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May 3, 2024 23 mins
Lil Rel came through the Cruz Show to talk about his new movie "We Grown Now", he also talked sports with the guys and talked about coming up in the comic world and more.
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Episode Transcript

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(00:00):
What's going on your boys? Swissbeats and right now you're checking out the
Cruise Show podcast. Make sure yousubscribe, rate and share immediately. Peace,
Let's get a cruise show real Nattytwo three little routes back on the
Yeah, oh my guy, howare you? Bro? I am good?
How you doing doing well? Man? I'm doing very looking healthy,
looking good so much so much youforget to eat because I'll be trying to

(00:21):
fight it. Like you know what, people like talk about you when you
look good? You your best list, and I'll be trying to call the
people fat. It's like, sodo we do? We do insults?
No? What do you say that? Because I'm like, yeah, I
do. I eat what I woke, but I work out every single day
and guess what, I'm mentally healthy. That's right, That is that is
the key. That is what makesthis happen. Yeah, because you can

(00:41):
look physically fit, but if you'reman, I say it's clear for a
reason. All right, man,that's great. If I loose skin,
then you I should be worried.Is this the most clarity if you've had
in your whole life? Mentally?I think so. I think just even
just learning to not react to everything, you know, like I don't.
I don't even read comments. That'ssome grown mans, not for real.
I'm really just literally, you know, being I think this is the last

(01:03):
I'm engaged, you know, solike you know, like life is just
life is just beautiful and different.Now you know, we're talking with your
people off camera people people. You'realways working though real, I mean,
it's just NonStop. This work ethicis crazy. I haven't seen someone with
this kind of running in a longtime. Man, I see this directing
run. I'm about to direct myfow a couple of months, So that's

(01:26):
a whole nother life. And it'sbeen fun and I've been on the workaholic
side of that too. So ifyou ever need to catch any latinos man,
I'm saying cruising eye, I'm serious, We're ready to work like you
to do it. We'll pay youto cast for real, man, Like,
no, we'll give you the moneyto catch what made you want to

(01:47):
welcome that challenge? You know,that director role, And I've always wanted
to do it, but I likethe fact that I get I have more
control, right, and so,like you know, doing all these movies
I've done over time, like Icould do this and I would love to
do this. Was now I waslike, all, brouh, here's your
chance. You've been talking all thisstuff. Yeah, and you could do
it and so and also too,just like the process has been fun.

(02:07):
I am a workaholic. Yeah,so just having all these different roles with
directing, it's been great. Man. I love like having that know everything.
Congratulations man, We're constantly learning,right, Yeah, We're never done
learning, never does. We gottalearn every day. The thing I think
if you if you think or believeyou're done learning, you're done. You're
cooked. Yeah throughout. Yep.You know you're dead where you stand.
I guess right, yep, yougotta learn. We've grown now. I

(02:30):
saw it last night. Congratulations.What a movie, man, Thank you.
The ending, I'm not going tospoil it, but dog like it
had me in tears. I gottwo sons, you know what I mean,
I got two boys. And Ijust saw that and I thought to
myself, like, wow, likethat really is what it is. You
know, what's praying too much?When I first saw the finished cut of
it, because when I shot it, it was I would think I was

(02:51):
doing another thing at the same time, so I was kind of in and
out and I read the script,but like seeing it. I actually teared
up a couple of times. Yeah, watching it. No, that conversation
you had on man oh Man,that's that's one of my favorite scenes.
But but even journeys, like youknow the scene where when the two boys
kind of you know, hitch schoolor whatever. Yeah, and just her

(03:12):
he could watch her trying to figureout as a parent, I'm mad,
but I'm glad you're safe, rightwatching her battle that was so fascinating to
watch Man. So like it's it'sit's a well active film. Shout out
to Blake and Geohn. Those twoyoung boys are great. They did great
now that Yeah, that reminds me. I remember when I was a kid,
I got hit by a car right, Not like it wasn't devastating I'm

(03:34):
here, but I was hit bya car right and my dad. My
dad hit me for getting hit bya car. For you got embarrassing him.
You got a whooping for being hitback up, Yeah, dog like
that before he did take you tothe hospital first. No, he didn't
ask me if I was okay ornot. He hit me first and then
asked me if I want to nottell you not to walk in credit cards.
Right, I'm like, all right, I want mento. But that

(03:55):
brought me that. I was like, I remember my dad like yeah,
like like whoopball me forgetting it ifI had a card yo. And another
thing too, is you know,telling my kids you're grown. Now.
I have a seven year old anda three year old. I found myself
telling my son, you're grown,but he's not grown. And I had
to stop saying that because I don'twant to rush his childhood. And so
that's what's funny with even my characterssaying in the movie, right, that's

