Kevin Hart | Ep 107 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

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Speaker 1: Welcome to All the Smoke, a production of The Black Effect and our Heart Radio and partnership with Showtime. Welcome back season three, All the Smoke. We're back man, another one third season. Man, We're in this bitch getting a good break the championships and walking streets and all that. Kind of coach champion as a coach now. But I had a little time off to just chill. We had as much time off in the Minnesota. But ready to get back to it. I see you put some pounds on in the off season. Yeah, man, who are you telling I'm game about thirty pounds for you to get back slim? Yeah, I know, I'm back on it. Come work out with me and this dude's training. No, absolutely, not absolutely, it was animal. I ain't got time for that. Hey man, It's an honor of pleasure to kick off season three with the one and only man Kevin Hart. How are you saying? Appreciate man, I appreciate you. Having me has kind of been. There's a lot of stuff in here, and I wanna talk to you guys about it's not size friendly in here. Microphone is the size of my goddamn scalp. I don't I don't like that. The couch actually is not bad. I didn't know how big the couch situation was going to be, but I feel comfortable with my feet are I have a strong base. You know. You can still hear the hit a tone in my voice. I'm ready. I'm ready to talk. But before I get into that, Flowers Man season three. That's a big deal. Man. You guys do an amazing job. That's why I'm here. I'm here because of the platform, because of what the platform provide. You guys got a hell of an audience and it's because of the job that you're doing. So I'll get that out the way. Appreciate that. Thank me, comfort you. Snoop took a nap on that corriage doing the show. Though I smell it, it's I smell it. I smell it. I wasn't gonna say nothing that was y'all business. I was gonna keep it there. But I smell something that they right. Somebody wasn't right, and I was gonna let it flywer. I don't know the living situation of you guys are here overnight or not, but something ay right, Like you know, when you sit down on couches with this material, come up. Yeah, it's in here a little bit of a breeze and knock it out. You guys to figure it out, just keep keep on swinging for the fences, swinging for the fences. Go ahead, Well we're talking about that. Do you remember when when you first met where the first meeting where uh, we're coming out of some restaurant out here in l A. And uh, terms just wanted to wrestle with you that night while you get into your trouble. Yeah, the same weight class. Though for some reason, I don't know what it is. Man, there's this unannounced code between like smaller men. At when you see another smaller man, you go, I'm knocking the a. It's a real thing. It's a real thing, like and it says it's it's in your head and the other the other little guy know you're thinking it too. You look at term is that guy, Term is the wrestle term is the tussle guy. And you know the younger days of me in l A. We used to play ball all the time. And that's that's literally that was terms. That was this think when you come on time, I don't want to play, man, Come on, let me see to in the morning. We got liquor in our system. He trying to put me in a full nelson, So now I gotta shoulder. I got some other body strength so people don't actually respect my size. So once I you know, once you get the push right there, they can feel it. It's our first time really hanging out for the day was on the set of I Think like a Man. I think that was what two thousand and eleven, that was ten leven. Yeah, and I tell you we just shot a basketball scene, but we're in there three four hours. But this dude's energy from the jump, like he just made it just a non stop. We had like, Kevi, stop being funny so we can film like our face heard our stomach herd. He was on our test test Lisa Leslie Butler Brown. Yes, yes, very funny scene. Thought it was a loose a loose idea, but you know, the words and stuff was there, so they just let me free. Stop. But you were funny and ship. But then you also it surprised me because you have some game, and then we started talking about that you could play, and then I saw but then I saw one of your high school edits where you were in there for not too long. It just had a lot of turnovers. You punched the wall, look like you might have broke your hands. One of these days situations where you feel like you're a lot better than what you were at the time. You know, if I didn't see that tape until this day, you couldn't tell me ship you crazy? That hoopton on school. LETNA tell you something. This take surface I may have had. I think I had eight turnovers in twenty seconds and I only ran it one speed. It was everything was fast. It was the fastest that you've ever seen fastest. I got good. I actually I got good after high school. Where's the good film? Though? That's the thing I'm telling you. After high school, like I played, I played varsity nine through twelve. My senior year, I had our year. I could play, but there was nothing to really brag about. I think I was honorable mention in the public league. It wasn't like our league was that great. Grants was the team they got all the attention. Strawberry Mansion had started to to get some Ronald Flip Murray he got he got nasty the late stages of his basketball career. So you know, if he wasn't if you was in that conversation, Lynn Greer. That was about it. So we didn't get any attention. He was a bad boy. Let's get to your upbringing, born Philadelphia, single parent home. Your your story has some similarities to mine from a standpoint of my father too dealt with addiction, cocaine addiction, and my dad was a drug other as well. But then devil dep on both. He's burning on both sides. But then also lost my mom to cancer as well. No. Seven. So tell me about your upbringing, how instrumental your mom was in your upbringing, but then also you being able to mend your relationship with your father once he What is a question for you? How did y'all did y'all ask your dad? Where's the common sense? Did y'all have that talk? Like we have those We have those talks now, but I don't know back back then. Yeah, that's tough. Uh, you know, I think the toughest thing for me, probably the biggest, the biggest smack in the face is when you find out your your parents or parents on drugs. And my dad's thing was a discover. Everybody else knew but me. You know, I was the only niggaive didn't know my brother, and then they all was your dad on drugs? No? Not, yeah he is he on drugs. And I saw my dad buying drugs from my friend, and that's when it was like, oh, yeah, that's when it was real. That's when it got real. Uh. And then after that, when my dad had the awareness that we knew, my dad disappeared, you know, he he left because I don't. I don't think, well, I don't think I know now. He couldn't stomach the fact that we saw and knew what his reality was, so disappeared. Then I saw my dad years later on the train true story, on the train. I'm going to school. I went to George, Washington, and public transportation was the only way to get to school. So I'm literally on the train coming from school and I'm getting off at Broadinery and I saw my dad on the train and I'm like, oh, ship Dad. And my dad couldn't stomach that he was still in the same place left, So that's when it was like, oh, this is bad. And you know my brother. I think my brother took it upon himself after a certain period of time to kind of lead to chall and my dad getting helped my brother's older. So from my dad's role the recovery, it was enforced I can say, by my brother, by the there about because I'm even though I knew, I'm still oblivious. That's still Dad. You know what I'm saying. It's that hit me. It's not hitting me crazy hard. Dad is Dad. So I don't see the things falling apart. I don't see the true damage that my mom and my brother are witnessing. Still Dad, you know, Okay, I know he's on drugs. Were he here, He's doing something else where. He probably getting better. I'm I'm all in the world of denial and crazy assumption. So my dad's return was one of sobriety. So you know, I've never been the grudge holder. Um my mom was more of the grudge holder. Then my mom got you know, she got heavily in the God religion, found ways to uh release that aggression. Allowed me and my dad to build a relationship late stages of my teens going into twenties. You know, he was up and down with it, But I never judged. I never I never really held a grudge. So when my dad finally was good, we were good. When he wasn't good, we were still good. Uh. My brothers was different. My brother and my dad. You know, there's still a little different. They're good, but there you know, there's still some ship there. But I don't have it in me to to hold that. I don't. I don't. That's a lot. That's a lot to carry the burdens with you, you know, for the duration of your young adulthood, uh, going into your thirties, you know, thirties, thirty five. And I know some people deal with it. I'm blessed enough to say that I don't have that. I don't. I don't have that ability. So uh, me moving forward was all about, hey, man, when you're good, we're good. And he got good. Here's a house, here's a truck, you know, here go these grand babies. Here you go, man for a couple of days too. By the way, hold him. Yeah, I'm literally like, you know, I don't. I don't. I don't have that, uh that problem. So I think for for my dad, I think the happiness from him comes from the ability to standing these mistakes, living them, but know that there is no judgment. And I'm great because of the ship that you did, especially in this monster in l A. You know, you don't do drugs. You know, you don't go down that road. I'm a I'm a completely different animal problem. You know, who knows what I'm trying, who knows what I'm dabbling in. So I credit I credit a lot of my you know, reasons to stay away and no, that's not for me to my dad. So I find I find the positives and those negatives. So when you talk about the upbringing rough, it may have been um, but both managed. You know, I'm a I'm a mama's boy at heart. She did a great job while my dad was going through a ship of holding down the fort and me and my brother were raises to amazing men because of her and her devotion, And my dad came in and cleaned up what he could when he could. You found a safe spot through humor. I think in your comedy act you're someone who can laugh at yourself, pokefund yourself, and kind of really be transparent. How early did that come? Because I know my coping mechanism at a young age was staying with friends. I started smoking weed. That was kind of my getaway. What was your kind of let me get away from? Just although I learned from it, the