Bloggers & Friends Podcast X DJ O.G. ONE

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We are joined by Portland's very own, DJ O.G. ONE! We talk about everything from community, leadership, and culture to music, balancing a family, and entrepreneurship. Tune in and join the conversation!

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_02 (00:03):
Hey y'all, I'm Janelle Yarbrough and welcome to
Bloggers and Friends.
This is your podcast fordiscussions around relevant
topics and experiences thatresonate with the culture.
For those of you who roll withme, you know we talk a lot about
embracing the possibility ofchange.
We'll continue to touch on thatand lots more.
Sound good?

(00:24):
Work.
Let's get into it.
Hey, hey, y'all.
Thank you for joining us today.
I hope you all are well.
I am excited for our show todayas we are joined by a very
special guest.
He wears many of hats andimpacts lives in spaces and

(00:50):
industries with his talent,compassion, and vision, a
celebrity DJ, a producer, anentrepreneur, an activist, a
mentor, a leader within variouscommunities and industries, an
elite force and entertainment,uh, who has built a reputation
as the DJ who doesn't just playmusic.

(01:13):
He moves people, moves culture,and leaves legacies.
He's a husband, a father, afather figure to many, and a
friend to many more.
Um, we have with us today theone, the only DJ OG one.
Yay! I wish I was talentedenough.

(01:33):
I wish I was up on my gameenough to have some applause in
the background.
I don't have my sound game upyet, but I'm gonna get there.
I'm gonna get there.
It's so great to have you today,OG.
And it's so funny.
Is there's a little life lessonin this one for me, right?
Because um, oh goodness, whatwere we?

(01:55):
Uh there was was it the lastepisode that I had posted a clip
from that I did with with uhwith with Durante and you
commented under it.
That's how this episode came tofruition.
But I I have there's certainpeople that I have in like the
the my back pocket that I'm likein a minute.
Um, and in that moment when youreached out and you were like,

(02:17):
When I was like, Janelle, youyou have to stop shortchanging
yourself, like because it alwaysseems like a like I want to get
to this place or I want to getto this space or I want to grow
just a little bit more.
And um, and that was a momentwhere it was just like slap
upside in my head, just do it.
You can only hear one of twothings.

(02:37):
People say yes, people say no,and um, and so um it's it's
really great to have you heretoday.

SPEAKER_03 (02:44):
Yeah, I don't I don't think it will ever be a
time where I I can tell you no.
Hey, there's very few peoplethat I would say no to.
You would be one of them.

SPEAKER_02 (02:58):
You know, um people you care about and you you see
and you honor them in a certainway, and and you want to have
the right moment, right?
And so even Durante, there was aright moment, and he, you know,
um for me, and and that was youknow the moment that was that
the the PDX hip hop awards thatis inspired me to say, uh, we

(03:19):
we've got to talk about thismore, you know.
And so there's a moment that Ilook for with people.
Um, and and so sometimes they,you know, come about
organically, and sometimes it'slike just in in certain
scenarios that I'm like, oh, wewe gotta talk more about this,
you know?
And so um, so I appreciate youbeing here today.

SPEAKER_03 (03:41):
Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 (03:42):
Yeah.
So I know you, of course, DJ anduh uh OG Wen and I go way back.
And um, it's so funny.
I was thinking about um ourstory and and and back to when I
very first came to know you, andit was actually through um young
people that you were mentoring,um, because I was needing music

(04:05):
cut and I didn't know how to doit yet on my own.
And um, I believe it was LeslieNewton um that connected us, and
that's how we started, and thenum we did that, we were doing
those things together, and thenum Dana and I had Urban Arts,
our dance company, and then youbecame a board member for that,

(04:26):
and then it's just been ongoingconnection in the community and
um through events and and work.
And so for people who don't knowyou in the way that I might know
you, we have listeners from allover.
Um, you're not from Portland,but you've built a life in
Portland.
Tell us how you got here.

SPEAKER_03 (04:47):
Ooh, ooh, that's that's a huge uh I know, I know.
Yeah, that's a huge one.
Uh the short version of it.
Uh um, I grew up in Watts,California.
Uh, I came to Portland in '88.
Uh originally, my uh, you know,the plan was to run in the
Cascade runoffs, uh, because Iwas uh uh an athlete at that

(05:12):
time.
I was doing some music, but Iwas mainly focused on athletics,
and so that was the plan uh whenI came to Oregon.
But uh unfortunately some shiftshappened that I had no control
over that kind of threw my lifein a whirlwind.
But uh Portland became the placethat I wanted to be planted in.

SPEAKER_02 (05:32):
Yes, yes, and and how how did we come to a space
where we are like DJing as if isit from or not it for me because
you do many of different things,but it I feel like it's kind of
the catalyst of many of things,right?
It branches you out and is iskind of like the foundation of
where all of your otherendeavors stem from.

(05:53):
And I could be wrong on that,but no, no, correct me if I am.

SPEAKER_03 (05:56):
No, you're right.
You're you're absolutely right.
I think DJing for me, because Iwas always into music, music,
you know, since I can rememberas a child.
Um, so I knew I wanted to beengaged in music, but when I was
younger, I thought that it wasgonna be just what like being a
musician because my dad was amusician, and you know, I played

(06:18):
instruments and things likethat.
Uh, but it wasn't until the uh,and I was that kid in the
neighborhood that had all thecassettes in the in the music.
So people would come be like,hey, can I borrow your cassette
or can you make me a uh a partytape or whatever before I had
even had like any turntables oranything or even knew of

(06:40):
anything other than a regularrecord player?
And so uh so I had that in me,but it wasn't until hip-hop uh
came on scene in the mid-80s forme that when I saw uh the DJ and
the ability to control anaudience, and and when I say
control, really in the sense oftaking people on a journey, like

(07:05):
allowing them to escape.
I knew it was an escape for mepersonally, it was a coping for
me music-wise, but when I seenthat, it was like yeah, it just
clicked.
It was like that was that wasit.
I wanted to be, I wanted to doDJing, but I didn't even see it
then as being a profession, likelike something that I wanted as

(07:29):
a career.
It was just like, no, I likedoing that, yeah, you know, and
so uh, but it wasn't until Icame to Portland that I really
locked in, like, no, I'm gonnareally be this DJ.

SPEAKER_02 (07:45):
Yeah, that makes me think about um that makes me
think about, I mean, obviouslybeing a dancer, like my
connection to music and and andthe way that I come into music
even, like how I hear certainout uh, you know, certain songs
that I wouldn't have heardbefore.
So I mean, there's such thisunique relationship between uh

(08:08):
between like the DJ, the artistwho makes the music and the
dance world, and how it's likethis ecosystem of of of how it
it it interprets and brings thismusic to people in general,
right?

(08:28):
And um and how much the DJmatters, because it's like
that's the difference sometimesin me in my younger days when I
would, you know, uh uh in socialscenes that would tell me where
I'm trying to go.
Where I'm trying to go.

(08:50):
Even I was thinking about um theother day, um uh the verses
that's coming up, right?
Um, um, I don't know if you'veseen that that yet, but um, it's
like no limit to cash money.
And oh my gosh, I imagine theway that I'm gonna be in front
of my television, losing mymind.

(09:11):
Um, you know what I mean?
And and for what their DJs do,for what the artists do, the
songs that they choose for it,and and and how that really um
can move people and and eventhinking of just living in
blackness, right?
Like the joy, like that is apiece of our black joy being

(09:34):
able to like for it's it's beinglost in this space where we are
moved by this magical, you know,spirit is is it's it's it's it's
magical to me, really.

SPEAKER_03 (09:45):
Yeah, and you and you think about it, uh and I
know consciously a lot of peopledon't might not necessarily
think of it this way, but I knowfor as a creator, both
dance-wise and and as DJ-wise,it's all about the story for us.

(10:07):
Yes, it's about the story, youknow.
Your story is through movement.
Yes, for me, music when I DJ,it's about uh telling a story.
Now, most of the time, my storyis I'm interpreting the story
through how the audience moves.
Some people call it reading theroom, yeah, yeah.

(10:28):
That's what it is.
I'm reading the audience's storyand saying, okay, how do I tell
your story through the music I'mgetting ready to play?

SPEAKER_02 (10:39):
So the one of the taglines for for urban arts was
interpreting the art of lifethrough dance.
And part of the inspiration forthe creation of that dance
company was to be able toprovide you know, young people
the opportunity to receiveprofessional level training who
would not have normally hadaccess to it.

(11:02):
So it was a way of us umhonoring our craft, um,
mentoring others, um and um andproviding them some
pre-professional pathways um toto live out their dream and and

(11:23):
um a space of healing, right?
When we get to tell thosestories, when we get to live in
that space of movement andcreativity, when we get to be
who we are in our fullness, isthe it's that zone.
When people talk about zoningout, like that's that zone,
right?
And and and so um what are thestories that are important for

(11:47):
you to tell through through yourart?

