December 28, 2023 • 45 mins
On this week's episode of Eating While Broke, Coline welcomes actor, comedian, writer Slink Johnson to have an authentic convo about hustling hard when funds were tight in pursuit of an entertainment career.
Slink takes us back to humble days relying on bologna sandwiches just to eat while chasing big dreams with little money. He shares straight talk about the constant grind - from riding highs like signing a record deal to watching it disappointingly disappear...to working odd jobs and side hustles as responsibilities mounted as a new father.
Throughout the candid chat, Slink inspires with his resilience to stay true to his passion whenever he loses track. Despite setbacks that would break most, he persevered. Even now in a "financially impaired" state, he beams a positivity that connects with everyday go-getters determined to make it.
He and Coline discuss it all over Broke Bank Bologna Blasts!
Connect: @wittcoline @slinkjohnson
Share your recipes with us: @EATINGWHILEBROKE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host coleeen Witt, and today we have very
special guest, comedian actor writer Black Jesus himself, Slink Johnson
is in the building. But you have another title that
I missed because I have a very short term memory. Guys,
can you say it for our listening?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Actually, Colleen is several other titles, however, however, I'll just
hold it to a couple of I'm also a certified
slap you know what I mean. That's l a p uh.
That's something like a pimp. And the Master of the
West African Monkey spank Technique.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, you know it's it's it's it's an art form
originating in West Africa. Man. I traveled back to West
Africa to you know, get more in touch with my
rules and found out that, you know, I'm very very
deep in Africa. You know, I actually found out my
African name.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I need you say it with me?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
What is it? I listen to you say, get you? Yeah,
sounds good. Get you. I'm an idiot. I just got that. Okay, guys,
(01:15):
so what will you be? Yes, I'm about you get
all right, so what are you gonna be feeding me
as your broke dish today?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Okay, today, my broke dish is a staple in the
impoverished community. Man, I mean, this is this is it's
it's damn their delicacy for some you know what I mean.
But today we're having baloney sandwiches, a good old fried
baloney sandwich. However, thanks to the magic of Hollywood, we're
(01:51):
gonna make goa dress it up a little bit with
a little bit of nice, fine, sharp cheddar cheese and
some lettuce.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
My flower, and I like how you were very particular
about having real cheese and lettuce. That's that's like real legit.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
I was, because you know you add the letters to it,
you kind of you at least getting like three of you.
You got all the four food groups. Yeah, you got
all the four food groups right here, you know what
I mean. So you know, you got your dair, you
got your bread, you got your meat, and you got
your vegetables. So you know, again this very healthy struggle meal.
A lot of NL NFL players were raised off this,
(02:49):
you know what.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I never even when you think of the NFL players,
you never even think that about that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
They didn't always have protein shakes and ship like that.
The motherfuckers they they ain't gone trife.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, while you cook this dish, why don't you take
me back to what was going on when you was
eating the Blogney sandwiches.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Oh man, it was a trio time in life. Man,
your boy was showed, you know, you know, uh, fresh
out of Waii. You know, I had went to the
California Athorities for a little while, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And I had to California Youth Authorities.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah. Yeah, that's a junior penitentiary. That's the penitentiary for
miners here in California. You know what I'm saying. Some
people call it gladiator school, man. Some people just call
it WII. Shout out to all my Wye babies, pastor Robless,
what's up, baby? You know what I'm talking about. We
in here. But you know, I was fresh out of Waii.
I was I went in a boy. I came out
of man as far as age goes. And you know,
(03:45):
it wasn't a whole lot of handouts. It wasn't no help.
Of course, I had my mom. She always been a
rock in my life. She's been, always been in my corner.
But you know, as a man, you gotta do things
for yourself. Man. So you know I got out of jail.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Man, and what'd you go in for? And I just
have to address this for all you guys that have
not had the opportunity to meet Slink in person. He
is so tall, like, he is definitely the tallest guess
he When he walked in the door, I was like,
I don't know if you're gonna clear that door, and
he like touched it. That's how tall he is. So
(04:18):
as a teenager, were you this tall?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah? I was pretty tall, man. I was into the
wrong things I was when I was young. And I'm
gonna use this little spatula thing because you know, I
don't want everybody but like I don't know his hands, man,
I know what they being. You know what they being
because I've been here for the bad two whiles. But
I'm gonna use this here for the sake of all
them German folks out there to be acting funny and
shit a whole long. Nigga is a struggle meal, Nigga.
If you struggle it, you ain't worried about my hands.
(04:40):
We're gonna keep the shit going you know what I'm
talking about. But yeah, when I was young, I went
to Ya for a robbery. I did. I was a
young misguided kid man. I just you know, I used
to run with some guys who mischievous. I like to
say we were juvenile delinkers. We were mischievous, juvenile de lincers.
And I was doing some stuff that you know, put
(05:01):
my life on the line a lot of times when
I got cracked doing a robbery, and it took me
a while to realize that I'm really no good as
a thug. I'm very very very unlucky and successful thug.
And you know, I just like doing thug shit. You know.
I just wanted to be part of a part of
some part of a group of people that's doing some shit.
But you know, I should have been while I was
(05:25):
out there robbing people. I fucked up while I was
out there robbing people. I should have been somebody small
forward on the basketball team. But you know I wasn't
really into basketball like that.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, because I was. But what city where are you from?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I grew up in Inglewood Between. I grew up between Inglewood,
No No. I was born in Arkansas. I was born
in a little small town in Arkansas where my mother
remarried and moved us out here when I was ten
years old. So I've been here since I was ten.
And I grew up in Inglewood, between Inglewood and South LA.
I went to school in Inglewood and spent a lot
of my time in South LA. And you know, I'm
(05:58):
a La baby, you know. And when I should have
been like playing small forward for the Inglewood Sentinels Inglewood Hot,
I played left pistol for the Inglewood Carjackers, I was like,
you're so big.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I would assume that, like, out of all industries, definitely
robbing or anything criminalist, criminalist like you would definitely be
the one that would get caught.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Man, they catch me all time, they catch me on time.
Then they put me in the lineup with four Mexicans.
You know they gonna give me. You know they're gonna
give me.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
So then all right, so take me to the so
so you're you just get out of juvie.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Ven that's parole, baby, that's state, ain't that ain't the halls,
that's past the juvenile halls. That's why a baby.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So that's like a jail for minors, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Print prison for minors. You got parole, you gotta go
in front the parole board.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
What and at the time, did you know you were
gonna get into comedy or was is this like the
beginning of you when you get out of jail? What
happens when.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I got out of jail. You know, I had a
few jobs, you know, like most guys will get a
few jobs here and there. But you know, I never
was good on my jobs because you know, I've always
been kind of like this free spirit. You know, I've
always been a clown. I've always been a class clown.
I've always been a jokester. You know, a lot of
times I don't take everything too serious. So you know,
I never could keep a job too long, you know.
(07:23):
So I was hustling and doing different things to try
to you know, to supplement my income. However, you know,
like what, oh, you know, selling some stuff, getting people's
stuff that they wanted.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So then take me to the next chapter. What's that
next milestone after you're working all these jobs in hustling.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Like the next chapter? Man is I jumped on the mic.
I jumped on the mic because my first aspiration, for
my first aspiration for entertainment rather was hip hop and rap.
You know what I'm saying. I was signing Too Short
as a rapper. You know, back in ninety seven, he
signed me and I traveled with him for a little while.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
So you were wrapping the whole time, you were working
these odd jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
A little bit. I was working my way up to that,
I was writing. I wasn't really taking it seriously, you
know what I'm saying. I started writing raps back in
nineteen eighty six, and around nineteen ninety four, that's when
I like started writing them. I really started writing, and
it started getting into the studio, you know what I mean.
Around ninety seven, I was already you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
How did you cross paths for Too Short?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Oh man? One of my best friends, who was like
a cousin to me, is actually Too Short's first cousin,
So you know, it was like only a matter of
time before that happened. And you know, my boy young E,
you know him, was short, always been cousins. But he
took me to Short at a time when he felt like, okay, gee,
you ready now you know what I'm saying. You know,
(08:49):
he saw I was serious about what I was doing
because a lot of times I can get into something
me real into it, and I lose interest quick. But
you know, I tend to hell. I tend to hold
on to my hip hop aspirations, and I got better
and better. And then one day he took me the
short and shit Short was digging what I was doing,
and he handed me over to my other partner, Kiki,
(09:11):
who actually executive produced my my demo project. And then
I got signed over the short.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Wow. And then you get a nice check at the time.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
No, I mean at the time, at the time, it
was it was nice at the time. You know, however,
in hindsight, it wasn't too much. But hey, you know,
coming for I was coming from the point I was
coming from, it was like fucking right, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And you're doing what you love. So what did you
do with the money? And what happened with that check?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Like it wasn't too much? Like literally, I think I
put a down payment on the car for my baby.
Mama bought me a couple of trinkets and some bullshit,
and you know what I'm saying, it was broken Again.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Were you able to put out the record?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Nah? No, it didn't come out. It didn't come out
through jive, But I actually just bootleg to myself and
made the authorized butleg version of your own record. Yeah,
authorized the bootleg of it. Fuck it, I'm gonna get
it out there. A few people got it. It's in
a few It's in a few trunks around the country.
You know what I'm saying. I hit, you know, I
hit to hit the streets with my homeboy problem, my
(10:16):
young my young boy problem. I met him in Atlanta
when I was down there was short probe, got me
out on the street. We started hitting state to state, Philly, uh, Atlanta,
New York. You know what I'm saying, Just going all
these different places, jumping on corners, selling this tape, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So, then, at what point do you check out of
the music business.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, I never really checked out. I never really checked out.
It kind of just didn't didn't materialize how I wanted it.
Two in a time frame that we all imagine for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You know, so the rap dreams, it didn't necessarily die,
but the opportunity and the the the life was kind
of slowing down from me because real life was taking place.
You know, I had a son. Now, you know what
I mean, and my son can't eat these raps, you
(11:10):
know what I mean. So that actually kind of put
me in a rut for a while, you know what
I mean, Because you know, I worked a few jobs,
and my last job I had, I got fired and
I remember going home, I was crying like a motherfucker.
