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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wake that ass up in the morning.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Breakfast Club.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Morning, everybody, It's DJ Envy, just hilarious, charlamage the guy.
We are the breakfast club. We got a special guest
in the building. Yes, right, you got Rapman welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
My big thank you for having man.
Speaker 4 (00:17):
Rapman is the creator and director of a Netflix show
that had me in a choke hold during vacation called Supercell.
From July eighth to July fourteenth, he was the number
one No, you're the most watched show on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
That's been two weeks at number.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
One, two weeks not number one?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, seven one million views. How I feel, my brother.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I had not.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
I felt it felt humbling, man, but it felt good.
I ain't gonna lie to put a big smile on
my face.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
How are you this morning?
Speaker 5 (00:42):
Hey bro, I'm on Breakfast Club with you at Envy.
I'm feeding like I've made it right now. I'm been
this morning. You know, coming from London, these type of
rooms here, we can only see it on YouTube. No,
we see these RUMs on YouTube. We don't get into
these rooms. So I'm not even gonna say it in
front of lot.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
This is a mind.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
They're like, yeah, I'm on Breakfast Club, so I'm feeling good.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Let's who is rapman? Where the rap men come from?
Because you started off as a rap Let's let's go
through the career for people that don't know who rap
man is.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
All right, well, I was just just like every other
guy in South London trying to rap. But them days,
our UK rap scene was it weren't where it is now.
So we're trying to sound like Big, We're trying to
sound like Jay and Packs. We're rapping with the accent
them days, and there was another form of music called
garage and grime. But I love rap so much. I
was always rapping with the American accents. I got the
(01:33):
nickname rap man from a young age. So my thing
is though, I was the type of person that would
love give me the lute on the album, expect to
see the music video to that, but the video will
never come out. I would listen to Jay's album Inspector here,
see the video for a week ago, and it will
never come out.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I was like, why they never do the music video
to the story?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Every day?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I like the story. That was my thing, but yeah,
but it's never the visual.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
When I start rapping, I'm going to do the visuals
to them, make them that short films. So when I
started doing music, I started doing these short films. They
were like musically narrated short videos, man. And I was
doing it for years for fun for people in my neighborhood,
and it just started growing and growing and growing into
I've done one called Shryl Story that went viral all
(02:18):
through the UK, landed in my boy James Samuel's hands,
who was then put it in jay Z's hands entire
tires hands and the next thing and our meeting jay
Z entire time.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
They saw me to the nation and they said, what
do you want to do now that you're with us?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I tell you a rag Nations as a rapper at
the time.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
No nah, they saw they saw the vision as a
filmmaker something. I'm with them as a filmmaker. So and
they said, what do you want to do? So I
got a TV show man, I got idea for a
TV show like hole Pitch. It wasn't super soll it's
another show. So they took me out to LA and
they pitched. I pitched it everywhere every studio you can
think of, FX who who, Amazon? No one wanted it,
(02:55):
but Netflix said, yeah, we love it, but because they're
sitting in the UK, you got to go back to
the UK and pitch it down there. So I went
back to the UK Picture Show. She didn't want it,
but she says she's a big fan. Let's keep in touch.
That's like that didn't mean that to me. I thought, okay,
I felt it didn't work.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Now is that the night that they asked they wanted
to take it to dinner? And you said, I want
to go to the most expensive restaurant and get to that.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I take too much time.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
So anyway, I moved on with my life and I've
wrote a movie called Blue Story, done really well in
the UK, but before it came out, there was a
big marketing campaign campaign on it. So Netflix said, look,
we want to take you out. I'm like, hey, I'm
going to rinse this. I picked the most expensive restaurant
I could find and I went there and I was
just eating that free food man, and in between the
(03:38):
food they told me it was a general So I'm
just there eating, but they kept on asking me questions
like what do you want to do next?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Was like, I don't know. I want to see what
the film does but have you got any ideas for
a show? So I got one.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Idea and who was this with Netflix? The RGNI this
is Netflix, okay. So I gave them some idea and
said that's all right. I said, we've got anything else.
I was like, this is one of those meetings. I thought,
I just came to eat food and catch up. So
with the food and my I was still in my mouth,
say look, I got this idea about people from my
part of London, South London, and they get powers. It
ain't like your capespan dex. These these people are getting
(04:09):
from real things. And they went quiet and I looked
up and it looked like ching. It's not that there was
duller signs of that, as I said, okay, so he's
a lot that one, and they just want me to
develop it from there.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
And then fast forward four years.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I don't believe that you're You're not gonna make me
believe that you sat down with somebody and told them
you wanted to make an all black show which people
with sickle cells superpowers and it's science fiction and they
got it.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I don't think anyone else would have made it. I
don't think it might.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
Have helped that the head if the UK Netflix does
look like me and you.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Okay, okay, that might be that might have helped.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
But I think it was such a point that the
UK's never had anything like it, so it was just
like it could really go left, or this could really work,
and I think she was ready to take that chance.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Now, I don't want to give too much away from Supercell,
but I do got a lot of questions because I
really did enjoy this show. You know, you know, it
was so crazy. My wife turned it on and like
we was on vacation. So I'm laying in bed and
my wife goes, oh, look at Coupy, and so I
opened my eyes.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I have big up comfy and I.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Go, oh, that's Coupy. I said, company's on this show.
So that's what That's what really made me.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
That's good. We got coffee on that. That's nice.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Yeah, she she reached out years ago and that said
she wants to work with me, and I said she's not.
Our actress said I'm signing for you, and she was.
She came off the plane from where she was out
of the country just to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
S man.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know, it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I text her right and I go yo, I said,
we're sitting there, we're on vacation, were watching this show.
I just saw you on it. And she texted back
and she was like, oh, that's love. She was like, man,
rat Man is amazing, and I'm like, that's not the
name of the show. And so when the show's over
and then it goes Ratman, I'm like, oh, okay, the show.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But where did the concept of super still come from?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Because I read in the Hollywood Reporter the death of
George Floyd was in inspiration.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
Yeah, so it was twenty twenty when the pandemic just
kicked him and Jeorge fled obviously, and obviously I know
how it felt over here obviously, but that user weren't
alone in that feeling. In the UK and probably the
rest of the world, we just felt like it's just
one step too far now, it's just too much. And
a lot of people like artists and prayers were guiding
(06:15):
into central London to protest. People protest and that is
the best way I can use my platform to make
this to uplift black people because it was just a
sad time in London at that time, like, and I
didn't know how long TV takes. I think, you know what,
if I write this TV show now, it could probably
be out by the end of the year, and you know,
blacks of feel like we're superpower. So that's when I
(06:36):
started writing it. So I started writing it, started writing
it for motivated by Jorge Flood, and then I wanted
to I wanted a superpower that came from something real,
and sickle cell, to me, was always something I never
understood that, like, why is there disease that genuinely puts
dark skin tones in a weak position of weakness? Never
I never understood that. I said, nah, man, I need
(06:59):
to spin this on his head. Because another thing. You
walk into a room with ten people and if you
ask them about sickle cell, if more than three people
put their hand up, you're in a great room. Because
most people don't know nothing about it. And that's even
our own community. They would tend that they do, but
a lot people don't know nothing about it. I said,
I can I make this a thing of power? How
can I raise awareness and thinking? You know, if there's
something that can make us weak, there must be something
(07:20):
that can make us strong. And as a parent, if
I was having to live with sickle cell, that would
make me weak and tired and hurt and pain, but
it would make my kid extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I'll take that, thugh.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Why sickle selling in particular, though, Like.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
I knew I knew one girl and every time that
she wouldn't come into college, and I always like, why
are you never turning up? Why are you never telling that?
