We Do This For The Culture

For the third episode of the four-part series, iHeartRadio’s Black and Inspired HBCU Celebration presents, We Do This For The Culture. TV and entertainment giant Nick Cannon and rap music mogul Master P sits down with Revolt TV host Rodney Rikai. This group of Black entrepreneurs discuss the strategies they use to put on for the culture. Also, joining in the discussion is Master P’s son and Tennessee State University basketball standout, Hercy Miller.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thank you to Handay a Prouder partner of I Heart
Radio is Black and Inspired h b c U Celebration
and as PI as part Welcome to our Heart Radio's
Black and Inspired HBCU Celebration. We do it for the
culture episode I'm Your Guy, Rodney Rica here with Nick Cannon,
Master Pete and Hersey Miller or an inspired conversation about

(00:21):
all things that are the utmost important to our community.
All right, hersty Man, So, coming out of high school,
very highly recruited basketball player, you have some choices. You
chose to go to HBCU Tennessee State University, specifically y
A HBCU. My man, what with me? I felt like
I could build for my future anywhere I win. I

(00:41):
felt tissue was a place to where it's about what
I can do, what I want to do, and uh
prepare for my future. And I felt like Tennessee State
is in a great place Nashville. I felt like home.
I feel like it's a place to where I can
get involved with the community. And ultimately that's where I
wanted to go to school there. So that's home. Ain't
no state income tax in Tennessee. I know, I know
the virus absolutely. Listen, man, I know you got shoot around.

(01:05):
I don't want you have to run suicide to your
feeble So I want you to go out there and
have a good game, kick up on the brass. But
for me, I ain't. Yes, I got your young brothers.
You well all right, yeah, yeah, all right. We got
two legends, Mr Pete Nick Cannon first and foremost Black men.
How are your spirits doing? Man, I can't complaint, man,

(01:28):
we we I know. I'm blessed. It's a blessing to
be here to talk about this topic that we're talking
about HBCU. And my whole thing is I just want
to make sure our culture get the information and get
the education they need because it's all about wisdom and
education and now and that's more important money. So yeah,

(01:48):
that was present spirit man. As It's an honor and
pleasure to to rock with all on the highest frequency.
That's how we're trying to operate. I mean, I always
get to the legion in the game for masterpiece. So
to sit here and talk, uh, to have this discussion him,
his son, yourself, you know, and celebrating you know, historically

(02:09):
Black college and universities in a big way. I mean
I'm all here for it. I'm jovial about it. Absolutely,
absolutely so. I went to North Carolina at State University.
You gotta shout out all of my actis at you product. Um,
it's a village, it's a community. You know. I was
a part of a tribe at North Carolina, A and
t and in our culture, you to our chiefs and

(02:30):
our village. Right, So when you were blaming the foundation
for everything that you have to say, your legacy, how
intentional were you about making sure that you were creating
something that served the entirety of our village and culture.
I mean, that's a great question. I mean just based
off of you know, everything I do, I do it
for the culture. Uh and specifically in the space of
you know, when we're talking about education and youth empowerment,

(02:52):
and you know, from from my days as being a
youth talent and the decisions that I've made as a
as a businessman and as entertaining I'm always thinking, you know,
I wouldn't say necessarily, you know, I feel honored that
to be called the chief, but just even someone who's
just doing work amongst the village, you know, put putting

(03:13):
on for for us at all times, and even when
it may seem you know otherwise, like you know, we
focus on you know, chasing the bag and all that stuff,
which is ultimately for the village as well. But it's
almost about leaving legacy and leaving you know, whether we're
storytellers and agrio's and jagnas and however we approach it
from the village standpoint. We really got to just put

(03:35):
on for the culture. So that that's my that's my goal,
especially at my point in my career. I mean, I
did everything I could possibly want to do for me.
Now I got to put on for others. And I
feel like for me, I feel like I'm dedicated to
our culture, to our people. We don't own anything. I
want to show people that you can't come from nothing.

