#115 - Topher: Rising Above Adversity Through Music and Mindset

What does it take to rise above adversity? Join us as we uncover the inspiring journey of Topher, a self-made artist born and raised in Kilmichael, Mississippi. From navigating personal struggles with his mother's alcoholism to finding his voice in music and achieving viral success, this captivating conversation peels back the layers of his transformative story.

Episode Timestamps
(0:06) Social Media for Success

(14:27) Music's Influence on Personal Struggles

 (25:08) Consistency and Overcoming Jealousy Importance

(33:18) Weight Loss and Changing Mindset

 (39:46) Social Media's Impact on Music Marketing

 (48:48) Impact of Lyrics and Captions in Videos

 (54:03) Hip Hop and Bible's Influence

 (1:02:12) Understanding Christianity's Importance in Studying

 (1:09:12) Belief vs Works

 (1:19:15) Examining Religion and Belief in Christianity

 (1:28:12) Discussions on Religion, Liberalism, and Science

 (1:31:06) Diversity, Religion, and Identity

 (1:40:27) Views on Racism, Politics, and Education

 (1:53:56) Support and Future Plans

 (2:06:41) Technological Advances and Authenticity Challenges

 (2:11:10) Challenges in the Music Industry

 (2:22:14) Money's Influence in Politics and America

 (2:30:24) Consequences and Restoration of Criminal Behavior

 (2:40:39) Booker T's Impact in Philadelphia

 (2:46:39) Importance of Open Dialogue and Transformation

 (2:53:54) Governmental Responsibility and Self-Sufficiency

 (3:05:36) Segregation and Education Disparities

PODCAST INFO:

Podcast website: https://www.countylinepodcast.com/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0CzUzLnco4rMJXWUsPeJje

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-county-line/id1511436013

YouTube Full Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@thecountylinepodcast/podcasts

Topher: https://tophertown.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Topher is in the house. Welcome back to the County Line. County Line congregation, topher. What is up, dog? We were just having a good conversation there in the front room prior to jumping on the air and it was like, man, we might as well go ahead and get the tape rolling and let the people hear it how you doing brother man, fantastic man and, like you said, we almost missed out on the good stuff you know.

Speaker 2: 0:25

So we came to get on the mic man, and I'm glad you reached out. Like you said, being both from Philly man, it was a past time that we got this done.

Speaker 1: 0:34

I had no idea until probably I don't know maybe how long have you been living in Philadelphia, 2018. Okay, so I didn't know. You lived in Philadelphia until 2020. I saw you on Fox News after the election and I guess you were talking to them from your house doing an interview and it said Philadelphia, Mississippi, and I was like hold up, who this man?

Speaker 2: 1:02

is. Yeah, I'm not a native to Philly man, but it feels like home.

Speaker 1: 1:06

But I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you're here, been seeing what you're doing on social media and the way of your Bible quizzes and being involved in the community in a multitude of different ways. What leads you to have that inspiration to go and pursue those interests and those, I guess, selfless acts?

Speaker 2: 1:30

Well, because I remember being that kid that needed someone. You know, growing up in Kilmawg, mississippi, we didn't have any resources and my mom was a single parent, you know she did the best she could, you know, god rest her soul. And I had to learn to be creative, you know, and it just kind of fostered that environment where you learn to DIY, do it yourself. And that type of environment showed me that there was no one coming to rescue me, right, and a lot of people waiting on someone to come do something. But I was like no one's coming, so I'm gonna have to, you know, pick up my boots, put on my cape and do it myself. And as soon as I developed that mindset, I started to develop the skills necessary to, you know, bring that to fruition, and I kept down that path into the position I'm in today.

Speaker 2: 2:16

So when I'm going out helping people, I just want to remind them, like, look, no one's coming to save you. Only person came to save you was Jesus, and he came to save you with, you know, from eternal damnation. But on top of that, you know, if you ask him, he'll save you. But faith without works is dead, so it's going to require you to do some stuff. So you got to figure out what that is. So I'm just trying to, you know, tell them like you can do it. You can do it. And yeah, I just remember saying myself and I'm being that kid, that was one in that hero. But then I developed a slogan called every city needs a hero. And that's because, you know, when you look at it from that standpoint, you know that anybody at any time can rise up anywhere, and you need that to happen. You can't be waiting for somebody coming from all the way in California to do something for you. You got to do it right here in the heart of Mississippi.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Yeah, it's a very inspiring message and I'm encouraged to hear you speak it so eloquently. We don't have to go to whatever the hub is, whatever the city is for, whatever the industry is, that is a hub for that industry. In that that's set. We can do things right here wherever. If it's in Mississippi, if it's in Kansas, if it's in Florida, you name the state, you name the country, for the most part because the technology has become so much more affordable for the every day American, and that's a beautiful thing, right? You know that gives more voices, more opportunity to speak out, speak back, whatever, however you want to phrase it, but it is very, very vital to, especially in America, the growth of our democracy.

Speaker 2: 3:57

Right, and that's one thing that's exponentially grown since you know I was a kid was technology. I mean what kids can do in their phone today is unbelievable. When I went to school, I mean, people could literally record a whole entire song, get it mixed on from the phone and then get it uploaded to distributors all from their phone. So back then you had to buy computers, you had to buy mics, you had to buy, and I did all these things right. That's why I tell people, you know, when I was in high school, going to the steel was unaffordable. So we was like, what can we do to kind of cut down the cost? So we started to save up money, do stuff ourselves.

Speaker 2: 4:33

Was it great in the beginning? Absolutely not. I got some songs that I still kind of cringe at, but those cringe beginners is what made the season veteran that you see before you. So I'm thankful for those opportunities. I'm thankful for that drive that I had back then and anybody listening you know, if you are trying to get involved in things, this is the best time ever.

Speaker 2: 4:52

Not only do you have tools readily available, you have knowledge everywhere, but on top of that you got social media like social media platforms to share your content, to share your ideas, to share what you love to do is a game changer for so many people. And what used to be you had to retire at a certain age because you age out of stuff is no longer a thing. There's no ageism when it comes to technology. So I got. I see people from six year old, 10 year old making YouTube channels. Now you guys see people that's 80 and 90, maybe, either either rapping or they out there just making funny videos, you know. So that's why I tell people it's like there's no excuse now unless you make one. You know it's going to be tough, you know, but it is very much more possible.

Speaker 1: 5:36

Very much more possible and has, I'd say, since the pandemic, really exponentially. The awareness and the how to, and especially social media, has increased. You know so much and so many more people have called on to the game or called on to how the system is working and how it can be used for good and for bad. But it just seems like the engagement, the overall participation has increased. And then I mean, in my mind, economically speaking, that probably has driven down the cost. You know, overall, if you're talking about whether you're talking about technology or social media, I mean they're making Boku money.

Speaker 2: 6:19

Yeah, the guy I forget his name. I don't know if you know him, but the guy that never said anything, now that he's like the most followed person on TikTok and he's a millionaire at this point, but it's just a thing. He's from the UK. What's his story? Well, he was just a guy that was a black guy, right, young guy, and he would people. I think he got started by making fun of people being over complex and simple things, so they'll go through, jump through hoops to try to show you how to drink a drink.

Speaker 2: 6:49

And then he would just do it in the most simple motion, like this is already here, why are you going? You know, why are you going a long route and he wouldn't say anything. He would just do that and then stick his hands out like this as if, yeah, here you go, never said a word, that's all he did and he's making money. So I tell people, man, you can make money without even saying anything. If that don't tell you the potential there is out here to earn a great living, to live by what you love to do, I don't know what can.

Speaker 1: 7:14

So how is money made via social media?

Speaker 2: 7:17

Yeah, so, depending on what platform you go to, but typically they all got certain requirements and they usually involves views, engagement and followers, right, and so, depending on where you are, I know TikTok is, I think, a thousand, no, it's 10,000 followers. I think I get 100,000 views in 30 days, and I forget what the other one is right now I can't think of the top of my head, but it's usually three things. And then, when you get those three things, you get a chance to tap into the creativity program or whatever program you want to dive into. You know YouTube same thing a thousand four thousand watch minutes. You know thousand subscribers and boom. Then Facebook is, I believe, it's same thing 10,000, 250 frequent returning viewers, and I think I forget to watch time minutes, but I think it's like 100,000, a thousand minutes. But yeah, so, given that I tell people all the time is, once you get those requirements, you should really start pushing your content, you know, but push it on platforms where it really pays you.

Speaker 1: 8:27

So where does the money come from? Once you meet these benchmark metrics, Then who's paying you money? These companies to attract people, more people to your page and more people to your following, so that your advertising space is higher in value.

Speaker 2: 8:41

Absolutely. And then when you really learn how to capitalize, then you can just take that same principle and go to the advertisers directly. So now you only have a better man and you make more money in your pocket. So that's what, eventually, I'm trying to get to now. You know I've netted. You know, millions and millions of followers across platforms. You know I've got several awards and stuff like that. So I'm getting to the point where now I need to take it to the next level and start approaching people directly because of the influence and following I've been able to build. But yeah, if you want to make money from TikTok and or in the social media platforms, main thing is it's still got to be family friendly. Unfortunately, politics is just one of those things where people don't really care about. Even religion sometime can get. You know, advertisers tend to stay away from those things. But I've somehow regardless of numbers, regardless of numbers depending- on how you go with it.

Speaker 2: 9:34

I've been able to. Well, yes, I'll say that I've been able to somehow slip through the cracks, I guess. But with me and my going around quizzing people about the Bible, I guess it's not as confrontational as some other content could be. So I guess that's why they haven't flagged me for anything at all. But when I was on my politics and I was really going out to people, man, I was getting flagged all the time.

Speaker 1: 10:00

What is their fear in giving something like religion or politics the airtime, so to speak, like why did that? Why do advertisers want to stay clear of that in your mind?

Speaker 2: 10:11

I just think if you're a company, some companies right, I won't say all companies, but most companies want to they want to total line, they want to be, they want to be the end with whatever's going on. So if mutilating child genitals is the way, they don't want to be seen as opposition to it, all right, they want to be the ones of like yeah, we know that's what we support. We hear forward. I'm just looking at them like that's crazy. So if you say anything against that, then advertisers are going to get mad and then also the social media companies are going to probably start flagging your content and then that means now you're not getting the advertising revenue which they know that's what you're kind of on there for.

Speaker 2: 10:51

But that's why it's smart to go ahead and start building your own platforms outside of that and I could name, like Officer Tatum, anthony, brian Logan, some people you know, candice Owens, daily Wide A Hole creating your own platform. That way you can still speak, you know what's really on your heart and people that really rock with you, because they're still going to have a lot of people that rock with you. Now you are in control of that and I feel like when you got more of a central focus with your audience too. You actually end up making more money because it's easier. Now I'm not out here just throwing my advertising and that random people. I know that people that's watching me are intentional about what they're watching.

Speaker 1: 11:27

Absolutely. Do you think that podcasting, or content creation in general, will succumb to the overarching control advertising has on television now?

Speaker 2: 11:41

I can see it happen, I mean. But I will say this when you get too big for it, it don't matter. Like they was too big to counsel, yeezy, yeah, they was too big to counsel. You know, joe Rogan. They tried to counsel Joe Rogan.

Speaker 1: 11:54

They tried their damnedest.

Speaker 2: 11:56

They tried the hardest. I mean, people was pulling their music from Spotify and all this stuff and, like Neil, Young like Neil Young, it's terrible anyway. Go ahead and pull it. I was like I don't know.

Speaker 1: 12:07

I was like I don't think you're relevant enough to to hey, do you know that Leonard Skinner, neil Young, had beef? No, I did not. They were putting these tracks out.

Speaker 2: 12:20

I went out and I was real tall. I wish you had one right now I can listen to it.

Speaker 1: 12:23

I'm pretty sure that Neil Young gets dissed in Sweet Home Alabama, I think. I think I'm I'm about 99.8% sure that Leonard Skinner threw that diss at Neil Young on Sweet Home Alabama. Neil Young, well remember, I forget how it goes, but I know they called Neil Neil out in there and in Sweet Home Alabama. And then Nils got one, something. He's got a song called something, something Southern man. I think it's got Southern man in it. That may be the name of the song, but I think that's shaded. Leonard Skinner and I think Leonard Skinner, sweet Home Alabama was in rebuttal to Neil starting to shit in the first place.

Speaker 1: 13:07

So songs that we hold dear is just why folks got them diss tracks too cuz.

Speaker 2: 13:15

Oh man, I'm gonna go back and listen to them back to back after this. That's pretty funny. Yeah, I never would have thought about that. But yeah, so I would say yes and no. But, like I said, if you get too big, it don't matter what they do anyway, right. And that's kind of like how Joe Rogan is, and that's what the point I want to get to, where it doesn't matter. They can say what they want, they can try to counsel, but they can't. When you become uncouncilable, the only thing left to do is try to tarnish your image or try to get you locked up.

Speaker 1: 13:42

The only people that could really screw over Joe Rogan at this point would be Spotify and Apple podcasts. I mean, if they really wanted to cancel Joe Rogan, and even then, you know, and you have to assume, that if Apple podcasts and Spotify shut Joe Rogan down, the YouTube would have shut him down way before they did. Yeah, youtube, you know so he wouldn't have anywhere to turn if that were the case. Now, that's not gonna happen. I don't think. I hope not, because Spotify seems to be very, very intent on reaching one billion users by, whatever the date is that they've thrown out recently, cuz they're like it. I think they're at 500 million right now.

Speaker 2: 14:22

Appreciate them users. I got 500,000. Appreciate y'all Listen.

Speaker 1: 14:27

So when did you start rapping? I saw in a post the other day that you were. I think you were at the elementary school here in town and you were with children that were of the age in which you started rapping. What age was that? 10. 10 years old. And so what is 10 year old Topher, inspired by to want to create his own rap lyrics? Who was 10 year old Topher listening to?

Speaker 2: 14:57

People are probably shouldn't be listening to. I would say Eminem probably was the main influence and that's because my brother-in-law, so my sisters, are much older than me. So my older sister that I lived with was 15 years older than me and the other one was 10 years older than me, so I'm 10 at 20. So you know, they're grown and I remember meeting my brother-in-law and I remember getting CDs and one of the CDs a guy was like a curtain call maybe, or Eminem show, but I remember listening to some of the songs and the way he talked about cleaning out my closet and his issues resonated with me Because I saw when I was listening to like Little Crips for Descent and all those folks, they didn't really get personal right, that was more general, like gang violence and everything else. But Eminem to me, took it to a point where man, this man, this is his mama. We don't this our mama's in the black community. I don't know if you know this Leigh Like that. Just I don't care what you say, I don't care how bad your mama was, you weren't about to back talk your mama. So I knew when I heard this I was like it resonated with me because I did have some frustration that I felt like I should be able to voice, and also to know that I'm not the only one that's dissatisfied with the direction and choice that my mom made.

Speaker 2: 16:11

My mom for those don't know. My mom battled with alcoholism for the majority of my life until about I was in the military. I was about 23 when she finally called me and told me that she had broken and never took another sip, which was about eight years ago, and I remember just rejoicing because I used to always go, matter of fact, when I went to church, the main thing I used to pray for was my mom to be free from that, just because I saw what it did to her and not knowing. As a kid you don't get the whole picture, but as an adult I can look back on and see why, what was the motivation and things like that she remember.

Speaker 2: 16:46

I remember one night she did have too much to drink and she kind of just told me some stuff I never knew and she had previously had abortion. We talk about abortion being empowerment for women, though it's not. Not only do you still go through the, your body goes through the function of having a baby, and you got those emotions going on, but knowing that you killed your child really weighs heavy. It's not something that people just have a rejoicement about and my mom really regretted that decision so a lot of her drinking came from that. Drinking came from having us out of wedlock because my dad was married at the time and he's a famous blues guitarist singer, little Willie Farmer, mississippi native.

Speaker 2: 17:29

He's played with BB King, others, but he's got like the howling wolf type of blues playing style muddy waters if you think about some people and but anyway, she had all these things that she kept balled up inside and I kind of saw that. And you know, going through that, it just made me realize, man, I want to express my. I just know she can do better. You know, as a kid I was like man, mom, you can do so much better, why don't you do better? You know, and I used to talk about it all the time and to the point that I was like I can't really shout at my mama, can't talk back to my mama, what can I do to still express those feelings? And music became like the scapegoat, that, that pathway for me to express myself.

Speaker 2: 18:12

And I had a couple songs out there. You know that I created. That has helped me along the way, even with politics, right, let's say, if I get banned from speaking about supporting Trump on TikTok, right, I went to my music. I haven't got banned yet. Well, I got temporarily a song temporarily removed for about two weeks because I'm a distributor. But overall, that's a safe place where I can still express my feelings and concerns.

Speaker 1: 18:38

Yeah, I can imagine there are many children in Mississippi who have experienced similar circumstances. You and I highlight that because it highlights a bigger issue and that a couple of issues there. The access to quality mental health treatment in Mississippi is atrocious. Yeah, you know that's something that has to be improved over time. Addiction whether it be alcoholism, drugs, drugs of whomever's choice it's a circumstance in which children find themselves much too often in our state and there are a multitude of different reasons for that, and we could be here all day long trying to dissect why those circumstances exist as frequently as they do.

Speaker 1: 19:32

But the fact that you had an opportunity to find music, to be moved by music, and then that fill a void for you that you didn't, because it sounds to me like you were liberated once, you were able to express yourself in a creative way, as opposed to just keeping it bottled up, because you wanted to have respect for your mother, you wanted to show her that you cared about her and you understood, or you're trying to understand, her, but at the same time you had some frustration that you needed to get out of your system, right, and that happens. I think that's the biggest reason why we have so many talented artists that come from Mississippi because of so much struggle. There's beauty in the struggle, right, you know, and very strong, creative people come out of struggle and impoverished situations. So it's like a blessing that occurs.

Speaker 2: 20:30

Yeah, I agree to that. And you know that's the reason why I feel like I resonate with a lot of the youth, because when I do tell this story, you know they hear that, they hear that, oh man, he went through what I went through and that's why I don't shy away from that discussion. It's like, man, I did not have a great upbringing, you know. You look at my life now and look what I've been through. It's just not the same. And that's not to brag about anything.

Speaker 2: 20:55

But if I do have to brag a bit about the Lord, because, I look back on my life and everything I've been able to overcome and get through, it's been because I've been obedient to him. And yeah, that struggle, man, mississippi has had a lot of it, you know historically and you know even now. You know we still going through some stuff and we don't like change down here. It's the South man, we just like our traditions, we like what's going on and you know, trying to shake away that stuff, man, it's kind of like been my mission. It's like sure we can I'm not saying we have to, you know, completely get rid of everything, but some stuff that we need to improve. All progress ain't bad progress. You know some stuff, you know I imagine if we still was on.

Speaker 2: 21:38

You know wagons, you know it's, you know it's not a great thing, I'm pretty sure you have 450 around with the Messiah to see just a lot better than a wagon, no doubt. So I think we shouldn't be so adamant about it. We should, you know, approach it with an open mind and open heart and really listen. You know, really listen to the youth that's coming up, because, man, I know they're hurting. You know, especially now, with times being how it is inflation, everything going on, the dollar not being what it used to be, I mean, you just can't get much out of it. We went from, you know, getting, you know, some water out of a rag to not always the rag we used to. You know, used to better get something. Now we only have a rag to get the water with. So it's very tough, you know, but it's possible, you know, and if we listen and we start making those decisions and we think about others as we go out here, we can make some great things happen.

Speaker 1: 22:32

Yeah, we definitely have many areas that we can improve in. Why do you think Mississippians in particular are so resistant to change of any kind?

