The Wild Beyoncé Story That Earned Jay-Z's Respect ft. Cipha Sounds - CHIT CHAT WEDNESDAY

Summary

---

The JTrain Podcast: "The Wild Beyoncé Story That Earned Jay-Z's Respect"

ft. Cipha Sounds – CHIT CHAT WEDNESDAY
Host: Jared Freid
Guest: Cipha Sounds
Date: August 5, 2026

---

Episode Overview

This Chit Chat Wednesday edition features comedian, DJ, and New York cultural icon Cipha Sounds. The conversation winds through New York’s unique Latino cultural hierarchies, Cipha’s experiences in comedy and DJing, and the inside scoop on working with entertainment legends like Dave Chappelle and Jay-Z. The centerpiece is the wild, now-legendary Beyoncé-and-Jay-Z story at Barclays Center, with Cipha breaking down how a 10-minute DJ set in front of an arena crowd earned him a new level of respect from Jay-Z.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Comedy Special Plug: "Likable" & The Nature of New York Humor

• Jared raves about Cipha’s new special "Likable" on the LOL Network/YouTube, highlighting its lighthearted and "silly" style.
• The special touches on “the hierarchy of Latinos,” Karens, superpowers, and dating apps ([00:35]).
• Notable Quote:
  • "Here's the thing about this special that everyone's going to love. It is all fun and games, silly jokes, silly jokes." – Jared [02:32]

---

2. Latino Cultural Hierarchies in NYC

• Cipha explains the differences and friendly rivalries among Puerto Rican, Dominican, and Colombian communities in New York versus the rest of America ([03:15]–[08:07]).
• In New York, Latino identity is nuanced—“you have to be something”—while outside NYC, ethnic lines blur more.
• Hierarchy/Rivalry:
  • Puerto Ricans vs. Dominicans as a “cold war” since the '80s.
  • Both groups unite when “Mexicans come around” due to Caribbean vs. South American divides ([07:00]).
• Neighborhood Geography: Detailed breakdown of where each group traditionally lives in NYC ([08:36]).

Notable Quote:

• "In New York, Puerto Rican and Dominicans have been at war since the late 80s… If some Mexicans come around, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans link up because there's a difference between Caribbean Latino and South American Latino." – Cipha [07:00]

---

3. Women, Sports Jerseys, and New York Summers

• Discussion about the “appeal of women in sports jerseys” and how summer in NYC brings out this vibe ([10:17]).
• Colombian women are “winning” for hotness in the current cultural “World Cup” among Latinas ([10:17]).

---

4. Opening for Dave Chappelle: The Real Chappelle Backstage

• Cipha describes Dave Chappelle as a regular guy, obsessed with standup, who prefers “dirty nightclubs” over arenas ([11:44]–[14:28]).
• The backstage scene: Chappelle is approachable, loves real conversation, and is deeply invested in the craft.
• Notable Quote:
  • "But the whole point is that he is just a regular guy… sitting in the green room just chatting about hip hop or politics or whatever, and there's 16,000 people a couple feet away ready for the show. But he's like the most regular guy." – Cipha [13:45]

---

5. DJing vs. Comedy: Reading and Adapting to Crowds

• Cipha outlines the similarities between crafting a DJ set and a comedy set, tailoring energy, and pacing to each crowd ([16:13]–[18:42]).
• Importance of flexibility: Whether it’s a corporate gig, a Hamptons party, or a hip hop club, every crowd requires custom delivery.
• Notable Quote:
  • "I look at every single gig I do and go, okay, what exactly is this? How do I need to approach this? How can I change this? That's comedy or DJing, right?" – Cipha [17:39]

---

6. The Beyoncé/Jay-Z Barclays Center Story: A Star-Making Moment

[22:30–27:08]

The Story

• Cipha was DJing at the Barclays Center for a Tidal concert—initially to a nearly empty arena.
• Suddenly called upon to “stall” for 11 minutes due to Beyoncé’s wardrobe malfunction.
• Performs a high-energy DJ set from a rising platform, uniting the fragmented crowd.
• Jay-Z summons Cipha backstage to praise him:
  • "Jay wants to talk to you right now… He goes, what was that? ...yo, you murdered it. You killed it. How did you know…?" – Cipha [24:42–24:55]
• Cipha explains the power of reading the room: he played “Swag Surf” to get everyone moving as one, used knowledge of Brooklyn’s Caribbean demographics ("If you're from an island... make noise"), and improvised a funny bit with an old white guy ("Manhattan is an island too!")—all amplifying the moment ([25:14–26:07]).
• Jay-Z’s respect for Cipha leveled up post-performance.

