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The Stephen A. Smith Show
Full Show: Interview with Flavor Flav. Luka gets revenge! Ratings Matter in Joy Reid dismissal.
01:11:15
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- [00:00]
Stephen A. Smith
At&t has a new guarantee because most things in life are not guaranteed like.
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Flavor Flav
Getting through self checkout by yourself.
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Stephen A. Smith
Not guaranteed in a world where Nothing is guaranteed. AT&T is bringing something new to the table. AT&T is introducing a guarantee with connectivity you can depend on, deals you want and service you deserve or they make it right. Learn more@att.com guarantee@&t connecting changes everything. Terms and conditions apply. Visit att.comguaranty for details.
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Flavor Flav
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide and and every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card based on the February 2024 Nielsen report.
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Stephen A. Smith
What's up everybody? Stephen A. Smith here. Recently we made news because the great Bill O'Reilly announced a tour that's coming nearest you in the very, very near future. Get your tickets now for this. This is called Three Americans Live March 30th at Live Nation's Flagstar at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Don't miss the very first show as myself, Chris Cuomo and yes, that man Bill O'Reilly. Take our different ideas, our different backgrounds, our different beliefs across the country to demonstrate that respectful, meaningful and even fun conversation. Those are the things that make America as great as it should be. The show will be spirited, unscripted, and all three of us will let it fly as we discuss the topics everyone is thinking about these days. There will also be questions from the audience. We're not running. Tickets are officially on sale now with presale code USA@3americanslive.com VIP packages are available with the opportunity to meet and take photos with myself and both those fellows. That's three Americans live March 30th at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Additional dates and cities to be announced. Don't miss it. Trust me, you'll get a kick out of it. LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Joy Reed and Flavor Flav. What the hell do all of these people have in common? They're about to be on the Stephen A. Smith show right now. What's up everybody? Welcome to the Late this latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith show. Coming at you as I love to do at the very least three times a week over the digital airwaves of YouTube and of course, iHeartRadio. As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank my subscribers and followers for supporting the show, as you so successfully do. We're nearing 1.1 million subscribers on YouTube over the last 23 months or so. We've got millions of downloads courtesy of iheartradio. I can't thank y'all for the love and support enough. Just keep it coming. I'm gonna keep on coming. I'm always gonna thank y'all to start off the show because I wouldn't be here if y'all didn't want me here to continue to like and follow the show. Just click the bell to get notified for all of our newest content and you too shall consider yourself the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family. And while you're doing that, please make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Times best selling book Straight Shooter, A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes now in paperback. Just go to straight shoot a book.com to get yourself a copy. Once again, that straight shoot a book.com to get yourself a copy. I got a lot of stuff to get into today. You know, a few days ago I sat down with the one and only Flavor Flav. I can't wait for y'all to see me talking to him. Of course, there was some big time basketball that took place@the crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California last night with Luka Doncic facing his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time. We'll get into all of that because there's some things percolating and developing within the National Basketball association that I think y'all need to know about. And so we're certainly going to discuss that right here on this show. But the first order of business to get into is, believe it or not, the news media. That's where I'm going to get started. I'm going to get started with the media headlines emanating from MSNBC itself, where the network's new president, Rebecca Cutler, decided to remove Joy Reid from her primetime slot. Reid show, aptly named the readout, had been a weeknight fixture at MSNBC at 7pm since 2020. She often interviewed politicians and other newsmakers on various political issues that crossed race, culture and social justice. Meanwhile, Simone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, who currently serve as host of the Weekend, another MSNBC program, will eventually move into Taylor 7pm weekday time slot. However, reaction from inside the network was felt when Rachel Maddow, one of MSNBC'S biggest stars, if not its biggest star, weighed in on Reed's situation Monday night. Maddow said this, quote, in all of the jobs I have had, in all of the years I have been alive, there's no colleague for whom I have had more affection and more respect for than Joy Reid. I love everything about her. I have so much more to learn from her. I do not want to lose her as a colleague here at msnbc. And personally, I think it is a bad mistake to let her walk out the door. It is not my call, and I understand that. However, it is what I think. End quote. That was Rachel Maddow. A lot of people have thrown out opinions. We've seen people, supporters of Joy Reid, speak adamantly and emphatically online in support of her. You've got some folks calling for folks not to watch MSNBC anymore, et cetera. And obviously folks, a lot of folks out there are going to point to race and race playing a role in all of this, because with all of the changes that are taking place, why does she have to be the show that goes, we're not going to do that today because if we had to do that today, we'd have to do it every day. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have a real frank discussion right now about what transpires when it comes to us as black folks. We come out of the womb knowing we've got to be twice as good to get half as much. This is not new. And as a result of that, one would argue we at a decisive disadvantage at times. Okay, fine. There's racism, there's prejudice out there. Yes, that's true. Not in every case, not in all cases, but in some cases, fine. We just have to be careful when we make that argument. I've invited Joy Reid on this show, and I'm looking forward to her accepting my invitation so we can talk. Let me tell you how I feel about Joy Reid. First, I respect the hell out of this woman. She is highly intelligent, very, very knowledgeable, very passionate. She has a lot to say. She is more than a conscientious observer, and she is fearless in calling out what she believes to be inequities, unfairness and the like anywhere, but especially as it pertains to the black community and obviously as it pertains to leftist, you know, to folks on the left. She is a Democrat. I'm not saying whether she's a Democrat officially or not. I'm just saying she leans left. Obviously, you're on msnbc. That is the belief but we can't stop there, y'all. I saw what Megyn Kelly said about her and, and how Megan Kelly basically, to some degree took Joy in her being axed. I take no joy in seeing Joy Reid axed from that time slot. As the reports go, she was making about an annual salary in a range of about 3 million a year. I don't want any money taken out of her pocket. But when we want to bring up race as the cause for her being gone, I don't think we're serving ourselves well. Michael Steele is going to be there as well as a replacement along with Alicia. And you got to remember, Menendez is right there as well. It's hard to make the race argument when her replacements are reported to be three individuals that already have a weekend show on the network and they're going to be inserted in the network. And I'm just reading from the reports here. Okay. I have not spoken to Joy Reid. I don't know. I've had the pleasure of meeting her on a couple of occasions. I certainly respect her and I'm not here to castigate her in any way. But we do have to talk about the business in a very, very honest and fair fashion. Joy Reid was incredibly outspoken against the Trump administration, as has always been the case. Since election, her ratings have dropped by 47%. 47%, ladies and gentlemen. You don't keep your job when stuff like that happens. You just don't. The business doesn't allow for that to happen. When you rate high, tolerance is high. When you rate low, tolerance is low. Let's look at the reports from here. It talked about how Reed will be replaced at the 7pm hour by a trio of MSNBC weekend host Kamala, former Kamala Harris advisor Simone Sanders, anti Trump Republican Michael Steele, and Alicia Menendez, the daughter of former Democratic senator and convicted felon Bob Menendez. Okay. That's what it says here in the report. Okay, it goes a bit further. The readout suffered a major slump. This is according to Newsweek. The readout suffered a major slump in ratings since the 2024 election. Nielsen Media Research revealed that Reid show averaged around 759,000 viewers in early December. In early December, a 47% decline from the 1.4 million average it achieved in 2024. Leading up to the Election Day, her ratings basically were damn near cut in half. On February 20, Reid show was reported to have around 778,000 viewers, while Fox News Laura Ingram attracted an estimated 3.3.4 million in the same slot. Ladies and gentlemen, that's 3.4 million 778,000. Repeat it again. That's 3.4 million to 778,000. That can't be ignored. When we make the argument and we want to bring race into the equation. We got to have it, we got to have the evidence. It can't be subliminal. It can't be something that's assumed. It can't be something that can, that, that, that is rife with plausible deniability. We gotta know it. Now if you want to sit up there and say Trump had something to do with it, that's fine because he's coming after them. He's coming after G, he's coming after Mr. Brian Robbins for Comcast and their left leaning, you know, news outlet. He is definitely our channel, rather he's definitely doing that. We already seen him sue