Keep it Positive, Sweetie - Creating a Life of Longevity with Kenny Burns

Episode Date: October 10, 2023

Season 2 Episode 5 | This week's guest and I go WAY back! I've invited my big brother Kenny Burns on the show. We talk about navigating the entertainment industry, networking, how to keep your integrity and so much more. To watch his trajectory for well over a decade has been beyond inspiring. Make sure you pay attention because he is dropping some gems.

Hello and welcome to this episode of Keep Your Poses, sweetie. Today, we are talking about creating a life of longevity, and I have my big brother from another mother, Mr. Kenny Burns, y'all. Kenny, you literally know how to reinvent yourself. You stay relevant. And I wanted to bring you on because a lot of people see you, but they don't really know like the business man that you are, all your journey and have the many areas that you've tapped into.

So I really want to touch a lot of those things. But when I think about your life, I think about heavy as the head that wears the crown. Because yeah. Bim, bim, bim, bim, bim. I think about heavy as the head that wears the crown because yeah. Bim, bim, bim, bim, bim. Because I know someone of your stature, like it's a lot of responsibility that falls on you. You know, you know, a lot of people, but with those responsibilities and the broom that

you're in, it, I know that gets heavy. Yeah, I know for sure. Yeah. They look for good time, Kenny all the time, which is like the heaviest part. Yes. You got to be on. Oh which is like the heaviest part. Yes. You gotta be on. Oh, Kenny's here, good time. Yep. You don't know what's going on in my life.

It's just you want that light switch when you want it. And that's been honestly my life. Wow. From that day when you've always been Kenny. I've always been good time Kenny. I think, you know, I think parallel with just being like a good human. I've always wanted people to be good in my space.

I always wanted people to have the time of their lives. Or help get out of things. Obviously when I was younger, I was a little bit of a knucklehead, want to be third, but I always had a heart. That's why Huston never really aligned with my spirit. And I did it. I was locked up at 18, you know, in high school, lost basketball scholarships and opportunities. And you think about life like, damn, like, is this really who I am? So my whole life has been getting to where my passion aligns with my purpose.

Because I've always had, you know, the energy for both, it was just about them aligned, and I'm finally aligned. I love it. I feel it. The most deep, the most deep. I'm denouncing all types of gangster shit that I grew up on. And just all the things you think you're supposed to be, right?

Because society has its own playbook for you. And it's sad, like when you don't control your narrative. And for me, it's just about controlling the narrative, not only for me before my people. Yeah, I love that. I remember when I first met you, well, even knew of you, I was on the party scene, y'all. She was outside.

I was outside. When the doors opened. I know the red bones, run around, come out. Hey, we're here. We're here. We're here. And you were like, I'd never had seen anyone MC a party like that. I was like, this man is the life of the party.

And it was always exciting when you were there, because you would always shout us out. We felt so important, y'all. He was like, my sis Chris here, my sis Kayleigh. Like, we just really knew, like, Kenny Burr is nosy. Like, we felt like somebody in Atlanta. And then I remember the first time I actually got to like get to know you a little better was when I'm deeply, I'm really excited. like, can he wear his noses? Like, we felt like somebody in Atlanta. And then I remember the first time I actually got to like, get to know you a little better was when,

DC Howard Homecoming one year. Oh, okay. I had traveled and we have mutual friend, I'm a hardware. Yes, my God. Yes, and you were with him and then we ended up running each other and I was like, this is a really cool guy.

I got to see more than just the guy behind the microphone. Yes, we had to hang out. Yeah, we got to hang out. And I'm glad you said it, because I feel like people see my pictures. And back then, it was pictures. Social media was just starting apart. That's been my whole life.

They like judge me because of like, OK, this light skin dude dresses well. Oh, his wife is fine. Oh, his kids look good. Well, he must be like this. He must act like this. And I think that's served me well because once they get to know me, they feel so bad for thinking the things that they think are good.

Well, I never thought anything. Well, no, pre-judgment. It's not. It's like, you're saying I saw you, or you had a bright light. And look at you now. I'm not even saying that I knew you were going to be a team. You know what I'm saying? But like knew that you had a light,

saying with Kayla, your whole crew, like had a certain energy. And that's honestly one of my superpowers to seeing people. I got to see the best in humans and I know how to place it and help out when I can and just like when I walk in here, you told me you were doing this

and I was telling you a partner like, well I know somebody to think because that's just like my first nature. It's connect dots and help people. That's who you are. I really, that's probably a testament to why you gone so far in life, because you're not gatekeeper and holding things all to yourself, you're willing to share. Yeah, there's a thing called gatekeepers, of course, and they have hatekeepers.

And I think the generation now are full of hatekeepers. And I say, hate keepers, gay keepers are in place to make sure the best of us gets through, which keeps things at a medium. It's almost like having a middle class, an upper class, and that balance between worlds, right? Now the hate keepers, they don't want to let go

of any of the power, because if it's not in their hands, you know, they can't, you know, run them up. I mean, a great example of that and I'm not in any way shit, no puff, but like, Sirok was like his world, you know, he built that brand to a whole other thing. And to be literally fired from it. But everything puffs associated with starts with that nucleus, not only because it made him, you know, a hundred million dollars a year. But like, damn, imagine having. But these are the people in place.

And then when you think you can speak out and say the things you truly feel, I guess he really felt like that, you know what I mean? But then to your world to stop. So that's what I mean by like, hey keepers. There are people in pocket that will get rid of you and do not need you for whatever reason, no matter how much money you made them.

So I guess I'm giving him his props, but at the same time, we have to be careful of that because we put too much faith in people. And then we also don't really understand that, you can say what you want to say. You can act how you want to act with their consequences. And we're not in a generation that feels like there's any consequences.

They just run in the mud. They are. That's so true. So true. I want to go back to your upbringing. You're from DC. I had a short-standing DC when I worked on Capitol Hill. I always-

Politician slash, actress slash. Multi-hypid. Yeah. Come on, multi-hyphenated. Listen, I always say that DC was a place that I found myself. I come from a very small town. And it gave me room to dream because there was nothing else to do there.

I could just dream. And I moved to DC after after college and that was the place I really found. I found my sense of style. I found who I was. I was by myself away from family and I remember talking to a Mario Hardwick and he was saying if you want to be an actor, everybody says go to school, go to acting school. He said I tell you to leave home. Absolutely. And I was like oh my god you're right because when I left home, that's when shit got real.

So I always say DC is where I found myself. But you grew up in DC. Tell me about that time, as a youngster and going to Howard and running alongside you and puffer, you're in school to get the tip. No, they're older than me. Bam, bam, bam, bam. No, they're older. me. They're all... Bam, bam, bam, bam. No, they're older.

No, I, um, so I never went to Howard, Jessica, went to Howard. Oh, that's how it was, Howard. She graduated cum laude. But Howard was... Chef Herzog, shout out, Jess. We love you. Shout out to my beautiful self.

Yeah, she told me, take your love, you're proud of you, and she wants to come and all that. I wish you had a broader, yeah. But y'all got to come back over for this. Absolutely. I'll come for y'all. Can you? OK.

You want to come love land first? I want to come there first, yes. So I can see what she do. We're going to set the boat. We're going to set the boat. But no, come over here. In case you want her to come over here. No, but DC, you know, first and foremost,

DC is a melting pot of all amazing things. There's so many cultures. Like, when I was growing up, I first heard Elvis Cresswell, you know, I'm saying with the Spanish side of what happened in D.C. I learned about Fela Couté, you know, I'm saying like with the whole African, you know, D.S. for that's there. And then, you know, then there's D.C. And D.C. we have our own there's DC and DC we have our own

former music. We have our own sense of style. Like I call DC the drive through because of Howard University ironically. You know people would come to DC go to Howard and then they would meet a DC guy girl and stay. Like get married and have a life. But yeah they came to Howard and took a lot of our style too. Like when you look at like Herbie Lovebug and his whole movement and include some public template, all of it was Go Go. All the music was Go Go. And so we don't get a lot of credit.

I call DC the drive-through. And it's cool, you know what I'm saying? But we've had some bright spots, obviously in music, in contribution in the last couple decades but it's a blessing coming from DC because it was truly a melting pot where I learned a lot of my superpowers. Absolutely. I experienced my first go-go that weekend that we were DC. He was like we got to go here so we went there and I was like and I had lived in DC and never went to a good like to a go. I was mind-blown.