clouds at a young age. Well, I mean one thing we share, we all you know, we all thugs. So you know as uh, you know, as a young a young killer that had to you know, get it together because when I was younger, all I had was the right, So I had to put these up. Yeah, you know, I don't even get in details about that with y'all. Uh No, man, humor. Humor was my way to avoid the bullshit. So I knew everybody that was about that life. I knew everybody that was real. You know, we're talking Erie, You're talking yeah, yeah, yeah, you you. I'm in the heart of it, not not down the street from it, not three blocks away, not fift No, I'm in the heart of it. I'm in the ship. Uh. And at this time, this is when erie AV probably had the most attention that it's ever had. This is when major figures and the world of rap uh you know, shouts out to Guilly. At this time, you know, we we were being put on because of the individuals. So the attention that came with that in the the want to prove who and what people were was was high at that time. So, um, the only way to be accepted was through That's the funny boy. That's that's a little that's a little hard. My brother used to sell drugs. My brother was into the ship, so that's a little rob Hart brother. That's forty brother. And people just let me be around. But I never overstayed my welcome and out be funny. But I was home before the lights came. More. My mom was very strict, very very strict, very strict. So because I had all these extra correct activities, I didn't have the same outlets. You know, I didn't have the luxury of staying out all night just being on the corner talking ship joking. I could do it during the daytime, but then to night, I'm I'm either that practice swim practice the only black nay that was down there swimming. But you can swim though swims because not everyone has a microphone from cause swim, No they listen. The crazy thing is are you say you say you can say can you swim? I'm just like you, honestly, you knew. I couldn't for you to say that. You say, you do the shirt and swim as long as when I get tired, I can stand up. What that would you have to swim? If you can stand up six eight. I can swim in anything. So you can walk. You can walk in water. No, I can swim. It's swimming. I can swim until I get tired. I can't just what I came master, Okay, I came after the dog pedal, floating in one place. The floating in one place, a little dog you call it was called the dog pedal? What it called the dog doggy paddle? What is it called? The dog? Said the dog pedal? Yeah, what is it not that it's not the dog pedal? You ain't setting us back right now? Place got damn Well, it's a group of white people going told you right now. They told you you know what I'm saying. And we don't skate because we've been skating with the nice old life. I had a bunch of extra correctly activities. Man, swimming was definitely one of them. But I've never not been the funny guy. I've never not been entertainment. I've never not been the reason for a laugh. So the world of comedy was it was always in me. But um, as far as a job in the title for you know that I that I saw success in That was a discovery that came later on when the options were brought up to me, but naturally that was always the reason to be left alone. Nobody really fussed with me because Kevin's the cool guy. Leave Kevin Longi's a little rob part buddy funny and ship let cat come around. It was always funny. Dudes are always welcome, always always no problem. Plus I was a thug. It was a funny combo with the phone combo. What were some of the people that inspired you growing up? Like shows or comedians? I mean, I know that I know the answer is always you know you want to go to the biggest comedians, But the biggest inspiration is my mom before you can even get the comedy. Because you gotta understand drive when you're talking about entertainment, right, any any level of entertainment, any level of accomplishment in life, there's a high level of drive that you need to have venue to attached to, set goal to try to accomplish whatever, right are you willing to stay true to it, work on it, and go through the ups and downs to get to whatever the end is. So my mom the reason to say she was the inspiration because without the constant, repetitive conversation of start what you finish or finish what you start um or you know, we don't quit. You know what we don't do is leave stories untold. I got a bunch of these things in my head from my mom. You know, you don't leave room for people to complete the sentences that you left incomplete. Finish your sentences, Finish the things that you put your mind to. It's always stuck with me. So I'm now able to look at the people that acted as like, oh my god, I wish you know, Eddie Murphy's the obvious answer. But at that point I don't have access to Eddie Murphy. You see what he's doing, but that's not in my reality. I don't think that's that don't exist, man, that's crazy. But these comedians that I do see on a day to day that are living life comfortably. Man, These guys are working every weekend. These guys are getting on stage. That's what I want. That's how do I get that? So my my individuals it progressed over time to Ray Gordon, Keith Robinson. You know these are names that summer most may or may not know, but this was my reality of consistency to Ray Gordon, and he was at the laugh house every weekend. He was a host, he was on stage. This guy was funny as hell. Man. I wish, I wish I could tell a joke like that. Keith Robinson going back and forth from Philippine, New York on stage every weekend in New York. Every comedy club loved him, Every owner knew him, every comedian showed him, loved damn. I wish, how do I get that? Then when you get in that, it's like, oh, ship, I'm here. I got that. Man. Guess who came to the comedy club today. Damian Williams was in here today. Oh my god, man, George Wallace, Colin Quinn, Holy shit, Ray Romano, Seinfeld, Oh my god, I'm starting to see bigger and bigger to me. I wish then you get there. Well, now that the conversations are changing, now the rocks, the Chappell's of the world, you know, it starts to change. So now when things are closer in arms reach your your inspiration changes. But I, you know, just giving information. I don't start with the biggest where I didn't start with the biggest. JB. Smooth, who does real husband's Hollywood? With me? I joke with JB. All the time coming up, JBS laughed that he would get with different I wish I could get those laughs. Goddamn, how do I get that? You know? Cat Williams. I remember it was a point where I was touring with Cat. Damn. I wish, I wish I could get that. Go down the list, Mike Gaps, all these people there was. I was a guy that saw the opportunity of these from watching simply what was going on in front of me. But I baby stepped it. I didn't. I didn't. It wasn't the thing that I wasn't believable at first. It was the It was the chopping of it. And and as I got closer, the different people served as inspiration at different times. You know, you gotta I think you gotta keep doing that. Like right now, Dave Chappelle acts as an inspiration. I mean, motherfucker just keeps turning them out. I don't know where the fund he's getting from. He just keep doing it. Another special another of this ane of that because not like I don't work hard, What the fund is they doing? God damn, Dave, what are you doing? Man? My jello man, I love it. Inspiration rock inspiration. So I love to find drive, um and and reason for self input from watching you know, other people grind, other people get after it. It's no, it's no no, no hate that exists from from Okay Hart. It's only envy and love, and I find fire within that. Obviously, today being one of the biggest comedians in the world, one of the biggest movie stars in the world, your grind, your struggle, obviously, what's tough. Talk to us about your first gig, because I know that didn't start off too well. Ship first stand of gig, first standing, the first bad one. The first bad one is a famous story. Sweet Cheeks. It was a male strip club. I didn't even know at the time. It was called Seeks to take what you can get. You didn't know it was called Sweet Cheeks, called Sweet Cheeks very well. Could have been a place that serves apples, I mean sour patch kid, I don't know anything. Could have been a candy house. We all, I don't know. They said they want to have comedy show. I was one of the comedians. I'm out, I'm going that Sweet Cheeks listen, man. I performed at a bowling alle and they was throwing strikes while I was doing punchlines. I can give you. I can give you bad stories that a crab shock. I performed at a crab shack and I could hear niggas cracking crabs. Yes, man. So the thing with me, oh you got that's a big one man. That's a big one man. Yeah. Yeah, the back y'all hear mate, alright, just checking to see people picking up crabs slam. I'd have been and some ship. Uh. Sweet Cheeks was definitely the worst though. Sweet Cheeks. It was just raunchy. It was just it might have been some of the worst just vulgar people, man. Uh. And they didn't want comedy. These people didn't want comedy like it was just a mixture of people that came to drink and the comedy and the comedy show was the ship that they would give the comedians. That was the comedy. It wasn't the comedians. The comedy was was them fucking with the comedians, and it was what what can medians are bold enough to go? So you know, I was never a bit about it. I'm going, yeah, I'm like, I'm gonna go, it's gonna be what it's gonna be. And I the first the first time was rough through a through a chicken wing at me. It's a true story. Through a buffalo wing at cone. I never get sauce and everything. Pat pat connected, Flush, flush little sauce out of my eye a little bit, trying to man know who the fun through it? You know, at the end of the day, I'm a man. Shut up. Bit you can hear in the back funk off the stage. All right, all right, y'all, yeah, all right, Plaly put the mic back in the stand and I remember that was that was the moment though, That was the That was the moment where I sat my car. I sat in my car with me and it's got named Big J. And you know we were the one his name. I know, I know it sounds. Make sure we stay on track. I'm not gonna run from it. You're not gonna You're not gonna have me fucking go to an ultimate route based off of his nonsense. I'm gonna stay with it. Uh. We We're in the car and and you know this is that was like one of the moments where it was like this ship man people throwing chicken and ship I think I'm maybe nineteen nineteen years old, you know this is this is this ain't it, and he's supposed to be this, this is where, this is what it's gonna be. You know, twenty dollars traveling to Pare for tars some food, and I was like, you know what, I'm going back. I'm gonna go back. And I ended