She's like, oh, I've got sickle cell, And she was all,
every two weeks she'll be in hospital. And she showed
me like a whole bag of her blood transfusion and
this was like a massive, massive You said, you're taking
this amount of blood every two weeks, and it was
crazy to me. And I ended up going down the
(07:56):
rabbit hole about it, trying to figure out where it
came from. And there's no real answers, but it was
the only factor. Is it predominantly affects darker skin. I
was like, no, if someone a gonna give me, we're
gonna have to get people talking, man. So it always
stuck in the back of my head. So soon as
I've got the opportunity, I just opened the door in it.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
You're a hip hop head, so it's like you know
all of us first, Well, I'm not gonna say first
hurt the Cicka Seale, but Prodigy and I'm gonna was the.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
First first time looked made me look into it when
I heard Prodigy had it.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
First time I ever heard it was when Pac said,
ain't one of y'all got sickle cell? And that's the
first time I ever heard the word. And then I
started realizing that t B had it.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
And you know, they did a record together, Prodigy and
t bars Uh. I think it was called Never Feel
My Pain. I remember that record. It was it was
it was a record about them having seat. Maybe they
was supposed to do it.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
No Prodigy did the song, and I think t BO
was supposed to be on it, but she didn't get
on the hook of song.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
That's what it was. That's what it was.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I was watching you on the Winter's Talking podcast and
you was talking about how sometimes, especially when they do
films in London, it doesn't translate to the US, and
you really wanted something to translate to the US. Why
was that so important to you?
Speaker 5 (09:07):
It's the biggest playing field, like it's it's I love
the UK. I must sleep pro pried London now. But
you know you're not really, you can't really fly if
you're only doing it in the smallest stage, you know,
and US is the biggest stage, you know. So I'm thinking,
if I can get it to connect outside of the
UK and the US, I can keep on telling stories,
you know.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And I didn't water it down so the slang's harsh.
I didn't. I didn't try to make it feasible for
your airs.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
I kind of want to use that to learn the
language that when I used to watch the YR, I
learned their language. So I didn't want to worry that
even though I fit Netflix thinking that you're going to
get as a hope. So that's why I was worried
because it wasn't I didn't even try to make it
appealing to the States that I could have given all
the gang members guns all the time, like how it was.
It's not really like that. Let me just do it
(09:54):
exactly how it is a hole that they learn. So yeah, man,
I feel like I want to fly and I want
to swim the biggest fun.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Then it's that's what I love about it, right, because
you know, I want to know your world. I know
the street world over here is the same reason I
like Top Boy. I want to ask you, you know,
about something like Top Boy. It was a great show,
but it didn't really get success until later. So I
think super Cell popped off so fair.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
I think I think Top Bay, I think Top Boy
done well. I think the reason I think it was
just I think it's because the top by super Cell
done well. I think by the time you've seen top
where you understand our language a bit more a dialect,
and you know, you see our artists coming through, artists
that central seed. I think the culture from the UK
is starting to seep in a bit more.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's starting to blend in.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
So the time super Cell comes out, you're used to
the voice a bit more of the accent.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
And I think it was just timing mine.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
You know, I believe everything's timing in life, and for that,
this was the perfect time.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Now, I definitely I love the concept. So you basically
came up with the concept eating, so it wasn't something
that you pre thought. This was like you're just eating
and sh.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
The walls weren't that thing before.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
But before that conversation with Netflix, I was doing promotion
for my movie and one of the cast members asked
me on camera, whatere you're gonna do next. You're just
gonna keep on doing the hood stuff. I said, yeah, maybe,
but I want to flip on his head and the
about people with powers. And that's the first time I
ever spoke it. I had no concept of what it
would be, so it's stuck in my head. So when
Netflix asked me like a month later, it was just
(11:22):
still there and I just scaveing to them what I
said to them, and they they actually could make it.
Someone asking me, who's your friends? Like you asking me, Now,
that's dope, but someone who actually does that for the
living presses the green button on the TV show asked me.
I was probably a bit more eloquent with how I
was delivering it, and it just sold.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The dope thing about it is the investment that they
put right, because it's not like a movie that, Okay,
you just film in London and go. You got special effects,
you got people doing their own stunts, and you got
greet Is. Talk about some of that, because I've seen
some of that behind the scenes. For the of all
the stuff that it took to make the movie and
to make the flick, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You know what, and for London that was a big
budget show. Like it's not don't get to say, ain't
no Game of Thrones budget, but for the UK, they
don't normally put that type of money.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
In show, especially when the cast looks like that. So
that's what I've got.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
To do with a black cast.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Exactly what I'm what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
So I think I remember saying to them, if I'm
going to do this, you have to let me do
it right. Let me just swing as high as I
came with this, as hard as I can, and let
me just try with it. Don't give me the half
budget and it gives me enough I can least do it.
And I think she when she made the decision to
do it, she does agreed. She said, cool, whatever it is,
do what you want to do with it. Let's just
see what happens.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
What was the budget?
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Actually, can't I can tell you off camera. I can't
tell you that a.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Fake nurse taken.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Think about that because sometimes what they do see if
it's a ship where it's not moving, it's just if
someone just carrying it. We can use a real nurse,
but anytime you see anybody swinging, we can't take the risks.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
When Michael gets that in the chest, I don't want getaid, but.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That might make someone to watch.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
I'm the type of person all conversation leads to curiosity,
so I don't ask me mind I don't do spiders.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I don't mind that.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah, I don't want to do spoilers.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
But when I think about Michael and how he kept
trying to change the future, like, do you believe that
your fate is already said? I don't want give some money,
but do you believe your fate is already said?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
And if you've seen it to the end, and you've
seen how it ends, And that's the reason why I
feel like it ends like that. I feel like, no
matter what you might be able to, I don't say
too much, but I do believe that.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
That's to ask your question to make with that, and
the answer is yes, I do believe that what's meant
to be will be. But I still feel like you
have to you still have to push for the direction
you want to go, Like I believe one day I'll
be sitting here with people.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Like yourself and doing what I'm doing with Netflix.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
But it wouldn't have been if I decided just to
hang on the block with my people and not stay
in to write and not go here to learn. So
I feel like you do have to. You have to
go seventy percent of the way at least in hold On.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
You said the end. Now, you gotta have these seasons
mapped out, right. I can't the way I've got.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
I've got a free season story in my head. Okay, yes,
I've got free season story in my head. Not saying
it can't go further, but I've got three seasons where
I know where it goes.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Because I need to know why this is happening. Why
are these people getting snatched up? You're trying not to
give it away. I'm just trying to figure out what's
the overall goal Netflix.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
If Netflix pressed the button on it, I will promise
you all your questions will be answer.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Now.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Rodney's white mama doctor whom I wouldn't be pleased about that.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Because he was half black.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Did you intentionally want to shine light on the on
the biracial struggle?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I been saying why black man, rat man? Because because
they go through it, man, they go through it. You
know people I know.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
I know, I see what it's like, you know, and
something you know some you know, they sometimes they come
across like you're not you're not black enough, and they
probably go to the white chi parts and tell them
you're not white enough. So it must just be hard man.
And I've witnessed it through the words. So my people
telling me and I said, na, you mustill. I wanted
to show that. So so you got sympathy for Drake,
(15:03):
I mean, jesus, I mean I'm a Drake fan bro, Like,
I feel like you don't need no sympathy.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
He's rich and unsuccessful and he's good.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
When Kendrick was saying those things about him, like you
can't say nigga no more and hurting your feelings.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
I mean, I was just too busy with my hands, like, hey,
so I was.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I wasn't really, I wasn't taking it, you know. I
was the music bro. I wasn't there to sign with you.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I don't know them personally, so I'm just there as
a fan to see who's putting out the best music.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Now.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
One time, there was a conversation about British actors taking
over the US and some of the US actors were upset,
just some of the actors. So what is your thoughts
on that and would you use American actors one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
I would use American actors if they fit the wrong
I don't think people should be mad at that. You
we grew up with nothing on TV screens except for
American accent TV shows and movie, so well we.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Took him was your accent. That's why we can do it.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
And so when we get these roles and they study
acting a lot in the UK. I don't say they're
not doing the US, but it's a big thing in
the UK to go to drama school, like you have
to do your three years and then your masters. So
the actors can come over like Idris and Damn Sir
and all these other actors can come over and do
this because they can. But Bro I was chatting to
someone the other day. She was doing an American girl.
