Episode 114 | "Aluminum Kufi" Ft Chi Ossé

ANOTHER EPISODE OF VICTORY LIGHT! TODAY WE CHOPPED IT UP WITH NYC COUNCILMEMBER CHI OSSÉ, AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE POLITICIAN’S LEAST FAVORITE POLITICIAN, REPRESENTING NEW YORK’S 36TH DISTRICT, ENCOMPASSING BED-STUY AND CROWN HEIGHTS. WE GOT INTO WHAT SPURRED HIM TO ENTER POLITICS, HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO GET TO CONSTITUENTS, AND WHETHER HE’S POWERLIFTING TO FIGHT THE GORILLA ON HIS OWN. WE ALSO FINALLY SETTLED THE BRONX VS. BROOKLYN DILEMMA. HOLLA! 

 

@THEKIDMERO

@LIZBELORTIZ

@RAINEYOVALLE

@CHIOSSE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Of literary like, Yo, it's gonna manage to go to Camaro.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
This is victory like one fourteen. We are back.

Speaker 1 (00:05):
You know what I'm saying. We gotch O saying the building.
We're talking about his digital footprint, how he's popping with
the youth and the o ns, how he's dead looking
more than bounces out here in the streets.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
And he's from Brooklyn and I'm not. I'm from the Bronx.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
So we're gonna talk about what Burrow is more dusty,
also AI food, gigabytes.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Stay right there. You know what I'm saying, because you're
not gonna want to miss this.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Ship ob literary like like.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Of lit diary, light, Yo, victory light, We back. You
know what I'm saying. At bbq's New York Institution.

Speaker 1 (00:44):
You know what I'm saying, It's ship boy the kimmera
human direct flap. Of course, I'm joined by lebron and Luca.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
Li's Berlotz super bish in New York City.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
You know what I'm saying. You know what time it is?

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Ring your my here of yap, god, rap god, you
know what I'm saying. Wh Rap circles around you favorite MC.
Today is a special day because this is a New
York show and we got New York children in the building. Yes,
their children that were born and raised in New York
City under the shadow of bb.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
Q's she a saying and the motherfucking bell day probably
oh say a handy fi chi today. Yeah, it is
the afternoon. It's almost three pm. That's right.

Speaker 1 (01:27):
Listen, this is not live, Okay, So even if dropped
seven am, we're not dre It's eleven pm right now,
but you wouldn't know, and you couldn't tell that because
of the tinted windows. Tell me I had a healthy
breakfast and lives exactly very carmohydrated overnighted.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yes, but I'm so you know what I'm saying them
it's soaking you know.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
What I mean.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
We are soaking wet. You know what I'm saying. We
are very excited to have you, bro. I don't know
why I said we're souking wet, but we are, you
know what I'm saying. Because it's hot. This is our
first time meeting I r L. You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
But we have we we have connections, you know what
I'm saying. But before we get into that. I want
to talk about you as a politician, not the young.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
Man at BYOBB real hip hop K hip hop.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
You're like a new kind of politician, bro. Like they're like,
you're a cool politician. You know what I'm saying, Like
in the way in the sense that you are very
tapped in like digitally, your digital pressens, the digital footprint
is huge. You do like policy in a way that's
very very digestible. You know what I'm saying, Like you
like the why should not working? You know what I'm saying, Like.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'll as sad that question the trade stops why this
should not work? It? And you get right to the
hardest ship. Bro?

Speaker 1 (02:43):
Was that being gen z or is that like, Yo,
I understand the assignment and I know how to use
my platform?

Speaker 2 (02:51):
Like which? Like? Which was it? Just like Yo, I'm young,
Like this is just what we do.

Speaker 5 (02:55):
Yeah, I mean I never thought it would be a
politician right growing up. This was not a future that
I thought I would have. It was very haphazard into
in terms of how I fell into being in politics.
I started protesting in the summer of twenty twenty when
George Floyd was murdered sort of leading a lot of
the protests that were happening in the city at the time,

(03:16):
and then eventually said fuck it, decided to run for
office myself because I saw that my own city council
member didn't share the values and beliefs that that I had.
Ended up winning, you know, in a very competitive race
as the youngest candidate, and utilized social media to really
get my name out there. I think a lot of
my approach to politics is just who I am as

(03:36):
a person.

Speaker 6 (03:37):
Right.

Speaker 5 (03:38):
Most of my friends, if not old of them, don't
work in politics. You know, people who have grown up
with you know, don't work in politics. I speak to
people who speak like people, right, and those are the
people that I interact with on a daily basis. So
how I use social media now exists as a person,
mimics just that, and I think that's reflected in how
I operate on a governmental political level.

Speaker 7 (03:59):
I was watching some of your interviews just to like
get ready you know, today and everything, and I noticed that,
like you, the way you say things, the way you
say things is like very believable. It's like like, oh,
like what made you like for example, like with the
with the with the brokers, like the broker's feed bill.
It was like, oh, well, what what made you do this?
And then your answer was just like, well, I was

(04:19):
trying to find an apartment. It was impossible, so nah,
let's get this out of here. And I think it's
really cool how you you approach these situations from a
lived experience standpoint. Absolutely, and it like, I feel like
people are at the very least like most politicians are.
They're unapproachable or like they're just like they don't seem

(04:40):
like real people total, they're just like mouthpieces for whatever other,
whatever else is happening that we don't see. Absolutely, And
like the way you speak about stuff and how you're
just like, oh, I've just seen a constituent of mine
tweeted this the other day. I have never heard a
politician say those words.

Speaker 5 (04:55):
I mean I heard already these norms of what it
means to be a policy I have been something that's
ingrained in all of us, right for as long as
you've been alive. Of this individual who's like polish, I
don't have a blazer and I hardly wear blazer. I
don't know, it's uncomfortable. It's fucking hot, Hello barbecue. Why
are wearing a you know, a blazer. Yeah, but like
we have these these understandings all of us of what

(05:17):
a normal politician should look like. And then someone who's
buttoned up and you know, speaks in a very you know,
Polish manner, and it's also like shady and lives on
your back, and that's not who I am. I don't
think I like set out to be in this position.
So I think what what people have always been drawn
to me about was the authenticity that I bring to politics.
It's so funny because like when I first got elected

(05:40):
about like four years ago.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
I got elected at twenty three years old, and it's nuts, bro,
it's crazy think about it. Like everybody Disayle was not
doing that. That's what definitely, you know, and I don't
think I don't know if everybody should either.

Speaker 5 (05:52):
You know, I have not necessarily at this table, but
you know, across the ward. And like when I first
got elected, I had this like imp uster syndrome of
coming into this this world where like all of my
colleagues were like butt upe and you know, plan to
do this job. And you know, as as time went on,
I was like, this isn't normal for me to like
try to act like a politician. The more I acted

(06:14):
like myself and spoke to people like a human being
and you know, existed in the political world as chi,
people were drawn to what I was saying, listening to
what I was saying, and really excited about what I
was bringing to the political table.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
So with the digital thing, like, yeah, obviously, like that
makes you super popular with like the younger demographic right now,
if you're serving a whole community, you know, age rangers
from everywhere, So how do you like speak to like
the unks, Yeah, always, the onside aunties.

Speaker 5 (06:43):
Absolutely, Like I mean, like I have a community that's
it's a bit mixed now, right, Like I represent Bedside
and Crown Heights, which is, you know, rapidly gentrified, but
it's like fifty to fifty you know, older black folks
and then like newer, younger people who.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Have who have moved in. And I think my answer
to that is I show up everywhere, right.

Speaker 5 (07:02):
I am present online, right, And I think that's what
a lot of people see who are younger, who are
less engaged in politics. But I'm also showing up to church, right.
I also go to our senior centers. I do events
with our seniors just had a meeting with one of
my seniors today. They can never pronounce my fucking names,
you know how like older black people can't, like older
black people can't. They were like calling me Chi Jose.

(07:23):
So like when I started Jose, so I was going
into office and a lot of my constituents thought I
was hispanic mister Jose, mister Jose.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
And they still can't do it.