up going back to Sweet Cheeks a couple of times because they had a hard times booking comedians. Nobody wanted to go, so they only took the people that would come because the list was small, and I remember the numbers started to grow a little bit, like fifty dollars, they start offering more money, fifty seventy five, and I went. I started just handling the crowd differently, and it got to the point where they started working with me, showed me love. The host that was once there, he didn't want to do it no more. I said, I'll do it, I host, I'll bring the comedians. And I ended up flipping the room. So the room that didn't like comedy started the love comedy, and the comedians that didn't want to go I started to get to come, but I was set the room up better, so comedians were having successful sets, and I was known as the guy that was running Sweet Cheeks for a minute. But that was the that was my moment of I'm I'm I'm gonna be okay. There's there's no there's no environment that I'm not going to be comfortable in. If I found comfort in this, and you know, for a while it was going back and forth and just doing that, but that was like my workout room for a minute, and you couldn't tell me nothing. I was happy. I was happy. But then when I started to go to New York, and then I flipped it and I went mainstream. Now you're getting the opposite, right. I'm used to being vulgar. I'm used to really being in your face, yelling, doing X, Y and Z. While I saw that I didn't have to, I could be more reserved. I had to learn how to flip those rooms. And then I found the balance and I would just do both. So when most were staying true to one side, I was. I was doing it all. And that's how I ended up just saying, Okay, no more Sweetcheets, I'm just going to New York. And in New York, I found the rooms that were on the same line and Sweet Cheeks, and I would do those and I would still do the mainstream rooms and then I kind of figured out the balance in between so I didn't have to change from this person this person, and then I could just be myself as how I figured it out. But Sweet Cheeks was definitely the worst fucking environment I've ever been to. Hit me with a buffalo wing not forget it, M sucking my face up. I'm sorry. How did you come up with your own style? Like? What? Was it just natural? No? You You you go through that phase where you try to imitate what you think is good. I was being a character of what I thought was funny and JB Smooth once again, shots out of JB Smooth was a big part of that. Chris Tucker early on the Chris Tucker's career, Chris Tucker, you know, these people have such an impact that when you watched them, you were like, that's what I gotta do. I gotta do some of that. JB was so physical. I was like, that's what I gotta do. I gotta be physical. And you're trying to do this stuff, but you're not being yourself and self as a discovery right like when you when you finally get comfortable enough to go, I'm I'm I'm funny me. All I gotta do is be me. Let them know who I am. Talk about me. It's gonna work. It didn't hit until I was doing longer shows. I started doing these colleges and I was doing like thirty minutes, forty five minute shows, and I was running out of material at no more material. All the jokes that I wrote, they were, you know, they were falsified. You ever you ever see somebody man, I can't stand when black people but white people. It was a bunch of that ship and I had nothing. And it was like a fifteen minute stretch where I just started talking about my day of getting to the school. All the ship that I had to go through. I was in like Bismarck, North Dakota. We had to do a rental car drive. I was in a Dodge Neon driving through a storm and we barely made it to the show. He was in the motel. I was just talking about the day. People were rolling at my natural conversation, but I was being myself. It wasn't an added voice on. It was nothing. And I was like, this is what I needed to tap into. This is the this is the sweet spot. And once I figured that out, I kind of hit the ground rolling and I was around the time We're Growing Little Man. I started putting that hour together for Growing Little Man, and that was that was when I figured out, I don't have to be a character of this version of funny that I think exists. It should come from just being being myself. Once I had that, the ball was out of the park. Look back, coming up in an age that didn't have or wasn't able to use social media and the internet the way we did. How was promoting yourself back then? When you're first coming up comic named Dane Cook, Dane Cook, Dane Cook. When my Space was big, right my Space, it just hit and it was all about the page. It was all about your MySpace page. It was all about you know, comments and going back and forth. I don't even think it was comments. I think it was your inbox. You had like an inbox and people can message you, you can message people. And he was just crushing, you know. He was the biggest guy going at the time. And I found out what he was doing was, you know, he had email lists. He had he had like email lists, and every time he went back to this place, he was sending blast out I'm coming back. And he built this relationship with these people the time of the time and as I was coming up. You know, I believe that people give you a blueprint for you to understand and and grow from it. Information is free. You know, you choose to use it. That's that's up to you. That's your personal costs. If you don't see the value and free information, well that's that you. I see the value and information. So I I started going to comedy clubs and I had little cards, information cards. I would leave them on the tables and the end of my show, I was like, fill out the information cards. Fill them out. People do it. We would come around, I would pick them all up, and I will put a little paper clip on them, and I will put Cincinnati. And then we'll go to my computer and we will put Cincinnati, put all the emails in, and did that for every city on the comedy club. Now, granted these are half four rooms, they're not they're not big rooms. But then I'm right back after I just left. So this comedy club tour went like sixt eight months. I did them all. All right, it's time to go back out. Let's go the same route that we went last time Cincinnati, I'm coming back. Holy ship. The room grew then we like three quarters four we almost sold out or they're selling out, were like three quarters full. Damn. It's like this every where we go and the people, the people are coming back. All first things first, we gotta get new material. You can't. You can't come back and recycle. They're coming back. Okay, let's learning less number one. Let's write some jokes. Let's get some ship. Alright, time to go back. Hit him up again. And I'm selling out, selling multiple shows. More people are coming out with these people telling other people, Um, I got a relationship. I have a relationship with my Oh, this is a fan base. This is the definition of a fan base. I got one. It's growing. I need to be consistent with this. I didn't stop that until social media got big. That was my way of connecting. That's how I got to theaters. That's how I got out of comedy clubs. It was from the constant connection and interaction with my comedy fan base. And once social media started to get bigger, well, you no longer needed the email addresses because you had an act name, so those people followed you. So now I'm just saying Cincinnati, I'm coming back, and everybody that follows me is looking. And the people from Cincinnati that follow me where they all normal on social media because I I blasted all my stuff out to them. So when I first joined, I got my whole email list. I'm sending all of them, here's my Twitter name. Follow me on Twitter. Well those numbers started to shoot up. So now I'm just following the same agenda. So social media just gave me access to what I was already working hard to have access to. I just never I never liked. I never went away from it until this day. I don't. I don't go away from it. So whether it's comedy movie, whether there's something I'm producing, whether it's an event wherever, I have a direct relationship with my fan base. And I think that's a major key to success in today's time. You know, your ability to market, promote, uh and not necessarily be available, but just be present to those that want to see your presence. It's extremely important. Starting at cheeks, well maybe we just call it was my cheeks, sweet cheeks, to just call it a comedy a comedy room, sweet Cheeks st club, but it was you know, but that's just me being honest with you, guys. I feel always but starting there and eventually, like you said, working away at of comedy clubs, the theaters too. Now you're doing stadiums. Tell us about that process, what you've learned about yourself, and just do you ever have an aw moment? Because both being retired athletes, we did a lot of great things in our career, but you never got to appreciate them until you've got a chance to sit back. Obviously you're still in the mix, daily routine, grind. Do you ever just sit back and like, motherfucker, I just sold out so and I'm chocolate dropped. No, you know what he on social media like three weeks ago and layout all this. I'll tell you the part that you have to like, the part that you gotta really you gotta take two steps back and just reframe from right, I think the accomplishments are surreal. I can't believe that telling jokes has taken me to this place that I now and then in life in my career, right, there's no real blueprint. You can see what other people have done, but it's not guaranteed that that's gonna work for you, Right, Like I said, it's just information. So what people put on display you can take in and go that's dope. They did it this way or it was done this way. Damn. Okay, I want to follow this. I'm gonna try this, but then I want to manipulate it to making my own You can. You can kind of create your own lane after following your lane, and then you break off into whatever space and and maneuver however you very much feel and and want to. It happened so fast. I told you I was in the comedy clubs and I was working these these email addresses. That was it was work. Then my team going to malls passing out flyers. I was really my man on the street. I did the work. So when you look up and they go, oh, ship, you sold out four shows at the comedy club, we're gonna add to Okay, dope, Yo, we were adding you had ten shows for the weekend. Huh, what do you wanna do? You want to do three? Three, three and three? I'm at twelve shows on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Wait, what does this happen? No? Yo, you this is crazy. You're coming back again next year? I think so keV, I'm gonna talk to you about theaters. Okay, should we do it? Let's try it. Oh