans…People love the voiceovers.” (Tony, 31:58)
• Social media success directly feeding his live touring across the US.
• Enduring loyalty to stand-up—even after viral video fame.

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Vulnerability: Grief, Loss, and Fatherhood

[66:00–92:07]

• Tony recounts losing his 21-year-old son, Serene, in a 2021 car accident:
  • “Our last words to one another—I love you, I love you too…that gives me so much comfort.” (Tony, 75:25)
• The “club” of sudden tragedy, courtroom frustrations, and the complex web of emotions for all parties.
• The value in embracing, not avoiding, sadness—and showing up for others in grief.
  • “I take the waves as they come—don’t fight the waves.” (Tony, quoting a friend, 89:40)

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The Odyssey Movie & Casting Controversies

[38:04–43:03]

• Tony and the crew react to the success and "controversy" around the new Odyssey movie (Lupita Nyong'o, Elliot Page).
  • “She’s black? What is she doing...Playing Helen of Troy? ...Who cares?...She never existed for real.” (Tony, 39:47)
• Deftly call out the absurdity of race/gender “accuracy” in epic fiction.

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Self-care, Sleep, and Lil Wayne’s No-Sleep Problem

[46:38–54:24]

• Play and discuss a clip where Lil Wayne claims he doesn’t sleep (“Sleep is the cousin of death”—Nas).
  • "How is he alive?" (Tony, 48:07)
• Debate the deleterious impact of sleep deprivation on music, health, and life, both as rap mythos and real physiology.
• “When you see something chaotic...First question we should be asking is: do you sleep?” (Ebro, 49:00)
• Humor over Cozy Earth bedsheets as life upgrade for Wayne.

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The Beauty of Acceptance: Living With Loss

[88:03–91:51]

• Powerful, honest exploration of the “acceptance” process in grief.
  • “Sometimes you just can't understand...Acceptance is when the pain can start to dissipate a little bit.” (Rosenberg, 89:00)
• Laughing through pain, finding light at funerals, and the odd bonding after tragedy.
  • “Let the family close out the show [at funerals].” (Tony, 82:26)

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Culture, Comedy, and Loving New York

[101:06–103:09]

• Tony on the vibrant energy in post-championship NYC, reminisces about his love for New York’s role in music and film culture.
• The hosts invite him to extend his stay; plenty of jokes about “ranking” and “rap nerd” conversations.
  • “I love ranking stuff. Get in on this ranking stuff.” (Tony, 102:54)

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Wu-Tang Fandom
  • “My head blew off. I was headless in the car. Just a headless horseman…” (Tony, 02:51)
• On Stand-Up Post-Grief
  • "How am I able to do this? It just happens. And so it just taught me a lot." (Tony, 94:21)
• On Acceptance
  • “Don’t fight the waves...It’s like lifting weights. It’s always gonna be heavy. You just might get used to picking it up.” (Ebro & Tony, 89:43, 89:50)
• On Rap Debates
  • "Doggy Style is better than The Chronic. I stand on that." (Tony, 18:30)
• On Sleep & Creativity
  • “Sleep makes you live. It’s not a cousin of death.” (Rosenberg, 49:47)

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Tone & Flow

This episode is peer-level, irreverent, deeply knowledgeable, and emotionally open. There's both inside-baseball ranker debates (“Deck, Meth, Capadonna…!”) and the hard-won wisdom of lived experience (“acceptance is when the pain can start to dissipate a little bit”). Tony’s comic warmth and Rosenberg’s lived empathy mesh with Ebro’s grounded, culture-rooted mediation.

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Useful for New Listeners

Even if you’ve never tuned in, this episode offers:

• A master class in hip-hop listening—"rap nerd" analysis with entertainment value.
• Honest, accessible conversation about grief, loss, and the struggle to stay creative after tragedy.
• Rare, firsthand reflections on the business and art of Black sketch comedy.
• The unflagging importance of sleep, self-care, and choosing joy—no matter what life delivers.

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For Further Exploration

• Tony Baker’s social media (for voiceovers, tour dates)
• Inspector Deck's "Triumph" interview (Patreon)
• New Odyssey film box office/controversy
• Key & Peele vs. Chappelle’s Show sketches (YouTube)

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Summary by The Ebro, Laura, Rosenberg Show Podcast Summarizer
For fans, newcomers, and rap nerds everywhere

Transcript

[A]

Just don't call it a podcast. Okay? Okay. Okay. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, it's Ebro Laura Rosenberg. It's really Ebro, Tony and Rosenberg today.

[B]

Yeah, well, Laura's definitively not here.

[A]

That's right. So it's Ebro Tony Rosenberg show. Are you good with us putting your name in the.

[C]

That's fine. Yeah. Throw me in there. Really? Well, I could be Laura.

[B]

We call you Laura for the show.

[C]

Call me Tor.

[B]

We got Tor in the house.

[C]

I'm a tourist. Anyway, it's kind of close.

[A]

Oh, there you go.

[B]

I like. I like Tony Baker already. Just in the few minutes he's been here since we've just been chatting. I didn't realize the level of. Of rap nerd.

[C]

I'm a rap nerd.

[B]

No, I didn't know the extent we were talking about old school rap.

[A]

I think that's one of the reasons he agreed to come up here because we're not that funny. He's funny, but he was like, but they know hip hop, so I'm going to come up here.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

No, I didn't know. I didn't know the extent to which you were.

[C]

Oh, man. I was once like, you know, I'm the youngest of three boys, so I was pretty much listening to what they were listening to. Then when I got into my own hip hop love, it was just like,

[B]

what were they listening to?

[C]

My middle brother, Scott, he was listening to everything from Anthrax, Dead Kennedys to BC Boys, Ice Cube, you know, all of it.

[B]

So he had a vibe, though.

[A]

He was.

[B]

He was leaning rock punk.

[C]

But then, you know, his rat, he was. He had audio too.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

Being rock him.

[B]

So he still had the old school.

[C]

It was everything, right.

[A]

Boogie Down. He was listening to kras.

[C]

Yeah, for sure.

[A]

And so Public Enemy.

[C]

For sure. Oh, he had all the Public Enemy.

[B]

So I'm.

[C]

I'm taking in all this. And then, you know, when he moved to Oklahoma, so it was just me and my oldest brother was like in the house music. And then. But he liked Wu Tang.

[B]

Because you're from Chicago.

[C]

From Chicago.

[A]

So. Yeah. Your older brother had to be in house music.

[C]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. House was House McGee. He was House McGee. He was like, yeah.

[B]

Now that's literally in the origin of house music. He was there for.

[C]

He's 10 years older than me.

[B]

Oh, he was really.

[C]

They were going out to the club. They were out there. I was at home. And so then when I got my own hip hop voice, you know, I'm coming in on Tribe who my Scott was listening to as well. Daylight Tribe and then Woo. Once Wuang hit, that's when I feel like I found my identity interesting. And I was a Wu Tang fanatic.

[B]

What. What was the level of Wu Tang madness in Chicago? Was it in.

[C]

Was it a lot at this time, though? I was in New Mexico at this time.

[B]

You moved to New Mexico?

[C]

I moved to New Mexico because my oldest brother got stationed there in the Air Force.

[B]

Got it. So were there other wooheads in New Mexico?

[C]

Yeah, my boy Laron, he was listening to it in the car. I got in the car. Chess boxing was playing. It was ODB's verse. I was like, what the hell is this? And he was like, wu Tang Clan. I was like, what? Because they had the. They had the karate movies playing. I grew up on karate movies. I was like, what's happening here?

[B]

Jacques Cousteau could never get this close.

[C]

Like, my head blew off. I was headless in the car. Just a headless horseman just sitting there. And then once I got that, it was like, I need it. I gotta have it.

[A]

So it has to be the Ebro, Tony and Rosenberg show today.

[B]

No, he's in.

[A]

He's in. Names in the title.

[B]

Have you ever watched the. It's been hitting my algorithm a lot recently. Have you seen the clip of Wu Tang on Larry Sanders?

[C]

No, I haven't seen that.

[B]

You never seen that?

[C]

Nah.

[B]

You remember Larry Sanders show, right?

[C]

Gary Shandley.

[B]

Yeah. And Jeffrey Tambor is the co host. And when he comes out and he's like, hey, I like. I like you guys. Wu Tang. That's the. They do the old trope. He goes, I like the song Shame on N word. And says it. And they're all like, okay.

[C]

I'm like, all right, all right.

[B]

Riz is like, ah, yeah, that song's fat. And then he goes. And then he goes, hey, where's dirty old bitch?

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

They're like, nah, nah. Old dirty bastard. Old dirty bastard. And he's like, oh. They go, yeah, he's locked up right now.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And he goes, oh, man. Cops. Those pigs. Those cops. I know what it's like. I got parking tickets up the wazoo. I've seen this clip before, trying to relate.

[C]

Hold on.

[B]

But this is my favorite thing. They don't trip. They're all just like, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then he goes, all right, guys, have a good show.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And as he's about to walk away, he goes like this. All right? And the second he does that, they go, yo, what's up, man? What Kind of time you on. That's the official thing.

[A]

That's where they drew the line.

[B]

They drew the line at raising the roof. They're like, yo, my man was so. So there was. There was a New Mexico Wu Tang community.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

When did you first get to see them?

[C]

I didn't see them live until, like, 98, 99. They went to New Mexico State and performed. That was the first concert I ever went to. Really? Yeah. I quit my job to go to that show. I was working at this little.

[A]

You couldn't take a vacation day. You couldn't get a feeling.

[C]

It just started.

[A]

Oh, okay, okay.

[C]

So I'm like, y' all not. Y' all not gonna get me off. I quit.

[B]

I gotta do what I gotta do.

[C]

I quit everything. I was like, I'm out, y'. All.

[A]

You had no problem quitting jobs?

[C]

I had zero problem. I'm quitting. How was Wu Tang?

[B]

Did Dirty show up or.

[C]

No, no, he wasn't there. Meth wasn't there, and Dirty wasn't there. Oh, man. So I felt incomplete. I was like, man, come on, man.

[B]

You can't have both. I, I.

[C]

You.

[A]

You went and begged for your job back.

[C]

No, I was like, it was worth the L, man. I got no regrets on this.

[A]

So. So you guys, before we started recording today, Tony and Rosenberg was chopping it up about Triumph.

[B]

Well, the Inspector Deck interview, we started. Started there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then we started talking about Triumph and because how big Deck was. And when you think about Obamatomically, for sure. And then we started. We really got into the nuts.

[A]

I walked in, and y' all was nerding out at levels I've never nerded out on Triumph before. You guys were ranking the verses.

[C]

We want to.

[B]

Yeah, we want to. We want to go through. We want to. We want.

[A]

How many verses? Six verses.

[C]

No, nine.

[B]

Right here.

[C]

Let's. I think it's about nine.

[A]

But some don't have a full verse, though.

[B]

Yeah, no, no, that's right. Some are short.

[C]

Yeah, you got the killing Jizza. Short.

[A]

Short.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So.

[A]

So do you count those as a verse?

[C]

I mean, we got the count. They showed up. They on there.

[B]

And, and, and remember, old Dirty doesn't have a verse. He just says, I rub your ass to the moonshine. Now, I. I wanted to. I asked Deck. I said, the ad libs weren't on the song when you did that. He said, no. He was the first person on it.

[C]

Really?

[A]

So he cut that verse while RZA was making the beat. Heard the beat. Rza. And you Guys, go watch the Inspector Deck conversation on. It's still on Patreon.

[B]

It's on Patreon.

[A]

It's on Patreon. And Inspector Deck said he had a freestyle he had did with Tony Touch.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

That he was saying to the beat. And Riz was like, yeah, do that.

[B]

So after he did it, he played it for everyone else and everyone else started filling in. So I. Because I was about to say if. Because if you were actually trying to rap seriously, and you heard old dirty right before you're about to rap, say, rub your ass to the moonshine. How do you pull it together to drop the verse? Yeah, so. So you have. You have Dex verse.

[A]

Take it back. That's first 79.

[B]

You think that's one?

[C]

That's one.

[B]

You think deck is one?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Abomatonically, Socrates philosophies and hypotheses can find

[C]

out these mockeries lyrically Perform armed robbery flee with the lottery Possibly they spotted me Keep going.

[B]

Battle scarred Shogun Yep. Explosion with my pinheads Tremendous ultraviolet shine blinds forensics I inspect View through the future see millennium killer bees sold 50 gold, 60 platinum don't understand what he's saying exactly. But shackling the masses with drastic rap tactics Graphic displays melt the steel like blacksmiths Black Wu jackets queen bees ease the guns in rumble with patrolmen Tear gas lace the function Heads by the score take flight inside a war Chicks hit the floor Die hands fans demand more Right. Behold the bold soldier control the globe Slowly proceeds to blow Swinging swords like shinobi stomp grounds and pound footprints in solid rock who got it locked? Performing live on your hottest block Come on, man. Bro.

[C]

That's incredible.

[A]

As the world turns I spread like germ Bless the globe with the pestilence the hard headed never learn this my testament to those burn play my position in the game of life Standing firm

[B]

yeah, man on foreign land so the.

[A]

The.

[B]

The meth. I. My. My head says meth. Could be two or three or four. Yeah, he's in that. But let's. We'll come back to it.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because after meth, you get it's cap. I twist darts from the heart Tried true loop. It says loot. My voice on the lp. I thought he said loop.

[A]

Loop. I thought he said loop. Well, they get it wrong.

[B]

They get it wrong. Wait, my voice Loot. It's loop.

[A]

No, this. My. My lyrics here say loop.

[B]

Yours says loop.

[A]

This is on Apple. What do you want?

[B]

Google? It says loop.

[A]

It's loop. My voice.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Loop my voice on the LP Martini on The slang Rock certified shatterbox. Vocabulary. Donna talking. Tell your story walking. Take cover.

[A]

Kill.

