July 25, 2022 • 44 mins
This week on The What?! TV writer Charles McBee (Hell of a Week and Tha God’s Honest Truth) joins Nyla and Mouse to talk the top 5 TV shows of all time! Find out where Martin, Fresh Prince and The Wire and more make the lists.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
What Up, guys, Welcome to the What hip Hop Questions Less.
I'm n liston and I'm the man who puts jockson
joxon position Mouse Jones. We are the one Hip Hop Questions,
Legends and Less and this week we're doing another list
top five best TV shows, our shows. This is the
show we farnk with. Yes, I mean, ain't no weird
less over here, yo, but Loki. I didn't want to
(00:23):
give a shout out too, because they're not on my
top five, but I'm watching currently and I really love
and Peaky Blinders though it's not it's so good. P
Valley shout out to um, what's her name? Gail be
who plays Wanda. She's killing so she's even killing ship. Well,
(00:44):
we're doing audible missions. That's not in our top We've
got your Snowfall as well. Oh yeah, Snowfall of course.
Um yeah, we're just gonna get into it. Man, good TV.
But we got we got ourselves a guest and you
know him a little bit better and I know, yes, well,
but now we have the head writer of One hell
of a Week on Comedy Central, Charles in the building.
(01:05):
I don't be seeing you working over there all you'd
be doing is sitting around, running around. That's what you're doing,
saying jokes. I love it, thank you, thank you very
but I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you
for having me, and you are you already know I'm
a big fan of you personally, and I'm a big
fan of the show. So congratulations. I appreciate that, and
I know I already worked with you in the other
(01:27):
capacity at One Hell of a Week, which was formerly
known as The God's Honest Truth. He tell us a
little bit about the name change. Well, basically, um, when
we know, when we first started the show, you know,
Sear really wanted to come out and really give his perspective.
But as the show went on, like you know, ship
just started hitting the fan as it always does in
(01:49):
the news cycle and stuff like that. So Shar felt
like instead of him just constantly only giving his po V,
he would like open it up to like other points
of view and other people coming in. So now it's
going to be more of a panel, it's going to
be more voices coming in and giving their perspective and
giving their p o V. And so it's just basically
going to become commenting on everything that's going on in
(02:12):
that week instead of just like one main topic. I
like that diversified. Yeah, I got diversified. I can dig it.
So um that being said, you guys last season closed,
that would have been I'm not saying you guys close
season with a crazy band. You guys had Kamala Harris
on and you know we had that epic moment. How
(02:34):
are you guys gonna you know, kick off this season
after such a phenomenal ending to the first season. I mean,
we're literally just going to continue that everything episode. We're
gonna have Kamala come back on, We're gonna have Joe
Bien come back on. We're just gonna piss them off
every each episode, just piss off another major political figure
(02:54):
until we get to Putin. Putin's gonna be season finale.
Oh my god, of that, I'm not gonna like, yeah,
we'll start war World War three and just get it popping. Basically,
what we wait not start War War three? We're here
to defuse the situation. Oh yeah, right, right, right, yeah, no, no,
you're right, No, you're right, you're right. We're trying to versify, y'all.
(03:15):
Try to get these numbers up. Come on, I gotta
I got rain is due, man, I feel you well.
I just want to say sidebar to working at one
hell of a week slash the guys on the truth
is that um growing up? Ironically because of today's topic,
but my favorite show was a different world, just like
the environment. You know, all the black people have made
(03:37):
you want to learn and made you just want to
try new things. And that's how I feel when I'm
on set with you guys, Like I literally feel like
I just walked into a different world. That's dope, man,
That's like the biggest compliment ever yet. And that's one
of my favorite TV shows that were two different world.
Can't beat that, man. You know that Dwayne coming down
the all yelling at really like I don't want to
(04:00):
marry me? Yeah that was crazy classic. Oh god, But
if I do it, it's toxic. Like if I rushed,
you know, rushed down on my ex girlfriend at her wedding,
didn't want to drag me out handcuffs. I don't understand
what the problem is. It depends how does it depends?
It depends on romantic when when it's on TV, but
in real life, does she love you back? I won't
(04:24):
know until I'm screaming at her at her wedding. We knew,
we all knew, we watched it. No, but okay, so Charles,
let's just get like dig deeper more into you and
who you are because you've worked on mad different shows.
Talk about it, correct, correct, a lot of different talent.
Let's talk about it. Hey, uh, you know my I
(04:45):
always say that I'm a stand up comedian masquerading as
a TV writer. Like it's just basically like everything goes
back to stand up. So like I moved here in
oh seven pursue comedy, and through stand up I was
able to get the opportunities, and some of those opportunities were,
you know, writing in different TV shows. And in fact,
(05:06):
the first show that I really got to properly right for.
I did a couple of things before this, but the
actual first writing gig as a writer was for Uncommon
Sense with Charlotte Magne. So it just all comes full circle.
I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And you know, Jesus
Merrow was on that show, and like a lot of
dolt people, Queen Crystal was on the area. A lot
(05:27):
of people broke on that show. A lot of people's
SHOWTS Andrew shows like, yeah, it was crazy, and that
was like my first real experience in a proper you know,
writer's room and on and on a TV show. So yeah,
it's uh, it's good times. It's been great ever since,
so I love it. Wow, that's awesome. So being that
you worked on common sence, you've seen from then to
(05:48):
now like Shultz is out of here. Even Jesus Merrow added, well,
now that out of here? Literally, how do you feel
about them breaking up? Man? Yo? Man, the food just
break up? You fat boys break up? And now it's
just like it's wild. No, I obviously don't know, you know,
(06:10):
any inside baseball on on what's going on. I'm sad
for them as a I'm sad for me as a fan,
but I'm sure that they are gonna kill it whatever
they do in their own individual endeavors. You know, hopefully
it's not anything that's too negative to where you know
that they can't Yeah, it can't be friends and homies
(06:31):
or whatnot. But yeah, it's a shock. I mean I
was just as shocked as everybody else. So it's crazy. Honestly,
I hope this is more of a break couples break
up and they'll be like now we're done. That's how
it is. Sometimes though, it's like you got people gotta
realize when you work together that long and your friends,
like a lot of times, you know, you just need
(06:51):
a little bit of space. Yeahing, you need a little
bit of space, you know, the steaks get highers of
the pressure, you know, to get get hiring, and sometimes
you just need that time to like take a break.
But like I said, hopefully you know it's not nothing
too too crazy. But I'm a fan, man, I'm a fan.
Send you guys, love love love. Shout to Julia Young
(07:14):
muscle writer on that show who probably has fine work.
Shout out to Julia, Shout out to Josh scandalman, Like,
I know a few people over there. Yeah, I'm sure
they were like wait what because that was that's one
of the ones where you're like, oh, that's gonna go
on for a long time. Yeah, that's some security. Like
some people brought got some mortgages off that show. That's
(07:37):
the TV. That's t that's TV. Are they a group?
And I mean, obviously I'm asking because I don't have
no connection to these dudes, um, but I'm asking, like
genuine do y'all think they are a group that can
break up. Like there's just certain groups are collectives where
you're like, oh, yeah, they work because they have each other.
Are they strong enough too? Are they Are they strong
(07:59):
enough to be able to you know, go on and
have at least forward facing, like uh, solo entities Like sure,
they could probably write or things that nature, But do
you think they have that where they can split and
there'll be like a Marrow show on a piece of show.
I think that we're so used to seeing them together
(08:20):
that at first it might be a little drawing to
see one of them, you know, go off on their own.
But I definitely think that individually they are talented enough
to to you know, pull that off, you know, whether
or not, you know, it all comes down to this business.
You know, anybody who's business business knows also that it's
not just talent, but it's also the team you have
around you. You know, people able to to you know,
(08:43):
create opportunities and things of that nature as well. And
then you know, the talent comes into play. But as
far as and I can't speak to the you know,
who they have around them, but as far as their
individual talent, yeah, I think they're dope. And I think
they definitely can be successful, similar to I mean people
said the same thing, you know, Key and p ill
or you know, other other duels, you know that kind
(09:04):
of when yeah, yeah, we want to do that thing.
It's just like what they're gonna do now, And then
you see them actually get into their bag, it's like, oh, okay,
you you don't really you're not able to see them
do things on their own until you actually see it,
you know what I'm saying. So, but just knowing them,
I think they're definitely talented enough to do it though.
(09:24):
But I love seeing them together though too. You know,
I'm a fan of them. So sometimes it is what
it is though sometimes like it's not even like a
personal thing. Sometimes you just you know, you might grow
apart and that's just what it is. And as even
though you might be fan of that certain thing it
you know, like Jay said, you like my old work,
buy my old albums, but you know they gotta people,
(09:46):
gotta grow and you just gotta respect it. Well, now
I'm a fan of you, Charles j Z quote and
uh everyday conversation special place in my heart work, Like
I think it's like show to bring up because like well,
obviously she's going through health complications whatever that means, but
(10:08):
nobody really expected it to end. Yeah, exactly. You just
don't know. You don't know in this business. So that's
why it's funny because I always get made fun of
because like in the offices, if you ever come around
my office or any workstation, Now, Matt, you don't see
no family photos, ain't no plants, ain't no like a
little decoration. Is none of that. Ship. I'm like, no,
(10:28):
this could go at any minute. I need to be
able to move. You literally don't. Yeah, yeah, you don't
have none of that exactly. People be having all kinds
of ship, just like deck down. I'm like, all right, okay, okay, No,
you ain't gonna catch me slipping. I'm ready to go
at any moment. That's funny. If you stay ready, you
(10:50):
gotta get ready. Yeah. But you know what I thought
was interesting about Wendy Williams show ending is that now
she's going to start a podcast exactly like I wasn't.
