Common

[0] Welcome, welcome, welcome to armchair expert.

[1] Oh, my.

[2] I'm Dach Shepherd.

[3] I'm joined by Monica Mouse.

[4] Today we have Common, who I absolutely adore, way more after talking to him.

[5] Oh, my God.

[6] What a delight he was.

[7] Yeah, every now and then I get one of these really strong connections with a guest, and I really felt like he and I are...

[8] Soulmates.

[9] Soulmates, yeah, I want to hang with him.

[10] Common is a rapper.

[11] He's an actor.

[12] He's a writer.

[13] He was in John Wick, Chapter 2.

[14] Smoke and Aces is where I fell in love with him.

[15] Hell on Wheels, and he has a new album called A Beautiful Revolution Part One, as well as a new podcast called Mind Power Mix tape available on Audible.

[16] So please enjoy a very uncommon, common.

[17] I just told Wobby Wob's joke, and you'll hear about it in the interview.

[18] Wondry Plus subscribers can listen to Armchair Expert early and add free right now.

[19] Join Wondry Plus in the Wondry app or on Apple Podcasts.

[20] Or you can listen for free wherever.

[21] you get your podcasts.

[22] What's up, y 'all?

[23] How are you doing?

[24] I'm so good.

[25] How are you doing?

[26] Great, great.

[27] You're in L .A., right?

[28] Yeah, I'm in L .A. You guys in L .A.?

[29] Yeah, I want to come to your backyard and do this.

[30] I want to see your mug while we do it.

[31] I know, man. We could have did this shoot.

[32] I could have came to wherever you are with.

[33] Oh, man, man, man. I'm COVID tested and all that, man. It's good.

[34] Yeah, we're pretty on it.

[35] Although we posted a picture.

[36] of ourselves with another friend that's on it.

[37] And boy, did we get some heat.

[38] You know, you just can't escape the heat.

[39] Man, the heat.

[40] You're like, damn, man. People analyze and freaking critique everything, man. I know.

[41] I'm like, how could you assume what's happening with us medically?

[42] Like, everyone's on a show getting tested four times a week.

[43] We'd only see each other, but, you know, whatever.

[44] But there's fear.

[45] Like today, there was a thing that came out that said one in five people in L .A. have it.

[46] So I think people are just scared.

[47] I get that.

[48] Yeah, but I mean, I understand that those reports come out, but I mean, ultimately it's like, if you see a picture with me and some people, how do you know what we've done?

[49] You can't judge the picture before that.

[50] I'm sympathetic to fear, but I don't excuse the shaming.

[51] Like people whose first motivation is like, I'm going to shame this person, knowing nothing about it.

[52] Knowing nothing about it.

[53] And I mean, you know, I'm empathetic for the fear too, but ultimately I'm not subscribing to it.

[54] that's not my thing, you know.

[55] I'm not going to walk around here, like, I'm going to be aware and be responsible and be accountable and be, you know, y 'all know, y 'all know what it is.

[56] Yo, I got to say, man, that the name of the podcast is so freaking dope, man. I love the freaking where did y 'all get that name from?

[57] When I was in anthropology in college, it was a term they used a lot for, like, early anthropologists.

[58] They didn't do any research.

[59] They just sat around and thought of ideas like, oh, I guess I know how a giraffe's name.

[60] that got longer, they stretched towards the tree.

[61] And they're like, figured it out.

[62] But of course, that's not what happens.

[63] But that's me. I'm like, I'm not going to do any trials.

[64] I'm not going to get in a laboratory, but I'm going to have a fucking opinion on this.

[65] Yeah.

[66] I love great titles, man. It's like inspiring.

[67] I'm like book titles and movie titles and record titles.

[68] Yeah.

[69] You know, as someone who's written movies, I cannot title them in any way that I'm proud of.

[70] And I always look at Tarantino's titles.

[71] And I'm like, well, there we go.

[72] again.

[73] One more amazing fucking title.

[74] He can't not have a brilliant title.

[75] Well, he's just brilliant.

[76] That's one of my favorite directors, writers.

[77] Yeah.

[78] Well, let's see, because you and I are about the same age.

[79] So I was 18 when Pulp Fiction came out.

[80] And I think that's the first time that I was like, oh, that's an art form that I want to be a part of.

[81] Like that kind of made me interested in movies more than just a consumer.

[82] What was your reality?

[83] reaction to that movie?

[84] That's one of my favorite movies of all time.

[85] It's a movie that when people always ask you, what's your favorite movies?

[86] I don't forget Pulp Fiction.

[87] And I've watched it over and over.

[88] I was amazed at the writing.

[89] My friend just reminded me how I used to have a bunch of blockbuster videos and I would have Pulp Fiction all the time.

[90] You know, I know Quinn Tarantino is like a movie, a film, aficionado.

[91] So I didn't know, like, what he might have been inspired by, whatever, it just felt like this new creation to me. I love that.

[92] And for me, even if he was inspired by other films, and he came up with his own voicing to it and came up with his own thing.

[93] And that eventually to me is how you bring it to new generations.

[94] Like, because, you know, when you hear like, oh, Tarantino studied some of these Italian films and these films, you're like, oh, let me check out that stuff too.

[95] But the proprietary thing about Tarantino's like, great, I don't really care if it was shot for shot some of Italian movie.

[96] The fucking dialogue.

[97] And I'm going to make a parallel between hip hop.

[98] So I think when hip hop came out and people were like, hold on.

[99] There's a product that's available to the masses that's talking like we talk and telling our stories.

[100] And I think for me, Paul Fickson, I was like, oh my God, I live in Detroit.

[101] This is the conversations I hear all the time.

[102] I didn't think that would ever make its way to a movie screen.

[103] Yeah.

[104] I agree.

[105] The writing, the dialogue.

[106] Not only where you're like, man, I relate to it, but you also was like, it's beautiful.

[107] Like, it was something like...

[108] Yeah, poetic.

[109] It was poetic.

[110] It's a poetry in his writing that I'm always inspired by and like love.

[111] I just love it.

[112] I want to hear it.

[113] I think, in fact, that's some of the greatest things about hip hop, too, to me, is when you can say something that's relatable, but then you also can be poetic with it.

[114] Yeah.

[115] I got to ask you, when you sit down and write, is your process, like, I've just seen something or read something that's sparking me to write, or do you say, okay, let me take this time today to write, and I'm just going to go at it.

[116] How does that process go?

[117] I generally have sat down with an idea.

[118] Funny side story is I've gotten most of my good ideas by guessing wrong while watching trailers, right?

[119] I'm in the movie theater.

[120] The trailer starts, I'm like, oh, this is a story about blank, blank, blank, and I'm excited.

[121] and then it's not that at all.

[122] And then I go like, oh, I liked the thing I thought it was going to be.

[123] So I've had a few of those where I just was wrong about what I thought this thing was going to be.

[124] And I was like, oh, but that would make something good.

[125] Generally, I always have just the beginning and the end.

[126] I think of like, where would a great story start and end?

[127] And then I just suffer like a motherfucker through the second act trying to figure out how you get there.

[128] Yeah.

[129] How about you?

[130] When you write, what's your process?

[131] I, you know, I've been having some days lately where I just take time out the day to write and say, y 'all, I'm going to write.

[132] And, I mean, I guess that's been the process for a while, but I think while I was doing a lot of different things, it was always writing on the move.

[133] I actually, like, writing in the car.

[134] Like, I like putting on music and it's not even a car anymore now.

[135] It's like just being somewhere by myself, but I usually go get in the car because it's like I'm not on the phone and not distracted.

[136] And, of course, being in California, I'm, like, riding up the PCH looking at the ocean, like, oh, this is godly.

[137] Yeah.

[138] And I just started, you know, coming up with thoughts.

[139] And the other day, I rode for three hours and didn't write really any lines that I like.

[140] But it still was fun in the process.

[141] And now I'm in this point in my life of writing, I feel like, man, I just want to just be free and, like, be pure and be prolific.

[142] You know, so I just try to let the truth come through.

[143] And then I go back and edit.

[144] As you're getting older, I'm getting older.

[145] Do you find that, like, for me, I've had the thought of, like, when I was young, nothing was about process.

[146] I just wanted the fucking results.

[147] I wanted the outcome.

[148] I wanted that outcome to give me some other opportunity.

[149] And then I'd want that outcome.

[150] And, like, process, forget it.

[151] I didn't even care.

[152] But I've aspired for the last, like, 10 years.

[153] Like, you've got to enjoy process because that's the actual thing.

[154] The result's not the thing.

[155] product's not the thing.

[156] Your life memory is the process, right?

[157] Man, as you were just saying that, that was just giving me chills, man. Like, it made me emotional because the more I just surrender to the process and live in the process and be a part of the process, the more I enjoy my life, man. I'm like, wow.

[158] Oh, yeah.

[159] Like, it's part of just sitting down and going through it and rewriting and taking those three hours and maybe not coming up with anything, but not just beating myself down because I didn't.

[160] Right.

[161] That is part of the joy and the learning.

[162] You also understand that there is going to be tomorrow and you will be able to do something else or you did get something out of just that ride.

[163] So yes, I adore the process and appreciate the process and value it more than I ever have.

[164] I do believe that comes with age.

[165] Yeah.

[166] Yeah, it took me time to understand that.

[167] But I do remember having moments in my mid -30s, early 30s where I was just like, wow, I'm sitting here in this moment, like, it could be somewhere like sitting there listening to music and creating with somebody, or it could be a moment where, you know, you're like, oh, this is Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

[168] And I'm...

[169] I'm listening to poetry in the White House.

[170] How'd this happen?

[171] Yeah, exactly.

[172] Like, it's like, I started to take in those moments and value them.

[173] I think it's the combination of, you know, reading books to deal with.

[174] like, you know, self -awareness and self -help books.

[175] Yeah.

[176] And also just being in situations where I was like really kind of thanking God for where I was and like being able to be in that gratitude, being able to be there.