I'm on the bus, real tears, crying like damn, I
can't get right, what the fuck is wrong with me?
And I'm just I came to the conclusion that I
can't work a conventional nine to five. I can't work
(11:32):
for nobody, not like that, you know what I mean.
And I had to figure out something else. So I
started selling weed and it was working a little bit.
You know, it was cool. It was paying some bills,
you know, making sure I had some cheese from my
blooney because I was still eating blooney, was making sure
I had some cheese on it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Now, was your baby mom at the time starting to
kind of stress you out about like finances or where
is she just I.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Don't want to blame that on her. I'm not gonna
say she stressed me out of our finances. We was
in that thing together, and she's hard on her, so
you know, of course she's going to verbalize her angst,
you know what I mean. So again, I don't want
to make her out to be a bad person or nothing.
I mean, shit, she's you know, she pulling the load
shit tough, you know what I'm saying. So that definitely
added to, you know, a little bit of stress on
(12:19):
my behalf. However, out never blame her because you know
what I'm saying, When you the one doing everything or
taking care of shit, you god damn right, you know
you're gonna feel a certain type of way.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So you know, so she was show your baby mom
at the time was also like working, and she.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Was working, she was taking care of it. She was
doing it right. I got the classic little story. You know,
niggas had these rap dreams and shit, and while your
baby mama growing up and taking care of business and
doing shit. We be little boys till we about thirty five,
you know what I mean. So, yeah, it was. It
was a typical thing for me. You know, she's always
been straight lace, take care of businessman. Shout out to her.
(12:54):
I love it to this day, man, thank you so much.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I love that person. So then take me to f
after you lose the job. I want to get closer
to when you start reaching for the mic and what
epiphany was going on to get you there.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Okay, to be honest with you, let me rewind. I
was on the mic. And actually this last job I
had was after the signing with too Short, traveling the
country of touring, making records and stuff like that and
stuff and not not quite paying out and wrap, and
I was working a job and kind of seeing rap,
(13:28):
the rap dream of the window getting smaller and working
a job. And when I lost the job, that with
the rap dream and the window getting smaller, to me,
that kind of just you know, that kind of put
me in a rut. And I was in the rut
for a little while, you know, doing odd things, odds
and thens different things, keep me some money going on.
I was a CD man. I used to bake cakes.
(13:49):
I said, I love baking. So I would bake cakes
and cut the motherfuckers up to the slices and go
up to the barbershop by my house and say, okay,
some brothers was fucking with me. Man, you know what
I'm saying yet again, because you know, after you know,
(14:19):
in between you know, losing it after losing job and
all that, and you know, just odd jobs here and there. Uh,
you know again, I was selling weed to make me,
you know, make supplement my income, you know, kind of
keep keep the lights on or whatever. I got cracked
with the weed. I was already on probation for some shit,
and I was selling the weed, and I got cracked again.
(14:39):
So and I got cracked right when I first started.
By this time, we're gonna be fast forward. And by
this time, uh, this is twenty ten, I'm selling weed,
you know, doing all right, Opportunities are come into life
for me, you know what I'm saying. I just got
GTA five. I just got a you know, cash with
(15:01):
GTA five, did did some work over there, you know,
still selling weed on the side, you know, kind of
keep my lights on. And shit. I got cracked by
the La Shar's Department. They pulled me over, you know,
found some weed in my car. And that was before
it was legal. They found some weed in my car,
and I was already on probation for some other dumb shit.
So they used that as you know, they used that
(15:24):
as they reason searched my house, and you know, they
found some stuff at my house that I wasn't supposed
to have, and you know, I had to go sit
down in the county jail for about five months. You
know what I'm saying. I was facing. I was facing
by eight thirteen years or something. But thanks to the
people over there, rock Star. You know, they wrote letters
on my behalf, my boy Brian Ash, my boy Carl Jones,
(15:44):
my boy Aaron McGruder, Jason van Veen, van Elder. I
had a lot of great people around me that wrote letters,
you know, on my behalf, and I think that kind
of helped me in regards to how it was sentenced.
Because when I got caught for that beef, I told
y'all was on probation, but I had a joint suspension.
You don't know what the joint suspension is. Basically meaning Okay,
(16:05):
we're gonna let you out, but if you get in
trouble again, you're gonna go to jail for this time,
we're gonna we're gonna go to jail.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Type thing.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
That It's not three strikes. It's basically said, okay, we're
gonna give you four years in jail, but we're gonna
suspend that. We're gonna let you out, but if you
get caught for something else, you're gonna get that four
years off top. And that's not counting with whatever time
you're gonna get for what you get caught for. You
understand me. Pressure, Yeah, the pressure was on. So I
beat a joint suspension and you know, I got another
(16:36):
chance and from there when I got out of jail
that time. Wait, mane look at that blogna. That shit beautiful,
That shit beautiful. You see that nice little seer. Oh yeah,
that's what I'm talking about. So right now I'm trying
to pay it to that blondee. So what I'm gonna
do right now is I'm gonna make sure i'ma hit
it with that e's. You gotta put that e's because
you got two slices. I'm a big man. You gotta
have at least two slices, you know what I'm saying.
(16:58):
But you put you somey's. You take your little piece
of yeze and put it right in between the two slices.
You feel me, Oh you let it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Oh, I did not expect you. Okay, okay, so you
put the cheese in between the two vilgi.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
You know I dude like that a little bit. But yeah,
when I got out of jail. When I got out
of jail, I was back on a nothing joint suspension
on probation, and I had to talk with God and
Aaron Magruder. And you know, when I got out of
jail that time, Aaron gave me the same kind of
speech that you know Puffy has said to have given
(17:37):
Big you know what I'm saying in the movie. At
least you know, hey, what you want? You want this
or you want that, you can't do both. Yeah, And
at that point I said, Okay, I can't do no
more crime. I'm not gonna do nothing. Jepardis my life
because I have these opportunities ahead of me. So you know,
I struggled for a few years before those opportunities came
into fruition. But I'm thankful that I trusted God and
(17:58):
I trusted the people that I will working with to
see those things go come to fruition again. Twenty thirteen,
GTA five came out, twenty fourteen Black Jesus came out,
and it kind of, you know, kind of let people
know who I am. So that was dope. So we're
gonna take this little bread. We ain't for the burning shit.
We're gonna tell you here, go ahead, get that little
Britain ned said, little cheese, that real cheese, baby, you
(18:23):
got it.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It looks official.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
It is. It is that motherfucker's oh fish ye out, okay,
like cheese sticking. And now you do that like that
yet a little bit? Mom? Put that motherfucker right there. Yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Is this when you put the lettuce on?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, you put you a little lettuce on there, because
you know what I'm saying. You want to eat healthy.
You know what I mean A little bit. You know
a lot of people, a lot of people got problems
with you know, uh, these sandwich meats and processed meats
and things of that nature because they don't you don't
know what's in it, nigga. I say this, unless you
killed that shelf, they killed your shit yourself, you don't
never know what's in it. So fuck it. Eat. You
(19:01):
know what I'm saying. You know what's in that ship? Okay?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
So this is how you eat.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
There's no you eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
The way you do it.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Get you some chips on that motherfucker girl.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
I thought the lettuce was gonna add the extra a.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Little bit but you know that the lettuce is to
add the health. You know, you got you some some
little vegetable on there, but you know lettuce is mostly water.
They say, right, that's all good. Then you take that
motherfucker you hit it whatever you see that.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Look this, why like the little melty cheese. I don't
know if y'all can see that right there, little cheese.
You take that little chip and go, yeah, man, get that.
You don't let nothing go. Woman, woman, woman, woman. I
don't even know you.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Want them to.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Okay, you know what, now we ain't even hit it
off in no mustard. So I'm gonna go ahead and
do that them.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
I want to add more chips, go ahead and grow well,
I want I'm trying to do yours the way.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Jared, don't eat that shit?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
What the shout outs to Jered by the way, and
we ain't.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Talking about we ain't talking about the subway. Nigga need it.
I came up on bloney sandwiches man. Again. Being born
in the South, you know, I ate a lot of
lunch meats and things of that nature. Man. And hell yeah,
you know my mom used to service and blooney sandwiches
you know what I'm saying, didn't handle cheese, got damn
just blooney and bread, but it worked, you know what
(20:36):
I'm saying. So it's very nostalgic for me. And this
is always good because it's about fifteen twenty slices or
more in this motherfuckers, you could probably make about six
seven decent sandwiches, you know what I'm saying. So you know,
you got to think about what you're doing. When you
really struggling, you start looking at shit, like how many
ounces shit is? You know what I'm saying. Like recently,
(20:57):
I just bought some ketchup and I saw one was
like thirty two ounces, and then the other one was
like it was bigger, but it was it was cheaper
to buy a bigger one. It was the bigger one
was more expensive, but it was like, damn near buying
two of those smaller ones for.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You know, And I wanted to address that this whole
dish costs six dollars, hold loaf of bread, holding of lettuce,
whole thing, a baloney, and real cheese. It was like
seven dollars and you're getting multiple meals. So this totally works.
And I don't know if it's because we're both starving.
But is this sandwich not? It's really good? Hunh and
motherfucker smacking, Yeah, it is smacking. I'm trying not to see.
(21:36):
I can't, you know, I can't interview you and eat
the whole thing. But this thing is really really good.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
See, and I like, you know, it's seven dollars, eight dollars,
just say ten, Just say ten. If you got a
wet twenty you still got you can buy this, get
you a little spend about nine, just say nine, spend
about nine. You got eleven dollars back. You can go
buy spend a bucket, go buy your blunt, and you
can buy you a nice fat I'm sacked from somebody.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
You're hilarious, Okay, So take us back to so twenty thirteen,
two fourteen. You're getting all these opportunities, your pockets are
looking better, and like where's your head at? Like? Are
you like I made it? That's it? I'm stunting on
everybody or what?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Nah? I didn't really have that the real vindictive spirit
to stunt on everybody. But I was definitely enjoying the
things that were happening for me. I was definitely, you know,
liking to be able to go in to stories. I've
always went in to and be able to buy whatever
I want, you know what I mean. So that was
always cool. But you know, again, these things happened for
(22:49):
me at this at a certain point in my life.