It's a pocket. It's a pocket music. Come on. And you get, it's like, it's like even if you don't dance, you start. Your body starts moving naturally. Yeah, yeah. Don't let you see somebody like child. It's going to be a, I don't know what type of dance that's called, but it's sexual. It's very sexual. Right.

How did you go from, how did you even get into party promoting? So when I was a senior in high school, I got locked up my senior and I was a basketball, I wouldn't say I was a star, but I was good and could have been great if I chose basketball over the streets, but I was in the streets. And, you know, the year before that, my junior, I started going to light, we got to fake IDs, we started going to the Ritz and to Chicago's and like all the clubs. And I just love the energy of what it was. Puff was, I think it Howard in my junior year. And they would do parties like at the opera and things like that. We were going, we was in the street.

So we had a little bit of money. Like who these young ones? You know, I know they really not, but we had the fake IDs. So we were at the end of the club. And so it just became a good time kind of thing. And then when I got locked up, I was like, you know, I need to do something because clearly I'm not going to be playing basketball anymore. How can I make this money? Yeah, yeah.

So me and my friend, Garnett, we had a fly guy promotion. We created that my senior year and we try to do this one party where these parties were happening so we kind of slide in and take the energy from the place. We know a lot of people but we were kind of smart a little bit. Anyway, the lights didn't work the night or something. Power went out. We had all these people out of the time. I was like, wait, I can move people like that.

And then my cousin, Simon Tansley had been accepted to Morehouse College. So fast forward a year, I couldn't go anywhere because of my situation and tried to enroll in junior college, played basketball, and to push somebody out the air child, that bleachers cleared, and it was a whole medley. So it was like, okay, I'm gonna stop playing.

Basketball for real, stop trying. And he said, come to Freaknik. So it was like, okay, I'm gonna stop playing basketball for real. Stop trying. And he said, come to Freaknik. And literally, I came to Freaknik 1992 in the change. My life. Freaknik, wow. Yeah, Freaknik 1992. I had, how a university has my backdrop growing up.

But I had never saw so many black people from all over the country that were just like trying to figure it out. I think that era was obviously the era that took hip hop to a trillion dollars. I mean, literally our generation took it to a trillion dollar business. But we were like, we had so much opportunity. There was so much going on. We were like, what is this? And then show enough what didn't happen. And do you see happen for me here in Atlanta?

Wow, that's amazing. So you worked your way into the music industry and you have worked with from Biggie and Puff to Jay, Clark Kent as a marketer and strategist. Tell us, is there any stories that you can share just about that journey, like any funny, like something that was crazy to happen that you can share that wasn't like this,

not too personal? Yeah, I've shared a lot of them. But I think one of the moments for me that really changed my life was like, I have been throwing parties in Atlanta, the big puff fight had happened, freaking, like 94, a lot of people know that story. But after the parties,

Andre Herrell was leaving Uptown to start Motown. And from bringing Clark Kent to Atlanta so many times, he asked me to go on a road with him. So Clark would take me to Shaq's house. Shaq would bring us every two weeks when he played for the Orlando Magic. Like every two weeks.

Yeah, like party. Khaled would open for Clark. I would be every two weeks. I have like party. The salad would open for Clark. I would be on with Clark. I know it was crazy. And then so I'm moving around literally the world with Clark and I'm on the mic. And so 100 her hair was leaving uptown. And Clark called me and was like, yo, I just got 750.

This man is paying white executive salaries. Like you need to figure out how to get in Motown That was like okay, how simultaneously my parole officer Called me it was like I had a warrant, right? So they came to Atlanta looking for me said I wasn't reporting I'm like you get my paper like what he says. I don't know what it is. I'm trying to figure out. I'm just letting you know So ironically under her rail was going to Washington, DC. And he wanted to do a party. And Clark was like, this is the best way you could do it.

I was like, well, I'm kind of on the run. Right, literally. You know what I'm saying? I got to get back, because actually this was like six months. I was like, let me get to DC, because that's where the charge was. So ironically, same weekend, I threw a party for Andre Herrera. He literally was like, you know, he likes Tom Perry on, he likes women who look like Crystal and Kayla and the crew and please just

get the thing to get, I think no problem. So at this time, Chris Weber, Jawan Howard, Rashid Wallace were all playing for the bullets. This is why I'm old. So they were all like, you know, they were at the, you know, in their prime. I got to a party and literally when I tell you, had a ball of dot, well, a couple of hours of the downpour and I wasn't for it and my friends, the way, I didn't get there, yeah, I just wanted him to kind of come and be escorted to his seat and be impressed.

Mm-hmm. By the time I came in, this is the classic under her real voice, he was like, oh, sit, this life's getting bigger, oh, sit. He was just going oh, sit, this life skin nigga. Oh, sit. He was just going on and on about what I have put together. And I'm talking about like party wise and ambiance wise. And he was like, what's he you do nigga? Oh, sit, this shit is magic.

And he's like, you DC flop, so look at your nigga. I was like, I'm Kenny Burns. I want you to have a good time. Clark told me to take a kid. He's like, no, no, nigga, what's with you? So. And I was like, I make it happen. I'm curious.

Yeah, like what do you need next? You take your flop, make a sit down, make a neck to the bottom, wait, excuse me, move on, let this go. I'm sitting down, and I'm just like, first of all, uptown was a soundtrack of my life. So as a kid, you think about, I'll be sure, a guy, you know, the introduction of Mary J,

like, heavy deenabores, and I'm like, I'm sitting here with Andre and Ray, like, and most people back then weren't, you know, overly impressed by the executive, but I was like, he was the one back to two. Yeah, exactly. So in a long story short, it was like, I can't make it.

Get to New York City, eight a.m. Monday morning, old town breakfast, if you want to try. You got to show me what you could do. Ah, I love it. Just like say less. I was at eight a.m.

He didn't get into the 10. He came to say, Oh, sit the stick, okay. Oh, sit the stick, it's Oh, sip the fly, this, this, this fly, you can want to put away these. Don't period on stepping the bubbles. Oh, man. I was like, I want to work.

And he was like, what do you do? I said, I'm good in the street. Put the stick of street team market and give him 60,000. And then he was like, what? Like me throwing your party. Catch me. Got me 60,000, you know, money, that mind you, I mean, I probably was making more like, you

know, doing my thing as far as the parties and stuff, but it was like the opportunity to be in a building. But when I got in the building, it was lights out, Joe, he gave me free, right? I went from 60 to 80 to 120 in a year and a half. And I was just getting opportunities, but for the first time in my life, outside of Clark Kent and my brother went to white, you know, wonder what, like he saw me and paid me.

You know what I'm saying? Like, he saw me, he's like, here's the check. Yeah, literally. And I was like, oh, okay, this is the thing. So I went and ran a muck and yeah, he can talk. Did I make, yeah, I remember like, oh, OK, this is the thing. So I went and ran a muck and yeah. Did I miss him? Yeah, I remember when he passed, I didn't know the relationship that you all had.

But I remember that effect that you deeply. No, deeply. And I think that was the start of the change in me, too. Just who I was. I've always been who I am to this industry, but it was me not co-signing anything else. Not that I ever co-signed it, but it was me not co-signing anything else. Not that I ever co-signed it, but being around it is co-signing. And I want people to know that, you know, I never walked the Brooklyn for cheesecake that

was never in my DNA. But I also was around when bullshit was going down. And see, I would remove myself because it was none of my business, but it is my business. And that's why I am now, as far as when I tell you passion, meaning purpose, like I can't, nothing can go unchecked anymore. Yeah. You know, and that's what I think as a culture we need to do more of. But speaking of when Drey died, like I was with Drey the last three years of his life.

And one of the saddest things was that this man I met, and you just heard the story I told you, but this man I met has so much reverence for and so much respect for who talked me about art and how to you know match it all together You know it's one thing to have a you know Bentley but you live in a condo You know I'm talking about a three hundred four hundred thousand on a condo. No, not the pride. You know yes your car costs Much so it's like Man they man or looking the part and not actually having it. You know what I mean? And so I was going through this industry with blinders on and the last three years of his life taught me so much

because not only was he dying literally, he had a triple bypass surgery like years before this, but he was looking different. He was acting different. He was breathing different. Oh, this heart, you know, you had a heart surgery. Triple bop, like the biggest shit you black widow, whatever they call it. Right.

