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The Black Community · 4 The Exchange

• Kevin: Hey y'all, what's going on? Welcome back to 40 Exchange. It's your boy Kev. We got my man Kobe here, Lei the Don, and of course my man Mr. Big Bite himself, Gofredo. Hey, listen, we have a great topic tonight. I just want to get right to it. You know, what's your biggest problem within the black community today? You know, that's a a big thing for this group we you know that we want to talk about. Lei, I'm gonna go ladies first. What you think? What's your thoughts on that? What's the biggest problem in the black community? LayTheDon: One issue I have in the black community, it went I would have to say is coming to support black businesses. And what I mean by that is black businesses that are people wanting us to support black business just because they're black businesses without actually showing us great product. And the ones that believe they have great product are trying to overcharge because they think they're on the same level as these other companies. And like me as a person, I buy was good. I buy was great. I buy I buy, you know, stuff that's meaningful, stuff that's gonna actually work. I'm not gonna buy just because you have to label black black business on it. That's just not how that works. but for the ones that's overcharging, it's crazy. And then you got the ones that are trying to support black businesses, but like they got friends and family that always want handouts or discounts because you know that person. Like black businesses specifically is is probably one of the number one like Hearing there are issues where there's multiple things that surround a black business that that we gotta get better at supporting and we gotta get better at trying to be supported. what's your thoughts, Redo? GoFredo: I I you know what's honestly, I was thinking when you said that I a hundred percent agree with you because I always dislike the hashtag like black owned business and whatnot. And to be honest, even I I've used it in some of my TikTok videos that I've posted to see like see the see like the fluctuation 'cause you gotta play with the hashtag some to get your you know, to continue to get your video going viral. And so I've tried it before but it just leaves like this this bad feeling of why do we have to do this? Like If the if if the business is popping, the business is busting, like why? Like the back owned business website. Like to me it's just why do we have to do that? I'm all for support and gaining the notoriety. And like f now we got this wave of influencers. They can go to restaurants and try it and try, you know, more black owned businesses and go from there or whatever product or whatever the case like that may be to where we don't need a hashtag for it. To me it just kinda singles us out and it just you know, influence that narrative that the other side likes to prove. So I'm a hundred percent with you when it comes to that. Like, I I like and love to support black owned businesses when I can, but it's not because they're a black owned business, because they're business and they're good and whatnot. So it's just more of that. But to me I'm I'm with you on that. Like we can give do away. I know it's you it's gonna be some controversy about it, but if we can do away with that, that hashtag and just go and support the business just because they're good. I feel like as a culture itself we'll be able to gain more notoriety to our black owned businesses because like Lei said, you got some that's just getting washed away from either overcharging or just putting out nonsense just because they believe they can get to support by just saying black owned businesses. And now you kinda, you know, overshadowing the real good ones. So that's that's that's when it comes to me. And to me, so I agree with you, Lei, but for mine's I feel like a level of our soul has been lost, to be honest with you. That's what kind of gets me in the black community. I just think that as a community self and a community base, we used to stick together way more to a certain extent. And maybe that's because like social media didn't play the role and other things that kinda happened to get us to this point. But overall to me it's just like it's just like a level of soul just been lost between like just for our culture and it's like this big gap in between the young generation and the older generation that wasn't always there before. And now that's like concerning because like I think this is the first time in a long time where I'm looking at OGs and even people our age looking like, boy, our future is finna be very interesting. Like a lot of things hold on the shoulders of the age groups that's up right now that can be able to change the game. Like as millennials moving forward and whatnot. I'm noticing some things through social media, certain acts and certain things of that nature. It's where I'm like, I'm a little bit hopeful, but at the same time, when you look at that next generation, it's not nothing on them, it's just what society has feeded feed fed to them. Like the the level of not as much toughness in sports or in life and whatnot, the the pandering, the participation shoffies, the everybody wins mentality when our culture, I think that hurt our culture more because now our young generation think that that's how it's supposed to go when we old enough to know it's not like that. Not everybody wins. And you come on in reality you second class to a lot and that's just not for our people for I b believe that's for like minorities in general. That you gotta that whole participation thing and that I I hate to sound like the OG, but that softness that they put into the world, I think that kinda another thing that kinda hurt our soul, you know, as a culture moving forward. But what about you, Kobe? What about you, Kobe to cold? Kobi: I wanted to touch on what Lee said. GoFredo: That's the late nickname. Kobi: Lay said about the black owned businesses. I wanna say that that's coming from a sense of entitlement as the the race and a totality totality. And I wanna touch on yours, Fredo. Fredo, you said about the soul. Mm. GoFredo: Yeah, pause. But go