Speaker 5 (07:31):
Some of these people where I've met like a dozen times,
I brought them on senior trips.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
It's okay, but I still show up.

Speaker 5 (07:36):
And you know, I think, you know, not only do
I exist in this digital plane, but I'm very president
in my community. And that's something that you know, a
lot of these older residents, older constituents really respect right
and they do like seeing a younger person in office
that we're trying to set me up with their granddaughters.
Still it's crazy, I'm gay, but there's still they're still

(07:57):
pushing their granddaughters on me, and you know, I think
that's a good side.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
I want. I want sisters. I want to arrive.

Speaker 7 (08:05):
I want to arrive at the society where the grandmothers
have a very handsome grandson to be.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
That's where I want to be here.

Speaker 5 (08:14):
Actually somebody. It did happen to me on Saturday. I
was like, I'm good, I'm so good.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
But the fresh thing about you is that you you
represent kind of like the young, younger generation of us
peeling back all the To me, it's like a facade
suits the ties, the way that they speak and the
way they it's just like, let's peel all of that back,
let's get to the root, let's get to the U.

Speaker 6 (08:43):
So I think that's why you're like very refreshing, of course.

Speaker 5 (08:46):
And what's so crazy about that is like, sure, I'm
doing that in my own regard, and like, fuck this man.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
I hate him. He's terrible for our country.

Speaker 5 (08:54):
But Trump really like paved the way for some elected officials,
both on the right and the left, to bring that
level of authenticity to the table. Right, I'm not no
respect to that man in any way, shape or form.
What you're right for a drawn to him. You know
what why people are drawn to him is how authentic
he speaks. He doesn't care, you know, sometimes how he
doesn't really care about and people people in a in

(09:15):
a world where uh no politicians are speaking to you
with with truth, and he doesn't speak with truth, but
in the way that he speaks sounds like it's truthful.

Speaker 2 (09:24):
Right, They're drawn to him and that's why he's been
able to build this this following that he has.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
And it's crazy because I like, I say that all
the time whenever I meet like a democratic.

Speaker 2 (09:33):
Official that's like establishment.

Speaker 6 (09:36):
Bro.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, I'm just like, yo, your messaging fuck is sucks.
Like y'all need to like, yeah, switch things up. It's
like what it's what broomstick do you have up your ass?

Speaker 5 (09:45):
Because it's it's we can hear, you know, the the
pain that you're going through and trying to be so
buttoned up and tightens And that's not me. I was
never I think some of these people who like get
into these positions like this is their entire life mission,
right to be an elected af office. So they're like
working for a campaign and working for the senator's office
and doing this, doing that, and like maybe lose themselves

(10:06):
in that process and once they get there, it's like
robot politicians And I just got here.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
You know, yeah yeah yeah, yeah, but that did you
have that sort of like oh that's only my third day.
Yeah yeah, I worked very hard to get here. Yeah,
very hard to get.

Speaker 7 (10:29):
Did you have that moment like when when it really
when it happened, like when you were elected.

Speaker 5 (10:33):
Did you have that like ship like, yeah, I got
to do it was I won. I remember the day
I won. It was it was so exciting, like one
of the best days of my life. I felt good.
I thought I was gonna win. So we're going gets
like four other people. The Democratic Party was had a
candidate that was in the race, backed by like all
of the big labor unions that he thought, you know,

(10:54):
they thought that was going to win. You know, I
was excited. I one time went on. I was like, fuck,
like I have to like do all these things that
I said that I needed to do. And I was like, well,
I don't like those voices of people saying you were
inexperience and and whatnot, like where I was hearing that
in my head.

Speaker 2 (11:10):
But then I started like.

Speaker 5 (11:11):
Meeting some other people that I worked with, and I
was like, these motterfuckers don't know what they're doing.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
They do what they're doing either.

Speaker 5 (11:18):
We're like living under leadership, but people not knowing what
they're doing either. And I think, like the one skill
that a good politician needs to have is to give
a fucking care, you know, and unfortunately a lot of
them don't.

Speaker 2 (11:28):
They don't, they don't.

Speaker 1 (11:29):
And it's like, you know, people will say like quality
of liaship right like you start. One of the first
things that I've seen you do was the sanitation the rest,
you know what I mean, And that's like a very
like yo, I live here, bro like if I'm if
I'm an elected official, I live in like Virginia right right, right, right, Delaware.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
You know what I mean. I'm not the only one,
the only one. We need a club it. No, we don't,
mother know.

Speaker 5 (12:01):
It's not his fault that he lives in Jersey though, No,
I wasn't talking about talking about.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Man. Yeah, bige's his fault. He lives in there, that's
for sure. On the rest of us, that's that's your yeah, okay, bitch.

Speaker 7 (12:17):
Anyway, I don't know if you know you went herod
and beef fasting at this table.

Speaker 2 (12:22):
By the way, you don't know the beef that I
have with Eric Adams, like I rosead Man.

Speaker 5 (12:30):
I mean, did you see him dress like RuPaul last week?
Oh my god, I have this tweet that, like many
viral man's I think have you seen the Anthony Wiener documentary?

Speaker 2 (12:43):
No, okay, so Anthony Wiener.

Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know the story Anthony Wiener when he was running
for mayor, like the last four weeks, I think, like
olden news started coming out and he was like, oh,
I'm not going to win this and was like living
his life as in like, oh, I know that I'm
not going to win this.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
And it's very akin to what Eric Adams is doing
right now, where he not really giving, like he knows
that his time is coming.

Speaker 5 (13:06):
Charles out of Drag, Wow, the best track Queen Win.
So I tweeted, that's that's literally, Mama rou like.

Speaker 6 (13:21):
That.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
So that is so we're all at the table of
success now I can't see it.

Speaker 7 (13:30):
It's great, but it's great because you you being a
city council member and being in the position you're in, it's.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
Like we're not lying, motherfucker gotta go.

Speaker 4 (13:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (13:43):
It's like it's it's it's validating and like refreshing that
like people in politics are willing to because like that's
another thing.

Speaker 2 (13:50):
It's like like a lot of people in this space,
a lot.

Speaker 7 (13:54):
Of politicians, they they don't want to admit when when
someone is at fault in just in that space in general,
and it's like it's frustrating because it's like, Yo, you're
meant to represent a community, but then you also aren't
willing to hear community or listen and there to the problems.

Speaker 2 (14:13):
But the biggest reason for that is they're afraid of power, right, Like.

Speaker 5 (14:19):
If you speak out against the mayor and critique him,
then you won't get funding for this park or hospital
in your district, I won't get this bill signed into law, right,
And those are like, that's real power to hold that
over the elected officials head. I grew up speaking up
against things that I found would be unfair, and you know,
I think that truth and advocating for that truth is

(14:43):
more powerful than you know, accepting some of the corruption
that's going on. And you know, I've taken hits because
of that, right if I've been punished politically because of that,
But I think people have always been drawn to me
for speaking the truth. Aside from me, you know, not
getting a bill passed or getting money from the mayor
or whoever exists in a higher level of power in politics.

Speaker 4 (15:09):
It's refreshing to see because when we see people in power,
it's like that's what makes them not human sized.

Speaker 2 (15:15):
It's like all of us know what's right and what's wrong.

Speaker 4 (15:18):
So how is it when you become a politician or
you become a cop, you get into these positions of power,
nobody can kind of like nobody can.

Speaker 6 (15:26):
Say that it's wrong.

Speaker 4 (15:27):
That's why I always say that the Democrats kind of
remind me of Roles from get Out, Yeah, looking for
the key, It's.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Just like she's not looking for absolutely, That's what I think.

Speaker 5 (15:38):
It's Democrats and politicians in general get themselves stuck in,
you know, these these situations where they can't speak the
truth to power. Right, They've aligned themselves with people who
are funding their campaigns who ask them not to say this.

Speaker 2 (15:52):
They are too unafraid to speak.

Speaker 5 (15:53):
About you know, Eric Adams or the mayor or any
elected official because they won't get that, and you end up,
you know, you know, disabled in a sense of being
able to do anything that you sought out to do.

Speaker 2 (16:02):
Right.