(03:55):
But it also it also takes education and education. It's
so important. People said, well, why I'm so successful. It's
not about the money. It's about the knowledge and wisdom
and being able to understand where you see what I
got on right now, I gotta master crunch hooding on
which we have our own cereal, which uh, we couldn't
think of stuff like that with me growing up thinking

(04:16):
one day I own my own cereal and be able
to put other people on and be able to take
this nationwide and being able to give back off of
what I make the products that I'm selling, like the
serial So let me show you that. So I got
Master Crunch, That's that's the music version, and that's the
sports version. I mean, we were about to be the

(04:38):
next week and I'm on here first, but I'll be
able to put it other people, other influences that standing
up for our cultures so uh, and be able to
show our culture how we can shot. We don't have
to do that and wait for other people to take
care of us. That we do the right, then we
can take care of So man, I'm dedicated to this.
I want to be the Muhammad Ali a hip hop.

(05:00):
I mean, Muhammad Ali took his talent. It's not about
what we make. Here is the imprint we leave on
this earthly. You know, we are dying young and we
were not getting these ideas. We're not helping our cultures
and we're not growing. So we want to change that narrative.
And that's what my team Hold foundation is all about
it and that's what the products and brands I want

(05:22):
to change that to where there's no more mockery of
uses when we see products when people look like us
from anti mom of the Uncle Ben. I want to
educate the culture too. To everything that we've been buying
from close to everything that we've been buying families, family brands,
family names. And if we say we putting me and
Nick Cannon put our name on something, I would cause you, Man,

(05:44):
I don't want to buy, but you're gonna buy Louiver Tone.
You're gonna go to Wells fall Go Bank. That's a
family louiver Tone is a family name. So we got
to get used to that and stop the self hate
and start educating each other and giving each other the blueprint.
And so that's what today is about with me being there,
but share that with our culture, our people. Man, you
got a lot of d one uh in your bloodline, sir.

(06:06):
So if that's what they're eating over there in the
middle of household me up for the master crunch Man.
I gotta sit Nick something. I'm saying both of y'all something,
so Nick you can put it on your show. Man.
We come a long way to where people see us, uh.
We been. We grew up on cereal and and for

(06:27):
minds to be uh natural and to be healthy. Uh,
it's it's hunting. It's that southern flavory. Not put a
lot in the same thing with the rap snacks and
the wrap news. I try to put more flavor and
then so when Snoop taste these the other days, like, man,
you got the rescipe. That's all I need because I
know one Snoop said that it's a nick. What's the

(06:51):
source of the motivation that keeps you wanting to give
to our people? Man? I mean really, uh, I say,
I've been so blessed man, and when you bless you,
it's your duty to be a blessing. Too much is
given much as required. And you know, learning from my
mentors like masterp and and cats that came from the
hustle and the struggle from the month before me Um,

(07:15):
I was able to do it a little bit easier
than you know, they were able to do it because
they paved the way, they blazed the trails. Announced my
goal Like I've kind of broken down some barriers and
blazed some trails as well. To let everybody know. Yo,
they let they let me put my foot in the
door too. I kicked the whole door down. Now we
are gonna just bum rush and get anything we need now.

(07:37):
And I just want to say for we go forward. Man,
Nick has come along way and people don't realize, like
you know, he humbly try to come through these doors.
I know I've been knowing him a long time and
a problem. But the things that people don't talk about,
the adversity that Nika went through, and to keep you know,
putting on for the culting out people, putting out the people.

(08:00):
I feel like you're not successful until you put other
people on. We measure our success. And that's what I'm
talking about. Building economic empowerment to be able to be
on daytime TV and and and and having you know,
other avenues of revenue to what people aren't to tell
you only could go one way, like like we are
changing this narrative because we are united. I mean you

(08:21):
look at other cultures, uh, you look at the Jewish
culture and all these people like they build circle. We
don't do that. And it's time for us to do that.
The Billows Alliance to where we could help more families
and more people. And I'm proud of Nick or what
he's doing, and I know he don't get that enough.
But bro, I'm proud of you because you're not sitting
back waiting or trying to be the hardest and the

(08:43):
toughest person in the world. You're taking your lane and
run into it. And that's people say, well, but why
are you still successful? People? Because I'm not trying to
be the realest person in the world of the toughest
person in the world. I'm growing. You know, I have
a family. I want to do what's best for my family,
and I want to do what's best for other people.
And I love that about Nick. He's in the same thing.
And I know God is gonna continue opening up doors.

