July 1, 2025 • 46 mins
What happens when you're a sunflower trying to bloom in a rose garden? Dezz Nicholson knows that feeling all too well. The accomplished poet, singer, and creative sits down with Rome Davis to discuss the complex journey of finding your authentic voice and space in a creative world that often feels threatened by new talent.
Dezz takes us through her origins as an entrepreneurial fourth-grader charging $1 to write customized love poems for classmates, to her transformation into a powerful performer who discovered her gift when she made someone cry with her words at a high school Black History Month event. Her story isn't just about talent—it's about having the courage to recognize when you're in the wrong environment.
"If I am a sunflower in a rose garden, I cannot get mad at the roses for having thorns and pricking me. I can, however, leave the rose garden and go through to the sunflower field where I don't have to worry about anybody pricking me," Dezz explains, providing a powerful framework for artists struggling to fit in spaces that weren't designed for them.
The conversation dives deep into the gatekeeping mentality that pervades creative communities, where established artists protect their territory rather than mentor newcomers. Dezz challenges this scarcity mindset with her belief that "the spotlight is large enough for all of us." She discusses how fear keeps many artists stuck in their comfort zones, preventing growth while they simultaneously complain about not achieving broader success.
Between profound insights about creative authenticity and finding your path despite resistance, Rome and Dezz share lighthearted moments about family dynamics, generational differences, and the simple joys of life. Their natural chemistry creates a conversation that feels both deeply meaningful and comfortably familiar—just like sitting with old friends discussing life's biggest questions.
Ready to find your sunflower field? Listen to this episode and discover where you truly belong.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode
of the no ID Podcast.
I am your host, rome Davis, andI have here poet, actress,
writer, singer, creative, mybest friend, des Nicholson.
Hey Des, hi, how are you today?
(00:22):
I'm blessed.
How are you, des Nicholson?
Hey Des.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hi, how are you today ?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I'm blessed.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm alright.
What does your shirt?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
say my energy taste.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Like me.
This is a shirt from the BlackAuthor brand.
Actually, they're a local brand.
You can get one, too, one day.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
One day.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
It says authentic at the at the bottom.
You know it tastes.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, I, I saw, I saw that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, it was like some people just see the taste
like me part.
And they're like what does thateven mean?
And I'm like yeah, you know, Iwould say something like real,
wow, like tastes like chocolatechip cookies, the ones that are
like crispy around the edgesspecifically, but like gooey in
the middle.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, cream pie.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No oatmeal.
Cream pie no oatmeal.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
No oatmeal, it's cream pie Round the realm.
Oatmeal, it's cream pie aroundthe realm there is uh people
that don't know the backgroundme and des.
I don't know when I met des,but I know I met her at a place
called the venue on 35th streetin norfolk, where we meet up
with every well, I'm therepretty much every thursday there
(01:40):
.
Des is there when des is theresometimes yeah uh, des is a poet
, um, and you're like 132nd ofthe slam connection right I am
one-sixth of slam connection.
Yes okay now, how did you getinto poetry?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
let's start from there how did I get into poetry?
I've been into poetry my wholelife, my whole life from when I
was young.
In fourth grade, I think, welearned about poems.
My big sister was really intopoetry.
She read a lot of Maya Angelouand we shared a room, so we
shared a bookshelf.
But in fourth grade I startedpimping out poems, because
(02:22):
that's when everybody startedlike coupling up and I started
writing poems for people to giveto their girlfriends and
boyfriends for like a dollar,and that's how I got through my
elementary years oh.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
So it was like, yeah, I'm about to hang out with
shorty by the slide, write me apoem for a dollar, right, quick.
And you were just in the cornerwriting what everybody was just
booed up yeah, I was like tellme a couple things about her.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What are you like?
How long have you been together?
And then after that I'd be likeyeah, and then, depending on
who you were, would depend onhow I would write the poem.
Like, if I knew you weresomebody who didn't really pay
attention in class, I'd be likeroses are red, violets are blue.
Um, if I knew you were somebodywho had a larger vocabulary,
(03:11):
I'd put words like aggravate inthere.
Well, not aggravate, but likelarger words in there oh, it's
been the vernacular of thediction of the electric felt
like it came from the person.
Yeah, that's wild vernacular ofthe diction of the electric felt
like it came from the person.
Yeah, I'm buying it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's wild.
Yeah, one dollar I can get aroses, red, violet zoo, some
shit there from looney tunes Ibet I was, but it's, it's
tailored, it's customized oh,yeah, yeah okay so when did you
actually like because you let'sfast forward a little bit when
did you actually like?
Cause you let poem for BlackHistory Month.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Um, I was like more or less voluntold.
My cousin and my best friend atthe time were like you're great
.
And I was like thanks.
And then they were like I'm apart of this club and I told
them that you was going to do it.
So now you got to do it, orit's going to make me look bad.
And I was like dang, I got todo it and then I did it.
And also I don't know why,people just went off of my
(04:29):
cousin's word, like because theyhad never heard me until like
the day before, which was likedress rehearsal.
But my cousin said I was good.
So it was like you got to begood because she says so.
And then I did it.
And then somebody cried and Iwas like whoa, I can make people
cry.
And then, yeah, and then when Icame out to Virginia, I found
(04:51):
the venue on 35th Street andthat's when I started learning
more and becoming more seriousWent to workshops, slam
competitions, things of thatsort.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And that was like 2017, 2018 vibes.
So you went from poems in thefourth grade saying I love you
to junior year high schoolmaking people cry.
Yeah, it's a roller coaster ofemotions quite the leap because
I was.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I was actively still like reading poetry and watching
poetry and doing things of thatsort.
I was always studying andlearning and observing and I was
like, look what I could do.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I actually tried to get into poetry one time.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, how'd that go Spit bars right now.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Off the dome.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Off the dome.
What you got nothing.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So on Friday nights they used to do I think it was
at 10 o'clock bad boys of comedyand after that was Def Jam
Portrait.
It was one of them.
Um, so that's when I actuallygot a real taste of uh, it was
(06:10):
one poem up there.
I forgot the guy's name, but Iremember like the title of the
poem, a nigga and a nerd.
And then most deaf was up thereand kanye west was up there,
amanda seals and you see allthese different poets going.
It was fucking dope, but Ithink it only lasts like three,
four seasons and they just, yeah, plug and I hate to say bad
boys, a comedy special with allthe shit going on now but, like
(06:33):
I was like oh, I want to try it.
So I tried to rap yeah did youhave a?
Rapper name yeah, I did whatwas it?
I did untouchable jayuntouchable jay period because
jay-z is my favorite rapper andI love the movie state property
and his name in the movie wasuntouchable jay, and my name is
(06:56):
jerome, but I go by rome, so Iwas like, oh, I'll be
untouchable jay then, it stoppedbecause I love old dirty
bastard, so his name.
He was calling himself big babyJesus and Osiris and I was like,
oh, I'm just going to be Osiris, but I can't be a big baby
Jesus.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So Right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Do you have?
Did you have, like a era ofnames that you went through?
You know, I'm just going to bethis.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Um, I younger years going to be this Younger years
started off as lyrical.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Original.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, honestly, I found it because somebody was
yelling at their child in thestore and they were like lyrical
, and I was like that's it,that's me, that's me, and that
was it for lyrical and I waslike that's it, that's me,
that's me, and that was it for alittle bit.
And then my grandma calls meDes and my grandma is one of my
(07:56):
favorite people, so it just kindof stuck.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Oh, okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I spelled it with two Z's because I could.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Okay, all right.
No, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Oh, okay, all right I spelled it with two z's because
I could.
Okay, all right, no, all right.
