Comedian Jamel Johnson stops by the campfire to tell a few coming-of-age stories about love, dance, Ludacris and Lil’ Wyte. We know you’ll enjoy this one as there’s as much music as there are laughs.

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Jamel Johnson Transcript

[please bear with us as the transcript is currently being edited]

[00:00:00]

Host: Please make it loud for Jamel Johnson.

Jamel Johnson: Oh, wow. Just. Oh. Oh, man. Wow. Can you believe it? Unbelievable. Oh, man. Keep clapping. Yes, I demanded and clap with some zest to put some fucking zeal on that shit. I need this bad, man. I need this real bad. And y’all are not about to fuck this up for me. Laugh when you’re supposed to nigga white niggas especially laugh when the fuck you know You know when you’re supposed to. I don’t give a shit if the shit is not funny. Nigga laugh. I’m sick of all opinions over it. It’s my goddamn album and it’s coming out. I know this one’s coming out for real because I’m not the one recording it. We got some white guys in the back recording this one. So it’s coming out for real? Yeah. Turns out the generic Costco laptop cannot handle my comedic veracity. Kirkland make laptops? I absolutely do. So I’ll introduce myself to some of y’all. My name is Jamel. I’m a deejay. But I’m black, so you have to think I’m good at it. You have to. These are the black privileges. One. I get to DJ with impunity too. Whatever I got on you have to think it’s artistic and beautiful. It doesn’t matter.

 

Sama’an: Howdy, y’all. Welcome to the Nostalgia Mixtape. Music, memories, stories sitting here by the Campfire. I’m your host, Samantha Schram. Thanks for coming by. Today we have one of my. Favorite, favorite people in the whole world. Mr. Jamil Johnson, comedian, actor, sports enthusiast, general sports enthusiast, also specific sports enthusiast. You can get a little bit of both, which J.M. and I met in my days working in Hollywood. Maybe those days aren’t over. We’ll see. There was a series that I had created was a web series called Kaleidoscopes. And the concept of this series was Jamila is the host. And basically every episode would be. Quote unquote, celebrities, famous people. Getting really stoned. Looking into kaleidoscopes. Reviewing them, but also getting existential. That was the whole concept. And we taped a bunch of episodes, and it eventually got bought by Snoop Dogg’s production company, Merry Jane. And never got off the ground. So the world may never see it. Though I do have a bunch of episodes like sitting on a cloud somewhere, so maybe I actually will unleash those episodes one day and just let people get a little taste. But yeah, J.M. is one of my favorite people in the whole world. When I was working at the studio, any time he would be on the west side of LA, he would. He would hit me on my phone like, Yo, man, what are you doing? And I’ll be doing the same thing that I’ve been doing every day, which was just sitting at my desk being bored, I guess, at work. And he would come through and we would kick it. And you know, when I look back on that time, those were some of my favorite days at the office was when Jamal would come by, because he’s just such a he’s such a funny dude. But he you you’ll hear in this episode, like his humor, it comes from like a place of love and tenderness. And it’s what makes me want to watch any standup material that he puts out online.

 

Sama’an: It’s just it’s really, really special to me. Yeah. And also, you know, on a personal level, Jamil has also, like coached me through affairs of the heart. There was a time in my life when I had a crush on a young woman, and I was feeling really apprehensive about like sending that text message and letting her know how I feel. And me and Jamil were sitting at a taco spot and I was telling him all my anxieties about it. And he was like, Man, if you don’t just send that text message. And I was so scared. And then Jamal hit send on that text message, and I was like, Oh, no, now she knows how I feel. What if she rejects me? And then she texted me back [00:05:00] and she was like, Oh, my gosh, I would love to see you tonight. Whoa. Amazing. I wouldn’t happen without Jamal. And it being one of my one of the most memorable nights for me in in Los Angeles. So, yeah, Jamal, one of my favorite people, one of the funniest people, one most loving people. I’m excited for y’all to hear his episode. I must stop talking now. Welcome back to the Campfire Nostalgia Mixtape. I’m Spanish. Here’s Jamal Dodson.

 

Jamel: Hello. My name is Jamel Johnson. I’m from Woodbridge, Virginia, and I just signed the lease on the new apartment.

 

Sama’an: Congrats, man. Thanks, bro. That’s huge. I’m happy for you. Hey, you guys. We got things celebrate. We got things to celebrate. Let’s go. Huge. I’m ready. All right. Wow. Jamal, I just want to say thanks so much for for coming in and being here.

 

Jamel: Thanks for having me.

 

Sama’an: This is it’s a time, man, that we’re having.

 

Jamel: Bro, dude, I haven’t seen you in, like, months.

 

Sama’an: It is so good to see you, man. I got to say that, man.

 

Jamel: You’re right. You’re one of my guys, man.

 

Sama’an: I would like to say in return that you are also one of my guys, one of.

 

Jamel: The first dudes I ever even messed with in L.A.. Been here, like, three years.

 

Sama’an: And that was about the time that I moved back out here for another time. Yeah. And then we met.

 

Jamel: Mike O’Brien at the same time and did Kaleidoscopes. Thanks for putting me down on that.

 

Sama’an: A lot of drinks were smoked.

 

Jamel: Yo, we smoke. Big doings.

 

Sama’an: Doings to the neck.

 

Jamel: In and out of.

 

Sama’an: Amish. Yes, in and out. We took those drinks across Amish lines. Yeah.

 

Jamel: I’m a big doin kid. I’m not. I’m not ashamed to say I smoke drinks. I’m I’m putting up blunt, positive content right on my Instagram. That’s what I’m doing. That was a joke. And, like, people took it pretty seriously.

 

Speaker4: People like.

 

Jamel: Thank you for saying this.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Yeah, for the list. Okay. So, you know, like those, like, you know, those posts of like, hot people, like, it’s kind of a hot person move. It’s like someone posted, like, a really beautiful photo of themselves, right? And it’s like a three paragraph caption, right? That’s like, yo, like, straight up, like, I’m going through something and like, I love y’all and everybody needs to love everybody. And like, I was ashamed of my Cavs for a lot of time and like, fuck that, here go my Cavs, bro.

 

Sama’an: Love my.

 

Jamel: Cavs. I’m playing with y’all.

 

Speaker1: Yeah.

 

Jamel: So I was just like, Yo, I’ll just do one of those. But about smoking weed, okay, which is not smoking weed, which as much as I love it, is not a thing that should be spoken about with any sort of gravity.

 

Sama’an: But you did that. You did that.

 

Jamel: I had to I had to do it for you, my people.

 

Sama’an: You honestly had to do it.

 

Jamel: There was no other option. That’s why. That’s why. That’s why I happened.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, and I think we’re better for.

 

Jamel: It, dude. Me, too.

 

Sama’an: I just want to say that.

 

Jamel: I’m not going to even act like I don’t agree. I do.

 

Sama’an: We don’t talk about it enough as a society.

 

Jamel: Just, like, just getting dumb. Hi.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, it’s not. It’s not in the it’s not in the cultural lexicon. We don’t. You know what I mean?

 

Jamel: I know something happened with weed because it was, like, illegal and, like, you know, if you knew, you knew, and then, like, everybody found out. And what changed?

 

Sama’an: I think it was like once it went legit, it became less cool.

 

Jamel: Yeah, like it became legit as I got older. Yeah. Lately I’ve been thinking maybe I’m too old to get high because so many people I know don’t smoke weed. And. And it’s just like I’m just a little tired of, like, feeling weird at a dinner party. Yeah. Although this is like a party. Party? Yeah. Oh, this is a dinner party.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, we got, like, silverware and.

 

Jamel: Shit, okay? I mean, I’m, you know, I got on some slacks, you know, I’m not, like, fucking up, but why am I the only person who’s trying to smoke a doob right now? Why are there eight of us? And, like, two whole lamb shanks? This decadent meal.

 

Sama’an: Does the fork on the left side of the plate or the right side?

 

Speaker4: I don’t know.

 

Jamel: What if I don’t want to be drunk?

 

Sama’an: Yeah. You don’t got to get drunk to have fun.