I'm not. First of all, it's back to where she
started anyway, like coming up in radio, Like she's the
queen of radio. So going back to this is just
like second nature to her. But also what's dope about
(11:12):
podcasts is like it takes the way that gatekeeper. You know,
television is still this place where you have gatekeepers that
tell you you're allowed to have a career or you're
not allowed to have a career, and you can literally
just be like, no, I'm about to do my own thing.
And if people mess with you like they messed with
Wendy Williams, then they're gonna come. They're gonna listen, and
they're going to actually hear from the source. And she
(11:34):
don't have to be managed and don't have to be
you know, no answer to anybody. So I think it's
gonna be big. It's gonna be huge. And now because
it's not TV, no filter, no filter anyway exactly, but
now it's yes, very impactful in radio that real quick.
(11:56):
Let me not let me not start no no, no,
no no, you're just starting out that. I'm just saying,
very impactful, very influential. I don't know about the Queen.
I wouldn't give her the Queen shout out. No disrespect
to Angie, don't disrespect to nobody else. I don't want
no smoke. Everybody's everybody's great cool, cool, cool, But now
and honestly though, me personally, I'm not a fan of
(12:19):
like gossip blogs and gossip like things. I know it
does well for ratings and stuff like that, but it's
just I'm not a I'm not a big fan of
it either. Especially the more I've been in this business
and I've kind of you know, you you get to
know actual people who are famous and things of that nature,
(12:41):
and you realize that they're real people. I think, and
how it affects them, how it affects them, right, even
how it affects me. Like when I was blogging. You know,
I had multiple jobs Jamaican Ship, but I had to
do gossip blogs at one point in my life and
it was so overwhelming, like I'm all turned about other
people's business and other people's lives. It really made me
(13:03):
And then you gotta think in a negative way, like
how can I flip this? It's like it's really, uh,
it's really kind of demeaning. It's demeaning. I used to
um y'all was like going through this phase. I was like, Oh,
I need to get my YouTube page popping. What do
I do? And I was like, Oh, I'm gonna just
comment I'm gonna just talk, you know, talk about celebrities
and stuff. And then I realized, like I really don't care.
(13:27):
I don't care, so I'm like, why am I doing this?
So I just stopped all that. Yeah, it's I'm not
I'm not really big into into the gossip, into like
you know, Tasha K's and that kind of stuff. Is
just like if I don't know, it's a lot. I
feel like these people are are human beings. And I
get that we you know, as as talent or the
entertainers or what we're not. You do sign up for
(13:48):
certain things, but I didn't sign up to be harassed
and for my family to be harassed and talked about
and light on and all that kind. Have you seen
Bill Burr's new comedy special. I started it and I
didn't get to finish it yet, um, but I look
forward to finishing. He's one of my favorites. Did you
get to the part where he talks about the w
n B a versus? I saw the I saw a
(14:09):
clip of him talking about the beginning bait, but I
haven't seen it yet. Okay, can And then we're getting
into black sitcoms. Bill burn, you weren't supposed to be
part of this conversation, but it was a great It
was a great watch. Um, so in it, he pretty
much says like your woman will support um all the
love and hip hops and stuff like that, but won't
support the w n B A like you guys to
(14:30):
rather watch women get dragged and trash on TV than
like support people that are actually working and putting out
something sounds like damn kind of made me feel away.
Um oh, I never really thought about it, honestly, but
I think that speaks to the point of, like what
we just naturally gravitate to as humans, you gotta make
a conscious effort to like, yeah, do better. We like
(14:52):
a train wreck. We just do we like we like
a good train wreck as human beings. Um. Yeah, and
you have to. But at the same time, like you
said talked about earlier, it's not just about watching somebody
else go through something, but it affects you too, Like
me watching constantly you know, people like go through you
just you know, crazy, having mental breakdowns and go through
(15:14):
all this trashic situations like affects my mental well being,
Like I don't. I don't need to see that all
the time. So yeah, you gotta control what you consume. Man,
you gotta control what's going in your mind and your
body and all of that. Agree, which, by the way,
my last year was then I'll get into it. Is
that episode that we did on the Seven Deadly Sins. Yeah,
(15:36):
talking about like how we feed our brain with social
media and like how social media feeds into sex, drugs
and all the things that are bad for us. It
is like, damn, that was one of my favorite episodes
last year. Yeah, yeah, you got you hear that, Emmies,
you hear that. That was one of the n't favorite episodes.
All Right, I learned a lot and I did. It
made me like, you know what, let me put my
(15:57):
phone down, because yeah, I gotta feed my mind strategically. Well,
when you when you realize though, that is not an
accident that you're addicted to your phone and too, you know,
social media they specifically do that on purpose. Like it's people.
There's people in a lab. There's people like figuring out
how to manipulate our minds and how to get us
(16:19):
addicted to social media and affect our mental well being
and our self esteem and like all of that dopamine,
like all of that stuff is formulated. It's not like
just happenstance that you need to check your notifications every
three seconds, like that's designed. They're programming us like literally
it's crazy, and honestly it's specially because Instagram is definitely
(16:40):
killing all my life. I used to get like seven thousand,
six thousand, not average like a thousands. You know what,
y'all ain't gonna stop my com exactly. You're going to
post my ship exactly? Are you doing better to me?
I get about twelve? You know what I'm saying? Twelve
like on average. All right, so today we're gonna be
talking best TV shows, whether it be sitcoms, you know,
(17:04):
stand ups. I guess that that would be good for you. Um,
and we're just gonna talk about top five. Let's piss
these people. Let's do it. So you currently listen to
the What Hip Hop Questions Legends and list will be
right back after this break. As you guys know, every
week we pose a question and we get to an answer,
(17:24):
and today ours is best or top five TV shows? Charles,
Since you're the guest, we're gonna start with you. What
would you say is your fourth and fifth favorite TV show?
Fourth and fifth favorite TV show. Um, all right, I'm
a preface this by saying I came up you know
watching cable TV. Uh is pre streaming YouTube all of
(17:48):
that for the kids out there. And when watching cable TV,
you can watch there were certain reruns that would just
happen all the time, and one of those reruns was
The Jeffersons. And if you've never seen the Effer since,
do yourself a favor and watch an episode of The Jeffersons.
First of all, shows back then were wild, Like the
(18:09):
ship they was allowed to say and get away with
was crazy, and they could just be raw and funny
and there was no political correctness and so being able
to see like comedic writers actually be able to just
get it go in and get it off was dope.
But particularly George Jefferson, the character is a big inspiration
to me because even though he was animated and wild
(18:32):
and said wild ship, he was a proud black man
that came up and got it out the mud. He
loved his black wife, he was proud of he took
care of his black mama, and it really through the
jokes in all the comedy, it really kind of inspired
me to like to be on my grown man, you know, inspirational,
get it out the mud type of ship. So yeah,
(18:54):
the Jefferson is definitely. Um after that, I'm gonna say,
different world, even though we talked to about it earlier.
Different world definitely, especially if you watch it again, if
you watch the reruns now you realize because I came
up watching as a kid, but watching it now, I realized,
like they dealt with a lot of different issues and
why you know, sexual assault, racism, politics, like everything under
(19:18):
the sun. And to see such a diverse group of
young black people, like really put that on the map
and let people know that we're not all the same,
like different types of different people. Yeah, single mom, nerds,
every geeks like all of that. So yeah, different world, Jeffers.
Since that's my four or five, Okay, all right, ma,
(19:42):
I supposed to go to you. You haven't heard from
you today. Let's say, all right, so bet um my
number five, it's gonna be New York Undercover. That was
you know, growing up in the nineties. You know, it's
a young growing up in the nineties. Um know, that
showed me a lot just from that aspect, Like my
(20:03):
mom worked a lot, so you know, Primetime TV, what's
that thing um as probably it is for the for
a lot of black kids that grew up at that time,
Like we grew up with my mother's working, so you know,
when she was home in New York undercovers on, I
knew me and mom was about to sit down and
we about to watch whatever the Tourette and Jacon got into.
(20:24):
Um Also, that was like a reinforcement of like our
culture because like, you go outside and you see hip hop,
but you don't You're not thinking that what I'm seeing
is hip hop. You're just like I'm in the hood.
I'm in the neighborhood. I'm I'm seeing whatever everybody's doing.