ABC and George Stephanopoulos. We already see him going after msnbc. Donald Trump had an instant comment on Joy Reid on his truth social platform in the immediate aftermath of her being let go, dissing her and enjoying her departure. He's coming after folks. So now what it does is it provokes a bigger conversation about the networks themselves and what are they going to stand up for or are they going to be strictly about their bottom line and kowtow to the President of the United States? Because he's coming for folks that he deems enemies. He's made no apologies nor any secret about it. That's what he's doing. And if you're going to support Joy Reid, the best way for you to do it was to make sure she didn't suffer a 47% drop in ratings. See, we don't do that enough. And I'm Pete, I'm speaking from personal experience, so I'm qualified to talk about this subject. Ladies and gentlemen, I will remind you that I had a show named quite frankly on ESPN2 from 2004 to 2007. I will remind you that it got canceled in 2007 after I did about 381 shows and I had about 785 guests. We didn't have enough viewers. The course that it took to have that show on the air to pay for all of the overhead that came with it, wasn't worth it because the ratings said so. And one of the things that I remember most is folks coming up to me, oh man, I love your show, man. I watch it every day. You the man, Stephen A. The show had been canceled six months earlier. How the hell you watch me every day? It had Been canceled six months earlier. See, we talk. But if you really, really want to be helpful and knowing this business, if you really, really want it to be helpful to Joy Reid, the time to support her would it be now, over digital airwaves and everywhere else, while everybody's speaking and up in arms, that her show got canceled. The time would have been to make sure that even in the aftermath of that election, that that 1.4 million audience that she was drawing in prior to the election is the same audience that would have been there after the election. That's how you keep folks on the air. You didn't do that. Certainly there are other people who could have been let go and should have been let go sooner. I won't mention any names. Certainly she's a talent and she is intelligent. Yes, she was fiery. Yes, she said some incendiary things that could have gotten a network in trouble on a couple of occasions. I'm not here to revisit all of that. All of that is true. But all of us are flawed in the eyes of God. We all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. I'm certainly not here to down her in any way. I'm simply here to enunciate and punctuate the point. If you wanted her on the air so badly, why didn't you support her after the election? That's the reality. There is no way around that. And for those of you who are out there who don't get it, you better get it quick or you better do what Roland Martin went on his show and reminded folks to do. Do everything you can to own your own so you can't be canceled. Do everything to own your own so you're not depending on a network or another employer to sustain your visibility and ultimately your quality of life. Because he's right about that. But in the end, everybody's not in a position to do that or don't want to be in a position to do that. They may not want that challenge, that headache or whatever the case may be. That's fine. Just know that msnbc, at the end of the day, it's a business, just like everything else is a business. And the best way to sustain or elevate yourself is to do good business and not be expendable. And a surefire way to end up being expendable is when they're able to attach a 47% drop in the ratings to you. No matter what you want to accuse them of, they're always gonna be able to fall on that, which means any other argument is gonna fall on deaf ears. Let me move to another subject before I go to the break. Um, according to CBS News, Apple shareholders on Tuesday, just yesterday, rejected a proposal to end the iPhone makers diversity, equity and inclusion programs. In responding to the anti DEI proposal, Apple defended its diversity program as an integral part corporate culture, crediting the policies in part for making the technology giant the most valuable company in the world. Here's what Apple CEO Tim Cook said in defense of the policy. Quote, we've never had quotas or targets for Apple. Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration. But our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone, and I work to that end, will never waver, end quote. However, Cook concedes that the company may need to revise aspects of his diversity policies as the legal landscape around DEI evolves. Meanwhile, President Trump continued to call for Apple to scrap the program. You know he was going to do that. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, quote, apple should get rid of DEI rules, not just make adjustments. For to them, DEI was a hoax that has been very bad for our country. DEI is gone. That is according to the president, Donald Trump. Let me be very clear about what I'm sick of. I'm sick of the truth being camouflaged when it's over, this whole DEI matter. I really, really am. Because I got to tell you something right now, it's getting on my last nerves and I'm trying to. To. To. To really avoid losing my patience. Okay? This is where I'm coming from with this, y'all. I'm just looking something up to make sure I have it right. I'm really trying to be cool about this because I do think it's important. I'm sick and tired of be a DEI being associated with black people. And I'm sick and tired of seeing black folks out there complaining over DEI like it's the end. Like it's eventual departure is the end of the world. There are congressional figures who have stated for the record that white women are the biggest beneficiaries of dei, just as they were the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action. And second on that list are Asian Americans. So I'm sitting here and I'm saying not to act like they haven't been black folks who have benefited from affirmative action or dei. I'm saying, why is. Why is it that our culture is attached to it? Why are we not mentioning the fact that white women are the biggest beneficiaries of it? We live in America. White folks make up 57.4% of the population last time I checked, if not lower than that right now. But it's still a white power system, primarily a white male power structure. White women have benefited. So the eradication of dei, one would argue, would likely affect them more than it would affect anybody else, since they're the biggest beneficiaries from it. Which means that white men like Donald Trump, who decided, along with Elon Musk and others, to eradicate dei, did so at the expense of white women. Why is that story not being told? Why is it coming across as if it's associated with black folks? Why the words unqualified or incompetent or not up for the job and stuff like that? Why is that coming through the screens? Why is that what everybody's talking about, particularly when they're talking about minorities in this country? Oh, I forgot. White women are considered a minority in this country. That's how they did benefit from affirmative action and dei. I'm just asking, why don't we talk about it? If we gonna talk about the subject and we're gonna be transparent while we be honest about it? Kind of annoys me that we don't. Now, to a whole bunch of people out there, I apologize if I'm wrong, because I have seen a couple of articles proclaiming that white women are not the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action and dei. But throughout years, especially decades, when it came to folks talking about affirmative action, make no mistake about it, white women were deemed the biggest beneficiaries. And people are still saying that now, although there are articles to deny it, to say that's not true. Whatever case you want to make, there is no denying that black folks aren't the only folks that are benefiting from dei, that minorities are not the only folks benefiting from dei, meaning folks other than white folks. Why is it that we're always associated with it, especially when words like unqualified come into the fray? That's what I'm saying. Of course, as I look here and they talk about who's going to follow, nobody's sure who's expected to follow Apple in terms of their thinking. But other companies that confirmed a commitment to DEI in the wake of the election and some of the orders being handed down by Trump, Ben and Jerry's, Costco, Delta Airlines, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft and Patagonia, those were folks, companies rather, that confirmed a commitment to DEI moving forward from Axios. Many more companies appear to be pulling back DEI efforts, including Amazon, Boeing, Disney, Ford, Goldman Sachs, Google, McDonald's, Meta, Nissan, Target, Toyota, Walmart. All I ask is that if we gon talk about it, let's talk about it. Let's address it with the honesty and fervency it deserves. So I ask, that's all I ask because I really, really think at the end of the day that's going to be necessary if we gonna get it right. That's what we should want to do. Okay. Coming up, he's the greatest hype man in the history of the music industry. The one and only Flavor Flav from Public Enemy joins me. But first, Luca Doncic sent the message to his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, last night in Los Angeles. But should the rest of the Western Conference be paying attention as well? I'll get into all of that and then some. Trust me. This next segment National Basketball Association. You want to hear what I got to say about this? Don't go away. It's the Stephen A. Smith show coming right at you. All right, everybody, listen up. With all the big time sports action that's happening each and every day, the Stephen A. Smith show wants to make sure you are taking advantage of it all. That's why we've partnered with Prize Picks, the best place to win cash while watching sports. The app is really easy to use to make a lineup. All you have to do is pick more or less on a few player stats. Choose from any of your favorite players, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler, and Zach Lavine, all in the same entry. Then sit back and watch. The list is absolutely endless. You can play Prize picks in over 40 states, including California and Texas. Best of all, Prize Picks will give you $50 when you play your first $5 lineup. Win or lose, you'll get 50 bucks. Just use promo code SAS and download Prize Picks right now. Again, download the app and use code SAS to get $50 instantly. After your first $5 lineup price picks run your game.