The widow maker, you know what I'm saying? But you're going through all these things. And at the same time, it hurts my heart because he was not believing in himself. Like the man who put all his shit in perspective for all of us, he brought lifestyle to the game before Andrei. And I will give Russell similar credit, obviously for Rundee MC, Duff Jam, so forth and so,

but Dre made it sexy. Dre made it aspirational for everybody, not just the hood. You could be, you know what I mean? Anybody, any race, and want to be the best version of yourself. And I felt like he was demeaned to a molecule. He was not himself, he was not poured into. I mean, outside of me, like O'Neal and Nathan and his immediate circle, but it was just wild to me

because someone who had all that fighting to still be heard. After all that, yeah. Geez. It was crazy. Oh my goodness. Did he inspire you? You launched your own record label, Studio 43, and started a grow group dream. Yeah.

Was Andre a part of that inspiration? He signed Dream. Wow. Like, every step, like, of the way, since I met him, he had been a major piece of my puzzle, you know. And it's just ironic how life is, too, right? Because we weren't giving a blueprint on how to do it right. We were giving a blueprint. It was fucked up shit. Even thought process. I'm in the club selling fantasy.

The first seven, eight years of my marriage. But making women think they could have me, and I go home, but at the same time, now this person, now that wasn't the shit to do, they gon' still want you. I put the shit out, I smell good. It's just things that I offer. But you ain't got to be in the club, touch yourself

if you like yourself. Right. Then you're getting pennies thrown at me. You know what I'm talking about? But I just think they were taught these things. Yes. Like we're literally taught that, you know, you suppose I have this and do this and move up.

But no, it's like the real things that really feel you, like feel your cup. Like I just think I had learned all that in my process as far as, you know, being taught that early. Yeah. Oh, I love that. And how long did it take you to talk about, you sold them in a fantasy that can have you,

but knowing that Jessica had you, oh, you understand. Yeah, and but what was the transition of being like, you know what this thing for me, like let me stop this. Yeah, real talk I didn't wanna be the old nigga in the club. I was already the party king at 40. Nothing times have changed, right?

You don't kind of look at 40 year olds, 50 year olds, like you did when we were young. And honestly, our parents would tap and out at 50. They was like, okay, retirement's such a, such a, such a, they stopped dressing. They just, it's like I'm not going on what's fine. You can have it. But I think we have a little bit more zest

for life when we're gonna stay the value of life. We've created an industry that we don't have to stop. There's transition as far as like your creativity and how you want to show up. And you know, I feel like I didn't want to be the old guy in the club, but then also too. I wasn't in it musically anymore. I just had a conversation other day. It was like for the first time in my life, I don't feel like my hand is on the postal culture. And I'm talking about young culture. Like having that skill set my entire life,

kept me in the game. Yes. Right, knowing what young is a go get. Now mind you, I do know how to spot talent far and few in between every time, a 10 year gap goes though. And it's harder for me now to come, oh you come. Oh let me get you, because ideals change,

values change, and what you want in the game change. And because we don't have any real gatekeepers anymore, like I challenge all of my youngers that are like, they're all VPs in the head of this down the third. And I challenge like, would you want your son to listen to that bullshit? You promote it. Would you? And it's not.

No, I have to, right? And it's because no one's doing it. No. No one is holding. Can you look at these? We were having a conversation on my podcast the other day. If the black executives walked out of these buildings and went on strike until they were able to sign, honestly,

with their passion about what was better or best for our community. They would have to listen. Wow. Because right now, they're searching for the, you know, they're searching for the gang member. For young thug to be even in the mindset he's in right now, or was in prior to even being a million there, having put people on, does amazing things for the hood, but yet you still with the bullshits. So what do you think is going to happen?

But we, it's almost like us getting them phone chairs. I remember them phone chairs. Right? We gonna come rescue, bobbin' them, goddamn you ain't gonna just be, but it's saying time, you got Ray Ray on the corner,

selling dope to your auntie. Mm-hmm. You not talking to him, tell him. Your mom was on the pipe and Reggie responds, so we don't, we're confused in our thought process, but that was where I think I started to have, like when I left the club, it wasn't because I don't love people, I mean obviously I host essence, I host,

you know, strength of a woman, I do all these amazing black, ten pole events, right? And that's purposeful because I want to be a line. Like I love people, I don't want to entertain them the best to do it. I don't have no records. I don't, but if any artist is on the stage,

they're gonna think about, okay, Kenny's here. I gotta make sure. I do the thing because this nigga's gonna come out and do my song. Literally. So anyway, I want to keep that energy, but I also want to be who I'm supposed to be, not even just for my family and my children,

before the people that look to me. How am I going to be outside with a boot full of women? And I'm married, you know what I'm saying? That's not, and I was like that for a long time, not that I was doing anything with anybody, but the look, y'all was in the boot. Yeah, but it's like, yeah, but they don't know like our relationship, how I winged y'all,

and we had real, you know, camaraderie for each other versus the look. Exactly. That's a real thing for, perspective is everything. Other than having people look at something like. But they're gonna look at it, like, oh, he got all, that's Pat, That's not me. That's Patrick Riches that is not me.

Yeah. Shout out Pat. Shout out to Pushy P, man. One of my favorites, man. So, but that's another thing too. Like when you look at life like, who are you putting it? Look at Pat now.

You know what I'm saying? Yes. And that's what I'm most proud of, things like that. Even you, like speaking life in you, or like, whomever I've come across as felt the energy and used it, whether they did what I asked most proud of, things like that. Even you, like speaking life in you, or like whomever I've come across as felt the energy and used it, whether they did what I asked them to do or told me should do, they've taken a piece of the energy and applied.

I love it. I love it. You spoke about you talking to executive Sanha. Would you want your friend to listen to this? I know you have two beautiful signs. I'm a little bit masculine. Make me cry, nigga. Don't make me hate it. I know you have two beautiful signs. Mostly basketball. Make me cry, Nick.

Don't make me hate that. No, look, your family just went through something crazy. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. My son Kyle Burns graduated Wheeler High School Spring 2022. He reported in June. Wasn't feeling well, I think, starting at the end of June, came home a couple times.

Well, you know, not talking about it because it was like I got a headache, so whatever, I'm keeping moving. A good friend of the family, and actually the son of his high school coach died shooting the hoots and drowned. And he came home for the funeral, and literally the morning of the funeral,

he couldn't get out of it. And it was 8 a.m. took him to the hospital. One o'clock he was in surgery, had a brain abscess that was caused by sinus infection. Yep, so if your babies are cold too long, sinusy, go to the doctor.

I never heard of anything like this. You know what I'm saying? So I'm out of town, get the call, he's in surgery, just like them, they're passing out on FaceTime. I'm like, wait, let me get, you know, so I was on the way. And you know, the first surgery didn't get it all, so they had to go do another surgery two weeks later. So this is cutting his skull off of his head and literally, you know, him being without a skull to January 4th of this year. Hey, sweetie. We're going to get back to this week's episode after an ad from our sponsors.

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Built Ford Tough. Got a, uh, fakes goal put back on, um, and literally last, uh, Monday he got home from Japan where he played his first three games in a row. Um, not even a year, August 27th was the first surgery last year. So not even a full year ago, um, and he's a miracle. But you know, it's, I had never been tested. And to be honest with you, I'm great. You turn into a great interview.

You wanna add this to your chiropran, or whatever. But I literally changed again, right? Like, and for the better, because my entire life I have blinders on, meaning like I would compartmentalize everything. Literally though, like literally, oh shit. I would feel it. I would feel it just so I could, oh shit,

but I would put it away. And I think us as black men and black women we do that because of what we have to do. That mind you, this whole year my son was going through his thing. I'm talking about this, this was life or death. This wasn't like, you know, this was like he could go. And I'm having a go show up and host and, you know,

be this light and be this energy, right? And to this day, a lot of people still don't ask me. I mean, they seem all I'm glad he's all right. But they have no clue when it took to show up. Every time I got to show up. But in saying that though, you know, people look at the burns, it's like they're gonna be all right. And I'm sure a lot of people out there feel it's like, oh, they doing good, they're gonna be all right.

