"Artist 2 Artist" hosted by Jim Jones

Jess Hilarious hosted by Jim Jones (ep. 20)

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0:00 | 37:07

Jim Jones sits down with comedian Jess Hilarious for a candid, unfiltered conversation covering her rise in comedy, navigating cancel culture, co-parenting, and evolving into her next chapter as an author. From Baltimore roots to viral fame, Jess opens up about her journey, relationships, and new book So Deaf Do We Parent, while the two share laughs, real talk, and industry insight inside the IFC Factory.

SPEAKER_01

Welcome and back. Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to another episode of Artist to Artist, where we say this is the conversation that needs to be had, and we all know that all of my guests are very special. Shout out to Playmaker before we get go any further. I can't get paid if playmaker don't get they play. You heard? Shout out to Playmaker. I appreciate y'all for all the business. Um, but like I was saying, y'all know that all my guests are very special. And today, today is a day. Today is a day. Today is the day that uh I get to have a conversation with none other than the black queen, just hilarious.

SPEAKER_05

Hey Joe.

SPEAKER_01

How are you feeling?

SPEAKER_05

Hey, what's up?

SPEAKER_01

How are you feeling, Miss Troublemaker?

SPEAKER_05

No, not anymore. I'm reformed.

SPEAKER_01

We're gonna get into the uh reform. We're gonna have a little bit of fun though. Okay. But before we have some fun, uh where you from?

SPEAKER_05

Baltimore. Baltimore, Maryland, man. Baltimore in the city, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Baltimore. Yeah, West Baltimore City. I I knew a couple Baltimore chicks coming up. Oh yeah. You definitely embody a Baltimore chick. You heard? Yeah, which why you say that? Very feisty. Uh. They're definitely gonna speak your piece. I can't say that. Yeah. You born and raised out there? You went to high school, college?

SPEAKER_05

Yep, yep. No, I actually went to high school in uh Dallastown, Pennsylvania. So I was a rebel when I became a teenager, and my mom moved me from, my mom and my dad moved me from Baltimore up, like 45 minutes up to like all white neighborhood. I went to a predominantly white high school. And um, it's so funny because I was doing everything but drugs until she moved me around, the white kids. And then I started doing drugs. And but what I mean by drugs is that was the first time I ever tried a shroom. Uh everything, because I ain't never shoot no needles up or nothing. Everything else, just like shrooms, Xanax, the E, all just all of that. Everything. Them, them, them, them kids, them kids.

SPEAKER_01

So I I sent my son uh for a long time to a very expensive private school. And at a very young age, he was expressing to us like these kids in here doing drugs. Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_05

It ain't nothing else, it's nothing else for them to do.

SPEAKER_01

Like, like a very like a pre preteen. And I was like, wow, it's very alarming. Like, um, are you doing or doing the drugs? Like, what is going on? So I could totally, but it's great that you got to uh live both worlds, like understand what it like uh to be in the hood and then get the education um from the other side. So that's what I was trying to do to my son and shit like that. It's like give him education that I wasn't able to have. And I was I got I was put to Catholic school, so but you gotta pick your poison. Like you said, you might get a good education, but your kid might be strung out on crack also.

SPEAKER_05

So Well, I didn't do crack, Jim. I did, I did everything else.

SPEAKER_01

I didn't imply that you were on crack. I'm just saying, like, in those situations, but uh so you gotta you gotta college, you got you got went to college?

SPEAKER_05

No, I went for a semester and then I was like, nah, this ain't for me. I'm done with this. Um, I had to do something. And I think I was just going to shut my mother up. My dad never really was on me about going to college. He's like, you have to do something, though. Job, whatever. My mom was like, no, you graduated with a 3.9 GPA. Further education, further education, go to college. So I I went to uh He's pretty smart, 3.9. Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah. For real, man. I'm I'm my highlight. That's the thing, you know? So I went, I went for a semester for mortuary science, but then I I ain't want to do it no more.

SPEAKER_01

That's like body dealing with dead bodies. Yeah. You're spooky. You're you're scary. You're scaring me.

SPEAKER_05

I'm not.

SPEAKER_01

What black person picks mortuary science? This is crazy.

SPEAKER_05

Somebody who don't like dealing with people that can get them fired. If you did, you can't do nothing to me. You know what I'm saying? And so I was like, you know what? I'm uh, and niggas ain't gonna never stop dying at the gym. So I'm gonna always get money, you know. You know?

SPEAKER_01

I I won't let you get that one. You absolutely absolutely right. I mean, I went to one semester college too. Cam called me and told me, get out of there. What are you doing in school on Saturday? I was like, cool, we got some.

