#121 - Roy Jones Jr.

Get ready to step into the ring with legendary boxer, Roy Jones Jr. Roy eloquently compares boxing techniques to the hunting strategies of animals like roosters and sharks, adding a captivating twist to the regular sport discussions.

Peering into the more personal aspects of Roy's life, we explore his childhood under the tutelage of his father, also a boxer and coach. Roy and host, Lee Carl, also delve into the differences and similarities between Christianity and Islam.

There's so much more to Roy than just boxing. He's also dipped his gloves into the music industry. Starting from his hit song "Can't Be Touched", to his collaborations with rap artists like Mr. Magic and SMBULLETT, Roy's passion for identifying hot beats is evident.

Whether you're a fan of boxing or hip hop, or just love hearing about resilience and determination, this episode has something for everyone. Join us for this enthralling blend of sports, music, and life lessons from one of the greatest boxers of all time, Roy Jones Jr.

ROY JONES JR. APPAREL: https://royjonesjrofficial.com/
ROY JONES JR. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/royjonesjrofficial/
ROY JONES JR. YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/royjonesjrofficial
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(0:06) Animal influence on boxing style
(9:19) Boxing techniques and faith in God
(16:38) Father-Son Relationship and Independence
(22:11) Father-son boxing dynamic
(33:16) Preparing and understanding different personalities
(41:25) Faith in God and religious perspectives
(58:11) Inspirations in hip-hop and boxing

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Roy Jones Jr in the motherfucking house how we doing baby, I'm doing good but always good. Hey, it's good to have you on here on the county line. County line congregation gonna be very excited to see that you came to have a sit down with me.

Speaker 2: 0:19

How you being I'm good, but I can't complain.

Speaker 1: 0:21

So you got quite the livestock array. Where did that come from?

Speaker 2: 0:27

Well, as a kid, you know, I had animals all the time and I like all types of animals. But what people feel to realize is that boxing led me to look for animals. That fault and when I look for animals, that fault is because whatever I learned in boxing I could use whatever God gave these animals that fault to help even take my boxing knowledge to another level. So I became obsessed with the game because I realized that they fault and the good ones, the ones that are right, will fight even to the death. And I felt like if you're a fighter, then you should be willing to fight to the death. If you're not willing to die for something, then you shouldn't be alive and our life is willing, is worth dying for. So I became very close with the gang roosters and I've had them around in my whole life because I watched them and I studied them growing up, and so I just keep them because I love them and I understand them.

Speaker 1: 1:19

So you had roosters around the house when you were growing up as a kid.

Speaker 2: 1:22

All the time, yes, roosters, I had pigs, I had cows, I had horses. I don't do the horses too much. A friend of mine does have a few horses in my yard but I don't really do horses no more because they're so high maintenance and I'm going too much for them. But I try to keep a few chickens here and there just, and I eat the eggs, and you know so, and I eat some of the young chickens and you know it's just good for everything.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Yeah, which animal that you've studied throughout your life has contributed most to your fighting style?

Speaker 2: 1:53

The gang roosters. That's what I told you. That's why I studied them so much, because studying gang roosters tells you how to like. You watch them grow up and you watch them when they become somebody, when they start to know that they are somebody. They have a different walk about them. They have a different respect about them. They have a different demanding of respect about them. And when you learn that growing up, it teaches you how you should behave as you're coming up through the ranks and as you're getting to be a force, because I watched them my whole life. So it's like, although I had a daddy that was very tough on me, the gang roosters showed me still and there was guys who have still let me know that to be the head rooster one day, you got to always carry yourself with a confidence and a aroma about yourself that everybody else feels and respects.

Speaker 1: 2:41

So, to this day, you have many chickens, roosters. What have you, if you had to pick another animal that you've looked at throughout your life and studied the way they fight in combat? What would be the second most important animal that you've studied? One of the animal I studied is a shark and sharks.

Speaker 2: 2:59

People don't understand that sharks are very different, but they're smart and it's like a shark teaches you a beautiful thing about life, because although a shark is more powerful than a seal, a shark doesn't just run. You grab a seal and take him down. No, he hits that seal and rooms him. Then he gets away from him and lets him bleed out and get weak, because that seal is still capable of stretching his eyes out. He grows teeth back again, he heals with his cuts now, but he don't get another set of eyeballs. If he loses his eyeballs, it's over. So even though he's way more powerful than a seal, he still hit that seal. Good, then he let him bleed out to get weak before he goes back and eats him, because if he goes too early he himself may be damaged for life. And that teaches you the same thing.

Speaker 2: 3:41

In boxing, a wounded man is a very dangerous man. If you and I had a friend named smoke ganna, he was fighting Kevin Kelly, he had Kevin all banged up, but he should. If he knew anything about the shark, he would have stayed off with Kevin, let the eye wear down a little more. Then he would have got him. You understand me. Same thing happened in the last marquette peck out fight. Peck out had marquette's all banged up. All he had to do was stay away from marquette's two rounds and keep boxing. Let that eye sweat up some more, then bleed out some more. They would have had to stop the fight. But instead he thought, since I got a hurt, I'm gonna jump in here and kill him. If you know what that shark does, you know that's not a smart idea. If god taught that shark because that shark didn't learn from us god gave him everything he got.

Speaker 1: 4:26

So if god put in that shark, don't attack that wounded seal until he's weak enough that he can't cause you harm then you know, don't attack a wounded man until he's weak enough that he can't cause you harm so, if you would have, if you're in the ring and you know you've got an opponent wounded, right, do you prolong the ultimate knockout attempt to let him get weaker, or do you go in for the kill, such as who you were describing earlier? If he would have known about the shark, he would have allowed it to to prolong a little bit more. How do you approach that situation? I?

Speaker 2: 4:59

assess the situation. Is he ready for the kill? Is he ready for the eat or is he ready for the kill, or do I need to wait a little longer? So in a lot of cases I get them they're back off and watch them, wait and see. Can I get them again? If I can get them again, cool. If I can't, I just wait because he ain't ready yet. You know what's the other ones? I get ready. I know. When he's ready to be eaten I go in for the kill. But until then I'm very cautious and, you know, very protecting of myself, because I know every lick he throws from that point forward it's going to be like his last lick, so it's going to have everything on it. So if he hits you at that point, you're going to be hit harder than normal because he knows life is leaving him, he knows his chances are dwindling away. His only chance is if he can land one shot.

Speaker 1: 5:46

So you got to know that going in so when you look at an opponent and you get him wounded, so to speak, you see that he's ailing in some sense. It sounds like it's a case by case basis. It's not always. It's depending upon the prey how bad.

Speaker 2: 6:01

He's hurt. Yeah, you understand. If you hit him in the right place and he's wanted for good, you can go eat him, you can go take him out of there. But if he's not that wounded, then you gotta be very cautious as to how you, how you approach him, because he still can harm you though he's wounded, and he'll harm you even more because if he's wounded he thinks every lick is his last.

Speaker 1: 6:20

He got to try to get you out of that lick yeah, a lot of times in in life in general and I'm sure this applies to boxing too the most dangerous man is the one who has nothing to lose of course it applies to everything.