Notable Quotes:

• "I have a knack for that. I don't know how well—I've just—dude, this is Mr. Miyagi. This is wax on, wax off. You take a noticing of Brooklyn, a lot of people from islands here, more Caribbean backgrounds. Okay, that's something I can use. That's an arrow in my sheath. Then all of a sudden, that knowledge you had your whole life mattered like that." – Jared [26:36]
• "That's what I always do. You're just not there. Like, I do that at a nightclub and it's over a two hour span. This was 10 minutes of like hypo energetic, like a blast." – Cipha [24:55]

---

7. Preparation, Luck, and Crowd Magic

• Reflection on how day-to-day preparation (jokes, tweets, DJ sets) creates “arrows for your sheath”; when luck arrives, these skills are ready ([27:08–28:20]).
• Parallels drawn between comedy callbacks, spontaneous references, and DJ crowd work.

---

8. “What Kind of Comedians Would Rappers Be?” Game

[32:05–35:51]

• Jay-Z: “Very sarcastic…a Bill Burr.” [32:37]
• Kendrick Lamar: “Like Dave Chappelle… very wordy, sometimes very serious, but then hits you with a joke at the end.” [33:04]
• Nas: “Slick, laid back… like Michael Che.” [33:24]
• Biggie: “Very silly… would roast all his friends.” [33:51]
• Lil Wayne: “Like Dave Attell… very left field, you don’t see the joke coming.” [34:41]

Jared responds with surprise and amusement at each match-up (e.g., "I would have never thought of him that way." – [32:50]).

---

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “It’s more of a Latinos, especially in the New York lens.” – Cipha [03:15]
• “In New York, you have to be something. Everybody in New York is something.” – Cipha [07:40]
• “There are people in the New York area who grew up with you, who know you… as the voice of New York City. And it is interesting now, having left New York, what is so specifically New York versus the rest of the country.” – Jared [05:52]
• "I would hang out with Dave Chappelle even if I wasn’t on the show." – Cipha [14:56]

---

Memorable Moments

• Cipha’s improv with the “old white guy in Brooklyn”:
  • "Sir, where do you live? Manhattan. And he looks up, he goes, yeah. I go, that's an island." [25:26]
• Jay-Z’s affirming praise:
  • "Yo, you murdered it. You killed it. How did you know...?" [24:55]

---

Conclusion & Call to Action

• Jared encourages listeners to watch Cipha’s special Likable (now available on YouTube & the LOL Network).
• The episode ends with camaraderie, gratitude, and reminders to catch both Jared and Cipha live or online.

---

Chit Chat Wednesday continues next week.

---

Transcript

[A]

Chit Chat Wednesday for you to listen to. I have a guess who will be your new boo. You're gonna love them too. Chit Chat Wednesday. I hope you're having a good day today. I hope it's gonna be a perfect week, too. I hope you have a nice poo. It's a Ch Chat Wednesday too. Hello and welcome to the J Train Podcast. This is J Train Jared Freed coming to you live from Delray Beach, Florida. That's right, every Wednesday is a Chitchat Wednesday where I sit with a comedian, a friend, an expert. Today I have all three. Comedian, friend, expert in being likable. Which is the name of his special that you can watch on the LOL Network right now. It is on YouTube. I just watched it. It is hilarious. It has so many funny bits. The. The hierarchy of Latinos. Karens are hot. Superpowers. Getting into your cell phone dating apps. It's all there. I want everyone to go watch it, but I need Cipher when. Well, let me introduce him. Cypher Sounds. Thank you for coming back. An OKP on the JCU original key player on the J Train cinematic Universe. Great to see you, Jared.

[B]

Always a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for watching this special. Like, love to get comics to watch other comedy specials. Is a little wacky sometimes.

[A]

It's always tough, especially when you go on their podcast and then they're like, so. And you could tell what they. They just googled you and you're like, yeah, yeah, you just googled your friend. Like, just tell me you didn't watch it. That's okay. You know, I'd rather that.

[B]

I don't even care if you watch it. I just want somebody to watch.

[A]

I. We all. That's all we want. And this is. Now I'm going to take you. Now I'm hugging you. Now I'm whispering in your ear. Can you put a link in your bio on Instagram? That can get me to it quicker.

[B]

Oh, my God, you're right.

[A]

This is crazy. I was. I was searching for it. I'm like, where is this thing?