Who was something like yourbiggest inspiration as far as
like poets go, as far as poetsgo um, is this like specifically
big local or just in general?
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You don't In general.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Um, I think I really like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu
and I know like they'retechnically singers, but their
flow and especially the likebeginning of their careers were
more like poetry-wise.
(08:45):
I'm a big Rudy Francisco fan.
I like Daniel Garwood.
His willingness to always learnfrom whoever's around him and
his passion specifically for thecraft um is something I
(09:05):
thoroughly admire.
And, yeah, I think those areare my insos.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Mine was iceberg slim .
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Period.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Period I can't damn.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's like I can't have no inspiration whatsoever.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I just I'm just messing with you.
So did the music come at thesame time as poetry, or did it?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
um, I think so.
I joined the course in fourthgrade as well.
I come from a family of singers, more or less.
Uh, we made up our church choirand uh, so my sisters were.
You know my I.
(10:03):
Just I've always wanted to belike my sisters, so when they
started singing, I was likethat's what I want to do, cause
I want to be just like you, andthen I started singing.
Well, at first it was, you know,like the Michael Jackson um
story where he was like I wantto sing, and then Joe was like
you can't sing.
It was very much that like Ihad to prove that I could sing
(10:31):
and be up on the choir, um, butyeah, and then I've been doing
that since I was little.
And then my uh older sister whohas now passed uh like really
enjoyed me singing, and so shewas like you should put music
out.
You should do it, because whenit comes to singing, I've always
been like my voice doesn'tsound a whole lot, like a whole
lot of people's voices, um, Ican't see people listening to me
(10:52):
, just to listen to me.
Um, now that has since changed,but that was very much my thing
.
And then my sister was like ifyou enjoy it, you should do it.
And she was like if anybody'sgonna listen, i'ma listen.
And then she died before I puton my first song and never
listened.
So I guess she lied, but ithappens, so yeah it's sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
You wipe the smile off your face.
I don't even know how to comeback at that with another
question, but it's gone.
So how's the scene?
How's the poetry scene?
(11:47):
How's the creative scene?
For you guys out there, is itlike, like, like how the poet,
like how the comedians are?
Is it clickish and gatekeepers,or is like everybody's just one
?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
um, it has become very clickish and gatekeeper-ish
and honestly, I don't know ifit's become that or if I just
didn't always realize howclickish and gatekeeper-ish it
was because I wasn't super intoit, but it can be clickish and
gatekeeper-ish.
I think something that not alot of people, a mentality that
(12:23):
not a lot of creatives have, isthat the spotlight is big enough
for all of us.
Um, and yeah, so that'ssomething I don't enjoy about,
like the scene as a whole,because I'm a full believer on.
The spotlight is large enoughfor all of us, the sun shines on
all of us, there is, in fact,enough room at the table for all
(12:46):
of us, and if not, we can getanother table.
Um, but not everybody thinkslike that like, yeah, this is
like they figure.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
They get in with one booker, one comedian or one
comedy club, like they're goodand like everybody wants to be
that, like my.
My saying is everybody wants tobe a big shark in a small pond,
or there's a lot of betas tryingto be alphas you know what I'm
saying, and a lot of my,threatened too because they've
(13:19):
gotten so good and gotten so far, just from like coasting and
just riding the wave, that likewhen a new person comes up, it's
like and the person's likesmoking, like they got, they got
all the emotion, they got theperformance down, the cadence is
right.
They're like, they feelthreatened.
Is that like something?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
that you've seen.
Yeah, I feel like at some pointit kind of feels like the
people stopped ushering inpeople, um, stopped teaching um,
and just want to like if theyget booked, then they get booked
(14:03):
.
Like they're like I don't wantto put anybody else onto these
same opportunities, um, and thenalso the.
I've been doing it this way forumpteen years and it's been
working, so why would I want tochange?
Or, and in that like peoplerefuse to expand, like if you to
(14:25):
me, if your craft growing, youstop growing as a person?
Correct, because your craft issupposed to be a reflection of
you.
So if you're like this is theformula, this is the formula I
figured out, this is the formulathat works and all you do is
said formula and you don't neverlearn another one, then you
might be stuck as a person, andthat, I feel like, is shown in
(14:50):
things.
But I know people get realcomfortable with the same places
they be performing with thesame people that know them, and
there's nothing wrong with, like, being a local celebrity.
Right, being a local celebrityis great If that's what you want
.
Um, but people talk as if theywant more, like to be a local
(15:12):
celebrity and then complain thatyou aren't as big as you feel
like you should be, but then notdoing any thing other than go
to the same places and talk tothese same people who are going
to tell you you're great and dida, did a, did a.
And then like trying to shut itout from new people coming in
(15:32):
is also just a thing.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
I agree.
I think it's like you gotta becomfortable being uncomfortable
and a lot of times some people,especially comedians, they'll
get this big ass height andthey'll be like.
Well, I'm just doing shows herein Richmond and Williamsburg,
so I'm good.
And then they complain whythey're not getting booked.
Meanwhile you got the onesthat's not getting booked at
(16:00):
home, but they're getting bookedout of the state.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Right booked at home but, they're getting booked out
of the state, right, and there'salso the like, the somehow,
because to me a lot of peoplefeel like they're in competition
and I don't feel like youshould be in competition with
any like.
Unless you're in an actualcompetition, then, yeah, be a
competition.
But I'm even the type to belike if we're in competition,
(16:23):
I'm still rooting for you to doyour best.
I just also have complete faiththat I'm going to do my best.
But that's a whole other thing.
But it's just the feeling likewe're in competition because I
know, when I first moved out ofthe state um and started doing
poems other places, it became alike Des thinks she's too good
(16:45):
for us.
You think that you're X, y andZ because you get to go and
perform out there but nobodyknows you here and it's like,
okay, I don't know why thatupsets you.
I don't know why you feel sostrongly about that, considering
I didn't say nothing about youonly being here, and no, and
people only knowing you here,and the people being here don't
(17:07):
even support you.
So I don't know why you'retrying to ride for so hard.
But you know, okay, becauseyou'd be like I'm on this lineup
but you didn't get paid forthat lineup.
You're just on the lineup,you're basically doing community
service.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
But free promo you know.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
But we're upset because and like I don't know,
when leaving the state and doingthings outside of the state
started to feel like an attackon the state.
And I don't even think that'sit.
I think it's people.
You're mad because you're notdoing it, but the only reason
you're not doing it is becauseyou are scared and you're
letting that fear control youinstead of drive you.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Drive you out of the state.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, anyway, see a lot of people in my opinion let
fear keep you exactly where youare.
Exactly where you are.
You're so scared of themountain that you decide to stay
on the ground and then get madat people who were also scared
of the mountain but decided thatthat wasn't going to stop them.
And now they get to see the skyfrom super high yeah, thanks.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I think a lot of times you get shitted on for
leaving your state and they'relike well, you know, I don't
know.
I think people hate to see youdo better than them.
And going back to what you said, it's a lot of plates.
We get off the same plate I.
It pisses me off that everybodythinks it's one microphone on
one stage right, I might berambling, it pisses me off a lot
(18:38):
, like I'm like all right for mepersonally, um, I don't get
booked here, yeah, so I don'tget booked here.
I gotta go like, not even in757, I gotta go to the 804 or
something and go do time upthere, or I gotta go to dc to go
get a little like three, three,five minute spot in.
(19:00):
Um, so they just won't book mehere.
I don't know what happened.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I couldn't tell you, I think it's so like the phrase
bloom, where you're planted,everybody is so like serious
about it where it's like.
If where you're planted is notsuitable for your bloom, you
might need to leave, leave you,first of all, everybody, be like
(19:27):
the rose in the concrete, therose in the concrete.