Speaker 2: 22:47

Because my opinion is, when you have a job security tied to that insecurity, then people are going to resist. What I mean by that is if I tell you, even for a church, right hospitals, for example go with that reason. Why they want to heal you is because if they heal you, you're no longer a patient. If you're no longer a patient, they're no longer making money off you. Why would they want to heal you when they can just temporarily get you fixed? Then, boom, you come back and they can keep that money going.

Speaker 2: 23:23

I feel like it's the same way with some of our policies, with some of the stuff that we see today and tradition. It's like they want you to keep coming back. They don't really want you whole, but they want you feeling like you're whole and thinking you whole, so that you always come back. And when your job is based on somebody's need for that, you're going to do everything in your power to make sure they need you. And once again, once I realized that you shouldn't need anything, I was able to just get everything I wanted anyway. It's like the only thing I need is God and everything I want will be added to me.

Speaker 1: 23:57

So are you referencing the relationship between the citizens and politicians?

Speaker 2: 24:02

Oh, yeah, politicians or just any like it could be a pastor in a church, so you're saying that that dynamic exists at the state level in Mississippi, politics, politics, state level, local level.

Speaker 1: 24:16

So you think a few people are in control in each town or whatever and they want to. They've got a stranglehold on that power.

Speaker 2: 24:24

Yeah, I wouldn't disagree with that, because I mean, think about why we haven't got too many restaurants here in Philadelphia. Correct Is because we don't have the people. We got people, but it's the small businesses that saying, like if that comes in a competition comes in, then we're going to lose out, which I don't believe that I think you know and I think it helps everybody and everybody flourishes.

Speaker 1: 24:43

I mean, if we've got five Mexican restaurants, well there's obviously the demand there for a lot of restaurants. So I mean you go by these Mexican restaurants and they're full every day, like people are going out to eat. We've got the demand Right and so you were saying that it's that could be a symptom of what, Like people, small businesses, being resistant to yeah, just resistant to change because they're afraid of that competition.

Speaker 2: 25:08

But the thing is, you know, in a free market capitalism which I love is, you know, as long as your product is great, it doesn't matter who's around you, people are still going to come visit you. So they don't want to improve on what they offer, because then they cause time, money, dedication, they just want to continue to offer the same stuff and then still reap the benefit. So the best way to do that is to prevent anything better from coming around. And that's what I see a lot of times too, and I'm like man, we got to get out that mindset If we really want to grow and, like I said, it's for the betterment of everybody, not just you.

Speaker 2: 25:43

You know I love competition, I love to. I want to say I compare myself to other people, but it's a healthy competition and when I'm trying to compete, like having a target base when you're doing something, or target goal at least allows you to kind of see, okay, what are they doing that I'm not doing and why they're growing faster Can I do something to improve? More of a tool to improve yourself, not a tool to, I guess, be to down yourself. You know I don't really look down on others. It's crazy that so many people that I've helped you know throughout my life, or people that have been around me, a lot of those people are not around me anymore and I just think it's because I was able to grow without them.

Speaker 2: 26:37

You know, people like you know what I'm saying. People are even relationship right, relational people steal. They don't like you changing either. And I think money, when people say money changes people, I say no, I think money changes the people around you, because then they start acting funny. It's like when Tofu was broke and Tofu was doing this, everybody you know everybody was cool. Then when Tofu get out here and starts pressing himself and he can kind of do what he want, now you got a problem with Tofu but nothing has changed. You know, I have friends that come back, you know, maybe months later, years later, like man I don't know why I was mad at you. Man, I'm sorry, because I never did anything to him personally.

Speaker 1: 27:14

Jealousy, yeah, it's you know that's and that's hard for someone to admit that they're jealous of someone. I've been guilty of it. I'm still guilty of it. But I have to tell myself like Lee, chill out bro, just be thankful for what you got and be thankful. If you think they're succeeding, be thankful for them succeeding. Don't have no animosity towards nobody because they really doing or where you at doing what you want to do, or they're where you want to be or would like to be. Just focus on you, lee. That's what I had to tell myself to suppress that, because we all have that, that nitro inclination to aspire to be successful at least most of us do. And then when you see somebody achieving or setting the benchmark that you want to ultimately meet, you're gonna feel some type of way. If you got any competitive spirit inside of you at least that's my personal opinion- yeah, that's why, you know, Bible says one of 10 commandments do not covet.

Speaker 2: 28:17

So it's there for a reason. You know it's very important and it's just human nature, man, you know. But the problem is because of social media, we've developed a mindset of everything we see a person post to do is all they do. Yeah, we don't see the time they put in outside of what we see on social media. We don't see the hours they spent in the studio, in the basement. We don't see how much time they spent studying and learning the craft or how many mistakes they see. You know, that's what we don't see.

Speaker 2: 28:45

We only see what's presented and then we take that and just assume you know I've been putting in work and I know this, or why they're getting ahead. It's like you just don't know. We don't know the conversation they're having off camera, the people that are going out to visit the, how many miles they travel. We just don't know. And so I don't value people like that. You know, I'm thankful for the people that flock to me, but I always tell people I'm human, don't come over here thinking that I'm some perfect guy or I'm some dude. That's just not ever gonna make any mistakes. I make plenty of mistakes. Matter of fact, this will allow me to make great decisions, because I made bad decisions. I was like, yeah, that didn't work out. I'm not gonna do that, no more, you know.

Speaker 1: 29:22

Yeah, there's also an element in that type of scenario when someone levels up and they're on another level and they're looking down at the people that they've been around on the lower level, those people it grabs in a bucket, you know. I mean there's a reason, whoever. There's a reason. A person makes it to a certain level, right. I mean, luck is at play, but that person has a certain type of makeup, that person has a certain mentality, that person has a certain work ethic that has contributed to them being able to go to that next level. Well then, a smart person in my mind says okay, well, now let me surround myself with people on the next level, right, so that you know how to get to the next level.

Speaker 1: 30:15

And the people still down on the first or second level, they just don't understand. And I think there's a miscommunication there. There's just a wall there that in most cases can't be broken, plus jealousy, which I mean I guess what I'm explaining pretty much is jealousy, but I think there's a lot of that at play too. They're just different makeup people. People are made up differently. Some people can understand what's going on, some people not so much.

Speaker 2: 30:41

I will say, the higher I've gone. You know some of the people I met, like Andrew Fisella, the first form, the owner of first form, and others up there they are, you know, uber millionaires, just really killing the game. Yeah, Really successful. They're some of the nicest people I ever met in my life. I mean from a complete stranger just going up to talk to them. They enjoy what I do and just the conversation. They never treated me less than they didn't when they looked in my eyes. It was I was a master of what I did and they was a master of what they did. And that's just where it was. It wasn't about how much each other had, it was just like I respect you know for where you at, and I noticed that more people hate up than they hate down and I get it.

Speaker 2: 31:26

Like I said, I kind of used to have that mentality when I was younger, but I'm glad that I got out of that mentality and I said because I don't know if you remember an artist by the name of Pale, but he came from well, hurricane Katrina brought him to Mississippi and then we went to Mississippi State together around about 2010. And we ended up doing we didn't do music together. But we was like together if that makes sense, I'm running the guy. We did shows together. He would perform, I'd perform whatever. And I ended up going to the military around 2011 and he continued to do music. I left and I remember following up on with him about three, four years later and seeing that he was Red Bull, was doing music for him. He was all kind of crazy sponsorship. I'm like I almost got mad at his success. But then I thought about it. I was like cause it really dawned on me. I was like man, I was doing shows with him. Why he get this opportunity? Yada, yada, yada.

Speaker 2: 32:25

I said because he was consistent. I said I left, went to the military, I wasn't doing music, no more, I wasn't doing nothing. I said he never stopped. I'm like, so the opportunity didn't come because he was more talented, cause I was like man, we the same level, like we was stage, I was good. And then it was because I wasn't consistent, because I stopped and I said I can no longer stop. I said from day forward I realized I said I gotta keep going and the more consistent I've been, the more opportunities I've had to be exposed to stuff and people and opportunities, and that's what people got to realize. And consistency isn't being perfect all the time, it's just not quitting. You know you can be 10% one day, maybe 5%, then the next day you're 100%, who knows. But that's what consistency is that? No matter what, I'm mad, I'm gonna put some type of effort into what I'm doing and not stopping, and the more consistent I've been, my life has just been exponentially better.

Speaker 1: 33:18

Yeah, you may go in the gym one day and may just not have your legs ain't there. You know you got. You didn't eat what you needed to eat to give yourself the energy, but you got through the doors Right and that's really. You know. Obviously you wanna go in and give your 110, you know, when you're trying to be consistent, you wanna be as efficient and all that as you can be on a as frequently basis, a frequent enough basis. But, yeah, if you just getting off the couch and going walking down the street, if your goal is to exercise every day, it doesn't have to be 500 pounds, 15 reps, 10 sets every single day and I don't need to work out with you.

Speaker 1: 34:01

leave your back on my desk, Somebody sent me a workout regiment yesterday and they were like cause I was telling them I was like Monday's leg day, let's go ahead and get it out of the way and they sent me a leg workout that someone had sent them and it was something like seven sets of 10 on back squats and then like all the way down, it was some crazy number like that, with some awful workout, some exercise beside it, and I was like the only way I would do that leg workout and I probably wouldn't even do it then as if it was with air on air, like so many reps, so many sets. I used to be crazy like that.

Speaker 2: 34:42

I used to be, cause it was myself trying to be I won't say trying to be a bodybuilder, not a pro one at all, but I definitely wanted to be of a seat, getting to men's of a seat and that type of stuff. So I used to be crazy in the gym doing reps like that High reps, heavy weights. On some days you got your light day, you got your so light day, you had low reps. And then you heavy light days, got high reps, heavy days, you got your low reps.

Speaker 2: 35:09

I used to be in there getting it and I was watching my food and everything else and you know, that's kind of why I still got my build today, but that wasn't sustainable, you know.

Speaker 2: 35:20

You ain't still in the gym. No man, I've been. Matter of fact, I just lost. I haven't been telling people strong people, but people around me that see me, they can see it but I lost 45 pounds in the last four months and that's just because I got not been in the gym and not worrying about what I was eating and stuff like that. And I saw acronym today that for diet. It meant did I eat? That that's kind of how. That's kind of how I look back on some outages eating whatever.

Speaker 2: 35:49

And I realized you know we were talking about how I was raised and some people may go through this and experiences and never understood, but it was more of a subconscious thing to eat everything on my plate, regardless of portion size. And that was because it came from a poverty mindset, because you never knew what you're gonna eat the next day. So whenever you got something, you ate all of it regardless. I was like man, I ain't been like that in years and I remember sitting on my couch about two months ago thinking about that. I was like, why am I just eating these portions? Cause I remember I used to pay. You know, I go to a porter house and I get the. You know, get the $40 reb, I or whatever, and I'm like man, I pay $40 for the rib. I'm gonna eat every ounce.

Speaker 2: 36:30

And then I was like that makes no sense. If I'm full, I'm full, whether it costs $40 or $5. Like, I need to know that. It's okay, I'm not poor anymore. This is not gonna you know it's spent. I'm not gonna get it back. They're not gonna give my money. You know what I'm saying. So once I learned to just break that poverty mindset, I've been able to control my portion a whole lot better and I just eat to it. I'm like, feel like I'm good and I'm good, you know, and it's just been a game changer. So people out there struggling with that Sometimes it's tied to something that you went through as a kid.

Speaker 1: 36:58

So you just solely changed your diet and that you attribute that to your weight loss, or did you get in the gym any?

Speaker 2: 37:04

Oh no, I've been last month and a half. I would say about maybe a month and a half. I started walking a lot because I was up there, so I wasn't trying to, I wasn't trying to jog or do nothing too heavy.

Speaker 1: 37:15

You know, get that weight off your joints before you start going back into it hard.

Speaker 2: 37:18

I'll probably get back in the gym here soon, but I'm gonna continue to let this work, work me down and also, when you're trying to, you know, slim up. I ain't trying to do all that because I want to lose the fat. You know I don't want to just add muscles quite yet, but anyway, you doing a full strip down, huh, yeah, yeah, right now, you know, and like I said, I've had the 8% body fat at 195. Like I've been that beast, but I don't want to get back to it quite. You know, I just want to get back to maybe 210, 215, you know, and just kind of a solid guy. You know that's going around and you know I ain't got to have to rock hard abs but it's gonna be flat, you know, it's just. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and I got to an injured from the military to be focused on doing that, quite like that.

Speaker 2: 38:03

Has it improved your mental acuity Absolutely. I always tell people, if you look good, you feel good. If you don't look good, you ain't gonna feel good. I know some people say you know you still fake it till you make it. But sometimes you can't shake it, you know, and one of the things I've done is, like I said, I got to make a change, I got to make a decision. I know I can do better, so I got to do better. And sometimes, you know, when you get kids, I shout out to Post Malone One of the reasons why he ended up losing a lot of weight recently was, you know, because he said I got to be around for my kids.

Speaker 2: 38:34

Like kids would do that to you. Kids for men, like I don't know. You know how women are. But when men get like kids and there's something else they got to protect, you know we all some just kicks in and then tells us, like you know, I can't protect them if I'm not, you know, in shape, if I'm not doing this, if I'm not healthy enough to even get up and downstairs or act quick enough. So you know, and you won't stay there too long if you living up to that expectation.

Speaker 2: 38:59

So I got busy, you know, and you know, when we went over to the weight clinic and I've been working with I don't know if you have heard of the we Govyshot, but it's a shot that helps with appetite. Well, it's not an appetite suppressant, more so it helps you feel full longer. So it helped me until I realized the mental pressure I had on my portion size. They allowed me to control it until I got to the point Now that consciously I can be like oh yeah, I'm not gonna eat that or I'm not gonna do this. So I really haven't been snacking as much as I used to. You know, keep. You know I still drink. So I don't want people thinking like I just got rid of soda. No, I didn't, I still drink my soda, one, you know, maybe 24 ounce in a day, that's it. But most of it's gonna be water and other stuff. That's, you know, better for your body. But yeah, it's-.

Speaker 2: 39:44

What kind of soda you be drinking on. I don't do no Coke man. They say when you go Coke you go whoa. So I've been doing Pepsi, pepsi products, I use them out and do Pepsi and that's about it.

Speaker 1: 39:59

Coke makes you work. Is that what I'm hearing? I've been drinking Diet Coke so I ain't all the way woke. Well, yeah, there you go what?

Speaker 2: 40:09

I'm halfway there. Well, you remember they had that. What was that? Going back, you know you couldn't be white if you drink Coke. Something was something Coke had.

Speaker 1: 40:18

I'll tell you one thing I have noticed Coming up in a predominantly black community Not a whole lot of black folks drink dark, soft drinks. No we don't really.

Speaker 2: 40:29

I think it's more of sprites and mountain dudes and man throwing. Some found us. See you really talking to us?

Speaker 1: 40:34

now Get that orange soda, great so get that cotton candy, that cotton candy, be hidden Lemonade, yes, sir.

Speaker 2: 40:42

Now we do drink our sweet tea, but that's not a soda. But that's about. You know, we would. That's true, that's true, but yeah, we don't really. I think all the time you may see a Coke or something like that if we drinking bourbon, but I think I got there from like a white guy. Anyway, I think most of you do like Henny and Lemonade, yeah.

Speaker 1: 41:01

I don't know a lot of black people that just drink like Jim Beam. No, no, not saying they're not out there, just saying generally speaking, you know, and when people speaking of woke get upset about certain stereo racial stereotypes that are used, like most common, sensical people understand that a stereotype exists for a reason. It's a general generalization. But most people understand that not all people of that makeup are gonna exhibit those behaviors. Right, right, you know. But the woke takes it to a whole another level, to where you can't even say the stereotype anymore Like it's.

Speaker 2: 41:41

You'll get banned or shut up if you utilize that stereotypical phrase that reminds me of Dave Chappelle when he was telling a joke on of your memory. He was somebody. He came down to the South and and then, and as as somebody wanted I ain't putting my order he said I already know you want the chicken. He's like how did you know?

Speaker 1: 42:06

What's the Dave Chappelle when he is a black blind Klansman?

Speaker 2: 42:12

Oh man yeah, what's his name? Bigsby.

Speaker 1: 42:15

Clayton Bigsby. Yeah, I want there to repeat some of the things that Dave Chappelle said, but if you, if you've never seen Dave Chappelle on Chappelle show, clayton Bigsby, stop the podcast right now. Go watch it, then resume, because it is worth it Shout out to my man, dave Chappelle.

Speaker 2: 42:33

Man, one of my favorite comedians, for sure. He's the best of all time that man's got it.

Speaker 1: 42:38

He's the best of all time. So phew, phew, phew, and the Rick James bitch, that's a good one too.

Speaker 2: 42:45

That was a good one. What did he say? F your couch, I'm gonna say F your couch.

Speaker 1: 42:52

That's tough on him, man.

Speaker 2: 42:53

And his brother man, not his brother, but shout out to Charlie Murphy man, when Charlie Murphy give him that, tell him stories, man. That used to be some of the funniest stuff.

Speaker 1: 43:01

I like listening to the gentleman who was also a part of the Chappelle show and very close to Dave. He comes on, he goes on Joe Rogan quite a bit, donnell Rawlings.

Speaker 2: 43:12

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 43:13

I love listening to that dude. When he's on Joe Rogan he is hilarious. Somebody else who's hilarious is Earthquake, earthquake, I don't know, he's a black dude. I wasn't aware of him until he was on Joe Rogan either, but apparently Earthquake spent like some years in Atlanta the Atlanta comedy scene and he ran his own comedy club and performed there as well. But I followed Earthquake on social media and it's just too much Like he'd be posting the most random shit and it's like 50,000 posts a day. Oh yeah, it's funny and he has a lot of followers, but he was just taking up too much of my timeline.

Speaker 2: 43:56

You're a world star, that type of stuff.

Speaker 1: 43:58

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 43:59

But I used to always think why people did that too. Why would celebrities go through the house or just posting stuff? I realized it's not even them posting it. A lot of times they got people. That's loud because you can get monetized on Facebook. Y'all know, if you remember seeing these videos on Facebook where it'd be like 10 crazy things and it has Lil Wayne reacts or something like that. It ain't Lil Wayne reacting, it's just they took some clips of Lil Wayne doing something and they just put these videos together and put his face on it and then they post to his page and then everybody watches it. They get money from it. Once again, just another way to monetize that people don't think about. And I was like man, this is genius.

Speaker 1: 44:37

But yeah, that's interesting, how a lot of celebrities, I would imagine probably, once they get to a certain point, they just they hire it out. Just do what you gotta do. Put stuff on there to get us more followers, get us money, Get us more money.

Speaker 2: 44:51

Yes, that's what it boils down to.

Speaker 2: 44:53

So I, like I said, as a person that's been a full-time content creator, I know full well how it works.

Speaker 2: 44:59

I just wonder why country Wayne did three minute videos all the time and you would see it be like three minute and one second. Three minute, two seconds, Like it's never like two minutes. And that's because on Facebook you get prioritization if it's three minute video and you get better early advertisement when it's three minutes, versus if it's not three minutes you get at the end. So if you get it in the beginning of one minute mark, then you get more eyes on the advertisement and you make more money. So I was like, oh, so when you start figuring stuff out, it's like this is why they do this. It's all strategy and it's just one of the things you gotta learn when you out here making content, you know, and so if you need anybody, guys, like I said, I might be starting a masterclass and I will start doing social media consultation for those that wanna know. But I guess I've been doing this and making money and making six videos from social media since now.

