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Common Talks New Play 'Between Riverside And Crazy', Speaks on Denzel Washington's Acting Influence
Jan 23, 2023
Common is a legend in hip-Hop, but has dedicated himself to be considered a serious actor, and for that he has landed some major roles and has been awarded for them. And for his efforts he is only one Tony Award away from the highly coveted 'EGOT'.
Common stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about his latest role, in the play 'Between Riverside and Crazy'.
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0:00
yo
0:00
[Applause]
0:04
Adam I don't even masterful
0:08
[Applause]
0:10
masterful it's just uh when I think of
0:12
this man is what I think of to become
0:15
masterful as something is you got to do
0:17
it over and over and over and over and
0:19
over again and you gotta find yours you
0:21
got to be able to do it in different
0:23
scenarios you have to be able to do it
0:25
under different circumstances under
0:26
different moods you have to be able to
0:29
do it no matter what your surround is
0:31
and your environment is is and you
0:33
always show up that's what it means to
0:36
me when you're masterful at your craft
0:38
and I knew this man was masterful
0:41
uh when he put out can I borrow a dollar
0:44
I always go back I know people say man
0:46
every time he come up here sweat you
0:48
like to go back because it reminds me of
0:50
myself when I talk about his past
0:53
because we've had parallel existences
0:55
yes and to see him sustain and grow and
0:59
evolve constantly and constantly and
1:01
really look the damn same way he looked
1:04
when he put out can I borrow a dollar
1:06
masterful
1:10
because he he looks so good and make me
1:13
look good when I stand next to him
1:17
that's great that look great I'm glad
1:19
glad you did that thank you great
1:21
looking great thank you man you got that
1:23
you don't have to say it that glow right
1:25
now coming back from Africa glow that
1:28
guy ain't that Ghanaian glow I got we
1:31
talked about that comment and uh ladies
1:33
and gentlemen Oscar the Emmy the Grammy
1:35
Award winning soon to be Tony give it up
1:37
for the one and only come
1:44
man you know
1:46
for me I just man try to put my spirit
1:49
and heart into what I'm doing like and
1:51
and whatever comes after that is good
1:53
but you know everything whether it was a
1:55
Grammy
1:56
the Emmy we we never knew we was even
1:58
eligible to get an Emmy when we got an
2:00
Emmy I just was writing a song for for
2:02
Ava duvernay's letter to um for movie
2:05
13. my point is is like I can't do work
2:09
and be thinking about a ward like I
2:11
gotta like be thinking about the work
2:13
and putting my heart and soul into the
2:15
work and if that work denotes an award
2:17
of course I love being awarded for for
2:20
the work that I do yeah yeah you you
2:22
ever get an award and felt like you
2:24
failed at your speech
2:27
um yeah I mean yeah definitely early
2:29
early on and that's what made me start
2:31
thinking about okay let me be prepared
2:34
for a speech or if I got especially
2:36
during the time we was doing um with
2:38
glory and we John Legend and I we were
2:40
getting a lot of opportunities to go up
2:42
there and speak I was like man I'm about
2:44
to say something now and I felt like I
2:47
was representing
2:48
I was representing like the people of
2:50
the Civil Rights Movement I was
2:51
representing black people I was
2:52
representing hip-hop so I'm representing
2:55
Chicago I'm like I need to go say
2:57
something so I mean but I've definitely
2:58
failed at the speech in fact one of my
3:00
early speeches I was doing I was doing
3:02
with Dr Maya Angelou oh and um I tried
3:05
to go up there and freestyle that you
3:06
know like Freestyle speak and and then
3:09
Dr Angelo came and lit it up it was that
3:11
Riverside Church Up In Harlem and um my
3:14
mother when I came off the stage my
3:17
friends and some of my team was like
3:18
good job good job and my mother was like
3:20
that wasn't good bro and she didn't say
3:22
bro that wasn't good
3:26
yo son
3:28
that wasn't good I was like what and
3:30
then she was like you could do better
3:32
you need to work at it so I mean for me
3:34
I I'm I don't like I like being able to
3:37
stay present and be and be like able to
3:40
be in the moment but I also believe in
3:43
preparation when it comes to like you
3:44
getting the opportunity to do something
3:45
be prepared and then allow yourself to
3:48
be in the my desk I approach you I love
3:51
that because I'm thinking of Maya
3:52
Angelou and you saying that that
3:54
happened in front of her and
3:56
um when I was thinking about
3:57
masterfulness it's because I've watched
4:00
your training your self-evolution over
4:02
the years from the way you rap or emcee
4:06
right think eat present yourself even
4:09
fashion I've seen the whole Evolution
4:11
and I always hope that
4:14
um forgive me common for paralleling
4:17
myself with you again it's legitimate
4:20
it's the truth bro it's the truth we we
4:22
parallel no matter like we could like
4:24
one thing I say is like when I every
4:27
time I connect when we connect it's like
4:28
I feel the progress and I feel the roots
4:31
of where we come from like we can talk
4:32
about the past but we still be having
4:34
stuff new stuff that's going on that
4:36
you'll be like yo you need to check this
4:38
out be aware of this or we like or
4:40