[177] You weren't sitting in the White House going, why aren't I the president?

[178] Because that's what human nature is like, okay, I met him.

[179] He's charming.

[180] Why the fuck aren't I the president?

[181] Yeah.

[182] As soon as I seen President Obama, I was like, this dude was born.

[183] to do it.

[184] It was no other person that should have been our first black president.

[185] Yeah.

[186] You know, sometimes you just got to be like, man, I'm happy to be in the presence of.

[187] That's what I was like.

[188] Yeah.

[189] You know the thing I get off on with him is seeing him around other big dogs, like other hyper alpha successful dudes, like his thing on the barbershop, whatever LeBron show's called on HBO.

[190] And I was like, oh, you got LeBron here.

[191] You got some other like, you know, hyper successful and he's the most relaxed motherfucker there and I'm like oh my god that takes such conviction around those dudes to be like yeah I'm the one with patience you guys go ahead entertain me I'll hit you with a counter hit he got it man he developed it I mean he earned it he lived he was born to do it yeah he wears it well he wears it well man I think I know he's a leo so as much as he loves the attention and he's confident I still think it's a humility to and the compassion that we all adored and we all looked at for in leadership.

[192] So, you know, that's why, like, I was talking with the artist, killer Mike from the group, run the jewels.

[193] And I'm a bag of dicks.

[194] Put me to your lips.

[195] Yes, man, that dude.

[196] But, man, we were going back and forth because we were sitting at a panel with Raphael Warnock and John Alsop running for Senate who now elected to Senate.

[197] Yes.

[198] But anyway, we were sitting on the panel.

[199] And, like, we were talking about electing officials and what that process is and how do you determine it.

[200] And one of the things, I was like, character.

[201] One of the first things that got me about Barack Obama was character.

[202] And then he was like, man, you don't vote for a freaking character.

[203] And I was like, well, you don't vote only for character, but a person's character is going to show you what type of human being they will be in power.

[204] Now, obviously, many of us, let's face it, a lot of us.

[205] you know, experience power, and we have to learn how to deal with it.

[206] But, I mean, you've heard the saying, though, who you are as a person is just going to be exemplified when you get the platform and the stardom or whatever it may be, whether it's a politician, an actor, or athlete, you know, who you are as a person, that's going to come out in certain ways.

[207] Yeah, the value of character, in my opinion, is all these people enter any office with a really good game plan, right?

[208] But then I go straight to the Mike Tyson, quote, everyone's got a great game plan for fight till they get punched in the face and then the game plans out the fucking window so and that's where character takes over right because all these people are going to get in situations that are outside of their plan and then they're going to have to rely on some compass and you want that person to have a compass you agree with i think yeah that compass is one of the greatest things i look for in leadership like just i just want leaders to have a compass i'm not going to agree with everything that they own that's just not realistic i don't agree with everything that and my mother said.

[209] I don't even agree with everything.

[210] You said, I'm sure.

[211] Exactly.

[212] I'll agree with everything I'll say.

[213] I'll say some shit today here real time.

[214] And then tomorrow I'll be like, I don't, I don't think I'd like that point.

[215] Dude, I've been like, yo, Monica, I'd be like, yo.

[216] Sometimes I look at pictures of me from like three days ago, three weeks ago.

[217] What was I wearing?

[218] What was I thinking?

[219] I'm having one of those days.

[220] I'm glad you brought that up.

[221] I'm in like dainty suspenders and stuff.

[222] And I'm like, I don't know if there's the right look for him, but we're going to try it.

[223] No, we're in the vibe, bro.

[224] We're in the vibe.

[225] I love your place.

[226] This is dope, man. It looks great.

[227] Oh, thank you.

[228] This is our little attic.

[229] It's above a garage.

[230] And we've made a few hundred episodes here and we fucking love it.

[231] I want to try to hit you with an overall theory I developed about you while researching you.

[232] But before I do that, because I do not want to forget, you wouldn't know this, I can't imagine.

[233] But us four have all been together.

[234] That's right.

[235] We had just done a lot.

[236] show, I think in Chicago, that would make the most sense.

[237] Yeah.

[238] And we were flying back to L .A. and you were on the plane.

[239] You were like in the front row and we were like in three and four.

[240] And Rob, who's a quiet dude and doesn't make many jokes, you got up to leave and some woman wanted her bag and you offered to get her bag down for her.

[241] Very nice.

[242] And as you were getting the bag down for this stranger, Rob said, very uncommon.

[243] And I was knocked on my ass by that.

[244] Oh, yeah, Dax talks about that once a week.

[245] I think it's the best joke ever.

[246] It's the best joke ever.

[247] Yeah, tell Rob, he should be competing with Dave Chappelle.

[248] Oh, God.

[249] That's right.

[250] That's right.

[251] He needs the springboard.

[252] He's ready.

[253] Yeah, but I'll say this.

[254] Yeah, I remember when we were on the plane and I definitely.

[255] We nodded at each other.

[256] Yeah, we nod and said, what's up?

[257] We talked maybe briefly because I remember you saying you had a show.

[258] or something.

[259] I just, I remember that.

[260] Oh, wow.

[261] I assumed you didn't remember and I remembered because my self -esteem is low.

[262] No, man, I remember.

[263] We were coming from Chicago, yep.

[264] I remember that, yeah.

[265] Yeah, I probably brought up my friend Andrew Peney who I think you've worked with on some ad stuff.

[266] That's what it was.

[267] You started talking, you brought up Andrew.

[268] Yeah.

[269] Man, I love, man, you don't understand.

[270] I love Andrew, man. What an original, huh?

[271] Dude, I love people that are like, just themselves.

[272] They could be themselves.

[273] no matter where they go Andrew is that man Andrew is that Oh my God I met him He was producing a movie I was in That's how he met And I said look at this gorgeous little gay gentleman He was wearing like True Religion jeans With sparkles on him And a half shirt And all this stuff And then I've Then he introduced me to his girlfriend I'm like oh this guy's great He's got a whole vibe going But I'm wrong And I loved it mixed messages Man does he know his Talk about a compass Yo, that's what I'm talking about.

[274] I love him for that, man. I guess that's one of the trace that I always want most of myself is to be able to be myself and not be afraid of like, okay, my homies go think this on me. Or the public is going to say, man, commoner was not on point with that.

[275] You know, and Penaid, Andrew is one of those guys.

[276] It's like, man, I don't give a fuck.

[277] This is who I am.

[278] Okay, good.

[279] So this fits into this theme I want to explore with you.

[280] And I'll probably be wrong.

[281] Generally, these big, big theories I get on people when I research them are 40 % accurate.

[282] But that's why you're an armchair expert.

[283] That's why I'm an armchair expert.

[284] But this is what I think I see in you and it's something I admire in you.

[285] And I'm going to make some really broad general statements to set it up.

[286] And that is I'm from Detroit.

[287] You're from Chicago.

[288] I didn't have a dad.

[289] Your mom and dad got divorced, right?

[290] He goes to Denver.

[291] I'm assuming what your neighborhood's like.

[292] That's where I could get in trouble.

[293] But in my neighborhood, lower class, not a lot of dads around.

[294] So, like, masculinity was everything.

[295] So I'm a hillbilly.

[296] So could you wheelie?

[297] Could you jump over fire?

[298] Could you fight dudes?

[299] Could, you know, all these little measures of masculinity, I assume because there was no dads in the house going like, good job, you're a man. Yeah.

[300] I'm assuming your environment had to be semi -similar.

[301] I love that comparison.

[302] Southside Chicago, my mother is a smart woman, a teacher.

[303] But I'm still, Katz is like, hey, I like that shirt right there.

[304] I like that hat.

[305] That's the signal that they might whip you to take your hat.

[306] Right.

[307] And then again, I also was going to a private school.

[308] My mother worked hard.

[309] Educator.

[310] She's making me do book reports, do all type of stuff.

[311] So I was very academic and also, like, learning and was into that.

[312] But I also was in the neighborhood around different things.

[313] And the masculinity was something that, you know, it's funny.

[314] I'm glad you brought that up.

[315] because I was just having a conversation with some musician friends of mine.

[316] Like, we didn't have a man sit down and say, this is the way you be a man in a relationship and give us even some type of instructions and even how to handle yourself and what that means and what, you know, what that can be.

[317] You're learning it from your peers, right?

[318] I'm learning it from other dipsets that don't know what they're doing.

[319] My dad didn't sit me down and tell me how you treat a woman or...

[320] Yeah, exactly.

[321] Or just respect for self and respect for women.

[322] I was learning from guys who were my age a little bit, older.

[323] We were listening to the music and that influenced us.

[324] You know, for all the positives the hip -hop brought it.

[325] We also, like, had those songs where it's like, you know, a lot of stuff was just like, man, I don't care about women.

[326] I can get as many women as I want, you know.

[327] ghetto boys.

[328] Yeah, exactly.

[329] You know, NWA, like, you know, all that stuff.

[330] So yes.

[331] And, you know, that's the thing that's so dope about what you brought up was like, that right there makes me realized the, for lack of a better word, the commonality that we have as people, but we just don't know it all the time.

[332] You grew up in Detroit, white cat that grew up in the hillbilly area.

[333] I grew up on the south side of Chicago black cat, but we got more similarities than we do differences.

[334] I mean, even when you're talking about your mom, so my mom was single mom, hardest working lady alive, started as a jander at night shift, built a company.

[335] I was her golden child.

[336] I was supposed to go be a doctor.

[337] I spent a lot of my time being...

[338] what she wanted me to be, and then I'm out doing insane shit.

[339] I had such a dual personality.

[340] You know, I would be doing shit thinking, oh, my God, if my mom saw what's happening right now, she would just be heartbroken.

[341] When did it click for you?

[342] Like, no matter what my mom is thinking, no matter what, whoever expects of me, I'm going to do this.