Speaker 2: 6:33

That's why I studied the animal so much, because they have life nature's, nature's way. They fight nature's way. You understand me. So when you study that man, don't teach that God had to give him that. You understand me. So you understand that what God gave the animals, then you learn how to use that to your, to the best of your ability and to your advantage doesn't that?

Speaker 1: 6:56

um, it's so interesting that when we look at fighting and combat sports, it looks effortless, especially for those such as myself who are not very astute in boxing and the techniques and the styles. But, watching some of your highlights and some of your matches leading up to this, this conversation, what I noticed the most and what stood out the most to me about your fighting is that it appeared to me that many times your next punch was unpredictable, of course, and that's because if they can predict you, then they know what you're going to throw, they can prepare for it.

Speaker 2: 7:39

The best thing about fighting that, the best thing about sports, the best thing about any competition, competition, is the element of surprise. If you can surprise a person, then you get them out because they're not ready for it. If you can't surprise them, then they ready for you not going to do much. But if you can surprise them that's why teams blitz they try to catch the team unready for it, then blitz them. If you shock them, it blitz can work because you catch them not ready for it. Element of surprise um, you know, if you, if you can surprise them with something that they're not expecting, you probably can get them out yeah, it seemed very evident that that was baked, that that is baked into your style.

Speaker 1: 8:18

You hit them with the, the, the famous left hook, but then you'd catch them with the right they don't know what's coming out.

Speaker 2: 8:24

That don't know what's coming out. They think that's it. So I set them up for that. Make them think that's it. But that's not it. That's just a prelude to make you think it's okay to relax now because you survived the hook. You know it's the right hand, it's the overhand right, it's the overcut, it's another hook. It's a whole lot that comes after that and that's the one thing I have a hard time teaching my fighters. You can't go in for the kid with what he's expecting. It's always the one that he's not expecting. The one he's not expecting usually comes shortly, either one, two or three punches after the one that he expects. Then he'll relax.

Speaker 1: 8:55

If you catch him relaxed, you got a better chance to get him out if I were gonna walk into the gym and say, roy Jones Jr, I'm here to box. I've never boxed in my life, but I want, I want you to train me. What is building block number one when coaching or teaching the supportive boxing from the ground level?

Speaker 2: 9:15

Being a block the most will assess who and what you are Looking at. You. You're tall, you're rangy, so you're gonna be outside fighter. So we gotta find something that fights like a prayer mantis, that fights out on the end of his punches. So I'll probably tell you right away go take a look at a prayer mantis online. Prayer mantis fight out there because they're a long arm, they're a long, skinny animal, but they fight with range. They handle stuff out there before it gets in here, right. So if you study that prayer mantis, then you understand a lot about how you're gonna have to fight. Because you're tall.

Speaker 2: 9:46

A prayer mantis is long and he fights off his leg, but he fights out in front of him. You gotta fight out in front of him. You can't fight in here because you're not short for that and there are some people that do it. But that's to me. Against the DNA. I don't like to teach against the DNA, because the DNA is what God already gave you. Now sometimes you can surprise people for a little while, but for the long haul it won't work.

Speaker 1: 10:07

So determine what the physical build is and then play to those strengths. That's your first thing, yeah. And then we come in and we start training. As far as technique goes, I've never boxed a day in my life, right? Where would you start me off?

Speaker 2: 10:22

You start out teaching them just the stance, the proper stance, the proper way to move your feet, and then you start out with a jab and learning the stance and the proper way to move your feet. Both of those are key because your stance is your balance. Moving your feet is moving your weapons around. Your feet can't move, your weapons can't move. So it's very important not to move your feet, because your weapons, they can't go by themselves. You gotta get them on a job before they can work. And your feet are what get the weapons on the job. Not many people teach that. They teach them to hit the bag, hit the hand mitts. They teach them everything about these, but these are secondary, because if those can't get you to the job, what can you do? Starts with the feet. It has to. So you think about a tank. A tank is shoot all around, right, but the tank gotta be to move to the job where the action is before. It doesn't need good to go all around. If it can't get to where the action is. It's not gonna do no good to go all around cause the action over there and instead you can go around, but if you can't reach the action, it does you no good. So that tank gotta have tracks. That takes it to the action. That's what your feet are. They take these to the action. They bring the guns to the fight.

Speaker 2: 11:34

Where's Bud Crawford's footwork? In your mind it's pretty up there. I give him about eight. He got very good footwork and the good thing about him is he do a left handed or a right handed, and that says a lot. He can move his feet around left handed. He can move his feet around right handed.

Speaker 1: 11:49

Your stance, though I was noticing you were primarily left handed. Is that correct? Right handed, your right handed? Yes, okay, so that makes more sense now, cause I was looking at your stance this morning and your left foot, in the particular fight that I was watching, was up for the most part, and you were giving them. That's the orthodox stance. Okay, and that's what kind of threw me off Cause when I'm thinking about my frame of reference, is baseball or football right, a right handed thrower?

Speaker 2: 12:15

steps with his left foot Exactly Well, right handed punches puts his left foot in front.

Speaker 1: 12:19

Yes, same thing. Yes, but I saw you giving the left hook.

Speaker 2: 12:23

I had an exceptional left hook because my right hand stayed hurt so much as Namathia and you use your jab so much more. Try to sit right up. My left became stronger. Then I used to have to depend on my left for power because my knuckles hurt so much on my right. My left became not just my useful tool, but it became my power tool as well. So now my left hand is probably more dominant than my right.

Speaker 1: 12:44

Wow, so you. In the ring. Necessity, what is it? Necessity is the mother of invention, yep. So you had to play away from or you had to strengthen what was not your dominant hand.

Speaker 2: 12:59

Yeah, it's just my dominant, my weak hand to become just as powerful as my dominant hand.

Speaker 1: 13:04

At what point in your career did you have to lean on? Start leaning on that left hand when I was about 14 years old.

Speaker 2: 13:10

I heard them spar once and stayed hurt from that point till I got about really about 22, 23, maybe 24 years old Yep. I heard I hit a guy and it got my knuckle. I couldn't go no further than that and it stayed like that for years and if I would get hit like that I had to put it down. I couldn't let you touch it. If you just caught my hand, I hit you with a shot and did me like that, I was gonna take an eight count. That's how bad it hurt. Yep, and stayed like that for years. I wanted to do Olympics like that. I won my first World Title like that. I even beat James Tony like that In 89, was your knuckle like that.

Speaker 1: 13:42

Yes, of course. When you went to South Korea, 88, yes, 88. Of course.

Speaker 2: 13:47

Of course. What happened there? It paid the judges off. The judges robbed me. Simple as that. Simple as that. They had a vendetta against the United States team for something in 1984 Olympics, something you didn't even have nothing to do with, which we're in Los Angeles. I still to this day don't know what it exactly was, but they go with to get us back and I became the victim. But God knew who to put it on because I was the youngest on the team. But God knew what that would do to me because I was raised up right here in Pensacola, florida, right.

