The Future of Black Hollywood

This week on the The What? Star actor Marcus Callender (Wu-Tang: An American Saga) joins Mouse and Nyla to talk Wu-Tang and Power, The Oscars, Black TV and the future of black cinema.Tune in and comment in the socials below.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's up, guys, and welcome to the What Hip Hop Questions,
Legends and List. I'm Nila Simon and I am the
man that puts the jucks and juxtaposition Mouse Jones and
the Oscars has passed us this past Sunday. Shout out
to Angela Baskett who bodied Black Panther Too Yes, and
of course shout out to Brian Tyree Henry from Causeway
for their nominations. Shout out to Queen Marvel. They really

(00:22):
didn't have to kill her off though, that's only what
she was getting at. That's the only way. That's not
the only one. All that yelling didn't really matter if
you ain't die once you started. Once she started flipping
on bollhead shorty, I said, oh, she's gonna die. No,
she said, I'm not given anything or everything. I said,

(00:43):
it was terrible. Let me fix it, let me let
me Marcus pay attention. Is you might pick up something.
Let me go on the character have I'm not given everything?
She said, This is from black fans. Yeah, you know,

(01:04):
let's just I haven't seen that neither the new one. Okay,
I'm really I'm really just focused on but on the character.
After watching the Oscars, we wanted to do an episode
focusing on black and brown characters on the screen. So
although we usually talk about music on this pot, today
we're taking acting in the future of acting on the pod.

(01:28):
Is it not hip hop? Is it not hip hop?
Hip hop as blooding to everything at this point, A
lot of these characters we're seeing on screen, especially today,
hip hop. That's true. Look, we got Marcus hit right,
how you like? I did that? Torched it to I
ain't need it, but we got torched it didn't even

(01:51):
need I'm feeling good today, baby, Look you threw me off,
goddamn it. But like I said, hip hop is everywhere.
Hip hop, it's the culture, you know what I mean.
So a lot of these influenceers we're seeing just in
the movies, These characters in the movies, characters in these
shows on TV are influenced by hip hoop. Somebody like
our guests today, Marcus Calendar, who's been He's currently on

(02:13):
the whole You can't even say thirteen and he's been
on the whole whole show. Um. He plays Power in
the Wou Tang American Saga. He's also played Ray Ray
on Power. He's also play Schoolbee on the brakes or
hip hop. This is hit hop. Marcus, welcome to the
what brother, appreciate it good, It's good to be here.
Thanks for having me. Thanks already. That's my guy. No, no,

(02:38):
I know what to expect with musing. Me and Marcus
go way back, we really do. He was a guest
on my first, my very first podcast. He was, Yeah,
that was one of my first interview. You see you
said you said your best the first time. That's what
you said. It was your best interview I did the
first time. He said, ye was on you like, yeah, man,
it's really good. Man, Damn didn't give you all. I

(03:02):
just want to point out to those who are just
listening to your podcast. He scratching his head like I
said that because he has on the actor Scully, and
you know the actor Scully is Walls Wall, so sometimes
itches the head. That's why you were scratching. Yeah. First
of all, this is like my signature, yank. I wear
this a lot. I've had this for a long time.
It's my favorite, uh beanie. I like to call it.

(03:26):
Um Yeah, I wear this all the time. You're car
I'll tell you, I'll tell you the truth behind it.
Um so I'm a big Marvin Gay fan, and um
there's a picture of Marvin Gay where he has so
it just for me. When I wear it, I feel
like I'm in my Marvin Gay vibe. That watch you back,
I like watching back. Don't let your dad. Don't let

(03:46):
your dad hang around you too much in that yo, No,
I like that a lot. Put be here, you just
get parent on. Hey, who's that behind me? Dad? When
dad don't be behind me? When I got this guy,
this guy mouse, it's the same shit he did on

(04:06):
the on the first time, the same, alright, same. No,
I'm sorry because when all right, listen, when there's a joke,
I'm gonna take it, I know, And it was alright, alright, alright,
So i still have a bone to pick with you.
I'm still mad about what you did. You're still mad
about still mad about it. I was mad. You're still

(04:27):
mad about that. She didn't have to go. She did
not have the story. She had to go based off
for the storyline. She had to go and look at
where the story went. Yeah, look at Mike, I mean,
did terry because if you remember the scene, I wasn't
even she wasn't even the target. If you remember what
she jumped and wasn't the target. She came out of nowhere.
She was supposed to be at a school prom or whatever.

(04:50):
Why would you still do it? I was there. Look
Riecus who I had the problem with. Exactly he was
supposed to get it? Exactly what I'm saying. She comes in,
Hold on that, Marcus, come back, come back? Yea like
Ray Ray right now? Actually, I mean that's who Ray.

(05:12):
She came in and she put the problem. She said,
I know who you are, Ray Ray. You had to go.
You had She wasn't supposed to. I was a cop.
I'm a cop. You ain't on the cover a little
know what I'm saying. I got damn mouth I was.
I was really heartbroken with that scene. I wasn't shut up.

(05:32):
Why are you being heartless like this? She had to
go to think about it. Ghost would not Ghost wouldn't
be the ghost we needed him to be. If Rain
still alive. This is true, This is true. I feel
like that that scene or that killing changed the whole
projectory of the whole show. It did. It did because
I think because a lot of people didn't expect it.

(05:54):
It was just kind of like, oh shit, and at
that point, and that's when ghost kind of if you
watch it, that's when whatever was holding him back at
that point, it was going. You know what I'm saying,
it was going, were expecting it because there's a lot
of times where people should have died that didn't die exactly.
That's the whole premise of was in a locked, burning

(06:17):
building and survived because it was fifty Not the point
you mean, you're surprised that the nigga who survived nine
shots survived a death seat. I never said I was surprised.
I said that he should have died and he didn't.
A shower keeps people alive, and scenes when they shouldn't

(06:39):
have me that Rainer actually died, I'm like, y'all actually
let Raina go, like it's the first time in the show,
yat And the crazy thing is the way I found
out that I was gonna kill Raina was wild too,
because it was I found out at the table Resolt
on Power. I don't know if they still are like this,
but during the original Power Days Um Courtney Camp, who's

(07:02):
the creative the show, they're very very secretive about the script,
extreme extremely so I didn't know I was killing her
until I got to the table reading wow, you're reading
it like, and then like you know, we're getting there. Um,
you know, I'm highlighting my lines and shit, and I'm
reading the show. I'm like wait wait wait wait wait
wait wait what And she was like sitting right next

(07:24):
to me. I looked. I said, yeah, well she knew,
you know what I'm saying. Yeah, when you're about to die,
they call you and let you know. She knew. But
what But when I was gonna when I died, Courtney
called me. I was like, yeah, this this is you
got your death call. I definitely got to hold on, bitch,
I got I got the death ball for real too. Right,

(07:52):
So I'm looking I'm like, yo, for real. She's like yeah.
And then her mom was there too, She's like, yeah, yeah,
they're not gonna like you. After this, I said, oh shit, man,
what happened. Yeah, what happened. We loved you. We loved
you more. I didn't, honestly, I didn't realize how big
of a I mean, I knew it would be big,
but I didn't, you know, not until the aftermath. I'm like, damn, like,

(08:15):
oh shit that this this was a big deal. Oh shit,
you know what I mean. So shout out to Courtney.
Can't appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah, but let's talk about
show about my favorite show on TV right now? Motherfucker
womb tang word, that's your favorite show on TV right now?
Right now? Yeah, right now, because y'all mother the only

(08:35):
motherfucking episode that threw me for a loop with that
fucking when you had to wig on why I didn't
understand it, and I'm watching the whole thing. I'm hanging
up the phone with him, my whole home. I got
a patient, What the fuck are they shooting a music video?
And then I got it. It It was like what was
going on inside of Odb's head to make that album.
Go back and listen to that album. That episode makes

(08:56):
all this, Okay, I'm gonna do that. I was actually
listening to it. I got the record. I was listening
to it the other day. But again, when you go
back and listen to it, it makes sense for what
that album was. Um. But when we uh first returning
to thirty six Chambers, Yeah, no, I thought that was
for his solo album, his first album. Okay, yeah, um

(09:17):
so uh when we so what am I saying? When
we shot it? Right, or before we shot it, got
the script Mario van People's directed it. Shout out to him, um,
and you know, you know Mario he comes his dad
was the original black expert. Yes, invented that ship basically,
so it was just kind of dope that, you know,

