Latest / Coconut Justice / CJP #29: Hotep

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CJP #29: Hotep · Coconut Justice

• speaker-0: Hey, what's good? Hotep is the Egyptian word for peace. It's also the name of a guy who's making a bunch of other dads incredibly nervous. Hotep noticed that his sons really liked anime cartoons, and so he went out and created his own anime brand called Black Lion and Cubs. He also works as a consultant for comics, video games. Card games, animations, toys, you name it, he's in. This is my conversation with Hotep from Black Lion and Cubs. Before we get into it, remember to go to CoconutJustice.com to get you some clothes that I think would look good on you. Let's go. So I wanted to introduce you to someone we just recently met online. And you know, I have been a huge fan of independent comics. And I love bringing attention to those independent comics. So today we're going to be talking to the creator of Black Lion and Cubs. Everybody, welcome. Hotep. What's going on, brother? Good to see you. speaker-1: What's going on, Carlos? Good to see you, man. Good to be here with you. speaker-0: ⁓ yeah, thanks again for reaching out. ⁓ And I think we met through or yeah, we met through a post that we had done because I had interviewed Dawood Anyabuile. And I think that's what caught your attention. And so now we're here and we're about to talk about you and your comic strip. speaker-1: Mm. Yes sir. Yes sir. Dao meeting that Dao go back to a whole nother lifetime before way before I created this. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. So ⁓ when I when I saw that, I said, ⁓ the brother talking to Dao, man. Well let's see if ⁓ he'd like to talk to me too. speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. No, Dawood has always been cool with me. We've we've recorded I think three, maybe four episodes of a sort of podcast. I used to have this podcast called Sketch Zone that was art related. And so when I reached out to Dawood, he was Hell yeah, let's do it. ⁓ well if you know Dawood, he probably didn't say hell, but ⁓ so yeah, and he's just always been cool with me. ⁓ speaker-1: Mm-hmm. speaker-0: And always been open to the silliness that I pitch him. And so he's just good people. He seems like good people. Did you guys ever do shows together? speaker-1: Yeah. No, like you s like I said, ⁓ so I'm I'm a longtime creative entrepreneur and ⁓ I started here in Atlanta in the mid 90s in the music industry, transitioned from music to film and then film to publishing books. Huh? Yeah, producing ⁓ both, but ⁓ the rapping ended first, then I got into the production because I I figured the production felt more natural to me. Sure. ⁓ and I always consider myself more of a speaker than a rapper. or an entertainer, more of an educator, if you will. So ⁓ yeah, yes. Producing the music and then running a independent label, ⁓ and then ⁓ doing my first film in around two thousand and four. I had a documentary. speaker-0: So you are so you basically what you're telling me is you don't just still. speaker-1: ⁓ yeah. Yeah. I'm like I said, I I I I call myself a creative entrepreneur because like if I have something to say and I just find different ways of saying it, you understand? So I I've I express myself through all different formats and mediums. So I met Daoo back when ⁓ I wrote my first book called The Hustler's Ten Commandments, and that was in twenty ⁓ two thousand six. So I'm about to celebrate I'm celebrating the twentieth anniversary of that book this year. speaker-0: Nice. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. Let's go back to two thousand four though, because you slipped in there that you created a film. Yeah. You know, I'm a bit of a filmmaker if you you know, we do dabble dabble. speaker-1: Yeah. Well, you know, like you know, I am the consummate indie, ⁓ because ⁓ not because I wanted to, but because I had to. You know, ⁓ in the music industry, in in all the industries that I enter, I of course I wanted the record deal or I wanted the production deal or the publishing deal or the sponsors or the you know, ⁓ but I never got that. No one would give me anything. So I tell people my journey is that of the person that could never find a way. I had to learn how to make a way. And I've been making a way for myself since you know, for the last thirty years. And so that's why Black Lion and Cubs, you know, it's just been although it's two and a half only two and a half years old, I've been crushing it because it's I know how to create, I know how to take my ideas and turn ⁓ into IP. speaker-0: That and that's that is a skill that it's it's incredible how many people don't have. Like if you're a creative speaker-1: Mm, mm. The e speaker-0: You you find creative ways to solve different problems, even if you're drawing, if you're inking, if you're doing whatever, that's how your brain was built. Right. So, what do you say to someone that is on the creative end of the spectrum, but they don't have that that connectivity to the completing things? speaker-1: Yes. Yes. ⁓ it's it's part of the challenge, I believe, of the creative mind, right? So you have ⁓ you have the creative mind and you have the commerce mind, right? And the commerce mind is centered around business. These two minds have geniuses unto them own unto themselves. And when you're a genius in the creative space, ⁓ your mind it's like it's like you know, the opposite spectr side of the spectrum from the commerce and the business side. And so for a lot of our creative colleagues, what they have to do is either one or two things. Either they have to find someone whose genius rests in the commerce or the business side of things, or become that someone and back the their genius and develop that side. again, because of my journey, I'm the type person that ⁓ doesn't sit around waiting for opportunity. I'm I'm constantly trying to create opportunity for myself for myself. And I believe it really comes down to a matter of confidence, man. You know, I just don't I find that that a lot of creative people don't have enough confidence to put themselves out there like that because they don't want to get the the negative feedback or they don't want to be turned down like I've been turned down a million times. And I mean even to this day is is you know, I've been doing this for a long time, I still get turned down. But then speaker-0: Sub ⁓ speaker-1: stories of some of the great ones that I idolize and they've had the same journey. So ⁓ it comes down to confidence. And ⁓ a lot of our colleagues lack that confidence or lack the willingness to develop that skill set that or that mindset for themselves. Yeah and so they just you know ⁓ they just are left in that that zone and good luck to them. Hopefully somebody picks them up and takes you know and utilizes their talent. speaker-0: Is there is there a certain process that you follow or are you like a a ⁓ feel it out and figure it out as you go kind of guy? speaker-1: ⁓ I'm definitely a feel it out, figure it out ⁓ type of guy. ⁓ so two things. Number one, for those that are attempting to build confidence, I always tell people to start where they're strong, right? ⁓ the way a person builds confidence is by getting those little wins, getting a little win here, a little win, a little win, and you start to develop confidence because you've been winning so long. And so, in order to get those little wins, the best way to go about it is by starting where you are strong. All of us are strong at something, right? ⁓ and so what happens is unf unfortunately people are sold these pipe dreams and ideas that pull them away from their own center of genius and force them to have to learn something new or or you know delve into something they have no idea about, right? And so as they go through that journey, they start to take a lot of losses. Man, they go through a lot of law because they don't know anything about it, they've not experienced it. They're not that's not that's right. They just give up. ⁓ it's not for me, it's not meant to be. speaker-0: And they get sad at losses. speaker-1: So if you start where you are strong, you find your sense of your area of genius, which all of us has, then you operate within that space. You start to see that you get positive, more positive responses and you get some wins, and then you start to develop and build that. but to answer the other side of your question, my ⁓ you know, it for me it's always trial and measure, not trial and error, trial and measure. And the way I did what and why I differentiate that is because. For many people, it's trial and error. They try something, they make a mistake, they give up and on to the next one. Right. For me and the way I teach it, it's trial and measure. So you try things, you measure the results and refine the process. You know what I'm saying? So it's not a giving up and throwing away and on to the next one. It's more okay, that didn't work. What did work? Let's take what works, whittle it down, and you refine the process. So for me, even now in this develop the development of this anime brand. I didn't know what I was doing, you know, because I I'm not a an anime head. I'm not I hadn't been in this space, but I'm a creative entrepreneur. And what I've been able to do the the benefit that I've had is because I'm not in the industry, I don't know the industry way. So it gives me the opportunity to operate in a space of innovation. I can take the lessons from the music industry, take the lessons from the film industry. Take the lessons from the publishing world and combine all that and take those best practices and now apply it into the anime space, the comic space, the video game, and so on and so forth. So that's just what really been giving me the advantage is stepping, not being an outsider and approaching this with the ⁓ with the the mind and the wonder and the curiosity of a child who knows no boundary. I don't know no boundary. When you're in the industry where you say, Well, I can't do it this way because that's not how they that's not how they do So anyway, I'm gonna stop talking right there. speaker-0: No, no, no, no. I've I'm in total agreement with you because I I say I say things like this is a little disrespectful, but I say you have to be dumb enough to succeed. True. Like, and then and then I'm also a big fan of putting yourself, whether it's physic physically or mentally, into different difficult situations and figure out how to get out. Right? Those are the little small wins that you were talking about. speaker-1: True. Yes, yes. Absolutely. And and being okay with the losses. Like understanding that the you know, loss life is lesson, right? If you approach life as if it's lesson, then the loss isn't so much a loss as a learning opportunity to say, you know what? Okay, that didn't work. Well, why didn't it work? You know, should we try it like this? Should we try it like that? Should we not try it at all? That's the trial and measure that there you go. There you go. It could be the timing, right? So there's a lot of different factors that w that ⁓ lead to a success, but if speaker-0: Or should we try later? That's speaker-1: You know, if you're like somebody, you know, if if you're if you're taught incorrectly, then you're when you face a lesson, you start to excuse me, when you face a challenge, you start to say, well, something must be wrong with me and this must not be right. So I just give it up and you know, I have self-esteem issues now, mental health is not good and all that kind of stuff. And it doesn't have to be that way. speaker-0: Yeah. ⁓ Exactly what you said. It's sh it even if it is a loss, it's not really. It's a lesson. That's right. And now you know either don't touch that stove or measure twice, cut once. speaker-1: It There you go. Yeah, absolutely. And it's a beautiful thing for me. It's ⁓ that's the adventure of life, man. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I I fail all the time, you know what I'm saying? But it's like failing forward, you understand? Yeah, and I don't mind because it doesn't, I don't I only make beds that I can lay in, you understand? So, you know, if I'm if I'm making a bet and I lose, it's nothing, you know, I'm good. You know what I'm saying? people bet their last, you know, on you know, everything on one thing. I just don't go about things that way. So the losses for me, while they may be sometimes embarrassing or, you know, you know, personally embarrassing or disappointing, again, it's it's just a lesson. I I see it for what it is. I refine the process, get out there and do it again, and get out there and do it again, and get out there and do it again. speaker-0: And that screwdriver might not be for that screw, but it's gonna be it's gonna work on some of these screws out here. speaker-1: That's right. And that's what you learned in the process. You say, you know what? ⁓ it wasn't I didn't do anything wrong. It was just the wrong situation to do that. Right. Yeah. Or it was the the wrong time to do that. But I'm gonna save that because it does work. It just doesn't work here or with this type of person. So yeah, man, that that's wisdom. ⁓ unfortunately, you know, it's it's wisdom that is now becoming more ⁓ more rare and ⁓ more ⁓ like you know. speaker-0: Just another two. speaker-1: esoteric now than ever because because of AI and things of that nature, people feel like you know, they can ask this this entity to give them all the the answers. They're not willing they're not willing to try. There it is, right? And and he was all he was wrong half the time. You know what I'm saying? Yeah well wrong half the time. But ⁓ you know with the AI, I mean, listen, it's ridiculous. It's speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: There's a gentleman that's touring right now with this book about the future of humanity. He says he's he starts with the future of men, but it's really the future of humanity. And he says we're building a generate generation of people who are asexual and asocial. Yeah. These are the terms he used, not homo, asexual and asocial. And for those that are listening that don't understand the difference, well, asexual means that I don't need another human to reproduce. Right. Right. Asexual. means I don't I mean excuse me, a social means I don't need another person to have a social relationship with. And he's saying that the future of humanity, if we continue down this route, is teaching young people that you know what, especi now men in particular, in in this case, he was saying, well, men are being socialized in a way where they don't they don't feel like they have to talk to women anymore. They don't even need women for sex. ⁓ they don't need that or women for companionship anymore. They don't need women for anything because You can have speaker-0: Let let me hit the because what you said is disturbing. You and I are, you know, we got a little we got a little speaker-1: Silverback gorillas, man. We just Carlos, that's why this is important because we the last ones. Listen to me. I'm 52. All right. I'm 50. Okay. We come from a generation in a culture that whose whose ⁓ whose standard was based on keeping it real. Right. That was the language we used. Like if it wasn't real, it wasn't right. Like we that was the standard, keeping it real. speaker-0: Three. speaker-1: We don't live in that time anymore. I just I had to come to appreciate this. We don't live in a time where people care about keeping it real. In fact, we live in a time when it's just the opposite. People know it's not real and don't even care. Yeah. So ⁓ in in in one way. speaker-0: they they on on Instagram they they pose in front of a billboard that looks like they're at the beach kind of thing speaker-1: Yeah, I mean, and it's okay because somebody's looking at it, liking it, and you know, and now they're feeling now they're feeling good and proud of themselves. Man, I know a dude, a grown man, not too young too, not too much younger from us. He was excited that he bought his daughter a house, right? And ⁓ so we delve deeper into the the house that he bought. This wasn't a house in reality, it was in virtu virtual reality house that he bought his daughter and he was so proud of himself, man. So again, you know. Yeah, right. You know, people so the point is here, and I'm gonna let I'm gonna move on to something, you know, we can move on to something else. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: The competencies that you and I have that we know are so important to our humanity and just feeling like a a ⁓ whole person, young people are no longer developing. You understand? The AI and the VR create a situation where they don't even feel like it's something that needs to be developed. And what what's gonna happen is they will grow up. ⁓ if if people like you and I, the OGs, speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: Aren't ⁓ respected and aren't sought out, you know, then the wisdom that we have will die or will only be amongst an elite few. You understand? Like my children. I ain't worried about my children, they're gonna have it because I'm it's you know, listen, let me tell you something. My son, we were talking about going to a con con the other day. ⁓ we I said, Son, you know, remember we went to that con, they had people dressed up like Spider-Man. He said, Is KRS one gonna be there? I said, I raised. speaker-0: My man. That's good home trading right there, kid. ⁓ speaker-1: So, you know, again, I'm not worried about them. But again, our wisdom is gonna be transferred to a an elite few who are gonna continue to run this world and the rest who are are gonna be sold this this pipe dream about what AI and technology can can do for them and they're gonna lose their humanity in the process and it's a scary thing. So speaker-0: Yeah. ⁓ this AI thing is gonna be a problem. ⁓ but yeah, we yeah, it's one of those things. I'll cross that bridge when we get to it. You know, there's a a lot of a lot of what ⁓ is going to dictate AI is what society is like. And that's where these lessons that we're talking about, like being OGs and telling people about how we grew up, that is that should be the foundation for how we leverage AI. Instead of just the mad dash and it's another gold rush. speaker-1: Right, right. And Doc, you said it right. I said it to this dude. I was in Chicago. I was in Chicago. I was doing a I did a speech or a masterclass with Colin Kaepernick, right? Yeah. And ⁓ I somebody came up to me afterwards and he ran this AI company. I said, listen, I'm not speaking down on AI. All I'm saying is the people that are developing AI and and you know releasing this stuff need to have an OG in the room. You understand? Like an OG, official OG. should be in every room where there's a conversation about AI and how to utilize it. And the reason being is because we to your point, we can help them ⁓ you know utilize it with the competencies that we have and it can build on that. Right. ⁓ unfortunately that's not the case. And what you said is important. We're, you know, we're like the people like our our grandparents now. You know, we if we're not careful, me and you, we gotta make sure we don't sound like our grandparents who said, Boy, when I was your age, you know, we didn't had to walk three miles to school and three miles back and so on. Right. And we like, yeah, well who's gonna walk? Well, kind of that sounds ridiculous, grandpa. You know what I speaker-0: Now we say now we say at your age we used to go outside. speaker-1: There you go. Exactly. So we gotta be careful how we position ourselves because we'll sound just as outdated and corny as them, you know. speaker-0: Right, instead of leaning into it because it's new for everyone. That's the thing. You know, it's new for everyone. We didn't we don't know what the hell's going on, let alone you guys. You know? So having the perspective of everyone in the group, the old folks and the new folks, where can we go with this and how do we do it responsibly? speaker-1: It is. Yes. speaker-0: You know, and I know artists are upset with ⁓ the ⁓ the ⁓ image generation part of AI. I that's not the one I use. The one I use is the one that takes all the jobs from the C level managers that don't sit any that don't do anything but plan lunches and tell us what to do. speaker-1: Mm-mm. Doc, I'm telling you, this I had a long conversation about how people use it, what you know, which type of applications are cool, which ones aren't. Yeah. But the bottom line again, like you said, is ⁓ we're learning about this together. Mm-hmm. The difference is I was talking to my wife the other day, I said, just imagine. Our child like imagine growing up and watching something happen on TV and not knowing if it's real or not. You understand? Like we when we watch, think about this. When we were coming up, it's children. I'm talking about children now because I got young children. As a child, I'm watching King Kong, right? I know it's not real, right? Because yeah, I can see the special, right? speaker-0: Yeah, yeah. Some dude in some hair suit. There you go. speaker-1: Like you can see that, right? But you're entertained by it. Now children are watching something on TV and it looks so real, but it's so wild. How do you, if you don't know any better, you understand? This is the danger for a lot of young people, is if you don't know any better, then this is forming your reality. You understand? And that's why we are so important. You understand? That's why we have to be there to say, you know what? No, son. No, young lady, that's not real. You understand? Or you know what? ⁓ I don't know if it's real either. Let this is what I do now if I don't know it's real. But what I don't do is just go off the top and just, you know, respond to it like it is automatically, you see. And so that's a ⁓ a big thing that's that's gonna make a big difference, you know, for for humanity as we move forward. And so I don't want to be the dead horse with that OG point, but you know, I ⁓ speaker-0: Needs to be it needs to be hit. Yeah. So what was it like growing up in the seventies in Atlanta? speaker-1: Yeah, yeah. Well actually I I was born in New York. So I came I came to Atlanta. speaker-0: You're like my girl Simone. She was born in New York and she lives in Atlanta now. She she runs a ⁓ a personal chef company. So if you ever get hungry, let me know. I got some people out there. speaker-1: Okay. I'm always hungry, man. I put my ass, make the recommendations for real. But yeah, I was born in the 70s and so in New York. So I was born in 73. So the year New York ⁓ when the year hip hop was born, I was born with that. And so I take great pride in that clo you know, you're close to you, may not be exact. ⁓ you might be. Are seventy three? Or you're seventy. Okay, all right. All right. So I'm 73. What I mean by that is to say that I was birthed at the very same time. when this entity was forming, right? And I I pride myself on on that because every step of the way, every aspect, every iteration, every development, I'm a beneficiary of. You understand? And that's why I say, and of course, you know, you 72, same thing. The point is people like you and I are beneficiaries of ⁓ the development of a ⁓ a culture that's based on Taking nothing and turning it into something, right? That's based on and and that that reflected ⁓ you know what was happening in a part of society that may have been marginalized. And we took it together, all of us, we took it and turned it into something powerful and transformative that's respected worldwide. ⁓ and then we ⁓ also learned how to monetize it. And so even, you know, what I do with speaker-0: Yep. speaker-1: Black Lion and Cubs is a result of that. I you know, I've seen not just being an artist, but then also saying, How can I be an an owner in this space? How can I be a creator? How can I be, you know, all those things that's there it is, right? There you go. So ⁓ I don't know how we got into that, but I did I'm from New York and I I moved to Atlanta to go to college. speaker-0: Mash. Okay. Was it how similar was Atlanta to New York? speaker-1: Very different, man. It was it took it took a ⁓ it was a it was a a learning curve for me. Yeah. ⁓ I remember distinctly one unique ⁓ experience was As I was leaving New York, I remember walking to the library. And ⁓ yeah, we used to walk to libraries, right? Yeah, I was walking to the library. Library was the hangout where speaker-0: Snow uphill both ways. ⁓ speaker-1: ⁓ so I, you know, I was going to the library and I saw this dude. You know what I'm saying? Now in New York, at least in the 80s, late 80s, you don't say, you don't, you don't greet each other in the streets. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. If somebody greets you in the street, you know, what's up, then you know it's a problem, right? So he had one of us said, What's up to the other? And I remember turning around having to watch my back, right? Thinking I had to watch my back because he said, What's up to me? You know what I'm saying? So I turned back, you know, because I had to be on guard. That's in New York. I came to Atlanta and people what's up. You know what I'm saying? Like they're they're greeting and I remember and I I wasn't used to people just really just greeting you on the street, especially men, and that just being, you know, as they call the hot the southern hospitality. So that was a big ⁓ cultural shift for me. ⁓ the language, you know, or the accent. I remember because I was I'm a former teacher. I remember, you know, early in the ⁓ my career. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: having a hard time understanding what the kids were saying because of their accent, you know. So that was the learning curve too. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. speaker-0: What did you go to college for? speaker-1: Education. So I was a I had an early childhood a degree ⁓ degree in early childhood education. I was a elementary school teacher. speaker-0: Nice. You might be the first perfect person to ask this. I don't even know really what I'm trying to ask. I'm trying to figure out why the hell they took schoolhouse rock off of TV. speaker-1: Brother, I don't know, man. You know, so that being first of all, I used to love schoolhouse rock like everybody did. I think it did a great service for our our country, right? ⁓ I'm part of a a network called Black Education Station, right? BES is an app. ⁓ Black Education Station is a it's a download, it's like PBS Kids, but all black, all the content created by black educators and experts for young children ages zero to ten. I bring that up to say that ⁓ part of the reason why I'm part of ⁓ Black Education Station is because I understand that we cannot rely on the government or corporate entities to do what's in bet in the best interest of our children. Especially if you're minority. That's right. Especially if you, you know, black, Latino, whatever. Yo, these people. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: are cannibals, man. Some of these people they'll eat their own. They don't care about their own, not to mention us. speaker-0: Not even eat their own, they'll leave their own. That's what they do. speaker-1: Yes. Man, it's just it's so so that being said, because I know that we cannot rely on the government or corporate entities to do us in the best interest of people, human beings, not to mention people who look like me, ⁓ I believe that is the the removal of schoolhouse rock is an example of that. The removal of rain reading rainbow, which they recently, you know, are trying to bring back. And then recently I heard that ⁓ the Corporation for Public Broad Broadcasting has decided to dissolve. Like as of yesterday, they decided to dissolve because they know what I know. It's either ownership or a slave ship, man. It's either ownership or a slave ship. speaker-0: I've heard you say that in in different speeches. And it's every time I'm like, you people, these are words that people need to listen to and to hear, because you are correct. These folks ain't gonna give you nothing. Nothing. speaker-1: And and if they do, I'd be very wary of it like the Native Americ our Native American brothers. You understand with the blankets, you understand? So look, it's just you know, this is not no slight, it's just you you know you you know if a bear is a bear, you don't treat it like it's ⁓ you know it is friendly. speaker-0: Yeah baby. Because exactly. Don't let the fact that you got a teddy bear at the house influence you into getting eaten up. Right. speaker-1: That's right. That's right. So you gotta act accordingly. A snake is a snake, man. It's a venomous snake. That's its nature. That's what it does. You know, so you deal act accordingly. speaker-0: Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. All right. So then you made it to Atlanta. what was your have you always been creative? Let me ask you that first before I get it. speaker-1: Yep. Well Yeah, so I'm always so I'm I'm the the consummate creative entrepreneur. I've been creative all my life from the days of you know drawing. I used to be an artist. I used to draw, I remember I created a comic book. My first hero was called The Weasel. You know what I'm saying? His name is The Weasel. And ⁓ he's kind of like like Wolverine, you know. But ⁓ so in any case, I've always been drawing, you know, just creative, expressing myself. And again, I'm from New York, so A lot of my ⁓ I used to do like graffiti not on the walls, but you know, on paper. And so I used to rap, you know. So again, I just like Andre three thousand said, man, I've always had something to say and I've always been Curious and explorative enough to see all to check out all the different ways to say it. You understand? And so my life and my journey as a creative entrepreneur is just a testament to that. It's someone that had something to say that was bold enough, ⁓ curious and adventurous enough to to try it. And ⁓ decided that I wanted to monetize it as well. speaker-0: Yeah. And that's the important that's the important part. We can get into it a little bit more, but that's the important part that creative people need to get used to doing. Stop doing things on favors and because you're a nice person, all that stuff. Boy, I tried to buy a sandwich with favors and and nice guy, and it just doesn't work that way. It doesn't work, man. It's crazy. ⁓ speaker-1: So I started You know, yeah, you have to, you know, again, people I could talk to you about this for days, man. People devalue themselves again because they lack confidence. speaker-0: Those folks with the money that don't give you anything, they will convince you that you're not worth the money that you're worth. speaker-1: Exactly. Exactly. So, you know, confidence is big. Like, you know, I know we're you know, this is a conversation for about creativity and such, but ⁓ it requires confidence, man, you know, because if you're gonna do anything significant when with one's life, it requires your enough belief in yourself that you're deserving and worthy of of success and the blessings that ⁓ are available to us. speaker-0: Yeah, I like that. I like how that sounds. Let's go back to two thousand four. You well, ⁓ a little bit before two thousand four. You decided to work on a film. How did that come about? speaker-1: All right. Yes. How so like I said, I'm sorry, so I came down to Moorehouse in ninety-one. I was a part of the freaknik years in Atlanta. All the the top years that everyone reminisces on and when it comes to Atlanta, I was a part of that flight. Your friend knows this. Like your friend was either a part of that or came down because of what I was a part of and you know, like there in Atlanta. This is a Mecca now for black people, for entrepreneurs, for people that have money, for people that are enterprising. We're coming from all around the country to be in Atlanta, people that want to get educated, because we have the AUC here. So there was a big migration to Atlanta, particularly from Black people. And so I was a part of that movement. We were in the music industry. I learned how to, I started my own label and was just trying out selling, selling from cassettes to CDs, right? Selling CDs out the trunk, learning how to sell what I create. And I am looking around me and I see wow, Atlanta is really popping. Like, you know, like the models are coming down here, the record labels are down here. People now have these cameras and we're starting to film and make music videos. Right. That's really what started because now I'm a music artist. The next step for a music artist, if you were wanted to be big time, you had that had to have a music video. So ⁓ again, it was hard for me to find people to you know see my vision. I had somebody ⁓ you know, do a video for me. It did it it came out pretty good. But again, I'm a creative person too. I have my own vision. So I bought my own camera. We did another video. And I said, man, I could do more with this camera because I'm seeing I'm seeing what's going on here in the city. This is phenomenal. I need to record what's happening. So my first film was a documentary called Independent Doing Major Things. It was a documentary. basically to speak to the spirit of that of who we were in Atlanta. We were independent, but we were doing things on a major level. And I was covering in that documentary the different aspects of the worlds I was a part of, the music industry, the the ⁓ the upcoming film industry, the modeling industry, ⁓ you know all this this this culture that we were building, the entrepreneurial bubble that was occurring. So I was I took the camera, me and Wes Walters. We came out, hit the streets, and he followed me with the camera and we made that documentary. And that documentary changed everything for me, man. That was that was it. That was it. speaker-0: it where did how did you get it distributed or how how did people how were people able to watch it? speaker-1: This is before social media. ⁓ I was in these streets, man. Like I was I was they look they they used to call me Hustle Simmons, man. That was the joke. Everybody called me Hustle Simmons. I'm hustling, right? ⁓ and that's what led to the book, The Hustler's Ten Commandments, is because my you know people were calling me Hustle Simmons because I'm in the music industry, but I'm out there hustling, doing things, ⁓ passing out these flyers, and word just started getting around. Like we passed out tens of thousands of flyers. about ⁓ this film and ⁓ it created opportunity for us to speak at film festivals. We were invited, you know, to be at film festivals. And that's where things started changing for me. Cause again, I really made the film so that I could showcase my music. I told you I'm music producer. So I was trying to find a creative way to show showcase my music. I said let me do it in a film format instead of on a C D format. ⁓ But and throughout that process, what I learned is one, ⁓ my vision It's bigger than music. ⁓ people, I have a skill set because of what I was doing in music. I have developed a skill set that people appreciate, that hustler's spirit. People like that about me. Like that's what people were resonating with. I was out there just getting in there, like, ooh, go there, cheering me on. Like, go to, you know, I want to be like that. So ⁓ I learned that. And then three, I learned that after each ⁓ film festival. The QA section was my favorite section of of of the whole experience. I liked sitting down, being asked questions and articulating my thoughts and ideas and hearing people, hearing it resonate with people. So that's when I started realizing that I can do things differently. And the music was not music for me was just the beginning. You understand? And that's when I started saying, Hey, I can try it this way, I can d you know, express myself that way. And that's when I got really more adventurous with my creativity. Mm-hmm. speaker-0: That's a little bit I feel like I'm talking to myself. Because I'm like that too. I I I don't sit still. If it's a comic book, if it's a movie, if it's a song, if it's a whatever. I it's If I see it as a learning opportunity, I almost never say no. speaker-1: Mm, ooh. speaker-0: Almost never say no. And I yeah, sometimes I might get get myself into some trouble, but I'd never say no. And then the cool thing about you know, the what I'm assuming your brain is like is like your feet keep moving and then every once in a while you look over your shoulder, you're like, Wow, I did all that, wow. speaker-1: Yes, like I if you don't already, you should do a timeline of your creations. Man, I did this thing, I created the timeline for like nineteen ninety-five of all my creations, man. I'm like, wow, I have a phenomenal like listen, I'm not, you know, I'm not joking, my brother. There's very few people in this world that can mess with me. I'm serious. I don't care if you Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, I don't care who you are. You know what I'm saying? Like, I have a amassed an incredible catalog of work over these last 25-30 years and in so many different industries. Like I have albums, man. I have books. I have over 30 books, man. I've got video games. I've got animations. I've got ⁓ a plushie toy coming out. Like I have card games. I I mean I mean listen, I mean, and again to your point, ⁓ you know, you said it in a different way. You know, you you don't you know ever say no. For me, it's when I create Like with Black Lion and Cubs, once I created this story and these characters, I almost never say no to the possibility of expressing them in a different medium. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like, ⁓ let me see these as V tubers. Yeah, I don't even know what a VTuber is, but I learned about VTube. I said, Well, let me do these VTubers with my characters, or you know what? Let me do nursery rhymes with my characters for kids. Let me do something more adult. Let me, you know what? Let me do a card game. I promise you, November at the beginning of November. I was at a ⁓ a a con here in Atlanta called DreamHack for my video game. Well for one of my video games. At this con, across from me, I saw somebody with a a card game. I said, Hmm, you know, I should probably create a card game. You understand? It's the idea. Hey, what would my characters look like in a card game? Yeah. Next speaker-0: Must seem like it if you did it, I'm almost positive I can do it. speaker-1: Absolutely. Well that's the confidence, right? And I thought it'd be cool. I say it'd be cool. How cool would it be to have a card game? One month, Carlos. In one month. I had that card game developed this off to my my manufacturer, and we're going through the proofs right now. In fact, where's the proof? I got a proof somewhere. Is it right here? Here it is. speaker-0: Right here. Look at I'll say right here. My man. Hell yeah. speaker-1: It's called Knights Over Egypt. I know, so I have artists, I have different artists that do ⁓ the art for me. But I'm the designer, so I design these things, you know what I'm saying? So that that's the back. That's the back right there. So speaker-0: You did the art? What's the ⁓ what's the elevator pitch for that game? speaker-1: Haven't created the elevator pitch yet. ⁓ I'm still working on how I'm gonna market it, but right now, you know, the whole nights over Egypt, you know, do you remember the song from back in the day? There was a nights over Egypt song. So I already have an idea for the for the for the you know soundtrack. Yeah. But yeah, I developed the game in in in weeks, man. It just took a couple weeks. I have so much art. So talking about Black Lion and Cubs, again, part of my approach to the development of this brand was to stockpile. Huge amounts of art. So I have my characters expressed ⁓ in so many different ways from so many different artists. One, because I'm a fan of art, but then two, again, to your point, I never say no. So when if I see an artist whose style I like, my curiosity peaks. I say, I wonder what my art my characters will look like in your style. Hey. speaker-0: Artwork. speaker-1: What do you know? And and so I'm and I want to see it in your style. Some styles I like, some styles I don't like. It's all trial and measure. You see? But that's that's helpful for me because now ⁓ now I have my characters, you know, these last two years, because the way my characters look like in the beginning isn't how they look two and a half years later. Right. I made some changes and adjustments because I've seen them expressed so many different ways. I can see what I like more of and less of and whittle it down to А море вижен. speaker-0: And I think that's that actually that's something that I have learned to do is to take my time, especially on these iPads with the with the ⁓ Apple pencil coming out. I was just drawing and just throwing things out there, drawing and throwing things out there. Instead of drawing, just you know, sit on it a little bit, draw a little bit more, adjust it a little bit more, like actually work through it to make it look like. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-0: something that would be attractive to the you know to people that like illustrations and stuff like that and i think that's one of the steps that all of this instant technology stuff is affecting is is artists being able to take the time to just put something down walk away yeah you know speaker-1: Mm-hmm. Doc, it's it's and and the the sad thing is this is what I told my cousin when I had this conversation over the holiday is what we know to be true and is it's important. It's hard to explain that. I I I told him basically what you said there is absolutely true, but no one's gonna care. You see what I'm saying? No one's gonna care that you're about the going through the process. In fact, in their mind, they're gonna be like, Why would I go through such a hard, you know, hard task when I can get it done like that? Why would I subject myself? That's what the man was saying about the book. It's like, yo, boys are growing up. Like, why would I embarrass myself talking to a girl who doesn't like me when I have this AI that automatically loves me? You understand? Like, so it's it the that's the question our young people are asking that we have to come up with a good answer for. You know what I'm saying? Like, why would I go through that process? Like it takes longer. speaker-0: And you gotta have game is not a good enough. speaker-1: Exactly, right? Like what's that game? Exactly. But you and I know like that game is important. That's how we get yeah, that's how we get our way in other facets of our lives. speaker-0: One hundred percent. Let me tell you like this: if you can talk to a woman cold turkey, you can make sales. speaker-1: Yes, sir. Yes, sir. And vice versa. And vice versa. And see the thing is, again, even with sales, they ain't gonna learn no sales techniques because all they do is go, you know, do run ads and just do, you know what I'm saying? Run it like you again, everything is the technology doing it for you. So you don't really develop there's no need for humans to develop some of these skills that you and I have that we know is why we're built different. Like what you know, I'm saying, like every You and I know and a person that's been able a human being that's that's able to have the vantage point of seeing both, you will see the