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Let's get a cruise show real Natty two three little routes back on the
Yeah, oh my guy, how are you? Bro? I am good?
How you doing doing well? Man? I'm doing very looking healthy,
looking good so much so much you forget to eat because I'll be trying to
fight it. Like you know what, people like talk about you when you
look good? You your best list, and I'll be trying to call the
people fat. It's like, so do we do? We do insults?
No? What do you say that? Because I'm like, yeah, I
do. I eat what I woke, but I work out every single day
and guess what, I'm mentally healthy. That's right, That is that is
the key. That is what makes this happen. Yeah, because you can
look physically fit, but if you're man, I say it's clear for a
reason. All right, man, that's great. If I loose skin,
then you I should be worried. Is this the most clarity if you've had
in your whole life? Mentally? I think so. I think just even
just learning to not react to everything, you know, like I don't.
I don't even read comments. That's some grown mans, not for real.
I'm really just literally, you know, being I think this is the last
I'm engaged, you know, so like you know, like life is just
life is just beautiful and different. Now you know, we're talking with your
people off camera people people. You're always working though real, I mean,
it's just NonStop. This work ethic is crazy. I haven't seen someone with
this kind of running in a long time. Man, I see this directing
run. I'm about to direct my fow a couple of months, So that's
a whole nother life. And it's been fun and I've been on the workaholic
side of that too. So if you ever need to catch any latinos man,
I'm saying cruising eye, I'm serious, We're ready to work like you
to do it. We'll pay you to cast for real, man, Like,
no, we'll give you the money to catch what made you want to
welcome that challenge? You know, that director role, And I've always wanted
to do it, but I like the fact that I get I have more
control, right, and so, like you know, doing all these movies
I've done over time, like I could do this and I would love to
do this. Was now I was like, all, brouh, here's your
chance. You've been talking all this stuff. Yeah, and you could do
it and so and also too, just like the process has been fun.
I am a workaholic. Yeah, so just having all these different roles with
directing, it's been great. Man. I love like having that know everything.
Congratulations man, We're constantly learning, right, Yeah, We're never done
learning, never does. We gotta learn every day. The thing I think
if you if you think or believe you're done learning, you're done. You're
cooked. Yeah throughout. Yep. You know you're dead where you stand.
I guess right, yep, you gotta learn. We've grown now. I
saw it last night. Congratulations. What a movie, man, Thank you.
The ending, I'm not going to spoil it, but dog like it
had me in tears. I got two sons, you know what I mean,
I got two boys. And I just saw that and I thought to
myself, like, wow, like that really is what it is. You
know, what's praying too much? When I first saw the finished cut of
it, because when I shot it, it was I would think I was
doing another thing at the same time, so I was kind of in and
out and I read the script, but like seeing it. I actually teared
up a couple of times. Yeah, watching it. No, that conversation
you had on man oh Man, that's that's one of my favorite scenes.
But but even journeys, like you know the scene where when the two boys
kind of you know, hitch school or whatever. Yeah, and just her
he could watch her trying to figure out as a parent, I'm mad,
but I'm glad you're safe, right watching her battle that was so fascinating to
watch Man. So like it's it's it's a well active film. Shout out
to Blake and Geohn. Those two young boys are great. They did great
now that Yeah, that reminds me. I remember when I was a kid,
I got hit by a car right, Not like it wasn't devastating I'm
here, but I was hit by a car right and my dad. My
dad hit me for getting hit by a car. For you got embarrassing him.
You got a whooping for being hit back up, Yeah, dog like
that before he did take you to the hospital first. No, he didn't
ask me if I was okay or not. He hit me first and then
asked me if I want to not tell you not to walk in credit cards.
Right, I'm like, all right, I want mento. But that
brought me that. I was like, I remember my dad like yeah,
like like whoopball me forgetting it if I had a card yo. And another
thing too, is you know, telling my kids you're grown. Now.