Speaker 1: 45:45

How did you get into that world?

Speaker 2: 45:49

Kind of had to. As an artist, the only way to get your music out is especially independent. Right, I'm an independent hip hop artist. Some people that don't know about who I am. I got a number one Billboard for my song the Patriot, and that's in hip hop and that was in all the hip hop songs that week in the country. I've got a number six Billboard Black number seven. I got a number five in rockin' and hard rock. That was really cool. Shout out to my boy, tommy Vex, real great guy. I don't know if you know who he was, but a former lead singer of Bad Wolves. Bad Wolves got the song Zombies that did the cover.

Speaker 2: 46:24

So a former lead singer, because they don't like free thinking black men. But we did the song together and we're gonna do some more collaborations coming up. I'm glad that he's back on the road. But yeah, just learning how to mark my own music, I had to learn the tools available, and the cheapest tool to mark your music is social media. It's free, you don't have to pay anything. I mean you pay with your time and you know everything you put into it. But everything you do pretty much is outside of the social media. So I had to learn how to use all that stuff and it kind of became a second nature thing just down the line. Like I was, I didn't set out to be a social media expert. I set out to get my music marketed and make a living off that, and then all this was just part of the part of the path.

Speaker 1: 47:07

What's the saying? Necessity is the mother of innovation. Yeah, yeah, that's it. So how long into it did you start saying to yourself I'm seeing some things that I'm doing that are working, you know, that are getting me a little more pop than everybody else that's on social media.

Speaker 2: 47:29

I would say music wise, my first video to go viral, I think, was a Trump 2020 song, and it wasn't like I was trying to go viral more, so I was just making a rap. It was a trend that Charlie Puth put together on TikTok around I want to say December 19th, 20 January 2020, I feel like when he did it. But it was around that time and he created a beat and he just wanted it was called write the lyrics. So the beat would play and someone would do it at the video and they'd just write the lyrics and you would just sing along to the beat in your head. So I said, man, it was just a bunch of singles and no one's doing rapping. So I said, let me just do one for rappers. And I did it. If you didn't want viral. I was like what the world? It went viral like fast. I think I had a million views in like an hour. It was something crazy and I was like, man, I've never went viral like that and I wasn't sure what it was. But I had people that was on the opposite side of the aisle just say like, even though it's about Trump and I hate Trump, I like that song. So it was like, okay, cool. So I got something that, regardless of ours, that this is just talent, this is something that supersedes all that. So that's what I had a lot to work with. So then I started kind of like going down and trying to create more videos where I'm just rapping and then write the lyrics on there.

Speaker 2: 48:48

Lyrics help a lot if you're wondering with your videos, cause a lot of people forget that there's a large portion of people who can't really see that well and it can't hear that well. So if you can't really hear that well, then you gotta be looking for something that's gonna tell you what people are saying so you can fall along. So that's why it's great. And then for the people that can't see well, you wanna make sure your audio's clear so they can hear well, right, and it just goes back full circle. So that's why I always make sure that I got captions on my videos.

Speaker 2: 49:16

I make sure I record with a high quality mic. It's mics are cheap. You can get it for your iPhone whatever. They're like 90 bucks on a low end and you can get a high quality one. So it's no excuse to make sure you got some high quality stuff. And the distance on the things is amazing. I think I could be like 100 feet away from my iPhone and still pick up. Wow. So get you a mic. And when I started combining those things, I started to notice a significance and or more consistent of reality from my videos than it was at the one and one of Dunn's, you know. But yeah, that was kind of my first, that was my first one, and then my next one that kind of went viral was the one about Terry Crews. I did a song called I Feel Like Terry Crews and Terry Crews actually ended up using that song in a video he made during a beef he was having with somebody else. It was crazy and he just come on and he walked up.

Speaker 2: 50:06

I feel like Terry Crews and he was just doing it and I will say this shout out to my man, terry we were friends on social media and when I come, in Shout out Terry Back, back Terry.

Speaker 2: 50:17

Put it in reverse Terry Back back Terry, put you what you, what you doing. Terry Dammit, I'm a man man. Friday is stupid, but anyway, yeah, he was the first person I know that I was like. Not only did he use it, but he tagged me in the video. You know how hard it is for people to tag you in content that is not theirs, but they used it and you know for him being a you know A-list celebrity and everything he got going on, he decided to do the due diligence and tag me in it and I was. I was amazed to this day. I'm thankful for it and it showed me too that I do have the appeal to have somebody of that stature appreciate what I do and give me that coastline. But yeah, it's, it's. I've just been confident going down the line and just figuring out ways that I can prove.

Speaker 1: 51:05

Since then, it worries me that people will end up benefiting from just being able to figure out the algorithm or the path to virality, as opposed to their work really being credible. Not saying that all people are incredible, but it's almost as if, at this point, not everybody, not everything, nothing is 100%, 100% of the time. But obviously, if you learn these tools that you yourself have obviously caught on to, then your likelihood of going viral and getting more eyes and more ears is much more likely than someone who is not in tune with how these things, how social media works, how the algorithms are built or how they're programmed and the different nuances of them, and that gives you a huge advantage.

Speaker 2: 52:06

Of course, but also gives me the advantage of not having to do things to go viral. Right, if you can almost predict the video because of the algorithm, because you understand the tools, you no longer hear a subject to just doing something insanely against your character or your brand just to get out there in front of millions of eyes. So that's why I encourage people now people listening independent artists like I'm showing you the way I can tell you how to get the big boys independently. I can show you how to do these things independently, because the labels are gonna want you to do some stuff that are uncomfortable. That, more likely, is gonna go against your principles, and I hear it all the time. This is not something that I'm making up, that we see it. We see the Satanic and Satanism that's coming through the lyrics, the videos and the visuals, and these are not people that thought that way or behaved that way. But if someone's writing a check and cutting a check and controlling you, you're gonna do what they tell you to do, right, brr.

Speaker 1: 53:00

Memphis, memphis. They making a killing off of that shit. Making a killing, making a killing off of killing.

Speaker 2: 53:07

It's crazy. Why would you wanna be in the business of profit for that? That's one of the things why I stay independent is because I didn't wanna be forced to do something. I really just couldn't sleep well with that night.

Speaker 1: 53:18

I wonder about that same component. But I think, like you mentioned earlier, free market capitalism If there's a market there for it, within reason, I mean yes. Can gangster rap music, especially nowadays, be viewed as a detriment to society and should it be held responsible or liable for acts carried out by people that's listening to it? I do not believe so. Oh, no, no, no. That is art for people to consume and as a society we should say okay, boosie Badass is telling a story here. He's not implicating anybody in a crime, he's not telling me to go commit a crime. It's art, let's consume it and keep those two things separate. But I think a lot of people look at hip hop and just automatically say that it's like with video games, that it can be attributed to mass killings or violence and things of that nature, and I think it does play a role. I think NBA Young Boy definitely has probably influenced some child to get the choppa and the Draco and go sliding, but I don't think that's the majority of his fans.

Speaker 2: 54:33

No, no, you're always gonna have those outliers. And the same reason. My argument for that is just like gospel, music doesn't get many people saved, if we think, a lot of times people are saved and come to gospel. So same thing with the hip hop. Yeah, hip hop is not gonna convince most people from going out committing crimes. Very good point. So we shouldn't be holding hip hop to a certain standard and we just ignore everything else when it comes to movies and books and et cetera.

Speaker 2: 55:01

But I will say that's why I make the positive music I made, because I know the potential influence that it could have on somebody and if they are going to be influenced, I want them to be influenced in a positive direction. And also just to remind people there's a time and place for everything, cause I'm pretty sure if I made a whole rap album literally talking about the Bible, it probably rated E, not E. But was it rated R, rated R, it'd be rated R, no explicit. Because think about it, man, there's some very explicit stuff go down in the Bible Some beheadings, some sacrifices, some I mean people slaughtered, about a thousand that we don't talk about. Most of the time we would talk about the Bible, but it's in there. I mean, imagine making a video game about the Bible. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 55:48

Especially, my favorite story is about Alasha Cause. He was a bald man. He was going up to the hill and a group of young men came out and they was calling him bald and they was making fun of him and then he cursed him in the name of God and a bears came out and mauled him. I don't know how many it was in total, but it said 42 was killed.

Speaker 2: 56:06

Hmm, 42 bears no 42 young men were killed from the two bears, oh goodness. And they all, they said, were called the man bald. So imagine that being in a video game. Would that be rated M for mature? Or would that be rated E for everyone? That would be definitely mature. So that's what I'm saying. We gotta be careful with blaming and labeling stuff just because of the violence in its lyrics, because, like I said, the Bible can take a hit from that too. But, most importantly, like, if we can install the principles and the morals that they need to live by, then there are no way to place those things Right, and that's what we gotta focus on.

Speaker 1: 56:44

So now you don't have to so much think about how your content's gonna be received, as much as it that you're following the protocol that you've identified to ensure you hit a certain amount of numbers consistently. So it's less about hey, let me go jump off of this building and do something cool so people you know share my post or video or whatever, and it's more about just, I guess, posting same time of day maybe the high quality audio video. What are some other tools for people out there?

Speaker 2: 57:17

I would say, besides the high quality audio and video, one of the first things I did was bought my iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Speaker 1: 57:23

First thing, All the way.

Speaker 2: 57:25

Cinematic camera on. That is just is no other phone has beaten that. I mean sorry, andrew, I still use it most of the day, but then iPhone cinematic is crazy. Then, on top of that, like I said, I bought me a mic that was fairly cheap and I got that and it's been great. And then, on top of that, picking well lit places this is another thing. Lighting's good. So that's why grocery stores are really great, because they tend to have very bright lighting in the area, so you don't have to really worry about it being dark or something like that.

Speaker 2: 57:56

On top of that, make sure that you got the caption going, because the caption, like I said, a lot of people don't understand. Because you got to think about if you're trying to reach a global market. You don't just have Americans and Southerners, but our Southern accents listen to us and you may be talking slang that they don't understand and that can be from somebody from like Mexico or anything like that that's learning English but don't quite get it. But they can kind of fall along if you put the captions up there. So you got to think globally when you're making this content and a lot of times, if you make it more about give them something that's gonna make them come back.

Speaker 2: 58:29

One thing about my Bible quiz I really love is not that I'm in it, but the fact that they kind of get to see a different person and different experience every time they come back and watch my videos. So it's not like it's the same thing over and over again. It's like, man, they get a whole new experience, they get a whole new interaction, they get a whole new location sometimes. So that's why I try to be consistent and I try to do a lot of stuff and I really go out and re-quiz and people Now for people wondering no, all the videos I post and not all the videos are done, it's just not.

Speaker 2: 58:59

I've had plenty of audio issues, video issues, stuff that just go wrong. Some stuff I don't post is because people get super emotional in it and I'm not there to make it more about that. I'm just there to really I wanna highlight people that best. I've avoided people for certain stuff. I've been selective about the people I speak to, not for content purposes, but I don't want the message to be lost. And there are some very voluptuous women that I sometimes I wish I could go up and talk to them, but I guarantee you, if I get them on this camera, all the comments in the section this is gonna be all about like, yeah, cause men, right, that's what we do.

Speaker 2: 59:36

So I've avoided these women and I've always debated cause, todd tell you, I was like man, I really wanna get her cause you're like she would need the blessing. But I just know this is gonna go wrong. So I tend to avoid this people. But I've been praying about it, like I don't want God. God is for everybody and I don't wanna not exclude people just because God has blessed them in certain areas to others and I'm blessed in. So I've been praying about it and I think I'll come around and do stuff and I can't really control what everybody does, but I do try to minimize when it does happen. But yeah, you stay consistent.

Speaker 2: 1:00:08

Look at your analytics. That's just the thing about tools. It tells you when it's like hey, most of the people are on from five to nine I ain't posing around there and don't pose at 12 o'clock. People at work, right, it tells you to age group so you can keep it relevant. So it don't be, don't be saying talking about old stuff and movies that most of these people would have no idea. So now you know you target audience. It gives you the information, but it's up to you to use the information to your advantage.

Speaker 1: 1:00:32

Have you always been extremely devout in your faith.

Speaker 2: 1:00:36

No, I would say, growing up traditionally I went to church. I was just like everybody else. If you would ask me these questions at 16, 17, I would probably be like huh. I'd say Jesus rose and this is all I know. I grew up in Liz's spring Baptist missionary Baptist church down on Avastate Road in Kimaco, Mississippi, and the passages was the typical Baptist preacher. That was just there. It was great to congregate every Sunday, but it was milk. You know what I'm saying. I'm definitely a person that's eating steak In my walk with Jesus now my spirit's a food, but it was definitely milk then. Great for a certain amount of time. But when you get into the real world you can't always be a baby Christian because you're gonna be facing some adult problems and baby Christians can't deal with that.

Speaker 1: 1:01:25

So what would your definition as a baby Christian be Someone's?

Speaker 2: 1:01:29

new to the faith. You're new to the faith and you just got involved and you know you can be very zealous at this stage. You're super excited, but you know, if you don't watch out, because you have that new spark in Satan, that's the perfect time for him to get you, because you're new and it's in everything out for you and you get frustrated and you just expect your whole life to change, not knowing that's not how God works. You know, now he's giving you the power to change life, but it's not an instant thing. Everything's a journey.

Speaker 2: 1:02:00

Then, on top of that, baby Christian, I'm still people that just go to church, hear the word, because I always say this God is enough, sunday isn't. So if you're only going to church on Sunday, then you're not gonna grow that much. Come in, just like when we go to the gym and work it out. You know, if I see a guy that goes to the gym two hours on a Saturday versus a guy that's in there one hour every day, it's gonna be a big difference, right, he goes like okay, that man over there, just from visually looking at him and how he carries himself, that's a veteran, that's a guy that's really in it. This guy over here is just a Calzra gym goer, it is so that would be a person that you probably wouldn't want to ask advice from, probably a person that you wouldn't think that they had to overcome a lot of ordeals, because the more consistent you are, the more you had to overcome things that's trying to keep you from being consistent. So now you're gonna talk to the person.

Speaker 2: 1:02:45

How was you able to do this man? I see you got kids. I see you got this going on. I see you switched jobs y'all in a new place. How were you able to keep going and still do what you do and then not they got a story to tell. That's just a general notion in life. So when I tell people like you gotta get stronger, you gotta work out that spiritual man, just like you work out their physical man, and the spiritual man is the only one that's gonna really gonna bring in the blessings that you think he should have.

Speaker 1: 1:03:08

So that environment in the church from your childhood Did not cultivate the breeding ground for a adult Christian? No, not at all. Just going through the motions. Yeah, you know A formality to be there at 10 o'clock on Sunday morning, whatever the time was.

Speaker 2: 1:03:27

That was fine. If nobody could you know we wouldn't try to really go out and reach teach whatever type of thing. It just was just there. It was great to be there. I'm not knocking that cause. Everyone's just like babies. When babies come in the world, they need that time to grow. So I'm not knocking that. What I'm saying is we can't stay there.

Speaker 1: 1:03:43

So where does what does an environment look like from a church standpoint that does breed those adult Christians?

Speaker 2: 1:03:49

Oh man, yeah, straight straight teaching. You know a lot of people get caught up in emotional stuff. There's nothing wrong with music, there's nothing wrong with shouting, but if that's the only reason you're there, then it's a problem. You know, you should be able, if you're teaching and you're learning and you're there, to get through a situation. We need to be going referring back to the scripture. We need to be sticking to the scripture. Stories are nice, but they're not scripture, they're not biblical principles that you can take with you. You know, it's just like if you went to school and all they did was let you play a recess, but you went to school, would you think you learned anything?

Speaker 1: 1:04:22

No, probably not Big good athlete.

Speaker 2: 1:04:24

How do you? You would be good athlete A lot of pick them up. Bust them, man.

Speaker 1: 1:04:28

That's what happened to us. They just threw us to the playground. That's what we. We won football games, but we couldn't read no books.

Speaker 2: 1:04:35

No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1: 1:04:35

I'm just kidding. We can't read.

Speaker 2: 1:04:37

Yeah, yeah, by five of us, but but yeah if you really want to teach them, then they can't just go to school. They got to get there. You got to give them some tools to learn, like you really got to sit them down and go through stuff, and sure you can tell them all day, but they got to be able to go home and do what too. You give them homework for what? Go home and study Just supplement everything they got going on.

Speaker 2: 1:04:57

So we give so much more attention and time to worldly knowledge and we understand why we need it, but when it comes to the things of God, we just be like, oh well, I'm saved, that's it, I'm good, like no, no, no, no, no, sir, the apostles and everybody else, they spent time with the word you know and that's what we got to do. The second Timothy says you got to study to show that self-approved A workman not needed to be ashamed, rightly divided into the word of truth. So I don't have to be ashamed of what I know and things I do, because I have studied, I know what the Bible says, especially in a time now where so many of our principles are being challenged Men becoming women or women becoming men and all this other stuff and you just like if you don't have that knowledge, you'll fall prey to it. You'll be like well, they were born that way, man. What the Bible say.

Speaker 1: 1:05:45

Yeah, we have a problem in the South with religion, christianity in particular, being so ingrained in our culture, in the way we do things and really just part of our routine, that we have fallen into a place of it just being a formality and it just being a part of the culture and maybe not always taking to the extent that you're referring to in the way of teaching and learning and understanding, and I attribute much of my lack of knowledge in Christianity, particularly the Methodist denomination, to that component of our culture and just being a place, to your point, that we would go congregate on Sunday mornings.

Speaker 1: 1:06:32

For many people it's a social setting, it's a social event. They just want other people to see them darken the doors of that church and really what goes on when they're in the church doesn't matter so much as they were seen there. And I think that contributes to a lot of people having, myself included, a jaded view of Christianity, because as I've gotten older I've come to form the opinion that most people go to church to be seen and basically that I think a lot of the people that participate in Christianity in our culture are I don't want to say all of them are fake, but many of them are not all the way in Right. The belief is not as sincere as they would like you to believe.

Speaker 2: 1:07:23

Yeah, it's more of the fear of missing out. It does got a lot of people.

Speaker 1: 1:07:26

Everybody else does it.

Speaker 2: 1:07:30

Yeah, I don't want people to be highlighted for not going to church. I'm just going to go to church so people won't yell at me, so I'll be cool. Get asked questions, why ain't you?

Speaker 1: 1:07:37

there. Oh, he must be off the beaten path because he ain't in church, all the things that come with that, the speculation and the suspicion is like, well, he ain't been to church in two years but like, maybe I've been minding my own damn business, or I went to another church, true, so I always tell people that too, like I want to stick at a church for too long.

Speaker 2: 1:07:57

It was not teaching me something, cause, like I said, it's a real war. We're fighting a real spiritual war out here. You know it's who's winning? Guy's already won. That's the thing, guy's already won.

Speaker 2: 1:08:07

But if we don't walk in victory, then we're always going to be victims. It's something that you got to walk in, that we got to walk in our authority. If we're not walking into it and in order to walk into it, you got to understand what you walking in If you don't know that, you, you most powerful person. Just like the prison thing right, I forget the name of it, but I remember the story about the guy was in prison but the door's unlocked. But he never checked the door, it just assumed, since he was in prison, it was locked the whole time he was trying to figure out how to get out of our head. Do press the door.

