April 23, 2024 • 25 mins
You already know what it is —
NORE and I are back for round two, and we're about to take things up a notch. In this next part of our sit-down, we're going all in on the nitty-gritty of building an empire from the ground up. I'm talking about the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making your mark in the business world.
We're not holding anything back, either. I'm sharing stories I've never told before, about the times I nearly lost it all and the hard lessons I had to learn to keep pushing forward. NORE's asking the tough questions, and I'm giving it to you straight, no chaser.
But it's not all heavy. We're also talking about the lighter side of the hustle, like the crazy characters you meet along the way and the wild experiences that come with the territory. And of course, we've got some gems for all you aspiring entrepreneurs out there trying to make your own path.
So, if you're ready to get inspired, educated, and entertained all at the same time, you know what to do. Tune in, turn up, and let's get this money together.
Host: Daymond John
Producers: Beau Dozier & Shanelle Collins; Ted Kingsbery, Chauncey Bell, & Taryn Loftus
For more info on how to transform your life and business to the next level, check out DaymondJohn.com and @thesharkdaymond on all platforms!
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):
I've been through so much this, I've lost so many
friends that I grew up with this not here.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I have to I have to represent for them.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
So I don't get. I don't get. I don't get
a chance to have a bad day. If I had
a bad day, stay your ass in the fucking house,
Do not come outside and make someone else's day bad.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So that's why.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
So it's intentional. Yes, that's why I want to smile.
I want a person to see me and.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Say, manuse and.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You know what, all the bad things about me, Google
ain't even got it because you know why I superseded that.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
You can't show much, you can't move back. I got
to keep going forward. I gotta keep going forward. If
the minute I stop and I say, yo, man, this
is not right, and I can plain to you, not
you necessarily, but play to you, then.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That person has it.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Negative energy is contagious. So if negative energy is contagious,
positivity has to be the same.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
What if I told you there was more to the
story behind game changing events? Get ready for my new podcast,
That Moment with Damon John will jump into the personal
stories of some of the most influential people on the planet,
from business mobiles and celebrities to athletes and artists.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
He looks at me in my face and he says,
if you listen to me, you'll be number one. And
I said, and he said, if you listen to me,
you'll be number one. This guy wound up being for
Bret Williams.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You got the bar?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, And he produced this record for me named
super Dog. I'm gonna make it make sense. And as
soon as I heard the beat, I was.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Like, what what what what? What?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
What?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But in my mind I was counting bars. That's how
I counted bars. So I was like, I was like,
this is pretty much my story. Mister Legal like, uh so,
so I'm on the record saying what what what?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
But I laid the whole record down and I say, yo, Fara.
He wasn't far at the time. I don't even know
what I was calling him, but I was like, Yo,
all we gotta do is come up with a hook
and we're good. And he says to me, we got
the hook. It's what you said on there. And I'm like, no,
(02:28):
they're all gonna laugh at me. And he said, and
we're going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
And it was at that moment.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
That I took.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Life serious because here's this unknown producer.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
He's unknown at the time. Like by the way, Chad
was he part of the Nepto. It was Chad Williams.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
I was about to say, so, that's why I say
on the record N E P t U and s
Neptune is Lacey to be like one of the best.
I say that on the record. But it was that
moment that I made this record because what I noticed
was when I was going out and I was performing
these records, I had nothing, nothing for the South.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Like when I went to the South, people in the South.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And just look at me like because I didn't have
a record to perform for them. I was performing T
O N Y Invade and Why, and They're like, we
ain't on that cool New York Shire.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
They want to get they wanted.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So it was from that moment that I made that
record that I said, you know what, I'm gonna cater
to my audience. I'm gonna I'm gonna make music that
I want to perform too, Like if you're listening to
Bust of Rhymes, I know I'm all over the place now,
But they don't listen to bust of Rhymes. You can
tell Buster made this record because he wants to perform
(03:45):
it and he wants to bust your ass on that stake.
You listen to red Man. They make records to perform.
That was that moment that you asked me. I was
like after I met Pharrell, because he literally told me
they're gonna throw cheers to this, and I wanted them
to throw chairs, so I was like, yes, I'm with that.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
So I was like yes, And.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
It's two calls that Pharah gave me that that that
that this is one of them and the others with
Michael Jackson, remember that asked me that.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, he called me and he said they're fucking throwing.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Chairs, and I was like, I didn't think he meant
it literally, and he's like whatever FaceTime was back then
or whatever, like he had.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
The video of it. I was like, Yo, look they're
fucking throwing cheers.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
And then the record label called me and said you're
number one. At the same time he called me said
you're number one, and I was like, I did it.
I did what I what I said I was gonna do.
