November 28, 2022 • 44 mins
Fat Joe BROUGHT IT to Red Table Talk, so Tracy and Cara are bringing fellow Fat Joe fan and rap artist Radio Blitz to Let’s Red Table That to dissect everything Fat Joe did–and didn’t–say at the red table. Should Fat Joe use the N-word in his music? Does Tracy want to be called an “itch” with a “b?” They get into it all on this episode of Let’s Red Table That.
Hosts Information:
Cara Pressley
@thecareercheerleader Cara’s Instagram
@TheCareerCheerleader Cara’s Facebook
@the1cheering4U Cara’s Twitter
@FeelinSuccessful Cara’s TikTok
Tracy T. Rowe
@tracytrowe Tracy’s Instagram
@troweandco Tracy’s Facebook
@tracytrowe Tracy’s Twitter
@tracytrowe Tracy’s TikTok
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, y'all, Hey, what's up and welcome the Legs Red
Table that. I'm Tracy t Row and I'm Cora Presley.
What episode listen to? Legendary? How are you feeling about
Fat Joe and his interview or Red Table Talk? Tracy,
I feel like I could have listened to another hour
of Fat Joe. Fat Joe. Let me just tell you
(00:21):
a storytelling King Fat Joe. When I say I was
all in, he gave us like visualization of things. It
was just so rich and not just the storytelling, but
what he shared it was just good. He's a legend.
First of all, can't we just say that Fat Joe
is a hip hop dang on legend. We're tipping our
hat to you and giving you your flowers while you're here,
(00:44):
and we appreciate you. Cara. We have lost some people
in hip hop world. We have rest and peace take off.
That is new Nipsey. I mean, it's hard, So that's
why it was it's better sweet to see him at
the table because I'm glad he's still have living legend
in here. But on top of it, we just have
so many that we lost at the same time. So
we want to just say from our virtual red Table
(01:06):
to the family, friends and fans of all those who
have been lost in the hip hop world. Our sincere
sympathy to you, because we know that they mean a
lot to us as artists, but we know they mean
so much more to you as your family members and
your friends, and so we just want to acknowledge that.
And I think Fat Joe got an opportunity to say
(01:28):
that when it came to Big Pon and definitely indicated
how much of an impact they had on their lives
and how he still is trending up the next generation.
I mean him discovering something I didn't listen. He talked
about so many things we didn't know. Let's talk about
some others. DJ Keller was a little mind blowing from me.
Maybe that's just shows how much I don't pay attention
to hip hop like I thought I did, But you
(01:50):
didn't know. I like that I didn't know. I did
not know how to clue. So one of the things
that I loved about his conversation. First of all, back
in the day, when you saw a Big Pon, you
saw that Joe right, it was like it was a
tool for right. The Terance Squad. They were just they
were dominating back into day and Remy mall loved her
to Remy Ma, come on here, yes, please thank you
(02:10):
for acknowledging you know the queen we got to talk about.
I just appreciate the fact that he was like, I
discovered DJ Khalen and he's like a brother to me,
and I'm so happy for him. And then he was like,
but now DJ Kalen is doing He's got greater success, right,
And I was, God, hold on, I thought, let's have
(02:32):
a conversation here. And I love that he took it
beyond him having a spiritual connection, right and literally went
to d J Kalen was like, dude, I just had
a conversation with God, and I love that he is
the greatest. God is the greatest, and come on, DJ Kalett.
But really the anchor that they both have their spirituality,
(02:54):
because if you look at Fat Joe, for everything that
he's gone through, he didn't plan any of that was
all and so much stuff that it was a shot
in front of his mom left home at fourteen, I mean,
just smashing a bottle over. Somebody's going to prison, and
how they put him in solitary confined to keep him safe,
(03:14):
and he was like, also, how he turned to the arts,
he turned to the graffiti, he turned to the music.
And he's still an authentic person, even from the way
he loves his wife to the way he defended a
SHUNTI I mean so many things. Okay, so now we
got to talk about both of those cars. So let's
take it in the order you said it. Yes, first
of all, his wife is gorgeous. But there was one
(03:37):
particular moment when he started talking and it was truly
like being at someone's holiday table. The red table turned
into like the cookout table when he was talking and
Willow was like, oh Willow was right, like she had
(03:57):
to hinge, like, oh my gosh, I don't want hear
adults talking about other adults in their body parts, and
he was, can I just be honest here? And I
love He shook Willow's arm and her shoulder. He was
like it was high as it was a fat ass,
and she was just like, oh that I love those
stays her ground. But baby, she was not that, like
(04:18):
it was uncle fat Joe, like it was uncle Joey
at the table. She was like, I do here it
is I absolutely loved seeing Willow in that position. It
was sweet to see like they were family and like
she was a kid, even though I know she's gone.
And then I'm gonna tell you the way he stood
up for a shanty. Oh yeah, necessary, But were even
(04:39):
him telling the story about how he stood up for
his wife. First, he has an authentic connection with women,
and he said that, he said that we are powerful.
He loves us. Shout out to you, fat Joe, stands
up for your wife against her ex and standing up
for a shanty in the middle of the interview controversy,
even when he said how ev got his face changed?
(05:00):
He was telling him, this is my sister. But there's
so many people out here who lie and may be
fairy telling us y'all come on here, y'all be lying
to us, and we people just don't believe. Oh there
are some people who actually still respect with me. Yes,
And he meant it like that's his sister and he
loves her and protected her. And I'm grateful that he
(05:21):
stood up and spoke the truth about that and called
her gotty out. But it was about a shanty, And
can you imagine how seen affirmed and loved the shanty
felt in that moment? That part. Listen, somebody said a
shanty might be at the table, so come on here
because we can't wait. We're gonna have to see I
cannot wait. Love her. No, this was a great episode.
(05:42):
I'm grateful he came to the table, and I'm gonna
tell you something else. It was nice to have someone
who still had trauma, who still went heartache, but the
way that he shares it, there was still so much
light in it, and I think for this season it
was necessary to be able to have a moment where
we could see, right, just a good positive episode. Not
(06:04):
that the others aren't positive and informative, but this was
a nice, lighthearted episode. I'm excited about his memoir and
I'm excited about just what's next. Now it's time to
share what our online Red Table Talk community has to
say about this episode. Amy Perry said, so amazing. I
(06:25):
love to hear his stories and his way of telling us.
It's so captivating. I said he was a storyteller, and
I'd seal the table and save it. Don't touch that
table again, add I love that I do too, Amy,
I'm with you, and we are happy to also hear
from Leslie Shade. Lastly, said, this was really an amazing interview.
(06:47):
I'm so glad that Joe decided to let his hair
down and allow fans and everyone to see the man
he has become. Appreciate these r t t s great interview.
It really was a great interview. Yes, they had done
a part two with him, you know, he could come
on back. I love it. Okay, And last, but not least,
Tiffany Spencer Gert said, I met Fat Joe about fifteen
(07:08):
years ago and a teeny holding the Wall Italian Restaurant
in Little Italy in New York City. He was with
his crew, but was super cool and took a picture
with me. Seemed like a humble guy. You know, I
love a good story. I love a good behind the scenes.
I totally see him being like, yeah, come on getting
this picture from that. You know, I totally see him
doing that. I love that. I mean you can feel
(07:30):
his genuine humbleness from him being at the table and
just the way how he loves women in his life,
and you know how he talked about his daughter and
his wife. I mean, he's just I really like Fat Joe.
Thank you guys for sharing your fantastic comments for us
on the Red Table Talk community to keep them coming.
We love hearing from you. We're gonna take a quick break,
(07:51):
but when we get back, we'll be joined by our
incredible guest. UM super excited to welcome Radio Blitz or
just Radio B to the virtual Red Table. He is
a friend, MC songwriter, platform builder, fashion designer, and so
much more right here from my hometown of Richmond, Virginia.
(08:14):
Radio B is joining us because he is a rap
artist like Fat Joe, and he's going to share what
he calls Fat Joe a pioneer. So welcome to less
Red Table. That Radio be welcome. Thanks for having me.
I appreciate it. YEA not a problem. I can't wait
to get into this one. Super excited like you had
the one like one of the best bios ever, Radio B. Right,
(08:35):
you had to take a good long breath to get
all that out that. I love that. This is a
part of the show where we reveal which moments made
us pause, rewind and listen again. It's time for Wait
(08:57):
What Wait? I love o wait What segment. It's one
of my favorite seconds in the show. We had a
lot of good ones with Fat Joe bringing to the
dog on Red Table, but let's see the first one,
Fat Joe revealing his first nickname and the story behind
how he got it. Okay, Joey Crack, where did that
name come from? Joey Crack. The way I got Joey
(09:17):
Crack was before the drug crack, when the teacher would
ask me to go to the chalkboard and write something.