And you know what we are. And, you know, I received that, and I take that as a blessing. I don't try and judge, I told Jessica that the day, we judged everybody for their lack of consistency, we would have no friends. But that's life. And you not suppose to put what you would do on somebody else. You just not suppose to do that.

You know what I mean? Because everybody can't handle what you can handle. And that's life, and life be life. It's food. It's. During that time, I know just naturally your faith was stretched. Oh yeah. How did you work through the abyssal just keep pushing the one showing up?

Pray, you know, received all the prayer energy from the warriors out there that had us. Never really wavered from what was going to be, you know what I'm saying? Because life is either or. That's right. And that's drastic, but it's the truth. And we're getting older. We're going to lose people, y'all. Yeah, me every week, every week, Clarence Avonchus, but like every week we're losing superheroes, we're losing family members.

That year, my father died January 1st, 2022. Kyle had his surgeries, Kenny Torres, ACL, diagnosis for friends with cancer. I mean, you just life, you know, but one thing you cannot do is do the war with me. You know, we're going to catch haymakers, y'all. We're going to catch things that test our faith, test our, you know, abilities to continue. Like I was telling just go, day how much money we got. Okay, paid everything, okay, okay, okay. Cuz I'm just, you know, you get tired. I'm not, and I said this the other day and somebody was in my deal. You ain't quitting.

You can't quit, we need you, Diggle. Fuck you, tell me. And so I'm not quitting, but I think like, you know, to our conversation before we start the podcast, I'll rather be heard. You know, this scene thing is it comes with a lot. And I'm not even what, like I don't do what you do, like I'm not even, you know, rumor to have seen this that in the third and this that in the third.

And I don't have those, but I'm very, you know, I think I'm probably the most noticeable non-celebrity in the world. And I feel like though, it gets heavy because you only see the good time, Kenny. And I'm tired of being a good time, Kenny. I'm not tired of giving you a good time. I'm not tired of the jokes.

It's an expectation. Yeah, man, come on, let me be human. Yeah, shit. Some days you just want to do. You don't want the expectation of every time you walk in a room, all right, make us laugh. Yeah. Tell the joke, Nick.

And I'm not even committed, although my comedic time has been amazing the last decade. Precise, it's very red so, no, you are funny. I know that can be annoying, it's just. Yeah, you just want to also, too, again, align. You grow and evolve, and the things that you adore, you no longer adore, like you, I adore the streets. I was so thankful for having learned the things I learned adore, you no longer adore. Like, I adore the streets. I was so thankful for having learned the things I learned.

I'm still thankful. But I'm not condoning anything else. Like, I will give the hustler the benefit of the doubt. But you got to transform my sister. You can't continue. And then, you know, we don't even have honest hustlers anymore. We got thieves. Literally thieves and scammers.

We got thieves and scammers. Where's the aud thieves and scammers, like, where is the audacity to hustle? Like, if you're in the street and you got one way, and you can get this amount to get this amount, I'm not going to hit them, but once you get this amount, you have to do the thing. You have to do the thing. And I know I've saved so many lives because of my example,

but not even just my example, my actual total is. I've given people the game. I've created opportunities for them to transition. But to no better and I do better, I just can't go. I can't go anymore. I love it. It's the evolution of Kingie Burns. I'm loving it. BABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABABAB having to show up and put a smile on. Like especially when you go on through the things with your son Kyle.

I was just, I had even Marcel on recently and we were talking that morning before she had pulled up, I was in my closet crying, going through some things, personally, and then you literally have to wipe the tears off, literally tell yourself, shake it off, and then you have them. Like, hey, put a smile on your face. And that gets really heavy. And a lot of people don't see that side of our lives,

especially people who are in the public eye. They think that everything is just so sweet. And I try to be more transparent about the days that I'm not so happy, so that people can see that, oh, like, she doesn't have, every day is not perfect for her either, you know. But I will give you some advice with that. Please.

Don't share everything. And I say that because to give people an opportunity to comment, opens up a Pandora's Box sometimes, especially in our world. And I feel like, you know, a trusted circle of people to springboard and bounce things off of, is the way to go. And I would honestly encourage more of the mystique, because, you know, to know you, obviously,

like I do is to see the inner light and the things that people don't get to see all the time, but at the same time it's kind of cool that people don't even know all the time and leave them guessing, because one thing we have to accept in our business is they're gonna talk to you. They're gonna have some opinions child they're gonna just be like okay but you're thinking they're polis just chip. Right. Whatever life. Life is life. Life is gonna life. But we can't

control that and not sure we put ourselves in position to have to accept any of that. It's so true. And again it's's about your circle. And I don't know you've been outside long enough to know what flawed individuals look like. And then a lot of them. And we are flawed ourselves at times. Yeah, absolutely. But if you try to try to please, you're being the people please in business instead

of the crystal business that's so true thank you for that thank you I appreciate you don't nobody shit oh nobody nothing oh nobody no I'm so a family member it's good to take my life work it be your people man it be your people it be your people people and we don't choose certain people as family friends it be your people it be your people people and we don't choose certain people as family or friends but it be your people yeah so you know it's got to don't don't put them in the box the one thing I regret is you know it hasn't to do with that but has everything to do with as I matured in the business and

I grew you know we are chasing something right especially when you're defining who you are because you don't know, we are chasing something, right? Especially when you're defining who you are. Because you don't know who you are from the dough. It's the continuance of like figuring you out in the process of making money, you have relationships. The one thing, man, is like when you have great relationships, hold on to those relationships. A lot of things are circumstantial.

A lot of things are circumstantial. You're cool with the people you're around a lot in this moment, but don't leave, you know, those friendships. Now real friendships are gonna be intact. I have all of my friendships from day one intact, but a lot of things get confusing as you grow, but these people in your immediate circle

aren't always your friends, it's just because y'all don't set and y'all doing these things, you're around these people. You have to keep your core, your core. Yeah, that's so true. I recently have gone through a purging season where I realized that people that have been in my life for years weren't happy for me. And it's like we started the same place.

And then it's like I'm ascending, I'm ascending, and that person's still where we started. Or they may have grown a little bit, but not to the magnitude that I have. And it becomes this jealousy and envy. FUNCLE. Everybody can't go. Yeah. That's my therapist said. Everybody can't go. but not to the magnitude that I have, and it becomes this jealousy and envy. Fuck them. Everybody can't go. That's my therapist said. Everybody can't go. Literally, everybody can't go.

I hope she said, fuck them too. She didn't think about all of them. You know, if you had a friendship, that's what I'm trying to tell you, you had a friendship, you gonna be friends. If it was never a friendship, it's going to rare. It's hard.

Speaking of friendships in the other world, Because never a friendship is going to rare, it's hard. Seeking a friendship is not the world on that top. How do you maintain and nourish the friendships that you build in this industry? I know navigating this industry can be caddy, you meet a lot of fake people. You sure you want this ass? Yes, I want it. I don't have many friends in this industry. I have a lot of acquaintances. I have a lot of transactional relationships, which is totally fine. I can count on one hand. How many friends I have in this industry?

Wow. And it's okay, but I think people should know that this is a transactional world, not just business. 90% of your relationships are transactional. Well see, we don't understand that. We don't understand the value. And I understand the value of the value. Yeah.

The only thing that's changed with me now, I understand the relationship are transactional, but I'm not gonna fuck with you if you can't be aligned with my purpose and passion. I love that. And it's not even, it's for sanity, it's for association. I don't know if you're young as no, but they're creating this gang bill that if you're affiliated, you're a part of this shit.

Just like those and then got a club. Absolutely. Wow. And I had said something in the Ernie Leisure podcast where I was talking about a percentage, you know, of crime went down. I'm talking about like 30% of murders went down when certain gang members got locked up. But guess what? At the end of the day, something changed when that happened.

You have to change like that in your relationship, though. If you're associated with people that are not good for you, or not along with what you're doing, I tell my male partners all the time, yeah, you call it, but you know what you do, right? You know how you get at it. Okay, cool words, as long as you know. Right.