The rose is not supposed to bein the concrete in the first
place.
That is not where rose belongs.
It belongs in a garden.
So if me being here and doingwhat I'm doing feels like
concrete, you being mad that I'mgoing places with gardens is
crazy.
When you didn't want to dig upthe concrete in the first place,
(19:47):
you put the concrete down andit's the.
If I am, this is.
This is something my daddy says.
If I am a sunflower in a rosegarden, I cannot get mad at the
roses for having thorns andpricking me.
I can, however, leave the rosegarden and go through to the
(20:09):
sunflower field where I don'thave to worry about anybody
pricking me.
Because if just for me to dosomething I'm passionate about,
something that for a lot ofpeople is a lifeline, is a fight
, I'm a black woman in America.
I fight every day of my life.
I came out the womb fighting.
Something that heals me andhelps me should not be another
(20:29):
fight.
I'm a black woman in America.
I fight every day of my life.
I came out the womb fighting.
Something that heals me andhelps me should not be another
fight.
So if I have to leave for itnot to be a fight, I'm going to
leave, and if that upsets peoplewhich it has, which it will
y'all just gonna have to beupset, because your hurt
feelings don't, for one, pay mybills.
It don't make my poetry anybetter, it don't make me a
(20:50):
better singer and it doesnothing for my life.
And I'm sorry, I gotta listenyou're okay.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Uh, uh, you're okay.
I had to just sit back and be asunflower and go to the
sunflower bit as you should, asyou should clock that because
y'all told me this didn't meanwhat I said well, this is no.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
So if you put your fingers up and go like this,
then that can be clock, but alot of people don't know that
and they just do this.
And this is no in sign language.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Oh, this.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Also, when I'm a little, I'm alittle shady, so sometimes
people be like yes and I'd belike no, but not everybody knows
that.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Well, I don't think I've ever seen you be shady
before.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Cause I do it so subtly.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Oh, you know what?
I don't think I have given youa reason for you to be.
I probably have.
But probably haven't in a longtime gave you a reason for you
to be shady towards me.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I don't feel like I've ever had to actively.
I've never felt the need to beshady towards you.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
There are some people where I'm like, where I'm like
you about to talk the boxingdrawers off of me.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Not talking off you saying I talk nice.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
My energy tastes like me, authentically.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
I'm deceased.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
I hate that.
I hate that with a passion.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I'm sorry I was actually about to say, first of
all, because you had you got onstage and you was like I don't
know what it is with thisgeneration, but instead of just
laughing, they be like dead LOLcackling, and I was like I feel
so attacked.
But how?
And I'm going to blame it onautism, because sometimes I just
(22:50):
want to say the words and Idon't want to do the action.
Okay, I'm autistic, leave mealone.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
I hate that shit with a passion.
I did a show.
I did a show one time and thegirls in the front, she said I
don't read, I like to laugh.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
You don't fucking laugh also, okay, let's one of
the reasons that I do.
It is because growing up andlike for a good part of like my
earlier adult years, I was toldmy laugh was too loud.
I was told my laugh wasdistracting.
So it's easier for me to justbe like weak instead of laughing
(23:31):
, because now I have a fear,like a subconscious fear, that I
am going to be distracting thatwould be.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I think the louder the laugh, the better for me.
You ever seen somebody?
And don't smile.
You know how weird that looks.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
I don't just I love people who laugh with their
shoulders.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Something about a shoulder, just do it for me I
hate when people laugh and hityou in the process of laughing
stop, because if you funny, ifyou made me laugh, i'ma hit you
a good time.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
That's why I can't cause.
The laugh becomes spasms andnow I just gotta be like weak
lol, I hate that shit cause I'llbe like hey, hey, god damn it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Nah, man, let me just say this too I don't personally
pick on you with the laughterthing you right, I just felt
it's just I, only I do what youguys.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I write about what I know valid that's it I know you
don't be left.
Oh my god, you say your wordsyou're right.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
But how do y'all, how do y'all measure how good a
poem?
Look, I measure my jokes off oflaughter, right.
How do y'all measure your poemsoff, like personally, is it
like emotions, like you seesomebody cry, is it how many
snaps y'all get?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
for me personally, it depends on what the poem is
like, what I wrote it for, um,for like, I did a poem last
night about being a veteran andand a woman scored really well,
got a perfect score.
Hashtag 30 um, but 30 reallylike.
For me, where I was like, oh no, this is a good poem, was all
(25:38):
of the veteran women who cameout.
It was like three or four ofthem, but to me that's still a
lot.
Um, but like, came up andactively had full length
conversations about, like, ourtime in the service and stuff
like that.
Um and that's because when Iwrote that poem, I very much was
like nah, we need to talk aboutthis.
I want this to be aconversation.
But for things like a shittalking poem, I want the, the,
(26:06):
the snaps, the like reaction tomy bars is where I'm like, oh
yeah, I did that, I did that, um, but yeah.
But also just like for me, howI feel during the poem, um, when
I wrote it, when I performed it, goes into how I feel about the
poem and what I would score thepoem.
(26:26):
Um, but if I were judging aslam, I'd go off of your
performance, I'd go off yourcontent If you dropped any
pieces, if, like what you weredoing with your hands.
You know, pops is always oftenlike, if you do hand movements,
let it be for a purpose.
And so if you, if I am judging,and somebody's just and I'm
(26:51):
like, nope, your hands done,lost you point five points
because what is you doing?
Um, but yeah, and then also didyou make me feel something?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
because anybody can talk but not everybody can emote
so, like your shit talking poemtools, be like the perfect ones
that we go and like I'm weaksometimes like yeah, yeah, those
(27:21):
are the ones, okay, okay okay,I'll be saying you know, I'll be
saying bars and they'd be likeI'm weak, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, because if you full-on cackle in the middle of
me doing a poem, I'm going to befine because I'm a professional
, but it might be distractingfor some people.
You can laugh, you can laughwith me it's okay.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Show those pearly white show, show the nice smile,
laugh, appreciate you.
Oh, you know my energy tasteslike me Authentically, bro, I'm
going to put that in a joke.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
What's liking you Now I got to buy you a shirt, uh,
ooh.
It's okay, you don't have tosay it on the podcast.
You can tell me later.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
No, no, don't have to say it on the podcast.
You can tell me no, no, no, Isay it because you know my
fitness shit.
You know I'll be at the gymlifting and stuff.
So the shirt sizes do changevalid so I've been on my life
fitness and I'm old, yeah, oh,does the shirt shrink up?
Because it shrinks up, give mea large, okay, because it shrink
up, go to a medium, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I mean, if it don't shrink up, oh, give me a medium
you ain't gotta give me, this isyou, this is an extra large,
and I've had it for, I want tosay, almost a year now how long
have you had jigger?
That's your cat yes, I've hadjigger for I want to two years
for two years.
He's about to be three.
Well, two years, he's about tobe three.
Well, almost two years, he'sabout to be three next month.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You ever ask yourself sometimes I know I'm gonna be
rambling, but like when you seea cat and cats got nine lives
how many lives they got leftSometimes, sometimes.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Because, like some cats, do stuff where I'll be
like this has to be a good life,this has to be a life this has
to be.
That is not fifth life behavior.
That is.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
You just got here I'd be thinking about it because
why are you playing with thesocket?
I think about a lot of stuff,man.
My mind just don't be there.
Sometimes I'm like, wow, thatcat, like I saw one time I was
driving, this cat just ranunderneath my car.
(29:37):
I was like, hey, yeah, firstlife, yeah, that's when he had
another cat with him.
He was the other cat, didn't doit.