I always had like sweats like I'm wearing, and the
crack of my ass was shot, and so the girls
would be like, good, Jeey crack, Joey, and it just
stood my name. I had it. I made it my
graffiti name, and then it turned into my rap name. Okay,
(09:40):
Joey Crack had me rolling, y'all, Joey Crack. I ain't
see that, Okay, I honestly would have never guessed that
a kid would have been named Joey Crack unless he
was selling crack number one. That's what I was going, okay,
And I think everybody thought that right that It was like, Okay, yeah,
it's because you're selling crack, But it was because they
(10:01):
saw the asset crack. Hello, let's it's hard. Let's it's hard.
Radio Beat. Listen, you have a nickname, Radio Beat? How
do nicknames really play a part in hip hop nicknames.
It's a part of our culture, just especially Black folk
culture in general. Just be good for a nickname. But
they stick or they don't stick. But the ones that stick,
(10:24):
it doesn't really matter why you got it, it's there
for life. Got so and don't you find that the
nicknames are usually somebody making fun. Yeah, for sure, especially
when it comes to family and family giving you a nickname.
With him, I think that nickname hadn't evolved meaning over
time if you know anything about Joe. But it's interesting
(10:44):
that he had enough confidence to actually take what nickname
came from someone joking on him and owning it. That
was dope. I think he was still owning it because
I don't know if it's saw it, but he was
still showing a little bit of the crack of his
assets at the take. I missed that. You said it
was in there. I didn't see that. I'm telling you
go back. I was like, Okay, Joey Crack, you're still
(11:06):
living after this? I see there you go, bless It's hard.
He's had a heck of a journey though, I mean
he's told a lot of stories. This goes into our
next Wait, what his story about standing up to his
dad and leaving home at fourteen because of it. One
day my father went to hit me. We was eating
and I court it boom, and then he went to
(11:28):
kick me. I grabbed his legs. I had him like
hanging upside down. So I was a big four teen
So I tell him in Spanish, you can't put me
no more. You can't put me no more with this
kind of experience, Have you leaving home in fourteen or
do you know anyone who's experienced that radio I was
kind of young for me to even think about. I
can't say that that type of experience would have me
(11:50):
leaving home. I can say that I've related to those
types of experiences, and I can say that it can
lead you to wanting to leave home. What I thought
was interesting about that was he didn't leave home because
he was forced to, you know what I mean after
that incident. It was more so like the respect that
he had for his father. You know what I'm saying,
(12:12):
even amidst the circumstances as they were, was just like,
you know, I crossed the line and I'm embarrassing. I'm
shamed by that, and I just need to know that
way for it. Yeah, right, this episode was super transparent.
I don't think I expected the story that he was giving,
but when he did say he ran out and well
after he confronted his father, and I've experienced that with
(12:34):
my son. They buck up at you because they're trying
to they're in a moment of survel or I gotta
stand up for myself, but they're still kids in their hurt.
So I appreciated him being that transparent. So we could
hear that absolutely. When he decided to leave home of fourteen,
he started getting exposed to a whole another world of things.
That's how he found out that the world is cold.
He ended up having the whole experience and really his
(12:57):
nickname Joey Krack went from cracking the but to crack
something else right, A right, like you cracked that glass
across that guy's head. It was a lot, and so
it made him. It was a turning point for him.
I think it was a really pivotal moment in his
life when he left home because he had to fend
for himself. He went from being a fourteen year old
child to being in the position where he had to
become a man. Radio. Why do you think as far
(13:19):
as young men who transition into music used situations like
confronting their parents or even the story he told about
his heart turning cold. I often thought about those parts
in different men's life, like how does that truly impact you?
Do a lot of men have a moment where they're like,
this is it, I'm no more nice guy? Right? Yeah?
(13:40):
The loss of inno sence I think happens to humans
across the board, right, men, women, I think with men,
because we have pride, we have ego, we're taught that
we have to be able to be strong and defend
ourselves and not to be weak. So it kind of
puts you at these forks in the road where it's
either I handled this way or I go another direction
(14:03):
and go at my own I think it's important to
kind of consider what time period that was. And this
is New York, and this is really the eighties, right,
like the eies, so people were growing up really fast.
If you listen to any of the rap music from
that time period eighties early nineties, you wouldn't believe Nas
(14:24):
was like eight seventeen, eighteen years old, right. Just the
way that he's telling the stories and what he's seeing
and the knowledge and wisdom that he's applying to this.
A lot of people were raising themselves during that time frame.
So for him to feel the need to say, Okay,
I'm gonna leave and go out on my own wasn't
really boring. It was I'm in that generation. I'm in
(14:45):
the same generation with fat Joe. He was born in
seventy I was born in seventy one. All of us
gen xers, for the most part, had some moment of
being feral, right, where we truly were in a position
where we were raising ourselves, where we had to fend
for ourselves. Not that we left home at fourteen like
that Joe did, but that we were left to our
own devices, and so our level of maturity and survivalship,
(15:08):
the loss of innocence, as you said Radio B was
far more advanced and happened way earlier for us than
generations after, right, And so I think because he fourteen
was different then, and when we think of fourteen now,
it's like you're just a baby in the seventies. I
remember being fourteen fifteen, I had responsibilities, right, I had
stuff I had to do, and so fourteen then in fourteen,
(15:32):
very clearly he was a big guy. Right, So that
also plays a part psychologically for you, because you get
treated already like you're older than what you are, because
you're bigger than everybody else. Right. So I'm sure all
of that played a part. I'm sure in his mind,
if I have the strength to disarm my father, then
I must be strong enough to go with alone. I
(15:55):
felt the need to tell my father what he could
have couldn't do, even if that meant you can't put
your hand is on me. I'm of age to go
and handle this by myself, right, go it alone. So
if I can handle that, I can handle everything else.
Another part of this weight would waste Graffiting the Red
Table after the credits. Oh my gosh, I absolutely love legendary.
(16:18):
What's doing He's gonna do graffitios? Yeah, he really did
make history at the Red Table, like he said he would.
I want to know, do y'all think they're gonna use
that table going for I hope so. So I liked
it and he signed it. I feel like they need
(16:39):
to put put some what is it, Polly or whatever.
I feel like they're gonna keep it. It's classic. They
might have to buy another table. They got a few
tables at the house. They got a bigger table, smaller table.
So are we fanning out? Okay, Radio B, if you
had a table that Fat Joe had tagged, I wouldn't
do anything at it. I would You can't its own space?
(17:02):
Who else has Fat Joe's text? Okay? So now, Radio B,
what did you think about this? I loved it. It
was some some stories I had heard because he's had
like a short doc, so I'm very familiar with Fat
Joe's story. I was born in the Bronx, so I
(17:23):
have a respect and love from that standpoint. My parents,
my family is from the Bronx, so I did not
know that. So I was so, yeah, I have a
guy love for Fat Joe. Yeah. Why do you think
he's a pioneer in the hip hop world? Between him
Turn Squad. Yeah, it's just he was one of those
few that kind of played the executive role and played
(17:44):
the rap star role. But also out of those guys
except for maybe Jay Z and a few others, he
could really rap. And I just think the way he
approached a lot of things just there's only one Fat Joe,
and he always had a way of coming up with
a hit still to this, Like he can still put
a hit together. So it's a multifaceted talent for me.
(18:06):
And maybe he saw his tagging skills. He was doing
that back in school. But then of course transition to
the music and like you said, even that executive part
of his life right, Like, he's leaving a clear legacy
in several ways as a rap artist yourself, Radio be
with legacy? Do you hope to leave? And I'm just
gonna add this real quick before he answers. Radio has
a whole mural in Richmond, Virginia. Okay, So I need
(18:27):
you to know the legacy is already being laid and
I love that for him. But what do you want
to truly leave on? Man, that's a layered question. I
think just for the things that I do, and I
guess my purpose and why I do it is I
really want to enrich are an empower artist from here.
I'm really a hip hop head. So that's one of
(18:49):
the reasons I rocked with Fat Joe so heavy, is
because throughout all of the hits and everything like that,
Like he's a hip hop head to the floor, you
know what I'm saying. Core, Like he still cares about
people that can really wrap and just making sure like
that element of hip hop is represented. And I do
it for those people. I do it for lyricists, the
people that really have something to say, really put craft
(19:11):
into their lyrics. So for me, it's giving people opportunities
that were not laid out for me when I was
in that position. We're also giving the ability to help
develop artists in a way that keeps them pure to
what's been important in the essence of rap, whether that's
battle rap, whether that's just that MC aspect. I just
(19:35):
really want to keep that alive. And so a lot
of the things that I do are focused in that respect.
We talked a little bit radio about what you do,
but how do you do what you do? Give us
an example of how you create the platform for the
people that you're helping to lift as you climb. So
I have two platforms right now, which are South Pall three,
(19:56):
but South Pall Battle Coalition that started for in about
two thousand fifteen, two thousand and sixteen, which is a
battle league. If anyone's familiar with like Smack you r
L and seeing those types of battles, that's the format
in which South Paul takes place, and we've been able
to really set some trends and make some impacts in
(20:19):
and out of the city, and that led to me
being able to figure out and facilitate my next platform,
which is RBA Rapidly, which we just finished our fifth season.