SPEAKER_05

On a Saturday?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I was I I I was bored. Like, so they had classes on Saturday. He called me, like, you really in school? And on a Saturday? Like, get out of there, bro. We got we got other shit to do. So yeah, so that's how fast my college career went. But um, so college was short-lived, and uh, when did you start comedy?

SPEAKER_05

I started uh comedy right after I had my son. Um I started doing videos back when Instagram would only let you do like videos for 15 seconds, and uh then I jumped on Vine. But before that, yeah, I was just doing uh little parodies. I would do, matter of fact, you were the first person I did Jess with the mess on, because I I started it the first season of Love and Hip Hop. That's when I was doing it. Was you, Chrissy, Yandy, all of them like I that was my first Jess with the Mess I did ever when I was on the TV. Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_01

She was she was a little hot with you.

SPEAKER_05

She oh Chrissy?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05

Ah, pretty serious person. What happened? What'd she say?

SPEAKER_01

Damn, what I say, I ain't gonna be like, you was doing doing your jest thing, you know? It was just a regular just I'm just putting it out there.

SPEAKER_05

I don't remember I ever said anything crazy.

SPEAKER_01

I don't remember, yeah, yeah, yeah. I was high. You gotta do what you gotta do out here. I'm just putting it out there. No, no, no harm done. No harm done. Um, so so you're starting to do uh parodies, content. What was the first inclination that was like, yo, I might could get some money out of this comedy shit?

SPEAKER_05

Hmm. Um, when I roasted the shit out of Corey Holcomb three days in a row, Nick Cannon hit me and was like, yo, I love your roast and your rants and all that you do with your son in the car and all that. You funny. I also seen you go in on Tiger, Meek Mill, all of them like, I want you to come to the show.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you was going crazy, my man meek. That's my little bro, bro. What's wrong with you, bro?

SPEAKER_05

But you ain't never you ain't never teach him how to dress, so we can't.

SPEAKER_01

But this the boredom on you, this the boredom on you. Like, what's wrong with you? Like sometimes your intrusive thoughts come out verbally.

SPEAKER_05

That's the thing. Yeah, yeah. For a minute, I thought it was like Tourette's, but then everybody's like, nah.

SPEAKER_01

Nah, Tourette's is just a it's just a tick. You doing more than a tick. You're giving sentences.

SPEAKER_05

I know, man. And and so I was just like, maybe that's what it is, but I I I equate everything back to I was hot.

SPEAKER_01

Meek, she was hot.

SPEAKER_05

But nah, for real, yo.

SPEAKER_01

I got you covered, bro. You see how you see your big bro?

SPEAKER_05

Like, I he dressing now. I ain't gonna lie, like he he ah you putting that shit on right now. See how shit, see how the shit changed? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, he started to put the shit on now, but them red carpet photos matter.

SPEAKER_01

Baltimore and Philly have like like like cousins competition, or they like cousins that don't like each other too. Nah, nah, Baltimore and Philly love each other. Love each other.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, to be honest, it's DC in Baltimore, and that's crazy. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

Because like you can throw a rock from Baltimore to DC, but definitely could go to the store across the street and be in DC if you're in Baltimore.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, but nah, Philly and Baltimore like cousins. We love that city, that city love ours.

SPEAKER_01

Shout outs to Philly and Baltimore and DC, the whole uh DMV of So you get your first check off comedy. How you feel?

SPEAKER_05

I feel good. I feel like it ain't enough, but I I want I want more. Because what I wanted to do, I wanted to buy a house. I wanted to like, I mean, I ain't gonna be like, oh, I wanted to move my mother. Nah, she was straight. She was good. You know what I mean? My dad. I didn't want to do nothing for my parents. Just I wanted to get out of their house. I was raised very strict. I was I was uh like born and raised in a church too. Like my dad was lenient, but my mom was like deacon of the church. She always had like a solidified position in the church.

SPEAKER_01

You went to all night prayer meeting?

SPEAKER_05

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

You did a new conference class?

SPEAKER_05

All that I was a liturgical dancer, like I'm up here. You did all the plays and Christmas. All that quiet singing, everything. Church camp, church summer, church everything.

SPEAKER_02

No, church camp was fired. We niggas are taking church trips to them, church camps.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, then you realize everybody else kids.

SPEAKER_02

Somebody might get pregnant or the church. Exactly. You realize everybody kids freak yourself.

SPEAKER_05

Okay, all right. But yeah, I was born and raised in a church, man. So like as soon as I like got the bread and like hopped off the porch, I ain't never looked back, you know. But I appreciate my parents how they brought me up now. I didn't realize that back then.