[B]

What? All right, that cap is up there.

[C]

Uh huh.

[A]

Cap is two.

[C]

You putting cap.

[A]

I put cap in a.

[B]

Don't forget we got to get to ghosting right at the end.

[A]

So. Yeah, the saga continues.

[B]

Wu Tang. Wu Tang Now Old dirty earned. You know, he didn't do much, but it was effective.

[C]

His ad libs were great though. Why didn't he do a verse though? Did they say?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

I didn't. We didn't ask. I've never asked Deck and I've never asked rza.

[B]

I don't know if I've. I've. I don't know if I've ever asked RZA really. But it's dirty. He comes and goes. I mean that's what it kind of feels like. You got crushes it though. Because like you pointed out, the beat

[C]

change boosts his proof.

[A]

Olympic torch flaming we burn so sweet

[B]

the thrill of Victoria V. Agony defeat.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Because the whole beat change is there. It really.

[C]

Beat change is epic though.

[B]

And then. And then Riz is crazy.

[C]

March of the wooden soldiers.

[B]

See, I wouldn't have remembered that. That you remember. The words are March of the wooden soldiers. Seaside for punks couldn't hold us. That's cops, ladies and gentlemen. A thousand men rushing in, not one sober. Perpendicular to the square we stand Bold like.

[A]

You gotta say it right. You didn't say it right. Perpendicular like squ.

[B]

Escape from your dragon's lair. In particular Jizza. Now this is where you and I.

[C]

This is where the they sag, man. Liquid Swords is one of the best albums to come out of the woo.

[B]

One of the best rap albums, period.

[C]

Period.

[A]

But in this, in this moment you feel like Jizza.

[B]

It dips and it's short. They kept it well.

[A]

When you say dip, what are you saying? Energy change. What are you saying?

[C]

Lyrically it's less exciting than everybody so far.

[A]

But are you saying that his energy is different?

[B]

He's just saying over because. Well, because it's a. It's a little bit of a. Let's take a break. It's like cuz you can't keep five minutes straight of right. So it's frenetic. And here when he goes war the masses, the outcomes disastrous. It does chill out.

[C]

It chills out a little bit.

[B]

It chills out.

[C]

It's still fine. It's not a bad verse. And then.

[B]

And then Master Killer just on starts

[C]

talking to you and then he dips

[B]

the track Renders helpless multiple styles. And he's really. So Jizza and Master Killer really kind of talk to you.

[C]

They bring you in like, let me have a conversation, right?

[A]

Chief Jamel I Reef takes the stage.

[B]

No, it's dope, by the way. There's bars in there.

[C]

There's bars in there.

[A]

It's just.

[B]

It's just low key. But then. But Raekwon. I'm sorry, Ghost.

[A]

Well, you know, his name is really Jamel Arif.

[B]

I didn't even realize that. Is that fast.

[C]

I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Jamel I Reef.

[B]

And what makes perfect the high Chief

[A]

Jamel I Reef takes the steak.

[C]

And then.

[B]

And then Ghostface.

[C]

Yo, fuck that.

[B]

No, he literally speaks for on behalf of everyone.

[C]

Let's go back.

[B]

Yo. And he goes crazy.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Hey, yo, that. Look at all these crab laid back, yo. Wait, hold on.

[A]

He got at them.

[B]

It almost sounds like he's getting.

[A]

No, no, no. He got at them. He got at Jizza. He said, hey, yo, that. Look at all these crap laid back. But why would you was just saying

[C]

his people. I don't think he would do that.

[B]

He wouldn't call them crabs.

[C]

I don't think he would do that to them.

[B]

Right?

[A]

No way.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Rah. You got Mike. What you saying?

[C]

I said no way. Because as Dex said, the order wasn't pre planned.

[B]

Yeah, we don't know. It's a fun thing to say that. He says, stop being laid back.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then that verse is crazy.

[C]

I never even correlated that.

[B]

Me neither. Not till this right moment. And then Raekwon also responding, it seems goes. Hey. Oh, that's amazing.

[C]

That's amazing.

[B]

Gun in your mouth Talk verbal foul hawk connect thoughts to make my man child walk Swift notarizer blue tang all up in the high riser New York Yank visor word tranquilizer Adjust the dosage Delegate my clan with explosives While my pen blow lines Ferocious Mediterranean See y' all the number one draft pick Tear down the beat God then delegate the God to see God. I don't even know what that means. The swift Chancellor flex the white gold tarantula track truck diesel played the weed God Substantial Max Mosley undivided then slide in sickening guaranteed made him jump like Rod Strickland.

[C]

So he ended with something clear and concise.

[B]

Oh, super.

[C]

Everybody got that. So.

[B]

So one during that verse, you're like,

[C]

what the hell is happening? And then he closes it out with that. Oh, make him jumping like R. Strickland.

[A]

Everybody get that.

[B]

So you think it's Deck one. I might go raek one too. The Ray verse is pretty insane.

[C]

I don't understand all of it, so I can't give them the.

[B]

All right, so who do you want to. You want. You think Mets too?

[C]

I think Methods too.

[A]

I understand Ray's versus just slanguage, man. Yeah, that's why. But that's the. That's the magic of it.

[B]

Well, no, I don't. I think Ray and Ghost are more than slanguage, as you put it. To me, what they do is. Oh, I've always described the way they make rap or make art is tiny paintings one after another. It's all like two words is something. Two words is something. And then they put it all together,

[A]

you know, I mean, like it's not complete co. Complete thoughts.

[B]

It's. It's just. It's just like. But. But it is thoughts, though. Like he is saying things. All of it means something.

[C]

Did y' all hear about nutmeg?

[B]

Probably.

[C]

What about Ghost was saying that he was just rhyming.

[B]

Oh, no. Yeah, I think that was on our show.

[C]

I think.

[B]

I think it was on our show. He was just. He was just.

[A]

What was he.

[B]

He was just rhyming.

[C]

Yeah, he was just rhyming stuff together. I forget what his reasoning was and why he did it like that, but

[B]

I was like it was on a different beat or something. I forget. But he was just rhyming things.

[C]

All that is nothing because I love supreme clientele.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[C]

And nutmeg, I never understood about. I thought it was language, but I would come to find out.

[A]

But see, this is Robin words, you know, Look, I know where we live in a time where people rap for all types of different reasons. And even Wu Tang, like you had different. So many characters with so many different stats.

[C]

Right?

[A]

But there have been characters and maybe there still are today in hip hop, that their whole Persona and rhyme style, rap style, MC style was just art. And it was whatever you want to get from it is what it is.

[C]

Right. So you think nutmeg was that?

[A]

I mean, clearly, because he said I was just rhyming stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So if Tony as. How old were you at the top?

[C]

I was like supreme clientele. I was a father at that time.

[A]

Yeah. 24 year old you. Yeah, whatever you want it to mean. That's what it means.

[B]

Tell me if I'm forgetting.

[C]

I loved it though. I was like, man, this is fire.

[B]

Tell me if I'm forgetting anything or is this correct?

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And the order we can. It just gets us some close okay. Deck Meth. Okay. Capadonna.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Ghostface.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

You God. Okay. That beat change.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Olympic torch. Flaming. We gotta give you God his flowers.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Raekwon.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Master Killer. And then Jizza.

[C]

Where's rza?

[B]

Oh, rza. Where would you put Rizza?

[C]

I would put him above Master Killer for sure.

[B]

Above Rey. Not above Rey, though, Right? See, Cypher, Punks couldn't hold. I don't know. It's dope. But yeah, let's put Rizza third to last.

[C]

Yeah. Even though I really like that Rizza verse.

[B]

It is. No, by the way, I like every verse. Every verse on here is fire, folks.

[A]

Well, that's why you guys get this. Be honest. That's why you guys get this.

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

You played yourself. Why. Why are you even doing this?

[B]

Deck Meth.

[A]

Why? And why did you guys think this was?

[C]

We like to rake stuff.

[A]

Well, you and Kevin, that's your whole life.

[C]

The bread and butter, the top 10 sandwiches. We'll just do anything.

[B]

It's a great brand.

[C]

We'll do any list.

[A]

What's the name of the podcast? Ball, brother, because you ain't got no hair.

[C]

Yeah, we balled it down.

[B]

Well, I mean, you want to spin off, Join us?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You want to collab?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

That feeling like a big collab.

[C]

We can definitely collab. Yeah.

[B]

Is Kev. Is Kev a big hip hop fan as well now?

[C]

See, he grew up in the church, right. So he didn't come to rap until later. Later.

[A]

Oh, so that's why he don't cuss like that.

[C]

Yeah. So he grew up in the church. Church. And they were. They were, like, big on, like, his mom was tripping. Like, we're not gonna listen to Anita Baker.

[B]

Right.

[C]

That's. That's. That's.

[A]

That's too far.

[C]

She was listening to Anita Baker on the low. Oh, so that's why he came in. Anita Baker.

[A]

So his rap journey is different than my question. Yes, question. Have. Have. Have you ever done a segment with him where you ask him about certain records that he may has? Like, is he caught up? Like, could you play him? Akanelli, put it in your mouth. Has he ever heard that?

[C]

I'm sure he's heard it before. I'm sure he's heard it before. Now, was he at the club? No, that was absolutely. I don't think so.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

But what a moment in time.

[C]

I would love to do that with Kev, though.

[A]

Like, have you heard, like, play him the most vulgar rap that you could find? Oh, like straight porn rap, like, because

[B]

you Think he knows Nan by Trick Daddy?

[C]

He might.

[A]

He know Trick Daddy.

[C]

Trick.

[A]

He might. You don't know there. He probably know the clean version from the radio. He probably didn't know what was actually being said in the record.

[C]

He got a hold of a Doggy Style album that somebody had. He was listening to that, and you know, that's just pure.

[B]

That's Filth. Filth Floor and Florin. Florin Phil.

[C]

That's one of my favorite albums.

[B]

Oh, it's. It's right up.

[A]

Tony Baker likes the filth.

[B]

What's your favorite. What's your favorite song on Doggy Style?

[C]

Ooh, I like Doggy Dog World. I would always run that one back. I love. Actually Pump Pumpkin. I love Malik's verse.

[B]

Yeah. Malik comes off on it.

[C]

And I love G's Up Hoes Down. Even though they took it off certain pressings of it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And then they put it back.

[A]

I love that this guy's in it.

[B]

No, he's in it.

[A]

He's in it.

[B]

He referenced Pom Pom.

[C]

And I think Doggy Style is better than the Chronic. I stand on. I stand on that.

[A]

A lot of people believe that.

[B]

Yeah. Not. Not enough.

[C]

Not enough.

[B]

It's not. It's. It's talked about as, like, it's the Chronic. No, no, it's. Is Dog. Doggy Chronic. They were getting there.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Doggy Style.

[A]

The production was. Yeah, production was great.

[C]

I think Doggy Style is a better album.

[B]

Yeah, it's. It's. It's basically flawless.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. For me, I love the Chronic, though. There's so much on it. But I think what you're. What I hear you saying is Doggy Style is a better body of work where the Chronic is a collection of dope song. Is that what you're saying? Like, Doggy Style was like a.

[B]

It's a full album.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's more song. You got more of it. And it doesn't get weak. Like, it's longer, but it doesn't get weaker.

[C]

Some of the. Some of the features on the. The Chronic were just. Okay. I feel like there. There wasn't a weak feature on Doggy.

[B]

That's a really good point, too.

[C]

Yeah. Like, some of the features on the Chronic, I was just kind of like, all right. You know what I'm saying? And they don't really hold up as well. But Doggy Style, front to back, it's.

[B]

It's a flawless piece of work. I really. I do think that's the. It's. It's not stated enough.

[A]

You Know my bitching now.

[B]

If you got, if you got into, if you wanted to get into a really heated debate.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Especially here in New York. If you want to get into a conversation about is Doggy style, should it be in a conversation with Illmatic in terms of, like, greatest debuts ever?

[A]

Yes, absolutely.

[C]

A thousand.

[B]

But it's not put there by most people who's.

[A]

First of all point me to where this conversation is happening.

[C]

That's right. Because I, I, I don't see it listed enough when they say debut albums.

[B]

It's never. Next. It's never.

[A]

I've never seen debut albums. Best debut albums in hip hop as a combo. I've never seen.

[C]

You never seen that combo.

[A]

No.

[B]

But you're not a rankers.

[A]

I'm not. I'm not in the ranker algorithm.

[B]

Yeah. We're ranking. We know, we know this thing.

[C]

They be giving me the algorithm of like the best debut album.

[B]

Illmatics always won.

[C]

Illmatic, Jay Z, 50 Cent, Kanye West.

[B]

Pun gets thrown in there sometimes too rightfully. By the way, great album. But doggy style is never at the top. Like you could. If I were from la, I could not even. Not if I just didn't want to be hated in New York. I could see someone saying, let me make the case for why doggy style is better than Illmatic. And it's. You can make the case for it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

As I've met point out many.

[C]

My favorite west coast album to this day.

[A]

Doggy Style.

[C]

Doggy Style.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

This day.

[B]

Well, I mean, I feel like it's only Dre battling with Dre. Right. For. For best ever.

[C]

Well, you got Kendrick in there now.

[B]

Kendrick's in there too.

[C]

Yeah. The Game has a case.

[A]

The Game has a documentary.

[C]

The documentary was the first.

[B]

The first several Game albums are.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Hammers.

[C]

He's got a great.

[A]

And we're still doing debut.

[C]

West coast debut.

[B]

Oh, if you're doing his debut, by the way, Game Tonight versus the Game

[A]

and yg Apple on Apple Music.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

I feel like the verses. I feel like they keeping them low key.

[A]

They didn't even know because they don't pop. I don't think it. Maybe it's not on your algorithm. It's not popping, but.

[B]

No, it is. There is something there. A little listen, because we're comparing it to the pandemic where that was the only thing we had going.

[C]

Right.

[B]

It was.