It's a monthly event where we have thirty mcs that
compete in the cipher would acts as a league. Really,
it's not like a one off situation. We track statistics
(20:40):
throughout the season and we have an m v P s.
We have a champion every month. So we want people
to get their songs off and the music that they're
working on, we want that to be presented properly. We
want people to get their bars together and be focused
on that and get that off. We want the producers
to have a space to express themselves and the connect
with the artists and hopefully build those relationships. So we
(21:02):
do those things, but then we also have systems in
place that make sure that the journalists and the podcasters
and the people that cover from a media standpoint are
plugged in. So need we know that Fat Joe had
an opportunity to discover fresh new talent, one of them
being DJ Khalid that's phenomenal, and so you are in
(21:25):
a position where you will discover your own DJ kality Qui. Yeah,
there's definitely the opportunity. And there's a bunch of incredibly
talented artists that come through the platform and are doing
some wonderful things. So I expect that there will be
some great origin stories that will come from RBA rapidly.
(21:46):
Kalid discovered and an artists also from from Virginia Red Rum.
So and see it just contchangues. That's what I was
talking about lifting as you climb right, you see the
that is cyclical and in the way the fat will
discovered DJ Kalett and then DJ Kalett discovered someone, rev
Rum will discover someone, and so it continues to pour
(22:07):
back into the community, which I love that because it
dispels the myth that we don't work in community, that
we are not connected, and that we are siloed and selfish,
and that is not true. And so I'm so grateful
that you are demonstrating that not through one, but several
platforms and organization structures that you have. We're gonna take
a quick break and when we come back, we're gonna
(22:29):
have a more conversation with our fantastic guest Radio B.
You talked about words and making sure they get their
words out and that they're the lyrics are good, So
now we got to talk about that. But there's some
lyricism that's been on the hot table and then the scene.
Come on, let's talk about it. Let me tap into it.
An aspect that has not been a positive about Fat
(22:52):
Joe's legacy is his use of the N word, which
is it's interesting, I can't wait to tap into this.
He used to defend it, and he's saying he was
raised with this term and he means no disrespect on this.
I really think intention is a big factor, so let's
talk about it. In a recent interview, he said, first
of all, my project, I'll give you eighty percent black
(23:13):
still so I'm Spanish. I knew I was allowed to,
you know, but the whole time I thought I was black. Anyway.
So my mom lives there forty years before I was born,
in this project that I'm born, blonde hair, green eyes.
She brings me there. The first thing is they go, oh,
look at this little and word Joey. He got green eyes.
The minute I'm walking the guys in the building, Like, yo,
(23:34):
look at that little in word Joe, fat little Joe.
That's all I knew my whole life, even before elementary.
It's a part of our culture and some degrees, I
understand his intention and where it's going with it. Radio,
what's your take on this? I've been so I don't.
I don't view many questions as being hot seat questions
(23:57):
for me, but this one I kind of do. And
maybe because I'm from New York and because I've known
of fat Joe and people like fat Joe my whole life.
You know what I'm saying. And I've never questioned it
nor had anything to say about it before, So for
(24:19):
me to act like it's a problem now would be
a little hypocritical. I mean, I guess I could say, oh,
we unlearned things. Yeah, I haven't unlearned, using the term myself.
So I get that he is not black, But man,
I don't like Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans black. They like
(24:39):
the same thing. They're the same thing. I mean, people
could I know some people are gonna be mad at
me for saying that, but this this just the same thing,
you know what I mean, We we we we were
up in it grew up same projects, there were the
same racism, deal with the same cops, get killed by
the same cops and the same gangs. You know what
I'm saying. The people that are doing the oppression make
no distinction between They don't distinguish it that part. It's
(25:02):
been white and everyone else. A lot of times you
can't tell between Puerto Rican kid and a light skinning
kid and that same project. So that's why they didn't
probably know if he was black or not. You know
what I'm saying. It's been plenty of like ambiguous looking kids.
I can't say because some of them are Puerto Rican
in black, some are you know what I'm saying, you
don't know, so I don't know. I'm not here to say, Okay,
(25:25):
let me who your daddy, who your mom? Right? Mad
at me for that? Right? Whoever? This is yeah, exactly,
And I'm not even mad at you about it, because
I really think that there's an assumption amongst the culture,
and then there's a perception that's given to others. So
we assume we're non white. That's all we know. Like
(25:46):
we're gonna go ahead and wrap about what's going on
day to day. What is what But the perception is
you could be perpetuating that narrative to the other white Okay,
so that's what I'm saying, But that's don't understand that
not any environments. They're not really any environments, and they
(26:07):
don't understand the culture Radio be and Cora. Here's my
take on it, Okay, and listening to and seeing his
words right, knowing if you especially like you said the bronx,
but it's any neighborhood, it's any hood. I'm gonna use
these words very distinguishedly. Okay, long ago and far away,
(26:29):
my father told me that nigger has no color. Okay,
anybody can be a nigger by definition of the word. Now,
when someone in the neighborhood and the way that they're
talking about little Joe, if we read this again and
he said, I'm born blond hair, green eyes, she brings
(26:53):
me here, the first thing they say is, oh, look
at this little nigga, Joey, he got green eyes. This
man are not walking the guys in the building like, yo,
look at that little nigger Joe, Look fat Joe. They're
not saying look at this little nigger. They're saying, look
at this little dude. It's an adjective, it's a descriptive word,
(27:16):
and the intention is to look at this guy, look
at this little man. They are using that word interchangeably
and for someone who I do not use the N
I G G E R. We'll tell somebody nigga. If
you don't shut your ass up, let them know. Tracy
(27:37):
say to my family, real talk, real talk. It's listen.
Cultural competencies. But now, if you are literally white, don't
come and say that to me. Yeah, I don't care
what and I don't care what environment, So then the
environment situation doesn't play that I distinguish it. There's there's
something to think. If you white, I can't give you
(27:59):
that past. Don't care where you grew up, and you
should know that. And if you're white and you grew
up in this environment, you should know that. You should
have enough respect for the people you grew up around
to know you're not supposed to be using that word.
It only stanks when I hear other people singing it
that are not in the culture. And then I'm like,
(28:20):
you don't have sense nothing, sense of yourself. I mean,
I know there's an argument there too, and I have
I'm going through a through radio, you know, I want
to eliminate it. Get that how. I address this in
a poem some years back, But I was like, but
(28:43):
I'm just I'm in the same space. Yeah, I would
like to. It hasn't happened yet. That is a conscious
It is conscious, and if you're purposeful and mindful about
it and when you use it and where you use
it and how you use it and see for me,
I know the difference and what the intention is. That
challenges that There's so few people now who sing songs
with the word in it. They don't understand what they're
(29:05):
really saying, and they think that they're just saying you're black.
That it's just a part of dialect for right. Yeah.
My brother jokes often because he has to clean my
music up, and he says, I used that word more
than anybody. Not more than anyone, I mean, even as
(29:26):
I grow, like in my twenties, the word was every
other word for really every other word. As I'm older,
I don't necessarily need it as often. I mean, but
I understand it in the creative space. That's why I
like rapidly though, and why I come to them. It's
a rhythm thing for me. Okay, I got it. It's
not part of my regular vernacular. I can tell you
(29:47):
that I know how to use it. That's not part
of my regular vernacular because so few people understand what
it means when they hear you say it. And I'm
sure the people on Pop's gonna be like Clutch the
Pearls and Tracy's saying, Okay, have I said it? Yes?
I said, do I use it? And is it in
my complete playlist? Absolute? It's all over the place. But
(30:08):
it's interesting to me that this is such a topic
because like even Jay Z and Oprah Winfrey had a
huge debate about this right that it was literally one
of their hot seat conversations where he was like, I'm
not trying to change it. I won't ever stop using
it again. New York native was like, it's part of
who he is, and they said it there was what
(30:31):
he heard. It was like all in his whole entire
life before our elementary school. So good luck Radio B. Yeah.
I used to stand on it a lot harder in
the sense of I remember and I've been into podcast
with some folks other folks, and to like that be
the discussion, I just me personally, that's what I would
(30:53):
stand on before, and I'm not gonna say I don't
stand on it now. I just don't feel it strongly
about it. That is a word that we take can
ownership of, and you can't just use it, you know
what I mean? Over there, you can't do you can't
use it. And I'm one of the things I said
to them, I say, when we have ownership of more things,
maybe we'll be able to release that word because it
(31:15):
won't be like the only thing that we have ownership
and think that you don't have ownership of. Right. So
now let's talk a little bit about how the ownership
of words and lyrics that are used in hip hop.