[343] Well, I got away from her so that I could feel the freedom to be the dirt bag I thought I should be.

[344] Now, this is what I want to applaud in you, is that I think when I listen to your early music, you picked a lane, which I think it has to be stressful to pick a lane in hip hop, especially in 96 or 95, because as you just said, the stuff that's working, that's monetized is this hyper -masculine music.

[345] and you at 27, you know, you put out some music that's soulful and melodic and respectful and deep.

[346] I was listening to some of that early stuff today, like the light.

[347] I just love the light.

[348] And I think, wow, at 28, man, I was still like, I'm going to join the hell's angels.

[349] Like, I still had this chip on my shoulder.

[350] Like, I got to prove what a fucking badass I am.

[351] I applaud and I'm enamored by the lane you picked.

[352] And I just wondered if that was challenging or it was tempting to go another route because it would be more successful.

[353] You know, as much as my friends, as much as they joked about me for doing different things, they also still unconditionally love me, right?

[354] And it was something about that unconditional love that allowed me to, as an artist and as a person, be willing to put myself out there.

[355] I like, even when me and all my friends were wearing start a coach, I'm like, I'm going to try to get the difference started, the real abstract.

[356] different looking start of cold, you know.

[357] The pink camo.

[358] Exactly.

[359] So it was then finding that individualism that I actually started feeling strength.

[360] But when I first started rhyming and it gave me a chance to express myself in ways that I didn't know I would express myself and say things that I didn't even know that I was thinking because it's just art. So you're just expressing the purity of it.

[361] And it allowed the truth to come out.

[362] And in that truth, I was writing love songs.

[363] I was writing these things.

[364] And because I had already had a certain individuality, I was okay to embrace it.

[365] And I felt like, man, this is what I want to put out there in the world.

[366] My inspirations were Bob Marley and Stevie Wonder and K .R .S. 1 and, you know, and Nina Simone and John Coltrane.

[367] I'm okay with being different in that way.

[368] Don't get me wrong.

[369] I went through phases where I was really dressing different and really liking my incense and doing things.

[370] And I still liked my incense and Palisanto.

[371] where my friends were like, what the hell are you doing and joke on me every day?

[372] But I can take the jokes because I grew up with the jokes already.

[373] Well, but I do think, like, what's always so ironic and counterintuitive is that by you not broadcasting your masculinity, it actually is proof that you had confidence in your masculinity.

[374] And I think it took me longer to be like, oh, no, I'm this.

[375] I like therapy.

[376] I like talking about childhood trauma and I ride motorcycles, but it took me longer.

[377] I wonder what do you think that's anchored in?

[378] Your dad was in the ABA?

[379] Yeah, my dad played in the ABA.

[380] I didn't grow up with my dad.

[381] But I wonder if you had a physical confidence were you like physically gifted?

[382] The confidence definitely wasn't about the physicality because I wasn't the guy in high school that girls was like, oh, you know, he's that guy.

[383] I wasn't that guy.

[384] Like, you know, and I actually started to feel like my best quality was my heart, you know, like, to be honest, in my honesty and my heart.

[385] So, you know, you kind of go to your strengths and my heart was my strength, so I would go to my strength in that way.

[386] But also just, it was something about the people that I saw that were over masculine and doing that.

[387] I've been through that experiences.

[388] I've been in fights and I've been like, you know, because girls around, I want to show out and getting to be tougher with, but then, man, I always go home.

[389] And when I'm by myself, I reflect on things.

[390] And it was like, is that who I really want to be?

[391] Did I feel good doing that?

[392] Yeah.

[393] And I didn't have all the process.

[394] I didn't have the therapy I've had now and those things to, the resources to be able to, like, have these words be clear and, like, really understand what the process is.

[395] But that's how I was feeling.

[396] So I started more and more just going closer to my true feelings and then seeking out things to be better.

[397] And therapy was one because, It was like, I found myself repeating things in relationships.

[398] I found myself like, I'm like, man, I'm not fearful in music.

[399] I'm not fearful as an actor.

[400] You know, relatively, I'm saying, you know, we all get nervous and blah.

[401] I'm not acting like, but what's going on in relationships?

[402] What is it?

[403] So I had to work, like, and figure it out.

[404] And, man, I'm a real advocate for getting better.

[405] Like, I want to be better, like a better human being, a better father, you know, a better child of God.

[406] I'm going to take a stab at something because we have a similar background.

[407] Did you have some pretty deep fear of commitment?

[408] And do you think it's a little bit because you and I were our mom's partner?

[409] And that was a little cumbersome.

[410] Yes.

[411] Oh, man. Hey, Dax, Dax, Dax, come on, man. You already knew to answer your question, but I will elaborate, man, my fear of commitment, your fear of commitment has come from the aspect of having a mother as a parent and it's a single parent home usually.

[412] And sometimes even it doesn't have to be a single pair home, but let me speak to my situation.

[413] My mother, like, the love that she put on me was a lot and then love was beautiful, but then some of it was her own hurt and what she didn't have maybe from her father, from the breakup with my father.

[414] And I've become the emotional weight.

[415] And I don't even know that that weight is weighing me down the needs that she has.

[416] So fast forward, when I'm in a relationship and I feel somebody needing me is hitting those wounds that I had as a kid that I couldn't take on that responsibility of my mother's emotional weight as a kid.

[417] So now I'm feeling as an adult somebody needing me and I'm like, you know, I don't want to take this on.

[418] This feels familiar like a bad familiar.

[419] Yeah.

[420] I have what you call from therapy, love addiction.

[421] Yeah.

[422] And fear of commitment.

[423] What a combo.

[424] It's the best combo.

[425] It's the best combo.

[426] It's a tough combo because you really love that feeling.

[427] You love that feeling of being in a good relationship and that tingle you get.

[428] And then the second you see the click where it's like, oh yeah, I convinced them to like this person.

[429] Oh, fuck.

[430] I'm going to fucking let this person down.

[431] That's all like 10 minutes away.

[432] It's like 10 minutes away.

[433] And you're like, oh, man, I ain't say I wanted to be in love that love.

[434] I just want to be in love like where we're both high as kites.

[435] And then everyone's cool.

[436] And then we're done.

[437] As you was talking about process now, because we know those things, I'm able to be in a relationship and be like, okay, what's really true to what I'm feeling and what am I bringing from my past?

[438] Yeah.

[439] And how do I work through some of the things and fears that I've repeated?

[440] I'm able to process it and take inventory and just be conscious and aware of it.

[441] It's making me be better in relationships and be happier and like everything ain't perfect.

[442] I'm just, I'm saying, I was going to say, I just am coming to terms with this.

[443] stuff and I'll tell you what one of my hurdles was is in my story of my life my dad since he left was the villain and my mom was the superhero who raised us three kids and sacrificed everything so in this archetype you know Greek story there's no room for me to be critical of my mom and there's no room for my dad to ever be just a human who had some flaws so you know in the last few years I've been like, well, and also my mom was a human.

[444] But because she was up here and my dad was down here, I didn't even want to really look there.

[445] Yes, it's something because you see all the love that your mother's giving you and you see how wonderful she is and you don't want to humanize them because you're like, look at all the stuff she's done for me. This is the person that's committed their life to me. And you don't want to see failures in them too because it's like, this is the one hero you kind of have.

[446] Like, I was so glad that my father, you know, the times I got to spend with my father, he was really, really honest with me and would be like, man, look, I was dealing with drugs at this point or I felt this, you know, and I was crazy at this point doing, you know, like my father, I love her.

[447] He, you know, he was like really spiritual, but didn't he talk shit?

[448] And he just, he's clever, he was a street dude, but just read the Quran and the Bible.

[449] Like, he had all these dynamics to him.

[450] And I love seeing that because I got to see a human being.

[451] Because I used to try to put my father on the pedestal too because he wasn't there.

[452] I needed that male figure to be on that pedestal.

[453] But then him humanizing himself just made me be like, oh, we got to be able to show those sides.

[454] But you're right.

[455] It took time for me to actually acknowledge that, hey, Ma, you got some flaws too.

[456] I'm going to take one more guess.

[457] So you have a daughter, right?

[458] Yeah.

[459] I'm going to guess that when you looked at your daughter, it was the first time in your life where you were like, yeah, fucking depend on me. No fear of commitment.

[460] I have two daughters.

[461] And that was this crazy sensation I had where I was like, yes, be dependent on me and expect me to be there forever because I can't wait to be there forever.

[462] And I was like, oh, this is what it feels like to love without any fear of commitment.

[463] Yes.

[464] I think, you know, when I had a moye, then there's two things.

[465] It was a natural, like, just, okay, I'm going to be here forever to love you.

[466] I'm going to do everything that I can do.

[467] But it also, oh, I got to work extra hard because I got to take care of, you know, like, I got to focus now.

[468] In fact, that's when I honestly was like, okay, I'm hanging with my homie still.

[469] I was like, no, I got to figure this out.

[470] Like, I got to, whether it's moved from Chicago, whatever it may be, I have another human being that I'm going to love and going to be there for.

[471] And I have to provide for it, too.

[472] So, you know, I had both those feelings initially.

[473] And now, you know, it's great to see that relationship evolved, too, because that relationship wasn't perfect either.

[474] Like, she at some point confronted me and was like, yo, you didn't do this when I was a kid.

[475] You didn't take care of this.

[476] You didn't want to pay for my SAT school.

[477] I'm like, I was like, you really believe some of this stuff?

[478] Because, I mean, let me make sure I'm clear with you that what she was saying was her feelings.

[479] It was what she felt.

[480] It took me to understand in that moment.

[481] It was a real lesson I learned in that moment was it didn't matter what I thought, like what I think or something she said was definitely not true.

[482] Yeah, what the facts were.

[483] The facts were.

[484] The facts didn't matter.

[485] Thank you.

[486] It just was like, these are her feelings.

[487] This is what she's experienced and this is her perspective.