SPEAKER_01

No, that's great. I didn't get to uh grow up with my parents per se, like my mom and dad. My mom was there, but she had me at a young age, she was like 16 when she had me. So my family, my grandmother and everybody raised me, so I was a little bit of a a tyrant, but I was raised in a church, but I was always trying to bust out of there and do something other than church for some reason. But looking back, it was great because the the morals that uh was instilled in me back then kind of followed me to now, and I'm definitely a Godfarry man. I definitely pray more than one time a day. I always give thanks, so it was like these type of things I believe still keep me in the position I am today to be doing an interview with. Yeah, I mean, thank you. This is this is this is pretty this is pretty dope. Yeah. Um how you feel about comedy, the space of comedy currently.

SPEAKER_05

The space of comedy currently, um, I feel like it's not enough young women. Like it's not enough. I mean, you know, we got the OG female comics, you know, we you know, some more, Adele Givens, uh Monique, um, and others who I'm drawing a blank. Kim Whitley, Kim Coles, you know, all of them, but it's like we don't have. There's nobody else. Like, it's a few women, but it ain't, I don't say enough of me out there. When I when I say enough of me, it's like that real raw 90s round away girl comedy. You're not going on stage in hills and shit. You ain't only talking about sex and you know how wet your pussy get. Like, I, you know, I I don't that can be funny, but it's like you trying to seduce the niggas, you know, the meeting greed or you trying to make niggas laugh, you know. So I don't, I don't, I'm a different beast on the stage. Like I remind you of you round away like early 2000s, like 90s, and you just and you on a on a block cutting everybody, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

Like so you say in 90s, right? So let's let's I so the 90s was a different era of what you could actually say on that comedy stage. So how does that make you feel, knowing that you can say the wrong thing right now, and you're just diving into your artist being a comedian from watching history of uh Richard Prize and just having the freedom of speech to say what they want to where we are now, and you might say the wrong thing and then try to cancel you.

SPEAKER_05

Well, that's on camera, you know, on the stage, that's where it's at. You know, you leave it on the stage. That's the that's what I had to differentiate. Like, yo, Jess, you keep being canceled because you're saying shit on stage. I mean, as you cause you saying shit online that's really meant for your audience, the people that know you, the people that get you, the people that want that. You know what I mean? That's the difference between online jazz and stage jazz. I can do what the fuck I want, I can say what I want. Um uh I'm raw, like real, you know, unfiltered on stage. And um, that's what comedy supposed to be, yo. Limitless. It's not supposed to be like a limit. Because to be honest, back in the day, shit, I wouldn't even make fun of shit that they made shit. They made fun of back in the day.

SPEAKER_01

They made fun of it. Like wild shit.

SPEAKER_05

All y'all had to have tough skin. You never knew who was gonna come out the gate on y'all with them 90s comics, you know what I mean? So that that's actually, they were actually much more unfiltered than I've ever been.

SPEAKER_01

Eddie Murphy, Royal, Delirious, like what? Red Fox, like what? Red, yo, Red Fox. This is what comedy was about. Red Fox was talking about nigga on his on his TV show and son and shit. Like that. Like, like, is but with that being said, do you feel restricted with your comedy sometimes? Or you like, you writing some shit and then you be like, I don't know if this they're gonna, they might come down on me for this one. Does that kind of fuck your creativity up sometimes?

SPEAKER_05

Honestly, when I'm on package shows, like when I'm like opening up, uh, when I'm like one of like 10 or 15 acts on a show, yeah, because it's not just my fans, so you got people recording and all that, and like there's no phones in my show. Like, you know, um You do that purposely now, yeah, yeah. Especially when I started getting cancelled for saying shit that I thought would never get me canceled. I'm like, yo, that's what that's what a lot of people thinking and shit. Like, it's not really like I'm not a bad person. This is just what what I feel, and it's funny. Um, but yeah, like I do that purposely now because as soon as you once it goes online and hit the internet, now it's like, oh my god, then you got it. Now I'm I'm I have endorsements and sponsors and things like that. And now when you can, when it gets to the point where you can lose business, you can lose money and shit.

SPEAKER_01

That's the fucked up part.

SPEAKER_05

It's like, yo, all right, fucking.

SPEAKER_01

Because I don't think you actually lose fans though. Because like, see, I get I give I get flustered between the internet and real life. So sometimes I'm watching the internet too much and I go outside, like, nah, the internet is a fucking lie. Yep. So it's like I know it's the same thing for comedians. As fans are coming to see you. Like they want to see whatever you're gonna give them. But the flip side is that like you as a businesswoman know you have sponsors, yeah. And they are part of the cancel culture. So they like watching everything you do. Like, oh, she said it. Yeah, we gotta get ready to pull back from her.

SPEAKER_05

So it's like it's like they be looking for it. You know what I mean? Especially if you if you gotta pass the controversies or whatever, like, yo, they be looking for it. Uh, what'd you say? What'd you say? I could literally be like, the transportation. They be like, the, like, now I'm talking about the bus, nigga. Y'all think I'm what you mean?