funck, we just sold out two shows. This theater sold out three shows. Oh, ship man, we're doing the theaters. Let's go to arenas. No, not yet, I gotta understand this theater. Ship, I do one of the theaters. What we're doing three and four shows? Kevin, you gotta do arenas like we're missing out an opportunity. No, I'm gonna wait. I do the theaters. I right then I go to the arenas. Holy fuck, we're doing two and three shows in Arenas. So now you you you look up in your averaging, you know, thirty forty thousand people. This is going through laughing my pain. Let me explain what now? Irresponsible? Those tours that's over an eight year period. Put a two year gap in between. My numbers never dropped, So you're looking at an eight year run. By the way, it's still not over. I just don't have time to go out right now. The pandemic also, I didn't have time to go out. Then, don't sunk this up. That's special. I didn't four weeks. I put together in four weeks. I just put an hour together. I was like, yeah, pandemic, people need some content. If I get like a little place to work out, I'll put an hour together fast. I didn't put it out. I still very much can go out on the road. But it's like, now, fuck, I now get to look back and go, oh, ship, look at the numbers, Kevin, look at the Look at the fucking numbers. Look at the stadium. I was. I had a microphone. I didn't have h like, there was no get it was. Had a microphone for an hour and a half, I did a football stadium. Goddamn god. That's that's that's a little insane. So I'll be honest, the pandemic really had me sit down. And that's when I got to look back because I've been running so fast, I've been haul ass and I've yet to really sit and look. So this, this run that was supposed to be a moment of fame, well, I mean you you're your fifteen sixteen years of it now. So for movies to stand up and everything, it's a little crazy to go, wow, how do we get here? And now that you're here, we're now the game changes because now it's not about how you got here. It's about staying there or are you trying to stay there? And it's about the constant conversation attached to you and what you were and what you used to be and what you did and not what you are now, you know what I mean? Like, it's like now you're in the conversation of growth and maturity and life differences and well, I'm at a different place creatively. But people want to you know, you're well, we want where's where is this? Niked well and he was twenty four, he was twenty eight, he was thirty and forty two, forty two, like, you know, my environments changed. So we we had a conversation before and you know, they're like, what are you gonna call the next special? And I was like, I'm gonna call it confused, Like what what at this point? What do you? What else do you do? So I now look at it from a different lens, and I'm so envious of Chappelle and where he is because he's found his second gear and creative, He's found that second gear. He was already a star, went away and then he he rebuilt his star. Will Smith was already a star, went away, came back, rebranded and built his star. That's what stars fucking do. Stars gotta be stars. That's how I'm a star. Watch this. So now it's like I'm gonna do stand up. But I gotta I gotta find the thing. I gotta get the the next bump of the thing, so I can be excited about the thing. The movies are getting bigger, but I'm also excited the fact that I'm I'm producing them, I'm creating them. I'm excited that I got a company that a partner to these motherfucking monsters. Now that's my excitement. Radio talking understanding people, Well you that's my excitement. The business side of the business, the business side of the business. So you know, the beauty of fucking getting older is the growth. So we talk about looking back. I look back at it, but I can't duplicate none of that ship no more. I'm not the same. I can't do that ship no more. I I may not ever see that that level of heat again. But I can find the level of fun and the craft and and and then find the level of balance that I want to have with where I am in life now. But that ship, it's unheard of. If you go look at those fucking numbers. People have no idea. There's number ones across the board towards comedies, biggest, go look at it. It's unheard of. When you go look at the list for stand up specials in the top three, top ten, I'm in there three times. That's stupid. I ain't getting back there. They're gonna sit my stupid ass down on the stool and figure it out because I can't chase that. So the pandemic made me realize that. It made me just sit in the moment of being blessed enough to have seen that and now find new success and with this what this stage presents, you know what I mean? That's that for me is the is the most mind blowing thing about looking back. And you know, for you guys are quite sure it's the saying you said, you're both retired. I watched the goddamned Malice in the Palace sh It you forget. I watched it on TV. My appreciation for the moment now was different looking back at it. You go, that was history. That's a moment in history. Goddamn, I remember that I was alive in witness history. That's excitement for me being able to look back and reflect on things like that and in life in my career. That's why I'm at mentally and finding the new gear, the new reason, that's the priority. But it's not until I get that that I'm gonna do that. And I just think about all that coming from paper soldiers. Paper soldiers, I'm tell you who's gonna let it? Shouts out to damn Dash. Shouts out the dame Dash for paper soldiers in a fucking brilliant accident, right place, right time. I'm at a comedy club. Name just happens to be sitting in the comedy club, sees me perform. You know that do funnier ship? Yo, you want to do a movie. They didn't have the movie fucking together at the time. You just do telling me something I don't know what to believe. Cool, Yeah, let me get your number. Follow through the movie ends up happening. Paper soldiers. The reason why I got tapes, audition tapes, pilots Classic's hood classic. That's what classic classic, shouts out the smoky shots out the beans. I mean, Charlie Murphy, r I P. That's what early two US two ship. Yes, that's very maybe two thousand, two thousand three two thousand four. I think I got leave when that ship dropped two thousand four. All of my all of my classes in the beginning, we're successful, Uh, bootlegs and flops. So playing was supposed to be the biggest move ever and ended up being the biggest bootleg of all time. It's a classics. That's what got me the Comedy Club. So you take that movie away, and if it doesn't get bootleg the way that it did, it's not going to have the box office success that it had. The movie traveled because of the bootleg marking. So my fame, my fame grew from the bootlegs. It was lucky. I got lucky, right projects, right down. What was the transition for you, like coming into acting early on from being a comedian another accident. You don't You don't see it happening. I wish that I could have the the best stories of This was my plan and this is why I knew it would happened all all right place, right time. Were you acting for you weren't acting before the now? Yeah, it's the first thing I've ever the first camera that was ever put in my face, first came I ever put in my face. First lines that somebody ever told me to read back. No, no, fucking like real practice was ever put into the craft. Nothing. I was thrown in there, and I just so happened to do the job. After doing that, it was, oh ship, this is what happens after Because you hear about it, you see it. Remember def jam comedians, that deaf jam and the ones that really popped, they went on to be movie stars. Right you go, and you really look at the the trajectory that's attached to comedy. Well, comedians were supposed to pop on these on these big comedy shows, be a deaf jam comic view at the time, and from that you were supposed to get a TV show or a movie if you were good enough, one of those opportunities would come. So if you really go down the list, look at Bernie Mac, the Bernie Mac Show, look at such a the entertainer, Look at Steve Harvey, look at D. L. Hugley, You look at Martin Lawrence, Um, you know, Chris Tucker, Mike gaps Cat, you look at these things. They all all of the big pop came from that first that first bang. And if your first bang was correct and if it was loud enough, this is what we're supposed to come with. It didn't happen like that. I didn't. I didn't. I didn't get that. I saw other people get that, but it wasn't didn't seem like it was gonna be my reality. I was doing those I did the deaf Jam later on, but by time I did it, it wasn't deaf Jam. The the the big bang behind the name wasn't there. It was still death Jam. But you said it like that death Jam. Back in the day, it was deaf Jam. You gotta see death Jam. It wasn't that BT Comic View. I did it. It wasn't Comic View Ricky Smiley when they had it. When that, when those big names were going through it, it was different. But by time I came along, it was, you know, it was just wortered down a little bit. The opportunities weren't the same, so I didn't know where that opportunity was gonna come from. Minds came from Caroline's Comedy Club, Dame Dash seeing me, I do payer Soldiers, I get a tape. I end up getting other auditions. I somehow auditioned my way into several pilots that failed. That's another story of just failed fucking pilots. I go do Montreal just for last comedy festival. When I do the festival, I get a lot of heat from the industry. This is Hollywood, mainstream Hollywood. Get a deal, this is supposed to be it. Get a TV show. TV show gets picked up. I'm about to be a star. I got my show. Here it comes. Show fucking gets dropped. While I'm at the upfronts up front or where they announced your new TV show. They're about to announce me. I'm about to go up. Somebody put their hand on my chest. Mr Hard Wait a minute, I'm sorry, you're not going up. Somebody back to talk to you. My manager comes running back. They're not picking up the show. What the funk? They just said us? Wait, but I'm here. What do you mean not picking it up? I'm in New York. I flew the whole cast down. Use my money. There's the biggest moment of my life. What do you mean? I'm ABC t G. I thank god it's Friday, the Big House. Kevin, you gotta move what right hand one hand on this? You gotta move you Kennedy's You're up. That moment's over all right then, So plane comes, So planes it here, it comes, so plane get bootleg. God damn, what's going on. He's done. We're not giving no more chances. That was my starring movie. That was my starring TV show. Both flopped. I went back to stand up, grinded, stayed true to the road. My numbers got big. Will Packer saw me at the airport once again, fucking accidental success. I just so happened to be coming