The boardroom out of office podcast is presented by Coors Light when you need a moment to chill grab a Coors Light for some Mountain coal refreshment, please drink responsibly Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado.
Today's Show is brought to you by athletic greens the all-in-one daily drink to support Better Health and Peak Performance develop from a complete blend of 75 vitamins minerals and Whole Food sourced ingredients athletic greens is a green powder engineered to help fill the nutritional gaps in your diet their daily drink improves your everyday performance by addressing the four pillars of Health energy recovery gut health and immune support athletic greens is an easy all-in-one solution.
Help your body meet its nutritional needs. They're highly absorbable powder is died friendly whether you eat keto paleo vegan dairy-free or gluten-free athletic greens was developed with the best in mind and has become part of the daily regimen of thousands of high performers and athletes worldwide. So whether you're looking to boost your energy levels support your immune system or address gut health now's the perfect time to try athletic greens yourself simply visit athletic greens.
Dot-com boardroom the claim our special offer today and receive the free D3 /k to Wellness bundle in your first purchase that is up to one year supply of vitamin D as added value when you try they're delicious and comprehensive daily all-in-one drink, you will be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive nutritional bundle anywhere else. Again, that is athletic greens.com / boardroom.
What's up, everybody? Welcome to The Boardroom Network. This is the out of office podcast and I am here with my man Gianni her L who I will be with for as long as they will have us Gianni was good. What's up? What's up rich you excited for today super rare super rare. This should be dope. We got my partner in crime Kevin Durant. He's here with us today. He'll be he'll be hopping on the out of office network from time to time.
Is podcast launches next month? So today will be fun alongside KD G and myself we will have the CEO of translation advertising agency the CEO of United Masters and author tanning America guys done. So many things manage some of the biggest artists in the world. He's a Pioneer and in hip hop music is a Pioneer and entertainment world and honored to have them on he always has incredible amount of knowledge to share with the world. So
Without further
Ado Steve Stoute. Yeah, thank you for having me as part of this song to see what you guys have started this business from and where it is today. I'm proud of you. I can't wait to get into it as man. I think you guys are doing is amazing. I told rich I listen to the Doc Rivers conversation. That shit is crazy. Thank you, man.
So I'll tell you Steve shows up. You always show up for me man. I said that to Jack to but I've known you for 20 years you've shown up for me and introduced me to.
And you have two people I know in this world when I was Kevin and Jionni when I was 29 years old. I got put in this book The Johnnie Walker 30 under 30. It was like the kind of thing that you know with all due respect to Johnnie Walker met nothing but the time frame for me I felt like this was a real thing and they asked me to name somebody that was a mentor to me someone I looked up to and I chose Stout and one of the number one reasons I chose Steve was because I couldn't explain.
And what he did and I loved it. I loved that. Like I knew he was involved in house party the movie that I grew up on. I knew he was involved in naz's business. I knew he was involved in Jay-Z's business and it was some of the commercials that we had seen without Iverson and Jadakiss he was involved in but what I loved about it was he was everywhere and doing everything and I always envisioned myself doing that one day Steve if you got stopped by a young kid, and I'm sure you do from time to time that asks you to explain.
What your role is and what your title is and I know you probably hate that in a in a quick second. How would you explain what Steve Stoute does for a
living rich? I gotta tell you, you know, I appreciate the compliment. It's been it was it's hard to explain and I realized at a certain point in time that I wanted it to be hard to explain because it's truly.
I Encompass a lot of things that interest me and if it's if it interests me, I'm going to go after it and I feel like people want to put people in boxes and if I tell them what I do, then they want to put me in that box.
Very similarly, like if you look at Kevin like it's this this this three positions on a basketball for positions on the basketball court, right? It's like the fact that the either forward the center point guard shooting guys. Like what position is Kevin Durant?
He's all positions but like the coaches be trying to put you in a box. And then you have that position. I don't ever want to be that position. I want to be a person that could play all positions of things that interest me just so happens that music advertising and technology technology interest me, and I put my 10,000 hours in all three of them. So I sit at that convergence of those three things and I'm proud of that so
I am a person who is culturally curious that chases down the things that I believe in and I don't want to be put in a box. That's really the best description of who I am and
the company's you run though, right the company's you run just for the listeners. You're the CEO of translation the CEO of United Masters.
You have a incredibly High role within the Nick organization in marketing and branding and advertising. And I know that this is a million other things that you do, but you have to get good at something and when you were coming up just like when Kevin was coming up, it wasn't the idea of being three positions on the basketball court. It was setting out to do something and be someone and and and and be accomplished in this world and be regarded. I guess I asked this to both you and Kevin like
Was there an inflection point in your teenage years where you realize that you had a you had a little you had a mission in life that what you were going to do for a living or what you were going to do in this world was going to mean something.
Yeah, yeah, you understand the posts in the culture around.
What I did at you know, which is playing basketball. You understand how far the reaches and you look at the stat you look at the standards that were set by guys in my profession and you know, so you start to understand what you know, my purpose I started understanding my purposes around the game of basketball, but how many people can really be touched by what I do, but what I do on the floor every day, so how I moved once I started to realize that how I moved on a day-to-day to start to change and start to evolve I start to become more
Fashionable is each year started to pass and you know, then you know how I moved outside of that. Just you know, how I chose my friends what situations I want to put myself into who I wanted to talk to just start to change based off of the scale that I start to develop so Steve, that's like a tangible skill, right? And for me, I think another reason I obviously kind of admired what your role was in this world was I wanted to be around it. I wanted to be around greatness like Kevin Durant.
Durant like Jay-Z like the people that I watched you around. What was there a skillset you realized early on or a passion or a love that that drove you to get started? Well, the truth of the matter is
I remember I was sitting in my mother's dry. I was sitting in my parents house. I was in the driveway and I listened to it ain't hard to tell my Nas and it was the first thing like
I had dreams.
And when I listen to it ain't hard to tell.
Sitting in my in my driveway my mom's crib because I can play it Loud. We're not getting beef my parents in the car. I wanted it inspired me to do something. That was out of body.
And what that was was I went to Queensbridge and literally met nods For the First Time by just walking into Queensbridge without knowing a single person and that's when I knew I wanted to make it and walking into Queensbridge was just something that was a symbol of how bad I wanted it. It was the first thing that made me do something really bad. Everybody worked hard had two jobs like the normal.
Required thing but the out-of-body thing was when I went to what was a dangerous place without having any introductions and said this can anybody introduced me to Knott's that's how bad I wanted to be an entertainment business.
And that that was the first thing that I could say was damn, even when I look back on it what was running through my body to make me do that that was driving me to get into entertainment.
It was not a person that I looked up to you and said, oh this person is the mold in which I want to follow there was nobody that was doing all the things that I felt like I had the god-given talent to do to be honest with you.
How old were you when you were at we're heading to Queens
bridge.
