Concrete Cactus
This is the Concrete Cactus Podcast, where two lifelong friends from New Jersey—Ryan, now stranded in the blazing Arizona heat, and Brandon, holding it down back east—tackle life’s weirdest, wildest, and most entertaining topics with humor, hot takes, and (near) zero filter.
Each week, we bring you:
Stories that turn up the heat—Jersey’s big mouths and bigger attitudes, Arizona’s dry heat and even drier humor, and the hilariously bizarre quirks of East vs. West living.
Sports takes you didn’t see coming—Phoenix teams choking on the biggest stages, and the endless agony of East Coast teams.
Scoops that break the mold—chaotic banter, unexpected headlines, and absurd takes that will leave you laughing and shaking your head.
This isn’t your average podcast—it’s a chaotic blend of comedy, relatable moments, and wildly different perspectives as we fellowship over music, sports, and the madness of everyday life. Whether you’re from the Garden State, the desert, or anywhere in between, you’re in for a ride.
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Concrete Cactus
007 | Phoenix Suns and the Spirit of Self-Sabotage
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What do Suns owner Mat Ishbia, Elon Musk, and American Water Works have in common (besides being billionaires)? Self-sabotage.
From luxury tax flameouts to the planned demolition of local landmarks, this episode tours the many ways power mismanages potential—and the regular folks who pay the price.
Ryan kicks things off with an early COVID-era flashback that crashes into Jersey’s reemerging lanternfly infestation. Brandon drags us into the impending implosion of the Union Lollipop (aka “The World’s Tallest Water Sphere”)... and things only spiral from there:
🧠 Why helping people in Arizona might get you robbed
🐘 Lucy the Elephant vs. Elon Musk’s federal defund energy
🚇 Necrophilia on the NYC subway (yes, really)
🏢 A $3.8B designer jail in Chinatown
🗽 Reminder: The Statue of Liberty is in New Jersey—deal with it
🎙️ Stephen A. Smith 2028 (Brandon says no. Ryan says “send it.”)
And then Ryan drops a handful of monologues—including one of the rawest closers we’ve had yet.
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Cold Open
01:15 – Revenge of the Lanternflies
02:25 – Farewell to the Union Lollipop
05:52 – Billionaire Breeder vs. Lucy the Elephant
10:01 – Helicopter Tragedy on the Hudson… or NYC?
12:06 – Morbidness on the Subway is a Common Motif (Viewer Discretion Advised)
16:35 – NYC’s First Designer Prison
18:28 – What About Rikers?
19:42 – Mayor Meme Mourns Many
20:35 – Minimal Grift Moment™
21:04 – Non-Revisionist WAHIs Segment
23:30 – Triple C Gets Double-Crossed by Subtypical Phoenix Goofy
25:59 – The Phoenix Buns Postseason Begins
29:33 – How the 2021 Finals Loss Inspired a Romantic Getaway
31:06 – Chris Paul’s PR Arc
33:19 – WHO Will Be the Next Suns Head Coach?
37:46 – Pistons Getting Pissy With Knicks Fans
39:15 – Purple Politics
41:43 – Errors & Omissions
42:35 – Stephen A. Smith 2028
44:15 – Weekly Anti-Transformational Coach Pep Talk
45:28 – Viewer Comments (TW: Self-harm)
50:10 – Wrap-Up & Final Wisdoms
It’s satire with scars. Absurdity with insight.
From the concrete.
Cactus.
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This episode contains segments that may be unsuitable for some audiences. For your convenience, these segments have been identified in the timestamps within the description.
SPEAKER_032020 is what, five years ago now? That's crazy, half a decade since.
SPEAKER_04Interesting time to be alive.
SPEAKER_03It was. It definitely was.
SPEAKER_04Honestly, if I could, I would go back to the day I first came back home from deployment. Social distancing, throwing my bags in my mom's car, just chilling out at her place for two weeks. If I can go back to that moment, it's too early to get philosophical, bro.
SPEAKER_03He's about to take us down memory lane. Yeah. In the cold open.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_03Yo, yo, yo. Welcome to Concrete Cactus episode seven.
SPEAKER_04Took an edible in Jersey. Woke up in Buckeye sweating. Out based on a true story. Don't come for me, D.O.D.
SPEAKER_03Damn.
SPEAKER_04Just lock it.
SPEAKER_03I put my hand up and you know it does that camera shit when you put your hand up. Yeah, yo, let's get into it.
SPEAKER_04This is like a reminder of a different time. Hearing about these sons of bitches showing up. They ain't showing up over here.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I'm surprised the
SPEAKER_04cockroaches survive out here. These lanternflies were popular before the pandemic. It was like they started in Philly.
SPEAKER_03I remember it just being an issue here.
SPEAKER_04Well,
SPEAKER_03only two hours
SPEAKER_04in Philly.
SPEAKER_03I don't recall anyone else in the country mentioning these lanternflies.
SPEAKER_04Apparently, they have been spotted here in Arizona at one point. Oh. They're in Tucson. Are they really? They've been found and... Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
SPEAKER_03Whoa.
SPEAKER_04No, because you know what? I got to deal with little men stomping on them and playing with them and shit. Like, bro, like, that's not...
SPEAKER_03Apparently, you're also toxic to dogs, so... Brooklyn.
SPEAKER_04Exactly. Dogs got to worry enough about little men, so, I mean... Man, it's going to be a summer for you.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. so there's reportings of them tearing down a landmark out here in jersey have you heard
SPEAKER_04oh wait hold up you're talking about the um oh no that's actually out here the oldest talk about in the world's getting torn down in uh scottsdale
SPEAKER_03no
SPEAKER_04Oh, you're talking about the world's tallest water sphere? At one point, it was the world's
SPEAKER_03tallest water sphere? The world's tallest water sphere, yeah.
