Latest / The Sheridan Show / Built, Not Discovered: Mike Checc on Music, Loss & Starting Over | S1E6

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Built, Not Discovered: Mike Checc on Music, Loss & Starting Over | S1E6 · The Sheridan Show

• Sheridan: Hi, I am Sheridan. Welcome to the Sheridan Show Live. We are in Houston, Texas again this week. just wanna show some love to our partners who have graciously open their arms to us being able to film today. shout out to every dope girl and every dope man for the great location. follow them on Instagram, TikTok, all the things. They do a lot of great things in the community to help different businesses, entrepreneurs, and just overall build community. They have some upcoming golf lessons for men and women all the way to October in Houston. And then also they're having two events for Afrotech coming up on November 4th. So be sure to follow them there's a wellness event during the day get your ivy drips all the things and then at night we'll be back at Porsche for a nice networking event so check out every dope girl and every dope man thank you again for our sponsors and we're gonna jump right into what's the tea we got some interesting topics I'm joined by Mike Check welcome welcome Mike underscore check on Instagram Definitely excited to dive into some of our what's the tea topics of the day. So a little light work before we get into the deeper things. how outside are you on a scale of one to ten? That's gonna gauge how far this conversation how far the what's the tea topics are gonna go. So it's all about perspective. Okay. Because some people be like, Mike never get out the house. And then some people would be like, Why do you always going somewhere? So it depends on me. Okay, that's how I feel too. My friends were up and disagreeing because people are always like, Sharon's always outside. It's like I am outside more often than most people my age. Mm-hmm. But at the same time when I'm in the house, I have I love a good a good just like I don't move all day. I mean I got my robe on. DoorDash and then Netflix. I just got one of them little snuggy hoodies. Yeah just in time for the winter. Just in time. For our fake fall that we're getting here. Allegedly. Yeah, allegedly. Okay, well speaking of nightlife, you know, I'm sure you've probably heard address closed down. That was like a month or so ago. Sakai closed. I never went to Sakai. I feel like that was an I was not the audience. One time I was at Leland House and it was like during their you know, the spring time. Because it is around the corner. I didn't really. We went to Leland House for something and I left and I was like, Who are like there were just people walking down the street in swimsuits like ten o'clock at night. Just naked. 'Cause Sakai was around the corner. If you're not from Houston, Sakai was like this random ish club that opened post pandemic. And I don't feel like a lot of Houstonians were going to it, in my opinion. Yeah. Nah, yeah, that is true, 'cause a lot of time it shits a lot of the clubs. We you go in there, I'm from Detroit. I'm Yeah. Or I'm from Atlanta or I'm like, where where are the Houstonians? Yeah. It was a lot of clubs that were getting like that and I was like, Okay, so 'cause we we turned into a tourist spot. You know, 'cause I like COVID really turned Houston up because everywhere was closed. We were having a ball. Yeah. 'Cause I I twenty twenty I was working on the road, I would see I'm going to like major cities. Yeah. Maybe ghost towns. It was disgusting. I I lived in Charlotte post pandemic and hearing people's experiences post like in the pandemic and I'm like, I don't really remember us like we were we were closed by like Texas standards. Allegedly. Allegedly, but I remember like I would go eat places and they would be like closed. They're like, well we'll make you it's a Go Box and y'all can sit on the patio. So like the it it really the shift happened when everybody went bar and grill. That's where that's where all these bar and grills popped up. That's where all these bar and grills popped up. Everybody went bar and grilled 'cause before twenty twenty bar and grill, nah this the club. Yeah, this is the club. Now it's address bar and grill. Feel about that. Do you feel like, especially with you being in the music industry? do you feel like Houston nightlife is changing or have we just like outgrown it or outaged nightlife? I mean I personally don't think I've outage nightlife, but as a collective millennials. I would say it's a shift. Yeah. 'cause you know, let's let's not forget we at war right now. Little war. Like literal war. Literal war, yeah. No, like a literal war. Like it is causing prices to go up. Yeah. When when the price is going up on necessities, it's like, hey, I don't really got five hundred dollars for a section. Yeah, no. Just for the section deposit. Keep in mind. Mm-hmm. Maybe deposit, then boom, you a cup of bottle minimum. So I I think it's like a shift because even the outer town is just going to fill it. So they don't they don't come to Houston on vacation at well as much. What vac Houston was the vacation spot. When I when I was working on the road I'm asking people, they telling me, you from Houston? we going to Houston in two weeks or For spring break. Spring break was we're coming to that was like when I was in college, spring break was Panama City Beach. I would have never thought to go to a place for spring break that had no beach because Galveston does not count. I ain't gonna lie to you, I'm I rock with gallons tonight. I secretly rock rock with gallons. I've started to go like on a random day of the week, I'll go co-work out there and like 'cause it's still water. I'm not flying from New York to the yeah no. no, no, no, negative, negative. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do you feel like with the changing, you know, nightlife scene, like, do you feel like more spaces are popping up that support artists? I feel like there's a lot of like even though the clubs are closing, like Sakai and Address and things like that, now there's a lot of jazz type spots opening, there's a lot more intimate third space type places opening. Do you feel like more places are opening that support artists or do you feel like as a whole nightlife is just taking the hit? I would say, like I said before, it's a shift. Yeah. 'cause it's like we're moving away from that section life. Thank God. I mean I did enjoy sections, let me not Yeah, no no yeah, I'm not gonna say 'cause a lot of y'all ain't coming to the club unless y'all got somewhere to see. I do miss the the days of hey, me and my homeboys have a section Y'all pulling up to the address? Because y'all not pulling up to the address to stand at the bar. I tell y'all how much y'all love us. No, definitely not the address. No. You tell the address. You tell some women, hey, yeah, we going to the address. y'all got a section? we finna see. Yeah, you not finna see them. Hey, you're not gonna see, yeah, we I need a seat. Yeah. And don't invite me if I don't have a place to sit. Exactly. So yeah, man, I think we we are moving away. that that section life. But the thing is now people are like, yo, I still want to party. Mm-hmm. What else do you gotta offer other than a section? Yeah. You know? 'Cause I still wanna have a good time. And I've heard people talk more about like wanting to go places where people actually are dancing. Yeah. That's a thing. I think we're getting back to that. I was in LA for a good majority of the summer and it was so refreshing going to places. You ever heard of Jaye ring? No, that in LA. So no no no here in Houston. Okay, Jay it started here in Houston. shout out to Chennadu. Okay. and then Saint Nasty. He's also a DJ. Okay. They been th they started the event here where they cleared all the sections to the side. Like up and send me the link please we we yeah we know and everybody and that that model has been successful because to right to the point where they've taken it to multiple cities and replicated that okay and people like you know what screw them sections I feel it like you know people want to jig on the flow you know get rolled up like this what 2008 like we was rolling up in 1999 but y'all know yeah what I what also I really did enjoy music. So I've been really I'm not aging myself at all, but I really love like jazz. Like you how Buried Seeds across from Wall Kitty like it's just a vibe. You get a bottle of wine, you get a little music, it's just no no no that's not everybody's taste 'cause I've tried to take a couple homegirls and they're like, okay, this is like where is where is a throwing ass music? I think one of my friends, she probably won watch this and be like, Sheridan and she was like, Yeah, this is nice. so where are we going next? Like you have to be you do have to be in the mood to like go to a very like jazzy spot, but I do enjoy some live music. Well I I love live music because I used to play the trumpet. So like I I have the love It'd be a vibe when the band can actually play. Shout out to my cousins and them. shout out to BK, Charles Tyson, Javon. The 'cause they they also played in my show too as well. couple Mondays ago maybe and they killed you. I love it. I love live music. I do. Speaking of music, So you know AI is like taking over everything. Like every industry, there's AI. People are trying to weave AI in some component. So recently Sony has requested for like over like a quarter million songs to be removed because they're either like completely AI AI or they're like AI songs impersonating artists. How do you feel about like AI as a whole and like would you ever dabble in using it whether it's like to produce a beat or to help you like finish some lyrics for a song? My thought on it is if once you start using AI in the in the creation of music, it becomes inorganic. You lose that you lose that personal touch. That's true. And a lot of these AI artists, they're renditions of existing artists that are here today. Yeah, they're like impersonating essentially. Yeah. AI analyzes it and it's churns out, you know, what it's Turns out. And it's and 'cause the thing is I use AI to