 

Jamel: Yeah, but you do have to get high.

 

Sama’an: That’s true.

 

Jamel: You actually have to get high to have fun. That’s like, just the truth.

 

Sama’an: Yep.

 

Jamel: Jason agrees. I mean, that’s not crazy. I don’t know how this space works.

 

Speaker4: And I also have a vape pen.

 

Jamel: So, hey.

 

Sama’an: I have asthma, so I’m trying to take it easy.

 

Jamel: You’re off the squeezes.

 

Sama’an: You said it more eloquently than I could, but, you know, we can watch a scene or two of space jam.

 

Jamel: Yeah, I ain’t bet.

 

Sama’an: You know what I mean?

 

Jamel: That’s [00:10:00] how me and my friends used to say that when we were talking about smoking weed.

 

Sama’an: What was your word?

 

Jamel: It was like, we’re going to go shoot a scene.

 

Sama’an: Oh, nice, nice. Our codeword was space jam.

 

Jamel: That’s awesome.

 

Sama’an: So it was like it was very versatile. Like, we could be like, Yo, David just went to Blockbuster, picked up a copy of Space Jam. Mom, do you mind if I go over and watch it with him and, like, our parents? Just like always. Like space jam. Yeah. Really loved it.

 

Jamel: Yeah, that’s a great one.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. So and then it would be like, okay, tell me if you, if you’re following on, it would be like, okay, David has a copy of Space Jam, but he doesn’t have a DVD player. Hey, if you know what I mean.

 

Jamel: Get some.

 

Sama’an: Wraps. Zack has the DVD player. He’s coming with it. Chris has the remote. Hey, you know what I mean? Ye. And now we’re watching a.

 

Jamel: Movie, and now we got a whole film to.

 

Speaker4: Digest.

 

Jamel: I get this. Yeah, that’s a great one.

 

Sama’an: But yours was. We’re going to go.

 

Jamel: Shoot a movie like you’re going to go see him. We’re going to go work on the thing. Going to do some screenplay stuff, work on the script, stuff like that. But then also like that. My other homies used to say they were playing on Moesha during that game on Moesha.

 

Sama’an: Oh, I don’t tell.

 

Jamel: Me about it was like a PS2 game. It was like how to describe it. It’s kind of like this open world thing where you’re like like a samurai and like feudal Japan and you’re just, like, running around with a sword, chopping up mad shit. You ever play, like, dynasty.

 

Sama’an: Warriors slicing and dicing? No, I didn’t play.

 

Jamel: So it’s just like that. Like, imagine. Just like a samurai on a horse.

 

Sama’an: Is it first person you’re in or is it third person.

 

Jamel: From third person?

 

Sama’an: Okay, okay. From above.

 

Jamel: And you’re just slicing up mad feudal lords.

 

Sama’an: Is it like red dead? But the samurai version.

 

Jamel: It’s a little bit of.

 

Sama’an: That similar.

 

Jamel: Samurai red. That is a great compare. Yeah, early samurai red dead. And we was like, be like, yeah, let’s go play on Russia.

 

Sama’an: Right. We love you. But you weren’t playing. But maybe sometimes you were playing on Russia while you were playing on Russia?

 

Jamel: Yeah, a little bit. A couple of times. Honestly, we’d be playing other video games. Okay. I feel like only musher. I only got played once.

 

Sama’an: But it was more. It was your scapegoat.

 

Jamel: Yeah, it was. It was the scapegoat. And then we would actually get high and like Play Street Fighter.

 

Sama’an: Wow. I mean, that’s a great game to play. Yeah. In that, in that mindset.

 

Jamel: One of the best like there is a kind of high you can get where you know all the moves in Street Fighter. Wow and it’s like it’s really hard to attain yeah. Because it’s not as high as you can be. But it’s close. It’s dangerously.

 

Sama’an: Close. Yeah. And you know this.

 

Jamel: Yeah, I know from experience.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. Yeah. We’re talking to a real veteran.

 

Jamel: Right now because I remember it was 2013. I was getting real high. Yeah. And I finally learned all the moves with Zynga on Street Fighter Alpha three on the PSP. Yep. Never got that high again. I’ve been chasing that feeling for six years now.

 

Sama’an: Wow. Wow. It’s a real it’s a real national treasure situation. You’re going to have to steal the Declaration of Independence.

 

Jamel: Well, fuck this, man. What’s good with you.

 

Sama’an: Man? I’ve been going through it. I’ve been going through it. Jamal, let me tell you what.

 

Jamel: Talk about it, baby.

 

Sama’an: This is a depression beard, man. Come on. Whoa.

 

Jamel: Yeah, it’s like I ain’t even peep.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, actually, I was freaking out today because we. We took a picture outside earlier, and just the shadows hit my face in such a way that it made my facial hair look real patchy. It’s not. It is a little patchy, but it’s not that patchy. Yeah. And like literally on my birthday, bun B was making fun of my facial hair. I had to work and he was like, man, look, if it does, if it’s not going to connect like, you know, take it easy. Yeah. And I was like, I appreciate that.

 

Jamel: He’s not wrong.

 

Sama’an: He’s being real. It’s been real with me. And I appreciate the realness, but it was my birthday. Yeah. So now I feel like I’m doing it despite him.

 

Jamel: I get it. You know? You’re going to make it work, though. Couple of oils on that thing, man.

 

Sama’an: That’s a great that’s great advice.

 

Jamel: Get some shea butter in there. Some. Some of them are gonna get our guy.

 

Sama’an: What would I do without you, man? I. I appreciate you. Oh, thank you.

 

Speaker4: Dude.

 

Speaker1: Stop.

 

Sama’an: Okay. What? Okay, let’s talk about OxyContin.

 

Oxycodone, Derek Balls, Percocet and Laura, tell that you’re pumping pitchers ecstasy and it’s all up for grabs. What you want. What you need. Get me up. I got your man. What you want? What you need. Hit me up.

 

Speaker1: I got your man. Oxycodone, panic for.

 

Sama’an: Percocet and Lauren? Not necessarily specifically the drug. Unless you have experience with that.

 

Jamel: Not really. I mean, I have one experience.

 

Sama’an: What was that?

 

Jamel: I like? Did it once.

 

Sama’an: Okay.

 

Jamel: And it was after. It was years after I heard the song for the first time. But [00:15:00] like, I feel like I was like living at home after high school and like, my mom just had like some, like, old, like, it wasn’t even oxycodone. Hydrocodone. Isn’t that like the generic version of the same stuff? Could be, yeah. So it’s generic Vicodin. So it’s not even oxycodone.

 

Sama’an: But they’re cousins, I’m sure. Yeah.

 

Jamel: It was just the one time I ever did it was I was just like, let’s, let’s see what happens.

 

Sama’an: What did happen.

 

Jamel: I, you know, how I would describe it. At the time I said I felt like a walrus with no legs. Think about that. Is the walrus already doesn’t have legs? That’s exactly what I was just like. I was just like, lay it up in bed. I’m like, real hot.

 

Speaker4: Yeah.

 

Jamel: I think I just. And I think I just, like, listen to some TV, you know, I’ve ever been, like, so fucked up that you just. You’re just listening to it. You can’t look at it. Oh, it would totally fuck up your day to look at what’s on the TV, but you can listen to it for a while.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Jamel: So I was in one of those zones. Gotcha. It’s like when you’re really like high or drunk or sick, that’s when it’s TV listening time. Damn. Just took me back to. I had food poisoning during the fucking like the like the AFC conference like finals one year it was like the Patriots versus somebody. And I just like, listen to the game. I was so sick, I couldn’t watch it.

 

Sama’an: Sometimes you don’t want that light. When you’re sick, the light gives you a headache. You know.

 

Jamel: I don’t remember who the Patriots were playing, but they won.

 

Sama’an: I’m sure they.

 

Jamel: Did. And I just, like, was I like, didn’t want them to win. I listened to them win, and then I threw up and pooped my pants at.

 

Sama’an: The same time. Yeah, that’s I mean, that’s a real trifecta.

 

Jamel: It was like a it was a real cruddy day.