you'll come see me in a place something
4:42
new it's different like we still we
4:44
progressing yeah but we know where we
4:46
come from we know where our Roots come
4:47
from and so I remember members sitting
4:50
in in uh interviewing President Obama at
4:53
the White House right and uh I remember
4:56
I didn't sleep for three days prior
4:59
right because I I just had to know
5:01
everything for a 20-minute interview yes
5:03
but I had to know everything and I was
5:06
hoping that
5:08
um I would rise to the occasion that he
5:11
brought yes you know the magnitude of
5:13
who he is especially at that time in
5:16
that position he was in and um and it
5:20
made me go back to my track and field
5:21
days like being nervous before the gun
5:23
went off or first time I ever performed
5:26
in front of people in high school at
5:27
Oakland High to uh pep rally or
5:30
something and I was always able to rise
5:33
to the occasion but something about
5:35
being in his presence took me to a whole
5:38
nother level of Journalism yes you know
5:40
what I mean that was a classic interview
5:41
too oh thank you brother I appreciate it
5:43
yeah it was it was the first time
5:45
anybody from hip-hop interviewed a
5:47
active president at the White House that
5:50
was Classic live on TV it's amazing yes
5:52
who are some of those people like Maya
5:55
Angelou that you've been around that you
5:58
knew damn I gotta really rise to the
6:00
occasion but their presence inspired you
6:02
to do it well President Obama and
6:05
Michelle Obama make me rise no matter
6:07
what like being able to perform at the
6:09
White House I'm always like man I got to
6:11
give it my all
6:13
um Harry Belafonte being around him has
6:16
made me just rise this in a way that's
6:18
like oh man once again Dr Maya Angelou
6:21
um Denzel Washington just being on a on
6:24
a film set with him I was like
6:27
man I gotta step up and root let me say
6:30
Ruby D was on there too so it was like I
6:32
was like man this is the highest level
6:34
yeah American Gangster that's that movie
6:37
out and I only had a few lines in that
6:39
movie but I was just like I'm here with
6:42
Denzel I gotta rise to the occasion and
6:45
and I saw it really a lot of my thing
6:48
was observation when I get around people
6:50
of that nature the Masters I just like
6:53
I'm like man let me let me just observe
6:56
I'm doing that right now with with
6:57
Stephen McKinley Henderson who's the
6:59
leader lead of our play
7:01
between Riverside and crazy is on
7:04
Broadway now
7:06
um the Atlantic Theater Company it's a
7:08
good production I went to see it yeah
7:10
yes sir yes sir yes so it's between
7:13
Riverside and crazy is it's on Broadway
7:15
it's Second Stage Theater um at the
7:17
Hayes theater and it's man it's an
7:19
incredible play like it's I'm we talked
7:22
about me writing sway I love just great
7:24
writing whether it was James Baldwin and
7:26
Dr mayangelo KRS or or you know nods and
7:30
you know I like writing like writing and
7:32
this writer Stephen Ali gigas wrote a
7:35
plate that's just man I'm like I wish I
7:37
could have wrote something like that
7:38
like it's just special we got a lot of
7:41
just life into it electricity about New
7:43
York people and just their lives and it
7:46
just you relate to it because nobody's
7:48
all good nobody's all bad and um it's
7:51
just a story where I'm like man I'm
7:53
super geeked to be a part of a play that
7:56
people that don't even watch plays like
7:58
oh man I relate to this I like this like
8:01
like Alex my publicist over there she uh
8:04
shout out to publisher yeah it's a good
8:06
guy yeah so that's my people though but
8:09
you know sometimes people not always
8:12
into theater
8:13
have come to the play and said man I
8:16
really related to these people I see on
8:18
stage I think we bring in a raw
8:19
electricity he just writes at that level
8:22
and man I'm you know when you get to
8:25
when you get to be a part of something
8:26
that you feel is like hitting the the
8:28
the high levels of work then I'm just
8:32
grateful to be in it like and um and
8:34
just absorbing as we talked about and uh
8:36
man there's so much to like Live Theater
8:39
that I didn't know because I always
8:41
watched it yeah I I always go see plays
8:44
I love seeing theater so I always
8:46
watched it and thought man can I do this
8:48
I remember just recently seeing a play
8:50
from the system
8:52
um this playwright from Detroit and I
8:54
was there Tommy Russo Dominique
8:56
Dominique that's my dear friend she is
8:57
dope she's gonna be the most amazing
8:59
she's gonna go down in history as the
9:01
best American playwright when all is
9:04
said and done with her work well I gotta
9:07
argue with that but she is really one of
9:08
the great but notice
9:10
I think Steve and Ali gigas is right up
9:13
there with
9:25
since freshman year in college okay and
9:28
so saying her her incredible rise but I
9:30
want to salute her because she is one of
9:32
the great stuff for sure
9:34
um but but that being said it's like
9:36
that type of writing where it's like
9:38
it's got a truth to it
9:40
um and I was watching her play and I was
9:42
like man am I gonna be able to do this
9:45
am I going like can I do this and I had
9:48
that question in my mind for a second
9:49
and just but I just told myself you said
9:52
faith we talked about faith man and uh
9:55
that's basically what I was walking out
9:57
on the water like in faith and just
9:58