(04:17):
how worried they were after the trailgot killed. And so for me,
I grew up at that time.I mean, but it really happened,
so it's documented. It's documented.It's actually a thing. But yeah,
you know, all of our parentswere like that, and in a weird
way, I did have to growup a little fast, and I was
supposed to becau especially in the earlynineties in Chicago at that time. You

(04:41):
know, the movie actually depicts whenit when we started seeing straight bullets hit
kids. That's when it started.And so all our parents were worried about
it. So we all did haveto start looking at like, you know,
certain people like Dangn O'Brien got agun. We gotta stay away from
him right now. It was juststuff like that. It was kind of
crazy now that I think about it. Yeah, no, yeah, I

(05:01):
remember my parents saying, you know, you're grown, uh, and that
was just for to put us inthe state of mindy to protect ourselves.
I think you like, make makeadult decisions and don't hang out with those
kind of people. You know,we're talking about grown. If you if
you revisit some of your past,what was the first grown decision you think
you had to make? Dang,I think once again, maybe as a

(05:26):
as a kid. I remember likeit was like a random summer and I
don't say random, but like wheneverybody was joining gangs in Chicago, like
all my friends, and it wasweird because it was all recruiting them at
the same time. It was likeone day we're all just playing basketball and
baseball and being kids, and thenthe next day you had like seven or
eight homies that couldn't hang out nomore because they like they gave the game

(05:47):
banger And that was a real decisionto make. As far as like,
hey, I can't be around andmy dad and my mom. I have
both my parents growing up, somy dad was really adamant about it.
You know, thank god he wasaround because everybody didn't have that made it
easier for them. Yeah, andso like for us, who was to
make a decision like, dang,it's one of my good friends, but

(06:09):
I can't be around this no more. Yeah, no, I remember that.
Yeah, Like summer there was asummer break and when we came back,
some of the homies were in gangs. And that's just what it was.
That's what it was. Like,it's such a crazy thing, Like
I think about it now, likedamn, that's why. At the time
it was normalized. But now it'slike because even for me making that decision,

(06:29):
they had to make an adult decisionat thirteen, that's crazy wild.
That set the course for the restof their life. And it's a decision
of survival, which is crazy.Man. Growing up, I read you
were in a lot of fights andyou got robbed. I wasn't a fight
I got robbed. I would havea lot of fights. I got robbed.
Rob you for so once again,it was it was a gang thing.

(06:51):
It was a gang initiation and it'sso far I'll be My brother was
laughing about this other day because itwasn't even name brand shoes. He was
payless like proin Like. I waslike, bro, you could take these
if you want. You don't haveto rob me. You can actually buy
these. I can know I'll givethem to you. You think I like

(07:12):
running these loud shoes because he wasa loud you know, back in the
day they used to make the hardbottle pro Is shoes. So I sued
to run across country and people said, Joe, we can hear real coming
because you can hit my shoes tappingon concrete. He had caught up.
He about to be this third here, but Loud I got because he and
I remember him saying like, Igotta do it because I'm being recruited because

(07:34):
you can see the older game memberwatching him. Wow, do it.
But my dad and my uncle,so this made it funny. I'm like,
okay, cool, you took theshoes. Fine, I go home.
I tell about father. He's like, oh, we got to go
get the shoes. Like, no, you ain't got to go get the
shoes. They went back and gotthese cheap ass shoes. And I had
to wear them a getting them loudass cross country shoes. You're like,
na, they can have them.Please give me some more shoes. Yeah,

(07:58):
I see the U the death RowRecords hap man. Yeah, that's
crazy, right, I mean legendarylabel. Snoop is is now head of
Death Row Records. Yep, it'swild right. Did you grow up listening
to the West Coast hip hop likethat? Hell yeah? I remember when
Snoop came out and I was theseventh grade and we in Chicago. Yeah.
Yeah, we all bought our plaidshirts. We didn't even know that
was your thing. We just sawSnoop do it the Penalty and the school

(08:22):
didn't know that was gang ship atthe time. We was walking around like
yeah, but dressed like little Butthat's how we but that's how we juking.
Snoop had it. You know thatSnoop was so like that was the
thing at one time. It wasso funny when that happened. I remember
that you ever hang out with Snoop? Yeah? We did. We did
a movie together. We did likehung out. I don't smoke, but
I was high. It's like youwalk in a room or Snoops out you're

(08:46):
gonna walk out. But I'm gonnatell youself in movie history of anything I've
ever filmed, that anybody will workwith. He's the only person I've ever
seen a studio give a smoke breaktoo. Yeah, no, for for
real, Like I thought it wasa joke, Like no, no,
no, it was like no,it's a part of my contract. I'm
like, damn, that's it.Won't even lunch yet. It wasn't.

