THE FUNNEL CAKE FIGHT Ft. Jessie Reyez ｜ Episode 146
Summary
Jessie Reyes is a singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA. She has been in the business for a long time and is one of the most talented vocalists I've ever met. In this episode, we talk about how she got her start in the industry, how she became a vocalist, and what it was like growing up in a musical family.
Transcript
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When you're that young, your frontal lobe is not developed, so you don't make the smartest decision.
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So I didn't make a smart decision, and then it was the closest door to my house, so I was like, fuck it, I'm going.
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Calling out at work and showing up at work, but as a patron?
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But I was like, how can I get in and out quick? And I was like, I know, rollerblades.
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Rollerblades will get me in and out of there quick.
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I'm deadass. I think I was like 16, so I was like, fuck it, rollerblades, got some snacks, like, went to the quick cashier.
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Anyways, I got a call later that night, and it was the boss, and she was like, it doesn't really seem like you want to work here.
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Hey, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Comment Section Show, starring me, your fave, everybody knows me, who cares about me?
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On to the guests. Today, we have the iconic, the legendary, the amazingly talented, Jessie Reyes.
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Welcome to the show, Miss Queen. How have you been? How's life?
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Life is good, man. Tired, at it, fucking stressed and blessed.
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All right, fine. I'll confess something to you, Jessie.
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Years ago, your song, Figures, was my number one played song for the year.
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All right, it's out there. We put it out there. It doesn't have to be weird.
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We addressed it. Gone. Only weird thing I'm going to say, unless something else comes back to me.
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All right, lit. Lit, lit, lit. Bless you. And I'm sorry.
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I've been obsessed with you for a very long time. Not in a weird way, in a very honest way.
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Ditto, ditto. I swear, I know, I'm going to repeat it, but pretend like this is the first time you've heard it.
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The first time I feel like I watched one of your videos, I was literally amped.
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And it was so sick, and I was cackling my ass off, and the feminist in me was so happy that this guy was getting fucking roasted.
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And I remember commenting, like, I think I was like a heart emoji, and I was like, you're doing God's work.
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That's me being honest, too. I lied about the last thing.
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But I was so fucking fired up, because I've loved you forever.
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I'm a huge, huge fan, obviously, and I just think you're so incredible.
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And you've been in the business for a long time, so obviously I'm very familiar with your lore.
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But for those who aren't, can you tell them a little bit about how you, like, got into the industry?
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Obviously, you have a natural God-given talent, but just, like, what your process was of kind of, like, getting into being a vocalist.
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I had to work my ass off to get better because I used to sound like absolute shit.
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I still, like, study vocalists that I admire and, like, break down runs and work on scales.
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But that's also why anyone that ever hits me, and, for example, people that haven't found their passion or their vocation yet,
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or people that have but don't feel like they're good and are scared of putting things out,
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Just fucking learn how to take constructive criticism.
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Tell the people around you that you're not, first of all, learn how to have, like, good emotional equilibrium
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so that you're open enough to take it, but then actually have the, like, wherewithal to apply it and get better
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and objectively analyze yourself to how you could get better.
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But that's what I did when I was younger, and I was able to get better.
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Like, how old were you when you did the talent show?
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I joined this thing called the Remix Project that changed my life.
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It's, like, a program for at-risk youth from, like, 16 to 24 that don't have access to studio or mentors or anything like that.
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But mainly because it was the first time that, in my life, it had always been a dream,
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and it had always been something that wasn't tangible, that I couldn't touch.
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And then when I joined that program, it was the first time that I was introduced to, like, real mentorship.
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And someone came to speak, who was King Louie, who's a drill rapper from Chicago, who I love to death.
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And multiple people came, but him being in person and being human and having succeeded, despite all the adversities that he faced,
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made it more of a reality for me to be like, okay, fuck, you can do it, you're human, you bleed like me, you breathe like me, I can do it too.
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So how long after you were in the Remix Project did you end up, like, getting signed or signing to someone or start putting out singles?
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My first manager at that point was with my first manager, Mauricio Ruiz, who also told me about the Remix Project.
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And then he was friends with Byron Wilson, who's my other manager, who was over there.
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He works with another artist who, was there, am I doing publishing for Sun?
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Publishing for Sun, who heard my shit and was like, lit, I want to bring her out, and then flew me and me out to LA for the first time.
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And I was terrified to sign, because you hear so many fucking horror stories about Hollywood.
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And so I was terrified of contracts, and I was terrified of, it's so funny, because you dream of getting signed when you're a kid, and then when you're at the precipice of it, you realize how much is at stake.
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So I was hella nervous, but it was great, because Jermai was really patient, and like, months, months of me being like, I don't know, I don't know if I want to do this.
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And they, he just, he like, went out on a limb for me, like, made BMG still fork up money for me and sent me to a writing camp in Sweden.
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While I'm, while you're not signed to the company, when the company is willing to invest in you regardless, is them trying to be like, yo, we really believe in you.
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And I didn't have anything, I didn't have much out as an artist.
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Anything to merit investment was strictly based off of someone seeing potential, you know?
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So it was him seeing potential and willing to risk it.