But you're subject to like losing time. We don't have time, we get back. No, we don't. So any choices that you make in that room, you're sacrificing time. Time is not, it's fleeting, it's not on our side. We're not here forever. Wow.

It could change, it could derail your whole life. Literally. I bet that the executives was a part of the Rico's and on the murder cases they wouldn't sign. They sure wouldn't be signing. They were changed with the Ramsey from rapping about. I bet the entire world would change. That one little piece changed.

Wow, that's so powerful. And I agree with you. I do. This time. Did you watch, they called on Tyrone? Child of the episode. It inspired me so much. It was black side Tyrone.

It was. And it just showed you when they was fighting off the music. Yes. And then, hook you when they was fighting off the music. Yes. And then, hood, literally when the music changed. But the chicken, the great juice, everything. This is a real thing. It's a real thing. And we are brainwashed every day.

I'm intelligent. I have a value of life spent and shared. But I'm still peeling back the layers on the onion. I'm still saying don't like that nigger shit. Kitty, don't like that nigger shit. You're leaving nigger them today. Leave it. That's very...

No 50. Yeah. And I'm still trying to get out of some of my ways, but ladies and gentlemen, imagine the ones that aren't that strong. Wow. And we talk about, let's do the 90-10 analogy. 90% of the world is going to Wow. Brandy wants to say that. Let's do the 90-10 analogy. 90% of the world is going to participate.

They're going to follow. They're going to do everything that this small percentage doesn't. Even that 10%. It's only probably 2% that's willing to kill everybody to get the money. You know what I'm saying? Because it has.

I believe I'm in the 10% that cares. But I still ain't willing to do certain shit. That's why I'm going to be why I'm at. Exactly. I'm going to be where I'm at. I'm the finest and zest for myself. You can have the rest. Yes.

Yes. I agree with that. Ooh. Unpacking. Unpacking. Pilling back the layers of the onion. I love it. How do you, even from a very young age,

you've been in this industry, how did you maintain integrity? She never walked a book with a cheese cake. I was never going to be put in a position where I was going to go to the door number two. What was you doing? Come on. That age had been a fist fight. Fuck you talking to him. Right.

You know what I'm saying? Period. But like now, I think like, you know, we see people dumbing out for the check. It ain't like rap music. It ain't about the art. It ain't about the art. It's about money. Literally. Give me 300 thousand you have.

I saw a whole interview where Yo Gotti was talking about 360 deals are good. And he was talking about streaming is good. And I'm like, like, first of all, Napster happened to the business. Do you remember when Napster happened to the business? I did. That's what Streaming eventually is. And then they cloned Tyrone and Tyrone would be like, they created all that to get to this.

And then you got somebody who's one of the most successful in rap music, now saying that all this is good, comes out of the 36, you know, 360 deals, taking percentage of everything you do. So basically they're following the money back around to do it. It's a complete circle, it's a complete have to with. But he literally, one of the biggest doing it, so people are like, I'm gonna do a three.

Because he's like it now, but as an artist, he probably wouldn't agree with it. Not coming from an end-up, you are an independent, you are part of the, yes. So now he has artists. And listen, I ain't not gonna nobody forget their house or somebody gonna listen that by and to it, you know, but as a leader in the community, you have to be responsible for these youngers.

Yeah. But I mean, you know, is what it is. I'm not going to just be, because I'm feeling a little spicy. Got some Uncle Nierson. Listen. To hit the industry down today. To hit the industry down today. To hit the industry down today.

Burn this bitch down. Listen, it would change the world though. No, listen, we are in the precipice of black culture right now. And if we don't burn down hip-hop music specifically and bring it back, we are at risk of losing the soundtrack that has built three generations now. The soundtrack. Now I don't think hip-hop culture will leave because there's industry now fashion, lifestyle, but at the same time we are in, we are at risk of losing a form of music.

Do you remember rock music? With like the number one music in the world, rock music is an indie genre. Rock music. And if you look at pop music, it's emulated the best of hip hop and made it theirs. Yeah. You got Taylor Swift. Listen to what I'm about to tell you.

Everything Taylor do could be pop leaning, but an energy and attitude is hip hop. It's hip hop culture. From the dances to the audacity to be something she not everything she represents. But people don't always like adhere to that because we get money now finally. But guess what? If my generation took it to a trillion, your generation's bowls have got them in systemic disparities in the financial system.

That we got it to this point, your generation is supposed to make it equitable for black and brown. Yes, yeah. There's no, I mean, but now it's like slavery all over again. No, literally. No, literally. Yeah, it's.

We're slaves, these kids are slaves. And they even, that's also weenamorn. They want to do the shit. They want to. Just the organs there. Yes. They kill them. You can't even go get no medicine.

That's gonna kill you because you drink it every day. Mm-hmm. You're immune. You're immune. Yep, you're body's immune. But these are things like that. This is where I am. And I understand why people get butted

naked and move to the woods. Mm-hmm. Because life gets to take it over your mind. Yeah. And you'd be like, what is going on? And then you look at the political sphere. You dumb s**t. I'm sorry, I keep thinking.

You stupid s**t. Because you're thinking not voting because it ain't going matter who s**t is getting front right now. It's fanny. Fanny. That's local state government. Yes, you think it ain't gonna matter If you show to the polls and the one I got him listen, I don't know about them other cases Fanny got it got them it's on tape

They knock on goal. Listen to me white people and I love my wife friends and I'm talking to all white people But white people are in fear of losing their race. Yeah, they are. That's why you see them bucking like they bucking, but that's what happened in Georgia. The same thing that happened when we turned this **** blue, when I was on the air, and Dr. O'Donnell was crazy,

talking about why we should vote. Fannie Goddum. Yeah. Fannie Goddum. Yeah. He and I getting up out of that. And all you coaxed his spirit is in a Rico. Huh?

Rico? K-L-K? Yeah. Yeah. You get locked up too, Rudy? Mm-hmm. You owe bastard. And I think he was m****.

He sent you in the Rico deal. And creating the Rico. He was a part of the thing. Wow. But like, y'all don't understand why bones import? So important. essential in the Rico deal in creating the recoil he was a part of the thing But like y'all understand why bones import so important They don't they do not I love you I love this Kenny's on fire. I love it. I love it. You have a very solid friendship with D. Nice Yes, how did that turn that friendship turn business? Because now you guys are like,

it's almost like your own group. Yeah, nice and burn is a real thing. Yeah, a real thing. Anytime we link up is magic. Oh my. Very proud of what he's been able to do. I mean, I never would have done Kennedy Center Apollo. Crazy.

Because it'd be all, I mean venues where, I mean, Apollo, but those other venues where black people couldn't perform, you know, we actually did the Apollo and one of the OGs, I think it's like 70 somethings like this is one of the best performances that the Apollo's ever seen. I'm like, shut up. I'm in dispatch your old Jeepers, you had no town this one. You had hip hop in the earth. You mean that this was one of the best lessons. So I don't think I would have got those opportunities

without my brother. I'm proud. I'm thankful. I love what he's created with his movement and he deserves it. Thinking something into fruition is what happened with D. Nights. Before the pandemic hit, he was already doing White House and the big Blacks and Poles.

It's like we were both doing together. But this thing he used to say to me all the time, I'm only be the biggest Black DJ. I play in black music. You know, EDM was going crazy and everybody was $200,000 to show up like yes, throwing all of them up and getting painted. And do you always say, I want to be that? Yeah. I'm like, we can. Yes. And we will. We can get it by ourselves. And I love it. And I'm happy for him.

And without him, we wouldn't have got through. No, it's so easy. Especially when you think about, he said something. Crystal, I want to be the biggest black DJ playing black music. Huh? Yeah. Where do you go from there?

Like, and you did it? Did it. Like literally. You were on the island with us in the middle of nowhere, Huh? Yeah. Where do you go from there? Like, exactly. And you did it? Did it. Like literally. You were on the island with us in the middle of nowhere, child doing the butt. I got the footage. Huh? Insert here.

It literally, that was a fun weekend. Man, it was so beautiful. And that was the first time I spent it. It was black and it was excellent. And we were fish out of water. And then literally. Literally fish. You know what I'm talking about?