[C]

That was the part even after it was still like, it still had momentum. But like, what was the last one now?

[B]

The last one was Very under the radar. I was like, wait, what Was it you, bro? It was big in a certain space.

[A]

No, no, no. It was pleasure P and them and B2K. Pretty Ricky.

[C]

I barely even knew that. Even before that one when it was. Didn't. Didn't.

[A]

Rick, Ross, Ross and French.

[C]

I didn't even know they were doing.

[B]

No, it's not. It's not as heavily promoted as it was at a certain time. I'll tell you one problem, though, with me. If they had said, hey, Peter, your life is on the line. I need you to name Pretty Ricky songs or we're ending it right now. I get Ebro. Ebro be finding a new coast. You be in for me permanently.

[C]

I get Grind with me.

[A]

It would definitely be Ebro, Tony and

[B]

Laura at that point.

[A]

No, it would be Grind with me.

[C]

That's all I got.

[B]

You got one?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What's the biggest one? Louie? What's the biggest Pretty Ricky joint? Huh? Grind with me.

[C]

Yeah, and I know.

[B]

I know that, right?

[C]

I know that one.

[A]

Yeah, you know. You know several Pretty Ricky songs. I knew more than I thought I knew.

[B]

Really?

[A]

Yeah. Yes. Rahsaan.

[C]

They got another big one.

[A]

Iconic debut albums. What does that even. What is iconic? What does this mean?

[B]

That picture of Biggie that they chose for a list.

[A]

Who made. First of all, so here's my problem with the Internet. Who made this?

[B]

Who made this look based on the graphic? Someone who's not talented.

[A]

This looks like iconic debut out. What does that mean? What is. As far as ranking, like, how are you?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

What is that metric?

[C]

Like epic. Epic debuts where it shifted the. It moved the needle, it shifted the culture.

[B]

It was a good list, though.

[C]

That list was great, Tony. You know, Hill is an asterisk, though.

[B]

Yeah. It's not quite your debut.

[A]

It's not quite her debut, but it is her first song.

[C]

Cuz the score was massive.

[A]

Tony, you know how like you. Tony, you know how like, you go on your Instagram and like, you'll put up a clip of like people arguing about relationships.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And you'll. Wait a second. You go, shut up.

[C]

Shut the hell up, man.

[A]

Yeah, that's how I feel about hip hop list. Sometimes you shut up. Shut up.

[B]

But that was a good one. Well, I say shut up to that one.

[A]

Why was that good?

[B]

Cuz look at the list.

[A]

Let me see it again.

[C]

It was great. Look at that.

[A]

Cole's debut deserves to be in it.

[C]

No, Cole shouldn't be in there.

[B]

No. Yeah, Cole's the only one I have an issue with. Yeah, Everything else is. I mean, listen, Dre is questionable. Lauren's questionable. They both have bodies of work.

[C]

Well before he's questionable.

[A]

Right, that's what I'm saying. Like, it doesn't even. Good kid Mad.

[B]

Good kid Mad City is what you would list.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

If you wanted to list it.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

Because if you're going with that, it shouldn't even be Section 80. It should be overly dedicated.

[A]

Right.

[C]

If we go.

[A]

So that's why I said.

[C]

Yeah, you shut the hell up.

[B]

Yeah. They get things wrong. You're right. That list does suck, Tony. I don't know why you brought that, but everybody else.

[C]

That was super legit.

[A]

No, it's fact.

[B]

Yeah, but no doggy style should be right up there in the convo. I mean, Illmatic. I probably, in the end, would take Illmatic if I had to. Illmatic is favorite album number one ever. What's your least favorite song on Illmatic?

[C]

One time for your mom.

[B]

I almost. I almost did a countdown. How to say at the same time. Because I knew to say one time for your mind.

[C]

1.

[B]

We just become best friends. And I still like it. Of course. Me too.

[A]

Of course. What's not to like?

[C]

That's the weakest one. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

I love you guys. Hip hop nerds. You guys are great.

[C]

You act like you not one as well.

[A]

I'm not as far as y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

I can't remember stuff.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[B]

He. He would be there if he could just remember the stuff. He was working too early.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I was playing this stuff on the radio at that time.

[C]

In 94.

[A]

Yeah, I was on the radio in 19 start. Sacramento, California.

[B]

He was six years old.

[A]

1991.

[C]

You from Cali?

[A]

Yeah, I'm from Oakland originally.

[C]

I thought you was East Coast, McGee.

[A]

No, I mean, that's how most a lot of people know me because of the Internet, but.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

No, he's. He's dickies all.

[A]

And I didn't know you was from Chicago. Yeah, and no, I never wore dickies all day. You saw Northern California.

[C]

Why would I do that?

[B]

Where'd you think he was from?

[A]

I didn't know. I really didn't. I had no idea. I had no idea. And I didn't know that you and Kev were both based in la. I thought you guys, you know, I put together watching y', all, but yeah, I didn't know.

[C]

How old is.

[B]

Is Kev your age as well?

[C]

He's a little younger. He's like 41.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And how'd you guys meet?

[C]

We met in Tacoma, Washington. Nate Jackson, another hilarious comedian. He had a show that he was. He was doing out there in Tacoma, and so he brought me out to headline, and Kev was. He did the features spot on that show.

[B]

So we met there and. And y' all just became quick, close friends.

[C]

Yeah, it was like, you know, when I. When I met him there, I liked his material because he also had two boys. I had two boys. And so I was like, I like this guy. I was married at that time, and the stuff he was talking about, I could relate to. I was like, I like this guy. And then we was just cool. And then when he started working for All Deaf, when he came, he moved to la, he would bring me in to do, you know, sketches and stuff, and so we would just remain cool right after that.

[A]

How come there's nobody doing sketches? Like, I mean, you got. Obviously, you got the SNLs and you guys do. I see you guys do, like, an improv thing sometimes. Yeah, I see it. But is there a sketch comedy thing right now? Is anybody doing it right now?

[C]

There's. There's not a popping one. Like, you know, like a Key and Peele level SNL type. We don't have that right now. Like, there's a void of, like, pure sketch. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Like, it's hard to do. It's like, even. Even. Even when you remember, go back to Key and Pill. Right. Like, you know, on. On the algorithm, it'll put something in front of you and be like, yo, they had a skit for everything. Right? Yeah. But at the time, people was mad at Key and Peele because of the Dave Chappelle.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What was the.

[A]

Remember Dave. When Dave left Comedy Central, right, And it was like a whole blow up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Key and Peele was. Took the slot. Right. And people hated on Key and Peele because they was like, oh, they just trying to throw some black dudes in there. To replace Dave Chappelle.

[B]

Little did you know you were getting one of the most brilliant directors of all time and an incredible actor and comedian.

[A]

And listen well, hit us all with the button. Congratulations, you played yourself.

[C]

This sketch is a fire.

[A]

Fire, bro.

[C]

This sketch, I would argue this. Pound for pound, they have better sketches than the Chappelle Show. Pound for pound, they don't have as iconic like the Rick James Prince, the. The white supremacist. Those are the standouts.

[B]

The standouts from Chappelle are significantly more iconic. Right. With the exception, of course, substitute teacher has really stood the test of time.

[C]

He gets the names wrong.

[B]

Yo.

[A]

And Barack, The Barack Obama.

[B]

Those ones have lived on in big ways. But if you go back, because I remember having mixed feelings on King and Peele also.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And then every time I'd end up seeing a sketch on YouTube or something, I'd be like, yo, all these sketches are really good.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Now when all sketch shows are hit

[C]

and miss, for sure.

[B]

Or Larry David's doing it right now on his show.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And his show has ones we like.

[A]

Woo.

[B]

And then the next one, you know, that's what sketch. Snl, SNL forever.

[C]

Snl. They.

[A]

What's their batting average? SNL batting average, low. Not even making a hall of fame. Not lower than 300 in totality.

[C]

They've had moments of pure heat, but lately, every time I pull up the snl, I'm just sitting there.

[B]

I'm just, like, waiting for the thing.

[C]

Just waiting.

[B]

Yeah, it's like the.

[A]

But they've had years of this, by the way. But the people here, like, there's probably like, you know, how long has that show been on team 52? There's probably. I bet you if somebody added it up, 50%, maybe more years. Like 25 years of trash.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. But it's fair. You mean if you calculate it based on the sketches.

[A]

Yeah. Like this whole season, like, you go back to season, you're like, okay, but here's the.

[B]

Here's the thing that makes snl to me, this is what makes SNL so high level.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

In the years in which you think this show sucked, you go back and see the cast that came from it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And you go, okay, the sketches weren't good this year.

[C]

Right.

[B]

But the talent on the show is the highest.

[C]

They always have the good talent, bro.

[B]

Right now.

[A]

But Tony, you think he's saying that because he's white? Because, you know, white people like snl.

[C]

They do, they do. But I always have started pops from snl. Every cast right now, you got Cam and what's. What's my guy.

[B]

Marcelo.

[C]

Yes. Those, by the way.

[B]

Oh, no. And the. And the woman, they have a woman on right now who's on fire. They have, like a handful right now that are really good.

[C]

They always have some standouts, even on a WAG season.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It's always gonna be like, somebody's coming.

[A]

My brother's up there. So I'm always.

[C]

Keenan.

[A]

Keenan's up there as my people. So I'm always.

[C]

Oh, yeah, he's been there for 20.

[A]

Great job.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

It's a great Job.

[C]

Yeah, he's been there.

[B]

But no is. I'm telling you, you go back and look at the early 2000s, the Will Ferrell era, for example, right? Basically every cast, every five year period, you look back and go, wow, they had some hammers in there. Doesn't mean the sketches it, though. But that's the hard part about sketch. To your original point.

[A]

That's why.

[B]

Why is there no sketch comedy? Because most of the shows aren't good. Because doing it's hard.

[A]

Well, so now, Tony, here's a great question. Because you and Kev, I don't know how much you're involved in the. In his. To be content that he's making. I know you write a lot of stuff, right? Like, you're actively writing in LA for different things. The amount of time it takes to develop a audience for sketch with the amount of misses you will have in sketch. Right. I don't think we live in a time where these companies want to take those risks.

[C]

Oh.

[A]

And make those investments. Right. Like, that's the big issue.

[C]

They want everybody to already have everything done, and then you bring it to

[A]

them and then they want to take 75.

[C]

Yes, that. That's the era we're in now. Can you just do your. Can you just do it all yourself and bring us to 10 episodes? And then, like, you gotta. You gotta shoot everything on your own. And then. All right, I like, after you already 15 episodes deep, and whatever you created

[A]

now, they want it well, and. And how is that affected? Because you guys are making. When you specifically are making so much great content, how are you getting those offers, those. Those things coming your way now?

[C]

My main thing for me is the voiceover stuff.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, you know, that's how my Instagram exploded. I was doing voiceovers. And so. But every time we try to develop a voiceover show, a lot of people either they over. They want to over produce it, or. And then they'd just be like, well, we're looking for different kind of content now. I'm like, y' all are sitting on a gold mine.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Because people love the voiceovers. They don't need the extra fluff and shenanigans. They. They just. I like watching your animal voiceovers before I go to bed.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I mean, those are classic. How. How many years ago did those videos start to pop?

[C]

I would say my first one went viral.

[A]

2015.

[C]

2014.

[B]

2014. So basically, you're like 40 years old. Almost 40, when that happens. Something like that.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And you've been in Comedy already for

[C]

20 years I had already. I started doing stand up in 2008.

[B]

2008.

[C]

Yeah. So then I was.

[B]

Damn. You got in pretty late for. For a comedian, right?

[C]

I did, yeah. I was like, 31. Yeah, 31. And so already a father. I was just like. Cuz I wanted to act, you know?

[B]

So you were just pursuing acting up till then? Yeah, but not comedy.

[A]

No.

[C]

And I was like, maybe I should try stand up as a way of exposure to get acting roles.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Because, you know, all the comedians would transition into acting. Right. And so I was like, once I did comedy once, I was like, oh, this, this. I never stopped.

[B]

But nothing hit. Nothing hit for you as hard as the voiceover thing did.

[C]

I was like, doing, like, a character work on Instagram. Like, I. I created this villain named Travis Santiago. Basin movie villains how they always got to reveal the plan to the hero before they kill him. Yeah. So every time I would have a hero tied up, I would like, oh, that was my plan all along. And then I would turn around and just start talking, and then the hero would escape, and I turn back around,

[B]

and then he's gone.

[C]

So I just did a bunch of those where I'm just. I got you. Right, Right. Also, you gonna take my mask off or. Eventually. But first, I'm gonna hoist you over. The water supply to the town's been. I'm always after the water supply.

[B]

Well, the water supply is important.

[C]

That's it.

[B]

The town needs a water supply.

[C]

So I was building off that, like, creating those characters. And then once I did the voiceovers, I just threw them back up on my page. One time, it was a raccoon eating out of a cat food dish and the castle surrounding the raccoon, they were just watching them, and he kept. He was looking at the cats, and he kept dipping the food in the water, and then he would eat it, because raccoons, they got. They got to wet it first. So he was just like, y', all, don't be doing this. So I had him talking. Y' all got to get. You got to wet it first. And then. And the cast was just like, yo, man, whose man is this? They were just like, yo. And then. And then he runs off, and then he comes back for one last scoop and then dips off again.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

That went crazy viral. And it was like, let me start doing these just on a regular basis, because I was going to develop a segment for that. Marlon Wayans had a. He was going to do a network called what the funny.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so I told him I was like, hey, I could do like a voiceover animal. Voiceover thing for what the funny. He's like, all right, pull those. I had two voiceovers up. Pull those off your YouTube. And then let's develop that. And so. But what the funny fell through. So I was just like, well, let me just start doing these on the regular. And then they were just viral. They were just all doing numbers.

[A]

And Are you. Are you feeling like the business is successful transitioning your followers on Instagram into the comedy shows because you're on tour right now.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

That's how we got you in New York.

