Episode Transcript
[00:00:04] Speaker A: Yo, it's effective immediately. I'm DJ ahead. Gina Views is somewhere getting her eyelashes done, but nonetheless, we gonna keep it moving. I do have special guests in the studio right now. Of course. I'm gonna get to my fella in a second, but I have the chief Innovation officer from The Jump Foundation, Mr. Ken Oliver, here with me.
[00:00:22] Speaker B: What's happening? What's happening?
[00:00:23] Speaker A: Welcome to the show. And of course, the fella himself, NorCal's on all of the good stuff. Album. Album. Back. It's back album time.
You know what I'm saying, Mozzy?
[00:00:34] Speaker C: Oh, you already know, brother. Appreciate you having me, my thug.
[00:00:37] Speaker A: It's always an event when we link up.
[00:00:39] Speaker C: Most definitely.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: You know what I'm saying? I appreciate, you know, y' all pulling up and having this little conversation with me about what you got going on. But first and foremost, shout out to Larry Miller as well. Also shout out to Down North Pizza as well, for being a part of the movement and whatnot. I wanna give them their flowers. But, Mr. Ken Oliver, tell us a little bit about yourself just so we. I don't want to skip over nobody's accolades.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I try to keep it real short and brief. I mean, you know, my story is a cliche for black men. I mean, I did 24 years in the joint, a dime in solitary confinement. You know, they tried to label me on some gang stuff. And, you know, I sued the state and got out in 2019 and jumped right into trying to get my hustle on legitimately.
And so I found myself representing our folks up at the state capitol in Sacramento on a whole bunch of criminal justice reform stuff, primarily around voting rights and child support laws and sentencing laws and that type of thing.
And then I started looking at what was happening with us economically, as you should, and the opportunities that we weren't getting when it came to the workforce, entrepreneurship, that type of thing, and really, really started diving in deep to what that looked like for us and been doing that ever since. And I had the great fortune a few years ago to meet my man Larry Miller up there at Nike and the Jordan brand. And we're just really amazed by how this cat came out of West Philly with a similar background to mine and was able to be the president of an NBA team. And I'm like, hey, I don't want nothing from you. I just want you to be my mentor and give me the game.
And so we kind of been locked at the hip ever since and been trying to affect this work all over the country. And now we Pushing in sports and entertainment to open up unlocks for our folks to get in behind the scenes.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: As you should, man. Much love to you, bro. I appreciate you being here.
[00:02:24] Speaker B: Yes, sir.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: Appreciate you having me, man. Mozzy. Yeah, Mozzy. Been quiet.
Been ducked off.
[00:02:30] Speaker C: I've been chilling, man.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: Been in the stew.
[00:02:32] Speaker C: Yeah. Working.
[00:02:34] Speaker A: Cooking up.
[00:02:35] Speaker C: Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad.
[00:02:38] Speaker A: I think it's. I think it's dope every time you pop out, because I think you don't. You're not somebody that oversaturate, for sure. But you also not somebody that disappear on us.
[00:02:47] Speaker C: Nah, most definitely.
I just be trying to stay out the way, you know, I got stiff stipulations trying to beat that, beat that, get that out the way real quick. And then, you know, I can't wait to jump on a flight, sky up and get up out of here, man.
[00:03:02] Speaker A: Yeah, for sure.
Why now?
[00:03:05] Speaker C: Why now?
I ain't got to see the world I ain't got to see the world. I feel like I've been on a crazy run. Decade. 10 years plus, no smut. And I just been. I've been beating up this region, so I feel like I kind of lightweight box myself in. And so I just want to see what, you know, what it look like outside of here.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: Outside, yeah.
So now you popping back out with the new project, New album, Intrusive Thoughts.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: Intrusive Thoughts.
[00:03:33] Speaker A: Motivation behind this.
[00:03:36] Speaker C: You know, we came with all type of names and.
[00:03:39] Speaker A: Yep, keep talking.
[00:03:40] Speaker C: You know, we came with all type of names and, you know, but I feel like Intrusive Thoughts, just kind of lightweight fit where I'm at mentally.