 

Sama’an: That’s a that’s like another level of that’s like a higher level of being. I feel like. Yeah, and you did that.

 

Jamel: It fucking.

 

Sama’an: Suck. I’m so sorry, man.

 

Jamel: Apology accepted. I thank you. Thank you for taking some ownership of that.

 

Sama’an: I felt like it was the least I could do given the circumstances.

 

Jamel: Thanks, bro.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, man. So the song OxyContin by Memphis own.

 

Jamel: Little white.

 

Sama’an: Little white.

 

Jamel: Jay-z, you from Memphis? Oh, okay. He was just you just shouting out the city. But he knows. Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, all the real heads. Remember, little white? Yeah. Spelled W y t coolest way to spell it easily.

 

Sama’an: The coolest way to spell it if not top three for sure.

 

Jamel: An underrated three six mafia artist. I would agree or hypnotize minds.

 

Sama’an: I can say he and Project Pet don’t get the love they deserve. Neither does Gangsta Boo.

 

Jamel: Ooh, Gangsta Boo is really good.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Jamel: Better than La Chat. Hello.

 

Sama’an: Am I ready to have that debate?

 

Speaker1: I don’t know. Let me see my discography here. Get off of me, Harmony. I will not follow. Get to the light because I like darker things bitch and I’m wicked shit. I might easily split you to the white me this quick as it gets tested my gangster I’ll beat.

 

You to commit the unthinkable. I will admit I do. You look at my history, I’d be just. Where will you be? I don’t do the talking. Think she’d say what’s her name? I’m so grown up.

 

Speaker1: Mary Jane’s fucking on that paper plate. Which I will go when I say go. No. I will politely kick you while my dope money train I’m cashing, checking, falling off. I’ll be in my bed.

 

Next in my killer’s lady.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Why was up there and this song. It was honestly it was early on in me smoking weed years. This is early this is one of those moments which is why that that led to me being addicted to marijuana. I was in Woodbridge, Virginia, and it was like, you know, like one of those first times you get like, like real stoned. And this is that one. It was like I, I was like a junior in high school and I went to a different high school the year before.

 

Sama’an: So you were.

 

Jamel: New. So I was like new. But I was going back like I went to Potomac Junior High School my freshman year and then I switched to Forest Park and then I went back to Potomac.

 

Sama’an: Okay. Okay. So you knew people?

 

Jamel: Yeah, so I knew people, but this was like. But I would never hung out. My parents were like, let me go out. And so like junior years when I started to like be allowed to, like, go out into the Woodbridge universe.

 

Sama’an: You have a car? Yes, you did.

 

Jamel: I [00:20:00] do. I’m driving a 96 Honda Accord.

 

Sama’an: Wow. Yes. Reliable, I’m sure. Yeah.

 

Jamel: It was sick. Yeah. And I had the the custom tags. I had the custom plate. Yeah, I had the Washington football, the plates, him saying.

 

Sama’an: Nice, nice.

 

Jamel: Hand. And it was like I was big time. And it was one of the first times like I think my parents were gone. Like my little brother had like a basketball tournament in like New Orleans or something.

 

Sama’an: Far.

 

Jamel: Away. So fools are gone. I have a car. I’m 15.

 

Sama’an: Ipso facto.

 

Jamel: I think I’m cool as hell. And I’m like, going to hang out with the Forest Park dudes for like the first time. Going back into. And Forest Park is like like Woodbridge is the suburbs entirely, but like the neighborhood of Forest Park is like the rich kid town called Montclair. And it was like a real like they tried to make it like a private community. It’s like they got a golf course and the high school, they tried to zone it in a way where only the people who lived around the golf course went there.

 

Sama’an: Insane.

 

Jamel: And like they wouldn’t let them, like the county wouldn’t like fully let them do it. But like that was the.

 

Sama’an: Whole that was the.

 

Jamel: Vibe. So I’m hanging out with some, like, crazy white.

 

Sama’an: Kids, kids named probably like Parker and Trey.

 

Jamel: Yeah. And they were like twins, like my man. I’m with my man. I don’t even know these other kids, but we’re at their house and they’re like these like.

 

Sama’an: Seem kid with the bangs that have the bangs.

 

Jamel: They got like the but it’s like but it’s like dirty. Like they got, like, the hoodie on.

 

Sama’an: Okay, okay, okay.

 

Jamel: And like, they’re.

 

Speaker1: Banging three six.

 

Speaker4: Yeah.

 

Jamel: And OxyContin comes on and they’re like, yeah, let’s go smoke a blunt. We stepped to their backyard and I hit this weed, man, and, like, I swear I couldn’t see anything, but it was like. But it was, like, cool, though, right?

 

Sama’an: And a cool way.

 

Jamel: I was like, cool. And then I’m like, I’m like, coughing, and.

 

Speaker1: I’m like.

 

Jamel: Jesus Christ, is this weird? Am I dying? Yeah. And one of the twins hands me a cup of blue Kool-Aid, and he’s like, Yo, drink this. You good? And I drank it. And it was the best sip of Kool-Aid in the universe. Yeah. And I said to myself, how could this white child provide me with this glorious beverage? And I was like, Oh, shit. It was just one of those moments where I was like, Damn, we are connected, bro.

 

Sama’an: We’re one people.

 

Jamel: We’re all one man.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, man, I get it.

 

Jamel: And from then on, I was yeah, little white was immediately in the playlist. From that day forward, it’s like I knew who he was, but I just never heard him in the wild.

 

Sama’an: And you did that day.

 

Jamel: And I did that.

 

Sama’an: Day. I feel like there’s probably like a strong like if you did a Venn diagram of like, like three, six Mafia related artists with like My Chemical Romance and like some of those people like the, the audience. For both of those, there would be a middle section of the Venn diagram for sure.

 

Jamel: And then like even like harder than the pop punk. Like I feel like I know a ton of cats who listen to like three, six and stuff and they listen to like metal. Yeah, like punk shit, like, like hardcore shit.

 

Sama’an: I mean, three, six mafia is kind of metal, if you think about it.

 

Jamel: I mean.

 

Sama’an: Honestly, they talk a. I mean.

 

Jamel: The devil they talk about doing coke and fucking worshipping the devil.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. And like, what was that body parts? There’s a series of songs called Body.

 

Speaker1: Parts that we smack on the skin stepping our way. Killers Attack. But y’all know y’all heard hurt that. We haven’t seen them both in both kicking.

 

You to see the game and to see your lights out next at the Mississippi River ball game. How can wrong play? Hit the tag match.

 

Speaker1: You nuts, man?

 

Jamel: Horrorcore. That’s what they were calling that when it was time.

 

Sama’an: It’s the same.

 

Jamel: Thing. Yeah. They were the horror core dudes.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, they owned it. It’s pretty tight. They really owned it. Big fan of three six mafia.

 

Jamel: You know what I mean? Like, you remember when just music, TV in general was just there was more like documentaries about music and stuff on TV. And I feel like I don’t remember what it was, but MTV was talking about like, just like old rap shit at one time. And it kind of brought to light, like there.

 

Sama’an: Were.

 

Jamel: Horrorcore. They were actually like, [00:25:00] on that hardcore shit that did not make it.

 

Sama’an: They really like, committed to it. And they just.

 

Jamel: Imagine trying to rap about like Ouija boards and graves.

 

Sama’an: And like, this is my thing.

 

Jamel: And it doesn’t work.

 

Sama’an: Out. And like, you get your friends and family to come out to your shows. You’re probably wearing some kind of costume or something.

 

Jamel: Yeah. And you’re rapping about, like, demons at 711.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: And nobody’s fucking with you.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. That’s got to be soul crushing. Tough. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you don’t think you have a soul because you, you know. Oh, right. You know what I mean? Maybe.

 

Jamel: Well, depends. Yeah, it depends on how hard you’re living in your rhymes.

 

Sama’an: True. That’s true. That’s a good point. Yeah, I think you just made a fact. Wow. Wow.

 

Jamel: Jamal, it’s a big it’s a.

 

Speaker4: Big night for me.

 

Speaker1: It was big.