I think I it came with a certain level of
maturity as well, and enough foresight to know that you know,
is like this to day, it can be different tomorrow.
So I kind of always how to keep my attitude
and the way I deal with people even killed in
that regard.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Were you good with your money as far as like managing, No,
so were you.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I have a friend I'm broke as buck right now.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Yeah, I was gonna say, I have a one friend
that like he'll make a million dollars and he'll be
rich driving rolls Royces in the next minute. Stupid broke
and like literally eating carrots out of a bag.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
That's how I go. He had a good time though, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
And it's literally been that way for like twenty years.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I took my baby mama to the mal D's for
a birthday in September. We got home, we ate chili dogs.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Wow, that's crazy. Are you still with your baby moms.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well I got three of them, so I'm with one
of them.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Oh okay, okay, we're not with the original og nah.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
But that's my family. I love it to death and
I always will.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Okay, So what's the next? So at this point you
feel like you made it, like kind of explain a
day in the life.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
A day in life while I'm working on an active
series is different than the day in life just a
regular day in life, because you know, again when I'm
in the middle of season, it's always great. Get up
early in the morning. Driveway. As matter of fact, we
shot excuse me, we shot season three of Black Jesus
right down the street here, okay, and get up in
the morning, come on set, eat up they food, you know,
(24:24):
enjoy all the white man amenities, and you know, have
a great time. You know what I mean. My day
in life is different from me. It could be a
little bit of anything, like right now. You know, I
get up every day. I shoot my sketches every day,
take my calls, my emails, trying to line up new
shows and things of that nature. But you know, I
don't know, it just depends. Every day is different, just
(24:45):
like anybody else, I have no Oh, I go to
the gym every day at six am. I have two
protein bottle shakes seven. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
I don't know when you're not when you're so, when
you're in the middle of a series, you're have consistent money,
consistent work coming in. When you're not, is there any
like little seeds of doubt entering your mind? Or is
there any like what am I doing? Is there any
second guessing going on.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
All the time? I'm human? You want another one?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Yeah? I do. I feel like we should get more cheese,
more bread. We got more bread, all right, go on?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yeah, I'm human. So those seas are doubt always happen,
and I'm I just have to damn, it's part of myself.
I just have to snap out of it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
M H what do you do to snap out of it?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I just remember, I just tell myself, Man, how many
times have you been in this situation? How many times
has has has have you been broke? How many times
have you had no car? How many times? You know?
These things happen, and they happen all the time. Man.
We built for this shit. I make it through. Yeah,
I want to say a lot to day, you know,
some weak people be rich as fuck. Stock market crash,
(25:53):
they jump out the window, you know what I'm saying. Yeah,
So you know, hell, I just know it's gonna get better.
It's always better days. It's just like this right now,
and I just won't tell anybody that's listening. Look, man,
you're an artist, creative entrepreneur. You got dreams. Keep dreaming
and keep working tourism. Man, don't worry about what's going
on right now, because right now is just right now.
(26:13):
Don't worry about the wind. Just know you're gonna win,
you feel me. Fuck all that bullshit. It's all right man.
Today I'm eating maloney. Tomorrow it might be motherfucking lobsters,
Matt goddamn it, I don't know. And the next day
after that it might be popcorn. But guess what, I'm
still smiling, I'm still standing on tear toes, and I'm
still a real nigga out here. And what I have
is my heart and my integrity and the love and
(26:34):
blessing of God. So I ain't worried about nothing. I'm straight.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
I like that when you are. I like the bloney
sandwich is so good, I'm trying not to eat it.
During our whole episode, so I could actually talk about.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
You gonna see real nigga particles and ship because I'm
eating maloney with cheese and let us don't worry about it.
You want you want to, motherfucker list.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Do you have people in your circle that are constantly
like when you're in doubt, like picking you back up
or reminding you what your purpose is?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Absolutely? Man, Absolutely man. Absolutely, my girl, she she's very
supportive of me. I appreciate her for that. You know,
I got a couple of homeboys that always call me
with some words of wisdoms. Some game man shout out
to my boy Andre truth man. Y'all make sure y'all
check you out. We got a new we got a
series together on Amazon right now called Selli's check it out.
(27:26):
Selly see damn c E L l I E s
Sellies on Amazon. You know what I'm saying, y'all gotta
part me. I'm eating real food. See that's what y'all
don't have on Hollywood, and motherfuckers like be dainty and
barely eat. Be hungry as a motherfucker. We're gonna eat
this shit real. Go ahead, girl, eat that shit. Ain't
nobody fucked up about it, Cause if you don't eat,
(27:48):
something wrong with you.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
I will say that. So in regards to the sandwich,
I think the secret ingredient is definitely the mustard.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Now, next time, try to spicy brown or spicy brown,
try that spicy breat Now you're gonna love that. That's
been nicey breatin. Now, that's been nicey bread. Now.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Now in the world of social media, is that also
like a frustrating turn for you? Or is it like
a different beast? Like how do you view it?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
It's it's a different beast. What I mean, I don't
know what could be frustrating. The other thing frustrating about
it is, you know, you don't want to see what
everybody else got to say all the time. But you know, hey,
it's just a different beast man. You know, it's the
world we live in, and you know, we gotta learn
to adapt. And I think for me, I came in
at a time. You know, I was born in the
(28:43):
era right before you know, right before this information age
or whatever they like to call it, and I kind
of came in it, so I wasn't necessarily raised in it,
but I came early enough to understand it, so you know,
it is what it is. Social media is one large
facade and you just gotta know how to navigate it.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Now, have you you've been in the game a long time.
Have you seen some pairs of yours surpass you? And
how did you feel about it? Like, how did you
feel about it internally? Like if you have to be
fully transparent, I.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
See a lot of people, a lot of my peers,
you know, making advancements. I wouldn't necessarily say surpassed. That
ain't the word I'm gonna use because if I'm in
my own lane, you passing me as a no, you don't,
I'm in my lane. So, but I've seen a lot
of people make advancements that that are advancing, you know,
(29:36):
and more power to them, you know, do I think
they're the most talented people? Know, there are a lot
of very talented people that are making advancements. To shout
out to them, and there's some people that are not
as advanced, that's not as talented, that are making advancements.
And I'm gonna shut out them too, cause whatever it
take to get you there. I mean, if the people
like it, hey man, they if you like it, I
love it. You know, but I don't necessarily, you know,
(29:57):
think everybody's the dopest but you And how do I
feel about it? On trip? Because Aaron mcgrudy told me
a long time ago, don't count another nigga pockets, don't
worry about what another nigga got going on.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So I agree with that. But even me personally, I
saw in the last year some people that came out
nine months ago, six months ago, and they just when
I say, flew past the line, you know, I'm just
saying personally, like I definitely had those like what the
I mean?
Speaker 2 (30:25):
I guess it is a bit frustrating to see, you know,
some of these winner dudes, you know, in some positions
in which you feel like, you know, again, I'm being
honest with you. We humans, So sometimes I feel like
some of you niggas is undeserving and some of the
shit you get. But sometimes but who am I to
say what you deserve? Only God knows what you deserve.
(30:46):
So again, and even sometimes you know, you see these
people making these advancements, you know, going up to the top.
It might not really be the top they going it might,
you know what I'm saying. Sometimes they see some extreme
highs only to be led to some extreme lows, you know,
and so you got to be mindful of that. You know,
(31:09):
there's a lot of people dealing with a lot of
ship behind the scenes. Some of these famous and powerful
people deal with a lot of ship behind the scenes
that you know, a lot of us don't and a
lot of us aren't built.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
For so well. I will say that too, like sometimes
when someone rises that fast, that fall could be even
more painful.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Oh absolutely, man, juvenile says the best that overnight money
could be lose your life money. I mean, it's cool,
(31:48):
you know that that ascension is is definitely a great
thing to experience. However, I believe that, you know, you
have to be prepared for that type of altitude. You
can a seeing fast, but if you ain't got the
right gear, the air thin up there, you ain't gonna
be able to breathe. So you got at least, you know,
(32:09):
make sure you got the right shit, you know, on
your assension.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
If you had to choose between being famous and well known,
because you're already well known, if you had to choose
between being famous and well known and having or having
healthy pockets.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
And give me the money any day, fuck this fame.
This fameous some bullshit. Look here, the richest motherfucker don't
have to say nothing. He's still the loudest motherfucking the room.
Because money moves shit. So fuck this fame. It's nice.
I enjoy the support that that that people. You know,
they fuck with me, they fuck with my craft, they
fuck with my brand. I really enjoy it. I support it.
(32:47):
Thank you. I do that, and that's why I do it,
because for the support for the fans, you know what
I mean, thank you, And you know all that stuff
translate to money eventually down the line. But you know,
to answer your question, the fame or the money, give
me the money. I'd rather be the anonymous nigga in
an executive class laying down on the plane to goddamn
(33:08):
a Bali or something, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Now here's my other Devil's advocate question. Now, if you
had to choose between the success of being known or
the success of money, like having a lot of money
or being broke doing what you love.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I'd rather have the money. Really, I'd rather have the
money because when you got the money, you're still gonna
do what you love. You better. I got the money,
now I'm really gonna do what I love. I got
the money and the money without the fame, without the
hassle of you know, people you know trying to get
at you and get your attention all the time. Hey, man,
I'll take the money because I'm still gonna do what
(33:47):
I love. With money and anonymity, I could be a
rich bum. I could be a fly on the wall
at the best of both worlds. I can. I can
fly first class, and I can I can sit in
a pissy corner looking at everybody people watch and not
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And you twenty years ago, do you think your answer
would still be the same.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Uh? Yeah, really twenty years ago, I think the answer
because you know again, I'm older, dude, Man, I think
you damn right. For a long time it been about
the money, you know. I love the craft. I love
the art, and the fame is a byproduct. If I can,
if I can do the art, get the money and
don't have to have the fame, I'll do it, okay,
(34:30):
But the fame is a byproduct of doing your art,
doing your craft. You do it well, that's a by
product of it. So I accept that. I accept the
good with the bad, bad with the good.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Were there any points in your career where if you
could go back at time or personal life, you would
redoce something all over again.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Nope, nothing, because redoing one thing might change the outcome
everything else.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, I'm just saying, even if it didn't, I'm just saying,
is there anything in your life where you were like,
if I could go back, I would have done X
Y Z a little differently?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
You know what I think about the worst shit? You know, like,
you know, going to jail, And I still say no,
because again, what I learned there, the connections I made
in there are probably more valuable than anything that I
you know, again, in jail, I made some I met
some great friends, and I got some good game, you
(35:20):
know what I mean. I think that that helped with
my brand of comedy as well, you know what I mean.