He was like you know how theycrawl back?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I was like yeah, he's on his seventh one, he's
because first life, especiallyif you know, like I wonder if
cats know they have nine lives,because if you know, then your
first life you, you way out ofpocket on purpose because you
know you got another one this islike nonchalantly yeah it was
like, oh shit, I got.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Oh fuck, that, that's just the first one.
I can do it again.
I got several months.
Who knows?
Like, yeah, like I saw this onecomedian, brian Simpson.
(30:30):
He was like Wombs man, only had200 nuts in they life.
Imagine that's how many nutsyou have, like dudes be
stressing, they had 190.
Like what's wrong with Rome?
Oh man, you know, he's justgoing through menopause.
I'm just going throughmenopause.
(30:53):
I'm just going throughmenopause right now.
You know what I mean.
Just give him a little bit oftime.
He wouldn't be so free with it.
You know, like, think about youget your paycheck.
Your paycheck will be like$2,000.
You done spent the shit up.
But when you get down to thatlast little bit, you be like,
(31:16):
yeah, I'm good, I ain't goingout tonight.
Mm-hmm, struggle.
(32:00):
Like, yeah, I'm gonna go aheadand go in the house, make me
some spam or something ramennoodles.
I'm gonna drink some water.
I got some bread in there.
I get filled up one way.
I don't know, man, I'd bechecking that McDonald's out.
(32:24):
Is that $5?
Let me go ahead and make richright quick.
I'm just like.
You know, you know pretty much.
You know about a week or sonext time you see me, you know
pretty much some of this isgonna be on the stage.
There's nine lives in this.
(32:46):
Make yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And you keep saying back in theday this I don't even think
you're 30, are you?
Yeah, okay, all right, that'swhat's up.
You call me when you 31, 32,yeah, I'm 36, I'm closer to 40
(33:09):
than I am to your age.
Look at this, look at this shit,look at this.
It's just gone.
That don't matter.
You wish you was watching Godand Light in the heat of the
night and all that shit.
That shit was lit.
(33:29):
I ain't going to lie.
Touchdown.
Angel Della Reese.
I love that show.
People don't know the struggleLike.
Y'all can go online and googleshit where your next tv show
(33:52):
comes on.
Y'all can hit guide on remote.
They can program.
Y'all got netflix.
We had the tv guy.
It was a thick ass book thatplanned out our television for
one month.
And if he was lucky, you gotthe green tv guy that came in
the newspaper every Sunday andhe would open up and you'll be
circling.
Okay, alright, we didn't haveDVR, we didn't have on demand.
(34:16):
If we missed it, we fuckingmissed it.
We had to go read about it inweekly digest.
Hmm, and it won't.
(35:11):
It won't, no, quick shit.
It was some hearty, some hard.
It was heavy and I used to staywith my grandmother.
I stayed in norview.
One of my grandmothers stayedin wellington oaks, the other
one stayed behind norview middleschool.
So at the one in norview middleschool, if you say I want a ham
(35:32):
sandwich, she baked a ham, awhole ham with all the
everything.
If you say like it was just oldschool, like I was staying with
her for a while because I hadgotten some trouble across the
street, so I would stay with her.
(35:53):
And she was a candy lady too.
For people that don't know,when black people retire to
supplement income, they becomecandy ladies.
They got a membership to Costcoand they got freeze cups.
So I would stay with her some.
For I stayed with her for likea couple of months.
I got some some trouble on theother side.
(36:15):
So I was staying with her.
And like we talking I'm gettingout of school 2, 30 we talking
about big hams, fried chicken,turkey spaghetti, spaghetti
salad.
It was never.
It was never.
(36:36):
No simple shit, not a lunchable.
We talking about 3 o'clock inthe afternoon, your stomach just
heavy as shit and you got to dohomework with cops.
Oh ooh, big ass.
(37:15):
Pots rusted out like amotherfucker just sitting up
there cooking some shit.
God damn, let's go ahead andthrow it.
You had that big ass, thatlittle black fucking skillet,
didn't?
That was messed up, that didn'tbeen ever brand new, and no
(37:38):
matter how much soap, don orwhat have you put onto that shit
, all that shit, nothing wouldcome off, and they always knew
when it was dirty.
Nah, this is dirty.
How the fuck do you know?
it's still.
You gotta let it soak overnight.
No, I don't wanna wake up andclean this shit.
Thank you, thank you.
(38:26):
I was never in charge.
(38:54):
I was in charge of the storeruns.
Because you'll go groceryshopping for two fucking weeks
straight and, for whateverreason, you want me to drive
from timbuk.
My family was military, so ifthat shit was not at the
commissary, we didn't know whatthe price was.
So you want me to drive to farmfresh food line walmart, they
ain't got it.
So who has it?
(39:15):
Motherfucking 7-eleven, and youknow that shit is two times the
price that you would paycompared to you paying it.
Why'd you get it from there?
I'm like, oh to hell with thisshit.
Oh, I forgot it.
(39:42):
You wrote a list.
You wrote a list list.
You scratched all shit as youpicked it up.
Yeah, like you go to thegrocery store, I go to the
grocery store.
My mom, my mom, I love my mom.
She's a comedian too.
My mom does this one thing thatirritates me so much in the
grocery store.
She'll go where do you thinkthis is at?
(40:04):
The vanilla ashtray is that?
I'm like I don't work here.
Go ask somebody.
You know you walking around,hey, where's the vanilla ashtray
at and she'll go.
I knew it was there.
Why did you my father before hepassed?
(40:29):
We would go hang out and we'llgo for rides and just talk life.
And I'd be like bro, where wegoing, like I think we're going
home.
He's like, yeah, uh, youremember I took you this way
when you was in middle school,from the baseball game.
I'm like bro, I'm 30 years old,bro, I don't remember that.
Yeah, I'm 30 years old, bro.
I don't remember that.
Yeah, see, you got that.
(40:53):
My grandfather be like he usedto call me before he used to
call.
He'd be like you remember suchand such.
I'd be like, yeah, oh, she died.
What?
What's the purpose?
(41:14):
What are you telling me?
(41:36):
For what kind of fruit do youlike this?
Hmm, me too.
I like strawberries too.
Berries too.
(41:56):
We'll talk about that.
We'll talk about it off thecamera, yeah, you know.
Yeah, you know, I got theaddress.
You know I'm saying I can pullup.
You know I got a full tank.
I got a full tank of gas andI'm off this week.
So, brick, I like strawberries,I like bananas, but I don't
(42:53):
like the way people look at mewhen I eat a banana.
You like banana pudding.
You know, banana pudding nevergot no bananas in it.
Now you upgraded when you gotthe chestman.
Chestman changed your life.
(43:13):
Yeah, I noticed, I shot my shotat this and she's just like
yeah, we're gonna go ahead andchange the topic.
I like oranges, I like oranges,I like pomegranate, they're just
hard.
Oh damn, no more chocolatecovered strawberries, all right.
(43:34):
Oh wow, and I break the hellout that damn shot.
Oh yeah, I guess it's back tothe drawing board.
Let me just dm, uh, my, mycelebrity crush, sherry shepherd
, to see if she's gonna replyback.
Yeah, I laughed, thank you, sheis like I don't understand.
(43:59):
Like she is beautiful, oh mygod, her and kim whitley are um,
and tiffany.
Had tiffany had us reply backto one dm, she just liked it
that I was singing a song to heron my story and I hear every
time she posts a show I'd belike, hey, can I get a guest
(44:19):
spot?
I'm never in that, but I gotrestricted from her page.
Ain't who?
Ain't who been some awkwardpauses in this conversation, but
I appreciate you coming on.
Yeah, my energy tastes like meauthentically.
(44:44):
Yeah, if they want to followyou or find you, where do they
go?
