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Rob Kenner Talks New Book The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle
Apr 5, 2021
Rob Kenner calls into Sway In The Morning to talk about the first in-depth biography of Nipsey Hussle, the hip hop mogul, artist, and activist whose transformative legacy inspired a generation with his motivational lyrics and visionary business savvy—before he was tragically shot down in the very neighborhood he was dedicated to building up.
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Rob Kenner Talks New BookThe Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle
https://youtu.be/jkCQ1GUM7J4
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0:00
for themselves.
0:02
That's an excerpt
0:04
from The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life
0:06
and Times of Nipsey Hussle.
0:08
The book is out now. I had a chance to
0:10
read through the book, and I smiled
0:12
throughout the whole thing, even though
0:14
I know the story. There's the intricate
0:15
details that my man Rob Kenner put into
0:18
perspective,
0:20
context, to really, really
0:23
paint a picture of who this man, I say
0:25
is, cuz his spirit is still in us,
0:28
Nipsey Hussle, and the impact his career
0:30
had
0:32
from the music to his life outside of
0:35
the music. It's all encapsulated in this
0:37
book. It's a wonderful book. It's a
0:39
great read.
0:40
Yes. I encourage you to get it now. It's
0:42
written by somebody, if you don't know,
0:44
you should know. Tracy, break it down
0:46
for me. Yo, I can break it down in so
0:48
many ways. You brought up context,
0:50
impact. I want to talk about how this
0:52
man has contributed both to my life.
0:55
Citizens, a lot of y'all know, before
0:58
audio radio became my main mode of
1:00
communication, it was writing. And I'm
1:03
going to take you back before I started
1:05
professionally writing to when I was an
1:08
intern at Vibe magazine. And I was the
1:11
type of young grasshopper that would
1:14
knock on every single editor's door. It
1:17
didn't matter if they were right in the
1:19
middle of a 3,000-word profile. I would
1:22
introduce myself and just ask where I
1:24
can assist. And I had the balls to knock
1:28
on the door of probably the most
1:31
paramount
1:32
figure in Vibe's history, Rob Kenner.
1:36
And I must say, from literally the first
1:39
3 seconds that we spoke, this man was so
1:43
generous with his wisdom, with his skill
1:46
set, and really poured into me from day
1:49
one until my final days of at my
1:51
internship, and then beyond into the
1:53
present moment. He's one of the most
1:55
prolific and influ- influential voices
1:59
within hip-hop, not just in publishing,
2:01
but I'm going to go ahead and say the
2:02
culture. Like I said, he's a founding
2:04
editor over at Vibe, but he didn't stop
2:07
just there. He wrote for Complex,
2:08
Genius, Mass Appeal, Pigeons and Planes,
2:11
Ego Trip, New York Times, Billboard. But
2:14
then, taking storytelling even further,
2:17
he has produced and directed
2:18
documentaries for the likes of De La
2:20
Soul, Nas, Post Malone. He's so
2:24
important to the culture, citizens. And
2:27
I'm so proud, honored to have him on
2:30
Sway in the Morning to speak about this
2:32
new book, The Marathon Don't Stop: The
2:34
Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle, which
2:36
is out right now. Rob Kenner, YOU THERE?
2:40
ROB.
2:42
I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK. I just want
2:44
y'all to keep going. This is
2:48
THEM FLOWERS SMELL GOOD, RIGHT, ROB? Oh
2:50
my goodness. I was just
2:53
I was excited to be on the show. I was
2:55
like, am I really going to be on Sway in
2:57
the Morning? Is this really happening?
2:59
Like
3:01
Of course.
3:04
Tracy, I have been so happy and proud to
3:08
see you doing your thing on this
3:10
program. You have really, you know,
3:13
blossomed. I don't even want to
3:14
patronize you, but like you have really,
3:16
you know, it's just great to see you,
3:18
cuz I remember you as an intern. And,
3:21
you know, we had a lot of greats come
3:23
through Vibe over the years. Um, and,
3:26
you know, that's why Quincy started the
3:28
magazine, cuz it needed to exist. This
3:30
platform for this culture needed to
3:31
exist. And
3:33
damn, were you there when Nipsey came up
3:35
to the office, Tracy? Were you there on
3:37
Washington
3:37
not.
3:39
I was not. Mhm. What year was that?
3:42
Well,
3:43
that was uh Bullets Ain't Got No Name,
3:45
2009. Mhm. He came up to the office, and
3:49
you know, I found out during the uh
3:52
process of researching The Marathon
3:54
Don't Stop that he had been sending his
3:57
demos and like, you know, homemade
3:59
headshots and, you know, homemade press
4:02
kits to the next section. Remember, the
4:04
next section was where like Right.