(16:22):
She was doing the UK accent just to watching Top
Boy in Supersar. So I was I was saying, ten
years from now, maybe five, they're gonna be coming to.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Steal our jobs.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
You know, we're just a bit ahead because we've had
you on our screen for longer. Give it ten years,
more years, ten more seasons of Super Sol. You're gonna
be a people coming to take hard jobs.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Man.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I go from.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
But that's my eleven year old thing. My eleven year
olds the learning accent. And every time she orders something
from Uber eat or somebody picks up, she uses that
accent and she thinks she from London, like her name
is London, which is bro And.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
I think they're starting. It's starting to happen. So you're
doing it first of all as a joke. But imagine
if you actually are your little one wants to act.
If your little one comes in and can kill the accent,
and I'm giving her the role. I don't care if
she lives over here, when she lives over there, I
want the best person for this role.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
So it's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
But you said something that you said people doing it
at first for a joke, right, That's what Kendrick was
mad at Drake about.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
What he but he Kendricks, but Jake wraps in his
Canadian accent.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Right, you don't you show London.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
But London the London swang.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
I don't know if people know it, but they see
the London swang and the Canadian swang.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's they're basically the same. We use the same slang.
Think I never want the app to this day.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
I don't know why, and I didn't know until I
used to think, why is Drake talking like us? But
then when I met people from I said, Oh, that's
how they talk.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
They use the same fan cause blood, they talk like
we do.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
I don't know if it's because they grew up closer
to us than the America world. I don't understand it,
but it is the slang. It wasn't just Drake trying
to jump in on the community. And I'm not here
to defend anybody, but I know that that's just how
they talk.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
You know, another connection and people don't usually make the
connection at least I see between London and like Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
A massive I'm Nigeria.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
A lot of it is like for my parents the
minute over there when your better life is in the UK.
So you had a lot of people go to America,
but a lot of Nigerians live in London, you know. So,
and it's just because my mom and dad would just
tell me that. You know that, my grandparents will tell
them if you get well, go to London and you
can have a better life for your family. So in
the in the UK, Caribbean, African that's where predominantly more
(18:31):
to the way of the blacks.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Off from what what's the better storytelling outlet for you?
Music and TV TV?
Speaker 5 (18:37):
And I'll tell you why, other than the fact that
you know, rapping is such a super skill and I.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Feel like I was okay, but I wasn't z or Biggie.
And it's funny. I don't even think you have to
be there normal. You just need to.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
You just need a flipping, a gimmick or hook or
an angle. But the thing we can do with TV
and film, I've got a bigger platform. I've got a
bigger canvas to paint. Like when I was trying to
do a song in five minutes, it was just like
I got so much more deails I want to say
about the.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Storey or the character.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
When I get a canvas like film and TV, I
can stretch you out, make you feel emotion, get you
connected to the character.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So for me, I'm well, I meant to be mine.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
I'm happy here, and I was wanting to keep them
paying these big canvases.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Another thing about this show, and I know there's probably
some symbolism and this. All of the main characters superpowers.
They come out when they seem like they're under extreme
stress and when they're.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
All near each other.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Yes, So the thing I get from that is Black
people we definitely perform well underpressure.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
We make the best out of the worst situations.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
And unity and group operation I think brings out the
best in us as well.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
I agree with that.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
And my main thing was literally with the pressure thing,
I feel like we only ever do become our best
version when we get to that peak where we think,
but it's that line, it's how you're gonna fall under.
But if you go over, that's when the greatness comes.
And I think that's why when it's kind of single
swimming or fight or flight what they say, that's when
it comes out. That's why if you see everyone in
the airs when they when they were at their last
(20:08):
string and then boom, that's when it happens.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
I was gonna say, iver, you want to ask you stuff,
but them I'm like, am I gonna give it away?
Can't give it?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
But you know, it's been three four weeks in.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
People more and more now I haven't seen the whole thing,
so people are hearing more. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
It's true that when I heard somebody else be like, yo,
you gotta watch it. I'm like, I watch it some
of the international movies. I'm like, am I gonna be
cool with the accident first? And like now you can
get it, you know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
No, No, that's fair enough. That's fair enough, and it's
true we do want it to carry on a good thing.
With the shows like this, there's like a nighty day
window to get into the top view of all time
and I don't know if we're heading for that or not,
because it's you know, you need to get black ninety
million views. We're on like twenty five, which is crazy
for a UK show. But basically they Netflix do you
monitor all for three four months, so it's not like
it's not like a music release an album and you've
(20:55):
got like the first opening week to really decide if
it's a hit or not. It will works like that Netflix,
So I don't want to spoil too much, but enough
to get people to want to watch.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
There's people with the super cell collecting other people with
the super cell, right, yes, but they're collecting them on
behalf of white people.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Yep, I knew that. You It's funny. I saw big
up Vince Staple. I never I don't met him, but
I never met him, but I saw him tweet YO,
those supercoons had me shocked.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
That was crazy. I was laughing at that lot.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
I can't believe it, but you know, I literally was
laughing at that line when I saw that tweet. But
the thing with that, it's funny because I've only ever
been asked about this one one of an interview. We
are the talent, we are the culture, we are the heart.
We bring the energy, we bring the vibe. But do
we not dance for the people for the other side,
(21:48):
And it's just you can't escape it. I don't know
if it's because where we are based we are not
the majority, but where we are and where we are
shining no matter how great we are, Like I don't
want to start blowing up and cut, but use I
should really do use on this place. These are own
you know what I'm saying, Like you you when I
think of this, I think of you guys.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
You have the power.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
But I don't know how much power you've got, but
I'm assuming there's always someone on top who you can't
do that or envy. That's a bit much in fourteen years,
then you're g a lot of people ain't got there.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We we've been lucky, we haven't how much other.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
People do you know who is just as famous and
such as you who are still got astairs.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
And I've and I've carved out my own entity here
called the Black Effect Podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Let me come on that. Then we can really chop
it up.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
I would love to do a super cell podcast, bro,
like when you breaking like you're breaking down each episode people,
I would love that.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
When you're already bro, we can really go off on
that lap probably done. Yeah, yeah, let's do that. Let's
do that.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Let's do that.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Let's do that, Let's do it, Let's do that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Now, congratulations, you got one hundred percent critics score on
Written Tomatoes. You that, which is not easy. We just
seen with Tyler Perry. His didn't didn't do as well.
So the fact that you got one hundred percent is great.
But I was gonna ask it took four years to
do this one, so when season two is it gonna
be another four years?
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (23:13):
And it won't because a lot of that is breaking
the world, getting the characters right. Because the world is
you know the world, you know the characters, It won't
take as long. How long it will take it just
the preends and how soon they pressed the button.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
They won't take us long, won't take us long.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
And you say you got three seasons, three seasons of story?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
In my head, why is three the proper number of
the end on?
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Like, I don't know, maybe I'm a man.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
When I watch anything that goes past three three parts,
I feel like if they pushed the battle but then
it get shows like The Wire, I feel like I
could have taken another season there. So it just depends
the good thing about the super Cell world it never stops.
Because Sickle Cells is in the US, it's in Africa.
I can take it everywhere, so I can it can
go one. But for my group of characters that I've
(23:56):
created so far, I've got a free story plan for them.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
This is so ill though, because I thought I was
going to talk to you and you was going to
tell me like your mother, your grandmother or somebody you know,
just the fact that you you care about it because
it impacts so many black people.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Bro, How can there be something that only affects you
because of your black bro?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
They're not crazy that.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
It's like, I feel like we need to ask more questions. Now,
why is no one asking where did this come from?