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And then I went to Sweden and then wrote a bunch of songs, because it was a songwriting camp for bigger artists.
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Met these two producers there on like the third, first of all, I was really depressed and drinking a lot.
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So these guys helped me out, because they were like, we love you.
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Stay an extra, so the writing camp was paid for by BMG.
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The extra week, it was the two producers being like, we want you to stay, we'll pay for it, we can work on whatever you want.
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You can write for others, you can write for yourself, we just have faith in you.
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And so I stayed, and then that week I ended up writing figures.
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Me finding out the lore behind one of my favorite songs ever.
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Okay, so I do want to ask you about like the writing process as a whole, and like how does that work for you?
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Because I think past, like I'm obviously like, I love a beautiful song, but I love lyrics.
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Like how do you typically, like do you write when you feel inspired?
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Or do you kind of like brain dump, or do you come back, revisit, that kind of stuff?
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I hate like when I have to search for it, it doesn't feel natural.
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And usually in my life, like I get knee jerk when I'm really, really emotional.
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And the benefit of my working process is that for me it's more quantity based, and then I sort out the quality.
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Yeah, so I'll be in the studio for like a full day and like make like five songs, and not all five are good.
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Like four of them might be shit, and one of them is worth polishing.
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Mind you, like that's, I know there's people that, there's much more successful people that will devote five hours to the one,
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but I have to do it after, because I hate committing, and then four hours in I'm like, this is ass.
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But then the downside of that is then when it comes time to make an album, it's such a shitty process,
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because there's so many dead songs on the floor that you just kind of got to say goodbye to.
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Or you put them on a shelf and you say maybe later when the time's right, or you give them to other artists.
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Do you prefer, do you like writing for others too?
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A lot of my friends who are musicians too, they really love writing for other people too.
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And she's been writing for other people for fucking years.
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But she's also, she's got real like ethnic in her when it comes to her like, you know what I'm saying?
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Like her vocalization is just like, the way she sings, she's very harmony forward and shit.
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And I feel like that's very common amongst minorities.
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And I also think it's really admirable that you're so committed to the craft of like, I'm just going to write as many as I can.
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And then I'm going to be very selective about which ones I pick.
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Like, does that process typically take you a long time?
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Do you sometimes sit with two and you're like, oh, one of these is good.
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Is that why you kind of shelf them too sometimes?
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Or like shelf them or, I mean, I don't, I don't know.
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It's like, it's like, it's like choosing between chocolate cake and funnel cake.
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Have you ever written one that you're like, this is too personal.
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But I've always been real forthright with my shit.
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So I've never really been like the one time that I thought about that.
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I second guessed it and that I had to like talk to my family prior to it coming out.
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Like, you know, it wasn't so much me concerned about how, how anyone involved would feel,
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Like you're like, I just did an FYI before you hear it.
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The worst case scenario didn't happen, but this is what happened.
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Well, and when did you feel like you actually like, man, like, I think I'm kind of like
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I remember the specific, I was at, cause I remember I used to cross the border all the
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time because I lived in Florida at one point and I was bartending there and still trying
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And I had built a bit of a beautiful musical community in Toronto.
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So, so it felt like swimming in the deep end for hours in Florida, sometimes trying to
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And then the remix project happened and I begged my bar manager to let me back home to audition
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And even when I was at remix, I was lucky that I was living off tips that I had made while
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I was bartending and being a bottle service girl.
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Uh, so I used to always just, I'd, I'd like alternate between whatever the fuck I told
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But I often, I would just be like a personal trainer, sometimes bartender.
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But the more you tell them, the more they fucking ask.
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And then one time I went and the guy was like, what do you do?
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Like I was able, it was, it was, it was, it was elite.
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It was the first time that I wasn't working like a double, like multiple, multiple titles.
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It was the first time that I was like, oh, this is my, this is my only source of income.
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Sometimes I have a very different reaction when I tell people what I do for a living.
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It's rare that people don't know sometimes, but when I tell them now, like one time I
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got asked, they're like, how would you describe what you do to old people?
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And I was like, well, people, if they ask me, I just go, honestly, I, cause I've said
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I make videos on the internet and old people immediately think porn.
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And now looking back, I think like for rentals that I got denied of, I was like, hmm.
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But, um, I tell people like, honestly, I make fun of awful men on the internet and then
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And I think it's funny too, cause sometimes like I've told before, like my grandpa, he
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Um, he tells me often he doesn't watch me and, um, he does have a TikTok.
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Um, and he's just always like, and I need that kind of energy in my life.
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I think, yeah, I need a, I need a humbling every now and then.
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And also too, I will say a way that made me feel like I was actually doing something
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with this was getting to care or getting to take care of my family.
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I remember the first check I ever made off of like a really shitty publishing situation.
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Like the first time I ever sold a song before Jeremiah was involved was, uh, a song running
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camp in Toronto for a Netflix show for some kids show on Netflix.
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And I went home and it was the first time I showed my folks a check for music and they
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And then I bought groceries and they were like, huh?
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It's so funny to have those like little, little bookmarks.
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Like I, the first check I ever got, I think was like 75 bucks and it was for like something
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And I remember when I got it, I was like, oh my God.
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And I was like, yes, I'm going to hold on to this forever.