knowing that that I um
10:01
I've prepared myself to enough is
10:03
through life and through the going
10:05
through the hip-hop experience me and
10:07
sway was just talking about something
10:08
the hip-hop experience is a gift yes all
10:11
the things that we've experienced going
10:12
through hip-hop and this culture has
10:14
been a gift because I can go anywhere
10:16
and feel like I can make it you know and
10:19
yeah I will have to learn what it is but
10:23
but this particular thing acting is
10:25
something I've been passionate about for
10:26
a long time so I knew like I could get
10:29
there but I you know you had those
10:30
questions and I looked at that play and
10:32
I was like I
10:33
cannot do it can I do it and I can do it
10:35
I started telling myself I could do it I
10:37
just came to our first rehearsal
10:39
prepared and just being open because I'm
10:42
around some All-Stars like the like
10:44
these people I'm acting with on this
10:45
stage are like it's like working with
10:47
some of the great greatest hip-hop
10:49
artists greatest actors of all you know
10:52
of all time and you know everybody's not
10:55
all as well known as you know you might
10:57
know Leonardo or these you know some of
10:59
the popular but these people on that
11:01
stage are like I'm working with the best
11:03
yeah you work in an excellence and
11:05
that's the chance to see it we'll talk
11:06
about the play between Riverside and
11:08
crazy if you're coming to New York it's
11:11
a must-see if you're in New York it's a
11:14
must-see if you're not really familiar
11:16
with Broadway but kind of curious and
11:18
want to know how to break in this is a
11:20
great entry level DB
11:22
um when I came in this morning said hey
11:25
man when common get here can I ask the
11:28
first question because y'all gonna start
11:30
being buddy buddy
11:32
we do have you he said you hung up no he
11:35
said you hog up the whole conversation
11:37
yeah and and he was like you get the
11:40
first question and what is it 20 minutes
11:42
later
11:44
yeah sitting here collecting dust in the
11:46
corners
11:51
I've never got the opportunity to tell
11:53
you this uh you're one of my favorite
11:56
actors uh artists that have become an
11:59
actor I was watching Street Kings the
12:00
other day and I love Keanu but that
12:02
scene with you Keanu Chris Evans before
12:04
he was even uh Captain America yet you
12:06
know like that scene was just like it
12:08
took me back to when I saw him Smoking
12:09
Aces Terminator Salvation I mean like
12:11
I've seen you in so many films and it's
12:13
like the thing for me is I don't see you
12:15
I'm not waiting for you to start rapping
12:16
in the movie you know what I mean like
12:18
you always step into a character like
12:19
fully but when you did Parabellum
12:22
bro
12:24
John Wick those fight scenes were you
12:27
playing cash in the train and then the
12:29
one where you guys either you were Italy
12:30
right like
12:31
that was some like that ain't some
12:33
that you just step into like you have to
12:34
be prepared for that kind of fight
12:36
choreography and everything like that so
12:37
uh the other requests I have I
12:40
appreciate that though I brought this
12:43
this is actually for you but I have a
12:44
request what are these things
12:48
excuse me so I'm holding up a Blood Oath
12:51
marker from if you've seen John Wick you
12:53
know what this is it's basically like a
12:55
promise so if I need a favor from common
12:57
in the movie you prick your thumb you
12:59
put your thumb print he has to put his
13:01
demonstrator for the camera okay so like
13:02
uh you see there's like a little uh uh
13:05
like emblem or something here but you
13:06
would prick your this doesn't have the
13:07
little pricker thing but you would prick
13:09
your thumb put your uh imprint and it's
13:10
like you can't break that yeah so so I
13:13
give this to Common and then he needs a
13:16
favor I have to do whatever it is he
13:17
needs because he did it for me oh so
13:19
you're about to give him that I'm about
13:21
to give him yeah this is this is a
13:22
souvenir and so I just have one small
13:23
favor I just need a drop but I'm not
13:25
going to say it until afterwards because
13:26
I have an idea that I'm working out to
13:28
get a drop
13:29
what the hell am I asking for like I
13:31
mean
13:36
I have a question I was just okay okay
13:39
thank you don't worry about him he
13:41
probably ain't even seen him
13:45
um when we were talking about uh gloss
13:47
when she was here freestyling and we
13:48
were saying how like if common is
13:49
impressed then that means you did a good
13:50
job What actors came to you and were
13:52
like bro you are doing a great thing
13:54
that you were like I can't believe this
13:55
dude just said that to me oh man that's
13:57
a great question um Tim Robbins is actor
14:00
that uh I work with now in this show
14:03
called wool it hasn't come out yet it's
14:04
on Apple TV it'll be coming out the
14:06
first season in May and um we were
14:09
filming in London
14:10
um man and it's called Woodland and he
14:13
came up to me most most of the every
14:17
um episode we shot like he he was giving
14:20
me love but not you know he wasn't like
14:21
yo he never came up as but it was just
14:23
one scene I did he came up he said yo
14:26
that was really great man that was
14:28
really great work right there and I was
14:30
just like damn this Tim Robbins man
14:38
that right there made me be like okay