And one of the dopest projects thus far, if you ask me. I feel like, of course, everything I drop anything, like my newest. My most up to date music is always my dopest music, but I put a lot of. A lot of growth in this one transition. You know, I speak a lot on transitioning and just trying to take my gangster to the upper echelon.
[00:04:13] Speaker A: Yeah. Speaking of transition, because, you know, I mean, I'm gonna get it early.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:18] Speaker A: On a 10% record.
You said, and I quote, quit asking why I signed to cmg. So you back, you back home, you back with Empire. Why the transition? Like, what brought that upon? Like, what made. Why that transition?
[00:04:34] Speaker C: I feel like the independent game just worked better for me, for you and.
[00:04:37] Speaker A: Yo, how you get in.
[00:04:38] Speaker C: Yeah. For how I operate.
Just more fast paced. And of course, you know, me and Empire, we had a lengthy relationship. I believe I started with them and, you know, I function with Gotti heavy function with Interscope heavy.
I just feel like more fast paced for me. You know I like to get the music out. I don't really like to contemplate and I just feel like they stipulations was. It was. It was tougher than the independent route.
[00:05:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I feel like a lot of artists go through that where they jump in.
You used to running your program how you run your program for sure. And then you jump out there, you go over that fence and you like oh this ain't nothing like it.
[00:05:20] Speaker C: Nah, it's a little tweakier. It's a little tweak. I respect it, I respect it. Got the utmost respect for it. But you know, I mean you know I'm just. I've been adapted and accustomed to. To the race I've been running.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Yeah. How's the relationship cmg?
[00:05:35] Speaker C: Oh did my people we locked in.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: That's what's up. Straight up man. Ken, like when you first. I mean I have hella questions. I mean I come off as intensive get em in. Get em in as intrusive. But when like you said you were in 24 years. 24 years all in and then all in 24 years.
[00:05:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I got more than that in the system. I started out in ya at 14 and a half but in this last jolt I was struck out in the three strikes law and did 24 straight.
[00:06:03] Speaker A: So I did read about that. And the three strikes law has been very controversial especially because of last year's election, the whole Biden Harris campaign, stuff like that. Joe Biden was one of the main people or the cabinet that he was a part of was one of the main contributors to three strikes and advocating for all of that stuff like that. So as a black man in this country do you think that the three strikes law is something that we should keep? Is it something that you feel like is just like where you stand on? I mean obviously I probably know but.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: Where you stand on. You know my man talked about Harry Tubman. I don't want to get in that Turner up in here. You know when you ask me about should we keep the three strikes law? Three strikes law was crazy. I mean you know I got homies that struck out for stealing a pack of cigarettes, the pizza man, all kind of crazy stuff. Right. So I mean I think that like it was a reaction to the little girl getting killed in Fresno, California polyclass and there was a reaction by the right to lock everybody up moving who had a record. And you know for most of us who come up in these places we all have records, usually from a teenage years on.
And it was a way to capture a big swath of black and brown men, round them up. And we were over indexed on people who got struck out. And there's a lot of, lot of us are still back up in there right now if we had pistol cases or other things like that as our third strike and still trying to get out and push stuff in the legislature. So nah, the three strikes law is, get rid of it is garbage.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you have an alternative?
[00:07:29] Speaker B: Yeah, the alternative is you invest in people, Right.
[00:07:32] Speaker A: Just in the long term, the short.
[00:07:34] Speaker B: Term and the long term. And what we have to understand as a society is that most of this stuff is rooted in poverty.
So when you go into the cities, cats is reaching and playing the corners because they looking for access, access to the economy, they're looking for access to the bag, right? And when you don't have that, you willing to, you know, jump over counters and do all kind of stuff. And that's, you know, that's kind of, kind of our history here. And so if we invest in really giving people access to entrepreneurship, giving people access to jobs. And I ain't talking about jobs where you put on an orange vest and pick up shit on the side of the freeway. I'm talking about real stuff where you're making 100, $150,000 a year type of jobs. Those are things that we don't usually have access to. We don't have access to it because most of us don't get that in the education system. We don't get it in the skill building area. So we do 5, 10, 15, 20 years in prison. And when we get out, we don't know how to do nothing.
