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The Power of Now: Common on Mental Health & Finding Joy 🧘♂️✨ + Cypher JWalt & Lani Light
Jan 29, 2024
Subscribe to Sway’s Universe for more exclusive and groundbreaking content! 🌟 Dive into "Common's Emotional Journey: From Despair to Triumph," a profound and moving video that showcases the incredible path of resilience and success of one of hip-hop's most revered figures, Common. Witness an intimate conversation on Sway In The Morning that delves into Common's struggles, his rise to fame, and his unwavering commitment to health, wellness, and community empowerment. Featuring insights from JWalt and Lani Light, this video is a testament to the power of self-care and determination. From discussing his new book "And Then We Rise" to laying down a dope freestyle, Common opens up like never before. Don't miss this exclusive look at the challenges and victories that define a legend. For more inspiring content, exclusive interviews with icons like #RoyalFlush, #KirkFranklin, and #dee1, make sure to follow Sway’s Universe on social media and visit our website. Watch now to embark on a journey of transformation and triumph with Common!
#SiriusXm #HipHopLegend #MentalGrowth #Selflove #InnerStrength
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Common on Mental Health Awareness
1:40 - Common: Achievements & Vision Expansion
5:43 - "Let Love Have the Last Word" Book Introduction
7:36 - Common Discusses Overcoming Challenges
14:16 - Supporting Men: Women's Role
18:10 - Common's Success Strategies
21:00 - American Work Culture Insights
21:50 - Common Advocates for Healing Spaces
26:25 - Common, Walt & Kalani Cypher
34:44 - Closing Remarks
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
you got to work with your mind your body
0:03
your soul and the foods that we eat
0:06
affects all of those
0:09
things damn it man every time this dude
0:12
come up here I get emotional man I've
0:14
been working on that [ __ ] too it's the
0:16
cancer it's the cancer in
0:19
you [ __ ]
0:22
um listening to I can't even look at
0:24
them we don't even look at each other no
0:26
more it's just a concept it's like
0:27
looking in a mirror it's a reflection
0:30
it's a it's a reflection and and that
0:33
and that that was an excerpt of uh my
0:35
brother talking about his uh new health
0:38
and wellness book and then we rise a
0:41
guide to loving and taking care of self
0:44
um just reading some of these accolades
0:46
man like I like to do every time to
0:48
remind them because I remember I
0:50
remember when can I B A dollar came out
0:53
and that title of his album was
0:55
significant because he didn't have a
0:57
dollar in his pocket it was his truth
1:00
can I bra a dollar I might have even
1:02
given him a dollar when he came up to
1:03
the wake up show back in the day and
1:05
that was in 1992 wow Heather we were
1:08
just talking about earthquake and folks
1:09
who have sustained throughout decades
1:12
one decade two decade three
1:15
decad three decades we're in the club
1:18
that's masterful yeah give yes bro
1:21
that's that's that's a Divine perimeter
1:23
right there that's a blessing in we're
1:25
in the club man everybody been doing it
1:28
three decades put your hands in the
1:30
put your hands in the sky for three
1:32
decades three decades three decades
1:36
young men put your hand down you're not
1:37
even three decades
1:40
old don't even do that but common when I
1:43
look at um the Grammy Awards the
1:45
multiple Grammy Awards the Academy Award
1:48
a prime time Emy a Golden Globe award
1:52
when can I I know when Ken IW dollar
1:55
came
1:56
out was that even in the vision I never
2:00
even knew that I never knew like what
2:04
this could be what when I say this like
2:06
my dream my my passion I never knew it
2:11
could could expand and grow to this
2:13
level it never knew I wanted to Rap Man
2:17
I wanted I wanted these people to know
2:19
who I was I wanted like to put Chicago
2:21
that was part of the significance of
2:23
canabar dollar to was like can we get a
2:26
piece of it because the east coast and
2:27
the West Coast was already out thriving
2:30
in hipop so for me it was just like man
2:32
I want day soul to know I exist I want
2:35
KS to know I'm here I want like no ice
2:37
cube to know who I am these like that
2:39
was my plight like initially but as life
2:43
goes you know we live and we learn and I
2:46
started seeing more things and I'm like
2:47
man these things are the capacity I
2:50
didn't know I had that capacity as a as
2:52
a as a young man and um I think you know
2:55
when you get exposed to new things you
2:58
start seeing a bigger picture
3:00
um you start seeing what you capable of
3:02
and you really you know understand that
3:05
like Man With God all things are
3:06
possible and that possibility is
3:09
infinite so I mean it's certain little
3:12
moments that connected for me like me