14:40
this is this is good and then um Samuel
14:44
Jackson says something to me
14:46
um because you know he had a at one
14:48
point he had like a thing with artists
14:50
that was transitioning into acting
14:52
thinking of rappers
14:58
he listens too by the way yeah he he
15:03
um in fact he's on Broadway right now
15:04
too but I'm doing the piano lesson but
15:07
yeah he he said man you did your thing
15:10
in in John Wick too he gave me love for
15:12
John Wick 2 and I was like damn Sam
15:14
don't like he he was like you know how I
15:16
feel about about it I was like man I'm
15:18
an actor too I mean listen for me I
15:21
obviously I started as an emcee that's
15:23
just what it is I'm an emcee forever but
15:25
I but I've been going through the
15:27
trenches studying acting and working on
15:29
acting so I'm I have to claim that I am
15:32
an actor I'm an actor too so I don't
15:34
like try to take I don't try to like
15:36
separate myself from that and be like yo
15:39
just because I'm A hip-hop artist
15:40
doesn't mean I'm an actor I want like
15:42
when they all sit when it's all said and
15:44
done I want like I want to be down with
15:46
some of the greatest actors too I want
15:48
want us to be able to say man Rasheed
15:51
common was one of the great actors that
15:52
we've seen so that's just my goal my
15:55
vision for myself I wouldn't get into
15:57
this to this art form if I didn't feel
15:59
like I wanted to be one of the greats
16:01
you know and that's I don't do stuff
16:03
unless I feel like I could be an
16:04
Excellence at it it takes work and I'm
16:06
gonna keep working I work to the to the
16:08
day I leave the planet but I want to be
16:10
at that level is cashing coming back
16:13
I hope so what he's not in that's my
16:16
character from John Wick 2. he's he's
16:18
not in three or four but I told them
16:21
they need to put me in five
16:24
because you know people that's one of
16:28
the movies that people come up to me
16:30
most and say man I love John it has a
16:32
con it has like that cult following I
16:35
was in I was in London riding in the
16:36
Uber and dude was like I know your face
16:39
I know you I know you are where I know
16:41
you from and I was like I don't know
16:42
well you know you might he's like and he
16:45
thought about it after a long time it
16:46
was like John Wick too John Wick 2. so I
16:49
realized that that's one of those movies
16:51
that has gotten me out there in
16:52
different ways but as I said before sway
16:55
I try to just do it for the love and
16:58
then what comes about from it is is the
17:00
blessing comments here the the the the
17:02
players between Riverside and crazy Mike
17:04
Muse want to get in there yeah I do I'm
17:07
just listening to you right now we're
17:08
always talking about this idea of car
17:09
part mentalizing art right and like a
17:12
rapper can only rap and actually act a
17:14
basketball player can only play
17:15
basketball right yeah I'm thinking about
17:16
this conversation right now like
17:18
Kendrick Lamar uh I I thought him so
17:20
Transcendent right like he's definitely
17:22
isn't MC but he a Pulitzer he's a
17:24
fantastic writer and I'm thinking about
17:26
his performance that he did live in
17:28
Paris and I've always thought his
17:29
performances were so theatrical right
17:31
looking at the work that you do in the
17:33
body of work that you have had do you
17:35
think there will become a time are we
17:36
getting closer to that time where it'll
17:39
be more acceptable for artists to I
17:42
don't want to use the word
17:43
multi-hyphenated because it's still
17:44
compartmentalizes it where sometimes I
17:46
always get a point where artists are
17:48
just artists right yeah I mean I think
17:51
those artists that really approach it
17:53
from that place will be known as artists
17:56
like
17:57
um yeah but I do think
18:00
um you know I don't I will say I don't
18:03
think just because you rap means that
18:05
you're going to be able to act you know
18:07
what I'm saying like people say Matt
18:08
said to me man you rhyme so I know it
18:11
was acting is easy I'm like no it's a
18:13
whole different
18:14
art form you know but eventually if you
18:17
study it like any other human being if
18:19
you've got a passion for it and maybe a
18:21
talent for it too you want a talent for
18:23
it then then you can become that and I
18:25
think the the thought of being an artist
18:28
is a great thing
18:29
um because it doesn't put any limitation
18:31
on on things and to be honest what got
18:34
me into acting was me feeling boxed in
18:36
at one point doing like I did Electric
18:39
Circus
18:40
so the hip-hop Community was like come
18:43
on man what you doing bro you're losing
18:44
it and I liked it
19:29
yeah now so like me doing that Electric
19:32
Circus album was was a catalyst for me
19:35
actually saying man I gotta do something
19:37
else because I felt like I was like man
19:39
as an artist I want to keep growing and
19:41
and I didn't know what that artistic
19:43
expression would be
19:45
um and and musically I was like man okay
19:47
hip hop is saying don't do that like so
19:49
I was like okay what can I do and I just
19:52
try different things and acting was like
19:54
the one that hit my soul yeah
19:57
um did you come with B after that
19:58
whatever B was wrong that's what I find
20:01
really interesting you went from
20:02
Electric Circus and then came to be yeah
20:06