SPEAKER_03 (11:50):
I think for me, and again, it's those unspoken, it's
those unspoken things.
Um I know for me it's safe,safety is always a thing for me,
and not just like physicalsafety, but like you're safe to

(12:10):
be expressive in environmentswith me when I'm playing music.
Like I want people to be silly,I want people to be emotional, I
want people to be happy, I wantto be people to, you know, uh
have spaces of reflection, youknow, when they're in the spaces
when I'm playing.
So um it's why I pay it, I payclose attention to you know how

(12:33):
body, how people are moving,even if it's I'm at a reception
and and and people are sittingdown at a table, I'm watching
who's bobbing ahead, and justyou know, or just like some
people I've seen closing theireyes, like you know, grandma and
them just like and they give youthat meme look like, oh no, he

(12:54):
didn't, like those type ofthings are like, okay, I'm
tapping into people's whateverthat song represented for them,
a moment in time in life, it'sit gives them a space to be able
to sit in it, you know.
Uh yes, and and that's the joyto me, the ultimate joy uh as a

(13:18):
DJ for me.

SPEAKER_00 (13:20):
Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_01 (13:23):
Don't ask me why right now in this moment.

SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
Oh Lord, I'm thinking about, and I know you
don't remember this time becauseI know you don't remember this
because you've had many of showsand many of events, but I'm
thinking about this one time.
Oh, where I don't even remember.
Portland has had such a remakeof all of their like club style,

(13:50):
you know, uh venues.
Oh my goodness.
But I remember um it was rightlike I want to remember, and I'm
not gonna, I'm not gonna do thathere.
Um I want so bad to remember thename of this place, but me and
my friend came um and you wereDJing, and we went because you
were DJing, and um there musthave been maybe five feet of

(14:16):
wide open space somewhere, mighthave been four.
We must have lost our minds inhere, and nobody else in that in
there mattered.
We were losing our mindstogether.
Her and I, um, shout out toKalima.
Her and I, we were in therelosing our minds, and in that

(14:36):
moment, I know that you wereplaying for that space, right?
For every single person in thatspace, we probably felt like you
were playing for us because wewere losing our minds, and I
just remember, and I was like,Oh my gosh, I hope he don't kill
me later because we were justlike nobody else in that space
mattered, and um it just it justfelt so good, which is why I

(14:59):
remember it to this day becausewe were just vibing out, and I
was like, Oh my gosh, I hopewe're not embarrassing him.

SPEAKER_03 (15:05):
No, and here's what's so interesting.
I remember, I remember I'mtrying to remember the place it
was at, but here's what's socrazy.
I look as a DJ, I look for thosespaces and those moments, and it
can be three people in a space,and they're just going in and
other people might just betrying to be cool and

(15:29):
everything, but for me, I'mplaying for y'all.
Yeah, I'm playing, it's likeokay, okay, y'all be cool and
and and bougie or whatever y'allwant to call it, but I'm playing
for them three, them two overthere, right there.
And then as long as they keepmoving, I'm I'm going there with
music.
It's all it's all it's alwaysgood.

SPEAKER_02 (15:51):
I love that.
So, well, let's talk about someof the other endeavors that have
like branched off from that.
Um, what are some of the other Imean, I know in general you have
leader tame in and then you havesomething that may not be new,
but it's been newer to me asI've been seeing it more, should
I say, and that's the B fluid.
Can you talk more about thosethings?

SPEAKER_03 (16:10):
Yeah, yeah.
So um, as you know, you know,all the work that I've been
doing over the years andmentoring and um as well as
business and you know, beingheavy in the industry.

SPEAKER_04 (16:21):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (16:21):
And so for me, um, probably since 2017, I want to
actually 2016 uh is when I firstkind of I felt like I hit a wall
in terms of like I've done allthese high profile, you know,
situations in my my brand as aDJ excuse me, um, it was

(16:46):
solidified.
Uh, but then I had this wholething of you know the leadership
side of me and the communitypart of me that I was feeling
like, okay, well, how do I mergethe two where it doesn't seem
like it's separate?
Does it feel like I'm doing acommunity thing here, and then

(17:08):
I'm doing uh you know, celebritything or the OG1 thing here, and
I really struggled.
I struggled for a while.
Like, uh how do I make sure thatboth of those are fluid, yeah,
you know, between each other,and that's where the the name
leadertainment came from.
I was like merging leadershipand merging uh entertainment

(17:34):
together because ultimately forme OG1 exists, the brand of OG1
exists because of the work thatI want to do and have done in
communities.
And you know, you think about uhI've been able to leverage very
effectively the OG1 brand toimpact the lives of people, not

(17:57):
just okay, hey, to be the bestDJ and the rock parties.
I've leveraged all thoseexperiences to be influential in
the space of the leadershipstuff.
And so I was like, okay, well, Iwant to create experiences uh
that are fun, engaging, that hasa celebrity feel, but has the

(18:19):
impact of leadership andcommunity that I want to have.
And that's where leadertainmentuh was born.
Then from there, you know,again, just studying the
industry and looking at okay,what are the you know, some of
the things that make some of theinfluencers most impactful?

(18:40):
And I started looking at, youknow, I start first started
saying looking at okay, whatseparates me from other DJs that
are celebrities in the industry?
And it was the thing thatseparated me is my connection to
community, the the impact onlives I've had that really had

(19:02):
nothing to do with music, thoughit looks like it's music.
You see, I mean music has beenthe connector, but it really has
been who I am, how I show up inthe world.
So, how do I brand thateffectively?
And where it doesn't feel likeit's something outside of me,

(19:25):
but it feels very much who I am,so I don't have to put on, I
don't have to put on somethingto show up in space that I can
just be who I am, yeah.
And so um I looked at DJ Khaled,and when most people think of uh
DJ Khaled, you know, they thinkabout some of the music collabs

(19:49):
he's done or whatever, but thefrom a branding standpoint, when
someone if someone says, We thebest, yep, you think about DJ
Khaled.
Well, better or worse, it's likewe the best, okay?
You don't hear nobody elsesaying that, yeah, DJ Khaled as
a brand.
So for me, it was like I need tohave that for what I do, yeah.

(20:14):
And so move different, windifferent, be fluid became my we
the best, and so I needed tomake sure that it aligned with
my values, uh, what I stand for,where it wasn't just something
that was uh egotistical oranything, but it was cool and

(20:34):
had enough swag where it madepeople like, okay, people want
to move different in order towin different.
Yeah, and so for me, it waslike, Well, how do you do that
by being fluid?
Well, what does that mean?
Be fluid is an acronym for bold,engaging, faith, love,
unwavering, intentional,determined, and taking the

(20:57):
principles of that, and you canapply that in literally
everything you do from yourpersonal life to your
professional life.
You see, uh, if I learn how tohave if I have faith in what I'm
doing, if I bring love to whatI'm doing, if I'm unwavering in
the values that I have, and thenI live those things

(21:20):
intentionally and determined toget the outcomes that I desire.
That's being fluid.

SPEAKER_02 (21:27):
Come on.
Come on.
Yeah.
So it's it's it's lifephilosophy or or the way a
person shows up, right?
Like this is your your, youknow, um, it's a it's an
acronym, but also could be amantra for a person in waking
up.
And and and I always say, like,are you waking up being who you

(21:49):
think you are?
Are you holding yourselfaccountable to to the way that
you do the person you desire tobe, right?
It doesn't mean we're showing upin perfection every day, but are
you waking up being who youthink you are and holding
yourself accountable to thatvision?
And it and who's holding who whoknows this of you and who's when

(22:11):
you fall short, like how do youacknowledge that or what do you
what what do you reflect on totake you back there to correct
daily?
So I love things like that.

SPEAKER_03 (22:20):
Yeah, yeah.
I always tell people I said, Ican't hold you accountable to
anything except for who you sayyou are.
I can't hold you accountable tomy expectations of you, uh, what
I think you should do.
I only can hold you accountableto who you say you are.

SPEAKER_02 (22:37):
And that, but that there, like that, even um, and
and I I I love having theseconversations with people who
also have um backgrounds andlike mentorship, like really
pouring into people's livesbecause that's who really gets
this, right?
But it also, I mean, not thatsomeone else can't, no offense,
but um uh but it also is aboutpeople really taking the time to

(23:02):
know who they are.
A lot of people just show up andthey check the boxes.
Am I doing the things?
Did I wake up?
Did I go to work?
Did I take care of my kids andmy did I see my friends?
Did I, you know, but who areyou?
Like, who are you as a person?
Like, how do you how do you seeyourself?
Who do you what what is thevision for you?

(23:26):
Um, and a lot of people don'tknow what that is.
A lot of a lot of people don'tknow how to fill in those
blanks.
They know how to check theboxes, right?
Um, and so I think like thisthought work, um, you know, just
like you said, I I I I can't Ican't hold you accountable to,
you know, it's who do you whoare you to you?

(23:48):
Who do you desire to be?
Um, not who how you want to showup based on um what other
people's perception of you are,but like who do you desire to
be?
Who are you as a whole authenticperson, you know?

SPEAKER_03 (24:06):
Yeah, and having that space, uh, because even
within that, you know, thecalip, the accountability
becomes if you open yourself upto it.
And I think that's the otherthing um I learned to be open to
is being accountable.
Like, you know, if if I say whoI am and what my vision and and

(24:30):
how I show up in the world, andI fall short, giving permission
for people to be able to say,hey, that's that's not who you
say you are.
So then it gives me a space tobe able to say, okay, now I have
to question, is this really whoI am?
Because if it's not, then I canmake the adjustment and say,

(24:52):
Well, I need to make sure that Iadjust that and make sure that
it aligns with who I am.
But if it is who I am, then Ineed to make the adjustment and
say, okay, yeah, I I kind of,you know, you know, made some,
you know, uh a misstep on that.
And so then I can step up asopposed to culturally now uh our

(25:14):
culture has driven this wedgebetween uh being held
accountable uh and staying outof my business.

