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Game time. Welcome in. It's Thanksgiving week. Glad to have you here. Thank you for coming to the Jim Jackson show.
Please follow me at Jim Jackson show IG, also on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you download your podcast. And as promised, because it is holiday week, Thanksgiving part two, part two of my interview with my guy, close friend of mine, like a brother, Mr. D. Nice. It was, you know, a year ago and it was the 50th year anniversary of hip hop. And all these things were going on, but yet there was a void of my man D at these events at these, I mean, that he should have been a part of. Yeah, no, for sure.
And for you, how the feeling of not being involved in that, because you were a part of the golden generation. Yeah. What did you take from that?
Wow. Well, there was still like a part of me that was a little angry. I'm not gonna lie. It was definitely my feelings over it because I'd been a part of hip hop, you know, since I was 16 years old. So I'm watching all my friends at, you know, my friends performing at Yankee stadium or my friends performing.
But then the next lesson that was learned was that what's for you is for you. You know, that is hard, but I learned it because yo, Jesse Collins and Dion ended up producing, you know, the 50th anniversary of hip hop special on CBS. And then gave me my own slot, you know, with like being in, in kick free or, you know what I mean? Or then I ended up, you know, doing the 50th anniversary of hip hop at the vice president's house, you know, with me and Lowell Wayne. And like, I mean, so I guess in a sense, I did participate in hip hop 50, but not in a way that I thought that I should have, because it would have been great to be around more of my friends from my generation, you know, to kind of be a part of that 50th anniversary in the Bronx. I'm from the Bronx. I grew up one street away from Yankee stadium.
I'm BX all day. So it would have been great to, to be able to, to be there. But I guess where I am in my life right now, man, it was, it was equally gratifying, which the lesson was learned. Cause I can't front and say that it was an easy lesson that was learned.
It was hard for me. Cause I was like, man, I mean, there's my man, Dana, Dana's there. Oh man, Fat Joe's performing on this one. And MC Chan, like, yo, I don't really get to see a lot of the crew from, that I grew up with. But then on the flip side, I kind of represented my generation of hip hop in some kind of prestigious, you know, events in locations to be at the vice president's house, to be able to represent my generation, you know, to be on CBS, to do this Grammy celebration, his tribute to hip hop.
It was still great, man. What I love about you too, and your journey is that not only did you be able to experience a lot of these events and people and meeting and travel, but you got into photography to be able to capture a lot of these moments. And even when it wasn't an event, you got into it and started to carry your camera with you all the time and just capture these great photos. How did you, what started you on that side of the table to begin in photography?
Yeah. So when, when those BDP days, I always had a camera and, but I was young and back then we were only shooting film. There were no digital cameras available. And I would take these, I would shoot these images. And then once I had the prints, I didn't care about the negatives, which is the craziest way of thinking.
So I don't know where any of these negatives are. I don't know where, you know, 90% of the prints are like, and when the world stopped clapping for me, you know, I didn't have anything tangible to show like my family, like, Oh, you know, I had seen the world at a young age. So I, I made it a promise to myself. If I ever had a chance to travel the world again, that I would always have a camera with me. And I ended up going to, um, once I started doing like web development, started a company, bought a camera. I went to school for photography place in New York.
Sorry about that. I went to school for photography in New York city, a place called ICP, learn how to shoot, learn how to process film. And then I kept the camera with me. And now, you know, because of that, I ended up shooting campaigns for Reebok to album covers from Carl Thomas to, uh, you know, great goose campaign. So you said Ferrel Mont you did that?
I mean, yeah, Kenny, Kenny Lattimore, um, to, I didn't shoot, you know, shoots for Nike. Um, I, I did an American's next top model. I was a guest photographer on the show and, but DJ and took off at the same time as photography for me. So it was a lot easier for me to go out and shoot, um, or to DJ a two hour set because with the photography and doing those photo shoots, once you do a project, you're committed to that project.
You know, you got to see it through, you got to see through the editing. So instead of doing that, I was like, man, I'm just going to just keep my camera with me and just, I shoot one camera brand, you know, mainly shoot like a cameras and, you know, it's just my style of photography because the camera itself isn't intrusive. You know, it looks like, it doesn't look like the paparazzi, which I don't want to be. I still wanted people to be able to respect me, but respect me as a photographer.