Why is no one asking why bro skinny skin? Don't
get the culture comes with how you're raised, But how
dark your skin is and how light your skin is
shouldn't make a difference to a disease.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
I guess I've never done the knowledge to it to
even know that. I never even thought that sickle cell
was just a disease.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
They say it predominantly affects black and there is some
other races, but I personally have never met someone that's
not black with it.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I'm so, but I never understood it.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
So I'm hoping now the conversation is out there, maybe
people might do some proper research and they find out
what the answer is.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
How can we bring more awareness to the disease?
Speaker 1 (24:55):
You think with what you're doing right now is already
doing it.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
There's sickle cell convention is pretty often I think just
mention it like that's think everyone does talk about. I
have a conversation, maybe get someone who's living with it
on the show, like beause there's a lot of people
in power or whatever who are living with this.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
We've definitely had Prodigy Ante Bottle on over the.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
The conversation just don't happen enough.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
Like it's funny that episode of Power came out and
they mentioned it this week, and I thought, that's weird,
right close to super So the conversation to stick a
sells out on two Properer shows, but normally no one
talks about it. Man, Like when I was doing this
show in the UK, all of their execs had to
do the research minus my main exec whose brothers got it.
But everybody else they have to do the research. No
one knew what they was making, you know, So I
(25:40):
just think keep the conversation. Guy, man like you blood drives.
You know, it's that someone like you use yourself turned
up to blood Drives. That would be crazy, you know,
just shinning that man.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You said that I got a few questions about Rabbit.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
I gotta go to you, gotta leave, you, gotta go.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I just want to know that, Like, I have a
few questions.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
But like one question I had for you is you
said that the execut Netflix knew you in the UK.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
So what level of rapper were you in the UK? Like,
who was comparable to you?
Speaker 5 (26:12):
Okay, I wasn't known because I was, like, okay, the
biggest rapper in the UK.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Rat nice.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
But essentially at that time, it wasn't wasn't cross over.
It's probably storm zy gigs love.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
So but shyyh story what I done. It was this
particular project that was massive. It was the biggest thing
in the UK for years. And this is not sounding
like I'm glowing. It was just it had the whole
world in the UK in a chokehol because everyone's waiting
for the next part, because I was releasing parts like
every other month, so everybody was waiting. So, because this
(26:49):
is a quick example before I get pulled out, there
was a show called The Bodyguard that.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Was on BBC.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
It came on Netflix after a while, but it was
massive in the UK and it was BBC's biggest show
for years, and it was out there finale. Okay, so
that finale was trending on Twitter in the UK, but
I didn't know about Bodyguard. So I released my final
part of Shower Story the same day. We trended above that.
So all the breakfast shows, the daytime shows the next
day was like, so you was probably watching this and
(27:16):
it was a clip of The Bodyguard or wha cast,
good show, great show, but your kids were watching this
and it was a clip of Shadow Story that had
every single network in the UK, Netflix, everyone like, who
is this guy who can do something off their own
back no money? Put it on YouTube and trend above
the biggest show that the UK's got. It opened every door. Bro,
It's like a blessing that thing there because it fell
(27:38):
into so much people's hands, which and then that's how
I was massive. So could a Shower story that was
before Shoo Story. I hardly nobody knew me come Sharrow Story.
I was probably one of the hottest in the UK.
So if I'm in the UK, I could have been
maybe Hole. I mean, I could have been call at
that time. I could have been calling that time Big
(28:00):
Three at that time, at that time. Okay, at that
time I was at that I'm not gonna sit here
and say I was. But for that moment where Showers
was out, everyone everyone, so the old the other rappers
was reaching out. Everybody reached out. It was just a
big deal, man. It was just a big deal at
the time.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
And I wanted to ask you about you know, because
you are with rock Nation and it's Lucy James. It
is something about London and Brooklyn. People from London have
a energy with people in Brooklyn.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
It's crazy because one of my good friends is tighter
so Ti James, I don't know, and when we took
we're together, we don't. We don't think that we're with
someone who's across the pun. It's like I'll tell title
the time, London and New York, bro they're basically at
the same place big and obviously the laws are different.
But the reason why I could probably sit here and
(28:52):
chat to Youse all day because if we're it's so similar.
And I don't feel like that when I go to LA
But when I'm in New York, when I'll talk to
people from New York, it's just like I'm talking to
someone from London.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Because even when you say you love Biggie and Jay's music,
it's just like it seems like there's some type of connection.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
I don't know why. I don't know why.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
But as I said, like I can sit down for
hours with me and Tyl with chat. I'm here with
just a name Jobs because that's actually my friend and
it's just normal yeah, yeah, big uptime and it's just
normal like me it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I don't know mine, It's like he knows.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
I don't know what that connection to have to tell me, bro,
But it does feel like that as well.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, man, Yeah, And it's just a passion that I
feel from you. It's a passion I feel when I
when I when I've interacted with James, it's just a
different type of energy. And I think it reflects in
your art in such a real way. And I really am.
I just appreciate the way y'all tell black stories because
y'all tell black stories in a different way right like
(29:45):
here in America. It's like these execs want you to
tell black stories a certain way. A lot of times,
y'all always do it in a very unique way.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
I feel because people me and James Hazan, for we
was in that position where we didn't chase the industry.
They came to us because of what we was just
doing independently. So because we wasn't pursued. Because we was pursued,
it's like, Okay, if you want us to do it,
we're gonna do it this way, or we're to stay
doing it independently over here and trending over your biggest
shows on YouTube. So so it's like okay, So because
(30:13):
we came in with that position of kind of like
clout means we can just do what we kind of
in the UK, but I can't do it out of
her hair yet. So hopefully these numbers keep from writing
outs so I can do it over here as well.
But the good thing is now UK Netflix is international,
so I don't have to because it's still We're all
still talking about the same show that I made in London.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Congratulations, go watch super Cell and uh, you know, get
prepared for the super Cell podcast on the Black Reflect
podcast that work hosted by Ratman Big.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
I can bring some of my casting as well, That's
what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
My cast man they want to roll up, so that
would be dope.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Those podcasts like that are big over here.
Speaker 5 (30:53):
Like Bro, I am bro anything to push the narrative.
As I said, I'm fans of you guys, and what
user of it she do with this? This was like
an outlet for black for the black culture across the
world because there's so many other things now, but we've
been seeing.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
This for decades.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, and we don't we know that this is the way
it began. So bro, anything can need to be a
part of it. I'm honest, mon, do it you have it.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
It's rat May we appreciate you for joining us. It's
the Breakfast Club. Good morning, wake that ass up in
the morning.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
The Breakfast Club
Wake that ass up in the morning.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Breakfast Club.
Speaker 3 (00:04):
Morning, everybody, It's DJ Envy, just hilarious, charlamage the guy.
We are the breakfast club. We got a special guest
in the building. Yes, right, you got Rapman welcome.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
Yeah, I appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
My big thank you for having man.
Speaker 4 (00:17):
Rapman is the creator and director of a Netflix show
that had me in a choke hold during vacation called Supercell.
From July eighth to July fourteenth, he was the number
one No, you're the most watched show on Netflix.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
That's been two weeks at number.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
One, two weeks not number one?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, seven one million views. How I feel, my brother.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
I had not.
Speaker 5 (00:36):
I felt it felt humbling, man, but it felt good.
I ain't gonna lie to put a big smile on
my face.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
How are you this morning?
Speaker 5 (00:42):
Hey bro, I'm on Breakfast Club with you at Envy.