Speaker 5 (16:03):
I think my newness to politics, and I guess my uh,
you know, unconventional path to politics allowed me to get
here without any of those strings attached. So I'm only
you know, reliable to the people who actually voted me,
you know in Yeah.

Speaker 2 (16:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (16:19):
Another refreshing thing about you is it usually whenever there's
a social issue or anything or anything just you know,
anything going on in the zeitguys. Yeah, most politicians will
often wait until the right time or is this okay
to talk about or how will this affect Like you
were saying campaigns or my funding or my or or whoever.

(16:40):
You were actually the first and as far as I know,
only politician to be outspoken about the murder of oh Sibley. Yeah,
And like that was really huge for me because it's like, Okay,
here's a person that's going to stand up for their
community and isn't afraid to do so, and isn't going
to wait until it's profitable or.

Speaker 2 (16:58):
Safe politically beauty, you know what I mean. Or I
was a little.

Speaker 7 (17:00):
Convenient to bring that stuff up, So yeah, just and
that was one of the first, maybe the only instance
where I found out about I hate crime through and
I liked it official and not the internet, yeah first,
you know, And that was that's also you know, while tragic,
it's it's still very refreshing that you're not one of
these guys that's just waiting around until it's convenient to

(17:22):
talk about some shit.

Speaker 5 (17:23):
Yeah, and I think I appreciate hearing that I I
have nothing to lose, right, Like I I again, I
don't have these strings that are attached that that have
brought me here.

Speaker 2 (17:33):
Right.

Speaker 5 (17:33):
I really built a grassroots campaign filled with people who
wanted to see me speak truth to power, speak up
about things whenever I saw that they were wrong. And
I've been able to be so blessed to be able
to do that even while taking hits.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
I know that people have my backs. Yeah, yeah, it
feels good ticket hits. Yeah, so that's hic. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
You also you could deadlift more than a fucking bouncer
from stallins.

Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah I can't. I can't.

Speaker 5 (18:01):
I'm like figure right right, I'm like part time security
guard up Dallas Barbecue.

Speaker 2 (18:09):
Saturday nights. I was wearing the super Bowl, so like.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
Yeah, exactly, yea bro, Like I read this and I
was like, yeah, are you training to be the first
guy to find the gorilla?

Speaker 7 (18:24):
Like right, Yeah, it's just in the front holding the
other ninety nine guys back like I got and we're
behind him, Like no, I don't have to do this,
let him cook.

Speaker 2 (18:42):
Powerlifting is awesome. You you got into Barns Wall. I've
seen it. You look slimses. Well, yeah, I've been. You know.
I'm saying take you take better can with myself okay,
because I was like my doctor was like yo. It
was funny because Victor, who just dipped, was like yo.

Speaker 7 (18:59):
We we were.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
I was doing the NFL draft and we were in
Vegas and something got messed up with the rooms where
they put us in the same room. So but it
was just like a forty eight hour stage. I was like, yo,
doesn't matter, like, does not make a stick about it, Like,
let's just do this work.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
Got it?

Speaker 1 (19:15):
Because he's not a vagas guy, you know what I'm saying,
Like this is more for me. Like yeah, So we're
sitting and we're in the room and it's like, yo,
time to go.

Speaker 2 (19:24):
To sleep, you know what I'm saying. So it's lights out,
I go to sleep. Next morning. He's just like yo,
He's like, yo, you got to go to the doctor.
I was like, what do you mean, dog? Like what
are you talking about? He's like I don't know. He's like,
last time you just stopped breathing. I was like, what
what are you talking about? Wrong? And he's just like yeah, dog,
He's like, yo, you were laying better. You were just
like when and it was just like quiet. Yeah, He's
like and then I got out and as soon as

(19:45):
I got up, he was like oh man, and I
was just like, oh shit. I went to the doctor.
He's like, yo, you gotta sleep at me. Bro, He's like,
you gotta do a sleep stud. You got to do
this to you. I was like, I gotta do all
that shit. I gotta get the Baane mask. Yeah. I
was like, that's it. It's like I'm washed. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
I was like, I'm officially an old man. I'm forty
years old. I got to sleep, babnan. He's like no, no, no,
it's like yo, if we just you know, it's a
couple of pounds, like the joint pain that you're experiencing,
all this stuff will go away.

Speaker 5 (20:10):
So I was just like, yeah, I'll take that. You
guys powerlifting, if you want to.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
Go, I just do I just yeah, I've done it
when my brothers, I've done with Yeah.

Speaker 2 (20:24):
It's not even about the strength for me as much
as it is aesthetics. But okay, what is the Yeah,
yeah that the clean and the clean and the clean
and jerk. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (20:40):
You know, Republicans say like Democrats are like snowflakes, weak
and like, you know, we don't really have the best
advocates sometimes in our parties. So like I'm like, I'm
down to be like a brolic leftist Democrat, you know.

Speaker 2 (20:52):
What I mean.

Speaker 5 (20:52):
I think it's I think it's good for the brand.
It's good for the brand. Yeah, I post those videos.
I show them that, you know, you can funk with us. Yeah,
it's the we got black Reacher over here.

Speaker 2 (21:04):
Black Reacher more look more like.

Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yeah, then you should have said we were just looking
to bring our young spongebobs wrestling singlist.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Yeah yeah, not Spongebomber actually came in warning be the
craziest thing you've seen in Dallas barbeque.

Speaker 7 (21:21):
But like you know, yo, she goes, she goes, walk
kids to the city council, Like, yeah, that's my type.

Speaker 2 (21:31):
Polos and not be no transphobia going on in this.

Speaker 5 (21:38):
That's absolutely that's exactly well due respect to like my community.
You can't do that sometimes with like the blue streak
in your hair, can I say, yeah, saying like I'm
not gonna take you seriously.

Speaker 7 (21:55):
Remember rememb Remember the twenty twelve, the MAGA down for
the remember the twenty twelve weeks could be for Patrick.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, nobody taking up serious with that seriously that you.

Speaker 1 (22:06):
Know, I stepped over you and the one's a noble
last week while you were reading on the floor.

Speaker 2 (22:12):
Yeah, yea, yeah, yeah, you gotta get it. You gotta
get you. We gotta fight for your rights when you
can't fight for your own I can't. Is that okay?

Speaker 5 (22:19):
Yes, that's well, I'm asking my comments directory.

Speaker 2 (22:27):
Sh Yeah, because that's what we meat.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
I feel like democrats, democrats or just the left in
general has just been they're just so like, oh no,
you shouldn't do that.

Speaker 7 (22:38):
Oh you did it, you you shouldn't do that.

Speaker 2 (22:41):
Yeah, but it's not as the worst saying that some
people got to get posted them out. I completely agree.

Speaker 5 (22:47):
The worst thing that's ever happened to Democrats over the
past couple of years was Michelle Obama saying when they.

Speaker 2 (22:52):
Go low, we go high.

Speaker 5 (22:54):
Absolutely the fuck not no, there was the only thing
that I quote from Eric Adams isn't in stration. He
had this senior advisor, her name is Ingrid Lewis Martin.
She stepped out once the crime started coming in and
she said, when.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
They go low, you dig for oil. And I believe
in that dig dig, dig, right.

Speaker 5 (23:13):
Because like Democrats are consistently bringing a knife to a
gunfight and pick up them waits, put that hair dyed
down and come to fight for all right.

Speaker 7 (23:26):
I uh, I'm sorry you off, but I got listen.
They be they be cooking me online for having normal
ass thoughts. I'll be online and I'm like, yo, the
problem with.

Speaker 2 (23:37):
No, no, no, no, it's not that's like you know
what I'm saying, do your own research. And it's like
and it's like, bro, we're.

Speaker 7 (23:43):
Not gonna get Like how do you think we got
a fell in an office? You think them people give
a about And it's like, I feel like the problem
with online leftism specifically is that people are more worried
about sounding smarter than each other, talking over each other,
and they're.

Speaker 5 (23:58):
More worried about the most moral or yeah Jesus, And
it's like you think they give a fuck about that?

Speaker 7 (24:04):
Like why, Like it's like, you know, you laugh when
you see like a black conservative or a gay conservative,
or like a trans fucking Republican.