[C]

Yeah, it's. Yeah, it does. Because a lot of people know me from. It's voiceovers. It's the all deaf work. It's me and Kev working together. It's. It's all of these things just, you know, and people just want to see me. Yeah. So.

[A]

So you're happy, you're feeling. Do you feel fulfilled?

[C]

I would feel more fulfilled if I announce that I'm coming to your city and it sells out quick.

[A]

Boom.

[C]

That's the ultimate end game.

[A]

So which cities go crazy?

[C]

D.C. new York, Chicago, Philly.

[A]

Those big cities, bro.

[C]

Atlanta.

[B]

These are good cities to have these cities.

[A]

Which cities are we having problems with?

[C]

It'd be like, if I go to Buffalo. Come on.

[A]

Buffalo.

[C]

Buffalo. Well, to Buffalo's credit. Last time I was there, the sales were okay, but then there was a blizzard, so I couldn't even finish.

[A]

Come on.

[C]

But it was still ashy before.

[A]

But in a way, you're kind of like Buffalo. Y' all get blizzards all the time. Why is this harbor for you to

[C]

figure out what you want Was crazy, though.

[A]

They get crazy.

[C]

I was like, yo, so next time I go to Buffalo, I think I go in, like, early November. Let me get in there before.

[A]

I might be too close.

[C]

I might be cutting it too close.

[A]

Yeah, but I think you got to go to Buffalo in, like, April, May, June.

[C]

Yeah, I should have did that. But then. But Benny showed up. Benny came to the show.

[A]

Okay. Shout out to Benny. The bushes.

[C]

They.

[B]

The Griselda guys enjoy a good comedy.

[C]

Yeah, he pulled up, man. I met him and his wife. They were great.

[B]

Now, now, listen, if you see Stove God at a show, you don't go making fun of him.

[C]

Why would I do that?

[B]

You haven't seen the clip of that?

[C]

No.

[B]

What.

[A]

What are you talking about?

[B]

The viral. The. This is oldest hell, bro. We've talked about this. The viral clip of Stove God at the show wearing his big ass stove. Chain. And the comedian starts mocking him and thinking he's a fake rapper.

[C]

I did see that.

[A]

I forgot about that. I never saw that.

[B]

It was before Stove God got really. I feel like it was before Fico, I think. I feel like it was before the huge clips. Club record.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Or maybe yeah. Like. Yeah, it was a viral clip of Stove God getting clowned by this comedian. It's just. Yeah, it's funny. It's just a funny thing. But they enjoy a comedy show. Yeah. I have a theory on Buffalo.

[C]

Oh, what's that?

[B]

I've had this theory since I was 22 years old. Underrated, attractive women in Buffalo.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

All of them have children. Every single one. If you are willing to become a stepfather, you could do incredibly well.

[C]

Buffalo is the move.

[B]

No, it's. I'm telling you, if you want the blended family. Yeah, blended family. Some warmth, something to cozy up to during the winter time.

[A]

And you have to go during the blizzard because it's gonna have a blizzard. It's gonna snow in.

[C]

Gotta huddle up.

[A]

I wanna. I wanna take a look at one of Tony Baker's clips. Do you have that Instagram post about the box office of the movie Odyssey I want to talk about? I sent it over in the chat. You don't have it. You didn't see it.

[B]

That's staring at you blank.

[A]

That blank stare. You didn't see it.

[C]

He did it together, man. He's scrambling.

[A]

He's scrambling. But anyway, you've been covering the Odyssey several posts recently.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Rosenberg, have you been following this movie in the. In there.

[B]

So I know that there's a lot of talk about the Odyssey. It's supposed to be amazing. I know it is. I know you can't get a ticket to it right now. It's completely sold out.

[C]

But imax, you can't. Yeah. And.

[B]

But what's the angle? What. What's the angle? You're taking on the Odyssey in the group chat.

[A]

It's there. It's in the group chat. Biggest day.

[C]

The movie. The movie is great. It was worth the conversation. Christopher Nolan delivers once again. It was just a good. It was just a good film.

[A]

How did Travis Scott do?

[C]

He was just there. It was like. It was. It was so small that I can't.

[A]

Really inconsequential.

[B]

My brother said. My brother said he had lines like, right out of the gate.

[C]

He does. He opens the film.

[B]

Yeah, he said Travis Scott opens the film.

[C]

The first voice you hear is him. That's crazy, because he's just pretty much like, he's the bard of the era. So he's just talking about.

[A]

But you don't see him a lot.

[C]

No, no, he didn't have.

[A]

How long is this thing?

[C]

It's three hours. Yeah.

[A]

So it's really.

[C]

It doesn't feel like it, though.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

But it's. It's just.

[A]

So I'm trying to see it with my wife.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Trying to go see what My wife. But the blowback leading in and obviously.

[B]

Oh, go ahead.

[A]

Wait, wait.

[B]

I thought. I thought I knew what you were gonna be dealing with, which is just getting Jazz to get into scene.

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

I think three hour.

[A]

She kind of trusts me now with after Game of Thrones. Remember, she hadn't watched Game of Thrones.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then during Pandemic, I was like, yo, you gotta watch Game of Thrones. I was like, this is the best.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

So anytime I'm like, babe, we gotta see this, and it's swords and horses, she's gonna be like, all right, so what.

[B]

So what's the blowback?

[A]

Well, the Internet blowback has been around. Lupita Nyong' o in the cast, and.

[C]

And Elliot Page and Peter, they're black. Well, they were like, what? She's what? She's black? What is she doing in this? Playing Helen of Troy. So they. They were all.

[B]

They made Helen of Troy black. Okay.

[C]

Yeah. And then.

[A]

Which, by the way, is. Is possible.

[C]

Sure. And who.

[B]

And. And also, by the way, who cares? Keep going.

[C]

She never existed for real. So.

[A]

Right. It's fiction.

[B]

But.

[C]

And they were. They were. They were born in eggs and she has a twin sister. None of it makes sense.

[B]

None of it makes sense. And who cares? Yeah.

[C]

And then they were also offended that Elliot Page. Because they thought Elliot Page was going to play Achilles. So they were offended again. So now you have a trans person playing Achilles, So they.

[B]

Oh, Elliot Page is as the trans guy. Yes, got it.

[C]

Playing Achilles. Achilles is the best warrior to ever exist in that time, and it's played

[B]

by a trans man.

[C]

Brad Pitt play Achilles and Troy.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

So just to give you. And turns out his character is not even Achilles. So they were just all up in

[B]

ours for no reason.

[C]

And.

[B]

And by the way, even if he was the most trans person in the history of trans. And Elliot Page is pretty trans. Are they aware of what acting is?

[C]

Right, Exactly. Exactly.

[B]

I don't under. I just. I'm listening. I don't. I just don't.

[C]

So they were like, we're not gonna watch it. We're not gonna see this piece Of. And then it.

[B]

And everyone says it's pure fire.

[A]

Well, and as you just. And as you both just articulated, you can't get a ticket.

[B]

No, it's hard to get a ticket from Mr. Flex Night.

[C]

They did crazy numbers over the weekend. I'm a box office nerd as well.

[B]

Yeah, you're really.

[A]

Well, you know why? You know why? It's ranked.

[B]

It's ranked.

[C]

It is. I didn't even put that together.

[A]

Did you.

[B]

Did you guys. Did you guys see the thing moving around Twitter? That was fake. The AI thing. That's supposed to be the Odyssey scene with the women with the titties.

[A]

No.

[C]

Yeah, I haven't seen that. You.

[A]

Any of you guys seen it? Rosemark always got some titties.

[B]

My algorithm. My algorithm tells me one thing. Yeah, you, sir, like titties. It's this, like. It was like an AI thing. And then everyone's like, oh, this is the Odyssey I want to see. And it show. And it looks. You know how AI looks with these pictures, right? It looks real. And they're all these women with gigantic breasts wearing these outfits, like they're in. The Odyssey is AI.

[A]

And because you hadn't seen it, you assumed it was the actual movie.

[B]

Yeah. And I was like, wait a second. Well, I'm like, is this movie directed by Christopher Nolan or Kanye West? Like, why? Why is this what's happening?

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah, but no, so apparently that's the thing too. So the Odyssey. I just find it interesting that the Odyssey, which is like, literally, when you say a story, oldest time. A story, oldest time.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

It's such a big deal. Has there not. How many movies, how many times has this story been done? Has to be a few times, right?

[C]

Yeah, I think there's another few films about it. And then there's stories because they. They tapped into Greek mythology several times, Right. Clash of the Titans, just all kind of Troy. But they weren't up at arms when, you know, Brad Pitt is playing. Where's the Greek representation now? You looking for Greek representation now? You know what I mean? And so we just like, whatever. And then now they like, oh, they got American accent. I prefer that because normally. Why everything got to be English, by the way?

[B]

It's so true. Why does Game of Thrones have to all be British accents?

[C]

Yeah, always. Always. British is old. Now we owe is British.

[B]

Yeah. Why. Why is it that particular accent? Why can't it be a different accent?

[A]

American accent ain't old enough, right? Yeah, we only 250 years.

[B]

No, facts were as I as I. As I discovered, I went to Italy. We're not even a real place. Like, this is not even. This is brand new.

[C]

We're.

[B]

We're like the. We're like the bullshit face tat mumble rap of countries. Oh, that's what America is. When you come, when you go to Greece or countries in Africa or Italy and you look at America. Yeah, we're like Lil Xan, you know, I mean, like, what are we really? Yeah, we're mumble rap. It's brand new.

[C]

They looking down on this a little

[B]

bit and they should. Have you been to Italy?

[C]

I've never been to Italy.

[A]

Where have you.

[B]

Where have you been internationally?

[C]

Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Seychelles.

[B]

Yo, I'm really, you know, Japan old.

[A]

You love Japan.

[C]

I've been to Okinawa more so than Tokyo.

[B]

That's Laura, whose seat you're sitting in is in Okinawa.

[C]

Oh, now?

[B]

Right now.

[C]

Wow. Okay.

[B]

So why. So what's up with your Asian fetish? Why only Asian countries?

[C]

Well, no, no, I was still. I was going through my thing, so I've been to Mexico City, Bangladesh.

[A]

Tried to hit you with a fetish?

[B]

Well, no, because he just went one after. I was like, wait, I went anywhere else.

[C]

I was just trying to map every. Every place I've been. I've been to Portugal.

[B]

Portugal's pretty old.

[C]

Yeah, Lisbon. We were in Lisbon. I've been to the uk.

[A]

You've done a lot.

[C]

Germany.

[A]

So you know when you travel and you see these places with this, like, you know, thousands of years of history, that they are very unbothered by the whole, like, trying to keep up with America.

[B]

America's the greatest place.

[A]

Looks like it's so like. So what is that?

[C]

We kind of think too highly of ourselves a little bit.

[B]

You know what?

[C]

It is kinda.

[A]

The American exceptionalism thing is a sickness, bro.

[B]

No, you know what kind of, you know, you know how like old heads like this. Respectfully.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Old heads like us are sitting around and you hear a kid and they go, not even a kid. A 30 year old. And they go, lil Wayne, greatest rapper of all time.

[C]

Right?

[B]

And we're all like, nah, man, Lil Wayne's dope. There's no way he's the greatest rapper of all time. Yeah, that's America. No, y' all are doing a cool little thing. No, it's not great right now, but you guys have had some good moments. Yeah, but we're here having real talk. We're talking about Rakim and Biggie and

[C]

Cool G. So the other countries are talking real talk. And we just.

[B]

We're the young ones, like Portugal's. Portugal's, you know, Portugal's Hov. And. And Spain is Rakim and. And. And Italy is, you know, Big Daddy Kane. Like, and we're like, listen, these other rappers are good. Yeah, but where are we. Where are we talking about? 30 years.

[A]

You're way too, too new.

[B]

And even Wayne now, I'll give him credit. Wayne's not the U.S. wayne's like

[C]

Finland. You think Wayne messed up his legacy with that last album?

[B]

You could add an S to that.

[C]

Oh, albums, plural.

[B]

I mean, I. I just feel like wayne Post Carter 3, full body of work wise, has been. What's the. What's the real one you're hanging on to?

[C]

The Carter 4 was solid.

[A]

It was cool. It was cool. Solid and cool is. Is interchangeable.

[B]

I want to let you know that when Ebro says cool, if. Let me put it this way.

[C]

If I thought the Carter.

[B]

If I. If I sent you a project of mine I was working on and I

[A]

told you it was cool, I'm like, you're going to laugh. Well, there's a. There. We have a We. We've, I think, discovered a reason why we feel Lil Wayne has struggled in the last few albums. Do you have the clip from yesterday? Rahsaan, the Lil Wayne clip?

[B]

This is big.

[A]

Lil Wayne on sleeping.

[B]

You find it hard to sleep at night?

[C]

I don't sleep ever. You don't sleep? Because I work so much.

[A]

What time do you go to bed?

[C]

I don't have a time.

[B]

Well, wait, do you really not sleep?

[C]

No, I don't.

[A]

I don't.

[C]

How many hours?

[B]

So tell me about this, because I feel like I've been. I've had trouble sleeping.

[A]

What do you do?

[B]

So are you up from, like, let's

[C]

say it's like midnight.

[B]

You're like, okay, I'm gonna try to lay down and go to bed.

[C]

No, no, no. So you're never trying to lay down

[A]

and go to bed.

[B]

You never get into bed ever. You never get into bed, you know, Lil Uzi, I want to tell you something so crazy that Lil Uzi goes. He was at the studio with Shmeer, and he goes. And he sits in his car and they drive him around for two hours, and that's when he sleeps, and then he just comes back to the studio. Do you ever sleep when you're being driven?

[C]

No, I don't know that life.

[B]

How do you relax awake?

[C]

How do you relax?

[B]

Like, how do you.