(09:03):
And we got to celebrate each other back while we're
here now. And I think we don't do enough for
that because everybody won't be the boss. Everybody want to
be the keen pin of everything. Now. Man, it's enough
money for all of us, and we could share the
will and and and and the more people we put on.
So even when I show you my serial, this is
not about me getting in Walmart. It's about me getting

(09:24):
in that open the door, kicking the doors so be
thousands of us to be able to put brains and products.
And that's how we eliminate us killing each other and
these streets dying young provably and the way we build
economic empowerment having a real plan of action. So salute
appreciated man. That means so much coming from you. And
like I said, you you you blaze the trail and

(09:45):
you know your your tutelage in your game over the years,
I mean people don't let people don't know. Uh. P
helped me out in so many different areas from from
music to behind the scenes, me as a producer, me
as a television producer. So we've been building for some years.
And and to know, you know, you when you can
stand beside your mentors and and really just say have

(10:08):
the appreciation and you know, give each other flowers so
so and not just be playing seeds out here. Yeah,
but you know what nick, the thing is and this
we wanna talk about with HBCU. We have to put
experts in a place. And the one thing, you know,
my son not on on here right now. He's going

(10:28):
to the game. But you know they're playing the Brest
for the night. So there's gonna be a big game
to where they're able to play all these other Division
one schools and um, but but we need to put
that shine like nobody is doing that. And also it's
good in HBCUs and some of the bad parts that
I've seen that we need to fix. Uh we and
I talked to you about this before, Nick, that we

(10:51):
have a lot of educators trying to take care of
business for HBCUs. I know you went to North Carolina,
so you understand it. It's like the other major universes
of Division one university. They have educators and they also
have business people taking care of business. And that's why
the sports programs has opened up so many doors and
they're making so much money to put back into the

(11:13):
campus for the education. Uh That was one thing that
I see that we have to fix in these HBCUs.
Those one things that I've seen that Tennessee State with
my son going there, take the egos out of some
of the people with authorities and say let's do what's
right for the kids. If people like me and Nick
could come and be humble, getting the people with authority

(11:34):
have to change these tradifferent ways and say let's do
what's right. Let's get with technology, let's be able to
change and set out with kids up with all these
different programs that these other schools have. We want to
get that for our kids. And I think we we
gotta start being truthful with the elderly people that that
is running the schools right now. And uh, that's the

(11:57):
only way we're gonna change that narrative. I mean, we
should have better dormitories, we should have better facilities, but
we don't. And and those the type of things that
make you safe. How could we fix that? Yeah? And
we got to talk about the truth, the good and
the bad. Yeah. A big part of that truth, though,
is championing the creatives within our culture and our community,

(12:18):
especially those who have attended Incubators for Black Brilliance and Excellence,
which I refer to that's my reference for HBCUs. They
are incubator for Black Brilliance and Excellence. And anybody who
doesn't think that they're still relevant and viable necessities for
our community and culture is completely misled. How important is
it to both of you to continue to champion the creatives,
the creatives in our community who come from HBCUs. Yeah,

(12:44):
I love them. I'm gonna continue champion and I'm also
want to continue challenging them. That's the only way we're
gonna get better. Uh. I want to get out to
old traditional ways, even though we do want to celebrate
the tradition and like the schools and been a rounds
since nineteen twelve and stuff like that, but we sham.
I want I want to challenge our educated to say

(13:07):
this open up the doors too, more younger people getting involved,
and we want to keep our tradition. But also let's
figure out how we could build these schools even better,
how we could take our game to the next level,
because other schools are preparing ten in twenty years in
the future. They're not just living in the now. And