Speaker 2: 1:08:36

That's how I feel I wouldn't come to Christianity and Christians is like we got the victory, got the power, but we so focused on everything else around us that we don't even attempt to do that, and that's because of lack of knowledge. So that's why we got to get better in what we know and that's why I encourage people. There's a whole point of the Bible trivia is like did you know? And then, when you don't know, you're just like man, I didn't know that I need to go back and study, right, cause you need to study, and I say that you need these things for eternal salvation. Once again, that's not what I'm saying. But if you're going to live here, cause he still wants you to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, in order to bring that, you got to understand where you stand and what powers you got.

Speaker 1: 1:09:12

What do you think is required for eternal salvation in the way of works and or faith?

Speaker 2: 1:09:18

Well, jesus said you know, the only work that is is to believe on the one that he sent. That was Jesus said himself. Cause they asked him, I said okay, lord, what works do we got to do? Then he said the only work that needs to do is to believe on the son that was sent.

Speaker 1: 1:09:30

So if I were to say right now with all of my heart that I believe in Jesus Christ and then I die five seconds later, I'm straight and you're going to heaven, that's a cheap way to go about things, isn't it? Is it I mean?

Speaker 2: 1:09:47

because, because the only person you say to yourself would you be cool with that?

Speaker 1: 1:09:53

So works, don't matter.

Speaker 2: 1:09:54

Oh, I ain't say words that matter, I'm saying it doesn't matter towards your salvation.

Speaker 1: 1:10:00

It doesn't matter towards your salvation right, works matter for those that are not, and there are some, but there are some beliefs within the Christian community that hold works in very high regard in the way of attaining salvation.

Speaker 2: 1:10:15

And that's the problem. You know people think that you can work out to salvation and no, you can't. You know you can work through your salvation, but you can't work it out. Jesus did that. If you can work it out, why did Jesus go? Why did Jesus die?

Speaker 1: 1:10:27

No right. So if you had to place your, your version of Christianity in a denominational sense, what would it align most closely with man? I couldn't tell you Because I'm assuming you're non-denomination.

Speaker 2: 1:10:45

Yeah, I would say I've been non-denomination for a while, and not that I couldn't be part of any church, but when you start putting, like I said, man, man, religion in front of stuff and then practices that would get you away from the word of God, you know, I would say I'm apostolic in my faith, that I just whatever the apostles of them when they were doing and how they were leading, how they worship and stuff like that. It's kind of like what I want to kind of follow out of image, right. So if you're listening to this, you know what I'm saying. To be saved, all you got to do is what? Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and you shall be saved. That was it.

Speaker 2: 1:11:23

They didn't say you had to go to work and do anything. Those are the only requirement to be saved and sent to heaven. And that's the simple part. The hard part is now, because you are Christian, now you can get attacked from an enemy. Now you got a whole other enemy that you didn't know about, satan, and he got a lot of people on his side. Third of heaven, right, yeah, what did you say? It Say when you know the dragon fell, third of heaven came, went with it. So you got third of heaven coming down here fighting against you too. So if you don't get out of here and actually work out stuff like work through your faith because when it talks about work without faith, without work is dead they're not saying that your faith is dead. What he was trying to say there was is it doesn't produce fruit in other people If they can't see my faith in my works. If I say I believe a certain thing and I do the complete opposite or nothing to show you I believe in it, what does that do for you? Nothing.

Speaker 1: 1:12:14

The interesting thing about that is the Bible is that the way you interpreted it could be is totally different than the way other people interpret it. There are people who think the reverse of you and so who's right, and who determines that?

Speaker 2: 1:12:33

Well, I would say this. That's why I always tell people the most important thing is accepting Christ into your life. Right, that's the most important thing. That's gonna get you good Now.

Speaker 2: 1:12:46

I can now down the line. If we're talking works and who doesn't do works, and et cetera. If you wanna line our lives up and kinda do a relay or whatever, it doesn't matter, our lives may be different on earth, cause it won't be like this. If you're out here trying to work for salvation you know what I'm saying Then you're telling God that you're not enough, that Jesus will lay. It was not enough, but that's only gonna make you work hard on earth when you don't have to. When you accept Christ, you enter to his rest. He rested, that's what we were meant to do. He did all the works, but because we rested, we go out and obey his commandments and keep his commandments because we love what he did. It's more of a gratitude than a command right. So I'm grateful for what he did for me, for doing the things that were impossible for me to do, no matter how much I try. So I'm gonna go out and show my gratitude by being thankful, and how you thankful, keeping those commandments. Where did you?

Speaker 1: 1:13:46

find. Where did you first find a source of Christianity and Christian teaching that you trusted was closest to what really happened?

Speaker 2: 1:13:57

I won't say source, but sources. As I say, if you started listening to some people and you start getting a consensus, you kind of be like okay.

Speaker 1: 1:14:05

I say what you're saying yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:14:07

One of the people I listened to recently is Louis Scott. Louis Scott is pretty big on Facebook I think he has like 1.1 million followers but he's more of on the apologetic side. And when I first started really getting to my faith and because I wanted an answer for my faith, I listened to people like man I can't think of his name right now Jimmy Swagger, maybe if I wanna learn how to shoot a snipe but it was Frank Turk, ravi Zacharias all people that I thought were really great people and came to defend in the faith and things like that. They were able to present information in ways I never thought. And then, like you start listening to word of faith preachers, like back home.

Speaker 2: 1:14:57

I was at a restoration ministries in Augusta, georgia. I'm under the tutors of Michael Mitchell, talking about Michael Mitchell, who really taught me about faith. And then when you start understanding faith and the principles of faith, I mean you start. It's almost like the more you listen, the more you recognize the good, the more you start to recognize the bad, and I learned that in the military too. It's like we spent all this time telling people what they shouldn't do, with no time telling them what they ought to do and when you don't tell them what is expected and they ought to do, then they don't know what to do when they're not doing the things they. So if you gotta give them the grounds to make the right decision, and when you know what to do, you don't do the things you shouldn't do. So I just started learning those principles, started studying more in my own Bible and just living around, and then you start getting that consensus like man. You know what. That's right Because, like I said, if Jesus died and that's what he said he died for the past, present and future sins.

Speaker 2: 1:15:56

And you go back and in his own words he said these are the words that you must do. Believe on the one that he's telling you. These are the works. And they was asking as in works, as in what we do today. But he told them blatantly, right there. But when you realize man doesn't like that so much because, like you just said, if you accept the Christ now and die five minutes later, you went to heaven.

Speaker 2: 1:16:16

They don't like that idea. They don't like the idea that someone can just accept Christ and go to heaven and out there spend a whole life being a freaking terrorist and then they've been spending their whole life being the same and then they get to be in the same place. They don't like that idea. So they're not gonna be okay with that idea. So they're gonna find every other reason to not be okay with that idea. But that's why Jesus did that, because he didn't want anyone to boast in what they did. He didn't want them to boast in their own works. So now they can sit back and be judgmental that, christian, I've done this, I've done that and you ain't done nothing. Now they boast in their own works. He said no one should boast. So that's why it's all about that and that's why I encourage you.

Speaker 1: 1:16:55

I found this on the web for you. What up Siri? Check it out. Sorry, siri, siri's husband. Well, siri probably doesn't have a husband. Siri's probably trans or gay or something like that.

Speaker 2: 1:17:09

Non-binary.

Speaker 1: 1:17:10

Non-binary.

Speaker 2: 1:17:10

There you go Non-binary because it's binary cold right, uh-huh, uh-huh, but anyway, yeah, that's so when you think about it from that perspective, man, you got a lot of people pushing it. But also it just doesn't line up with what Jesus said, man, and what he did.

Speaker 1: 1:17:25

Yeah, siri just interrupted our conversation there and actually it is a dude. I noticed that the other day. Sometimes my computer for those of y'all listening, not watching I have an iMac in this room and for some reason or another I can be in whatever part of the house and be talking, or somebody can be talking and homeboy will think we're talking to him and he'll be wanting us to search for something sometimes. He's awesome, no, he tells us he can't hear. I can't hear you, I didn't get that.

Speaker 2: 1:17:56

It's like it wasn't for you man, exactly, and so I tell him every time like bro anybody talking to you, but he keeps on coming back.

Speaker 1: 1:18:04

That has been something just religion in general that has piqued my interest, and not really the religions themselves, but how people frame whatever religion it is that they believe in their mind, how they get to the point of believing in that religion.

Speaker 1: 1:18:23

They just interest me what intrigues people enough to take it to the level of believing something in the way devout Christians do? I'm not saying that there's anything in the world wrong with it. It's just interesting to me how people can justify in their minds to believe in something wholeheartedly on the same level wholeheartedly, but it'd be a totally different religion. For example, as devout as you are in your Christian walk and your Christian faith, there are people just as devout in the Muslim walk and the Muslim faith. And now obviously I think there are some many negative connotations associated with Islam, as I believe that they should be. I think there is concern, but there are very peaceful and nice, kind people of Muslim faith. But it's just interesting how we all find whatever gives us the warm and fuzzies on the inside and to justify our existence or justify where it is we believe, what it is we believe we need to do right to, I guess, impact the world in the most positive manner.

Speaker 2: 1:19:32

Yeah, that's why I told people in the world it don't matter as much, as in the eternal.

Speaker 2: 1:19:39

Yeah, you know yes, I'm pretty sure there's some very nice atheists out there that don't believe in God at all and that they believe God doesn't exist Not that they just don't believe in one. So it's like there's some very nice people out there. Reason being is cause God wrote the law on our hearts. So even if you don't believe, you're gonna have those same kind of beliefs at your core because he written on our hearts. It takes a lot to have those erased and it to be ignored, right, but he's written on our hearts and so I would.

Speaker 2: 1:20:08

My thing is I'm worried about the eternal Sure. I'm not gonna be here. I'm gonna be here for a short time, not a long time. Shout out to Drake, but. But I'm here to make sure that I'm set up for when I'm not no longer here. So that's the difference and that's where you get the difference between the religions and stuff like that is what's gonna happen in the afterlife. And to me, like I said, from what I've seen, what I researched Muhammad died, never came back. Everybody else that believe in some type of God died. Only person I know that's still alive today is Jesus. We really get to it. He died and came back to life. So if I'm gonna listen to somebody that's doing something, I'm gonna listen to the one that actually did something. That's pretty cool.

Speaker 1: 1:20:53

Yeah. Did he really die and come back? Did he really walk on water? Did the bush really burn? Did the sea really part? Did those things actually happen or are they just metaphors?

Speaker 2: 1:21:09

I would say looking through history and everything else, people are discovering stuff. They discovered that at the bottom of the red seat you can kind of see stuff like that from the cherries and stuff in the Roman armies and stuff like that at the bottom of the red seat what else? Another plot spot where the Noah's Ark, where it's decided and stuff like that, and where he did the burnt offerings and those landscapes. Over there there are remnants of that happening.

Speaker 2: 1:21:39

So, which is important for us, to go out and actually explore the world because you can see these things in places where it took place and there are some the Dead Sea Scrolls and everything else that went down and people talking about it. Jesus was so well spoken of that even people like Pilate and other non-religious people talked about Jesus.

Speaker 1: 1:22:00

Is it possible that, like Jesus, was just so well loved, like Dolly Parton times infinity, that he just became this immortal figure who was really once a human and he was just really really famous and really really loved at that time and he's just lived on forever?

Speaker 2: 1:22:20

I would say that could be a possibility, but it's not. And the reason why it's not a possibility? Because you gotta think about doing that time. They actually they was worshiping other guys. This is somebody that they just decided to. Oh man, I really like this guy, so I'm gonna follow him. No, they was worshiping other guys, like ball and everybody else. So for them to not only like you said, you're talking to people they were worshiping other guys, gods, were they.

Speaker 1: 1:22:45

Is this when Jesus was in human form? Yes, okay, so there were other people who were like Jesus, human, no, no, no, no. God, not like him, but like in the flesh that people were worshiping.

Speaker 2: 1:22:58

No, no, no, like golden calves and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 1:23:02

Like the Greeks their gods were not in human form. Yeah, not in human form, were they? No, okay.

Speaker 2: 1:23:10

Just want to say that we're worshiping other gods, but this was the only one that actually walked with us and that we got to see. So, like you got people that was converting, like to me, the Roman centurion some people got to see.

Speaker 2: 1:23:24

Yeah so, but the thing is even the evidence for it is overwhelming. I mean, no other book has been went through with a fine two com than the Bible. It's the reason why it's the most old book ever in the world and it's the reason why it's been long for as long as it's been. So it's funny that we'll question if Jesus walked on water but we'll believe the whatever happened from, let's say, somebody that any other historical book that maybe got one reference and we'll believe it. But it's so many references to Jesus doing stuff and multiple authors and multiple books. And then we and multiple witnesses and we still sit here and question things. It's like sure we can question it, but at the same time there's witnesses there Like we believe everything else when it comes to it. Why can't we believe he walked on water?

Speaker 1: 1:24:12

It's just like anything else. Religion gets hijacked and people find a way to whether it be profit or grow a following, gain control. They'll utilize it as a tool to like someone. I'm not saying Jimmy Swigert did this intentionally, but Jimmy Swigert's made a shit ton of money spreading what he calls the gospel. People find those little niche, niches in those pockets to fall into, whether it be from a media standpoint, whether it be from a political standpoint, and they'll use religion as a vehicle, like they've. I think it could be argued that the Klan did that with Christianity, black Panthers did that with Islam. To a certain extent, that's the point I'm trying to get across.

Speaker 1: 1:25:06

There's so much man-made alteration and twisting that goes on when it comes to religion. It can become difficult for someone to find a source that is credible or what they believe to be credible, because, just like anything else with humans, everybody's got their own agenda and everybody's trying to figure out how to navigate the situation and manipulate whatever it is for their personal gain or for their team's gain. So we have to be careful of that when we're out. Whether it be politics, whether it be religion, whatever type of information. It is history. We have to be careful about where we allow ourselves to trust someone when it comes to providing information.

Speaker 2: 1:25:54

Of course. That's why it's good to have multiple sources. I know I used to get mad at that in high school. I got freaking nuts. One source should be good Wikipedia should be able to cover this but no, you gotta have multiple sources. For that reason alone, and the more you look at different sources and get different inputs, you can kind of like, but also reading the original documents, and much of them want to talk about the Bible being manipulated and mistranslated. It hasn't.

Speaker 2: 1:26:19

People say this all the time, but we got to death he scrolls and we got the stuff they can reference and go back to. It was like this is one of the. If there was a book that made sure that there was no discrepancies, it was the Bible. People really have to be trusting and if you stop listening to these people, that's telling you that you just don't know. You do know Now. Are there words that we have today that didn't have back then. Absolutely to make it more clear to what's going on. But it's not gonna take away from the message and what's going on Like people think, like the discrepancy would be Jesus being God or something like that.

Speaker 2: 1:26:54

There's no discrepancy in the Bible in any type of translation. That being that you know, but they'll try to find a way to get words out. But you know, the beauty in all this is you have the tools available and if you study yourself and you can kind of compare it to what you're hearing and seeing, don't be fooled, like. Don't be fooled by the salesman, you know, if you see somebody this is my thing we feel like we could be easily fooled with religion but feel like we're just experts on everything else. I know people that ain't never studied physics and they'll be arguing in the comment section on social media with a physicist about something and I just said back that's how I feel when it comes to Christianity and religion.

Speaker 2: 1:27:34

It's like you have a bunch of people that really ain't took the time to really study and they're just out here blurtin' stuff they don't know, like the Bible's contradictory, and they just bring up stuff and like but did you even read the context of that? Like? Did you even know? Did you know that that was an Old Testament thing, not a New Testament thing? You know why they was doing that Versus. You know it's like that was for the Levites, because they had to bring Christ through it. Did you know that? We don't? You know? It's so many stuff that people really don't sit down and study before they open their mouth and talk about it.

Speaker 1: 1:28:00

I definitely would fail your Bible quiz? I definitely would fail.

Speaker 2: 1:28:06

Full disclosure.

Speaker 1: 1:28:08

Like yeah, I mean I'm not. Like I mentioned, I came up in a golden church Sunday and Wednesday and not necessarily gaining a whole lot of knowledge out of it. Granted, topher, I was a badass so I wasn't paying attention like I should. I was bouncing off the walls, getting in trouble, you know, causing commotion. I wasn't sitting there paying attention, so a lot of that's on me. You know not saying that everybody that comes in through the church that I came through is didn't receive an adequate biblical education. I think it's also just part of the denomination. I think Methodist from what I can tell just off of anecdotal evidence and experience, methodist is not. They are not as hard line as Baptist, so they're more liberal, if you will. Of the denominations.

Speaker 2: 1:29:02

They're extremely liberal, cause I think they just made on the Methodist national campaign that they allow LGBT preachers and pastors. That is correct. I'm like what, what? But this is what we get into. It's like man, how Like I get that. We all, we all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Right, but if you're going to be put in a position where you're responsible for certain people, then that person in that position should be at least trying to live up to the principles that we were talking about.

Speaker 1: 1:29:29

I agree, but apparently, topher, there must be people that interpret the Bible in a way that they've twisted it to allow gay people to be preachers.

Speaker 2: 1:29:40

That's sad man. I wasn't expecting that. That's my point.

Speaker 1: 1:29:42

That was like that's part that leads to my point that I was trying to convey earlier is like but I mean on on that issue.

Speaker 1: 1:29:52

I mean, a man is a man and a woman is a woman. Yeah, and you got to have a man and a woman to have a baby. Is it Purge? But once you start so, they lose me. The woke people in the liberals lose me when they start trying to defy biology. You can. You can defy religion. You can debate religion. You cannot debate what is required to make a human being and it's too sexist. You cannot, you cannot. Nobody can make me believe otherwise.

Speaker 2: 1:30:29

You know, the funny thing is, they used to use science to debunk religion. Now, when that religion is congruent with science, they're not using science, no more.

Speaker 1: 1:30:41

I'm hesitant to even use the word, use the phrase trust the science, because it was hijacked during the pandemic. It was. I don't even like to say science anymore, just trust the science. That's why I use biology or you know a more specific or literal term, because I don't want it to, I don't want my words to come off as being woke propaganda. Yeah, no, absolutely, even if it's not even used in that context.

Speaker 2: 1:31:05

Gotcha. You know what I'm saying, man yeah, we got people out here listening, man, and we got to make sure that we provided them with the best foot for you know, and that's what the information coming out, man, and but, like I said, it's some stuff that, to our core, it shouldn't be debatable. You know, it shouldn't be debated why men are in different sports than women, like it's very common sense, like from sense of kid.

Speaker 1: 1:31:27

We know that, you know and what I really cannot understand is how a man can be in a situation in which a man is kicking a woman's ass in sports and supporting the man, yeah, and saying that he should be. He should have the right to compete wherever he wants to compete and identify as whatever he identifies. I'm look, if you want to identify as an oak tree, I'm straight with it. I'm good, you ain't bothering me, but once you start creating an unequal, obviously unequal playing field contributed to by just biology and anatomy, then I have a problem with that, right, and I think a lot of people should have a problem with that and recognize that that's not normal.

Speaker 2: 1:32:25

Quote unquote yeah, you know the thing about it is, you know, we, we try to be normal so much that we've got there. As Christian, we're meant to be different, and by different I mean distinct.

Speaker 1: 1:32:38

Right.

Speaker 2: 1:32:39

You know, I'm not saying that we got to go out here and just look completely different, dress completely different, but we should be distinct, we should be able to. When people see us and see us working a certain way and do stuff, it's like man. That's something peculiar about these people, man, you know we, they're not following everything we're doing, but they're prospering. You know to the point where they want to, you know, destroy us, to get rid of you, like this when you're doing something good. It reminds me when the Pharaoh got mad at the Israelites for growing so much in Egypt that they decided to imprison them. That was the whole point, like before, that was in Egypt. When they first got there, joseph and his family, everybody, man, they was doing great, and then, down the line, eventually the Pharaoh forgot about what Joseph had did, and with the family and all this stuff, and then they was like man, these dudes are getting too powerful. If someone came against us and started fighting against us, then their projects joined the other side and take advantage of it.