I said, you know what. And another thing was, you know,
I was with nothing but Queensbridge Cats at the time, right,
and a lot of the Queens queens Bridges.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Not a laid back hood at all. It's not a
laid back hood.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
But Nas was laid back, Prodigy was laid back, Havoc
was laid back. Component is smooth, and I was just like,
you know what, I'm not one of them, like meaning
in a bad way. I discovered myself and that's what
that was?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
That what what? What? What? What was like me coming out?
Speaker 1 (05:22):
But I'll tell you another thing, which is this is
gonna sound crazy. The people thought for RELs was a gangster?
How did they think that? I have no idea jay
Z stuff? No, this is way be for this is
way before jay Z. People didn't know that neptune sound
(05:46):
at that time, so all they heard was and then
the head is God, this is a life y'all of
a superstar. Penalty did a lunching to play this new
single that I got. Do you know, every single DJ
said that record is not gonna work, really every single
(06:10):
because at that time it sounded dark and for real,
sounded like a gangster. And they was like, you're going
too hard on this gainster ship and.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I'm like, if you meet the guy, yeah, did you
see him? And they're like Seemunity Factory. They're like, yeah,
that's too rough for us.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So when I made that album, the reason why we
didn't go platinum, like pun went platinum out the gate,
I was jealous, do your maximum platinum out the gate?
Also jealous, I had the I went slow platinum. You
were early though.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We came out the same time. We came out the
same time. It was the sound starting to change right then, Well,
I changed the motherfucking sound right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I changed the motherfucking sounds exactly right. And and I
remember this to this day. I remember a big ticket
coming up to me because we did I did Superdug,
and the Superdug was so much a success. The recording
will say, hey man, I remember Forelle going from here
(07:15):
to here, and we had to pay it. So we
went in there and I did another record and it's
called oh No with Pharrell with Neptunes, my most played
record by the way. Ever, this is nineteen ninety nine
going into two thousand. I remember a big ticket coming
up to me and said the.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Neptunes would never work tig and yeah, he.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Avoids this question every time I bring this suck because
he knows, he said, because you got to remember what
sounded like. Oh no, so he's like, yeah, they giving
you the same type of beats.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
All they beats sound the same.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I registered that in my mind because I knew he
was wrong. But he thought, like that Big Ticket who
was running Rap City at the in the basement.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
If the Ticket thought like.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That, I thought the world would think like that.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
He was wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And I'm glad that he was wrong, and I'm glad
I stuck with it. And then after oh no, guess
guess who wants to work with Neptunes Now everybody, everybody,
including it's documented I was first, and it's documented that
I brung this to the games now, so I'm sorry,
(08:34):
I get you back a show.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I'll get you back your show. What you got, you
got me hYP now get at it. I was.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I would pick Neptunes. I tried to get. I took
Neptunes to Dame Dash, I took Neptunes to Electra, I
took Neptunes to everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You know what people was telling me why they shirted
that type, they were judging that.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And then years later all these record labels was running
down to.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Give him beats so almost famous songs. Fatty girl. Guess
who came out with that? That's right, that's right? Bring
absolutely yeah, and as my partner calls running that regula.
But we had done the RECU label not for the
form of uh, you know, to to and hopefully to
make money of a record, but we want people know
that we weren't just a clothing line. We could embody
(09:22):
the culture. And a guy named Kenny Burns Atlanta, he said, hey,
let me put this little dj on your on your stuff,
and he did three tracks, this guy named a Little
John and guess who want to work with everybody after
Little John was on outre Yeah, so we love that
(10:05):
part of hip hop. But let me ask him because
I remember we were talking about it was that moment
that Barrell gave you the kind of the knowledge should
really dig deep into looking at the past, the current
and how you're going to effectively work it correct.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Right because because you know why that that record, which
if you think about it, there's a South record with a.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
New York guy on it. And he gave me the.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Confidence that I am not just for the hoods. He's
like you belong to the world. It's just the world
who fuck with you?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You? You looked at the analytics and one he was else.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
He called me, and I thought it was disrespectful at
the time. He was like, you're one of hip hop's
best characters. And I was like, I didn't want to
be a character, like I wanted to be a person.
And I took it the wrong way. But now in retrospect,
he was right. It goes back to doing what you love. Man,
You were making me for yourself. You know another person
who says something very similar. I remember Pitt Pitt Bullet
said he was on and you know, I don't know
(11:03):
where you think of him as in ur as a
lot I mean as a as a street rapper. A
lot of people don't realize he was known pit Bull
because he was a battler. And I remember he was
on a set and he said that he was going
hard against Dragon DMX and Jay or something like that
on a on a video set and he went, really,
he was going all day, Who's next?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I mean, just trying to go out and IRV God.
He comes out and goes, yo, you keep it, he say, yo,
because I'm keeping real, man. I'm carrying these castle shint
you know you know her is because we're gonna get
into some of your favorite podcasts. Idiot, you're never gonna
make money keeping it real and walks away. Wow, And
I remember Bull and I remember Pitt saying that, he said,
(11:49):
what do I want to listen to? You know what
I'm coming. I'm coming from such a nasty place if
people want to party too, and why don't I use
that skill of being an ill rapper to party and
then boom out of here? And a lot of other
other rappers was like, oh, you ain't keeping it real?