SPEAKER_04The
SPEAKER_03Union Lollipop. The Union Lollipop. I never heard that reference, but that's... That's what I
SPEAKER_04called it when I... Anytime it was on the... Georgia State Parkway going up to Irvington or insert whatever, North Jersey City here.
SPEAKER_03Around Route 22. Yeah. Yeah, they're planning it. They're prepping it for demolition. And yeah. Changes the skyline.
SPEAKER_04Changes the skyline quicker than a... You know what
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna call it, that. I think you can still see it. The Freedom Tower from... You know what I'm talking about, right?
SPEAKER_04You can still see One World Trade from that little footbridge between Roselle and Roselle Park.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, there you go, yep. Yeah? That's crazy. It's like a perfect valley through trees. Yep. And the bridge framing. And it breaks off and you could... There it goes again. It's... And it breaks off. That's your
SPEAKER_04fault. Turn that shit off. It's your fault. Yeah, he was talking about skyscrapers. Oh, yeah. We talking about things. The skylines has been changing out in Jersey and Manhattan for like 24 years, if you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_03The Freedom Tower. One World Trade. Yeah, you used to be able to see it from... roselle maybe in the
SPEAKER_04fall in the winter yeah when the leaves are out of the trees now you can see it
SPEAKER_03there's a clear valley i thought
SPEAKER_04they built more like freaking like multi-family residential houses
SPEAKER_03well they have they also did that yeah they got a huge parking garage
SPEAKER_04i seen that shit i said i was out there i
SPEAKER_03don't understand the purpose of that but but you're
SPEAKER_04talking about the footbridge not the footbridge that little Small car bridge slash footbridge between Roselle and Roselle Park.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's between Westfield and First.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, a lot of people see it as a little fine hidden gem, considering that we were like, what, 20, 23 miles away from that part of Manhattan. Matter of fact, a lot of people don't know this. We're closer to Staten Island than we are to Manhattan. You can ride your bike across the damn Gothels if you wanted
SPEAKER_03to
SPEAKER_04from
SPEAKER_03Roselle. I'm not doing that, though. That sounds insane. I would not be surprised if we know someone who's done it.
SPEAKER_04It's saving like$15 going back and forth.
SPEAKER_03Port Authority is
SPEAKER_04the mob, bro.
SPEAKER_03I think it's more like$19 now.
SPEAKER_04Damn.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04You know what? I'd rather pay that than... Oh, it's another anti-Arizona rant. That's probably not going to go anywhere. So as you continue.
SPEAKER_03But yeah. Hidden gem, that's cool. But we're losing the, what'd you call it? The union lollipop?
SPEAKER_04The union lollipop.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Never heard of that. But why?
SPEAKER_04Which one of these European developers said, that shit is whack. I want that knocked down immediately.
SPEAKER_03Immediately.
SPEAKER_04The same way we got a South African trying to take money away from Lucy the Elephant.
SPEAKER_03We gonna get into Lucy the Elephant. We could go into Lucy the Elephant right now if you want to.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, might as well. Shit. Yo, Elon Musk. Yo, what's your beef with the elephant at the Jersey Shore, man? Like, oh, national landmarks don't deserve to have some federal money.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's getting out of hand.
SPEAKER_04Yo, honestly, that would have been a perfect place. That was probably a list of things that I wanted to do with somebody's daughter.
SPEAKER_03Let's go to see the elephant.
SPEAKER_04You can actually sleep. I think it's like an Airbnb in there. Really? I used to do hella Airbnb's. Yeah. Really? Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03You're doing B&B's?
SPEAKER_04If I'm not mistaken, this was back in the year of our Lord. This was back in 2020, right before you know what.
SPEAKER_03But yeah, you asked about why they were getting rid of the lollipop.
SPEAKER_04Yeah,
SPEAKER_03why didn't you get rid of the lollipop? So it was built in the 60s. Once was the tallest water sphere in the world. They decommissioned it in the 80s. So it's been out of commission for quite some time. They've only been using it for the Antenna Mountain for telecommunications. So the owner of it is replacing it with I guess an actual
SPEAKER_04antenna mask. Oh, come on. Eyesore. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03The demolition is part of a broader effort to modernize the area's utilities and telecommunications facilities.
SPEAKER_04They couldn't just renovate the water tower to be the world's tallest and like water spill antenna. Not
SPEAKER_03even that. I mean, I don't, I don't know how much of it is actually interfering with the equipment, but. Kind of seems like a waste.
SPEAKER_04Just get rid of that icon, man. Yeah,
SPEAKER_03it's just a waste of equipment time and effort and money. That's ridiculous, man. What?
SPEAKER_04It was a discretionary fund grant from the government. Oh,
SPEAKER_03you're talking about the elephant?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Ayo, Corey, you know what to do, Corey.
SPEAKER_03It doesn't look like they're going to get rid of it, though. It looks like they're just going to cut into the funding in New Jersey. Despite the setbacks, the Save Lucy Committee remains dedicated to the preservation efforts, and it's exploring state and local grants, as well as public fundraising to cover the restoration costs.
SPEAKER_04I'm not in favor of the grant being cut, to be perfectly honest with you, but if that's what they want to do, it appears to be legal.
SPEAKER_03There's two things here because maybe it shouldn't be federally funded. Maybe it should be state funded. So it kind of makes sense. Leave it in the state's hands to preserve it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, but isn't this a national landmark?
SPEAKER_03Is it a national landmark?
SPEAKER_04Like a UNESCO World Heritage Site or something?
SPEAKER_03It is. National Historic Landmark. Oh. Since 1976. I was trying to be funny. 1881 was when it was built. Yeah, it was crazy. Oldest surviving roadside attraction in America.
SPEAKER_04It was probably the tallest structure in the world at the time, too.
SPEAKER_03I wonder what else is on that list of expenses for national landmarks that, you know, is questionable. Nothing questionable about that elephant. Half a million dollars?