3:14
seeing the roots get a Grammy was like
3:17
cuz they at that time I remember I was
3:18
there with them and they were in
3:21
competition and with DMX God bless his
3:24
soul Puff Daddy Fat Joe and R Kelly and
3:28
The Roots won that award and I was like
3:29
like man this is we can we can do some
3:32
things that are bigger than what we even
3:34
knew um and then you know at times once
3:37
I started like seeing President Obama
3:40
you know when I saw you interviewing
3:42
President Obama that was like that was
3:44
like man we are we in places we never
3:48
knew this could be but I mean I think
3:50
it's just a testament to who we are as
3:53
black and brown people um in this
3:55
country and what we been able to take
3:58
from not having a lot to making it the
4:00
most beautiful and biggest things in the
4:02
world and like some of the greatest and
4:04
most influential and his love in it
4:06
everything that that that you mentioned
4:08
I do um which I'm grateful for and like
4:10
you said man it's like some Divine thing
4:13
but everything I got love for for that
4:16
okay for the acting that's love yeah
4:17
that's love like for WR writing a book
4:20
like I'm like I wrote this book because
4:22
I wanted I want to speak to my people I
4:25
want to speak to people and say man
4:27
y'all we dealing with a lot in this
4:29
world what's the one thing we got
4:30
control of is ourselves like how we
4:32
treat ourselves the way we think about
4:35
ourselves um the practices we do when I
4:38
was in that quote in that um excerpt
4:40
from what I was talking about I was like
4:42
and this is a practice like this I
4:44
didn't grow up like knowing oh man what
4:46
green juice was I learned about see
4:49
Heather shut
4:52
up learned about it we getting there we
4:56
good we good she looking
4:58
good look at listen like K rest honestly
5:03
I learned about what being a vegetarian
5:05
was through my philosophy like I didn't
5:07
know like and rock Kim talking about
5:09
eating fish and it's funny because it
5:11
was just like and I ain't immediately
5:13
changed but each step we take you know
5:15
like things start like like they start
5:18
affecting other aspects of your life for
5:20
me people say man well how you been
5:22
doing it this long part of that is just
5:24
like man taking care of myself like
5:27
mentally too and emotionally like I I'm
5:29
I'm an advocate for therapy like what
5:32
and I didn't know nothing about that
5:33
till you know of recent years but it's
5:36
been something that's been a component
5:38
to me being the best parts of me and
5:40
being my higher self commment is here
5:43
man we talking about the new book um and
5:45
then we rise a guide to loving and
5:47
taking care of yourself man I love
5:49
watching you talk man because I can
5:51
imagine myself where I was at these
5:53
stages of your life yeah because of all
5:56
the parallels and when you bring up to
5:58
Obama um
6:00
conversations that I had with him over
6:02
the years you know I sat down with that
6:04
man as a senator two or three times and
6:06
as a president maybe six or seven times
6:08
right go and um
6:11
thank but but here's the thing like part
6:15
of what you talk about in this book is
6:17
mental health right now while I'm
6:19
interviewing Obama with with folks no
6:22
one ever realize is I was in court I was
6:26
going through a court proceed uh
6:28
procedure for w at that time and I was
6:31
extremely under a lot of pressure right
6:34
at this time and the pressure was not
6:36
only what I was going to court for was
6:39
more important to me than the interview
6:41
I was having uh with the president and
6:44
nothing was more important in my career
6:46
right than than that interview and I had
6:49
to
6:50
find um
6:52
grounding um to switch Minds to go from
6:56
court to the White House bro right and
6:59
and in that I studi 75 pages of policy
7:02
and had to know be keen on everything in
7:05
case he went into it but I used to do
7:08
this thing right and I might have told
7:10
this story where Obama watched me
7:12
meditate before the interview I was just
7:13
I need 10 seconds and I was just pray on
7:15
it and I would smile on it I would
7:18
control the energy of it and that would
7:20
sweep all the worry and the stress I was
7:22
dealing with out of my mindset for at
7:25
least the length of that interview right
7:27
and that meditation and that prayer I
7:29
I start I forc myself to laugh before
7:32
every interview back then that was my
7:33
coping mechanism right yeah um in your
7:37
journey we see the highlights yeah right
7:40
but and part of the the the success is
7:43
how you sustain and endure the low
7:46
lights yeah can you speak to a time that
7:49
you considered a low in your life you
7:52
know where you was looking around you
7:54
didn't really have the answer but you
7:56
was able to endure and get to the other
7:58
side obviously cuz you're here today and