I was 25. So I was already a music. I was already like working with kids and play and a road manager and doing all that kind of stuff. But when I heard I didn't really like that music. I mean just a little kitten play a good friends of mine and they put me on but I didn't love that music.
I didn't love their music when I heard Nas that shit was an out-of-body experience and I want and I went to go see him. I was 25 years old and that's when my life changed really changed. I'm gonna lie to you. Kevin told me was story that blew my mind like Kevin told me this story about
Going hours. First of all a coach that wouldn't even let him touch the ball four hours unless he went to a certain workout regimen and then in playing basketball. He had gotten so good that he could travel far distances just to play competition that could compete with him and I was sitting there going. Are you serious? Like have you told me these stories man about when you wanted to quit basketball?
We you had a coach that would let you pick up a ball and that man who came into your life coach who made you travel far distances to play talent. That was your equivalent that would make you keep growing as an athlete and you did all of it. And it blew my mind coming at you where you came from that you that you did those things. Like I don't know how you feel. But those things must have been life changing.
Yeah definitely was I think it all stems from from from the love.
Of I think enjoying what I did every single day enjoying working with other people that just start to evolve over time. So those out-of-body experiences happened. I was I was I was able to know that they were happening in the moment you give him saying like, you know, each time I played in the new arena for the first time and I play well or I met a player that was just as good as me I felt those who are out of body experiences. I probably would have bypassed those if I didn't love the game as much, you know, I'm saying so a lot of the stuff was subtle.
Over that time but it all stemmed from the love of in and that's something that you just build over the, you know, first first few workouts. Obviously, I didn't know what I was doing and then I start I wanted to get better at it and I love just start to grow and then, you know everything kind of opened up after that.
How about working out? But how about working out the two hours before you touch the ball you some you have a crawling on your back you call him back with you.
Link to the court like when you like a crab backwards like you were telling me some crazy workout shit.
Yeah, I mean, but sit at that age, you don't you you thinking all of this, you know, you have to do all of it, you know, if somebody told me to do something out there on the basketball court. I wanted to be the best, you know, I wanted to be the best in the drills. I wanted to be I wanted to I wanted my coaches to look at me to not look at me and think I had any weaknesses, you know, I'm saying so everything that they told me to do. I was just
Always ready to do it at an elite level and some days were worse than others. Obviously just like any job any skill you're trying to perfect but at the end of it it was like this is going to make me who I want to be. Yeah, but the love is the same thing as like when I always say to you that I feel like some people are wired to look at work and look at their profession as what they have to do to pay their bills and have entertainment with their kids.
And to travel where as I knew I was born early like wired to like want to make work and building something and creating something and like starting something and seeing somebody else want to buy it or like taking my toys downstairs and selling them just because that feeling gave me a rush. That's how you felt about basketball do entrepreneurs Steve. Like don't you agree people have to be wired for this you have to be wired for you have to love this. You have to want this to the people that you surround yourself with them business.
You build your company with can you get all like-minded people within your organization that love it because you can be an entrepreneur within a company which took me a long time to realize but like how do you find those people within your group?
I'm Gonna Keep it all the way real, you know this we out the office right now, and I'm not going to sit here and sugarcoat. This being an entrepreneur is a very lonely job. I went through a lot of sleepless nights mean
In the last three years building United Masters No, Sleep nervous. You don't want to fail you got to make payroll. You got people relying on you and there's very few people that can wake up and function. No one knows things are constantly on their mind and and I think about I think about great athletes all the time. I find inspiration when I think about you know, you know, you got to take that shot the game.
You know, it's a close game this four minutes left. You know that you're going to take the shot like so you got to go through that process because it's going to come down to you or they're entrepreneurs inside of a company. Yes. There are people who are entrepreneurial and thought but it's really a very few who can go to sleep knowing that if it's it's on them to pay the bills. It's on them to make the company work is on them. They hit that last shot the thing that
At the most disappointing thing about this sort of time for me is that the word entrepreneur is being thrown around Loosely and everybody's running to it thinking that that's what they want to do, but they don't realize that that ain't really it I wouldn't even recommend too many people to do what I've done. There's a lot of sacrifice.
Is shit that came through it that I don't think that everybody should do is I don't highly recommend it. You know yet like I don't know how you feel Kevin. Do you recommend that everybody everybody take see what it feels like to take the last shot in the championship game?
No, I definitely I definitely tell a lot of people that you got to work your way up into those positions. You got to you got to learn from somebody. You gotta be able to follow. Well, you know, and in order for you to like you said take that last shot, but it's a lot of people who jumping into
That fire and they want to under date. They think they understand what it means to be an entrepreneur. But like you said it's a lot of pressure that comes with it as a lot of people that that you're responsible for it that point but I always tell people to follow the leader is always good to do that. You learn a lot that way but you know what you don't also I'm sure you can't also tell every young player like work your way up here. There's some young players that you may say like, you know, you should start focusing on setting screens and like playing off the ball and because
You may not be wired for that last shot and that and that's what I think like some people I think think entrepreneurs a job title, you know, like not think I'm a I'm a Dropout of business school and was going to be an entrepreneur like you wired it a certain way. You have to be wired that way. You should focus on something else.
Yeah. Are we rich CEO? I'm not even saying I'm saying you can aspire to be a CEO that's different the entrepreneur having an idea when everybody tells you there's no fucking way. It's going to work.
Work and you got to go and do that face and you got to build it and find five people that believe in you then you got to lead them and make payroll. Then you got to turn that into 50 people and a hundred people and build a company but it's not for everybody that's impossible for everybody. And it's not I hate the fact that everybody makes that thing feel like the shape. It's not and I'm sure Kevin seen a lot of players. We have a lot of potential missing important shot and there.
We're going the wrong direction after that now he's scared that I don't want to shoot not even think twice about it. Now. You can't rely on them.
Yeah, like he says a lot of pressure that comes with being a guy being held accountable for a lot of other things besides yourself. You know, I'm saying it's and it's even through your success. They're going to be there's going to be some time. It's still going to be even more pressure. Once you get more success, you know, I'm saying so it definitely is definitely a role that you got to be cut off for you got to be
grown for like we said before we had this conversation before Rich some skills, you start developing at an early early age eight nine years nine ten years old you start developing those skills subconsciously and that builds you up into that put you into that role. Some people don't have those skills at an early age. Well, some people don't have the skills and early age. They don't have perspective and some skills. I think start to become more refined once you've gained perspective
after I'd made the soundtrack to Men in Black.
And it took off I realized at that moment that hip-hop was bigger than the music that I liked that it was a global culture and that I had the bandwidth to be a part of it. It's like when rappers realized just spitting Rhymes and be an adult battle rapper is cool. But there's so much more to it like making big songs that go Global and you realize that you can do all of that.