So did I going through it? Nah? I didn't want
to go through it, But looking back, I see how
it strengthened me, and it ain't gonna help me. So
isn't anything I'll change. I'm pretty sure nothing I could
just call out right now without making somebody else feel bad.
But you know what I'm saying, get me some bread man,
(35:42):
you need some more bread because I'm finna eat this sandwich.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
So right now, would you say you're rich or would
you say you're You're not doing boloney sandwiches obviously, but.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Oh I'm financially impaired.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love how you're owning it though.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
I'm financially impaired.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
It's cool you're not afraid of it, You're embracing it.
Why do you feel like not perpetrating because there's a
lot of people that would say I'm gonna perpetrate. I'm
gonna promote this image.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Because it's too hard to keep up a lie. Niggas
see me out here, Niggas see me in food for us,
Niggas see my credit card decline. You know what I'm saying,
Fake jewelry make my neck turned green. I don't like
driving other niggs cars. Fuck all that perpetration shit, because
at the end of the day, I can only be me,
(36:35):
and if I try to be a meat for you,
it's gonna clash when the time when I need to
be me for me. So you know it is what
it is. One day, Look, I gotta look, I gotta
pair eight hundred dollar Gucci shoes on right now, I
got about forty dollars in my bank account. I ain't tripping,
(36:55):
I ain't trying to look rich. I ain't trying to
perpetrate is poor. It just seems what it is, man.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
But I think that the authenticity is needed because we're
in the Instagram age where you know, everyone promotes the
highlight reels. Right, So there's some guy that's like watching
you and they're like wow, you know, and they're maybe
trying to live up to an image. But if you're
actually transparent, you're allowing them to kind of be more
vulnerable and more real with themselves.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Right. Yeah, my nigga, it's hard out here. It's hard
out here for a penp and even harder for a whole.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
You know what I'm saying, What's up with the fascination
of pimping? Like, is there something in particular that fascinates
you about it? Are you just good with the ladies?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I was always fascinated.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
What about it fascinated you?
Speaker 2 (37:47):
What young man wouldn't want the attention and adoration of
all the ladies. What young man wouldn't want to be
good with the ladies? You know? And what young man,
especially in this world right now, where you know, we're
brought and raised to cater to women. And again I'm
(38:08):
not saying right or wrong, but you know, who don't
want a pretty beautiful woman coming, you know, putting it
in your hand?
Speaker 1 (38:15):
You know what I'm saying, putting what money?
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Money?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
But that's what I'm saying. So pimping technically is like
guys you know playing women, right, it's like a misogynist type.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
Well, you know, I'm not a pimp, so I'm not
really I'm not really at liberty to speak on what
the pimping is. I do believe that I got the
is of mimy, but I've never taken the taking the
full steps it takes to become a pimp, So I
don't really want to speak on what what you know
in that regard.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
You know, So you're saying, like the only thing you
like about pimping is like the the you know, like
like you you're a good ladies, Like you're good with
the women.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
That's the mystique of it all, you know what I'm saying,
being this fly, dashing guy that you know the ladies,
not not the cariacature of a pimp that we see
in comedies and things of that nature. And you know,
I take pimping to a whole different level personally. I say,
anytime you good at something and you know how to
make it work for you, pimping it your author, your songwriter,
(39:13):
You pimping your pen. You know what I'm saying. You're
a mechanic, you're an artist. You do things with your hands.
You pimping your hands. You know what I'm saying, pimping,
whatever it is, pimping, be your own pimp. You know
what I'm talking about. Put it in your pocket. Put
it in your pocket.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
But when you're talking about pimping, you're not talking about
relations to money though not really, you're not.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Really, I'm not talking I'm not always necessarily talking about
women on the blade reporting to me and giving me money.
And pimping ain't always, you know, having a woman sell
her body for you. It's a lot of pimps or
they may be called max. It's a lot of dudes
out here getting money from women that work regular jobs
(39:53):
or they work good jobs. You know, if she taking
care of you, you know what I'm saying, she turned
it into you. It don't matter where it's coming from,
you know.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
Camping yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no no, no, I
get it. I get it. So what advice would you
give to a young gunna, a young comedian that's trying
to get in the game.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Don't stop, my nigga, don't stop, and don't doubt yourself.
If you know you funny, be funny and let the
motherfuckers come to you. You ain't got to get up
there and dance with no rubber chicken. You ain't gotta
do what the other niggas is doing. You ain't gotta
go wear no tight ass pants or or or talking
these these uh strange tones and act a certain way.
(40:33):
If you funny, just be funny, man, and let them
come to you. And they gonna come to you, man,
they gonna come to you. Consistency is the key, my
friend Carlos Miller told me, man, if you want to
win in this business is by consistency. So if you're
dropping the podcast, you dropping some content, and you tell
the people that's coming on a certain day, you make
sure you give it to them every time. And it's
a numbers game, you know, just keep going. It might
(40:54):
seem bleak. I don't put a hundred of these out,
Ain't nobody well, it might be one O one that
the motherfucker catch fire for you, So you just gotta
keep going.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Yeah, I've been actually personally noticing that with myself. I
will say though off camera we've we've been hanging out
for a while now, before we started taping, I would say,
you're more naturally funny. You're you're quick with it, and I,
you know, sometimes I see comedians and it seems like
they're working at it, but you, I could have a
conversation and be like, you know, there's like five jabs
(41:26):
of funny within like three sentences of hanging out with you.
And I remember I noticed that earlier. I was like, Wow,
you're really fast. You're like fast with your punches.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
I only smoked two blunts this morning, so I'm you know,
and what's.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Up with the cigarettes? Youre gonna give up the cigarettes? Man?
Speaker 2 (41:40):
You shouldn't have said that.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Why I don't smoke cigarettes? Oh Okay. The awkwardness of that,
I feel like I feel like your mom or your
girls watching it, like, oh no, I've been lying to
her about cigarette smoking. Crette, No, you don't smoke cigarettes. Okay,
we'll revisit that off anyways, tell the listeners where we
(42:03):
could keep up with you.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
Oh wow. Uh, social media is man, big man. You
know everybody got it. Man. If you want to get
in touch with me the quickest way and the fastest way.
When you want to response, you want to get in
touch with Slink Johnson, you can always hit me up
at cash app, dollar sign Slink Johnson, hit me up
a cash app or Vinmo at Slink Johnson. But if
you just want to like some pictures or you know,
(42:27):
subscribe or follow, you can always hit me on all
your social media networks at slink Johnson.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
You just reminded me when I couldn't get ahold of
the publicist that booked you. So I was like trying.
I was like going through Instagram, like logging on both platforms,
trying to ding you, ding the publicists like somehow got through,
but I DMed you and I was like, I don't
know if he's going to see this DM, But now
I know the best way would be I'll just cash app.
(42:55):
You would have known, call me, call me, I have
where are you? Here's my number? I never thought of that,
but that is that is a good.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
Way to hit you right back. Hey, thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
Remember that guys, if you really need to get a
message through the slink, that is the number one way
to do it.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Dollar signs slink s l I N K Johnson, j
O h n s O n slink.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Johnson and it's black Jesus coming back or uh, the.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
White man has told me nothing. However, I'm gonna be optimistic.
I don't want y'all out there in the internet land
quoting me on it because ain't a white man. Ain't
told me shit. But I'm an optimist and I'm gonna
say yes.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Okay, I'm an optimist and I'm gonna say yes with
you and it come. Come by any time, use our space.
We love having you. You're pleasure to be here with.
Did you check out my jay Z painting in the lobby?
Speaker 2 (43:45):
Yes, motherfucker's dope.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
And it's dope. My mama painted.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
Hey man, she's a talented motherfucker. You a talented motherfucker.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
She keeps up telling me to sell it to jay Z.
Why don't you call jay Z and sell it to him?
I'm like, mom, first of all, it's the only one
in the world and I'm not selling it. But but
I don't know if jay Z wants you.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
J Jay holler attus man. We got some artwork, the.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
One of a kind, one of a kind. I think
if jay Z came up in here he would want it.
He would. But I told my mom that I've pitched
his publicist and attached to the pictures along with a
bunch of other people that I know that have sent
him or said they sent it to him, and he
hasn't reached out yet.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
He won one of these sounds, j willis the last time? Yeah?
But lonely sound was nigga? Damn, look at that ship.
This is how you do.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
When was the last time you baked the cake?
Speaker 2 (44:35):
A couple of years?
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Really? I was, you know, after you said you bake
cakes and sell him almost like damn, he should have
brought a cake. Nice cake would have been nice. Different
time in my life, different times.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
This is the holidays. I might make a nice German chocolate.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Yeah, you know what I like? Is that? What is
the upside down cake with the pineapple? Oh my god goodness,
can you make one? Oh yeah, that's what we need,
all right, guys, scratch from scratch? Well you know what
I made? Cash app you how much would you charge
for a kick like that. You know, all your all,
all your fans gonna be cash happing you for cakes.
(45:12):
Fifty bucks, fifty bucks, fifty bucks. All right, guys, all right,
peace out for more eating While broke from iHeartRadio and
(45:39):
The Black Effect, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Eating While Broke.
I'm your host coleeen Witt, and today we have very
special guest, comedian actor writer Black Jesus himself, Slink Johnson
is in the building. But you have another title that
I missed because I have a very short term memory. Guys,
can you say it for our listening?