8:00
how did you do it man first of all
8:03
that's man what you just said about how
8:05
you like entered those interviews man
8:08
that's that's so key to me that I I
8:11
don't want to just brush over it it's
8:13
like important that like man we deal
8:15
with life stresses so much man that's
8:17
just what human beings experience we go
8:20
through that but for you to have some
8:21
type of method like that's my thing is
8:24
like my method may not be Heather's
8:27
method it may not be like it's it but
8:29
whatever method we developed for
8:30
ourselves is is we need it we need it in
8:33
dealing with what we deal with in life
8:35
no matter how popular you are how how
8:38
rich or poor we just we human beings
8:40
going through the Human Experience um
8:43
for me one of my lowest points was
8:46
actually U when I released uh Electric
8:49
Circus the album and and just you know
8:52
obviously people who had liked my music
8:54
was like no that ain't it bro you know
8:56
this is too far out for us and then it
8:59
wasn't just professionally at that time
9:02
like the first person and it ain't a
9:04
secret like the one of my first loves as
9:06
an adult which was Erica we had broke up
9:09
and it was kind of like one of those
9:11
things where you like man who am I like
9:14
what am I right now like you know I was
9:17
part of I was working towards this this
9:19
relationship that was really important
9:20
to me trying to be the best father I
9:22
could be now people say man we don't
9:25
want to hear your music like that ain't
9:27
that ain't it that's your livelihood you
9:29
I got to take care of my family so man
9:33
it it you know I was in the darkest
9:35
place that I you know one of the darkest
9:37
places I ever been at that time in my
9:39
life for sure the darkest place and man
9:41
I can remember just sitting in a hotel
9:43
room for like weeks not wanting to eat
9:46
too much just like in a in a heavy place
9:49
and man you know I would get these calls
9:51
from my aunt telling me to be better
9:53
then I started like getting into those
9:55
self-help books the Mastery of love and
9:58
you know you know
9:59
like and uh you know and then just
10:01
started continuing praying and what I
10:03
was Finding was you know my relationship
10:05
with with the Creator with the Supreme
10:07
Being was growing stronger because I was
10:10
at such a place you know where I was
10:12
weak but the strength of God was like
10:14
starting to I was starting to see it in
10:16
a in a new way like how God show up for
10:19
you where you in in the worst of places
10:22
but then I started understanding what
10:23
that relationship is too more cuz it
10:26
made me come closer you know like when
10:28
you go through things you know you start
10:31
getting closer to God sometimes your
10:33
family so that was what it helped in all
10:36
those ways and I really started to
10:38
understand the power that I had those
10:40
some of those books was like really
10:42
teaching me about like believing in
10:44
myself and it and it showed me that I
10:46
wasn't it wasn't just the the
10:48
relationship or the album that was going
10:51
to be the end all be all to break it was
10:54
like do you truly believe in yourself
10:56
for the overall purpose and vision of
10:58
Who You Are M and I had to really I had
11:01
to like plant know that those seeds was
11:04
there were there and then start
11:05
developing those that's would let me
11:07
know okay I'mma go through some I'm g go
11:09
through some [ __ ] that's I'mma go
11:11
through it but man I know what I'm
11:14
purposed to do so I it was like that was
11:17
that was a real shifting point for me
11:19
and then I that's when I started working
11:20
on the album B yeah like right there
11:23
that and that was that you know those
11:25
things and you know obviously we still
11:27
go through things it's funny out talking
11:29
with friends you sometimes be like man
11:32
is this going to end or what you know we
11:34
have rough times man we just you know
11:35
it's it's life but man I just be one
11:39
myself and I want us to have tools to to
11:42
work with to go through these things
11:44
things like well this SP like for me
11:47
spiritual one of the most important
11:49
things is like before I do anything in
11:51
the day I'm going just get up and just
11:53
thank God Amen I'm I'm going to take my
11:55
time to read the scriptures that that
11:56
matter to me um that reinforce me living
12:00
in a in in a in Christlike ways meaning
12:02
like God body I'm God when I peace God
12:05
I'm like yo I see God in all of us so
12:07
what's going to reinforce me to live in
12:09
that way and and know that my mind is is
12:12
powerful so I I read those scriptures
12:14
then I got my time to take my little
12:16
vitamins and stuff and if I can get a
12:18
work out here that's my that's important
12:20
to me too I do a I do a little short