- [25:18]
Flavor Flav
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days? Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, there's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo Clay. It's thick, burnt orange and it's got a reputation.
- [25:55]
Chris Cuomo
It's terrible, terrible dirt.
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Flavor Flav
Yazoo Clay eats everything, so things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not in 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery.
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Stephen A. Smith
7,000 bodies out there or more, all.
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Flavor Flav
Former patients of the old State asylum, and nobody knew they were there.
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Stephen A. Smith
It was my family's mystery.
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Flavor Flav
But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets. Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information. When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo Clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.
- [26:34]
Stephen A. Smith
The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.
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Flavor Flav
I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to under yazukle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [26:53]
Stephen A. Smith
Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Let's get to the NBA, where the Lakers played the Dallas Mavericks at home last night in the first meeting since Luka Doncic was traded from the Mavs to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. Essentially, the Lakers beat the Mavs 107 to 99 as Luka put up a triple double against his old squad. 19 points, 15 boards, 12 assists. In doing so, Doncic became the third player in NBA history to record a triple double against every franchise. The Lakers are now seven and two since trading for Doncic and are now just two games out of the second seed, the number two seed in the Western Conference, ladies and gentlemen. The Lakers have put everybody on notice. The Lakers have put everybody on notice. We can call it what we can call it. Well, say whatever you will. Get LeBron James and those guys off the screen while I'm talking, please. I don't even want to see him right now. I want America to see me. Let me tell y'all something. I want the world to see me. Let me tell y'all something right now. The Lakers could win the West. The Lakers could win the West. Every time I believe in okc, something happens. Denver doesn't look quite like itself, especially after I saw what the Lakers did to them the other night and J.J. redick's playing double end Jokic the way that he did and daring others to shoot. I'm paying attention to that even though when Jokic and Jamal Murray are clicking, very few teams can beat them. The Memphis Grizzlies are the number two seed. I'm just not sold on Memphis perimeter shooting. I know what they can do anywhere else but with their perimeter shooting. I got a huge question mark about them. Houston is very talented. I don't want to get into a track meet with them. If I'm the Los Angeles Lakers. But experience wins in post. In the post season, not youth and youthful exuberance which Houston is loaded with. So I get that part, too. And I understand that reality and I can't ignore that, okay? I just can't. I'm telling you, when I look at the Western Conference right now, I did a list on my day job, first take on ESPN yesterday, and it was the top five challenges to the Boston Celtics for the championship. I had OKC number two. Do you know who I had number three? The Lakers. I had Denver at four, and I had the Dallas Mavericks at five. And I'm going to tell you why I got the Dallas Mavericks at 5. When it comes to challenges for the Boston Celtics, let me tell you why. I don't care that Dallas right now resides in the ninth seed, okay? And don't get me wrong, I'm not. I mean, Golden State is right on the outside looking in. But here's why. I put Dallas as a top five threat to Boston's aspirations to repeat his champions. Wait until Daniel Gaffin and Anthony Davis come back. You just wait with Kyrie Irving, with PJ Washington, with Klay Thompson that we saw last night drilling about five threes. When this brother gets hot, it's something to behold. Dallas can't be ignored. And oh, by the way, let's not forget the importance of Anthony Davis and how he has to produce. See, he's the one that was traded for Luka Doncic. Essentially, he's the reason why you didn't get like four or five picks from somebody else. Anthony Davis can't get on the court for the Dallas Mavericks. The way that city and that fan base reacted to the departure of Luther Luka Doncic and go out there and play subpar or play like trash. Anthony Davis has to play on a very elite level. They know he's hurt now. They'll accept it. They'll stomach it. But that brother, when he get back on the court, when he gets back on the court, he better be ready. There will never be more pressure on Anthony Davis to perform than it will be when he gets back healthy. And God forbid, Dallas and the Lakers meet in the first round of the playoffs. Oh, my God, the pressure that was this. See, Luke is playing with house money because the Lakers acquired him for the next decade. Luke's playing with house money. What they looking at is what Anthony Davis is going to do. That's how I'm looking at the West. Overall, the number one threat to the Boston Celtics is the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don't give a damn what anybody say. Jared Allen Mobley, the acquisition of, of, of, of Hunter Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, that stud. Cleveland got a crew best record in basketball. I'm here to tell y'all something right now. The Cleveland Cavaliers could win it all. Boston is right there. They better be ready because Cleveland could beat anybody. I'm not saying they will. I'm not betting my money on that yet. But I'm telling you, they could do it. They could do it. But getting back to the Lakers, y'all know, excuse me, y'all do know that J.J. redick is a, is one of the top candidates for coach of the year, right? I expected the Lakers to upgrade significantly offensively because I know what a brilliant basketball mind JJ Redick is. I did not expect to see what I'm seeing defensively since like mid January. The Lakers have the best record in basketball. And oh, by the way, not only is that the case, they've got the top rated defense and 11 of their 18 games in that span where they went 14 and 4. Ladies and gentlemen, Anthony Davis wasn't there for the 11 of the 18 games and they still got the top rated defense in basketball. Pay attention, ladies and gentlemen. I'm here to tell y'all the Lakers are coming. Austin Reeves has been ballin'hachimora can't ignore him. Dorian Finney Smith and what he brings to the table for the Lakers. Can't ignore that. Jackson Hayes is no slouch. I'm very pleased with what I'm seeing from the Lakers. Pleasantly surprised the Los Angeles Lakers. If Luka gets going, they could win the West. And if LeBron James is in the final with Luka as his teammate at age 40, what could he do? I still don't see myself giving them goat status, but I might need cause. I might have cause to pause. Just a thought. Just a thought. Moving on to the next item here, before we get to break, I wanted to give props to the WNBA's all time leading scorer, the one and only Diana Taurasi. Officially retired from the WNBA after 20 seasons. She's 42 and she's stepping away as one of the most decorated players in basketball history. Before I say anything like that, could y'all do me a favor please and just take a moment to look at this full screen and check out her resume. 3 time WNBA Champion, 2 time WNBA Finals MVP, 3 time NCAA Champion, 2 time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, 6 time Olympic Gold Medalist, 2009 WNBA MVP, 2 time Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year 14 time NBA 10 time First Team, 11 time WNBA All Star, 2004 Rookie of the Year, WNBA, 5 time WNBA Scoring Champion. My God. My God. Who the hell has a resume like that? Who's this person who. Six gold medals, six. This basketball, ladies and gentlemen. This ain't swimming. I mean, hell, this is what she doing. Diana Taurasi, the white mamba. That one, by the way, one of the best people that, that I've ever covered in professional sports. Just straight shooter, very authentic, you know, highly competitive, a winner on every level. Excuse my language. She's just the shit. She really is. And the game is going to miss her. Thank you for all that you've done for the game. Diana Taurasi, thank you for all you have done for the game. You are something special, make no mistake about that. Coming up, I had the honor of interviewing the one and only Flavor Flav. You don't want to miss that conversation. That's coming up next. Plus, a man is found smuggling cocaine through an airport under his toupee. Lord have mercy. In his video. You need to see to go along with that as well, ladies and gentlemen, so don't go anywhere. Stephen A. Smith show right here in the house. Back with more in a minute. What's up, everybody? STEPHEN A. Recently we made news because the great Bill O'Reilly announced a tour that's coming nearest you in the very, very near future. Get your tickets now for this. It's called Three Americans Live, March 30th at Live Nation's Flagstar at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Don't miss the very first show as myself, Chris Cuomo and yes, that man, Bill O'Reilly. Take our different ideas, our different backgrounds, our different beliefs across the country to demonstrate that respectful, meaningful and even fun conversation. Those are the things that make America as great as it should be. The show will be spirited, unscripted, and all three of us will let it fly as we discuss the topics everyone is thinking about these days. There will also be questions from the audience. We're not running. Tickets are officially on sale now with presale code USA@3americanslive.com VIP packages are available with the opportunity to meet and take photos with myself and both those fellas. That's three Americans live, March 30th at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. Additional dates and cities to be announced. Don't miss it. Trust me, you'll get a kick out of it.