code. Okay. I've heard a lot of engineer. If y'all don't know, Mike Checc's also an engineer by by day. Yeah. Multifaceted. Yeah. So like I use I use that to to help with like the technology of things. Like when it comes to my network engineering. But when it comes to like music, stuff that's supposed to be from here and not here. Yeah. It'll never be the same. That's and that's why you never see you you always hear AI. sound like somebody else. who was in mimic it. It has to mimic somebody. But you've never heard AI sound like its own original genre. Or its own original sound. Never. Yeah. It's all you can always pinpoint they got it from here. Or they got it from over there. Crazy. It's crazy too because it's like you'll hear things. I haven't really come across a lot of AI music, thank God. I don't even know if I have. Really? But then musician. Yeah so you yeah. I will only know about it if like a friend will post about it and they're like my God. Stop posting this one song or whatever. But it makes me even think about the whole trend with the Hotel Lobby video. I was like That's what that's what's getting me. It's like AI is taking over to the point of y'all are making hotel lobby remake videos. Or now there's another one with Drake. It's like wish yeah. It's like, wait, first of all. Mm-hmm. I ain't gonna lie it's lot of water being wasted, but it is a lot of water. I've already talked to y'all once about wasting water, the eight the eighties pictures y'all were doing. We just gotta we have to figure it out. It lets me know though, like if we were to be in like an apocalypse, like there are certain people who are not gonna care. They're gonna be like, Well, I need to use this AI to I'm talking about brush my teeth this morning. What is that movie with Leonardo DiCaprio? a couple other people, Is it Inception? No, no, no. it's recently. It was called This Is It. When it was a Netflix, yes. Asteroid coming, and everybody just act like, hey, no, no, no, don't say that. Don't say that. Like, we're just gonna act like that's not happening. Like it's all like meanwhile, the the world is coming to an end. Yeah. There's gonna be people like that. I feel like they're like it makes me think about this. It's kind of dark, but I feel like with AI usage, I could if if Black Mirror was still around. I can see them having an episode where like on one side of things you see people making a choice between like, okay, do I want to use AI and know that like somebody is dehydrate across the world and they're like actively like making a choice like people just don't care. I don't see the benefit of AI music though. Like if you can't make music, just don't make music. Just don't do it. It's all good. Just don't do it. But but then again it's it's been a jug as in people making AI music. Yeah. And then trying to get money off the AI music. So like Okay, so there's a purpose. So it's not a it's like a lot of purpose. It's a lot of moving parts, you know let me see what the folks are saying in the chat. There's a couple of them that went viral on TikTok. And I played it. I'm like, I'm like, this is not a real arts. There's a couple where I've like, I wouldn't have known unless somebody else posted it. And I was just like, don't even put this on my algorithms. Like I don't even want to know. that's one thing, like I feel like AI is getting better to where like you can't tell. And then people get people get on threads and TikTok like, I can tell, it's like, yo I don't think y'all can really tell like you say you can tell. I know it's getting bad with my my mom and my dad. I'm seeing them and like my my mom and her family group chat, they over here shared AI videos. And then my dad sending me s like another AI video. Please don't get me started. I will say there have sometimes there are a couple that get me where it's like one time I saw this AI video and it was like someone had a baby in a crib and like the cat was coming to like snuggle the baby but it was AI but I didn't know until I read the comments. So I too have been a victim of being scammed by AI. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm not gonna lie to you. So I would say and you know, when it comes to music it's like Yeah. Because I've heard people say, I usually had to write my song. And I'm like, mm-hmm. But what's the difference between that and just mean having ghostwriters and things so and that and one one thing with AI I can say is when it comes to those complex parts of music, mm, AI can't replicate that. Yeah. Because there's a story. Yeah, it can never replicate that. There's a story. It can replicate like the the sounds. Yeah. The the the 'cause you know when it comes to songs everything is about sound. Yeah. And and then the lyric the sound hits you first. And the emotion. AI can't replicate emotion. Then the lyrics hit you out. Yeah. So it can replicate that sound, that frequency to hook reel you in. Yeah. But once you listen to the song and realize, this person ain't really saying nothing. That's a lot of music. There's a lot of that going on. I feel though it's like I like to write poetry for fun in my spare time. I can't imagine using AI to write poetry. And see. Like that just sounds so sacrilegious. Like And that's why you haven't seen AI poetry. and please don't watch this video trying to make please don't create no AI. Please we don't want to hear A B C Roses Red Violets and Blue. We don't want to hear that. Okay, last topic, non-music related, but I feel very passionate about it and I want to talk about it, Jalen Hurts. Fellow Houstonian Jalen Hurts. It's just a lot to unpack. It's a lot from a lot of different perspectives. I just if y'all don't know Jalen Hurts, I everybody kinda knows Jalen Hurts, whether you watch football or you just love Jalen Hurts. But he recent what was the game? Sunday. It was just Sunday. It's only yeah, it was yesterday. Dang, a lot has happened in twenty four hours. The news cycle is crazy with the amount of information that has dropped in a span of twenty four hours. It is only Monday. And you know, and that's crazy. A lot of stuff that hits us behind the other stuff that's happening, but don't get me started. I am conspiracy girl. I guess is it a conspiracy? Speaking of conspiracy I'm gonna take a sill. Yeah, I'm gonna take a seal. So Jalen Hurts, y'all know, plays for the Eagles, all the things. And they had a game yesterday, I don't know who they were playing against in London. That's also been a big thing. All these NFL games being played overseas, I think it's a money grab it's a money grab. So anyways, he was found to have he got injured last week. He got a cleat injury. So I guess somebody like rancid a cleat, whatever. Cleat injury. They found a blood clot. before they went to London is what they're saying. But they were like, it's not anything crazy. It's surface level, whatever, not surface, but like it's not a deep blood cot. He goes to London, he gets examined by well I didn't know until you told me earlier today by two different doctors, one London London doctors and like NFL med staff. London doctors were like, hey, this crazy, I wouldn't do it, blah blah blah. We're paraphrasing. I'm filling in blanks. NFL obviously was like, we have a big game on the line. So we're gonna just tell you that you should stay for 36 hours because it's gonna be a risk for you to go to sleep, which is already crazy enough. It's gonna be a risk for you to go to sleep. He stayed up for Jalen stayed up for 36 hours, played, and it didn't even really play that well to what I know. I didn't watch the game. they lost. Yeah, and I think he was also on the bench for quite a time. So that was other I was doing research. People were like, why is he on the bench? But at the time nobody knew what happened. He was benched because I guess he was resting, So now I'm gonna find out they flew back, which is crazy enough. If anybody has ever flown internationally, you already are at risk for blood clots in general. Mm-hmm. In general. Like I'm kind of paranoid about that now at my big age of like getting a blood clot. At my big age as not an athlete, just a regular even a regular flight sometimes I'm like, who a regular flight, what, two, three hours? Yeah. International you you seven eight. From Philly I think it probably like an eight hour flight to London. Kind of New York to London is like six, seven hours. Flew back. Flew back and now they're saying that the blood clot has traveled to his lungs both lungs. He's gonna be on blood thinners for the foreseeable future. He's obviously out for the season. It's just so much to unpack. Because one, I don't even know where to start. One because like it just kind of emphasizes medical care for black people regardless of if you are celebrity athlete everyday Joe Schmo like are they taking our medical concerns serious? One, we can start there. Mm-hmm. That's that's the first layer. I would say It's too many it's too many cases or too many instances where you hear somebody African American that said you they done went to the doctor and they didn't take them seriously and then the doctor was just like here goes some here go some ibuprofen and call me in the morning and sometimes they don't make it to the morning. You know, and it's like it it's it sucks because it's too we're hearing too many of that. Yeah. You know, too many of yeah and it's like to whereas people now we not going to the doctor. unless there's a black person up there. Yeah. There's not we're not going to the doctor unless there's a black nurse up there. You know you're having to over exaggerate. Like for me personally, when I go to the doctor now, I'm like, let me over exaggerate what I'm feeling because then you'll feel like let me take her serious. And see that's another thing too. it it sucks that it's like this, but it's like when you're actually telling them how you feel, they see you as dramatic. Yeah. You know, like, she she tripped it. Yeah. Meanwhile this person is live dying. Yes. You finna That's crazy. So and it and it sucks because i and then in America, they always tell you, go get a second opinion, go get a second opinion. But the thing is, like I said before, people get that second opinion. Yeah. And all of a sudden this the first doctor was talking gibberish. Yeah. He never made any sense. Yeah. You know? And they don't like 'cause the thing is if if you go to the first doctor, you get one opinion. Go to the second doctor, you get a different opinion. would say common sense but common sense ain't common. Yeah. 