But like in a different place and time in that moment was for us, and that's the beauty that Dia's been able to create for himself. And we've been able to create together. I love it. I love it. You are an entrepreneur. You built your own empire.

You're not easily placed in a box. You have the Kimmy Burns show. You do your MC, and you're an investor in Uncle Nier's, L.S. cream liquor. Series A investor. All y'all who keep asking me what I do, huh? What you do with Uncle Nier? I still fund the initial funds.

I know that, tell them. Hey, that's different. And I started at 75 Cent of Shares. Now it worked 29 dollars. Talk about it! What you doing with, huh? Ask nasty another motherfucking question. Huh, okay.

Tokyo, shit, kid. That's my first spirit investment. I have four more. Okay, all right. What's up? We have Bruce Vaca, by-ab, James Carter, Spirit, Spirit, which is a company just gonna own 10% of. Come on. And then he made his wife own 10% of. Come on.

And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have.

And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have.

And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you have. And then you in the grass and love you. Yeah, it's a thing. I can't wait. I could not wait. I know this business can be gruesome and having a hold of your mental and emotional wellness is key. What does someone like Kenny Burns do?

Do you have a therapist? Do you? No, you know, I want this judge me if you'd like to. I don't. No, Judge, this is Judge me. No, Judge me, I want you to be in the comments. I don't really, I think therapy is good. I think it's always good to have someone to talk to.

The thing about people to get paid for, though, is that they won't keep telling you shit to come back. It's just my observation. It's just my observation. I have a wife. And my wife is a therapist, because she's also my biggest love here So I don't never get the yes-kini shit, you know, so I get the truth Yeah, and I need to hurt for truth some time. I need to shit that's gone just jiggle my spine

Because people like to tell you things and try to ease it on yeah in you They don't say in pause, but the thing, the thing about it is you need the truth. See, you need the truth. And not a matter of fact, truth and response is something. You might ask in the form of a question and answer, but you tripping. You know you shouldn't have did that.

Wow. So, I believe in therapy with the people that I love and I know love me the best and have my best interests. I don't believe in like sitting down with someone I don't know and need to get to know and tell them about my problems immediately. Nothing is bad, whoever does it. If you find that, you might not have those relationships.

It works. But yeah, and I also don't take things so literally. You know, again, I said that, I said earlier in our conversation that, this is a transactional world as far as relationships are concerned. And I'm okay with that. I used to get a little bit annoyed when people,

I felt I loved, important to, didn't love, important to me back, human quality. But I don't really take anything too personal. I'm damn sure now about the dwell in it. I know that's right. Yeah, I gotta get to it. I don't have a lot of time. You don't.

No, no, none of us do. None of us do. No, we don't. I see that you work out a lot. Shout out. Yeah, you know. She missed a shove and trained. 50.

50, where? Where? Let's take this, another fact of face, I forgot a lot. Shout out. You know? Smith the sub and train. 50. 50 wear. All right. Let's take this month's pack of face to put in the gifts and fun. 50 y'all bodies. And shit don't have me show you a manipul. They got a little thing under it.

Yeah, it's called a, that's called a. You know what I'm saying? No, I just, you know what before my 40th birthday, I decided that health is, well, you know. I live like 4-11 and the things that come with it so you gotta have balance. No you definitely have to have balance you do. We touched on your family but your wife who largest adore. Fun fact, she's the coldest.

She is. I had never met Jessica until the season one premiere of Sisters. Really? Yeah, you all came together, but I went on them down town. Yeah, so I would always see her like on your Instagram and just the way she carried herself without even knowing her. When I finally got to meet her, I just pulled her a sentence.

I just wanted to tell you like, when I look at you, I'm like, bedtime when I carry myself. Oh my gosh, she is just, and then once I got to know, I'm like, oh my gosh, she's amazing. She's so good. Yeah, but like, just the way that she,

her presence is without saying a word. Yeah, you know, it's a super power for her. I always say that Jessica could care less about all this energy everybody loves. Yeah. She could care less. And it doesn't impress her. The people I know, the,

you know, I remember leaving, Sean comes wine and spirits. I started a launch revolt 2013, moved them to LA. I remember that. Yeah, and so, you know, story time. And so we were literally, I used to go to work telling I might fight him to death, we'll close this door, one person walking out.

And the guy to the point was like, I'm leaving him. Oh, man. And so I never forget, I literally went and met with Dia, big shot of DSM's, Lover the Death, and a toe Andre. It was like, I'm leaving, I can't, because it's just ego at this point. It's not even work. You know what I mean?

Like, I can't even get off the super hero shit that I got to get off. And so, I don't know I did, because two months later, I got the Uncle Nier still. So, look at God. Want me to do it? But I literally went home. I told I was like, today, I quit.

I have been telling you, I'm quitting. And she's like, all right, will they pay you? And I was like, you know what? I ain't even talk about that. Because I'm the type person I walk away from, eight gazillion dollars, because I don't feel right. She said, you need to call them and figure out this back. Because you know, move your family out here.

Yeah, that reminds you, I probably would have got to that a day or two later, but it was fresh. And she was like, don't let that shit get to date. But that's what I love most about it. Because it's all a way, it always has been about what's best for us as a family. And she's never waved with relationships or, you know, been impressed with the shit. I couldn't have had that. And then she has her own, like she's getting her master's room high, and she has her own thing she does for her, that not only keeps me like, damn,

you getting doped her, like, how you getting doped or like how you getting doped. I told her that, I don't even know what love is. I think I need a stronger word. Because it'll have an appreciation. When you have kids, go to where we went through this last year without young and son, and just who we are the people, we ain't first class of the day. I didn't mean to say first class like it was a thing.

But we on the plane, and this guy, and I want to know who you are, sir. He and a mass of glasses hat, but he got, you know, he, you know, he knows something about something. So we get separated because I didn't pay attention to the ticket. So she's sitting in 3A, I'm sitting in 3D. And we get off the plane. The guy says to me, yo, keep going man, I love what you're doing. Now, I get this.

And I love it. And thank you. Please, I'm sorry. Because knowing that I affect you, and this is not party shit, good time, kini shit. This is what you're doing on your podcast. How you showing them in culture, what your family shit is. He lit it like that. And so we're walking the thing,

and just was like, you know, he was sitting next to me. When I sat down, he was like, thank you for what you and your husband do. And we get this stuff, though, and it's like, for us, we're being us, right? Yes. And yes, we're trying to black love thing was intentional.

Jessica doesn't do anything. She's been offered housewives and season two. She's been offered. They want to do love and hip hop at Atlanta around me and my crew, like we just turned down things because it wasn't about that. That, yes. And now, there were older people are like,

yo, this is the thing. Yeah. Thank you because seeing that I would be 24 and I'd talk to her. Yeah. I would be 24 years married. Wow. And I'd talk to her.

I'm 50. That's how I have my life. Yes. You know what I'm saying? So you look at that and you're like, the things that were innately us, the things that she poured into me and that I poured into her, are what people love most about.

It's not any of the accomplishments. Obviously we had to get there through what I did in the industry. Yeah. But the light has turned on the things that matter most, which is to title my new book, What Matters Most. Oh, Tyler's new book, what? You like this one? I love it.

You better call it. Tyler, I'm here. Tyler, as you see this in your inspired, I'm here brother, you know what I mean? I have something that we could do. Definitely something. But I think that's what life's about. What matters most?

You can't go through life and think that it's material things or being in a certain relationship pool that's going to find you in your success. You have to define it for yourself. And ultimately you have to grow into it too. We get lost in this going to be this way immediately. No, you know how long it took me to get here. I'm still, I just told you I'm peeling them layers but still I want to not be a nigga. I want to not say the word nigga but I can't stop saying nigga because sometimes niggas thing nigga be nigga you know what time I'm out nigga I know what you talking about nigga

shit listen we all work for progress y'all we are I love anybody better than other we might not want to use for sometimes you need to listen we're cheating sometimes you need to listen. They need to listen. That's it. I'm listening. Mm-hmm.

