Embrace The Great
Great conversation, great guest and great information.
Embrace The Great
Brotherhood, Failure & Finding the Good (w/ Gavin Jones)
This week on Embrace the Great Podcast, Shawn and Dominique are joined by special guest and line brother Gavin Jones. They chop it up about Omega Psi Phi, real brotherhood, and serving the community through mentorship and scholarships. The trio also digs into tough topics like SNAP cuts, families struggling to eat, opening up about failure, mental health, and supporting young men with respect. Plus, they keep it fun with Dominique’s Pick Six, debating classic TV, rappers-turned-actors, and the Michael Jackson vs. Chris Brown conversation.
Hey, welcome to this week's episode of Embrace the Great Podcast with your host Sean Ellaby and your co-host Dominique Moldrow.
SPEAKER_01:What's happening with you?
SPEAKER_03:Hey, today we got one of my homeboys in special guest, um, Mr. Gavin Jones. What's up, G? What's going on, good people? Ain't nothing much, man. Um we start every week, man. Dominique, what's on your mind?
SPEAKER_01:Um, not a whole lot, man. Just, you know, working, working hard. Um, trying to get with the uh change of the weather. See, you know, you never know what's going on with that, man. But uh nothing much, man. Starting to get try got to get used to this uh time change, boy. You walk out of work, you walk out the door at five o'clock, uh what's going on? But uh everything was cool, man. On the up and up.
SPEAKER_03:What's up with you? Okay, man. Uh man, look, look, life, life. But I'm gonna go get the G first, man. You got anything on your mind, something you want to get off your chest, or anything that you just think about for the week? I know you're down here visiting, man.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, yeah. I'm I'm I'm glad to be back in the Carolinas. You know, it's always good to come back to South Carolina. It's it's different, it's a different feeling when you come back home and and you see all these faces and people wave at you for a change versus just me mugging and stuff. So Southern hospitality. That between that and the good food, I'm always glad to be back.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, man, that's what's up, man. So you saying be back. I'm just kind of give an update, man. Look, first off, um, shout out to Omega Sci-5, man. Y'all know I'm gonna love my fraternity. Um, this is our founders week, so we got a lot of good things going on, serving the community. Um did a couple of church services already, um, and other things lined up for the week. But you know, uh, Gavin is on. Gavin is my line brother. We came into Omega together at Winthrop University. Um, so they just explaining that background. But he's he's a South Carolina boy, small town, McCormick, South Carolina. Um, but now by he's currently living in Atlanta, Georgia, um, and doing some things up there. So if you want to, you know, break down. I know you said from South Carolina, but um, in honor of founders week, I'm with my LB, man. Can you say what some of the stuff Omega meant to you?
SPEAKER_02:Um, man, Omega, it definitely changed my life and and uh made me understand what the value of friendship is. Um, you know, I've I've built some lifelong bonds since I joined the fraternity, done a lot of good community service that I'm I'm very uh I'm very appreciative for the opportunity. Um, I actually did some community service last night in Atlanta. Um so just being able to help impact not only the lives of other men but the youth. Um we have a strong mentorship program at my chapter, Delta MU, which is uh the black rhinos. And um we mentor young men from uh middle school age all the way up to high school, and when they're done with the program, they receive scholarships to um assist them with college. And uh just things like that are very gratifying for me. And um, you know, Sean, you and I go back 20 plus years now, so we have a lot of good memories. Um I've watched your kids grow up.
SPEAKER_03:Um I watch you have kids.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I started a little later in the game, but but nevertheless, I appreciate you know the friendship that that uh has derived from being Line Brothers. And uh every time I come to Florence, you know, I'm checking in with Sean.
SPEAKER_03:And uh we usually get together, but yeah, it's what it is, man. Look, you know, I gotta say both of these boys in my wedding, my best man in my in my right hand man, look, um, and just say that he said the Dutchman Mutual, all the stuff they did. I know we talk about embracing the great, and that's great. But one of the greatest things they do is that sear suckers and sundress party in Atlanta. I don't care what y'all talk about. Yeah, that's a uh a money generator. And Dominique, I'm gonna make a point. We got that we got to embrace the great, get down there at least one time.
SPEAKER_02:What time of year is it? Please come. Uh usually it's around June or either May, you know, somewhere in that area. Okay. Um and people are dressed to the T's. And uh, we raise money for scholarships. Y'all flying to mean. Okay. I promise you, you won't be disappointed. Okay.
SPEAKER_03:And see what I like he said about this, and let me cover my tracks. He said it's great for singles and it's great for couples. So either one you can do a whole lot. So again, I'm looking forward to you know, making sure I make that trip.
SPEAKER_02:Your lady will definitely be impressed. But if you're coming by yourself, you're gonna be impressed. Say no more fam. Yes, sir. Sure. I I I show you some footage. All right.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that'll work, man. Um, just sit here and think about some of the stuff that's going on in the world, man. Again, trying to embrace some of the great things that are going on. I saw the um, and again, it I hate to saying it like this. It's a great thing that we come together and try to help out with some of the things that's going on, um, especially when it regards to Snap. I know Snap affects a lot of people. It affects my household. Because my daughter in college, and that's how she's eating, you know. So it's one of those things you don't think about as like people not trying to work. No, no, she's working and doing different things. But the the cutoff, the the great part is the city come together. I saw the mayor come together yesterday, we were giving away 400 and some odd boxes of food to the people directly in the community. Um, different people, different celebrities are coming together, putting together stuff like that. But I I get upset because it shouldn't have to be to come together for that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and it's tough, man. It's I I believe in the last five years, if I ain't mistaken, this is the second time this happened, like around this time of year. I think, I think uh might have been 2020, 2021, somewhere up in there, it happened. But I think back then, I think it everything got resolved, or whatever the case may be by the time Thanksgiving, because you know, Thanksgiving is first of all my favorite holiday. Um But you know, that's the time where, you know, you start to, in the South anyway, you start to feel, you know, the weather change outside. So I think you're more conscious of the needy, I should say, yeah. Um, about that. And, you know, just to see, you know, people that work hard and and have to benefit from those snap benefits, man, not able to get it, man. That's that's always tough, man. I know we see a lot of the social media memes and jokes, and some of them are in good spirit, don't get me wrong, but uh a lot of that stuff, man, is is is real serious. So anybody going through that, man, you know, I I I myself ain't but a miss paycheck away. So, you know, a lot of us like that, man.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah and the kids is what I think about. Exactly, exactly.