- [37:29]
Flavor Flav
Are you still quoting 30 year old movies? Have you said cool beans in the past 90 days. Do you think Discover isn't widely accepted? If this sounds like you, you're stuck in the past. Discover is accepted at 99% of places that take credit cards nationwide. And every time you make a purchase with your card, you automatically earn cash back. Welcome to the now it pays to Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card Based on the February 2024 Nielsen report, there's a type of soil in Mississippi called Yazoo clay. It's thick, burnt orange, and it's got a reputation.
- [38:06]
Chris Cuomo
It's terrible dirt.
- [38:07]
Flavor Flav
Yazoo clay eats everything, so things that get buried there tend to stay buried until they're not. In 2012, construction crews at Mississippi's biggest hospital made a shocking discovery.
- [38:21]
Stephen A. Smith
7,000 bodies are out there or more.
- [38:25]
Flavor Flav
All former patients of the old state asylum, and nobody knew they were there.
- [38:30]
Stephen A. Smith
It was my family's mystery.
- [38:32]
Flavor Flav
But in this corner of the south, it's not just the soil that keeps secrets. Nobody talks about it. Nobody has any information. When you peel back the layers of Mississippi's Yazoo Clay, nothing's ever as simple as you think.
- [38:45]
Stephen A. Smith
The story is much more complicated and nuanced than that.
- [38:51]
Flavor Flav
I'm Larison Campbell. Listen to Under Yazu Clay on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.
- [39:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Man, I couldn't wait for this one. I couldn't wait for this one. Ladies and gentlemen, he is my next guest. He is a Grammy lifetime achievement award winner. He is a member of the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, recipient of the Rock and Roll hall of Fame, a founding member, the founding member of the iconic group, the greatest group ever as far as I'm concerned. Public anime. All right. The one and only Flavor Flame.
- [39:33]
Chris Cuomo
Steven A. What's up, baby?
- [39:36]
Stephen A. Smith
How you doing, man? Hey, man.
- [39:37]
Chris Cuomo
Like a coat in the closet. Hanging in there, baby.
- [39:40]
Stephen A. Smith
I have never had the pleasure of meeting you, man. It is an honor, brother. It's been. I met you on several occasions, but I've never, ever interviewed you. I gotta know this. They, they, they. Flavor Flav. I mean, who the hell came up with that name? I mean, who would think of that name? It had to be you.
- [39:57]
Chris Cuomo
Well, honestly, you know, back in the day, there was a guy that used to watch over me, you know what I'm saying? His name was Kevin Starks, you know what I'm saying? Way back in the day, you know, I used to, you know, drink a lot of different flavored sodas. You know, the fruit punch, orange, grape, you know, everything, right? Cherry and all. That. And then also, you know, I like Lifesavers. You know, a bunch of Lifesavers. You know, the Charms, Lollipops and all of that. And. And my nickname that I grew up with is Rico.
- [40:30]
Stephen A. Smith
Oh.
- [40:31]
Chris Cuomo
So he used to call me Reek, the Flavor Freak.
- [40:35]
Stephen A. Smith
Wow.
- [40:35]
Chris Cuomo
You know what I'm saying? So when MC and first came around Stephen, back in the days, you know what I'm saying? And everybody had these common names. I wanted a name that nobody had, nobody else wanted, but yet it had to mean something. So I tried MC Flavor. And you know what? I stuck with that. And it was Chuck D that started calling me Flavor Flav.
- [40:58]
Stephen A. Smith
So Chuck D started calling you Flavor?
- [41:01]
Chris Cuomo
Flavor Flavors back in the days. Remember? We used to be like, yo, Bobby Bob, yo, Johnny John, you know?
- [41:08]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah.
- [41:08]
Chris Cuomo
It was Chuck that started calling me Flavor Flav.
- [41:11]
Stephen A. Smith
So you started the rap group Public Enemy. You founded this group?
- [41:16]
Chris Cuomo
Yes.
- [41:16]
Stephen A. Smith
Tell me how that came about. I've never heard this story.
- [41:20]
Chris Cuomo
Well, it all started about, you know, it all started when I was on my way up to the studio to go visit with my boy Chuck and Hank and Keith Shockley, you know what I'm saying? We had the studio in Hempstead, Long Island.
- [41:36]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [41:36]
Chris Cuomo
All right. And I walked up to the studio one day, Stephen, man. And I heard. I'm like, what in the world is Chuck doing up in here, man? I walked in. I walked in the studio. Stephen, Chuck D. Back in the days. Remember, we had the cassette tapes?
- [42:03]
Stephen A. Smith
Yep.
- [42:04]
Chris Cuomo
My boy Chuck D had the. Had the cassette tape coming out of the cassette deck, around the microphone stand, back into the cassette deck. Wow. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't care what nobody say, that was the first loop. Because back in the days, we used to make records with loops and stuff, you know what I mean? So anyway, so I told Chuck the story about this guy that wanted to battle him, you know what I'm saying? In the whole. Now I was on my way up to the studio, so somebody wanted to battle, and so. And somebody wanted to battle Chuck, you know what I'm saying? So I was like, yo, Chuck, don't battle. You know what I'm saying? If anything, we'll set you up for battle. He was like, yeah, but your man swear he nice. I said, look, he don't swear he nice, bro. He knows he nice, right? So anyway, Chuck was like, yo, put that story on the beginning of this tape, because we were making it. Making the tape for WBAU 90.3 FM. You know, our radio. Our radio station, right. From Delphi University. So When I got on the mic and I was like, hey, yo, Chuck, bust the move, man. I was on my way up here to the studio and this brother stopped me and asked me, yo, what's up with that brother, Chucky D? He swear he nice. I said, the brother don't swear he nice. He knows he's nice. You know what I'm saying? So, Chuck, I got a feeling you turned into a public enemy, man. Now, remember that line you was kicking me on the way out to la, Lawrence and Queens while we was in the car on the way to the shop? Well, right now, kick the base for them brothers and let them know, chuck, what goes on? Chuck says, what goes on? Well, I'm all in. Put it up on the board. Another rapid shot down from the mouth that Roy like, yo, yo, we gotta put this out. We gotta put this out. So. So we put it out, you know, I'm saying. On our radio station and everything. And dmc, I mean, Run running. Jam Master J and M went crazy over it. So it was Jam Master J.
- [44:03]
Stephen A. Smith
You know, I grew up with. I grew up with them.
- [44:05]
Chris Cuomo
Hollis, Queens.
- [44:06]
Stephen A. Smith
My late brother. My late brother. My dad. My brother died in a car accident in 1992. He was really, really good friends with Jam Master Jay. I grew up on 203rd between 1 11th, 112.
- [44:17]
Chris Cuomo
Wow.
- [44:17]
Stephen A. Smith
And jam Master J was on the next block between 1 11th and Hollis.
- [44:21]
Chris Cuomo
Wow.
- [44:22]
Stephen A. Smith
So that's where it was. So Jam Master J. Now, when my brother passed away in a car accident, I was the one that let him know because he was away on tour. Run dmc. And then was away on tour. And they came back and he came looking for my brother, and I had to let him know what had happened. He didn't even know that my brother had passed away. That's how far back I went with Jam Master Jam. Run dmc, obviously was in the neighborhood in the whole. No doubt. That's how far back it goes.
- [44:45]
Chris Cuomo
No doubt.
- [44:46]
Stephen A. Smith
Go ahead.
- [44:48]
Chris Cuomo
Well, was Jam Master J came up to the radio station, he was like, yo, where's your boy Chuck, man? Where's Chuck? We wanna see Chuck. I said, chuck is at the studio. So I got in the car with Jam Master Jay and dmc, right? We went to. Took him to the studio. And Jam Master Jay is the one that was trying to talk Chuck into putting Public Enemy Number one out on Def Jam at the time, you know, Def Jam didn't really have a lot of money then and everything, so the artists wasn't really getting a fair shake around that Time. But when the Beasties went platinum, Rome went platinum. LL went platinum. Now, they had enough money, you know what I'm saying? And Chuck said, you know what? Okay, come on. I'm down. You know what I'm saying? So we went to the. We went to Def Jam and everything to sign in the whole nine, Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. They did not want me. They only wanted Chuck.