Speaker 2 (24:11):
You laugh when you see shit like that.

Speaker 7 (24:13):
But they they they welcome anybody with open arms. And
when somebody over there say hmmm, I have questions about this,
they'll be like, oh.

Speaker 8 (24:23):
Here's here's a couple of textbooks full of race science.

Speaker 2 (24:29):
Did you know. And it's like it's like we can
it actually.

Speaker 7 (24:35):
Actually like we can at the very least do the opposite.

Speaker 2 (24:39):
It's like, oh, well, here's why, yeah, let trans people exist.

Speaker 5 (24:45):
And here's why it exists without talking about some fucking
theory or ideology exactly know what I've ever heard of.
I speak to someone like they're a human being, right,
and a lot of people don't have the skills to
do that right. Maybe want to seem more and more
right in that position. That's something that to bring to politics,
you know, every single day. Yeah, I had someone comment
under my I did lose him as a supporter because

(25:05):
I think I said something against Trump. But he was like, no,
it wasn't that bad. But I posted one of the
white shits not working. He was like, I didn't end
up like talking about Trump in that video. But he
was like, oh, I was following you for a bit
and now I'm not anymore. I was like, I'm sad.
Maybe I'm sad that you're not following me now, but like,
why were you following me before? I kind of liked
that you were following me before because I was, you know,
speaking to you as someone from my position, and you

(25:26):
liked what I was saying until I said something about Trump,
And I think there's something there.

Speaker 2 (25:29):
Yeah, there is something there, because.

Speaker 7 (25:32):
Like you do want to do the work of bringing
people over that that that don't see us as human,
that don't see us as as like normal or whatever.
But there's also the other side of it where it's
like you kind of got to pick your battles, where
it's like who's worth who's worth convincing, and there's who.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
Can be left to fuck over? Absolutely a lot of them, Yeah,
a lot of them could be left those. Yeah, it's
and it's in my music all the time.

Speaker 7 (26:01):
It's like I leave like breadcrumbs for people to be like, hey, listen, yeah,
my shi it's not for you. If you don't, like,
if you're racist all this stuff, then my shit is
not for you. But if you have questions you feel
a little weird about, that's okay, answer, you know, talk
about it.

Speaker 5 (26:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:20):
Absolutely, one of pounds is of tremendous feet. Dog, you
know what I'm saying that is pounds. Yeah, thank you.
I'm going heavier too. Oh show ye what's the PB?

Speaker 5 (26:30):
The PB I'm trying to get people that don't want
to just trying to get to I think by I'm
doing like a one rep max at the end of May.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
I'm trying to get to four fifty on the deadlift.

Speaker 7 (26:42):
Yeah that's nfilm, bro, So that's incredible, that's super cool.

Speaker 5 (26:46):
Yeah right, No, No, I'm trying to get to till
four fifty I think on the bench press, trying to
break a little above three hundred.

Speaker 2 (26:56):
You ever met Jamal Bowman performing collings on the bench?
Prest's wild behind it under the blazer unless I'm trying
to get somewhere over there, you know what I mean?
Literality like.

Speaker 1 (27:14):
Literity, but you know, speaking of like impressive feeds man
like this things? Were you talking about this off camera
a little bit? There's things that you've accomplished in your
tenure that me as a four year old man, Bro,
I'm like, I have never seen this, Like if this,
I'm resigned to the fact, or I've I've resigned myself
to the fact a long time ago, and like.

Speaker 2 (27:33):
People that you give me hope.

Speaker 1 (27:34):
But in New York City, once something is done, it's done.
Like if every got him, just like, Yo, we we're
stripping money away from the libraries.

Speaker 2 (27:41):
We're doing this, We're doing that. It's happening like and
it happens.

Speaker 1 (27:44):
And then and then, like we were saying before, like
the library closes, it becomes something else, and you the
next generation forgets it even exist. So you got broken fees,
the funk out of here, fucking around with bike lanes
made that happen, you know what I'm saying. Uh, the
in one of your most recent pieces of content, the
Bedford Library reopened.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
That that blew my mind because that was one of
my first like fuck, Eric Adams.

Speaker 1 (28:10):
You know what I'm saying, was like, Yo, I'm going
to the library with my kids. We're doing music classes,
we're doing art classes, we're doing all this shit that
you took out of schools.

Speaker 2 (28:17):
Bitch, you know what I'm saying, And we're doing it.

Speaker 1 (28:19):
We're getting for free because I paid mad taxes. I'm
glad gladly paid my taxes because I'm like, yo, every Wednesday,
we're going to fucking sing guitar songs.

Speaker 2 (28:28):
Right right right with mister Matt, you know what I mean, But.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
Talk about that, bro, because like also put us on
how do you do this ship? Because other politicians make
it seem like it's impossible.

Speaker 5 (28:41):
I mean, I think it stems from a place of annoyance. Right,
I've lived in the city my entire life. So many
of us are frustrated with the amount of taxes we pay.
But then also government not working right, And you know,
New York has this this energy that the things should
be tough, right, it should be be rough and hard
to live here, but it shouldn't be right.

Speaker 2 (29:02):
And I take issue with that.

Speaker 5 (29:03):
Like one of the first lessons I was learned in
life was when my dad was like saying that life
wasn't fair, and I could not come to terms with that.
I always wanted to like fight back against that. And
I think it really just boils down to the fact
that I'm like a persistent asshole. And when city agencies
or institutions are saying that they're going to do one
thing and they don't do it, I'm going to be

(29:24):
on that ass right, Like I'm going to consistently be
pressuring you, bringing you to the table, making sure my
constituents are hearing what you're saying that you're going to
do when you're not actually doing, and hold their feet
to the fire. Right, And that's my job as a
city council member. Right. We bring oversight to city agencies,
to things that we spend our tax dollars on, and
I can be very persistent in making sure that I

(29:46):
get the answer that I want for a service that
people deserve.

Speaker 2 (29:50):
Right.

Speaker 5 (29:50):
So when it came to those bike lanes, you know
that that broker fee legislation that I passed the library,
it's this persistence that lives on in me, you know,
and I think it's it's frustrating to the people who
I know in my life and my parents certainly did
not like it growing up, but it's something that is
really good as as a city council member and as
an elected official.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
So yeah, it's it's great that you said that because
that was my next thing. And it was Liz that
actually was like was brought it up, you know in
our little pre pro meeting. Yeah, your dad, Reggie os
combat Jack, you know what I'm saying, great, dear friend
of mine and sat Recipes.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
Titan and hip hop, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (30:29):
And basically invented black podcasts. I'm just saying, you know
what I'm saying, because he know gains credit. You know
what I'm saying, because the Combat Jack Show was the
first long talkie podcast.

Speaker 2 (30:41):
That was popular in like the hip hop community, our communities.

Speaker 1 (30:45):
Yeah, you know what I'm saying, because we let's be real,
the guy driving this hall bus was not listening to
fucking Joe Rogan.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
He wasn't listening to fucking Mark Maren.

Speaker 1 (30:52):
You know what I'm saying, Like all these guys that
people credit with like making podcasts blow up, it's not
the case.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
You know what I'm saying, that was all combat Jack.
To Liz's point, you know what I'm saying, I'll let
her get into it.

Speaker 4 (31:04):
Yeah, I thought it was I thought it was kind
of cool that you Haitia, you come from Haitian American descent.

Speaker 6 (31:08):
You know, we all hear Dominican Americans.

Speaker 2 (31:10):
Kind of cool.

Speaker 4 (31:11):
But I would love to know what was your family's
reaction to knowing you were going to enter politics.

Speaker 6 (31:16):
Because I come from a Dominican house, right.

Speaker 2 (31:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (31:19):
And in twenty twenty, my sister set up a protest
for Breonna Taylor and my dad he was the one
who taught me about politics and he loved it, but
it scared him when we got too old, and he
was like, oh wait, like, we see how the US
treats these topics. So it's kind of scary to watch
your children enter into that world, especially knowing how it

(31:39):
can be. I'm interesting to know. I'm interested to know
how your family reacted.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
Yeah. Absolutely, so.