4:08
Mary J. Blige got their first page in
4:10
Vibe. And so, that was the goal that
4:12
young Nip Hussle set for himself. And
4:15
frankly, I I heard he was a little salty
4:17
that we were not getting back to him,
4:19
you know? Um, which is cool, because
4:22
like every goal that he ever set for
4:24
himself, even the really high goals, he
4:27
persisted. He focused. He locked in. And
4:30
by God, he made it up into the offices
4:32
of Vibe in 2009. And that was like a
4:35
victory lap in itself for him, you know?
4:37
Mhm. Absolutely. Can Can Can you
4:40
Just listen I love this story. I love
4:42
hearing stories, Rob, by the way, man.
4:44
It's great to have you on the show. Um,
4:46
big fan over the years. Um,
4:48
you've been very consistent. And you're
4:51
very important to the culture.
4:53
Can you speak to your
4:54
brother. You're a legend. And can I just
4:56
say, I mean, you're all in the footnotes
4:57
of this book. You know that, right? You
4:59
checked the footnotes. Like Oh,
5:01
Damn, am I? I didn't I I didn't check
5:02
the footnotes. I
5:04
I read the I read
5:06
I read everything, including the
5:07
acknowledgements. Let me check the
5:08
footnotes. Oh, You read it like a
5:10
fan.
5:11
Yo, my man Rob, man. Give it up for Rob
5:13
Kenner, man. I'm in the footnotes,
5:15
dammit. Come on, man.
5:18
That's fire. I will I will check it, and
5:20
thank you, Rob. I appreciate that. And I
5:23
see, you know, my first time really
5:26
finding out about Nipsey in depth was
5:28
through Davey D.
5:30
Um, when Davey D
5:31
the legend, yes. Yeah, Davey D is man,
5:34
you know, that's my mentor.
5:35
And he did that Get Your Money Right
5:37
seminar, and he was telling me about I
5:39
remember him first telling me about
5:40
Nipsey. You know, like, yeah, man, this
5:42
kid is really pushing independence. You
5:45
know, he's doing everything himself.
5:47
He's a visionary. And um, I thought that
5:50
was important, but it's something that
5:52
Dan Charnas, the author of The Big
5:54
Payback, the history of the business of
5:56
hip-hop,
5:58
it's something he said I want to ask you
5:59
about, because we all a lot of us know
6:02
Nipsey's story, but not in the detail
6:04
and the layers that you dive in, and the
6:06
family involvement, and the friends, all
6:08
the way to his untimely all the way up
6:10
until his murder.
6:12
Um, right. Dan Charnas compared and
6:14
contrasted Jay-Z and 50 Cent and Puffy
6:17
and J. Prince and Master P's rise as as
6:20
be- being successful and suc- successful
6:23
capitalists who just broadened their
6:24
platforms and grew even bigger and went
6:27
out for the bigger deals.
6:29
Mhm. But he described Nipsey Hussle
6:32
slightly different as being successful
6:34
in the same way as a business mogul, but
6:35
he said his capitalism was his activism.
6:39
That's right. And that's what separated
6:41
him from anyone else. Can you Can you
6:43
elaborate on that? What does that mean
6:45
to you?
6:47
Well, it's I, you know, when I was
6:49
researching the book, I wanted to get a
6:51
very clear picture of Nipsey's
6:54
accomplishment from a business
6:56
standpoint. And as you mentioned, Dan
6:58
wrote a very in-depth book about the
7:01
whole history of hip-hop business. And
7:03
I had a sense that what Nip did was very
7:06
different, but I just wanted to
7:07
double-check the details, you know? Like
7:09
like Dan, you you really locked in. So,
7:13
has anyone ever done it like Nip Hussle?
7:15
And he couldn't think of anyone. You
7:18
know, the way I put it in perspective is
7:20
like this.
7:21
There's a lot of inspirational stories
7:23
in hip-hop. A lot of people who have
7:26
made, you know, the transition from
7:29
nothing to something, as as the saying
7:30
goes, right? And we know, for instance,
7:32
Jay-Z,
7:33
all of his uh accomplishments, and he is
7:37
now a billionaire. It's amazing what
7:39
he's accomplished. And we know where he
7:41
came from. We He put it in his raps.
7:44
But he didn't build Roc Nation in the
7:46
Marcy Projects, you know? Mhm.