Say angel, okay, uh, you guys,you know you can follow me
(45:23):
comedian rome all social mediaplatforms at comedian rome davis
on youtube.
No id podcast on facebook andinstagram.
I have a ticky top, but I donot go on ticky top because I
don't trust it.
Valid like, you're supposed toshut down a couple of months ago
(45:44):
, then it's back and then it'sgot an extension.
You also can and you're like,man, fuck this, I don't trust it
, I don't, I really don't, Idon't like it, I don't like it.
Um, thank you so much this.
(46:05):
Uh, I'm gonna put the link inthe bio.
Go ahead, start the recording.
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode
of the no ID Podcast.
I am your host, rome Davis, andI have here poet, actress,
writer, singer, creative, mybest friend, des Nicholson.
Hey Des, hi, how are you today?
(00:22):
I'm blessed.
How are you, des Nicholson?
Hey Des.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Hi, how are you today ?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
I'm blessed.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I'm alright.
What does your shirt?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
say my energy taste.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Like me.
This is a shirt from the BlackAuthor brand.
Actually, they're a local brand.
You can get one, too, one day.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
One day.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
It says authentic at the at the bottom.
You know it tastes.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Yeah, I, I saw, I saw that.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Yeah, it was like some people just see the taste
like me part.
And they're like what does thateven mean?
And I'm like yeah, you know, Iwould say something like real,
wow, like tastes like chocolatechip cookies, the ones that are
like crispy around the edgesspecifically, but like gooey in
the middle.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, cream pie.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
No oatmeal.
Cream pie no oatmeal.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
No oatmeal, it's cream pie Round the realm.
Oatmeal, it's cream pie aroundthe realm there is uh people
that don't know the backgroundme and des.
I don't know when I met des,but I know I met her at a place
called the venue on 35th streetin norfolk, where we meet up
with every well, I'm therepretty much every thursday there
(01:40):
.
Des is there when des is theresometimes yeah uh, des is a poet
, um, and you're like 132nd ofthe slam connection right I am
one-sixth of slam connection.
Yes okay now, how did you getinto poetry?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
let's start from there how did I get into poetry?
I've been into poetry my wholelife, my whole life from when I
was young.
In fourth grade, I think, welearned about poems.
My big sister was really intopoetry.
She read a lot of Maya Angelouand we shared a room, so we
shared a bookshelf.
But in fourth grade I startedpimping out poems, because
(02:22):
that's when everybody startedlike coupling up and I started
writing poems for people to giveto their girlfriends and
boyfriends for like a dollar,and that's how I got through my
elementary years oh.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
So it was like, yeah, I'm about to hang out with
shorty by the slide, write me apoem for a dollar, right, quick.
And you were just in the cornerwriting what everybody was just
booed up yeah, I was like tellme a couple things about her.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What are you like?
How long have you been together?
And then after that I'd be likeyeah, and then, depending on
who you were, would depend onhow I would write the poem.
Like, if I knew you weresomebody who didn't really pay
attention in class, I'd be likeroses are red, violets are blue.
Um, if I knew you were somebodywho had a larger vocabulary,
(03:11):
I'd put words like aggravate inthere.
Well, not aggravate, but likelarger words in there oh, it's
been the vernacular of thediction of the electric felt
like it came from the person.
Yeah, that's wild vernacular ofthe diction of the electric felt
like it came from the person.
Yeah, I'm buying it.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's wild.
Yeah, one dollar I can get aroses, red, violet zoo, some
shit there from looney tunes Ibet I was, but it's, it's
tailored, it's customized oh,yeah, yeah okay so when did you
actually like because you let'sfast forward a little bit when
did you actually like?
Cause you let poem for BlackHistory Month.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Um, I was like more or less voluntold.
My cousin and my best friend atthe time were like you're great
.
And I was like thanks.
And then they were like I'm apart of this club and I told
them that you was going to do it.
So now you got to do it, orit's going to make me look bad.
And I was like dang, I got todo it and then I did it.
And also I don't know why,people just went off of my
(04:29):
cousin's word, like because theyhad never heard me until like
the day before, which was likedress rehearsal.
But my cousin said I was good.
So it was like you got to begood because she says so.
And then I did it.
And then somebody cried and Iwas like whoa, I can make people
cry.
And then, yeah, and then when Icame out to Virginia, I found
(04:51):
the venue on 35th Street andthat's when I started learning
more and becoming more seriousWent to workshops, slam
competitions, things of thatsort.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
And that was like 2017, 2018 vibes.
So you went from poems in thefourth grade saying I love you
to junior year high schoolmaking people cry.
Yeah, it's a roller coaster ofemotions quite the leap because
I was.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
I was actively still like reading poetry and watching
poetry and doing things of thatsort.
I was always studying andlearning and observing and I was
like, look what I could do.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
I actually tried to get into poetry one time.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Yeah, how'd that go Spit bars right now.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Off the dome.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Off the dome.
What you got nothing.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So on Friday nights they used to do I think it was
at 10 o'clock bad boys of comedyand after that was Def Jam
Portrait.
It was one of them.
Um, so that's when I actuallygot a real taste of uh, it was
(06:10):
one poem up there.
I forgot the guy's name, but Iremember like the title of the
poem, a nigga and a nerd.
And then most deaf was up thereand kanye west was up there,
amanda seals and you see allthese different poets going.
It was fucking dope, but Ithink it only lasts like three,
four seasons and they just, yeah, plug and I hate to say bad
boys, a comedy special with allthe shit going on now but, like
(06:33):
I was like oh, I want to try it.
So I tried to rap yeah did youhave a?
Rapper name yeah, I did whatwas it?
I did untouchable jayuntouchable jay period because
jay-z is my favorite rapper andI love the movie state property
and his name in the movie wasuntouchable jay, and my name is
(06:56):
jerome, but I go by rome, so Iwas like, oh, I'll be
untouchable jay then, it stoppedbecause I love old dirty
bastard, so his name.
He was calling himself big babyJesus and Osiris and I was like,
oh, I'm just going to be Osiris, but I can't be a big baby
Jesus.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
So Right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Do you have?
Did you have, like a era ofnames that you went through?
You know, I'm just going to bethis.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Um, I younger years going to be this Younger years
started off as lyrical.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Original.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, honestly, I found it because somebody was
yelling at their child in thestore and they were like lyrical
, and I was like that's it,that's me, that's me, and that
was it for lyrical and I waslike that's it, that's me,
that's me, and that was it for alittle bit.
And then my grandma calls meDes and my grandma is one of my
(07:56):
favorite people, so it just kindof stuck.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Oh, okay, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
I spelled it with two Z's because I could.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Okay, all right.
No, all right.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Oh, okay, all right I spelled it with two z's because
I could.
Okay, all right, no, all right.
Who was something like yourbiggest inspiration as far as
like poets go, as far as poetsgo um, is this like specifically
big local or just in general?
Speaker 1 (08:22):
You don't In general.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Um, I think I really like Jill Scott and Erykah Badu
and I know like they'retechnically singers, but their
flow and especially the likebeginning of their careers were
more like poetry-wise.
(08:45):
I'm a big Rudy Francisco fan.
I like Daniel Garwood.
His willingness to always learnfrom whoever's around him and
his passion specifically for thecraft um is something I
(09:05):
thoroughly admire.
And, yeah, I think those areare my insos.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Mine was iceberg slim .
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Period.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
Period I can't damn.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
That's like I can't have no inspiration whatsoever.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
I just I'm just messing with you.
So did the music come at thesame time as poetry, or did it?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
um, I think so.
I joined the course in fourthgrade as well.
I come from a family of singers, more or less.
Uh, we made up our church choirand uh, so my sisters were.
You know my I.