12:22
meditation my I I mention these things
12:24
because these are things that I do for
12:26
me before I go out and do anything
12:28
before I do an interview before I go out
12:30
and greet somebody greet me on the
12:32
street before I got to do something for
12:33
my mother or for even for my daughter
12:36
you still got to take care of you to be
12:38
able to be fully like fully in capacity
12:41
and your full self and like the
12:44
potential of like cuz we entitled to Joy
12:47
we entitled to Grace and and to and to
12:50
we are entitled to Joy K that [ __ ]
12:52
around
12:53
though subtitle of your next book right
12:56
that's a fact though right that's a fact
12:58
we are entitled to Joy yes yes there we
13:02
are it's a part of the purpose yes
13:04
that's a part of the purpose like when
13:05
we when we St recognizing that like okay
13:09
wait I'm I'm entitled to Joy I'm
13:11
entitled to actually abundance and like
13:14
peace peace and prosperity and health
13:17
like those are things that like when the
13:19
Creator created us said yo I'm giving
13:21
you this planet this is yours come yo
13:24
you got these things I created you with
13:25
these things it's the world that kind of
13:28
get us all balance and get us off so you
13:30
kind of get got to work to get back to
13:32
self and it's a daily practice cuz we
13:35
all go you know sometimes I'm somebody
13:37
saying something to me and I I still
13:39
revert back to certain things but then I
13:41
got my tools to try to okay let me
13:43
breathe a little bit step what you do
13:46
like you rub the Grammy or which trophy
13:47
you rub like which
13:50
one the
13:53
book I think it's my um celebrity MVP
13:57
trophy right
14:00
something um but um comment is here we
14:03
got a lot of people lighting up the
14:04
phone lines I want to give the team an
14:06
opportunity to talk to you um and then I
14:09
pulled up a list of common quotes I want
14:11
to see if you really wrote them we'll go
14:13
over it all right go ahead so I'm
14:15
listening to you talk com and welcome
14:17
back again to the show um you too Sway
14:20
and I talk about this a lot like thanks
14:22
to my father and he rest in power God
14:25
bless I unapologetically love black and
14:28
Brown men love yes and as a woman as a
14:32
wife I've been a girlfriend before all
14:34
those things um we start to learn now
14:36
like you said I'm just finding out about
14:38
mental health and and dealing with that
14:40
upfront my health period my my spiritual
14:43
all of these things how just in your
14:46
experiences how can we as women help
14:49
y'all along with that because sometimes
14:51
you could be in a partnership with
14:53
someone yeah and they
14:56
not what
14:59
no because like I love y'all yeah like
15:02
really love y'all it doesn't have to be
15:04
a physical relationship I want my black
15:07
and brown male friends to win my black
15:10
and brown male cousins to win my partner
15:13
my husband my love who I want y'all to
15:15
win if I can be a partner in that your
15:17
helpmate I want to be there for that
15:19
process and your experiences as women as
15:22
a man talking to women out there who may
15:24
be struggling in a relationship right
15:26
now because your helpmate or your
15:28
partner is trying to find his way and
15:30
she may not have had the guidance of a
15:32
father like I had what would what would
15:34
be your advice well first I say man
15:36
thank you for supporting us as as black
15:39
and brown Men We y we and that question
15:41
is I love it I love it I love it so
15:44
thank you man for even saying that
15:46
saying what you said that means a lot I
15:48
think starting off where you just
15:50
started is like the the support and the
15:52
encouragement is one thing obviously
15:55
honesty is very important but honesty
15:57
with care one thing I I read this this
16:00
this pastor he was uh he was from B I
16:02
mean not Baltimore he was from from the
16:04
Bahamas his name is Miles Monroe Dr mes
16:06
Monroe and he and I started reading him
16:09
because you know I was trying to really
16:11
get in what is the purpose of a man and
16:13
a woman like um together and one of the
16:17
things that he mentions that I think is
16:18
like I found found natural is man we
16:21
like to provide we like to protect
16:23
that's that's some things that we
16:24
naturally like to do like like and and
16:27
and cultivate some things that women um
16:30
naturally do are are nurtur us they they
16:32
they lead us too in their own ways so I
16:34
think you know a woman being able to to
16:36
be nurturing but also be supportive also
16:40
um understanding that this man will want
16:43
to most naturally want to provide and
16:47
and and leaving a space for him to do
16:48
that like one one of the things I
16:50
experience sometimes in in relationships
16:52
was like yo I'm a man I want to let me
16:55