while Will Packers going at the time. Will Packer did stop the yard. I believe that he did. Takers. I believe the Takers was was the movie with a dress Alba t I. I think that was the other one. Um, and he had another one he had he had um, he had one more that he had did with Clint Cole Pepper and screen Gems. And he said, dude, I got a movie for you. I heard about all the stuff that you're doing on the road in comedy. I got a movie called Think Like a Man. Keep in mind, I've been doing all these little guest spots in these movies, but nothing sticking. Along came Polly Scary Movie three four. I mean, I'm just I'm just in ship like it's funny, but I'm just in it. I don't it's not like I'm I'm an actor. I'm just in it. Like these are all blurbs and moments. I'm like, well, this is what it's gonna be. I'm going back to comedy because this ain't. This don't look like it's gonna be it. Will Packard thought he was just another producer talking. Calls me back, I think like a man, and you want to do it. I'm in I think like a man. Becomes the biggest success ever and I popped in the movie. I had a great cast, and that cast set me up. They just kept giving me lives all day. I mean, well this time, you know, this is probably when I was in my hype prim Yeah I was. I was about five four and a half. I was filming that movie. Uh, but you know, we had a great cast to Ragi, Gab Meghan, Michael Ely, Romney Malco, Jerry gar Gary, Gary O. And I mean, I hope I'm not leaving anybody out. But Tim's story directed and this movie it blew. Movie was twelve million dollars to make. We ended up doing like ninety plus man in the box office. All of a sudden, people think Kevin Hart's the guy. Well, I've been around for a long time and then just come out of nowhere. But now will Packers say, I got another movie for you? All right? What is it? Right along? Alright? Me and Cube or the script been around for years. They could never crack the code. Cube figures out that I'm into it. Q put his hand on it. He's a great producer, shape molded managed it correctly. This thing I know right along happens. Movie calls twenty million dollars to make. We do one fifty in the box office. Oh ship people fucking with Okay hard they come back? You want to do another ride along? I sure fucking do. When when will Packard? Before we do that? We're gonna do a movie called About Last Night and Regina Hall. We just keep on knocking out these movies and I just keep on hitting. That's a celebrity crash much, Regina Hall, get out of here. You're I'm working with it right now. We're doing a movie called Me Tom just holding me to just change everything. Really weird over there. I'm very weird, I'm gonna tell you. Said. But Regina Hall pound of pound, funniest female on camera nobody, And I say that confidently nobody can hold a match to Regina. So now I'm getting I'm getting these I'm getting these partners and everything he's going correctly. Well, Domestic were crushing. How do I get international? Man, Will Ferrell? We go do get hard? After that, man, DJ, we go do central Intelligence. So it just kept just kept on growing and getting bigger. But I will give a shout out to my my partner, my brother, Will Packer, because when we knocked the first and out of the park, nobody taught me to produce or what to do next. He saw that we did an amazing job in this. He went and created and found these opportunities, and he kept on bringing him. He kept on bringing him. I did about six movies with Will Packer, back to back to back to back, and I didn't change it at all until this day. Man, Will. We pride ourselves on still working together, still development projects, uh, still producing together. But my all the knowledge and understanding that I have for that world they came from Will Packer. Too many game inside of U. You name three big names that I kind of want to touch on real quickly. First, Will Farrell, what was it like the funniest guy. Please tell me how how hard was it? Will Farrell. Will Farrell is the funniest. He may be the funniest person on two ft. I'm talking naturally, I'm talking. No, I'm talking. I'm talking showing up from from showing up to work to going home. The nicest guy in the world. But I'm talking. I'm talking to different gear, a different gear with funny. There's nobody, nobody clothes, no nobody clothes. He will will show up like everything was a bit. So you you gotta figure out that he's in a bit. Like when you show up at work. He's like, morning, you eat breakfast? Right, I'm like, no, I ain't breakfast? Why not? I don't. I don't I didn't want breakfast. You gotta eat breakfast. I don't know. I don't. I don't want to. Not if I want to, you gotta like, you know, I'm talking regular. He's in a bit, though, He's just he's just gonna see how long I go back and forth he went on this breakfast Conversation's like, I'm not gonna start to you get something. I'm like, what, you gotta put something on your stomach. I'm not gonna start working with you to you put something your stomach because you're not gonna be your best breakfast. He starts Greg breadcasting Breaklet load him up, like load him upright, bring this fucking plate and this guy like everything everything on it, Pancakes, get in there. He's fucking funny man. There's nobody, nobody closed, nobody close to first, Nobody close the rock. I love you guys dynamic because it's just such a big physical difference. But you guys playoff that so well and everything you do. DJ DJ is a a talented guy, and we we get along so well because we find similarities and how we approach the craft, right, like we have a mutual respect and understanding for where we've come from, where we are now and when we when we met, DJ was having crazy international success. I was having crazy domestic success, right, so his his his role to becoming that international movie star. It was it was clear like he was on his way, um one the domestic side. I was crushing. So we we met. I think we met it like, uh, there was an MTV Movie Awards. We met backstage and we talked and he was like, dude, we gotta figure it out. We gotta do something together, and we were we we were true to that. We try to figure it out. And the reason why because we one of those two things to combine. And that's what Central Intelligence was about. Central Intelligence was about us coming together and trying to find a comedy that could take us over the water internationally while fulfilling the need for comedy domestically, because at the time, you know, comedy was low key. It was low ki dying. Like you know, if you if you go look back at that Tom frame and comedy there there weren't a lot of successful comedies. Uh. You had um Wallburg's movies with Ferrell Um that were crushing um. You know, you had Me and Packers movies that we were doing um and you know the hangovers that came a couple of times far a few and then between. We're question but the attempt for comedy from so many others it was it wasn't doing well so international. They didn't think that it could translate, especially if you had like you know, people of color in it. So our reason for doing that was to show that we're on the opposite side of that conversation, that we could very much do it. Central Intelligence ended up being now a reason for continuing a relationship. We had a great time filming it. Crazy success that we went on, and and your weight room sessions where you're getting fake blood and putting change right in the right Let me carrying them everything. It's a secret weapon. My back hurts carrying that. You're anybody Obviously you're coming up in your start in your own world, but then you're crossing into this other world. Anybody you were in awe working with four second until Uh, I'll say, I'll go behind the uh, I'll go behind the lens and I'll say Donna Langley from from Universal UM who just a monster when it comes to business, and and the way that she worked her relationships with talent to exect other studios, I was. I was very UM. I was blown away by her approach to the business craft right and what I learned from her without her probably even knowing it was the true world of marketing, p a uh, promotion development, her and Peter Kramer. I'm gonna shoutut Peter Cramer too. UM that Universal Identity at that point served as amazing partners for me um and and really helped elevate my success. So for me, it was It wasn't about the talent. It was about the understanding of the business. Because my thing is, I don't want to be a work for hire. How how do I become a partner? So I was really trying to attach myself to the brains that could that could really help this partnership. And I would say, uh, Universal, Donna Laneley, Peter Krame, and Ron Meyer, Jeff Shell, that whole group at the time, they allowed me to really generate that partner like relationship to the point where now moving forward, fast forward, where I am now company and everything built. Well, I'm a partner so now I'm with Netflix. But the knowledge and stuff that I have and the company and foundation that we've built um at Heartbeat is is one that's put us in position to execute. So you know, the movies and stuff that we're doing with Netflix are amazing, But all that knowledge and stuff came from the information and and and I can say, like love that I got Universal. So that's who I was envious because that's who That's who showed me the business world Packer two because he was in that bubble. You touched on what I was heading to next outside of just being the talent. Now you're in the business of the business. So talk to me real quick about the three companies you found in Heartbeat Productions, Love Out Loud Network, and Heartbeat Ventures. Hove inspires me, Jay Brown inspires me. And it's because outside of the thing that they did, they they found new success in being in the rooms that we weren't supposed to be in, right, which is huge, massive. So you don't know about these rooms that exists, right, you don't, Bye bye, you don't. I'm talking about our culture. We're not We're not privy to certain environments because they don't exist for us there they're far fueling in between. Um. But when it comes to that other side of revenue, when it comes to the other side of its relationships, well, the success that's over there, it is over there for a reason because it's all connected. And I was like, how do how do I get there? How do I get over there? What are the moves that that people are truly making? And what is it that I'm not seeing or that I'm not getting? What do other people not see or get and not on purpose? What wasn't given to them for for them to understand it? That existed? And I learned it was all about ownership. You know, what what can you own versus not on how much can you actually control? What? What I p can you develop? What? What are your resources to control your world? Your brand? And I started to figure out