SPEAKER_02 (25:27):
But we say, you know, but people say we want
community, but you know, that'scommune, commune, and it's so I
was just gonna say it's the lossof community because I remember
when my kids were growing up, umwe would walk through the mall,
and like the this is when peoplewent to the mall because now
they're like ghost towns, but umwe were we would be at the mall

(25:50):
and we'd see all these people,hey Bill, hey, hey, hey, and my
kids would be like, dang, do youknow every like we can't walk
through this mall and you notknow people?
And I said, Yeah, these are allthe people who are responsible
for for raising you, right?
Like, so when you're out here inthese streets, like you are

(26:13):
representing our family, and andanybody who knows me can check
you.
Yeah, so and not that you knowthat that's that's the way I
grew up, is that you know, Iwasn't simply raised by my home,
I was raised by my community,you know, and um you know, due

(26:34):
to many of circumstances, butI'm grateful for that, and I'm
very grateful for that.
And and that's what I feel likewe are missing.
Can't nobody tell nobody nothinganymore.

SPEAKER_03 (26:44):
No, no, stay out, stay out of my business until
you know it becomes a situationwhere we're reacting to
something.
And then again, we we use, youknow, collectively, we use
certain catchphrases likefamily.
You know, we're all family,we're all community until it's

(27:06):
the moments of holding someoneaccountable or telling them the
truth about something, you know.
Um, then it's like uh, you know,you can't tell me nothing or
stay out of my business, asopposed to looking and that
evaluating and say, you knowwhat?
Yeah, you know, we say we'resupposed to be this, and I say
I'm I'm a part of a communityand and these things.

(27:29):
So my community has the right tospeak to me when I am not
showing up how I say I am or whoI say I am, and trusting they're
doing it because they want thebest for me, right?

SPEAKER_02 (27:44):
But I think this is also um uh uh speaks to a little
bit of the gap when we startedlosing our true elders, like
there uh Durante and I talkedabout this a little bit on my uh
last episode, also the bit likegrandparents started getting
younger and younger and younger,and there wasn't that like older

(28:04):
wisdom.
And I'm again, I'm not shadingthe younger grandparents.
I promise you, I'm not.
I'm just saying what I see inour community, right?
Like there, there, there wasn'tthat grandmother's hand, like
that oh wise, soft, gentle,beautiful, but firm.
There there's that gap.

(28:26):
And so um I think that therealso became this loss of trust
um in people because um peopledidn't believe that people were
really out here in, you know,speaking to them um because

(28:49):
you're concerned about theirbest interest.
You're you're you're you know,and Portland is not unique in
the way that it's beendismantled.
But but I actually wanted to toto touch on that with you today
because um I think you knowthere's some of us who have seen

(29:14):
the whole shift and change, youknow, Portland's changed a lot
over the years.
Um, you know, hellogentrification and um and the
way it's ripped apart ourcommunities.
How have you been able to stayconnected to like the the hearts
and the minds and and and thepeople um when community has

(29:38):
shifted to from, should I say,from where you live to who you
know, right?
Just a mindset versus a a spaceof living.
Like, how have you been able tostay connected to that?

SPEAKER_03 (29:56):
Well, you know, I think it's because of my focus.
My focus has Always it's certainthings that uh and I have I've
had this conversation everywherefrom down with people that
represent the city all the wayto you know, of course, our
people in our in ourneighborhoods and yeah
communities.
Um it's relationships, you know.

(30:18):
I I focus on the people, youknow, and it doesn't matter if
you know the people staycentralized in Portland or they
got shifted out to you know theeast side, uh or um the same
thing in terms of value, it'sit's doesn't change in terms of
the people.
And so I think again, when Italked earlier about the

(30:42):
reactive, uh, you know, how ourpeople tend to be reactive
instead of proactive, uh, andeven that divide or uh uh I
think happens on both ends, justfrom my observation being
important for so long, um, isthat you got on one end, you got

(31:03):
uh young people that tend not totrust, you know, the adults uh a
particular way, or you know, I'mjust gonna go do my thing and
I'm not going to seek counsel.
Um a lot of that comes from youknow being rejected by elders.
Yes, you know, elders are in aposition to be able to pass on

(31:24):
that wisdom, but when you haveuh elders that fear, fear young
people and fear that if theypour into them that somehow it
diminishes their power andinfluence.

SPEAKER_02 (31:39):
Come on.

SPEAKER_03 (31:40):
And um so they you know, they you know push young
people away or or or kind ofsay, you know, you know, I'm not
trying to invest in them.
Young people, young, and when Isay young people, I'm talking
about young adults, yes, youngpeople, yes, uh, they feel that,
you know, because you know, ourcommunity, we're we're we vibe,
we we set your vibe and yourenergy, and you can be saying

(32:04):
all the right words andeverything, but we be like, mmm,
something is off there.
I don't believe you, you know.
Uh yes, exactly.
I do not believe the words thatare coming out of your mouth,
and so when that is the uh theenergy that is in our city, I
mean, and I've had personalexperience where I've had very

(32:25):
influential um leaders uh in ourcommunity that you know flat
out, you know, have told me tomy face that I will be nothing
but uh uh another DJ.
Told me to my face and it sentit around because they could not
control my brand.

(32:46):
They cannot control my brand wasnot contributed to their
influence, and so they feared myinfluence in the community.
And it and I remember how itfelt for me.
It broke my heart.
It's like, man, all the workthat I'm I'm doing in the
community, and and this is howyou see me.
Instead of seeing me as anasset, you see me as a threat.

(33:09):
And so when I saw that, I waslike, man, so if I'm feeling
that, I can't imagine what youngpeople are feeling in our
community, which is why I'vealways put relationships,
whether it's young people oradults, is like, no, I'm gonna
show up, you know, for thepeople, and I'm gonna be real,

(33:30):
I'm gonna be, I'm gonna show upin truth, I'm gonna show up in
love, uh, because that's who Ichoose to be, regardless of the
things that are happening inpolitics, you know, the whether
it's the politics in ourgovernment, whether it's the
politics and leadership in ourcommunity.
Um, and you know, and I'm quitesure I'm very confident that you

(33:53):
ask most people when they engagewith me, um, that that's the
feeling that they get.
And it's not, you know,fabricated.
It's you know, it's who I ambecause that's how I want to
feel, you know, when peopleengage with me, you know, I want
to feel that from them.
So I can't I can't demandsomething that I'm not willing

(34:14):
to give.

SPEAKER_00 (34:15):
Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 (34:23):
I think about the power in um relationships,
right?
Like, and and I I call it likerelationship capital, right?
Like you you build theseauthentic relationships with
people.
Like I want to learn aboutpeople, I want to learn about
people's stories, I want tolearn about your motivations, I

(34:46):
want to learn about your yourtalents, I want to learn about
who you are as a wholeindividual, um, because then I
can speak your language, right?
Then I can appreciate yourstory, then I can appreciate,
you know, or be conscious of umof things that a person has been

(35:07):
through and be sensitive tothat.
And then it it gives melanguage, right?
And I think that people are umso transactional that they don't
care about the like they don'tcare about learning your

(35:28):
language.
Do do it my way, I see it thisway, this is the right way.
It's like a right and a wrongway versus there are many of
ways, right?
And and if our objective is ashared objective, how do I speak
a language that best gets usthere?
Right.
And I'm not talking, I'm I'mtalking solely based on

(35:49):
relationships, I'm not talkingabout like, you know, you know,
code switching or changing whoyou are to get to that.
I'm saying, how do you read andunderstand people?
And in, you know, as we'retalking about young people or
people within the community, howdo you make them feel seen?
How do you make them feel heard?

(36:10):
How do you make them feelvalued?
And that is in the way that youbuild relationship with people,
and that is how they begin totrust you.
If you can't even see them orhear them, then then you don't
really know them, right?
It's like someone saying, love,see no color.
Well, it absolutely does becauseif you don't, then you don't see

(36:32):
me as a whole in who I am, youdon't see me, and that in itself
is a slap in the face.
So, so if I don't know or see ortake interest in a person's
individual story, um, and howthey've become who they are and
and who they are desiring tocontinue to become, how can I
even pour into them, partnerwith them, understand them?

(36:53):
How do we even begin to get to aplace where we're moving towards
the same objective?
That's how I feel.

SPEAKER_03 (36:59):
Yeah, and I think you you made a key point because
it really boils down to truth.
Yeah.
Even in transactional, and it'sit's it's something that I had
to learn over over yearsbecause, you know, uh, when we
talk about relationships, I havealways approached relationships
as the, you know, I set thestandard in terms of like I

(37:24):
can't expect someone to beloyal, uh, to be trustworthy or
any of those things if I'm notbeing that in the situation.
Yes, yes.
But I had to take a shift.
I had to really take a shift andshift my mindset that not from
you know me changing anythingabout how I approach

(37:46):
relationships, but I had toshift the the expectation.
And then I had to shift it interms of my mindset, in terms of
some people don't even have thecapacity to give that back to
me.

SPEAKER_00 (38:00):
Yes.