7:49
Right. It would be an
7:51
an extra challenge to try to do that,
7:54
you know? Um, E-40 comes from, you know,
7:58
the Bay. He had a saying that hate come
8:01
with the plate, right? And and that is a
8:03
that is just a reality. It's an
8:05
unfortunate reality. And of course, the
8:08
the police harassment, you know, the the
8:10
the street culture that's
8:13
a big part of Nip's whole life. Um, all
8:16
of these things made it an extra
8:18
challenge to
8:19
be ten toes down in that same shopping
8:23
plaza where he and his brother, you
8:25
know, came up. And so, you know, to do
8:28
what he did and keep it right there in
8:31
the community and employ so many people
8:33
and inspire so many people and provide
8:36
legitimate options for folks that might
8:39
not have options, you know, and and
8:41
might have to get back into the street
8:43
life that that put them in problems in
8:45
the first place. You know, Nip is a
8:48
shining beacon even to this day. And you
8:51
know, today is
8:52
a a an anniversary of an atrocity, and I
8:55
I don't even like to focus on that. The
8:58
book is not about the tragedy. It's
9:00
about the triumph. And you know, that
9:03
triumph is continuing. That's why
9:05
everybody says the marathon continues,
9:07
because it's on all of us who get what
9:09
he was doing to keep it going. I'm
9:11
getting choked up talking now. I'm
9:13
sorry.
9:13
right, man. No, it's all right, man. I'm
9:16
getting choked up listening, Mike. I
9:17
mean, excuse me, Rob. Let's get choked
9:19
up together. Go ahead. Keep speaking on
9:21
it.
9:21
It's a serious thing. And I saw you like
9:23
when he came on your show with the
9:26
Crenshaw tape, you know, that that idea
9:29
that he had
9:30
is an idea that has been seized on by
9:32
the whole music industry. Now, Taylor
9:34
Swift and Justin Bieber sell their
9:36
albums with bundles, right? And they
9:39
they combine the the tickets, the
9:41
concert tickets, and the album, and
9:44
play that Nipsey Hussle created. And,
9:47
you know, that Crenshaw tape that he
9:49
sold for $100 per CD, I saw you take
9:52
$100 out of your wallet and hand it to
9:55
him on the show, because you were
9:57
supporting you got what he was doing.
9:59
You understood the value that he was
10:02
placing on his art.
10:04
And you know, at a time when no one was
10:06
paying for music damn near, everything's
10:08
available for free, but his supporters
10:12
loved him. Like that song you just
10:13
played, it was a deep reverence. Mhm. It
10:16
was a deep reverence, absolutely. And
10:18
let me tell you too, Rob, why that
10:20
happened.
10:21
Um
10:23
for a couple of reasons. When I looked
10:25
at him, you know, you and I have been in
10:26
this business long a long time, so our
10:28
intuition might be a little more
10:30
developed than others. And I knew he was
10:33
more just than a great rapper who had
10:36
good timing and had real transparent
10:39
bars that kind of painted great pictures
10:40
of his life. Mhm. I thought of I thought
10:43
of him and his movement as the
10:45
representation
10:46
that is going to take the kind of evolve
10:49
our mindset in our communities and how
10:51
we educate ourselves in financial
10:53
literacy and bring it back to where we
10:56
grew up. And I knew that representation,
10:58
him being at that mall, being successful
11:00
with his mixtapes, would impact kids'
11:03
lives who grew up in that neighborhood
11:05
who never saw anything like that. So, it
11:07
was important It was important to me to
11:10
get that $100. It didn't compare to
11:12
Jay-Z's 10,000 though, Rob. It I you
11:14
know, I
11:15
I did what I could.
11:18
It's a small thing to a giant, so I
11:20
hear.
11:22
Um Trace, I'm going to let you jump in.
11:24
I want to ask you to because you you
11:25
done so much great work, you know, work
11:27
that you done with De La Soul, Nas, Post
11:29
Malone, and and and I can name a
11:32
a slew of other projects that you worked
11:34
on that I think are golden.
11:36
This one is different. Um they're all
11:38
different, but this one I would imagine
11:41
may come with a lot of pressure because
11:43
of who Nipsey is to a lot of people. Uh
11:45
what what was that process like for you?
11:47
Did you feel the weight of making sure
11:49
that this book was right? And how did
11:51
you cope with it?
11:52
Of course, I did. It was uh it's It's
11:55
absolutely the most challenging project
11:58
I've ever attempted. And I say attempted
12:02
because the the verdict is in your
12:04
hands, it's in the hands of the readers.