If you stretch your mind, that's why I was after Men In Black. I'm like I could do this all day long. I could think really big and after I did Will Smith Men in Black, it was easy for me to go sign Enrique Inglesias. It was easy for me to go work with to anybody because I understood the language of of aka Big songs and understood the the language of how how Global the
Was so that was the first thing when I knew I wanted to be in it forever. I already knew I loved hip-hop and I think about like, you know, whether it be Wu-Tang or Nas or Jay-Z or biggie. Like I wanted to be a part of whatever they were saying for the rest of my life, but I knew at the age of 29 that if I didn't go if I went into advertising I could take the things that I learned from Hip Hop.
Op and get it on a bigger stage and the biggest stage was big National advertising campaigns. And that's why the first thing I did the first in the first three things I did was
I'm loving it which Pusha T wrote?
Jadakiss and Allen Iverson, which was just completely turning everything upside down and hip-hop and R&B. I mean hip-hopping and basketball. I also get another commercial. It didn't come out great for some reason, but it was Steve Francis and Scarface and I like I was like Devil put Steve's richest in Scarface Jadakiss In in Ai and like have Pusha T. Right the McDonald's thing and it was like I
Uniquely, do these things and I feel like it's no different from Katie being that high but could play a way out the perimeter like you just you're a Swiss army knife. I could play here. I could play here. I could do that. But you got to put the hours in it each of those positions. You can't you got to you got to know the block you gotta know.
How to play the perimeter game it's like you gotta work on your handles. Like that's an obscene amount of pressure to 10,000 hours at all three of those things. But God gave you a talent you got to fulfill it.
Okay. So Steve how many years ago was was Pusha T Allen Iverson and and
Scarface all that stuff was like 2002. Katie says he remembers it. Katie must have been eight.
Thousand to be here at the door. Stop. There's no 14.
He's
8, of course, I
remember so you were doing this in 2002 and you've been at corporate America's throat for longer than that, and now in 2020 right another fucked-up incident another incident in Wisconsin that
I'd be remiss not to bring up with the two of you on the phone. And now the both of you have propelled in these positions of power in life positions of shot-makers when there's very little time left on the clock and both your worlds. You got to come through right? So Steve you've been out there at their throat and now they're all making statements and everyone's taking out a release saying that they stand behind black lives matter. What does that mean? When Corporate America says that a
computer slant you know what Kev
I really need your point of view on this. First of all, I like I like the episode called shot-makers. I think that's the dope. It's a mess. That's like a dope name shot make what as it relates to this topic.
Black lives matter is getting co-opted by things that are not part of black lives matter like violence and looting and what you see taking place in Portland. That's not black lives matter.
That's something else and black lives matter as a movement about peaceful protest needs to be clear because if it's not clear and it gets lumped in with all of those things. It's going to be a problem come election time and somebody got to stand up and say black lives matter is this all those other people wearing black lives matter shirts while they're running up in stores have nothing to do with black lives matter. That's some other shit, okay.
Which taken place in general is really to Showcase to the world that black Americans and police have a problem that systemic. They don't treat black men at all with the same precaution that they go through with white people. They shoot first and ask questions later and the fact that there's cameras to show this to the world is
no different. I mean when Rodney King got his ass beat everybody was in shock that that took place and now, you know, 30 years later whatever it is the 32 years later. You see the same thing taking place and even in the environment when everybody is paying attention to this is still taking place and that's why we need change in America because the racism is at a I don't think it's that it's all time.
But I think police brutality is absolutely at its all-time high because they're afraid.
Yeah and the line like we've talked about I think like people can't hide anymore if there's some if there's some positive that's come out of this moment and I think a lot of positive has but it's got to be in the follow through in the consistency, but that's what I mean. Right? So you get a you get a quote from a corporation Steve that you work with that says that they support this and I
I see now that United Masters in the last three or four weeks is announced deals with some of the biggest corporations ESPN the MBA. What as one of these leaders who's been doing this for 20 years? What are you saying to Corporate America Now who want to ask you how to draft a statement to support them
man? You're as well. I'm holding all of them Rich accountable. I'm coming out with 5 Points that are very clear about how to fix this problem so that you can't say we got to do better.
No, no, we're going to show you what doing babe. You got to hold yourself accountable to fixing this problem within your company diversity issues hiring issues promotional issues, whatever it may be with the same intent that you look at your profit and loss statements. That's the way you need to look at diversity in your company. The other thing I'm going to tell you man that's really screwed up is like
When you look at diversity in America in Corporate America, you got to really exclude white women from it not because they shouldn't be involved because definitely women are getting the short end of the stick as well. But as soon as diversity became a big thing company started putting white women and putting them on the boards and black women and black people was getting the short end of the stick because these companies would say, well we gave a white woman aboard see
It isn't that diversity. Well it is but you know what, we want full accountability for diversity women and African-Americans in totality. So there's a there's a there's a five step process that I'm putting out in a few weeks that I'm going to hold the the all the agencies the holding company's Omnicom. Wpp publicist. He's at a big holding companies that control
The media business and I'm holding all the branch accountable to hold them accountable so that we can get more diversity in this industry.
An immediate industry I want and lastly on this topic Rich because it's a very important one. I don't think that running around saying defund the police is the right answer but funding police training is definitely the right answer
1000% police training and every Department doing background checks and going generational with these checks like some of these guys in Middle America, I mean,
These guys didn't just happen to do something quote-unquote racist. Like these were racist people within these departments. I mean, this is I mean, that's the definition I would would would assume is of what systemic is like, this is within the system it's broken. But so what role like
What role do you feel like athletes for instance who I think in the past people always reference Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Muhammad Ali as some of the more outspoken athletes now, I think it's the entire Sports Community, right? So what's the sports community's role as opposed to what you believe corporate America's role is and and have they already started doing it. Have they always been doing
it. Well, you know what? I want to defer to Katie for that like Katie.
You grew up and you seen all of this shit. None of the surprises. You you seen this all before as an athlete. How do you feel your responsibility? Is this narrative
for when I think we continue to because we do a lot in our neighborhoods. We do a lot in the communities already and for us using our platforms and to speak about it is definitely cool is definitely good to raise awareness. But at this point already to see
more action, you know, but I think I think a lot of players are invested in these communities that they play in at they grew up in especially in the grass roots in the black community. So a lot more guys, I think we got more allies now than anything and I think that's the great part about it is the awareness in everybody's Consciousness has been raised since the quarantine, but on top of that more people are starting to listen to each other about these social issues, but for players, you know, we make a we have a huge impact.
You see these we play in but by just playing on TV by just being in the NBA, but once we really get down to the Grassroots of these neighborhoods we've been in and really helping these people really getting into the into the field and helping these people. I think we can we can make more change but I think a lot of athletes and entertainers of definitely been giving back especially with these foundations that they've been you know, putting together.