SPEAKER_03 (38:01):
And so I had to deal with the truth of there's some
relationships that aretransactional.
Um, and it's nothing wrong withhaving a transactional
relationship if you're honestwith that's what it is.
The problem becomes is when wetry to make uh a relationship
relationship, a relationshipthat's transactional, a solid

(38:23):
relationship of loyalty.
And it's like, no, I can beloyal to a transactional
situation because I know it'stransactional.
I don't call it what it is, butyou know, which is why I said,
you know, in our culture, a lotof times we use certain, you
know, phrases uh just loosely,uh, and there's no

(38:44):
accountability to it.
So, like, you know, I perfectexample.
If I take take our relationshipthat we've built over the years,
we don't talk every day oranything like that.
But if you call me, I'm pickingup that phone and it's like, oh,
this now, okay.
And like I said earlier, I don'tsee a situation where you know,

(39:07):
unless like you ask me somethingand I'm booked for something, I
can't just literally can't doit.
But if you call me, oh gee, hey,can you quote?
Can you I'm like, okay, yeah,when, where, because that's the
relationship, and it's nottransactional, you know.
I mean, you showed up for myfamily, and you know, my son's
autism walks and things likethat.

(39:28):
Y'all, you didn't have to donone of that stuff, but because
of the relationship, you showedup, you showed up.
But for me, I've treated somerelationships that are
transactional like I would treatmy relationship with you.
And then when it showed to benot that, then I was angry, and

(39:50):
then I had to takeaccountability and say, nah,
it's unfair for me to be angryat that person when that person
didn't give me a track record ofbeing that person.
So why am I angry at them forsomething that one they don't
even have a capacity to be?
So once I settled that in, I waslike, okay, no, I don't need to

(40:14):
hold people accountable to youknow who they say they are.
So now if you tell me no, wefamily, then okay, well, you
just set the you know parametersof saying, okay, this is what I
expect of a family.
What does that mean to you?
You know, uh, so I make surethat I'm I'm clear and I don't
hold you accountable to amisinterpretation of what that

(40:36):
even is.
And I think that's a lot, youknow, having those candid and
real conversations within ourcommunity, uh, I think is lost.
Yes, it's lost because you knowof that trust, you know, that
trust, uh, but it's really thetrust we have within ourselves.

(40:57):
That's really really comes downto is like we don't trust that
we are solid enough withinourselves that we don't have to
fear our brothers and sisters,yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 (41:09):
And it goes kind of back to the the knowing of self,
right?
Like there's a whole lot ofpeople, and and I know people
that come from like great, greatparents, great families, and
they still don't knowthemselves, right?
And I think it's it's it has tobe such an intentional act.
I mean, it goes we've we've uhheard this for years.

(41:31):
If if if you don't know who youare, somebody's gonna tell you
who you are, right?

SPEAKER_03 (41:35):
And so and so it's there has to be like this
intentionality in terms ofparenting to to to fill up your
your baby's cups, and and whenthey walk out your door every
day, they know who they are, andyou reinforce that as they grow
and as they continue to become,because if you don't, you know,

(41:59):
they're left wide open tosomebody else telling them, and
um and I that's whatleadertainment, you know, again,
with me doing leadertainment,that's what for me it's all
about, you know, creating thosecultures and experiences because
you know, based on ourdiscussion, you know, where do
parents that weren't equippedwith that in order to tell their

(42:22):
children, you know, uh and leadthem in the right direction,
where is that as a communitythat we get those jewels in
those gyms to equip us to beable to handle our kids and be
able to pass on to our kids?
And so for me, it was like, no,if we don't create it, if we
don't create platforms like thiswhere we can have the
discussions, experiences wheresocially people can go out, our

(42:45):
people can go out and connectand not just not just
preoccupying our space with thefun part, but we can have fun
and leave out with somesubstance as well, you know.
Uh, and that's really what I'vebeen pushing for uh with leader
taming and and curating someexperiences and the some events,

(43:07):
you know, where we have likehappy hours where we can come
connect and have music flowing,but then love a good happy hour,
you know what I mean?
And and and but then you know,have some real conversations
like where it feels organic,where it's not doesn't feel
classroomish, it doesn't feellike you know you're being

(43:28):
preached to or anything likethat, because most of us
culturally pick up things whenwe're at the barbecue and we at
the family, you know,situations, and yeah, and it's
like so.
Now we need to have insert theseconversations intentionally in
those experiences so it becomesour cultural norm.

SPEAKER_02 (43:48):
Yeah, you know what?
I've been hearing there's beenthis really interesting um
conversation floating across umsocial media about um it always
starts off like, Hi, I'm um ablack woman who moved to
Portland, and here's myexperience, right?
And so I listen to those becausethey're interesting to me.

(44:12):
Um, and one of the things thatthey they talk about is um that
it at first glance, it feelslike there isn't a black
community because we're talkingabout again where you live,
right?
And um, each of them have talkedabout each of them that I've

(44:32):
listened to that have comeacross my yeah, my timeline.
I don't know what othereverybody's I I've learned led.
Everyone's on different sides ofsocial media, and it's
fascinating.
Um, but um, but they've alltalked about to some degree that
there is community here, but youhave to seek it, and it's more

(44:56):
event-driven um than it is aboutwhere you live.
And so, like you are having togo to spaces to build that
community versus just walkingout your front door like it used
to be.
So there um that has been areally interesting topic, but
what you just said made me thinkabout that, right?

(45:16):
Um, you're creating these eventsand these spaces for community.
Um, and um um what are it?
I'm I'm gonna put you on thespot a little bit here because
as that conversation ishappening, people are always
asking and wondering, like,where can we go?
What like what can we?
And so is there are there eventsthat happen regularly that you

(45:40):
could call out for people totune into, or are there people
that you can say, follow thisperson, follow that person?
Of course, follow, follow you,right?
But but are there other otherthings that um or events that
happen regularly that you canrecommend?
Is it or is it just more aboutuh you know paying attention to
people and what they're doing inhosting?

SPEAKER_03 (46:01):
I think it's a combination of both.
Uh uh, and I do uh believe thatagain, you you as you know, uh
being in Portland, there used tobe a time where we all knew, oh,
you we know this is popping offeverything.
We knew that this is where youknow people meet up, this is
where this major event ishappening, where we it wasn't so

(46:23):
much even just about the event,it was like, no, this is where
the people are gathered.
Yes, yes, you know what I mean.
And so some of that has beenlost.
Um, and you know, there arethings that are happening.
Uh, I think of uh like I justfound uh a situation out in
Beaverton where it's blackpeople in Beaverton and they

(46:44):
have these events andeverything, and I hit them up.
I was like, hey, like y'all needto like connect with people more
to market this so people know,you know, how to, you know,
where you're gathering and wherethey can connect with other
people.
Because like you said, it is wedon't have the the black
community uh as it were inPortland in terms of like, okay,

(47:07):
I could walk out the door and Igot you know 10 of my neighbors
that are you know that look likeme.

SPEAKER_02 (47:13):
And I could go to Urban Park on the weekend and
it's and it's a park full ofpeople that's packed.
I could go downtown and I couldgo to the Red Sea, I could go to
the Greek, I could go to uh whatis it bar 76?
I could go to all of thesemetropolis, like I'm getting old
school on them now, but likeJones, we had that.

SPEAKER_03 (47:30):
I mean, we have where now um it's not quite like
that.
So it has been driven withmainly events um that have been
happening to get the people, youknow, get people together, and
or it's been uh agenda driven,like you know, again, being

(47:53):
reactive, something happened,somebody got shot.
Okay, now we have and it's like,no, like where's the spaces
where we get together justbecause, and it's not
necessarily a show or anythinglike that.
It's like no, we're gettingtogether because this is where
we're gathering, you know, toget together.
Um, and so I I think there'ssome some things that are that

(48:19):
uh there's some efforts to startbringing some of that back,
particularly in Portland.
But uh, you know, most of ourpeople out in in Gresham, you
know, they're out on the eastside uh of things, but I don't
see I haven't seen any umefforts to really create that is

(48:39):
the most of the center roundevent.
Again, people can follow me forstuff, but for me, I'm all over
the place.
Yeah, I'm all over the place inin everybody's community, you
know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 (48:52):
Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (48:53):
Uh because like you know, I asked somebody um uh
just recently, and I said, Hey,do you think you know, do you
think I rock for Portland?
And it was like, no, without adoubt, you're quite, you know,
no, no doubt about it.
And I said, But I've lived inBeaverton for 20 plus years now.
And they looked at me, I said,Yeah, I said, so it's not about

(49:14):
where I stay, it's about wherewhere my engagement is.
And I said, and so you do thereality is that you do have to,
you know, seek those uh thosespaces out where our people are,
whether it's the events orwhatever, you have to be
actively uh uh engaging in that.

(49:34):
But because you think about it,we do it in other areas.
We want to find with the youknow, the the you know, that new
sneaker that's about to releaseand stuff.
We're very intentional aboutthat.

SPEAKER_02 (49:46):
Oh my gosh, that community is okay.
So I love it for them.
But the fact that my daughter islaid up in her bed in her bonnet
still with probably crust anddust in her eye, waiting for the
lottery for like it's too muchfor me.
I just want to go, I just wannago buy my shoe.

(50:06):
That's a whole culture, that's awhole community of like sneaker
lovers that I'm just I'm nottapped into that because it's
it's it's more than what whatwhat I got in me, but like it's
just sorry, off subject, but I'mon like yes, so you're so
intentional about that, right?
And being engaged in that andfinding out about those releases

(50:27):
because sometimes also what Inoticed about Portland is like
it's like solving a riddle tofigure out where this event is
that I saw floating acrosssocial media, and then I gotta
go research, find people, findpeople, look in the comments.
Did somebody say it?
Like, where is this?
Um, and so I mean, I don't thatmight be a new thing.