I have a seven year old and a three year old. I found myself
telling my son, you're grown, but he's not grown. And I had
to stop saying that because I don't want to rush his childhood. And so
that's what's funny with even my characters saying in the movie, right, that's
how worried they were after the trail got killed. And so for me,
I grew up at that time. I mean, but it really happened,
so it's documented. It's documented. It's actually a thing. But yeah,
you know, all of our parents were like that, and in a weird
way, I did have to grow up a little fast, and I was
supposed to becau especially in the early nineties in Chicago at that time. You
know, the movie actually depicts when it when we started seeing straight bullets hit
kids. That's when it started. And so all our parents were worried about
it. So we all did have to start looking at like, you know,
certain people like Dangn O'Brien got a gun. We gotta stay away from
him right now. It was just stuff like that. It was kind of
crazy now that I think about it. Yeah, no, yeah, I
remember my parents saying, you know, you're grown, uh, and that
was just for to put us in the state of mindy to protect ourselves.
I think you like, make make adult decisions and don't hang out with those
kind of people. You know, we're talking about grown. If you if
you revisit some of your past, what was the first grown decision you think
you had to make? Dang, I think once again, maybe as a
as a kid. I remember like it was like a random summer and I
don't say random, but like when everybody was joining gangs in Chicago, like
all my friends, and it was weird because it was all recruiting them at
the same time. It was like one day we're all just playing basketball and
baseball and being kids, and then the next day you had like seven or
eight homies that couldn't hang out no more because they like they gave the game
banger And that was a real decision to make. As far as like,
hey, I can't be around and my dad and my mom. I have
both my parents growing up, so my dad was really adamant about it.
You know, thank god he was around because everybody didn't have that made it
easier for them. Yeah, and so like for us, who was to
make a decision like, dang, it's one of my good friends, but
I can't be around this no more. Yeah, no, I remember that.
Yeah, Like summer there was a summer break and when we came back,
some of the homies were in gangs. And that's just what it was.
That's what it was. Like, it's such a crazy thing, Like
I think about it now, like damn, that's why. At the time
it was normalized. But now it's like because even for me making that decision,
they had to make an adult decision at thirteen, that's crazy wild.
That set the course for the rest of their life. And it's a decision
of survival, which is crazy. Man. Growing up, I read you
were in a lot of fights and you got robbed. I wasn't a fight
I got robbed. I would have a lot of fights. I got robbed.
Rob you for so once again, it was it was a gang thing.
It was a gang initiation and it's so far I'll be My brother was
laughing about this other day because it wasn't even name brand shoes. He was
payless like proin Like. I was like, bro, you could take these
if you want. You don't have to rob me. You can actually buy
these. I can know I'll give them to you. You think I like
running these loud shoes because he was a loud you know, back in the
day they used to make the hard bottle pro Is shoes. So I sued
to run across country and people said, Joe, we can hear real coming
because you can hit my shoes tapping on concrete. He had caught up.
He about to be this third here, but Loud I got because he and
I remember him saying like, I gotta do it because I'm being recruited because
you can see the older game member watching him. Wow, do it.
But my dad and my uncle, so this made it funny. I'm like,
okay, cool, you took the shoes. Fine, I go home.
I tell about father. He's like, oh, we got to go
get the shoes. Like, no, you ain't got to go get the
shoes. They went back and got these cheap ass shoes. And I had
to wear them a getting them loud ass cross country shoes. You're like,
na, they can have them. Please give me some more shoes. Yeah,
I see the U the death Row Records hap man. Yeah, that's
crazy, right, I mean legendary label. Snoop is is now head of
Death Row Records. Yep, it's wild right. Did you grow up listening
to the West Coast hip hop like that? Hell yeah? I remember when
Snoop came out and I was the seventh grade and we in Chicago. Yeah.
Yeah, we all bought our plaid shirts. We didn't even know that
was your thing. We just saw Snoop do it the Penalty and the school
didn't know that was gang ship at the time. We was walking around like
yeah, but dressed like little But that's how we but that's how we juking.
Snoop had it. You know that Snoop was so like that was the
thing at one time. It was so funny when that happened. I remember
that you ever hang out with Snoop? Yeah? We did. We did
a movie together. We did like hung out. I don't smoke, but
I was high. It's like you walk in a room or Snoops out you're
gonna walk out. But I'm gonna tell youself in movie history of anything I've
ever filmed, that anybody will work with. He's the only person I've ever
seen a studio give a smoke break too. Yeah, no, for for
real, Like I thought it was a joke, Like no, no,
no, it was like no, it's a part of my contract. I'm
like, damn, that's it. Won't even lunch yet. It wasn't.