yeah yeah you know but but see I always
20:09
look at I look at like
20:11
career and and like life journey is like
20:15
okay you kind of can start like B was me
20:18
going back to the roots of what I am but
20:20
it was like a new Cipher a new circle
20:22
like if you're building a tower the
20:24
first tower started with can I buy a
20:25
dollar I mean the first level and then
20:27
went through those albums Electric
20:29
Circus was the farthest away from the
20:31
root that I had ever been but then I
20:34
came back to the root but it's just a
20:35
new level B was a new level of what I
20:38
was rooting in but I think to grow and
20:41
actually have a career I don't think
20:43
it's good to just keep doing the same
20:45
same yeah same you like I mean
20:48
especially when like if you're inspired
20:51
and you are at a certain place as an
20:53
artist you got to be true to where you
20:55
are as an artist like that and to be
20:57
like oh okay I did I remember presenting
21:00
electric circuits to the label and they
21:02
was like man bro like the president was
21:04
like of the label he was like bro it's
21:07
like if I went to a restaurant and I got
21:09
Mexican food there and then the next
21:11
time I go back they serving me Japanese
21:13
food he was like that it don't work
21:15
because I he felt the music was so
21:17
different from what I did before and I
21:19
was like man listen I'm cooking up what
21:21
I'm cooking up this is where I am right
21:23
now that's what I just have to do I
21:25
remember Spike Lee talking about I heard
21:28
him saying the speech early like early
21:30
on I just should um should not be judged
21:33
by one like installment or one piece of
21:35
their work but by the body of work yeah
21:37
so I feel like I want to give a body of
21:40
work sometimes that Journey might be way
21:42
far from what you feel
21:44
um is is I'm about but that's my
21:46
exploration too and I and I deserve that
21:48
as a person and as an artist does one
21:50
inform the other I'm just thinking about
21:51
right now you're talking about you went
21:53
from Electric Circus and then to B I'm
21:55
just curious that's like does the music
21:57
didn't inform the type of roles you take
21:58
and there's a rules you take such as
22:00
like John which is in the character and
22:01
between Riverside and crazy will that
22:03
inform the next style of music that you
22:05
will approach
22:06
um yeah I mean because
22:08
to me for me anytime I'm like taking on
22:11
the character I'm learning something
22:12
about me about Humanity about people
22:17
um so I always bring that to my music
22:20
like like I'm right from a human place
22:22
and I act from the most human place too
22:25
so it's like if I pick up some some
22:27
information or something about me I love
22:30
you know I've talked about things in my
22:33
songs that are really personal I've
22:34
talked about real personal things that
22:37
and I think being an actor has allowed
22:40
me to go to some of those personal
22:41
places and not be afraid to expose it
22:45
um and then come back to everybody be
22:46
like well this is who I am this is what
22:48
it is I mean to be honest I think early
22:51
on I was talking about personal things
22:53
but you know I can say acting as
22:55
informed me to even go deeper in those
22:58
places because you just you got to be
23:00
like it's a vulnerability being on stage
23:02
in in in in Live Theater is a
23:05
vulnerability like the point blank like
23:07
you're just out there and and you've got
23:09
to go to emotional places yeah you're
23:12
naked yeah it's like you got to go to
23:14
places that I wouldn't have to go to in
23:16
a live concert you know I'm rocking in
23:19
the crowd I'm trying to just get people
23:20
charged up or take people to somewhere
23:22
where my song is emotionally but to have
23:26
to go like in a scene and be like
23:28
confront your father
23:30
and about some things that you've been
23:32
heard about in that character you got to
23:35
go to those places and um you know we
23:37
talk about it me and Victor talk about
23:39
it all the time where it's like man you
23:41
carry these things with you so Point
23:44
Blank you carry the work you do with you
23:45
like that's God bless his soul that's
23:48
why we saw like like the Heath Ledger
23:50
Heath Ledger when you know when he
23:52
played The Joker which is one of the
23:53
most incredible like performances I ever
23:55
seen in the movie in the Batman which
23:58
one which Batman was that dark knight
23:59
Dark Knight when he played that I mean
24:02
it might have been hard for him to shake
24:03
that off and I understand those things
24:05
because you go to deep places to go to
24:07
do some of this acting work yeah
24:09
comments here I said absolutely we're
24:12
talking about between Riverside and
24:13
crazy and Victor is Victor Amazon who um
24:17
is incredible
24:18
um actor uh who is also starring in this
24:21
play and I invited Victor to come up
24:23
here for something we're going to
24:24
surprise you with we're going to go to
24:26
song and we're going to come back and a
24:28
lot of people really want to know Common
24:30
when we first start doing this show
24:31
Heather B said you were her boyfriend
24:34
and her mind in her in her
24:36
subconsciousness
24:42
okay mental husband we're gonna come
24:44
back and find out if that's true or not
24:46
okay Sway in the Morning save four or
24:48
five
24:51
[Music]
24:56
the Lord is coming I see about your