- [45:50]
Stephen A. Smith
They didn't want you.
- [45:51]
Chris Cuomo
They don't want me. Because back in the days, you know, the voice, texture, you know what I'm saying? I mean, the style was that.
- [46:00]
Stephen A. Smith
Curtis blow.
- [46:01]
Chris Cuomo
Wonder how I keep on going under. It was that basic, that Basie voice, you know what I'm saying? But my voice was real high. It was peaky. It was annoying. And the whole night. So they didn't want me. So Chuck was like, yo, listen, if he's not. If I don't have him, then this ain't gonna work. So it was Chuck D that forced me down Def Jam stoke, you know what I'm saying?
- [46:26]
Stephen A. Smith
How do you. When you think about Chuck D and him taking that position and risking jumpstarting what obviously and undeniably was a flourishing career, his willingness to stick with you. Why do you think that was? Why did he do that?
- [46:42]
Chris Cuomo
But his willingness to stick with me because we were a team, you know, teamwork make the dream work right? You know what I'm saying?
- [46:49]
Stephen A. Smith
And it was just that kind of principle.
- [46:50]
Chris Cuomo
And we made a hell of a team, no question. We made a hell of a team, you know what I'm saying? I mean, if it ain't broken, you don't fix it.
- [46:56]
Stephen A. Smith
Chuck D, I saw an interview with him one time years ago. He called you the greatest hype man in music history. He said, you want to turn a show out? You want to get an audience hyped up? He said, you don't need anything but Flavor Flav. There is none. Nobody has ever, ever been better than him. First of all, do you agree with that? And secondly, how does it make you feel to hear that Chuck D said that about you?
- [47:28]
Chris Cuomo
I mean, well, I know that I am the originator, you know what I'm saying? The first hype man in rap music, period. You know what I'm saying? And my job was just to go out there on the stage, really just get the crowd hype. That was my job, to get the crowd hype. And I was always good with hyping up the crowd, you know what I'm saying? So. So. So that's how I got that title, you know? What I'm saying, I say the second Flavor Flav of the business was my boy, Bushel Week Bill, okay? From the ghetto boys. Because everything Bill did was Flavor Flav. Everything, you know. Did he give you props for it, man? Sure, sure he did, man. That was my little brother, man. That was my brother, man. You know what I'm saying? The third Flavor Flavor the business, I say Busta Rhymes.
- [48:23]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay, I was gonna say dmx. I was gonna say dmx, just the hype man. But DMX that you talking about?
- [48:33]
Chris Cuomo
But DMX was a solo. He was a solo artist. But we talking about, you know, group wise, you know what I'm saying? And Busta Rhymes came from Leaders of the New School, so he was like the hype man of Leaders of the New School, you know what I'm saying? Then the fourth Flavor Flavor, the business, I say, was my cousin, odb. Well, damn.
- [48:53]
Stephen A. Smith
How many, how many, how many layers of flavor flavor is there? Damn it, you just gave me five.
- [48:57]
Chris Cuomo
Five, five.
- [48:59]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay, go ahead. I'm listening.
- [49:00]
Chris Cuomo
You know what I'm saying? That's fine.
- [49:01]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm listening.
- [49:02]
Chris Cuomo
You know what I'm saying? Number four was ODB from Wu Tang. Listen, number five, Spliff Star from Flip Mode, okay? And he's still with Buster right now. Tan up stuff, you know what I'm saying?
- [49:15]
Stephen A. Smith
Special. So when you think about a hype man, and, you know, we know the job that comes with it or whatever, people wouldn't look at you and say, that's all you are, what would you describe yourself as being? Is it just that or was it so much more than that? And people never really, really appreciated what you brought to the table.
- [49:33]
Chris Cuomo
Well, I could. I, I, I consider me that, you know what I'm saying? And plus, I was a whole lot more. I was a leader, I was a trendsetter, you know what I'm saying? Because I set trends, you know what I'm saying?
- [49:44]
Stephen A. Smith
That big ass clock you should have been wearing around your neck for the.
- [49:48]
Chris Cuomo
Last three decades, I'm trying to tell you now. And not only that, but, you know, I'm the one that put out to say, back in the day, the high top fade, okay, that's Flav. The high top fade was you.
- [50:00]
Stephen A. Smith
The high top fade was you.
- [50:01]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah, the high top fade was Flav, you know what I'm saying? Then Kid and Play came with his play from Kid and Play. The reason why his hair was so high is because we were in competition. And he said, flav, when I passed you, I'm never Gonna let you catch me. So that's why his was so high, you know what I'm saying? But the first ones that had a fade, the low top fade, was Grace Jones and Larry Blackman, you know what I mean? The whole nine. I just took it and I grew mine high. And then I put that out in the street. Then everybody started taking my hairstyle, cutting it into the gumbies. Have you ever had a Gumby?
- [50:37]
Stephen A. Smith
No, I have not. I have not. Not me. Not me. You know, I, I gotta, I gotta ask you this, man, because growing up listening to Public Enemy, man, I, I, the lyrics was what moved me, you know what I'm saying? They didn't, they didn't care. Fight the Power is my all time favorite. I still listen to Give It Up.
- [50:57]
Chris Cuomo
Wow.
- [50:58]
Stephen A. Smith
Every morning right now I do that, you know, so 91 1's a joke. I mean, come on. The list goes on and on. I'm just wondering, first of all, what's your favorite song of all time by Public Enemy?
- [51:10]
Chris Cuomo
Public Enemy number one, because. Because that's the first record that we ever made. And that's the one that I had most fun making, you know what I'm saying? And I, and I had a lot of involvement, you know, with making that record, you know, but it was our first record, our first single, you know what I'm saying? And yeah, it's my favorite one out of all of them. Out of everything that we've ever made.
- [51:33]
Stephen A. Smith
What do you believe was the most impactful? Which song? I'd say Fight the Power.
- [51:39]
Chris Cuomo
Fight the Power, definitely. And Fight the Power is also the song that launched us into the Rock and Roll hall of Fame.
- [51:48]
Stephen A. Smith
When you think about that, we know what that stands for. We know that was all about you was speaking against the man, speaking against the system, speaking against oppression in the eyes of a lot of black people. That's how we absorbed and that's why we admired and loved y'all so much. And I love the title Public Enemy because it personified that mental. That's why I love Chuck D so much. Because Chuck D was like, they the Enemy, whoever they are. And here we come. Because we know y'all don't think this of us. We know y'all trying to hold us back. And you were calling it out with song after song after song. Did you ever worry that the public at large would come against you just the same way they went against NWA it's the same way they went against other music groups in the past. Did you ever fear that you would be A target. Because you were Public Enemy, right?
- [52:31]
Chris Cuomo
We never feared anything. And that's the reason why we did what we did, you know what I'm saying? Because we wanted to, you know, we were the CNN of the streets, you know what I'm saying, in the hall nine. And not only that, but Public Enemy also, you know, stands for the black man being the lowest on the totem pole, you know what I'm saying? And that's last. To get the. To get the best of the best, you know what I'm saying? The whole night, we wasn't scared to speak about that. And not only that, but we never feared anybody, period, you know what I'm saying? I mean, whatever we did, it came from our heart, it came from our souls, you know what I'm saying? There was a time when we did a gig down in South Carolina, and we were the only group ever to hang a Ku Klux Klansman on stage. And there was a time when we did that show down in South Carolina, we hung that Ku Klux Klansman on stage. Yeah, the FOI had to come and walk us out.
- [53:30]
Stephen A. Smith
Fruit of Islam.
- [53:31]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah, Fruit of Islam had to come and walk us out.
- [53:34]
Stephen A. Smith
They had to come and walk you out?
- [53:35]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah. Yeah.
- [53:35]
Stephen A. Smith
They had to come walk y'all out. Why? What was gonna happen to y'all?
- [53:38]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, hey, hey. The KKK's, man was. They was. They was piling up.