12:06
And and so far the feedback has been
12:09
really positive and and overwhelming,
12:11
you know, but um
12:13
you know, it was it was something that I
12:15
began before the tragedy of March 31st
12:18
just because I realized
12:20
that, you know, there weren't even a lot
12:21
of decent magazine profiles written on
12:23
Nipsey during his time. You know, he's
12:25
one of the most important and
12:27
misunderstood artists ever in hip-hop
12:31
and really beyond hip-hop, just cultural
12:33
figures in America. And
12:35
you know, to see his contributions slept
12:39
on for so long. Like, you know, I was
12:41
blessed to meet him early in his run.
12:44
You know, the Complex I was at Complex
12:46
when he tweeted Complex. Remember
12:48
that? That was a fun one.
12:52
What a time.
12:53
They had thrown shade on they called him
12:56
an underachieving rapper on one of those
12:59
funny lists they like to do. And then,
13:01
you know, I had nothing to do with that
13:03
list for the record, but anyway, it
13:05
happened. And then one of my colleagues
13:07
um Angel Diaz wanted to interview him
13:10
cuz he was a real fan. And he he reached
13:12
out to the email address in the Twitter
13:14
bio. It's like, I'm a big fan of yours,
13:17
love to interview because you just
13:18
dropped this this Crenshaw tape. Well,
13:20
Nip was probably, you know, feeling like
13:23
a champ at that moment. He made $100,000
13:26
the first night of the
13:28
and
13:29
you know, he was like, Complex. You
13:31
You threw shade on me like just the
13:33
other day and now you're my fan. So,
13:35
that interview is legendary that he did.
13:37
But um
13:38
so yeah, I felt pressure to tell this
13:40
story with truth and authenticity and
13:44
wrestle with all of the complex legacy
13:47
of this young man. You know, this is
13:48
someone that
13:49
was a brilliant mind that could build
13:51
his own computer, you know, uh and yet
13:55
all of the real things that he was
13:57
involved in in the streets of LA and,
13:59
you know, trying to unite the streets of
14:02
LA at a time when, you know, people
14:05
might have said, you know, how is like,
14:07
you know, someone from Rolling 60s, you
14:10
know, kicking it with someone from
14:12
another neighborhood. You know, he had
14:13
Killer Twan from Watts and his crew from
14:17
early and then of course his friendship
14:18
with YG. Um
14:20
you know, it's very deep. The things he
14:22
was doing, you know, nothing he did was
14:24
easy. Um and so I guess, you know, the
14:27
pressure that I felt
14:29
it was
14:30
I I was able to bear that pressure
14:32
because I knew the story was important.
14:34
And also, I had Nipsey Hussle's voice in
14:36
my headphones every day. You know, I was
14:38
listening to his interviews, I was
14:40
listening to his music. And, you know,
14:42
all through the pandemic, all through
14:44
the George Floyd madness and the the
14:47
racial reckoning that's been going on in
14:49
this country, I just felt like I got to
14:51
finish this book. I got it, you know,
14:53
this the world needs this book right
14:54
now. Mhm. Wow, Rob.
14:56
that, Rob. Rob can hear us though.
15:00
Can we speak in like maybe if you can
15:02
give us some meticulous detail on
15:07
how you even begin a biography like
15:10
this. Does it start with a call or an
15:14
email to a family member? Do you pick Is
15:18
the first piece of writing you begin
15:20
with like a standout moment in his life
15:23
for you? Just a little bit of the bones.
15:26
Sure, sure. Well, there's a couple of
15:28
layers to your question and I want to
15:30
address all of them. Um
15:33
this book is not an authorized
15:35
biography. I want to say that, made it
15:37
clear all through the, you know, rollout
15:40
of the and even before when we announced
15:42
the book. Um this is a journalistic
15:45
account. This is my contribution as a
15:47
lifelong music journalist to place
15:50
Ermias Asghedom, Nipsey Hussle, in the
15:53
context of hip-hop history, LA history,
15:56
and American history. Um I'm sure that
15:59
there will be many books written about
16:01
Nip. And, you know, I know that the
16:03
family is working on a documentary,
16:05
which I'm sure will be amazing. So, my
16:08
process did not involve saying, you
16:10
know,
16:11
reaching out to the estate and saying, I
16:13
want to collaborate with you. This was
16:16
me saying, okay, I just spoke with Nip
16:19
Hussle for an hour and change uh to make
16:23
a 5-minute YouTube video for Mass
16:25
Appeal, which, you know, it was a great
16:26
video, but there was a lot more
16:29
that needed to be said. And there was no
16:31
way, you know,
16:32
I could fit it all into a short format
16:35
like that. So, I realized walking out of
16:37
that conversation with Nip that I just
16:40
had an obligation to really, you know,
16:43
present his story fully. And um I wasn't
16:47
sure if that would take the form of a
16:48
documentary film or or book, but I just
16:51
started My process is about accumulating
16:53
knowledge. So, I was
16:55
trying to talk with people who had
16:57
collaborated with him. You know, you
16:59
know what we do at Vibe. We report. We
17:01
we do on-the-ground reporting, right?