'Cause I tell myself that all the time. But it's like if two people different people say something, I'm gonna go to the third person to see who they gonna side with. Yes. You know I'd like to add something to that. Sometimes people don't have time or money to even go get a second opinion. that And that's a whole nother layer of you know, like to your point going back to the whole, take an Ivy Prophet and go home. Sometimes I get deep in TikTok threads where it's like people will be like commenting. It's like you don't have there's not a lot of window between like like Jalen's very lucky if we're being honest. Like the fact that he like kinda played well when he flew to London with that already being on their mind, played, stayed there for 36 hours, flew back, it's miraculous that he is here first of all. Like that's that's crazy in itself and it's just like I just wanna know what was going on in the room. it just it further emphasizes like the NFL does not care about black people. We knew that for a while. I mean if we go back to Colin Kaepernick days and all the things like if we're being honest, the way speaking of Colin, the way they blackballed him as a whole the owners, even though they were talking about Colin can't play, can't play can't play. Just win. That's new information. That's that's the because there is another NFL player on the Browns soon NFL PA because he's like, yo I didn't need this hip surgery. He had hip surgery. And then now my career's done. But something that I didn't even need. this still ongoing. It's like made him get the hip surgery? Like like made because he was listening to the doctors. And he was like, Man, let's get this over with so I can get back on the field ASAP. But now he's like, Yo, my career's done. It's just so many things. I feel like and that just I mean it's a systematic thing and it makes you think about how why a lot of people, a lot of our because they it's a lot of distrust in the medical industry as a whole and I don't think this is helping because I think a lot of people are gonna look at this and they're gonna say, if Jalen Hurts can't even have a doctor tell the truth, who if Joe Snowd Yeah, you know like I definitely think it was a greed. I definitely think it was a money grab because they were already in London. So we're gonna do King. And then he still didn't really play. For what I again, I didn't watch the game, but I was kinda looking at commentary. I don't think he played a lot of time. And when he was playing, I don't think he played to his best clearly. I think it's I think that with us living in the day the time that we're living in, I definitely feel like, and he has a great agent. Shout out to Nicole. He has a great agent. He has a lot of black women on his staff. He has a lot of women on his staff. I just don't think this is gonna be the end of this conversation. no, no, no. Yeah, I think we're just getting started. I was gonna get deeper because you know one thing, I because that you know I pointed out earlier, you know, black women on his staff, right? Cool. But it's it's like, you know, it's like I feel like this is gonna be one of those things like when you're Ordering food. Like yeah, that's a great analogy. He said he wanted yeah, fries, not a baked potato. Yeah. And they want to make sure he gets his fries. Yeah. If that makes sense. You know what I'm saying? So like I have faith that no, that's not the last week. I think this is just getting started. Especially because again, I mean, even just talking to you now, realizing that like It really may have just now been forty eight hours. When you think about they played yesterday at whatever time, which obviously was a later time than London. I ain't gonna front. It it ain't even been forty eight hours. I don't think so. Because if if It's what, eight o'clock here. Mm-hmm. Yeah, no, no, it ain't been forty eight hours. Yeah, I just Like, and then also again, I'm not, I'm a sports fan to an extent, but only by way of my dad and my brother. So some stuff I'm sleepballing. I don't ever recall a time in recent memory where a team has made a statement, and that statement has been made in collaboration with that person's agent. That post that they made was a collab post with Nicole. This is we're just getting started. She's not going, yeah, she's not going. She's like, who are you feeling like? He ordered fries, not a load of. Who you Nicole said, who you feeling like? I just I feel like also because of who he is and like the support that he has, like from a Houston perspective, fellow Houstonian, he also to me is like kind of the golden child of the NFL, unproblematic, very clean cut image. You know, like he has a lot of things going for him where I think that like had this been another NFL player, it would be a case by case, unfortunately, of just like the rallying behind him. But because it's Jalen, like I think people are just not people are not letting it go. Like, somebody said in the comments, like, we are literally just getting started. So I said, Sue the NFL, sue London. I was just gonna say London was the one looking out. And then the NFL, NFL doctor was like, No, no, no, no, no, no, no, chill up, nah, nah, you don't know what you're talking about. Hey, hey, you good bro. Come come And that's even worse. Like I just can't even like but that could have went a lot of ways with them playing. There's other instances where in the building did that to other people. Yeah. Cause I feel like they're I don't know offhand, but I remember seeing clips of like there have been people that have been ha that have had some pretty fatal injuries or instances on the field. Like that is very traumatic. As far as I'm concerned, Jalen ain't never gotta play football another day of my life. He can go be a commentator. He can go, there's a lot of other things. Because personally, if I was ever to be in a situation, y'all not tackling me again. I'm not running on the field. I'm not. Cause even one statement said that he's allegedly like doing conditioning. What that means, I don't know. But I think one of the statements they came out and said, he's still kind of like. hanging around, doing doing conditioning. I don't know. I feel like this is gonna be an ongoing ongoing thing. I know Nicole, just just knowing how black women as a whole be caping for everybody. Yeah. Even though nobody capes for them. God bless y'all. Thank you. Appreciate that. She ain't feel that. I've followed her enough over the years to know like Nicole not going forward. The fact that they issued a collab statement. Yeah, 'cause she's like, hey, tag me. She's like, tag me. Because she's been riding for Jalen since day one. You know, like I I feel like she's the one who put all the other people around him too, right? Mm-hmm. She's not going for it. Yeah, I will be staying tuned for that. We definitely send in prayers out because nobody wants to see it's not worth it. The NFL is not worth it. At the end of the day, yes, it's a sport, but it's also entertainment. We all entertainment. We are all albums. Are you not entertained? We are all entertainment for the greater powers that be, unfortunately. Okay, shifting gears a little bit, side quests. So if we don't know. side quest or I'm a a fan of finding things to do, you know, or not finding things to do and stumbling across whatever the world brings me. Whatever whatever comes across my path. So what's been like one of your latest side quests? It could be today, last week, last month. What's what were you getting into? Funny enough, I'm the king of side quests Now I have been outside quests. A lot of times people kind of constrict themselves to their lane or their path. They feel like, this doesn't align with what I got going. That's another word. People when somebody tell me I ask somebody for something and they'd be like, that doesn't align with what I want to knock something over. Like not violently. But like Yeah when you said nice enough I'm like hey I mean that is a word that I want us to remove from our vocabulary because what are you even about? What what is a line? What is a line? What are you aligning with? Like what are you aligning with? Let's talk about it. And then when I let's have a seat. I've asked that question and they'd be like, well, when my granddaughter they started talking and and I'm not gonna lie, I have a bad habit of when you're not making sense or talking. in a circle. I zone out. Which is on. And then I'm a Libra. I know. Okay. But They could a little bit. Yeah, no, they I start zoning out like, and then they'll finish talking and I just walk off. And then and then they'll bring up what they said to me and I'm like, I don't recall. Walk off is crazy. But what I would say is I have this thing where when people say something to me, mm-hmm Until you do it, I'm gonna remember what you said. And then when I see when I see you doing it, I'm like, you did say you was gonna relate cool. I'm the friend that's like when you say you're gonna do something, I'm like, okay, bet. So last night I looked up that you said you wanted to go skydiving and like here are all the places, so when are we booking the session? And then you're gonna come watch you, like what are we doing? I don't know right now. I'm finna go all right You wasted my energy. You're waiting and my friends know. She's like, I know if I tell you something. You're gonna take that and like tomorrow you'll have a whole business plan for me. I'm like, I mean, I don't just talk just to talk. So even with the show. I'm not we're not talking just to talk. It's for a person. People do be yapping and yapping is not free. He's with me. Clearly not with you, because you're not paying attention. You said what to me? He's like, you did say that. Okay, gosh. That's what it'd be clipping. It'll be like, you did say because my subconscious, I hear