real competency and see like, wow, that's a whole person. That right there is a shell of a person. They might look good on IG and the TikTok and all that, but that's a shell of a person. Cause if you put us toe to toe, neck and neck and right next to each other, it's a world of a difference. And so ⁓ ⁓ you know, again, yeah, I I don't know where this the future's taking us with that, but it's it's gonna be unfortunate for a lot of people. speaker-0: I my tendency or my thoughts are that it's democratizing people's ⁓ ability to make money. Right? You and I almost you and I might want to work for Disney, but if they don't have any seats available, we're not gonna get there. And if we did get there, we're gonna be working on whatever stories they want us to tell. speaker-1: Mm. Mm-hmm. speaker-0: So now for us, folks like us, boy, when YouTube came around and I was like, I can do whatever, well, almost whatever I want, and just get man, I've been I've been creating videos and just and again, it's one of those things where I'm creating videos, but I'm learning. I've learned like color correction. Like editing is editing. You can make things look cool, but like speaker-1: Mm. Mm-hmm. Yes, sir. speaker-0: Or you can make things flow cool, but if your color grading is whack, ⁓ there's no coming back. speaker-1: And listen, that's why so that you gotta use some of them tricks. Like, hey, just make this scene black and white. You understand? Yeah. Flashback. You know what I'm saying? Make it black and white. There you go. That's a flashback. See? That's that OG wisdom though. A lot of people don't know about that. That's how you do it. That's how you make them do that. speaker-0: ⁓ yeah. Flash back. There's some old there's some old school techniques that I still I still leverage to this day. Yeah. so how'd you do what you were we were talking about your movie? It felt pretty good to get done with it. How were you pleased with what it yielded? speaker-1: Yeah, so It did a lot more than I expected. You know, I I that's like with everything I you know, when I enter an industry, I enter I always enter respectfully. I bought my own ticket, flew over to Hollywood in like twenty ⁓ three, twenty ⁓ two, and I knocked on doors. I had to open up a, you know, had to use a whatchamacallit, ⁓ what is it called? Map quest and ⁓ a yellow book. Knocked on doors and asking people, you know, if they're making phone calls. Would you speaker-0: We talked about Mappress last night. speaker-1: produce my film for me, you know, no one's no one would do it. I bought the XL2, it's like the Canon XL2 camera or is it GL1? I think it's GL1 ⁓ camera. And ⁓ you know, I went to work. I didn't know what I was doing on my first time filmmaking. I'm not a stud and I'm I'm not learned in, you know, filmmaking. I just have a vision and a story I want to tell. We did that film and the response was amazing. I was on tour around the country People asking ⁓ you know, to play the film. I'm getting standing ovations. And then people are asking me about these 10 things that I put at the end of the film. I called them the hustler's ten commandments. It was just 10 principles that I live by that I said, listen, if you live by if you do this, this is your life's gonna be gonna be successful. And so at the end of every screening of the film, people would ask me about the hustler's ten commandments in one of my in one of my ⁓ QA sessions. There was a well known author named Ton Omar Tyree. And he said, Hold up, man, you should write a book about those hustlers ten, man. People asking you about it. He said, You should write a book. I said, Man, I would never write a book, man. Who would write a book? That sounds ridiculous. I said, People don't read, man. Here I am, thirty books later, hustlers ten commandments celebrating his twentieth anniversary. To this day, it's still my number one selling book, man. Yeah. To this day. speaker-0: Yes, sir. Out of all those thirty books, are they all like story books? Are they like hustle related, hustling related? speaker-1: So the first three, the the ⁓ the the Trinity I call them is ⁓ the hustler's ten commandments, hustle while you work, and the hustler's gospel. Those make up what I call the hustler's Bible, which I'll be re-releasing this year for the 20th anniversary. So the first few books, you know, so I had a book called ⁓ How to Sell Water to a Whale, book on sales. I had a book book called Brand Brand Your Swag About Personal Branding. So this is a space that I was in ⁓ for for many years. And then I got tired of working with entrepreneurs because I felt like people were just wasting my time. ⁓ and I just felt like I just it was it wasn't worth it for me. So I stopped doing the entrepreneur author coaching thing and ⁓ started focusing on work in schools. So I had my own consulting business. ⁓ but then I became a father, man. And that's when Black Lion and Cubs ⁓ came about, man. Father changed my life, man. I love being a father. speaker-0: Yeah. And that's the that's the the basis of the book or of the of the of the comic. speaker-1: With Black Lion and Cubs is centered around a father and his two sons. So the whole story is basically it all started because I wanted to do something cool for my boys. And you know, they st they were getting exposed to anime through my niece, and then also I was introducing them to Voltron, Transformers, Thundercats, all that stuff, you know, the classics. And ⁓ I saw my boys like that. And again, I'm a creative entrepreneur. I said, You guys like this? Daddy can do that. speaker-0: Yeah, hold my beer. speaker-1: There it is. Exactly. Hold my beer, man. So I just had somebody, it started with me commissioning an artist to draw a picture of me and my boys. I thought it would be be cool. I just all I wanted to do was draw a picture of me and my boys and let it be a po turn into a poster for them. But once I saw it, my my the juices and my my mind started flowing. I man, I could do something. speaker-0: Of course. speaker-1: And I said, Well, let me see it like this. Let me see it like that. Let me make sure it's culturally, you know, expressive of who we are. Let me make sure the characters look more like us and dress more like us. And so I d started developing it and boom, I just here we are. Two here we are, two and a half years later. speaker-0: That's amazing. I have to go back to you being a kid. ⁓ tell me about your childhood. ⁓ just because it's something tells me that the childhood ⁓ tell me about your childhood and because I'm trying to figure I'm trying to I'm trying to put that together with what's happening today and how speaker-1: Yeah, yeah. Mm. Mm. speaker-0: Who who built you? speaker-1: Yeah. Well, like I said, number one, I'm born in the seventies, right? And ⁓ my parents were two ⁓ you know, African centered parents. They named me ⁓ Hotel. I'm named after the builder the first pyramids because my parents were very intentional about implanting our culture and history in us from an early age, even through our names. but I I'm a child of the 70s, but my wonder years were in the 80s. And you remember the 80s. Like the 80s were the best time in American history. You know what I'm saying? I was arguing with everybody, right? But partially because of all the things we went through together as a family as a as a country, right? We already had the sixties, right? We had the flower movement of sixties. We had the turmoil of the sixties with the civil rights. You know what I'm saying? We had the the the the the the seventies when we're like well what what are we gonna do as a country how are we gonna ru you know define ourselves we had in New York City you know buildings burning in in in in ⁓ the Bronx so we came ⁓ out of all that there was a an energy that and you know in our country that came out of that and that's why the eighties were so amazing. ⁓ you know we this a time of creativity, a time of technology and exploration and an expression that's never been seen before. And so just like you, I was a part of every aspect, any aspect of 80s pop culture. I was those were my years. So the music and the European invasion, Billy Joel, like you know, I know all that, but you know, ⁓ like yo, listen, pressure, like you know, Devo, you know, just as much as just as much as there you go. So I'm watching MTV, we're watching MTV, the first MTV transmission, you understand? speaker-0: Because they didn't play stuff on the radio. speaker-1: First HBO like cable, what's that? Yeah, they hit those little buttons. We are we s you know we're serious. speaker-0: We used to flip the switch on the HBO box. Go streaming and stuff. Get out of here. We used to watch HBO uphill both ways. speaker-1: That's right, that's right. So Both ways. Both ways. And HBO is it. Like all you had was HBO and MTV. Like those were the only two things you could watch. Anyway, so my point is all the nerd co everything that we call nerd culture today, I was a part of. And so the the kung fu movies on Saturday mornings, ⁓ the hip hop music, ⁓ you know, the the the the video games, the original NES going from Atari. I remember going from Atari to was it was super Atari or whatever. There's Atari, then it had a speaker-0: Every other channel. speaker-1: a higher version of Atari than you had Nintendo. So my point is ⁓ you know, DVDs and and sneaking to the the the going to the ⁓ going to the the the D V D shop I mean not the D V D the VHS shop to rent movies. And like these are all things. So in any case I say that to say how this reflects on who I am and what I do now is everything that I do, even when you look at Black Lion and Cubs, is an expression of speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: It's like me reliving those days, right? Through this medium that they call anime and manga, right? It's a retro style anime brand. When you listen to the music in my ⁓ in a lot of my animation, it should sound like the music in Transformers and and Voltron. It should remind you my video games are all pixelated like the original NES. That's on purpose. Yeah. Right. and I came up on comics, man. Look. Todd and not even Todd McFarlane, Frank Miller, John Byrne, Arthur Adams, John Ramita Jr., you understand? Like I know these names, you understand, because I was there. I was a fan of the art. So all these things put together is why when you ⁓ experience Black Lion and Cubs, you should be reminiscent of this. Even the name Black Lion and Cubs itself is a throwback to this ⁓ to the 80s, seven eighties. If you remember Frank Miller. used to do the intros and the covers for a Japanese manga called ⁓ lone wolf and cub, right? It was Lone Wolf and Cub. And I never read any of those books, but I remember Frank Miller drew the covers and my father was big in the Japanese culture, right? So my father it would would collect those ⁓ lone wolf and cub books just so he could have a little something to talk about with his son since he knew one of the artists that we knew, you know, was doing it. So that's all that's everything there. that led to that this leading to this and helping fuel this in addition to fatherhood. You see? speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah. I it I've met a lot of folks that are like us that don't know how to sit still and they have no fear and they just figure things out. And the majority of them come from even less than what you need to survive. You know what mean? And so I wonder speaker-1: Hmm. Yeah. speaker-0: There has to be something about we can the you know the shortcut to say it is the hip hop community. There has to be something about the hip hop community not having anything and still not giving up and still that's not good enough. We have to push through and we have to make the thing, and it's not just the thing. We have to make that thing. And now that we're here, we might as well do that thing and that thing and that thing and that thing. speaker-1: You know, you're so you got great wisdom, Carlos, man. And you're absolutely right. You know, if for me, when when people look at me, right, they ⁓ you know there's a a typical narrative about the black people in this country, right? And that we struggle through povert poverty and drugs and crime and all that kind of stuff, violence and such. That is not my story at all. You understand? My parents ⁓ went to college, both of them graduated college. My parents come from humble beginnings, but they built and we had a middle class house, went went from ⁓ Queen to living behind my grandfather's house in in Braddock Pittsburgh at one point, because my father went to school for a second, ⁓ in Queens, where I was born, and ⁓ living in a duplex in Queens to moving out to Long Island. You understand? If you go from the city to Long Island, it's like, yo, that's like the Jefferson's, you made it. Right. So we we had a house in Long Island. I don't come from, you know, like the the poor poverty crime, you know, don't know my father. I I was raised by my par both my parents. But to your point, my area of struggle was centered around that ⁓ around the fact that despite all those things, I was still an African American. male and very dark skinned, you understand? So you have all these things. And you know, you understand the nuance of being dark skinned in this country. So ⁓ as much as I had certain advantages, ⁓ you know, ⁓ financially and such, if you will, I still had to struggle with the fact that because of what I look like and because of my name and such, people wouldn't give me certain opportunities. You understand? So that's where the struggle was for me is the fact that no one's gonna give it to me. I got to go out there and get it. You understand? I gotta go out and get it. And that again came from my parents being very intentional and then planting a seed of confidence in me and my brothers culturally first and then just social and emotionally say, look, you're great, you're powerful, you're intelligent, you know, you're worthy, all those things. So when I was in New York and had the first opportunity to get a record deal, and they said, Nah, we don't like you with what you are what you're presenting, I said, Well, I'll do it myself then. You know, but that just that I could have easily said, Wow, if they don't like it, ⁓ woe is me. I'm not good enough. I'll give this up and you know, I didn't give up my dream. I didn't do any of that because speaker-0: And if you're the more confidence you have and the more comfortable you are with who you are as a