SPEAKER_02

You thought I was about to go there, right?

SPEAKER_05

I'm just being transparent. They be like, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just being transparent. Like, I'm being, you know what I mean? Like, I'm having watched Transformers, but exactly. I'm identifying as being, you know, you know, honest. So it is what it is. Niggas is crazy, y'all. But I be playing with them sometimes just to, just to, yeah, I'll be saying, like, man, they be ready to take a nigga money away.

SPEAKER_01

So I see you came in here with a book.

SPEAKER_05

I did. Yep, my very first book ever. So Deaf Dewey Parent, it's a co-parenting memoir, and it's gonna help a lot of people.

SPEAKER_01

And in the past, I've seen you do a lot of content with your baby father.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, Jerome. Yep, I did a lot of content with him early on. Um, oh, it was like the middle of the pandemic or whatever, wasn't nobody doing nothing. But a lot of people feel like when they see me and him, they like, yo, how are y'all this close, but y'all ain't sleeping together? Y'all not attracted to each other. And I'm like, I haven't wanted this nigga since my son was two. And um, and he hasn't wanted me for a long time, too, you know? But me and Rome is different. Rome, he had a lot of trauma or whatever. And I feel like honestly, we became best friends because I gave him grace in a lot of ways. Um, he couldn't understand. Like, we were young when we had our son. We was young enough.

SPEAKER_01

You wouldn't let him hit it again? Pardon me. Hell no. Pardon me, man. This is intrusive. I gotta stop. I gotta stop. Jimmy gotta go to hell. Ain't no. My bad, my bad, my bad, my bad, my bad. I just, you know, my bad. I just sometimes the shit just be flying out. I got to rest for you. Ayy yo. I really got that shit. I be ticking off in this shit. Pardon me. Pardon me. I stole my tourist people, you know, I don't mean that at all.

SPEAKER_05

Exactly. See, man. But nah, for real, yo. Nah, nah. We it it ain't nothing like that.

SPEAKER_01

Nah, I know how co-parenting is. I mean, I have a I have an incredible uh baby mother. Um raised an incredible son. Um in the beginning, there you go, you know what I mean? Like everything is new. So you figure it out, you set it. But as time went on, and if you're a good father, yeah, that supersedes everything. You know what I mean? That that that time heals everything, but being a good father even helps that more because whoever you're with gets to see above all.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

He's not letting nothing affect him taking care of his responsibilities when it comes to the kids. So it's like I be f I feel with your ladder shit like that. Cause it's like you definitely can have a great relationship with uh the other half of who you made a baby with and not have to be uh romantically involved with that. No, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_05

And then, you know, like I said, we had a whole bunch of conversations and it was a lot of like breakthrough moments that, you know, Rome was trying to figure out like what was up with him. He was trying to, you know, because his mom died at 10, and not only did she die, he found her. You know what I mean? And so like his his like that moment as he as he describes it as the worst day of his life. And he still remembers it. Like he remembers the smell, he remembers everything, like from when he went in the house and he found his mom. So that he carried that into his adult life, it even affected how he parents, how you know, his relationships, friendships, everything. And I was able to give him grace, like that's like my best friend, like that's my dog. So that's dope. You know, that's how we came together.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. And now with y'all raising a kid, is it a is it a hell of a time? Like, is yours jokes?

SPEAKER_05

It is, it is. And I listen, I've even asked my son like way back in the day, like, you want me to be with your father? He was like, No, no, no. And then he asked him, he my my baby father asked Ash, like, yo, you you think you think your mama take me back? He was like, Hell no. And he was only like six. He was like, hell no.

SPEAKER_02

He already knew what it was?

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, like nah, you ain't.

SPEAKER_02

It's a dub for that gender.

SPEAKER_05

Nah.

SPEAKER_02

Let's do it how we got it like this.

SPEAKER_05

You know, so but but nah, we have a time with with our son, with our kid, yo, like and that, and we're literally like best friends. Like, for real. It ain't no best friends.

SPEAKER_00

Is that what the book is a bit about?

SPEAKER_05

The book is about us raising him from the beginning. It it starts at the birth, like when me and Ron was going through, we were actually together, and this nigga cheating and lying and manipulating and just everything.

SPEAKER_01

Allegedly, allegedly.

SPEAKER_05

Now, ain't no damn allegedly. If he was here, he was telling you. I wasn't there. I wasn't there.

SPEAKER_01

I'm just saying, you just can't tell him, you can't put that on somebody and then be like, that was like that's the problem with black women. Y'all just be putting stuff on people. If you what? Pardon me, intrusive thoughts, intrusive thoughts. I gotta stop. I gotta stop. I gotta stop. Uh-uh. My bad, my bad, my bad. You're right, you're right. That man was not doing the right thing, and he should have, you should, you should have been doing way better, my brother.