SPEAKER_03:First and foremost, and and these kids can eat, you know, it's one of those type things you feeding kids for a while, you know it. I mean, I laugh and joke, but I know how to try to feed a bunch of kids with on a cheap budget. Lil' Caesar saves so many of the families, boy. I'm telling you.
SPEAKER_01:That's where me and him headed.
SPEAKER_03:No, but on that five dollar pizza, man, look hot and ready. You know, five dollars no more. That's it. But hey, in this economy, you take it. Yeah, you take that. You have it.
SPEAKER_02:Um but but you just think you it's a lot of kids that didn't ask to be here. There you go. There you go. They don't even have a choice in the matter, man. There you go. I think about them all the time, and you know, if it's any way I can help, I try to do it.
SPEAKER_01:And especially, man, you know, I work at the at a high school, so it's you know, you you see that stuff, and it's always in the back of your mind. And and those kids, a lot of those kids may carry that on them, and school lunch is the only thing they got. Yes, sir. You know what I mean? So, man, I I'm I'm gonna say shout out to anybody going through that, and I'm gonna say shout out because I know you're gonna get through it. Yes, sir. I know you're gonna get through it. So I'm gonna say shout out to anybody that's going through and that's gonna get through that.
SPEAKER_03:And that's the good thing, uh, and always, you know, I'm always looking for the good in situations, man. When you go through adversity, man, and and I'm talking for personal experience this week out of three cars in my yard, ain't number one on working right now because of something going on here, there, and got to do different things. But again, in my head, it's gonna get better. It can't, it don't stay down forever. And I think one of the things once I learn that and ingrained that in my head, you take a moment to wallow in it. 10% of what happens to you, 90% how you react to it. So if you got to take a moment to let out your frustrations to be in your emotions or whatever, but then once you get it out, now start working toward the solution. Right, yeah, right.
SPEAKER_01:And that's a big thing for probably about the last five years, man. The way I've been living my life, you know, people may react to a way you don't want, you know, you're not comfortable with, or people may do some stuff you don't understand. But I always keep in the back of my mind, you never know what that person going through. So, you know, right. Um, you know, I try to have conversations with people when they're going through it, through stuff like that. Um, and it don't even have to be them telling me what's going on, it's just me having an uplifting conversation. And so they can look back and be like, you know what, man, Dominique had this conversation with me. He ain't know what was going on, but this conversation with me helped me get through whatever it is that that person is going through. And you see a lot of it with kids, man. You see maybe a teacher or somebody getting on a kid about something simple that they don't have on their ID card. First thing as soon as they walk through the door, and it's like, oh, this kid is in trouble. And I I take the time to say, hey man, come here. And I just talk to them regular. And then I'll be like, okay, what's going on? Like, and say, okay, but you know why the teacher might have been on you about this. I understand it may have come off the wrong way. Handle it this way, handle it that way. And I find them kids are the same kids that might give uh other administrators problems, even if they're going through something, they'll come to me and say, hey coach, this, that, and the other. Right. Okay, let me tell let me tell you and show you how to handle this. So that way you ain't gotta cross that road again.
SPEAKER_02:And you you a trusted resource to the community. Right, there you go. There you go. And we need more of that in the schools, and and and you know, just in the community. We need people like G Lab, you know, for instance. Uh we need more of that in the community, you know.
SPEAKER_01:So I don't get it wrong, someone needs to be by this lamb. But you know, and make sure the crime fit the punishment. Yeah, you make sure the crime fits the punishment. No ID don't mean you got to jump on this group, right?
SPEAKER_03:You know what I'm saying? But I think it all starts with simple respect, man. Like I, you know, I I do G Lab and you know, I didn't did work in several capacities, but I worked at a group home at one point that was uh a little different group home. But one thing I learned, like you said, like they can act up for certain people, but if you talk to them with respect, they will always come to you with respect and come to you for your guidance and see how to handle certain situations. So a lot of time when I hate the word YN, when they refer to our young men as YNs, I get upset. Like, man, if you if you talk to them like that, they act like that, then what you expect. But you treat them like a young man, tell them he's a young man, tell them you, you know, have them look at itself differently. And I ain't saying you little boy, because I know boys can be taken a different way from different people. I don't never try to call nobody a boy, you know. My boy is, yeah, but not a boy. You know what I'm saying? I don't call nobody a boy, but young man is just a simple sign of respect, and then sometimes people want to live up to it. And then again, that's how they respond.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. Speaking of uh, I did some community service last night. Um I I mentioned it earlier, but one of the things we do, we we we sit, we prepare the dinner and talk with uh members of a substance abuse program. It's all men um last night it was 12 men in attendance and they enroll in that program. They stay at the uh facility where we meet them at. We cook them a Thanksgiving meal, and then after that we have a full conversation about mainly just you know failure and how to bounce back, you know, being real about it, you know, having a real conversation with these gentlemen, and you can tell that they appreciate us coming in and just listening to them and giving them a voice to talk, you know. Whereas a lot of people just look at them like, hey, he on drugs, he ain't up to no good, a burden of a problem. Right. Exactly. And and we treat them like men because that's what they are, they're men.
SPEAKER_01:So so a question for both of y'all, um, and it just came to me when you said that, how tough is it for you to talk about your failures to somebody else?
