Two-time Emmy and Three-time NAACP Image Award-winning, television Executive Producer Rushion McDonald interviewed Earthquake.
Comedian, Actor, Entrepreneur and Radio Host
- Comedy Icon known for his Netflix special Chappelle’s Home Team Presents Earthquake: Legendary (produced by Dave Chappelle).
- Host of Quake’s House on Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Network via SiriusXM.
- Longtime contributor to the comedy scene since the 1990s, with roots in Atlanta.
🎤 Key Themes & Insights 🧠 Comedy with Purpose
- Earthquake emphasizes that his comedy is rooted in truth and humor—not shock value or controversy.
- He uses comedy to educate, especially on health issues like colonoscopies, encouraging Black men to prioritize their well-being.
💼 Business of Comedy
- Talks about the evolution from performing for meals to becoming a headliner.
- Shares insights on managing a team and making tough decisions to grow professionally.
- Advocates for professionalism over loyalty when scaling a business.
📺 Upcoming Projects
- New comedy special titled “Joke Telling Business” filmed in Atlanta.
- Developing a sitcom with Bill Burr, backed by Fox Network President Michael Thorn.
📻 Quake’s House Radio Show
- A platform for emerging comedians.
- Described as “The View with comedians,” focusing on hot topics and real-life scenarios.
❤️ Personal Life
- Credits his fiancée (soon-to-be wife) for grounding and motivating him.
- Says being “properly loved by a Black woman” has transformed his life and career.
💬 Memorable Quotes
- “I’m in the joke telling business. I’m not your pastor, not your critic. Judge me on the jokes.”
- “Being properly loved by a woman, especially a Black woman, is a beautiful thing.”
- “Laughter is the best healing ever.”
#SHMS #STRAW #BEST
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host this weekly Money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show provides
off for everyone. It's time to start reading other people's
success stories and start living your own.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm talking about you now.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
If you want to be a guest on my show,
money Making Conversations Masterclass, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations dot
com and click to be a guest button. If you
are a small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer, or
nonprofit I want you on my show.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Let's get this show started.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
My guest is a comedy icon known for his razor
sharp wit, unapologetic honesty, and commanding stage present. He earn
critical acclaim for his breakout Netflix. So Chappelle's Home Team
presents Earthquake Legendary, produced by the One and Only Dave
Chappelle and Hell by The New York Times as the
funniest comedy.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Special of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
He's also the host of Quake's House It Is Unfiltered
and fan favorite radio show on Kevin Hart's Laugh Out
Loud Network Via Serious XM. Please welcome the one and
only to Money Making conversations, masterclass, Earthquake.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
How you doing, my brother?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
How you doing? Brother?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
You know I love you because you say the whole
word conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I got that, man, Las. My wife be on me.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
She be on me, brother.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
She's the number one good critic.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I'm so lazy with these words. I do combo and
right there convo.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You know what I mean. I don't give them the
whole word, but you're giving them a whole, full course meal.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And she's gonna love that, and I appreciate it. Man, Earthquake.
You know, we all go, and you know, we go
way back in the comedy, all the way back to
Bat's comic view. In fact, let me just tell y'all
private store, I've done it on my show. I met
him on stage in Atlanta in nineteen ninety five. I
came into town as a held comedy writer off to
(02:11):
Steve Harvey ABC sitcoll and that brother was hosting, and
he was waiting on me, and boy, he tore that
stage up, and I learned what Earthquake was is and
why he's a legend today because you were fund of
that night, brother, and it allowed me to see at
a young age that just just unbridled, unfiltered comedy. Talk
(02:34):
about doing comedy in ninety five and now you're doing
the comedy because we went to that little Wok period. Well,
you couldn't say certain things on stage or they take
in your career. So you went in ninety five, went
through that Wok period. How'd you deal with that? And
now back to during the comedy that you were comfortable doing?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, I mean for me anyway, I don't know about
everybody else in the game. I have always been comfortent
with my my comedy because I always could tell if
I was ever questioned on the jokes where the origin
came from, and it never came from a hostility, bigotry, hatred.
(03:16):
And I think I stayed with my new next Fok
special is I always stay with the joke. I think
the problem that we have now and is comedians are
not being funny. They're trying that. You know what I
think they get in trouble is when they try to
be controversial or try to be shocking or be a
(03:37):
shock joke. But if you root it in jokes, if
you root it from humor, then you know people even
if they don't agree with it, they can least see
where you came from, of the origin of it, and
it came from a joke perspective.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Ninety five.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
I was free because I didn't know if this is
what I wanted to do or not. So I was
kind of like I didn't have to burden of occupation,
you know what I mean. I didn't know if this
was what I wanted to do. I just got out
the military, and people was giving me money for me
just being a food and I was better than working
(04:13):
for somebody for eight hours. So I was in the
transition of coming out the military. I didn't you know,
I tell everybody my periods more than anything. This wasn't
no epiphany. I didn't just say, oh, this is what
I wanted to do. Matter of fact, I didn't even
know being a comedian was an occupation.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
I'm about Richard Pride in.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
The movie, but I never knew about him doing stand
up and stuff like that. And so as time of
not doing nothing but comedy, and you know, at a
high level, I knew and I still know, there's nobody
else gonna pay me this kind of money for this
type of effort.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I just came to the conclusion, this is my destiny.
A payte.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I could do that for you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Leave our coach in the co check and it's just
as the body I folks to stay at Jesus, you know, you.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Know, earthquake man, You know, I was just I was.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I was laughing off Ara with you're in and all
seriousness about your career. And I look at my career,
you know, and when you're twenties, you never see forty,
and you definitely don't see fifty and sixty is never
even a thought in your mind when you're young. But
when you hit those those those those landmark years, forty decades,
fifty decades. I'm in my sixties, and you really get
(05:34):
a sense of your career and what you have are
accomplishing because that's what you're doing. You're accomplishing. You're still
in the game. You still take me specials, you're still
selling out. That's a career. And did you think about that?
Do you think about that sometimes?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Earthquake?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
To be honest with you know, because it's for me anyway.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I I try to do this job with that's form
of resistance. And what I mean, I don't want to
get I never got caught up in the hooplah of it.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
You know what I mean. I never use it as
a weapon.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
I never use it as a person who I get
offended when other men tell other men's what journeys they
should have took, and whatever journey they took, what mistake
they meant they made, and you highlighted, who are you
to tell another man how he should live? And who
are you to sit on someone on a throne like
(06:33):
your guard and criticize this man for his mistake or never.
I just have a problem with that, And I always
had a problem with that, with this occupation and how
it makes other people treat you, no matter if they're
your kids, to your mother, your father, and the rest
of it.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The deceit in it.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
So I kind of like just say, can I just
get enough out of it that I can live to
the standard of living I can without exchange, you know,
making those sacrifices.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So that was always my biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Absolutely earthquake, when you look at the whole aspect of
your career, you know, when you did the legendary I'm
watching on Netflix and just laughing, laughing because you was
talking about the real prospects of you know, colono enoscopy.