There's this other long standard debate readio B about how
hip hop lyrics are used to describe women, if they're
complementary or degrading. Now you know what I'm talking about. Okay,
(31:41):
So now who you're calling them? Come on with people. Now,
how do you think lyricists can stay true to their
experiences while also uplifting the people they're writing about. I
don't think the derogatory term for women needs to be
used at all. I feel like that's something in that
once again, now I may use the N word in
(32:05):
my music. I also use it in my regular language,
but I don't use the B word in my regular
language to refer to women, So therefore I'm not going
to use it in my music either. So I think
people do it because they say it in real life,
and I think they also do it because they find
it to be entertaining, like they feel like that's what
(32:26):
people like to hear. I just don't think it's I
don't think it's necessary. I get that it's part of
the culture. I just think it's disrespectful. So I don't
need that word. Well, I appreciate that, because I'm gonna
telling you now there's a line I draw, and I
don't want to be called a bitch? Would it be?
I don't need to be called a garden tool. I
(32:47):
don't need any of that in my life. I don't
need to sing about it. I don't want to hear that.
I grew up listening to snoop though, but it's it
didn't it didn't influence me. So I mean, seeing I've
sing along to it, you know what I'm saying. Because
if you listen to the doggy style, that's all it was.
Back then, it was like super crazy. So I don't
even think people use the H word that too much anymore.
(33:10):
I don't hear that in music as much, the word
not like how it was, right, Oh yeah, because back
in the day, I hear more specific actions. To be honest,
I feel like they have just yeah, I feel like
I've I started hearing more. But your girl gonna it's
a whole lot of that. Like it it's gone to
a mother because I was gonna say, who wrote the
(33:31):
whole song about it? You know You're You're rock three
different after every joke, Okay, yeah, right. But now as
I'm getting older, I have a different perspective. I actually
saw a video before we came on about a little
scrappy and he was talking to his mom about how
he was raised in a horhouse and I actually didn't
even know about this part of his life, but he
saw some negative things, and for the first time I
(33:54):
realized again got those rose color glasses on Tracy. For
the first time, I realized some of the things that
rap artists may go through truly do impact their music
in the way. I mean, not that before. What I'm
saying is to radio bes point. Earlier, I thought some
people really just saying you thought they were just making
just wanted the dollar. I mean, and there actually are
(34:16):
people who do just make up stuff. But I'm realizing
more that it's really truly a lot of experiences. You
mentioned Snoop Dogg earlier Radio b the whole idea that
what they called gangster rap, that was them talking about
what they had experienced in their life. Definitely get it.
Shout out the n w A. I mean, just you know,
we had not heard that right. They were literally just
(34:38):
talking about what was going on in their day. I'm
private school kids, like growing up, private school kids listening
to rap. I'm just excited about the music and the
culture and following my book, the problem didn't start while
you were listening to it. It was when your white
counterparts start listening to it it became a problem. That's
when Chipper Gore went cuckoo for Coco Puffs and all
these sensors had to come to play, right, See that
(35:02):
it wasn't a problem if they were influencing you and
your can in your neighborhood negatively to say, okay, we
want to embulate what we hear. When Buffy and Tipper
heard right, and tiny Tim to radio. Do you think
hip hop artists need to experience types of traumas in
(35:22):
life and death situations like fat Joe overcame to to
write powerful lyrics. I feel like I know the answer
to this, But how do you think everybody deals with trauma?
Not nearly at the same level, not nearly, not nearly
to the same extent or frequency, however, enough to express
themselves in a way that conveys emotion. I think it's
(35:45):
a matter of being able to tap in with those
emotions and figure out how to communicate and convey them
in a powerful way. So there's just all sorts of
perspectives in life in the world that need to be
told that millions of people resonate with. So I don't
think that you have to go through the extent of
(36:08):
Joey Krack's life in order to be able to tell
a powerful story. You just have to be able to
understand your story enough to convey it in a way
that people can feel it. Can you also have a
vivid enough imagination and still be authentic in the storytelling
(36:28):
that you don't have to have lived it in order
for it to be authentic. There's plenty of people who
do that, but a lot of times they're called out right,
they're called out we've seen we've seen that because it
wasn't true. Yeah it's true for someone, and many times
they are, and many times they aren't. Most times they are.
We're real pc swits Switzerland right there at radio being
(36:49):
you're like somemar, some are I feel like radio sees
a lot of it, right, Yeah, I mean, I'm just
saying there's plenty of people that are telling other people's stories.
There's people that are on a block but ain't in
the block. Okay, so they see it but the window
around it, but they're not in it. But that's okay.
So even if even in that, that's fine. They're not saying,
(37:12):
all I shot this person. That's exactly yourse watching it
because you can get PTSD from watching a period, you
know what I mean. So that's still way closer than
the person that's telling that story from the suburbs. They
there's people from the suburbs telling them same stories that
(37:34):
they wasn't even in the window for so okay, So
that's what I'm talking about. If someone from the suburbs
is telling the story and making it a first person experience,
is it inauthentic for them to share that if it's
something they envisioned it, I mean it's inauthentic, But it's entertainment,
(37:56):
and it's the entertainment business for all intense purposes have
at it. Just hip hop is a little different though.
See in this generation, it's like, why does everybody care
if somebody helped write or if somebody's telling a fake
story or this, that and the other, because they're not
understanding that hip hop was built off of the purity
(38:20):
of the experience, right, So it's a there's a there's
a real life street element to hip hop, even when
it's not violent, right, Like it's about the people, so
it was. And it's also it was created by poor kids,
right right, that needed a voice. Right, that's the purpose
of hip hop. Kids that could not afford instruments, creating
(38:43):
music from turntables and a microphone, right, so plugging into
the light poles at the park, and not being able
to go into the clubs because how they dance, how
they dress. You couldn't get into clubs because they were
doing the disco. It was dressed up, so like where
could you go to party? So going to the wreck
calls and you're going to the parks to party because
(39:03):
that's the place that you could come as you are
dance how you want to dance. And you know what
I'm saying. So it's that I think people forget that,
you know what I mean? But do you have to
have that in order to be authentic? Now? In order
to be successful? No, in order to be authentic, I'm
not saying that you have to be from you have
to be poor, but you just got to tell your story. Okay,
(39:27):
you know what I'm saying, because like respect the origins
at least, and I think if you use those origins
as pillars to your creativity, then you'll be authentic because
you'll have enough respect for it that you're not just pretending.
(39:52):
So then what's your message radio be? Because we're saying
a lot about this, and I think that there's an
opportunity here for you to communicate a message you'd like
to convey to the people outside of your immediate reach.
What do you say to an artist that's up and
coming that's not really sure if they don't have the
quote unquote poor kid or PTSD trauma neighborhood, what do
(40:14):
you say you don't need that. You don't need that.
You just need to tell your story. Just really get
to know yourself, and not only just your story, but
your style, how you presented. Don't copy anybody else's style,
you know what I mean. This generation is way too
comfortable with sharing their sauce. Like they're too comfortable with
(40:35):
sounding like the next exactly like the next guy, to
the point where nobody's even nobody even questions that anymore.
I mean, what do you say to that, or even
trying stop stop? I love it. I love that though,
I mean because the reality is we are evolving as
(40:55):
a culture, so everyone's not as poor as we were
back in the day. Right, but like we all sto
have our troubles and struggles. Like I said, there's millions
of people that can relate to any of that. That's
hip hop, right, Like in hip hop, don't be a biter.
That's one of the main rules of hip hop always
(41:16):
has been. Like you used to get beat up for that,
you know what I'm saying, like being a biter, but
like being a biter now it's not there that the
word doesn't even get circulated anymore. Like you can literally
just do whatever, like this guy made a song like that,
then other big star in the game could come out
and make a song using his flow, same type of words,
(41:39):
same beat and everything, and everybody will still ride with that.
It'll be like, oh, yeah, this is good too. And
it's like, wait, you think social media contributes to that? Yeah,
social media does contribute to that, because what it is like,
at the very least, even if you didn't have the
integrity to be unique in your own style, at least
(42:03):
you had the style of where you were indigenous too,
because that's what you heard around. Now because of the Internet,
it's like everybody from everywhere, you know what I'm saying,
So there is no oh, this is the sound that
comes from New York, or this is the sound that
comes from the West Coast, so this is the sound
that comes from the South. Like everybody here, like everybody
(42:27):
from New York are just as influenced by Atlanta. Everybody
doing trail or everybody doing this or that, you know
what I'm saying. So it's it's just a big you
gotta find your own heart beat. Though I feel that
even in the middle of the met even like to
call it a melting everybody's hands in the likes it's
(42:48):
a grab bag. That's what it is. A grab This
has been a heck of it. What you're talking about.
Oh my gosh, and I wish we didn't have to
end it. But I've enjoyed talking to you so much.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you all. Thank you
for making me feel successful. Absolutely, Yes, we want to
know how you're feeling about this new season of Red
(43:09):
Table Talk. We're open to talk about any and everything
with you, so please send in your questions at Let's
Red Table That at red table talk dot com or
don't forget. You can also leave us a voicemail at
speak pipe. Don't you want to hear your voice? Tell
us amazing podcast. Visit speak pipe dot com, slash Let's
(43:30):
Red Table That. Yes, thank you so much for listening.
We are so happy to have you with us, and
make sure you subscribe on I Heart Radio app and
please rate this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Y'all rate us
a five? Okay, we want five. We'll be back next
week for another episode of Let's Red Table That Special.