But then to see it on TV and not as
(20:44):
a documentary, not to see news cameras, but to see
it from a cinematic standpoint and see it embraced. That
was the first time hip hop was being used as
like betting music. You get what I'm saying and that
and like what Andre Horrell um and and that team
was a with Andre Herrell and Dick Wolfe was able
to do with hip hop music, introducing new songs, allowing
(21:09):
me and then I don't know about job, but I
thought Natalie's was a real place, and so I couldn't wait.
I couldn't wait to be an adult and go to Natalie's.
And then my dad was like, now it's not a
real place. Because I thought I was definitely gonna see
like Mary J. Blige perform. I'm going down like on
a on a random Thursday, and I hated Iced Tea,
(21:31):
that iced Tea because he killed j C's wife like
I hated him to this day. If I wasn't seeing
I'd be like, my boy, I don't care that everybody
knows you for SPU, I remember you that a tribal
person um number four. Number four is rough because I
(21:53):
feel like I have three to four shows in that spot.
But if I have to, if I have to hone
in on one, I'm going to say this is rough.
I'm gonna say Mosha, Oh that's a good one. I'm
gonna um a lot for the same reasons, just different perspective. Um.
(22:16):
I never when Mosha was out, there was no point
and there's no rhyme, more reason for me to. I
haven't even think about being in l A like I
hadn't been, I wouldn't you know when Mosha was on
to the time, it was off. I still hadn't been
been to l A until I was like eight, but
it showed me that different black people exist, but we
(22:38):
really do grow up the same. Um. I mean, and
I'm talking about the earlier seasons. I'm not talking about
the uh the last season, I don't know what the
hell was, But I'm talking about the earlier seasons when
Maria brock I killed and her team was smoking that
and like I said, you just see like over parenting,
(22:59):
you see uh mixed, You've seen I forgot what they were,
bladed family. You know, d wasn't really Miles and Mosha's mother,
but they was dead. You know. I typically I haven't
your spot on Mosha. Um so my my five is
New York and to cover my four in Mosha, Love
Love Love Mosha, Man Moe to the the Yeah, And honestly,
(23:25):
the best thing about these shows is the intro, the
theme music. Like nobody got a good intro nor more
except exactly. Yeah. It was pretty hard though. That song
was hard. Oh yeah, that's crazy. In the Jeffersons, Oh
that was a tough thing. I mean, one hell of
a Week's intro is pretty cool. I didn't hear you
now let's say that again. One hell of a Week intro.
(23:47):
I don't know if you heard it, but it's pretty
dope and by Nipsey Hustle, produced by Jetson. All right,
so my five. It's a little ratchet, but it definitely
impacted me as a kid watching it with my dad.
Is Flavor of Love. That was the first time I
had ever seen That's the first I've ever seen anything
(24:11):
like that on television. I gotta be honest. Now, I
was like the kid that grew up watching b ET morning,
neon and night. Like I used to watch a Different
World reruns when they came on at nine PM and
then would come on again at three am, new episode
for the new day that would come on again at
now that I'd still watch both episodes. But watching Flavor
I Love Yo, I did not see that coming yo
(24:34):
all the time, all time. That has impacted my life. Yes,
like me and my friends, it impacted you. But you
wanted to be on the show. No, I didn't want
to be on the show. But I was just so
like and awed by it that like I stold Flavor
I Love lingo like for for years I would say, wow,
(24:58):
you know what I mean? I was hope somebody would
get the reference. People get it. Who was your favorite girl? Um?
My favorite girl? Y Delicious New York wasn't my favorite?
I did like Delicious. I mean they're all entertaining, Pumpkin
like she said, they're all that entertaining, And I even
really like like, I was so invested into those um
(25:21):
reality shows that I ended up making like, well, me
and my friends we named people in our lives after
the people on the show. So that's how we were
like speaking cold like like you have to do that.
So if let's have fun. So if me, Charles and
back had to be Flavor of Love contestants, who would
(25:43):
you who would you refer to us as this? Okay? Um? Yeah? Who? Yeah?
Who would your favorite? The names to all the girls
right here? Yeah, what's the name? What's your chance? Oh? Wait,
am I basing it off for the girl? No, you
gotta know, you gotta close the girl. If you who
(26:07):
are we? You don't want to use the guy names
from New York. We're comfortable our sexuality, we're moving, we're
not stuck. We're not bind it by social construction. Okay, okay, um,
let you see, well, let me look up the cast.
I want to get this accurate as possible. I'm not
(26:27):
the girl that do dude on the stairs. I know that.
Why not? What's this grand name? I remember when that happened.
I set us back, at least back to Jim Crow.
At least back to Jim Crow. You set us back
ship on the stage. And what set is back? What
set is back? Is that girl playing that chicken in
the microwave. Yeah, you would be New York obvious. You
(26:56):
know you need to be hoops to Pumpkin. I'll no, no, no,
not pumpkin. What's no, No, not Pumpkin. That's Darren alright. Cool?
So yes, number five four for you now, La, Yes,
and number four. I guess it's gonna be something wild.
No it's not. No, it's not number four I would
get Honestly, I was going to give it to moreshar
(27:17):
but because he said Moreisha, I feel like I got diversified.
So I'm gonna give it to Wayne Brosa Okay, brother,
Wayne Brother, Wayne bros. Wayne bros. Wayne goodness whatever, But
now I love that show. They had the tribe intro.
(27:37):
Relax yourself, girl, please think yo, you're so stop what
you hate every day then then all right, I just
want okay, hold on, I'm sorry. I need you to
stop pushing this narrative that I hate to try cold question.
People are starting to believe it. I want you to stop. People.
I started to believe it because of you. I've never
(27:59):
said I it's like tripical quests. I just said they
weren't like no, no, no, see, I don't even believe it.
But but then when you started, when you pause, just
I was like, oh my god, Charles, when I said,
I said, oh, I can see why, I can see why,
I just don't. They're not They're not like a favorite
for me. I don't take anything away from no matter.
(28:21):
It's not a favorite for me. Not a fan of
jazz samples. I didn't say, I'm not a fan, not
a fan of good music. Clearly you know what. All
at the zoom camera. All right, Charles, let's get your
number three, number three. Um, this is gonna be a
(28:43):
little off the beating path a little bit, but it's
my childhood, y'all. To find a generation, I'm gonna go
with Rap City, Uh Claire and Big Lads and Big
Ticket for that matter. Um, if you if you know,
you know, if you was there. You was there after school,
right in front of the TV. I'm not talking about
(29:04):
tr L, I'm not talking about none of that Rap
City it was. I mean it shout out to your
MTVA rapps, of course, but h but rap yode Block
de Block, don't throw the tord wrapping hard. But but yeah,
I came up on I think I think YO might
have been a little bit before my time. I came
(29:28):
up on on rap cit So yeah, just just you
know this again, this is back when it was like
appointment television. You couldn't just see your favorite rapp or
your favorite artists whenever you wanted to. You had to
wait until it was on TV. And this was back
when in the like the era, like the nineties. Baby,
you know what I'm saying, like the greatest era. You know,
(29:49):
I shout out to early two thousands, but nineties is
what it is. And so you got to see some
of the greatest every single day. Um and yeah, and
that's that's that's my number? Was it? Number three? Number three?
Number three? Mouth? Why don't you give a number three?
My number three? It's actually funny that Charles said that
because my number three is also a live TV show um,
(30:13):
but the one one that would come on after Rap
City without this show, me I have I highly doubt
me and Ila would know each other working together. Um
without the show. I think a lot of our peers
right now, um, although they're not doing it as good
as us. I think a lot of our peers right
now show with um, you know, their introduction to seeing
(30:38):
us on TV outside of being an actor or something
one of six of all or A A J and
I would, I would, I would challenge it. I I
ain't trying to start no ship, but I would challenge
and go one one further and say that A J
and three Days specifically. It was just something about that
show like it grew with us, right like I remember
(31:02):
episode one and I remember saying as a kid, like
I don't think that's supposed to go there, that Iran
is supposed to be there, right like I didn't. I
didn't have to ling go back then. But it felt
like that episode one with you know Aaliyah, God, you
know God, Rest of Soul, that episode with Aliyah, and
you're just like, yo, this is all new, and it
(31:24):
felt very new, and then it got refined as the
weeks and months and the years went on, but there
was something very special about like Charles set Appointment TV.
There was no social media. You could not see your
artists at all outside of posters on a wall. You mean,
every day at six pm, for an hour and a half,
(31:45):
we get NonStop, unadulterated hip hop for us. It wasn't
bad to the ball hip hop did no us top.
We get ten videos, a new one in an old
school joining of the day. It just it. It's uh
in freestyle Friday, Get Freestyle Friday, every Friday, Every Friday.
(32:06):
We getting it was every piece of our culture felt represented.
You know, I'll ever appreciate that. And um yeah, like
I said, we're not even We're not even here having
this conversation. I feel like if it's not for when
I'm six and fall. So that's my number three, Nil
up what you got for us? My number three is
(32:26):
definitely a different world love love of love of different world.
Not for the love of ray J. Not No, I
gotta clasp danger. She smashed the whole yo yo loky YOJ.