Speaker 5 (31:44):
You know, I grew up in even though no one
in my family worked in politics, I grew up in
a family kill the people who spoke what came to.

Speaker 2 (31:51):
Their minds right.

Speaker 5 (31:52):
And not only did they do that, but you know
how made a profession out of it, right, speaking truth
to power, always empowering me and my siblings to do
that right. And when I decided to run for office,
they were like, oh, duh, like this even with no
political experience or or even thinking that this was gonna.

Speaker 2 (32:09):
You know, come to be.

Speaker 5 (32:11):
They were not shocked nor surprised about me doing what
I was doing. But I think they were like, may, like,
let's work on our plate if you're if you're focused
on all this other like other city stuff. So yeah,
I think being born black or brown, you know, immigrant
families in this country it's political in it of itself, right,
and that's ingrained within you, right and in terms of

(32:33):
how you operate, how you move around. And I'm so
grateful for my family to always uh you know, pouring
that that lesson into me, that if something does not
seem right with you, it isn't and you should say
something about it.

Speaker 2 (32:45):
Maybe you should even do something about it.

Speaker 5 (32:47):
And I think that's something that's always empowered me to
be not only in this position that I'm in, but
how I operate within this this position.

Speaker 2 (32:55):
Yeah, beautiful.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
She also said something else. Yeah, it's based on geography
of the show.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
Okay, okay, okay, okay, all right.

Speaker 4 (33:09):
I get attacked a lot by these two right because
I'm know they both from the Bronx.

Speaker 6 (33:15):
From Brooklyn.

Speaker 2 (33:15):
So I was happy.

Speaker 6 (33:17):
I was happy today. I had a little bit of backup.
All right, now you can talk all that ship, yeah,
talking about Brooklyn.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
No talking about Brooklyn. Don't say every other about Brooklyn
in front of company.

Speaker 7 (33:32):
But but it's been it's been like sibling rivalry though
between the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Speaker 1 (33:36):
It's always like because it's like I feel like the
Bronx in Brooklyn have a special position amongst the boroughs.

Speaker 2 (33:41):
We have Queize people in the back.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
You know what I'm saying, We're not gonna you know
what I'm saying, that they're gonna remain quiet.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
In the building. But I feel like the Bronx of Brooklyn.

Speaker 1 (33:59):
Always find like the said, like a simbling rivalry where
it's just like, yo, who's the dirtiest borrow?

Speaker 2 (34:03):
And it's like Yo, Bronx people like yo. It's definitely
Brooklyn is dirty as fuck, and Brooklyn people like yo.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
Bro for brol You ever been to fucking the South
Bronx dusty as a motherfucker, but you got mad reds.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
But yo, y'all got mad rets. Right, Well, y'all got
the most heartbees in the nation. Like who's the dustiest borrow?

Speaker 8 (34:21):
Bro?

Speaker 4 (34:21):
Like, let's argue that it is like anybody elseide of
New York start talking about young and everybody's like, wait.

Speaker 6 (34:27):
Whoa hold on?

Speaker 5 (34:29):
Now more than ever, Like, you know, I'm very proud
to be from Brooklyn for you know, all the reasons.
Of course, best city in the world, best borrow in
the world. You know, everyone loves Brooklyn what I'm saying,
But but now more than ever, like and especially what's
happening to the Bronx, right, and Brooklyn has been dealing
with with it for years now, a couple of decades.

(34:51):
The gentrification is crazy, the housing crisis is crazy.

Speaker 2 (34:55):
It's it's coming for the Bronx too, you know what
I mean?

Speaker 5 (34:58):
But instead of us, because when when we tal talk
about you know, the beef, for the playful discourse between
our two borrows, of it being dirty and this and
that and the other, those are like our communities, who
are or or you know, talking about that conversation. But
we're disappearing, right, so I think instead instead of us,
you know. And of course the competition will always exist,

(35:19):
you know, we gotta we gotta gotta fend for our
community's got to make sure that we're advocating our behalfs.

Speaker 2 (35:24):
Brooklyn, this alliance right there, both of us out of
it all. And you know who's not gonna there's gonna
be no more arguing next episode.

Speaker 6 (35:33):
They're gonna be slandering me again. Everybody I know.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
Not, but it's true to me.

Speaker 4 (35:51):
The Brooklyn and Bronx is kind of like the Haitian
and Dominican relationship. Is just like we argue, but stay
the funk out over the second steps sameting rivalry.

Speaker 2 (36:01):
It's like, Yo, all right, yeah, yeah, I have.

Speaker 7 (36:04):
A hot take actually about the Bronx because you said
that it's the gentrification is coming for the Bronx.

Speaker 2 (36:10):
I don't necessarily agree.

Speaker 7 (36:12):
And maybe you have you have a obviously you're in politics,
like you're more clearly you see it happening because it's
your job to see it. But for me, I don't
agree that it's happening, at least like I think it's happening.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
If it is happening, it's a lot slower. And the
reason it's a lot slower, you're it's because.

Speaker 7 (36:32):
The Bronx consistently gets a bad rap.

Speaker 2 (36:34):
And I love that. Yeah, I love that.

Speaker 6 (36:38):
This is what happens.

Speaker 4 (36:44):
It As I talk, I love the Bronx because it's
the last borough to be gentrified.

Speaker 6 (36:47):
When I go to the Bronx, I'm like, Yo, this
is like this isn't this is what I was raising.

Speaker 4 (36:52):
The bunks is open, the people's is on a step,
like everybody, the whole community is outside. There's block parties,
you know, like I don't see that in Brooklyn anymore.

Speaker 2 (36:59):
You see it.

Speaker 5 (37:00):
It's like I think, I think it's not gentrifying as
quick as Brooklyn is, right, but it's certainly on the
on the list, right, It's like it's right there, the
four or five to anywhere that the subway goes to be.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
You know, they're gonna go down to it's gonna I'm
telling you, I'm sorry, that's what I used to call it, Brooklyn.
I used to just call it. I'm going to yea.

Speaker 5 (37:25):
It just speaks to our housing crisis as a whole, right,
Like we are housing shortage is insane, right. I know
we do see those buildings going up, but this is
a one point four percent vacancy rate in New York City,
and we're not building as much housing to to fit
the need of the people who are coming in, right,
So they're competing for the same homes as people within
you know, our communities. Uh, it's gonna eventually happen to.

Speaker 2 (37:45):
The Bronx and landlords are gonna be like, well, I
can charge more for someone coming here coming to work
in a tech jobs from Ohio and someone who works
you know for.

Speaker 5 (37:54):
The MTA who lives in the Bronx. So I think
it's all of our issue and we all got to
be you know, advocating for from we're housing across.

Speaker 7 (38:01):
I'm I'm just waiting for the TikTok from like that
very slender like transplant white woman.

Speaker 8 (38:07):
That's like, come with me to get jumped into the sex, money, murder,
blood sets. I stopped my day for some first after
reading on a bench for eight hours.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
This is my job, you know, so it's real. That's
what I'm waiting for, transplant GD. So hopefully that does happen.

Speaker 7 (38:37):
Hopefully the Bronx continues to get a bad rep.

Speaker 2 (38:39):
I love that ship. Don't don't don't come over here.
I don't do it. That's my slogan. You know what
fucking I'm my name is Rainy, and don't come over here.
Vote for him? And we approved this continuing a video
you can't being video. And for the burning car. Yeah,

(39:01):
yeah like that. It wasn't ninety seventy were king a
long ride?

Speaker 7 (39:08):
Hold on, she what do you mean you don't believe
the Bronx is like that?

Speaker 2 (39:12):
What do you mean by I like that? I'll tell you.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
I knew Kenosi was different when I went there in
like two thousand and five to visit my cousin who
I never saw because he lived in Bushwick and I
was I went out there and I took the J
train to Gates and I got off at Gates and.

Speaker 2 (39:29):
I remember I was like, yo, I came here once
when I was little, and it was like my pops
was like, yo, jet off the train. We got to
get to the crib.

Speaker 1 (39:35):
Like, I go on oh five and it's like, bro,
there's a guy skateboarding shooting, like a skateboarding you know.