Speaker 1: 1:33:25

Do you think that America would be in existence or ever formed without the influence of Judeo-Christian values?

Speaker 2: 1:33:35

No, no, it's at the core. As much as people want to deny it, it just never would have been one. I mean, it's written in the Bill of Rights, it's written there in the Constitution.

Speaker 1: 1:33:46

Do you think that that should be an established Christianity, should be an established religion in America?

Speaker 2: 1:33:51

No, the national religion, so to speak. No, I mean, I'm glad they didn't create one, because God wouldn't enforce that on us either. I think that freedom of choice is there and should be there, but how much more powerful is Christianity if people are choosing it and not being forced to choose it? Why would he give?

Speaker 1: 1:34:11

you the choice. Why would he give us the choice to follow whatever religion if he was ultimately going to punish us if we didn't follow a certain one?

Speaker 2: 1:34:20

See, we're focused on the people being punished, but not the people that's being loved by them. You're focused on ones not making it, but what about the people that are making it?

Speaker 1: 1:34:28

Right.

Speaker 2: 1:34:29

He gave them a chance to actually choose them. That's how he know he really love them.

Speaker 1: 1:34:33

So Judeo-Christian values? I do agree with you. I do believe that without the Judeo-Christian values or Christian values, that America wouldn't quite end up the way it did in the way of formation and origination. We have a large swath of the American population who resent Judeo-Christian values. Do you think that poses a huge problem for America over the next 50 to 100 years?

Speaker 2: 1:35:08

Depends how big it gets, and that's just for the country and those things. As far as me, my family is going to be good and prosperous, no matter what we are, as long as we've got God, but for the country and the sake and everything else going on. Yeah, for the average person I'm no longer the average person. Lord is elevating to a point where I'm almost unaffected by high inflation and everything else but for the average person, this is a very big signal and red flag that we need to be paying attention to, because if you don't have these principles in place, then what principles do you have in place?

Speaker 2: 1:35:44

A lot of our principles are built around being selfless, loving your neighbor, helping each other out, being a good person. And if you go to a selfless or a selfish type of mentality, which we tend to see now, I want to play women's sports by my man. I want to play that because I want to. I'm selfish, even though I know I have a natural advantage and it should be done, but I want to do it anyway because I'm selfish.

Speaker 2: 1:36:08

We continue down the path where everyone's being selfish, then we won't see it. Nation divided months itself is going to fall. I don't want to see that happen. That's why I'm out here talking, having these podcasts going out and showing people how we can come together and forget about this race and forget about our differences. Let's just focus on one thing that we all can agree upon that we suck as human beings. We don't have it all together, but there's a God that loves us and we can love him together and he can bring out the best in all of us.

Speaker 1: 1:36:37

Have you experienced treatment from white people? Have you ever felt like you were utilized as a pawn in a political game for some white people? Oh yeah, probably, but I'm pretty sure I've been used to it.

Speaker 1: 1:36:50

Have you ever felt that way, like if you ever left a situation or a scenario and like, damn, like they really don't fuck with me I was. Just because of my skin color and how I believe and what's coming out of my mouth, I would say that would be more opportunistic for news like maybe Fox News or something like that.

Speaker 2: 1:37:09

But overall, no, overarching, like day-to-day people, stuff like that maybe, but I never felt that way. Now would it be opportunity. When people try to use me, I've called them out for it and I've called out. When they try to use another person, I say, see, look this black person like this, no, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Like just don't use my race as a way to justify certain things.

Speaker 1: 1:37:28

Yeah, I don't like when people do that.

Speaker 2: 1:37:29

It's like nah, I believe because I believe because it's right, not because I'm black.

Speaker 1: 1:37:33

And now you got to take that and try to convince somebody else because I'm black, Like nah, because there are many, and black people do this too, but particularly white people like to take a black person that thinks more in line with them and utilize them as the model of how black people should be.

Speaker 2: 1:37:53

Right right.

Speaker 1: 1:37:54

And in my view, obviously that's the wrong mindset to have when just assessing humans in general, because to your point, that is a selfish way to contextualize somebody. But there are people that do it and I'm just curious as to whether or not you've experienced that directly or noticed someone may have that motive.

Speaker 2: 1:38:18

I've noticed someone may have that motive after the fact. Right, can I think about the times. Well, I want to say, particularly because I'm black, but because of what I'm saying, sometimes, what you saying and you black, right, right and the combination of the two.

Speaker 2: 1:38:31

Yeah, and I feel like so many people want to come off as not being racist that they go too extreme to highlight race. For sure, absolutely, and I think that's the opposite of what anybody wants, especially people like me. I'm like man. I don't want my race to be brought up, if I can help it. You know I say I never got to choose my skin color, so I don't want to base anything I do based on something I never got to choose. Like I said, I've got. I chose to be a father, I chose to be a husband, I chose to go to the military. These are things I got to choose and select. I chose to be a Christian, like based me on those things I got to select.

Speaker 1: 1:39:08

Have you had many black people ridicule you for trying to be white Of?

Speaker 2: 1:39:11

course, yeah, because apparently, apparently I'm not black enough to be black, but I'm also a guy, enough white in me to be used for the white side too. I guess it's weird sometimes, but I always tell my black people it's like what does this mean to be black then? Because if I'm living a life that I don't do any crime, I don't do any drugs, I take care of my family, yada, yada, yada, I'm educated. I mean, if that's white, then what the heck is black, you know? So I always have to be like y'all got to be careful saying that because we are successful.

Speaker 2: 1:39:45

Matter of fact, a lot of people think the only reason I'm Christian is because it was forced on us. Like no, christianity was in Africa way before it came to America, and there was a lot of Christian nations in Africa. Matter of fact, ethiopia back then was considered a Christian nation, and so it happens that we have also been miseducated in certain areas and people are still taking advantage of our lack of knowledge on the race war. It's like, well, black people deserve this, they need to get this, and this is how we behave. And then other white people is like no, it's not, or we need to save them. They don't know what they're doing.

Speaker 2: 1:40:19

Because on the opposite side you have black people saying I'm thinking wrong. Then the white people tell you that that's how to think. You know. I have the people that come up to me like you're black and you're over Trump. Then you must be on the top or you must be ignorant. You must don't like yourself. You must not like being black. I'm like what I was like. How about I just like my money in my pocket, like why must I be voting? For some reason that has must be started with my race.

Speaker 1: 1:40:48

I think more black men feel like you than we know.

Speaker 2: 1:40:52

Of course.

Speaker 1: 1:40:53

Like. I think that many people who just pay attention to the news media and the narrative that they try to portray think that all black men should and do hate Trump. And that's just not the case, because men in general, in general, are going to want more money in their pocket, I don't care what color their skin is.

Speaker 2: 1:41:16

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:41:17

And they want somebody up there that's going to set up policies and create a business friendly environment, much as he did to put more money back in America's pockets. The green color is what matters in America, baby.

Speaker 2: 1:41:32

Exactly, and a lot of times too. That allows you to not experience stuff, or you could experience it, but it don't have the same impact If you're. A lot of people I talk about too is like we talk about justice system and stuff like that. I'm like I mean more people. Black people are on a poverty level higher. The rate is higher, so that means that we're going to be disadvantaged when it comes to the court system. So one first thing I tell people is you shouldn't be getting in trouble anyway. There's a lot of stuff that we get in trouble for that could be completely avoided. Just stop doing silly stuff. Second, when we do get to court system like you said, white people say that an eye is poor, can say that higher, better lawyers we just get this court-appointed lawyer representative, public defender, and they're not going to really care because they probably got like 100 cases going on and they're just going to go for negotiation.

Speaker 2: 1:42:17

They're just going to go for the plea deal and then a lot of black people take the plea deal. So is the system broken to where it's racist? No, I just think that it's based on how the system is set up. It doesn't do us any good. So people like me, when I get in trouble, or because I don't get in trouble, but if I was in that situation I kept fordo turning, so I'm not going to have the same problem that you're going to have the same struggle. So I try to tell people money is only because they really matter, because even when, at the end of the day, it gets you out of more stuff than you, you know, get yourself out of. So preach tofer. I just try to tell people. I'm trying to educate them.

Speaker 1: 1:42:51

I agree with everything you just said. But I will say and I hate to agree with the wokesters, but I agree with them on this that disparity exists because of slavery. The white people were ahead in society whenever slavery ended. So the reason I say that is because just lack of education, lack of knowledge, not having having not been able to read as a group of people for hundreds of years, that sets a group of people back. I don't give a name what color they are. If you take anybody of any color and you put them in an environment where they can't read for hundreds of years, like that is, that is going to put them behind a group of people. All things equal, except that that group of people can read, then they're going to have an exponentially higher level of knowledge just as a result of that.

Speaker 1: 1:43:57

Now, do I think that America today is 100% out to harm or set back a black man? I do not believe that. I do not believe that Got you that's where you know about me and the wokesters about 19, well, I'd say about 1866, we split and then they you know they keep on the white supremacy. But I think once slavery was abolished that we were then on that quest to make the nation what it ultimately you know, ultimately set out to be is. All men are created equal and to have our landscape evidence that and prove that.

Speaker 1: 1:44:47

But another point that a lot of people do not want to consider is that, yes, you had this system for 200 years or whatever. That people couldn't read I know it was longer than that, but I'm going to say a large swath for 200 years couldn't read like people during slavery. I have no idea if that's true, but that's what I'm going with. But it's going to take a long time to repair what was damaged over the half. You know four or 500 years that black people were in subpar conditions in this country in the way of lack of access to knowledge. It's going to take a long time to basically what I'm saying is not see any evidence of the institution of slavery in America and we're going through that process.

Speaker 2: 1:45:35

I would say I would disagree, because it probably takes about four generations to completely change the direction of any race right, and we've had plenty of generations in between. Matter of fact, the worst things we've done was, to me, was integration, and at a forced time. Not this thing we can naturally get into integration, but a lot of the policies that came from like the liberal woke people that want to push stuff. Today they're doing it, they're forcing stuff and people are not ready for it. And when people are not ready for it, then you get the opportunistic people and then everyone gets taken advantage of on both sides, because you said that if people, we will cut from reading, but then you also assume that every white person could read.

Speaker 1: 1:46:22

That's a bad assumption too, because there are more white people definitely could read, more could read access to the knowledge as opposed to, obviously, the slaves Right.

Speaker 2: 1:46:31

but I'm that's 1865, we're talking 2020, 2023, right. So even back in the 1960s, when we were doing that, we had our own schools, hbcus. Today, we still got our own colleges, but people are still not getting education and getting the advantage because they don't have the same drive. There's a lot of principles that allowed us to do the things that we did back then that we don't adhere to, and one of the principles was church back then, marlith King, everybody back then as church was the place to go. God was a very pivotal point or a very central point in a lot of our lives, but no longer is, especially when it came to the black community, and because of that, we don't see the same results they had back then, because especially when, like I said, you've been a minority, being where you are, you need a big guide on your side to help, and we just don't see that as much. We come to the same parent household when it came to these liberal policies. Right, integrating the schools, liberal policy came down. Right, messed it up and, matter of fact, when they integrated schools, they did what they got rid of all the black schools and moved into the white schools, and the problem is the rules started to change your policies and stuff.

Speaker 2: 1:47:35

I vote for school choice today. That way we can go where we want to go. But they don't want school choice. Liberals don't want school choice. They don't want me to have the opportunity to go where I want to go because secretly they think they know what's best. And they also don't want me to go to the private schools they got and we got school choice money for all the kids. I can go to private school now, but they don't want that to happen. They don't want the elites, they don't want that to happen. But school choice is the best option and now I can go because a lot of the policy we got in place back then probably didn't work for a for black people.

Speaker 1: 1:48:05

You know, what's strange about that is that in Mississippi the parties are flipped. The Republicans don't want school choice because the Republicans send their kids to private schools.

Speaker 2: 1:48:18

Oh no, you got that bad with you. You could do a survey right now.

Speaker 1: 1:48:22

I guarantee it. So you think there are more Democrats who send their children to private schools in the Mississippi legislature than Republicans.

Speaker 2: 1:48:32

Well, you got to think about it. You talk about in the legislature or you're talking about in general, because even in Mississippi in general, and I think there's a lot of Democrats that go to private school too, I mean my sisters. They are very well off and they were still seeing their kids so and they're Democrats. You know what I'm saying. You got to think about it. Like there's some wealthy black people in Mississippi, but they're Democrats. Most of them are not Republicans at all. So I would say, if it's more mixed, but I would say it's more of opposition from Democrats in general to the idea than it is Republicans and, like I said, the reason being because, like I said here, I wish my girls could go where school they want to. But the only reason why I would say this I think Republicans are quicker to move to an area where they can go to the school they want than Democrats.

Speaker 1: 1:49:19

Is that because they are more wealthy and they can afford to relocate on a general, large-scale basis?

Speaker 2: 1:49:26

I would say on a general, large-scale basis. But that's what I'm saying. That's a poverty issue, not a vote, not a party issue. And to erase that poverty issue. This is why I'm for school choice, so that people can just go. I mean, the government is going to give us money anyway for that student. A lot of students go. I think it's ridiculous that someone can stay right across the street from the showbiz central but had to go to Philadelphia, which is down the road.

Speaker 2: 1:49:50

I make zero I think it's absolutely stupid, it makes zero sense, and but they go to Philadelphia now you know. So you got a lot of people moving out to the country just to go to the show.

Speaker 1: 1:50:00

And it's driving real estate values in town down down. And we have a dynamic that exists here in Philadelphia and in Shelby County where I think, now that blacks have control of the city school, there are a lot of people in the black community that don't want them, that don't want to combine the schools or have school choice because they're afraid they'll lose power, yeah, which you know.

Speaker 2: 1:50:27

I agree with them on that. But there's some principles that are more powerful than just being in position, because I know people, because people complain about Freddie Gray right, you remember Freddie Gray? Yes, people thought there was a racist event, even though the attorney general, everybody from the top down, with all black, and they still made it a racist and that was like, well, it don't matter who in charge, it's system to system. So I think, regardless of what happened, black people around here still complain about it. But that's the problem. It's like there's a principle we can put in place that, if they'll listen to, especially that I kind of live by that, we can make the change happen, whether we in charge or not, and that's what's important. It shouldn't matter what school you go to. We should have great teachers regardless. Kids shouldn't be behaving all crazy. We should be teaching our kids some good principles. I get it.

Speaker 2: 1:51:11

Some people are in gangs, I. What are we doing about the gangs? Are we offering them alternatives to go, hang out and learn from? Kids need incentives and we're not offering those incentives and meet them where they at. A lot of teachers and a lot of people around don't want to meet them where they at they're too busy or whatever it's like just want to say, like the church, if we'll get rid of the church not all the churches but if we'll come together as churches and realize there's about kingdom building, we can step in where a lot of people fail. If people fail on resources, we should have resources at every church. We shouldn't be.

Speaker 2: 1:51:44

You know, some people get I'm called a black church, get a white church and give me nothing, this and this and that. Like we need to get to the point where if I call one church and I ain't got it, that church should be able to have a whole network of other churches around here that it can reach out to. Like we need to have that synergy between ourselves so we can show the community how it should be, but we don't have synergy amongst Christians around here and that's the problem. And also I'm here to tell people like I don't know how they've been doing things, but if Toa was around here, I'm speaking, I'm going to these places, I'm going to shake stuff up because I'm tired of it, bro.

Speaker 2: 1:52:15

Like I said, I'm tired of saying people stuck in traditionalism, stuck in legalism, that does nothing for God's people. We are free people, he said. You know who? He says free is free indeed. And so I'm here to tell people, man, we are free from this stuff. We are free to go out and get and be, and rise above poverty, to rise against wickedness and everything else that we see going on. But people are so stuck in their ways, man, that it's crippling.

Speaker 1: 1:52:42

We have an issue of being stuck in our ways because there's not a lot of influx in, there's not a lot of influx out in the way of population, and so when you have people in a confined space for a long period of time and there's not a whole lot of new people coming in at all, then you give you a culture can become stagnant, and not just in religion but just culture as a whole. I think. I think we suffer from that in Mississippi, particularly in our rural communities, just for that sole fact. It's not anybody's fault, it's just human nature. But if we can have people such as yourself go in and disrupt, and people from not necessarily different places, but who have gone off seeing other things, experienced life outside of Mississippi or even the United States of America, and come back and build here, then that influence will spread and there'll be new life and you breath the fresh air and things will get disrupted.

Speaker 1: 1:53:42

I love disruptors. Whether it's a disruptor to the market, whether it's a you know, anybody that's going to shake things up, I don't care how they think. If they have an interesting perspective and they're willing to give their opinion, I love it. I love it. Have you received what you would say is support, since being in Philadelphia and speaking out.

Speaker 2: 1:54:03

I would say I'm still. I haven't been. I can't quite say why I stand with the black community. I would say a lot of white churches have reached out to me, invited me over to speak, wanted to work with me. I've had any black churches here and the thing is I'm not. I'm talking churches and establishments, because there's a lot of the youth that really love me right, really really love me and didn't know who I am.

Speaker 2: 1:54:30

So I'm not blaming the kids and that stuff, as it's not about race, but it's these adults and most likely people in position of power that just for some of my reason, just having said nothing to Tofer, won't Tofer to do anything. And then people will be looking at Tofer like he'll never do nothing to me because y'all ain't ass. I'm trying, I'll go where I feel like I'm led to, but they're not asking me to not reach out, they're not trying to do anything with Tofer. So that's fine. Bible talks about when you go in places and they don't accept you, then they reject you, then you just dust your feet off and keep it going.

Speaker 1: 1:55:05

So have you contacted anybody in the black community or in the black church in Philadelphia to try to do some work with them in some form or fashion? It sounds like you want to.

Speaker 2: 1:55:16

Well, I'm one of the people I don't go. I stand in the door and not kind of like Jesus, like I'm here. You know I'm mad. You know where to reach me. I don't know where you are, I don't know who you are. I wait for people to reach out to me because then I know their intentions are. If I reach out to some people, they may do it just for the sake of doing it. They may just do it just because they don't want in the backlash if they reject it. So you know what I'm saying. I want people to stand in for a genuine reason, and most people that reach out to me they're in it for a genuine reason. So I prefer that even when I go to major events.

Speaker 2: 1:55:47

Sometimes I don't really go places that I'm not invited. If it's a turn of point event or something like that, I hope it don't get an invitation. I don't care what it is, I just don't like to go. But there are other events that do reach out to me and now I go, I don't know. I just a principle.

Speaker 2: 1:56:04

I kind of live by not just saying everybody should, and I'm not saying that I shouldn't just encroach on people or go places or make myself known. And I'm not trying to say that Tofer is big enough that people will want to, and if they don't, it's the same on them. That's not what I'm saying either. All I'm saying is I'd like to know that I'm welcome. As soon as I know I'm welcome and I'm invited, boom, I'll be there and it's not a problem. The show of Accenture has not reached out to Tofer to come speak to their students. Only Philadelphia Elementary don't know what's over that, but they have it and people it's not like I'm that hard to get hold to either, they just have it and I don't, instead of coming up with a reason why and trying to stereotype them or put words in their mouth. It is what it is. But when the time come, I'm still going to treat them with the respect and love that I have for everybody and I'm going to deliver what I can to deliver.