Speaker 2: 14:21

We used to go to a place called Sierra Land, alabama. In Sierra Land they were green and white. If that white wasn't red at the end of that fight and he wouldn't look like he was about dead, you lost. Okay, how bad you beat him. If that white wasn't red and he looked like he was almost dead, you lost. So that taught me how to deal with that controversy early and God knew it was like people don't understand how strong and how mighty and how strong God's words are. God will prepare you for what's to come. Sierra Land, alabama, prepared me for soul career, because in Sierra Land, if you didn't almost kill him, you lost. Okay, I bet you beat him If you didn't almost kill him. He from Sierra Land, you lost.

Speaker 1: 15:05

Has your faith in God always been that strong and that devout?

Speaker 2: 15:10

Yep, it just kind of grew on me. I think I was about 10 years old. You know, once I got about 10, I started realizing, and I knew it already. But when I got 10, it came more to fruition. Because, as a 10 year old, when I first started boxing, we had a heavyweight named Ox Roy Clark. Roy Clark could hit the heavy bag and bust it right on the spot. He was that strong of a puncher. Well, one day some Jehovah Witnesses came to our house and my dad let him speak to us all and to my surprise, roy Clark Ox that is, was the only one that didn't believe in God. And I was shocked because I had never heard of a person that didn't believe in God. So they left.

Speaker 2: 15:49

We went on that weekend, went to the Sunshine State Games and the Sunshine State Games we were all afraid because it's competition, we're gonna have two, three fights at a time. None of us were really super experienced. We thought Roy Clark Ox, because he could bust a bag, he had no problems because he can bust a heavy bag with one punch. That's how strong he was. But he didn't believe in God. When we got there, everybody won, except who? Ox, the one that didn't believe in God. That showed me that no power on this earth is stronger than the power of God. You understand me and from that point that just enhanced my belief because I believed already, but it just enhanced my belief from my knowledge of who God was.

Speaker 1: 16:34

Roy Jones Jr could live anywhere in the world, anywhere he wanted to. Why come back to where you were raised?

Speaker 2: 16:41

Because as a kid, several times in my life people would say you can't make it in nothing. Being from Pensacola, florida, it's too small. I wanted to prove to people that it's not about where you are, it's about what you believe in. If you believe in God first, then believe in yourself. Nothing is impossible. And to let that message be known after every fight, I would always say Pensacola in the house. Why? Because I want you all to know I didn't have to move. When God is with you, who can be against you? That's right and that's what the facts were. So I stayed here to prove that point. But it also kept me grounded as to who I really am, the things I do today I deal when I was a little kid the roofers, the goats, the sheep, the peacocks, the turkeys, everything I do now. Just pray a little to our father advancement of what I did as a kid, because that's just who I am.

Speaker 1: 17:42

You mentioned your father being tough on you. It sounds like he was very instrumental in getting you involved in boxing. Is that something that he introduced you to or that you found on your own as a child?

Speaker 2: 17:55

No, he kind of introduced me to it. He was watching Muhammad Ali once and I found that he was so entertained by Muhammad Ali and what I saw Muhammad Ali doing was out thinking his guys making them mad and he was saying come hit it, love or hit it and beat them because he was love or hit it. And I realized because I was a big time agitator as a kid, so I realized that if somebody teach me how to throw my hands, I can do that, not knowing that my dad was a boxer at the time. So I kept begging my dad to box, and begging my dad to box, and begging my dad to box. And, by the way, I was a hell of a football player as a minimite before I started boxing right. But finally when I got 10, my dad started training me for boxing me and a few more guys.

Speaker 2: 18:36

Lo and behold, I didn't find out until I got 13 that my dad actually used to box. My dad actually had fought Marvin Hagler. I had no clue. Wow, yeah, I had no clue. So I don't think he wanted me to know much about his career because he didn't go as far as he wanted to. He wanted to go with it. But I think he learned all the do's and don'ts while he was trying to box, so he made sure he still to me all the don'ts. You know what I'm saying? He just did it. Sometimes, as a parent, they can become a bit overbearing and you lose grips with the fact that one day this kid that you're teaching is gonna be a grown man too, and you got to respect him as a grown man or it's gonna be a problem, and I think he never taught himself that. So that's why we came up with a problem and to this day we still don't wanna talk.

Speaker 1: 19:18

Oh, you and your dad don't speak anymore.

Speaker 2: 19:21

Two lions. When the lion grows up and get to be grown and leaves the nets, he ain't coming back. If he come back, it's coming back to kill or die. I understand that. I understand that I have a and those other things that I learned from the animals, because when I was a kid I used to go squirrel hunt with my dad. We would kill squirrels sometime and I killed him to eat them, but we would kill him and some of them would have a penis but no balls, no testicles. Now I be like why they don't have testicles? And my own dad, who was a genius genius had a lot of things too taught me that squirrels have nests right. One squirrel ruled in about from five to 25 females in the area. Every time a female has babies he bites the balls out of all the males so that he won't have no competition come up and none of his kids would grow up and be as competition.

Speaker 1: 20:09

He bites the balls out of his offspring.

Speaker 2: 20:11

Out of his own brain. So that taught me that while my dad can physically bite my balls out, but he's basically trying to mentally take them out, and if he mentally takes your balls out, how you gonna be able to watch him? It's not gonna happen. So what you taught me when infused with God's knowledge taught me what you really was trying to do to me and it made me understand. So it was like I get reference to the squirrel At that age. When I got older, I also had to get reference to the lion, because when the lion gets old enough to leave, he can't come back. And that's how I felt when I left. I said I got to leave. I knew at 13, I was gonna leave one day and I knew once I left I couldn't come back. And that's what happened.

Speaker 1: 20:54

There's a writer from Mississippi. He's now deceased. He goes by the name, went by the name of Willie Morris and he had a very, very strong relationship with his father, which I do as well, and he wrote a quote one time. It's a question, basically an open-ended question, asking the world can a man, can a boy, really be a man while his father is still on earth? What would your response to that be?

Speaker 2: 21:24

He can if his father respects him as an adult male right. He can. And number two, he can if he assumes responsibility and understands what the definition of a man is and assesses the situation, because there are some men that know how to allow their son to be men, Like I know how to allow my son to be a man because of what I was raised in.

Speaker 1: 21:47

Right.

Speaker 2: 21:47

You understand me, so you can be a man while your father's on earth. Yes, but you just gotta know when it comes time to cut the cord and to say, okay, that's your area, that's my area, you understand me. And if he don't accept that, then you gotta become like that lamb. You gotta leave and get your own area and claim your stake, and don't nobody come on the area and claim to be the man but you. And that's what I had to do.

Speaker 1: 22:11

Did you see yourself being an all time grade at, say, age 14?

Speaker 2: 22:15

No, I didn't. But I knew I was gonna be a monster and I also knew that I wasn't gonna be able to do it with my dad in my corner.

Speaker 1: 22:23

As a coach.

Speaker 2: 22:23

Yes.

Speaker 1: 22:25

So at what point did y'all part ways, when I got about 20, 20, about 20, I think? And he was still coaching you at that time. Oh yeah, oh yeah. So when you came into your own as a man, y'all just butted heads and there was not enough Real estate for both of us Correct.