(09:11):
No, he SNOOPI is really stupid, stoopid man. Yeah, he gets
the past and he loves sports andI love it. Yeah he does.
Yeah, I mean he's responsible forsome NFL players now, Snoop is Snoop
in the program. His program isamazing. Yeah yeah, yeah, Yo,
we've grown now. So you know, the movie obviously hits right,
and it was first released in Torontofor the festival, and then Sony bought

(09:35):
it right and obviously because it's ait's a very important film, right,
But what do you want in yourheart? What do you want people to
take away from this movie? Youknow something? I love how it humanizes,
especially at that time, the residentsof Cabrini Green. You know,
I think you know the way wesee I think the way they portray people
into projects, especially it says itwas just these down ritten and everybody it

(10:00):
was all messed up. But likein this movie, you see a real
family. It was most of mostof the families was like that. Actually,
most of the conversations they really talkedat dinner. You know a lot
of the stuff, you know,we look at a lot of you know,
nowadays, everything's little different now becauseyou know, the kids have more
freedom. Everybody got their own roomsand all this other stuff. And I
remember was the time, even whenI grew up, where you literally have
real conversations at the dinner table.We all had to eat together. But

(10:24):
I love how it humanizes them,and I love the way it shows it
from the lens of these these littleboys just being kids in their environment where
they didn't. It's almost like thatonce once again, we wanted them,
We needed them to grow up toofast. Yeah, they have to navigate
through this world and think, andthey're also thinking about leaving that world or
and how they're gonna do it.And that's that's interesting too, because I
was I was talking to my publicistsabout this earlier today, Like sometimes we

(10:48):
tend to think especially when you fromthat environment. Oh, if I moved
to the suburbs or like out hereto the valley and all this different stuff,
things are going to be so muchbetter. But sometimes it's not.
It's something's just better, but it'sreally not. Like I even though I
grew up in a hood, Iremember, nobody broken nobody house, right,
they broke it, They broke instuff, but not in your home

(11:09):
though, right, you know youlive in the suburbs of valley. They
they breaking in your creed and thatfeels more of a violation and breaking in
my car or anything, because you'rethat's my piece, that's my home.
It's so disrespectful. And I waslike, damn, and we will run
to go to these places thinking it'sgonna be so much better, and it's
like this is almost worse, right, and scar all this money and that's

(11:33):
what they breaking in my crib.Yeah, that's wild, that's wild.
That isn't necessarily happening in the hood. You're right, that's crazy. If
somebody broke in your house, everybodywhipped that person out. You hold on,
Ricky, just broken the house,We get the back. Everybody whipping
is new ass. Like when Iwas a kid. You broke into my
apartment that I lived in with myfamily, right, Like, Yo,

(11:54):
you're gonna have to see fourteen peopledon't have to see everybody apartment in this
on this floor. We all comingout. What's the line in the movie
you ever dream so big you feelawake? Bro? That's man, that's
a bar man where that dream?And you've had those dreams right coming up
all in the stage, Like youdream so big that it feels real,

(12:16):
and it has to feel real toyou, you know, That's what Like,
that's why I feel like I'm doingnow. I you know, life
gone life because life is never perfect. But man, I'm living a dream.
I really am, and every wayyou could think of it, and
honestly, like even just you know, even you know, going to therapy
consistently and just dealing with all thisstuff, even just even just physically waking

(12:37):
up feeling good everything and making ita part of my lifestyle and my life.
I just just being better and thenI get to do what I love.
Man, Right, Yeah, man, I am, I'm dreaming out
loud every single day. That's great. Congratulations, Yeah, Like you would
pay to do this, you know, one hundred percent would but I enjoy
that they pay me to do.Going back to the crib. What is

(12:58):
your favorite room? House? Mymedia room? Now, what's that?
Like? You know that's where Iwatch all. I'm a sports head,
so like, especially during the NFLsame anybody got the NFL red Zone,
You got a nice television? Youlike, I'm here. You get out
of church, like this is whatit is you all day? Do you

(13:18):
do? You do you host partiesat your crib? Or you ran out
of space separately because you don't wantnothing dir at the house. That's good,
good, I'm like, no,come over, let me tell you
something. I found a lot ofpiece. The only thing, you know,
it's funny. I get on thephone with my brother and we're doing
literally the same thing. He's inChicago, LA. And we'll literally like
because we Bulls fans too, soyou would thought we had a podcast or
a halftime show. We literally calleach other halftime like you see what the

(13:39):
officers baby. But it's it's stillit's one of those things. It's still
for private. It feels like howwe when we grew up and we always
in the same room. It's stillthe same. It's so weird too,
where you get grown and you yourbrothers and siblings still have that because even
when he comes to visit, we'llstill be We'll fall asleep in the same
room. It's beautif weird, that'sbeautiful, that's beautiful, and that's family.