everything. And and that's the thing. When I everything and like I see you do something other than what I heard that also clicks too. Hella irritating. It's like, but all right, you know what? I'll let you do your I my thing is don't like I really am very invested into the things that like my friends say to the point where it's like I don't like feeling like I'm more invested than you. So you telling me, I wanna start a podcast, I wanna move across the country, I wanna you dye my hair. Stop telling me that unless you do it. I'm invested. See, I used to be like that. But then I've been in so many situations where I realize, damn, I'm doing most of the work for you. I'm getting to that point. And I'm getting to that. So a lot of times when people tell me they want to do something, I ask the questions. How serious are you? And a lot of times 'Cause I can yap too. Yeah. So but the thing is when I be yapping, people you know, people get comfortable, but then I really gauge how serious I how serious you are. Yeah. And there your answers will tell be clear telltale sides where it's like, you're just saying this to say this now or no. I'm really Yeah. I didn't already did this, that you got some plan. Okay. How can I put a plan on a page? But then when I see you just yapping, yapping, yapping, how long do you have this idea? Three years? What have you done? Nothing. Okay, cool. So this is the idea. Yeah, we just then we're gonna yap it out. I feel that way. I'm not your system because you just want talk about it. You don't you don't really want to do it. You just or you want me to convince you. I feel like sometimes people are having ideas and we all I won't say we all do. people have ideas and they come to people like you and I arguably and they are looking for somebody to like not even validate it but they know that you maybe the type of person that's gonna like push them to really like hold them accountable and go do it. That's fair. Because I You know, a of times when the the idea's so big it becomes scary. Yeah. And it's like, damn. Yeah. Let me talk to somebody about it. Let me know. Let me get it out. Yeah. Let me get my thoughts out. Because there's sometimes where even with the music, there's sometimes I wanna do this, I wanna do that, I wanna try something, you know, and it's just like I don't know what it's gonna be and then I I relay it to my friend or what whatnot and they'll be like do that stuff and it this goes actually goes back to the side question because it's I'm Model. Found that out just today with everyone else. So yeah, okay. I I I've been modeling for years actually. I've been different fashion shows. shout out to Kinky Curly Hair Show. Okay. There's another show coming up soon. shout out to Salma Moroccan chocolate on Instagram. I follow Moroccan chocolate. Yeah, she's a big creative. I ain't gonna lie to you, I'd be trusting her vision. Yeah. She just did my hair a couple weeks ago before my show. Literally. Yeah. So I've been in her show multiple years. Okay. matter of fact I cleared my schedule when she called. Check out the show. What's can date? we're we're in the process of putting this stuff together. But it's coming soon. and then also cash. They also got the Fashion Night out. It's weird even saying it, but I'm kind of a published model because I've I've done for stuff for Nike, Adidas. Yeah. This is a hell of a side quest. Yeah, no no I I've been outside quests, y'all. No no no so Wow I was with my homegirls and I was like, yo, yeah. I think I wanna like go I feel like I can hit the wrong way and walk. Yeah, you got the personality, you know. And then they was like, Yeah, yeah, you should do it. And I was like, You think so? I won't look weird and what the it's like, nah, do it. And like, and I was like, Okay. And then like I did it and they were like, no, you're good, you're good. we love the look. you can pose. I'm like, And he ran with it. Side quest of the year. I I did I also did a episode So excuse me, a little commercial for Choppin' Block. I love Choppin' Block. I love them too. Yeah, so shout out to Chopin Block. And the homies. Happy hour undefeated. Best happy hour in the city. Chopping block and also honorable mentioned Booze Burgers. I don't have had Booze Burgers yet. Never? No, gonna try it out. I don't know, you gotta jump down. I will definitely try it out. Because they're they're they're the closest they're the closest farm the table type burger you would get in Houston. Okay. You know, and and Booze burgers. Okay. And you know we're in the day and age where everybody worried about what they're eating. Like Rightfully so. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I'm 'cause I am. Yeah, I was like, I'm not judging 'cause personally y'all know how it is. Okay, that's a hell of a side quest. I'm like, what's been my latest side quest of the week? Mm-hmm. I signed up for improv classes. Yeah, so I took improv when I lived in Charlotte. I took level one and level two last year just on a whim, like hella side quests. And then so since I've been back in Houston, I've been missing improv. Like improv is just so much fun. I love kinda like what you said with imp you did modeling and you realized you liked it. That's how I feel about improv. So I started doing improv and I was like, So when I'm stage when you say improv, like more of acting or comedy? It's a mixture of both. Okay. I would say improv is it's interesting because when you go to improv classes, most instructors will tell you don't try to be funny. They'll give you prompts because naturally I mean, we are naturally think about at least I can speak for my sense of humor, I'm more funny when I'm not trying to be funny. And people are like, Ha ha I'm like, I was being dead ass serious. That's cool. I'm glad that you thought that was funny. Funny and like that that'd be the thing. That's probably why he told you don't try to be funny. 'Cause you're gonna be funny naturally. Naturally. Naturally funny, you know. That's fair enough, yes. And it's like a little bit of I think it prepares you for acting. It's not literal acting, but you are like on stage acting to some extent. But I like it. I've I recently signed up with a station in Houston if y'all wanna try improv. They have free improv classes on Friday. A level level zero is what they call it. Thirty, forty five minutes. Friday is at six thirty. but yeah that's my recent side quiz. 'Cause that's also another one of my side quests. I'm trying to get into acting. You should get into acting acting. I absolutely should. That's how I know about the when it 'cause literally a lot of guys say when the the instructors they tell you hey don't try to be funny. yeah. In my previous classes, the people who were trying to be funny, it just it was like Forced? Yes. Mm hmm. Versus the people who were like, We just say whatever came to mind. It's like when you know somebody's trying it's like the same thing, like, for example, I could say I tell you a story right now, you think it's funny. We go out later and you're like, tell them the story that you told me earlier. It's not the same. It's like Being live in the delivery. That's kinda how improv is. It's fun when you're like, Hey, let me tell you this quick story and you think it's funny. It's not funny when you're like, repeat the same thing you told me and make so and so laugh. It's not the same thing. I I don't wanna show my age. I mean Who you you know whose line is it anyway? I love who allegedly they're coming back. Well your thing fell up. so allegedly my teacher said my improv teacher said that they're coming back. That's crazy. I used to watch that. I love who's lines anyway. man. SNL too. I've started to re-watch SNL. S SNL's top tier company. that used to be my Saturday night too. One thing. Me and my dad's a kid, Saturday night, 10-10:30. SNL. It's it's still I'm getting back into it. It's not all the same people that used to be on there, so that's been kind of interesting because I don't recognize any of these people but I'm used to the OG people. I don't know if it's S N L or Mad T V. I forgot about Matt T V. Yeah. you ever heard that line? He was like, man, the back of your hair ridiculous. Yeah, that's Matt TV, right? Yeah. Okay. Somebody said, I didn't even notice the mic on his hair. Yes. Crazy. Okay. We've been gapping. We are some gappers because it is already 8 45. And we have not even gotten a clear. I told somebody before, I was like, when I started this show, I was like, my God, am I gonna be able to fill an hour of time? Easily. First of all, we talked for a whole hour before the show. Okay, we're gonna get into a little bit about you. That's why you're here, right? You know, we'd love to know more about who is Mike Checc outside of being An actor, a model, an engineer. Outside of all of his other side quests, who is Mike Check? So if you're not familiar, Mike Check, local Houston rapper, extraordinaire, model, actor, side quester, engineer. There's probably other things that you haven't shared. how did you get started? I mean, you've you've been in the game for a while, often on you've had some breaks, etc. But like how did you initially get started in your career? So I've been interested in rap before I came to America. And when did you move to America? I first came when I was ten. Ten, okay. my mama won the lottery visa. And then she her kids get get to come with her. then my dad got like a little temporary what's it called to come and then from Nigeria, because y'all were near from Nigeria. And then we was we was here for like some months. Yeah and then me and my brothers and my dad went back to our applications went through and then we came back to good. So that's crazy. So like I was already interested in rap. So when I got here, I never forget, So I had this boom box, right? actually it was it was really my dad's boom box, but by the time he got his little entertainment system with the who needs a boom box, you know? Yeah. So I do miss my little Helicopter boom box. So I got the boom box and then this is when I think it's like two thousand one, two thousand two, when CDs was like now getting popular but people were still on cassettes. Yes. I had I had