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Actually, Colleen is several other titles, however, however, I'll just
hold it to a couple of I'm also a certified
slap you know what I mean. That's l a p uh.
That's something like a pimp. And the Master of the
West African Monkey spank Technique.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Well, you know it's it's it's it's an art form
originating in West Africa. Man. I traveled back to West
Africa to you know, get more in touch with my
rules and found out that, you know, I'm very very
deep in Africa. You know, I actually found out my
African name.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
What is it?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
I need you say it with me?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
What is it? I listen to you say, get you? Yeah,
sounds good. Get you. I'm an idiot. I just got that. Okay, guys,
(01:15):
so what will you be? Yes, I'm about you get
all right, so what are you gonna be feeding me
as your broke dish today?
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Okay, today, my broke dish is a staple in the
impoverished community. Man, I mean, this is this is it's
it's damn their delicacy for some you know what I mean.
But today we're having baloney sandwiches, a good old fried
baloney sandwich. However, thanks to the magic of Hollywood, we're
(01:51):
gonna make goa dress it up a little bit with
a little bit of nice, fine, sharp cheddar cheese and
some lettuce.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
My flower, and I like how you were very particular
about having real cheese and lettuce. That's that's like real legit.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
I was, because you know you add the letters to it,
you kind of you at least getting like three of you.
You got all the four food groups. Yeah, you got
all the four food groups right here, you know what
I mean. So you know, you got your dair, you
got your bread, you got your meat, and you got
your vegetables. So you know, again this very healthy struggle meal.
A lot of NL NFL players were raised off this,
(02:49):
you know what.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I never even when you think of the NFL players,
you never even think that about that.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
They didn't always have protein shakes and ship like that.
The motherfuckers they they ain't gone trife.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Well, while you cook this dish, why don't you take
me back to what was going on when you was
eating the Blogney sandwiches.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
Oh man, it was a trio time in life. Man,
your boy was showed, you know, you know, uh, fresh
out of Waii. You know, I had went to the
California Athorities for a little while, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
And I had to California Youth Authorities.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Yeah. Yeah, that's a junior penitentiary. That's the penitentiary for
miners here in California. You know what I'm saying. Some
people call it gladiator school, man. Some people just call
it WII. Shout out to all my Wye babies, pastor Robless,
what's up, baby? You know what I'm talking about. We
in here. But you know, I was fresh out of Waii.
I was I went in a boy. I came out
of man as far as age goes. And you know,
(03:45):
it wasn't a whole lot of handouts. It wasn't no help.
Of course, I had my mom. She always been a
rock in my life. She's been, always been in my corner.
But you know, as a man, you gotta do things
for yourself. Man. So you know I got out of jail.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Man, and what'd you go in for? And I just
have to address this for all you guys that have
not had the opportunity to meet Slink in person. He
is so tall, like, he is definitely the tallest guess
he When he walked in the door, I was like,
I don't know if you're gonna clear that door, and
he like touched it. That's how tall he is. So
(04:18):
as a teenager, were you this tall?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah? I was pretty tall, man. I was into the
wrong things I was when I was young. And I'm
gonna use this little spatula thing because you know, I
don't want everybody but like I don't know his hands, man,
I know what they being. You know what they being
because I've been here for the bad two whiles. But
I'm gonna use this here for the sake of all
them German folks out there to be acting funny and
shit a whole long. Nigga is a struggle meal, Nigga.
If you struggle it, you ain't worried about my hands.
(04:40):
We're gonna keep the shit going you know what I'm
talking about. But yeah, when I was young, I went
to Ya for a robbery. I did. I was a
young misguided kid man. I just you know, I used
to run with some guys who mischievous. I like to
say we were juvenile delinkers. We were mischievous, juvenile de lincers.
And I was doing some stuff that you know, put
(05:01):
my life on the line a lot of times when
I got cracked doing a robbery, and it took me
a while to realize that I'm really no good as
a thug. I'm very very very unlucky and successful thug.
And you know, I just like doing thug shit. You know.
I just wanted to be part of a part of
some part of a group of people that's doing some shit.
But you know, I should have been while I was
(05:25):
out there robbing people. I fucked up while I was
out there robbing people. I should have been somebody small
forward on the basketball team. But you know I wasn't
really into basketball like that.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah, because I was. But what city where are you from?
Speaker 2 (05:36):
I grew up in Inglewood Between. I grew up between Inglewood,
No No. I was born in Arkansas. I was born
in a little small town in Arkansas where my mother
remarried and moved us out here when I was ten
years old. So I've been here since I was ten.
And I grew up in Inglewood, between Inglewood and South LA.
I went to school in Inglewood and spent a lot
of my time in South LA. And you know, I'm
(05:58):
a La baby, you know. And when I should have
been like playing small forward for the Inglewood Sentinels Inglewood Hot,
I played left pistol for the Inglewood Carjackers, I was like,
you're so big.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I would assume that, like, out of all industries, definitely
robbing or anything criminalist, criminalist like you would definitely be
the one that would get caught.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Man, they catch me all time, they catch me on time.
Then they put me in the lineup with four Mexicans.
You know they gonna give me. You know they're gonna
give me.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
So then all right, so take me to the so
so you're you just get out of juvie.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Ven that's parole, baby, that's state, ain't that ain't the halls,
that's past the juvenile halls. That's why a baby.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So that's like a jail for minors, that's.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Print prison for minors. You got parole, you gotta go
in front the parole board.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
What and at the time, did you know you were
gonna get into comedy or was is this like the
beginning of you when you get out of jail? What
happens when.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
I got out of jail. You know, I had a
few jobs, you know, like most guys will get a
few jobs here and there. But you know, I never
was good on my jobs because you know, I've always
been kind of like this free spirit. You know, I've
always been a clown. I've always been a class clown.
I've always been a jokester. You know, a lot of
times I don't take everything too serious. So you know,
I never could keep a job too long, you know.
(07:23):
So I was hustling and doing different things to try
to you know, to supplement my income. However, you know,
like what, oh, you know, selling some stuff, getting people's
stuff that they wanted.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
So then take me to the next chapter. What's that
next milestone after you're working all these jobs in hustling.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Like the next chapter? Man is I jumped on the mic.
I jumped on the mic because my first aspiration, for
my first aspiration for entertainment rather was hip hop and rap.
You know what I'm saying. I was signing Too Short
as a rapper. You know, back in ninety seven, he
signed me and I traveled with him for a little while.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
So you were wrapping the whole time, you were working
these odd jobs.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
A little bit. I was working my way up to that,
I was writing. I wasn't really taking it seriously, you
know what I'm saying. I started writing raps back in
nineteen eighty six, and around nineteen ninety four, that's when
I like started writing them. I really started writing, and
it started getting into the studio, you know what I mean.
Around ninety seven, I was already you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
How did you cross paths for Too Short?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Oh man? One of my best friends, who was like
a cousin to me, is actually Too Short's first cousin,
So you know, it was like only a matter of
time before that happened. And you know, my boy young E,
you know him, was short, always been cousins. But he
took me to Short at a time when he felt like, okay, gee,
you ready now you know what I'm saying. You know,
(08:49):
he saw I was serious about what I was doing
because a lot of times I can get into something
me real into it, and I lose interest quick. But
you know, I tend to hell. I tend to hold
on to my hip hop aspirations, and I got better
and better. And then one day he took me the
short and shit Short was digging what I was doing,
and he handed me over to my other partner, Kiki,
(09:11):
who actually executive produced my my demo project. And then
I got signed over the short.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Wow. And then you get a nice check at the time.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
No, I mean at the time, at the time, it
was it was nice at the time. You know, however,
in hindsight, it wasn't too much. But hey, you know,
coming for I was coming from the point I was
coming from, it was like fucking right, yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
And you're doing what you love. So what did you
do with the money? And what happened with that check?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Like it wasn't too much? Like literally, I think I
put a down payment on the car for my baby.
Mama bought me a couple of trinkets and some bullshit,
and you know what I'm saying, it was broken Again.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Were you able to put out the record?
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Nah? No, it didn't come out. It didn't come out
through jive, But I actually just bootleg to myself and
made the authorized butleg version of your own record. Yeah,
authorized the bootleg of it. Fuck it, I'm gonna get
it out there. A few people got it. It's in
a few It's in a few trunks around the country.
You know what I'm saying. I hit, you know, I
hit to hit the streets with my homeboy problem, my
(10:16):
young my young boy problem. I met him in Atlanta
when I was down there was short probe, got me
out on the street. We started hitting state to state, Philly, uh, Atlanta,
New York. You know what I'm saying, Just going all
these different places, jumping on corners, selling this tape, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So, then, at what point do you check out of
the music business.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Well, I never really checked out. I never really checked out.
It kind of just didn't didn't materialize how I wanted it.
Two in a time frame that we all imagine for ourselves.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
You know, so the rap dreams, it didn't necessarily die,
but the opportunity and the the the life was kind
of slowing down from me because real life was taking place.
You know, I had a son. Now, you know what
I mean, and my son can't eat these raps, you
(11:10):
know what I mean. So that actually kind of put
me in a rut for a while, you know what
I mean, Because you know, I worked a few jobs,
and my last job I had, I got fired and
I remember going home, I was crying like a motherfucker.
I'm on the bus, real tears, crying like damn, I
can't get right, what the fuck is wrong with me?
And I'm just I came to the conclusion that I
can't work a conventional nine to five. I can't work
(11:32):
for nobody, not like that, you know what I mean.
And I had to figure out something else. So I
started selling weed and it was working a little bit.
You know, it was cool. It was paying some bills,
you know, making sure I had some cheese from my
blooney because I was still eating blooney, was making sure
I had some cheese on it, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
Now, was your baby mom at the time starting to
kind of stress you out about like finances or where
is she just I.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Don't want to blame that on her. I'm not gonna
say she stressed me out of our finances. We was
in that thing together, and she's hard on her, so
you know, of course she's going to verbalize her angst,
you know what I mean. So again, I don't want
to make her out to be a bad person or nothing.