 

Sama’an: I feel like I had like a I made a lot of CDs as I’m going to assume you probably did better than my when I was like really trying to play basketball. My like practice mixes, like game day mixes had like so much little white so much three six mafia on them.

 

Jamel: I mean, the way that drunk comes in, that’s spooky doing it and.

 

Speaker1: And, and then, and, and I think.

 

Sama’an: We can do that.

 

Speaker1: Yeah, yeah, I’ll talk about that.

 

Sama’an: Oh, yeah. Oh, that’s how this is. Halloween music.

 

Speaker1: Yeah.

 

Jamel: It’s straight up. That was giving us Halloween year round. What is that? Is that Halloween or what?

 

Sama’an: What horror movies do you think they actually sampled?

 

Jamel: It’s a bit of. It’s got to be a horror movie sample. Because it’s too fucking nice.

 

Sama’an: Like, did you see Jay really come up with that melody?

 

Go. Whoa, let’s lip it to that ick bar. I’m really looking for the crown to wash it down, up, down.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Imagine. Ain’t no shame in my game.

 

Speaker1: In fact, I’m to lead the.

 

Sama’an: Marilyn Manson sample. Okay. All right.

 

Jamel: You wanna get up? That’s pretty tight. Imagine me. A 15 year old child.

 

Speaker1: Yes.

 

Jamel: I’m walking into something just like I’ll be crawling. Fancy schmancy ass, single family home, two white twins.

 

Sama’an: Yep.

 

Jamel: And, like, suicidal tendencies, hoodies.

 

Speaker1: This is blasting.

 

Sama’an: Blasting.

 

Jamel: I’m just like, all right, here I am. This is the other side of town.

 

Sama’an: This is the other side. And yet.

 

Speaker1: Maybe.

 

Sama’an: Maybe, I mean, on that topic, maybe Lil White kind of predicted the opioid crisis.

 

Jamel: Oh, for sure.

 

Sama’an: Because that really only affected, like, kind of affluent, like, upper middle class white families. Yep.

 

Speaker1: I got you, man.

 

Jamel: What you want, what you need. Hit me up. I got yo. Whoa, dang. Oh, damn. That’s true, dude. I mean, three, six.

 

Speaker1: They also predicted the lean crisis. True, true. Dude, that’s a good point.

 

Jamel: Everybody is just eating heroin now.

 

Speaker1: What the fuck.

 

Speaker4: Is going.

 

Sama’an: On? No shortcuts.

 

Jamel: Just straight to let me.

 

Speaker1: Know I’m gonna.

 

Jamel: Munch it up like a hungry, hungry hippo. I think I said him, Po.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, you.

 

Jamel: Did. As opposed to hip hop.

 

Sama’an: But that’s okay. That’s fine.

 

Jamel: Shit’s bananas.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, Lil White did that. And also he had that that other song. We had a lot of songs, but do you remember fucking getting the mosh pit?

 

Jamel: Oh, yeah.

 

Sama’an: Throw them in the mosh pit for sure. Yeah, that was on my game day mix for sure, man.

 

Jamel: He used to throw bows.

 

Sama’an: You know.

 

Speaker1: There was some bow throwing going on.

 

Sama’an: Like, in my head, I never gotten a real fight.

 

Jamel: Oh, wait a moment of silence for Crunchy Black being the worst rapper bro available.

 

Sama’an: I’m so glad that you’re here because there’s not many people that I can talk to about Crunchy Black. This is what I have to say about Crunchy Black’s.

 

Jamel: He’s so bad and so important.

 

Sama’an: He always sounds like he was just happy to get invited to the session. Yeah, you know what it like he was just happy. And that’s why I appreciate crunchy black. Like, he’s just happy to be there, you know what I mean?

 

Jamel: The ultimate rapper’s good friend.

 

Sama’an: I feel, I think on maybe it was on Riding Spinners, he has that line where he’s like, It’s CB baby, I’m just in it to win it. Yeah, that’s the perfect way to sum up.

 

Speaker1: Crunch City to win.

 

Sama’an: Exactly. Shout out to OC. Oh shit. Run shuffle now.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Shouts out to god damn huge k man.

 

Sama’an: They did that on this song. Yeah.

 

Jamel: Rest in peace to the pimp.

 

Speaker1: Yeah.

 

Sama’an: Get up.

 

Speaker1: Start. Dude just splashing ass. No, man.

 

Sama’an: The first time I heard that there are some songs.

 

Speaker1: Pick em up, pick em up, big. Stick em up. Put your hands up where I can see em. See em, see em come [00:30:00] off.

 

Sama’an: I look like Meryl Streep right now.

 

Jamel: He’s doing he’s got a white blazer.

 

Speaker1: You got a nice little white coat on.

 

Jamel: Dude, this song I this song might be on, like six or seven CDs of mine. This song, I’m sure I tried to download on Napster.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Many times. Yep.

 

Speaker1: Hmm. Chasing them dirty. Stick em up.

 

Jamel: This is. This was playing the first time I got twerked on.

 

Sama’an: Whoa. Where are we? Set the scene, man. This is the picture.

 

Jamel: This is back. This is a little closer to my ends in Woodbridge. Okay. This is in.

 

Speaker1: A clean up the problem and straighten.

 

Jamel: What’s it like?

 

Speaker1: River Woods?

 

Sama’an: I definitely would not.

 

Jamel: Know one of them hoods. One of those hoods over by Potomac High School. And I had been going to school there for one year. I transferred schools seventh grade, and I was going to rip on middle school. And this was the next school year.

 

Speaker1: And y’all can play with.

 

Jamel: I happen to live around some of the cool kids. Okay. I was on the bus with some of the cool kids from middle school.

 

Speaker1: And I was not cool niggas wouldn’t want. Is that true? I wouldn’t say I was cool. I made a lot of moves.

 

Jamel: I knew a lot of people. I was shaking hands. I was I was kissing babies. I was always doing I was always politic and and I was always, like doing like trying to be funny.

 

Sama’an: Okay, same, honestly.

 

Jamel: Hold on. This is the best part.

 

Speaker1: Way hollow, man. I get to the point with my hollow plan that I’m about to live. Like, what? Your hollow playing. You mean you’re playing sucks? It’s mighty strange how your people in my book yo, let’s play it is falling apart, Chris. Crumbling right now. This player does not have a leg to stand on. And I got it. Yes. Yes. So I’m like.

 

Jamel: I was, like, just funny enough to, like, you know, be accepted, but I didn’t really hang with them dudes like that.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. Yeah.

 

Jamel: I even played football. I was on the football team. Yeah.

 

Sama’an: You know, even that wasn’t enough.

 

Jamel: But I never. I wasn’t like, guys all hang out with me, please. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, like thug. We had just gotten a modem. We was, we had just got the 56 K. I was good.

 

Sama’an: We got LimeWire.

 

Jamel: Yeah, exactly. We got LimeWire. I got the basement to myself. I got a boombox with a tape player on it. I’m recording Go, go, 95. I got a PS2, I’m good at the crib, but like, I got invited to Eric Dominguez’s birthday party.

 

Sama’an: What up?

 

Jamel: Eric Schultz at the Eric Dominguez.

 

Sama’an: He played a key role in the story. He doesn’t even know it.

 

Jamel: Real shit, man. And, like, I’m just there hanging out and it’s like a dance party lights off.

 

Sama’an: Okay. How is this, like a similarly large house to the first story?

 

Jamel: Oh, yeah, I would say a little smaller.

 

Sama’an: Or smaller.

 

Jamel: But kind of a similar.

 

Sama’an: Vibe. How many people are there? If you had to estimate?

 

Jamel: If I had to estimate, I would say something in the low twenties. Okay.

 

Sama’an: Still pretty.

 

Jamel: Sizable. This isn’t a yeah, this is a solid suburb basement. Carpeted basement. Yeah. Take your shoes off party.

 

Sama’an: Probably kind of full. Yeah. 20 something people in there.

 

Jamel: Pretty full.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: That’s like a pool table. People are kind of moving around and this shit came on and like.