SPEAKER_04That's actually a good... That's actually not a bad deal. 500K. That's probably part of the renovation when you think about it, but... The 500K can go a long way with this. I
SPEAKER_03don't know.
SPEAKER_04At the end of the day, I mean, I hear Doge and Elon Musk, and I scrimmaged a little bit, but it is what it is. It isn't like Lucy's going away anytime soon, you know? It's not like they took money away from children or cancer patients or vets. Or teachers. Or teachers.
SPEAKER_05Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03Mm-hmm. Mm. This helicopter tragedy.
SPEAKER_04Anybody done talked about it already.
SPEAKER_03You want to skip over it?
SPEAKER_04We used to talk about all the people who said this happened in New York City, even though it happened on the Jersey City side of the Hudson. Let me see if I can look at something real quick. Associated Press said, Clever. Y'all clever, Associated Press. The Sun, Ireland, a catastrophic helicopter crash in New York, Hudson River, may be caused by a failure of critical component. I mean, they're white Jamaicans. I tried my best. Critical component known as the Jesus nut. Anyway, The Sun published an article. I mean, The Sun's a tabloid. So, I mean, this is no surprise here. Seaman's CEO killed in Hudson River helicopter crash, referring to his location as New York City. Whack. A lot of the press made sure they didn't get caught with their pants down because they knew that it was going to be like saying the Gulf of Mexico is the Gulf of America.
SPEAKER_05You
SPEAKER_04know, like, I'm not like I'm proud of it. But that happened in Jersey City, Jersey City side of the Hudson River.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, the Jersey City side, Hoboken. Close to Hoboken.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. And roughly on the same side of the Hudson River that the Statue of Liberty is in. Just wanted to put that out there, too.
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_03I see what you did there. A lot of
SPEAKER_04people don't know
SPEAKER_03this, man. I'm just trying to
SPEAKER_04spread the wealth.
SPEAKER_03You need to say that clearly. The Statue of Liberty is in New Jersey waters. Oh, you want me to say that? You
SPEAKER_04want me to code switch? Yeah. The Statue of Liberty is in New Jersey waters. Even though the New York claims the little circle of land around it.
SPEAKER_03Maybe, though.
SPEAKER_04This is short for the map. It's a little too tiny. But trust me, it's there. It's in Jersey Waters.
SPEAKER_03That's how I check. We the one with Liberty State Park.
SPEAKER_04But anyway, what else we got going on? Unless you want to talk about the guys having a sex if a corpse. Actually, no. We got some stuff to talk about here.
SPEAKER_03That is insane, bro. The fact that you're doing it with a corpse is insane. But doing it on the New York City subway is like 100,000 times worse.
SPEAKER_04I... Honestly, I've heard a lot of craziness happening. I almost saw this guy try to off himself on the New York City subway one time. It was somewhere in the Heights somewhere. Me and a previous romantic partner of mine were just waiting for the train. We were trying to go northbound. And bro, he was just yapping. And he just sat on the track. And I was like, yo, this is going to go well. I'm like, yo, what the fuck? What the fuck are you doing? What the fuck? And that's the train coming.
UNKNOWNIt's like...
SPEAKER_04And then like, I just like had to close my arms. It was like, and I looked up. I looked at my girl. I'm like, yo, well, how can you just stand there and stare at that shit? Like what the?
SPEAKER_03Oh, she was watching the whole time.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, she was spectating. Obviously, that's probably the wildest thing I've seen on this subway, to be quite frank. And looking back at that now, knowing what I know and dealing with what I had to deal with in life. I'd sit there like I had a bowl of popcorn too. I would have been like, hey man, he's out of his misery, man. Cause life can be miserable as fuck. Better man than me, cause damn. Takes a lot of bravery. Takes a lot of bravery. Puts yourself in that situation like that. Anyway, back to what we were talking about. Sex with cadavers.
SPEAKER_03The corpse on the subway. Yeah,
SPEAKER_04who claps cheese for corpse?
SPEAKER_03Wait, so time out. Didn't that
SPEAKER_04happen on wrestling one time?
SPEAKER_03Time out, time out, time out, time out.
SPEAKER_04Wait, no, the guy who performed the act is a male.
SPEAKER_03It was two males.
SPEAKER_04Oh, wow. That's... I don't know how. I don't know how, but...
SPEAKER_03You want me to get into the overview of everything? You want to talk about it?
SPEAKER_04Nah, man. You
SPEAKER_03know. This happened earlier this month.
SPEAKER_04I was on April Fool's Day or
SPEAKER_03some shit. It was the week after April Fool's. Upbound R train at 8 p.m. is when the man boarded. Later found deceased from natural causes supposedly at 10.45 p.m. A woman was seen stealing property from the unresponsive man. At 11.45 p.m., an hour later, after the woman took stuff from the guy, a male suspect engaged in sexual acts with the corpse. Both incidents were captured on surveillance footage. Now, get this, because, you know, New York don't really like L.A. The male suspect is described as wearing a blue L.A. Dodgers cap. Uh, usual suspects. Big jacket, yellow hoodie. Blue jeans, white sneakers, blah, blah, blah. But
SPEAKER_04yeah,
SPEAKER_03it's insane, bro.
SPEAKER_04They caught him? Apparently. Of course they didn't catch him. It's New York subway.
SPEAKER_03Homie was dead for a minute before anything. Yeah, everybody
SPEAKER_04noticed.
SPEAKER_03He was dead, supposedly, and the lady went through his pockets and took something. And then an hour later, this guy comes in and does, you know, Sexual acts. That's insane. They had a clear picture of this guy, though.
SPEAKER_04Clear picture of this guy,
SPEAKER_03yeah. Yo, at this point, because they're not going to put cops in all of the trains. They're going to tell your boy to put them robots in there. You're going to get robocops in the hat and boarded on all of the trains for public safety. Only thing before that happens.