SPEAKER_03:Uh I don't think it's tough in in regards to experience. So sometimes um failure is if it relates to their experience, if it's if I can't say anything to relate to their experience, I try to be quiet on it because I don't feel like I can add value to what they're going on, but I can draw from different experiences. Again, failure is part of success. I don't, you know, I don't care who you went to, and then I'm type, well, I try to be a perfectionist, but you fail, you know, you can fail at different things. Again, I can fail in conversations, I can fail in um how I deal with certain situations. Like I, you know, I can react emotionally to something that I might need to sit back and think long term on. So I don't mind saying my failures, um, as long as it can help somebody, and as long as, again, I took the failure and taught use it as a lesson. Because again, it's like you don't lose, you you have the lesson, you win, or you learn a lesson. And I just take those failures as a lesson to try to pass on to somebody else. Yeah. Well, no, go ahead. I'll let you go.
SPEAKER_02:No, no, I I was just gonna say, you know, um, it's a part of life, and I think as we evolve as men and become more mature, we learn, or at least me, I've learned to handle it better, yeah, and be um find the find the positive in the failure, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and and that's a that's big for me, finding a positive in it. But you know, sometimes what I meant by my question is just maybe opening up. Not I I get what you're saying, Sean. Like if you're in a talking with somebody and your failure can help them through whatever they're going on, but just bringing up your failure, like if you're trying to figure it out, and you be like, Man, I didn't do this right. But and you and you lost about how you can get out of it, how hard is it you for you to bring it up to somebody?
SPEAKER_03:So I maybe they they you can be on the receiving end of you know, yeah, and I think part of it is getting around people that actually don't mind talking. And I think sometimes we isolate ourselves. I know sometimes I can isolate myself and just be in my little circle and be in my own head, and then when I get around people, they might start a conversation about this. I'm like, you know what? Hey, I'm experiencing this like this, that too. And I'm I'm gonna tell you recently, one um was mental health, and and I'm saying this out loud, like I and I had a close group of friends, right? Let's say three or four friends of mine that I was talking to on the regulars, and they start going to see a therapist. But uh on the flip side, three of them, all three, three, maybe four, were going through a divorce at the same time, and I already divorced. So it's one of those things like dog, and I'm you know, and it people I'm thinking they got this stuff together. And it's like, no. And so that was when I see that, it's like, okay, I can open up and talk a little bit about that too. Like, who did y'all go see? Like, what are y'all, you know, what are some of the questions they asked? What are some of the things that they come about in therapy? So I can be prepared, I can go ahead and start looking internally with myself and try to, you know, I'm self-correct, but still like address some of the issues that I may not have seen that I have.
SPEAKER_01:Man, you know where I get that from, uh, what you said about, you know, just going around some people, and it might help you. I got that from an episode of Martin. And uh, when he lost his job, and he was like, Yeah, I'm about to go out. Sometimes you, when you're around your boys, they could throw something off you. And that's what happens. I promise you that's what happens. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And it and then I'm just the fraternity helped me with that a lot because again, it's one of those, as we learn, you know, life continues to go on. One of our cardinal principles is perseverance. So, regardless of what happens, you it it still goes on. So you can either sit there and suck in it, or you can get back on the horse and okay, get to the next play, get to the next play. Kind of like a sports mentality, a quarterback. Like, yeah, you made the you threw an interception, but you're gonna let the interception ride you all game, or you're gonna come back and get to the next play.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, a point that was brought up last night in our conversation, and I thought it was, you know, pretty profound, is sometimes you can do everything right and still feel like how do you handle that, you know? And that was the question that was posed.
SPEAKER_01:That that is that is so tough. Like you feel like you, like you say, you're doing everything right. You work hard, you you take care of your kids, you take care of your house, you you go to work on time, you I mean, you go to church, not saying that that's you know, right. You do everything, and but then you look up and see the hustlers or the people that ain't doing good. Exactly, got the things that you know you desire. Yep, that was the next part of it. And that's and that's so I don't want to say frustrating, but that's it can be demoralizing to you. It could be, yeah. So me, I had a friend of mine, he brought it up. He's like, Man, I want to be a scammer so bad, but I'm scared, I'm scared. I'm gonna be the one that gives it up for me. So that that's so tough, man. And you know, that that just goes back to man continue to do the right thing, right? Continue to do the right thing.
SPEAKER_03:It's getting around people that doing something different. If you want to do something different, like what I've learned, you know, I be trying to push something on people, but they don't want to do nothing different. They're cool where they're at. So it's like a frustrating thing. Well, I want something that they don't want. So I had to learn to sit back and start asking, what do you want? What does your desire? What do you don't, so I can know how to approach the situation. So it can't, and I'm saying that partly with my kids, because I'd be like, you know, as a as a parent, you want your kid to do X, Y, Z. Then I was pushing, pushing, pushing, and then it was driving a wedge between me and my kids. And I took a step back, like, no, what do you want to do? What is it you want to do? So I can get behind whatever you want to do, so therefore, you know, I'm supportive in whatever you decide. So it's like, again, that's that's that life name, man. You continue to live and learn.
SPEAKER_02:Right, right. And I think listening to them is valuable. Oh man, yeah. You know, you just saying, what do you want to do means a lot to them because you actually paying attention to what they want and what they uh aspire to do, you know.
SPEAKER_03:So and then the flip side though, and again, it was something that I would my my son, my son texted me and asked me, Dad, when you were my age, did you know what you want to do at the time? And I told him straight up, man, hell no. I was just sitting here living life. I said, I got purpose when y'all were born. Yeah, but before that, I was I was alive wire. I can do anything, have fun, go anywhere. Like, you know, I was one of the ones that didn't, I ain't gonna say didn't care about life, but I didn't care about consequences. And you know, those who are around me know I'm what I'm talking about. If you wasn't around me, you you know, Sean's a good guy, nice, whatever. That and all that was true. But at the same time, if if Sean wanted to do something that was horrible, I probably would go out and do it with no without a second thought until I start having kids, and that would change my mindset and a whole bunch of stuff. So um, again, I thank God for personal growth.