(13:28):
so that's what I want to I want to challenge
our educated and also help bring help bring other business
people that's gonna go out and get financed, gonna go
out like right now, I mean, hersch is one of
the top athletes in basketball. We don't even have a
jumbo trying at our school. And I can't even buy
because if I if I pay for it, they'll say, well,

(13:49):
he playing for time, and so it's it's crazy. It's like,
but we have to go out here and get people
to you know, to raise money and do It's kind
of challenging for me because my son older, But I
think every HBC you should have Jumbo trying. It makes
the game bigger, It makes people want to come and
be a part of the entertainment, that's all. And we

(14:12):
gotta figure out how to do that. That brings more
money to the school. We put more UH tickets in
the seat, and that's more money to go back to
education and also be able to get these HBC HBC
You games on ESPN, Like that's gonna bring more revenue
to all the HBCUs. So I mean stuff like that,

(14:33):
that's the stuff that I want to go, you know,
and challenge and and and and and talk about how
do how do we make us better to go put
more revenue for education? Right and next? You're part of
that HBC You pipeline now and I feel like you
amplify creatives all across the board. Um, you've created the
Nick Cannon tree is crazy when you break it down,
and people who you know come from the blessing of

(14:55):
Nick Cannon being in their life and believing in them
is super impactful and powerful you for you, how important
is to continue doing that work for HBCU specifically, I mean,
you know, what. It's an honor when I think about it,
I mean, like it really, you know, I come from
a family. Uh, you know, HBC, you graduate and even
though you know, I kind of went a different path initially.

(15:16):
Uh and really you know, got to the bag early on.
But then even through my creative process, I didn't know
how many people I was inspiring with films like Drumline.
Uh that was you know, uh, a fictitious, A fictitious
And we get clarity on that supposed to be North
Carolina A and T State University just one time, can

(15:37):
I just hear you say it please? Atlanta A T
is A. But as someone who also grew up in
North Carolina and understands Aggie pride, I know we we
jacked your colors, we jacked there. But yeah, obviously you know,
because of you know, how serious we take our culture

(15:58):
in our schools. We had to create a fictitious school.
And we borrowed from North Carolina A and T. We
borrowed from Fami, you, we borrowed from Clark, We borrowed
from you know, uh, so many prominent HBCUs And really,
when you think about Drumline almost being twenty years ago, now,
it inspired a generation. Man, it's twenty years kids growing
up saying oh I want to go to a school
like that, that look lit, that look fired. And then

(16:20):
even through that process, man, you know, four years ago
I had all being a person who has always been
an advocate of education, and you know, having my own kids,
I'm like, man, I gotta put my I gotta put
my not only my money, but also my attention and
focus my passion where my mouth is. And I went
back to school and I went to the mecca. I
went to Howard University, put in real four years, was
in class every single week, you know, falling asleep in

(16:44):
class early in the morning, people taking pictures to me,
all of that stuff. I was really at it. And
I got my degree in Criminology and Africana Studies. And
I'm still there getting my master's right now. So I'm
not only on my alumni, but I'm still in school
putting in that work. And it just to me that
energy bad knee, you know what I mean, The energy
from Drumline and energy from Howard. I'd like to to

(17:04):
now be a part of it, like as you said,
this village in a real way. I'm gonna continue to
put on from my my HBC, you graduate, my current students,
the alumni, and you know, it feels good to be
a part of that family and to be a mover
and shake it that can actually, you know, shine that
light when I need to. We we just saw Lance bros.
Cross Kapa. Are you about to play? But much for me,

(17:27):
I'm a little busy that Greek life is different. I said, Okay,
let's see like long time coming. Yeah, brother, yeah, that's
the thing to me, and that's nothing wrong with it.
But I'm always like, if I'm gonna do something, I
want to do it the right way, not not saying
nobody else did it, but the honorary stuff. Like even
with my own degree, I wanted to actually say, now