Like the way you looked at James Van Der Zee or the way you looked at Gordon parks or Jim Marshall, it's kind of the right camera, the right images. And because of that, I'm always in the right room. People know I have my camera with me. Sometimes I'll take a picture.
Sometimes I won't, but people always allow me into these rooms, man. And, and, um, and I've been blessed. So I'm, I'm doing a show for 2025, our Basel, our Basel, just curing, curating everything right now. And, um, yeah, man, that's, that's the goal.
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Learn more at American express.com slash Amex business. So we got a couple, I think we got a couple of images that you were able to take. And what's interesting too, is that it captures like moments and having that camera.
Now you don't know sometimes what you're going to shoot, but then you're able to, what, what is that feeling when you know, you have a scene that set that says, I got to get this. Well, sometimes it's like, you could be in the moment, but my mind is like constantly going, like one of the images that I, um, or like even like, look at this one, this one here of Nas, you know, we were Nas and I, you know, he still has a Tennessee deal. Um, uh, you know, since moved on and I'm a part of another company. Well, actually I'm a, you are the company.
I'm a part of the owners of a club called Martin. But anyway, Nas and I were out in, in Mexico and we were just, we were just hanging, walking by, walking down the beach, just talking. And I was, I had my camera there. I was like, yo, let's take some pics. And like, even when you look at this picture, look at the bird flying there, bro.
Like everything was set up for the bird to be there. And you chose black and white. Why I chose black. Cause I just love black and white photography, you know?
So I shot that with, um, with a black and white camera, like a monochrome. Um, yeah, man. I mean, I looked up with this shot, man. Nas is just super relaxed.
The bird is killing me though. I'm like, man, the timing of that was perfect. So our listeners at home that are listening on YouTube, you will be able to see the images that we brought up here. This is a dope one. I think we have another one too.
Let's see. We have here that, uh, that comes up, but that just came about you walking and this one. Oh yeah.
Oh man. This one was so dope. This one actually was funny is, is, is this was, um, so Q-tip and quest love and black thought is my man too, but Q-tip in particular, man, he is the reason why I started DJing because when my career, when my rap career was over, I wasn't really going out to parties. And one day tip invited me out to his party. And I was, I just stood in front of the DJ booth all night. And I couldn't believe that he was just, he was just rocking, playing everything from blondie to Jay-Z.
So tip is like a, a real, a real, real source of inspiration for me. Um, and, and Amir quest love, man, that dude, you know, you talk about someone who knows their self-worth when I didn't know mine one Grammy event, I played no lie, probably like for the weekend I played open for Sam Smith. I played Pharrell's party. I played Warner brothers.
You know, I mean, I had about seven or eight really, really, really big events, but this was all pre COVID. This was just me doing it. And the last party of the weekend was Pharrell's Adidas party. And, um, quest love came in and he said, he was like, bro, you had the most amazing weekend for a DJ. He's like, but now you got to change your rate. You don't charge enough.
And I'm like, nah, man, you got the tonight show, blah, blah, blah. He was like, no, you don't charge enough. Change your rate.
You're probably going to lose gigs. You probably won't work a lot for six months, but you got to change your rate. And I did that. And no lie. I did not work for about six months.
Nobody was hiring me. How much we good to stay with it though. I stayed with it. And the first client that, that I remember the event, man, it was an Amazon event and they came and they gave me everything that I asked for. And like I said, this is pre COVID.
So the number was still different. And that, that I learned my self worth because of that. I learned that. And I owe that to quest, man, like the dude really gave me the best advice. And also I do, I love watching him DJ, because between Q-tip and quest, they play with this freedom, this freedom where they, you know, some people call it being eclectic, but I don't, it's like, you find, you find a rhythm that, that kind of like, you know, stitches everything together and you play that way as opposed to playing based on genres. And those guys, including Jazzy Jeff are really good at that. Of being, you know, black, black people who just have a love for all music, you know, and because of that, it's like, my life is better because I've watched those guys, DJ.