(09:37):
we got Mario directing us. Um. I remember Um, before
I read the script, we had went out to dinner
as a cast, and he was like, yo, like check
out the script, like when you get a chance and shit.
So I looked at the script, I'm like, oh shit, Okay,
now I've seen black exploitation films, but like, I definitely
went back and watched a couple of joints. I watched, Um, coffee,

(09:59):
coffee is good, and coffee she's never seen it. You
got seen coffee's fire. But those out there that I've
never seen coffee, see coffee. That ship is flying. Um.
So I went back and watched that and it was
just that kind of like gave me the inspiration to
how I wanted to approach it. But the beautiful thing
is that, you know, shout out to hmu um here

(10:19):
and makeup Anita and Aaron Um. They actually work on
power too, So shout out to them. Um. They we
came in and came up with our characters on the fly.
Like we came in, we spent our ideas at each other.
They tried different wigs on me, all types of Like
I already knew what I was wearing, so it was

(10:40):
like okay, Like I know when I went shout out
to Melissa, our costume designer, Um, I knew what I
was wearing. So I was like, okay, I got this song,
I had these little boots and shit, and I found myself.
You know what I'm saying. That's as an actor, It's
it's one I put the costume on that it really
comes into play. Like even when I played Power, like
I don't fully feel like him until I put the

(11:02):
jeans on, put the jewelry on, put the you know
what I'm saying, and then it's like I started walking
like him, I started talking like him. All of that
just comes in naturally. So when I put that on,
it was like, oh shit, oh this is you know
what I'm saying, Like, Okay, this is a different kind
of vibe here. So we get in the HMU. They're
trying different wigs on me, and I'm like playing with
my voice as they're doing it, you know what I'm saying,

(11:23):
I'm like playing with it. I'm like, yeah, okay, I
got some music playing, like I was playing some like
old screwl shit, you know. So I'm like, oh, yeah, okay.
So it's like I get the voice and it's like, okay,
what wig matches with the voice? Then they put this
hair and that on me and like the ends of
it were like kind of like in my face a

(11:45):
little bit, but I was like, no, no, no no, I
want to keep that. That's something cool to work with it,
you know what I'm saying. So it kind of just
informed the character even more. So that happened. And then
like they put the they gave me a little scruff.
They made my eyes a little dark because I don't
know if you could tell, but my character did a lot. Yeah. Yeah,
So it was like that, so, you know, just playing

(12:06):
with the you know what I'm saying, So just kind
of playing with Okay, where am I going with this character?
And um it was honestly like one of the funniest
things I've ever done, um in my career, because it
was it was just beautiful to collaborate. Like was it
hard to go from power to and when I'm saying
power of the character, it was hard to go from

(12:27):
power to this character for this one off then immediately
go right back to power. It wasn't hard. It was
just like, damn, that was fun, you know what I'm saying.
So it's like, we go back, but you know what
I mean, it's like you go back to we go
into the next episode, it's like, oh, yeah, you know,
back to you. We're back to power, peace, peace, you
know what I'm saying. So it's like but but but

(12:48):
I think that's one of the great things about this
season because there's two more episodes that are like that
where we're going to complete you're gonna like the next
episode sick, that's next week. Yeah, we had a screen
if you gonna like that't be episode screens y'all on
this motherfucking couch. Just let ya know. It's gonna let
y'all know, y'all some rag any motherfuckers, y'all like that

(13:11):
six we go into, um, it'll be out, it'll be
out by the time time episode six is fire. We
go into only built for Cuban links. We tell you, well,
I've seen that from I don't know. Well, yeah, because
it all came out the way y'all end of the
episode five, Yes you see, you see where we're going?
Shot up, beautiful, shout up, and just the way y'a've

(13:32):
been teasing your Literally, I'm not just saying this because
you're here, the way they've been not teething, the way
they've been, you know, singing that teening to your storyline,
and you know the woowear and then equally the way
they've been setting up only built for Cuban links. You
see it all throughout the season. And then the way
so to even say what I just said in the
way episode five that at the woolwear store, fucking Ray

(13:56):
and goes outside on the block. Four or five cars
passed by playing one More Chance remix and they're like,
what the right And in my mind, I'm like, these
niggas about to go record ice cream right now? Literally,
ghost baby Mother pull up playing it. He like, you
know the rule right, look at that's in the house.
I'm playing the rules of the house. I'm on the block.

(14:19):
She turned it up and I said, and then like
they leave it. It's just like we just said, it's
Ray and goes up against the wood wear store, and like,
do that look like the bad boys? Look like what
we're about to do? While they're playing One More Chance?
I said, in my mindset, they about to ice cream
next episode. What is the ongoing debate between you and

(14:40):
Charlotmagne about wooing? Why? Why did you do this? Right?
It's not a debate ahead. Charlotmagne's old and I'm old.
He's he's got a lot more to live than not
to live for right, So he's a wood Ting fanatic.
He said, the w is the the wou sign is

(15:03):
the most important, the most recognizable sign in all of
the world show. I'm pretty sure he watches the show. Um,
but what he's I just don't think Wu tang was?
I think there that wang wasn't the most influential. Yeah,
I don't think so. Oh you're bugging I get it.
Who do you think is? What did you say this

(15:23):
before the show? Wait? Wait wait wait wait wait wait
wait wait wait wait wait wait Hold on a second.
All right, hold on a second. No, I did not
say that. I know you did it. But the only
reason I didn't say, first of all, full discrepancy for
the people out there this disclosure. I'm an r and
B head. Yes, yes, yes, I'm an R and B head.

(15:45):
I'm not a hip hop historian. I know some shit.
You know, I'm from Brooklyn, Hove all day every day.
But did you hit him? I just want to know,
did you ask me about some R and B ship
I could, I could give you the history on that.
So for me, I was familiar with Wu Tang, but
not as much as I am now. And because of that,
it's like, I feel like they're the most influential because like,

(16:07):
I think they existed in uh. I think they existed
in a really big, really really huge bubble huh. But
I don't think they influenced anyone outside of the people
that liked that musical. When we talk about influential, influencing
what like, I don't like I didn't see after Woutang.
I didn't see niggas walking around like outside of the
niggas that was already god body. I didn't see niggas
walking around like niggas already godbody. They all came from jail.

(16:31):
So not like they influenced that. They didn't influence that.
They not. If I didn't hear a bunch of niggas
jumping on successful I didn't hear a bunch of successful
niggas jumping on uh karate beats. There wasn't a bunch
of Welcome to the Nigga. No, I didn't hear all that.
You see what I'm saying like they didn't influence anything
past the day. They influenced the world. First of all,

(16:52):
you can't go no nowhere in the world without seeing
that W sign. Yes, I didn't argue that is that
not true? It's a cool that's influence. If you asked me,
everybody knows the slogan they found. The white knows that
slow they found the white. Everybody knows the slogan WU
tangers for the child. They don't everybody know that. Everybody
knows who ODB, they know everybody knows who the Rizard is.

(17:14):
Everybody non stand right here they want want ODB, Like
who the fuck is that? They know more than the Rizza. Yes, yeah,
but they come from the same thing. Why do you
think anybody if od if if Rizzard was standing right here,
most of us would be like who know? You would

(17:36):
Oh my god, oh my god. Okay, let me get
this Charlot. So you gotta remember too, Not only does
the Rizard do music, he makes movies, he does all
all right, we might recognize in all times, might not
Rizzar from the movie or you either you're recognizing from
the movie or you're gonna be like, who is this
winding nigga dressed like on top of that, I think
we were recognizing. I was gonna play like that, recognize him, Yo,

(17:58):
Your niggas is lying, bro. You would recognize the Riz,
recognize ODB, you would recognize ghost Face as much you
got recognized Faces is my favorite member as he should be.
But I don't know if we recognize, we would. I mean,
he's in a row. You gotta know who that nigga is.
You're like, who's the nigga and the golden What I'm saying,

(18:19):
but this conversation but not cruise my point? Who went
and did that? Who nigga talk about? He didn't say
other group has come no, no, no, no, come out
this computer. Nine niggas, nine niggas. We know nine niggas.
You're on the show. You can't name me all nine niggas.
I can't go ahead the suck up, cut it out,

(18:47):
Ghost Face, ODB, you got Master Killer, uh Met the man,
Ye man, he's gonna get master Killer, not gonna you
forgot my masket. That motherfucker moucking that chus nigga. I was.