(50:50):
I don't know if that's the wayuh people are promoting their
stuff now, but it's also likeyum, whoever's listening, maybe
it is intentional that you'redoing it that way, but that is
enough to make me not.
Just tell me where it is, right?
Just tell me where it is, right?

(51:11):
Just don't make me hump for itbecause I want to be there.
I'm good people, I'm gonna be avibe when I get there, but just
like help a girl out.
Like when I gotta do too muchwork to get somewhere, I can get
there.
I can drive a little ways to getthere, but like, come on.
Yeah, that is funny.
That is funny.
No, that's that's that's um uhand this I heard you talk about

(51:34):
this a little bit.
You had made a post um when thePDX hip hop week was here about
um uh which alluded to, I thinka little bit about what you were
talking about, and that you wereum doing events related to this
all over the place, and that umthe awards event um being at um

(51:54):
uh the research research, yes,yeah, um beautiful venue, by the
way.

SPEAKER_03 (52:00):
Just had the Lessel concert there last night.

SPEAKER_01 (52:03):
Oh, and we love him.
Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 (52:07):
It was like, yeah, it was crazy.
He loves it.
He loves the spot.
I think he's gonna come back,you know, next year.

SPEAKER_02 (52:14):
He is on my list of people.
Um I don't know if I should callit this, but I'm gonna call it
this for lack of a better word.
Um, there is like thisrefreshing.
Um maybe it's more of a returnto than an unearthing of what it

(52:40):
is right now in music.
Um to where we're getting backto like I feel like the cultural
roots of music, whether it'sregional, where it's um um
whether it is um justspecifically and carried on
black culture.
But let me tell you something.

(53:01):
There are a few artists thatjust have my spirit right now.
LaRussell's one of them.
Um, and what it is for me, forhim, it's it's as much about who
he shows up being as it is abouthis music, right?
Um it is as much about hiscreativity, his um innovation,

(53:22):
and how he is owning himself,yeah.
Right?
He he's like like okay, sothat's part of it.
And his like call and responseto his audiences, his engagement
of how they are very much a partof what he does, just is just
rooted in community to me, and Ilove it.

(53:43):
And then also there are a fewother people who are um who have
these new projects who aregetting back to storytelling,
who I listen to their albums andI I feel what I feel the culture
in their albums.
D smoke.

SPEAKER_03 (54:02):
Yeah, that's my guy.

SPEAKER_02 (54:04):
Tiana Taylor.

SPEAKER_03 (54:05):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (54:06):
Um, this might be a little controversial, but when
we're talking about storytellingabout life experiences, Cardi B,
um, and Mona Leo.
I don't know if you had a chanceto get into her new album.
Um not yet.
Okay, get into her new album.
Is is is definitely thatHouston, that Houston joint.

(54:28):
Um, but it is it is I had Ilistened to it all day yesterday
because part of me, I was I waslike trying to find the words
for why I liked it the way thatI liked it.
You know what I mean?
It was um it felt familiar andit felt um it felt culturally

(54:56):
connected and it le like I I'mI'm hearing the story that she's
telling.
I I like it and and and you knowI love music in general,
obviously, because uh of of youknow my background, but um a lot
of music, I've just liked thebeats for a while.

(55:21):
And like the vibe of it, right?
Like, and I'm not knockinganybody's artistry, but it's
like I'm like, oh, that's adope, ooh, or like the way that
it makes your body move whetheryou want it to or not, right?
Like that's kind of been wheremusic has been for me, or it's
been catchy, you know.
Um, but these albums, I'm like,no, but did you hear him say

(55:43):
listen that D Smoke album everypart of it, every part of it,
like every his storytelling, hislyricism, his the the the beats,
like the production, every thethe um the layers of it yeah

(56:05):
just took me.

SPEAKER_03 (56:06):
It's like turning the pages of a good book, like
ah but you notice the consistentthing uh across the uh what you
mentioned about all thoseartists is one the vulnerability
that they don't carry theindustry persona of you better

(56:28):
act like this in order to beaccepted, you know, for better
work.
I look at Cardi B hurt her thislast album, I think is probably
her best work.

SPEAKER_04 (56:37):
Yes.

SPEAKER_03 (56:37):
Um and you know, though, you know, from uh being
a grown grown person, I can lookand be like, yeah, you know, my
sister got some growing to do.
Yes, you know, but I also lookand and and say, okay, man, you
know, I wonder who her go-toperson is from a woman's

(56:58):
perspective that she can getthat mature uh counsel from as
she's growing in her craft.
Uh I think the more she ends uptapping into that, you it's
gonna be reflected in her musicand and how she continues to
grow.
D Smoke, I know personally, youknow, um from doing you know

(57:19):
show with him.
I'm actually going to be doingthe show uh that's coming up uh
on the 30th uh with him.
Uh but just sitting and talkingto him and knowing his brother
Sir, yeah, who I've uh got achance to perform and and and
connect with.
Um that brother, I mean, he'swho he is.

(57:41):
Like he's who he is, and that'swhat I get from him, but I mean,
it's who he is.
He ain't trying to act likenothing, he's just I'm who I am,
and I'm gonna show up that way,love it or hate it, you know.
Um so yeah, I think that is alost thing because again, like

(58:02):
we were talking earlier, if youdon't, if you're not secure in
who you are, then other peoplewill create that the identity
for you.

SPEAKER_00 (58:11):
Yes, yes, mm.

SPEAKER_02 (58:14):
I could probably keep going on and on about him
in that album, but I'm not goingto.
But if I was a girly out herethat gave album reviews, yeah,
yeah, nah, he's solid.

SPEAKER_03 (58:27):
He's solid.

SPEAKER_02 (58:28):
Yeah, he's a complete body of work.
I felt this way about um hislast album also, though.
Um that it was just like it ittouched every part of my soul,
right?
Like it that and I don't evenknow.

SPEAKER_03 (58:43):
I know that sounds like yeah, you know who's
another one like that for mefrom a of a woman's standpoint,
Rhapsody.

SPEAKER_01 (58:56):
Oh, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (58:58):
We love Rhapsody, yeah.
Rhapsody is another one thatobviously.
We love Rhapsody, it's justthey're like it's crazy.
Like she's so dope.

SPEAKER_02 (59:08):
Yeah, yeah, she's so dope.
And I you know what I love uhwhat when I love seeing her
most?
I love seeing her most when sheis in these spaces of
conversation, um, with with menwho we know kind of dominate
that industry, right?
And she just like let and theyand and they let her flow.
Oh, and she goes all oh, it's myfavorite.
She's so dope.

(59:29):
She's so dope.
Like okay, I'm gonna go on 15minutes about something.
So let me quit.
Let me quit.

SPEAKER_03 (59:36):
Because music is a whole locally, locally, and and
what I'm getting ready to say isprobably gonna be a little
controversial, but locally, umwho's along those lines to me
here that's that's crazy rightnow is when when is Is she a

(01:00:03):
white woman out of Lake Oswego?

SPEAKER_02 (01:00:04):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I've seen her, and she just dida spot with Lillard, right?

SPEAKER_03 (01:00:09):
Yeah, is that her own?
Yeah, I hosted her.
I I did her mixtape, but onelyrically solid, but just you
know, she's young, she's young,but she is probably one of the
most vulnerable MCs from ourregion that I've ever heard.

(01:00:32):
Like the openness, um addressingissues, yeah being a a a woman,
like being being vulnerable tosay, you know, hey, I grew up
like this, and and I understandmy whiteness, uh, you know, and
uh, but that doesn't take awaythat I'm dope.
You know what I mean?

(01:00:53):
It will go with the best ofthem, uh, and someone who
understands relationships.

SPEAKER_02 (01:01:01):
Say more.

SPEAKER_03 (01:01:02):
Yeah, who understands relationships and
and you know, uh, so I'm I'mreally happy, you know, that you
know, we have somebody like thatin our space, you know, uh,
regardless of you know thatshe's a white person, you know,
uh you know, for us, if youdope, you're dope.

(01:01:23):
Just like Eminem, he's dope.
Like, yeah, say what you want tosay, but Eminem is dope, you
know, you know, but um, butyeah, she's she's definitely one
to look out for in this in thisregion because she represents
like, nah, I am who I say I am.
I'm okay with addressing issuesand being vulnerable and and

(01:01:47):
being not liked, you know.
Um, I'm not trying to act likeanything.
I'm gonna talk about mysexuality the way that is
organically me.
Yeah, you know, um, and so uhyeah, so I'm really proud,
really proud of her and uhlooking forward to you know uh
her stuff elevating as well.

SPEAKER_02 (01:02:09):
That's awesome.
Um I I think about kind of justin what you're saying, um, just
even about uh vulnerability, andI think about the power in
vulnerability, right?
Like I always tell people, I'mgonna tell my story, I can tell
my my my background isn't isn'tprivate.

(01:02:30):
Like I don't I'll I'll tell allall the goods because who's
gonna check me?
Like who's gonna who gonna andlike right?
Like nobody can make me feel anykind of way about the things
that I've been through in life,but I also feel like it's a
superpower because it allows meto connect to people.

(01:02:51):
It's it's part of what allows meto connect to people and have um
such a deep sense of empathy forother people, also, is is the
things that I've experienced inlife.
And so I think thatvulnerability can be scary
because sometimes people areyou're really judging yourself
and you're scared of what otherpeople will think of you.