Speaker 2: 22:42

What happened, though, was, you know, people don't understand how deep my story goes, but God would show me things to give me indications early on that let me know that it wasn't gonna work right. So I had a few guys that boxed with me that were a little bit older than me. Every time these guys got up to around 17, 18, then my dad would butt heads and they would leave. My dad had trained actually four world champions Vince Phillips left John the Army, became world champion. Arthur Williams left Mooda Vegas became world champion. Roy Jones separated completely, became world champion. Then Roy Jones, during it, took their smoke gamer, put him under his wing and also made him a world champion.

Speaker 2: 23:29

But my dad, it was the beginning for all of us. So he's a hell of a man when it comes to knowing the sport of boxing and training fighters. It's just that most people don't understand that he's so dominant that when it gets to time for you to be a man, he don't want to back up and let you be a man, because his dominance about him will not allow that. So that's why, with the gang roosters, I could understand, because when a gang rooster gets a certain age once him and his dad is turned like this and he gets turned on or that age where he think now he want a woman, he really either kill his dad or be killed by his dad. Same thing. And I had to have that personality and that attitude. If God didn't give me these gang roosters, it would have been really hard for me to understand that.

Speaker 1: 24:10

It'd been hard to compartmentalize and put that into perspective. Of course, does it irk you now that you and your father don't speak?

Speaker 2: 24:18

No, it doesn't irk me because I understand. You know it's like I just sit there and get you three different scenarios of why we don't speak Right. So, quite naturally, I fully understand why we don't. It's a lion and a lamb. I'm not gonna be no cub, no more. I can't go out to be in a cub, I'm a lamb.

Speaker 1: 24:34

So all of these four different world champions, obviously including yourself, were from this area.

Speaker 2: 24:40

Everyone of them was Fennifilla from Pensacola Florida, otter Ween from Pensacola Florida, dxmorganic from Pensacola Florida. Roy Jones Jr still is in Pensacola Florida.

Speaker 1: 24:50

So did y'all have similar fighting styles? Obviously different physiques, different DNA, different makeups, but did your dad's influence as a coach shine through in the performance of those four?

Speaker 2: 25:04

world champions. Of course, we all had very similar basic beginnings. You could build anything off of our basics. Fennifilla built a straight right hand on the basics and that straight right hand took him to victory. Fennifilla was the first person to beat the one of the best Russian fighters of all time, kostasou. Well, he beat Kostasou at 140. He was one of the first people to beat. He was the absolute first person to beat Kostasou pro.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Wow, so it's in the water.

Speaker 2: 25:36

down here it's in the water, but it's also in my dad's teaching. He teaches a very good basic background. If you learn the basics from my dad's school of basics, you can add almost anything you wanna add on to it, and that's what people don't understand.

Speaker 1: 25:49

That's amazing. Your dad fought Marvin Hagler. Yep, I've watched one fight that I have watched. Roy is Marvin Hagler, and I forget who.

Speaker 2: 25:57

Tom Herns yes, I already know Shhh Best one round fight of all time man that is wild, I wish.

Speaker 1: 26:06

I mean I know greatness can't be remade, but I wish there was more shit like that.

Speaker 2: 26:13

Yeah, that was a real fight. Honestly, we get that quite often. We just don't get it amongst the top names no more and really we don't really get it towards amongst the top names anymore because a lot of the top names have become afraid to fight each other, because once you build up and build up, you lose. It throws you to the past. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2: 26:32

Like to Earl Spencer's demise, he got up and got to the top and fought 10-inch Crawford, but now a lot of people don't want to see him fight no more because what happened to him was a car accident and how he looked in the fight, and it's really not fair because he did good in two fights before that fight. So it's not really safe to say that he shouldn't fight no more. We don't know that yet for a fact. Now, if he wouldn't have got his brain checked a neurological checkup and it didn't look good, maybe we could say he shouldn't fight no more. But until he does that, why do we have the right to say he can't fight no more? Right, he had a wreck. Yeah, he took a lot out of the wreck. Took a lot out of him. Yes, but he can't even be two top-notch fighters after it. So because they lost to the best and actually found the best guy fighting today, does that mean he shouldn't fight, no more?

Speaker 1: 27:24

Aside from that particular scenario has TV and pay-per-view. The way all that's structured and the way it's evolving is that contributing to the top tier fighters not getting in the ring with one another as often as they used to.

Speaker 2: 27:38

No, it's a lot. It has a lot to do with that too, but it's like you know. I don't wanna blame Floyd, because Floyd did a smart way, which was his way, but when he did that way it made everybody try to be smart like him. But only he could do that, only he could pull that off. Everybody can't pull that off and everybody think that they can pull off a floor. Pull off, no, you can't. So it's like they try to play it safe and stay undefeated. But that works for him. That don't work for anybody else. Right, he the only person that could pull that off. Nobody else can pull that off like he did.

Speaker 2: 28:09

You understand me, because the public won't accept it. He got a pass and he took full advantage of that pass. But anybody else, that's not gonna work. That's why you don't see nobody out there really command and respect, except people like Tyson Fury, who went ahead and fought Wilder three times. Canelo, who went ahead and fought Triple G two times, fought B-Vall. No fault of all If you didn't fight them all. You don't get that kind of respect anymore. You understand me, because they understood and they let him go with that. But they're not gonna let nobody else go with that, do you think, deontay?

Speaker 1: 28:39

Wilder is as crisp as he could be.

Speaker 2: 28:42

No, not at all. I think, Wilder, if he had a little bit more technique and didn't just depend on that right hand, he'd be a real problem. But because he's he brought up that way, he got so far with just that right hand. It's like for him it felt like if it ain't broke, why fix it Right? You understand me, but it was broke against Tyson Fury because Tyson Fury realized only thing I got to worry about is the right hand. If I get past the right hand, I got him and that's what happened.

Speaker 1: 29:04

Yeah, tyson Deontay Wilder is one of my favorite boxers to watch of all time, primarily because I was of age when he was boxing and going through his prime. Does he have anything?

Speaker 2: 29:16

left. Of course he got something left. The last thing to lose is you. The last thing to leave is your power, and he's a definitely one of the best power punches of all time. Are the feet the first thing to leave? No, the legs. Not the feet, the legs, the legs first thing to leave. Power is the last thing to leave.

Speaker 1: 29:32

Power in the punch itself. Yep, how do you? How do you fend off? And you've been through this. Obviously you get on up in your career. And when did you start recognizing your legs leaving?

Speaker 2: 29:45

When I came down from heavyweight back to late heavyweight, I put on 25 pounds of muscle and I took off 25 pounds of muscle. And when I took the 25 pounds of muscle off, my body was never the same. And I want to fight off pure heart. I beat Todd the first time off pure heart because I had no energy.

Speaker 1: 30:04

Whenever. You forgive my ignorance on preparation and boxing matches, but whenever you set a date and you've got a match set, first of all, how long out do you typically know that? And then, what does training look like leading up to that fight?

Speaker 2: 30:20

Most people like to do six to eight weeks of training. Uh-huh, if you are, if you aren't training at all in the between times, you should do 10 weeks. But if you're training already, you kind of act like I used to stay. I could get rid of six weeks. Some guys like eight weeks because they train or they train like I trained. I played basketball. I did so much that six weeks I was ready to go. You cut it back on, right, right.