[B]

You're right. You're right. I have the link. I put the link to my new podcast. I got to put the link to

[A]

the special and people are going to love it. It's all jokes. Here's the thing about this special that everyone's going to love. It is all fun and games, silly jokes, silly jokes, which I, you know, there's sometimes there's someone. And that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about today. So you. Yeah, like, I, I watched it. It's a breeze of a half hour. It's fun. I loved it. The one thing I, Before I get into other stuff, hierarchy of Latinos is because some of this. I don't know if it's a real thing or not. Like, I. I know you. Is it a real thing that amongst Latinos there is somewhat of a. What, what are the. I guess what is the Latino rivalries is what I kept thinking.

[B]

Well, there's lots of different ones. The. The only one that I can make that I'm a part of is that I am. It's more of a Latinos, especially in the New York lens.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And Latinos in America. That's the lens I'm speaking of. Because Puerto Rico, which my father was. I don't consider myself Puerto Rican.

[A]

Puerto Rican, yes.

[B]

But I'm born and raised in New York. I'm a New Yorker. I don't even speak Spanish. I'm not overly Latino in real life,

[A]

but in New York, overly Latino in real life. Something I could never even describe. I, I wouldn't even like, yeah, Cypher's a little overly Latino. I don't know if I could hang with it. Like, I, I wouldn't even think to describe someone that way. What. What's overly Latino?

[B]

Like, okay, you know these guys, right?

[A]

Like, I don't see Latino. Yeah, okay.

[B]

No, you see them, like, let's say they're in front of a, Of a comedy club. You're having a chat or a bar.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And they're like, yo, what going on? Yo. And they just throw these little. What's the kid from snl?

[A]

Marcelo.

[B]

Marcelo. Marcelo is overly Latino.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Because you're having a fine conversation with him. Everything's going good, and then just a couple of little Spanish words come out, right?

[A]

He'll go Spanglish on you. He.

[B]

All of a sudden, real quick, all

[A]

of a sudden, he slips in his stead and you're like, I don't know that. Conjugation. No, I'm out.

[B]

Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So that's overly Latin. He's very Latino.

[A]

I like that. You know, that's how you know Latinos well, that's how you know Spanish is a love language. Because when you hear it, you're like, you're kind of like, I'm not cool anymore. Like, I'm kind of like, cooled out of the conversation. If I heard a. Yeah, you know, like, hey, puppy. I'm like, okay, I'm. I'm not poppy. You know, it's very like Jewish. When you do Yiddish in conversation, it's always like, not as good. Like, no one's felt feels left out in a cool way. Like, ah, I was such a schlep. And it's like, now I'm just whining.

[B]

But. But that's the Jewish thing in New York is also a different thing because a lot of Yiddish words are just New York slang.

[A]

That's true, too.

[B]

A lot of people don't even know schmuck or schlep is a Yiddish. It's just so engulfed in the New York vernacular.

[A]

True.

[B]

You know what I'm saying?

[A]

And. Yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry.

[B]

No, I'm just saying. So the hierarchy in. In that world also takes. Takes precedent in. In New York.

[A]

Well, that is. It's funny that you say that because you talk a lot. And when I. Whenever someone sees Cipher on stage, which I encourage you to do, he says, I'm very famous in New York, which he is. New York is its own planet. You know, Cipher was on the radio for years. There are people in the New York area who grew up with you, who know you from. From birth as the voice of New York City. And it is interesting now, having left New York, what is so specifically New York versus the rest of the country? And it's just a lot of it has to do with size, really. Like, you know, for there to be such a Latino hierarchy amongst New Yorkers. Like, a lot of people are just in other parts of the country. They're just happy to see Latinos, you know, like, they, you know, they're just happy to see someone who speaks Spanish. You know, that's a commonality in New York. It's like, well, no, this. I'm. I'm Puerto Rican, but I'm more New York. So what is the hierarchy amongst? What. What are the rivalries?

[B]

Okay, okay. In New York, Puerto Rican and Dominicans have been at war since the late 80s.

[A]

Really?

[B]

War? Yeah, a cold war. It's much better now. It doesn't exist as much as more like a distant pass conversation. But if some Mexicans come around, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans link up because there's a difference between Caribbean Latino and South American Latino.

[A]

This is something you have to be on the inside to even acknowledge. Like, I couldn't even. I wouldn't be aware of it. But also, if you were aware of it, you'd be like, that's the most racist white guy I've ever seen, you know.