You but you know he's doing the Pharrell thing and
(12:09):
doing what he loves exactly that all right? So so
we established that man thinking, I love I love the
fact of that morning. I got it. I got I
want to now ask you a little bit about just
some entertainment, man, because what are the what are the
top what are the most be Yeah a lot you
have me on on one of your sessions, But what
is the more memorable drink Champ interviews you had Kanye?
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Kanye was because I remember I heard Ice Ice was
kind of Ice Sye was a little he.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Was a little ill too.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Icey was ill, Well, Kanye, I mean because Kanye gave
us a moment like he gave us. I mean, I
love let me ask you a question correctly. But what
I mean this, Yeah, I thoroughly enjoy all of this.
I thoroughly think that hip hoppers and people clothing are superheroes.
(12:56):
Like I believe that, right. I believe we're not normal people.
So I like to get people to flowers. So what
has down. One of the standout moments is we just
had Steven A.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Smith. That's one of them.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
It ain't come out yet, it'll be out soon, but
the ones that is out is Kanye was Why was
it because it surprised you? Wasn't how much everything the
first one, the first one, the first interview we had
with Yay was perfect. He gave me one of my
one of the biggest compliments ever. He came up to
(13:28):
me after the interview and that there it had came out,
and he said, I think you got black people to
like me again.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I was like, that's too much of an honor. Like
I was like, Yo, wait a minute, I don't know,
I don't know, I don't know, I about want that.
And then he was like black women now says hi
to me, and I'm guessing like black.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Women wasn't saying hi to me. I didn't know. I
didn't know this. But one thing about Kanye, he don't lie,
you know.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
When he said that to me, I was like, that
was a big compliment. But then the second one, the
second interview was such a roller coaster and such a learning.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Experience that.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I now I now know what I'm doing. I just like,
remember the other experience I had to learn, so now
I know now I know how to edit.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We wouldn't edit before.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I wish I wouldn't have edited it that one.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
We take pride in our editing.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
But when that one dropped, and it was my fault too,
because not my fault, well, my fault was when both
times Ya did our interview, he called me nine o'clock
at night and said, I'll be there seven o'clock in
the morning.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Right, weird hours, right, great? Great for me. I love
I'm a morning guy. Right this time, it was so huge.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
We beat football, like we dropped it on Sunday, and
our numbers were bigger than football number us.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
That's right, and that's a fact on.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
That's that's the level when I say that, you know
your your podcast is your content, right right. So so
to answer your question, was that was like the most
standout because it was good, bad and ugly. You know
what I mean is when he said that he said
I can he said this, I just said, Claire, he
(15:25):
said this. Yeah, he said he could talk about certain
people when he wouldn't get canceled, and boy I watched.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I would have edited that part. I would have edited
that part.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
And I figured, like I figured, like, you know, like
if you fuck him on your show, I'm responsible for
what I say, but to a certain stint, not really
you share this with me. So if I say something crazy,
the people that I offend are gonna be.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Mad at you too. That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Yeah, you let it, you let it, see through promoted it, yes,
And I didn't know that at that time. That wasn't
even lesson for me. Like I was like, oh, okay,
he's just crazy and this was on him and I
was wrong. That shit fell on me after I couldn't
go nowhere, They're like, man, good Kanye West interview, and
(16:14):
I'm like, I don't know if they.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Being funny, like man, you fucked up. So that's that's
the that's one of the biggest. One last question, and
then I'm gonna tell you this thinking that something because
I said, why you and I here because I didn't
know that Acinello is from Queens. I want you and
I to go and back and forth to think about
how many rappers we know it from Queens? I should
(16:55):
So I got one last question. I see you, I
see you. I've been seeing you a lot lately. And
wherever I see you, it's usually a restaurant and you're
usually there, uh taste, yeah, yeah, yeah, You're enjoying yourself.
Your level of success has uh has risen continuously over years.
I'm sure. I'm sure you've had your step back time.
(17:17):
You're enjoying life. I think that what you do on
I think why your while your while your content is
so strong, This is what you do naturally. But I
got one other question. How have you been so pleasant?
Or is this with me? Everybody knows you being one
one of the most pleasant people, just like Robert on
my show, Robert super Pleasant. Don't fuck with them though?
(17:38):
How have you been so pleasant in such a nasty
industry of music, Hollywood entertainment. How have you managed that
continuous energy and spirit because you've had to deal with
a lot of negative things like all of us. No
matter what you do, how you what? What is the
thought process in that? Because you come at it with
a very you somebody, I want to root for you
(18:00):
when I see you, I don't get what you do. Ye,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I I lost, and when you lose, you enjoy the wins,
you know what I mean? Like like put it like this.