You know, that's a real story that was suddenly historically funny.
But in a sense you also educating men that they
(07:27):
should do this. Do you do you do comedy to
educate or just do comedy to be funny.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I'm both to be honest with you, you know, when
I experienced that, God, you know, I just feel my people,
especially black men, we have so many stigmas that's keeping
us from living. And shout out to Dion, you know Sanders,
prime time coach Sanders, he's breaking some of those.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You know, Like on my show, we had this.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Question on said if you had to wear it depends
diaper and still live and you couldn't have the function
of your you know, your main muscle between your legs
to work. Would you want to leave this earth or
would you go or live with And half of my
audience who was I mean half of my guests who
was male, said they'd rather leave the earth. Then you know,
(08:26):
to check out and to go through that situation, and
that just lets you know how they degrade the quality
I mean life itself. As long as you live in
you can find quality of life. And your manhood is
not justified between your legs is who.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
You are as a man.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
So I really always tried to just educate our people
to say get checked. You know, this country, this country,
and my humble opinion, owe us this. If nothing else
than the healthcare, they didn't pay us for reparation.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
The least they can do is take care of us.
And I'll be damned if.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
They put all these urgent kids.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Up in here around here.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
And I'm gonna go home and do home remedies and
drink a ginger ale. I'm going in there. You're gonna
see me, you gonna you can. I know I ain't
got no health insurance.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I'm just hold you.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
My name is signor whatever and Social Security five five
five find me when you want to. But you're gonna
do this. You're gonna do this whole body scam today.
You're gonna do this pet scam. You're gonna do You're
gonna do this MRI. You're gonna do this blood work today.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
If you don't know who I'm talking to, I'm talking
to the comedy Icon. I'm gonna put the word capital
I c O n Icon earthquake. It's comedy.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I'm gonna tell you them when I when you see
a funny person like Earthquake, they'll do things is just
stay in your mind forever.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's one joke.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I will always remember him on BT's Comic View with
the o j joke and him.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Running around that stool, him running around that stool.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I will wake up out of the blue and just
laugh because I just remember that moment and that becomes iconic.
And when you do humor like that and people remind
you of those moments.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
How do you feel earthquakes flattering?
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Especially when it comes from a person of your high standards?
Speaker 3 (10:20):
You?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
You know, I remember, you know, you are always just
the just the orator, the person that you can come
to and get the honest opinion on it. I just
keep I write it from I come from truth and
the truth. Like that joke, it originated from how do
(10:42):
you kill two people with one knife? What was the
first one doing when you were stabbing the second one?
You know what I mean? Well the first one? What
was the second one doing? So it starts from there.
So then you say the formulation of the joke. Okay,
if he stabbed the dude first, what was the sister doing?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
If she was black, She's like, oh Jay, what you
doing in them bushes?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Then if you stabbed the first him being fast, you
running around the car. You're trying to stab you like,
go ahead with that old ja. I ain't got none
to do with that, right, So that's all that, you
know what I mean, So you you break it down.
That's how it comes with. It comes from truth, and
then I put the joke on top of it. Yeah,
And that's what ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
If you can find it on YouTube, it is one
of the funniest but serious. He's taking a serious matter.
That's the brilliant of comedia. That's the breeze of Dave
Chappelle and other comics like him. Chris Rock, I could
name a few that. A will to take moments that
you might deem, you know, off limits, and next thing
you know, you bending over in tears because you went
(11:53):
at it with a third eye. A bent approach that
people now find see the humorous side because we gotta laugh.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
A life can be too sad for us.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Correct, Yes, I mean, I mean laughter is the best
healing ever. You cannot have a good time without laughter.
It's necessary. There's no way you can describe a great
time and enjoyment time, family time anywhere that y'all had
a great time.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Laughter is a main ingredient.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
You know, when you get famous earthquake, you know, you
don't even have to ask to be in the news.
You know, they just you know, you walking down as
people taking pictures. You know, you have these relationships. People
start tell you where they're going. And when did you
realize you were a fame with earthquakes?
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Ooh, when my mother, God rest her soul, start asking
for more money, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
And we look forward, she used to say. And the truth, man.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
It's the first of the money, and the mail man
ain't came back as my house.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
It's the first of the month.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
That mail is the fifth, and that male man ain't
dropping nothing on my I had to tell her. I said, listen, Mama,
I'm your I'm your I'm your son, not your husband.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
You done, man, Mama, You understand I told you so.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Your mama was having money making conversations before we shied
brought the show. Money made conversations because that's a favor
due to you. I was same thing with my father.
I remember my father because I'm named after my father,
and I would never use junior and he was all
he was good with that, and then he went in
the store one day. It was a Seizon Robucks and
the guy asked him. He said, his name he Goes,
(13:37):
is your son that comedian? And that was right there.
It turned the lightbulb on my Oh to my dad
as to who I could be or who I was
after that day, brother, them jokes meant something to him. Earthquake,
you get the big.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Piece, big piece of chicken, You get advitage, all the
family functions. Asked your question, what you think? When should
we you the one travel a lot. Where should we go?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Please don't go anywhere.
Speaker 5 (14:07):
We'll be right back with more money Making Conversations master Class.
Welcome back to Money Making Conversation master Class with me
Rashaun McDonald.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
You know, let's get to.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Talk to business, your money Making Conversations master Class with earthquake.
But this is about business and a lot of people
think it's about jokes, and it's about you know, I
always tell people in the early goings, I would I
would drive to a gig just for the meal. I
would drive to a gig just to get to gas
to pay for the gas. I just burnt to get
to that gig. And then all of a sudden you
(14:42):
get become an opener the middle lac and then become
a headliner, and then all of a sudden you get
the first class seats, you can ask for a junior
suite kings tweet get starting to when does the business
aspect of your career and how do you start putting
the people around your earthquake to trust that they can
can move your career forward.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
That is a constant change and recalibration every time, because
when you're dealing with people, people change, and certain people
only qualified to do the business at the level that
you hired them at.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
As you succeed, as you go farther, you have to
get more professional people that's qualified to deal with you
at that level.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I think you know.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Loyalty has its place, but as some competency is more
important and you have to continue to look at your
people and say, hey, though I hired you at this level,
I'm not an opener.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
No more, I'm a headliner, and a headliner.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
The job description you have right now needs to be
able to do this, so you need to learn to
do this. You can facilitate a headliner, not an opener,
and that's the hardest part because these are people that
you love and you care about. And that's where you
get the stigma that you know, as soon as he
made it, he got real all these good people. Well,
(16:08):
Man Man, don't know how it was all right for
man Man to hold my social media when he was
just posting stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
But I'm a.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Network television style now those are not appropriate for a
television star.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Now you can't have to do.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Oh all due respect Man Man, being speaking for your company,
that's your global icon or global entity.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
So that's the hardest part in You must.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Know when win is win. That has always been my
strength in my career. I have always knew when when
win is when when it's time to change, starting with
myself when it started to say, hey, no more drinking
on the show. Let the alcohol go. That's the fun
part of being entertainer. Goal the recreational drugs and the
(16:56):
hanging and the things that comes with the women and
all that. You just know when to when when you
need to go ahead and just shave that off and
make that transition.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
That's I learned that in twenty three.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I learned that in twenty three what you just said,
I had the realization that everybody around me could not
do the job that I wanted them to do. But
I knew them a long time though, and those decisions
are hard to make because now you're making the decision
on their on paying their rent when they can't even
pay your rent. And that's a that's a true business statement.