(17:50):
I want to really go get it. I want to
really put in the work and so I can, I
can do it with pride and shouts out to everybody
who get it how they get it. But I'm just
I'm cut from that cloth. Like if if I'm gonna pledge,
I want you to do it there put me through
all everything you got to go through and whatever. That
howard I had the opportunity, I was like, yeah, I
don't have that much time. So I'm gonna just focus

(18:13):
on these books and ob solute everybody in the Greek life,
because that that's some real that's real life, right everybody,
fat games for everybody I didn't know. Let so pe man.
We can identify the lack of diverse storytellers, actors, directors,

(18:35):
and producers involved both on screen and behind the scenes.
Why is it vital to ensure inclusivity and representation in
all forms of media? Why do we have to be
the people telling our own stories? Well, you know, I
mean it's the only way that we're gonna build economic
empowerment and we'll be able to truly tell our story.

(18:55):
Oh like right now, we're working on a masterpiece story, uh,
the King of the South ice cream Man. So we're
going to television with this and to be able to
do it with so many great directors and writers. It
took a long time, and I see that there's gonna
be something that's gonna be on TV a long time.

(19:16):
But we're controlling the narrative and being able to do
that while I'm still alive. I mean, it's a blessing.
I could put people on that I want to put on.
I mean, it's almost like what Nick doing on on
on on his TV UH daytime show where he could
put other people on, bring people on that normally wouldn't
be able to influence with me, like, well, why do
you want to bring it? No, I'm bringing that person on.

(19:37):
And then Nick, we gotta do a story around Hersey
on your show. Man, I'll send you something. I think
that's the way we gotta get uh, get to get
get the world. Let's see what HBCU and then we
get ESPN put some pressure on them saying this is
why you guys need to be you know, putting this
out there. But you know, we we we we changed

(19:59):
the narrative now and stop worrying about changing the past
because we can't change the past, but we can't change
the future. And that's us being able to put us
on and give us opportunities, give us jobs, give us employment,
create executives for our people in our culture. And that's
how we keep it going. Because they can't tell our
story the way that we can't know, they're gonna water

(20:21):
it down, they're gonna make it different. Uh. It's a
blessing for me to be able to still be alive
and let the world see my story, which you know
everything wasn't in Peaches and Cream. I had to change
my life. I had to go through trial and errors.
I had to go through hardship, failures, all kinds of
stuff just to become no limit, to become masterpiece. So

(20:42):
I want the fans to see that, even though I
grew up in property, that if you put gold first
and you get out there and chase your dreams and
your goals, then there's no limit. I want that story
to be told right with Yeah, and we want that story.
He got one of the craziest stories ever in hip hop.
You know what I mean from from your origins, how
you started, where you started, and and being and and

(21:04):
you made the league man, Like that's the that's so
crazy to me. Like you played in the NBA fan
and got it, got buckets. It's a story that that
people are dying for online, something that people are constantly
can't see me. So I think people think that I
just went straight to the NBA, But back then I
had to go through the c B A. So I

(21:25):
started in the c B A and I had to
go get buckets in the c B A to get
called up to the NBA. So you're gonna you're gonna
see that. I don't think and people don't realize that
I went to the University of Houston and uh, you know,
my my my younger son just signed with the University
of He was hey, yeah, And so people are gonna see,

(21:46):
you know, with basketball, me going against Jason Kidd, getting Payton,
all these guys that I grew up with Sam for sales. Uh,
I mean, just Allen Iverson. I could go on and
on like like it was a war every night. And
you know, basketball was my life. Basketball what's really got
me out of the project. So you're gonna see that.