ahead. Kobi: got it my fault my fault that's me that's me that's me that's me that's GoFredo: Ha ha ha. Kobi: me I wanted to touch GoFredo: Ha ha ha. Kobi: on what you said Fredo that I Kevin: Yeah. Kobi: I want to say that to add on to you what you said, that there's no unity within the black community at all. We can't come together and be as one and just help each other out with simple things like other communities and other cultures and other races do. My biggest problem with the black community is the violence. Why is the violence mainly and always the majority of the time black on black. Why are we killing ourselves and our own race? It's already that we're the minority in the in the this country alone. We're the minority. And we're taking each other out like we going on dates. This is not a good thing at all. And it's hurting us. It's not only hurting us Mentally and physically, but it's hurting us as a whole. That's my biggest problem with the black community because I know there's me and Kev, we both have little ones in the in the world. Our little ones are our our skin tone, our c our color, our race. So we have to be extra careful and protective over our little ones to make sure that they Okay out here with all this violence. It's a cold world out there, cold, cold world. GoFredo: Are you Kobi: Yes, Lee. GoFredo: I go ahead. LayTheDon: Well before Kev chime in, I wanna I saw this on on TikTok or somewhere, some some somebody said this on this podcast. So somebody said that, and I wholeheartedly believe this, that a lot of the black on black crimes that happen is cause we angry. And to be honest, we get less for time taking it out on each other than than than taking it out on those of another race. So give it an example. If I go kill a white man today, I'm doing life. I'm doing life. I go kill a black man, they gonna act like that black man never died, never got killed. He ain't gonna get I'm not gonna get they they they kinda gonna try to sweep that that death of a black man under the rug. And it's just like us being angry outside of our community, it it's it creates a bigger uproar. When and it shouldn't be that way. It really shouldn't. Like it it I feel like everybody equally should get the same response, whether who dies or not. But like the fact that we've been us being so angry and taking out our community, like definitely help is not exactly helping our community and it's definitely bad. But I honestly feel like when when the dude said like we take it out on our own community cause it's it's easier, it's less time, is is It shouldn't be that way. Like I feel like that's true, but it definitely shouldn't be that way. GoFredo: I think it's I think it's more because people in our community just feel like nobody cares. Like they feel like they voice don't matter. like the younger generation can feel like that. You know, like when we grew up, we danger like we how do I say it? Like I spoke to all all four of y'all, all three of y'all, excuse me. I spoke to all three of y'all and we had conversations about like life and what we understand and what we see in the world and the reality of what it really is. And so when we look at it, we like You know, it was a level of, you know, hope to a certain extent and whatnot. And you just knew like certain pieces had to go into order. You understand life gonna do what life gonna do at the same time. You keep working hard, you're able to gain a level of success or level of happiness and whatnot. what I'm noticing now within the community is that level of that level of hope to a certain extent. And it's and it's it's weird because we do have More streamers, more people with money now than ever before. But at the same time, it's like that level of hope for the community of the unity of us staying together. I think that's that's kinda washed away. I think everybody kinda getting their money and then kinda dipping off. Or like Kev said last in last episode, you know, people not standing in their lanes or doing what they gotta do. Everybody wanna be the guy. And now all of a sudden your ego get in tune, and that's another thing with our people like ego get into it. You know, you think that you deserve this and you deserve that and everything like that, so you got that a creeping to it as well. What you thinking about that, Kel? Kevin: Man, y'all hit a lot of good points. And just to kind of piggyback off what you just said, ego pride is the one of the biggest problems that we have in the black community. Part of the problem is we part of the problem is we don't support each other's businesses, but there has to be a line there. So there is a part where we don't support businesses, but there's also a part on the business owner where like to you know, Lei opened up with a with a fantastic point. I don't feel like I should have to support your business just because you're a black owned business. for me, and I can tell you being a business owner now, I've never strived to be the biggest black owned financial advisor. I've never I that's never been a goal. My my goal was to just be the biggest, most successful financial advisor, period, across the market. You know what I mean? GoFredo: There you go. Kevin: It wasn't about it wasn't about being a a black business owner. I wanted to be impactful in what I do. And be the best at what I do. Part of the problem is with black businesses, we don't strive for excellence. We just want that, and Kobe made this point: entitlement. We're entitled to success in being a black business owner. And I just don't quite understand why. So you know, to a to a point, it it's like I and it's funny today. I actually I actually not just to support a business, I want to go get some food, right? I I I had a I had that t I w I got a turkey wing platter, man. I was like, yo, that thing Kobi: Mm-hmm. Kevin: was like thirty-two dollars. I was like, yo, GoFredo: Mm. Kevin: this is crazy. I said, yo. Kobi: You paid thirty-two dollars for a turkey leg? LayTheDon: For one Targulh? Kevin: No, not one turkey leg. It was like no no chip chip chip chip. Not one turkey leg. It was like three turkey wings. It was like three turkey wings, three sides. Three sides were like thirty two