[488] I need to hear her out.

[489] I need to take it in.

[490] I don't need to try to be right and try to defend myself.

[491] No, because initially I was like, Amoy, you really think that I didn't do this and do that?

[492] But I learned in that.

[493] As we talk about learning, you know, from our process and journey through therapy and ourselves, it's something to learn from your children.

[494] And her being involved enough to even want to have a conversation with me like, Dad, I don't feel like you did these things.

[495] Now, mine, you did start when she had been drinking, so the truth is coming out.

[496] I kind of play this game for fun when I'm with my daughters.

[497] I sit around.

[498] I sit around.

[499] try to imagine what they're going to have a grievance about because you just have to.

[500] You have to have a fucking grievance with your parents or you're not a human.

[501] They go have some gripes, but ultimately, I'm like, man, what you just said.

[502] Like, yo, you've been there already for them in ways that's going to shape their lives forever.

[503] They know what love is.

[504] Yeah.

[505] If we start there, if we know what love is like know what it is to be loved and know I love, especially for a woman to know what it is to be loved by her father.

[506] Yeah.

[507] And then, you know, I look at things, like, I'm not one of those parents who's, like, hovering over, like, or just being like, man, I don't want her to mess up.

[508] I'm like, I just don't want her to mess up where it's detrimental, like, where it's something that's really, like, you can't come back from.

[509] I agree.

[510] You're not in jail and you're not shooting meth, you know.

[511] Yeah.

[512] We can manage.

[513] We can manage.

[514] We can manage.

[515] We can course correct.

[516] Yes, exactly.

[517] Exactly.

[518] Stay tuned for more.

[519] Armchair expert, if you dare.

[520] We've all been there.

[521] Turning to the internet to self -diagnose our inexplicable pains, debilitating body aches, sudden fevers, and strange rashes.

[522] Though our minds tend to spiral to worst -case scenarios, it's usually nothing.

[523] But for an unlucky few, these unsuspecting symptoms can start the clock ticking on a terrifying medical mystery.

[524] Like the unexplainable death of a retired firefighter whose body was found at home by his son, except it looked like he had been cremated, or the time when an entire town started jumping from buildings and seeing tigers on their ceilings.

[525] Hey listeners, it's Mr. Ballin here, and I'm here to tell you about my podcast.

[526] It's called Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries.

[527] Each terrifying true story will be sure to keep you up at night.

[528] Follow Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries wherever you get your podcasts.

[529] Prime members can listen early and ad -free on Amazon Music.

[530] What's up, guys?

[531] This is your girl Kiki, and my podcast is It's back with a new season, and let me tell you, it's too good.

[532] And I'm diving into the brains of entertainment's best and brightest, okay?

[533] Every episode, I bring on a friend and have a real conversation.

[534] And I don't mean just friends.

[535] I mean the likes of Amy Polar, Kell Mitchell, Vivica Fox.

[536] The list goes on.

[537] So follow, watch, and listen to Baby.

[538] This is Kiki Palmer on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast.

[539] Okay, this has no value other than I'm just curious.

[540] Did you love the Jazzmataz album by Guru?

[541] bro, I love that album, man. That's one of them albums where I was like, oh, you can do those things, too.

[542] I don't think I've ever listened to a CD more in my life.

[543] I didn't know that at that point in time, I was like, okay, Guru was a part of Gangstar, but he just went out and did a whole separate project with dope jazz musicians, like Donald Bird and Roy Ayers and different, man, I love that album.

[544] Hip -hop is honestly one of the things that was my gateway into jazz, And jazz is honestly my favorite.

[545] Like, I listen to jazz probably more than I listen to any other music.

[546] I love that album, Google.

[547] God bless it.

[548] So I actually got to tour with Gangstar.

[549] And it was one of my favorite things I've done in my career.

[550] I was on tour with them and Talib Kuali.

[551] Oh, I love to live.

[552] He's probably my only friend in the music business.

[553] I adore him.

[554] Man, he's such a good dude, a smart dude.

[555] And he's been one of my friends for a long time in this business.

[556] And we just, you know, it's just brotherhood.

[557] There's some pattern, right?

[558] Like, you worked with Kanye for years.

[559] His mom was a teacher.

[560] Your mom was a teacher.

[561] To Lib's mom's a professor, dad a professor.

[562] Like, it seems like a subset within hip hop of these musicians was kind of similar backgrounds.

[563] Like the weight of their parents' expectations and having ascended and then living in the neighborhood and having friends and like just this weird confluence of all that stuff.

[564] Dude, Dr. Donda West, Kanye's mom and Talib's mother, Ms. Green, and my mother, and Talib, me, and Kanye, we all had a panel.

[565] We all did this panel in Chicago about education.

[566] You know, as I looked through the panel and stuff, it was funny because Ms. West was, like, rapping Kanye's lyrics.

[567] Like, she was like, like, showtime.

[568] My mother was like, damn, I don't know my son's lyrics like that.

[569] But to see these mothers, they were proud, but more than anything, it was like, I noticed that we all have been under the teachings of teachers.

[570] And it affected the way I work.

[571] Kanye is not only a gifted musician and genius when it comes to music, but he also is, like, brilliant with his words, and he uses him in certain ways.

[572] And we had access.

[573] And Talib is the same as far as just being brilliant in his use of words and an MC.

[574] Chappelle's mother was an English teacher and his father was a professor.

[575] Yeah, there's some weird magic.

[576] It's like it's the product of once there's opportunity.

[577] You look at the product.

[578] The product's like this fucking beautiful synergy of all these things, the jazz tradition, the knowledge, the education, the words, you know, all of it.

[579] Well, also you would go home and you'd be thoughtful about what you just experienced.

[580] And I think that's practiced in academia.

[581] Like you go home and you reflect.

[582] You just are automatically doing that in life.

[583] You know, the book report is what you're bringing in.

[584] into your bedroom, too.

[585] Let me tell you, Monica, it's like, my mother used to make me do those book reports, and, you know, this is outside of the work I had to do for school.

[586] And she made school like, okay, if you do good in school, you can get the things, you know, like you want pretty much.

[587] Like, you know, within our financial world, it wasn't like I was going out, just getting anything.

[588] You got the pink camo starter jacket.

[589] Exactly, exactly.

[590] I remember I was in college, I would take the time out of my day.

[591] at least an hour or two, just to sit down and go in a room and just work on wraps, right?

[592] It was really parallel to what I would do with book reports.

[593] I was just sit in a room and just work.

[594] I can hear my friends drinking, like, outside of my door, kicking it, watching TV, playing Nintendo at the time.

[595] But I was like, focused.

[596] And I think that really translated, like you said, about access, that creates the opportunity.

[597] I'm like, man, I look at a lot of people and say, man, if they had some of the access, they would be amazing.

[598] I feel like where the access meets you is divine order sometimes in different ways, meaning you just got to meet the access sometimes.

[599] Some of the experiences I've had, if I was a child actor, I would have had a more difficult time experiencing some of the things, some of the fights, some of the breakups, some of the, you know, like dates and, you know, some of the fun times, I just wouldn't have had those experiences.

[600] Some of the failures, you know, like my first album, people weren't, didn't know who I was.

[601] That helped me to know and to be able to understand what journey is and to appreciate journey and have gratitude and also know that you've got to work hard.

[602] But as long as people get that access, like at some point, then I'm all into kids being like knowing what directors of photographers are, you know, what cinema photographers are with costume and makeup design.

[603] I want them to have access along with other stuff academics so they can say, hey, I actually want to be this and be that.

[604] that allows you to see those things.

[605] But I do believe life experiences adds on to that once you get the access.

[606] Yeah.

[607] I mean, look at Whitney Houston's first album.

[608] That's almost impossible to navigate.

[609] Dude, it's a lot, man. It's a lot.

[610] And you really got to have, like, true center and herself.

[611] Because when your first album is like that, when it comes out on top and it's the biggest album of a century of the year, you're going to go down at some point.

[612] You switch to fear.

[613] You're going to make your next album out of fear.

[614] And now I understand the role.

[615] coaster even more.

[616] And as you said, the most important thing is the journey.

[617] And that really is true.

[618] Like people say it and they like, oh man, it's about the journey.

[619] But when you really embrace that and live that, man, that's when it's the most joyful and expressive and most powerful.

[620] And it's just like you enjoy life more.

[621] Yeah, I've known a lot of these cliches over the years intellectually and not connected to them emotionally.

[622] And then all of a sudden when I connect to it emotionally, I'm like, oh, that is a really profound statement.

[623] Even though I got it, but now I feel it.

[624] And wow, what a difference.

[625] Do you watch the Wu -Tang doc on Showtime?

[626] I love Wu -Tang.

[627] I did watch the documentary.

[628] I was just in a conversation with my friend about my top three groups and hip -hop.

[629] And it's Tribe, De La Sol and then...

[630] Oh, De La -Losol.

[631] Three Feet and Rising, that fucking thing did not come out of my 10th grade CD player.

[632] Sampling Steely Dan, I know I love you better.

[633] I know I love you, man. I know I love you better.

[634] Man, that was one of my favorite songs on that, on that.

[635] They were some of the most innovative artists in music, but in hip hop for sure.

[636] Oh, they're 10 years ahead of their time at the least.

[637] For sure.

[638] I just listened to four De La Albums within the past week, like, three feet high rising, Dayla Soul is dead, stakes is high, and balloon mind state.

[639] And all on were different, all on were innovative, all on words, and experience, and they're all -timeless.

[640] Yeah.

[641] Well, so I slept on Wutang.

[642] I have no knowledge of Wutang.

[643] I was not into any one of those folks individually, for whatever reason, I missed it.

[644] Then I watched the doc, just out of curiosity, what I absolutely covet is that they got to share that experience, like the fact that they were this fucking creative gang, like a brotherhood.

[645] That is so rare.

[646] That's the thing I watched, and I was like, God, if I were in.