The greatest great day. I got some ship, but no,
definitely gonna go to a different rould Like I'll tell
(32:48):
you before you know, just that that feeling that it
gave me, like it made me want to go to
college if I didn't already want to go um and
just seeing all the different types of black people, and
even I like how they showed like the home aspect
of the cos we show like call on your parts
right right like that, you know what I mean? So
shout out to a different world. And more than anything,
(33:10):
I like just the pro blackness throughout the show. You know,
we got Kim wearing um Freddie Afro. You know, we
got our girls with the Afros, we got a booge girls,
so it's just Greek life like the whole night later
like they covered the whole was grown a man. That's right.
I didn't because I didn't go to college. I do
(33:30):
not understand. Let it live. And then when I got old,
what is a howling about? You're now listening to the
what if I questioned legend and listen. Will be right
back after the break, al right through down to number two.
(33:50):
Who's starting with Charles's back on me? Um Man. This
is where it gets crazy because there's so many honorable mentions,
but there's there's three in my head right now. I
already know what my number one is it's three in
my head. So I'm gonna just pick one and go
with it. Um, I'm gonna go with Martin. Martin, it's
(34:14):
a good one, Martin. Wow. My two of my one
are debatable, but it was debatable with Martin. Wow. I'm offended,
all right, I'm gonna go with Martin. I know, I know,
I know. I thought we were gonna have a very black,
joyous moment number Actually we are going to. It's just
(34:40):
not me. I don't know. I might piss everybody off
of my number one. It might, it might be out
of here. But no, Martin, I mean you don't have
to really say that too much. I mean, it's Martin.
You know what I'm saying, Like we all know what
it is Martin. Every I remember. I do remember though
coming up that like Seinfeld and Martin was on at
(35:02):
the same time, and it was literally a like a
division in America, Like you knew what every black household
was watching on Thursdays. That hey, you knew what white
people was watching on Thursdays at eight when you got
to school the next day. Don't even talk to me
about what happened on Sinfield. I don't know what happened
on Seinfeld. Bro, I don't want to know. I don't care.
(35:25):
I didn't appreciate Seinfeld till I was like in college
and I was like watching reruns or whatever. But yeah, Martin,
I mean he's to go. It is what it is.
It's enough said yeah. Favorite character on Martin oh Man
A good question. Favorite favorite Martin character? Which is character
(35:45):
on the show in general? Um, Dragonfly Jones, uh bro
Man from the fifth Flow. I mean, you know, Mama pain, Like,
I can't give you just one. It's just I like
to pick the shows, not to give you Mouse. But
(36:06):
my number two is also Martin, and I just based
off was just influenced, Like I still took this day
like I'm a lady, Like I do that to my
boyfriend if he ever asked me to do something I
don't want to do, like take up the trash. I'm
a lady, you know what I'm still it's just like
shout out to Mar he's my number one too, Yeah man,
(36:27):
he if you so much of hip hop, like I mean,
not the shows nuts alright, Mouse was just I'll see
the look of the things. I know. Okay, Well, let
heads up, Mars my number one I just want to
go there. My number two should not be a surprise
(36:51):
to anyone. It's The Wire. The Wire is quite episodic drama,
whatever the technical terms. I know we have some TV
people here today, Charles and b Blocks. I'm probably saying
it wrong forgive me, but whatever genre that show is,
it's the fucking best. Uh. Sopranos is one A and
(37:15):
The Wires one UM. It showed us, like I said,
a lot of shows I fell in love with growing up,
our shows that showed blackness in a different light. And UM,
shout out to that team, because although they were showing
a specific side of blackness and specific kind of blackness,
it never felt um and it never felt like it
(37:37):
was a caricature, and it never felt like, you know,
these people who were down on their luck or these
drug bill is because it's very easy for people do that, right,
Like you make a show based around drug dealers and
cops and robbers, and it's very easy to make the
drug deal of the bad person. But fucking we loved
String of Bell and we wanted to see Avon getaway,
and then we wanted to see Avon outlast fucking Marl
(38:00):
and the Marlow comes and you're like, this is the
worst villain I've ever met in my life, and like
you felt, you felt for these people. You know, The
Wire is a great, great great not to be uh,
not to be biased, but you know Mac Wilds as
Michael Lee thank one of the great characters on TV ever.
(38:20):
We love it, you know, not to be biased anything
next door right when Homegirl says, how my hair look yo,
when he when he's about a body, snoop, that's one
of the greatest line man, how my hair looking? And
snoop man not like how she said it, say what
(38:40):
the accent? Now? Look, I don't got an access, so
don't do that. The Wire is on my top five
to thank you, thank you Blockers definitely even mentioned Omar,
one of the best villains. The rest of the Peace.
I want to get ever in TV, all right, so
number one for me personally, it is a freshman Sabella.
(39:02):
Love the show from style to music, the theme song,
everybody knows all the words to the Freshman Sabella and
what's the dope? I could spend that in the club
and yeah, like so freshman sa Bellair, you know, actually
getting her first kiss. I feel like because it shadowed
so many different people in their stages of their lives
and related to me at different times in my life
(39:24):
as well. Even when he gets to college, he got
a girlfriend and they along. It's like it just we
traveled with them, you know. So Fresh Friends are definitely
number one. Shout out to Will Smith and again, my
secret pleasure album is Big Willie Style. So you know,
I'm a big fan. I don't understand what. I don't
understand the connection to that. Nobody really respects Will Smith's
rap career. You might, you might, but you are us
(39:49):
Oh no, big No. I love Will but Big Willie
Style is a terrible album. I love that. Is that
the one with Jiggy and all of that and with
It's like can he flipped it? Oh my god? Yeah,
you can tell he was a millionaire at that time.
Charles the number one um I Fox with Fresh Prince heavy,
(40:11):
um heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, I could go. You know,
Tatiana was my crush coming up big time. Uh, but
I gotta say it, man, we can't act like Cosby
Show never existed. You know, I get it, I get it.
I get it. The whole thing is gonna be shut down.
The lights is flickering. I know, I know, But you
(40:34):
got TV show, TV show as you show debuting in
a few days, and this is what you want to do?
Were talking TV shows? Are we talking? This is when
keeping it real goes all the way wrong. You have
a new show that I am hoping to be on.
(40:55):
You don't want to right here right now? For that,
I gotta keep it a buck. If we're talking TV show,
Charles bugging out? Y'all? TV shows characters and stories, not people.
We know this make a favorite album? Is I gotta man?
(41:19):
I ain't gonna hold you like. I watched a rerun
of Cosmo the other day, just like, oh, it's all
affectively watching this too. Yo. It was on it's back
on yep. I was like, yo, it's it's a great
show Man influence, you know, Biggie walk to Cosby sweater,
the Couci sweaters, the Cookie sweater. You know. Okay it
gets a little awkward. Yeah yeah yeah, hell of a
(41:44):
week everybody, Yeah yeah, hell hell yeah. I just want
to mention some honorable mentions. Yeah. Uh. In Living Color,
of course, talked about the waynes Yeah, it's knowledge number
knowledge number four. Even Color family matters. Sister, sister and
(42:05):
if you got the Free Sea bear in jamal Oh,
you a real one, that's right. My number one is Martin.
Gotta doubt you don't even gotta go to Crazy Fashion. Um.
I feel like The Fresh Prince was a show with
(42:26):
black people on it, um where Martin was like a
black show, so like it just represented us. Like I
didn't see me on The Fresh Friends, I didn't see us,
you know what I mean? I felt like Will Smith
was supposed to be the the cultural piece what he was,
but he didn't represent us, but not all of us, right,
(42:48):
Martin represented us that show. Every scene you've seen, you've
seen hip hop culture, you've seen hip hop, You've seen
what you would see every day just from the stands
point alone, like Will Smith being in Fresh Prince, don't
of us, don't be in Bellet, don't knowne of us,
wasn't none of us living in bell Or a bell
Air esque place. Stories based on Benny Medina's career form
(43:08):
a manager of Puffy and still manager of j Lo.
So yeah, yes, what Charles, thank you so much for
joining us. This view gives you desisted it comes. I
can't think of a more perfect person than somebody who's
been producing or writing for a lot of the best
shows to come out so far. Thank you very much.
I appreciate you all for having me here. Is an
honor to be here and I can't wait to uh
(43:30):
to start our show coming up a hell of a
week maybe in Comedy Central. Make sure you gotta share,
like subscribe, follow mouse any last words. Um, it's been
a travel speak because that Marty was not a man.
They can't get the music. Also surprised I landed didn't
(43:52):
make anyone's list, but maybe next year. Three seeds. They
only got three seasons in and it's third one. This
you know Atlanta. This last season was it was, it was.
It was kind of out the good times. No different shows.
Well he gave us, he gave us. Yeah yeah. Jeffersons
encompasses Autumn, John Stanford's son, shout out to all them.
(44:15):
Thank you, Charles, Thank you all. Don't miss an episode
of the What Hip Hop Questions, Legends and List Listen
to subscribe on the Black Effect Podcast Network, I Heart
Radio at or wherever you get your podcasts. The What
hip Hop Questions, Legends and List podcast is a production
of the Black Effect Podcast Network and our executive producer
is Darren Byrne and produced by A King
What Up, guys, Welcome to the What hip Hop Questions Less.