(17:32):
In twenty twenty three, I was about to close. I
was about to my business were going to shut down
if I didn't make the decisions that earthquake just talked about.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
That's a true statement that he just made. Because we
don't know how to.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Move emotions and business because they travel different lanes and if
you try to merge them, you will go thro correct.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
And just to add to that, you know what I mean?
There we have no safety that when you were entrepreneurs.
There is no safety in that. There's no one else
you can call. There is no loan me me you
loan me?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Is you?
Speaker 4 (18:08):
So you have to me personally. The way I look
at it is I tell my crew this all the time.
I said, God is blessing me with this opportunity to
be the leader in this.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
If you have a better.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Plan than I do, show it, present it, and I'll
show you what a true Indian is, right.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Right, right, right, right, But then the bigger picture is
always about the end game, and the endgame is when
you're standing there, you write in the check, and how
you distribute it should be tied to how you feel
and giving it to the people that you know can
do the right job, not because somebody say you owe me,
or I was there in the beginning, or I'm your ball,
(18:51):
I'm your girl, i'm your child. All these things come
into play, and you should gauge the importance of that
tied to how you distribute your money.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And that's the biggest.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Part about it. As you used to sitting and you.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Get higher and high into that altitude, they you know,
they they don't have they don't have no idea how
to and God bless their heart to facilitate that, you know,
because they was dealing with you on a certain level.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
When you go to a higher level, they.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Their services is no longer needed for the salary that
you're paying them for because when you move into a
different realm, you know, it's a bigger company that covers.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
All the things that they was doing. You know what
I mean. You know I'm paying two people. I'm paying
you because of my friend, but I'm.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Playing this o'ther professional person who covers your little thing too.
So I have to let you know you're going to
find something that's valuable to do because you longer you
can do this job to the to the level it
needs to be done on this level.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
So that's the host a little bit.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Now, let's talk about this.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
This these comedy specials that I never get invited to,
you know, the legendary. I'm watching television, you know, looking
at my wife going, you know, you know, it's so funny.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I watched TV Shu.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
You know, earthquake.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
That's my boy right there. You see.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
You know, when you when you're married to somebody, you
are you with somebody they don't know sometimes your relationships
or your fame, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And uh we laugh and just laugh and laugh. It's
my boy.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
And then then she found out you came to Atlanta
and taped another comedy especially by the way, ladies and gentlemen,
I live in Atlanta, been here since two thousand and seven,
and he knows that. But I was not invited to
the comedy special. But but I told my wife, I know.
So with that being said, let's talk about that that
(20:51):
next comedy special. How did it come about what can
we expect from the brilliant earthquake?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
It was matter of fame.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
I had to really put this together real quickly because
I had penned in things that I had to deal
with and I really wanted to put this special on
the books. Plus I needed the money for this transition.
So it came together after the hit one we had before.
(21:20):
It'll be out in the next two months scheduling. I
came to Atlanta because that's where I was born in comedy.
I old Atlanta I wouldn't be I wouldn't be who
I am today without Atlanta. I didn't know what I
was going to do when I moved to Atlanta after
military never been there before.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
They opened their arms.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
They showed me it was just a great place for
me to nurture my talent. And I'm still eating off
the stuff I learned from Atlanta. So my first one
was at my natural born home where I'm from Washington,
d C. But my second one had to be at Atlanta.
And I ain't of a special. It's called joke telling business.
(22:07):
I'm in the joke telling business, and as a comedian,
I'm the reason I named that.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I am challenging all comedians to get back into the
joke telling business.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Too many keep comedians fly the banner of saying they comedians.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
But where's the jokes? You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
You're doing commentary, you're doing shot jocks, You're being You're
being a relationship guru. I'm a commentator on mats and.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Critic But where's the jokes? Where's the funny at? You
know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (22:50):
So I just want to let people know only thing.
I'm just in the joke telling business. I'm not your pastor.
I'm not here to advise you. I'm not here to
criticize you. I am in the joke telling business. So
keep your criticism of me on the jokes because that's
the only.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Public thing that I'm sharing with you. You understand, you.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Have no right to come at me with anything else
but your your interpretation or criticism, criticism, or your opinion
on the jokes.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
How I live my life, who I live my life,
what I am? I did not give that to you,
nor did I sell that to you. Know? Is that
for debate for you?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Because the only person who can judge me what I
should or should not be is God. Who are you
you understanding as a man and man, if you have
a problem with me other than the jokes, then come
see me and we can handle it. Man, the man
like men supposed to me.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
You got a problem with it because I'm easy to find.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I got to schedule everywhere, and I'm sure you can
come pull up and say I don't like the way you.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Is and then we'll make the decision.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
And where I'm from, Washington, DC, when you have a
problem with then you try to come.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Change it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Earth Quig, you know, uh, it's stand up comedy.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I love you, I love you, and I'm just gonna
let everybody know if here's a show on series XM
radio show twenty eighteen, they approached him on the Kevin
Hart uh Laugh out Loud Series XM channel and it's
called Quake's House.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And if you if.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
You're a fan of his stand up comedy, then you
need to start listening to this channel, especially this show,
because his commentary, his social commentary is I really believe
it's the genius of you, Earthquake. That third eye that
you have and how you twist it and and create
(24:47):
common sense to humor is pretty amazing. Talk to us
about your team and talk to us about why is
it why is.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
It important to do your radio show quickly?
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Well, I'm like you.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
You know and out and tell people right here, and
I'm not just gashing if you have always provided opportunity
for comedians to expand the genre. I think, especially as
black comedians, we don't do that.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
As others, as our contemporaries.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
And what I mean is, you know you put them
on you whatever platform you ever been, when you were
Steve Harvey and y'all was doing all the different things
with the radio, you still provided opportunities for young comedians
such as myself to come on to be seen on
the biggest platform.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And that's what I wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
And started with my comedy club, and I learned to
uptel on comedy corner always any step forward I go.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I tried to bring put.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
The gendre, especially black cousin, to give them a platform
to let them know the people know it's.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Not just me.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
It's a lot of other comedians out here with different
styles and messages and stuff. Blake House is a place
where I bring different comedians every show and we sit
around and talk about hot topics. So I like to
call it the view with comedians and we you know,
we just sit.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Around and we just sit and elaborate and we flip it.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
We don't.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I don't do.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Got your comedians let them talk about I think it
can be funny without it, you know what I mean.