And you are. And I'll see how you're growing and you're listening and you're like, you're peeling back the layers. It's beautiful. It is. Jessica has, she's an author of a book called Golden Gardens. I actually have a copy of it. And it's a book of reflections of

self love, faith, healing, growth. Being that you both are entrepreneurs, how do you guys balance the support each other's vision and growth? Great question. Well first of all, little story time. She gave me acts of faith when we first started dating. Really? The book acts of faith by Ayanna Levance. I don't read, of course I read, but I'm not a, you know, I'm not a fan of it. I would read this book and I'm like, oh shit. And so that kind of started defining who we were gonna be. So it was pointing in to bright like in support.

Again, I quit Cohn's mind and spirit. I was making a lot of money. And she was like, all right, let's go. The other day I was like, how much money I told you. And she's like, what you want to sell all this property and just get moved to a kind of what you want to do. I'm like, oh, because we're almost in the next, almost. Almost.

But it's like, you know, it's like what you want to do. Because you prove in a relationship who you are in a relationship. Yeah. Wow. Don't let that go. We're here. And people a lot of times don't know the value

of proving yourself to your partner. But once you get on that plateau, that plane, like when you get on that little like playing field, and it's even, it's normal proving, it's everything you want it to be. And yes, in relation to prove yourself to your partner, how do you think you're going to gain trust? How do you think you're going to get to a certain point of life together? Yeah. Because that's what charteres people don't stay together because they grow apart. You got to grow together.

And so we've always been in tandem like that. And even when she didn't understand, she trust. I would. I would. She trusted I would get it together. And I took the responsibility because that's who I am. Yeah. But you have to have yin and yang.

Everybody's not going to be able to be, you know, the one who makes the money. Like, seldom do I see relationships and big shots of the ones that do, I admire you. But seldom do you see where like the money's equal. But the value is not money in a relationship. The value is not money. It's what are you doing for your family?

How are you progressing as a unit? And that's where people go, my career, I'm a sacrifice all this shit for what I gotta do, because I ain't, no, that's not a conducive trait for a relationship. That's true. You gotta be in tandem. And I think the fact that we've been in tandem,

the fact that she's supported everything I've ever wanted to do. Wow. I've supported everything she wanted to do, but it's one time, she actually wanted to do. Wow. I've supported everything she wanted to do, but it's one time, she wanted to do hair. Mm-hmm. You let him, you win, we win. No, I just 12 hours a day gone, but she learned from it, you know,

and that's how you grow. You don't just, it's not magic. Mm-hmm. It don't just be magical all the time. Yeah. You gotta go through some things. Yeah. But quitting, quitting is what people think is the answer a lot of times.

Wow. You know, and if you friends, I want to say this, if you friends, you might want to work that shit out. Because if you're friends, you really, it's not, you really can't get over. Right. Wow, that's real.

I knew that. You know I'm here baby you know God has the mysterious way of showing up. He really does. Now you really just spoke to me. There'd be two people with me. Got them. Hummingbird show up at your window. Whatever. You got a pay attention to the sign. You can be kidding. You can wear his own accounts just dropping nuggets. I mean, because I'm comfortable, all I need is a dot, you know, a side bowl. This is too comfortable. What we watch next. Right. It's just from me, it's a team of me.

Right. So I can't talk about that though, because we're on strike. So you said that, I didn't say it. Yeah. Yeah, I'm there, sir, by the way, for Strike. Oh, yeah. We literally cannot talk about past, present, future projects. Really?

Nothing, yeah. Well, I'm talking about the kind of dynamic talent that I want to have in these. We talked about your investments. How did you even, because in our community, I mean, even for me, like I'm just getting into it, learning about it, still trying to understand the contracts, especially when you get into it early before it goes public.

Can you just tell us a little bit about this, just for our community, or even understand, how do you get into investments? Sure, yeah. How I got into investing in spirits was that I was in spirits before I became an owner. Right. I was in the club's heavy. And you remember the great goose days? I created influencer programs that all spirit companies use. I feel like I was the beta for that because I don't know if you remember my 35th birthday party that was actually mentioned,

you might not have been outside. I was outside, yeah. But I had more dynasty pay for the entire thing. So all of my best friends and I stayed in the Versace Mansion. Except Gianni's room because the day it was 35 feet long and you just... Oh wow. Yeah, it was kind of the energy was a little bit... Yeah, look.

Right, so that party kind of put me on the map of like, how does this non-salebrity bring all these people to the massage you mentioned? And then, more importantly, how do we spend 200,000 dollars on this party for this non-celebrity? So that's when they were kind of flirting with the idea of people outside of celebrity having access and being able to move the needle. So then, fast forward, Greg Goose wanted to go against the Srirach flavors and came to the market and was like look we have L'Aranj, the pois, we want to get into the, you know, the, I'm sorry but in the flavors game but we want to compete. Yes.

They're like we're gonna give you this opportunity and what you do with the opportunity will, you know, tell our future together. We went up 90, 498% in the market in six months, but it was cheating. I had the world famous compound all the clubs. I'm at the table, y'all in the movie, pop and pop. It was crazy. And of course that world famous thing happened with Puff where he came and through ice,

I had us in my booth and I was like, fuck y'all life's getting hiccups. Y'all ain't shit, y'all. We not support so much, because we got our own shit like so. But anyway, that, you can ain't shit, y'all. We not supporting the Rocks, we got our own shit like so. But anyway, that, you can go to YouTube, Charlie. And what? T.I. just came home from having they root in this Trump. It was a whole thing.

So yeah, but it was those things that kind of like, you know, kept me kind of wanting to be an owner and then when I went to launch for Valtellips and I told you I transferred into the Coles Wine and Spirit side. So, you know, Apple Sorac was my launch, main goals, my launch, Deleon Tequila was my launch. And then after things didn't work out, you know, I just kept my, you know, arms open to receive. And because I was in the spirit world, you know, my reputation preceded me and someone came to me and was like on a golf course

which I do not golf until now. I heard a lot of things. But yeah, but yeah, they were like I'm investing. It was a VC group that was investing in local near-sales. Like you have to meet this woman for me when I was like, she's dynamic. Yeah, had no idea how dynamic she was I was like sure so I go a meter in Nashville go to Shell be real. I'm so I go to Lynchburg first walk the hollow land the original bottle actually of uncle nearest has a house on the front It's called the Dan call farm Farm farm, farm bought that farm underneath Jack Daniels.

She was telling me this story and all this gangster shit. She was the wow. That's why I said this day, she always laughs. So I was like, you gangster. So she bought that. She took me through the storytelling. We sit water from the original creek that Jack Daniels was making whiskey.

So it was going through this whole thing. And by the time we got to where it was in the question and ranch, that is now near-screen distillery. She was talking about, you know, we just bought this tool and we're going to build the distillery and all. So something like, yeah, I mean, what's up? I want a 10% of the company. It's like I can't get you 10% of the company, but I give you some shares that you just fall in love with. I was like, all right, cool. She called me a week later.

She was like, here are the shares. I had never been offered anything in my life. Yeah. When someone says, you know, a couple hundred thousand shares, like, oh, yeah, of course, ownership. Yeah, yes. Remember when I said earlier about the 75th and versus 29th. And they do the math.

So then I was like, you know, cool, but my job was kind of like, you know, you remember we did the breakfast club together for it. All we did that whole run and, you know, Instagram apps are going crazy. Yeah. The beauty of that entire investment was that, not only was it history, but I met like someone I wanted to be like, like I wanted to be like Andre. Yeah. She's younger than me. Wow. Wow. She's like, for you, younger than me, I think. But like I just, like I call her my spirit in them, because it's like, you a coma, fucking drop out. You fucking like, took your life, you know, saying, putting a choke hold and deal with the fuck you want it with it.

Like, I mean, you look at like, I'm, I'm some of day one, like they had the brand concept and idea, but they hadn't launched anything. Yeah. I'm on day one like they had the brand concept and idea but they hadn't launched anything Yeah, I was there day one. That's amazing Yeah, so you know look at her growth and who she is the culture and what it was Just open my eyes to a different way of doing business. Mm-hmm from that L.S. cream came through our incubator program at Uncle Nier's that's not through our program but far and large Invested independent of um of the incubator program. Also, the spearhead, spear's opportunity came

through the incubator program, which they passed on, because they're already brought into a gym, but that came through. So she's been the gift that keeps on giving in a relationship kind of way. We're more brother than sister. We don't do a lot of business. I mean, she was gonna announce very soon,

damn, I was just about to say it. I'm glad I didn't move, mama. But she just made a play that's, I mean, she'll be the seventh largest spirit company in the world. That's incredible. Yeah. And that's like ironic, six years. That's crazy, yeah.