[B]

Oh, no, no, no. It is not racist to just Be aware that there's different elements in the culture. Now, I, again, I am a New Yorker 100%, first and foremost, I'm only Latino because in New York, you have to be something. Everybody in New York is something. Oh, this guy's Irish. That guy's Jamaican. That woman's Trinidadian. This guy is Jewish, but he's Sephardic. What about that one? He's Ashkenazi.

[A]

That. Well, that is also stuff. That's where the New York, like, just smarts come in. Like. Yeah, I think that is an. There's an awareness in New York or a worldliness in New York, weirdly, where you go, you know, no one would know Sephardic, Ashkenazi or. Very fewer people in another part of the country would know that and know. Know the neighborhood they're from.

[B]

Right? Because there's everywhere. Everywhere in New York is Greenpoint, Brooklyn is predominantly Polish. Upper west side is Jewish, South Bronx, Puerto Rican, Spanish Harlem, Puerto Rican. But Washington Heights, Dominican, Queens, Mexican. Like, it all.

[A]

Like, that's what I liked about the special, because it's silly fun. But I'm like, you know, every comedian's joke starts from somewhere. It starts from some truth where you are like, okay, I have known who is what for my whole life being a New Yorker.

[B]

Life. Yeah. But I also study it, though. I love. I love learning idiosyncrasies of culture and. And. And different people are people. What do you call it? Not demographics. Geography of where people are from, where people have congregated.

[A]

Women wise. What. What is your. Would you rank the Latinos, the Latinas.

[B]

That gets. That gets complicated. Okay? Because Porter, because there's. They're. They're hot for different things. A lot of New York Puerto Ricans have moved to Orlando. It's like a big thing. Like, if you go to Orlando, it's like, you're in the Bronx now, really? Because Dominic, because of gentrification, pushed Dominicans into the Bronx, and then the Bronx overflowed into Orlando.

[A]

We're getting a geography lesson. This is. I want to see a map written out with all of us. Like, I would love to see, you know, those cartoon maps that are like, you know, artwork. I would love to see this artwork.

[B]

Now in New York, I tend to go, puerto Ricans are the best. A lot of people will say, Dominican girls are the best, but Colombian girls are in the running. Colombian girls might actually be winning right now.

[A]

That's fair. All this World cup stuff. You're our correspondent. Yeah.

[B]

All the World cup stuff with all these hot chicks Wearing their country's jerseys.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm like, this is. We're in that summer 2026 is hell heaven.

[A]

That is one of those things that, the women in jerseys thing there, that, that hits a. I have a good friend who like, he, he goes nuts for a woman in a sports jersey. And when you see in New York, there's like the, the. The. The female cut soccer jersey.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is very hot. It is such a look.

[B]

Yeah. The, the. When the Knicks were winning and all these hot chicks took a Knicks jersey and cut it up or tied it,

[A]

I'm like, oh, this is. That makes me think of like hot down summer in the city, you know, like, it just. That makes that song go off in my head. Exactly. So cypher sounds who. Okay. So I wanted to ask you. You open. People might not know this or maybe they do if they've gone to a Dave Chappelle show. You're opening for Chappelle. You're on the road with Dave Chappelle a lot.

[B]

How?

[A]

Give us kind of something that would surprise someone about a Dave Chappelle show. Like the inside backstage stuff. What would surprise someone to find out? I don't know.

[B]

I don't know if it. I don't know if it's surprising, but the guy is. Dave Chappelle is arguably one of the most famous comedians in our time.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

The guy loves comedy so much. Like, it's not like even a job, it's just who he is. When Dave Chappelle used to do movies or a TV show, that was a job for him. He is the quintessential stand up comic. Now, yes, he's so famous, we get to do arenas, but he just wants to do dirty night comedy, nightclubs, and speak filthy on stage on a stool. It's what he really wants. Now the money comes when you do the United center in Chicago.

[A]

Sure, sure.

[B]

But, but backstage, I mean, I can't tell you how regular he is. Yes, he's rich. Yes. There's always a car up. There's three SUVs in front of the hotel at all times. There's security.

[A]

So three suv. So like you're at the hotel, the cars are ready, you have a. There's dry. That is. There's no, there's no. Oh, I'll get the Uber. So we can go to the United Center. That's.

[B]

Unless you want to. Unless you want to move on your own somewhere. But if you're just doing business, cars are running his car. And then there's other cars that take us back and forth us little people. Well, but like. But that isn't the whole point. Yeah, but the whole point is that he is just a regular guy. Like, me and him are really good friends. And yes, we're sitting in the green room just chatting about hip hop or politics or whatever, and there's 16,000 people.

[A]

It's got to be a couple feet

[B]

away, ready for the show. But he's like the most regular guy.