I started to realize there's more losers than winners.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, every year.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
There's what twenty six football teams thirty two thirty two?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
How many wins? One? So for that year, everyone else
is losers? Right? Did I kill that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
No matter how much, they can only be one winner
a year. I lost so much that now that I'm
for like I'm in a winning year, I gotta I
gotta act like a winner. If I have a bad day,
I don't come outside. You know, I'm not warrants to
come outside. And let's put somebody I really changed someone's life.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
It's too too too.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I got a too to tow on like I I
might have really changed somebody's life. There's people who come
up to me and be like, yo, man, you got
me through some tough times. You think they you think
they want to see me, this guy who just said
he got me through some tough times. And I'm like, hey, man,
I ain't taking no picture.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Nah man. If I'm the only time I don't take
a picture, if.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
I'm in a bathroom, and even then I'll say, wait,
meet me outside.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I still take it, but I'm like, dude, you're not
gonna get me in the bathroom, like, take no goddamn picture.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
But I'm not.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I've been through so much this, I've lost so many
friends that I grew up with this not here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
I have to. I have to represent for them. So
I don't get. I don't get.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
I don't get a chance to have a bad day.
If I had a bad day, stay your ass in
the fucking house. Do not come outside and make someone
else's day bad. So that's why. So it's intentional. Yes,
that's why I want to smile. I want a person
to see me and say, man, and you know what,
all the bad things about me, google ain't even got it,
because you know why, I superseded that. I can't you
(20:09):
can't show much, you can't move back. I gotta keep
going forward. I gotta keep going forward. If the minute
I stop and I say, yo, man, this is not
right and I can plain to you, not you necessarily,
but playing to you, then that person has it. Negative
energy is contagious. So if negative energy is contagious.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Positivity has to be the same. It is not too positive.
I smile every time I thought, because I have two
friends with my one one name Jodie, another name Jared.
They can't stop smiling. It's a gifted, a curse. So
that we at a funeral like sorry for ya.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah, but that's why I don't feel I feel like
if you famous, right, yeah, if you famous.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
And you made.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
It, you're not supposed to be a dighead?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Is that that the wrong people around me? Because I
always say the same thing when I've seen people say
get away from me, I don't want to pitch, especially
the kids, And I go, well, then you shouldn't have
made that recordor you shouldn't be on that televison. You've
seen those cameras around you. You know that this is
what you're trying to do, and that's gonna that's gonna
hurt you in the long room. You don't know who
that kid's gonna be and that that's gonna spread just
(21:19):
as fast. Actually, it spreads fast as sometimes than the positivities.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Like like I don't I don't like to be filmed
when I'm when I'm unaware, right, right, But a couple
a couple of weeks ago, I.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Go to Carbone.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
It's my favorite restaurant, right, papar ROXXI jumps right out.
I wanted to swing. I wanted to throw my cup.
But you know what, the guy got a picture of
me doing yep, so that ROI had no he.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Had no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I was offended because I was like, I don't get that, right, peace,
Let me move on and go get my spicy regged DONI.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
There you go, and I had a great night.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Well god damn, I killed killed the interview he killed
I killed you.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
That's not least. Listen, listen, you want to go back
and boy live with some rappers from Queens. I'm gonna
go one. You go one to see. I mean, we
can go.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I'm gonna get you first, Okay, alright, alright, run dmc
warrior flush royal flush Okay, a.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Music artisanal period that's said, okay, Bernard right, Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson. Uh uh what was uh? Intra? What was
the Jeff brother's name? Intro?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Kenny Smith, Kenny Smith. You said entertainment, Jamaica phone.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
What's his name? Tom Brown?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Mark Jackson? Oh you mean basketball player place Mason, That's
what that's my next one? Man?
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Uh marb d no capona nor Jega, saltmn pepper, rappernoid
l tragedy Kadafi lost voice.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
I said rappernoid YEP. I said rappernoid fuck nature onyx
cor mega fifty cent onyx. I gotta said on you
said honest?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Oh fuck you said? You said fifty two?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Right? Uh tony yea yo ah tony yo yo tony
jarrul fuck all right, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I said nature, I said come mega yeah, Cormega.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I didn't say car mega Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
I said nature, not cor Mega Yeah, DJ clue dj
envy tribal quest.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
I think we tribals man.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
You get tri tribal quest, tribal question, ship cargo hater,
you got h what's that?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
What's the speedy guy? The wrapper up? No twister all right,
he got twisted over it? Dad? Okay, who was your
last one?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
I said, tribe and r E are.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
You already said? Come on in? No, what's the name
who just passed away from the fat Boys? Uh? The
Light skin do Prince Moggy they got him?
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Uh? Drink Camps still a different entity.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
There you go. This is at that moment with John
really with Drink Camp whatever, Thank you man. That Moment
with Damon John is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
(24:59):
visit the I radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite show and don't forget to subscribe
to and rate the show. And of course you can
all connect with me on any of my social media platforms.