[647] hip hop, if I were you or if I were anyone, I'd watch that and go, man, I kind of wish I had that brotherhood along the ride.

[648] That's just what's so damn special about that group.

[649] Yeah.

[650] Well, I have to say, I think so much obviously is power and being able to bounce your ideas.

[651] And then sometimes it's like a basketball team.

[652] I love basketball.

[653] So if somebody is having a good night, then that's how it is.

[654] Like somebody might smash a verse on a song.

[655] And that's the thing that everybody gravitates to it, or two or three people may smash it.

[656] So to have a group is incredible, and iron sharpens iron.

[657] So when you're around somebody, you're going to get better if they're elevating.

[658] Yeah.

[659] Now, see, for me, being a solo artist, the benefits of being a solo artist was that I didn't have to run all my ideas by someone.

[660] So if I wanted to do a song about abortion, which I did do at one point, I could do it.

[661] This is what I feel.

[662] This is, you know, is my project and this is my expression.

[663] And also the other benefits were that I did have some people to bounce the idea.

[664] I remember working on an album I had called Resurrection, which was my second album.

[665] And this was at a time where I released the first one and nobody knew who I was.

[666] My idea of like I was going to come out and be a superstar.

[667] Sure, sure.

[668] Yeah, you wouldn't do it if you thought otherwise.

[669] Yeah, right.

[670] And I released it and no one knew.

[671] But in the process of me working to get better, I was around all these guys who we were freestyle all the time.

[672] and then my producers were getting better.

[673] So we were sharpening each other, even though I was a solo artist.

[674] Yeah.

[675] When I look at who you worked with, it's pretty bonkers.

[676] Jay Dilla and Kanye, Lauren Hill, you're on Erica Badu at the Pinnacle.

[677] Like, you fell into the other amazing circle.

[678] Man, I am super grateful to work with these people that I've worked with.

[679] Like, to be around Lauren Hill and watch her work and to be a part of something, like she's one of my favorite artists or DeAngelo and Erica Badu.

[680] And Jay Dillow is, K -Tip, man, I was just talking about how Q -Tip is, like, he's like a Charlie Park or a cold train of music, of hip -hop music for sure.

[681] And I was learning, I was having fun.

[682] But the thing I like about even working on films and working on projects, even now on music, because I have a collective I work with a lot, we sit and vibe and we come up with stuff, and it's a different process.

[683] And I really do love working with a team.

[684] It's one of the things I love about making films.

[685] I'm part of a process.

[686] It's not all on me. So I love the benefits of being a solo artist.

[687] And then I also love the joys of being a teammate and working on a film or working on a project where it's just great other artists I'm collaborating with.

[688] Yeah.

[689] You don't have your fucking poker in one fire, right?

[690] I mean, the fact that you got into acting, that you write, that you're musical, that you are a model, that you can have ad campaigns.

[691] Like, especially this last year, it's like, okay, well, you're not.

[692] not going to be touring, okay, and that's all you do, then fear, fear, fear.

[693] But like, you have this beautiful mesh of productivity and interests.

[694] And I think now more than ever, I would hope you just feel grateful to be so diversified.

[695] I thank God.

[696] I feel extremely grateful to be able to do things that I love to do and on purpose to do and things that I'm passionate about to work on an album and say, man, I'm working on this album because I want to put it out for the people.

[697] I want to like put this out to touch people.

[698] I don't have to put it out because it's the only way I'm going to pay my bills.

[699] Right.

[700] And you're operating out of fear.

[701] Especially because it's something you love to do, but you still have to pay your bills.

[702] So you're like, oh, I've got to make this out.

[703] You know, I've been in that position.

[704] I couldn't pay my rent.

[705] So I'm looking for a show and I'm looking for, you know, like I got this next album.

[706] I want to do it for the love.

[707] I needed to hit too.

[708] Yeah.

[709] Now it's like, can you impact people?

[710] Like you wanted to like, shift the paradigm and change people and inspire people and be healing and be like motivating and fun.

[711] So now I can come from that place and just create music when I'm inspired to and when I have something to say.

[712] And also on the film side and TV and acting, you know, before I was like, honestly, just if I could be in a movie and it's even if it's three lines, I just want to be in it.

[713] And I'm grateful I did that because I was also learning what the process of filmmaking is.

[714] But now it's like, I'm not just taking anything just to be in it, you know.

[715] Although I'm so glad you were in Smoking Aces.

[716] I just loved.

[717] I was like, oh, get out of here.

[718] Look at this.

[719] Dude, that was my first movie.

[720] Man, I love.

[721] I love that movie.

[722] I love it.

[723] I love working with them, man. And like, Taraji was in that.

[724] Ryan Reynolds.

[725] True, Jason Bateman was in that.

[726] Best scene in the movie with a real eye infection.

[727] Dude, that dude, he's a bad cat, man. Like, that was my first film.

[728] So that experience in itself.

[729] That was my first call back.

[730] And then getting a call that I got this movie, I was jumping up and down on the bed.

[731] I was like tears coming to my eyes.

[732] I called my mother.

[733] And the next thing I had to do was going to the next hotel room and tell Kanye I couldn't go on tour with him.

[734] Oh, boy.

[735] Oh, boy.

[736] That's a pretty big transition.

[737] That was a transition.

[738] But he really was like, okay.

[739] He said, you know, he processed it a little bit.

[740] It was like, man, if this show, this is what you want to do.

[741] do.

[742] Yo, go do it, Raj, go do it.

[743] I was like, this is my brother.

[744] It's my brother for life.

[745] It was a lot on that table.

[746] And I was on his label.

[747] And he was like, man, go pursue your dream.

[748] That's big of him.

[749] Yeah.

[750] Yeah.

[751] Okay.

[752] So your new album is a beautiful revolution, part one.

[753] And I think you just answered a question I had for you about that, which is, does it get harder to be creative as you get older?

[754] Because the normal catalysts, thank God, aren't there like, you know, massive heartbreak, being shit on by the boss, you know, all these situations that are great fodder for music.

[755] Is it harder and is it maybe helpful that you get to duck out of it and then only come back when you're passionate?

[756] It is very helpful that I get to like gather my thoughts, experience life, absorb life, and then speak when I have something to say.

[757] Part of my tools with being an emce being an artist has been a speaker of the people or emcee of the people so like even if i'm not going through some of the experiences you know i feel it i stay in tune with people i go around people i you know i stay connected enough to to be able to speak towards things that's going on another thing that's kind of subconsciously that i didn't know what's happening but really happening especially with this new project and just lately i've been listening to a lot of 90s hip hop.

[758] And I've been listening to it because I've been in workouts.

[759] And I'll be working out and I'm listening to 90s hip hop because I just wanted to go to the music that I just truly loved and just hit me. It wasn't about, yeah, this is the new jam.

[760] It's just, I'm going to the music that hit my soul.

[761] Yeah.

[762] And 90s hip hop is one of those things.

[763] To be able to listen to that, I was reminded of all the things that I was influenced by, loved, whether it was tribe, whether it was Black Moon, whether it's gangstar, whether it's KRS one, rock him.

[764] So, hearing the purity of that in the spirit of what that music is brought really help channel something great for this new music that I'm doing.

[765] Sometimes you got to remember who you are, right?

[766] Yeah, yeah.

[767] Oh, I love it.

[768] Okay, now you have a podcast that's available on Audible and incredible list of guests.

[769] Fuck you.

[770] It took us two years to just be able to get some of the folks that are on there.

[771] But just in this first season, you have Hussein Minaj, you have Mahershala Ali, you have Nogh.

[772] Oz.

[773] You wouldn't know the history of this podcast, but my first episode was with my wife.

[774] I'm like, oh, this will be fucking easy.

[775] I've done a million interviews with her.

[776] We know how to do this.

[777] I sit down to do it.

[778] She's annoyed.

[779] She had to be there.

[780] She wanted to go to fucking Michaels.

[781] Michaels to buy fabric.

[782] I'm like, girl, you want you got to buy fat.

[783] What are you talking about that that's a priority to buy fabric?

[784] So she's annoyed with me. I'm annoyed with her.

[785] And it's like a first 45 minutes is just us kind of bickering that we find her way out of it.

[786] And I was considering not even airing it.

[787] I'm like, this is not the most beautiful picture of her and I, America's lovebirds.

[788] I just was curious.

[789] I don't know if you still are, but you certainly were dating Tiffany Haddish when you interviewed her.

[790] Did it go as smoothly as you anticipated or was it also complicated?

[791] Hey, thanks.

[792] Our lives have a lot of parallels.

[793] And yes, Tiffany and I, you know, I love her.

[794] She's a wonderful woman and we're in partnership.

[795] And so me sitting down interviewing her, I knew it was going to go smooth.

[796] Like, we have this funny conversations.

[797] We have fun conversations.

[798] We go to deeper places.

[799] I was like, this is going to be great.

[800] Man, that conversation is stumped, man. It was tough.

[801] And it was like, as she was ready to go, like during the middle of the talk, she was like, how long is this supposed to be?

[802] Just what you want to hear.

[803] I'm like, damn.

[804] And I just sat out and thought of all these thoughtful questions.

[805] I'm thinking, we're going to, you know, I've worked with my team that we came up with some great stuff.

[806] And this is going to be deep.

[807] I'm going to get her to say some things you don't talk about.

[808] And let me tell you, that junk was 45 minutes of nothing to the point where we had to go back and redo it.

[809] Oh, my God.

[810] I am so relieved to hear that.

[811] Oh, my God.

[812] God, is that hysterical.

[813] Dude, that was my exact experience.

[814] And then also, Kristen was like, I could see it in her eyes.

[815] She's like, I think she thought I was going to try to trap her in like, like, outer for some shit.

[816] I know that like, and I'm like, well, hey, I would never do that to you.

[817] But yeah, like she had her guard up, but she never has.

[818] I was like, oh, this is so bizarre.