I'm n liston and I'm the man who puts jockson
joxon position Mouse Jones. We are the one Hip Hop Questions,
Legends and Less and this week we're doing another list
top five best TV shows, our shows. This is the
show we farnk with. Yes, I mean, ain't no weird
less over here, yo, but Loki. I didn't want to
(00:23):
give a shout out too, because they're not on my
top five, but I'm watching currently and I really love
and Peaky Blinders though it's not it's so good. P
Valley shout out to um, what's her name? Gail be
who plays Wanda. She's killing so she's even killing ship. Well,
(00:44):
we're doing audible missions. That's not in our top We've
got your Snowfall as well. Oh yeah, Snowfall of course.
Um yeah, we're just gonna get into it. Man, good TV.
But we got we got ourselves a guest and you
know him a little bit better and I know, yes, well,
but now we have the head writer of One hell
of a Week on Comedy Central, Charles in the building.
(01:05):
I don't be seeing you working over there all you'd
be doing is sitting around, running around. That's what you're doing,
saying jokes. I love it, thank you, thank you very
but I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you
for having me, and you are you already know I'm
a big fan of you personally, and I'm a big
fan of the show. So congratulations. I appreciate that, and
I know I already worked with you in the other
(01:27):
capacity at One Hell of a Week, which was formerly
known as The God's Honest Truth. He tell us a
little bit about the name change. Well, basically, um, when
we know, when we first started the show, you know,
Sear really wanted to come out and really give his perspective.
But as the show went on, like you know, ship
just started hitting the fan as it always does in
(01:49):
the news cycle and stuff like that. So Shar felt
like instead of him just constantly only giving his po V,
he would like open it up to like other points
of view and other people coming in. So now it's
going to be more of a panel, it's going to
be more voices coming in and giving their perspective and
giving their p o V. And so it's just basically
going to become commenting on everything that's going on in
(02:12):
that week instead of just like one main topic. I
like that diversified. Yeah, I got diversified. I can dig it.
So um that being said, you guys last season closed,
that would have been I'm not saying you guys close
season with a crazy band. You guys had Kamala Harris
on and you know we had that epic moment. How
(02:34):
are you guys gonna you know, kick off this season
after such a phenomenal ending to the first season. I mean,
we're literally just going to continue that everything episode. We're
gonna have Kamala come back on, We're gonna have Joe
Bien come back on. We're just gonna piss them off
every each episode, just piss off another major political figure
(02:54):
until we get to Putin. Putin's gonna be season finale.
Oh my god, of that, I'm not gonna like, yeah,
we'll start war World War three and just get it popping. Basically,
what we wait not start War War three? We're here
to defuse the situation. Oh yeah, right, right, right, yeah, no, no,
you're right, No, you're right, you're right. We're trying to versify, y'all.
(03:15):
Try to get these numbers up. Come on, I gotta
I got rain is due, man, I feel you well.
I just want to say sidebar to working at one
hell of a week slash the guys on the truth
is that um growing up? Ironically because of today's topic,
but my favorite show was a different world, just like
the environment. You know, all the black people have made
(03:37):
you want to learn and made you just want to
try new things. And that's how I feel when I'm
on set with you guys, Like I literally feel like
I just walked into a different world. That's dope, man,
That's like the biggest compliment ever yet. And that's one
of my favorite TV shows that were two different world.
Can't beat that, man. You know that Dwayne coming down
the all yelling at really like I don't want to
(04:00):
marry me? Yeah that was crazy classic. Oh god, But
if I do it, it's toxic. Like if I rushed,
you know, rushed down on my ex girlfriend at her wedding,
didn't want to drag me out handcuffs. I don't understand
what the problem is. It depends how does it depends?
It depends on romantic when when it's on TV, but
in real life, does she love you back? I won't
(04:24):
know until I'm screaming at her at her wedding. We knew,
we all knew, we watched it. No, but okay, so Charles,
let's just get like dig deeper more into you and
who you are because you've worked on mad different shows.
Talk about it, correct, correct, a lot of different talent.
Let's talk about it. Hey, uh, you know my I
(04:45):
always say that I'm a stand up comedian masquerading as
a TV writer. Like it's just basically like everything goes
back to stand up. So like I moved here in
oh seven pursue comedy, and through stand up I was
able to get the opportunities, and some of those opportunities were,
you know, writing in different TV shows. And in fact,
(05:06):
the first show that I really got to properly right for.
I did a couple of things before this, but the
actual first writing gig as a writer was for Uncommon
Sense with Charlotte Magne. So it just all comes full circle.
I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, And you know, Jesus
Merrow was on that show, and like a lot of
dolt people, Queen Crystal was on the area. A lot
(05:27):
of people broke on that show. A lot of people's
SHOWTS Andrew shows like, yeah, it was crazy, and that
was like my first real experience in a proper you know,
writer's room and on and on a TV show. So yeah,
it's uh, it's good times. It's been great ever since,
so I love it. Wow, that's awesome. So being that
you worked on common sence, you've seen from then to
(05:48):
now like Shultz is out of here. Even Jesus Merrow added, well,
now that out of here? Literally, how do you feel
about them breaking up? Man? Yo? Man, the food just
break up? You fat boys break up? And now it's
just like it's wild. No, I obviously don't know, you know,
(06:10):
any inside baseball on on what's going on. I'm sad
for them as a I'm sad for me as a fan,
but I'm sure that they are gonna kill it whatever
they do in their own individual endeavors. You know, hopefully
it's not anything that's too negative to where you know
that they can't Yeah, it can't be friends and homies
(06:31):
or whatnot. But yeah, it's a shock. I mean I
was just as shocked as everybody else. So it's crazy. Honestly,
I hope this is more of a break couples break
up and they'll be like now we're done. That's how
it is. Sometimes though, it's like you got people gotta
realize when you work together that long and your friends,
like a lot of times, you know, you just need
(06:51):
a little bit of space. Yeahing, you need a little
bit of space, you know, the steaks get highers of
the pressure, you know, to get get hiring, and sometimes
you just need that time to like take a break.
But like I said, hopefully you know it's not nothing
too too crazy. But I'm a fan, man, I'm a fan.
Send you guys, love love love. Shout to Julia Young
(07:14):
muscle writer on that show who probably has fine work.
Shout out to Julia, Shout out to Josh scandalman, Like,
I know a few people over there. Yeah, I'm sure
they were like wait what because that was that's one
of the ones where you're like, oh, that's gonna go
on for a long time. Yeah, that's some security. Like
some people brought got some mortgages off that show. That's
(07:37):
the TV. That's t that's TV. Are they a group?
And I mean, obviously I'm asking because I don't have
no connection to these dudes, um, but I'm asking, like
genuine do y'all think they are a group that can
break up. Like there's just certain groups are collectives where
you're like, oh, yeah, they work because they have each other.
Are they strong enough too? Are they Are they strong
(07:59):
enough to be able to you know, go on and
have at least forward facing, like uh, solo entities Like sure,
they could probably write or things that nature, But do
you think they have that where they can split and
there'll be like a Marrow show on a piece of show.
I think that we're so used to seeing them together
(08:20):
that at first it might be a little drawing to
see one of them, you know, go off on their own.
But I definitely think that individually they are talented enough
to to you know, pull that off, you know, whether
or not, you know, it all comes down to this business.
You know, anybody who's business business knows also that it's
not just talent, but it's also the team you have
around you. You know, people able to to you know,
(08:43):
create opportunities and things of that nature as well. And
then you know, the talent comes into play. But as
far as and I can't speak to the you know,
who they have around them, but as far as their
individual talent, yeah, I think they're dope. And I think
they definitely can be successful, similar to I mean people
said the same thing, you know, Key and p ill
or you know, other other duels, you know that kind
(09:04):
of when yeah, yeah, we want to do that thing.
It's just like what they're gonna do now, And then
you see them actually get into their bag, it's like, oh, okay,
you you don't really you're not able to see them
do things on their own until you actually see it,
you know what I'm saying. So, but just knowing them,
I think they're definitely talented enough to do it though.
(09:24):
But I love seeing them together though too. You know,
I'm a fan of them. So sometimes it is what
it is though sometimes like it's not even like a
personal thing. Sometimes you just you know, you might grow
apart and that's just what it is. And as even
though you might be fan of that certain thing it
you know, like Jay said, you like my old work,
buy my old albums, but you know they gotta people,
(09:46):
gotta grow and you just gotta respect it. Well, now
I'm a fan of you, Charles j Z quote and
uh everyday conversation special place in my heart work, Like
I think it's like show to bring up because like well,
obviously she's going through health complications whatever that means, but
(10:08):
nobody really expected it to end. Yeah, exactly. You just
don't know. You don't know in this business. So that's
why it's funny because I always get made fun of
because like in the offices, if you ever come around
my office or any workstation, Now, Matt, you don't see
no family photos, ain't no plants, ain't no like a
little decoration. Is none of that. Ship. I'm like, no,
(10:28):
this could go at any minute. I need to be
able to move. You literally don't. Yeah, yeah, you don't
have none of that exactly. People be having all kinds
of ship, just like deck down. I'm like, all right, okay, okay, No,
you ain't gonna catch me slipping. I'm ready to go
at any moment. That's funny. If you stay ready, you
(10:50):
gotta get ready. Yeah. But you know what I thought
was interesting about Wendy Williams show ending is that now
she's going to start a podcast exactly like I wasn't.