(14:03):
Right there. You say media room. We just saw Floyd Mayweather's media
room. So it's a theater anda spa mix. You see yourself doing
something like that. I don't knowhe there getting his nails done and watching.
He's in there getting his watching.Hello, can someone turn the TV

(14:24):
for me? Because my my nailsain't dry. But man's grooming is very
important. I'm big on that,you know what I'm saying. I like,
let me tell you something. Ilove a good massage, but I
do get a manicure, and youknow what's fun. I've never had a
panicure before that. I come myown toe. Now. It was like,
I'll get a clip, my ownthing. But I've never like set

(14:45):
my foot in the bath and thenthe lady tickle me. And I've thought
about it. It's so weird becauseI've done every I'm a I get facials
and everything, but I ain't nevergot nobody to do nothing. My toes,
y'all do that with wife, Girsie, It just paused your facials.
Gia, we're grown, We're grown, We're grown. Now we've grown out,

(15:05):
Garcia. You gotta pause that though. How old you are? You
gotta pause that? Man? Yo, you heard the news about O Jay
Simpson he died. Man, Yeah, man's that's wild that news, just
like what the shook everyone though,Well it's it's it's like quietly ship like
nobody if like nobody could say anything, what do you say? Kaitlyn Jender

(15:26):
said good riddings for real? Yeah, no, for real? Yeah,
I mean Kaitlyn didn't know, butBruce did, right, right, So
like, yeah, so I guesshe's he's going off for that. To
tell you, be careful what energyyou put out there. You don't want
nobody reacting to you that way.Can you imagine, like, Yo,
you leave this earth and someone saysgood ridden, you won't say it in

(15:48):
his face. That's real to piggybackup. You just said, like,
be careful what kind of energy youput out? Are you very intentional about
that? I'm very intentional about that, Like I try my best even when
I walk in rooms. Now it'seven more intentional about even walking on the
set, just making sure my energyis right. And that's what I'm excited

(16:11):
about directing my first movie. I'mlike, oh, I get a chance
to do things maybe even a littledifferently I've done as an actor, and
be more inclusive with everybody and makesure I speak to everybody and make sure
you know all these different things.That's amazing. Is there a director that
you studied. It's quite a few. I mean some of my favorites now
and this random one. Aba Duveneis one of my favorite directors. I

(16:32):
just love the way she does everything. Michael Jah White is one of the
most underrated directors right because you know, doing movies like Black Dynamite and stuff
like that. Mike has a andI've sat down with my Michael joh White
is the most fascinating person in theworld. He's what about He's like my
favorite new friend. It is Michaeljoh White. He's so he's so interesting,

(16:53):
Yeah, interesting, weird or interesting, fascinating or both all of it.
Yeah, because because he like evenwhen he go like he he could
go on like these rants about stuff, even if we just talk of fatherhood
or something. But you can hita toughness in the fatherhood talk. It's
really interesting even we like we wentto breakfast with time. It's like you

(17:14):
kind of want somebody to start someship with us. Yeah, I believe
that. Yeah, y'all don't wantthis Michael John White. Take a sip
of that coffee roundhouse, shoot rightnow and drop some knowledge and drown some
knowledge. But he's so he's sosmart. He's so smart, and he
knows his film and TV and everythingreally well. Yeah, man, do

(17:36):
you bring stand up everywhere you go? You do? I think it is
Actually, I think without even tryingto get to your core, that's who
you are, That's who I am. And it's like breathing, Like stand
up is one of those things likeI can get on stage anytime and it's
just it's not in right. Ican drop in and have fun and like
that was fun. I'm out.Yeah. Freestyle, Yeah, I freestyle

(17:57):
before the time is what I do. Really, you just go up there.
So you're not a writer in thatway, no, because you're too
talented. Bro Well, I don'tknow if it mean because Simbad is one
of the greatest to ever do that. Man, God bless Yeah, Simbad
is one of those guys that cango up and just like his spec HBO
specials. If you ever get achance to even see classic legendary, he