Speaker 2: 30:40

So the first two weeks of my training camp was getting back in the habit of dieting and eating the right kind of foods and cutting out the junk foods. So the first two weeks, obviously my weight dropped, probably about eight to 10 pounds, just off the fat. That's everything. In the second two weeks I honed in on getting in shape with sparring and I ran the whole time. But getting in shape with sparring, getting in fight shape, because I start sparring the first two weeks, but the second two weeks starts to get really intense and more of what you want to see when you come fight time. The last two weeks you spotted the last, the week before the last week, like it's the week week five, the last week of sparring, and that's just to make sure I'm sharp and on point with all my moves and sparring. And week six is all about making weight, making weight and holding it on peak.

Speaker 2: 31:28

But once again, here's what people don't understand. Rooster's go through the same process. We prepare Rooster for a match. He go to say, go through the same process as a box. Adieu, it's just a. Hears is a three week process, mine was a six week process.

Speaker 2: 31:44

But I learned so much from preparing the roosters because you watch your rooster come from just a normal rooster to a sharp killer in a matter of three weeks and you learn how important things like wrist moisture, timing, speed you just learn a lot of different things and how important it is to be able to bring that guy to a peak so he peaks right at the time of that fight. You don't want to peak the day before and he didn't, but not peak the day after. You want to peak right at that time. And I learned so much from teaching the roosters how to do that that we use those same tactics on myself.

Speaker 2: 32:28

So in that six week period you got to come up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up, up. You got to come up, up, up, up, up a week six. You want to get right there. Week six For that fight day right there. You want to be right there. If you hear you're not going to win or you're going to struggle. If you're over here it's going to be even harder. But if you get right there at week six, you got yourself something.

Speaker 1: 32:51

I would imagine at the peak of your career you had that dialed in pretty well, Of course. I mean, you could probably do it in your sleep, do it like clockwork In my sleep because I knew what to do Right.

Speaker 2: 33:00

I knew how to rest, I knew when the rest. I knew everything because I learned it from working with my animals.

Speaker 1: 33:08

Wow, so the fight in the roosters. Their prep time is half of years. Did you learn anything from the intensity in which they prepare? And fight with their mentality.

Speaker 2: 33:26

Yes, the ones that were back in and, like I said, illegal now, so I don't do it now but back when it was legal, the ones that were super intense all the time, were the ones that performed the best. Now sometimes you get one that would be a little laid back. He'd be a little laid back, become night the daytime, when it's time for the action to be he sure. You have a few like that, but people are like that too. Then sometimes you have some that never seem like they got right, but on that night they were a whole different animal. So and you got people like that too.

Speaker 2: 34:02

So it's like that taught me not to expect all my boxes to look the same through that peaking process. Some of it looked like they were beaters, but they may not be. Some of it looked like they can't beat themselves, but they're trying to be the best of all. So you got to be able to know that different personalities are going to bring about different things. Just because he don't look right ahead, don't matter. You just bring him a point that you're supposed to and see what happens. What happens on fight night.

Speaker 1: 34:28

Got to see, when the lights come on, how they react. That's the biggest thing. Do you watch?

Speaker 2: 34:32

college football yes, who's your team? I don't have a team, I just use to support local guys. If I see local guys, like when I am, it was at Florida. I supported Florida. When Brooks was at Florida State. I supported Florida State when Trent Richardson was at Alabama. I support Alabama. My daughter goes to Alabama right now so I kind of watch Alabama Roll tide and I like Nick.

Speaker 1: 34:52

Saban. I like Nick Saban too. Yeah, I also like Dion Sanders. What do you do with that?

Speaker 2: 34:58

color, because he's showing that it's not about who you are. Well, yeah, it's about the opportunity. You get the opportunity. You can do anything anybody else can do, but without the opportunity, no, you can't. You know his son never got that opportunity had he not got that job. But look what his sons are doing now. Both of them they showing you that they are top, they come from top, Not predatory. Look at their dad. They belong. You feel the data, the data has played for some of the best coaches in color football and in a field football. How can he not know? They got the DNA, they got it from him and he got the knowledge because he's learned over the years. Look what he's done. He's played for all kind of coaches. He's a Hall of Fame himself. How can he not teach it?

Speaker 1: 35:35

I think what he's doing and mixing his flamboyance and swagger and style with discipline and accountability and and Gamesmanship. He's given those kids a very, very, very ripe environment for growth, fun, learning, potential fulfillment and then, not to mention, all the stars he's bringing to the game.

Speaker 2: 36:04

He permitted he promoting self confidence yes, discipline.

Speaker 1: 36:09

Yes.

Speaker 2: 36:09

Hard work ethic and what you can be if you just believe in God and believe in yourself.

Speaker 1: 36:15

That's exactly right. Yeah, I do think Dion is rubbing some people the wrong way and I really don't understand why. Because, dion, if one listens to Dion, just listen to a press conference, look past Dion's flashy smile, look past his his drip, because he's going to have all the style right and focus on the content of the words coming out of his mouth, and it's not going to be a whole lot different than what Nick Saban preaches. It's just delivered in a different way.

Speaker 2: 36:48

This is what you're going to do. What you feel to realize is you're going to realize one day, no matter what you do, somebody going to hate it, somebody going to watch this interview that me and you doing right now and have something negative to say about it. You can't worry about those. You worry about the one that got the positive messages out of what we're doing. You worry about the one to get the positive messages and see the light behind what Dion is doing. You can't worry about the negative. It's going to be negative and everything.

Speaker 2: 37:16

If you are a Christian, you believe in Jesus Christ, well, jesus Christ will tell you that if they did what they did to him and he was perfect, imagine what they're going to do to us. You understand what I'm going from I do. If you're Muslim, you understand the same thing. Your goal is to serve God. You're not trying to be God because you're not perfect, but if you pray over there, that extra repentance that makes you perfect in God's eyes, you understand me. So we aren't here to be perfect and believe you meet.

Speaker 2: 37:45

Even if we think we are or we try to be, somebody's going to find something wrong with us. It's human nature. You understand me and misery loves company. So there are people that are miserable, that look around and try to find who else they can pick at, to talk about or try to make miserable. You understand me. If you listen to them, you will become miserable too, but if you're smart, you look at them and laugh because I'm sorry that you're not having a good day, I'm sorry that your life is not going where it is. You want it to go, but my idea is something happens. So I can't be mad at you and I understand your anger, but it is what it is.

Speaker 1: 38:22

Do you attribute your recognition of that to your Christian faith?

Speaker 2: 38:28

To all my faith, my faith in God. First, I have Christian faith, but I do understand what the Muslim believe in too, so I understand it all. It's just like for me. We know we got one God and everything else that was in here he sent and they say Jesus was Emmanuel God among us. But that could be true. They say Jesus was the son of God. That could be true. The Muslim sometimes would say he was the prophet. That could be true. The fact of the matter is he's coming back to get us. If you don't believe in that, I don't care what religion you are.