SPEAKER_04Everything going on in the subway like this. Courtesy of Sean P. McDuffie, letting his voice be known. Oh, Bro actually ended up riding the subway, by the way.
SPEAKER_03Really?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Well, we said it before he did it.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we called it. And then we dropped the episode the day of.
SPEAKER_05Free
SPEAKER_04City Subway is the biggest experiment in America right now, yo. Ain't no way around it, man. Wanna talk about... The
SPEAKER_03jail in Chinatown?
UNKNOWNNo.
SPEAKER_04Why they got a jail in Chinatown?
SPEAKER_03They're building a prison, a new jail in Manhattan's Chinatown. Facility is being built at 124-125 White Street, replacing the former detention complex known as the Tombs. This is part of the city's plan to replace Rikers Island with small borough-based jails. Didn't know they were planning that either.
SPEAKER_04What's this, Philly or something? You know about the Eastern State Penitentiary that's out there in the middle of like Philly? East Philly?
SPEAKER_03By where Temple's at? Nope. Don't they do, what you call it there?
SPEAKER_04Little Halloween spectaculars and shit?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. But get this, the building, the jail is supposed to be 16 stories, 295 feet tall, making it one of the tallest correctional facilities globally. There's a glass facade, a landscape plaza, and community spaces on the lower floors. with detention facilities above. Estimated to be$1.7 billion, the project cost has escalated to nearly$3.8 billion now. They aim to close Rikers by 2027, but this facility's supposed to be completed around 2032. I mean, at least it's gonna look nice. You're not gonna be able to really tell it's a prison, I guess, other than all the correction, the correction buses and Yeah. I think the more interesting part is that they're shutting down Rikers. Did not know they were trying
SPEAKER_04to do that. Yo, it's taking forever to shut that thing. They're trying to shut that thing down from like, damn, like a millennium at this point. I
SPEAKER_03guess it'd been a minute. Yeah, it's been a minute. Makes you wonder what they're going to do with Rikers.
SPEAKER_04They're about to make it a museum, some tourist attraction or something.
SPEAKER_03They're going to make that shit into housing. This is going to be housing. They might just do that, too. They're going to level it and use it for festivals.
SPEAKER_04Yo, that'd be a perfect spot for festivals. Here's the problem, though. You got to take a boat there, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, there is one road in and one road out.
SPEAKER_04That ain't going to work for festivals.
SPEAKER_03It's not. Unless
SPEAKER_04they make you walk that damn road.
SPEAKER_03We all
SPEAKER_04know Governor's Ball didn't last too long on Governor's Island.
SPEAKER_03They're going to build the next Yankee Stadium on there. You're going to have to walk across the bridge like PNC Park.
SPEAKER_04Nah, I ain't going to do that. That means that... It was like... Putting, like, a base of sports arena or a sports venue in New York City is, like, the most controversial thing you can think of. It's more controversial than putting a prison in the middle of Manhattan, bro. That ain't happening anytime soon.
SPEAKER_03They're not moving. I know they're not moving, Ed. Especially because it's removing them from the Bronx. Mm-hmm. What else we got coming out of crazy news in New York? Your man's mayor meme has found a way to escape the political waters in the U.S.,
SPEAKER_04and he found an alibi to get out of town. Yeah, he was out in the DR celebrating his fellow brothers and sisters. My fellow brothers and sisters, if you know what I mean, I guess. 200 and some odd souls lost in a nightclub collapse. Some MLB, former MLB players and
SPEAKER_03some
SPEAKER_04of Pedro Martinez's family members were involved somehow.
SPEAKER_03Was there more than one?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, it was Octavio Jotel and Tony Blanco.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I thought there was one.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Time out. Merengue
SPEAKER_04singer Ruby Perez.
SPEAKER_03Since we're talking about DR right now, Soto just hit another home run. That's back-to-back two games in a row. I just wanted
SPEAKER_04to... Yeah. Look at us talking about something that happened. She busy grifting on the internet.
SPEAKER_03All right. Grifting on the internet. Grifting on the internet. We ain't really into
SPEAKER_04that. Yo, we are minimal. We are a minimal grift, bro. We are minimal grift. Our grift is minimal because you know what? We ain't perfect. Every now and then we might slip just a little bit. Not too much. Just a little bit.
SPEAKER_03I've fallen. But I got back up.
SPEAKER_04The Dominican Republic, right? Yeah. A lot of people don't notice about New York and DR. DR, like... Washington Heights, just New York City alone, is literally the biggest population of Dominicans outside of the Dominican Republic. Just that neighborhood alone. Like, this is probably the worst thing that has happened to that community since that plane crash. It happened a month or two after 9-11, that American Airlines plane that was going to DR.
SPEAKER_03Uh... I don't even remember. I mean, I'm big on history. I like history. History was actually my favorite subject in high
SPEAKER_04school. Honestly, history was my favorite subject growing up. I literally watched nothing but 9-11 documentaries. The weirdo I was. That's probably why I'm used to seeing dead people. Actually, it was November 12th. So basically, this was the worst thing that has happened in the Washington Heights community since literally... America Airlines 587 that crashed two months and a day after 9-11. That is a tight-knit community. Literally, that neighborhood is like Jersey. I'm going to tell you why. When I was working at that sports arena in North Jersey by the Mega Mall that's out there now, I was an IT technician. That was my dream job. And... The person that I succeeded was actually a Dominican lady who happened to have lived a block or two from my ex. And I knew that because my boss at the time would cross the bridge to get her home. I'm like, yo, that's some boss shit, bro. Like, wants me to make some good money. Dude, that's shit. Crossing the bridge for one of your employees and shit. She lived on like one.
SPEAKER_05And
SPEAKER_04my ex was on one. I was like, yo, that is crazy. Probably why you probably passing each other at the. It's a small community, bro. Both of the people out there, yo. I miss it out there. I
SPEAKER_03feel like you make this statement every episode.