[00:08:21] Speaker A: No skills, right.
[00:08:22] Speaker B: We don't have skill sets. And so, you know, if you look at what's happening in the prison, in the prison system today in California, they still teaching lawnmower repair, right? They still teach, is that right?
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Oh yeah, that's a real thing.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: Refrigeration repair, like things that, you know, you ain't gonna finna make no money with that.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Teach me how to code.
[00:08:36] Speaker B: Yeah, so they not teaching anything with tech. They lock us out of the tech market. They lock us out of the things that give us access to the bad. Cause they wanna keep us in functional poverty. And if, you know, if you got any kind of, you know, anything about yourself, you ain't finna stay broke. I mean, most of us, they gonna go get two. You gotta get it one way or the other, right? And so that's what Larry and I are trying to do to fix that is say, like, listen, I want you to get your bag, right? But also, I don't want you to do 15, 20 years in the stoops, right? I mean, they're catching us. And, you know, I got homies getting super gray up in there. And so, like, listen, we go through this process, get a few skills up on our belt. I get you $100,000 bag.
[00:09:12] Speaker A: So why was it important for y' all to partner and collab with Mazi here?
[00:09:17] Speaker B: Well, I'll tell you how that came to be, but I want to tell you, I just want to touch one more thing on the economic piece when I met Larry and why this became important for sports and entertainment. When I went up to the Nike campus and first met Larry, Larry told me, Larry's 75 years old, and we're a generation apart. And he said, kid, you know, when I was young in West Philly, man, I used to tell the homies, if I could just make $500 a week, I get off the streets. And I laughed. And he said, what you laughing for? I said, man, I grew up in south la. I used to tell my homies, if I can just get a rack a week, I'm done. When I was growing up in the 80s, right? And so, you know, we forged this mindset to say, like, you know, how can we get these young brothers out there and these sisters out there access to what they looking for. Cause, you know, the average cat ain't out there looking to drive a Bugatti. You know, they just looking at access. You know, get a house, get the tools infused, take care of theirself, get that girl together, get their kids together and all that, right?
So when we did the jump launch on NBA All Star Weekend, you know, your man came Ghazi from Empire Records, and we started talking about ways that we could effectuate things around second chances. And that led to this engagement right here.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: That's what's up, man. Salute to that, bro. I think that's important, too. Like, when I think it's always.
It's important for culture to meet reality. Like, you know what I'm saying? You have a real testimony, but without. I mean, hip hop and our culture is the biggest, most influential thing going. So I think it's important to invest there as well.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: But we missed one thing about hip hop. Like, it's one thing for Mazzy to be on the mic, right? And the reality is that all of us ain't gonna be Mazzy too.
[00:10:43] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:10:43] Speaker B: We ain't gonna be Nip, you know, we ain't gonna be Future. Right. But behind Every Mazzy, there's 10 cats that they use in this. They can still have proximity to the streets and who they are. And they could also have proximity to the bag. Like these cats that you got sitting up in here. And others I'm sure that you got on your team. Learn how to do marketing, learn how to do pr, learn how to do all the things necessary behind.
And that's what Larry did. Larry built the Jordan brand. Nobody ever knew who Lori was. Larry was. They looking at Mike. Right. But he behind the scenes making moves and making stuff happen. So there's a whole bunch of things we could do behind the scenes to keep us close to who we are.
[00:11:17] Speaker A: I pulled up some stats too.
I think it's based on 2018 study because obviously the numbers are behind in the Times. But basically it says within the first year after release, only about 55% of formerly incarcerated individuals. Individuals having employment. Right. And then it goes on to say in the article, employment rate increased gradually.
And then it says around 70 to 75% of formerly incarcerated people find some sort of employment. But they're often lower wages.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Yeah. Count that number, quote that number.
[00:11:49] Speaker A: 70, 75%.