(18:18):
was like, man, man,I didn't break none of that, and
I'm like, damn, but that'swho he is. I went and saw
a show he did, like twoand a half hours wow of stuff.
We just talked about two days offthe Dome. Paul like, man,
we just talked about this leuff.That's crazy. That is show one hundred
percent. I mean I did vergenesof it right with the Oscars, I
did the pre show and then theyhad me when they didn't have a host

(18:41):
that year, they had me.I got Glenn closer to the button all
that. Yeah, yeah, butI believe like being that guy, I'll
be I'll be a great with thelights on. I'll be a great host.
And to think about it is justbecause I know how to host,
and you know, I think sometimespeople come in with the wrong mindset.
I'm gonna row celebrities and I'm gonnado this and do that. No,
just be funny and keep a showmoving. That's why Trevor Noa's been doing

(19:02):
a good job at y. Helooks he's having fun. And Trevor's my
favorite at it because he looks likehe's having fun. Yeah yeah, Now
is that an act? Do youhave to look like you're having fun?
No? I think find somebody whoenjoys what they do. If you love
movies or TV, Like if youhave met hosts of Oscars or the MTV
Awards or even celebration the gospel,because I love gospel, I'm gonna really

(19:23):
have a great time hosting no show. Wow, yeah, you would kill
that. I know. I wasthey so scared of comics. Now I'm
like, but you ain't ask me. You didn't ask me why Why are
they scared of the comics? Becausebecause really because of the old heads.
What do you mean, bro?Because like they old so some of the
stuff they just meaner. And soit's like you get somebody who actually loves

(19:48):
this and don't want to be mean. Yeah yeah yeah, don't want to
tell the room. Yeah, Idon't want to be mean. No,
you just want to entertain, wanthave fun. That's great. Man.
Do you drink before the shows?No? I haven't had a drink since
December, God blessed man. Congratulations. Yeah, and it's it's weird.
I didn't put a timeframe on it. It's like I really like one day
was like, yeah, like amI forcing myself to drink to this point?

(20:11):
That's that's ah, it's a crazyrealization. Yeah, it's like it's
like it was weird one day becauseit was like damn. And then I
was like, I want to bemore present for stuff. Yeah, you
know these award shows, I goto these these premieres. I want to
be present and deal with my anxietyat a little better. That's what it
aiety. It was like a copingthing. You think it help you with

(20:34):
your anxiety. It's bravery when drinking, though, it was like it was
coping. And then you know,it's funny once you start having it where
you can afford whatever you want.Yeah, then that's a whole other level,
like there's no limit to it.And then you go to all these
things and everything free, that's evencrazier. And so it's like you just

(20:56):
got to get control of it.And for me, it was like I
had like cut down, don't likeI stopped drinking as much, but I
still felt the same way. Andthat was weird. And men, I'm
like, wait, a minute.I didn't cut. Maybe I shouldn't be
drinking right, right, right,I don't need it. And it's been
a beautiful and it's honestly, it'sso interesting because didn't even realize how much
calories I was putting on because ofa lot of sugar tequila. Got a

(21:19):
lot of sugar dog tequila, andI was doing everything. I was like,
I would have a shot at tequilaand a double Tito's and like that's
that's crazy, that's crazy, andBen, it'd be it would go together.
Yeah, no, like four shotsand like three beers. Let's get
it, and let's get it.He said, I know, I know
I need help. You okay,we all need help. We all need

(21:44):
a little help, right as acomedian. What do you think is wrong
with you? As a comedian?Yeah, you know, something I could
be makes you I think I'm funnybecause I could be I could be kind
of mean. It's funny because it'slike I'm like nice, mean, you
know what I mean. And thenyou and your front me like our group
text. If somebody ever broke inour phones, they will kick us out

(22:06):
of it because we we're just soit's so funny and dark but it's funny
to us, you know what Imean. You know, if you if
you get your group of friends,you're like, all right, I can't
wait to see what this oj conversationit started before. I don't know where's
at now. It's probably like ninetymessages right now. I mean, yeah,

(22:27):
yeah, down, what's what's yourfavorite emoji? My favorite emoji?
Oh, that's a good one.It depends, but right, I guess
right now is the the praying emojiI used all day? Yeah, I've
been using the hugging one. Iuse the fistball, which wants I've never

(22:47):
seen none of those. You neverseen the hugging, the fifth bukhok,
the yo. All right, sowe've grown now in theaters, Man,
Little Ralph, thank you very muchfor the time and energy. Man,
we make sure y'all check this movieout. Is so good. No,
let them know, absolutely, itis really good. Man pays checking Rich

(23:08):
for the Cruise Show. Thanks forlistening to the Cruise Show podcast. Make
sure to subscribe and here auto downloadso you don't miss an episode. So
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