(22:08):
So I don't think people know, like music was the
the second part of my life. After I got hurt
in basketball, then I decided to get up because I
feel like I'm gonna go straight to the lead. I'nn
to take my family out the project, and that didn't happen.
So when I got my shot, I got myself back together,
I got myself back in shape, and then I went

(22:29):
to the to the c b A and and I
mean it was a wall in the c b A. Man.
I feel like the cb A was harder than the
NBA because everybody, yeah, everybody went hard back then. Man.
So Uh I was in fourth Wayne, uh Indiana, and
Uh I put a lot of time into their man

(22:50):
to get to the lead. Man. That's I can't even
imagine being that rich having to live in four Wayne Indiana.
Different bro all right. So the one thing that I
wish I had found earlier my career was a mentor.
Like even to the day, I still have yet to
find someone that operates in a similar space that I
can just hit up tap in with get some advice
to the sound word. And I do honestly feel like

(23:12):
to a small degree it's been to my detriment. What
role do you feel like mentorship can play in finding
opportunities and super use the HBCU pipeline as a means
to gain entry into mainstream networks. Think about mentorship and
and someone who you know as a kid, I saw
them out. Uh. Mentors like Masterpe gave me opportunities and

(23:35):
spaces where nobody would want to give me opportunities. Uh,
people like Will Smith, you know who looked out for me,
People like Jamie Fox. I was I was a teenager,
but I was hustling, you know what I mean, And
it kind of you had to have that drive. Uh
and really not accept no for a hanswer, but still
don't have enough Uh what would I was saying, I

(23:59):
guess enough swagger charisma to be able to understand how
the game is played. Uh. And and really to know
not only you're gonna gain so much from a mentor,
but let your mentor no what you can offer them
in that sense, because even like in the hbc U system,
it's an exchange, you know what I mean? And what
I've realized that I need young people. I need people

(24:22):
that I can mentor because I can utilize their energy
and their spirits to further the missions of laying these
foundations and these opportunities where when you're in the grind,
it's almost like because and he said it earlier, Uh,
we we in this hustle and we think, oh, we
gotta get it for ourselves. But then once you actually
get it, you got to realize I'm getting it for us.

(24:45):
I need I need to set up mentorship programs. I
need to set up these avenues in the same way
that p and Will and Jamie and all the different
other entrepreneurs and educators were mentors to me. I mean,
to this day, I have mentors have mentors at at
Howard from you know the Dr Mohammed's, that Dr Cars,
that Dr Fredericks. These are people, even in the education system,

(25:08):
are still teaching me each and every day. Um. So
I don't feel like there's ever a point where I
will not need a mentor. Pee still my mentor, and
and I know this, I can mentor. So really it's
a it's a reciprocal process of mentorship that I feel
like it needs to be established in it in a
stronger way. But it's an exchange more than just Uh,

(25:31):
one of those things are oh, I'm looking for someone
to guide me. I think we all got it. A.
We're not too great to have mentors and we're not
too great to be mentors. Pee. I got a question, man,
I think that this is a great question for you
because you are all You're like one of the first
people that just really say that we need to have
our own everything. Uh. Do you feel like the HBCU
pipeline should be used to gain energy into mainstream networks

(25:54):
or are we better serve using them to create our
own self sustaining platforms. No, the thing is, so what
I love about our culture right when when I say,
we need to own ours. I want us to to
own and control what we're doing. But if we don't
put it in a big system, we'll never get hurt.
So I want us to go outside of what we're doing.

(26:16):
So I don't I don't just sell my product to
African Americans. I sell it to everybody. But I wanted
to be African American owned because we need to add
diversity into uh this financial world, so we could build
economic empowerment for our culture. No people, but you know,
I deal with good people, no matter what color you is,

(26:36):
who you are. I want to have people with integrity.
So I want the world would be able to see
HBCU shine on a national level, see us shine as
a culture. And and like Nick said, I mean when
you look at us bringing each other up, that's how
we go bigger. By me believing that Snoop Dogg and
nobody else believed in him and able to mentor him

(27:00):
and take him to the next level. Now he graduated
from my university and created more revenue to help other people.
Same thing when Nipsey Hustle was alive, being able to
open the doors for him and show him that look, man,
it's not just about me, whatever you could get from me.
Let's shine. You want to show the world us shining,
you know, before it's too late, and let's let's let's

(27:22):
build an imprint on it. Or because you look at
my thing when I'm teaching the people around me. George
Farmer was bigger than his talent boxing in the ring
when he created that guilt, that that grill, and I
keep telling people product always talent. Even with Nick, it's
bigger now that Nick has a platform, and I'm gonna
come to him. I'm gonna bring him something that that