I mean, shit, she's you know, she pulling the load
shit tough, you know what I'm saying. So that definitely
added to, you know, a little bit of stress on
(12:19):
my behalf. However, out never blame her because you know
what I'm saying, When you the one doing everything or
taking care of shit, you god damn right, you know
you're gonna feel a certain type of way.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
So you know, so she was show your baby mom
at the time was also like working, and she.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Was working, she was taking care of it. She was
doing it right. I got the classic little story. You know,
niggas had these rap dreams and shit, and while your
baby mama growing up and taking care of business and
doing shit. We be little boys till we about thirty five,
you know what I mean. So, yeah, it was. It
was a typical thing for me. You know, she's always
been straight lace, take care of businessman. Shout out to her.
(12:54):
I love it to this day, man, thank you so much.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
I love that person. So then take me to f
after you lose the job. I want to get closer
to when you start reaching for the mic and what
epiphany was going on to get you there.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Okay, to be honest with you, let me rewind. I
was on the mic. And actually this last job I
had was after the signing with too Short, traveling the
country of touring, making records and stuff like that and
stuff and not not quite paying out and wrap, and
I was working a job and kind of seeing rap,
(13:28):
the rap dream of the window getting smaller and working
a job. And when I lost the job, that with
the rap dream and the window getting smaller, to me,
that kind of just you know, that kind of put
me in a rut. And I was in the rut
for a little while, you know, doing odd things, odds
and thens different things, keep me some money going on.
I was a CD man. I used to bake cakes.
(13:49):
I said, I love baking. So I would bake cakes
and cut the motherfuckers up to the slices and go
up to the barbershop by my house and say, okay,
some brothers was fucking with me. Man, you know what
I'm saying yet again, because you know, after you know,
(14:19):
in between you know, losing it after losing job and
all that, and you know, just odd jobs here and there. Uh,
you know again, I was selling weed to make me,
you know, make supplement my income, you know, kind of
keep keep the lights on or whatever. I got cracked
with the weed. I was already on probation for some shit,
and I was selling the weed, and I got cracked again.
(14:39):
So and I got cracked right when I first started.
By this time, we're gonna be fast forward. And by
this time, uh, this is twenty ten, I'm selling weed,
you know, doing all right, Opportunities are come into life
for me, you know what I'm saying. I just got
GTA five. I just got a you know, cash with
(15:01):
GTA five, did did some work over there, you know,
still selling weed on the side, you know, kind of
keep my lights on. And shit. I got cracked by
the La Shar's Department. They pulled me over, you know,
found some weed in my car. And that was before
it was legal. They found some weed in my car,
and I was already on probation for some other dumb shit.
So they used that as you know, they used that
(15:24):
as they reason searched my house, and you know, they
found some stuff at my house that I wasn't supposed
to have, and you know, I had to go sit
down in the county jail for about five months. You
know what I'm saying. I was facing. I was facing
by eight thirteen years or something. But thanks to the
people over there, rock Star. You know, they wrote letters
on my behalf, my boy Brian Ash, my boy Carl Jones,
(15:44):
my boy Aaron McGruder, Jason van Veen, van Elder. I
had a lot of great people around me that wrote letters,
you know, on my behalf, and I think that kind
of helped me in regards to how it was sentenced.
Because when I got caught for that beef, I told
y'all was on probation, but I had a joint suspension.
You don't know what the joint suspension is. Basically meaning Okay,
(16:05):
we're gonna let you out, but if you get in
trouble again, you're gonna go to jail for this time,
we're gonna we're gonna go to jail.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Type thing.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
That It's not three strikes. It's basically said, okay, we're
gonna give you four years in jail, but we're gonna
suspend that. We're gonna let you out, but if you
get caught for something else, you're gonna get that four
years off top. And that's not counting with whatever time
you're gonna get for what you get caught for. You
understand me. Pressure, Yeah, the pressure was on. So I
beat a joint suspension and you know, I got another
(16:36):
chance and from there when I got out of jail
that time. Wait, mane look at that blogna. That shit beautiful,
That shit beautiful. You see that nice little seer. Oh yeah,
that's what I'm talking about. So right now I'm trying
to pay it to that blondee. So what I'm gonna
do right now is I'm gonna make sure i'ma hit
it with that e's. You gotta put that e's because
you got two slices. I'm a big man. You gotta
have at least two slices, you know what I'm saying.
(16:58):
But you put you somey's. You take your little piece
of yeze and put it right in between the two slices.
You feel me, Oh you let it a little bit.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Oh, I did not expect you. Okay, okay, so you
put the cheese in between the two vilgi.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
You know I dude like that a little bit. But yeah,
when I got out of jail. When I got out
of jail, I was back on a nothing joint suspension
on probation, and I had to talk with God and
Aaron Magruder. And you know, when I got out of
jail that time, Aaron gave me the same kind of
speech that you know Puffy has said to have given
(17:37):
Big you know what I'm saying in the movie. At
least you know, hey, what you want? You want this
or you want that, you can't do both. Yeah, And
at that point I said, Okay, I can't do no
more crime. I'm not gonna do nothing. Jepardis my life
because I have these opportunities ahead of me. So you know,
I struggled for a few years before those opportunities came
into fruition. But I'm thankful that I trusted God and
(17:58):
I trusted the people that I will working with to
see those things go come to fruition again. Twenty thirteen,
GTA five came out, twenty fourteen Black Jesus came out,
and it kind of, you know, kind of let people
know who I am. So that was dope. So we're
gonna take this little bread. We ain't for the burning shit.
We're gonna tell you here, go ahead, get that little
Britain ned said, little cheese, that real cheese, baby, you
(18:23):
got it.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
It looks official.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
It is. It is that motherfucker's oh fish ye out, okay,
like cheese sticking. And now you do that like that
yet a little bit? Mom? Put that motherfucker right there. Yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Is this when you put the lettuce on?
Speaker 2 (18:39):
Yeah, you put you a little lettuce on there, because
you know what I'm saying. You want to eat healthy.
You know what I mean A little bit. You know
a lot of people, a lot of people got problems
with you know, uh, these sandwich meats and processed meats
and things of that nature because they don't you don't
know what's in it, nigga. I say this, unless you
killed that shelf, they killed your shit yourself, you don't
never know what's in it. So fuck it. Eat. You
(19:01):
know what I'm saying. You know what's in that ship? Okay?
Speaker 1 (19:04):
So this is how you eat.
Speaker 2 (19:06):
There's no you eat healthy.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
The way you do it.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
Get you some chips on that motherfucker girl.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
I thought the lettuce was gonna add the extra a.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Little bit but you know that the lettuce is to
add the health. You know, you got you some some
little vegetable on there, but you know lettuce is mostly water.
They say, right, that's all good. Then you take that
motherfucker you hit it whatever you see that.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Look this, why like the little melty cheese. I don't
know if y'all can see that right there, little cheese.
You take that little chip and go, yeah, man, get that.
You don't let nothing go. Woman, woman, woman, woman. I
don't even know you.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Want them to.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
Okay, you know what, now we ain't even hit it
off in no mustard. So I'm gonna go ahead and
do that them.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
I want to add more chips, go ahead and grow well,
I want I'm trying to do yours the way.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Jared, don't eat that shit?
Speaker 1 (20:08):
What the shout outs to Jered by the way, and
we ain't.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Talking about we ain't talking about the subway. Nigga need it.
I came up on bloney sandwiches man. Again. Being born
in the South, you know, I ate a lot of
lunch meats and things of that nature. Man. And hell yeah,
you know my mom used to service and blooney sandwiches
you know what I'm saying, didn't handle cheese, got damn
just blooney and bread, but it worked, you know what
(20:36):
I'm saying. So it's very nostalgic for me. And this
is always good because it's about fifteen twenty slices or
more in this motherfuckers, you could probably make about six
seven decent sandwiches, you know what I'm saying. So you know,
you got to think about what you're doing. When you
really struggling, you start looking at shit, like how many
ounces shit is? You know what I'm saying. Like recently,
(20:57):
I just bought some ketchup and I saw one was
like thirty two ounces, and then the other one was
like it was bigger, but it was it was cheaper
to buy a bigger one. It was the bigger one
was more expensive, but it was like, damn near buying
two of those smaller ones for.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
You know, And I wanted to address that this whole
dish costs six dollars, hold loaf of bread, holding of lettuce,
whole thing, a baloney, and real cheese. It was like
seven dollars and you're getting multiple meals. So this totally works.
And I don't know if it's because we're both starving.
But is this sandwich not? It's really good? Hunh and
motherfucker smacking, Yeah, it is smacking. I'm trying not to see.
(21:36):
I can't, you know, I can't interview you and eat
the whole thing. But this thing is really really good.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
See, and I like, you know, it's seven dollars, eight dollars,
just say ten, Just say ten. If you got a
wet twenty you still got you can buy this, get
you a little spend about nine, just say nine, spend
about nine. You got eleven dollars back. You can go
buy spend a bucket, go buy your blunt, and you
can buy you a nice fat I'm sacked from somebody.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
You're hilarious, Okay, So take us back to so twenty thirteen,
two fourteen. You're getting all these opportunities, your pockets are
looking better, and like where's your head at? Like? Are
you like I made it? That's it? I'm stunting on
everybody or what?
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Nah? I didn't really have that the real vindictive spirit
to stunt on everybody. But I was definitely enjoying the
things that were happening for me. I was definitely, you know,
liking to be able to go in to stories. I've
always went in to and be able to buy whatever
I want, you know what I mean. So that was
always cool. But you know, again, these things happened for
(22:49):
me at this at a certain point in my life.
I think I it came with a certain level of
maturity as well, and enough foresight to know that you know,
is like this to day, it can be different tomorrow.