(43:53):
Thanks to executive producers if Jada Pinkett Smith, Valan Jethro
and Ellen Racketon. Thank you to our producer Londiru and
our associate producer Yealanda Chow. And finally, thanks to our
sound engineer Stephanie Aguilar, Hey, let's table that. Let's let's
let's red table that
Hey, y'all, Hey, what's up and welcome the Legs Red
Table that. I'm Tracy t Row and I'm Cora Presley.
What episode listen to? Legendary? How are you feeling about
Fat Joe and his interview or Red Table Talk? Tracy,
I feel like I could have listened to another hour
of Fat Joe. Fat Joe. Let me just tell you
(00:21):
a storytelling King Fat Joe. When I say I was
all in, he gave us like visualization of things. It
was just so rich and not just the storytelling, but
what he shared it was just good. He's a legend.
First of all, can't we just say that Fat Joe
is a hip hop dang on legend. We're tipping our
hat to you and giving you your flowers while you're here,
(00:44):
and we appreciate you. Cara. We have lost some people
in hip hop world. We have rest and peace take off.
That is new Nipsey. I mean, it's hard, So that's
why it was it's better sweet to see him at
the table because I'm glad he's still have living legend
in here. But on top of it, we just have
so many that we lost at the same time. So
we want to just say from our virtual red Table
(01:06):
to the family, friends and fans of all those who
have been lost in the hip hop world. Our sincere
sympathy to you, because we know that they mean a
lot to us as artists, but we know they mean
so much more to you as your family members and
your friends, and so we just want to acknowledge that.
And I think Fat Joe got an opportunity to say
(01:28):
that when it came to Big Pon and definitely indicated
how much of an impact they had on their lives
and how he still is trending up the next generation.
I mean him discovering something I didn't listen. He talked
about so many things we didn't know. Let's talk about
some others. DJ Keller was a little mind blowing from me.
Maybe that's just shows how much I don't pay attention
to hip hop like I thought I did, But you
(01:50):
didn't know. I like that I didn't know. I did
not know how to clue. So one of the things
that I loved about his conversation. First of all, back
in the day, when you saw a Big Pon, you
saw that Joe right, it was like it was a
tool for right. The Terance Squad. They were just they
were dominating back into day and Remy mall loved her
to Remy Ma, come on here, yes, please thank you
(02:10):
for acknowledging you know the queen we got to talk about.
I just appreciate the fact that he was like, I
discovered DJ Khalen and he's like a brother to me,
and I'm so happy for him. And then he was like,
but now DJ Kalen is doing He's got greater success, right,
And I was, God, hold on, I thought, let's have
(02:32):
a conversation here. And I love that he took it
beyond him having a spiritual connection, right and literally went
to d J Kalen was like, dude, I just had
a conversation with God, and I love that he is
the greatest. God is the greatest, and come on, DJ Kalett.
But really the anchor that they both have their spirituality,
(02:54):
because if you look at Fat Joe, for everything that
he's gone through, he didn't plan any of that was
all and so much stuff that it was a shot
in front of his mom left home at fourteen, I mean,
just smashing a bottle over. Somebody's going to prison, and
how they put him in solitary confined to keep him safe,
(03:14):
and he was like, also, how he turned to the arts,
he turned to the graffiti, he turned to the music.
And he's still an authentic person, even from the way
he loves his wife to the way he defended a
SHUNTI I mean so many things. Okay, so now we
got to talk about both of those cars. So let's
take it in the order you said it. Yes, first
of all, his wife is gorgeous. But there was one
(03:37):
particular moment when he started talking and it was truly
like being at someone's holiday table. The red table turned
into like the cookout table when he was talking and
Willow was like, oh Willow was right, like she had
(03:57):
to hinge, like, oh my gosh, I don't want hear
adults talking about other adults in their body parts, and
he was, can I just be honest here? And I
love He shook Willow's arm and her shoulder. He was
like it was high as it was a fat ass,
and she was just like, oh that I love those
stays her ground. But baby, she was not that, like
(04:18):
it was uncle fat Joe, like it was uncle Joey
at the table. She was like, I do here it
is I absolutely loved seeing Willow in that position. It
was sweet to see like they were family and like
she was a kid, even though I know she's gone.
And then I'm gonna tell you the way he stood
up for a shanty. Oh yeah, necessary, But were even
(04:39):
him telling the story about how he stood up for
his wife. First, he has an authentic connection with women,
and he said that, he said that we are powerful.
He loves us. Shout out to you, fat Joe, stands
up for your wife against her ex and standing up
for a shanty in the middle of the interview controversy,
even when he said how ev got his face changed?
(05:00):
He was telling him, this is my sister. But there's
so many people out here who lie and may be
fairy telling us y'all come on here, y'all be lying
to us, and we people just don't believe. Oh there
are some people who actually still respect with me. Yes,
And he meant it like that's his sister and he
loves her and protected her. And I'm grateful that he
(05:21):
stood up and spoke the truth about that and called
her gotty out. But it was about a shanty, And
can you imagine how seen affirmed and loved the shanty
felt in that moment? That part. Listen, somebody said a
shanty might be at the table, so come on here
because we can't wait. We're gonna have to see I
cannot wait. Love her. No, this was a great episode.
(05:42):
I'm grateful he came to the table, and I'm gonna
tell you something else. It was nice to have someone
who still had trauma, who still went heartache, but the
way that he shares it, there was still so much
light in it, and I think for this season it
was necessary to be able to have a moment where
we could see, right, just a good positive episode. Not
(06:04):
that the others aren't positive and informative, but this was
a nice, lighthearted episode. I'm excited about his memoir and
I'm excited about just what's next. Now it's time to
share what our online Red Table Talk community has to
say about this episode. Amy Perry said, so amazing. I
(06:25):
love to hear his stories and his way of telling us.
It's so captivating. I said he was a storyteller, and
I'd seal the table and save it. Don't touch that
table again, add I love that I do too, Amy,
I'm with you, and we are happy to also hear
from Leslie Shade. Lastly, said, this was really an amazing interview.
(06:47):
I'm so glad that Joe decided to let his hair
down and allow fans and everyone to see the man
he has become. Appreciate these r t t s great interview.
It really was a great interview. Yes, they had done
a part two with him, you know, he could come
on back. I love it. Okay, And last, but not least,
Tiffany Spencer Gert said, I met Fat Joe about fifteen
(07:08):
years ago and a teeny holding the Wall Italian Restaurant
in Little Italy in New York City. He was with
his crew, but was super cool and took a picture
with me. Seemed like a humble guy. You know, I
love a good story. I love a good behind the scenes.
I totally see him being like, yeah, come on getting
this picture from that. You know, I totally see him
doing that. I love that. I mean you can feel
(07:30):
his genuine humbleness from him being at the table and
just the way how he loves women in his life,
and you know how he talked about his daughter and
his wife. I mean, he's just I really like Fat Joe.
Thank you guys for sharing your fantastic comments for us
on the Red Table Talk community to keep them coming.
We love hearing from you. We're gonna take a quick break,
(07:51):
but when we get back, we'll be joined by our
incredible guest. UM super excited to welcome Radio Blitz or
just Radio B to the virtual Red Table. He is
a friend, MC songwriter, platform builder, fashion designer, and so
much more right here from my hometown of Richmond, Virginia.
(08:14):
Radio B is joining us because he is a rap
artist like Fat Joe, and he's going to share what
he calls Fat Joe a pioneer. So welcome to less
Red Table. That Radio be welcome. Thanks for having me.
I appreciate it. YEA not a problem. I can't wait
to get into this one. Super excited like you had
the one like one of the best bios ever, Radio B. Right,
(08:35):
you had to take a good long breath to get
all that out that. I love that. This is a
part of the show where we reveal which moments made
us pause, rewind and listen again. It's time for Wait
(08:57):
What Wait? I love o wait What segment. It's one
of my favorite seconds in the show. We had a
lot of good ones with Fat Joe bringing to the
dog on Red Table, but let's see the first one,
Fat Joe revealing his first nickname and the story behind
how he got it. Okay, Joey Crack, where did that
name come from? Joey Crack. The way I got Joey
(09:17):
Crack was before the drug crack, when the teacher would
ask me to go to the chalkboard and write something.
I always had like sweats like I'm wearing, and the
crack of my ass was shot, and so the girls
would be like, good, Jeey crack, Joey, and it just
stood my name. I had it. I made it my
graffiti name, and then it turned into my rap name. Okay,
(09:40):
Joey Crack had me rolling, y'all, Joey Crack. I ain't
see that, Okay, I honestly would have never guessed that
a kid would have been named Joey Crack unless he
was selling crack number one. That's what I was going, okay,
And I think everybody thought that right that It was like, Okay, yeah,
it's because you're selling crack, But it was because they
(10:01):
saw the asset crack. Hello, let's it's hard. Let's it's hard.
Radio Beat. Listen, you have a nickname, Radio Beat? How
do nicknames really play a part in hip hop nicknames.