 

Sama’an: Was there a DJ in the house that night?

 

Jamel: No, I think they just had a pool playlist OC, I think Eric, because it was him and his back to them, him and his sister Lisette, they’re like the same age. So this was kind of like a dual this is like a Dominguez like family event, okay? And but they’re like and Eric’s one of the cool kids, so it’s just like all the cool kids. Oc All the cheerleaders are there.

 

Sama’an: You feel lucky to be there.

 

Jamel: All the stars, right? The one kid who’s actually selling drugs in eighth grade. Right, is there.

 

Sama’an: He’s got the OxyContin.

 

Jamel: He’s on his he’s on his shit.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. Yep.

 

Speaker1: Oh, true.

 

Speaker4: Affair.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Speaker1: And here I.

 

Jamel: Am. Here I am in my JCPenney top.

 

Sama’an: Which is fine. Yeah, that’s fine.

 

Jamel: And I don’t even remember if I asked her if she I definitely maybe I was like, you want to dance? It was just like eighth grade. Like, nobody knew the rules.

 

Sama’an: What do we do in this moment?

 

Jamel: Next thing I know. It’s butt.

 

Sama’an: Cheeks. It’s happening.

 

Jamel: And I’m like, Whoa, this is.

 

Sama’an: Crazy. Slow motion.

 

Jamel: Like, dance with another girl. I, like, dance with, like, three girls at this party. Wow. And I was like, I’m out of my mind. But then I was like. I was, like, [00:35:00] drunk with power. Like.

 

Sama’an: It’s too much. It’s too much.

 

Jamel: There’s too much. I’m asking everybody. Yeah. And I was like, I.

 

Speaker1: Got to talk on me.

 

Jamel: I got a little too high. I got out of my pay grade.

 

Sama’an: Okay. Okay.

 

Jamel: And, you know, it got to that point. I was like, Yo, dawg, you got to relax now. I’m not.

 

Sama’an: Right. You’re good. Eric’s like, I don’t want to work on you, dog. Like.

 

Jamel: I wish I had more names. Yeah, but yeah. Shoutout to Eric for sure.

 

Sama’an: Sure. Wow. And that happened while stick em up.

 

Jamel: Stick em up playing. I’m having the time of.

 

Speaker1: My life they said they said take em up, stick em up big stick em up. Put your hands up where I can see them See them, see them Pick em up, stick em up, bitch stick em up Target niggas wouldn’t wanna be a beat them em up.

 

Stick em up big stick em up Put your hands up where I can see.

 

Speaker1: Em See them, see them come up Stick em up big stick em up Target niggas wouldn’t wanna be a be them be them Say nigga you think it’s a joke True niggas be going for broke pussies whistle on low Get them motherfucking pistol smoking It’s just a matter of time before you label a busta. I just a nigga that couldn’t catch up and cut the mustard. Now I got coffee I don’t need no condiments. All I need is common sense to see through yo and come in nigga keep your compliment They don’t flat on me You fucking with me Yeah that’ll be the day, bitch. We don’t play you know it it gotta be right on the side of me Side right where it’s supposed to be Both the beat niggas die for me getting too close to me So go kiss your rosary beads and sing you a solid one Coz I promise if you get it it’s gonna be a violent one. The coroner catching his breath like he got asthma when they cut on the blue line and see y’all the fucking black 1 million in your murder, master nigga, I ain’t knew that. So if you see that birdie, you’re like 12 sick.

 

Sama’an: This is.

 

Jamel: Super sick.

 

Sama’an: Moments of innocence.

 

Speaker1: Lost. Yeah, yeah.

 

Jamel: How’s like a dweeb? Yeah, like a dork ass dweeb.

 

Sama’an: I mean, mine was SaltShaker the first time I, you know, felt the warmth of.

 

Speaker1: You know what I mean? I’m sure it’s that I know.

 

Jamel: Exactly.

 

Sama’an: We kept our bathing suits on.

 

Speaker1: It was crazy. Eight 1809. But this agency soaking wet, making soaking wet like a sauce shake. Shake it like a shake. Shake a second. Like a. Pop. Yea, yea, yea. Yeah. I was like, whoa, whoa.

 

Jamel: Game changing stuff.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Jamel: Eighth grade was a crazy year. Yeah. First time I got twerked on. First time I punched a guy in the face.

 

Sama’an: Whoa.

 

Jamel: Woodbridge is nuts.

 

Sama’an: Let’s talk about that for a second.

 

Jamel: I don’t think I learned anything. I think like. First off, the. The middle school I went to was probably the worst in the county, just because, like, the principal at the time was actually embezzling money. I think that was some real shit that was happening. I at one time for Miss La Scala. I fucking hate her. Fucking kidding. Don’t take money from the kids.

 

Sama’an: She knows I fucked them kids.

 

Speaker1: Yeah. I have no field trips, lady to hell.

 

Jamel: And, like, I don’t know, it’s just the deeper you get from an actual city. At least in my limited experience, it’s like the less they give a shit about, like, teaching you things, right? Like the suburbs is for adults. That’s for someone who’s lived the life. And now you got dull and you want to, like, have, like, you know, a comfortable home and not pay a million and a half dollars. Yeah, but like the kids, they’re just like, yo, just fucking figure it out. Figure it out, bro. And it was like, I don’t know, it’s a crazy mix of legit suburbs and like, like actual, like kind of hood like areas like Woodbridge has like million dollar houses and also two trailer parks and like also like legit like projects.

 

Sama’an: Okay.

 

Jamel: So it’s like all of that in one town and like.

 

Sama’an: Each.

 

Jamel: Like school district has a little, little taste like even Forest Park, like as they tried to make it only the golf course, but they still had to like fuck with like Williamstown and like Triangle. They still had to get like a little bit of the hood action.

 

Sama’an: But so who do you punch?

 

Jamel: I punched this kid, my man, Steve. This kid is like I mean, I’m new, and [00:40:00] he’s just like the bully and he’s like, Hello, I’m.

 

Sama’an: I’m Steve the bully.

 

Jamel: I’m Steve the bully. Welcome to school. This is what it is. But it was.

 

Speaker1: Never like.

 

Jamel: That much of a thing. It wasn’t like he ever physically bullied me before this point. It would just be like verbal stuff, which is like, fine, because.

 

Speaker1: I’m like, you know.

 

Jamel: I do my thing, but like one day I’m fucking with I’m fucking, I’m we in band and I.

 

Sama’an: Mean, do you play?

 

Jamel: I play bass clarinet.

 

Sama’an: Good to know. Okay.

 

Jamel: And it’s like the end of the day and like to get to the buses, you kind of have to go down the hallway where the band room is. And you remember like, you know, those, like big ass school doors where you, like, open them and then they, like, fold back.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Jamel: And it’s like he’s like opening it. You can like lock it and it just like holds open and there’s like a space show like the band door. When you lock the door open, there’s like this triangle of space, there’s just like there. And I was, I was fucking around with the homie Jose, and Jose is like a tiny kid. And we was like, Yo, I bet Jose can fit back there in this little, this little, little equilateral triangle behind this door. And so we’re, like, kind of messing around. And then Steve shows up and like, it’s like, really like trying to, like, shove me behind this door, but it’s like, you know, like, in a way, I appreciate that. Yeah, in a way that was clearly not like.

 

Sama’an: It wasn’t for.

 

Jamel: Fun. Wasn’t fun.

 

Sama’an: Aziz Yeah, yeah.

 

Jamel: And so I kind of like pushed him back. I was like, Yo, chill. And then he punched me. And this is based off nothing. Yeah. Like, the whole school day has gone by, and it’s not like. It’s not like Steve’s fucking with me at all. All day. It’s just.

 

Sama’an: Out of.

 

Jamel: Nowhere. This is truly out of nowhere.

 

Speaker1: I was like, What? Steve? Yeah. Steve, I thought. I thought we had an understanding. Yeah.

 

Jamel: What you saying? I was. You say I’m fat, and then I’m like, Drew, but that’s what we did.

 

Sama’an: Oh, man.