So I kind of always how to keep my attitude
and the way I deal with people even killed in
that regard.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Were you good with your money as far as like managing, No,
so were you.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
I have a friend I'm broke as buck right now.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
Yeah, I was gonna say, I have a one friend
that like he'll make a million dollars and he'll be
rich driving rolls Royces in the next minute. Stupid broke
and like literally eating carrots out of a bag.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
That's how I go. He had a good time though, Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
And it's literally been that way for like twenty years.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
I took my baby mama to the mal D's for
a birthday in September. We got home, we ate chili dogs.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Wow, that's crazy. Are you still with your baby moms.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Well I got three of them, so I'm with one
of them.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Oh okay, okay, we're not with the original og nah.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
But that's my family. I love it to death and
I always will.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Okay, So what's the next? So at this point you
feel like you made it, like kind of explain a
day in the life.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
A day in life while I'm working on an active
series is different than the day in life just a
regular day in life, because you know, again when I'm
in the middle of season, it's always great. Get up
early in the morning. Driveway. As matter of fact, we
shot excuse me, we shot season three of Black Jesus
right down the street here, okay, and get up in
the morning, come on set, eat up they food, you know,
(24:24):
enjoy all the white man amenities, and you know, have
a great time. You know what I mean. My day
in life is different from me. It could be a
little bit of anything, like right now. You know, I
get up every day. I shoot my sketches every day,
take my calls, my emails, trying to line up new
shows and things of that nature. But you know, I
don't know, it just depends. Every day is different, just
(24:45):
like anybody else, I have no Oh, I go to
the gym every day at six am. I have two
protein bottle shakes seven. I don't know.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
I don't know when you're not when you're so, when
you're in the middle of a series, you're have consistent money,
consistent work coming in. When you're not, is there any
like little seeds of doubt entering your mind? Or is
there any like what am I doing? Is there any
second guessing going on.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
All the time? I'm human? You want another one?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
Yeah? I do. I feel like we should get more cheese,
more bread. We got more bread, all right, go on?
Speaker 2 (25:20):
Yeah, I'm human. So those seas are doubt always happen,
and I'm I just have to damn, it's part of myself.
I just have to snap out of it.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
M H what do you do to snap out of it?
Speaker 2 (25:32):
I just remember, I just tell myself, Man, how many
times have you been in this situation? How many times
has has has have you been broke? How many times
have you had no car? How many times? You know?
These things happen, and they happen all the time. Man.
We built for this shit. I make it through. Yeah,
I want to say a lot to day, you know,
some weak people be rich as fuck. Stock market crash,
(25:53):
they jump out the window, you know what I'm saying. Yeah,
So you know, hell, I just know it's gonna get better.
It's always better days. It's just like this right now,
and I just won't tell anybody that's listening. Look, man,
you're an artist, creative entrepreneur. You got dreams. Keep dreaming
and keep working tourism. Man, don't worry about what's going
on right now, because right now is just right now.
(26:13):
Don't worry about the wind. Just know you're gonna win,
you feel me. Fuck all that bullshit. It's all right man.
Today I'm eating maloney. Tomorrow it might be motherfucking lobsters,
Matt goddamn it, I don't know. And the next day
after that it might be popcorn. But guess what, I'm
still smiling, I'm still standing on tear toes, and I'm
still a real nigga out here. And what I have
is my heart and my integrity and the love and
(26:34):
blessing of God. So I ain't worried about nothing. I'm straight.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
I like that when you are. I like the bloney
sandwich is so good, I'm trying not to eat it.
During our whole episode, so I could actually talk about.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
You gonna see real nigga particles and ship because I'm
eating maloney with cheese and let us don't worry about it.
You want you want to, motherfucker list.
Speaker 1 (26:56):
Do you have people in your circle that are constantly
like when you're in doubt, like picking you back up
or reminding you what your purpose is?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
Absolutely? Man, Absolutely man. Absolutely, my girl, she she's very
supportive of me. I appreciate her for that. You know,
I got a couple of homeboys that always call me
with some words of wisdoms. Some game man shout out
to my boy Andre truth man. Y'all make sure y'all
check you out. We got a new we got a
series together on Amazon right now called Selli's check it out.
(27:26):
Selly see damn c E L l I E s
Sellies on Amazon. You know what I'm saying, y'all gotta
part me. I'm eating real food. See that's what y'all
don't have on Hollywood, and motherfuckers like be dainty and
barely eat. Be hungry as a motherfucker. We're gonna eat
this shit real. Go ahead, girl, eat that shit. Ain't
nobody fucked up about it, Cause if you don't eat,
(27:48):
something wrong with you.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
I will say that. So in regards to the sandwich,
I think the secret ingredient is definitely the mustard.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Now, next time, try to spicy brown or spicy brown,
try that spicy breat Now you're gonna love that. That's
been nicey breatin. Now, that's been nicey bread. Now.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Now in the world of social media, is that also
like a frustrating turn for you? Or is it like
a different beast? Like how do you view it?
Speaker 2 (28:20):
It's it's a different beast. What I mean, I don't
know what could be frustrating. The other thing frustrating about
it is, you know, you don't want to see what
everybody else got to say all the time. But you know, hey,
it's just a different beast man. You know, it's the
world we live in, and you know, we gotta learn
to adapt. And I think for me, I came in
at a time. You know, I was born in the
(28:43):
era right before you know, right before this information age
or whatever they like to call it, and I kind
of came in it, so I wasn't necessarily raised in it,
but I came early enough to understand it, so you know,
it is what it is. Social media is one large
facade and you just gotta know how to navigate it.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
Now, have you you've been in the game a long time.
Have you seen some pairs of yours surpass you? And
how did you feel about it? Like, how did you
feel about it internally? Like if you have to be
fully transparent, I.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
See a lot of people, a lot of my peers,
you know, making advancements. I wouldn't necessarily say surpassed. That
ain't the word I'm gonna use because if I'm in
my own lane, you passing me as a no, you don't,
I'm in my lane. So, but I've seen a lot
of people make advancements that that are advancing, you know,
(29:36):
and more power to them, you know, do I think
they're the most talented people? Know, there are a lot
of very talented people that are making advancements. To shout
out to them, and there's some people that are not
as advanced, that's not as talented, that are making advancements.
And I'm gonna shut out them too, cause whatever it
take to get you there. I mean, if the people
like it, hey man, they if you like it, I
love it. You know, but I don't necessarily, you know,
(29:57):
think everybody's the dopest but you And how do I
feel about it? On trip? Because Aaron mcgrudy told me
a long time ago, don't count another nigga pockets, don't
worry about what another nigga got going on.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
So I agree with that. But even me personally, I
saw in the last year some people that came out
nine months ago, six months ago, and they just when
I say, flew past the line, you know, I'm just
saying personally, like I definitely had those like what the
I mean?
Speaker 2 (30:25):
I guess it is a bit frustrating to see, you know,
some of these winner dudes, you know, in some positions
in which you feel like, you know, again, I'm being
honest with you. We humans, So sometimes I feel like
some of you niggas is undeserving and some of the
shit you get. But sometimes but who am I to
say what you deserve? Only God knows what you deserve.
(30:46):
So again, and even sometimes you know, you see these
people making these advancements, you know, going up to the top.
It might not really be the top they going it might,
you know what I'm saying. Sometimes they see some extreme
highs only to be led to some extreme lows, you know,
and so you got to be mindful of that. You know,
(31:09):
there's a lot of people dealing with a lot of
ship behind the scenes. Some of these famous and powerful
people deal with a lot of ship behind the scenes
that you know, a lot of us don't and a
lot of us aren't built.
Speaker 1 (31:20):
For so well. I will say that too, like sometimes
when someone rises that fast, that fall could be even
more painful.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Oh absolutely, man, juvenile says the best that overnight money
could be lose your life money. I mean, it's cool,
(31:48):
you know that that ascension is is definitely a great
thing to experience. However, I believe that, you know, you
have to be prepared for that type of altitude. You
can a seeing fast, but if you ain't got the
right gear, the air thin up there, you ain't gonna
be able to breathe. So you got at least, you know,
(32:09):
make sure you got the right shit, you know, on
your assension.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
If you had to choose between being famous and well known,
because you're already well known, if you had to choose
between being famous and well known and having or having
healthy pockets.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
And give me the money any day, fuck this fame.
This fameous some bullshit. Look here, the richest motherfucker don't
have to say nothing. He's still the loudest motherfucking the room.
Because money moves shit. So fuck this fame. It's nice.
I enjoy the support that that that people. You know,
they fuck with me, they fuck with my craft, they
fuck with my brand. I really enjoy it. I support it.
(32:47):
Thank you. I do that, and that's why I do it,
because for the support for the fans, you know what
I mean, thank you, And you know all that stuff
translate to money eventually down the line. But you know,
to answer your question, the fame or the money, give
me the money. I'd rather be the anonymous nigga in
an executive class laying down on the plane to goddamn
(33:08):
a Bali or something, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Now here's my other Devil's advocate question. Now, if you
had to choose between the success of being known or
the success of money, like having a lot of money
or being broke doing what you love.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
I'd rather have the money. Really, I'd rather have the
money because when you got the money, you're still gonna
do what you love. You better. I got the money,
now I'm really gonna do what I love. I got
the money and the money without the fame, without the
hassle of you know, people you know trying to get
at you and get your attention all the time. Hey, man,
I'll take the money because I'm still gonna do what
(33:47):
I love. With money and anonymity, I could be a
rich bum. I could be a fly on the wall
at the best of both worlds. I can. I can
fly first class, and I can I can sit in
a pissy corner looking at everybody people watch and not
you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And you twenty years ago, do you think your answer
would still be the same.
Speaker 2 (34:08):
Uh? Yeah, really twenty years ago, I think the answer
because you know again, I'm older, dude, Man, I think
you damn right. For a long time it been about
the money, you know. I love the craft. I love
the art, and the fame is a byproduct. If I can,
if I can do the art, get the money and
don't have to have the fame, I'll do it, okay,
(34:30):
But the fame is a byproduct of doing your art,
doing your craft. You do it well, that's a by
product of it. So I accept that. I accept the
good with the bad, bad with the good.
Speaker 1 (34:38):
Were there any points in your career where if you
could go back at time or personal life, you would
redoce something all over again.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
Nope, nothing, because redoing one thing might change the outcome
everything else.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, I'm just saying, even if it didn't, I'm just saying,
is there anything in your life where you were like,
if I could go back, I would have done X
Y Z a little differently?