We might hit a subject on what's the hot topic
on an individual, but we don't go after the individual.
We go about the subject that the individual find themselves in,
and then we do our hot populars. What would you
do if you was in that situation? So I just
(26:42):
wanted to put a platform for young comedian. That's what
we do, comedians you never heard of, and let the
world hear them. And you know, like I do, it's
very important to do what we're doing now. And I
tell him this, I learned it from you and Steve
off of it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Do you want.
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Somebody to hear you and say, who was that comedian
the funny this morning?
Speaker 3 (27:02):
When is he coming in my tam? Oh he did today?
Let me buy this ticket. That's how I made my money.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Make it so funny that they want to crash in
the morning till when they get off work they buy
them tickets. See, we didn't have all this, so I
had to get that little eight minutes, that little seven
minutes on that morning show with that funky DJ who
didn't a personality that didn't want to be on it,
like you wanted to take his job. Don't nobody want
to move the Little Rock Akasas and be on the
(27:30):
video show man? Calm down, I lived. I'm from Washington,
d C. I live in California. I have bigger aspirations
than be a be a morning personality and Little Rock Arkansas.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
I'm just here for tonight.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
You can have it the rest of the week. I'm
going to enhance your show. But they didn't see it
that way. They took us as a threat because they
knew if they if they heard us, we can be
funny between the songs. So that was the most important part.
And I try to translate that to them, say be
funny this way you can sell tickets and sales stickers
can translate to be on a bigger stage such as
(28:07):
TV shows and movies and stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Like that earthquake your Fox. Now the aspirations of being
a TV star talk to us.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Yeah, I mean it's a blessing. You know, you've been
in this game.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
It's deals are deals, But who makes the deals?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Really makes, to.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
Be quite honest with you, with the possibility of you
actually be.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
It on the air.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
And the president of the network, Michael Thorne, shout out
to him when he came to me and the team
three Honts and the rest of it, said he wanted
me on his on his air, and he wanted that
Earthquakes show. And he said he's moving the network more
over to you know, sitcoms, because they h he wanted
(28:58):
more sitcoms on it, and he wanted it back to
the point when Living Color was on the air and
Martin and Live in Single and he wanted yes, those
type of things, and I was I was floored.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And I got up with my man Bill Burr.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Who wanted the funniest dudes walking, and we wanted to
just put a show together that merged both of our
comedy mentalities and philosophy into a fictitious world.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
And it's coming together.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
We're trying to find right now the show runner for
my show. We have the script that I mean, the
outline of the show that I want to do, and
I'm just trying to find somebody to write it that
understand it.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
And you understand more than anything.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
My first thing is I need to find a writer
to understand that I will not audition for my own show,
so you will not give me a script that I
have to sit down here and study right myself.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
So you love those words more than you love your job.
Maybe you not don't want to stay ahead work over here,
you know what I mean? So you know. So it's
it's coming together and I'm blessed to.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Have it, you know, And it's very you know this,
it's very few of us that get this opportunity at
this point in our life by the president of a
network at the studio.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Wow, you know, some earthquake.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
I'm just gonna let everybody know when they shoot the
pilot Keele Ra Sean McDonnell know, I.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Promise if EVA don't do it, she's gonna get fired.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
I'm just telling you know. If I if you're for
a pilot's been shot.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Get shot. We're getting on the head, but get shot.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Shan mcdonal, not in the standing on sidelines pointing at you,
because you're special. Man, You're special, and I appreciate you
giving me time, but I want to get just a
close out on the personal side, because you can't make
these journeys to the neck club because you've heard me
mention my wife's over time, how important of a role
she plays in our life. This shout out what makes
(31:04):
you tick the day and what makes you flow to day,
what keeps you even killed to day?
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Real quick, as we close out the show.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Well, I used to say this joke.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
People used to come up to me all the time,
and I told you all my jokes come from truth.
And then I make it out a laughter. People like, quick,
why haven't you quote made it yet? I say, I'm
one good black woman for making it once.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
God is never gonna allow me in order.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
I think, in my humble opinion, any man, especially a
black man, could fit, can fulfill or reach his true
potential without his woman on his side. And August twenty first,
I will be getting married for the second time.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
To this beautiful woman six years ago.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
That came in my life that has changed everything and
since she has been here out in my career, my focus.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
She's a true woman that leaves in me.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
She's just not a person that actually here for the
benefit of being who I am. It's a person that
actually believe me. It's a totally different that as an
entertainer and just refrankly brother. As a man, when you
properly love by a woman, that gives you that motivation
to want to do more and happy your cheerity r
(32:25):
biggest chility that wants to see you fulfill your potential,
not just just maintain a status and take advantage of
the privilege and the benefits that comes along with the occupation.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
And it has changed my life, and so.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
God her and that together has put me in this
position that I'm gonna have my own TV show on
another natural special and selling out shows all out. And
I know the different because I have been out here.
I'm playing around for years independit contractors.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
And the things that.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Look good with the thing good look good with the occupation,
but did not have the substance of it.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
And now they have the substance of it. I see why.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
Other men, comedians, and just to be quite honest with it,
people was beating me in this game called life because
I didn't have that substance of a woman being properly
loved by a woman's especially a black woman.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. It's called earthquake.
He's the one and only earthquake. He's the Real earthquake
dot com, the Real earthquake dot com if you want
to know more about him, his tours, his radio show,
which is on Serious XM. Quake's House, that's Kevin Hart's
laugh out Loud channel on Serious XM, his special and
(33:49):
I think he uh, he's.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
You know, as I close.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Now, he's mentioned my name several times about the significance
I play in his life. But when I can wake
up and I can think, and then I I word
earthquake name pops up and I just smile and I
laugh because I've seen him, y'all. I've seen different steps
in his life from nineteen ninety five. And every time
(34:17):
I wake up and think about it, I just walking
down the street or driving my car, I just smile.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Earthquake, you are so special, brother, and I love you.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
That's a sincere I love you, brother. And but if
you don't hand me there for your pilot, it will
be some hate. It will be some hate, but it'll
be still tied with love. Earthquake, thanks for coming on myself.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Brother.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
I don't know what yes, but she's gonna get a
turkey for me. I don't know where you you will
know where that power.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
That you don't get a turkey for me. Thank you, brother.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
I appreciate your time, man, and thank you for everything
you've done in my career. Man, I remember and just
the closing out, I remember you. It's like it was
no need for you to cuss on this show. Were
doing the thing a father. You was always a teacher
and I love you man, and God bless you, and
I will take to the day.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
I don't money making conversation. That's what I tell them.
I don't do nothing else. I got to have money
making conversation and I love it. Rather continue success and
God bless you.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
The one and only Earthquake. Y'all on the Money Making
Conversation Masterclass.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass
hosted by me Rashaan McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening audience. Now,
if you want to listen to any episode, I want
to register to be a guest on my show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversations.