[C]

Like, you have to have. Like, when are you, like, you know what? I'm gonna take a deeper privately, so you know, like. Meaning my studio is my home.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so when you say you work.

[B]

Relaxation for me. Are you working 24 7?

[C]

Yes. But you nap though, right? Yeah.

[B]

Because you are writing 24 7. No, he doesn't write anything. Recording.

[C]

Yes, recording. You have to understand that I signed my first contract at 11.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Started doing this around seven or eight. He bypassed me. That's not one second. Has it been the job? Yeah, it's been so long. It's like how you experience the world. No naps. How is he alive?

[B]

That's what I'm saying. And that's why we have bodies of work that aren't what they should be. I was just looking at.

[A]

And I had a theory for a long time, rappers would come into the show and I would ask them if they drink water and eat vegetables. And there would be some. Be like, nah, ever I'll be. And I would. And my theory was, well, that's why your music sounds like yourself. Oh.

[B]

And I can tell. I can tell right now, sitting across from you, you're 49 years old and looking at your. Your skin and your. Your posture and who you sleep and you don't drink poison 24 7. You sit down, have a meal. Oh, you have. I can see it. It's on the face of people who look healthy.

[C]

That's crazy.

[B]

People not sleeping is.

[A]

And I'm encouraging you, Tony, from here on out that when you see something chaotic or a person doing something chaotic, the first question we should be asking is, do you sleep?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's number one.

[A]

Do you drink water? And when's the last time you ate some vegetables? Because I guarantee those people don't. That are doing crazy things. Sounding crazy, looking crazy. Yeah. Making crazy decisions. I guarantee they're not sleeping because Wayne

[B]

looked tired and bro sounds tired.

[C]

He looks sleepy. I've been doing this.

[B]

He's not that old, bro. He's younger than me.

[C]

That's.

[A]

Now maybe he's. Maybe he's lying. Maybe, you know? Well, cuz there was an era of like in hip hop where it was like, nah, I don't sleep, man. I'm just barring it up all the time. Sleep's the cousin of death we talk about.

[B]

Yeah. But by the way, that we realize that's Nas's worst line.

[C]

That's his worst line.

[A]

Yeah, you've lied.

[B]

You've lied because it's the cousin of life. Sleep makes you live. It's not a cousin of death.

[C]

That's true. We need sleep to survive for sure.

[B]

So if you see Nas, you should run upon now.

[A]

What he may have meant. Giving Nas a pass is in the context.

[B]

I'm sure he needs that from you.

[A]

Right. Is in the context of the record. Maybe he didn't mean it directly. Like sleep is a cousin of death.

[C]

Meaning like, I never sleep on.

[A]

Yeah, I'm never sleep. I'm always paying attention.

[C]

Yeah. Because once you start.

[A]

Because if you get. Because if you get caught sleeping, you get caught slipping. And that's how you get.

[C]

It's not actual sleep.

[B]

If I slip, then I'm slipping.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

But if I got my neener. Because I think, you know, I'm sitting.

[C]

Nas looks like he sleeps.

[B]

Yeah, no, he's got sleep.

[C]

He's aging well. He sleeps.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He's making good business moves. He getting ready.

[A]

We like, we love to reiterate that sleep is not the customer, but maybe

[B]

know, you know, here's how I think he's playing with it. I think he's playing with sleep as the cousin of death. The way the evil cousin of something is like, it's like it, but it's. But death is the evil cousin of sleep.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

You know, like, sleep is beautiful.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Death is its nasty cousin. You don't want any part of. But sleep is right. And no in all. In dead ass seriousness, though, that was really telling, that clip.

[C]

That was crazy.

[B]

And I just texted David, told him, I'm like, you just going, you don't get in the bed Is one of the greatest contributions to conversation. Because think about, you're saying you literally don't have a time at night when you go, time to wind down.

[C]

Right.

[B]

It's my favorite part of the day, going to bed once the baby goes down. And once I see the baby, she plops down and her butts up and she's like, yeah. I go, oh, guess what? Looks like a great idea. I'm on my way.

[C]

How old is she?

[B]

She's 18 months.

[C]

Oh, man.

[A]

Well, and on that note, one of our biggest sponsors is Cozy Earth.

[B]

Oh, go ahead, talk to her.

[C]

Segue.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You got Cozy Earth in your house? No. Do you know about Cozy Earth? Cozy Earth makes the best bed clothes, sheets, robes. Oh, no, no, no, bro. You know how, like, you want your sheets cool all the time?

[C]

For sure.

[B]

They stay cool.

[A]

They stay cool all night.

[B]

Stay cool. Ebro, send a package of Cozy Earth to Lil Wayne today.

[C]

Today.

[B]

Because that could be the issue.

[A]

We don't know if he actually has a bed. But Maybe there's no. He said he doesn't get in one, so we don't even know if he has one.

[C]

Right.

[A]

But maybe we could lay some Cozy Earth sheets across the couch in his studio, give him a nice robe and how about this?

[B]

It's all good. Because Cozy Earth stands behind everything they make. Lifetime warranty and 30 days of hassle free returns. If it's not right.

[C]

Oh, hell yeah.

[B]

Because you could see Wayne having a situation where he goes, I'm not satisfied with this.

[A]

Right.

[B]

I'm going to head over to UPS and return this. But he could do that if he wanted to. So here's the deal. This summer, Cozy Earth's all day tea and rib knit pajama set are. This is. It's an incredible game changer for your summer. So head to cozyearth.com and use our code ELR. Wayne, you hear that? ELR is the code for an exclusive 20% off. That's the code ELR for 20% off. And if you see a post purchase survey mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here on ibro. Laura.

[A]

So Tony, I want to tell you about this Cozy Earth thing. And this isn't even part of the commercial because you guys use the ELR code and 20% off and do all the things right. I'm dead ass serious. That when, you know, because me and my wife, we love to go to bed. Like go to sleep. Yeah.

[B]

He's not trying to be cute and sexy.

[A]

No, no, no. We're like, babe. No, no, no. We're like, babe, you ready to go to bed? Bed. We're gonna go to sleep. You know what I'm saying? And when we got Cozy Earth sheets. And this is, I'm not, this is not because they a sponsor. Because we got some sheets. Yeah. They sent us like, here, try it. Right? My man, I went back and bought redid all the bedding, bro.

[C]

I love it.

[A]

I'm not even overhyping it because I

[C]

got a joke about that I tell on stage. Remember when we were little?

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Your arch nemesis was bedtime.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

We all hated going to bed. That was a threat to kids. Hey, you won't go to bed. No, no. It was a threat.

[B]

And Nas reinforced that.

[C]

Yeah. It's like, hey, it's the cousin of death.

[B]

You want to go to bed?

[C]

No. We threaten kids with a good night's rest.

[A]

That's right.

[C]

That was the threat. Hey, you want a good night's rest? No. But now as an adult, you fantasize about going to bed, bro.

[A]

Yes.

[C]

You can't wait. I tell people it brings me joy.

[A]

I get in the bed, lay flat on my back, and I smile.

[C]

Boom.

[B]

So you think Wayne was just so affected by the marketing of bed is bad that it's really been his whole life?

[A]

I don't think. Yeah.

[B]

Or he loved Nas that much. He's like, I got you.

[A]

Guys, guys, we have to be serious. We have to be serious where Wayne comes from. Okay? Remember he said I signed my first record deal at 11 years old.

[C]

That's crazy.

[A]

Okay. And I've been doing this since I was 7.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Now, if you know you've been in New Orleans. Yes, yes. And you've been to the projects in New Orleans. I'm sure you've seen different government houses, but. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

You thought he just stopped in and hit a quick noli.

[C]

Well, no, no, no. But I'm gonna do that, though.

[B]

You'll pull up.

[A]

Yeah, sometimes. Yeah, like, that's just. You know, you go into cities and you know people. I don't know if he knows people. You go visit where they're from or they show you around, whatever.

[C]

I like to see the hood in every city I go to.

[B]

I like to see the richest hotel in every city I go to.

[C]

I've never been big on hotels.

[B]

I'm not either. I'm joking. It was a good line. I don't.

[C]

It felt right in the moment.

[B]

It felt right in the moment. I'm not a big hotel. I'm a corporate hotel guy. I hate a boutique hotel. I want my hotel. I want my hotel to have a fedex, a Starbucks, because the more boutique it is, the smaller the rooms are, the more annoying. I mean, God bless him. I love the man. Okay. Pharrell. Love the man. I stayed in his hotel when it opened in Miami. My TV was. Was built into the faucet. I had to hang my. My clothes because those hotels, they don't

[A]

want you in the room. They want you hanging out.

[B]

They want you to party.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

They want you to party. But on the Wayne thing, I think he just grew up in an environment where, like, it was that chaotic and so prioritizing sleep. Like we always talk about. Like, people live in buildings where it's like it's nighttime and it gets louder at night, bro. Or the police, the activity. Or like here in New York. I don't know if they did it in Chicago where they shine the big light on the building a lot of prevent the drug dealers from standing out front. So they put a big, giant light on it.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

It's 10 o' clock at night, so.

[C]

Right.

[A]

You. Somebody lives in there.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Now there's a spotlight on your bedroom window now.

[B]

Now, flip side, flip side of that though. Wayne has been pretty well to do since he was like 14, 15 years old. Right. Like, and baby at that point already probably had a pretty good situation by the time 15, 16 years old. But the patterns that we set for ourselves, like, I still like, like, I don't do this all the time anymore because I just want to go to sleep. Yeah. But I still love watching wrestling when I go to bed and I'll like go on YouTube and pull up an old wrestling match. It's comfort. So to your point, if your brain with the comfort was always chaos.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Then maybe he does it. But also the same way Wayne took the whole I don't write things. It's kind of like his cool card. And I think a lot of people took that from hov was like, I don't write.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Didn't hove take that from big because I didn't write. Because that became the thing is, like, I don't write. I almost feel like the not sleeping thing is part of it too.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like, I don't sleep.

[C]

But he's writing troublesome. Like when he said I don't sleep, it was the look on his face. Like when you hear some people say, it'd be like, yo, I never. I sleep about two hours a day. But they still look alive and alert. Wayne was looking like, not good. You need a nap.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Like, his face, he looked weathered.

[B]

And he's not an old man.

[C]

No, he's younger than me.

[B]

It's, it's. I really do worry, bro. People got to sleep.

[C]

People got us. Y' all are radio guys. So y' all been going to sleep early since.

[B]

Well, I go to bed. I'm in the bed, yo, listen, some days, these days I'm in the bed sometimes at 9:30, but I hang out till 11 o'.

[C]

Clock.

[B]

You know, I'm scrolling, I'm looking stuff up, texting with these guys.

[C]

But 9:30 is your average.

[B]

No, I'd say, I'd say average around 10. I'm in the bed.

[A]

Noon, I'm in the bed at 9. I've been in the bed at 9 for years. See, I'm not playing.

[B]

What time's baby going to sleep?

[A]

Nine.

[B]

Baby goes down at nine.

[C]

Two.

[A]

Yeah, we're all. Everybody shutting down. My 11 year old, everybody shut down. Even on the weekend, we might push to 10.

[B]

Hold on real quick. On the weekend do you ever put the baby down and you stay up a little later on Saturday?

[A]

Yeah, sometimes Jazz and I watch a show, but then we end up falling asleep anyway because guess what? That baby about to get up. I have a two and a half year old.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

And then I have an 11 year old. But we also are getting up at 8 o' clock as a family on Saturday morning. And like, you know, for years I'm getting my daughter or myself to an activity.

[C]

Right.

[A]

Like, Saturday morning is.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Gymnastics. Alvin Ailey.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

The gym. We come and then we come back and we take naps sometimes on Saturday.

[C]

So you getting. You getting maximum rest.

[A]

It is the number one priority.

[B]

I don't know, like.

[C]

And also that good skin in here.

[B]

Well, I was about to say, if you. Ebro's 51, I will be. I'm 47 today.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

Oh, happy birthday. I forgot. But I told you on Monday.

[B]

Yeah, you said you did it Monday.

[A]

I knew I was gonna forget.

[B]

It's all good. Today is my 47th birthday.

[A]

Yo, they didn't. Yo. Griff didn't even write it down on the paper.

[B]

Well, he doesn't care for me.

[A]

All he's got here is Laura Styles is out that.

[B]

Well, doesn't that say everything you need to know?

[A]

And sponsor.

[B]

Hold on. What does Griff care about the most? Laura.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

Sponsor.

[A]

Sponsor.

[B]

So he's doing his job. But. Yeah, I'm 47 today. Ebro's 51.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

I'm not proud of.

[A]

Oh, yo, and it's Haile Selassie's birthday too. And I've been tracking this.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Both Rosenberg and our friend Shani claim that it rains always on my birthday.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

On Holly Selassie's birthday. Really?

[A]

But it was a raining this morning.

[C]

No.

[B]

I don't know.

[C]

It's still supposed to rain today.

[B]

It's on where it rains coming. But the point I was gonna make was to do mornings as long as we did.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And to look at least half the decent, which I. I do. I think we at least look half decent.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's only because of prioritizing sleep.

[C]

Got you.

[B]

Like, it's. You see, there are morning hosts out here who look like fiends because they. They're drinking, they're out, they're just.

[C]

I'm gonna just.

[A]

Yeah, we're not in the clubs.

[B]

I can't do it.

[C]

They all drink.

[B]

I like to drink, but I don't really drink anymore.

[A]

Okay. I'm not. And not for any other reason other than I want to get up tomorrow and get on my bike and go to the gym. And I don't like feeling like you

[C]

go to the gym before you come to work.

[A]

No, no. I was just thinking, like, weekends when

[B]

I would drink, that's when he rides his bike, is the weekends.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Gotcha.

[A]

Okay. I love sight.

[B]

I. Yeah.

[C]

Peloton.

[A]

No, outside.

[C]

Oh, okay.

[B]

Gotcha. Now he's on the street dressed like a freaking lunatic, riding 100 miles. He's like Greg Lamond.