(10:03):
Just I've always wanted to belike my sisters, so when they
started singing, I was likethat's what I want to do, cause
I want to be just like you, andthen I started singing.
Well, at first it was, you know,like the Michael Jackson um
story where he was like I wantto sing, and then Joe was like
you can't sing.
It was very much that like Ihad to prove that I could sing
(10:31):
and be up on the choir, um, butyeah, and then I've been doing
that since I was little.
And then my uh older sister whohas now passed uh like really
enjoyed me singing, and so shewas like you should put music
out.
You should do it, because whenit comes to singing, I've always
been like my voice doesn'tsound a whole lot, like a whole
lot of people's voices, um, Ican't see people listening to me
(10:52):
, just to listen to me.
Um, now that has since changed,but that was very much my thing
.
And then my sister was like ifyou enjoy it, you should do it.
And she was like if anybody'sgonna listen, i'ma listen.
And then she died before I puton my first song and never
listened.
So I guess she lied, but ithappens, so yeah it's sunday.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
You wipe the smile off your face.
I don't even know how to comeback at that with another
question, but it's gone.
So how's the scene?
How's the poetry scene?
(11:47):
How's the creative scene?
For you guys out there, is itlike, like, like how the poet,
like how the comedians are?
Is it clickish and gatekeepers,or is like everybody's just one
?
Speaker 2 (11:57):
um, it has become very clickish and gatekeeper-ish
and honestly, I don't know ifit's become that or if I just
didn't always realize howclickish and gatekeeper-ish it
was because I wasn't super intoit, but it can be clickish and
gatekeeper-ish.
I think something that not alot of people, a mentality that
(12:23):
not a lot of creatives have, isthat the spotlight is big enough
for all of us.
Um, and yeah, so that'ssomething I don't enjoy about,
like the scene as a whole,because I'm a full believer on.
The spotlight is large enoughfor all of us, the sun shines on
all of us, there is, in fact,enough room at the table for all
(12:46):
of us, and if not, we can getanother table.
Um, but not everybody thinkslike that like, yeah, this is
like they figure.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
They get in with one booker, one comedian or one
comedy club, like they're goodand like everybody wants to be
that, like my.
My saying is everybody wants tobe a big shark in a small pond,
or there's a lot of betas tryingto be alphas you know what I'm
saying, and a lot of my,threatened too because they've
(13:19):
gotten so good and gotten so far, just from like coasting and
just riding the wave, that likewhen a new person comes up, it's
like and the person's likesmoking, like they got, they got
all the emotion, they got theperformance down, the cadence is
right.
They're like, they feelthreatened.
Is that like something?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
that you've seen.
Yeah, I feel like at some pointit kind of feels like the
people stopped ushering inpeople, um, stopped teaching um,
and just want to like if theyget booked, then they get booked
(14:03):
.
Like they're like I don't wantto put anybody else onto these
same opportunities, um, and thenalso the.
I've been doing it this way forumpteen years and it's been
working, so why would I want tochange?
Or, and in that like peoplerefuse to expand, like if you to
(14:25):
me, if your craft growing, youstop growing as a person?
Correct, because your craft issupposed to be a reflection of
you.
So if you're like this is theformula, this is the formula I
figured out, this is the formulathat works and all you do is
said formula and you don't neverlearn another one, then you
might be stuck as a person, andthat, I feel like, is shown in
(14:50):
things.
But I know people get realcomfortable with the same places
they be performing with thesame people that know them, and
there's nothing wrong with, like, being a local celebrity.
Right, being a local celebrityis great If that's what you want
.
Um, but people talk as if theywant more, like to be a local
(15:12):
celebrity and then complain thatyou aren't as big as you feel
like you should be, but then notdoing any thing other than go
to the same places and talk tothese same people who are going
to tell you you're great and dida, did a, did a.
And then like trying to shut itout from new people coming in
(15:32):
is also just a thing.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
I agree.
I think it's like you gotta becomfortable being uncomfortable
and a lot of times some people,especially comedians, they'll
get this big ass height andthey'll be like.
Well, I'm just doing shows herein Richmond and Williamsburg,
so I'm good.
And then they complain whythey're not getting booked.
Meanwhile you got the onesthat's not getting booked at
(16:00):
home, but they're getting bookedout of the state.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Right booked at home but, they're getting booked out
of the state, right, and there'salso the like, the somehow,
because to me a lot of peoplefeel like they're in competition
and I don't feel like youshould be in competition with
any like.
Unless you're in an actualcompetition, then, yeah, be a
competition.
But I'm even the type to belike if we're in competition,
(16:23):
I'm still rooting for you to doyour best.
I just also have complete faiththat I'm going to do my best.
But that's a whole other thing.
But it's just the feeling likewe're in competition because I
know, when I first moved out ofthe state um and started doing
poems other places, it became alike Des thinks she's too good
(16:45):
for us.
You think that you're X, y andZ because you get to go and
perform out there but nobodyknows you here and it's like,
okay, I don't know why thatupsets you.
I don't know why you feel sostrongly about that, considering
I didn't say nothing about youonly being here, and no, and
people only knowing you here,and the people being here don't
(17:07):
even support you.
So I don't know why you'retrying to ride for so hard.
But you know, okay, becauseyou'd be like I'm on this lineup
but you didn't get paid forthat lineup.
You're just on the lineup,you're basically doing community
service.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
But free promo you know.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
But we're upset because and like I don't know,
when leaving the state and doingthings outside of the state
started to feel like an attackon the state.
And I don't even think that'sit.
I think it's people.
You're mad because you're notdoing it, but the only reason
you're not doing it is becauseyou are scared and you're
letting that fear control youinstead of drive you.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Drive you out of the state.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Yeah, anyway, see a lot of people in my opinion let
fear keep you exactly where youare.
Exactly where you are.
You're so scared of themountain that you decide to stay
on the ground and then get madat people who were also scared
of the mountain but decided thatthat wasn't going to stop them.
And now they get to see the skyfrom super high yeah, thanks.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
I think a lot of times you get shitted on for
leaving your state and they'relike well, you know, I don't
know.
I think people hate to see youdo better than them.
And going back to what you said, it's a lot of plates.
We get off the same plate I.
It pisses me off that everybodythinks it's one microphone on
one stage right, I might berambling, it pisses me off a lot
(18:38):
, like I'm like all right for mepersonally, um, I don't get
booked here, yeah, so I don'tget booked here.
I gotta go like, not even in757, I gotta go to the 804 or
something and go do time upthere, or I gotta go to dc to go
get a little like three, three,five minute spot in.
(19:00):
Um, so they just won't book mehere.
I don't know what happened.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I couldn't tell you, I think it's so like the phrase
bloom, where you're planted,everybody is so like serious
about it where it's like.
If where you're planted is notsuitable for your bloom, you
might need to leave, leave you,first of all, everybody, be like
(19:27):
the rose in the concrete, therose in the concrete.
The rose is not supposed to bein the concrete in the first
place.
That is not where rose belongs.
It belongs in a garden.
So if me being here and doingwhat I'm doing feels like
concrete, you being mad that I'mgoing places with gardens is
crazy.
When you didn't want to dig upthe concrete in the first place,
(19:47):
you put the concrete down andit's the.
If I am, this is.
This is something my daddy says.
If I am a sunflower in a rosegarden, I cannot get mad at the
roses for having thorns andpricking me.
I can, however, leave the rosegarden and go through to the
(20:09):
sunflower field where I don'thave to worry about anybody
pricking me.
Because if just for me to dosomething I'm passionate about,
something that for a lot ofpeople is a lifeline, is a fight
, I'm a black woman in America.
I fight every day of my life.
I came out the womb fighting.