I'm not. First of all, it's back to where she
started anyway, like coming up in radio, Like she's the
queen of radio. So going back to this is just
like second nature to her. But also what's dope about
(11:12):
podcasts is like it takes the way that gatekeeper. You know,
television is still this place where you have gatekeepers that
tell you you're allowed to have a career or you're
not allowed to have a career, and you can literally
just be like, no, I'm about to do my own thing.
And if people mess with you like they messed with
Wendy Williams, then they're gonna come. They're gonna listen, and
they're going to actually hear from the source. And she
(11:34):
don't have to be managed and don't have to be
you know, no answer to anybody. So I think it's
gonna be big. It's gonna be huge. And now because
it's not TV, no filter, no filter anyway exactly, but
now it's yes, very impactful in radio that real quick.
(11:56):
Let me not let me not start no no, no,
no no, you're just starting out that. I'm just saying,
very impactful, very influential. I don't know about the Queen.
I wouldn't give her the Queen shout out. No disrespect
to Angie, don't disrespect to nobody else. I don't want
no smoke. Everybody's everybody's great cool, cool, cool, But now
and honestly though, me personally, I'm not a fan of
(12:19):
like gossip blogs and gossip like things. I know it
does well for ratings and stuff like that, but it's
just I'm not a I'm not a big fan of
it either. Especially the more I've been in this business
and I've kind of you know, you you get to
know actual people who are famous and things of that nature,
(12:41):
and you realize that they're real people. I think, and
how it affects them, how it affects them, right, even
how it affects me. Like when I was blogging. You know,
I had multiple jobs Jamaican Ship, but I had to
do gossip blogs at one point in my life and
it was so overwhelming, like I'm all turned about other
people's business and other people's lives. It really made me
(13:03):
And then you gotta think in a negative way, like
how can I flip this? It's like it's really, uh,
it's really kind of demeaning. It's demeaning. I used to
um y'all was like going through this phase. I was like, Oh,
I need to get my YouTube page popping. What do
I do? And I was like, Oh, I'm gonna just
comment I'm gonna just talk, you know, talk about celebrities
and stuff. And then I realized, like I really don't care.
(13:27):
I don't care, so I'm like, why am I doing this?
So I just stopped all that. Yeah, it's I'm not
I'm not really big into into the gossip, into like
you know, Tasha K's and that kind of stuff. Is
just like if I don't know, it's a lot. I
feel like these people are are human beings. And I
get that we you know, as as talent or the
entertainers or what we're not. You do sign up for
(13:48):
certain things, but I didn't sign up to be harassed
and for my family to be harassed and talked about
and light on and all that kind. Have you seen
Bill Burr's new comedy special. I started it and I
didn't get to finish it yet, um, but I look
forward to finishing. He's one of my favorites. Did you
get to the part where he talks about the w
n B a versus? I saw the I saw a
(14:09):
clip of him talking about the beginning bait, but I
haven't seen it yet. Okay, can And then we're getting
into black sitcoms. Bill burn, you weren't supposed to be
part of this conversation, but it was a great It
was a great watch. Um, so in it, he pretty
much says like your woman will support um all the
love and hip hops and stuff like that, but won't
support the w n B A like you guys to
(14:30):
rather watch women get dragged and trash on TV than
like support people that are actually working and putting out
something sounds like damn kind of made me feel away.
Um oh, I never really thought about it, honestly, but
I think that speaks to the point of, like what
we just naturally gravitate to as humans, you gotta make
a conscious effort to like, yeah, do better. We like
(14:52):
a train wreck. We just do we like we like
a good train wreck as human beings. Um. Yeah, and
you have to. But at the same time, like you
said talked about earlier, it's not just about watching somebody
else go through something, but it affects you too, Like
me watching constantly you know, people like go through you
just you know, crazy, having mental breakdowns and go through
(15:14):
all this trashic situations like affects my mental well being,
Like I don't. I don't need to see that all
the time. So yeah, you gotta control what you consume. Man,
you gotta control what's going in your mind and your
body and all of that. Agree, which, by the way,
my last year was then I'll get into it. Is
that episode that we did on the Seven Deadly Sins. Yeah,
(15:36):
talking about like how we feed our brain with social
media and like how social media feeds into sex, drugs
and all the things that are bad for us. It
is like, damn, that was one of my favorite episodes
last year. Yeah, yeah, you got you hear that, Emmies,
you hear that. That was one of the n't favorite episodes.
All Right, I learned a lot and I did. It
made me like, you know what, let me put my
(15:57):
phone down, because yeah, I gotta feed my mind strategically. Well,
when you when you realize though, that is not an
accident that you're addicted to your phone and too, you know,
social media they specifically do that on purpose. Like it's people.
There's people in a lab. There's people like figuring out
how to manipulate our minds and how to get us
(16:19):
addicted to social media and affect our mental well being
and our self esteem and like all of that dopamine,
like all of that stuff is formulated. It's not like
just happenstance that you need to check your notifications every
three seconds, like that's designed. They're programming us like literally
it's crazy, and honestly it's specially because Instagram is definitely
(16:40):
killing all my life. I used to get like seven thousand,
six thousand, not average like a thousands. You know what,
y'all ain't gonna stop my com exactly. You're going to
post my ship exactly? Are you doing better to me?
I get about twelve? You know what I'm saying? Twelve
like on average. All right, so today we're gonna be
talking best TV shows, whether it be sitcoms, you know,
(17:04):
stand ups. I guess that that would be good for you. Um,
and we're just gonna talk about top five. Let's piss
these people. Let's do it. So you currently listen to
the What Hip Hop Questions Legends and list will be
right back after this break. As you guys know, every
week we pose a question and we get to an answer,
(17:24):
and today ours is best or top five TV shows? Charles,
Since you're the guest, we're gonna start with you. What
would you say is your fourth and fifth favorite TV show?
Fourth and fifth favorite TV show. Um, all right, I'm
a preface this by saying I came up you know
watching cable TV. Uh is pre streaming YouTube all of
(17:48):
that for the kids out there. And when watching cable TV,
you can watch there were certain reruns that would just
happen all the time, and one of those reruns was
The Jeffersons. And if you've never seen the Effer since,
do yourself a favor and watch an episode of The Jeffersons.
First of all, shows back then were wild, Like the
(18:09):
ship they was allowed to say and get away with
was crazy, and they could just be raw and funny
and there was no political correctness and so being able
to see like comedic writers actually be able to just
get it go in and get it off was dope.
But particularly George Jefferson, the character is a big inspiration
to me because even though he was animated and wild
(18:32):
and said wild ship, he was a proud black man
that came up and got it out the mud. He
loved his black wife, he was proud of he took
care of his black mama, and it really through the
jokes in all the comedy, it really kind of inspired
me to like to be on my grown man, you know, inspirational,
get it out the mud type of ship. So yeah,
(18:54):
the Jefferson is definitely. Um after that, I'm gonna say,
different world, even though we talked to about it earlier.
Different world definitely, especially if you watch it again, if
you watch the reruns now you realize because I came
up watching as a kid, but watching it now, I realized,
like they dealt with a lot of different issues and
why you know, sexual assault, racism, politics, like everything under
(19:18):
the sun. And to see such a diverse group of
young black people, like really put that on the map
and let people know that we're not all the same,
like different types of different people. Yeah, single mom, nerds,
every geeks like all of that. So yeah, different world, Jeffers.
Since that's my four or five, Okay, all right, ma,
(19:42):
I supposed to go to you. You haven't heard from
you today. Let's say, all right, so bet um my
number five, it's gonna be New York Undercover. That was
you know, growing up in the nineties. You know, it's
a young growing up in the nineties. Um know, that
showed me a lot just from that aspect, Like my
(20:03):
mom worked a lot, so you know, Primetime TV, what's
that thing um as probably it is for the for
a lot of black kids that grew up at that time,
Like we grew up with my mother's working, so you know,
when she was home in New York undercovers on, I
knew me and mom was about to sit down and
we about to watch whatever the Tourette and Jacon got into.
(20:24):
Um Also, that was like a reinforcement of like our
culture because like, you go outside and you see hip hop,
but you don't You're not thinking that what I'm seeing
is hip hop. You're just like I'm in the hood.
I'm in the neighborhood. I'm I'm seeing whatever everybody's doing.
But then to see it on TV and not as
(20:44):
a documentary, not to see news cameras, but to see
it from a cinematic standpoint and see it embraced. That
was the first time hip hop was being used as
like betting music. You get what I'm saying and that
and like what Andre Horrell um and and that team
was a with Andre Herrell and Dick Wolfe was able
to do with hip hop music, introducing new songs, allowing
(21:09):
me and then I don't know about job, but I
thought Natalie's was a real place, and so I couldn't wait.