No, he SNOOPI is really stupid, stoopid man. Yeah, he gets
the past and he loves sports and I love it. Yeah he does.
Yeah, I mean he's responsible for some NFL players now, Snoop is Snoop
in the program. His program is amazing. Yeah yeah, yeah, Yo,
we've grown now. So you know, the movie obviously hits right,
and it was first released in Toronto for the festival, and then Sony bought
it right and obviously because it's a it's a very important film, right,
But what do you want in your heart? What do you want people to
take away from this movie? You know something? I love how it humanizes,
especially at that time, the residents of Cabrini Green. You know,
I think you know the way we see I think the way they portray people
into projects, especially it says it was just these down ritten and everybody it
was all messed up. But like in this movie, you see a real
family. It was most of most of the families was like that. Actually,
most of the conversations they really talked at dinner. You know a lot
of the stuff, you know, we look at a lot of you know,
nowadays, everything's little different now because you know, the kids have more
freedom. Everybody got their own rooms and all this other stuff. And I
remember was the time, even when I grew up, where you literally have
real conversations at the dinner table. We all had to eat together. But
I love how it humanizes them, and I love the way it shows it
from the lens of these these little boys just being kids in their environment where
they didn't. It's almost like that once once again, we wanted them,
We needed them to grow up too fast. Yeah, they have to navigate
through this world and think, and they're also thinking about leaving that world or
and how they're gonna do it. And that's that's interesting too, because I
was I was talking to my publicists about this earlier today, Like sometimes we
tend to think especially when you from that environment. Oh, if I moved
to the suburbs or like out here to the valley and all this different stuff,
things are going to be so much better. But sometimes it's not.
It's something's just better, but it's really not. Like I even though I
grew up in a hood, I remember, nobody broken nobody house, right,
they broke it, They broke in stuff, but not in your home
though, right, you know you live in the suburbs of valley. They
they breaking in your creed and that feels more of a violation and breaking in
my car or anything, because you're that's my piece, that's my home.
It's so disrespectful. And I was like, damn, and we will run
to go to these places thinking it's gonna be so much better, and it's
like this is almost worse, right, and scar all this money and that's
what they breaking in my crib. Yeah, that's wild, that's wild.
That isn't necessarily happening in the hood. You're right, that's crazy. If
somebody broke in your house, everybody whipped that person out. You hold on,
Ricky, just broken the house, We get the back. Everybody whipping
is new ass. Like when I was a kid. You broke into my
apartment that I lived in with my family, right, Like, Yo,
you're gonna have to see fourteen people don't have to see everybody apartment in this
on this floor. We all coming out. What's the line in the movie
you ever dream so big you feel awake? Bro? That's man, that's
a bar man where that dream? And you've had those dreams right coming up
all in the stage, Like you dream so big that it feels real,
and it has to feel real to you, you know, That's what Like,
that's why I feel like I'm doing now. I you know, life
gone life because life is never perfect. But man, I'm living a dream.
I really am, and every way you could think of it, and
honestly, like even just you know, even you know, going to therapy
consistently and just dealing with all this stuff, even just even just physically waking
up feeling good everything and making it a part of my lifestyle and my life.
I just just being better and then I get to do what I love.
Man, Right, Yeah, man, I am, I'm dreaming out
loud every single day. That's great. Congratulations, Yeah, Like you would
pay to do this, you know, one hundred percent would but I enjoy
that they pay me to do. Going back to the crib. What is
your favorite room? House? My media room? Now, what's that?
Like? You know that's where I watch all. I'm a sports head,
so like, especially during the NFL same anybody got the NFL red Zone,
You got a nice television? You like, I'm here. You get out
of church, like this is what it is you all day? Do you
do? You do you host parties at your crib? Or you ran out
of space separately because you don't want nothing dir at the house. That's good,
good, I'm like, no, come over, let me tell you
something. I found a lot of piece. The only thing, you know,
it's funny. I get on the phone with my brother and we're doing
literally the same thing. He's in Chicago, LA. And we'll literally like
because we Bulls fans too, so you would thought we had a podcast or
a halftime show. We literally call each other halftime like you see what the
officers baby. But it's it's still it's one of those things. It's still
for private. It feels like how we when we grew up and we always
in the same room. It's still the same. It's so weird too,
where you get grown and you your brothers and siblings still have that because even
when he comes to visit, we'll still be We'll fall asleep in the same
room. It's beautif weird, that's beautiful, that's beautiful, and that's family.