[819] In fact, I was like, man, it's really difficult to interview somebody you know like that well.

[820] And they are looking like, are you going to say something that you know I've, share with you that's like just personal like that like I'm like yo you know I'm not going to air out I'm I'm not doing that I'm I want you to look great like and I do want it to be a great interview so I want to go someplace you know different that you wouldn't talk about things but anyway the next time the second round we did it which ended up being on the audible which is a great interview by the way I listened to the first half of it this morning it's fantastic yeah thank you I really took it from more of uh let me have a conversation but let me stay my course because I also was drifting in the conversation and not doing things that I normally in the other conversations would try to keep, you know, like we have a theme to some of it, to some of the things that we do.

[821] And we ask people, what songs expired them?

[822] What songs touch their soul first?

[823] And who would you sit down and have dinner with, which, you know, which comedians and what do you think Richard Pryor would say about you, you know?

[824] I needed to stay into some of that realm.

[825] Anyway, lessons learned.

[826] I grew from it.

[827] The interview came out.

[828] about good now and I'm happy about it.

[829] It was a challenge.

[830] Well, let me ask you this.

[831] So when I listened to Kristen and I's, first of all, it actually destroyed my confidence in doing this job.

[832] I'm like, I'm not going to be as good at this as I hoped.

[833] And number two, I was like, oh my God, am I controlling?

[834] Like, I was just on fire burning with how controlling I was, I was just trying to force this thing to be what I thought it could be.

[835] And I was just huge.

[836] humiliated with myself.

[837] I'm like, oh, I got to get my shit together.

[838] Dude, I learned so much from that situation, like, of me coming in thinking, like, yo, it's got to be this.

[839] And it's got to be this powerful talk where people really get to know.

[840] Tiffany in another way, man, this is going to be one of the great podcasts.

[841] Like, all that stuff.

[842] I just had to remove it, let it go.

[843] Like, it just be present as we talked about and let it go where it goes.

[844] And, man, not always just dwell on.

[845] results.

[846] And I think, man, being present has been the biggest gift you can have because sometimes you never know where the present moment is going to take you.

[847] And that's what I started learning in these podcasts.

[848] Because, you know, this is my first time doing a podcast, especially from an interviewer's perspective.

[849] And I wanted it to be conversations, but I also, you know, knew I had to still ask questions.

[850] So I hear you.

[851] My confidence was broke too.

[852] Well, I don't know about you.

[853] But for me, too, I was like, well, this is going to be so easy for me. I've been doing interviews for the last 17 years.

[854] And I think I'm a pretty good interview.

[855] Like, I can shoot the shit.

[856] And I underestimated, yeah, that I will have a role in this.

[857] Yeah, it was a little adjustment for me. Listen, I ain't on front.

[858] Every art form or thing that I get into, I want to be great at it.

[859] And I was like, man, I'm going to be able to do this.

[860] I like talking.

[861] I'm going to talk.

[862] You know, but then realize, yo, I got to be a listener and, you know, be better.

[863] You know, one of those things where you're like, okay, I'm starting here and I can work to get better.

[864] As each farm podcast went on, I started feeling better.

[865] And I think you hit the total key for me. What I learned is exactly what you were saying, which is like embrace the present, throw away the game plan.

[866] The game plan's there to go back to.

[867] But embrace the moment in the present and don't be afraid that.

[868] it's going to take you so off course because it might take you somewhere that's way better than the course you charted and just have the game plan as like your safety net man it goes back to our whole theme of this talk is trusting the process and being in the process of it because that really is trusting it like trusting it I mean we artists this what we do right everything we go into we want to we want it to be like excellence and greatness and sometimes doing that process we like okay well it should be this way that's what the greatness is is gonna be when I push it this way.

[869] And it might not need that push.

[870] It might need to be still right there in a moment.

[871] Or it might need to shift over to the left.

[872] And I'm actually been working on that myself, like even in recording and in the booth, because I have the rap down the way I want it and I wanna hit it that way.

[873] But I gotta allow certain moments to just happen like the way they do.

[874] And when you talked about the song, the light, you know, one of the lyrics that people sing the most beyond the chorus when I'm performing the song is something where I say, say tick a tie, ticka, ticka, ticket to tie.

[875] Now, I only said that because I hadn't finished the rap and I was just laying down a reference of it.

[876] But people say that more than any other words I wrote.

[877] And I'm like, man, that's just an example of be in the moment, let the moment happen.

[878] Sometimes the moments is that.

[879] And then, you know, it's art. We can go back and fix up some of the other aspects if we need to.

[880] But, you know, I had to leave that take.

[881] I kept trying to do different takes of it.

[882] And I was like, this is it.

[883] This is the song.

[884] It's that feeling.

[885] Yeah.

[886] Knowing that, yeah.

[887] So mind power mixtape, which is on Audible, will you be doing more seasons?

[888] Yeah, we are going to do more seasons.

[889] But I got to say right now, I'm focused most on new acting work and new music and just doing the social activist work.

[890] So the mind power of mixtape, I'll definitely get to it and do it at some point.

[891] But everything to me now that I do, I wanted to bring.

[892] joy, bring, like, some impact, bring some inspiration.

[893] It could be fun, enlightening.

[894] So I did get that out of a lot of conversations I had.

[895] So that's one of the reasons I'm like, yeah, I'm going to do it again.

[896] And it was fun, like getting in a new swimming pool.

[897] Yeah, it's just fun to learn something new, isn't it?

[898] I mean, that's what I'm on fire for.

[899] Yeah.

[900] Okay, so you're just a beautiful dude, I'm going to tell you.

[901] And I really hope that we bump into you again in transit to Chicago, either to or fro.

[902] We have no preference.

[903] Well, actually, I want to see you on that flight to Chicago.

[904] Yeah, so you could also hang out in Chicago.

[905] And tips.

[906] You could throw us some tips.

[907] Oh, and tips.

[908] If we ever in Chicago together, we got to go to dinner, got to do something going to.

[909] My friend got a boat out there.

[910] We got to do something.

[911] Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, now you're talking.

[912] Yeah.

[913] Now you're talking.

[914] For real.

[915] For real.

[916] But, man, I loved having this conversation with you all in Dax, man. We parallel, bro.

[917] I know.

[918] It's freaky.

[919] Yeah, it's crazy.

[920] But this was incredible.

[921] man. Same, same.

[922] This is the ones that carry you through to all the others.

[923] Good, thanks, bro.

[924] Good, thanks.

[925] All right.

[926] Tons of luck.

[927] And everyone should check out a beautiful Revolution Part 1, anywhere you get music.

[928] And, of course, check out Mind Power Mix tape on Audible.

[929] Common is once again good at that.

[930] Oh, good.

[931] Thanks.

[932] Blessing y 'all.

[933] Be good, man. Bye.

[934] Take care.

[935] Love, y 'all.

[936] Bless.

[937] And now my favorite part of the show, the fact check with my soulmate Monica Padman.

[938] Monnie, how do you like your new car?

[939] I got a new car.

[940] It's changed your personality.

[941] Oh, what is it done to it?

[942] You're even more confident.

[943] Oh, my God.

[944] Which I didn't think it was possible.

[945] It's certainly not gotten annoying yet, but it is, you're at peak confidence.

[946] Okay, that's ironic because, okay, I'll tell our arm cherries.

[947] Even though I was kind of, I was, I was really, I was really, I was really, reluctant to tell arm cherries we're both embarrassed yeah um because you got me a car yes i bought you a car that i thought is the perfect embodiment of who you are which and it felt like a crime that you wouldn't be driving this car you you drove my prius that i love by the way you had too many pops one night and i had to drive your prius back to your house with mom and a carpool yeah and you and mom were in a nice car and i was next to you at a light in the Prius.

[948] Yep.

[949] And you were upset.

[950] I was like you work too hard and are too successful to be driving this thing everywhere.

[951] No, but guys, but first of all, I love Priuses.

[952] Yeah, they're great.

[953] They're great.

[954] They're great.

[955] So then you surprised me. It was a beautiful surprise.

[956] I could not believe it.

[957] And it's a C -43 AMG.

[958] Mercedes.

[959] And it is.

[960] It's gorgeous.

[961] I wish everyone in their life could experience watching Monica pull away from somewhere in the C -43 because it has really aggressive exhaust notes, which I was YAMG is so great.

[962] And she looks like a little fucking gangster in there.

[963] Oh, my God.

[964] Well, it's really, she even intimidated Rob Cordry.

[965] She pulled up behind Rob Cordy and he started getting nervous.

[966] But it's funny because you say that my confidence is at an all -time high, but I am not there yet in that car.

[967] I am very worried about hitting a curb.

[968] Things that I normally don't give a shit about.

[969] Yes.

[970] In car driving.

[971] And it's actually one of the reasons I liked having my Prius is because I was like, Oh, well, for one, it was tiny.

[972] It was a Prius C. I still have it.

[973] But I would go in and out of little spaces.

[974] And if I hit something, not the end of the world.

[975] But now it feels like the stakes are hot.

[976] Okay, so I should be more clear.

[977] A, I've seen you pull out of our driveway a bunch of times.

[978] So there's no hazards.

[979] You just, you rip out of there.

[980] And I'm like, get it, Monista, Maximus Mouse.

[981] And then also we saw you on the way to the Hansons.

[982] We happen to pull it next to you.

[983] I legit was just like, oh, damn, that's a nice AMG.

[984] And I was like, oh, my God, it's Monica.

[985] And again, you were not afraid of hitting anything because it was a wide open space.

[986] True.

[987] You look like a baller.

[988] Thank you.

[989] It was an incredible gift, and I'm very grateful for it.

[990] Because new car stuff is tough.

[991] Yeah, you would not want, you hate the idea of buying a new car.

[992] Yeah, I'm glad you did it for me. Okay, well, listen, we have a new sponsor, and they make that.