17:03
So, that's how I was trained, that's
17:05
what I did. And I I spoke with people
17:08
who have been part of his campaign from
17:11
very beginning. And over time, I was
17:14
blessed to speak with Black Sam, his
17:16
older brother, um with Samantha, his
17:19
younger sister. And, you know, people
17:22
like Cousin Capone, that was one of his
17:26
big homies from early days in music and
17:29
in street life. Um people like Ralo
17:32
Styles who went to
17:33
Ralo, yeah. school with him and has
17:36
production credits on Victory Lap, but
17:38
also
17:39
was producing songs when he was known as
17:42
Concept. He wasn't even called Nipsey
17:44
Hussle in his early rap.
17:45
Wow. You know, and um
17:48
I mean, one of the deep stories in the
17:49
book, without getting too sidetracked,
17:52
Ralo told me that he invited Concept to
17:56
jump on a record
17:58
that somehow found its way to the ears
18:00
of the late great Afeni Shakur. And
18:04
Afeni Shakur was so impressed with this
18:06
record by an artist she had never heard
18:08
of. She invited him and Ralo to fly down
18:12
to Atlanta to perform at the Tupac
18:15
release event for the posthumous album
18:18
Better Days. And, you know, like you
18:20
can't make this stuff up. So, when when
18:22
Nipsey called himself Tupac of my
18:24
generation,
18:25
you know, there was a lot behind that
18:27
statement. And and, you know, my my hair
18:30
stood on end when I heard that story.
18:32
You know, it's just it's unbelievable.
18:33
But yeah, so the process
18:36
was gathering stories like that, putting
18:38
them all together.
18:40
And as I mentioned before, I didn't want
18:42
to make the book about the tragedy, but
18:44
in the writing,
18:45
you know, you played the excerpt, which
18:47
um I've never actually heard the
18:49
audiobook until I you just played that
18:52
excerpt. I've never heard it before
18:53
Uh-huh.
18:54
speaking.
18:55
How you like it? Right. How you How you
18:57
How How you
18:58
You like the narrator?
19:00
Huh? Yeah, he was dope. I I got to
19:02
listen to his voice on other projects
19:05
and I was like, yeah, he'll be great.
19:06
But I haven't actually listened to the
19:08
full audiobook yet, but um anyway, that
19:10
was amazing. But I knew there was no
19:12
place to start other than that
19:14
celebration of life at the Staples
19:16
Center and that moment of Lauren
19:18
uh
19:19
stepping to the podium. And, you know, I
19:21
just want to send heartfelt condolences.
19:24
Once again, it's March 31st. It's an
19:26
atrocious anniversary. And we just want
19:28
to send love and healing light to
19:31
Hussle's whole family and and all of his
19:34
loved ones. But um yeah, that that was
19:37
So, the process
19:39
of writing, as you know, Tracy, is a
19:41
challenge to put any story you care
19:44
about down. And you want to
19:46
tell it the right way, the best, most
19:49
powerful way possible. Um but I knew I
19:51
had to start with that moment because
19:53
everybody felt that moment so so
19:56
intensely. Yeah, I love how you did did
19:58
it, man. The Marathon Don't Stop: The
20:00
Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle
20:03
by Rob Kenner, who's with us. Has the
20:04
family give you given you I know Black
20:06
Sam is in the book and his sister's in
20:08
the book. Have they given you any
20:10
response since the book has come out?
20:13
I hope that I do. I have not heard any
20:15
response from them. I've sent books to
20:19
the family
20:20
that were, you know,
20:22
taken to them by, you know,
20:24
trusted people that I know will make
20:27
sure that they put them in their hands.
20:29
And and I pray that they receive the
20:31
book in the spirit in which it was
20:33
intended, you know, with love and
20:35
respect, you know. And and just as we
20:37
mentioned that, I I I'd like to
20:41
point out that, you know, I made a
20:42
decision to donate a portion of the
20:44
proceeds to the family and to the
20:47
Neighborhood Nip Foundation, which
20:48
supports
20:50
aspiring artists from the community.
20:53
Um not because it's an authorized book,
20:55
not as a business transaction, but just
20:57
out of respect because that's something
20:59
I I wanted to do.
21:00
Absolutely. Uh we got a couple callers
21:03
that want to comment as well. Uh I'm
21:05
going to start with Kyle from Indiana.