(27:43):
that we could sell. And that's what i'd be doing
up be coming up with so because I want us
to shine, I want to have a product. I want
a product to be around when when we're not here.
And this is the way we build generational wealth. I
was just talking that key sweat other dam like, okay,
this building sweat line, let's build this candle line. Let's
let's do this. And I told him, I said, let's

(28:04):
go to the h b c US and let's give
this out to these kids and show them we can
build economic empowerment in our culture. I don't want this HBC.
You the white thing I just said about let's go
to ESPN. I don't want to this build a platform
for us to where we only see it on our circuit.
I want the world to be able to steal. And
I think that's the way we gotta think. That's that's

(28:25):
where they're gonna take a series because we're able to
compete with major university not even the talent that tendencies
they have over there. Now we can compete with the Nebraska,
the North Carolinas, I'm talking about the Division one school
and that's what we're able to do now, like and
now we want that talent to be able to be
seen on a national level. And that's the only way

(28:46):
we're gonna grow. That's the only way they're gonna take
a series. But we do need to own it and
in control it at least controller you know, even if
we if it takes us all go and find partners
a T and T, Coke, PEPSI or what up, whoever,
we gotta go, fine, but we need to control it. Sure,
how do we evolve though as a culture and still
maintain our authenticity because you know, when corporate dollars is

(29:10):
added to the pot, it can water control. Look it
don't matter where the where the dollars come from. They
want they want us for our talent. So when we're
doing these deals, that's why we're talking about this. The
educational part is so important, and that's dealing with the
contracts and having business people instead of educators complete those contracts.

(29:32):
We need to write lawyers, we need the wright accounts,
we need those people taking care of business. And that's
why I stress on that. And when when when you
know we got the biggest party to control it, then
we control the narrative. Got you, Um, I would be
remissed if I didn't a lot of gyms being dropped,
I'd be remissing I didn't ask both of you this
next question. What has been the biggest challenge on your

(29:54):
journey as a black entrepreneur? Well, the biggest challenge for me, Yeah,
is UH having us believe in us. Um. We got
to stop the self hate and we gotta start uh
appreciating each other and supporting each other with our product.

(30:16):
I mean, like we talked about it earlier that we
wouldn't support if we put our name on something boat.
We're gonna support Louis, but tone that's a family name
and and we'll tell each other. Man, I'll never buy
nothing with Nick Cannon Nabor like why not? Like why why? Why?
Why wouldn't you when you go buy a Louis of

(30:36):
a tone like I said, Well it's faker. You're going
to a bank and and spend your money with a
family that's a family name that has been passed down
since eighteen or nineteen twelve. Think about it, and we've
been supporting it. So that's why these companies are so big.
So we used to it, but we're not used to

(30:57):
us as families building business us in brains. So you know,
I think that's what we have to stop. We have
to stop thinking like that. We got to stop to
self paid and start supporting each other. I mean, I
want to support my people. That's why we're on here
supporting HBCUs, which a lot of I'm telling you right now,
we've got to change this. To a lot of celebrities
that I know, I'm gonna put them on blast. A

(31:20):
lot of them say they love HBCUs, A lot of
them say they love the black culture. But whenever we
ask them to do something, even we're asking to come
on a zoom called, they never show up. Now, if
I said, man, let's go to a club. Part of
this gonna hang out. Everybody ready to go on vacation.
But I said, let's just get on a zoom call
with me. Man I got busy. I can't do it.