Well, but the funny part is not funny. You talk about your self-worth and losing to gain. Yeah. First DJ Hollywood bowl. Yep. First DJ at Carnegie hall. So I will say first hip hop, hip hop DJ. Yeah.
Yeah. I don't want to take away from EDM DJs that played. So, but hip hop side that opened up when Bustin and Nas and everybody else started performing there. Kennedy center.
Kennedy center, opera house. First, definitely first DJ to sell out the opera house. You notice these first things. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, there's a couple of good first things.
So you take the plan in the white house. It was just huge. You talk about these historic venues being the first to kind of do some of this, the success with the offsite stuff. The, you talked about the cognac.
We didn't even talk about the cigar. The cigars and this what's next, man, you know, honestly, like I love, we, we talk about these things all the time, man, you know, and, um, I, I just love hospitality, you know, so my goal now is to build a hospitality business where, you know, we own hotels and restaurants and, you know, I just recently invested, invested in a restaurant. That's going to be opening in, um, in Miami, um, probably open around June. Uh, and I'm, I'm looking forward to that. That's my latest investment in your toe into that.
Yeah. You know, I'm trying to use that as a way to, um, way to just kind of like learn more about the business. Then I'm also, I also have, um, a plant, a plant-based snack company that I just did a joint venture with, um, the company, the, the, the overall company is called outstanding foods. So I initially I had like shares of that company, but I wanted to do my own thing.
So we just did our joint venture. So 2025, I'll have some D nice snacks out. No, you know, Hey, listen, you got to bring them for the crew, man. You got to be, I'm like, Hey, listen, I grew up eating bad snacks all day long, but I'm trying to bring some healthy snacks, you know, but I still got one little bad flavor though.
I need some onion and garlic. That is, um, that's, that's where I am right now, man. And, and, you know, the cognac is doing well, the cigar, you know, I'm probably going to do a new cigar deal.
My deal with, with, uh, David off, um, was a one-off and we did, we, I mean, we went through like 7,000, 7,000 boxes in like two weeks. Um, so, you know, kind of got my foot into the cigar game and, you know, I'm just just trying to do things that matters to me, man. It's amazing how the journey from the young kid who wanted to put music together to beginning to let his express who he is through his music through DJ. And then he talked about the clapping stopped, the reality of life hit, and then the different lives that we leave brought you to where you're at now. And it's even better because you're settled in and it's created a business platform outside of just music, but it was based around. Music.
Yeah. And now that's expanding. Cause you, we talk all the time. You traveled, not just nationally, but internationally and meeting business people, uh, from across the world that open up new horizon and doors and business opportunities that, Hey, think about it.
We never even think about until we get in those environments. And that just says a lot about who you are, where you're at in your life, man. And I'll tell you from someone, when we go back to the mid to early nineties of meeting to watch that whole transition, the humility that's still there to me, my brother, I say, I love you.
Congratulations. I love watching the journey and being a part of it from afar, you know, to touch it, to feel it, to see it. And I do know that there's more to come.
Yeah, man. I got more to share, but you know, I do want to, I want to say thank you to you too, because you are from the moment that we met you, you listen, it didn't matter if people were clapping for me or not. You know what I mean? Like you, you made me feel seen as a person, as a brother, you know, and then to become friends with you has been great, you know, to watch your life, you know, we became more friends after you played and to watch you navigate through life when people aren't clapping like that, you know, and to watch you do it and watch you, you know, you talk about me as a dad, you know, to watch you do it all over again with your little man, you know, you got your big dog, but now you got your little man. And to see the smile that you always have when we talk about them, or when you post about them, or if I see you at a game, you know, that love is just beautiful that we can find that kind of love in life and in business with family at a later age, you know, you're, you know, we're both in our fifties and early fifties, and we're still enjoying life, man, and enjoy life probably more than when we, when you were playing probably more than when I was rapping. Like, I just love life. I love, I got this appreciation for life. I wake up every day in full gratitude. One day that I woke up. Yes, bro.