(35:48):
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
your gifts. Keep winning
Hi, I'm Rashan McDonald host this weekly Money Making Conversation
Masterclass show. The interviews and information that this show provides
off for everyone. It's time to start reading other people's
success stories and start living your own.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm talking about you now.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
If you want to be a guest on my show,
money Making Conversations Masterclass, please visit our website, Moneymakingconversations dot
com and click to be a guest button. If you
are a small business owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, influencer, or
nonprofit I want you on my show.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Let's get this show started.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
My guest is a comedy icon known for his razor
sharp wit, unapologetic honesty, and commanding stage present. He earn
critical acclaim for his breakout Netflix. So Chappelle's Home Team
presents Earthquake Legendary, produced by the One and Only Dave
Chappelle and Hell by The New York Times as the
funniest comedy.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Special of the year.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
He's also the host of Quake's House It Is Unfiltered
and fan favorite radio show on Kevin Hart's Laugh Out
Loud Network Via Serious XM. Please welcome the one and
only to Money Making conversations, masterclass, Earthquake.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
How you doing, my brother?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
How you doing? Brother?
Speaker 4 (01:27):
You know I love you because you say the whole
word conversation.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
I got that, man, Las. My wife be on me.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
She be on me, brother.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
She's the number one good critic.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
I'm so lazy with these words. I do combo and
right there convo.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You know what I mean. I don't give them the
whole word, but you're giving them a whole, full course meal.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
And she's gonna love that, and I appreciate it. Man, Earthquake.
You know, we all go, and you know, we go
way back in the comedy, all the way back to
Bat's comic view. In fact, let me just tell y'all
private store, I've done it on my show. I met
him on stage in Atlanta in nineteen ninety five. I
came into town as a held comedy writer off to
(02:11):
Steve Harvey ABC sitcoll and that brother was hosting, and
he was waiting on me, and boy, he tore that
stage up, and I learned what Earthquake was is and
why he's a legend today because you were fund of
that night, brother, and it allowed me to see at
a young age that just just unbridled, unfiltered comedy. Talk
(02:34):
about doing comedy in ninety five and now you're doing
the comedy because we went to that little Wok period. Well,
you couldn't say certain things on stage or they take
in your career. So you went in ninety five, went
through that Wok period. How'd you deal with that? And
now back to during the comedy that you were comfortable doing?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, I mean for me anyway, I don't know about
everybody else in the game. I have always been comfortent
with my my comedy because I always could tell if
I was ever questioned on the jokes where the origin
came from, and it never came from a hostility, bigotry, hatred.
(03:16):
And I think I stayed with my new next Fok
special is I always stay with the joke. I think
the problem that we have now and is comedians are
not being funny. They're trying that. You know what I
think they get in trouble is when they try to
be controversial or try to be shocking or be a
(03:37):
shock joke. But if you root it in jokes, if
you root it from humor, then you know people even
if they don't agree with it, they can least see
where you came from, of the origin of it, and
it came from a joke perspective.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Ninety five.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
I was free because I didn't know if this is
what I wanted to do or not. So I was
kind of like I didn't have to burden of occupation,
you know what I mean. I didn't know if this
was what I wanted to do. I just got out
the military, and people was giving me money for me
just being a food and I was better than working
(04:13):
for somebody for eight hours. So I was in the
transition of coming out the military. I didn't you know,
I tell everybody my periods more than anything. This wasn't
no epiphany. I didn't just say, oh, this is what
I wanted to do. Matter of fact, I didn't even
know being a comedian was an occupation.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
I'm about Richard Pride in.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
The movie, but I never knew about him doing stand
up and stuff like that. And so as time of
not doing nothing but comedy, and you know, at a
high level, I knew and I still know, there's nobody
else gonna pay me this kind of money for this
type of effort.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
I just came to the conclusion, this is my destiny.
A payte.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
I could do that for you.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Leave our coach in the co check and it's just
as the body I folks to stay at Jesus, you know, you.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Know, earthquake man, You know, I was just I was.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
I was laughing off Ara with you're in and all
seriousness about your career. And I look at my career,
you know, and when you're twenties, you never see forty,
and you definitely don't see fifty and sixty is never
even a thought in your mind when you're young. But
when you hit those those those those landmark years, forty decades,
fifty decades. I'm in my sixties, and you really get
(05:34):
a sense of your career and what you have are
accomplishing because that's what you're doing. You're accomplishing. You're still
in the game. You still take me specials, you're still
selling out. That's a career. And did you think about that?
Do you think about that sometimes?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Earthquake?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
To be honest with you know, because it's for me anyway.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
I I try to do this job with that's form
of resistance. And what I mean, I don't want to
get I never got caught up in the hooplah of it.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
You know what I mean. I never use it as
a weapon.
Speaker 4 (06:12):
I never use it as a person who I get
offended when other men tell other men's what journeys they
should have took, and whatever journey they took, what mistake
they meant they made, and you highlighted, who are you
to tell another man how he should live? And who
are you to sit on someone on a throne like
(06:33):
your guard and criticize this man for his mistake or never.
I just have a problem with that, And I always
had a problem with that, with this occupation and how
it makes other people treat you, no matter if they're
your kids, to your mother, your father, and the rest
of it.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
The deceit in it.
Speaker 4 (06:51):
So I kind of like just say, can I just
get enough out of it that I can live to
the standard of living I can without exchange, you know,
making those sacrifices.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So that was always my biggest thing.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Absolutely earthquake, when you look at the whole aspect of
your career, you know, when you did the legendary I'm
watching on Netflix and just laughing, laughing because you was
talking about the real prospects of you know, colono enoscopy.
You know, that's a real story that was suddenly historically funny.
But in a sense you also educating men that they
(07:27):
should do this. Do you do you do comedy to
educate or just do comedy to be funny.
Speaker 4 (07:33):
I'm both to be honest with you, you know, when
I experienced that, God, you know, I just feel my people,
especially black men, we have so many stigmas that's keeping
us from living. And shout out to Dion, you know Sanders,
prime time coach Sanders, he's breaking some of those.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
You know, Like on my show, we had this.
Speaker 4 (08:01):
Question on said if you had to wear it depends
diaper and still live and you couldn't have the function
of your you know, your main muscle between your legs
to work. Would you want to leave this earth or
would you go or live with And half of my
audience who was I mean half of my guests who
was male, said they'd rather leave the earth. Then you know,
(08:26):
to check out and to go through that situation, and
that just lets you know how they degrade the quality
I mean life itself. As long as you live in
you can find quality of life. And your manhood is
not justified between your legs is who.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
You are as a man.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
So I really always tried to just educate our people
to say get checked. You know, this country, this country,
and my humble opinion, owe us this. If nothing else
than the healthcare, they didn't pay us for reparation.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
The least they can do is take care of us.
And I'll be damned if.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
They put all these urgent kids.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Up in here around here.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
And I'm gonna go home and do home remedies and
drink a ginger ale. I'm going in there. You're gonna
see me, you gonna you can. I know I ain't
got no health insurance.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I'm just hold you.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
My name is signor whatever and Social Security five five
five find me when you want to. But you're gonna
do this. You're gonna do this whole body scam today.