[A]

But I trust you for a kind of a biopic on someone or a bi. I don't think that's the right word. But like, because you've been around.

[B]

Oh, maybe. Yeah.

[A]

Big names in hip hop and R B and like in. In. In that world. So when you see Dave, you. I mean, you've seen all the personalities on that big of scale. So yeah, for you to say he feels like a reg. Like he loves the craft. I'm sure you've met musicians who are like, yeah, this is the. I have to do this. Like, I'm stuck in this. And that's not what you get from Chappelle.

[B]

Not at all. Not at all. And I've seen all. I've seen the. I've seen the artists come from. I was in hip hop for a long time. I seen them come from nobody's to like superstars and how they treat you in the beginning and in the end. Is it different? Is it the same? You see the ones that become bougie in Hollywood and then you see some of them fall back down. I seen the whole gambit. There's nothing better. I would hang out with Dave Chappelle even if I wasn't on the show. Thank God I am on the shows.

[A]

Right.

[B]

But he's just like a chill guy that you'd like to have a good combo with.

[A]

It is something I know. I talk. I've talked to him once and it was at the Cellar. He was at the. The brunch. This was years ago. And. And he really is into having a conversation. Like, he really does want to talk with people. Not just at people, it seemed.

[B]

Yeah, not at all. No. He. He loves a good discourse.

[A]

Yeah. So when you open for Chappelle and you're. And then you also do DJing, what's the difference between those two? Crowds

[B]

DJ at Chappelle shows or just in general?

[A]

In general, just DJing. You're walking into opening the United center for Chappelle, but then you're opening and then like, what's the. Is there an explain. A way to explain to people how the audience is the Audience the same. Is it more similar? Like because someone not. Yeah, go ahead, go ahead. I'm just saying if you go to a nightclub, you know, I just, I'll, I'll give you an example. I remember I was in Cannes. Not to, not to, to name drop, but I was at the Cannes Lion. Can. Can lion market. It's a marketing festival in camp.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So all these tech companies have their booths or their, their stages. Spotify had the Spotify stage. And I'll never forget Benson Boone was on stage and I, I knew, I didn't realize how many Benson Boone songs I already knew. Like that's how much his, he had kind of popped off without me knowing he's popped off. And I remember I was listening to him and I'm watching him and I'm having a good time. And I remember at one point he's looking at everyone going, come on, let's go, give me something. And I was like, oh, this is a corporate gig for him. Like, yes. He's used to, you know, 90,000 women, right, going nuts. And it's like when we do a corporate gig, we're like, come on. And I remember I'm in the crowd being like, I'm cool, I'm having a good time. But I'm like, but I could never give him what 50,000, you know, 20 year old women would give him. So I'm like, oh, I get it. This is like when I do a corporate, like, I guess the people at the shows that I think are bad are like, well, we're having a great time. This is as much as we're going to give at our business conference.

[B]

Would you, would you give more if you were in the venue with 50,000 20 year old girls going crazy, Would you?

[A]

Probably excited. Probably. I, there's energy.

[B]

That's the thing about those kind of gigs. Look, you have, you're an artist, you have a calendar, you just show up, you do your show, whatever. I look at every single gig I do and go, okay, what exactly is this? How do I need to approach this? How can I change this? That's comedy or DJing, right? If you're telling me I'm DJing a party in the Hamptons where there's also a house EDM DJ on the same show, my playlists change. If you telling me I'm doing a grimy hip hop party in Bridgeport, Connecticut, my playlist change. I can play, I can play some of the same songs, but I approach it differently. I go, right, okay, if I do a corporate gig, I'M like, you know what? I'm going to have a, a DJ set it off and I'm going to try to make the, the area a little smaller so people are a little more compact. So the energy, you know, there's things you can do to, to cater to that crowd and that's what I'm really good at.

[A]