let me take care of these things I'm you
16:57
might call it old fashion but I feel
16:59
like it's nature for me to want to take
17:01
care of these things so let me do some
17:03
of those things but also hoping and
17:06
seeing if that man has a vision um that
17:08
you could support that even if he's not
17:10
there yet cuz that's one thing we
17:12
encounter is like sometimes a a a man
17:15
wants to be able to provide for his
17:18
family but he might not have the the
17:20
actual job right there but he he has the
17:22
vision so if you see him with a vision
17:24
definitely has some patience um and
17:27
still be encouraged
17:28
and you know I've had friends in
17:31
situations that you know that sometimes
17:33
their partner don't you know it's always
17:35
like you ain't doing this and doing that
17:37
and that's I I never approach you know
17:39
parenting or or relationships like from
17:42
from me talking down to somebody because
17:44
I don't do that to myself so I wouldn't
17:45
do that to my partner or my daughter my
17:48
anyone that I love so I think being able
17:51
to speak to the truth and speak it in a
17:53
way that's that is positive and
17:55
uplifting um is is some invite that I
17:58
would have but that was a great question
18:01
awesome question jez man you out your
18:04
best question cuz commment here shut up
18:08
three decades period three
18:12
decades my bad my bad my bad my bad my
18:16
bad my
18:17
bad com always a pleasure to have you
18:20
join the gang um and these conversations
18:23
I'm so happy they're happening within
18:25
our culture of Hip Hop you know because
18:28
they've had for quite a long time but it
18:31
seemed I don't know maybe it's divine
18:33
timing everything has its place but I'm
18:36
happy that it's happening within our
18:38
culture yeah sometimes I think about a
18:40
younger person who's looking at their
18:43
favorite artists and what they're seeing
18:45
is like yeah I know that the mindfulness
18:48
is something that I should put into
18:50
practice I know that I should make rest
18:52
a requirement but y'all put that to the
18:55
side and became really successful and it
18:58
feels feels like now after you have the
19:00
success that you're able to put your
19:03
well-being into place but then I wonder
19:05
if you were to do all of those practices
19:07
from jump would you still be in this
19:10
position so yeah I I think you know from
19:14
my experience it's like those practices
19:17
develop developing allow me to allow us
19:20
to be in these positions we we do
19:22
something to take care of ourselves cuz
19:23
if you are like you could be at the top
19:26
and be like doing be really successful
19:28
but if you just just doing dope and and
19:32
like drinking all the time and not like
19:34
doing something towards benefiting
19:35
yourself like holistically you're not
19:38
going to last long we've seen so many of
19:41
the artists that have had super talents
19:43
and had the world in their hands just
19:46
for whatever it could have been even
19:47
like mental reasons mental health
19:49
reasons like so if you don't take care
19:52
of yourself in that way it's not going
19:54
to you're not going to get to the to the
19:57
like the the high potential and high
19:59
capacity that you were built for and
20:01
created for yeah and and another thing
20:04
is like just being able to um take take
20:07
some time to yourself is not like it's
20:09
not costing you your career like and you
20:13
want to to be able to enjoy like enjoy
20:18
your your life like the the things
20:20
you're doing and like everything is not
20:22
going to be Sunshine but when you could
20:24
create it for yourself do it and you can
20:27
and and it's like
20:29
I mean I've been in that mode of like
20:31
just grind grind grind and man it's this
20:34
the the pandemic kind of like made you
20:36
slow down where you start to see oh it's
20:38
okay that I could breathe a little bit
20:41
and like I being still is actually good
20:43
like and taking this time taking this
20:45
quality time to talk to my friends that
20:47
I grew up with instead of rushing them
20:49
off the phone know sometime I still rush
20:51
them off when I got stuff to do but but
20:53
the point is like I was spending quality
20:55
time with with my mother and my loved
20:58
ones and I was like man I was passing up
21:01
on this like and and and I talked about
21:03
this before like I worked over in London
21:06
a lot like just for a minute working
21:08
filming this TV show um and I really
21:11
noticed how much they take time like
21:13
holidays they they take them holidays
21:16
and America we got a man we got a lot of
21:19
like we grind grind and it's great but
21:22
what about the happiness and and the joy
21:24
that we talked about and just the the
21:26
well-being and I think you know for any
21:28
young person that wants to get there you
21:30
still want to be well when you there