Seven years, there'll be seven years, there's come. There. Seven years will be seven years has come. It's all done. So yeah, it's just been a blessing. And I'll continue to align myself back to the original question with things that are a part of what I do. I suggest any entrepreneur, you know, align yourself with things you love, align yourself with things that you're actively doing.

Eventually, when I don't drink I think I'll probably stop drinking one day. I sell my portfolio but I'll always align myself with things that I'm passionate about and I believe because those are the things that have worked for me. I'm not one to just I mean Jessica Davos with stocks and I portfolio on that side, but she's very strategic about what she's doing. So I don't really suggest doing anything you don't love. I would be very passionate about it.

And I would, because being passionate about it means you want to know about it and stay up on it. That's the big deal when it comes to investing. I love that. Thank you. Thank you so much. Katie, I appreciate you. I'm sure, sure.

This is gonna go crazy. No, it's going to go crazy, guys. Thank you so much. We do what we call positive outcomes. Yes. And this is where they write into us and ask us for advice. And we just give them the best we can. Absolutely.

And says, hey, Crystal, last year I saw your BMW uncorked interview and it literally changed my life. I was having a really tough time dealing with a career that I knew wasn't for me, especially Nolan, that I was meant to be doing something more. You talked about pivoting careers and being in a season of pouring into yourself, which is something that I need to work on.

But I believe God often uses people to speak to others. and that day he definitely used you to speak to me. Because that was the moment I felt this flooded, this was a flood of emotions, and a voice that said that it was okay to go after my dreams of being a graphic designer, video editor, and that feeling hasn't gone away. But in pursuing my passion, I'm finding my purpose of life has been turned upside down on multiple occasions. I swear it seems like every time my passion, I'm finding my purpose of life has been turned upside down on multiple occasions. I swear it seems like every time I turn, I start to game momentum and there's a major life event that happens. A divorce, multiple deaths in the family losing my job, you name it, then knocks the win out of me. Sometimes I feel like I'm so close to my breakthrough yet so far away.

Whew, been there. So my question to you is, how do you find strength, motivation, and the courage to continue pursuing your passion, walking in your purpose during those moments when it feels like everything is stacked against you? Wow. Ooh. First of all, thank you for writing in.

And when I always tell this story, when I moved to Atlanta to pursue my dreams, it was the hardest year of my life. And if I had tell this story when I moved to Atlanta to pursue my dreams it was the hardest year of my life and if I had a given up I wouldn't be where I am today but there was moments where I did and where I just like am I doing the right thing? I made the right decision but I feel like when God plants us eating you and you know that's what you're supposed to do you have to keep pushing through it. I know it's hard with dealing with, I don't know what it's like to deal with the divorce,

but I know that's not something that's easy to navigate and then dealing with a loss in family and losing your job. That's a lot, but I think if this is something that you really wanna do, just keep working at it, honing in on what it takes to be the best graphic designer and video editor that you can be. But like I say, anything worth getting is not going to be easy. Yeah, what do you think?

I think you should also try and define success for yourself. I think a lot of times we put unnecessary pressures on ourselves. We put unrealistic goals on ourselves. And a lot of things that I find is people don't really appreciate the journey. You have to appreciate the journey. You cannot possibly get to fulfill all of your dreams, not appreciate each individual's small win.

So maybe try just like pulling back, or pulling back, assessing what your goals are, what you want to do. And if I happen to send the things that you can complete and accomplish, we sometimes just, we have this lofty goal of what we should be here or things that are going to be perfect and not, and we're going to go through things. And if you're present in those moments, you're going to feel things, you're going to go through the disappointments, you're going to go through all the things, but at least you have realistic goals that are obtainable.

Because the dreams come when you're not trying to get them. Mmm, mmm. That's so true. That is so true. They come to you when you're not trying to get them. That's a lot of things in life. It comes when you're not looking for it. Like, you're man.

Like, I mean, that is what happens. like your man. Like my man. That is what happens. When you're out there looking, looking, looking, and you never, it never comes. As soon as you just chill, I'm like, all right, I'm not going to chup over this. I met you at the basketball game. We got to go to dinner play.

Like before, to it. All right. I love it, I love it. So in closing, we do what is called what I'm going through and what I'm growing through. I've got the next thing. Yeah, yeah. Love how she moves. Now, y'all can do it in our little thing.

Yeah, almost. Yeah, I really would love that. What I'm going through and what I'm growing through. For me, just even like the days that we talked about today, I think one of the things that I'm going through is expanding my portfolio. We talked about investments, learning more about that. And for me, I know that in that space, it's a risk. And I'm not, you have some people that are big risk takers and then some people are a calculator risk takers. But you hold on to mine. Yeah, I know. So I'm a hold on. I like to hold on to mine.

But just get into the space where I do have that big face to take bigger, you know, because it's a bigger return when you do. Or you can use your likeness to have, you know, sweat equity versus monetary input. So those are things I think about too. Come on now, put me on game. I love that. Is there anything that you're going through and growing through?

Yeah, I'm going through shedding some of the things I was taught and that's probably been the hardest thing in my life. Shedding the things that I thought to be the things, you know. Absolutely. And I'm growing through it. I think that you know, you have to to elevate, you have to to align honestly with your purpose. I think, you know, we get so caught up, you know, and I'm blessed to, right? So I am speaking from the lens of, I've done a lot of great things to get to where I am.

I don't feel any shame at any point of my journey. You know, shame in it like, yeah, shot that motherfucker. Right, right, right. You know, I don't have anything in my heart that has kept me from growing spiritually. So now it's just growing through, growing through that. Like I said, I want to get of all the n***a shit. I want the n***a shit to leave.

My body please. Leave me. I am tired. I don't want none to do with you. I hate you. Yippee! I'm going through it. That's right.

I love it. I love it. That's good. That is so. Yeah. Me too. But then, you know, of course, I'm in through it. That's right. I love it. I love it. That's good. That is so. Yeah. Me too. But then, you know, of course, I'm in my cool whip. Inside Jello. Hop up on that pretty motherfucker like.

Hello. I don't know how to let go of all that. Right. The rest is your time. Sorry, thanks for got to let go. I love it. We did something where we say say keep it blank, sweetie, or fill in the blank, pertaining to the episode.

And for this one, I will say keep it unapologetic, sweetie, because one thing I've heard from you the whole time is that you've been unapologetically, Kenny Burns. Ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's Jesus. Yes, Lord. Shop by bike. And if I had to tell somebody, um, stop lying to yourself.

Sweet. Mm-hmm. You go a lot further and life a lot quicker. Wow. That's deep. I love that. Yeah, we lie to ourselves. We do, we do.

It's gonna be our no-snot. No-snot. He put his hands on you. You're gonna put his hands on you again. Oh, try three full time. Oh, you steal that? No, it's not. No, no, it's not.

I'm just certain shit you can't lie to yourself. You can't lie, yeah, you got to be honest with your cellist, so true. No one there you can wake up is like, I'm not bloated, and you bloated. That's not a lie. Any of you. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry.

I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry.

I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry.

I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not add value. You always keep it. I love you. Thank you. I'm proud of you. Thank you. It's beautiful to see your evolution from where we've met to where you are now, how your mind is changing. It's very inspiring. Yes. Guys, I hope you were blessed by this episode as much as I was.

I had a really good time today. Therapy session. It's everybody's session. When they send us cash, they're like, this is a therapy session. It's pillow. It's the pillow. The Lumbar pillow. If you want to write into our positive outcomes, listen to your little, you can do exactly what

everyone to do. We're going to watch. We're going to take a selfie. Yeah. Oh my gosh. If you want to write into our positive outcomes, listen to your little right into keep it positive, sweetie at gmail.com. that is sweetie with an IE.

You can follow Keepin' P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P He's doing amazing things. You have a podcast that can be learned, show guys. He's always touching on amazing topics. Tapein with my brother as well. I love you guys. And in the meantime, you know what to do. Keep it positive, sweetie. BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING BING B you