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And I love that your family, how supportive was your family of you as a vocalist?
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I'd never shut up in the shower and outside the shower.
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And my brother's like a scientist, a very smart man, works at university.
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But they, then I came along and I, to say I hate school is like kind, you know?
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And the first time, actually there's one teacher in my life that I like always acknowledge and
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I like gave her a shout out in my poetry book because it was the only time I ever got a call
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home, a positive call home from a teacher was her.
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She didn't know until I told her why it was so.
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It's why it was so impactful is because my house only spoke Spanish.
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My parents would help me with homework, but like mainly with like things that were universal,
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Because we didn't really, you know, it's not the element.
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And so the fact that she called to be like, yo, your daughter's skilled and because we're
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doing poetry and she noticed it and she was like, your daughter's
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skilled and that it meant so much because they wouldn't, they wouldn't have noticed
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And if I, if I were to tell them, they'd be like, no, okay.
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So it was sweet that, that, that, that, uh, she was able to, to vocalize that and have
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So the first time I started making money, I know they were like, okay, great.
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My mom's like, my mom's like the neighborhood mom.
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Like, you know, even on the tour, like the tour bus, everyone calls her mom.
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But I say that to like preface this story because she, she one day hit me and she like
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She wanted to apologize for something she said to me when I was like 24 and I was at it.
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Like I've never been, the hustle in me is different.
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The dog in me is different and it's just, I've always been that way.
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And she saw how hard I was working, but she saw that I wasn't really, I wasn't getting,
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And she says that she was like, honey, like me, huh?
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So maybe she was like, maybe we have to be open to something else.
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And I was like, okay, I'm like, give me another year.
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I'm like, I'm going to give it another year and we'll see how it goes.
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And then that year shit started fucking popping off and she, the craziest thing is that she
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said this to me and I'm, and she looked so serious and so like it was, it was something
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That's how, that's how much support and love and like presence and kindness she's always
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just offered me that it didn't even, it didn't even make a sound.
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Especially cause of the way she told you to, it's just, it's just out of love and like
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Like she wants to make sure you're, you're good and you're taken care of.
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So it wasn't cause she thought you couldn't do it.
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It's because she's like, sometimes the world works against people like us and maybe this
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But I think you, you putting a timeline on it is so fucking real too.
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Cause I, when I started doing this for a living, I like really didn't see much in it
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So I was kind of like, well, I'm like a hundred in Tik TOK here.
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So I doubt like I can be a Tik TOK jokes on me.
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Uh, but I was literally like, I don't know about that.
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And then when it started really like building, I was unemployed at the time cause I'd gotten
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You know, what's funny is like when I look back, I've been fired more than once.
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I thought I only been fired once, but like the other time was when I, the one time I
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was a server in college, that's one of the worst jobs in the world.
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Like waiters, waitresses, like God's soldiers for real.
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Like, and I remember after like working there for like two weeks, I was like, yeah, I got
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Cause I'm not rude, but like, I don't have the politeness in me to eat shit for very long.
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Like, and it, the guy that when my manager fired me, it was actually kind of fucked up
00:19:00.780
cause he had me train my replacement, which I didn't know he was my replacement.
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And my replacement kept leaving in the middle of the shift to go smoke meth in the bathroom.
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Like I, I, at one point followed him and I heard him like, and then it was going like
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like that fucking breaking bad in the bathroom.
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I said, Oh, and so I'm covering all his tables and then I, my manager's like, Oh, let's talk
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And I'm like, he wants to hear about the meth head.
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And I go, Oh, well, and I didn't even get to the meth.
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And I remember he just told me like, you don't, you're not taking your waitressing jobs.
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Like if you want to move up in the restaurant business, I said, pause, I use this money to
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Like, fuck you mean move up in the restaurant business girl.
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I would literally leave work and I would take the bus home and I would walk across the
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street and I would go and I would buy like a 32 pack, like two 32 packs.
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I was underage at the time, but I was using my sister's ID.
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And I would buy two 32 packs and I would stop on like the third stop was my friend's
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And I remember like two days later he called me and was like, Oh, are you not coming in
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And I go, that's not what you said when you fired me.
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And how dare my girlfriend who was waitressing at the time there too.
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She told me the realty and she told me that the meth head was working my shift and then
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left in the middle of it and they couldn't find him.
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And then when they did find him, he was sitting in the freezer eating a dessert.
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Like he was plating a dessert for a table instead decided to sit down and eat it.
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And like the one cardinal rule, I remember this at that restaurant was you could not eat
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I don't know what it was about the dessert, but they were like, don't you fucking dare touch
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And they weren't even that good in my opinion, but he was sitting there just eating it.
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He's just sitting there like, and they're like, Hey, um, so then he just called me and
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I was like, well, I guess I'm hanging up my apron for good.
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That's not in God's plan for me is to be a waitress.
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My boyfriend was a personal trainer for a long time.
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Like I would just like write songs on receipts and shit.
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But I like, I've been fired more than, more than twice, more than three times, more than
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I tell myself I was just too funny for that job.
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Clearly I was just far too entertaining and they can't handle it.
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I had dance like three times a week and it was in.