I couldn't wait to be an adult and go to Natalie's.
And then my dad was like, now it's not a
real place. Because I thought I was definitely gonna see
like Mary J. Blige perform. I'm going down like on
a on a random Thursday, and I hated Iced Tea,
(21:31):
that iced Tea because he killed j C's wife like
I hated him to this day. If I wasn't seeing
I'd be like, my boy, I don't care that everybody
knows you for SPU, I remember you that a tribal
person um number four. Number four is rough because I
(21:53):
feel like I have three to four shows in that spot.
But if I have to, if I have to hone
in on one, I'm going to say this is rough.
I'm gonna say Mosha, Oh that's a good one. I'm
gonna um a lot for the same reasons, just different perspective. Um.
(22:16):
I never when Mosha was out, there was no point
and there's no rhyme, more reason for me to. I
haven't even think about being in l A like I
hadn't been, I wouldn't you know when Mosha was on
to the time, it was off. I still hadn't been
been to l A until I was like eight, but
it showed me that different black people exist, but we
(22:38):
really do grow up the same. Um. I mean, and
I'm talking about the earlier seasons. I'm not talking about
the uh the last season, I don't know what the
hell was, But I'm talking about the earlier seasons when
Maria brock I killed and her team was smoking that
and like I said, you just see like over parenting,
(22:59):
you see uh mixed, You've seen I forgot what they were,
bladed family. You know, d wasn't really Miles and Mosha's mother,
but they was dead. You know. I typically I haven't
your spot on Mosha. Um so my my five is
New York and to cover my four in Mosha, Love
Love Love Mosha, Man Moe to the the Yeah, And honestly,
(23:25):
the best thing about these shows is the intro, the
theme music. Like nobody got a good intro nor more
except exactly. Yeah. It was pretty hard though. That song
was hard. Oh yeah, that's crazy. In the Jeffersons, Oh
that was a tough thing. I mean, one hell of
a Week's intro is pretty cool. I didn't hear you
now let's say that again. One hell of a Week intro.
(23:47):
I don't know if you heard it, but it's pretty
dope and by Nipsey Hustle, produced by Jetson. All right,
so my five. It's a little ratchet, but it definitely
impacted me as a kid watching it with my dad.
Is Flavor of Love. That was the first time I
had ever seen That's the first I've ever seen anything
(24:11):
like that on television. I gotta be honest. Now, I
was like the kid that grew up watching b ET morning,
neon and night. Like I used to watch a Different
World reruns when they came on at nine PM and
then would come on again at three am, new episode
for the new day that would come on again at
now that I'd still watch both episodes. But watching Flavor
I Love Yo, I did not see that coming yo
(24:34):
all the time, all time. That has impacted my life. Yes,
like me and my friends, it impacted you. But you
wanted to be on the show. No, I didn't want
to be on the show. But I was just so
like and awed by it that like I stold Flavor
I Love lingo like for for years I would say, wow,
(24:58):
you know what I mean? I was hope somebody would
get the reference. People get it. Who was your favorite girl? Um?
My favorite girl? Y Delicious New York wasn't my favorite?
I did like Delicious. I mean they're all entertaining, Pumpkin
like she said, they're all that entertaining, And I even
really like like, I was so invested into those um
(25:21):
reality shows that I ended up making like, well, me
and my friends we named people in our lives after
the people on the show. So that's how we were
like speaking cold like like you have to do that.
So if let's have fun. So if me, Charles and
back had to be Flavor of Love contestants, who would
(25:43):
you who would you refer to us as this? Okay? Um? Yeah? Who? Yeah?
Who would your favorite? The names to all the girls
right here? Yeah, what's the name? What's your chance? Oh? Wait,
am I basing it off for the girl? No, you
gotta know, you gotta close the girl. If you who
(26:07):
are we? You don't want to use the guy names
from New York. We're comfortable our sexuality, we're moving, we're
not stuck. We're not bind it by social construction. Okay, okay, um,
let you see, well, let me look up the cast.
I want to get this accurate as possible. I'm not
(26:27):
the girl that do dude on the stairs. I know that.
Why not? What's this grand name? I remember when that happened.
I set us back, at least back to Jim Crow.
At least back to Jim Crow. You set us back
ship on the stage. And what set is back? What
set is back? Is that girl playing that chicken in
the microwave. Yeah, you would be New York obvious. You
(26:56):
know you need to be hoops to Pumpkin. I'll no, no, no,
not pumpkin. What's no, No, not Pumpkin. That's Darren alright. Cool?
So yes, number five four for you now, La, Yes,
and number four. I guess it's gonna be something wild.
No it's not. No, it's not number four I would
get Honestly, I was going to give it to moreshar
(27:17):
but because he said Moreisha, I feel like I got diversified.
So I'm gonna give it to Wayne Brosa Okay, brother,
Wayne Brother, Wayne bros. Wayne bros. Wayne goodness whatever, But
now I love that show. They had the tribe intro.
(27:37):
Relax yourself, girl, please think yo, you're so stop what
you hate every day then then all right, I just
want okay, hold on, I'm sorry. I need you to
stop pushing this narrative that I hate to try cold question.
People are starting to believe it. I want you to stop. People.
I started to believe it because of you. I've never
(27:59):
said I it's like tripical quests. I just said they
weren't like no, no, no, see, I don't even believe it.
But but then when you started, when you pause, just
I was like, oh my god, Charles, when I said,
I said, oh, I can see why, I can see why,
I just don't. They're not They're not like a favorite
for me. I don't take anything away from no matter.
(28:21):
It's not a favorite for me. Not a fan of
jazz samples. I didn't say, I'm not a fan, not
a fan of good music. Clearly you know what. All
at the zoom camera. All right, Charles, let's get your
number three, number three. Um, this is gonna be a
(28:43):
little off the beating path a little bit, but it's
my childhood, y'all. To find a generation, I'm gonna go
with Rap City, Uh Claire and Big Lads and Big
Ticket for that matter. Um, if you if you know,
you know, if you was there. You was there after school,
right in front of the TV. I'm not talking about
(29:04):
tr L, I'm not talking about none of that Rap
City it was. I mean it shout out to your
MTVA rapps, of course, but h but rap yode Block
de Block, don't throw the tord wrapping hard. But but yeah,
I came up on I think I think YO might
have been a little bit before my time. I came
(29:28):
up on on rap cit So yeah, just just you
know this again, this is back when it was like
appointment television. You couldn't just see your favorite rapp or
your favorite artists whenever you wanted to. You had to
wait until it was on TV. And this was back
when in the like the era, like the nineties. Baby,
you know what I'm saying, like the greatest era. You know,
(29:49):
I shout out to early two thousands, but nineties is
what it is. And so you got to see some
of the greatest every single day. Um and yeah, and
that's that's that's my number? Was it? Number three? Number three?
Number three? Mouth? Why don't you give a number three?
My number three? It's actually funny that Charles said that
because my number three is also a live TV show um,
(30:13):
but the one one that would come on after Rap
City without this show, me I have I highly doubt
me and Ila would know each other working together. Um
without the show. I think a lot of our peers
right now, um, although they're not doing it as good
as us. I think a lot of our peers right
now show with um, you know, their introduction to seeing
(30:38):
us on TV outside of being an actor or something
one of six of all or A A J and
I would, I would, I would challenge it. I I
ain't trying to start no ship, but I would challenge
and go one one further and say that A J
and three Days specifically. It was just something about that
show like it grew with us, right like I remember
(31:02):
episode one and I remember saying as a kid, like
I don't think that's supposed to go there, that Iran
is supposed to be there, right like I didn't. I
didn't have to ling go back then. But it felt
like that episode one with you know Aaliyah, God, you
know God, Rest of Soul, that episode with Aliyah, and
you're just like, yo, this is all new, and it
(31:24):
felt very new, and then it got refined as the
weeks and months and the years went on, but there
was something very special about like Charles set Appointment TV.
There was no social media. You could not see your
artists at all outside of posters on a wall. You mean,
every day at six pm, for an hour and a half,
(31:45):
we get NonStop, unadulterated hip hop for us. It wasn't
bad to the ball hip hop did no us top.
We get ten videos, a new one in an old
school joining of the day. It just it. It's uh
in freestyle Friday, Get Freestyle Friday, every Friday, Every Friday.
(32:06):
We getting it was every piece of our culture felt represented.
You know, I'll ever appreciate that. And um yeah, like
I said, we're not even We're not even here having
this conversation. I feel like if it's not for when
I'm six and fall. So that's my number three, Nil
up what you got for us? My number three is
(32:26):
definitely a different world love love of love of different world.
Not for the love of ray J. Not No, I
gotta clasp danger. She smashed the whole yo yo loky YOJ.