Is it clear to everybody that black lives matter as a movement is getting co-opted by
By all of this other stuff, that's not necessarily good and nobody's saying anything and it's just being lumped in is one thing
most definitely most definitely it's definitely confusing trying to understand the black lives matter movement. And like you said Luann and stealing the you know, the violence everything that comes with it. Is it just it just feels like it just looks like the when you when you group everybody into the black
As matter is just you just don't understand what it is about, you know, and there's two separate it feel like it's two separate
movements. I think Rich if we do not make it clear that black lives matter is about peaceful protest and moving African-American initiatives forward and that looting stuff and the anarchist and those things are separate if we do not separate them in the media. We will actually Ensure
That our current president will remain president because it's actually going to hurt us and our initiatives. We need to make sure that black lives matter is not connected with those terrible things that are criminal behavior that none of us support but we all support black lives matter.
Yeah. I mean I think Trump has done that right like sure he's made this like radical left-wing without saying it represent like the opposition to his
To his side right to what unfortunately now if you're Republican what your grouped in in some ways as this like the opposite of this movement, right? I mean, that's how it's been that's how it is now and and I don't blame anyone for feeling that way because I guess if you support that side you've chosen at this
point in putting everything know we can stop it now. They're putting everything in it defund police black lives matter ta-dah.
Down every single thing in the town black lives matter and used to happen to music before you look at something like, you know a young black kid. We're going to a place getting caught up in some shit. And the first thing they'll say is wrapper blah blah blah Mike. He's not a rapper. What are you talking about? He was in an SUV. He wasn't a rapper. You just can't just put make everything that like that and like everybody is now you read the papers like black lives matter blah blah blah blah blah like
No, no, no, don't do that and much my biggest problem. I need black leaders young black leaders that moved popular culture to differentiate what black lives matter means black lives matters means as a purpose to bring unity and solve a real problem versus Anarchy and looting which is obviously selfish and borderline.
And criminal for something else but using black lives matter as a Halo to cover up that activity and if we don't do that in time mark my words we're going to go into the election and black lives matter is going to be something that they're going to utilize as a negative not as a positive change in society.
What's up, everybody? We wanted to take a minute to once again. Talk about our friends at Coors Light. Look today. It feels like there's so much pressure to always be on but every now and then it's important to just stop take a moment and chill and there was only one beer that is literally made to chill and that's Coors light Coors Light is cold lager cold filtered and cold package. So it's made to chill. Don't miss the new packaging that's already hitting the shows the new design features the clear skies and invite you to sit back unwind and
Take it all in and the iconic Coors Light mountains still turn blue when your beer is on as cold as the Rockies brand-new look same ice-cold refreshment. If you're like me, you've been watching the NBA Playoffs day in and day out and there's no more perfect time to take a break and chill out with an ice cold Coors Light than kicking back and watching a game after meetings calls and more Coors Light is the one beer I choose when I need to unwind so when you want to hit reset reach for the beer that's made to chill get Coors Light.
In the new-look delivered straight to your door at get korres life.com. That's get Coors light.com Coors Light Mountain coal refreshment made the chill, please drink responsibly Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado.
What's up, everybody? We once again wanted to pause and talk about a company that I love Sonos with Sonos. You can stream music podcasts radio audio books and more with Wi-Fi and experience clearly detailed sound and Rich bass Sonos works with all of your streaming services. The control is simple and it works with the Sonos app Apple AirPlay to or your voice using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant while on Wi-Fi you can also stream thousands of stations.
In live radio from around the world and original programming free from the Sonos radio through the app. So go to Sonos.com to learn more again that is Sonos.com for more.
So I won't ask you to name the five principles. Well, you know what? Let me ask you first. I assume the answer is no but can you tell me what these kind of five marching orders for Corporate America
is not making to tell you know, I think like simple things like rich like you go to these companies and they have Chief diversity offices and you sit down with a chief diversity officer saying you ask them what they really do.
How much time I have with the CEO you realize which they don't have any power in these companies the chief diversity officer if you're going to have one.
You having a chief diversity officer Greece is because what you're basically saying is if I don't have a chief diversity officer is companies bound to do a bunch of shit. That's not diverse. So we got somebody policing it then you speak to the person whose beliefs in that and they'll tell you they haven't spoken to the CEO and it in six months. They don't have any plpl responsibility. In fact, what they have is a small budget to bring in speakers once a month and they do something big around Black History Month.
Daddy with Chief diversity officer a chief diversity officer needs to be accountable like your CFO for moving something and creating change. So it's like things of that nature and I can't boil the ocean, but I can't effect.
The advertising business the holding companies in the brands if I can affect the media business and I play that part and you Katie you out there representing for sports and then you have Bob are representing for this then we all as a Cooperative can help move this forward.
I think that's the way we don't have a Martin Luther King at this time. But we do have is 35 50 60 liters of individual disciplines who believe in moving something forward. So we don't have one leader that we March towards but we definitely believe in values that we can affect and if we affect that check in with each other like this right here, then we will create change and one of the things we got to do is not like these.
People run around and make black lives matter look like some negative shit. It needs to be about a positive peaceful protest that demands
change and I'll say I think this is almost like what you just said
you want to you
have to make sure that the advertising industry and and Hip-Hop and your world that you can affect change their that's your part. Right? And I think Kevin you've always said in terms of the communities around the country.
That are underserved that are lacking the minimum basic resources to survive to have a chance that all you can do is help your community, right like everyone in the NBA, you know, does what you've done in PG County similarly, then you've got you know, 500 some our players exactly always always say to people to focus on themselves and in their people and see how they can help their people first and then start growing from there, you know in the end.
And being an NBA we have such a wide reach. Like I said earlier that our family is bigger. It gets it grows every single year, you know, so we we affecting more people each and every year but I was just stepping on the basketball court. So if we just be who you are be who we are stay authentic to ourselves, we can affect change every day. Steve are these leaders these 35 50 liters you're talking about because in my mind these leaders are you KD Lebron?
Jay-Z Pharrell, the people that have been influencing hip-hop culture Sports culture. What is now pop culture and what are now the most influential individuals in our society?
Well, those are the most famous right is a lot of people in other sectors that you know, we don't necessarily know what a first name basis that's doing it, but but but the bottom line is that we don't have a Martin Luther King.
We don't have a Malcolm X right now. It's not one person that we all look to and say give us the give us the play coach we running it. So we have to hold each other accountable to do what we can do and we're fortunate at the NBA to have a commission like Adam Silver that allows the players and promotes the place to have that freedom of expression within that league as an entrepreneur. Nothing can stop me except myself if I want to make those statements, you know for Eleazar.
Artist Artist always have the Liberty
to create statements and make change through music. In fact, that's what Marvin Gaye did but what's going on? That's what that song is about, right? You can play what's going on right now. And if the same thing are you the Wonder song right now or four songs and key life, it's the same thing. It's like these are issues that need to be addressed at have always been a constant problem. And as long as we make sure that all of our
Is a leading and we don't let the media and the noise or black on black crime black on black crime meaning us fighting each other for who's doing the most but we're holding each other's hand saying that we walk in this one if we can get that done.