(01:03:14):
But but if I could give anybody,and I'm not even gonna say young
people, because honey, uh, thereare people older than me that
can take this advice.

SPEAKER_03 (01:03:24):
Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:25):
Once you stop caring about what what you think other
people think of you, man, lifeis gravy.

SPEAKER_03 (01:03:36):
Yeah, I would tell people I'm more scared of not
showing up being who I am than Iam of people's opinions.

SPEAKER_02 (01:03:45):
Come on.
I I I love that you said thatbecause there are parts of me
that I'm like, I'm like, how doI tap into this at a larger
level?
How do I I'm I'm more just likewhat you said, I'm more afraid
of not reaching my fullpotential or not tapping into
all of the things that that umthat are honoring who I am and

(01:04:08):
the gifts that I've been given.
I'm more afraid than that than Iam about like, you know, which
is why I said earlier when westarted this, like I just try to
change my stuff.
Like I need to just do insteadof trying to get the perfect
scenario, the perfect, just doit, just do it, just do it,
right?
But it's not because I'm worriedabout what you would have

(01:04:29):
thought if I reached out or whatsomeone else would have thought
if I it's about me wanting tocreate these things and and and
and in that effort to tap intoall of the ways that I desire to
show up in spaces and in theworld, it's not about somebody
else, never, never aboutsomebody else, like always about
me.
So if people could learn, yeah,it's how it's I see it.

SPEAKER_03 (01:04:53):
What you're saying is how I see it.
And I look at what you're sayingas it relates to you and how you
deal with dance.
And I've seen how you'vecoordinated and and and
choreographed stuff.
It's it's and I do the samething as relates to the craft
that I do.
It's like we want it to beperfect, we want the moves, and

(01:05:16):
that you reach that point, youmake that that kick, okay.
That arm, okay.
Yeah, that arm movement, the thehair, yeah you know, we want
those things to be perfect, butcoming to the understanding that
well, part of it is in order towork on the perfection, we have
to get in it.
Yeah, we can't get there untilwe move.

(01:05:39):
Yeah, and sometimes we have somuch plan in our head, like I
know how I want to execute, Iwant to actually, it's like,
okay, but I actually have to getout on the dance floor and work
right because I be out herebeing in my own way, is really
what it is, right?

SPEAKER_02 (01:05:54):
There's the like Kev on stage.
This is what this and this iswhat I said when I very first
started this podcast, because Iwas like, I want to make sure I
have the right equipment.
I want to make sure that I havethe thought, and I want to make
sure, and I want to be able tosay, like, right, my pursuit of
perfectionism, uh, perfectionismwas was was like blocking all my
blessings, right?
Like gift and the curse, right?

(01:06:14):
And my sister had sent me this,this um this post that he had
made, and she was like, Yeah,just do it.
And I was like, boop, done,right?
Like, and this goes back to umkeeping the people around us who
could hold us accountable to whowe desire to be, who we think we
are.
Like um, man, like without thatvillage of people that says

(01:06:38):
Janelle, I'm like, oh, you'reright.
Let me let me straighten up orlet me okay, fix my crown.
Okay, let me put this on, let medo this.
Oh, you're right.
I'm second guessing myself.
Oh, geez, second, okay, Janelle.
Right?
So having the people around youalso that like constantly are
lifting you up and able to giveyou that side eye, kind of what

(01:07:01):
we were talking about earlier,that keep you going or keep you
in check in line with who youdesire to be.
Man, there's nothing they canthey can compare to that.
Nothing.

SPEAKER_03 (01:07:10):
It's priceless.

SPEAKER_02 (01:07:12):
It is absolutely, it is so I have to ask you this
because um you are um, we talkedabout all the I'm gonna wrap
this up.
We're over.
You guys, I do this every time.
The gift of Gab over here.
Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 (01:07:29):
Hey, take your time.
You got me.

SPEAKER_02 (01:07:30):
You're um, but we we talked about all of these mini
hats that you wear, all of thisincredible work that you do in
the industry and in thecommunity.
Um, you have a whole family,yeah, right?
Like, like I was saying before Ipress record, y'all.
I was saying to OG, like I neversee, I never envision him having

(01:07:51):
a day off because uh, you know,outside in, this man's always
working, always doing something,right?
And so, how do you balance umbeing so many things to so many
people in the community in theindustry, and also being who you
need to be for your family?
Like, how does that work?

(01:08:12):
Juggling at for sure.

SPEAKER_03 (01:08:13):
Oh, well, I did to be honest, you know, I've had to
learn um how to um be balancedin the imbalance.
Um, as you know, uh from whatyou've done, uh, particularly
surrounding dance, there areseasons where it's heavy, like

(01:08:37):
you're total focused on gettingit done, getting the the the
everything surrounding thepresentation done.
And during those times, there'sthings that you're sacrificing.
There's time away from your kidsand your people, and you ain't
going out, yeah, because you'reyou know, crafting this thing.

(01:08:59):
That's imbalance.
Um, what I've had to learn, andI used to feel bad because even
the stuff I did in community,like you know, being there for
other people's kids and thingslike that, like I spent time,
you know, initially for years,um, I'd spend literally hours

(01:09:20):
and hours and days away from myfamily, uh serving other people
and other families, and I don'tregret any of it.
Um, but it took me away fromfrom my my kids.
I did I wasn't going to my kids'basketball games or recitals and
things like that.
My wife had to, you know, kindof carry that while I was out

(01:09:42):
helping other people's, youknow, families and in community.

SPEAKER_02 (01:09:45):
Shout out to Diane, we love her.

SPEAKER_03 (01:09:46):
Yeah.
And so um, and and that had animpact, particularly for my
older kids, it had more of animpact.
Um, but as the years went by, Istarted understanding that um
about being having a balancewithin the imbalance, and and

(01:10:09):
that was being more strategic inplanning.

SPEAKER_04 (01:10:12):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:10:13):
Because as you know, if if if you don't plan it,
someone will come in and plansome things for your time.
Right.
And so I had to startunderstanding, you know, uh, the
word selfish in uh a differentway of saying, no, I have to be
selfish in being able to say atthis time I can't, I wanna, I

(01:10:35):
would love to do these things,but I can't.
I can't because I have to makesure that I invest the time into
you know my family, my wife, mykids, and and so I spent some
time having to recover reallyfrom it because I sacrificed my
family for um uh it wasn't evenfor like, you know, like

(01:10:59):
somebody I'm sacrificing, I'mtrying to financially get my
kid.
It's like God, you know, thesewere all good things.
These were all good things.
I wasn't chasing money oranything like that.
I wasn't even chasing fame oranything like that.
It was like I will felt like Iwas doing the things that I've
been called to do.
But I think even when you havethings that you're called to do,

(01:11:21):
that you should do it as anoverflow of taking care of your
foundation.
And I I had to become better atthat.
Uh biblically, if it talks aboutlove your neighbor as you love
yourself, but oftentimes peopleforget that second half when it
says, as you love yourself.
Yeah, we usually love the outthe the first part and and and

(01:11:44):
and uh are lacking in the theother.
So the more I became aware of Ineeded to make sure that I'm
taking care of me, and part ofme is my my family.
And um, so it's it'sunderstanding and and
communication, you know, andbeing able to say, hey, you
know, I'm going through thisseason of where it's heavy

(01:12:06):
lifting on the work side of it,um, instead of me just barreling
in and you know doing all thestuff, but I'm not
communicating, you know, to mywife or my kids saying, hey,
this is what I'm doing rightnow, so they can see my actions
through that filter of okay, dadain't just, or my husband ain't

(01:12:28):
just walking out the door doingthat stuff.
It's like, no, there's somepurpose and intention uh behind
it.
Uh so yeah, it's just you know,understanding that you're going
through seasons, but being ableto be uh communicate effectively
and saying, hey, here's what'sgoing on.
That way, people, you know, yourfamily and my kids and my wife

(01:12:48):
uh are not left having to assumethat, oh, he don't care that I'm
not uh about my game, or hedon't care about this.
Uh all my kids are grown now, soand some of them are now you
know stepping in the professionthat I'm in now.
So now we're even having somedifferent communication because
now they're like, Dad, I had noidea that you had to do all this

(01:13:12):
to prepare for a DJ set, or youhad to deal with all this and
dealing with negotiatingcontracts and and perception or
jealousy of people and this andthis, and and and I'm looking,
I'm like, Yeah, and y'all don'teven have kids yet, right?
Or y'all ain't been married yet.
So imagine having to balance allthat.

(01:13:32):
So uh it's been really cool tobe able to have that
perspective.
But I always encourage peopledon't get don't over um don't
overthink it, don't, don't feelbad, but become better um
communicators with the peoplethat you care about and saying,
hey, you know, I'm I'm heavylifting this season, then
there's gonna be some seasonswhere it's like, no, now we

(01:13:54):
good.
We now we can go on thisvacation, we can do these things
uh and be intentional about it.

SPEAKER_02 (01:14:00):
That's awesome.
I think I just I ask thatbecause I think it's so
important for people to hear,because um I think that um
people can have the illusionthat it's just so easy all the
time.
And part of building communityis to understand and learn from
the stories of others, right?