SPEAKER_05

Exactly, exactly. But no, man, look, and he is so funny because that's why my baby father be walking around now. Like, yeah, I can't wait to write my book. Like, it's like a disc book. Like, we going back and forth for books.

SPEAKER_02

It's up there.

SPEAKER_05

Please know. But for real, yo, it's like that. And then he's even close with my husband. Like, he's close, like he, it's like a whole village. It's a real village.

SPEAKER_01

So you're married?

SPEAKER_05

I am. And I talk about that in chapter 10 in the book, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

You have kids with him?

SPEAKER_05

I do. I just had a baby girl. My daughter's one. I name's Marley. And yeah, this is his first kid. This is my husband's first kid.

SPEAKER_01

That's right. I was yo, I was watching you pregnant on the show. Yes, yo.

SPEAKER_05

Big nose, everything, nose.

SPEAKER_01

And everybody's cool. Everybody's a busy. Everybody's cool.

SPEAKER_05

Yep, yep. That's dope. Yep. It only it didn't take long. At first it wasn't like that, but it didn't take long. It took like maybe like a few months. And then everybody was fine. It just takes a man and a man sitting down talking or whatever, without the women being there, without the kids.

SPEAKER_01

Women, women, not so much. Mine's didn't take a couple months. Mine's took a few, few, a few years, but it'd be here.

SPEAKER_05

But but okay, now why did it take a few years? Yeah. Yeah. Why did it take a few years?

SPEAKER_01

Don't try to put it on me. Don't try to, don't try to don't try. I see where you're going. I can see. Don't do this right now. Don't try it. For real, boy. It's not about me, it's about you. I know, but it can be about you too. It can be. It can be. I'm accountable. I'm accountable. Okay, yeah, from artist to artist. I'm not an angel. I'm not an angel. I've I I fuck up all the time, man. I be looking stupid in the house crazy. Like you heard. Like, oh man, I just go downstairs like a little kid, but it's cool. But it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_05

When you take the feelings out of things, then it's like, all right, now I can look at you like without all the blurred lines and all the murky waters, like, all right now, we we got a kid looking at us, so we gotta do this for him. Because it it may not hurt you, it may not hurt the mom, but it's it would affect your son if y'all were toxic, his whole upbringing, even to now. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

So But my whole family is toxic.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I hope they don't hope take that to offense. They kind of I wouldn't say toxic, we are dysfunctional. Is that a form of toxic?

SPEAKER_05

Dysfunctional is yeah, it can be.

SPEAKER_01

It might be above a it might be above a step above. Right, because dysfunction can lead into toxicity. Yeah, that's where we at. That's my family. Exactly. But a lot of love.

SPEAKER_05

Everybody?

SPEAKER_01

Like, yeah, even the babies. The dogs too.

SPEAKER_05

Oh my God.

SPEAKER_01

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_05

Who is it?

SPEAKER_01

We're good though. It's a lot of love, though. When did this start? Dysfunction with love.

SPEAKER_05

No, that don't no, cut it out.

SPEAKER_01

I'm telling you, it's super love. I love my mom to death.

SPEAKER_05

I know you do, yes. I love your mom to death. Really? Okay, but when did this start? Did you, what about your great uncles, your great great-great-grandes?

SPEAKER_01

My grandmother was the one who kept the household together. That was the paid patron of the family. She's a Godfrey woman, took us to church. Um I lost on grandma when I was uh I believe 18 in 1995. So I've been on my own since then. And um but but before that, you know, I'm I'm from the I'm I'm I was born in the 70s, I lived in the 80s, it's crack era. Uh I've I've seen a lot of things. You know, my household. My household was very dope.

SPEAKER_04

Got you. Very dope.

SPEAKER_01

Literally.

SPEAKER_04

Love it. Love it, love it, love it.

SPEAKER_01

But it's not about me today.

SPEAKER_04

Oh gosh, okay.

SPEAKER_01

It's about you. How was reality TV for you? Do you think that uh kind of gave you uh a great form of support and promo for your brand or for you your stardom? Did it help you?

SPEAKER_05

Reality TV? I ain't I did it, I dibbled in that. You know what I'm saying? Like I did like one episode of Love and Hip Hop Hollywood, trash, hated it. Um not even loving hip-hop, I just didn't like loving hip-hop Hollywood. It was it was like not real.

SPEAKER_01

Um but it changed from when we what it was from what it was supposed to be to. By the time it got to Hollywood, yeah, the shit is definitely trash.