[993] If you don't have me in your life, you're just going to go out and pick out a car for you?

[994] Yeah.

[995] And really, would you agree it is you, though?

[996] Because it's tiny and powerful.

[997] I want to say yes, but I'm not secure enough to say yes.

[998] It is.

[999] Let the car be your daily affirmation.

[1000] Okay.

[1001] Yeah.

[1002] So if you don't have me in your life, let me tell you all the reasons people hate buying a car because you are immediately terrified that you're going to have to haggle over the price when you get there.

[1003] Yes, no. And get strong armed by some bozo.

[1004] Everyone hates that.

[1005] CarMax, that's not what happens.

[1006] They have a preset price.

[1007] They're all certified quality cars.

[1008] Okay.

[1009] So you're not worried that it's going to break down when you drive out of the line.

[1010] lot and they have something even better because a lot of people even if they're not afraid of those things they're afraid of buyers remorse oh especially in a car yeah like i bet even your experience of this car enjoying it has been better because you don't even have to think about buyers remorse you have nothing new that exactly you're not like driving around going like did i is this worth this or whatever yeah okay so here's what they have which is incredible it's called love your car guarantee so what you do is you go pick out a car car with car max love your car guarantee you get to take the car home put it through all its paces drive it to work run the kids of soccer load it up with groceries hit the drive -thru take time and get to know the car and if it feels like true love and you buy it you're still covered because with the new love your car guarantee you've got a full month and up to 1500 miles to love it or return it for a full refund with a 30 -day money -back guarantee isn't that bonkers it's crazy yeah so you get the car you drive it around for up to a month month, put some miles on it, and then if you don't love it, you return it.

[1011] What more could you want?

[1012] You know who loves CarMax?

[1013] My dad.

[1014] Oh, yeah.

[1015] He's purchased all his cars there.

[1016] Yeah, it's a great place.

[1017] Also a great place to go trade in your car.

[1018] Yeah, because they'd just tell you what it's going to be.

[1019] No haggling.

[1020] All right.

[1021] Use the love your car guarantee from CarMax.

[1022] It's America's number one used car retailer.

[1023] You can get all the details and start the search for your next car today at carmax .com.

[1024] Should we bring in best friend Aaron Weekly now?

[1025] Yeah.

[1026] He's here.

[1027] I'm so excited to get into common.

[1028] I went as far as downloading some.

[1029] After you guys talked to him, Dax was pretty excited and just haven't hit the play button yet.

[1030] Haven't had time.

[1031] Just haven't found the time.

[1032] So it's loaded up, but have not played.

[1033] Yep, locked and loaded.

[1034] Haven't had the time, which is a great opportunity for us to just quickly say that.

[1035] Aaron, you know, Aaron comes out here to California every two weeks.

[1036] He was leaving this time.

[1037] He told his ex -wife, like, back to the grind.

[1038] I may act like I'm getting a lot more done out here than I actually am.

[1039] Uh -oh.

[1040] But at the same time, she knows.

[1041] She's a very good woman.

[1042] She is.

[1043] Incredible.

[1044] Incredible.

[1045] Yeah.

[1046] Yeah, so I was like, you know, I wish I didn't have to go back out there so soon.

[1047] but in fact I do duty calls what would you two be doing right now without me on this fact check we'd be on here announcing the end of the show well I'm glad you're here because we have a new show coming up that you're the star of that's right co -star yeah yeah yeah let's get Charlie some some love yes it's a show about Aaron And Charlie.

[1048] Perfect 10 Charlie.

[1049] Have we already talked about it or teased it at all?

[1050] I think it's come up a little bit in conversation, but not really.

[1051] So today is the day.

[1052] So the podcast is called Race to 270, starring Aaron and Charlie.

[1053] Yes, stars, Monica, Dax.

[1054] Dax and I are there also.

[1055] And the premise is that Aaron started out at 300, and six pounds, and Charlie started at 240.

[1056] 230.

[1057] Oh, 230.

[1058] So it was almost even at the beginning.

[1059] That's right.

[1060] And it was who can get to 270 pounds first?

[1061] Yes, for a financial reward of five grand cash.

[1062] Mm -hmm.

[1063] But even that evolves.

[1064] Yeah, unfortunately.

[1065] It takes a lot of twisties.

[1066] And it is fun.

[1067] Oh, my God, is it fun?

[1068] First of all, something that started as a very simple premise that I thought, I questioned whether it would have legs or that it could be like a true challenge where you'd get absolutely invested.

[1069] And there'd be twists and turns.

[1070] Yeah.

[1071] I had reservation.

[1072] I didn't know if it had like a nine episode bit of story in it.

[1073] Sure.

[1074] And oh, my God, was I wrong?

[1075] Yeah.

[1076] To the point where I, as we said in the last episode of Race of 270, if I were listening, I would think it had been.

[1077] scripted like what ended up just happening naturally became so dramatic you're likely to never hear such an honest account of someone's life i don't think i think that's the proprietary crazy thing that i would love about listening to race to 270 yeah the transparency is off the charts wouldn't you say yeah we discovered what aaron's brand was in the middle of the show charlie and i would talk about afterwards and aaron's brand is no human or algorithm could guess where the story's going.

[1078] Uh -huh.

[1079] That's true.

[1080] That's actually what I want to isolate.

[1081] It's like you think you're about to hear a story about this.

[1082] It seems so familiar.

[1083] And then you're like, what?

[1084] That's the end of the story?

[1085] And I think that's what he delivers probably all nine episodes.

[1086] There's always at least one thing where you're like, I'm so sorry.

[1087] There's no way that.

[1088] That's not where this was going.

[1089] Yes.

[1090] It's almost like a Malcolm Gladwell book.

[1091] It's true.

[1092] And Charlie and Aaron are paired perfectly because I would say very, different histories histories for sure and temperaments right like oh yeah charlie is christin was just saying this the other day he's the strong silent type and she talked she says how attractive that is to her like she's like you know you know what i like is like you talk non -stop but like charlie because i was out of town getting the motor home and someone had stole my sister's car out of the driveway so then christin was kind of nervous to go to sleep that night so she called Charlie and Jess, and they both came over, and she said, Charlie didn't say shit.

[1093] He just showed up with a baseball bat.

[1094] And at a certain point, he walked into a room, and he looked and he said, I'm good.

[1095] And she's like, yeah.

[1096] And then he walked out.

[1097] And she was like, that's sexy.

[1098] He's like, he's not, he's not trying to like win you over with words, but his actions are making you hony.

[1099] Okay.

[1100] I like, I like that assessment.

[1101] Yeah.

[1102] You know who is also not the strong, silent type, Jess.

[1103] So she really countered it.

[1104] She had one of each.

[1105] Yeah.

[1106] And Aaron's not the silent type either.

[1107] No. Nor am I. But you are strong.

[1108] Both have that in common.

[1109] All three of you have that in common.

[1110] Well, all four of us have that in time.

[1111] Monica, we just had so much fun in the gym singing.

[1112] Do you know this easy top song?

[1113] You didn't have to love me, but you did, but you did.

[1114] And I thank you.

[1115] You don't know that one?

[1116] I don't know it.

[1117] Well, we went all the way AA with it, and we were singing, I have lots of fears and triggers, but you still like me, and I thank you.

[1118] That's nice.

[1119] And it just kept getting more and more vulnerable.

[1120] I'm scared of everything.

[1121] I've had to check it past a lot over.

[1122] Thank you.

[1123] That's a good.

[1124] I like that rendition.

[1125] Yeah.

[1126] It went on for about 25 minutes, of course.

[1127] Oh, good.

[1128] Yeah.

[1129] I asked her permission, and she signed a paper.

[1130] It was notarized.

[1131] And now she loved me. No, now we're all in a nudge.

[1132] So common.

[1133] What do we know about common?

[1134] So what's interesting is there's a song I loved that I knew I loved.

[1135] Then there were two songs that I've always loved, but I did not know was him.

[1136] So as I went down the common rabbit hole after meeting him and loving him and researching him, I was like, oh shit, I didn't know he's saying that song.

[1137] Oh, so I had some favorites that were him and I just didn't know they were.

[1138] Yeah.

[1139] In fact, his album that Kanye produced, I'm trying to think of the name of it.

[1140] Let me look it up.

[1141] There were a couple songs that were big in my ecstasy dancing phase that I didn't take the time to find out who sang them because I was on ecstasy and trying to make love to somebody.

[1142] Probably.

[1143] Is it B?

[1144] Mm -hmm.

[1145] Yeah, but off the album B is an amazing song, Go, that I'm obsessed with.

[1146] But this song, I was familiar, yeah.

[1147] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1148] And it was big in the, like, dance scene I was in.

[1149] It was always on, and I was always on ecstasy.

[1150] But again, I never asked who sang it.

[1151] Now you know.

[1152] But the thing I liked so much about him is, as he pointed out, like, he's growing up in poverty black community and I'm growing up with hillbillies and yet we have all the same issues and the same shared history yeah yeah and then the and then the navigating trying to define yourself as a man and commitment issues because of single mom mom that's what to me was like oh yeah I love when it's like oh yeah that stuff transcends everything of course yeah it's incredible yeah my whole life some of my closest friends the last 20 years it's all inner city and it's all Well, you and I were talking about this in Lake Arrowhead, which is, I would say more often than not, I don't get, well, I'll certainly be more prone to not hit it off with kind of upper middle class and rich white people, whereas I find that I've always been able to hit it off with black people because it feels like the experience is a lot more relatable.

[1153] And it's less judgmental and it's less lofty.

[1154] And Aaron definitely has demonstrated that with his friendship group in Detroit.

[1155] Yeah.

[1156] Yeah.

[1157] Speaking of lofty, you're not going to like this, but I did a wine tasting last night.

[1158] Oh, you did?

[1159] Yeah.

[1160] With who?

[1161] It was virtual.

[1162] Oh.