[00:11:51] Speaker B: Well, I'm talking about the salary number. The average person who does have a job is making $10,000 a year less.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: Right.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: I wouldn't want you to.
[00:11:57] Speaker A: Well, that's why I emphasize it said often with lower wages and job stability compared to the general population.
[00:12:05] Speaker B: That's right. You can go to Civic center in San Francisco and you see cats standing outside the outhouses with a vest on. And these are cats that are out of the penitentiary getting barely nothing. And you ask to survive in a place like Oakland or San Francisco, California.
[00:12:17] Speaker A: I mean, they gonna go reoffend.
[00:12:19] Speaker B: It's expensive. Right. So at what point can you tell a grown man, hey, I want you to sit out here on the corner and do this for 14, $15 an hour when you can't even pay rent.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: You can't even pay a decent car note.
[00:12:29] Speaker A: Well, I did wanna get both of y' all opinion. I know Mazi's no stranger to the system as well, but I just finished Wallow's book, Shout out to Wallo. Wallo fella. My man, Shout out to Wallo Peebles. I just finished his book and he was speaking a lot about staying motivated while incarcerated. And he also talked about going before the parole board. Well, before I Get there both from. I've asked Mazi before, but maybe your perspective has changed. What about staying motivated to people who are probably either listening to this or watching this while still inside?
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Yeah, for me, it was different. I sat across from a white man who didn't know me and told me, I got 52 years to life and I'm gonna die in prison.
[00:13:11] Speaker A: Damn.
[00:13:12] Speaker B: And so I refused to accept that. And that was just a personal thing. I was like, it's a choice. It's a choice for me to accept it or not. So when I went in, I made sure I stayed connected to the streets. And I mostly did that through reading, keeping myself politically aware, following tech. You know, I went in the mid-90s when the Internet wasn't even around. But when I got out, I knew just as much about the Internet as anybody else.
[00:13:33] Speaker A: Cause I stayed.
[00:13:33] Speaker B: Kept my nose up and where the money was at, you know.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Yeah, Wallow said the same thing.
[00:13:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Old head told me a long time ago, stay close to the money, follow the money. So, you know, I'm watching shit happen while I'm in the penitentiary, but I'm seeing billions being made by these young kids, 20, 22, 23 years old, selling apps to Facebook for a billion dollars. And I'm telling the homie, like, we in the wrong business, right?
[00:13:52] Speaker A: Hell, yeah.
[00:13:52] Speaker B: If you look at Instagram, if you look at Instagram, we was doing that in photo albums in the early 80s. Cutting out pictures and then icons and doing our photo albums and stuff. So I'm like, man, we need to start thinking about things in a different way, because these youngsters is out here getting this bag and we ain't close to it. So that's what I was doing. And so I just refused and had a belief that I wasn't gonna let that man determine my fate.
[00:14:13] Speaker A: And I didn't Mazi motivation while in there. While in there. Well, you know, you got people tapping in most definitely.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: I be trying to keep them motivated and lit.
You know, I pass the phone around every time they call. They looking at all. It's just. It's manie. But I feel like what I'm doing right now is motivating for them. And, you know, just me being out here, being in the position that I'm in is keeping them lit. They living through me, you know what I'm saying? In a sense. You feel me? So when they call, I'm picking up the phone. I ain't dodging phone calls. I'm looking out. I just got done, you know, throwing an alley oop for somebody as far as they appeal, looking out for appeal, lawyers, et cetera, et cetera. But I feel like when I was in there, it was smooth for me because I wasn't looking at all day. So the motivation was just getting back to the streets.
[00:15:05] Speaker A: Different.
[00:15:06] Speaker C: Yeah, but I know a lot of people in there that it's a lack of motivation. They ain't even motivated enough to go to the law library and just, you know what I'm saying, me tweak on they case and try to find a loophole, et cetera. But then you also got some stand up fellas that's, you know, I got my partner in there right now. He.
Well, he been in there for 15. They gave him an elbow. But whatever the case, he staying motivated. He ain't on drugs in there.
[00:15:34] Speaker A: Oh, that's dope.