At the Shark, Damon spelt like Raymond, But what a
d
I've been through so much this, I've lost so many
friends that I grew up with this not here.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I have to I have to represent for them.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
So I don't get. I don't get. I don't get
a chance to have a bad day. If I had
a bad day, stay your ass in the fucking house,
Do not come outside and make someone else's day bad.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So that's why.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
So it's intentional. Yes, that's why I want to smile.
I want a person to see me and.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Say, manuse and.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You know what, all the bad things about me, Google
ain't even got it because you know why I superseded that.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
You can't show much, you can't move back. I got
to keep going forward. I gotta keep going forward. If
the minute I stop and I say, yo, man, this
is not right, and I can plain to you, not
you necessarily, but play to you, then.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
That person has it.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Negative energy is contagious. So if negative energy is contagious,
positivity has to be the same.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
What if I told you there was more to the
story behind game changing events? Get ready for my new podcast,
That Moment with Damon John will jump into the personal
stories of some of the most influential people on the planet,
from business mobiles and celebrities to athletes and artists.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
He looks at me in my face and he says,
if you listen to me, you'll be number one. And
I said, and he said, if you listen to me,
you'll be number one. This guy wound up being for
Bret Williams.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You got the bar?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, And he produced this record for me named
super Dog. I'm gonna make it make sense. And as
soon as I heard the beat, I was.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Like, what what what what? What?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
What?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
What? What? What? What? What? What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (01:50):
But in my mind I was counting bars. That's how
I counted bars. So I was like, I was like,
this is pretty much my story. Mister Legal like, uh so,
so I'm on the record saying what what what?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
What? What? What?
Speaker 1 (02:07):
But I laid the whole record down and I say, yo, Fara.
He wasn't far at the time. I don't even know
what I was calling him, but I was like, Yo,
all we gotta do is come up with a hook
and we're good. And he says to me, we got
the hook. It's what you said on there. And I'm like, no,
(02:28):
they're all gonna laugh at me. And he said, and
we're going to be laughing all the way to the bank.
And it was at that moment.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
That I took.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Life serious because here's this unknown producer.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
He's unknown at the time. Like by the way, Chad
was he part of the Nepto. It was Chad Williams.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
I was about to say, so, that's why I say
on the record N E P t U and s
Neptune is Lacey to be like one of the best.
I say that on the record. But it was that
moment that I made this record because what I noticed
was when I was going out and I was performing
these records, I had nothing, nothing for the South.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Like when I went to the South, people in the South.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And just look at me like because I didn't have
a record to perform for them. I was performing T
O N Y Invade and Why, and They're like, we
ain't on that cool New York Shire.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
They want to get they wanted.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
So it was from that moment that I made that
record that I said, you know what, I'm gonna cater
to my audience. I'm gonna I'm gonna make music that
I want to perform too, Like if you're listening to
Bust of Rhymes, I know I'm all over the place now,
But they don't listen to bust of Rhymes. You can
tell Buster made this record because he wants to perform
(03:45):
it and he wants to bust your ass on that stake.
You listen to red Man. They make records to perform.
That was that moment that you asked me. I was
like after I met Pharrell, because he literally told me
they're gonna throw cheers to this, and I wanted them
to throw chairs, so I was like, yes, I'm with that.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
So I was like yes, And.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
It's two calls that Pharah gave me that that that
that this is one of them and the others with
Michael Jackson, remember that asked me that.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Well, he called me and he said they're fucking throwing.
Speaker 1 (04:25):
Chairs, and I was like, I didn't think he meant
it literally, and he's like whatever FaceTime was back then
or whatever, like he had.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
The video of it. I was like, Yo, look they're
fucking throwing cheers.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
And then the record label called me and said you're
number one. At the same time he called me said
you're number one, and I was like, I did it.
I did what I what I said I was gonna do.
I said, you know what. And another thing was, you know,
I was with nothing but Queensbridge Cats at the time, right,
and a lot of the Queens queens Bridges.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Not a laid back hood at all. It's not a
laid back hood.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
But Nas was laid back, Prodigy was laid back, Havoc
was laid back. Component is smooth, and I was just like,
you know what, I'm not one of them, like meaning
in a bad way. I discovered myself and that's what
that was?
Speaker 2 (05:19):
That what what? What? What? What was like me coming out?
Speaker 1 (05:22):
But I'll tell you another thing, which is this is
gonna sound crazy. The people thought for RELs was a gangster?