[C]

Lives strong, driving, riding the bike through the city.

[A]

No, no, no. We're out in Jersey. Up, like, going up what they called Palisade Parkway kind of area. Alpine, and then up to, like, Bear Mountain and these areas up north of.

[C]

So they got bike paths out there?

[A]

Bike paths, Big show.

[B]

No, but they also. These guys who take over the whole side of the road.

[A]

Like, they're wearing the shoulder. We're in the shoulder.

[B]

The whole shoulder. Are you. Are you a drinker? Nah, not at all.

[C]

I drink like three times a year.

[B]

That's good.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Now, do you not drink for a reason?

[C]

No, it was just Got born.

[A]

Keep it real. Got born.

[C]

It was never really my thing. Like, I would do it when we were young, but it was. I was never passionate about smoking. Nah, that's super, like, super rare smoke tip. Yeah, super rare. That's what I'm talking about. Like, yeah, cigarettes. Absolutely not. But like a weed. Last time I smoked weed, I would say 20, 24.

[A]

And it was just. She was hanging out.

[B]

Girl.

[C]

A girl came over. She left her roach. No. I took a hit while she was there, and then she left the roach and I took another hit. And that was.

[B]

And that was it.

[C]

And all it took was that.

[B]

And I was like, you were at loss.

[C]

Yeah. I was like, man, I don't know how you do this.

[A]

So you didn't. When she was over, you didn't close the deal because you got too high? We.

[C]

We fooled around a little bit, but it wasn't like.

[A]

Now did you hit the weed to impress her? Like, it was like, yo.

[C]

I like, I was just like, why not? You know, I'm a tight ass. I just feel like a tight ass. I was like, you know what? And then. But then it kicked in shortly. There I was like, I don't know how you do this.

[B]

First time. One of the first.

[A]

And she was like, he a rookie. I'm going home pretty.

[B]

Pretty much, by the way, one of the first.

[C]

She went home the next morning. But I was like, one of the.

[B]

One of the first times I hung out with My wife. It was during the pandemic, and she. She slept over, and the next day she was like, you want to smoke? And I was like, yeah, light up.

[C]

You know what time it is.

[B]

I like you, I've aged out of it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Unfortunately, as I've gotten older, I've enjoyed drinking more than smoking, which I wish wasn't the case because I think while neither, I think, are what Lil Wayne needs, I think smoking is better for you than drinking. Right. But, yeah, as I gotten older, it just doesn't. The drink at least loosens me up and I feel relaxed. Weed makes me start questioning too much.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So I. So I'm like. I'm playing records for all my turntables for her. She's, like, into it, like, watching me dj. I'm like, play some joints. She just holds out the joint. I'm like, yeah, you know, yo, bro, within 20 minutes, okay. I had to excuse myself and go to bed. She was like, you should just go to sleep. Do you want to just go to your room and go to sleep? And I went to bed, and I was so paranoid, bro. And I'm like.

[A]

And then

[B]

she hung out with my apartment.

[A]

Apartment.

[B]

And started playing video games. I had a. I. It was pandemic. I'd set up some video game system.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

She starts playing video games.

[C]

And this. This is the first time.

[B]

Literally our first weekend hanging out. And I'm like, she was being so nice to me that I was like. I think she's, like, obsessed with me. Oh, I think this is. I think she's crazy. Like, she. This chick wants to marry me. I was like, these are your paranoid. My paranoid thoughts. I'm like, she's. And then I hear her preparing food. I'm like, yo, she's up in my house making food. Who is this chick? I was like, is she about to bring me food? Like, she thinks she could come and, like, prepare me a whole meal. And, like, I'm all of a sudden gonna be her husband. What the fuck is this? I walk out, look in my.

[C]

In my room, out of the room,

[B]

and she just made herself some food. She's just eating by herself. She's not trying to do anything with me. Yeah, I am. So at that moment, I was like, incredible story.

[C]

This is crazy.

[A]

Now, who is this?

[B]

This is my wife, who, by the way, one of her best qualities is she does cook for me and takes care of me. Does all the things. But at the time, the ill thing is, though. Here's the ill thing about weed paranoia, though. Maybe I did already know, like, and I was scared because I was coming off a divorce and I'm all this stuff, and I'm like, maybe I really did just meet this person.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I mean, you know what she was trying to do? You know what she was trying to do.

[B]

I want to know what? Drop. Go ahead. Set me up.

[A]

She was setting you up.

[B]

Classic Israeli operative, you know what I mean?

[A]

Working from Assad. Came to Rosenberg's house. She bugged the house. Yeah.

[B]

She knew.

[A]

Made some food, got you high.

[B]

All of a sudden. Fast forward, fast forward.

[C]

Yo.

[A]

Now look. Now you're married to the. Now you're married to Ms. Yo.

[B]

And now I. Now she gives me this. A beautiful, perfect baby. Now she's got her hooks in.

[C]

She played you, honey pot. She played you nice. Get married.

[B]

We got married. So that was in. That was in late April 2020. We got married in July 2023.

[C]

Okay. Yeah, yeah. He was like, man, let's do it.

[B]

This is. Well, listen. So you were divorced?

[C]

Yes.

[B]

When Were you divorced?

[C]

2012.

[B]

2012. How old and how old are your kids?

[C]

My kids are. I lost my. My son in 2021. He was 21. And my youngest is 24.

[B]

I'm so sorry to hear that.

[C]

Yeah, I appreciate it.

[B]

So you had. You had a 24 year old and a 21 year old. So you had kids in 01?

[C]

2000 and 2001.

[B]

And.

[C]

And.

[B]

And you and your wife called it quits in 12.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And you just been outside ever since?

[C]

No, I was. I was outside from 2012 to December 2017. Then I got in a relationship for five years, and then we split at the top of 2023.

[B]

Top of 2023. Well, that. But based on the timeline you just gave us, that must have been a really, really tumultuous emotional time for you.

[C]

Which. Which one?

[B]

Coming out of your son. Oh, yeah, you know, that was 20. That was.

[C]

We lost him in August 2021. Car accident. And then. And then. And then we had to break up. We had like a. A slow breakup. It was like a. You know what I'm saying? But we were still cool. Still cool to this day. Still living together. We broke up. We still living together.

[B]

So what's. What's your relationship like with the mother of your kids?

[C]

Great. I'm cool with her husband.

[A]

And you were.

[C]

And she remarried shortly before we lost Serene. She remarried. His name is Tony. We got the same middle name, too.

[B]

And y'.

[C]

All.

[B]

And we got married shortly before.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So she's not over you. Okay. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

[C]

Same, same person building. Oh, he looked like Jason Kidd though. So even she was like, wait, you not mixed? You're not mixing? Like no, I'll just, I'm just pure white.

[B]

He's like, yo, he gave mixed, he gave mixed energy.

[C]

He looks like when you look at

[A]

Tony, you be like somebody. Yeah.

[C]

I'm telling you, it's Jason. Kid vibes.

[B]

How, how much, how much do you talk about the passing of your son in public?

[C]

I talk about a lot.

[B]

A lot.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I want to take it to the stage but I'm scared that the audience is going to get too sad.

[B]

So.

[C]

So

[B]

as Ebro knows very well, my ex wife's brother was killed in an accident at 18. So I know now having my own child, obviously it's made me rethink my in laws and certainly your experience is unlike anything else. But I have seen it up close. The accident thing is a very specific, horrible club. What do you want to do with it on the stage? Like what do you, what part of it do you think you would want to share?

[C]

Just like when you're at the, at the ground zero level of the epic loss. Like I feel like when you, if you rank.

[B]

Oh no, no, it's number one.

[C]

If you rank tragedy losing a child. I feel like it's number one.

[A]

First of all. It is so unnatural. Yes, it is.

[C]

They supposed to be buried.

[A]

So. Yeah.

[C]

And it was an accident. It wasn't like a health issue where we.

[B]

We sl. It was like, no, you say goodbye one day.

[C]

It was the night of the dipset locks versus it was that night, damn it. And he went out to hang out with friends and you know what I'm saying? And then that was the last time I saw him.

[B]

Was it drunk driving or just a random accident?

[C]

So he was, he was in the car with his friends before them. It was him. Jaden passed away as well. And Natalie and then the driver of their car, she survived. So they were just turning. The other guys were racing. They were just racing and they just got them.

[B]

And they were not drunk, they were just racing.

[C]

They were racing. No alcohol. They were just racing.

[B]

And what, what was the, what was the legal decision on SO1?

[C]

There were two cars involved coming this way and SO1, a minor, he was like 17, so you know what I'm saying. And then the, the, the adult, he's like 20 something still in court on that. On his, the minor, they were in jail then they would, they were trying to appeal for like a house Arrest situation because he was diagnosed with cancer while he was in jail. And so they was just doing all this stuff. So he's pretty much out, you know, out now.

[B]

And the other one's still in court.

[C]

The other one's still in court. They keep pushing the court date back. You know, my ex wife and her husband, they kept going to these court dates. I went to one court date, and I was like, I can't do this no more. I'm not. I'm not built for the court. Because they would drag. They would drag it out.

[A]

And now you feel like they playing with you.

[C]

Yeah. Because it's like, it's one thing after another. They just stalling and it's like.

[B]

And none of it's bringing your boy back. None of it's.

[C]

None of it.

[B]

None of it's easing anything.

[C]

Yeah. When you go to court, that's when it's like real somber and like, bruh, it's. It's sterile. Like, you know, I'm saying, like, we have the memory of our son. It's joyous. It hurts, but it's like. Like the memory we feel is energy. When you go to court, that's when it's like, death. Somebody died. Serious face. Then you gotta look at the person. You know, the family's giving our family dirty looks. I'm like, wait, what?

[B]

Yeah, no, exactly. Because they're being protective of their kids.

[C]

If I see that in court, I' ma flip out.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Like Lorenz Tate and dead president.

[B]

Right.

[C]

So I'm like, I'm not going to court. You know what I'm saying? I'm just.

[B]

So how have you.

[C]

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[A]

I need to stay on that. Yeah. People is giving you dirty.

[C]

So the family of the drivers that hit our kids.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

They're giving our families dirty looks in court.

[A]

Like what? Kind of like what?

[C]

My ex wife told me that I was furious.

[A]

But. But I don't even. My brain is not processing because at all. I don't get it.

[C]

Like, what are you looking. They're fighting to get.

[A]

I understand that, but what. That ain't got nothing to do with me.

[C]

Exactly. Right, Exactly.

[B]

But that's what happens, bro.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So I was like, because you went to a court.

[B]

I want multiple court dates. What? Wrote letters, spoke and did. We did everything, bro.

[C]

It's.

[B]

It's.

[C]

Yeah. And.

[A]

And I'm saying something, bro. No, I'm definitely gonna be like, yo, check this out. I know. I know you're upset. Yeah, I know you're upset. Everybody's upset. But y' all need to fix your face.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, because you are bugging.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

If you think we gonna be in here and you gonna have a problem with me. Cause your kid done killed my kid.

[C]

Absolutely.

[A]

I'd be talking all type of loud in the hall.

[C]

That would be wild.

[A]

So you pay left all of that.

[B]

So you just said I'm out.

[C]

I'm out because it's not going to serve me. Because one thing I was able to do throughout this whole process is keep my anger in check. And the court is not going to help me with that at all. Especially if I see that I'm like,

[A]

I'm flipping out now.

[C]

If, God forbid, if my, if my son was responsible for the deaths of another person. Yeah. If I see that family, I'll be like, every time I see the family, I'm like, correct. You know, the utmost regret and your

[B]

own guilt because you feel like you made mistakes that allowed them to make them.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What did I do exactly?

[C]

I'm. I'm humble, McGee. Anytime I would see that family, if I was the parent of somebody that caused the death of somebody else.

[B]

And I, Yeah, I will say I. I only remember meeting the. The. It was a drunk driver who was driving my brother in law in the car. Okay. So he was drunk and speeding. And then he left them after the accident happened. He left them and three of them died.

[C]

Oh my God.

[B]

Right. Fortunately, my brother in law died on impact. Second it happened.

[C]

That's what happened to my son.

[B]

But on impact, which you end up finding like this weird because the others suffer. The girl, the sweet girl, Haley, she.

[C]

She.

[B]

They tried to medevac her, but it was too late. You know, like it could have. Had he not run, she could have lived. So. Yeah, so he did. Even though he was the driver, there did become this villain sort of dynamic. But I will say I remember running into the mother in public or my. My ex mother in law ran into her. Yeah. And she was definitely nothing but.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Crying and hugging her. She was not nasty in any way.

[C]

There's no way I could ever be like nasty.

[B]

Do you and your. Do you and your ex speak like very frequently about your son? Like as. Do you guys lean on each other?

[C]

Yeah. Like, especially when it was the ground zero time, it was like we would have moments of just like when I was weak, she was the strong one and vice versa. So we would always play off each other well in that regard. Like, you know, if we would talk about it, you know, if I know she was struggling, I would be the Stronger and then vice versa.

[B]

And how did. And how did the new husband, like, he did a great job.

[C]

He was fantastic, man. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, I. I think he's a blessing to her because he was really there, you know what I'm saying? And they, you know, freshly married. You know what I mean? Jesus Christ. So.

[A]

And that helps her, I'm sure.

[C]

Yeah. So he was there. He was there with her going to the court because he was. He was trying to convince me to go. He's like, I really think you should. I'm like, nah, Tone, I can't do it, man. And like, you know, I told her. She was like, she understood. But Tone was like, man, come on, man.

[B]

We.

[C]

I was like, man, I can't do it because I. I know myself and it's not gonna.

[B]

So how have you managed? Like, how do you. How do you. Day to day, man? Because you're still, like, honestly, in the big picture. You're still not that far. You're five years out. This is not that far.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

How are you?

[A]

How do you deal?