Right there. You say media room. We just saw Floyd Mayweather's media
room. So it's a theater and a spa mix. You see yourself doing
something like that. I don't know he there getting his nails done and watching.
He's in there getting his watching. Hello, can someone turn the TV
for me? Because my my nails ain't dry. But man's grooming is very
important. I'm big on that, you know what I'm saying. I like,
let me tell you something. I love a good massage, but I
do get a manicure, and you know what's fun. I've never had a
panicure before that. I come my own toe. Now. It was like,
I'll get a clip, my own thing. But I've never like set
my foot in the bath and then the lady tickle me. And I've thought
about it. It's so weird because I've done every I'm a I get facials
and everything, but I ain't never got nobody to do nothing. My toes,
y'all do that with wife, Girsie, It just paused your facials.
Gia, we're grown, We're grown, We're grown. Now we've grown out,
Garcia. You gotta pause that though. How old you are? You
gotta pause that? Man? Yo, you heard the news about O Jay
Simpson he died. Man, Yeah, man's that's wild that news, just
like what the shook everyone though, Well it's it's it's like quietly ship like
nobody if like nobody could say anything, what do you say? Kaitlyn Jender
said good riddings for real? Yeah, no, for real? Yeah,
I mean Kaitlyn didn't know, but Bruce did, right, right, So
like, yeah, so I guess he's he's going off for that. To
tell you, be careful what energy you put out there. You don't want
nobody reacting to you that way. Can you imagine, like, Yo,
you leave this earth and someone says good ridden, you won't say it in
his face. That's real to piggyback up. You just said, like,
be careful what kind of energy you put out? Are you very intentional about
that? I'm very intentional about that, Like I try my best even when
I walk in rooms. Now it's even more intentional about even walking on the
set, just making sure my energy is right. And that's what I'm excited
about directing my first movie. I'm like, oh, I get a chance
to do things maybe even a little differently I've done as an actor, and
be more inclusive with everybody and make sure I speak to everybody and make sure
you know all these different things. That's amazing. Is there a director that
you studied. It's quite a few. I mean some of my favorites now
and this random one. Aba Duvene is one of my favorite directors. I
just love the way she does everything. Michael Jah White is one of the
most underrated directors right because you know, doing movies like Black Dynamite and stuff
like that. Mike has a and I've sat down with my Michael joh White
is the most fascinating person in the world. He's what about He's like my
favorite new friend. It is Michael joh White. He's so he's so interesting,
Yeah, interesting, weird or interesting, fascinating or both all of it.
Yeah, because because he like even when he go like he he could
go on like these rants about stuff, even if we just talk of fatherhood
or something. But you can hit a toughness in the fatherhood talk. It's
really interesting even we like we went to breakfast with time. It's like you
kind of want somebody to start some ship with us. Yeah, I believe
that. Yeah, y'all don't want this Michael John White. Take a sip
of that coffee roundhouse, shoot right now and drop some knowledge and drown some
knowledge. But he's so he's so smart. He's so smart, and he
knows his film and TV and everything really well. Yeah, man, do
you bring stand up everywhere you go? You do? I think it is
Actually, I think without even trying to get to your core, that's who
you are, That's who I am. And it's like breathing, Like stand
up is one of those things like I can get on stage anytime and it's
just it's not in right. I can drop in and have fun and like
that was fun. I'm out. Yeah. Freestyle, Yeah, I freestyle
before the time is what I do. Really, you just go up there.
So you're not a writer in that way, no, because you're too
talented. Bro Well, I don't know if it mean because Simbad is one
of the greatest to ever do that. Man, God bless Yeah, Simbad
is one of those guys that can go up and just like his spec HBO
specials. If you ever get a chance to even see classic legendary, he
was like, man, man, I didn't break none of that, and
I'm like, damn, but that's who he is. I went and saw
a show he did, like two and a half hours wow of stuff.