[00:15:34] Speaker C: I'm saying he programming, doing what he supposed to do. And I think the sole source for his motivation is just reunification. Just trying to get back to his kids, his young life, his people.
[00:15:45] Speaker A: I think the commonality is just staying connected while you in there.
Wallow also talked about in his book going before the parole board and the battle between. I mean, I'd be a little different if you ain't looking for. If you don't have an extended stay like that. But for those that have done been through that or looking to go through that.
I remember the battle that he was having internally. Do you go in there and keep it a beam or do you go in there and put on a front like what's the thought process behind that? And if you can lend any thoughts.
[00:16:14] Speaker B: On that, I mean, you know, a lot of cats in prison have read Prince Machiavelli and. And the ends justify the mean. Whatever it takes to get the result in my mind, as long as you ain't sacrificing who you are. So some cats play the program route. They go do all the programs and get all the chronos and they go up and they're buttoned up. I ain't mad at them if that gets you the result. And some cats are a little bit more defined. I didn't do this whatever the circumstance is.
And oftentimes they get swatted around a little bit different. Cause you're dealing with an audience that ain't receptive to. I get down nine times out of ten they want to see you a certain type of way.
So what I tell cats in there is, listen, man, keep your head up in the books. Do whatever is required to get to your kids. Get to your girl, get to whatever it is you're trying to get to. You can get out. Like, they are freeing people, right? It ain't like in the 90s when the government was talking about you dying in prison. You ain't no getting out. You play your position, you can get a computation. I know a lot of cats got computations. You know my boy Earlonne who does ear hustle, he done got computation party and all kind of stuff just from running a podcast, right?
So I try to keep dudes motivated. And to Mazi's point, I think the more of us that are out here doing it and they seeing what we doing. Yeah, man, I get, man, I get from penitentiaries all across the country, cats I don't even know they mamas and sisters is calling. Can you get us a job? Can you do this, do that? So it provides motivation where they can see a little bit of light. They're like, oh, man, I can get out there and make a bag. I can get out there and do a little something where previously we didn't have that coming through, so it matters.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: Speaking of that, the JUMP program, I mean, the JUMP foundation is key in that.
Providing, providing opportunities and resources and stuff like that. I also know that shout out to Down North Pizza hiring exclusives exclusively formerly incarcerated individuals, male and female, which dope. That's crazy for sure.
I think those things need to be highlighted as well. You know what I'm saying? Those are the things as far as, like, we can bring awareness to with our platforms too.
For you, Mazi, when you go into the studio to make this project, were you thinking about all of that stuff before? Cause I remember when we talked the last time you dropped. Is the perspective different now? Because I remember you had all the homies on the COVID and whatnot. And that end result is different than being locked up, for sure. Is the thought process musically different now than it was before or how has it changed?
[00:18:32] Speaker C: Nah, I think it just naturally ooze out of me when I get in that studio. I don't really.
I let the beat, I let the music, I let the environment just talk to me. So it just naturally oozes out of me. But yeah, I just, you know, they motivation alone. You feel me? One of my biggest. I think one of my biggest jewels that I carry with me is I can't afford to go to jail. I feel like they losing out. You feel me? And so that's why I'm big on transitioning. Just like we can't. We. We made it thus far. They can't throw all this away. You feel me? And so I'm just trying to. I'm trying to find it's a common ground. It's like you pulling. That's where intrusive thoughts come from, because you're really trying to elevate and grow. But it's like the trenches still got a hold of you, and so it's just. It's tweaking your thought pattern. But, nah, you know, I be. I be looking out for mines. They come home, I built a whole studio, you know what I'm saying? And just to try to save the trenches, spend my own chicken in old park, I bring them out here. Soon as they get out here, they taking pictures. They ain't never been outside that little radius that they stuck in. You feel me? And, you know, a lot of them come home from prison. I move them in there. You feel me? They go back to Sacramento, end up going back to prison or dying. So it's like the longest stint for them is actually coming out here and vibing with me, locking in with me and just maneuvering with me. So, in a sense, everybody that's in the pen, that's from my jurisdiction, they can't wait to come home to lock in with me. They feel like, in a way, it's like I'm a savior for them.