Speaker 2 (39:46):
I just like at all, you know what I'm saying.
And then I see the guy on a tall bike
ride by. I was like, what the fuck is going
on here? Bro? It was crazy. I'm just like, all right,
what the fuck is going on with the houses? Shit to?

Speaker 5 (39:57):
I mean even when I was growing up and in
Crown Heights, I grew up in Grownd it is from
like twenty eleven to like twenty twenty three.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
Twenty twenty two.

Speaker 5 (40:06):
My parents were like, don't go, don't go over to
Bedside And it's like it's such a different place now, right.
I think there's so many jobs that New York City,
you know, produces, and people move here to work in
those jobs. People are always going to move to New York, right,
And while they're moving to New York, like they're competing
for the same homes as again, people who live in
Bedside live in Canarsia, you know, live in the Bronx.

(40:29):
And again, landlords are like, I can charge more money
for someone who's working the six bigger job than someone
who's working for the city. And because there's no other
housing left, that person who's been there for twenty years,
thirty years, forty years, is this place, right. It's our
job as a city to build more homes, right. And
I think that's very scary for a lot of people,
right because we do see these high rises going up,

(40:49):
and we think that means gentrification, but that's actually like
these people are coming to our neighborhoods anyways, but it's
better that they live there than in this brownstone you
know that has the re apartments, you know what I mean,
where someone who's living on a fixed income is living in.
So I try to demestify that conversation and advocate for
more housing, which is you know, very politically challenging sometimes

(41:12):
and something that I didn't always believe in, you know,
as as someone who's lived in Brooklyn but has looked
at the facts of how this housing crisis came to be.
But yeah, we got to build more homes because New
York City is always going to be a city that
people want to live in. But we should be prioritizing
the people who have been living here for as long
as they have.

Speaker 1 (41:28):
And you talk about living like housing, you know, et cetera.
I'm curious to know, like because I moved to Jersey
because I just couldn't. I got four kids, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
I just couldn't.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
I couldn't find anything that fit, you know what I mean?
And like when I went out there, I was like,
oh shit, like for what they're asking for for like
you know, a two bedroom co op, I could get
a house like what is and like you know, good
brother Raandy over here, owner of a condo.

Speaker 2 (41:55):
You know what I'm saying, Like what is got money
at this table?

Speaker 5 (41:59):
No homeowner? Where on the island? Island island wild? This
person at this table rinking my honey Colada fighting for
these people. It's a cap I don't even know the

(42:23):
format city homeowner, you.

Speaker 3 (42:24):
Know, literally like.

Speaker 1 (42:29):
Literally like that used to be like the the like yo,
let me like that used to be like the aspiration, right,
you know, I'm going to own some property. I'm going
to own something that I'm not on equity in, something
that I can then borrow against.

Speaker 2 (42:42):
It gives me like a different.

Speaker 1 (42:44):
Financial outlook than you know, like if I'm just living
pycheck to paycheck, Like I own this thing and if
something goes wrong, I can borrow against this thing.

Speaker 2 (42:52):
I can sell this thing. It's an asset. The thing
that I own. Is that a really?

Speaker 1 (42:56):
Is that something that you think is realistic to have
young New Yorkers? You know what I'm saying, Cause like, yeah,
like you said, working people, bro. Like if I'm a
fucking teacher, you know what I'm saying, and I'm born
and raised in the Bronx. Yeah, and I'm out into
a fucking HVAC technician, you know what I'm saying. Like
we got two kids and a cat, How the fuck
do we stay in the Bronx, and how do we
buy something and stay here and raise our kids and

(43:18):
have a bunch of kids?

Speaker 2 (43:19):
Yeah, or do whatever the fuck we do?

Speaker 1 (43:21):
Of course, you know, open a business, do whatever, but
like stay in our community where we were born, of course,
of course, you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (43:26):
Like it seems impossible, but I'm old of course.

Speaker 5 (43:30):
I think, yeah, I think when when we think about
home ownership in New York City has like a front yard,
backyard like old this space, I don't think that's as
realistic as as you know it used to be. Of course,
there's limited space in the city, limited borrow right exactly.
So I think, you know, there's there's a lot of
opportunities that do open up that I've been proud to

(43:52):
fight alongside many of my colleagues in the City Council
for securing funding for I think we secured three billion
dollars for new home ownership opportunities last year.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Right.

Speaker 5 (44:00):
And it may not be again the backyard uh front
yard homes that we're talking about, but it's but it
is these these indeed, Yeah, your name's on the deed.
And there's opportunities out there where where New Yorkers can
get uh you know, subsidies from the city. You know, Uh,
there's there's there's easier background and credit tracks when when
there's first time home buyers. And while it may not

(44:21):
be you know, the biggest house, and you know it
is New York City, so you won't really get the
biggest house, it's still an opportunity to get some new
home ownership opportunities, and that's something I've been a staunch
advocate for. I do believe ownership, if you're interested in it,
it's something that should be accessible to you. I do
believe you need to be doing more in that regard,
right because there is an appetite for that. But I've
definitely been an advocate, a fighter, and you know, winner

(44:43):
in terms of securing some of that funding for those
for this opportunity.

Speaker 2 (44:47):
Yeah, I didn't leave. You didn't leave.

Speaker 1 (44:48):
I didn't do the fucking bitch ass Eric and be like, oh,
I'm just gonna go to Jersey how to.

Speaker 2 (44:53):
Do because I'll do. But yeah, and that's but that's
that's the thing. I don't even like. I don't even
blame you for that.

Speaker 5 (44:58):
I blame him for that because he's the mayor of
New York City. But I don't believe so many New
Yorkers who like have to to go opportunity.

Speaker 4 (45:06):
It's not our fault. We were we were born and
raised here and we're just trying to live. But unfortunately
these people prioritize other people and I don't.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
I don't profits.

Speaker 6 (45:16):
Yeah, I hate that we kind of blame ourselves. It's
not our fault, bro, they specifically.

Speaker 4 (45:20):
And then the worst part about it is when you
go back to the neighborhoods that you were raised in
and you're just like, wait, so all this time, yeah,
I could have fixed the stuff that we had to
live in, but all of a sudden, some different colored
people come in and now this is a beautiful.

Speaker 7 (45:34):
Places go Ahead'm sorry not just uh it's like to
you guys's point like, yeah, I own stake in the
building I live in, but that shit is still in
the trenches, you know what I mean. It's so it's
like it's like it's and I am. I'm seeing these
buildings go up made out of fucking paper machine go
up in like five minutes, and I'm like, oh, I

(45:55):
know this is for so it's you know, it's it's
it's definitely happening the gentrification, like you said earlier, and
it just sucks because it's like me being from the Bronx,
I had to invest in that version of the Bronx.

Speaker 2 (46:10):
There was no effort to improve it for me, right,
you know what I mean?

Speaker 5 (46:14):
It just speaks to who the people in power listen to. Right,
It's it's the landlord class, it's developer class. It's you know,
the homeowner class too, right, who are telling them don't
build in these neighborhoods. That will you know, build affordable
housing for for people who live in this neighborhood and
want to like stay in this neighborhood. It's you know,
these landlords that are saying, you know, don't don't don't

(46:35):
invest in in tenants protections, right, don't make sure that
we're upkeeping nightsha and in public housing.

Speaker 6 (46:41):
Right.

Speaker 5 (46:41):
It's it's always and we have a long history of
this in New York where we're electing mayors who are
working for that one percent, that ruling class that look
like us sometimes who are actively working against us.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
But hopefully that's bound to change in June. Yes, that's
that part. Let's talk about it because.

Speaker 1 (47:00):
Has a run out here, you know what I'm saying,
or run you know what I'm saying. You like indorsement
as a native of New Yorker, you know what I'm saying,
that's still here, Yeah, you know, and a council member, Yeah,
which gives you like a you know, a different kind
of insights. Yeah, Like the whole political arena. What is
something that you're seeing in this mayoral race, you know
what I'm saying, like, Yeah, and also so your brooker

(47:21):
steel on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (47:22):
Run, so obviously you're rocking with him.