We just talked about two days off the Dome. Paul like, man,
we just talked about this leuff. That's crazy. That is show one hundred
percent. I mean I did vergenes of it right with the Oscars, I
did the pre show and then they had me when they didn't have a host
that year, they had me. I got Glenn closer to the button all
that. Yeah, yeah, but I believe like being that guy, I'll
be I'll be a great with the lights on. I'll be a great host.
And to think about it is just because I know how to host,
and you know, I think sometimes people come in with the wrong mindset.
I'm gonna row celebrities and I'm gonna do this and do that. No,
just be funny and keep a show moving. That's why Trevor Noa's been doing
a good job at y. He looks he's having fun. And Trevor's my
favorite at it because he looks like he's having fun. Yeah yeah, Now
is that an act? Do you have to look like you're having fun?
No? I think find somebody who enjoys what they do. If you love
movies or TV, Like if you have met hosts of Oscars or the MTV
Awards or even celebration the gospel, because I love gospel, I'm gonna really
have a great time hosting no show. Wow, yeah, you would kill
that. I know. I was they so scared of comics. Now I'm
like, but you ain't ask me. You didn't ask me why Why are
they scared of the comics? Because because really because of the old heads.
What do you mean, bro? Because like they old so some of the
stuff they just meaner. And so it's like you get somebody who actually loves
this and don't want to be mean. Yeah yeah yeah, don't want to
tell the room. Yeah, I don't want to be mean. No,
you just want to entertain, want have fun. That's great. Man.
Do you drink before the shows? No? I haven't had a drink since
December, God blessed man. Congratulations. Yeah, and it's it's weird.
I didn't put a timeframe on it. It's like I really like one day
was like, yeah, like am I forcing myself to drink to this point?
That's that's ah, it's a crazy realization. Yeah, it's like it's
like it was weird one day because it was like damn. And then I
was like, I want to be more present for stuff. Yeah, you
know these award shows, I go to these these premieres. I want to
be present and deal with my anxiety at a little better. That's what it
aiety. It was like a coping thing. You think it help you with
your anxiety. It's bravery when drinking, though, it was like it was
coping. And then you know, it's funny once you start having it where
you can afford whatever you want. Yeah, then that's a whole other level,
like there's no limit to it. And then you go to all these
things and everything free, that's even crazier. And so it's like you just
got to get control of it. And for me, it was like I
had like cut down, don't like I stopped drinking as much, but I
still felt the same way. And that was weird. And men, I'm
like, wait, a minute. I didn't cut. Maybe I shouldn't be
drinking right, right, right, I don't need it. And it's been
a beautiful and it's honestly, it's so interesting because didn't even realize how much
calories I was putting on because of a lot of sugar tequila. Got a
lot of sugar dog tequila, and I was doing everything. I was like,
I would have a shot at tequila and a double Tito's and like that's
that's crazy, that's crazy, and Ben, it'd be it would go together.
Yeah, no, like four shots and like three beers. Let's get
it, and let's get it. He said, I know, I know
I need help. You okay, we all need help. We all need
a little help, right as a comedian. What do you think is wrong
with you? As a comedian? Yeah, you know, something I could
be makes you I think I'm funny because I could be I could be kind
of mean. It's funny because it's like I'm like nice, mean, you
know what I mean. And then you and your front me like our group
text. If somebody ever broke in our phones, they will kick us out
of it because we we're just so it's so funny and dark but it's funny
to us, you know what I mean. You know, if you if
you get your group of friends, you're like, all right, I can't
wait to see what this oj conversation it started before. I don't know where's
at now. It's probably like ninety messages right now. I mean, yeah,
yeah, down, what's what's your favorite emoji? My favorite emoji?
Oh, that's a good one. It depends, but right, I guess
right now is the the praying emoji I used all day? Yeah, I've
been using the hugging one. I use the fistball, which wants I've never
seen none of those. You never seen the hugging, the fifth bukhok,
the yo. All right, so we've grown now in theaters, Man,
Little Ralph, thank you very much for the time and energy. Man,
we make sure y'all check this movie out. Is so good. No,
let them know, absolutely, it is really good. Man pays checking Rich
for the Cruise Show. Thanks for listening to the Cruise Show podcast. Make
sure to subscribe and here auto download so you don't miss an episode. So