SPEAKER_05

What yo, like I I don't like Miami, and I don't like I I absolutely hated Love and Hip Hop, Hollywood, but I didn't like, I don't like Miami. I like the people, but I just don't like Miami. It it don't give real, authentic reality. Like that was the thing with New York and Atlanta. Even though, you know, Atlanta's still going in Atlanta. It's like, all right, some some shit you watch, you be like, come on, yo, come on. Y'all can do better than that.

SPEAKER_01

Now they took it to a point of exploitation that was so far beyond, but they made a shitload of money. So I'm not mad because that wasn't the model that we started with, but they turned it into a hell of a money-making machine. So kudos to them.

SPEAKER_05

I freaking love it. I love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But and then, and then, real quick on that, um, it's too glammed up now. Like, I I still go back and watch season one, two, and three of New York. And I still stick out the house, no makeup, no nothing. I'm talking about women gorgeous. Oh my god, pretty, real hair. Like it, the wigs ain't look wiggy. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, bitches' lips wasn't like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, the guys is cool, you know, this was before vanilla. Everybody walking around teeth laughing before them now, and you know, I it it was it was different. It was real. It was pre-Venez. Man, it's regular teeth outside. Man, regular teeth, even if the side tooth was missing, show me that that's real.

SPEAKER_02

No, that was that was a thing though. The side tooth, you get away with the side tooth back in the day. Yeah. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_04

Just keep the smile, keep the smiles tight.

SPEAKER_02

Keep it tight. Don't laugh too crazy because you know you blow yourself up, but you got tight, keep it cute.

SPEAKER_05

Right. That's right, yo. But it's too glammed up, man.

SPEAKER_01

So now you've done so many things uh since you made that content. You've done uh radio, reality TV, uh Nick Cannon, uh movies, uh comedy specials, uh stand-up, outstanding mother, uh wife, uh co-parenting. Uh so now we're on a full we're on a journey of reform.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah. Definitely remote.

SPEAKER_01

Rebrand?

SPEAKER_05

I don't want to say, I don't like to say rebrand because I'm still gonna be jest. I will never lose my core, I never lose who I'm, you know, where I'm from, who I am.

SPEAKER_01

But you're looking at things a little bit different now for where you want to go for the next level of jest.

SPEAKER_05

Absolutely. That's just what it is. You know, the evolution is something that you always want. You gotta always be ready for it. You know what I'm saying? You can't, you can't stay stagnant, you can't keep doing the same shit you've been doing. It had you can you can do it on a different level. 100%. You know what I mean? So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So what what is that dip what is that different level for you? Is it more being an author? Is it diving really into movies and being an actress instead of just doing comedy? Like, what is the next level you feel? Or do you have a plan for the next level or a goal?

SPEAKER_05

It's all of that. And and even with this book, I want to turn this book into an episodic series. Um, because the the journey is from when I'm pregnant all the way up until like when I meet my husband and I get married, and then how he meets my baby father, and it's cool. It's a little friction at first or whatever, because it had to be boundaries put in place. But then once that got ironed over and everything, we good. Um, but no, like real TV talk show for me. You know what I mean? That's what I really want. And you know, you when the last time you seen a show like Ricky Lake and Jerry Springer combined. We don't have it no more. You know what I mean? Everybody too sensitive. It's like we got all these communities or whatever, and what that's color communities us. Yo, I'm like, I ain't never seen it.

SPEAKER_01

Be careful. I know. Because you get banned by non-communities just by one sentence to take you out of there.

SPEAKER_05

Yo, everybody is grouped together, and people don't realize, yo, that's creating division.

SPEAKER_01

A lot of division.

SPEAKER_05

You know what I mean? And it's it's is it's scary and it's dangerous.

SPEAKER_01

You can hate on niggas that don't wear no socks, and there's a whole community of niggas. Like, yo, what? Yeah, we thought we own you.

SPEAKER_05

Yup, the bare ankles. Like, it's like, oh yeah, we all together. Like, what you mean? You know what I'm saying? The bare ankles on your head times up playing. Always like that, yo. It's always like, but everybody got their, you know, and everybody wanna stand up for something like all the time.

SPEAKER_02

It's like, damn, you you instead of standing up for the right shit.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, they all yo, especially them handicapped niggas, yo. They love standing up for stuff. I'm like, man, y'all can't even do that. They crazy.

SPEAKER_01

Let's let's bring it back in. We reform.

SPEAKER_05

Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm an author. We reforming. Come on, yo. We're reforming.

SPEAKER_02

We got you. Let me get you, let me get you out of there. We can get you out of there.