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I had those days like blocked off and then dance got canceled or something.
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And so then I could have gone into work, but I was like, fuck that.
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But I was like, how can I get in and out quick?
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Rollerblades will get me in and out of there quick.
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Like went to the like the quick the quick cashier.
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Anyways, I got a call later that night and it was the boss.
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And she was like, it doesn't really seem like you want to work here.
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If I saw you coming in on a day off and you're in rollerblades, you're fired.
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Like when I was working at the restaurant, I think I was like probably 19, 20.
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And I remember like I didn't take that shit serious either.
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I mean, I was good at my job, but it's also like it's it's a job.
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It's not it's and I remember, too, the reason why he fired me was because he said, like,
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And it's because he was trying to convince me to stay there and continue waitressing through
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He's like, well, I have a couple shifts on like Christmas Eve and stuff.
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I was like, oh, no, I'm going home like for school.
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And so he was like, you have to take more shifts if you want to take this seriously.
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I'm like, when I got hired, I told you I can work Monday, Wednesday, Fridays.
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And now you're trying to pressure me into taking more shifts.
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And I had a full class load and everything, too.
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I was like I was taking like 24 credits and I had two jobs.
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And when I went, it was like a nighttime restaurant.
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So it would open at like, I think first dine in would be like 6 p.m.
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But I would have to go in at 3 and I would have to build the salad bar.
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And I would have to carry these two big ass buckets of like ice that would go to the freezer
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Carry both of them back at least six times to fill that whole thing.
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Like, I mean, I used to babysit all the time too.
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But one time I babysit a kid that was so awful that I was like, yeah, I can't do this shit
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And he had an older brother that my sister was like kind of watching him because he was
00:26:16.360
Like, and I, every time I sat down, it would get louder.
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So I just had to keep walking in circles and it was horrifying.
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The mom left and goes, by the way, he's allergic to wool and peanuts and this and that, and
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And then I was like, this is the worst job in the world.
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I mean, especially like baristas or anything like that.
00:27:02.160
You're like, is everyone the dumbest person alive?
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That makes you, it's so dumb that you start to question yourself.
00:27:19.360
And I was like 14 to 18, which is like, it's like a water park.
00:27:39.080
I was working at like the pizza pizza and like mainly there was a funnel cake next to
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the pizza pizza and I'd get free funnel cakes, free access to the water park and free funnel
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When I started cheerleading for the CFL, which is like the Canadian NFL.
00:28:04.240
Once I was there, I think I was like the second year working there.
00:28:08.380
And this fucking lady, this fucking lady, I was at, I was, oh my God, I was working
00:28:14.580
and she's with her fucking like children that were like fucking yapping and she's trying
00:28:24.000
She's ordering some shit and she's like, yeah, this, this, this.
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And then she takes her money and she throws it.
00:28:36.600
But like if I was closer, it would have hit me, but it hit the, it hit the counter.
00:28:41.100
And I look at the money and I'm like, does this bitch just throw money at me?
00:28:44.060
And I look up at her and I'm like, and I'm trying to, I'm trying to hold it in.
00:28:57.600
So I take the change and I'm like, and I throw it, I throw it back.
00:29:06.080
This lady looks up and she's like, sees red, starts going off.
00:29:13.060
Now we're arguing at each other over the counter.
00:29:15.480
And then, and then she starts climbing on the counter.
00:29:31.760
I have to say this for you to, to justify what's about to happen next.
00:29:39.100
So I back up and I'm like, oh, this fucking lady's about to fucking like the wrestling move.
00:29:44.380
And they like, you know, like from the top rope.
00:29:48.280
So I reach back because this is the, I was working the funnel cake spot that day.
00:29:53.120
So the little, the little fryer is right here with the frying thing.
00:30:07.340
So I grabbed the thing and I, and I, and I take it out and then she jumps down and I'm
00:30:11.440
going, and then everyone was able to stop it before it escalated.
00:30:14.120
Cause then they all pulled her back and then they pulled me back and then they got her
00:30:17.540
And the craziest thing was watching her carry on like nothing.
00:30:20.600
She grabbed her fucking funnel cake and, and carried on with her kids.
00:30:30.320
And there's oil and shit on the floor and I'm like shaking.
00:30:33.520
Cause I, I thought I was about to have to like fucking defend the shit out of myself.
00:30:36.640
Cause she was like over a foot bigger than me, man.
00:30:45.740
And then, and then the managers come on and they're like, Jesse, what the fuck?
00:31:10.000
They're like, I'm going to give her a stern talking to.
00:31:15.640
And then I sat in there and they're cackling when I tell them the story.
00:31:18.660
And they're like, okay, well, like they're like, just take the day.
00:31:23.940
Well, that's good that you had supportive managers.
00:31:31.720
And I worked with good people at that spot for four years.
00:31:38.780
Cause then you have a, like a good job, but you also are surrounded by people who like
00:31:43.580
It's like when they don't care about your fucking livelihood when you're working for them.
00:31:49.760
And I even, um, I was thinking about like, too, like what's another terrible job I've
00:31:56.640
I was, I was fucking, I, I say this very loosely, but I was like dressing as Moana and being
00:32:05.560
I figured lean into a skid, you know, everyone was like, you know, you know,
00:32:08.760
you look like, yeah, I know Moana cause I'm the first brown bitch you've ever seen.