I'm feeding like I've made it right now. I'm been
this morning. You know, coming from London, these type of
rooms here, we can only see it on YouTube. No,
we see these RUMs on YouTube. We don't get into
these rooms. So I'm not even gonna say it in
front of lot.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
This is a mind.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
They're like, yeah, I'm on Breakfast Club, so I'm feeling good.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Let's who is rapman? Where the rap men come from?
Because you started off as a rap Let's let's go
through the career for people that don't know who rap
man is.
Speaker 5 (01:12):
All right, well, I was just just like every other
guy in South London trying to rap. But them days,
our UK rap scene was it weren't where it is now.
So we're trying to sound like Big, We're trying to
sound like Jay and Packs. We're rapping with the accent
them days, and there was another form of music called
garage and grime. But I love rap so much. I
was always rapping with the American accents. I got the
(01:33):
nickname rap man from a young age. So my thing
is though, I was the type of person that would
love give me the lute on the album, expect to
see the music video to that, but the video will
never come out. I would listen to Jay's album Inspector here,
see the video for a week ago, and it will
never come out.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
I was like, why they never do the music video
to the story?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Every day?
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I like the story. That was my thing, but yeah,
but it's never the visual.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
When I start rapping, I'm going to do the visuals
to them, make them that short films. So when I
started doing music, I started doing these short films. They
were like musically narrated short videos, man. And I was
doing it for years for fun for people in my neighborhood,
and it just started growing and growing and growing into
I've done one called Shryl Story that went viral all
(02:18):
through the UK, landed in my boy James Samuel's hands,
who was then put it in jay Z's hands entire
tires hands and the next thing and our meeting jay
Z entire time.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
They saw me to the nation and they said, what
do you want to do now that you're with us?
Speaker 3 (02:30):
I tell you a rag Nations as a rapper at
the time.
Speaker 5 (02:33):
No nah, they saw they saw the vision as a
filmmaker something. I'm with them as a filmmaker. So and
they said, what do you want to do? So I
got a TV show man, I got idea for a
TV show like hole Pitch. It wasn't super soll it's
another show. So they took me out to LA and
they pitched. I pitched it everywhere every studio you can
think of, FX who who, Amazon? No one wanted it,
(02:55):
but Netflix said, yeah, we love it, but because they're
sitting in the UK, you got to go back to
the UK and pitch it down there. So I went
back to the UK Picture Show. She didn't want it,
but she says she's a big fan. Let's keep in touch.
That's like that didn't mean that to me. I thought, okay,
I felt it didn't work.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Now is that the night that they asked they wanted
to take it to dinner? And you said, I want
to go to the most expensive restaurant and get to that.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I take too much time.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
So anyway, I moved on with my life and I've
wrote a movie called Blue Story, done really well in
the UK, but before it came out, there was a
big marketing campaign campaign on it. So Netflix said, look,
we want to take you out. I'm like, hey, I'm
going to rinse this. I picked the most expensive restaurant
I could find and I went there and I was
just eating that free food man, and in between the
(03:38):
food they told me it was a general So I'm
just there eating, but they kept on asking me questions
like what do you want to do next?
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Was like, I don't know. I want to see what
the film does but have you got any ideas for
a show? So I got one.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Idea and who was this with Netflix? The RGNI this
is Netflix, okay. So I gave them some idea and
said that's all right. I said, we've got anything else.
I was like, this is one of those meetings. I thought,
I just came to eat food and catch up. So
with the food and my I was still in my mouth,
say look, I got this idea about people from my
part of London, South London, and they get powers. It
ain't like your capespan dex. These these people are getting
(04:09):
from real things. And they went quiet and I looked
up and it looked like ching. It's not that there was
duller signs of that, as I said, okay, so he's
a lot that one, and they just want me to
develop it from there.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
And then fast forward four years.
Speaker 4 (04:21):
I don't believe that you're You're not gonna make me
believe that you sat down with somebody and told them
you wanted to make an all black show which people
with sickle cells superpowers and it's science fiction and they
got it.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
I don't think anyone else would have made it. I
don't think it might.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
Have helped that the head if the UK Netflix does
look like me and you.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Okay, okay, that might be that might have helped.
Speaker 5 (04:42):
But I think it was such a point that the
UK's never had anything like it, so it was just
like it could really go left, or this could really work,
and I think she was ready to take that chance.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
Now, I don't want to give too much away from Supercell,
but I do got a lot of questions because I
really did enjoy this show. You know, you know, it
was so crazy. My wife turned it on and like
we was on vacation. So I'm laying in bed and
my wife goes, oh, look at Coupy, and so I
opened my eyes.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
I have big up comfy and I.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Go, oh, that's Coupy. I said, company's on this show.
So that's what That's what really made me.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
That's good. We got coffee on that. That's nice.
Speaker 5 (05:18):
Yeah, she she reached out years ago and that said
she wants to work with me, and I said she's not.
Our actress said I'm signing for you, and she was.
She came off the plane from where she was out
of the country just to do that.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
S man.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
You know, it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (05:28):
I text her right and I go yo, I said,
we're sitting there, we're on vacation, were watching this show.
I just saw you on it. And she texted back
and she was like, oh, that's love. She was like, man,
rat Man is amazing, and I'm like, that's not the
name of the show. And so when the show's over
and then it goes Ratman, I'm like, oh, okay, the show.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
But where did the concept of super still come from?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
Because I read in the Hollywood Reporter the death of
George Floyd was in inspiration.
Speaker 5 (05:54):
Yeah, so it was twenty twenty when the pandemic just
kicked him and Jeorge fled obviously, and obviously I know
how it felt over here obviously, but that user weren't
alone in that feeling. In the UK and probably the
rest of the world, we just felt like it's just
one step too far now, it's just too much. And
a lot of people like artists and prayers were guiding
(06:15):
into central London to protest. People protest and that is
the best way I can use my platform to make
this to uplift black people because it was just a
sad time in London at that time, like, and I
didn't know how long TV takes. I think, you know what,
if I write this TV show now, it could probably
be out by the end of the year, and you know,
blacks of feel like we're superpower. So that's when I
(06:36):
started writing it. So I started writing it, started writing
it for motivated by Jorge Flood, and then I wanted
to I wanted a superpower that came from something real,
and sickle cell, to me, was always something I never
understood that, like, why is there disease that genuinely puts
dark skin tones in a weak position of weakness? Never
I never understood that. I said, nah, man, I need
(06:59):
to spin this on his head. Because another thing. You
walk into a room with ten people and if you
ask them about sickle cell, if more than three people
put their hand up, you're in a great room. Because
most people don't know nothing about it. And that's even
our own community. They would tend that they do, but
a lot people don't know nothing about it. I said,
I can I make this a thing of power? How
can I raise awareness and thinking? You know, if there's
something that can make us weak, there must be something
(07:20):
that can make us strong. And as a parent, if
I was having to live with sickle cell, that would
make me weak and tired and hurt and pain, but
it would make my kid extraordinary.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I'll take that, thugh.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Why sickle selling in particular, though, Like.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
I knew I knew one girl and every time that
she wouldn't come into college, and I always like, why
are you never turning up? Why are you never telling that?
She's like, oh, I've got sickle cell, And she was all,
every two weeks she'll be in hospital. And she showed
me like a whole bag of her blood transfusion and
this was like a massive, massive You said, you're taking
this amount of blood every two weeks, and it was
crazy to me. And I ended up going down the
(07:56):
rabbit hole about it, trying to figure out where it
came from. And there's no real answers, but it was
the only factor. Is it predominantly affects darker skin. I
was like, no, if someone a gonna give me, we're
gonna have to get people talking, man. So it always
stuck in the back of my head. So soon as
I've got the opportunity, I just opened the door in it.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
You're a hip hop head, so it's like you know
all of us first, Well, I'm not gonna say first
hurt the Cicka Seale, but Prodigy and I'm gonna was the.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
First first time looked made me look into it when
I heard Prodigy had it.