(19:09):
I was with ray Kua Nigga. I was talking just
like like why we got to buy the money. That's
the motherfucker, we got to buy the money. Nah, you
alder this to say, Yes, the most influenial. No, they're not,
he said more influent. Started, they're not more influential than

(19:35):
run DMC. Why let's talk about it. The niggas that
are influenced by Wouchang, listen to Wouchang. Motherfucker's influence by
run DMC might have not even heard of rap before,
but they see motherfuckers in the black leaves, the black leather,
the chunky Adidas, and they were like, oh, we fucking
with this. That's more lifestyle, right, that's the influential. You

(19:56):
passing off the ducers in the back. You don't know,
you don't know what this means. I don't know what
that means. Dave, Dave knows what that means, firt of all,
and you of all, you've never seen this. Well, go
out there, go out there, cannash and do that shit
right now. No, no, I bet you go there. I
bet you you go on Canna, You're gonna see somebody
with a answer some street yo fun fun fact. Shout

(20:25):
out to Popular Jewelry, which is right here, um for
season one, So all of us have grills, um, and
that's where we got our girls done a leaning into
the community. But the point, that's what though when you
go in there. The reason they're so popular is because
Inspected Deck was the first rapper in the group to
go there and get some jewelry. After that, he made

(20:46):
that ship. Inspected Deck is today another nigga that can
stand right here. You'd be like, what's up, Jones, this
is y'all really know what's wrong? All right, let's let's
get that thing. Got the right white person on the
side and the white people because if you ask white
people that love hip hop was the first. So you
currently listen to the what hip hop questions? Legis unless

(21:08):
would be right back after this break. All right, so
let's let's get back into the acting. I wanted to
talk more about your character on Wou Tang Power. Who
is Power Power? So Power is the executive producer, the
Wu Tang clan, um the money guy UH part of
UH so he runs the business. But besides that, him

(21:32):
and Divine are like the business guys behind Woutang and
Ris of course. But more than that, Power, Um, I
like to say he was the one that like really
helped give him their street crab. You know what I'm saying,
Like Power, you know what I'm saying, right, So Power,
you know he was he was, you know, one of
them dudes in the streets that was getting money like that.

(21:53):
And you know, you got all these casts coming from
staton aland doing shows in the Bronx Glenn, you know
what I'm saying. In the nineties, you know what I mean.
You you you you you you couldn't just show up
like that, you know what I'm saying. So you got
them coming in rolling deep and guess who's who's behind
all that? You got your man Peo Dub, you know

(22:15):
what I'm saying. So Power is the cat that he
knows people everywhere. He can't go nowhere without people knowing
who he is. Um. So that's also what what Power
does for the group too. And I and and the
crazy thing is like I've had the opportunity to like
see that in real life even until today, Like just
how that dynamic works with Power, with the Power and

(22:35):
how the group kind of like, um, uh work with him? Yes, yeah, um,
you met him. I talk to Power almost every day.
I hope he plays on a regular that's a legit question.
That's a legit question. Oh, it's the it's the markets,

(22:56):
look all right, me, Me and Power are really close.
Actually we talk all the time. Um. And that was
also just a great privilege in doing the show too,
because I was actually the last person to meet who
I was playing with any specific reason or just scheduling. Uh.

(23:17):
I would say it wasn't because of scheduling. He knew
what the funk I was I was on set, But
I think but in knowing Power and how he moved,
it made all the sense in the world, especially knowing
him now, it made all the sense in the world
that it took that long. He didn't we didn't meant
to like seven episodes in first season. Wow. And the
way it happened, you know, and the way he explained

(23:38):
it to me, He's like, Yo, you know, I had
to put a couple of kites out there, you know,
to make sure you know what I'm saying. He had
other people checked me before he came through you know,
you know saying I was saying, you see how that worked.
So when he finally when he finally hit me up,
I literally got a text like, YO, was good. I'm like,
who's this og power? I was like, oh shit. On

(24:00):
the phone. Our first conversation. We spoke for like three hours.
Why did you build the cow? How did It's? Two
part questions? How did you build the character power without
without having an opportunity to meeting him? And then do
you do you now? Knowing him and know on both
sides of it? Would you rather that? Would you rather not?

(24:20):
If you if you go on to play another real
life person, would you rather not meet them or meet
them before having to build that? And did he give
you any feedback? Like? Use just jumping on my question now?
Um so? Uh? First of all, first of all, you
know what he told me funny that y'all was talking

(24:41):
about Creed. What he told me he was He was like, yo,
like I wanted Michael Be to play me because him
and him and Michael B. Jordan they're cool too. He
knows him. Um So, the way it happened was so
when I was auditioning for I didn't know who power
was right. I just knew, you know, I was just
going off with with the material area was and for me,

(25:01):
i read the material, I was like, yeah, I know this.
I'm from New York, I could do this. So the
audition process was pretty smooth. Audition for it. I was
doing a play at the time, so I wasn't really
thinking about it like that. That's that's another thing too,
like you know, just something to tell actors out there,
like a lot of the time, like it would be

(25:21):
those roles that you know, we don't think about too much,
or like we're going audition for it and just kind
of like leave it alone. Those be the roles you
get for some reason. I don't know, like I guess
the energy you're bringing because nobody wants somebody that's desperate
or you know what I'm saying, because that kind of
energy you could read that. So every time like I
really want a role, I never fucking get this ship anyway.

(25:43):
So it's not that I didn't want this role, It's
just I just wasn't I wasn't harping on it that
so um I auditioned for it like a month later,
I got a callback. The callback was kind of odd,
and this was before twenty twenty. I had to do
a zoom at the office. But like, I'm doing the

(26:03):
audition to Rizzard in LA, but it was on the laptop.
It was mad weird. I was like, there's no way
this before you know what I'm saying, I'm exactly or
you know, come to New York. But um so I'm like, okay,
there's no way this is gonna translate through the computer screen, right,

(26:25):
um behold it did. I did the audition literally forty
five minutes later. My agent called me, was like, Yo,
they want to test you. I've never gotten a phone
call that fast. And I remember like when I got there,
I was like, yeah, I probably I think I'm gonna
get this role because just I don't know, like just
the energy around it just felt right. Um. Even when

(26:46):
I did the screen test, it was smooth, man Like.
I just literally went in, did it, and I was out.
I was in. I was doing a play. So I
literally flew to LA for twenty four hours and to
go back to New York and continue doing the play.
Um So when I got the role, that's when I
looked up who Power was because I was like, I
don't want to I don't want to get in my head. Um.

(27:06):
He also just doesn't have that much interviews like that.
He's not He's not that kind of dude. Um So
when I when I first saw an interview and I
first heard him speak, I never heard him speak nothing.
So when I watched that, I was like, oh shit,
I think I know why they cast me as I
get it. You can see it. It was just we
just had like a similar energy, a similar vibe, right.

(27:30):
Um So, seven episodes in first of all, when we
all started filming, we were all like yo, like yo,
what we you know, doing it right? And you know
what I'm saying, like we want to give it justice.
Um So, by seven episodes, it was just kind of like, look,
this is just this is what this is what I'm
bringing to it. Um. Rizzle wasn't saying anything, you know

(27:50):
what I mean. Nobody was like, Nah, that ain't it.
You know what I'm saying. Like I remember, like method
Manhat came on set one time. He's like, Yo, you're
doing a good job, but like I want you to
show the funny side the power da. I was like, okay,
can I meet the nigga? I want him, you know,
what I'm saying, Like I'm talking to Rizzard, like, yo,
one of them gonna meet power. All right, we're gonna
set it up. Were gonna set it up. But I

(28:10):
knew I also fucked my god. I said, there's probably
a reason why it's taking so long. You know what
I'm saying, Because everybody else came like, yo, I met goals.
So he was like, yo, I met goals, and everybody
met their people's even Zolie, who plays his sister. She
met the family. And I'm like, yo, how y'all where's saying?
So the way it kind of all came together, it's

(28:33):
beautiful because once we met, we were locked in. Man,
we were locked in. Um. He called me. I was
on set. We had to stop filming for a little
bit because it was raining crazy. We was in Staten Island. UM,
so he called me. We spoke on the phone for
three hours. It was lunchtime. I get a knock on
my trailer from the PA, like, yo, you got a visitor.