21:32
like you know so I you want to be well
21:34
when you're there commment is here y'all
21:36
uh we going to take one more I know you
21:38
got a heart out U cuz your people
21:40
looking at their watches um they don't
21:43
know how long we known each other three
21:46
decades all right okay Mike go
21:50
ahead this is such a great conversation
21:52
um that we're having and it's just a
21:54
constant reminder of how much um black
21:58
men there is an outcry for this right by
22:01
the things that you're saying your lived
22:02
experience things I get just in response
22:05
to skin care just that I get in DMS in
22:08
terms of how do I find happiness on the
22:11
weekend what activities could I do I
22:13
want to keep in the space where you're
22:15
talking about Joy what is it like is
22:17
there there's multiple problems right
22:19
and challenges but is there a couple of
22:22
issues and challenges that keep black
22:23
men in position where we feel like we
22:25
don't have the permission to have joy
22:27
besides obvious yeah well I think man
22:30
shoot I mean if you think about like the
22:33
the the
22:34
survival that that we have the the
22:37
survival like methods that we've had to
22:40
that we've inherited just as black men
22:42
in this country like to okay I got to
22:45
take care of this and sometimes we
22:47
didn't have I mean it goes back I mean
22:49
let's get it it goes back to slavery if
22:51
you getting if you getting like a father
22:53
removed from your family you're getting
22:56
separated from your family um you trying
22:58
to figure out how do I exist and then
23:00
you're a man seeing different things
23:02
happen to your family and you're not
23:04
able to to really truly defend that
23:07
without losing your life or they losing
23:09
their lives so we intergenerational
23:11
trauma we've been inherited right so
23:13
then we as black people have to like we
23:16
we figure how do we exist in this world
23:18
some of that is survival just to be able
23:20
to exist like okay we got to survive in
23:23
this way we got to be tough over here
23:25
because our uncles and everybody is what
23:28
they told us how we got to make it and
23:31
that being the way of life and the
23:33
culture has to me um I never heard the
23:37
term selflove or I never heard like
23:40
anything about mental health till till I
23:42
became an adult and and really in my 30s
23:45
um and I think that that was not that's
23:49
not part of our culture in the way we
23:51
talked about ourselves and thought about
23:53
ourselves though we wanted to give our
23:55
young people as much as possible they
23:57
uncles wanted to do right byas fathers
24:00
wanted to do right by us but just by
24:01
some of the survival and some of the
24:03
things that destroyed them they weren't
24:05
some weren't able I ain't going to say
24:06
all but some weren't and and um those
24:09
that weren't like we were we were left
24:11
with a gap of like how do I live in this
24:13
world how do I exist as a man that that
24:16
can actually like me and sway like I get
24:19
emotional and I can say it I'm emotional
24:21
When I See This brother because it is a
24:23
reflection it's like a reminder of all
24:26
these steps where could you have that
24:28
space to be that or where did you have
24:30
the space to say man I'm uncomfortable
24:33
with this situation or I feel um I'm I'm
24:36
in fear of this thing and I seen it
24:39
because we got this organization called
24:42
common ground in Chicago and we have
24:44
like you know young men and women and
24:47
when we when we take them on the retreat
24:50
the young men's and the young women that
24:52
we go separately sit down and just have
24:54
pwis and hear those young people just
24:56
Express themselves about the things they
24:58
fearing and to get open by the end you
25:00
got young people just tearing up crying
25:04
saying what they need to say like that's
25:07
a space that like goes towards our
25:09
healing we ain't we ain't we haven't
25:10
healed ourselves as a whole in a
25:13
community so so I think what I'm what
25:15
I'm saying is that that space is like we
25:18
creating that space now we having these
25:20
conversations now and as you said Divine
25:23
time Divine time so maybe it is that
25:26
time but it is I'm not even going to say
25:28
maybe it is that time that we having
25:30
these conversations and um and and being
25:32
active like not just talking about it
25:34
but one of the things that I was really
25:38
um adamant about was like man I'mma
25:41
write this book but I ain't G like if
25:43
I'm go say selflove and self-help I
25:45
can't just say it and love yourself but
25:48
what other ways did you love yourself
25:50
like I just told some ways that I do
25:52
like try to love myself this is the ways
25:54
I do it man I want I want action items
25:56
like we got this whole campaign called
25:58