Speaker 5 (08:23):
First time I ever heard it was when Pac said,
ain't one of y'all got sickle cell? And that's the
first time I ever heard the word. And then I
started realizing that t B had it.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
And you know, they did a record together, Prodigy and
t bars Uh. I think it was called Never Feel
My Pain. I remember that record. It was it was
it was a record about them having seat. Maybe they
was supposed to do it.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
No Prodigy did the song, and I think t BO
was supposed to be on it, but she didn't get
on the hook of song.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
That's what it was. That's what it was.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I was watching you on the Winter's Talking podcast and
you was talking about how sometimes, especially when they do
films in London, it doesn't translate to the US, and
you really wanted something to translate to the US. Why
was that so important to you?
Speaker 5 (09:07):
It's the biggest playing field, like it's it's I love
the UK. I must sleep pro pried London now. But
you know you're not really, you can't really fly if
you're only doing it in the smallest stage, you know,
and US is the biggest stage, you know. So I'm thinking,
if I can get it to connect outside of the
UK and the US, I can keep on telling stories,
you know.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And I didn't water it down so the slang's harsh.
I didn't. I didn't try to make it feasible for
your airs.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
I kind of want to use that to learn the
language that when I used to watch the YR, I
learned their language. So I didn't want to worry that
even though I fit Netflix thinking that you're going to
get as a hope. So that's why I was worried
because it wasn't I didn't even try to make it
appealing to the States that I could have given all
the gang members guns all the time, like how it was.
It's not really like that. Let me just do it
(09:54):
exactly how it is a hole that they learn. So yeah, man,
I feel like I want to fly and I want
to swim the biggest fun.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Then it's that's what I love about it, right, because
you know, I want to know your world. I know
the street world over here is the same reason I
like Top Boy. I want to ask you, you know,
about something like Top Boy. It was a great show,
but it didn't really get success until later. So I
think super Cell popped off so fair.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
I think I think Top Bay, I think Top Boy
done well. I think the reason I think it was
just I think it's because the top by super Cell
done well. I think by the time you've seen top
where you understand our language a bit more a dialect,
and you know, you see our artists coming through, artists
that central seed. I think the culture from the UK
is starting to seep in a bit more.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
It's starting to blend in.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
So the time super Cell comes out, you're used to
the voice a bit more of the accent.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
And I think it was just timing mine.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
You know, I believe everything's timing in life, and for that,
this was the perfect time.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
Now, I definitely I love the concept. So you basically
came up with the concept eating, so it wasn't something
that you pre thought. This was like you're just eating
and sh.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
The walls weren't that thing before.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
But before that conversation with Netflix, I was doing promotion
for my movie and one of the cast members asked
me on camera, whatere you're gonna do next. You're just
gonna keep on doing the hood stuff. I said, yeah, maybe,
but I want to flip on his head and the
about people with powers. And that's the first time I
ever spoke it. I had no concept of what it
would be, so it's stuck in my head. So when
Netflix asked me like a month later, it was just
(11:22):
still there and I just scaveing to them what I
said to them, and they they actually could make it.
Someone asking me, who's your friends? Like you asking me, Now,
that's dope, but someone who actually does that for the
living presses the green button on the TV show asked me.
I was probably a bit more eloquent with how I
was delivering it, and it just sold.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
Man.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
The dope thing about it is the investment that they
put right, because it's not like a movie that, Okay,
you just film in London and go. You got special effects,
you got people doing their own stunts, and you got
greet Is. Talk about some of that, because I've seen
some of that behind the scenes. For the of all
the stuff that it took to make the movie and
to make the flick, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:56):
You know what, and for London that was a big
budget show. Like it's not don't get to say, ain't
no Game of Thrones budget, but for the UK, they
don't normally put that type of money.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
In show, especially when the cast looks like that. So
that's what I've got.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
To do with a black cast.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
Exactly what I'm what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
So I think I remember saying to them, if I'm
going to do this, you have to let me do
it right. Let me just swing as high as I
came with this, as hard as I can, and let
me just try with it. Don't give me the half
budget and it gives me enough I can least do it.
And I think she when she made the decision to
do it, she does agreed. She said, cool, whatever it is,
do what you want to do with it. Let's just
see what happens.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
What was the budget?
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Actually, can't I can tell you off camera. I can't
tell you that a.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Fake nurse taken.
Speaker 5 (12:40):
Think about that because sometimes what they do see if
it's a ship where it's not moving, it's just if
someone just carrying it. We can use a real nurse,
but anytime you see anybody swinging, we can't take the risks.
Speaker 4 (12:50):
When Michael gets that in the chest, I don't want getaid, but.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
That might make someone to watch.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
I'm the type of person all conversation leads to curiosity,
so I don't ask me mind I don't do spiders.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
I don't mind that.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah, I don't want to do spoilers.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
But when I think about Michael and how he kept
trying to change the future, like, do you believe that
your fate is already said? I don't want give some money,
but do you believe your fate is already said?
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (13:16):
And if you've seen it to the end, and you've
seen how it ends, And that's the reason why I
feel like it ends like that. I feel like, no
matter what you might be able to, I don't say
too much, but I do believe that.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (13:27):
That's to ask your question to make with that, and
the answer is yes, I do believe that what's meant
to be will be. But I still feel like you
have to you still have to push for the direction
you want to go, Like I believe one day I'll
be sitting here with people.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Like yourself and doing what I'm doing with Netflix.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
But it wouldn't have been if I decided just to
hang on the block with my people and not stay
in to write and not go here to learn. So
I feel like you do have to. You have to
go seventy percent of the way at least in hold On.
Speaker 4 (13:55):
You said the end. Now, you gotta have these seasons
mapped out, right. I can't the way I've got.
Speaker 5 (14:01):
I've got a free season story in my head. Okay, yes,
I've got free season story in my head. Not saying
it can't go further, but I've got three seasons where
I know where it goes.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
Because I need to know why this is happening. Why
are these people getting snatched up? You're trying not to
give it away. I'm just trying to figure out what's
the overall goal Netflix.
Speaker 5 (14:20):
If Netflix pressed the button on it, I will promise
you all your questions will be answer.
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Now.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Rodney's white mama doctor whom I wouldn't be pleased about that.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Because he was half black.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Did you intentionally want to shine light on the on
the biracial struggle?
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I been saying why black man, rat man? Because because
they go through it, man, they go through it. You
know people I know.
Speaker 5 (14:43):
I know, I see what it's like, you know, and
something you know some you know, they sometimes they come
across like you're not you're not black enough, and they
probably go to the white chi parts and tell them
you're not white enough. So it must just be hard man.
And I've witnessed it through the words. So my people
telling me and I said, na, you mustill. I wanted
to show that. So so you got sympathy for Drake,
(15:03):
I mean, jesus, I mean I'm a Drake fan bro, Like,
I feel like you don't need no sympathy.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
He's rich and unsuccessful and he's good.
Speaker 4 (15:11):
When Kendrick was saying those things about him, like you
can't say nigga no more and hurting your feelings.
Speaker 5 (15:17):
I mean, I was just too busy with my hands, like, hey,
so I was.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
I wasn't really, I wasn't taking it, you know. I
was the music bro. I wasn't there to sign with you.
Speaker 5 (15:28):
I don't know them personally, so I'm just there as
a fan to see who's putting out the best music.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Now.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
One time, there was a conversation about British actors taking
over the US and some of the US actors were upset,
just some of the actors. So what is your thoughts
on that and would you use American actors one hundred percent.
Speaker 5 (15:45):
I would use American actors if they fit the wrong
I don't think people should be mad at that. You
we grew up with nothing on TV screens except for
American accent TV shows and movie, so well we.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Took him was your accent. That's why we can do it.