dollars. And I was like GoFredo: Well Hey I know I know the I know the co I haven't Kevin: Now look, now look. LayTheDon: Okay, inflation is crazy. Kevin: Listen, that thing was good. GoFredo: say I know inflation crazy, Kobi: Yeah. GoFredo: but even Kevin: Listen. And listen, you know, and I and I'll I LayTheDon: Yeah, yeah. Kevin: listen, I'm and I'm gonna be real about it. I'm gonna be real about it. Number one, number one is this. Y'all hit it right there. Inflation is crazy. Things are a lot more expensive than they than they've ever been. You know what I mean? Nothing we can do about GoFredo: Facts. Kevin: that. I could get deep and I can start talking about CPI, consumer price index, all that stuff, and just the general the the general effects of what's happening. But when we get down to it, the price of these things, when you go into the store, I'm like, where did you come up with $30 for this item? You know what I'm saying? GoFredo: Come on now. Come on now. Kevin: Granted, look, I do want to see you get paid, but in reason. You know what I mean? In reason. I it's just like, GoFredo: Hey you Kevin: for me, wings and two sides is not $25, $30. That's GoFredo: Nah. Kevin: just, that's just LayTheDon: I knew Kevin: being real. LayTheDon: inflation GoFredo: Hey. LayTheDon: was a problem when a company was selling like Kool-Aid lemonade as a drink and they was charging GoFredo: yeah. LayTheDon: fucking $12 for a cup of Kool-Aid, bro. That packet is like 30 cents. GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: Bro. GoFredo: Hey, hey, listen, I ain't gonna lie to y'all. I I'm also like, I respect what you charge. Charge what you charge. But just know Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: if the community you around can't afford what you charging, you will be out of business. So you can't say, Kevin: Exactly. LayTheDon: Like it. GoFredo: my people didn't support me, this, that, and the third. Like, no. You should make something affordable for your people. You and the community have to work together. It's like a understanding. So like that's Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: why I'm saying like black on business for anything, like KC. Like, I didn't just achieve like a lot of people in our culture just achieve to be the best black whatever and call it a day. And like a lot of other cultures don't achieve to get that. They achievement is to be the best whatever they are in their craft. And then like we got for us, it's considered an outlier if you want to be the best ever, period. But for most people, it's just you want to be the best black, boom, best black barber, best black chef, best black this. Whatever the case like that may be, and that's what you strive for. And then when you excuse me, when you when you don't get it or you feel yourself getting cold, you will undercut a black person just to get to that level. Because it's at some point in time, a lot of them don't even care about the culture. They just care about being the best black, whatever. And then loot and then Kevin: Right. GoFredo: once you become that, society looks at you differently. You know, we've seen this happen with our people. People get a little money, get to the other side, get a little taste of it, and then all of a sudden they d forgot where they came from. But I think that goes two ways with both parties. I think that comes with, you know, being around black people that wanna achieve to do something and not being around the what every culture has is bad eggs, but being around the bad eggs, not being around the hustlers. I think our people gotta get Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: out of use the hustler mentality as A way to finish the game as we move up. That's what I think. I think at some point in time, Kevin: Mm. GoFredo: you you know you can hustle and maneuver your way through system because you know how life works. Like, but at the same time, you essentially gotta lose that, you know, I hate to say it, but that nigga side of you to to achieve black excellence. Cause you gotta you you like Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: when I talk when all four, when all three of us be talking and we be having conversations. Like we be irritated with the job we got and whatever we gotta do, but we like, all right, we this bet, this how you wanna play, I'm gonna show you better than I can tell you. I'm from I'm gonna finesse you with your system and your rules. And then when you explain it to your coworkers, hey, I didn't know you could do that. I didn't I didn't know what did you you sure they Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: can't fire you for that? Kobi: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: Like, bro, it said in the rule book that we can do this. Like and cause people don't know, like for us, we know how to finesse it. We smart, intelligent and how we move and whatnot. So a lot of people are not of that mindset. A lot of people just like, man, I'm just gonna get to the top of this black whatever and call it a day. Get w get they little piece of property in there Kevin: Ain't no critical. GoFredo: and shoot out to the side. Kevin: You you you making a good point right there because half the half the problem is we're we're uneducated. And I mean that like beyond GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: any any degrees of any nature. We're we're uneducated. We don't we don't read and get educated on on anything, realistically. There there's so many there's so many people you run into and you'll say like, you know, I I could see the I could see the potential. In them, but they don't want to get educated in a craft to be great at a craft. And that's part of the problem right there. Is nobody wants to educate themselves on a topic like you could be you could be great by just reading and and really digesting GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: information and you could make yourself a standout by doing that. Forget school, and I and I say that be and I and I say that respectfully, like like I I do have a degree now, you know what I mean, but I don't think The bulk of my experience really came from that degree. I think it came from like my hands on education where I really learned in my field. GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: You know, so I'm not gonna put I don't I I have it, but I'm not putting a degree on a pedestal. And I don't think anybody should just put GoFredo: No you Kevin: that on a pedestal because you're well capable without GoFredo: Yeah. Hey, you know what you did? It's like I said, bro, is you understand that you gotta, okay, y'all say I need this piece of paper to get X, Y, and Z. Let me go get this piece of paper. Like in your mind, you know the hustle of it to where a lot of people use their degree as their as they form of this is what they know. Hey, I got a bachelor's in X, Y, and Z, so I know why da da da. Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: To you is LayTheDon: That down in their thing. GoFredo: Yeah, so I s like Kobi: Yeah. Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: we all like we are the mindset to where it's like Man, we already got the experience. We know what it is. Okay, I understand. Like, okay, now I need to get this quote unquote this piece of paper for y'all to know I'm for real. Like for other people, they use Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: that piece of paper as the way of showing that they're this knowledgeable and whatnot. To us, it's just like we just need that just to play y'all game. Like just because y'all want it, like essentially Kevin: Mm. GoFredo: that's why I noticed with our people too, is where it's like a lot of them get to a point to where they don't like people just tired of playing the game and it just sucks that we gotta play it but you know we got to. It's unfortunate's nothing we can really do about it. We just got to. Kevin: Yeah, yeah. LayTheDon: I'm gonna keep it in bank. Every every I ain't gonna lie, every degree after like 2020, I be questioning it. Like it'd be real questionable. Cause at this point, like you ai, your way. Like you feel like almost every degree. I ain't gonna say everybody. I ain't gonna discredit everybody. Cause some people actually went to school and you know, but most of the degrees after 2020. Your AI y'all way the whole way through school, bro. So like don't GoFredo: Yeah, okay. LayTheDon: sit here and try to tell me, you know everything because you got a degree. No, give me some facts. Give me some factual words, you know, of affirmation as to you know what the hell you GoFredo: Yeah. LayTheDon: talk about. Don't don't don't tell don't show me a piece of paper, cause that piece of paper you could have printed out with the printer. I can go make a degree right now. I can go make me, I can go ask ChP to make me PhD real quick. GoFredo: Hey, boy, that's Kevin: So that's a that's a that's that's a fact. GoFredo: they got some finesses out here. That's a fact. Kobi: Yeah. LayTheDon: Right, like so yeah, it's just cause you got a degree, it don't mean a goddamn thing. Like knowledge comes for like Kev said, reading, actually paying attention, actually, you know, doing the work. Like you'd be more Kevin: Mm. LayTheDon: successful if you actually did the freaking work and actually like I ain't gonna lie, ha am I a bit if I'm a person that has a click I read this contract a couple of times, yeah. When I was younger I learned I that's what I did. And then I'm older and I'm I'm a little wiser. I read them contracts. GoFredo: yeah, hey Lesnar. LayTheDon: How 'cause and Kevin: yeah. LayTheDon: that's not the it's not it's not reading to I ain't gonna lie, it's not reading to get to know the contract. It's reading so I know how to get out that motherfucker if I need to. GoFredo: Come on. But this is the thing though. Kevin: Yeah, yeah. GoFredo: But this but this a thing though, you at least you at least educating yourself enough to know the ins and outs of it. Now I now I advise reading the whole contract. But at the same time Kobi: Yeah. LayTheDon: The whole contract, but I underline the parts so I know I can get out of with her. What you mean? GoFredo: See, but I okay, I do that, I do that, I knew that, I do that, I do that. I'm with you on that. LayTheDon: Yeah. Like I read the whole contract to make sure I understand it, but I make sure I'm fully attentive to the parts where if something comes up down the road, I know how to get out of it. Yeah. Yeah. GoFredo: I see what you're saying. I do the same thing. I hey, hey, you know when you look through the contract and be like, it's a it's a loophole right there. It's it's the hell of a loophole right there. Okay, I can I I'm gonna fight that around Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: March twenty I'm gonna shot I'm gonna fight that around March. I'm gonna fight that I'm gonna fight. I'm gonna fight that around March. LayTheDon: Que GoFredo: They can't Kobi: Find it out is crazy. GoFredo: You say you say what? Kobi: I'd say plotting it out is crazy. GoFredo: you what? LayTheDon: Some leases you gotta try to get out of, you know, some some GoFredo: You never know. Kevin: Yeah. LayTheDon: jobs you gotta try to you know, that extra you know, s stuff happened. Like stuff just happens. Like you never know. GoFredo: Hey, hey man, listen. Hey, I'm reading a contract to understand it and also know like all right if something come up, I know I got a loophole there. Hey, I'm not here LayTheDon: If you start a carry, you ain't gotta get a pay. GoFredo: Come on, hey, look. Hey, hey, hey, Kobe. And you know, it'd be people, there's people that are ready to die for that job, dawg. You got people that's ready to die for that. I'm just trying to get in and get out. I'm just trying to get the Kobi: I'm not dying for that job. GoFredo: check. You said what? Kobi: I'm not dying for that job. GoFredo: Okay then. So when you look at the contract, you don't be like, all right, there's a loophole there. They they they hey boy. 2026 they ain't figured this out yet. Now here I'm finna come in. I'm finna figure it out for Kobi: Yeah, you you you know what we you know what for you know what industry we work in? GoFredo: Yeah. Kobi: All right. So you know better than me. You got five seven years in it? GoFredo: Hey boy, and I've been plotting ever since