Speaker 1: 1:56:55

Do you ultimately, where does Tofer ultimately go? The brand, excuse me the brand, the personality I mean because at this point that's largely what you are in reality is your personality, and you can take it a lot of different ways. Once you get to the level that you've reached and have attained, where do you ultimately see your career going to in 15, 20 years from now?

Speaker 2: 1:57:25

I really don't know and this that's the fun part, because I can I'm really fully reliant on God and whatever he takes me, I feel like when we start making too many plans ourselves, then when it doesn't go what we think and we tend to reject ideas and don't go that path. But I'm aware I'm attentive, right, I see what's going on and I would love to eventually get maybe a game show, whereas Bible trivia, you know. Host about Tofer. You know what I'm saying. I could be the next Steve Harvey. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1: 1:57:53

I can make it happen, so do you want it to be religiously focused, whatever. Whatever your career turns into, you know, say, say that family feud does. Call Tofer and say hey, tofer, I want you to come replace Steve Harvey, but you got to leave that. You got to leave that guy stuff off the screen.

Speaker 2: 1:58:13

Oh no, when we told me if I had to leave it off I wouldn't go. If I've never been places where I can't be myself, you know, if I ever feel like I can't ultimately express myself, then I'm not going to go. It's just. It's just the. I sleep good at night. I tell people all the time like I got a lot of haters but I got a lot of people that love me too. So I sleep good at night because I know that if they hate me because of who I am, they love me because of who I am. There's no. There's no in between. It's not like somebody I put a face on for or anything like that. Both my haters and my lovers know who I am. I'm comfortable with that. So no, I would never turn down God. You know putting down God and anything for any opportunity. But if they call it, I can still be myself. Sure, I go. Host. You've been in the booth lately Working on it.

Speaker 2: 1:58:59

You've been laying them bars down? Well, that's what I'm saying. Working on the studio. Can we just move? Oh really. So I've been upgrading the studio, so I have not laid in the bars down as of May this year, but the bars are coming, they are coming. I got a lot to say too. I got a lot of stuff I want to speak on that I think is relevant today and relevant to where I'm at in my life too. I never expected to be in this position or to be talking about Bible trivia. I told somebody, I always tell people this is the moment I put the mic down, my voice became louder. So I went from doing music to not doing music and just quizzing people by the Bible, and my voice has reached way more people than my music has ever reached. And that's just because God, when he pushed you and pushed you on a mission and pushed you on a path, he's able to do that.

Speaker 1: 1:59:49

Did you see an uptick in your reach after Musk took over Twitter? No, I wonder about that for people who have a large following, because I hear a list celebrities say oh, you know, joe Rogan, for example. Also, there are a couple of other people that are middle or would consider themselves moderate who said they have seen their reach increase exponentially since Musk taken over. Have you ever had any situations in which you put content out and a platform either deletes it or says that you cannot post it?

Speaker 2: 2:00:38

Yeah, took that Instagram the both been YouTube ever demonetized you. No, I've never got a strike on YouTube and I've spoken about the whole alphabet community as well, so I don't know, maybe I did it in a respectful way, I have no idea, but no, I haven't gotten these strikes over there. But yeah, TikTok man that was. That would not let me have it and I was being like very outspoken on politics and stuff like that. They would not let me get out there.

Speaker 1: 2:01:09

That's a Chinese on company, huh yeah supposedly right, but um, yeah, yeah, and.

Speaker 2: 2:01:15

but the people running it tend to be Americans, and those Americans are very, very far left. I think most people that work at social media are very far left.

Speaker 1: 2:01:23

The left did a good job of understanding how it could be utilized in the future, that being social media and the social technology and they got their people in there. Oh yeah, I mean they did a very good job of building out that infrastructure to ensure that they could control the message and the narrative.

Speaker 2: 2:01:39

Right, and that's why I was glad when Elon Musk bought. X formerly known as Twitter, because he was able to drive out all those people that was just there for that purpose.

Speaker 1: 2:01:48

There's so many bots on all the platforms, though. It's crazy.

Speaker 2: 2:01:52

Yeah, like I don't understand why they can't get rid of bots. Y'all can do everything else, y'all can track when someone says this, this post, that post, but y'all can't understand when someone's making a fake profile and spam comment and those stuff. It's, it's unknowingly. I know they know and see it, but they don't want to get rid of it. It's, it's, come on, man, it falsely inflates everything.

Speaker 1: 2:02:12

Yeah, it falsely inflates all the likes, all the comments, all the followers. All that shit is false to a certain extent because there's fake accounts man.

Speaker 1: 2:02:23

And it makes it hard to, it makes it more difficult to determine which accounts have merit and which don'ts. Like you know, look at somebody who has 225,000 followers. Okay, how many of those are real people? Right, and that's something that I see. Like there's when I, when I post content, there's this account, these random accounts, will tag and say promoted on at Mississippi or something, yeah, and I'm like I delete and block and restrict those some of the bitches every time they come up, because I I mean it's just, it's just false, like I said, falsely inflating, and so then that gives a false impression to just from an analytical data standpoint, is it makes it more difficult to discern what's what.

Speaker 2: 2:03:12

But not only that, but because of how the algorithms are based. I know Instagram for sure. It sends your content out to at least 10% of your followers and it's random Right. They don't if. If it happened, 8% of the 10% happened to be bots that you don't want to follow.

Speaker 1: 2:03:28

And nobody's getting your message. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:03:31

You know. So that's one of the things I hate too is like man get rid of these bots, cause I don't. I want real people and that way that I'm making sure that I'm reaching real people and getting the most potential. But yeah, it's, it's very ferreting.

Speaker 1: 2:03:42

Yeah, and you get a more. You get a true reflection of what, how the people are receiving the content and the stuff that you're putting up, as opposed to some robot that apparently is from India, says, promoted on Mississippi community or whatever that account is, and then like that accounts different every time it says promoted on such and such account and then I'll go to it and then it's different and the next time the the other bot puts it on there.

Speaker 2: 2:04:09

Yes, it's a like. I said, man, fix it, Whatever I do Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, I don't like you, but fix it, man, Just get rid of it. Is he really going to fight Elon Musk? I don't know what's really going to happen. I know, if they do, the internet's going to break. If Elon and Mark both guys are reigned and the next going to break. That's all I know. Everybody will be tuning in man. You know how much that would make.

Speaker 1: 2:04:33

I can't imagine, and it would probably be the worst fight ever.

Speaker 2: 2:04:37

I don't know man, he may, he may grow some, grow some fists. Man I saw, I saw Mark, he looked like he was in shape.

Speaker 1: 2:04:44

I think Elon will put them paws on Mark.

Speaker 2: 2:04:48

Real talk. I, I, I. Hey, elon, I know you say you're on a spectrum, but hopefully take this joke. We're like kind of with lightness, but man, you've got the autism string. You got that autism string baby.

Speaker 1: 2:05:04

So a retard, straight that dude. That shit's real, it is man. That's another one of those stereotypes. I was thinking about that the other day. I was like every, for some reason, every slow person that I've ever encountered have been inordinately strong, I mean it's a stereotype for a reason. And then you get into saying get into trouble for saying retard strength. Oh yeah, I can't say that, no more. So says, says the woke crowd. Yeah, the the word police. Have you ever read the book 1984 by George Orwell?

Speaker 2: 2:05:45

Yeah, I haven't read him yet, but uh, so many people have represented. I've seen a lot of like um clips and stuff about the book and he someone said he must have been a prophet, because everything he's saying is like word for word. What's going on?

Speaker 1: 2:06:01

He nailed it and it's a very good book to describe a lot of the different topics that are being discussed now and I guess you could say political culture and pop culture when you're talking about my, you know, mind control, word control, propaganda, the difference between, uh, free society, uh, communism, capital, capitalism.

Speaker 1: 2:06:27

It's a and it's a snapshot of all of those different things and instead of like for me, it resonated with me because it's similar to how I see what's going on today.

Speaker 1: 2:06:41

When you talk about the television and this was just a screen in general, and then people living through screens, and then in the book in 1984, every citizen has this screen and they're basically a TV in their house. But you could. The difference is they could, they could see into your house. So it's a TV that can, they can, whoever's on the other end of the TV can see into your house. So that was the only difference between what Orwell had in the book and what our TV is today, or our phone or our computer or whatever, and just how the speech control, really how that speech can be controlled and language can be altered and certain words can take certain meanings on a mass scale to some people and then it not resonate Like I'm sure there's shit in Russia or North Korea that mean I'm sure there's many things that mean one thing to the rest of the world and something totally different to whoever's in North Korea or Russia.

Speaker 2: 2:07:44

Man, they got the technology now that all they need to get forward from you and they can create a whole, a whole AI that can speak just like you and create a whole vocabulary. So they got to know where they can call somebody and, even if they're just calling, and get your voice so you pick up and you just say, you say hello, who is this. By that time they can take just that small clip and now they can take your voice, use it and start calling your family members. And that's actually started going on, where this lady got a call from what she thought was her daughter that has been kidnapped.

Speaker 2: 2:08:17

Oh, I saw that and paying ransom. So it's like that's what technology is going. And then, with the deep fake and everything else, going on, so much with the visuals is like man, what is what is real Like? Is that really someone speaking? Is that really Joe Biden? Is that really? You know, as they say? I know they're making fun of Jamie Foxx, but it's like they're really. Jamie Foxx is a clone. I was like, nah, it's really Jamie Foxx, but it's to that point now you just don't really know. You think you know, but their technology has gotten to that point, man.

Speaker 1: 2:08:49

That's why I'm glad I have a strong Southern accent, because it's going to be more difficult for AI to emulate my country as than, say, someone with a neutral American accent from. You know one of the coasts. Yeah, okay, I can see that. Like, think about them. Think about AI trying to emulate Boosie as opposed to you know.

Speaker 2: 2:09:14

I didn't know what that means.

Speaker 1: 2:09:19

Imagine. Imagine AI trying to emulate, or a little Wayne. Lil Wayne was like I'm ready for them, motherfuckers. He's like they cannot emulate me.

Speaker 2: 2:09:28

Man, you know what. He said that. And then technology get them right down to the T, so they did the Drake.

Speaker 1: 2:09:33

Yeah, they got it, created the Drake. Hey y'all some, yeah, it sounded just like Drake.

Speaker 2: 2:09:38

Just like Drake until they sued him and got it taken down. It's like man they technology is crazy, but you just got to be careful, man. Like I said, this is why it's good to have a spirit of discernment, and that's what the Bible and Christ can provide you with a spirit of discernment, Even when you out here and you're not quite sure. It can tap into the spiritual world and give you the knowledge that you don't have in the physical world, man. So it's just one of the things that we got to start using.

Speaker 1: 2:10:04

Chat. Gpt is badass, it is. So you talk about cutting down on some time for, like, research and shit. I mean you can. You can really gather a lot of information in a short period of time, like from summarizing books, like cliff notes on books or studies and things like that. Like even like we thought Google was good, yeah. Yeah, think about where it's going to be in 10 years.

Speaker 2: 2:10:33

I did a. I said write a rap song about like American Revolution. And it did in like 30 seconds and it was funny Like it had the chorus and everything in it and it was about the American Revolution. It was like yo check it. I say this is hilarious. I said I might do an album just based on chat GPT songs and just see what happens.

Speaker 1: 2:10:55

So at this point in your music career, are you only doing Christian themed music? Are you a, would you say? You are a Christian rapper? I can say that, but I was like as a, as a, not a marketing tool, but like if we had to put tofer in a box if you had to put me in box.

Speaker 2: 2:11:14

I have no problem with being a conservative Christian. Whatever I tell people, don't put me in a box. I'm just an artist, you know so music is basically speaking.

Speaker 1: 2:11:21

you wouldn't say you fall into a genre, so to speak, or a type of hip hop.

Speaker 2: 2:11:25

I would say I I haven't even shown people how much I was willing to experiment, but I'm definitely not limited to just regular, you know, hip hop and everything else. I mean, the Patriot wasn't a typical hip hop song at all. Even if I heard the Patriot it was very, very different. But I do have songs that's. You know straight up hip hop and I got us experimental. I like expressing myself in those creative ways, you know and pushing, pushing innovation.

Speaker 2: 2:11:52

That's what we were talking about earlier. So, yeah, I got some stuff on the way that I can say, once I get the system up, I'm going to be pushing stuff on that side. You know it's it's been a while I invested in everything else but my music and now I'm investing in back into, like upgrading my mic, upgrading this, and now that I got my basement, I can fly people out or invite people to come that I typically don't get to work with. I can say, hey guys, you know, come spend a week over here. Man, you stay in the basement, whatever, you know, shower whatever, and I can place a, put people up that we can sit there and work on some music that I didn't have access to do before. So I'm definitely looking forward to a higher level and quality coming out. My next project.

Speaker 1: 2:12:35

So did your network. When did your network begin to grow beyond your immediate proximity in relation to your virality?

Speaker 2: 2:12:48

Let me see. I would probably say it was probably by the same time, probably the same kind of like. Going at the same time as I went viral, people who had no people I never seen before got to see eyes on me and because they got to see eyes on me now they was kind of like oh man, I support what you do. Like tell me Vex. Like you know, I was talking about him earlier but he was one of the probably the biggest artists I've ever collaborated with and we talked about a guy who got platinum records and everything else. Like this guy was killing once again.

Speaker 2: 2:13:17

Bad was is a huge band was no longer now, but during that time, you know, he reached out to me because the Patriot and the controversy that went around the Patriot and he was like man, I really like this guy and I'm all for free speech and he should be able to talk about it and he was sharing my content without like he didn't DM me or DM me or nothing. He would just share my content and support our calls and I was like yo, look at this, you know, so I would say something Tangus.

Speaker 1: 2:13:44

How hard is it for an artist, an independent artist, to see a return on their investment in the way of music?

Speaker 2: 2:13:51

And that's a tough question Because unfortunately, numbers don't lie right and if you don't have many followers, then you probably not going to have too many purchases, you're not going to have too many streams, and that's why labels today will take a person with too many followers and, even though they're not an artist, they'll get them and release a song and and they put money behind it because they got the followers to buy versus a person of super talent and maybe got 800 followers.

Speaker 1: 2:14:19

And it's cheaper for them to take on someone that already has a platform and a following as opposed to taking an actual talented person. Not saying that a lot of people aren't talented, but I'd say many artists probably do miss out on getting a deal with a label because they may not be as savvy on social media.

Speaker 2: 2:14:40

Yeah, so yeah, that's, that's the game. You know it's naming the game right now and instead of you hating it, just get on it.

Speaker 2: 2:14:48

You got to just become part of social media. You know, I also also I tell people this it helps you with your branding in general too, Because now all the because. If you say I'm going to label and they do all the branding, when you leave them, they take that with them. But if you can do all the branding yourself and you get people queuing with you, it don't matter where you go, they're going to follow you.

Speaker 1: 2:15:10

So is it like 10,000 streams to 10 cents or something crazy like that?

Speaker 2: 2:15:15

No, it's 1000 streams to okay, but like this, 1500 streams is a dollar. That's better than I thought. Yeah, well, that's what they consider a dollar, right, but it's right. Now per stream is 0.004.

Speaker 1: 2:15:31

Do you put your stuff out through someone like a distro kid?

Speaker 2: 2:15:35

I was using distro kid, but they don't want that band to Patriot, so I stopped using them.

Speaker 1: 2:15:39

Really Yep. What was their bond?

Speaker 2: 2:15:42

to pick with the Patriot. They never gave me a bond, they just said they received a takedown order from they didn't say from where. They said from the stores. They're very general.

Speaker 1: 2:15:52

They never was specific, how long was it out before they took?

Speaker 2: 2:15:56

it down Three weeks. It came out December 19, 2020. I know, yeah, 2020. And it was taken down January 26, 2021. I wonder why I wonder, why yeah not sure why, but anyway it was taken down. And I went back and forth with them for a while and I realized and they said if you attempt to re-upload this song, either we told you we took it down, we will remove your entire catalog. So you moved away from distro kid. Yeah, I went to Ditto Music and they did.

Speaker 1: 2:16:24

I never had any issues since I've been with them Well that seems to me like it'd be a distro kid decision, being that you're on the same stores now with what's the hosting service you mentioned, ditto Music. I mean you're still in all the same places now that you were when you went through district kids, so it sounds like they're full of shit Pretty much.

Speaker 2: 2:16:45

And that's what I thought too, and that's when I started learning that it's some people that got their own political motives. And so when I tried to work with people right now I'm going through two laws I got a distro deal with Run. Run is the guy who used to manage man. He started what's the name of that platform? I can't think of it. It starts with A, but it was also a distribution label. But he started Run and I've been talking to him and his name is Diego. Diego does a really good job with what he also offers me what I wasn't getting with Ditto Music.

Speaker 2: 2:17:19

So, like recently, my album was taken down by two laws and I was like, why was my album down? So I called him. He said I'm worried about my lawyers on it. So now I got people. When something goes bad, you're not just pissing me off. I got somebody that's also invested in it. So now they got actual lawyers in time and it took no time for them to figure out what the problem was. It's. You got resolve album back up. So now I got that leverage. But he's also a type of person that's profit over politics. So he's like I don't care what you're saying. If you got an audience that listen to this, that's all it matters to me. I like that guy. I like that guy. It's like, bro, they buying it. I'm here, we're going to enhance it, we're going to put it out, we're going to have a grow, but that's it. And I was like that's the people I want to work with yeah, that's the way it should be.

Speaker 2: 2:17:58

But you know, but some people, like I said, they want their politics to prioritize everything, even to, you know, to your own detriment.

Speaker 1: 2:18:04

That's the problem with private industry becoming private industry, becoming so politically opinionated as opposed to just selling whatever product it is that they bring to the market, they feel that they have to impose whatever ideology they have on the entire American public, and not to mention the social media companies doing the bidding work of the democratic party and altering for sure, altering the election in 2020. You know people will scream up and down about fraud at the ballot box or at home, or melon ballots this, that and the third. I don't think the fraud was there. The fraud was on the social media apps.

Speaker 2: 2:18:52

Oh yeah, it's terrible.

Speaker 1: 2:18:53

That were shadow banning and closing down content, not allowing content to flow freely throughout the virtual world, and putting their stamp on the election in that way.

Speaker 2: 2:19:07

I told people. I remember being banned from going live and on Instagram and I never said anything. I don't cuss when I'm going live, I ain't saying nothing crazy. I remember I got banned just because right before the election, 30 days for election they made sure and when I got back it was the day after election. I just banned people that had influence and that was probably.

Speaker 1: 2:19:26

Think about how crazy that is tofer.

Speaker 2: 2:19:28

Think about how wild that is, yep. And then it was like people naked on there not being banned, but tofag is banned. I was just like this is that's what we had to deal with and that's why I'm glad a lot of people are here. You know suing social media companies, you know, just to make sure let them know that we're not falling for it. We're going to put up a fight.

Speaker 1: 2:19:44

I think it doesn't hit home with the average person the level of censorship that's going on, because it's virtual, Like think. Think if we if you and I, Tofer, we went to somebody's house and we just unplugged their phone from the wall or we just cut their, cut their cell phone off or took away their means to walk out their front door and give their message, let's say. To give it any even better example or analogy, let's say you have a guy in town who likes to have his voice heard back in the day before technology, and he would take his megaphone up to the square in town and he would pull that megaphone out and that would allow him to make his messages allow as possible. And then somebody just takes his megaphone away or they just put tape over his mouth. That would resonate with an average person.