21:07
Kyle, grand risings. How are you, Kyle?
21:09
Hey, Kyle. Hey, what's up? How you
21:11
doing? Doing great, man. Can't can't
21:13
complain. Rob Kenner is on the line with
21:15
us right now. You got to get the book
21:16
The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and
21:18
Times of Nipsey Hussle. You going to get
21:19
the book, Kyle, before we talk?
21:21
Uh 100%, man. He nailed it. He killed
21:24
it, man. For real, he he he said
21:26
everything that needed to be said, you
21:28
know, from from Nip's family to
21:31
everything that he accomplished to to
21:34
The Marathon Continues. I mean, all
21:37
y'all are legends. For real, I follow
21:39
all y'all. Tracy, Heather, The Happy
21:42
Hour, Sway. I've been with y'all
21:44
so heavy for so long. I'm definitely a
21:46
citizen. I with y'all a heavy as
21:49
I cannot believe I'm on here with
21:51
y'all.
21:52
That's what's up. Love the felt. You a
21:55
citizen, Kyle. You a citizen.
21:58
That's what I'm talking about. Okay. All
22:00
right, man. Have a great day, man.
22:01
Thanks for your comment. You know, I'm
22:04
sorry, Rob. He didn't really want to
22:05
talk to you on that one, I think. That's
22:07
okay.
22:09
Is Heather B in the building cuz I I I
22:11
have to say
22:12
Say it to her.
22:14
Heather B, you have one of the strongest
22:19
microphone voices of I've seen you with
22:21
BDP on stage at SOB's and the way you
22:25
say your raps is like a cannon firing.
22:28
It is power. And I just, you know, I'm a
22:30
fan from way back. So, I'm happy to be
22:33
in the midst of greatness.
22:35
There you go. She'll hear it. She She on
22:37
vacation right now, Rob. But,
22:39
we're going to play that. I'm going to
22:40
send that clip to her so she can hear it
22:42
from you herself, okay?
22:44
All right. We got Kev on the line from
22:46
Charlotte. Kev, you want to make a
22:47
comment? Kev Kev.
22:48
Yes, sir. What's up? Good morning,
22:50
everybody. How y'all doing today? Doing
22:52
great.
22:53
Good. Good. I appreciate the I
22:54
appreciate the conversation first and
22:56
foremost, Mr. Kenner. I got my daughter
22:59
right now. It's raining, but as soon as
23:00
this rain break down, I'm taking my butt
23:02
to Books-A-Million and grab that joint.
23:03
Hopefully, it's in there.
23:05
That's love right there. Thank you so
23:07
much. I'm glad that
23:09
wanted to say this real quick about
23:10
Nipsey, man. I remember 1 year ago
23:12
today, I was on my way to school driving
23:14
down to Clinton College.
23:16
I broke down. I was bawling. Like
23:19
literally bawling like a baby because it
23:23
affected me so much. It affected me
23:25
because I'm a 37-year-old man, two
23:28
children, married, and I felt like that
23:31
was me.
23:32
I really felt like that was me when
23:34
Nipsey got killed.
23:36
Um
23:37
just, you know, just overall just seeing
23:40
him, knowing how he was, and knowing the
23:42
impact that he had on our culture. I got
23:44
a saying that I like to that I like to
23:46
think that everybody ain't all street
23:48
and everybody ain't all scholar. But,
23:50
Nipsey made it cool to be both. And I
23:52
love the seeds that he's planted out
23:54
here in this world. And I'm I'm I'm I'm
23:57
big on education. I'm big on our youth.
23:59
I'm big on the future. And I just can't
24:00
wait to see those seeds grow and blossom
24:02
and become what he intended for them to
24:05
be.
24:07
Wow. Yeah. Beautifully said. Thank Thank
24:10
you, Kevin. Enjoy the book and and and
24:13
tell you and your daughter you're both a
24:14
citizens. A sway in the morning.
24:16
Citizens, brother. All right.
24:18
I'm going to take
24:20
Big facts. You know,
24:22
I know we have to go, but Rob, what I
24:24
think is we're going to have to do a
24:25
continue I used to have this thing with
24:27
Dan Charnas where he would do a segment
24:29
every week on the show. I can't think of
24:31
a Yeah, Dan. You know, Dan and I go back
24:34
early days of Sway and Tech Wake Up Show
24:36
when he used to work with Rick Rubin
24:38
over at American. And that's right.
24:41
Yeah. And he remember Art of What was
24:42
it? Art of Origin with Chino XL? And you
24:45
know, so we go we go way back from
24:47
there. He's a great friend of mine. And
24:48
I used to have him come on the show and
24:50
he would break down a particular song
24:52
and tell you the history of it. And
24:56
I would love to continue conversations
24:58
with you.