[1163] And the whole time I kept thinking, oh, my God, Dax is going to think this is so snobby.

[1164] Was it with your Georgia friends?

[1165] No, it was with Rachel.

[1166] And her friend led it, and she's, like, in classes and stuff.

[1167] And I think she's done the first level, then there's another level, and then there's the master level.

[1168] Do you become a Semoyet after that?

[1169] Yes, a master, Samoyet.

[1170] No. Semoyet.

[1171] Yeah, I sometimes forget.

[1172] I want to say Somalia.

[1173] Right, that's Somalia.

[1174] That's a country in.

[1175] Semoye.

[1176] Samoye.

[1177] Okay.

[1178] It's spelled S -O -M -M.

[1179] Yeah.

[1180] Anyway, so she's going through all that, but there's only like 170 of them in the whole world.

[1181] Semoyer's?

[1182] Yes, a master's.

[1183] And you're going to be one?

[1184] Yes.

[1185] Yes, that's what I decided after my tasting is I want to be, mainly because I just want to be in that exclusive group.

[1186] But I'm not good at it.

[1187] I was going to say, you don't have the strongest nose.

[1188] I have a very strong nose.

[1189] Not when I fart.

[1190] I'm always terrified you're going to smell it.

[1191] You don't seem to ever smell it.

[1192] The ones you've let me smell are not stinky.

[1193] Okay.

[1194] Oh my God, we've never got to talk about this with Aaron here, but Aaron was present from the worst fart of my entire life.

[1195] Oh, the onion rings?

[1196] Yeah, the onion rings.

[1197] In the school bus.

[1198] People were fucking.

[1199] I still compare that fart to any fucking dead rat.

[1200] I don't understand how it was that.

[1201] Like when I think of the worst smell you could ever.

[1202] Holy thing.

[1203] Yeah.

[1204] That was a career highlight for me. seventh grade yeah i had gotten into i don't know what the brand was but those uh let's not out the brand onion rings you pop in the oven and fucking i plowed through like a like one of those boxes that says like serve seven to eight people and i ate the whole thing and then the next morning i had this episode on the school bus and the worst part well i don't know if it's the funniest part of the worst part but our town was weird in that the elementary school kids and the junior high kids rode the same bus so there's like six year olds panning from the smell there's like 15 year olds dropping the windows in its winter time uh it was pandemonium did you take responsibility well i erin and i were laughing so hard it was quite obvious that it was well and he laughed so it seemed very obvious it was me wow wow i'm so glad you remember it as clearly as i yeah because i thought maybe i was remembering it so clearly because of the embarrassment it imprinted no i remember it i remember the smell The taste.

[1205] The taste?

[1206] Yeah, it was the taste.

[1207] Oh, God.

[1208] Yeah, when you can't, like, burnt hair in your nose, you know?

[1209] When you can't get it out.

[1210] Oh, my God.

[1211] Stuck to every fucking thing inside your face.

[1212] People had to throw their clothes out when they got home from school.

[1213] Can you imagine if I did that by myself?

[1214] Like, the best part was is you were there and we got to share in that crazy experience.

[1215] But if it was just me, man, that was almost worse than pooping your pants in public.

[1216] Like, that would probably be the worst memory of my life, but it's one of my favorite memories because you and I were like, what is happening?

[1217] What an experience.

[1218] Yeah, it was great.

[1219] Wait, how do we get on this conversation?

[1220] Common.

[1221] Oh, because you're no, semolier.

[1222] A sommelier.

[1223] Am I, did I say it?

[1224] I was just about to try it myself.

[1225] Give it a shot.

[1226] Samalia.

[1227] Yeah, that was kind of a mix between the two.

[1228] Yours almost had salami in it.

[1229] Salami.

[1230] Salami, that's what's in my mind right now.

[1231] Okay, so there aren't many facts here.

[1232] Okay.

[1233] Because it was mainly an emotional conversation.

[1234] You can't fact check emotions.

[1235] LeBron's show is called The Shop.

[1236] The Shop.

[1237] And he had Obama.

[1238] Yeah.

[1239] You didn't see that, did you?

[1240] Did not.

[1241] Well, he and I were talking about it.

[1242] What we were all talking about is that it's so cool to see him with other big alpha studs.

[1243] Sure.

[1244] Because he's the most relaxed.

[1245] He's like, yeah, I'm the coolest motherfucker here.

[1246] Yeah.

[1247] And he, why all accounts was a nerd his whole life.

[1248] I mean, he was a fucking bookworm nerd.

[1249] And he's the coolest, highest on the soul spectrum.

[1250] But he was, he was, he was.

[1251] He wasn't just a straight up nerd.

[1252] No. He did cocaine.

[1253] Mm -hmm.

[1254] When he could afford it is what he said.

[1255] It's cool in my book.

[1256] Now he's got my approval.

[1257] Yeah, my vote.

[1258] When can I vote for him?

[1259] I do think that actually had an impact on people voting for him.

[1260] And maybe in both ways, but I think it made him relatable and real.

[1261] Real.

[1262] People liked that.

[1263] They do.

[1264] Maybe Hillary should have done cocaine.

[1265] Totally.

[1266] Just so she could have said that.

[1267] I wonder if she has.

[1268] It would have backfired so bad on her.

[1269] Well, what's unique about him is not that he did cocaine.

[1270] What's unique about him is he admitted he did cocaine.

[1271] Like Clinton smoked pot and then he acted like he didn't inhale.

[1272] Like he's like none of these things are unique.

[1273] It's just who's going to admit it.

[1274] Hillary made it might have banged a lineback.

[1275] She might have.

[1276] But we have to also be aware.

[1277] Like if she had said it, that just would have been even more fuel to her fire.

[1278] Oh yeah.

[1279] Cocaine induced murder of so -and -so in Benghazi.

[1280] Exactly.

[1281] Was she ripping lines when?

[1282] And she killed everyone in Benghazi.

[1283] I know.

[1284] So I guess you have to know what you're able to say and what you're not, which sucks.

[1285] Okay.

[1286] So that was only real fact.

[1287] Okay, great.

[1288] But then there's, if we can if we want, Comin said that he asks guests, podcast questions like, what's your favorite song that really touched your heart?

[1289] What comedian would you want to hang out with?

[1290] And then Laura said, what would your answers be to those questions?

[1291] Oh.

[1292] The comedian's easy for both of us.

[1293] We could say it at the count of three.

[1294] One, two, three, Richard Pryor.

[1295] We just talking about it yesterday, didn't me?

[1296] Yeah, the number one of all times.

[1297] Mine's Chappelle.

[1298] Yeah, that's a good one.

[1299] It's a great one.

[1300] He's a very close second to...

[1301] I want to have him on here so bad.

[1302] You know, we have the same birthday.

[1303] You do?

[1304] You Dave Kekner and Chappelle?

[1305] Yeah, we're in the birthday buddies.

[1306] Wow, that's a good birthday buddy group.

[1307] That's a great group.

[1308] Solid.

[1309] Shit.

[1310] I got to see who's a my group.

[1311] Probably some assholes I know you're J2C But what is that?

[1312] July 2nd Cancer Birthdays I'm going to look it up right now Oh my gosh Real -time fact check And there's too many songs What was the question What's the most emotional?

[1313] Yeah Was that what it was About the songs What's your favorite song That's really touched your heart?

[1314] Oh I bet we could go on three on this Could we?

[1315] We could If we stared at each other Really hard for one second emotional listen on repeat tell me if you think you have an answer let's try okay you kind of sound monica three two one birthday that would have been a good one what'd you say erin deacon blues but you know what's crazy is of course birthday was in my yeah that's what i was thinking the second she said the question yeah which is just came back into my life and really stirred up some old emotions that's an amazing song yeah Okay, July 2nd, Ashley Tisdale This is Larry David Oh wow, that's a good one That's a good one for Aaron too He loves Kerr Johnny Weird the skater Okay Lindsay Lohan There's a few others on here But I don't know that's pretty good Well Larry David Yeah thank you for that That's what I'm taking away Yeah, you only need one to take away.

[1316] Okay, I'm going to do yours, unless you already know.

[1317] Cuba Goodyn Jr. Okay.

[1318] But I have an advantage that, like, I've seen my birthday in, like, tweets where they do, like, people.

[1319] Happy birthday to Cuba Gooding Jr. Dach Shepherd.

[1320] I've seen some of those with your birthday, and I thought, oh.

[1321] Yeah.

[1322] I can't remember.

[1323] I can only remember Cuba.

[1324] Yeah, Cuba, Goetting Jr. Tay Diggs.

[1325] Yep.

[1326] Christy Turlington and Dax Shepard.

[1327] Uh -huh.

[1328] Gabrielle Carteris from 902 .1.

[1329] Oh, yeah, yeah.

[1330] Oh, that was 48 when she was in high school.

[1331] And she's like the head of SAG, so we love her.

[1332] Yeah, we love her.

[1333] Don't fire me. Don't kick me out of the union.

[1334] I want my pension plan.

[1335] This is exciting.

[1336] Well, that was fun.

[1337] Don't Martin graduate.

[1338] Don't Martin graduate.

[1339] They ever tell you that we had a, um, they staged.

[1340] a walkout at my high school over hats.

[1341] That was our big political issue that we wanted to be able to wear hats.

[1342] So someone's coordinated some big walkout and we were all standing out on the front yard of Wald Lake Central.

[1343] No one really knew what to do.

[1344] And I started chanting Donna Mark Gradually and it took off and it was electric.

[1345] Oh my God.

[1346] Well, I love you.

[1347] Thanks guys.

[1348] Thanks for having me. So just get excited about Race of 270.

[1349] Race the 270.

[1350] It is awesome it is awesome it's a nail biter follow armchair expert on the Wondry app amazon music or wherever you get your podcasts you can listen to every episode of armchair expert early and ad free right now by joining Wondry plus in the Wondry app or on Apple podcasts before you go tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondry .com slash survey