[00:20:12] Speaker A: We got a few more minutes, but two more things I want to hit on for both of y' all. The first thing is you got a song called Under Oath on the album, and obviously, what's going on right now is insane. The amount of, like, people telling on each other and what. I guess what I want to ask for both of y' all is discernment. How do you know?
How do you know? And how do you pick and choose the people you have around you? Like, for people who don't, who may not have that muscle of discernment, like, they don't know.
Your man's like, he might be kind of shaky, or this dude might not be the one that I need to be investing in or having him around certain things like that. How do y' all manage y' all? Discernment?
[00:20:48] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, for me, you know?
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Cause your shit is crazy.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Like, ain't nothing bulletproof, right? I mean, you can grow up with somebody, you know, for 20, 30 years, and they end up, you know, being a crossroads in their own life and make a decision that had nothing to do with you, right? And they could.
[00:21:03] Speaker A: So it's not personal if they tell.
[00:21:04] Speaker B: You it's really a reflection of testimony on them and who they are as a character.
[00:21:08] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: And so I've seen many cases where people are down 15 killers, cats that grew up, you know, in areas and did they thing and they turn up testifying.
[00:21:19] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: For their own reasons. Right. And I think that for me, keep your circle real small and try to limit the mistakes that can happen. Right. Don't talk so much.
We are very vocal people in many cases with our friends and loved ones and all the rest of that. And so if you got something that ain't meant for everybody, recognize that it ain't meant for everybody and keep it limited in what you do. I think that's how you manage the risk.
[00:21:45] Speaker C: Same type of time he owns circle, smaller than a dot, stiff arm, Heisman Trophy, fall back, watch out. If it ain't beneficial, it's artificial. You know what I'm saying?
I just feel like, you know, I just keep. I play everybody from a distance. And I'm saying, as far as the ones, it's crazy. Cause the nerds in my circle. No disrespect when I say the word nerds.
[00:22:10] Speaker A: Nah, I'm a nerd. I don't take a physical ball. Come on.
[00:22:12] Speaker C: But the nerds in my circle is the ones who keep me grounded. The ones who. You know what I'm saying? Me. That enlighten me. Like, bruh, I ain't. You know what I'm saying? I don't smell him. You feel me? Whatever the case. But so I think just, you know, just navigating, it's hard. It's hard. Cause it's my loved ones.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: These.
[00:22:29] Speaker C: My loved ones in the trenches. These. The ones that, you know, they are part of this story that I'm scribbling. And so I try to keep them. I try to keep them close, but at the same time, I play them at a distance.
[00:22:42] Speaker A: How do you. How do. Oh, go ahead. Sorry.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: No, no, go ahead and ask a question.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: How do you. I guess a lot of people going to jail just because, like you said, they talk too much. Everybody's just get on podcasts, they get on platforms, and everybody. Everything's content at this point, I've stayed away from. From those types of things. But coming from being incarcerated, are those conversations also happening inside where it's like, man, well, because I. The commonality is what you in for.
But from what I hear, I've never been incarcerated. But from what I hear, most of the time, the homies know before you get there. They already ran your. They already looked up Your paperwork and, like, they already know what's up.
[00:23:24] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%.
[00:23:25] Speaker A: Okay. So you there. So you don't have to have a conversation when you get there. I already got your jacket.
[00:23:30] Speaker B: Most of the time. Some of it comes out afterwards, you know, so and so and all that. I do want to comment on one thing, though, because I do think it's something in our community that Larry and I are trying to dispel. At least I know that I am.
[00:23:40] Speaker A: Right? Okay.
[00:23:40] Speaker B: And that is that this notion that if you doing a 9 to 5, you get in your bag in a different type of way, it's like it's square. That is this and that. Because the reality is that there's been plenty of homie funerals, and the penitentiary's a field with us that feel like we can't be part of the economy or we can't climb up in a different way other than either being on a basketball court or football field in front of a microphone. And hats off to those that are gifted enough to do that, right? The reality is that most of us ain't never gonna do that.