That's interesting. When I get home from the road, I just want to go to bed. Luckily, I've got a Casper mattress waiting for me. Casper makes reliable, high quality mattresses. You'll have a consistent, comfortable sleep night after night. Casper's mattresses are built and long lasting, maintaining support and comfort over the long haul. Now I will be, I'm going to be open with you. When I moved to my apartment here in Delray, I had a mattress that came with the apartment. I started having back problems. I thankfully have Casper waiting for me asking to send me a new mattress. Casper sent me a mattress. My back problems went away. I'm on a mattress that is specifically tailored to me. I took their mattress quiz. I'm a happier person because of Casper and the mattress I have. I'm having great sleeps, but I'm also having great days after I sleep. With Casper's hundred night risk free trial, you've got nothing to lose. Whether you like your mattress firm, soft or somewhere in between, there's something for you. @casper.com you've been talking about getting a new bed. Now is the time. With Casper's back to school sale, head to Casper.com. save up to 20% on the mattress you deserve. Remember, the day always ends well with Casper Right now. Save up to 20% on mattresses and up to 25% on everything else. When you go to Casper.com one last time, that's C A S P E R dot com. Save up to 20% on the mattress you deserve. What? So from DJing to comedy is that some. Are you doing it? You're doing the set list the same way? Like I guess that's how I would do a comedy set. I' It's a corporate crowd. Start, start quick. Joke, joke, joke, joke, joke. You're doing that with DJing too. You're like, hey, it's a corporate crowd. Go clean. You know, Relatable, relatable, relatable.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And then deep cuts. Maybe later.

[B]

Maybe. But bro, alcohol is the gig. Alcohol sets in. If you're DJing early part of the gig you gotta play. This is how we do it. Sha na na na na na. You know what I mean? And Then alcohol. You know, the older people start heading up to their rooms or whatever. The younger people that want to party, then you start getting into some deeper shit. It's just like a wedding, right? It's just like when you do a gig, it's the same gig you. We're going to do the same jokes, but do we start with the faster ones or the cleaner ones? Or move, you know, a little more energy up top.

[A]

I was at a wedding with my girlfriend a few weeks ago, and I just remember they played like a. A late song early. And it did make my brain. The, like, the triggers went off, you know, I was like, what? Whoa. You know, like, I. Yeah, I kind of was like, what's this? And I was like, I don't know if it was good or bad, but I was like, what are they gonna do at the end now? You know, you were kind of like,

[B]

yeah, but you're an entertainer, so we hear stuff like that, right? More than other people. We're looking at the. Why they got the catering over there. It would have been better on this side. These lights got to be turned down no matter what. We're always trying to adjust the gig. So you're like, well, that's a banger. He's playing that too early now. He might have been panicking and he's like, I gotta get this crowd going, right? He's gonna have to hit him with this, right?

[A]

I gotta get them listening. I gotta get them, you know, I gotta. I gotta start. Maybe, you know, not every time you start with crowd work, but sometimes you're like, I gotta engage the crowd. I gotta let them know I'm talking with them. It's conversational. Is there a hundred percent. Is there a DJ gig you remember? Like, that's the one I couldn't believe I was doing. Like, is there. Is there like a house that you went to? Do you have any like that? You remember?

[B]

It's the Barclays Center. It's. You know that streaming service title?

[A]

Yeah, that was the.

[B]

So Jay Z used to own it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So they had a. Like a title concert. Every artist did like three songs. So it was like. The concert was like you were listening to Title on shuffle. Right.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

I DJed in the beginning. 7:30 to 8, 8:15. Not a soul in the building. Not a soul.

[A]

This is Barclays center in Brooklyn.

[B]

Center in Brooklyn Arena. Empty. No one cared. I did what I had to do. I was watching the show. Towards the end of the night, someone grabs me. Hey, Basically they said, Beyonce is having a Wardrobe malfunction. We need you to stall. Okay. So I go on this riser in the middle of the arena. It rises up 20ft. I played for 11 minutes and smashed it like the whole arena was rocking. But again, the concert was weird because it was. It was a country art. Thomas Rhett and then Usher and then. So it was kind of weird. So it never got into a flow, you know. So I brought it all together. I glued it, which I didn't know. I was just stalling. But it turned into like this thing. The riser comes down. Beyonce goes on stage, everything's fine. Someone grabs me, they go, jay, Jay wants to talk to you right now. Jay Z. What did I say? Yeah, what the. What did I do? I get dragged to the back. He's under the stage. He goes, what was that? I said, what? What? What happened? He goes, yo, you murdered it. You killed it. How did you know? To da da da da da da. And I. And I've known him for a long time. And I said, jay, that's what I always do. You're just not there. Like, I do that at a nightclub and it's over a two hour span. This was 10 minutes of like hypo energetic, like a blast. And he, like, from then on, he like, praised me. Like, he was my friend before, but this was like, he was respect.

[A]

Right? Is it. What was your thinking going in when you came on? When that riser grows up? What was the plan

[B]

by then?

[A]

What's the first song?

[B]

I don't remember the first song. It was, it was. It's. It's. It's like I have so many sets where, like, it's just going to be high energy. But mind you, I was there the whole night, so I know the night needed a boost of energy. So, like, like. You ever heard the song Swag Surf?