- [53:42]
Stephen A. Smith
They were waiting outside.
- [53:43]
Chris Cuomo
They was waiting and wasn't gonna let us out. That's right. They wasn't gonna let us out, but we got out.
- [53:49]
Stephen A. Smith
You got out because of foi? Yeah.
- [53:51]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah. The FOI helped us get out. Yeah.
- [53:54]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm trying to figure out.
- [53:55]
Chris Cuomo
But we never feared it, though.
- [53:57]
Stephen A. Smith
You didn't fear the Ku Klux Klan waiting outside for you?
- [53:59]
Chris Cuomo
No, we never feared anyone, period. We don't fear nobody. The only. Only thing we may fear in this world is God.
- [54:07]
Stephen A. Smith
Was that a conversation that y'all had amongst one another in terms of not having that fear, or was it innate and immediately understood? Yo, you're a part of this. This is the kind of. This is the kind of metal that you got to live.
- [54:19]
Chris Cuomo
It was already understood, you know what I'm saying? Stamped. Stamped. That's how. That's how we was. You know what I'm saying? And when we. And when we came, we let you know we was coming strong. Don't get in our way because.
- [54:32]
Stephen A. Smith
So you announced it before.
- [54:33]
Chris Cuomo
We'll run you over.
- [54:34]
Stephen A. Smith
So you announced it beforehand. Everybody knew it was gonna be. It was very transparent.
- [54:37]
Chris Cuomo
They knew what it was coming. That's right.
- [54:40]
Stephen A. Smith
You brought up South Carolina. Any place else in this country that stands out in terms of locale where you performed and you had to worry about. Never think just South Carolina.
- [54:51]
Chris Cuomo
Just that. Just that one incident right there.
- [54:53]
Stephen A. Smith
Outside of that, every place else is cool.
- [54:55]
Chris Cuomo
Everything else was cooler than four blocks of ice cubes.
- [54:58]
Stephen A. Smith
And why do you think that was, that it was cool everywhere else?
- [55:01]
Chris Cuomo
Because everybody was understanding what, you know, we were talking about. Not only that, but a lot of people were standing up for what we were talking about. You know what I'm saying? And right now, to this day, you know, when it comes down to understanding Public Enemy, you know what I'm saying, right now, we have a more predominantly white audience than a black audience.
- [55:23]
Stephen A. Smith
And why do you think that is? How do you explain that?
- [55:25]
Chris Cuomo
Why? Because there's a lot of people that love, love learning about black history. And once they find out, you know, the truth about black history, then they get into it more and more and more and more. But is it something to be said.
- [55:37]
Stephen A. Smith
About white people wanting more to know more about black history than black people?
- [55:42]
Chris Cuomo
I think black people should really want to know their history just as much as the white people want to know our history.
- [55:48]
Stephen A. Smith
I'm just asking that question in terms of. To me, the fan base shouldn't be stronger amongst whites than black. It's public enemy. It shouldn't be more white people than black people supporting y'all.
- [55:58]
Chris Cuomo
But it is, though.
- [55:59]
Stephen A. Smith
Even to this day.
- [56:00]
Chris Cuomo
Even to this day. But we still have our black nation supporting us now, you know what I'm saying? It's just that white people decided to dig into us more, I guess. I don't know.
- [56:12]
Stephen A. Smith
Let me transition to what's going on today. How are you feeling about the hip hop industry today?
- [56:18]
Chris Cuomo
Yo, man, the hip hop industry is what it is. I call it changing of the guards, Steve. You know what I'm saying? You know, I mean, music has changed a lot, you know what I'm saying, since we started. You feel what I'm saying? I mean, it's a different generation now. You know what I'm saying?
- [56:37]
Stephen A. Smith
You okay with it or you. Are you depressed by it?
- [56:39]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, I'm not depressed by anything, man. I'm. I'm adapting to it just like everybody else adapted to my music and to what we do. Hey, when. When the guards change, you got to. You got to adapt to that.
- [56:52]
Stephen A. Smith
Do you care about the message or lack thereof or absence thereof? Like, for example, y'all spoke with a purpose every Lyric you dropped, it was a purpose to it with Chuck D and the crew, right? Public Enemy we talking about here. That's entirely different than somebody that really ain't got a message that's just spewing some shit.
- [57:11]
Chris Cuomo
I just wish that a lot of rap, rap records today have more messages.
- [57:16]
Stephen A. Smith
That's what I'm talking about.
- [57:17]
Chris Cuomo
And conscience messages to it, you know what I'm saying? You know, today, I mean, we more about glorifying, you know, guns, drugs, gangs, you know what I'm saying? Women, you know what I'm saying? In the whole nine. Back in the day, it wasn't like that, you know what I'm saying? And not only that, but back in the days when you had a rap battle, rap battling was fun, right? You know what I'm saying? It's not fun today, you know?
- [57:42]
Stephen A. Smith
And why is it not?
- [57:43]
Chris Cuomo
I mean, I mean, put it this way, okay? Everybody loves a rap battle now, you know what I'm saying? Because look, battling, it makes you step. Your penmanship. Damn right, you know what I'm saying? In the whole night and back in the days when we did it, it was fun. It wasn't never about, I'm gonna kill you, well, oh my, I got a bullet with your name.
- [58:04]
Stephen A. Smith
It was always about embarrassing.
- [58:06]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah, it was always.
- [58:06]
Stephen A. Smith
It was always about embarrassing. Yeah, yeah.
- [58:08]
Chris Cuomo
It's always about sticking up for your neighborhood, making your neighborhood shine.
- [58:12]
Stephen A. Smith
Right?
- [58:13]
Chris Cuomo
You know what I'm saying? I wish it was more of that. I wish, I wish you can go back to that.
- [58:16]
Stephen A. Smith
How you feel about the whole Kendrick Lamar, Drake situation that unfolded.
- [58:22]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, I applaud both of them because I'm a big fan of both of them and I love them both equally, you know what I'm saying? And they both are trendsetters. They both are trendsetters, you know what I'm saying? In the whole nine. And I feel that their rap battle really brought some awareness to rap music today, you know, and the youngsters can understand what a rap battle is all about, you know? Hey, these boys did they thing, man. Kendrick did his thing.
- [58:49]
Stephen A. Smith
I know Kendrick did his thing. I'm not gonna say the same about Drake. I think Drake lost this one. Yeah, yeah, you think?
- [58:59]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [59:03]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay. And here's my whole point.
- [59:04]
Chris Cuomo
Listen, keeping it real, I love and I love Drake.
- [59:08]
Stephen A. Smith
Drake is a big time talent, the whole bit. I will say this, though. I'm gonna say this right in front of you. You correct me if I'm wrong. I got on Drake. I didn't get on Drake. Because he, you know, Kendrick got on not like us. What I got on him about is, I know you was. It was the record companies you were suing. But what I was saying was, in hip hop, nah, you go to the studio and you one up that cat with your own record, right? Or you bow down and concede he got you, right?
- [59:38]
Chris Cuomo
That's what you do in hip hop.
- [59:40]
Stephen A. Smith
As opposed to going to lawyers and trying to sue record companies to make sure the record don't get played. That was my issue. And you have a problem with that.
- [59:50]
Chris Cuomo
And that's why I wish that, you know, rap music can return back to what it used to be.
- [59:57]
Stephen A. Smith
Fun, right?
- [59:58]
Chris Cuomo
Because going through, going through lawyers, getting lawyers and all of this and doing it, it's not fun, you know what I'm saying? It's just another animal.
- [60:06]
Stephen A. Smith
I want to get into a serious subject before I let you get on out of here, man. I appreciate your time, man. Thank you so much.
- [60:11]
Chris Cuomo
No doubt.
- [60:12]
Stephen A. Smith
You and Chuck D recently visited black families displaced by the Altadena eating wildfires in California and started something called the Displaced Black Families Go Fund Me Directory. Tell me about it.