We can solve this and this is our time and that's my sixth. It's exciting because this could finally be out time to break a 400-year problem. But if we don't take advantage of this moment and we like black lives matter go down in history as some chaotic cult, but not as a peaceful thing that helped change the course of America. We have blown a moment in
history. I do really think that the leaders of today.
And I agree right? Like I think at least as far as we can see we don't have that revolutionary Figure Head like Martin Luther King Barack Obama, I think is representative of that in a lot of ways, but it's different when you're an ex-president and it's just a different set of circumstances. But Jionni your 25 like who who to your friends look to it this point to calm.
The waters during the last six months of this pandemic of the protesting of you know of the entire world going off the rails as we knew it. I mean I would agree but I mean back to your both of your points of that. There's no one person to really lean on and rely on and and trust their judgment. I feel like, you know through social media through ever our friends through our relationships were all kind of confiding in each other on what's the best thing to do, you know what I mean, but you need more than
That I feel like that's it. I feel like now we're doing it as a collective especially to social media, you know, we're sending messages so fast, we were organizing more and more people are starting to partner up to do things. I think I think we're doing things as collective more so than just following one leader. And I think I think that's a efficient way to do things going forward.
Well. Hey, man, we need the the players in the league. We need to stay you need we need you Katie to stay.
down their throat for voting
Voting we can't you know, the whole idea of like my vote ain't going to count. We need everybody to know that everything counts every rep matters that type of that that type of mentality that we need to stay on their throat. That's the one thing we can do.
Is make sure that we lock in and we vote and not let people get fatigued because the line is too long or think that not remember that they not checked in or don't apply whatever the answers are lazy shit that they get out there and and vote and everything that the players can do CP LeBron yourself the leaders of the NBA. You guys are the new leaders of popular culture. It ain't music no more.
You guys you get people out there to vote because if they don't do that it sucked out and I will tell you something else Kanye West I've known this man for 20 years good friend of mine. I think what he's doing right now is fucked up because essentially what you're going to end up happening is is that the vote if black people vote for Kanye West in certain places. They're taking the vote obviously away from the Democrats on Biden and
Kamala and I don't want to say it's done on purpose but like he's so Tethered to that current Administration that if they had a diabolical idea to put somebody out there to make sure that votes are taken away black vote specifically from somebody else so that it would ensure that Donald Trump has an advantage in the market in the polls.
That looks like that and I think he needs to fix that because I don't think there's any way he literally believes he win right and it's nothing that he's doing to make you think he will win. So why take away black votes from Biden unless you want to ensure who helped. Dr. Quinn. There's no I feel
but why a friend for 20 years you told me it's life.
A death now. Why are you not? Why
you I'm staying Rich. I just said it because I
You can't you can't just write somebody off because at every religious beliefs or their political beliefs. No I'm
saying, why are you not on the phone with him? You're at the Forefront of all
this Rich. I'm saying this right now. I went I don't by the way. I don't want black people voting for Kanye West that should be the headline of this podcast. I don't want anybody black running around voting for Kanye West if you're going to vote for Donald Trump and you choose Kanye West instead of down.
the Trump great that will help the Biden campaign, but I don't want black people who thinking about voting for for Biden voting for Kanye West in the markets in the areas that he's you know, being registered as a candidate that's going to hurt us like and everybody where I see if he doesn't like me because I said that and that's his problem when I certainly don't think that he's doing
Us as a black community a service by running around wearing Maga hats or running around campaigning run for president when the only votes he knows that he's going to get if there's going to be votes is primarily African Americans whose looking at Kanye West cause they grew up on his music. It's not because of his political point of views
or people that are just so disenchanted with the system. Fuck the system. Nobody's good.
The left is bad the right. He's bad. I'm voting for Kanye West but like you said earlier about how in some ways protesting and looting distracts the message of black lives
matter. What difficulty you West's I don't give up.
Do you remember there was rifles in 2016. I think it was in North or South Carolina a candidate that registered called these nuts.
I do
remember you remember that. Yeah people voted for Deez Nuts.
What party
was he?
the birthday party
The system that mockery of the system could only hurt black voters. So we got Kanye West running around doing that. We got black lives matter being co-opted by Anarchist. These things can hurt us.
What do you think Katie in the United States? We got this tribalism. That's just like next level where someone somebody say one thing that we enjoy and let and then one thing that we agree with then we are going to jump on board. That's how I feel like with the Democrats and Republicans. It's just like everybody
Want to be a part of a group so they jump into either one of those and
now he's right about that. I always felt like that. I always felt like, you know, it's like saying do you want to be down with the Bloods and the Crips? Exactly? Yeah. Well, you know, you should you should win a vote for somebody because of their values not because of that party exactly
to add on to what you were saying. I feel like, you know, everybody changes with the temperament of what's going on in the climate socially at that moment. So like in comparison to the
Bomb Administration where they ran on hope everybody's like yes Hope Americans can do whatever any American puts their mind to write and now Trump Administration is like only some Americans can do whatever they want to yeah. So now the whole country has that pathos, so I think the real goal are what I hope for she's a change in ethos in the country. Yeah,
for sure. Everybody look my point just to is to make sure that our agenda we certainly have not as
Americans we've seen would take which took place in this country the current Administration and the obviously needs to be a change and Kevin. I'm not saying Biden is the perfect answer but it's actually
changed just any kind of change anything but
Trump at least qualified change, right? Because Kanye West would be changed. I've seen qualified change at least
qualified change they definitely yeah, that's that's a death.
We qualify but my whole thing is especially now with the climate you just lies for five months. Like what is the what is the Black Agenda since Joe Biden said if you don't vote for him, you're not black that's ridiculous. So, what's the agenda? But what I do understand as a 43-year old man with two young kids is that the country were in with a pandemic with the headline on the newspaper every day about another young black man being killed.
Or crime sprees in New York City across the board. The world is fucked up right now and leadership as you know, leading teams to championships and Steve, you know leadership in leading business and companies and movement leadership at the top is broken and I think you see that with colon Powell and other Republicans that are saying right now it's not about policy. That's what I meant. Right? That's what I
mean it rich nobody qualified once the going
You see this in sports and you go baseball.
Young talented individual athletes want to go into basketball, right? Like that's what they want to do. They don't want to play baseball. There's a point in time where somebody is 10 years old six 190 pounds and built differently than their peers and they can pick a sport. They're picking up a basketball right now for whatever reasons. They're picking up a basketball.
Your Leader United incentivize people, you know how to make people feel good, you know how to lead an organization you're not choosing politics right now
And that's the problem with politics. There are no qualified folks.