[A]

I'm the worst.

[B]

You ever seen us. No, I got my swag.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Going back and forth. That's one of the first songs because it's like, everybody. The whole point of the song is you put your arm around the person next to you and you move left to right.

[A]

So you needed the crowd. But that's a breaker. But that's a plan. That's a plan right there. I just want the crowd to move as one.

[B]

Exactly, exactly. And then, like, you know, I played a little Caribbean music because Brooklyn has a lot of Caribbean people. So I go, if you're from an island or your family's from an island, I need you to make noise right now. And now When I say an island, I mean Jamaica, right? Trinidad, Whatever. This. I look down as this old white guy just sitting in a chair. I go, sir, sir, where do you live? Manhattan. And he looks up, he goes, yeah. I go, that's an island.

[A]

Stand up place probably went nuts.

[B]

Nuts. Because I'm being funny, right? Likeable.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And, and he, his daughter made him stand up. He started dancing. No one was offended. He, he had, it was, you know,

[A]

he's laughing, but we're all in this together. And also now you've taken this piecemeal crowd. We're all islanders.

[B]

We're all together, all together. And I have a knack for that. I don't know how well.

[A]

I've just, dude, this is, this is Mr. Miyagi. This is wax on, wax off. You take a noticing of Brooklyn, a lot of people from islands here, more Caribbean backgrounds. Okay, that's something I can use. That's an arrow in my sheath. Then all of a sudden, that knowledge you had, your whole life mattered like that, you know, this is, you know, they say luck is preparation, meeting, opportunity.

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Are you preparing? Like, I always have that with, like, someone asked me, do you write every day? I tweet and I thread and I make tiktoks every day. Yeah, yeah, I'm writing every day. Do any of them matter? No. Might they?

[B]

No, not.

[A]

No, they might.

[B]

Any of them. Do all of them matter, right?

[A]

Do all them. Some might, some might be an arrow that I had because I can have a joke that I said, and it might happen at the right moment. You know, I did a joke about how I watched a shoe tying video Yesterday for like 20 minutes, and I was like, man, I got nothing going on in my Life. I'm watching 20 Minutes 30 Ways to Tie a Shoe, and I'm like, but if someone in the front was, you know, I don't know how that could come up, but it could come up and then it might be the perfect moment. I had that with the Golden Bachelor. I was this woman went on stage, I started making fun of her, and like, it felt like every word all of a sudden was like supposed to happen. So that's like, I, I, it's, that's the best. And it's, that's the best. And it's the best because it doesn't happen all the time.

[B]

When you know some weird little piece of information and it comes up randomly at a comedy show and you drop it, people go nuts.

[A]

It's a magic trick. It's a total, it's like A callback. A callback in a set when you can bring something back around and they go, yeah, it was there the whole time.

[B]

The whole time, yeah.

[A]

Everyone needs to go watch Cipher. Sound special? It is called Likable. The link is in the bio of his Instagram. I hope after I told him in the beginning of this episode. I want to play a game with you. Okay.

[B]

I just want to show you this real quick.

[A]

You've got places to be and things to do. Don't spend any more time stressing about your hair. Neutral is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand. And it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologists. Nutrafol's hair growth supplements are peer reviewed, NSF certified for sport and clinically tested. It's not a one size fits all approach. Nutrafol offers multiple formulas for men and women tailored to different life stages and lifestyle factors. They make it easy to get support that's right for you. Here's the thing. I do not deal with hair insecurity. If I did, Neutral would be my first choice on the list of options. I don't want to fly to Turkey. I want to see if Neutrophil can work for me. And they have different formulas based on who you are. My mom uses Nutrafol. She loves it. She's not an easy customer. She's not someone who just comes back because she can get it from me. She's coming back to Neutrophil because it's working for her. Let your hair become one less thing and taking up space in your head. See? Thicker, stronger, faster, growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Neutrophil for a limited time, Neutrophil is offering j train fans $10 off your first month subscription plus free shipping. When you visit neutrophil.com, enter promo code Feather. That's nutrafol.com spelled n u t r a f o l dot com promo code Feather. Okay, I just want to show you this real quick.

[B]

This is that night. Can you see this? Look at that.

[A]

I can see it.

[B]

Jay Z talking to Rick Ross and he's background somewhere there.

[A]

That's a crazy video. And are they talking about you?

[B]

Me? They're talking about me.

[A]

Send me that video. We'll put it on the. We'll put it on the clip. This will be the clip. Because I. That story is. I mean, when, when Jay Z said that to you, were you just like tingles all over your body?