99% of us ain't never gonna do that, have a gold record or have a Heisman or be Jalen Hurts or do none of that.
[00:24:12] Speaker A: Right?
[00:24:13] Speaker B: And so we as men have to recognize there's a lot of ways to get a dime, right? And we gotta figure out all the different ways to get there. Doesn't mean you have to sacrifice who you are. You have to understand life is a chessboard, right? You can play the chessboard, the hood, or you can play the chessboard in corporate America. You can play the chessboard in all different types of areas. It doesn't diminish who you are as a man, right? If you're able to take care of your family. You know, I got a son that's, you know, in his 30s, and he's always talking about, pop, you on some square shit now. And I'm like, listen, all the square cats got all the money and all the women. I hugged a plastic pillow for 24 years. I wish I would have squared up. You feel what I'm saying? So I don't look at it with what I'm doing now in philanthropy or what I'm doing with social impact work, doing a nine to five. Like, I work 70, 80 hours a week busting my ass, right?
I want people to respect that, and they should respect that. The same way they respect a cat that's on the mic doing his thing in front of the cabman. We have that bad. And social media and all kind of other things. We think that's the only route. It ain't the only route. If you look at what Larry's life is, man. Larry. Listen, Larry. Larry had the life and built the life coming out of the penitentiary. He did 10 years for those who don't know that anybody would dream to have. He built the baddest brand in the world for Michael Jordan and then was the president of an NBA team. This is like one of us out the streets. He was sitting up there courtside with people like Mark Cuban the rest of the day, getting his bag in the NBA, running a whole team, right? Like, I don't know any cat that wouldn't want to do that, right? And that was about as square as you can get, right? And so, like, what we try to do is tell people, like, let's use our intellectual capital and currency, right? Let's understand this is a chessboard and play the game according to what we need and what we want, man.
[00:25:44] Speaker A: You know, that's very important. I appreciate you sharing that also.
I think just as a community, we should probably share resources more. So that's the other thing. That's the last thing I want to touch on, is resources that are available to people, whether they inside, coming out, coming home, about to turn theyself in.
What are some good resources or things or methods that you guys could, like, provide for them?
Go ahead. Like any type of exercise. Cause I remember when we talked when you went to go turn yourself in, your prep for that.
But coming home, what's that look like as well?
[00:26:23] Speaker C: I'm just big on financial literacy, I think. Financial literacy? Yeah, I think just, you know, just tweaking it, finding something that you love and concentrating your forces and just beating that into submission.
So, you know, like, right now, when I talk about transition, I'm tired of music, I'm tired of rap. I'm tired of that. You feel me?
I've been getting banged in the stock market, though.
I don't know if we gonna blame it on Trump, et cetera, et cetera. But I've been diving it in that. And I'm just so, like, I'm committed to it. I'm committed to it. I wake up every day and that's what type of time I'm on. And I feel like, yeah, I ain't gonna get it in the first year. I might not get it the second year. But the way I'm devoted and, you know, just my consistency and, you know, I'm waking up Reading charts, I'm waking up, listening to the news, et cetera, et cetera. So like that's something that I found that, you know, it kind of just, it motivate me to keep going. But I think just financial literacy, like even for my kids, that's what I'm big on. I feel like that, that eliminates desperation. You ain't gotta do nothing desperate for your chicken. That eliminates somebody manipulating them. You feel me into doing something, something strange for a little bit of change. That's how they said.
[00:27:43] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:27:43] Speaker C: So I'm just, that's what I'm on. But I think even for somebody that's behind the walls, if they just get in that type of state of mind right now, when I was there, it was like school for me. I was in there sitting down, you know, with all everybody who was playing with chicken. Anybody that was in here about some money, that's who I was sitting down hollering at, hey bruh, what's the fastest way to $10 million? Integrity. When he told me, I ain't believe it. I'm like, nigga, integrity. What is it? I'm talking about like, how can I get 10 million n say real estate or stock market or give me a tip.