There are no people will that they're very few qualified folks qualified leaders who decided I'm going to leave the private sector and do something in politics because there's an urgency for my leadership the the the attack the publicity the attack on you the the microscope you live under
The way the media is affecting politics, you might as well stay in the private sector and make a bag.
Yeah, is it worth it? Yeah, I mean our most intelligent in our most sophisticated Minds for the most part have never ventured into politics never
never never not never. Now. There have been many times in history people have left the private sector that were really smart and it run for pot this day and age where the world.
Is in the way media is politics has become a reality show. You know Fox is the highest-rated Primetime Channel period Fox during Primetime is the highest rated show on television period Fox News. Yeah highest rated in prime time period That's How politics have eclipsed any fictional story by the best riders in the world.
The best riders in the world can't make up shit better than the reality of politics in America.
Yeah, if you watch CNN and Fox News this point not much different than like watching ESPN in the morning if you only pay me.
The boardroom out of office podcast is proud to be presented by FanDuel fantasy sports are finally back. We've got basketball playoffs in the bubble hockey playoffs baseball WNBA Golf and More and of course NFL football is right around the corner. So if you haven't played fantasy duel fantasy before and listen up FanDuel is offering users the chance to play free for this NFL season, no money required. No deposit at all. Just sign up and FanDuel give you free entry to a contest each week.
The football season where you can win real prizes Plus for those folks who want to make a deposit FanDuel is offering up to a $500 bonus instantly when you make your first deposit with our 20% deposit match, they also have different and unique contest across Sports in relation to your skill level and you compete for cash payouts go to FanDuel.com boardroom or download the FanDuel fantasy app to play now. Again, that's FanDuel.com / boy.
bedroom FanDuel more ways to win
Let's pivot entertainment. Let's pivot to the Nas album.
Let's I was listening to it and I had to pull back because I love it so much. I'm like, oh no, that's just me personally and I started getting the messages like yo, he delivered one me kit me Lebron hit me. You start seeing it everywhere like yo, this guy people who I don't even know who would Nas fan.
We're coming out like yo, he delivered one a real one at the right time.
Katie I don't even know if you listened to it
yet. Yeah, it's definitely took it
in. Did you get to the lat
and definitely took it in here for sure, but not as is an acquired taste. He like a poet like it's like a certain sound. I feel like Nas is just perfect over and I felt like he found him more and this album then he didn't and it's previous joints and and the features he had on there was fire to so I it was a good it was a good project was a good body of work and it was definitely needed at this point because in a quarantine is like certain shit. I don't want to hear no more.
You know I'm saying well, I can't go to the club. I can't go out to a bar. It's sort of shit. I don't want to hear you know, so Nas coming in and talking with some substance. It was definitely needed at this
point Katie. Oh, it's I could talk to Katie about music. Well, this is Katie and the low is an A&R. You must tell me about pop smoke really using pop smoke early.
Yeah.
I mean I was I felt like I was on possible just around time. Everybody else was but you was a little late. Okay, Steve. I want to ask you a question to his point about music when you're not in the club not being the same not being able to consume what guys now what Young Generation and I'm not talking Kendrick old Travis right now you've
Been in the studio and work with every superstar in this in this genre who has something right. Now.
This kid Toby is he's an artist. This kid. I always mess up his last name of the gets pissed at me.
Oh, you're talking about the wig
way. Yes, right Toby new wig way high fire right now. Yeah, he did. He fire going through the pandemic like say every week. It's almost like scriptures.
Even he been doing this for the last three years though the same the same the same rollouts the same cameras like all these music Pages go check them out because they posting shit all the time. So, I mean, I'm always
on the ground that guy right there. It's going through it and going he was Undercover the art section New York Times two weeks ago. He's gone. Yeah, he happens to be with United masses, but he's
Fire I think Nas Ultra black. I think that's so like by the way, what's his name the baby record little baby little baby song, obviously black and white weight like crazy and he touched on it, you know, people want a little bit of Public Enemy right now. There is no Public Enemy like a group that's invested in this movement, but people clearly don't want it. There's no club to go to so you would have had something that's entertaining.
Ting and educating you and the issue simultaneously and I think that little baby got his eyes his album got it off and Toby's putting up scriptures like that every week. That's my opinion
Gianni. Who's that dude right now in your world to me. I mean, I'm probably really alone on this but and this is a late project too, but I'm just a big baby Keen fan. So I'm ready for his next tape just to be honest. That's uh,
Rated that's the underrated name the throw out there because a lot of people heard a baby king baby. Yeah, he's I think he's the next one up. I think he's the next one up. So Nas Jay-Z Mary J. Blige LeBron James KD
just five of these Global Superstars that you've worked with that are friends of yours. What do you see in some of these kind of great ones? And you know me add some other people into that Ben Horowitz Bob Iger because it's not just athletes and entertainers because when I asked about this young generation of hip-hop, I'm asking obviously more than just song making and and lyrics like I'm talking about like that one quality.
That seems to be consistent throughout what is it? And and what have you identified in all these
people you you meet people on this journey that they don't accept the status quo.
There's a very let me pull back a second. There's a is a line that connects great forward-thinking entrepreneurs businessmen with great talented artist.
with great
talented
driven athletes like I've never I remember I used to always look at Beyonce his work ethic and Kobe and they were the same person to me. It was just like a different like I know they're just a different person.
They're both Virgos now that I think about
it. I don't even I like I just know that when I think when I look at it's like when you ask me your state who the hardest-working people you've ever seen in your
Life is beyond saying Kobe Bryant. It's no question is that there's nothing else for me to talk about that maybe others and I seen you know, Ed Reed Ray Lewis LeBron Katie, you hold they don't work like them.
Now you're bugging you bugging you buggin. I'm not gonna let you say that. Okay.
I knew I knew you were going
to say something
where am I bugging?
You? Can't say that to somebody who's pretty much
Master what they do individually like you can't sit on the phone with Katie basically and say that you've seen only Beyonce and Kobe Bryant work to a certain level.
They work at a point that psychotic.
You just can't say that because you're these other people are there then these positions for a reason hold was just as successful as a Beyoncé or or Kobe Bryant. So how did they get there
Katie? I'm not saying that success. I'm not I am not even talking about their own.
Successful super successful. I'm not saying they're more successful than people other people I mentioned. I'm just saying from a work they they are psychotically attached to the work non-stop.
You cannot say that those other people are they're just as good they got to be psychotic in some way to be that good. It might not show. It might not show it the way Beyonce or Colby might have shown it. It might be a little bit more internalized but
there is there for you to be that Elite for that long. You got to have a some type of
crazy. Okay, you know what, I'll eat that I understand what you're saying. I could have said Floyd Mayweather. I could have said a bunch of other people and you're right and I didn't I just from my experience of watching.