[B]

Okay. I would tell you real quick.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When he first. He used to be part owner in the Barclays. When he first opened it, I got to DJ some of his shows, and I. And there was a bunch of Hasidic guys behind me. Hasidic Jews behind me and the Risers. And then also my co host, Peter Rosenberg, who's Jewish, was standing next to me. So I was shouting out everyone in Brooklyn. Shout to Italians. Shout out to Puerto Ricans, black people. What's up? Caribbean people. Shout out all my Jews. Something, something. So after the show, he goes, yo, what did. What did you say about Jews? I go, what. What do you mean? He goes, why'd you. I go, no, no, no. I was with Rosenberg, and then there was a group of Hasidic Jews right on the side of us. So I was shouting them out. He's like, oh. He goes, yeah, don't, don't. So. So then I do another concert, and he calls me to the back. I go, did I. Did I say anything about Jews? But that's why I call it likable. Because, yeah, sometimes I say up on stage, but no one ever really gets mad at me because, you know I'm joking, right? There's no. There's no bad bone in my body.

[A]

There isn't.

[B]

That's why I call it likable.

[A]

It's also, I mean, like, no, it's all. Yeah. That's why I love you, Cipher. Everyone's gonna love the special. It's called likable. I want to know, okay, so you have this. This background that no one else has. You have a. A super talent. And I've been around all these, you know. You know, these R and B and rap stars. I want to know, what. Com. What type of comedy would these rap stars do? Okay, okay. What type of comedian would they be? Jay Z. Right?

[B]

Jay Z is very sarcastic. Jay Z is like a Bill Burr, okay? Very sarcastic, very straightforward, very. What's wrong with these guys?

[A]

I would have never thought of him that way.

[B]

I know, I know. I know him personally, where I'm like. He's like, very Bill Burr. Like, why are these guys doing this?

[A]

I love that. Kendrick Lamar.

[B]

Kendrick Lamar is like Dave Chappelle. Very in tune of what's going on. Very wordy, sometimes very serious, but then hits you with a joke at the end.

[A]

Nas. Nas.

[B]

Nas is. He's. He's more slick, laid back. He's a.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

He's a. He's like a Michael Che.

[A]

Okay?

[B]

He's lean against the back of the wall, leg up, kind of just saying something that seems like it doesn't make sense. And then all of a sudden you're like, oh, shit. He was talking about the girl with the big butt, right?

[A]

Okay. I love it. Biggie.

[B]

Biggie was very silly. Biggie was a prankster. Biggie was very funny. Like. Like a roasting kind of guy. Like, he would roast all his friends.

[A]

A cipher sound. Some. Some might say I don't roast a lot. I don't want to Ross.

[B]

I rose by. I roast friends.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Road trip roast. You know what I mean? But Biggie was like, okay, Biggie, he. The first meal was on him. He bought everyone food. Next meal, he would whisper to his boy, yo, go get me 2 francs. Take whatever you want. And, like, you'd have to sneak off and get food. No one else ate.

[A]

Last one. Lil Wayne.

[B]

Little Wayne is like a Dave A Tell, okay? Lil Wayne is very, like, left field. You don't see the joke coming. You don't see the rhyme coming. Like, right? Like. You ever watch David Tell? We all do. We sit there at the Comedy Cellar, we watch one of the greatest guys at a small club in lower Manhattan, and you'll go, how the fuck did he think of that? I've seen the same news story. I've had ideas about this story. I've had a. I have jokes about Mum, Donnie or Trump. But Dave Chappelle, I mean, I'm sorry, Dave Attel says it in a way that you would have never thought of.

[A]

He makes it feel so simple, too. Like, you go, oh, it was there. Yeah.

[B]

Little Wayne uses all the same words we use. And he's not some brilliant, educated guy where, like, he's using these big words. Every word he uses, we have access to. But I would never say it like that.

[A]

It's great.

[B]

I would have never thought of that myself afterwards.

[A]

I know a towel has that effect. He makes you want to write more, you know, And I think I would probably. Lil Wayne has that for, you know, rappers.

[B]

For rappers, for sure.

[A]

Cipher sounds. Thank you for coming on the J Train podcast. Always a pleasure. Everyone go watch the special Likable. It is out right now. It is on YouTube. It is on the LOL Network. It's also the link is in the bio, this episode, as well as the YouTube bio, all that stuff. And then Cypha's Instagram. So I'm Jared Free. Chit chat Wednesday. Back next week, Boom.