How did they think that? I have no idea jay
Z stuff? No, this is way be for this is
way before jay Z. People didn't know that neptune sound
(05:46):
at that time, so all they heard was and then
the head is God, this is a life y'all of
a superstar. Penalty did a lunching to play this new
single that I got. Do you know, every single DJ
said that record is not gonna work, really every single
(06:10):
because at that time it sounded dark and for real,
sounded like a gangster. And they was like, you're going
too hard on this gainster ship and.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
I'm like, if you meet the guy, yeah, did you
see him? And they're like Seemunity Factory. They're like, yeah,
that's too rough for us.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
So when I made that album, the reason why we
didn't go platinum, like pun went platinum out the gate,
I was jealous, do your maximum platinum out the gate?
Also jealous, I had the I went slow platinum. You
were early though.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We came out the same time. We came out the
same time. It was the sound starting to change right then, Well,
I changed the motherfucking sound right.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
I changed the motherfucking sounds exactly right. And and I
remember this to this day. I remember a big ticket
coming up to me because we did I did Superdug,
and the Superdug was so much a success. The recording
will say, hey man, I remember Forelle going from here
(07:15):
to here, and we had to pay it. So we
went in there and I did another record and it's
called oh No with Pharrell with Neptunes, my most played
record by the way. Ever, this is nineteen ninety nine
going into two thousand. I remember a big ticket coming
up to me and said the.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Neptunes would never work tig and yeah, he.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Avoids this question every time I bring this suck because
he knows, he said, because you got to remember what
sounded like. Oh no, so he's like, yeah, they giving
you the same type of beats.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
All they beats sound the same.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
I registered that in my mind because I knew he
was wrong. But he thought, like that Big Ticket who
was running Rap City at the in the basement.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
If the Ticket thought like.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
That, I thought the world would think like that.
Speaker 2 (08:09):
He was wrong.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
And I'm glad that he was wrong, and I'm glad
I stuck with it. And then after oh no, guess
guess who wants to work with Neptunes Now everybody, everybody,
including it's documented I was first, and it's documented that
I brung this to the games now, so I'm sorry,
(08:34):
I get you back a show.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I'll get you back your show. What you got, you
got me hYP now get at it. I was.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I would pick Neptunes. I tried to get. I took
Neptunes to Dame Dash, I took Neptunes to Electra, I
took Neptunes to everyone.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
You know what people was telling me why they shirted
that type, they were judging that.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
And then years later all these record labels was running
down to.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Give him beats so almost famous songs. Fatty girl. Guess
who came out with that? That's right, that's right? Bring
absolutely yeah, and as my partner calls running that regula.
But we had done the RECU label not for the
form of uh, you know, to to and hopefully to
make money of a record, but we want people know
that we weren't just a clothing line. We could embody
(09:22):
the culture. And a guy named Kenny Burns Atlanta, he said, hey,
let me put this little dj on your on your stuff,
and he did three tracks, this guy named a Little
John and guess who want to work with everybody after
Little John was on outre Yeah, so we love that
(10:05):
part of hip hop. But let me ask him because
I remember we were talking about it was that moment
that Barrell gave you the kind of the knowledge should
really dig deep into looking at the past, the current
and how you're going to effectively work it correct.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Right because because you know why that that record, which
if you think about it, there's a South record with a.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
New York guy on it. And he gave me the.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Confidence that I am not just for the hoods. He's
like you belong to the world. It's just the world
who fuck with you?
Speaker 2 (10:38):
You? You looked at the analytics and one he was else.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
He called me, and I thought it was disrespectful at
the time. He was like, you're one of hip hop's
best characters. And I was like, I didn't want to
be a character, like I wanted to be a person.
And I took it the wrong way. But now in retrospect,
he was right. It goes back to doing what you love. Man,
You were making me for yourself. You know another person
who says something very similar. I remember Pitt Pitt Bullet
said he was on and you know, I don't know
(11:03):
where you think of him as in ur as a
lot I mean as a as a street rapper. A
lot of people don't realize he was known pit Bull
because he was a battler. And I remember he was
on a set and he said that he was going
hard against Dragon DMX and Jay or something like that
on a on a video set and he went, really,
he was going all day, Who's next?
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I mean, just trying to go out and IRV God.
He comes out and goes, yo, you keep it, he say, yo,
because I'm keeping real, man. I'm carrying these castle shint
you know you know her is because we're gonna get
into some of your favorite podcasts. Idiot, you're never gonna
make money keeping it real and walks away. Wow, And
I remember Bull and I remember Pitt saying that, he said,
(11:49):
what do I want to listen to? You know what
I'm coming. I'm coming from such a nasty place if
people want to party too, and why don't I use
that skill of being an ill rapper to party and
then boom out of here? And a lot of other
other rappers was like, oh, you ain't keeping it real?
You but you know he's doing the Pharrell thing and
(12:09):
doing what he loves exactly that all right? So so
we established that man thinking, I love I love the
fact of that morning. I got it. I got I
want to now ask you a little bit about just
some entertainment, man, because what are the what are the
top what are the most be Yeah a lot you
have me on on one of your sessions, But what
is the more memorable drink Champ interviews you had Kanye?