SPEAKER_01:Well, yeah, oh, that's dope, man. Um, just just throughout the week, man, I've been I've been thinking about a few things, and like I said, I working in school, man, you you get all kinds of things bounced off you, man. And I've been uh admiring a few things about people that are versatile. And I consider myself a versatile guy, man, when it comes to um different things. Um, even back when I played sports, I feel like I feel like I'm just one of those people that know a little bit about a lot, so to speak. And that could be a good thing or a bad thing. Because I I can't say that I've mastered any damn thing. But at the same time, um, you know, but before I go into that, man, I want to I want to drop a few of the pick sixes. Um I know you're not familiar with it, but this is just a segment I like to do. Um, I'll start with the either-or segment of pick six, um, and you just third out your pick. I'll let you go first. I'll let G go first. Okay. All right. Uh first, Family Feud or Prices Right? Family Feud. All right, what you got, son? Family Feud. I'm going with the prices right.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that was the original, but I start watching way more Family Feud now. Yeah, now it's the funny point. Yeah, but you ain't home at 11 a.m. Yeah, but see, you watching the stories that you got the price is right, go ahead.
SPEAKER_01:All right, uh Ranch or Blue Cheese. Ranch all day. Ranch. Yeah, it don't. If I had to pick, I'd say ranch. I don't do either one. Homemade dinner or takeout? Homemade. Homemade. Yeah, all day. Simpsons or Boondocks. Yeah. That's tough. I ain't lying. I was raised on the Simpsons. There you go.
SPEAKER_02:That's how I feel about it. Yeah, so I'm gonna give Bartley.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, Simpsons.
SPEAKER_01:Simpsons have been since we were six years old. And you still get new episodes. Right, and they're still the same. Well, how many? 36 years.
SPEAKER_02:And they've been predicting all kinds of stuff.
SPEAKER_01:I ain't lying, but accurate. There you go. Uh Good Times or Jefferson's. Good times. I'm going Jefferson. I'm going Good Times O D. James M. Jefferson. Documentaries or biopics? Documentary. Documentaries. Yeah. But the thing with biopics, it depends on who. Yeah, yeah. There you go. There you go. Because you can watch a documentary and you know a damn thing about it.
SPEAKER_03:Yep, yep.
SPEAKER_01:But that last one, man, that kind of segue into um something that I had, man. Um and I wouldn't I want y'all to name before we get in the ranking or whatever, if we if we want to do that. Who are your most favorite? I start with I just say that because I hate saying best or what. Who are your most favorite rappers, turn actors?
SPEAKER_03:13,000 ludicrous. I like T.I. LL got to be up there, and um Ice Cube got to be up there.
SPEAKER_01:Name I gotta say. I'm gonna tell y'all both of y'all being respectful, disrespectful if y'all don't name this person. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_02:I got I got Cube up there for sure. Um LL would be in the top 10, yeah. Uh let me think. Ice Ice T, I mean, yeah, he's done a selling job, even though for sure. Yeah. I wasn't necessarily a fan of his rap because it's a little bit before my time, but he's had a long career in acting. So you gotta respect the craft. Um go ahead, man.
SPEAKER_01:Y'all be a disrespectful. Y'all ain't name Will Smith first. Oh, yeah, yeah. See, I ain't thinking Will Smith as a rapper.
SPEAKER_03:And I know he's a rapper, I know, but that's what I'm saying. I get it. But he's done so well, but Will Smith, you're right. But yeah, he's I would know him as an actor versus uh I wouldn't think about him and music. But he was. But I know he was, he still got the summary.
SPEAKER_02:He would be number one probably.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, for sure. I got uh him first. I'm gonna go with Snoop second because he's there more than uh Snoop played himself in so many movies. Right, right. Snoop is probably the most well-known actor in the world, in my opinion. Agreed. Like he can go to any corner of the globe and people know who he is.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Um, but uh, of course, Cube, Ice T was a good one. I got a few wild cards though. Um, of course, Tupac, uh Method Man. I ain't think about Method Man, I didn't think about Matt. I got I got like two or three wild cards, and y'all gonna be like, damn. First of all, my first one, DMX. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh I think he should have played in more movies. Yeah, he should have played. He was out at the time. Yeah. Um uh Tretch. Tretch, okay. Yeah, I think Tretch was real good, man, in everything he played in.
SPEAKER_03:Um Queen Latifa. Oh, yeah, so you wouldn't think about her as a rapper. Yeah, I wouldn't, you know, I because I think of her as an actor more.
SPEAKER_01:But she came home rapping. Rapin, I know. She's a TY. She's a but this is my wild car. Baba. Come on now, you gotta give Baba his flowers, man.
SPEAKER_03:I respect it. But Baba had a joke. He a joke to some people now, but if you look at what he did hip hop and stuff.
SPEAKER_01:If you look at his career from from how old he was, his first up until I say now, with his social media presence. Yeah, like Romeo. Yeah, you know what I mean. He was silent. Yeah, Boba.
SPEAKER_02:I would give him a nod over Romeo.
SPEAKER_01:Oh easy, yeah. Easy, man. Um I just think, of course, because he started off so young, you know, he hosted 106 in Park. He got a good little red. Let's see some Bob Wow movies like Mike, Roll Bounce, Lottery Ticket, Lottery Ticket, Johnson Family Vacation. Um, man, he you know, uh, of course, he was in um He's gonna embrace the great he got a great career. He he had Bow Wow, man. Oh, what's the one? He had the little quick little All About the Vengeance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um I think he was in some uh episodes of CSI or something like that. One of them I remember seeing in the Tyler periods. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Um, I really I I go back to LL. I think LL did a solid job.
SPEAKER_03:LL and he was a he like a go about everything, yeah. He about to go, he's on another level with this stuff, man.