ownership within myself and I used the ownership within myself to find ownership within my entity. And that entity became another entity because I figured out, well, here's film, here's production. But this can be distribut you should, this can be streaming. Holy sh it, this can be audio. Oh my god, this is another world, you know. Uh. Me and Charlottagne we just started a company with Audible where we created a company Audible acts as our partners, but we own this company. And we were like, well, in the world of audio, especially within books, Uh, there's a there's a a gap between our culture and the rest of the world that's listening to books. And why is that? I don't think anybody is telling them right stories or giving the right material, the right opportunity for us to truly engage in the world of audio reading right, which is listening while you're working or doing whatever. So Charlottage and I came up with a great concept. We executed it, but these all actors, entities, heart Beat Ventures. Well, investing is real. You know once again our culture, this information isn't given to us about money, about financial gain. Right, finance, Your literacy is real, but it's also because of void. So I got great partnerships Chase, Chase bankers my real partners. All right, well, we can do our job and trying to figure out this financial literacy gap. Let's let's go to communities give the information at the same time or within Heartbeat Ventures. I now have access into these other rooms. Well, we invest in the right things, we backed the right companies. Our growth becomes high level growth with awareness and understanding that allows other people to see what I've done, to see that it's not something that's impossible. It's about getting the information. As soon as I have it, I give it. So all of these things act as my ecosystem, my brand, literature, audio, movies, TV distribution. Right then that branches off into ambassador roles, UH and other companies that you can own. So what else do I want to do? All right, Well, I'm getting in the world of alcohol. If you have to do that, I'm gonna release the goddamn amazing brand. Um that's TVD that's coming out. What else can I do? Well? What do I fucking like like watches? Okay, well I need to figure out my watch relationship. Me and ap are going to launch something amazing, okay within Fragrance and the world of Fragrance lotions. Well, I'm a guid it. I like to be fucking clean, I like to smell good. I like products. Well, if these things exist and this is what I use, why can't I embed them in my ecosystem? So many people are afraid to not do things because of the response, which you don't realize is that without no effort, there's no reward. I'm heavy on the effort. So all those entities that exist all based off of effort. And you know, I've been blessing enough to create a crazy ecosystem with a great team, and you know, until this day we seem to be right. But that's my priority now, growing and and having something that stands crazy, crazy, crazy high at the end of the day that my family, when it's all said and done, they take and they then do Yes, that's ours like this, That's what doesn't doesn't happen, right, we we we don't know the world to grow and sell we know the world of higher and get higher, but we should be a part of the grow and sell conversations as well. And I'm starting to see them happen more and more. But when I look at Tyler, when I look at Oprah, when I look at Hove, when I look at you know, Beyonce's doing amazing ship as well. Well, you know, these conversations are only attached to like five or six puff think about it. You gotta you gotta struggle to get to like eight names. For us, it's a struggle, and that's a problem. So the more that people kind of adapt this understanding and level of attempt within gaining information, I think, the more we'll see doors just fly open. That's why I'm at with it. Now we've learned how precious life is. I think since this pandemic and and and friends and family we've lost, and celebrities lost. September one, two thousand nineteen, you're in a bad car accident. Talk to us about that day and the experience, what you learn from it. I mean, it's the day I almost died, but then I woke up right Like, That's when the priorities changed, That's when life was different. You know, are you valuing the right things? Do you really value the correct things? And the correct things, of course are your loved ones, your your your family, And there's moments where you overlooked that because you're so caught up into the job, the money, the success, and you sometimes make your family secondary to all the moves that you got to make out here the accident slash pandemic so long as I've ever sat down in my life, but it's the best time that I've ever had because I got to see what matters the most and the value that came from that was prioritizing them in their needs in a way that I never have. And I think this is the beauty again old right, the beauty of getting older is you know, I'm a stepping a lot of ship, I'm a mess up a lot of shoes, and that's okay. I'm I'm okay with that. I don't I don't live in this world of false reality of perfection. And I think somewhere the lines I talked about this before, the lines have gotten blurred in today's time, Like you know, people are searching for that thing that don't exist. I'm fine with my funk ups. I'm fine with with every last one of them. And I love what comes from it because the person that you are in the conversations and stories that I'm able to share with this group of four, these fucking four people that look at me like yo, Dad, that's dad, Like I'm able to share some ship, good, bad, ugly that can hopefully put them in position to do the right thing in life. And even if they don't, they'll be fine because I know that I'm doing my job and owning ship when I do it, learning from ship, when I can educating myself when it's free, being okay with being flawed, showing that it's okay to get better all of the things that we struggle with in life. If I can be a product of that and be a better displayed to them, I take that every day of the week. The accident that was the lightbulb of making sure that I'm doing that correctly. Because you want to go, you want to go, you come back in this movie night. You mistake that is parenting. Sometimes, Hey it's Tuesday, we can't dinner. Everybody at the table. You got two hours and everybody eight. You mistake that is parenting. The pandemic was you know, you're you're in it kids sucking home every day every goddamned there was a conversation. So you know, I took a I took a lot of good out of it. And you know, it's unfortunate that had to come that way, but I take those messages from that big man upstairs. However they come. That was a message that I needed to hear. Talk to us about your your your your health and fitness, your workout routine and uh, Boss ever Lely, someone who trains both of us to go to your coffee. Um, the relationship you have with him too, because I think that's such a special He's a great dude. I've been training with him for a few years now, but you took it to another level and talk to us about that. I can say with Boss, I've been trying to get Jack in there. He won't come funk with us. But well, you know, my boss is Boss is a friend, a brother who took an opportunity of training and and bought value to me in the space that I never saw value coming. All of my health and wellness success, all of the business that's come from that, the money that's been made Ronald Boss Everline has led the charge and has been a major part of that. The idea of working out and getting in shape Boss, the consistency of why and the conversations that come with it in the morning, and it being bigger than just the workout, it being something for the mind too, Boss. The idea of financial health and financial fitness, combining the two. If we can get you in shape over here, we can get you in shape over here, Boss Chase, Nike Boss Boss, Me fathletics, the success from fathletics. The creative that comes with me now is fathletics. The face of men's and our growth is insane. What we're doing Me and Boss. The idea of comfort mixed with as leisure. The ability to make the decision of just being better for yourself. Me and Boss Boss's idea. Man, Hey, we don't want to reach all these people don't want to be great, keV. You can reach these people right here that just don't know like that they can, that they should. That's why messaging go to Boss. Boss is a valuable asset of creativity, and he's turned into an amazing businessman. And that's my brother. We don't we don't been through it. We've done We're done through blows. We've done argue to the to the to the to the top to the top level of arguing. But I would not have it any other way. When you talk about heart beat venturous Boss, I mean Boss now sits on boards that some of the biggest companies. I won't put his business out there too much. Boss sits on some of the biggest boards that you would not even imagine. I am a I am a hally. What's my position at Hydro? I'm a creative rector uh for Hydro? Right who amazing partners of mine. We have a row machine and we're doing great business. These opportunities come and have Kane because the Boss, because the Boss advisory boards health and wellness like it's insane. But because of the knowledge that I've gained from that man and the partnership that we've created, he's become more than just a trainer. He's now a business partner. He is a He is a real asset to this ecosystem that I have and he's done a great job. You know, I can only I can only credit them for creating the opportunity that he now has because it wasn't given. I didn't know it existed. He found Lane, showed me what we could do, and we started to do it and the awards came from it. So shout out to haul a k a record Ralph. You have to see record Ralph. Look at record Ralph, then look at boss face tomorrow. This course story as a fan watching the game and then the acting with the player. I got a lot. That's one I said when the backfired. Harden's is known by the way, none of them will, none of the went in my faith hardened in Philly hard and gave me fifty. He didn't get a sixty. He gave me fifty and and and said to me, said to me directly, I'm I'm gonna give him fifty because you won't shut up. Gave us fifty. Uh d wait, in the playoffs second half, gave us twenty seven. I did that. I'm responsible for that. Um responsible for that. No, I definitely am. The biggest one is uh we were in the playoffs against the Celtics. It's a road game, a fly to Boston. You know, it's the year we're supposed to get it done like this. This is the year where you know, I'm I'm I'm very hyped that we're gonna get it done. Just when Kauai and the Raptors they last second shot, we had Jimmy on the team. Man, go to Boston Celtics blowing