(01:14:22):
And this is what helps us notfeel alone in our own
experiences.
And so I like to ask thosequestions because um, you know,
I'm all about preserving ourfamilies, and I think that
sometimes we have to share thehouse, right?
Um, and in in order for otherpeople to say, oh, okay, or like

(01:14:43):
so this doesn't have to be a bigissue, or like so I in in in
this scenario, right?
Like, I don't have to choose,like this could be a family
effort, and like, and to see theevolution of a person as to how
they got there, it might nothave started off easy peasy in
that way, but now we've workedand developed a system, you
know, over time that that thatthat happens to work for our

(01:15:05):
family.
So I think it's just reallyimportant to share those things.
So thank you for sharing that.
And I'm gonna ask you some otherquestions than I'm like two more
things.
Come on, let's go.
This has a I'm not gonna holdyou hostage.
Um, but these are these areless, these are less um, these
are more surface.

(01:15:26):
Last few, last few surfaces.

SPEAKER_03 (01:15:30):
You can go as long as you want it.
You got me.

SPEAKER_02 (01:15:33):
Are we how excited are we to have Lillard back in
Portland?

SPEAKER_03 (01:15:37):
You know, you know, it's so crazy.
Uh, you know, kind of beingbehind the in the background,
uh, you know, because I've donestuff with his family and and I
know Dang personally.
Uh so you know, while stuff wasgoing on in the media and even
him leaving uh those uh coupleof seasons, you know, it was

(01:15:58):
stuff that I was privy to thatit was like, okay, man, if
people only knew this washappening.
Um it's you know, him comingback to Portland is absolutely
no surprise to me because of thethings that I know and the
conversations I've had uh withhim, his heart has been here.
Um uh but you know, again, it'swhen it comes to basketball

(01:16:21):
business, you know, in controlof everything.
You know, and so uh uh so himcoming back, or when they talked
about possibly, I was like, ohyeah, he he coming back, he'll
be back home.
So yeah, so it's it's it'scrazy.
Even though he's not playing,yeah, you know, um having his
presence back in the cityalready has changed just the

(01:16:44):
vibe.
It's totally changed the vibe,and and I'm loving every bit of
it, you know.
So yeah, I'm I'm I'm glad he uhhe's back home.

SPEAKER_02 (01:16:54):
You know, he's another one.
Um so I I'm a lover and observerof people who who are um strong
and effective leaders becausethat's also another side in in
in the work that I do, um,leadership development and um um
you know the development ofteams.

(01:17:15):
But um I have always been a fanseparate of basketball of his,
right?
Because of who I see him to be.
I can't speak to who he actuallyis as an individual because I
don't know him personally,right?
But who I feel like I see himshowing up to be um is very much

(01:17:38):
a leader that stands on hisword.
Um, he he seems to be a personof loyalty and integrity and um
and watching that play out.
I think anytime you can watch ateam, right, as a spectator and
a fan who is like, give this manwhat he needs, right?
Give, give, put, put the peopleon this team that he needs, you

(01:18:00):
know, right?
That's me as a fan saying, buildthis team around him.
Like, come on, Portland, wegotta do better.
We want better, we gotta dobetter.
Um, and not knowing all the insand outs of the sports world,
right?
That's that's that's myignorance.
It's just me as a fan fussing,but to being able to watch him
lead that team through thick andthin, not only celebrating it

(01:18:22):
and and and standing on businesswhen they're winning, but also
standing on it when they're notwinning.
And um, and he is something forthis city.
Um he is something for thiscity, and I think that it is so
great to have him back here.
Um, and and it felt like we lostsomething, uh, you know, when

(01:18:45):
when when he left, but I toofelt like he would be back.
And um I'm very glad that he is,but I think that he's also when
we're talking about peopleshowing up, I keep coming back
to this because I just think uhuh I I am um very invested in
the idea of of people reallylearning themselves and knowing

(01:19:09):
themselves and have people thatthey can reference for that
direction also.
But I think that um Portlandlikes the old school Blazers,
the the the Clyde Drexler, KevinDuckworth era of Blazers, right?
And so I think for him to beable to show up and be and be

(01:19:35):
for as much as we can tell, he'sshowing up authentically, right?
He's being who he is, he has astory, he's not shying away from
that story, he's gonna stand onthe story, and that's part of
who he is, right?
But then he's also showing theevolution of a man, right?
And and how you don't have to bethat, you can evolve, and that

(01:19:56):
is a part of you, and it comeswith you, and it's part of what
makes me who I am.
So I I love that I am thisperson, but also the evolution
of a man and a leader, and I'vealways appreciated that about
him.
Um and I I love that we have itback, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:20:13):
Um, you know, being around Dame, uh, and again, you
know, knowing who his family isand his mom and uh Miss Gina,
shout out to Miss Gina, um, andseeing where he comes from in
terms of like the people thatare in his circle, um, and just

(01:20:35):
seeing how he moves.
Uh, I I've I've had a lot ofrespect for him, you know.
Uh, but I agree with you.
I I've been able to see just himgrowing as a uh as a young man,
you know, and you know,particularly because I, you
know, I'm an elder to him.
Um, so I see him as a young manthat is still still trying to,

(01:20:58):
you know, still growing, eventhough he's in the spotlight of
leadership and he's trying to douh the right things and show up
the right way.
Um might not always look prettyto some people, you know, behind
the scenes or whatever.
Uh but um but it's real is real.
That's the thing.

(01:21:18):
It's real.
And uh I was just tellingsomebody just recently because
he just put his uh his newproject out.
And and I was telling him, Isaid, well, if you want to know
what's been going on with Danefor the last couple of years, go
listen to his last project.
I said, because he's putting itall out, he's telling you what's
been going on with him, and I Ilove that he uses the music

(01:21:42):
platform to be able to like saystuff that he might not even say
in interviews, but he'll say iton the record.
So he could get a pass, he couldget a pass, he could get a pass
on it.

SPEAKER_02 (01:21:55):
That's how I felt about like so.
This one I've downloaded, but Ihaven't listened to it fully.
Yagi is this current one, right?
And then yeah, um, his albumbefore that, though.
Yeah, let me tell you, Ilistened to that for months
straight.

SPEAKER_03 (01:22:07):
Yeah, fire, months straight.

SPEAKER_02 (01:22:10):
Now, I'm not always a fan of athletes flipped, uh,
or I shouldn't say that athletesthat also do music or dabble in
music because they have themoney to, right?
Listen, I I there has never beenan athlete who I've been like, I
love their music, right?
That last album, listen to itfor months.

SPEAKER_03 (01:22:33):
Yeah, solid, yeah, solid.
Uh but yeah, yeah, he um he isuh definitely uh what you see is
what you get from from that guyagain, you know.
Uh you know, but again, I seehim as a young man still um
growing into the his leadershippotential, um, and and seeing

(01:22:56):
how he's been handling thepressure, uh, not only just from
an athletic standpoint, butbeing someone and you're making
that type of money on thatlevel.
Uh, I have those conversations.
Like, I I can't, I don't evenknow if I've ever really talked
you know much to Dame aboutanything basketball related.

(01:23:18):
We're usually talking about youknow stuff surrounding family or
or or music or music, like heyman, uh you know, if anything, I
have I be on Dame about hey man,like his last his last album.
Uh I was just like, hey man, solike are you gonna really push
it out there?
Like, like if you're gonnareally like you put everything

(01:23:40):
into creating the album, but onefor me sitting on you know uh
the recording academy board andbeing a part of the Grammy stuff
now, I'd be like, Man, like youneed to submit this album for
you know Grammy stuff, and soI'd be more mad at him about
that stuff, be like, hey man,stop playing.
Like if you're really likeyou're really nice with it, like

(01:24:01):
you're not like okay, he okay.
It's like, no, bro, like you arereally nice with it, man.
Stop playing.
Uh, so that's kind of like ourour behind the scenes, you know.
Yeah, but but nah, he uh he'she's definitely nice with it.

SPEAKER_02 (01:24:18):
I love it.
And and I think even it'shearing you talk, like you know,
his his leadership potential,like his full leadership
potential, right?
Like, I think the importantthing for for people to who are
listening to this conversationto to hear is that we're
constantly evolving and becomingand growing and like never stop,
right?

(01:24:38):
Like, this is one thing that Ilove about even being blessed to
be in the space to haveconversations like this, right?
Is that I'm growing and learningfrom every conversation that I
have with every person that Ihave on this podcast, right?
And um, and to never feel likeyou've arrived.

(01:25:00):
You've arrived because there'salways somewhere else to grow.
There's always a cavern cavernin your spirit, in your soul,
somewhere that that can still beexplored and expanded upon.
So, like just just as you hearus talking about these things,
and you know, we talked aboutyou know, Cardi and like, you
know, there being potential forher to work, like that's for all
of us, right?

(01:25:21):
Like we all have this space togrow.
And I just want to just further,further push the idea of um
perfect your village.
Yeah, like like really, reallyshape your village, really shape
the people that are around you,really shape the people that

(01:25:43):
have access to you, reallyshape, like form that community
that is gonna continue to liftyou, um, encourage you, um
challenge you, yeah, challengeyou and inspire you.
I went through a period where Iwas like, I am I'm just not
inspired.
Like I needed somethingdifferent and really and I'll

(01:26:04):
talk I'll talk about this.
I said this on my one withDurante, and I'll talk about
more where I've been over thislast year, but um on a future
episode, but I really lackedinspiration, and um and I know
that sounds like doom and gloom,like dang, like nothing.