 

Jamel: He, like, hits me. I kind of backed up, and I was like, and I never I didn’t like him. So I just like. I like, kind of was shocked for a second, and I hit him. Wow. In his face. Wow. And he wasn’t expecting that because I’ve never punched anybody.

 

Sama’an: You probably weren’t expecting that.

 

Jamel: I think everybody in Ripon Middle School knew if they had a list of dudes who was going to punch a dude in the face, I would have to be somewhere near the bottom at this point. Right. Of the who’s going to potentially punch somebody in the face, right? It would be me at the bottom and then it would be the kid who actually punched the security guard of the school in the face.

 

Sama’an: Towards the trees, towards.

 

Jamel: The top of the list.

 

Sama’an: Easily top five on.

 

Jamel: The list, which is the thing that for sure happened.

 

Sama’an: That’s insane. That’s absolutely insane.

 

Jamel: Yeah. What was his name? Was that kid named Damien? Probably punch Mr. Harit right in the fucking face. Mr. Jarrett also sucked.

 

Sama’an: He probably deserved it.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Not a cool dude. Yeah.

 

Speaker1: Anyhow.

 

Jamel: So I punched him. And then as.

 

Speaker1: I’m hitting him.

 

Jamel: A bunch of kids are, like, coming around the corner because this is where the bus people are leaving school.

 

Sama’an: There’s a crowd.

 

Jamel: Now. It’s a crowd. And as soon as I hit him, like, somebody’s like.

 

Speaker1: Oh, shit.

 

Sama’an: There’s always.

 

Speaker1: That one.

 

Sama’an: That’s what we said before, sir. We just said, Oh, shit, yeah, yeah.

 

Speaker1: Oh, should they fight him?

 

Jamel: And like, then he punches me in the gut and then ran away. Oh, I’m expecting an all out brawl now. Wow.

 

Sama’an: Just punch and run.

 

Jamel: He hit me, and this. This fight ended a draw.

 

Sama’an: I hate to see that.

 

Jamel: And it was like I was just on the bus, like what happened? And everybody was like, yo.

 

Speaker1: He pushed him in the face with the fuck. It was like, son, he. Yeah, he actually tried to find me.

 

Sama’an: It wasn’t like, but did you land more face hits? Did he even touch your face?

 

Jamel: I punched him once. I landed one punch, a clean one.

 

Sama’an: On the face.

 

Jamel: On this kid’s jaw.

 

Sama’an: Okay.

 

Jamel: And that was it.

 

Sama’an: And he got you in the gut, but he dipped.

 

Jamel: Yeah, well, he hit me in the face first.

 

Sama’an: Oh. Oh, I didn’t know the first.

 

Jamel: He threw the first punch in the face. Okay, but that punch was enough to get me twerked on at a house party.

 

Sama’an: Wait, that’s how that was sequentially.

 

Jamel: I mean. I mean, look.

 

Sama’an: Did the girl who worked on you, was she.

 

Jamel: She was she there? Who knows? But I mean, it’s what makes the most sense to me.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, yeah.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Now, you know, my point is up, [00:45:00] right? I was on middle school riot. At this point, I had enough juice.

 

Sama’an: Vip. Yeah, totally. Put me.

 

Speaker1: In.

 

Jamel: Now I’m at middle school one. Okay. And it’s crazy.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. Which it always is. Yes. Wow, that’s insane, man. That’s I’ll. I’ll just say that you won the fight. Just.

 

Jamel: Oh, no, I mean, in the court of public opinion, I definitely won the fight. Yeah, because he ran away like I was prepared to finish the fight. Yeah. And he was the one who left the scene. Yeah.

 

Sama’an: He, he forfeited. Yeah, he lost.

 

Jamel: Which, you know. But it’s a weird forfeit. It’s like forfeiting before halftime of a game and you’re like, and it’s like, tied, and you’re like.

 

Sama’an: Maybe he knew something that you didn’t even know.

 

Jamel: Yeah, I mean.

 

Sama’an: That could be it. Maybe Steve saw your greatest potential in you.

 

Jamel: It is interesting because four years. So, like, after that happens the next day, like, there’s like all this tension mounting because like, I knew I was going to see him in PE at the end of the day and everybody’s like gassing the whole thing up. Like, what’s up? Is it part two?

 

Sama’an: What’s going to.

 

Jamel: Happen? What you’re about to.

 

Speaker1: Do, what’s up?

 

Jamel: And people are like, Yo, Steve’s looking for you, son. I don’t.

 

Speaker4: Know.

 

Speaker1: I don’t know.

 

Jamel: And I’m like, dawg, I mean, I was there. You fine. What do you mean? Look for me.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: I’ll be at PE. We’ll see. And like, we’re in PE and like, there’s like this, like, kind of like like locker room area, and everybody’s ready to walk out and everybody just kind of like, we’re all just sitting there quietly, right? And then, like, I think he, like, cracked a joke, or, like, he’s like, cut your face.

 

Sama’an: You went back to the jokes.

 

Jamel: He goes back to that. And I was like.

 

Speaker1: Know, I’m all right, you’re good. You get Steve.

 

Jamel: He’s like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then that was just the end of it. And then we were kind of friends.

 

Sama’an: Mutual respect maybe.

 

Jamel: Is like a weird. He’s like, kind of nice to me now.

 

Speaker4: And.

 

Jamel: I’m like, okay, you could have just, you know, did the joke, you know, you didn’t have to.

 

Sama’an: You didn’t have to take it there.

 

Jamel: Yeah. You didn’t have to sock me right in the face for us to be friends, bro. But whatever it was got to shit. And then we go to the same high school. And we’re on we’re playing football. And he was a guy who kind of pushed me like I was on the bench and he was like playing ahead of me. And he just kind of like pushed me to, like, you know, work harder and like, it was kind of like what eventually led to me playing wow. Like we were like, be in the weight room and he was like, Doug, you can go harder than that. I know you can. He punched me in the face that one time.

 

Sama’an: Look at the character progression from.

 

Jamel: Steve, and I was like, All.

 

Speaker1: Right, dude, I hear.

 

Jamel: You. And then it’s kind of weird because, like, this is what’s going on. And he was always in front of me. And then senior year I kind of got the best of him in practice one day and one of the assistant coaches saw this and like and then, you know, then I’m playing now I’m just kind of in the more in the rotation.

 

Speaker1: And then he gets kicked off the team. What happened? They fucking they found like two like weed seeds. They kick him.

 

Jamel: Out for like two like seeds in his car.

 

Sama’an: Now I feel bad for Steve. Yeah, I didn’t feel bad for him at first.

 

Jamel: Yeah, I kind of sucked. Yeah, but he was also a nut. I mean, this dude, I remember one time, he broke his arm and, like, he had a cast, and he was just, like, beating the shit out of people with the cars. Like, in football. Like, he’s in the game with a club clubbing.

 

Speaker4: Guys.

 

Sama’an: That doesn’t even seem safe.

 

Speaker1: He was the wild son.

 

Jamel: Wow. I remember he got a guy kicked out of the game for that. He was clubbing this dude Clint sent him who played for the Giants. He is on a.

 

Speaker1: Super Bowl.

 

Jamel: Championship roster. Wow. This guy, he was like the best dude in the county. And Steve’s, like, giving him just dirty shots the whole game, and Clint loses it on him and finally shoves him. And then he was the one who got thrown out of the game.

 

Sama’an: Amazing.

 

Jamel: I was like, Yo, Steve, you’re wild. Steve did that. I can’t believe you fucking club. Clint sent.

 

Speaker4: Him here.

 

Sama’an: I bet Clint never forgot that.

 

Jamel: You’re a nut, dude. I remember he. I remember Steve Powerbombed a kid in practice one time, just like little kid. Steve was also in band. Woodbridge is a weird town.

 

Sama’an: It’s. There’s a lot going on in Woodridge.

 

Jamel: Yeah. How was the bully also in band, right? We don’t know, son.

 

Sama’an: And he’s not getting bullied for that.

 

Jamel: Yeah, we don’t know how to explain, but one of the other kids who was in band was [00:50:00] like on JV and they had him on scout.