00:32:28.640
That's one of the worst jobs I've ever had because, and not because of the children.
00:32:33.460
Like they're so sweet and they, they think you're really her.
00:32:56.440
And like the way that grown ass men, like when I say grown, grown men, like in their
00:33:01.420
forties, fifties, sixties, they're with their wives and their children.
00:33:05.120
There's no, there's no, they like wait till you're alone and then they'll make suggestive
00:33:14.520
I can't even imagine how it happens when they're like, when they look good.
00:33:17.820
Cause like, to be fair, my costume wasn't that great.
00:33:30.080
So, and I had, um, one dad, like the first party I ever worked, uh, the kids were so sweet
00:33:41.420
And I remember that one boy was with, he was like, my dad wants to ask you a question.
00:33:51.000
And then he says, he keeps making suggestive jokes about like the, or that I had.
00:33:57.680
It's getting me more mad as I'm getting mad again, thinking about like reliving the memory.
00:34:01.140
Um, but he was like, what if I, what if I wanted to call you Moana?
00:34:06.880
Like, what kind of nut, what's your, what number would you give me?
00:34:12.260
And then I go, and then he goes, I said, call me.
00:34:15.040
And then he goes, yeah, like, I think on the cell phone, I have no clue.
00:34:21.960
So, you know, and then he's like, how would I go when he sent his son to me?
00:34:26.380
And he was like, oh, like my dad wants to know, like, how would he get ahold of you?
00:34:35.660
Like, I just kept making shit up to try and like deflect them, but to send your child to
00:34:43.520
Like I was literally, when I was watching it unfold, I was like, oh yeah, this isn't the
00:34:48.540
Unless you guys want to watch Moana get active, like with these.
00:34:53.060
Yeah, no, I'm going to, I'm going to ruin the fucking party for everyone.
00:34:55.460
If one more dad talks to me, I want to make this a very memorable children's birthday.
00:35:02.000
And I remember the last party I worked, I had just started dating my now fiance and I had
00:35:11.920
And I was like telling him how men are so fucking weird and creepy.
00:35:14.840
And so he came with me and then was like standing next to me the entire, like hovering around
00:35:21.760
And I was like, see, he shouldn't have to do that in order for men to like respect, not
00:35:36.080
So that's probably one of the worst jobs I've ever had.
00:35:40.100
I don't have, I haven't had, I've had a lot of jobs, but there, I feel like I've always
00:35:48.400
Well, the, the, I was in sales when, when I was at the gym, I worked at different things.
00:35:52.460
I started as reception and then I got promoted to sales.
00:36:01.660
But that one was again, it was just cause I was too, I swear to God.
00:36:04.720
It's every, when I think about it, too honest, like I'm not going to say the name of it.
00:36:22.900
Wait, I have to, I have to, I have to give you some context.
00:36:25.760
So I started as reception and I had a manager who was really sweet.
00:36:40.940
And when she got promoted, all of a sudden she was a fucking snowman to me.
00:36:57.660
And she's like, Jesse, like, you don't understand, but like when you get promoted, like you just
00:37:02.140
can't really like associate with the people that are like, you know, like beneath you kind
00:37:05.680
of like, you just have to, you, you, you elevate.
00:37:07.640
Like, and I was like, we're working at a gym, bitch.
00:37:19.300
Cause I was still trying to show her love, whatever.
00:37:27.940
And now I had no, I wasn't beholden to her cause she's not my manager anymore.
00:37:31.200
So she can't ask me like the fuck all I have to be is civil.
00:37:35.020
Now we're now it's not beefy and we're civil, but we're not cool.
00:37:38.600
Then I worked there for a year and then I get promoted to sales.
00:37:42.820
When I got promoted, all of a sudden the snow melted and she starts trying to like buddy,
00:38:08.300
That's what got me into cheerleading, into professional cheerleading.
00:38:10.620
But she, um, it was her first week and she was pacing cause she was so nervous about
00:38:17.680
getting in trouble cause she didn't collect enough leads.
00:38:25.080
But you know, like leads and you, you know, you have the team building shit.
00:38:29.540
So she had to, we all had to collect a certain amount of leads for the week in this box where
00:38:34.700
people take in names and then it's alleged that someone gets a free membership.
00:38:41.400
But what people don't know is that, okay, wait, so she's, she's saying that shit and
00:38:49.980
She's like, I got a wedding on Saturday and I'm going to have to take this box to the wedding
00:39:03.040
Like they're not giving away a free fucking membership at the end of the week.
00:39:10.360
You don't have to take the box to the wedding and collect leads at the wedding.
00:39:15.640
And she's like, okay, she's like on the verge of tears.
00:39:19.380
And then my other manager, the old one walks out of the back closet because that's where
00:39:25.840
And I didn't know she was changing the music and she walks out and I, and she had heard
00:39:30.740
And I was like, she's like, you know, you could get fired for slander.
00:39:37.060
And then the next day I start my day and they call me into the office and my new manager
00:39:42.180
Cause usually when you're going to get fired, you have, you need a manager and a witness.