Speaker 1: 39:02

In my opinion, Europe the Muslim faith is, it gets a bad, bad route much because of the terrorism that's taking place in our country throughout, you know, past 20, 25 years and even longer, some say. But it does get missed that there are very devout and very peaceful Muslims, by far in the majority, as opposed to the terrorists that also represent that faith. What they don't realize is that they are not, they represent that faith.

Speaker 2: 39:32

What they don't realize is that terrorists can come in any kind of shape or form or religion. You understand me. It's not just that the Muslim believe. Beliefs are a little bit different and in some cases stronger than most. Because what people don't understand is that the Muslims see the same God that we see. They pray to the same God that we pray to. They just don't think that Jesus was the son of God. They think Jesus was a prophet. It don't matter, because they still believe that Jesus is coming back for us. Jesus is going to come back and redeem our lives.

Speaker 2: 40:02

Oh, I didn't recognize that I do believe that there was nobody recognized because they don't talk to him, but I talked to him enough to understand that. They also believe that Jesus is coming back to redeem. They just see Jesus. The only difference to me and the Muslim and the Christians is that the Christians think Jesus was the son of God, which could be true. The Muslim thinks he was a prophet, but they all agree that he's coming back to redeem us. That's the case.

Speaker 2: 40:23

Like I said, the only problem I have is if we know for a fact that Jesus is coming back to get us, then if he's a prophet, why isn't he the strongest prophet? That's the only thing I say, because he won't come back for us. He got to be the best prophet of all. If he, like the Christians, think he's the son of God, well, all of us pretty much think that we're the sons of God. So you understand me. So it's a, but you can't get caught up in all that because, no matter what it was, if he's the son of God, god sent him. If he was a prophet, god sent him. No matter what happens, god sent him and he's going to send him back. If you understand and believe those two things, to me it don't matter.

Speaker 1: 40:58

Right, right, right, and so long as it leads one to treat others with respect and dignity and compassion, I mean, I don't care if anybody, if somebody believes in this microphone right here, but if it allows them and incentivizes them to be the best version of themselves and treat people as they would want to be treated, then it's all good and hood.

Speaker 2: 41:24

That's what I'm trying to say. I don't think we have problem with some people. When you give them power, they try to take what they want or they believe in and force it on you. That's the only thing I have a problem with. Don't force it on me, but you can do what you want to do. I don't care, because I didn't make you God. Yeah, you got to ask him, not me. But don't force what you think is right on me, because that's not fair. What if I don't think that's right? Now? You're bullying me and that's not fair either. But if that's what you think, I'm cool with that. You can think what you want to think. I'm fine. You can be whatever religion you want to be. I'm fine with that.

Speaker 2: 41:54

Last but not least, though, this is what people also don't realize about Muslims. The Koran and the Old Testament are almost identical, except that the Koran has never been changed. The Bible has been rewritten, maybe 600 times. Really, anytime you rewrite something, you get a different version of it. Almost no doubt the Koran has never been rewritten. So what's the real deal? They call it the oldest, truest religion Because the Koran has never been rewritten. The Bible has been rewritten at least 600 times. How much to put it in and how much to let out. There are also books of the Bible that have been left out on purpose, that we know. We don't know what they are. We don't know what they are, but we know that some books of the Bible have been left out on purpose.

Speaker 1: 42:39

That peaks my interest and makes me wonder.

Speaker 2: 42:43

It makes all of us wonder if you got any sense. Yeah, you know what I mean. It should make everybody wonder, because if they're willing to leave parts out of the Bible, and if me, you write a paragraph, if I write it, you write it, then he write it. By the time that person reads them three paragraphs, they're going to look at all three of our paragraphs in different ways. So if they had to go write it, they're going to go write it the way they see it. You understand what I'm coming from? Yes, sir, and if you reread it 600 times, how can it be its original context? It can't be, because it's been rewritten 600 times.

Speaker 2: 43:18

So would you really believe in something that's been rewritten 600 times, or would you rather believe in something that's only been written once? It's a hard choice. It was not a really hard choice, but for me, I still stay in the middle, because I feel like God is only going to allow so much to happen and he going to guide us and show us right from wrong, and he going to give it to us in our hearts every day. And the fact that the Muslim pray five times a day I like that too, because that means that every day, no matter where they go to church or not, they still pray into God five times a day. You understand me. So if you stay that close to God, he got to communicate with you and if you have a relationship with God, you know it's like just two weeks ago I went to Marrakech In Morocco.

Speaker 2: 44:07

I'm not a miracle. Yeah, marco, right, something was telling me not to get on a plane and go. When I got there, I told the people that got me. I said listen, I'm here for y'all, but I'm telling y'all this last time. I'm going to do this because God was telling me not to come on this trip. This is what you mean. I just got too much that was happening. Too much is going on. Anytime that happens to me. That's an indication that God only come here. The day I left, earthquake came and killed over 2000 people right there in Morocco where I was. That's not God talking to you. You understand me, do you understand it? Yes, that's how real it is. That's how much I believe in what God puts on me. So if you don't have that kind of faith, then something wrong.

Speaker 1: 44:52

So you were in Morocco when the earthquake occurred.

Speaker 2: 44:54

Left the day I left the day that it occurred I was in flight coming back here. When I was between I went to Paris and from Paris to LA I was between Paris and LA I got a Text on my phone that Morocco had just had a massive earthquake. They had killed over I think they said over 300 people. At first they didn't went up to a thousand, they didn't went up to 2000. Now I think it might be at 2800. I'm not sure, but this happened the day that I left. But now I told the people when I got there, that wasn't supposed to be there, because God was showing me signs that I shouldn't come. Now I saw exactly what he was trying to keep me from. You understand me, that's deep. That's deep when you tell somebody, when you get there, that God said don't come. So I want to come and show you all this time that I'm free of what I say. But I'll never do this again because in my opinion he told me not to come Soon as I leave, I quit here.

Speaker 1: 45:49

He reinforced what you, what he had already been telling you, you understand me, you got to know why take the interview with the county council, why take the interview with the county line and this young man from the middle of rural Mississippi who you don't know?

Speaker 2: 46:07

Well, you never know in what forms that God will speak to you or speak to people. You never know what God's message might come from. You never know who God may have a message for, and maybe somebody in your audience that God wants to hear this message, maybe you want to hear this message. You might tell me something or ask me something. I need to hear who know? So when you have friends and I have a lot of friends all over the world and you are really a true friend of a friend, and one of your friends out of the blue tells you hey, I got a guy that wants to do an interview with you, or he's a good guy, good friend of mine, but really mean a lot to him If I have time, and him being my friend, why would I not do that?

Speaker 1: 46:52

Prior to coming here, I was told Roy Jones Jr ain't got no ego. He ain't got no ego and that has been proven to be correct based off of what you've told me in the past 46 minutes. You know I definitely speak for myself and the county line congregation, the audience listening to this. It's very commendable. A person of your stature and all of the accomplishments and accolades that you've got, it's, I would say, probably very rare to have someone so down to earth that has been up so high. What do you attribute?