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Kanye was because I remember I heard Ice Ice was
kind of Ice Sye was a little he.
Speaker 2 (12:34):
Was a little ill too.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Icey was ill, Well, Kanye, I mean because Kanye gave
us a moment like he gave us. I mean, I
love let me ask you a question correctly. But what
I mean this, Yeah, I thoroughly enjoy all of this.
I thoroughly think that hip hoppers and people clothing are superheroes.
(12:56):
Like I believe that, right. I believe we're not normal people.
So I like to get people to flowers. So what
has down. One of the standout moments is we just
had Steven A.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Smith. That's one of them.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
It ain't come out yet, it'll be out soon, but
the ones that is out is Kanye was Why was
it because it surprised you? Wasn't how much everything the
first one, the first one, the first interview we had
with Yay was perfect. He gave me one of my
one of the biggest compliments ever. He came up to
(13:28):
me after the interview and that there it had came out,
and he said, I think you got black people to
like me again.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I was like, that's too much of an honor. Like
I was like, Yo, wait a minute, I don't know,
I don't know, I don't know, I about want that.
And then he was like black women now says hi
to me, and I'm guessing like black.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
Women wasn't saying hi to me. I didn't know. I
didn't know this. But one thing about Kanye, he don't lie,
you know.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
When he said that to me, I was like, that
was a big compliment. But then the second one, the
second interview was such a roller coaster and such a learning.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Experience that.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
I now I now know what I'm doing. I just like,
remember the other experience I had to learn, so now
I know now I know how to edit.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We wouldn't edit before.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I wish I wouldn't have edited it that one.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
We take pride in our editing.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
But when that one dropped, and it was my fault too,
because not my fault, well, my fault was when both
times Ya did our interview, he called me nine o'clock
at night and said, I'll be there seven o'clock in
the morning.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Right, weird hours, right, great? Great for me. I love
I'm a morning guy. Right this time, it was so huge.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
We beat football, like we dropped it on Sunday, and
our numbers were bigger than football number us.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
That's right, and that's a fact on.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
That's that's the level when I say that, you know
your your podcast is your content, right right. So so
to answer your question, was that was like the most
standout because it was good, bad and ugly. You know
what I mean is when he said that he said
I can he said this, I just said, Claire, he
(15:25):
said this. Yeah, he said he could talk about certain
people when he wouldn't get canceled, and boy I watched.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
I would have edited that part. I would have edited
that part.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
And I figured, like I figured, like, you know, like
if you fuck him on your show, I'm responsible for
what I say, but to a certain stint, not really
you share this with me. So if I say something crazy,
the people that I offend are gonna be.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Mad at you too. That's right.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Yeah, you let it, you let it, see through promoted it, yes,
And I didn't know that at that time. That wasn't
even lesson for me. Like I was like, oh, okay,
he's just crazy and this was on him and I
was wrong. That shit fell on me after I couldn't
go nowhere, They're like, man, good Kanye West interview, and
(16:14):
I'm like, I don't know if they.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
Being funny, like man, you fucked up. So that's that's
the that's one of the biggest. One last question, and
then I'm gonna tell you this thinking that something because
I said, why you and I here because I didn't
know that Acinello is from Queens. I want you and
I to go and back and forth to think about
how many rappers we know it from Queens? I should
(16:55):
So I got one last question. I see you, I
see you. I've been seeing you a lot lately. And
wherever I see you, it's usually a restaurant and you're
usually there, uh taste, yeah, yeah, yeah, You're enjoying yourself.
Your level of success has uh has risen continuously over years.
I'm sure. I'm sure you've had your step back time.
(17:17):
You're enjoying life. I think that what you do on
I think why your while your while your content is
so strong, This is what you do naturally. But I
got one other question. How have you been so pleasant?
Or is this with me? Everybody knows you being one
one of the most pleasant people, just like Robert on
my show, Robert super Pleasant. Don't fuck with them though?
(17:38):
How have you been so pleasant in such a nasty
industry of music, Hollywood entertainment. How have you managed that
continuous energy and spirit because you've had to deal with
a lot of negative things like all of us. No
matter what you do, how you what? What is the
thought process in that? Because you come at it with
a very you somebody, I want to root for you
(18:00):
when I see you, I don't get what you do. Ye,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I I lost, and when you lose, you enjoy the wins,
you know what I mean? Like like put it like this.
I started to realize there's more losers than winners.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Yeah, every year.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
There's what twenty six football teams thirty two thirty two?
Speaker 2 (18:31):
How many wins? One? So for that year, everyone else
is losers? Right? Did I kill that? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
No matter how much, they can only be one winner
a year. I lost so much that now that I'm
for like I'm in a winning year, I gotta I
gotta act like a winner. If I have a bad day,
I don't come outside. You know, I'm not warrants to
come outside. And let's put somebody I really changed someone's life.