Speaker 5 (16:00):
And so when we get these roles and they study
acting a lot in the UK. I don't say they're
not doing the US, but it's a big thing in
the UK to go to drama school, like you have
to do your three years and then your masters. So
the actors can come over like Idris and Damn Sir
and all these other actors can come over and do
this because they can. But Bro I was chatting to
someone the other day. She was doing an American girl.
(16:22):
She was doing the UK accent just to watching Top
Boy in Supersar. So I was I was saying, ten
years from now, maybe five, they're gonna be coming to.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Steal our jobs.
Speaker 5 (16:30):
You know, we're just a bit ahead because we've had
you on our screen for longer. Give it ten years,
more years, ten more seasons of Super Sol. You're gonna
be a people coming to take hard jobs.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
Man.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
I go from.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
But that's my eleven year old thing. My eleven year
olds the learning accent. And every time she orders something
from Uber eat or somebody picks up, she uses that
accent and she thinks she from London, like her name
is London, which is bro And.
Speaker 5 (16:52):
I think they're starting. It's starting to happen. So you're
doing it first of all as a joke. But imagine
if you actually are your little one wants to act.
If your little one comes in and can kill the accent,
and I'm giving her the role. I don't care if
she lives over here, when she lives over there, I
want the best person for this role.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
So it's gonna happen.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
But you said something that you said people doing it
at first for a joke, right, That's what Kendrick was
mad at Drake about.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
What he but he Kendricks, but Jake wraps in his
Canadian accent.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
Right, you don't you show London.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
But London the London swang.
Speaker 5 (17:26):
I don't know if people know it, but they see
the London swang and the Canadian swang.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
It's they're basically the same. We use the same slang.
Think I never want the app to this day.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
I don't know why, and I didn't know until I
used to think, why is Drake talking like us? But
then when I met people from I said, Oh, that's
how they talk.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
They use the same fan cause blood, they talk like
we do.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
I don't know if it's because they grew up closer
to us than the America world. I don't understand it,
but it is the slang. It wasn't just Drake trying
to jump in on the community. And I'm not here
to defend anybody, but I know that that's just how
they talk.
Speaker 4 (17:58):
You know, another connection and people don't usually make the
connection at least I see between London and like Nigeria.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
A massive I'm Nigeria.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
A lot of it is like for my parents the
minute over there when your better life is in the UK.
So you had a lot of people go to America,
but a lot of Nigerians live in London, you know. So,
and it's just because my mom and dad would just
tell me that. You know that, my grandparents will tell
them if you get well, go to London and you
can have a better life for your family. So in
the in the UK, Caribbean, African that's where predominantly more
(18:31):
to the way of the blacks.
Speaker 4 (18:32):
Off from what what's the better storytelling outlet for you?
Music and TV TV?
Speaker 5 (18:37):
And I'll tell you why, other than the fact that
you know, rapping is such a super skill and I.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
Feel like I was okay, but I wasn't z or Biggie.
And it's funny. I don't even think you have to
be there normal. You just need to.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
You just need a flipping, a gimmick or hook or
an angle. But the thing we can do with TV
and film, I've got a bigger platform. I've got a
bigger canvas to paint. Like when I was trying to
do a song in five minutes, it was just like
I got so much more deails I want to say
about the.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
Storey or the character.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
When I get a canvas like film and TV, I
can stretch you out, make you feel emotion, get you
connected to the character.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So for me, I'm well, I meant to be mine.
Speaker 5 (19:16):
I'm happy here, and I was wanting to keep them
paying these big canvases.
Speaker 4 (19:20):
Another thing about this show, and I know there's probably
some symbolism and this. All of the main characters superpowers.
They come out when they seem like they're under extreme
stress and when they're.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
All near each other.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
Yes, So the thing I get from that is Black
people we definitely perform well underpressure.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
We make the best out of the worst situations.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
And unity and group operation I think brings out the
best in us as well.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
I agree with that.
Speaker 5 (19:46):
And my main thing was literally with the pressure thing,
I feel like we only ever do become our best
version when we get to that peak where we think,
but it's that line, it's how you're gonna fall under.
But if you go over, that's when the greatness comes.
And I think that's why when it's kind of single
swimming or fight or flight what they say, that's when
it comes out. That's why if you see everyone in
the airs when they when they were at their last
(20:08):
string and then boom, that's when it happens.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
I was gonna say, iver, you want to ask you stuff,
but them I'm like, am I gonna give it away?
Can't give it?
Speaker 1 (20:15):
But you know, it's been three four weeks in.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
People more and more now I haven't seen the whole thing,
so people are hearing more. Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
It's true.
Speaker 3 (20:24):
It's true that when I heard somebody else be like, yo,
you gotta watch it. I'm like, I watch it some
of the international movies. I'm like, am I gonna be
cool with the accident first? And like now you can
get it, you know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (20:33):
No, No, that's fair enough. That's fair enough, and it's
true we do want it to carry on a good thing.
With the shows like this, there's like a nighty day
window to get into the top view of all time
and I don't know if we're heading for that or not,
because it's you know, you need to get black ninety
million views. We're on like twenty five, which is crazy
for a UK show. But basically they Netflix do you
monitor all for three four months, so it's not like
it's not like a music release an album and you've
(20:55):
got like the first opening week to really decide if
it's a hit or not. It will works like that Netflix,
So I don't want to spoil too much, but enough
to get people to want to watch.
Speaker 4 (21:03):
There's people with the super cell collecting other people with
the super cell, right, yes, but they're collecting them on
behalf of white people.
Speaker 5 (21:12):
Yep, I knew that. You It's funny. I saw big
up Vince Staple. I never I don't met him, but
I never met him, but I saw him tweet YO,
those supercoons had me shocked.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
That was crazy. I was laughing at that lot.
Speaker 5 (21:26):
I can't believe it, but you know, I literally was
laughing at that line when I saw that tweet. But
the thing with that, it's funny because I've only ever
been asked about this one one of an interview. We
are the talent, we are the culture, we are the heart.
We bring the energy, we bring the vibe. But do
we not dance for the people for the other side,
(21:48):
And it's just you can't escape it. I don't know
if it's because where we are based we are not
the majority, but where we are and where we are
shining no matter how great we are, Like I don't
want to start blowing up and cut, but use I
should really do use on this place. These are own
you know what I'm saying, Like you you when I
think of this, I think of you guys.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
You have the power.
Speaker 5 (22:11):
But I don't know how much power you've got, but
I'm assuming there's always someone on top who you can't
do that or envy. That's a bit much in fourteen years,
then you're g a lot of people ain't got there.
Speaker 3 (22:22):
We we've been lucky, we haven't how much other.
Speaker 5 (22:24):
People do you know who is just as famous and
such as you who are still got astairs.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
And I've and I've carved out my own entity here
called the Black Effect Podcast Network.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Let me come on that. Then we can really chop
it up.
Speaker 4 (22:37):
I would love to do a super cell podcast, bro,
like when you breaking like you're breaking down each episode people,
I would love that.
Speaker 5 (22:47):
When you're already bro, we can really go off on
that lap probably done. Yeah, yeah, let's do that. Let's
do that.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Let's do that.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
Let's do that, Let's do it, Let's do that. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
Now, congratulations, you got one hundred percent critics score on
Written Tomatoes. You that, which is not easy. We just
seen with Tyler Perry. His didn't didn't do as well.
So the fact that you got one hundred percent is great.
But I was gonna ask it took four years to
do this one, so when season two is it gonna
be another four years?
Speaker 1 (23:12):
Nah?
Speaker 5 (23:13):
And it won't because a lot of that is breaking
the world, getting the characters right. Because the world is
you know the world, you know the characters, It won't
take as long. How long it will take it just
the preends and how soon they pressed the button.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
They won't take us long, won't take us long.
Speaker 4 (23:27):
And you say you got three seasons, three seasons of story?
Speaker 2 (23:30):
In my head, why is three the proper number of
the end on?