You know the four clock in the mornings are the non sleeping thing for years and years and years. I seen it from them specifically for a long time. And that's why I have an opinion that led me to that answer but it doesn't mean that other Talent is not as successful as in just my idea of the way they worked was extreme. That's all extreme.
See what I did I can't argue with you. I can't argue with your point because other people have been a successful and maybe their work didn't Express itself the same way to
me. Yeah, I can see I can see that but you did say nobody worked harder. I just can't I just can't let it just hard. That's just how I got it. I got to play Devil's Advocate in that situation. I mean, I have to baby. You're tough man. Yeah, it's not even Katie you were Katie's Advocate. I
Analyze
what you say man, especially we to yeah, we've been friends for too long. You know that was coming. You can't get that one by the
slim Reaper. It's the slim Reaper is not letting nothing go by
no. All right. So so we're going to shift one more time before we go because if we were out for dinner the four of us, we probably would have had a little bit of politics a little bit about sports little bit about music little bit about some nonsense Johnnie Walker story. I told in the beginning right and now we're going to talk about
about NBA Luca Don chick right from somebody who is this would be one of my millions of titles. I give you your a marketing Guru, right? I'm sure you've been called that before that's like you're Nick's title marketing coup marketing Guru in my opinion. There's these like Transcendent Global iconic athletes, and it's made up of performance and things that you can't explain.
Can Luca Don chick be that guy like so I was on the I was at this park today. These kids were telling me Luca Don chicks the best player in the world right there 9 10 11 years old, but that's the convo people are going to start having now. Like is he built for this? I guess I'll ask you both like basketball and what that means to be in that role. I think he's built to be a star for sure. I think he understands I think he understands who he is how he wants to play.
What the future holds form now what that what that looks like on the marketing side think Steve can answer that a little bit better. But as a talent in the NBA, he transcends he transcends a lot of things because at that age to be that smart and it'll be that pulis it's just rare, but when it comes to marketing what you think
Steve I'm trying to think of another athlete like him. How do you Market him to the masses?
Can we get are we going to get young black kids young white kids and young European kids all in one sentence saying he's the guy right? That's that's the feet because if you can pull that off Larry Bird got that
off. I don't think so. He always had a competitor in Magic there. That's all somebody's don't always say hell. No, I ain't never gonna get to him.
Alright, I'm saying Larry Burke from a marketing perspective.
Larry Bird from a marketing
perspective, but he didn't outright take over the lead. That's
what I'm trying to say. Take over the league Luca what I'm saying is that I
think we're rich saying is can he be even bigger than that? Oh well, so let me give you more contacts that question. These are the people I believe that they are right. So in the league right now, I'm not saying they're the only ones I'm saying. Here's three of them that I think are no-brainers, right LeBron James Kevin Durant Steph Curry at some points in the last.
20 years these players have been like that Kobe Bryant. Obviously Shaquille O'Neal obviously, so hold on. What are we talking about? The most Transcendent players Source / like Superstars talking about straight Global Stars marketing and talent-wise and skill white like
everything. We got to get very specific fellows very I'm talking Steve. I'm
talking about the players that just make you feel different.
Current there's been a few of them generationally and they have to have a combination of both. So give me five of them you LeBron Steph Shaquille O'Neal Kobe Bryant talking about in the league right now the three of you three of you
No, Janice, I think Jian is no because to Steve's Point. Can you ask all those people about Giannis?
No, I mean, let me tell you something right now.
Johnny's dad was really good at this this question right here. He would always measure. Do you have maximum cultural impact? So if I was to ask Gianni's dad in a music business like he had this thing called The Fab Five and in this fat five was Allen Iverson, Mike Tyson, Mary J. Blige Puff, Daddy and Jay-Z like he knew those people what they meant.
Regardless of their talent having moved culture. So when you take that idea which is the idea is mine World start looking at things. I look at Katie. I look at LeBron.
I look at DLo coming up right now, Damian Lillard coming up
DLo about to say who oh, yeah, Damian Lillard has that cultural impact
that cultural impact right now. So I look at that thing and you need to have that cultural impact plus be a baller.
Okay, and so my question is always.
Where Larry Bird got his toe in the cultural impact factor at that time.
Can Luca get that that's the that's to me. That's the only thing I'm trying to figure out right now by Kenny get that is his game going to give him that the type of game he plays.
You know Steph Curry to me.
great basketball player
three years at
Not a career, you got to do that for a long period of time. That's not that's not like that's not something that you could do. You guys do that over a long period of time if you would have asked me about the cultural impact of Steph Curry and AI I'm picking a
i and this is totally this is but that's different different things.
Yeah. Okay. That's okay. That's that's all I'm saying. So rich I'm saying all that to say that your question about basketball players on the
court and marketing as a marketing or completely two different things honestly as they as they
Create something in the
marketplace. So do you think with Luca signing with Jordan that I heard his marketability a bit if he had his own shoe at Nike or Adidas, for example, would that help more so than him being just another athlean in Jordan? Because our shoes stretches across the world and our brands with these companies stretches across the world along with what we do on the court. So you think that might have an impact he signed with Jordan you think that will have an impact rich
I want to say one thing to your question about the sneakers. That's why Kyrie lives in this Zone. It's YK Kyrie lives in a insanely culturally relevant and Zone because of a certain genre said qua as they say what my question was because I still think my question was confusing but what to what you said I think so. I think that I think Jordan comes with like a cultural relevance, that is so great.
Eight and and so impactful that maybe the the kind of like uniqueness of a relationship of Luca Danzig wearing Jordans and the style in which he plays and Zions relationship with Jordan and how the two of them. I'm sure could be marketed together. I think it's actually a really good spot for him because we're was the room for him at Nike wit Greek Freak You Kyrie LeBron right now, you know just to play Devil's Advocate and I
Who believe in this and maybe I'll do maybe you don't who knows but Imma just say it. I don't think Jordan brand besides any of the classic Jordans have really dropped a hot shoe. No, you're hundred percent. Correct? You're correct. But let's go. Let's go. Let's talk. Let's talk wait, wait wait, but Jionni, you can't just throw away like aside from the old ones. Like that's all you need. You know, I'm saying like that the old ones he had like, you know, Jordan had 85
I've ill Maddox. Yeah, you know in the sneaker world so it doesn't matter but but that's probably why anything outside of the Retros don't want will never go as will never sell as much as his old shit because it was such a it meant so much to the coaches sneakers and sports and entertainment. His shoes are
very simple. What number Jordans are you up to right now? Rich,
I think about a hundred and Seventy-Six now and I'm not even talking about the new Jordans their release and I'm talking like
Chris Paul Jordan collab or the Derek Jeter who Jordan collab or any of these other players that are signed to Jordan signature shoes outside or Retros. They never really hit. That's the Mellow may have one or two joints. But but outside of that is all only been a retro business. Yeah,
the real key why you know that just as a marketing person is that's why they brought virgin. Yeah, they knew that
so the bottom line is is Luka Don chick to me.