(28:54):
A visitor fuck coming to Stanton. Isn't on set next
to you know? He peeps his head around. He said, Yo,
what up? I said, oh shit, wow, oh my god.
It was like I met my dad for the first time,
something real, like oh who ship? So he gave it
to the trailer and him and Rizzle was there and
we just chopped it up again, just like we was

(29:14):
just on the phone. We just like chopped it up.
I said, Yo, like you know, like I hope I'm
doing it justice. I don't know. He's say, Yo, it's
all good. It's whatever. He likes to say that, it's whatever. Whatever,
you know, whatever, whatever. Um but just even in that
little moment of him like being in my trailer and
talking to me. I'm really big on details as an actor.

(29:34):
I think that's really important, making your work specific. Um So,
I'm just like just looking at certain mannerisms. Anybody that
knows power knows that he's always doing this when he's talking.
He always swatting. Nah. It's like, yo, son, let me
tell you something. Uh. And I'm like, dude, that ship
all the time, Like yeah that I watched yesterday with
you and divine you like you see what I'm saying.

(29:56):
Just little just little shit, this little shit like that.
And um So I remember taking in that and like
I literally had to do a scene right after that.
Um So, I was like doing I was kind of
doing it a lot, right. His director was like, yo, yo,
chill with it. Shout out to Chris Robinson's he um
shot directed shot the fucking Chris Robinson. Yeah he's okay,

(30:17):
um HTL favorite fucking movie. Okay, thank you very much.
So um Yeah, he's like, yo yo, chill with that.
So it was just it was just kind of like
just finding what that rhythm is, you know what I'm saying.
And then before season two, pandemic hit um. But that's
when me and Power really got close. You know what
I'm saying. Nothing was happening, you know, it was just

(30:37):
on the phone. We was on the phone literally every day.
Every day. We was just talking and it wouldn't even
be about wootang shit. We just be chopping it up.
He's the reason I live in Jersey. Now, let me
let me ask you to obviously you know, or I
don't know. Obviously, I'm asking, um, do you or you
are the cash member of you guys paying attention to

(30:58):
award season? We feel some kind of way about the awards.
Come on, talk about it. They're not nominant, not even
not even NAACP. Really, y'all, well, you can't get an up,
don't get no nublea CP, not even a BT. They're
not fucking with us for some odd reason. And I

(31:20):
think it's really fucked up. I'm gonna say it. I
think it's really fucked up. Because also too, you don't
get a show like this every day. You got nine
black men and stars of a show, Yeah, telling an
important story about the Wu Tang clan, the most influential
hip hop group of all time. You understand what I'm saying.
I can't we get I can't wait for that run
DMC kind of recognition because even how we do our show,

(31:44):
it's not it's not we're telling the story, but even
how we tell this very creative. It's nectially this season
we took Marrist this definitely, we went we it was
the last season, so we was like, yea, we were
doing that. Od B was a action hero and shit exactly.
So it's like, really, y'all like y'all just gonna just breathe.
So not. I want to make sure we're nothing, not

(32:08):
for any season. Nothing. We've been they submit us. We've
we've been submitted. I've been submitted for like Best Supporting
Actor and all this other shit and nothing. Yeah, ACP,
I gotta do something about that, because that's whacks fuck.
I'm just saying, well ship, you know, I'm saying, not
even an invite. Oh y'all, I got Snowfall. I love Snowfall.

(32:30):
That's no shade on Snowfall. But we're on the same network.
And really, Okay, I say, do you think it's a networking?
I don't know what it is. I don't know what
it is. Um, I have a theory, but I'll say,
what's the theory? Ain't nobody listen to me? So silly?

(32:56):
I'm gonna just leave that there. Okay, y'all had three seasons,
and y'all let it. I honestly think, let me. Did
y'all know before you find Yeah, knew it was always
gonna be three seasons? No, we didn't know. I'm upset
about that. Yeah. Um So, I honestly feel like our
show is gonna be one of them shows In like
a year or two, You're gonna see one of them
articles one of the best shows that was like slipped on. Yeah. Yeah,

(33:20):
it's gonna happen. I promise you that, because people are
gonna go back and I'm like, oh shit, this is
no awards. It's fucking crazy. On top of that, too,
you have a you got a show with like all
these new faces, and like you got all this justly.
That's probably the main reason. That's the main reason it
can't be. No, I feel like it shouldn't be. But
I feel like that's it. I like that's all the more.

(33:42):
Don't like Snowfall show? You know, there's no if if
we're being honest, they probably they have more heavy heaters
on uh on Wooting than they have on Snowfall. If
you're just talking about entering into this and this is
no knock to Snowfall. I love that. I love. I'm
just saying, like, if you if you got ye like,

(34:02):
it can't be. Can't you got damnson ere? You got
mean Joseph? Yeah, him mean Joseph. He's a good ass actor. Man, Yo,
you know how good you got to make people think
you're tallow? No? No, no, no, I don't know. Alright, alright,
yo're talking about your relationship with power. Let's talk about

(34:24):
your relationship with working with fifty cent. How is that?
Oh shit, I haven't worked with fifty in a minute.
Um fifties cool man? Um? I don't know if a
lot of people know this, but like he's a jokes
that he's cracking jokes all the time, and he's a
really nice guy and he's very very professional, um, which
is very He's on time all the time. He's always

(34:44):
there because you know, people in his position, because the
last time he was late, he got shot. I'm just
playing now, I just like it was right there. I
say that because people in his position, you know, a
lot of the time or some of the time, tend
to abuse that, you know what I mean. The stars
everybody's here from me. He shows up as if he's
one of us. Man, you know what I'm saying. And um,

(35:05):
I think that's really commendable. Um. So yeah, shout out
to fifty. I really funk with fifty. Now. I know
you got I know we just spoke about you not
getting a lot of love during Award Team right now,
but you know, could we just talk about like the
fact that there is you, We have you. You guys
are on TV. We got the woutin series. We have
like we just said, we have Snowfall, but then we

(35:26):
also have Abvit and then we also have the Power
Cinematic Universe as I call it. It's like all these
like I'm just waiting for cane In to pop up
and being Math for like, motherfucker, you were fifteen, but
you know, like but you but in that you got
being Math, you got Raising Canean, you got power Boat,

(35:47):
you got uh the Joint with, you got Force with Tommy.
Like there's all these shows. There's a lot of black
faces on television telling a lot of black stories. Valley
pe Value, you got Pete Valley, you got Queen sugar
Bell are all these shows? Can you talk about what
it's like being amongst that right now? Like does it
feel well, obviously you weren't there, but does it feel

(36:10):
kind of how you would think it felt for um,
you know the late nineties when you know you had
Omar Reps and Tay Diggs and Morris chestnut Ins and
I Lathan and LaVerne's taking all these films being green
let and going out. Honestly, I'm gonna be real, Um,
I think I'm gonna piggy back to the whole um
not getting recognized from from a war season. Um, it's

(36:33):
great being in a part of that and this this
new era of like you know, black actors coming up.
It's great, but I still feel like they sleep on
Woutang many. I still feel like still a little slept
on amongst You know what I'm saying because from from
all these shows that you mentioned that I watched them.

(36:55):
On top of that, I've met actors that are on
these shows. I know some of the actors that are
on these shows, and it's like I'm like, yeah, you
know from Mutang Oh, I ain't watch that yet though,
like you know, yeah, yeah, why you were playing? Like
why are you playing? You don't I'm saying that for
an actor well, because I don't know if it's because
like niggas don't got Hulu like that, because it's like
I can't tell you how anything like yo, so I

(37:16):
gotta get that Hulu. I don't got Hulu or you
know what I'm saying, you don't got it. I got
Hulu Live actually and Hulu Live. No. Ads, don't play
with me, okay, don't play with me interruptions when I'm
watching Hutang next scene, Thank you very much. Just go
to the next scene, thank you very much. Um. It's
I still feel like we slept on a little bit.

(37:38):
I don't know what it is. I don't know what
it's because it's a biopic. Well I don't know, I
don't know. I'm just ask everything else we talked about
aren't biopics. Honestly, like imaginings new, completely new things, like
something like p Valley, you gotta reimagine it, like bel
Air m power Is. It's because time, so p opera,
like every add it's a comedy. So think about it.

(38:01):
So think about think about who the Woutane Clan was. Nine. Um,
you got nine men black men, alpha men that came
together to create a group because they're all dope individually.
They don't have to be in the group. They could.
Don't do that. Don't do that. They're all dope individual
don't do that. Just going where I'm going with it.