Speaker 2 (34:59):
You know what I think about the worst shit? You know, like,
you know, going to jail, And I still say no,
because again, what I learned there, the connections I made
in there are probably more valuable than anything that I
you know, again, in jail, I made some I met
some great friends, and I got some good game, you
(35:20):
know what I mean. I think that that helped with
my brand of comedy as well, you know what I mean.
So did I going through it? Nah? I didn't want
to go through it, But looking back, I see how
it strengthened me, and it ain't gonna help me. So
isn't anything I'll change. I'm pretty sure nothing I could
just call out right now without making somebody else feel bad.
But you know what I'm saying, get me some bread man,
(35:42):
you need some more bread because I'm finna eat this sandwich.
Speaker 1 (35:44):
So right now, would you say you're rich or would
you say you're You're not doing boloney sandwiches obviously, but.
Speaker 2 (35:51):
Oh I'm financially impaired.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
I love how you're owning it though.
Speaker 2 (35:57):
I'm financially impaired.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
It's cool you're not afraid of it, You're embracing it.
Why do you feel like not perpetrating because there's a
lot of people that would say I'm gonna perpetrate. I'm
gonna promote this image.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Because it's too hard to keep up a lie. Niggas
see me out here, Niggas see me in food for us,
Niggas see my credit card decline. You know what I'm saying,
Fake jewelry make my neck turned green. I don't like
driving other niggs cars. Fuck all that perpetration shit, because
at the end of the day, I can only be me,
(36:35):
and if I try to be a meat for you,
it's gonna clash when the time when I need to
be me for me. So you know it is what
it is. One day, Look, I gotta look, I gotta
pair eight hundred dollar Gucci shoes on right now, I
got about forty dollars in my bank account. I ain't tripping,
(36:55):
I ain't trying to look rich. I ain't trying to
perpetrate is poor. It just seems what it is, man.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
But I think that the authenticity is needed because we're
in the Instagram age where you know, everyone promotes the
highlight reels. Right, So there's some guy that's like watching
you and they're like wow, you know, and they're maybe
trying to live up to an image. But if you're
actually transparent, you're allowing them to kind of be more
vulnerable and more real with themselves.
Speaker 2 (37:25):
Right. Yeah, my nigga, it's hard out here. It's hard
out here for a penp and even harder for a whole.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
You know what I'm saying, What's up with the fascination
of pimping? Like, is there something in particular that fascinates
you about it? Are you just good with the ladies?
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I was always fascinated.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
What about it fascinated you?
Speaker 2 (37:47):
What young man wouldn't want the attention and adoration of
all the ladies. What young man wouldn't want to be
good with the ladies? You know? And what young man,
especially in this world right now, where you know, we're
brought and raised to cater to women. And again I'm
(38:08):
not saying right or wrong, but you know, who don't
want a pretty beautiful woman coming, you know, putting it
in your hand?
Speaker 1 (38:15):
You know what I'm saying, putting what money?
Speaker 2 (38:17):
Money?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
But that's what I'm saying. So pimping technically is like
guys you know playing women, right, it's like a misogynist type.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
Well, you know, I'm not a pimp, so I'm not
really I'm not really at liberty to speak on what
the pimping is. I do believe that I got the
is of mimy, but I've never taken the taking the
full steps it takes to become a pimp, So I
don't really want to speak on what what you know
in that regard.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
You know, So you're saying, like the only thing you
like about pimping is like the the you know, like
like you you're a good ladies, Like you're good with
the women.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
That's the mystique of it all, you know what I'm saying,
being this fly, dashing guy that you know the ladies,
not not the cariacature of a pimp that we see
in comedies and things of that nature. And you know,
I take pimping to a whole different level personally. I say,
anytime you good at something and you know how to
make it work for you, pimping it your author, your songwriter,
(39:13):
You pimping your pen. You know what I'm saying. You're
a mechanic, you're an artist. You do things with your hands.
You pimping your hands. You know what I'm saying, pimping,
whatever it is, pimping, be your own pimp. You know
what I'm talking about. Put it in your pocket. Put
it in your pocket.
Speaker 1 (39:26):
But when you're talking about pimping, you're not talking about
relations to money though not really, you're not.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Really, I'm not talking I'm not always necessarily talking about
women on the blade reporting to me and giving me money.
And pimping ain't always, you know, having a woman sell
her body for you. It's a lot of pimps or
they may be called max. It's a lot of dudes
out here getting money from women that work regular jobs
(39:53):
or they work good jobs. You know, if she taking
care of you, you know what I'm saying, she turned
it into you. It don't matter where it's coming from,
you know.
Speaker 1 (40:00):
Camping yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, no no, no, I
get it. I get it. So what advice would you
give to a young gunna, a young comedian that's trying
to get in the game.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
Don't stop, my nigga, don't stop, and don't doubt yourself.
If you know you funny, be funny and let the
motherfuckers come to you. You ain't got to get up
there and dance with no rubber chicken. You ain't gotta
do what the other niggas is doing. You ain't gotta
go wear no tight ass pants or or or talking
these these uh strange tones and act a certain way.
(40:33):
If you funny, just be funny, man, and let them
come to you. And they gonna come to you, man,
they gonna come to you. Consistency is the key, my
friend Carlos Miller told me, man, if you want to
win in this business is by consistency. So if you're
dropping the podcast, you dropping some content, and you tell
the people that's coming on a certain day, you make
sure you give it to them every time. And it's
a numbers game, you know, just keep going. It might
(40:54):
seem bleak. I don't put a hundred of these out,
Ain't nobody well, it might be one O one that
the motherfucker catch fire for you, So you just gotta
keep going.
Speaker 1 (41:03):
Yeah, I've been actually personally noticing that with myself. I
will say though off camera we've we've been hanging out
for a while now, before we started taping, I would say,
you're more naturally funny. You're you're quick with it, and I,
you know, sometimes I see comedians and it seems like
they're working at it, but you, I could have a
conversation and be like, you know, there's like five jabs
(41:26):
of funny within like three sentences of hanging out with you.
And I remember I noticed that earlier. I was like, Wow,
you're really fast. You're like fast with your punches.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
I only smoked two blunts this morning, so I'm you know,
and what's.
Speaker 1 (41:38):
Up with the cigarettes? Youre gonna give up the cigarettes? Man?
Speaker 2 (41:40):
You shouldn't have said that.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
Why I don't smoke cigarettes? Oh Okay. The awkwardness of that,
I feel like I feel like your mom or your
girls watching it, like, oh no, I've been lying to
her about cigarette smoking. Crette, No, you don't smoke cigarettes. Okay,
we'll revisit that off anyways, tell the listeners where we
(42:03):
could keep up with you.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
Oh wow. Uh, social media is man, big man. You
know everybody got it. Man. If you want to get
in touch with me the quickest way and the fastest way.
When you want to response, you want to get in
touch with Slink Johnson, you can always hit me up
at cash app, dollar sign Slink Johnson, hit me up
a cash app or Vinmo at Slink Johnson. But if
you just want to like some pictures or you know,
(42:27):
subscribe or follow, you can always hit me on all
your social media networks at slink Johnson.
Speaker 1 (42:34):
You just reminded me when I couldn't get ahold of
the publicist that booked you. So I was like trying.
I was like going through Instagram, like logging on both platforms,
trying to ding you, ding the publicists like somehow got through,
but I DMed you and I was like, I don't
know if he's going to see this DM, But now
I know the best way would be I'll just cash app.
(42:55):
You would have known, call me, call me, I have
where are you? Here's my number? I never thought of that,
but that is that is a good.
Speaker 2 (43:04):
Way to hit you right back. Hey, thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:08):
Remember that guys, if you really need to get a
message through the slink, that is the number one way
to do it.
Speaker 2 (43:13):
Dollar signs slink s l I N K Johnson, j
O h n s O n slink.
Speaker 1 (43:19):
Johnson and it's black Jesus coming back or uh, the.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
White man has told me nothing. However, I'm gonna be optimistic.
I don't want y'all out there in the internet land
quoting me on it because ain't a white man. Ain't
told me shit. But I'm an optimist and I'm gonna
say yes.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Okay, I'm an optimist and I'm gonna say yes with
you and it come. Come by any time, use our space.
We love having you. You're pleasure to be here with.
Did you check out my jay Z painting in the lobby?
Speaker 2 (43:45):
Yes, motherfucker's dope.
Speaker 1 (43:46):
And it's dope. My mama painted.
Speaker 2 (43:48):
Hey man, she's a talented motherfucker. You a talented motherfucker.
Speaker 1 (43:51):
She keeps up telling me to sell it to jay Z.
Why don't you call jay Z and sell it to him?
I'm like, mom, first of all, it's the only one
in the world and I'm not selling it. But but
I don't know if jay Z wants you.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
J Jay holler attus man. We got some artwork, the.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
One of a kind, one of a kind. I think
if jay Z came up in here he would want it.
He would. But I told my mom that I've pitched
his publicist and attached to the pictures along with a
bunch of other people that I know that have sent
him or said they sent it to him, and he
hasn't reached out yet.
Speaker 2 (44:26):
He won one of these sounds, j willis the last time? Yeah?
But lonely sound was nigga? Damn, look at that ship.
This is how you do.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
When was the last time you baked the cake?
Speaker 2 (44:35):
A couple of years?
Speaker 1 (44:36):
Really? I was, you know, after you said you bake
cakes and sell him almost like damn, he should have
brought a cake. Nice cake would have been nice. Different
time in my life, different times.
Speaker 2 (44:46):
This is the holidays. I might make a nice German chocolate.
Speaker 1 (44:49):
Yeah, you know what I like? Is that? What is
the upside down cake with the pineapple? Oh my god goodness,
can you make one? Oh yeah, that's what we need,
all right, guys, scratch from scratch? Well you know what
I made? Cash app you how much would you charge
for a kick like that. You know, all your all,
all your fans gonna be cash happing you for cakes.
(45:12):
Fifty bucks, fifty bucks, fifty bucks. All right, guys, all right,
peace out for more eating While broke from iHeartRadio and
(45:39):
The Black Effect, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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