[C]

The. The biggest. What helps me the most is that we had a great relationship because I don't carry any extra baggage of regret. Did he know I loved him? We was on the outs, you know, there's none of that. And so that's what helps me a lot. Like, he knew he was loved. He knew we had a great relationship. Our last words to one another, I love you. I love you too. That was the last thing we said to each other. So it's like that gives me so much comfort throughout the cause. We can't. We can't bring him back. We got to take it. And so at least I know he left here knowing that we loved him and he loved us. So that's the big. That's why I always tell people, like, you know, get right with your loved ones. If it's something that you can work through, work through it. Because you never know, something like this might happen. And now you have to carry grief and regret. That's a whole nother can of worms.

[B]

Like, that's a deep one.

[C]

Did he know I loved him? You know, people really deal with that, right?

[B]

Even though, you know, deep down they did.

[C]

Yeah. But it's still argument. I've never, you know, we were on the outs, like, how's your other.

[B]

How's your other son dealing?

[C]

He's good, like, you know what I'm saying? Like, and they, you know, they grew up. It was. It was two peas in the pod. They were. They were so close.

[B]

24 and 21.

[C]

Yeah. They were so close in age that it was just, you know, that's his bro. And I always tell him, like, I'm sorry for your loss, because he has a different loss. Yeah, yeah. Than what? That's a different relationship. He lost his brother. We lost our son. Even though we're all connected. That's. You know what I'm saying? Like, he doesn't know life without his big brother. And so. But he's doing good, though.

[A]

You. You mentioned anger. Have you. How do you work through that? How are you? Therapy, comedy, writing, skit. Like, is it all of it comedy? Like.

[C]

Like, I often talk about him. Like, I can't wait to talk about him. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, whenever he's brought up, I'm like, yeah, yeah. I bring him up in regular conversation. It's actually helped me with other people. I know when they lose somebody. I know. I know how to move now because I was at the center of the ground zero. So now I know how to be there for other people when they lose somebody. As before, I might have been like, I don't know what to say. So then you avoid the person. Yeah. And so now when I've seen it from ground zero, I've seen people disappear and I've seen people show up. People I wasn't even that close to, like, extra show up. Oh, snap. And so I learned a valuable lesson, how to move and help people through grief. Like Kev. Kev lost his brother, and so I knew how to be there for them in that moment because, you know, I suffered a lot. Like, what you need from me? You know, and some. Some people don't even need you to ask them that. Like, what do you need me to do? Like, some people, they don't even have an answer. So you just have to be. You just have to be there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Did you. Did anyone tell you? Because I do. You just brought it up. And I think this is an ill thing. I remember early on, someone said to my ex wife, they said, I know it's too early for you to know, like, to understand this.

[C]

Right.

[B]

But one day when. When he comes up instead of crying, you'll laugh. And at the time that it was said, I was like, you sound insane. Because the sound of his name just elicited tears.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But then at some point, somehow it does start to change. We, like, I want to talk about them.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I want to laugh.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

When did you start feeling that transition somewhat?

[C]

I Remember? I remember this was. This was like two days, maybe two or three days after the accident. And you know, all the family had came in and we were at the. We used to go to the location of the accident and just be out there. They had music playing, candles lit, and we were just out there. It was on the, it was on the corner. So the person who owned the house where, you know, they found serene laying, he was just like. He was just very open, like, you know, I understand. But he had to, he eventually had to put a wall up because, you know, it was just constantly people out there. And so we were sitting where they found serene. It was me, my brother in law, my niece. And we, you know, we're crying, but then we just laughing at stuff.

[A]

Right?

[C]

Right then and there. It's just like, wow.

[B]

Even in the early days, in the midst of.

[C]

I'm laughing at stuff about him.

[B]

Just things that you.

[C]

Everything, everything was fun. Even at the funeral when the pastor was bombing. The pastor was bombing. He was up there, the pastor. I was like, what are you talking about? I remember, I remember looking at my brother in law like, what is he talking about?

[A]

Where'd you get the passage from?

[C]

He was the pastor of the church. My, My wife was going to.

[A]

Got it.

[C]

And so because I'm a firm believer in like the pastor always feels like they gotta headline. Yeah, they do. And if they don't know, if they don't know the person like that, they just gonna be up now Leviticus, man, scratch all that. Especially when they follow family members with real stories and funny stuff.

[B]

And now here they come, here they come.

[C]

And then they try to relate. I remember I had a dog that

[B]

jumped off the roof. We was like, well, you know, the class, the Ebro. You've heard the classic one from my life was my grandfather passed away. Obviously a very different situation. Sad funeral. But you know, old people funeral is not the same.

[A]

Right?

[B]

You're okay. We had a rabbi. My grandfather wouldn't be caught dead in the synagogue. So they have a rabbi talking about my grandfather. My grandfather spent his life. He owned Blouse shops. Right? And he sold blouse at the, at the flea market.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And we're sitting there and the. And the rabbi gets up there and goes, julius Rosenberg spent his life in women's clothing. Yo, bro, we fell out.

[C]

That's mad funny.

[B]

And he meant no joke by it. We're like, why are you talking? Because sometimes you're right. Just the rabbi or the pastor, it's not you. You're just the person to get Us from point A to point B.

[C]

And they, they just followed. When the family goes up, they gonna give you something either hard hitting or funny.

[B]

Yes. You're doing neither.

[C]

He was just up there. I was just like, have you ever face wet? That was just. I turned look at my brother because my brother in law is silly. So I was just like, is this happening? And then it was like I was going to a lot of funerals after that because we were losing a lot of people. And they pastors were just bombing left and right. Even at Kev's brother's funeral, Kev's mom went up there and killed it. She destroyed it. Was like she did a set right. Pastor goes up there. Even at the, at the family assemblies before the funeral, I was like, now Kev, man, is he. Is he going bomb? Is he ready for this? He's like, no, no, Tone. He knows my brother Jason and he knows him. It's going to be good. It was not good.

[B]

It bombed again. Bomb. Have you ever. Have you ever thought about, from this

[A]

point out, people going to be at funerals like, yo, rating it. Pastor Bomb, you can't be bombing at the funeral, man.

[C]

Let the family close out the show.

[A]

That's a fact. That's a fact. Or just be the facilitator of exactly getting us from point A to point B. Don't try to do your own set.

[B]

No, just be warm. That's all we need. It's just warm.

[C]

That's it. Just. Just facilitate.

[B]

Have you ever thought about writing a film or show about this experience that could be both like sad and awful and funny and heartfelt? Like, has that ever.

[C]

I want to. I want to take it to the stage. Like, that's, that's the comedy hour. I want to work on talking about serene and like, you know, I did it. I did a joke about. Because he was cremated. And so I was like, yo, how do we know that this is him in here?

[A]

Same with my mom.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because when you go pick up the bag.

[C]

Yeah. They could give you any bag, like your son. And I'm like, how do I know this is not Archibald Benedict? Or like, is it a mixture of dust in here? It's like multiple people's like the hot dogs of human remains. Yeah. You don't know what it is.

[A]

You don't know what.

[C]

I don't know what it is. And that could be like. Like, this is him. Like, what if they handed me the wrong bag of dust?

[A]

Well, and the ill part is it's for real. A bag of Dust. It's a Ziploc bag of dust.

[B]

I got it for Rocky Baggy. I know it's really, it's. It's not dope, cuz like this, this

[C]

right away, it's an earn piece. So his ashes are in here.

[B]

What's wrong with you, man?

[C]

You know what I'm saying?

[A]

I think this, that's what they told me.

[C]

Yeah. So when I had to get the ash to put in here, it's still in the bag inside the urn. So I had to go in the bag and then just. You know what I'm saying?

[B]

But no, the characters, like you have a really beautiful thing there with your ex wife and the ex wife's husband.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And there's, there's a lot there, man. It's like that's, it's as sad and horrible as the story is. There's some really touching pieces because it was like.

[C]

It was at that time Rosenberg got a show place.

[A]

So he thinks he could tell everybody what they need to do to get a show place.

[B]

I just see it, I just see it. And I got.

[A]

He got one show place and he

[B]

like, yo, and by the way, it's

[A]

not even what you need to do.

[B]

We don't even have a problem.

[A]

I know you've been writing for a long time, but I got it.

[C]

Check this out.

[B]

No, I've since I'm seeing something, but.

[C]

Yeah. Cause I've been, I've been, you know, talking about doing that. So I just been scared. I'm scared that the audience. Because I don't want a one man show, it. I want it to be a stand up special.

[A]

Right.

[C]

Because when, if I do a one man show, I have the freedom to get dramatic and then go back into the funny. You know what I'm saying? You got more leeway. But I still wanted to be all stand up storytelling because like when I met, you know, Sheree's husband now Tony, we had just met previously, like real quick like how you doing man? You know what I'm saying? And then, you know, we lose serene.

[B]

So now, you know, thrown into.

[C]

We're around each other all the time. And so it's just like tragedy, you know, made us. We in each other's faces all the time.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so I'll never forget we were playing this is ground zero again. We're playing dominoes. We're all at their house house. And Tony was telling me about losing his father or whatever. And he was just like, I wanted to see, I wanted to look at my father after he passed. I wanted to see him because I didn't look at Serene. Me and my wife, we never looked at him. We was like, I thought about it.

[A]

I want to see that.

[C]

I wanted one last something. But then I was like, if I see him like that, I'll never forget the image.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

I think so.

[C]

I'd rather have it to where. Love you. Love you too. Going out the door.

[B]

And did you have. Who did you have identifying? Do you had someone else do it?

[C]

I don't know who did the identification because that's. Me and Cherie were both like, nah, it was.

[B]

It was. It was. Spencer's aunt went and did it. Two aunts went and did it. But like, yeah, the immediate family. It feels like too much.

[C]

I want to say my aunt Dietra did my. My ex. Wife's aunt. I want to say she. We were like, no. Yeah, but Tony was like, I had

[B]

to see my ex.

[C]

That. And we was just like, you know, crying, sitting there playing dominoes.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And then mid tears was just like. And aunt Dietra was playing too. And she just put like a. A six on the four. And I was just like, who the hell put that? Who the hell put this? You get back to the dominoes. Like, whose man's is this right here? It's just crazy how you can laugh in the midst of just complete gut, you know, gut out.

[B]

Well, and I'm also plead, like, enjoying just how black it is too.

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Like in the middle of all this. Cause like, we playing dominoes.

[A]

Dominoes.

[C]

We playing dominoes.

[A]

Tony's white, though.

[B]

I'm about to say, and I'm about to say, and to speak to Tony. White Tony's blackness. He's in the game of dominoes.

[A]

Yep.

[C]

White Tony.

[B]

Yeah, he be White Tony on the phone too.

[C]

He'd be.

[A]

Wait, none of your friends call him White Tony? No, nobody calls him white. From here on out, he's white.

[C]

You like black women though, man, because he got kids and they mix.

[B]

Wait, oh, he already had. He already had children from. He had mixed kids for sure.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Got it. So, yeah, that's what.

[C]

I met his. I met his daughter first through the. Through the tragedy.

[B]

Right? You're meeting all these people.

[C]

How you doing?

[B]

Oh, and that's the worst. They're meeting you for the first time.

[C]

That's the debut. It's just.

[A]

Is like tragedy, but it's also a great bond.

[C]

Oh, for sure.

[B]

Trauma, bonding. Nothing like it.

[A]

Well, but I was just going to say there's beauty in it. I know, I know. You know? Yeah, it's. It's. It's like you call it ground zero. But there is, I believe in these moments where humans connect around something like that, around a person who was beautiful.

[C]

Right, right.

[A]

Which is your son. And now there's other beautiful relationships that spawn from that sometimes that is the gift.

[C]

Yeah, right.

[A]

That is the blessing. That is the whole thing is that you were able to learn about yourself, about you and your ex wife, meet new people, expand like you know it. It's just so unnatural to you lose a child. Oh yeah.

[C]

For sure.

[A]

However, in this human experience, like I have this conversation all the time as I get older about the human experience and is about understanding pain and different levels of pain and loss and body aches. I mean, I'll pick a pain of some sort, you know, physical pain, emotional pain.

[C]

There's always growing pain. All of it.

[A]

All of it. That is what being a human is. And once I think the sooner you accept that it, it kind of like things start to make more sense.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

The words. Accept it even more than understanding. Because sometimes you just can't understand.

[A]

Like you're not supposed to understand.

[B]

You can't. Being gone is. That's un. Understandable.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Makes no sense.

[C]

Right.

[A]

But it's not for you to understand. It's for you to accept.

[B]

But it's the acceptance is when. The acceptance is when the pain can start to dissipate a little bit.

[C]

A little bit. Yeah. It's always going to be there.

[B]

It's never going away.

[C]

I can function with, you know, my day to day.

[B]

Because if you didn't accept it ever then every day, is that not only you dealing with him not being here, but you're fighting an impossible.

[A]

Can't win.

[B]

You can't win.

[C]

That's one thing. I didn't, I didn't fight nothing. And you know, my friend Shantay, she, she had lost her husband years before and I asked her like, how do you deal with that? And she's just like, I just take the waves as they come.

[A]

Don't fight the way the waves.

[C]

I'd never fight the waves.

[A]

Roll with it.

[C]

So I'll just be like, ooh, you

[A]

gotta roll with it. I always tell people to us like lifting weights, right. It's always gonna be heavy. Heavy.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

You just might get used to picking it up. Especially if you practice picking it up, you know, I mean it gets lighter.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But it's still the same weight.

[C]

Still the same.

[A]

Still the same. And it's not going to change. And you just gotta. And. And it sounds like you're doing a great job picking it up, trying to.

[C]

When it. When he first passed, he passed in August. I was back on the road doing comedy, like, at the end of August. What? Yeah.

[B]

All right. Maybe you may just be an insane person, though. That's on the table.

[C]

Because I had. I had to make people laugh just to, you know what I'm saying? Just feel some. Some energy coming in and so.