(38:23):
I'm gonna because let's go come with it. So you
got you got that kind of group coming in like
that was a force. That was a sight to see
it and that was influential. So so literally the same
thing applies with the castes. It's the same thing. It's
got nine black man, yes, alpha men, all of us

(38:45):
are dope individually that came together to create this show.
For some reason, I feel like it's a lot for people.
I feel like for some reason, it's like, oh, we're
not trying to celebrate about this. Do you do they
feel like this is how it much for them when
they were first getting on. No, I haven't spoken a
riz about it. I've spoken the power about it. Does
he feel like that, like was it rough for them

(39:06):
getting on? Because it was so many people. I'm just
trying to wrap my head around why I don't. I don't,
I don't, I don't know. I don't think well that
you know, the music business is different from TV and film, Yeah,
you know what I'm saying. So I think maybe in
the music business that there was probably some differences and
like they probably had more leeway in terms of that,

(39:29):
especially during the nineties. Sum but I feel like now
in the TV and film world, when you got something
like this, it's it's different, and um it's unfortunate because
I think even as a show it's influential, you know
What's what I'm saying. Um, So, yeah, as I said,

(39:49):
I think in a year or two, you're gonna see
one of them little articles like yo, you know he
slept on. Well, it's just we're talking about people getting snubbed.
The Oscars was last night. Okay, The Woman King in
Violin Davis. They didn't get They didn't get no love that.
I haven't seen that movie too. I haven't seen it.
And you got the nerve to be a with fucking motherfuckers.

(40:10):
Ain't got no Hulu. I've seen Woman Came three times.
I seen it twice. I've never seen it twice. King,
you didn't see it either. Yeah, I'm putting that on
A black man did not go see you The Woman King.
You want to let ya know that. I figger that
black man wouldn't want to go see first a movie
that I went to a screen your daughter, I went

(40:32):
to know what the kids. I went to the screen.
I went to screen in the first one and I said,
oh no, no, I got paid my money go see this.
And I went seeing Get and stayed up the whole
time both times. Things it's just kind of long long,
yeahs like two plus. It goes by so fast. I
love that movie. I didn't go by that fast. I
gotta check it out and it was like, too, I
ain't gonna like it really is the Woman. There's like
two niggas in the movie. It was my first nine

(40:58):
seeing a movie that wild women to be. I'm gonna
tell you the fire thing. I don't know if if
nobody knows this order women today own stunts. Viola Davis
at fifty plus her own stunts. She bodied that she like,
I gotta check it out. You gotta see that. Also
talking about um snubs Till Ended starred Danielle Deadwiller. Um,

(41:20):
they were not nominated till which I knew that was
gonna happen. I knew that was gonna happen. Um. Uh.
First of all, I was I was up for that film.
I was almost in that but it's a great film.
I haven't seen it yet, but I read the scribe.
I read the scrap, I read a script. I know that.

(41:41):
This is my only thing. I knew the movie wasn't
getting nominated. The movie did not deserve to get nominated,
but Danielle Deadwiller deserved re nomination for her for her
role as Mammy. Uh till she she killed that ship.
And I'm telling you that somebody who I paid my
money went to Magic Johnson Theater seeing it was like
Magic john Well one one one. It was the only

(42:03):
theater shown it in New York, Matt Johnson Theater the
only theater. Well no, no, let me say it was.
It was a weird release schedule, so it was released
like two weeks early in the Magic Johnson Theater and
then the national release happened. But no, I thought it
was fire. But also, shout out to that director. I

(42:24):
think she's really dope. I definitely want to work with
her at some point. She's really dope. I ain't gonna lie.
That girl was so good at acting, Danielle dead Wiles,
she was so good at acting, made everybody else seem
like it was a dress rehearsal. And shout out to
my homegirl. Marcy. Marcy was the costume design, Marcy Rogers.
She was Yeah, I love Marcy. She was the costume
Big Chicago energy over there um and Jordan Peel's nope, nope,

(42:46):
wasn't now And I'm super surprised about that because it's
Jordan Peel. I definitely thought he was gonna get nominated.
So I haven't seen that too. So what do you do?
You just ask? I don't. I don't watch a lot
of teams I watched. I just watch certain ship. I
watch a lot of YouTube. That's mostly what I'll be watching.
What are you watch on YouTube. I'm a geek. I

(43:07):
like tech shit, you know what I'm saying. Like I
watched you know, like phone reviews, computer reviews, you're watching
overviews movies. Yeah, okay, yeah, listen. Well, because you're good
at your job. So what you gotta keep doing? You
gotta think about this is that's my world. I'm in
it like I'm just that's just constantly what my world is.
So I need an escape, you know what I'm saying.

(43:28):
So are you able to watch movies in television without
that critical I like, I see that I can't because
one I know, I mean, like nine times out of
tend if I'm watching something, I know somebody in it
um um. And I'm an actor, so of course I'm
always looking at the acting. And if I don't like
the acting, I'm not gonna Yeah, go on, you see

(43:51):
a bad host, You're gonna be pissed. If I go
and I hear a bad DJ and be bothered, I'm
be complaining. I'm gonna tell you what bothers mean by
acting when they do the over the shoulder shot and
the motherfucker ain't doing the same shit that he was
just doing. When the cameras on them, so mother like motherfucker.
But then the over should shot be like motherfucker, like
come one, motherfucker was right there, put your hands in there.

(44:12):
But you saw right. I've seen I've seen all these
films and all these films we're talking about, I've seen
them all. You think Noe deserved to win. I don't
think it deserved. I don't know if it deserved to win.
It deserved to be nominated. It's Nope, wasn't that good? Nope,
it wasn't that. It wasn't good. So all right, here
goes the thing I like, Keke Palmer. Ke Palmer killed.

(44:33):
Keke Palmer killed. The problem I think people are having
with Note is most of the problem they have with
Jordan Peeler. They're always trying to figure it out. He
doesn't make films that you can figure out. But that
one was that that one, I don't even think it
was more. I don't think it was more like the
first his other one. I understood Nope. I understood Nope
more than I understood Nope, a lot easier than us

(44:56):
like yeah, in which I loved you, we don't once again,
and just because we're black and we're taking these chances.
Don't mean that we have to like relegate them as
good just because they're happening. We can celebrate that they're
happening and also be critical. Yeah, did you understand about
as a as a film as a horror I went
and seeing it without trying to figure out what this means,

(45:17):
and I went and seeing it. They said it was
a horror film. I went and acceptected a horror film.
I gotta I got an abstract horror film, the same
that you would have got on you know, The Ring
or something like that. Right, you got an abstract horror film.
That's what it was for me. And it was good.
The acting was good. Daniel Khaluya and Kekey Palmer killed
like there's nothing Keke Palmer in a role like that,

(45:39):
she killed? I thought Jordan film movies usually have a
takeaway though, if you want to take something away, I
feel I don't think he I don't know if he
went in there and he's always like I'm gonna bury
this underneath. Yeah, because I didn't see the trailer before going,
so I went with the open mind. But midway through,
I'm like, what am I watching? Motherfucker is dying dude,

(46:00):
can you understand by the end why it's called nope? Oh,
you understood by the middle of the film, Wi, it's
called nope. That was kind of like right on the nose. Yeah,
I saw a lot of like Nope was a nope
for a lot of That was one of my that
was racist. I don't know who wrote it, but it
was racist. I don't know who wrote it. He said,
he said to write wrote it. I just I'm gonna
say that was no I said. I see, I'm talking

(46:20):
about like Twitter. It's still racist. I know who wrote
it as racist, but like I said, I don't know.
I don't. I want to act, but I'm not an
actor as of so I don't go try and critique
everything because I think you just lose, right, you just lose. Um. Well,
I'm not critiquing the acting. I'm just critiquing like the
overall story of how I'm digesting and processing things. Well,

(46:43):
maybe you should get a Thomas what so you could
digest it easier. Sorry, I'm not as old as you don't.
Moving on, let's talk about but let's re enact the
scene shed rainer. Let's re enact the scene action. Yeah,

(47:05):
let's talk about Abbat though. Love Abbott. I got a
friend on there, Raffetti, the white guy, Jacob. Yeah, we
went to school together, high school, college purchase. Shout out
to per We were both in the acting program. That's fire,
that's fine, he's AFTTI he is he has always been.
Christ Boffetti is one of the funniest people. I don't