00:39:50.320
And she, and like after the fact, I found out that she refused to be in the room when
00:39:54.880
it happened, when it happened, she refused to be the witness.
00:39:56.960
Cause she tried to save me, but they were like, no, cause she had her, cause this one
00:39:59.840
had already reported me and then, and then head office and I was a whole thing.
00:40:04.140
Anyways, they fired my ass and I, and I, and I went to my aunt and cried and cried.
00:40:16.300
Uh, and then that week I went to the competitor across the street and I got a job there for
00:40:41.000
I'll, I'm going to do, I'm going to do one more story really quick.
00:40:46.260
What I was going to say was about your, uh, story about getting fired at the gym.
00:40:49.980
It's very similar to me getting fired at the NFL.
00:40:58.220
And they hate when I say this and I'm going to say it again.
00:41:00.960
One of the reasons they fired me was cause they said they couldn't trust that I knew
00:41:10.400
If you were taking my ideas, you guys could have had that.
00:41:14.200
But when I did get fired, I got fired by my manager who, um, hated me and made sure to
00:41:19.280
tell me often, like it was just like a slow breaking down of me, um, over time.
00:41:28.820
So like the last meeting I had with her, she was berating me in private.
00:41:33.300
And then I told her, I was like, okay, so like, I would like to switch teams.
00:41:38.760
I think at the end of the season, like, I just don't think this works in this capacity
00:41:43.200
And it, and I was like, I just, I can't thrive in an environment where someone like genuinely
00:41:50.600
Like I, I can't really grow in that kind of environment.
00:41:56.240
I was trying to like be very cordial and civil about it, but this was the first time I like
00:42:00.280
had really stood up for myself, like, which is shocking for me personally.
00:42:04.560
And so she was like, well, you know, as soon as I said that it was like a, and I said,
00:42:09.000
and the next time you talk to me, I want there to be someone else in the room.
00:42:12.500
Cause I told her, I just don't think you're going to talk to me the way you do if someone else
00:42:15.800
And then as soon as I said that shit, she was like, all right, why don't we just take
00:42:25.340
But like, I've made up my mind, like in my head and I went home next day, mind you at
00:42:35.180
And I was driving to Culver city for six days out of the week.
00:42:39.300
So I was driving two and a half hours one way and then two and a half hours the other
00:42:46.180
Like that's how much I was committed to this job.
00:42:49.540
And so then the next day I go into work, it's like a Wednesday and I'm working, I work all
00:42:54.360
Then at 5 PM, she like slacks me, Hey, can you come to the conference room so we can finish
00:43:02.400
Cause she always, I always like take notes or whatever.
00:43:05.580
And I go in there and there's another woman in there.
00:43:07.640
So I figure, cause I told her, I figured, cause I said, I don't want to speak to you alone
00:43:12.240
I want to speak to someone else that that's what I figured it was HR.
00:43:16.720
So we sat down and then I was like, I had my laptop open and I was like sitting there
00:43:26.100
And she's like, hi, I'm so-and-so like, um, I'm with HR and I'm like, okay, she goes,
00:43:30.400
okay, so we're going to be talking about how, um, we are letting you go.
00:43:34.180
Like, we're going to be terminating your position.
00:43:35.640
Like I had no way of knowing that she was going to do that shit to me.
00:43:39.400
Like I had no fucking way of knowing like, I was like, Oh, well let me close that.
00:43:43.880
Cause obviously don't need to take notes on that.
00:43:45.820
Do I, I was like sitting there and I was like, just like internalizing it and processing
00:43:52.220
And I remember thinking like, like as she's talking to me, the lady's talking to me, my
00:44:01.740
She's just sitting there like staring at her and she's looking at me and I'm looking
00:44:05.800
So we're just sitting there and then after she finishes talking, she goes, do you have
00:44:12.400
Um, if you were going to fire me, you couldn't have done that before I drove here.
00:44:16.160
Like you guys couldn't have done that before I came here.
00:44:19.840
And then she goes, well, you're not being fired.
00:44:22.880
They kept correcting me over and over at the verbiage.
00:44:26.720
And then she's like, well, you know, I think we're just like the HR lady, I think told the
00:44:34.100
You shouldn't say anything, but I knew she wanted to be there.
00:44:40.460
Like she was like really feeling good about herself.
00:44:44.960
I just feel like we could have, you could have mentioned that to me yesterday when we
00:44:49.100
I feel like you could have mentioned this part.
00:44:54.640
That was the one thing she said in that entire meeting.
00:44:59.200
She had glasses, not stupid, silly ass glasses anyways.
00:45:05.800
And I go, as soon as she said that to me, I go, we've never talked about you finding a
00:45:14.040
And then the HR girl goes, I think we're getting off track.
00:45:18.820
I think we need to like, do you have any other questions besides that?
00:45:33.540
But the funny thing is too, even after that, like my manager at the time, like she was so
00:45:40.400
And I remember when I left, they had security waiting for me.
00:45:46.000
I know that's standard, but it's also nuts because you could have waited again.
00:45:50.340
It was, this was five or no, it was like four o'clock.