You're gonna do this pet scam. You're gonna do You're
gonna do this MRI. You're gonna do this blood work today.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
If you don't know who I'm talking to, I'm talking
to the comedy Icon. I'm gonna put the word capital
I c O n Icon earthquake. It's comedy.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
I'm gonna tell you them when I when you see
a funny person like Earthquake, they'll do things is just
stay in your mind forever.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
It's one joke.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
I will always remember him on BT's Comic View with
the o j joke and him.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Running around that stool, him running around that stool.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I will wake up out of the blue and just
laugh because I just remember that moment and that becomes iconic.
And when you do humor like that and people remind
you of those moments.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
How do you feel earthquakes flattering?
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Especially when it comes from a person of your high standards?
Speaker 3 (10:20):
You?
Speaker 4 (10:21):
You know, I remember, you know, you are always just
the just the orator, the person that you can come
to and get the honest opinion on it. I just
keep I write it from I come from truth and
the truth. Like that joke, it originated from how do
(10:42):
you kill two people with one knife? What was the
first one doing when you were stabbing the second one?
You know what I mean? Well the first one? What
was the second one doing? So it starts from there.
So then you say the formulation of the joke. Okay,
if he stabbed the dude first, what was the sister doing?
Speaker 3 (11:03):
If she was black, She's like, oh Jay, what you
doing in them bushes?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Then if you stabbed the first him being fast, you
running around the car. You're trying to stab you like,
go ahead with that old ja. I ain't got none
to do with that, right, So that's all that, you
know what I mean, So you you break it down.
That's how it comes with. It comes from truth, and
then I put the joke on top of it. Yeah,
And that's what ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
If you can find it on YouTube, it is one
of the funniest but serious. He's taking a serious matter.
That's the brilliant of comedia. That's the breeze of Dave
Chappelle and other comics like him. Chris Rock, I could
name a few that. A will to take moments that
you might deem, you know, off limits, and next thing
you know, you bending over in tears because you went
(11:53):
at it with a third eye. A bent approach that
people now find see the humorous side because we gotta laugh.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
A life can be too sad for us.
Speaker 4 (12:02):
Correct, Yes, I mean, I mean laughter is the best
healing ever. You cannot have a good time without laughter.
It's necessary. There's no way you can describe a great
time and enjoyment time, family time anywhere that y'all had
a great time.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
Laughter is a main ingredient.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
You know, when you get famous earthquake, you know, you
don't even have to ask to be in the news.
You know, they just you know, you walking down as
people taking pictures. You know, you have these relationships. People
start tell you where they're going. And when did you
realize you were a fame with earthquakes?
Speaker 4 (12:38):
Ooh, when my mother, God rest her soul, start asking
for more money, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (12:49):
And we look forward, she used to say. And the truth, man.
Speaker 4 (12:53):
It's the first of the money, and the mail man
ain't came back as my house.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
It's the first of the month.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
That mail is the fifth, and that male man ain't
dropping nothing on my I had to tell her. I said, listen, Mama,
I'm your I'm your I'm your son, not your husband.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
You done, man, Mama, You understand I told you so.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
Your mama was having money making conversations before we shied
brought the show. Money made conversations because that's a favor
due to you. I was same thing with my father.
I remember my father because I'm named after my father,
and I would never use junior and he was all
he was good with that, and then he went in
the store one day. It was a Seizon Robucks and
the guy asked him. He said, his name he Goes,
(13:37):
is your son that comedian? And that was right there.
It turned the lightbulb on my Oh to my dad
as to who I could be or who I was
after that day, brother, them jokes meant something to him. Earthquake,
you get the big.
Speaker 4 (13:52):
Piece, big piece of chicken, You get advitage, all the
family functions. Asked your question, what you think? When should
we you the one travel a lot. Where should we go?
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Please don't go anywhere.
Speaker 5 (14:07):
We'll be right back with more money Making Conversations master Class.
Welcome back to Money Making Conversation master Class with me
Rashaun McDonald.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
You know, let's get to.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Talk to business, your money Making Conversations master Class with earthquake.
But this is about business and a lot of people
think it's about jokes, and it's about you know, I
always tell people in the early goings, I would I
would drive to a gig just for the meal. I
would drive to a gig just to get to gas
to pay for the gas. I just burnt to get
to that gig. And then all of a sudden you
(14:42):
get become an opener the middle lac and then become
a headliner, and then all of a sudden you get
the first class seats, you can ask for a junior
suite kings tweet get starting to when does the business
aspect of your career and how do you start putting
the people around your earthquake to trust that they can
can move your career forward.
Speaker 4 (15:01):
That is a constant change and recalibration every time, because
when you're dealing with people, people change, and certain people
only qualified to do the business at the level that
you hired them at.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
As you succeed, as you go farther, you have to
get more professional people that's qualified to deal with you
at that level.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
I think you know.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Loyalty has its place, but as some competency is more
important and you have to continue to look at your
people and say, hey, though I hired you at this level,
I'm not an opener.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
No more, I'm a headliner, and a headliner.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
The job description you have right now needs to be
able to do this, so you need to learn to
do this. You can facilitate a headliner, not an opener,
and that's the hardest part because these are people that
you love and you care about. And that's where you
get the stigma that you know, as soon as he
made it, he got real all these good people. Well,
(16:08):
Man Man, don't know how it was all right for
man Man to hold my social media when he was
just posting stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
But I'm a.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Network television style now those are not appropriate for a
television star.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Now you can't have to do.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
Oh all due respect Man Man, being speaking for your company,
that's your global icon or global entity.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
So that's the hardest part in You must.
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Know when win is win. That has always been my
strength in my career. I have always knew when when
win is when when it's time to change, starting with
myself when it started to say, hey, no more drinking
on the show. Let the alcohol go. That's the fun
part of being entertainer. Goal the recreational drugs and the
(16:56):
hanging and the things that comes with the women and
all that. You just know when to when when you
need to go ahead and just shave that off and
make that transition.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
That's I learned that in twenty three.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
I learned that in twenty three what you just said,
I had the realization that everybody around me could not
do the job that I wanted them to do. But
I knew them a long time though, and those decisions
are hard to make because now you're making the decision
on their on paying their rent when they can't even
pay your rent. And that's a that's a true business statement.
(17:32):
In twenty twenty three, I was about to close. I
was about to my business were going to shut down
if I didn't make the decisions that earthquake just talked about.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
That's a true statement that he just made. Because we
don't know how to.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Move emotions and business because they travel different lanes and if
you try to merge them, you will go thro correct.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
And just to add to that, you know what I mean?
There we have no safety that when you were entrepreneurs.
There is no safety in that. There's no one else
you can call. There is no loan me me you
loan me?
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Is you?
Speaker 4 (18:08):
So you have to me personally. The way I look
at it is I tell my crew this all the time.
I said, God is blessing me with this opportunity to
be the leader in this.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
If you have a better.