It's a part of our culture, just especially Black folk
culture in general. Just be good for a nickname. But
they stick or they don't stick. But the ones that stick,
(10:24):
it doesn't really matter why you got it, it's there
for life. Got so and don't you find that the
nicknames are usually somebody making fun. Yeah, for sure, especially
when it comes to family and family giving you a nickname.
With him, I think that nickname hadn't evolved meaning over
time if you know anything about Joe. But it's interesting
(10:44):
that he had enough confidence to actually take what nickname
came from someone joking on him and owning it. That
was dope. I think he was still owning it because
I don't know if it's saw it, but he was
still showing a little bit of the crack of his
assets at the take. I missed that. You said it
was in there. I didn't see that. I'm telling you
go back. I was like, Okay, Joey Crack, you're still
(11:06):
living after this? I see there you go, bless It's hard.
He's had a heck of a journey though, I mean
he's told a lot of stories. This goes into our
next Wait, what his story about standing up to his
dad and leaving home at fourteen because of it. One
day my father went to hit me. We was eating
and I court it boom, and then he went to
(11:28):
kick me. I grabbed his legs. I had him like
hanging upside down. So I was a big four teen
So I tell him in Spanish, you can't put me
no more. You can't put me no more with this
kind of experience, Have you leaving home in fourteen or
do you know anyone who's experienced that radio I was
kind of young for me to even think about. I
can't say that that type of experience would have me
(11:50):
leaving home. I can say that I've related to those
types of experiences, and I can say that it can
lead you to wanting to leave home. What I thought
was interesting about that was he didn't leave home because
he was forced to, you know what I mean after
that incident. It was more so like the respect that
he had for his father. You know what I'm saying,
(12:12):
even amidst the circumstances as they were, was just like,
you know, I crossed the line and I'm embarrassing. I'm
shamed by that, and I just need to know that
way for it. Yeah, right, this episode was super transparent.
I don't think I expected the story that he was giving,
but when he did say he ran out and well
after he confronted his father, and I've experienced that with
(12:34):
my son. They buck up at you because they're trying
to they're in a moment of survel or I gotta
stand up for myself, but they're still kids in their hurt.
So I appreciated him being that transparent. So we could
hear that absolutely. When he decided to leave home of fourteen,
he started getting exposed to a whole another world of things.
That's how he found out that the world is cold.
He ended up having the whole experience and really his
(12:57):
nickname Joey Krack went from cracking the but to crack
something else right, A right, like you cracked that glass
across that guy's head. It was a lot, and so
it made him. It was a turning point for him.
I think it was a really pivotal moment in his
life when he left home because he had to fend
for himself. He went from being a fourteen year old
child to being in the position where he had to
become a man. Radio. Why do you think as far
(13:19):
as young men who transition into music used situations like
confronting their parents or even the story he told about
his heart turning cold. I often thought about those parts
in different men's life, like how does that truly impact you?
Do a lot of men have a moment where they're like,
this is it, I'm no more nice guy? Right? Yeah?
(13:40):
The loss of inno sence I think happens to humans
across the board, right, men, women, I think with men,
because we have pride, we have ego, we're taught that
we have to be able to be strong and defend
ourselves and not to be weak. So it kind of
puts you at these forks in the road where it's
either I handled this way or I go another direction
(14:03):
and go at my own I think it's important to
kind of consider what time period that was. And this
is New York, and this is really the eighties, right,
like the eies, so people were growing up really fast.
If you listen to any of the rap music from
that time period eighties early nineties, you wouldn't believe Nas
(14:24):
was like eight seventeen, eighteen years old, right. Just the
way that he's telling the stories and what he's seeing
and the knowledge and wisdom that he's applying to this.
A lot of people were raising themselves during that time frame.
So for him to feel the need to say, Okay,
I'm gonna leave and go out on my own wasn't
really boring. It was I'm in that generation. I'm in
(14:45):
the same generation with fat Joe. He was born in
seventy I was born in seventy one. All of us
gen xers, for the most part, had some moment of
being feral, right, where we truly were in a position
where we were raising ourselves, where we had to fend
for ourselves. Not that we left home at fourteen like
that Joe did, but that we were left to our
own devices, and so our level of maturity and survivalship,
(15:08):
the loss of innocence, as you said Radio B was
far more advanced and happened way earlier for us than
generations after, right, And so I think because he fourteen
was different then, and when we think of fourteen now,
it's like you're just a baby in the seventies. I
remember being fourteen fifteen, I had responsibilities, right, I had
stuff I had to do, and so fourteen then in fourteen,
(15:32):
very clearly he was a big guy. Right, So that
also plays a part psychologically for you, because you get
treated already like you're older than what you are, because
you're bigger than everybody else. Right. So I'm sure all
of that played a part. I'm sure in his mind,
if I have the strength to disarm my father, then
I must be strong enough to go with alone. I
(15:55):
felt the need to tell my father what he could
have couldn't do, even if that meant you can't put
your hand is on me. I'm of age to go
and handle this by myself, right, go it alone. So
if I can handle that, I can handle everything else.
Another part of this weight would waste Graffiting the Red
Table after the credits. Oh my gosh, I absolutely love legendary.
(16:18):
What's doing He's gonna do graffitios? Yeah, he really did
make history at the Red Table, like he said he would.
I want to know, do y'all think they're gonna use
that table going for I hope so. So I liked
it and he signed it. I feel like they need
(16:39):
to put put some what is it, Polly or whatever.
I feel like they're gonna keep it. It's classic. They
might have to buy another table. They got a few
tables at the house. They got a bigger table, smaller table.
So are we fanning out? Okay, Radio B, if you
had a table that Fat Joe had tagged, I wouldn't
do anything at it. I would You can't its own space?
(17:02):
Who else has Fat Joe's text? Okay? So now, Radio B,
what did you think about this? I loved it. It
was some some stories I had heard because he's had
like a short doc, so I'm very familiar with Fat
Joe's story. I was born in the Bronx, so I
(17:23):
have a respect and love from that standpoint. My parents,
my family is from the Bronx, so I did not
know that. So I was so, yeah, I have a
guy love for Fat Joe. Yeah. Why do you think
he's a pioneer in the hip hop world? Between him
Turn Squad. Yeah, it's just he was one of those
few that kind of played the executive role and played
(17:44):
the rap star role. But also out of those guys
except for maybe Jay Z and a few others, he
could really rap. And I just think the way he
approached a lot of things just there's only one Fat Joe,
and he always had a way of coming up with
a hit still to this, Like he can still put
a hit together. So it's a multifaceted talent for me.
(18:06):
And maybe he saw his tagging skills. He was doing
that back in school. But then of course transition to
the music and like you said, even that executive part
of his life right, Like, he's leaving a clear legacy
in several ways as a rap artist yourself, Radio be
with legacy? Do you hope to leave? And I'm just
gonna add this real quick before he answers. Radio has
a whole mural in Richmond, Virginia. Okay, So I need
(18:27):
you to know the legacy is already being laid and
I love that for him. But what do you want
to truly leave on? Man, that's a layered question. I
think just for the things that I do, and I
guess my purpose and why I do it is I
really want to enrich are an empower artist from here.
I'm really a hip hop head. So that's one of
(18:49):
the reasons I rocked with Fat Joe so heavy, is
because throughout all of the hits and everything like that,
Like he's a hip hop head to the floor, you
know what I'm saying. Core, Like he still cares about
people that can really wrap and just making sure like
that element of hip hop is represented. And I do
it for those people. I do it for lyricists, the
people that really have something to say, really put craft
(19:11):
into their lyrics. So for me, it's giving people opportunities
that were not laid out for me when I was
in that position. We're also giving the ability to help
develop artists in a way that keeps them pure to
what's been important in the essence of rap, whether that's
battle rap, whether that's just that MC aspect. I just
(19:35):
really want to keep that alive. And so a lot
of the things that I do are focused in that respect.
We talked a little bit radio about what you do,
but how do you do what you do? Give us
an example of how you create the platform for the
people that you're helping to lift as you climb. So
I have two platforms right now, which are South Pall three,
(19:56):
but South Pall Battle Coalition that started for in about
two thousand fifteen, two thousand and sixteen, which is a
battle league. If anyone's familiar with like Smack you r
L and seeing those types of battles, that's the format
in which South Paul takes place, and we've been able
to really set some trends and make some impacts in
(20:19):
and out of the city, and that led to me
being able to figure out and facilitate my next platform,
which is RBA Rapidly, which we just finished our fifth season.
It's a monthly event where we have thirty mcs that
compete in the cipher would acts as a league. Really,
it's not like a one off situation. We track statistics
(20:40):
throughout the season and we have an m v P s.