00:45:52.540
So I get off at five and you had them wait right there and wanted, cause she wanted other
00:45:57.680
people to watch me get fired and pack my shit and watch everybody watch me.
00:46:08.060
What's funny though, is because it was so hard for me to work there.
00:46:11.740
One thing I always say, when I look back, I'm like, you know what?
00:46:14.780
When I look back, I should have known something was off because it's really easy for me to make
00:46:19.120
And for some reason there, it was really hard for me to make friends.
00:46:27.260
I had like two friends there, but like one of them was a buddy from college and the other
00:46:32.120
But all of the other people who worked in the facility, the front door girl, the lady in
00:46:39.840
And so the security guy, when he was waiting for me, he goes, I'm sorry.
00:46:44.300
And I was like, Hey buddy, kicking me while I'm down.
00:46:47.680
That's, I know that's really sweet, but it makes me feel bad.
00:46:56.580
I was really proud of myself for not crying in the meeting because I wanted to, but I
00:47:03.880
And then as soon as I sat in my 2015 Prius, I started sobbing.
00:47:09.320
And then I went on my Instagram and I deleted every single thing that could have possibly
00:47:15.680
Like I deleted every single, every trace of it.
00:47:25.920
And then the first thing he said to me was congratulations.
00:47:31.080
And I told him, I was like, I think I got fired when I was talking to him on the phone.
00:47:42.620
Cause like all of them knew they knew I hated that job.
00:47:44.840
That's such a sweet, immediate knee jerk response.
00:47:56.720
And then not too long later, I started doing this.
00:48:02.600
When you can't ever connect the dots forward, but you can always connect them back.
00:48:05.840
I truly feel like too, I always tell my family this and like everyone around me, like the
00:48:12.980
Like I was like, my ancestors are always looking over me.
00:48:16.700
And sometimes when I don't listen to them, they have no choice, but to shove me off the
00:48:25.600
And me being, me being a Virgo too, I don't deviate from paths often.
00:48:29.300
So like when I have a course, I steady it unless I have a backup plan or another backup
00:48:34.120
So I had no backup plan and I wasn't planning on leaving, even though I kept saying I would.
00:48:39.400
And so they had to kick me off the path and they Spartan kicked me off that hoe.
00:48:50.680
And then not too long later, I started posting on TikTok.
00:48:59.980
We didn't even talk about the topic, but that's just how much we've been king.
00:49:06.680
Wait, the topic is a society's double standard when it comes to expectations of men and women
00:49:16.720
So in this video, a man is interviewing a woman asking about red flags when the woman
00:49:21.380
asks him, what's your biggest red flag in a woman?
00:49:26.260
If I see a tattoo on her, it's over because girls that get tattoos are usually more promiscuous.
00:49:31.540
I'm not going to take a promiscuous girl seriously.
00:49:38.580
It's funny because they call women whores and it's like, well, clearly she's not that
00:49:41.620
good at her job because she won't sleep with you.
00:49:49.060
This one says never seen a woman that looks better with a tattoo.
00:49:52.320
Tattoos are the most obvious sign of the pursuit of external validation.
00:49:58.180
The more natural the woman looks, the more likely she's the one to eye on for long term.
00:50:20.780
He's got a little smiley face and then I got my parents right here.
00:50:24.480
And then I got one on my foot that matches with two of my homeboys.
00:50:35.100
Yeah, I have, I have, obviously I have this like hand arm tattoo.
00:50:46.300
And then I have one on my neck and then one on my side.
00:50:49.060
But the one on my side is like a tribal, like it's a moon, but it has someone tribal inside
00:50:57.060
Me and my sister and my brother, uh, because we're like, she always says, I love you to
00:51:07.480
My dad's very first tattoo was like a stick and poke in Samoa that says a hundred percent
00:51:22.080
Cause he got it when he was like 14, which was a million years ago.
00:51:27.960
And then one time when me and my sister were drunk, we were talking about tattoos and then
00:51:31.900
we were like, what if we got, and Dason goes, what if we got one that said 75% Samoa cause
00:51:46.220
It's on his shoulder and it's literally in the biggest font I've ever seen in my life.
00:51:50.260
And then me and Dason have little ones on our neck.
00:51:52.100
And I was like, that's how you know, we're never that serious because we're literally,
00:51:55.980
we tattooed a bit on our, on ourselves cause we thought it was funny.
00:52:22.520
But I've learned to, I've always had thick skin and I owe me too.
00:52:30.280
It makes you, it just makes you stronger, but also lets you get better.
00:52:34.460
Like people try to, people try to throw jabs and it's like, yo, you don't even know.
00:52:38.500
That's why I felt so seen watching your videos.
00:52:40.000
Like the way you cackle is the way I receive them.
00:52:55.600
Suppose you're right and I can't, and I'm living off this.
00:53:05.400
I say that every time men tell me I'm not funny.
00:53:18.740
It's like someone who's doing worse than me in life is never going to give me valid criticism
00:53:25.960
And if anything, you'll moat, it's like you'll live.
00:53:27.880
You're, you have no idea the, the favor that you're doing.
00:53:33.260
Every time that you throw me negative, like the way.
00:53:41.440
And when you know how to do it, that shit just, you're just fanning a fire, bro.