(47:25):
feel like he's acted in my life. I don't feel
like he's I think that's his actual characters. The funny
motherfucker like that. That that first of all, the whole
cast does a really good job of seeming aloof and
like like Sherley Ralph, who is like the most on
it person I've ever witnessed in life. She does the
entire cast act like they don't know their bullshit. My

(47:45):
favorite characters the janitor, he's yo, he's so fucking and
the principal. Now, oh, she's fun she's good, special, she's you,
she has a special. I think I will find her
special and paid. She's on she's very very funny. Yes,
like Janine is funny. Gregory's funny, like Vince Staples. He's

(48:09):
on the show now, Yes, the season I haven't seen.
He plays Janine's loving. Yeah, right, you don't watch I
do like Vince Staple as a rapper, though I love
him as a rapper. He's dope. I love him as
a rappers shout to now and now they'll put me
on ven stables. Um you did? I give you a credit?
This album was really good. Yeah, the Ramona that's of
my favorite. That's my favorite album of last year. That
was in my top ten. That's my favorite rap album

(48:31):
from rap. That was my favorite rap rap rapping, my
favorite rap album last year. Like that nigga, he's fat,
and I'd be and I'd be saying his line. I'd
be saying that line walks Fly is my ship. That's
still on my daily Players, and I'd be stealing his line.
I say it all the time. But somebody bothered me.
I said, I said, I said, don't hit that bullshit Sharif.

(48:52):
This album before that was fired too, the Vince the
Self title joint. I got to check that out, so
I didn't. So I'm weird. I tell now this all
the time. I'm weird. Wherever I discover artists, that's where
I start. I don't ever go because I don't never
want to be the supplied. No, I feel I do
the same thing. But if everyone keeps telling me the
same thing. His last album, but trust, I'm gonna out.
But yeah, shout out to you now putting me on

(49:14):
that um. But yeah, I love Abbott Elementary. I love
the love it's getting. I have it for known as well.
Reggie Conquest, Um, he plays the lunch guy. He plays
the lunch guy on the UM we haven't No, he
don't see the one in two he plays the lunch guy. Oh,
Reggie from Insecure, he does and he's a stand up. Yeah.

(49:36):
He also was in screen for five seconds. Guy no,
the dark sing guy. He's a writer. He's writer on
the Michael Chase, Michael Chase. Yeah, shout the Reggie Conquest.
But yeah, I love I love that show. I love Abbott.
I think it's once again black people being able to

(49:58):
live and fucking comedy. That show was out of here, Abbott.
They're going five plus seasons easily. They let them have.
They're the new there. I feel like they're replacing what
black Ish was for ABC. I think they're if I'm
being honest, I think they're surpassing it. No, Yeah, they're
definitely surpassing it. But like, I don't know what I'm saying.
What black Is was. I don't even think it's touching

(50:20):
what Abbot is like because Abbot had that. I tell
people a time, when you do it right, that mocumentary ship,
that mocumentary ship, it lives forever. Black Ish lives in
the moment, right like we remember these bits from the moment,
These mocumentary ships are gonna live or ever. That's fair.

(50:40):
You're now listening to the what hip I've questioned legend
to listen will be right back after the break. It's comedy,
something you have interest in getting in, like getting into
more comedic roles. Yeah, I'd love to do some comedy.
We see you got it that if y'all watch him
in that that ship was funny as shit. That that
last episode when you ODB episode, it was funny as shit.

(51:02):
A lot of people would tell they're like, Yo, you
need to do something. I got some And when y'all
just playing around and joking, y'all have y'all all have
very good timing. It was so Yeah, I can see
you doing some comedy shit for real. Well, you could
play Marvin Gay Yo. My home girl sent me some
shit last night. Of a song. I just dude, trying
to be Marvin Gay. I text, I said, Nah, it's like,

(51:26):
because you know you got some singers. I'm hearing these
singers these days trying to sound like Marvin Gay, Scott
trying to sound like You're never gonna be Marvin Gay.
Marvin Gay was a one of one. Yes, sir, you
know what I'm saying. It's a different if like you're
influenced by Marvin Gay. I'd rather an artist remind me
of Marvin Gay as opposed to like, oh, this nigga
is just like, stop trying to just be like Marvin Gay.

(51:48):
It's not gonna happen. Tell these motherfucker I'm gonna just
put that. And this was the RBL. Do you watch Bellair? Watch? Okay? God,
so nerve it's about because it's bell Air show. Bellair
is such a classic. Man did a good job. I
knew we were gonna be okay. And they didn't name it.

(52:09):
When they just named it Belly, I knew he was
gonna be okay. Honestly, I know I sound like Lebron,
but I really if they would have called the first
friend time, I'm like, yeah, you're saying when you set
yourself apart. You gotta call if it's a reimagining something,
you cannot call it the same. It's the it's the best.
To me, it was. It's the best like reimagining of
a show I've ever seen. I don't know if we've

(52:30):
ever seen a full reimagining before, Like sometimes I see
we do. Okay, we're gonna call it the same thing.
It's the same storyline, but we got new characters and
we got the old characters to lean on. They were
completely different. They did it was Saved by the Bell.
I never watched it Saved by the Bell so well,
just had like two seasons or something. I didn't watch.
You see you don't even know. I think it was

(52:51):
on Peacock two. Actually well, but still brought back Save
by the Bell. They've done it. Which one. That ship
was good, But that's not to reimagine. Watch that. That
ninety show is good. Yeah, I'm telling you, watch that ship.
It's good. That is a imagine it. It's a no,
it's not it is it's it got the same characters
from that seven or that's not a reimagine it, that's

(53:12):
a continuation. That's it's the same imagining. No, it's the
listen far bear for me to argue with a fucking actor.
But I'm just saying to me, if I reimagine something,
I tell the story completely different. Don't use any of
the same. I'm there it will Will Bella is completely
different from Fresh Prince of Bella one. It's not a

(53:32):
comedy too. Yes, that that same character character. No, it's
the same premise. It's not the same saying. I'm saying that.
I'm saying the actors that maybe I should have said
that I used the same Are the same words? Are
the wrong words? The actors brought back some of the
actors to play different role, but they're still there. But

(53:54):
you're not leaning on them. It's the same that ninety
show is leaning right. Nonetheless, is good. They did a
good job, A damn good job needed to be done.
We don't have it on hair got Carlton as a crackhead.
I love that. I fucking hated Carlton. I hated it
as acting is really good. The board, there's no like
weak link on that. There's one. There's one. There's only

(54:16):
one weak link. Shoe game, who the shoe game, sneakers?
The kick game is garbage, really really. I mean they
had fresh, they had Will Warning the Fresh Prince of
bel At fives. I said, those are the worst fives
ever released. Brother and Will. I'm just no, you gotta
talk about that shit. Because if it was one thing
that Martin, the Fresh Prince of belt Layer and the

(54:40):
Wayne's Brothers was all known for fire feats fire, the
feature was fire feature garbage. Okay. I didn't even pay
attention to it, honestly. And there was just one scene
where Will was going off for a layup and then
they cut seeing it was it turned to a wind
mill dunk. So what is this? Nig was going for
a love hair layer cut scene? I said, get the

(55:02):
funk out of here. Who gotta take on footstep? What's
the what's the I know nobody want to. I want
to know what's the cooch you like for off Broadway
compared to on Broadway. It's the same that I want
because because I've seen, because last year I caught myself
getting real artsy, hold on, hold on, catch myself up

(55:30):
real nigga jumped out of here. It's the same. I
got these bitches the same way. Bitches be lining the
Oh my god, if anybody's been to a Broadway play.
I just went and seen, Um what did I see?
I've seen them. There's something murders Higher State murders really good?
Who which which one of the day? Uh? I don't know? Okay,

(55:53):
you know, ain't you went to purchase as well? Ohio
State murders. There's only one guy, so it had to
be him. There's only one black guy. Okay, Brett Diggs,
that's his name. I want to see Ohio State murdered
last year. And I've seen the opening night of Top
Dog on the Dog And when I tell you, yeah,
when you leave, those shits, motherfucker's out there clamor And

(56:17):
I said, oh, this is what the fire hobbis felt like.
Is it the same thing with the off Broadway play?
Are they still clamoring when you come outside and they're like,
oh my god, you just the same thing? It's the
same thing, because I mean, first of all, off Broadway
is obviously depending on what theater you're at, like a theater,
like the signature, it's basically on a similar caliber as
if you're doing a Broadway play. Um, I prefer seeing