(01:26:24):
No, I understand, but as acreative, right?
Like constantly looking for thatinspiration and what moves you
and inspiration, and I'm aPisces on top of it, like come
on, like you know, like we welive in a creative bag in our
mind, uh the Lulu and all, likewe live in this space, and so to
not to not have uh what feelslike inspiration um is almost

(01:26:49):
like uh uh a human not havingfood, like there's nothing
nurturing the creative spirit,and um, and so I think it's
really important to have peoplearound you and creating
experiences for yourself thatare continuing to inspire you.

(01:27:10):
Last question is about um theWMBA.
Ooh, are you locked in with themor not?

SPEAKER_03 (01:27:18):
So um, yes and no.
Yes and no.

SPEAKER_02 (01:27:22):
So this is nosiness because they need to lock into
you, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 (01:27:26):
So yes and no.
So from a DJ standpoint, uh, andit goes back to leadertainment,
yeah.
Um, and just my transition, likemy ultimate goal is to um
develop leaders um um likemyself, you know, the stuff that

(01:27:46):
I do, but in uh people's lanes,in their lanes of choices, uh,
but just the whole B fluid, youknow, concept.
Um and when I say leaders, notnecessarily I'm I'm not
necessarily talking aboutleaders as in terms of leading
other people, yeah.
But it really boils down toleading individuals that are

(01:28:09):
taking lead in their lives.
Now, how that that's expressedis gonna be you know based on
people's passions and and andtheir vision for themselves.
But one of the things as a DJwas like, okay, well and at some
point I might decide that Idon't want to DJ anymore.

(01:28:32):
So what am I pouring into thenext generation of DJs that
allow them to walk into spacesand be respected on the level
that I'm respected on?
So if I don't give that gameaway to other DJs, then I can't
turn around and complain and belike, man, yeah, they might be
nice on the ones and twos, buttheir character sucks.

(01:28:55):
Or they're not able to sustain acareer, a long uh career because
people just don't like workingwith them, even though they're
skilled.
So uh uh when the remix uh came,the G League, uh I decided
instead of me uh taking up thespace of say, okay, I'm gonna be

(01:29:17):
the G League DJ too, with youknow the blazers, uh, and then
here in the WNBA, oh okay, I canbe the W NBA DJ as well.
I said, no, let me train someother DJs to uh develop the
character, the characteristicsuh needed in order to preoccupy
those spaces.
So I did uh DJ workshops, uh getin it's called Get in the Game.

(01:29:41):
And so I held a couple of those,and so from that uh spawned you
know a few, you know, uh qualityDJs, both male and female, and
uh as they identify, yeah.
Um so I look, um, as you know,OG2 is now.
Yeah, DJing.

(01:30:01):
So he's doing uh uh concourse atthe Blazer Games while I'm in
the in the in the arena.
Uh and he's DJing the uh the GLeague.
Uh he's one of the remixed DJsfor there, and then he's also
doing stuff with you knowTimbers as well.

SPEAKER_01 (01:30:20):
Come on.

SPEAKER_03 (01:30:21):
Yes, and then I got him, I got DJ Asbin, uh, which
is part of the uh LGBTQ plus Aplus community.
Yes.
They're uh the official DJ forthe Timbers and the uh the uh
Thorns as well, and then also asuh doing Concourse stuff with
the Blazers and things likethat.

(01:30:43):
So I've positioned a number ofDJ, DJ Ladiax, um uh DJ
Avalanche, and a couple of moreDJs that I've trained them now
to be able to fill in theseplatforms if needed, where I
don't have to be uh the go-to uhperson all the time, but I can
be the pulse and influence of uhthe quality of DJs that show up

(01:31:08):
in those spaces.

SPEAKER_02 (01:31:09):
Yes, I love that so much.

SPEAKER_03 (01:31:13):
So to say that, so to say that I've pre I've
trained a few, particularly uhuh women DJs to be able to take
that position as uh WNBA uh DJs.

SPEAKER_01 (01:31:25):
I love that.
I love that.
Yes, uh huh.
So that whole thing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:31:35):
Uh-huh.
I would love to see, um,especially if they have um your
check mark behind them.
I would love to see a female DJum doing doing the the WMBA
games.
Um, I love the obviously I usedto dance for the WMBA, so I have
an extra soft spot, but I lovethe WMBA.

(01:31:56):
They are balling.
Okay, balling.
And I'm super excited for themto return to the city of
Portland, especially under theiroriginal name, the Portland
Fire.
I was I was nervous, yeah.
I was nervous we was gonna getin our weird bag as much as I
love how weird Portland is.
I was worried that they weregonna get in their weird bag and

(01:32:18):
do something weird there.
So I I am Portland caterpillars.

SPEAKER_01 (01:32:26):
Exactly, exactly.
I was so concerned, bridges,right, right, just anything.

SPEAKER_02 (01:32:35):
Oh my goodness.
Oh, it I was so happy that theythey they came down to earth on
that and they said bring backthe Portland fire, like the
nostalgia attached to it all.
Listen, I danced for both theNBA and the WNBA, and as much as
I love them both, there wassomething different about the
environments of those arenas umfor the WMBA.

(01:32:57):
And it um it, I think um theconnection to the people was
different, and you would see thesame people, right?
So it's like again, when you'retalking about these communities
that you're building orrelationships that you're
bidding, it's not someone thatI'm like, I'll call you
tomorrow, but it's just likefamiliar face, yes, you you're
back, yay.

(01:33:17):
You know what I mean?
And um, it's just exchange ofenergy that was just awesome.
So I really loved the WNBAseason, super excited to have
them back.

SPEAKER_03 (01:33:26):
Yeah, and I'm hoping that that they'll develop to
have the same uh spirit in termsof fan base as the Blazers have,
in terms of like, we know, likethe Blazers come hell high
water, the fans are gonna be thefans.
They're gonna show up, they'regonna continue losing, they're

(01:33:50):
gonna show up, they're loyal.
Uh, and I think um with theladies, that uh it has a
potential, particularly withwhere things are right now in
terms of the attention thatwomen are getting in basketball,
um, I think it has a potentialof that.
Um I just think that um, and I'monly really speaking of

(01:34:12):
Portland, we know at the end ofthe day, um it's about what
attracts dollars.
And so uh because Portland to mehas always been a relationship
city, a city of relationships asopposed to being driven by

(01:34:32):
industry that I'm hoping thatthat the uh fans will see women
in basketball being importantenough to invest their dollars
and coming to the games.

SPEAKER_02 (01:34:45):
Oh, I think they will.

SPEAKER_03 (01:34:47):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:34:47):
I think they will.
I have really I think we had umI think we had strong turnouts
back then, but obviously not bigenough to maintain it in in the
city.
Um, but I think that there is adifferent eye on women's sports
right now.
And I think that that they areum finally being taken seriously

(01:35:08):
as professional athletes, uh andthey're entertaining um in a
different way than what I feellike they were seen as back
then.
Um, and um they are exceptionalathletes, and I think that um
that the world has now joinedthem, you know what I mean?

(01:35:30):
And I think the city of Portlandmakes sense.
Um like it makes such sense.
And I'm hoping that um that ourNBA players will show up at
these games, which I think theywill because we see them in
other cities at other games, andso I think it's about creating
those bridges, um, you know, toto also continue to amp it up.

(01:35:53):
So I'm excited.

SPEAKER_03 (01:35:54):
I think I think Dame is gonna be a big key to that.

SPEAKER_02 (01:35:58):
Come on, I'm here for it.
I hope so.

SPEAKER_03 (01:36:00):
I think he's yeah, because he's he's shown that
before we even had a team that,you know, I think about the
Olympics uh and some of those uhsituations, uh, that he's shown
up in support of women'sbasketball and things like that.
And I think uh him being inleadership um uh in a leadership

(01:36:22):
position on our team, uh, Ithink a lot of players will
follow suit.
You know, a lot of the youngerplayers would be like, oh,
that's what Damon's doing.
So yeah, you know, he we shouldbe doing that too.

SPEAKER_02 (01:36:34):
Yeah, yeah, I hope so.
Well, OG, I feel like I couldliterally sit here and talk to
you for hours because I feellike there's so many subjects
that I could just like end.

SPEAKER_03 (01:36:45):
Hey, that's part two.
That's part two of part three.
Yay, yay, that's just nothingbut a call an ass away.
Anytime you want me to DB toshow up, we could.
I mean, because like you said,we could talk about some things.
Yes, yes.
So next time next time I'm on,we need to get into some like
some yes, deep, deep deep stuff.

SPEAKER_01 (01:37:05):
Come on, I'm here for it.
Always, always.

SPEAKER_02 (01:37:09):
Well, thank you so much for being here with us
today.
It is always, always, always apleasure to um uh to have your
ear, to um hear your wisdom.
Um and um, you know, I I knowyou get to hear it often, but
um, as a community, as a city,we're so grateful for you and

(01:37:30):
all the seeds that you'veplanted, all the work that
you've done, all the lives thatyou've touched, and the vision
that you continue to have toimpact the people um in this
city and and beyond this city,right?
Um, so uh thank you, thank you,thank you.
Um, and um can you uh shout outyour website to the people so

(01:37:52):
they know how to reach you?

SPEAKER_03 (01:37:54):
Yes, yes.
Uh DJ O G1.com.
That's Dj O G O N E dot com.
And it's the same thing forsocial media at DJ O G One on uh
on X and Instagram.

SPEAKER_02 (01:38:09):
Yeah, give him a follow, subscribe to his
website, get all the updates,see all the wonderful work that
he's doing, and and get engaged.
Um we we love y'all.
We thank you all for tuning in.
Thank you so much and be well.