SPEAKER_04I miss everything about New York and New Jersey and Philadelphia.
SPEAKER_03And with that, let's move into Prickly Passes.
SPEAKER_04So, apparently, Tenny Segudo, he's a UFC fighter, former Bantamweight champion, if I'm not mistaken. fought the likes of Bogonowski and the Jamaican dude, Altman Sterling. This dude got too much money just to be living in suburban Phoenix, honestly, suburban uptown Phoenix.
SPEAKER_03I mean, what's his gym is out there?
SPEAKER_04He probably got a gym out here. I wouldn't be surprised, but yeah. One of his safe houses, I suppose, got robbed. Somebody came into his house and took one of his belts.
SPEAKER_03Wait, wait, wait. It wasn't the actual belt? It was a replica?
UNKNOWNYeah.
SPEAKER_04I think every UFC champion gets their own belt because you notice how sometimes they customize the belts. Yeah. Like when Ultiman Sterling was a Baltimore champion, he had the Jamaican flags on the side and shit. Like, yeah. You defend it once, you earn a ruby or an extra belt, depending on the UFC era. And you lose in the next fight, UFC just gives him a fresh belt. So, yeah, his actual belt was stolen. yikes safe house in suburban uptown phoenix see why i hate this place in the nicest places in the area it'd be the nicest decentest part of the metro area bro like it could be like a nice little gated community people still get robbed over there it's like oh bullshit happening you know what's crazy too this man and this is the thing i hate so much about living out here you could be like you could do something like out of the kindness of your heart and still suffer from it because not too long before that happened he was a good samaritan who stopped a drunk driver from running away from the police after getting caught drinking and driving and shit yeah so who knows mate they might be related they might be affiliated but it just goes to show that even if you try to do the right thing out here it's the wrong thing man you'll suffer man i don't want to help nobody out here no more don't stay alive man
SPEAKER_03you're having me hitting the quiet laugh Honestly,
SPEAKER_04I'm trying to die in a plane crash or from my country. I ain't about to die because I stopped some guy from hitting somebody. I stopped some guy from assaulting a girl at the
SPEAKER_03Randy's Donuts or something, bro. What is good with you and dying in planes, bro? Quick and easy. You're literally splat. If I die in
SPEAKER_04a war, I'm a mortar.
SPEAKER_03All right. I don't know where this will go. Let's talk about your sons. Let's talk about your sons, you guys. I
SPEAKER_04only got one kid.
SPEAKER_03No, no, no, no, no. Let's talk about your Phoenix sons.
SPEAKER_04Oh, man.
SPEAKER_03You're disappointing sons. The sons that disappoint
SPEAKER_04you. Yo, that team is something else, bro. Oh, my God.
SPEAKER_03Yo, man. Yo. How do you spend the
SPEAKER_04most money in the NBA? And still be like the first or second team knocked out, not even the first, second, third, the first team knocked out of the playoffs, man. Like, yo, Matt Ishbia, bro, you was, spoke a little bit too much of that ganja, bro. Like, damn, man. He probably is. It's better cocaine because you ever see him in his press conferences, this dude be like hyper, just talking like this all the time. Like, this dude is so excited, bro. Like, I might say he's ruining the team, but for somebody who's like, very likable but at the same time very what the that guy man he does it really well but you know why why he's popular i'm gonna tell you why he's popular because the last guy who ran the suns that guy wasn't popular he spent no money dude was low-key racist but you know what though they did build that 2021 team because the last great team that they had was six nine sons in the 94 596 Suns. Whenever Sunsville was playing against Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley on that team, every 20 to 30 years, the Suns, they want to actually play. They actually want to look good. I'm not coming to see a championship run until I'm a grandfather at
SPEAKER_03best. Results of the seasons for the last five years for the
SPEAKER_04Suns.
SPEAKER_032021 finals. 2022, they lost in the semifinals in the West. 2023, they lost again in the semifinals. 2024, they got knocked out in the first round.
SPEAKER_042025, they didn't even make the play-in.
SPEAKER_03Completely missed the playoffs and the play-in. Do you remember what Bradley Beal's comments were the other day? He said something like real controversial.
SPEAKER_04Him just existing is controversial, man. It was after they lost to the Warriors. I just keep my head up and just keep it moving, bro. Because he was the biggest waste of money in Phoenix Suns history. Not the biggest waste of money in Phoenix Suns history, perhaps. I'm not going to say DeAndre Ayton was a waste of money. He was to a degree.
SPEAKER_03I think you can say DeAndre Ayton was a waste of money. I made it to the finals with him.
SPEAKER_04that is true
SPEAKER_03so as of right now
SPEAKER_04his attitude man like he's West Indian bro like I saw that shit from a mile away man like I remember one time I called in a radio station I was like yo I'm Jamaican DeAndre in that's like all my people bro I'm not even surprised he acts the way he does it's where people are just going crazy and bonkers about it but hey you guys just picked up Grayson Allen and you guys talk word about attitudes and shit really really but you know Grayson Allen did great that season though So I'm not even going to clown that. I can't clown that dude. But I don't know about this season. You know what? It was the kid. The kid definitely slowed him down a bit. That's what happens when you have a
SPEAKER_03kid. Oh, y'all lost to the Bucks. That's who y'all lost to.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that's when I went to Milwaukee and ended up with that other
SPEAKER_03individual. Did not know those two were connected.
SPEAKER_04What? The Milwaukee and the Suns? Or the relationship? Mm-hmm. So this is what happened. I'll make a long story short. That girl that I went to Milwaukee with from back out east, we knew each other for a minute. Never really shot the shit or whatever because I obviously had my own thing going on and she had her own thing going on. And then the situation that brought me out here would happen. Then we kind of sort of clicked because she was a caregiver to her younger brother who's autistic. And me having the child recently diagnosed autistic at the time, it was like, oh, wow, we feel each other. We found each other and shit. And then we were like, yo, we should have our first date one week getaway to Milwaukee. It's like, why Milwaukee? I've never been to Milwaukee, but that shit's been my head up to the last like some odd months because them sons. And you know what? It's like, And I was also learning a lot about German culture at the time because I was invited to a wedding in Germany that next spring and shit. So it was like everything just fell into place.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think I remember that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, that was a pretty dope experience. Wow, that
SPEAKER_03was a long time ago.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, 2021. Yo, life just went crazy after 2021 for me.