Speaker 1 (47:24):
Yeah, what is something that he's doing that you feel like, okay,
like this is the guy of course.

Speaker 5 (47:30):
So the first thing I'm seeing about this race as
someone who again represents a gentrifying neighborhood that still has
a lot of legacy residents, is that Cuomo has mad
support right from a lot of these consistent voters who
show up at the polls every single election. And it's
fucked up because he's the reason this city is in
a mass you know, he's a big player in that

(47:50):
he was governor for ten years, right, defunded mental health institutions,
you know, defunded the MTA to subsidize ski resorts, you
know in upstate New York.

Speaker 2 (47:58):
Like he's he's a terrible politician.

Speaker 5 (47:59):
But New Yorkers and voters in this country have such
a short term memory span when it comes to things,
So when it comes to a new election, you see
the only name or he the only name you know,
and then forget about why this man isn't a governor anymore.
You know, you're voting for someone that you've heard up
before rather than a new face, which I think is
very frustrating. And I think in order for us to

(48:20):
change out, all of us at this table, everyone listening
needs to do their part to make sure we're not
just adding to that echo chamber of younger internet voices,
right and speaking to you know, our grandmothers, our seniors,
our neighbors, you know, across these outer burrows and making
sure that they're hearing there are other options out there.
In terms of Zorn's race, you know, I'm absolutely supporting Zoran.

(48:42):
I think what he's bringing to this race is energetic.
It reminds me of Bernie twenty sixteen, and he's showing
that he's a very viable candidate to be the opposition
against Cuomo. I also want to remind people that in
New York City, we have ranked choice voting elections, right,
so we're able to rank up to fives when we
go to the polls in June. And I'm recommending that,

(49:04):
you know, people look into some of these other candidates
that aren't Cuomo. You know, Brad Lander, Adrian Adams, you know,
these are some folks who may not be as progressive
and running you know, maybe as exciting as a campaign
as Zoron, but are still better by miles in Cuomo. Right,
And we need to build this this this this coalition,
the strategy when we go to the polls of ranking

(49:25):
five people, you know, put zor On first, so that's
the person that you fuck with, and making sure that
we're not ranking Cuomo at all, so that in any
chance that that our favor doesn't win, at least we
have someone that's not Quoma.

Speaker 2 (49:36):
Right.

Speaker 7 (49:37):
Yeah, And it's I think it's crazy too, like the
tactics that people employ that kind of sometimes may go
over the average person said, right, because, like I watched
a bunch of your interviews in preparation for this, you
are very public You and Zoron are very publicly locked in.
But for some reason, uh YouTube still decides to push
Cuomo for mayor ads.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
Which is crazy. You're spending money on that, That's what
I'm saying, a lot of money to spend on.

Speaker 7 (50:00):
That's what I'm saying, which is crazy because it's like
you would think that in preparation for this, watching watching
Chi interviews.

Speaker 2 (50:07):
And then for the zar On episode watching zar on stuff,
you would think.

Speaker 7 (50:10):
That I would get the ads that match, but no,
it's just a bunch of it's just a bunch of
bad actors.

Speaker 6 (50:15):
Tell him out.

Speaker 2 (50:15):
He was governed US, so he's.

Speaker 5 (50:18):
One of the build a bridge, built a bridge right
named after him?

Speaker 6 (50:23):
Yeah, what the.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
Fuck up? And once across the ut officially upstate.

Speaker 5 (50:29):
Yeah, and that's in the the billionaires that are are
supporting his campaign.

Speaker 2 (50:33):
Trump owners that are supporting his campaign. It's it's it's
wild how we just were.

Speaker 5 (50:39):
We're sad about this man that got re elective Trump
right in Washington, who's now leading with vengeance, right, and
then we're like, you know what.

Speaker 2 (50:48):
Let's do that in New York City with our mayor.

Speaker 5 (50:52):
Version, who's still like, who's wrinkly and scary. Look, he's
fucking scary looking.

Speaker 2 (50:56):
Man. I'm sorry, I know we're not allowed to say that.

Speaker 5 (50:59):
He's fucking flying looking, and he looks scary than he
did a couple of years ago.

Speaker 2 (51:02):
It was like, you know, it's like sunking in a
little bit. Is that? Okay? Elijah Okay, got the thumbs up.
He's horrifying looks he got his nipple piss and it's
not even like a cool thing. We got nipple pisses,
that's cool. No, it's not, bro, you didn't totally he
made it. He don't even be a basement and he's
he don't even be a basement even with he don't

(51:26):
even crazy.

Speaker 5 (51:28):
He's coming back not to solve our problems. He's coming
back to solve his own. And I think people need
to be very well aware of that because we're living
through that on the presidential level.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
You know, Vinnie Johnny Tony, I've spoken all.

Speaker 2 (51:42):
I'm speaking to that again.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
Don't vote against your own interests just because the guy
got it all at the end of his name.

Speaker 5 (51:48):
Is that to the jumpop Italian community? Do you know
my long history of Italian hate? No, I do not,
but get it put on the cover of the Daily
News a couple of years ago. It was my first cover.
I was in the city council. We have these budget
hearings where we questioned different agencies about how they're spending money.
So we were questioning the Parks Department and there was this, uh,

(52:10):
this this this tree like trimming company called Dragonetti, and
they got caught for embezzling, you know, city dollars for
doing some shady ship, I think insurance fraud or whatever.
And I was speaking of the parks commissioner. I was like,
you know that name alone, you.

Speaker 2 (52:29):
Know, I thought it was you know.

Speaker 5 (52:31):
No, but also like a name that's associated with crime,
because if they have a one million dollar whatever thing.

Speaker 2 (52:37):
And I said that name alone should have been a
red flag. The Italian ex community came. They said I
was slurring.

Speaker 5 (52:46):
I was throwing out Italians, anti Italian slurs, and I
put me on the cover.

Speaker 2 (52:51):
I was getting death threats and everything.

Speaker 5 (52:53):
Anti Italian, anti Italian slurs were saying dragonettes should have been.

Speaker 2 (52:56):
A red flag.

Speaker 5 (52:57):
So now to this day, I lived with the uh
anti Italian racism that I've been accused.

Speaker 2 (53:03):
You gotta get we gotta get Jada Kiss as an
Italian man. Yeah, so put it into this, that's right.

Speaker 7 (53:09):
We gotta get Jadakiss to cosign Tree publicly and be like,
this is the councilman.

Speaker 3 (53:19):
This is the councilman that's gonna take care of right,
He's the last official rough you think about it, holding
it down.

Speaker 2 (53:30):
I'm not allowed to go to Arthur anymore. Magazine for
the people. Maybe I love you, I love the four
people who are in bigots. So this is Italian in
or not?

Speaker 1 (53:45):
Yo, yo, Joe's pizza haven't come through you know what
I'm saying, Joe pizza, it.

Speaker 2 (53:51):
Might be Albanian at this point. Yeah, if it's in
the Bronx, it's probably you know.

Speaker 1 (54:13):
So Okay, So you answered the old New Yorker question,
what is something that like the younger people, what's like
the main concern for like your generation and people younger
than you about living in a city, residing here, working here,
just living a life, building an existence here.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
Dude, It's all. It's the same answer, right.

Speaker 5 (54:31):
I don't even think that like it varies from it's affordability.

Speaker 2 (54:34):
It's the ability to be able to live here. Right.
Older people are dealing with it, Younger people are dealing
with it.

Speaker 5 (54:40):
All of us are are at the whims of these
elected officials who are working for billionaires, for millionaires, for
the ruling class. Like I said before, right, And I
think understanding that we're all essentially dealing with the same
problems should be comforting because it should tell us that
we have a lot of power in deciding who we
want to lead us to the future that we deserve
to live in. Right, I'm like, I hate paying rent

(55:02):
every month. Right, It's it's it's it's really uh, it's
it's not affordable for me, you know. And I'm I'm
someone who essentially is supposed to work on making the
city more affordable. And a lot of my colleagues aren't,
you know, tenants, right, So like, it's it's, it's, it's
it speaks to the crisis that you know, whether you're
you're younger or you're older, we're all dealing with, right,
And it's affordability, being able to live in the city,

(55:24):
wanting to own in the city, affording groceries, affording childcare,
affording the subway.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
It's a universal problem.