Speaker 4 (18:21):
Plan than I do, show it, present it, and I'll
show you what a true Indian is, right.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Right, right, right, right, But then the bigger picture is
always about the end game, and the endgame is when
you're standing there, you write in the check, and how
you distribute it should be tied to how you feel
and giving it to the people that you know can
do the right job, not because somebody say you owe me,
or I was there in the beginning, or I'm your ball,
(18:51):
I'm your girl, i'm your child. All these things come
into play, and you should gauge the importance of that
tied to how you distribute your money.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
And that's the biggest.
Speaker 3 (19:02):
Part about it. As you used to sitting and you.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Get higher and high into that altitude, they you know,
they they don't have they don't have no idea how
to and God bless their heart to facilitate that, you know,
because they was dealing with you on a certain level.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
When you go to a higher level, they.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
Their services is no longer needed for the salary that
you're paying them for because when you move into a
different realm, you know, it's a bigger company that covers.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
All the things that they was doing. You know what
I mean. You know I'm paying two people. I'm paying
you because of my friend, but I'm.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Playing this o'ther professional person who covers your little thing too.
So I have to let you know you're going to
find something that's valuable to do because you longer you
can do this job to the to the level it
needs to be done on this level.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
So that's the host a little bit.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Now, let's talk about this.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
This these comedy specials that I never get invited to,
you know, the legendary. I'm watching television, you know, looking
at my wife going, you know, you know, it's so funny.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
I watched TV Shu.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
You know, earthquake.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
That's my boy right there. You see.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
You know, when you when you're married to somebody, you
are you with somebody they don't know sometimes your relationships
or your fame, you know.
Speaker 2 (20:26):
And uh we laugh and just laugh and laugh. It's
my boy.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
And then then she found out you came to Atlanta
and taped another comedy especially by the way, ladies and gentlemen,
I live in Atlanta, been here since two thousand and seven,
and he knows that. But I was not invited to
the comedy special. But but I told my wife, I know.
So with that being said, let's talk about that that
(20:51):
next comedy special. How did it come about what can
we expect from the brilliant earthquake?
Speaker 3 (20:58):
It was matter of fame.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
I had to really put this together real quickly because
I had penned in things that I had to deal
with and I really wanted to put this special on
the books. Plus I needed the money for this transition.
So it came together after the hit one we had before.
(21:20):
It'll be out in the next two months scheduling. I
came to Atlanta because that's where I was born in comedy.
I old Atlanta I wouldn't be I wouldn't be who
I am today without Atlanta. I didn't know what I
was going to do when I moved to Atlanta after
military never been there before.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
They opened their arms.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
They showed me it was just a great place for
me to nurture my talent. And I'm still eating off
the stuff I learned from Atlanta. So my first one
was at my natural born home where I'm from Washington,
d C. But my second one had to be at Atlanta.
And I ain't of a special. It's called joke telling business.
(22:07):
I'm in the joke telling business, and as a comedian,
I'm the reason I named that.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I am challenging all comedians to get back into the
joke telling business.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Too many keep comedians fly the banner of saying they comedians.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
But where's the jokes? You know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (22:29):
You're doing commentary, you're doing shot jocks, You're being You're
being a relationship guru. I'm a commentator on mats and.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
Critic But where's the jokes? Where's the funny at? You
know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (22:50):
So I just want to let people know only thing.
I'm just in the joke telling business. I'm not your pastor.
I'm not here to advise you. I'm not here to
criticize you. I am in the joke telling business. So
keep your criticism of me on the jokes because that's
the only.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
Public thing that I'm sharing with you. You understand, you.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
Have no right to come at me with anything else
but your your interpretation or criticism, criticism, or your opinion
on the jokes.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
How I live my life, who I live my life,
what I am? I did not give that to you,
nor did I sell that to you. Know? Is that
for debate for you?
Speaker 4 (23:29):
Because the only person who can judge me what I
should or should not be is God. Who are you
you understanding as a man and man, if you have
a problem with me other than the jokes, then come
see me and we can handle it. Man, the man
like men supposed to me.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
You got a problem with it because I'm easy to find.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I got to schedule everywhere, and I'm sure you can
come pull up and say I don't like the way you.
Speaker 3 (23:54):
Is and then we'll make the decision.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
And where I'm from, Washington, DC, when you have a
problem with then you try to come.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Change it absolutely.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Earth Quig, you know, uh, it's stand up comedy.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
I love you, I love you, and I'm just gonna
let everybody know if here's a show on series XM
radio show twenty eighteen, they approached him on the Kevin
Hart uh Laugh out Loud Series XM channel and it's
called Quake's House.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
And if you if.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
You're a fan of his stand up comedy, then you
need to start listening to this channel, especially this show,
because his commentary, his social commentary is I really believe
it's the genius of you, Earthquake. That third eye that
you have and how you twist it and and create
(24:47):
common sense to humor is pretty amazing. Talk to us
about your team and talk to us about why is
it why is.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
It important to do your radio show quickly?
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Well, I'm like you.
Speaker 4 (24:59):
You know and out and tell people right here, and
I'm not just gashing if you have always provided opportunity
for comedians to expand the genre. I think, especially as
black comedians, we don't do that.
Speaker 3 (25:15):
As others, as our contemporaries.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
And what I mean is, you know you put them
on you whatever platform you ever been, when you were
Steve Harvey and y'all was doing all the different things
with the radio, you still provided opportunities for young comedians
such as myself to come on to be seen on
the biggest platform.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
And that's what I wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
And started with my comedy club, and I learned to
uptel on comedy corner always any step forward I go.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
I tried to bring put.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
The gendre, especially black cousin, to give them a platform
to let them know the people know it's.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Not just me.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
It's a lot of other comedians out here with different
styles and messages and stuff. Blake House is a place
where I bring different comedians every show and we sit
around and talk about hot topics. So I like to
call it the view with comedians and we you know,
we just sit.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Around and we just sit and elaborate and we flip it.
Speaker 4 (26:17):
We don't.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I don't do.
Speaker 4 (26:20):
Got your comedians let them talk about I think it
can be funny without it, you know what I mean.
We might hit a subject on what's the hot topic
on an individual, but we don't go after the individual.
We go about the subject that the individual find themselves in,
and then we do our hot populars. What would you
do if you was in that situation? So I just
(26:42):
wanted to put a platform for young comedian. That's what
we do, comedians you never heard of, and let the
world hear them. And you know, like I do, it's
very important to do what we're doing now. And I
tell him this, I learned it from you and Steve
off of it.
Speaker 3 (26:56):
Do you want.
Speaker 4 (26:57):
Somebody to hear you and say, who was that comedian
the funny this morning?
Speaker 3 (27:02):
When is he coming in my tam? Oh he did today?