24:59
daughter yeah that's yeah when I say um
25:02
waiting for the Lord to rise I look into
25:04
my daughter's eyes and realize imma
25:06
learn through her the Messiah might even
25:09
return through her if imma do it I gotta
25:11
change the world through her so our
25:14
daughter's birthdays I think are a day
25:16
apart yeah and every time he made a song
25:20
where he talked about you don't even
25:22
understand how like you sometimes it
25:25
could be for me
25:26
um it would be challenging sometimes to
25:28
communicate how I feel
25:30
right yes and the way you would write
25:32
about your daughter
25:34
I would just bite your lyrics and just
25:36
remix
25:39
I wrote this for you baby
25:49
so let's talk about how this mental
25:51
health Heather you want to speak to this
25:52
is he still did you divorce him mentally
25:55
come on Heather we still together
25:57
mentally I'm a Scorpio I'm Pisces
26:04
why would you even confident the mental
26:07
man it's there it's there huh it's there
26:10
forever right ever forever there's no
26:13
disrespect to nobody it's way before a
26:15
horse it's way before whoever yeah I'm
26:18
unbothered mental husband why you didn't
26:20
name nobody would comments see that's
26:23
happening
26:29
though you got a great list
26:31
but when you go to a war Show
26:34
everybody's there what how do you deal
26:35
with that man I just agreed them see my
26:38
list the the beautiful women that I've
26:41
had experiences with
26:43
I never left them bogusly you know even
26:46
I mean no matter what like even if we
26:48
had a little little trouble right at the
26:50
at the end it's all good now so I just
26:54
greet them with respect I treated him
26:55
with respect throughout we they got
26:57
respect for me it's king and queen stuff
26:58
I only I only deal with the queen you
27:00
still friends with your accents yes all
27:02
like I could call Tiffany right now
27:05
she'll be like Tiffany would be like yo
27:06
this brother he good he good he he been
27:09
there even when we went together I I
27:12
show up I show up because you know if I
27:13
for me if I'm investing you like that
27:16
and I care about you then it ain't gonna
27:18
just be based on us being in a
27:20
relationship because we didn't build
27:21
some type of thing and I don't mean I'm
27:23
gonna be around you all the time you
27:24
gotta you might have somebody married
27:25
Serena got married yeah Serena got
27:27
married yeah you can't hang out okay but
27:30
Serena is still like respect me we did
27:33
an interview together it's all love like
27:35
she get she got love for me and like
27:36
come on man it was great but I got a
27:40
mentor
27:41
so y'all never okay
27:55
obviously we actually had like she make
27:58
incredible sangria too
28:05
and I can move me incredible saying
28:08
that's all it takes
28:11
why are you trying to understand what we
28:13
have it's trying to understand it I'm
28:15
looking for you know that kind of mental
28:18
situation man you don't gotta find that
28:20
this goes back to like the 90s so this
28:22
is way before this is can I borrow a
28:24
dollar day oh wow way way back okay okay
28:27
I knew you back then so you would you
28:30
see okay here's the difference again
28:32
sway I came to your show the Wake Up
28:36
Show as an emcee you was like brother
28:39
Vibes yeah that's what I mean so we but
28:41
we we you know we would never stop with
28:43
us I know this but this is mental
28:45
husband Vibe okay
28:50
he comes to the house and pulls up like
28:52
it's greedy bro my mental husband would
28:54
never do it's like friend zone from the
28:56
start
29:00
nothing's happening here she introduced
29:03
me as her brother sway before we even
29:05
met him
29:10
okay I get it man
29:12
but I'm just proud of this dude I see
29:14
you in so many like lights and and
29:17
you've never we always say that like
29:19
when we see when I came and saw the play
29:21
which is amazing we could pick up where
29:24
we left off you know so I could you my
29:26
brother you I consider you're truly a
29:27
brother
29:28
um absolutely and uh you spoke highly
29:31
about this young man Victor um Amazon
29:33
who
29:35
who's an incredible actor he plays
29:37
what's the name of the character Oswaldo
29:39
yeah
29:42
um and let's bring let's invite him to
29:44
the to the platform y'all don't mind
29:45
yeah
29:47
musical chairs
29:52
as Waldo and I'm between Riverside and
29:55
crazy yes uh Victor Amazon where you
29:58
from Vic I'm uh I was born in the
30:00
Dominican Republic
30:13
I got to New York when I was uh 13 years
30:16
old 13 years old then when did you start
30:19
acting I started acting soon look I came
30:22
from I came from the Dominican Republic
30:25
at 13 straight A student
30:28
yeah yeah within six months I got
30:32
involved in a lot of Street stuff and my
30:34
father changed me from the school that I
30:36
was in to a different school that had a
30:38
drama program and I thought it was drama
30:40
I see me dealing with my everyday drama
30:43
as a straight A student okay within six
30:48
months in six months I was involved in
30:49
ganks and all that stuff okay you know
30:51
from getting in this country Corona
30:53
Queens it was like so many pockets so
30:55
many different gangs around that time so
30:57
I was like I was near the horse from
30:58
Queen's Bridge how close is that Corona
31:00
is like the seven train by The Junction
31:02
East Elmhurst that whole area is a lot