00:53:49.960
I've talked to my friend Teffy about it before.
00:53:57.660
She's my, my witch mother in training, but she's even told me before.
00:54:01.340
And I hold this very true to this day for myself too.
00:54:03.800
She said like, when I tell you the universe and God don't play about me, I would stop fucking
00:54:10.980
That's why I'm like, when you wrong me, I feel bad for you.
00:54:17.840
It may take, she may take her time, but she will arrive.
00:54:21.020
So I always think whenever something happens like that, I always think like this was for
00:54:23.960
a reason and this was on purpose for a good reason and on purpose.
00:54:27.020
When I got fired, I struggled to tell myself, but I was telling myself this is for a reason
00:54:35.940
It's so great to train yourself that way because it's so hard to do it in those moments.
00:54:45.980
But it serves you so much to train your brain if you don't naturally have that.
00:54:51.360
Like my parents just put me in situations where I had to have thick skin.
00:54:56.480
I always tell people when they're like, they try to insult me.
00:54:59.520
I'm like, oh, you guys haven't hung, you haven't met my mom.
00:55:25.560
That's why a lot of times, that's why a lot of white people don't like it either.
00:55:28.460
That's why I was like, you need to hang out with more minority people.
00:55:32.980
I was like, my family thrives off roasting each other.
00:55:35.820
Like, that's like something fun that we do together.
00:55:39.140
We sit in a circle and we make fun of each other.
00:55:41.460
And I had to get funny and I had to get funny fast, bitch.
00:55:47.200
And then what's worse in my family is like, if you start taking it a little too personal,
00:56:00.260
I was like, the humiliation was eating me alive.
00:56:06.540
I know we talked about all kinds of things, but I'm so glad we got to touch on your music
00:56:10.380
Sometimes I get so wrapped up in King, I forget to ask about your artistry.
00:56:14.380
But just to kind of dovetail back to the beginning, what would you say is your best piece
00:56:24.060
They don't necessarily have to be a vocalist because you're not just a vocalist.
00:56:29.620
I feel like you have so much art to put out into the world that's beautiful and withstanding.
00:56:36.060
So what would you say is your best piece of advice for people who would love to essentially
00:56:40.580
make a living off of their art or be able to put it out into the world?
00:56:44.500
To fail faster because time is going to pass you by anyway.
00:56:47.920
And so many people get paralyzed by indecision and they fucking pussyfooted up.
00:56:52.460
And when you really break it down to brass tacks, what you're really afraid of is being
00:56:59.840
And if you're scared about people seeing you, if you really think about it, the people
00:57:04.940
that are seeing you aren't even working on their own shit because if they were, they
00:57:08.880
wouldn't even be paying any attention to you and whatever failure might be in front of
00:57:15.360
But when you think about it that way, you're like, who the fuck are you to be judging me
00:57:27.180
Again, you have to, this doesn't come like overnight if you're not naturally like this.
00:57:30.560
You train yourself to be that way to like try something.
00:57:37.900
And then the more no's you get, if you could keep your enthusiasm up, the hundredth no might
00:57:45.360
be like the one right before the yes that might change your life.
00:57:48.140
You know, and you, and, and you're not going to get better unless you try it.
00:57:50.980
Like LeBron didn't come out the fucking room playing like he does, you know, you have
00:57:55.920
So that also comes with it, but fail faster and learn to objectively criticize yourself
00:58:00.080
and surround yourself with a team because it's impossible to do great things alone.
00:58:05.860
And then tell, and then make sure you, you, you cultivate a culture of, um, honesty and
00:58:18.940
How'd I, I'll get off stage and I'll be like, how'd I do what went left, what went right?
00:58:22.500
So we could like finesse and you know what I mean?
00:58:24.520
But you're so me, but that shit, that shit is so, cause that's how you get better.
00:58:29.980
Cultivate that sort of culture where everybody can be very forthright with criticisms and
00:58:34.800
With love, obviously it's said with love always.
00:58:38.800
And then, and then also learn to celebrate the small ones because the universe reflects
00:58:44.940
And sometimes we forget cause then we get there and then, and then the little problem that
00:58:48.560
you would have been stressing about when you had no money or when you were just getting
00:58:51.300
Now you're like, oh, that ain't shit, but it is, but it is.
00:58:57.120
Feel faster, celebrate shit, gratitude and have thick skin.
00:59:00.660
And if you're going to cry, cry, we'll wrap it up.
00:59:06.400
I think you're so incredible and so talented and I think you're a gift to this world and
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But thank you all so much for joining us on this episode of the comment section.
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For those of you that maybe were born yesterday and don't follow you, where can everybody find
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I just have a song that came out with Ari Lennox that's called Just Like That.
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Also, I did want to mention really quick, your collaborations are insane.
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I think your collaborations are fucking incredible.
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I thought Imported was also one of my favorite songs.
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Do you have anything else you want to promote at all?
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And then I may or may not be working on an album.
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Thank you all so much for joining us on this episode of the comment section.
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Don't forget, new episodes drop every Wednesday.
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You can stream the audio on all streaming platforms, or you can watch the video for free
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and exclusively on our favorite platform, Spotify, which is actually perfect because