We have a champion every month. So we want people
to get their songs off and the music that they're
working on, we want that to be presented properly. We
want people to get their bars together and be focused
on that and get that off. We want the producers
to have a space to express themselves and the connect
with the artists and hopefully build those relationships. So we
(21:02):
do those things, but then we also have systems in
place that make sure that the journalists and the podcasters
and the people that cover from a media standpoint are
plugged in. So need we know that Fat Joe had
an opportunity to discover fresh new talent, one of them
being DJ Khalid that's phenomenal, and so you are in
(21:25):
a position where you will discover your own DJ kality Qui. Yeah,
there's definitely the opportunity. And there's a bunch of incredibly
talented artists that come through the platform and are doing
some wonderful things. So I expect that there will be
some great origin stories that will come from RBA rapidly.
(21:46):
Kalid discovered and an artists also from from Virginia Red Rum.
So and see it just contchangues. That's what I was
talking about lifting as you climb right, you see the
that is cyclical and in the way the fat will
discovered DJ Kalett and then DJ Kalett discovered someone, rev
Rum will discover someone, and so it continues to pour
(22:07):
back into the community, which I love that because it
dispels the myth that we don't work in community, that
we are not connected, and that we are siloed and selfish,
and that is not true. And so I'm so grateful
that you are demonstrating that not through one, but several
platforms and organization structures that you have. We're gonna take
a quick break and when we come back, we're gonna
(22:29):
have a more conversation with our fantastic guest Radio B.
You talked about words and making sure they get their
words out and that they're the lyrics are good, So
now we got to talk about that. But there's some
lyricism that's been on the hot table and then the scene.
Come on, let's talk about it. Let me tap into it.
An aspect that has not been a positive about Fat
(22:52):
Joe's legacy is his use of the N word, which
is it's interesting, I can't wait to tap into this.
He used to defend it, and he's saying he was
raised with this term and he means no disrespect on this.
I really think intention is a big factor, so let's
talk about it. In a recent interview, he said, first
of all, my project, I'll give you eighty percent black
(23:13):
still so I'm Spanish. I knew I was allowed to,
you know, but the whole time I thought I was black. Anyway.
So my mom lives there forty years before I was born,
in this project that I'm born, blonde hair, green eyes.
She brings me there. The first thing is they go, oh,
look at this little and word Joey. He got green eyes.
The minute I'm walking the guys in the building, Like, yo,
(23:34):
look at that little in word Joe, fat little Joe.
That's all I knew my whole life, even before elementary.
It's a part of our culture and some degrees, I
understand his intention and where it's going with it. Radio,
what's your take on this? I've been so I don't.
I don't view many questions as being hot seat questions
(23:57):
for me, but this one I kind of do. And
maybe because I'm from New York and because I've known
of fat Joe and people like fat Joe my whole life.
You know what I'm saying. And I've never questioned it
nor had anything to say about it before, So for
(24:19):
me to act like it's a problem now would be
a little hypocritical. I mean, I guess I could say, oh,
we unlearned things. Yeah, I haven't unlearned, using the term myself.
So I get that he is not black, But man,
I don't like Puerto Ricans. Puerto Ricans black. They like
(24:39):
the same thing. They're the same thing. I mean, people
could I know some people are gonna be mad at
me for saying that, but this this just the same thing,
you know what I mean, We we we we were
up in it grew up same projects, there were the
same racism, deal with the same cops, get killed by
the same cops and the same gangs. You know what
I'm saying. The people that are doing the oppression make
no distinction between They don't distinguish it that part. It's
(25:02):
been white and everyone else. A lot of times you
can't tell between Puerto Rican kid and a light skinning
kid and that same project. So that's why they didn't
probably know if he was black or not. You know
what I'm saying. It's been plenty of like ambiguous looking kids.
I can't say because some of them are Puerto Rican
in black, some are you know what I'm saying, you
don't know, so I don't know. I'm not here to say, Okay,
(25:25):
let me who your daddy, who your mom? Right? Mad
at me for that? Right? Whoever? This is yeah, exactly,
And I'm not even mad at you about it, because
I really think that there's an assumption amongst the culture,
and then there's a perception that's given to others. So
we assume we're non white. That's all we know. Like
(25:46):
we're gonna go ahead and wrap about what's going on
day to day. What is what But the perception is
you could be perpetuating that narrative to the other white Okay,
so that's what I'm saying, But that's don't understand that
not any environments. They're not really any environments, and they
(26:07):
don't understand the culture Radio be and Cora. Here's my
take on it, Okay, and listening to and seeing his
words right, knowing if you especially like you said the bronx,
but it's any neighborhood, it's any hood. I'm gonna use
these words very distinguishedly. Okay, long ago and far away,
(26:29):
my father told me that nigger has no color. Okay,
anybody can be a nigger by definition of the word. Now,
when someone in the neighborhood and the way that they're
talking about little Joe, if we read this again and
he said, I'm born blond hair, green eyes, she brings
(26:53):
me here, the first thing they say is, oh, look
at this little nigga, Joey, he got green eyes. This
man are not walking the guys in the building like, yo,
look at that little nigger Joe, Look fat Joe. They're
not saying look at this little nigger. They're saying, look
at this little dude. It's an adjective, it's a descriptive word,
(27:16):
and the intention is to look at this guy, look
at this little man. They are using that word interchangeably
and for someone who I do not use the N
I G G E R. We'll tell somebody nigga. If
you don't shut your ass up, let them know. Tracy
(27:37):
say to my family, real talk, real talk. It's listen.
Cultural competencies. But now, if you are literally white, don't
come and say that to me. Yeah, I don't care
what and I don't care what environment, So then the
environment situation doesn't play that I distinguish it. There's there's
something to think. If you white, I can't give you
(27:59):
that past. Don't care where you grew up, and you
should know that. And if you're white and you grew
up in this environment, you should know that. You should
have enough respect for the people you grew up around
to know you're not supposed to be using that word.
It only stanks when I hear other people singing it
that are not in the culture. And then I'm like,
(28:20):
you don't have sense nothing, sense of yourself. I mean,
I know there's an argument there too, and I have
I'm going through a through radio, you know, I want
to eliminate it. Get that how. I address this in
a poem some years back, But I was like, but
(28:43):
I'm just I'm in the same space. Yeah, I would
like to. It hasn't happened yet. That is a conscious
It is conscious, and if you're purposeful and mindful about
it and when you use it and where you use
it and how you use it and see for me,
I know the difference and what the intention is. That
challenges that There's so few people now who sing songs
with the word in it. They don't understand what they're
(29:05):
really saying, and they think that they're just saying you're black.
That it's just a part of dialect for right. Yeah.
My brother jokes often because he has to clean my
music up, and he says, I used that word more
than anybody. Not more than anyone, I mean, even as
(29:26):
I grow, like in my twenties, the word was every
other word for really every other word. As I'm older,
I don't necessarily need it as often. I mean, but
I understand it in the creative space. That's why I
like rapidly though, and why I come to them. It's
a rhythm thing for me. Okay, I got it. It's
not part of my regular vernacular. I can tell you
(29:47):
that I know how to use it. That's not part
of my regular vernacular because so few people understand what
it means when they hear you say it. And I'm
sure the people on Pop's gonna be like Clutch the
Pearls and Tracy's saying, Okay, have I said it? Yes?
I said, do I use it? And is it in
my complete playlist? Absolute? It's all over the place. But
(30:08):
it's interesting to me that this is such a topic
because like even Jay Z and Oprah Winfrey had a
huge debate about this right that it was literally one
of their hot seat conversations where he was like, I'm
not trying to change it. I won't ever stop using
it again. New York native was like, it's part of
who he is, and they said it there was what
(30:31):
he heard. It was like all in his whole entire
life before our elementary school. So good luck Radio B. Yeah.
I used to stand on it a lot harder in
the sense of I remember and I've been into podcast
with some folks other folks, and to like that be
the discussion, I just me personally, that's what I would
(30:53):
stand on before, and I'm not gonna say I don't
stand on it now. I just don't feel it strongly
about it. That is a word that we take can
ownership of, and you can't just use it, you know
what I mean? Over there, you can't do you can't
use it. And I'm one of the things I said
to them, I say, when we have ownership of more things,
maybe we'll be able to release that word because it
(31:15):
won't be like the only thing that we have ownership
and think that you don't have ownership of. Right. So
now let's talk a little bit about how the ownership
of words and lyrics that are used in hip hop.
There's this other long standard debate readio B about how
hip hop lyrics are used to describe women, if they're
complementary or degrading. Now you know what I'm talking about. Okay,
(31:41):
So now who you're calling them? Come on with people. Now,
how do you think lyricists can stay true to their
experiences while also uplifting the people they're writing about. I
don't think the derogatory term for women needs to be
used at all. I feel like that's something in that
once again, now I may use the N word in
(32:05):
my music. I also use it in my regular language,
but I don't use the B word in my regular
language to refer to women, So therefore I'm not going
to use it in my music either. So I think
people do it because they say it in real life,
and I think they also do it because they find
it to be entertaining, like they feel like that's what
(32:26):
people like to hear. I just don't think it's I
don't think it's necessary. I get that it's part of
the culture. I just think it's disrespectful. So I don't
need that word. Well, I appreciate that, because I'm gonna
telling you now there's a line I draw, and I
don't want to be called a bitch? Would it be?