SPEAKER_01:Everybody, everybody mentions LL, but you don't see people giving him the proud he deserves. You don't see tributes for LL, you don't see you know, all that type of stuff that that people should get, man. He was one of the first to do a whole bunch of stuff, yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, he was solid, man.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, 100%. He was one of the first, man. So he's the first one to survive a shark movie, ain't it? Deep Blue C. Yeah, yeah. Uh huh. First brother.
SPEAKER_02:With uh Omar Epps. So that was one of my um I enjoyed it. Well, who in it?
SPEAKER_03:Um In Too Deep. In too deep. In too deep. In too deep, okay. And who was in it?
SPEAKER_01:Omar L L LL with Kingpin. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I thought you were talking about what Tretch was in that one. Him and Omar Epps. First time feeling. First time feeling, I remember that. Yeah, that was a good one. Um I got another wild card for you. Who is that? Master P. I got the hook up. P came in. No, P No, Master P had a good one. Uh, what's that movie where they was in jail? Was it locked up?
SPEAKER_00:I think that was the new one.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, he played that rule. Uh look, I put Master P career against it. Master P didn't have like eight careers and different that man was a pro-athlete. He made the league now. Andrew, a rapper, producer, owner. Yeah. Uh, you know what I'm saying? Like Master P does and put other people on. He got chips, yeah. Oh, yeah. The uh rap snack. I think. See, he man, that man got seven careers at least. He's a dream job for different people. He just, okay, I'll do this today.
SPEAKER_01:I look at Master P as the I look at as the ultimate hustler. He's the ultimate hustler. I agree with that 100%. Because I mean, he he did a lot. Yeah. Maybe a lot of things he did, like them clothes he made, that wasn't it.
SPEAKER_03:That was his hustle at the time.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you know, pivot. It was the shoes, the manyatis, or what? Yeah, I I you know what I like about Master P man, he he doesn't feed into the norm of today's uh the culture of just like social media. No, we can do it. I've watched several interviews and he shut down a whole lot of people as far as no, we ain't about to do this. Like, you know what I'm saying? This is what it is. Yeah, yeah. I ain't about to say nothing about this person. I respect them, yeah. I don't do none of that. You can't pin himself like a grown man. And with the whole thing, with the whole verses, man, everybody was trying to pit him and and Birdman against each other. And it was like, come on, what are we doing? Like, you know, it ain't even about that.
SPEAKER_02:And he let their body of work speak for itself, and a lot of people said they won the verses because of that, you know.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I mean, and that's because of, you know, I I think that whole verses thing, we talked about this the last time. It it was just a matter of who you who you like, who you with, like Master P say, no pun intended.
SPEAKER_02:So who did you think won? I'm gonna put you on the spot.
SPEAKER_01:Come on now. I'm gonna cash money guy.
SPEAKER_02:I I already knew that because I'm a cash money guy.
SPEAKER_01:I'm a cash money guy. I don't care if no limit came out and and and and and and had tanks on the stage. I'm still going with cash money guys.
SPEAKER_02:Right, right, right. I feel yeah, I I mean both of them basically raised me and uh probably us. Yeah, we're the same generation. So so you know, you gotta pay homage to both of them. But uh as far as just looking at that actual event, no limit seemed to be more organized. Kind of like the locks, but versus uh Dipset.
SPEAKER_01:I I didn't see the need for that versus uh I I I I know Dipset music, but I don't think they can do a versus a catalog of hits that take people back. Not for me anyway, I should say not for me.
SPEAKER_02:I agree. Cameron kind of carry that flag of uh um Jada Kids. For me, that was like an exhibition for him. Like he just showed his true talent, you know.
SPEAKER_01:So so speaking on uh, you know, rappers turned actors, of course, you know, you got a few actors turned rappers like Drake, he probably started off acting, but he was about the only one I can think of. Um as far as uh you know, back then, anybody, I don't listen to new stuff. I might need to bring my son over here so he might tell me who you see jumping in that role now, as far as who's putting out music now. Or I don't know, it might be some rappers that act now. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02:There's some singers I know of, but rappers, I'm trying to think. I can't think of many.
SPEAKER_01:You know what? Speaking of singers, who the ultimate one? Jamie Foxx. Yeah, Jamie Foxx might be the goal when it comes to that. I got Jamie all day. Whitney Houston.
unknown:Nah, nah, I can't.
SPEAKER_01:When you talk about the best now, you I say Jamie Foxx. Yeah, that one I'm talking about. You're talking about rapper. I mean, uh singing everything. Yeah. Yeah, I got Jamie. Going with Jamie. Whitney Houston did it. But Jamie does everything. Yeah, he he he's TV, movie. Jamie Foxx is an actor, turn rapper, or a singer, turn. Exactly. I'm saying singer turn actor. Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_03:But Jamie Foxx does it all. You're gonna try to get no.
SPEAKER_01:Fox came out as an actor. Comedy. He came out of the dancer. He was a dancer too. Fuck first. But who was a uh singer? Tyrese? Yeah, Tyrese. I was gonna I was gonna meet you. Well, Tyrese, Tyrese, because Tyrese came out first in a commercial. Jennifer Lopez? Singing in a commercial. So how that how we categorize that? Singing. Yeah, I gotta go with singing too. He was a singer, he was a singer in a commercial. So he started off doing both, I guess. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:And J Lo started off with dancing and singing.
SPEAKER_01:But now I don't I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:I I I think Well Jennifer Hudson.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. I think somebody like I'm trying to think of somebody who uh a rapper now.
SPEAKER_03:I can't call it. Yeah, Jennifer Hudson is singer, they turn actor, actress. Yeah. Um but most a lot of the actresses can sing. That's part of they they do that whole thing. Um I didn't realize how many people can sing, but a lot of people can actually sing that act.
SPEAKER_01:Eminem was one we ain't throw out the yeah, he was he was definitely a rapper. And he Eminem can he's played in a few good movies. Right, right, right. But currently I can't think of I saw Lil Yachty in something.