this day one. Kobi: I'm learning from Yoshi! GoFredo: I'm implying that hey hey I ain't stealed you hey hold on I don't want nobody think we ain't moving weight I ain't don't get the FDL about what Kevin: Ha ha ha. LayTheDon: I do not sell drugs. K I don't move away. I don't do anything illegal. Everything I do is legally in all contracts. GoFredo: Ei! Ei, momento! Kobi: This is Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: A man said, you know what industry we in? I've been learning from you. Hold on. Well, it's a lot of people getting booked out here. We is not LayTheDon: Everything we do is in the contract. Everything we do is in the contract. I it's legal. GoFredo: Hey. Hey, I just he was listening. Kobi: Yeah. GoFredo: Hey, hey, Leia Kim. I'm like, yeah, I'm with you. Then I'm thinking to myself, hold on, wait a minute. Somebody probably think we moving. Hey, you talking about he learned it from me. The fans about to LayTheDon: Whoa, whoa. Well now everybody. Kevin: Ain't that ain't don't nobody understand contract? Nobody understand a contract like a a union worker, boy. They they know they know everything, GoFredo: Hey, hey, I do not know none Kevin: man. They know everything, GoFredo: Hey, ain't playing no games. LayTheDon: No. Kevin: man. That that that that that little alarm go off, time to go, time to leave go to once, they be up on the dock, it's my time, I gotta go. You know what I'm saying? They don't they don't play games GoFredo: Hey bro. Hey hey, hey, LayTheDon: no. GoFredo: hey, Kobe, how they be? Do I gotta call my union? Do I gotta call my union? Kobi: That's my favorite line. That's Kevin: The yogi. Kobi: my favorite line. Hey, I'm not talking to nobody until my union rep here. GoFredo: I ain't waiting on nobody. My union, my lawyer. Give my hey, get my lawyer on the phone before you talk to me. Doesn't walk into the meeting. Kevin: He GoFredo: I ain't saying nothing. I'm invoking my Kevin: Yeah, yeah. GoFredo: fifth amendment right. Article 7, G test, G test 2, Double A C page 37. What are you talking about? Kevin: Hey LayTheDon: Yes. Kevin: Hey he you know what? That made me think of something though. Just like I I and I didn't even do and I didn't even do that with this intention. But the the union employees, right? just just so you know for for us when what we were talking about w we don't operate in union fashion in the black community at all. We don't operate in union fashion. GoFredo: Yeah. Yeah. LayTheDon: No, we're gonna do what the hell we wanna do. We gonna do what the hell we wanna do. I'm sorry. Kevin: Hey and you know what I wanna ask y'all something. I wanna ask y'all something. So because we don't like where where do y'all think that that you know that that break off from community happened? Like for me, I'ma say this. I think our community breakoff happened when we stopped going to church. 'Cause you gotta think about it like this. A GoFredo: Mm. Kevin: lot of a lot of us in our generation, we are not a part of the church. Like I just went back to to church in the last like two years, you know what I mean? I'm a part of a community there. And it's a little bit different for me than it was before. You know what mean? Like the the culture of things is is completely different. Like, where did y'all where and I and I'm gonna say this? Do y'all do y'all LayTheDon: Yeah. Kevin: have that community or like did y'all break off? Did y'all break? Y'all y'all know how it is in our generation. Like we we used to go to church. Auntie, grandma, everybody used to go to church. Kobi: Hello, wait. Lay got something to say. LayTheDon: be honest with you. I ain't been in church since my little brother was like one. That boy thirty that boy 13 years. That boy is 13 now. I ain't been there, I ain't been, I ain't staying foot in that church. I ain't I Kobi: How many years go? H how many thirteen? GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: How was your brother? How was your brother? GoFredo: So you ain't been there about twelve. LayTheDon: ain't it been about 12 about 12, 13 years. I ain't I ain't I ain't staff foot in no GoFredo: That's for your die. LayTheDon: church. And I'm gonna be honest with you. Kev, you 100% correct that's with a disconnect because church stopped being church. That's the problem. Church started being gossip Kobi: Both factors. LayTheDon: central. Church started being who wore bench. Church started started being who's sleeping with who. It wasn't about Kevin: Mm. LayTheDon: church no more at that point. It wasn't about being in a community. It wasn't about being uplifted by God together. It wasn't about helping out the company. It was about who you coming and see and who you got the tea. Like you could people start coming to church to come get the tea now. It's not about, so like, yeah, GoFredo: Mm-hmm. LayTheDon: I definitely think church is where it started to disconnect. Cause like, We weren't on unit no more. There used to be churches that like, you know, used to help the homeless and help the people in need, you know, regular freaking luncheons and breakfast dinners and stuff for the homeless people and you know, times are hard. They was, you know, helping from people that had, you know, weather disasters, stuff like that. They don't church don't do that no more. And like Drewski hit and hit the nail on the head when he started doing them, when he did that church skit. Like, bro. Kevin: Thanks, baby. LayTheDon: They is they come to the church and Louise and and freaking Corvettes and and and Callax. That's not what my child is about. Kevin: Yo, that skit was top five. GoFredo: Come on now. Kevin: That skit was top five of the year. Easy. GoFredo: Easily top five. Kevin: Easy. LayTheDon: Like you coming you come to church with Louise, but the air conditioning don't work. GoFredo: Mm-hmm. LayTheDon: What are we talking about? What are we talking about? Like you come to church GoFredo: Hey, you wanna know you're doing LayTheDon: and and you come to church in a Bentley and and and and Sister Rose still can't retire. She can't afford to retire. What are we talking about here? Like what are we doing? GoFredo: And sister Rose been going to church there since eighty nine, since