The greatest great day. I got some ship, but no,
definitely gonna go to a different rould Like I'll tell
(32:48):
you before you know, just that that feeling that it
gave me, like it made me want to go to
college if I didn't already want to go um and
just seeing all the different types of black people, and
even I like how they showed like the home aspect
of the cos we show like call on your parts
right right like that, you know what I mean? So
shout out to a different world. And more than anything,
(33:10):
I like just the pro blackness throughout the show. You know,
we got Kim wearing um Freddie Afro. You know, we
got our girls with the Afros, we got a booge girls,
so it's just Greek life like the whole night later
like they covered the whole was grown a man. That's right.
I didn't because I didn't go to college. I do
(33:30):
not understand. Let it live. And then when I got old,
what is a howling about? You're now listening to the
what if I questioned legend and listen. Will be right
back after the break, al right through down to number two.
(33:50):
Who's starting with Charles's back on me? Um Man. This
is where it gets crazy because there's so many honorable mentions,
but there's there's three in my head right now. I
already know what my number one is it's three in
my head. So I'm gonna just pick one and go
with it. Um, I'm gonna go with Martin. Martin, it's
(34:14):
a good one, Martin. Wow. My two of my one
are debatable, but it was debatable with Martin. Wow. I'm offended,
all right, I'm gonna go with Martin. I know, I know,
I know. I thought we were gonna have a very black,
joyous moment number Actually we are going to. It's just
(34:40):
not me. I don't know. I might piss everybody off
of my number one. It might, it might be out
of here. But no, Martin, I mean you don't have
to really say that too much. I mean, it's Martin.
You know what I'm saying, Like we all know what
it is Martin. Every I remember. I do remember though
coming up that like Seinfeld and Martin was on at
(35:02):
the same time, and it was literally a like a
division in America, Like you knew what every black household
was watching on Thursdays. That hey, you knew what white
people was watching on Thursdays at eight when you got
to school the next day. Don't even talk to me
about what happened on Sinfield. I don't know what happened
on Seinfeld. Bro, I don't want to know. I don't care.
(35:25):
I didn't appreciate Seinfeld till I was like in college
and I was like watching reruns or whatever. But yeah, Martin,
I mean he's to go. It is what it is.
It's enough said yeah. Favorite character on Martin oh Man
A good question. Favorite favorite Martin character? Which is character
(35:45):
on the show in general? Um, Dragonfly Jones, uh bro
Man from the fifth Flow. I mean, you know, Mama pain, Like,
I can't give you just one. It's just I like
to pick the shows, not to give you Mouse. But
(36:06):
my number two is also Martin, and I just based
off was just influenced, Like I still took this day
like I'm a lady, Like I do that to my
boyfriend if he ever asked me to do something I
don't want to do, like take up the trash. I'm
a lady, you know what I'm still it's just like
shout out to Mar he's my number one too, Yeah man,
(36:27):
he if you so much of hip hop, like I mean,
not the shows nuts alright, Mouse was just I'll see
the look of the things. I know. Okay, Well, let
heads up, Mars my number one I just want to
go there. My number two should not be a surprise
(36:51):
to anyone. It's The Wire. The Wire is quite episodic drama,
whatever the technical terms. I know we have some TV
people here today, Charles and b Blocks. I'm probably saying
it wrong forgive me, but whatever genre that show is,
it's the fucking best. Uh. Sopranos is one A and
(37:15):
The Wires one UM. It showed us, like I said,
a lot of shows I fell in love with growing up,
our shows that showed blackness in a different light. And UM,
shout out to that team, because although they were showing
a specific side of blackness and specific kind of blackness,
it never felt um and it never felt like it
(37:37):
was a caricature, and it never felt like, you know,
these people who were down on their luck or these
drug bill is because it's very easy for people do that, right,
Like you make a show based around drug dealers and
cops and robbers, and it's very easy to make the
drug deal of the bad person. But fucking we loved
String of Bell and we wanted to see Avon getaway,
and then we wanted to see Avon outlast fucking Marl
(38:00):
and the Marlow comes and you're like, this is the
worst villain I've ever met in my life, and like
you felt, you felt for these people. You know, The
Wire is a great, great great not to be uh,
not to be biased, but you know Mac Wilds as
Michael Lee thank one of the great characters on TV ever.
(38:20):
We love it, you know, not to be biased anything
next door right when Homegirl says, how my hair look yo,
when he when he's about a body, snoop, that's one
of the greatest line man, how my hair looking? And
snoop man not like how she said it, say what
(38:40):
the accent? Now? Look, I don't got an access, so
don't do that. The Wire is on my top five
to thank you, thank you Blockers definitely even mentioned Omar,
one of the best villains. The rest of the Peace.
I want to get ever in TV, all right, so
number one for me personally, it is a freshman Sabella.
(39:02):
Love the show from style to music, the theme song,
everybody knows all the words to the Freshman Sabella and
what's the dope? I could spend that in the club
and yeah, like so freshman sa Bellair, you know, actually
getting her first kiss. I feel like because it shadowed
so many different people in their stages of their lives
and related to me at different times in my life
(39:24):
as well. Even when he gets to college, he got
a girlfriend and they along. It's like it just we
traveled with them, you know. So Fresh Friends are definitely
number one. Shout out to Will Smith and again, my
secret pleasure album is Big Willie Style. So you know,
I'm a big fan. I don't understand what. I don't
understand the connection to that. Nobody really respects Will Smith's
rap career. You might, you might, but you are us
(39:49):
Oh no, big No. I love Will but Big Willie
Style is a terrible album. I love that. Is that
the one with Jiggy and all of that and with
It's like can he flipped it? Oh my god? Yeah,
you can tell he was a millionaire at that time.
Charles the number one um I Fox with Fresh Prince heavy,
(40:11):
um heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy, I could go. You know,
Tatiana was my crush coming up big time. Uh, but
I gotta say it, man, we can't act like Cosby
Show never existed. You know, I get it, I get it.
I get it. The whole thing is gonna be shut down.
The lights is flickering. I know, I know, But you
(40:34):
got TV show, TV show as you show debuting in
a few days, and this is what you want to do?
Were talking TV shows? Are we talking? This is when
keeping it real goes all the way wrong. You have
a new show that I am hoping to be on.
(40:55):
You don't want to right here right now? For that,
I gotta keep it a buck. If we're talking TV show,
Charles bugging out? Y'all? TV shows characters and stories, not people.
We know this make a favorite album? Is I gotta man?
(41:19):
I ain't gonna hold you like. I watched a rerun
of Cosmo the other day, just like, oh, it's all
affectively watching this too. Yo. It was on it's back
on yep. I was like, yo, it's it's a great
show Man influence, you know, Biggie walk to Cosby sweater,
the Couci sweaters, the Cookie sweater. You know. Okay it
gets a little awkward. Yeah yeah yeah, hell of a
(41:44):
week everybody, Yeah yeah, hell hell yeah. I just want
to mention some honorable mentions. Yeah. Uh. In Living Color,
of course, talked about the waynes Yeah, it's knowledge number
knowledge number four. Even Color family matters. Sister, sister and
(42:05):
if you got the Free Sea bear in jamal Oh,
you a real one, that's right. My number one is Martin.
Gotta doubt you don't even gotta go to Crazy Fashion. Um.
I feel like The Fresh Prince was a show with
(42:26):
black people on it, um where Martin was like a
black show, so like it just represented us. Like I
didn't see me on The Fresh Friends, I didn't see us,
you know what I mean? I felt like Will Smith
was supposed to be the the cultural piece what he was,
but he didn't represent us, but not all of us, right,
(42:48):
Martin represented us that show. Every scene you've seen, you've
seen hip hop culture, you've seen hip hop, You've seen
what you would see every day just from the stands
point alone, like Will Smith being in Fresh Prince, don't
of us, don't be in Bellet, don't knowne of us,
wasn't none of us living in bell Or a bell
Air esque place. Stories based on Benny Medina's career form
(43:08):
a manager of Puffy and still manager of j Lo.
So yeah, yes, what Charles, thank you so much for
joining us. This view gives you desisted it comes. I
can't think of a more perfect person than somebody who's
been producing or writing for a lot of the best
shows to come out so far. Thank you very much.
I appreciate you all for having me here. Is an
honor to be here and I can't wait to uh
(43:30):
to start our show coming up a hell of a
week maybe in Comedy Central. Make sure you gotta share,
like subscribe, follow mouse any last words. Um, it's been
a travel speak because that Marty was not a man.
They can't get the music. Also surprised I landed didn't
(43:52):
make anyone's list, but maybe next year. Three seeds. They
only got three seasons in and it's third one. This
you know Atlanta. This last season was it was, it was.
It was kind of out the good times. No different shows.
Well he gave us, he gave us. Yeah yeah. Jeffersons
encompasses Autumn, John Stanford's son, shout out to all them.
(44:15):
Thank you, Charles, Thank you all. Don't miss an episode
of the What Hip Hop Questions, Legends and List Listen
to subscribe on the Black Effect Podcast Network, I Heart
Radio at or wherever you get your podcasts. The What
hip Hop Questions, Legends and List podcast is a production
of the Black Effect Podcast Network and our executive producer
is Darren Byrne and produced by A King
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