a boom box cassette situation. So so us Nigerians, there's this there's this lady Agatha Moses, sweet mother. Okay. It's like a popular song back then. Okay. It's like an OG song. So we had a bunch of cassettes and I realized, man, my we Saturday cleaning, my dad and I using no cassettes no more. We done got the five disc changer on the D V D. Shout out to the five disc sh I had a a three disc missing dearly. This this is that was that was the OG playlist. Yeah. Let the CDs play. My dad used to make mixed CDs. Lime wire, shout out to Limewire. Same. Yeah. Hey shout out to Limeire. Of course, making Lom Lime wire made me some money when I was young. We're not that's a whole nother story because you burn the city's taking it to school, selling it for like a little I was about to say, wow. People save saving their lunch money. Man, I have quite a few between me and my dad, we used to make a lot of a lot of mixtapes on Limeware. R R P your computer though. Right. We're not gonna talk about Yeah, we're not gonna talk about all the software updates. Lime wire was cooking cooking computers left and right. Left and right, and we were all OG computers. Imagine having line wire on our laptops right now. Cook. Apple wouldn't even allow that. come on now. That's why they're out of there. Yeah, Apple wouldn't even allow that. And then I'll never forget my boom box. I'm taking those cassettes 'cause I'm like, my dad not using this no more. And then two thousand one, that's when Get Richard Dotron first drop. 50 was probably the first person I really just listened to album front to finish. Cause cause when I was dubbing, I was using the room box to dub the cassette. So I and the thing is I'm thinking Yeah, I'm thinking my parents and never see this. So I'm I'm having cassettes. I got 50 on this one. I got Mike Jones and Slim Thug still tipping on this one. I got Paul Wall on here, I got Chameleon here on this one. So like I'm When I come out for when I come back from school I'm putting on a cassette and I'll play it, you know? And it'll just play. Crazy. Do you remember the first song that you dubbed on a cassette? yeah. it was in the club. Really? Ironically mine was when deja vu dropped. Beyonce? I was waiting at night to hear ninety seven nine play deja vu. And you know, you have to why you had to make sh like you had to put the cassette in and say at the perfect time. I think was Mad Hatter or It was yeah. or was it Q? What was he doing it back then? Whereas you you know, they give the little shout out, Woody Woo drop it right now, let's get into it. You had to literally be like deja vu was my first, I my I had a little hello kitty boom vibe. I should have kept it. Cause I wish I was more into like now knowing now what I know about like just vintage like saving things. I remember you have to wait like eight, nine o'clock, whoever was DJing around that time, and you had to wait eight. yeah. you were like, deja vu. Top ten. Remember, remember the top ten? I I would I would record nine. I would record the whole thing. Don't get it twisted. I'm giving I'm yeah. I don't care about the commercials. As long as I got everything, we're good. Man, we're just kind of the kids will never know. Mm-hmm. So so that's how I started, you know, and then then that I don't know if you remember They used to have the freestyle Fridays where they would get on there and just rap about random stuff. 979? Yeah. So they would play the beat for like a certain part of the what's it called? Yeah. And so like I would have that recorded, and I'm like, bro, I can rap. I'm I'm writing stuff to it. So in high school, I was rapping like writing stuff, and then I was so in English, I was real good in English. Yeah. Even though like 'Cause it it was weird 'cause I hated English. But you were great at it. Great at it. Yeah. You know. I was great at math and science too, but like English I was weirdly great at it even though I hated it. of course. But let's be real. I'm Nigerian. We gotta come through with the brave part. Yeah, I about to say I don't think he really had a choice. Yeah, that that part. What do I know about my Nigerian friends and their upbringing? Y'all didn't have a choice. Y'all's parents were like, and what are you doing? First generation Yeah, most of I'm like most of my friends that are millennials are probably first generation here. Like Nigerian. Yeah. Yeah, y'all's parents were not playing. At all. And the funny thing is I was laughing when they got laxed with my as my brothers, but that's a little another story. So somebody said that's what's wrong with this generation. They need to bring this back. I would give anything to get my Hello Kitty boom box back. I'm not gonna lie to you. I looked up my I had a I used to have a three disc sequencing. Sierra's evolution album used to go triple platinum. that was my wake up song, like album that would wake me up as my alarm. When the cassettes I held on to the cassettes. So my first my first car was a Toyota Corolla, one of them OG joints. but the thing is it was it was really my mom's car. Yeah. But the thing is my mom she didn't work during the day so like I was able to like he was whipping it. He was whipping it. So like I'm I'm I held on to those dub cassettes. I'm putting them in because she had no CD play C D player wasn't a common thing back then. So I'm putting it in and I'm just like it it's it's so crazy, yeah yeah. I know, I'm like, we can yap on it. Okay. But you realize your first love it makes me think about did you ever watch Brown Sugar the movie? Gotta watch it. So with Brown Sugar, she's like, So when did you first fall in love with hip hop? You gotta watch Brown Sugar. I did see bits of but I it's annihilated. Yeah, you gotta watch it. Okay. Wait, wait. I have watched that. I they they've been in like ten movies together. I'm true. They've in ten movies together. I was just gonna say, yeah. So with your music, like you've had your evolutions of like you've started out. So when I mean when did you drop your first First first like song, EP, concert, like what was your first kind of like breakout moment? so first off, when I was writing in high school, my boy Emu would record me. Mind mind you, Emu still recorded me to this day. Shout out to Emu made it, you know. I remember he had some like international stuff going where he was his engineering was actually audio engineering was actually taking him somewhere yeah so when I was rapping he was like bro yeah just rap bro like you good and I'm like is this cool he's like nah you good if he was trash I don't let you know we're real friends very no he's very blunt yeah so back then we just high school and then there was another cat Shot of 'cause that's that's another dude we push out a lot of people yeah no I Shout out the homies. Yeah, you should. I love it. I don't do this alone. You know what I'm So shout out to Fels because I remember when Fels was rapping, it was him, it was Fels, Dex, and they was they was doing their thing, and I was like, yo, like it was inspiring, like us Nigerian, you know, because I'm fur I just came to this country. I didn't think Nigerians was rapping. So when I see other homies and they Nigerian rapping, I said, I got bars too. And then emu. will record me and but the thing is when I went to college where'd you go to school at U of H I went to I actually went to U I graduated from U of H but I went to U of H and T S U. Okay. Shout out to the homecoming TSU they homecoming next weekend. See y'all there. crazy. I know right TSU homecoming at the time. Hey y'all won't see me outside. A ball shout out to I've retired my TSU homecoming at where? Well I didn't even go to TSU. Mm. I went to Sam Houston. So I I go to TSU homecoming just as a I know people who went to Sam Houston. It's a grade school. Yeah, no. Shout out to them, you Shout out, eat up cats. Hey, a degree is a degree. A degree is degree. You you made it through. That's right. Right. But when I went to college it was it was different for me because I was actually going to like I guess some some things where like some some family stuff to whereas 'cause at at one point in my college where it was just me and my brothers, then so throughout my so there was a point in my college where like it w I had to kinda like pick the boots up and like, Hey bro, do I wanna continue or do I wanna hit the streets? You know? Yeah. So it was kinda like that and but then I was getting money. So I was like hmm and I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that story. Yeah, like it's yeah. 'Cause it was like it is I was getting money but it was like, man, what am I gonna do with this money to show to show w you know? I don't want to have money and then not if not chauffeur, not just went back to school. And And what did you get to school for? So I I was trying to be a pharmacist at one point in time. Right? Okay, be a pharmacist. But I realized when I took the PCAT and then like two, three years in I said, I don't wanna be no pharmacist. And then the next one is that why you were at TSU, I'm assuming? I know TSU has a good pharmacy school. No, no, no. I ain't gonna lie to you. I was at TSU because some of the classes cheaper. Umce it's on own dime, 'cause I I've took some classes at ACC too. As you should. Shout out to the community college. Yeah. You gotta get as long as you make you especially when you pay out of pocket. Yeah. Once it's on your own dom, shout out to my mama too, because one my mama still school. I said, yeah, what else am I do? She was like she was like, I thought you were in the like what do you think I've been doing this whole time? So so my mom would help me out. Like you know what I'm saying? So when I when I fit and the thing is me going back to school was on some like Like, yo, you doing you getting money now with the woo. Cause I was pulling because I pulled back up on my mama because I was getting money. I I went to cock the beamer cash and I pulled up on my mama on some like, hey, what's good? Yeah. My mom was Yeah, this car is cool, but what about school? And that goes back to first gym, Nigeria. They're Yeah, that's cute. She said, Yeah, that's that makes me think about to completely change subjects, but do remember last Super Bowl either last year or year before? It was a quarterback. It was Nigerian. She was like, Yeah, this is all good and all, but I can't think of who it was. I forgot his a la his name English. Somebody from the Eagles, right? No, no, no, no. Seahawks. Seahawks. He's on the Seahawks. I I I don't know how to pronounce his last name 'cause I don't know it off his mom came and she was like, Yeah, this stuff is all cool. She was like, We at the Super Bowl or whatever. Like She's like, yeah, I'm on my my I just I'm just here for my son. Like, this is all cool and all, but like she's like, yeah, football. Yeah, whatever. But imagine if he was crossing the stage on some doctor stuff, she She was like, Yeah, I know he does something. He's running around and doing something or another. She didn't know what he was doing, but she had your son excelling. Yeah. That's all that matters. Yeah. You know? And funny enough, that's how I got my mama to come around the music. I'm gonna ask you. That you took the question out of my mouth. Thank you. 