seventy two. LayTheDon: And sh she been paying she been paying ties since fifty eight. GoFredo: Says fifty two, fifty-eight. Kevin: That's give the eight. LayTheDon: All right, what are we talking about? GoFredo: Sister Rose had her kids, her great grandkids, her kids, her grandkids, her great great LayTheDon: And her great great great grandkids. GoFredo: grandkids, her great grand come through this church and sister Rose still a nurse on seventy fifth of Ashland at the clinic right there. It ain't even no it ain't even it ain't even no clinic over there. I'm just throwing the address out there. Is it a clinic over there? Think a clinic. It might no, I don't know. LayTheDon: All the kids been baptized. She done been there every first Sunday. Kobi: Let me go with it. LayTheDon: She done been at every wedding. She'd have been at every every funeral there. She'd have been at she she'd been servicing that church since since sh you coming in with a with GoFredo: You a la LayTheDon: a Bentley and she came in a tie. Stop playing. GoFredo: For me for me I think I honestly think of it from two perspectives. I think that it used to be a point where in our culture the pastors or or Reverend, whichever name, I'm not sure which one to be called which, or the difference between the two, I think it kinda started. They used to be kind of the leaders within the community that kept the community whole when things was an issue, you went to your past and they helped out or 'cause it just went through the church like it was a beacon for the community. And now when I look at our community now, it's just so many fake leaders, false prophets in the church that's just trying to get a bag out of it that didn't lost touch with the community and whatnot. Like, remember when churches every Sunday they had food? So like as long as you came to church, you was eating. How many churches actually doing the food LayTheDon: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: every single Sunday now? That used to be a thing and every like you so anybody as long as you went to church, you was eating. It was basically like that. You sit for the sermon. You had your big nice home cooked meal afterwards. And it was just like that. And over time, and I tell you I understand the history behind it to where the system was there to, you know, break the the the the preachers of the church and everything like that. But now when I look at it now, I sit back and think to us think to myself that we gotta lost a lot of false prophets within our community that's not really leading the charge like it was back in the day. And now it's just they just get nears and just kinda maneuvering and just kind of finessing the system. And then you got some that's still trying to do their best, but at the same time, you can only do so much with a community that's fighting, that's kind of pushing back as well. So I think it's like a give or take. Like we're in a an interesting turmoil within our culture to where, you know, one side gotta continue to fight, but it we only got so many people that's gonna fight. Like so many paths or so many people that's just trying to look look in the system about, like you said, just trying to get they bag and get gone. and whatnot. That's really what it comes down to. Stand on the back of their brothers and sisters to get their bag. And then go to their own community and do what they gotta do. So I think it's a lot of that. I think it comes from, you know, the leadership with our pastors and whatnot, giving back to the community, making our community as whole as one. no matter the violence, you know. Like for me, like I always tell there are certain callers in this world and I think being a pastor is a calling. Just like being a doctor, just like being certain things that you were given this gift. to do this type of do to this type of duty. So you giving back to the community, you being a shepherd, you being a a pillar of our community is a greater calling. So that should be something you should do f out the grace of your heart that make you feel good at night. And I think we lost that for the most part within our community. You know, our past used to be willing to down the sword for the community. Now it's just like let me get this rose erase and get up out of the community. So it's I at least for me is what I see. I'm just keeping it a busky. What you think, Kobe? Kevin: Mm-hmm. Kobi: What I don't understand is with black communities and churches is why are there so diff so many different churches all teaching the same thing? Like their own, they're teaching their own religion in a sense in in in the black communities. There's one on day near every corner, all doing the same thing every Sunday. People are split up within these different places and there's nothing really coming from these different churches or tent churches hole in the walls and there's nothing coming from I do want to touch on what you said, Mr. Fredo, that they and Lay and Kev, they do just want to get a bag and get out of here. the the quote unquote leaders inside of the safe places that we have in the black community. Supposedly safe places in the black community. it's it's not a it's not a good place at all to Try to finesse your own people in. But we live in the twenty we live in twenty twenty six. Nowadays everybody is finessing everybody. There's no real within our community at all. Everything is GoFredo: Excuse me. Kobi: orthodied and Fox five. Everything's not majority of the stuff is not real. That's what I want to say. Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: Everybody trying to get to their bag and maneuver around. Kobi: Correct. And Kevin: Yeah. Kobi: that's how you keep a community together. Or that's Kevin: Mm-hmm. Kobi: not how you build a community. Every rapper go to the rappers. Well rapper has come back to the community and and gave and gave back. GoFredo: This is the thing LayTheDon: Nope. GoFredo: though, bro. They come back to the community. I speaking from Chicago specifically, you come back to the community, you liable to get to get shot. Cause you got hate with you still is still like I don't want to make it sound like everything, you know, and it's hard. Like I said, it's this weird evolution within our community. You grow up in the hood and you find that you make it out and you do better, but that's your community. What if somebody on the opposite side of the community got beef with you or they don't like you? Or whatever the situation like that may be, or you run into somebody girl, or they just like what you got, or they just believe they better than you, so they're just gonna take you out and take your spot. It's that level and they go back to Laysays that level of anger within the community as well. And I don't know how we get it back, get a level of peace and calmness within within the community. I'm with Kev to where I do feel like You know, it comes back to that church vibe, the love within the community that starts there. I think once the love got lost between the church and home within a black community, it kind of altered from there. Like I said, we like Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: as millennials, we know what it's like to grow up. We all say like what it was like going into church. And then but we all got a different a different experience to a certain extent while we left the church. But we all remember that going to church, a lot of us have sang in choirs and did Boy Scouts and did a basketball team. Or something along the lines that where the church was the community's keeping everybody together. Where you can go to church and get you a Sunday meal and whatnot, big home cooked meal. They had church on Thursday where you can come and get a meal. They had a picnic on Saturday. So where your tithes and offerings and stuff like that was going to something to not only repair the church but also give back to the community to a certain extent. And I think we lost that. And and I I'm I'm with Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: Kev. I think it I think it kinda started with the church and it kinda oozed its way throughout the community even more. I think it was a problem, but people felt like the church was one thing. And then like Lace here, you got people just gossiping, this, that, and the third. It's more like a fashion show. Who got the best Gucci, who got the nice car, who got this, that and the third when people that's been in the community struggling and whatnot and just don't nobody care. If somebody get a flat in the church parking lot, people just, You got triple A and drive off. It used to be Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: You know, y'all know what it's like. Y'all remember y'all uncles unbutting it they shirt and whatnot, helping change the tires. You know, people used to sit outside. Now I don't know if this was good or bad, but you used to see uncles and granddads and daddies outside, people smoking outside, smoking a cigar, smoking a cigarette, having them with drinks in front of the church. You used to be at church all day running around with the other kids and stuff like that. It was a sense of community. Like church used to take forever. We remember that as kids, but we also remember we made friends there. And everything like that. It was a sense of community. Your Sunday went to church. Be prepared. You at church all day. You was at church all day on Sunday. It was straight like that. It ain't nothing else happening on Sunday. It LayTheDon: Yeah, you ain't you ain't joined you ain't nothing else. Kevin: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. All right. All right. GoFredo: ain't nothing else happening. LayTheDon: I will say, I will say more recently I've seen that a lot of church services have geared their church services to be done in time for football season more recently. A lot of churches end GoFredo: Which is crazy. LayTheDon: at like twelve o'clock because they know their first game started at one o'clock. They have geared till that. That's the only part of the community they gatered to is the football community. GoFredo: But but but I was gonna say, which is crazy because I get it. You gotta, you know, go with the Florida community, you gotta adapt. I get that you gotta adapt Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: with times, but y'all remember there was a point in time in our childhood where we wasn't watching no sports. Like no Sunday night foot so Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: no Sunday football was happening and you would be lucky to catch the night game. Or or or if your LayTheDon: Right. GoFredo: church had a TV or somebody bought the little and obviously we talking about way back in the time where it was the radios, it wasn't these handheld TVs around, it was cable. And the church didn't have the best cable. Yeah, so this was sort of like you might get one Kevin: Right. Pre pre pre cell phone error. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. Right. GoFredo: TV that might be playing one game, and if that ain't your team, you better get used to it. And so in Chicago, if the LayTheDon: Right. Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: Bears was playing, the Bears was on. So, so and it was straight Kevin: Okay. GoFredo: like that. So I I agree with you. I didn't but everybody stayed. The dads came to church. Everybody Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: came to church regardless of football season. Everybody came to church and they was in there. Now they may have been listening on the radio or watching the TV in the back and whatnot, watching the game throughout the service or after the service. But at the end of the day, families was there. Like I remember when my when my parents Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: moved from I Chicago to Indiana. We still drove from Indiana to Chicago to go to church every Sunday, faithfully. No matter what. Sang in Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: the choir and everything. 