Something that heals me andhelps me should not be another
(20:29):
fight.
I'm a black woman in America.
I fight every day of my life.
I came out the womb fighting.
Something that heals me andhelps me should not be another
fight.
So if I have to leave for itnot to be a fight, I'm going to
leave, and if that upsets peoplewhich it has, which it will
y'all just gonna have to beupset, because your hurt
feelings don't, for one, pay mybills.
It don't make my poetry anybetter, it don't make me a
(20:50):
better singer and it doesnothing for my life.
And I'm sorry, I gotta listenyou're okay.
Speaker 1 (20:59):
Uh, uh, you're okay.
I had to just sit back and be asunflower and go to the
sunflower bit as you should, asyou should clock that because
y'all told me this didn't meanwhat I said well, this is no.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
So if you put your fingers up and go like this,
then that can be clock, but alot of people don't know that
and they just do this.
And this is no in sign language.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Oh, this.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Also, when I'm a little, I'm alittle shady, so sometimes
people be like yes and I'd belike no, but not everybody knows
that.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Well, I don't think I've ever seen you be shady
before.
Speaker 2 (21:46):
Cause I do it so subtly.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
Oh, you know what?
I don't think I have given youa reason for you to be.
I probably have.
But probably haven't in a longtime gave you a reason for you
to be shady towards me.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
I don't feel like I've ever had to actively.
I've never felt the need to beshady towards you.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
There are some people where I'm like, where I'm like
you about to talk the boxingdrawers off of me.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Not talking off you saying I talk nice.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
My energy tastes like me, authentically.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
I'm deceased.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
I hate that.
I hate that with a passion.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I'm sorry I was actually about to say, first of
all, because you had you got onstage and you was like I don't
know what it is with thisgeneration, but instead of just
laughing, they be like dead LOLcackling, and I was like I feel
so attacked.
But how?
And I'm going to blame it onautism, because sometimes I just
(22:50):
want to say the words and Idon't want to do the action.
Okay, I'm autistic, leave mealone.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
I hate that shit with a passion.
I did a show.
I did a show one time and thegirls in the front, she said I
don't read, I like to laugh.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
You don't fucking laugh also, okay, let's one of
the reasons that I do.
It is because growing up andlike for a good part of like my
earlier adult years, I was toldmy laugh was too loud.
I was told my laugh wasdistracting.
So it's easier for me to justbe like weak instead of laughing
(23:31):
, because now I have a fear,like a subconscious fear, that I
am going to be distracting thatwould be.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I think the louder the laugh, the better for me.
You ever seen somebody?
And don't smile.
You know how weird that looks.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
I don't just I love people who laugh with their
shoulders.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Something about a shoulder, just do it for me I
hate when people laugh and hityou in the process of laughing
stop, because if you funny, ifyou made me laugh, i'ma hit you
a good time.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
That's why I can't cause.
The laugh becomes spasms andnow I just gotta be like weak
lol, I hate that shit cause I'llbe like hey, hey, god damn it.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Nah, man, let me just say this too I don't personally
pick on you with the laughterthing you right, I just felt
it's just I, only I do what youguys.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
I write about what I know valid that's it I know you
don't be left.
Oh my god, you say your wordsyou're right.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
But how do y'all, how do y'all measure how good a
poem?
Look, I measure my jokes off oflaughter, right.
How do y'all measure your poemsoff, like personally, is it
like emotions, like you seesomebody cry, is it how many
snaps y'all get?
Speaker 2 (25:10):
for me personally, it depends on what the poem is
like, what I wrote it for, um,for like, I did a poem last
night about being a veteran andand a woman scored really well,
got a perfect score.
Hashtag 30 um, but 30 reallylike.
For me, where I was like, oh no, this is a good poem, was all
(25:38):
of the veteran women who cameout.
It was like three or four ofthem, but to me that's still a
lot.
Um, but like, came up andactively had full length
conversations about, like, ourtime in the service and stuff
like that.
Um and that's because when Iwrote that poem, I very much was
like nah, we need to talk aboutthis.
I want this to be aconversation.
But for things like a shittalking poem, I want the, the,
(26:06):
the snaps, the like reaction tomy bars is where I'm like, oh
yeah, I did that, I did that, um, but yeah.
But also just like for me, howI feel during the poem, um, when
I wrote it, when I performed it, goes into how I feel about the
poem and what I would score thepoem.
(26:26):
Um, but if I were judging aslam, I'd go off of your
performance, I'd go off yourcontent If you dropped any
pieces, if, like what you weredoing with your hands.
You know, pops is always oftenlike, if you do hand movements,
let it be for a purpose.
And so if you, if I am judging,and somebody's just and I'm
(26:51):
like, nope, your hands done,lost you point five points
because what is you doing?
Um, but yeah, and then also didyou make me feel something?
Speaker 1 (27:01):
because anybody can talk but not everybody can emote
so, like your shit talking poemtools, be like the perfect ones
that we go and like I'm weaksometimes like yeah, yeah, those
(27:21):
are the ones, okay, okay okay,I'll be saying you know, I'll be
saying bars and they'd be likeI'm weak, that's hilarious.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
Yeah, because if you full-on cackle in the middle of
me doing a poem, I'm going to befine because I'm a professional
, but it might be distractingfor some people.
You can laugh, you can laughwith me it's okay.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Show those pearly white show, show the nice smile,
laugh, appreciate you.
Oh, you know my energy tasteslike me Authentically, bro, I'm
going to put that in a joke.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
What's liking you Now I got to buy you a shirt, uh,
ooh.
It's okay, you don't have tosay it on the podcast.
You can tell me later.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
No, no, don't have to say it on the podcast.
You can tell me no, no, no, Isay it because you know my
fitness shit.
You know I'll be at the gymlifting and stuff.
So the shirt sizes do changevalid so I've been on my life
fitness and I'm old, yeah, oh,does the shirt shrink up?
Because it shrinks up, give mea large, okay, because it shrink
up, go to a medium, you know.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
I mean, if it don't shrink up, oh, give me a medium
you ain't gotta give me, this isyou, this is an extra large,
and I've had it for, I want tosay, almost a year now how long
have you had jigger?
That's your cat yes, I've hadjigger for I want to two years
for two years.
He's about to be three.
Well, two years, he's about tobe three.
Well, almost two years, he'sabout to be three next month.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You ever ask yourself sometimes I know I'm gonna be
rambling, but like when you seea cat and cats got nine lives
how many lives they got leftSometimes, sometimes.
Speaker 2 (29:04):
Because, like some cats, do stuff where I'll be
like this has to be a good life,this has to be a life this has
to be.
That is not fifth life behavior.
That is.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
You just got here I'd be thinking about it because
why are you playing with thesocket?
I think about a lot of stuff,man.
My mind just don't be there.
Sometimes I'm like, wow, thatcat, like I saw one time I was
driving, this cat just ranunderneath my car.
(29:37):
I was like, hey, yeah, firstlife, yeah, that's when he had
another cat with him.
He was the other cat, didn't doit.
He was like you know how theycrawl back?
Speaker 2 (29:46):
I was like yeah, he's on his seventh one, he's
because first life, especiallyif you know, like I wonder if
cats know they have nine lives,because if you know, then your
first life you, you way out ofpocket on purpose because you
know you got another one this islike nonchalantly yeah it was
like, oh shit, I got.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Oh fuck, that, that's just the first one.
I can do it again.
I got several months.
Who knows?
Like, yeah, like I saw this onecomedian, brian Simpson.
(30:30):
He was like Wombs man, only had200 nuts in they life.
Imagine that's how many nutsyou have, like dudes be
stressing, they had 190.
Like what's wrong with Rome?
Oh man, you know, he's justgoing through menopause.