SPEAKER_03Life went crazy after COVID.
SPEAKER_04That was a good time, though. She probably all right.
SPEAKER_03You want us to talk about... Well, you mentioned... better situations. Yeah,
SPEAKER_04Chris Paul, man. He almost got a ring with us. He almost started with y'all.
SPEAKER_03No. I think that was a terrible trade that we made for Chris Paul. That should have never happened.
SPEAKER_04Goes back to Matt Ispia. That dude is like Trump. People have short-term memory loss for this man because he's such a likable dude to many people. Magic word, to many people, not everybody. But Matt Ishbia compared to Trump, probably more popular than Trump. But they got the same charm, the same delight. They make really irrational decisions. But people tend to forget they exist or whatever, man. It's like the billionaire effect of some bullshit.
SPEAKER_03You know what Chris Paul's numbers were for this season?
SPEAKER_04No. I'm pretty sure they were better than what he was doing at Golden State last year in Phoenix.
SPEAKER_03Let's see. I do always have a
SPEAKER_04busted wrist and shit, huh?
SPEAKER_03I
SPEAKER_04wonder how many games. Matter of fact, the real number that matters, the real stack that matters is how many games is Scott Foster referee with Chris Paul playing this season. That's the real number we got to talk about.
SPEAKER_03When was the last time he was on Phoenix? 2023, right?
SPEAKER_042022, 2023. Because then he was 23, 24 for y'all. He only had one season with y'all. Still know why y'all traded for him.
SPEAKER_03No, we were trying to get rid of Jordan Poole because of that altercation with Draymond Green. We needed another six man, like an actual six man that could score, not playmaker. I don't understand why they did that. So here we go. In 2022, 2023, he played 59 games for the Suns. The next season, he played 58 games for the Warriors. And this past, well, this season that just ended, he did 82 games with the Spurs.
SPEAKER_04Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03Last game he's
SPEAKER_04played in like, what, five some odd years? It's been a minute.
SPEAKER_03So he played every single game. Minutes kind of stayed relatively the same. He played 28 minutes on the average per game. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_04That's just another Suns 2021 team alumni member. Having another good season with another team that you should have never moved on to. But Matt Ishbia, bruh, I did not forget. I did not forget, bro. Why? Bringing all the coaches that y'all have lost against either directly or indirectly. Try to get y'all to win a damn championship. Frank Vogel, he bought an old boy from the Practical Jokers. Then he basically, y'all did a Make-A-Wish for Bud, bruh. He was a lifelong Suns fan, coaching his favorite team.
SPEAKER_03The guy that beat them. They hired the guy that beat them.
SPEAKER_04Like, congratulations for beating us in 2021. Burn the team down, bruh.
SPEAKER_03So, I think earlier...
SPEAKER_04Make-A-Wish coach, that's unheard of.
SPEAKER_03I think earlier in the season, like maybe like episode, maybe like three or... Two or three, maybe? I mentioned Book changing coaches, didn't I?
SPEAKER_04I'm not trying to let those Guna thoughts win.
SPEAKER_03I feel like I mentioned Book getting new coaches. I think it was around the time De'Aaron Fox got traded because the King, he was on his, what, fourth, fifth coach? I was like, Book might do the same thing. But he wants to stay in Phoenix. That's the thing.
SPEAKER_04De'Aaron Parks is so unloyal, bro. That was least expected. That dude quietly.
SPEAKER_03Why you say? That
SPEAKER_04dude was quietly dissatisfied in his role to hit the king. I didn't see that one coming. Dame, I saw that shit coming. Oh, I remember that. Oh, you remember the night where he made that magical shot against the OKC Thunder during the playoffs? Mm-hmm. I remember where I was.
SPEAKER_03Where he points down at his watch? Yeah. Or his wrist?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. I was on a flight on the way from Portland. We had just took off, and everybody, that plane was rocking and shit. That just was hilarious. I was like, that's a memorable moment.
SPEAKER_03I mean, but even then, I couldn't really tell you that I saw Dame leaving the Trailblazers. That was a nice trip. The Aaron Fox situation was mad. I don't blame him. They brought in DeRozan, and then they brought in Levine. So now you got a saturated court. You got the
SPEAKER_04Chicago Bulls out west.
SPEAKER_03You got a bunch of players that need to handle the ball. They had Chicago part two.
SPEAKER_04Chicago west. You know how there's Cardinals trying to be Philadelphia west and shit.
SPEAKER_03Anyway. They can't keep a head coach. or choose not to keep a head coach, I don't blame Coach. You
SPEAKER_04should see the list of the odds of Suns' next head coaches. Steve Nash.
SPEAKER_03What is that? Sam Castle. Time out, time
SPEAKER_04out. Willie Green. Jared Dudley. Why do you keep doing that? Jared Dudley, head coach of the Phoenix Suns? Wow, they are digging. Chris Quinn, Mike Brown, your father about to be head coach of the Phoenix Suns, Mika Nori, Taylor Jenkins, Joanne Bryant, David Aldman, James Borago, Jarrett Jack, Jeff Van Gunnings in the middle of this betting list, Becky Harmon, Estor Messina, let me just like, Damian Stahlmeyer, Jason Terry, I ain't hear that name in like 20 years, Jason Terry. Dave Droger, Mike Malone. Odds are 40 to 1 for Mike Malone. He's officially on the list of head coaches. It's Phoenix Suns. Oh, man, John Calipari. Are we going to the college basketball coaches now? Dan Hurley, John Calipari, Todd Golden, Mark Jackson. Finally, he shows up on the list. Tarek Stotts. Guess who's the next guy? Who's the last guy?