make one change right now like and it's
26:00
just like what's one thing I could
26:02
change like for me I said I got to get
26:04
more rest it could be some simple things
26:06
but those are things like I want to see
26:08
I'm I'm my goal is to put action into
26:11
our lives like like this be a active
26:13
thing of active change yeah common
26:16
common man the book is called and then
26:18
we rise a Guide to Love and and take a
26:19
care of self so happy for my brother man
26:22
I always hoping you can make a young man
26:24
dream come true man yo can I yo okay go
26:27
ahead goe so I I mean I know we talking
26:29
about the book and all that but this
26:31
hip-hop so me and P Rock working on this
26:33
album man and I can't wait to to to to
26:36
to come up here and play some of this
26:38
music is Pete gonna come with you Pete
26:39
coming with me well I heard y'all
26:41
promise Seth Meers you go on his show
26:44
well
26:45
listen we think be on that what a
26:49
hater y'all didn't think I'll be on
26:52
that listen I jam on anything I am on
26:57
about to blow like I'm trying to keep my
26:58
hands warm God him see I came in a man's
27:02
form when I return to dust it'll be a
27:04
sandstorm tell the people the master got
27:07
a plan for poor little liquor when I
27:09
know my man's gone over bars I'm never
27:12
tender with love I force MDS to
27:14
surrender ancient remedies that my
27:16
grants would remember what I rely on I'm
27:19
a king like simber the people's agenda
27:22
in my heart serve rappers alak cart you
27:25
playing yourself you should have never
27:26
got the part this is hip hop theater and
27:29
Broadways I respect over theaters of
27:32
music I'm the man I'm the media landed
27:35
on the planet like the rock of jalter my
27:38
alter call is the call to never alter
27:41
ain't [ __ ] sweet I'm the salt of the
27:43
earth since the birth of the Nation of
27:45
Islam that taught me to eat to live and
27:47
to get calm we keep [ __ ] fluid like it's
27:50
inbomb 88 set them straight like I'm ly
27:53
swine it's pentatonic the way that I be
27:55
been in phonics it was written like I'm
27:58
living in a Sonic they Marvel at me like
28:01
I'm in a comic iron sharpness Iron Man
28:04
it's ironic yeah yeah look the
28:07
revolution won't be televised but on my
28:09
television screen I see my people die so
28:12
we've been marching we've been screaming
28:13
fighting for our rights but really if we
28:15
got each other we going to be all right
28:17
right planting seed so we can see the
28:19
growth for the future generation just so
28:22
they can know change starts within
28:23
yourself and your inner soul black boy
28:26
and black girl you was mental grow yeah
28:28
yeah and then will never get to change
28:30
that stay strong you got power cuz your
28:32
skin black right hand in the air and
28:35
double fist that loyalty in Our Roots
28:38
yeah we been that yeah yeah and really
28:40
this is just a new beginning we ain't
28:42
close to being done we ain't close to
28:44
finish trying to make a better world for
28:46
our black children your D America I
28:48
really hope you really
28:51
listen that was J W right there
28:56
J
29:00
black your third eye with every word I
29:02
spill a man I just yo How I Could Just
29:05
Kill a Man listen for MCN a plan In the
29:09
Heat of the Moment still acting like a
29:11
fan just cool out and listen to me this
29:14
is Malcolm x-ray vision living through
29:16
me the unruly Unapologetic unashamed
29:20
brainstorm range from Flame the Summer
29:22
Rain my book of life has the color
29:24
change underrated like Steph I discover
29:27
with my range and thinking in a Rover
29:29
it's so long I can ever be colder I came
29:33
to hold a lot of things on my shoulder I
29:35
like to do it from my third eyes always
29:37
kick it wise when it comes to this yo
29:39
you know then we rise it be like I do it
29:42
like this every day I'm sitting with my
29:44
man yo yo his name is sway of course
29:47
it's all Heather we put it together
29:49
first I did be then I had to find
29:51
forever and this is how it be yo you
29:53
know we get down I'm cooling with my man
29:56
yo he yo he from the town
29:58
we car it the
30:04
onir slaves I be enslave now I get free
30:07
commsense I had to be a type of MC to
30:10
come down and flow we've been doing this
30:12
thing since um the wakeup show but now
30:15
it's like this yo cson stay curious
30:17
rocking right now right here on
30:20
serious yo yo I said a grandmother's
30:23
black skin is worth more than gold what
30:26
you going to do pay for your soul young
30:28
God open up your mind you could overcome
30:31
finding power that's inside so I'm
30:33
giving thanks to my Lord that I could
30:36
breathe on raising the M yo I say I got
30:39
no enemies I'm in the streets like I'm
30:41
Gandhi yo the secret place of the most
30:43
high you can find me I'm freestyling off
30:45