person, when you get presented those opportunities, you're able to say no to Diddy. You know what I mean? speaker-1: Yes, yes, and yeah, man. speaker-0: There is it is hard and if you're in if if I'm assuming you're like me, there's sometimes it's just you and it's it's late and you just have to work because you have this self imposed deadline. speaker-1: Yeah. Which is yesterday. The deadline is always yesterday for me, not today. Yes. speaker-0: And then someone is gonna tell you, hey, if you play with this baby oil, it's gonna get a lot easier. And you gotta be able to be like, nah. speaker-1: Doc, you're so right, man. And again, that's people are just taken advantage of in so many different ways. ⁓ because of, you know, because they lack money or because they lack confidence. That's the other thing, right? So lacking money is one thing. Lacking confidence is another thing. And when people see this, they'll take advantage of you. And you know, for me, I I don't know who said this. I don't know if they were, I think they were saying this about Tupac. They said, or or Tupac, either Tupac said it. Or if someone was saying it about Tupac. They're saying, ⁓ it's really bad, or I feel bad for the person who becomes successful pretending to be someone else. He says, Because if you become successful pretending to be someone else, you're you when you look in the mirror, right? When you when it's just you now and you look into this mirror, you ultimately know a few things. One, that You don't really be be ⁓ deserve the success that you have because these people out here, they don't love you. They love this thing that you built that you know is not you. Right. And a lot of them is the thing that's multiplied. You have all your you're a million, you know, you have millions of fans and followers, and they, you know, cheer and praise your name, but you know it's not you. It's not you that they praise, it's something else that you built. And then on the other side, you start to feel like, well, man, if they really knew the true me, will these people love me? They don't even know me. And so that's why for a lot of people that are seemingly successful, you have this condition of depression because they've built their success on something that isn't them and they can't escape it anymore. Right. ⁓ and so to your point, that's the reason why authenticity is important. You know, over the years I've come to appreciate that ⁓ when When my legacy, you know, when when I'm spoken about in the rooms that I speak about, hustle is one of those words that you will always hear hotel just a consummate hustler. But then number two, ⁓ a lot of people speak about authenticity and ⁓ being a a genuine person. Because ⁓ for more more often than not, no matter where I am, you're gonna get the same version of who I am because I'm proud of who I am. I like who I am. And I don't I don't bow down to people that don't like it. You understand? You don't like it, just get out of my face, you understand? Or I remove myself from situations where people don't appreciate who I am so that I can be free to be me. And at the end of the day, my brother, I love that man. I feel good. I feel real good. Like I sleep good every night. ⁓ I have great relationships. Like me and you, I could see me and you, we're gonna be building for a long time, Carlos. speaker-0: Think so. speaker-1: Know but my relationships like if you you see the people around me, they've been around for decades, man. Decades. Because when you're around someone that's authentic and genuine, you can love them for who they are and who they are not. Yeah. And that's a powerful thing. I've been married over 20 years. You see, my whole life is 20 plus years of of relationship because I've I've I've always been myself and Again, I'm only around people that love that love me for who I am and I love them. And and you'll see just like you, man, it's a freeing feeling when you can be yourself around around another person. speaker-0: 100%. And you don't need to and you don't need to be careful what you say in front of whom because you told what lie when. speaker-1: Right exactly. Exact man's the beautiful and again, a lot of people they're gonna miss out on that. That that let that opportunity to be authentic and genuine, man, and be loved and be loved for that reason. There's no there's no replacement for that, man. There's never a replacement for someone loving you, a real person loving you for everything you are and everything you are not. You understand? That's there ain't no higher higher, you know, ⁓ Joy in this world. speaker-0: Mm-hmm. That's what I say to people. I am me in front of Hotep the same way I am in front of my mom. Mm-hmm. It's seamless. Now you might at one point you might get eighty percent and mom gets like sixty percent because I'm not trying to get beat no more, but speaker-1: Right, right. I had to tailor my language, you know, and but see again, that's part of the authenticity. Like people know me, like listen, ⁓ you know, I have a foul mouth, you understand, but I don't have to curse every time, you know, I speak. Like I'm I'm in control of the words that I say. So ⁓ my mother recently said, you know, son, why you curse so much? I said, Well mom, you this is just the way I like to talk. I like to let it fly. She said, Well, son, you I don't I don't like it when you curse. I said, ⁓ mom, I didn't know that. I didn't say all you gotta tell me, like Again, part of the authenticity for me is I'm not no fair weather friend. You ain't gotta just give me, you know, the good news and be scared to tell me. I said, Ma, come on. You don't so as soon as she told me, good, I don't curse in front of her. But I don't mean I'm any less than of who I am. I'm not any less than who I am. Yeah. speaker-0: You just adjust. That's all it is. If you have a deck of cards, you don't want to play poker, fine. Let's play spades. speaker-1: Just play space, man. We till still play. You know what I'm saying? We're playing something. speaker-0: Hey, let me tell you my secret power. I grew up playing spades. And when I was in the military, ⁓ I saw a couple brothers playing spades and I was like, hey, let me get in. Boy, they underestimated me. I love it. I love it. Cause I've I grew up with black folks, but when you just meet me, right, you know. speaker-1: Mm. Yeah. You don't know. I mean, look at your name, man. Like Carlos Gomez, man. Like you you know the sumptuous man. We all got the bias, man. We all got biases. speaker-0: So when I show up and I start playing spades and I start setting people just ⁓ they're catching a case. speaker-1: Mm-mm. And see, the irony is, I don't know nothing about space. I went to Morehouse, they showed me space. I couldn't get space. I played maybe played space maybe five five five all of five times my entire life. My entire life. You see? And that's and see that's the reason why that's why authenticity is so important. You see what I'm saying? Because what you start to realize is as human beings, we're more alike than different. You understand? We're more alike than different. But it's only through being authentic and genuine that you can really teach that to you know, you can it really demonstrate that principle. You know what I'm saying? So here we are, you from where you're from, you have your name, you have I have my name. People we have biases about each other based off our names and the way we look. But look at the end of the day, yeah, we all have individual experiences as human beings, man. And some of us play, some of us don't play. And it's and it's not what you think it is. We're not human beings are more comp this is what it is, man, that people are missing. This is another thing. Human beings are more complex than just a snippet of a video or you know, just a a post, right? Yep. And so what's happening is people are being bombarded with snapshots, but they don't know the whole picture. So through social media, you're getting a snapshot, and people are people are weighing in, they're commenting on this snapshot. They're making speaker-0: Right. Yeah. speaker-1: ⁓ impressions and decisions based off a snapshot. But they don't know that speaker-0: The stranger ruin your day because of the snapshot. speaker-1: Snapshot, right? And then if you saw the whole picture, you like, ⁓ it it wasn't what I thought it was, or that was just a quick little, you know, it's not what it's not the whole picture. And but now people are being defined, man. People are being canceled, people are being, you know, raised up and cheered as heroes based off a little snapshot. Don't know that you know what? As soon as that camera was off, this man was beating that woman, or vice versa. This woman was cursing out this person. You thought this was relationship goals. Guess what? They're getting a divorce tomorrow. You understand? So you it's a snapshot. You don't see the whole picture. Right. Right. speaker-0: That's why I like this what we're doing and what what ⁓ what I change the chan well not change the channel to, but it's just another kind of format is this where we can talk, you know, and and actually Talk things through and learn from each other. Whereas, you know, you turn on the TV, it's these people yelling at each other and nobody's making any sense. Nobody's solving any problems. No one's improving anything. You know, and it's it's it's again going back to this this, you know, these snapshots and all this silliness. You need to have these longer conversations going back to Borrowing from what we said earlier, like when you're taking the time with your artwork or you're taking the time to develop a song, whatever, take that time to get to know someone and network because any minute now it's all every man for himself. speaker-1: Hmm. Doc, I'm telling you, you know, that's hustler's commandment number one. Your network is your net worth. You understand? Your network is your net worth. And so, and that's part of the reason why, you know, again, you you can't allow people to be defined or define another person based off of any one singular thing. Because as much as I've, you know, I'm a hustler through and through, I'm about my getting my getting my money. You know, seeing my vision through fo ⁓ you know, my vision through fruition. But at the end of the day, I'm a relationship person. It's through my relationships that I'm able to do that. You understand? That's my highest principle. So again, that's the reason why my whole life is a t everyone around me, at least a decade, man. You understand? Like very few people can say they have relationships with people that long. You know, positive, long-standing relationships with any with one person. I've got at least five people like that around me. I say that to say because I pour into my relationships. I value my relationships. I treat with dignity as much as I speak confidently. I'm a very humble individual. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So ⁓ you know, again, that's the reason why ⁓ that we ain't talk the ⁓ we ain't talk we hey. I love this conversation. Just so you know, Carlos, I I'm I like where this is going. And if it's good with you, I'm good with it. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: Okay. speaker-0: Yeah. No, we're building up to something. Yeah. No. ⁓ what were you just talking about? ⁓ taking the time to develop the the relationships and stuff like that. Yes. ⁓ yeah. speaker-1: Okay, okay. Yeah. job of that by the way with this interview by the way because even you asking me to to go back to my childhood, right? Is you giving me the chance to express to your listeners and viewers ⁓ the wholeness of who I am, right? Right. Not just the creator of black line of cubs, but I'm a whole person too. speaker-0: Because again, it's it's a snapshot and we're we're but what if you take that snapshot and stretch it out just a little bit more? Right. Because we're in a little bit we're gonna talk about your your motivational speaking and your being up on stage with Colin Kaepernick and all that stuff. But I think it's important to lay the foundation before we even go talking about what we can learn from you. You know what I mean? speaker-1: There you go. There you go. Mm. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. speaker-0: So it yeah, I've talked to quite a few people in my life. I I can talk to drying paint. And when you're asking questions, you can kind of tell. You can kind of tell who's legit and who's in it for the likes. You know. And so that's why I like to ⁓ speaker-1: Mm-hmm. Yeah. speaker-0: ⁓ talk to people and get a good idea of who they are and what they're doing. because in that way when I go to talk to someone else, like I can be like, yeah, yeah, yeah. ⁓ you know, if it's a job thing, yeah, I got a guy. Or or if someone's looking for a new comic book, ⁓ yeah, check out Black Lion and Cubs. You know. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. speaker-0: But I can tell the way that you speak, you are very passionate about everything that you do and how everything that you do represents who you are. speaker-1: Mm hmm. Yes, sir. speaker-0: And that is very important. And it's and it's very important if people are going to come and listen to you and and try to learn from you, it's important for them to know the the the path that you've been through, at least a big chunk of it. Cause like I've said in this channel, Donald Trump don't know nothing about growing up in the city with black and brown kids. He don't know nothing about that. Right. So if he's gonna start a racial sensitivity class, you're gonna be like, wait, this dude, he is just doing it for the money. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. speaker-0: And that doing it for the money thing is what can find you in trouble. That was that's that's when you find yourself at a ditty party. speaker-1: Yes, sir. You know, it's it's funny you keep bringing ⁓ up. Let me tell you something, a true story. About two years ago, I was talking with a friend of mine. And, you know, I come from I am hip hop culture. That's my center, right? So I was telling him that I I my words were, I don't want to be the next, I don't want to be KRS one. Like this is what I said, I don't want to be KRS one. The context of that was this. Like people, I'm well respected, you know, saying just in general terms. because of my pedigree, because of my experience. People know the work I've put in. People know you know I'm I'm I'm about getting mine. I'm I'm about strength and power and education, all those different things. People I have great respect. You know what I'm saying? But as ⁓ not but and as I watch ⁓ other people in you know just in general society, I see people, you know, getting just large sums of money and opportunity thrown to them. That have a fraction of my talent, my skill, my hustle, my passion, all that. And you know, or I see people that are getting the money, but don't ⁓ you know, I see people getting the money. So let's talk about hip hop, for example. You have Diddy. Let's take Diddy and KRS one, for example. Now I'm notorious. If you caught me in 2004, 2000, people, another nickname. So people call me Hustle Simmons. And in my family, they would call me K Diddy. All right. They would call me K Diddy, right? Because just like at the time, P. Diddy at that time. My name's K was just a ⁓ they used to call me K as a nickname in my family, right? Yeah. My family would call me K Diddy. ⁓ because at that time in 2004, Diddy was everything to the culture, man. He was just a shining example of wow, look, he he looks good, he speaks well, he's intelligent, he's making money, he's fly, he's just everything, man. And he and he's getting the money. After 50 Cent came I ironically, Jay-Z and ⁓ came Jay-Z and 50 Cent. So after Pity, Diddy, you know, there's these guys. So I'm looking at those three the tri effective Diddy, Jay Z, and 50 Cent. I'm like, man, these guys, you know, are running things in hip hop, they're making movies, making money, they look good, all this kind of stuff. I'm a fan of KRS one. speaker-0: Mm-hmm. The teacher. Yep. speaker-1: The teacher who built the temple of hip hop, who did the ⁓ you know, self-destruction, you know, I'm saying, started the movement for you know anti-violence and all that. K RS one on another side of the spectrum or a different side of the spectrum is even to this day just as important to hip hop culture as a Diddy figure was, right? But in a different way. K RS One had all the respect, all those people I mentioned. Would reference K RS one as one of their heroes. Yet and still KRS One wasn't getting, as far as I knew, at least, right? Publicly, wasn't getting the money, the fame, the opportunities that a Diddy 50 and Jay Z were getting, right? Right. So I say all that to say I'm talking to a friend of mine two years ago and I say, you know, I don't want to be K RS one. I don't want to be that dude everyone respects and hails and they'll reference me. So you've read Hotel's book and that, you know, but they getting more money than me. You understand? They They my son, they my student, but now they eclipsing me in regards to the success and all that. I didn't want to be that dude. I remember telling them them them that two years ago. My, my, my, what changes in two years? Right? What changes in two years? And now here I am looking at it all. And I'm watching the downfall of Diddy and seeing 50 going through whatever, you know, and Jay-Z questions and all that. And I think about it now and I say, you know what? I do want to be KRS one. He's clean. He's getting his money, living his life. I mean, he's still doing it at a high level. And he doesn't have staying true to himself, man. And so he didn't he doesn't deal with things that these guys are dealing with. So it's just so funny how I don't even know how we got to this. But you said something that triggered this whole point about you know ⁓ being compromised. You see what I'm saying? Being compromised. speaker-0: To him still. speaker-1: Keris One has never been compromised. I listened to a song he did last year. It reminded me of You Must Learn, you know what I'm saying, from 1989. Yeah. And ⁓ but and his breadth of work and his legacy that he will leave is 10 times what any of those dudes will leave. You understand? And I had to check myself, you know, about what where my priorities were at that time to say that statement about Keras One and You know, not wanting to be and now just being able to be recentered right now to say, man, nah that's that's what it's about, man. That's what it's about. Legacy. speaker-0: But I will give you there's sometimes that ⁓ again, those long days where we're working and it's only us. And I'd be like, man, if Diddy walked in this room right now, I would be like, we might have to have to have this conversation because I am tired. But dare I say, well, Diddy wouldn't Diddy wouldn't have been anything if it wasn't for for big krs one, his impact on hip hop is for me. speaker-1: Mm. ⁓ speaker-0: Bigger than anything Diddy ever did. And not just that, he doesn't get KRS one doesn't give the respect that he's deserved. What the people that know give him the respect. But the reason he doesn't have that that global awareness, like you were explaining earlier, is because well, he was one of the first, and you know, in hip hop. speaker-1: Right. Yeah. speaker-0: There's a shelf age for some reason. Yeah. Yeah. And then nobody's gonna listen to you if you're preachy. Nobody's gonna try to dance to you telling ⁓ what's happening in the hood and stuff like that. Even though that music is better. Even though that music is better. And that's that's unfortunate. But the R S one is one of those for me. One of those. speaker-1: Yeah. Right, right. He's it like you know, he he is you know, they they call of course they call Rakim the God, but Chris is the god of hip hop. He is the singular entity embodying all elements of the culture, intelligence, ⁓ you know, ⁓ just being a a a a a raw ⁓ C that will take your head off on stage and off. I mean, he's everything with wisdom. ⁓ yo, the ⁓ speaker-0: It's wisdom. speaker-1: And I mean listen, you'll see like you know anybody that's watching this will look it up. You ask 50 Cent who his favorite rapper was, it was KRS one. He says this all the time. It was K R S one. He says, but and even 50 himself is like, but you don't wanna be, I didn't want to be preachy because you know, you see what anyway, my point is you there's a compromise that each of us speaker-0: Yeah. Girls don't girls don't shake their butts too. speaker-1: Yeah, exactly, man. They want P I ⁓ P man. They want the P I ⁓ P. You know. In any case, yeah, I just ⁓ it was an interesting comment to come around 360 after two years thinking about who I didn't want to be, saying, Now, you know what, that's exactly what I want, man. I want especially as a father, man. You see what I'm saying? Like you know, I'm a father. I want my children to continue to look at me, always look at me with respect and reverence, ⁓ and and love, you know, and you know, just imagine being a father and your your business is being put out there like this man and this with the way this man's being embarrassed and just shameful. Like you know, you got and your kids are looking, you got daughters too, man. speaker-0: Name you can name any famous person, and you have to look at their kids and be like, What are you thinking right now? Almost any. Because there's some like Denzel keeps his keeps his keeps his business clean, stuff like that. But like there's just so many ratchet ass famous people, and and the younger generations just look at them and be like, I want to be ratchet too. speaker-1: Mm. Yeah, yeah. speaker-0: Yes. speaker-1: And and can you imagine being like you said, can you imagine being the child of some of these stars having to go to school and hearing other kids talk about your parents? You understand? Like you know they know kids are mean, man. You know, they call I heard your daddy was this. I mean speaker-0: For Cardi B's kids to go to school. speaker-1: Man, come on. ⁓ man. ⁓ you know, hey, you know, you're you're you're you're you're you're Kim Kardashian's children and you catch that video that your mom is famous for. You understand? Like, ⁓ this is how your mom got famous. ⁓ like how does that speaker-0: Not it's not a Kanye music video. speaker-1: No, it's not. No, it's not. This is this ain't AI either. This is real. No. This ain't AI. This is your mom. So, you know. speaker-0: Clappin' clappin'. Yeah, man. Like that's why it's it's a slippery slope and and and you know I'd I lived in Hollywood for a hot second. You see people showing up with a smile on their face and then a little while later they look all beat to hell and and and you're like, What the what have you been through? And you're like hopefully hopefully that was your big break because you look tired. speaker-1: You know that it it it's funny, it's funny and sad at the same time, but it's obvious to me that the entertainment community has lived this way and operated this way for a long time. And it's just now being exposed. Because Weinstein's the one that started all of this. You understand? Harvey Weinstein, he he's the one like five, six years ago that just You know, not even like eight years ago, he he was the one that started this. You got Weinstein, now you got Epstein. Like this is the lifestyle. Diddy was a part of that. You know what I'm saying? Diddy, and I'm surprised 50, you know, is doing what he's doing because 50 is a part of that too. Like I can't I can't believe that 50 is clean. You understand? Because if you're in that space, this is this is just a question. I don't know, right? It just seems like if you're the people that are granted the opportunities seem to be the compromised people, you understand? Yeah. Then that's the reason why someone like a KRS one would not be there because he would not compromise himself to that extent. ⁓ exactly, you know, I'm good, you know what I'm saying? I'll take the 100,000. I don't need the milk, just give me the 100 thou because I just you know, but it just seems like these are all, you know, like all compromised people, and that's why they have been afforded the opportunities, because now that you've done this or behave this way. speaker-0: That is not my market. speaker-1: now you have the keys to the gate to to enter through. Yeah. And anybody that doesn't, well then you're just gonna have to stay down here. It just seems like that's the culture. And that's why you're hearing this story over and over again. That's just yeah, that's how they operate. And that's what you have to do to get down. And if you choose to, good. And if you choose not to, hey you know speaker-0: That's what's wonderful about the internet on so many different so many different points of just this segment that we're talking about is one, it's social media that had everybody being like, Yeah, that happened to me too. speaker-1: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. speaker-0: And then that spills from the Me Too ladies to people who are like like everything. Like, I'm working at this place, they're treating me like trash. I'm working over there, they're treating me like trash. Hey, did you guys know that the fire that the water over here is set on fire? Hey, did you know that? You know what I mean? So now we're able to see, we're able to see all of these deficiencies that have been happening through well, for us for 52 and 53 years. We're able to see, and now we're able to see this pattern. And you're like, okay, we gotta right. That's social media. And again, the good part of social media is we can take a look at stuff like that. And then we get together like this and we talk about it and we learn. And we now, you know, there's gonna be a handful more people that are gonna watch this video and be like, Yeah, these guys, these guys, you know, I'm gonna. They're talking about taking my time with my art. What happens if I take my time with my art? They're gonna take their time with their art. They're gonna improve. And there you go. And it's not a bad thing. I'm not trying to stop trying to be a ⁓ this is something that I had to fight through going through corporate America the way that I did. I had to teach myself to take my time and to not rush things out. speaker-1: Any Mm-hmm. That's true. speaker-0: Because when you're in corporate America, everything you get it, you work as fast and as hard as you can to get it out the door. As fast as hard as you can and you get it out the door. It took me a while, years to break out of that. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. speaker-0: And now I'm at the point now where like I've I've fallen in love with drawing, just the process of drawing. I take my time and I just, you know, I'm starting to I'm not starting, I'm I cook way fancier now. I'm growing my own ingredients. You know, I'm just taking my time and doing things the right way. speaker-1: Yes, yes. You know, it it's it I don't remember the exact quote, but it has something to do with the idea that the fun, the secret, the the juice of life is in the process, not the actual achievement or destination. You know, and I know you know this because like the reason why our feet are always moving is because once you're done. You're like, dang, well, what's what's next? You know what I'm saying? You're never done. You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, and and that's what that's what ⁓ people are gonna be missing because the AI, it's it's done. You know, it's done. So you miss yeah the process, you miss the fun of going through it. You know what I'm saying? Like even talking to a girl, you know what I'm saying? Like this, it's fun. If you if you put your mindset in the right place, it's it's it's a it's a game, it's fun. Like, you know what? Let me see, let me try it this way. Let me try it this way. understand well let me try it to the next way it didn't work you know but you know the my whole point is that's the process and that's the fun of it all because once you have it it's like well you're done and you kind of like set you just sitting around like ⁓ I got it and that was you know what what am I gonna do? You know? And so you know same way with art. It it it's it's that's what you're describing in regards to art is like a a an analogy for life as a whole. You know. And that's why I say I use the process called trial and measure. I try things, man. I don't know. I don't know what it's gonna lead to. That's the fun of it. Let me test it out and and see where it leads to. And some of them I keep, some of them I don't keep. Keeps me young and active. Mm-mm. Yeah. speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah, I I've I've told this story, I think it was just earlier this week. I've been on basketball teams that win the championship in whatever league, whatever, whatever. And I love the first game more than the championship game. For this very reason. I love the process. I love and especially something like a basketball where speaker-1: Mm-hmm. Yeah. speaker-0: you know, I l I like I like to figure out different people's tendencies and stuff. And ⁓ you you hit the shot over there more times than not. So at when the game is on the line, if you're standing over there, I'm gonna get you the ball. You know, I love that stuff. Yeah. But then when you win the you win the championship and everybody's like, yay, and you're like, ⁓ that's it. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. You know? Yeah. It's it's done. It's so finite. That that's what it is. Like when you're win, you're done. It's it's it's over. It's basically over. Yeah. You understand? Because that's it's done. Like, you know, mission accomplished. And you say you you mean we always have to take the time to pat ourselves on the back. But you know, people like you and I, you know, that's a quick pat on the back. Hey, all right, what am I gonna do next? Now what's the next game? What's the next season? What's the next sport? What's speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: Hey, I need something else to do. That's how I'm built, you know? That's how I'm built. speaker-0: So how did you end up on stage with Colin Kaepernick? speaker-1: Hustler's commandment number one, your network is your net worth. You know, somebody, ⁓ a ⁓ principal of a school that I used to ⁓ consult for, had the opportunity to sit on the board or a team of people that were making decisions about who was gonna speak at this conference. And because he and I had this relationship, and again, I told you I'm a relationship person. Like people, I hope they listen to what we're saying here because This gems, man, like we're giving away, you know, so much. So in any case, that man in that setting had had an opportunity in a different setting to sit on a board and ⁓ determine who's gonna speak on the stage. And he thought about me because we have a good relationship. And so he put my name in the hat. And again, because of my reputation, you see, my reputation and the respect that people have for me, when they look me up. They saw it solid and strong and it was perfect for what they ⁓ wanted to, you know, the the message that they wanted to convey at this conference. So he called me and the the truth is I didn't believe him. You might, you know, because I had I've I've spoken all around the country, you know, large audiences and small, but I've never been like the celebrity, like, you know, associated with the celebrityism at all, you know. So when he mentioned, you know, that I'd be sitting on the stage with Colin Kaepernick, like, I don't think like I don't I don't believe it's gonna be like what you're saying. Like, you know, he might be in a different part of the room or something like that, but I didn't know it was gonna be like this. And again, and it was this principal's first time on the on this board, you know. So I didn't think he had enough juice to make that happen for me. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. So this is me, this is the lack of confidence, right? Lack of belief on my side. Yeah. ⁓ But I move, always move with faith, right? He told me it is and I'm gonna move forward with it. So ⁓ I got to the conference and I'm like, and I see my name in the book, I see my my face on the stage. I'm like, yo, this is really like I'm really there. They really had me there with this man, just the two of us. speaker-0: How is that seeing your face nice and big on this stage? speaker-1: Man, that was I took a lot, you know I took a lot of pictures, man. I didn't post all of them, but I took a lot of pictures, man. I'm gonna keep that's gonna be I have some great pictures. I mean it look really good, man. Like I'm on the the big stage and this hotep there, and I'm just like wow, I'm it was a big deal. And ⁓ you know, from what people said, I really I kind of showed Colin Kaepernick up too on stage, you know. ⁓ yeah, I got him. And that's because you know, look, look, and this is why I say start where you are strong. Right. Because all of us have genius in a different capacity in different places in our lives. So if I'm on the football field and I want to play quarterback, Colin Kaepernick got that. You understand what I'm saying? speaker-0: Due respect to you, Hotep, but I picked Colin. speaker-1: There you go. You should. I would pick Colin over me too. Okay. So ⁓ but that's that's his area of genius. Yeah. But you take Colin Kaepernick and you put him on a stage, right, in front of educators to talk about education. I'm dunking on his head like Jordan. You understand? That's and it's no disrespect to him. They said, but this is my zone. This is what I do. You understand? So, you know, and and and I showed that, you understand? I showed that. speaker-0: This is what I do. speaker-1: And so and I'm proud of that too, because it gave me the opportunity one to be on stage with a celebrity, right? And a person that a lot of people respect, and you know, outperform him in that space and regard. You see what I'm saying? So it's done a lot for me. I have a lot of opportunities are coming my way as a result of that ⁓ that conference. speaker-0: Excellent. What was that conference about? speaker-1: It's ⁓ NABSE. NABSE is a a acronym for a National Association of Black School Educators. Okay. So I was speaking for that organization. Mm-hmm. speaker-0: Yeah. Have you have you been in a classroom where they're dealing with AI and all that stuff yet? speaker-1: I have not no I have not, no, sir. I am have a speaker-0: I ask because I I have a cousin. Well, I come from a long line of teachers and and and doctors. And I'm the moron that went and got into making movies and stuff. ⁓ I have I have some some ⁓ cousins that are teachers and they're explaining to me some of the challenges that they're bumping into with chat GPT and all that stuff. So I was always I'm always speaker-1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. speaker-0: I always take advantage of being able to ask educators their feelings on all this stuff that's happening. Cause it's just unfortunately, ⁓ folks are looking at it as almost like a cheat code. ⁓ instead of but it's helping them get to the final point by letting the thing do the work instead of using it as a tool and helping you. get to that point. speaker-1: So to your point, I don't teach, you know, I haven't been a teacher, classroom teacher since twenty ten. ⁓ but I'm very aware of the impact of AI and how what it's having, ⁓ the impact it's having on children and teaching right now. And that's exact the way you described it is exactly what's happening. Children are able to utilize this technology to accomplish a certain objective and goal. They it's available to them and they're learning how to use it to get the said goal. So, therefore, the question that they ask themselves every day is why do I have to learn from you? Why do I have to take time out of my day to sit here and learn from you something that I can just tell this entity to do for me and get it done? Why should I sit here and listen to you about, you know, these steps about getting it done when The step for me is A B C press enter, done, or press send, done. All this other stuff you're talking about is just ridiculous and wasteful. In fact, so that exactly. Right. ⁓ and you know, a lot of our kids haven't seen the lights go out, right? You know, so again, that's the challenge. How do you convince a person that they should go through the hardship? speaker-0: Until the lights go out. speaker-1: The time, the investment of time and or money now, right? To learn about the steps it takes to get to something when they can just get the something. How do you convince a child, right? We're not talking about adults right now. We're not talking about people that we have their brains fully formed. How do you convince that to a child who doesn't give a what about all those steps and the difficulty? They don't care. You understand? And that's the challenge. That's the challenge that educators have. God bless them. And that's the challenge that we have as parents as well. You see? And that's the danger of it is that we don't have the answer yet. You know what I'm saying? We don't have the we don't have a good answer for to explain to a child why they should go through all of this work to get something when they can just get the something. Right. It's almost as if I I would ⁓ the analogy is, you know what? It's like talking to a farmer, and the farmer is saying, Listen, you have to take the seed, plant the seed, water the seed, till the soil. speaker-0: I'm like, wait. ⁓ speaker-1: Exactly. Get out of my face. I'm going down the street to the grocery store. I'll buy that for $5.99. speaker-0: Yep. Seven eleven is right there. speaker-1: right there and so if you can appre we can appreciate that right we know like we ain't gonna take okay so how do you explain that to a child now when it comes to learning abcs and one two threes and formating formulating you know learning you know the sounds of letters and and come on that don't matter I don't need to correct any there it is I don't need punctuation who cares grammar no no way I don't care speaker-0: I before E except after C Right there. speaker-1: It doesn't mean any so again that you know that's it right there, my brother. That's the challenge. speaker-0: Yeah. Yeah. If if there was a way to get kids and people in general, ⁓ addicted is probably a strong word, but addicted to learning, for example, I'ma flex a little bit. ⁓ I got a couple lemon trees and an olive tree and a couple of blueberry bushes and blah blah blah. When I'm telling you I am country, I'm telling you, I am country. ⁓ right now I'm doing an experiment where I took a baggie and I put some soil in the baggie and I wrapped it around the branch because I want to grow another tree from one of my trees. speaker-1: Mm-hmm. speaker-0: Just to see if I can do it. Just to see if I can do it. Because it because of the learning of what a tree is and how to grow trees and how to grow fruit and all that stuff. There needs to be a way to get people kept into that, into the nosy part of your brain. Yeah. The the exploratory part of your brain. You know, and then that way. Because it exactly like making a film, writing 30 books, doing all these things, like you have to be nosy. You have to be curious. speaker-1: That's right. The the curiosity, you see. Yes. That's right. That's right. And and and you're right. Now now that we're talking about it here, we're com we're we're arriving at something or or part of the solution, right? Or at least the way, you know, how to do or you know, it's like the how to do it and then the what to do, right? Two different things, right? ⁓ so we know the why, then the question is the how. How do we do it, right? And and and what do we do? But we're getting there closer, right? Like when you can instill a love of learning ⁓ and exploration, ⁓ the confidence to explore. Right. The desire to know and the the curiosity. when you can cultivate that in a human being, that's what's gonna be I I think the the saving grace in this regard. Children by nature are all those things, right? Children by nature are all those things. And that's why we as parents are so important and have to be very intentional about building the confidence, ⁓ building a love of learning. And ⁓ helping our children, you know, have a sense of wonder so that they can ⁓ you know ⁓ just continue to be that way. I look at my children now at four and six, they have it, and I'm hoping I'm trying my best, man, to help them keep it. You understand? Even black, black lining cubs, this brand, you know, I hope I don't know what they're gonna do with it, you know, if if anything, when you know when my time is up. But just being an example here as their father writing stories and creating characters and They say, hey guys, look, you what it would look what I made for you guys. You know, here's one of my characters. Daddy, I like that. I say, Why don't you guys build something out there? So building with the Legos and taking the block and and creating something. That's creation is a value that I ⁓ demonstrate and model for my children. And I hope that they they pick it up because it's the process of creation that I think ⁓ is that the process of creation. requires those things that we're talking about. It requires learning. It requires exploring. It requires curiosity. You understand when you're creating, when you're innovating, when you're producing. And that's what I want my children to ⁓ you know to to develop and and build over the years. speaker-0: Yep. I have a nephew that's probably what is he, about seven or eight now. And you know, we have we have different family functions and we'll go camping and we do all kinds of stuff. Well, when we're hanging out, he wants to do something that's in the gray area of getting yelled at. Right. speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-0: And I have to do the calculation. How much of this am I going to get yelled at if we do this? But what's the W that we're about to catch? Right. And so my excuse is always, you know, if he says, Can I throw this in the fire? Can I throw this in the water? What happens if we do this? ⁓ and I do that quick calculation, and then I say, Hey, for science. speaker-1: Hmm. speaker-0: That's our that's our code word. ⁓ We might get yeah, that so we have to get our story straight. speaker-1: Hey brother, I'm stealing that right there. I'm stealing that. You know, like even I haven't talked to my own wife about this because, you know, at least my oldest, he's very inquisitive. Yeah, yeah, he his mind is just phenomenal. I love listening to him try and process things and ask questions, right? Because you know, they you know, asking questions is a sign of intelligence, right? And so, you know, but some people don't understand that that asking questions is a sign of literally a sign of intelligence. Some people mistake it for a sign of ignorance. And then other people just want to be dismissive of ⁓ of people that ask questions. You know, and my wife sometimes is dismissive of my eldest when he's asking questions. She's ⁓ you're bothering me, stuff like that. I say, Mom, don't do that. You understand? Don't do that. You know, like our son is is is inquisitive. He wants to know. He's not being disrespectful by asking these questions. His mind is