(31:40):
We have to stop that if we're gonna change that
narrative and create economic empowerment. We ain't asking y'all for
no money. We'rein't asking y'all to do nothing but just
hold hold a conversation with us so we could make
more people aware of our needs. How can we fix
these problems with our education system and our schools and
and you know a lot of our as you see

(32:00):
you a state funded and how coming the state is
not funding nothing taking care of us because we're not
sticking together and we're not coming together like with me
and Nick is doing right now, like we need more
of us. We should have ten twenty people on here
talking about this with us and using their social media
and their platforms to get the word out. We're not

(32:23):
asking for no money. We just said get the word
out that that would change the narrative for HBCUs when
they see that we all love it and we all
support each other. And next same question biggest challenge on
your journey as a as a black entrepreneur, man, I
would just second everything that Peace said, but I would
emphasize and I uh almost two more of my own

(32:45):
detriment is self belief, you know what I mean? And
having faith, um in in your own vision, you know,
especially because as a kid who's been told no all
my life, I'm too young to do this, too small
to do this, and wrong color, the wrong complexion, not
tough enough, not this enough, not that enough, um. That
weighs on your spirit. And when you think about the

(33:08):
definition of an entrepreneur, somebody know how to jump out
the window and figure out how to land on the
way down, you know what I mean. Like we we
come from this ingenuity to just be able to get
out there and be resilient and tuck it through. But
when you constantly only have to be that, or when
when you you you always building your own door, it

(33:28):
weighs on you at time, and at time you start
to have self doubt, You start to have you know,
because as as I've heard Peace say before, you know
what I mean, You most successful people have heard no
more than anybody. But when you constantly here in that note,
and especially when it comes from your own it comes,
it starts to get into your line. So uh, becoming
a self motivator, a self generator and understanding hurdles a

(33:51):
meant to jump over only to make you stronger, to
make you be able to move faster. Um. I had
to teach myself that because espec from a perspective when
they look at you like, oh you got it all,
you successful, you did this, and you did that, um,
you you start to doubt how far you can take it?
And and and you here no. So often because people

(34:14):
don't see the journey. People don't see it. They only
see what is presented to them. They don't know how
difficult the journey is. And so you get into those
spaces when it's quiet and you you start to doubt
yourself at times like oh man, is it over? Is
it a rapper? Did was that my run? Or was
I not in my lane? Um? But when you can

(34:35):
build your own spirit up and say you can do
all things, you know what I mean that you don't
take no fans. And you see brothers like Pete coming
out with his own serial, or you see them you know,
playing in the NBA. You see like well, hey, you
gotta start to believe in itself and and ultimately, I
believe when you believe in yourself, that's when others will believe.
So you gotta be your first fan, you gotta be

(34:56):
your first customer, you gotta be your your your your
first uh student. Really at the same time and where
you're beginning to teach yourself, you're beginning to translate and
in turn any negativity into a positive, positive aspect and
just really operate on the highest frequency. So I would

(35:16):
definitely say all the things that Peace said, but they're
really learning to believe in myself. Uh. And and when
because people gonna tell you know, people gonna hate people,
don't say that they don't they're not gonna want to
support but uh, and that's gonna weigh on your spirit.
But when you can allow your spirit to flourish and
be bigger than what all those outside voices are, that's
what successfully begins. So just I gotta give flowers while

(35:39):
I have the opportunity to from from from both of you,
just from way way way outside looking at the thing
that I think is most similar about you is you
you put a lot of good into the world, so
much good into the world that the powers that be
ain't even power powerful enough to stop what you have
going on. And I think that is from the outside

(35:59):
looking then too to who both of you men are.
That's something that I that I cherished and I really
tried to uh integrate into into my everyday walk in
his life and his journey. Man. So so thank you
all for just being shining examples of what we can
be and what we should be. Overall. I appreciate you
boats sincerely, man. Yeah, man, a little more brother, Amen,

(36:20):
I'm Robnie Rika North Carolina Anti State University Zone. I
appreciate you both. Nick Cannon Master, You'll have a going man,
stay blessed, Yes and listen man, that conversation was amazing. Again,
I'm your guy, Rodney McKay. Thank you for joining myself,
Nick Master, Pete and Hersey for that we do this
for the culture conversation. For more our Heart Radios Black

(36:40):
and Inspired HBCU Celebration podcast series. You can listen on
the Heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever it gets
your podcast from. I'm your guy, Rodney MCA peace Beloved,