SPEAKER_01

So we get you out of there. So, I love shout out to the nubsters. I'm glad you came here today. Yeah. A few things. Um, because I'm I wanted to show you the facility, also ask you a couple questions. So you're in the IFC right now. This is the Intellectual Factory of Content. It's a multi-purpose creation facility for music, fashion, sports, media, and broadcast. And I say that on every level for artists, producers, actors, comedians, radio broadcasts. Like, this is what we embody here. Um, I know y'all was making a lot of jokes uh on the morning show about uh, you know what I mean? 50 and everything. It's like, you had a lot of judging. You had a lot of jokes. You had a lot of jokes. It was funny. I was fucked up, right? But no, I don't care. It's crazy. But I'm glad to let you see what we actually do have going on here instead of just hearing it from a buffoon's point of view.

SPEAKER_05

I know you have shit going on, Jim. But I now you get to go back. Oh, yeah. Oh, you you already know that's what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, vouch for the facility. I mean, so in the future, when you do want to do skits, or maybe you wanted to do a podcast, maybe you want to have a comedy special, or maybe you want to have an event, or maybe you want to have a book read, or maybe any of these things. There's multiple spaces and locations in here. We could build sets, we could do multiple things. We have a barber shop, beauty shop in here, we got a boutique, uh, multiple studios, the grocery store will be done in a minute. Uh we have a full broadcast center. This where we shoot the news in here, we all shoot less rap about it in here. Okay, but it's like, I just want to put that on your map.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, on your plate.

SPEAKER_05

I love that. And I know this. I I know this. Other people try to act like they don't know this, but I know this, you know? And the shenanigans be cool sometimes, a little ha ha ha hee hee, but at the end of the day, man, everybody knows you're doing shit. Like, you know, and I'm glad that I'm I'm here. I'm glad that I can go back and be like, man, I was in there. And they they got air and they got heat, and just in case I got cold. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Like, I already know, man. I know what's up.

SPEAKER_01

No, I don't let those type of things, but I should use all that for for my marketing and promotion because when I do open the doors, I believe that it's gonna have more eyes wanting to see what's actually going on from all of the bullshit that went on and things like that. And I'm just grateful to be in this position and, like I said, be able to interview people like yourself.

SPEAKER_05

Um To me, I'm happy to see you doing it. I'm very, very shocked that you are interviewing people because the Jim Jones that I watch growing up and all of that, I'm like, hey, he don't like niggas, he don't talk to niggas, he don't he he probably can't.

SPEAKER_01

I really don't.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, you know, so I am shocked.

SPEAKER_01

And no disrespect to nobody. Like I love everybody. Like, if you know me, you know me. That's one thing. Yeah. So when I put myself in this position, he was like, yo, bro, you know you're gonna have to interview people that you don't know or maybe not necessarily be fond of, or like you might not like, like you cannot fit. So it was like, but for what I created here, it was like if I didn't double down with myself, then I wouldn't have the less rap about it. I wouldn't have the noose, I wouldn't have none of these things that we got going on if I didn't show people what I wanted to do here. So it's like that's where we at right now. But I'm glad that you're here. I'm glad that you uh got this book. Let's talk about it. To the to the uh So Deaf Do We Parents. Please go and get the book.

SPEAKER_05

Um because it's a life sense.

SPEAKER_01

You definitely can see her on TV a bunch of times on uh with the with the guys rapping. You got a little flow too.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

A little flow.

SPEAKER_01

So you got rap, do you got you got records? Do you got bars? Like, what's going on? You the out before? That was a you wanted to be a rapper in your dreams? Like, what's going on?

SPEAKER_05

Right, literally, like growing up, yeah. Like my father, he was like very heavily into music. He used to DJ, like he loved doing like anything involving music, he loved it. Um, writing and all of that. Like, I used to do, I used to uh do like little talent shows in middle school. He would come up there and he'd be like, man, rap, just go rap. I'm like, all right, cool. Like for real, yo. So that would, I'm like, yo, I don't know. He like, no, I'm gonna give you a top and you're gonna rap about it. It don't matter. And you know, he'd be like, the hood. I'm like, my principal's right there. Like I can't, like, just be like, man, rap about the hood right now. Like, all right, dad. You know what I'm saying? So yeah, I ain't gonna lie. Yeah, I did want to, but then as I got older, I was like, I changed it. I changed whatever I wanted to do.

SPEAKER_02

When Nick called you for this opportunity, did he ask you if you know how to rap?

SPEAKER_05

No, we didn't, yo. That's the only thing I didn't want to do when I went up there. I I thought he was just bringing me on the roast niggas. Like, I literally was like, all right, cool. When I got in there, he was like, Yeah, so we do like games and you it's on a spot. And and he put me in front of Justina Valentine and just like Shorty be going.

SPEAKER_01

Wild crazy with the flow.

SPEAKER_05

It's like she been rapping.

SPEAKER_01

Shout out to her. I don't want no smoke with her. She goes crazy. Exactly. She got a chip on her shoulder.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, I'm like, now I'm gonna be our friend.