- [60:28]
Chris Cuomo
Well, this GoFundMe that we created, you know what I'm saying, we partnered up with the Black Music Action Coalition, you know what I'm saying? And this is, you know, to give back to a lot of black families that wasn't really being taken care of after the fires. You know, a lot of black families lost their stuff and they wasn't really getting it just due. So we created that GoFundMe to help them out.
- [60:55]
Stephen A. Smith
What was it like for you to go out there and visit those folks and see not only what they were, what they were going through emotionally, but to see the wreckage, to see the actual damage that the wildfires.
- [61:06]
Chris Cuomo
It was real sad, man, to see what I saw, you know what I'm saying? And it reminded me of when Katrina hit New Orleans, you know what I'm saying? Because for miles and miles and miles, you have just deserted land, you know what I'm saying? Deserted land. Out there, you got deserted land. Everything is burnt down. Only thing that's standing out of the ground is chimneys. But the. But everything else is gone, man. You know, I felt bad for these people, man, you know what I'm saying? I wouldn't wish that on no one, you know what I'm saying? But that's why I'm wearing this LA Strong shirt. I'm standing strong for la.
- [61:51]
Stephen A. Smith
Why you got the Lakers there and not the Lakers and the Clippers I mean, they in LA too.
- [61:56]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, hey, hey. Can I tell you why?
- [61:58]
Stephen A. Smith
Go ahead.
- [61:59]
Chris Cuomo
Oh, man, it's Magic Johnson's company.
- [62:01]
Stephen A. Smith
Got it.
- [62:02]
Chris Cuomo
You know what I'm saying? Come on, Magic.
- [62:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Magic. Anywhere. Anywhere.
- [62:09]
Chris Cuomo
Anywhere. Yeah.
- [62:10]
Stephen A. Smith
Anyway, you gonna go to some basketball games in the near future? You're gonna go out there to watch the Lakers play now that they got Luka Duncan?
- [62:15]
Chris Cuomo
I sure do. I mean, LeBron is my favorite basketball player.
- [62:20]
Stephen A. Smith
Favorite?
- [62:21]
Chris Cuomo
He's my favorite.
- [62:22]
Stephen A. Smith
You mean present. Of all time.
- [62:24]
Chris Cuomo
Right now.
- [62:24]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [62:25]
Chris Cuomo
No, no, no. Just right now.
- [62:26]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay.
- [62:26]
Chris Cuomo
Right now. My favorite of all time. Michael Jordan. You know that?
- [62:30]
Stephen A. Smith
See?
- [62:31]
Chris Cuomo
Come on, man. Michael Jordan.
- [62:32]
Stephen A. Smith
We ain't even talking.
- [62:33]
Chris Cuomo
Michael Jordan brought it.
- [62:34]
Stephen A. Smith
We ain't even. So who. Who's. Who's the goat?
- [62:39]
Chris Cuomo
Dr. Julius Irving.
- [62:40]
Stephen A. Smith
Stop that.
- [62:41]
Chris Cuomo
What?
- [62:42]
Stephen A. Smith
Stop that.
- [62:43]
Chris Cuomo
Are you kidding me?
- [62:43]
Stephen A. Smith
Flavor. Flavor.
- [62:44]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, yo, check this out. Check this out.
- [62:46]
Stephen A. Smith
Stop it, man.
- [62:46]
Chris Cuomo
Check this out. Michael Jordan and a whole bunch of other people in basketball right now got that man. St. That man brought the style to basketball. You know what I'm saying? So you.
- [62:56]
Stephen A. Smith
You got something.
- [62:59]
Chris Cuomo
Hold on, hold on. Let me tell you something.
- [63:00]
Stephen A. Smith
Hold on, hold on. There's plenty of originators. There's plenty of originators, but that don't mean they can't be one up. That doesn't mean they can't be taken to another level. Now, you watch Dr. J play. He wasn't Michael Jordan. He's phenomenal. He doesn't make house calls. But there's only one Michael Jordan.
- [63:17]
Chris Cuomo
That's right. There's only one Michael Jordan, period. You know? You know what I'm saying? And I ain't gonna lie. Yeah, he's the goat. He's the goat. He's the goat. But the reason why I called Dr. J the goat is because Michael Jordan got his style from Dr. J.
- [63:30]
Stephen A. Smith
Fine. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
- [63:35]
Chris Cuomo
The greatest is only gonna get their style from the greatest.
- [63:37]
Stephen A. Smith
Well, you know, you could be the originator, but that don't make you the go. Because there were things that Michael Jordan did that Dr. J couldn't do as great as Dr. J was.
- [63:47]
Chris Cuomo
Right? Right. Hey, hey, let me tell you something. When Michael Jordan took that style, he developed it into his. Okay.
- [63:53]
Stephen A. Smith
All right?
- [63:53]
Chris Cuomo
And he put a whole bunch more to it. And he added on. On to it.
- [63:58]
Stephen A. Smith
You feel what I'm saying? Okay, so just. Just understand that. I mean, you almost lost me right there. You almost lost me, right?
- [64:03]
Chris Cuomo
I ain't gonna lose you, man.
- [64:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Okay. I mean, I can't even put Dr. J over LeBron.
- [64:08]
Chris Cuomo
Huh?
- [64:08]
Stephen A. Smith
I can't put Dr. J over LeBron.
- [64:10]
Chris Cuomo
Nah, I can't either.
- [64:11]
Stephen A. Smith
I got LeBron number two. This is different.
- [64:14]
Chris Cuomo
This is a different day in a different time. But you gotta remember The Kobe Bryant, LeBron James. All of them. All of them, man. Got that Dr. Julius Irving style.
- [64:26]
Stephen A. Smith
Dr. J got it from Connie Hawkins, okay? And it was a David Thompson before, after Connie Hawkins. I mean, you understand that? Did we call Connie Hawkins the greatest?
- [64:38]
Chris Cuomo
Connie Hawkins was the man.
- [64:40]
Stephen A. Smith
Vince Carter the greatest in game dunker of all time.
- [64:43]
Chris Cuomo
Okay?
- [64:43]
Stephen A. Smith
Do we call him to go? No, because we understand there's levels to this.
- [64:48]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah.
- [64:49]
Stephen A. Smith
There's Michael Jordan and there's everybody else.
- [64:51]
Chris Cuomo
I ain't mad at you, you understand? I'm not mad at you on that.
- [64:54]
Stephen A. Smith
I believe in you.
- [64:55]
Chris Cuomo
I'm not mad.
- [64:56]
Stephen A. Smith
See, that's what I'm talking about. I had to reach. I couldn't let you walk out of here. Play to play. Think I like that?
- [65:02]
Chris Cuomo
Hey, yo, I'm gonna tell you something, man.
- [65:04]
Stephen A. Smith
Yeah.
- [65:05]
Chris Cuomo
You just don't know how proud of you that I am. You know what I'm saying? How? You just made your own lane, bro. You made your own lane, man. You came into this announcement game, man. You know what I'm saying? This personality that you got, bro. Listen, man, it takes over. It takes over, you know what I'm saying? And you built your own lane. Ain't no other sports announcer out there like Stephen A. Smith. None. I appreciate it. I love you, bro. I'm proud of you, bro.
- [65:39]
Stephen A. Smith
Thank you so much, man.
- [65:39]
Chris Cuomo
I appreciate it, you know what I'm saying? Just like me, I created a lane for heights.
- [65:43]
Stephen A. Smith
You have.
- [65:43]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah. Yes.
- [65:44]
Stephen A. Smith
And there's never been another. See, I ain't saying somebody came along and eclipsed playful flame, you understand? There's never been another. Never.
- [65:54]
Chris Cuomo
No doubt.
- [65:55]
Stephen A. Smith
I don't care who it is. Even though they did tell me. Jay Z and them dmx, bro. That brother was sent.
- [66:00]
Chris Cuomo
Yo. DMX was the man. Yes, he. Yo, he was very hype. That was my boy, man. I miss him.
- [66:06]
Stephen A. Smith
Could you imagine seeing you and DMX together? Good Lord, have mercy. That would have been spectacular.
- [66:12]
Chris Cuomo
Yeah, no doubt.