Let me buy this ticket. That's how I made my money.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
Make it so funny that they want to crash in
the morning till when they get off work they buy
them tickets. See, we didn't have all this, so I
had to get that little eight minutes, that little seven
minutes on that morning show with that funky DJ who
didn't a personality that didn't want to be on it,
like you wanted to take his job. Don't nobody want
to move the Little Rock Akasas and be on the
(27:30):
video show man? Calm down, I lived. I'm from Washington,
d C. I live in California. I have bigger aspirations
than be a be a morning personality and Little Rock Arkansas.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
I'm just here for tonight.
Speaker 4 (27:45):
You can have it the rest of the week. I'm
going to enhance your show. But they didn't see it
that way. They took us as a threat because they
knew if they if they heard us, we can be
funny between the songs. So that was the most important part.
And I try to translate that to them, say be
funny this way you can sell tickets and sales stickers
can translate to be on a bigger stage such as
(28:07):
TV shows and movies and stuff.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Like that earthquake your Fox. Now the aspirations of being
a TV star talk to us.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Yeah, I mean it's a blessing. You know, you've been
in this game.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
It's deals are deals, But who makes the deals?
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Really makes, to.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
Be quite honest with you, with the possibility of you
actually be.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
It on the air.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
And the president of the network, Michael Thorne, shout out
to him when he came to me and the team
three Honts and the rest of it, said he wanted
me on his on his air, and he wanted that
Earthquakes show. And he said he's moving the network more
over to you know, sitcoms, because they h he wanted
(28:58):
more sitcoms on it, and he wanted it back to
the point when Living Color was on the air and
Martin and Live in Single and he wanted yes, those
type of things, and I was I was floored.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
And I got up with my man Bill Burr.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
Who wanted the funniest dudes walking, and we wanted to
just put a show together that merged both of our
comedy mentalities and philosophy into a fictitious world.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
And it's coming together.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
We're trying to find right now the show runner for
my show. We have the script that I mean, the
outline of the show that I want to do, and
I'm just trying to find somebody to write it that
understand it.
Speaker 3 (29:42):
And you understand more than anything.
Speaker 4 (29:44):
My first thing is I need to find a writer
to understand that I will not audition for my own show,
so you will not give me a script that I
have to sit down here and study right myself.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
So you love those words more than you love your job.
Maybe you not don't want to stay ahead work over here,
you know what I mean? So you know. So it's
it's coming together and I'm blessed to.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
Have it, you know, And it's very you know this,
it's very few of us that get this opportunity at
this point in our life by the president of a
network at the studio.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
Wow, you know, some earthquake.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
I'm just gonna let everybody know when they shoot the
pilot Keele Ra Sean McDonnell know, I.
Speaker 3 (30:30):
Promise if EVA don't do it, she's gonna get fired.
Speaker 2 (30:34):
I'm just telling you know. If I if you're for
a pilot's been shot.
Speaker 3 (30:38):
Get shot. We're getting on the head, but get shot.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Shan mcdonal, not in the standing on sidelines pointing at you,
because you're special. Man, You're special, and I appreciate you
giving me time, but I want to get just a
close out on the personal side, because you can't make
these journeys to the neck club because you've heard me
mention my wife's over time, how important of a role
she plays in our life. This shout out what makes
(31:04):
you tick the day and what makes you flow to day,
what keeps you even killed to day?
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Real quick, as we close out the show.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Well, I used to say this joke.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
People used to come up to me all the time,
and I told you all my jokes come from truth.
And then I make it out a laughter. People like, quick,
why haven't you quote made it yet? I say, I'm
one good black woman for making it once.
Speaker 3 (31:28):
God is never gonna allow me in order.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
I think, in my humble opinion, any man, especially a
black man, could fit, can fulfill or reach his true
potential without his woman on his side. And August twenty first,
I will be getting married for the second time.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
To this beautiful woman six years ago.
Speaker 4 (31:50):
That came in my life that has changed everything and
since she has been here out in my career, my focus.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
She's a true woman that leaves in me.
Speaker 4 (32:00):
She's just not a person that actually here for the
benefit of being who I am. It's a person that
actually believe me. It's a totally different that as an
entertainer and just refrankly brother. As a man, when you
properly love by a woman, that gives you that motivation
to want to do more and happy your cheerity r
(32:25):
biggest chility that wants to see you fulfill your potential,
not just just maintain a status and take advantage of
the privilege and the benefits that comes along with the occupation.
Speaker 3 (32:39):
And it has changed my life, and so.
Speaker 4 (32:43):
God her and that together has put me in this
position that I'm gonna have my own TV show on
another natural special and selling out shows all out. And
I know the different because I have been out here.
I'm playing around for years independit contractors.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
And the things that.
Speaker 4 (33:04):
Look good with the thing good look good with the occupation,
but did not have the substance of it.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
And now they have the substance of it. I see why.
Speaker 4 (33:12):
Other men, comedians, and just to be quite honest with it,
people was beating me in this game called life because
I didn't have that substance of a woman being properly
loved by a woman's especially a black woman.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
It's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing. It's called earthquake.
He's the one and only earthquake. He's the Real earthquake
dot com, the Real earthquake dot com if you want
to know more about him, his tours, his radio show,
which is on Serious XM. Quake's House, that's Kevin Hart's
laugh out Loud channel on Serious XM, his special and
(33:49):
I think he uh, he's.
Speaker 2 (33:52):
You know, as I close.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
Now, he's mentioned my name several times about the significance
I play in his life. But when I can wake
up and I can think, and then I I word
earthquake name pops up and I just smile and I
laugh because I've seen him, y'all. I've seen different steps
in his life from nineteen ninety five. And every time
(34:17):
I wake up and think about it, I just walking
down the street or driving my car, I just smile.
Speaker 2 (34:22):
Earthquake, you are so special, brother, and I love you.
Speaker 3 (34:26):
Now.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
That's a sincere I love you, brother. And but if
you don't hand me there for your pilot, it will
be some hate. It will be some hate, but it'll
be still tied with love. Earthquake, thanks for coming on myself.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Brother.
Speaker 4 (34:42):
I don't know what yes, but she's gonna get a
turkey for me. I don't know where you you will
know where that power.
Speaker 3 (34:49):
That you don't get a turkey for me. Thank you, brother.
Speaker 4 (34:53):
I appreciate your time, man, and thank you for everything
you've done in my career. Man, I remember and just
the closing out, I remember you. It's like it was
no need for you to cuss on this show. Were
doing the thing a father. You was always a teacher
and I love you man, and God bless you, and
I will take to the day.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
I don't money making conversation. That's what I tell them.
I don't do nothing else. I got to have money
making conversation and I love it. Rather continue success and
God bless you.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
The one and only Earthquake. Y'all on the Money Making
Conversation Masterclass.
Speaker 5 (35:24):
This has been another edition of Money Making Conversations Masterclass
hosted by me Rashaan McDonald. Thank you to our guests
on the show today and thank you our listening audience. Now,
if you want to listen to any episode, I want
to register to be a guest on my show, visit
Moneymakingconversations dot com. Our social media handle is money Making Conversations.
(35:48):
Join us next week and remember to always leave with
your gifts. Keep winning
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