them out, killing I'm talking ship to Celtics fans, shut up, everybody shut them on course. Now that's right. Boston sucks. I'm going at it. Don't they booing me boo? Fuck? Y'all going at it. It's second half game, just keep getting closer and closer. What's going on? Man? Come man, come on man, y'all can do something. The crowd. The crowd starts saying fuck Kevin Hard Kevin. You know, they came back out the lead, and I'm like, that's enough, Like, come on, man, seriously. At some point because of the point where I was like, I don't feel safe walking out of here early, I go to get up. It's like six minutes left in the fourth quarter. I gotta get up, walk out. Boom fuck came. Whole whole arena was sham fu Hard. I was like, well, I'm gonna stop. I'm gonna stop going to the games for a minute. Just let this cool off. I don't want this to stick to me. Uh So you know that. I didn't go to the playoff game for a minute because I'm superstitious. I was like, I'm I'm gonna stick out of it for a minute, and then I ended up going back then and I just can't help. I gotta talk shit. I have to talk ship, especially cause I know all the players. I gotta talk ship. I kill him too, kill him, Carmelo. I've I've definitely hit Carmelo. Told Carmelo he had prosthetic legs. Uh, who else? Who else? Have I hit? Hard? K Drake? Yeah? That was that's All Star game is fun. It's not malicious. Yeah, I'm not malicious at the All Star Game. It's a good time. It's a real good time at all Sorry. Regular season. If I'm there, Yeah, I'm I'm I'm coming at you, I'm saying I'm saying everything I can. I feel like I'm out there on the court. These count, Yeah, these count. I'm I'm hitting you with. Really, you're gonna laugh because you don't see him coming. I told a d his eyebrows was ahead band um hardened? Uh? I said hard. I said, Harden is on hormone pills. Look at his chest. You know this is when he was a little bigger. He's a little bigger checking now I just I just throw off the ship Draymond, Draymond. I'll go back and forth with Draymond and talks some ship back the Draymond's Draymond's fun. How manch you're gonna talk this year with your team? Real quick thoughts on Ben Simmons and then in that situation, because you're a big Philly fan fan, I have great thoughts on Ben Simmons. I'll say this on record, this Simmons is a fucking star. Philadelphia, man, we're different, a different city. And yeah, man, we there's I saw Philadelphia in front of mine. Guy I'm talking about Big James trying to talk out. His real name is Jay Agerson. Uh, Big jameson have a joke about a dog and uh James had his joke where he was at a football game and halftime the guy got a frisbee. He's just throwing at the dog. Just supposed to be catching the frisbee. Dog dropped a couple of times. They start bowing the fucking dog. It's the dog. Philadelphia is just a different city, man, And you know, look, you you gotta let players play like they play like like he got there by playing how he plays now. Granted this is a three shooting time in the NBA that ain't been He's not that guy. He's not that guy now because of the media and how they you know, position things. Well, somehow we forgot about all the good that he did. Wasn't an All star? Was he all defensive teams? I mean, what are we talking about here? So you know, you get to this stage in the playoffs where the lights are on. I understand it. People don't want nothing but results, and the results should come in and win. But I'm telling you, guys, as a point guard, that man stands at six ten, As a six ten point guard. If you're telling me that that's not a valuable asset, then I don't. I don't know basketball. I mean I know him. I think he's young. He's a great dude. He's got a great future and a great career ahead of him. And for him, this is nothing but a time to bear down and and each year show progressing. But you can't not I don't like that in this time today we forget. We forget so fast, we forget so fast, like that's what this generation prized himselfs on, Oh what when? What do you mean when he's do you know what all defensive team is? Do you all that means? Do we know what in the All Star what it takes to become a All Star? Do he do we understand that? Or do we just throw it out the window. I don't think with him, you you do that? And I think you know, granted they're saying that he wants out, I don't know. I've talked to him, so I'm not gonna put business out there. But wherever he goes, wherever he ends up, and Simmons is a fucking star, and and whoever gets that goddamn that fucking potential and that beast of a man, Oh well, you're gonna you're gonna see the bang for your buck. Uh. You know, for us, I think we still got we still got strength, We still got prim time fucking heat. You know. Joel is Joel Embiat. He's the best big man in the league. I love to bias. I love the role of these came in and presenting it played. I'm curious to see if Ben goes who we will bring in and try to pick up. But you know, DC Rivers as a coach. He's gonna get you to the places where you got an opportunity. Right, We're gonna have an opportunity. I think the question are what are the other pieces that we're gonna add to this particular puzzle. But I'm a Sixest family regardless. I'm a Ben Simmons family regardless. And I know the city of Philadelphia is very tough. Uh. We're hard on on all, not some, but all. Uh. And it's not like anybody can say they're a stranger to it. You know, you can go to the greatest that have come from my city. They've all heard the conversation of miles of Philadelphia fans. Iverson has heard the conversation of Philadelphia fans. I mean, it's what we are built and known for. Um. I just wish you the best, and I hope that wherever his his next opportunity is is the right one for him. I think he's talented, quick hitters. The last few questions. First thing to come to mind, let us no top five comedians of all time in your opinion? Top five comedians of all time? Um, Eddie Murphy in no particular order, Eddie Murphy, Uh, Dave Chappelle Chris rock Um, Jerry sein Felt. I'm going to say my last one. Damn, I think I'm gonna have to give my last one too. I'm gonna say Bernie Mack. And the reason why I'm gonna say Bernie Mack is because Bernie Mac. It was. It was a toss up between Bernie Mack and Martin Lawrence. Bernie Mac made vulgar, innocent as vulgar, as angry as it came off, there was a level of innocence to it, right and in his prime would I would hope that people will remember most is the true subject of what he was talking about. He was talking about his love for these kids that he took in step sister on drugs and all of this ship. It all had a dark tone to it, but it all centered around his love for these things. So I think it's a It's an unbelievable talent when you can mirror the two and pull a wall over a crowd's eyes to not see the true genius and what you're doing. And you know, subjects that he talked about, he he was just He's the only one that I think could have pulled that off. And the reason why it's like Martin is right there. Martin. I talked to Martin Onna on my podcast and I made Martin aware of Martin is the reason for the comedic stars of yesterday and the day before and something that are still able to be stars now. And what Martin and Russell Simmons did was create an environment where a simple arm around the shoulder or a simple come back out here meant that you were the fucking guy. A simple na na na come here man, y'all give it up again for my boy Martin saying that you are his boy. It gave you all the credentials that you ever needed. So Martin Lawrence is alignment with comedy and these people that we all are so invested in. You know, it's surreal that it's one of the biggest things for me in my career. Is like, Damn, I love where I am, but the the comedy moments that I was around for in the beginning of my career, but I was never able to do because of where I was. It's like, Damn, if I got to if I got to see any of that, it would be it would be ridiculous. And I'm just gonna I'll say one more because I gotta put the attachments to it the way I think Chappelle is operating at a different level right now. Chappelle is now operating at a different frequency that we've never seen in comedic talent. He is becoming a freedom of speech advocate. Wow, still being funny, Wow, being as controversial as you can be. Whow not doing TV and movies and only doing what he wants to do. He only does what he wants to do, stand up on his terms, his fucking time, his place, his backyard. Dave is now bringing the comedians of comedians to Ohio, the middle of nowhere, into what he feels is the best and safest place for comedy. It's groundbreaking what he's doing. It will never be duplicated. You'll never see it again because it's only one person that has the ability to be loved by every person in this fucking craft. To say, I gotta go funk with Dave. He's on a different frequency. Chris Rock is up there because it's consistency. Once again, people fucking forget you, overlooked. Can't be a stand up comic without constantly recreating yourself. I'm talking about Chappelle because he recreates himself. Right, look at this list. Well, when you talk about material on how much of people giving you new versions of it? How many specials are you really seeing from these comics? How many? How many are they putting out good, not good? Whatever? What's the attempt in recreation? That's what I envy, not doing what you know works. What's the fucking attempt and doing the thing that you think could work? Again? Chris Rock fucking Chappelle comes to New Hours, new content whatever, Well, we're gonna get in there. May work, may not, but we're not afraid the box. That's why that go That's why my list goes there. It's a great answer, by the way, well explained. Well explain anyone to ever explain their answer as well as you just did. If you can sit course side of any game in history, what would it be? Which one would it be? Any game in history? Um, I would say when Kobe had eighty one against the Raptors, So I could just talk to Jail, right, I just want to talk to Jail. And during that process, like when you when you're going into these time outs, like at what point, like when I would have wanted you to have the seat right next to the via. I just want to know when, Like when did y'all stop addressing it in one of the team at any point? Like like was it a was it a ten point checking? Like at fifty, like come on, y'all, seriously, you know, we gotta get bodies on them. And at sixty, what then are we doing tonight? What are you doing at this point? I would love to have been just there because I just to hear. I would just want to want to hear the players because at that point, the confidence everybody around you, it just keeps going down. It just keeps going down. It just keeps going down. I would say that the game where he