Me is a fucking problem a problem. And I think that he's a problem. I think when I saw the reaction that the world had to his game yesterday, like look Donovan Mitchell scored 51 later on in the night. And I think that's part of what I'm asking is like people are gravitating towards his style play and his kind of intangible that I think puts him in a position potentially to be one of these new players that we put in these conversations.
Well, yeah, I mean if you looking at if you didn't know their stories and you just watch last night, you will say Donovan Mitchell is on that level to the way he planned for sure because his his game his aesthetic is something that I feel would will resonate with kids all around the world how he plays his athleticism is enthusiasm for the game his story how he came up. I think it's so many I think it's a lot of guys in the league going forward. That's
it's going that can potentially be signature athletes that right. Now a lot of people don't know like Donovan miss you. How about you Jamal Murray is going it's going to be the Michael Porter's down the line. It's going to be the Jason Tatum's that's gone now because it's so easy to become a globe just become just become seeing just to get a just a just for somebody across the world to see you one time. And so easy it now, you know I'm saying so it's going to be a lot of these is going to be a lot of signature athletes I think going
Our signature business is going forward whether it's with Nike leading and to but it's going to be more and more individual Brands and around the NBA as we move forward Steve. I know I said I was going to let you go after this but United Masters, right? Yeah United Masters, I think for the last three or four years.
I think you've run into that thing that a lot of entrepreneurs run into which is so funny because you've been so successful. But when you start a new business at whatever level of success, if you loved it, like you said you're starting to get that feeling again, you're starting to get that that adrenaline rush. So I knew you had that we United Masters you weren't you weren't settling but people didn't get it. Like I didn't get it. I'm one of your closest friends people didn't get it at first, right? And I think that probably a says a lot to the fact that it was different and you were onto
Thing and then be now it seems to all be clear and coming into its own and and a lot of these companies that I referenced in a lot of the sports leagues are now coming to you talk to me a little bit about kind of the Genesis United Masters and then like what it's doing now and how important it is right.
Now. Look if you follow the music you realize that
we're an athlete 20 years ago or tastemaker 20 years ago would have said he's on what label is he on? Oh Def Jam signed him.
Columbia signed an uptown signed them you would care now. No one knows what anybody is saying right so Katie and I just had a back and forth on Baby came because I'm thinking he's the guy with Dirk and he's like nah, that's the kid with Kendrick those things that used to dictate the way you felt about an artist or no longer there.
And I knew that three years ago to that was coming. So I wanted to build a company that said let me give the power to the artist since they don't need the label anymore to authenticate themselves. They are who they are.
they deserve most of the money and as a result of that Independence should be the thing that they rely on because record companies can't give them anything but some money so if I became a way to give the money
And or distribution United masses be a company that would free the artist from being tied to record companies and being part of those bad sad stories that we've seen for many many years when I look at Katie and I'm around Katie. He'll play a song. He don't give a shit where it comes from. He's rocking to it on the same Hill go from Drake to unknown artist in a second. It's not like it goes, it's Drake. So let me play another.
Act signed to Cash Money or he just goes the next song.
In the history of the music business that's never been the case and I built the company solve that problem and you know, we have tremendous momentum. We announced a deal with Tick-Tock recently. We have more now at ESPN recently. We have more to announce we did the soundtrack. Thank you Katie for NBA 2K last year. Everybody thought it was dope that kid that we pick you know, Katie. Did you see that song that we pick they started playing in every Arena?
Yes, it was on every commercial for 2K it was it that thing was it one
big they were playing in the
league. Yeah
- yeah, but you and I heard it and we were like yo, who's this kid? So the fact of the matter is that any you can go from your bedroom to billboard and I wanted to build a company that did that and that's why it's working man, you know, and and by the way
If everything goes the way it's gonna win, it may happen in sports to with kids bypass. You know what college you went to can you play or not? Like I'm not going to rely on the vetting system of the College of the NCAA to determine whether you qualify as to be a great athlete or not you go and you got to play and you gotta man up with these guys. I think the middleman in all Industries are being eliminated very quickly and that's what
LG's doing and like the coop. We spoke about earlier the area in which I'm disrupting is in music. Well, I'll tell you
bro.
43 now so at 29 years old I said that you were somebody I looked up to we still speak damn near weekly as friends, but in business I still very much look up to you man. And I really I really appreciate the time you gave us this very much is reflective of exactly what a dinner of the four of us out would be like
100% And Rich, you know.
Out of what you doing with Katie what you guys are doing? You guys are fighting to change the business. You guys are given athletes a much bigger voice creating platforms. And that's what you supposed to do with the privilege you got is to go for more not just settle and do what everybody else did before you but move the ball forward. That's what being greater and and growing as all about on one side and Jionni. Your dad was one of the first people to give me confidence.
Let's let me know I could do it your dad knew very early that I was somebody that can make it happen. He told me that and I've looked up to your father.
To him in his physical form into him in heaven looking down on me and part of what I'm going to do is finish the job in the same spirit in which he wanted me to that's how much I respect your
dad. Hell. Yeah, man, thank you. All right guys appreciate we took this all the way out the office tonight. All right, man, great episode. I fell asleep.
man
We covered it all tonight. So many gems Steve Stoute Man Steve Stoute with the questions. I forgot who's interviewing who at one point not for sure and I love what he said about your father at the end. That was real and I had a feeling that he would take a minute to say something. He had a very special relationship with him. Yeah, for sure. I think the thing that really stood out to me about the conversation was just, you know Steve's conviction right now.
On holding up Corporate America and making them stand behind the words of their press releases and not just making them put a press release out but now starting to implement steps and that's leadership and I love what he said about. That's what he can handle. He can handle his his Lane the advertising world and similarly we talked to obviously about how philanthropic lie
KD focuses back on his hometown and obviously there's more to what we all do but if you can hone in on your focus and you take responsibility for that and everybody does that that's a ripple effect. And that was cool to hear Steve say that I was shocked Katie didn't react the way Steve did about the Nas album and I thought that was Nas album to me is the best album since Illmatic for him. I've tapped in I had I listened to about five six songs. I listen to the songs with vivió some of the other features songs, but I haven't fully
Adjusted it yet to give my full, you know synopsis you probably you know, what you may feel how Kevin feels though. I think what I'm learning is that
We're getting older people like Steven. Are we here naz's album, and I'm like yo, this sounds like Illmatic, you know, it's the best thing I've seen talking that talk but that's what I want to hear. You know, I still think kids resonate with Legends like Nas and J. But it's different. It's different. Well, that's why you're here bro. Give me a little perspective men. All right. Well appreciate it everybody for listening. Again. Thank you Steve Stoute. Thank you to KD for joining us Gianni. Always a pleasure my brother. I'll see everybody soon. Goodnight. See you in a minute. See you next week.
weak