like, Well, trying to put things together, and you can help his mind put things together or speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: You can have him go on Chat GPT and you know and ask someone else or ask these fools for it. So he but his mind is wondering. So ⁓ it's it's it's an abute, it's a beautiful thing to see. And ⁓ it's important for us as parents and adults to cultivate that cult that curiosity. And you know, even with your nephews, like, well, you know, what will happen if I do that? Well, let's test it out. You know what I'm saying? Let's test it out, test it out. Sign. speaker-0: Your safety zone. I'm your safety zone. Don't be doing this stupid stuff by yourself. Right. Come and get me. Right. speaker-1: Come and get I'm with you. I'm with you. That's what you want. speaker-0: I want them to understand I got that crazy streak. speaker-1: But they need that. Hey, go, doc. I'm telling you, man, you you're doing a great service for your nephew, man, because too many children don't grow up with someone like that. And so they test these things out in the wrong environments. They test it out on on their own, or they test it out with these fools, you know, their friends who don't know any better. And they, you know what I'm saying? And this bad situations occur. You understand? So the fact Y your your nephew's gonna be good because of you, man. I'm telling you. I'm I'm telling you right now. You you speaker-0: So I appreciate that. I'ma I'm gonna tell his mom that. Tell his mom. speaker-1: play this part of the episode man and and let them know this is coming from an educator right yeah speaker-0: Look, we're trial and measuring. We've been going for about two hours. I wanna I wanna start bringing this plane in for a landing, but I wanna get a thorough explanation of your passion and of what is Black Lion and Cubs. speaker-1: Okay. But you ask me the questions, I'll answer to help help guide me 'cause I can go I talk, man. That's what I do, man. So speaker-0: Yeah. So you started you started Black Lion ⁓ for your kids 'cause you were reflecting on your relationship with your kids. Yeah. speaker-1: Right, yes. ⁓ in short, two and a two and a half years ago. This is our third year. In the ⁓ in twenty twenty-three, February of twenty twenty-three, I was struck with the idea to have a picture drawn of myself and my sons as anime superheroes. ⁓ I hired somebody to do that. speaker-0: Yeah. speaker-1: The picture looked pretty cool. And it just sparked an idea in my head that because my children like to see themselves in a powerful way, that I could build off of it. And so that's what led to me looking at these three characters, the father and his two sons, and figuring out ultimately what would be a cool story to tell around these characters. What is a cool environment to put them in? Or would be some cool outfits to dress them in. How would I explain their relationship? What powers would I give them? This is all that building. speaker-0: That's cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. World building and all that. speaker-1: Builder, I'm building a world. I all I had was an image of a father and his two sons, which represented myself and my boys. What world can I build around these characters? And then once I decide that, how would I express this story? So I started with animation because I entering this industry, I wanted to step into a space that would separate me from the average person. I know animation takes a lot longer and costs a lot more. ⁓ it's a higher point of entry from mo from from the average person. So I opted to go there so that when I jumped into the space, people would treat me like a real player, like, yo, this guy's working on the animation as opposed to him just working on another book. Because I've already done lots of books and it's no slight to comics 'cause I got comics too. But when you say animation, people's, you know, eyebrows go like you got a cartoon, like, you know. ⁓ same thing with video games. So I quickly, because of my my my history as a you know independent creative, opted to approach Black Lion and Cubs as the development of an anime brand, not as an anime itself, but as a brand that is in this space. And so that's the reason why as soon as I disdeveloped my first story, which was called Valley of the Kings, I decided that I was going to tell that story in animation. I'm going to tell that story as a video game, and I'm going to tell that story as a comic book. So simultaneously, my first story, Valley of the Kings, was being worked on as all three. But I was promoting the animation first because I knew people would treat me with a little bit more reverence. The fact that, you know, because I was working on animation. So ⁓ year one was all about the development of ⁓ Valley of the Kings in those three formats video game, animation, and graphic novel format. And That started that that that process went well. And I said, Well, let me tell another story. So I told a second story and again, same three formats, ⁓ video game, ⁓ animation and a comic book. And as those things started happening and people started seeing it, who is this guy? You know, and you know, I've never heard of this guy, he's popping out of nowhere, he's doing stuff you know no one's done before or thought of before. Cause even for my ⁓ my animation, I created the soundtrack for it. So I had I I released the soundtrack for the animation at the same time. Right. ⁓ so on ⁓ when I launched Black Lion Cubs, I went from February to July 17th. Between February and July 17th, I was developing all these things. So by July 17th, I launched the first animation series or ⁓ animation, the first video game and the comic and the soundtrack all in the same day. And that kind of became a a a claim to fame. It's like, yo, this guy You know, it's making history by release launching these things all on the same day, not crowd recording. He launched it independently all on the same day. So speaker-0: Each one of those branches or each one of those legs to that table is an incredible challenge and an incredible accomplishment to do them all and like bring them home on the same day. That's crazy. speaker-1: Thank you. And it takes someone that, you know, has been around ⁓ a while, you know, that's been around and knows what it takes to understand how phenomenal that really is. I'm not here to, you know, big myself up, but I I know the work I put in. Like I know yeah, how much it was required to do that. You understand? Some people they are here and they they they don't appre they can't appreciate like, yo, that is a big deal. Not to mention that I did that three times over and now I have, you know, all the other stuff. That's nothing. I'm not gonna speak about that. But ⁓ the challenge I made it look I made it the challenge is I made it look easy, right? Because I've been doing it for a long time. I made it look easy. ⁓ even to this day, I make it look easy and I have so much I've amassed so much that it's hard for people to appreciate any one thing. That's the downside to my experience in this is because I I do it so quickly ⁓ and I and I make it look easy and I have so much. It's hard for people to focus their attention on any one accomplishment because it's just it's just so much. It's overwhelming to the average mind. It's like, ⁓ yeah, this whole tip. He's got, you know, you know, th three kids' books, graphic novels, stickers. He got a pleasure to he's just got a lot of stuff, you know. It's just, you know, because if I had one, think about this, right? And you notice like if I just had one animation, I could center everyone's and focus everyone's attention on that singular thing and people. people could appreciate that more because it's it's only one their their mind can focus on it. Right. It's hard to explain, but I've come to appreciate that. you know when you're known, it's like pr the difference between Prince and Michael Jackson. Right. So people would argue this and I I can't tell you what you know one one is more, but Prince can you know is known to been able to do a lot more. He's his genius. His genius is in so many different things, right? He can play the music, write the music, write music for himself and his brother and sound like two totally different, okay? Like he can sing. speaker-0: And Sinead O'Connor. Yes. And and and that dude is prolific. speaker-1: Yes. But Michael Jackson, you know, you you know most people know him for the sing and dance, right? That is basically Michael Jackson singing. So f fewer things, but if you call it today, Michael Jackson is the king of pop. Like Michael Jackson is here, you know, like he is way beyond Prince, even though Prince can do so much more. So when you're looking at artistic and talent, you have to give it to Prince. You know, people typically give it to Prince. But if you give it to global impact and all that, it goes to Michael. And so I find that to be a common situation where people who are extremely talented and geniuses in so many different areas are are not as are hard to single out because you don't you don't know what to call you don't know what to categorize them as because he's so much. When you're just like one thing and good at that, you can categorize them and then just give them that. You know, that that shine, if you will. It's hard to explain, but something like that. That's that's my my situation right now. I'm I'm Prince, you know what I'm saying? speaker-0: I will say ⁓ Michael was a better actor because if you compare the whiz to Purple Rain, Purple Rain, boy, that was Love me some prints, but that purple rain, his acting in purple rain when he busted in the in the in the house to get his dad. I was like, no, wow, is it was so believable up until just now. speaker-1: Mommy, yeah. Mm mm mm. ⁓ speaker-0: That's hilarious. Anyway, let's bring this plane in for landing. Hotep, thank you, sir. Thank you for letting me know or let thank you for making me feel somewhat normal. speaker-1: Right. speaker-0: I can tell. We were friends. If we were friends but we were kids, we probably would have got whooped. speaker-1: Definitely. I got a lot of whoopings, man. Save my life, man. Save my life. ⁓ yeah. But no, no, we're not normal. That's that's part of the challenge to this, man. You know what I'm saying? To your point, you know, there's many times I felt like man, ⁓ like an alien, man. Like what's you know, I look around like what's why I'm I'm not like these people. I don't even know what they're saying. Speaking of Diddy, I heard of a song, I heard a song from Mace, and he says, You know I don't I don't even understand the language of people with short money. You understand? speaker-0: You mean both? speaker-1: And I love that verse. He said, I don't even understand the language of people with short money. And you know, I not not necessarily talking about money, but just I walk around and I hear people talking what they're talking about. I'm like, I don't find that interesting. Like, why are you talking about these things? That has nothing to do with you or me. Like that's not even relevant. Who cares what these people are doing? You don't know them. That I mean, like, why is that important to you? So, you know, we're not normal. ⁓ And ⁓ that's the reason why, you know, relationships, these types of relationships are so important because if you don't have ⁓ you will feel abnormal and alone, you know, and alone. speaker-0: Especially what you tell me how many times has your your closest circle how how many times have they just gotten tired of your bullshit? With will you sit down? speaker-1: And ⁓ look, everybody listen, every time it comes to my wife, for example, you know, I told her after my third book that I was gonna stop. Right. And I told you how many I got, you know, so speaker-0: Twenty seven later, she's like speaker-1: Yeah, she's just that that's just what it is. Again, they love you for who you are and who you are not, man, and vice versa. speaker-0: Yeah. All right, man. Again, thank you so much for coming and hanging out. It was a truly pleasure to meet you. I am I'm I'm excited to hear more about your boys being nosy and adventurous, and they have a dad like you that understands that. That's gonna be cool. It's gonna be fun. ⁓ wishing you all the luck on speaker-1: Yeah. speaker-0: Black Lion and Cubs. ⁓ yeah. So if people are looking for black lion and cubs and everything, everything that you're working on, how can they find you online? speaker-1: Thank you, my brother. ⁓ the best way is on my website, Black Lion and Cubs dot com. Everything that's the central location for all things for the brand. ⁓ I do have a TikTok and a IG page and both of them are at Black Lion and Cubs. ⁓ so yeah, that that's it. ⁓ a lot of great things coming up down the tubes. I got the plushie toy. If I hey this is the prototype for the plushie toy right here, man. Yeah, so this is his name is super awesome. speaker-0: ⁓ that's sick. speaker-1: And ⁓ this character is ⁓ I'm just very excited about him. So I got the prototype for the plushie toy that'll be coming in later this month. I have ⁓ the ⁓ the the card game coming in ⁓ over the summer. I just signed ⁓ a contract with ⁓ a licensing agent. So I'm getting to the space of licensing the ⁓ the characters and the stories. So that's ⁓ I'm very excited about that. Yeah, it is, it is, man, because that the license. speaker-0: That's big deal. I've known a couple of people that have gotten to that level and it just kind of fills us out. So it'll be fun to see you punch through and speaker-1: Man, listen, I I'm excited about like I said, you know, all this like I'm excited about life, man. Yeah. And all and the journey and all the things that come ⁓ come along with it. So yeah, that that's what's happening. So ⁓ and then I have a a relationship with Amazon Prime now. And so ⁓ the ⁓ one of my stories ⁓ can be seen on Amazon Prime as well. Beautiful. And I have a documentary that's coming out, ⁓ Later this year called Black in Anime. ⁓ it's a docuseries called Black in Anime. And the first ⁓ episode of that series is done and show s within the next month or so should be streaming on Amazon Prime as well. Nice. Mm-hmm. speaker-0: Well, go get some sleep. speaker-1: Man, well listen, I'm about to get to work, man. It's 10 o'clock. That means that's prime time. Everybody's sleeping, the kids sleeping, the wife sleeping. Let's get busy. speaker-0: Perfect. I love it. Alright, everybody, and with that, we out.