(56:40):
Off Broadway plays then Broadway plays personally, just because you
know Broadway is typically more commercial. Um, so I think
you see the best stuff off Broadway also, But I
don't know. I feel like New York has been kind
of wonky lately with the plays. I haven't seen anything
really good. Um, I'm trying to be because you didn't

(57:01):
go see the let's talk about I'm trying to produce
these other player. Let's talk about your play. But you
actually sent it to Charlomagne. I met Charlomagne a couple
of months on the White Point at y'all know the Nigga.
I met him a couple of weeks ago, I mean
not weeks ago, months ago. I was at a uh
something for his show. It was like it was like

(57:22):
a for your consideration, okay, um, I'm a voter for
the Emmy. So I went to that and I met him.
I had a conversation with him. Erica Alexander, who who tank?
She kind of like, oh, because she does? She did?
Does she just want something that she just want to
aby Abby and she's on She's but and that's what

(57:42):
I'm saying. She just want something for that for she
just want something that shout out to Eric. It was
for the it was for the it was for the
other thing on um I just look it up on Amazon.
I know it's one of those things. Well. Shout out
to Erica because she like kind of finessed the play.
Um so, because she knew she knew about this player.
I was for a while. I mean, he'll probably be
on your side because now that he heard that you like,

(58:04):
so this is what happened. Um I was like, yeah,
I'm gonna be at this thing that She's like, Oh,
I'm gonna text him. So she sent the text. I
met him, we talked, I explained to him what the
play was about. He gave me his info. I sent
them to play. Never heard from him ever again. Might
go through that two check and I heard I heard
through the grapevine. Oh he don't answer the text messages.
But if Charlom Maney, if you're listening to this, go

(58:27):
through that email and read that play. I think, Marcus,
I'm gonna be something you will fuck Marcus. I'm gonna
tell you called spades, and I think this is gonna
be right up your alley. I know that you're you
know your your hands are in the media and you're
doing all but I think you would be really great
in the theater space too, Marcus telling telling our story. Marcus,
I'm tating now you don't. Let's just got that shit out. Well,

(58:51):
you're gonna see him tomorrow if you're doing that arc
pass the arc shit like yo, you remember Marcus, he's
on the wood man. She ain't gonna say it. I'm
supposed to be helping me out. I'm trying to. I'm
trying to help you. See you see what I'm saying.
I'm telling me what's not gonna happen. I would definitely
make mentions to it tomorrow though, because we're actually going
to play tomorrow night. You see that some bullshit. You

(59:13):
see that you nobody told me about no mother And
he played spades. I know he played spades. Yeah, he's
trash though, you know he's trying. He from Monk's Corner.
They don't play spaces. They drink. They drink and hump
on people. They drink and hump on people on Monk's Corner.
They don't not play no fucking cards. So basically, fucking kids,
this is nothing to dude. They just hump on each other.

(59:33):
This is my whole um, but mission in trying to
produce it because it's like I don't want to just
produce it to produce it. I'm also trying to influence another. Um,
just a movement in terms of how we tell our
stories and what stories we're telling to whom. UM, Because
I feel like in the theater space right now, a

(59:54):
lot of these theater companies, you know, they're predominantly um
ran by white folks, and the stories that they're telling
to me appeal like appeal to like the trauma and
all this what was me? Shit, I'm not coming to
the theater looking and watch that. You know what I'm saying.
I want to. I want to, Yeah, I want to
see us on stage telling our stories. But I still

(01:00:17):
wanted to feel like this is for me, This is
this is a play that where we feel included. UM.
And I think and and my play is that. UM.
It's called Spades. It's about four friends that get together
on a Friday night in Harlem to play a game
of spades. Was was different starting with me, I don't know,

(01:00:38):
I help them talk about so you keep So look,
you got these four friends that come together and play
a game of spades. Right, three of them are close.
One friend she's like the new person. She don't know
any of them except for the character Gil. Character named Corey.

(01:00:59):
She just her virginity to Andre three days prior to
Yeah no, this is just the premise, Okay, character named Corey,
She just lost her virginity to a character named Andre
three days prior to this game. They haven't spoken, they
haven't seen each other since, so this Spades night is
the first time they getting together since that went down.

(01:01:20):
So Gil inviting this other lady to the game, it
kind of shakes things up a little bit, on top
of having a space game going down, on top of
the fact that she don't know how to play. You
know how that go. We bring somebody new and they
don't know how to play that, You're like chaos, You like, yeah,
your new motherfucker to the spage table. They just had

(01:01:42):
checked the other night. Ain't nobody since they had checked
the other night? Right, and you got the weed going,
the liquor going. It's it's a wild Friday night. It's
just based on the which character you Andre. You ladies
keep giving them at Yo, The best stories come from

(01:02:04):
real life. Everything I write is usually based off of
real life. Actually have an idea for this talk to
you off, Okay, Each and every week we like to
answer a question on our podcast. And since we're talking
about TV and films, I want to know who would
you say is the best actor under fifty who? Let's
start YO. I met one of my favorite actors to

(01:02:27):
a week ago. He got me under fifty. Yeah, he's definitely,
I think, so he's definitely under fifty. He's British. I know,
I know, I know, I know. I know. First of all,
I don't not British. I know. It's the roles that
they played. There's a difference. You want them to go
play them, Harry Potter, roles don't take off. You want
them to play. I just think certain roles it's important

(01:02:50):
to really be from the place or be familiar with
the um the world of it UM. So that's a
whole other situation. But this actor, his name is a
mel Aman umm L A M E E N. Great actor.
He's fantastic and everything I've seen I see him in

(01:03:12):
UM and I met him at a party. I was
at the Easter Ray party a week and a half ago,
UM and I was walking around and I see this
dude and I'm one of those you know, I'm a
tough critic I'm gonna be honest. I'm I usually don't
like shit, but this guy is really good. Play He's
playing a lot of shit. Um him up. You see,

(01:03:36):
he's also a writer and a director. So his whole
career is something that I want to Yeah, it just made.
What's the second one before that, I will destroy you that?
He wasn't He wasn't. I may destroy you MICHAELA okay, hbo, Yeah,

(01:03:58):
he was in that. He's in a lot of stuff.
He just he's one of those actors that works a lot,
and you know his face because he just works a lot. Um.
But I just think he's really good. He's always um.
I just believe him all the time. I love it. Um.
And I really like Homie on Snowfall or I mean Joseph.
He just liked the name of me. He's good man

(01:04:20):
because I just watched last season. You haven't seen him
a real season, No, I haven't. I told you this
nigg is really good at acting. Because I believe Jerome
is fucking six foot five. The motherfucker's like, hey, I
met the motherfucker. I said, bitch with the rest of you.
He's a he's good on that show. He's really really good.
He's good, especially favor. He going out like a bitch,

(01:04:42):
going out like, don't give him nothing the way. I
haven't seen it. They can see nothing. I've just seen
the last year that season five, he go, he started
going out like a bitch season five. Yes, listen to Louis.
She is the fucking war I'm sorry. I love the show.
They fucked that lady. Her ex girlfriend warned Franklin for

(01:05:02):
he she they was in the club and what she
said to him. She said, oh, yeah, yeah, your aunt
Louis ain't tell you. I took real good care till
she bit their hand at Fetter and then what she did,
what she did to you? Remember that scene and what's
Louis doing now you brought it back. I really love
this shit. Yeah, I can't wait to watch the new season.
I like to wait till the whole season. I can't
wait for that Twitter you famous and also like the

(01:05:25):
things you're surrounded by. Yeah, I'm surrounded by. You might
have people around you with Decorman, Coop. They're like, oh,
you didn't watch it. We won't speak about it. No,
my timeline is talking through it. Yeah no, oh my god.
They just shot him in that bitch, let me watch
this shit right now. Oh you know who else is
one of my favorite actors? Uh, Journey small At She's

(01:05:46):
like my wow, like she's like the dream like I
want to work with her really really bad. Um she
was on the gout canceled that should not have gotten canceled.
Underground No that too, but um yeah, love Craft country Craft.
She's amazing that it was only for one season, was
supposed to go. It was hell the book one season.