SPEAKER_03:Him and was it Whiz him and Wiz Khalifa? No, he was him something high too, I think. Yeah, with um DC Young. Lil Yachty, the one with the different colored dreads. Yeah, with DC Young Fly, I think.
SPEAKER_02:Yep. He was in that, and I want to say he was on power for an episode or two or something like that.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, I I'm I don't I don't listen to I know I know the songs, but I don't know.
SPEAKER_03:Man, if you see if they lined all of them up right here and put their pictures in front of me, I wouldn't know how far.
SPEAKER_01:And this is no respect to the disrespect to the young guys, it's just one of those.
SPEAKER_03:Because y'all got y'all, you know. It's too many names, y'all got too many. Well, I say it like this. It's too many media, it's too many media outlets that we can go to to find where all we had was TV. Yeah, everybody knew of Michael Jackson, everybody knew who they put on B E T or MTV. Now you got so many YouTube channels, you got so many Facebook pages. That's a lot, that's a lot. It's old, yeah. I don't know half of them, and the ones I'm presented with, they on the radio. I still don't know how they look. I hear them on the radio. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:Y'all brought you you just mentioned Michael Jackson, y'all saw the preview coming out for the movie. Stop thinking about that. I'm going to be there. I'm gonna see it. I'm gonna be there.
SPEAKER_03:Out of respect to the goat.
SPEAKER_01:It's because it's Mike. And that's his nephew playing him. Yeah, it looks a whole lot like him. I forgot which brother son that is. Okay, yeah. Yeah. So that I I'm I'm going to see it. Might be bad. It'd be better than the one Flex played.
SPEAKER_02:So I ain't trying to take over the show, but Chris Brown versus Mike. Nah, I'd never go against MP.
SPEAKER_01:Right. I love Chris Brown is definitely. I love him. He's a talented nigga.
SPEAKER_03:It's one of those things, man. See, Chris Brown ain't it ain't over with yet. He still got more time. Like, if you look at the same amount of time they had and you compare like genre to genre, it's gonna be something to see once he gets older. But again, they know you know, you don't want to, and it's like one of those, we the old guy, we we stick with what we saw, so we ain't wanna get let off what we saw. But hey, it's one of those when the numbers start speaking, yeah, Chris Brown's gonna be up there.
SPEAKER_02:It's gonna be closer than you think.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's gonna be one of those. He he's gonna, he's this generation, Michael Jackson. Well, how we look at Michael Jackson, his generation look at him like that.
unknown:Nope.
SPEAKER_03:Nope. You ain't gotta like it. But that Michael, Michael Jordan, LeBron Jane, that's the same argument. That's different. Yeah, I I can I can agree with the same argument.
SPEAKER_01:But nobody touched Michael Joseph Jackson. I'm sorry. Yeah, I got Mike. I got Mike. I'm sorry. I mean, you know, it is what it is.
SPEAKER_03:Chris Brown's gonna have a catalog, they're gonna they can rival, but I'm saying, and you know, I'm I'm I'm team Michael Jackson too. I got that one of the dudes I follow around, you know, singing, mocking the songs and all that when I was little. But like I say, I see the phenomenon Chris Brown is, and he's getting on that level, not quite, you know, we ain't nobody crying when they see Chris Brown like they do.
SPEAKER_01:That's what I'm saying. It's a quote the great Dave Shaper, he made thriller. He made thriller. That's a game changer. He made thriller. That's a game changer.
SPEAKER_05:Hey.
SPEAKER_02:And like you said, people passing out at mic shows, oh man, uh crying and everything, man, getting told out on stretches.
SPEAKER_01:You know, you you you would never probably see that again. I remember asking my mama, what's wrong with them? When I saw Michael uh Michael Jackson concert, people crying and saying, and they got to pass people over to cry to get them out of there. Yeah, but yeah, it's a different thing, man. That's unheard of. And it was global. Yes, yes, see, that's my thing with Michael Jackson. Yeah, like Chris Brown touched a lot of people. Yes, he does. And he is global, right? Right. But not Michael Jackson global. Yes, like not Michael. I believe when it's all said and done and and the government really reveals aliens, I believe they will know a Michael Jackson song. The alien gonna know Michael Jackson. But yeah, man, those are dope topics, man. Anything y'all want to get in before I get on my last segment of pick six? I can't think of nothing off the top of my head, man.
SPEAKER_03:Don't skip Thanksgiving. I just gotta put that out there. Don't skip Thanksgiving. I was messing with my wife earlier. She's talking about thinking about Christmas decorations. I say, you will not do it until the day after Thanksgiving, like it was at my house. So it's gonna tradition gonna continue. My favorite holiday. We're gonna finish Thanksgiving, then you can start Christmas. But we're not gonna talk about Christmas until after Thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm gonna get into my last segment of pick six, man. My son looking at me and he's hungry, he might shoot me. So we we're gonna go, we're gonna go ahead and get this in. You gotta get that hot and ready. All right. Once and and and it's crazy because uh Sean came in kind of describing this for himself. What's one word that would describe your mood for the current week? Oh man.
SPEAKER_03:Uh one word to describe my mood for the week. I ain't got so many words, I want to use a bunch of cuss words, but um this week it it's been challenging. Challenging. That'll be the word I use. Challenging.
SPEAKER_02:My my word would be solid. It's been a solid week. Solid? Yeah. I had some good meetings this week with work, and we got Achievement Week and coming up on Founders Day for Omega. So it's it's been a good weekend. Winthrop's homecoming this week.
SPEAKER_01:Shout out to Woowoo. They need to go back to February home. You realize it when it was classic, oh man, that's another beast. But uh mine would be, and it goes hand in hand to you know, basketball season that started, man. I've been feeling scientific. Okay. And I say that because I've been experimenting. I've been mixing, man, and it's been working. It's been looking good. I've been feeling a little scientific. All right. What was your first job, and how much did you make an hour?