Speaker 2: 47:36

to having no ego, my faith in God. Just like God give it, god will take it the way. So if you get too big for your own self, bad things are gonna happen. Even if bad things don't happen, though, you may miss God's word, you understand. That's why I don't drink or smoke, because if you're high and you're braided, whatever, how can you hear what God tells you? You understand me. So I feel like in my right mind, if God bring me a message, I can catch it. In my wrong mind I can't. You feel me. So I try to stay in my own mind, because if he tells me something, or if he showed me something, or if he wants me to see something, I want to be able to see it. You feel me Right. I mean, if Noah was drunk, would Noah have known to build an ark? If Noah was high, would Noah have known to build an ark? He may have thought he was hallucinating, who knows? But because Noah wasn't, he built the ark.

Speaker 1: 48:27

And look what happened with the ark. How do you check yourself? How do you check your ego? Because you have to through as much success as you've had. There has to have been a point in your career where maybe you didn't even recognize it, but you started to get the big head. Have you ever felt that and if so, how did you check it?

Speaker 2: 48:48

I never thought I ever had the big head, because I know that every day is a blessing from God, every second is a blessing from God. Every blessing in life is a blessing from God. He didn't have to give me none of that. He didn't have to allow me to become world champ. He didn't have to allow me to make the Olympic team. He didn't have to allow me to become a headway champ to the world. He didn't have to allow me to be nothing. I'm everything because he allowed me to be. Thanks, you understand me.

Speaker 2: 49:16

Now, if I can't thank him every day and talk to him on a daily basis and ask him am I doing the right things? And try to look for his guidance, then my head probably getting too big. If you forget about who God is, your head probably getting too big. But as long as you remember who God is, that should keep you in line, because you know that you ain't doing this. It's not you doing this, he doing this. You're just an instrument. He playing this music through you. Be happy, be grateful that he's using you as an instrument.

Speaker 1: 49:45

So what's his ultimate mission for Roy?

Speaker 2: 49:48

Jones Jr. Who knows? I have no clue what the ultimate is because you're always doing something else through me to surprise me, so I never know. Like I never thought I would have a rap song that got over 200 million views, I got a rap song that's got over 200 million views on it Roy Jones the boxer.

Speaker 1: 50:03

I smoke, I drink no can't be touched.

Speaker 2: 50:05

Can't be touched. Can you believe it? How? Whoever had a song? Whoever thought Roy Jones Jr would have a song that high? As I smoke, I drink. Everybody knew that song. You understand me, I mean, it's just like it's so amazing. I was in the matrix Roy Jones Jr, the boxer in the matrix man. So much happened that it's just unbelievable. I went to the Olympics at 156 pounds. I became the halfway champion of the world. That ain't never happened before, never. My first national tournament I won as a bannermost 119 at 15 years old. I ain't never thought I would be nothing close to a heavyweight. A lot of guys if I had weights light heavyweights or heavyweights when they 15 to 16 year old. I seen a guy a few weeks back up in New York. He was 16 years old. He already 300 pounds and can fight. He's destined to be a heavyweight champion of the world one day, but he already have weight. He over 300 pounds at 16.

Speaker 1: 51:08

And he can't go to lightweight, you feel me.

Speaker 2: 51:09

I never thought I'd be on heavyweight. I was my first national tournament bannermost 119.

Speaker 1: 51:15

What's heavyweight Over 200? Yes, 200 plus.

Speaker 2: 51:19

Yes, I never thought I'd see those days. Not no boxing ring. That's how great God is If you just believe, he'll take you to places you don't know you can go to. So if I sit and tell you what my overall destiny is, I don't know. Who knows what he might do through me, I don't know. But I just hope he keeps using me and keep playing his music through me, because I love it. I'm glad that he chose me to do it through him. So I'm just a happy camper. If you ever get too arrogant and too hard, he's going to take that away. He'll stop using you and I know that. So why would I get arrogant on a big hit when I know that? Uh-uh, that's what he puts you here for Very wise, very wise.

Speaker 1: 51:55

How did you mention the rap song Mm-hmm? And you've got body head bangers, body head In this bitch. You're very tied. You're tied closely, primarily because of that album. Two New Orleans rap. Did that happen spontaneously or was that? Did you know those guys prior to to happen on that album? Another blessing from God, another blessing from God.

Speaker 2: 52:24

So I had an artist named Hardripper Hardripper from New Jersey. To me, hardripper was the coach of the band. To me, hardripper was the co-dust lyricist of all the artists I had, right, but his beats were a little different and we could never get together and I guess we never could make the balance match. You understand me, because he liked what he liked, I like what I like, and it's just always a little different. You like that downside shit. I assume I like the downside beats, me too. You understand, you put the downside beats with his up north lyrics. You go have a killer. That's like Lil Wayne, exactly. But we couldn't. We could never come together on that right. So then I got an artist from New Orleans. Mr Magic came to me and he was like, look, I got this song that I think could be a hit. So he didn't hear it. I said man, we remix that song. That's going to be the hottest song of the summer. That was I Smoke, I Drink. But before that, though, we had had a few songs that we were doing pretty good. Then Hard's I wrote down a lot of stuff about my career, and Hard's helped me make that. Y'all must have forgot. That was a big song, you understand me. So Hard did his thing. But, just like I said, with beats he was like most. Most musical guys are so genius that they don't relate to the public. Well, you understand me. So it's like some do, some don't. Some think so deep into it that you can't read, you can't reach where they max can go Right, and most artists are like that. Just a matter of who can get the combination right and who can't. Because I promise you I don't think no rapper, word for word, writing down lyrics, can do any better than what Hard's can. But Mr Magic was a different type of artist. He's the artist that can make something that the streets wants to hear. He didn't want to come with the I Smoke, I Drink. He can make what the club want to hear. He can make it for the Down South Club and he understood and recognized the beats. So the song that did the most for us, which was Can Be Touched. He helped come over to hook on Mr Magic's D Right, but I picked the beat, you understand me, and that's why I think what was missing was Hoss. I don't think he trusted me enough to pick the beats because he's from up north. He always chose different type of beats, but those beats won't get it down here and really beats are worldwide, because for the song to go and have over 200 million views, not only did it work here, the world had to like, and you understand me. So I have a reputation for picking beats, you understand. So I just think the New Orleans rappers understand and respect my reputation for picking beats and that's why I worked. So me and Mr Maddy had a hell of a career together. May rest in peace. He died and he and his wife both died in the car crash and it was very tragic for me.

Speaker 2: 55:12

I was actually in the midst of making another album right then, you know. So, Lord, my whole. After that I had another guy come along, esam Bullitt, from New Orleans. Esam Bullitt now is almost the tracks with me here, and he's another one who he's lyrically inclined, but he trusts my choice of beats. And because he trusts my choice of beats, I think we get to go a little bit further, because I have a track record for now, picking hot beats. So when we get the knowledge and gift that they got put with the gift that I have, which is my knowledge of beats and the fact that I like to. I like inspiring music. It works for us. So that we got a. Y'all must have forgot part two. That's hot. We gotta do a big. That's hot. But now we got. Never turn my back, that's hot. You understand me If you warm in the tank. That are hot. So you've got a label. Oh yeah, body Head's in the middle, that's my label.

Speaker 1: 56:06

And you've got Esam Bullitt on that label. Yep, is he the only one at this time? He's the only one right now. Yeah, what's in the future?