'Cause it's funny because my mama was on some like, music, what? Music what? But then once she started seeing how like people like rocking with me and then even my my other cousin was like, Yeah. She was like, Auntie Joe, Mike Mike is really good with the pizza. And she was like, really? She's like, Alright, put your stuff on YouTube. Pull up pull it up pull it up right now. She's like, Show me right now. Show me right now. I said let me see the facts. And then she was looking, she's like, You feel this. I said, Yeah, yes ma'am. that's so sweet. So when it came to college, like I had to give that to my mama. Mm-hmm. Cause you know, that that's how they bring it back home. Yeah. All you could do all this other stuff, but what about your books? Right, especially because I mean going back to what you said earlier, being able be over here off of a lottery visa, they want to go back and say, hey We we came we came all the way over here. We got some degrees and things to show for. No facts. Yeah. So of course that's how they brag back home. Yeah. Yeah, he has cars. Da this da that. Mm-hmm. What about his books? Yeah, degree. Yeah. P A like what letters are behind his neck? Hey, no, no, no. That part. Yeah. That part. So I had to get that to my own like so but when I finished school, that's when I literally dropped my first mixtape literally a couple of months after school. After I left school. Yeah. Shout out to DJ Auditory because he's the one who's Shout out to DJ Auditory. Really? He he told me, he said when I put all the tracks together and we we about to drop it. And I told him I was like, Man, I hope we blow off this. And he looked at me saying, I'm gonna keep It's your first tape. You gotta you gotta really build the journey and really find who you are on this. And I remember when he first told me, I said, yeah, we'll have blown. We finna blow all the Leave it to Tori to say, Tori's a homie. Shout out to DJ Auditori. And and that's He's gonna say something something deep and profound. Anytime. He's gonna be straight up. If he rock with you, he's gonna tell you straight up like the the most bluntest truth that you need to hear. Yes. Wow. I will tell you right now to save me some time. Mm-hmm. Cause I wanna see you win. So I remember when I dropped the tape, maybe like I remember it was the first month, twenty people listened to it. Maybe I'm not saying shout out to everybody in the comments. We didn't shout out about twenty people. Sorry, we just know a lot of people. I was about to say, shout out to everybody in the comments. Shout out to everybody in the comments. Okay. We we appreciate y'all. We would be nothing without. Shout out to everybody is hilarious. Okay, yeah. So Tori was pouring into you. He made your first thing. He told 'cause me and Tom me and Tori, we still too tight to this day because he's gonna tell me what's up. Yeah, he's not gonna tell me what I wanna hear. And that And that's where a lot of us have gotten into that role of we surround our people who won't surround ourselves with people who will tell us what we want to hear as opposed to people who will tell us what we need to hear to get to that next level. And that's what you need. You need people that are around you that, you know, support you but still say, Hey, you know, this, that, and the third. Tori told me this was like two, three episodes ago. He's like, Hey, I watched your video, that audio, you need to figure that out. And I was like, you know what? Yeah, yeah. And I'm like, he's can't I give you some constructive criticism? I was like, I mean, okay, sure. He's like, he rock with you for him to say that. Because even my music now, yeah. Like, I've just dropped music for years. And Tori would be like, Yeah, that's cool. But now he's like, You know what? You starting to get into your form. He told me that the other day I said, For real? My dog. He means that. Yes. And like he's like, Whatever what you're doing? Keep doing that shit. And I was like, okay. Yeah. Cool. I'm here experimenting. Yeah. He's like, no, no, no, no, no, no. That right there. This is the l you proof of concept. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, go ahead and put that to the side. But this you need to do this. Shout out to Tori. Shout out to Tori. Tori's supposed to be on the show soon, so maybe I'll have y'all both back. Didn't y'all do some did y'all not do a podcast together for some episodes? I think I've seen y'all doing like a I I'll always be around that nigga. So maybe that's fine. 'cause if you haven't advanced and stuff, I'm I'm a supporter. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. It makes you think about you were talking about the, you know, you found your lane. I really enjoyed your latest EP. Thank you. Thank you. I'm a fan of sometimes. I'm not a fan of the whole EP, but sometimes I was telling him earlier I love listening to s to tracks in albums, EPs, etcetera, and not really looking at the name of the song the first couple times. So I don't automatically just like pigeonhole myself into like, I love this one song. I keep coming back to sometimes. It was a vibe. It was a vibe. But the whole EP is a vibe. And I would love to know, like, you know, you've had moments in time where taken a break from music, you've had life happen, you've had loss happen. Like what has inspired this latest EV? And you launched it on your birthday, you had a your your release party, your concerts I'm calling it a concert. Your concert, your showcase, your concert a couple of what last Monday, literally. Yeah. Man, the main thing that inspired this is forget me. dropped the E P early this year or or late very late last year in Twas it almost seems like early this year. it's forget me and then now it's forgive me not. Yeah. I'm a big earthy guy. Mm. you know I Dibble and dabble in nature. Yeah. I eat what I eat, I watch what I eat, I eat a lot of fresh fruits. As you can see my little smoothie right now. We have not just been drinking cocktails, they've been water and smoothies. So I'm a big natural guy, you know, I'm everything organic when it comes to when I ingest and when I sweat out. Yeah. Mm. So when it came to forget me and forget me not All of my work over my past ten plus years have I've led up to this moment. especially with me being on and off, it's been kind of it's been kinda hard because it's kinda like, yo, like I'm supposed to be doing so much right now, but I wasn't in that season where I could do anything. So it you know, it it sucks when you're in that season when your hands are tied, but you're like, bro, I could be doing so much, but physically I'm not able to. Yeah. So the premise that came to forgive me, forgive me now was on some like, yo, I hope you ain't forgot about me. Mmm. You Mm. And with with me being like very natural person, you know, I always think of a flower. Forgive me. Forgive me. You lo you look, you love me. And the creativity is great. You love me not. Yeah. You love me? So I did forget me first. Yeah. So I was like, yeah, y'all forgot me. But now it's like I'm on that last pedal, like, forget me not. Because I'm not gonna lie, these these last two projects was also like, yo, I wanna get 'cause I've been building since throwaways, which was like twenty twenty three, twenty twenty four, whereas it's like, yo, like I've been building to this moment to whereas I I'm trying to give this this music my last push. Yeah. Not like my last push, like if this don't work, Wooty Woop, but like no like my last push as in like I can't stop now. we're gonna all gas, no breaks. So forgive me and then it's like y'all forgot me, but it's like nah. I'm on that last pedal, my last push. Yeah. Forgive me not. You know? So I I I'm loving it. So that and that's where the premise kind of came With this whole idea, like, you Wow. Cause it 'cause forgive me was more melodic, you know. Yeah. That that sound that I was telling you about when you turn on the song, you instantly hear like that sound. It gets you. But then forgive me not, I mean there's no trying to wrap my ass off. I was literally about to say that forgive me not, because I was listening to it earlier when I got ready. And I was like, it just felt like two things. One, I'm big in storytelling. Like I have a marketing background. So like I just view everything as like I automatically assume when people drop EPs and albums of a story being told. It's one way or another. And then two, I do feel feel like I was listening to certain songs and I was like, he gotta he's like not you feel like you have a point to prove, I don't take it like that, like you're trying to prove a point, but it also gave like you came out swinging, like you were like, I'm giving it my all, like, I'm putting it all out like on the music, in the tracks, like I'm I have something to say and y'all are gonna hear, y'all gonna feel me. If you forget me not after this, or you forget me, whatever, but I said what I needed to say. Like that's how the the EP feels. It feels very much like I had some things to say and get off my chest. Yeah, yeah. I still got some more. I feel like I was