Speaker 2 (19:04):
It's too too too.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
I got a too to tow on like I I
might have really changed somebody's life. There's people who come
up to me and be like, yo, man, you got
me through some tough times. You think they you think
they want to see me, this guy who just said
he got me through some tough times. And I'm like, hey, man,
I ain't taking no picture.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
Nah man. If I'm the only time I don't take
a picture, if.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
I'm in a bathroom, and even then I'll say, wait,
meet me outside.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I still take it, but I'm like, dude, you're not
gonna get me in the bathroom, like, take no goddamn picture.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
But I'm not.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
I've been through so much this, I've lost so many
friends that I grew up with this not here.
Speaker 2 (19:42):
I have to. I have to represent for them. So
I don't get. I don't get.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
I don't get a chance to have a bad day.
If I had a bad day, stay your ass in
the fucking house. Do not come outside and make someone
else's day bad. So that's why. So it's intentional. Yes,
that's why I want to smile. I want a person
to see me and say, man, and you know what,
all the bad things about me, google ain't even got it,
because you know why, I superseded that. I can't you
(20:09):
can't show much, you can't move back. I gotta keep
going forward. I gotta keep going forward. If the minute
I stop and I say, yo, man, this is not
right and I can plain to you, not you necessarily,
but playing to you, then that person has it. Negative
energy is contagious. So if negative energy is contagious.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Positivity has to be the same. It is not too positive.
I smile every time I thought, because I have two
friends with my one one name Jodie, another name Jared.
They can't stop smiling. It's a gifted, a curse. So
that we at a funeral like sorry for ya.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Yeah, but that's why I don't feel I feel like
if you famous, right, yeah, if you famous.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
And you made.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
It, you're not supposed to be a dighead?
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Is that that the wrong people around me? Because I
always say the same thing when I've seen people say
get away from me, I don't want to pitch, especially
the kids, And I go, well, then you shouldn't have
made that recordor you shouldn't be on that televison. You've
seen those cameras around you. You know that this is
what you're trying to do, and that's gonna that's gonna
hurt you in the long room. You don't know who
that kid's gonna be and that that's gonna spread just
(21:19):
as fast. Actually, it spreads fast as sometimes than the positivities.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Like like I don't I don't like to be filmed
when I'm when I'm unaware, right, right, But a couple
a couple of weeks ago, I.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Go to Carbone.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
It's my favorite restaurant, right, papar ROXXI jumps right out.
I wanted to swing. I wanted to throw my cup.
But you know what, the guy got a picture of
me doing yep, so that ROI had no he.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Had no idea.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
I was offended because I was like, I don't get that, right, peace,
Let me move on and go get my spicy regged DONI.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
There you go, and I had a great night.
Speaker 1 (22:01):
Well god damn, I killed killed the interview he killed
I killed you.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
That's not least. Listen, listen, you want to go back
and boy live with some rappers from Queens. I'm gonna
go one. You go one to see. I mean, we
can go.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I'm gonna get you first, Okay, alright, alright, run dmc
warrior flush royal flush Okay, a.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Music artisanal period that's said, okay, Bernard right, Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson. Uh uh what was uh? Intra? What was
the Jeff brother's name? Intro?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Kenny Smith, Kenny Smith. You said entertainment, Jamaica phone.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
What's his name? Tom Brown?
Speaker 1 (22:48):
Uh?
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Mark Jackson? Oh you mean basketball player place Mason, That's
what that's my next one? Man?
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Uh marb d no capona nor Jega, saltmn pepper, rappernoid
l tragedy Kadafi lost voice.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
I said rappernoid YEP. I said rappernoid fuck nature onyx
cor mega fifty cent onyx. I gotta said on you
said honest?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
Oh fuck you said? You said fifty two?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Right? Uh tony yea yo ah tony yo yo tony
jarrul fuck all right, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I said nature, I said come mega yeah, Cormega.
Speaker 2 (23:46):
I didn't say car mega Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
I said nature, not cor Mega Yeah, DJ clue dj
envy tribal quest.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
I think we tribals man.
Speaker 1 (23:56):
You get tri tribal quest, tribal question, ship cargo hater,
you got h what's that?
Speaker 2 (24:02):
What's the speedy guy? The wrapper up? No twister all right,
he got twisted over it? Dad? Okay, who was your
last one?
Speaker 1 (24:09):
I said, tribe and r E are.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
You already said? Come on in? No, what's the name
who just passed away from the fat Boys? Uh? The
Light skin do Prince Moggy they got him?
Speaker 4 (24:27):
Uh? Drink Camps still a different entity.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
There you go. This is at that moment with John
really with Drink Camp whatever, Thank you man. That Moment
with Damon John is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the Black Effect Podcast Network,
(24:59):
visit the I radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
listen to your favorite show and don't forget to subscribe
to and rate the show. And of course you can
all connect with me on any of my social media platforms.
At the Shark, Damon spelt like Raymond, But what a
d
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