Speaker 5 (55:32):
Instead of seeing it as a younger versus older situation,
it's us versus them situation.

Speaker 7 (55:37):
Yeah, and it's it's worth noting too that not only
are you trying, you're not just trying to make any
city affordable. Like I think it's worth mentioning that you
are a councilman in the financial capital of the world,
low key, and a city that, like, it's not just
any city, it's New York City, which is a city that.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
Basically punishes you for being born, right, you know, what
I mean.

Speaker 7 (56:01):
I guess like this city rewards breed and yeah, yeah, yeah,
And it's like and you know that part. I think
it's worth mentioning and it's worth noting like that you
really are fighting the good fight against like against you know,
seemingly impossible odds.

Speaker 2 (56:16):
And I think that should. I think that should is
very committal and appreciate that.

Speaker 1 (56:22):
So we were talking about your dad earlier. You know
what I'm saying, Like I said, it tightened hip hop?
Is this something that you picked up from being exposed
to like hip hop? You know media, like there's an
attorney like all that kind of like info, you know
what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (56:40):
And he was a he was a outside kind of dude.

Speaker 1 (56:43):
You know what I'm saying, Like, is the anything that
you picked up you know what I'm saying from him
in that regard that you took, which you into politics?

Speaker 5 (56:50):
I think you know, I speak about this often. I
have such a passion and I think it's I hope
it's seen through the work that I do where I
can find that intersection between politics and culture, right. I
think culture, when intertwined with speaking about things that matter right,
can really drive people to a consensus, where they're adding

(57:11):
to change, where they feel empowered to vote or show
up to a community board meeting or advocate for something
that makes you know their community better. And when I
think when that's combined with an element of culture, whether
it's music, whether it's pop culture, whether it's how someone's
speaking to them through a different medium, whether it's podcasting
or short form media.

Speaker 2 (57:31):
You know, I picked that up for my dad, right.

Speaker 5 (57:32):
I think in a lot of his conversations, you know
about hip hop with rappers, with people in media, politics
was brought up in the conversation, Right, I think there's
this notion that within culture, you know, people should be
a political right when I think it's sometimes one of
the strongest connections that fans have to an artist and

(57:53):
that supporters have to a politician. Right, where there's that embedded,
you know, amount of personality but also way of thinking.

Speaker 2 (58:02):
About the world that we're all living in. So I
think I really picked that up from him.

Speaker 1 (58:07):
You're speaking to my old ass, o, ass you know
what I'm saying, hip hop in its inception was inherently political,
broken glass everywhere, you know what I'm saying, Like that
type of shit they were talking about quality of life Fishers.

Speaker 2 (58:20):
They were talking about, Yo.

Speaker 1 (58:21):
My neighborhood that I'm in, you know what I mean, Like,
you can't be producing art and culture and be a
political It is impossible. Yeah, And if you are, you're
just you're you're being you're being political, but you're being
political with your.

Speaker 7 (58:34):
Silence that and like you know, a lot of people
are always like, oh, keep politics out.

Speaker 2 (58:41):
Of my blank and it's like, you can't say that,
and then also say.

Speaker 7 (58:46):
Fuck the CEOs because CEOs, billionaires, rich people are the
only people with the luxury of being a political right
because like money talks. So it's like you can't really,
like you just can't. It doesn't really make sense to
have both of those uian's at the same time, you
know what I mean.

Speaker 2 (59:01):
And it's like that's why. So that's why I don't.

Speaker 6 (59:03):
I don't.

Speaker 7 (59:04):
I don't agree with that ship when people are like, yo,
keep politics out of my insert thing here, and it's like, nah, bro,
if you are if you are a black, brown, poor, gay,
trans a woman, like there's so many things that are
inherently just political by existing, Like like what you said that,
Like sorry that it's annoying.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
Sorry that that that trying to help you is annoying.
I think it's cool to care, like I feel like,
I know it's not right. It's inherently not right. It's
crazy to talk about. It's great to care, right, And
it's also because some of the people telling you to
care are great. Soot it.

Speaker 5 (59:41):
But you know, I think it's it's cool to care
now more than ever. But yeah, now more than ever.

Speaker 2 (59:47):
Yeah, and now we're going to get into the real issues. Gang.
You know what I'm saying, flying too full of fitted,
bro because I know what it is. Yes, sorry, okay,
this is crazy, right, and now people the first, that's
the first no one's ever wanted, brilliant. Yeah, and now

(01:00:11):
the real issues.

Speaker 1 (01:00:12):
Gee, you're gonna give us a conspiracy theory that.

Speaker 2 (01:00:14):
You believe wholeheartedly. Yeah, what I'm saying to be true?
Does it look like does it look like aluminum?

Speaker 1 (01:00:27):
It's crazy, So we flew the timp fulfit the tifluent
fitted is for you to give us a conspiracy theory
that you believe to be true. You know what I'm saying,
because some of the.

Speaker 5 (01:00:37):
Module Yeah, I think a lot of these I don't
even want to call them new restaurants. But like new
non chain fast food spots that we're seeing open up
across the city. Right, think Myrtle Broadway, think parts of
Crown Heights. Right, they're called like Smashburger Supreme, like Munchies
for Life. That ship's AI food. It's not real food.

(01:00:58):
I think people are going in computer computer reality. They
think they're eating something that's not food at all.

Speaker 6 (01:01:07):
It's like three D printed.

Speaker 2 (01:01:10):
A I invented, you know, Smasher Fry Month Supreme.

Speaker 5 (01:01:16):
That ship is not real at all. AI fucking food.
I swear to god. The names are we are it's
a ghost sometimes and not ghost kitchens.

Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
Right, Oh my god, but that's what happens.

Speaker 5 (01:01:25):
Yeah, And they make up these like random ass like
every single type of fried food heard of is in
one dish.

Speaker 2 (01:01:30):
Right, it's AI food. I swear to god. It's not real.
Oh my god. Hey, people eat it.

Speaker 5 (01:01:41):
They think they're they're putting food in their body. It's
like gigabytes, gigabytes goodbye bye Holy the same time, Wow, wow.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
I'm into that one. That's crazy.

Speaker 5 (01:01:59):
You believe it doesn't sound it's since made up. It
doesn't You've heard of dishes you've never heard of. But
like they sound familiar, right, and they're like maybe real,
they're not.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
You can't fuse these two quaisies that don't make sense.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
It's like, can't go to your Mexican fusing it happens
to be helal So I guess damn. It's like bites, Yeah, Supreme, Hello, listen,
he's yo, Temple of fit. It comes on fat, come
out saying this is what happens when you don't have

(01:02:35):
the same infiltrating. Your mind's working.

Speaker 5 (01:02:38):
At like a one levels, you know what i mean,
optimized toptimized exactly, and when you wear this hat on,
you can see that food, that AI food for what
it really is.

Speaker 7 (01:02:48):
That's right, and that's why you got to come to Dallas, BBI.

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
Exactly to get that real food exactly.

Speaker 1 (01:02:55):
And we're working on helal Man you to you know
what I'm saying, so great, you know what I mean,
Che'll say motherfucker victory Like yeah, bitch, you know what
I'm saying Live, I'm direct for bbq's lizabellatives the beautiful.

Speaker 2 (01:03:06):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (01:03:07):
The course of the year from Brooklyn were holding against
you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (01:03:10):
Radio body back here where a culture, and of course,
you know what I'm saying, came out here be ther fuck.

Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
We got been trained freaking man in the building, goddamn,
running the whole show.

Speaker 2 (01:03:23):
We got adapted in the building back goddamn. And today
he's not here, but it's off for he son insane,
you know what I mean. Usual, Yeah, stayed right there.

Speaker 1 (01:03:33):
You know what I'm saying, because we've got a lot
of ship coming, you know what I'm saying. So don't
don't even change the fucking YouTube channel, bitch, h

Speaker 2 (01:03:49):
H lictory like