SPEAKER_03:Oh man, lifeguarding at the boys and girls club, and at the time it was$7.25 an hour. It was two dollars more than minimum wage. Yeah. Yeah, you was rich.
SPEAKER_02:I worked at food line. Okay. I was a cashier when I first started because that's the only position they had, and I made like$5.15.
SPEAKER_01:Y'all had a food line down that week? That's all we got. That's all it was at there. I worked at uh Wend Dixie, I was a bagger. I made$6.25 an hour.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, they gave me the bare bone minimal.
SPEAKER_01:But I could only work weekends because I was 15 and like we got paid every Tuesday. And that that buddy was going to Air Force Ones every day.
SPEAKER_03:Man, we got paid the 10th and the 25th. I remember being a 15-year-old kid bringing home six and seven hundred dollar checks, and yeah, my mama looking at me like, boy, what are you doing? I'm like, I don't know. They're paying me, I'm gonna do it. But I work about 80 to 90 hours. I ain't mind being in the sun all day. All right, what's a skill or hobby you've always wanted to do, but never found the time? Learn to play the piano. That was always my biggest one. I ain't had to think about that one. That's the one I want to know how to play the piano.
SPEAKER_02:I I I go along with that, but also the drums. I always wanted to learn how to play the drums.
SPEAKER_01:That was one of mine, man. But you know what I want to make time to do, man? Start my own garden. Okay. I feel you. Yeah, I mean. I thought about that too. Yeah. I've been wanting to do that for some years now, man.
SPEAKER_02:But I got a bonus one. Cut hair. Oh, man.
SPEAKER_03:You better learn now. You save a grip. You save a grip.
SPEAKER_01:What's the most bizarre? Uh and we're gonna keep it clean. What's the most bizarre text or phone call you've received?
SPEAKER_03:Bizarre text, a phone call. Um, outside the scammers, the scammers be having some funny stuff. You got a good one then.
SPEAKER_00:You got a good one.
SPEAKER_03:Um man.
SPEAKER_01:I mean, you know, you know, we don't want but I got one while y'all think. Okay, go ahead. So, and it's crazy. I got I was dry, I was going out of town. And me and my lady at the time we were going on a trip, and I got a back-to-back text. So y'all know, as men, it's like, oh Lord, what is it? Yeah, like I caught my phone was hooked up to the Bluetooth. Um, but I opened it and it was a picture. Somebody, whoever sent the message took a picture, and him and another guy, they had a line of coke on the table. This is no lie. I I say I don't have the phone out, but I saved it just so when I tell the story, people don't think I'm lying. Right. They had a line of coke on the table and liquor bottles and everything. And the text said, We're waiting on you. And I look at her thinking, thinking she trying to play a trick on me or something. Right.
SPEAKER_02:And I'm like, yo, look at this.
SPEAKER_01:And and it was like, and we analyzed that thing the whole road trip. Like, yo, this is real. Like, TV was on, like, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_02:It came from a random number.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, the random number. Obviously, they had the wrong number. They had the wrong number. That's what that because I don't do that. I never done anything like that. I never did anything like that. No. Um, but that was like, and we we spent the whole weekend just talking about that. Yeah, like she joked with me about it, like, yeah, something you wanna tell me, and yeah, like yo, you gotta stop. Like, you ain't funny before now. You ain't got nothing to do with it. But that was like, that was crazy, and and I wanted to so bad take that number back or call it, but that was like, nah, it might be the setup and you know what I mean.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, but that was crazy. Yeah, I I I I was thinking and I thought of one. Um, I was dealing with a young lady, and and I found out as we went on, she was a little crazy. When I realized she was crazy, I tried to cut her off and she pulled out all the stops. But one of the texts, she she sent me a picture of a pregnancy test and tried to say she was pregnant. Yeah. And little did she know, I could go and click on that picture and see the information. Yeah. And it was from two years before. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, man, get out of here with this mess. I gotta go.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I can't think of no words. I can't think of none, man. Not off the top of my head.
SPEAKER_01:All right. Well, um, a few more. Uh, what do you think your love language is? Or what is your love? I shouldn't say what do you think?
SPEAKER_03:Acts of service.
SPEAKER_02:Acts of service.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah. Yeah. My love language, as I did the little test before, and that's what it was. You show me acts of service, I'll I'll pay more attention to you. But yeah, that was mine.
SPEAKER_01:I think that's most men I know. Right. Including myself. Like, including myself. They go a long way with that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, you show me you got me when I need you.
SPEAKER_01:We good. Yeah, I think that's most men I know. So, okay. Uh what is one of the pettiest things you've ever done?
SPEAKER_03:I don't know. I can do silent treatment good. I think I'm real good at silent treatment. I know you got one better than that. Yeah, I probably do, but I'm sitting here trying to think about petty. And because I don't think I've been vindictive against nobody in a long time, so I got to go back and take a vote on him. You gotta go back. Yeah, um. I don't know. Go ahead if you can think of one while I'm trying to ponder.
SPEAKER_02:I'm real sarcastic, so I got a lot of probably petty moments, and I'm not proud of it. You know, it comes with growth. I gotta think about one that really stands out, but I got a lot of sure just from being a smart, smart ass.
SPEAKER_01:So you you ain't want nothing in particular. I I I let y'all think on it. Y'all got y'all got to think on it. Yeah, man, because it's yeah, it's hard for me. So you had time to think about it. And and this is really I didn't, but I this is something I got. I'm gonna say mine, and then I'm gonna say something my mama told me that my daddy did back in the day. So Mile is you know how um if you look under your sink, you got the little thing where you can turn the water off from there. So I turned somebody hot water off under there, knowing damn well they they don't know no better than to go under. I did that before. And then uh later on that night, I asked if she washed. Just to see if she'd say something wrong with my water. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's up there.
SPEAKER_01:But it was one one time my mom told me when I think I heard her and my dad just got married or whatever, and they was at the Waffle House one night, and the waitress made my dad mad. So my dad went to the his truck and got his tools and was about to turn the gas off at the waffle house.