listening to certain songs or like the the project in its totality, I was like, it almost felt like okay, you're like, I just want y'all to know I'm still here, but like there's more to come. Because you mentioned even like, you I was reading up the your into reading up on your entire just journey. I know at one point in time you were coming up in the times of like the Don Tollivers and the Ken the Mans like the homies. Yeah, you know so like I feel like you're also like Ken and mixtape too that whole shout out to Ken the man. Look Ken if you ever wanna can chit chat okay I got a room on the couch for you okay I got a room the cock the cocktails the cocktails we we got whatever you need ten out of ten yeah I'm in here drinking a a a side car aka Mike's car Mike's car aka Mike's car yeah like I feel like and we talked about this off cam earlier just like being being from Houston and being a Houston artist like you're always gonna feel like you have a like people are always gonna open their arms to you. They're gonna welcome you back whether it's been five days, five years Five months, like you're always gonna be able to come back into your craft because people support what you do, and it always it also feels like there's more to be said. You really you I feel like this this project really was like, Okay, I just want y'all know I'm here, but like this, I'm just getting started, like you're on a run right now. Yeah, Said I got I got some pieces that's coming after this that's gonna shout out to part two episode. Yeah. So just it I kinda like you know how you fall in love, fall back in love with some, you fall even harder. Mm-hmm. That that's where I'm at. yeah it's like it's like when you you f fall in love with some at first and like damn it ain't really work out or some stuff was in the way, you know. Yeah but then when you fall back in love with some you're like No, I'm in a better place now. It's a deeper appreciation. I can I understand I un I understand it now. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Do know what you had like do you feel that way with like when you're saying falling in love like with your own talent? Like do you feel like you are like seeing yourself in another light that you probably didn't appreciate before? Like is it falling back in love with self? I've always fought I've always been in love with the talent. I've always been in love with the process as well. it it and that kinda goes hand in hand because when I fell in love with the process I I've I've seen myself involved multiple times. Yeah. Every project I'm involved in. Like I'm I don't sound the I mean I'm of course phonetically I sound the same. But like when it comes to w my raps and how I'm h hopping on the beat, I don't sound like who I was two, yeah, three, four years ago. Maybe shit, maybe I don't sound like how I was sounded two months ago. And that's evolution. I think that's the beauty of being an artist. I feel that way with me, even like we talked about this earlier, just like launching this show. And like I've had different evolutions of like being on camera, having podcasts, having shows. But it's like when you come into that next sense of self, the next layer of self, and you're like, I'm refalling in love and I have all the knowledge. an experience of like life. I understand. You move differently. And you like for me, you appreciate it differently. Because you're like, okay, before, you know, when you're in your 20s and your teens and you're making music, you're creating projects, you're just like, I just love it and I love it. And that's that. And then you have life experience, you go through things and you're like, I love it, but I also appreciate like who I am as an artist in the process. And and that's another thing too because I love it. I love I love it because I I felt a little harder because, you know, I love the process but I also love what this music has done for me as as far as releasing. Yeah. because there's a lot of things I don't really talk about peop to people. Yeah. 'Cause I feel like you don't deserve that or that's that's me. That's your own but then when I'm writing I I see it come out like I don't I don't even be trying. Like I just cathartic. Yeah, almost yeah. It just comes out. I'm thinking I'm making a bar and I'm making a series of bars and then I I read back the bar and I'm like, what the fuck? Like, my god, my chest. Like, my song eternal. it's also like this other it's also like this other piece that I used to write back in the day. I said that that other piece back in the day, it started off with you can't spell friends without ends because nobody loves rubber nickel. You get me? Yes. So I remember that that pe that whole piece, I remember when I first wrote it, I wrote it just writing it, like, okay, cool. And then I remember like a week after I'm spitting it, reciting it, trying to get my words right. And then you know when you finally get the words right, the emotions that you felt when you were writing that song or the emotions that and then I couldn't spit it. in full form without tearing up. Mm. So i eternal is also the same way. So whereas I write my stuff and and that's also another side quest I do. I'm I'm also a spoken word artist. yeah I just I I I love popping up on like little venues where they don't expect me to come. Okay. And I just pop up. Tell me. got a poetry event. Tell me. Yeah. I'll t girl I will show up. Yeah yeah. shout out to word of mouth because that was the last place that I actually went. Word of mouth is at Bon Garden, right or no? No no no, they're at no no right about now is the right about now, yes. Okay. But word of mouth is a new younger crowd. Okay and they they got sh they got stuff going on. I'm not sure I love a good poetry. They're at the I believe the eight eight room. The the old the old proper studios off of Roberts. I'm yes. Okay. No they doing the damn thing. Okay, word of mouth. And right about now. Mm-hmm. Check them all out. So when I pulled up on them, like it was a full room too and they didn't expect what they was gonna get for me. Yeah. So I love because when I do the spoken word, I get it really into character because I want you to feel what I feel when I'm saying this out of my mouth. Yeah. So Eternal. Mm-hmm. Eternal is the same way. I remember writing it and like, yeah, I spit it all the way through, but like That's also s that I also write pieces in the way where I could spit it in spoken word. And I remember spinning it as spoken word and like like I could feel myself shaking. Like, you know, like that was a relief. Yeah. It's just like I was like, I had I had to turn it off. I said, nah. That's how funny you say that 'cause when I was listening to it, just the E P in general, you can tell that certain pieces, to your point, it could be performed more as spoken word or it could be performed more as like A song. Very interesting. Okay. We have been yapping. It is 9.16. it's 9.16. It is 9.16. Okay, I have a quick untamed question freak. We do untamed conversations. Like we have one of my other brings untamed. So I love all things untamed. Shout out to untamed. Shout out to untamed. So quick just kind of thoughts. So you know, I don't know how much. Well, I know you keep up. I can tell you keep up. So, you Chris Brown ushered some room with all the things. And I know he had they canceled a couple of shows because Chris Brown allegedly had some court dates, et cetera, et cetera. Yeah, wonder. Yeah. Yeah. but I'm curious just your thoughts of just like personally, even though I'm an Usher fan and I used to love Chris Brown, I feel like there are things that have happened in both of their personal lives that have like changed how I view them and how I support them as artists. Obviously everybody feels differently because clearly the s the shows have been showed out sold out. So clearly I have different opinions. Speaking of, no matter how anybody feels, it's gonna hurt people when I say this. I and mind you, I'm not even like what do you call it I don't agree. You know, I'm I'm the type of person when people be like, separate the artist from the You you take my questions. Almost That's my question. I'm so sorry. That was a let me ask the question. So at least for the camera. I was about to say I'm being here yelling. See that question right there? Boom. I'm finna say somebody controversial, R. Kelly. Do you know how many people over 50 are waiting for him to come out? Do you know that I didn't realize that he was like still in jail? I looked him up a couple weeks ago just out of curiosity because I was like, did he actually like it feels like a fever dream that he went to jail? So I was like, is he in jail? Because a lot of times the people somebody famous people don't really go to jail, you know. And I also And I was also having a debate with somebody, you know who you are, and I like, Well what about R. Kelly? And they were like, blah blah blah. And I was like, let me see what he's doing. I I think that I like COVID did enough on me. I think I forgot that he like has been in jail. no. I knew when he said, How I'm a hog top people. I don't even know how I when he when that little sixty minute interview, I knew I said, damn, he finna get pride. Like, who is your PR person? Somebody people are not PR. And he has been sitting in North Carolina, North Kakalaki. He's supposed to get out Twenty twenty-seven, twenty eight, twenty twenty-eight, something like that. But anyways, back to the question again because I know we're over time. Shout out to y'all. We've had people popping in and out, so I appreciate y'all. sticking with us after our hour slide. But I mean how do you feel about that? Because I I personally feel conflicted. Like, I don't hate Chris Brown, but I'm not gonna spend the money in this concert. I don't Usher his some of his allegations are alleged, so I can't speak on that. But I think that with Chris Brown it's like the it's in front of our face. You know, like his history of violence is very blatant. Even whether it's like romantic partners, whether it's you get in fights and clubs and London like clearly there's an issue at hand. How do you like do you think people should