31:04
of my husband's from Queens her real
31:08
husband her real husband
31:14
that's my brother
31:17
yeah respect the horse
31:20
so so then like within a year of me
31:23
being in that area my father uh
31:25
transferred me to the other school and
31:27
then I got involved with drama and then
31:29
at first I didn't like it because I was
31:31
already getting used to the hanging out
31:32
and everything and then I and I saw
31:34
people with kids acting like something
31:36
that were not and you know how it is so
31:38
you fake you being fake you're not real
31:39
but then uh then uh one of the teachers
31:42
signed me up for an app for an
31:44
after-school acting program and after
31:46
school acting program there was a lot of
31:48
girls and I was like you know what I'ma
31:50
hang out here
31:51
and I'll be in both worlds one time
31:54
sometimes I'll be acting and sometimes
31:56
I'll be in my hood doing stupid things
31:58
the other kind of drama
32:01
but that's how that was my first taste
32:04
at acting and around that time I also
32:06
fell in love with hip-hop like from the
32:08
beginning since I got to this country my
32:09
cousins lived in this country since they
32:12
were born here and uh they put me on to
32:14
Biggie and park and all these people and
32:16
then uh and Jay-Z and us and uh and I
32:19
was like how do I do this I love it you
32:21
know what I'm saying but how do I do
32:22
this I only speak Spanish and then I
32:25
started I started writing in Spanish you
32:28
know I'm saying I fell in love for the
32:29
culture right away and uh you know my
32:31
people from Washington Heights I I got
32:33
family in Washington Heights I got
32:34
family in Queens and uh you know soon
32:38
after I got to this country I went to my
32:40
school I was like oh I got something and
32:42
I started rapping in Spanish and people
32:43
were like what what the hell is this you
32:45
know in the 90s mid 90s mid 90s so so
32:48
how did you um how did you transition to
32:50
Broadway
32:51
so um
32:53
I I did uh acting for a little while in
32:56
high school joined the Marines came back
32:59
from the Marines in the same company
33:00
that I was doing Youth Theater group I'm
33:02
uh the uh the um the uh the the acting
33:07
program thing they hired me as an active
33:09
teacher for a while so I worked with
33:10
them for a little bit and then through
33:12
them I got introduced to the Labyrinth
33:14
Theater Company where Stephen Ali gergis
33:16
which are common just uh mentioned a
33:18
little while ago the writer of between
33:20
Riverside and crazy saw my work and uh
33:23
from there from then he started you know
33:26
inviting me to do readings of his plays
33:28
and his work and uh eventually he
33:32
offered me the role of Oswaldo and
33:33
between Riverside and crazy and from
33:36
there I went on to do a lot of TV and
33:38
film and um I've done Empire okay I've
33:42
done power I've gone Homeland I've done
33:45
uh Chicago PD Chicago Fire
33:47
Chicago PD Blue Bloods I've done a lot
33:51
of uh Off-Broadway plays and then and
33:53
he's funny because this was my first
33:55
professional play ever this one I'll be
33:58
to Riverside and crazy eight years ago
34:00
or something like that wow and then to
34:01
go on Broadway on my Broadway debut with
34:04
the same Play I Started is like heaven
34:06
sent you know
34:07
man yeah man congratulations I don't
34:11
remember seeing you on the set of Empire
34:13
when I when I was doing Empire
34:20
what season were you in ah what
34:23
about first or second Seasons versus
34:25
yeah I was in the second season I
34:28
kidnapped Hakeem I was to do that kidnap
34:30
Hakeem oh that was you yeah yeah yeah
34:31
yeah you had to pay you know Ransom and
34:34
all that stuff yeah yeah yeah I remember
34:35
that I remember that yeah I remember
34:36
that how did you like Chicago ice fly
34:39
man I like Chicago it's like a different
34:42
version of New York more laid back New
34:44
York I went there in the summer and I
34:45
went to the beach you know what I'm
34:47
saying yeah yeah it's like the
34:50
Mississippi right and the percent on the
34:52
on that and uh that's Lake Michigan Lake
34:55
Michigan
35:06
the first time I went back was when I
35:08
was uh 10 years after being in this
35:10
country then uh the second time I went
35:12
back was uh uh five years after that and
35:16
then uh and then I haven't gone back
35:18
since oh okay so I've stayed for the
35:20
most part yeah yeah trying to figure it
35:22
out you know as an immigrant there's a
35:23
lot of things that you you know try to
35:25
do in order to make things happen right
35:27
you know right you know yeah well let's
35:30
make something happen here man yeah you
35:32
know he was talking uh when I went to
35:34
the play a whole lot we walked to the
35:36
garage the parking garage for three
35:38
blocks I had to hear how well he raps
35:41
I said hey man I don't know if you if
35:43
you're cold your co-star comment told
35:45
you really what what I'm about who this
35:47
is you know uh but when you come into
35:50
you talking to somebody who's been doing
35:51
this for decades you telling me you
35:53
could rap the more you talk the less I
35:55
believe it
35:58
me yeah you made it clear that I only
36:00
rap in Spanish you may not understand
36:02
what I said but I can understand if
36:04
you're great or not yeah all right you
36:06
ready I'm ready tell them your name man
36:08
uh my name is Victor I'm inside go by v