Speaker 2: 2:20:32

But the fact that it's done online and through technology and it's not readily available for people to recognize that the banning or the censorship that, like happened to you, is going on, that's like, if it doesn't hurt them personally, then yeah, but it also goes to the fact that, because social media and algorithm and how things are, how they're creating a short attention span, that by the time after two weeks they forgot about, they moved on and something else, and even that person got banned, even though it was terrible, they was upset, they found some new creator or somebody else and they moved on with it, and so, to our own detriment, social media also plays a part in that and that's why they don't really care about banning people, because they know that they've Trained us to not care for.

Speaker 1: 2:21:21

They know exactly what they're doing. Yeah, they knew before they put the shit out Social media. They knew, before it even came online, what it was capable of doing to the human brain. Yeah, and they still unleashed it without a Large amount of guardrails.

Speaker 2: 2:21:36

Yeah, which is fine. But once again, that goes back to why we need to be diligent and do this of our own, because we have to know, we have to Recognize that this is what is for you know, because you think about there in the business of making profits, and the more that, the longer they can get you still in an app, the more profit they make and that's why they make the type of content, a lot of certain kind of type of content they do Because feel like I feel like if you own, if you open your app, see politics, you might get offended. You get off, so they're gonna block politics, but they'll put a naked later on there with a kid's app and that's fine because most likely not gonna close that, it's just gonna stay on right. So it's that type of stuff is what's going on and people gotta know this is because they love money, not because they love people, because they love money.

Speaker 2: 2:22:22

And once you notice, you do better. And that's why I encourage people. You gotta be smart, you gotta know what's going on, you gotta know how they think and why they do what they do. And then, once you know what they do and why they do it with it. Do take that and use that to your own advantage.

Speaker 1: 2:22:35

Mm-hmm, and that's what I do and Also to piggyback off what you said about them loving profit. That is true. At the end of the day, these people who run these social media companies and these big corporations in general in America Love money. That's what America is about.

Speaker 1: 2:22:49

Mm-hmm about achieving what you can from a monetary standpoint and having the liberty, life and pursuit of happiness, right. So I'm good with that. But there's gonna be a point when their political opinions and profit Don't agree, right, and they're getting closer and closer by the day. So like, at what point are they gonna stop banning tophers, or shadow banning tophers? And you know the the majority of the population is gonna be like hold up, you can't, you can't do that. Then they're gonna have to make a decision when everybody's up on game. Is it about profit or is it about political ideology?

Speaker 2: 2:23:31

when alternative comes up that allows people to Get away from their platform, but also they're the same people that's fighting to keep alternatives for coming up right.

Speaker 1: 2:23:40

Oh yeah, I've got a monopoly.

Speaker 2: 2:23:41

Yeah, yeah. So you also see that you know Cuz we talk about it like. One of the majors people that was trying to get tiktok ban in America was Facebook. Mm-hmm. Why? Because people wouldn't spend time on Facebook, mm-hmm, not because it was some security problem or something like that. Yes, that's the, that's what they're selling it as. But Facebook, like bro, we can get rid of tiktok in the US. We get all these people back on the Facebook and now they've got Facebook and Instagram reels. Yeah, we just be the new tiktok. That's. That's the whole idea behind it, and people don't see that side of it either. But if they can get that going, man, they make all the money they can. But I, once they come up with alternative, because it's just like and how's the bush learned, you know, for channel push.

Speaker 1: 2:24:20

That's a great example. Push this great down there and against their cuz.

Speaker 2: 2:24:25

Their customer base has nothing to do with that. The customer base which is hard working blue collar Americans that don't care nothing. First of all, that don't agree with you trying to push. And then they saw a huge loss in profit, building the dollars and it has not recovered and it's probably not going to recover, you know. So it's like do you want to make them a steak for what? Just because you want to go out here and post, be progressive and Push, push politics? It's like people just want to be at the end of the day.

Speaker 2: 2:24:50

Like you say, if I tell people, man, I'll talk about God, but I ain't trying to push God on nobody. You know I'm saying right, right, like if you come to told for toes on, talk about God, because this is what he does, what he does. But I'm not gonna go down your throat and get a megaphone and yell in your ear when you're at your dinner table and say God loves you. No, I'm not doing that because then it would be irritating. And that's what they did. They got this one and said yeah, this and like I, like, no, we don't want that, we just want to drink our beer and peace. But you know they're trying to recover by getting hearty fellow Philodeffin to be a face of the the bush site.

Speaker 1: 2:25:22

Yeah, he's a saw where he's with bush like yeah, same company as his bud. Like yeah.

Speaker 2: 2:25:29

So they trying to um, they're trying to get them, to bring people back, but I just don't see it coming back no time soon. And I see people come out while turning the beers, which is cool, but, like I said, either we get fed up and just really say, no, see these platforms, or they got to be a better alternative. It comes out.

Speaker 1: 2:25:46

I think it'll come back. I Don't know if Bud Light, specifically that beer, will come back. I don't know if the profits from Bud Light will, but Anheuser bush is gonna be fine in the long run Because I know people, to your point, still drinking bush light. Never quit drinking Michelob, like people. There are people on the Michelob Bandwagon. They are tried and true. They will no matter what happens, they're gonna. They drank Michelob yesterday, they drank it today and they gonna drink that shit till they put them six feet in the ground. And but now Bud Light?

Speaker 2: 2:26:18

I think that beer is, yeah, I think it's pretty much toast and that's what people starting to get, as like yeah, you straw one, but and how the bush control, control. So much like what is? It gonna do. It's like, well, yeah, like they only did it with one brand you know I saw for it did the rainbow truck, which I was confused by. I was like what does it even mean? Like they did a whole rainbow truck for private. I'm like what they got to do with riding a truck?

Speaker 2: 2:26:40

like you know, it's just one of things like this has nothing to do With the product that you make. You're making.

Speaker 1: 2:26:46

Yeah, it's. It's indicative of our academia being infiltrated by this woke mindset. And then the people that are educated in our Ivy League and prestigious schools throughout the country are now transitioning half transition for a decade into corporate executive offices across America and they're just blasting that bullshit that they've been told and they've been indoctrinated with Into the marketing tactics of our corporations.

Speaker 2: 2:27:15

Yeah, that's weird and that's why they tell people. It's like they like to say you know left or Democrats are more educated. You know professionally? Then, um, republicans, I'm like yeah, cuz I'm not an idiot and one y'all the main ones complaining about student debt too, because y'all go pay for all these degrees that mean nothing. And just because you went to school does not mean that you're smart Like y'all went there, got educated and y'all still don't know that a man can't be a boy, I mean a girl.

Speaker 2: 2:27:41

I know a girl can't be a boy. So it's like so what's the point of your education? So no, I never fall for that and I never like Cared. And I got a couple degrees just because but not because I was trying to be smarter than somebody's you know just kind of some idea, you know. But I'm glad that I didn't fall for that trap of being the most educated cuz. Then I probably would have been more indoctrinated on some BS, because they're not really letting conservatives come and talk to students, they're not letting conservatives come in. You know, a lot of books from conservatives are being schools. It's just not like the book from Michael Manning called colored communism. It's called color Something in communism.

Speaker 1: 2:28:20

Michael Malus.

Speaker 2: 2:28:21

Now, that was Michael Manning.

Speaker 1: 2:28:23

Michael Manning.

Speaker 2: 2:28:23

Yeah, michael Manning. I forget the name of the book, but I read a book but it's about a black guy that was, you know, back in the 60s that was going through communism and how they literally told him like there was gonna use the black people as the face of communism and get a push through this country. And he was one of the people that's there and he realized this is some BS and he called you know it, basically blew whistle on it and to this day you can look back through that book and see exactly what they did to get us going in the wrong direction.

Speaker 1: 2:28:49

Are you familiar with Tana? He see coats. No, he's an author, I think. He's from Baltimore, maryland, and he has written a couple of different books that have been heralded as very Intriguing and insightful Works by the woke community.

Speaker 1: 2:29:13

The name of the book that I've read by him escapes me now, but essentially his viewpoint is that America has, is and will always be meant to hold a black man down, and it's blasphemous. The the narrative I'll allow y'all to read for yourselves and make that opinion for yourselves, but my takeaway was that he hates America either. His understanding of America is an idea of America is wrong. It's certainly different from mine, but the fact that a book like that is Seen as being forward-thinking and of the, the academia class, that is disturbing quite honestly, and I mean there are a multitude of different examples. They could be used, but I encourage you to, and I've got the book in my phone. I can't believe. I can't remember the name of it right now, but I'll send it to you and Check it out for yourself. I'd be interested, after reading it, what your opinions on it are for real, because it's it's wild.

Speaker 2: 2:30:24

Yeah, I'm going to you that this BS, you know, and a lot of what gets us in trouble is our behavior and what we see today. Things that we can control, like we're. We're held back today From what we can control more than what we can't. That ever could. You know. It's kind of like you know they took the chains off but now we're enslaved in our minds. You know, that type of mentality is like now is they don't care, they don't have to take us out on lynches like we lynching ourselves, but we've killed each other more than the KKK ever could have or ever did in America.

Speaker 1: 2:31:01

Is that factual? Is that statistically accurate?

Speaker 2: 2:31:04

statistically accurate. And then we talk about hangers. They wouldn't have many people home. We we thinking like hundreds of thousands people hung, is you know thousands like? I think it was like four thousand, five thousand total, something like that. It's like right is what we make it seem like it was just a natural.

Speaker 1: 2:31:20

Every Sunday we went out and did stuff definitely the the liberal media is guilty of doing that right.

Speaker 2: 2:31:26

So I'll tell people like what was really really bad back then and how we portrayed it wasn't as bad as we think. But also today is even worse because we doing all, we're doing our own bid, like we just go ahead and do I think about, when we look at people robbing stores in California as money mainly black people, right, they're going out there just just shoplifting, just for no reason. When we see people twerking on top of cars, they're doing crazy stuff, black people and it's just like why are we the ones? I don't see Asians out there doing that stuff, I don't see Jews out there doing that stuff, but for some reason us, as black people, got me out there doing it. And I'm not saying why people don't do crazy stuff. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying majority of time it's gonna be us acting a fool for no reason and then we're gonna complain about how the system got a bunch of us locked up when all you had to do is not do it. When I go out and I'm walking around and I smell weed, almost 99% of the time is a black person, because we just go out in public smell like we. It's like I'm not saying why people don't smoke weed but they smoke at the house and don't leave the house when they Go home and stay home. You know, I'm saying like we just like to smoke and get high the car, go back to work like, bro, what are you doing? Like, why are you doing this? Like you're gonna draw the unnecessary tension and then you gonna get locked up and then you're gonna Be blaming it because I'm black. Say no, because you stupid. So I'm saying like a lot of us are making stupid decisions and I tell people tofu, why not locked up?

Speaker 2: 2:32:45

I can say exactly why I'm not locked up. I ain't I here breaking the law? Ain't no police officer ever came to my door say you're under arrest for not breaking the law because you black ain't? Nobody ever said that. And Then when I get pulled over by the police, I've I've got more warnings in tickets. I'm in one time of the last three times I got pulled over all through warnings and from different people in Mississippi and by black cop and white cops, whatever.

Speaker 2: 2:33:09

But it's like one guy was like when you coming from, I mean I had dead to rights, everything was wrong with me. I was going back and forth, remember. I'll tell you about Malico earlier. So I was going back and forth from Jackson, I was getting off work and I had a headlight out. I didn't know I had headlight out and this on that, just trace right. So I had a hoodie on this is hoodie tophi. Like I said, tophi ain't dressed like a professional, whatever it's like I Could be anything at this point.

Speaker 2: 2:33:32

Hoodie on Black guy, young guy, headlight missing, whatever I get pulled up guy come on. You know it's a hell of that. So no, sir. Then he asked my insurance. I didn't have my insurance, I couldn't find my car. All these things is going wrong. And then at the end of the day he was like so he come from? I said well, I'm get off work. I said so where you head to? I said I'm headed Philadelphia. He said that's like an hour and a half, almost two hour drivers. Yes, sir, I said I drive back and forth every day from work. And because I was respectful and he understood I was doing he's, let me go with a warning. But anybody, were you doing the speed limit? Yeah, he actually pulled me over because I have my headlight out. Oh Golly, the natural straight not your trace.

Speaker 2: 2:34:07

No, it's if you, I Drive 55, five over this, my max because I feel like a 57 they pulling you over on a natural trace. Bro, like it's, you don't get to get that 10, 10 over cushion, but yeah, I do 55 at max, but I was. There's why you pulled me over and, like I said, a lot of stuff was going wrong and he didn't. He didn't know I'm fighting for you.

Speaker 1: 2:34:27

Gave me over the one many, many black people do believe in the American system, even those that you would think don't for example, drug dealers, because they understand the risks that they're taking and they're willing to take that shit to trial Real tall yeah you know, they understand the importance of being able to just go get in front of your peers and say, alright, well, let's see. Y'all tell me if I did it Right right, did nothing, right, right, good boy you know, mr.

Speaker 1: 2:34:59

You surely know the last, mr Biggs, was From mobile Mm-hmm. You familiar with him, mm-hmm, oh yeah, you get you 12 white folks and we'll strike this bitch up. That's what he said. Let's take it to trial. Boosie's the same way. Boost his gun case just may go to the Supreme Court, the one that he just got in California. Yeah, like, don't get me wrong Convicted felon, he knows the rules. He definitely should not have had a gun on it, but it's Boosie. Boosie gonna do what Boosie want to do and he got called as a convicted felon with a gun. But there's now precedent, mm-hmm, that's pushing back against the laws that state that Convicted felon. It's unconstitutional for convicted felon to not be able to Express his Second Amendment rights.

Speaker 2: 2:35:57

Yeah, I'm speaking on that. Actually one of my buddies, a good friend's, craig Long out of Florida. He was a convicted felon and he actually fought to get his rights back and he did. They gave him right back to bear arms and he's probably one of the first they're probably gonna say his case too I'm one of first to get his rights back to own a gun and, matter of fact, he went to jail for murder somebody with a gun and he still got his right back after that. Oh then Boosie's gravy I mean if that's, if that's on the books and it's a federal charge.

Speaker 1: 2:36:24

I think it may be a state charge in California, but even still, I'm sure you get like a lot of people who are I'm sure you get like look, this dude murdered somebody. He was a convicted felon, he had a gun and now he's a free man like Boosie just had it in his waistband.

Speaker 2: 2:36:39

Yeah, on a music video. I think it's stupid that. That's a thing I think. Once you out of jail, you know Barring anything too extreme, like you should be giving your rights.

Speaker 1: 2:36:48

Yeah, if you've done your time. Yeah, like if you've done your time, you should be able to vote, you should be able to have your bear your arms. Because here's the thing, topher if we as a society are saying, okay, this man has gone and served his time, he has paid his debt to society, he's out, he's outside of those walls, let's give him his full rights back Come and that should be restored the day to get out.

Speaker 2: 2:37:11

It shouldn't be like he shouldn't have to go appeal. He should I do nothing. That person should be restored everything right then when they get out. If you don't think they're ready to return back to society as an operating person, then don't release him. Correct that's?

Speaker 1: 2:37:23

that's almost admitting as a system that we're not doing enough to deter people from committing crime or Rehabilitating them right? So another point is is that, like Before people commit felonies, I highly doubt that they're worried that they're gonna lose their, like they're what they're thinking about? Losing their right to vote? So it's not like it's a deterrent from people, from keeping people from committing felonies. It's like people really don't think about that until after they've been Rehabilitated and they get back to society and they're like I'm not that person anymore. Plus, I've paid my debt to the society for the wrongs that I've done. Now Let me go be a full functioning, full participant in our civil society right, and that's and that's the opportunity we should be given them, you know.

Speaker 2: 2:38:12

And but there's money to it, right? Once again, I talked to earlier. It's the cycle. They don't want to do too much because they want you to come back because the money been poured into it. Not saying that private system, private prisons, is the reason why this is going on, but I do say private prison tend to be better off living wise for sure, then state prisons, but there is still some incentive there to make sure we have some repeat customers, you know. So Shout out to everybody. That's, you know, locked up right now. I don't know if you can hear this or not, but oh yeah, they listen.

Speaker 1: 2:38:43

they listen in the pen Shout out Parchman.

Speaker 2: 2:38:45

Hey, what's up Parchman? Yeah, they need shut Parchman down, by the way, and that place is horrific.

Speaker 1: 2:38:50

They should probably shut Parchman down, and they should probably also shut down Angola.

Speaker 2: 2:38:54

Yeah, bees man Mississippi, we got to do better with our prisons. Man Like, why would that person get out and want to do better in society when you treated them like?

Speaker 1: 2:39:02

and it is just all of our public facilities schools, prisons, hospitals Everything that's public in Mississippi is pretty much shit.

Speaker 2: 2:39:12

Yeah, it's terrible and but you know. But let's also tell people to we could supplement. We don't have to just rely on the government. We can improve our stuff when we come together and just improve it. That is very true. But we can't come together cuz we so bit out of shape about small stuff.

Speaker 2: 2:39:27

Man, I'm like you know, I See more people mad at the grant for when you're restoring the Ellis Theater and then I was like, well, what about the Book of T Washington gym? That's our well, why can we get grants for them? I'm like maybe there ain't no grants for the mayor, there's not priority, but we can. Why can we all put a dollar in every month? You know, since thousands of us we call put a dollar in every month, about two years, we get enough to get enough to. You know, get along and get it fixed, get it renovated. But we just sit here complaining about Everything and want everybody come in and save us and do this and that. I don't know. Marty Stewart, man, maybe they just like Marty Stewart, maybe he's got some favor, but that ain't what we. Yet If we'll put our mind together and I tell people we can do that, I'll pledge that, like it was just a dollar month every person black white, whatever. We get that joint up and running.

Speaker 2: 2:40:13

But the thing is, once we get up and running, what we're gonna do with it? Are you gonna take care of it? Maintaining things is much harder than acquiring. I tell people that all the time like, yeah, so if we got a big house stuff, got this or whatever. But maintaining a joint is what a real work. Come in, everyone can get something. So if we're gonna maintain something we got, make sure we got the principal's in place, them in the mindset and it goes. And if we're gonna change the community, man, we gotta make sure we get people in the right path.

Speaker 1: 2:40:37

Yeah for sure, definitely. Booker T is Vital and important to Philadelphia and has been historically and will be going forward, and I do believe I know for a fact that they did come across some funding for Booker T and they've been able to renovate and update. I know that's been a particularly, as you mentioned, in the Advent of the LSD ater and revitalization process that has gone on. There has had much attention and there is a narrative Some of it true, not all of it in in Philadelphia and Shoeba County that the LSD ater is is only for white people, only for the affluent white people, and there is an element of that that exists, I see it, but that's with anywhere you go, yeah, the, the affluent, are always going to be the first to the party.

Speaker 1: 2:41:31

They're always gonna, they're always gonna have their hand and you know, anything that's new, anything that's Involving potential profits, the wealthy people are always gonna be the first ones to know and the first ones involved. However, I Do believe Marty Stewart, native in Shoeba County and in Philadelphia, has his heart in the right place and he's doing what he's doing by bringing that collection of memorabilia and history to Philadelphia. He understands the impact that it can have, not just for the wealthy but for the town and the region as a whole. He didn't have to come back to Philadelphia and drop his World's largest country music memorabilia collection off in East Central Mississippi. He didn't have to do that. He did that out of the goodness of his heart and, I believe, with a vision to revitalize and even help the town and region grow, not for just the affluent white but for everybody. And I think over time that will prove itself out.