I don't need to be called a garden tool. I
(32:47):
don't need any of that in my life. I don't
need to sing about it. I don't want to hear that.
I grew up listening to snoop though, but it's it
didn't it didn't influence me. So I mean, seeing I've
sing along to it, you know what I'm saying. Because
if you listen to the doggy style, that's all it was.
Back then, it was like super crazy. So I don't
even think people use the H word that too much anymore.
(33:10):
I don't hear that in music as much, the word
not like how it was, right, Oh yeah, because back
in the day, I hear more specific actions. To be honest,
I feel like they have just yeah, I feel like
I've I started hearing more. But your girl gonna it's
a whole lot of that. Like it it's gone to
a mother because I was gonna say, who wrote the
(33:31):
whole song about it? You know You're You're rock three
different after every joke, Okay, yeah, right. But now as
I'm getting older, I have a different perspective. I actually
saw a video before we came on about a little
scrappy and he was talking to his mom about how
he was raised in a horhouse and I actually didn't
even know about this part of his life, but he
saw some negative things, and for the first time I
(33:54):
realized again got those rose color glasses on Tracy. For
the first time, I realized some of the things that
rap artists may go through truly do impact their music
in the way. I mean, not that before. What I'm
saying is to radio bes point. Earlier, I thought some
people really just saying you thought they were just making
just wanted the dollar. I mean, and there actually are
(34:16):
people who do just make up stuff. But I'm realizing
more that it's really truly a lot of experiences. You
mentioned Snoop Dogg earlier Radio b the whole idea that
what they called gangster rap, that was them talking about
what they had experienced in their life. Definitely get it.
Shout out the n w A. I mean, just you know,
we had not heard that right. They were literally just
(34:38):
talking about what was going on in their day. I'm
private school kids, like growing up, private school kids listening
to rap. I'm just excited about the music and the
culture and following my book, the problem didn't start while
you were listening to it. It was when your white
counterparts start listening to it it became a problem. That's
when Chipper Gore went cuckoo for Coco Puffs and all
these sensors had to come to play, right, See that
(35:02):
it wasn't a problem if they were influencing you and
your can in your neighborhood negatively to say, okay, we
want to embulate what we hear. When Buffy and Tipper
heard right, and tiny Tim to radio. Do you think
hip hop artists need to experience types of traumas in
(35:22):
life and death situations like fat Joe overcame to to
write powerful lyrics. I feel like I know the answer
to this, But how do you think everybody deals with trauma?
Not nearly at the same level, not nearly, not nearly
to the same extent or frequency, however, enough to express
themselves in a way that conveys emotion. I think it's
(35:45):
a matter of being able to tap in with those
emotions and figure out how to communicate and convey them
in a powerful way. So there's just all sorts of
perspectives in life in the world that need to be
told that millions of people resonate with. So I don't
think that you have to go through the extent of
(36:08):
Joey Krack's life in order to be able to tell
a powerful story. You just have to be able to
understand your story enough to convey it in a way
that people can feel it. Can you also have a
vivid enough imagination and still be authentic in the storytelling
(36:28):
that you don't have to have lived it in order
for it to be authentic. There's plenty of people who
do that, but a lot of times they're called out right,
they're called out we've seen we've seen that because it
wasn't true. Yeah it's true for someone, and many times
they are, and many times they aren't. Most times they are.
We're real pc swits Switzerland right there at radio being
(36:49):
you're like somemar, some are I feel like radio sees
a lot of it, right, Yeah, I mean, I'm just
saying there's plenty of people that are telling other people's stories.
There's people that are on a block but ain't in
the block. Okay, so they see it but the window
around it, but they're not in it. But that's okay.
So even if even in that, that's fine. They're not saying,
(37:12):
all I shot this person. That's exactly yourse watching it
because you can get PTSD from watching a period, you
know what I mean. So that's still way closer than
the person that's telling that story from the suburbs. They
there's people from the suburbs telling them same stories that
(37:34):
they wasn't even in the window for so okay, So
that's what I'm talking about. If someone from the suburbs
is telling the story and making it a first person experience,
is it inauthentic for them to share that if it's
something they envisioned it, I mean it's inauthentic, But it's entertainment,
(37:56):
and it's the entertainment business for all intense purposes have
at it. Just hip hop is a little different though.
See in this generation, it's like, why does everybody care
if somebody helped write or if somebody's telling a fake
story or this, that and the other, because they're not
understanding that hip hop was built off of the purity
(38:20):
of the experience, right, So it's a there's a there's
a real life street element to hip hop, even when
it's not violent, right, Like it's about the people, so
it was. And it's also it was created by poor kids,
right right, that needed a voice. Right, that's the purpose
of hip hop. Kids that could not afford instruments, creating
(38:43):
music from turntables and a microphone, right, so plugging into
the light poles at the park, and not being able
to go into the clubs because how they dance, how
they dress. You couldn't get into clubs because they were
doing the disco. It was dressed up, so like where
could you go to party? So going to the wreck
calls and you're going to the parks to party because
(39:03):
that's the place that you could come as you are
dance how you want to dance. And you know what
I'm saying. So it's that I think people forget that,
you know what I mean? But do you have to
have that in order to be authentic? Now? In order
to be successful? No, in order to be authentic, I'm
not saying that you have to be from you have
to be poor, but you just got to tell your story. Okay,
(39:27):
you know what I'm saying, because like respect the origins
at least, and I think if you use those origins
as pillars to your creativity, then you'll be authentic because
you'll have enough respect for it that you're not just pretending.
(39:52):
So then what's your message radio be? Because we're saying
a lot about this, and I think that there's an
opportunity here for you to communicate a message you'd like
to convey to the people outside of your immediate reach.
What do you say to an artist that's up and
coming that's not really sure if they don't have the
quote unquote poor kid or PTSD trauma neighborhood, what do
(40:14):
you say you don't need that. You don't need that.
You just need to tell your story. Just really get
to know yourself, and not only just your story, but
your style, how you presented. Don't copy anybody else's style,
you know what I mean. This generation is way too
comfortable with sharing their sauce. Like they're too comfortable with
(40:35):
sounding like the next exactly like the next guy, to
the point where nobody's even nobody even questions that anymore.
I mean, what do you say to that, or even
trying stop stop? I love it. I love that though,
I mean because the reality is we are evolving as
(40:55):
a culture, so everyone's not as poor as we were
back in the day. Right, but like we all sto
have our troubles and struggles. Like I said, there's millions
of people that can relate to any of that. That's
hip hop, right, Like in hip hop, don't be a biter.
That's one of the main rules of hip hop always
(41:16):
has been. Like you used to get beat up for that,
you know what I'm saying, like being a biter, but
like being a biter now it's not there that the
word doesn't even get circulated anymore. Like you can literally
just do whatever, like this guy made a song like that,
then other big star in the game could come out
and make a song using his flow, same type of words,
(41:39):
same beat and everything, and everybody will still ride with that.
It'll be like, oh, yeah, this is good too. And
it's like, wait, you think social media contributes to that? Yeah,
social media does contribute to that, because what it is like,
at the very least, even if you didn't have the
integrity to be unique in your own style, at least
(42:03):
you had the style of where you were indigenous too,
because that's what you heard around. Now because of the Internet,
it's like everybody from everywhere, you know what I'm saying,
So there is no oh, this is the sound that
comes from New York, or this is the sound that
comes from the West Coast, so this is the sound
that comes from the South. Like everybody here, like everybody
(42:27):
from New York are just as influenced by Atlanta. Everybody
doing trail or everybody doing this or that, you know
what I'm saying. So it's it's just a big you
gotta find your own heart beat. Though I feel that
even in the middle of the met even like to
call it a melting everybody's hands in the likes it's
(42:48):
a grab bag. That's what it is. A grab This
has been a heck of it. What you're talking about.
Oh my gosh, and I wish we didn't have to
end it. But I've enjoyed talking to you so much.
Thank you so much. I appreciate you all. Thank you
for making me feel successful. Absolutely, Yes, we want to
know how you're feeling about this new season of Red
(43:09):
Table Talk. We're open to talk about any and everything
with you, so please send in your questions at Let's
Red Table That at red table talk dot com or
don't forget. You can also leave us a voicemail at
speak pipe. Don't you want to hear your voice? Tell
us amazing podcast. Visit speak pipe dot com, slash Let's
(43:30):
Red Table That. Yes, thank you so much for listening.
We are so happy to have you with us, and
make sure you subscribe on I Heart Radio app and
please rate this podcast on Apple Podcasts. Y'all rate us
a five? Okay, we want five. We'll be back next
week for another episode of Let's Red Table That Special.
(43:53):
Thanks to executive producers if Jada Pinkett Smith, Valan Jethro
and Ellen Racketon. Thank you to our producer Londiru and
our associate producer Yealanda Chow. And finally, thanks to our
sound engineer Stephanie Aguilar, Hey, let's table that. Let's let's
let's red table that
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