- [66:14]
Stephen A. Smith
Flavor Flav, ladies and gentlemen. The honor was all mine.
- [66:17]
Chris Cuomo
Stephen A. Smith, ladies and gentlemen. And the honor is all mine.
- [66:22]
Stephen A. Smith
Thank you. Thanks again to the one and only Flavor Flav. Really enjoys sitting down and talking with them. Met him a few times before, but never had the opportunity to sit down and actually interview him. So I really appreciative of that. He is arguably the greatest hype man ever. Ain't no denying that. All right, anyway, before we get on out of here, we gonna get to your tweets. But before we even get to that, I wanted to address another story that caught my eye this week. Did y'all see the dude that was arrested for smuggling cocaine in his toupee? Did y'all see this? The man was caught in Columbia right before he was boarding a flight to Amsterdam. Look at him crying. Look at him crying. Oh, my God. When police arrested him, they found more than 220 grams of cocaine in his fake toupee. Look at him. Look at him. Damn. Whatever it takes, huh? Whatever it takes. I'd make him keep his hat off. I'd make him keep his damn hat. Now keep that hat off right there. Keep that hat off there. Let everybody see the cocaine on your. On your head right there. Look at that stuff right there. I mean, there's nothing people won't do. I mean, damn cocaine in the toupee. He was crying. Did his show. Crying. Trump did. Wait to see you. That's right. That's right. Look at this. Lord have mercy. Desperate times, desperate measures, huh? He tried to get it through his toupee. I wonder what made him think he could get away with that. I mean, when you're going through the screen and stuff, like, look at him. See him crying. Y'all see him? Yeah, he knew. He knew what the hell that was. Damn. Not only did they sense it, they knew exactly where it was. The screening man got it right there on camera. Look at him. Damn, he screwed. I don't know what the laws are in Columbia either, but trying to smuggle cocaine, I don't know whether it was into Colombia or out of Colombia. Brothers in the world of trouble. Damn. I don't even know what to say. I don't even know what to say. I know every time I see somebody with a toupee on, I'm gonna be thinking about this story, wondering what they got in there. Toupee. That's what I'm gonna be doing anyway, before we get on out of here. Let's get to the tweets, please. Let's get to the tweets. @ SAS for President Stephen A. Smith. This is somebody. This has nothing to do with me. No affiliation with me whatsoever, ladies and gentlemen. This is not me. But it is fun for people to come at me with that. You know what I'm saying? My name is Stephen A. Smith. I approve that Message. Anyway, all joking aside, somebody writes Stephen A. Smith, what would be your first order of business as president? I don't know what my first order of business would be. I know what my focus would be. My number one focus would be fueling the economy. It wouldn't be blasting everyone with tariffs, I can tell you that much. I would tell you that. I would have closed the border and tell you that, see, I wouldn't be bothering people who are already in the country, but I would do everything within my power to ensure that no one else enters. I can tell you that much. And then I would target. Just like Mr. Holman is doing with ice, I would target criminals that are in this country illegally, and I'd get them up out of here. Oh, yes. No question about it. I would. That would definitely be near or right at the top of my list. I would close the borders. I would target criminals, you understand that, that are in this country illegally. And I would be doing everything that I can to fuel the economy. Because here's my personal belief. That's why I tell you I'm. I'm a capitalist. Okay? I believe that people know how to act when they have something to lose. I believe our society is only as strong as its weakest link. And if you're rife with people who have absolutely nothing to lose, okay, then anarchy and chaos exist and mayhem exist. I don't like that. But when you make sure that as many people as possible actually have, I think that goes a long way towards your society being as civilized as possible. So I would be about fueling the economy in a very positive way. Obviously, that comes with minimizing inflation.
- [70:42]
Chris Cuomo
Okay.
- [70:42]
Stephen A. Smith
And I would definitely target issues concerning the border, because the reality is, is that we don't need any more folks coming into this country, especially illegally, until we get our house in order. It's not to denigrate anybody that's trying to come from a desolate place and trying to get to the United States of America. It's not about that. It's that America doesn't have its own house in order right now. And we'd have to change that. That's where I'm coming from with it next tweet. What you got? This is at Braun Got Game, writes Stephen A. Smith. If LeBron joined the Knicks and brought a championship to New York, would you have him as the goat? That's a damn good question. I might say yes, because I'm so biased in favor of the Knicks that it's the one thing that could get me to Soften my position on Jordan, who destroyed my Knicks time and time and time again. So I would tell you that. Not that that is. It's not a definitive yes, but what I think about it, yes, my whole attitude towards LeBron would be different if LeBron was a new York Knick. Hell, I might quit the business and just go in and. And join his boy Randy and be an assistant for him. Whatever he needed, Whatever he needed. I would do what I need to do. And if I didn't feel he was the goat, I'd lie about it if it got him to play better and deliver a championship to New York. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes. Because that's how desperate I am for my New York Knicks to capture championship. They ain't had one since 1973. I'll openly admit that. Very biased about my nicks. Very so much. So, last tweet. What you got? This is from Goldie Au H2O, writes Stephen A. Smith. Who's your top choice for VP? You mean my top choice for VP? If I was the president of the presidential candidate for the United States of America. I gotta tell you something. Gotta tell you something. I like both Josh Shapiro and Westmore. Okay. But if you don't mind, allow me to fill out some of my cabinet. I would have. I look at a guy like Westmoreland. Man, that brother's impressive. Governor of Maryland. I would have to. I would want him in my Cabinet. I ain't gonna lie. I'd have to figure that out. Definitely put him in there. I'd have Chris Cuomo as my chief of staff. I'd have Chris Christie as my attorney General. Yes, I would. Believe it or not, I would find a prominent role for aoc. But again, those are folks on the left, outside of Christie. I'm a fan of Nikki Haley. I'd have her in a role. I don't like Byron Donald's unwavering support of everything that is Trump, but I respect that man. I think he's got a chance to win the gubernatorial seat in Florida, but I wouldn't mind having him as a member of my Cabinet. I like Marco Rubio. I wouldn't be averse to him. I. You know, I mean, I just think about certain things. I got to think about. I gotta. I gotta think about it a lot and see, you know, I'd have a diverse Cabinet, and let me say this, I'd have Republicans and Democrats in my Cabinet. I want the ideas bouncing off of one another so I know that I'm getting an accurate depiction of what both sides feel. So when I make a decision, I'm very confident in the decision that I'm making because I've heard all parties involved. That's the best way that I can answer that question. I hope it suffices. I got to get on out of here. Thanks again to Flavor Flav for coming on the show. Really, really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoyed what I had to say. Wishing nothing but the best for Joy Reed moving forward. And to the rest of y'all, aha. Holl at y'all in a couple of days. Until then, peace of love, Everybody. I'm out.
- [75:24]
Flavor Flav
Geico's motorcycle expertise gives me the coverage I need like 24.
- [75:28]
Stephen A. Smith
7 claims I'm on cloud 9 disclaimer.
- [75:31]
Flavor Flav
Clouds are wholly unable to support the weight of an adult human.
- [75:33]
Stephen A. Smith
What's happening?
- [75:33]
Flavor Flav
Furthermore, clouds are not numbered. Even if you procured a jetpack and searched, you'd find no cloud numbered nine. However, at that altitude, you'd likely befriend a flock of migrating snow geese, geese who'd encourage you to leave your 24.7geico motorcycle claims insurance behind, as they would take you in and even share their dinner of crickets and clovers with you. GEICO assumes no liability for any indigestion that may occur from a clover cricket dinner. Geico expertise for your motorcycle what's up, everyone?
- [75:55]
Stephen A. Smith
It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're.
- [76:01]
Flavor Flav
Going to be bringing you 40s and.
- [76:03]
Stephen A. Smith
Free agents, the only podcast you'll need.
- [76:05]
Flavor Flav
This NFL draft season.
- [76:06]
Stephen A. Smith
From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered.
- [76:10]
Flavor Flav
For you, with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as.
- [76:14]
Stephen A. Smith
We head to the NFL Draft.
- [76:16]
Flavor Flav
Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.