Speaker 1 (23:34):
Like, I don't know, maybe I'm a man.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
When I watch anything that goes past three three parts,
I feel like if they pushed the battle but then
it get shows like The Wire, I feel like I
could have taken another season there. So it just depends
the good thing about the super Cell world it never stops.
Because Sickle Cells is in the US, it's in Africa.
I can take it everywhere, so I can it can
go one. But for my group of characters that I've
(23:56):
created so far, I've got a free story plan for them.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
This is so ill though, because I thought I was
going to talk to you and you was going to
tell me like your mother, your grandmother or somebody you know,
just the fact that you you care about it because
it impacts so many black people.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
Bro, How can there be something that only affects you
because of your black bro?
Speaker 1 (24:14):
They're not crazy that.
Speaker 5 (24:15):
It's like, I feel like we need to ask more questions. Now,
why is no one asking where did this come from?
Why is no one asking why bro skinny skin? Don't
get the culture comes with how you're raised, But how
dark your skin is and how light your skin is
shouldn't make a difference to a disease.
Speaker 4 (24:30):
I guess I've never done the knowledge to it to
even know that. I never even thought that sickle cell
was just a disease.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
They say it predominantly affects black and there is some
other races, but I personally have never met someone that's
not black with it.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
I'm so, but I never understood it.
Speaker 5 (24:45):
So I'm hoping now the conversation is out there, maybe
people might do some proper research and they find out
what the answer is.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
How can we bring more awareness to the disease?
Speaker 1 (24:55):
You think with what you're doing right now is already
doing it.
Speaker 5 (25:00):
There's sickle cell convention is pretty often I think just
mention it like that's think everyone does talk about. I
have a conversation, maybe get someone who's living with it
on the show, like beause there's a lot of people
in power or whatever who are living with this.
Speaker 4 (25:14):
We've definitely had Prodigy Ante Bottle on over the.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
The conversation just don't happen enough.
Speaker 5 (25:19):
Like it's funny that episode of Power came out and
they mentioned it this week, and I thought, that's weird,
right close to super So the conversation to stick a
sells out on two Properer shows, but normally no one
talks about it. Man, Like when I was doing this
show in the UK, all of their execs had to
do the research minus my main exec whose brothers got it.
But everybody else they have to do the research. No
one knew what they was making, you know, So I
(25:40):
just think keep the conversation. Guy, man like you blood drives.
You know, it's that someone like you use yourself turned
up to blood Drives. That would be crazy, you know,
just shinning that man.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You said that I got a few questions about Rabbit.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
I gotta go to you, gotta leave, you, gotta go.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
I just want to know that, Like, I have a
few questions.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
But like one question I had for you is you
said that the execut Netflix knew you in the UK.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
So what level of rapper were you in the UK? Like,
who was comparable to you?
Speaker 5 (26:12):
Okay, I wasn't known because I was, like, okay, the
biggest rapper in the UK.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Rat nice.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
But essentially at that time, it wasn't wasn't cross over.
It's probably storm zy gigs love.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (26:28):
So but shyyh story what I done. It was this
particular project that was massive. It was the biggest thing
in the UK for years. And this is not sounding
like I'm glowing. It was just it had the whole
world in the UK in a chokehol because everyone's waiting
for the next part, because I was releasing parts like
every other month, so everybody was waiting. So, because this
(26:49):
is a quick example before I get pulled out, there
was a show called The Bodyguard that.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
Was on BBC.
Speaker 5 (26:54):
It came on Netflix after a while, but it was
massive in the UK and it was BBC's biggest show
for years, and it was out there finale. Okay, so
that finale was trending on Twitter in the UK, but
I didn't know about Bodyguard. So I released my final
part of Shower Story the same day. We trended above that.
So all the breakfast shows, the daytime shows the next
day was like, so you was probably watching this and
(27:16):
it was a clip of The Bodyguard or wha cast,
good show, great show, but your kids were watching this
and it was a clip of Shadow Story that had
every single network in the UK, Netflix, everyone like, who
is this guy who can do something off their own
back no money? Put it on YouTube and trend above
the biggest show that the UK's got. It opened every door. Bro,
It's like a blessing that thing there because it fell
(27:38):
into so much people's hands, which and then that's how
I was massive. So could a Shower story that was
before Shoo Story. I hardly nobody knew me come Sharrow Story.
I was probably one of the hottest in the UK.
So if I'm in the UK, I could have been
maybe Hole. I mean, I could have been call at
that time. I could have been calling that time Big
(28:00):
Three at that time, at that time. Okay, at that
time I was at that I'm not gonna sit here
and say I was. But for that moment where Showers
was out, everyone everyone, so the old the other rappers
was reaching out. Everybody reached out. It was just a
big deal, man. It was just a big deal at
the time.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
And I wanted to ask you about you know, because
you are with rock Nation and it's Lucy James. It
is something about London and Brooklyn. People from London have
a energy with people in Brooklyn.
Speaker 5 (28:31):
It's crazy because one of my good friends is tighter
so Ti James, I don't know, and when we took
we're together, we don't. We don't think that we're with
someone who's across the pun. It's like I'll tell title
the time, London and New York, bro they're basically at
the same place big and obviously the laws are different.
But the reason why I could probably sit here and
(28:52):
chat to Youse all day because if we're it's so similar.
And I don't feel like that when I go to LA
But when I'm in New York, when I'll talk to
people from New York, it's just like I'm talking to
someone from London.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Because even when you say you love Biggie and Jay's music,
it's just like it seems like there's some type of connection.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
I don't know why. I don't know why.
Speaker 5 (29:07):
But as I said, like I can sit down for
hours with me and Tyl with chat. I'm here with
just a name Jobs because that's actually my friend and
it's just normal yeah, yeah, big uptime and it's just
normal like me it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I don't know mine, It's like he knows.
Speaker 5 (29:21):
I don't know what that connection to have to tell me, bro,
But it does feel like that as well.
Speaker 4 (29:24):
Yeah, man, Yeah, And it's just a passion that I
feel from you. It's a passion I feel when I
when I when I've interacted with James, it's just a
different type of energy. And I think it reflects in
your art in such a real way. And I really am.
I just appreciate the way y'all tell black stories because
y'all tell black stories in a different way right like
(29:45):
here in America. It's like these execs want you to
tell black stories a certain way. A lot of times,
y'all always do it in a very unique way.
Speaker 5 (29:52):
I feel because people me and James Hazan, for we
was in that position where we didn't chase the industry.
They came to us because of what we was just
doing independently. So because we wasn't pursued. Because we was pursued,
it's like, Okay, if you want us to do it,
we're gonna do it this way, or we're to stay
doing it independently over here and trending over your biggest
shows on YouTube. So so it's like okay, So because
(30:13):
we came in with that position of kind of like
clout means we can just do what we kind of
in the UK, but I can't do it out of
her hair yet. So hopefully these numbers keep from writing
outs so I can do it over here as well.
But the good thing is now UK Netflix is international,
so I don't have to because it's still We're all
still talking about the same show that I made in London.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
Congratulations, go watch super Cell and uh, you know, get
prepared for the super Cell podcast on the Black Reflect
podcast that work hosted by Ratman Big.
Speaker 5 (30:45):
I can bring some of my casting as well, That's
what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
My cast man they want to roll up, so that
would be dope.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Those podcasts like that are big over here.
Speaker 5 (30:53):
Like Bro, I am bro anything to push the narrative.
As I said, I'm fans of you guys, and what
user of it she do with this? This was like
an outlet for black for the black culture across the
world because there's so many other things now, but we've
been seeing.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
This for decades.
Speaker 5 (31:11):
Yeah, and we don't we know that this is the way
it began. So bro, anything can need to be a
part of it. I'm honest, mon, do it you have it.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
It's rat May we appreciate you for joining us. It's
the Breakfast Club. Good morning, wake that ass up in
the morning.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
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