24:59
And let's just talk, man, and share
25:01
stories. And reading his book, one of
25:04
the things I really enjoyed, too, is how
25:05
you showed the relationship between
25:08
Nipsey and folks in the industry. And
25:09
the one of the my favorite stories in
25:11
this book is how he met Diddy. How he
25:13
met Puff.
25:15
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That That's an amazing
25:17
story. Lauren and and was friends with
25:20
Cassie at the time and they went to
25:22
celebrate a party or a birthday and
25:25
Nipsey met met Puff for the first time
25:27
and you know, Nipsey wanted to play him
25:30
music. And can you tell us what happened
25:32
from that point?
25:33
Well, I think it was just really cool to
25:36
see that Puff was open to this, you
25:40
know, artist from from LA because people
25:43
always try to, you know, hype up the
25:46
rivalries and the tensions. But, you
25:48
know, both of these are great artists
25:50
that just love hip-hop. And, you know,
25:53
when when Nip
25:55
said, "I'm I'm working on an album."
25:57
Puff's like, "Well, I live here.
25:59
Come press play and let's figure it out,
26:01
you know." And uh
26:03
Nip is such a fan of hip-hop, you know,
26:06
in every era, every genre of
26:09
you know, subgenre. He just wanted the
26:12
blessing. And, you know, he wanted to
26:14
shoot a video like Hate Me Now, you
26:17
know. He wanted to, you know, create a
26:19
moment like that. And and, you know,
26:22
Puff said, "Well,
26:23
I'm not sure if we can ever recreate
26:25
that moment, but
26:27
let's listen to this record." And, you
26:28
know, he gave him advice on how to
26:32
change up the mix on the the lead
26:34
single.
26:35
You know, and you know, compared it to
26:39
a Dre and Cube record that, you know,
26:42
had that same, you know, energy, that
26:44
aggressiveness. And he said, "You If you
26:46
can't play your record next to this
26:49
record and match that energy, then, you
26:52
know, you need to go back to the drawing
26:53
board." And
26:54
you know, Puff ended up being
26:57
kind of a creative consultant on the
26:59
whole project. He has a credit on
27:02
Victory Lap. And of course,
27:04
you know, the the track that he
27:06
collaborated on with Nip is is one of
27:09
the standouts on the whole album. So,
27:11
yeah, there Puff's contribution to
27:14
Victory Lap was huge. And Nip was very
27:17
proud of that. You know, he was proud to
27:19
have the blessing of one of the greatest
27:20
producers ever. Um and it just shows,
27:23
you know, his respect for the culture,
27:25
you know. That was one of the big things
27:27
I learned about Nip in working on this
27:29
book. He loved rap music, period. Like
27:33
If you, you know, if he would never diss
27:36
another rapper, you know. He He wanted
27:39
to uplift this culture. And if you could
27:42
improve your place in life and elevate
27:45
your community with beats and rhymes, he
27:47
was all for it, you know. Whether it
27:48
was, you know, Lil Bow Wow or Kris
27:51
Kross, he was He loved this music. And,
27:55
you know,
27:56
uh I think everybody, even, you know,
27:59
Gemini that was, you know, that you you
28:01
showcased just before I came on, you
28:03
know, he would have been rooting for
28:05
Gemini, you know, to to take all the
28:08
constructive criticism that you just
28:10
left him with and the platform. And he'd
28:12
be looking forward to that next record
28:15
to see, you know, how he applied it
28:16
going forward. And that's what The
28:18
Marathon Don't Stop is really all about.
28:20
It's that that spirit of Nipsey Hussle,
28:22
you know, needs to keep going.
28:25
Absolutely. Absolutely. Rob, thank you,
28:27
man, for uh blessing us with your
28:29
presence. Indeed.
28:31
To Lauren and the family, you are angel.
28:35
You are heaven-sent. Lauren made so such
28:37
a difference in his life. One of the
28:39
things you even put in the book was a
28:40
You talked about a 2017 IG post
28:44
that really says a lot and where Nipsey
28:46
was talking to Lauren and said, "My muse
28:48
for 4 years. I probably owe her
28:50
publishing.
28:51
Um but I get but I gave her a baby. I
28:54
think we're about even now."
28:57
Her and
28:59
amazing. What What do you think What
29:00
would you think just from your
29:02
assessment Lauren's impact on his life?
29:05
Oh, well, you know, he
29:07
One of the the cool things about their
29:09
story is that they admired each other
29:12
from afar before they met, you know.