36:11
i c AKA kasike okay between Riverside
36:15
and crazy Cypher Victor's up you ready
36:18
yeah yeah DB drop that beat on them yeah
36:24
uh-huh
36:25
biasi kasike coming Sway in the morning
36:29
yeah
36:30
uh-huh yeah
36:33
yeah here we go
36:35
yeah I fell in love with this hip-hop
36:37
here we go yeah since
37:09
[Music]
37:15
[Music]
37:25
[Music]
37:35
foreign
37:47
[Music]
38:21
[Music]
38:26
[Music]
39:04
[Music]
39:06
you got the answers for all those levels
39:11
Common Sense always on the bee you know
39:14
from the head I put you in the lead
39:16
commercials
39:30
foreign
39:33
[Music]
40:22
yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
40:25
[Applause]
40:33
baby
40:35
so good
40:37
thank you man
40:40
that was amazing man yeah
40:45
all right I could translate it for you
40:47
later
40:48
I know you throw our names in it though
40:51
yeah
40:52
father he said some numbers
41:05
green yo uh first um congratulations
41:09
that is hip hop
41:14
make sure you check them out at between
41:16
Riverside and crazy Victor Amazon make
41:19
sure you check him out I'm saying it
41:21
correct right there yeah yeah Victor I'm
41:22
yeah yes yes congratulations what's your
41:25
Instagram uh Victor almansha underscore
41:28
kasike
41:29
c-a-z-i-k-e common man that he got
41:33
recipient soon to come
41:36
left my brother right there man come on
41:39
man we love you man we love you man
41:41
thank you absolutely between Riverside
41:44
and crazy go see Rasheed common the
41:46
actor okay I'll check them out I don't
41:49
even ask them to Freestyle that's the
41:51
first time maybe you know yeah we'll do
41:53
that later all right um uh we want to
41:56
thank glossop for coming by yes her new
41:59
album is out before the gloss up Friday
42:01
make sure you check it out if you're in
42:03
Columbus uh make sure you Columbus Ohio
42:06
go to EXO nightlife 40 East Long Street
42:09
Columbus that's Friday nights uh we want
42:11
to thank uh our good friend John
42:15
uh from Taste of Pablo NYC make sure you
42:19
follow them p-u-e-b-l-a taste of
42:21
p-u-e-b-o-a in YC Mike Muse yo assistant
42:25
hit me up I am Mike Muse m u s and Sam e
42:28
on Twitter Instagram and don't forget to
42:30
tune in to the Mike Muse show this
42:31
Saturday at 2 p.m Eastern Standard Time
42:33
on Urban view Channel 126. all right DB
42:35
thank you thank you thank you thank you
42:37
common thank you I'm glad I got a chance
42:39
to tell you about that um you can hit me
42:40
everywhere at it's really DB uh Twitter
42:43
Instagram and YouTube okay uh torch
42:46
hit me up at torchington that's Torch
42:49
i-n-g-t-o-n Street sermon Street sermons
42:52
available everywhere on all dsps we got
42:55
us on Project victim maybe y'all could
42:56
collabo yes sir I'll do it uh Heather B
42:59
hit me up at the happy hour whb ladies
43:02
lip language for female entrepreneurs
43:04
that's that Billy talk go get it
43:06
canvascolors.com vegan lip Line Get It
43:10
Now Okay this hoodie I'm wearing right
43:12
here if you see it you like this yeah I
43:15
need it I need one of them bro thank you
43:16
for asking me what it's all about coming
43:23
so uh we we all know um this brother
43:27
um Mahmoud Abdul Roth who was in the NBA
43:30
yes and he converted to Islam yes sir
43:33
and he got a lot of backlash because of
43:36
that yeah he was a sacrificial lamb yeah
43:38
they threw him out of the NBA pretty
43:39
much they threw him out of the lead
43:41
because of his religion well that's a a
43:45
friend of mine Jocelyn rolls out of
43:47
Oakland California helped put together
43:49
this film
43:50
um that's going to be featured uh it's a
43:52
documentary on February 3rd it's called
43:54
Stand and it's about his journey and so
43:57
my move congratulations your story has
43:59
been we've been waiting to hear your
44:00
story to one of my brothers just brought
44:03
like man just brought him up and said
44:05
man they need to do a dock on him and he
44:07
it's a DOT coming back and I'll get you
44:09
a hoodie yeah I want a hoodie you want a
44:11
hoodie
44:16
[Music]
44:19
because you used to wear mediums when
44:20
you were still at large
44:25
but that's what this is all about to my
44:27
team we had a magnificent trip at the
44:29
White House yesterday thank you to the
44:31
White House staff Nicole excuse me
44:33
Natalie Erica Erica thank you Erica
44:36
um thank you to Kelly Kincaid for help
44:38
organizing this thing for me the Biden
44:40
Administration who else Keisha Landsberg
44:43
Keisha Lance bottom Shalonda young Steph
44:46
Curry and John Pierre yep the press
44:49
secretary Stephanie Young the director
44:51
of office and management and budget okay
44:54
the Secretary of Education
44:56
um and Draymond Green yeah and Doug
44:59
imhoff yeah the second gentleman the
45:01
second gentleman with the glasses who
45:03
was walking us around JC Joby really
45:07
sweet girl Spillman graduate answer her
45:09
on Commerce and Nakia Williams of
45:11
Atlanta that's right and her father who
45:14
made her listen to me uh growing up
45:16
because he was a hip hop
45:17
[Laughter]
45:25
we'll be back at the White House and uh
45:28
we'll be back tomorrow Toby and wig we
45:29
will be with us okay and y'all have a
45:32
safe day stay on the right side of
45:34
positivity thank you to Ty he's going to
45:36
turn around these interviews quickly as
45:37
you could blink and on that note we have
45:39
nothing left to say
45:43
[Music]
#Arts & Entertainment