SPEAKER_03Why are they not who?
SPEAKER_04Tom Izzo, Matt HBS coach in college. Ain't that some irony right there?
SPEAKER_03Why is there no mention of Barbosa? Is Barbosa not on the coaching staff right now?
SPEAKER_04I don't know. What is he doing right now in the leagues beyond me? All I know is that Willie Green about to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, baby.
SPEAKER_03I'm going to tell you right now.
SPEAKER_04The Pelicans. They want to be that team so bad, bro. Like, no. I ain't going
SPEAKER_03nowhere for the next four years. There's rumors that they're going to trade Zion in the offseason. So we'll see. We'll see. They're about to go into a full rebuild. They just fired everybody over there.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, they just burnt the whole thing down. I mean, as they should.
SPEAKER_03As they should. They weren't doing anything.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I would trade Zion, too. I'm not going to lie. Let's get off the Phoenix Suns. Detroit Pistons are restricting New Yorkers from going to their home games. They are now checking for resident housing addresses for anyone that's purchasing tickets. You have to be in where? I think I said Ontario, Michigan, Ohio. What am I missing? Illinois? You're just missing all
SPEAKER_04the Midwestern states.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that whole cul-de-sac of states.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, cul-de-sac
SPEAKER_03of trouble. Around the lakes.
SPEAKER_04Michigan. You ever been to Michigan? That's trash. Very pleasant people. Very sweet and pleasant people out in Michigan. Detroit, man, sweetest people. Probably the sweetest people you could ever meet. I'm like, yo, you guys are too fucking nice for like fucking, y'all hold up in the D and shit. Like, y'all be looking at. Y'all be coming off like fucking murderers and shit. Like, you guys are really fucking pleasant.
SPEAKER_03I mean, I know some people from Michigan.
SPEAKER_04Huh? Anyway.
SPEAKER_03But yeah, they're restricting Knicks fans from buying tickets.
SPEAKER_04Why? I
SPEAKER_03don't understand. I feel like this is only happening to Knicks fans.
SPEAKER_04No, this is only happening for these petty ass fans. Owners and shit who was trying so hard to win damn game and win championship and shit
SPEAKER_03you want to get into purple politics Rather short this week.
SPEAKER_04Yeah quite short. Not too much going on in Arizona, I guess nothing's happening in Jersey or in Arizona. So all I got is this video this New York judge Be rating a man for uh Trying to use AI on the defense.
SPEAKER_03Oh, yeah
SPEAKER_02one May it please the court. I come here today a humble proceed before a panel of five distinguished justices.
SPEAKER_00Hold on. Is that counsel for the case?
SPEAKER_01I generated that. I'm sorry? I generated that. That is not a real person.
SPEAKER_00Okay. It would have been nice to know that when you made your application. You did not tell me that, sir. I received the application. And you have appeared before this court and been able to testify verbally in the past. You have gone to my clerk's office and held verbal conversations with our staff for over 30 minutes.
SPEAKER_03Oh, she's fed
SPEAKER_00up. Okay? I don't appreciate being misled.
SPEAKER_03Oh, she's mad.
SPEAKER_00So either you are suffering from an ailment that prevents you from being able to articulate... or you don't. You are not going to use this courtroom as a launch for your business, sir. So if you are able to shut that off. If you want to have oral argument time, you may stand up and give it to me.
SPEAKER_04Oh, man.
SPEAKER_03That's That judge is a mom, probably an aunt.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, she's definitely like from some West Caribbean country of sorts.
SPEAKER_03Oh, definitely read that wrong. She's a mom, she's an aunt, like I said the first time.
SPEAKER_04He looked like that dude off of Courage the Cowardly Dog. He was coming out of prison. He was like Mary Rose's cousin or some shit. came out of prison to cut, like, you know, cutting Courage's hair or some bullshit like that. Something about being naughty. He like that, dude. Errors and omissions. What errors did we omit? Or omiss? Or what else? Errors and omissions. I'll go first. So Torpedo Bats, not cheating. Because they're all doing it. What'd I tell you? They ain't paying them things. Talking about something they're gonna ban. Well, your boy, what's his name, was using one. You know who I'm talking about. I'm not a Mets fan, so don't get mad at me. I know, not so. Come on, bro. Say his name.
SPEAKER_03I was saying if you was gonna remember Lindor.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, Francisco Lindor. There we go.
SPEAKER_03Francisco Lindor.
SPEAKER_04Lindor Chocolates. Yo, you know, we also forgot to omit that we actually omitted and we shouldn't have. So we made an error on that last segment. We forgot to put Stephen A. Smith in for Purple Politics because you know what? No, he's not. He's running for president in 2028, Stephen A. Smith.
SPEAKER_03No, he's not.
SPEAKER_04Hey, man.
SPEAKER_03Under who's, under what party?
SPEAKER_04The Democratic Party. He about to make it more moderate. He
SPEAKER_03already
SPEAKER_04talked. No. Listen, I don't endorse people, but out of all the people who could be running for president in the next three or four years, one of them is actually seeking a third term like he's Bloomberg. I'd rather go with Stephen A. Smith at this point.
SPEAKER_03I'd rather not. A sports journalist for president is insane. Give me the guy for the third term. Okay, we
SPEAKER_04have somebody who had a hair versus hair match with Vince McMahon as president of the United States, Burt.
SPEAKER_03Still, still, I'd rather have a businessman and entertainer than a sports journalist.