[B]

But you could get through, like, how. How did you get through a given night?

[C]

The first time I got back on stage, when he passed, it was a quick set at the Laugh Factory. I felt weird. It felt weird. I was just like. And then I saw, like, one of Serene's. It was actually Sincere is my youngest son. It was one of his friends and his mom. But I saw. I saw her in the audience and it just felt weird. And then when I got back on the road, I was a little nervous on how I was gonna do a full set, and the audience was aware of, you know, what just happened. And so I was like. And I could tell they was like, you good? You know, it was that supportive look, like you could. Bless your heart. It was that. Bless your heart energy. Right. And so. And then I just got back into the rhythm of, you know, doing my set that, like, you know, I made some changes. Like, I wasn't really doing meet and greets because I didn't want people like.

[A]

Right, right, right, right.

[C]

So I hid, but I just had to get back on the road just to. Just to give that energy out.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You know what I'm saying? Plus, it was, like, it took us a while to do a funeral because we had a covet outbreak within the family, and so we had to push that back. Family was stuck with us in town.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

Because, you know, they couldn't. They couldn't fly. They couldn't go back to work. So. Oh, man. You know what I'm saying? Luckily, like, people were chipping in, and so I was able to get Airbnbs and kind of give some people some money for the work that they missed, but it was just like, a. A long thing.

[B]

Wow.

[C]

And so. But, yeah, I went back to work, and then that next year, I was like, all right, I'm taking the first two months to just sit still and just marinate it. And so I did that, and they got back to work, and then I took a year off that following year. Just a complete year off. Just whatever.

[A]

Yeah. So you. But you feel. You feel like you've sorted through it. And have you gotten any reach out to professional help? Have you gone that way?

[C]

I haven't done like professional therapy yet. I remember when he first passed, I, I, I talked to a medium, you know what I'm saying? And then I was like, all right. And then I was like, yeah, I'm gonna do the therapy because my, my ex wife was doing the, the, the grief counseling and the therapy. All that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But I was just like, nah. And people's like, go to therapy. I was like, all right, I will. And I'm not against it, but I just feel like, I don't know, I just feel like doing it on my own. Like, I feel like.

[A]

You feel good.

[C]

I feel good. Like, I feel like I'm in a good place where the only thing I will say I do kind of hide.

[A]

So that might be why you need an extra tool. Yeah, that might, that's the, that's the tool you're missing.

[C]

Like, I, I, I stay in the house, you know, I come out for special people, but usually I'm like, no,

[A]

that was for us.

[C]

I say no a lot, you know what I'm saying? Can you. I'm like, nah. You know what I'm saying? If I'm not feeling the energy on anything, I'm like, nah, nah. Because I want, I want as much peace as possible. Yeah. If there's anything that's going to stress me out, I'm like, nah, watch out.

[B]

Well, that, and I imagine that is all related, right? Because you now have a different, there's a different sort of stress threshold that exists of like, I need to stay. It's more work now to be upbeat and be happy because you do have this huge thing that will always for sure.

[C]

And I'm always surprised. Like, you know, as any parent, we all have that thought. Like, man, if anything ever happens to this child right here, I don't know how, like, when you see parents that have lost children, like even that latest thing with the Nolan Wells. Yeah. When I see them, you know, before I'd be like, how are you able to, to be on the news talking? Like, I wouldn't be able to.

[B]

Everyone says they wouldn't be able to.

[C]

Right. But then when it happened to us, I was talking, I was on the news, I was just like, and I'm still doing shows. I'm just like, how am I able to do this? It just happens. And so it just taught me a lot.

[B]

Do you ever get annoyed? Did you ever get annoyed? And maybe the answer is no at people going, I Could never do it.

[C]

No. I don't get annoyed because you understand. Like, I don't see how. Because I know they're looking at me like, how. How are you able to laugh, function, talk? Because I used to be like, man, they just lost their child. They on the news talking about, you know, we. We want rights for our. You know what I'm saying? But now that I've been there, I'm like, oh, yeah, it is possible. Like, you know what I'm saying? And so you just learn a lot when you go through something like this, about yourself, about others, how to move.

[A]

I think that extra. That extra tool might be useful, though, especially if you didn't do that prior.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

If prior to losing your son, you were not that person where you just kind of felt like.

[C]

Right.

[A]

And then now you are that person. I'm a little Heidi now right now. It's like I need to go figure out what is really.

[C]

Yeah. Because I feel like the reason I come out for special people is because I feel safe with them. And I feel like, all right. You know what I'm saying? Like, as before, now, mind you, I was. I do like being at home.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But then it became. It could have something to do with me moving. Like, because when he passed, I was in my two bedroom apartment still. My carpet was still dirty. Then I moved to a house out in Santa Clarita, which is better. Yeah.

[A]

So it could be that I just like.

[B]

Right. Yeah.

[A]

But I will give you this. I am the. I'm not. If I don't need to be somewhere. Ain't no work for me to do. I'm not there.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And people be like, I just come out and I'll be like, I love my fan. I want to have a 2 year old. My wife, she's real. I want to be with my. I love what I have.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I don't want to leave. Right. And I love sleep. And I have my cozy earth sheets. Like, this is all working.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Right. So I don't want to be there. And I. And Roseburg knows this. I never really liked a lot of people. Like, there's people I like, but a lot of y', all, I really don't like like that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. So if the music ain't great and I'm stuck having to talk to a lot of y'. All. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. That's a lot, man.

[A]

But I've always been that person.

[C]

Right.

[A]

And I'm just saying, if you've become a different person, then that's why you need the Tool. A little extra tool. But maybe not. Maybe.

[C]

Yeah, because it's like, man, I like being at the house. And now, since then, I moved. I bought my first house, like, in 2024. So now I'm really. I love being at home.

[A]

You're gardening.

[C]

I'm in.

[A]

You're watching tomatoes grow.

[C]

Man, I'm in that house.

[B]

Right?

[C]

Good for you, man. And so, you know, I'll come out, you know, for a game night. If you do a game night, I'll come out for that.

[A]

Domino's, dominoes. Spades.

[C]

I love spades.

[A]

Taboo.

[C]

All the game nights, you know what I'm saying? Like anything Kev has at his house. I've never. I've never learned how to play. I just learned how to play Rummy Cube.

[A]

I like spades.

[C]

What?

[B]

Rummy Cube?

[A]

Yeah. What about Tone?

[C]

My mom told me that, but I forgot.

[A]

I always forget.

[C]

I gotta relearn.

[A]

It's not hard. Yeah, yeah, Rummy's not hard.

[C]

I gotta relearn that.

[A]

Poker.

[C]

I like poker. Even though I don't think I'm good at it, I like playing it.

[A]

It's a good social game. Yeah, I'll never play that in the casino.

[C]

Absolutely not.

[A]

Yo, I sat at. Well, I have played in the casino. That. Yeah, bro. There are people who sat there for 12 hours.

[C]

Hell, no.

[A]

Got their headphones on and sunglasses on just to steal your. They got all day, all night.

[C]

I can't do it, man.

[A]

Not doing that.

[C]

I'll give you a hundred dollars if I. If I'm at a casino, I'm like, man, let's live a little. $100.

[A]

That's big.

[C]

That's my limit. Maybe two. Maybe two.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not spending thousands.

[C]

Hell, no.

[A]

I never spend.

[C]

They just scoop your money. They just slide your money off the table.

[B]

It took you.

[C]

It took you hours, weeks, months to get. They just.

[B]

And it's gone. Nah, that's why I can't do it.

[A]

You do the gambling acts.

[C]

No.

[A]

No apps. He's the app guy.

[B]

No, you keep saying that. All I did was.

[A]

You made some money on the finals.

[B]

All I did was I endorsed.

[A]

From here on out, you're the app guy.

[C]

Yeah, you better than.

[B]

I endorse fanduel.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

My radio job got you. And I had some money in my account, and one day I said, I love the Knicks, and I just put money down on them that was already in the account. And then they kept winning, and they

[C]

kept winning, and they kept winning. How much you win?

[B]

I won, like, five, six grand.

[C]

Off the Knicks.

[A]

And you started with like 500.

[B]

Yeah, I was betting 500 a night every night. And they covered the knicks covered like 14 out of 16 games. Wow. They were covered. There are people out there who definitely like idiots. They're like idiot degenerates.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Who got rich during the fight. Who, like, it finally worked out. And I really.

[A]

Take the money out of the account.

[C]

Yeah, you're good.

[B]

I took it.

[C]

I made my hell. Yeah.

[B]

But I wonder if there are people out there, because I said on the radio when they got to the end of the conference finals, I was like, if you've been killing it with the Knicks and you're a Knicks fan, stop.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

If they win the finals, let that be its own joy. Take the money they just gave you. Because at that time, I think they'd won. Like, they'd covered 12 or 13 or 13 or 14. Like, it was an unbelievable money man. No, that's. But it doesn't happen very often.

[A]

Right.

[C]

I'm glad the Knicks won, by the way. I'm a Bulls fan.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

But I'm glad they won.

[A]

Why?

[C]

Because I like Brunson a lot.

[A]

Okay.

[C]

I like the way he plays. I like his mentality. I just like how he is. I like that team. I like Josh Hart. Like, I liked. I liked the whole come up. They had.

[A]

They had everything.

[C]

Yeah. And it was just.

[A]

They went to college together. They was all struggling.

[C]

I was feeling that, man. I was like, yo, I liked it. I liked them seasons before, like, they were making their playoff pushes before. I was like, I like the Knicks, man. And I. I like it when the Eastern Conference wins because the Bulls are in the Eastern Conference. Yeah.

[B]

I respect it.

[C]

And so. So since my team nowhere near making it, I was like, I want the Knicks to go all the way.

[A]

And so they were also, too, I think people need to admit. Right. And we'll see this in years to come. You will never see a NBA championship celebration like what you just saw.

[C]

Oh, that was. That was fantastic to watch.

[A]

You'll never see that again.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

There's not a 53 years. Well, that. So you have the 53 years. And I brought this up when they were headed in that direction. It's New York City.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

There's no other city that would win a thing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, there's so many dynamics that make it so unique. And then you. The artists, the music, the. The. So much. The amount of people who were just in the streets.

[C]

Yeah. It was looking. Were y' all in the streets?

[A]

I mean, I went to Took my daughter to the parade. And I work. I have an office right across from the Garden. So I would just be standing out there every day like, this is incredible.

[C]

Yeah, it was.

[B]

It was a wild time, the summer still.

[A]

It's still.

[B]

I mean, like, the energy. This whole summer here.

[A]

How long you in New York for?

[C]

I leave Friday morning, so.

[A]

Man, you might want to stay an extra day and just, like, walk around New York on a Saturday afternoon or something.

[B]

It's a nice vibe here, man.

[C]

So it's still vibrant.

[B]

Yeah, no, it's been a good New York in.

[A]

The summer's always great. Yeah. Period.

[C]

Like, weather has been great this week.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah, but. But, like. Yeah, but, like, if you bounce over to Brooklyn and just like. Like, just see folks being folks.

[C]

Yeah. I love New York, man. I am a fan of New York.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Even. Even growing up, like, I felt like all the movies were in New York. Like, watching all the movies, Right?

[A]

That was a time.

[C]

Statue of Liberty was always. I was like, man, Ghostbusters too. The Statue of Liberty walking classic. I was just like, yo, New York, man. And then, you know, they were filming movies in Chicago, but I just felt like everything was in New York at the time. So I was like.

[B]

But Chicago did have its run of great movies.

[C]

Oh, for sure. Ferris Bueller's Day Off. No. Oh, Blues Brothers is like my. My Uncle Buck. Uncle Buck. All the John. John Hughes.

[B]

All the John Hughes movies.

[C]

He was Chicago out, but Home Alone and. But I was always like, New York. And then, you know, Eileen east coast when it comes to rap, we could tell full circle. So it was just like. So when I come out here, I'm always like, man, I need more time. Like, I want to be out here for like, a month.

[A]

Do it.

[B]

You should do it. Well, by then, there's so much comedy.

[A]

Well, we'll change the graphic. I told you to be Ebro, Tony and Rosenberg, you know, or Tony Rosenberg and Laura. I'll take some time off. I gotta get a new knee surgery anyway.

[C]

Yeah. See? Boom.

[B]

By the way, so much comedy to do.

[C]

Oh, yeah. You have a great time cellar, man. I love going to the Cellar.

[B]

So come for a month.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And you and Rosenberg could rank all day. Kevin get jealous, but Rankenberg and man, Rankinburg.

[B]

No, I'll Rankinburg with you all day long.

[C]

I love ranking stuff. Get in on this ranking stuff.

[A]

I'm not good at. I'm terrible. I don't. I'm not as passionate as y'.

[B]

All.

[C]

Come on, man.

[A]

Listen. Now y' all see why we had this guy on the program today. Great human being, man.

[C]

Appreciate y', all, man.

[A]

Love, bro.

[B]

Thanks.

[C]

Absolutely appreciate you.

[A]

Yo, if you living in a city where he's coming and you ain't bought the tickets yet, you know what I'm saying? Get out there and get the tickets. Yeah, but the only city you said was slow was Buffalo.

[C]

Well, that's only because of last. Last time it was a little ashy, but this tour has been going pretty well outside of, like, Birmingham and.

[A]

Birmingham.

[C]

Come on. Birmingham and Hartford was a little ashy. Everybody else was legit.

[A]

It was on point.

[C]

Yeah, Philly. Philly is showing. Showing out. I'll be in Philly in November. They're already selling well. Next cities I'm in, I'm in San Diego and Louisville for August. And then I got Austin, Texas. I got Philly. As I said, Buffalo, Tampa, Orlando, Palm Beach. I'm forgetting one city.

[B]

Well, listen, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Raleigh. I have a perfect way to end this whole thing. You see Tony Baker in person, I guarantee makes you jump like Rod Strickland.

[A]

Just don't call it a podcast.