[00:28:17] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:17] Speaker C: But he said integrity. And I tweaked on that and it made sense. Because if, you know, I'm a hunted and I'm pure and I'm good for it. And I say, here, let me hold, I'm saying let me hold a little 100,000. You know, I got you my integrity. I'm gonna do the right thing when nobody look, I got you. You gonna front me that, honey. Same thing with the banks. They gonn that to you. They gonna run your, gonna run your foul and they'll fork it over. So that's, that's just what I'm big on as far as. And that's what I preach to my young. You know, I be sending them books while they behind the walls. I ain't sending them no what they call them, them little hood books and things. Nah, we ain't sending none of that. It's. It's just straight self help books, motivational books, anything that, that, that can inspire them or just motivate them to get some money.
[00:29:05] Speaker A: I consider myself a very smart person. But that was game he gave you for sure. The fastest way is integrity. That's some real shit. Go ahead.
[00:29:14] Speaker B: When you look at what he's talking about, integrity will lead you to a lot of things that don't always come in the form of short term cash. It comes in the form of long term opportunity. Because if you know I'm solid, right, and you say I move in a certain way, I'm the person that you want next to you, right? And so what allowed me to do some of the stuff I did out of penitentiary? Not cause I ain't no smarter than nobody. I got a ninth grade education, I got my proficiency exam in Sacramento, car holding youth authority, right?
What allowed me to move the way I do and get some of these opportunities. Other people saw something in me that really I didn't even see, you know, just based on the way that I was moving. They cracked open doors. And then once I was in the door, I was positioned because what I was doing in the penitentiary to take advantage of the opportunity. Everything is about how you position yourself, put yourself in position. It ain't gonna happen today. To your point, it might not even happen tomorrow. It might happen for three years from now. But if he keeps on doing what he's doing, he's gonna be in position that when that daylight open, when that window cracks, he gonna go up in there, Buffalo, and he gonna get everything right, get everything nailed down. And that's the way it works. That's what we gotta see. Short term gratification, man. I've been living like that since I, you know, since I was a young one, man. And the return on investment. I tell all of them we in a non profit business long range game.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: How can people get in touch with you?
[00:30:23] Speaker B: You can email me ken hejustrust.org I throw my number out there cause I know we got folks listening to it. It's 510-789-7180. Holla at me. I'm helping people all across the country get into businesses, get opportunities, sports, entertainment, however you wanna do it. We can find a way to make sure back up in that six by nine, brother. And that's really what I'm trying to do, man.
[00:30:40] Speaker A: Thank you, bro.
That's real as fuck. I appreciate that, Mozzy. Intrusive thoughts is out everywhere.
Make sure you go get a bar of that. Go tweak on that.
[00:30:51] Speaker C: Go tweak on that mandatory snatch.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: Is there something, is there a record on there that's significantly special to this moment in time for you right now?
[00:31:02] Speaker C: I don't wanna be a role model.
Damn. Role model. I think role model was dope.
It just is, basically, you know, I know the young life look up to me as far as like gangland landlord. You know What I'm saying, Mr. Blahda himself, et cetera, et cetera. But, you know, I'm just. I'm in a different phase of my life, and, you know, I don't want to mislead the youth. I don't want to mislead the youth. I don't want to be the one responsible for that. And so that's what role model was kind of like. It's like an internal affair. It's like an internal battle.
Me genuinely wanting to see y' all shine and walking in a light that you think, you know, I became successful in might not get you that. And, you know, I don't wanna inspire you to throw your shit away, man.
[00:31:49] Speaker A: Thank you. I thank both of y' all for coming through, bro. Make sure you go type in intrusive thoughts. Get at my man Ken if you wanna throw the email out one more time.
[00:31:56] Speaker B: Ken.
[00:31:57] Speaker A: Thejustrust.org There you go, man. Tap in with the homies, man. I appreciate y' all for pulling up. Thank y' all for coming.
[00:32:04] Speaker C: My dog appreciate you.
[00:32:06] Speaker A: It's effective immediately.
[00:32:07] Speaker B: Peace.