SPEAKER_01

Like she went through a lot of trauma because the way she's talking to people on that stage.

SPEAKER_05

Like, yo, nothing.

SPEAKER_01

We just backstage, you had to pay me something to drink. We just eat it together, and you just talked about me in a way that like What you mean?

SPEAKER_05

You know what I mean? But now I roast the shit out of her. I can I can I can win on a roasting tip, but like he wanted me to rap. And then she would rap like ABCs and like shit that rhyme with extraordinary and and and I'ma get you on it. I'm like, yo, come on. Like, hey, yo, Jet, when I hear that, I'm like, ah. Somebody take them cigarettes from shorty, yo. I'm not playing. Like she. Nah, come on, give me them. That's when she gets lethal. When she gets that, man, somebody give me them cigarettes, man.

SPEAKER_01

Yo, oh man, this is this has been incredible today. I don't want to keep you too long. I know that you are incredible promo run. Like I said, uh, go get the book. You can see wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Two, two more, two more things. Two more things, two more things, two more things. I see you said something about um No, I didn't, yo. I ain't gonna but maybe the in the press it made it seem like you said that you don't like the flow of Netflix as opposed on the for the morning show, as opposed to being directly. Alleged. Alleged. I said the six as I said the media made it look like it's AI shit out with that. But you love Netflix. We love Netflix. Netflix is no problem. Everything is shit is the bomb, right? Netflix is the shit, yo, every day.

SPEAKER_05

You know what I'm saying? Netflix, so go watch, go, yes, and they was even so gracious to put me on the Netflix is a joke comedy fest. So I'll be there May 4th and May 5th out in LA. You know, we ain't talks to the special.

SPEAKER_01

I'm like, I got it. I'm going to see I'm going to an event with Netflix on Monday with the guys, the whole with the Fab and all them. So it's like they got us. Oh wow. See, that's what I and that's what I was saying. Yeah, I know what the whole sound. This one I know what you were saying. This is what I know what you're saying. I got something else though. I want to show you. It's not, I'm not uh anything I want to ask you, something I want to show you. Okay. You you got you got the clip to show her?

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay. I just want to take my glasses off for this. Yes, it is a birthday came talking with the building on the time right now, my little bit.

SPEAKER_06

Oh my god. Why do you get so hype when you said that though? I love younger men. Okay, remind me of Jim Jones. You already have a big girl relaxed. I don't know how that works, but it's going. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you. I'm glad that I can be the butt of the joke up at your show when I'm not there.

SPEAKER_05

Stop, yo.

SPEAKER_01

But I would like to know exactly what you meant by that. Like, do you dream about your ma? Because it was like kind of weird how you said that. She reminds me of Ben Jones. Like, where's that going?

SPEAKER_05

Like, no, I'm not do not. No, no, it's not a pausure. Cause I used to be gay way back in the day. But nah, like, nah, don't even worry. No, I know.

SPEAKER_02

Right. We're gonna let that slide.

SPEAKER_05

She just, that's the vibe she gives me. Like, when I I've been around her a few times and the way she rap and everything, and I'm just like, damn, she reminds me of like like Jim or loving hip hop about the street. Like, you know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01

That's the young ma. She's definitely one of my favorite people. Yes. Oh, that's good. Nah, 100%.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, she looked like your little brother. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like she can. Like she could, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

Don't talk about the Bristol like that. You heard that. That's the Bristol, you heard.

SPEAKER_05

Okay.

SPEAKER_01

You can keep it too much. That's don't talk about the Bristol like that.

SPEAKER_05

Man.

SPEAKER_01

That's the young motto. So uh, thank you for coming by. This is I I've had I I didn't know what to expect. You know what I mean? Yeah, I didn't know what to expect. You didn't know what to expect. I didn't know which Jess was walking in the building. I've seen I've seen a few Jesses before. I know, y'all. But a lot of personalities.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Might be a little bit by pole beer. You know what I mean? But it's cool.

SPEAKER_05

You know, I've always been a big Jim Jones fan. Like, I've I've always been a fan of you. Every time I see you, you came to my Welcome to New York Party when I first got the job up there with the guys, man. You uh I think you, man, you came to one of my shows before when your mom dropped her book. You at like, yeah, you be in the shadows. You don't be trying to say too much and shit. Like, you don't be with none of that.

SPEAKER_01

The most they're gonna get out of me is in front of this camera if you don't know me, so they gotta enjoy it. But like I appreciate it. Thank you for coming by. This is another episode of Artist to Artist, where we say this is a conversation that needs to be had. Shouts to playmakers, shouts to Jess. We're gonna catch you in the next one.

SPEAKER_05

Thank you.