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You know what's amazing to me is that I've been in this world since I've been 15 years old like you 16 like been in the sports world and I'm still amazed at what I see and how I live yeah places I go and travel it never gets old to me never and it doesn't get by the way I told you I'm used to seeing you at the games so if I'm at the game we don't hear you because you're doing television I don't really watch too many games at home or Clippers games because usually I'm watching the games with you smoking a cigar so when I was home the other day and I actually heard you I like heard you on television like for the first time and it was talk about somebody having so much joy because we only talk about it we talk about you I'm about to go to the game and I'm always like all right I gotta catch this flight right but to be at home and then literally listen and watch man I felt so much pride and joy knowing like man we are pretty much the same age on the same kind of journey of like opening new doors for ourselves but also just being great at our crafts man so congratulations to you man well I appreciate that and before we go two things the best advice somebody gave you and some advice that you would give and I'm just something not a young person but someone that's trying to search for what that next step is in their life yeah man the best advice someone gave me man that's a that's a tough one man right yeah that one is it a nugget is it a it could be a combination of a couple things that may have had you you think a little bit differently about maybe what you were going through at a time or how to see something a little differently I think what I would probably I'll go to the other one first man what I would definitely say to to some young person trying to figure this out is that you know be kind to the people that you meet on your journey because at the end of the day like even when you think about how my life changed most of what changed about my life happened because I had met people along the way that I was actually just kind to and those same people were the ones that were like yo I got an opportunity for you or I know someone over here that will help you with club quarantine to open the doors you know and like I tell people man like I can talk about it now but like CQ didn't happen without people that worked at at Facebook meta but it was also from being nice to these people who you know I couldn't get the music played you know without Big John from from Sony Music Publishing and you know people like that that were that were in my corner to say hey what you're doing is changing lives changing lives for people during a dark time so just be kind of you know along the way to people you never know where that will take you and then the best advice man that that you know probably one of the best pieces of advice that I got was from a woman named Vivian Scott Chu who you know when my life with BDP was over you know I was trying to figure myself out and I would I would go to these meetings and and I would say negative things about you know KRS like uh you know he should have given me more credit I was saying some real negative things about and I was super young though you know 25 years old and and and Vivian just told me you know how powerful the tongue is and to you don't want you don't want that to follow you on your journey you know you don't want that and because of those lessons and because I was able to listen to people that were doing this before me and a lot older you know not that Vivian is a lot older but just older people and in you know in different businesses I was able to to thrive in this life man and find my way of being kind without hurting someone else like I don't I don't have anything negative to say about anyone like I'm good even when even when something happens I truly try to see the other side of it maybe I made that mistake you know like maybe you know go back to think about it like man maybe let me check myself too you know see where this energy is coming from but that's the advice about you know I would share with people no I love it man and the journey the beautiful part of it is you know that health wise willing we're going to continue to experience more and more and give back to not only our families but indirectly to people around us that kind of live through what we're doing and what we're going through and be an example to especially a lot of young black men yes who are looking for some kind of guidance or some kind of direction on where they want to go because I see you interact with people all the time that have questions it's easy to shut that down but you don't and that's the beauty about life is the we always talk about it's not the endings not the beginning it's the journey it's the journey it's the journey in which we go through and learn and more importantly we can look at ourselves in the mirror today and and really be honest and have an honest conversation with ourselves about who we are as men and that part of growth for me I've seen it I've seen it in you yes sir and that's why we're kicking in smoke cigars that's how we do it man I love you brother thank you for coming through man it's been a pleasure this is great man yeah well I hope you enjoyed part two of my interview with my brother D-Nice as much as I did a lot of content a lot of self-awareness a lot of stuff but before we got out get out of here it is Thanksgiving I wanted to wish everyone a very safe and happy Thanksgiving I know Thanksgiving means different things to different people and that's okay but it is a chance for you to get together with family and friends and sit and appreciate the time that you do have together support one another have some good times and do me a favor laugh a lot because there's a lot of things going on in this world right now that take us away from the joy but being able to spend some time with family and close friends we kind of take for granted at times we kind of segregated to holidays it should be done a lot more but since we're here we have an opportunity to take 24 hours and just really enjoy ourselves with our family so enjoy it from me to you to everyone across the world enjoy your Thanksgiving I'm not saying it's no why not but this is a definitive statement that's clearly an over reaction and it's perfect fodder for a show like this one I appreciate you coming out of the gate hot come react or overreact with us overreaction Monday wherever you listen it's game over over man