gave eighty one to the Raptors, RP bean, what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing when you come back? What are you saying to your teammates at that The yelling is over with that. You gotta help. That's done. That's done. That only lasts until you're not helping. He coming off the screens, He y'all gotta you gotta beat there, all right? At you? That's very valid. It's valid at sixties seventy. Somebody not doing a job at sixty? Is anybody guarding him? Like somebody not doing a job. It's bad at that point. If you could be remembered for one of your own jokes, which one would it be? And why one of my own jokes? I'll say the best in my in my opinion, the best joke that I that I think I'm told thinks about my uncle, Uncle Richard Jr. Uh, the whole run of saying with your chest, the whole run of him getting out jail, Pillion muffin cat blue, all of that, all of those that just run of jail jargon. Uh, that he came home with a It is a very true. It's a very like what that was? Seriously funny? Say it with your chest? Ship? Mine was my favorite thing. The battle rap battle up. Yeah, Yeah, everybody's gonna die. That's when you know it's crazy, man. That's when like, that's when you're end that ship. Like your your material is different because you're in it. You're around that ship. You're around that like that the off first and first off, anything I killed niggas don't love it, you're around that, Like, yeah, do you understand the comedy? That's why you know I have such an appreciation for you know, the this this the this generation of comics, you know, Country Wayne, Desi Banks, like these guys that are doing comedy, but also the viral videos, the sketches, like you know, they they're creating this new wave of of funny plus funny. Right, It's like here here goes some jokes and stand up. But I'm engaging my audience by giving them these sketches and bits. But they're in it, you know what I'm saying. Like they they're they're in that energy and when you when you see it, dude, I love it. I love it because I remember it, like you, you had endless material when you're around when you're around that group, You're around those guys, you're around those girls. You you after the place you had the waffle wile you here you're traveling. You you got all that, you got all that. That's that's the best place for comedians to be. In the ship. If you in the ship, Oh my god, you're funniest, your funniest ever dream actor or actress. You've yet to work with it you hope to work with You have to work with Denzel. You look like a little bit. I would I would love the Denzel opportunity. You know, I gotta I got something about true story coming out. I got to work with Wesley Snipers that was that's no insane, it's a it's a thriller, some serious ship. But working just working with Wesley was kind of crazy, I would say, Denzel, uh. And you know the biggest opportunity for me, Comedians are so like it's probably the most ego driven fucking hub and entertainment because it's all about who's who? I mean you, You wouldn't have send in music now, like with this whole the Drake and Kanye ship, right, Like, for some reason, people just can't coexist and be good like every Yeah, like the conversation is always about but it's nobody just sees the vision and understanding and how dope certain things would be if they did coexist, right if they? Oh my god, what would that join album? Oh my god? What would that song? Oh ship? What would people don't think like that? I'm I'm I'm that guy. So Harm Knights, I've been talking about this for a long time. You know, Harlem Knights, You're looking at a movie that is forever, for for forever, forever watchable, based off of the legendary talent in it, We've yet to to truly see a full, a full machine that embraces it. It was you had attempts that that were funny but not but not full within talent Um Roscoe Jenkins Family Union. I remember Martin had Monique. Yeah, Mike Epps, I think it's like one more comedian and I'm dropping the ball, said said, you've had like Chris Rock when he did Death at the Funeral at Tracy Morgan, it was him. I had a cameo, but you haven't seen the thing where like Friday Cube did a lot of the comedians and you saw what that movie was. But that movie can't come together again because comedians can't get them the same page, right I should I need? I like there is it's impossible if the world of could get done ever presented itself, and you know people put the bullshit aside. That's the dream job, that's the dream opportunity. You know, not Harlom Nights, but our version of that. You can't redo Harlow Nights. You can't. You can't make that movie again. UM, rest in peace to to Chadwick Boseman. You know, before um he passed away, we were talking about redoing Uptown Saturday night, and we were talking about putting this like we were. We were on it. Chadwick, we were in it. You know, if you if you watched the documentary, don't sunk this up. He was in it, but we were. This was happening like we were engaged. But I was expressing to him like, dude, this is this is what I want to do. To do what I need, I need a you help me pull it off. I need the credibility within the main character. And we were, we were in it. But the goal was to put all these black fucking legends in this thing and and do this thing so that this generation, the generation before can have a thing after the thing. And it just doesn't seem like that colde is going to get cracked. And I've been trying to crack it. I've been I've been trying to crack it and finding the material, finding the right thing, but it just, you know, it just doesn't seem to happen. Egos. Egos are real. And you know, when when I think everybody realizes that we can all be fucking dope in our own way, it ain't about being doper than the next one or operating in the landy espect self and being the king like you can. It's about success. That's what this is about. For me. At the end of the day, It's about the numbers. That's what I look at. What do the numbers say at the end of the day. If we can generate great numbers and we all can happen to that's what are you talking about? Enough enough? So that would be my dream job. And for an actress working with Angelo Bassett, if you have to work with Angel Bassett, that would be dope. That's it. That's my If you can have one guest on All the Smoke, who would it be? But you have to help us with your guests with your answer? Will fare I gotta be here when y'all do it? Oh, you gotta help you guys. Get somebody m j uh. I'm trying to think who would do it? Like, wouldn't bullshit y'all and like yeah, yeah, yeah, because it ain't. It ain't big time. He's like, who the people that really understand the truth value in the show? Like I'm not I'm not here as a favorite, Like I'm I'm a fan that the show was fucking great. You guys do an amazing job of of engaging with the guests, and I love the ship that comes out of the guests, especially when y'all get you know, the people that have played basketball and that are retired and that are sharing stories. It's looking great. If you guys, if it was real help of who would actually come on? I think you guys need a lover of basketball. Adam Sandler, that dope. And the reason why I say, because Adam really loves basketball. Playing a little movie. He's shooting Adam Adam. I think Adam would be a great guest. Loves a gets basketball, and I'm on the beat. He's more than aware of the of the podcast. I'm willing to bet that's what I would saying. Well, that's a wrap, Kevin Hart kick off season three. Man, we appreciate your time, best of luck and all year fatherhood business making us laugh. Yes, man, a lot of a lot of ship. Appreciate you gots true story. I will be announcing that date soon. Uh during a movie called Me Time Now with Mark Wahlberg for Netflix. Um also Heart to Heart, make sure you check that out. That's on Peacock. Uh shouts out to Snoop, who we discover some gold with with an Olympic highlights, look for look for more things for me and Snoop because we figured that out now as well. I say, my my co host, my my broadcasting buddy, also celebrity game Face, another show that our host on e UM finding joy and and doing the things where I can bring talent together. So you know form I got going on. He acts a little bit, he's been acting a little bit. Nice. Congratulations, Congratulations, that's dope. That's that's dope. Man's dope. But real ship. Before we get out of man, we we really just want to thank you because I know we live in a generation where we don't really show too much appreciation for stars and and and legends to be and uh, you know, I saw you have to check some people the other day on Instagram, and it's just I don't think we were so caught up in throwing negativity out. We don't appreciate greatness when it's around us. So we definitely want to show you your love and your flowers, man, because you've been great. You keep keep making the world having keep being you man, because we need we need it. And listen, I appreciate you. I think, uh about the times are just different now and and I'm really big on creating those opportunities for you know, this this next wave, the next generation. When I say that's a priority, it's a priority. That's the whole reason behind the production company, all the other entities. It's about understanding what good I p is and finding the right talent to be a part of it. You know, I'm I'm very happy with what I've done where I am. And you once again, you got to find the new, the new energy, and I think that new energy is in the new. So you know, I still do things, and I still figure it out for myself when and where, from movies to TV. But those projects to be different and stand up I'll do when I figure out what it is and what I want. But I love the idea of new stars. I love the idea of fresh new talent. I love the idea of supporting and if anything, if you take anything from me, and and when I talk how I talk, what I talk about, dude, it's about It's about the fucking world of opportunity more importantly being there for so many But information is all that sometimes needed so that that freedom of support, that fucking open level of yo. I love this person, love this person. Hopefully that should get contagious and people see that is real. That's that's what I'm about. So, you know, uh, as this business and all these things grow, I hope that we're talking about the talent that launched from it, the opportunities that came for so many from it that are opening up other doors and doing more things. Well, that's a wrap the opening of season three with the one and only Kevin Hart. You can catch us on Showtime Basketball YouTube in the I Heart platform Black Effects, see y'all next week. Try out the plastic cup bars too. Shouts out to that batch of unattracted This is all a smoke. 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