SPEAKER_04The 20-something if black columnist and sports journalist. I'm just kidding. You have to be flexing about that shit all the time. That at first take being number one for 12, 13, 14, 15. That's my boy, bro. I don't care, man. All I know is that if you can go to Sean Hannity, they don't really be arguing about anything. The fact that you can come up on there and just be buddy with that dude, that just shows how much life and power you have as a person. Because a lot of people, man, there's not a lot of people who can get along with both sides like Stephen A. Smith can, man. He looks for the best in people. Kind of like me. This is probably why I'm here in Arizona. Shouldn't be looking for the best in everybody. Boo me up in the face. Yo, Ladies and gentlemen, listen, everybody's made an impact on everybody at some point in their lives. Whether it was that girl you were seeing for a couple months, that girl you were seeing for a couple years, or maybe that friend you had for like five minutes when you was driving Lyft and he said, oh, you should start a podcast. And then three years later, all of a sudden, your best friend tells you the same thing. You're like, let's do it. Everybody makes an impact on everybody, man. But I'm just going to say. Especially if it's somebody that's been in your life for a amount of time who's seen you left and right, up and down, all around, and you're saying you're nothing? That is ungrateful. There's people who helped me become me to a degree, and I'll be forever enshrined in a hall of fame in my head. But I'm telling you right now, man, don't you ever, ever deny or divest or Dismiss somebody who inspired you or who helped you at a time of need and who's done more good than harm in your life. You know? I guess that was my philosophical thought of the week. Apparently, you can read that next part. We got a comment this week. What comment? Oh, that...
SPEAKER_03Oh, your tweet.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. So I just wanted to remind everybody that you're on X, so... Definitely, you know, stop by and provoke us to say something. Like something about an unfortunate situation that happened not too long before this taping. A young man by the name of, last name's Lacey. I remember it was Steve Lacey, you know. It was a good time. I used to listen to that dude all the time, man. Good times. What's his name? Help me. Help me. Help me.
SPEAKER_03I don't remember this.
SPEAKER_04Kyra Lacey. From all things considered, this gentleman offed himself after a confrontation that turned into a police chase. And we put a statement out there. And I'm going to let the viewers decide on who wrote that statement. And somebody who claims to have known... The Lacey family commented on the remarks that were made by us. I'm going to read an excerpt because we went off on this. Those who have those demons or to put bluntly ailments, physical and mental traumas, complete internal crash out. A lot of them just want to be free. A lot of them just want to go. Not because they're weak, but because they're tired. Tired of fighting alone. Tired of hearing you got this from people who never had that. I wish more of them got caught up by a beam of light before it was too late. I wish peace didn't have to look like escape. But some of us just want stillness. And yeah, sometimes stillness looks like being spirit free from the noise. Heaven willing, depending on how the alpha lights frame and the doctrine that you were raised under. I had somebody comment. He had a great family with no trauma. I know them. We're like, I hear you, but a great family doesn't automatically mean someone escaped generational trauma. It doesn't always do experts in this sort of thing called behavioral model. So basically, what we were trying to explain here is that trauma isn't always seen. It isn't always experienced in real time. It's inherited through the DNA. It's hereditary to a degree. Now, generational trauma is not a medical condition, but it does lead to diagnoses for ADHD, OCD, depression, anxiety, all that other stuff. And of course, we try to explain it that way, but... She went back and said, all I will tell you is that I know more about this situation than you do. So then we went back and said, totally get that she might know more than us, but does being close to a situation always mean seeing everything clearly or even parts that get passed down quietly through silence? Perhaps, but I know two generations of the family. Ladies and gentlemen, I mean, there's things I don't know about Brenna's family. And there's things that Brandon's don't know about my family. Even though I talk too much and he probably knows everything. The point we're trying to deliver here is that you never really know what somebody's going through, you know? So would I be surprised if anything were to happen to somebody of significance to me to this degree? Absolutely. But at the same time, you don't always know a person completely. We don't know ourselves enough. Most of us know ourselves more than we know other people. We live in very surprising times. And if there's enough evidence to justify something and to make a point about something, then hey. I mean, there's a discretion to that too. It's an unfortunate situation. I don't know if you got anything on that.
SPEAKER_03Nah, you went into some real deep stuff there.
UNKNOWNMm-hmm.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, man. We live in a deep life. You don't got to be deep all the time, but memento mori, you know? Remember death. That's just saying Latin. But don't remember death to the point to where you got to remind everybody we're all going to die. Talking to you, Ryan Holiday.
SPEAKER_03You ready to wrap it up?
SPEAKER_04Wrap it up, then.
SPEAKER_03And that concludes... Episode seven until next time from the concrete.
SPEAKER_04You can unfollow, maybe block the pass, but the algorithm still knows what you care about. Katniss, what's your
SPEAKER_03tip of the
SPEAKER_04week?
SPEAKER_03My tip of the week for you guys is not to procrastinate. If you say you're going to do something or you plan to do something, just do it.
SPEAKER_04Oh, you know what I was going to do today? I was going to send you a video of the ghost of the goon passing me on the highway today.
SPEAKER_03Bro, someone lives around the corner with the car. Literally, I see it like every morning. Make sure you like, comment, subscribe, share with your family, friends, and your neighbors. Knock on your door and tell them to follow.
SPEAKER_04Send this to all your exes.
SPEAKER_03And then some. Remember the person that you spoke to last week? Remember your boss pulled you into the office and had that conversation with you? Make sure you tell them to follow Concrete Cactus.
SPEAKER_04Baby mamas, your neighbors, your neighbor's kids. Nah, not the neighbor's kids.
SPEAKER_03Your kids' doctors, the dentist. All of them.
SPEAKER_04Your coworker.
SPEAKER_03The coworker. The bus driver. Tell your F45 coach. I don't take the bus. I just know.
SPEAKER_04Tell that fine shit in gym.
SPEAKER_03Shout out to everybody at GNC.
SPEAKER_04That fraud. Chinese company. Man, don't get out of with that
SPEAKER_03bullshit. Shout out Radio Shack.
SPEAKER_04Man,
SPEAKER_03stay warm.