Speaker 2: 2:42:33

Yeah, it will and I'm here for it. Like, eventually I Would love to maybe have, like you know how they got Saturday night live up in the theaters up in New York, like told for a guy by which of the night or whatever, going down at Ellis Theater. You know magic and stuff like that. We got the cameras, people come in, we got the live audience for this stuff that we can do if we come over the game plan. You know I'm not, I know stuff is tough and I ain't got a type of money, but if you get a game plan and you get stuff in place, people are more convinced when they can see stuff in the numbers and see what's gonna go down. You know, so I'm, I'm hopeful. I don't know about other people around here. I don't know who's been denied an opportunity because of this game called around in Philadelphia, but that won't happen at all.

Speaker 1: 2:43:12

I don't think that it's so much that it that it's actually happened, as much as it is a perception.

Speaker 2: 2:43:18

Well, oh, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

Speaker 1: 2:43:20

Yeah, I don't. I don't believe that there's been anybody that's been mistreated as a result of color, on a on a Government, governmental level, on a private level. I just think that that's a dynamic that exists, particularly in Philadelphia, mississippi we all know our history. That's a dynamic that still exists. The racial divide, but it's less overt now, like you don't have people expressing racism in verbal terms or in. You know, it's more of a perception and it's really lack of communication, tover. It's really just miscommunication people thinking that somebody thinks one way Just because of the history of the, the area, or the history of their family or you know some bullshit like that, when really it's just the fact that they hadn't had a conversation with that person and they, they assume and as a, as one of my childhood teachers told me, you know what happens when you assume Making a ass out of you and me, baby, you damn right.

Speaker 2: 2:44:20

So now I don't assume, and that's why I said I'm. You know we talked about disruptors, man, I'm, I'm, consider myself a disruptor here. If there's a stronghold on racism here, I'm here to break it up. Man, check it up, because I'm tired of saying it and I'm tired of that being an excuse for us not elevating ourselves. It's like, no, you can get ahead and this is not stopping you. You know, I see it all the time. You know, we're going on later on this evening. We're going on later on this evening. We're going to Del Taco that just opened up, the first one in Mississippi, right here in Philadelphia, and that's high. His uncle was the owner of it.

Speaker 2: 2:44:52

Would you think that would be owned by a black person? You know it's every day like black people can't do nothing around here. It's like we can do a lot of things. You know we gotta have the right principles and stuff in place and make the tough decisions and be then, don't be afraid to be criticized by anybody, right? You know, across, white or black, I do, I do what I do and Ty, watch me do what I do, and I was like no one bothers me because I'm the Lord, is with me at all times and he's making everything I put my hand to do prosper. So we can get people into that mindset that it really doesn't matter what someone thinks about you is about what you think about you, man. So many people will have a revelation that will revolutionize their lives, man, and we can get some things really cracking around here.

Speaker 1: 2:45:33

Yeah, there are a lot of there are a lot of good things about being in a small town environment.

Speaker 2: 2:45:39

Try that in a small. All that, all that, and then the.

Speaker 1: 2:45:45

The Jason Aldean song and now the rich men north of Richmond song, like, like.

Speaker 2: 2:45:48

I get it.

Speaker 1: 2:45:49

I get it, I understand where they're coming from and I'm with it wholeheartedly right. But there are a lot of bad aspects of a small town to that restrain people from Achieving certain things that they think they ought to be able to achieve. One of those is worrying about what the other people in the community think and group think. Yeah, good things, you know being afraid to color outside of the lines.

Speaker 1: 2:46:16

Because of what a person in a community may think, or people in the community may think because they're. Because there are less people. There are less spaces for people to get in where they fit in. Yeah, absolutely so. There's a tendency for people to not get outside of the Tribal way of doing things, if you will, and that's white and black. That's just a human nature thing in small towns, where we have to be able to say I'm an individual, yes, I want to be respected and accepted by all people, but at the same time, I'm not going to muzzle, put a muzzle on myself to appease the emotions or beliefs of the people that are around me. If I think something's right, I think it's right, I'm gonna say it. I'm gonna do it in a respectful manner, but I'm gonna let people hear what's on my mind and I think that's healthy. I think that dialogue is 100% necessary and healthy to the Improvement and strengthening of a community. Cool when you give people the opportunity to reject what you have to tell them it falls to the environment.

Speaker 2: 2:47:18

When they do start to agree with you that it's not forced, I think that's a good thing to do. When they do start to agree with you that it's not forced, mm-hmm, they're more willing to actually accept your information Because they don't feel like you're trying to deceive them. That's why I love open, honest communication, because if we both can just be honest, both talk from our Perspectives, which we all got our own perspectives.

Speaker 2: 2:47:41

Um, we all live live different lives but I'm giving right, man, it's yeah, you know, and then we can talk through it and why we have the perceived reality that we have. Then we can get to the core stuff. It's like okay, if this is really reality or it's just something that I experienced, that it's kind of rare, you know, and I think once we start that pill in back, that and then we start actually looking at stuff, man, so many people will be like you know, we really just like, you know, you just grew up on the other side of railroad tracks, but that's, that's really it, you know what's wild, also in a small town environment, is we allow what we see on these screens to.

Speaker 1: 2:48:21

I feel like I got a sneeze. I do had to sneeze, consolidate, excuse me. All right, so we allow tv media, radio, podcasts, whatever we see on our screen to form our perception of our neighbors, as opposed to To communicate in person with our neighbors. Now, yeah, and so we live in proximity tofer, you and I live in proximity, pretty damn close to one another.

Speaker 1: 2:48:51

Yeah but and so do you know 7 000 other people in this town of Philadelphia. But our perceptions are formed more so Based off what we see on that screen, as opposed to the conversation we have with our neighbor Right, and that's something that needs to change.

Speaker 2: 2:49:07

Yeah, we gotta put the phones down, man. I'll get back to the dinner table talk or whatever got going on from porch baby, oh yeah, from porch Meetups, coffee shops.

Speaker 2: 2:49:15

You know what I'm saying. Um, just, we got to get back to having those conversations and um, and not always Disregarding a complaint or an issue because of who it's coming from. You know, because I know sometimes, you know if Ever like white privilege. If a white person complains about something, the first thing they say, well, you white, so long the white complain, right. Or if you're black, it's like, well, black people have always complained about that. It's like, maybe this is not, maybe they have, but this is really something that's going.

Speaker 2: 2:49:46

You know what I'm saying. Like, yeah, we may really take each situation as it is. And, um, man, I'm telling you I can see this turn. You know, town turned all the way around, man, and I wanted to happen here. I'm a big believer in if we can get Mississippi turned around, every other state in America will be turned around. No doubt, no, I have no doubt that if we can get Mississippi booming and blast and it just in unified and just people, just like what the heck is going on, every other state will follow there. We have to.

Speaker 1: 2:50:19

I think we can. As we were talking about, ironically, before we came on air, we are A cultural creative hub. I shouldn't say hub. We are a source For creatives, whether it be writers, musicians, painters, artists, authors, ballplayers the list goes on and on and on. We have some of the best in Across all industries right, it's particularly when we're talking about the arts.

Speaker 1: 2:50:50

But Mississippi lacks A creative hub. They lack a cultural location, town, city that those creative people from Mississippi can go and recognize that they have a community there. Whether it's a comedian, whether it's a musician, whether it's a producer, whether it's you name it, you know there are people that they're going to need social media marketing tools. Artists need those resources, as you spoke to earlier. If we can create that and I'd love for it to be in Philadelphia, and I think Marty Stewart's Museum and Revitalization of the LSDator can be the embers of the flame that we just have to put oxygen on Right and we just have to let people know that hey look, we've got the inspiration, we've got the initiative and the ambition. We just need the creators to come kick it with us, come live here, come create here.

Speaker 2: 2:51:50

Yes, Plenty of land out here, man. The town is big enough to get what you need. But you're right, I mean it just so long. I mean you got Marty Stewart Hardy, who's killing it on the country scene right now. Then you got Tofer, one of the biggest hip-hop artists in Mississippi, all in one town. Besides, everybody else is creating a lot of cool stuff here, For sure.

Speaker 2: 2:52:09

It's like well, the city can say that, and it's a small town in Mississippi, none. So it's like we have the people coming out of here. Why not do something with it? And I would love to see that. Maybe, like I told you earlier, when I was in Augusta, we had to create Augusta, where we kind of put on conferences, kind of educate creators on the tools and stuff that's available to them and what they can do to fine-tune their arts and their skills.

Speaker 2: 2:52:39

I would love to get that type of knowledge taught here in Philadelphia, man. And then now, like you said, we could bring in people from Jackson and everywhere else that feel comfortable coming down here to make that happen. I mean, and like I said, we got the LSD, which is a really nice place we could put on stuff with. We got the College of Sam, if we really need to bring people in and have big conferences and things like that. So all I can say is Philadelphia is about to have a transformation the next four years that they ain't never seen before, and I know that you know.

Speaker 1: 2:53:10

Is that you saying you're going to run for mayor type?

Speaker 2: 2:53:18

That's what I heard. No, sir, I mean people ask me that so often. Man, it's like hope you're not running for mayor. I'm like I'm not, I just don't feel called. I would put like this Right now I don't feel called to be a mayor.

Speaker 1: 2:53:27

I totally understand that.

Speaker 2: 2:53:29

But if push come to shove and I really feel like it's my call and I have no problems stepping into the position and I would do my best.

Speaker 2: 2:53:38

It's not about and I always leave with principles first. I'll never leave with my skin color first and I will always leave with principles first and I'm looking out for the best you know for the lowest man, Like we're going to make sure we try to get everybody the help they need and address the issues that we can address. And I think sometimes too, the governmental body tries to take too much responsibility for stuff that goes on in community. What I mean is a lot of stuff should be fixed within the community. You should never even get to their doorstep and we should be out there working that and making that happen, Because when they're so busy distracted by or occupied with dealing with stuff that we can handle on our own, they don't really get to the stuff that we really need and what there was elected for. So I think we, as citizens of our local town or city, whatever state, we should be busy helping them, help us.

Speaker 1: 2:54:29

Yes, we need to recognize that the government is not God. Yeah, like the loss, I think it's very important to believe in something, except for the government. I mean. I think religion of any kind is good, especially, you know, the one that results in the golden rule and the basic principles of being a good human being. But, like, when it goes from a religion to government, when government becomes a religion, you have a problem, and that's where we are in a lot of places in this country right now. Fortunately for us, we're still. We're in the Bible belt.

Speaker 1: 2:55:07

Obviously, the religion is still very much intact and dependence on the government is not, or worshiping of the government is not as is prominent in this part of the world, although I will say I do believe that the Democratic Party has implemented policies that black people have supported for too long, and they have become as a group of people in Mississippi. I'm not saying I'm not speaking for all black people, I'm just speaking for my personal experience. What I've observed they've become too dependent on the government. Yeah, and what I mean by that is from schools to prisons, black people find themselves in places with government too often. In my opinion, it's a detriment to them as people. It takes away their ability, a lot of their ability, to stand on their own two feet as a people.

Speaker 1: 2:56:02

Like you mentioned the downfalls of integration. That was one of them. Yeah, a government forced situation where if, if you know, if a liberal in the New York Times listens to me say this, then I'm a racist white bigot from the south, you know, they just throw that, that card on me automatically. But the fact of the matter is is that there were a lot of things that were that impacted black people negatively when integration happened, and so I think you know the black dollar, for example, killed the black dollar, the buying power of black people as a whole. I mean, it blows my mind. When I go to black neighborhoods not just in Mississippi, even when I was in New Orleans, and even more so when I was in New Orleans black people don't sell black people shit. It's Indians, it's Asians, it's it's and there's nothing wrong with that. But it seems like I would want to see people of my color, my race, you know, tending to my needs in the marketplace, because they know me the best.

Speaker 2: 2:57:09

Yeah, so there's two things I can. I can knowledge this. They said and this is kind of historically proven. So even though they wouldn't approve black home loans or business loans in black communities because of the code right, they would still approve for the Asians to build there. So a lot of times that's why we saw a lot of Asians are owning hair stores and stuff like that with and stuff like that etc. But that being said, I wonder why they made that distinction. I have no idea.

Speaker 2: 2:57:37

Just because of the history of black people in America and all that comes with well, we can say that, but then again, it could be, it could be, maybe they just had better. It could be a lot of reasons.

Speaker 1: 2:57:50

You know, do you think it was a? I mean, obviously it was a discriminatory practice? Yeah, but why make that distinction between blacks and Asians in that way?

Speaker 2: 2:57:58

I have no idea. I think they still wanted to make money. They just didn't want the black people to make it, I see. So if they give out the loan, they might want to give it to somebody else. And, to be fair, asians just have better credit than black people. That's a fact and we can look across the United States. Asians probably got the best credit score out of that whole race.

Speaker 2: 2:58:14

Broly broly, right, and that's not something that's out of our control, that's us making it happen. And so I also tell people. It's like, once again, there's a lot of stuff we can control and images that we can control and perspectives. But we don't choose to do it because we decided that it's too hard to fight against stereotypes. It's better to just live up to them. And I was like I'm not going to live up to a stereotype, I'm going to fight, I don't care how long it takes, I'm fighting against it. And once you fight against it and you realize that you have power over it, that's when true freedom comes right, because now you can create the world that you want to live in. And if we can get to that point black people in Mississippi get to that point and understand that then we can really start pulling our money together and buying stuff. There's no reason, you know, we can put money together when Ray Ray gets shot by the police and come up with millions of dollars to pay for a freedom that they don't need millions of dollars for, but if Ray Ray was sick with cancer, we can't put money together help them fight cancer. It's weird, but somehow we've drawn. We're drawn to this. This happened to us because we were black, so we're going to come together, but this happened because we made a bad decision. No one does anything. It's like that's where it first starts, but we won't do nothing about it. So I'm all for putting up the time and effort toward these things.

Speaker 2: 2:59:36

Like recently my wife got in trouble or people got mad at her because she mentioned that why is there a Miss Black Neshoba County for the fair and not just a Neshoba County? Like there's no Miss White Neshoba County, it's just Neshoba County. And then everyone was like well, because historically, yada, yada, yada. And she was like I get there historically, but Neshoba County never prevented black people from participating. That's like, well, we know that, but we just know they wouldn't pick black people. Well, how, you know that If you don't participate? Well, we don't want to take the chances to put our money into it and never get picked. I'm like, well, that's what it is. Like, you have to take their risk. And I said eventually you'll win. Eventually you can't complain about something you didn't partake in and you have no historical reason for why you got rejected.

Speaker 1: 3:00:25

I think that dynamic exists, much like we were talking about with segregation, because historically, whites have they obviously had their schools, blacks had their schools, and some of those things continue to live on. Some of it's just as simple as white people want their own thing and black people want their own thing. Sometimes it's just people are like-minded and cultures are like-minded and then everybody's skin color happens to be the same because that's just the way we're made up. Now, I don't think there'd be anything in the world wrong with a black girl going to compete in Neshoba County or vice versa. I think it's more about just like a division, if you want to equate it to sports. You have your American league, you have your national league, and traditionally it's been done that way. I'm not saying that it should always be that way. I'm just trying to provide insight as to why I think that is, and I think it's. Black people want to have their own sometimes, white people want to have their own sometimes.

Speaker 2: 3:01:31

But I think it's more so that they live with black and not anything else, because Neshoba County doesn't mention race, but we want to mention the black Neshoba County.

Speaker 1: 3:01:39

Oh, I see what you're saying.

Speaker 2: 3:01:41

So it's like this one is being race first, not what you do first. And I tell people all the time I don't want to be the black tophor, I don't want to be the black rapper I don't want to be. I don't want to be preceded with the word black. Not that I don't love being black, I just don't need that to be first. So I'd rather have other stuff be first.

Speaker 2: 3:02:03

So when we see that I just don't look good, and then, especially when you're not performing or doing it at a level to where it's even close to the next one, for instance, you segregate it because you just want to be segregated. But you're, it's poor. Like this got a $500 budget versus a $5,000 budget. Like why don't you just go be part of the $5,000 budget that you can be a part of? So my solution to that was next year I'm just going to sponsor two girls from Philadelphia and two girls from Neshoba and reason I'm not doing black and white because it's stupid. But also, if we even do Philadelphia and Neshoba, most likely they're going to be black in Philadelphia anyway. And it was like I mean, why didn't show me anyway? But it can be either or no thing.

Speaker 2: 3:02:48

But if you're going to compete, I'm going to pull it because I don't want people to have this excuse. So I want them to compete and I put my dime up. I put it up and I want people to see it. So okay, if they don't choose them, they don't choose them. But if they don't choose, you're not money. If they do choose them, then you could probably be like dang. I didn't expect them to do that. You know what I'm saying. So if it takes Toe for a step in just to kind of shake things up, at least present the opportunity, and we do this for the next couple of years until somebody wins, so be it. But we got to stop high behind what is right and get to the core of the issues.

Speaker 1: 3:03:22

I think that's an interesting approach. I will say and you may have already experienced some of this, maybe you haven't there's going to be pushback from white people in Neshoba County. I mean, if one of the girls so happens to be black, if they enter the pageant, and I'm sure there will be black people who are like oh, kind of like what you were talking about early, uncle Tom or a white favoring black person accusing them of that. Look, if you want to do that, I think you should. I think you should do it and I will be interested to see how it shakes things up. Like I said, I love disruptors.

Speaker 2: 3:04:07

I love disruptors man. I hope it disposes so many people.

Speaker 1: 3:04:14

Well, I think it would definitely awaken and enlighten a lot of people, because a situation like that is going to show people's no pun intended true colors. You're going to find out who's real and who's fake, yeah, and that's what we need. That's what we need, we need, we need to. It's. America is supposed to be about meritocracy. It's supposed to be about how credible you are, based off of your attributes, based off your talents, based off your intellect, more importantly than most importantly, your character. As Martin Luther King said right, you know, a man should be judged by his character, not the color of his skin. We've heard that a thousand times, but it's so true. And those types of situations, which obviously there's historical context that comes with situations like that, I mean mainly going back to segregation, and it's just one of those things that is lived on. But that doesn't say that it doesn't mean that it has to be forever.

Speaker 2: 3:05:17

Yeah, I'm four-segregated. I tell people like this I have no problem with it, voluntarily segregating yourself from anybody for any reason color, religion, whatever, like. If you just feel like you want to go be by yourself, cool. The problem comes in when you tell me that I can't do something because you want to be segregated. That's when I started having issues. Now, if, also if segregation doesn't make sense like we haven't if we're segregated and it makes no sense and we're suffering for it, why are you segregated?

Speaker 1: 3:05:46

Like the kids at Philadelphia right now that are segregated, basically voluntarily and receiving a much less quality education when compared to what they're receiving at Nishoeville Central. It's not the kids fault.

Speaker 2: 3:06:02

Right, right and not at all.

Speaker 1: 3:06:04

It's the system and the adults and the leaders that either failed to allow school choice or combine schools and give every kid in the county an equal education, regardless of. Look, if that education is terrible and it's the but it's the best that we can provide in this county, then every kid should be exposed to that education or have an opportunity to that education Right. There shouldn't be this unlevel playing field based off of an imaginary line.

Speaker 2: 3:06:30

Yeah, and that's stupid. But yeah, we agree on that, man.

Speaker 1: 3:06:33

So hey, you came in here and you did three hours with me, not knowing what in the hell you're getting yourself into. I just want to say I appreciate it and I'm going to wrap this thing up, and I hope that we can look forward to another TOEFL experience.

Speaker 2: 3:06:48

Yeah, I'll be back on after we disrupt a couple of stuff.

Speaker 1: 3:06:52

Welcome back and I'll see you tomorrow. Yes, sir, appreciate it, my brother.