29:14
Both of them were talking about the
29:16
other to friends or in interviews. And,
29:19
you know, when Lauren reached out to to
29:21
buy some Crenshaw merch and and some
29:24
mixtapes, you know, Nip didn't waste any
29:27
time and, you know, reached out on DMs.
29:30
And
29:31
you know, I think they were soulmates,
29:32
you know. There's certain people that
29:33
you can just see are
29:35
perfectly matched and support each other
29:38
in every aspect of life. And, you know,
29:41
something that Lauren revealed just
29:43
recently on the anniversary of Victory
29:45
Lap is, you know, that's her voice
29:46
between songs saying victory lap on the
29:50
album but what she revealed is that
29:52
while she was voicing those in the booth
29:54
she actually had their son Kross on her
29:57
hip you know while she laid those those
30:00
raps down or those ad-libs so it's uh
30:04
it's it's hard to imagine
30:06
how she's holding up but her strength
30:09
give strength to everyone that's that's
30:11
hurting and you know her impact on him
30:15
in life
30:16
is great and certainly you know on his
30:19
legacy is is you know you cannot even
30:22
express what what she means to everybody
30:24
that loves Nip Hussle so
30:26
you know sending much love and strength
30:28
to her today.
30:29
Rob Kenner ladies and gentlemen get the
30:31
book The Marathon Don't Stop The Life
30:33
and Times of Nipsey Hussle. Rob we'll
30:35
continue having conversations man so
30:37
much to talk about all right?
30:39
I'm looking forward to it Sway. Just say
30:41
when. Okay that's what's up. Is it what
30:43
what's this number you calling from? Is
30:45
this your number?
30:46
Uh yeah this is my cell phone. Yep lock
30:48
it in. I'm about to lock it in don't
30:50
hang up just yet.
30:52
Let me see that. I won't I won't say it
30:55
out loud.
30:56
Can I share with
30:58
Sway? I haven't talked about this much
31:00
but
31:01
you know it's been a overwhelming
31:02
response to the book. Thanks to
31:04
everybody that's been posting your
31:06
copies on Instagram stories and sending
31:08
so much love. One of the calls last week
31:11
which blew me away a professor at Howard
31:14
University
31:15
set up a meeting and we're going to do
31:17
it April 12th for the student body of
31:20
Howard University with like six
31:22
different professors and the Dean of
31:24
Arts and Sciences and basically the book
31:27
is going to be taught at the most you
31:30
know one of the most prestigious
31:32
you know learning institutions in
31:33
America and uh
31:36
that right there is the
31:38
the hope and dream that I had is that
31:40
this book would be worthy for inclusion
31:43
on like Nipsey's reading list. You know
31:45
he was a reader and he he shared his
31:47
reading list with everybody so to know
31:49
that this book will be taught at Howard
31:51
is I'm very humble.
31:53
That's incredible and that's taking
31:54
place what day?
31:56
Uh April 12th. I'm not sure if it's open
31:59
to the public. I'm not sure if I'm
32:00
supposed to talk about it but I'm
32:01
excited and Okay that's a great book.
32:04
You you didn't say nothing I pulled it
32:05
out of you don't don't worry. But to
32:08
and then um
32:10
let me see what else you got going on.
32:12
So you did a lot of the other things.
32:13
You had the conversation with Davey D
32:15
already.
32:16
Well yep KDAY radio will be doing
32:19
something it might be on now I'm not
32:21
sure. Yeah but yeah Davey of course
32:24
you've seen the interview you mentioned
32:26
at the Get Your Money Right Summit and
32:28
then he interviewed me at the
32:29
Commonwealth Club in
32:31
San Francisco and you know him and Jeff
32:33
Chang just did the the YA the young
32:36
adult version of Can't Stop Won't Stop
32:38
so we did a little twitch party last
32:40
Saturday along with Rocky Rivera who's a
32:42
dope MC from the Bay Area who wrote her
32:44
memoir Snake Skin and yeah that was the
32:47
thing so it's been overwhelming Sway but
32:50
here I am speaking to you today and
32:52
Tracy it's
32:54
I'm having my own little victory lap
32:55
right now. There you go. Hey listen Rob
32:58
the marathon continues bro. All right
33:00
Rob Kenner man we appreciate you man
33:02
we'll be in touch. I just shot you a
33:03
text Rob you a citizen bro you a
33:05
citizen.
33:07
Much love much respect
33:09
long live Nipsey Hussle. Absolutely.
33:12
All right and on that note we going to
33:14
come back with Mike News and the
33:15
political news we take them to Nipsey
33:17
right now.
#Arts & Entertainment