I'm just going throughmenopause.
(30:53):
I'm just going throughmenopause right now.
You know what I mean.
Just give him a little bit oftime.
He wouldn't be so free with it.
You know, like, think about youget your paycheck.
Your paycheck will be like$2,000.
You done spent the shit up.
But when you get down to thatlast little bit, you be like,
(31:16):
yeah, I'm good, I ain't goingout tonight.
Mm-hmm, struggle.
(32:00):
Like, yeah, I'm gonna go aheadand go in the house, make me
some spam or something ramennoodles.
I'm gonna drink some water.
I got some bread in there.
I get filled up one way.
I don't know, man, I'd bechecking that McDonald's out.
(32:24):
Is that $5?
Let me go ahead and make richright quick.
I'm just like.
You know, you know pretty much.
You know about a week or sonext time you see me, you know
pretty much some of this isgonna be on the stage.
There's nine lives in this.
(32:46):
Make yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And you keep saying back in theday this I don't even think
you're 30, are you?
Yeah, okay, all right, that'swhat's up.
You call me when you 31, 32,yeah, I'm 36, I'm closer to 40
(33:09):
than I am to your age.
Look at this, look at this shit,look at this.
It's just gone.
That don't matter.
You wish you was watching Godand Light in the heat of the
night and all that shit.
That shit was lit.
(33:29):
I ain't going to lie.
Touchdown.
Angel Della Reese.
I love that show.
People don't know the struggleLike.
Y'all can go online and googleshit where your next tv show
(33:52):
comes on.
Y'all can hit guide on remote.
They can program.
Y'all got netflix.
We had the tv guy.
It was a thick ass book thatplanned out our television for
one month.
And if he was lucky, you gotthe green tv guy that came in
the newspaper every Sunday andhe would open up and you'll be
circling.
Okay, alright, we didn't haveDVR, we didn't have on demand.
(34:16):
If we missed it, we fuckingmissed it.
We had to go read about it inweekly digest.
Hmm, and it won't.
(35:11):
It won't, no, quick shit.
It was some hearty, some hard.
It was heavy and I used to staywith my grandmother.
I stayed in norview.
One of my grandmothers stayedin wellington oaks, the other
one stayed behind norview middleschool.
So at the one in norview middleschool, if you say I want a ham
(35:32):
sandwich, she baked a ham, awhole ham with all the
everything.
If you say like it was just oldschool, like I was staying with
her for a while because I hadgotten some trouble across the
street, so I would stay with her.
(35:53):
And she was a candy lady too.
For people that don't know,when black people retire to
supplement income, they becomecandy ladies.
They got a membership to Costcoand they got freeze cups.
So I would stay with her some.
For I stayed with her for likea couple of months.
I got some some trouble on theother side.
(36:15):
So I was staying with her.
And like we talking I'm gettingout of school 2, 30 we talking
about big hams, fried chicken,turkey spaghetti, spaghetti
salad.
It was never.
It was never.
(36:36):
No simple shit, not a lunchable.
We talking about 3 o'clock inthe afternoon, your stomach just
heavy as shit and you got to dohomework with cops.
Oh ooh, big ass.
(37:15):
Pots rusted out like amotherfucker just sitting up
there cooking some shit.
God damn, let's go ahead andthrow it.
You had that big ass, thatlittle black fucking skillet,
didn't?
That was messed up, that didn'tbeen ever brand new, and no
(37:38):
matter how much soap, don orwhat have you put onto that shit
, all that shit, nothing wouldcome off, and they always knew
when it was dirty.
Nah, this is dirty.
How the fuck do you know?
it's still.
You gotta let it soak overnight.
No, I don't wanna wake up andclean this shit.
Thank you, thank you.
(38:26):
I was never in charge.
(38:54):
I was in charge of the storeruns.
Because you'll go groceryshopping for two fucking weeks
straight and, for whateverreason, you want me to drive
from timbuk.
My family was military, so ifthat shit was not at the
commissary, we didn't know whatthe price was.
So you want me to drive to farmfresh food line walmart, they
ain't got it.
So who has it?
(39:15):
Motherfucking 7-eleven, and youknow that shit is two times the
price that you would paycompared to you paying it.
Why'd you get it from there?
I'm like, oh to hell with thisshit.
Oh, I forgot it.
(39:42):
You wrote a list.
You wrote a list list.
You scratched all shit as youpicked it up.
Yeah, like you go to thegrocery store, I go to the
grocery store.
My mom, my mom, I love my mom.
She's a comedian too.
My mom does this one thing thatirritates me so much in the
grocery store.
She'll go where do you thinkthis is at?
(40:04):
The vanilla ashtray is that?
I'm like I don't work here.
Go ask somebody.
You know you walking around,hey, where's the vanilla ashtray
at and she'll go.
I knew it was there.
Why did you my father before hepassed?
(40:29):
We would go hang out and we'llgo for rides and just talk life.
And I'd be like bro, where wegoing, like I think we're going
home.
He's like, yeah, uh, youremember I took you this way
when you was in middle school,from the baseball game.
I'm like bro, I'm 30 years old,bro, I don't remember that.
Yeah, I'm 30 years old, bro.
I don't remember that.
Yeah, see, you got that.
(40:53):
My grandfather be like he usedto call me before he used to
call.
He'd be like you remember suchand such.
I'd be like, yeah, oh, she died.
What?
What's the purpose?
(41:14):
What are you telling me?
(41:36):
For what kind of fruit do youlike this?
Hmm, me too.
I like strawberries too.
Berries too.
(41:56):
We'll talk about that.
We'll talk about it off thecamera, yeah, you know.
Yeah, you know, I got theaddress.
You know I'm saying I can pullup.
You know I got a full tank.
I got a full tank of gas andI'm off this week.
So, brick, I like strawberries,I like bananas, but I don't
(42:53):
like the way people look at mewhen I eat a banana.
You like banana pudding.
You know, banana pudding nevergot no bananas in it.
Now you upgraded when you gotthe chestman.
Chestman changed your life.
(43:13):
Yeah, I noticed, I shot my shotat this and she's just like
yeah, we're gonna go ahead andchange the topic.
I like oranges, I like oranges,I like pomegranate, they're just
hard.
Oh damn, no more chocolatecovered strawberries, all right.
(43:34):
Oh wow, and I break the hellout that damn shot.
Oh yeah, I guess it's back tothe drawing board.
Let me just dm, uh, my, mycelebrity crush, sherry shepherd
, to see if she's gonna replyback.
Yeah, I laughed, thank you, sheis like I don't understand.
(43:59):
Like she is beautiful, oh mygod, her and kim whitley are um,
and tiffany.
Had tiffany had us reply backto one dm, she just liked it
that I was singing a song to heron my story and I hear every
time she posts a show I'd belike, hey, can I get a guest
(44:19):
spot?
I'm never in that, but I gotrestricted from her page.
Ain't who?
Ain't who been some awkwardpauses in this conversation, but
I appreciate you coming on.
Yeah, my energy tastes like meauthentically.
(44:44):
Yeah, if they want to followyou or find you, where do they
go?
Say angel, okay, uh, you guys,you know you can follow me
(45:23):
comedian rome all social mediaplatforms at comedian rome davis
on youtube.
No id podcast on facebook andinstagram.
I have a ticky top, but I donot go on ticky top because I
don't trust it.
Valid like, you're supposed toshut down a couple of months ago
(45:44):
, then it's back and then it'sgot an extension.
You also can and you're like,man, fuck this, I don't trust it
, I don't, I really don't, Idon't like it, I don't like it.
Um, thank you so much this.
(46:05):
Uh, I'm gonna put the link inthe bio.
Go ahead, start the recording.
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