Speaker 2: 56:14

for Body Head Bangers. We working on completing the album right now. My favorite song on the album is called Dark Side. Dark Side hasn't come out yet but to me Dark Side is my kind of rap music. You understand me and I only know how to put out what I would listen to, because I'm not the kind of guy that wanna talk about smoking and even I smoke. I drink my verse. They had to do with smoking. They said we ain't gotta smoke or drink. You know what I'm saying. So I don't promote balance. I don't promote killing. I don't promote all the craziness. I just kinda you gotta throw a livid in there cause it's rap music. But I really promote what I do.

Speaker 2: 56:57

I wanna produce music that make you wanna get up and go do something. If it ain't that, I really don't wanna deal with it. So I look for beats that make you wanna get up and go do something. It's so bad that I'm not really an artist like that, but it's like for me to write to a beat. It's gonna make me feel like I'm about to go fight somebody. If I don't feel like that, I ain't gonna be able to write to it. But when I got that feeling, now I can write tonight to come to me what I wanna say or things I wanna get out there, because when that beat make me go now I can do something. If it ain't that, I ain't gonna do it.

Speaker 1: 57:26

So the beat comes first and then the lyrics. For me, that's the way I work too. That's the way I work too, is I'll have, and I'll have somebody send me. I've got a homeboy in mind and I'll have him run down beats, because I don't like picking my beats, I like to hear the beat spontaneously, just like it was supposed to come to me and it wasn't sold out by me. And then if it makes me feel, if it strikes a chord, it moves you, right, then I'll go.

Speaker 2: 57:51

Then I'll go. That's how I was. I don't know what I can write. If it moved me, I can write too, if not. And sometimes I come with concepts and I tell Bullet what the concept is and what I'm thinking of, how we should do it. And if it ain't the right kind of beat, he can do it. Because he can write to anything, because he's telling his musicians what he does. I'm gonna box him, I ain't gonna write to anything, but if it get me going I'll write to it. What did you?

Speaker 1: 58:12

listen to coming up, what inspired you early on, hip hop wise or just music in general.

Speaker 2: 58:18

Well, to be honest with you, man, the first thing that inspired me was UTFO. Oh, you probably not familiar with.

Speaker 2: 58:24

UTFO, then R&D, mc, r&d MC, curtis Blow, the Breaks Sugarhead Gang. Those guys all inspired me as a kid. So as I got older I started listening and I learned about Scarface, scarface with rap, scarface with rap, about things that I was going through about that time. So he kind of was in my age, in my gap, that was saying things that I believed in or I could relate to because I was going through it at the same time. So he became my voice of reason, that I could put his music on and I could feel like I'm talking about my own life, you understand me, and that made him become my favorite. To me, the way he puts his words together, the way he puts the lyrics together, the way he says things, is very unique and different than most people say it.

Speaker 1: 59:10

He is underrated in my opinion.

Speaker 2: 59:14

But now let me give you one more thing. He is also one of those artists that now he picks good beats a lot of time too and his beats because he always says so much and I'm the kind of person that loves what he says. So I listened to what he says before the beat, but I felt like if I was picking his beats he would be on the same level as some of his other artists are, because his beats are like how they're so deep into their beats that normal ears don't catch those beats. You understand me, I do, but you got to sell it to the normal ear, to sell a lot of records, right? I feel like if I was picking his beats, the artist would have, because he says stuff that is, I mean, he says so many cold lines that just he always be my favorite.

Speaker 1: 59:57

He'll always be my favorite. He's one of my favorite, which he was a little before my time, but that doesn't mean that I can't recognize the greatness. He's definitely the.

Speaker 2: 1:00:07

I don't even know if Lil Wayne could be considered Southern anymore, as much as he is global, but Scarface is top two or three of Southern rappers of all time To me he number one Southern rapper, but to me he number one all of it, because his music inspires me to go do what I do, because there's a constant way he says it, what he said, the way he literally puts things in order. I mean just it does it for me. He always gonna get my vote.

Speaker 1: 1:00:33

Rap a lot of records.

Speaker 2: 1:00:34

Love Rap. A Lot of Records, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:00:35

Is that word? Scarface got his Yep.

Speaker 2: 1:00:38

Jay Prance.

Speaker 1: 1:00:40

Jay Prance, you talk about a business man.

Speaker 2: 1:00:41

Yep, he does live with everything. Now he in boxing Got boxing like Shakira Stevenson, he doing his thing, that big baby he doing his thing. He had Andre Ward, I mean, he came in, took over boxing.

Speaker 1: 1:00:55

Yeah, I heard Jay Prance also listening to you on Joe Rogan. I liked that Joe Rogan got Jay Prance to come on. Of course that was when he first moved to Texas and it was a little out of Rogan's lane, you know. But Jay Prance, like you mentioned, is involved in boxing. But I mean, I listened to Jay Prance's audio book probably four or five years ago and incredible, incredible life and the odds that he overcame is incredible, incredible human being.

Speaker 1: 1:01:25

Yep, I mean when you look at him starting out as a automobile dealer in Houston and then working his way up and having his hand in so many different.

Speaker 2: 1:01:34

So many different things.

Speaker 1: 1:01:35

It's even been rumored that, and it may be true, that he discovered Drake. I don't know how true that is.

Speaker 2: 1:01:40

I think it is true. I'm not sure about thinking it is. I think I knew he had something to do with it because the first I ever heard of Drake was through him Drake's a cold motherfucker. He better believe it, man. You better believe it, you better believe it.

Speaker 1: 1:01:49

So I'm a good rapper, doesn't I? Oh man? I mean, it's a. The game has been elevated.

Speaker 2: 1:01:56

Only thing is nowadays it's harder to get the substance wrap that we used to have, because so much is going on, but I guess it is. There's substance what's going on in there time now. It's not what we used to, so our substance was different from their substance and that's what we had to make the change at, but it's really still. We'll get rappers out there.

Speaker 1: 1:02:15

Well, I think where we, the substance is still there. And I'll speak to Crip, big Crip out of Mississippi Boosie, he's still giving hard lines, you know he's still rapping. Of course he's not just about the hook.

Speaker 2: 1:02:32

He's not just about getting the plays.

Speaker 1: 1:02:33

He's still rapping and so I looked at those guys. But just, the environment's changed with social media.

Speaker 2: 1:02:39

That's what I said. That's what I said Now is the substance is different from what our substance was, but that's their substance today.

Speaker 1: 1:02:45

Roy Jones Jr, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day and inviting us here to your home to do this recording, and I look forward to doing it again.

Speaker 2: 1:02:56

Thank you, brother, I appreciate it I'm trying to Jack Pickering for looking out for us here. Absolutely, you love, so Thank you, jack, jack Pickering.

Speaker 1: 1:03:02

We need to get him on. How does dad chip on? Oh, nice, nice, roy Jones Jr, anything you want to say before we?

Speaker 2: 1:03:07

sign off. So I'm gonna say God bless you all. Hope you all enjoyed the interview. Keep God first and all that you do and have compassion for others. Peace, body hit, body hit bangers Hello.