(01:06:10):
There's only one love Craft book. No, Misha Green, who
created that show, got they gotta they got something else
coming in that same vein or just a whole new thing.
And I think Misha's directing it. But I'm thankful for
them introducing us to but to Jonathan Majors. To me,
Journey is she's one of those actors. So I like
actors that it's full house. I don't even remember her

(01:06:33):
that liked, what the fuck I'm seeing? Full house? But
like about right now right, but listen, I love actors
that give you what's not on the page. I call it.
I call it that juice. Yeah, library, what's that juice
or the juice? Meat? Um? She is full of juice

(01:06:53):
meat man she's she's she's just meat, juice meat, you
might text because if they flip that out getting canceled, Okay,
we're gonna keep it canceled. She gonna give you that
juice and keep it elaborating because I'm trying to have
It's something. It's a word we use. Trying to do here,
trying to do myself the media profess a word that

(01:07:14):
we use. The actors get you, but elaborate because you
used to say and they'd be like, I'm gonna tell
you what they gonna say. He go the headline Wou
Tang who lose Woo Tang star Marcus Calendar says Jr.
Nay smilet reduces her to juice meat. Yeah. Yeah, if

(01:07:35):
you thought you was but he thought you wasn't getting
the books. Now, bitch, you're going so they blocking you.
She gives that juice. Um, she gives that juice. She
gives what's not on the page? She's interesting. Um, but
when you say that, are you when you say, like
what's not on the page, or you mean like the
way she's moving the way As an actor, I could tell,

(01:07:56):
I could tell when the actor is giving you what's
not on the page? Got you slash because this is
just you can't sing, you just you can't direct that.
You just gotta have the juice. She got the juice, man,
she got the Jews. She's one of those actors that's
gonna make you a better actor. Well, I promise you
she's really good because I have never forgiven her for

(01:08:17):
that Tyler Perry movie. She was great. She walked no no,
And that's how you know she's fire, because she took
a movie no Shade to the movie bad about Neil.
No no no, no, no, no, no no no. Wait
which film are we talking about? The Tyler Perry one.
What was it called temptation? Temptation? What she cheated on
the husband? Again, I love that part of that. I

(01:08:38):
never forgave her for that. I was she was so good.
I said, that's a whole I said, gott but she
took but like that could have that role, could have
went a different direction. It definitely could have been. She
got the Jews. Yeah, she's she's gonna be good than anything.
You have not seen a tyl and I will, I will.
I feel fine saying this. We have not seen a

(01:08:59):
performing in the Tyler Perry play show movie that good
sense ever, and I don't think we ever will no
matter who you go. Now, I love Tarage. I was
just watching You Did Knock On Acrimony. I love that movie.
I love that movie favorite. Who's your favorite actor? Under?
Come on? You gott answer the question. I answer the question.
The last question is, well, that was one of the questions.

(01:09:21):
The last question is who do you think would be
like the new Denzel? I haven't seen one yet. I
hate that question. I haven't seen one yet, and I've
been seeing these articles about it. Now you're chasing a ghost.
Well and then you like you're chasing a fucking ghost.
Denzel was Denzel. And the thing about acting no, because

(01:09:42):
but you can do that. You can do that goes
back to what he said right then, tell us my
favorite the actor period thing. But he said, but you know,
we give the white man, gave us a christ. The
only show love to black men under fifty, because you
know over fifty put him out to pasture. That's what
that That's how they feel about us black man. That's
how they about his black man. No, I'm just saying

(01:10:04):
it goes back to what he just said. There's things
let's talk about, you know in Brest and peace being.
Let's talk about Kobe. Kobe said, I trained hours and
hours and hours until I had that Michael Jordan step back.
He will never have the hang time Jordan had. There's
a piece of Jordan's game that he can emulate, and
he did it better than anyone ever did. Right, you
can do that with sports, you can't, Like he just said,

(01:10:27):
the juice, you can't teach an actor an actor. You
can't because you know, let me, let me tell you
what Denzel give you that's not on the page. You
can't get that walk. I'm exactly exactly you said that walk. Right,
I'm gonna give you something very simple as to why
I don't think I haven't seen woman. I'm like, yeah,
he's the next as a something as simple as because

(01:10:49):
not only is Denzela fantastic, actor's fantastic, Like he's good
in everything because he's good at he So, my favorite
definition of acting is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. That's
what acting is. So the least you're the more you're acting,
the worst it is living truthfully under imaginary circumstances. So

(01:11:11):
what's your version of this truth? What's your version of
this tribe. Denzel is really good at that. Um, that's
why a lot of people, oh he's the same and everything. No, no, no, no,
he's just himself and he knows how to beat himself
in this imagine that every circumstances. Okay, so boom so.
But not only did we love Denzel because he's so great,
he also got that he had that swag. He's still got.

(01:11:32):
He got that swag that's just walking around, you know
what I'm saying. And I haven't seen it on I
haven't seen it yet, and a lot I don't know that.
I get excited. I get excited to the day. I
get excited when I see, Like I watched that fucking
Macbeth thing because Denzel was in it. I don't watch that.
I love Denzel, but that movie was born all right now.

(01:11:53):
I'm also not a fan of Shakespeare too. I think
Shakespeare is pretty boring too. Just saying, motherfucker, That's what
I'm saying. Man, it's like yo, like all that old
school book like yo, it's two thousand and twenty three.
I don't care if if if if if if if old.
Now is the time of I don't give a fuck

(01:12:14):
about that. You know what I'm saying. I understand. Look,
it's easy for me to say because I studied it.
I'm classically trained, so like, yeah, I know how to
do it. But so you was winning a little frilly
things to me like this, I just don't. I'm not
impressed by it, you know what I'm saying, Like, I
don't like everybody that knows me. I don't go see Shakespeare. Man,
I'm a fall asleep. I'm sorry, I'm a fall aspect.

(01:12:36):
I'm even if it's done well, I get it about
four or five times, but it's like nobody, I'm not
checking for that. It's not it's not what's interesting to me. Um,
I don't have an actor under fifty that I like,
excited to go see you no matter what they're in. Yeah,
I don't. It was just going off about was great.
That was me. Creed was amazing. I really enjoyed the movie.

(01:12:58):
Oh you know what, I take that? I fucking back.
I lied. There is one actor new or like it's
new to me that if I see he's in it,
I will go see it. I get excited and it's
Jonathan Majors. And I'm gonna tell you what solidified it
from me. I've never heard of him before Lovecraft and then, um,
I've seen the movie Last Man San Francisco, Last black

(01:13:21):
Man San Francisco. I wasn't really feeling it, but I
enjoyed his part in it. Yeah. Then Devotion born ass movie,
but he killed in it. Okay, I'm gonna tell you
what did it for me. A few weeks ago, aunt Man,
aunt Man, Quantum Mania, motherfucking the Marvel movies are Marvel movies.

(01:13:43):
All you kind of gotta do is get in there
and do your job as king. He carried the movie
every time Jonathan Majors was on film. It was important
and it made me and aunt Man is kind of
like the comic relief of these films, the ant Man
and u Thor. Theyre kind of like just vehicles to
get to the rest of the phase of the movie.

(01:14:03):
So you're a laugh through this. Guardians a Galaxy as well.
With this though him as a villain, that nigga was
talking like he was things. The nigga was talking real
big shit. The nigga really made me care, okay, And
I said, nah, he's he's him, He's him. And even

(01:14:24):
before that came out, the fucking one I seen him,
he wasn't Creed. Now, Maya, I'm already a Creed fan.
I am a fan of Creed, but when I seen
Jonathan Major's I said, I hope he will be his
fucking ass Michael B. Jordan black ass. Just so, I think,
I think Jonathan Majors it's gonna be the first Jonathan Majors.
I don't I'm not comparing him to Dedn't Sell by

(01:14:45):
any means, but I think Jonathan Majors is going to
be the first Jonathan Majors. He's my favorite actor of
the time, and he is somebody who I think will
go on and be I think we'll ask this question.
I gotta go see more theater. Then oh, there's like
that's where those what y'all y'all too, y'all y'all is
really good. I love y'all. Y'all will do all right. Now,

(01:15:07):
Thank you guys for tuning into another episode of the
What Hip Hop Questions, Legends and Lists. Sorry so cut hardy,
cume on, cut me on. I'll work for you amazing,
So make sure you guys tune in next week. We'll
be back again every Monday with another episode. Make sure
you like your subscribe, so next time be sorry. Don't
miss an episode of the What Hip Hop Questions, Legends

(01:15:28):
and list Listen and subscribe on the Black Effect Podcast Network,
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The What hip Hop Questions, Legends and Lists podcast is
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