separate the artists from their art? And like how do you approach that? Because I mean the more you're gonna grow as an artist, there's gonna come a time where people are gonna have the especially in twenty twenty seven and beyond. And beyond your personal life is not personal anymore. And the artist, a celebrity. And that's it's a it's a catch twenty two. Yeah. Because as men I don't know if you un if this ever happened to you where you ask somebody who you're messing with and then like, okay, let's say let's say you date somebody, right? Okay. Boom. And then just a little off the cuff. Right? Right? You date somebody. Okay. He got a homie who got a girl, right? And y'all y'all hung out a couple of times and all of a sudden the girl not there no more. Mm-hmm. But then you ask your man, hey, what happened to so and so? And he be like, I don't know. He can't tell you nothing. So we have Yeah, y'all do that all the time. So with men, we don't get in each other's relationships. Yes, y'all are part of it alive. Cause cause some some dudes, they be cool as cool as a fan. Every time we kick in it, cool stand-up guy. Yeah. But then once they get with some shorties, they're a whole different person. They they act different. They they have the different values. And you like a lot of that happens. Me like the homie did what? Yes. Huh? I tell people all the time that and I mean this across the board, you do not your friends as you know them and your friends and relationships are not all the same people. Time and time again. For better or for worse. Unless you see yourself, don't don't say, Hey, no, they got the vibes for No No, no, no, no. Hey look, I auntie, don't I don't vouch for nobody. When it when it's for the fucking people. When it comes to like relations. I don't vouch for men. I'd be telling him I'll be like, hey, talk to him. That's all I can say. You talk to him? I know you're telling me this now, but like you talk to him? Yeah. But like, so when it comes to like Chris Brown and Woody when it comes to their relationships, like, I can't even really tell you the allegations he going through other than the one other than a lot where he assaulted somebody in London on some on some legit well allegedly so it's been I say alleged I mean some of it is I mean it's facts to some extent I should have done more research guys but it's been it's not top of mind but essentially I mean Chris Brown does have a I saw a video where somebody listed out everything between Rihanna in London there is a history of like violence like even with Carucci like Karuchi I think had a a restraint order on him at one point in time. Like there's a history of violence. I guess it's see, I've I've only been a fan of the music. Right. Okay, that's I haven't I haven't been a abreast on on the other stuff. But the thing is my homegirls would tell me, Chris Brown did this and I'm like, and I'd be stunned. And they'd be like, you ain't see it? I'm like, what am I struggle with that? I personally struggle with that because the more I grow in my own like brand and platform too, it's like like I have to draw a line in the sand because it's like who am I in domestic violence awareness month to be going to a Chris Brown concert. Like that's crazy. I got too many homegrows to even like rock like that. Yeah. You what I'm saying? Like 'cause they talk about Chris Brown wasn't what I'm saying. Even like this is like not even related to this, but I remember something happening like with the concerts a few months ago and I guess this this is for sure alleged, but alleged I won't even go there. Well, I will just say this. I think that some people have the assumption that Chris Brown may have a preference of the type of woman that he likes and the black woman he likes or doesn't like. And I think he's keeping a little more on the light skinned, racially ambiguous than the not. And I think people also have been giving him a hard time on social media about that because women who don't look like his type are basically like fangirling. And it's like this man has kind of blatantly, inadvertently said, I don't rock with you and you're spending thousands of dollars to like support this person, you know? I think cognitive dissonance is real. Again, but going back to the question, I think that like I think people in our community especially struggle with like separating well if they struggle actually. I think a lot of people are separating the artists from their personal It's very clear cut. Yeah. It's either they're separating or they're not. Yeah. Ain't no in the There's not a lot of in between. I think I speed more towards I don't separate because I just my brain can't I can't compartmentalize like that. Like once know something about you, I can't unsee that. And the people who don't separate, they act like it never happened. I know. I know. I've had people have had conversations with people about R. Kelly, and I'm like, again, going the same person I had the conversation. R. Kelly was in Africa talking about, do you wanna come to America? I literally, somebody was debating me about What what his allegations were. He's stupid. Somebody were d was debating me and they were like, Well, sex trafficking is one thing. I No, he has like like ch like, you know, minor like allegations. I ain't gonna lie to you, bro had a system. He there was a s he know he used to be under jail. That's why that's why when I peeped it, I said, Damn. But the thing is I'm not gonna lie to you, that's when it comes to the We don't even gonna say who they is, but we don't even wanna say they. I'll say you post this video, it's gone. Where it go? Where where? And look. Okay, in that note, we're gonna move on to our homework because we are very overdot. It's been such a great conversation. So I like to leave people with a little homework just because, you know. be a serious person at times. So what would you like to leave our supporters with? Something to take away with something to know about you or just take away with their week and just think about, ponder on, do? It could be something to think about, do, see, say. I would say first off it's your boy Mike check. That's I K E underscore C A C E C C. Forgive me nine on all platforms. Or link it. Mm-hmm. And then one thing I would tell people, you have to humiliate yourself to be fully free. Mm. I'm a fan. You know? Yeah. You gotta humiliate because cause when you once you really realize hey, none of these other things matter. Yeah. None of these what other these other people say matters. Yeah. You realize, huh? You know? And that's and and and I'm not even finna take credit for that 'cause I saw this somewhere else where somebody was speaking on it and and what I got from it, they went on a long taste and I realized, yo, you really gotta humiliate yourself because once you really step yourself outside of other people's standards, you really start to really push the boundaries of what you can do. Yeah. it it it echoes a statement we said something similar a couple weeks ago so donald glover you know donald glover said something about basically like don't be afraid to be cringe like who because embarrassment is a construct now sometimes we should you know be mindful of things we do but like embarrassment really is you know like what is embarrassment you know funny enough I have a so I'm not even gonna name any names because Cause these are so close homies. Yeah. So one of my homies, right, you know, when you know somebody so long, you kinda hold them at right here. Yeah. You know, where you met Yeah. But when they become this, you don't really respect it. You're you're you talk to them while they up here. Yeah. Like they down here. Yeah. Right? But the thing is From from when they get right here to right here, there's that little space where they're trying to figure themselves out. They'll make mistakes. Yeah, they'll become cringe. Yeah. You know, and I have a I have a partner that that went through that. And then my other partner was like, bro, he gone really being weird. I was Mom. You just gotta let me figure it out. I was like, nah, bro, like I can see it. Yeah. At first I was like, Yeah, he'd be weird, but then I started seeing that. I was mah bro. Different now. Yeah. He's in a new phase of life and yeah. We're we're we're holding him here. So everything we're seeing is him trying to get here. Yeah, he's trying to find Right. He's going back up and down. But then when he really gets right here, you were like, no. Yeah. You a different person now. Now I have to respect you as you up here as opposed to down here. Right. You know? So don't be I tell people don't be afraid. Sometimes I look down, that's a joke. I don't know what I'm looking at. Leap in the net will appear. Or I like to say also sometimes like people I think sometimes really want to know the next ten steps and you really have to just like I truly am a believer that like Beetle. The steps don't light up until you take the step. You know how like the Billy Jean music video? It's like the steps didn't light up 'til Michael Jackson was like, okay. Okay, boom. It's another step. Like we we and the thing is Maybe not you. I don't know if you feel like this, but a l I I see a lot of times where we don't we don't believe or bind to something until we can see the ten steps ahead. Yeah. You know, we don't believe in that. And that's not realistic. And so so a lot of times I I'll be like, Man, I just say a prayer and I go. And I just want to see where it gets us. What do you have to lose? At end of the day it's like, I'm also a believer of like Either way, the time is gonna pass. So it's like you can do the thing and you can step out on faith and the time is still gonna pass regardless. So that was great, great way to end our conversation. I feel like it was really good. Yeah, it's a reminder. Every week everybody's getting reminded what is embarrassment, do the thing, just take a leap of faith. So yeah, we appreciate you for joining us. check out Mike Check. I'll tag everything below. And until next time, stay curious. You know, you can watch the Sheridan show live every Monday, 8 p.m. Central, 9 p.m. Eastern Time. And yeah, until next time. Bye y'all.