'Cause it was just like the it was like y'all said, the community was the the church was the community. And it wasn't a gossip trip, it was a more how can we empower each other trip. What'd you say, Kev? Kevin: And I'm and I'm gonna say that Yeah, and I'll say I just w I'm gonna say this too. what what really happened with the church, the church became more religious than spiritual. So basically when you're when you become overly religious, it creates it creates all sorts of problems because think of think about it like this, you're going to the church for your spirit to get fed. Right. So when that's not happening, you just showing up just to show up. You religiously showing up the GoFredo: Yes. Kevin: same way you religiously you religiously go to work. You religiously go to your barber. You religiously you know what I'm saying? You religiously go to sleep. You religiously go to sleep. LayTheDon: he eating. You ain't cooking. GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: You know what I'm saying? Like that's just what it is. So the church, it's just a repeat. It's just becoming like a repeat and you're not getting anything out of it. So when you're not getting anything out of it, you're not gonna go. We don't go to church GoFredo: Yeah. Kevin: because we we stopped going to church because we stopped getting something out of it. It just became like to y'all's point, it became gossip, it became a show, it became everything about everything but what it was intended to be, and you not getting spiritually fed. Half the problems that we run into, if we wanna be real about it, those are spiritual problems. You know GoFredo: Yes. Kevin: what I mean? That we run into on a on a day-to-day. Like our relationships with people, our relationships with our family. our our identity problems that we have in our community. We don't know who we are, so we can't figure out what it is we want to do. We can't find our purpose and what we real and who we are and who you know what I mean? So if we don't identify a purpose, how we gonna figure out what we need to do in life? You know what I mean? So when we get to a business and you don't got no identity, that's a problem. GoFredo: Yeah. And that's I think that's another problem. I think we as a community we lost ourselves. I think I I I Kevin: Mm-hmm. GoFredo: think our community has lost our their their identity with their history. And that and that's why another thing I feel like that comes with the like you said with the church. I think that you should be able to get educated with your history within the church or like how you say the pastors back in the day and that I'm seeing a lot of more more and more pastors convert to this to where they're using the times to you know, educate you on the Bible. Make the church, like you said, it feels like you're going something. Like now people make jokes to getting the Holy Ghost. Like, as I get older, I understand, like, when you going through something and then like, you know, you finally made it through, or that spirit of like you said, like you go to the church, you go to the church and it just feels like what the pastor preaching, he just talking to you. Like it meant like it was one of them days where you just like, hey, like, boy, like this scripture was for me. And then it it it has now gotten to LayTheDon: Well Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: the point to where it's like it's more of a joke or like Kevin said it's more strict to the Bible to where it's not giving people grace to live or feel that they can come to their reverend a pastor to ask for advice or anything like that because now they done got a little too uppity in their words or and I think that's just not even just for the black church, but just for the culture of religion as well. I think that has kind of broke out. I think that You saw the break in other churches and the way they do it and I think it finally hit with the black community and now it's just you know, the scam is then crapped Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: in and realized that they can go to they can go here, get a nice little bag and preach a word and call it a day. So excuse me, I think it's that now. Kobi: It became a cash crap. GoFredo: You said what? Kobi: It became a cash grab. GoFredo: yeah. And then I found out I found out in church in in churches that a lot of them don't even understand like the money that goes in and out of it, like the treasury or whatnot, because a lot of churches, a lot of church members within the black community don't even wanna know because they feel like if the word get passed around people gonna start arguing about money supposed to be going here, most people going there and everything like that. And it's just that level Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: of trust within our churches as well. So where now I see more people just Kevin: Okay. GoFredo: Like we said, go just to go. And now it's at that's another side, which Kevin: Yeah. GoFredo: is what mainly our generation that I look at and I see like, man, that's just a cash cow. Y'all sitting here putting money in the church and a and a pitcher Kevin: Mm. GoFredo: driving around the Rolex and a Rolex and the Rolls Royce and a Lexus. Yeah, I got it. Like is this is I think it's that now. Kevin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. No, GoFredo: So Kevin: you're right. You're right. I I'm I'm gonna say this though. As far as like especially 'cause we we're in that big that that mega church era too. You know what I mean? And that's like a whole other thing than like GoFredo: That's very true. Kevin: your your community church. And it's not that I'm opposed I'm not opposed to the mega church. I think like I'ma I'ma say this. to y'all point, it's the you know it's that cash grab, but I'll say that If you're giving out a word that that's good and you're able to hit that many people and it's a positive, it's a it's a it's a positive impact, I'm cool with it. But if it's not, GoFredo: Yes. Kevin: then that's where I have a problem. That's that's where I have a problem, you know what I mean? So y'all I think yeah, this this is a this is a this is a good topic, man. I think we're gonna have to dive a little bit a little bit deeper into that, but but listen man, no, this was a great episode. Y'all gave some real good feedback. I I I can't I can't wait. I hope somebody I hope this this really impacts somebody but y'all this is for the exchange give us a like comment subscribe we'll catch y'all next time