 

Speaker1: Team OC.

 

Jamel: And it’s like a my man, it’s my dog. He’s just like, you know, he’s like a small guy. Sure. And Steve’s like, Yo, why is Pebble the scout team running back right now? Somebody should be somebody bigger than him. This isn’t right. And I was like, okay, Steve. But then he’s like, You know what? Watch this.

 

Speaker4: Is?

 

Jamel: It’s like, people shouldn’t be out there. And I agree at that point. But then when he was like, I’ll demonstrate why now? And then on the next play, he just like, he just destroys this play and picks up a bell and literally powerbombs my man.

 

Sama’an: Jesus.

 

Jamel: My man is like £94 smoking, like, soaking wet, like.

 

Speaker1: And I was like, Steve, you didn’t have to.

 

Sama’an: He literally did not have to do that.

 

Speaker1: Like Steve, you didn’t have to do that.

 

Sama’an: But that’s just the kind of guy Steve is.

 

Jamel: Steve’s a complex man.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, he sounds complex for sure. Wow.

 

Jamel: Play football at a public school.

 

Speaker1: Which might as well be minimum security prison that gets wild. Foods wild. Craziest thing.

 

Jamel: About football is.

 

Speaker1: Like. You see the players and the players are crazy, but like somebody is enabling that crazy shit. You see him saying. Coaches ain’t stopping none of this madness. And like I remember today, he kind of hit me. We were playing like a rival school on the road, and we are getting our ass walked. There’s 40 to nothing at halftime. And if you don’t know how football works, don’t worry about the numbers. I wasn’t having a good time. That’s the point. Stay with me. And like, coach comes in and he’s, like, too mad to talk. He’s really. He’s fucking spinning around.

 

Jamel: He’s doing Tasmanian devil looking shit now.

 

Speaker1: And he finally he like smacks the chalkboard and he looks at us and he’s like, What the crap was that? You guys went out there and you played like your peas were this big. I’ll never forget it, bro.

 

Jamel: I looked at the kicker like.

 

Speaker1: Yo, I need to leave. It is absolutely time for me to go home. What the fuck is happening? You mean to tell me you can’t curse, right? But you could comment on my dick size. So the worst 50 niggers in the school, possibly the worst 50 niggers I’ve ever met in my life. And like, that’s supposed to motivate. I’m supposed to want to play sports more now. Like, Yo, fuck you. Where your pad, nigga? You the one coached us. You calling the damn players what your people look like?

 

Jamel: Another one of the dudes who I he like. He’s definitely influential in my weed career because this is like the summer of that senior year. He’s like, Yeah, it was like the last day or two of days. And I was just like real like, you know, corny.

 

Speaker1: Like I could.

 

Jamel: I could do some pot right now.

 

Sama’an: I could smoke.

 

Jamel: It’s been a long two weeks of training camp. I would like to unwind with pot, sir. Like one of the first times I ever did the shit, Steve was like, Yo, you smoke weed? I was like, Not really, but.

 

Sama’an: I do now.

 

Jamel: Yeah, it was good. Steve Yeah, I also have a lot of dimensions.

 

Sama’an: Steven As we’re learning.

 

Jamel: Woodbridge is a sick place. The best thing about it is probably the outlet mall, but, you know, we’ll get to that later.

 

Sama’an: Well, tell us about where it’s at by Beck where set this scene for us.

 

Jamel: Where it’s at is actually earlier.

 

Sama’an: Okay. Traveling back in time.

 

Jamel: Back in time. We’re traveling to Arlington County.

 

Speaker1: This destination a little up the road from the habitations of the towns. We know a place we saw the lights to low, the Chickasaw Jazz and the get fresh flow, pulling out jobs and jamboree handouts to turn the tables into the microphone, bottles and cans and just clap your hands or just clap your hands.

 

When you got the microphone. You got a microphone and a microphone.

 

Jamel: I lived in two of northern Virginia’s premier towns townships, as it were. [00:55:00] And Arlington is like where most of my family’s from. It’s like a suburb right outside of D.C., like right across the bridge. And it was pretty black back in the day. Gotcha. And so when we were there, my dad signed me up for basketball camp at Marymount University, which is in Arlington, and it was like summertime for them. So nobody’s really on campus. And I was like eight and we were in like the student lounge. Okay. So this is like it’s like 1995. I’m in the 1995 Marymount University Student Lounge.

 

Sama’an: Gotcha.

 

Jamel: Connected to their cafeteria and a bugged out that they have waffle fries in the cafeteria. Like, yo, I got to go to college. They got waffle fries here, and we’re in the lounge and there’s like two pinball machines and a big screen TV and MTV’s on. And where it’s at comes on and I’m like, Yo, who is this cool ass white dude? I couldn’t understand it. That was one of the first times I believed in white people in general.

 

Sama’an: Right. Right.

 

Jamel: I was just like, Yo, this song is tight.

 

Sama’an: Their reputation was little.

 

Jamel: How did this white guy make this? Yeah, how did he make a thing I like? Yeah, I made and I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, but it was just like I was just like, yo, why is this white guy good?

 

Sama’an: Wow. Wow. Two turntables and a microphone.

 

Jamel: So he needed. Yeah. And the video was, like, kind of weird, but, like, funny.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Speaker1: Oh, yeah.

 

Jamel: This is I don’t know. And, and that’s also like one of the first times I’m like, maybe I should watch MTV. I wasn’t really watching music videos to this point.

 

Sama’an: And you’re like, Whoa, they got they got some shit.

 

Jamel: They got some shit. I don’t know what this shit is. Wow.

 

Speaker1: Wow.

 

Sama’an: Damn. And that was Beck.

 

Jamel: Beck did that. And that was Beck kind of. Yeah, Beck kind of put me on MTV and then, like, MTV kind of just, like, fucked up my life, bro. Man, that early. Mtv is so good. Yeah. And then when they add MTV to you, remember when MTV2 was just music.

 

Sama’an: Videos for a while? It was only music video.

 

Jamel: 24 hours of music video.

 

Sama’an: More could you want at that age?

 

Jamel: Music videos is the best entertainment easily.

 

Sama’an: I used to remember. I remember I used to like come home so I could catch the 50 cent just a little bit. Music video. Yeah, because it was like kind of, you.

 

Speaker1: Know, PG 13 a little.

 

Jamel: Bit. Oh, buddy, you know, cause you weren’t hip to you weren’t hip to bet uncut at this point.

 

Sama’an: Oh, I was. I just knew that just a little bit was going to come on right after school in that period where it was like one of the top ten songs.

 

Jamel: Yeah, it was right in that block.

 

Sama’an: But we were definitely on bet on for sure.

 

Jamel: Yes.

 

Sama’an: But what are your like top like songs you remember from Bet Uncut?

 

Jamel: I mean, obviously Tip Jersey.

 

Speaker1: Tip.

 

Jamel: Was a great one. Doesn’t know what that thing smelled like.

 

Sama’an: I don’t remember that one. Going to look it up.

 

Speaker1: So, baby, tell me what that smell like. I’m trying to kick it tonight. So, baby, tell me what that thing smells like with a hint. Can we get down on the low? Low in the backseat of a Volvo? Make a shake, make a jump, make it work. Coming down just because the young player said so.

 

Jamel: Basically, what that thing smell like is a big.

 

Speaker4: One for.

 

Jamel: The.

 

Sama’an: Homies. Yeah.

 

Jamel: What’s another good.

 

Sama’an: One? I remember this one called. It was by this not. Not PD. Pd from New York or wherever he’s from. Not PD crack, but just this guy named PD and he was from North Carolina and he had a song called Poppin and Lock In. You remember this popping in my pocket.

 

Speaker1: Money sipping Dom popping in LA.

 

Sama’an: And it had like a really explicit video. Like they were like Naked Girls Club. Yeah, I don’t know, another song from this guy ever that ever came out. But that one for sure stuck in my head.

 

Jamel: I love.

 

Speaker1: I’m God.

 

Jamel: The formula of a better, uncut video is the best.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Let’s just go to the strip club, guys.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Let’s just go to the strip club during the day on like. Like I’m like a Tuesday.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, let’s film this.