the head you know how we giving me my
30:48
man's K you know that we going to be
30:49
living third eye energy no enemies so in
30:53
the morning you know we get we do for
30:56
free
30:59
yeah Lon light that was Lon light J wat
31:03
you got one more come on man you know
31:04
what it is you here with the Juggernaut
31:06
right here J was s and coming I was
31:09
getting scary I came to win swey thing
31:11
we do is legendary look get into the
31:13
cream like this [ __ ] been in Jer where
31:15
the B it was a dreaming on my Visions
31:17
very cuz I can see that I could do
31:19
whatever I choose move the way I want to
31:22
nobody do what I do I used to kick back
31:24
and spit raps up in middle school and
31:26
now I'm here today show my younger self
31:28
I'm that dude I see my dreams come to
31:30
life and that is putting work Queens by
31:32
my side gave me life put it in the verse
31:34
some G's by my side keeping Uzi I ain't
31:36
talking vert damn but all of them still
31:39
be up in church a contradiction that's
31:41
hard a picture it's true as facts I read
31:43
Des scripts to be a fixture King and rap
31:45
let's up to [ __ ] who been a [ __ ] but
31:47
for the blacks I read my blueprint it's
31:49
looking like we about to change
31:55
rap wow Give It Up man that's J W that's
31:59
our Lonnie light our our assistant
32:02
producer all right yo that's that's
32:06
commissioner that's Commissioner Gordon
32:08
son what and susette Williams W man y'
32:13
yo y'all snap bro for real like that's
32:16
the type of MCN I want to hear man
32:19
that's yo for real man y'all yo y'all
32:21
sound amazing bro like real MC man some
32:25
Soulful rap before he leaves tell him
32:29
how he's impacted y'all man as MC's man
32:33
man man it's uh you're you're you're
32:34
definitely the one of the reasons why I
32:37
do what I do today you know what I'm
32:38
saying I started off doing poetry um
32:41
that was my inry intro into like music
32:43
and everything and I remember just
32:45
seeing you and hearing your music you
32:46
know my your my parents would play you
32:48
in the house all the time and just
32:49
seeing you I would watch you on the on
32:51
the de poetry jams and everything and
32:53
then listening to uh obviously to Music
32:56
Man it changed everything for me as as a
32:58
MC and made me talk about what I talk
33:00
about you I remember when I when I first
33:02
saw you back in Oakland man we sat on a
33:04
panel to talk about mental health you
33:06
know what I'm saying so I remember
33:07
showing you that photo again and just
33:08
like you really opened my mind to like
33:11
talk about mental health as a young
33:12
black man you know what I'm saying be
33:13
able to express that and that's why I
33:15
like to share um within my music and
33:17
everything so definitely if it wasn't
33:18
for what you done bro I definitely
33:20
wouldn't to be where I'm at as a MC and
33:22
as a artist and a creative and just a
33:24
human man so you know I thank you br
33:26
love you just inspire me bro give thanks
33:29
confir right L light L light first thank
33:34
you for all your contribution to the
33:35
culture that's one and just speaking on
33:38
the things that you do righteously like
33:41
that's an inspiration to me and even
33:42
down to like this right here this is a
33:44
physical manifestation of your lyrics
33:46
come on on the song invocation where you
33:48
have uh you said my third eyes feeling
33:51
like pink eye contagious you know like
33:54
Harry got like third eye energy you know
33:57
and I just wanted to thank you you know
33:58
this is a physical manifestation of your
34:00
lyrics and yeah thank you man you making
34:03
my lyrics better than they
34:06
are thank you bro I appreciate that
34:09
that's amazing bro I appr appreciate you
34:10
saying it's the physical manifestation
34:12
of your lyrics D damn bro never heard
34:15
that bro that's L go ahead and
34:19
cry it's okay man yo get this man we are
34:22
so proud of you as a community as your
34:25
brother right as this culture we are so
34:28
proud of you continue success we
34:32
all are entitled to
34:36
Joy that includes you enjoy your life
34:39
brother and the people that are around
34:41
you thank you man I love you love you
34:43
too man give it up for coming the new
34:45
book is and then we rise a guide to
34:47
loving and taking care of s we want to
34:48
thank earthquake for coming by today DJ
34:51
uh DB Mr slow it down for finding a beat
34:54
that that blitt it in well with his
34:55
Acappella
34:58
I know you was like oh [ __ ] I'm going
35:00
get the T sw's like right now like
35:02
[Laughter]
35:07
what [ __ ] just leave him
35:11
alone you know we got to make it back
35:14
bigger and better baby all right man I
35:16
know you got to go brother love you
35:17
thank you I'll reach out to you all
35:19
right okay give it up for comment
35:23
[Music]
35:25
y'all
#Arts & Entertainment