SPEAKER_03:He was really pissed. Yeah, but nobody getting no waffles.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but yeah, that that's probably I say one of the pettiest things I've done. I I turned I turned the water off, the hot water off. Um because I got pissed off. And you know why I did that, I don't know. That's a good one. Yeah, that's a real good one.
SPEAKER_03:I wouldn't even think about nothing.
SPEAKER_02:I I know and me, I go outside and turn the whole the water off to the whole house.
SPEAKER_03:So y'all ain't been petty before. I ain't been that petty. I can't think I'm trying, I'm sitting here trying to think, man. No, my petty I'm more petty with the kids than I am with something. I'm trying to think about my petty arises from me getting pissed off. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:I I got some petty, but and I just thought of a good one, but I don't want to say it and it be in podcast land forever. That's what it's all about.
SPEAKER_01:Embracing the greatness of your pettiness.
SPEAKER_03:I can't think of nothing petty I done, like I say, stuff with the kids. I make them do all kinds of stuff and then tell them no. I did that before, you know, but that got this, and I got yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Well, man, that's pretty much all I had, man. Like I said, man, just I I've been just appreciating uh versatility of a lot of people lately, man. And excuse me, just being able to be uh a man of many hats. Um and like I said, knowing a little a lot a little a lot about a little bit. I said that wrong. Knowing a little bit about a lot. We gotcha. Yeah, so that's pretty much man, and coming up on these next few weeks.
SPEAKER_02:I I take pride in that, man. Yeah, I'm I'm similar. And I'm in sales. So being able to go into a room and know a little bit about something, you you can hold different conversations with a lot of different people. Yeah, so don't sleep on that.
SPEAKER_01:That's a that's a gift, that's a gift, and you can carry it a little bit, you know far.
SPEAKER_02:Correct.
SPEAKER_01:You know, you can you can expand on what you do, make you think you know everything.
SPEAKER_02:Sometimes they're surprised, like, yeah. And it's something they really passionate about, so I let them talk and learn about it. You pick up off it, yeah. That's it.
SPEAKER_03:There you go. Yeah, look, I could be in a room full of crackheads of the president, and I feel comfortable, man. I can talk to either one on whatever level. I ain't do the crack though. I just want to put that out there. I just knew a few.
SPEAKER_02:My dad was like that, my grandfather was like that, so I I pay attention to them. Oh, total opposite, man. They were they were unclean. They knew a a lot about a little bit about a lot. What would you say it was?
SPEAKER_03:See, you know a little bit about a lot. Yeah, a little bit about a lot. Yeah, man, that's how I was, man. Look, when I was young, I wanted to be like good at everything. Like, I don't care if it was checkers, basketball. I put my head down and try to figure out, okay, how I'm gonna get better, how I'm gonna get better. Now I get older, it's like, okay, I didn't did that and I was new. What am I gonna learn new? I want to be better at something new. So I just started something. Well, I ain't gonna say started, I started a little while ago, but I actually getting a little bit more serious this time. I have I put money in two stocks this week, and I didn't think I was gonna do it. I just did it because I'm like looking at projections. I'm like, man, let me go here. I'm talking, talking, talking. Let me go ahead and put a move in. Because um had uh Reggie Venn come do a whole class on stock, like for beginners. If you want to start from the beginning, he walked through it, what his philosophy was, and one of the things he said was he will buy one to two stocks per month, one to two shares of a stock per month, you know, one to ten shares per month. He said that way you get either 12 or 120 by the end of a year, and you watch it grow over time. And he watched his sons collect$200 on the stock market, so$200,000 just for their goal is not to pay for school. He didn't want to pay for school out of his pocket, so like they're paying for it from their stocks, and he walked through how he did it and what exactly it was. And I'm like, okay, let me go ahead and start putting stuff in play and then talking to my kids about it. And I'm talking to them and planting the seeds in them because I look at our day age, I wasn't just jumping into it too, but I'm gonna try to be more forceful. And not saying that forceful, but I told them when I when stuff comes up now, birthdays, Christmas, uh, stuff like that, don't look for me to give you nothing. I'm gonna put it and put it back in an investment into something else, but it'll be growth for you later on. So when it's time for you to buy your house, you can go to that account and you ain't gotta worry about, you know, somebody else, and that way you helping yourself. But that's what trying to do, and just kind of put that out there to everybody, man, start thinking about stuff, um, especially in the future, man, because 10 years go by fast. And I think that's one of the things he said earlier, like think about 10 years ago. You don't think about, you know, as we in our early 40s, that wasn't too long ago. You know what I'm saying? So now like 10 years from now, if it goes by that same path, I want to be able to sit and say, I got something, I put this back here, not realizing it's gonna be what it is then. So that's why I'm trying to think and put that seed, plant that seed to as many people as I can, you know, again, just spreading good, spreading great. So um, that's all I got in closing. Anybody got anything else?
SPEAKER_01:No, man, I'm good, man. Just uh looking forward to uh spending a lot of time with family upcoming holidays, man, and this transition of the season. Um, pretty much, man, that's it.
SPEAKER_03:And saying that, man, I just thought about it just now because it hit me. Um, man, y'all got younger, man. Stay with them kids get older, and I always laugh and joke about them getting out of my house, but it felt good yesterday. I think we rolled up to Columbia and had lunch um dinner um with my son, my daughter, and I had all three of my kids and my wife together for the first time. And I don't I can't tell you the last time it happened, but now those times getting fewer, fewer and farther between, but I'm enjoying them more when we all get together. So embrace that, man.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, okay. I appreciate the the uh extending invite, man. Yes, sir. And good, good to have you, brother. Always enjoy coming to Florence, man.
SPEAKER_03:Always something new, man. I tell you the best part about Florence, I say it all day in the mor, is our people, man. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05:Yep.
SPEAKER_03:You can't beat it. All right, man. Embrace the great, we out.