 

Jamel: And just.

 

Speaker1: Film this.

 

Jamel: Yeah, this is the video guy.

 

Speaker1: You just.

 

Sama’an: We’ve been doing it all wrong.

 

Speaker1: Yeah, it’s.

 

Jamel: Like. It’s like four dudes at the strip club, and they’re like, damn, what are we going to do for this video? And then one of them is like, Yo, I got it right here.

 

Sama’an: Here, let’s turn the cameras on. This is the magic.

 

Speaker1: This is the shot. Yes, that’s.

 

Speaker4: Right.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Shit. There’s [01:00:00] one of those. The white girls. One of the white girls.

 

Speaker1: Right. Like white.

 

Jamel: Lines. Yeah, but this was just white girls. That was the one.

 

Sama’an: They used to do. There was, like, an extended version of Still Tippin that had some strip club scenes. That was the thing that happened for sure. Huge. Big, big for me. Huge being in Houston.

 

Jamel: And I mean. Doesn’t look to have one, too.

 

Sama’an: Wouldn’t be surprised.

 

Jamel: Looters got one. That’s like a big one. And I’m like, I’m blanking on it right now.

 

Sama’an: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Luther for sure. Had one.

 

Speaker1: Get down, get down, get down. Put on a handstand on my American Bandstand. Somersault, cartwheels, be it. Just keep on dancing and Chinese blitz. Blitz. I know. Down at home. Oh, they feel this big, big getting out of control. Oh, oh, no. Keep going to the nigger like me say.

 

Jamel: Because I don’t know if tip drill came out first, but like it was an arms race. Yeah.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, it wasn’t a scene.

 

Speaker1: Yeah, it’s a goddamn Ahmad’s. You think that song was about this?

 

Sama’an: It was about booty uncut.

 

Speaker1: Yeah. It was about.

 

Speaker4: When.

 

Jamel: Nelly dropped the tip trophy, and every other rapper was like, No, Nelly’s not.

 

Speaker1: Beating me.

 

Jamel: Again.

 

Sama’an: No. And. And you know what? He did beat them a couple more times.

 

Speaker4: Yeah.

 

Jamel: Damn. Nelly was like, big bro. Get her on, man. I always compare him to T-Mac. He was the T-Mac of hip hop. Like, they were both the best at the same time.

 

Sama’an: Yep.

 

Jamel: And like. And now a couple of knee injuries.

 

Sama’an: Really big suits.

 

Jamel: Yeah. You know, sweat and suit, man.

 

Sama’an: What an idea. What a concept.

 

Jamel: And just when you think now he’s gone, sweat and suit come out.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, which I enjoyed both of those very much.

 

Jamel: I mean, flap. Your wings is flap. Your wings will always be in my phone.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, you never know when you need it. Yeah. Also, do you think that we as a society are ready to acknowledge that Murphy Lee had the best verse on the Welcome to Atlanta.

 

Speaker1: Remember the static.

 

To to catch and coach with automatics. St Louis is the truth like.

 

Speaker1: Sojourner don’t need a burner. We learn from Ike Turner.

 

I try to tell you don’t cross that bridge without permission from the st lunatics. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

 

Sama’an: Saint Louis is the truth. Like journey. Yeah. What a line.

 

Jamel: I mean, that’s a huge line.

 

Sama’an: It’s a.

 

Jamel: Line. That line was so good that they put it on the back of a quarter.

 

Sama’an: Yeah. Yeah. That’s actually on the on the Missouri quarter.

 

Sama’an: Yes.

 

Speaker4: It’s just a picture.

 

Sama’an: Of Murphy Lee.

 

Jamel: In a big ass jersey.

 

Sama’an: Backwards. Yeah. Yep, yep.

 

Jamel: Yo I can’t wait till they get to the st lunatics in the quarter series.

 

Speaker4: Because.

 

Jamel: They keep like printing new quarters. And sometimes I’ll look and I’ll be like, well, this ain’t the 50 states. What is.

 

Speaker4: This?

 

Speaker1: They’re just doing parks now.

 

Sama’an: St lunatics should be on there if they’re doing parks.

 

Jamel: Yeah. If they’re still doing new lines of quarters like ten years from now, the st lunatics are for sure going to be on the Missouri quarter.

 

Sama’an: It’s happening. There’s not that many famous Missourians.

 

Jamel: Yeah. Period, period. End of the.

 

Sama’an: Sentence. Yeah. So I can’t wait personally. Jamelle, I just wanna say thanks so much for being on the podcast, bro.

 

Jamel: Thanks for having me, man.

 

Sama’an: Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for telling these stories. Thanks for reminiscing. Deep cuts. You know what I mean?

 

Jamel: I feel like I’m always repeating stories on podcast and today I made sure to not do that.

 

Sama’an: None of these have been told.

 

Jamel: Before these are fresh cuts.

 

Sama’an: That means so much to us. Prime cuts. Thank you. Thank you so much.

 

Jamel: That way, man. Thank you for everything.

 

Sama’an: I would love. We need to like ten years from now, we just go back and we’ll listen to this and be like, damn, you know what I mean?

 

Jamel: Ten years from now, we’ll be we’ll be on stage. We’ll be at a sold out live event commemorating the anniversary of this podcast release.

 

Sama’an: I would love that. I would love to see that. Whoa, whoa. Big time into that. Whoa.

 

Jamel: We’re at the Nostalgia Mixtape. Fucking where are they now? At the goddamn Microsoft Center Place. Yeah, we’re just at Microsoft. We’re at.

 

Sama’an: Microsoft headquarters.

 

Jamel: We’re inside a compact presario PC.

 

Sama’an: The Nostalgia Mixtape is in the Magic School Bus, and we’re inside the Presario.

 

Jamel: And somehow we’re completely sober. Yeah, yeah. Wow, this is happening.

 

Sama’an: I think this [01:05:00] is a stage in our career where we both go sober for a little bit.

 

Jamel: Yeah, I want to let everybody know no acid was eaten during the taping of this podcast.

 

Sama’an: Zero acid was.

 

Jamel: Done. You know.

 

Sama’an: I think it’s good that we let.

 

Jamel: People know that. Yeah, yeah. They should know. Yeah, they should know.

 

Sama’an: So I appreciate you, man. Thank you so much.

 

Jamel: No way. I thank you more. Wow.

 

Speaker1: Yes, we did that.

 

Sama’an: Wow, y’all, what a what a great episode with Jamel Johnson, as I mentioned. Very funny guy and I’m sure you heard that in this episode. Also like the steep the bully story. What like what an arc. What an arc on that story like. I really didn’t like him in the beginning because he was being mean to Jamal, and I wished that I could hop in a time machine and go back and help Jamal beat up Steve the bully. But then it come, and I ended up, like, coming around to, like, really like him, like, or at least understand that he was complex. He wasn’t one dimensional. He wasn’t just mean. He had some character progression.

 

He got. Better, more well-rounded.

 

Sama’an: Yeah, I ended up being a really deep story. And, you know, the little white three six mafia bone thugs back. Um, the Nelly sidebar, beat, cut, sidebar. Like these are just like. If you didn’t grow up with beaten cut. I’m sure there’s clips online. Go there, go on the Internet, find the Internet and go there and look up BT Uncut. If you re not at work, if there’s no one around, make sure. Yeah, make sure you’re by yourself anyway. Bt What a special time and what a special episode. So I just want to say once again, Jamil, thank you so much, man, for making time for the Nostalgia Mixtape for us for coming by the campfire. Yeah, I could do I could do a thousand of these, which I appreciate you so much, man. Anyway, this episode was taped at Sound Work Studios and edited and produced by Jason Crow. Catch you next time.

 

Speaker1: Peace Friday.

 

It was late. I was walking home. We got down to the gate and I was dreaming of the.

 

Speaker1: What?

 

Right now. I see. Each time we hear our favorites.

 

Speaker1: Memories come along. Times we’re missing, spending the hours reminiscing.

Once again you can find the singer Lenora on Instagram, Spotify, and wherever else music is stream.